What is Digg?301 Comments
- inactive, on 09/24/2008, -11/+131maybe b/c blu ray is just too expensive? pair that with gas gouging ... and you gots poor people who aren't even in the mood to cart themselves down to the blockbuster
- grailwolf, on 09/24/2008, -1/+107Yeah, it's definitely price. I'll consider a player when it gets closer to $150, and while I understand discs being a little bit more expensive, the current prices are ridiculous. Start putting out twenty dollar discs and you'll see sales start to go up. Until then the benefit just doesn't justify the cost.
- Dalhectar, on 09/24/2008, -11/+93I think I'm going to puke if I hear another story that infers that Blu-Ray is suffering due to HD Downloads.
Is there anybody who actually uses a paid HD Digital Distribution service? Show me a person whose watching iTunes HD, and I'll show you a person whose watching a movie at 1/2 the resolution and potentially as low as 1/10 the bitrate of a Blu-Ray. BTW, good luck actually finding a person who uses iTunes HD or Vudu or fills their X-Box hard drive with paid video downloads. If Blu-Ray costs too much to buy, rent from netflix. That's cheaper than AppleTV, XBLM, PSN, etc. Now with Blu-Ray player prices catching up with an AppleTV or Vudo box, I'd say the current non-subscription models of PAID digital download will never even match Blu-Ray's adoption.
Don't get me wrong, I like free. I download blu ray rips on mkv like its no tomorrow, and am perfectly willing to settle for the compression of an BD rip over a retail BD if its free. But If I'm going to pay for something (and I actually do pay for several movies- some on DVD, some on Blu, I even own Red), I want the best, and right now the best is Blu Ray.
http://gizmodo.com/5048025/giz-explains-why-hd-vid ...
Blu Ray has problems. The average person doesn't care about quality, and since the average person doesn't care, DVDs will outsell them becuase the movie is cheaper on DVD. Also the price of the players needs to be uber cheap for people to replace their current DVD players. After buying a new LCD for $1K, no one wants to tack on 30% by adding a no name Insignia Blu-Ray player from Best Buy which looks like it was made by Chinese infants thay just got sick by digesting bad baby formula.
Blu Ray has no one to blame but themselves for the lack of mainstream support. - bongo, on 09/24/2008, -1/+49I have a ps3, and I do love watching Blu Ray movies. But they are far too expensive to buy, even on Amazon they're like $25 bucks. So I just rent them from Netflix. Until they drop at least $10, I don't see myself buying any of them.
- dizzy113, on 09/24/2008, -1/+35Also, almost everyone has a TV, but not everyone has moved to HD yet
- abbathdoom, on 09/24/2008, -19/+48The problem is less to do with the price and more to do with the quality of the product compared to DVD. When you went from VHS to DVD the difference in quality was huge, you got the benefit of special features and the format was easier to store too. With Blueray everything is just an incremental upgrade. It's just not a compelling upgrade in the same way DVD was.
TBH I dont think it will ever become a compelling upgrade. It will gain more market share for sure, but the next compelling upgrade is going to be getting top of the range broadband speeds so you can stream HD videos down the tubes. - peestandingup, on 09/24/2008, -0/+29You know the reason why?? No one gives a ***** besides us nerds. And the benefits arent enough for consumers to be rushing out to buy these, especially in this ***** economy.
- prisoner24601, on 09/24/2008, -12/+41You know I'm surprised that I'm still so angered by Sony and their unwillingness to compromise with HD-DVD five years ago and make a single solution that would have benefited everyone. My disgust really hasn't died down very much.
Funny thing is, I honestly don't even care if that sounds petty and/or if Blu-Ray fans bury me. Sony could have been cooperative and worked WITH the other players to find a product that everyone wanted and consumers would flock to. Instead they pulled a classic Sony move and tried a Sun Tsu "let's have a brutal war because our total victory in the end will be sweet as we see out enemies driven before us and hear the lamenting of their women" and started a fight no one needed.
The truth is I'm actually hoping Blu-Ray goes the way of Betamax and the MiniDisc because apparently Sony still doesn't know that consumers are in charge. They started an "all or nothing" campaign and I won't shed one tear if their arrogant and selfish strategy wins them nothing but scorched earth.
Now that I can stream NetFlix on my xbox over FiOS it is really easy to see a future of HD downloads and completely forget physical discs. We're not quite there yet, but we're REALLY close, so why invest in Blu-Ray? - bigfatphony19, on 09/24/2008, -2/+30The day I pay 30 dollars for a movie is the day....
I don't know, I'm just not ***** doing that. - and303, on 09/24/2008, -6/+26Blu-Ray is failing because it is a big, fragile, DRM infested, over-priced disc that is competing with more convenient things that are FREE.
The reason they're pushing it is because in bulk, the discs themselves cost less than $0.39 to produce.
Offer movies for the same price on flash memory and I'll run to the store. But between scratched discs, incompatible players, and even commercials that I can't fast-forward through...I've been burned by DVDs too many times to even consider spending a penny on another disc format.
And that's not even mentioning the absolutely laughable price of the players! - inajeep, on 09/24/2008, -4/+23No surprise. The cost of the discs went up too, that more than the player is pissing me off enough not to run out and get a ps3 or stand alone player.
- mywhitenoise, on 09/24/2008, -6/+25Don't talk until you own an HDTV and have seen a movie in hi-def.
- Aadain, on 09/24/2008, -3/+22Downloads will never be the future. As long as companies like Comcast exist, there will always be a bandwidth "shortage" that will prevent widespread adoption. Not to mention that most download services tie a download to your device, not your account, so *when* it gives up the ghost, all your movies are MIA. I'm sorry, but I will never choose a download over a physical disc that I can protect and use on multiple players.
- inactive, on 09/24/2008, -4/+22"Heck, I don't even own an HD TV."
Then you're irrelevant when you say bluray doesn't appeal to you, considering bluray is for HDTVs - mywhitenoise, on 09/24/2008, -6/+24***** downlaods, where's the resale in those? Not to mention its hard to find sales/discounts on digital distribution. On top of that you can say good bye to deleted scenes and extras.
- doubledmateo, on 09/24/2008, -1/+18'night and day' is a bit of an exaggeration. The difference is there, but honestly outside of the videophiles, most people see a rather minimal difference. I have a blu-ray player and HD setup, and most guests end up saying, "oh, this is Blu-ray? It looks nice, it seems brighter." or something of that sort. It's obvious that they're humoring me and don't see much of a difference, unless I show them a standard def and then a high def movie really quickly they don't notice.
Hell, I'm hardcore into this stuff and it's hard from me to notice the difference at times. A lot of movies that are on blu-ray aren't the highest quality, and it usually takes something like a pixar movie to really notice the difference in clarity.
Blu-ray is in a tough position, because the consumer just doesn't see a big enough pay off for what they're shelling out.
I don't know that I like everything about the digital download era, but it sure as hell beats paying 30 bucks for a movie. - EssPii, on 09/24/2008, -2/+17It may be night and day, but if I'm fine watching something at the "night" quality and have to pay a ton of money to get setup to watch something in the "day" quality, I'll happily stick to night. Just like being outside at night, after about 5 minutes my eyes are used to the "terrible" DVD quality and I don't notice its "bad" unless shown HD side by side.
I noticed this the most when I watched Batman in IMAX (its not all shot in IMAX). Sure the IMAX scenes looked nice, but until I noticed that the crop was square instead of widescreen I had no idea that it was in IMAX. - pipdip, on 09/24/2008, -0/+14I bought a PS3 just for Blu-Ray playoff, I own about 20 Blu-Ray discs. However, I agree that both hardware and software cost too much. Basic players shouldn't be more than $150, and new discs should start at $20, not $30 or $35 as they do know.
In addition, HD downloads are hurting them. But I think the main thing is the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray. The differences between VHS and DVD were major. Going from Analog to Digital was major. However, honestly, a lot of average viewers can't tell much of a difference between an unconverted DVD and Blu-Ray. Certainly not enough to spend $250-350 for hardware, $20-30 for a movie. - SpectralSounds, on 09/24/2008, -14/+28I don't have a Blu-Ray player. I have an HD-DVD player. The difference between DVD and HD-DVD is night and day. Granted, some movies have ***** transfers and are less than stellar. But, I have some that are a million times better looking than any DVD copy you can get. So, I really don't think you know what you are talking about.
- teamparadox, on 09/24/2008, -8/+22I own both players (HD-DVD and Blu-ray), I still feel strongly that Sony should have lost this one. HD-DVD was just a better format for movies. It ran faster, it was cheaper and since most movies used VC-1 it more often than not looked better.
I havent purchased a blu-ray movie in months because they are just too expensive to justify. I rent alot from netflix and I borrow from friends who want to blow their money. When the price of a new movie hits $20 then I'll start buying but until then Sony isnt getting my money. - crash331, on 09/25/2008, -1/+15 VHS to DVD > DVD to Blu Ray
- paulsmith288, on 09/24/2008, -5/+18REDUCE DISC PRICES
GIVE AWAY FREE SAMPLES / OLD FILMS
I've not bought one inspite of having all the gear (ps3 + hdtv). I dont have many DVDs either, and the ones I do have are from the cheapo bin. - wrenchone, on 09/24/2008, -2/+14Exactly. With DVD, all you had to do was buy a new player and movies looked fantastic on the set you already own.
With blu-ray you need a HD tv to see any real difference, and lots of people just arn't willing to do that yet. - jostheller, on 09/24/2008, -1/+12If the movies cost ~3 dollars more on BD then DVD, id only buy in BD. However I don't see the value in spending 10-15 dollars more per video for slightly better resolution.
- surferjoemaui, on 09/24/2008, -7/+18
look at the way apple introduces new tech or upgrades, they keep the price point exactly the same but offer new features.
I for one remember when CDs came out the price of an album went from about 7.99 to 19.99 they convinced everyone it was the cost of being an 'early adopter' and CDs would last forever. but once they got us paying that much they never brought the price down.
but the big reason they want the new format is because we've cracked the DRM on dvds and now our hard drives are big enough to store full length videos at DVD resolution (rent,rip,return)(torrent)
why would anyone want a bunch of disks when you can stream HD?
(I have known some people whose huge prominently displayed CD, DVD collection is a source of pride) - KevSedzor, on 09/24/2008, -1/+12I just have no intention of replacing my dvd collection with blu-ray. ***** that, took me ages to build up my collection
- eviltandem, on 09/24/2008, -11/+21I have a media center. I have dozens of tools that let me rip, store, and edit DVD's.
...or I can go back to 1990 and get up to switch discs every time I want to watch something different.
Really tough choice. It could be the most amazing videos since the dawn of time, and I still wouldn't care. I'm not going back to storing all my videos on a plastic disc so I have to dig around to find it when I want to watch something. - inactive, on 09/24/2008, -2/+12"You cannot digg a comment twice."
Damn. - mserna23, on 09/24/2008, -3/+12FRY's have been selling HD-DVD movies for ridiculously cheap before they officially retire. I would purchase over there Batman Begins, 300, Troy for like 6.99 each. Mission impossible trilogy for like 22.99. Blu-Ray movies are extremely expensive and I try to avoid buying until the price goes down. 29.99 - 34.99 is ridiculous for a Blu-Ray movie. However I can't avoid purchasing Iron Man and The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray.
- teamparadox, on 09/24/2008, -6/+15Nobody is saying SDTV is broken...we are just saying it sucks.
- tbredofsin, on 09/24/2008, -0/+9Of course they will. They want money and they want Blu-ray to succeed; they already shot their gaming console in the foot to win the format war, what makes you think they won't give it one more small bruise to finish the job?
- Sonan, on 09/24/2008, -12/+20I love new technology, don't get me wrong. But there's nothing appealing to me about Blu-ray. Heck, I don't even own an HD TV. DVDs suit me fine. If it ain't broke don't fix it, but that's what they seem to be trying to do.
- sexybobo, on 09/24/2008, -3/+11I have a 1080p tv and have seen many bluray movies on it. I have also watched a lot of 700meg divx movies i really do not notice the difference after the first 10 minutes i get to wrapped up in the movie to care what it looks like.
- mywhitenoise, on 09/24/2008, -2/+10What the hell are you talking about? Film has better resolution than HD...it's ***** 4x better than 1080p
- inactive, on 09/25/2008, -0/+8Having worked in a video store for 5 years, I can tell you that people dont give a flying ***** about old movies for the most part.
People care about new movies, and on BR those are retarded expensive. - compgeek, on 09/24/2008, -1/+9with the economy the way it is a high end blu ray player is last on 99% of people's minds right now. Try keeping a roof over your head and food on the table being 99% the problem right now. Once blu ray rockets and gets off the ground players come down to $150 or less and blu ray is the same price that DVD's are now then it'll take off and not a second before
- palehorse864, on 09/25/2008, -1/+9I get it and I know the wow factor of HD, but it's still too darn expensive. Bring down the player and make the discs affordable and I'm on board. I have a rear projection HD 1080i set in the living room, but I'm not looking to plunk down that much on a blu-ray player right now.
- inactive, on 09/24/2008, -8/+16Sony was the one trying to co-operate. They started talks with HDDVD and HDDVD were the ones who pulled out.
"Now that I can stream NetFlix on my xbox"
In SD. - FrankTheTank17, on 09/24/2008, -1/+9It's the price and also the fact that it's relatively new technology. Blu-Ray players aren't cheap, HDTV's aren't cheap, and the actual movies aren't cheap either. Wait until the price dips down enough and all of a sudden regular DVD's will take the same role as the VHS cassettes.
- swizzcheez, on 09/24/2008, -0/+7I'd happily pony up a $1 ea to convert DVD to Blu-Ray for what I already own. OTOH, because DVD never did that I still have old VHS tapes that I won't convert since I don't want to pay more than once just because of a format change.
- momedefome, on 09/24/2008, -1/+82 reasons
1) It's pretty freaking expensive
2)Let's face it , people download movies fro free on the internet - Beatmiser, on 09/24/2008, -0/+7I've had BluRay since purchasing a PS3 and HDTV about a year ago. To date I own a total of one bluray set. And that's the 'Planet Earth' series from BBC. I love movies and rent all the time from Netflix, but I refuse to spend $25-$40 on a movie I may only watch a few times. It's just not that worth it.
- Wreckage, on 09/24/2008, -7/+14Blu-ray's growth is limited by the install base of 1080p capable televisions.
It's just that simple. - Akairenn, on 09/24/2008, -4/+11Yes, it does provide enough of a boost in picture quality - Jeebus, are you people blind? High definition DVDs provide picture quality the likes of which even god has not seen.
The problem is - you're not spending hundreds, you're spending thousands.
HDTV + sound system + Blu-Ray player. Sound system is optional, but if you're going to splurge on the rest...
There's no way this could ever fly off the shelf as quickly as VHS -> DVD did. However, adoption is progressing at a lovely rate - why? Because for the first time, having a truly bitchin' home theatre is actually quite affordable for the majority of Americans. Still, you're talking major purchase, unlike picking up a $200 DVD player was.
Add in the fact that through constant whining and geekery, we've actually taught the general public something - that early adoption of hardware is stupid, as waiting a few months means saving tons of cash - and there you have it.
Give it another year, and doomsaying about Blu-Ray will be recorded in the annals of history, found next to all those doomsaying articles about DVD adoption. - kalvinb, on 09/24/2008, -1/+7Most people don't have an HD TV to take advantage of HD content. That makes it hard to tell the difference between Blu-Ray and DVD.
Once HD TV becomes standard in households then people will start to consider Blu-Ray.
That and of course lowering the price. It might be worth to pay $5-10 more per disc if you have a big screen HD TV and want to have better quality. It's definitly not worth it on a standard TV which most have. - inactive, on 09/25/2008, -1/+7Look at all of you stupid sheep with your trendy color TVs. There's nothing wrong with black and white. Hell, unless you have a huge TV, you can hardly tell the difference.
- inactive, on 09/24/2008, -2/+8ISPs will never let downloaded movies become anywhere near as good looking as bluray.
And most consumers dont want to have to deal with it. I for one only have a 300 gig harddrive. So I can only buy 6 movies? And that's AFTER uninstalling my OS. - stretch611, on 09/25/2008, -0/+6It probably didn't help that Sony initially increased prices after HD left the market.
- crash331, on 09/25/2008, -0/+5Yeah, until I can walk into Walmart and get a BD disc for the same sale price that the DVD is on release day (usually 14.96 at Walmart) I'm not buying too many BDs.
It also doesn't help that they lock up BD like they do games. Makes impulse buying really hard, and movies are usually in impulse buy for me. If I have to think about it, I just decide to download it. - plunderphonics, on 09/24/2008, -3/+8Or possibly people are discovering that a high quality 1080 upconverting standard dvd player looks nearly as good as blu-ray.
Oh sorry, doesn't have the lossless audio, and people love lossless audio, wav files sell like hotcakes on iTunes. -
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