Warner Home Video Prez: “We think this is a do-or-die time for Blu-ray”

mikemorel · 11-21-2008, 04:26 AM

The New York Times:

Quote:

“We think this is a do-or-die time for Blu-ray,” said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video. “We must get it established as a favorite holiday item.”

DVDs, Hollywood’s Profit Source, Are Sagging

Woah...Sounds like an ultimatum to me.

Remember this from a few days ago?

Economy grinch may pinch Blu-ray format

Quote:

Still, despite panelists bullishness on Blu-ray, execs said season sales will be carefully scrutinized after Jan 1. Depending on how things go with HD discs and other packaged goods sales, it's possible that the industry's go-slow approach on digital downloads could accelerate.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 05:51 AM

Damn.. sounds like WB is getting PISSED.

How many different ways did WB screw themselves last Jan?
Wow.

Well lemme just say, player prices are not the problem, software prices are.
Anybody who thinks titles costing near $30 a pop will do well is smoking something.

It's absolutely insane for those prices to be that high with netflix and blockbuster around.

It does sound like an ultimatum coming from a studio that has had a VERY rocky marriage to blu-ray in the first place.

bmore · 11-21-2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikemorel

Woah...Sounds like an ultimatum to me.

And HD DVD sounded like a good choice to you too. Look where that got you.

Banned from HDD so you migrate here to spread your "message" huh? Convenient.

Good luck in trying to scare bluray owners that the format is going to evaporate like HD DVD did. Your scare tactics and article clipping is transparent. You lost, almost a year ago. Get over it already.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 06:18 AM

unless the prices drop (and from reading that WB quote -fast) downloads will take over in time.

I personally think it's inevitable now.

bmore · 11-21-2008, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

unless the prices drop (and from reading that WB quote -fast) downloads will take over in time.

I personally think it's inevitable now.

Yeah, in time. 5 years time? 10 years time?

You need a 2Mbps connection to even make downloads slightly feasible - and that only gets you one bar if your stream Netflix. How many people are using DSL?

With a player, you are not dependent on badnwidth and speed for your video quality. With streaming you are. And even if you download ahead of time - it can take 3-4 hours if the content is HD.

The US has a long way to go in internet speed andstrucutre before j6p is purely getting everything through the pipes. And with the economy in the tanks - how much infrastrucutre investment do you think there will be? Not too mention ISP caps. How many 25/50GB (e.g. bluray size) movies can I download a month? Before I get charged overage fees?

If bluray is gone in 5 years I will have 5 years worth of discs at my disposal - discs that will be at least equal or greater in quality than anything coming through the pipes. If its gone in 10 I will have even more. So whats the problem?

bmore · 11-21-2008, 06:30 AM

PFC - there is already a thread based on this OP article here:
DVDs, Hollywood’s Profit Source, Are Sagging

This thread should be closed as a duplicate.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 06:33 AM

broadband is becoming as common as HD now.

Sounds like the 'time' is getting shorter for blu-ray if WB is getting public about it.

MS is getting more public about downloads taking off too.
Discs are so 20th century. I'm talking about what the avg consumer thinks.
I wouldn't see any blu-rays if it weren't for netflix. I CAN buy them, there's just no point in doing it.

I can't get over how studios expect to make blu-ray take over when the prices are so high. It doesn't make any sense at all.
Then they complain about low sales, when people are losing their jobs and the economy is in the tank.
McFly!

HD Goofnut · 11-21-2008, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

broadband is becoming as common as HD now.

Sounds like the 'time' is getting shorter for blu-ray if WB is getting public about it.

MS is getting more public about downloads taking off too.
Discs are so 20th century. I'm talking about what the avg consumer thinks.
I wouldn't see any blu-rays if it weren't for netflix. I CAN buy them, there's just no point in doing it.

I can't get over how studios expect to make blu-ray take over when the prices are so high. It doesn't make any sense at all.
Then they complain about low sales, when people are losing their jobs and the economy is in the tank.
McFly!

Considering SD DVDs did not debut until April 1999, and even then it was a limited basis, I think you need to think twice about this entire situation. Most people want a physical copy of their movie; yes, it's that simple.

Nikopol · 11-21-2008, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

unless the prices drop (and from reading that WB quote -fast) downloads will take over in time.

I personally think it's inevitable now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

broadband is becoming as common as HD now.

Sounds like the 'time' is getting shorter for blu-ray if WB is getting public about it.

MS is getting more public about downloads taking off too.
Discs are so 20th century. I'm talking about what the avg consumer thinks.
I wouldn't see any blu-rays if it weren't for netflix. I CAN buy them, there's just no point in doing it.

I can't get over how studios expect to make blu-ray take over when the prices are so high. It doesn't make any sense at all.
Then they complain about low sales, when people are losing their jobs and the economy is in the tank.
McFly!

Thing is, probably neither downloads nor Blu-ray will "take over", if you mean something like replacing DVD. The market is developing towards more segmentation, with different delivery methods and quality levels living and being offered side by side. Imo we'll have DVDs, downloads, streaming, Sat/cable/OTA, etc. and BD for the foreseeable future. Everyone can choose, what is the best one thing or, even better, the best combination for his own needs.

E.g., you could watch dramas on DVD, action on Blu, tv shows via streaming etc. - something like that. There doesn't need to be one "format to rule them all"....

In time something that completely replaces the current mainstream movie delivery formats will come along. But so far there isn't much that looks like this next big thing.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 06:51 AM

lol good avatar, HD

No doubt people still prefer discs. But cd's are going away.

And while people want discs for movies, they don't want to spend $30 to do it, in THIS economy.

This is the same argument that I -and other people - were making back then.

The lack of common sense is disturbing.

Lee Stewart · 11-21-2008, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Considering SD DVDs did not debut until April 1999, and even then it was a limited basis, I think you need to think twice about this entire situation. Most people want a physical copy of their movie; yes, it's that simple.

Nope

March 1997 in the USA.

HD Goofnut · 11-21-2008, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

lol good avatar, HD

No doubt people still prefer discs. But cd's are going away.

And while people want discs for movies, they don't want to spend $30 to do it, in THIS economy.

This is the same argument that I -and other people - were making back then.

The lack of common sense is disturbing.

Thanks brian.

I understand that CDs are going away, but music is naturally more portable than movies. I agree that downloads would be great, but there are several items that need addressing first such as: DRM, ownership, quality, download speeds (and caps), and these are just a few of the main problems that downloads are facing. I think downloads and VOD will continue to gain market share within the rental market, but the buying market will stay largely in favor of physical media for at least another 5-10 years and most likely closer to 10. I still think a no moving part flash drive (or equivalent) would be great if the quality was the same or better than BD.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 06:55 AM

Blu-rays will defiantely be no more then niche. Like sacd.
I've noticed vinyl is kind of making a little comeback now.
A lot of (good) vinyl costs $30.

But Sony expects blu to be a major player costing that much per movie.
How? Why?

then I say this common sense stuff and people tell me how wrong I am.
lol. But we've seen it for 12 months.
WB saying that line in the NYT is big, imo.

brianh · 11-21-2008, 07:00 AM

I suspect sales for TDK will be AMAZING for an HD release.
How many units did transformers sell? Does anyone know?
I don't know how many.

This quote from WB could also be a way of getting more units of TDK moved.
But I do know WB has never been comfortable with blu.
I didn't expect that quote tho.

Lee Stewart · 11-21-2008, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianh

I suspect sales for TDK will be AMAZING for an HD release.
How many units did transformers sell? Does anyone know?
I don't know how many.

This quote from WB could also be a way of getting more units of TDK moved.
But I do know WB has never been comfortable with blu.
I didn't expect that quote tho.

Care to take a guess on how many DVD's will sell the first week? The record is 8.5 million - Transformers.

The record for the most DVD's sold of a movie - 40 million - Finding Nemo.

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11-21-2008, 05:51 AM	#2
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	Damn.. sounds like WB is getting PISSED. How many different ways did WB screw themselves last Jan? Wow. Well lemme just say, player prices are not the problem, software prices are. Anybody who thinks titles costing near $30 a pop will do well is smoking something. It's absolutely insane for those prices to be that high with netflix and blockbuster around. It does sound like an ultimatum coming from a studio that has had a VERY rocky marriage to blu-ray in the first place.

11-21-2008, 06:18 AM	#4
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	unless the prices drop (and from reading that WB quote -fast) downloads will take over in time. I personally think it's inevitable now.

11-21-2008, 06:30 AM	#6
bmore ___ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,788	PFC - there is already a thread based on this OP article here: DVDs, Hollywood’s Profit Source, Are Sagging This thread should be closed as a duplicate.

11-21-2008, 06:33 AM	#7
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	broadband is becoming as common as HD now. Sounds like the 'time' is getting shorter for blu-ray if WB is getting public about it. MS is getting more public about downloads taking off too. Discs are so 20th century. I'm talking about what the avg consumer thinks. I wouldn't see any blu-rays if it weren't for netflix. I CAN buy them, there's just no point in doing it. I can't get over how studios expect to make blu-ray take over when the prices are so high. It doesn't make any sense at all. Then they complain about low sales, when people are losing their jobs and the economy is in the tank. McFly!

11-21-2008, 06:51 AM	#10
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	lol good avatar, HD No doubt people still prefer discs. But cd's are going away. And while people want discs for movies, they don't want to spend $30 to do it, in THIS economy. This is the same argument that I -and other people - were making back then. The lack of common sense is disturbing.

11-21-2008, 06:55 AM	#13
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	Blu-rays will defiantely be no more then niche. Like sacd. I've noticed vinyl is kind of making a little comeback now. A lot of (good) vinyl costs $30. But Sony expects blu to be a major player costing that much per movie. How? Why? then I say this common sense stuff and people tell me how wrong I am. lol. But we've seen it for 12 months. WB saying that line in the NYT is big, imo.

11-21-2008, 07:00 AM	#14
brianh High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 996	I suspect sales for TDK will be AMAZING for an HD release. How many units did transformers sell? Does anyone know? I don't know how many. This quote from WB could also be a way of getting more units of TDK moved. But I do know WB has never been comfortable with blu. I didn't expect that quote tho.