Blu-ray Not Gaining Momentum

[yoda313]

I've said this before and I'll keep saying it - phyiscal discs still have a place over streaming content. For those that don't have beefy broadband piplines streaming gigabytes of high def material is simply impractical. It takes hours to days on sub /mb connections to get huge high def material.

Physical discs also allow for bonus content that is almost never available on downloads. I believe they are starting to offer commentaries on some streaming services but that is more rare from what I've seen.


On the player side yes the best thing for Sony to do gain momentum is drop player prices. Get them to under 200.00 CONSISTENTLY and have them all be upgradeable and profile 2.0 compatible and more people will buy them.

[Soopafresh]

When you look at the popularity of Youtube and Hulu, I wonder if the masses REALLY care about video quality and a big picture.

[mazinz]

not sure if many of you have noticed, but the industry is using dirty little tactics to help try and boost the blu-ray sales, this being namely offering exclusive versions or dir's cut just on that format and not on dvd.

Three titles like this already are

1. Mad max 2 (the road warrior)- In the US the blu-ray finally gives the uncut version of the film with commentary and more, NO dvd release

2. Planet of the apes 40th set finally offers an uncut version for conquest of the planet of the apes. NO dvd release

3. Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas - dirs cut so far only on blu-ray

[Oosername]

When you look at the popularity of Youtube and Hulu, I wonder if the masses REALLY care about video quality and a big picture.

Some do, some don't. Youtube is now in SD, HQ, & HD for some content, btw. Onwards & upwards.

[stackner]

When you look at the popularity of Youtube and Hulu, I wonder if the masses REALLY care about video quality and a big picture.

i myself have to say i would love to esee all youtube stuff as really good quality but at the same time when im just looking at the stuff on there i dont really care about quality and its not using a lot of my bandwidth. however if its a movie that i am going to own and want to watch on my HD TV then i want the best picture possible.

[yoda313]

namely offering exclusive versions or dir's cut just on that format and not on dvd

Actually I'm suprised they didn't do this sooner to entice people to make the move. They are smart enough to not make a movie only available on bluray. That would kill a sizeable market that dvd still is.

But isn't that PRECISELY what spurred the original growth of DVD itself? The inclusion of special versions of movies and exclusive bonus content not available on the vhs releases? That was one of the reasons dvd took off so well.

Now granted you can do exactly the same thing on dvd as on bluray in terms of bonus material (one exception - I do own a bluary player and bluray movies but i don't have a bd live title yet so I don't really know what bonuses that offers over normal discs).

[orsetto]

Physical media like DVD (or BluRay, if you must ) have definite advantages over streaming media, no question. Most of these advantages are understood by consumers. However, several major recent industry studies have proved definitively that 90% of consumers could give a rats ass about "bonus" features: its an absolute non-starter of a selling point, not a compelling purchase factor at all. "Bonus features" worked well for LaserDisc, because it was an ultra-niche over-priced geek paradise format, and just about anyone who bothered with it was obsessive enough to actually use the bonus material. This carried over into the early days of standard DVD, when the goal was to entice those "crazy" LaserDisc fans to make the switch and not start a riot. But once DVD titles became a loss-leader commodity at Wal*Mart, and the primary format for rentals, the allure of "bonus features" became immaterial. Consumers now use DVD primarily "because its there", just like they used VHS when it was the majority standard (and how many real users of the improved SVHS and DVHS do you know?) About 18 months ago the studios collectively decided to scale way back on bonus material, because there's no return on the investment, but caved to pressure from the egomaniac creative community which had come to rely on the bonus features to stroke themselves. The impending threat of even more "bonus features" on HD-DVD and BluRay also scared the studios who were waiting out the HD format war. We'll see what happens to the "bonus" content now that BluRay is flying solo and standard DVD is dipping a little.

[Soopafresh]

DVD players have been popular for around 10 years or so? That's a lot of already purchased DVDs in collections. There aren't very many movies I'd want to buy again.

[PuzZLeR]

Extras? I thought the industry lost interest in this useless marketing filler gimmick years ago. It may entice a new DvD player owner (if they exist today) but those that have been buying DvD for years (which is the majority) have tuned out to it by now.

Please don't tell me blu-ray is resorting to these useless clips now...

All that stuff is ego - babble about how great this or that guy was. Who cares? *YAWN* Move along folks,..., nothing to see here...

PS: The category most notorious for bad "extras" on DvD IMO are the music video discs (I own dozens). It seems like every interview, etc, is stuff that goes over your head. You never remember any of that useless drivel. All it really is anyway is (interpretation here) a bunch of individuals relieved that they made it in the music biz, spared of the horrid fate that befalls most youngsters their type starting out - having to work at some fast food joint or factory instead limping along for years on a dream in the music biz till they give up ... the successful ones talk as if they escaped prison.

The "next" button is more useful than this stuff here.

[PuzZLeR]

When you look at the popularity of Youtube and Hulu, I wonder if the masses REALLY care about video quality and a big picture.

The success of the MP3, a crappy and very lossy format, is proof of this when it hurt CD sales. And did anybody really care for DvD-A or that other one... (forgot)... oh yeah, SACD... whatever...

Boy I'm feeling obnoxious today! :P

Seriously though, while it wasn't an issue with audio, downloading (HUGE!) HD content is still very impractical at this time. We need HD on disc to survive if we want access to lots of HD today.

[ricoman]

I wouldn't bury BD just yet. I think it's the economy in general that is slowing down and affecting sales of all luxury item. From my own personal observation, more and more of my friends are starting to pick up BD players. If prices continue to drop, I would expect sales to grow. You can pick up some pretty good movies if you wait for sales, today BB is selling Ironman for $16.99, that's cheaper than some stores are selling the DVD for.

[Constant Gardener]

Blu-Ray may well have some life left in it, but I regard it much as I do Windows Vista. I will wait for the Next Great Thing. 3075-line video comes to mind.

[edDV]

When the players get down to $100 and the price premium disappears for store discs (e.g. $6-12 ea.) and blank media (~$1) then I may buy one. I currently have access to a Blu-Ray writer when I need one.

[ricoman]

Blu-Ray may well have some life left in it, but I regard it much as I do Windows Vista. I will wait for the Next Great Thing. 3075-line video comes to mind.

Well then, you'll need to wait for a TV that can show it. Say 5 yrs. a $20k TV and $2k player.

And EdDV, I guess you'll never buy a BD player then, because you won't ever see those prices. Maybe a $100 player but even new DVDs cost more than $6-12 and you won't see $1 blank BD media either.

[hudsonf]

I think most people have no need for Blu-ray. I have 4 tvs in my house and none of them will do 1080P. Three of them are 720P and one is SD. For those of us without a 1080P television a standard or upconverting DVD player is all we need.

[edDV]

And EdDV, I guess you'll never buy a BD player then, because you won't ever see those prices. Maybe a $100 player but even new DVDs cost more than $6-12 and you won't see $1 blank BD media either.

Probably not. The BR/BE standard is too expensive/GB for all but essential DATA backup. Instead, HDD looks much more attractive even backing up to multiple drives. My main interest in Blu-Ray is for watching Netflix rentals. I also export to Blu-Ray when needed for projects. For that I share the cost of a writer.

[SCDVD]

It's possible that the global economic decline may indirectly help Blu-Ray pricing. When companies are fighting to survive, they do things that they wouldn't do otherwise. We'll just have to wait and see if that happens.

[jg0001]

I always find it remarkable how many idiots truly think an upconverting DVD player playing a DVD is competition for a Blu Ray based movie. I also find that "those people" are usually (a) over 50 years old or (b) too poor to afford to buy a new TV except once a decade. Make a note to yourselves if you feel BD offers nothing over DVD -- you are a fossil. I also imagine that many of you are still in the "I don't need no stinkin' HDTV" phase too.

As far as (PC or console) digital downloads and video on demand over cable, these do not compare in quality to an actual BD disk. Video on demand is not bad, but digital downloads are still FAR too slow to be worthwhile.

I and probably 95% of other BD users don't give a crap about the super-de-dooper features beyond the high quality video and audio. Everything else is just sugar on top, much of which I don't care about anyway.

[edDV]

I always find it remarkable how many idiots truly think an upconverting DVD player playing a DVD is competition for a Blu Ray based movie. I also find that "those people" are usually (a) over 50 years old or (b) too poor to afford to buy a new TV except once a decade.

Most of those aren't connected or set properly for HD and are clueless that they have AC3 audio. The cable installers seem near equally clueless.

[stackner]

I always find it remarkable how many idiots truly think an upconverting DVD player playing a DVD is competition for a Blu Ray based movie. I also find that "those people" are usually (a) over 50 years old or (b) too poor to afford to buy a new TV except once a decade. Make a note to yourselves if you feel BD offers nothing over DVD -- you are a fossil. I also imagine that many of you are still in the "I don't need no stinkin' HDTV" phase too.

As far as (PC or console) digital downloads and video on demand over cable, these do not compare in quality to an actual BD disk. Video on demand is not bad, but digital downloads are still FAR too slow to be worthwhile.

I and probably 95% of other BD users don't give a crap about the super-de-dooper features beyond the high quality video and audio. Everything else is just sugar on top, much of which I don't care about anyway.

couldnt say it better.
dvd is sd
blu-ray is beautiful HD.

if you do not have a hd tv then you really do not know what you are missing. i only recently got a hd tv myself and now cant belive i was watching sd crap. i love my dvds on it but they come nothing close to the quality of real hd media. been watching blu-ray and blu-ray rips. far better. i will not buy my latge dvd collection again but future movies i will be getting in hd and no crappy downloads.

[redwudz]

I use Netflix to keep down the cost of BD viewing. I have been buying a few BDs at a time, but the cost dictates just the purchase of the ones I plan to watch more than once.

But I also have a 12' projector screen, HD projector, and a HD LCD monitor. I do like the much higher quality/resolution of the BD discs. Even the backups of my own BDs to MKV/hard drive look better than most of my commercial DVD discs.

JMO, but BD may be a transitional format. I'm still hoping for a new 'open source' type HD format, something hopefully not dictated by Hollywood.

[ricoman]

I always find it remarkable how many idiots truly think an upconverting DVD player playing a DVD is competition for a Blu Ray based movie. I also find that "those people" are usually (a) over 50 years old or (b) too poor to afford to buy a new TV except once a decade. Make a note to yourselves if you feel BD offers nothing over DVD -- you are a fossil. I also imagine that many of you are still in the "I don't need no stinkin' HDTV" phase too.

If you have to resort to name calling and insults to make your point... well, who's the idiot? I have 2 HDTVs a bluray player, an HD-DVD player and and Oppo upconverting DVD player (all 3 players upconvert DVDs) and I will say that the better Bluray discs are terrific but half of the bluray movies that are manufactured are not much better than a good upconverted DVD. There is a great quality difference between many bluray (or HD) movies, some are a waste of money, may as well buy the DVD.
Oh, and by the way, I am over 50... and you apparently are a very young know-it-all.

[robjv1]

I don't really see the value in BR over upconverted-DVDs (the quality is not impressive enough to warrant the purchase for me) but I certainly don't want to see the end of physical media. There is something nice about physically owning your movies and being able to take them over to a friends house and what not. YouTube has a lot of promise for content, but the quality hardly makes the footage worth watching. I'm 27 btw :P

I'm just praying that they keep future players backward compatible with the DVD standard, as I will need something to play all of my old VHS->DVD stuff on

[budz]

I do the netflix blu-ray movies and I have to say the quality is outstanding on my 1080p lcd tv. I won't go out and buy every movie in blu-ray format.

[jg0001]

Just callin' it like I see it. I'm sure more than a few people clung to their VHS players (& tapes) for a long time after DVDs made their debut. It takes a lot to bring these people to their senses.

I do believe that many people can be turned to the dark side (of BD & HDTV), but they take a while. My father, for example, "didn't need" HDTV for years... now, just try and pry it away from him.

Most of this will be moot in time. People have little choice BUT HDTV's these days, cable and other providers are adding HD options constantly. Once people get used to the quality of a good HD signal, going back to SD and DVD will be hard to do -- ESPECIALLY on new purchases.

Hoping and praying for the demise of BD (& in many cases, HD in general) so you can feel better about yourself for ignoring it is what makes 'those people' idiots, IMNSHO.

[joecass]

I don't understand why people get so uptight about BluRay discussions.... either you adopt the latest, greatest technology available, or, as in my case, you don't. I could care less whether BluRay is up or down in sales, but apparently just broaching this subject is enough to warrant 53 posts...
friggin amazing ! Sony has lost many a format war, going back to
Beta/VHS, and invested in new technolgies that never caught on, as in DAT audio tape, Mini Disc, SACD, etc. So this time, they went all out and forced this format onto Hollywood and the general public simply to outdo the competition.
I sure as hell am not going to spend $25 for BluRay versions of computer-generated movies that predominate the film industry today.......
But I would spend a ton of money on Toshiba's latest hdd/high-def recorder/player available in Japan.....if it were marketed here in the U.S.,
because that's the multi-purpose HD large storage capacity machine that makes the most sense to own.....

[SingSing]

The deployment of DVD Players is very different from VHS Players.

DVD can be plays by most computer, laptop, game consoles plus player from portable players, set top players, portable and built-in car players.

This huge install base and the more than adequate quality makes DVD format a nearly impossible to replaceable format !

[TheFamilyMan]

I do the netflix blu-ray movies and I have to say the quality is outstanding on my 1080p lcd tv. I won't go out and buy every movie in blu-ray format.

+1

I bought a blu-ray player the same day I bought a 1080p lcd tv. I could not see having one without the other. Will I buy blu-ray titles? Maybe a few. Have I ever bought DVD titles? A few. Hurray for netflix and the local BlockBuster (too bad Hollywood Video went under, there was one that was a 5 minute walk from my house).

[Nitemare]

Many people do not "need" HDTVs. Setting BluRay aside for the moment ... Cable companies are not utilizing the HD capability to its fullest.

For years now, there has been some debate about "digital bandwidth" and the cable companies. Right now, the stuff looks great because they want you to buy it. In time, there is a fear that the quality will be reduced to allow for more content.

Comcast is already limiting their "unlimited" internet for this exact reason. Is it really a stretch that the HD channels will be next? In a few years, those HDTVs will be overkill for the signal you'll be pulling in.

Then maybe those of us who never bought in won't look quite so dumb to jg0001. It will still look okay on a SD set... just like a standard DVD looks great on a SD set.

Implying that people are clueless or too poor is arrogant beyond words, even if I do fall into the "too poor" category. Yes, I'm too poor to waste money on stuff I don't need. I've seen nothing in the way of HDTVs, BluRays, or digital cable that makes me want to have it.

The best HD stations running on the best HDTVs still look pixelated to me. They've improved a LOT ... but during the football games, the field and all of the graphics still look like crap. They look fine on my SDTV. I can't see spending the extra for this "improvement". I'd take "not as crisp" over blocky any day.

[Ai Haibara]

Comcast is already limiting their "unlimited" internet for this exact reason. Is it really a stretch that the HD channels will be next? In a few years, those HDTVs will be overkill for the signal you'll be pulling in.

I thought I'd heard that Comcast was already doing things like that (compressing channels)... at least, in one or more articles I'd read on Betanews at some point. This may be the article, I'm not entirely sure.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Comcast_swaps_HD_quality_for_quantity/1207164318