Gfk Figures Of Bd / Hd-dvd Sales In Aus

[migrane]

... HD realistically is being marketed for teenagers and 20 somethings.

... Straight to DVD is a real viable market. Imagine the possabilities where you actually play a part in how a film develops and turns out, or that you can join the hero and help in some way.

... They aren't after "you" or "I", they have "us" already, they are after everyone else.

I find the thought that HD is being targeted to teenagers amazing. A generation that is happy to watch things on phones and iPods doesn't seem to me to want quality picture but portability.

Straight to DVD is NOT a viable market. Look what happened to Steven Soderberg's "Bubble", released day-and-date in cinemas and on DVD - it bombed. Cinema release drives the DVD market. Very few films make lots of money on DVD when they didn't in the cinema.

I prefer to keep my movie watching and game playing apart. I watch a movie to see what the authors (writer, director) were intending. I play games so that I control what happen (to the extent allowed by the authors).

Finally, if they make changes to the ability to play high-def movies on 1st generation players, they'll probably lose me. And I'm not certain of the idea that players in different regions can perform differently if the anti-region-coding fraternity have their way or importing of players from one region to another continues.

[migrane]

Accidental duplication deleted

[momaw]

I find the thought that HD is being targeted to teenagers amazing. A generation that is happy to watch things on phones and iPods doesn't seem to me to want quality picture but portability.

The HD formats are not just about picture and sound. Also, don't forget most of this markets next Tv purchase will be a large panel. HD is needed for those things. I am talking late teenagers who are moving to the workforce and their own homes who do want the big screen and all the trimmings. It's a consumer society baby. Electronic goods expand to fill living rooms

Straight to DVD is NOT a viable market. Look what happened to Steven Soderberg's "Bubble", released day-and-date in cinemas and on DVD - it bombed. Cinema release drives the DVD market. Very few films make lots of money on DVD when they didn't in the cinema.

Poor example. This film had zero marketing. Most won't have even heard of it. To use my previous example, Training Day was considered a theatre bomb, but won an academy award and sold backloads of DVD's. There are many many movie titles that bombed at the cinema, but redeemed themselves on DVD.

I prefer to keep my movie watching and game playing apart. I watch a movie to see what the authors (writer, director) were intending. I play games so that I control what happen (to the extent allowed by the authors).

That's you (and me). But they are looking at ways to increase their market. There will always be "traditional" films to cater to us and also the masses, but the industry is evolving. Did you know once films had no sound and were even black and white?

Finally, if they make changes to the ability to play high-def movies on 1st generation players, they'll probably lose me. And I'm not certain of the idea that players in different regions can perform differently if the anti-region-coding fraternity have their way or importing of players from one region to another continues.

The potential implications to gen 1 machine have me worried too (hence my outspoken attitude on the matter - much to the chagrin of the "She'll be right crowd"). Could this be a reason for the absence of a Sony machine in Australia, or the BDA not really pushing stand-alone machines at present and focussing on the PS3?

The PS3 is a good example for a single print being used worldwide, but still tackling issues such as region specific censorship. While it can play games from anywhere in the world, the Japanese console can censor those games to suit it's local market. Even if you buy an American version of Resistance, the machine will still censor it. This is one example of how the system could work. Of course you could import a machine to get around such issues, but how is that different from importing to avoid region coding. Most of the local market won't do this.

[Nevyn72]

Now GfK release some figures! (first 10 days sales of PS3)

Sony scores $33m from PS3 sales

In clear evidence that Sony's $6 million PlayStation 3 marketing campaign is working, Australian gamers ignored the high price tag and lapped up $33 million worth of PS3 hardware and software in the 10 days following its March 23 launch.

That translates to 27,083 PS3 units sold, said GfK analyst Daniel Morse, whose figures are based on sales data provided by all of Australia's major retailers.

The PS3's three most popular games were Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm and Formula One Championship Edition.

By comparison, Microsoft sold 36,627 Xbox 360s and Nintendo sold 41,369 Wiis in the 11 days after their respective launches last year.

While sales of stand-alone Blu-ray and competing HD DVD players in Australia have been dismal - so low, in fact, that GfK said it was not worth reporting the figures - the PS3's built-in Blu-ray player has given the format an immediate head start.

Sony Australia managing director, Michael Ephraim, said Blu-ray's install-base had grown 40-fold in three days since the PS3's launch.

[cwt]

Studios have plans far beyond simply PIP which will be so tied into the movie process, incompatable machines will not be able to process the streams. This may even result in playback issues such as judders and skips as the player tries to decode information it can't because it is embedded into the film information itself.

Its a worry alright mo ; 3 separate java systems[ 1.0;1.1 and live];one java encoder already saying its difficult to encode for the present/ future players without ports/with.I have little time for extra's doco's too but one thing I would like to see is downloadable alternate endings for films; may get the punters in

The studio's make much of extending a films value and it all has to sync seamlesly with the encoded pcm as its mixed in the player.

[sulimo]

The worst part is you need an Region B/2 Player to Rent BluRay Discs (eg from QuickFlix) and a second BluRay Player (Region A/1) to play your bought movies from the USA! For some strange reason this idea doesn't appeal to me although I will admit to seriously considering buying a Sony BDP-S1 from the US and an Aussie PS3.

Naah. You just have to make sure you don't rent any Fox titles. At least at the moment.

[sulimo]

What a bunch of morons these "Journos" are, what they dont realise is that HD DVD owners are buying all their Movies from OS where there is:

A/ a massive range

B/ and at sub Aussie SD DVD prices of around $30AUD per movie!

Of course I imagine a great many BR early adopters are doing the same thing.

[sulimo]

is there actually anyone outthere foolish enough to buy blu-ray discs in oz ?

I have. Picked up Unforgiven locally. Probably will pickup Last Samurai and Goodfellas too.

[djOS]

Of course I imagine a great many BR early adopters are doing the same thing.

Not if they have an Aussie BluRay Player (expecting non-region encoded titles).

[sulimo]

Not if they have an Aussie BluRay Player (expecting non-region encoded titles).

True. Though most non-Fox titles currently will work. And then of course there's the group who got themselves a US player.

[momaw]

True. Though most non-Fox titles currently will work.

or any recent releases from Disney and Lionsgate.

[sulimo]

or any recent releases from Disney and Lionsgate.

Well...I did say most. And looking at the only online list for this sort of thing, there's only a handful of non-Fox titles from the US that won't work on Region B players.

Still...I do really wish Fox and the other hangers on would wake up and just follow WB's lead. That would kill one of the few advantages HD-DVD has.

[momaw]

Well...I did say most. And looking at the only online list for this sort of thing, there's only a handful of non-Fox titles from the US that won't work on Region B players.

Still...I do really wish Fox and the other hangers on would wake up and just follow WB's lead. That would kill one of the few advantages HD-DVD has.

It's a shame that list is becoming more and more out of date. I guess people are no longer importing on the hope it will work and hence fewer and fewer titles are being added to the list. I know I got "The Wild" added to the list as a region locked title (I took it down to the local evil inc and tried it in their players - they were no very happy about it either ). But really can you blame people. These titles are too expensive to be gambling on.

[sulimo]

It's a shame that list is becoming more and more out of date.

Yeah. I've been half-tempted to setup a website/wiki to try and keep an up to date list. At least wrt Australian discs working in Region A players, which is my personal interest.

But really can you blame people. These titles are too expensive to be gambling on.

That's actually one reason why I signed up for Quickflix. A cheap testing ground for potential local purchases. Well...if they actually send me any