AfterDawn: News

Canadian company promises cheap HD DVD standalone

Canadian-based Venturer Electronics has announced that they will be bringing an inexpensive HD DVD player to the market, in time for the holidays.

Dubbed the Venturer SHD7000, the standalone will feature all basic functions of an HD DVD player including 1080i output, HDMI connections, and Dolby TrueHD support.



Although there was no price set by Venturer, in its press release the company said it expected the player to be one of, if not the most inexpensive entry-level HD DVD players on the market. The player will be “sold through national retailers with retail prices expected to be one of the lowest among entry-level HD DVD players” read the statement.

With Toshiba's entry-level players hitting as low as $210 USD, the Venturer SHD7000 could conceivably be under $200 USD, which would certainly be a price that many would pay attention to.

Source:
Dailytech


Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 Aug 2007 13:24

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• 22 comments

• NexGen76

  I have learned a lesson a long time ago..Because things are cheap don't mean there better...In the electronic world you pay for what you get.The smart thing is to get a A2 for just over 200 bucks.

  29.8.2007 13:36 #1

• JorDogg

  cant believe it dosnt even play in 1080p!

  29.8.2007 14:12 #2

• Pop_Smith

  Quote:I have learned a lesson a long time ago..Because things are cheap don't mean there better...In the electronic world you pay for what you get.The smart thing is to get a A2 for just over 200 bucks.True and I am not sure why someone would get an HD DVD (or Blu-Ray if they come out with one) player for cheap if they had an HDTV to connect it to. But, this may help the HD DVD camp if people can buy cheaper players, even if they aren't as good.
  
  Quote:cant believe it dosnt even play in 1080p!Part of this is probably a way to keep the cost down, although I am not 100% on that. Also, the original spec of HD DVD had it play "only" 1080i the newer players finally intruduced 1080p.
  
  However, if your looking to save some money I am sure your not going to care if your HD DVD player is "only" 1080i.
  
  Peace

  29.8.2007 16:08 #3

• Unfocused

  At this rate, Blu Ray is going to have some struggling to do to keep competitive.

  29.8.2007 17:03 #4

• hughjars

  Blu-ray can't compete with these prices, it's as simple as that.
  
  Viacom/Paramount saw it clearly and moved accordingly.
  
  The word is that this player will have an official retail price of $199 (people on avs claim to have emails to support this) but an actual in-store price of $149.
  They may also be bundled 'free' with certain TVs at some outlets.
  
  This also gets even more interesting, the Venturer player is made by Alco.
  
  Alco also makes Wal-Mart's Durabrand products.
  
  So the rumours we had a while back of a big HD DVD Walmart deal (that were denied and laughed at by some of the Blu-ray fanclub) look likely to be true afterall.
  
  Blu-ray is nicely on the way to being an almost entirely PS3 proprietary format and good riddance to it and it's anti-consumer DRM BS too.

  29.8.2007 17:42 #5

• Cinnjerm

  Check and mate

  29.8.2007 21:34 #6

• akaangus

  I remember we used to have an old Venturer karaoke system and the back had HUGE arrows pointing to HUGE screws...
  
  This device is NOT going to look sleek ;)

  29.8.2007 22:24 #7

• hughjars

  Originally posted by akaangus: This device is NOT going to look sleek ;) - Looks pretty "sleek" to me. :P
  
  
  

  30.8.2007 03:08 #8

• xtago

  Blu-ray player are $500 in the US now, it's expected that there are more price cuts on the way before Xmas.

  30.8.2007 03:58 #9

• eatsushi

  I think lower player prices are just half of the picture. With combos coming in at $30 to $35 retail and new releases at $25 to $30 I'm not sure if these will move HD DVD software at all.
  
  We may see people coming out of stores with the Venturer under one arm and a bag of $10 to $15 standard DVD's under the other.

  30.8.2007 07:01 #10

• xtago

  the other thing is that Blu-Ray sell out all over the world, people only talk about the US HD movie market and while it's the largest market, it'd be tiny compared to the other markets combined.
  
  Also Amazon only sell 39% Hd-DVD's right nowand it's still dropping, and Blu-Ray is selling 59% and it's been going up ever since the stats have been recorded.
  
  a lot of overseas people buy Blu-rays from Amazon as the USA gets the releases first, then it goes out to the other markets.
  
  PS3 is a region free Blu-ray player and DRM doesn't work on it, Sony havn't bothered with that on the PS3, but the DVD side on the PS3 is region coded.

  30.8.2007 07:13 #11

• hughjars

  Originally posted by xtago: Blu-ray player are $500 in the US now, it's expected that there are more price cuts on the way before Xmas. - Yeah I shall not bother getting too excited at Blu-ray's always 'tomorrow' line in PR.
  Things are always on the verge of getting better for BD, something is always supposed to clinch it tomorrow for them.
  Too little too late.
  
  Blu-ray has an entry price point of $500 verses HD DVD's present $210 and shortly an HD DVD entry level price point of $149 or less.
  
  No wonder Viacome/Paramount jumped and dumped Blu-ray.
  
  Blu-ray are not on the verge of matching HD DVD pricing any time soon, not even by this coming X-mas
  (when the entry-level Toshiba HD A2 HD DVD player will undoubtedly be below $200).
  
  Originally posted by eatsushi: I think lower player prices are just half of the picture. - I agree.
  HD DVD's greater available content and greater available exclusive content will be a major factor for many people.
  
  .....that and the fact that HD DVD clearly has the 'momentum' now.
  
  Originally posted by eatsushi: With combos coming in at $30 to $35 retail and new releases at $25 to $30 I'm not sure if these will move HD DVD software at all. - It's all just a matter of pricing.
  
  The killer blow will be the lowering of prices and the ending of regular DVD production and all future discs being combo.
  
  That and HD DVD players at the price (or as near as dammit) of a regular DVD player.
  
  Originally posted by eatsushi: We may see people coming out of stores with the Venturer under one arm and a bag of $10 to $15 standard DVD's under the other. - Well OK, maybe, for a time, but if the upscaler is decent in the Venturer (and there is no reason why it won't be) so what?
  
  The idea is to make the move to HD DVD pretty seamless and barely noticeable....that is the genius of the strategy.
  People will be getting additional value without really noticing it at a price of (almost) a regular DVD player.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: the other thing is that Blu-Ray sell out all over the world, people only talk about the US HD movie market and while it's the largest market, it'd be tiny compared to the other markets combined. - OK, you keep making this claim let's see you back that up with some high def dvd sales numbers.
  
  You can't because you're wrong.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Also Amazon only sell 39% Hd-DVD's right nowand it's still dropping, and Blu-Ray is selling 59% and it's been going up ever since the stats have been recorded. - You're (deliberately?) avoiding the point.
  
  4, 5 or 6 million Blu-ray players (assuming all PS3s are Blu-ray players) are only out-selling HD DVD's 200,000 (or 400,000 if you count the XBox 360 HD DVD add-ons) by a 60:40 margin.
  
  BTW this margin is shrinking markedly, not growing.
  
  HD DVD disc sales have shot up on Amazon -
  
  
  
  Originally posted by xtago: a lot of overseas people buy Blu-rays from Amazon as the USA gets the releases first, then it goes out to the other markets. - .....and the Amazon numbers show HD DVD sales rising strongly.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: PS3 is a region free Blu-ray player - Wrong.
  
  Do you just make this stuff up as you go along?
  
  The PS3 is not 'region free' with either SD DVD or Blu-ray.
  
  Blu-ray has it's own regions (which are not the same as the SD DVD regions) but it is not a region-free format (unlike HD DVD which is).
  
  Originally posted by xtago: and DRM doesn't work on it - Wrong again.
  
  For a start the DRM, like the region coding, is a feature of Blu-ray, not the PS3 and secondly BD+ will be a working component of PS3 & it's playing Blu-ray discs.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Sony havn't bothered with that on the PS3, but the DVD side on the PS3 is region coded. - Well plainly we can all now see you really don;'t know the facts here as much as you'd like to imply.
  
  Blu-ray is region coded (those some discs have not used the feature, yet) and Blu-ray is also carrying DRM (but BD+ has yet to be 'switched on'.......but apparently Fox's return to making BD discs is because it is about to be).

  30.8.2007 08:16 #12

• eatsushi

  Quote:Well OK, maybe, for a time, but if the upscaler is decent in the Venturer (and there is no reason why it won't be) so what?
  The market for the Venturer is not exactly the market that will dole out $25 to $35 for each HD DVD disc. It could increase rentals though if Netflix can keep up with the demand.

  30.8.2007 08:28 #13

• hughjars

  Originally posted by eatsushi: The market for the Venturer is not exactly the market that will dole out $25 to $35 for each HD DVD disc. - I think you'll find that the initial premium that was being charged for the combo discs will disappear as they move over to them entirely and costs fall like a stone as they are produced in vast numbers.
  
  Originally posted by eatsushi: It could increase rentals though if Netflix can keep up with the demand. - Not just Netflix.....Blockbuster are now making noises about revising their recent decision (which as part of the Viacom/Paramount group is only to be expected).
  
  see here - http://www.campaignhd.com/807_Paramount_HDDVD.html

  30.8.2007 09:41 #14

• xtago

  Hugearse:
  
  Mate you shouldn't use the graph for the amount of Blu-Rays in stock and HD-DVDs in stock at Amazonm, like you just done.
  
  Blu line is Blu-rays titles in stock at amazon.
  Black line is HD-DVD titles in stock at amazon.
  
  Why not use any of the sales graphs? oh that's because the black line doesn't get above 30% on them, hey.
  
  Amazon's have only upped the titals of HD-DVD becuase they are doing an 8 HD movies sell out with players for both formats.
  
  Also that's the Japan Amazon website, I'll get the page link for that page so everyone can see the whole page proper.
  
  
  Anyway here's the stats your talking about and what everyone else uses.
  
  Blu-ray 61% total of the Amazon HD movie sales in the USA.
  http://www.blu-raystats.com/percentages.php
  
  HD-DVD 39% total of the Amazon HD movie sales in the USA.
  http://www.hddvdstats.com/percentages.php
  
  As you can see the sales of HD-DVD's has been dying for months now.

  30.8.2007 12:31 #15

• hughjars

  Originally posted by xtago: Hugearse - Oh dear, the lumpen sense of humour strikes again.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: you shouldn't use the graph for the amount of Blu-Rays in stock and HD-DVDs in stock at Amazonm, like you just done. - Why do you insist on making such an obvious laughing-stock of yourself.
  
  Look at the graph, up the left hand side it's clearly visible "salesrank".
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Blu line is Blu-rays titles in stock at amazon.
  Black line is HD-DVD titles in stock at amazon. - No it isn't, it the sales ranking, try looking at the left hand axis of graph where it says "salesrank".
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Why not use any of the sales graphs? - I did. Look again, genius.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: oh that's because the black line doesn't get above 30% on them, hey. - Try looking at the graph.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Amazon's have only upped the titals of HD-DVD becuase they are doing an 8 HD movies sell out with players for both formats. - Freebies don't count as sales, actually.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Also that's the Japan Amazon website, I'll get the page link for that page so everyone can see the whole page proper. - Please do, then people with a functional brain can right click and see the link to the graph in properties.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Anyway here's the stats your talking about and what everyone else uses.
  
  Blu-ray 61% total of the Amazon HD movie sales in the USA.
  http://www.blu-raystats.com/percentages.php
  
  HD-DVD 39% total of the Amazon HD movie sales in the USA.
  http://www.hddvdstats.com/percentages.php
  
  As you can see the sales of HD-DVD's has been dying for months now. - You definition of "dying" is hilarious.
  
  You call a 60:40 (and shrinking) movie sales split "dying" when there are supposed to be anything from 3.7 - 6 million Blu-ray players out there verses 200,000 (or 400,000 if you count the XBox 360 HD DVD add-ons) HD DVD players?!
  
  You reckon a 60:40 movie disc sales split is something to crow about when BD is supposed to have something between 15 and 25 times the numbers of players!?
  
  You might not want to admit to seeing it but Viacom/Paramount saw it all too clearly.
  
  Hence Viacom/Paramount dumped Blu-ray.
  
  (......oh and btw I see you have not brought us any data or news on the other markets and the numbers you were referring to earlier then, huh?
  Pity, I'd have loved to seen where & the sales numbers that you imagined consititued those other markets that you claimed Blu-ray had already 'won'.
  
  Too funny.)

  30.8.2007 13:26 #16

• xtago

  Actually you did because the graph you put on here is the jap Amazon stock graph, I look at those graphs an hour before looking at this, why not post up the proper sale graph.
  
  The page links I posted are the USA Amazon Blu-ray and HD-DVD, these pages are also the data that everyone uses when seeing who's winning the "format" war as Amazon is classed as the trend setter so if something is selling heaps at Amazon you can pretty much bet the same product is selling well in the shops as well.
  
  
  Here's Amazon UK
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/
  
  Here's Amazon Germany
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-de/
  
  Here's Amazon Japan
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-jp/index.cfm
  
  
  I think the graphs are based on the HD format product selling against the DVD product that's why most of the graphs are in the - digits, not against each other.

  30.8.2007 21:25 #17

• hughjars

  Originally posted by xtago: Actually you did because the graph you put on here is the jap Amazon stock graph, I look at those graphs an hour before looking at this, why not post up the proper sale graph. - Clearly you're just trolling.
  
  If there is one market where you could not see HD DVD and Blu-ray so close it is Japan
  (but then again on checking the link you gave it's closer than I had thought).
  
  Japan is the one place where Blu-ray may well have been on course to actually 'win' (but now I've seen the graphs from the link you gave I'd say that is now doubtful too).
  
  Unfortunately for you your obvious trolling mission has you unable to see the wood for the trees.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: The page links I posted are the USA Amazon Blu-ray and HD-DVD, these pages are also the data that everyone uses when seeing who's winning the "format" war as Amazon is classed as the trend setter so if something is selling heaps at Amazon you can pretty much bet the same product is selling well in the shops as well.
  
  
  Here's Amazon UK
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/ - .....and what do we see here?
  we see this, 30 day salesranking for top 10 -
  
  
  
  sales rank of the top 25 products over 30 days
  
  
  
  sales rank of the top 100 products over 30 days
  
  
  
  all found at the link you gave
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/
  
  No wonder you didn't post the graphs.
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Here's Amazon Germany
  http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-de/ - No graphs again, I wonder why?.....
  
  top 10 over 30 days -
  
  
  
  top 25 over 30 days
  
  
  
  top 100 over 30 days
  
  
  
  - All from the link you gave http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-de/
  
  Originally posted by xtago: Here's Amazon Japan
  " target="_blank">http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-jp/index.cfm
  
  - LMAO.
  
  First of all this shows you original claim was wrong these graphs are nothing like the graphs I showed.
  
  Even funnier is that HD DVD is clearly recovering from a bad start in Japan and that even in Blu-ray's 'best market' they are hardly 'winning' - particularly when you take the number of players each side has into account.
  
  Top 10 over 30days -
  
  
  
  Top 25 over 30 days -
  
  
  
  Top 100 over 30 days -
  
  
  
  - All from the link you gave http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd-jp/index.cfm
  
  Originally posted by zxtago: I think the graphs are based on the HD format product selling against the DVD product that's why most of the graphs are in the - digits, not against each other. - I think you ought to learn to use that site properly, then you'll see the graphs and how to post them.
  
  (.......and you just got totally busted btw.
  But thanks for giving me the opportunity to post up the state of play according to eproduct wars.)
  
  Still no sign of those markets (or sales numbers) that you had claimed earlier that Blu-ray had already 'won' then huh?

  31.8.2007 03:49 #18

• xtago

  Man do you actuaully read the graphs.
  
  If you look at the left hand side you note that the numbers are in the negatives.
  
  So the lower the line the less it has sold,you'll see the blue lines [blu-ray] are a lot closer to the 0 line soon they'll be over the 0 line meaning blu-ray is starting to out sell the DVD version of the same product in these markets.
  
  The graphs aren't solely blu-ray and HD-DVD only going against each other, its by products, the last graph has HD-DVD basicly not selling very well againt the DVD version based over 100 product sold in the last 30 days or 1 month and compared to Blu-Ray doesn't even come close to selling anywhere near the same numbers.
  
  Maybe instead of trying to push incorrect info down people throats maybe you should look at what your claiming as graphs showing HD-DVD winning against Blu-ray as these graphs clearly show Blu-Ray is now starting to out sell the DVD version of the same product and HD-DVD is hardly close to the amount of sales that Blu-ray has right now.
  
  This weeks sales have been updated on all these graphs that's why they have changed a little bit.

  31.8.2007 06:25 #19

• eatsushi

  Did anyone catch the IFA announcement the this Venturer model will retail in Europe for 300 Euros? This can't be right, can it?

  31.8.2007 09:31 #20

• hughjars

  Originally posted by xtago: Man do you actuaully read the graphs. - Yes and clearly I understand the concept of relative 'sales rankings' a little better than you.
  
  Lose yourself in the detail of a single day or weeks numbers if you like but
  every one of those 30 day averages show a closing gap between HD DVD and Blu-ray.
  
  The truth is that (depending who's figures you believe) Blu-ray has between 15 & 25 time the number of HD DVD players and is only producing a (shrinking) 60:40 sales 'advantage'.
  
  No wonder Viacom/Paramount dumped Blu-ray.
  
  Originally posted by eatsushi: Did anyone catch the IFA announcement the this Venturer model will retail in Europe for 300 Euros? This can't be right, can it? - It isn't quite right.
  
  The actual comment was "€300 or less".
  
  http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65757
  
  Personally I'd expect "less", much less.
  They're just keeping their plans quiet.
  
  Afterall €300 (£200) is the current Toshiba HD E1 price here in the UK
  (and happily I hear the 5 disc offer is coming to Europe too!).

  31.8.2007 10:06 #21

• borhan9

  This was comming regardless.

  9.9.2007 22:36 #22