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Price, not format war fears, holds back Blu-ray, says survey

Daniel Fleshbourne   via The Reg on 14 February 2008 - 13:15 · 31 comments & 16374 views

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Toshiba appears to have judged its HD DVD strategy correctly, if consumer research from price comparison service Pricegrabber is anything to go by. What's stopping punters picking Blu-ray Disc is not so much the risk of backing the loser in the format war as the high price of players. During January, Pricegrabber listed HD DVD players priced between $144 and $633, with the average price coming in at $292. By comparison, Blu-ray player ran from $341 to $800, the average price being recorded as $467.

Separately, a 2185-respondent customer survey carried out by Pricegrabber online in the US found that 56 per cent of respondents interested in going Blu said they won't make the move until the price of players comes down. Only 19 per cent identified the format war as the mean reason they're not buying straight away.


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(7 replies) #1 +kraized on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:22
If no one is buying BD because of high prices of the players why has nearly every major store and movie studio moved exclusively to BD?
#1.1 Oxuyoska on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:38
(kraized said @ #1)
If no one is buying BD because of high prices of the players why has nearly every major store and movie studio moved exclusively to BD?




You don't pay much attention to the news do you? They all moved to Blu-Ray as Blu-Ray attained nearly every single major studio as an exclusive studio to Blu-Ray, which weighed in a lot on the retailers move to push Blu-Ray players, however at their current pricepoint they can't push them well enough, considering that the price of a low-range pc is the price you have to pay to purchase a Blu-Ray player. Once they start dropping the price of manufactoring, they will absorb all of the market.
#1.2 yakumo on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:06
(Oxuyoska said @ #1.1)
(kraized said @ #1)
If no one is buying BD because of high prices of the players why has nearly every major store and movie studio moved exclusively to BD?




You don't pay much attention to the news do you? They all moved to Blu-Ray as Blu-Ray attained nearly every single major studio as an exclusive studio to Blu-Ray, which weighed in a lot on the retailers move to push Blu-Ray players, however at their current pricepoint they can't push them well enough, considering that the price of a low-range pc is the price you have to pay to purchase a Blu-Ray player. Once they start dropping the price of manufactoring, they will absorb all of the market.


yes, but they moved claiming that it was because blu-ray was the consumer choice, this directly discredits that.
#1.3 +TCLN Ryster on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:38
(yakumo said @ #1.2)
yes, but they moved claiming that it was because blu-ray was the consumer choice, this directly discredits that.

Yeah, consumers choice my arse. If Blu-Ray were the consumers choice then it would... 1) have the support of the DVD forum, 2) not be changing the specification of the format rendering old players obsolete and 3) would be the technology with the lowest costs.

Sorry, but HD-DVD was the consumers choice, but failed because Sony marketed the PS3 as a cheap blu-ray player and got more ps3-bluray players out there than HD-DVD players. PS3 has largely failed as a games console according to most non-sony fanboys you ask, so it's a good job for those who bought it that it can do something.
#1.4 +Dale on 14 Feb 2008 - 17:08
(TCLN Ryster said @ #1.3)
(yakumo said @ #1.2)
yes, but they moved claiming that it was because blu-ray was the consumer choice, this directly discredits that.

Yeah, consumers choice my arse. If Blu-Ray were the consumers choice then it would... 1) have the support of the DVD forum, 2) not be changing the specification of the format rendering old players obsolete and 3) would be the technology with the lowest costs.

Sorry, but HD-DVD was the consumers choice, but failed because Sony marketed the PS3 as a cheap blu-ray player and got more ps3-bluray players out there than HD-DVD players. PS3 has largely failed as a games console according to most non-sony fanboys you ask, so it's a good job for those who bought it that it can do something.


i don't think the PS3 has failed. I think it has just begun to succeed.. especially considering its the cheapest quality blu ray player you can find.. then it plays video games.
#1.5 theyarecomingforyou on 14 Feb 2008 - 18:13
(TCLN Ryster said @ #1.3)
PS3 has largely failed as a games console according to most non-sony fanboys you ask, so it's a good job for those who bought it that it can do something.

Failed? It's predicted to outperform the X360 this year. It's more expensive but is certainly not a failure.

(TCLN Ryster said @ #1.3)
If Blu-Ray were the consumers choice then it would... 1) have the support of the DVD forum

Why? That has absolutely no relevance. The DVD forum related to the last generation movie format. That's like saying that DVD would have been a non-consumer option if it wasn't supported by the VHS group or CDs without support from vinyl groups.

Blu-ray is still the consumer choice because of the number of players out there (outperforming HD-DVD both standalone and dwarves it with the PS3), has highest software sales and most exclusive studios (from the beginning thanks to Sony and Disney backing it, expanding over time) - the HD-DVD group only managed to buy two studios for 18 months. The short-term cost issues are just that... short term. Just because something is cheaper does not make it better for the consumer - that is a serious misnomer. In fact this article states that consumers prefer Blu-ray but are simply waiting for it to drop in price... that backs the idea that Blu-ray is the consumer choice.

HD-DVD has failed, despite being cheaper and the supposed "consumer option". All I hear are excuses and poorly thought through arguements as to why Blu-ray is anti-consumer and why it's a shame that HD-DVD failed / is failing.
#1.6 waxman830 on 14 Feb 2008 - 19:38
(kraized said @ #1)
If no one is buying BD because of high prices of the players why has nearly every major store and movie studio moved exclusively to BD?


This is all you need to know about Sony!!!
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c....u=sony_bull****

#1.7 vetJoel on 16 Feb 2008 - 16:02
(Dale said @ #1.4)
i don't think the PS3 has failed. I think it has just begun to succeed.. especially considering its the cheapest quality blu ray player you can find.. then it plays video games.

So you just agreed with him; as a game console it failed, as a BD player it won.
(3 replies) #2 bigdsvideo on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:40
Well for me, I will not be switching to a BR or HD DVD until they are the same price as a Standard DVD along with the players being almost free to purchase like Standard DVD players are. It is just not worth it to me. Sure HD is a much better quality, but when we all switched from music cassettes to cds , I don't remember having to pay double for those.
#2.1 winmoose on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:54
when we all switched from music cassettes to cds , I don't remember having to pay double for those.


Cds were a LOT more expensive than double the price to start with! My dad has one the first mass produced Philips CD players, it is actually still surprisingly good even compared to the best you can get today. Despite its age, he still refuses to ever replace it because it was so incredibly expensive!

But I completely agree, soon you will be able to get players for less than £50, and the disks will probably only have a small premium over normal DVDs, why bother wasting money now.

The people who spent thousands on HD/BR equipment only to be able to watch a few movies then to see their stuff rapidly become outdated at half the price are either very rich or very dumb.
#2.2 Skwerl on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:53
Since buying a large high def plasma, I really apreciate the difference in quality between a standard DVD and a Blu-Ray movie. The discs are a bit more expensive, but the difference is worth tyhe price premium. A smart shopper can find good deals on Blu-Ray discs. I've found that many titles on Amazon are roughly the same price as DVDs, and they have buy-one-get-one deals all the tme. Granted, those BOGO deals are often for select Blu-Ray movies that no one would want.
#2.3 vetJoel on 16 Feb 2008 - 16:46
(bigdsvideo said @ #2)
but when we all switched from music cassettes to cds , I don't remember having to pay double for those.

Then you either weren't alive when it happened or you have selective memory.
(4 replies) #3 WolfDV on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:52
lots of people, despite the quality increase HD media brings, cannot justify spending nearly double the price of the SD version of the same movie. I will, but most people won't. Also the cost of a decent BR player may be putting some people off aswell.

Last edited by WolfDV on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:58
#3.1 LipSmacker on 14 Feb 2008 - 13:56
(WolfDV said @ #3)
lots of people, despite the quality increase HD media brings, cannot justify spending nearly double the price of the SD version of the same movie. I will, but most people won't. Also the cost of a decent BR player may be putting some people off aswell.


Correct. There are plenty of HD-DVDs that I want, but at $30 a pop its unrealistic. Majority of people won't switch until they are no longer given a choice.
#3.2 Jdawg683 on 14 Feb 2008 - 14:15
(LipSmacker said @ #3.1)
Correct. There are plenty of HD-DVDs that I want, but at $30 a pop its unrealistic. Majority of people won't switch until they are no longer given a choice.


idk where youre finding $30 a pop for an HD DVD, but personally, i've never paid more than $20 a any single HD movie i own. hell, look at all the sales retailers have. BB, Amazon, and now DeepDiscountDVD ($12.20 each for some)

i recently bought a PS3... got it on ebay for $80 under retail. that's the only way i would have bought one... otherwise it's just too expensive. still, i'm not going to pay $30 for any blu-ray movie. i love the PS3, but my support is still for HD DVD b/c it's economical, and it has more movies that i want to watch. (i own 60+ HDs vs. 5 BDs)

it still blows my mind that retailers and consumers want to support a format that costs almost double to buy, yet still doesnt support all the same features as HD DVD has. (ok ok, no comments needed... i shouldnt have started)
#3.3 LipSmacker on 14 Feb 2008 - 14:25
Every single Best Buy, Target, Circuit City in my area sells all Blu and HD for $30 with an occasional sale, and I stress the word occasional.

I got my HD-DVD player for free... so hah!
#3.4 NeoTrunks on 14 Feb 2008 - 15:37
Same here. Just about every retail store sells them for $35 as their normal price. Only now are they starting to come down in price (last ditch effort).
(2 replies) #4 KeR on 14 Feb 2008 - 14:49
I don't understand why everyone is shocked by this; regular DVD players back in the day were just as expensive. It takes a while for prices to come down, give it a year or so.
#4.1 Gally on 14 Feb 2008 - 15:24
Hopefully sooner due to competition.
#4.2 ermax on 14 Feb 2008 - 17:32
(Gally said @ #4.1)
Hopefully sooner due to competition.


What competition? Sony wiped away any chance HD DVD had with their anti consumer biz practices. Now we are all stuck waiting for who knows how long for Sony to drop prices.
#5 X'tyfe on 14 Feb 2008 - 15:59
LOL this wont stop Blu Ray at all
its to late now for HD-DVD
#6 Marty2003 on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:12
Format war fears, not price holds back HD DVD, says me.
#7 Volatile on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:15
Betamax to VHS.. I just don't see the point at the moment.. in a few years the prices will drop and in another 5-10 years everyone will have a BD player in their home.. then they will be talking about something else thats even better....
(1 reply) #8 kak on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:42
Isn't the adoption rate of Blu-ray currently higher than that of DVD in the relative time frame for each format?
#8.1 QuarterSwede on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:52
I wouldn't be surprised if it was. People are finding that regular DVD's look like crap on their HDTV. They're either getting a progressive scan, upconverting DVD player or buying a BluRay player.
(2 replies) #9 s0121 on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:48
Have your looked and tried to find a Blu-Ray recorder.... next to impossible to find.
every major store I have visited in the mid west (Kansas-Oklahoma area) has HD DVD Recorders. Blu-Ray recorders can be found on EBay.
strange to me...
How can BlueRay be winning, when I am only offered FREE HD DVDs with the players, whereas i find
HD Players over Blue-Ray players 5 to 1, and I get FREE HD Movies (10) also, could not find 1 BLu-Ray player close to the price of HD and they offered - suk movies (3ea)

Price is the main reason, Format wars suck... another reason for manufactures to SUK the price to OVER Charge.

#9.1 QuarterSwede on 14 Feb 2008 - 16:54
Personally I have yet to see an HD DVD player in my area (I'm sure they exist) but as soon as you walk near the TV section of a store BluRay is front and center playing on a TV. Even so, we sell gobs more BluRay discs than HD DVD.
#9.2 theyarecomingforyou on 14 Feb 2008 - 18:20
I have yet to see any HD-DVD players or discs here in the UK but Blu-ray is popping up more and more often. Also, Blu-ray burners and recordable discs have been out a lot longer on the PC side of things. It was only recently that a solitary appeared on computer hardware sites here, coming in slightly cheaper than Blu-ray thanks to special offers.

So Blu-ray has more exposure, more studios and more retail support. Prices will come down just as they did with DVDs - just because there is a cheaper format does not make it a better commercial venture, as the HD-DVD group has been finding out.
(1 reply) #10 GenBlood on 15 Feb 2008 - 03:37
Blu-Ray ... HD-DVD ... players ...

Right now, the average consumer will stick with a regular DVD player ...
Money is tight ... an most will NOT pony up ... $300 plus for a Blu-Ray
player ... $150 for a HD-DVD ... too ..

IMHO ... HD-DVD ... has lost a few battles ... , but HD-DVD will prevail
in the war ...

Microsoft needs to release a HD-DVD of the Xbox 360 ... to put more
pressure ... on the Bu-Ray group ...
#10.1 testman on 15 Feb 2008 - 10:37
I don't see how HD DVD will prevail when Blu-ray has far more studio support.

In any case, it's all probably moot. Cos it's rumoured that Toshiba are on the verge of dropping it entirely.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Tos...rop_HD_DVD/1468

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...14b889b10defb59
#11 Starchild on 15 Feb 2008 - 04:46
What a misleading article and useless survey. If they wanted to know if "Toshiba judged its HD DVD strategy correctly," the survey should have asked: "Did you buy a HDDVD player because the Blu-Ray players were too expensive?"

What I gather from this survey is that of those interested in going Blu: 1) 56% are going Blu no matter what (they are just waiting for the price to come down), while; 2) 19% are still considering HDDVD due to the format war.

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