August 5, 2008
Could A Poor Man’s “High-Def” Alternative (With Region-Free Playback) Be A Blu-ray Killer?
Electronics | Aug 5, 08
There are some very inexpensive DVD players out there offering high-def upconversion for regular DVD disks, and at least one can be set to provide region-free playback.
Upconversion of a standard DVD uses interpolation to add extras pixels so as to create a picture with the same number of pixels as high def. Of course, this mathematical technique produces a “false precision”, with "higher resolution" detail a product of a mathematical algorithm’s “guess”, as opposed to the image actually shot. However, many people apparently find the resulting picture quite stunning, including a film-scholar friend of mine who recently bought the Philips DVP3960/37.
As of this writing, the Philips DVP3960/37 Upconvert DVD Player with DivX is available from a vendor on PriceSCAN for just under $40. With HDMI connectivity, it provides 720p/1080i upconversion for standard DVD disks. Formats supported include DVD video and video CD (i.e. play of DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R,-RW and CD-R), as well as JPEG, MP3, DivX, and WMA. Further, this model can be set to play DVDs from any region, not just the US – a significant advantage for lovers of foreign films.
The cheapest Blu-ray player on PriceSCAN, the Sony BDP-S300, is going for over $320 (of course the PlayStation 3 comes with one for just under $400). And that’s not taking into account the value of your old DVD collection or the price and availability of new Blu-ray content. Considering the economics, forty bucks for an ersatz “high-def” experience does sound like kind of a deal, even if some of those pixels are born of an equation.
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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July 20, 2008
Xbox Pricing: Microsoft Travels Middle Of Road, Presumably Plans Not To Get Run Over
Electronics | Jul 20, 08
Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 will have a 60 gigabyte hard drive and list for $349, placing it between a costlier Sony PlayStation 3 and the lower-end Nintendo Wii.
Ahead of the August release of the 60 GB model, Redmond also said it would drop the price of the current 20 GB Xbox to just under $300 until current supplies are exhausted, and indeed several merchants on PriceSCAN.com offering the older system at $299.99. By contrast, the PS3 is offered at $399.99, and while its hard drive is only 40 GB, the extra $50 gets you a built-in Blu-ray player, not a bad deal when one considers the cheapest stand-alone Blu-ray player goes for over $200. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Wii captures the low-priced market at just under $250.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg (quoting NPD Group data) in the first five months of 2008, PlayStation 3 unit sales edged out Xbox 360 1.2 million to 1.12 million, but the big volume is to be found on the cheap side, with Nintendo moving 2.8 million Wii players.
So does Microsoft believe an extra 20 GB and fifty bucks less beats a Blu-ray- sporting PS3 while trumping a wildly popular Wii that’s $150 cheaper than the new Xbox? This strategy sounds a bit more robust when one considers Redmond’s alliance with Netflix, which will reportedly make some 10,000 streamed movies and television programs available this fall to Xbox Live Gold members who subscribe to Netflix. When combined with current Xbox Live Video Marketplace offerings, this makes Microsoft’s value proposition compelling when compared with Sony’s PS3 based video download service; reports have the latter offering some 300 movies and 1200 television episodes from Sony, Warner, Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount and Disney.
To be sure, Sony’s offerings will include high-def Blu-ray content, but such material will reportedly only be available for rental, not purchase. Netflix’s streams for Xbox will apparently not be in high-def, but HD content is available from the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. In any case, if Microsoft and Netflix can deliver a broader array of desirable video content then Sony, a larger hard drive and lower price may give the new Xbox an edge against the PS3, Blu-ray notwithstanding. That said, sooner or later the Microsoft/Netflix alliance may well have to address high-def to stay competitive as Sony expands its offerings As for Nintendo’s little wonder, perhaps in the new age of video stream and download-enabled game consoles, the number one seller will seem just a “Wii”-bit lightweight, but, then again, that huge fan base may be having too much fun playing with their controllers to even notice.
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July 12, 2007
How Does A $100 Mark-Down Look In Crystal-Clear Blu-ray High Def?
Video Games | Jul 12, 07
Last month I speculated Sony might cut the price of the PS3, and this week they did it.
On June 6th, I noted that recent cuts in entry level Blu-ray players might presage a cut in the price of the Blu-ray equipped PlayStation 3 (see The Blu-ray Premium: Has The Wii Taught Sony How To Say "Pyrrhic Victory" In Japanese?). Sure enough, Sony just dropped the price of the PS3 by a hundred bucks to $499, and vendors on this site are already selling the console at that price. This still leaves the PS3 about $100 more expensive than the competing Xbox 360 Premium, and $200 more than the Xbox 360 Core system. According to the Wall Street Journal, both the Xbox and Nintendo's less expensive Wii have continued to outsell the PS3, and it appears that by reducing what I've referred to as the PS3's "Blu-ray premium", Sony hopes to remedy this situation. And indeed, Sony's cut does bring the PS3 into alignment with Xbox pricing if you take into account the cost of the PS3's included high-def capability, since the separately sold Xboc 360 HD-DVD drive goes for just under $190, roughly the premium of the PS3 over the Xbox 360 Core.
The fly in the ointment for Sony is that it's far from clear the addition of HD functionality is much of a factor in driving game console shares. Unbundling HD from the console purchase decision may have helped Microsoft, and Nintendo's hugely successful Wii is sans HD altogether. Purchasing a PS3 still makes paying for an HD player compulsory, albeit now at reduced cost. As I've noted before, Sony may view the sacrifice of some game console market share as the price of increasing acceptance of the Blu-ray standard over Toshiba's HD-DVD ("Blu-ray May Avoid Betamax's Fate…Even If The PS3 Isn't So Lucky"). But low PS3 sales intrinsically limit how effective this stratagem can be. Even after Sony's price cut, the question is whether consumers will pay an extra one or two c-notes for a PS3 with Blu-ray when, so far, they've been happy paying less for an HD-free Xbox or Wii.
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February 1, 2007
PS3 Postmortem?
Video Games | Feb 1, 07
The PS3 has a competitive problem. Why? Wii. I know, sounds like a line from Abbot and Costello's "Who's on first" routine, but it's true. And, to be fair, Xbox is getting a few licks in, too.
Sony sold the PlayStation 3 at a loss in a gambit to seize market share, yet even at the price of lost profits, dominance of the game space has proved elusive. Now, published reports have Sony contemplating further price cuts, and it's easy to see why. Just as the Japanese electronics giant's quarterly results were dragged down by the PS3, Nintendo has been riding high on the success of its motion-sensing entrant in the video game console sweepstakes. The Wii remote's capacity to become a sword, gun, racket etc. (not to mention a potential source of damage to humans, screens, wall, and, occasionally, pets, as chronicled by the fan site wiihaveaproblem.com) has captured the imagination of gamers. More importantly, the PS3 is about twice as expensive as the Wii, meaning by going Nintendo a parent can be a hero while spending half as much.
To be sure, the PS3 is a very advanced machine, with its Cell processor and Blu-ray HD drive. But high def fans can now by a 1080p Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive - see "So Xbox Has A 1080p HD-DVD – Blu-ray's Still A Cooler Name (You Can Tell By The Dropped Vowel)". It runs just under $200, which when added to the approximately $300 or $400 for the Xbox 360 Core or Xbox 360 Premium, respectively, is still cheaper than the nearly $700 that the PS3 – 60 GB system is going for. So even at the higher end, Sony finds itself at a price disadvantage.
Dropping the PS3's price to compete with the Xbox, let alone the far cheaper Wii, will only deepen the per unit loss Sony faces as it tries to gain acceptance for its console. But the PS3 is an important part of Sony's efforts to secure the dominance of its Blu-ray standard, and so we may soon see the firm bite the bullet, or, more appropriately, the remote.
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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November 8, 2006
So Xbox Has A 1080p HD-DVD Player – Blu-ray's Still A Cooler Name (You Can Tell By The Dropped Vowel)
Video Games | Nov 8, 06
Microsoft just took a significant step toward eliminating the high-def competitive advantages of Sony's Blu-ray enabled game consoles. By introducing an HD-DVD player add-on for the Xbox 360, Gates & Co. not only answer the PS3's resolution challenge in 1080p clarity but also turn a massive installed base of game players into a potential market for Toshiba's HD-DVD standard. It's priced just shy of $200, so for Xbox 360 owners this is an inexpensive alternative to a stand-alone HD-DVD player.
This comes as both Sony and Nintendo may face supply issues with the PS3 and Wii (see "Does Nintendo Have A Wii Pre-Sale Supply Problem?" and "But If We Made Too Many PlayStations, They Wouldn't Be As Cool"). Thus, the release seems well timed to allow Redmond to (characteristically) capitalize on the execution difficulties of its rivals.
One caveat: Microsoft's new player does not feature an HDMI port, and it's not clear what the implications of this might be for playing DRM-protected disks. One wonders whether the temptation of a vast universe of HD-DVD players might prove irresistible to content providers, even if that new market does not accommodate their DRM dreams
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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October 16, 2006
Does Nintendo Have A Wii Pre-Sale Supply Problem?
Video Games | Oct 16, 06
We're hearing persistent rumors regarding limited pre-sale availability of Nintendo's new Wii console. Specifically, many vendors are said to have either very small allotments for pre-sale, or else no pre-sale availability whatsoever.
When difficulties with Blu-ray high def technology caused Sony to announce reduced initial production of the PSP3, I speculated that this issue, the high price point of the PSP3 and Wii's advanced features and could give Nintendo a leg up going into the holiday season (see "But If We Made Too Many PlayStations, They Wouldn't Be As Cool"). But if the Wii has availability issues of its own, the competitive advantage would appear to accrue to Microsoft's Xbox by default. Of course it's not like Redmond has ever capitalized on the poor execution of rivals with arguably superior technology. Not unless you count IBM. And Apple. And Netscape. And then there's 3Com. Oh, and, Real Networks...
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September 7, 2006
But If We Made Too Many PlayStations, They Wouldn't Be As Cool
Video Games | Sep 7, 06
According to the Associated Press, production problems with the Blu-ray component of Sony’s PlayStation 3 have so limited production as to compel the firm to delay the launch of the product in Europe until March of next year. U.S. consumers fear not, however, for while the A.P reports that the production drop is on the order of a million units, American and Japanese launches are still slated for November, with 400,000 units available in the US and 100,000 in Japan.
As for the Europeans, well, guess they'll have an added incentive to familiarize themselves with Nintendo's new Wii and Microsoft's Xbox. The irony here is that given Wii's technical advantages and competitive pricing (see "Nintendo Gives Kids Extra Time To Whine For Gift Of Holiday Wii", "Nintendo Undercuts PS3 and Xbox, And Continues Pop Culture’s War On Spelling", "But Its Got Blu-ray – What More Do You People Want From Us?" and "Sony PS3 Priced Within Reach Of Many Home Equity Borrowers") you'd think Sony would be making every effort to grab global market share where it can. The only silver lining: should the PlayStation 3 prove a market disappointment, less production could soften the blow. Wonder if anyone in Tokyo made an argument like that during the Betamax debacle...
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July 13, 2006
Nintendo Gives Kids Extra Time To Whine For Gift Of Holiday Wii
Video Games | Jul 13, 06
Nintendo has already announced its intention to undercut Sony and Microsoft on price when it releases its Wii game console, and its new machine has significant technical advantages over the Xbox 360 and the forthcoming PS3. But apparently price advantage (see "Nintendo Undercuts PS3 and Xbox, And Continues Pop Culture's War On Spelling" and "Sony PS3 Priced Within Reach Of Many Home Equity Borrowers") and technological superiority ("But Its Got Blue-ray – What More Do You People Want From Us?") aren't enough. Nintendo has apparently concluded it would be a competitive advantage to have Wii actually available for sale when the PS3 is not.
To that end, rumor has it Wii (pronounced "we", or perhaps "wheeeee!") is said to be slated for release in the early fall of this year, well in advance of the holiday season and the PS3's scheduled November launch. So the question is: will having "shock" force feedback when PS3 does not, a price $150-$350 below that of the PS3 and availability for purchase one to two months ahead of Sony's device give Nintendo an edge? Maybe not – of course, that would require the revocation of even the most basic laws of economics.
Of course, PS3's Blu-ray technology may prove sufficiently dazzling to overcome other technological shortcomings, and justify the high price and wait. But if not, Sony may need to adjust its strategy lest it find the PS3 playing Walkman to Wii's iPod. Further, Nintendo's move can only put increased pressure on Microsoft – watch for a response in Xbox console and game pricing as the holidays approach. Hey, at least it gives them something to think about besides that pesky Vista project.
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May 30, 2006
Nintendo Undercuts PSP3 and Xbox, And Continues Pop Culture's War On Spelling
Video Games | May 30, 06
Nintendo's new Wii console will retail for no more than $250, sharply under-pricing both Microsoft's xBox and Sony's new PSP3. The announcement of the latter’s $499-$599 price range at the recent E3 game conference raised eyebrows ("Sony PS3 Priced Within Reach Of Many Home Equity Borrowers"), and this news puts the Sony premium in stark relief. Further, the Wii appears to be feature-rich, with both "shock" force and tilt control, while the PSP3 can boast only the latter ("But It's Got Blu-ray – What More Do You People Want From Us?").
Perhaps most importantly, the name of Nintendo's new machine, which for some reason is apparently pronounced "we", represents another blow against the tyranny of dictionaries and spell-check programs. Increasingly, everyone from hip-hop moguls to ad agencies shudders at the thought of a product name that in any way obeys the basic rules of the English language. And while there may be no "i" in team, perhaps the often solitary pursuit of video game play is so much about "i" that the name of a new console deserves a second one, if only to keep that first sad little vowel company.
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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May 16, 2006
But it's Got Blu-ray – What More Do You People Want From Us?
Video Games | May 16, 06
So apparently Sony gave up its "shock" force feedback feature as it incorporated tilt control into its PS3, while Nintendo's Wii controller has both features. This just speaks to Sony's faith in the value proposition of offering a Blu-ray HD player integrated with its new game console. Sony seems to be betting that the high price of the PS3 (see "Sony PS3 Priced Within Reach Of Many Home Equity Borrowers") will seem reasonable when one considers that the purchase of this machine gets you an HD player as well as a game device. It's an argument that worked for the firm in the past as it integrated conventional DVD players into the PS2.
The problem this time around may be the relatively low installed base of HD television sets. And among those, only a fraction support the HDCP standard and HDMI or DVI interface necessary to display Blu-ray output. With the standards for HD in so much flux, and with only some early adapters able to take advantage of Blu-ray, the incentive to unbundle one's HD disk player purchase decision from one's choice of game player is only magnified.
Perhaps the availability of Blu-ray with the PS3 will help drive acceptance of the standard among consumers. But if higher price points and a lack of key features drive buyers away, Sony may erode its PlayStation audience while failing to entrench its HD standard. So for Sony, the PS3 rollout is much more than a game, and in more ways than one.
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May 9, 2006
Sony PS3 Priced Within Reach Of Many Home Equity Borrowers
Video Games | May 9, 06
As the E3 video game conference got under way in Los Angles, Sony unveiled its much anticipated PlayStation 3. The electronics giant revealed a machine that will feature a 20 or 60 GB hard drive, CELL processor, Blue-ray high-definition DVD technology and tilt control to rival that of Nintendo's new machine, and without the need of a set-top IR sensor. Sony also mentioned the small matter of pricing: $499 for the 20 GB model, $599 for the 60 GB machine. That's hundreds more than anything comparable from Nintendo or Microsoft. Even with this high price, many speculate Sony's cost of manufacture is so high that the firm will still take a hit on every console, making the PS3 a loss-leader driving profitable game sales.
Sony has been counting on the excitement over the much-delayed PS3 to speed acceptance of Blue-ray before Toshiba's HD-DVD gains traction (see "Blue-Ray Vs. HD-DVD: Lock-In, Co-Existence, Or Irrelevance?"). To this end, Sony intends to make PS3 versions of its most popular games available with the console's release. What will not be so readily available is the PS3 itself. Sony says the November launch will consist of a remarkably small two million units worldwide. Coupled with the high price point, one has to wonder if Sony is putting itself at a competitive disadvantage just when it most needs an edge.
A little theoretical aside: the economist Robert Giffen hypothesized that, in rare instances, the demand for some goods actually rises with price. But Giffen goods are generally inferior but necessary items for which there is no close substitute and the purchase of which takes up a large percentage of income. Think poor foodstuffs during famines, or perhaps petroleum in a shortage. Even with the small launch shipment number, the PS3 doesn't seem to qualify, does it? Alternatively, it might be argued that there's some prestige in buying a good at a premium price – a "Perrier" effect, if you will – that drives demand up with increased cost. Does the idea of dropping a couple of extra c-notes for the PS3 make this console more desirable to you?
With this pricing strategy, Sony will have to rely on the superiority of its technology and content. Better tech failed to secure Betamax's dominance for Sony, and content fell off as Beta faded versus VHS. Time will tell if a similar fate awaits Blue-ray, but Giffen's rara avis and Perrier aside, its hard to see how the PS3's high price will help.
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March 15, 2006
Sony To Offer Cheaper Playstation Portable As Playstation 3 Release Delayed
Video Games | Mar 15, 06
Sony just made the widely anticipated announcement that its release of the new PS3 console will be delayed until November. The culprit is – you guessed it – changing DRM standards for its high-definition Blue-ray optical disc player that's at the heart of the new device. Lest the consumer dwell on these problems, or worse, just go out and buy Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony also revealed that on March 22 they'll make a new version of the Playstation Portable (PSP) available for less than $200, which is to say it will list for $199, and that extra dollar in savings should set off a stampede of buyers who hate prices with round numbers. This does represent nearly a 20% reduction from the lowest vendor prices for the current PSP, and hey, fifty bucks is fifty bucks.
Anyway, the new PSP is said to support AVC MP Level 3, H.264 and hence allows video playback from Memory Stick Duos. It's otherwise supposed to be fully compatible with the content and network options already available for the PSP. So if you can hold off buying for a few extra days, you'll get pretty much what you would have by buying today, plus an extra fifty or so in your pocket.
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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May 23, 2005
The Console Wars have begun.......(again)
Video Games | May 23, 05
With the E3 show having run May 17 through May 20 in Los Angeles the details we have all waited for are coming our way. Not only have we gotten the information on the Xbox 360 (which everyone saw on MTV)
Image 2 Image 3 Image 4
(Images courtesy of IGN.com)
but also, the Nintendo Revolution
(Image courtesy of CNET.com)
and the Playstation 3
These are all touting very nice features and amazing specs. More info on these systems coming shortly.
Posted by tom.salvey
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April 26, 2005
Images of Microsoft's Next Xbox
Video Games | Apr 26, 05
Images of Microsoft's Xbox 360 are spreading on the internet.
You can find more detailed images on IGN and Gamesradar
Posted by david.cost
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March 24, 2005
Sony PlayStation Portable Is Released
Video Games | Mar 24, 05
The big news today is the arrival of the much–anticipated Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). For Sony, under new leadership and reeling from a series of disappointing financial results, this is supposed to be the product that rights the corporate ship, a kind of multimedia iPod for gamers that redefines the industry.
So far the buzz is mixed. Proponents point to the brilliant 3.75in x 2.25in screen, the ultra-sleek chassis with clever placement of joystick and buttons, and the general thrill of being able to carry this much gaming power around with you. Yet Sony also wants to position the PSP as a player of music and movies, and here detractors have a few gripes. The PSP only plays movies and games from disks using Sony's proprietary Universal Media Disk format, which only Sony currently releases media in. What's worse, you can't even burn your own disks in this format. Further, this handheld has no internal hard drive, and the included 32 MB Memory Stick is a little skimpy in terms of tune storage.
Finally, there's the price. At $250, some may argue its not a bad deal given the amount of gaming power you can hold in your hand, while those more interested in multimedia functionality may find more value in other options. Either way, don’t expect deep discounting on the PSP anytime soon. People are currently paying a premium for the model already released in Japan, and strong initial demand, coupled with margins that are already fairly slim, will put a floor under the price for months. In any case, look for vendors on PriceSCAN.com to start carrying the PSP shortly, and they are already carrying PSP-compatible games.
Posted by jeffrey.trester
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December 10, 2004
NVIDIA and Sony working on the PS3
Video Games | Dec 10, 04
On December 6, 2004 NVIDIA broke the silence that they have been working with Sony on the GPU for Sony's next generation computer entertainment system. We all know this to be the PlayStation 3.
In an interview over at IGN Entertainment they got to ask David Roman of NVIDIA a few questions.
Mr. Roman informed them that NVIDIA has been working on aspects of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s next generation system for the past 2 years and that the GPU for the PS3 will be a custom version of our next generation GPU.
Sony also announced back in September that the PS3 will be using the Blu-ray storage format. Blu-ray Disc (BD) is a next generation high-density optical disc format that enables recording and playback of digital high-definition (HD) video signals and programs. BD-ROM format has a huge memory size of 54 GB (dual layer, single side), which is 6 times larger than that of DVD-ROM, and has the potential of becoming an ideal medium to distribute next generation entertainment content from movies and music to computer applications. Standardization of this format is currently underway lead by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).
Microsoft and Nintendo will have their hands full with this one. But it will be interesting to see how everything will pan out over the next year.
Posted by tom.salvey
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