Bill Hunt/The Digital Bits now PRO Hd Dvd! (1 Viewer)

[Manus]

" because the industry as a whole wants Blu-ray to win "

Robert, Is this really still the case , and if so , WHY ?? This format war was prompted by a desire to make money . HD-Dvd seems to be in the ascendency with great , upgradable equipment and A+ disc reviews and yet potential HD-Dvd manufacturers ( as listed on the Dvd Forum ? ) are not selling or apparently planning players and both Fox and Disney ( 2 of the greediest, most paranoid studios IMO ) are 'losing' money by not selling HD-Dvds !!!!

I love my hobby but I'll never try to understand it again

~M~

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I am presuming the industry wants Blu-Ray to win based
on the specs of the format and the increased copy protection
scheme.

Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Even though, some haven't released any HD software yet, except for Universal, every studio is supporting the Blu-ray format. In regard to hardware, Toshiba has been alone up to this point while most of its competitors are align with Blu-ray and have announced players to debut in that format over the next several months. This support isn't by coincidence, there are finanicial and asset protection reasoning behind these alliances.

Simply put, Toshiba is fighting an uphill battle. That doesn't mean they can't win, but for them to do so, more than these initial missteps by Blu-ray supporters needs to continue while HD DVD maintains the edge in PQ and hardware pricing as well as adding more hardware and software support. If this is a war of attrition then this can go on for awhile with either, no winner declared or the eventual winning format so damaged that it won't be able to progress beyond a niche market. A niche market that will have more market penetration than LD, but far short of dvd. Maybe, that would've been the case even if only one format was introduced in the first place?

 

[Chuck Mayer]

If the Samsung is having this much trouble, is the vaunted (nuclear option) PS3 going to be able to play all features? If not, I'll be content to declare the "war" over. The only thing giving BR a chance is the Sony PS2 fanbase that will pony up for a PS3. But that launch looks to be a disaster (single digits units per store at launch - not a problem the Wii will have) based on the price point and quantities. Unless the PS3 is fully capable and a HUGE success, I have a hard time seeing BR come out of this. Even if they look better than HD...how much better is required to overcome the installed fanbase and competence of the HD.

I honestly don't consider Fox exclusivity nearly as critical as Disney. Fox has Star Wars, Aliens, and a few odds and ends. But WB has LOTR, Matrix, DC Superheroes and Harry Potter. I am aware WB has NOT gone exclusive. But how long until Disney realizes a HD Pirates will make some money, and waiting for the BR camp to get it right is bad business?

I have been following this with interest...and I don't care who wins. I'd like one format (or a choice with no exclusivity from studios). But the only thing that prevents this thing from being OVER is the PS3. Which is NOT looking good right now. If HD can get a few killer apps by the time the PS3 is launched (and it will have to launch flawlessly and have a real installation base by Christmas), it might be the nail in the coffin.

We'll see. It's a beating right now.

 

[Tim Glover]

Hey Chuck! Good post. I have to be honest and say I hope HD-DVD wins out since I've jumped in...but for what I paid for the Toshiba, it will still remain a great upconverting dvd player for a number of years.

Robert is correct, the early round is going HD-DVDs way but there's a long way to go.

 

[Jordan_E]

As long as I collect a decent amount of movies before this "war" ends, I'll be happy; wish I could say the same about my SACD/DVD-A collection.

 

[Paul_Scott]

the sentimentalist in me always tends to root for the underdog- and since the underdog in this case is showing a lot of heart and working its tail off in the face of so many writing him off, I'm even more loathe to give any support to the more arrogant 'de facto' victor.

may be silly to think this way about consumer electronics, but what can I say- I wish (in vain, probably) the world were more of a meritocricy and less a 'who you know, who you blow' stagnant bog. Any small part I can do to further the former and frustrate the later is an honorable effort, imo.

 

[Paul_Stachniak]

This is what I understand as well.

Problem is, Sony is having trouble delivering on those specs (no suprise there, emotions engine anyone?). If they don't release working 50gig discs soon, Blu Ray is in real trouble.

I also agree that if Fox moved to HD-DVD soon, it would be over for this format war. Someone send Fox flowers and send them a copy of Apollo 13 in HD.

 

[Manus]

Isnt it ironic ? Fox are probably the most 'moaniest' of all the studios when it comes to lost revenue and yet here there is an army of HD users forming and they're not making a single dollar out of it ! Explain that to the shareholders !

~M~

 

[Dave H]

Just one question: why is there such an obsession of what Bill Hunt thinks?

 

[Tim Glover]

It's not an obsession...Bill Hunt is probably the most respected online site owners and is known in the industry. I think that's why this is a big deal too.

 

[RobertR]

I wouldn't call it an "obsession", but when he does a turnaround from his previous support of Bluray, it's a notable indicator of how things are going. The same note would be made about other notable people in the home theater industry--the various websites, home theater magazines, etc.

 

[Member 323668]

I leave it to Joe Kane... (CineNow exclusive interview)



“It is my personal belief that Blu-ray is all about greed”

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'll agree with Tim here....

Bill Hunt is one of the most renowned and respected enthusiasts
on the Internet.

He's one of those persons that when you know he has an opinion
on something, that opinion is generally well-thought and sincere.

 

[Peter Overduin]

It almost seems to me that while at the moment this is a format war - supposedly - in the not so very distant future, say a few months, HD will be entrenched enough that BD will seem like yet another new format to the consumer. It is is vital...IMHO...for Sony to maintain the fiction that BD is a currently viable product (it is not)...otherwise they will seem like yet again...that they are late for the party and nobody will really care anymore.

As for Bill and Ron et al...I have disagreed with some things they say, however, without knowing how many hits he gets a month on his site or visitors on this one, it is a certaintly that a significant number of consumers are coming accross his site when they are researching what, if any, HD format to buy. Between his site and this one...as well as many editorials coming from major publications (yesterday was Cinescape) that are dissing BD, it is clear that BD is in serious trouble.

I havent had this much fun since DIVX...and no one would suggest that the internet did not have a significant impact on the demise of that experiment...and the longer this goes on..the more likely it becomes that BD will be just that, as a consumer electronics item...an expereiment.

I'm just waiting for some moola..and then i'm off to get my HD DVD player..of course, if the rumored Star Trek becomes a reality, well...what are credit cards for eh?

 

[Joseph Bolus]

This is due to the fact that Mr. Hunt has many "inside sources" in both the hardware manufacturing and movie studio arenas; *plus* his site is followed closely by the Mainstream Press. Just a month or so ago Entertainment Weekly named his "The Digital Bits" site as one of the 25 best Entertainment Information sites on the Web.

His opinion most definitely "means something" ...

 

[DanFe]

The only way for HD-DVD to even come close to winning this battle is if another player comes on the market. Toshiba alone will not do it. My money is still on Bluray because of the large support of more than just one player.

 

[Cees Alons]

Dan,

Currently the fact is: there are three HD DVD players on the market, from two brands (granted: very much the same "family", if not actually the same machines) and only one BD player.

Anything more are promises (granted again: that will change, as is the essence of promises).


Cees

 

[RobertDW]

LG and HP have a player coming.

 

[DanFe]

Toshiba is the only player in the market for HD-DVD (RCA is a Toshiba player), but we all know that bluray will have Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, and further Samsung players up and ready this fall. Gliches aside for now, Bluray holds the most promise and will have the most reward.