Blu-ray to be mainstream next year

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by kefrank

I appreciate your semantic analysis, but the NPD study that the article references isn't about whether the term mainstream can be applied generally to Blu-ray as a technology. It's about whether or not Blu-ray usage has "penetrated the mainstream" consumer market. The mere availability of Blu-ray to consumers, while indirectly related, is still a separate thing.

There is no "mainstream" market (it'd be the homologous total of the market, impossible to measure), and if there was, they're counting the "mainstream" market as the less likely to convert members of the total market rather than being widely available to the total market. If a new technology can permeate in a way that all people are familiar with it but not for non-tech minded people who will never want it, is that not mainstream?

Think of it this way. A small arthouse movie gets picked up for distribution by Disney and gets a wide release. This movie can now be called mainstream regardless of how much money it actually makes, regardless of how it actually appeals to the market. It's the wide release that defines it, and frankly, Blu-ray is almost as wide as it can get.

It all just comes down to them using a term incorrectly to define market penetration. I guess it's somewhat forgivable with them explaining what they mean by it and the fact that there is no word I know of for what they're trying to describe, but it's unfortunate to see them using terms haphazardly like that.

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

It all just comes down to them using a term incorrectly to define market penetration. I guess it's somewhat forgivable with them explaining what they mean by it and the fact that there is no word I know of for what they're trying to describe, but it's unfortunate to see them using terms haphazardly like that.

This is really the only point I disagree with you on. I don't believe they're using the term "mainstream" incorrectly. They're just using it differently than you. The NPD study is about Blu-ray usage "penetrating the mainstream." "Mainstream" as a noun means the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend according to at least one dictionary and that's exactly the way they use it. Blu-ray usage has not yet become the dominant course or tendency, but it is quickly headed there. Seems accurate to me.

[phatrat1982]

>>Blu-ray is already mainstream. It's commonly available in non-specialty stores (did you ever see Laserdiscs at Kmart?) and it appears commonly in standard advertising directed not at a niche market, but at the general public at-large.<<


Maybe if you live in a BIG city, our Local K-mart only ever has 5 Blu Ray movies at a time, only sells 2 players, 1 sony player and the PS3 that's IT. Our Wal-Mart even doesn't have a full fledged Blu Ray section yet the few movies they do carry, which is less than 20 TOTAL, are set up nxext to the players which are set up next to Upscaling DVD players too.

I do not think it is true 'mainstream' just yet. In fact I personally only know 2 other people who even own Blu Ray players, and they are BOTH PS3's I'm currently the only one with a set top player.

Out of all of the stores in town that sell Blu Ray here is the break down,


Wal-mart- less than 20 all bunched up near the players.

K-Mart a small bin of 5 movies at the end of the PS3 isle (next to the UMD movies also)

Shop Ko- a total of 30 movies, all set aside in their own section but right next to DVD New Releases, currently they do not even stock New Release Blu Rays (store manager says they won't until the ones they have sell out) the newest BR they offer is Marley and Me and that's a 3-pack BRD, DVD, Digital Copy pack.


Best Buy- largest selection in town, has a full isle devoted to just Blu and 2 large stand alone bins plus 1 rack up front in the impulse section which has a bout 5 or so movies all 2 packs.

Hastings- our ONLY movie rental store that stocks Blu and they have 1 half isle devoted to the format and it's mixed in with PS3 games.

Out of the five pawn shops we have 1 sells HD-DVD's, no Blu Ray and says he won't support Blu because HD-DVD died and he expects blu to also. (he also won't sell Wii games because they're Nintendo and he got burned on GC but whatever his loss)

Target is like Wal-mart except they don't have a Blu section just random movies mixed in with the DVD's and 1 end of the New Release isle has a few blus.

Fred Meyer (our Kroger store) has blu rays in the very back of the store where you have to ask about or you won't find them. They have very, very few.

We have 1, only 1, furniture store that also sells tv's and blu ray and they have a few movies to help sell the players, the other rent to own stores only sell PS3 or Home Theater in a Box as far as blu Ray goes and both of those stores only have the same exact player. which is a $600 players at their price so it ain't selling fast.

And that is it, if I want to find Blu's any where else i have to drive all the way to Boise, which is TOO FAR.

It is not mainstream yet sure to msot of us it appears that way but go into a Flying J or a Smiths and ask for Blu Rays and see what kind of looks you get.

Granted our K-mart has always sucked the fact that even Wal-Mart don't carry many tells me in our area it's not penetrated the market just yet.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by phatrat1982

Maybe if you live in a BIG city, our Local K-mart only ever has 5 Blu Ray movies at a time, only sells 2 players, 1 sony player and the PS3 that's IT. Our Wal-Mart even doesn't have a full fledged Blu Ray section yet the few movies they do carry, which is less than 20 TOTAL, are set up nxext to the players which are set up next to Upscaling DVD players too.

Regardless of how much each store has, it IS available in mainstream markets. I may be wrong, but I never saw laserdisc, sacd, or dvda at places like Kmart or Walmart.