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Topic: Dolby's new sound system
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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012
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posted 03-05-2014 10:43 AM
quote: Lyle Romer
Again, back to the point. The mobile segment isn't taking market away from Dolby. The "growth" that drives the stock price might not be there but they will still make nice profit. The reason public companies are always obsessed with growth is because fundamentally that is the only real way to drive the stock price up. If the company doesn't grow then the value of each share doesn't grow either unless there is a prediction that the company will grow in the future.
I think you should go and read some of the documents at the Dolby site for yourself before you jump to conclusions based on your personal assumptions. If Dolby is to grow in the future, the growth will have to happen in the mobile segment which is includes smartphones and tablets. I did not say this, Dolby said it.
Dolby revenues will remain flat going forward unless they penetrate the mobile area. Because Dolby is not mandated for the mobile segment, Dolby has to convince manufacturers to include Dolby technology. This is totally different from the optical/tv/dvd segment requires Dolby to be included.
quote: Lyle Romer
They are trying to create a product replacement cycle after they drove their margins down on LCD/Plasma.
I don't agree with you, the 3D TV segment is a whole different segment compared to regular 2D tvs. Most people just don't want them, it has nothing to do with upgrading or product cycle replacement.
quote: Lyle Romer
It's kind of the same with Smart Phones and Tablets. There isn't any pressing need to replace them unless they stop working. They all pretty much look the same and are the same size as they've been for years.
Again I do not agree with you, the planned obsolescence of smart phones and tablets is more prevalent than any other segment. Just look at how the removal of batteries has become the norm, older tablets/phones cannot download the newer designed apps in many cases, and then there is the way they are built. And then, the newer OS is not compatible with older devices which requires and upgrade.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 03-05-2014 10:58 AM
quote: Lyle Romer
The mobile segment isn't taking market away from Dolby. The "growth" that drives the stock price might not be there but they will still make nice profit. The reason public companies are always obsessed with growth is because fundamentally that is the only real way to drive the stock price up.
Unfortunately both the technology press and business press seize on things like stock price and act like that variable is determining market share or whether people are still using a certain product. Apple didn't lose more than a third of its customer base when its stock went from $700+ per share down into the $400 range (it's currently $531 a share).
The press pundits actually know the truth, but they get readers, web site visitors, earn ad dollars, etc. by stirring the pot and spinning statistics to get people talking more about an issue even if the truth is getting distorted or even thrown out in the process. Trolls in online forums do the same thing, even though money isn't involved. The press constantly works at creating controversy when there is really is none.
A smart phone or tablet is no more a replacement for a computer than any other digital device, be it a game console, smart TV, in-dash display in a car or whatever. Phones and tablets have far too many limitations to make them worthwhile replacements for real computers.
Statements claiming a whole new generation of people will never touch a standard computer are too ridiculous to take seriously. I'd laugh my ass off if I saw some teen trying to tap his way through a high school term paper using a tablet.
Regardless of this issue, Dolby has technology popping up in all of those areas. They're not missing out on anything. But putting Atmos branding in any of those consumer electronics areas isn't going to grow revenue. It won't really be Dolby Atmos for one thing. And the watered-down, affordable, Atmos in name only product won't be compelling enough to get someone to replace their still working phone, tablet, PC, home theater receiver, smart TV, game console, etc.
Dolby needs to focus its efforts with Atmos on cinema products manufacturers to develop new pieces of hardware that make it more simple to affordable to install Atmos -that way they can get Atmos into a lot more movie theaters.
Developing fake Atmos for consumer electronics products is a diversion Dolby doesn't need to pursue. Any progress they could make in that area would be offset by damage done at the theatrical level. Dolby has to realize they'll piss off a lot of theater operators with this direction they appear to be taking. At the very least they shouldn't be using the Atmos name for any of this consumer electronics stuff. They should try getting more mileage out of the TrueHD brand or come up with something else.
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 03-05-2014 02:17 PM
quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Mike, it is a fact that PC sales are falling, there will be a whole generation that will grow up without ever having a need for a laptop or desktop. Is that to hard for you to figure out?
Obviously you didn't read my whole post and/or you can't admit when you're off-base, probably both. You can't fathom my very simple point, which was that computers are lasting longer than they used to which is why they aren't getting replaced as fast as they used to be. Why is that so hard for you to figure out? The computer I'm typing on right now is from 2008. We'll replace it -- with another desktop -- when it breaks, which could be tomorrow or five years from now.
Plus your "average person" isn't the whole computer market. Do you honestly think all the computers in businesses will someday be replaced by tablets? Among teenagers watching movies and playing games, yes, they certainly don't need a desktop computer, but (like Bobby says above) I'll bet they still use them in school and such.
I have no doubt that there are plenty of people who don't need a desktop computer. Most of them are probably people who don't use a computer for their work (if they have jobs, that is).
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 03-05-2014 03:39 PM
Demographics is one key area that really screws up that whole "post-PC world" fantasy.
People who have no use for a real computer are more than likely people who aren't doing any productive work using digital devices. They may just be students or in some other bracket where they're bringing in little if any income. Did somebody (like Mommy or Daddy) buy that portable device for them? That demographic isn't exactly something any corporation can build long term plans of exploiting for never-ending profit gains, rising stock prices and big fat bonuses.
Even when it comes to "content consumption" leisure activities, like watching movies or checking Facebook, the portable devices still run into numerous problems. For one thing mobile versions of social media apps like Facebook omit lots of content. The portable version of FB in particular will drop all sorts of things from a user's wall and news feed. You have to check Facebook on a real computer to see what you missed.
The screen on a smart phone or tablet is better than nothing if you want to watch a movie. Just make sure you're connected to the Internet via WiFi so you don't bust through your service provider's bandwidth cap and get hit with overage charges in no time at all.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
If someone already has a big HDTV set and a surround sound system why would he bother farting around with watching movies on a tablet (or even a computer for that matter)? The iPhone and iPad lack HDMI connections. You can spend $99 on an AppleTV device and connect the iPad to that wirelessly or spend a bunch of money on adapters to connect the iPad to the TV and/or surround sound system. Some Android devices have HDMI outputs, but not all work exactly the same, and MicroHDMI to HDMI cables are not exactly plentiful at stores. Most people who already have big HDTV sets, surround sound systems, etc. have plenty of other devices that play movies too -like game consoles, DVRs, Blu-ray players, etc. Those devices connect directly to the big TV set and surround system without the need for buying wireless adapters, proprietary cables, etc.
quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Just look at how the removal of batteries has become the norm, older tablets/phones cannot download the newer designed apps in many cases, and then there is the way they are built. And then, the newer OS is not compatible with older devices which requires and upgrade.
My current smart phone is about 2 years old. It still works fine and I have no plans of replacing it anytime soon. It would have to break for me to do that. My phone may not be able to get the latest version of the Android OS, but just about all my phone's applications still alert me (constantly) about new updated versions. So it's pretty clear developers are coding their apps with plenty of backward compatibility in mind.
I can't think of any features in the latest versions of Android or iOS that make me want to go out and spend $300+ on a new phone and renew my service contract. I'm actually more tempted to look around and see how I can knock about $30-$40 off my monthly phone bill.
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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012
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posted 03-05-2014 08:48 PM
quote: Joe Redifer
The stockholders always want more, more MORE! It's never enough. They expect to expand into infinity.
Joe, in order for a shareholder to get a return on their investment, they need the company to grow and thus make more profits. In the case of Dolby, all of their core segments are not growing or they are growing a small pace, this is why they have said on record that future growth for Dolby is dependent on the mobile segment.
You are right, shareholders want more, more, more. I don't see anything wrong with that.
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