PS3 launches in Europe as camps add titles, marketing
By Jennifer Netherby 3/16/2007

MARCH 16 | As the battle between high-definition DVD formats nears the start of its second year in the U.S., it’s only beginning in the rest of the world.

On March 23, Sony is set to launch the PlayStation 3 in Europe and Australia, which Blu-ray Disc backers are hoping will shift high-def disc sales in their favor as it has in the U.S.

In Japan, home to both Blu-ray-backing Sony and HD DVD-backing Toshiba, the war is weighted heavily toward Blu-ray. Both formats are just now being introduced in other territories around the world.

The situation in Europe is almost a rearview mirror to the U.S. launch. HD DVD players began reaching market there in late December/early January, and so far, sales have swayed 80% in the format’s favor, according to U.K. video research firm Screen Digest. HD DVD backers Toshiba and Microsoft have aggressively courted independent European suppliers, which has bulked up the format’s release slate in the region, providing more content than in the U.S.

But Blu-ray still has more major studio content and a powerful slate of new releases and catalog films headed out in the next couple months, including Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Casino Royale and Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Hardware factor
Hardware sales have so far been small. In 2006, just 3,000 stand-alone HD DVD and Blu-ray players combined were sold in Europe, according to Screen Digest. More popular than the set-top boxes was Microsoft’s Xbox HD DVD add-on drive, with sales of fewer than 15,000 units last year.

The hardware picture will change March 23 when the PlayStation 3 gets its European debut, with Sony shipping 1 million units on day one.

“There’s no question the PlayStation 3 will outsell everything else by a degree of magnitude,” Screen Digest senior analyst Helen Davis Jayalath said, adding that both sides have known this day was coming and it doesn’t necessarily signal the end. During tech show CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, on March 15, the Blu-ray Disc Assn.’s European chair Frank Simonis predicted not only would Blu-ray win the format war there but would kill DVD in three years.

Sony is hoping to boost game players’ interest in watching movies on the PS3 by offering a free Blu-ray disc of Casino Royale to the first 500,000 PS3 buyers who register online, similar to its inclusion of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby with the first half-million U.S. players. Sony execs say 80% of U.S. users who received the free movie said they were more interested in watching movies on the console.

Lexine Wong, SPHE senior executive VP of worldwide marketing, said there could be even more demand for movies in Europe because there isn’t as much high-def content available on TV.

“The excitement for us is there’s going to be all these HDTV consumers who are waiting for high-def content, which is our movies,” she said.

The PlayStation 3 comes with a 599 euro (about U.S. $790) price tag in Europe, but Blu-ray backers don’t expect that to deter sales.

“In Europe, there will be a million units for sale on March 23, which is much more than in the U.S.,” Simonis told VB via e-mail.

Blu-ray-backing studios are betting on the PS3’s popularity to drive adoption and are following its debut in different regions of the world with software releases.

Outside of the U.S., Europe and Japan, Sony has released Blu-ray software in Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico and Dubai, and is now moving into Russia, Wong said.

Sony reiterated at CeBIT its plans to sell through 6 million PS3s worldwide by the end of March, which would put Blu-ray penetration worldwide far ahead of HD DVD, which is predicted to sell through 2.5 million players this year, according to backers.

HD DVD's push
A number of other factors could help boost HD DVD penetration, including cheap HD DVD players from Chinese manufacturers. Chinese consumers also could alter the situation. This month, the DVD steering committee approved a Chinese version of HD DVD, which could give the format a foothold in the Chinese market and help speed low-cost HD DVD players to market around the world.

Meanwhile, European HD DVD companies, including Universal Studios, Studio Canal, Toshiba and Microsoft, launched the European HD DVD Promotional Group at CeBIT on the eve of the PS3’s launch. The group will promote the format through the holiday season and is promising to release movies on HD DVD the same day worldwide when possible.

HD DVD backers have so far released 100 movies on their format and are planning more in coming months.

So far, just 23 Blu-ray movies have been released in Europe, but 71 more are slated through the summer, with many debuting the Tuesday following PS3’s launch.

Because studios don’t always hold worldwide rights to movies, some films may debut on rival formats. For example, in parts of Europe, Blu-ray-sided Lionsgate’s films are distributed by Studio Canal, an HD DVD backer.

That could potentially broaden the list of available films for consumers and blur the situation even more. HD DVD films don’t have region coding, so films will play in any HD DVD player worldwide.

Blu-ray studios have the option of including region coding. Sony and Buena Vista both say they will include region coding on new releases because they are sometimes released in the U.S. on DVD before they debut in theaters or on DVD in other countries, but the two aren’t region coding catalog films.

Although the main focus in the format war remains on the U.S., neither side wants to lose the battle in any region of the world.

“It would be best for everyone if one format is used everywhere,” said Andy Parsons, head of the Blu-ray Disc Assn. in North America.

$790! We had it good.

I do look forward to seeing the disc sales 6 months from now. I expect it to start relatively strong, but taper off. I just don't see PS3s being a big sell for the discs (except that is the only reason I plan on buying one, but I think I am the exception and most actually buy a gaming console for games).

Well - the SONY PS3 is to be sold here in Australia for $999 - which is about the $U780 price on the 23rd March.

Can't see myself buying yet ANOTHER games console... not after a playstation 1 and a Xbox.

But you have to hand it to SONY......

.... charge another $50 for a PS3 BLU-RAY REMOTE CONTROL !!!!!!!!!!

MORE MONEY FOR A REMOTE ??

NO THANKS SONY

didn't you have to pay more money for your xbox remote? i know i did.

I can also use just about any universal remote on the planet with the 360. Not so for the PS3.

Oh, and my 360 did come with a remote.

Some stores here in Australia have only been charging $699 ($USD557) for the console. Which I think is still more than it's worth. I don't think they'll move many at the exorbitant price of $999.

which ones are those ?

the main stores are looking at the 60gig model for $1000 (and i predict that the only ones that will move will be the ones on Friday nite - first day !!). After that ...... they wont be moving as quick. Compared to the $400 for the Wii - i know what I'd prefer to spend my VERY FEW HOURS gaming on (something that gets me OUT OF THE SEAT !!)

All the local EBs I've seen are doing it.

Well - the PS3 was bit of a flop downunder on its first nite ...

(ok - and I know that this is HiDef forum - and we are discussing a gaming machine here).

http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/pla...153291466.html

Sorry - because we only have a few people down under - Sony believe that we can get screwed on price and incompatibility of some games. Right !!!

You know what's really sad? Sony will use the low purchase numbers to justify the higher price.

In the UK the first customers in the queue at Oxford Street Virgin megastore got a free 46" HD TV (Sony I presume, not quite sure). They also got a taxi cab home to insure their safety. This applied to the first 25 customers.

woul be pretty funny if it was a free toshiba hdtv

That's if you trade in your ps2 with about 10-20 games.
No chance in hell they would be selling it outright for $699.

Sales on opening day were smaller than expected, but I think we sold more on the 3rd day than on the 1st and 2nd day combined. Looks like it's picking up but the BD movie attach rate seems to be low.

The American adult industry's recent dumping of Blu-Ray in favor of HD-DVD spells the death knell for Blu-Ray. This will also have international consequences, as Blu-Ray will now become the new "Beta" of the video industry.

It's no wonder that the Blu-Ray-fueled introduction of high def has been dragging its feet for the last two years, and that many planned Blu-Ray versions of films are now being canceled.

[QUOTE=Ed Gauthier]The American adult industry's recent dumping of Blu-Ray in favor of HD-DVD spells the death knell for Blu-Ray. This will also have international consequences, as Blu-Ray will now become the new "Beta" of the video industry.

There ARE Blu-ray porno movies for those who want them. Why anyone still thinks this genre matters in a format war with the existance of the internet (with all kinds of porno at the tip of your keyboard) is beyond me.

I don't think porn even mattered that much back in the VHS vs Beta days. It doesn't matter at all in this war.

*** mmmmm.. not sure how this gets included into the 'format war goes global discussion ...****

In response to your quote 'I don' think porn even mattered that much back in the VHS/Beta days' - I would say that you were wrong on this !! Porn kicked off the VCR days - when there was NO internet !!! The vast majority of initial releases were adult or R rated films - that people COULDN'T see on free to air TV. Not sure how old you are darkside - but - as a 42yr old - I recall clearly what titles were first released (here in Australia) - and know that porn was a big seller in those days. Nowdays - I agree - porn on HD is a bit of a non issue !! Do you really want to pay $40 for Debbie Does Dallas in HD ???


Anyway.... back to the format war goes global.....

Well ..... the PS3 launch downunder has somewhat come and gone. Don't see much 'instore' interest - apart from a few games geeks wanting to give it a bit of a go. Blu-ray titles are in short display - and are OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE !!!!

Supposedly 20,000 PS3s have been sold (some article i read online) but ..... who's got them ??? (VERY much doubt this number !!!)

just a bit of an update for the aussie readers - and interested US audience.....

Whole page adverts in the Sydney sunday papers from one of the large B&M chains Harvey Norman :

BLU RAY PRICE BREAKTHROUGH !!

SAMSUNG BLU RAY $995 !!


(price breakthrough ?? through what ?? quite simply - no B&M stores in Sydney were selling them at $A1399 !!!!)


For the US audience - the price equilivant is about $U829

One would of course assume that Samsung has 'sponsored this advert - and price reduction. However - its still going to struggle in the Australian marketplace - based on price and the cost of the media. Samsung's price puts it in line with the Sony PS3. Sadly - I still see little interest in Australian's wanting to get a HD copy of HITCH or INTO THE BLUE - at times 3 times the price of a normal DVD.


Still waiting this 'war' out here.

Thank you for that completely ridiculous statement. First, with the vast availability of porn on the internet, it's availability on HD-DVD/BD is completely irrelevent. We are waaay beyond the VHS/Beta days in that respect. Plus, considering both formats are unlikely to be anything other than a niche format, porn sales in either format will be comparatively miniscule anyway, certainly not anywhere near enough to cause an advantage to one or the other. The majority of people that still actually buy porn will think DVD is good enough.

And "international consequences"? What does that even mean? But here's something "international" for you: in Japan, there are numerous porn titles on Blu-ray already.

And, psst, maybe no one told you, but even in the US, porn will be available on Blu-ray, for whatever it's worth.

Try again.

That second part is complete BS. Canada has a population 1/10 the size of the US, and the PS3 works out to be even cheaper than in the US, factoring in the exchange rate.