Is the public even ready for Blu-Ray?

jalu6

jalu6

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I suppose this discussion could be about HD-DVD also, but Sony seems to be depending on Blu-Ray as driving their console sales, while Microsoft seems to just want to stay on equal footing.

Anyway, has anyone even considered that the "next gen dvd" formats may BOTH go the way of the Laserdisc? I think there is a very good chance that people aren't even ready to invest in a Blu-Ray player at this point.

When DVDs hit the market there was a significant jump in technology from VHS. Better quality that could be seen on even the most craptacular TV. Extra features, longer life, and chapter selection (this feature has always been underrated).

What do Blu-Ray movies offer besides better quality? And to reach that better quality, you would have to make a serious home theatre investment before even purchasing the $500-600 player. Are people that unhappy with DVD quality? And if so, are they so unhappy that they want to spend that much money to watch "Sweet Home Alabama" on Blu-Ray? Sure, it may be nice to see the digitally enhanced, action films at 1080p, but 70% of movies just don't need that resolution jump.

Basically I'm saying this. There isnt enough of a significant change in technology for people to go out and invest in it yet. And I'm not talking about the techno-geeks or the gamers or even the guys on these boards. I'm talking about your aunts and uncles and your grandparents.

Think of the very last person you know who got a dvd player (that you probably bought for them.) Those are the people that do the real adopting of formats. Those are the people that prove to the industry that its worth mass producing and transferring back catalogs to the format. These people just arent ready to make that jump in the next 2 years.
 
[quote name='jalu6']Anyway, has anyone even considered that the "next gen dvd" formats may BOTH go the way of the Laserdisc? I think there is a very good chance that people aren't even ready to invest in a Blu-Ray player at this point. [/QUOTE]

They will. It's a niche market. The average consumer still doesn't own an HD TV, and won't for quite a few years. They also like the fact you can get a DVD player for $30 or less and decent movies for $10 or less right now. Its not broken so it shouldnt be fixed.

This isn't as drastic as VHS to DVD or CD to MP3. It'll have its buyers but there's no way Blu-Ray or HD-DVD ever knock off regular old DVDs.
 
I'm a techie. I like to have the newest and greatest electronics. I've got 3 iPods, a laptop, a pc, an iMac, a pocket PC, 2 surround sound systems, 2 HDTVs, a DVR, all the gaming systems (including the portables PSP, DS, NGage), etc...


I'm not interested in Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this point. Something is amiss.
 
Your points are well said jalu6. I don't see anyone in my family getting one of these players until they are at least down to $100 and movies are less than $20. I don't see either format really taking off for another 5 years at least.
 
Good. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in this. I'm in the same boat as Shipwreck here (get it?), I also own an HDTV and am a major tech guy, but I'm not going out of my way to get a Blu-Ray. If the PS3 comes out and I think the games are worth it, I'll get one. But I'm not basing my decision on an unproven format to watch movies.
 
[quote name='jkam']It seems pointless to me.[/QUOTE]

Same here, but then again I wont be the one making the money when everyone wants to rebuy the same movies they have bought twice before just so they can have a "better quality" version of it.
 
This is the same thing I've been saying for a while now. The studios are pushing this technology because of the nearly impossible to beat copy protection, plain and simple. The public isn't going to be tempted by a fancy slight graphical improvement that can't be noticed on most TVs.
 
[quote name='shipwreck']I'm a techie. I like to have the newest and greatest electronics. I've got 3 iPods, a laptop, a pc, an iMac, a pocket PC, 2 surround sound systems, 2 HDTVs, a DVR, all the gaming systems (including the portables PSP, DS, NGage), etc...

I'm not interested in Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this point. Something is amiss.[/QUOTE]

I'm not quite as much of a techie as you, but I feel the same way.

Take out the Blue-ray and the blue-ray tax as I'm calling it and the premium version would be a no-brain launch purchase for around $425.00.
 
[quote name='TC']I'm not quite as much of a techie as you, but I feel the same way.

Take out the Blue-ray and the blue-ray tax as I'm calling it and the premium version would be a no-brain launch purchase for around $425.00.[/QUOTE]

That's the thing they aren't going to take Blue-ray out because it is a format that is backed originally by Sony itself. Remember they have spent a lot of money with the development of Blue-ray so we will be stuck with it at a high price for at least a few years. I feel you on the point of taking it out to make the system cheaper that is why I say that MS did the smart thing by making HD-DVD be an add-on if you want to have it or if you don't that is fine too.
 
[quote name='cdeener']That's the thing they aren't going to take Blue-ray out because it is a format that is backed originally by Sony itself. Remember they have spent a lot of money with the development of Blue-ray so we will be stuck with it at a high price for at least a few years. I feel you on the point of taking it out to make the system cheaper that is why I say that MS did the smart thing by making HD-DVD be an add-on if you want to have it or if you don't that is fine too.[/QUOTE]

Yup. The game system itself is great I'm sure. I'm just not ready to pay a blue-ray tax after I saw what happened to SACD, ect. The advantages of HD-DVD & Blue-Ray just don't seem worth it for me.
 
I think this could be very interesting, because I think MOST people (well over 90%) don't care about Blue-Ray one way or the other. Honestly, outside of gaming, I'm not much of a techie at all. I don't have surround sound at all at my home. My tv is under 30 inches and is not HD. When I need a computer, I get a $400 one from Best Buy. I just enjoy gaming, so I get most of the video game systems (no Xbox 360 yet)

I think Sony is under the assumption that they are dominate enough that people will pay the Blue-Ray tax. And, once you have the Blu Ray that you paid for, you might buy a few movies, hence pushing their launch. I think Sony knows Blu could faulter, that is why they are focing an attachment to the Playstation.

But, what if this bombs out. Some people will buy a PS3 anyway, no matter the cost. But, after those dry up, you have to wonder. What if people won't pay whatever the cost is for the PS3. What if everyone is happy with their Revolution and Xbox 360? Not only could Sony be stuck with a faultering Blue-Ray technology, they could have killed off one of their most profitable areas.
 
At first I was worried about the whole Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war and which studios were going to back what format. But now after seeing the delays and the pricing I'm beginning to realize that these formats may never become truly popular with the mainstream public until the prices come to around $200 for the players and $20 for the discs. As far as the PS3 adopting Blu-Ray I think that it's a benefit for the games because of the amount of storage capacity each disc holds. I think that may be the only reason MS may consider the HD-DVD drives if they have an interest in trying to up the storage capacity. I think that if people want a Blu-Ray player the PS3 will be a good idea for them at the $499 price considering some stand-alone players could cost as much. At any rate, I know that my parents aren't going to be updating to any of this technology unless I get it for them and even then they probabky wouldn't care/know the difference.
 
A few years back, and on someother websites, they sometimes have a place that people can show off their gamerooms. There is ALWAYS this one dude whos spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on his gaming setup, collects every single catridge, disc and box. Buys tons of promotional materials, posters, collectables and even has a really expensvie chair. All this, and he plays it all on a 19inch Magnovox TV with RCA jacks.

This guy is going to be totally pissed he realizes he payed $600 for a ps3.
 
[quote name='Tyga24']At first I was worried about the whole Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war and which studios were going to back what format. But now after seeing the delays and the pricing I'm beginning to realize that these formats may never become truly popular with the mainstream public until the prices come to around $200 for the players and $20 for the discs. [/QUOTE]

Exaclty. It's not about who wins the format war, I think its more about if anyone pays attention to the war in the first place.
 
The industry is pushing the media change.

DVD's are easy to copy and rip, they want to get rid of those.

Whenever there is a new media, even if it is cheaper, they will charge more for the product. CD's when introduced were cheaper to make than CD's; yet sold for a premium price. It's all about how much a customer will pay...
 
the way i see HD-DVD it's just an upgrade from what we already have, are people willing to pay 500/600/700 bucks for just a visual upgrade on movies they have to rebuy? i have no idea. I find it extremely pointless as well since DVDs work fine, and look fine to me and they're much cheaper at the moment. I know in the future this HD/blu Ray will be cheap too, but i still don't think it'll be worth it.
 
One big thing to consider too is that the next gen discs are backwards compatible. Even if people do buy the new machines, all their old stuff still works. I mean, im not gonna be re-buying stuff like seinfeld, south park, or the original king kong again so that I can see them in a format not made for it.

Its not like before, where with my vhs tapes, I didnt even have my vcr out and I didnt want to take it out to have to rewind my tape and to hear it in 2.0.
 
This is Sony's biggest gamble with the PS3 and you nailed the issue on the head. Sony has priced the PS3 as a cheap blu-ray player. If people are not ready to adopt the new standard, in the long run, past the hardcore gamer launch rush, this could cause the PS3 to crash and burn. However, if people are ready to adopt a new disc standard the PS3 is going to crush M$ w/ Nintendo taking second b/c they appeal to the casual and to the hardcore market that is divided over PS3 and 360.
 
I just want an upconverting player for my HDTV and I don't need HD-DVD/BluRay for that.

I ain't replacing my dvds already.
 
man DVDs are nothing compared to HD quality picture. DVDs are essentially not much better than VCR except for the bit rate and digital quality.

I think the Movie theaters have the most to be afraid of.
 
The leap from vhs to dvd was huge. And yet I still waited until 2000 to buy a dvd player for $200.
I like the idea of purchasing movies that have both the high-def format and dvd so I can futureproof my dvd collection, though. I think that is the only way one of the formats can win.
 
I agree with the general consensus that the public really isn't ready for a DVD format upgrade... at least not when most people still haven't adopted HDTV, e.g., remember back when they were telling us *everyone* would have HD by 2005 or whatever... I myself love 'watching' sports games on HDTV at the local bar... I think it looks great... but I'm not shelling out the $800-3000+ when I don't need to... Same with the new dvd formats... $400 is way too much to ask when people can by $30 DVD players and get basically the same movie-watching enjoyment on their non-HDTV screens...

Certainly, the fact that the players will all play old DVDs will help when people are looking to buy a new player... but still, if your DVD player breaks, and you can buy a nice player for half or a third of the cost of Blue ray, there isn't a debate... especially when I'm just expecting the BlueRay section at stores like Target to look like the PSP movie section for a few years... e.g., possibly overpriced, understocked, and limited in general... and clearly, a lot will depend on the BlockBusters and Netflix, etc., with how much rentals of Blueray stuff will costs if the movies themselves cost more.
 
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