Target Begins To Carry More Blu-ray Titles Than HD DVD
The latest format was has been an ugly one, but when has format wars not been ugly? Someone always gets crushed along the way. You just go into it with the hope that you didn’t pick the latest BetaMax, or MiniDisc.
Target has begun to sway in the direction of Blu-ray as their HD format of choice. When they started to carry the HD format last year, they gave Blu-ray and HD DVD titles equal space on the new release DVD wall. Each format was given twelve slots for display, side by side.
Recently, select Target locations have been doubling the room for the Blu-ray disks, while the HD DVD slots remain the same. It has been reported that in several stores in California, there are 24 Blu-ray titles along four vertical rows, while there is 12 HD DVD titles on two vertical rows. There is one reported Philadelphian Target that has four times the amount of space dedicated to Blu-ray than to HD DVDs.
The pendulum is swinging in Sony’s favor for the moment. With Paramount’s decision to exclusively print their movies on HD DVD, this may not be the last chapter in the latest epic format struggle.
Target shelves in favor of Blu-ray [Video Business]
[via PS3 Fanboy]
Toots
Posted to Miscellany, Movies-DVDs on 19 September 2007
· Comments (7)
Other stuff like this: blu-ray, hd dvd, target
This is frustrating. I am an HD DVD person, and I really couldn't tell you why anybody would want Blu Ray over HD DVD.
Both have just about equal picture and sound, but HD DVD has better interactive features, is cheaper to produce, is region-free, and is supported by Universal and Paramount. The only benefit BluRay seems to have is that it has more disc space. Who cares? If one HD DVD disc can hold a full-length movie plus tons of bonus features, why do I need more?
The region-free bit in and of itself is an amazing benefit. It's how I've gotten my copies of Silent Hill and Mr. & Mrs. Smith on HD DVD. Yeah, that's right, Silent Hill on HD DVD. Gargh.
I could go on and on about this. It's not like I didn't do research before I got HD DVD. Format wars are dumb.
We will see what impact the $199 HD DVD player will have on the market share this holiday season along with exclusive movies on both sides. I would rather have Transformers than Spiderman 3 any day.
Funny, both Betamax and MiniDisc were Sony formats. You'd think people would eventually learn.
Hey guys, nothing in the article is saying Blu-ray is "better" than HD-DVD, since they're obviously virtually indistinguishable in terms of quality... they're just saying sales number have been pointing to Blu-ray as a clear winner for nearly a year solid now, and retailers are starting to respond to that.
In the end, one of these formats is going to lose, and it's going to end in tears for the people who have sided with what ends up a losing format. That's just the harsh truth. For the moment, it looks like Blu-ray is going to come out on top. That might change, but sales numbers don't lie. HD-DVD can't just sell half as much as Blu-ray, month after month, and expect to stay in the game.
Oh, I wasn't implying that they said BluRay was better, but it's annoying how so many people seem to have that idea pushed on to them by places like Target and Best Buy carrying more Blu Ray in more visible places. It just grinds my gears is all.
Here's something to think about... Because of the PS3, there are something like 8 times more BluRay players out there, but the software only sells twice as well. That means more HD DVDs per HD DVD player, and therefore a better install base. Numbers don't necessarily mean anything.
A totally fair point Nathan - HD-DVD does have a terrific attach rate. That very fact could end up being bad news for the HD-DVD camp though, to be honest. HD-DVD player owners are obviously buying the players for one thing: to buy and watch HD-DVD movies. If/when the 8x as many PS3 owners wake up and realize they can play Blu-ray discs on their PS3 (since it seems an alarming number of them are unaware of this fact) it is likely to push sales numbers even farther in Blu-ray's favor. PS3s are also selling considerably better than standalone HD-DVD players, so it at least *seems* like sort of a losing battle for HD-DVD.
I'm certainly not calling a winner in this race, and frankly I'd just like the fight to be over, but I do think the HD-DVD camp has a real challenge ahead of itself if it intends to become the dominant format.
Maybe once the general public actually CARES about HD, this format war might actually mean something.
Before you can have a standard format HD Player, it helps to have the new HDTV standard established first.
Even if people do get a Widescreen/HD capable TV set, most of them never hook them up correctly. They just use the composite cables most sets come with and set the screen mode to STRETCH across the screen..distorting the picture. How many of them know exactly what they need to do to do HD properly?
The PS3 doesn't even come with component cables...and if people don't realize they can play Blu-Ray discs, how many of them actually are aware that they need component cables/HDMI/DVI cables to enjoy true HD? How many of them actually have HDTV sets?
I think this new format is something nobody really asked for in the first place...and even if either side officially won right now, it'd still be a niche market.