Doesn't it make sense to begin quietly killing off DVD?

[McCrutchy]

So I've been thinking about something, and I've come to a realization about why the Blu-ray format isn't even more widespread. Studios are simply not putting DVD to bed like they should. I know that Blu-ray only represents a small amount of revenue right now, but I think they way to get more is by pushing Blu-ray more and simultaneously pushing DVD much less.

There are a number of ways this could be done:

1. Create advertising that emphasizes the Blu-ray edition and minimizes or omits the DVD edition, and saturate all forms of advertising that way, including TV spots, newspaper/print ads, and retail signage. Do not allow advertising that only mentions or displays the DVD edition.

2. Release the DVD well after (3+ months) the Blu-ray, and use a shorter delay for the rental discs.

3. When the DVD is released, drop the MSRP of the Blu-ray between $5-$10 for single discs, and between $20-$30 for multi-disc sets and TV shows.

I know this has been discussed before, but I remember, as a consumer, the reason I switched to DVD in 2000, was because by that time, aat least where I lived, what I wanted was much harder to get on VHS than on DVD. DVD was everywhere and in my face, and VHS was quietly becoming less and less obvious. More to the point, this was happening in brick-and-mortar stores, not just online or in small communities and forums.

Surely the way to dominance for the format is by slowly but certainly forcing its adoption? What if your favorite films started to come out only on Blu-ray and no longer on DVD? Wouldn't that simply force you to embrace the format?

[sfmarine]

As much as it pains me to say it..DVD isn't going anywhere. Disney is really taking the initiative by offering the combo versions first and then the regular DVD'S 3 months later. Releasing Avatar as a BD/DVD combo was also a good idea but I know plenty of people who still only bought the DVD version. The main thing it comes down to is cost.

When DVD came out...all you needed was a DVD player and you were good to go. To appreciate Blu-ray, you need to invest in a HD TV etc. which many cannot afford. This is why I feel DVD won't be going away anytime soon.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

As much as it pains me to say it..DVD isn't going anywhere. Disney is really taking the initiative by offering the combo versions first and then the regular DVD'S 3 months later. Releasing Avatar as a BD/DVD combo was also a good idea but I know plenty of people who still only bought the DVD version. The main thing it comes down to is cost.

When DVD came out...all you needed was a DVD player and you were good to go. To appreciate Blu-ray, you need to invest in a HD TV etc. which many cannot afford. This is why I feel DVD won't be going away anytime soon.

Actually, I've been reading that HDTV sales are growing, and I know people who have an HDTV but no Blu-ray player. This was my parents for over a year until I bought my family a PS3, they had the HDTV, they had HD channels, they even had a 5.1 system (non-HD audio), but no Blu-ray player. More to the point, TV manufacturers have done well in pushing awareness of HDTVs and also in bringing down pricing to make units more affordable. When I go into a Sears, almost every TV on display is 1080p.

And remember, cable is also making a push for HDTV. Every advertisement I see for TV service prominently features HD channels. The only media I see that still seems underexposed is Blu-ray.

[DJ Manyak]

it might be another 5 years before dvd gets the vhs treatment

[SteelPen]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Actually, I've been reading that HDTV sales are growing, and I know people who have an HDTV but no Blu-ray player.

Same here!

I hate when people say, BD was too much!

[Kenneth M]

You know, the people that don't get Blu's are going to be sorry.

The next format will be a non-moving format. Something like a massive flash-drive. Something that will unpredictably make you lose all of your movies. Something easily lost, easily broken... If anyone has an i-pod and had the frustrating experience of losing all their music and movies... you know what I'm talking about. I've already had it happen to me.

No, I think this format is the last of the Mohicans. Our latest generation is getting used to downloading everything and being neat and tidy. When it comes down to that format only, we are going to be able to turn to our BD's and download them right to the storage device. I really don't think that there will be another opportunity like this.

[arcadeforest]

As another said I believe that dvd's will be the main source of home video (physical media wise, streaming is a whole other topic) for a few more years. Unfortunately for blu fans most people are satisfied with an upconverting dvd player and a standard dvd.

[Blu Sun]

People are entitled to choice. If they like DVD, then good for them (I only bought my BD player in December 09). I like BD, I have finally embraced it, but I did so at my own pace and when I could afford it.

You can't go destroying an entire format just because "I'm alright Jack".

Edit: I don't believe digital will ever replace hard copy. I never have and never will purchase a digital download...far too many "collectors" and folks who wish to own what they buy. CD's BD's and DVD's will be here for a looong time.

[wallendo]

The VHS to DVD migration will not be repeated with the DVD to BD migration.

1) All current BD players can play DVD. Therefore studios can continue to release DVD's for many years. In fact, older TV shows will probably never make the move to BD.

2) For most casual home viewers upscaled DVD's will not look a lot different from BD's. Let's be honest, most people are sitting far away from their TVs. In many cases they are sitting across the room from their sets. at these distances, upscaled DVD will look almost as good as BD. The differences are significant on television because of the improvement in ATSC over NTSC, but much less pronounced between upscaled DVD and BD. I suspect that this is why the studios continue to push BD-live as it offers a perceptible improvement over DVD for those don't sit close to large screens with surround sound systems.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Kenneth M

You know, the people that don't get Blu's are going to be sorry.

The next format will be a non-moving format. Something like a massive flash-drive. Something that will unpredictably make you lose all of your movies. Something easily lost, easily broken... If anyone has an i-pod and had the frustrating experience of losing all their music and movies... you know what I'm talking about. I've already had it happen to me.

No, I think this format is the last of the Mohicans. Our latest generation is getting used to downloading everything and being neat and tidy. When it comes down to that format only, we are going to be able to turn to our BD's and download them right to the storage device. I really don't think that there will be another opportunity like this.

I am going to have to agree with you on the last paragraph Kenneth .


My thoughts of why DVD has not gone away is because of cost & Incomes . First you have to be able to afford the luxury & also desire it as well . HD is new & can be Expensive . I am sure there is a large percent out there that are happy with what they have with DVD . I think it will take time to get the masses which is to bad .

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Actually, I've been reading that HDTV sales are growing, and I know people who have an HDTV but no Blu-ray player. This was my parents for over a year until I bought my family a PS3, they had the HDTV, they had HD channels, they even had a 5.1 system (non-HD audio), but no Blu-ray player. More to the point, TV manufacturers have done well in pushing awareness of HDTVs and also in bringing down pricing to make units more affordable. When I go into a Sears, almost every TV on display is 1080p.

And remember, cable is also making a push for HDTV. Every advertisement I see for TV service prominently features HD channels. The only media I see that still seems underexposed is Blu-ray.

Growing doesn't mean that most people have them. I do foreclosure defense work and in Florida alone there are 150,000 foreclosures this year alone. I can assure you that the majority of people cannot afford hdtvs.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Growing doesn't mean that most people have them. I do foreclosure defense work and in Florida alone there are 150,000 foreclosures this year alone. I can assure you that the majority of people cannot afford hdtvs.

Doesn't mean they don't use credit cards to pay for things they can't afford. There's a ton of people that pay with credit cards everyday at my job.

[RiseDarthVader]

Digital distribution will never take over until you can ensure that every single person in the world is connected to the internet and all their media devices are connected to the internet. The world currently has an estimated population of 6,767,805,208 and of those 6,767,805,208 people only 1,802,330,457 are connected to the internet so that means only 26.6 % of people in the world have internet. So if we were to go 100% digital that means currently movie studios and game publishers would lose 73.4 % of their audience and that is A LOT of $$$$. There will always be a physical format to co-exist with digital distribution.

[Lincoln6Echo]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

So I've been thinking about something, and I've come to a realization about why the Blu-ray format isn't even more widespread. Studios are simply not putting DVD to bed like they should. I know that Blu-ray only represents a small amount of revenue right now, but I think they way to get more is by pushing Blu-ray more and simultaneously pushing DVD much less.

There are a number of ways this could be done:

1. Create advertising that emphasizes the Blu-ray edition and minimizes or omits the DVD edition, and saturate all forms of advertising that way, including TV spots, newspaper/print ads, and retail signage. Do not allow advertising that only mentions or displays the DVD edition.

They're already kind of doing that. The announcements usually go, "Buy it now on Blu-ray and DVD.

2. Release the DVD well after (3+ months) the Blu-ray, and use a shorter delay for the rental discs.

That'll never happen.

3. When the DVD is released, drop the MSRP of the Blu-ray between $5-$10 for single discs, and between $20-$30 for multi-disc sets and TV shows.

Good idea, but won't happen that way due to #2 never happening. In fact, what would work even more is to drop the new title release prices to $20 (or less) for a BD movie (which is what DVD used to be) and then price DVDs $15 (or less). Because right now, I don't usually do "Day 1" purchases for movies because I'm not willing to pay over $20 for one. (Give or take the shipping cost, of course.)

I know this has been discussed before, but I remember, as a consumer, the reason I switched to DVD in 2000, was because by that time, aat least where I lived, what I wanted was much harder to get on VHS than on DVD. DVD was everywhere and in my face, and VHS was quietly becoming less and less obvious. More to the point, this was happening in brick-and-mortar stores, not just online or in small communities and forums.

Yeah, I didn't switch to DVD until Dec. 2001, myself for the same reason. I just didn't buy hardly any movies on VHS that previous year.

Originally Posted by sfmarine

As much as it pains me to say it..DVD isn't going anywhere. Disney is really taking the initiative by offering the combo versions first and then the regular DVD'S 3 months later. Releasing Avatar as a BD/DVD combo was also a good idea but I know plenty of people who still only bought the DVD version. The main thing it comes down to is cost.

When DVD came out...all you needed was a DVD player and you were good to go. To appreciate Blu-ray, you need to invest in a HD TV etc. which many cannot afford. This is why I feel DVD won't be going away anytime soon.

Unfortunately and quite frankly, that reason right there is probably gonna be the dominate reason why BD will not be widely adopted for a few more years. Until everyone has HDTVs, DVD will still be a necessary format.

Also, I wished they'd start converting a lot of back catalog TV shows that could be on BD to BD. With the recent announcement of the 24 series set, it was disclosed that the first several seasons weren't shot on film or in HD, and that it was done in basically PAL resolution. 500 some odd lines.

Speaking of which, does anybody know if Smallville's earlier seasons were shot in HD?

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by Lincoln6Echo

Unfortunately and quite frankly, that reason right there is probably gonna be the dominate reason why BD will not be widely adopted for a few more years. Until everyone has HDTVs, DVD will still be a necessary format.

Exactly. I'd say it will be a good 7-10 yrs until DVD is treated like VHS.


I also agree with Kenneth M..this could be the last chance to get a tangible copy of a film. Everything is going digital even the IT field is going in the direction of cloud computing.

[BasicGreatGuy]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

As much as it pains me to say it..DVD isn't going anywhere. Disney is really taking the initiative by offering the combo versions first and then the regular DVD'S 3 months later. Releasing Avatar as a BD/DVD combo was also a good idea but I know plenty of people who still only bought the DVD version. The main thing it comes down to is cost.

When DVD came out...all you needed was a DVD player and you were good to go. To appreciate Blu-ray, you need to invest in a HD TV etc. which many cannot afford. This is why I feel DVD won't be going away anytime soon.

Given the economy the way it is, I agree.

[Blu Sun]

Asthetics and tangibility come into play here as well...imagine a world where you can't run your finger across your CD/DVD/BD/Book collection and select a title, pull it out and peruse it before deciding if that is what you wish to listen to/watch/read.

[thelittleprince]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

As much as it pains me to say it..DVD isn't going anywhere. Disney is really taking the initiative by offering the combo versions first and then the regular DVD'S 3 months later. Releasing Avatar as a BD/DVD combo was also a good idea but I know plenty of people who still only bought the DVD version. The main thing it comes down to is cost.

When DVD came out...all you needed was a DVD player and you were good to go. To appreciate Blu-ray, you need to invest in a HD TV etc. which many cannot afford. This is why I feel DVD won't be going away anytime soon.

+1
Well said!

[HD Goofnut]

HDTVs are now in two-thirds of U.S. households and by 2013 it will be over 80% so it makes perfect sense to ditch DVDs, especially if they are available on BD. I personally started ditching my DVDs in late 2007.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

HDTVs are now in two-thirds of U.S. households and by 2013 it will be over 80% so it makes perfect sense to ditch DVDs, especially if they are available on BD. I personally started ditching my DVDs in late 2007.

Right, but as we've discussed - the vast majority of those people don't actually watch HD, they use these sets to view SD content. And most of them...much to my dismay...watch their SD all zoomed in/blown up because that's what fills this new screen they have.

People are buying HDTV's because a) they have no choice (you simply can't buy a CRT at most stores anymore) and b) they are smaller in terms of bulk, more attractive, etc.

Just about everyone I know has at least one HDTV now, but I only know one other person who owns a Blu-ray player. For the most part, retailers are failing Blu because they largely stock the most expensive ones, sometimes offering a few select titles cheaper. If I didn't order online, I probably wouldn't have upgraded yet either - the majority of the titles I want to own I've never seen in a store, and when I do see them they are ridiculously priced ($25+).

It's funny, because supposedly Wal-mart is increasing Blu-presence, all I know is that all of the "new style" Wal-marts in my area have drastically reduced the amount of films they have period in the last month or so (at least in 1/2 in terms of shelf space) and their Blu selection is still at 40ish titles per store.