Originally posted by: greencapt
Actually there already have been several launches of Music DVD and 'better than CD quality' audio.... much to the snoozes of the consumer public. Like you said it takes a much bigger leap in quality (or more importantly PERCEIVED quality) for a new technology to take root with most consumers. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will look kick-ass on those of us with HD tvs, but on your still more common 27" tube set most consumers won't see much difference. What really helps new technology is a 'gimic' of sorts. I personally never would have thought PSP video would almost instantly have shelf space in Wal-Mart of whatever. But people like their portability. Go figure!
Actually there already have been several launches of Music DVD and 'better than CD quality' audio.... much to the snoozes of the consumer public. Like you said it takes a much bigger leap in quality (or more importantly PERCEIVED quality) for a new technology to take root with most consumers. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will look kick-ass on those of us with HD tvs, but on your still more common 27" tube set most consumers won't see much difference. What really helps new technology is a 'gimic' of sorts. I personally never would have thought PSP video would almost instantly have shelf space in Wal-Mart of whatever. But people like their portability. Go figure!
Good points-- the fickle buying public likes what it likes (Beta? Nah, VHS!). There had been other prior attempts before DVD at releasing a movie-disc format-- CD-I, and the thankfully-failed early DVD "Divx" experiment (disposable movies that you have to "rent" for limited access, with no features... genius). If you ask John Q. Public about Blu-Ray or HD-DVD right now, chances are, he will respond, "Blu-Whut?"
Also keep in mind that consumers still whine about "those black bars", and that even reissues of widescreen movies are released in effin' Full Screen. (and yet, there are faux-WS releases created out of things not shot in WS, i.e. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker) Unless it's old movies shot in a non-WS format, everything should be released only in Widescreen. People would quickly get over it, and get used to the pesky "bars" once and for all. That would be a start. Meanwhile, there are bars on the *side* of the screen on WS TV's when the programming is not WS. Sigh... a vicious cycle.