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NYPost: PS3 gives Blu-Ray edge, retailers to pull plug on HD DVD next year

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M

morph

Banned
http://www.nypost.com/seven/0308200...cending_entertainment_lou_lumenick.htm?page=1

March 8, 2007 -- 'THE Departed" recently premiered on two new - and utterly incompatible - video for mats in addition to standard DVD.

Now the war between those formats, which has been almost as brutal as the clashes in Martin Scorsese's movie, seems to be coming to a head.

For the first time, in the first two months of 2007 total sales of Blu-ray discs passed those of HD DVD, according to the most recent figures from Nielsen VideoScan.

And propelled by the introduction of Sony's PlayStation 3 - which can play Blu-ray technology - sales of Blu-ray discs have exploded to nearly three times those of HD DVD discs since Christmas.

It's the first clear sign that consumers are choosing sides in the nastiest video format war since VHS emerged victorious over Sony's Betamax machines in the 1980s.

"The format war is in its final phase," crows Steve Feldstein of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which, like Sony and Disney, is releasing titles exclusively on Blu-ray. "It's never been a question of if Blu-ray will pass HD DVD, but a matter of when."

Not so fast, says Ken Graffeo of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, the only major studio exclusively supporting the embattled HD DVD format, which was developed by Toshiba. (Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Video are producing titles in both formats for now.)

Graffeo blames the recent surge for Blu-ray on the paucity of new titles on HD DVD - about half the number of titles released by Blu-ray since the beginning of the year - and argues Blu-ray sales are actually much lower than you would expect, given the huge number of PS3s out there.

"You can't determine a trend over a couple of months," says Graffeo, who notes that total sales for both formats are roughly equal since their introductions last year.

But some experts are ready to play taps for the HD DVD format - and are saying it's safe to buy Blu-ray players without fear they'll end up being sold as relics on eBay.

Alison Casey, who analyzes consumer trends for London-based Understanding & Solutions, predicts that retailers will pull the plug on HD DVD sometime next year.

"They never wanted two formats. It confuses consumers and creates problems with them with returns," Casey told The Post. "They're looking to go to a single format as soon as possible."

In Casey's view, the many studios providing movies on Blu-ray, along with its inclusion in the PS3 (listing for $500, about the same as the cheapest HD DVD player) gives it an insurmountable advantage over HD DVD. (An attachment to play HD DVD discs is available as a $200 add-on for Xbox.)

And she says Sony's advantage will increase if the electronics giant makes good on its promise to drop prices for Blu-ray players - currently about $800 - to $600 this summer and below $300 by the end of the year.

Casey thinks Warner Home Video's recently announced plans to sell combo discs containing both formats will only confuse consumers.

LG Electronics will begin selling machines that can play both formats by the end of the year, but the whopping $1,200 price tag may put off customers. Bigger hardware manufacturers don't seem interested at this point in making combo machines.

But in the end, software may be HD DVD's Achilles' heel.

"If you look at the top 25 selling DVDs last year, 23 were released on Blu-ray," Fox's Feldstein says. "Just two were exclusive to HD DVD."

The biggest booster of HD DVD format, albeit reluctantly, has been the porn industry. Sony has reportedly refused to replicate porn on Blu-ray discs, and Disney, which does business with several Blu-ray replicators, is said to have contractually prohibited them from handling porn.

But HD DVD may be losing even that advantage - Vivid Entertainment, the leader in the porn field, will soon debut "Debbie Does Dallas" on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray may triumph over HD DVD in the near future, but analyst Casey says it will take five years or more to overtake the hugely popular standard DVD format. DVD discs are currently cheaper (Blu-ray discs retail between $30 and $40) and represent nearly 99 percent of all video sales, while DVD machines are available for well under $100.

"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.
Click to expand...
 
J

Jammy

Banned
Where do normal DVD sales come into the equation? I'm pretty sure it goes like DVD >>>>>>>>>> Blu-Ray > HD-DVD, right?
 
mckmas8808

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Jammy said:
Where do normal DVD sales come into the equation? I'm pretty sure it goes like DVD >>>>>>>>>> Blu-Ray > HD-DVD, right?
Click to expand...

And DVD shelf life is life what 10 years to .5 years right?
 
M

morph

Banned
Jammy said:
Where do normal DVD sales come into the equation? I'm pretty sure it goes like DVD >>>>>>>>>> Blu-Ray > HD-DVD, right?
Click to expand...

Blu-Ray is outselling DVD at the same point in their lifetimes.
 
U

UncleGuito

Banned
Of course most of the top selling movies from last year were on Bluray- Sony Pictures was the top-grossing studio in terms of ticket sales.

Bluray movies are always on sale too, retailers online have deals left and right.
 
T

theBishop

Banned
"If you look at the top 25 selling DVDs last year, 23 were released on Blu-ray," Fox's Feldstein says. "Just two were exclusive to HD DVD."
Click to expand...

I see what he did there...

PS: I recommend a ban on anything related to the New York Post. As well as all other tabloid rags.

New York Post -> owned by Rupert Murdoch -> Fox News -> 20th Century Fox -> teh bias
 
R

Razoric

Banned
But HD DVD may be losing even that advantage - Vivid Entertainment, the leader in the porn field, will soon debut "Debbie Does Dallas" on Blu-ray.
Click to expand...

Someone put DCharlie on suicide watch.
 
A

Avutta1978

Member
i disagree i see Toshiba bringing the price of their hd-dvd players to $200 in the summer. Which puts blueray in a pickle and the could even hit by winter $150
 
Xisiqomelir

Xisiqomelir

Member
"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.
Click to expand...

She's based in London? I'm pretty sure the UK ISP bandwidth offerings are as terrible as ours in America. 100/100 Mbps connections @$20/mo are for Japan, S. Korea and Finland, not Anglo nations.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
I really don't get why Universal keeps pointing out the relative lack of HD-DVD releases as an excuse for better Blu-ray sales. Whilst I'm sure there's a line of logic to be followed there, it's like one big "stay away" warning to consumers - "hey guys, we have less content! that's why we're selling less!"
 
T

Tobor

Member
"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.

And Boom goes the dynamite...
 
P

Ponn

Banned
gofreak said:
I really don't get why Universal keeps point out the relative lack of HD-DVD releases as an excuse for better Blu-ray sales. Whilst I'm sure there's a line of logic to be followed there, it's like one big "stay away" warning to consumers - "hey guys, we have less content! that's why we're selling less!"
Click to expand...

Reverse psychology.
 
C

ComputerNerd

Banned
You missed the most important part:

"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.

Either that, or there will be a link from the PC to the cable/satellite box, that will stream the movies to every cable box in your home.

Disk based movies are on the way out.
 
O

OokieSpookie

Banned
Avutta1978 said:
i disagree i see Toshiba bringing the price of their hd-dvd players to $200 in the summer. Which puts blueray in a pickle and the could even hit by winter $150
Click to expand...

The players mean nothing with the support of the studios not there.
 
N

Newzboyz99

Losers! My wife has me on lock!
theBishop said:
I see what he did there...

PS: I recommend a ban on anything related to the New York Post. As well as all other tabloid rags.

New York Post -> owned by Rupert Murdoch -> Fox News -> 20th Century Fox -> teh bias
Click to expand...

Oh stop that crap. I suppose you'd prefer the ever unbiased New York Times.
 
M

MaX_PL

Banned
oh well, im still buying an HD DVD player this summer, likely the xbox 360 add on, and i'm gonna enjoy the hell out of it.
 
A

arne

Member
wow, ny post. just wow. i trust everything i read in there, let me tell you.

and this isn't about bias. it's about how the ny post is just a tabloid paper through and through.
 
W

WasteLand Soldier

Banned
In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.
Click to expand...

both formats are dead anyway.
 
R

Razoric

Banned
theBishop said:
I see what he did there...

PS: I recommend a ban on anything related to the New York Post. As well as all other tabloid rags.

New York Post -> owned by Rupert Murdoch -> Fox News -> 20th Century Fox -> teh bias
Click to expand...

lol wow

go outside
 
T

theBishop

Banned
Newzboyz99 said:
Oh stop that crap. I suppose you'd prefer the ever unbiased New York Times.
Click to expand...

George-W-Bush.jpeg


This isn't a political discussion.

If the source was "Sony Times", it wouldn't be a good source of "Blu-Ray is winning" news.

Notice, its Fox execs that are quoted. Seems pretty ****ing obvious that this is biased.
 
R

rage1973

Member
They need to lower the price on HD DVDs. All the new releases on HD DVD are being released on combo formats wasting any sort of price advantage that early HD DVDs enjoyed. Now they are being priced even higher than Blueray. The recent blueray sales at Amazon is also helping to drive sales.
 
B

B-Ri

Member
ComputerNerd said:
You missed the most important part:

"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.

Either that, or there will be a link from the PC to the cable/satellite box, that will stream the movies to every cable box in your home.

Disk based movies are on the way out.
Click to expand...

i want to own something physical, not data. i refuse to use itunes as well.
 
M

mollipen

Member
morph said:
Blu-Ray is outselling DVD at the same point in their lifetimes.
Click to expand...

It cracks me up when people say "Blu-Ray / HD-DVD has no good movies!", because obviously they weren't around for the start of DVD. I would have killed to have had the quality level and studio support Blu-Ray/HD-DVD have in their first year during the first year of DVD.
 
M

MaX_PL

Banned
Newzboyz99 said:
Oh stop that crap. I suppose you'd prefer the ever unbiased New York Times.
Click to expand...

do you read the New York Post or the Daily News? are you seriously comparing them to the NYT?
 
N

Newzboyz99

Losers! My wife has me on lock!
BTW, what does the NYP have to do with basically a story based on actual quotes from people in the industry??? I don't see anything in the story that is tabloid. HD-DVD is in deep trouble and its plain as day.
 
P

Ponn

Banned
shidoshi said:
It cracks me up when people say "Blu-Ray / HD-DVD has no good movies!", because obviously they weren't around for the start of DVD. I would have killed to have had the quality level and studio support Blu-Ray/HD-DVD have in their first year during the first year of DVD.
Click to expand...

There was Starship Troopers and Ghost in the Shell. Yea....
 
B

BenjaminBirdie

Banned
Tobor said:
"I refuse to buy cd's. Vinyl just sounds better."
Click to expand...

"Notice that I don't call it 'TV' because 'TV' is a nickname and nicknames are for friends and television is no friend of mine."

:lol

Ah. Mr. Show FTW.
 
M

morph

Banned
Razoric said:
Wow so you have the pricing structure on your desk? How much will it cost me to download the HD version of the new 007?
Click to expand...

How much is the least of your worries.

Ask how many days it will take to download 50GB on an average broadband connection :lol
 
D

Dante

Member
Hopefully they'll drop the price of some titles soon. I paid damn near 40 bucks for Ice Age 2 :(



Ohhhhhhh but it's sooooo pretty.
 
M

MickeyKnox

Member
ComputerNerd said:
You missed the most important part:

"In four or five years, broadband speeds will have increased to the point where downloading movies and burning them to a disc becomes much more easy and appealing than going out and buying a disc for many consumers," analyst Casey says.

Either that, or there will be a link from the PC to the cable/satellite box, that will stream the movies to every cable box in your home.

Disk based movies are on the way out.
Click to expand...
:lol :lol :lol
I love this magical world some people live in where they think physical media is on the way out.
We are no where near that point, I'll even venture to say that physical media will NEVER die out, even when/if it ever becomes less popular than DDS. And that won't be happening for a couple decades.
 
L

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
Newzboyz99 said:
BTW, what does the NYP have to do with basically a story based on actual quotes from people in the industry??? I don't see anything in the story that is tabloid. HD-DVD is in deep trouble and its plain as day.
Click to expand...


it's NYP's connection with Fox which is an exclusive Blu Ray supporter. Not saying I agree, just explaining.
 
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