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05-09-2006, 03:22 PM
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#1 of 33 
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Join Date: Sep 2002
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What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I don't have an A1 player, but I'm following the HD-DVD rollout with interest.
I'm puzzled by the dual-disc strategy (Rumor Has It) and think it may be a mis-step by the HD-DVD community.
Mixing formats is usually a bad idea (apparently the CD/DVD dual-discs were too thick to fit into some CD players).
Can't imagine why anyone would pay a premium for HD-DVD product and then watch the DVD side (maybe for portable DVD players...).
I haven't checked prices yet, so HD-DVD dual-discs may be selling at the same price as regular HD-DVDs.
Still, I think this may end up confusing alot of people at a point where that could stunt the format.
The loss of disc art and squinting at hub text isn't what I hoped next-generation video was going to be about.
Last edited by Frank@N : 05-09-2006 at 04:16 PM.
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05-09-2006, 03:31 PM
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#2 of 33
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I'm still wondering what's the point of HD-DVD discs ...
(runs....)
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05-09-2006, 04:36 PM
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#4 of 33
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Location: Sacramento, CA
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
The POINT of them is so if you haven't upgraded to HD yet, you can buy the disc and watch it on what you have right now, then watch it in HD when you finally do upgrade.
I was going to buy Rumor Has It just since it was the first title to do this, but the price is just too high. At the very least, they should be priced the same as other HD-DVDs since those who already have HD won't care too much about the regular version, and in my case I'm a little hesitant to pay a premium for something I can't use yet. If they priced these closer to regular DVDs, then they'd sell more copies and that in turn would motivate more people to buy an HD player.
My main concern about these is that I've heard the HD side can't have the same number of layers that an HD-only disc would have- I don't know if that's true, does anyone know? If that's the case then I definitely wouldn't have any interest in these.
If there isn't any such compromise and they work properly, this would be a great way to get HD discs into people's homes before they get a player. I thought hybrid SACDs were a good idea too for the same reason, but those didn't really take off.
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05-09-2006, 05:05 PM
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#5 of 33
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Join Date: Sep 2002
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I can't see anyone paying $35 for something that they may never fully use.
There's huge uncertainty regarding the format wars and many people are on the fence about what format they will eventually support.
No matter how bullish I feel about HD-DVD, there's no way I'd shell out that kind of money on a hunch.
And if I did decide to go with HD-DVD later, dual-discs would be virtually useless at that point anyway (in addition to driving up prices).
Last edited by Frank@N : 05-09-2006 at 05:10 PM.
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05-09-2006, 06:28 PM
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#6 of 33
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I'm the only one in my family with a HDTV. We frequently go over to other's houses to watch movies (they have kids, we don't, so it's better to watch things over there so the kids have their rooms and toys to entertain themselves). If i were to have HD-DVD, I would want to get all my movies that way, but that would preclude us from taking the same disc over there to do that. The hybrid discs would better enable this.
"If you write a story about a soldier going AWOL and kidnapping a pregnant woman and finally shooting her in the head, it's called searingly realistic, even though it's never happened in the history of mankind. Whereas if you write about two people falling in love, which happens about a million times a day all over the world, for some reason or another, you're accused of writing something unrealistic and sentimental."
-Richard Curtis, Screenwriter and Director
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05-09-2006, 09:41 PM
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#7 of 33
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
Movies are: "The Greatest Artform".
HD should be for EVERYONE!
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05-09-2006, 10:36 PM
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#8 of 33
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I bought a copy only because there's so few titles out and I actually want to see it. I hope it plays...it's scatched and smudged on arrival, on the side facing up in the case, the HD side. I think this is a bad idea. I hate double sided discs and I don't want DVD anymore!
Rachael, the big disc cat! I used to be looking for Hi-Vision Laserdiscs & D-Theater tapes, now I'm looking for HD-DVD's and Blu-rays.
I survived the AFI top 100 Film Challenge! I've seen them all.
favourite saying: hard feelings are for park benches... sit on that!
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05-10-2006, 12:13 PM
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#9 of 33
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Join Date: May 2006
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
I think it's a very good idea - It could be a big factor in the rapid adoption/conversion of SD DVD owners to Hi Def formats.
However, it's dependent on two things - Price, and Title.
Last I checked Amazon, this was selling for about $28, which is $7 ot $8 more than the HD DVD-only version of the disc. This is going to be annoying for the HD DVD owners, and will also place the disc out of consideration for the SD DVD owners you are trying to attract to the format.
So the price needs to be (near as dammit) the same as the HD DVD release would be.
Title- picking such a mediocre film, and a chick-flick (no offense Rachel!) at that, to pitch as your first try in a tech-led, male-dominated (as in techy early adopters) market, was probably not the best move.
I hope they try again with this advice in mind, as Ithink it is a very important aspect.
Yes, they should also ensure that releases are dual layer so that the movies are the same quality.
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05-10-2006, 02:24 PM
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#10 of 33
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Re: What's the point of HD-DVD / DVD dual-discs?
Quote:
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My main concern about these is that I've heard the HD side can't have the same number of layers that an HD-only disc would have- I don't know if that's true, does anyone know?
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There are two options for hybrids, as far as I understand:
A single sided version that has one HD layer at 15gb and one DVD layer at 4.5gb
A two sided version that has dual layer HD at 30gb on one side and dual layer DVD 9gb on the other.
I'm not sure if there are options for other variations, but I believe these are the two main "flavors" of hybrids. I think the intention is to use the two sided dual layer on each side option for releases of theatrical films.
As I said, I can see why some people may be interested in this. But I still see much more people who would not be interested in this and actually be turned off by it if it costs even a few dollars more. When buying something one wants, being forced to pay extra for something that is not needed/wanted is very off-putting to most.
What if all regular DVDs put the widescreen on one side and the pan-and-scan version on the other and charged you $5 more than widescreen only | |
