HD DVD sales up in the States

[NICEBUD]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/xml/article/tech/0,,91221-12532,00.html

[gotnotime]

Not really any news here. bluray has consistently outsold HDDVD 2 to 1 over the last 15 months. The 90% figure likley represented a brief shift over a short time period. The adjusted figures are the same as they always were. With the studios shifting more to bluray those figures will likley slowly change, but only if bluray can make a cheaper player as the HD format has consistently been able to keep their player prices lower then the blurays'

[bmwracer]

the HD format has consistently been able to keep their player prices lower then the blurays'

I noticed during the Super Bowl that they were advertising HD-DVD players for $150...

I think it's just a last-ditch effort by the HD-DVD consortium to undercut Blu-Ray, since the writing's pretty much on the wall for HD-DVD... Either that, or sellers are trying to dump their HD-DVD player stock to unknowing buyers...

[MozartMan]

Here is post from another forum:

Thanks to a bored overnight electronics guy here in the midwest, I got a photo of the screen of the inventory system listing the A3. (It's a Wal-Mart in Topeka, KS.)



And to sum the screen up -

$148.00 is what they're selling it for after the price drop. 13.85% is the profit margin Wal-Mart gets on it. (Doing the math off the top of my head, that's approximately $130 that Toshiba gets from Wal-Mart off each player.)

They have 13 in stock.
Zero being shipped.
Zero in the warehouse.
Zero on order.
Zero space allocated on the shelf for them.

And most importantly - Deleted. Means when it runs out, no more is going to come.

(By the way, these players were all shipped December 7th, with next to none sold.)

[Rich86]

The issues here include the fact that for any optical media based high definition format to become mainstream, pricing is an enormous factor - and the blu-ray developers have not been able to make either players or movies reasonably priced as of yet. They also have not been able to duplicate the stability and features of the hd-dvd players, as the blu-ray camp continues to play with "profiles (1.0, 1.1, with 2.0 hoping to finally duplicate what hd-dvd already offers). Folks with 1.0 players will probably not be able to take advantage of profile 2.0 capabilities - assuming they ever really become available. The only "player" that everyone speaks highly of is actually the PS3 - which is a game system (and probably the only reason blu-ray has done well). Many of us are not interested in a game system. I looked into a blu-ray player and after reading the numerous complaints and reliability issues, decided I was not interested. Also, Sony's obsession with copy protection will also continue to force blu-ray players to require firmware updates to play new releases (something the average person is not going to understand or enjoy doing).
Yes - I have a hd-dvd player (Toshiba hd-a30) and movies and thoroughly enjoying it. No I do not hold any bad feelings about blu-ray - I just happened to select hd-dvd as my choice.
If hd-dvd expires, I don't believe blu-ray will suddenly be adopted by the masses unless they do something to drive prices down and match features and reliability already in the hd-dvd standard. Players must be well under $200 - and newly released movies available for $20 and less. That is easily achievable in hd-dvd today - and mostly impossible in blu-ray at this point. And the blu-ray players have to be more stable than they are today, and not require constant firmware updates to be able to play new high def releases and be able to play standard def dvd's reliably and with top notch upconversion - like the hd-dvd players do already.
Maybe someday a blu-ray player will find its way into our household - but not under the current circumstances. The movie studios may like whatever bill of goods Sony is selling them - but they won't turn high def into the mainstream movie system - it will stay a very small niche under the current path being taken..

[Rich86]

Here is post from another forum:

Thanks to a bored overnight electronics guy here in the midwest, I got a photo of the screen of the inventory system listing the A3. (It's a Wal-Mart in Topeka, KS.)



And to sum the screen up -

$148.00 is what they're selling it for after the price drop. 13.85% is the profit margin Wal-Mart gets on it. (Doing the math off the top of my head, that's approximately $130 that Toshiba gets from Wal-Mart off each player.)

They have 13 in stock.
Zero being shipped.
Zero in the warehouse.
Zero on order.
Zero space allocated on the shelf for them.

And most importantly - Deleted. Means when it runs out, no more is going to come.

(By the way, these players were all shipped December 7th, with next to none sold.)

And this little piece of trivia in Topeka, Kansas determines the course of events for human kind in the world of high definition., Please . . .

[MozartMan]

And this little piece of trivia in Topeka, Kansas determines the course of events for human kind in the world of high definition., Please . . .

Yeah rich, denial is bad thing.

[cal_tony]

Add me to the agreement category with Rich86. Just before the end of last year I bought a Toshiba because they were on sale. The price was right and I got 7 free movies. I have since the purchase rented from Netflix just about all the Hd-DVD movies that I wanted to see. So no regrets at all with the purchase. It was my intention to also purchase a Bluray shortly thereafter. I posted on this site asking for suggestions as to what Bluray I should buy. The few responses that I got back indicated the PS3 or wait it out. Not for cheaper prices, but to wait it out for new models. With all this talk of Bluray being the winner of the hi-def disk war it's disconcerting to find that my options to also become a member of the Bluray camp is to buy a PS3 (which I don't want or need. I don't game) Or wait it out until proper models are available.

What a mess.

Tony

[Rich86]

And this little piece of trivia in Topeka, Kansas determines the course of events for human kind in the world of high definition., Please . . .

Yeah rich, denial is bad thing.

Denial? If my definition of the universe was a Walmart in Topeka, Kansas - you might have a point.
But that is not the case.
And "no" I have no illusions about HD-DVD's chances of survival given the group of movie studios who do not want it to survive. But the fact remains the same - killing hd-dvd isn't a victory for blu-ray - it is a loss for everyone who would like to see optical media based high definition in the mainstream.
In the meantime, those studios who do not release in the hd-dvd format will be relegated to standard definition rentals in this household - my purchasing dollars will be directed at studios who support the hd-dvd format - Universal, Dreamworks, Paramount, even Warner for the next few months - there are plenty of offerings there to satisfy me for now. I can live without Disney and Fox just fine . . .

[MozartMan]

And this little piece of trivia in Topeka, Kansas determines the course of events for human kind in the world of high definition., Please . . .

Yeah rich, denial is bad thing.

Denial? If my definition of the universe was a Walmart in Topeka, Kansas - you might have a point.
But that is not the case.
And "no" I have no illusions about HD-DVD's chances of survival given the group of movie studios who do not want it to survive. But the fact remains the same - killing hd-dvd isn't a victory for blu-ray - it is a loss for everyone who would like to see optical media based high definition in the mainstream.
In the meantime, those studios who do not release in the hd-dvd format will be relegated to standard definition rentals in this household - my purchasing dollars will be directed at studios who support the hd-dvd format - Universal, Dreamworks, Paramount, even Warner for the next few months - there are plenty of offerings there to satisfy me for now. I can live without Disney and Fox just fine . . .

Brilliant logic.

Well, good luck, sir.

[Seeker47]

. . .
If hd-dvd expires, I don't believe blu-ray will suddenly be adopted by the masses unless they do something to drive prices down and match features and reliability already in the hd-dvd standard. Players must be well under $200 - and newly released movies available for $20 and less. That is easily achievable in hd-dvd today - and mostly impossible in blu-ray at this point. And the blu-ray players have to be more stable than they are today, and not require constant firmware updates to be able to play new high def releases and be able to play standard def dvd's reliably and with top notch upconversion - like the hd-dvd players do already.
Maybe someday a blu-ray player will find its way into our household - but not under the current circumstances. The movie studios may like whatever bill of goods Sony is selling them - but they won't turn high def into the mainstream movie system - it will stay a very small niche under the current path being taken

Rich86,
Everything you said makes sense to me. However, in the wake of all the bad news recently dropped on HD-DVD's doorstep (including the mastering source going away), I was hoping they had some really good, surprise counter-punch up their sleeve. But I'm afraid that Super Bowl ad ain't it. Given all the things that have not gone their way, they aren't going to turn this around with a price campaign alone.

[Vid-Kid]

Sony's obsession with copy protection will also continue to force blu-ray players to require firmware updates to play new releases (something the average person is not going to understand or enjoy doing).

That raises a few questions:

How do they plan on distributing the firmware? By connecting the player to an Internet site or on a Blu-ray DVD?

What if the owner of the player is not on the web, or the owner isn't a techie?

What if the section Blu-ray DVD that contains the upgrade files has a scratch that is encountered during the firmware upgrade that causes it to fail? Is the player trashed?

Is it the same firmware irregardless of the manufacturer of the player?

Are the firmware upgrades provided for free, or would people have to pay for them?

[Rich86]

. . .
If hd-dvd expires, I don't believe blu-ray will suddenly be adopted by the masses unless they do something to drive prices down and match features and reliability already in the hd-dvd standard. Players must be well under $200 - and newly released movies available for $20 and less. That is easily achievable in hd-dvd today - and mostly impossible in blu-ray at this point. And the blu-ray players have to be more stable than they are today, and not require constant firmware updates to be able to play new high def releases and be able to play standard def dvd's reliably and with top notch upconversion - like the hd-dvd players do already.
Maybe someday a blu-ray player will find its way into our household - but not under the current circumstances. The movie studios may like whatever bill of goods Sony is selling them - but they won't turn high def into the mainstream movie system - it will stay a very small niche under the current path being taken

Rich86,
Everything you said makes sense to me. However, in the wake of all the bad news recently dropped on HD-DVD's doorstep (including the mastering source going away), I was hoping they had some really good, surprise counter-punch up their sleeve. But I'm afraid that Super Bowl ad ain't it. Given all the things that have not gone their way, they aren't going to turn this around with a price campaign alone.

Yes - the future for hd-dvd looks bleak for sure. But the good news is, my hd-a30 is a superb player - both for hd-dvd and upconverting standard def dvd's. And I've accumulated a fair number of hd-dvd movies at very low prices. So I am comfortable with my investment regardless of what happens.
And now is clearly not the time to spend money on blu-ray if you are not a "gamer" person who wants a ps3.

[pchan]

No more HD DVD. Toshiba Quits HD DVD Business.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080219/japan_toshiba.html

[jagabo]

From the horse's mouth:

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm

[Seeker47]

No more HD DVD. Toshiba Quits HD DVD Business.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080219/japan_toshiba.html

Doesn't matter to me: I won't do business with those miserable mofos at Sony, and Hi Def DVD is something I can easily live without.
Now that their monopoly is assured, they can do any damn thing they please -- pricewise, CSS-wise, incompatible versions wise, even rootkit-wise -- but they can't make me spend a dime on their products. **** 'em !