Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[kemcha]

I think I understand the author's point. Most current DVD titles, within the past 10-15 years, have the same (upconverted) PQ as Blu-ray movies and they're going on that basis. DVD Players and DVD titles still seem to be a strong seller for movie studios.

Also, I think the bitter war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD is also to blame for consumers not willing to break into the new format. While Blu-ray may have won the HD format way, Sony is a very untenable position because they own both formats and they are competing with their own media format. Also, Blu-ray may have been adversely affected by the HD format war simply through attrition and it's affected new consumers from switching over to the new format.

[threefiftyrocket]

It's FOX news... should I say more?

Why is it that onesource says blu-ray sales are up 200% (I don't remember the actual figures, sorry) from the previous year and going really really strong, and blu-ray is going to be around for a long time, then another source says its going to die here's the figures. They BOTH can't be right... I don't believe Blu-ray is going to be around forever, but I also believe that its going to be around for awhile. With home theater as big of a hobby as it is today (and affordable too!) I think enough people will choose PQ/AQ/ACTUALLY OWNING MEDIA! over digital downloads and streaming that it will survive for quite some time. Until that time, I am not going to stop buying BD's as that is and always will be my preferred method of "ownership"

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by kemcha

Most current DVD titles, within the past 10-15 years, have the same (upconverted) PQ as Blu-ray movies and they're going on that basis.

uh, Wrong. His point was that many consumers couldn't tell a difference. He admits there is a difference, but doesn't clarify that statement. The nature of both formats is such that even dvds pressed from the same master as the blu-ray cannot look the same as the blu-ray when upconverted, if only because of blu-rays wider color gamut, ntm all it's other technical advantages.

[Adrock]

Originally Posted by 24framesasecond

I'm not saying that Blu-ray doesn't have a way to go before it truly takes hold in the mass market. But to predict its obsolescence by the end of the year is poppycock.

I just saw this article and read it. I totally agree with your statement.

[krazeyeyez]

lol @ the fox news comment


Brings up some valid points but NONE that have not already been raised before (many times) and explored to death. Law of diminishing returns says many people will not hop on the blu-ray bandwagon and that does not mean they are wrong, but lucky for us enough already have and enough will continue to do so to keep the format financially viable for a long time to come. Typical fox style it ends with an extreme of his blu-ray player being in the closet by the end of the year, not the death of the format by the end of the year for those seeing red by that point

[NathanDrakeFan]

Not much of an improvement from DVD? What is wrong with this guy? People actually believe blu-ray players can't play dvd's? I don't watch DVD anymore(can't stand it), but regardless, if blu-ray players couldn't play dvd's, what is the problem with keeping DVD players?

[blonde_devil]

price of the movies, pure and simple. why would you spend $5+ for the bluray version when you can buy dvd? for a lot of people, the extra resolution is not worth the extra money so they won't upgrade. plus the studios are playing games with the whole bluray/dvd combo pack garbage. if they really want bluray to take over, drop the price of the movies by 25%, only release the movies on bluray and it will become the standard. I know in canada, the price difference between here and the states is a big issue too. even though the dollar is equal, dvd/blurays are still way overpriced here. "Justified" on bluray was around $20 in the states when it came out. Here, it is just hitting the $30 or so range for the dvd! for a lot of movies, it is cheaper to order the bluray from the states and pay the shipping which is insane when the dollar is at par(or better)

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by NathanDrakeFan

Not much of an improvement from DVD? What is wrong with this guy? People actually believe blu-ray players can't play dvd's? I don't watch DVD anymore(can't stand it), but regardless, if blu-ray players couldn't play dvd's, what is the problem with keeping DVD players?

Some believe their dvd players can play blu-rays, just saying

[kemcha]

The old argument about Fox News? Please, spare me the diatribe. That quote that Blu-ray sales are up 200% is misleading. While it's probably true that Blu-ray sales are up, that has more to do with PS3 sales than anything else. Also, if only 10 Blu-ray titles are sold in the month of May and the industry sells 30 Blu-ray titles in the month of June, that is a 200% markup. That is only for the current Blu-ray owners and consumers.

The problem that Blu-ray is suffering from is that they cannot get consumers who are into the DVD format to commit to the switch to Blu-ray. This is mainly the Blu-ray industry's fault. For instance, it's purely pricing. DVD's are inexpensive to purchase, whereas Blu-ray titles are expensive to purchase. Just a walk into a Walmart, Best Buy or Target store and you can generally find street date DVD's on sale for around $13-20. Those prices, and DVD street dates generally are arouond $20 for new releases everyday at these retailers, those same titles on Blu-ray are generally SRP prices, full retail at $30 each.

This is a reason why many entertainment fans simply refuse to buy TV shows on Blu-ray, because of the full retail prices attached to them. Take a look at Lost, Battlestar Galactica. These retailers sell these sets for around $75-100 for each season set. That is typically far out of the reach of yoour average consumer and they are more than willing to buy the DVD releases which have about the same picture quality image.

The industry needs to do more about bringing Blu-ray prices more in line with what we see for DVD prices. There is just too much of an overlapping gap, which may also be the reason why new consumers are staying away from the Blu-ray format.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by kemcha

I think I understand the author's point. Most current DVD titles, within the past 10-15 years, have the same (upconverted) PQ as Blu-ray movies.

They do? Damn my 20/20 eyesight.

[bkbluray]

Blu-ray is here for the long haul. Period.

[threefiftyrocket]

Originally Posted by kemcha

[Show spoiler]The old argument about Fox News? Please, spare me the diatribe. That quote that Blu-ray sales are up 200% is misleading. While it's probably true that Blu-ray sales are up, that has more to do with PS3 sales than anything else. Also, if only 10 Blu-ray titles are sold in the month of May and the industry sells 30 Blu-ray titles in the month of June, that is a 200% markup. That is only for the current Blu-ray owners and consumers.

The problem that Blu-ray is suffering from is that they cannot get consumers who are into the DVD format to commit to the switch to Blu-ray. This is mainly the Blu-ray industry's fault. For instance, it's purely pricing. DVD's are inexpensive to purchase, whereas Blu-ray titles are expensive to purchase. Just a walk into a Walmart, Best Buy or Target store and you can generally find street date DVD's on sale for around $13-20. Those prices, and DVD street dates generally are arouond $20 for new releases everyday at these retailers, those same titles on Blu-ray are generally SRP prices, full retail at $30 each.

This is a reason why many entertainment fans simply refuse to buy TV shows on Blu-ray, because of the full retail prices attached to them. Take a look at Lost, Battlestar Galactica. These retailers sell these sets for around $75-100 for each season set. That is typically far out of the reach of yoour average consumer and they are more than willing to buy the DVD releases which have about the same picture quality image.

The industry needs to do more about bringing Blu-ray prices more in line with what we see for DVD prices. There is just too much of an overlapping gap, which may also be the reason why new consumers are staying away from the Blu-ray format.

As I previously stated, the 200% was pulled out of air, I don't know what the actual percentage is but its an increase, a very good one at that. It was more of a point to show that blu-ray adoption is on the rise. And as far as the Fox News comment was concerned, don't take offense man it was just a joke... A plain good honest joke... nothing more

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

And as far as the Fox News comment was concerned, don't take offense man it was just a joke... A plain good honest joke... nothing more

Like FOX News

[threefiftyrocket]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Like FOX News

Watch out talkin bout FOX News, you'll get attacked in here apparently...

[krazeyeyez]

do agree about the pricing somewhat, but if its not profitable we don't have a format.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

Watch out talkin bout FOX News, you'll get attacked in here apparently...

It's alright, I get attack all the time.

I know that here in Canada prices on certain releases are becoming to be a serious issue. The prices are starting to keep me away from certain releases, Disney being the worst offender. It's pretty crazy that I can order 5 movies from Hong Kong and pay less (with the shipping) then if I were to buy 3 movies from Disney in stores here in Montreal.

I do not mind that they offer the combo pack but I wish they would also include a cheaper Blu-ray only release as well for those who have no need for the combo packs.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

It's alright, I get attack all the time.

I know that here in Canada prices on certain releases are becoming to be a serious issue. The prices are starting to keep me away from certain releases, Disney being the worst offender. It's pretty crazy that I can order 5 movies from Hong Kong and pay less (with the shipping) then if I were to buy 3 movies from Disney in stores here in Montreal.

I do not mind that they offer the combo pack but I wish they would also include a cheaper Blu-ray only release as well for those who have no need for the combo packs.

Thats a big issue i always forget when trying to get people to go blu, doesn't even enter my mind. I do most my shopping online through amazon, importing etc... and on average my imports are cheaper then if i were to go to best buy etc... for a few movies. On average i could get probably 10 movies for the same price j6p gets two for.... that is going to be a problem going forward.

Just had a conversation with someone the other day that ended with him saying he wouldn't spend $25-30 on a movie, and i had to stop for a minute because i couldn't remember the last time i bought one for more then $10. Still if that is the perception it is not good when many people are perfectly happy with dvd on their HDTV's, and you know what, if i had not become accustomed to blu-ray, i would be too.

[threefiftyrocket]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

It's alright, I get attack all the time.

I know that here in Canada prices on certain releases are becoming to be a serious issue. The prices are starting to keep me away from certain releases, Disney being the worst offender. It's pretty crazy that I can order 5 movies from Hong Kong and pay less (with the shipping) then if I were to buy 3 movies from Disney in stores here in Montreal.

I do not mind that they offer the combo pack but I wish they would also include a cheaper Blu-ray only release as well for those who have no need for the combo packs.

Its because all of you Canadians are too nice to complain about it

Seriously, if prices were as bad here in the states as I hear about in Canada, I would have adopted slower too.

[Cevolution]

Dvd's are a waste of money, people who still buy dvd's because they want to save a few measly dollars are going to end up spending more in the long run, more than what they would have if they had just bought the blu-ray from the beginning, because dvd's are very fragile and scratch so easily, they won't last most people more than 20 years. Dvd's scratch simply by cleaning them with a soft lint free mircofibre cloth, gently rubbing from the inner edge in a straight line to the outer edge.

It's not hard for mould to growing on discs either, all it takes is a few specks of dust on the bottom, and if u don't use the disc for a couple of years, then mould quite often starts to grow around the dust particles, generally it's not hard to clean off, but dvd's are always left with light surface scratches on them afterwards, but the same thing doesn't happen with blu-rays due to their hard coating.

If you're going to spend money on movies in the 1st place, then u would be a fool to ignore the fact the blu-rays are far more durable, the hard scratch resistant coating on blu-rays alone is well worth the extra few dollars as it will protect your investment for many decades to come, and will last far longer than any dvd, regardless of how well u treat the dvd. Yes blu-ray's can still get scratched, but nowhere near as easily as dvd's, it's much much harder to scratch a blu-ray disc, and most people who respected their things will most likely never scratch a blu-ray, but even the best of us can easily scratch a dvd.

I take care of my all my discs very very well (I NEVER lend them out, and they ALWAYS go straight from the cover to the player and back again once I have finished watching them), but that still hasn't stopped some of my dvd's from getting light surface scratches on them, but u won't find 1 single scratch on any of my 463 blu-rays.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by krazeyeyez

Thats a big issue i always forget when trying to get people to go blu, doesn't even enter my mind. I do most my shopping online through amazon, importing etc... and on average my imports are cheaper then if i were to go to best buy etc... for a few movies. On average i could get probably 10 movies for the same price j6p gets two for.... that is going to be a problem going forward.

Just had a conversation with someone the other day that ended with him saying he wouldn't spend $25-30 on a movie, and i had to stop for a minute because i couldn't remember the last time i bought one for more then $10. Still if that is the perception it is not good when many people are perfectly happy with dvd on their HDTV's, and you know what, if i had not become accustomed to blu-ray, i would be too.

The trouble prices online on Amazon.ca are not much better, they are in general close to the same in most cases. I buy where I can get the best deal, it's in a store well so be it.

Right now I can't blame Disney on this. Their movies have a serious nostalgia pull for most people so they know they will buy. But they are also losing a customer fast with me right now and my friend as well and he is a HUGE Disney geek. We may not be the only ones. Their strategy may come back to bite them in the end. Customers always have the last laugh when it come's to buying things. I have a job and I am not as badly hit with the economy as so many other are these days. However when you come to a point because things are so expensive where you have to pick between food or a Blu-ray, the movie quickly become's less important. I have talked about this with a few people here and there, Hollywood could well be going into some rough times ahead if they keep trying to increase their prices to the breaking point. They have huge lifestyle that require them to have huge influx of money to keep having such lifestyle but they may reach a point where the public may just get a little tired of paying for such lifestyles, even more so when a good portion of the movies they are given us these days are not exactly amazing.