Survey on Blu-ray awareness and future purchasing

[Grubert]

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — While many people expected sales of Blu-ray disc players to spike when Toshiba decided to drop out of the high-definition HD DVD market in February 2008, according to a new Harris Poll, it seems that the recently resolved high definition format war is not motivating consumers to purchase the advanced DVD players any time soon. The Harris Poll(R) of 2,529 U.S. adults surveyed online between April 7 and 15, 2008 by Harris Interactive(R) found that:



-- Ownership of standard DVD players is practically ubiquitous (87%);

-- Few report owning Blu-ray disc players (4%), Sony PlayStation 3 (5%), HD DVD players (6%) and the HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 (1% have external drive while 9% have an Xbox 360);

-- Only nine percent of non-Blu-ray player owners report being likely to purchase a Blu-ray disc player within the next year, even when made fully aware that Blu-ray is considered to be the definitive technology for high definition DVD players going forward;

-- Two-thirds of consumers are familiar with the recently resolved high-definition format war (67%) and seven in ten of them have heard that Blu-ray is the unofficial winner (69%);

-- Nearly a quarter (23%) of those aware of the format war report that they had been waiting for the rivalry to play itself out before purchasing a high definition player, but by April they had yet to do so;

-- Although one-third of consumers report owning a high definition television set (HDTV; 35%), with incidence higher among males (41%) versus females (28%) and rising decidedly with household income (15% for those with less than $35K vs. 53% among those with $75K+), the percentage of HDTV owners likely to purchase a Blu-ray disc player is only 14 percent;

-- Current ownership of Blu-ray disc players among HDTV owners stands at 10 percent.

According to Joan Barten Kline, Vice President of the Harris Interactive Media & Entertainment Practice, "Since Blu-ray disc player pricing averages more than $300, which is well above the cost for the latest generation of standard DVD players with up-converters, Blu-ray disc players may be encountering price sensitivity despite the advanced technology."

Internet Connectivity

Interest in a Blu-ray disc player with Internet connectivity expected to be out in the Fall in a higher price range is also lacking:

-- U.S. adults are more likely to purchase a Sony PlayStation 3 that plays Blu-ray discs and has Internet access for $399 (11%) or an original Blu-ray disc player without connectivity for the same price (10%) versus a new Blu-ray disc player with Internet for $500-$650 (4%);

-- Not surprisingly, the under 40 crowd is most likely to opt for the PlayStation 3 as their Blu-ray capable device of choice - fully 23 percent of those in the 30-39 age group are likely to purchase this device in the next year (compared to 14% likely to buy an original Blu-ray disc player or the new Blu-ray disc player with Internet connectivity 5%)).

What Will Become of the HD-DVD Player?

-- Like the BetaMax loyalists of yore, almost half (45%) of those who currently own an HD DVD player say that they will just continue to use it and continue purchasing HD DVD's as long as they are available;

-- Another 14 percent of those who currently own an HD DVD player will continue to use it with the HD DVD's they have already purchased, but do not plan on buying any new ones;

-- An equal proportion of HD DVD player owners (15%) will continue to use it but also plan to invest in a Blu-ray disc player in the future.

http://www.centredaily.com/business/...ry/593706.html

[jkwest]

people are stupid....

[Blu Titan]

9% of non Blu-ray owners buying a Blu-ray player in the next year will be great. Just think of how many millions new player purchases that 9% will represent.

[Elandyll]

4 things to change this lethargy Imo:

1) Better communication
The marketing at this point in time is almost nonexistent for Blu Ray/ HD.
We need the customer informed about HD (1080p, screens, players..), about Blu Ray, about Interactivity, about the amazing thing that are 5.1 and 7.1 uncompressed HD sound, and about HT setups and the fact that Blu Ray players upscale their DVDs as well. Big campaign, for TV, malls, Newspapers and Radio.
Unlikely to happen until fall, but that would be nice.

2) Better units, lower price.
A lot of medias like to point out the "fact" that profile 1.0 and 1.1 are obsolete (which is actually not the case, they are just less "complete" than 2.0).
The numbering of the profiles might have been a mistake, but what's done is done, for the public, 1.1 is old, 2.0 is where it's at. Non informed people will grab whatever's the cheapest (we're taling Walmart grab at $100), while those with a modicum of knowledge about Blu Ray will want BD-Live players, even if they don't care about bonuses. The price -needs- to go under $300 for decent units (S350 or BD1500 type).
Again, unlikely before the end of the year, but would be nice.

3) Lower price on Movies
People are likely to assimilate $30 retail ($40MSRP)/movie prices to Niche "deluxe" products, which is not what the BDA should want if their goal is ultimately to succeed to the DVD. We ned to reach a $30 or less MSRP asap (thus most releseases between $20 and $25 retail tops).
In the mind of your average person, when the price is close, and the quality better, the thought would be "Well, almost same price, I'd be crazy not to get the BLUU REE version". That's where we want to go for the average shopper. We might just see that, but probably not until fall 2008, outside of temporary promotions.

4) We need BIG releases. From ALL studios.
And I'm not talking V for Vendetta or Dark city, despite being some of my all time favorites.
No, I'm talking KING KONG, STAR WARS I-VI, LOTR, TRANSFORMERS, ALIEN TRILOGY, INDIANA JONES TRILOGY, DISNEY CLASSICS, etc.

-Those- are the kind of titles that MAKE people buy a player even if they didn't have one. Heck, for many, that 'd be incentive enough to even buy a HDTV.
Again, this would be nice, but as we all know, unlikely until end of 2008/ 2009.

[saprano]

I dont like Surveys or %, i think there all bs they only talk to select few people. this does not repersent how everybody else feels.......fail.

[zxvfrr41]

Until prices come down on both the players AND the movies, the numbers won't change. I have a PS3 (15+ games and 20+ blu-ray movies) and still purchase DVD's that are available on blu-ray from time to time because of the high prices of blu-ray. I-Robot was $39.99 when it came out. Come on. Someone's making a lot of money on these discs. And not for nothing, with the upconverting of the PS3 and an awesome TV (Sony KDS-R70XBR2), even DVD's look awesome.

Once the prices come down a bit, things will take off.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

9% of non Blu-ray owners buying a Blu-ray player in the next year will be great. Just think of how many millions new player purchases that 9% will represent.

You have a point. If 4% have a standalone now and 9% are likely to buy one, then people with a BD player will go from 4% to 13% - more than triple (and that's not counting the PS3).

[jkwest]

Originally Posted by Grubert

You have a point. If 4% have a standalone now and 9% are likely to buy one, then people with a BD player will go from 4% to 13% - more than triple (and that's not counting the PS3).

Man....why can't I see it like that!?

I see it as 87% of the HDTV owners don't really care about better quality....

[scragham]

9% of the installed DVD user base is a pretty impressive number.

what do people expect? 100% of the DVD user base to convert to BD by this time next year?

[scragham]

Originally Posted by jkwest

Man....why can't I see it like that!?

I see it as 87% of the HDTV owners don't really care about better quality....

i don't know about that. i see it as 87% of people don't know what they're missing... yet.

as the user base grows, adoption will pick up steam as the non-believers go over to a friend's house and watch a movie in BD. then they go back home and watch craptastic SD DVD on their HDTV and wonder why it looks like crap.

just like people used to go over to a friend's house to watch the big game in HD, which then drove them to upgrade to a HDTV and HD satellite/cable programming.

[owa]

They really need to work more on consumer education before anything else (imo). I still frequently hear people discussing blu-ray (normally as I'm checking out at Best Buy and they see them in my hand) and they almost always wonder whether their DVDs will still play/work on the new players. Most don't think it will. I listened to a woman and her daughter discuss it Tuesday and while I wasn't surprised that the mother didn't know and brought up the question, I was surprised her teenage daughter didn't know. Her daughter actually concluded with, it probably won't work b/c she had a gameboy and when the gameboy advance came out, the games for it wouldn't work on hers (or something along those lines).

Anyway, they both concluded that it WOULD NOT work and were upset at the thought at having to replace all their DVDs. The mother then went on about being tired of the upgrade cycle, having to replace cassettes with CDs, VHS tapes with DVDs, etc. and didn't want to have to replace all their DVDs with blu-rays. I didn't take the opportunity to tell them that the DVDs would work basically because I'm tired of needing to do so. They (retailers, BDA, studios, etc.) really need to address that IMO. That seems like an important first step that apparently isn't very clear to consumers yet.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by Grubert

You have a point. If 4% have a standalone now and 9% are likely to buy one, then people with a BD player will go from 4% to 13% - more than triple (and that's not counting the PS3).

Plus, that's not even considering the HDTV manufacturers plan on packaging BD players with TV purchases in the near future.

[slap_yo_mama]

Originally Posted by saprano

I dont like Surveys or %, i think there all bs they only talk to select few people. this does not repersent how everybody else feels.......fail.

Untrue.

Actually you only need around 2,500 people in a survey to project out to the population, assuming of course, you have adequate numbers of key demographic variables such as age, race and income level... But whatever

To me, this article is surprising because I've had HDTVs for years, and it seems crazy that anyone wouldn't - its time to hit the street. We need to evangelize on behalf of our chosen hobby/lifestyle and hopefully the greater number of buyers will give studios the impetus to release more titles cheaper.

Until the new thing comes out for us to early adopt!

[saprano]

Ok fine......you guys want ot start a blu-ray street team?

[blu2]

The article indicated 10% of HDTV owners have a Blu Ray player, and 14% of HDTV owners without a Blu Ray player are likely to buy one.

So that should yield 22.6% of HDTV owners having a Blu Ray player.

So that's not "bad".

One thing is that there are a lot of choices for HD viewing. Many people probably have HDTV for sports rather than movies. Others are mainly gamers. Others are satisfied with the mix of programming from Over The Air or Broadcast/subscription services. That's a lot of viewing options, and so there likely won't be a rush to buy Blu Ray players until it's a very easy (e.g. cheap) investment to make.

[sparksj]

Originally Posted by blu2

The article indicated 10% of HDTV owners have a Blu Ray player, and 14% of HDTV owners without a Blu Ray player are likely to buy one.

So that should yield 22.6% of HDTV owners having a Blu Ray player.

So that's not "bad".

One thing is that there are a lot of choices for HD viewing. Many people probably have HDTV for sports rather than movies. Others are mainly gamers. Others are satisfied with the mix of programming from Over The Air or Broadcast/subscription services. That's a lot of viewing options, and so there likely won't be a rush to buy Blu Ray players until it's a very easy (e.g. cheap) investment to make.

Still, when I bought my HDTV, I felt like I almost HAD to gt a HD player. I mean what's the point of getting an HDTV if you're not going to use it to it's potential. And using it for sports on cable doesn't really use it to it's full capability. It's like buying a Porsche and then never taking it out of 3rd gear... "It just don't make no sense"

[Bageara]

Originally Posted by sparksj

Still, when I bought my HDTV, I felt like I almost HAD to gt a HD player. I mean what's the point of getting an HDTV if you're not going to use it to it's potential. And using it for sports on cable doesn't really use it to it's full capability. It's like buying a Porsche and then never taking it out of 3rd gear... "It just don't make no sense"

I totally agree yet i know tons of people who have ugraded to a HDTV but arent recieving an HD signal they dont own HD player or even a games console! and dont intend to.

EH! whats the point

[CptGreedle]

Did you know 85% of all statistics are made up on the spot?

j/k
But really, these kinds of polls and statistics are just way to early for j6p.
Blu-ray is not the technology most ppl will want today, it is something they will want later. Like DVD, it will take at least a year for Blu-ray to gain the user base and lower the prices for that holiday season sales to really shine. Don't expect ANY major Blu-ray adoption until holidays of 2009 at the earliest.
We are ALL early adopters, still. Live with it. Not that many ppl have HDTVs, and fewer still have HD discs, meaning we are the elite, the pioneers. Sure we want this technology to be instantly popular, but it will never happen.
As long as Blu-ray continues to grow in sales (as it has been), it will stay around for a long time.
One statistic I'd like to see is what people think about downloaded HD content vs discs.

[JAGUAR1977]

When I bought a DVD player, two years after launch, few had even heard of the format.

These things have a habit of snowballing year on year.

We're impatient, but manufacturer's and studios concentrate their efforts on Q4

[MacHaggis]

I definitely see the need to have a lower-priced player. That would be a great incentive for people to switch to Blu-ray.

There is always room for higher-end devices, but, for now, we need lots of converts to make sure the format gets up to speed.

- Bogdan