TylerDurden_73

That's funny you say that, Blu-ray is being adapted at a faster rate than DVD was.

Downloading is not a physical format. As long as you have people wanting to go to a store and actually feel/pick-up the product, downloading isn't even a contender. Going to a store is still 99-99.5% the way the public does it's
shopping. Besides downloads or streaming can't even compare in quality to DVD and Blu-ray.

Ash Ketchum

I beg to differ, but my young co-workers, all film/media/TV graduates, watch most of their movies downloaded or on bootleg DVD. They don't know from Blu-ray. They don't buy anything. A few of them have Netflix accounts and then burn copies of the movies they rent and spread those copies around. They think it quaint of me that I actually pay to see movies in theaters and that I actually buy DVDs.

mike07

I would rather physically own a legitimate DVD than download a file off the Internet. Of course, it would be a space saver to have say, 160 DVD movies on a 160GB external hard drive rather than a 6' high shelf full of plastic cases, just not an option for me.

chris_sc77

Just a couple points:
If this is the case i would imagine its ONLY because of one factor: video game systems. I bet my left nut that if playstation 2 came out in 1997 with the first dvd's or damn close to that timeframe DVD's would have sold MUCH MUCH faster than they did.
Playstation 3 and the X-box systems or whatever other gaming systems play blu-rays have gotta be the sole factor if they are indeed being adapted faster.
Since the PS3 and other gaming systems came out around the initial launch of Blu-ray this is the only thing in my mnd that has really saved the format.
Not everyone uses it for Blu-ray though obviously and i think the sales of most blu-ray titles still prove this. However if you can show me proof of sales figures, please do so.

Travis McClain

I believe being incorporated into the PS3 gave Blu Ray an early boost, but I disagree that it is the "only" element involved. Since the late 1990s, I believe the general public has come to be much more familiar with technology than previously. When DVD was adopted, the true benefits of the format were largely considered the purview of tech-minded geeks and dedicated movie lovers. Today, even the average fan understands the difference between standard definition and high definition, even if only in terms of one being superior in quality. I think more people having upgraded to an HDTV accounts for the pace of Blu Ray adoption more than anything else.

jjcool

How do they get a number for how many people have adopted blue ray? Is it a count of the number of players sold? If so, do they count PS3 in that count?

chris_sc77

Again i dont know about that. Some people yeah i guess this statement would apply too all i know is I was 12 years old in April of 1999 when i finally talked and begged my mom to get me a dvd player. From the day i first got that dvd player until this very day i have been obsessed with it and knew as soon as i saw Natasha Henstridge's glorious boobage in Species II in WS and with a directors commentary track i was amazed at what the format of dvd offers and my excitement for DVD still exists (despite what some studios are doing to curb any excitement by shitty "special edition" for both Blu-ray AND more so for DVD.).

My love of film has gorwn and i did get HD-dvd and i still dont know everything about high definition and its entirety of benesfits but I didnt get excited when i got my HD-dvd player and cant muster up any enthusiasm whatsoever for Blu-ray either.

afultz075

I think DVDs will coincide with Blu-Ray for a good while. I don't sweat the thought of DVDs being phased out when I buy them anymore. Most of my collection is still DVDs (although the Blu-Ray section of my shelf has ballooned in the last 6 months). I only replace films I already own on DVD with Blu-Ray if they're some of my favorite films. I try to buy most movies I don't already own on Blu anymore unless the price is right for the DVD (couldn't pass up a $3.50 American Gangster DVD at Target even though I intended to get it in BR).

I also feel that upscaling players will keep DVD viable for awhile. I find upscaled DVDs to look great most of the time.

TylerDurden_73

videobusiness.com

"Now, in mid-2009, there are 11 million Blu-ray devices in homes, according to Adams Media Research; an estimated 1,500 software titles on the market; and a proliferation of richly interactive BD Live applications, such as Sony’s MovieIQ and Cinechat features, Warner Home Video’s Facebook integration and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s advanced navigational feature bowing on Snow White.

Blu-ray player sales were up 400% in the first quarter of 2009, over 2008, and 80% of devices are now capable of playing BD Live, according to Sony Electronics’ Mike Abary.

Consumers still need a lot more education about the advances Blu-ray makes over downloading and standard DVD, but all the pieces are falling into place to make that a very effective message."


Those player numbers don't include ps3's

golden_rod

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8768baf0-5...nclick_check=1

“We expect Blu-ray to account for 6.9 per cent of international video spending this year – assuming there is strong promotional activity [by the studios],” said Helen Davis Jayalath, senior analyst at Screen Digest.

“However, despite consumers’ interest in the high-definition format and demand for packaged media, the current challenging economic climate means that we don’t expect Blu-ray to be driving even minimal sector growth until 2010.”

Screen Digest blamed the slow take-up of the new format on the global consumer downturn and the lack of a co-ordinated and unified marketing campaign from the studios.

Privately, studios do not expect consumers to replace their DVD libraries with the new technology – partly because these libraries can run to hundreds of titles but also because of anticipated growth in digital distribution of film content.

bodomnet

It always seem to me these discussions turn into arguments.
Either Blu-Ray fan boys get defensive or people with hundreds if not thousands of DVDs seem scared that their collection is out dated.

For me, I'd rather buy Blu.. I pay about £4 more per release and that to me is well worth it for the quality difference.

But I also pick up quite a few used DVDs for cheap.. do what you want not what statistics, websites or fan boy's say is the way to go.

Dustin P.

I own over 760+ standard DVD's and when I have to I will switch to Blu-ray. I don't have any problems switching, I am not afraid of new technology. It doesn't worry me one bit because I believe as it was said in this topic, that both formats will compete for many years to come. I don't think Blu-ray will ever fully have the market standard DVD has but in a few years it will probably have over 50% of the market.

Travis McClain

It seems to me that the leap from DVD to Blu Ray isn't as dramatic as was the leap from VHS to DVD; hence, your disparity in upgrade enthusiasm. That seems entirely reasonable to me; I, in fact, feel a lot of that myself. Still, though, I believe that the average person has become much more familiar with the technology than they were at the time of DVD's introduction. DVD was revolutionary; it did what laser disc did, but better--on a disc the size of a CD. Blu Ray is, in the minds of most people, DVD 2.0. It does the same thing DVD did, but better, on a disc the same size. They're familiar with DVD, and can more easily grasp what Blu Ray means.

Plus, exposure to HDTV (even if just on TV's at restaurants and sports bars) has helped familiarize Joe Public with the concepts of HD TV's and broadcast. Relating that concept to DVD's in the form of Blu Ray is a pretty easy mental transition to make.

I think the main reason Blu Ray wasn't adopted even more rapidly, earlier was the competition with HD DVD. We all knew they couldn't co-exist for long, and no one wanted to find out their several hundred dollars for equipment and titles would be made obsolete in a year or two, so most of us waited for the dust to settle--and the prices to drop--before committing. Had the economy not faltered around the same time it became clear which format was the winner, I suspect Blu Ray adoption would be even higher than it has been.

The beauty is that your Blu Ray player will play DVD's, so there's no reason not to still pick up those $5 bin titles periodically. There are some titles I know I will want to upgrade once we go Blu, but there are many more I know will remain on DVD in our library. And, it appears that Blu Ray Disc pricing is becoming even more comparable seemingly every week; Walmart has already begun a 2 for $20 section of titles that may not be mandatory, but are an attractive price for upgrades.

mzupeman2

DVD's will be around for a long time. So many more people are invested in DVD than were invested in VHS. People by more stuff for at home viewing than ever, DVD is the reason for it. Blu-ray is something people who have the equipment and money will buy into, and Blu-ray can only grow over time. DVD's will be around for quite some time though, no worries.

orangerunner

After three years Blu-ray makes up 10-12% of the physical media sales, depending on who you ask.

By the spring of 2000, were DVD sales only 10-12% of the home video market? Maybe. But I don't really care to research it.

Blu-ray's strength will be primarily new releases. Blu-ray catalogue titles will not have the the same sales impact that DVD did as far as numbers of units sold.

99%-99.5% do their shopping in a store? Okay...?

WMAangel

This is in many aspects an unfair comparison, as there really wasn't as much of a "home video sales market" before DVD....laserdisc was very expensive and much more niche than Blu-ray is (or has been), and VHS was never the "buy to own" collectible format that DVD has always been....the majority of VHS was released at a rental-only price point....

Every time the argument for and against DVD and Blu-ray comes up, people fail to mention that Blu-ray has a greater hurdle to face that DVD never did: it REQUIRES a high definition display unit to gain its greatest benefit....
DVD provided the best in standard definition that people could get out of their regular TV, but could be sold to everyone as it used their pre-exisiting displays.....HDTV is not yet even in 50% of US households, therefore the overall market for Blu-ray is still much smaller and can only expand at most as fast as HDTV adoption....

UngersPride

In addition, when anyone wishes to enter the Blu-Ray world, they will need to put down quite a chunk of change: $1,000 for HDTV; $300 for Blu player; $300 for sound system....
In addition, most laptops will ONLY play SD DVDs, unless one converts (again more cash outlay) to install a Blu drive....

Many people are still waiting until their current TV dies and/or Blu prices fall more dramatically....

Travis McClain

Granted, you can easily drop $1800 or more going Blu, but I think it can be done less expensively. We have a 32 inch Philips HDTV that retails for about $700, and can score a Blu Ray player for about $150 these days--a higher end model for about $230. Not sure what cables you're referring to (or where you're buying them), but an HDMI cable can be found for about $50. Yes, the sound system is required to take advantage of 5.1 and 7.1 audio mastering, but I think most people consider that a get-to-it-later add-on. So, you're looking at $980 without a sound system.

Of course, I realize many of you with larger budgets have a hard time fathoming owning a TV less than ninety seven inches and hearing the sound through less than eighteen speakers in a sound-proofed room connected with 24k gold wires. Still, I think going Blu can be done on a budget these days, and I believe more people will elect to do so as the economy recovers and less people are worried about how hungry their children are at night.

orangerunner

You're right, it's never going to be a fair comparison for the reasons stated above.

I think Blu-ray has a hurdle even beyond owning an HDTV. I think if HDTV was in every household today, Blu-ray would still be a tough sell largely because of the player and disc prices at this time.

Remember too, people are not necessarily buying HDTVs because they want or need a high definition picture. The prices are right and they're pretty much the only sets available.

Standard def still looks as good or better on an HDTV than it did on the old CRT.

Canuck21

I normally wouldn't bother correcting someone for a spelling mistake, but since the Blu-ray (not Blue Ray, nor Blu Ray, nor Blu-Ray) format is new, I think right now is a good time to inform people of the correct way to spell. By the way, for the disc itself, it is Blu-ray Disc or simply BD. Just FYI you know...

hindolio

wait a sec! all this time ive referred to them as br disks! yikes.

Carcosa

I by plentee of BLOO REY disks and egspect that trend to kontinu I allso by DEE VEE DEE's too so I dont kare won way or the uther.

madcougar

Worry about the economy. Worry about the enviroment. Don't ever worry about DVDs.

UngersPride

Very true.

But if I'm going to go the Blu route I will be going all the way (many other people feel the same way). There is no comparison between a 32 inch and a 50 inch HDTV (some of which can be had for $1200-1500).

Blu is perfect for those large screen TVs.

You will save money in the long run by buying a better system from the get go. With a system as I outlined in my previous post, there will be no need for a better upgrade for many years to come.

Thanks

Carcosa

YES Bloo ray is better than DVD

YES you can now get a perfectly acceptable BD player cheaply

YES the price of Bleu raye discs are dropping in general

YES I have a Blu-ray player and I think its fantastic

YES I still buy plenty of DVDs because the selection of Blue Ray movies kind of sucks at the moment....and doesn't appear to be getting that much better that quickly.

YES the Toshiba XDE player makes your DVDs look almost HD quality. Almost.

NO I have no plans of switching over the vast majority of my DVDs to Blu-rays even if every one of the discs I had where available. Not everything benefits dramatically from HD.

...and it doesn't matter because.....

YES, I will always be able to play DVDs no matter what.

So buy DVDs and don't give it a second thought. If you can get it on Blu-ray, that's even better.