Congrats to HD-DVD for making a stronger showing (percentage-wise) this week. Anybody know why Planet Earth shot up the ratings so high this week? Major advertisements or an Oprah special? Or were sales of other disks just down?
____________________ On a different note, here's a rant: ____________________ I haven't bought into either format...and illogical arguments on both sides tend to annoy me...but the WalMart argument EVERY week is getting really old. So, let's get it out of the way now:
HDDVDfan: ZOMG! Did you guys know these results don't include WalMart!!!??
Any1: Yes. These stats have been posted every week for months, and they've never included WalMart.
HDDVDfan: These results mean nothing without WalMart!
Any1: Ummm...that's how statistics work. Like TV-ratings are only based on a small percentage of households. But, they represent a decent "average," so results are pretty accurate.
HDDVDfan: But Walmart has to be like 50% of sales, so the error must be 50%!!! These results mean nothing!!!! HDDVD is probably winning! I know tons of people who buy from WalMart!
Any1: OK. WalMart sells both formats. So, leaving them out removes sales from both sides. Their sales of video disks are generally ranked 3rd behind 2 retailers that are included in these statistics, so they aren't selling 50% of disks. And STATISTICS DON'T WORK LIKE THAT! Surveys with sample sizes of less than 1% can end up with very small margins for error. Unless you have some advanced degree in statistics, you should probably stop claiming you know more about statistics than a company (Nielsen) whose whole job is to study statistics.
HDDVDfan: Well, then why did all those BluRay morons say that the week when Amazon sold more HDDVD's than BluRay meant nothing? I mean, if leaving out WalMart is OK, then why can't we just consider Amazon?!?
Any1: Well, considering 1 retailer is a lot different than leaving one retailer out. Statistically speaking, a sample size of 1 is basically worthless for drawing any broad conclusions. A sample size of 5 retailers out of even 20 major retailers can still come up with good results.
BluRayFan: Amazon was having a huge HDDVD sale during that time when they sold more HDDVD's than BluRays.
HDDVDfan: Well, where I live, there are no BestBuy's or Circuit City's...only WalMart. So, leaving out WalMart leaves out a huge chunk of the country! These results mean nothing! I know tons of people who only shop at WalMart!
Any1: Even still, Walmart is one of many nation-wide retailers, and many retailers are included in these statistics. And WalMart does not sell the majority of HD-media. You are right that without including *every* retailer on the planet, these results aren't 100% accurate...but Nielsen is a freaking ratings company. If they didn't have confidence in these results, they'd be risking their reputation by reporting them. Again, they know more about statistics than you do...please admit that.
HDDVDfan: ZOMG! These results mean nothing without WalMart! HDDVD is probably winning!
You have it backwards for this week, its blu-ray that would complain about not counting Wal-Mart this week with the 10 free blu-ray movie with a PS3 deal. HD DVD will be back next week due to the HD DVD player with free discs this week. However, for those that don't know, Amazon has a much better deal up with more 2 more free movies, and the A3 is cheaper. With these sales, I might just buy one.
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Congrats to HD-DVD for making a stronger showing (percentage-wise) this week. Anybody know why Planet Earth shot up the ratings so high this week? Major advertisements or an Oprah special? Or were sales of other disks just down?
____________________
On a different note, here's a rant:
____________________
I haven't bought into either format...and illogical arguments on both sides tend to annoy me...but the WalMart argument EVERY week is getting really old. So, let's get it out of the way now:
HDDVDfan: ZOMG! Did you guys know these results don't include WalMart!!!??
Any1: Yes. These stats have been posted every week for months, and they've never included WalMart.
HDDVDfan: These results mean nothing without WalMart!
Any1: Ummm...that's how statistics work. Like TV-ratings are only based on a small percentage of households. But, they represent a decent "average," so results are pretty accurate.
HDDVDfan: But Walmart has to be like 50% of sales, so the error must be 50%!!! These results mean nothing!!!! HDDVD is probably winning! I know tons of people who buy from WalMart!
Any1: OK. WalMart sells both formats. So, leaving them out removes sales from both sides. Their sales of video disks are generally ranked 3rd behind 2 retailers that are included in these statistics, so they aren't selling 50% of disks. And STATISTICS DON'T WORK LIKE THAT! Surveys with sample sizes of less than 1% can end up with very small margins for error. Unless you have some advanced degree in statistics, you should probably stop claiming you know more about statistics than a company (Nielsen) whose whole job is to study statistics.
HDDVDfan: Well, then why did all those BluRay morons say that the week when Amazon sold more HDDVD's than BluRay meant nothing? I mean, if leaving out WalMart is OK, then why can't we just consider Amazon?!?
Any1: Well, considering 1 retailer is a lot different than leaving one retailer out. Statistically speaking, a sample size of 1 is basically worthless for drawing any broad conclusions. A sample size of 5 retailers out of even 20 major retailers can still come up with good results.
BluRayFan: Amazon was having a huge HDDVD sale during that time when they sold more HDDVD's than BluRays.
HDDVDfan: Well, where I live, there are no BestBuy's or Circuit City's...only WalMart. So, leaving out WalMart leaves out a huge chunk of the country! These results mean nothing! I know tons of people who only shop at WalMart!
Any1: Even still, Walmart is one of many nation-wide retailers, and many retailers are included in these statistics. And WalMart does not sell the majority of HD-media. You are right that without including *every* retailer on the planet, these results aren't 100% accurate...but Nielsen is a freaking ratings company. If they didn't have confidence in these results, they'd be risking their reputation by reporting them. Again, they know more about statistics than you do...please admit that.
HDDVDfan: ZOMG! These results mean nothing without WalMart! HDDVD is probably winning!
Any1: I give up.
HDDVDfan: HDDVD FTW!
___________________________________
What are you getting at? That was waste of space to duplicate someone's rant.
@ECQ
You have it backwards for this week, its blu-ray that would complain about not counting Wal-Mart this week with the 10 free blu-ray movie with a PS3 deal. HD DVD will be back next week due to the HD DVD player with free discs this week. However, for those that don't know, Amazon has a much better deal up with more 2 more free movies, and the A3 is cheaper. With these sales, I might just buy one.