HD Disc Format War Not Over By a Long Shot

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by jpcos

No DVD sent out on Comcast. They advertise it as being the same day as DVD all the time. New titles are $5.99 in HD, and catalog titles are $4.99. Just hit the remote. Right now, the newest title is The Brave One, which I think was released this past Tuesday.

Streaming HD content is here now, and what Comcast is offering will far surpass anything that can be delivered via the internet right now. It's a little pricey, but I'd rather save myself the Blockbuster B & M experience for the extra $1 when I need to see a movie tonight.

My BB charges $6.99 or something for BDs. So that is a better deal.

[Vinyl Rules!]

Originally Posted by bootman

Wow a triple post!

Yes, I know all about retention.
But lost in the conversation was the speeds needed to enjoy HD downloads.
These will be premium tier speeds no matter what and not part of any economy bundle.

"bootman," I cannot explain why this server keeps re-posting what I wrote - I only posted once. But wait, maybe this server is populated with AI electrons (Artificial Intelligence) and the electrons agree with me )

[Note to MODERATORS: You might want to have your webmaster figure out what has happened here - I deleted FOUR (4) posts that were identical to the one "bootman" is referring to and I sure as heck did not repost them.]

Now a question, "bootman:" Which alternative universe do you reside in where broadband speeds increase and prices DO NOT DROP?

Since day one of Broadband introduction here in the US, over time, speeds have significantly increased and prices have significantly dropped.

You need to re-read my post.

And please also re-read the comment from "deacongreg'" as well. He, like me, knows what he is talking about.

You will see 50 Mb downloads as part of a $100/month package in less than two years: I know for a fact Verizon will have this ready - They are now the largest Telco in the US with the most subscribers, so they will force other bundler's of Broadband and Video and Phone Service to follow them into the universe of higher speeds and lower prices.

Why? Because (1) They can do it; and (2) They have invested more in their Internet backbone and Internet infrastructure than anyone else. How many other comanies are running fibre to the home? You can count them on on just one hand and not use all your fingers.

I take it from your gloomy outlook the ISP you work for is not in a financial position to invest in their infrastructure and run fibre to your customer's homes.

So this means your company (1) Will have to borrow the money to do so itself (not likely in today's economy); or (2) You will have to ride someone else's network and accept a lower rate-of-return; or (3) Your company will become road-kill on the Information Superhighway and be acquired by someone with deeper pockets (The most likely scenario). Tell me, are you high enough up in the organization to have one of those "golden parachutes," or are you going to have to use the word "fries" in your next job?

[Vinyl Rules!]

Originally Posted by bootman

Yeah I know all about the bundles, but they are for a limited time.
(he is locked in a two year contract right? will it still be 109 at year two?)
The cable companies also affer 99 bundles and fast modem service.

As for how fast my service is, I can't really say since I work for one of these "ISPs".

But I have screen shots of over 20 megs at test sites.
(At work I've broken 80.)

But that is not the point.
The point was that to really see HD downloads take off, 15meg speeds are not going to really cut it.
Speeds of 50-100 megs makes more sense.

These speeds are coming this year, but it surely won't be part of a $100 bundle.
Verizon offers a 30 meg service in some areas.
I they charge $160 a month just for it plus any other services you add.

http://www22.verizon.com/content/con...and+prices.htm

If you work for an ISP then you know the early adapters ALWAYS will pay more for the high speeds.

When DSL was first introduced, it was not uncommon for many Telco's to charge Residential customers $50 to $80 a month for 1.5 Mb speeds and $30 to $40 a month for 256k to 384k speeds.

Now you can easily find 1.5 Mb for as low as $14.95 (Embarq, the former Sprint offers this, and Verizon is still offering this rate is some markets).

Same thing will happen with the 50 to 100 Mb speeds: They will be expensive for the early adapter, then the prices will drop and the higher speeds will be automatically added to your service as your service provider competes to keep you as a customer.

And you can always twist their arm and they will roll-over to keep you as a customer: I live in an Embarq area and pay $14.95/month for 1.5 DSL. When I called to cancel my service to switch to Charter's Broadband, I was offered a free upgrade to 5 Mb at no price increase and I didn't have to sign or agree to squat.

As for your comments about the price of bundles going up, it AIN'T GONNA' HAPPEN for SMART customers. My friend at Verizon tells me that yes, they plan to increase prices at the end of the two-year period, but they already have instructions to keep existing customers at their same rate if they ask for their service to be dropped. The regular service reps do not have access to the billing code that has to be inputted to do this, but the Customer Retention reps do.

That's why whenever you say, "Well, just cancel my service," you get switched to another customer service rep - You actually get switched to a customer service rep who can do a lot more for you than a regular service rep because they are a CUSTOMER RETENTION service rep and they get extra money for each customer they "SAVE," so they will be a lot more accomodating when you start telling them what they need to offer you to keep you. They have a LOT of leeway in what they can do for you and they don't have to get approval from no stinkin' supervisor: They are evaluated on their "SAVES" and dinged on their "LOSSES:" they are not dinged on what they had to give away to keep a customer. And I know what I'm talking about because I helped design some of these customer retention guidelines for Sprint/Embarq before I left them.

And if you're wondering why we or any Telco or good ISP does this, it is because we have numerous documented studies that prove it is significantly more profitable to retain an existing customer and NOT lose them than it is to hunt and gain a NEW customer. The last study I saw at Embarq showed it cost them about $400 to gain a new customer whilst there was no cost and a continuing revenue flow from keeping an existing customer. So ask yourself, what would you do to keep an existing customer? Yes, I thought so : )

So those who are sheep will pay the higher prices. Those who threaten to leave will be allowed to keep their bundle at their current price.

And you can believe I'll be on the phone again to Embarq tell them to "cancel" my service as soon as Charter has a significantly higher speed. And I know Embarq will roll-over again - They do NOT want to lose customers. And I am certain your ISP, if they are any good, does the same thing in their customer retention group. I'm only a "double-play" customer as Embarq only offers video via The Dish Network and I already had service with DISH and there was no financial incentive or advantage for me to roll my DISH service over to Embarq.

ISP's hate customers who do what I do, but they always cave and give us the higher speed with no cost increase or addition to our contract, if we even have one. It's called "Customer Retention."

[PRO-630HD]

Ok back on topic, this download stuff is boring as hell. Lotus any news on studios jumping ship to one format or the other? Microsoft buying any studios? The BDA going for world domination? New profile 4.0 bluray players? 102gb hddvd's? 10,000gb mutilayer blurays?

[bootman]

Originally Posted by PRO-630HD

Ok back on topic, this download stuff is boring as hell. Lotus any news on studios jumping ship to one format or the other? Microsoft buying any studios? The BDA going for world domination? New profile 4.0 bluray players? 102gb hddvd's? 10,000gb mutilayer blurays?

I agree the download stuff can get boring, but now that the BDA will have this all nailed down before the end of the year leads to boring ISP download discussions.
What will we all do with ourselves?
I won't even bring up the possibility of charging per megs downloaded vs a flat rate.
That would make heads explode.

[TheMoose]

The war is getting closer to being over!
First Netflix goes Blu today & now,
Best Buy to recommend Blu-Ray as the Customer’s Digital Format Choice