----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
While I would like to agree entirely with Robert on the idea that two
competing formats are better for us than one, that is not the view of some
very well placed retail executives. I will be publishing an interview later
this week or early next with the VP of television retail for Best Buy--a 25
year veteran in the field. He simply and emphatically calls the format wars,
if non-ending, a complete disaster for either high def DVD formats and the
genre itself. He was very insistent upon that point nor did he waiver as I
cross examined him on his position. Now, I do not offer this as my opinion,
only my discovery when doing research among those who make things happen. I
will add that this gentleman did not show any favoritism towards either
format, just that it must be settled by consumers through their buying
choice, and that it needs to be settled soon (by next buying season). The
reasons he gave are all those to be expected, chiefly that a confused
consumer doesn't spend money as freely as one who is not confused, and that
from a programming standpoint, as Robert noted, a percentile of people don't
want to be left out of some programming selections because of an imposed
format choice. He made clear that it is a retail problem because floor
personnel will abandon the product to varying degrees if it provokes too
many time-consuming questions. Of course, he is focused on the average
consumer and not the early adopters when he says these things.
I will add my personal opinion that there may well have been some benefits,
as Robert makes clear, from competition between format proponents. This
certainly occurred in the proponent contest that finally formed up the ATSC
standard. Dick Wily, chairman of ACATS, called for a combining of the better
features of the few surviving proponents (referred to historically now as
the "Grand Alliance") into the best of the best system in order to break any
deadlocks. While this is not quite the same kind of contest it appears to
have some of the same dynamics. Once the format proponents have done their
competitive best against each other it becomes then a tried and true course
to let a competitive contest rage between the few huge mass producers of the
surviving format who make most of the products for most of the brands. They
duke it out in the marketplace and we benefit, price-wise.
Dale
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Dr Robert A Fowkes" <
[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 7:30 AM
To: "HDTV Magazine Tips List" <
[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Panasonic DMP-BD10AK vs DMP-BD30K
> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> A few comments from the old guy:
>
> At CEDIA 2007 it appeared to me that the Venturer was actually a re-badged
> Toshiba player. Side by side they looked almost identical, especially the
> back panel. Either Toshiba is OEM'ing the Venturer or this new company is
> very good at cloning. <g>
>
> I wouldn't pay too much attention to rumors regarding the supposed "lead"
> of one format over another. For one thing, the total sales of HD software
> (both formats) is minuscule compared to total SD DVDs sales, so comments
> such as "outselling 2:1" are statistically meaningless at this point. A
> couple of thousand sales of HD media (contrasted with the sales numbers in
> the millions for SD titles) could completely turn these stats around.
> While I have both formats I have found the constant claims from the
> Blu-ray camp to be motivated by their need to convince themselves that
> it's a better format. Most of the talking seems to emanate from "Tru Blu"
> sources as is evidence on the many websites that have popped up in the
> last year or so. Almost anyone can start a "web site." At some point
> some of these sites clearly need to have an "Advertising Supplement"
> advisory attached to them.
>
> While some people are claiming that the format war is a bad thing for the
> consumer I'm of the opinion that it's just the opposite. While such
> things do add to the confusion for neophytes, a bit of competition is
> definitely a good thing for the consumer. Without a "war" I doubt that we
> would have seen players for under $100 so quickly (like what happened in
> November). Nor would we have seen so many great sales, like the "BOGO"
> (Buy One, Get One Free) sales at Amazon and similar vendors. They have
> had BOGO Blu-ray disc sales in the past and are currently running a BOGO
> HD-DVD promotion. And other vendors are following suit. I've been paying
> well under $10 (sometimes under $8!) for High Definition 1080p source
> material with great HD audio codecs. I literary have purchased well over
> 60 discs in the past month at prices that rival the cost of checkout line
> "remainder" SD-DVDs at your local supermarket. As a person who lived
> through the "over $100" Criterion LD Boxed Sets for a single title less
> than two decades ago this is a real eye and wallet opener. Competition
> breeds lowering prices for both HW and SW.
>
> Finally, while this war is definitely far from over (I wouldn't be
> surprised if some studios "rumored" to be leaning one way will actually go
> in the other direction) I think that the longer it lasts the better the
> chance that it will resolve itself. As a movie buff, as well as a gadget
> guru, to me it's all about the content, not the format. That's why I own
> players from each camp (actually a total of five in my home). The
> existence of a "combo" player with more on the horizon as the prices drop
> and the choices widen is what, in my opinion, will solve any protracted
> format war. Unlike the VHS/Beta battles where the physical size
> difference between the two formats made combo players impractical for most
> people, HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs are of the same size and players are on
> the market today which can handle both (as well as SD-DVDs and CD, etc.).
> It's simple. One player, one set of connections, and two formats handled
> by a single tray. Mainstream America (and elsewhere) need not even add
> another box to their home entertainment, simply replace the SD-DVD player
> with a "Combo" player. Right now a combo player still costs more than
> buying one of each format, but the economies of scale will change that in
> a year or so. And when the time comes that combo players are relatively
> mainstream then any "format war" will be a moot point. You will buy or
> rent a 1080p movie because you want to view it, not because it's in any
> particular format. Gone are concerns with choosing the "wrong" side.
> Gone are the worries about obsolescence and your brand new 1080p HDTV will
> have plenty of source material to make your day. And then there's
> downloadable content which will bring even more options to the table. Me?
> I'm a hands on collector but your mileage may vary.
>
> My two (format) cents.
>
>
>
>
> At 02:16 PM 12/12/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>>Toshiba is really the only manufacturer of HD DVD right now (and from
>>the start). Onkyo has recently released a player as well as an Asian
>>company: Venturer ... but those are both fairly new entries and are just
>>starting to make their way to retail. I think just a couple weeks ago
>>Venturer announced they were going to be in Wal-mart this year.
>>
>>Warner has been on both sides of the fence, so there is no swing in
>>momentum there. Although there are some rumors that they are leaning
>>Blu, these rumors appear to be false based on a statement made by a
>>Warner representative within the past day or so.
>>
>>No, the format was is not nearly over ... barring some surprise
>>announcement. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll likely be
>>living with both formats until "the next thing" comes along.
>
> -- RAF
>
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