Why Blu-ray or Hd-dvd will not be supported even with low player costs

Dan_Ohio · 08-24-2007, 08:22 PM

If we look at the consumers choice when they decide to upgrade or not it is more than just the player costs. They look at the cost to buy content. Using Amazon as the price here is what a consumer would pay this holiday (assuming 199 for an HD-DVD player and 299 for a Blu-ray player)
HD-DVD = Movies (300,Mission Impossible 3,Hot Fuzz,Shaun of the dead,blades of glory) plus player = 332.75
Blu-ray = Movies (300,Mission Impossible 3,Superman 3,Pirates of Caribean at Worlds End,Casino Royal) = 426.75
DVD = (300,Mission Impossible 3,Superman 3,Pirates of Caribbean at Worlds End,Casino Royal) + 35.99 player = 121.94

The content needs to be cheaper for the format to be adopted. I find it interesting that Paramount uses the claim that HD-DVD is cheaper to produce but the cost of Blades of Glory on amazon is 27.95 and the DVD is 15.99. What people fail to talk about is what was the price of DVDs when players were under 200. I don't remember paying $27.99 at that time. I do remember paying that price when payers cost more.

We can talk about better picture, but DVD is pretty good (not the best) on an HD-TV. So people may buy the player, but they are likely still buying or just renting the DVD. For me I have already cut down on buying content. I could justify buying the movie, that I was on the boarder, if it was 15.99 or cheaper. At 19.99 I would rent and wait until I could buy a pre-viewed disc. Now I only buy previewed DVDs or Blu-ray movies I really want.
I wonder how many pre-viewed discs have cut into DVD sales.

What are your buying habits? Do you rent more with the cost of HD content?

I am interested knowing what others are doing. Thanks

Ed St. Clair · 08-24-2007, 08:53 PM

I buy as much HD Disc content as I can.

Averry · 08-24-2007, 11:05 PM

I might drop out of college to buy more discs.

Patrick_S · 08-24-2007, 11:19 PM

The reality is the cheaper players will result in more players being sold and that means more software will be sold also.

As players approach the $199 mark they will become a tack on purchases for those who are buying HD TVs since these people will want to showoff their new TVs.

LarryH · 08-24-2007, 11:26 PM

Dan_Ohio: I generally agree with you. I won't buy Blades of Glory on HD because it's just not that appealing to me at that price. If the reviews are good, I may pick it up on SD, but I might just wait and buy it used. It won't be the first time I've done that, either.

On the other hand, I just ordered the Mr. & Mrs. Smith import HD for $40 because it is a movie I want to see in HD.

Cost is a major factor in my purchases and I think it will affect acceptance of HD significantly.

**HTF Ads**

Patrick_S · 08-24-2007, 11:40 PM

Of course one thing that the original post did not take into account was the economy of scale factor.

As more players are in homes the studios will lower the media price because they know they will sell more units and hit their ROI goals.

Douglas Monce · 08-24-2007, 11:47 PM

I will defiantly pay more for some titles than others. But at this point if you go out and buy a new SD release on release day, you're paying about $19.95. Thats about what I'm paying for HD DVD and Blu-ray on the day they come out anyway. So I'm not really paying anymore to buy HD than I would be spending to buy SD.

Doug

Adam Gregorich · 08-24-2007, 11:57 PM

Dan taking what you said one step further I don't understand why BR and HD DVD see each other as their biggest threat...You're right its DVD. Take your example 6 months into future. The HD DVD and BR will cost the same (at least the SW will), but the DVD SW will continue to fall. I picked up a couple of 4-5 month old titles at Best Buy the other day for $3.99 each. There isn't much follow up discounting with HD. Instead of ripping apart each other sowing customer confusion, both formats need to be showing how they are better than DVD, and why customers need to make the switch.

Averry · 08-25-2007, 12:00 AM

Think about it though, if the studios want DVD dead, they'll just drop the product.

So......they're still competing with themselves basically.