More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge - Page 7

Brian Borst · 05-22-2008, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Graham

The possibility that Blu-Ray only hits an LD sized market concerns me - does that entail the possibility that software and hardware prices might rise instead of fall once it becomes clear it hits that point? If DVD had flopped and LD had remained king of home theater media, I never would have been able to get into home theater to begin with based on the hardware and software prices.

It was really disappointing to see Panasonic release the BD50 at such a high MSRP. I realize the dollar is weak and investors need to be coddled to, but I would think they would realize how potentially dangerous it is to the success of Blu overall to be asking $700 for a player at this stage in the game.

I don't think you can tell this early in the game whatever it's going to do. Now it's the battle between DVD and Blu-Ray, and if Blu-Ray is going to take as long as it took DVD to become the standard (I don't know how long it took in the US, but here it was at least a year of four) you'll have to wait. The prices will drop, eventually. I remember buying Star Wars Episode I (please, don't comment

) for about 57 dollars, converted (of course, we have different currency now, so I don't know what the actual price would be). That was the normal price for new dvds. I'd definitely wouldn't want to pay that now, even for Blu-Ray.
We'll just have to wait.

Douglas Monce · 05-22-2008, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

Hehheh. I forgot that they reduced the region coding from DVD -- though I do wonder if folks in many other countries are quite as uptight about cuts and such things as we are here in the USA (and a few other places) and would complain much if those other regions went for lowest common denom for cuts.

Actually, I'd think only cinephiles care all that much about "excessive" censorship, and in that case, they/we would probably need to import from other countries to get around censorship anyway. The rest (of the majority public) probably wouldn't complain much, if at all, about lowest common denom type of censorship (along w/ using language dubs and such instead of subtitles in many cases).

Oh well...

_Man_

It's not so much about being up tight about the things that we in the U.S. are as being up tight about different things. A film that in the U.S. might get a PG or PG-13 because there is no nudity or sex, might get the U.K. equivalent of an R rating because of violence.

Doug

Man-Fai Wong · 05-22-2008, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

It's not so much about being up tight about the things that we in the U.S. are as being up tight about different things. A film that in the U.S. might get a PG or PG-13 because there is no nudity or sex, might get the U.K. equivalent of an R rating because of violence.

Doug

Doug,

I'm aware of some of the differences, including the sex/nudity vs violence thing, but I thought UK (and most of Europe) is in a different region from the USA, no?

Anyway, my point was not to argue that it is actually feasible to do, but to simply raise the question whether it is feasible or not -- and whether the studios would consider such. But you're probably right that it's not feasible anyhow...

_Man_

Douglas Monce · 05-23-2008, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

Doug,

I'm aware of some of the differences, including the sex/nudity vs violence thing, but I thought UK (and most of Europe) is in a different region from the USA, no?

Anyway, my point was not to argue that it is actually feasible to do, but to simply raise the question whether it is feasible or not -- and whether the studios would consider such. But you're probably right that it's not feasible anyhow...

_Man_

Yeah I believe region A is the Americas; East and Southeast Asia.

Region B is Africa, Europe, Oceania; Middle East; French territories; Greenland.

And Region C is Central and South Asia; Mongolia, Russia, and China.

It might be feasible for some films, particularly if the producing studio is also the distributor. But I'm not sure if they would be able to do it with enough films to make it practical.

Doug

Brian Borst · 05-23-2008, 03:53 AM

I actually don't think it's feasible. A lot of films have different distributors for different parts of the world (Example: Titanic was distributed in the US by Paramount, the rest of the world was distributed by Fox). Those can create problems. Also, you need a lot of dubbing soundtracks and subtitle tracks (okay, they don't use up that much space, but the can when there are a lot of them crammed on one disc) to be put on a disc, if the distributor wants to release them regionfree.

Robert Crawford · 05-23-2008, 05:51 PM

Interesting article about Blu-ray players overcoming DVD players in sales at certain retailers by the end of summer.

Electronics specialists expect Blu-ray to outpace DVD sales - 5/23/2008 - Video Business

Lew Crippen · 05-23-2008, 06:38 PM

Very interesting Robert, especially where (if this is close to being accurate) demand is outpacing supply. This of course means that the prices will stay high until the supply meets the pent-up demand.

Rachael B · 05-23-2008, 06:47 PM

Supply is hunky dory some places. I was in Busted Buy this week and they had several piles of Sony 300's in the aisles. It looked like you could get pretty much what you wanted. The only player I didn't see was the Sony ES player. The $699 Denon open-box player I'd seen the week before hadn't sold. I recognized it by a little scratch. Knoxville is the "capitol" of Appalachia seemingly. It's not a wealthy region. Locally, I don't see a big move to Blu. I'd like to.

Some deographics may be going Blu and others may get the HD blues....?

Robert Crawford · 05-23-2008, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew Crippen

Very interesting Robert, especially where (if this is close to being accurate) demand is outpacing supply. This of course means that the prices will stay high until the supply meets the pent-up demand.

I'm not entirely convinced about the accuracy of the article as it pertains to the average consumer and the retailers they frequent for their discreationary spending.

Man-Fai Wong · 05-23-2008, 07:21 PM

Sounds like the article is talking about revenue, not units, though when comparing actual sales figures. And when it does mention units, it's talking about expected growth in the next year or so, not current sales.

Also, they're talking mainly about "specialist" dealers, not about places like Best Buy or Walmart.

Still, it's an encouraging sign nonetheless...

_Man_