Re: *** Official HTF HD Formats Industry/Retailer/Studio Support Thread
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Originally Posted by Cees Alons
Aren't you confusing Toshiba and Walmart?
(Or is Toshiba behind everything that's a blow to BD?)
Cees
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No, I am not. The $99 deal is made possible by Toshiba providing the player to Walmart at a price that enables Walmart to sell it for that much. Walmart has no particular interest in any one format to want to push it. By the way, Best Buy is also offering the same price, thus the pricing is not only a Walmart thing. As for this being a blow to Blu-Ray, maybe. But then again it may also be a blow to any chances of the CE industry ever supporting HD-DVD. In answer to your question, Yes Toshba is pretty much behind most things that may be considered a blow to Blu-Ray, after all are they not the main stake holder in HD-DVD.
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Originally Posted by troy evans
Actually, when dvd launched in, 95' I think, by 97' I had my first dvd player. Cost me around $250.00 even though $200.00 players were there as well. I remember when that happened everyone was saying dvd is over and some stores like Monkey Wards were selling dvd movies for $10.00 a pop. Wal-Mart started selling dvds in a very small section of the electronics dept. and all the average consumers saw the dvds in all thier glory. One year later dvd was everywhere and sales for players and discs were happening on a weekly basis. In no small part to stores like BB and CC having great deals on players and discs. So much for it being over. I see the same model being used by Toshiba here. From stand alone hardware stats Toshiba wins. From HD disc sales Bluray wins. Those who remember dvd know what to expect. Even though the teams are different the stradegy is the same and it won once before.
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Actually if you were to check, you will find that you have your 'years' wrong. DVD was launched in March - May 1997 time frame with the cheapest player being from Toshiba for around $600-700. It was not for atleast another 4-5 years later, that your sub $100 players started appearing. Quite honestly I would not buy a sub $100 DVD player even now, since they are quite cheap in terms of build quality and performance too. I don't know where and why you would have heard that DVDs were going to be "finished", specially considering that DVD was the most successfull launch of any consumer electronics product in history and this was pretty much right from the get go.
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Originally Posted by bigluigi
I'm really at a loss to understand what your agenda is.
You don't act like a consumer.
Your attitude suggests that you are associated in some way with the BDA group or that your a Toshiba stockholder since your concerned about their bottom line.
Anyway, have you ever watched a HD-DVD movie on a Toshiba HD-A2? If you have what do you think? Is it worth $98?
I have to admit that as a consumer, I really don't care if Toshiba is making money on the deal and if you are a consumer...neither should you.
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And you my dear friend, act like you are a HD-DVD fanboy. Why does anyone have to have an agenda to make a statement? Does everone else who posts here have an agenda too? Do you have one? Sounds to me like you do. As for whether I care about Toshiba's bottomline, I'd be damned if I do. They could go bankrupt tommorrow and I would not care. But what I do care about is the facts. Which are, that as much as I would like to to get HD hardware and software for less, if not for free, there is a practical thing to understand, that if there is no money to be made in a product, the industry will dump it. I on the other hand would like to see HD survive and flourish. This is only possible if both the studios and the CE manufacturers make money. In short, I prefer evaluating things over the long run, rather than look for some small time gains of a a couple of $100 saved on a player.
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Originally Posted by troy evans
Over those 10+ years dvd PQ has improved by a large margin. So, mass adoption seemed to push quality rather than hurt it. Features seem to be in abundance as well. How many 2 and 3 disc sets for one film are there?
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Well, that was the case for Laser Discs too, inspite of the fact that it was never more than a small niche in the market. Quality regularly improved with time and new features and functions too kept coming inspite of the small niche. If anything, due to the fact that it was a niche market kept, the studios knew that they were dealing with a much more discerning customer and therefore were much more responsive to the niche's needs. It's not the mass adoption that has pushed quality, rather it is the technological advances in mastering and also a greater experience with mastering, which has driven quality. The fact is that the average joe, would not recognize 'quality' if it hit them in their face.
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Originally Posted by RobertR
So you fear the thing you are "very very sure" will happen. It seems you think lowering prices is bad for the consumer.
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Obviously you misunderstood what I stated, thus I will try and be more clear. The 'thing' that I am sure will happen is that HD will be adopted by a much larger market than Laser Disc ever was. The 'thing' that I fear, is that HD may go on to be a mass market product, which
'may' get dumbed down due to the demands of the masses coupled in with the mass retailers demanding products to satisfy the lowest common denomintor for that is where the numbers lie.
Bill, thanks for that two cents. I haven't laughed that hard in a long damn time. 
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