Sony Blows a Major Wad of Cash on a Lousy Promo

[MacMagus]

I've got two of these now. Does anyone actually know or care WTF this is?



http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/09/...rket-share

[Lux Interior]

Apparently, it's a movie where the actors place their hands over their mouths and appear pensive.

[WHiiP]

This poll feature is more abused than Jimmypoo . . . who cares? :terror:

[Mike Sellers]

Remember, this was a technology that people were supposed to rush out and buy after Blu-ray won the HD format battle with HD-DVD.

Another prediction that Blu-ray player prices would drop below $250 by Thanksgiving was judged three months early after one model hit $249.47 (with a rebate). How low can prices go for the players? This morning, another reader pointed us to news that models by Sony and Samsung are selling for less than $200, including shipping.

Uhhh, has it occurred to anyone that the reason Blu-ray disks haven't taken off is because they still cost twice as much as a regular DVD? Who cares how cheap the player gets?

[Spock]

OMG, NO.

[Acer]

If this ad campaign does not work out, I hear Seinfeld is available.

[Will Collier]

Mike Sellers wrote:

Remember, this was a technology that people were supposed to rush out and buy after Blu-ray won the HD format battle with HD-DVD.

Another prediction that Blu-ray player prices would drop below $250 by Thanksgiving was judged three months early after one model hit $249.47 (with a rebate). How low can prices go for the players? This morning, another reader pointed us to news that models by Sony and Samsung are selling for less than $200, including shipping.

Uhhh, has it occurred to anyone that the reason Blu-ray disks haven't taken off is because they still cost twice as much as a regular DVD? Who cares how cheap the player gets?

Bingo. Sony figured that once they finally achieved the dream of format monopoly after all those failures, they'd be able to name their own price and watch the money roll in.

Didn't quite work out that way.

[cbelt3]

They expected to be able to make up the money they lost in the Beta debacle of the 1980's.

[3d]

cbelt3 wrote:
They expected to be able to make up the money they lost in the Beta debacle of the 1980's.

...and the (Western) MiniDisc debacle of the early 1990s

[Seacrest]

Mike Sellers wrote:

Uhhh, has it occurred to anyone that the reason Blu-ray disks haven't taken off is because they still cost twice as much as a regular DVD? Who cares how cheap the player gets?

That's part of it, but not the whole story.
One could always rent, and the cost is the same.

Blu-Ray is perceived by most as 1.) a slight incremental improvement over DVD (compare and contrast with VHD -> DVD) and 2.) yet another "interim" format that the PTB want us to pay big bucks for, which will be eclipsed by a downloadable or streamable format soon enough.