Comments on: DVD Sales Down; Blu-Ray’s Missing Its Mark: What’s Hollywood To Do?

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:42:39 +0000

Blu-Ray vs. HDVD doesn't matter. The fight is packaged media vs. digital media.

People do not want another physical format. DVD looks good enough on HD screens (if you have the right cables) and at $30 each in these times, no one is rushing out to re-purchase their library like we did 10 years ago when DVD came out.

We all know downloading it is going to win, it's just a matter of timing.

Personally, I havnen't bought a DVD in two years and don't plan to bother with Blu-Ray. (I still rent DVD, but I'll only get a BD player if it's by accident — ie. part of something else like a laptop or game system, or given away for free, which they are doing now)

Gimme Netflix and Roku and Amazon Unboxed and VOD PPV and Apple TV and just wait for the licensing contracts to expire with the cable companies and open the flood gates.

BD is dead, so is DVD.

By: Giovanni Verrazzano

Giovanni Verrazzano — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:43:16 +0000

Intense industry rivalry involving tactics employed by Sony are never a win-win result for any business. This cut-throat approach indeed left the consumers with a decreasing trend in consumer appeal regardless of the advanced technology offering. Sony was more prepared this time around in the battle by ensuring that they had a larger stake in the movie studio industry. In short, Sony simply won over Hollywood due to their ownership whether partial or full of most of the studios which facilitated selection of BluRay. The Sony strategy equates to a forced monopoly that would yield success but hurt their bottomline long term in a niche market somewhat similar to how Microsoft dominated the software industry. Proprietary domination is a huge turn-off for consumers. Are we not tired of companies making the choice for us with our hard-earned devalued dollar? Sony needs to retrench their strategic objectives and remember that socioeconomic forces are becoming stronger than the barriers to entry they create in what is still supposed to be a free market economy.

By: ian

ian — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:14:57 +0000

Even sony is hedging its bet on Blu Ray and grand plans for the Sony Playstation network- like films on the network before the dvd/bd release !!!

By: David

David — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:38:16 +0000

The lingering anxiety over the format war is the primary reason people are unsure about Blu-Ray. First there where two incompatible formats, then HD-DVD pull out and left consumers with obsolete discs and equipment. The end of the war was supposed to give Blu-Ray a boost, but instead it made consumers nervous. I have no doubt about the success of Blu-Ray, but it will take more time and effort to convince some consumers that have been stung twice, once with Beta and the other with HD-DVD