NetFlix Streams, HDDVD Cheaper Still

[mas]

Netflix to allow unlimited streaming on select plans

http://www.betanews.com/article/Netflix_to_allow_unlimited_streaming_on_select_plans/1200327826

January 14, 2008

Netflix subscribers who have
unlimited rental plans will now be able to stream an unlimited number of movies
or TV shows on their PCs at no additional cost. The change affects all
subscribers with plans starting at $8.99 per month, according to a statement.
About 6,000 movies and shows are currently available for streaming. Previously
the company used a metered approach to offering streaming.

"Unlimited has always been a
very powerful selling point with our subscribers and a large part of what set
us apart in the marketplace," marketing chief Leslie Kilgore said. Only
subscribers of the $4.99 per month plan will have limits on streaming. Two
hours of time will be alloted to customers on that plan at no extra charge.

Toshiba drops price of HD DVD players as format war
continues

http://www.betanews.com/article/Toshiba_drops_price_of_HD_DVD_players_as_format_war_continues/1200325959

January 14, 2008

In a sign the high-definition format
war is far from over, Toshiba on Monday dropped the suggested retail price of
its entry-level HD DVD player to under $150. That puts the HD-A3 $250 cheaper
than Sony's PlayStation 3.

The MSRP of the HD-A3 will now be
$149.99 USD, while the HD-A30 with 1080p output is lowered to $199.99 USD.
Toshiba's high-end HD-A35 will now be priced at $299.99 USD. Retailers are
already undercutting these prices, with Amazon selling the A3 for just $134.99,
while TigerDirect has it listed for $129.99.

Although the move is surely to be
branded a "fire sale" by Blu-ray supporters, Toshiba says the price
cut is part of a broader marketing strategy aimed at increasing exposure of HD
DVD among consumers. Despite the constant rhetoric, neither high-definition
format has made an impact in the marketplace compared to standard DVD.

The effort by Toshiba is a response
to Warner Bros. snubbing the company just one day before the HD DVD press
conference at CES. Warner decided to back Blu-ray exclusively, leading to false
speculation that Paramount and Universal would follow suit. This left Toshiba,
Microsoft and other HD DVD supporters facing an onslaught of negative press and
consumers being told not to invest in the format.

Toshiba will roll out television,
print and online media campaigns to promote HD DVD, and work with both studio
partners and retail outlets to jointly advertise the format. The manufacturer
has also rolled out an "HD DVD Concierge" phone line to help answer
any questions consumers have about HD DVD.

Although HD DVD touts the ability to
produce combination discs and was first to the market with advance interactive
features, price is the determining factor when it comes to sales. Consumers
snapped up HD DVD players over the holiday when prices dropped below $200, and
the format greatly outsold standalone Blu-ray players.

"While price is one of the
consideration elements for the early adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the
mainstream consumer," said Yoshi Uchiyama, Group Vice President of
Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "Pricing is the most critical determinant in
consumers' purchase decision of the next generation HD DVD technology."

Bringing down costs has been one of
the major problems hindering Blu-ray adoption. The format has taken the lead in
market share solely because of the PlayStation 3, which can be used to play
Blu-ray movies. Standalone players are more expensive than the PS3 and cannot
be upgraded to the upcoming Profile 2.0 specification, which adds Internet
connectivity.

Toshiba is hoping the price drop
will enable HD DVD to continue the momentum it had over the holidays, and
perhaps convince more studios to re-consider the format. With over 1 million HD
DVD players sold, it's hard to ignore that number of customers. Toshiba is also
pitching the players to those who want to upconvert standard DVDs to
high-definition resolution.

Amazon and other retailers have also
slashed prices of HD DVD discs, many of which are now 50% off. Many Blu-ray
moves are similarly priced, making it a perfect time to buy no matter which
format you support.

Microsoft has not said whether it
will lower the cost of its HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360, which currently runs
$179, but a similar price drop is expected soon.

At least someone seems to have a grasp on at least one basic strategic marketing concept. Sony should hire him...or anyone who can read and grasp the concept.[]

[oldtimer]

My only thought is, yeah, how nice, but on this forum we like our movies on our ht systems, not on our computers. I realize there is a small minority that has integrated both but most of us have not.

[oldtimer]

Plus I have found that on the house wireless network, there still can be buffering on much smaller files than movies, which is unpleasant even for the small files. If you integrate the hard-wired cpu then this becomes less of a problem but as I said before, most of us are just not that geeky at this point.

[oldtimer]

At least someone seems to have a grasp on at least one basic strategic marketing concept. Sony should hire him...or anyone who can read and grasp the concept.

Yes, Sony should hire you. you would just love being a gaijin working for Sony!

[mas]

I think you may be missing the point.

I too like hard copies.

But, the market is moving to network attached devices as well as deliverables.

Just as BR profile 2 will add Ethernet, people would be well advised to make sure that their new investments in receivers and other playback devices feature Ethernet and/or USB connectivity or risk obselesence in the developing market.

Netflix has only dealt with mail delivery of hard copies as an interim step in a longer range vision.

Supply chain management costs are prohibitive, and the market is moving to online deliverables. And while hard copies will not likely totally disappear, the cost of online delivery offers a much greater economic model.

And just as the move in the music market is already moving quickly to this model - driven as much by artists as it is by music companies - the movie industry is not far behind.

While I am not a big fan of this, they are not asking us. And anyone who blindly ignores this does so at their own risk. After all, some folks don't believe in the the Internet either...and they severely limit themselves as well.

[el jopez]

You guys also miss a BIG point about the netflix deal. Over two months ago (maybe more) crackers already broke the DRM on these files so it is possible to manipulate/burn them at your leisure.

Plus one for the consumer.

[mas]

You guys also miss a BIG point about the netflix deal. Over two months ago (maybe more) crackers already broke the DRM on these files so it is possible to manipulate/burn them at your leisure.

Plus one for the consumer.

Not at all.

If you use the SlySoft AnyDVD suite, DRM , including that of HD-DVD and BluRay, has been a moot point from the beginning.

The ONLY ones worried at all about this are those not using this product suite!

Additionally, as was reported earlier, managed copy has legal precedence. This is not an issue of over being able to make a hard copy.

[el jopez]

Considering that you do not need either an HD player or HD discs this option is a plus one as you may use any DVD ripping/encoding software freely availabe to be played back on any hardware you currently have.

How is that not a plus for consumer? Were not talking about ripping HD content to your Hard Drive, but rather acquiring and amassing HD content at a moderate price point compared to the other mainstream options.

[mas]

You missed my point and the articles' point and switched issues mid stream. []

You guys also miss a BIG point about the netflix deal. Over two months

ago (maybe more) crackers already broke the DRM on these files so it is

possible to manipulate/burn them at your leisure.

DRM is not the big point. That point is moot, either by managed copy precedence or due to the use of AnyDVD.

The BIG issue is the move to online delivery and the shift in supply chain management from a fundamentally hard copy based to the move to online digital delivery.

Thus movies join audio in the migration.

And the associated significance is the move of A/V devices from stand-alone to network attached devices.

[oldtimer]

So the point I missed was that netflix is more forward thinking than today's average consumer? Only when we catch up to what youngsters are already doing with music will the model bear serious fruit? Or is it just a matter of enough youngsters coming along (being born, or immigrating?) that this model will prove itself as the grand vision that it obviously is? Let's face it, a lot of us still spin vinyl as our preferred method of listening to music. DVD's are popular with this crowd simply because they are just movies, nothing so serious as music. nudge nudge wink wink.

[mas]

This "average consumer" of which you speak is responsible for the major market shift in music, and this same "average consumer" drives the movie market as well.

Like it or not, those playing records and any form of tape are an anachronism. Hard copies, while they will not disappear, as also increasingly being marginalized.

And with the majority of the market is moving towarded convergence, A/V devices are becoming part of a larger distributed network.

The fact that movies include video as well as audio is a moot distinction. It is a all simply data.

While some may ignore the greater significance or the additional functionality that it provides, it would be wise to understand the greater trend.

[oldtimer]

Average was never my strong point.

[mas]

Average was never my strong point.

I hear ya!

[]

While I am fascinated by the technology, i would be lying if I said I liked all of the implications of its use...

In a general aside...as with the devil's advocate position with regards to HD video, while I have NO problem with increasing technological resolution or capability, my debate is with the busimess model (and no, that is not a typo!) that fails to present a compelling reason to adopt it.

And to go one further, Channel 8 in DFW was featured in Broadcast Magazine regarding its conversion to HD. And for all the hype, watching it at 720p is no different than regular TV, and the programming is STILL by far the limiting factor.

The truely sad irony is that this limitation is not limited to TV or movies...

[el jopez]

You missed my point and the articles' point and switched issues mid stream.

Not really.

Neither article discusses streaming content to AVR's which only became relevant through a forum members posting (read: mas ) .

The point is that users have been and can use the Netflix option for downloading these HD flicks, bypassing the DRM set by the company and using them through their internal home networks or burning them at their leisure. No additonal hardware is needed in accessing the media in ones living room or through another device at their pc.

Why is this relevant? Considering that you linked to the ever falling prices of the HD-DVD players without commenting on Netflix's current difficulties in shipping out HD discs, consumers are left with either buying the media thus voiding out Netflix's rental value or backing up what the service already distributes to its customers on the fly.

Note, even though you rented physical HD media through Netflix, you will still need a device connected to your pc to utilize AnyDVD suite of applications. The other option (regardless of legality) cuts out much of the middle man without much added cost to the consumer.

[mas]

You missed my point and the articles' point and switched issues mid stream.

Not really.

Neither article discusses streaming content to AVR's which only became relevant through a forum members posting (read: mas ) .

The point is that users have been and can use the Netflix option for downloading these HD flicks, bypassing the DRM set by the company and using them through their internal home networks or burning them at their leisure. No additonal hardware is needed in accessing the media in ones living room or through another device at their pc.

Why is this relevant? Considering that you linked to the ever falling prices of the HD-DVD players without commenting on Netflix's current difficulties in shipping out HD discs, consumers are left with either buying the media thus voiding out Netflix's rental value or backing up what the service already distributes to its customers on the fly.

Note, even though you rented physical HD media through Netflix, you will still need a device connected to your pc to utilize AnyDVD suite of applications. The other option (regardless of legality) cuts out much of the middle man without much added cost to the consumer.

The 'linking' of the articles was SIMPLY to illustrate two separate market trends, both of which had stories posted today. One that online distribution is underway, and two, that the BR/HDDVD war is far from over.

The rest are manufactured issues. The fact that AnyDVD runs on a computer is a bit obvious. And as computers are nearly ubiquitous in a connected market, the point is rather moot. Data is downloaded to some 'receptacle', the form is rather insignificant. It is easily manipulated. And in an increasingly interconnected net of network attached devices - it doesn't matter. The point of the AnyDVD suite being that DRM in movies is moot. Even HD copyguard is broken, and the WTO has exempted Antigua/Barbados and its software companies from international copyright restrictions.

And HD content is not driving any market (not even HDDVD and BR!) - to the chagrin of the HD content providers. So HD as a subject is secondary at best. It is simply an additional niche market within a much larger A/V marketplace.

Even so, managed copy is also the talk of the online distribution companies, so the AnyDVD suite is simply a lever, but not necessary.

And you can will download the material from Netflix via the Internet, so this issue of AVR or PC is moot...

"still need a device connected to your pc to utilize AnyDVD suite of applications." Yup, its called the Internet. And that is not a problem for the mass market. It is easy to transfer data from one device to another. And if there is a network connection to the internet, you have a connection to another device.

[el jopez]

"still need a device connected to your pc to utilize AnyDVD suite of applications." Yup, its call the Internet. And that is not a problem for the mass market.

I'm so glad we agree with each other []

[mas]

[][]

"still need a device connected to your pc to utilize AnyDVD suite of applications." Yup, its call the Internet. And that is not a problem for the mass market.

I'm so glad we agree with each other

[] []

[Oblio]

My only thought is, yeah, how nice, but on this forum we like our movies on our ht systems, not on our computers. I realize there is a small minority that has integrated both but most of us have not.

What if you retransmitted the movie with this to your HT ?:

http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=TV6C

Manual:

http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/downloads/manuals/TV6.pdf

[mas]

Before investing, you might want to take a look at the new wireless USB format that will be utilizing UWB (ultra-wideband - Finally!!!) technology.

Like it or not, the days of standalone A/V are numbered. Network attached devices are becoming the norm.

[Oblio]

Before investing, you might want to take a look at the new wireless USB format that will be utilizing UWB (ultra-wideband - Finally!!!) technology.

Isn't the range somewhat limited (10 m @ 110 Mbit/s) ?