Blu-ray: Picture Gets Dimmer for Entertainment Format

Could it be a "black-and-blue" Friday for Blu-ray? K-Mart has already decided not to sell Blu-ray players at all because of the affordability chasm between the two. The cheapest Blu-ray player at Wal-Mart runs $464. The Xbox 360's external HD-DVD drive is now available at $179, and that comes with five free movies. Consumers can get even more free titles with their purchase at Best Buy.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

change it up.

Remember we already went by a month of sales where it was 500k to 100k. What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

[mighty_douche]

tell um how it is kanye!

[highps3]

Sorry but Kmart near went out of bussiness.. HD DVD is cheap and easy.. Fits Kmart perfectly.

[ruibing]

This is a terrible attempt at trying to generate FUD by labeling this article with PS3 tag to scare off potential buyers. If you look at the picture, it says BD-R which is widely available. BD-R/RE are already at 4x and nothing really speeds up a format's adoption faster than consumer level burners.

Unless NBC ran a similiar story when Blockbuster and Target made a similiar towards BD, then I call them biased.

[cloud360-7th_account]

NBC="MS"NBC.

Please research NBC

[wageslave]

This story == CNBC. MS only owns 18% of MSNBC and has no operational involvement with CNBC or MSNBC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Dont be so paranoid, this person is a market financial market analyst, not a child.

[GIJeff]

Wikipedia.....really? aha aha ahahahahahahahaahhaahahahahaha haaahahahaaaaa.

-end transmission.

[Marty8370]

Blu-ray has a 5.5 million unit lead thx too PS3. Anyone would be a fool to bet against a Blu-ray victory. HD DVD needs help.

[UnblessedSoul]

Blu-ray was the winner ever since sony put it into their console, as it will end up selling over 100million+

[Eclipticus]

100 million+?? One hundred million plus ps3's? you outta your mind? okay maybe in 10yrs it might reach 60 million.... you know only 55 million to go....

[IdontTakeSides]

WELL Blu-Ray is popular on the site today...

ne ways...things aren't gonna reverse for HD-DVD..for Toshiba to drop the price to $100 only shows that the format is in serious trouble...

[BLaZiN PRopHeT]

if the price is 100. doesnt that show its a 1 day sale by the store not toshiba.

[ATLRoAcH]

Its a temporary sale thing I believe.They would have to keep them at $100 for now on to make a difference.

[ATLRoAcH]

You can get a 40gig PS3 with Spiderman 3 on Blu-Ray and I believe Sony put a hefty extension on the 5 free Blu-Ray deals.I wish they could just co-exist I'm tired of the format war.Standard old DVD has been winning for awhile.

[Lucreto]

Now this is desperation. I don't like to use that word but lowering the price that much and some people will see that as well.

60% of PS3 owners didn't know that PS3 plays blu-ray. Imagine what blu-ray sale would be like if they were included.

Anyway we need to watch the software sales to see how it will go.

[Eclipticus]

60% are unaware a blu-ray player is in it? anyone who drops 500 buck on a ps3 is gonna research, see SONY and know that SONY is Blu-Ray.
Maybe the 60% is saying the would buy a ps3 if there wasnt a blu-ray.
but at least 15% of that group is lying anyways.

[resistance100]

'60% of PS3 owners didn't know that PS3 plays blu-ray. Imagine what blu-ray sale would be like if they were included. '

If you actually read that article you would know that its 60% of gamers, not Ps3 owners which don't know its included, virtually every ps3 owner knows its included

[LSDARBY]

CNBC = MICROSOFT

Note the Xbox HD-DVD drive comment *rolls eyes*

[Chris399]

"I got an email this morning from a PR firm representing key HD-DVD companies pointing me to a recent NPD survey showing that an astonishing 60% of Playstation3 owners weren't even aware the console had a Blu-ray player in it!"

End quote. And WTF? A public relations firm representing HD-DVD, said something negative about the blu-ray attach rate.

What's next? Let's ask the tobacco companies for their take on smoking. I bet you they think it makes you thin and beautiful. We should listen to them. Excuse me, I'm going for a smoke - need to freshen myself up a bit.

Seriously. WTF?

Cheers,
-C

[mighty_douche]

is one quality post. bubble sir... bubble

[pwnsause]

I stopped reading after he said this also. Seriously how can you take this as a source coming from The HD-DVD companies? I loled!

[m9105826]

This just in! 60% of people who bought PS3's were uninformed parents and grandparents carrying out the expensive whims of spoiled children. If you asked the people who were actually USING the ps3, I bet the number would be much lower.

[wageslave]

" a recent NPD survey showing that an astonishing 60% of Playstation3 owners weren't even aware the console had a Blu-ray player in it!"

End quote. And WTF? A public relations firm representing HD-DVD, said something negative about the blu-ray attach rate."

NDP == Neutral Industry Analysts.

You have a serious logic problem here. NDP does study, finds that 60% of PS3 owners don't know PS3 plays BR. Of _course_ the HD-DVD Marketing people are going to tell people -- its their job. But, they didnt just make it up (like your nonsense tobacco quip).

This journalist reports it. What's your malfunction? Its accurate. Its news. Deal with it.

[Chris399]

Yes, I do know how to read. Now I'll teach you how to think, objectively.

When a PR proponent-mouthpiece is stating facts and figures, they are always going to use skewed data that favors their viewpoint. What are the details of this study? How many people were polled? At what point were they polled? (Right after their purchase or a week later - it makes a tremendous difference, as they may have had a chance to read the manual and study their purchase more carefully) Was it the purchaser or the user who was polled? (Mom, or the son she was buying it for?) And what is the average age of those polled?

When PR persons speak, they manipulate or promote data that supports their argument and is often inaccurate when held in scrutiny. Call it "spin", b.s., whatever you need to. As a consumer and an intelligent human being, I am going to sort through the nonsense and ask discerning questions. I will also consider the source of my information. This is called CRITICAL THINKING. Try it sometime.

I just find this NPD study a little suspect. Each PS3 package contains: a BR logo/ pictures/ advertising on the box, instructions on how to play/ use BR features, and promotional materials for BR discs inside. How can someone miss ALL of this information unless they are visually impaired or too dense to read?

And for a little history lesson, doctors used to give their seal of approval to cigarettes on national t.v. ads. So my analogy is really not so irrelevant, perhaps just a little before your time.

Cheers,
-C

[Bonsai1214]

haha wow bloodmask. post enough anti-bluray stuff for your fix today?

i think i might start digging up those analyst reports about how ps3 will end up winning the console war.

you seem to forget that its only 1 friday where it'll be that cheap. unfortunately, the average american consumer is too dumb to look at the specs to realize its a subpar item.

[Expy]

PS3 (Blu-Ray) will sell hundreds of thousands (if not millions) this holiday season with the price cut on the 80GB and 40GB models.

[xplosneer]

This is pretty much the same article. Stop it.
In other news, it's also incorrect tomorrow because the 40GB Ps3 launches. Also stupid because the Xbox 360 Arcade+$179HDDVD drive is >PS3 40GB price.
But why do we have to balance this? Someone give up already seriously!

[unlimited]

blue ray have a better selection of movies.anyone who did their research wont go near a hddvd player even when its cheap

[XxZxX]

lol bloodmask is on the roll today, damn so many HD-DVD/Blu-Ray news. If people knows nothing about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, after reading Bloodmask's news, people will think Blu-Ray is losing.

[Alcohog]

You mean the same K-Mart on the verge of Bankruptcy? Oh noes!

[FirstknighT]

Which Hi Defination player should I choose??? A $100 player??? or a $499 player??? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*

What people don't understand is that Toshiba is selling out their OLDER HD-A2 model for their newer A3 model. This is a common practice in electronics.

But all this does is make the hi def war last longer...but if HD is cheaper and is equal to bluray and in some instances better than blu ray....why would anyone pick blu ray than? Looks like blu ray might be in trouble.

[LSDARBY]

How is it better, blu-ray seems to be better quality and has far beter titles then HD-DVD

[Bonsai1214]

except its not true hi def..

[RonDeMuerte]

Dude you are cheap as [email protected] wonder you get crap every time you buy something...

[Wozzer]

Don't forget that you have to buy a 360 aswell as the HDDVD drive!! lol stupid Xbot

[FirstknighT]

Well I know that some movies are better on HD like 300 since it looks exactly the same but has more extras. I'm sure same goes for bluray but it's not like bluray is ALOT better. IT IS equal in picture quality. But when you talk about TRUE HI DEF, well that's a part of Sony's campaign. 720p is true HD. Especially since about 2% of tv owners own a 1080p tv.

I bough a bluray player about 7 months ago since I thought hd dvd was done for but it's looking like HD has the upper hand now.

[Armyless]

Who buys their electronics at Kmart?
Who buys high-end Hi Def gear at Kmart?

Ask yourself those questions in that order.

[RonDeMuerte]

Cheap @ss X-bots???.....did I get it right??!!....

[Master X 24]

Ok people want to use the PS3 as a bd player thats fine but Blu ray was winning 2:1 when it was Sony, Disney, and Fox VS Universal.
Now its Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks VS the BDA so its a even playground now.

Kmart only sales HD DVD players.
Walmart and Best Buy has HD DVD players for 98 dollars.
Walmart has a HD DVD TV ad out.
Blu ray 1.1 is crap and all players dont support it.
Warner let the Blu ray contract end?!?!?!?!

Plus HD DVD has 70% of the market in Standalone sale.
Plus with the new laptops out HD DVD will make a huge come back in 2008
Just wait and see.

[TruthBTold]

and HD-DVD sells less movies because...????

[PimpHandHappy]

KMART and Walmart

huh

man i want to type my laugh again but it might take a whole page

I grew up with a Kmart near me and that place is junk and i think they closed half there stores no more then 4-5 years ago. The Kmart by my old house is now run down and its in the middle of a booming area. No one goes to Kmart out around me.

I hear BestBuy wont be surporting HD-DVD players all that much. Thats 2bad because they are the main source for suburbia to buy there HI-DEF gear at

Bloodmask u are classic if you really think this is going to end blueray because we all know thats what you really want. You want Sony to die and blueray to fail. Shame both wont happen

Bet on the Cubs next year! You have a better chance of being right

[TruthBTold]

It seems that all along it was Toshibas plan to make Kmart choose only their player and that way destroy Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung because Kmart is the place to get your top of the line entertainment systems. How could everyone be so blind... hahahaha this article is too funny..so is Bloodmask desperate attempt.

[Ju]

11/01: Best Buy _HAD_ HD DVD players for 98 dollars
11/03: Walmart _HAD_ HD DVD players for 98 dollars

Bestbuy is sold out. Walmart will be. Tomorrow. No $98 player again after this weekend.

[Adamalicious]

"The cheapest Blu-ray player at Wal-Mart runs $464."

Sure, until tomorrow when the $399 PS3 comes out.

"The Xbox 360's external HD-DVD drive is now available at $179"

Sure, except you also have to pay at least $279 for a 360 so that makes $458 which is more than $399.

[Eclipticus]

yeah but. you know, you would have games available to buy to play on the game console that can play hd-dvds.
whereas you might have a handful of games to play on the blu-ray player that plays some games.

[RonDeMuerte]

If anybody caught me doing my christmas shopping for high definition technology at a place like K-mart or Wal-mart.......I'm sorry but I have class......

[TheExodus]

If a handful of retailers offering a 50% discount on Toshiba's HD-DVD player for ONE DAY is desperate, then what the hell does that make Sony? They've been trying to dump the PS3 at 1/2 the cost of production for the past 11 months & that "act of desperation" still hasn't managed to push PS3 sales past 360 or Wii! Blu-ray titles have been outselling HD-DVD 2:1 since the PS3 launched, but Blu-ray titles do not outsell HD-DVD titles when the install base of players is anywhere in the vicinity of equal! Care to guess who's going to loose the HD-format & console wars? Hint: It won't be Toshiba, MS or Nintendo!

[RonDeMuerte]

actually Toshiba and MS........ha! you're a tricky guy trying to throw us off with a fake hint......tricky guy....

[Foliage]

Not even transformers could help HD-DVD catch blu-ray. Nothing will.

[PimpHandHappy]

oh wait

ok let me make my own guess

i guess ur a doosh

[KINGDRAMA]

hddvd is DYYING. much like boosting their own transformers sales.

Anything to keep the hddvd relevant going into the holiday season, GOES. I hope others see this.

[Meus Renaissance]

Reading these headlines contributed to us by our valued member Bloodmask, I swear to God, I'd think Blu-Ray is being outsold like 10 to 1 just by the sound of them.

Shame this is only restricted to one website and not an entire global marketing campaign otherwise everyone would go out and buy HD-DVD players thinking Blu-Ray is dead.

To my understanding Blu-Ray is selling more in the US, although not be a gigantic margin although by a hefty margin in places like Europe. However, from the reporting of HD-DVD news it sounds like HD-DVD is outselling it by a significant margin. Now, I'm confused.

Someone is lying. They can't both be out-selling each other. So who is the liar?

[gtgcoolkid]

Totally agree. I come on here and read some of these comments. It seriously sounds like Blu Ray is being buried. Then I go to retail stores and see that hd-dvd is relegated to a small dark corner and blu ray is getting their shelves now. Just the other day at best buy, man, they almost have a whole row to themselves.

Plus I think its smoke and mirrors. They will drop the blu ray standalone but not by much. My guess would be around 300 or so. Just to keep it in competition price wise and pummel hd-dvd through exclusives.

[Eclipticus]

well while you are right, that they both cant be outselling each other.
you are wrong in looking to see which one is the liar, when we all know they both can be the liar.

[ErcsYou]

are you trying to tell me kmart doesnt sell ps3's?
link for proof
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/...

who buys their electronics at kmart anyways "besides bloodmask"

[Eclipticus]

um, families, with not alot of money, that are stuggling and want to get their kids that cool toy. so they will go to a store like walmart or kmart to make their families happy. Because they dont have tons of things to spend, so they sacrifice on name brands. those customers.

ARMYLESS>lol lol good point. forgot bout WII

ercs>> why do they need a hd tv. cant they play a ps3 on sdtvs. and maybe some are able to realise that hd-dvd/blu-ray/ps3's all play dvds.
so again trying to save money, for the whole family.
on a side not, i wonder how many food stamps you would need to get a ps3.

[Armyless]

What? lol

[ErcsYou]

um, families, with not alot of money, that are stuggling dont need HDTV's and Blu ray players..they buy SDTV's and DVD players..

[Armyless]

The trouble is most people that shop at Kmart can't read.

[Shaka2K6]

I have a blue house with a blue window.
Blue is the colour of all that I wear.
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too.
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue.
Blue are the people here that walk around,
Blue like my corvette, it's standing outside.
Blue are the words I say and what I think.
Blue are the feelings that live inside me.

I'm blue da ba dee da ba die...

[Marty8370]

PS3/Blu-ray standalone player sales = around 6 million

There are Blu-ray PC ad-on drives already avaliable, also Laptops with Blu-ray drives are already avaliable. Blu-ray x4 drives are already avaliable. Blu-ray has the bigger storage, as it's upto 50Gb dual Layer, with 100/200Gb media too follow. Existing Blu-ray will only require a firmware update to read 10/200Gb media. HD DVD has alot of catching up to do too touch Blu-ray.

[Shaka2K6]

Saw them the other day at Target like $30 for 3 disks, but remenber how much recordable dvds cost when they were 1st introduced about the same price.
Blu-ray is taking over, h-dud is a joke format.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

sooo is k-mart really big, sorry I actually never heard of them before till now, so i am doubting that it will make a large impact.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

I'm serious I really have no idea what K-mart is.

[nevelo07]

when you go buy yo cheap 1080i half a$$ hddvd player what movies are you gonna watch after transformers and the bourne movies maybe shrek and batman begins oh yeah the matrix troliogy if you can stomach sittin through that story again, nothing else is really all that interesting, but on the blu side i can watch the simpsons movie all the spiderman movies pirates of the carribean all the saws if you like that kinda stuff fantastic four, I robot 28 weeks later and the [email protected] list just goes on, i mean its a sweet price but when are ya gonna really use it.

[Eclipticus]

lets see i am watching band of brothers on hd. silent hill. resident evil one and two, reign of fire. Transformers. the sting. 300. 3 days of the condor, untouchables. heroes season 1, matrix, v for vendetta. bourne one and two.and of course. blazing saddles. i dont know what is exclusive to what. just what i am watching.

[killer_trap]

this is not the case of ps3 vs 360 people. it's high def format war and not like ps3 vs 360, blue ray is ouselling hd-dvd in japan 9-1, in europe 4-1 and in america 2-1. why i believe blue ray has one exclusive announcement to make(you choose any studio here) and BAM that's the end of the war

nothing like ps3 vs 360 where America is 360 land(for now). Europe 360 sold more but obviously ps3 is catching up real fast and japan, well it's a no contest there but not because ps3 is selling 500,000 units a month, it's just that the 360 isn't doing that well over there.

[TruthBTold]

Im sure that people who want and have the money to spend at least $1000.00 for a high def TV will be doing their shopping at the O so popular Kmart. What type of customer do you see in Kmart anyways. The stores are a dump, probably worse than Wallmart, I really dont think there will be too many people that shop there looking to upgrade to HD. For the people that are looking into getting into HD and have the money for it they will probably go to other stores like Best Buy or Circuit City. Being smart people they will want to get their information first about quality. If they purchase a $3,000.00 Pioneer LCD in 1080p they will surely ask what will support the best quality available for their TV. The employee will show both HD-DVD in 1080 p and Blu-Ray in 1080p. The $98.00 HDDVD player wont be so popular. Hell, i Know i wouldnt buy a $3,000.00 TV and get a GPX home theater for it. But fanboys like FirstKnight and Bloodmask are trying hard to some how keep the faith so keep it up guys, I know your trying your hardest so give it your all because in the end it doesnt matter if you win or loose, just how ridiculuos you have made your selves look saying sad desperate things. But good news for Blu.

[Filanime03]

He talks all negative things about blu and all positive about HDDVD. He needa to get his facts right. He also posted in that transformers solld 192,000 on the first that was a wrong stats and other website already confirmed this. He just want to kiss HDDVD @ss he probably owns one and doesn't want his $200 dollars to be wasted. I hope he will stop writing bias article. News writers are suppose to be unbiased on the stuff they wrote and not take side with anyone. Oh ya another facts is that he mentioned that HDDVD is exlusive to time warner aka WARNER BROS. FYI Warner is not exlusive to HDDVD it's neautral stop writing wrong info and start writing unbiased article.