Video Asylum

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on January 09, 2008 at 01:24:18

In Reply to: RE: Customer concern ain't got nuthin' to do with it. posted by Harmonia on January 08, 2008 at 12:00:52

...were NOT what I think of as early adopters. These were folks who probably assumed (and correctly) that the new technologies were finally established and that the price of hardware had finally dropped enough to make checking out one of the formats worthwhile (HD-DVD must have been very attractive since unit prices fell below $100 at one point and also included free HD-DVD incentives).

Another factor in the growth of new customers over the holidays may have been that the number of new releases on HD-DVD had grown and was of sufficient quantity to be seen as comparable with Blu-ray releases. Both formats have sufficient variety to appear marginally well established even while still being considered niche products by many folks. Note: New releases included a number of blockbuster movies, classics and high-profile television series such as Star Trek TOS.

>>> "Customer concern ain't got nuthin' to do with it." <<<

You make a good point. Unfortunately Warner has made this point abundantly clear to new customers who supported HD-DVD for the first time over the holidays. Personally, I don't think that ticking off folks you want as future customers with an arbitrary decision that hits them in their wallets is a good business model, but what do I know.

>>> "It's all about the bottom line and protecting shareholder interests in long term." <<<

That may be true, but at some point every company has to place it's customers first (even before shareholder interests) if that bottom line is going to remain constant and the company is to retain the confidence of the buying public.

I think that in this instance Warner did a grave disservice to new customers who may place the blame for the format's rapid decline and the loss of their hard earned investment in new gear at their doorstep. BTW, I doubt that these new HD-DVD converts will jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon just because the field has narrowed unless some kind of incentive is offered to recent HD-DVD owners allowing them some opportunity to recoup their lost investment. Whether this was offered by SONY or Warner it would be good PR for the Blu-ray format.

>>> "It's a bitch being a statitic on the wrong side of the column. Meanwhile you HD-DVD fans can enjoy the discs you have, while you can." <<<

Well, IMHO the statistical angle doesn't contribute nearly as much to buyer dissatisfaction as the feeling of having been encouraged to support something over the holidays through massive sales and then finding out that your investment has the appearance of being a ruse to get rid of unsold stock before it becomes obsolete. I'm not saying that this was the intent, but appearances are what they are.

The fact is that marking down players at a time when there was a big corresponding release of major high profile releases (some HD-DVD exclusives) left the distinct impression that this format was going to be around for quite awhile. Warner pulling the rug out from under HD-DVD just after the holidays smacks of a sucker punch, with the customers being the suckers. ;0)

For the record, I'm not as affected by the Warner decision as some no doubt will be even though I paid a bit more for my HD-DVD player than new converts did over the holidays (I bought mine last summer and considered it an early adopter purchase as you've accurately pointed out). While I've purchased quite a few HD-DVDs to date, it's still a relatively limited number (compared to what's currently available), so I'm not too concerned about my Toshiba player breaking down in the short term.

Now if I'd been among the throngs who bought players as gifts during the holiday sales events (albeit at somewhat cheaper prices than I originally paid) I might be a trifle PO'd that my new investment was immediately thrown overboard by Warner just after the holidays, especially if I'd purchased one or more units as gifts for friends and relatives (I came very close to doing this). Studio executives and bean-counters probably don't give this much thought when considering their bottom line, but maybe they should since their customers are drawn from every walk of life and the feeling of being suckered is not something any customer quickly forgets.

AuPh

Edits: 01/09/08   01/09/08