Disc Sales: Blu-ray Squeaks Weekly Win Against 'Transformers' HD DVD

Home Media Magazine is reporting a narrow Blu-ray disc sales victory for the week ending Oct 21, disputing Paramount's previously released sales numbers for HD DVD edition of 'The Transformers.'

According to the just-published report, Blu-ray won the week by a thin margin that amounts to 51% of the high-def discs sold, versus 49% for HD DVD. Although a two percent lead is certainly not commanding, many were expecting the HD DVD camp to win the week, thanks in large part to Paramount's high-profile HD DVD exclusive release of Transformers.

As we've previously reported, earlier this week Paramount issued a press release projecting record-breaking first-week sales of 190,000 units. Home Media Magazine disputes Paramount's numbers, estimating the actual number of units that sold through to consumers as closer to 115,000.

Some have theorized that Blu-ray's strong showing for the week in the face of such strong sales for 'The Transformers' is attributable in part to a series of "buy one get one free" offers extended by Disney at such leading retailers as Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon.

In any case, here's betting these latest sales numbers will give both formats something to crow about this Friday. On the HD DVD side, 'The Transformers' propelled the format to its strongest weekly showing against its next-gen rival in over nine months; on the Blu-ray side, even up against the third biggest box office grosser of the year, the Sony-backed format still managed to eke out a victory



-- highdefdigest.com

Here's a GREAT article from High-Def Digest on the topic of Specs vs. Reality.

Quoting bob9000:

Quote:
Quoting Mark Harrison:

Quote:
Here's a GREAT article from High-Def Digest on the topic of Specs vs. Reality.

Wow. He really nails nutjobs like the Giant ASC.

I tell you!  Anything to distract from the point that Transformers on HD DVD could NOT contain a lossless soundtrack.  That's pretty sad.  We are talking about a format that's suppose to last a DECADE or more.  If limitations are found at the beginning, what sense does it make to try to adopt it as a standard for THE NEXT 10 YEARS or so?  That's devoid of logic.

The blogger's main point is that Transformers got a 5 star audio rating, therefore it's basically the same as the master.  Well, I know of DVD soundtracks that got 5 star audio ratings.  Does that make it basically the same as the master?  People just need to think.  Unless the audio was CREATED at around 3Mbps, a compressed 1.5Mbps signal is NOT equal to the master.  We know that was NOT the case with Transfomers.  TrueHD (with dialogue normalization turned off), DTS-HD MA, and LPCM makes SURE the audio is equal to the master.

It's really a shame when people can be so easily led around by the "blogs".  People need to stop being lazy and do some indepth research for themselves.

Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

Quote:
Quoting bob9000:

Quote:
Quoting Mark Harrison:

Quote:
Here's a GREAT article from High-Def Digest on the topic of Specs vs. Reality.

Wow. He really nails nutjobs like the Giant ASC.

I tell you!  Anything to distract from the point that Transformers on HD DVD could NOT contain a lossless soundtrack.  That's pretty sad.  We are talking about a format that's suppose to last a DECADE or more.  If limitations are found at the beginning, what sense does it make to try to adopt it as a standard for THE NEXT 10 YEARS or so?  That's devoid of logic.

The blogger's main point is that Transformers got a 5 star audio rating, therefore it's basically the same as the master.  Well, I know of DVD soundtracks that got 5 star audio ratings.  Does that make it basically the same as the master?  People just need to think.  Unless the audio was CREATED at around 3Mbps, a compressed 1.5Mbps signal is NOT equal to the master.  We know that was NOT the case with Transfomers.  TrueHD (with dialogue normalization turned off), DTS-HD MA, and LPCM makes SURE the audio is equal to the master.

It's really a shame when people can be so easily led around by the "blogs".  People need to stop being lazy and do some indepth research for themselves.

NO!!!  What people really need to do is stop listening to blowhards like you!!!

Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

Quote:
TrueHD (with dialogue normalization turned off), DTS-HD MA, and LPCM makes SURE the audio is equal to the master.

That's strange, a few weeks back you loved explaining that Dolby were liars when they said TrueHD is a lossless codec (even though you didn't and still don't understand the use of the term lossless codec, and you didn't understand what dialogue normalization is), now you have changed your tune...

Quote:
It's really a shame when people can be so easily led around by the "blogs".  People need to stop being lazy and do some indepth research for themselves.

It's a real shame you have an internet connection.

Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

Quote:

I tell you!  Anything to distract from the point that Transformers on HD DVD could NOT contain a lossless soundtrack.  That's pretty sad.  We are talking about a format that's suppose to last a DECADE or more.  ...................................................................................

Did you read the article? Because your comments are out of context. I read your post before I read the article then I came back and read your post again.  I don't see how your comments apply. Is it possible for anyone to say something that may not agree with you without them being wrong?  I think you are way off base if that's all you got out of it.

The author really made some excellent points. He did seem to be in favor of HD-DVD, but that has notihng to do with his post.

Good specs do not ALWAYS equate to quality.

OH well seems that posting here is almost a waste of time. But keep posting these types of links Mark H because every now and then I find a good post and that makes all the other crap worth while. It's nice to read something that isn't propaganda or just a bunch of random stats compiled to form some sort of statement.

Quoting Calidain:

Quote:
Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

Quote:
Quoting bob9000:

Quote:
Quoting Mark Harrison:

Quote:
Here's a GREAT article from High-Def Digest on the topic of Specs vs. Reality.

Wow. He really nails nutjobs like the Giant ASC.

I tell you!  Anything to distract from the point that Transformers on HD DVD could NOT contain a lossless soundtrack.  That's pretty sad.  We are talking about a format that's suppose to last a DECADE or more.  If limitations are found at the beginning, what sense does it make to try to adopt it as a standard for THE NEXT 10 YEARS or so?  That's devoid of logic.

The blogger's main point is that Transformers got a 5 star audio rating, therefore it's basically the same as the master.  Well, I know of DVD soundtracks that got 5 star audio ratings.  Does that make it basically the same as the master?  People just need to think.  Unless the audio was CREATED at around 3Mbps, a compressed 1.5Mbps signal is NOT equal to the master.  We know that was NOT the case with Transfomers.  TrueHD (with dialogue normalization turned off), DTS-HD MA, and LPCM makes SURE the audio is equal to the master.

It's really a shame when people can be so easily led around by the "blogs".  People need to stop being lazy and do some indepth research for themselves.

NO!!!  What people really need to do is stop listening to blowhards like you!!!

Right ON!

Quoting twojayz:

Quote:
Asc - Like so many other times you totally missed the point of that post. His description of perceptual encoding is dead on. It really has nothing to do with Transformers as a product. That was used as an example of the argument. The point being, if you can't tell the difference, does it make a difference?

Also, he mentions something that I said a couple months back in regards to bandwidth...If the job is done correctly in the encoding process the extra bandwidth makes little to no difference in visual or audio quality.

Go ahead and take back your congrats based on the idea that BD could BARELY tweak out a win against basically one release. Oh yeah, buy one get one....Well, no it was half off if you bought two. That way each individual title is counted as a sale...Talk about skewing numbers for a gain.

I know exactly what he was doing by writing that blog.  One should not bring up the point of not being able to tell a difference when the ONLY titles you can fair consider from both sides are encoded at the SAME bitrate.  I'm look deeply into the underline purpose of that article and examples used.  Some people don't do that.  That's how some people can be swayed without facts.

If the title doesn't need much bandwidth, THEN the job can be done properly with lower bandwidth.  That is NOT always the case (as we have seen won more than a few occasions).  People are having to settle for good audio and great picture or good picture and great audio with HD DVD.  Those people are RARELY having great picture and great audio.  Thinking it's okay to have less is the "good enough" attitude that plagues this format war in the US (it's not an issue in the rest of the world).  "Good enough" just doesn't get you anywhere.

I have taken back my congratulations to HD DVD.  That was the week that HD DVD was SUPPOSE to win by at least 60:40 and they couldn't even pull that out of the bag.  Try to spin it all you want, but that was HD DVD's BEST chance at winning a week this year.  Then, to pull 190,000 out of mid-air was just a poor business practice.  It's a sad week and year for the HD DVD camp.