Will HD die in America?

[jayn_j]

I agree.

What I really meant was news travels fast. I mean the WB thing made CNN. Then all the HDDVD dead stuff the following week and the Paramount rumor on Reuters and such.

I think HDDVD's lack of ad's and BD's increase of ads is not helping them.

The PS3 adds are good, and there was a good BD ad during the Patriots game(from what I understand).

The press is not necessarily a good thing for BD. The public is getting the message that HDM is dying, expensive and niche. Don't think for a minute that J6P understands that there are two formats. In his mind they are tied together.

Everytime they show an Energizer Bunny ad on TV, sales of both Energizer and Duracell batteries go up. The ad is good for overall sales of alkaline batteries, but not for Energizer market share.

 

[teamerickson]

Also, I do find it rediculous that people will spend upwards of $3000 on a nice HDTV then balk a purchasing the HD pack from their content provider.

I know. I talked my parents into buying a 60 inch HDTV and they won't pay the extra from their cable provider. "It looks fine to us." They actually have it hooked up to coax and only get the welfare basic cable package. What's strange is that some of the local channels have two transmissions and one is in HD! They keep saying that everthing will be in HD in 2009. No, everthing will be digital but not necessarily HD.

HD will not die in America. HDM might.

 

[gadgtfreek]

MOST online articles lately are anything but HDM is dying, most seem positive. The studios still hope HDM is going to help replace the stalled DVD revenue, so you better believe they are gonna push it.

 

[mike123abc]

I had to go down to my parents cable company and switch out thier boxes to HD boxes. Yes they were the same monthly charge, it did not cost a thing to do, but they probably would have never done it themselves. Now they like watching the HD channels since they fill the screen without everyone looking fat... Not exactly a rave review for HD, but it is at least something. Yes they were more conserned with filling the screen than aspect ratio.

Yes they admit the channels look better but you can tell they do not really think it did much. Dad's eyesite is not the best unless he wears his glasses which he only does when driving, and Mom is always too busy to really watch TV, somehow she manages to watch it while doing 15 other things, so consentrating on the PQ is just not high on the list.

I have a feeling this is not atypical of a lot of families.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Another comment on HD itself and adoption. On AVS, many of the Cable Co. guys that frequent local HD forums have all commented on a surge of HD subs after Christmas. So much that HD boxes are in short supply right now.

I bet between Christmas of 07 and 08, MANY are going to jump on the wagon with the cost of tv's.

 

[jayn_j]

I do like the idea of giving a free BD player to TV buyers(Panasonic and Sharp).

Agreed, but get around the cable issue by making it a built-in player. Market it as Integrated DVD Player with High Definition BD Capability

I'm not worried about Laserdisc's demise either, I don't think it can be compared, its just the next logical for the opponents. Blu was the next beta until WB moved, now Blu is the next Laserdisc Once Univ and Para go neutral, will Blu finally be the next DVD , I don't think so. I think Blu and DVD will coexist for a looooong time, until some digital service kills them both.

Yep, BD is on the way of becoming the next Laserdisc. Higher price point and quality for those that care. Lots of mail order and limited stock in specialty stores.

People keep thinking it is about the quality. I don't think so. DVD overtaking VHS was more about stuff like better margins for the studios (anybody ever see one of those VHS replication plants with the 200 VHS decks linked in parallel?), and factors for the consumer like better reliability/longevity and no rewind!!! Maybe special features, but I'm not so sure about that.

Most people get these things to rent movies. The only factor is availability of titles.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Lots of mail order and limited stock in specialty stores.

Only thing I mainly disagree with. Best Buy(who is one of the top sellers of discs) has a great selection of BD AND HDDVD.

 

[Peter Parker]

Joe, laserdisc is an awful example. That NEVER achieved mainstream.

H

but isn't that what he was saying---it never achieved the mainstream but whn DVDs came along a t a cheaper price they were able to knock ff VHS---which was the king.

 

[Peter Parker]

I know. I talked my parents into buying a 60 inch HDTV and they won't pay the extra from their cable provider. "It looks fine to us." They actually have it hooked up to coax and only get the welfare basic cable package. What's strange is that some of the local channels have two transmissions and one is in HD! They keep saying that everthing will be in HD in 2009. No, everthing will be digital but not necessarily HD.

HD will not die in America. HDM might.

Actually everything on cable will NOT be digital in 2009. OTA will be digital. There is no similar requirement for cable and I believe that cable companies will continue to offer a basic analog for some time.

no offense to your parents but a 60 inch HD TV makes no sense in that application. They would habve been better off witha good SD or ED set.

 

[jayn_j]

Only thing I mainly disagree with. Best Buy(who is one of the top sellers of discs) has a great selection of BD AND HDDVD.

Not so sure. As I posted earlier, the mass market stores of the '80s had both LD and CED discs for awhile. Tower records and FRY/Camelot had them right up to their death. BB's selection only looks good if you compare it with Target or Wal-Mart. Recent top sellers only. How long will that last if they don't see big sell-through? Rumors on the board already on BB dropping HD-DVD. Did they continue to support DVD-A? Tell me about their MAC section.

 

[gadgtfreek]

but isn't that what he was saying---it never achieved the mainstream but whn DVDs came along a t a cheaper price they were able to knock ff VHS---which was the king.

Once they ACHEIVED a cheaper price. DVD players and DVD's were not anywhere close to cheaper than VHS for awhile. And they too were hard to find in stores.

 

[digiblur]

My very first post in the war zone. Why? Because I think it is silly to fight in the forums over some shiny circular piece of plastic. I'll just let it play out and enjoy my DVD's for now. It's not HD but still looks great and sounds great, a lot better than broadcast SD!

I'm too integrated with the existing DVD format. When I get a new DVD, I rip it down to just the video without the nonsense menus and extras, and put it on the media server. The DVD goes into storage. I've got three XBox's with XBox Media Center on the network and one HTPC to watch the DVDs where ever we want in the house. No discs to mess with or get scratched, lost, etc. The kids love it.

Sample screen shot from the XBox.

 

[BPeter]

A lot of interesting points indeed. I am no expert, but I thought I would chime in. It seems to me that with the recent tech changes with HD and HDM, there is so much misinformation, that people are afraid to make the leap. I know at least a handful of people that have a HDTV and have no HD source. People buy a new tv and don't understand that to get HD to display on the TV the source has to BE HD. They see the little icons on the screen at the beginning of a show that says available in HD and they think that they are watching in HD. I can't tell you how many times I have talked to friends and family to explain that even if they get an HD Cable box or Sat box, they need to run HDMI or Component Cables to the TV. They just don't get it. To compound the problem, BB and CC sell the cables at such inflated prices that they won't buy them anyway. As my brother-in-law recently stated, my friends and family are lucky to have a geek like me to lead them through the maze that is HD and even Digital Audio. People in the mainstream market just don't get that there are better places to buy cables and gear, or really what they need to get. The initial cash outlay for most folks is absurd. For most folks to consider buying HD-DVD or BR, they would first need an HDTV, then the audio is not on par with the video, so now we are talking a receiver. My brother-in-law mentioned that money could be made helping people navigate all the misinformation and get them what they really need at a fair price, or at least make the best out of what they have. I think that is the biggest challenge. HDM seems to depend on HDTV acceptance in general to succeed. There are a lot of people that still think that next Feb, everything is going to be HD. There are companies selling HD Antennas. How is a UHF antenna suddenly HD. Because they can sell it for more $$. At the end of the day, the BBs and CCs of the world are having a feeding frenzy on peoples lack of knowledge, and ultimately the consumer loses.

 

[gadgtfreek]

You are very right. My father in law has bought 3 hd-dvd combo discs because he thought by having a HDTV and upconverting DVD player he could watch them in HD. He plans to buy a BD player soon. Funny huh.

 

[teamerickson]

You are very right. My father in law has bought 3 hd-dvd combo discs because he thought by having a HDTV and upconverting DVD player he could watch them in HD. He plans to buy a BD player soon. Funny huh.

Those combo discs won't play in HD when using a BD player.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Those combo discs won't play in HD when using a BD player.

Hehe, you shoulda seen his face when I told him that.

"what do you mean I cant watch them in HD, even if I buy a BD player"