http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_06_18.pdf

(If this has been posted already, I apologize)

The thing that seems really strange to me is that the number of "HD DVD" owners has moved up from 6 percent to 11 percent. I'm guessing that Harris is not asking the correct questions. People are obviously confusing this with upscaling players, or perhaps even calling a blu-ray player HD DVD in the sense of saying it's High Def DVD.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_06_18.pdf

(If this has been posted already, I apologize)

The thing that seems really strange to me is that the number of "HD DVD" owners has moved up from 6 percent to 11 percent. I'm guessing that Harris is not asking the correct questions. People are obviously confusing this with upscaling players, or perhaps even calling a blu-ray player HD DVD in the sense of saying it's High Def DVD.

this is the same poll being beat to death by various blogs, etc. Of course, they are taking it at face value, and not realizing how busted up it is.

The data terminology is so screwed up, it is practically useless.

Somebody in the QA department of Harris blew it big time when they let this turd out of the door. Or the person conducting the poll has no clue what the hell bluray, HD DVD and upscaling actually are.

Somebody in the QA department of Harris blew it big time when they let this turd out of the door. Or the person conducting the poll has no clue what the hell bluray, HD DVD and upscaling actually are.

I agree. It is evident that HD DVD is actually upscaling players (at least 99% of them).

however, there is enough here to make one think (specifically the part about a lower percentage contemplating a BD player than last year)- but that could simply be the economy.

The poll is a big red herring....

The first clue is when they make the claim that HD DVD is installed in more homes than BD.

[DR EVIL]Riiiiiiiiiight.....[/DR EVIL]

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_06_18.pdf

(If this has been posted already, I apologize)

The thing that seems really strange to me is that the number of "HD DVD" owners has moved up from 6 percent to 11 percent. I'm guessing that Harris is not asking the correct questions. People are obviously confusing this with upscaling players, or perhaps even calling a blu-ray player HD DVD in the sense of saying it's High Def DVD.

I think it is obvious that people in the poll with upscaling players believe they have "HD DVD".

This along with the very low percentage of people planning to purchase Blu-ray players points to a very poor job of marketing the format to the public at large. HDTV has a great buzz and interest, but Blu-ray has not caught on at anywhere near the same level.

I think it is obvious that people in the poll with upscaling players believe they have "HD DVD".

This along with the very low percentage of people planning to purchase Blu-ray players points to a very poor job of marketing the format to the public at large. HDTV has a great buzz and interest, but Blu-ray has not caught on at anywhere near the same level.

It all depends who this survey was administered to. If it was targeted at the HT demographic who are the people that are most likely to upgrade in the near future then I will sound the warning bell, but if this poll was designed for the overall consumer market then I am not too concerned. I saw similar polls when DVD was at about the same point in its lifecycle that questioned its long term viability also.

While having a yard sale in neighborhood over the weekend, I had a pile of DVDs out to sell and I had several comment to me that were upgrading to Blu without even initially mentioning it. The biggest problem facing BD is it ONLY CAN BE USED TO ITS FULLEST IF YOU HAVE A HDTV. Blu's install base and future growth is pretty much directly tied to the HDTV install base. This is one BIG ISSUE DVD did not have to deal with. But everyone who talked Blu with me absolutely love the quality it delivers.

47% of those who took the survey noted that they had HDTVs. Their sampling methodology is noted in the report. The main statistical anomaly in the polled population seems to be that 100% of those polled were online, which should make them generally more tech savvy.

The thing that seems really strange to me is that the number of "HD DVD" owners has moved up from 6 percent to 11 percent.That is very fishy and my guess is that a lot of the people who responded that they had HD DVD players own upscaling DVD players. Here is what Engadget said about the Harris Poll (http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/06/19/harris-poll-results-indicate-little-growth-in-blu-ray-interest/):

Just some more data for you HD fans to pore over, as The Harris Poll talked to a couple thousand people in April and came away with statistics it claims show interest in Blu-ray is still "lukewarm." We're a little less than convinced, especially after reading over the press release that uses HD DVD to refer both to the dead format and all high def media as a whole in the same sentence, while mentioning that its stats show sales of HD DVD players are up over their 2008 marks by the same amount that Blu-ray is (excluding the PS3).
...

http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/harris_poll_2009_06_18-1pdf.jpg

Poll: Blu-ray adoption is slow; big challenges ahead (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=20062)

This along with the very low percentage of people planning to purchase Blu-ray players points to a very poor job of marketing the format to the public at large. HDTV has a great buzz and interest, but Blu-ray has not caught on at anywhere near the same level.Sound like an opinion to me. Where is your reference data? We are at eleven years into HDTV and the penetration is about 50%.

Now, in mid-2009, there are 11 million Blu-ray devices in homes, according to Adams Media Research; an estimated 1,500 software titles on the market; and a proliferation of richly interactive BD Live applications, such as Sony’s MovieIQ and Cinechat features, Warner Home Video’s Facebook integration and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s advanced navigational feature bowing on Snow White.

Blu-ray player sales were up 400% in the first quarter of 2009, over 2008, and 80% of devices are now capable of playing BD Live, according to Sony Electronics’ Mike Abary.

I will depart from my normal and make a prediction:

Before long many of the anti Blu-ray disc folks will post in this thread. The Blu-ray disc supporters will make counter post. At some point the mods will tire of the bickering and lock the thread. Nothing will be gained and it will be time lost. And the format war continues!!!

Their sampling methodology is noted in the report.From what was said in the Harris Poll press release (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_06_18.pdf) the sampling method was online, consisted of people who had agreed to take Harris Interactive surveys, and the results of the surveys were weighted based on age, sex, race, education, region, and household income. As such because of the way this poll was done Harris Interactive couldn't give a theoretical sampling error.

Sound like an opinion to me. Where is your reference data? We are at eleven years into HDTV and the penetration is about 50%.

Did you read the first post? ;)


The question is not about the growth curve. It is about current consumer interest and excitement. I have never stated that Blu-ray did not have a path to success. But this poll certainly suggests that those behind the format are not doing a good job of communicating their message.

One thing is certain...
Once everybody is excited about something...there isn't much reason to be excited about it anymore.

http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/harris_poll_2009_06_18-1pdf.jpg

Poll: Blu-ray adoption is slow; big challenges ahead (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=20062)

That article you linked to is more problematic than the Harris poll. That guy (I guess we'll call him loosely a "journalist") is banging the death knell for Blu. Wow, just wow. Hardly unbiased.

That article you linked to is more problematic than the Harris poll. That guy (I guess we'll call him loosely a "journalist") is banging the death knell for Blu. Wow, just wow. Hardly unbiased.

Agreed, and I also found most of the comments to be pretty facepalm-worthy. Talking about being able to shuffle your movies from here to there and all this - yeah, nice idea, but you can't do that *legally* with any of the download services; even the most lenient are pretty stingy with how many devices you can allow, and the restrictions are pretty significant. The only way to do that is to do it outside the bounds of the law. So what, then, don't pay anything for your movies, just torrent them? Great, then they'll bitch and moan when the movies they like don't get made because the people who would have financed their making downloaded them illegally instead, so the studios won't pay to keep making them.

These people clearly aren't thinking their "arguments" through very hard.

Harris Interactive is usually a sound professional methodology , and its uses a pre screened pool as a basis for random selection and they weight it appropriately demographically.

Its usually reliable but because its self administered question wording on a complicated subject can sometime be an issue.

Obviously here the number of people claiming HD DVD ownership is many times more than the Toshiba HD DVD ever produced and 2009 sales and overall sales greater than the PS3 is absurd. Not surprising some respondents confused "HD DVD" players with upconverting to near HD DVD players especially since HD DVD players have not been advertised since 2007 and at major retailers since 1Q 2008 as clearance items.

Its an artifact of the polling methodology and poor question wording and a poor non critical write up by the dude who wrote up the press release and took the survey data at face value.

The 7% intention to buy also was not asked from the people who owned Blu-ray players or PS3s so you just can't say that 93% of the USA is indifferent to Blu-ray either as some blogs wrote up. Besides that was done in April and prices have well dropped already for Blu-ray players since then.

Best info is in table 4 where 25-43% of existing Blu-ray owners show strong intention to buy Blu-ray over DVD.

You know how polls used to have disclaimers like "Acurate to within plus or minus 3%, nineteen times out of twenty"? Meet 20.

http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/harris_poll_2009_06_18-1pdf.jpg

Poll: Blu-ray adoption is slow; big challenges ahead (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=20062)

That article you linked to is more problematic than the Harris poll. That guy (I guess we'll call him loosely a "journalist") is banging the death knell for Blu. Wow, just wow. Hardly unbiased.

Plus while my typing and spelling skills may leave a lot to be desired, you would think that a pollster would know better. Check out chart image for the last word on the 2008 line. I didn't know we had a format WAY a couple of years ago. :eek:

Glad to know ZD is so careful with their copy these days :D

How about this sentence from the article:
Looking at the other devices for playing HD DVDs, 9% own a Sony PLAYSTATION®3 (which plays Blu-ray ) and 3% have the external HD DVD drive for the Xbox® 360 (which plays HD DVDs).That was after:
In fact, Americans are not jumping on board with any of the high definition DVD players.How are consumers supposed to keep this straight if even the writer of the article can't seem to? Is a "high definition DVD player" something different than an "HD DVD player" or is one just a shortcut (acronym) for the other? Is a PS3 a device that plays Blu-ray, which is a type of HD DVD? If not, why does the sentence that starts, "Looking at the other devices for playing HD DVDs ..." immediately include the PS3? That is, is "HD DVD" a specific type, or both a specific type and a general type, which includes Blu-ray?

I have an idea, but I'm not sure the writer of the article does.

As I basically said in another thread about this subject matter, I figure I can make a bunch of money by starting a company that is going to sell something I am going to call an "HD Display". Maybe Harris could do a poll about how many people own my product (an "HD Display") before they even go on sale and show that lots of people have plans to buy my "HD Display". They could have questions like, "Do you plan to buy an HD Display in the next year?" Would the venture capitalists be dumb enough to think anybody who said "Yes" was saying they were going to buy my product? :)

--Darin

That article you linked to is more problematic than the Harris poll. That guy (I guess we'll call him loosely a "journalist") is banging the death knell for Blu. Wow, just wow. Hardly unbiased.Indeed. And there are more of those "journalists" who came to similar conclusions. All biased.

Then there are those (like Engadget, or blu-ray owners) who say this poll means nothing - that blu-ray is doing a fantastic business and gaining widespread adoption worldwide. Perhaps they are biased as well.

And the 93% of consumers who don't own a blu-ray player are not likely to buy one in the next year. They are all "biased" as well.

Question is - who's bias matters most?

Plus while my typing and spelling skills may leave a lot to be desired, you would think that a pollster would know better. Check out chart image for the last word on the 2008 line. I didn't know we had a format WAY a couple of years ago. :eek:

Glad to know ZD is so careful with their copy these days :DSo a spelling error directly copied and pasted from the Harris poll press release is somehow ZD's fault.

Or looking at the charts and seeing that apparently:

- Respondents bought more HD DVDs than BDs during the last six months :eek:

- The installed base of the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 has tripled between 2008 and 2009 :eek: :eek:

Really, what happened to critical thinking? Anybody with a casual knowledge of HDM would notice at once that none of the above makes sense.

Question is - who's bias matters most?

Answer is - neither. Because no one walking into Best Buy has seen this poll, or this website, or most of the other websites that copy and pasted the flawed poll.

And it will make zero difference in their decision to continue buying bluray movies (if they already have a player), or buying a player for the first time. So, sadly, this poll will not bring about the demise of bluray. Keep your head up though....maybe the next one will.....

Or looking at the charts and seeing that apparently:

- Respondents bought more HD DVDs than BDs during the last six months :eek:

- The installed base of the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 has tripled between 2008 and 2009 :eek: :eek:

Really, what happened to critical thinking? Anybody with a casual knowledge of HDM would notice at once that none of the above makes sense.

Don't forget the one passage that suggests the PS3 is a "HD DVD" player....

But hey, it is perceived bad news...so let's all run with it, even though it is demonstrably flawed in many ways.

Worst...poll...ever.

however, there is enough here to make one think (specifically the part about a lower percentage contemplating a BD player than last year)- but that could simply be the economy.1 million people forked over $200-$300 for the new iPhone over the weekend.

Even Recession Can't Dampen Demand for a Faster iPhone (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202833.html?hpid=sec-tech)

Other factors would be whether the number of respondants is a statistically viable sample. How many were in each income bracket? How where these people obtained? It does not seem to me on a technically statistical level that this was valid regardless of the conclusions. Further, it appears that the survey suggests that less people are planning to buy a Blu-ray player in 2009 than in 2008. The actual sales statistics clearly shows this to be invalid by a statistical certainty. Actual sales up 400% v. less people planning to purchase?

I would also like to see the survey, how it was prepared and presented, and who paid for it. It seems to me that statements made by that survey would carry legal ramifications when published due to the obvious invalidity.

1 million people forked over $200-$300 for the new iPhone over the weekend.

Even Recession Can't Dampen Demand for a Faster iPhone (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202833.html?hpid=sec-tech)


Good to see some good news among the tons of bad. Of course if you believe other sources Blu-ray is doing just fine.

Blu-ray player sales on the rise
Kevin Weiner on 06 May 2009

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/05/06/blu-ray-player-sales-rising


The report, collected via an online survey of 6,994 consumers between February 25 and March 6, states that 400,000 units of standalone Blu-ray players, not including the Playstation 3 with its built in Blu-ray support, have been sold in the first quarter of 2009. That's an increase of 72 percent over the first quarter of 2008. Furthermore, the intent to purchase a Blu-ray player has risen slightly. 6% of the responders said they would be "extremely or very likely" to buy a Blu-ray device in the next six months, compared with 5 percent who responded in August 2008.

1 million people forked over $200-$300 for the new iPhone over the weekend.

Even Recession Can't Dampen Demand for a Faster iPhone (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062202833.html?hpid=sec-tech)

Didn't know iPhones also require a HDTV.

Oh wait, they don't.

We all know bluray has hurdles, one of them being HDTV adoption. Which after 10+ years on the market, still isn't in a majority of households.

Point is - the potential consumer base for a new cell phone is much higher than the potential consumer base for a bluray player.

But don't let that stop you from ringing the knell's....

Didn't know iPhones also require a HDTV.

Oh wait, they don't.

We all know bluray has hurdles, one of them being HDTV adoption. Which after 10+ years on the market, still isn't in a majority of households.

Point is - the potential consumer base for a new cell phone is much higher than the potential consumer base for a bluray player.

But don't let that stop you from ringing the knell's....

The lack of HDTV will correct itself in the long run since it's bloody impossible these day to buy anything but an HDTV. So as time goes by people will upgrade their TV and this problem will disapear.

The lack of HDTV will correct itself in the long run since it's bloody impossible these day to buy anything but an HDTV. So as time goes by people will upgrade their TV and this problem will disapear.

You don't have to tell me.

But some people seem to think that bluray should be instantaneously selling as many players as DVD did or something, even though bluray is intended to be used with anywhere from ~35-40% of (HD)TVs currently in households, while DVD worked with damn near all TVs upon it's release.

You didn't need a new TV with DVD...you do with bluray (and HD DVD, for that matter). It's just the way it is.

You don't have to tell me.

But some people seem to think that bluray should be instantaneously selling as many players as DVD did or something, even though bluray is intended to be used with anywhere from ~35-40% of (HD)TVs currently in households, while DVD worked with damn near all TVs upon it's release.

You didn't need a new TV with DVD...you do with bluray (and HD DVD, for that matter). It's just the way it is.

We'll that is not totally true. You need an HDTV to take FULL advantage of what BR can give you. But you can still use it as a glorified, albeit costly, dvd player with a standard def TV. I personnaly know some who bought their PS3 or SA player months before they bought the HDTV.

Remember, you didn't need a TV with svideo or component input to enjoy DVD but you didn't take full advantage of those player until you hook it up to something other than composite/antenna connectors.

We'll that is not totally true. You need an HDTV to take FULL advantage of what BR can give you. But you can still use it as a glorified, albeit costly, dvd player with a standard def TV. I personnaly know some who bought their PS3 or SA player months before they bought the HDTV. But they bought the HDTV. So they were essentially planning ahead.

Sure, you can use the PS3 with a SDTV, but it's not the main intention. Tons of products can be used in ways they were not intended to be used for a variety of reasons.

But the point remains that HDM was developed for use with HDTVs.

Remember, you didn't need a TV with svideo or component input to enjoy DVD but you didn't take full advantage of those player until you hook it up to something other than composite/antenna connectors.
The DVD example with svideo/component pales in comparison to using bluray with a 480 TV versus a 720/1080p TV.

bluray is supposed to be used with an HDTV. The majority of the US does not have an HDTV. That's just the way it is.

But they bought the HDTV. So they were essentially planning ahead.

Sure, you can use the PS3 with a SDTV, but it's not the main intention. Tons of products can be used in ways they were not intended to be used for a variety of reasons.

But the point remains that HDM was developed for use with HDTVs.


The DVD example with svideo/component pales in comparison to using bluray with a 480 TV versus a 720/1080p TV.

bluray is supposed to be used with an HDTV. The majority of the US does not have an HDTV. That's just the way it is.

Some have not bought it yet...

And the comparaison only pales once you experience it.

And there is plenty of thing selling today that are not in the majority of household and that doesn't mean that they are a failure or not doing well. Not every product need to be accepted or use by a majority to be viable.

Didn't know iPhones also require a HDTV.

Oh wait, they don't.

We all know bluray has hurdles, one of them being HDTV adoption. Which after 10+ years on the market, still isn't in a majority of households.

Point is - the potential consumer base for a new cell phone is much higher than the potential consumer base for a bluray player.

But don't let that stop you from ringing the knell's....From AppleInsider...

Apple's iPhone 3G S sports chip with 720p HD video capabilities (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/06/19/apples_iphone_3g_s_sports_chip_with_720p_hd_video_capabiliti es.html)

With Apple's new iPhone 3G S hitting store shelves in Europe overnight, the device was thrown within minutes onto the operating table and gutted, revealing a Samsung-branded system-on-a-chip (SoC) featuring a multi-format codec with untapped HD video playback and capture capabilities.

Other factors would be whether the number of respondants is a statistically viable sample. How many were in each income bracket? How where these people obtained? It does not seem to me on a technically statistical level that this was valid regardless of the conclusions. Further, it appears that the survey suggests that less people are planning to buy a Blu-ray player in 2009 than in 2008. The actual sales statistics clearly shows this to be invalid by a statistical certainty. Actual sales up 400% v. less people planning to purchase?

I would also like to see the survey, how it was prepared and presented, and who paid for it. It seems to me that statements made by that survey would carry legal ramifications when published due to the obvious invalidity.
If you assume that the findings meant ownership of upconverrting DVD players it makes more sense. Just ignore the silly format war references in the press release write up. That and realize the intention to buy stats is on top of existing PS3 and Blu-ray player ownership.

Order of magnitude is correct then, table 4 shows strong Blu-ray owner preference toward buying movies and the 7% intention to buy on top of 4-9% Blu-ray player ownership + 9% PS3 ownership household penetration is not so bad for a snapshot back in April when player prices were $100 higher than they are now, the economy was at its press reporting worst and no Blu-ray promotional activities had been active since the holidays.

Its probably accurate that Blu-ray support for possible new owners back in April could be characterized as lukewarm. Plenty of time to raise the temperature by the end of the year.

A survey released last month from NPD shows different results, and NPD has more expertise in consumer electronics.

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/05/06/blu-ray-player-sales-rising

There was a recent NPD poll from around the same time period (Feb-Mar 2009) which showed findings more consistent with the actual Blu-ray sales growth. The Harris survey was done in April, the NPD survey was done in Feb -Mar. But NPD is in the business of tracking consumer electronic sales and trend, Harris is not. It also had a much larger sample size using similar methodologies.

Blu-ray player sales on the rise

Kevin Weiner on 06 May 2009 -

With Blu-ray winning the next generation DVD format war, and the format starting to go mainstream, consumer awareness and Blu-ray sales are on the rise according to a report by the NPD Group.

The report, collected via an online survey of 6,994 consumers between February 25 and March 6, states that 400,000 units of standalone Blu-ray players, not including the Playstation 3 with its built in Blu-ray support, have been sold in the first quarter of 2009.

That's an increase of 72 percent over the first quarter of 2008.

Furthermore, the intent to purchase a Blu-ray player has risen slightly. 6% of the responders said they would be "extremely or very likely" to buy a Blu-ray device in the next six months, compared with 5 percent who responded in August 2008.

While overall consumer awareness of the format in the US has reached 90% in the past six months, 58% of adults continue to report that they were still "not very familiar" with the Blu-Ray format.

NPD's entertainment industry analyst, Russ Crupnick says that "the leading driver of Blu-ray purchase intent is recommendations from friends, family or co-workers."

The report also states that consumers who purchased Blu-ray players when they first came to market were mainly concerned with having the latest technology.

Recent Blu-ray player buyers report being influenced most often by pricing, promotions, and sales. When asked about the reasons for not purchasing Blu-ray, responders said that their current DVD player is "good enough."

But also contributing to the rising sales are price drops.

The report states that the average selling price for a stand-alone Blu-Ray player fell from $393 to $261, a 34% decrease in price. Consumers who claim that they are likely to buy in the next six months expect to pay $214 on average.


The lower the price, the greater the intention to buy. :)

The lower the price, the greater the intention to buy. :)It would be interesting to know how Wal*Mart did with the Father’s Day BD sale (BD player < $130.00).

It would be interesting to know how Wal*Mart did with the Father’s Day BD sale (BD player < $130.00).

I should get a perspective on that later today or tomorrow morning from my local and regional Wal-Mart folks that I know.

Depends on how the weekend sales went. Locally the sales for that $128 player went quick when they were placed and slowed during the week and they still had inventory to clear for the weekend. But besides the in store ad and the $128 sign over the pallet in the idea, they had little point of sale promotion for it.

They still sold a bunch of units and 3000+ locations can mean a lot of inventory moved.

From AppleInsider...

Apple's iPhone 3G S sports chip with 720p HD video capabilities (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/06/19/apples_iphone_3g_s_sports_chip_with_720p_hd_video_capabiliti es.html)

Point blank, people did not buy the 3GS for 720 HD output. People did not buy the iPhone with the express intent of using as a HD device to connect to their HD television. People bought it because....it's the new iPhone. because they want video recording. Because they want voice control. because they want a magnetometer.

And do you know what the official iPhone video dock system says?
Note: Component video output to television is supported by iPod nano (3rd and 4th generation), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPod classic at 480p or 576p resolution; and by iPod touch (1st generation), iPhone, and iPhone 3G at 480i or 576i resolution.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB128LL/B?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE1NTI2OA

I don't see any HD resolutions listed there....

iPhone 3G S Hardware Can Record 720p Video, so Why Doesn't It?
BY Kit EatonSat Jun 20, 2009 at 11:33 AM

Here's a question: If you're building a video-capable successor to the wildly successful iPhone 3G and you choose new hardware that supports 720p-resolution video recording, then why do you cripple it to just VGA resolution?

iPhone 3G S

...
Except for the new camera and-updated processor, of course. Which is where the interesting 720p capability comes in. The camera shoots 3-megapixel stills, and thus could be commanded to shoot 720p video--it's got more than enough pixels to spare, and the speedier 600MHz processor in the phone should be easily capable of the increased bandwidth required by 720p video. Why has Apple chosen to limit it to VGA resolution? It seems a slightly odd move, given that there are smartphones out there that shoot still imagery at 12-megapixels and can do full HD video.

The answer is a mystery, but we can guess one probable cause. It's the same reason why the 3G S's new processor, which is capable of 833MHz speeds, is choked down to just 600MHz: Battery life. Apple's aware that the iPhone's battery is a bit small, and protects the battery performance as much as possible--its quoted as the chief reason there's no background app capability on the phone. 720p video recording and a faster processor would just eat into the battery a whole lot more.

And the reason the battery is limited is that Apple chose to stick with the same iPhone casing. If Apple would've adjusted the physical design of the phone, Apple could've easily included a bigger capacity battery. This seems to be one of those strange moments when an aesthetic design decision has squashed the opportunity to sell the iPhone with a killer feature: HD video recording.
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/iphone-3g-s-hardware-can-record-video-720p-so-why-doesnt-it

Where is my 720p resolution output/recording?:rolleyes:

I found this poll to be wrong on many counts.
Buying a HD capable TV does not necessarily mean you also intend to buy an HD player. If you need a new TV chances are very high it will be HD ready, wether you care or not. And although most of these TV's will be HD capable, they may be too small to make a huge difference picture like when HD material is viewed. Most people do not move closer to the TV or remodell their living room only because they have a new TV. So much of the advantage real HD material may have is lost on them.
The general public needs to be better informed of what HD really is and what not. And I have to admit, the advertising of some companies is also to blame. Speaking of "full HD picture upconversation" without going into detail does not really help to educate consumers and may even hurt the same companies in the long run.
And BD prices have to come down, of course.
This is a problem in the US and even more so in Europe, where you have to pay more than 40 bucks for some movies. Disney movies, for example, are really pricey....

Seems the media (internet) has given it's opinion of this Harris Poll:

"Bad news for Blu-ray in Harris Poll"
ipt.net (http://www.itp.net/news/559794-bad-news-for-blu-ray-in-harris-poll)

"HDTV Zooms into US Homes; Blu-ray Stuck in Neutral"
MarketingCharts.com (http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/hdtv-zooms-into-us-homes-blu-ray-stuck-in-neutral-9507/)

"Bad news for Blu-ray in Harris Poll"
ArabianBusiness.com (http://www.arabianbusiness.com/559794-bad-news-for-blu-ray-in-harris-poll)

"Blu-ray acceptance is painfully slow"
geek.com (http://www.geek.com/articles/news/blu-ray-acceptance-is-painfully-slow-20090622/)

"People just not that into Blu-ray"
The Register -UK (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/22/us_consumers_not_hot_for_bluray_harris_april_09_survey/)

"Americans Adopting HDTVs, But Not So Keen on Blu-ray"
DigitalTrends.com (http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/20239/americans-adopting-hdtvs-but-not-so-keen-on-blu-ray)

"While HDTV Resides in More Households, Interest in Blu-ray Remains Lukewarm"
MarketWatch.com (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/while-hdtv-resides-in-more-households-interest-in-blu-ray-remains-lukewarm)

"Blu-ray Drive Prices Drop But Adoption Still Low"
BNET.com (http://industry.bnet.com/technology/10002278/blu-ray-drive-prices-drop-but-adoption-still-low/)

"World says Boo to Blu-Ray"
eTekNix.com (http://www.eteknix.com/news/world-says-boo-to-blu-ray/)

"Harris poll shows slow penetration for Blu-ray players"
SmartBrief.com (http://www.smartbrief.com/news/cea/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=2889B7C3-6152-49CD-91D6-09256142F996&copyid=EAC940F4-2FBE-467A-B08A-50906A7B0026)

"Blu-ray still facing serious adoption troubles"
TechSpot.com (http://www.techspot.com/news/35173-bluray-still-facing-serious-adoption-troubles.html)

"Harris Poll results indicate little Blu-ray interest, even as HDTV sales go up"
engadgetHD.com (http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/06/19/harris-poll-results-indicate-little-growth-in-blu-ray-interest/)

..... And although most of these TV's will be HD capable, they may be too small to make a huge difference picture like when HD material is viewed. Most people do not move closer to the TV or remodell their living room only because they have a new TV. So much of the advantage real HD material may have is lost on them.
....

I see this mentioned a lot. Have you ever seen an SD CRT next to an HDTV? There is a big difference regardless of size. My sister replaced her 35" CRT with a 37" 1080p LCD and even across the room it is evident when HD material is displayed. I do agree that Bluray prices need to come down for sales to dramatically increase. That will happen over time. DVD adoption didn't happen overnight either.

Art

Seems the media (internet) has given it's opinion of this Harris Poll:
Was this before or after the latest on Jon and Kate?

The poll is obviously flawed but does anybody think BR has made the marketing/sales impact that the related articles say it hasn't?

...failed formats like laserdisc are correct... Not to hijack the thread (already being discussed in another thread), but I don't see being the undisputed king of AV quality and the format of choice for HT enthusiasts for 20+ years constitutes a failure...

Not to hijack the thread (already being discussed in another thread), but I don't see being the undisputed king of AV quality and the format of choice for HT enthusiasts for 20+ years constitutes a failure...

I don't think the industry want to repeat that 'succes'.

Blu ray isn't intended as the next enthusiast high quality disc in a niche market.

For more than a year now the blu ray retail bin sections in the mainstream music and video stores are hardly growing. (In my area that is.) In most cases the bin sections are smaller than that of the least selling game format.

These survey's clearly indicate that consumers are waiting for lower price levels. Prices for blu ray releases seem to go up. $31 for Monsters Inc at @mazon. That isn't helping...

I don't think the industry want to repeat that 'succes'.

Blu ray isn't intended as the next enthusiast high quality disc in a niche market.

My point is that I would not lose any sleep if Blu Ray did become a niche format. It is the studio's desire to appeal to the clueless "I want my HD to be like looking through a window", DNR loving J6P that is the current bane of the format (aside from the obvious Java). If it is a niche, maybe we can get away from that (like LD did with P/S vs Letterbox)...

I don't think the industry want to repeat that 'succes'.Considering they've already exceeded it, that's no longer a concern.
For more than a year now the blu ray retail bin sections in the mainstream music and video stores are hardly growing. (In my area that is.) In most cases the bin sections are smaller than that of the least selling game format.Notwithstanding the fact that you're one of the least reliable indicators of Blu-ray's health in the stocking environment, it's nothing but anecdotal evidence that isn't borne out by any real-world hard data.
These survey's clearly indicate that consumers are waiting for lower price levels. Prices for blu ray releases seem to go up. $31 for Monsters Inc at @mazon. That isn't helping...Ah, the continued hilarity of the online opinion poll being considered hard data by those still fighting the format war, except when it shows good news. And you gotta love the fact that not only is the "OMG prices are going UP" argument completely fabricated in odds to official announcements (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6666465.html?industryid=47213), but the "proof" here is a title that hasn't even been officially dated or priced, let alone released.:p

Hate to say I told you so... Whats amazing in that story is that there are STILL more standalone HD DVD players in homes than Bluray players - a YEAR and a half after the end of the "war". And everyone here knew that they should have had sub-$200 dollar players out there from a year ago.


There are not. And you know it.

The facts:

1. As of February 2008, a total of 600,000 HD DVD standalones had been sold:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/live-from-toshibas-hd-dvd-press-conference-in-tokyo/

2. Standalone sales in 2007 were very very similar
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/01/p1070010_small.jpg

3. In Q1 2009 alone, 400,000 standalone Blu-ray players were sold: http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54615720090507?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

Therefore, it is an impossibility that there are more HD DVD players than BD players. The only logical explanation is that owners of upconverter players ticked the "HD DVD player" box. Note also that they didn't have a box to tick for upconverting players.