HD-DVD IS really desperate

[Slapper]

I think some of us here are forgetting about the software altogether and have narrowed their field of vision to the player prices so much that they fail to see the bigger picture. Without big-name titles on the shelves, even if Toshiba manages to double it's install base by the end of the year, what movies are these newbie HD-DVD folks going to be able to purchase? Transformers, Bourne 3, Shrek 3, Potter, Ocean's. Those are the big titles for the 4th quarter for HD-DVD and will probably make around 30-50% of ALL their software sales for the quarter.

Blu-ray has Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four 2, Pirates 3, Ratatouille, Simpsons, Superbad, Harry Potter, Ocean's, Die Hard 4, Rush Hour 3. These are just the day-and-dates that I feel will move big numbers. We also have a very strong back catalog of new releases like Close Encounters, Die Hard 1-3, ID4, Cars, and more.

A cheapo $98 player could help Blu-ray (yes, I'm stretching a little bit, but stay with me for a minute). These people will get this HD-DVD player home, along with a big-name title like Transformers and they will be "WOW"d. The next time they're out they might say, "hey, I'm going to pick up another hi-def movie." They go to the shelves, thinking "maybe I'll get Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3, or Simpsons" only to find that they are NOT available on HD-DVD. $98 was such a huge savings on the HD-DVD player, spending $300-400 on a Blu-ray player, after they've had a taste of hi-def, will be worth it for many of these folks so that they can enjoy ALL the movies that they like in hi-def.

That $98 player opened up these people to the world of hi-def and it may help to expand HDM as a whole, not just HD-DVD.