Archived: Ask the Insiders: Judgment Day Edition

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

Interesting theory. Makes as much sense as anything.

How nice to think Toshiba is using 100,000s of consumers as expendable pawns.

Is Sony supposed to also pay to give all those people a discounted Blu-ray player too?

And does anyone think the consumer won't ultimately pay for all of it?

Gary

[RUR]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

How nice to think Toshiba is using 100,000s of consumers as expendable pawns.

Is Sony supposed to also pay to give all those people a discounted Blu-ray player too?

And does anyone think the consumer won't ultimately pay for all of it?

Gary

Of course they will and it's quite ironic that the format which touts itself as "consumer friendly" is ready, willing and able to shaft thousands of those hapless consumers.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

How nice to think Toshiba is using 100,000s of consumers as expendable pawns.

Is Sony supposed to also pay to give all those people a discounted Blu-ray player too?

And does anyone think the consumer won't ultimately pay for all of it?

Gary

THAT ^^^ is the truth, and it is a SHAME! It really angers me to see the people that truly care about HD optical media being taken for a "ride".

[blitz6speed]

I do not understand the Uproar. If Uni/Paramount were going to decide something quickly, they would have announced by now. Uni is in talks, Paramount knows they are idiots and will be back soon, all toshiba is doing is buying more time to clear out the warehouses. No big deal. Its all over, everyone knows it, the damage done is irreversable. So just kick back and wait for the dominos to fall. I couldnt be more happy with where BD is headed and i really had major doubts a while back, like a lot of others have had also. Who cares what toshiba does with their players.

[JasonR]

I just hope anyone investing in HDM has the sense to do some research....

[davidPS3]

I said this on another thread. I just hope that the BDA does not buckle and pay off Tosh to step out of the war or pay the last remaining studios to switch. I think the war is pretty much over and it is only a matter of time before everyone over there raises a white flag and say's it over, but I sure hope there is no pay offs.

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

O.K., I read what Bill wrote……or at least the post here……………
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...80&postcount=1

I think that’s accurate (at least for one studio) but, in the grand scheme of things it don’t mean diddly.
It’s sort of like in the movies when right after a person dies sometimes you see the corpse have those muscle twitches and such.

The person is still dead, even though the corpse is moving slightly.
Plus, I completely agree with one of our mods here…………….
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=11

Later.

After reading this post and about 4 pages worth of todays insider stuff. I see a common in trend on comments about where Universal is at and going and how long it will take, and also a trend in the Paramount comments.

Granted it may not be what some people hoped, but I feel its headed in a great direction.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by JasonS

Or the BDA and Sony could go with option B and let their disc sales and player sales pound Toshiba into the ground and make them look like the idiots they are. Then retailers will just drop them and they don't have to write a massive check to Toshiba. Toshiba has completely ruined their brand image for me and all my relatives. NO ONE in my family will ever buy anything with Toshiba branded on it again.

Yes, and this is exactly what I expect to happen.

I am sure that this is what Bill Hunt was referring to when he described it as a risky strategy.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I just hope anyone investing in HDM has the sense to do some research....

I think my opinion on this is pretty well known, which is that anyone buying into a new format should do a minimum of research to know what they are getting into. If they don't, I feel no pity for them at all.

However, with Toshiba's apparent new drastic hail mary, scorched earth policy on player pricing, I think it is obvious that consumers will be less likely to do their homework when they can pick one of these players up for little more than a regular DVD player!

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

I think my opinion on this is pretty well known, which is that anyone buying into a new format should do a minimum of research to know what they are getting into. If they don't, I feel no pity for them at all.

However, with Toshiba's apparent new drastic hail mary, scorched earth policy on player pricing, I think it is obvious that consumers will be less likely to do their homework when they can pick one of these players up for little more than a regular DVD player!

That is true. When you can get one for the price of an upconverting DVD player and you're in the market, it might seem like a logical choice.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by blitz6speed

I do not understand the Uproar. If Uni/Paramount were going to decide something quickly, they would have announced by now. Uni is in talks, Paramount knows they are idiots and will be back soon, all toshiba is doing is buying more time to clear out the warehouses. No big deal. Its all over, everyone knows it, the damage done is irreversable. So just kick back and wait for the dominos to fall. I couldnt be more happy with where BD is headed and i really had major doubts a while back, like a lot of others have had also. Who cares what toshiba does with their players.

Remember how many MONTHS that so many of us were moaning about Warner not going completely Blu? Well now we may need to wait some more months before it's all over. Who is going to be hurt the most by the delay? Not us. Not any studio or other company already supporting Blu.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by JasonS

Or the BDA and Sony could go with option B and let their disc sales and player sales pound Toshiba into the ground and make them look like the idiots they are. Then retailers will just drop them and they don't have to write a massive check to Toshiba. Toshiba has completely ruined their brand image for me and all my relatives. NO ONE in my family will ever buy anything with Toshiba branded on it again.

That's exactly what I've been saying and what I hope to see happen. If I were the BDA, I would tell all three of them to....

Also, who does Toshiba think they are anyway? They have proven through their business practices that they are dirt and slime. To this very day this inferior product has only existed because of MS, payoffs, FUD, and massive subsidizing - they have never achieved legitmate success with this DUD product.

[Proteus]

Toshiba makes the bulk of it's money from DVD.

It's worth it to them to spam HDDVD marketing all over just to maintain DVD residuals.

Without DVD, they have nothing. This is why their stock went down 34%'ish in the last QUARTER alone.

If you believe the latest marketing research on HDM vs. DVD, you may notice that it indicates an 85% penetration within only a few years.

That is fast.

Toshiba can not allow that.

That is why they are pushing upconverting instead of HDM. With Blu-ray as the clear format going in, they must try to maintain DVD as much as possible and thwart HDM penetration at all costs.

You watch. You will see a lot of 'upconverting is good enough' type messages in the coming months.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

That's exactly what I've been saying and what I hope to see happen. If I were the BDA, I would tell all three of them....

Also, who does Toshiba think they are anyway? They have proven through their business practices that they are dirt and slime. To this very day this inferior product has only existed because of MS, payoffs, FUD, and subsidizing - they have never achieved legitmate success with this DUD product.

They don't want to be quitters. Toshitba is just too stupid to know when to give up. They are the ones being hurt the most now. Not Sony.

[Nick Graham]

I guess at this point the question is if the BDA will wait for the death blow of Warner to bleed out, or open up the coffers and hurry up and end it. I guess so long as Paramount still jumps soon it is no biggie, but if they hold fast like Universal is, I'm hesitant to get cocky.

I just don't want anymore nasty surprises like Paramount's initial jump - the longer the hold-outs drag their feet, the more I am going to fear such surprises.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Nick Graham

I guess at this point the question is if the BDA will wait for the death blow of Warner to bleed out, or open up the coffers and hurry up and end it. I guess so long as Paramount still jumps soon it is no biggie, but if they hold fast like Universal is, I'm hesitant to get cocky.

I just don't want anymore nasty surprises like Paramount initial jump - the longer the hold-outs drag their feet, the more I am going to fear such surprises.

It would be cheaper (well, in relative terms ) to payoff Paramount /Dreamworks now. Have To$h and Uni bite the bullet. They will have no choice in the matter!

[OokieSpookie]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

That's exactly what I've been saying and what I hope to see happen. If I were the BDA, I would tell all three of them to....

Also, who does Toshiba think they are anyway? They have proven through their business practices that they are dirt and slime. To this very day this inferior product has only existed because of MS, payoffs, FUD, and massive subsidizing - they have never achieved legitmate success with this DUD product.

I disagree.
It is in blu's best interest to get this over with and also in the best interest of HDM in general.
(Let me add that I do not think that this is Toshiba's thinking at all. Universal and Paramount possibly but Toshiba is just being scum)

[thebluemax]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I just hope anyone investing in HDM has the sense to do some research....

The way I feel if someone is dumb enough to buy a HD-DEAD player that is there loss.

I think the BDA should do nothing else but promote BLU-RAY. HD-DEAD can not survive with Two Studios let Tosh, Uni and Para***** wallow in their own ignorance, and I would not give them a damn penny, instead they should pay the BDA to be allowed to publish in BLU-RAY.

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by thebluemax

The way I feel if someone is dumb enough to buy a HD-DEAD player that is there loss.

Kind of my opinion too...

I don't think J6P is even a factor yet.

[sj001]

I think one of the 2 studios, not sure which one, will announce something in the next few weeks. Penton kinda hinted that ONE of them was delayed by Toshiba but maybe not the other. The slate for HD-DVD releases is virtually empty, they are going to get POUNDED into the ground in sales, and especially with all the WB news, people are going to be dropping HD-DVD like a hot potato.

I'm sure the BDA is doing all it can to make things happen. After all, the WB deal was going on behind the scenes since September, and everyone was wringing their hands over that (myself included), and it turned out good. My gut tells me this will be all but over come Spring.