Worst Product of the year?
- Thread starter vurbano
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Selling on E-bay sucks. However, I am a huge fan of buying used optical media online and elsewhere. You never bought used CD's from an indy record store? Seriously? I just spend nearly $100 buying used HD DVD's from Blockbuster Online. These are the rentals, too. They will work fine just like the rentals I bought from Hollywood back in Feb/March. Used Blu-Rays are even less risky due to the hard coating. Dark Knight will be $14 on E-bay in a few weeks just like every other new release. $10 seems to be the floor for good, popular movies like Ratatouille, etc. I think Step Brothers will be in the $5 category fairly soon.
I have to factor in a certain 'burn factor' when buying on eBay. For example, I recently purchased some shocks/struts for my 1990 BMW 535. What arrived were units for a BMW 516/520. That model wasn't even sold in the US. After a few go arounds, I ended up eating the fronts and repurchasing from Bavarian Autoparts, where I have had a lot of good experiences.
Bought a BluRay copy of Almost Famous off of eBay because it was OOP by the time I bought my player. It arrived with a UK-15 rating on the jacket and UK inserts, although it was advertised as a US release. Fortunately, it did play.
I also got burned with one unplayable used disk from inetvideo.com, and also a lot of "Only for sale in Canada" stuff as well. The unplayable disk had no scratches.
Definitely true that the prices are way too high. I have bought some, but like most here, am limiting myself to ones that 1) I really really want; and 2) I can get for $15; $19 at most. No more $30 BDs. 
I'm just saying -- DVD sales totals are on the way down and BD sales are on the way up. Last time I checked -- when your sales numbers are going up you are doing well and when your numbers are going down you are not doing well. It will be another two years before we will know if BD really succeeds and replaces DVD. By then the prices will be down.
On another note, within the last four weeks I purchased in BD - Transformers, Total Recall, Bullett, National Treasures (first one), Black Snake Moan, Stealth, Swordfish, and Viva Las Vegas all for under $15. I also purchase The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones-Crystal Skull, National Treasures 2, Stargate Continuim and Sunshine for under $20. I think those are great buys and they did not all come from the same store or Amazon.com. In fact, right after Thanksgiving, Walmart dropped prices on about 30 titles to $14.95 and and $10. That is how I am building my BD library - 121 titles and growing
On another note, within the last four weeks I purchased in BD - Transformers, Total Recall, Bullett, National Treasures (first one), Black Snake Moan, Stealth, Swordfish, and Viva Las Vegas all for under $15. I also purchase The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones-Crystal Skull, National Treasures 2, Stargate Continuim and Sunshine for under $20. I think those are great buys and they did not all come from the same store or Amazon.com. In fact, right after Thanksgiving, Walmart dropped prices on about 30 titles to $14.95 and and $10. That is how I am building my BD library - 121 titles and growing
Except that if DVD numbers are dropping faster than BD numbers are rising, it isn't good for the industry as a whole. In order to even notice that DVD numbers are dropping, it would have to be a bigger number than even total BD sales.
Say DVD outsells BD 100:1. A 100% gain in BR sales would be the same as a 1% loss in DVD sales. And we both know it isn't even that good yet.
I think those are great buys and they did not all come from the same store or Amazon.com. In fact, right after Thanksgiving, Walmart dropped prices on about 30 titles to $14.95 and and $10. That is how I am building my BD library - 121 titles and growing
That is good if you have the time to search them out. I'll just end up buying what I happen across, and I am aware that I am now unlikely to buy the DVD, while being in price shockj over the BD, so I am buying less these days.
I'm just saying -- DVD sales totals are on the way down and BD sales are on the way up. Last time I checked -- when your sales numbers are going up you are doing well and when your numbers are going down you are not doing well. It will be another two years before we will know if BD really succeeds and replaces DVD. By then the prices will be down.
On another note, within the last four weeks I purchased in BD - Transformers, Total Recall, Bullett, National Treasures (first one), Black Snake Moan, Stealth, Swordfish, and Viva Las Vegas all for under $15. I also purchase The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones-Crystal Skull, National Treasures 2, Stargate Continuim and Sunshine for under $20. I think those are great buys and they did not all come from the same store or Amazon.com. In fact, right after Thanksgiving, Walmart dropped prices on about 30 titles to $14.95 and and $10. That is how I am building my BD library - 121 titles and growing
Yup, sales are way up thanks to tentpole releases, and yup movies are nice and cheap within the timeframe that conveniently includes the holiday season and black friday.
So BD is fine, everyone just buy their movies during the holidays, none during the year, and since the biggest movies sell by the bucketload nobody has anything to worry about, why were we even discussing this, we are all wrong. Smells like success to me.
A couple of good weeks (and debatable ones at that) don't make a year, so you kind of proved the point of the thread, no? Sony isn't going to come out, cite the 2 months or whatever they outsold the 360 and claim the dominance for the year, as much as they'd love to.
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BD prices are hard to swallow. I've been in Walmart more than I'd like to admit this holiday season and the higher prices do dissuade me from purchases very often. I only own 2 BDs (Iron Man & Bladerunner) and I really can't see myself buying another one anytime soon. With Netflix having nearly every BD out there, unless I REALLY like a movie to the point where I feel the studios deserve that extra payment from me, high price and low demand are making my BD collection stay very stagnant.
I felt it had to be 20 bucks when BluRay first started and now in this economic climate? I am even more hardline on the issue. I only buy movies I really really want and they have to be under 25 dollars. My PS3 is sitting idle most of he time since I do not rent.
Don't know about Vurb, but I don't rent much. I find it a bit of time and trouble to go to a store, search, go thru checkout line, wondering if my card has been canceled due to lack of use. I don't watch enough to subscribe to N or B. If I find a movie I think I'll like that much, I'll buy it. On Blu-ray, of course. Very few DVD purchases out of me anymore. Actually, I have way more BDs than DVDs. And I wait for sales. Very few meet my "want it now" alarm.
Got a couple for Xmas. Every little bit helps.
Got a couple for Xmas. Every little bit helps.
I'm trying to do a lot more in the way of just renting movies on Blu-ray rather than buying. The retail prices of the discs is one thing. The movies also accumulate and eat up valuable space after awhile. I already have a huge DVD collection featuring a lot of movies I haven't watched enough to justify buying in the first place.
If I see a really good bargain on a certain Blu-ray title and I know its something I'm going to watch numerous times I'll go ahead and buy it.
I came close to buying Band of Brothers from Amazon. They had the Blu-ray version priced at only $37. Wal-Mart is charging nearly double that price and the list price is almost $100. Band of Brothers is a great mini-series. However, I probably wouldn't watch it more than a couple of times.
If I see a really good bargain on a certain Blu-ray title and I know its something I'm going to watch numerous times I'll go ahead and buy it.
I came close to buying Band of Brothers from Amazon. They had the Blu-ray version priced at only $37. Wal-Mart is charging nearly double that price and the list price is almost $100. Band of Brothers is a great mini-series. However, I probably wouldn't watch it more than a couple of times.
I can buy a Blu-ray for less than it costs me to go to a theater with my wife. Fuel, food, tickets add up. And I have a better sound system than many theaters. And no distractions or filth. And I can pause. And 10'-12' away from a 61" screen, relative screen size isn't very different.
ONE viewing, and I'm ahead economically and satisfaction wise.
ONE viewing, and I'm ahead economically and satisfaction wise.
