So many opinions......so little time:
Firstly, there were much fewer of these units available overall to begin with because it is a much smaller market than the (much) less expensive non HDD models. Also, it could have simply been poor planning or bad marketing research on the part of these companies as opposed to all these theories about them actually devising plans to eliminate them intentionally. That's possible, but it wouldn't be the first time that a major company (or individual that thinks he/she knows the right marketing approach) simply screwed up royally!
There is alot of speculation and "foreign intrigue". People are making statements as if they know exactly what is going on in the minds of these companies. They don't! No one really knows why the major manufacturers chose not to release these units here in the US. I love this forum and (most of) it's members but all of these comments from all of these people (who think they know why), are creating alot of confusion (especially for the newbies). No one here (unless they actually work in the right capacity) is truly qualified in this specific area. It's pure guesswork and unless someone can produce some authoritative proof as to what plans this industry truly has for these units in the US, perhaps it's time we stopped resorting to all of this theorizing and wait for something factual to come along!
Undoubtedly, I will be accused of contradicting myself, but one thought occured to me as I was typing this:
A theory (my only one and I believe it's unique) - Perhaps the manufacturers and their suits are smarter than we think. Maybe they came to the realization that the average consumer that is considering to buy an HDD unit is willing to pay more than the $300-500.00 (average) that they may have (mistakingly) chosen as a price point for these type of units. What if they intentionally decided not to market these units here in the US this year just to see what people would be willing to pay for them once they are in very limited supply? The FCC mandate of March 1st could simply be an excuse for them to fall back on! Then next year they could, in theory, increase prices accordingly. It's possible that, from now on, an HDD based unit sold in the US will have all the bells and whistles (such as the overseas models) and sell for considerably more than they have been.
Example - the Panny DMR-EH55S on Amazon.com (which seems to now be the only game in town) is now priced at $849.00! Originally (after the other dealer's inventories dried up) it was $799.00. If it wasn't selling, the price would have decreased, not increased! The only units that pop up on e-bay are used, demos, etc. (some highly questionable) and they have sold for as much as $1200.00! Supply and demand. All that the manufacturers need to do is release units on an allocation basis to limited dealers and they will create a whole new strategy by selling a $400.00 unit for $800.00 (or more) next year! They might even have a hand in the sales of these "non-U.S." models that are selling here currently in the $800-1200.00 range, just to see how many are being sold. BTW, not a great idea to buy one of these, since there may be compatibility issues and there is no warranty or support from the manufacturer beyond the 90 day (non manufacturer) warranty period.
This could potentially cause major aggrevation and no one to turn to for support!
I sincerely hope that my theory is wrong!
Firstly, there were much fewer of these units available overall to begin with because it is a much smaller market than the (much) less expensive non HDD models. Also, it could have simply been poor planning or bad marketing research on the part of these companies as opposed to all these theories about them actually devising plans to eliminate them intentionally. That's possible, but it wouldn't be the first time that a major company (or individual that thinks he/she knows the right marketing approach) simply screwed up royally!
There is alot of speculation and "foreign intrigue". People are making statements as if they know exactly what is going on in the minds of these companies. They don't! No one really knows why the major manufacturers chose not to release these units here in the US. I love this forum and (most of) it's members but all of these comments from all of these people (who think they know why), are creating alot of confusion (especially for the newbies). No one here (unless they actually work in the right capacity) is truly qualified in this specific area. It's pure guesswork and unless someone can produce some authoritative proof as to what plans this industry truly has for these units in the US, perhaps it's time we stopped resorting to all of this theorizing and wait for something factual to come along!
Undoubtedly, I will be accused of contradicting myself, but one thought occured to me as I was typing this:
A theory (my only one and I believe it's unique) - Perhaps the manufacturers and their suits are smarter than we think. Maybe they came to the realization that the average consumer that is considering to buy an HDD unit is willing to pay more than the $300-500.00 (average) that they may have (mistakingly) chosen as a price point for these type of units. What if they intentionally decided not to market these units here in the US this year just to see what people would be willing to pay for them once they are in very limited supply? The FCC mandate of March 1st could simply be an excuse for them to fall back on! Then next year they could, in theory, increase prices accordingly. It's possible that, from now on, an HDD based unit sold in the US will have all the bells and whistles (such as the overseas models) and sell for considerably more than they have been.
Example - the Panny DMR-EH55S on Amazon.com (which seems to now be the only game in town) is now priced at $849.00! Originally (after the other dealer's inventories dried up) it was $799.00. If it wasn't selling, the price would have decreased, not increased! The only units that pop up on e-bay are used, demos, etc. (some highly questionable) and they have sold for as much as $1200.00! Supply and demand. All that the manufacturers need to do is release units on an allocation basis to limited dealers and they will create a whole new strategy by selling a $400.00 unit for $800.00 (or more) next year! They might even have a hand in the sales of these "non-U.S." models that are selling here currently in the $800-1200.00 range, just to see how many are being sold. BTW, not a great idea to buy one of these, since there may be compatibility issues and there is no warranty or support from the manufacturer beyond the 90 day (non manufacturer) warranty period.
This could potentially cause major aggrevation and no one to turn to for support!
I sincerely hope that my theory is wrong!
