Blu-ray discs to overtake DVDs, Disney says

[silversnake]

http://www.contentagenda.com/article...864670077.html

Blu-ray discs to overtake DVDs, Disney says

The Toronto Star , October 8, 2008 Wednesday

Walt Disney Co., the second-largest U.S. media company, forecast sales of high-definition Blu-ray discs in the U.S. will overtake DVDs within two years.

Consumers will adopt the new technology "much sooner than we think," David Jessen, Disney vice-president of Blu-ray and DVD creative production, said in an interview. "It's right on the verge of becoming really big in the U.S., where in two years Blu-ray will eclipse DVDs."

In February, the Blu-ray disc technology won against Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD, setting the new high-definition standard in the entertainment industry's largest format war since VHS beat Betamax in the 1980s. Blu-ray discs can store 50 gigabytes of data, about six times more than conventional DVDs.

Disney is releasing classic movies including Sleeping Beauty this month in the Blu-ray format to encourage consumers to start using the new technology.

The film is the first release to include the BD-Live network system, enabling viewers in different locations to chat and create communities while watching the same movie, Disney said.

Shopping for HD-TVs and Blu-ray players will help the technology "take off big" after the holiday season, Jessen said. "Prices of HD-TVs are coming down everywhere" and those of Blu-ray discs "will also drop as mass adoption takes over."

[AintNoSin]

I think the timetable is a little optimistic, given the economy, but I agree over all. Of course, Disney could help by abandoning their idiotic policies and just releasing their animated classics as quickly as is practically.

[Clark Kent]

Disney has never wavered about Blu-ray as a format. They released major titles from their catalog relatively early in the format's lifespan. I wish they would ramp up their release schedule a little more but I can't complain about the quality of their BDs.

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by AintNoSin

I think the timetable is a little optimistic, given the economy, but I agree over all. Of course, Disney could help by abandoning their idiotic policies and just releasing their animated classics as quickly as is practically.

I would agree about the timetable being optimistic but just in my group of friends , 5 of them have all purchased a ps3 in the last 3 weeks. They said that basically coming over and watching blu-rays and playing the games I have convinced them enough that it was worth it compared to the 360. I even got one guy to sell his chipped 360 and bought a ps3

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I wish they would ramp up their release schedule a little more but I can't complain about the quality of their BDs.

Indeed. the quality of disney's BD are impressive.

[ryoohki]

Well it definitely more and more popular. Iron Man sold out the first week in Montreal everywhere and this week Sleepless Beauty was sold out at 16h30 everywhere. Still haven't found a copy...

6 month ago you could walk to any store and get any title you wanted.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by silversnake

Indeed. the quality of disney's BD are impressive.

If they start pumping them out though, that likely won't be the case.

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by ryoohki

Well it definitely more and more popular. Iron Man sold out the first week in Montreal everywhere and this week Sleepless Beauty was sold out at 16h30 everywhere. Still haven't found a copy...

6 month ago you could walk to any store and get any title you wanted.

I was surprised as well. I went to futureshop and sure enough, just 3 copies of the blu-rays left. For transformers I could still find a bunch of copies everywhere. Glad to know people are picking it up ! I'll be glad to know the blu-ray sales over the holidays.

[RustyK94]

Looking at the recent news of Iron Mans successes which took 20% of sales. There is every reason even in these so called hard economic times that Blu-Ray will at least with new releases.

Over take DVD and proceed up to 2012-2015 to phase out DVD. Of course DVD will never die. I don't see the studios remastering any of Charlie Chaplains old silent movies.

This market will be small but because the play back exists it will remain.

[djluis2k6]

Well of course they will, it's the next generation of watching movies. The question has never been if, but when it will overtake DVD. It will take a good while before people stop producing DVDs.

[Blu Titan]

Nice info. Thanks.

[frank108]

Well....if Disney plans on including Wal-mart Blu-ray software sales in their plans to overtake DVD in two years, they, as well as the other studios, have to do some serious Blu-ray price reductions and soon. I saw Iron Man selling for $30 along with plenty of copies at my local Wally. Blu-ray movies priced at $30 just ain't gonna cut it there.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by frank108

Well....if Disney plans on including Wal-mart Blu-ray software sales in their plans to overtake DVD in two years, they, as well as the other studios, have to do some serious Blu-ray price reductions and soon. I saw Iron Man selling for $30 along with plenty of copies at my local Wally. Blu-ray movies priced at $30 just ain't gonna cut it there.

You would be wrong.

[Anthony P]

nice catch and I don't think Disney's assertion is optimistic. Take it this way if we assume Iron man sold 20% BD, 80% DVD (like some say) and a doubling every year (even though BD has been more then doubling ) and we assume DVD does not drop (unrealistic, since people that buy BDs would have most likely bought DVDs if they did not own a BD player) we get 20*2=40 and 40*2=80 so BD and DVD would be equal.

Now obviously this is simple math and the world is not that simple but I think it shows that the assertion is most likely true (but obviously this could be title dependent, but as penetration increases the target market for BD will shift to more main stream)

Well it definitely more and more popular. Iron Man sold out the first week in Montreal everywhere and this week Sleepless Beauty was sold out at 16h30 everywhere.

Last Wednesday I went to FS, Archambault and then Metro and got a copy of IM as well as a few other movies. This week I have not gone blue shopping yet (will go tomorrow) are you guys saying I won’t find Sleeping beauty? I hope they restock it, it would be a shame not to have it for thanks giving. Is the Omen collection and the Ray Harryhausen Collection available?

[Kyo28]

Just like DVD eventually supplanted VHS, so too will Blu-ray supplant DVD. I think Blu-ray will really take off once HDTV's have become more common.

To give an example, starting 2010, Japanese stations will switch to HD-broadcast only. That means that anyone who doesn't have a HD or HD-ready TV can't watch TV anymore. That will push consumers towards HDTV's and in turn will mostly pull people towards Blur-ray.

So I think it's just a matter of time.

[arush5268d]

This is just more speculation.

Sony could say this could happen in 18 months. Would you believe them?

It's all just speculation - there's no way that they can say which will be the dominant format in two years.

[Bokchoy]

Originally Posted by arush5268d

This is just more speculation.

Sony could say this could happen in 18 months. Would you believe them?

It's all just speculation - there's no way that they can say which will be the dominant format in two years.

Speculation? Really? I could have sworn that Disney came from the future to tell us this wonderful news.

[Johnny Vinyl]

2 years is way too optimistic, especially with the financial crisis that is happening almost everywhere around the globe. I think you might see a softening of HD hardware sales as people are becoming increasingly more worried and will want to hang on to their savings.

[hc666]

I agree with the 2 years actually... for it to become 40-60% of the movies purchased. Esp based on Ironman's performance.

[hostelmovies]

The issue I see with this is they released Sleeping Beauty first. THe Lion King or Beauty and the Beast would have been my first pick to get people to want to see it again. Hell even Bambi would have been a beter first choice, though I am impressed with the results.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by hostelmovies

The issue I see with this is they released Sleeping Beauty first. THe Lion King or Beauty and the Beast would have been my first pick to get people to want to see it again. Hell even Bambi would have been a beter first choice, though I am impressed with the results.

Sleeping Beauty is better than both The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, and it is Disney's most lavish wide-screen animated title -- the point was not to introduce a title that would sell a ton of Blu-Rays, the point is to pick a title that shows off Blu-Ray itself so people will buy a blu-Ray player and all the other Blu-Ray titles out there and all the others to come -- live action, animated, or whatever....so SB was the perfect choice.