Blockbuster chooses Blu-ray; is the war over?

[Rodimus Prime]

A good quote someone posted on another board:

I think the quote you did says it all. There is not anything out there that is pushing me to want to get a blu-ray or HD-DVD player beside just the geek in me and well that voice is no where near strong enough to make me want to do it.

DVD had a lot of reasons that pushed me to want to go that way.
1. Noticeable picture quality increase on any TV
2. Menus and sense selection
3. Easier to just move to another part of the movie. not FF and guessing and checking. I can get with in a few mins of where I was very quickly
4. no rewinding. No finding a tape that needed to be rewound.
5. They are smaller and easier to store than VHS
6. I can watch DVDs on my laptop and computer


Lets see for blu-ray and HD have what advages does it have over DVD.
1. Slight picture quality increase that is hard to notice on even the HD TVs
2. Maybe can be put on one disk compared to what was on 2 DVDs (not a big deal considering it only special features on the 2nd DVD disk normally)

I think even if the price gets sub 200 I just do not see Blu-Ray or HD-DVD taking off. It just lacks the punching power DVD's had over VHS. DVD's took what a year or 2 to take off and hear we have blu-ray that had over a year and it still just getting off the ground.

 

[GFLPraxis]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=383736735&play=1

Now THAT'S an interesting video. They interview the bigshots from BlockBuster and the HD-DVD and Blu-ray camps.

I loved the HD-DVD guy.

"Why did blockbuster make this decision? Are you worried?"
"No, I think it was pretty logical. Most Blu-ray owners are people who bought PS3's, and there are no good games for the PS3 so they're resorting to renting games. Blu-rays actual sales numbers are nowhere near as good, but all the PS3 owners are renters because there's no games for them to play and so Blockbuster's decision makes sense."

(not word for word but that's the gist of it)

 

[FoxyKaye]

yeah blu-ray won because it has a cooler sounding name

That, and James Bond used Blu-Ray DVDs to review security camera footage in Casino Royale.

 

[Zwhaler]

I've liked BluRay from the start, I want it to win!

 

[dextertangocci]

Not a chance. Not for a good while yet anyway. I don't know how things are in the rest of the world but here in the UK virtually everyone's broadband is capped one way or another. Be it actually stopping you after a certain limit is reached or seriously reducing your speeds. Downloading vast amounts of HD content (namely movies) by the masses is just not viable, the internet as it stands would be brought to a stand still.

I'll have to agree with Belly-laughs on this one. The war was over before it started. I even download HD content and movies from the ITS. I live in South Africa and don't have a download cap. We pay more for it, but you get unlimited downloads. I'm sure you have that in a 1st world country

 

[aquajet]

Having seen both BR and HD-DVD and owning an HDMI upload DVD player myself- there really isn't enough of a difference in quality for me to care. The picture isn't that much better when you're sitting on the couch.

I think this is ultimately why both formats will fail and go the way of the quadraphonic audio formats of the 1970s. The vast majority of people won't be convinced it's really worth it.

Here is a good analysis which examines the parallels between these two format wars.

 

[Nermal]

A local news site ran this story and attached a poll for which format the readers prefer. HD DVD is still winning 1.7 to 1 (although the majority still chose "Wake me up when dual format players fall under $300").

 

[srobert]

Like many, I'm hoping one of the two format (either one) will quickly and clearly emerge as the accepted standard.

One thing that could sway me more quickly to one side or the other is a better experience for the user. So far, I'm not impressed by the boot-up times and responsiveness of the players available. The players I've tried in stores seemed to take almost a minute and a half to boot and load the discs. I hope this is something that can be improved and not a limitation of the format.

 

[janstett]

A local news site ran this story and attached a poll for which format the readers prefer. HD DVD is still winning 1.7 to 1 (although the majority still chose "Wake me up when dual format players fall under $300").

A much more accurate poll would be sales. DVDEmpire.com, where I have bought my DVDs from since 1998, gives people an insight into their sales figures here: http://www.dvdempire.com/Content/Features/hidef_wars.asp

Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD 70% to 30% this month.

 

[janstett]

Like many, I'm hoping one of the two format (either one) will quickly and clearly emerge as the accepted standard.

One thing that could sway me more quickly to one side or the other is a better experience for the user. So far, I'm not impressed by the boot-up times and responsiveness of the players available. The players I've tried in stores seemed to take almost a minute and a half to boot and load the discs. I hope this is something that can be improved and not a limitation of the format.

I have the RCA HDV5500 HD-DVD player (Toshiba 1st gen in reality) and it's basically a Pentium computer. The load time is attrocious. The XBox 360 (HD-DVD) and PS3 (Blu-Ray) are much more responsive, it's something that will become a non-issue.

I mentioned before that one of the big DVD sites, The Digital Bits, has been neutral for more than a year. They finally chose sides, and they chose Blu-Ray (for many of my reasons). You can read their thoughts here: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/soapbox/soap060107.html

HD-DVD is not going to win this format war. In fact, one of two things is possible right now: Either Blu-ray will win, or neither format will win. But the best HD-DVD can hope for is to just keep hanging in the game as long as possible.
...
We simply CANNOT and WILL NOT recommend to our readers that they adopt a format that only has the full support of just a HANDFUL of major hardware manufacturers and ONLY A HANDFUL of the Hollywood studios - no matter how cheap the price - when a format of EQUAL quality and FAR GREATER studio and manufacturer support exists.
...
Simply put: If you're still not quite ready to get into high-def discs, then sit tight a little longer. The prices, selection and features of both hardware and software will all improve in the months ahead. On the other hand, if and when you ARE ready to get into high-def discs... we say Go Blu. It's really a no brainer, folks.

 

[e²Studios]

HD DVD should just throw in the towel, basically its toshiba vs everyone else, they are bound to fail.

Seems a couple big box retailers are thinking to take HD DVD off their shelves already too from lacking sales. This news is yet another nail in the coffin for HD DVD.

Blockbuster's decision to support Blu-ray in all of its 1,450 stores is having a bigger impact than it seems. A tipster at an unnamed retailer tells us they've had more HD DVD player orders canceled over the last few days than they've seen over the entire life cycle. The kicker? All of them were canceled because of the Blockbuster announcement.

Not only that, new sales of HD DVD players are nonexistent, with Blu-ray being the only things moving now.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hd-dvd-o...ajor-impact-on-hd-dvd-player-sales-270313.php

Ed

 

[mrgreen4242]

Personally I hoped HD-DVD would win because Sony and Philips tried to hijack the format and started this format war. But it's pretty clear Blu-Ray has the momentum now and HD-DVD would need a miracle. New releases have slowed to a trickle, and Toshiba is the only company making players. Microsoft makes a drive for the 360, but they'd rather see you download over XBox Live than get a disc.

It's not going to take a miracle... It will start to swing back the other way pretty soon, imo. By the holiday season there should be some <$200 HDDVD players at Walmart, etc. If that's the case, and BluRay doesn't have something competitive out by then I predict a lot of HDDVD players getting opened up on Dec. 25th.

Now, the main reason we're seeing a spike in BD sales is the PS3. While it's not been overly successful as a console, it has led to more BD players being in homes than HDDVD, and so it's natural to see a jump in disc sales. However, if an HDDVD player is released that is cheap enough ($199, maybe $149 on special sales, etc) and the cheapest BluRay player is twice that, we'll see a spike in HDDVD player household penetration and sales will start to swing the other way.

This will keep things profitable enough for both sides so they can keep going until the <$200 combo players are announced and they can both just "give up" trying to win... that's my guess anyways.

 

[iGav]

It's not going to take a miracle... It will start to swing back the other way pretty soon, imo. By the holiday season there should be some <$200 HDDVD players at Walmart, etc..

But will that make a difference if there is hardly any content available in that format?

Content is king.

 

[Abstract]

yeah blu-ray won because it has a cooler sounding name

HD-DVD is just awkward to say, and I really do feel the same way you do.

Now if HD-DVD was called DVD Xtreme like it should have been initially, it'd be more successful.

 

[SkyBell]

HD DVD should just throw in the towel, basically its toshiba vs everyone else, they are bound to fail.

Seems a couple big box retailers are thinking to take HD DVD off their shelves already too from lacking sales. This news is yet another nail in the coffin for HD DVD.



http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hd-dvd-o...ajor-impact-on-hd-dvd-player-sales-270313.php

Ed

Ah, thats too bad. I really love Toshiba, and I really hate Sony. Still, Sony lost with Betamax, so I guess It's time for them to win with Blu-Ray.

Hope Toshiba, makes it out ok though, they're a great company.

 

[Nermal]

HD DVD should just throw in the towel, basically its toshiba vs everyone else, they are bound to fail.

Toshiba, Microsoft, Intel, Universal and probably a few more big names.

 

[JFreak]

I hope Blu-ray will win. Blu-ray is ahead of HD-DVD and more companies will probably just choose Blu-ray because of it's lead and it's better than HD-DVD (at least in some parts). I can see Blu-ray being standard in 2009-2010 timeframe.

If the wikipedia article has the facts right, that proves BR will win. Why? According to the wiki article format comparison, HD-DVD is region-free (which means movie industry will not use it).

I only hope Apple will begin offering BTO drives as soon as possible. High cost has never prevented early adopters from buying and the more the early adopters buy the bigger the chance of factories upping the production capacity thus bringing the cost down.

 

[Nermal]

As soon as a developer confirms that Leopard can play HD DVD, I'm going to buy a drive (they're cheap here). If the movies are on HD DVD then I'll buy them on HD DVD. If not, I'll get them on regular DVD. If Blu-ray "wins" then I'll still be able to play all my movies; my drive won't mysteriously cease to function.

 

[killerrobot]

If the wikipedia article has the facts right, that proves BR will win. Why? According to the wiki article format comparison, HD-DVD is region-free (which means movie industry will not use it).

I see your point, but people are more mobile today than they were when the DVD came out. More international business trips, more international vacations... more people taking there laptops with them and watching DVD's on the flights.

I think it would be a great marketing idea to sell region-free HDDVD at airports. Jacked up prices. Travelers get to watch what they want and can buy them in any country and watch them to wherever they are going and not have to preload videos before the leave.

As far as the content theory--the PS3 had nothing developed when people started buying it (I think 3 games maybe). So not so sure about that.

I think the key is really whoever makes the first affordable player, like many others have said.

BTW, Blockbuster has been way wrong before on many things--hence all the other people that started doing it better and creating competition for them.

 

[JFreak]

II think it would be a great marketing idea to sell region-free (HD)DVD.

I think so too, but obviously movie industry thinks differently. After all, it was them who dictated the region system to the DVD in the first place! Everyone now thinks that 6 regions is too much (movie industry too) so the BR spec only has three. But I believe that movie industry will choose BR because it gives them a reasonable level of control.

Whatever movie industry chooses, that will win. I hope it's BR because spec-wise it's superior. I don't mind the cost, because HD content will be priced higher anyway, no matter the format.

 

[e²Studios]

As soon as a developer confirms that Leopard can play HD DVD, I'm going to buy a drive (they're cheap here).

Considering that Apple is on the Blu Ray Disc Association Board of Directors just as Sony is i highly doubt Leopard will natively get anything but BD playback & recording.

Universal will crack soon, then its really over

Ed

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/mar/10blu-ray.html

 

[janstett]

If the wikipedia article has the facts right, that proves BR will win. Why? According to the wiki article format comparison, HD-DVD is region-free (which means movie industry will not use it).

That's a good reason which I forgot about. There are a few more:

- AACS (the HD-DVD & Blu-Ray equivalent of DVD's CSS encryption) has already been cracked. That leaves HD-DVD wide open to piracy, which will scare off any studios not already committed to it. Blu-Ray offers an additional layer of encryption above AACS, so to the studios Blu-Ray still has some defenses that aren't breached.
- Sony will never support HD-DVD because it owns the format *AND* it owns Columbia Tri-Star. So forget about ever seeing Spider-Man, etc. on HD-DVD. Nobody is really that committed to HD-DVD. As I said before, Warner and Toshiba are very tight and were instrumental in advocating DVD. In this round, Warner is playing both sides of the fence and supporting both formats.

 

[ReanimationLP]

That's a good reason which I forgot about. There are a few more:

- AACS (the HD-DVD & Blu-Ray equivalent of DVD's CSS encryption) has already been cracked. That leaves HD-DVD wide open to piracy, which will scare off any studios not already committed to it. Blu-Ray offers an additional layer of encryption above AACS, so to the studios Blu-Ray still has some defenses that aren't breached.
- Sony will never support HD-DVD because it owns the format *AND* it owns Columbia Tri-Star. So forget about ever seeing Spider-Man, etc. on HD-DVD. Nobody is really that committed to HD-DVD. As I said before, Warner and Toshiba are very tight and were instrumental in advocating DVD. In this round, Warner is playing both sides of the fence and supporting both formats.

The only one thats playing kissy face with HD-DVD is Universal.

And a lot of Universal movies recently sucked. Fast and the Furious anyone? Gee Bob, lets encourage the riceboys. I swear, ever since that movie came out, I've seen a lot more people street racing their crappy cars that have all these flashy lights and big mufflers and stuff, and a bunch of teenagers wrapping themselves around poles in the process.

 

[GFLPraxis]

I'll have to agree with Belly-laughs on this one. The war was over before it started. I even download HD content and movies from the ITS. I live in South Africa and don't have a download cap. We pay more for it, but you get unlimited downloads. I'm sure you have that in a 1st world country

...What are you talking about? ITS has no HD content.

And large parts of the world, including large parts of the U.S., still have no broadband access.

Whatever movie industry chooses, that will win. I hope it's BR because spec-wise it's superior. I don't mind the cost, because HD content will be priced higher anyway, no matter the format.

Spec-wise it is superior. But it's also more expensive, has more DRM (bad for consumers), region-locked, and controlled by Sony (who has a VERY bad record with this kind of thing, almost as bad as Microsoft when it comes to trying to forcibly control industries).

Have you really thought things through when proclaiming which you want to win, or are you just jumping at the bigger number?

 

[GFLPraxis]

Considering that Apple is on the Blu Ray Disc Association Board of Directors just as Sony is i highly doubt Leopard will natively get anything but BD playback & recording.

Considering Apple is ALSO on the DVD Forum backing HD-DVD I'd expect to see both.