Are returns subtracted by Nielsen numbers?

[TheTenth]

I think many uninformed people will buy HD DVDs by mistake, either thiking "hey, it's a DVD, but in HD!" or mistaking them for Blu-rays.
So will the Nielsen numbers take away these numbers, as they were not final sales?

[Maxell]

even if so it's probably a very small percentage. Alot of stores dont even accept returns if the plastic was opened.

[Neo65]

Originally Posted by TheTenth

I think many uninformed people will buy HD DVDs by mistake, either thiking "hey, it's a DVD, but in HD!" or mistaking them for Blu-rays.
So will the Nielsen numbers take away these numbers, as they were not final sales?

If we understand their methods correctly, a return is subtracted from that week's sales at the POS as reported to nielsen.

Say, some crazy person out of desperation over the rumored WB plans, maxes out his visa to buy 2000 copies of Bourne and then returns it in january, while that 2000 copies of Bourne will boost the Bourne numbers this week, after the return in january, if Bourne sold only 2001 copies, the sales total for january would be 1.

[iamJackBauer]

anytime i buy a bluray movie stores make sure to ask me if i have a bluray player, im sure they do the same with hd dvds, prolly helps cut down on the uniformed.

[bajor27]

I've always wondered about this. I was actually surprised that no one tried to organize a mass 'buy 3 copies of transformers so we can guarantee a win' campaign. Of course, I suppose they thought they'd win anyway. Well - too late now I guess

[The Guardian]

One of the insiders (Max I think) confirmed that returns do count against the week they are returned in.

[Anthony P]

I've always wondered about this. I was actually surprised that no one tried to organize a mass 'buy 3 copies of transformers so we can guarantee a win' campaign. Of course, I suppose they thought they'd win anyway. Well - too late now I guess

who said they did not?

[darinp2]

Originally Posted by iamJackBauer

anytime i buy a bluray movie stores make sure to ask me if i have a bluray player, im sure they do the same with hd dvds, prolly helps cut down on the uniformed.

It should, but the problem with the HD DVD name is that many people will answer yes to that question, if they have a DVD player that was sold to them for its HD capability (upscaling), and some people will even answer yes if they have an HDTV and a DVD player. When I was asked at Hollywood Video whether I had a Blu-ray player (I was renting a BD), I mentioned that at least he could trust that I did if I said I did, where HD DVD was more confusing. The guy lit up and said that he argued with one woman for 10 minutes who thought she should be able to play the HD DVDs because she had a DVD player and an HDTV. Even JVC had a HD-DVD player before Toshiba, which would play HD in WMV-9 on from DVDs. Same phonetically, but not an "HD DVD" player in the sense of playing that format. I argued with an employee at Video Only about that for a while when the Toshibas first came out and he swore that the JVC player he was showing me was an "HD DVD" player. He even went in the back, looked through the manual and came out and declared that it was in fact an "HD DVD" player. I explained to him that it could play HD burned to DVDs, but wasn't a player for the new HD DVD format which had just come out. He seemed mad and I'm not sure he was actually convinced. Imagine how the average consumer must feel if a salesperson looking through the owners manual for the JVC didn't understand it.

There are some advantages to their name, including for marketing. They can do studies claiming that people are going to buy into their format, when the reality is that many of those responding are thinking of HD DVD generically. Kind of like if I started a company that was going to sell "Band Ade" brand bandages and then did a study showing that some % of people would buy my brand if they needed bandages. A bank probably wouldn't loan me the money to start the business based on that misleading research. Of course in that case I would get sued by the "Band-Aid" people, but that is only a technicality, since Toshiba picked just as confusing a name for HD DVD, but one they could legally use. All one has to do is look at studies which ask people what they own on HD DVD and see how many people report that they own some movie on HD DVD, when the movie isn't even out on that format. Kind of like if people answered that they do have "Band Ades" at home, when what they really have are "Band-Aids".

--Darin