Posted on 09/22/2007 3:48:18 PM PDT by Las Vegas Dave
The NPD Group recently made a report about consumers' knowledge of HD formats and what were decisive factors.
First, only 52% of all HDTV owners knew about either HD DVD or Blu-ray. This means that both formats really need to pull themselves together to create product awareness. 29% knew about HD DVD and 20% about Blu-ray.
Of interesting note, 62% of those who knew about HD formats said they were waiting for the price to come down, showing that price is key in getting HD sales up.
The cheapest* HD DVD player this fall will be SRP $199 and the cheapest Blu-ray player will be SRP $499.
More numbers can be found here. (At the website in original post. - LVD)
*Based on what we know as of Sept. 19, 2007, and based on stand-alone players.
The pinged subjects will be those of HDTV technology, satellite/cable HD, OTA (over the air with various roof top and indoor antennas) HD reception. Broadcast specials, Blu-ray HD-DVD, and any and all subjects relating to HD.
Lasvegasdave
A couple of ping list members I freepmailed today know that I purchased a Toshiba HDDVD played last evening, PQ is awesome at 1080i).
LVD
I’ll wait to see which format wins and then when prices drop below $50 I’ll consider getting a player.
We check in on the tempest in a teapot of the new century,
aka, LaserVision vs. SelectaVision, round II, nearly 30 years later.
Keep in mind that LV (later LD) “won”, and what it won was
the videophile market, some whopping 1% of the video market.
> First, only 52% of all HDTV owners knew about either
> HD-DVD or Blu-ray.
That’s pretty astonishing.
Shell out the bux for an HDTV, seems like your next
question would be, umm, where do I git me some HD content.
> Of interesting note, 62% of those who knew about HD
> formats said they were waiting for the price to come down,
> showing that price is key in getting HD sales up.
> The cheapest* HD DVD player this fall will be SRP $199
> and the cheapest Blu-ray player will be SRP $499.
And progressive scan SD-DVD players are $30 in Sam’s
Club vending machines.
For decades, crappy color-under VHS-LP was completely
acceptable to the majority of home video media users.
SD-DVD on an HD display, even without Faroudja-class
upscaling, blows these people away. They see no
compelling need to place an expensive bet on which
DRM-infested HD format will prevail.
Thanks, Dave! ................ FRegards
I’ll buy a PS3 for that much.
I remember reading about a sub $300 player for Christmas.
I missed CEDIA, but was just informed that I am “volunteered” to attend CES for the entire show in booth duty.
Yea.
That's me to the letter.A well mastered DVD played on my Pioneer progessive-scan DVD player and displayed on a Sony 34XBR960 is all the picture and sound quality I need.I'm hard pressed to see myself ever buying an HD or Blue Ray player.
I do know that with the arrival of Blu-Ray 1.1 specification players next month, the specifications will finally be frozen and now the process of improving technology to dramatically reduce the price of the player begins. I wouldn’t be surprised by the end of 2008 a Blu-Ray player will cost under US$200 and also be incorporated into all-in-one home theater systems.
The two formats is an absolute disaster. The media transition was already going to be one of the most difficult transitions for the change to HDTV. Splitting the market, and the fiasco of potentially having to buy two players is just ridiculous.
The competition between formats has helped drive down the price of the players, however both formats have their discs priced at 50% more than standard definition discs, and are incompatible with current systems.
The reason I will not buy an HD-DVD or BluRay disc is because it does not play on my current standard definition DVD player. Despite the fact some of these studios offer double sided DVDs with full-screen DVD media on one side and anamorphic widescreen media on the other, neither the HD-DVD crowd or the BluRay houses offer a double-sided disc with a high-definition side and a standard definition side.
Such a disc would be worth paying a 50% additional premium. Given what I am buying is a "right to use", I should have a right to use the SD version if I buy the HD version.
Want to use one in the car back seat DVD player, or the portable player when you are on an airplane trip? You have to buy two copies.
Even worse, one will end up a 21st century betamax.
Likewise, if I buy one particular format (say HD-DVD), and that is canceled, I should be able to transfer my right to use to a BluRay disc for some nominal media fee.
If I were an early adopter, I might not care about the premium, like the DVD early adopters. But not if it means having a collection of useless coasters.
While I agree with this to a point, I saw a BluRay disc being played on one of the Sony 70" SXRD sets in a SonyStyle store last year.
I think my jaw is still on the floor there.
However, they did have a little portable DVD player with progressive outputs going into another set and it looked pretty good.
But the BluRay is stunning, especially on a big set.
You are joking, right? Exactly which profile 1.1 players will arrive next month? That's the current deadline for players to be 1.1 compliant, unless Sony and the BDA delay the release yet again. And surely you have heard of the next profile, profile 2.0...which are supposed to arrive when? 2008? 2009? Ever?
How many Blu players will people have to buy before the spec is actually complete? Have you told your friends to avoid buying profile 1.0 players as they will likely not be able to play the enhanced content that Sony et al. have been promising and still haven't delivered? Or did you tell your friends to buy now, knowing that it's likely they are purchasing a very expensive doorstop? Did you mention the grave concerns that a senior Denon executive has raised about the ability of profile 1.0 players (i.e., all players released to date) to play 1.1 disks at all? Or that the new models hitting the market today are the old profile 1.0 models, released before the profile 1.1 deadline specifically to avoid having to be 1.1 compliant? Just how unethical must anyone be to sweep all this under the rug? And this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sony's scurrilous business practices.
To any and all FReepers: please be very skeptical about any claims you hear touting Blu-Ray. If I had a dollar for every lie told by a Blubot, I would be a very, very rich man today.
I've seen both HD and Blueray demonstrated and both were impressive.However,the difference between what I saw in these demonstrations and what I see in my living room now isn't *nearly* substantial enough for me to spend $500...or even $200...for a new player.
However,if they ever utilize either of the "HD" video disc formats for music...remastering stuff from the 50's and 60's (my favorite decades for music)....then I'd very probably take the plunge.
There are many HD DVDs with both high-definition and standard-definition versions of movies on the same disk. Perhaps the HD DVD publicity people bear the blame for not getting the word out. You're right, though, that you can't get that on Blu-Ray, and since it's not part of their spec, you likely never will. It's really handy for families that want to watch in high-def in their nice home theater, but also want the option of playing those same movies on their old standard players, perhaps to keep the kids in the back of the mini-van occupied. :-)
Thanks. I was unaware of the hybrid HD-DVD/SD-DVD disc. That is a very good thing.
You got a 34XBR960?
I’m jealous, It was too late for me. I had to Settle for the 970. (NO SFP)
Still a SWEET pic though. Would love to hook up Blueray to it :)
Yup,it's really great.Some of the stuff they show on Discovery HD,National Geographic HD and PBS HD is amazing.For that matter,some of the movies they show on TNT HD look really good too.
(Apart from football,I never watch the networks!)
your 960 probably has the greatest television tube ever created. I’d like to find one on ebay or something.
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