360 HD DVD not selling well?

I see your point Joe but $999 for a stand alone Blu Ray isnt an option either. I think both formats are hurting themselves and because of this, there will not be a clear winner. I really like HD DVD but I am not a fan of Toshiba. Also not a fan of Sony either. I really dont care, I just want to watch movies in HD. I think thats how most people feel and as long as its setup into 2 camps, nothing is clear.
 
I see your point Joe but $999 for a stand alone Blu Ray isnt an option either. I think both formats are hurting themselves and because of this, there will not be a clear winner. I really like HD DVD but I am not a fan of Toshiba. Also not a fan of Sony either. I really dont care, I just want to watch movies in HD. I think thats how most people feel and as long as its setup into 2 camps, nothing is clear.

I agree with this 100%. Even with the Samsung at $799 at BestBuy ( I have seen it for $649 new on the internet) the price of admission is high. However, it is serious early adopters who want complete support that will pay that kind of money. It use to be the first under $300 but now it is going to be what the perception is by the buying public. With more players and after the first of the year more current movies being release in BluRay (and they are now getting great reviews) the public might perceiver BluRay as winning. The numbers game will now start taking its toll.

Also, those movie prices have got to come down. Seriously, they are too high. Thank goodness for Amazon.com and other internet sellers.
 
This is the reason HD-DVD will not succeed. No format can survive if they must depend on a game system to procure new adopters.

What do you think the Blu-ray camp is counting on for format success? I'll give you a hint, PS3. So to be intellectually honest (otherwise known as not deceiving yourself) you have to either pull this from your commentary or you have to admit it's a bigger problem with Blu-ray than it is with HD-DVD.


And Toshiba can not continue the good fight if you guys keep taking back Toshiba's HD-DVD players and purchase the 360's add-on. The more this happens the stronger the BluRay camp gets.

Other than in this thread, I don't know of anyone that does this. By the time I put the movie in and go over to my seat, I end up waiting up 15-20 seconds. It ain't the end of the world.

The newer generation cuts the time in half.



There are currently 4 standalone BluRay players on the market and they are currently doing well.

Show me the sales numbers. Because they aren't selling that well. At the price tags they are commanding, they are too high.

I can see Toshiba looking at M$ and saying thanks for nothing but we are outta here! Every company that has got into bed with M$ has bit the bullet.

Really? I seem to recall IBM and MS were quite involved in the early days. How's IBM doing right now? Seen the quarterlies from IBM this year? Very good, especially considering the economic climate.

Intel? They're doing pretty well. Just released Core 2 Duo and Quad Core chips with amazing performance.

Please, be accurate in what you claim.


If Toshiba does not bring out its $899 player ( has been pushed back twice now) then look for Toshiba in the BluRay camp by summer.

This is a foolish assertion. Once again, please be accurate in what you claim. They won't be in the Blu-ray camp by summer for the simple reason that they have too much invested in HD-DVD to throw it away.

The big sales for Toshiba are in the A1/A2 not the XA1/XA2.

Yeah, it's been delayed but that isn't the end of the world. How late have the Blu-ray players been. Quite a long time. Sony is now 8 months late on the launch of their rebadged Pioneer.

They have got to be able to make money and they don't make squat on the 360's HD-DVD drive and they have not been making money on the $499 unit--especially since folks keep taking it back and buying M$'s add-on. Interesting things happening right now.

Please show some real numbers, not a couple of guys posting on an internet forum.

And, by the way, Toshiba does make money in patent royalties on HD-DVD drive units.
 
This is the reason HD-DVD will not succeed. No format can survive if they must depend on a game system to procure new adopters.

Um, didn't you just describe YOUR guy? If it wasn't for the PS3, BluRay would be DOA as no format will survive that expects folks to spend $1K for a player (1st generation, 3rd generation, whatever).

Much is being made about the fact that PS3 is outselling HD DVD by a 5-1 margin. However, ALL of the HD DVD player buyers will be buying HD DVD media, while a questionable percentage of the PS3 buyers will get the BluRay media (How many Sony fanboys have HDTVs in their room AND want to pony up an extra $10-20 a disc for HD capability?).

Hey, I get it we both want the "other" format to just give up and die. Nothing will happen on that front until at LEAST 4th qtr. 2007. We'll see....
 
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14737

PHP:
Interestingly, from a next-gen DVD standpoint the Xbox 360 HD DVD peripheral sold 42K units. So technically, within the gaming universe the PS3/Blu-ray install base is nearly five times greater.


that is a quote from the article, this is news to me as everyone has been saying this is huge!! now I do realize that everyone that buys a addon is buying HD DVDs, but someone has to also realize that more then 10% of the Ps3 owners will buy Blu rays I would think.....also maybe not right now as people are selling them on ebay, but def. around christmas/after christmas!

well with NO advertising for almost any HD-DVD equipment I am surprised there are any sales at all.


you need to make people aware and get them interested in the format.

the BluRay adds look great where are the HD-DVD adds???

if there was a 200.00 BD add on for my XBOX360 I would have that also.

no way will I spend 1000.00 or more just to watch movies.

Look at the Bestbuy adds no HD-DVD listed Circuit City no adds Walmart no adds etc etc.
 
What do you think the Blu-ray camp is counting on for format success? I'll give you a hint, PS3. So to be intellectually honest (otherwise known as not deceiving yourself) you have to either pull this from your commentary or you have to admit it's a bigger problem with Blu-ray than it is with HD-DVD.

I consider the 360's HD-DVD player to be severely limited. No HDCP or HDMI, no support of HD audio codecs. The PS3 out of the box supports HDMI 1.3 with HDCP and decodes TrueDolbyHD and can pass native HD audio thru to a AVR. Also, Sound and Vision already likes the PS3 as a BluRay Player:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hd-dvd-bluray/1927/shootout-3-blu-ray-disc-players.html


Other than in this thread, I don't know of anyone that does this. By the time I put the movie in and go over to my seat, I end up waiting up 15-20 seconds. It ain't the end of the world.

The newer generation cuts the time in half.


John there have been plenty of folks who have taken back their Toshiba and traded in for the 360's HD-DVD. Besides, the sales of the PS3 benefit Sony directly as it greatly increases the BluRay players on the market. I bought two games and right now 15 BD movies. I believe that there are considerably more of us in that mode then anyone really cares to acknowledge.


Show me the sales numbers. Because they aren't selling that well. At the price tags they are commanding, they are too high.

John, how much did your first HDTV cost? I just looked at a 42" 1080p native resolution with 2 HDMI for $1900! Early adopters usually pay through the nose for new tech. I salute Toshiba for plunking a $499 player down to jump start HD-DVD. It did just that. However, those new players are going to come at a much steeper price point. They will still have a $499 player but now no analog outputs and only HDMI 1.2?

Really? I seem to recall IBM and MS were quite involved in the early days. How's IBM doing right now? Seen the quarterlies from IBM this year? Very good, especially considering the economic climate.

Intel? They're doing pretty well. Just released Core 2 Duo and Quad Core chips with amazing performance.

Please, be accurate in what you claim.

Anyone remember Netscape? How about Xerox (the orginator of graphical interfaces in the US). How about Sun systems? Any idea how Java Systems has been doing since the lawsuit? What happened to WordPerfect after M$ refused to provide key links for their OS to WordPerfect? There is a reason M$ keeps getting sued and the European Union is putting up a fit before they allow Vista in Europe.


This is a foolish assertion. Once again, please be accurate in what you claim. They won't be in the Blu-ray camp by summer for the simple reason that they have too much invested in HD-DVD to throw it away.

Foolish yes, but wishful thinking on my part. I keep reading how the PS3 and BluRay is in trouble yet Sony is now approaching 1 million in PS3 sales and at my local BestBuy the new Sony BD player is the current hot item.

Yes Toshiba has alot invested in BluRay but I believe their gold mine lies in
SED HDTV not HD-DVD, and of course this is my opionion only. So, don't take this as some kind of HOLY GRAIL. We are just talking about HD players here not the end of the world.

The big sales for Toshiba are in the A1/A2 not the XA1/XA2.

Yeah, it's been delayed but that isn't the end of the world. How late have the Blu-ray players been. Quite a long time. Sony is now 8 months late on the launch of their rebadged Pioneer.

And that is the only reason HD-DVD is ahead of BluRay right now. I suspect that sometime this winter the numbers are going to start going the other way.

Please show some real numbers, not a couple of guys posting on an internet forum.

And, by the way, Toshiba does make money in patent royalties on HD-DVD drive units.

Yes they do, but how can they start out a new format on the cheap and then start building and charging alot more for their next generation of players? Their new top HD-DVD standalone is supposed to SRP at $899. How is that cheaper then BD? I thought when you started delivering 2nd generation and 3rd generation players the price was supposed to go down not up?


John, I really enjoy my conversations with you, you make very valid points. Since I am not a audio/video professional I get my information from printed sources (internet and magazine) or my local A/V specialty stores (not BB or CC). If this was my profession I would spend hours tracking down numbers and quotes from industry movers and shakers. I am just a serious HD nut. Forgive me my exuberance.

Merry Christmas
 
I consider the 360's HD-DVD player to be severely limited. No HDCP or HDMI, no support of HD audio codecs. The PS3 out of the box supports HDMI 1.3 with HDCP and decodes TrueDolbyHD and can pass native HD audio thru to a AVR. Also, Sound and Vision already likes the PS3 as a BluRay Player

I really don't care what Sound and Vision thinks. If I want to know how the PS3 does as a Blu-ray player, I'll talk to someone that actually writes one of the codecs that's used for encoding the titles. He and his partner have written a test disc for a video scaler manufacturer and they are building one for HD-DVD and Blu-ray players as well.

I can formulate a better opinion myself than S&V. Plus, I have another project keeping me busy.

You can buy an adapter which takes VGA and converts to HDMI and/or DVI. HDMI is simply a copy protection layer. Dolby TrueHD isn't a required codec for Blu-ray, and as yet there are 0 titles with TrueHD. Glad they've got the support for it though in Blu-ray.

Anyone remember Netscape?

Sure. They were the first burst of the .com bubble. They failed because they had a bad business model. You can't give away your primary product and then expect to make money ;)

How about Xerox (the orginator of graphical interfaces in the US).

Never "in bed" with Microsoft. The closest to "in bed" with anyone they were with was Apple, thank you very much. They also did the laser printer, and HP took over that market for the most part. Then there's Ethernet, which was also born in the same PARC facility. All this example shows is that Xerox was horrible at going from their PARC demos to usable products coming out of that lab. Relationship to MS is non-existent.

It's too bad that the copying machine market went crazy once the original patents expired and Xerox no longer had a stranglehold on the market.

Congratulations, it only took two examples to come up with your first red herring.


How about Sun systems?

You mean Sun Microsystems? They've struggled because they haven't done a good job of moving forward their proprietary Sparc Architecture which has languished, and they are moving forward with more Intel based solutions.

Any idea how Java Systems has been doing since the lawsuit?

Java is part of Sun Microsystems. It isn't a seperate corporate entity. So Java's overall fate is the same as Sun's. Were you aware that Java is the interactivity layer of Blu-ray disc? Wow, how ironic that you chose that, but it's true. BD-J (Blu-Disc Java) is what is used to provide the interactivity.

To answer your question, the issues with Java have little to do with MS and more to do with implementation complexity. Yep, that's right -- Java has much promise -- write once; run on all platforms. The problem is that the implementation, ie the coding, has proven to be quite a bit more difficult than Sun would have like it to be. So Java hasn't done nearly as well as they would have liked.

I classify this as a red herring for two reasons:

1) It isn't a seperate corporate entity.
2) It's problems lie in the complexity of implementation. JVMs (Java Virtual Machines) to run Java code are present on just about every computing platform.

The problem (once again) is on the revenue side. Give it away for free and there's no revenue base, except from the development tools.

What happened to WordPerfect after M$ refused to provide key links for their OS to WordPerfect?

Actually, what happened is that over time MS provided a better product than Word Perfect (links or not). Whether that is due to the internal links or not, I can't say -- that's both before my time; and outside of my area of expertise.

There is a reason M$ keeps getting sued and the European Union is putting up a fit before they allow Vista in Europe.

The reasons MS is tied up in litigation in Europe -- the reasons have to do with the same business practices they have used in the US and have been sued for here. It's no secret.

Right or wrong; it's worked quite well.

Foolish yes, but wishful thinking on my part. I keep reading how the PS3 and BluRay is in trouble yet Sony is now approaching 1 million in PS3 sales and at my local BestBuy the new Sony BD player is the current hot item.

Yes Toshiba has alot invested in BluRay but I believe their gold mine lies in
SED HDTV not HD-DVD, and of course this is my opionion only. So, don't take this as some kind of HOLY GRAIL. We are just talking about HD players here not the end of the world.

Please. You're the one who's pushing Blu-ray as the savior of the Universe. I'm providing some balancing information vs. the hype with facts.

SED may be too expensive to manufacture. We know that it's late to market, and that cost to manufacture is the reason why.


And that is the only reason HD-DVD is ahead of BluRay right now. I suspect that sometime this winter the numbers are going to start going the other way.

The first gen of Toshiba players were PCs in CE boxes. The cost to manufacture the A1 was likely at a slight loss. The 2nd generation players are typical CE machines; not PCs. So the price reductions will be in generation 3 machines. Still, the gen 2 machines are cheaper than what the Blu-ray players are for.

Nothing is stopping MS from adding an HDMI add-on to the X-Box; it's an inherently extensible platform. Unlike with the PS3; we know that every HD-DVD add-on is expressly for the purpose of playing HD-DVD movies.

Cheers,
 
My guess is that MS will have an HDMI cable out by the summer to kill the 1080p over HDMi disadvantage. Gears of War and the Video Marketplace are huge hits (XBox is already killing Amazon's VOD service as well as others by looking at the number of downloads purchased..... I guess most don't want to watch as much TV on their computers.....)
 
I don't think they can with their current hardware. I think their current video output is limited to analog.

Any engineers out there to confirm this?

- Shane
 
Due to HDCP, I think it would be difficult to add on an attachment to convert to HDMI or DVI.
 

Why all the Doom & Gloom?

Why all the hoopla about which format?

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)