Now the war is over wishfull thinkers please explain how blu will ever replace DVD.

[Npl]

What do you mean ?

I think he implies there is price fixing going on for Blu-Ray Players (except PS3 which is subsidized).

Probably because hes comparing it to the HDDVD Camp where Toshiba was willing to sell Hardware with little margins or even losses.

 

[patsu]

If it's pricing fixing, why does he need 2 PS3s ?

My guess is...

The other low- to mid-tier manufacturers will most likely use PS3 as a reference. If they are not satisfied with the sales rate, they will adjust downwards a little.

The hi-end guys will continue to sell at premium price.

 

[Npl]

prolly for another (cheap) TV where a cheap player wouldve been more than enough

 

[patsu]

Okay, he's conjecturing that the PS3 will remain the cheapest Blu-ray player because of Sony's subsidy, and alleged price fixing (for other standalone models). So when he needs a second player for his other TV, he will be "forced" to buy a PS3.

Well... it's hard to say then. Both PS3 and standalone players will fall in price. Even without price fixing, it is still possible for PS3 to remain price competitive in the near term because of well... Sony's subsidy, improved manufacturing process, and volume.

 

[quest55720]

I have 2 HD-TVs and if I move to blu I need 2 players. Looking at player prices right now the PS3 is the cheapest full spec player. I remember all the blu boys claiming the war was a reason prices were not dropping and once it was over competition with in the blu camp would take over. I think it is rediculous that there is not one outdated 1.1 spec player in the 249-279 price range. I have even seen 1 blu CE raised its pricing of up coming players. The family has decided that with the up coming checks we would get a couple of blu players.

 

[patsu]

Looking at player prices right now the PS3 is the cheapest full spec player. I remember all the blu boys claiming the war was a reason prices were not dropping and once it was over competition with in the blu camp would take over.

Yes, market forces will decide but the process may take months. The high initial price should be due to R&D cost recovery (in spite of the war).

I think it is rediculous that there is not one outdated 1.1 spec player in the 249-279 price range. I have even seen 1 blu CE raised its pricing of up coming players. The family has decided that with the up coming checks we would get a couple of blu players.

I think one of the manufacturers revised their pre-launch price from US$349 to $399. That is likely because they believed that their limited supply can still sell out at $399.

I have seen charts showing Blu-ray player prices rise or fall depending on whose data you get. We can't really use HD DVD player price as a reference here because no other manufacturers besides Toshiba could come in (And Toshiba lost close to a billion for the entire campaign in 2007, including the content/studio acquisition cost).

You may have to wait it out, for Blu-ray player price to drop gradually. There have been some price-drop rumors lately but we shall see.

Nonetheless, BDA should really get their act together regarding BD-Live roll out.

 

[patsu]

9 mil. Blu Discs Sold To Date; 3 million Already This Year

http://www.hollywoodinhidef.com/blog_detail.php?id=187

Blu-ray Disc sales continue to pick up steam, with total U.S. sales since inception (about a year-and-a-half-ago) hitting 9 million units through March 16, according to HMR research.

In just 11 weeks this year, BD unit sales have hit 3 million units, seemingly putting the format on pace to easily hit at least 15 million units for 2008.

Some sales blip. Will have to see whether the trend continues.

EDIT: This article is interesting too: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr...ideo/e3if32b8f1fa30457d78668ac733fc7bde1?pn=1

Even in the busy fourth quarter of 2007, sales of high-profile new releases were overwhelmingly tilted toward DVD. Fox's "The Simpsons Movie" generated just 2.8% of its total sales from Blu-ray, while the Blu-ray version of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," from Walt Disney Studios, accounted for 3.7% of total sales.

Only after Toshiba threw in the HD DVD towel on Feb. 19 did Blu-ray sales spike. Warner's "Michael Clayton," released that day, generated 5.5% of its total first-week sales from Blu-ray. Sony's "30 Days of Night," released Feb. 26, snagged 8.9% of its total unit sales from the Blu-ray version.

More recently...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "No Country for Old Men" realized 9.8% of its total sales from Blu-ray Disc its first five days in stores, according to an analysis of Nielsen VideoScan First Alert numbers conducted by Home Media Magazine's market research department.

Fox's "Hitman," also released March 11, fared even better, generating 12.6% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray.

Hard to tell if they are cherry picking (probably to a certain extent), but things seem to be looking up in general.

 

[RobertR1]

It's PR so ofcourse they're cherry picking. The big deal will be when the first title break 1mil SOLD during the first week.

 

[patsu]

Cherry picking to highlight the best cases ("No Country for Old Men" and "Hitman"), yes. In fact, the article said Hitman hit a sweetspot. But I am more refering to whether the unit sales improvement is across the board. The 3 million sold in 1Q (compared to 6 million sold in 2007) is probably high enough to mean average unit sales has gone up for other titles as well.

EDIT: Hmm... I think they may be trying to strike a balance. Appleseed: Ex Machina did 30% on Blu-ray (vs total DVD + Blu-ray unit sales): http://icv2.com/articles/home/12267.html but it appeals mostly to a narrow segment of viewers.

How is Appleseed Ex Machina doing on DVD -- it's been out about ten days now hasn't it?
It's been out over a week. So far it's been selling out pretty much whenever it hits the stands in Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and all the major chains that we are hitting. By now I think it's sold through 100,000 units. I hope this continues. With John Woo producing we are trying to reach out to a larger market--obviously anime fans are the core market for this title, but we also wanted to reach out to a wider audience. This is the sort of thing that I think in the future we can do to serve the market outside of Japan as well. In terms of anime content being produced I think that the North American market has been a bit underserved, so hopefully this will be a success and will allow us to continue with more projects like this.