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Blog: Hardware Blu-ray Domination in Japan
Stephen Kamizuru (Blog) - February 15, 2008 12:48 PM

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17 comment(s) - last by marco916.. on Feb 19 at 12:47 PM

Blu-Ray Exhibit

Blu-Ray Movies

This is it for HD DVD, Apollo 13 anyone?

Blu-ray disc player sales account for 96% of market

A study last month continues to show the Blu-Ray disc format crushing HD-DVD in the Japanese market. The study surveyed 2,300 electronic stores in Japan where high definition players were purchased in greater numbers. Of those players purchased the top three were Sony models -- not including the PlayStation 3. The study only looked at living-room high definition players.

Sony models accounted for 60% of total sales, Panasonic accounted for 27% of sales and Sharp came in third at nearly 10%. Toshiba HD DVD players accounted for roughly 4% of sales.

A quick trip to the Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara seems to show high definition disc formats still have a long way to go in Japan. Is Japan behind the west when it comes to HD? DVD movies still accounted for 90% of shelf space with a small section devoted to Blu-ray and an even smaller section devoted to HD DVD.

HD DVD discs were relegated to the bottom shelf of a Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit. By coincidence I caught a customer going home with his brand new Blu-ray player which happened to be a Sony. In Japan, even without the PlaySation 3, Blu-ray is dominating the high definition player market.

From the HD DVD perspective it looks like the land of the rising sun is a lost cause.

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Wait

By onelittleindian on 2/15/2008 2:14:23 PM , Rating: 3

According to the BD fanboys, this site is supposed to be heavily HD-DVD biased, and yet they're running stories like this?

Guess they werent as biased as you people thought hrm?

RE: Wait

By Etsp on 2/15/2008 3:54:09 PM , Rating: 5

This site is also heavily anti-sony, anti-microsoft, anti-nintendo, it is also heavily pro-sony, pro-microsoft, and pro-nintendo. But this all depends on your point of view =P

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RE: Wait

By smitty3268 on 2/15/2008 5:07:58 PM , Rating: 5

The real situation is that certain bloggers here are pro-whomever, and others are anti. It's just that people tend to remember the posts they disagree with and forget about the ones they don't find controversial.

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RE: Wait

By jtemplin on 2/16/2008 11:38:58 PM , Rating: 2

Confirmation bias eh?!

Ref: http://skepdic.com/confirmbias.html

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RE: Wait

By SavagePotato on 2/15/08, Rating: 0

RE: Wait

By onwisconsin on 2/15/2008 10:56:25 PM , Rating: 2

I think this is a blog post, not technically a story....

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RE: Wait

By Hydrofirex on 2/15/2008 11:30:06 PM , Rating: 2

I always thought that facts were facts. Assuming this to be true, and I don't think this site would bold-face lie like that, then how is this pro-anything??

Thinking about the implications of these facts might lend weight to the rumors of Toshiba leaving HD DVD - a line of thought I have heard elsewhere. Between Wallmart, Best Buy, Netflix, and Blockbuster this fight is over. Throw in the Japanese market, a signifigant consumer electronics market, and who cares what HD DVD says anyways?

HfX

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"Is Japan behind on HD?"

By DanoruX on 2/16/2008 12:26:07 AM , Rating: 1

Are you on crack?

RE: "Is Japan behind on HD?"

By tomoyo on 2/16/2008 12:56:20 AM , Rating: 2

Japan is AHEAD, they see the future, we see the past.

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RE: "Is Japan behind on HD?"

By Belard on 2/17/2008 2:12:52 AM , Rating: 3

yeah... all the REALLY REALLY cool electronic toys are in Asia... the USA gets older tech, we move soooo slow.

In Japan, people are buying Blu-ray recorders off retail shelves. But in the USA, nothing yet.

Check out these Sony Blu-Ray Disc Recorders (They have built-in Hard Drives of 250>500GB. costs $1000~2000.
http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Style-e/Product/Blu-r/...

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Doesn't matter - Toshiba made it offical on the 16th

By Belard on 2/16/2008 9:02:44 AM , Rating: 1

It's offical... FEB 16th, Toshiba is out of the HD-DVD market. They are preping for the public annoucement soon, and Universal / parmaount will have something to say on Monday.

HD-DVD R.I.P.

FEB 16th 2008

RE: Doesn't matter - Toshiba made it offical on the 16th

By sweetsauce on 2/16/2008 3:31:11 PM , Rating: 2

Its official... the world will end on Feb 16th. I heard somewhere so it has to be true. The press is preparing a statement for monday.

EARTH R.I.P

Feb 16th 2008

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RE: Doesn't matter - Toshiba made it offical on the 16th

By Chaser on 2/17/2008 1:52:09 AM , Rating: 2

Don't worry, we'll help you through it :)

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This format war is over, done & finished

By TerranMagistrate on 2/15/2008 1:12:05 PM , Rating: 2

Wal-Mart went Blu-Ray, which may not be big news to Japanese consumers but is massive to the NA and European regions.

Good bye HD-DVD, I hardly knew thee.

RE: This format war is over, done & finished

By Zensen on 2/15/2008 8:11:59 PM , Rating: 2

I'm just glad we don't get wal-mart here in Australia.

Blu-ray always seemed to have a headstart in Japan with one of the first players for blu-ray released there but they did pay quite a bit for it and there wasn't really anything out there other than to say they had the hardware.

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Cheaper Options?

By InternetGeek on 2/18/2008 6:18:33 PM , Rating: 2

What are the options now?

- Wait for a cheaper BR player
- Get a PC Drive and hook it up to your PC
- Get a PS3

I'm sure PC Drives and PS3 are upgradable to Profile 2.0 without any problem.

And how fast do you think movies will go down in price? With Blue Ray movies just stepping in I don't think stores will put them in the $9.95 bins for a long time with all the DVD stock they have and sell.

Looking ahead after Blu-ray

By marco916 on 2/19/2008 12:47:15 PM , Rating: 2

Just wait sheeple, in another 15 to 20 years, Blu-ray will be replaced with something new from Japan. Sheittt, I'm still collecting Vinyl records, anybody still buying Vinyl.