Blockbuster announcement to embrace BluRay, how decisive it is?

rbrb · « **Reply #20 on:** 1 Jul 2007, 04:58 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 20 Jun 2007, 12:54 am

LG was fighting in the courts to release a player that would handle BlueRay and HD DVD formats. I have not heard anything lately but this seemed like a winner for we the consumers. I love watching movies on my Pioneer 50" Plasma and I have really wanted a higher definition player. However, I am one of the people who bought a betamax tape players back in the days of the VHS and Beta format wars. Beta had a superior picture but Sony lost the marketing war. Bottom-line is that I ended up with a player which presented me major problems in obtaining rental movies. I do not plan to duplicate that mistake this time around. Sometime earlier this year I told friends a this format war would be settled by Blockbuster. I see Netflix mentioned in an earlier thread but I cannot see Netflix being competitive with Blockbuster if you life in an area that has Blockbuster Stores. There new program is unbelievable and I cannot imagine this deal lasting too long!

Ken

We need to stop comparing the Beta/VHS war to the Blu Ray/HD DVD war. They are not the same. Beta lost because Sony wanted it all for themselves they were not willing to licence the technology to other companies. Hardly the case this time around.

Philistine · « **Reply #21 on:** 2 Jul 2007, 01:25 am »

Betamax recorders were also available from Toshiba, Pioneer, Aiwa and NEC, in addition to Sony.

Consumers burnt by the Beta/VHS are acutely aware of competing technologies, and this is a key psychological factor preventing the average consumer embracing High Def.

Ears · « **Reply #22 on:** 2 Jul 2007, 02:28 am »

Quote from: Philistine on 2 Jul 2007, 01:25 am

Betamax recorders were also available from Toshiba, Pioneer, Aiwa and NEC, in addition to Sony.

Consumers burnt by the Beta/VHS are acutely aware of competing technologies, and this is a key psychological factor preventing the average consumer embracing High Def.

Maybe in England....but most of the BD's being bought in the U.S are from PS3 owners that mostly don't remember Beta/VHS.

I believe VHS won out because of porn in the U.S., which means very little this time around because of the net.

For the most part, Joe 6 pack doesn't even know HD optical exists, but Sony hired someone Joe 6 pack definitely relates to for representing Blu-ray....Dale Earnhart JR.

This along with putting a great BD player in every PS3 are simply great moves on their part.

rbrb · « **Reply #23 on:** 4 Jul 2007, 05:08 pm »

Quote from: Philistine on 2 Jul 2007, 01:25 am

Betamax recorders were also available from Toshiba, Pioneer, Aiwa and NEC, in addition to Sony.

Yes indeed but much too little too late. The only other announcement that would be even more decisive would be if Walmart were to follow suit.

Philistine · « **Reply #24 on:** 4 Jul 2007, 11:40 pm »

Different drivers have been cited for the failure of Betamax - Sony not licensing and porn on VHS, I was sure that other manufacturers had Betamax machines and checked this again and found that in fact Sony did license. The driver often quoted for the UK adoption of VHS was related to consumers renting machines as the initial purchase price where expensive and concerns related on high repair costs - the rental stores went with VHS. The big disappointment was that the best domestic system (picture quality and the ability to use both sides of a video tape) was developed and marketed by Phillips - the V2000 system. In the end what was considered the crappiest system, VHS, won.

I was back in the UK a few months ago looking at high def sets, and to be honest the gap between a good PAL 625 signal and high def was apparent but not sure if it's enough to get the average Joe excited. The buzz was for 16:9 flat panel sets, not high def, and with smaller screen sizes high def also becomes less critical. The gap between NTSC and High Def, in comparison to the PAL gap, is so significant that it should be an easier sell. At the same time, for the average NTSC viewer, a good standard DVD picture may be such an improvement that this too may be a barrier to 'upgrade' to high def dvd? So the critical mass may not exist in the market for a single format, let alone two. As suggested it may take something decisive, like Walmart getting involved, to generate the critical mass needed.

Ears · « **Reply #25 on:** 5 Jul 2007, 01:53 am »

Here is the reason that Blu-ray will win besides having far better functioning players and 95 % of its exclusive titles having actual HD audio via uncompressed PCM, DD THD or DTS-MA rather than 90% of all hd dvd releases having core DD/ DTS because there is not enough space for actual HD audio on their 30 gb discs.

http://blog.pixelperfectproductions.com/?p=54#comment-98

JoshK · « **Reply #26 on:** 5 Jul 2007, 02:16 am »

Well I am betting on blu-ray to win...it sure looks like it will from my vantage point, at this point. I might buy the Sony BDP-S300 this week, but I am on the fence. I bought my Sony SACD player because it was a killer CD player and the SACD was bonus... this time I have really good (u/s) DVD players so the sony will be blu-ray only.

JoshK · « **Reply #27 on:** 5 Jul 2007, 02:22 am »

Quote from: Philistine on 4 Jul 2007, 11:40 pm

I was back in the UK a few months ago looking at high def sets, and to be honest the gap between a good PAL 625 signal and high def was apparent but not sure if it's enough to get the average Joe excited.

I think the problem is with the source, not the display honestly. We saw the same problem here in NJ. We went to a 6thAveElectronics in jersey city and they had two 50" HD panasonic plasmas hooked up, one with HD.net and another with a blu-ray disc. The BR was far far superior in picture with the hd.net obviously pixelated. I asked the sales guy and he said the hd.net was hooked up over component (wtf?). They aren't going to sell many displays that way. That is half the problem, they need to educated the sale force and have good sources that show the full potential and then they might sell them.

Ears · « **Reply #28 on:** 5 Jul 2007, 11:51 am »

Quote from: JoshK on 5 Jul 2007, 02:16 am

Well I am betting on blu-ray to win...it sure looks like it will from my vantage point, at this point. I might buy the Sony BDP-S300 this week, but I am on the fence. I bought my Sony SACD player because it was a killer CD player and the SACD was bonus... this time I have really good (u/s) DVD players so the sony will be blu-ray only.

I believe there is a get 5 free BD promotion going now on the S-300 which can now already be found at Costco as the S-301 for 448.00 and you still get the 5 free BD movies.

Mathew_M · « **Reply #29 on:** 5 Jul 2007, 02:10 pm »

Quote from: JoshK on 5 Jul 2007, 02:16 am

Well I am betting on blu-ray to win...it sure looks like it will from my vantage point, at this point. I might buy the Sony BDP-S300 this week, but I am on the fence. I bought my Sony SACD player because it was a killer CD player and the SACD was bonus... this time I have really good (u/s) DVD players so the sony will be blu-ray only.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/05/wii-outselling-playstation-3-six-to-one/#comments

I wouldn't bet on a blu-ray win yet.

The biggest problems with either format winning are: HD discs unlike regular DVD are not a quantum leap in technology. Regular DVD fulfills about 90% of what most consumers need or want. Regular dvd sales continue to dwindle which means to me that "owning" movies is no longer important to most people. As long as you can buy the same movie on standard dvd for $10 only the videophiles are going pay over double to own the hd version. Most people who rent from Blockbuster are not videophiles and will rent whichever version that will play in their $40 Cyberhome dvd player.

So with that said I think the HD disc format will be more like laserdisc than DVD....at least until there are $50 players sitting on the shelves at WalMart.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #30 on:** 9 Jul 2007, 05:58 am »

Well, I bought an HD-DVD machine today. My brother found a stack on clearance for $150 @ Wal-Mart, and at that price I couldn't say no. He hooked it up and tried it out on his hi def 42" LCD and verified that it works properly (I have no video rig right now and am a few weeks away from moving). I also think Bluray will "win" but for $150 it's a no-brainer. And even if HD-DVD folds, I will have a few years worth of enjoyment under my belt. My plan is to buy a BRD player when prices come down a bit more and continue to buy whatever I want to watch regardless of formats. Life is short and I could get hit by a bus next week- I want HD now!

JLM · « **Reply #31 on:** 9 Jul 2007, 10:10 am »

The little blockbuster outlet in our hick town of population 25,000 (25 miles to the next bigger town) is closing. Does this mean that rural America is going the rental-by-mail route?

Maybe the store was too small. I'm not a movie watcher, but they barely had anything I'd ever be bored enough to watch, yet the new release stuff that they had dozens of were out of stock.

I just completed the audio portion of a HT setup, but still use a 27 inch direct view. From my perspective (that of a casual user) the lack of cooperation has made video way too confusing to commit serious money into for the screen, broadcast, and now HD disk sources.

Bigfish · « **Reply #32 on:** 9 Jul 2007, 11:24 am »

An article in the USA Today a couple of weeks back indicated Blockbuster is losing money in its effort to promote the mail order business. The article quoted high level Blockbuster Management Sources that they would be revising their offerings in the near future to be more profitable next year. The mail order program has definitely hurt the local Blockbuster Rental Stores, which means more closures are to be expected. Thus, of course, making the Blockbuster Total Choice Program less attractive and may be the real reason why Blockbuster is aligning itself with Blueray.

Ken

Mathew_M · « **Reply #33 on:** 9 Jul 2007, 03:38 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 9 Jul 2007, 10:10 am

I just completed the audio portion of a HT setup, but still use a 27 inch direct view. From my perspective (that of a casual user) the lack of cooperation has made video way too confusing to commit serious money into for the screen, broadcast, and now HD disk sources.

If your room allows it then buy a front projector, 92"+ screen and upscaling dvd player. You can purchase all of that for about the same price as a 50" plasma and enjoy watching movies the way they are meant to be seen....big! Don't worry standard dvds still look good. The Toshiba HD-DVD players are excellent values. The original model, the A1 is a helluva good sounding cd player to boot but is plagued by buggy playback.

jqp · « **Reply #34 on:** 9 Jul 2007, 04:00 pm »

I quit using Blockbuster when I saw that they only carried very current releases. I could not find many movies I was looking for that were over a year or two past the release-to-DVD date. Stock was very depleted compared to the past. I mostly watch "older" movies which I read about online. Blockbuster perhaps is now appealing to the PS3-owning households who may rent a game and also a Blu-Ray movie - not a very significant market in my eyes.

I don't know anyone who owns a Blue-Ray player, or a PS3, or an HD-DVD player for that matter. I personally plan to use my Oppo DVD player in my HT system or my little Toshiba DVD player in the bedroom/on trips for the forseeable future

I'm not betting on Blu-Ray to win yet either. It is still a marketing battle, announcements do not create reality.

Do Playstation 3 owners even watch Blu-Ray discs? And do they watch more Blue-Ray movies than XBox HD-DVD player owning gamers watch HD-DVD movies?

Toshiba is theroreticaly about to release HD-DVD burners for laptops and PCs. What effect will this have?

And who won the DVD format war? DVD-R or DVD+R

Ears · « **Reply #35 on:** 10 Jul 2007, 02:16 am »

Quote from: jqp on 9 Jul 2007, 04:00 pm

I quit using Blockbuster when I saw that they only carried very current releases. I could not find many movies I was looking for that were over a year or two past the release-to-DVD date. Stock was very depleted compared to the past. I mostly watch "older" movies which I read about online. Blockbuster perhaps is now appealing to the PS3-owning households who may rent a game and also a Blu-Ray movie - not a very significant market in my eyes.

I don't know anyone who owns a Blue-Ray player, or a PS3, or an HD-DVD player for that matter. I personally plan to use my Oppo DVD player in my HT system or my little Toshiba DVD player in the bedroom/on trips for the forseeable future

I'm not betting on Blu-Ray to win yet either. It is still a marketing battle, announcements do not create reality.

Do Playstation 3 owners even watch Blu-Ray discs? And do they watch more Blue-Ray movies than XBox HD-DVD player owning gamers watch HD-DVD movies?

Toshiba is theroreticaly about to release HD-DVD burners for laptops and PCs. What effect will this have?

And who won the DVD format war? DVD-R or DVD+R

Yes most PS3 owners do seem to watch and buy BD movies...and most enthusiast actually use the PS3 as it the fastest functioning and most future proof BD player out there as of now, and also has hdmi 1.3.
Amazon just put the PS3 on sale at 499.00 for the 60 gb model with five or 6 free BD movies and free shipping, and the sales went up 3000%.

The PS3 is 100% responsible for BD overtaking hd dvd even though it had a two month head start.
This is true worldwide, and not just in the U.S.

BD caught up in December, 1 month after the PS3 release, and shot past hd dvd in January which is exactly when you could start actually finding them on shelves.

Same goes for all of Europe where the PS3 was released and all of a sudden BD took the lead.
Netflix Germany has 70% BD rentals just a couple of months after the PS3's release.

In Europe, hd dvd had the lead and one week after the PS3 was released, BD had 87% of the sales.
Talk about your trojan horses.

Japan has already chosen BD which is no big suprise.

The XBOX has a 33% failure rate in Europe...and I am sure the U.S % is probably not much better.
The add on for the 360 has zero way of ever getting 1080p or any form of HD audio.

Having both in the theater, I can tell you first hand that the PS3 is far better built, more feature packed, more powerfull as well as much quieter.
The first 360 I bought my kid lasted 7 hours before it got the flashing rings of death.

Read this http://money.cnn.com/2007/07/05/technology/microsoft_charge.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

Dell already had Blu-ray drives in their PC's.....and BDr drives are availble and have been for quite some time.
What the PC market wants is more space as always....and 50gb is going to beat out 30 gb any day of the week in that market.

Ears · « **Reply #36 on:** 10 Jul 2007, 02:35 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock on 9 Jul 2007, 05:58 am

Well, I bought an HD-DVD machine today. My brother found a stack on clearance for $150 @ Wal-Mart, and at that price I couldn't say no. He hooked it up and tried it out on his hi def 42" LCD and verified that it works properly (I have no video rig right now and am a few weeks away from moving). I also think Bluray will "win" but for $150 it's a no-brainer. And even if HD-DVD folds, I will have a few years worth of enjoyment under my belt. My plan is to buy a BRD player when prices come down a bit more and continue to buy whatever I want to watch regardless of formats. Life is short and I could get hit by a bus next week- I want HD now!

Wally World got rid of there hd dvd players here after 6 weeks last summer, since then they only have a stand alone Philips BD player...but good find regardless.
As long as your preppared for glitchy functionality as compared to the cheapest dvd player out there...then its a good deal.

I hope you get to see some movies from Sony, Cloumbia Tri Star, Miramax, Fox, Disney, Pixar, Lions Gate, Touchstone, MGM and the other BD only studios before that fateful day

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #37 on:** 13 Jul 2007, 07:06 am »

I watched a couple movies on it last nite (at my brothers place- he's holding it for me for now, til I get moved/settled in). Yeah, it's a bit buggy so far as it loads & skips slowly, but the picture and sound are stunning and it works just fine. I just bought my first HD-DVDs at BB today. They had a handful of titles on sale for $15 each so I bought V For Vendetta, The Phantom of the Opera & Troy. While I was there I noticed their entry level BRD machines were down to $500, as is the PS3, so I suspect once I'm done with my 2 month training in Minneapolis (and get my Barco 701 hung up somewhere) I'll be getting a BRD player, too.

mca · « **Reply #38 on:** 13 Jul 2007, 03:10 pm »

I just bought a PS3 as a birthday present to myself

I went to my local Blockbuster yesterday and rented three BluRay disks, Happy Feet, Apocalypto and Aeon Flux. I popped in Happy Feet last night and my jaw about hit the floor

The detail and color was amazing. I did not expect this big of a difference between BluRay and my Oppo. And this is with a 50" Panny plasma that is 720p.

Call me impressed!

nicksgem10s · « **Reply #39 on:** 13 Jul 2007, 03:18 pm »

Mca,

You made a smart move. If you did not already update the PS3 to the latest firmware version that now upconverts standard definition it is a must.

I was coming from an Oppo dvd player and until the recent PS3 update to allow upconversion I was switching back to the Oppo for standard dvd.

I was able to put about $150 back in my pocket by selling the Oppo and opened up some more space on the rack.

The PS3 is an incredible machine

I have been amazed at the majority of Bluray movies I have seen since getting the PS3 on New Years Eve.

Bluray is razor sharp and 3d on a 106" screen with Mitsubishi HC3000.

It is a great time to be an audio/video hobbyist.

Nick