The next-gen HD DVD format appeared in stores this week. Toshiba introduced two players, a basic $499 model and a premium model for $799. And the machines have already sold out. The fact that the initial batch was relatively small (reportedly 10,000 to 15,000 units) undoubtedly helped. Still, the sales are surprising considering how few films have been released -- The Last Samurai, Phantom of the Opera and Serenity. It helps that Netflix is carrying those HD discs and they are selling well on Amazon (cult sci-fi film Serenity was number 149 on Amazon's DVD charts when I checked last night).
Despite the solid start, the future success of HD DVD is still questionable. There will be a steady trickle of films each week, but by the end of the summer, Sony's rival Blu-ray format will be released and HD DVD won't have the market to itself. Though Blu-ray players have been announced at higher prices of $1000+, many expect Sony to put up a good fight. While the two formats will create confusion for consumers, hopefully the competition will quickly reduce the cost of the players.
How cheap does a high definition movie player need to be for you to buy one?
Related Stories: | Topics:Technology, technology + computers, Sony Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Computer Technology, Science and Technology, Technology |
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Recent Comments | 11 Total
April 21, 2006 at 6:34pm by Deborah Boyer
They will need to under 400, especially if I have to buy 2.
D
April 22, 2006 at 2:26am by anon
You forget to note that ALL the big players like Samsung, Panasonic, Phillip, etc are on the Blu-ray side.
It'll be curtains for Toshiba once the 50 GB and 100 GB blu-ray discs start coming.
April 22, 2006 at 2:50pm by Lorin Thwaits
A friend and I dismantled Toshiba's new HD-A1 player in order to find out what made it tick, and were intrigued to learn that under the hood the HD-DVD drive itself is a standard IDE unit designed for a desktop PC. Also inside is a USB flash drive on a daughter card:
http://geekswithblogs.net/lorint/archive/2006/04/21/75795.aspx
April 22, 2006 at 4:04pm by SportsLizard
This is a freaking mess waiting to happen. DVD's were a vast improvement over VHS for a number of obvious reasons. That led to more people collecting their favorite movies & tv shows on DVD. How many people are going to run out and re-buy all of their favorite movies, especially considering most people don't have the TV to really tell the difference? Add that to the fact that there are competing technologies and the whole thing is a total mess.
April 23, 2006 at 2:00pm by nicholas
I love hddvd, blu-ray is screwed too much money to spend for the same result as hddvd. I don't need all that room on a disc all I need is my movies in pure hi def
April 24, 2006 at 10:51am by TTman
Does anyone remember Beta and VHS. Although Beta had better quality the one with the most exposure will win out in the end. My money is on Sony.
April 24, 2006 at 11:47am by Tim Asimos
Is HD-DVD or Blu-Ray going to replace DVD? Absolutely not, and I will tell you why. Less than 15 percent of U.S. households have an HDTV set (which will be required for both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD), and while that number will continue to grow, it will not grow by a staggering rate anytime soon. Surprisingly, nearly half (49%) of HDTV owners are not even taking full advantage of their HD televisions now, as defined by receiving HD channels and having special equipment to watch HD programming. The fact is, high definition quality DVD will not be the drastic upgrade that VHS to DVD was, therefore I predict that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will be reserved for videophiles, early adopters, and the upper class elite. Most people have just recently built up their DVD collection, and will probably not be inclined to run out and replace their DVD library with a new format which for all practical purposes won’t be a noticeable upgrade.
Advanced high definition technology will definitely have a future and will one day replace the exisiting DVD format, but not for some time to come. The technology behind Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is exceptional, but the timing is bad. I don’t think the market is going to widely accept either format with the open arms it gave DVD. DVD will continue to be the standard for years to come.
April 24, 2006 at 11:56am by mitch
Sony making the same mistake again as it did with it beta format. Big hype, better product,......overpriced again.
April 24, 2006 at 12:24pm by William Jordan
Blue -Ray will be the winner. Sony is not the only one in the game, as another reader pointed out, so prices will come down fairly rapidly.
Higher prices at the introduction of new technology is simply business 101 common sense, early adapters will always pay more and that helps offset initial development costs, allowing lower prices sooner.
The argument against size is pure nonsense, as anyone who has been using a MAC/PC over the last twenty some years will quickly tell you. As for the Beta vs. VHS battle, it was the lack of size that defeated SONY then, they have clearly learned that lesson now.
Finally, if anyone thinks there is no significant difference in doubling the resolution they only need to go to there neighborhood dealer to see the difference side by side! People will now have a real reason to get excited about HDTV.
April 24, 2006 at 3:06pm by S
Even though I havea 1080i Panasonic HDTV and watch HD programming through Comcast, I will not be purchasing a BR/HD-DVD player anytime soon. I'd rather spend that kind of money on a HTPC running XP MCE or get a upconverting DVD player.
May 7, 2006 at 1:46pm by Mick
Blu-ray will be the new betamax, simple as that!