Probably because of HD cable, which doesn't cost any more than standard cable.
You don't have to own a HD movie player just because you have an HDTV in the same way that you don't have to own a DVD player just because you have a TV.
The benefit of Blu-Ray is easy to see. The problem is finding the value. It's just too expensive to buy Blu-Ray movies and the player prices aren't low enough yet. There's just too much of a markup over regular DVD prices.
Following the same logic, just because there is Hi-Def cable, doesn't mean you have to spend thousands of dollars on an HDTV. And yet consumers seem to be doing quite a lot of that, indicated that they indeed do understand and want HD.
No, people are buying HD tvs because analog signals are stopping next February. If these analog signals didn't have an EOL date, the market for HD tvs would be MUCH less.
This reinforces my perception that assertions that consumers are not interested in BD logically boil down to a claim that consumers are not interested in HD in general.
I do not believe that consumers are spending thousands of dollars on new HD sets merely because they mistakenly feel they are obliged to.
Consumers don't really understand the benefits. They can see that the TV is wider, and they know their old TV isn't that way. They can see that plasmas and lcds are thinner. But do they even know the difference? Go to Best Buy during the weekend and ask random people looking at HDTVs and see.
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If consumers don't see the benefit of Blu-ray, then why do they see the benefit of HDTV?
Probably because of HD cable, which doesn't cost any more than standard cable.
You don't have to own a HD movie player just because you have an HDTV in the same way that you don't have to own a DVD player just because you have a TV.
The benefit of Blu-Ray is easy to see. The problem is finding the value. It's just too expensive to buy Blu-Ray movies and the player prices aren't low enough yet. There's just too much of a markup over regular DVD prices.
Following the same logic, just because there is Hi-Def cable, doesn't mean you have to spend thousands of dollars on an HDTV. And yet consumers seem to be doing quite a lot of that, indicated that they indeed do understand and want HD.
No, people are buying HD tvs because analog signals are stopping next February. If these analog signals didn't have an EOL date, the market for HD tvs would be MUCH less.
This reinforces my perception that assertions that consumers are not interested in BD logically boil down to a claim that consumers are not interested in HD in general.
I do not believe that consumers are spending thousands of dollars on new HD sets merely because they mistakenly feel they are obliged to.
It's nice to have a civilized debate for once without the usual flame wars.
heh I just had that exact thought. Please pass the crumpets.
Consumers don't really understand the benefits. They can see that the TV is wider, and they know their old TV isn't that way. They can see that plasmas and lcds are thinner. But do they even know the difference? Go to Best Buy during the weekend and ask random people looking at HDTVs and see.