BluRay: Studios Benefit Not Consumers

[mas]

What I like about your posts is that you stick to your opinion of why the industry has done things despite myriad industry sources who disagree with you! But belief is a powerful thing!

As they said, the major defection that tipped the market was Warner Bros. And reading about why they consolidated to one format was largely due to their yearly plummet in profits. Thus with declining DVD sales they decided to cut their duplicate production and supply chain management costs by consolidating on one format.

With NetFlix and Blockbuster already having done the same thing by moving to BluRay, Warner also chose to maximize their exposure while minimizing their costs.

Subsequently WalMart and others have chosen to do the same thing as by reducing their product mix to one format, they have the option to reduce their SCM costs while not effecting sales. And the sales are not effected, as the net sales will remain approximately the same. As regardles of the product mix between BR and HD-DVD, the same title is only bought once per customer/household. It is a zero sum game. Multiple formats only increased operational costs and reduced opportunity without selling more product.

Maybe this is not clear. But to provide an example, only one copy of a particular title is generally purchased, regardless of whatever format it may be. But with each format supported, inventory costs, processing costs, shipping costs, labor, allocated floor space, etc. is duplicated without incurring an increase in sales. Byreducing the number of formats available, the sales remain the same while the associated supply chain management costs as well as carried inventory and opportunity costs are reduced. Thus their costs are reduced relative to their realized income. Their interests are served by reducing duplicate formats for any given title UNLESS sales are at least doubled with people buying one in each format. And no media product currently enjoys such a market position.

HD media is a niche product at BEST. Before and still, with no indication at present of that changing - especially as Sony is still in a state of flux in not having yet released a machine that meets its roadmap for what was to be its first generation machine! And that (profile 2) is not even expected to hit the market until October 2008 - something that if it does actually arrive on time (something Sony has not come close to doing withanything related to BluRay) will be a first. So even with a format victory, they are still treading water at present! And the ONLY unit that even begins to make sense to buy is the PS3!

All that has been settled is which format will dominate the HD niche.

To date HD media, like DVD-A and SACD before it in the audio market, has NOT significantly effected the overall media market. If it will remains to be seen.

[Buckeye_Nut]

This thread is funny in a pathetic sad kind of way. I see there are a few posting messages while suffereng from a case of bitter-blu derangement syndrome.

Get over it already..... if you don't like it......just stick with DVD and enjoy watching day/date new releases in low definition. Afterall, 480p looks good enough anyway, right? LOL

[Seadog]

.....I feel sorry for the Toshiba HD machine owners and it is a shame movies like Transformers will never be on Blue Ray too. It was/ is a very cool movie indeed.

I bought a Toshiba HD player because Transformers was on HD-DVD only. I had been sitting on the fence until then. Oh well, at least the Toshiba has good DVD up-sampling capabilities.

These types of decisions are always about the money; the technology that will likely yield the most money in the shortest time period will win over technical merit. Technical advantage is short lived anyway.

[mas]

This thread is funny in a pathetic sad kind of way. I see there are a few posting messages while suffereng from a case of bitter-blu derangement syndrome.

Get over it already..... if you don't like it......just stick with DVD and enjoy watching day/date new releases in low definition. Afterall, 480p looks good enough anyway, right?

Huh? Where do they keep them?

Seems to me the only deranged person here is you. Especially as the fanboy can't interpret the message properly.

The same few keep trying to convince of why BR should dominate. Yet the mass market is the real audience, and they aren't listening! Duh!

No one is saying that neither BluRay nor HD-DVD have a higher resolution picture, sure they do. Nor am I against HD!

But quite frankly, the price of entry, as well as the price of media, for simply an incremental improvement is too high for the return. And the market agrees.

We are simply acknowledging business and market realities that the MASS MARKET has not run to HD as THEY don't see a compelling reason.

For most - you know, the MASS MARKET, SD480i (its not 480p!!!!!!!), standard DVDs that are natively 540 btw! (oh!),upscaled DVDs, as well as available broadcast quality sources are sufficient for what they normally view.

If you want to whine about the MASS MARKET not moving to BluRay, be my guest. You have allot to cry about!

Sounds like sour grapes to me - the mass market just isn't as swooft as you. As the HD community has been unable to create an overwhelming compelling reason for the MAJORITY to switch. The joke is listening to the HD fanboys making claims that are simply not supported by the real world marketplace.

We don't have to get over anything, as I am not pushing anything - we just get to point out th market realities relative to the pie in the sky claims of impending dominance pushed by the overly optimistic HD fanboys. And the article sources come from industry analysts!!! LOL!But you just don't get it.

The only thing to "get over" is the failure of the market to rush to an HD pre-recorded format.

Deal with it fanboy. Market reality sure is a harsh mistress when compared to wishful thinking. Isn't it!?

[]

D@mn, and the Edsel should have taken the market by storm! LOL!

[wally flick]

I saw an interesting article today - stating that the HD/Blu ray war was started and supported by Microsoft.................can anyone say conspiracy theory?

There was quite a bit of discussion last summer that most,
if not all, of the cash put on the table to get Paramount and Dreamworks to go
HD DVD exclusive was Microsoft’s. They were definitely a large force behind the
format (X Box 360 add-on). I believe they wanted a stalemate with small
adoption numbers in order to pump up downloadable content an area they control
through codecs and other means.

I don’t think true HD downloads (1080p with
multi-channel sound) will be viable for many years. Heck it takes the better
part of an hour to download a couple minute trailer with stereo sound to my PS3
via wireless connection to a DSL modem.

[White_Hawk]

Transformers won't ever be out on blu-ray? crap.

[oldbuckster]

Early adopters ALWAYS get screwed ... the consumer always losses ... and the Wal-Marts of the World get richer, Yup , things are good !!!

[mas]

Early adopters ALWAYS get screwed ... the consumer always losses ...

Let's see... The early adopter freely buys a product, with full knowledge that there is a format war.

They gain the use of it.

Whichever format wins, they still have the use of their equipment and the ability to watch what they have purchased.

Screwed? Really?

Funny, during the entire time we get to listen to them tell us how great it is.

Seems to me that the penalty is that the rest of us have to listen to someone who has not bought a product telling everyone who has freely bought a product, fully knowing the situation, and who claim to enjoy the product, how they got screwed. I don't hear too many of them whining.

Yup, competition is bad and choice is evil. And the freedom to do both is even more dangerous.

But then I'm sure someone got to listen to the same whine when kerosene replaced candles, and when electricity replaced kerosene and when toilet paper replaced mullen leaves.

But we already knew all of this from the unibomber.

[] []

And where does this nonsense come from that says the Transformers or any other HD-DVD title will not be re-released on Blu_Ray? [*-)]

[wally flick]

I would bet Transformers will get a kick butt Bluray release as Michael Bay is a very outspoken supporter of the format.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=807

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=12086

[White_Hawk]

Thanks for the links! I like a little reassurance =)

Here's to Transformers on BR!

[oldbuckster]

Gee, if we were all as smart as mas, we would never get taken ........... Let's see about early adopters you didn't go BETA or VHS ?, you didn't go to Pro Logic for Home theatre ? never tried LASER DISC's, hey here's a good one, QUAD STEREO, nah, mas was way too smart for that stuff. It has happened again HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray ........... they hype it, they run sales on it, get you caught up in it, and BAM, oops, we don't make it anymore. So again, explain to me how early adopters don't get cheated, write slow, and simple words, maybe I'll get it ........... Sorry, there are two sides to every story, not just your story ....... wink if you want, I will not stop, nor will I go away .................. [:|]

How many more times are you going to post the same thing ????????

[Zen Traveler]

...they hype it, they run sales on it, get you caught up in it, and BAM, oops, we don't make it anymore. So again, explain to me how early adopters don't get cheated, write slow, and simple words, maybe I'll get it ...........

Fwiw, I realized there was a format war and either one or both weren't going to make it--Plus, I really like the way my Denon DVD-3910 upconverts DVD to 1080i. I can see where early purchasers may feel cheated, but the reality of the situation is no one thought both formats would last...propaganda convinced some people they had to make a decision and purchase one. After analyzing the situation, I realized I already had HD, terrestrially, and my DVD/DVD-A/SACD player keeps me in extra-curricular, high quality media that I didn't jones' for the HD disks especially knowing of the format war. :-)

[anarchist]

How many more times are you going to post the same thing ????????

Until he convinces everyone to keep their old SD players and simply stream their HD movies over their unlimited broadband connection directly to their TV's and revise their movie playing habits until it suits the technology.

I know how you feel buck.... it makes you think he must have recently taken a marketing or computer class and feels the need to show he thinks he understands what it all means.

[Zen Traveler]

.... and simply stream their HD movies over their unlimited broadband connection directly to their TV's and revise their movie playing habits until it suits the technology.

Hey Anarchist, I hope things are well.

I think DVR technology along with High Def providers (i.e., terrestrial channels, Satellite, Broadband, and cable) is going to change the way we watch/store our movies. I don't have a DVR yet, but see how it is changing one of my friends buying habit of purchasing disks.

[anarchist]

Hi tkd,

Things are just fine here, thanks for asking. I have had a DVR for several years - don't know how I lived without it. However, it is merely another tool - I still buy movies retail, I still rent movies from Blockbuster, and I still buy PPV's. It all depends on the movie and availability.

[erikill]

I'd have to say that at the end of the day, the HD-DVD player will still play HD-DVDs. Regardless of who won -you own the media and if you got a HD-DVD drive - rip it to your PC and reburn on Blu-Ray as your fair use. I'm not bothered at all since I can get HD movies of ones I want right now for 15 dollars which is competetive to a new DVD. I'll buy a PS3 for BR once the 120 GB comes out.

If we took this issue to the computer world people would be upset every week when new hardware / chipsets are released. As many have stated, early adopters take this risk. I can't wait for the new movies actually recorded in HD instead of "upscaled" to HD and burned and watch on BR at home w/o dealing w the trouble of theatres. And general consumers are too cheap to spend the extra bucks anyways - they will spend 2k on a tv but not more than 5 on DVDs or 20 on cords to get the best picture. This is why the cable co's do so well on HD since they "hook" it up "correctly".

[Guest srobak]

Transformers won't ever be out on blu-ray? crap.

Of course it will. With the demise of HD-DVD in the market - the studios will have no choice but to switch and release.

That being said - you could also go out and purchase an HD-DVD deck for under $50, Transformers for under $10, and a lot of others in the $5/title market in the coming months, and actually be ahead of the game, until BR pricing comes down.

[Guest srobak]

I would bet Transformers will get a kick butt Bluray release as Michael Bay is a very outspoken supporter of the format.

Michael Bay and his opinions have absolutely zero impact on which formats his titles are released on.

[mas]

How many more times are you going to post the same thing ????????

Until he convinces everyone to keep their old SD players and simply stream their HD movies over their unlimited broadband connection directly to their TV's and revise their movie playing habits until it suits the technology.

I know how you feel buck.... it makes you think he must have recently taken a marketing or computer class and feels the need to show he thinks he understands what it all means.

As usual Anachronism crawls out of his hole and contradicts Buck as he tries to support him.

Let's see, the topic was market obsolescence, with the early adopters being screwed, wasn't it.

And that would mean the early adopters in regards to HD-DVD in this case. But it could have easily been BluRay.

So to be an early adopter of either was a risk.

But now Anachronism, you know, the tool who adds nothing of substance to the discussion and who only offers personal attacks, shows up and claims that I am trying to keep anyone from buying either. While ol' Buck claims that I evidently enjoy seeing folks screwed as I support competition and the freedom of individuals to chose (and yes Buck, I still have a perfectly functioning Super Beta Hi-Fi that still works just fine. I was an early adopter and I didn't get screwed at all! Confusing as that must be to you!). While Anachronism simultaneously (but just as erroneously) says that I will not be satisfied until everyone isconvinced to keep their old SD DVD players.

Of course they are both wrong as they debate their opposite points of view in support of each other! So which way is it to OZ, geniuses?

The MARKET has decided that it is not embracing HD pre-recorded media with an exorbitant entry cost and high media costs except as a niche market. And of course Anachronism hates that. Not the prohibitively high prices mind you, just the fact that he can't dictate to others what they should do as he can't stand SD or any sources less than 1080p. You see, he would force you to buy a newer TV as well! While ol Buck would whine that we are all screwed as1080p is not the FINAL format for all eternity and that its only a ploy to get you to spend more money. After all, Buck still laments the passing of the stereo viewers, as he has a large cache of cards.

For you see, Buck eschews change, while Anachronism laments that technology is not changing quickly enough.

And ol Buck hates the fact that people can freely access the market and make the choices they dem appropriate, as he would limit folks choices too. But like most tyrants, he would do it "for the good of the masses" As he only wants to protect them! LOL! Gee, and to think that there is an opening in Cuba for just such an altruistic leader!

But don't expect poor Anaqchronism to actually discuss the implications of the market developments. Why should he, when he can do the ONLY thing he is capable, and that is to ocassionally climb out of his hole and complain about others.

For you see, for Anachronism, the majority NEEDs BluRay, despite the fact that they lack TVs capable of displaying its 1080p picture, and the fact that their $50 upscaling DVD player looks just fine playing movies that they easily purchase for $7.50-$10 - compared to the >$300 player that is not even yet capable of what Sony envisioned as its entry model and the small selection of $20-$30 titles that are available. You see, for him, only an idiot, defined by him as anyone who disagrees with him could tolerate SD or upscaled media. Poor Anachronism - forced to live in such a mediocre world.

It seems to me that the public has it right this time. The early adopters can indeed buy the high priced player and media after assessing the market risks, while others have decided to either wait or to forego the platform entirely as they find other sources of HD programming, be it network, cable or upscaled DVDs, that are indeed 'good enough'.

And Anachronism hates that to, for you see, in his eyes, the public is just so stupid, as some have the audacity to be satisfied with existing options. Sort of how Buck sees the stupid folks who, by making a choice for anything new, are screwed. But then I guess that is what sticking with the use of dried oak leaves instead of being an early adopter of toilet paper will do to you. Gee, and just think of all those poor early adopters are stuck with (or should it be "stuck to") sassafras leaves!

In either case, ol Buck and Anachronism just can't stand folks deciding for themselves. And it is fun to watch as Buck laments anyone buying any of them even by their choice (as he so altruistically cares for them!), and Anachronism laments not being able to tell folks what to buy.

You see, competition and the freedom to choose is anathema to both of them.

Meanwhile, I am fascinated by the market dynamics and don't have a dog in the fight. I don't care which format utlimately wins. And while I am not a fan of volatile downloads, ultimately alternatives featuring less expensive supply chain delivery mechanisms will become dominant; be it downloadable kiosks pushing content to a users USB memory key, or online delivery such as iTV, or some another means foregoing the exorbitant SCM costs of hard media, will become dominant in the next few years.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

ROFLMAO!

[oldbuckster]

mas ....................... DUDE GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF ........................... [:|] ...... You read too much in what I write !

As Far As HD vs. BR .............. DILLIGAF !!!!............. you keep reposting the same old $h!t .... where did I call people stupid ????