It was supposed to be the be-all and end-all, but I've seen a few signs suggesting the Blu-Ray format might be coming close to fail territory.
The latest was this blog entry reporting that Best Buy is planning to cut back on its stock of physical media. And while the cutting back on CDs and DVDs, while sad, might not be a huge surprise, the blogger - who admits he was unable to get confirmation on this last particular point - says the employee-level scuttlebutt is Blu-Rays are also potentially on the chopping block:
http://www.craveonline.com/entertai...a-backseat-best-buy-downsizing-blu-ray-112399
Just to repeat, the blogger tried to confirm re: Blu-Ray but could only confirm DVD and CD and admits the employee might have been talking out his butt. But all I can say is I've heard similar employee-level statements with other retailers.
Then we have Wal-Mart. I'm aware that Wal-Marts differ from place to place. I'm in Canada and our Wal-Marts play by different rules than the US - for example I've bought uncensored versions of rap CDs and NC-17-rated DVDs at Wal-Marts here in Canada, which I understand you can't do down south. But at the same time Wal-Marts are getting to be as powerful up here as they are down there. And my local Wal-Mart doesn't bother bringing in Blu-Ray editions of most titles. They do carry Blu-Rays - one rack of them - and will bring in "select" new release titles on Blu-Ray. But, for example, I made the mistake of buying the Fringe Season 2 DVD at my local Wal-Mart without first checking if a Blu-Ray version existed. Oops. And while they had an entire display of DVD copies of the new Tinker Bell CG movie, they had all of 3 copies of the Blu-Ray hidden away in another part of the store. At the same time, they're now starting to burn off some of their Blu-Ray backstock for $5 each. I didn't expect to see that happen for a while.
My own equivalent of employee-level scuttlebutt came when I asked a manager at my local Wal-Mart why they bring in so few new-release Blu-Rays and I was told, simply, that Blu-Ray doesn't sell. And remember Wal-Mart is trying to position itself to be the only store people go to, especially the new Supercenter Wal-Marts, some of which are larger than some countries, it seems. And I live in a fairly affluent area. But maybe people are just buying those HD sets to watch documentaries about nature and sports like all the store demos suggest? That, or maybe by placing the DVD new releases in high-traffic areas and hiding the Blu-Rays away (a few Wal-Marts keep their entire new-release Blu-Ray stock under lock and key in cabinets) - and by, well, NOT ORDERING, they're not giving BD a chance to take a foothold. Had they carried the BD of Fringe I'd have bought it instead of the DVD, for example. Likewise, they brought in the new Human Target season set on DVD, but I'm not making the same mistake so I'll roll the dice that Best Buy or HMV will indeed have the BD version in stock. Hence they lost a $50 sale.
So is Blu-Ray actually crashing and burning? Maybe not, but I am wondering if it isn't a victim of timing, coming during a period when many consumers - especially the young ones - aren't interested in (as Blank Reg from Max Headroom once marvelously defined) "non-volatile physical media" and, indeed, goods ownership in general. Certainly the whole Best Buy discussion in that blog is predicated on this.
For me, I have to say Blu-Ray hasn't been the be all and end all. Most of what I watch are older films and TV shows that aren't releasable on BD anyway - I just put in my order for Time-Life's Six Million Dollar Man set, for example. I worked out that in the past year I've probably bought 50-75 DVDs and maybe 25 Blu-Rays, tops, and only maybe half of those would qualify as "new releases" such as the new Alice in Wonderland which I finally got around to getting a few weeks ago. And as I ranted in another thread, my negative experience with the THX1138 Blu-Ray (which requires memory expansion on many players in order to function, a fact I wasn't made aware of until after I tried to play the thing) ended my purchasing of Blu-Rays on spec.
But all that said, I still expected BD to be more ubiquitous by now. Not that I want DVD to disappear. As I just said there are many shows that cannot be released in high-def. Lets start with classic Doctor Who, for example. Or Six Million Dollar Man. Or old Charlie Chaplin silents, for that matter. Unlike the vinyl-to-CD switch I see no reason why DVD and Blu-Ray won't coexist for the duration - the fact you have BD box sets that use DVD discs for bonus material is proof.
So what's the point of all this? Well, take it as you will. If you want a "glass half full" attitude, keep an eye out for some sweet deals on "non-volatile physical media" if indeed Best Buy is cutting back on CDs and DVDs - and maybe not be surprised if Blu-Rays follow. The $5 deal on Blu-Rays at Wal-Mart caught me by surprise and while they were generally of the no-frills, older type of Blu-Ray (that "no on-spec" rule I've applied to my BD purchases doesn't really apply to discs costing less than a Starbucks espresso) it'll be interesting to see if something like Alice in Wonderland doesn't follow on.
Let's hear from the "Chucks" in the audience.
Are you hearing the same thing as that blogger? Or is your Best Buy/Future Shop/Wal-Mart/HMV/insert chain store going the opposite route and expanding its Blu-Rays because they're flying off the shelves?
Alex
The latest was this blog entry reporting that Best Buy is planning to cut back on its stock of physical media. And while the cutting back on CDs and DVDs, while sad, might not be a huge surprise, the blogger - who admits he was unable to get confirmation on this last particular point - says the employee-level scuttlebutt is Blu-Rays are also potentially on the chopping block:
http://www.craveonline.com/entertai...a-backseat-best-buy-downsizing-blu-ray-112399
Just to repeat, the blogger tried to confirm re: Blu-Ray but could only confirm DVD and CD and admits the employee might have been talking out his butt. But all I can say is I've heard similar employee-level statements with other retailers.
Then we have Wal-Mart. I'm aware that Wal-Marts differ from place to place. I'm in Canada and our Wal-Marts play by different rules than the US - for example I've bought uncensored versions of rap CDs and NC-17-rated DVDs at Wal-Marts here in Canada, which I understand you can't do down south. But at the same time Wal-Marts are getting to be as powerful up here as they are down there. And my local Wal-Mart doesn't bother bringing in Blu-Ray editions of most titles. They do carry Blu-Rays - one rack of them - and will bring in "select" new release titles on Blu-Ray. But, for example, I made the mistake of buying the Fringe Season 2 DVD at my local Wal-Mart without first checking if a Blu-Ray version existed. Oops. And while they had an entire display of DVD copies of the new Tinker Bell CG movie, they had all of 3 copies of the Blu-Ray hidden away in another part of the store. At the same time, they're now starting to burn off some of their Blu-Ray backstock for $5 each. I didn't expect to see that happen for a while.
My own equivalent of employee-level scuttlebutt came when I asked a manager at my local Wal-Mart why they bring in so few new-release Blu-Rays and I was told, simply, that Blu-Ray doesn't sell. And remember Wal-Mart is trying to position itself to be the only store people go to, especially the new Supercenter Wal-Marts, some of which are larger than some countries, it seems. And I live in a fairly affluent area. But maybe people are just buying those HD sets to watch documentaries about nature and sports like all the store demos suggest? That, or maybe by placing the DVD new releases in high-traffic areas and hiding the Blu-Rays away (a few Wal-Marts keep their entire new-release Blu-Ray stock under lock and key in cabinets) - and by, well, NOT ORDERING, they're not giving BD a chance to take a foothold. Had they carried the BD of Fringe I'd have bought it instead of the DVD, for example. Likewise, they brought in the new Human Target season set on DVD, but I'm not making the same mistake so I'll roll the dice that Best Buy or HMV will indeed have the BD version in stock. Hence they lost a $50 sale.
So is Blu-Ray actually crashing and burning? Maybe not, but I am wondering if it isn't a victim of timing, coming during a period when many consumers - especially the young ones - aren't interested in (as Blank Reg from Max Headroom once marvelously defined) "non-volatile physical media" and, indeed, goods ownership in general. Certainly the whole Best Buy discussion in that blog is predicated on this.
For me, I have to say Blu-Ray hasn't been the be all and end all. Most of what I watch are older films and TV shows that aren't releasable on BD anyway - I just put in my order for Time-Life's Six Million Dollar Man set, for example. I worked out that in the past year I've probably bought 50-75 DVDs and maybe 25 Blu-Rays, tops, and only maybe half of those would qualify as "new releases" such as the new Alice in Wonderland which I finally got around to getting a few weeks ago. And as I ranted in another thread, my negative experience with the THX1138 Blu-Ray (which requires memory expansion on many players in order to function, a fact I wasn't made aware of until after I tried to play the thing) ended my purchasing of Blu-Rays on spec.
But all that said, I still expected BD to be more ubiquitous by now. Not that I want DVD to disappear. As I just said there are many shows that cannot be released in high-def. Lets start with classic Doctor Who, for example. Or Six Million Dollar Man. Or old Charlie Chaplin silents, for that matter. Unlike the vinyl-to-CD switch I see no reason why DVD and Blu-Ray won't coexist for the duration - the fact you have BD box sets that use DVD discs for bonus material is proof.
So what's the point of all this? Well, take it as you will. If you want a "glass half full" attitude, keep an eye out for some sweet deals on "non-volatile physical media" if indeed Best Buy is cutting back on CDs and DVDs - and maybe not be surprised if Blu-Rays follow. The $5 deal on Blu-Rays at Wal-Mart caught me by surprise and while they were generally of the no-frills, older type of Blu-Ray (that "no on-spec" rule I've applied to my BD purchases doesn't really apply to discs costing less than a Starbucks espresso) it'll be interesting to see if something like Alice in Wonderland doesn't follow on.
Let's hear from the "Chucks" in the audience.
Are you hearing the same thing as that blogger? Or is your Best Buy/Future Shop/Wal-Mart/HMV/insert chain store going the opposite route and expanding its Blu-Rays because they're flying off the shelves?Alex
