Look at these ads

[jubaiweaponx]

Originally Posted by BuyHDOnline

It's was also nice to see a Blu-ray movie featured with the normal DVD's. Page 15 of the CC ad.

yeah it was nice that they had their own pages and the blu-ray was proudly on their own

[The Don]

Originally Posted by bruce

Well this rebate sale is working out for Amazon, all of the Toshiba HD DVD players are in the Amazon Top 10 for DVD player

#2 A2
#8 XA2
#10 A20

yeah, they are pretty much giving the players away...

the question is, do the free movies count as sales..or are they excluded?...

[marzetta7]

Ok, we've seen this argument before..."Price trumps all," and we know full well it is a fallacy. Furthermore, this graphic cracks me up because if you take a look at the "price" a semi-literate consumer will see that the price for the Samsung Blu-ray player is "Before Savings" and the price for the Toshiba HD DVD player is "After Savings." So, in reality, we are talking a price differntial of $699 and $299 "After Savings." I know bruce and some others here would try to maximize such a differential as to purport a massive chasm in price and call it things like a "tragedy," but I think they are being less than honest in many areas.

First, is that the hardware being compared is quite different. Will the average consumer realize this, probably not. However, what the average consumer WILL notice is the AMOUNT of titles for Blu-ray as compared to HD DVD. Moreover, the average consumer WILL notice is the NAME BRANDS that are in favor of Blu-ray, brands they equate with quality, durability, and dependability. In addition, what the average consumer WILL notice is that they can get a gaming machine to boot with their purchase for just $200 - $300 more--as a salesmen wouldn't be salesmen if this weren't the case.

What am I getting at? Well, here's the point--price, while important, is NOT the trump card or the supreme variable as to dictate what format will be the winner. As previously mentioned, brand is huge, otherwise we'd all be owning Sylvania, Emerson, and Colt DVD players today. Allow me to reiterate, brand trust is one of many paramount variables as the majority of consumers don't own Panasonics, Pioneers, Sonys, Philips, Sharps, and Samsungs just because of price alone. More often than not, a consumer is paying a premium just for the name itself, and yet, these manufacturers own the majority of the market because they are some of the most trusted. Furthermore, the average consumer WILL notice that they can't get Disney movies, or Fox movies, or MGM movies, or Lionsgate movies to play on an HD DVD player, because if they don't right away, I guarantee you they will when they've had it a couple of days and find Cars and POTC isn't available for their kiddos--and don't think for a second that they won't return it once they find out.

So, for those claiming "tragedy"...based on price alone...well, all I have to state is that a simple lesson in economics would be that markets are won all the time with products that don't have the lower price. All one has to look at is the iPod phenomena and other numerous market examples to see this. This is far from tragic and the variables of more exclusive content, more trusted brands, more IT support, more CE support, better marketing, better durability, etc., IMO, have to be and are considered without living in a "price" vaccuum.

[marzetta7]

Hmm, three days...no responses. I guess these ads weren't as tragic as some thought at first. Oh well.

[zombieking]

ahhh so what. The BB flyer doesn't worry me. Even the average consumer will do a little research into both formats and realize that variety and better movies are on BD. I spent the difference because of all the great movies available now and in the forseeable future, I'm sure some of the other consumer's will do the same, and the rest will wait on the sidelines until a definite format is declared the winner.

[Kinmui]

Originally Posted by marzetta7

So, for those claiming "tragedy"...based on price alone...well, all I have to state is that a simple lesson in economics would be that markets are won all the time with products that don't have the lower price.

Even if price is critical to win the war, I think it's too early to think your non-enthusiasts would flock to BB to buy $199 HD-DVD player, when the movies themselves are so much more expensive than the standard DVD. Especially for older movies, it's often twice or three times as expensive to get the same movie in HD than in SD, so why would someone who has issues with money want to buy cheap HD-DVD player, when cheap DVD player is under $50?

By the time DVD / HD-DVD / Blu-Ray costs about the same in software, the price gap between HD-DVD & blu-ray would narrow significantly. The bottom line is, DVD is not going away just yet, and even if HD-DVD is cheap, it's not as cheap as standard DVD, so slashing prices repeately by Toshiba is more of a desparate act... really, how often you see a first generation technology going on clearance?

[reiella]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

I was mis-informed and I had hatred for Sony.

Of course that's why HD-DVD players are cheap. That's why they do it. The fact still remains - the most adopted format is the winner. If HD-DVD keeps under cutting BD, they will win as long as it is the format that the consumer adopts - if cost continues to plumit, that will be the winner.

Simple economics.

Actually, I suspect it'll be more a case of neither format winning really winning. Which, of course, is the evident goal of Microsoft's involvement in the format war. They want Digital Downloads and the fat royalties from their codecs.

Unethical salespeople suck though. Especially so when they don't realize that they're letting their own bias cloud their suggestions. But that's really just a case of them believing what they say. Even though it's wrong . Annoyed me to no end when Best Buy associate said Happily N'ever After wasn't out on BD yet and that it was coming out some weeks later... Course I didn't have the will to educate him, so shame on me. I still bought it from a local Hastings [and ordered Enter the Dragon which they didn't want to do for me at BB either for that matter].

When Toshiba starts standard priced 199$ players though, that's a big concern for me, but that's a price-point I'd be willing to throw away some money just to get a handful of titles.