Blu-ray Players Stuck Above $300

[Guest]

Pricewatch - HD DVD players are gone for almost half a year and the victorious Blu-ray format is plugging along, but there seems to be few convincing incentives for consumers to actually make the jump to the high-def format.

Blu-ray Players Stuck Above $300 : Read more

 

[blackened144]

Good thing BD-ROM drives are pretty damn cheap. Mine was $150 when I bought it on sale. With the 8600GT my roommate has in the HTPC, its the perfect combo. And cheap too, assuming you already have the HTPC.

 

[Guest]

Blu-ray sales are up but still a tiny trickle compared to DVD.
If Blu-ray doesn't sell well this holiday season, it is going to go down the same path as HD DVD.

High prices + low consumer interest+ bad economy= DOOM for Blu-ray.

 

[velocityg4]

[citation][nom]HTFred[/nom]High prices + low consumer interest+ bad economy= DOOM for Blu-ray.[/citation]
To elaborate on price I do not think the cost of the players has the huge influence. Rather the cost of the actual movies. Why would I spend $30 on a Blu-Ray title when I can get the same movie for $10-15 on DVD at Walmart, the pricing difference is much worse for movies 3+ years old. Then you compound it with the fact that a DVD player with good up conversion still produces a nice picture on HD TV's. Obviously Blu-Ray is better. But the noticeable difference between VHS and DVD is not as apparent with DVD and Blu-Ray. Especially with movies not heavy in special effects. Like Spiderman in HD is awesome while Ferris Bueler's Day Off does not gain much in HD.

Personally I am waiting until I can hunt for BD in the $7 to $13 bargains at Walmart. Rarely will I spend $20+ on a new release unless the movie is awesome like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

 

[mdillenbeck]

@Blackened144

Did your OEM player come uncrippled? My LG came with PowerDVD Ultra 7.3 OEM and is restricted to stereo audio only - so add $80 - $100+ for new software (oh, and PowerDVD Ultra 8 drops HD DVD support in the player, so add the cost of replacing those movies).


@HTFred

I believe the same happened with the VHS to DVD transition. There was a period there where DVDs were $20 or more and VHS bargain bins had them for only $5 - and people were saying you were crazy to switch. Velocityg4 echoes precisely this sentiment (by the way, the lowest retail I've seen was a week or two ago at Best Buy for $3.99 per DVD in their bargain bin, and many sales have been at the $6.99 mark).

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Although player cost is important, they could take a lesson from the console wars - cost per title and number of titles are more enticing. If history repeats itself, in two to five years the cost will come down and BD will be the mainstream.

As for the PS3 being an option, too many mass market consumers see it as a "game machine" and that will deter them from buying it even if it is a cheaper and simpler solution. Remember, its not about reality - its about image and perception.

 

[Guest]

What about the new Magnavox player at $280? Not a "brand-name", but it seems to be getting some good reviews, and surely a good indication of cheaper brands starting to appear on the market?

 

[DaveBG]

These numbers are skewed by the Sharp 20, Samsung 1400 & Sony 300, all dead models long since replaced.

 

[viperxiv]

Sony is lucky the majority of buyers are relatively ignorant about electronics. No informed person would spend $300 on a Blue-Ray player when they could spend the same amount for a PS3 that includes Blue-Ray, gameplay, internet access and a 40 gig hard drive.