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Latest Cut in DVD-Player Duel: Prices
Deals Rev Up the Blu-ray, HD DVD Battle
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE and SARAH MCBRIDE
November 23, 2007; Page B1
Until a few weeks ago, Bill Zimmerman had no interest in buying a next-generation DVD player, at least until a winner was declared in the battle between the two dueling formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD.
But the Kissimmee, Fla., copy editor changed his mind earlier this month when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offered a special deal for an HD DVD player from Toshiba Corp. At $98.87, it was only a few dollars more than the standard Samsung DVD player that he was thinking of buying.
"Format concerns definitely went out the window at that price," Mr. Zimmerman says. Both Blu-ray and HD DVD players play high-definition movies with crisp images on big, high-definition televisions -- and also play regular DVDs. But until now, consumers have largely been reluctant to purchase players of either kind. With the next-generation players costing at least $300 more than standard machines, many were reluctant to spend the money on a player before the winning format was decided. What's more, consumers had to buy a pricey high-definition TV in order to see a difference in the images.
[DVDs The Sequel]
That picture is starting to change this holiday season since retailers began slashing the price of HD DVD players to a level much lower than anyone had expected. Makers of Blu-ray players are responding with their own price cuts.
Analysts say they don't expect the format battle to be decided until late next year at the earliest when more consumers will have high-definition TVs, prices on players will likely come down further, and more movies will be available. Nonetheless, while Blu-ray clearly led the race until recently, the aggressive holiday-season pricing could help bolster HD DVD's position, they say.
"The low price point was, if anything, a test and a precursor," says Paul Erickson, analyst at the NPD Group's DisplaySearch research firm. "They've shown that people will bite if the price is low." Mr. Erickson says he will probably revise his projections for HD DVD player sales upward though he declined to give an estimate. Tom Adams of consultancy Adams Media Research in Carmel, Calif., predicts that by the end of the year, households with stand-alone HD DVD players will total 600,000 and households with stand-alone Blu-ray players will total 400,000.
The price wars started late last month, when retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon.com Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. dropped prices on a Toshiba player below $200 -- a critical level for electronic products that has sparked purchases in the past among general consumers. Then, Wal-Mart surprised industry observers by taking an additional $100 off in a 48-hour sale, triggering other retailers to match the price. The players sold out in minutes at some Wal-Mart stores. According to DisplaySearch, Toshiba sold 90,000 to 100,000 players in just two days.
Wal-Mart's $99 price was a temporary move to clear out an old Toshiba model, the HD-A2 player. But analysts expect the newer model to be available during specials for under $200. That is still much lower than the least expensive stand-alone Blu-ray player or Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 videogame console, which includes a Blu-ray player.
But makers of Blu-ray players are coming up with their own price cuts. After lowering its price on an existing Blu-ray player by $100 to $399 last Sunday, Sony, the lead manufacturer in the Blu-ray camp, said Best Buy customers could get an additional $100 gift certificate with every purchase starting today for the next few weeks, effectively making the players even less expensive. Customers will receive five free Blu-ray movies with their purchase; HD DVD buyers also get free movies.
"Make no mistake. We'll do what we have to do to remain competitive this holiday season on Blu-ray," said Sony's chief marketing officer, Andrew House.
While Blu-ray players cost more to make than HD DVD players and have had higher price tags, one big advantage for the Blu-ray camp has been more movie titles. Because of exclusive deals, only owners of Blu-ray players can watch movies by News Corp.'s Fox, Walt Disney Co., and Sony Pictures, while HD DVD player owners have exclusive access to titles by General Electric Co.'s Universal and Viacom Inc.'s Paramount. Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. is the only studio that publishes on both formats.
But analysts say the price is now low enough that even Blu-ray fans might buy an additional HD DVD player so they can watch high-definition movies in either format.
Some Blu-ray backers say the format battle will depend just as much on the number of movie titles that each side sells, as movie studios will ultimately support the side that can sell more. Blu-ray now sells significantly more movies than HD DVD. "If you think the player price alone will somehow create mass adoption, that's a mistake," says Andy Parsons, senior vice president for business solutions at Pioneer Corp., a Blu-ray company. Movies in both formats typically cost $10-$15 more than regular DVDs.
One question is how long the companies can keep up such generous price cuts on players. A person familiar with the matter said that Wal-Mart bought about 55,000 HD-A2s from Toshiba for just under $200 apiece before the early November sale, and that it lost about $100 on each sale. A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart says the company doesn't comment on its negotiations with suppliers.
The head of Toshiba's HD DVD business, Yoshihide Fujii, says the company had no prior knowledge of Wal-Mart's plans and declined to comment on its marketing and promotional costs. "Right now we need to increase the size of the market," Mr. Fujii says. He adds that Toshiba expects to sell close to its goal of one million HD DVD players this calendar year, and triple that number next year.
Analysts say selling the players to Wal-Mart at such a low cost also likely represented a loss for Toshiba, but that's not unusual in the consumer-electronics business. Product plans generally call for getting rid of older generations of a product at low prices as newer generations hit stores, and the discounts are figured into the business models. Toshiba says it didn't sell any players below cost based purely on manufacturing expenses, but once marketing and promotional expenses are factored in, the HD DVD business is operating at a loss. The company expects it to turn profitable in its next fiscal year, beginning April 2008.
Increasingly, it seems that the solution to the format war may lie in dual-format players like the one from LG Electronics Inc. At around $1,000, they lie beyond the reach of most consumers this Christmas, but prices should drop drastically by next holiday season. At that point, consumers can buy high-definition movies regardless of format.
Write to Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com and Sarah McBride at sarah.mcbride@wsj.com
Deals Rev Up the Blu-ray, HD DVD Battle
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE and SARAH MCBRIDE
November 23, 2007; Page B1
Until a few weeks ago, Bill Zimmerman had no interest in buying a next-generation DVD player, at least until a winner was declared in the battle between the two dueling formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD.
But the Kissimmee, Fla., copy editor changed his mind earlier this month when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. offered a special deal for an HD DVD player from Toshiba Corp. At $98.87, it was only a few dollars more than the standard Samsung DVD player that he was thinking of buying.
"Format concerns definitely went out the window at that price," Mr. Zimmerman says. Both Blu-ray and HD DVD players play high-definition movies with crisp images on big, high-definition televisions -- and also play regular DVDs. But until now, consumers have largely been reluctant to purchase players of either kind. With the next-generation players costing at least $300 more than standard machines, many were reluctant to spend the money on a player before the winning format was decided. What's more, consumers had to buy a pricey high-definition TV in order to see a difference in the images.
[DVDs The Sequel]
That picture is starting to change this holiday season since retailers began slashing the price of HD DVD players to a level much lower than anyone had expected. Makers of Blu-ray players are responding with their own price cuts.
Analysts say they don't expect the format battle to be decided until late next year at the earliest when more consumers will have high-definition TVs, prices on players will likely come down further, and more movies will be available. Nonetheless, while Blu-ray clearly led the race until recently, the aggressive holiday-season pricing could help bolster HD DVD's position, they say.
"The low price point was, if anything, a test and a precursor," says Paul Erickson, analyst at the NPD Group's DisplaySearch research firm. "They've shown that people will bite if the price is low." Mr. Erickson says he will probably revise his projections for HD DVD player sales upward though he declined to give an estimate. Tom Adams of consultancy Adams Media Research in Carmel, Calif., predicts that by the end of the year, households with stand-alone HD DVD players will total 600,000 and households with stand-alone Blu-ray players will total 400,000.
The price wars started late last month, when retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon.com Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. dropped prices on a Toshiba player below $200 -- a critical level for electronic products that has sparked purchases in the past among general consumers. Then, Wal-Mart surprised industry observers by taking an additional $100 off in a 48-hour sale, triggering other retailers to match the price. The players sold out in minutes at some Wal-Mart stores. According to DisplaySearch, Toshiba sold 90,000 to 100,000 players in just two days.
Wal-Mart's $99 price was a temporary move to clear out an old Toshiba model, the HD-A2 player. But analysts expect the newer model to be available during specials for under $200. That is still much lower than the least expensive stand-alone Blu-ray player or Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 videogame console, which includes a Blu-ray player.
But makers of Blu-ray players are coming up with their own price cuts. After lowering its price on an existing Blu-ray player by $100 to $399 last Sunday, Sony, the lead manufacturer in the Blu-ray camp, said Best Buy customers could get an additional $100 gift certificate with every purchase starting today for the next few weeks, effectively making the players even less expensive. Customers will receive five free Blu-ray movies with their purchase; HD DVD buyers also get free movies.
"Make no mistake. We'll do what we have to do to remain competitive this holiday season on Blu-ray," said Sony's chief marketing officer, Andrew House.
While Blu-ray players cost more to make than HD DVD players and have had higher price tags, one big advantage for the Blu-ray camp has been more movie titles. Because of exclusive deals, only owners of Blu-ray players can watch movies by News Corp.'s Fox, Walt Disney Co., and Sony Pictures, while HD DVD player owners have exclusive access to titles by General Electric Co.'s Universal and Viacom Inc.'s Paramount. Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. is the only studio that publishes on both formats.
But analysts say the price is now low enough that even Blu-ray fans might buy an additional HD DVD player so they can watch high-definition movies in either format.
Some Blu-ray backers say the format battle will depend just as much on the number of movie titles that each side sells, as movie studios will ultimately support the side that can sell more. Blu-ray now sells significantly more movies than HD DVD. "If you think the player price alone will somehow create mass adoption, that's a mistake," says Andy Parsons, senior vice president for business solutions at Pioneer Corp., a Blu-ray company. Movies in both formats typically cost $10-$15 more than regular DVDs.
One question is how long the companies can keep up such generous price cuts on players. A person familiar with the matter said that Wal-Mart bought about 55,000 HD-A2s from Toshiba for just under $200 apiece before the early November sale, and that it lost about $100 on each sale. A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart says the company doesn't comment on its negotiations with suppliers.
The head of Toshiba's HD DVD business, Yoshihide Fujii, says the company had no prior knowledge of Wal-Mart's plans and declined to comment on its marketing and promotional costs. "Right now we need to increase the size of the market," Mr. Fujii says. He adds that Toshiba expects to sell close to its goal of one million HD DVD players this calendar year, and triple that number next year.
Analysts say selling the players to Wal-Mart at such a low cost also likely represented a loss for Toshiba, but that's not unusual in the consumer-electronics business. Product plans generally call for getting rid of older generations of a product at low prices as newer generations hit stores, and the discounts are figured into the business models. Toshiba says it didn't sell any players below cost based purely on manufacturing expenses, but once marketing and promotional expenses are factored in, the HD DVD business is operating at a loss. The company expects it to turn profitable in its next fiscal year, beginning April 2008.
Increasingly, it seems that the solution to the format war may lie in dual-format players like the one from LG Electronics Inc. At around $1,000, they lie beyond the reach of most consumers this Christmas, but prices should drop drastically by next holiday season. At that point, consumers can buy high-definition movies regardless of format.
Write to Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com and Sarah McBride at sarah.mcbride@wsj.com
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1957 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
For the naysayers who did not think this service would make it, just added another 4.9M subscribers and that was after the removal of 1.2M Russia subscribers.
This is even better, Paramount+ revenue grew 120% and Subscription revenue grew 74% year-over-year ( 2nd quarter 2021/ 2nd quarter 2022) to $830M, principally reflecting paid subscriber growth on Paramount+.
Now compare that to Peacock with only 13 million paid, 13 million free.
This is even better, Paramount+ revenue grew 120% and Subscription revenue grew 74% year-over-year ( 2nd quarter 2021/ 2nd quarter 2022) to $830M, principally reflecting paid subscriber growth on Paramount+.
Now compare that to Peacock with only 13 million paid, 13 million free.
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61545 views
So, this means that those of us with Commercial Free subs, won't be Commercial Free, unless we wait till after the show is over ?
Which would make same day, not that big of a deal.
Paramount+ has always had the CBS shows on the CBS local channel and yes with commercials. What they are doing now is releasing the OnDemand versions of the show which I believe they don't release until after the shows air on the west coast. And they will be commercial free if you subscribe to the ad free version of Paramount+.So, this means that those of us with Commercial Free subs, won't be Commercial Free, unless we wait till after the show is over ?
Which would make same day, not that big of a deal.
The new curated multiview is now live.
While on many of the sports channels and non sports channels there is a multi view option button. It will pull up a side bar with many different multi view options.
While on many of the sports channels and non sports channels there is a multi view option button. It will pull up a side bar with many different multi view options.
4 Replies
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182 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
I created this thread on the original Edgecutter Cutting Edge Forums site. It's simply a place for those to review the latest software available for those using Windows 10 and Windows 11. To date it has received 112,559 views. I have been asked by staff to continue this thread here.
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47232 views
To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
For niche use cases, yes I agree. Kali for ethical hacking and security testing, and running a Cacti server for network monitoring are the two things I have experience in. Plus thousands and thousands of other things, but for every day use I just can't see it. The owner of the GMRS repeater that I pay to access is changing the Tx DPL tones tomorrow, while Chirp is available on Linux, the software to program my MXT500 is not.To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
I run Fedora and Ubuntu in VMWare, honestly I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows. The cartoonish dock at the bottom of the screen reminds me of Apple products.
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
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17961 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. 
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
Supporting Founder
Several Dish offers showed up today in my account. Once you choose one the rest are removed. Offers were Showtime, Starz, AMC and others.
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1594 views
Not for me, mines has no mention of how long aka the offer period and the Terms and conditions the $0.00 is good for. All I see is one can lose $5.00 if you decide to remove it before day 31 after you add it to the account.
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68496 Replies
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2670694 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z72cjoZP83E
Direct YouTube Link - AI Can Self-Replicate: Unplugging the Threat! #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z72cjoZP83E
Direct YouTube Link - AI Can Self-Replicate: Unplugging the Threat! #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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19 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w5TOILSc_U8
Direct YouTube Link - AI Model Poisoning: The Hidden Threat on Hugging Face #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w5TOILSc_U8
Direct YouTube Link - AI Model Poisoning: The Hidden Threat on Hugging Face #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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16 views
Help, I'm a little confjused on the activation process.
I purchased the Joey 4 from Solid Signal and shipping box has Call 866 726-4282 to Avtivate new Receiver. That number is Solid Signals number.
I googled and that search said call Dish to activate. I assume that is correct unless this requires a 2 step process.
Please let me know.
Thanks
I purchased the Joey 4 from Solid Signal and shipping box has Call 866 726-4282 to Avtivate new Receiver. That number is Solid Signals number.
I googled and that search said call Dish to activate. I assume that is correct unless this requires a 2 step process.
Please let me know.
Thanks
6 Replies
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214 views
All good called Dish and new Joey 4 is activated and working.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
S
i bought mine straight from dish as it was only $ 100.00 bucks!!! had the protection plan they came out removed and deactivated the 4k joey and activated and installed the joey 4.All good called Dish and new Joey 4 is activated and working.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
14 Replies
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198 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while