Susanne: I am sorry if you feel "screwed" but being the editor of a video retail magazine, you are well informed. And anyone who has purchased a blu-ray player, especially someone in your position, knew that these features would not be available on your player. Why then didn't you wait? I feel it so irresponsible for people to blame companies such as Sony or the makers of the players for their own personal mistakes. We need to take some responsibility for our own purchases. I knew the score and purchased a PS3 because I knew the 1.1 and 2.0 upgrades were coming! All evolving formats start unfinished. I remember my first dvd player, it was a Toshiba released as one of the first dvd players. You could not access some extras, you could not play the DTS soundtracks, and discs skipped and some didn't even play at all. It was the 3rd or 4th generation players that were finally perfected. Yes, hd-dvd has had those features for a while. For my stores that I own, and I keep very much in touch with customers, we did a similar survey in November. Our results showed that almost 77% of our customers did not really care that much about internet connectivity or playing a picture-in-picture feature on their player. 87% said that the movie and its quality mattered the most. Uncompressed soundtracks faired much better than these special features. In selling blu-ray players, Imy staff in all stores are trained to explain which players perform which functions. We have found very few who walk out because BD1.1 or 2.0 is missing from their player. This survey that you mention, Susanne, was taken from the AVS forum where you have a very concentrated group of die-hard electronics addicts (no insult to them intended, I love the web site too). So in referring to that survey as any type of source that would mirror the general consumer is downright wrong. I know this because I sell these items and talk to these people every day. I noticed that Video Business of late has taken what seems to me an anti-blu-ray stance. Weeks ago was a story from a Universal rep about the sales of Warner titles like Harry Potter, which was downright wrong with the official numbers. Now this editorial. I suggest to Video Business that we need to stop this and get down to the fact that unless we totally support the blu-ray format now and stop the slamming, our businesses will be in trouble. Already dvd sales are falling.

Unfortunately it looks like there will be a lot of consumers "screwed" by the move to BD. It's like all consumers are forced into the role of test pilot for unfinished BD technology. PS3 a game console is used as the deciding factor for movie players. One problem is PS3 is dead last in the game world. PS3 is the most expensive game console, but PS3 is the cheapest BD player. Only Playstation fans have rushed to buy PS3, and they have been nothing but disappointed in the lack of games. BD players that can beat HD DVD players on price or performance are no where in sight. That is why BD (uh... PS3) fans spend their time blasting anyone who is critical of PS3 (Susanne has first hand experience with this activity). If it were not for "exclusive" backroom deals HD DVD would have won. There is always a small percentage of consumers that will pay extra for questionable "superior" Sony technology, but the vast majority of people buy from any number of other manufacturers based on price and quality. So now were all supposed to lay down $399 or more for BD, and we are supposed to ignore excellent HD DVD for a lot less.

In response to the post by freetospeak, players are now available for $259 (players have been selling for those prices online now for a month), the Sony 300 and Samsung 1400. So please post facts and not distort your posts to actually contain errors to fluf up your point. Also, another error of yours is that full featured players are nowhere in sight. In fact at the CES show, Panasonic introduced their blu-ray player that is 2.0 and full-featured for sound. Sony has promised two 2.0 players within months, and the PS3 2.0 update is runuored to be weeks away. This post is obviously written by a consumer who has no knowledge of the retail experience. Owning 3 stores in Wisconsin, I can tell you the the best way to go was Blu-ray. Our sales are much higher, and like the first poster here (VideoWorld), we are removing all hd-dvd product from our stores. It has proven a poor investment for us compared to our blu-ray sales. The problem with this website is that the fanboys from the other web forums who are fighting like dogs over this war come here to post and make their points. It's a shame that Video Business does not keep these postings to actual retail businesses, and perhaps make a section for posting from the public where we can see how they feel. The format war was not only a war between studios and Sony and Toshiba, but it has been a huge war for users on the internet. Never before have I seen such cursing at each other and what surprises me is that some of these people act like their lives are at stake over this format war. Some hd-dvd heavies are banning buying Warner titles. Gee, I bet that doesn't last too long until a big hit comes out. Besides, they are only hurting themselves by not allowing for purchase of some great movies by the studio. Lack of one sale isn't going to prove anything to Warner Brothers, who obviously made the right decision and went with the format that won sales every week of 2007, 52 weeks in a row. I have only one question. If hd-dvd was so ready for market, the features finalized, the players cheaper, then why did my store and others do so poorly with the format? Since the Warner decision, I can't give a hd-dvd player away for 100.00. No customer of mine wants to spend that kind of money in today's poor economy for something that within a few months, will play only 20% of content available. They can get an upscaling player for $65 these days. My customers see Blu-ray as the more futuristic product, they know about the studio support, and they have been willing to pay more for the players. I am sure by half-way through this year, we will see many finalized players and lower prices. It was the same for every format, VHS, DVD, all except hd-dvd, which came to market slashing prices on players and taking huge losses only to win a war. Had there been no war, Toshiba player prices would be equal to blu-ray pricing.

It has been said that hd-dvd discs use regular dvd lines for production, and that the cost is so much lower. If that's the case, where are the lower-priced movies as compared to blu-ray? That's it for me I am throwing in the towel on hd-dvd in my store, I have no reason to make any investment in this format. My customers truly see the blu-ray value, and it's time for me to push one format.

Videorama - I know all about the obsolete early BD players that take 3 minutes to start playing a movie. They will never do Profile 2.0 functions what a bargain. You can keep them. My $99 HD DVD player has more standard features than the BD players available today. PS3 is the only BD player that can be updated to full Profile 2 capability. You can stock all the BD you want, but I won't be buying from you.

Sants Video - Perhaps the added profit from the HD DVD discs offset the MUCH cheaper cost of the hardware.

Ryan - HD DVD movies are comparable in price to BD. The exception is Combo disks which have DVD on one side and HD DVD on the other. Combo is loved by people who want to be able to use the movie on DVD players, but hated by people who just want an HD movie for less.