Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[gand41f]

Originally Posted by Grubert

From Betanews

Grubert, do you have any idea how many scanned freebies went out with those?

enjoy
gandalf

[GTP]

Originally Posted by gand41f

I think the OP meant the players are going back.

Most stores will allow returns of opened players. $98 closeout items might be exceptions though.

I just feel really bad for those moms and dads who have to explain to their kids why they can't watch Rat or Cars on their shiny new player. They are the real victims of this pointless war.

enjoy
gandalf

Yep, Wally World has a full 90 day return policy for the players, which is plenty of time to figure out which movies will not be playable, and also plenty long enough to see the players freeeze up several times.

[Zyclone]

I think this a good example of the Car Sale

(some one else came up with this idea this is my view on it)

now days when you look at a ad for a car you have car right then you get the add stuff , free A/C , air bags etc all that extra free stuff that dealers throw in to get the sale.

so you sell a few cars right (in this case a HD DVD player and a bunch of free movies)

now what about the people that did'nt buy anything?

well these people say i won't buy now because if the dealer is offering all this free stuff now if i wait there will be more free stuff later.

so for all the people that did'nt buy HD players this time to get that sale later on the HD people are going to have to drop the price even lower or throw in more dvds.

hope it makes sense.

[JAGUAR1977]

We can slag Toshiba off all we like, but come on, the BDA need to offer us loyal Blu-ray consumers some help.

We're snapping up new releases left, right and centre, we're having to pay over the odds for hardware, we need some incentives to pass up on these HD-DVD players.

Give us a couple of BOGO's on catalougue titles, a $100+ price cut on lower end players, something.

[Zyclone]

There was just a large BOGO free sale so i doubt there going to hold other one soon.

the BDA offers you a massive libary of titles , solid hardware and software

and well great movies to boot.

plus they just introduced the cheaper ps3.

[JAGUAR1977]

Right now when HD-DVD hardware's $300 cheaper than the Blu-ray equivalent, and they've spent $150m securing Paramount and Transformers, another BOGO's the least they could offer.

There comes a point when they have to take a hit in the pocket to get hardware and/or software out there, even if it's only a week long special offer.

Blu-ray is pricing itself out of the market.

I'd snap up a second BD player at $300, nevermind $99, but $400-$500 is just too much, especially when HD-DVD offers free, exclusive titles, and, at the very least, is a decent DVD player.

[sohjonn]

transformers selling 190k
hd-dvd players outsell blu-ray (ps3 excluded)
hd-dvd attach rates greater than blu-ray (including ps3)

now this: 90k hd-dvd players sold.

are there any other numbers i can add to my collection?

[bhampton]

I recently recycled old obsolete computer hardware I had laying around and you pay by the pound because of chemicals and things in the hardware.

Toshiba can't throw these things in dumpsters and get away with it so they are avoiding recycling costs by nearly giving them away.

Oh,.. by the way,.. toshiba recently took over fabriacation of the cell processor used in the PS3 so they are in fact producing the worlds best selling Blu Ray player.

Giving this crap away is just part of their plan to get out of this mess early next year.

Of course, I feel bad for the suckers who buy into HD DUD, but they could have saved themselves all the trouble by just doing a little research before buying. Look before you leap.

-Brian

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by gand41f

Grubert, do you have any idea how many scanned freebies went out with those?

enjoy
gandalf

I don't think there were any at Wal-Mart. Don't know about Best Buy.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Grubert

From Betanews

Wal-Mart got 50,000 A2s, they sold more than 90% of their stock at $100 last I heard.

The rest between them got another 50,000 which they sold about 80%.

HD DVD sold about 80-90,000 players this weekend, but I don't think 80-90,000 new people own HD DVD players. The vast majority will have been sold to people who already own HD DVD or people looking to 'upgrade' from the piss-poor X360 add on experience.

[darkprime]

At my walmart, I saw many people buying 2 each of these players.

It would be awesome in a way if Sony could do a fire sale of $199 for the S300, but I doubt there are 100k of them just sitting in warehouses.

[galz]

Originally Posted by Maxell

I highly doubt it's 90,000, just like Transformers were early estimates at 190,000, which wind up being alot less.

And I know for a fact that Best Buy did not have many of these in stock, especially compared to Wal-mart. Wal-mart layed-away thousands of A2's for this sale, where as Best Buy basically price matched to clear out any remaining players in their stores. I work at Best Buy and our last A2 sold over a month ago. We now have the A3's.

Best Buy matched the price with what they had in stock, thier business website had another sale just for the A2 @$99 on Friday and once they went out of stock they still took orders for them and substituted the A3 for it.

[bhampton]

Hey,

I can't believe it took me a while to realize the ONLY reason this crap was $98 was it wouldn't sell for $99.

Now Toshiba has a plan to give away 180 of these with Star Trek,.. Gotta get rid of this crap somehow.

-Brian

[E-Dogg]

It's not surprising they are posting this like it's a victory for HD-DVD...


http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...op_90,000/1150

[teacher_man99]

Price is Blu-ray's problem. Many of the HDTV owners that I work with who have been sitting on the fence hopped off of it this past week for the HD A2. $99 is nothing to them. It's less than they are willing to lose at the casinos for a fun night out, so why would it bother them to risk it on HD DVD and get some of the movies they want. Blu-ray and the Blu-ray fanboys need to wake up, BD player prices are just too damn high.

[DAMNSAM77]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...op_90,000/1150

Report: Weekend Toshiba HD DVD Player Sales Top 90,000
Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 09:00 AM ET

Video Business is reporting record-breaking sales numbers for Toshiba's HD-A2 player following last Friday's price drops at Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

As we've previously reported, both big box retailers offered the entry-level 1080i HD DVD player at the record-low price of $99 late last week.


Quoting sources close to the retailers, VB estimates that 90,000 units were sold at top outlets, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Circuit City. According to the trade paper, that's nearly as many sales as the best-selling stand-alone Blu-ray Disc player (Sony's the $499 BDP-S300) has sold since its launch.

In a separate report, BetaNews estimated that 40,000 to 70,000 of the 90,000 units were sold at Wal-Mart alone.

Toshiba and the HD DVD Promotions Group have thus far declined comment on this past weekend's sales numbers, but if these numbers are accurate, here's betting we'll see some sort of official statement in the coming days. (END)

.....................................

----------------------------




I hate to say this but it looks like HDDVD had a good week afterall considering they probably increased their standalone sales by 30% atleast in just a couple of days. I think this may actually save them and buy them more time...I have a hard time not imagining over 100,000 HDDVD players sold last Friday (counting Amazon, Fry's and other unaccounted for retailers) wouldn't generate between 200,000 to 500,000 HDDVD movie sales in the next 3-6 months.

I just hope the BDA and all BD CE's and Studios are not putting all their eggs in the friggin PS3 basket.

This time calls for extreme measures, we need a $299 special on the new 40GB PS3's and at worst case a $249 BD players, some of you might not agree with me, but it would be stupid for the BDA to sit with their thumbs up their asses thinking they are holier than thou and that Q4 exclusive BD titles and a $399 PS3 will counteract a $99-$198 Toshiba HDDVD player, even at 1080i, most people won't even tell the difference.

Here is hoping that 50% or more of these players sold last Friday went into the bedrooms and basements of existing HDDVD player owners!

Sorry if I sound negative, everyone knows I am a die hard bluray supporter! But I am gonna tell you if your shit stinks! And right now BDA's doodoo stinks very much!

[DAMNSAM77]

I hate to say this but it looks like HDDVD had a good week afterall considering they probably increased their standalone sales by 30% atleast in just a couple of days. I think this may actually save them and buy them more time...I have a hard time not imagining over 100,000 HDDVD players sold last Friday (counting Amazon, Fry's and other unaccounted for retailers) wouldn't generate between 200,000 to 500,000 HDDVD movie sales in the next 3-6 months.

I just hope the BDA and all BD CE's and Studios are not putting all their eggs in the friggin PS3 basket.

This time calls for extreme measures, we need a $299 special on the new 40GB PS3's and at worst case a $249 BD players, some of you might not agree with me, but it would be stupid for the BDA to sit with their thumbs up their asses thinking they are holier than thou and that Q4 exclusive BD titles and a $399 PS3 will counteract a $99-$198 Toshiba HDDVD player, even at 1080i, most people won't even tell the difference.

Here is hoping that 50% or more of these players sold last Friday went into the bedrooms and basements of existing HDDVD player owners!

Sorry if I sound negative, everyone knows I am a die hard bluray supporter! But I am gonna tell you if your shit stinks! And right now BDA's doodoo stinks very much!

[Go Blu]

The problem with DUD players is that their sole purpose is a DUD player. No matter how much it costs. Every one is one too many.

Toshi sucks!
No one wanted the player before this sale. It was collecting dust everywhere.
They will have to have another closeout sale next year for all the A3's.

[DAMNSAM77]

Originally Posted by darkprime

At my walmart, I saw many people buying 2 each of these players.

It would be awesome in a way if Sony could do a fire sale of $199 for the S300, but I doubt there are 100k of them just sitting in warehouses.

Trust me, there are easily about a quarter million units of Sony BD players that could be part of a huge markdown campaign....So what if you lose a couple of hundred bucks on each player, FINE!!! BDA is spending MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ADVERTISING Online, on TV, in the Paper!!! How Good would a BLURAY AD look int he FUKKIN PAPER!!! NOTHING LOOKS GOOD IN THE PAPER!!!!

"HEY SONY/DISNEY EXEC's...I HAVE A GREAT IDEA!!! Lets PUT A 2 PAGE AD for Bluray and I DO BLU, BLU MAGIC BLA BLA BLA, and LETS USE SOME HIGH RES HD SHOTS OF POTC And RATAOULLIE and THEN PRINT IT ON CRAPPY NEWSPAPER paper!!! YEAH ITS GONNA LOOK WONDERFUL!!! BETTER YET, LETS SAVE SOME MONEY AND DO THE B&W option to show How Good BLuray looks in Black and White print!!!"

STOP THROWING ALL YOUR MONEY ON ADVERTISING AND USE SOME OF THAT CASH TO SUBSIDIZE THE IMMINENT LOSS in Standalone player sales!!! SELL THEM FOR $199-$249 or be prepared for the worst!

And Samsung can kiss my A$$ if they think High Defintion Movies and Blurays are just a niche! they obviously DO NOT BELONG in this GUTSY "Take no prisoners" FORMAT WAR! Lets Just have Sony and Disney Battle it out with Toshiba and Universal!!

Those 4 companies seem to the be the only ones on either sides attempting to make a difference!

I AM SO SICK OF THE FORMAT WAR!!! GGGRRRRRAAAAAHHH!!!

[DAMNSAM77]

Originally Posted by Go Blu

The problem with DUD players is that their sole purpose is a DUD player. No matter how much it costs. Every one is one too many.

Toshi sucks!
No one wanted the player before this sale. It was collecting dust everywhere.
They will have to have another closeout sale next year for all the A3's.

I hope you guys know something I don't....cuz you can call it a firesale all you want...until I hear some AWESOME bluray news (studios going blu, Toshiba throwing the towel...etc), I expect these 100,000+ HDDVD players to tilt the HDM sales scale....

I am a huge bluray supporter, but I am not blind...