Steve Jobs is wrong about Blu-ray, says BDA

In 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made headlines when he called Blu-ray "a bag of hurt."

At the time, Jobs said: "Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It's great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we're waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace."

Two years later and Blu-ray is mainstream but Jobs is still anti-Blu. Last month he said the following: "Blu-ray is looking more and more like one of the high end audio formats that appeared as the successor to the CD - like it will be beaten by Internet downloadable formats."

This week, the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) has responded, saying Jobs is wrong in his assertions that Blu-ray is just for a niche market and that it will soon be replaced by streaming and HD downloads.

Says the BDA: "According to market analysis, Blu-ray has a rate of adoption very similar to that of DVD at the same seniority (18 million U.S. homes with Blu-ray in Q4 '10 vs the same numbers as the penetration of DVD in Q1 of the fifth year on the market). We agree that the Internet will increase its importance (for streaming and downloads) but we do believe that physical media like Blu-ray Disc will continue to dominate for many years, due to ease of use, high durability, and certainly the ability to deliver a high definition experience and quality available anywhere."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Jul 2010 14:51

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35 comments

scorpNZ

Time will tell, tho i tend to lean with jobs on this one they aren't much cheaper than a video game then there's the hardware that needs to be bought & judging by the shelves of the local hire stores bluray has a dam long way to go, & with high speed bb getting rolled out downloads will trounce the disc media just like it's done to music cd's,but yeah the cost setup is definitely a major factor & is what i base my assumption on so i'll be waiting for a bit more yet before i commit to buying hardware & will stick with good ol' trusty dvd for now

21.7.2010 15:54 #1

Mysttic

clap clap clap. That is all.

21.7.2010 16:40 #2

bigfamei

The man has a point. Everything is going toward streaming or downloadable content. Blu ray may be too expensive. I can see regular dvd outlasting blu ray unless the price really drops

21.7.2010 17:03 #3

tempsubm

Blu-ray is just one entry on the long list of things Saint Steve is wrong about. It took him years to figure out mouse buttons, for God's sake!

21.7.2010 17:05 #4

bam431

I have to agree. I only have one Blu-Ray and it came with my PS3. I just Stream everything else.

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21.7.2010 17:28 #5

davidike

dvd is good enough for now, and i wouldn't say that bluray is main stream in the uk. until sales continually surpass dvd's then its still niche.

but tbh what else would you expect a bunch of MPAA lobbyists from sony disney & fox to say, "its a dying format, come waste your money we have invested million in"?.

until blu-ray blank media is �15 for a spindle of 50 and the burners are �30 a piece, its still overpriced crud with many other alternatives without the hardware crippling DRM of bluray.

"The public domain is a dicgrace to the forces of evil"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

21.7.2010 17:31 #6

borhan9

Blu-Ray is the technology for today however it needs to be more economically suited for the everyday consumer it took DVD a few years before prices became reasonable soo we will just have to wait for Blu-Ray to do the same. However streaming is the way media is going as users have more control on what they view and what they wish to do with streaming media.

Edited by DVDBack23

"the mediocre teacher tells. the good teacher explains. the superior teacher demonstrates. the great teacher inspires."- William Aruthur Ward

21.7.2010 18:11 #7

ThePastor

Yeah, I'd hardly call blu-ray "Mainstream". In the end there will still be more DVD's then BR. I tend to agree with Jobs, here.
The only reason BR is as popular as it is, now is because it is basically being forced by the industry, much like this 3D crap.

I can easily imagine myself having never owned a Blu-ray player... just like I never owned a BetaMax player. (and I play HD movies all the time)

Unfortunately for them, all Blu-ray protections have been broken and BD rips can be found around the Internet, usually before the retail even hits shelves.

21.7.2010 19:29 #8

DVDBack23

For everyone who is agreeing with Steve here, how many of you have actually paid $15 to purchase an HD film through iTunes, VUDU, etc?

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21.7.2010 19:35 #9

aldan

whats all this talk of the cost of the equipment to play blue rays.my dvd player packed it in and the blue ray player was 130.00 cdn.just in the off chance that it might be here to stay why would you even consider buying a dvd player?

21.7.2010 20:16 #10

bam431

Originally posted by DVDBack23: For everyone who is agreeing with Steve here, how many of you have actually paid $15 to purchase an HD film through iTunes, VUDU, etc? I only ever buy movies I really like, Which is rare. I play more games then watch movies or TV. Normally I just rent them on my PS3 or iTunes. I did buy Crank on iTunes though and it cost more on Blu-ray then iTunes so I saved some money.

This could be anywhere This could be everywhere
Xbox Live: war dog431 - PSN: bam431 - IGN: bam431
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My site: Work in progress.

21.7.2010 21:06 #11

Tecbot

blu-ray players are like $100 now and movies are like $5-10....dvd was over $1200 and movies over $40 too am i from the future or something holy people.

I dont see a physical media like blu-ray leaving in my lifetime maybe when im gone and the infrastructure actually can handle it without waiting days on end for your dl it might happen but there so far behind and already capping internet bandwith it would be redonkulas at this point to even consider digital downloads taking over a physical format.

21.7.2010 23:17 #12

scorpNZ

Originally posted by aldan: whats all this talk of the cost of the equipment to play blue rays.my dvd player packed it in and the blue ray player was 130.00 cdn.just in the off chance that it might be here to stay why would you even consider buying a dvd player? For someone other than a movie buff a low end player will do fine,if your serious however a decent player will set you back more than double, then you need to consider other hardware like type of tv & stereo etc it can get quite high starting at 3 grand nz,given the choice i personally wouldn't waste my time with a dedicated bluray player, as i prefer using a computer as a media center & if like me you have a large movie collection a computer is the best way to go, then again i spose the players all have USB Ports these days for connecting external hdd's,well who the hell wants to get up & change a dvd or bluray when it's finished :p

Edit:Forgot to mention not everyone lives in the States or Canada when it comes to prices

22.7.2010 02:04 #13

llongtheD

I think Jobs might have a "God" complex. I'm not a bluray fan, but the only reason he doesn't like it is because its not HUGELY profitable for Crapple. Its kind of a pattern with him, his companies hardware can't run something efficiently, or they can't make a huge profit from it. So... they're no good to Jobs or anyone else, as far as he's concerned.
Its funny he brings up licensing difficulties, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black.
Does anyone believe he has the consumers best interests at heart?

If your fish seems sick, put it back in the water.

22.7.2010 03:32 #14

xnonsuchx

Until everyone can stream at a consistent ~7MB/sec. (54Mb/sec., where MOST people w/ broadband currently only have 2-10Mb/sec. ability), you're not gonna be able to stream the same quality as what BD provides. And unless you don't mind 20-40GB+ downloads, you're not gonna get the same quality via any online option! Not to mention there's still a large # of people who don't have access to broadband Internet options or don't care to pay for it.

Steve Jobs assumes most people are more 'casual' and don't care about the highest-end, which is arguable. I think there's a large # of people who don't care that much, but I think there's also a large # (enough to sustain a market) that either DO care or care about certain things (e.g. only wanting a few special movies in highest definition and being fine w/ DVD and/or streaming/downloadable online options otherwise).

BTW, Apple is one of the original members of the BDA, even if they don't include the tech in their Macs.

22.7.2010 05:45 #15

xtago

The problem itunes will have is the 3D side of things, in Australia TV stations are starting to show sports in 3D.

Movies are quickly going to 3D as well, they need to give a reason for people to buy another new TV and large screen HD tvs while great doesn't make people want to buy one.

So if all movies goto 3D then the size of the movie files is going to be bigger again, as they are 2 movies merged into one movie, 100-200gig blu-rays will probably be the norm soon.

Then you have the poor sounding music files from itunes which are probably great for poor people who can't afford to buy a CD or get better sound files, but again in movies it'll be the same problem.

Pay $10 to have a show for 12hours as the studios don't want you to have it for too long.

22.7.2010 16:30 #16

DXR88

i don't need BDA to tell me how full of shat Jobs is. that's just common knowledge.

ever since he got his liver or whatever replaced, i think they stole his brain and put in a jar somewhere.

30 years from now someone will be selling it on Ibay.

22.7.2010 21:33 #17

Interestx

I see they're now openly giving up trying to pretend that Blu-ray adoption is happening faster than DVD's.

Blu-ray will grow and it will hang around for a while but DVD will see it buried (unless they decide to alienate everyone and rig the maket with a premature DVD withdrawl).

22.7.2010 21:51 #18

KillerBug

Yeah...one day streaming will take over...but it isn't going to do it before Bluray is outdated anyway.

Blurays are 40mbps...until the average user has an internet connection that is at least 30mbps (sustained, minimum speed), I can't see streaming matching bluray quality, even with codecs that are better than anything currently available...and quality is the whole point of bluray.

Regardless, I can't see iTunes becoming a standard. I mean, they don't even have a working windows client yet...and they have been trying for years...every release is worse than the last! If your content is limited to 40% of smartphones (and dropping), one tablet, and the Mac (less than 5% of the pc market), then you really can't expect it to replace a format like bluray. Bluray may be licensed and locked down hard...but at least it isn't limited to devices made by one manufacturer.

23.7.2010 02:43 #19

loxley32

Originally posted by ThePastor: Yeah, I'd hardly call blu-ray "Mainstream".

I can easily imagine myself having never owned a Blu-ray player... just like I never owned a BetaMax player. (and I play HD movies all the time) It always makes me laugh when people who refuse to own something also refuse to admit that it is "mainstream". My Mom and my Grandparents have a blu-ray player. You can't get more mainstream than that.

24.7.2010 09:03 #20

20TONS

I see internet downloads as mainstream in the distant future. Currently Blu-Ray players are priced too high for most consumers. Once they come down to the level at which DVD players are more people will purchase them. I for one am happy with DVD which I rip to a hard drive and play through a media hub. I'm not interested in purchasing Blu-Ray copies of movies I already own on DVD. Just seems like a complete waste of money.

Steve Jobs would love for internet downloads to take off so he can load it down with DRM.

24.7.2010 17:54 #21

KillerBug

"I'm not interested in purchasing Blu-Ray copies of movies I already own on DVD. Just seems like a complete waste of money."

Agreed there...but it also seems like a waste of money to buy new DVDs when you can get the same movie on bluray for the same price.

Blu Ray players can be gotten for $100...it might not support every feature, but it will play the movies just fine...and that is the main point of bluray.

...And bluray is mainstream. If it were not, then walmart would not have such a huge selection. We never saw more than 1-2 video cds at walmart. Same with DVD-A audio cds, DTS cds, and laserdisks...they never hit the mainstream, so they never hit the shelves. Bluray might not replace the dvds you already have, but it should replace the ones you have yet to buy.

26.7.2010 04:00 #22

Tazadoobi

Originally posted by scorpNZ: Time will tell, tho i tend to lean with jobs on this one they aren't much cheaper than a video game then there's the hardware that needs to be bought & judging by the shelves of the local hire stores bluray has a dam long way to go, & with high speed bb getting rolled out downloads will trounce the disc media just like it's done to music cd's,but yeah the cost setup is definitely a major factor & is what i base my assumption on so i'll be waiting for a bit more yet before i commit to buying hardware & will stick with good ol' trusty dvd for now Aren't much cheaper than a game? What planet are you on, exactly?

26.7.2010 04:56 #23

xtago

Originally posted by Interestx: I see they're now openly giving up trying to pretend that Blu-ray adoption is happening faster than DVD's.

Blu-ray will grow and it will hang around for a while but DVD will see it buried (unless they decide to alienate everyone and rig the maket with a premature DVD withdrawl).
Even though ALL the big US studios in 2009 have started to wind back production of movies on DVD and started swapping over to Blu-Ray I think DVD production will be stopped from them in 2 years time so by 2011/2012, DVD production will be a thing of the past.

Then 4-5 years later it'll be like VHS tapes where your kids will be asking what they were etc DVD will be the same deal.

but by then there's will be larger TVs and larger movie formats meaning larger disks needed, I don't know if the 3D movies have been pirated yet but they might not be able to be played back properly as nothing would be out to rip them seeing they need to cue the glasses to flick on/off etc

26.7.2010 05:17 #24

scorpNZ

Originally posted by Tazadoobi: Originally posted by scorpNZ: Time will tell, tho i tend to lean with jobs on this one they aren't much cheaper than a video game then there's the hardware that needs to be bought & judging by the shelves of the local hire stores bluray has a dam long way to go, & with high speed bb getting rolled out downloads will trounce the disc media just like it's done to music cd's,but yeah the cost setup is definitely a major factor & is what i base my assumption on so i'll be waiting for a bit more yet before i commit to buying hardware & will stick with good ol' trusty dvd for now Aren't much cheaper than a game? What planet are you on, exactly? You obviously have little knowledge of regions ,a movie on bluray release here in NZ on average is $75-$80 dollars a video game on average is $120-$130.

26.7.2010 14:00 #25

Tazadoobi

Originally posted by scorpNZ: Originally posted by Tazadoobi: Originally posted by scorpNZ: Time will tell, tho i tend to lean with jobs on this one they aren't much cheaper than a video game then there's the hardware that needs to be bought & judging by the shelves of the local hire stores bluray has a dam long way to go, & with high speed bb getting rolled out downloads will trounce the disc media just like it's done to music cd's,but yeah the cost setup is definitely a major factor & is what i base my assumption on so i'll be waiting for a bit more yet before i commit to buying hardware & will stick with good ol' trusty dvd for now Aren't much cheaper than a game? What planet are you on, exactly? You obviously have little knowledge of regions ,a new bluray release here in NZ on average is $80 dollars a video game on average is $120 You're being ripped off... Seriously. Just buy from amazon.co.uk... Cheap blu-rays on there.

26.7.2010 14:03 #26

scorpNZ

Originally posted by Tazadoobi: Originally posted by scorpNZ: Originally posted by Tazadoobi: Originally posted by scorpNZ: Time will tell, tho i tend to lean with jobs on this one they aren't much cheaper than a video game then there's the hardware that needs to be bought & judging by the shelves of the local hire stores bluray has a dam long way to go, & with high speed bb getting rolled out downloads will trounce the disc media just like it's done to music cd's,but yeah the cost setup is definitely a major factor & is what i base my assumption on so i'll be waiting for a bit more yet before i commit to buying hardware & will stick with good ol' trusty dvd for now Aren't much cheaper than a game? What planet are you on, exactly? You obviously have little knowledge of regions ,a new bluray release here in NZ on average is $80 dollars a video game on average is $120 You're being ripped off... Seriously. Just buy from amazon.co.uk... Cheap blu-rays on there. Yeah we know we're being raped..lol..even parrallel imports from Asia although better priced are still quite expensive at least for the first half of the year,our exchange rate doesn't help much either especially compare to the UK ,that would be 3 NZ dollars to 1 UK pound

26.7.2010 14:10 #27

Tazadoobi

That's insane. Just move to the UK, or china.. On second thoughts, just move here. You can't even buy a games console in China legally.. lol.

The price of games needs to decrease.. Blu-rays are only priced high to make a profit, they can't be too expensive to produce..

26.7.2010 14:12 #28

DXR88

why buy it at all, when it can be had for free.

26.7.2010 21:16 #29

davidike

Originally posted by Tazadoobi:
The price of games needs to decrease.. Blu-rays are only priced high to make a profit, they can't be too expensive to produce.. there are not, but flashey marketing making you think you "NEED" it or marketing put downs making out that you are a dinosaur or out of touch and dont care for your family if you dont have it guilt trip the sheep into believing that its good value to purchase a product that costs $0.0001 to produce with slave labour in either asia or mexico, that the corporations then retail for $50>

its called keeping up with the Jones's

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses

"The public domain is a dicgrace to the forces of evil"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

27.7.2010 06:17 #30

DXR88

yeah, every body want to keep up with me.

27.7.2010 14:20 #31

Tazadoobi

Originally posted by davidike: Originally posted by Tazadoobi:
The price of games needs to decrease.. Blu-rays are only priced high to make a profit, they can't be too expensive to produce.. there are not, but flashey marketing making you think you "NEED" it or marketing put downs making out that you are a dinosaur or out of touch and dont care for your family if you dont have it guilt trip the sheep into believing that its good value to purchase a product that costs $0.0001 to produce with slave labour in either asia or mexico, that the corporations then retail for $50>

its called keeping up with the Jones's

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses

27.7.2010 14:32 #32

llongtheD

Originally posted by loxley32: Originally posted by ThePastor: Yeah, I'd hardly call blu-ray "Mainstream".

I can easily imagine myself having never owned a Blu-ray player... just like I never owned a BetaMax player. (and I play HD movies all the time) It always makes me laugh when people who refuse to own something also refuse to admit that it is "mainstream". My Mom and my Grandparents have a blu-ray player. You can't get more mainstream than that.

Listen up everyone! loxley32's grandparents have a blu-ray player. It is now officially mainstream.
And that is a fact that cannot be disputed.

If your fish seems sick, put it back in the water.

2.9.2010 01:05 #33

xtago

3.9.2010 04:42 #34

Askar

For those who think streaming is the future, wait til the ISPs start charging you by the GB. You know it's coming.

23.12.2010 23:39 #35

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