CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

lyd · Joined: 15 Sep 2007 Posts: 390 Location: Lake Mills, Wi

I don't understand all the posts here with the general tone of "at least we are closer to arriving at a single high def dvd standard". Why do we want that?

This isn't very much like the Beta/VHS thing, despite being so often compared to it. With BD/HD, the only thing really keeping a single device from playing back both is a bit of licensing. (I know there are in fact some tangible physical differences, but they are minor with regard to constructing a reader to handle both.) Two players, or even a single player with two bays, is not necessary.

It seems to me that competition in a thing like this is always going to benefit us in the form of better market prices and more incentive to innovate, increase and maintain quality, etc. I'll be sad if one or the other format vanishes entirely.

lyd

9kids · Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 138 Location: Manassas, VA

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I just thought I could drag this discussion down a bit. Saw this on another site.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22545995/

and a snippet..

**kal** · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:12 am Post subject:

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

do you really think that dvd sales are decreasing because of the hd v blu war?

what about internet, vod, netflix, recession, etc.

lyd · Joined: 15 Sep 2007 Posts: 390 Location: Lake Mills, Wi

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

**kal** · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:31 am Post subject:

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I don't know why people are stuck on believing all of these "analysts". Anyone who starts a blog these days are considered analysts.

Bill Hunt I am sure was saying similar things all along.

I have freedom writers and good shepard here and I can't decide which to watch? (both in hd dvd from netflix)

Any suggestions?

MYoung · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 369 Location: Madison, WI

How many HD DVD players are out there in North America? Something like 1 million? With Warner out of the HD DVD picture, Universal and Paramount are going to be selling more HD DVDs than if Warner were still in the picture, assuming Universal and Paramount start releasing more titles that people friggin' want to see and that people don't completely jump ship! Hell, a nice price break on movies would really sweeten it too. If there was a price break on media there would probably even be BD supporters picking up $100 HD DVD players to get Paramount and Universal titles. If they did that then HD DVD could make a come back. Unfortunately, I don't think they're willing to take that risk.

What's so silly is that Universal and Paramount would still make money selling HD media for less money. If HD DVD movies were $15 MSRP each instead of $30 MSRP each then people would buy twice as many and feel as though they were getting a great deal! Hell, make them $10 each and sell 3 times as many. I know I would. If these studios want HD to catch on and have people re-buy everything in HD and make a killing all over again, make it affordable! Don't just complete with BD. Compete with DVD too! Sure, there are start-up costs to releasing a title on HD DVD, but they are really failing to get the media to the supporters! For a format that's trying to gain traction, that should be priority #1 -- building consumer libraries! Hell, crack dealers know that! Get your product out there! Universal made American Gangster. Did they not watch their own movie? Blue Magic? A superior product (can you say HDi, Internet connectivity out of the box, and VC-1 codec from the beginning) at a lower price ($100 HD DVD player!).

Sure, DVDs were expensive when they first came out. Though when did DVDs start raking in serious money? When they became very affordable! Now everyone's building their library. What's more, I don't see how this could hurt Universal and Paramount that much. Even if HD DVD does die in a year, they can switch to BD and re-release all their titles to eager BD owners who have been waiting for their movies. Maybe this is all just wishful thinking. It will get interesting though -- be it in HD DVDs desperate act to stay afloat, resulting in further promotions and price reductions and HD DVD consumers winning in the end for affordable HD, or in HD DVD's total demise and plummeting prices on HD DVD media.

Hooray for Blu-ray! More expensive players, less interactivity until BD-Live, more DRM, region codes, but hey, we got larger discs for loading with interviews with grips and best boys. Plenty of space in there for a rootkit too! Neato!

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:55 am Post subject:

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

oliverg · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:37 am Post subject:

The marketing analysts are all saying that having two formats is confusing the Joe and Jane averages of the world ... the elimination of one format will mean that people wont hold off on buying one or the other .. its that simple

I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that Universal and Paramount (despite contractual obligations that might be) back out too.

Also... the section of the market that will buy 2 HD-DVDs instead of 1 if they were 15 instead of 30 has been assessed by market researchers to be as small a minority as enthusiasts Wink

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

oliverg · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject:

Except the executives that run the recording studios are using these analysts to interpret the market research.

So we can complain all we want about "how can these companies believe analysts" when in reality, that's one of the reasons Warner made their decision to go BR. They sure aren't going to make a multi billion dollar decision based on our appraisals of the format war!

ronholm · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 12111

ronholm · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 12111