Toshiba needs a "purple player"

[tron3]

With Toshiba now in the blu camp, I think they owe it to the red camp to come out with a dual-format "purple player".

Some HD DVD devotees invested hundreds or thousands into the format. If Toshiba takes the "tough luck" attitude it will only create MORE animosity from the abandoned red camp. This is Toshiba's chance to redeem themselves and support the format they created. Not saying ALL their blu-ray players should be dual-format, just one model.

Toshiba needs to show their wide eyed, if not wild eyed, red supporters that they haven't forgotten them. You can't create good product loyalty. Good products creates loyalty.

Toshiba, you are a STRONG company and you obviously have made some excellent products. But it is time to listen to the customers for a change and not yourselves. When you stop listening to customers you are thinking "inside the box". A show of good will can actually increase stock. Especially in these hard economic times. People want to be able to trust again. Give them a company they can trust.

No, this will NOT re-instigate the format war from a single dual-format player. None of the studios are going back to the HD DVD format. But it will entice embittered red supporters to buy into blu-ray. Make everyone happy, Toshiba. We need a little purple love to heal the wounds.

[Beta Man]

with the prices of HD DVD players so cheap now..... I would be surprised if they did this, since it'd be costly, as they are completely different lasers etc.

[Terjyn]

This would be a good example of throwing good money after bad, there would be no chance whatsoever to recoup the cost of this player if Toshiba did this, their target audience is only a couple hundred thousand people, most of which would not buy this device.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

with the prices of HD DVD players so cheap now..... I would be surprised if they did this, since it'd be costly, as they are completely different lasers etc.

The thing is those are old "new stock" players. Does Toshiba still provide firmware support? Are all the player issues resolved? Will they fix the things in the next 10 years? No.

Again I need to point out the music industry for a comparison. In the past few decades most consumer music formats has been vynil record, 8-track, cassette, digital tape, and MP3. I don't know about digital tape, but 8-track is the only format where you can't find a new player. If you look you can still find record players and cassette tape players. HD DVD is akin to 8-track tape. It is the abandoned child.

No one supports 8-track any more, and with good reason. it was a horrible format. There is no way to backwards adapt the prior formats. But HD DVD is different since it is a disc.

Someday those after market players dry up. Someday they break. Someday no one will want to fix them any more. Someday even Ebay can't help you. The discs could last decades and become "virtual coasters" simply because working players no longer exist. I imagine a great number of them have already gone to the great recycle bin in the sky.

Unloading your crap at discount prices is NOT product support. It's another way of stiffing the consumer.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

... there would be no chance whatsoever to recoup the cost of this player if Toshiba did this, their target audience is only a couple hundred thousand people, most of which would not buy this device.

Anyone have actual numbers? There is no way HD DVD trailed blu-ray 2:1 in sales with only a few hundred thousand players. PS3 owners alone beat that figure ratio.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by tron3

No one supports 8-track any more, and with good reason. it was a horrible format. There is no way to backwards adapt the prior formats. But HD DVD is different since it is a disc.


Unloading your crap at discount prices is NOT product support. It's another way of stiffing the consumer.

The perils of being an early adopter and backing the wrong horse...

Enjoy your HD-DVD discs while you have a player that works. After that, perhaps you can frame them.

[fatediesel]

If Toshiba made a purple player all the Blu-ray people in here would criticize them for trying to resurrect HD-DVD.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

The perils of being an early adopter and backing the wrong horse...

Enjoy your HD-DVD discs while you have a player that works. After that, perhaps you can frame them.

I have never been, nor shall I be a "purple nurple". People fail to realize I am not a rabbid "blu-blood" fan boy. I do support the format with my whole heart, but I also look for ways to spare the innocents from further insult to injury.

Yes, "Caveat Emptor" - Let the buyer beware. But this isn't like buying shoddy retreaded tires for your car. The players are not replaceable. At least as a show of good faith, Toshiba needs ONE "purple player". Never said they need to make them until blu-ray itself dies.

Accusations of trying to pump new life into HD DVD is idiotic. The studios have abandoned the format. It gets made for the same reason why you can still buy VCR players. Because people DO use and need them. Period.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by tron3

Anyone have actual numbers? There is no way HD DVD trailed blu-ray 2:1 in sales with only a few hundred thousand players. PS3 owners alone beat that figure ratio.

My point wasn't that HD DVD only sold a few hundred thousand players, it was that only a fraction of those who bought HD DVD players would even consider buying a combo player, and that only a fraction of those actually would.

In that sense saying only a couple hundred thousand are targets was being generous, most of those who owned one have moved on and wouldn't even consider this.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

My point wasn't that HD DVD only sold a few hundred thousand players, it was that only a fraction of those who bought HD DVD players would even consider buying a combo player, and that only a fraction of those actually would.

In that sense saying only a couple hundred thousand are targets was being generous, most of those who owned one have moved on and wouldn't even consider this.

If the numbers are truly THAT low, I can see the point. But I site the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A home computer of the late 70's and early 80's. When Black October happened in 1983 support for the computer was dropped. Being an owner of the machine (and still am) this was shocking and sad news.

However, there were a few million machines floating out there. TI never would release the actual number. The after market support from third party vendors created more software and hardware than even TI could have created as the sole manufacturer. TI never allowed that when they still made and sold the machines. The market thrived for years afterwards. People still loved their machines. Was only a couple of years ago I bought a new adaptor cable on ebay to connect via RCA yellow composite video and white audio connectors. No such thing existed 25 years ago.

It sounds like I am trying to give HD DVD a new leg to stand on, but I am not. The after market sales of used and unopened HD DVD media will be stimulated. Forbidden Planet sold on HD DVD and is probably the only way to see it in high def until the blu-ray comes along. Red-only releases may actually stimulate interest.

[Hep]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

My point wasn't that HD DVD only sold a few hundred thousand players, it was that only a fraction of those who bought HD DVD players would even consider buying a combo player, and that only a fraction of those actually would.

Toshiba's loyalty to their customers aside, I think the reasoning outlined above is why a combo player will not happen; it likely won't make good business sense. That, and it seems Toshiba is trying for a fresh start, a clean break from past ugliness. Delivering a combo player out of the gate may not send the message they're looking for, that they're moving forward and not dwelling on what was.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Sure, they should throw in a VHS player while they're at it.

HD-DVD has been dead for 1.5 years. Time to move on....

[Blaumann]

I would be very surprised if they bring out a dual format machine. In some recent interview some Toshiba exec even said something like they've moved on, HD DVD is a thing of the past and they'll focus on Blu going forward.

The HD DVD market is really small and it would probably add a lot of unneeded cost to the product.

I was a strong HD DVD supporter as well. Many of those who decided to really hang onto the format picked up as many spare players as they think they need. I decided i just need an HD DVD drive for my pc as a backup.

And most have also adopted Blu-ray one way or another. So they already have a Blu player and don't need to instantly buy any further hardware. Like i have two HD DVD players and three Blu-ray players by now.

It would be a nice gesture. But i think they should simply focus on bringing a competitive BD player to the market.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Originally Posted by tron3

With Toshiba now in the blu camp, I think they owe it to the red camp to come out with a dual-format "purple player".

Some HD DVD devotees invested hundreds or thousands into the format. If Toshiba takes the "tough luck" attitude it will only create MORE animosity from the abandoned red camp. This is Toshiba's chance to redeem themselves and support the format they created. Not saying ALL their blu-ray players should be dual-format, just one model.

Toshiba needs to show their wide eyed, if not wild eyed, red supporters that they haven't forgotten them. You can't create good product loyalty. Good products creates loyalty.

Toshiba, you are a STRONG company and you obviously have made some excellent products. But it is time to listen to the customers for a change and not yourselves. When you stop listening to customers you are thinking "inside the box". A show of good will can actually increase stock. Especially in these hard economic times. People want to be able to trust again. Give them a company they can trust.

No, this will NOT re-instigate the format war from a single dual-format player. None of the studios are going back to the HD DVD format. But it will entice embittered red supporters to buy into blu-ray. Make everyone happy, Toshiba. We need a little purple love to heal the wounds.

Oh I get it. Toshiba's HD-DVD got shot up and raped 100 times during the format war, so they need a so-called "purple heart" to redeem themselves for blu-ray.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Oh I get it. Toshiba's HD-DVD got shot up and raped 100 times during the format war, so they need a so-called "purple heart" to redeem themselves for blu-ray.

Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket.

As stated in a later comment, if the numbers are truly that low I can see their point and concede my own. My idea is only viable if they still had a very large user base.

[bluflu]

Sorry, Tron, but a combo player isn't going to happen. When the supply of new media stops, the players made to play them stop too. There are several reasons why, one being HD DVD never made it to the adoption rates of let's say VHS or Vinyl. Look at LG and Samsung, they knew to drop further development of combo players when HD DVD died.

[SlaughterX]

I'd buy it for a reasonable price. I have 97 HD-DVDs and 4 players (2 stand alone, 1 combo ROM in my PC, and the 360 add on), but none of them support bitstreaming for HD audio, and I would like to import a few discs that are DTS-HD.

[Jwilly019]

I still have (and use) HD DVD, but I'm not sure I would buy a combo player. I'm very happy with my S550 for BD playback and I have a couple of SA players for HD DVD.

I suppose if the price/quality is comparable to current players I would get one when it was time to get another BD player, but I wouldn't rush out to get it day one.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

with the prices of HD DVD players so cheap now..... I would be surprised if they did this, since it'd be costly, as they are completely different lasers etc.

Agreed! There's no need for a purple player. To$h just need to make affordable Blu-ray players for the average consumer. Time to let HD DVD R.I.P.

[Jack Wade]

HD is dead. There's no reason to bring out a player to play discs on a dead format.

The HD consumers took the risk and they lost the battle. Tough going.