Poll: Did you go Blu in 2008?

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 27th 2008 at 12:00PM

At the front end of this year, we made ten bold (and mostly not serious) predictions for the format war in 2008. Comically enough, a few of 'em actually came true. Most notable was the fall of HD DVD and the rise of Blu-ray, and while it has only been a matter of months since Blu became the lone high-def physical format, quite a lot has happened. Prices of players went higher, then lower, while digital downloads have emerged as a real threat to the format in the long-term. The question that's burning on our mind here at the tail end of '08 is this: did you go Blu-ray this year? If you didn't, what are you waiting for? Prices to fall? More movies to appear? Are you opting for a digital download service instead? Spill your tale in comments below.

[Image courtesy of SonyInsider]

Filed under: Industry, Polls, Blu-ray

Tags: blu-ray, blu-ray adoption, Blu-rayAdoption, industry, market share, MarketShare, poll, polls

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Neutral

John Ashby @ Dec 27th 2008 12:28PM

I have a shortage of digital ports on my TV and AV receiver, and I love my current HD-DVD collection. I'll be waiting for an under-$200 single player to do Blu and HD-DVD, or else I'll skip Blu if it doesn't show.

Highly Ranked

GhostDoggy @ Dec 27th 2008 1:13PM

John (Ashby): Wife and I bought a Sony BPD-BX1 player from Costco for $187.80 the Saturday after Black Friday. Costco Online is selling a Philips for $199. You can get 4x1 HDMI switches for under $40.

I bought six James Bond Blu-ray movies for ~$8/each through Amazon a week after Black Friday, too.

Neutral

MI @ Dec 27th 2008 2:15PM

Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think waiting for someone to manufacturer a blu-ray player that also supports a dead format that they'd have to pay extra to support, at a price less than the current average blu-ray price, is a reasonable plan. If you want to 'skip blu-ray', that is to say continue to buy DVD for the next ten years, that's cool, but I don't think it's reasonable to make out like Blu-ray is lacking something now because they don't play HDVDs.

Highly Ranked

shawnmos @ Dec 27th 2008 2:32PM

Both Samsung and LG had combo players. I bought a refurbished Samsung BD-UP5000 Combo player and it is great. It's decodes TrueHD, has 7.1 analog outs, and has a reon video processor.

They are no longer selling any of them though. So if you want one you better try and find one now because they have been out of production for a while and Samsung doesn't even have replacement parts for them. People that have sent theirs in for warranty work have been told they can either have them replaced with a newer Blu-ray-only model or receive a refund.

Low Ranked

DrXym @ Dec 27th 2008 4:57PM

The chances of another HD DVD / BD hybrid player are about zero. Some PC BD drives play HD DVD (mine does) so that is probably the only route left to you and probably that won't last long either. Best to strip the HD DVD movies off their disks if you can and watch them from a PC, or stick them in an MP4 / MKV container for playback elsewhere.

Low Ranked

Spiza @ Dec 27th 2008 5:40PM

When toshiba inevitably jumps into the fray, they may make a hybrid player.

Lowest Ranked

Truth Teller 3 @ Dec 27th 2008 10:03PM

The truth is that Blu-ray is a dead format now too.
Oh sure, it'll hang on in the minority niche for a while but we all know it's days are as numbered as DVDs are - but probably much more so.

I jumped into Blu-ray myself this year - but then I accept it's a minority niche , and likely to be short-lived, format and always have done so.

Those who delude themselves that it ever stood a hope of 'being the next DVD' have just been kidding themselves.

We can see quite clearly now it is never going to be 'the next DVD' and we can already see the next format on the way (digital downloading).

The Samsung guy was probably more honest than most when he reckoned Blu-ray has about 5yrs left.
High margin niche for the 'philes' who want the current best quality available (although some transfers continue to disappoint).

Blu-ray could have had a decent run as a PC storage media but even there they ruined it with their ridiculous greed.
Now it's too late as HDDs and flash drives come in at ever lower prices.

Neutral

keithgregoire @ Dec 28th 2008 2:11AM

I did go Blu in late 2008, but I've stopped buying discs because of the economy and the high price of the media. I may buy a few more of my most desired movies in 2009.

I'm happy with my large HD DVD collection and upconverting my 1800 DVDs for now.

Low Ranked

Truth Teller 3 @ Dec 28th 2008 12:32PM

LMAO

Oh dear, the Blu-ray fanboys don't like being told the truth, do they?

It stick in their throats and chokes them that Blu-ray is a short-lived niche product as dead as any other short-lived brief media.

Everyone but everyone can see the next means of delivery (save for the laughable fanboys in denial).
Digital delivery.

It's not a matter of if but when.

(and with Govs all over the world beginning major capital public spending programs to off-set the coming slump/recession, projects in the l;ong-term national interest are top of the list = internet infrastructure.)

BTW for all this talk about Blu-ray success in Japan, did you know there are more VHS video players out there than Blu-ray players, still?
Even Blu-ray.com put it like this - Blu-ray Adoption Less than VHS in Japan

Suck it up fanboys.

Neutral

THizzle7XU @ Dec 28th 2008 10:16PM

You're a friggin joke.

Highly Ranked

Truth Teller @ Dec 29th 2008 9:21AM

Oh boo hoo hoo someone wasn't nice about my beloved Blu-ray.

LMAO

Neutral

WebDev511 @ Dec 27th 2008 12:41PM

Went Blu last year (via a trade on craigslist) specifically for Ratatouille. With very few exceptions I do not buy a movie on blu unless It's $20 or less (Shawshank Redemption is one of those exceptions.) Blockbuster Online rentals have been nice and steady with in-store exchange picking up the slack for those titles that are "long wait"

Neutral

Ashraf @ Dec 27th 2008 12:43PM

I'm waiting for a price drop on the PS3. (Probably next year)

I am in no hurry..

Lowest Ranked

andyg8180 @ Dec 27th 2008 12:48PM

PS3 sucks for bluray... and for gaming... dumped it and got the Panasonic BD-35 at sears for $140... yeah its a 300 bluray player, but they had some internet sale... Could not say no to that deal...

Now i can use my harmony remote on all my products again.... plus the TrueHD is real nice...

I only buy blockbuster movies that deserve blu attention like batman, iron man etc... the rest i get at Netflix... They need a little more work with pushing blurays out the door... but i enjoy it...

Neutral

hey hey @ Dec 27th 2008 12:53PM

same here! dumped my PS3 for the same reasons. I am now bitstreaming and it is a wonderful thing.

Highest Ranked

Nick @ Dec 27th 2008 1:26PM

You guys do realize that the PS3 does Dolby TrueHD, don't you? It sends it out in PCM. There is no difference in quality PCM vs. Bitstream. It is like opening a christmas present. It doesn't matter if you open it at grandmas house (PS3) or your house (receiver). It is the same present.

Highly Ranked

THizzle7XU @ Dec 27th 2008 1:37PM

There's no difference between internal decoding and bitstreaming when listening to the sound. The only reason to bitstream is to see that HD audio codec light up to justify the purchase of your overpriced receiver. Any multi-channel LPCM receiver works great with the PS3 and saves a lot of cash too.

Low Ranked

DrXym @ Dec 27th 2008 5:00PM

The PS3 doesn't suck for blu-ray, in fact its a rather excellent player. What lets it down if you're *only* into video playback is the lack of an IR remote, analogue outputs and a display to tell you what its doing. I can see those being downsides to the system. In terms of playback, responsiveness and other features the PS3 kicks ass.

Highly Ranked

Doug @ Dec 27th 2008 5:30PM

Technically the PS3 makes a really nice BR player, but as far as esthetics and integration into a home theater, it leaves a few things to be desired.

It doesn't stack with other components, and the lack of an IR receiver makes it useless with a universal remote control. If someone is considering buying a PS3 just to watch BR movies, I'd have to steer them in another direction.

Highly Ranked

andyg8180 @ Dec 28th 2008 6:41PM

sweet... i got lowest ranked comment when every single highest rated cfomment after mine said the same exact thing... PS3 fanboys... gotta love them...

Neutral

travis.Taylor @ Dec 27th 2008 12:53PM

Yeah, I went Blu just a few weeks ago. I picked up a Sony BDP-S350 for $149.99 on SonyStyle.com when they had a big sale.

I've accumulated about 16 movies thus far, and absolutely love it. I got most of them for Christmas, and I also got an Onkyo HT-S4100 from jolly 'ol Santa Claus. The sound is amazing, even though it is lossy (no HDMI sound processing on my HTiB). For those wondering, I have a 32" 720p/1080i Samsung LCD HDTV. Blu Ray is a definite improvement over my 360 upconverting DVDs. However, it's not mind boggling. If you have a 32" 720p set, I wouldn't recommend going Blu unless there is a sale on a player (like what I found).

Also, beware. When you go Blu with a smaller TV like I did... it will leave you with the undying urge of buying a bigger TV.

Highest Ranked

Frankfurter @ Dec 27th 2008 1:23PM

I'd love a BR player, but I'm not going to shell out $30+ for a movie. Sheesh, some DVD's are still overpriced (IMO), and I have a hunch we're only scratching the tip of the iceberg with regards to HD and downloading from Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.

When BR discs average below $20, I'll think more seriously about it. To me, it's the same old problem. Consumers aren't killing the format, it's the industry.

Neutral

JimC @ Dec 27th 2008 3:43PM

Tired argument...I haven't paid over $30 for any of my BR movies. Most of them less than $25 and just recently bought T2 and The Patriot for $10 and $15 at Walmart.

Neutral

Frankfurter @ Dec 27th 2008 5:33PM

Not an argument, just my point of view (meaning, I'm not trying to convince you to -not- buy them. I'm simply stating why -I- don't....).

Regardless, I'm not interested in older movies like T2 and The Patriot. I want the latest (as I would imagine most do). I won't plug the website I usually buy from, but they are one of the largest on the web (it's not Amazon). A quick browse of BR titles shows:

Dark Night - $30.05
Wanted - $32.75
Iron Man - $33.39
Step Brothers - $31.79
Hancock - $31.79
Chronicles of Narnia - $32.15
Wall-E - $30.05

So congrats on buying low-demand discs at a premium, but if you want anything current, they are (as I said) $30+. Be sure and pick up a copy of Blue Oyster Cult's Greatest Hits on CD for $3.97 while you're at Walmart, though......

Highly Ranked

Doug @ Dec 27th 2008 5:39PM

High disc price isn't a tired argument. When the normal price of a typical disc is $25-30 (even online) when the same movie on DVD is $10-20, there is definitely a price premium, of 50-150% more.

I know that some argue that you can buy BR discs for $10 or $15, but these aren't the normal deals you find every day. And those same movies on DVD can probably be had for $3-5 online, so there is still a price premium. The argument that because sometimes BR discs can be found for $10 or $15 does not automatically mean that all discs are that price, and doesn't change the fact that most titles, most of the time, are still $10-15 more than their DVD counterparts.

Not until BR and DVDs versions of the same movie are priced the same will there be no price premium. Until someone can show me a web site where brand new popular movies can consistenly be had on BR for $10-20, trying to say that BR isn't any more expensive is just a bunch of bunk and fanboi talk. The rest of us live in reality.

Neutral

Mike @ Dec 28th 2008 7:27AM

"I won't plug the website I usually buy from, but they are one of the largest on the web (it's not Amazon)."

Then have you looked at Amazon or other places? cause those prices are too high. I got Iron Man from Amazon for $14.99 and Fry's just had The Dark Knight on sale for $14.99...Amazon's current price is $21.99.

Stop spreading bad info...even if only reasons for you..others read it and foolishly believe you.

Neutral

Frankfurter @ Dec 28th 2008 2:08PM

Hey Mike - you're right, Amazon does have some good prices. Two problems with that (for me), though.

One, I can't STAND Amazon. Their website is a disaster, and I guess I'm so slow that I spend an inordinate amount of time making sure that what I'm buying is actually from Amazon and not a 3rd party.

Two, I personally prefer a vendor that is consistent, and I don't have time to buy from multiple sources. To each his own, but the site I normally buy from is generally consistent, and definitely has the lowest prices around on CD's (some of you youngsters won't know what that is, so google it).

But I agree, lower prices can be had, but I don't care what you or anyone else says - decent prices are not widespread, and until I don't have to waste time searching the internet trying to find someone to give my money too, I won't buy Blu-Ray.

Your comment makes it sound like I have some ulterior motive to ruin the Blu-Ray industry. Not at all. But if the CEO of ABC Blu Ray wants to know why *I* don't give him my money, that's the reason.

Highly Ranked

Mike @ Dec 29th 2008 7:57AM

"and definitely has the lowest prices around on CD's (some of you youngsters won't know what that is, so google it).

But I agree, lower prices can be had, but I don't care what you or anyone else says - decent prices are not widespread, and until I don't have to waste time searching the internet trying to find someone to give my money too, I won't buy Blu-Ray. "

So you spent time finding the lowest cd prices but won't for blue ray? Do you shop around for best DVD deal? You could just read fatwallet and slickdeals and someone else will tell you best deals... That's how I knew about Fry's.

Anyway, 40 here... I remember going to car audio shop for some 4x10 speakers when a teen and hearing OZZY on CD for the 1st time...good times...except having to settle on 4x10 as my back space couldn't hold a better sounding 6x9 speaker.

Neutral

josh @ Dec 27th 2008 1:31PM

I really wamnt Blu Ray if not for the HD picture (i have a 1080p HDTV) for the upconvert of my 1000+ standard dvd's.

I have yet to find a decent player for a decent price. I like Sony, but I have no clue what to buy.

Highest Ranked

shawnmos @ Dec 27th 2008 2:36PM

If you want one for upconverting get the Samsung BD-P2550 which has the Reon video processor. Way better than any Sony.

Neutral

freighttrain2126 @ Dec 28th 2008 12:49AM

um, here are the prices from best buy:

Dark Night - $24.99
Wanted - $26.99
Iron Man - $24.99
Step Brothers - $27.99
Hancock - $24.99
Chronicles of Narnia - $26.99
Wall-E - $24.99

Neutral

Dan @ Dec 27th 2008 1:38PM

I'm waiting until I see the Netflix-streaming player prices start to come down. I don't have enough inputs for a Roku AND a BDP.

Neutral

Michael R @ Dec 27th 2008 2:11PM

It was impossible to say no to Blu when Amazon paid me a net penny to take a new Samsung 150 Blu-ray player off their hands a few weeks ago. Samsung would not have been my first choice in Blu-ray players but nobody can beat that price.

If you have an HDTV you want, no make that NEED, a Blu-ray DVD player.

Neutral

HowardLive @ Dec 27th 2008 2:17PM

Bought my PS3 in August exclusively as a Blu-ray machine (haven't touched MGS4, which was the pack-in game). Went into this intending to mainly rent BR discs because of the prices, but surprised myself by already owning half a dozen discs. Guess I'm the kind who just has to have it permanently... and already I know I'll buy Amadeus in BR in two months.

Still, I've got my eye on the Roku Netflix player. Pleased the first few HD movies have come online there; not pulling the trigger until more films become available on it (by most accounts, the online service only has about an eighth of Netflix's full catalog so far). But in principle, a $99 buy-in and no monthly fees (beyond my existing Netflix fee) definitely works for me.

Highest Ranked

Patrick @ Dec 27th 2008 2:25PM

Wow, haven't touched MGS4. It's safe to say you are NOT a gamer, so why didn't you just grab a standalone Blu-ray player and save a couple hundred bucks?

Neutral

digitalbt @ Dec 27th 2008 2:21PM

I purchased the Memorex MVBD2511 at Wal-Mart online during their Cyber Tuesday sale for just $148. So far, its a solid performer and is nearly identical in size and shape to my Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player. Night in a Museum, Cars, Black Hawk Down and the Dolby Digital Demo (Sound of High Definition) played great...no glitches on the MVBD2511.

Neutral

HowardLive @ Dec 27th 2008 2:39PM

Patrick,

Had I been in the market a month or two later, I might have gotten a standalone player. But I wasn't confident in the cheaper freestanding machines then available, and the Sony S350 and the Panasonic 35 weren't out yet (I would have gotten the Panny if it had been out).

Still, other features on my PS3 have proven useful: the memory card ports (for photo slideshows), the Wi-Fi connection (I'm watching Hulu videos through the PS3), etc. And the videogame capability is useful for when my nieces and nephews come visit. :-) (It's also one of the last PS3s to also play PS2 games.)

Neutral

Rob Cannon @ Dec 27th 2008 2:21PM

I am waiting for a full featured (BD-Live, Dolby TrueHD, and probably Netflix streaming or maybe Hulu) for under $200. I doubt I will buy any discs at the current prices. The one thing I learned from the Format Wars is that there is no value in owning the discs. Netflix is the way to go.

Also, I bought an HD-DVD player and over 10 dics for $225. Blu-Ray has yet to match that value.

Highly Ranked

EricBrady @ Dec 27th 2008 2:57PM

That's because Blu-Ray is still relevant so stores aren't trying to get rid of what they have left. I can go grab a VCR and a hundred movies for way less than that, but that won't keep me away from DVD or Blu

Low Ranked

MI @ Dec 27th 2008 2:23PM

My bother in law, my mother, and one of my pastors went blu this Christmas. Not the early adopter or high end types at all.

Highly Ranked

S Byer @ Dec 27th 2008 2:34PM

Nope, not yet. Don't want a stand lone player, and my current HTPC is 3 years old and doesn't have the oomph. If the PS3 could be a media center extender, I'd be there in an instant. Waiting to see what the Mac Mini upgrade, if any, looks like (will it come in black?)

Otherwise, there's a couple of nice media center boxes out now I'm looking at. Was hoping there might be more liquid cooling based HTPCs out there by now...

Highly Ranked

vjack @ Dec 27th 2008 2:38PM

I am waiting for disc prices to drop, but because I'm fairly content with my current Oppo SD player, I'm in no hurry.

Neutral

Spiza @ Dec 27th 2008 5:44PM

It might be smart to wait for oppo's blu-ray player as well.

Neutral

Will @ Dec 27th 2008 2:41PM

I would have been Blu by now, but decided to go to grad school. I'm probably going to wait until graduation in 2010 now. Hopefully the PS3 will be half the price and size by then..

Neutral

goAMinD @ Dec 28th 2008 7:53AM

... probably a PS4 in 2010

Neutral

Mike @ Dec 27th 2008 3:55PM

I didn't intend to just yet but Santa brought a Panasonic DMP-BD35 and 3-4 movies. I still think prices are a little high for players and movies but given that I have one now, I'll certainly be making any new purchases BD ones.

Neutral

Evan @ Dec 27th 2008 4:19PM

Prices of players went higher, then lower - Of course prices go up during the months after the Christmas sales. I'm sure you'd find the same pattern if you tracked the prices of exercise bikes, power tools, or anything else that is discounted during the Christmas season.

Digital downloads have emerged as a real threat to the format in the long-term - Only in the U.S. Blu-Ray has the high-definition market all it itself in most of the world.

Prices to fall? - I think integration into Home-Theater-In-A-Box systems will ultimately be more important.

More movies to appear? - We are still waiting for some of the most desirable movies - Lord of the Ring series, Star Wars series, and Disney, Disney, Disney!

Lowest Ranked

DrXym @ Dec 27th 2008 5:04PM

It should be obvious that Black Friday represents the lowest price point of the year. Prices creep back up after it and may even revert to MSRP after Christmas. Then the pattern of price cuts to coincide with holidays & events repeats all over with the next generation of models. Same happens every year and there is no surprise about it at all. Equally predictable is people complaining about this happening as if this phenomenon is exclusive to Blu Ray when it isn't.

Neutral

FredSedZed @ Dec 27th 2008 4:24PM

Technically we went Blu in 2008 by ordering a Samsung BD-P2500 and Samsung LN40A650 HDTV from Amazon yesterday (12/26/2008). However, the stuff isn't even scheduled to ship until January, so we won't be watching Blu until 2009. We finally had enough squinting from across the room at our 20-year-old 20-inch Sony TV. Yeah, we were due anyway. We wanted something that'd fit in the antique armoire we've used for the Sony. 40 inches was as big as we could go there. We have plans for a larger TV setup when we finish the basement, and we are tracking the changes in display technologies for that TV.

The primary reason we went Blu now is because we refuse to upgrade our simple analog cable TV subscription to HD. I will explore over-the-air HD, but for now the player seemed like a good way to enjoy full-on 1080p HD without increasing our cable bill for often overly compression-compromised and limited HD content that's only 720p or 1080i anyway. We will pay Netflix the extra buck a month (a good deal considering how expensive Blu discs are) to rent Blu. We're also looking forward to streaming Netflix too, which the BD-P2500 supports.

I see us purchasing maybe as many as three Blu discs in 2009, and that's a very liberal estimate. Why? A.) Blu discs are expensive, B.) we never have been big purchasers of discs, and C.) on demand/streaming is making owning irrelevant.

Neutral

ropeburn @ Dec 27th 2008 5:08PM

PS3 for me.

besides blu it's got a built in web browser, sony's store lets you buy/rent content
so in a pinch you can grab a show... so if I have my nephews over I can have em
watching something different pretty quick..... it's pretty good and I can see even
non'gamers being happy with the ps3's extra features over a plain blu-ray player.

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