Where was the Superbowl HD-DVD ad? Did I completely miss it or did they just not run it?

Seriously I was thinking the same thing. Where the hell was it?

funny I was just logging on to make the same post

myspace.com/superbowl

that link has all of the commercials. I went there after the game thinking I missed it on TV but it's not on that site either.

It seems to have aired only in some markets.

See this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=988783

It looks like it was regional ads, not national. Looks like some (if not most) of the bigger markets didn't get a thing. Nothing in Chicago, Baltimore/DC, Detroit, and apparently most of New England.

I didn't see it and was looking forward to it. :)

EDIT: FoxHD on Charter HD in LA/SGV region

All the superbowl ads-
http://www.spike.com/superbowl

toshiba (from the same page)-
http://www.spike.com/video/2938290/collection/25701/minisite/superbowl

Second ad in the half-time break. Apparently not all markets aired it.

I saw the add on Star Choice Satellite, channel 291. I think I was watching the HD feed out of Washington state. Nothing to exciting about it. Six times the definition of standard dvd's, plus improving the quality of exsiting dvd's was all they mentioned. Plus the advertised price of $129.00.

It wasn't even in HD! :D

I didn't see an HD-DVD ad on Fox HD OTA here in LA. Saw a load of commercials about voting yes or no on increased Indian gaming though.

I only saw the one after the halftime break, and it was in SD only.

I hope Toshiba actually didn't spend $2.7 million for that.

Toshiba better get a refund, it was no show in ATL.

Didn't see it in NoVA either :(

Once again*, the fact that Toshiba was advertising a High Definition source and didn't bother to send in a High Definition commercial, shows why they will not win the format war.



*same thing happened in the 2007 superbowl ad.

Fox had something to do with it.

It looks like it was regional ads, not national. Looks like some (if not most) of the bigger markets didn't get a thing. Nothing in Chicago, Baltimore/DC, Detroit, and apparently most of New England.

If HD-DVD did target medium and small markets, I suppose that makes sense from a marketing perspective. You could probably get a lot more bang for your buck by targeting smaller markets if you're hoping people will head out to a Wal-mart (which focuses on small- and medium-sized markets) to make their purchase. Just speculation, really.

If HD-DVD did target medium and small markets, I suppose that makes sense from a marketing perspective. You could probably get a lot more bang for your buck by targeting smaller markets if you're hoping people will head out to a Wal-mart (which focuses on small- and medium-sized markets) to make their purchase. Just speculation, really.

I think the likelihood of a Sony/Fox conspiracy is far more likely, don't you?

Once again*, the fact that Toshiba was advertising a High Definition source and didn't bother to send in a High Definition commercial, shows why they will not win the format war.



*same thing happened in the 2007 superbowl ad.

Would Fox charge more for an HD commercial than a normal one? Are most commercials done on video or film?

Did not see the ad here in Florida.

I think the likelihood of a Sony/Fox conspiracy is far more likely, don't you?

Seems far more likely to me. But then again, I'm a neurotic, paranoid conspiracy theorist who refuses to take off his aluminum foil hat. Sorry to cut this post short, but I gotta run before "they" come after me!

Ad? Who cares. GEEEEEEEEEEE-MENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw it at least twice, in SD, in a local block of ads.

Fox conspiracy. lol No HD DVD commercial here in Mass, only the American Gangster ad with the short blip of the HD DVD logo. Truly a sad day for HD DVD.

Would Fox charge more for an HD commercial than a normal one? Are most commercials done on video or film?

95% of the commercials were in 16x9 widescreen HD. Even if they did charge more for HD(which I doubt they do), why in the world would you not want to spend the extra money? You have all ready paid 2.7 million to show off an HD format!

Ad? Who cares. GEEEEEEEEEEE-MENNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!Yep, "Big Blu" er..."Blue" did win. I was kinda rooting for the Pats, but it was a great game either way.

I think the likelihood of a Sony/Fox conspiracy is far more likely, don't you?

Haha I didn't even think about that. Occam's razor always takes a back seat to conspiracy theories when it comes to the format war, so I guess that is where the discussion could go.

Did not air here in Valdosta.

Fox conspiracy. lol No HD DVD commercial here in Mass, only the American Gangster ad with the short blip of the HD DVD logo. Truly a sad day for HD DVD.


Western MA in the HOUSEEE!
LOL!

Nope. Nothing. That American Gangster ADD's emphisis was on SD DVD.
Just the HD DVD Logo showed on the bottom.

Thats a bunch of blu sh**!

Hell yeah Western Mass. And seriously, why so much empasis on SD DVD and then putting the HD DVD logo in the ad? I mean come on is there a bunch of monkeys with down syndrome running Toshiba's marketing team?

Saw it in Canada on Bell ExprssVu on FoxHD just after the half-time commercial.

Where was the Superbowl HD-DVD ad? Did I completely miss it or did they just not run it?
Not the most creative ad, but it was good and I'm sure millions of people saw that $149 price. Keep getting the word out in print, online and on TV!

Click Here To Watch (http://www.spike.com/video/2938290)

Toshiba is kind of like the Pat's defense. Not enough in the end.

Anyone agree that it was a generally bad year for Super Bowl ads?

Great game though.

I saw it in Norwood MA

The HD-DVD ad aired in NYC (both OTA and via Time Warner Cable, WNYW-DT) and, as expected, it was the same 'what happens when there's no football' TV commercial that has aired on NBC's Sunday Night Football and a few football matches on other stations. Same bunch of young guys sitting in front of a TV watching (and recoiling from) clips of "Transformers," "Shrek The Third" and "Bourne Ultimatum." The only difference was that the last five seconds, instead of showing the exclusive HD-DVD movies, it showed in big letters '$149.99' and the logos of BB, CC, Walmart and another store I forget. An announcer then says Toshiba HD-DVD's are available 'as low as $149' at participating stores.

If Toshiba paid $2.7 million for a commercial during a break that clearly was meant for some affiliates to insert their own local commercials then Toshiba got ripped off. Oh well, a commercial after the Super Bowl Halftime Show concert is still a dog of a time slot to insert an HD-DVD commercial in. It would have still been $2.7 million wasted even if it had been seen across the nation. :(

saw it in NY ^ you beat me to it ;)

was not on tv in s.e. wisconsin (milwaukee).

why would you target currently nich format to an even smaller market? seems like a waste. and if it wasnt in hi-def, then someone in toshiba should be fired, because thats just dumb

You can buy regional-only ads. I'm guessing that's just what they did (it's way cheaper).

Toshiba is kind of like the Pat's defense. Not enough in the end.


I imagine more like Tom Brady... they're doing their thing but the other side was busting through the offensive line like it was paper.

It wasn't shown here. I watched via OTA antenna on Fox 24 in Macon Georgia.

Reading through this thread, I understand the regional-only aspect of the ad. My two cents; I get the NY/LA feeds from Fox and ABC from DirecTV (DNS waivers), and the NY feed of the commercial was in HD. Not the most jaw-dropping ad ever, but looked good on my Panny ae1000u and 106" screen.

It did not air in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I had told my friends it would be on.

So, the ad was not in hi-def in some places? How stupid! The only non-hi-def ad I remember seeing was a Victoria's Secret ad about Valentine's Day, and even the local ads were at least widescreen if not true HD.

toshiba should've paid the BDA to do their ad. god! Toshiba sucks hard. every ad was in HD except that turd of one. they derserve it. jodi sally will be working at staples tomorrrow.

So, the ad was not in hi-def in some places? How stupid! The only non-hi-def ad I remember seeing was a Victoria's Secret ad about Valentine's Day, and even the local ads were at least widescreen if not true HD.

It depends on the local station's capabilities. Some don't have the facilities to show local ads in HD, only to pass on the network signal.

Even though I'm sure most of us can agree that this was a pathetic attempt by Toshiba Not running the commercial Nationwide and not even filming a new commercial, there still seems to have been an effect.
http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/salesrank-time-1-1-recent144.jpg

Even though I'm sure most of us can agree that this was a pathetic attempt by Toshiba Not running the commercial Nationwide and not even filming a new commercial, there still seems to have been an effect.

No. Amazon just started a HD DVD sale. From the look of your graph, the sale has already hit a plateau.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/price-1-1-recent30.jpg

Ave. price:
Blu-Ray $33.10
HD DVD $24.10

It showed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market on Fox OTA, but it was in SD only. It was a pretty sad showing for how over hyped it was (mostly by online forums, but I did expect more...)

Even though I'm sure most of us can agree that this was a pathetic attempt by Toshiba Not running the commercial Nationwide and not even filming a new commercial, there still seems to have been an effect.Nope. HD DVD BOGO/50% off sale started late yesterday or early today.

It was on DirecTV in the LA area. It was t in HD though.

must of missed it .

Even though I'm sure most of us can agree that this was a pathetic attempt by Toshiba Not running the commercial Nationwide and not even filming a new commercial, there still seems to have been an effect.
http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/salesrank-time-1-1-recent144.jpg

Are you kidding me?

Seems that after trying for global dominance and then trying for national (US) dominance, HD DVD is now trying for regional dominance. Maybe some municipal ads in the next Superbowl?

The Blu wins in Japan, Australia and Europe were laughed off easily, but they assured that BD would survive as a format. No such wins for HD DVD yet & the potential areas are disappearing quickly. Toshiba is simply getting careful about where to put its money. Cutting price from $149 to $99 is cheap when no one is buying the players.

saw it nyc, very weak placement and it was an affiliate ad not a national one.

Are you kidding me?

Unrelated... Amazon started a 57% off sale on HD-DVD.

I didn't see it in cincy either, but I probably missed a couple of commercials during half-time

No HD-DVD adds at all here in Utah so guess it wasnt a small market thing.

IMHO this is just indicative of what was at the heart of the downfall of HDDVD, poorly conceived and implemented marketing.:(

Art

Where was the Superbowl HD-DVD ad? Did I completely miss it or did they just not run it?

boston fox 25 (sd, at least here where i live in vt) aired an hd dvd ad at approx 7:55 est (end of 2nd quarter, approx); a replay of 'what will you do/see when game is over, etc'.

i wasnt watching game, so my timing may be off a bit.

Seems far more likely to me. But then again, I'm a neurotic, paranoid conspiracy theorist who refuses to take off his aluminum foil hat. Sorry to cut this post short, but I gotta run before "they" come after me!

look out, its the black helicopters, ahhhhhhhhhhhh, im melting, im melting, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

:D

with respects to maggie hamilton, rip.

ad or no ad.. HD DVD is doing something right
http://www.thephotobooth.net/photos/250597534-O.jpg

Hell yeah Western Mass. And seriously, why so much empasis on SD DVD and then putting the HD DVD logo in the ad? I mean come on is there a bunch of monkeys with down syndrome running Toshiba's marketing team?

sure starting to look like it.:D

ad or no ad.. HD DVD is doing something right
*snip*

Did you miss the numerous posts stating that a 57% off sale had just started on Amazon? I would think a numbers spike would be expected...

Toshiba is kind of like the Pat's defense. Not enough in the end.

Anyone agree that it was a generally bad year for Super Bowl ads?

Great game though.

after whats her names 'wardrobe accident' a few yrs ago and the bitch sessions that followed, no one dares get too outlandish anymore.imo.

Did you miss the numerous posts stating that a 57% off sale had just started on Amazon? I would think a numbers spike would be expected...

actually i did
i haven't spent all day on the forums like most of you have

ad or no ad.. HD DVD is doing something right
http://www.thephotobooth.net/photos/250597534-O.jpg


ROTFLMAO!

you guys are tracking hourly sales now?


"LOOK GUYS! hd dvd outsold blu ray on amazon between 4pm and 5pm , clearly its a comeback!"

ad or no ad.. HD DVD is doing something right
http://www.thephotobooth.net/photos/250597534-O.jpg

lol, Don't know if that will quite stem the tide. Kudos for the source though.

Yeah, I'm sure there's a Sony/Fox conspiracy...

Get real.

There are contracts in place and if Fox broke any contracts with Toshiba, it would've been a blatant breach. It's not like they would've tried swiping one by them.

If Fox didn't deliver what Toshiba paid for, then I'm sure we'll hear about it...my money says what was delivered/aired was what they bought.

Thanks for starting this thread because I was beginning to think I had alzheimers. In the fourth quarter every time I left the couch I would ask my brother, "did you see an HD DVD commercial? You sure???" He said no every time.

I checked the other thread and noticed people said it aired at 7:55pm EST. I checked my recording of it at 4:55 PST and saw nothing. People are speculating that local affiliates may have had local ads on during that time slot and guess what? I saw an ad for the local news during that string of commercials.

Even if it aired in some locations and not others, it seems like a waste of money. Some are saying it aired at different times, some are saying it aired in SD, some are saying it didn't air at all...not a successful marketing strategy at all.

And I was actually looking forward to it!

Brandon

It wasn't even in HD! :D

Yeah I had a giggle at that. Lame ad, in the worst quality SD of them all. Embarrassing.

Didn't see it in SF though I missed one or two halftime ads. But it sounds like others in the Bay Area didn't see it either.

As with many things in this "format war," it was much ad about nothing.

The spike is due to the sale at Amazon, which will likely have little impact on the overall Nielsen rankings. However, its impact (if any) need not be debated as we'll have the Nielsen numbers in a few weeks. At this point, it would be a bump if HD-DVD could move into the 20s in terms of the sales ratio.

It aired on Comcast in the bay area (San Jose).

it aired in the LA market OTA - not in HD though :(

Aired on KCPQ (ding, ding - Tacoma/Seattle/Everett/Puget Sound). At least Click Network! (probably OTA too, but i can't verify). KCPQ is probably the worst network affiliate in the area for HD (network programing excluded, their news is the only one still in SD).

i didn't notice if it was in HD or not, but it did air after the half-time show (but before the third quarter - enough 50-60 year old men/bands in the half-time show), no way this was a national ad or $2.7 million spent. Yes, it was the football one and the icons, if i remember correctly, read from L to R - Best Buy, Wal Mart, Amazon.com, and lastly Circuit City. Not mindblowing, but at least the price was clear on the screen. This aired after a local car dealership ad i believe. This ad also aired during the Family Guy hour both re-runs (9-10PM).

Aired on KCPQ (ding, ding - Tacoma/Seattle/Everett/Puget Sound). At least Click Network! (probably OTA too, but i can't verify).

i didn't notice if it was in HD or not, but it did air after the half-time show (but before the third quarter - enough 50-60 year old men/bands in the half-time show), no way this was a national ad or $2.7 million spent. Yes, it was the football one and the icons, if i remember correctly, read from L to R - Best Buy, Wal Mart, Amazon.com, and lastly Circuit City. Not mindblowing, but at least the price was clear on the screen. This aired after a local car dealership ad i believe. This ad also aired during the Family Guy hour both re-runs (9-10PM).

It was not in HD.

I saw it at a local restaurant in NY and the ad was definitely in HD.
I don't know if it was cable or satellite and didn't ask but I doubt it aired as a local ad. The local Fox affiliate is never in true HD or even widescreen unless its passing on the national feed like during prime time.

At this point in the DTV transition, most "local" stations don't have the ability to air an HD ad.
Someone at Toshi clearly made the wrong decision.
---
Don
Went format Neutral this weekend: A30 + PS3 - Love it

I read there was a Fox conspiracy. They conspired to make sure Toshiba's check cleared prior to running the ad.

Seriously though, I was quite shocked that it didn't run nationwide after the pre-announce it was given by Toshiba and the hype by the HD DVD PG about the new ad blitz to inform the consumer. It's an indication to me that it really isn't about the consumer rather it's about Toshiba saving face and retailers clearing stock.

Just be grateful that Toshiba Marketing folks didn't decide to take up medicine.

No ad in the Baltimore Washington area OTA on Fox 45. I Tivoed the whole mess and then had to sit through some of the game because my lovely wife decided to watch. What a waste of time. She even made me quit 30 second skipping for the last two minutes of the game. Pure torture.

It is very common for our locals to switch to lo def when they are getting ready to do local feeds for news or commercials. Not so much on primetime soap operas like 24 or the like, but every day on the Today show. Really distracting to me.

I am truly disappointed in Toshiba Marketing. They blew a golden opportunity to hook new HD TV owners with an elcheapo HD player.

They should have contracted with whoever did the NASCAR commercial. Real pop in that one.

I didn't see it in the Milwaukee area......although, I wasn't glued to my set either, so I could've missed it too......

How many of these threads do we need? :confused:

This topic was created early into the game already.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=988783

Please don't turn this into an anti-HDdvd thread, which creates a format war thread. I've deleted a couple of posts where members got their jabs in.

As far as the fact that we have a couple threads going ....one here and one in the HDdvd forum. We've let that stand to allow everyone to get their say in..as long as it stays civil.

Post with qoute was deleted, so i'll self censor my reply.

How many of these threads do we need? :confused:

This topic was created early into the game already.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=988783

Sorry for the duplicate thread I guess, but that was in a different forum. Don't you think this forum is a little more appropriate for the thread anyway?

I didn't see it in Miami, but it's possible I looked away for a moment.

Seems that after trying for global dominance and then trying for national (US) dominance, HD DVD is now trying for regional dominance. Maybe some municipal ads in the next Superbowl?

The Blu wins in Japan, Australia and Europe were laughed off easily, but they assured that BD would survive as a format. No such wins for HD DVD yet & the potential areas are disappearing quickly. Toshiba is simply getting careful about where to put its money. Cutting price from $149 to $99 is cheap when no one is buying the players.

blu may be winning in europe, but they haven't won yet. if you read the article in the home media magazine, blu-ray has a 3:1 software advantage. but ps3 sales are expected to double this year (2008) versus last year (2007), while stand-alone player sales are expected to quadruple (this year versus last year). if hd dvd continues to sell 60% of the stand-alone hardware (not counting xbox 360 add-on drive), the gap could narrow.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom020308/index.php

blu may be winning in europe, but they haven't won yet. if you read the article in the home media magazine, blu-ray has a 3:1 software advantage. but ps3 sales are expected to double this year (2008) versus last year (2007), while stand-alone player sales are expected to quadruple (this year versus last year). if hd dvd continues to sell 60% of the stand-alone hardware (not counting xbox 360 add-on drive), the gap could narrow.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom020308/index.php

that would help indeed but with content being less than their competitor
it will still hurt them,they needed more than two studios for support.

IMHO this is just indicative of what was at the heart of the downfall of HDDVD, poorly conceived and implemented marketing.:(

Art

Art you are exactly right. This is why Toshiba is going to lose. I have put a lot of time and money into the format, but this further convinces me that longterm things won't turn out well. They had a big chance and blew it IMO.

they could take a hint from coca-cola it may not be everyones favorite soda
but eveyone knows what it is.marketing,marketing,marketing.

IMHO this is just indicative of what was at the heart of the downfall of HDDVD, poorly conceived and implemented marketing.

You could substitute 'Blu-Ray and HD-DVD' for 'HD-DVD' and still be correct with that statement!

Fox conspiracy. lol No HD DVD commercial here in Mass, only the American Gangster ad with the short blip of the HD DVD logo. Truly a sad day for HD DVD.

Ok - I saw it here in Boston in HD.

Nothing here in Canada either ... via HD cable access to Fox/Detroit and Fox/Seattle, although I might have missed it in one of those two markets.

Nothing here in Canada either ... via HD cable access to Fox/Detroit and Fox/Seattle, although I might have missed it in one of those two markets.
FoxHD on ExpressVu had it.

You could substitute 'Blu-Ray and HD-DVD' for 'HD-DVD' and still be correct with that statement!

Don't watch much TV but I do see a lot of BD commercials and they are all more interesting and entertaining than the couple of bland HD DVD ones I've seen. This also applies to print ads. The BD are colorful and exciting while the HD DVD's are basic looking with lots of black.

Aired in HD on E* in the Phoenix area.

I didn't see an HD-DVD ad on Fox HD OTA here in LA.
I'm in the LA area and saw it. Not great, but not bad either.

I saw it on Fox HD on Time Warner NYC.

I can see why Toshiba might not want to drop $2.7m for a single ad at this point.

No sign the ad here in the Tampa, Florida market. Fox HD on cable.

Reading through this thread, I understand the regional-only aspect of the ad. My two cents; I get the NY/LA feeds from Fox and ABC from DirecTV (DNS waivers), and the NY feed of the commercial was in HD. Not the most jaw-dropping ad ever, but looked good on my Panny ae1000u and 106" screen.

Yep. Saw it on the Fox NYC feed (waiver).

No ad in Las Vegas.

It seems very odd that Toshiba let the trade press make the assumption that this was a national campaign.

No-show in Southern Oregon.

Even though I'm sure most of us can agree that this was a pathetic attempt by Toshiba Not running the commercial Nationwide and not even filming a new commercial, there still seems to have been an effect.
http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/salesrank-time-1-1-recent144.jpg

Amazon is running a half off sale on Universal HD DVDs.

Amazon is running a half off sale on Universal HD DVDs.
Not only that, but it appears to be Universal only. So even pragmatic, dual-format cats are stocking up on titles that they still may not see for a little while. I'm even considering picking up some titles! What does that tell you?

I think this is far from sustainable and, of course the sale is only at Amazon so I would doubt that the Nielsen numbers will move too much.

And if you notice, the sales started to rise well before the SB even began.

I'm thinking that the ad aired in a spot that is optional for local affiliates to step on and use. If your are on sat. or some cable there may not be a local commercial aired in that spot. Also may affeliates may skip or miss one of these local breaks. If this is the case it must be at a highly discounted rate since it will only appear in random and spotty markets. I know they missed ATL and even missing just 1 top 10 market would have to be at a discounted price. No way they paid $2.7 mil and not to be seen in all major markets

Amazon is running a half off sale on Universal HD DVDs.
First player prices are cut in half and now Universal titles.

If it was one or the other, I can see strategic marketing being the goal but this seems more like an inventory liquidation.

I wouldn't be surprised if Paramount titles are half price this week.

btw:
There are equal amounts of HD DVD(Universal) and Blu-ray(various studios) titles in the Amazon Top 100 and Blu-ray Planet Earth is still in front.

It seems to me that the selective marketing hinted to help markets withh too much inventory... Likely they are selling the last players off before folding.

+1. I thought this from the day we found out about the ad; Toshiba was said to be "reaching out to retailers" to prevent them from dumping HD DVD right after CES, I'd guess the superbowl ad (awesome game, don't really like the Giants, but still one hell of a game) was their way of convincing B&Ms to keep them in stock long enough to blow the remaining inventory out.

I think the likelihood of a Sony/Fox conspiracy is far more likely, don't you?

Um. No. Not at all. Toshiba bought regional ad time rather than national. It's very very simple. Much like I saw saw a couple politcal ads because I'm in California, a super tuesday voting state. If you live in Iowa, odds are pretty high you didn't see the same Obama ad. The reason for Toshiba's decision to do this is up for debate however. Obviously, regional ads are far more affordable than national super bowl ads. Also, one could imagine that Toshiba figures they have the best chance in smaller markets, who may be seen as being a bit less tech savvy (and therefore less likely to have followed the countless tech stories proclaiming Blu the "winner") than major metro areas.

First player prices are cut in half and now Universal titles.

If it was one or the other, I can see strategic marketing being the goal but this seems more like an inventory liquidation.


Amazon is only one small piece of the market. If this was a (literal) Universal sale, across all retailers, then it could be a liquidation, but Amazon has similar sales all the time for both formats.

I didn't see it during the Super Bowl but the ad others have posted is an old HD-DVD ad. Am I the only one who has seen this many times before?

I was watching up here in Canada and I saw it on the Fox HDnetwork. The regular Fox channel is local Canadian commericals.

Yes it was in SD but it did the main thing, it showed guys watching football, said after the HD season is done you can watch HD movies, showed the player and then the intro price point and listed 4 National chain stores you can buy it at.

Now, maybe you guys that didn't see it were watching the local/state network where they would then put in the local/state ads, I'm not sure.

The effect I got from it was "now available in tthe bargain bin and clearance aisles of the following locations..."

Of course I missed the airing last night because I, like the rest of america, got up from my seat after the half time show to drain out udes beer and grab a bottle of new beer

Seems like wishful thinking on your part. They rarely if ever run ads so why blow millions on the way out? Let me guess, so they can quietly liquidate inventory w/o the customers being aware.

Toshiba said it would be increasing its mktg and the SB ad was part of that. It appears the BOGOs and other sales are also tied into this overall response by the hd group to the negative press it received after Warners defection.

So it seems to me they're simply trying to increase sales and gain some momentum otherwise the remaining studios might bounce. As long as they have some exclusive studio support combined with Blu-ray still having virtually no real market penetration means they won't bow out.

You discount his reason for it not being a national ad, but don't put forth any sort of explanation of your own.

So any thoughts on why this wasn't a national ad?

YSo any thoughts on why this wasn't a national ad?

Toshiba's wonderful marketing department of course!

Way to get behind me on my purchases Tosh. Thanks a lot. Really.

Superbowl ads are meant to entertain and get people aware of your product. The ad gets a F on the entertainment aspect and barely a D on making people aware of the product due to its poor placement time.

No one that was not aware of HD DVD before yesterday are any more aware of it. And the few that never heard of it, if they do walk into Best Buy or Circuit City are going to be steered towards Blu-ray at this point due to the greater support from content providers and manufacturers. This ad could be the best thing that the BDA did not have to pay a dime for. :D

Ask any Joe Schmoe on the street today what he thought of the SB Toshiba HD DVD ad and just be prepared for a blank stare back.

It's time for Toshiba to call this. They lost and the only thing that can save them now is a miracle.

The ad didn't appear to air in Denver. Also, please keep the format bear baiting out, certain people appear to be working hard to get this thread locked.

You discount his reason for it not being a national ad, but don't put forth any sort of explanation of your own.

So any thoughts on why this wasn't a national ad?

My only guess would be that A. they had already sold out the national spots B. Natilonal spots are even more expensive or C. They didn't want to pay and run the ad in places where they are doing relatively well.

The bottom line is that with every piece of news some Blu people always try to link it to some sort of imminent collapse.

Um. No. Not at all. Toshiba bought regional ad time rather than national. It's very very simple. Much like I saw saw a couple politcal ads because I'm in California, a super tuesday voting state. If you live in Iowa, odds are pretty high you didn't see the same Obama ad. The reason for Toshiba's decision to do this is up for debate however. Obviously, regional ads are far more affordable than national super bowl ads. Also, one could imagine that Toshiba figures they have the best chance in smaller markets, who may be seen as being a bit less tech savvy (and therefore less likely to have followed the countless tech stories proclaiming Blu the "winner") than major metro areas.

Just to be clear I was being sarcastic since someone else brought up the ludicrous "conspiracy" angle in another thread on the same topic. :D

To be fair,

Toshiba probably weren't planning a Superbowl Ad, but after the Warner annoucement in early January, they decided to boost marketing and advertising. However, national spots and 30 second commercials of the highest caliber will take time. Sony said the same thing but bailout on the ad oppurtunity. I think what happened was that they decided they needed more advertisement and took any last minute spots that were available. Then comes the issue of a making a commercial, which they probably didn't have time to make. Really, they had less than 1 month to get what was available and to produce a commercial. Did they spend the money wisely? I guess we shall see on the next sales chart.

The concomitant 1/2 price sale at Amazon on ALL Universal titles isn't a good sign either....

Weren't Blu-ray's constantly 2 for 1? Was that a bad sign? Especially when that movie with the giant transforming robots came out.

We've all seen Amazon flop back and forth.. next week Blu-ray will be on for 57% off.

The only thing it's a sign of is that Amazon is trying to move volume. Right now, HD-DVD is well above BD sales on Amazon. Is that sign?

To be fair,

Toshiba probably weren't planning a Superbowl Ad, but after the Warner annoucement in early January, they decided to boost marketing and advertising. However, national spots and 30 second commercials of the highest caliber will take time. Sony said the same thing but bailout on the ad oppurtunity. I think what happened was that they decided they needed more advertisement and took any last minute spots that were available. Then comes the issue of a making a commercial, which they probably didn't have time to make. Really, they had less than 1 month to get what was available and to produce a commercial. Did they spend the money wisely? I guess we shall see on the next sales chart.


We already saw a huge dropoff for HD DVD following the WHV announcement. Remember WHV is still supporting them up until May yet their sales took a drastic hit. They rebounded some, but the key at this point is if sales are this bad with Warner still aboard is how bad are sales going to be after May? Barring a miracle, HD DVD is living on borrowed time at this point.

Disney is not changing. They just committed to keeping their Blu-ray mall tour going. FOX is still the most paranoid studio regarding pirating, ie. they were never planning and will never be planning to migrate to HD DVD. Sony still owns Columbia. No more to be said.

The only questions to be answered at this point are: When will Universal enter the BD market and when will Paramount/DW comeback? With the BD market starting to grow at rapid pace compared to the stagnanting HD DVD market, it's just a matter of time now.

+1. I thought this from the day we found out about the ad; Toshiba was said to be "reaching out to retailers" to prevent them from dumping HD DVD right after CES, I'd guess the superbowl ad (awesome game, don't really like the Giants, but still one hell of a game) was their way of convincing B&Ms to keep them in stock long enough to blow the remaining inventory out.

There is too much at stake right now for this to be the whole story. Also, I agree that Toshiba dropping that much on an ad to spur closeouts is not a wise decision. Toshiba has shown they feel it's worth carrying on. I'm not sure why they feel that way, but it seems they do.

Given their determination, I would speculate they are keeping all of their options open. While I don't feel they are in liquidation mode at this point, it has to be in their plans if this last round of price cuts and marketing don't turn things around. It's common to want to wait and see what comes after a big blow like the Warner annoucement. They are letting the dust settle while still fighting.

At the same time, I doubt they have increased the orders from their manufacturing plants, and I doubt new model development is being fully funded. It only makes sense to hold off on moves like this until they see what happens over the next few months. If no improvement by then, I would expect to see them in more of a liquidation mode. Which, I agree, would be a quiet affair to avoid being stuck with excess players no one will buy.

Sorry...that is how I see it....Geez, the ad wasn't even in Hi Def when many prospective buyers would have had their new Hi Def plasmas on for the game... What a way to make an impact on them!! Another opportunity lost by the crack HD DVD marketing team.

Yeah, after reading all of the hype the HD DVD crowd was generating about the ad, everyone has to agree that was very disappointing. It was a mediocre ad, and most major markets didn't seem to even see it. Hardly the enormous impact everyone was talking about. That said, we will have to wait a month or so to see what happens. Perhaps this was enough to get the price cut announcement out there as part of other promotions to come. But, right now, I don't see it.

Have not read through entire thread, but I thought I would share these thoughts I have been posting on another site on this issue.

Bottom Line, it was a good placement but a national buy was a lost opportunity for Toshiba, they spent less than anticipated but got a good share of the almost 100 million size audience at a reduced cost by buying in the regional and local markets.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Video_Clips/Toshiba/High-Def_Disc_Marketing/Video:_HD_DVD_Super_Bowl_Commercial/1430



Toshiba bought regional and local spots in pre and post game and in game during the local break just before halftime. They backed out or did not plan to buy the full national spots.

It was bought in Fox network affiliate time on a regional or local basis and did not play in the entire USA on Fox, it appeared in only a portion of the countries local advertising markets, probably in 1/2 to 3/4 of the USA's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA's).

It looked to me that FOX had national slots available based on the filler FOX network and NASCAR slots aired. Toshiba bailed on the $ 2.7 national buy plus extra for the 4 pre and post game slots and instead bought at the regional and local level and probably bought where the ad had run recently as well as targeted local and regional markets.

They spent far less than $2.7 million and used existing creative for the spot.

This Superbowl according to Nielsen was the highest ranked most viewed SuperBowl of all time and the second most watched American television show in history (behind the MASH finale decades ago) and the most watched event since then.

Using old creative and not going national in the buy was a lost opportunity. I don't think Toshiba was really concerned about the hype but was working the real world impact in a nuts and bolts way.

The Superbowl was the highest ranked most viewed Superbowl or all time and the most watched program since the MASH finale 25 years ago.

Even partial national buying had a huge reach and for those that got all 5 commercials, thats a pretty good frequency in one day for those markets. Probably at least 1/2 to 3/4 of that 97 million reach saw the Toshiba ad, and most that saw it saw it multiple times in the pre game and post game and at the end of the second quarter when the game was still competitive.

On possibility was that Toshiba may have only be offered a 3rd quarter or 4th quarter national ad and that can be a crap shoot if the game is a blowout. so instead they went with the regional buys.

They do appear to have bought insertions in some Northeast ad markets so they did spend some money for high population centers that had high game interest and high viewership.

Fox looked like it did have unsold inventory based on the number of FOX promotional spots for FOX shows FX and NASCAR. As a minimum, they could have bumped those spots for more money

I was told it was in HD where local affiliates could insert it in HD and in select Direct TV local feeds. A friend in the NYC market said he got in HD. It does appear in most cases it was bought as a regional FOX buy and inserted locally in the FOX feed at the local station or station group level which meant for most viewers it appeared in SD , probably usually first in line of the local commercials during those two advertising breaks.

I think two people in threads elsewhere I read stated they saw it in HD, one of which was watching it on Direct TV. I saw it on the local break and it was 4:3 but of good quality, probably because of my displays upconversion. My local Fox affiliate cannot insert HD, but their regional FOX feed can upline insert HD, so it looks like my market was a local buy or the regional buy was at the last minute and standlone in the break, so the spot was inserted locally.

Should know more tomorrow from their national buying advertising agency.

Checking with FOX network people today at my local affiliate and at the national network level, they said the buy was significant in national coverage but was not complete coverage.

Probably more people saw the ad than any other HD video spot because the game was close at that point, but it wasn't national in reach.

Local ads range from $1000-5000 per market. My back of the envelope calculations say they probably spent around a million dollars based on what I was told today, but that could be wildly off by 50% or more depending on the negotiations. Based on what I know today, I would guess they bought around half the markets in the country and only cherry picked markets in the New York to Boston region because those local avails were sold out because of game interest.

Based on when the ads aired ( in the local break after 2nd quarter before the FOX Football analysts got on their set, or just before Tom Petty took to the stage, the spots were all bought in local affiliate time and varied by market.

Probably hit more than half of the top 250-400 MSA's. The pre-game and post game were also extremely well rated and for people that got the full spread of five commercials they got a nice bunch of frequency in one swipe.

If you were in one of the bought markets, you probably got the message across that HD DVD is a good deal now and available in most big box stores.

That took a lot of time and effort to save money and get the most bang for the buck , which implies 2 things, one is that Toshiba is not freely spending money every which way and two is that Toshiba is taking considerable effort to maximize its effect and is probably looking to a long term campaign.

That one single dedicated ad to sell hardware was probably seen by more people in the country than any other single ad for an HD DVD or Blu-ray player, or even a single PS3 spot that has aired to date.

But its huge reach but frequency of exactly one. It was a good media buy for Toshiba but needs to be followed up for it to have impact. It was also bought in a lot of markets, not just large ones, it reached a significant portion of the SuperBowl audiance even though it was a not a national ad.

The impact was probably half- three quarters of the largest SuperBowl audience ever (2nd highest show ever) got exposed to the messages that 1) HD DVD is alive and kicking 2) its a great use of your HDTV for other than sports 3) Its at major retailers for under $149 4) it has some great movies available on it 5) and its a great upconverter for DVDs so even if there is a format war its a great value, and 6) it did it alone as Blu-Ray did not play much.

Placement was lucky in time as the game was close at the time it aired.

No matter how you argue it, it was a plus for HD DVD.

Kosty,

Placement varied from market to market if even aired. Where I was it was sometime during half-time.

I sure most of the retailers are going to try and steer customers towards BD at this point if they come in asking about $149 player.

For as much as this ad was hyped in the tech channels, many perceive it as a failure. Again unless HD DVD gets more content support from the majors its a moot point.

Kosty,

Placement varied from market to market if even aired. Where I was it was sometime during half-time.

I sure most of the retailers are going to try and steer customers towards BD at this point if they come in asking about $149 player.

For as much as this ad was hyped in the tech channels, many perceive it as a failure. Again unless HD DVD gets more content support from the majors its a moot point.

Why would BB push HD DVD over BD? Imagine the margins on a $149 player versus the $400 Sony S300? I know what I'd be pushing.. Likely almost triple...

I think the disappointment is that a Super Bowl ad generally means a big budget ad that plays on the national stage, is reviewed in the many Super Bowl ad report card articles the next day, and is immediately online for everyone to watch and re-watch. That's what the announcement suggested. But it turns out to be a local ad that many didn't see, isn't new, isn't in HD, isn't fabulous, and isn't being talked about.

As such, it was a complete failure as a Super Bowl ad.

Why would BB push HD DVD over BD? Imagine the margins on a $149 player versus the $400 Sony S300? I know what I'd be pushing.. Likely almost triple... Yeah, but the can sell the same Monster cables and warranty plan with either unit sold and that's where the real margins are. Plus Toshiba can be offering other retailer discount and incentines besides the normal margins.

Toshiba is just trying to move units now so the size of the install base cannot be ignored by the retailers or in the future the studios .

Why would BB push HD DVD over BD? Imagine the margins on a $149 player versus the $400 Sony S300? I know what I'd be pushing.. Likely almost triple...

You obviously don't run a store or lack the experience to run a store.
-Chain stores usually don't buy products like that. It's usually done corporately then distrusted among the chain of stores within that area. Therefore, the margins on such products aren't as black and white as you put it.
-Sales bring in customers regardless of the product. This leads to sales of other products or services (end caps, other products on sale, products that usually sell, etc).
-Profits are gained as a whole per night (depending on how business is conducted). This means that no particular product is given more weight over another when that store reports it's revenue weekly/bi-weekly, etc. It's the overall revenue of sales per day that is important and is reported (chain stores) minus shrinkage/damage/etc.

Therefore, the sale of a specific product or series of specific products at a markup of higher then most does not (overall) have any tangible effect in store profits per day unless the store is very limited on products or services offered.

Why would BB push HD DVD over BD? Imagine the margins on a $149 player versus the $400 Sony S300? I know what I'd be pushing.. Likely almost triple...

I think in most cases the scenario would go:

Customer "I saw an HD DVD player for $149"
Best Buy "Insert what ever Best Buy employee says to sway to Blu-Ray"
Customer "How much is that player?"
Best Buy "$400 on the low end." (I'm sure not mentioning the player is gimped or a video game console)
Customer "No thanks."

The profit margin is then 0.

Have not read through entire thread, but I thought I would share these thoughts I have been posting on another site on this issue.

Bottom Line, it was a good placement but a national buy was a lost opportunity for Toshiba, they spent less than aticipated but got a good share of the almost 100 million size audiance at a reduced cost by buying in the regional and local markets.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Video_Clips/Toshiba/High-Def_Disc_Marketing/Video:_HD_DVD_Super_Bowl_Commercial/1430



Toshiba bought regional and local spots in pre and post game and in game during the local break just before halftime. They backed out or did not plan to buy the full national spots.

It was bought in Fox network affiliate time on a regional or local basis and did not play in the entire USA on Fox, it appeared in only a portion of the countries local advertising markets, probably in 1/2 to 3/4 of the USA's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA's).

It looked to me that FOX had national slots available based on the filler FOX network and NASCAR slots aired. Toshiba bailed on the $ 2.7 national buy plus extra for the 4 pre and post game slots and instead bought at the regional and local level and probably bought where the ad had run recently as well as targeted local and regional markets.

They spent far less than $2.7 million and used existing creative for the spot.

This Superbowl according to Nielsen was the highest ranked most viewed SuperBowl of all time and the second most watched American television show in history (behind the MASH finale decades ago) and the most watched event since then.

Using old creative and not going national in the buy was a lost opportunity. I don't think Toshiba was really concerned about the hype but was working the real world impact in a nuts and bolts way.

The Superbowl was the highest ranked most viewed Superbowl or all time and the most watched program since the MASH finale 25 years ago.

Even partial national buying had a huge reach and for those that got all 5 commercials, thats a pretty good frequency in one day for those markets. Probably at least 1/2 to 3/4 of that 97 million reach saw the Toshiba ad, and most that saw it saw it multiple times in the pre game and post game and at the end of the second quarter when the game was still competitive.

On possibility was that Toshiba may have only be offered a 3rd quarter or 4th quarter national ad and that can be a crap shoot if the game is a blowout. so instead they went with the regional buys.

They do appear to have bought insertions in some Northeast ad markets so they did spend some money for high population centers that had high game interest and high viewership.

Fox looked like it did have unsold inventory based on the number of FOX promotional spots for FOX shows FX and NASCAR. As a minimum, they could have bumped those spots for more money

I was told it was in HD where local affiliates could insert it in HD and in select Direct TV local feeds. A friend in the NYC market said he got in HD. It does appear in most cases it was bought as a regional FOX buy and inserted locally in the FOX feed at the local station or station group level which meant for most viewers it appeared in SD , probably usually first in line of the local commercials during those two advertising breaks.

I think two people in threads elsewhere I read stated they saw it in HD, one of which was watching it on Direct TV. I saw it on the local break and it was 4:3 but of good quality, probably because of my displays upconversion. My local Fox affiliate cannot insert HD, but their regional FOX feed can upline insert HD, so it looks like my market was a local buy or the regional buy was at the last minute and standlone in the break, so the spot was inserted locally.

Should know more tomorrow from their national buying advertising agency.

Checking with FOX network people today at my local affiliate and at the national network level, they said the buy was significant in national coverage but was not complete coverage.

Probably more people saw the ad than any other HD video spot because the game was close at that point, but it wasn't national in reach.

Local ads range from $1000-5000 per market. My back of the envelope calculations say they probably spent around a million dollars based on what I was told today, but that could be wildly off by 50% or more depending on the negotiations. Based on what I know today, I would guess they bought around half the markets in the country and only cherry picked markets in the New York to Boston region because those local avails were sold out because of game interest.

Based on when the ads aired ( in the local break after 2nd quarter before the FOX Football analysts got on their set, or just before Tom Petty took to the stage, the spots were all bought in local affiliate time and varied by market.

Probably hit more than half of the top 250-400 MSA's. The pre-game and post game were also extremely well rated and for people that got the full spread of five commercials they got a nice bunch of frequency in one swipe.

If you were in one of the bought markets, you probably got the message across that HD DVD is a good deal now and available in most big box stores.

That took a lot of time and effort to save money and get the most bang for the buck , which implies 2 things, one is that Toshiba is not freely spending money every which way and two is that Toshiba is taking considerable effort to maximize its effect and is probably looking to a long term campaign.

That one single dedicated ad to sell hardware was probably seen by more people in the country than any other single ad for an HD DVD or Blu-ray player, or even a single PS3 spot that has aired to date.

But its huge reach but frequency of exactly one. It was a good media buy for Toshiba but needs to be followed up for it to have impact. It was also bought in a lot of markets, not just large ones, it reached a significant portion of the SuperBowl audiance even though it was a not a national ad.

The impact was probably half- three quarters of the largest SuperBowl audience ever (2nd highest show ever) got exposed to the messages that 1) HD DVD is alive and kicking 2) its a great use of your HDTV for other than sports 3) Its at major retailers for under $149 4) it has some great movies available on it 5) and its a great upconverter for DVDs so even if there is a format war its a great value, and 6) it did it alone as Blu-Ray did not play much.

Placement was lucky in time as the game was close at the time it aired.

No matter how you argue it, it was a plus for HD DVD.
Dude, if ever they're going to pull the plug on me, I want YOU in my corner! How DO you do it?

(wipes tear)

:)

Kosty,

Placement varied from market to market if even aired. Where I was it was sometime during half-time.

I sure most of the retailers are going to try and steer customers towards BD at this point if they come in asking about $149 player.

For as much as this ad was hyped in the tech channels, many perceive it as a failure. Again unless HD DVD gets more content support from the majors its a moot point. I was told today by a national Fox rep that I had met through my local FOX affiliate that there were two regional insertion breaks between the end of the 2nd quarter and the Tom Petty concert and that the Toshiba spots could have appeared in either of those two positions.

Yeah, but the can sell the same Monster cables and warranty plan with either unit sold and that's where the real margins are. Plus Toshiba can be offering other retailer discount and incentines besides the normal margins.

Toshiba is just trying to move units now so the size of the install base cannot be ignored by the retailers or in the future the studios .


Kosty,

What's HD DVD's install base compared to the PS3 install base? Whether the HD DVD PRG wants to admit it or not PS3 owners buy movies.

LD and Beta had larger install bases than HD DVD. Content providers ignored them without batting an eye. You can install all the players you want, unless content is published to see sales results its just a meaningless number.

See my point above about the studios. Disney is not coming to the rescue nor is FOX and/or Sony.

I was told today by a national Fox rep that I had met through my local FOX affiliate that there were two regional insertion breaks between the end of the 2nd quarter and the Tom Petty concert and that the Toshiba spots could have appeared in either of those two positions.
Yup. Those that COULD see it, saw it there. Not me though and I DVRed it.

Kosty,

Time Warner Cable Manhattan ran the SD ad.

Yeah, but the can sell the same Monster cables and warranty plan with either unit sold and that's where the real margins are.

We are a bit afield from the Super Bowl ad itself, but I thought the whole point of the HD-DVD pitch was that it was cheaper and therefore appeals to the average Joe. Now the theory is that such an individual walks into Best Buy looking for a $150 HD-DVD player but walks out with a $150 HD-DVD player and $250 of gold-plated cables and an extended warranty plan? That doesn't seem particualrly consistent to me.

I think the disappointment is that a Super Bowl ad generally means a big budget ad that plays on the national stage, is reviewed in the many Super Bowl ad report card articles the next day, and is immediately online for everyone to watch and re-watch. That's what the announcement suggested. But it turns out to be a local ad that many didn't see, isn't new, isn't in HD, isn't fabulous, and isn't being talked about.

As such, it was a complete failure as a Super Bowl ad.
I agree it was a lost opportunity from a hype standpoint, but from a nuts and bolts advertising cost standpoint, it hit a lot of eyeballs with a significant message. SD or HD actually means little in its effect compared to the number of viewers who saw it.

Its a nice match with lower POS prices.

I do agree that newer creative with a national buy would have been better, but this ad will have some impact because of its reach and one day frequency in some local markets.

We are a bit afield from the Super Bowl ad itself, but I thought the whole point of the HD-DVD pitch was that it was cheaper and therefore appeals to the average Joe. Now the theory is that such an individual walks into Best Buy looking for a $150 HD-DVD player but walks out with a $150 HD-DVD player and $250 of gold-plated cables and an extended warranty plan? That doesn't seem particualrly consistent to me. I was just responding to the incentive for retailers to carry it.

No matter how you argue it, it was a plus for HD DVD.I agree, that's a given. The problem is that I felt they needed a bigger punch given their position. We'll see what the numbers say next month.

Yeah, but the can sell the same Monster cables and warranty plan with either unit sold and that's where the real margins are. Plus Toshiba can be offering other retailer discount and incentines besides the normal margins.

Toshiba is just trying to move units now so the size of the install base cannot be ignored by the retailers or in the future the studios .
Riiight, penny conscious consumers that will only buy HD DVD players at rock bottom prices will suddenly jump at buying a cable that costs nearly as much as the player?

Toshiba, along with everyone else is trying to get rid of players as fast as they can. Toshiba lost this war because of software not hardware.

Bottom Line, it was a good placement but a national buy was a lost opportunity for ToshibaPlacement was lucky in time as the game was close at the time it aired.
They got the worst possible placement of the ad possible, unless people saw the ad in their toilets. Half-time is not when people are at rapt attention. It's the least-watched part of the entire game.
they spent less than aticipated but got a good share of the almost 100 million size audiance at a reduced cost by buying in the regional and local markets.
Probably hit more than half of the top 250-400 MSA's. The pre-game and post game were also extremely well rated and for people that got the full spread of five commercials they got a nice bunch of frequency in one swipe.Uh, no. It was well under half, actually. Possibly closer to 1/3 or 1/4. It was well under half of the DMAs/media markets (the actual tracking mechanisms). And there are only 210 DMAs, not 250-400.
If you were in one of the bought markets, you probably got the message across that HD DVD is a good deal now and available in most big box stores.That is by far the least ventured opinion by anyone. The blogs and the forums are overwhelmingly against your conclusion, even from HD DVD supporters.

I think in most cases the scenario would go:

Customer "I saw an HD DVD player for $149"
Best Buy "Insert what ever Best Buy employee says to sway to Blu-Ray"
Customer "How much is that player?"
Best Buy "$400 on the low end." (I'm sure not mentioning the player is gimped or a video game console)
Customer "No thanks."

The profit margin is then 0.

Just remember HD DVD is cheap because it has no choice. If it was the other way around and HD DVD had more content and manufacturer support do you honestly think Toshiba would be selling these players at near give-away prices?

And BD now that HD DVD is almost a none factor will follow a standard CE price curve. BD will slowy come down in price on a natural curve. They won't be $400+ forever. Heck with some promotions they are much less than that.

But the BDA does not have to give away anything to stay in the game at this point. Toshiba's only weapon over the last few months was price and now that WHV announced their intentions Toshiba is stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

I agree it was a lost opportunity from a hype standpoint, but from a nuts and bolts advertising cost standpoint, it hit a lot of eyeballs with a significant message. SD or HD actually means little in its effect compared to the number of viewers who saw it.

Its a nice match with lower POS prices.

I do agree that newer creative with a national buy would have been better, but this ad will have some impact because of its reach and one day frequency in some local markets.

It was a failure as a Super Bowl ad, though it might have been something else from other perspectives. However, nobody who watches the Super Bowl or reads anything about Super Bowl ads cares about those other things. This was just a collosal failure by HD-DVD, made worse by its decision to hype its Super Bowl participation. If you're not going to do a true Super Bowl ad, don't have a press release/press conference/etc. about your Super Bowl ad. Particularly if much of America doesn't even see it.

Just remember HD DVD is cheap because it has no choice. If it was the other way around and HD DVD had more content and manufacturer support do you honestly think Toshiba would be selling these players at near give-away prices?

And BD now that HD DVD is almost a none factor will follow a standard CE price curve. BD will slowy come down in price on a natural curve. They won't be $400+ forever. Heck with some promotions they are much less than that.

But the BDA does not have to give away anything to stay in the game at this point. Toshiba's only weapon over the last few months was price and now that WHV announced their intentions Toshiba is stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

HD-DVD was always cheaper not because they had to and it was before current studio shifting.

To be honest, most of the Superbowl commercials this year sucked compared to previous years. The most notable commercials were the Super-powered Bud Light, The Sobe Lizard Life Water "Thriller", the Coca-Cola Float Fight and the Doritos Rat Trap.

For Toshiba, the goal wasn't product placement through an abstract ad simply stamped with the product name as many of the above were. Toshiba's goal was to place the product by advertising the product itself, what it does, how much it costs and where it can be found.

For those interested in more HD content, the ad told them what they needed to hear.

Whether or not the ad was in HD is more a result of the local FOX affiliates ability to air in HD and whether they tied the commercial to other local commercials as well and whether it even mattered whether or not it was HD completely depends on if the viewer actually had an HD set.

All in all, I'd say the commercial succeeds in getting HD DVD more exposure, which was it's purpose. Can the commercial turn the tide all on its own? Probably not. But in conjunction with the new lower prices which are finally appearing in the weekly circulars for local B&Ms, it could make a significant impact in attracting new buyers.

Uh, you're repeating yourself. A little quick with copy-paste or something? To repeat: It was well under half of the DMAs/media markets (the actual tracking mechanisms, which are different than MSAs, by the way). My information was that it was in more than half of the Nielsen DMAs. We should know more tomorrow if the placing agency gives more details as they have stated to one website that they will.

Not sure where you managed to come up with the 1/2 to 3/4 of the audience saw the ads. I suspect the percentage is far less than that. It didn't air in San Diego or Los Angeles due to the indian-gaming ad's taking those spots. I suspect the rest of California was much the same. It was probably a situation where Fox sold them the spots and the local-affiliates had the option to selling the spot as well. All the larger markets were probably able to sell the ad-time themselves, whereas in the smaller markets, the local affiliates might not have been able to sell the spots, so the network feed ad went on through.

If you miss all the large markets, you are probably going to get well under 1/2 the total audience the superbowl had.

San Francisco was a no go, too.

Again, the worst possible times for any ad to air. Worst possible time is later in the game if its a blowout when viewership drops as people tune out.

Thats the better local placement time, and usually trumps pre and post time slotting or later in the halftime break .

Its not as good as a national ad in first or second quarter placement when the game is still in doubt.

I thought I was seeing the HD DVD ad, but it was actually the last 2 pass attempts by Brady

HD-DVD was always cheaper not because they had to and it was before current studio shifting.

The BDA has always had superior support from day one.

HD DVD launched with Warner, Paramount and Universal.

BD launched with Disney, Fox, Sony, Warner and Paramount.

HD DVD knew to get support from consumers it had to launch at a lower price. $499 vs. $999. It was 5 to 3 at day one. Today with those studios it is 4 to 2 with each one losing support from an initial backer.

But remember Warner has a large controlling interest in New Line ( LOTR ;) ) and HBO Home Video. So losing Warner is a much bigger blow to HD DVD than Paramount dropping BD. When Paramount dropped BD they were not releasing much on HDM at the time anyway and it also spurred Fox to come back to BD in a big way.

Worst possible time is later in the game if its a blowout when viewership drops as people tune out.

Thats the better local placement time, and usually trumps pre and post time slotting or later in the halftime break .

Its not as good as a national ad in first or second quarter placement when the game is still in doubt.

funny my entire super bowl party took this exact moment to get up and rush the bathroom and fridge,oooops

Not sure where you managed to come up with the 1/2 to 3/4 of the audience saw the ads. I suspect the percentage is far less than that. It didn't air in San Diego or Los Angeles due to the indian-gaming ad's taking those spots. I suspect the rest of California was much the same. It was probably a situation where Fox sold them the spots and the local-affiliates had the option to selling the spot as well. All the larger markets were probably able to sell the ad-time themselves, whereas in the smaller markets, the local affiliates might not have been able to sell the spots, so the network feed ad went on through.

If you miss all the large markets, you are probably going to get well under 1/2 the total audience the superbowl had. It had some reach into NYC and Boston areas and on cable and sat.

We'll have a better idea tomorrow on the reach. Lots of USA population in smaller media markets between the coasts.

It may very well have been regionally bought but preemptable at the local affiliate level.

The BDA has always had superior support from day one.

HD DVD launched with Warner, Paramount and Universal.

BD launched with Disney, Fox, Sony, Warner and Paramount.

HD DVD knew to get support it had to launch at a lower price. $499 vs. $999. It was 5 to 3 at day one. Today with those studios it is 4 to 2 with each one losing support from an initial backer.

But remember Warner has a large controlling interest in New Line ( LOTR ;) ) and HBO Home Video. So losing Warner is much bigger blow to HD DVD than Paramount dropping BD.

So, Blu-ray having one more major studio was superior support? I'm sure I buy into that when the support of one of those studios listed has been lukewarm so far.

Furthermore, Toshiba has stated from early on that it sees HD discs reaching viability through reaching mass market pricing in a reasonably short amount of time. All steps that they have taken since the debut of HD DVD including releasing a 1080i player, support that business plan.

That isn't really open to spin.

I agree, this Ad was much need to get the message across that HD DVD is not dead and the $149 is not a liquidation price. I'm just very disappointed that it wasn't more than we expected. Regardless how I feel about the ad, it was still Aired and reached a huge audience. So while, we can complained all we want, it still did its job.

Worst possible time is later in the game if its a blowout when viewership drops as people tune out.I take it you don't watch sports. Maybe in a regular season game, but that doesn't in the Super Bowl (or the World Series, or World Cup, or NBA championship, or either NCAA final, and so on...)
Thats the better local placement time, and usually trumps pre and post time slotting or later in the halftime break .It's only better because it's cheaper, and it's only cheaper because it pulls less viewers.

funny my entire super bowl party took this exact moment to get up and rush the bathroom and fridge,oooops

Unless you had a Super Bowl Party of about 3 people or less, I assume you either have a lot of bathrooms, or have a community bathroom. :D

I thought I was seeing the HD DVD ad, but it was actually the last 2 pass attempts by Brady

OUCH!!!! :eek:

I take it you don't watch sports. Maybe in a regular season game, but that doesn't in the Super Bowl (or the World Series, or World Cup, or NBA championship, or either NCAA final, and so on...)
It's only better because it's cheaper, and it's only cheaper because it pulls less viewers.

I take the position that it is still better than doing absolutely nothing.

I take it you don't watch sports. Maybe in a regular season game, but that doesn't in the Super Bowl (or the World Series, or World Cup, or NBA championship, or either NCAA final, and so on...)
It's only better because it's cheaper, and it's only cheaper because it pulls less viewers.

I have, as have various friends of mine in the past, changed the channel from the Super Bowl during a blowout.

Yesterday's game wasn't one of the most watched TV shows in history for nothing.

I agree, this Ad was much need to get the message across that HD DVD is not dead and the $149 is not a liquidation price. I'm just very disappointed that it wasn't more than we expected. Regardless how I feel about the ad, it was still Aired and reached a huge audience. So while, we can complained all we want, it still did its job.

how do we know it reached a huge audience when only select markets saw it? not to mention it was an old ad in SD that i've already seen in HD. good idea, very poorly executed imo. they should have done a brand new 30s ad in HD with clips from Bourne and Transformers. hints at exclusivity on Ironman would have helped a great deal as well.

the ad didnt air where i lived and i thought the American Gangster ad was it.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
Chicago
Cleveland
Houston
Sacramento
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver
Salt Lake City


Thanks to people for contributing. Any info on Miami, DFW would be appreciated?

Putting aside the largely irrelevant nuances as to whether it played to 48% or 61% of America, we'll know if it had any impact at all from Nielsen and NPD in the next few weeks. The proof is in the pudding.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver


Anybody knows about Chicago?No-go in Chica-go.

You obviously don't run a store or lack the experience to run a store.

See page 12 (http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/questex/hom020308/index.php) for a contrary viewpoint. Entitled "right on the money."

Brandon

This is what High-Def Digest reported before the game:

Taking its message to the largest marketing platform on earth, Toshiba has plunked down a reported $2.7 million for a 30-second spot on this year's Super Bowl telecast.

Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing for Toshiba's Digital A/V Group confirmed the purchase to Home Media Magazine, saying "it has always been our strategy to reach HDTV owners, [and] using advertising on football games is just one vehicle."

Of course, the Super Bowl is more than just a football game; according to a research study conducted by trade group the Consumer Electronics Association and advocacy group Sports Video Group, more than 2.4 million HDTV sets will be sold due to Super Bowl XLII.

Sally said that Toshiba's 30-second Super Bowl spot would highlight the company's HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 HD DVD player, all of which saw significant price cuts a week after Warner's move to Blu-ray exclsuivity.

The hype for this ad -- from HD-DVD itself -- far outpaced the impact of the ad, which evidently wasn't a $2.7M ad, nor was it seem by huge parts of the US. This was a dismal failure as a Super Bowl ad. For contrasts, see Audi, Bud, FedEx, eTrade, etc. In other words, the companies that aired legitimate Super Bowl ads during the game that were clever, entertaining, new, and in HD.

I agree, that's a given. The problem is that I felt they needed a bigger punch given their position. We'll see what the numbers say next month.
I think Kosty did too...

The "after the football season is over, watch movies " ad would be good, but I think it is going to be a new ad, or as a minimum that ad with a new ending talking about HD DVD models and pricing.

Its going to be a new spot, its a scheduled spot and the rate paid suggests its a recent purchase.



Obviously Toshiba is not conceding defeat and is still fighting to move hardware unit to build up a installed base of hardware owners that cannot be ignored.

Toshiba is attempting to bypass the Hollywood decision making and go directly to consumers.

Superbowl ads often signal the start of new advertising campaigns as the SuperBowl ads massive reach and recall advantage add a lot to the start of any accumulation of media impressions.

Add to the fact its targeted at HDTV owners and its a really good ad buy for the price.

From HiDefDigest
Its not a short run thing. It also implies Toshiba is not looking at the short term but is willing and able to drag this out for a considerable time. Toshiba will use this ad as a jump start to more marketing.
That was some "jump start."

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver


Anybody knows about Chicago?

No Cleveland.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver


Anybody knows about Chicago?

I know you are going for large markets, but you can add Sacramento to that list.

Guys, these tangental arguments are derailing the thread...focus on the super bowl ad! (or lack thereof)

Brandon

So, Blu-ray having one more major studio was superior support? I'm sure I buy into that when the support of one of those studios listed has been lukewarm so far.

Furthermore, Toshiba has stated from early on that it sees HD discs reaching viability through reaching mass market pricing in a reasonably short amount of time. All steps that they have taken since the debut of HD DVD including releasing a 1080i player, support that business plan.

That isn't really open to spin.

Funny the $499 price started dropping rapidly after the PS3 was introduced.

And BTW, having Disney on the BDA's side is much more than having just one more studo and as of June 1 BD will be up by two studio and those two studios have rather large film divisions. Disney like Warner has many other film divisions. Again after May, the content disparity is going to be something like 80:20 in BD's favor. No money that Toshiba can spend from this day forward is probably going to change that. Why would a BD studio change at this point? The end of the war is essentially here. The only parts left to do are to admit defeat, sign the treaty and convince the troops to stand down.

People are just starting to ignore HD DVD. It has already lost in the media and in public perception.

I think Kosty did too...






From HiDefDigest

That was some "jump start."

I think any reasonable person can safely come to the conclusion that it was none of the above.

Brandon

I know you are going for large markets, but you can add Sacramento to that list.

BrandonYou'd be surprised: Sacramento is #20, above St Louis and Pittsburgh.

This is what High-Def Digest reported before the game:

Taking its message to the largest marketing platform on earth, Toshiba has plunked down a reported $2.7 million for a 30-second spot on this year's Super Bowl telecast.

Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing for Toshiba's Digital A/V Group confirmed the purchase to Home Media Magazine, saying "it has always been our strategy to reach HDTV owners, [and] using advertising on football games is just one vehicle."

Of course, the Super Bowl is more than just a football game; according to a research study conducted by trade group the Consumer Electronics Association and advocacy group Sports Video Group, more than 2.4 million HDTV sets will be sold due to Super Bowl XLII.

if toshiba isnt just going to roll over and die after the Warner announcement, they need to put up a better fight than this.

Sally said that Toshiba's 30-second Super Bowl spot would highlight the company's HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 HD DVD player, all of which saw significant price cuts a week after Warner's move to Blu-ray exclsuivity.

The hype for this ad -- from HD-DVD itself -- far outpaced the impact of the ad, which evidently wasn't a $2.7M ad, nor was it seen by huge parts of the US. This was a dismal failure as a Super Bowl ad. For contrasts, see Audi, Bud, FedEx, eTrade, etc. In other words, the companies that aired legitimate Super Bowl ads during the game that were clever, entertaining, new, and in HD.

not only was the ad not seen by a lot of ppl (add houston to the list of didnt see it), the ppl that did see it reported it was in SD and an old ad. so much for their strategy to reach hdtv owners. looking at the list of cities that didnt see the ad seems they left out a lot of major cities in the US.

not only was the ad not seen by a lot of ppl (add houston to the list of didnt see it), the ppl that did see it reported it was in SD and an old ad. so much for their strategy to reach hdtv owners. looking at the list of cities that didnt see the ad seems they left out a lot of major cities in the US.

Some major offensive... like the firecracker that just went zzzzztttt! No pop or bang. Just fizzled out.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
Chicago
Cleveland
Houston
Sacramento
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver


Thanks to people for contributing. Any info on Miami, DFW would be appreciated?


No Salt Lake City either. You would of thought they would have at least went after the markets that buy the most DVD's per household.

Top U.S. Markets for DVD Purchasers in 2007*
Rank Markets % of adults who belong to a HHLD that has purchased a pre-recorded DVD during the past year
1 Salt Lake City DMA 73
2 Colorado Springs/Pueblo DMA 65
3 Las Vegas DMA 64
4 Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News DMA 64
5 Columbus DMA 64
6 Denver DMA 63
7 Phoenix DMA 62
8 Oklahoma City DMA 62
9 Spokane DMA 62
10 Tulsa DMA 62
National Average 59

Source: Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Release 1 2007
*DVD Purchasers are those adults who belong to a HHLD that has purchased a pre-recorded during the past year

I get the feeling that whoever's running things at Toshiba has never watched a Super Bowl commercial. :confused:

In order for a Super Bowl commercial to work, you need at least 3 of the following:

Celebrities
Ridiculously attractive women
Beer
Men being men
Hilarious antics
Animals with special effects (if the animal dances, that counts as 2)
The underdog wins (HD DVD)
A punch line (could be a physical punchline)
Shot to the groin
Classic movie reference

How many of these were in the HD DVD spot?

Why would BB push HD DVD over BD? Imagine the margins on a $149 player versus the $400 Sony S300? I know what I'd be pushing.. Likely almost triple...

Best Buy will push whatever sells. They carry CD's, DVD's, etc. They make a few bucks on each sale. If selling $149 players means selling high-margin HD DVD's that is to Best Buy's benefit as well.

You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink. What do you think customers are telling the Blue Shirts when they try to sell them a Blu-Ray player for $400 (when there are $149 HD DVD players that do all the upconverting that the $50-$100 players do plus actually play high-definition video discs).

Ten million standard-definition DVD players sold in the first seven months of 2007. These people (the masses) aren't exactly looking to buy a Blu-Ray player any more than they are looking to buy a TivoHD. People have got their Comcast HD DVR and the Comcast HD OnDemand, and Sony thinks they can sell them a $400 Blu-Ray player by buying studio support. Warner's supposed reason for going Blu was the strong Blu-Ray sales despite higher price points. But when Profile 1.0 players were being sold for $300 or being given away with 1080p HDTV's at Best Buy in December, was Blu-Ray really at significantly higher price point in December (according to Bill Hunt $200 more)? What kind of funny numbers was Warner looking at? Or are they just lying through their teeth?

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/cemadvdsales.html

And there are denials of payoffs because $500 million is a drop in the pot when Warner has tens of billion dollars in REVENUE from DVD sales, but when Warner's profit is only about $5 Billion (or about ten times the sum of the suggested payout), it is significant whatever kind of concessions Sony is giving them. Warner's stockholders value Time Warner by its ability to earn $5 billion this year and grow it by 15% next year (to $5.75 Billion). anything to help them reach those objectives is in the best interests of warner's executives.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=TWX

I was in a Sony store on Saturday and despite the fact that Toshiba is being bashed for promoting the HD-A3's upconverting ability, the ability to play a DVD in your Blu-Ray disc player (backwards compatibility) was prominently displayed in the demo loop. Of course HD DVD has the only truly backwards compatible disc (the HD DVD Combo DVD discs).

Just because HD-DVD flubbed its Super Bowl ad -- the nominal topic of this thread -- that doesn't mean that people should pipe up with off-topic HD-DVD talking points.

Let's stick to the Super Bowl ad.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA...


I saw the ad in LA via TW cable. It was SD.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
Chicago
Cleveland
Houston
Sacramento
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver
Salt Lake City


Thanks to people for contributing. Any info on Miami, DFW would be appreciated?

No ad in Las Vegas.

No ad in Oklahoma City.

Right now, HD-DVD is well above BD sales on Amazon. Is that sign?
Really, why not post some facts/data tp proove your point ?

I know why, because it didn't happen. Yes, sales increased. Bypassed Blu-ray disc sales, No.

The add did not air in the following markets


LA
Chicago
Cleveland
Houston
Sacramento
San Francisco
San Diego
Washington
Baltimore
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Detroit
Denver
Salt Lake City


Thanks to people for contributing. Any info on Miami, DFW would be appreciated?
Just take 1/2 the cities on that list:
LA (2), Chicago(3), Philadelphia(4), San Francisco(6), Atlanta(8), Washington(9), and Houston(10) and you are already talking almost 20% of all viewers.:eek:

This is what High-Def Digest reported before the game:

Taking its message to the largest marketing platform on earth, Toshiba has plunked down a reported $2.7 million for a 30-second spot on this year's Super Bowl telecast.

Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing for Toshiba's Digital A/V Group confirmed the purchase to Home Media Magazine, saying "it has always been our strategy to reach HDTV owners, [and] using advertising on football games is just one vehicle."

Of course, the Super Bowl is more than just a football game; according to a research study conducted by trade group the Consumer Electronics Association and advocacy group Sports Video Group, more than 2.4 million HDTV sets will be sold due to Super Bowl XLII.

Sally said that Toshiba's 30-second Super Bowl spot would highlight the company's HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 HD DVD player, all of which saw significant price cuts a week after Warner's move to Blu-ray exclsuivity.

The hype for this ad -- from HD-DVD itself -- far outpaced the impact of the ad, which evidently wasn't a $2.7M ad, nor was it seem by huge parts of the US. This was a dismal failure as a Super Bowl ad. For contrasts, see Audi, Bud, FedEx, eTrade, etc. In other words, the companies that aired legitimate Super Bowl ads during the game that were clever, entertaining, new, and in HD.

Does seem strange. It's seems Toshiba was describing a different ad than the one that actually aired as well...I saw no mention of the various player-models. I suspect Toshiba saw the writing on the wall and decided not to blow any more money on the thing. They probably negotiated their way down to a cheaper contract after they had already committed to a spot.

I don't think it was on in Tampa

I thought I saw some posts on other forums that some in the LA area (Orange County???) saw it. Maybe that area has a few different Fox affiliates?

It'd be interesting in coming up with a list of markets where it was seen.

Just a thought.

The advertisement is probably not going to accomplish much. Why would anyone think it might?

For the historians around here: did CC have a window in super bowl #? with Divx?

That "format" just delayed the run that DVD has had.

Remember early on when the question was whether DVD could look as good as LD?

Us crazies that strive for the best need to have a united front. May the bashing stop. The market will decide.

I get the feeling that whoever's running things at Toshiba has never watched a Super Bowl commercial. :confused:

In order for a Super Bowl commercial to work, you need at least 3 of the following:

Animals with special effects (if the animal dances, that counts as 2)

Shot to the groin


Sir, I like the way you think!

Brandon

Really, why not post some facts/data tp proove your point ?

I know why, because it didn't happen. Yes, sales increased. Bypassed Blu-ray disc sales, No.

Go here:

http://charts.highdefdigest.com/history.aspx

Select 4 Feb for the date. HD DVD sales rankings outstripped BD for the majority of the day. Granted, this was only by 10 spots total but it was (and currently is) the case nonetheless.

Go here:

http://charts.highdefdigest.com/history.aspx

Select 4 Feb for the date. HD DVD sales rankings outstripped BD for the majority of the day. Granted, this was only by 10 spots total but it was (and currently is) the case nonetheless.

Correlation is not causation. Let's see what the broader Nielsen and NPD numbers tell us in a few weeks.

Correlation is not causation. Let's see what the broader Nielsen and NPD numbers tell us in a few weeks.

The question was not whether the superbowl ad caused the sales surge. 42Plasmaman said that HD DVD sales did not pass BD sales on Amazon in response to anotheraviator, who asserted that HD DVD sales surpassing BD could be a sign that the ad worked.

I wasn't saying that it worked or did not work, I was only supplying the evidence that 42Plasmaman asked for when he said that that HD DVD's sales surpassing BD was fictitious.

The question was not whether the superbowl ad caused the sales surge. 42Plasmaman said that HD DVD sales did not pass BD sales on Amazon in response to someone who asserted that they did. Yes, anotheraviator asserted that the sales were a sign that the ad worked.

I wasn't saying that it did or did not, I was only supplying the evidence that 42Plasmaman asked for when he said that HD DVD sales surged but did not pass BD.

Deepest apologies. I hadn't realized that the discussion no longer closely related to the topic of the thread.

Deepest apologies. I hadn't realized that the discussion no longer closely related to the topic of the thread.

Hmmm...yet you are continuing to peruse this line of discussion.

At any rate I find the surge in sales - a rather significant one if you look at the data - to be very interesting, and possibly pertinent. As you pointed out earlier when you were still contributing to the discussion, time will tell.

Reminds me of a Futurama episode.


Farnsworth: Gather round everyone. My new commercial's starting. I paid to have it air during the superbowl!
Everyone: Wow!
Farnsworth: Not on the same channel of course.

Hmmm...yet you are continuing to peruse this line of discussion.

At any rate I find the surge in sales - a rather significant one if you look at the data - to be very interesting, and possibly pertinent. As you pointed out earlier when you were still contributing to the discussion, time will tell.

I think it will be virtually impossible to isolate the impact of a single ad from the impact of a majar sale at Amazon, the Warner announcement, hardware discounting, other advertising, and this week's new releases on both formats, to name just a few factors. But we will certainly see what this week's numbers are in due course. But regardless of the numbers, I doubt people will look back at the ad that many never even saw as any sort of turning point for HD-DVD.

Select 4 Feb for the date. HD DVD sales rankings outstripped BD for the majority of the day. Granted, this was only by 10 spots total but it was (and currently is) the case nonetheless.There is a problem with someone, see below for the top ten chart.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/salesrank-time-1-1-recent144.jpg

I believe there is a big sale (60%?) going on at Amazon for HD DVD disc.

This thread should be in the HD-DVD Software section. Not this forum.

There is a problem with someone, see below for the top ten chart.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/graphs/salesrank-time-1-1-recent144.jpg

I believe there is a big sale (60%?) going on at Amazon for HD DVD disc.
Eproductwars.com doesn't update all data like hdgamedb.com does.

Go here:

http://charts.highdefdigest.com/history.aspx

Select 4 Feb for the date. HD DVD sales rankings outstripped BD for the majority of the day. Granted, this was only by 10 spots total but it was (and currently is) the case nonetheless.
Thanks for the link.

Looks like they were ahead yesterday but the lead fizzled out quickly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/zx3maniac/Amazonhidefrank02-05-2008.jpg

Hmmm...yet you are continuing to peruse this line of discussion.

At any rate I find the surge in sales - a rather significant one if you look at the data - to be very interesting, and possibly pertinent. As you pointed out earlier when you were still contributing to the discussion, time will tell.

So HD DVD puts up a huge sale of titles and has a little spike and that is a comeback?

I missed the ad as well I think it shows toshibia doesn't have the money to advertise the format or they just don't care. Some say just let toshibia work. I've yet to see them put great effort in. Their are 50 BD ads for every on HD.

I wish it was better but its not

Thanks for the link.

Looks like they were ahead yesterday but the lead fizzled out quickly.


Careful, you point that out and they will quickly go back to saying those charts mean nothing. In other words, their point of view changes as fast as those charts.

Careful, you point that out and they will quickly go back to saying those charts mean nothing. In other words, their point of view changes as fast as those charts.

Just look at the stability of Blu-ray sales vs HD DVD since the Warner annoucement.
HD DVD had a spike of sales recently due to the Universal 1/2 price liquidation and you can see that HD DVD sales are now declining as expected.

There may be more "stand-alone" HD DVD players but the consumption of disc purchases doesn't seem to be there to back up a potential for forecasting a new business to sell HDM discs.
Toshiba is trying hard with these extreme price cuts to get disc sales to increase but the impact of these extreme price cuts seem to be short term and isn't sustaining stable sales for HD DVD discs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/zx3maniac/Amazonhidefsales30days2-6-2008.jpg

Thanks. Superbowl was a few days ago now.