AfterDawn: News

Consumer education key to hi-def sales

Research presented at the Home Media Expo on Wednesday shows that 10% of consumers think they already have a hi-def player of some kind, while the real figure is closer to 1%.

If you've been following the development and introduction of HD DVD and Blu-ray at all over the last few years this probably comes as no surprise. In fact you may be one of the people that market research firm NPD says don't see a difference between those technologies and regular DVD. If so, you probably don't have plans to buy into either of the new formats any time soon.



Russ Crupnick, an analyst for NPD, said “Consumers are entirely confused.” He also mentioned that while smaller retailers have a good chance to increase sales by providing the needed consumer education, they should avoid investing too heavily in the next generation technologies because most consumers probably buy movies and music at so called "big box" stores.

This is in contrast to early adopters of both formats, whom Nielsen Media Research says buy most of their movies at electronics and game specialty stores.

Source: Video Business

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 20 Jul 2007 7:26

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• 8 comments

• whitechoc

  I fully support corporate America on this move...if you keep the people stupid, you get more money. It's that simple. Take svtstang for example...a product of our doing. He's as dumb as they get. As Steve Jobs once said...
  
  Quote:You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new. That's Americans for you...

  20.7.2007 16:59 #1

• WierdName

  Quote:Take svtstang for example...a product of our doing. He's as dumb as they get.That's a little inappropriate. Well, very actually.
  
  As for the topic at hand, how could people think they have some type of HD if they don't? I find that kinda odd.

  20.7.2007 21:31 #2

• M4DHATT3R

  Quote: As for the topic at hand, how could people think they have some type of HD if they don't? I find that kinda odd.Actually when I read the article the first thing that popped into my mind was the popularity of HD Upconverted DVD Players. I bet you the people that are buying those type of players think they are buying a true HD product thus their line of thinking....
  
  Quote:...10% of consumers think they already have a hi-def player of some kind, while the real figure is closer to 1%.

  21.7.2007 00:27 #3

• Tashammer

  WierdName : Try having a look at the labelling on devices, accessories and consumables - they all tend to suggest they are more than.., better than.., etc so folks get sucked in when they read the words "high definition" confusing a descriptive title (spin?) with a specific type of technology.
  
  It's why some folks rather like the idea of "truth in advertising" rather than "screw you any way we can" (caveat emptor).

  21.7.2007 10:25 #4

• WierdName

  Good points. Deceptive advertising can easily suck in anyone that doesn't think critically about said advertisement.

  21.7.2007 15:57 #5

• akaangus

  whitechoc, how much does rent cost living under a bridge?
  
  Tashammer
  iTunes sells their blocky-ass video as "near-DVD Quality" and 128kbps as "Good Quality". I bet if you polled them and said do you buy DVD content through iTunes they would say yes, of course.

  21.7.2007 21:43 #6

• borhan9

  The part i would get my knickers in a twist over is the fact that i am spending good money on a product that is not wat i wanted.

  23.7.2007 03:55 #7

• eatsushi

  These two comments from the amazon page of the HD DVD version of Planet Earth can sum it all up:
  
  Quote:
  2 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
  HD DVD Format?, May 24, 2007
  By Francesca Matterhorn "skeptic" (WA) - See all my reviews
  Thanks to Amazon's pathetic scheme, I now own an HD DVD format piece of plastic. It was very deceiving of them to have the HD formatted DVD as the first choice in a search on this series. So I'm out almost $80 because I took the plastic off... I now know that an HD DVD is not only a different format, but is being compared to laserdiscs, so don't bother buying this version of Planet Earth or an HD DVD player for that matter.
  
  Comments (10) | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo
  
  
  
  8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
  Be careful before you buy an HD DVD!, May 23, 2007
  By Jeffery C. Ottesen "Jeff" (Juneau, AK) - See all my reviews
  (REAL NAME)
  I've given the Planet Earth DVD 5 stars because the cable broadcast of the work is so compelling. I can only wait to actually see it in High Definition. Alas, that is the rest of this story.
  
  Owning a shiny new HD TV (Sony Bravia) and a tenured DVD player I opted to purchase the HD version of the Planet Earth series. Here is where I made my mistake (and Amazon too!)
  
  I did not understand that only HD DVD players can play a HD DVD. Your ordinary DVD player simply can't read the new technology on the HD DVD. Period.
  
  OK, it does say so, in the very fine print on the back of the DVD case. Why with 10X reading glasses I might have even noticed. But no where on the ordering process on teh Amazon web site is this requirement brought to my attention.
  
  Sure, snicker, you video-philes who are early adopters and know this implicitly. But trust me, I have talked to at least a dozen people who like me didn't have a clue. And not one person I have discussed this with was aware of the DVD shortcoming with HD DVD format.
  
  So, just hop out and buy an HD DVD player you say. They don't cost that much. Wrong, the lowest price I found using on-line vednors IE.g., Amazon, Costco) was $430 then jumping to $700 for the second lowest priced option. Not your ordinary DVD player price is it?
  
  So go slow, if you have the TV but not the player. My advice: Wait til Christmas, the prices always come down a notch.
  

  23.7.2007 08:18 #8