Consumers Not Buying Blu-Ray Format Despite Format Win

It's obvious why people aren't buying into this format. It's still too expensive. Think about it...My wife and I are spending $400+ a month to put gas in our cars. We're spending $1000 a month at the grocery store to feed our family of four. We don't have an extra $400+ to buy a Blu-ray player and aren't willing to spend $40 - $50 per movie. When the economy stabilizes and prices for HD hardware and software come down then maybe, but not anytime soon.

I buy dvd's for comedies and dramas and some other character driven movies. I buy hi def for eye candy type movies. A lot of movies just don't need hi def or it doesn't enhance the content of the movie in a positive way. Who needs to see every blemish on the actor/actresses.

The format war has been over for less than 3 months. Paramount is just getting back to BD production and Universal still has another month before their titles hit the shelves. Also this time of the year is notoriously slow for CE sales.

To put it into perspective, Circuit City folded DIVX in June of 1999, but DVD sales did not truly explode until the holiday sales rush in 2000. So winning the format just means BD has a better chance than if HD DVD was still around.

Fact is that if you want the best possible source for your HD home theater, BD is still the best source possible and it will be for a long time. Don't get me started on the overly compressed highly filtered junk that the cable/satellite/OnDemand/download service are trying to pass off for HD. They are slightly better than a DVD at best. None of those services mentioned will provide a close to 50Mps bitstream for a LONG LONG LONG time.

If you truly care about quality BD is the only TRUE HD format.

I have used XBOX Live Marketplace to download a free pilot episode of Heroes Season 1 in HD. I also happened to own HD-DVD addon for my 360 at that time which came with free Heroes Season 1 in HD-DVD (Buy.com).

I have a pair of sharp eyes and I know the difference between 480P and 720P or 1080P/I. But I cannot see any picture difference between the Live Marketplace free episode and the one on the disc.

You can have however many MPS bitstream you want but better video encoding always is better solution. If you don't believe me, go check some WMV-HD movies for PC (some IMAX movies first come to mind). They are much smaller in size but equal in picture quality as Blu-Ray DVDs.

I also have used Comcast HD service during World Cup 08 and it was a fantastic experience.

Blu-Ray bullied their way to win the format war and this is what they deserve.

Blu-ray is still too expensive, and it probably won't get cheaper anytime soon. At least HD DVD prices dropped because the technology got cheaper; the only reason Blu-ray prices went down was the need for competition. Somebody could have sold a $99 Blu-ray player, but it would still be a financial hit on even the first-gen players, whereas HD DVD could be sold cheaply with little risk. I imagine we will see $100 players in the middle of next year, and sub-$100 by 2010, but by next year more people will download their movies, and in two years something better might come out for less.

I predict Blu-ray will take off right after Vista, that is to say, never.

My belief is that this is a simple consumer reaction to draconian DRM schemes employeed by both. In both cases, the consumer perception is that the "upgrade" gives marginal benefits- eg. prettier interface or better image quality- in exchange for serious reductions in ease of use.

If all this DRM was done without causing the consumer to have to wait, it wouldn't be a problem for most. It's the idea that it takes several dozen additional seconds to actually DO what the consumer wants it to do -eg. arrive at the desktop, or actually play the movie-- that is and will continue to doom these products.

Price is only half of the equation. The other half is content. People aren't going to blow $500 on a player and $30 to $35 a movie for crap like Ghost Rider or Ultra Violet or Click or Alien Vs. Predator.

Unfortunately Sony is targeting the 14 to 18 year old demographic with their movie releases and that's all we're seeing on Blu-Ray. It's the same release schedule they tried with UMD movies on the PSP and that failed miserably as well.

Until they get films that people actually want to watch you will continue to see Blu-Ray going nowhere fast.

Blu-Ray isn't even on the radar for mass consumers. Most people still do not have HDTV so Blu-Ray is not a requirement. Blu-Ray standard is still in flux waiting for profile 2.0 players. Blu-Ray players are way too expensive. SonyStyle site today $399, $599, and $1,299 for the latest Blu-Ray players. Hey, let's launch an expensive HD player in the middle of a recession! I will buy Blu-Ray when it hits $200 for the final standard. Blu-Ray also has to displace DVD as the new standard, or it is just the next laser disc. The studios need to stop pricing Blu-Ray higher than DVD too. I am tired of paying a premium for HD content.

It's too damn expensive. When they cut the price, the sales will take off. Until then, it gathers dust in the store.

It's too damn expensive. When they cut the price, the sales will take off. Until then, it gathers dust in the store.

I give Blue-Ray only a 40% chance of making it. First of all it is still way too expensive, secondly there is not the huge leap in picture quality over DVD as there was with DVD and VHS and lastly I think other forms of technology such as video on demand or even a solid state storage medium could render Blue-Ray moot.

I am sure the Rothschilds will make a fortune on it soon enough, after they have gouged us on Food, Fuel , and soon Water first. Peak Oil is a scam, the Earth creates OIL, there is no shortage, and there never will be. Join Prison Planet . TV , and learn the true nature of the world. On May 2nd PP.TV Tese Marrs, and Alex Jones talked about the myth of Oil, and what it means to us. Blu Ray is a novelty for most, and not needed. Not at the price points now. If Blu Ray games like GTA4 only output at 640 or even 720 why bother ? I have every cable movie station now, and there is nothing good to watch save the Classic's. Content is the key. A HD monitor makes everything look good, good enough for most when the struggle to survive is getting higher by the week. This Depression is just starting, the real price pain will be felt after these coming elections. DRM is costing it, it needs to be removed, we had Vista shoved down our throats because of it.

It's not even about the price of the players. It really is about the price of the media. Why buy Blu Ray movies for $30 when DVD is half that. Yeah, yeah, hi-def blah blah, but if you really have a good upcoverting DVD player, the differences are going to negligable to the naked eye. When Blu-Ray new releases come out at $14.99 at Wal-Mart, it will be more palatable to our pocket books. Or when you see a bin full of $4.99 movies at Circuit City, and they are on Blu-Ray, I'll be first in line for a player.

Dear MPrck, thank you for your comments. I was worried that our society is completely dead already but small sparks like you remind me that it is not over yet! Most people do not know the difference between real life and "the game" of the 300 because they have never experienced anything but "the game". The problem is not in the format! It is the greed! It is the lack of content! Mentally retarded society fed by "the doctor" through "hi-def" tube (please pick a resolution and picture quality that suits you best)!

Don't you still get it? Sony is the Evil. It's a Microsoft of consumer electronics world.
Overpriced products (everything from laptops to TVs), proprietary formats (memory stick, umd, etc), marginal quality (Sony products are known to fail right after warranty expiration), stupid movies, boring animation films. And now they are forcing us to buy BD as they killed the competition not because of superiority of their product but because they managed to bribe the Hollywood studios.

The porn industry is credited with what drove the sale of VCRs and
videotapes as well as the early growth of the Internet.
Sales of adult films may be big business but there are numerous small players involved in making the actual films.
Many but not all adult films are shot with cheap equipment and not with a $15,000.00 Ikegami camera.
The people watching these films don't want to see every blemish on something that may not have the best quality source material in the first place.
Viewers want things simple and don't need fancy menus when they just want to play something.
The simplicity of controlling one's entertainment, both getting and
playing it, is what helped the iPod be a hit even though others already had music players on the market.

The first comment was a good indicator of why blue ray is not taking off. I have a decent income(i mean "had"); not high end, but decent. I have seen my entire disposable income swallowed by price increases across the board; food, fuel, rent, city fees, insurance, etc. No money for nice electronics and movies. Sorry, tell the greedy basterds strangling us to "let up", and confidence and spending will resume!!!

Wake up people !!!! YOu have been suckered and bought out by Sony! They have you now by the bazongas and they will squeeze you till you dry up and blow away. That's the way they want it total control like a cult they now own your primary means of entertainment! Too bad sucker they don't negotiate they obliterate and they like it! Just like the auto industry the come in with the innocent little auto and whine for jsut a piece of the market and then undercut you to get control and then when they have it they bleed you to death.

I havent switched to blueray (or HD tv or dvd for that matter) because I dont see how diffrent it is from what we already have. I watch my movies in normal dvd format, which is way better then any video cassete ive ever watched, so im happy. Why should I go and spend more money upgrading EVERY entertainment divice in my living room (tv, dvd player, stereo ect) for something thats just a little clearer than what I have now?

Same goes for HDTV cable service. Im perfectly happy with the digital cable service my cable company already provides (it beats the heck out of the rabbit ears of home) so what more do we need.

If it aint broken, then theres no need to fix it.

I think the reason Blu ray isnt selling is because I like many people are tired of built in obsolescence and were just not into spending all that money only to be coerced into buying the latest format of the year.We all know that Blu ray is the George Bush of Hi Def players and the only reason they are the crowned winners of the hi def war are because the major studios were payola'd into adopting blu ray.We are tired of it and we have more important things to spend money on like groceries and gas.F@#$ them!

Interesting responses, and some rather scary opinions regarding world marketing influences and challenges. Most agree that greed and profit are what's on the business leader's minds, and we hear little of old values like service, convenience, and personal satisfaction forthcoming from any company. Times are financially difficult yet we continue to see over-priced toys, food, electronics, oil profits and wars. When a large part of our society only wants to be rude, crude, screwed, and tattooed, you have to wonder how important a crisp and clear television screen really fits in the scope of things.

Some interesting perspectives. We do not have a TV and watch a movie about once a week. If the industry goes to $500 players and $30 movies, well, we can do without. The local library offers an excellent value for entertainment. There are more important things happening in the world than to worry about the latest "format du jour" battles.

Consumers' decisions not to buy Ble Ray DVD's are multifactorial but surely include the following ( inferred from my conversations with others)
1.) Excessively HIGH PRICE for the machines - Sony sure thinks highly of themselves.
2.) DRM
A.) People don't like their freedom infringed upon. Their free time is precisely that - THEIR free time.
B.) DRM slows down the startup process of watching a movie - it steals from their FREE time. It is a hassle.
C.) After the RootKit debacle with Sony, people just don't trust Sony.
3.) Excessively High Price for the movies themselves. See #1 above.
4.)Generally poor quality of movies from the entertainment industry, especially Sony-BMG.
5.) Sony is its own worst enemy. Its arrogance toward the consumer is legendary.
6.) Did I mention DRM and consequent high price for it?
7. Sony obviously wants Blue Ray to be just like Windows Vista so that they can control the user and his wallet, thus the DRM.
8.) DRM
9.) Outrageous price

Ah, yes...Perceived Obsolescence! You buy Product A, and then you are made to feel like a failure unless you immediately buy the 'new and improved' Product A-B, even though the original is just fine!
How many 8-track tapes and Laser Discs are taking up space in my house at this very moment because of this Greedy and Corrupt practice?! No, really...tell me--I've lost count!
And I was all set to buy a new Toshiba laptop until HD lost the war, and made that feature completely useless! A legal pad and Number 2 pencil look awfully nostalgic right now...and obsolescence-proof!
Also...'HD' has been shoved down our throats for years, now...EVerything is HD this or HD that--TV, movies, DVDs, even Radio! So, what do they do next? Choke us with 'Blu-Ray!' More confusion! 'But I have an HD TV with HD Channels...how can I play Blu-Ray on it?!' They just want to keep us confused and distracted from the Real World...and I don't mean the TV show. In HD...or Blu-Ray...or Digital...or...?