Author Topic: Format War: HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray (Read 10774 times)

Arbok · « **on:** May 22, 2006, 10:02:28 PM »

So the next format war is almost here. HD DVDs go on sale in a few hours to most stores while Blu-Ray will hit in June. My question, though, is simple: does anyone care about either of them?

Personally, no. HD might be nice for those who have the TVs to support it, but even if I did I wouldn't be shelling out the $500/$1,000 for a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player. The draw for these formats just don't seem to be there. With DVDs, you had things like optional subtitles, language tracks, extras, menus, and more. It was light years ahead of VHS. This time, the gain seems very minimal. In fact, it's made even worse by the fact that these releases are going to retail for $30-35, giving even less incitive to upgrade. The fact that you have Paramount backing HD DVD and not Blu-Ray, and then Disney doing vice-a-versa is just setting this whole thing up for failure too. If you are going to have consumers go with a new format over the popular one of DVDs, it needs to have all of the studios on board not having them pick between one or the other.

All in all, I just see these two fighting over to be this generation's laserdiscs, a format that won't even be sold in major outlets in a few years. Really, if they wanted to give the new format a edge, they should have shoved soundtracks on them for the film that can be played when inserted in a player, or something. Something to make these formats stand out in a huge way to DVDs.

Also, who decided that the covers for each of the formats should be streamlined in such a horrible and bloated fashion?

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2139/b000fa57n001sclzzzzzzzv5534957.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/5352/b000ez7zyu01sclzzzzzzzv5362558.jpg

ThePerm · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2006, 11:55:51 PM »

actually i like the hd-dvd cases! The blue ray are spuh

KDR_11k · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2006, 01:59:38 AM »

Those boxes look like I could leave my GC on them overnight and find a bunch of tiny Tupperware boxes next to them the next morning.

vudu · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2006, 09:08:58 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Those boxes look like I could leave my GC on them overnight and find a bunch of tiny Tupperware boxes next to them the next morning.

I see what you did there.

To answer the original question, no, I don't care. I might if I had huge wads of cash burning a hole in my pocket; but there's just way more important stuff to do with the little bit of extra cash I have lying around.

Caliban · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2006, 01:27:08 PM »

First I haven't even jumped into the HDTV bandwagon, second I have never had a DVD player other than the one on the computer.

Also I'm not interested because I don't have the money for a TV that supports 1080p, right now there aren't that many TV's that support 1080p so what's the point of getting a HD-DVD or BD player.

Plus I intend to get a widescreen CRT HDTV (up to 1080i) which is pretty cheap (plus I don't mind the size or weight of it) just for the Wii and a progressive scan DVD player that has the ability to upconvert to 720p, unless the Wii lets me upconvert to 720p then I won't get DVD player but I will get the add-on they promised.

The battle hasn't even started so there will be alot of confusion from possible buyers which probably will make HD-DVD and BD die, or delay it severly(sp?).

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2006, 02:23:33 PM »

They can both die.

Wii will be the leading format.

Really, I'm bothered by the fact that "new" high-tech movie playback machines are GIGANTIC and have noisy FANS.

Like PS3 and 360, har har.

Athrun Zala · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2006, 03:01:33 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
They can both die.

Wii will be the leading format.

Really, I'm bothered by the fact that "new" high-tech movie playback machines are GIGANTIC and have noisy FANS.

Like PS3 and 360, har har.

agree, both suck,they can die alongside DRM.....

and they are enormous because they're PCs!!
apparently, the HD-A1 is just a 2.5GHz Pentium 4 with 1GB of PC2700 DDR RAM, an IDE drive and custom RedHat...

more info here

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2006, 03:33:20 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Athrun Zala
Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
They can both die.

Wii will be the leading format.

Really, I'm bothered by the fact that "new" high-tech movie playback machines are GIGANTIC and have noisy FANS.

Like PS3 and 360, har har.
agree, both suck,they can die alongside DRM.....

and they are enormous because they're PCs!!
apparently, the HD-A1 is just a 2.5GHz Pentium 4 with 1GB of PC2700 DDR RAM, an IDE drive and custom RedHat...

more info here

man, FUHK THAT

I can SMOOTHLY run 640x480 30fps DivX video on a PII 400MHz machine with an 8MB ATI video card and THIRTY-TWO MEGABYTES OF RAM.

WTF is this world coming to.

TrueNerd · « **Reply #8 on:** May 26, 2006, 10:13:56 PM »

Yeah, it'll be a long while before I upgrade to either format, for many reasons. 1, the television I primarily use was found on a curb one fateful garbage day three years ago. It ain't gonna be pumping out hi-def visuals any time soon. 2, I ain't got the cash for either. 3, I am so perfectly content with current DVD's, it's not even funny. 4, like you've been saying, one of the formats will die out. It would be terrible to buy a bunch of movies in one of these formats and then it be obsolete. Absolutely terrible.

With that being said, Best Buy had a hi-def TV playing the HD-DVD version of Serenity and GODDAMN if I didn't think dropping $1500 for the whole package right then and there was a smart decision. It looks good, no doubt about that. But I'm not ready for it. Give me a few years.

Frozen Atlantic · « **Reply #9 on:** June 01, 2006, 08:44:41 AM »

The porn industry is supporting HD-DVD. Thus, they will win.

Nobody's ready to buy next-gen, because HDTV's are too expensive.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #10 on:** June 01, 2006, 12:30:50 PM »

Porn is a major force in format penetration.

Garnee · « **Reply #11 on:** June 01, 2006, 03:21:04 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
Porn is a major force in format penetration.

Olioliolioliolio.

When companies like Panasonic and Sony fight, nobody ever really wins. HD-DVD will probably beat Blu-Ray because Sony is like an extremely overprotective parent.
"The hackers will never get my preciousss...."

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2006, 05:14:21 PM »

VHS won because of the adult movie industry. DVD floundered somewhat (though nothing like the format wars before it) until the adult movie industry embraced it. Now that the adult movie industry is moving forward to online distribution, you can expect the others to follow after the kinks are worked out.

I hadn't heard about the porn and HD-DVD, but whether or not they want the connection, porn has pretty much been the deciding factor on what format becomes the standard.

Athrun Zala · « **Reply #13 on:** June 01, 2006, 08:28:47 PM »

interesting logic, yet there are UMD porn movies, and the PSP is still a mayor FLOP

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #14 on:** June 01, 2006, 09:43:09 PM »

PSP is a game system, not a movie player, like it or not

hoho

KDR_11k · « **Reply #15 on:** June 02, 2006, 02:50:47 AM »

I've read enough complaints about high-res porn. Those actors aren't so hot if you can see every ugly detail.

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #16 on:** June 02, 2006, 04:17:42 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Athrun Zala
interesting logic, yet there are UMD porn movies, and the PSP is still a mayor FLOP

the industry didn't embrace the format the way they did with VHS or DVD either, it was a novelty. If they had moved full force to UMD then it would have been a lot more successful.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 02, 2006, 07:13:07 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Athrun Zala
interesting logic, yet there are UMD porn movies, and the PSP is still a mayor FLOP

That might be because sometimes people need to use two hands and they get tired of dropping their PSP on the floor or wrenching thier neck trying to see the screen as its placed akwardly next to them or the screen is too small when you are trying to focus on certain things that aren't in close up.

I mean thats just a guess but it could be true

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #18 on:** June 02, 2006, 10:43:35 AM »

Ridge Racer Rear View Action will have a similar problem. It seems you need to invent something like the Beer Helmet to accommodate these things.

[edited spelling for GREAT JUSTICE]

BiLdItUp1 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 05, 2006, 04:50:39 AM »

Blah. I hope both of these formats die a horrible, miserable death, and a new one comes out from the shadows to take the throne. Course, that'll never happen...but one can dream. Both these formats are so DRM-crippled it's not even funny. Both groups recently announced the reintroduction of region codes. Analog output is restricted to somewhere near DVD-quality. Both will eventually require even those that already have HD-sets to buy new ones, because of HDCP/HDMI restrictions. Screw this. I don't like being f*cked in the ass by a bunch of fat-cat movie companies, and neither should anyone else...

Requiem · « **Reply #20 on:** June 05, 2006, 05:21:51 AM »

Jeez....

They picked the two WORST movies to showcase their tech.

BildItup1 -- I couldn't agree more. I went to bestbuy the other day just to browse and I saw an HD-DVD - DVD comparison booth. Honestly, I am not impressed. It is slightly crisper -- enough to notice? Well, yeah, since it was a side-by-side demostration, however I doubt I could tell them apart if seperately veiwed. The difference, sadly, isn't as big as coke to pepsi.

That said, I still like HD programing (mainly soccer and the discovery channel).

Frozen Atlantic · « **Reply #21 on:** June 05, 2006, 07:17:57 AM »

Also, DVD was introduced in the midst of a booming economy. People could splurge. Everybody's poor now, slightly crisper movies aren't really worth $800 bucks.

Athrun Zala · « **Reply #22 on:** June 05, 2006, 08:07:48 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666
PSP is a game system, not a movie player, like it or not

hoho

the PSP has games??

next thing we know, Apple releases the iPodendo

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #23 on:** June 05, 2006, 12:07:14 PM »

Also, the HD consortiums are trying to implement audio watermarks to fend off audio reproduction. Recall the resolution downgrade: near-DVD resolution in the absence of HDMI. But for audio, how about not getting any sound at all in the absence of a digital connection!

ISN'T THAT GREAT NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST HAVE A TV WITHOUT A SURROUND SOUND SETUP?

BiLdItUp1 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 09, 2006, 06:01:53 AM »

Yeah pro666 - Hollywood is bonkers. They're only going to have themselves to blame when HD and Blu-Ray writers get cheap, and all their restrictions are broken. Whose going to buy such a DRM-laden POS for, what, $30? I suppose? when they could download it for free with no restrictions and are able to manipulate it anyway they want and play it on any player with any TV. Frankly, I don't see either of these winning as long as HDTV doesn't hit critical mass, which it hasn't yet. Cheap 20" CRTs are still $100, probably less now, and their not going away any time soon. Let's see...

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Author Topic: Format War: HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray (Read 10774 times)