TheDVDWars.com Cheating!

[Ascended_Saiyan]

I used to visit thedvdwars.com once or twice a week. Google trends has always favored Blu-ray. I just noticed that the chart has been completely reversed! They have HD-DVD trends starting before Blu-ray and Blu-ray has been around the longest! All the different countries charts have been completely reversed as well! This is completely uncalled for. Blu-ray has probably already taken the lead in Amazon DVD sales as far as we know. What can we do about this? This needs to be dealt with swiftly!

[dialog_gvf]

If you follow through to Google, you'll see the query.

Google changed something. There used to be complaints that searching HD DVD brought up Blu-ray links. It seems that now Google has refined things so hd dvd brings up "hd dvd".

But, changing the way a search term behaves doesn't necessarily mean the previous searches should now be scored for HD DVD. It would depend on how the users clicked the results.

Gary

[iceman]

The problem is also that many people searching for Blu-ray spell it Blu-ray, Bluray, Blueray or Blue-ray. I don't think thedvdwars.com take that into account. There's only two ways to spell HD-DVD, either HD-DVD or HDDVD (Google counts HD-DVD and HD DVD as the same).

[Dave]

People, you must note that the word "DVD" is one very, very frequently searched word. It has nothing to do with HD DVD.

Blu-ray leads in every way.

[hyperdine]

I've also noticed that whenever you do a search on Blu-Ray, the HD-DVD official website comes up at the top of the list (even before Blu-Ray).

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by hyperdine

I've also noticed that whenever you do a search on Blu-Ray, the HD-DVD official website comes up at the top of the list (even before Blu-Ray).

When I search "Blu-ray" with Google, I get this as the first two results:

Blu-ray.com - Blu-ray Players, Movies, Recorders, Media and SoftwareEverything about Blu-ray Disc. Blu-ray news, reviews, releases, guides and forums covering Blu-ray players, movies, recorders, drives, media, software and ...
www.blu-ray.com/ - 51k - Cached - Similar pages

What is Blu-ray? - www.blu-ray.com/info/
Players - www.blu-ray.com/players/
Movies - www.blu-ray.com/movies/
Recorders - www.blu-ray.com/recorders/
More results from www.blu-ray.com »

Blu-ray.com - What is Blu-ray?Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is, the name of a next-generation optical disc format that offers more than five times the storage capacity of ...
www.blu-ray.com/info/ - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

It sounds like a great site!

Gary

[hyperdine]

Check it out. This is what I get. Look at the very top. It must be a conspiracy

Blu-Ray.jpg

[Blue]

Have a look at the image. The blue background means it's a paid add. When you place an add on Google, you can define what searches it will appear for. So they obvissally bought the rights (who knows for how long) to put this at the top for a search on Blu Ray.
Me I would prefer the BDA not to spend too much on advertising, with the assumption their running costs are lower so the supporting companies don't pay as much, hence they sell their blu ray wares cheaper. You can go and buy a spot to advertise at the top of HD-DVD if you want (assuming it's available for sale).

[dialog_gvf]

Ah, mine is google.ca. I get news links (supplied):

News results for Blu-ray - View today's top stories
An Overdue Look at Blu-Ray - Washington Post - 11 Dec 2006
Review: Blu-Ray Versus HD-DVD - San Jose Mercury News - 11 Dec 2006
No Love For The Blu-Ray - Slashdot - 9 Dec 2006

Still, HD DVD is buying an ad to popup when people type in Blu-ray. Interesting.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Basically what I'm trying to say is that the red line is not HD-DVD. The red line is Blu-ray.

We all know that Blu-ray has been around before HD-DVD. That is why there is only one line at first and then the second line comes into play. That's how I know for sure that the colors have been swapped. That needs to be changed. People will think that HD-DVD searches have always been above Blu-ray. That is a bad thing.

Does anyone know how we can address this?

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

Does anyone know how we can address this?

Talk to Google. The graph comes from them. Click it and do some playing.

Gary

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Talk to Google. The graph comes from them. Click it and do some playing.

Gary

I played with it already. It is simply a role reversal. HD-DVD did not start before Blu-ray. I use to watch these graphs (especially the countries). If you look under languages, they are saying that Blu-ray searches are almost non-existent under Japanese. Everyone should know that's BS.

I was kinda looking for a bit more detail than "talk to Google" (if anyone has dealt with this type of thing before).

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

I played with it already. It is simply a role reversal. HD-DVD did not start before Blu-ray. I use to watch these graphs (especially the countries). If you look under languages, they are saying that Blu-ray searches are almost non-existent under Japanese. Everyone should know that's BS.

I was kinda looking for a bit more detail than "talk to Google" (if anyone has dealt with this type of thing before).

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound flip. I have a lot of problems with thedvdwars site, but errors by Google shouldn't be used against thedvdwars. The graph has been there for a while, and the reversal occured this past week.

The graph is now revisionist, implying HD DVD has always been queried more. Everywhere. Yes, the BD numbers in Japan are clearly bogus.

Google is the one to contact to ask about the validity of the results. If you do it from a point of asking for clarification and curiosity, I'm sure they'd respond.

Gary

[Ascended_Saiyan]

There doesn't seem to be a way to report this type of issue. Even the corporate phone number lead you nowhere. That's what I figured though. Has anyone dealt with Google before (in a problem reporting capacity)?

[WriteSimply]

Personally I don't think it's got anything to do with Google. It's how often you use Google search, and how often you Google Blu-ray, and how often you read items on Blu-ray, and IF you have a Gmail account.

Paid advertisements is a Google thing. You can't blame them for putting their advertisers at the top of the list. Google can't be blamed for FUD blogs and websites either.

In the end, the way you can affect how the war is going is to vote with your wallet and either tell everyone you know not to buy into the HD-DVD FUD or start your own BD blog. Or do all three.


fuad

[Damon Payne]

Cheating or not, the "Salesrank of top 10 products" category shows BD trending upward. What will they do when BD is on top of that category too?

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

Personally I don't think it's got anything to do with Google. It's how often you use Google search, and how often you Google Blu-ray, and how often you read items on Blu-ray, and IF you have a Gmail account.

Paid advertisements is a Google thing. You can't blame them for putting their advertisers at the top of the list. Google can't be blamed for FUD blogs and websites either.

In the end, the way you can affect how the war is going is to vote with your wallet and either tell everyone you know not to buy into the HD-DVD FUD or start your own BD blog. Or do all three.


fuad

I here what you're saying about supporting the format with your wallet (which I do). It is Google's fault with this graph. Maybe I did make it clear enough. I have watched this graph. If HD DVD queries had normally surpassed Blu-ray's, the graph lines would have crossed at some point. That did not happen. One just took the place of the other (you know...like Freaky Friday...LOL).

[dialog_gvf]

OK, I figured out what is wrong.

They forgot to include the common mispellings.

Here

(Blu ray) | (Blue ray) | (Blu-ray) | (Blue-ray) , (HD DVD) | (HD-DVD)

How many times, even here, have you seen Blue-ray?

Gary

[Deciazulado]

I know Ascended_Saiyan is completely right.

Exhibit A:

Blu-Ray > HD-DVD in Google Searches thread

with it's lazy russian: Blu-ray more popular search query than HD-DVD article

with it's Google Trends Blu-ray over HD-DVD chart that you can see here.

Thanks to that thread, posted merely a month ago, that was the first time I got to see the Google trends charts. And they were exactly as Ascended_Saiyan describes:
Blu-ray line starting earlier, and being higher, specially in the last section, always shooting up, up.

Case closed.

Tam Ta Tán Tan

[dialog_gvf]

But, the argument would be (hd-dvd) captures "hd-dvd" and "hddvd" but not "hd dvd".

Hence why the need to add (hd dvd).

Gary