HD DVD Group: "We're Outselling Blu-ray In Europe"

[HDTV1080P]

Once again the old game of ignoring the PS3 machine. I wish the industry would play fair and when comparing BLU-RAY to HD-DVD they should compare the total number of HDTV playback devices not just standalone players. The most important number will always be the number of HDTV discs sold. BLU-RAY has sold more HDTV discs then HD-DVD.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hddvd071107.htm

[Y3k Bug]

That's some good reporting though that they included the fact that PS3 wasn't considered in those numbers. I think as long as articles mention that fact, HD DVD promotion groups can talk about "leads" as much as they want.

[Xerious]

when will the insanity stop??? who needs a secondary BD player when you've got a ps3?

[babyBlu]

I'm so used to this by now that it doesn't even bother me. I'm with you, the most important number is discs sold, that tells the true story. Ignore the PS3, don't ignore it, I don't care. Just tell me which format has sold more disks and I'll tell you who is winning.

[binarymelon]

Especially when you consider the price point of the PS3 compared to other Blu-ray players. Many early adopters are going to have the PS3 as their first choice.

[hmurchison]

All the numbers are starting to make my head hurt.

[Marwin]

Taken from the Reuters article:

The HD DVD group, led by Toshiba Corp. and backed by Microsoft Corp. and film studios including Warner Bros., declined to give figures for how many players it had shipped to retail outlets in Europe.

Source: Reuters

To me this indicates that the numbers are very low, why else would they not want to disclose them?

As for not counting the PS3 as a Blu-ray player, the PS3 was easily the most popular choice by our members as the Blu-ray player of the year, so surely a lot of people bought it with the intention of using it as their primary Blu-ray player. To these people the fact that it's a game console is just a bonus, unlike for gamers where the movie playback capability is the bonus. Even though not all PS3s are used for Blu-ray playback, ignoring them completely is extremely flawed. Just look at the software sales to see the real picture.

[ReduxInflux]

Originally Posted by Marwin

Taken from the Reuters article:

...so surely a lot of people bought it with the intention of using it as their primary Blu-ray player. To these people the fact that it's a game console is just a bonus, unlike for gamers where the movie playback capability is the bonus.

thats funny. i, like everyone else, bought the ps3 for the dual functionality of the games and the blu-ray but at the time, i didnt know what i was getting into. blu-ray for all i cared, was just papa smurf's pet sting-ray...i had no clue. but now that i've tasted and seen the light...video games? what's a video game?

[Branden]

this shouldn't be a surprise, HD-DVD is desperate to appear to be the winning format. of course they're going to skew the numbers until they say what they want to hear. when BD stand-alone player sales eventually surpass HD-DVD player sales, and this tactic doesn't work anymore, they're just going to skew the numbers again: "HD-DVD players are outselling BD players if you don't count the BD players manufactured overseas."
i recall filling out an electronic questionaire when first setting up my PS3, and there was one part that asked if you'd use it for Blu-Ray movies. to be fair and present a more accurate number they should include at least that percentage of PSN master accounts that checked that box.
with that said, it's still disc sales that really matter.

[reiella]

If they're outselling BD, then why exactly are they pushing for anti-competitive investigations into those markets?

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by reiella

If they're outselling BD, then why exactly are they pushing for anti-competitive investigations into those markets?

Because they know they need the content. Things haven't gotten ugly yet but when the Pixar movies start to come and the Disney classics like Aladdin and the Lion King.

What format can survive that blow?

[theknub]

or survive spidey and potc 3?

[ReduxInflux]

heres an excerpt from a mini article i just read......

and heres the link:

http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/high-definition/news/why-the-hd-format-war-doesnt-exist1?articleid=1366277272

"Despite claims this morning that HD DVD players are far outselling their Blu-ray rivals, both HD formats are selling so poorly that the term 'format war' is a complete exaggeration. That's according to analysts at Understanding & Solutions .

The analysts say that only around 25,000 HD DVD players have been sold so far this year in Europe. That pales in comparison to the 405,000 Blu-ray players that have been sold - if you include the PlayStation 3 in the mix.

But in terms of standalone units, the HD DVD Group says that its players make up 74 per cent of the market. And so that means that only around 8,000 standalone Blu-ray players can have been sold in total since January...

So when it comes down to it, 8,000 standalone Blu-ray players against 25,000 HD DVD players can hardly be called a war or a battle."

[Shin-Ra]

Over a million PS3's have been sold in Europe so I don't know where he got that 405,000 number from.

[gandley]

even worse when you consider the blu ray players in europe have only been the panasonic BD10 and samsung BD1000 units. No sony players, no pioneer players. In the UK we are only just about to get the Sony S1.

All the while the toshiba players have been much cheaper with the E1 being actually quite cheap from some retailers.

Dam things just aint selling at the mo, mind you HDTV is only just starting to pick up some sort of trot.

[GTP]

I just read an article that said that hd dvd media had a decent lead until March in Europe, and the first week after the PS3 launch, BD acounted for 87% of HD media sales and also took the since inception lead.


Funny they forgot to mention this in this article.

[Sylin]

It doesn't help that European BD player prices are WAY out of sync with the US.

ReduxInflux's article is interesting, but the author is mis-guided. Some think that hi-def DVD isn't appealing to consumers because if it was, then players would be selling as robustly as normal SD DVD players. But there's just too many reasons why that's such a crap argument. The foremost reason is that far fewer households even OWN an HDTV, and could care less about either format. (Dunno about Europe, but it's less than 10% in the US.) Then there's price. And still somewhat slim movie selection. Oh, and a FORMAT WAR. (Or, as the writer would have you believe, a format "disagreement".)

But the proof is in the pudding. Let HD-DVD brag all they want. Compare the amount of announced Blu players being released before Xmas to the amount of HD-DVD players and you can see where the industry is leaning.

[ReduxInflux]

Originally Posted by ikcizokm

The foremost reason is that far fewer households even OWN an HDTV, and could care less about either format. Then there's price. And still somewhat slim movie selection. Oh, and a FORMAT WAR. (Or, as the writer would have you believe, a format "disagreement".)

absolutely. 2009 i believe will be the big year for hd. when analag broadcasts cease and digital becomes the cable highway. crts will start disappearing...people will want to start upgrading...hdtv tech will keep getting better and cheaper and the prices will become more affordable ... the blu-ray/hd-dvd format 'war' will either be over or just winding down with a wider selection of players and movies. not to mention the general public's awareness and trust in the product will have increased with its proven quality and stability. etc, etc. stoked for what the next couple of years have in store for us...

[Lord_Stewie]

hey guys,

I have had it so far with Microsoft and Toshiba, first of all GTA 4 will be limited in both PS3 and XBOX 360 (BECAUSE THE XBOX IS LIMITED). then Toshiba still claiming to sell more players (Now in Europe) than Bluray and of course not counting the PS3. Something got to be done about that. the Bluray promotional group got to do something about that.

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/hd-dvd-o...in-europe/4598

[bferr1]

Once again, that's ignoring the PS3 as a BD player.