1.14.2008

HD DVD Comes Back Swinging - Lowers Prices

The HD DVD group came back from CES with price cuts:

Toshiba formally announced new prices on the third-generation of players:

  • HD-A3 at $149.99
  • HD-A30 at $199.99
  • HD-A35 at $299.99

Consumer sales this holiday season have proven that the consumer awareness of the HD DVD format has been elevated and pricing is the most critical determinant in consumers’ purchase decision of the next generation HD DVD technology. The value HD DVD provides to the consumer simply cannot be ignored.

Meanwhile, Sony raises its lowest priced BluRay player back up to $399 (from $299 for the holidays)- possibly feeling that they have won and they can charge what-ever they want and the consumers will eagerly pay...

There is also a good HD DVD sale at Amazon; lots of titles for $14.99 (a half-decent price for a movie)

I am starting to fell that almost all of this is pointless; both formats are doomed to the fate of the LaserDisc.  There are not enough people in the world that actually care HD moves are four times the resolution of standard DVDs to spend $20 - $30 on an old-ass movie. 

The potential audience is pretty small- all the people that have HDTVs and use them for actually watching HD content (outside of live sports) -especially when compared to the 194,000,000 DVD players worldwide at the end of 2006.

Many people will still sit on the sidelines and wait for one format to completely win- which will not be the case until all studios go one way or the other...

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