Price, not format war fears, holds back Blu-ray, says survey
Toshiba more in tune with punters' plans than Sony?
Toshiba has judged its HD DVD strategy correctly, according to consumer research from price comparison service Pricegrabber. What's stopping punters picking Blu-ray Disc is not the risk of backing the loser in the format war as the high price of players.
During January, Pricegrabber listed HD DVD players priced between $144 and $633, with the average price coming in at $292. By comparison, Blu-ray player ran from $341 to $800, the average price being recorded as $467.
Separately, a 2185-respondent customer survey carried out by Pricegrabber online in the US found that 56 per cent of respondents interested in going Blu said they won't make the move until the price of players comes down.
Only 19 per cent identified the format war as the mean reason they're not buying straight away.
Out of the whole sample, 24 per cent said they were going to buy Blu-ray in the next 12 months and 21 per cent said they would go for HD DVD. To the Blu-ray group you can almost certainly add many of the 14 per cent who said they plan to buy an "integrated video game console", since the Blu-ray equipped PS3 is currently the only such device with a hi-def player built-in.
Still, 11 per cent identified a new DVD machine as their choice of HD disc player, presumably because they're satisfied with higher-end players' upscaling abilities, or they're among the 54 per cent of respondents who don't own an HD TV.
That leaves 46 per cent of them that do, and of late Toshiba has been pushing its HD DVD players' DVD upscaling qualities. It's also been busily cutting the players' prices to maintain a clear price lead over its rivals. Both schemes tap into trends confirmed by the Pricegrabber survey.
Three-quarters of the survey's respondents said they were planning to buy a new, HD-capable disc player this year, but that still leaves a hefty chunk who are happy with their existing kit. Just under 30 per cent have their hearts set on an HD TV.
Disclaimer: Register Hardware uses Pricegrabber for price-comparison data
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COMMENTS
I'm still smarting from...
...the Beta Vs VHS war. There's no way I'll ever go SONY again.
@Richard Spooner, @Highlander
"I'm also guessing due to the continual PS3 bashing that more was paid for the HD-DVD player too than a PS3!"
Nope. Far cheaper than the PS3. Not bothered at all about the money as I haven't lost anything. I can still play 300+ movies in HD, and I've got a fantastic upscaling DVD player.
As I've said though, the PS3 is too expensive and not "there" yet for me for Blu-Ray. So I just live without the wealth of dumb comedies and the likes of the Pirates series from Sony ;)
Meanwhile I'm still buying discs so I can watch 'HD' movies, whilst I wait for Blu to fall in line to provide the rest of the catalogue at the right price and with the right features.
@Highlander
Read my points again. They are perfectly valid reasons for not going Blu yet (and note I don't rule it out entirely at all!). You may not feel the same, but they are my reasons and many can agree with them even if you don't.
However...
"Yet again you're proving yourself to be a complete moron."
And with that comment everything else you say is null and void.
Do you expect me to treat Blu-Ray seriously if this is what their fans come out with? !
And people tell me to grow up? !! Come on. I just voice some concerns, and they I get insults and abuse!
Re: @Tim the village idiot.
Mark. You assume I haven't seen or played a PS3. Besides I know what games interest me. They aren't on the PS3. I already have a PS2 anyway and don't really want a PS3 for gaming. Not because of any anti-Sony agenda (hell I actually own or have owned a lot of Sony kit!), but because I'm not a serious hard core gamer (in fact I got bored with the PS2 games).
I admit I'm a part time gamer who likes simple fun games. That is the very reason why the Wii is so massively successful. It is also a reason why the PS3 alone cannot drive Blu-Ray to mass market.
Maybe something else will, but it's not there yet. Again, read my points as to why I *personally* (whether you like it or not) will not currently buy Blu.
As for the subject. Again, Blu fans demonstrate their superior intelligence and attitude by throwing insults at anyone who doesn't agree with them! lol.
bda just doesn't get it.
the bda doesn't seem to realize that they have to offer a substantially better product if they want to charge a substantially higher price. while some of the movies i watch are fantastic some are only marginally better than dvd. when you add all the other problems with the player and disk compatability one does not have to wonder too long why this technology is not advancing very fast. i feel like i was suckered out of a bunch of hard-earned cash just to watch in hi-def. the consumers also don't like having a player that needs to be continually updated with firmware just to play a movie. to me this does not instill confidence with the player or the company that built it. if this product was not ready for the public why was it offered for sale.
@ Ian
Ok,
Fair points for your viewing preferences, but I still can't understand why someone would choose a format where the majority of titles will not be available. I was well pi$$ed off when i couldn't get Bourne Ultimatum on BD and that was just one title.
£120 to me is still a lot for an upscaling DVD player.
And i'm not hung up on either format. I bought a PS3 for the games, but now use it as my SD dvd upscaling player as well as a BD player (i rent the BD discs)
