Sad stuff (why the PE HD DVD is doing so well on Amazon)

[baccusboy]

This is really hilarious.

[DrinkMore]

Pathetic. There are more stupid people in this world than I thought.

I suppose the following notice that is on EVERY HD product page - went un-noticed..

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This disc is a high-definition DVD and is compatible only with HD DVD players such as the Toshiba HD-A2. It will not play on a standard DVD player. For more information, see our HD DVD buying guide.

I blame nobody except the consumer for not reading and not being smarter than a damn animal cookie.

[jubaiweaponx]

omg this is too funny its sad really wonder if anybody copied that post and posted it on the AVS forum yet lol .....zealots ...its a shame really some players might actually sell because of this ..ugh

[reiella]

That's the price HD-DVD pays for having the DVD recogonition...

Alot of bitterness for Retail shops.

[GasCat]

Interesting idea on why the sales are much higher. I think they added the warnings within the past few months. They need some brand recognition. I bet they are still making a hefty profit even with the returns.

[PeterTHX]

Even the disclaimer has problems:
Those of us with retail/electronics customer experience know that a LOT of folks think that HD DVD means an upconverting (HDMI) DVD player!
"I'd like one of those high-definition DVD players...", shows them an A2 for $499, "no, no, one of THOSE" (points to a Sony or Samsung HDMI output player for $99).."those HD players".

I keep pointing this out to the idiots who say HD DVD is better because it has the name. People KNOW Blu-ray is a completely different format, hence the FUD that BD players are not DVD compatible.

BTW: those are usually the same idiots who think PORN will win them the format war too.

[msallaq]

omg im gonna shut my self.

[blurayforever143]

Between confusing discs for regular DVD's, having to boil discs to get them to work, having little to no new releases or blockbusters, and running on buggy hardware, I think Blu-Ray's price will be forever justified.

I don't think even the most clueless consumer will stand for it. "HD-DVD" is a scam plain and simple, and anyone who buys/bought into it IS A VICTIM, and would feel such a sigh of relief once they go blu.

[Chris Beveridge]

This is something I talked about a fair bit back about two years ago over on AVS. I'm surprised it hasn't happened more...

[CJS234]

hey I got a bunch of VHS tapes if you wanna try those on your DVD player...

ROFL!!!

[Rup_Muk]

First off, this is funny - in a very perverted way.

But, let me pose this question - hopefully hypothetical:

A person buys the HD-DVD version of PE - cannot play it on the existant SD player - calls Amazon and *****es about it. Amazon sales rep says - OK won't play on your SD player - you need a HD-DVD player. Said person asks how much it costs - gets a reply "Oh we're running a special right now - you buy 7 disks - and pretty much get the player for free"

How many of you think:
1. Said person buys HD-DVD player?
2. Says, "no thanks, I'll return these disks - you send me the SD version"?
3. Keeps the HD-DVD disks (PE is not combo) as coasters?

Rup.

[Sane]

Originally Posted by Rup_Muk

A person buys the HD-DVD version of PE - cannot play it on the existant SD player - calls Amazon and *****es about it. Amazon sales rep says - OK won't play on your SD player - you need a HD-DVD player. Said person asks how much it costs - gets a reply "Oh we're running a special right now - you buy 7 disks - and pretty much get the player for free"

How many of you think:
1. Said person buys HD-DVD player?
2. Says, "no thanks, I'll return these disks - you send me the SD version"?
3. Keeps the HD-DVD disks (PE is not combo) as coasters?

Rup.

And for those who go with option 1, how many make another call to Amazon the next week:
"I just got my new player but you sent me the wrong cables! My tv has red and white inputs - but not green and blue. What gives?"

[Merrick]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

Pathetic. There are more stupid people in this world than I thought.

I suppose the following notice that is on EVERY HD product page - went un-noticed..

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This disc is a high-definition DVD and is compatible only with HD DVD players such as the Toshiba HD-A2. It will not play on a standard DVD player. For more information, see our HD DVD buying guide.

I blame nobody except the consumer for not reading and not being smarter than a damn animal cookie.

DrinkMore - not so much. I was pretty sure you were right, but I wanted to see for myself if it was prominently displayed (as your bolded 60 point script might suggest) or hidden in the fine print somewhere. So I went looking. What I am adding below is every peice of ascii text that appears in the product description window on Amazon down to but not including customer comments and reviews (with only my personal information removed) and after that the same thing for the final checkout page. Never saw the text you've posted anywhere.

There was an important note that this version is narrated by Richard Attenborough - presumbly so that people can't compain if they don't hear Sigourney Weaver's voice as in many of the broadcasts.

I'm less critical of these folks now that I took a closer look. Where did you find that text posted?

Prime
Member: Merrick
Merrick: This item is eligible for Amazon Prime. Click here to turn on 1-Click and make Prime even better for you.(With 1-Click enabled, you can always use the regular shopping cart as well)

Quantity: 1

or

Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.


More Buying Choices

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

35 used & new from $58.81

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

Have one to sell?

See larger image

Share your own customer images

Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]

Starring: David Attenborough Rating

(117 customer reviews)
117 Reviews
5 star: (93)
4 star: (11)
3 star: (4)
2 star: (1)
1 star: (8)

See all 117 customer reviews...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List Price: $99.98
Price: $66.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $33.03 (33%)


Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.


Want it delivered Friday, June 15? Order it in the next 8 hours and 14 minutes, and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. See details


35 used & new available from $58.81


Format: HD DVD
• Other formats available: DVD, Blu-ray


• Note: this edition features the original narration by David Attenborough


• Get up to seven free HD DVDs when you buy a Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player and either The Ultimate Matrix Collection or The Complete Matrix Trilogy on HD DVD. See offer details

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

Other Versions and Languages

Other Versions (DVD) List Price Price Other Offers:
DVD Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series $79.98 $53.99 56 used & new from $49.99

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

Better Together
Buy this DVD with Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series DVD ~ David Attenborough today!
Total List Price: $179.96
Buy Together Today: $120.94

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

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?
64% buy the item featured on this page:Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD] DVD ~ David Attenborough $66.95

28% buy Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series DVD ~ David Attenborough $53.99

4% buy Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray] DVD ~ David Attenborough $66.95

3% buy The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set (Parts 1-4) DVD ~ Alastair Fothergill $31.99

2% buy Happy Feet (Full Screen Edition) DVD ~ Voice of Robin Williams $19.99


Explore similar items

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

Plot Summary

Genres: Documentary

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Details

Actors: David Attenborough
Format: Color, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 4
Rating
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: April 24, 2007
Run Time: 550 minutes
Average Customer Review: based on 117 reviews. (Write a review.)
ASIN: B000MRAAJW
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

(Studios: Improve Your Sales)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? (We'll ask you to sign in so we can get back to you)

For more information about "Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Theatrical Release Information


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fun Facts from IMDb.com


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

Editorial Reviews


************************************************** ************************************************** **********************************

Choose your shipping options
Your order contains items from multiple sellers. Please review all options below.

Shipping Details (Learn more)

Choose a shipping speed:

Standard Shipping
Two-Day Shipping --get it Monday, June 18!
One-Day Shipping --get it tomorrow Friday, June 15!

Items: Need to ?
Shipping to: MerricK
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD] - David Attenborough
$66.95 - Quantity: 1 - In Stock
Condition: new
Sold by: Amazon.com

Shipping to: Merrick
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD] - David Attenborough
$66.95 - Quantity: 1 - In Stock
Condition: new
Sold by: Amazon.com Choose a shipping speed:

Standard Shipping (3-5 business days)
Two-Day Shipping --get it Monday, June 18!
One-Day Shipping --get it tomorrow Friday, June 15!

Shipping Details: Beach Audio (Learn more)


Choose a shipping speed:

Standard
Expedited

[Blu-Ray Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Rup_Muk

First off, this is funny - in a very perverted way.

But, let me pose this question - hopefully hypothetical:

A person buys the HD-DVD version of PE - cannot play it on the existant SD player - calls Amazon and *****es about it. Amazon sales rep says - OK won't play on your SD player - you need a HD-DVD player. Said person asks how much it costs - gets a reply "Oh we're running a special right now - you buy 7 disks - and pretty much get the player for free"

How many of you think:
1. Said person buys HD-DVD player?
2. Says, "no thanks, I'll return these disks - you send me the SD version"?
3. Keeps the HD-DVD disks (PE is not combo) as coasters?

Rup.

Rep then adds, "Oh, and we're also tossing in a boiling pot and potholders for only $9.99 extra."

Befuddled customer, "But why..."

Rep interrupts, "Just get them. Trust me."

[haushausman]

Originally Posted by stockstar1138

hey I got a bunch of VHS tapes if you wanna try those on your DVD player...

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People can be such idiots! Hopefully their brains don't start hemorrhaging when they finally get to watch PE.. lot's of knowledge on there

[Merrick]

So, I copied the text of the warning from DrinkMore's post and pasted it into Google and hit search. Ironically, the link to the HD DVD version of Planet Earth on Amazon.com was at the top of the list. Same page that I saw before? In fact, yes. So I did a search for the word "buying" on the entire page - nothing. So I did a search for the word "buy" instead, and there were several on the page spaced from top to bottom - so the search is working - and the text DrinkMore posted is not there. Searching on that text did bring up the page, however. That means that at some point Google's search engine DID find that text on that link.
At this point the best we can presume is that either it appeared at one time and does no more or Amazon.com is being tricky and popping it up sometimes and not others. DrinkMore happened to get it and I didn't.

Again, I'm getting less and less critical of the people who bought this for their DVD players.

Can anyone else check this out and post their findings?

[Blue]

It's easy for us to think the general consumer is stupid and deserves everything they get, but stop and have a think about it for a minute. Many DVD's especially a few years ago were Superbit, High Quality well High Definition is just another marketing idea and the higher price justifies the extra quality. The general consumer doesn't have a clue what a pixel is and cares even less if there are any running around in the bottom of the garden. Many consumers are still struggling programming their VCR and they have just mastered not having to rewind a DVD - no they are not stupid, it's just a tool, they don't want to even know about the technology behind it. At least Blu-ray is not even related to a DVD. However it's amazing a picture speaks a thousand words - most instantly pick the difference, I heard one very knowledgeable guy commenting to his lady how the new movies looked sooo much better on DVD than the older movies. Blu-ray signs were all over the display with information about Blu-ray and what it is, but when one is bombarded with Hyperbole for everything from dish washing powder to the breakfast cereal people just switch off and just get what they want and use it - or in this case attempt too.

[Blu-Light]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

Pathetic. There are more stupid people in this world than I thought.

I suppose the following notice that is on EVERY HD product page - went un-noticed..

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This disc is a high-definition DVD and is compatible only with HD DVD players such as the Toshiba HD-A2 (IF YOU BOIL THE DISCS FIRST, STAND ON YOUR HEAD AND CHANT...MICROSOFT IS GOOD, MICROSOFT IS GREAT, I LOVE MICROSOFT!). It will not play on a standard DVD player. For more information, see our HD DVD buying guide.

I blame nobody except the consumer for not reading and not being smarter than a damn animal cookie.

Let me help you with this statement.

[aaronwt]

People need to learn how to read. It says the disc will only work in HD DVD players. Although the sales people will still call an upconverting player an HD DVD player like my friend found out when they sold hime the BOSE system with his new HD set. what a joke! And he was wondering why everything looked so much better on my set than his. Thsi is only the beginning. As more people get HD sets it will only get worse. Most people have no clue, but even worse most sales people have no clue either.

[WickyWoo]

First off, people are stupid and don't read. I've worked enough tech support to know that the manual goes in the trash, and then they post on forums or call tech support for stuff in the FAQ.

But a possible reason why this is the first one to pop up, and it's all in the software

Amazon is always dynamically redoing their listings (which is why their top 100 changes hourly). Considering how many enthusiasts, and therefore likely early adopters and HD DVD buyers shop at Amazon, and since the price is signifigantly higher than the regular DVD version, the software tosses it to the top. The same applies to the google referral links.