Post-XMAS HD DVD Sales Surge: #8 ranked HD DVD surpasses #1 Blu-Ray in sales (1 Viewer)

[Pete T C]

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

Just a day or so after Christmas, HD DVD has experienced a sales surge on Amazon.com with its current #8 highest sales rank title having better sales rank than the #1 highest sales rank Blu-Ray title. Further, HD DVD's #12 sales ranked title has surpassed Blu-Ray's #2 highest sales rank title. HD DVD is experiencing its highest ranked sales since late November with every single of its top10 selling movies breaking into the Amazon Top1000 list, and its top5 within the top500 - compared to Blu-Ray who only has 1 title in the Amazon Top1000 list and none in the top500. It is also telling that Batman Begins, an older HD DVD, is the #1 selling title - simply because this means these sales are most likely from new customers who did not have HD DVD when Batman Begins came out.

Looks like a lot of people got HD DVD for XMAS

 

[Robert Crawford]

I can't put too much stock in this information until I see figures coming from a longer period of time and brick and morter retailers that have greater number of sales than Amazon. However, one thing that Blu-ray studios need to address is their MSRP on Fox and Disney titles. Hardware prices is another issue, but I'll save that for some others to bring into play here.

Anyhow, regarding this format war, the first quarter has ended and the second quarter is about to begin with CES. It's still too early in this war to do much crowing either way.





Crawdaddy

 

[Brian tj]

Hi all its bin a long time for me.
I am back to learn about HD DVD!
I think sales might be up because people were searching for titles and did not know the format deferens.
It happened to me my wife seed it sese HD DVD and I sed a wup that’s it,
Thinking it to be High Def!
Well now I know.
And I thought me Merantz 8300 would play anything so I was safe.
But I bet you I was not alone!
Good marketing confuse the public!


So I am back to learn more!
Brian tj

 

[Scott Walburn]

I think we need to take this information with a grain of salt, but I must say I'm surprised. I own a HD drive for my xbox 360, and I must say I love it. As a matter of fact I just picked up 3 HD DVD's bringing my total to ten. However, lately I feel like Blu-Ray has all the momentum. I believe I read Warner is bringing many of their HD DVD titles to blu-ray, and the blu-ray release list for the coming year is much more impressive to me. i will probably buy a PS3 within the year. I kind of feel like I'm collecting a dying format with HD DVD. The studios seem to be backing blu-ray. The problem is HD DVD keeps selling. My father in law was over for Christmas and he fell in love with my HD DVD player. He said he will probably buy one because he knows DVD and Blu Ray sounds stupid. I tried to explain to him that BD is pretty sweet also, but he didn't want to listen. I guess you can never underestimate the power of a familar name. I hope Toshiba and the rest of the team get their act together because for CES with some big titles because I honestly believe they have shot and winning this format war. I would really like to see a universal player or the end of this format war soon, but for the time being I'm glad HD DVD is doing so well.

 

[MarekM]

it will be very funny, when offcial data will come out.....
amazon is jut so small in overall scale, that those data are meaningless....
so don't be suprised if final data will be quite different...

Marek

 

[Sean*O]

...It won't be.

Amazon is hardly small in scale, and it easily provides a statistically relevant sample of the market.

Some people act as if Blu Ray buyers don't shop Amazon for whatever reason.

 

[MarekM]

yes amazon is very small ........, there are hardly enough big to provide statistically relevant SAMPLE of market....

I did not mentioned anything about Blu-ray buyers dont shopp at amazon

Marek

 

[Robert Crawford]

Just to put some perspective on where Amazon stands versus the traditional brick and morter stores in regard to disc sales, the only thing you have to do is read the various internet forums. You will see many people still complaining about not being able to buy their High Def. discs from CC, BB, Walmart, Target and any other retailer you want to mentioned. A couple of times over the years, I've had discussions with studio executives and they mentioned that Walmart alone controls about 50% of the dvd market. So take that into the proper context along with the number of units the other B&M retailers are doing, in comparison to the etailers like Amazon and Buy.com and it's not even a pimple on those B&M retailers butts. All together, I've bought over 3600 discs since the dawn of the dvd format and that includes 120+ HD DVD/BRD that I have in my collection. About 85% of those discs were purchased from etailers, but I'm the exception not the norm when it comes to what method I use to acquire my disc library.





Crawdaddy

 

[Chris S]

Everyone, including myself, is waiting to hear some official numbers... but I'm starting to wonder if we ever will see them? I can only imagine one side is waiting on the other to go first just so they can counter with a "better" perspective. I'm not sure it's in the best interest of either format to release across the board hard sales data.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

The official data will come out, don't worry. The question is whether any of us will ever see any of it. The Nielsen sales figures (excluding Wal-Mart) cost a bundle for a year's subscription, and anyone paying that kind of money isn't going to hand the information out.

 

[Cees Alons]

Statistics are still difficult.

It's not really important if Amazon is "small" as compared to the rest of the sellers. The value of a statistical figure is (surprisingly to most laymen) more determined by the absolute number of the sample (not the relative size) and by the fact whether or not it is biased (e.g. when a certain population would be over- or under-represented and you're measuring an aspect directly governed by that same population).

So, it might be tempting to say that the Amazon figures aren't representative - and perhaps they aren't indeed, for a reason we don't know yet - but the sample is large and they most certainly do not prove the opposite of what they say!
As long as there is no reason to seriously suspect they are skewed (I mean: not because you simply want to believe that ), and you have no better statistics: they are a fairly good indication.

That would even be more true if you're comparing trends and use the same source (Amazon in this case) all the time.


Cees

 

[MarekM]

Cees

yes it is important ! from simple reason......
if there is majority people buying in shops and NOT ONLINE ! those data can't represent REGULAR SAMPE of population.........

and we can arguing all night I was/am very good in statistics I did my final work at university in matematics and statistics

you can't deny on possible reason, if owners of HD DVD buying more online, and blu-ray owners shopping at WM or BB, etc....

and there could be more other reasons,... and due those reason, AMAZON can't be taken as representative SAMPLE

Marek

 

[Peter Overduin]

I'm a little surprised that Toshiba's promotion from November hasn't been mentioned, however, in addition to the 3 free HD DVDs I am getting with the promo; I have purchased another 7, none online.

Regrdless, this trend should not be a surprise. The historical data clearly showed people did not buy PS2 as a primary DVD player; and that principle is holding true for the PS3. BD disk sales did NOT rise exponentially with the PS3 launch and won't. The majority of PS3 buyers bought it (according to online surveys and surveys conducted on release date) to resell on ebay and for gaming.

Add to that the flagrant BD prommotion by Future Shop in Canada; which has not bore the desired results BTW (just go talk to ANY local Future Shop); and the trend is clear.

CES will be s key benchmark in this silly format war, with both HD and BD needing to kick it up a notch.

Personally, I want to see a BD palyer with a much lower price point; that will get me to buy one. Throw in few free disks..and I'm all over it!

 

[HDMS Carl Mulder]

Great news.

 

[Cees Alons]

Could be. But then again, IF owners of HD are shopping in B&M stores mainly, while BD-owners buy solely at Amazon...
Then it's even worse....

OK, the bottom line is: we don't know that, and there is no reason to believe the sample isn't representative (the size isn't sufficient indication for that alone). Even if you don't want to believe it is representative, there are no grounds to say it's the opposite.
If you believe that, at best you should totally ignore it, not contradict it.


Cees

 

[Paul_Scott]

if people are sophisticated enough to want/desire this specific technology/application, I would think it would follow that they are sophisticated enough to look for the best pricing on the consumables end- that is, if they are intent on building a collection of more than a few titles.
For the people that only need a few titles, impulse purchases at B&M stores aren't out of the question- but most people here I would think, would try to hunt out the best deal.

The BEST deal for the last month or two has been Buy.com.
Especially with the average cost of Bd now being skewed higher because of the Fox price points.

The problems with the B&Ms is not only pricing but selection. At least it is on the HD DVD side. That may be totally different with the other format since the big box stores really want the windfall off of the Bd player mark-ups.

 

[ppltd]

Marek, this would only be true if HD-DVD owners bought from Amazon and BD owners did not. Statistics are what they are, and that makes them relevant. Not saying they are acuratly being interpeted, but we must assume that HD and BD buyers alike purchase from Amazon at the same percentage.

 

[MarekM]

well Thomas, that's the problem of statistics, we don't have enough DATA of WHO si buying online and who is not........... and that's WHY WE CAN'T ASSUME !!

happy new year to all

Marek

 

[MarekM]

yes that would be a DISASTER hehe
well Cess from pure statistic point of view, I am sorry, that SAMPLE can't be considered to be REPRESENTATIVE, sorry.....

It's not what I want or I would like, we know for sure WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH DATA to take this as serious sample on which we can build some data MODEL how each group (HD DVD or Blu-ray shoppers) behave...

Cees don't make me to put here basics of statistics models

Marek

 

[Yumbo]

No blu in the Pacific, lol.