Blu-ray gathering momentum in Australia - Blu-ray Forum

voorhees · 10-09-2007, 04:58 AM

Hi

There seems to be a bit of a push on in Australia for Blu-ray in Australia at the moment & Sony have had a numbers of advertisments during key sporting events and also in newspapers & film magazines.

Anyway, i was at my local shopping center (in Western Australia) and went into an EZYDVD store (probably the biggest DVD retailer in Australia if I'm not mistaken).

Near the counter were 2 HD-DVD racks in front, while there were 3 Blu-ray racks further back.

I said to the girl at the store "Hey - whats the deal with the HD_DVD being in the front and not Blu-ray?"

She said "Thats what head office told us to do - whatever they say - we do."

Anyway, i selected 2 Blu-ray disks then asked her "So how many people are buying HD-DVD versus Blu-ray"

She told me some months ago, when HD-DVD & Blu-ray first appeared in the store, people would come in, look at both formats and she reckoned the split was about 50/50 over what format they purchased. But now she said, when people come in they don't mess about and just make a bee-line for the Blu-ray disks. HD-DVD is dead in the water here by the looks of things (well in my shop at any rate).

So with the momentum definately in Blu-ray's favor here, its unlikely i think for HD-DVD to claw back much ground in Australia.

Cheers - Jason

GTsmokeya · 10-09-2007, 05:24 AM

That good to hear, every battle add's up. I just had two friends return from vacationing in australia for two weeks and while they loved it, they said everything cost more, I am curious how much does a average BD cost you?

GTsmokeya

johnno1986 · 10-09-2007, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTsmokeya

That good to hear, every battle add's up. I just had two friends return from vacationing in australia for two weeks and while they loved it, they said everything cost more, I am curious how much does a average BD cost you?

GTsmokeya

G'day mate,

Usually you'll pay about AUD$40/45 for a Blu-ray movie here.

GTsmokeya · 10-09-2007, 05:45 AM

Wow, well thanks for the support and as they say here, your welcome! I wish I had the means to visit there your country looks beautiful. I just seem to spend my money on Blu-ray disc's lol.

GTsmokeya

Manco · 10-09-2007, 05:50 AM

Similar reports from Netherlands today...their largest DVD chain going Blu-ray exclusive. BD is clearly the hands-down winner in Japan (no contest there). Now Australia is coming around.

The world is turning Blu! Great News.

johnno1986 · 10-09-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTsmokeya

Wow, well thanks for the support and as they say here, your welcome! I wish I had the means to visit there your country looks beautiful. I just seem to spend my money on Blu-ray disc's lol.

GTsmokeya

G'day again mate,

It is a beautiful country and despite the cost of pretty much everything it's a great place to visit. It is a shame how much the Blu-ray (and DVD) movies cost though. We still try to do our bit though.
__________________

voorhees · 10-09-2007, 05:58 AM

They had a 2 for $50 that day - Picked up 'Black Hawk Down' and the Stephen Segal classic 'Under Seige'

But the average price of Blu-ray is nudging $40.

Standard DVD's seem as cheap as chips here at the moment though, and while thats the case, it may deter the flow of people (for a while at least) from switching to Blu-ray.

dinoslino · 10-09-2007, 06:51 AM

Best blu ray deals I get from JB Hi-Fi here in Adelaide. Average title price is at around $35 AUD. Last week, they had "buy 2 get 1 free". I scored Paprika, Apocalypto and Blood Diamond for $80 AUD. JB-Hi-Fi only supports Blu-Ray

Cheers

Beta-guy · 10-09-2007, 06:58 AM

look at productwars Blu-ray is beating HD-DVD silly

Icheck in on that site several times a day.

voorhees · 10-09-2007, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinoslino

Best blu ray deals I get from JB Hi-Fi here in Adelaide. Average title price is at around $35 AUD. Last week, they had "buy 2 get 1 free". I scored Paprika, Apocalypto and Blood Diamond for $80 AUD. JB-Hi-Fi only supports Blu-Ray

Cheers

JB Hi-Fi have a mix of Blu-ray & HD-DVD in the W.A midland store - I was in there about a month ago - mainly to check out what format had the biggest range as i was in the process of trying to decide which format to choose. I had just picked up a HD-DVD case when the power went out & we all had to leave the store.

As i was leaving i did wonder to myself whether those shoplifting detectors work in a power outage but didn't want to be the one to find out

I think you are right about them being Blu-ray exclusive too as i seem to recall something recent in the news somewhere - So i guess the HD-DVD titles may have been stock they are trying to get rid of.

voorhees · 10-16-2007, 01:40 AM

Looks like HD-DVD are going to attempt to fight back in Australia ... But i don't think there is a great deal to worry about when you read the figures quoted:

HD DVD aims to drive sales with price cut
Asher Moses
October 15, 2007 - 12:56PM

The HD DVD camp is looking to claw back Blu-ray's lead in the high definition format wars with extensive price cuts for HD DVD players.

The cheapest player, Toshiba's HD-E1, now sells for $499, which includes a $100 cashback offer. On the Blu-ray side the cheapest option is Sony's Playstation 3, which sells for $699.95.

Toshiba's other HD DVD players - the HD-EP10 and HD-XE1 - now retail for $699 (after $100 cashback) and $1299, respectively.

The move is clear evidence the knives have come out in the HD disc format war, which in Australia has largely been dominated by Blu-ray to date.

Delays by Toshiba in bringing HD DVD players to market meant the format's local launch was underwhelming, as movie studios were reluctant to put discs on store shelves when the associated players were thin on the ground.

The result, GfK figures released last month show, is that 85 per cent of high definition disc sales have been Blu-ray titles. Further, 24 of the top 25 HD disc titles were Blu-ray movies; the only HD DVD title to make the list was 300, which ranked 20th.

From January through to September this year, 81,219 Blu-ray movies were sold in Australia compared to 14,632 HD DVD movies, GfK's Sandra Bayly said.

The main factor driving Blu-ray's penetration in Australia is the Playstation 3, which has a built-in Blu-ray player. Around 84,000 units of the games console have been sold locally since it launched here in March, and Sony expects its recent $300 price cut to spur another 84,000 PS3 sales by the end of the year.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 supports HD DVD, but the feature is only enabled through the purchase of a $249.95 external player. GfK said only 3000 units had been sold to date.

There are now 8 stand-alone Blu-ray players on the market and 3 HD DVD players, excluding the Xbox 360 add-on and the PS3.

Of those players, Ms Bayly said only 528 HD DVD and 1644 Blu-ray players had been sold so far this year.

The HD DVD camp is banking on the latest round of player price cuts to drive sales in the lead up to Christmas. Presumably, the fact that HD DVD is an extension of the existing DVD format, rather than an entirely new technology like Blu-ray, has allowed disc and player manufacturers to reduce their production costs quickly.

But Michele Garra, chair of the Blu-ray Disc Working Group and managing director of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, believes her side's superior support from movie studios will see Blu-ray prevail.

Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM and Sony Pictures support the Blu-ray format exclusively, while Paramount and Universal support HD DVD exclusively. Warner Bros. ships its movies in both formats.

"I don't think the format war can be sustained and nor should it," Ms Garra said at a Blu-ray lunch last week.

Both camps are offering package deals whereby people can pick a number of free movie titles when they buy a qualifying player.

Ms Garra said there were now 154 Blu-ray titles on the market and there would be 234 by the end of the year.

A spokeswoman for Toshiba, the main backer of HD DVD, said there were now 47 HD DVD titles on the market but she did not know exactly how many would be on sale by the end of the year

http://www.theage.com.au/news/articl...300655298.html

getblu · 10-16-2007, 03:49 PM

i think JB Hi-Fi has a buy 2 get 1 free deal on the entire Blu-ray catalogue. the one in rundle mall (adelaide), looks like it has the entire library.

Big W and JB Hi-Fi seem like the only places to get cheaper Blu-Ray movies.

gamer4eva · 10-16-2007, 03:57 PM

^^
couldn't find ne of this info on the jb hifi website but if they've got the promotion running till the transformers week that'll be gr8 cause iam hoping to grab a couple of catalogue titles and getting it in that week will be awesome

getblu · 10-16-2007, 04:48 PM

from what i can gather, the special isn't even advertised on the catalogues either. SO it must be a "in-store" thing. Also i think EzyDVD is having a sale on Warner Bros. titles. $29.83 is still better than $42.

I don't understand why you would wait for Transformers to come out. Blu-Ray has a 90/10 lead. its pointless, especially with the immediate price drop in the PS3. I would take the plunge now and go into ur local JB Hi-Fi and have a look.

10-09-2007, 04:58 AM	#1
voorhees Junior Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:camp crystal	Blu-ray gathering momentum in Australia Hi There seems to be a bit of a push on in Australia for Blu-ray in Australia at the moment & Sony have had a numbers of advertisments during key sporting events and also in newspapers & film magazines. Anyway, i was at my local shopping center (in Western Australia) and went into an EZYDVD store (probably the biggest DVD retailer in Australia if I'm not mistaken). Near the counter were 2 HD-DVD racks in front, while there were 3 Blu-ray racks further back. I said to the girl at the store "Hey - whats the deal with the HD_DVD being in the front and not Blu-ray?" She said "Thats what head office told us to do - whatever they say - we do." Anyway, i selected 2 Blu-ray disks then asked her "So how many people are buying HD-DVD versus Blu-ray" She told me some months ago, when HD-DVD & Blu-ray first appeared in the store, people would come in, look at both formats and she reckoned the split was about 50/50 over what format they purchased. But now she said, when people come in they don't mess about and just make a bee-line for the Blu-ray disks. HD-DVD is dead in the water here by the looks of things (well in my shop at any rate). So with the momentum definately in Blu-ray's favor here, its unlikely i think for HD-DVD to claw back much ground in Australia. Cheers - Jason Last edited by voorhees; 10-09-2007 at 04:59 AM. Reason: spelling

10-09-2007, 05:58 AM	#7
voorhees Junior Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:camp crystal	They had a 2 for $50 that day - Picked up 'Black Hawk Down' and the Stephen Segal classic 'Under Seige' But the average price of Blu-ray is nudging $40. Standard DVD's seem as cheap as chips here at the moment though, and while thats the case, it may deter the flow of people (for a while at least) from switching to Blu-ray. Last edited by voorhees; 10-09-2007 at 05:59 AM. Reason: spelling

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10-09-2007, 05:24 AM	#2
GTsmokeya Active Member Member since:Aug 2007	That good to hear, every battle add's up. I just had two friends return from vacationing in australia for two weeks and while they loved it, they said everything cost more, I am curious how much does a average BD cost you? GTsmokeya

10-09-2007, 05:45 AM	#4
GTsmokeya Active Member Member since:Aug 2007	Wow, well thanks for the support and as they say here, your welcome! I wish I had the means to visit there your country looks beautiful. I just seem to spend my money on Blu-ray disc's lol. GTsmokeya

10-09-2007, 05:50 AM	#5
Manco Special Member Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Tucumcari	Similar reports from Netherlands today...their largest DVD chain going Blu-ray exclusive. BD is clearly the hands-down winner in Japan (no contest there). Now Australia is coming around. The world is turning Blu! Great News.

10-09-2007, 06:51 AM	#8
dinoslino Member Member since:May 2007 Location:Adelaide Australia	Best blu ray deals I get from JB Hi-Fi here in Adelaide. Average title price is at around $35 AUD. Last week, they had "buy 2 get 1 free". I scored Paprika, Apocalypto and Blood Diamond for $80 AUD. JB-Hi-Fi only supports Blu-Ray Cheers

10-09-2007, 06:58 AM	#9
Beta-guy Expert Member Member since:Jul 2007 Blu-ray collection:23 Blu-ray reviews:1	look at productwars Blu-ray is beating HD-DVD silly Icheck in on that site several times a day.

10-16-2007, 01:40 AM	#11
voorhees Junior Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:camp crystal	Looks like HD-DVD are going to attempt to fight back in Australia ... But i don't think there is a great deal to worry about when you read the figures quoted: HD DVD aims to drive sales with price cut Asher Moses October 15, 2007 - 12:56PM The HD DVD camp is looking to claw back Blu-ray's lead in the high definition format wars with extensive price cuts for HD DVD players. The cheapest player, Toshiba's HD-E1, now sells for $499, which includes a $100 cashback offer. On the Blu-ray side the cheapest option is Sony's Playstation 3, which sells for $699.95. Toshiba's other HD DVD players - the HD-EP10 and HD-XE1 - now retail for $699 (after $100 cashback) and $1299, respectively. The move is clear evidence the knives have come out in the HD disc format war, which in Australia has largely been dominated by Blu-ray to date. Delays by Toshiba in bringing HD DVD players to market meant the format's local launch was underwhelming, as movie studios were reluctant to put discs on store shelves when the associated players were thin on the ground. The result, GfK figures released last month show, is that 85 per cent of high definition disc sales have been Blu-ray titles. Further, 24 of the top 25 HD disc titles were Blu-ray movies; the only HD DVD title to make the list was 300, which ranked 20th. From January through to September this year, 81,219 Blu-ray movies were sold in Australia compared to 14,632 HD DVD movies, GfK's Sandra Bayly said. The main factor driving Blu-ray's penetration in Australia is the Playstation 3, which has a built-in Blu-ray player. Around 84,000 units of the games console have been sold locally since it launched here in March, and Sony expects its recent $300 price cut to spur another 84,000 PS3 sales by the end of the year. Microsoft's Xbox 360 supports HD DVD, but the feature is only enabled through the purchase of a $249.95 external player. GfK said only 3000 units had been sold to date. There are now 8 stand-alone Blu-ray players on the market and 3 HD DVD players, excluding the Xbox 360 add-on and the PS3. Of those players, Ms Bayly said only 528 HD DVD and 1644 Blu-ray players had been sold so far this year. The HD DVD camp is banking on the latest round of player price cuts to drive sales in the lead up to Christmas. Presumably, the fact that HD DVD is an extension of the existing DVD format, rather than an entirely new technology like Blu-ray, has allowed disc and player manufacturers to reduce their production costs quickly. But Michele Garra, chair of the Blu-ray Disc Working Group and managing director of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, believes her side's superior support from movie studios will see Blu-ray prevail. Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM and Sony Pictures support the Blu-ray format exclusively, while Paramount and Universal support HD DVD exclusively. Warner Bros. ships its movies in both formats. "I don't think the format war can be sustained and nor should it," Ms Garra said at a Blu-ray lunch last week. Both camps are offering package deals whereby people can pick a number of free movie titles when they buy a qualifying player. Ms Garra said there were now 154 Blu-ray titles on the market and there would be 234 by the end of the year. A spokeswoman for Toshiba, the main backer of HD DVD, said there were now 47 HD DVD titles on the market but she did not know exactly how many would be on sale by the end of the year http://www.theage.com.au/news/articl...300655298.html

10-16-2007, 03:49 PM	#12
getblu Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Adelaide, Australia	i think JB Hi-Fi has a buy 2 get 1 free deal on the entire Blu-ray catalogue. the one in rundle mall (adelaide), looks like it has the entire library. Big W and JB Hi-Fi seem like the only places to get cheaper Blu-Ray movies.

10-16-2007, 03:57 PM	#13
gamer4eva Special Member Member since:Apr 2007 Location:Sydney, Australia Blu-ray collection:64 Blu-ray reviews:18	^^ couldn't find ne of this info on the jb hifi website but if they've got the promotion running till the transformers week that'll be gr8 cause iam hoping to grab a couple of catalogue titles and getting it in that week will be awesome

10-16-2007, 04:48 PM	#14
getblu Member Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Adelaide, Australia	from what i can gather, the special isn't even advertised on the catalogues either. SO it must be a "in-store" thing. Also i think EzyDVD is having a sale on Warner Bros. titles. $29.83 is still better than $42. I don't understand why you would wait for Transformers to come out. Blu-Ray has a 90/10 lead. its pointless, especially with the immediate price drop in the PS3. I would take the plunge now and go into ur local JB Hi-Fi and have a look.

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