Should BDA carry the brunt of HD DVD's demise and give reparation to supporters?

[bhampton]

I say next time there is a BOGO,.. let the HD DUD-ers buy some Blu Rays too.



There could be a trade in program for HD DUD's but I think it's a bad plan. Just throw those things out. They should have never existed but the world is full of suckers so these things happen.

I bet my Gamestop would buy back HD DUDs. And Ebay values may hold up for a little while.

-Brian

[Ispoke]

Looks like this is the BDA's offer



Hmmm. wouldn't mind one myself

[eat_me_cool]

I do think Warner should consider a disc swap for a nominal fee, say $3-4 per disc plus S&H. That would cover production costs and get more customers on board.

It would also encourage other studio to switch sooner or later if they feel obliged to match the scheme. The longer they wait the more it would cost them

[bageleaterkkjji]

Originally Posted by eat_me_cool

I do think Warner should consider a disc swap for a nominal fee, say $3-4 per disc plus S&H. That would cover production costs and get more customers on board.

It would also encourage other studio to switch sooner or later if they feel obliged to match the scheme. The longer they wait the more it would cost them

how would that cover production costs they get nothing in return and lose the difference from 3-4$ to the msrp on every movie that gets return that almost as stupid as giving people a free 300 gift certificate for a blu ray player. im sure their business incentive isnt to give away free money..and have a garbage bin full of hddvds that are useless...if anyone is paying someone back (which they shouldnt) it should be toshiba because im not sure what days blu ray and hddvd came out but once they saw blu ray they should have called it quits and they would be making money since then and not losing it..and not feeding people crap about superior technology

[Zazou]

I can both see both sides of the argument, so it will be very interesting to see what, if anything the BDA has up its sleeves. I wonder if any reference will be made to it during this evenings presentation?

As the saying goes, you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

Lee

[Bombthroat]

Hopefully not. Why should HD DVD supporters be rewarded for choosing the lossing format? They had all the same data we did to make their decision and made their choice. Now they need to live with that choice.

If they couldn't afford to loose then they should not be early adopters of new technology. Especially when there are competing formats involved.

It's not like their current player is likely to suddenly stop working or anything. Should be able to pick up players on eBay for even less than the $98 fire sale price Toshiba was selling them new for to be used as a backup unit.

OR

You they can continue to believe the spin from Toshiba, who claims their format is in fact, not dead.

So why should the BDA give anyone anything for free? HD DVD is alive and strong, just ask Toshiba.

[owa]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

The bottom line for me, though, is everyone either knew or should have known that they were taking a chance buying into a format when there was a competing one. People need to take responsibility for their own choices and not rely on handouts/bailouts when those choices turn out to be wrong.

I agree but it sounds like they might get an olive branch anyway. Doesn't seem all that fair to me though but I guess I should wait to see what happens first (if anything).

[Seabass]

Subsidizing HD-DVD buyers? Corporation's goals are to maintain a steady profit to please it's shareholders and to employ as many people as possible in order to remain productive.

In order to subsidize those poor fellows studios/retailers either cut into profits (Give away your product for free) or raise your rates to account for the subsidization.

Do you actually want movie studios to jack up prices of their product (Blue Ray buyers should suffer for supporting the winning format?)/cut jobs/piss off their shareholders so they can play bleeding heart for HD-DVD buyers?

[camper]

I think this is a stupid idea all the way around, and here's why:

• Early adopters know there is a risk, and if they don't then laziness or ignorance should not be rewarded. Neither should impatience.
  
• There is no free lunch. Someone will have to pay for it, and if they get a $5.00 coupon than someone else at some point is going to have to make up the difference.
  
• The players and discs will still work exactly as advertised: They got what they paid for, and buyers will continue to get what they paid for. Technology has a limited life anyway, it's not like an HD-DVD player is expected to work for the next 50 years. So long as the HD-DVD player is operational, it will upconverst standard DVD's and play all their HD-DVD formatted media as advertised, and as promised.
  
• If HD-DVD buyers are shown to be true HDM proponants (and not format loyalists) they will make the move on their own: They will not need to be bribed over to Blu Ray.
  
• The only websites that recommended a person purchase an HD-DVD player (or Blu-Ray) were those that had declared that it would be the dominant format. NOBODY recommended both be purchased, and the vast majority of sites catering to consumers suggested that nothing be purchased until a clear winner is decided.
  
• Many HD-DVD adopters got $99 players. Some got 10 free movies. Many (if not most) got 5 free. They right now can get 5-10 free BD movies if they buy a player now. They have gotten, and will get, incentives for making the move right now.

If anything were to be done, I think offering people who own the standard version of a film a coupon for the Blu Ray version (or even a disc exchange at a discount) is the wiser move to make and will do far more to get HDM into the hands of the average consumer; which is what needs to happen in order to make HDM more viable - single format or not.

HD-DVD adopters will continue to purchase HDM in whatever format, just like Blu Ray adopters. If they're not willing to because of the war and they'd rather have nothing than buy Blu Ray, then a coupon won't win them over to begin with.

~Camper

[phranctoast]

this idea seems pretty stupid at first and almost spits in the face of the early blu ray adopters.

After thinking about it though. Maybe trading in their hddvd player for a $100 voucher for a blu ray player and some movies wouldnt be a terrible idea.

They will reuse a lot of the components so its really no skin off their back.

[JackStraw]

Originally Posted by Bombthroat

Hopefully not. Why should HD DVD supporters be rewarded for choosing the lossing format? They had all the same data we did to make their decision and made their choice. Now they need to live with that choice.

If they couldn't afford to loose then they should not be early adopters of new technology. Especially when there are competing formats involved.

It's not like their current player is likely to suddenly stop working or anything. Should be able to pick up players on eBay for even less than the $98 fire sale price Toshiba was selling them new for to be used as a backup unit.

I fully agree. Some bought into blu ray just before Paramount jumped ship. They had titles announced and cover art for them on display, only to yank everything away without even honoring what they had offered. None of the red crowd were standing up saying that it wasn't fair, they were too busy looking to do a graveyard dance. For all the years I supported laserdisc I wasn't offered a thing when Panasonic decided to cease production of LD players in favor of DVD.

HD DVD's will continue to work in their players. Their players will continue to work as well. Everyone saw the same warning signs, the red side chose to ignore it. Who's fault was it that they made poor buying decisions, the BDA?

It was a gamble for both sides and when you gamble you have to be prepared to lose. The gamble for the HD DVD side lost. If anything they should be happy that Warner is still willing to honor what they've announced for that format...unlike Paramount who was all too quick to just take away.

[jw]

I am still waiting on my buyback program for my ps1 games, ps2 games,vhs tapes, cassettes I have, and anything else I have bought into that I lost money on....



Hey wait i think I will sue GM because my Tahoe is worth less than when i bought it new.

Get real dude, You were an early adopter. Bad gamble on your part. Enjoy the movies, they still play

[iceman]

A way for Toshiba to show that they care about their customers is to give/trade/discount a BD player to their old HD DVD buyers.

It would be big of the BDA to offer the previous HD DVD owners something, but it's really not necessary.

[Bullseye]

I agree. Alot of the HD-DVD collectors are talking about continuing to purchase HD-DVD movies. And you really think these people deserve the BDA handout.

Originally Posted by camper

I think this is a stupid idea all the way around, and here's why:

• Early adopters know there is a risk, and if they don't then laziness or ignorance should not be rewarded. Neither should impatience.
  
• There is no free lunch. Someone will have to pay for it, and if they get a $5.00 coupon than someone else at some point is going to have to make up the difference.
  
• The players and discs will still work exactly as advertised: They got what they paid for, and buyers will continue to get what they paid for. Technology has a limited life anyway, it's not like an HD-DVD player is expected to work for the next 50 years. So long as the HD-DVD player is operational, it will upconverst standard DVD's and play all their HD-DVD formatted media as advertised, and as promised.
  
• If HD-DVD buyers are shown to be true HDM proponants (and not format loyalists) they will make the move on their own: They will not need to be bribed over to Blu Ray.
  
• The only websites that recommended a person purchase an HD-DVD player (or Blu-Ray) were those that had declared that it would be the dominant format. NOBODY recommended both be purchased, and the vast majority of sites catering to consumers suggested that nothing be purchased until a clear winner is decided.
  
• Many HD-DVD adopters got $99 players. Some got 10 free movies. Many (if not most) got 5 free. They right now can get 5-10 free BD movies if they buy a player now. They have gotten, and will get, incentives for making the move right now.

If anything were to be done, I think offering people who own the standard version of a film a coupon for the Blu Ray version (or even a disc exchange at a discount) is the wiser move to make and will do far more to get HDM into the hands of the average consumer; which is what needs to happen in order to make HDM more viable - single format or not.

HD-DVD adopters will continue to purchase HDM in whatever format, just like Blu Ray adopters. If they're not willing to because of the war and they'd rather have nothing than buy Blu Ray, then a coupon won't win them over to begin with.

~Camper

[CptGreedle]

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

I think it's a great idea. Sure they might get a better deal than us, but they also have to deal with loosing their format! Granted not all HD DVD users will take advantage of it, even those who would use Blu-ray would still keep their HD DVD players and movies... but it is a good way to get those j6p users who didn't know any better to get into Blu-ray!

[bageleaterkkjji]

Originally Posted by CptGreedle

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

I think it's a great idea. Sure they might get a better deal than us, but they also have to deal with loosing their format! Granted not all HD DVD users will take advantage of it, even those who would use Blu-ray would still keep their HD DVD players and movies... but it is a good way to get those j6p users who didn't know any better to get into Blu-ray!

or not ..its not going to happen..what company is going to hand out free money...this thread sucks why do i keep posting in it lol..btw im sure people who say this is a good idea probably also have an hddvd player and just want free money

[Luis_A51]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

I may start a new thread on this (and started one at HTF), but insiders:

Any chance that the BDA/WB will offer an olive-branch to HD DVD consumers who've stood by Warner and invested money in a format Warner has just revoked? If the BDA were to offer a $300 credit towards a BD player, for instance, it would go a long way to gaining the loyalty and good-will of consumers who have ALREADY DEMONSTRATED they are HD DISC COLLECTORS.

That $300 will come back 100 fold over the next 5-10 years. I think it's important to help smooth the obvious frustration HD DVD consumers must be feeling right now, and make the transition to blu as painless as possible. These folks have invested $$$ in HD DVD and now is not the time to ignore their feelings after closing the lid on their format.

Worst thread ever.

$300? Are you kidding? For what? Of those 750k HDDVD players sold, how many are to owners of multiple machines, how many are to neutral users, and how many are currently on ebay? So that leaves how many REAL hddvd-only supporters? Maybe 500k? Those consumers will eventually switch to blu ray, and if they dont who really cares? There are tens of millions of dvd players out there in NA alone, and you're worried about a few hundred thousand hddvd owners? Better to lower prices as a whole than to "extend the olive branch" to a few hddvd owners.

[bageleaterkkjji]

Originally Posted by Luis_A51

Worst thread ever..

+2

[Luis_A51]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Drinkmore,

I'm not the one who needs to put down anything I'm drinking.

This is a very special situation: a company (Warner) has been producing two competing products and promoting them both... actively. Then they not only pull the plug on one format in their own production houses, but in so doing the effectively kill the format completely, and instantly their decision leave many of THEIR OWN customers out in the cold... customers who are the very CORE high-definition disc collectors that will help drive their future sales.

Seems that some sort of action to make the transition less painful would be one of the best investments that the company could make.



That's because Paramount's actions didn't kill the BD Format. It just prolonged the war a little longer.

Warner just KILLED HD DVD, and rendered the whole-sale collections of its HD DVD consumers obsolete in one fell blow.

Big difference. It should be obvious.

While some HDDVD supporters might be stunned that HDDVD ultimately lost (blind? deaf? dumb maybe?) EVERYONE knew that 1 format would likely die in the end. So while they might be shocked that their format lost, they HAD TO HAVE KNOWN IT WAS A POSSIBILITY. SO no, I dont feel sorry for them, and neither should the BDA. Even if they did, $300 is far, far, far too much money. Maybe $25-50 credit when they turn in an existing player. Otherwise whats to stop people from buying an A1 or A2 for less than $100 and trading that in?

These early adopters are movie lovers, and no they wont stop buying movies. Period.

[bageleaterkkjji]

Originally Posted by Luis_A51

While some HDDVD supporters might be stunned that HDDVD ultimately lost (blind? deaf? dumb maybe?) EVERYONE knew that 1 format would likely die in the end. So while they might be shocked that their format lost, they HAD TO HAVE KNOWN IT WAS A POSSIBILITY. SO no, I dont feel sorry for them, and neither should the BDA. Even if they did, $300 is far, far, far too much money. Maybe $25-50 credit when they turn in an existing player. Otherwise whats to stop people from buying an A1 or A2 for less than $100 and trading that in?

These early adopters are movie lovers, and no they wont stop buying movies. Period.

not even 25-50 the only thing the bda should do is tell people who bought hddvd is "heres a quarter call someone who cares"