Blu-Ray Fails To Catch On

[Carlsberg19]

Check this out, wont come as a shock to many of you i guess, notice the way they say "blu-ray DVD's" grrrr

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Tec..._Too_Expensive

[Fatboymart]

It’s no surprise that Blu-Ray is struggling to get a foothold in the UK. Even with the recession the Panasonic DMP-BD55 retails on Amazon.co.uk for £402.99. check out the same item on Amazon.com and you pay $324.90 (£212) more here in the UK.

The only fools here are retail stores. Sony stores for example are looking to increase the price on their electrical items because the pound is weak.

I have just sold my Sony BDP-300 Tank to upgrade to the Panasonic BD55 (analogue 7.1 out and remote hack for multiregion) but I won’t be jumping in too quickly until the price is a lot more competitive. Oh yer I’m also looking at the Panasonic Viera Plasma TH46PZ80 but can’t get a combo deal worth looking at yet.

The UK has always ripped us off and now is no different. I don’t want to see Jobs going, but I guess that’s the way it’s got to be before prices will fall to an exceptable level

[richieb1971]

Blu ray is somewhat devaluing DVD to the point of a DVD being about 3 pounds at resale. No new tech is going to compete with that.

I don't think blu ray will ever reach mass market, simply because its offerings are film fanatics, not your average joe. It has however filled a niche and it certainly deserves to exist.

You have to remember that the average UK person thinks a 40" HDTV is as big as a house. Even at those sizes Blu ray only looks slightly better than a good upscaled DVD in some cases. Although I admit I see a big difference, my friends only see a small difference. Whether thats because the difference costs 400 quid more or not I don't know.

[Midnightsailor]

Blu-ray will take over.

[H9k_]

As far as i know BD is doing better now than DVD did at this point (2 years+).

[quexos]

Originally Posted by H9k_

As far as i know BD is doing better now than DVD did at this point (2 years+).

Is there a source for this info ? DVD was under 10% of market sales over VHS in 1999 ? I would like to see a chart of some kind to compare cause if that is the case, then why would people think BD is in trouble ?

[daniel1994]

Originally Posted by H9k_

As far as i know BD is doing better now than DVD did at this point (2 years+).

Doesn't matter, Your statement is full of ignorance. The whole trend in the video industry in every format has been downward sales. I'm sorry to say but you are living in the past. 1999 was a different year to what we are seeing in 2008-2009. I do own about 50 Blu Rays and I can tell you that I regret buying some of them.

Until these Hollywood big shots (They too are living in the past) get thier act together (Translation: Better Quality, Better word of mouth and really most important LOWER THE PRICES, PEOPLE HAVE BECOME FED UP OF PAYING AN AVERAGE OF $28 PER DISC), the blu ray format will end up being SACD and DVD Audio, failed formats.

[RustyK94]

Blu-Ray will take over in the US soon. It might take at least 7 to 10 years over here in the British isles.

I must be one of the few ppl to have a hundred Blu-Ray's in Scotland. I also must have been one of the first to own a Blu-Ray player.

I bought my first Blu-Ray player in i think January of 2007. The Samsung B10-1000

Oh what a piece of junk it was

In retrospect.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by quexos

Is there a source for this info ? DVD was under 10% of market sales over VHS in 1999 ? I would like to see a chart of some kind to compare cause if that is the case, then why would people think BD is in trouble ?

People who think Blu-Ray are in trouble fall into one of a few categories.

1) Sony Haters who wants anything Sony touches to be a failure.
2) HD DVD lovers who are still pissed at losing.
3) People who don't understand historical significance.
4) Journalists who really want to make a sensationalist story, facts be damned.
5) The "Now now now" people who want their Blu-Rays cheaper at any cost, and believe that everyone else feels the same way they do.
6) Idiots.

Note that these are not exclusive. The post before mine by Daniel looks to be at least #3 combined with #5, and that's being generous.

Blu-Ray is doing fine. You will not find simple charts to prove it as such however, which is part of the problem.

According to Video Business DVD's sales market share was 26% at the end of 2000.

It's impossible to get accurate numbers for 1999, but in terms of dollars, and including the rental market, VHS earned 8.157 billion dollars with DVD doing 1.3 billion. That puts it at 13% in raw dollars. The problem with this is the release dates for DVD and Blu-Ray are offset by several months, so you can't really draw direct conclusion based on the year.

Calling it SACD or DVD audio (or laserdics), is stupid in the extreme. Blu-Ray is already WAY ahead of every failed format that ever existed, and it's accelerating. No failed format has ever had remotely close to a million seller. Blu-Ray has, and it did so faster than DVD did. DVD's first million seller was a timed DVD exclusive, Blu-Ray's was not, making the fact that it came faster even more impressive.

[H9k_]

Good post Terjyn.

And no i do not remeber the sources for my post.
Avs and other forums has good info on this kind of stuff, where people that care overthink and calculate on a daily basis .

Anyway Bd is doing fine and continues to grow.

[mystiksuicide]

Not to mention that blu-ray was involved in a format war for the first 14 months? Since Feb the format has taken off with a few titles already selling a million with a few more yet to come (TDK and perhaps Wanted)

[Carlsberg19]

Unbelievable...look at what i seen in the comments section on the above link:

I watch blu-ray through my PS3 on a Panasonic 50in plasma 1080p with built in upscaler. I also have a Panasonic theatre system with upscaler and a Sony DVD recorder/player with 1080p upscaler. All three output via HDMI cables to the TV. The difference between a normal DVD played through my upscaling equipment and a blu-ray DVD played through my PS3 is marginal. Unless you have perfect eyesight and a perfect audio system, Blu-ray discs are nice but by no means essential for high quality HD viewing.
Posted By :Mike


Mike falls in to no.6 categroy above. An idiot.

[Marine Mike]

I think that you forgot group the 'Buys Blu-Ray discs at MSRP' with #6.

[Bobby Henderson]

DVD is facing eventual doom, and it is facing doom for one very simple reason: DVD is ONLY standard definition. It isn't high def.

Not only is Blu-ray high definition, it is the best quality of high definition people can view in their homes.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by daniel1994

Doesn't matter, Your statement is full of ignorance. The whole trend in the video industry in every format has been downward sales. I'm sorry to say but you are living in the past. 1999 was a different year to what we are seeing in 2008-2009. I do own about 50 Blu Rays and I can tell you that I regret buying some of them.

Yes, there is an overall trend to lower sales. But Blu-ray is growing, and is at or ahead of where DVD was at the same point after launch.

The issue would be whether Blu-ray is growing enough to counteract the downward in DVD.

Originally Posted by daniel1994

Until these Hollywood big shots (They too are living in the past) get thier act together (Translation: Better Quality, Better word of mouth and really most important LOWER THE PRICES, PEOPLE HAVE BECOME FED UP OF PAYING AN AVERAGE OF $28 PER DISC), the blu ray format will end up being SACD and DVD Audio, failed formats.

SACD/DVD-A never reached Blu-ray numbers and then faded into oblivion. Something must replace the current Blu-ray sales for it fade away. What will that be?

Gary