Report: Blu-ray Sales Falling Short Of Expectations Even As Prices Decline. Are you still buying? (1 Viewer)

[Powell&Pressburger]

First off I have to say I am not a wealthy person. I spend way too much money on buying blu-rays than I have the right to. That being said, I like a cheap blu as much as anyone does yet I can't help but wonder at times we need to remember you get what you pay for (taking into account the BLU release is high quality that is being released) I recall paying I believe $79.99 for VERTIGO on laserdisc when the restoration edition was released. While I love cheap prices who doesn't I don't mind paying money for great releases from Criterion etc.


As someone who buys a lot of releases each Tuesday, my money 98% of the time goes to catalog titles. I buy very few New release films. While many will be excited for a blu ray of Super 8, myself I would be more excited for BLOW-UP or Watership Down to be released in great HD quality. It isn't that I don't like mainstream films I can, but I get more excited over seeing the classic Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 on blu or Heavy Metal!


Major Wishlist for films already on DVD that I would replace if were released. The Illustrated Man, Ice Station Zebra, The Yakuza, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, 3 Women, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Adventures in Babysitting, Troop Beverly Hills (Yes the Shelly Long film It needs a WS 16:9 release!) Evita, Vertigo, Lost In America, The Big Bounce (Original) Birth, The Mechanic (Original), Satisfaction, The Late Show, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Murder By Death, Seems Like Old Times, Protocol (WS please!) - Just as an idea of how varied I can be, and how not to hold my breath for many of these films. I may be the only one interested.


I would purchase just about any classic film in HD on blu such as The Trouble with Harry, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the like. It is always exciting when b horror films etc get released on blu too, There just arent enough Hammer films out there, and we need a lot more classic Roger Corman films!


Long story short I am a catalog title junkie!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Tomorrow, June the 11th, is my fifth anniversary date to when I bought my first Blu-ray player. I bought the Samsung BD-P1000 player from Circuit City and it retailed for $999.99, but I received a $100 coupon off so my final price was $899.99 plus tax.


Right now, my Blu-ray library is over 1000 titles. Most of my video software purchases are Blu-ray today, but I still buy my fair amount of DVDs depending on the circumstances. It's funny I can purchase many of my BRDs cheaper than some SD DVDs now.


By the way, the same June 11th in 2006, that I bought my first BR player, I also bought my first HD-DVD player from Circuit City too. It retailed for $499.99, but I received a $50.00 coupon for that player so the final purchase price was $449.99 plus tax.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My buying habits have changed from the DVD days. While I used to buy everything we watched on DVD, including new releases, I am being much more selective with BD. I buy almost exclusively catalog titles, and will not pre-order as much as I did with DVD (when almost everything was pre-ordered). I will wait for a price drop on all but my favorite films unless the pre-order price is attractive, and am renting new BD releases instead blind-buying.


My library is now around 350 BD and 850 DVD titles. I have been selling off, donating or giving away DVD titles when upgrading to BD, so the shelf space required to store our library has actually decreased slightly since entering the BD market 2.5 years ago, even though the total number of titles owned has increased.

 

[Mike_G]

The days of DVD were unique. Online shops during the dot com boom that discounted DVDs far, far below retail helped the format gain acceptance. Today, we're in a recession. I still buy Blu-Ray discs, and will never, EVER pick online streaming over a physical disc for one important reason: quality. There's Netflix and local shops for Blu-Ray rentals. Special features are a huge deal for me as well, and you can't get that with streaming.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Buying used on places like Amazon is saving me tons of money. Something that might be $29.99 on street date in a brick-and-mortar can be found for less than $20 used online and if you wait a bit longer it'll be even less. This may not make the studios happy but for many folks it's the only way to build a library quicker and cheaper. Sometimes the price differences between stores and online can be astounding. The fourth season of the Twilight Zone was $54.99 on Amazon at one point while a local B&M was charging $79.99 (and still is!). That's $25 more! Who in their right mind is going to pay those prices?

 

[David Wilkins]

Originally Posted by Carlo Medina

I answered "on release date" but here's the caveat: if I really like the title and can find a reasonable street date price (usually Amazon or Best Buy release week sale) then I buy. If it's a catalog title that I know will be discounted within a few months, I'll wait on it. I'd say most of my purchasing is 65% the former, 35% the latter.


I buy BDs at roughly the same rate I bought DVDs. The main reason for any decline is the comparative lack of catalog titles on BD (as opposed to DVD). If the studios opened the floodgates on their back catalog, I'd be buying a lot more.


Also, I don't know how anyone can draw definitive conclusions based on 2009-11 data. I'm sorry, am I the only one stuck in America's worst recession since the Great Depression? Think that's skewing the sales charts a bit?

Carlo's position is nearly identical to mine. Do the powers-that-be not realize the impact of the economy? Do they honestly hold the ignorant belief that bigger-better-faster will prevail regardless of circumstances? My purchasing habits are rather amazing, and probably ill-advised given my approximate 20% pay reduction over the past couple of years.


Unlike many, I fully appreciate what's available to us, and the comparative price-point over time...whereas many seem to demand everything, at flawless quality and maximum features...but, uh...they "demand" that it cost no more than $9.99. Such expectations will surely slay the golden goose that the BD age has brought us. Criterion-like products do actually cost money to bring about. Do you really think the studios are going to take the time and effort to restore our heritage films for $9.99 a pop? It's not carved in stone somewhere that we MUST own every title we watch. Personally, I'd rather buy fewer titles, and have those titles at maximum presentation. Therefor a slightly higher price-point (for top-notch work) doesn't alarm me. The ONE thing I will consistently not do, is to pay, even a deeply discounted price, for crappy product. There are a number of discs that I would have paid $20-$25 for, that are on the market ultra-cheap, and I have no interest in buying them because of compromised quality; it's not a protest in principle, I simply don't want it...I'd rather put those few dollars toward a more expensive and worthy title.

I think that the studios have in a way screwed themselves (going back a few years) with the marketing expectation of us buying every title that comes along...and buying it several times over. They themselves seem to be contributing to the spiraling downward in prices the public will pay.


One issue that has pissed me off royally: My BD purchases HAVE slowed for one reason: I got sick and tired of paying "XX" dollars for a title (which I considered fair at the time), only to see it offered for "X" dollars a few weeks later. Sorry, but I have more time than money. I can and will, wait. I reached a hard and fast point on this, and it's now seldom violated. I got tired of feeling screwed and stupid. During the first two-thirds or so, of the DVD boom, loyal purchasers were treated to significant pre-order discounts, and I bought like mad, sometimes 6 or 7 titles a week. That model changed, and since then there has been little incentive NOT to wait, which to my way of thinking kills impulse purchases. In addition, you get used to waiting, and the urge to buy at all diminishes.

 

[ahollis]

NPD: Blu-ray Sales Begin To Cover DVD Losses - Marketing research group is now saying this:


http://www.twice.com/article/469413-NPD_Blu_ray_Sales_Begin_To_Cover_DVD_Losses.php


"Blu-ray buyers are also beginning to buy more discs than they did in 2009 or 2010, including both new releases and older catalog content."

The discussion goes on and on. Coffee is good for you, coffee is bad for your.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I have to agree that the timing of the release of blu-ray was unfortunate. I think the sluggish economy has been by far the biggest drag on the format. It would be almost like releasing a luxury product on October 29, 1929! Doug

 

[Edwin-S]

There sure seems to be a lot of product being released for a format that supposedly is "falling short of expectations". Personally, I still buy Blu-rays but not at the level that I was buying DVDs. Blu-ray prices are too high which helps me to refrain from buying titles that I might only watch once in a blue moon. However, when the price of a Blu comes down to some reasonable level then I sometimes will do a blind buy. For example, I've never watched "Dances with Wolves" so there is no way that I would have paid full price for that movie; however, the SE was selling for 9.99 so I took a flyer on it and bought it since renting wouldn't be all that much cheaper. If I watch the film more than twice in my lifetime, it will have paid for itself.

 

[Paul_Warren]

I still buy a lot of catalog titles but am much more careful now as most fall below my expectations so the studios need to put more effort into this to make sure consumers want to buy the Bluray. The majority of Bluray catalog titles are not offering much in the way of increased PQ this is big issue so unless they can find a better way to make this more economical sales will not increase much its stalemate and some of the price gouging is excessive!!!


I now believe Bluray will gradually become a niche product as most consumers will skip it & wait for a HD download. Lets be brutally honest here most BD catalog titles are not worth the upgrade cost over DVD are they??

 

[Robin9]

Originally Posted by Paul_Warren

Lets be brutally honest here most BD catalog titles are not worth the upgrade cost over DVD are they??

Let me be brutally honest. At present, most BRD catalogue titles are definitely worth the upgrade over the respective DVD. A minority are not but only a minority.


Quite apart from those titles where the comparison is unfair - apples and oranges - because the BRD comes from the restored OCN whereas the DVD did not, most BRDs are still noticeably better than the DVD.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Paul_Warren

I still buy a lot of catalog titles but am much more careful now as most fall below my expectations so the studios need to put more effort into this to make sure consumers want to buy the Bluray. The majority of Bluray catalog titles are not offering much in the way of increased PQ this is big issue so unless they can find a better way to make this more economical sales will not increase much its stalemate and some of the price gouging is excessive!!!


I now believe Bluray will gradually become a niche product as most consumers will skip it & wait for a HD download. Lets be brutally honest here most BD catalog titles are not worth the upgrade cost over DVD are they??

The market penetration of Blu-ray is too deep to be considered a niche product like it was with LD. The second part of what I bolded is false as most of my BD catalog titles are far and away better than their DVD versions.









Crawdaddy

 

[Cees Alons]

Originally Posted by Robin9


Almosty all catalogue titles I have bought on Blu-ray (and/or HD DVD before) were definitely worth the upgrade. I love watching some of my beloved B&W titles on BD. It's a treat.



Cees

 

[dana martin]

[COLOR= black]I have seen major improvements in every catalogue title I have bought, if sales are low, hate to quote President Clinton, but it's the economy stupid.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Also the fact that while there have been great titles released, the catalogue market has only scratched the surface[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]If streaming is the wave of the future, I hope it can wait till bandwidth can handle everything, and long after what I want on disc has arrived, because as I have stated before I want a physical copy in hand [/COLOR]

 

[ahollis]

[SIZE= 14px]Warner Bros lays off 50 in Home Entertainment & Consumer Products[/SIZE] [COLOR= #ff0000][SIZE= 16px]http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/warner-bros-lays-off-50-in-home-entertainment-consumer-products/[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE= 16px][/SIZE][COLOR= #ff0000][SIZE= 16px] [/COLOR][/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]This along with the earlier news of lays-offs at Fox, Disney, Lionsgate and possibility Paramount sure makes me glad I did not go into that side of the business.[/SIZE]

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by mccambley

Amazon can be a great source for Blu-ray movies but the problem is places like Best Buy where the main stream of people shop. I just took a quick look at there web site and their Blue-ray prices average about $29. I will not pay that much for Iron Man 2, Inception, Despicable Me, The Expendables, How to train your Dragon.... This is the reason Blu-ray sales will falter and the fact that people care more about convenience and price that streaming will win the market share over Blue-ray the same as MP3 won over high Rez music.

I'm not sure the main stream of people shop at Best Buy for DVD's and Blu-ray's anymore. The area continues to shrink and more titles are only available on line (I mean Blu-ray American Graffiti only available on line, bad judgment). I think that the newer movies that do sell are being purchased at Wal-Mart and Target, especially the family titles. The Best Buy exclusives they did with MGM was a way to bring some of those lost souls back to Best Buy. While most of my purchases are now over the Internet, it kills me that my brick and mortar buys are more and more from Wal-Mart, which I truly despise with a passion.

 

[Kevin EK]

I rarely buy DVDs online. Almost all of my buys are either from a local store in Los Angeles called Laser Blazer, or from the Best Buy or Barnes & Noble. I have also bought from Amoeba. I prefer going into an actual store.


It was inevitable that the studios would downsize their home entertainment divisions, since those really swelled during the heyday of DVD, which exploded the market. I don't know that this contraction is a bad thing. Just an obvious sign of the times.


The argument that Blu-ray is the next laserdisc is to my mind something that could eventually be true, but only at the same time that DVD goes the same way - in the same way that CDs eventually outstripped both cassette tapes and vinyl. I remember reading someone either here or on another forum saying that they were happy they had skipped laserdisc, DVD and high definition discs completely, since they had saved their money and didn't have a bunch of obsolete discs on their hands. On the one hand, they were correct. On the other hand, they had missed a lot of good stuff.

 

[TravisR]

I prefer going into an actual store.

Me too. Unfortunately, it's rarely an option unless I'm buying the big new release of the week. Other than Taxi Driver, I can't think of the last new catalog title that I bought at a brick and mortar store.

 

[JoshuaB.]

I don't buy as many blu-rays as I once did for DVD, but I still buy quite a few--mostly Criterions and older films. Now that the studios (even Paramount!) appear to be releasing much more catalogue titles on blu-ray, I've bought more BDs this year than in 2010. I love New Hollywood films, so I've been replacing my DVDs (Warner's blu-ray upgrades, Criterion's fantastic BBS Story boxed set) and anxiously await more titles. My film tastes don't often include the Hollywood blockbusters, so I don't have a lot of contemporary films (2000-present) on blu-ray--I am frustrated that many contemporary independent films (like Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control) and many Canadian films (i.e. Last Night and Ginger Snaps) aren't available on blu-ray.


I don't mind streaming the occasional film or TV show from Netflix (the Canadian version is still mediocre, but it's cheap and it has improved marginally since its inception in the Fall) because I no longer feel the need to own every film I might want to watch (I was caught in a DVD frenzy, from 1999-2004 where I had to own nearly every film I wanted to watch).


I see blu-ray as the superior format for home theatre and film enthusiasts and I only buy the films I know I can continue to enjoy after repeated viewings. Everything else I rent or stream.

 

[ReggieW]

I agree.


I picked up the Alien Anthology from Amazon Uk for $33.00 shipped. Marching into my local Best buy would've set me back nearly $100 (including tax) for this set. We are talking a difference of $67.00 here. Brick & mortar purchases probably constitute less than 15% of my purchases due to price.However, I did do quite a deal of buying in store yesterday, but all of those titles were $10 each - Midnight Cowboy & Taking of Pelham (Best Buy) and the three westerns currently on sale at Target (Rio Lobo, Big Jake & A Man Called Horse). However, store purchases such as these are the exception for me.

Originally Posted by Luisito34

Buying used on places like Amazon is saving me tons of money. Something that might be $29.99 on street date in a brick-and-mortar can be found for less than $20 used online and if you wait a bit longer it'll be even less. This may not make the studios happy but for many folks it's the only way to build a library quicker and cheaper. Sometimes the price differences between stores and online can be astounding. The fourth season of the Twilight Zone was $54.99 on Amazon at one point while a local B&M was charging $79.99 (and still is!). That's $25 more! Who in their right mind is going to pay those prices?