Is Blu-ray Preparing a Death Blow for HD-DVD?

Thu Jul 5, 2007 10:31PM EDT

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Numerous stories have been written of late noting the apparent success of Blu-ray and, by extension, the imminent demise of HD-DVD. We all know about the big Blockbuster news, but what else is going on behind the scenes?

Well, Digi Times says that Blu-ray is about to severely stack the deck by giving away five free Blu-ray movies to anyone who buys a new Blu-ray player or a PlayStation 3 console. While that means there'll be a whole lot more copies of Stir of Echoes and Invincible on the market (full list of titles at CrunchGear), it also means the Blu-ray camp will get a huge boost when it comes to counting market share by title, as everyone who buys one player will increase the number of those titles owned five-fold, a key market metric.

Such stunts are nothing new. I remember my first DVD player came with five DVDs in those awesome cardboard cases. Gems like U.S. Marshals, Sphere, and Lost in Space remained in my collection until I wised up and tossed them out. HD-DVD ran a similar promotion in the past, as well.

HD-DVD is getting so trampled these days that one commenter has given the technology until September to get its act together or go the way of the dodo. 

Sure, you like all that picture-in-picture stuff in Tokyo Drift, but is that enough to keep people interested in a technology with less storage space and waning industry support? Is this indeed the beginning of the end for technology's latest brutal format war? The jury's obviously still out, but signs point to this battle coming to a head, and soon.

Your thoughts are welcomed, as always.

Comments on Is Blu-ray Preparing a Death Blow for HD-DVD?

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  • 26 Posted by vetomaster on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    kevin_rm, The Custom Flix deal with Amazon also includes Blu-ray as an option. Microsoft forgot to mention that. Look it up.

  • 27 Posted by mcy_999 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    The PS3 sales number at Amazon jumps 3200% a day following the $100 price cut and the promotion of one free remote, one free game and five free BD movies. This is a strong indication what you would witness in the coming months for an explosive BD growth all the way leading up to the holiday season. The launch of 2nd generation BD players ($500) with the 5 free movies is adding to the fire and the sales of standalone BD players are skyrocketing as well. Funai will ship the low cost BD playes in the fall (

  • 28 Posted by andrewdb77 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Blu-Ray is trouncing HD-DVD. Sure, most of the Blu-Ray players out there are PS3s. How is this relevant in any way in light of the fact that overall, Blu-Ray titles are grossly outselling HD-DVD titles? Sorry HD-DVD fanboys, but the outcome of this war was decided long ago. Blu-Ray is just mopping up the remaining battlefield stragglers. Just goes to show that the cheapest solution doesn't always win, nor does it always pay to be cheap. You fellas backed the wrong horse...move on.

  • 29 Posted by mcy_999 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sony has sold more than 3.5 million PS3 thus far and is shooting for 11 million by the end of 2008. Every PS3 is a HD game console and also a 1080P BD player. So there are already more than 3.5 million BD players out there. Some HD DVD fanboys are trying to EXCLUDE PS3 from standalone players, so they can mislead the public and avoid facing the fact. That won't work. The price of BD Players is falling fast. By the end of this year you would see the BD players in the $299-$499 range with the new comers from Funai and other Asian vendors. The price war will put a big squeeze on toshiba which has no place to hide. Most of HD DVD models sold thus far are 720P which is half the resolutions of 1080P which is the default spec for BD. PS3 offers a tremendous bargain for a combined HD game console and BD player. With the price cut and the on-goning promotion, it is almost ridiculously competitive.

  • 30 Posted by pnorth_12 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    CustomFlix does support blu-ray, however the exclusive deal with independant film makers is an HD-DVD exclusive.... Reading is simple, it's comprehension you need to focus on. And whoever said Wienstien was exclusive to BD? WTF could you please explaing why Clerks II is only on hd-dvd, it's a wienstien movie right....

  • 31 Posted by kevin_rm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    vetomaster, I did look it up. quote "CustomFlix manufactures HD DVD discs on demand, using dual layer DVD+R media, which is compatible with all currently shipping HD DVD players. We intend to support HD DVD-R media as well when the required recording drives become available." So, if you are buying and indepent film from Custom Flix, it's gonna be on HD DVD.

  • 32 Posted by seelteam6 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    I say don't be fooled by favoring either format. If they both stay on the market both sides will be forced to imporve on their formats and often.

  • 33 Posted by xxhale69 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    the adult movie industry will decide the war ,the same way it did with beta vs.vhs players

  • 34 Posted by prydespride on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sad to say but the point on the adult industry is prob correct. And I do believe that they are leaning towards HD DVD.

  • 35 Posted by t1above2k2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Blu Ray will go the way of betamax, starngely, they have made the same exact mistake Betamax did. See, while most people say that porn is disgusting, which is not the point I'm debating so please don't confuse the argument with morals, porn is still a 30 billion dollar industry and blu ray refuses to allow their technology to be used with porn. Betamax did the same thing and lost. It's simple economics, you can't let your personal feelings interfere with profits in a free market, I promise you that if you give an extra 10 billion dollars a year to your competitor you will lose, everytime.

  • 36 Posted by thingswillbereal_witme on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    c'mon the blu-ray has higher memory comparing to the hd-dvd. Its the growing technology we're dealing with and everyone will most probably use blu-rays in the next couple of years. And by far countries like iran and pakistan where all the dvds are fake and copies and cheap, have few but only original blu-ray dvds. so the company gets more advantage like this. I personally go for anything thats better and worth it. And the blu-ray has it all.

  • 37 Posted by gelynch52 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    Samsung and LG are making dual players now so they can cover whichever format emerges as the favorite.

  • 38 Posted by steamboy3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    I really don't care who wins the format war. for me it's about the HD CONTENT showing off your system instead of who has what HD-DVD OR BLU i support both i have bought movies for both formats & in the past i've supported VHS,BETA,LASERDISC,getting the best picture & sound out of your system on whatever format you have seems to most be important for me (my advice to consumers enjoy what you have)

  • 39 Posted by jcab923 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    Look I once was a Sony nut. I own or owned every component imaginable. heck I even have a stupid Aibo. This is the problem I see. Sony's once mighty grasp on cutting edge technology is gone. They are as fat and bloated as a company can get. The product lines (outside the Bravia) are I am sorry to say, becoming inferior! They have had more turmoil at the top as far as executives go and it seems to be creeping into the R&D. I do not care who wins the "format war". I am more concerned about a company that once was the corner stone of technology becoming just another player!

  • 40 Posted by dhmstl@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think you were paid off by Blu-ray to give this kind of report. I just bought an HD-dvd player and they offered 5 free movies also. I'm very happy with my machine. Perhaps you should have checked with HD-dvd before you wrote your report to see what the whole picture was....pretty lame death move report you gave.

  • 41 Posted by scott00028 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    All I know is that there is still as of 8/3/2006 only one Blue-Ray player from Sony besides the PS3 and its $599.00. So buying the PS3 is better deal than buying the Blue-Ray DVD player. HD-DVD has four to choose from cheapest being $199.00. Sony will never win the race until they allow other manufactures to create a cheaper product. If sony controls all of the manufacturing of the DVD Player Blue-ray will never win. Consumers dont care about 30 or 50 gigs of disk space they care about PRICE!

  • 42 Posted by ranger_writer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    I find it amusing how so many people are determining how this war will come out based on "consumer interest." Sorry kids, consumers have precious little to do with this format war. Sony remembers how they lost the video cassette format war in the 80's and is applying the lessons they learned with brutal efficiency. The target audience of Blu-Ray is not the consumer, it is the major movie studios who wish to exercise as much control as possible over how we view content. BD provides superior DRM and that's why so many studios are supporting it either exclusively or alongside HD-DVD. The sad fact of the matter is that the moment Universal goes format neutral, HD-DVD is dead. Many people still look to porn to be the savior of HD-DVD, but it will never happen. The reason porn won the format war for VHS is because it was the only format to bring porn into your home over. Twenty-five years later, we have the internet, the place where most people get their porn exclusively. Porn will be a very small factor in this format war. HD-DVD is on the path to destruction because it failed to wow studios with what they were really looking for. Sony wised up by creating the BD format to cater to tighter control and dropped large money hats to secure exclusive deals with key players while tightening the noose with their own movie franchises that will be BD exclusive. Note that in no way am I touting BD or HD-DVD as being superior to the other, I'm only pointing out the inevitability of a Blu-Ray takeover. Sony can afford to operate at a loss if it means they win the format war, they're willing to make the investment for the long term payoff. Watch for them to continue to price drop the discs and support lower cost players to proliferate the format.

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