Sony lost over $3 billion on PS3 pricing

[The Author]

Anyway, my opinion on the "next format" is an odd one. I feel that since USB Flash Drives are dirt cheap (18 bucks for a 2 gig drive) they could conceivably be used to store read only data.

You've got a compact item that can replace any aspect of the CDs. It's portable, you can have a portable player, and while the data rate is not the best, it will improve over time.

Then you can also buy a bunch of "blanks", download music and boom you can have "physical copies" of downloaded material.

[Overflow]

Anyway, my opinion on the "next format" is an odd one. I feel that since USB Flash Drives are dirt cheap (18 bucks for a 2 gig drive) they could conceivably be used to store read only data.

You've got a compact item that can replace any aspect of the CDs. It's portable, you can have a portable player, and while the data rate is not the best, it will improve over time.

Then you can also buy a bunch of "blanks", download music and boom you can have "physical copies" of downloaded material.

That actually makes a lot of sense.

Maybe they could supply "blanks" as you say, and they could be specially designed to copy, organize and arrange your music/movies etc.

for example, having special drives for a particular artist or movie company. At the rate technology is going, it won't be long before we see 10 gig drives for $20.

[Poke'G]

And you wouldn't have to worry about rot either, the one major flaw of discs. If the next medium is some form of memory stick, that, I would invest in.

Compared to the almost zero HD turnover rate only a decade ago, the HD penetration in United States alone will be around 60% by 2010 from most estimates, because that's the only new type of TV that most people will be able to buy regardless, and let's face it: If you're buying a $1000 TV, you're not going to stick around with an inferior technology that has its support being phased out. And there are more and more high definition TV channels almost on a day to day basis. Even Bluray penetration is already 10+ million in the US alone and it will continue to rise (imagine in a decade with the steady penetration, and we're seeing a real phasing out of DVDs by then). Again, it's not a magical, instant process, but you have to be pretty delusional to think the penetration in the market isn't happening. Because it FACTUALLY is. I think it's pretty silly to equate Bluray with the Laserdisc. Because the Bluray is already a much bigger success than the Laserdisc ever was. And the Bluray is still a pretty new and relatively untested format with features that are still being explored compared to HDDVDs which had its run with with its features fully explored in its run.

I never said market penetration isn't happening, nor did I compare Bluray to Laserdisc (it was an example of popularity in Japan doing nothing here). But if you want to compare, Bluray is probably just as popular here as it is in Japan. Video games there are all about the HD, but I didn't find much in the ways of HD movie sections.

Market penetration is not instant success though, it takes a lot of penetration to "win", especially considering the $3 billion it's taking to get there.

I like how you say if I buy a $1000 TV, which I will never do. There are people out there who aren't going to buy $1000 TVs. I swore I would never pay over $300 for a system, nor will I pay an outlandish price for a TV. There are plenty of TVs already under $500, but I can barely see the "HD" on TVs of those sizes at all.

That's one of the few times the trend didn't catch on, compared to DOZENS of other instances.

Such as?

PC Engine (TurboGraphx 16)

Neo Geo

Disc reading add ons (Sega CD, Famicom DS, N64DD)

Minidiscs.

Photo booths.

Mopeds.

QR Codes (barcodes scanned with your cellphone, they're everywhere).

Hell, it's unlikely the US will ever treat the cell phone as a viable gaming machine.

Oh, and let's not forget Betamax itself. Sony had enough of a market to make the thing until six years ago.

Not to mention arcades are still commonplace there, where as here they have to have a sports bar or something attached to it.

[I-n-j-i-n]

PC Engine (TurboGraphx 16)

Neo Geo

Disc reading add ons (Sega CD' date=' Famicom DS, N64DD)

Minidiscs.

Photo booths.

Mopeds.

QR Codes (barcodes scanned with your cellphone, they're [i']everywhere).

Hell, it's unlikely the US will ever treat the cell phone as a viable gaming machine.

Oh, and let's not forget Betamax itself. Sony had enough of a market to make the thing until six years ago.

Not to mention arcades are still commonplace there, where as here they have to have a sports bar or something attached to it.

Yeah, but they were popular *comparatively*. Almost all those examples seem to still be regarded as a niche over there or even a popular fad for a little while. I guess the most popular of them all are their various unique codecs which doesn't seem to make a transfer overseas in their popularity, and yeah, the mini-disc.

Also, I think the way the Bluray and HDTVs in general are being pushed internationally puts them in a distinction compared to some of the crossover technology trends of the past. Just to be on the record, I don't think Sony is exactly doing the best job because of the way they're downright being wasteful about the business side of things. Maybe it was a good thing for Toshiba to back off from HD-DVDs for now.