What IS in a name?

This is meant to be a fun thread. Here we are in a new age of high definition video led by the BVD or Blu-Ray Versatile disc. If this format were to become the dominant defacto standard, does "DVDTOWN.com" still keep its name?

It seems to me that if this were to happen a name change would be in order to stay "cutting edge". Would we really come here, or would we have even found the site if it had been titled "VHSTOWN.com"? Probably not.

So, for fun...What would YOU name the site if Blu-Ray were to become the standard home video format?

BLURAYTOWN.com?

bladerunner... you need to consider the popularity of a familiar name above and over changes in a market environment (for example, if Blu-ray or streaming/downloads were to become the dominant method of viewing content in the home).

Do you realize how well known a site like "DVDTOWN" is by now? If it changes it's name, people might think it disappeared or something else. Then what if some other outfit decides to copy the old name and start using it, see?

Consider other name changes we know of. Southwestern Bell (one of the "baby Bells") years ago finally changed their name to SBC Communications. Many people still kept referring to it by it's long-remembered name (Southwestern Bell), regardless. After about 5-6 years, the former AT&T went kaput (too much debt) and sold itself to SBC Communications. The execs at SBC clearly realized that the famous AT&T name (over 100 years old!) was much more famous than "SBC Communications" sold they formerly changed their name, and the new logo is in lower case letters: at&t (<so this is an example of when a name change is beneficial)

Well, if Blu-ray becomes the main format one day, how easy will people remember (or accept) a change of name to "bluraytown.com", over the long-time, well-known and familiar "DVDTOWN" name? Here in the Houston area, there is a small, high-end A/V dealer now known as "MODIA". They changed their name about a year ago from the long-time name "Home Theater Store". Well, some may like the name change, but I still think of them under the old name, rather than "Modia". I guess they wanted a name that stands out, but in my opinion when someone hears "Modia" they might scratch their heads (what's that?), whereas if you hear "Home Theater Store" you totally know -what- it signifies.

Besides, DVDTOWN already has another site hosted here that is "forward" thinking, known as: BLU-RAY AND HD (HDDVD.org - Where Hi-Def Matters) www.hddvd.org/bluray/

Final thoughts... another thing to remember is that the bulk of the site's content - REVIEWS - are primarily for the DVD format, which is #1 in the marketplace (and will be for a good while), and for which the majority of home video collections is made up of (DVD).

-JOE- (Love Hendrix!)

bladerunner,

what joe wrote is true.

consider, for example, "Twentieth Century Fox". the company didn't change its name just because we're now in the 21st century. a brand name is a brand name is a brand name.

Whats in a name? Consonants and vowels?

"Stereo Review"..became.."Sound and Vision"....

anyway.

It's funny how many people think DVD stands for "Digital Video Disc." When in essence we all know that not to be the case. Considering Blu-Ray is basicly just a very high bitrate Digital Versatile Disc...I dunno, I just started this out of boredom...nevermind!

I can understand the "Stereo Review" name change for that magazine, as they way back then had begun reviewing more home theater equipment and discs etc.

But DVDTOWN's biggest focus is on DVD, and the bulk of the reviews will always be DVD (no doubt).

-JOE- (Love Hendrix!)

so are you saying that br. doesn't have a chance of replacing dvd? that is so very unlike you hendrix. please keep in mind that the original idea for the name change was to be faar down the road. not tomorrow or next week or even a couple of years. like i mentioned in the original post, this was just supposed to be for fun. for example, if hd-dvd would have won the war and became the dominant format then maybe the name could have looked a little bit like this:

(hd)DVDTOWN.com.

BROOTOWN.com
MYRAYTOWN.com
FATDISCTOWN.com
ANTISONYTOWN.com
FUNAIRULESTOWN.com
MYHDTVISBETTERTHANYOURSTOWN.com

bladerunner... I understand your point. But even if BD were to become dominant, this site is so well-known by the DVDTOWN name I sincerely doubt it would change it's popular name.

-JOE-

Quote:
But even if BD were to become dominant, this site is so well-known by the DVDTOWN name I sincerely doubt it would change it's popular name.

..yeah but joe, maybe someday dvd's will be regarded the same as vhs! and this "well known" site will loose its luster!

"CRAZYTOWN.com"
"YOUAREWRONGTOWN.com"
"IREALLYWISHTHATICOULDCURSEINTHISTOWN.com "
"WE'DBEFREAKYHEREINTHISTOWN.com"
"BUTIBEGTODIFFERBECAUSEYOUARESTILLWRONGINTHISTOWN.com"
"SPEWSALADSANDANDSOMEIMPORTANTSTUFFTOWN.com"
"DVDTOWN(FUTURE).com

---

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Nov 29, 2008 - CST 8:26 PM]