Originally Posted by Drongo
DVD for most people was a quantum leap from VHS - a dramatic improvement in picture and sound, random access, disc size, ease of use etc.I`m not convinced that for most people, Blu-ray offers the same perceived improvement over DVD.I think therefore that prices need to be even lower at this point in the formats life cycle, to induce people to buy Blu.

I am sure you are right, although it has not been my experience. I had given up on VHS long before DVD, so when the latter showed up it was relative to laserdisc for me. In that comparison, I see much more of an improvement going to Bluray form DVD than I did going to DVD from Laserdisc - although, as has been pointed out many times in many places, the size of the display is a big factor in this 'preceived improvement' comparison.

It is why I believe that thinking of Bluray as a replacment for DVD is incorrect - IMO it is a complement! Sure, eventually DVD will go away, but not for a long time, and in that period DVD, Bluray and downloads will co-exist based on different consumers requirements for quality, cost and accessability.

The critical aspect of pricing for Bluray, IMO, is that it must fall enough such that a sustainable demand is reached - otherwise it will fail and we will all be losers. I have always felt that if Bluray players can reach a level where they are no more than a $150 premium to DVD players, and Bluray movies no more than a $5 premium to DVDs, then we will be good to go!

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