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post #31 of 337
5/16/08 at 2:13pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxpower1987
In 2010, 2011, 2012. What happens to all of these people who have component and the studios use ITC?

Trust me, they are chomping at the bit to get ITC in on the action, a couple are even thinking of renegging on the agreement not to use it until 2012.

That's someday.....however, my biggest set is stille 1080i and has HDMI inputs but neither Sony or Panasonic Blu-ray players work correctly with it. If I'm stille using that TV and they try to invoke ITC, I'll file a complaint with the F.C.C. and anybody else I can. The analog sunset is rather mirthful given how disjointed HDMI is! By 2012 Blu may be so hacked and cracked that the annie-log sunset might not be that important to it's perpetrators....?
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post #32 of 337
5/16/08 at 3:35pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dirk
I think the majority of consumers would still have difficulty picking out the BD content in blind tests, all other things being equal. Not that the difference isn't significant, but most people watch a film for the story, action etc, and have little interest in the quality of the actual presentation.

This may well be true to a great extent, but...

Quote:
It's similar to the anamorphic widescreen vs pan & scan situation. Studios could not get away with charging more for the [obviously superior] widescreen version because the average consumer could care less.

... I don't think this is a good/valid example to support that argument. In the eyes of the mainstream consumer, it was never that obvious that widescreen offers better quality than P&S (and open-matte) -- it still isn't that clear for the majority of folks who are still using 4x3 SD TVs.

And if the mainstream consumer has his/her way, we could still end up w/ lots of P&S HDM albeit in 16x9, instead of 4x3. Heck, as it is, we don't even need the mainstream consumer to have a say before even Criterion's putting out The Last Emperor cropped to 2.0:1 at the request of Storaro -- and there will be more of those to go w/ TLE and Reds too.

Quote:
Until a Blu-Ray disc costs the same as its SD cousin, and the players reach comparable prices to a decent SD player, I think BD will remain a nich'e product.

I think many of us would be fine w/ Blu-ray staying somewhat niche though -- not LD-like niche of course, but some sort of happy median between that and the current state of SD DVD. I certainly don't mind paying a little more for Blu-ray than for SD DVD -- and really, lots of SD DVD pricing (beyond that of recent releases) has gone pretty nutty of late, and you can't really expect Blu-ray to follow that trend anytime soon, if ever.

_Man_
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post #33 of 337
5/16/08 at 5:06pm
Thread Starter 

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Bottom line....

These BR players and software need to come down in price if you want
to entice the common consumer into purchase.

Now that the format war is over there seems to be no incentive
for many of the major companies to drop prices.

Ronald, I think you said it best. Blu Ray manufacturers of the hardware and software have become complacent since HD-DVD is no longer a factor and they're unlikely to drop prices anytime soon. Plus, the studios who release their own titles aren't likely to drop retail prices on their titles either.

I wouldn't mind jumping into the format but the hardware and software are both too expensive to be worth making the switch. With TV on DVD sets fetching between $65-$100 at discount stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City, even those discounted prices are prohibitively high. I'm just satisfied with the standard DVD player and software that I currently own.

With no HD-DVD format to compete against, it's highly doubtful that prices for blu ray will drop. If they do, it won't be by much to convince consumers to buy into it.

Market research also doesn't bode well for the short term for this format. Check out this link: I4U News - Blu-ray uphill Battle ahead this Holiday Shopping Season
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post #34 of 337
5/16/08 at 5:17pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dirk
I think the majority of consumers would still have difficulty picking out the BD content in blind tests, all other things being equal. Not that the difference isn't significant, but most people watch a film for the story, action etc, and have little interest in the quality of the actual presentation.

It would be interesting to see, but after watching Blu-ray/HD DVD, I have a hard time going back to my over-compressed Comcast HD, let alone DVD!
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post #35 of 337
5/16/08 at 5:21pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristopherDAC
Actually, it's better than that. The relevant number is 9% of 2500, or 225, out of 35% of 2500, or 875, which makes 26%.
That's assuming no overlap between the 4% and the 5%, which is a pretty big assumption. It could be as low as 14% of HDTV owners owning a player (which is certainly absurd, that the 4% is all captured in the 5%, but I think it's wishful thinking to assume no one surveyed falls into both the 4% and 5%).
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post #36 of 337
5/16/08 at 5:58pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dirk
I think the majority of consumers would still have difficulty picking out the BD content in blind tests, all other things being equal. Not that the difference isn't significant, but most people watch a film for the story, action etc, and have little interest in the quality of the actual presentation. It's similar to the anamorphic widescreen vs pan & scan situation. Studios could not get away with charging more for the [obviously superior] widescreen version because the average consumer could care less.

Until a Blu-Ray disc costs the same as its SD cousin, and the players reach comparable prices to a decent SD player, I think BD will remain a nich'e product.

John
I can't agree. Most people will see and hear a night and day difference on their HT equipment that has been properly setup.
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post #37 of 337
5/16/08 at 6:09pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich
It would be interesting to see, but after watching Blu-ray/HD DVD, I have a hard time going back to my over-compressed Comcast HD, let alone DVD!
Interesting you should say that because I have the exact opposite opinion.

Now I have Dish Network and I'm pleased as punch with the quality of the HD channels that I subscribe to. In fact, just recently, I decided to spend money I was saving for a Blu-ray player and decided to buy an external 750GB HDD and upgrade to some premium HD channels for the movie content. In just 3 weeks I've stored 50 HD movies and I only have about 200 GBs left! I haven't had this much fun since my heavy S-DVD buying days.
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post #38 of 337
5/16/08 at 6:11pm
Thread Starter 

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

The whole problem is rising out of the fact that your average consumer doesn't see the blu ray format as the new alternative to home video. When you look at everything needed in order to enjoy the HD format, an HD LCD television set, a blur ray player, along with the software which often costs as much as 50% to 100% over the cost of standard DVD, most don't see the benefits.

Sony seems to be having a hard time selling the blu ray format to the average consumer and has been relying too much on the support from the early adopters. Consumers aren't fooled by the free offers for 10 blu ray movies, especially when you have to send through the mail in order to get the free movies and the movie selection is severely limited by what the manufacturer will offer with the pruchase of their model.

Add to the growing problem that the industry keeps pressing out newer blu ray models every 3-4 months with better features, that also doesn't help the home video market. Not considering the fact that the consumer can purchase an upconvertable DVD player, that'll convert standard definition DVD's to 1080p, consumers are going to be satisfied with the DVD Upconvertable player until prices on blu ray players come down.

The biggest problem will be from the hardware makers and hoping that they can keep the prices for blu ray players under the $250 price range. With the way the economy is right now, consumers just have other things on their mind without having to think about paying $300 and $400 for a blu ray player when they need to use that money to fill up their gas tanks.
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post #39 of 337
5/16/08 at 6:16pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I can't agree. Most people will see and hear a night and day difference on their HT equipment that has been properly setup.

I agree.

I still see the major problem as being pricing. Prices are too high....especially for software. I check out the stands at my local shop regularly. There are several titles that I would buy if they were at a lower price point; however, every time I see a 32+ dollar price tag I just put it back on the shelf. I like films, but I have come to realize that there are very few films that I'm willing to spend more than 26 bucks on. There are exceptions but so far most of the releases on the shelf today are "like to have" not "must have".

Master and Commander is a perfect example. I would badly like to upgrade my DVD copy, but 32 bucks (not including 11% in sales tax) for a bare bones copy.......well, it just becomes a "forget it" moment.
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post #40 of 337
5/16/08 at 6:33pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Talmadge
The whole problem is rising out of the fact that your average consumer doesn't see the blu ray format as the new alternative to home video. When you look at everything needed in order to enjoy the HD format, an HD LCD television set, a blur ray player, along with the software which often costs as much as 50% to 100% over the cost of standard DVD, most don't see the benefits.

Sony seems to be having a hard time selling the blu ray format to the average consumer and has been relying too much on the support from the early adopters. Consumers aren't fooled by the free offers for 10 blu ray movies, especially when you have to send through the mail in order to get the free movies and the movie selection is severely limited by what the manufacturer will offer with the pruchase of their model.

Add to the growing problem that the industry keeps pressing out newer blu ray models every 3-4 months with better features, that also doesn't help the home video market. Not considering the fact that the consumer can purchase an upconvertable DVD player, that'll convert standard definition DVD's to 1080p, consumers are going to be satisfied with the DVD Upconvertable player until prices on blu ray players come down.

The biggest problem will be from the hardware makers and hoping that they can keep the prices for blu ray players under the $250 price range. With the way the economy is right now, consumers just have other things on their mind without having to think about paying $300 and $400 for a blu ray player when they need to use that money to fill up their gas tanks.
IMO, due to various circumstances including the industry doing a terrible job all around, the average consumer is just starting to realize what Blu-ray is and its benefits. Once the education/awareness process is complete and hardware/software become more affordable during these tough times, I expect a steady growth for Blu-ray. However, I always thought it will never reach the market penetration of SD DVD and have stated so numerous times on this forum. Unlike SD DVD, too many consumers will have to buy more than a new BR player to fully realize the benefits Blu-ray offers them which is why it will never reach SD DVD penetration. With that being said, I see it being more than a LD niche market, but it's market penetration will not reach the level of 90% that video tape and SD DVD reached in the last 20 years. Perhaps, 40-50% penetration is possible, but at this time, I'm only guessing with such a projection. I do expect some cheaper players later this year with the software providers responding in kind with their product.

Somehow, the industry has to find a way to lower production costs and then lower their sale prices accordingly without them taking a financial bath with the devalued dollar. These are tough times which is why the industry has been slower to react to a single HDM market with lower pricing, but some way, they have to overcome that roadblock in order to increase their profit margins while growing the Blu-ray market.
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post #41 of 337
5/16/08 at 7:03pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
Well, I still don't care. Of course, the more successful it is, the more titles will come out but like I said, I'm happy with the number of titles I'm getting right now. And I have enough patience to wait for the big catalog titles to trickle out over time.

I must say I'm not at all happy with the number of titles that have been coming out. I've bought one blu-ray in the last 6 months. There are a few coming that I want but honestly of the titles announced there are only about 5 that I will buy.

Doug
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post #42 of 337
5/16/08 at 7:09pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goko
Interesting you should say that because I have the exact opposite opinion.

Now I have Dish Network and I'm pleased as punch with the quality of the HD channels that I subscribe to. In fact, just recently, I decided to spend money I was saving for a Blu-ray player and decided to buy an external 750GB HDD and upgrade to some premium HD channels for the movie content. In just 3 weeks I've stored 50 HD movies and I only have about 200 GBs left! I haven't had this much fun since my heavy S-DVD buying days.


I have to agree with Adam that the difference between HD cable and blu-ray are night and day. HD cable is compressed as hell and its full of annoying compression artifacts. I rarely if ever see artifacts on a blu-ray.

Doug
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post #43 of 337
5/16/08 at 7:22pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I can't agree. Most people will see and hear a night and day difference on their HT equipment that has been properly setup.

And how many of those outside of the membership of Forums like this will you find out there?

using my 57" Avia calibrated 1080i set I’ve demonstrated in my HT to a couple of HD-Plasma owners the HD_DVD of "Batman, returns" "Superman" "Children of Men" etc, they seemed "interested" but they didn't show any "blown away - I need to get this right now" reaction, and the players were selling for less than 200.00 at the time, not even the ‘interactive’ features, all in one animated menus or PIP incited any “wow” reaction, just your average lukewarm “That’s nice”…

And all this Hi-rez audio formats are even less of an attraction to the average consumers, they not only lack the necessary equipment, but the majority couldn’t justify the expense and the set up hassles for the improvement in audio quality that they may or may not be able to perceive (or care) in their average standard open living rooms.

Let’s face it, whether we (enthusiasts) like it or not, The average consumer out there is happy with his MP3 files and tin can PC speakers or cheap ear-buds, just watch How I-Tunes is cornering the music retail market.

Hi-REZ audio is never going to be a “seller” to the average consumer, SACD and DVD_A already proved that.
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post #44 of 337
5/16/08 at 7:22pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
I still see the major problem as being pricing. Prices are too high....especially for software. I check out the stands at my local shop regularly. There are several titles that I would buy if they were at a lower price point.

I know what you mean. There are several Fox titles that I want. bt can't justify the price until they go on sale. I have been wanting Gattaca and The Adventures of Baron M. for a while. Thankfully Frys put them on sale today for $11.99 so I snatched them up.
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post #45 of 337
5/16/08 at 10:14pm
Thread Starter 

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

I'm not saying that there aren't any benefits involved with high definition. I would consider myself interested in digging my feet into the new format but I think many would change their minds if the studios aren't so concerned with their price controls.

Take a look at Smallville and Lost seasons sets on blu ray. They're marked at an SRP of around $100 per set. There may never be as deep for blu ray market penetration as standard DVD has. I believe it has more with affordability for titles and during any given week, a consumer can walk into any Target, Circuit City, Best Buy or Wal Mart and find DVD movies for as low as $4 or $5. At the same time, TV Shows on DVD titles can also be found for as low as $20, mostly as low as 50%-70% off their respected everyday prices.

It's all a price wars thing and since blu ray is competing with standard DVD, there's no way that blu ray will obtain the type of market penetration as DVD currently enjoys and the only way blu ray could start to gain ground is if studios cut back on DVD titles. DVD has only been out for ten years and it's likely to survive for another 10-15 years, maybe even more.

With blu ray, the market didn't take into consideration that the industry made it a bit more complicated than it actually was. Your average consumer is only interested in the plug-and-play mentality ... I have no doubt that blu ray will continue to remain popular among those who adopted the format.

But, you're right about the industry. Since the format is still relatively new, prices will remain where they are for the foreseeable future. Studios are enjoying the profits gained from a $100 boxed set of their favourite television shows and they're not about the lower prices. Look at how long it took Paramount to drop prices on their Star Trek DVD sets, and they're still priced at $60-70, which is still a bit high for some Star Trek fans.
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post #46 of 337
5/17/08 at 8:37am

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso_M
And how many of those outside of the membership of Forums like this will you find out there?
More than you realize as more people have bought new displays over the last couple of years and have upgraded their audio systems. Again, Blu-ray will never approach the levels of SD DVD because of the added expense of acquiring additional HT equipment to take full advantage of Blu-ray, but I found a lot of people much more interested in doing so compared to ten years ago when SD DVD started out and people buying those players, but hooking them up incorrectly both audio and video-wise. In short, people have become a lot more educated about home theater especially younger folks that realize you can buy such equipment at different price points that might fit their budget.
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post #47 of 337
5/17/08 at 8:44am

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

My family
is all in the 40 and older crowd now....
I will certainly upgrade at some point, but my true devotion is to classic film...or may i just call them "old" movies...Not much on the Blu-ray market for me at this early stage.
And...I work in retail management....people are just not spending like they used to.
(as has been duly noted).
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post #48 of 337
5/17/08 at 9:35am

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwin-S
I agree.

I still see the major problem as being pricing. Prices are too high....especially for software. I check out the stands at my local shop regularly. There are several titles that I would buy if they were at a lower price point; however, every time I see a 32+ dollar price tag I just put it back on the shelf. I like films, but I have come to realize that there are very few films that I'm willing to spend more than 26 bucks on. There are exceptions but so far most of the releases on the shelf today are "like to have" not "must have".

Master and Commander is a perfect example. I would badly like to upgrade my DVD copy, but 32 bucks (not including 11% in sales tax) for a bare bones copy.......well, it just becomes a "forget it" moment.

I was in Target yesterday, and there were several titles I would have purchased if they were cheaper. INDEPENDENCE DAY, FANTASTIC FOUR 2 and several others just aren't worth over 30 bucks. Now, I know I can grab 'em cheaper on Amazon, but the "impulse buy" is one of the things I miss with BD. And it's gonna take awhile to get the consumers who only buy from B&M's to adapt BD if the prices don't start to come down a bit.
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post #49 of 337
5/17/08 at 11:19am

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Ya know, since the launch of Blu-ray we have gotten a damn good amount of titles. I'm always amazed at how some have so quickly forgotten that sd dvd was at about the same levels of release in it's first 2 years and at $25 to $30 a title stores were pricing them to keep even back then. With all we have on sd dvd we still have a hugh amount of titles yet to be released. I think to a larger degree we've become spoiled by sd dvd and now Blu-ray comes along and it's like being back at square one. Lower prices will come along with more catalog titles. It is not going to happen overnight however.
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post #50 of 337
5/17/08 at 12:06pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Never is a long time. I'm sure that in the next decade that SD will begin to fade out and there will be a move to some form of mainstream HD media, be that BR or something else, but in the short term, unless there is a major drop in pricing and a major expansion of titles, the format will stagnate or at best experience moderate growth.
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post #51 of 337
5/17/08 at 1:05pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

I would point out that SD was a world wide standard. The HD market could become extremely fractured. Blu-ray may have won in the US but that does not mean it will become a worldwide standard. HD-VMD is making a major push in India. CH-DVD will make a major push in China and probably Asia. It's likely Toshiba will incorporate the hd-dvd technology into a new dvd format.
Also companies like Netflix are probably going to be developing the downloading technology because of the obvious benefits. The net result will likely be an extremely fragmented hd market , incompatible with each other.
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post #52 of 337
5/17/08 at 1:35pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrancisP
I would point out that SD was a world wide standard. The HD market could become extremely fractured. Blu-ray may have won in the US but that does not mean it will become a worldwide standard. HD-VMD is making a major push in India. CH-DVD will make a major push in China and probably Asia. It's likely Toshiba will incorporate the hd-dvd technology into a new dvd format.
Also companies like Netflix are probably going to be developing the downloading technology because of the obvious benefits. The net result will likely be an extremely fragmented hd market , incompatible with each other.

SD was only a world wide standard if you consider NTSC, Pal and SECAM to be compatible with each other.

Doug
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post #53 of 337
5/17/08 at 2:05pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by troy evans
Ya know, since the launch of Blu-ray we have gotten a damn good amount of titles. I'm always amazed at how some have so quickly forgotten that sd dvd was at about the same levels of release in it's first 2 years and at $25 to $30 a title stores were pricing them to keep even back then.


But you see, going from VHS to DVD (as the majority skipped LD)the benefits were huge, and the price in comparison was not that bad (although most titles could be had for much less online), and now one could even for the first time 'own' a title instead of renting.

Most of SD-DVD initial introduction’s benefits are now 'moot' with Blu, as the benefits of going from SD-DVD to BLU --- to the majority out there --- are not worth the price of admission as of right now.

You and I may not like to hear this, but that's the way it is, and that's what the numbers are showing, reality.

Unless Blu prices come down fast, the window of opportunity for "mass adoption" will soon come to pass...
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post #54 of 337
5/17/08 at 2:46pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
More than you realize as more people have bought new displays over the last couple of years and have upgraded their audio systems.

Not a single person I know that owns a HI-DEF screen bothers with a full blown audio system that would enable them to even begin to 'appreciate' Hi-rez audio of any kind. Much less a "properly calibrated" system.

Most young people today live in Condos and Apartments, and setting up souped- up systems is impossible, the best I've seen is Front and Center SPKs, and they are constantly concerned about loudness and the neighbors.

And most of those with better systems and living in a house are not as fanatics as us with dedicated HT rooms, usually they are into the "movie" only, and don't have the time to sit or the inclination to dissect all the nuances necessary to achieve proper Hi-Rez audio, they are much less willing to spend countless hours tweaking spks settings with complicated 'calibrating' discs and DB meters.

For me and the majority here, doing all this is "Fun" and part of our hobby, to the majority out there, we are crazy!!



Are this people going to rush out and pay premium on Blu –Ray players and software on the promise of "Loss-Less" audio??
I don't think so, but I hope I'm wrong.
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post #55 of 337
5/17/08 at 3:00pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Well, I'm sort of off the fence now. I bought myself a 46" Samsung Series 550 HDTV a few days ago, and I'm already in love with watching SD on it. So I'm thinking of taking the plunge further to Blu-ray by Christmastime. I've already ordered THE OMEGA MAN on BD from Amazon (it's one of my favorite films) to make sure I get it before it's discontinued...I figure it was only released to cash in with I AM LEGEND.

So now I'm visitng these HD forums, trying to dip my toe in the water, so to speak. From what I've seen available on Blu-ray, there are some 15+ titles I'd be interested in buying.
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post #56 of 337
5/17/08 at 3:27pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso_M
But you see, going from VHS to DVD (as the majority skipped LD)the benefits were huge, and the price in comparison was not that bad (although most titles could be had for much less online), and now one could even for the first time 'own' a title instead of renting.


Movies on VHS were sale priced for the most part at $19.95 long before DVD came along. Most people I knew in the mid to late 80s had a VHS movie collection.

Doug
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post #57 of 337
5/17/08 at 5:14pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong
... I don't think this is a good/valid example to support that argument. In the eyes of the mainstream consumer, it was never that obvious that widescreen offers better quality than P&S (and open-matte) -- it still isn't that clear for the majority of folks who are still using 4x3 SD TVs.

The same is arguably true for HD vs SD DVD. I showed both Blu Ray and SD DVD content to my wife and she saw no real difference. I was amazed at her statement at the time, but I now believe it to represent the average non-enthusiast point of view.

Quote:
And if the mainstream consumer has his/her way, we could still end up w/ lots of P&S HDM albeit in 16x9, instead of 4x3.

Disagree, because as long as the price is the same, most people will "accept" widescreem vs P&S. Ultimately, [in most retail markets] the mainstream consumer always has their way. It's the easiest way to maximize profit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I can't agree. Most people will see and hear a night and day difference on their HT equipment that has been properly setup.

No one here will likely argue that, but we're talking about the general public, most of whom do not own [because they can't justify or even comprehend] a properly setup HT system.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

I think many of us would be fine w/ Blu-ray staying somewhat niche...

Yes, I realize this is a common opinion on the forum, but I have concerns. I currently use twin 300 disc carousels. If Blu Ray remains a nich'e product, I doubt I will ever see this type of BD equivalent. I am not interested in a single disc player as a permanent solution, although I am willing to accept it as a stop gap once prices reach reasonable levels. Like it or not, we need the average consumer just as much as they need us. Without early adopters, [such as many of us on the forum] who are willing to pay the higher initial prices and take the risks, many great products might not have made it past the prototype stage. Conversely, without the general publics eventual buy-in, prices and choices eventually stagnate. I would offer the analogy of a relay race, with early adopters and enthusiasts running the first leg. As enthusiastic as we are, we cannot run the entire race. At some point, we need to hand off the baton.

John
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post #58 of 337
5/17/08 at 5:25pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso_M
I don't think so, but I hope I'm wrong.
I'm not so sure about that. More than a few people that have posted on this forum give me an impression that they hope Blu-ray or HDM fails, why, I don't quite understand yet.
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post #59 of 337
5/17/08 at 5:39pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I'm not so sure about that. More than a few people that have posted on this forum give me an impression that they hope Blu-ray or HDM fails, why, I don't quite understand yet.

I think a bit of that mindset derives from people who fully invested into HD DVD, both financially and psychologically. Their "baby" didn't win, so nobody should win. The same thing would have occurred had the tables been reversed.

I think another subset has the perception that mass adoption of DVD resulted in a "ruined" format: pointless fluff extras, bad transfers, etc. They think BD would be better off as an enthusiast niche, because the studios would have to pay attention to the demands of enthusiasts rather than satisfy the needs of the "lowest common denominator".
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post #60 of 337
5/17/08 at 5:41pm

Re: More Research Asserts that Blu Ray Adoption Isn't Apt to Surge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwin-S
I think a bit of that mindset derives from people who fully invested into HD DVD, both financially and psychologically. Their "baby" didn't win, so nobody should win. The same thing would have occurred had the tables been reversed.

I think another subset has the perception that mass adoption of DVD resulted in a "ruined" format: pointless fluff extras, bad transfers, etc. They think BD would be better off as an enthusiast niche, because the studios would have to pay attention to the demands of enthusiasts rather than satisfy the needs of the "lowest common denominator".
I don't know what's driving it, but the negativity has not cease and is much more apparent than it ever was during the early days of SD DVD which is surprising since this is supposedly a HT enthusiast site.
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