Bkue-Ray versus HD-DVD

[mas]

Nope, not exactly. Blockbuster fundamentally changed its marketing structure to distribute movies by mail like Netflix, which is eating its lunch.

They both rent HD-DVD and Blu-Ray via the mail - their major distribution vector.

All Blockbuster has now done is to allocate some space in stores for Blu-Ray disks.

That does not change the fundamental business model of online distribution or availability.

Sony wishes the news were so good.

[Canadian_Dude]

Not that I am a big fan of arguing but.... I have read in a few places that Blockbuster rents them in stores. Previously it was both and now its only Blue-Ray.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PR74V80&show_article=1

also

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=257

or

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/17/blockbuster-chooses-blu-ray-is-the-war-over/

They all seem to have the exact same information but these are what I found quickly looking at Google. There was also an article in my local newspaper.

[mas]

They previously offered Neither format in stores and Both formats via the direct mail distribution process. They provided physical space limitations as to why only Blu-Ray was being brought into stores.

Blockbuster to Expand Blu-ray Retail Titles First, HD DVD
May Wait

By Scott M.
Fulton, June 18, 2007 Betanews http://www.betanews.com/article/Blockbuster_to_Expand_Bluray_Retail_Titles_First_HD_DVD_May_Wait/1182178445

For over a
year now, the retail high-definition market has been looking for a signal from
places on high of any tipping of the scales, any crack in the dam that will
help consumers make the ultimate choice in high-definition movie format
investment: Should they invest in Blu-ray or HD DVD? This morning, such a
signal may have finally come: US
movie rental giant Blockbuster announced that 18% of its retail outlets will
expand their offerings to include Blu-ray titles only, at least for now.

For retailers like Blockbuster, the problem has been one of
real estate. Blockbuster and its online competitor Netflix can continue to
expand their virtual storefront to include as many Blu-ray and HD DVD titles as
studios decide to produce.

But
physical shelf space is a critical commodity, especially for a store that
guarantees availability for certain new releases. The less space there is
available for a new title in any given store, the more coupons the company must
give away, which is a very real expense.

So giving up space for any new format is a big gamble. Up
to now, making room for two formats has been impossible, except for a select
250 stores nationwide where Blockbuster had been sampling customer preferences.
Of the company's approximately 8,000 stores in North
America, fewer than 3% have the space available for both formats.

This morning, Blockbuster spokesperson Randy Hargrove
declined to go into more detail than what had already been released to the
press on Sunday, except to say this to BetaNews:

"When customers are ready we can expand the Blu-ray
offering into more stores and add HD DVD to more locations if that's what
customers tell us they want. HD DVD titles will still be available in the 250
stores (only 3% of its retail operations) that had been carrying it and HD DVD
along with Blu-ray titles will still be available for rental at blockbuster.com
for our Blockbuster Total Access and Blockbuster By Mail online subscribers.
Our policy online is that we will continue to offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD as
they are released."

But that will still be a slight inconvenience to HD DVD
customers with respect to the company's Total Access program. There, customers
can rent movies online, receive them by mail, and return them to retail stores,
swapping them for more titles during the same rental period. Without HD DVD
titles in most stores, that program won't have much value to HD DVD customers.

Whether this constitutes a real "crack in the
dam" may depend on how the company's biggest competitor, Movie Gallery
(which also operates Hollywood Video stores), responds. That company manages
4,700 retail outlets in North America, many of
them with tighter real estate restrictions than Blockbuster. Expanding its
shelf presence for so much as one high-def format, let alone two, may be
an impossibility for a great many Movie Gallery outlets. At the same time, the
fast-moving consumer electronics economy mandates that if a player doesn't lead
and doesn't follow, it's automatically out of the way.

Regardless of what either chain decides to do
from here on out, any decision to carry just one high-def format will be a
gamble on which portion of the movie spectrum will be more appealing to
consumers.

The Blu-ray Disc Association boasts 20th Century-Fox,
Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures (which owns Columbia and Tri-Star),
and Warner Bros. as its member studios; whereas the HD DVD Promotional Group
lists New Line, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros. among its members. Even
with the overlap, Blockbuster's decision may have come down to which studios
could be expected to produce the most desirable titles this summer.

[JDarrell]

How much that run?So the only thing that probably plays that my HD-XA1 don't are SACD and DVD-A.For $349 I got one great upconverter that play my current cds and dvd's plus the sound rivals high end cd players.

[vman71]

I finally gave up on this silly format war, and bought a Denon DVD-2910. I wanted something that could upconvert and had an HDMI output and could play CDs. I have all this and more in the 2910. The upconverted picture quality to 1080i is good enough for me and my Phillips 50" Plasma. The sound is superb and I am able to play my collection of DVDs, and in the future will be able to purchase regular DVDs without having to worry about format. IMO, I made the right choice. To heck with the format wars, and players that will on play BlueRay or HDDVDs.

Lou

Have to agree with Lou.

I just recently bought my first HDTV (a 1080P Samsung DLP) and debated with myself which would be the right DVD player to go with. I ended up buying the Denon DVD-1930ci because it does upconvert to 1080P via HDMI. I chose against both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD because of both price and the format war. In the end, for me, upconverted DVD's that are being fed to my HDTV at 1080P are going to be good enough and I can still enjoy my current DVD collection.

Mike

[ARPRINCE]

I'm format neutral since I have both an HD DVD (Elite - Xbox add-on) and BLU-RAY (PS3).Both units upconverts SDVDs and is pretty good at it if I may add but they are just not on the same level with the high def disks. I do agree that the format war has hurt consumers so the sooner this war is over the better. So right now, I really don't buy and collect HD movies but just rent them (to be on the safe side). The only collection I have in HD DVD is King Kong (came free with add-on) and The Matrix Collection (WOW!!!) while I have 3 movies on BDs. However, I'm more inclined to get BDs in the future so I hope BD wins.

[Professor.Ham.Slap]

I'm format neutral since I have both an HD DVD (Elite - Xbox add-on) and BLU-RAY (PS3).Both units upconverts SDVDs and is pretty good at it if I may add but they are just not on the same level with the high def disks. I do agree that the format war has hurt consumers so the sooner this war is over the better. So right now, I really don't buy and collect HD movies but just rent them (to be on the safe side). The only collection I have in HD DVD is King Kong (came free with add-on) and The Matrix Collection (WOW!!!) while I have 3 movies on BDs. However, I'm more inclined to get BDs in the future so I hope BD wins.

Actually, I kind of like the format war. If it weren't for that, we would still be seeing $1000 players as the norm. Sony is currently subsidizing the added cost of producing BD50 discs so they would also be around $40 per movie if that were not the case. Besides, dual format players are on the way and both very well may be here to stay. And actually, I really hope so because that means they'll really have to work to keep an advantage.

[vman71]

DVD-Audio and SACD have really benefitted from their format war. []

[erickoegle]

I was reading somewhere that for Blu-Ray, they will have a 5 free movies through MIR just like Toshiba's with HD-DVD.

I also think it may be good with a PS3 purchase too

I have not chosen either or just yet, although I did bite on a Price Error for the Matrix Trilogy on HD-DVD (20$)

Posted on AVS by Cane Dewey via Neogaf
Movie Choices (you can only pick ONE movie per category)
Category 1: The Guardian, Pearl Harbor, Invincible, Chicken Little

Category 2: Corpse bride, Phantom of the opera, Blazing Saddles

Category 3: Stealth, Resident Evil 2, Underworld Evolution, Stir of Echoes

Category 4: The Italian Job, Black Rain, Babel, Devil's Rejects

Category 5: Kiss of the Dragon, Omen 666, The Transporter 2, Species, Hart's War, The Last Waltz

[JTYoung]

That selection of free Blu-Ray discs is really not that great. I don't think there are five discs on there that I would like to own. If you do like the selection and want to get a Blu-Ray player, get the new Pannasonic BD10A, it comes with 5 pretty good discs (Pirates 1 & 2, The Transporter, Crash, and Fantastic Four) and I believe it too is eligible for the 5 additional ones too so you end up getting 10 out of the deal.

[JDarrell]

Neither format was really pushed.Both of these are getting a light push but not a heavy one.

[mas]

Blockbuster is really tipping the market!(sic)

After closing 290 stores in 2006, they just announced today that they are closing another 282 stores.

[ARPRINCE]

Blockbuster is really tipping the market!

After closing 290 stores in 2006, they just announced today that they are closing another 282 stores.

BB had close to 4000 stores last 2006. Weeding out franchises?

[MatrixDweller]

I hate the big stores. $6 for a movie rental. I guess that's what happens when the pushed all the mom and pop stores out in the 80's. Now they can charge whatever they want.

I'm personally going for the online rental thing. I get all my HD-DVDs from www.zip.ca here in Canada.

[mas]

Blockbuster is really tipping the market!

After closing 290 stores in 2006, they just announced today that they are closing another 282 stores.

BB had close to 4000 stores last 2006. Weeding out franchises?

BB has definitely had some serious trouble, but they did not close ~4000 stores in 2006!

http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/28/news/companies/bc.blockbuster.stores.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007062818

Personally, if you don't need the hot recent release and can wait a year, you can buy a good movie for only 2 or 3 bucks more than the rental. And as I prefer mostly older films and classic movies, why rent when you can buy for almost the same price for most items if they are worth having....

[ARPRINCE]

Blockbuster is really tipping the market!

After closing 290 stores in 2006, they just announced today that they are closing another 282 stores.

BB had close to 4000 stores last 2006. Weeding out franchises?

BB has definitely had some serious trouble, but they did not close ~4000 stores in 2006!

http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/28/news/companies/bc.blockbuster.stores.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007062818

Personally, if you don't need the hot recent release and can wait a year, you can buy a good movie for only 2 or 3 bucks more than the rental. And as I prefer mostly older films and classic movies, why rent when you can buy for almost the same price for most items if they are worth having....

HAHAHA....I don't know where I pulled that from. I meant....BB HAD APPROXIMATELY 4000 STORES IN 2006.

[erickoegle]

I believe the number around 400. They closed 16 of their stores in the Toledo, OH area in 2006. Funny thing is, Family Video opened about 15 stores in that very same region. I do think more and more people are utilizing netflix, but there are a great number of stores that have about the same selection of movies/games as BB does at about 1/2 the price. I think that is what is killing them the most.

[TauRus]

I made my choice back in November 2006 by purchasing a PS3 and never looked back. This is a fantastic piece of equipment. It performs exceptionally well as a blu-ray and sd dvd player. In fact it gives my Denon 2930ci run for the money in the upconversion department.

With a larger studio support, more headroom in the maximum supported bandwidth, in my opinion Blu-Rayis the choice to make. However, as many correctly stated, the real format war is between Blu-ray and SD DVD. I think the sooner the industry will consolidate around the single high definitin format the more are the chances Blu-Ray will not repeat the fate of SACD/DVD-A.

[mas]

Blockbuster is really tipping the market!

After closing 290 stores in 2006, they just announced today that they are closing another 282 stores.

BB had close to 4000 stores last 2006. Weeding out franchises?

BB has definitely had some serious trouble, but they did not close ~4000 stores in 2006!

http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/28/news/companies/bc.blockbuster.stores.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007062818

Personally, if you don't need the hot recent release and can wait a year, you can buy a good movie for only 2 or 3 bucks more than the rental. And as I prefer mostly older films and classic movies, why rent when you can buy for almost the same price for most items if they are worth having....

HAHAHA....I don't know where I pulled that from. I meant....BB HAD APPROXIMATELY 4000 STORES IN 2006.

Re-reading your post I now understand what you meant. I mistakenly interpreted you to say they closed 4000 stores.[]

They are indeed culling under-performing stores.

What I do find interesting is that we are still speculating over how many stores have been closed when multiple cited sources have reported and confirmed the exact number of closing that has also been openly disclosed by Blockbuster.

Heaven forbid we should attempt to debate something that has not been publicly disclosed and verified.[][*-)]

I think what we will discover is that Sony and the various studios supporting the Blu-Ray format have entered into a co-marketing agreement with Blockbuster as an incentive beneficial to both. Otherwise the decision lacks credibility based upon market segment penetration - regardless of which platform you may like.

And with all due respect, the growth of both formats must be evaluated from the perspective of business and marketing and not nearly so much as a technology issue as Sony has discovered. And as the near identical debacle of Beta demonstrated...and the Wii is now easily demonstrating.

And sorry folks, except from an emotional perspective, Blu-Ray in No way 'owns' the market!

[Catharsis147]

................I think both formats are going to lose. In the age of itunes, what common, non audio/videophile wants physical media anymore??