Blu-ray: only a 8% market share

[Smooth Groove]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10050918-1.html

WTF, Blu-ray better not become another dead Sony format.   

I've already invested so much into it.


 

Blu-ray players may have fallen below the $200 mark, but according to new numbers from Nielsen VideoScan, Blu-ray's market share in the video disc market has slumped in the past week. While Nielsen releases its numbers on a week-by-week basis, and a one-week decline isn't a huge deal, this could indicate a rough holiday season for Sony's hi-def format.

If you've been keeping up with us, you already know that this comes as no surprise. Except for home theater enthusiasts, most buyers are fine with the video quality (and affordability) of DVD. Factor in the floundering economy, the high cost to adopt the technology, and the number of alternatives to view video content via rental models, video-on-demand, and the Internet, and the numbers make sense.

Nielsen VideoScan's numbers show a drop to an 8 percent of the overall market--DVDs making up th
e other 92 percent of the market share.

[Kestastrophe]

:ps3cry

[BlackMage]

i dunno. 8% sounds pretty good right now. I wonder how much marketshare DVD had during the same lifespan as blue-ray currently has.

[hyp]

hd digital distribution is gonna be bigger than blu ray in a few years

[CajoleJuice]

hd digital distribution is gonna be bigger than blu ray in a few years

bandwidth needs to catch up, and providers can't start capping downloads

and blu-ray will always look better

downloadable HD content is compressed to shit in comparison

[Joe Molotov]

Seems about right. Blu-Ray discs make up about 8% of the DVD space at BestBuy, Wal-Mart, etc. Blu-Ray may have won the HD war, but it still hasn't captured the hearts and minds of the people yet.

[etiolate]

it was way too soon for another format

[Rman]

Bluray=LaserDisc

It won't die, but it will remain a niche format for a long time.  I love the format, though.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It is going to be a long time before the public jumps to DVD.

Keep in mind that the public made the jump from VHS to DVD in only the past few years.  Maybe 2001 or 2002, I forget.  Couple that with the fact that you pretty much need a 1080p TV to use it properly (and people these days are far less likely to get a 1080p than they were last year, economic concerns and all that) and that is why Blu-Ray won't be the dominant format for a long time.

Personally, I haven't made the jump to BR discs and don't intend to for a long ass time.

[CajoleJuice]

And going by Wikipedia, it took DVD 6 years to overtake VHS. Blu-ray has only been on the market 2 years. I'm not saying it's going to overtake DVD in another 4 years, but this doesn't mean Blu-ray is doomed to fail.

Also, most people aren't going to double-dip on DVD -> Blu-ray, unlike with DVDs. I wonder what the market share among new releases is.

[Don Flamenco]

Even if it doesn't take over DVD, there are enough enthusiasts to keep it alive.  If there's room for 3 systems in the game market, there has to be room in the video market for 2 formats, one regular, one premium.

and if i'm reading this right, this is about a drop for one week only...

[CajoleJuice]

You can chalk that up to the Jewpocalypse!

[cool breeze]

I only buy blu-ray now, so I can't be the problem.  I blame everyone else for being either poor or blind, or both, or Nintendo fans.

[Brehvolution]

I don't think BR will mater as much in the movie department as it will in the storage business. When the price of the burners and discs come down, it will accelerate the business.

My DVD burner in my computer cost me $200 6-7 years ago. Now they are like $25.

[Don Flamenco]

I only buy blu-ray now, so I can't be the problem.  I blame everyone else for being either poor or blind, or both, or Nintendo fans.

I'm guessing a lot of people rent them through netflix too.  those bitches are expensive.

[Bocsius]

I'm surprised it's that high.

But whatever, I think DVD is good enough.

[Solo]

Proud to be part of the 8%!

[bagofeyes]

I know people that are still on VHS

[Phoenix Dark]

owned

[Bildi]

hd digital distribution is gonna be bigger than blu ray in a few years

I thinking so too.  I wouldn't be surprised if blu ray never takes off.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

I remember reading an article that the Blu-release of Hitman scored 12% of the total home video sales, and that was considered quite high at the time.  Heck, that was only six months ago.

I only just bought my first three Blu-Ray films just today, and I've had my PS3 for almost a year now.  I'm not picking up more of them because they're expensive, rarely on sale, and most of the films I'd want to buy (my most recent purchases prior to today would have been The Triplets of Belleville and the Rodan/War of the Gargantuans double pack) don't get Blu-Ray releases.

Oh, and my purchases today for buy day were...

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I own 4 HDTVs (or 5 if you include my 26" computer monitor) and 3 Blu-Ray players (including my PS3 and PC) and I'll still buy DVDs over Blu-Rays just because they're a better bargin.  I like the format just fine buy I honestly don't have anywhere near the excitement for it like I had when DVDs first hit.  The jump from VHS to DVD was HUGE.  No more rewinding, sharper image, better sound, no more tape degradation, exponentially cheaper media, and the addition of "extras".  I bought my first DVD player for $200 in 1998, right about the time The Big Lebowski was released on video.  I could buy the movie on disc for $15 or I could've gotten a VHS copy of it for 100 bucks.  That's what made DVD so desireable and that's why it took off like it did. 

Blu-Ray is going to remain niche and will never overtake DVDs in popularity with the general pubic. Never. At best, it's a stop gap solution before some other type of media delivery is introduced that will get people excited like DVDs.

Bluray=LaserDisc

That's exactly what it'll become.

[Brehvolution]

DVD was expensive when they came out too compared to VHS and they were the same resolution as VHS.  Short sightedness FTL once again. Maybe that is just attributed to being young.

Once the barrier costs of bandwidth and storage for 10+ gigs comes down, we will see HD digital download become a more viable option.

[MrAngryFace]

ill keep buying blurays, its worth it for most movies.

[border]

The LaserDisc comparisons always strike me as really stupid.  I often doubt that the people who say that were even really cognizant of the home video market in the 90's.

LaserDiscs never gained any kind of foothold in the rental market.....the players never got cheaper.....and the cost of a single LD movie was easily $50-100.  They were as huge as vinyl LPs and you had to get up in the middle of the movie to flip them over.  BluRay has already past so many of the hurdles that stunted LD growth.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

At the very best, BR sales will equal DVD sales.  I have great doubt that it will be able to overtake DVDs during its lifetime.  By early next decade, another successor will be out and consumers will be adopting that format.

[MrAngryFace]

Dark City looks so good on bluray omg

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

DVD was expensive when they came out too compared to VHS and they were the same resolution as VHS.  Short sightedness FTL once again. Maybe that is just attributed to being young.

A DVD player was expensive for about the first year or so but after that they plummeted dramatically (like I said, I bought a DVD player at Circuit City in 1998 for $200) and the movies themselves were exponentially cheaper than what was available on VHS.  Plus the resolution was not the same as VHS.  DVDs output at 480p while VHS was 320.

BR will never equal DVD.

[MrAngryFace]

the general rule is WB > *

If you pay attention to what studio is responsible for the release its pretty easy to gauge quality.

[The Fake Shemp]

But the mere fact you have to do that when you invest hundreds of dollars into another, supposedly superior media format is pretty insane.

Blu-Ray is pretty neat.  I liked it.  But it is definitely niche and I highly doubt it'll overtake DVD.  There are enough HD enthusiasts to make it profitable, but with more and more companies rolling out digital distribution models - the jump is likely there.  You can get onDemand HD content through Comcast with the push of a button already.

[MrAngryFace]

I think there is a lot against bluray, but im willing to participate in the great experiment
.

[cool breeze]

As someone who is a fan of Blu-ray, I agree with that Wilco is saying.  I think most of all it is because people who do think they want the leap to HD just group everything into HD.  That comcast digital cable stuff has HD, but it is far inferior to is on the Blu-ray disk -- not that it would matter since it is being viewed on a Vizio.

[The Fake Shemp]

As someone who is a fan of Blu-ray, I agree with that Wilco is saying.  I think most of all it is because people who do think they want the leap to HD just group everything into HD.  That comcast digital cable stuff has HD, but it is far inferior to is on the Blu-ray disk -- not that it would matter since it is being viewed on a Vizio.

Ding!

And as FIoS rolls out into more neighborhoods, broadband becomes more affordable, etc. you will see even better digital distribution models.  It's not that far off.

I tell you what, my folks don't even purchase or own any physical format, because they're too lazy to find discs, put them in a player, put them away, etc.  They just watch onDemand HD and - guess what! - they do so on a Vizio (not a bad television, by the way).

[Vyer]

Good to see DD can be legitimately discussed here.

I agree with the negatives (concerns about bandwidth, HD quality), but am always amused when folks just dismiss it outright.

[Brehvolution]

DVD was expensive when they came out too compared to VHS and they were the same resolution as VHS.  Short sightedness FTL once again. Maybe that is just attributed to being young.

A DVD player was expensive for about the first year or so but after that they plummeted dramatically (like I said, I bought a DVD player at Circuit City in 1998 for $200) and the movies themselves were exponentially cheaper than what was available on VHS.  Plus the resolution was not the same as VHS.  DVDs output at 480p while VHS was 320.

BR will never equal DVD.

So in 2 or so more years, you think that DVD will still be a major player? No one who has bought an LCD or plasma has ever said, "oh good, now i can see 480P." THe price of HD TVs' are dropping pretty fast. This xmas will be a huge HD adoptance unless there is a major recession.

[AdmiralViscen]

Upscaling

Plus people are buying HDTVs now because no one sells SDTVs anymore. They're still seeking out the mega bargains, and if they waited this long to get an HDTV they probably aren't chomping at the bit to spend another $250-300 on a new disc player that they don't even understand. They'll probably be watching standard def TV anyway because they're too stupid to set their shit up.

Never mind Blu Rays individually being 1.5-2x the price of DVDs and the fact that you need to buy 2-3 BR players if you want to be able to watch your new movie from any TV in the house.

New releases were still being released on VHS until like 2 years ago. DVD is going to be sticking around. I don't think 8% for BR is doom and gloom though, seems pretty good to me.

[border]

You can get onDemand HD content through Comcast with the push of a button already.

Except that it isn't stored locally, you don't own it, and it cost $8 a viewing.  Between bandwidth caps and content creators' desire to tightly control media, digital downloads will be stunted for some time.  Just look at the shitstorm we saw when people learned that the PSN Video service wouldn't let you download the same movie again and again......yet it's pretty much the same restriction that iTunes has for all its content, if I'm not mistaken.

[MrAngryFace]

I own tons of blurays muhahah

[Smooth Groove]

I have about 90 Blu-rays and 20 Hd-dvds right now.  Pretty sure the BD collection will go to 100 by the end of the year. 

[MrAngryFace]

Go go Blugay!

Beetlejuice
Cool Hand Luke
The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
Nightmare Before Christmas
Kingdom of Heaven
Weeds Season 1
Weeds Season 2
Weeds Season 3
Madmen Season 1
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 1
Batman Begins
Sleepy Hollow
From Hell
V For Vendetta
Total Recall
The Orphanage
The Fifth Element
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Rescue Dawn
Assassination of Jesse James
Rambo
Sunshine
Short Circuit
Road Warriors
Blade Runner
Harry Potter 1-5
Roving Mars
Memento
House of Flying Daggers
Blader Runner
300
Black Hawk Down
Underworld
Underworld Evolution
The Replacement Killers
Transporter
Transporter 2
Crank
Ratatouille
Hellboy
American Psycho
Surfs Up
Tekkon Kinkreet
Paprika
The Aviator
Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Last Samurai
The Prestige
Unforgiven
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Devil Wears Prada
Pans Labyrinth
Speed Racer
Cars
Evil Dead II
Wyatt Earp
Stir of Echoes
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Omega Man
Run Lola Run
Gattaca
No Country For Old Men
Robocop
Predator
Dark City
3:10 to Yuma
Resident Evil
Resident Evil Apocalypse
Resident Evil Extinction
Planet Earth

[Smooth Groove]

I'm sick of average flicks being sold at $30 though.  There are some half-decent flicks that I'd want in 1080P but not at their current prices. 

[Mr. Gundam]

http://distantmantra.dvdaf.com/owned/blu-ray

I've got 66 Blu-ray titles, and I'm adding three more on Tuesday (Iron Man, 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up).

[MrAngryFace]

fuck yeah iron man

[Smooth Groove]

http://distantmantra.dvdaf.com/owned/blu-ray

I've got 66 Blu-ray titles, and I'm adding three more on Tuesday (Iron Man, 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up).

The Knocked Up HD-DVD looked fantastic.  The film itself is very overrated though.  It was neither funny nor touching. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Tomorrow I'm going to break from my no media purchase rule and buy some DVDs.

[Draft]

I just grabbed Enter the Dragon Blu from Best Buy for $15 

Blu Ray is awesome, and I buy Blu now over DVD if I have the choice, but for a lot of movies, it's tough to see the difference between Blu and upscaled DVD, at least if they aren't side by side.

[Bloodwake]

AdmiralViscen has it right.

People who buy these new TVs in the first place are too fucking stupid to even calibrate their TVs correctly. Why in the fuck would they think that purchasing a Blu-ray player would be a good idea?

[border]

People who buy these new TVs in the first place are too fucking stupid to even calibrate their TVs correctly. Why in the fuck would they think that purchasing a Blu-ray player would be a good idea?

For the same reason they bought the TV itself, I would presume.

[Eel O'Brian]

hey, my 37" vizio rules, and i only paid $600 for it

[Smooth Groove]

I just grabbed Enter the Dragon Blu from Best Buy for $15 

How is the transfer?  I wanted to grab it too but I doubted Blu-ray could do much for an old kung-fu flick.

[CajoleJuice]

hey, my 37" vizio rules, and i only paid $600 for it

you keep telling youself that

[Flannel Boy]

My 1080P Samsung rules, and I only paid $800 for it.

[T234]

hey, my 37" vizio rules, and i only paid $600 for it

you keep telling youself that

It's better than your SDTV, cajole.

But not as good as my 52" Toshiba. That we WAY overpaid for.

[CajoleJuice]

I'm just being a dick, T234.

I soon will be in Malek's position.

[Smooth Groove]

I luv my new 58" plasma so much that I'm already saving up for a 65" model.  Size really matters when it comes to games and films.

I hope I can pawn off my old TV to my uncle again.  

[T234]

I was about to say, you ain't a dirty poor anymore cajole, man up to an HDTV.

I thought there for a minute you were gonna start saying Nintendo was right and then you were gonna start hollerin Ron Paul 2008 and shit.

[Flannel Boy]

I was about to say, you ain't a dirty poor anymore cajole, man up to an HDTV.

I thought there for a minute you were gonna start saying Nintendo was right and then you were gonna start hollerin Ron Paul 2008 and shit.

I'm all for the Gold Plated HDMI Cable standard!

[CajoleJuice]

I was about to say, you ain't a dirty poor anymore cajole, man up to an HDTV.

I just really hate big purchases.

I've had more than enough saved up for months now, but I'm just waiting to see how much prices go down for the holidays.

[Flannel Boy]

DEBT: It's the American way Juice.

[Rman]

I was about to say, you ain't a dirty poor anymore cajole, man up to an HDTV.

I just really hate big purchases.

I've had more than enough saved up for months now, but I'm just waiting to see how much prices go down for the holidays.

I'm sure they will be some great deals to be had on Black Friday, especially if you can stomach the insanity and wake up early.