Blu-ray players grab 93 percent of market after Warner went Blu
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Jan 22nd 2008 1:03PM
posted Jan 22nd 2008 1:03PM
[Via Blu-ray.com]
posted Jan 22nd 2008 1:03PM
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Wow, did you think that up all by your onesy or did you have help from your Jr. High pals?
And yet you continue to post here so doesn't that make you a closet Blu-GAY? Or at best, blu-curious.
Now go enjoy your copy of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN which is exclusive to HD-DVD.
This article was posted solely to feed the fanboy flames.
HD-DVD sales plummet immediately after every media outlet declares the format dead. Gee, thanks for the commentary...
This is about as insighful as when CNN reports that "Southern California families are sad after house burns down"
Eh... what is a BluRay DVD? Is that anything like a HD-DVD DVD?
And I thought you were a true fanboy!
E-Thug alert!
These numbers cannot be right. I do not know anyone who bought a blu-ray player, the cheapest one currently out there is 400 dollars. Meanhwile I saw 3 people buying Toshiba's HDDVD player at Best Buy on Sunday.
Fred saw three people at Best Buy purchase HD DVD players, gigs up NPD better to just give up now!
OMG Look out, John has his internetz muscles on...
What the hell is up with you tough guy? Seriously, you're in a glass house right now with your accusations. Move on kiddie.
I dont know if those numbers are completely accurate, i know here in Canada Best Buy is selling more Hd-Dvd players then Blu-ray players
visited Walmart today. Their HDM kiosk has 3 sides out of 4 with ALL Blu-ray discs. Only 1 side of the stand has HD-DVD and it is a very tiny selection mixed along with additional BD titles.
There is not a single doubt that Walmart is phasing out HD-DVD - the selection/availability is near nonexistent.
Wow, Huckleberry, you just made my point, so in my small city 3 are sold out of a possible 1782, so i guess my city is crazy. The numbers don't make sense.
What's a "corkroach?"
NPD has refuted this initial report. Only about 1% of the blu-ray stand alone players were actual sales. The others were all free or near free with HDTV purchases.
http://www.betanews.com/article/print/NPD_Free_Bluray_player_deals_led_to_boosted_sales_this_month/1201203983
NPD has refuted this initial report. Only about 1% of the blu-ray stand alone players were actual sales. The others were all free or near free with HDTV purchases.
http://www.betanews.com/article/print/NPD_Free_Bluray_player_deals_led_to_boosted_sales_this_month/1201203983
Here you go.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/25/npd-clarifies-blu-rays-market-share-the-week-after-warner-went/
Hey guys do you mind the update that shows most of these are due to the FREE BLURAY WITH PURCHASE OF A TV offers. Come on blugadget.... Update incorrect info.
http://www.betanews.com/article/print/NPD_Free_Bluray_player_deals_led_to_boosted_sales_this_month/1201203983
Do you really believe EngadgetHD would post anything like this?
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_Retailing/Industry_Trends/NPD:_Free_Blu-ray_Players_Contributed_to_Weekly_Hardware_Lead/1403
No, EngadgetHD prefer rumors and everything that is biased towards Blu-ray.
That looks about right.
It's over for HD DVD.
One format woohoo!
Yay! With the most logical, BD player for most people starting at $400!
One format woo--! Whoa... wait a minute... $400? No, thanks. I'll pass for now.
You guys might want to consider clarifying in your article that these player numbers are standalones only (i.e. they do not count PS3 and XBOX Add-Ons). It will probably save you a lot of heartache later. :)
From http://formatwarcentral.com/index.php/2008/01/22/warner-announcement-boosts-blu-ray-player-sales/
They say that these figures DO NOT include PS3 and Xbox 360 add ons...my opinion is that to do so would squeeze out the red even more. I bought a PS3 and the guy in front of me bought a PS3 and I notice he had the blu-ray remote as well and then on the way out of Best Buy, another guy stopped me to ask if I was buying it as a blu-ray player, after confirming that, he told me he had done that as well just before Christmas.
The PS3 is difficult to add into these numbers but the factor is huge...but one thing is for sure, I bought a PS3 last week to be used as a blu-ray player primarily until such time I decide to rent a game or something...
They might want to clarify, period.
"Not so fast, says the NPD Group.
While select articles have implied that HD-DVD as a format is doomed and the sky is falling for the format's supporters, the NPD Group this afternoon reinforced that sales results from a single week do not necessarily indicate a trend, and that the week in question had several intriguing variables that have gone unreported."
http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/007137.php
Fortunately, Slashdot is covering it.
Thats hilarious because theres no way blu-ray players were outselling HD DVD players prior to that announcemt like the first graph portrays, and that 2nd graph is most likely counting ps3's to make it look that good.. considering that HD DVD players are still by far outselling blu-ray players on amazon.
wrong and wrong again.
yes because amazon is the only retailer that sells high def players. Idiot.
It's hilarious because it's absolutely, completely true.
And there are *still* plenty of people like that just refuse to believe it.
Kris, instead of using opinion for statements of fact, try backing them up with reliable data...it will make your life seem a little less dopey....
Wow. Someone is in total denial.
"But, but cheaper players *have* to sell better...right?"
No. No they don't. Because all things are not equal (content), so competing on price means didly-squat.
That is because of the free blu-ray players - the same tactic as BOGO blu-ray discs.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Industry_Trends/High-Def_Retailing/NPD:_Free_Blu-ray_Players_Contributed_to_Weekly_Hardware_Lead/1403
I am so done w/ this "war." I'm an HD-DVD owner, and I'm willing to concede. Enough already - Toshiba, please throw in the towel ASAP (like, this afternoon?) and get this overwith. This is like a never-ending story! The writing is so on the wall. It's there - look at it, right now, in front of your face. It's there!!! Give up for everyone's sake! These last-ditch efforts are not going to win. I'm sad about it, but it's reality! Give into the dark side, and let's all go blu already.
Agreed. It's time for Toshiba to come out with DVD/HD DVD/BD combo players so that those of us with an HD DVD library can have no problems migrating to BD while still using what we have.
Even Sony has handed out an olive branch. Of course, I think that the new Sony CEO has wanted to hand out an olive branch from the start. After all, he did publicly say that he regrets that the format war was started and that it could have been avoided in the first place, but that it started before he took over.
On the other hand, I should be taking advantage of those who are panicking and selling their HD DVD hardware/software dirt-cheap.
Dude, I am in the same boat. I want a cheap combo player for the 15 HDDVDs I bought, so I can start buying blue movies. Too bad I bought a A30 back in November; oh well, time to move on to Blu. Toshiba, please, to paraphrase the great quote, "go quickly into that goodnight!"
I would like to see some hard sale numbers, total HDM player sales numbers. Then we can see exactly what is going on. Is it just that the potential HD-DVD buyers paused, or did they truly buy Blu-Ray instead?
Kris, it's already been clarified tht
1) The Blu Ray Hardware sales -were- outpacing the HD DVD ones in December (check for yourself the graph shown by Toshiba at the CES. They went from 55%+ of the HD market in standalones to sub- 50% in December)
2) Those graphs show stricly standalones, no PS3s or Xbox add ons.
If the add ons (and PS3s) would be added, the Blu Ray portion would literally atomise the HD DVD.
It's frankly time to move on guys... (which is not to say that HD DVD owners should burn their discs or player, they still work and probably still will for years. But let's be real please).
Sorry wrong person..
Apparently the fool I was really responding to got his comment deleted and it slapped my response under your comment, please disregard....
Sorry, the comment my above reply was meant for got deleted, please ignore.... though they shouldn't dump it on the next guy.
someone named DEEZNUTZ calling someone else gay, first time ive seen homosexual irony.
comparing a movie about two gay guys to a format war? what is wrong with your brain? it's like comparing a car to a slot machiene... = completely irrelivant...
I wonder what kind of drugs one must consume to live in a fantasy land where NPD, BDA AND Toshiba numbers are all saying one thing but you still can't believe it.
Hi guys,
I just sold my XBOX 360 HD-DVD add on because unfortunatelly, it's over. Amazon is selling and lowering their HD-DVDs because they are getting rid of their stock. I am surprised nobody mentioned this. The only movie I want that's coming to HD-DVD is Beowulf. I hope they release it on Blu-ray. I think Amazon.UK. has it for pre-order but I am not sure. Good bye HD-DVD.
Zoran
I think everyone understimated how many consumers were waiting on the sidelines, waiting for some indication that the format war was ending but eager to jump in. That's what we're seeing here. I was one of them.
Two days after the Warner announcement I ordered Plaent Earth on Blu-Ray even though I don't have a player. Picking up a PS3, probably.
I preferred the HDDVD format but let's face it, the video/quality is the same (same codecs, similar enough storage capacity). This format war was the most pointless ever.
"I preferred the HDDVD format but let's face it, the video/quality is the same (same codecs, similar enough storage capacity). This format war was the most pointless ever."
To say that the format war was pointless is extremely short-sighted.
The end goal here is just to have EITHER Blu-ray or HD DVD take over the DVD market. The reason I was behind HD DVD all along is because I feel that they have a much better chance of doing it than Blu-ray. Consider the following:
1. HD DVD's entry cost is much cheaper than Blu-ray's. Granted, when either one became mainstream their prices would fall to what DVD players cost today. The problem is that they have to GET to that point first. If Blu-ray players weren't dropping below $400 with an equal competitor in HD DVD driving the price down, why do we expect them to drop further? Already we've seen Blu-rays software sales fall off a cliff. Whereas a month ago we were getting constant BOGO's on already cheap movies, picking up 2 movies for as cheap as 15 bucks, now the best we get is buy 2 get 1 free via mail in rebate and an extra $3 shipping. The new "sales" cost more for 3 movies than the old ones cost for 4 movies.
2. Blu-ray is extremely anti-consumer. You buy a blu-ray player, and you buy a blu-ray disc, everything should work, right? Nope, that disc may or may not be compatible with that player. And what does Sony's president come out and say about it a couple weeks ago? "Too bad, deal with it". That is the kind of crap that the average consumer that currently buys DVDs does not want to put up with. Spend 400 bucks on a player that won't even play everything on the $25 disc when instead they could just buy the same disc for 15 bucks and have everything work with no additional costs? Please, they'll pick the latter.
3. Furthering the anti-consumer line, prepare for DRM hell. Want to copy that movie that you just dropped 30 bucks on to your hardrive or mp3 player? Too bad, because Sony says you paid 30 bucks for the round piece of plastic, not the content on it, so the round piece of plastic is all you get.
4. Toshiba has a huge stake in DVD. Were HD DVD to win out, it would be a natural progression to see DVD move to HD DVD. Toshiba (DVD) is not going to fight Toshiba (HD DVD) because they're not losing any royalties. However, you can bet your ass that Toshiba (DVD) is going to fight tooth and nail with Blu-ray so they don't lose everything.
So, the audio and video is basically the same on both. But if 5 years from now if we're all sitting here watching the crappy audio and video on our DVDs because Blu-ray's high entry costs and all-around consumer unfriendliness caused the format to die out next to DVD, you will sure as hell care then, and perhaps realize how shortsighted you were.
But hey, now that HD DVD is basically gone, I'm right there with all the people I've been arguing with hoping that Blu-ray can become mainstream. I just hope Sony is able to pull it off and not ruin HDM for all of us.
*stands up an applauds*
Well said my friend. I agree that HD DVD is probably dead, but what the Blu fanboys don't realize is that now that they've defeated the little toshiba monster, the big giant toshiba DVD monster is comin' around the corner with their huge 98% market share, and that sucker is pissed that you killed it's baby! Just kidding.
Anyway, totally agree, if Blu is gonna be here to stay, they need to get software and hardware prices down and start getting the consumer to adopt. They also need to get these profile 2.0 players out there and quick. And sony saying at CES that "early adopters knew what they were getting into" in regards to compatibility is the kind of mindset that can kill a format. Which sony is all to good at doing (sighting Beta, Digital 8, Minidisc, SACD, should i continue?).
The truth is, do i trust sony with mainstream formats, NO! And to all the fan boys who will reply saying that Blu is not just sony, let me remind you that they've been at the helm since the beginning of this thing. The other guys have been along for the ride. So in my eyes, Blu is sony's baby, end of story.
DRM is also a dangerous weapon to be playing with and sony is all too good at screwing that up too (sighting the DRM fiasco a couple years ago with sonyBMG CD's having malware on them, sony was sued, lots of CDs were recalled). This is another thing that can kill a format.
Overall, 2008 is gonna be interesting...
- will Blu finally go mainstream?
- will all these profiles issues turn around and bite them in the butt?
- can Blu start to overtake DVD?
- will HD DVD die or will something as drastic as the warner announcement happen to keep this war going?
- will sales turn around on the red front as consumers forget about the warner announcement and start to look for movies for their players that they got for christmas?
Stay tuned...Same Bat time, Same Bat Channel!
"Two days after the Warner announcement I ordered Plaent Earth on Blu-Ray even though I don't have a player. Picking up a PS3, probably."
All I can say is, "Why?" Seriously, why buy software if you don't have the hardware? Did you get it at some superfantubulous sale price?
It's kind of like back around 1995 I had a friend I visited who had sort of a low paying job at a University. I asked him if he had the movie Pulp Fiction. He told me, "No, I don't have a VCR." So I said, "Well it would look cool if you put it on top of your TV."
So, I hope that Blu copy of Planet Earth looks good sitting on top of your TV. By the way, do you even own a HDTV or do you just want to go Blu for the better sound? Do you own a HDMI receiver (and surround sound speakers) or do you listen to everything out of your TV's speakers?
Some good points here, basically the reasons I was rooting for HD-DVD. Indeed if I lived in USA I would probably already own one thanks to those awesome deals on Amazon.
But I believe the market has spoken. Well, the media companies have spoken, and the market listened.. I may just pick up the LG hybrid drive since they're down below CAD $250 which is dirt cheap, in my opinion. I have a spare dual-core Opteron that I'm sure can handle the decoding side but would need a new HDCP-compliant video card, I think. Dealing with all that BS is what's pushing me towards just getting a PS3. Wish we got the free movies deal that you folks get in the USA. >:|
oh yah, sorry. BTW, I was replying to the first reply by Ryan who i totally agree with.
To Jeff (original poster), i don't agree with what you did. Right now the studios are looking at lots of data and closely monitoring what's going on in the high-def market. Don't screw up data by buying blu when you don't have a player.
I just easily sold my Toshiba A2 on eBay for $89 plus shipping after snagging it for $98 plus tax at Wal Mart. So, for just a few extra bucks I was able to buy the A3 at Amazon and get seven free movies to add to the five that are already en route. So, I'll be enjoying an awesome upconverter and (eventually) twelve HD movies for around a $150 investment. Might even delve into some HD Star Trek at some point, probably discounted as well. That will tide me over quite well while you guys figure out this whole format war thingy.
this statistic simply shows new blu ray customers have more confidence in this format at this point. potential new hd dvd owners are either holding off on making a new purchase or waiting for a finalized blu-ray spec player to be released. unfortunately, the act of not buying hd dvd players (and hd dvd media as last weeks results show) wil continue to add to Blu-ray's advantage.
a drop in player sales will dictate a drop in confidence in the format, and typically is seen earlier than a drop in media sales will dictate an end to the format.
Jeff you are so right, I was the fence for a long time with this one. I was tempted to get an A2 when it was on sale for $99. But not knowing how things would come about, I held off. I just bought the 80GB PS3 for gaming and the blu-ray. And so people know how popular the PS3 was, Bestbuy was sold out of the 80GB version in Orange County, CA except for 1 store. I talked to the sales rep and he said the 80GB and regular blu-ray players were selling like crazy.