Which format has the global marketing advantage?

tlreddragon · 01-05-07, 03:57 AM

So I've spent about 10 days in Japan and it's interesting to see how the format war is being played out here. Every store I have been to has a paltry selection of high-definition DVDs and trying to find where they keep them is like hunting for easter eggs. Blu-ray, for the most part, is more prominently displayed in stores but what's interesting is the fact that HD DVD ads are plastered ALL OVER Japan- buses, trains, billboards etc. with nary a BD ad in sight.

Some other things I observed-
1) Most stores displayed the A2/XA1 for HD DVD and the DMP-BD10/S1 for Blu-ray (both very expensive players compared to the A2).
2) HD DVD has a lot more Asian-language films (which doesn't really concern us folks stateside but could affect the high-def market in Japan and Asia in general).
3) Two words- VERY EXPENSIVE. Most stores have discs priced around US $40-$50 with some smaller stores selling for $25-$30 (still expensive).

Overall though, I get the impression that both camps are TRYING to sink their respective formats.

noise36 · 01-05-07, 04:11 AM

In Australia Toshiba has basically zero presence.

All the BD CE company are well represented.

tlreddragon · 01-05-07, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noise36

In Australia Toshiba has basically zero presence.

All the BD CE company are well represented.

Could you be a bit more specific?

gooki · 01-05-07, 04:43 AM

For BD:
- Panasonic has their BD player out in the australisa market (though very expensive).
- Sony/pioneer/panasonic/sansung have good distribution agents down under and on average at least two of those companies would be represented in every electronics store.
- Playstation is a strong brand, but only as a gaming device.

For HDDVD:
- No HDDVD players yet for us other than laptops.
- Toshiba has limited reach in the retail market. I'd estimate only 50% of electronics retailers stock Toshiba TVs. Last i heard Toshiba products are rumoured to be distributed by the pioneer distributors so retal reach may expand.
- Xbox 360 is aparently doing very well in australia so big market there.

The biggest problems i see for HDDVD/BD in New Zealand are:
- $1,500 fee for classification of film prior to sale (we only have 4 million people, this makes niche market film sales expensive and slow). I'll be doing my bit to circumvent this law for HDDVD owners (legally).
- Price of entry for BD. Current player has a retail price of $2,999 and street price of $2500 at best. Now consider our average wage is significantly less than USA workers it's far from affordable for most people.
- HD awareness. New Zealand has no broadcast HDTV available (subscription of FTA). Though this could be a good thing as HDDVD/BD may be the only way for people to get their HD fix, especially since HDTV sets have been on the market for approx 3 years.

So to sum up.

BD will have a hard time unless they can get their player prices below $1000 and steadily dropping. HDDVD has to get into stores, and discs on the shelves, and even then neither will break out of the niche market for a fair few years.

denass · 01-05-07, 07:48 AM

from what I read earlier bluray is not going to have much standalones presence in europe its going to be hdvd except for the ps3 when it gets released over there.This will make a huge impact once hdvd starts picking up speed--titles thru studio canal which will be hdvd exclusive.If hddvd hits australia with good cheap players then game over here too for bluray.
The very good is hddvd owners can purchase from any country and not have region coding like bluray---this alone in australia and europe will be a very big plus.Thousands did it here with laser disc and then dvd when more titles were available overseas--I did it too for years.england,france etc are getting titles that are exclusive on bluray in the states AND COMING OUT ON HDDVD and some will be better quality then whats availble now on bluray---using better masters--research studio canal here to find out.
Japan seems to be the only stronghold for bluray and that will probably be like vcd was over there compared to the rest of the world. I wouldnt like to be in pioneers,panasonic's position of the amount of standalones they are selling---very small amount compared to toshiba---I can see these going over to hddvd where the money is in 2007.

builty · 01-05-07, 08:53 PM

I've spotted the Sammy player in a number of local Aus retailers (around A$1500), along with a handful of movies. A few adds have popped up here and there in mags and junk mail.
No sightings of mention of any HD-DVD here at all.

01-05-07, 03:57 AM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
tlreddragon Long Live Blu-ray! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Jose Posts: 1,179	Which format has the global marketing advantage? So I've spent about 10 days in Japan and it's interesting to see how the format war is being played out here. Every store I have been to has a paltry selection of high-definition DVDs and trying to find where they keep them is like hunting for easter eggs. Blu-ray, for the most part, is more prominently displayed in stores but what's interesting is the fact that HD DVD ads are plastered ALL OVER Japan- buses, trains, billboards etc. with nary a BD ad in sight. Some other things I observed- 1) Most stores displayed the A2/XA1 for HD DVD and the DMP-BD10/S1 for Blu-ray (both very expensive players compared to the A2). 2) HD DVD has a lot more Asian-language films (which doesn't really concern us folks stateside but could affect the high-def market in Japan and Asia in general). 3) Two words- VERY EXPENSIVE. Most stores have discs priced around US $40-$50 with some smaller stores selling for $25-$30 (still expensive). Overall though, I get the impression that both camps are TRYING to sink their respective formats. __________________ BD- 134 HD DVD- 98 "I have been told by a very reliable contact that Universal should announce neutrality during CES 2008..." -beatboy77

01-05-07, 07:48 AM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
denass Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 266	from what I read earlier bluray is not going to have much standalones presence in europe its going to be hdvd except for the ps3 when it gets released over there.This will make a huge impact once hdvd starts picking up speed--titles thru studio canal which will be hdvd exclusive.If hddvd hits australia with good cheap players then game over here too for bluray. The very good is hddvd owners can purchase from any country and not have region coding like bluray---this alone in australia and europe will be a very big plus.Thousands did it here with laser disc and then dvd when more titles were available overseas--I did it too for years.england,france etc are getting titles that are exclusive on bluray in the states AND COMING OUT ON HDDVD and some will be better quality then whats availble now on bluray---using better masters--research studio canal here to find out. Japan seems to be the only stronghold for bluray and that will probably be like vcd was over there compared to the rest of the world. I wouldnt like to be in pioneers,panasonic's position of the amount of standalones they are selling---very small amount compared to toshiba---I can see these going over to hddvd where the money is in 2007. Last edited by denass; 01-05-07 at 07:56 AM..

01-05-07, 04:11 AM	#2 \| Link
noise36 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 51	In Australia Toshiba has basically zero presence. All the BD CE company are well represented.

01-05-07, 04:43 AM	#4 \| Link
gooki AVS Special Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Queenstown, New Zealand Posts: 3,302	For BD: - Panasonic has their BD player out in the australisa market (though very expensive). - Sony/pioneer/panasonic/sansung have good distribution agents down under and on average at least two of those companies would be represented in every electronics store. - Playstation is a strong brand, but only as a gaming device. For HDDVD: - No HDDVD players yet for us other than laptops. - Toshiba has limited reach in the retail market. I'd estimate only 50% of electronics retailers stock Toshiba TVs. Last i heard Toshiba products are rumoured to be distributed by the pioneer distributors so retal reach may expand. - Xbox 360 is aparently doing very well in australia so big market there. The biggest problems i see for HDDVD/BD in New Zealand are: - $1,500 fee for classification of film prior to sale (we only have 4 million people, this makes niche market film sales expensive and slow). I'll be doing my bit to circumvent this law for HDDVD owners (legally). - Price of entry for BD. Current player has a retail price of $2,999 and street price of $2500 at best. Now consider our average wage is significantly less than USA workers it's far from affordable for most people. - HD awareness. New Zealand has no broadcast HDTV available (subscription of FTA). Though this could be a good thing as HDDVD/BD may be the only way for people to get their HD fix, especially since HDTV sets have been on the market for approx 3 years. So to sum up. BD will have a hard time unless they can get their player prices below $1000 and steadily dropping. HDDVD has to get into stores, and discs on the shelves, and even then neither will break out of the niche market for a fair few years.

01-05-07, 08:53 PM	#6 \| Link
builty AVS Special Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1,067	I've spotted the Sammy player in a number of local Aus retailers (around A$1500), along with a handful of movies. A few adds have popped up here and there in mags and junk mail. No sightings of mention of any HD-DVD here at all.