That's one hell of a jump, couldn't even have been a typo... :~)
But that is not what Dixons group are saying, otherwise Dixons (shops) would still be selling VCR's - they are claiming that the format is dead and that no one needs the machines anymore !
I can understand them not wanting to sell VCR's anymore but to claim the format is dead is quite simply wrong and they should be made to say so IMO, those who wish to accept their marketing hype can make a distress purchase of an over priced DVD recorder and those with half a brain can shop elsewhere.
Yes, it's amazing how hype spreads...
The decline will be gradual,
Unless people dump old memorise etc the VCR is going to be around form a good few years, the only reason I could see the VCR really dieing quickly is if the DVD recorder price drops to the cost of a current VCR - which people like Dixons won't like one bit I suspect.
Still more than twice the price of a VCR, and the quality issue doesn't enter the equation when you are talking about dubbing VHS to DVD, carp in = crap out ! :~)
It wasn't. It was what I meant by a price drop from the plateau mid market level of £300-500 down to the commodity £50-100 range.
I think you need to understand what the term "dead" means to a volume bricks and mortar retailer. Because shelf space is so expensive, it is when the margin on a product, volume and revenue from it become so small that it no longer justifies its space. For Dixons, on their business model (whatever that may be) that has happened and they feel that they can make better use of the space with other products.
It's self determining. If they are right, then presumably other retailers will come to the same conclusion sooner or later. If they are wrong, then their loss will be to other retailers who will continue to stock VCRs and where people might buy a VCR and a TV, for example.
Undoubtedly Dixons, albeit a shoddy organisation, will have looked at the historic and projected sales figures before deciding. They may even be taking a reasoned gamble that by doing and announcing this that they will drive the market. To a degree, that is true - they will because they have a reasonable retail market share of electrical goods.
I don't think that it's exactly a distress purchase. If people
*really* want a VCR, they will find one. If they want something to record and play back video then they may buy a DVD recorder, and every retailer will be pleased to sell them one.
Talking about the *format* being dead is a different issue. Clearly tapes are going to be available for a long time. I think that pre-recorded tapes will gradually decline as more and more people buy at least a DVD player - they are already well into commodity price range.
It's no different to audio LPs, cassettes and CDs. You can still buy all three, but vinyl disks have come down to specialist stores and cassettes gradually are losing shelf space to CDs.
It's called progress.
Oh sure. I am sure that they are attempting to drive the market.
People thought that cassette tapes were hype, and CDs and certainly DVDs.
No it probably won't. In all of these types of equipment, new things are added to maintain a higher pricepoint while the current feature set price falls. The example with DVD recorders is the addition of hard drives.
I know, but £200 is a price point that a lot of people will accept to treat themselves for Christmas.
Yes, and I knew that, but do most customers - I doubt they do, when (as average Dixons customers view them) the experts say XYZ format is dead they will take it that it's gone the way of the 78 rpm record IYSWIM.
For Dixons, on their
So they should say that, not tell porkies and miss-lead Joe Public.
It won't matter to Dixons Group, they are still selling the VCR, just not in their Dixons stores, this is why I'm saying that they are telling porkies because if they really believed what they are saying then Currys etc (all part of the DG PLC) would be clearing their shelves to.
I doubt it, see above, what they *are * doing is hoping to cash in their 'new techology' tag-line and their (on average) ignorant customer base.
Yes, by telling porkies to ignorant customers....
Even when they have been told by the BBC (who should have known better than to run such a fails story) that the VCR is dead - it's been on the TV, so the VCR must be dead, better go out and by a DVD recorder and save all my VHS tapes before my VCR packs up....
If they want something to
I wouldn't be surprised if the price of DVD / HDD recorders is going to drop much further in the coming year, and DG PLC know that, they tend to use Dixons shops as a means to sell something for as much as they can before every 'High Street' outlet starts to sell the item at knock down prices.
Yes and I don't think that anyone has disputed that, here we are talking about home recordable formats.
That was said about the VCR and computers look what happened...
Nail on the head Andy, Christmas is the operative word in all these (IMO) porkies that have been put about by DG PLC...
I think that's unusual. Perhaps others can comment.
Not really. The hard disc is stuck on the main TV whereas I sometimes want to watch programmes on the other TVs which would need to blow a CD. Re-recordable media is essential.
That's because almost all appear to be based on a single reference design from the mechanism manufacturer in China. Only exceptions were the 'home cinema' models with the 5.1 audio using the Wolfson chipset but now the Chinese have copied this as well there really isn't anything to differentiate on.
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