Will HD DVD win?

[EDS]

I'm not sure if this has been shared yet or not, but Futureshop has listings for both HD-DVD and Blue-Ray movies.

Only one HD-DVD; a documentary. 10+ Blue-Ray movies. Prices are really good as well.

HD-DVD @ Futureshop

Blue-Ray @ Futureshop

There's also a listing for a Blue-Ray DVD player to be released June 30.

Samsung Blue-Ray DVD Player

[Hdale85]

problem is that the blue ray player is really expensive and who knows if its good or not? I mean it could be their low line blue ray player and eventually it'll be 100 bucks or what not i dont really want to fork out 1000 bucks for a blue ray dvd player and then have to replace it a few months later when one 10 times as good is released for half the price if it were around 400 or so id probably buy it but with the standards not set there is no way id spend 1000 on a blue ray player

[aud19]

hd dvd has no potential for anything beyond todays technology, where as bluray easily stores 1080p and the high rez audio

HD-DVD has the capacity for both actually.....

[pembroke]

I'm going to sit on the fence and not take the plunge into HD disc - both camps had the opportunity to get together and agree a common format for the benefit of the consumer, and the industry as a whole. But again greed was the motivator that drove the decision not to agree. The claimed technical features of Blue Ray are not significant to the average consumer in terms of delivered benefits. Unless one of the camps comes up with a revolutionary marketing approach they will just slug out the fight with no clear winner, and both fail only to be overtaken by an alternative technology.
In the meantime I will continue to watch HD movies via satellite - I'm in no rush!

[RebelMan]

I have been a long time supporter of HD-DVD and continue to this day. Although, the additional delays of getting the product to market gave me some concern the reduction in unit price compensated for it. I do believe BD is the better format but not necessarily better for the consumer, HD-DVD is good enough and much cheaper too. Provided that there is enough media to support it, another one of my concerns, HD-DVD will be the clear winner, regardless of when BD becomes available. I intend to demonstrate my support the HD-DVD camp as soon as their players become available and enjoy the pleasures of HD while this debate rages on. :P

[wildfire99]

Sony keeps talking about the PS3 as their flagship player. Who thinks this may be a bad idea?

I've had a PS2, I've had an XBox, and I've played DVDs through both. And I would rather have the $50 Wallyworld player. Neither of them offers user friendliness, easy output options, or most importantly... quality. Will PS3 offer 8-channel output? Will it offer a fanless-box for no added room noise? Will it offer user-adjustable settings such as de-interlacing, output resolution, bass management, and similar as a good dedicated player today will do? I'm not going to bet on it.

Even if the PS3 comes out at a $400 price point, I probably would buy a $800 BR player for that capability, unless someone proves IQ to be the same, and I don't have to navigate menus with the controller.

[peterS]

HD-DVD has the capacity for both actually.....

dual layer
my understanding is that the movies will be offered in 720 p though

[Hdale85]

Neither of them offers user friendliness, easy output options, or most importantly... quality. Will PS3 offer 8-channel output? Will it offer a fanless-box for no added room noise? Will it offer user-adjustable settings such as de-interlacing, output resolution, bass management, and similar as a good dedicated player today will do? I'm not going to bet on it.

Well with HDTV content you shouldnt need to be deinterlaceing anything. And as for consoles playing dvd's i have an XBOX 360 with the cable to hook it up to a pc monitor which i have it hooked up to a 19" Veiwsonic CRT and it looks amazing running 480P on the monitor while playing DVD's looks way better then my PC playing them which has a 7800gtx which is supposed to be the best deinterlaceing card for computers at the momment the 360 is honestly the best DVD players ive probably ever owned.

[Hdale85]

dual layer
my understanding is that the movies will be offered in 720 p though

I think this is probably due to the source not being high enough to record any higher but maybe not? im sure when 1080P sets become more norm we will see more movies come out in 1080P and if HD-DVD doesnt start then that would be a negative on HD-DVD for me.

[Shane Martin]

dual layer
my understanding is that the movies will be offered in 720 p though

Incorrect. Movies are 1080P but the players coming out will only do 1080I.

[Snap]

to the best of my knowledge toshiba hasnt released there player yet, as it was delayed from the 3/28/06 release date
i have broshures on the pioneer elite blu-ray player... just a matter of time before it is released

i dont know where some of you guys get this idea that its a war or an election
hddvd is going to ride the coat tales of dvd and blu ray will be the future
its just a matter of how long

The Toshiba HD-DVD player is out now. I was going to buy one but I could not find any HD-DVD's in my area to buy to play on the thing. There are 2 units that have been availible since Late Feb early March.
Toshiba HDA1 and HDXA1. with a MAP of $499 and $799.

My guess is that none of the AV companies want to jump into them till the market leans one way or the other.

[George Bellefontaine]

The other big question is: will they downrez on the component outs ?

[Shane Martin]

That's up to the studio to decide. The players won't unless the studio implements the ict flag set to yes.

[George Bellefontaine]

Shane, I can't recall where I read this, but it was in regard to studios giving thought to not downrez. This would be a great boon to all those early HDTV adopters who don't have digital inputs on their sets.

[Martyn]

I hope you'll excuse my ignorance, but should we expect HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs to play on conventional DVD players, albeit at low resolution?

If the answer is "yes", then the general public probably isn't going to care much who wins the format wars, and there's not much the content-owners can do to force the issue.

On the other hand, if the answer is "no", the content-owners are facing a very interesting business decision. If Sony, for example, were to limit all future movie releases to Blu-Ray, one of two situations will arise: either the public will rush out to buy BR players in oder to be able to play the new titles, or Sony won't sell any discs...

Maybe the whole thing will be driven by the video games market, about which I know even less than I do about the HT market...

[Vinny]

I hope you'll excuse my ignorance, but should we expect HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs to play on conventional DVD players, albeit at low resolution?

If the answer is "yes", then the general public probably isn't going to care much who wins the format wars, and there's not much the content-owners can do to force the issue.

On the other hand, if the answer is "no", the content-owners are facing a very interesting business decision. If Sony, for example, were to limit all future movie releases to Blu-Ray, one of two situations will arise: either the public will rush out to buy BR players in oder to be able to play the new titles, or Sony won't sell any discs...

Maybe the whole thing will be driven by the video games market, about which I know even less than I do about the HT market...

There are many people in the video console market, and also the HT/Audio market. But it is far from the majority. A video console will make a format famous or not by able to copy it by computer or not(that's sad but it is what's going on it the world now).

I will say it is more likely determined by the copy protection, from both Hollywood's concern and bootleg concern. Bootleg does decrease the percentage of owning the market in terms of having original copies and pirate copies both available, but it also increase the popularity. When bootleg can do 1dollar disk each, they pull the price of original copies down as well. Just like what we have in DVD now. From average of US$20-30 per disk in most of the countries at the beginning, to become average of US$10-20 per disk.
It does not make too much sense that a new average movie(for a good laugh but wouldn't watch again etc.) on BR/HDDVD is more expensive than 2 tickets($20). Otherwise the majority would rather sit in the theater and watch it earlier for the bigger screen and speakers(remember the majority do not have good speakers or projector in home that can compete with the movie theater )

[Hdale85]

And im pretty sure the answer is no they wont play on th eolder dvd players as they use different lasers and what not. But the new HD-DVD/Blu Ray players will play older dvd's.

[peterS]

The Toshiba HD-DVD player is out now. I was going to buy one but I could not find any HD-DVD's in my area to buy to play on the thing. There are 2 units that have been availible since Late Feb early March.
Toshiba HDA1 and HDXA1. with a MAP of $499 and $799.

My guess is that none of the AV companies want to jump into them till the market leans one way or the other.

i have not seen the toshiba for sale anywhere, we will selll it once it is released

[peterS]

Incorrect. Movies are 1080P but the players coming out will only do 1080I.

hd-dvd recorded in 1080p... news to me, ive seen multiple sources to the contrary

[Alaric]

And im pretty sure the answer is no they wont play on th eolder dvd players as they use different lasers and what not. But the new HD-DVD/Blu Ray players will play older dvd's.

Does the HD-DVD use a blue laser as well? And am I correct in assuming the Blu-Ray uses a blue laser? BTW,doesn't a blue laser use argon gas ? Pricier than red lasers to build? Would that limit the bottom dollar price of Blu-Ray players? Or am I all wet on this?

[RebelMan]

hd-dvd recorded in 1080p... news to me, ive seen multiple sources to the contrary

The HD-DVD specification will support 1080p but the first generation players are limited to 1080i. The media may be released with full 1080p support, only time will tell.

[Snap]

i have not seen the toshiba for sale anywhere, we will selll it once it is released

It is not released to BB CC and those stores. The 2 units are avail to Custom Installers, and AV compaines.

[H.T.C]

Well, if you think about it,the best format would be a plug in card much the same as a memory card on video game systems and would not need a laser at all making machanical failure less to none and would hold gb of data and fit in your shirt pocket and even high end players would be relatively small and fit in just about any av unit.

Hmm, 2015 release date?

[nclay]

i think ps3 will be the determining factor... sony recognizes this and has focused most of its recent energy purely on ps3


sega dreamcast,while released a year prior and dirt cheap games, was a failure because people knew ps2 was superior and they waited
once people had ps2 in the house they began using it as a dvd player as it was the cheapest solution- i recall news stories on this phenomenon

i dont think it will be a market share thing like pc vs mac as hd dvd has no potential for anything beyond todays technology, where as bluray easily stores 1080p and the high rez audio
i think another big factor will be what consumers report says on the issue
its scary how religiously people abide by every word in there... little charts for a dvd player always asking for a model that has been clearanced last year... "but its in last months issue":rofl:

last i heard on the ps3 was it was gonna run in the 7-800$ range, which is outrageous, also a rumor floating around the gaming world is the massive amounts of contracts that sony is losing with programming companies, it seems that the sophistication of the new machine is severely slowing the game making process, so even when the ps3 is released expect to use it as a bluray machine because the titles available will be limited.

[Shane Martin]

but should we expect HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs to play on conventional DVD players, albeit at low resolution?

Unless they are a hybrid no.

[peterS]

They will upscale to hdmi only. If you feed it component you get 480P.

actualy they wont play at all.... i think you just missread the question though

[peterS]

Well, if you think about it,the best format would be a plug in card much the same as a memory card on video game systems and would not need a laser at all making machanical failure less to none and would hold gb of data and fit in your shirt pocket and even high end players would be relatively small and fit in just about any av unit.

Hmm, 2015 release date?

too expensive to manufacture (nintendo 64 went that route)
blue ray takes on an entirely different form in japan... similar to mini disk i believe
much of the delay in other markets has been adopting it to a cd sized disk in a cost effective manner so the mindless consumer will buy

[Alaric]

In all fairness to the "mindless"

Using the same size disk for CD and DVD made computer accessories and multi-players a financially viable option for millions , and some of those millions decided they wanted better sound/picture what-have-you. They would be us. The rest supply the bulk of the money that supports the industry and allows for "niche" equipment (us , again). Even lemmings have a purpose-I hear they're tasty with barbecue sauce.... :rofl:

[Snap]

Well for those of you that are holding out on Blue Ray my intel is that they are going to be released to dealers in Late June early July. Sony is now taking orders from installers and retailers for this item.

[Shane Martin]

actualy they wont play at all.... i think you just missread the question though

I did partially but they are making HD DVD hybrid discs which are readable by current players.

[peterS]

Well for those of you that are holding out on Blue Ray my intel is that they are going to be released to dealers in Late June early July. Sony is now taking orders from installers and retailers for this item.

:twisted:

[Evil Twin]

The Emperor is awaiting this new technology

Though the Emperor has noted the various opinions expressed on this thread with some amusement, no one should deceive themselves that sitting on the sidelines is an acceptable strategy.

The Emperor eagerly awaits the first example of this high resolution disk technology for use in his HT-Star theater- there is no question that the results will be most impressive.

Once I have completed the critical inspections and interface adjustments it will be ready for delivery to his redoubt in Coruscant. Er, Colorado.

[Mukaudio]

I was at Borders yesterday reading an A/V magazine talking about how HD-DVD and Blu-Ray had finalized their specs. After hearing many sources say that they would probably be 720p, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will both be 1080p, however current HD-DVD players only support 1080i.

What I found interesting was that there are three different encoding methods: MPEG2 (currently used on DVDs), MPEG 4, and WMV. Sounds similar to the Dolby Digital/DTS debate, but we shall see I guess.


Mark.

[David Meek]

Coruscant. Colorado. Eh. They all look the same from here. :B

Congrats on the "evil" birthday present!

[George Bellefontaine]

Nice present there, Evil Twin.

[DrJRapp]

I've been told that if you remove the cover that the motherboard traces deteriorates due to light, and the unit may never work again.....lol

[aud19]

Congrats!

[ThomasW]

Nice present there, Evil Twin.

Indeed it is, and a lot cheaper than my first choice a Saleen S7...... :B

[David Meek]

Yeah, but the Saleen will give you the opportunity to buy lots of premium un-leaded at $3.00 a gallon, and what HD player will let you do that? :

[H.T.C]

Hmm, my understanding is that according to a news source there are a few gas stations that have run out of fuel or oil that makes $3.00 bucks a gallon a bust.

[ThomasW]

Maybe they'll convert my Saleen to bio-diesel for a small up charge...:wink:

[JonMarsh]

Wonder how many miles per gallon this gets-- and something tells me it won't run even on premium unleaded....

[Evil Twin]

A most unsatisfactory image... don't you have anything better at this time?

Actually, these "science fiction" films which seem so popular here appear to have some potential... especially now that a suitable storage media is finally available.

My camera is fairly high resolution, 10.3 MP, but I'm still not sure it can do the original material full justice- especially since it can't capture motion, and some effort is necessary to get close to color fidelity to what the eye sees.

These images are also cropped, and probably reduced somewhat compared with the original screen resolution mapping, and obviously, can not be one to one pixel mapped, except from the image to your screen.

Still, you should find that the image quality is most satisfactory, and clearly superior to existing SD-DVD, whether scaled up or not.

For reference, my camera is a Sony DSC-R1. It is thought by many that to truly appreciate high quality HD sources, a 9" diagonal CRT is mandatory. Naturally, I agree with that opinion, though the newest 1080P projectors have improved greatly.













This is not your father's DVD...

[aud19]

That looks horrible :roll: :

[Aussie Geoff]

Evill Twin,

What movie is that - so I may worship the dark side?

Geoff