Market Frustration

[michaelstr]

OK - one can read in Blu-ray friendly web sites that Blu-ray is prevailing, but I think we Blu-ray fans are about to lose out.

I am 100% sold on Blu-ray (technologically) over HD-DVD, but how on earth can Blu-ray win the standards battle with nonsense like this:

I went to a Best Buy in Austin, TX last week. The comparable HD-DVD player was almost $100 less than Blu-ray player I was interested in. I was offered NINE FREE HD-DVDs with the purchase of my HD-DVD player. The Blu-ray cost more, and there were NO free Blu-ray DVDs offered.

With the cost of even used "next-generation" DVDs being in the low to mid twenties, the effective cost of my HD-DVD player after factoring in the 9 free HD-DVDs was only $200!!!

Blu-ray vendors! HEAR US! This is a LAND GRAB situation! You cannot just sit there and convince 99% of the market that you have a better mouse trap and that they should pay so much more for it.

Very few of us really appreciate the fact that Blu-ray DVDs can use Java and Javascript to interact with the user and all that implies. I will be angry if we lose a better technology because it's being sold by geeks instead of people who know how to market and compete in free markets.

I could not be a bigger fan of Blu-ray, but when it comes to my pocket book, they had better try harder if they want my business. I bought an HD-DVD player last week, and I'm still mad about it.