tOfficial Blu-ray vs. HD DVD discussion thread

Zombie · 01-04-2008, 05:54 PM

Breaking: Warner Goes Blu-ray Exclusive | High-Def Digest

time to put the hd-dvd stuff on ebay

Taco John · 01-04-2008, 05:56 PM

Not so fast, HD-DVD allied itself with the porn industry. It still has a great chance.

Zombie · 01-04-2008, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tacojohn

Not so fast, HD-DVD allied itself with the porn industry. It still has a great chance.

Hopefully but it is very bleak

Adrock · 01-04-2008, 05:59 PM

another reason why its too soon to pick a side in the "format war". I'm sitting on the sidelines until it shakes out...there are plenty of HD movies on cable and I can live with upconverted DVDs in the meantime.

WBill@ · 01-04-2008, 06:00 PM

as a Blu-ray owner.

VanWilder · 01-04-2008, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrock

another reason why its too soon to pick a side in the "format war". I'm sitting on the sidelines until it shakes out...there are plenty of HD movies on cable and I can live with upconverted DVDs in the meantime.

By the time one side or another wins, won't there be a "new" format? I was talking with a nerd the other day at best buy who swore there would only be "downloadable" movies in the near future, with some sort of digital storage unit attached to your tv (or even perhaps in the TV).

He said we were waiting for the old people to die first (seriously) because the new generation of kids would like this format better.

hexydes · 01-04-2008, 06:02 PM

In other news: I will never buy another Warner movie again.

Sorry, you picked the wrong one Warner. Meanwhile, players for HD-DVD are at an all-time low, and the discs cost $10 less across the board.

Blu-Ray will lose this war. Mark my words.

Taco John · 01-04-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanWilder

By the time one side or another wins, won't there be a "new" format? I was talking with a nerd the other day at best buy who swore there would only be "downloadable" movies in the near future, with some sort of digital storage unit attached to your tv (or even perhaps in the TV).

He said we were waiting for the old people to die first (seriously) because the new generation of kids would like this format better.

There hasn't been a format war in a while. DVD's crushed any competition. And people are fine with having MP3 players that can't play music bought anywhere.

hexydes · 01-04-2008, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanWilder

By the time one side or another wins, won't there be a "new" format? I was talking with a nerd the other day at best buy who swore there would only be "downloadable" movies in the near future, with some sort of digital storage unit attached to your tv (or even perhaps in the TV).

As someone who has been doing this for three years now, and just built a HTPC connected to their 42" LCD to play games and watch movies/TV shows on, I can say that without a doubt, this will ultimately become the case. It would be already, if the industry wasn't kicking and dragging their heels about it, encumbering everything with high levels of DRM, forcing the content into small browsers at crap quality, etc.

This is a case where not only is it cheaper to pirate the content, but it actually leads to a much better viewing experience. It's hard to feel much sympathy for the media companies when they are trying to force you to view their content (that they want you to pay for) in a way that is less convenient to you, the consumer.

Trevor Barnes · 01-04-2008, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrock

another reason why its too soon to pick a side in the "format war". I'm sitting on the sidelines until it shakes out...there are plenty of HD movies on cable and I can live with upconverted DVDs in the meantime.

Yep.

Though a coworker told me that there is a Blu Ray/HD DVD dual drive on the market for PCs for $300. A standalone with that price point can't be too far away. That's a reasonable price.

hexydes · 01-04-2008, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor Barnes

Yep.

Though a coworker told me that there is a Blu Ray/HD DVD dual drive on the market for PCs for $300. A standalone with that price point can't be too far away. That's a reasonable price.

Well, this is the only way neither format will fail. Sadly, the two groups having a pissing match about this should have come to an agreement on their own in the first place. Had they done that, HD players would be around $100 right now, and it would have probably pushed HD adoption forward by a good year or so.

Now, the market is going to do exactly what it did for DVD+/-R, and basically remove the difference from the equation.

That's if HD-DVD doesn't become cheap enough in the meantime to outright kill off Blu-Ray...

Zombie · 01-04-2008, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor Barnes

Yep.

Though a coworker told me that there is a Blu Ray/HD DVD dual drive on the market for PCs for $300. A standalone with that price point can't be too far away. That's a reasonable price.

I would be all over a $300 standalone but I also am not the "normal" consumer. I think HD-DVD was on track when they hit <$200. But as others have said this has definitely turned into a pissed match that is really starting to look like neither with be openly adopted by the average consumer by the time something else comes out

EMSP · 01-04-2008, 06:21 PM

If you only rent DVD's, this format war is going to be obsolete soon. If you mostly just want to rent DVD's, Netflix and LG are going to come out with a device in 3Q that won't need a DVD player to watch TV in 1080p. It will stream over the Internet.

Buying DVD's will be another story.

hexydes · 01-04-2008, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spartyguy

If you only rent DVD's, this format war is going to be obsolete soon. If you mostly just want to rent DVD's, Netflix and LG are going to come out with a device in 3Q that won't need a DVD player to watch TV in 1080p. It will stream over the Internet.

Buying DVD's will be another story.

Yeah, well, we'll see. Playing 1080p is hard enough, let-alone streaming it. My guess is that it will be something lower, 720p, or perhaps even as low as 480p, at least to start.

All depends what type of compression they use, too. My guess is WMV, but FLV has become popular as of late, too. Not sure what Netflix uses currently for streaming to the browser...

Fish1988 · 01-04-2008, 06:27 PM

I just don't care and wish they would settle on one or the other.

scimini · 01-04-2008, 06:54 PM

I just don't see any advantage to HD-DVD. Not all the HD-DVD stuff is High Def, it is a compression format based on Microsoft, which can never be good.

hexydes · 01-04-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scimini

I just don't see any advantage to HD-DVD. Not all the HD-DVD stuff is High Def, it is a compression format based on Microsoft, which can never be good.

Actually, Microsoft's compression format is quite capable. As long as you use the right settings, you can really create some nice-looking content, at very reasonable sizes, and it scales well, to boot.

Death Roe · 01-04-2008, 07:04 PM

Now I'm glad I bought the PS3, so I can get The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray

Goud21 · 01-04-2008, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tacojohn

Not so fast, HD-DVD allied itself with the porn industry. It still has a great chance.

Seriously, who buys porn on DVD these days? There's so much free porn on the internet, I'll never understand it.

msugeers · 01-04-2008, 08:27 PM

Blu-Ray!

msulaker · 01-04-2008, 08:57 PM

In the near future, as some have stated, the majority of stuff will be online, ala the movies available for download on the XBOX 360. I just hope this stuff gets cheaper in the future, as you can rent alot of movies for .99. Paying $5(as XBOX points) seems like alot for a HD rental. Even the old movies seem to be $3. I have also been waiting until I buy a new playing....might be a long wait

joselenbaas · 01-04-2008, 09:03 PM

Nerd fight

Slim Shaney · 01-04-2008, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tacojohn

Not so fast, HD-DVD allied itself with the porn industry. It still has a great chance.

That theory was true in the dawn of the VHS era, when the only way to watch porn was to go to a theater. Nowadays, I'm surprised anyone would even bother to buy/rent porn. Furthermore, if there's anything that I really don't want to see in HD, porn would be it. Some things are best left to the imagination.

Eventually, every format out there will lose to the internet. Embrace the inevitable.

goState18 · 01-04-2008, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanWilder

By the time one side or another wins, won't there be a "new" format? I was talking with a nerd the other day at best buy who swore there would only be "downloadable" movies in the near future, with some sort of digital storage unit attached to your tv (or even perhaps in the TV).

He said we were waiting for the old people to die first (seriously) because the new generation of kids would like this format better.

Beta lost to VCR pretty quickly, by Christmas, HD-DVD will have rolled over and died.