SD DVD Purchasing in Light of Blu-Ray/HD DVD Adoption (1 Viewer)

[Joseph Bolus]

Because it could be years before the title is available on HD-DVD!

Just look, for example, at some new contemporary movies that will be coming out this Fall: Movies like Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, X-MEN 3, and others. If your HD equipment right now consists of just HD-DVD, you *know* that it could well be 12-18 months (or even *never*) before these Disney/Fox titles come to your format.

Your choices then consist of:
1. Purchase Blu-ray playback equipment in addition to HD-DVD. This would mean paying double the asking price of HD-DVD equipment for a format that has yet to prove itself.
-or-
2. Purchase the standard SD-DVD at a minimal cost (typically $16 or less) and let the excellent upconversion of the Tosh HD-A1 do its job until a HD-DVD equivalent is available. It's sad, but right now upconverted SD-DVD on the HD-DVD Tosh players looks just about as good as many extant Blu-ray discs.

Even if you own both HD-DVD and Blu-ray (as many of us will when the inevitable combo decks become available) there will be times when you still may want to purchase SD-DVD titles. If, for example, The African Queen were to be released this year to just SD-DVD I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it.

It needs to be remembered that DVD is a *mature* format and is still the format of choice for the majority of consumers purchasing movies on optical disc. As such, there will still be many additional releases of catalog titles that will available only on DVD for at least the next 24 months. If the movie that you're a big fan of is released only on DVD (or on DVD and Blu-ray while your format of choice is HD-DVD or vice-versa with Universal titles) then I would just go ahead and purchase it and enjoy it.

But "your mileage may vary", of course!

 

[John H Ross]

Well, similarly, why buy it on HD-DVD when you know you're gonna buy it again on the NEXT format?

Let's see... I just ordered "Baby: Secret Of The Lost Legend" at Amazon.co.uk. It's the latest addition to my vast Jerry Goldsmith movie collection. I'll be upgrading my laserdiscs of "Malice" and "Congo" soon too. How soon d'ya think before THOSE are released on HD? Bear in mind it took 9 years to get Baby out on *DVD* in it's original anamorphic 2.35:1 format (and even then it's only available like that outside the US).

As far as I'm concerned people who have *totally* quit buying DVDs to concentrate on HD are either a) living on extremely tight budgets - which is fair enough or b) care more about the technology than the movies - which is sad. I mean, for example, would you REALLY rather splash out on "Tomb Raider" and "Happy Gilmore" in HD rather than the new editions of "Patton" and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in SD?

A standard catalogue DVD at Amazon is now barely the price of a round of drinks. Why get all stressed about it?

John

 

[Jace_A]

I seriously doubt titles like The Val Lewton Collection will appear on HD-DVD in the next 5 years, if ever. These films can only look so good in any event and SD-DVD looks just fine.

 

[Dan M]

I'm so glad I'm not in the camp that can only watch HD now. SD dvd can still look pretty damn good especially now that we have upconversion. A well authored dvd still looks amazing to my eyes even with HD DVD out there. I'm loving the HD-A1 as much as anyone but I'm also thrilled to be revisiting all my older dvd's now that upconversion gives them new life....

 

[Vader]

Remember the first batch of DVDs back in 1997? Back then they looked fantastic, but as compression techniques improved, those same titles were re-released with PQ that blew the first pressings away. The point here is, that in the quest for the perfect PQ, double-dipping is a fact of life. When 'Batman Begins' is released onto HD-DVD (and probably Blu-ray), it will also look fantastic, until compared to the inevitable re-release several years (or months?) down the road. Given the choice of first buying a $15 DVD, and waiting for the HD format to mature, then dropping $30-$35 on the inevitable re-pressing, and dropping $30 both times, I will take the former. Then there is also the issue of spending $ on the losing format, only to have to spend more $ when it is re-released on the winning format....

 

[Brent M]

Exactly. It just baffles me when people say they're so spoiled by HD that they can't even watch DVD anymore. Like I said before, sure HD looks better, but it still doesn't mean standard DVD looks bad. To each their own.

 

[Vader]

Same thing happened when DVD first appeared on the horizon. I term the condition TADD: Technological Attention Deficit Disorder. It appears to be related to a similar condition among computer geeks (I can say that, because I am one), where a top-of-the-line processor is "fantastic" when purchased, but suddenly "sucks" a couple of months (weeks?) down the road when a faster processor is released...

 

[JediFonger]

well, regardless of format. even if "holo-novels" as exemplified in Star Trek TNG comes out tomorrow, there's a principle in the way i "buy" pre-recorded media.

to me, it's almost like an investment/capital budgeting question in finance.

i always ask myself, will i watch this movie at least 5x annually? why? it's roughly $5 (incl. tax+gas $+time driving to and from) if you went to rental store. that's $25, enough for any new releases, even SE.

if the answer is:
1. well, i might watch it over and over again during the 1st year or when i feel like it... but maybe i won't in the 2nd year of owning the movie. okay, i'll probably rent it from netflix or borrow it for free via my public library if it's available. i'd have to say 99% of movies out there fall under this category for me.
2. if my answer was, are you kidding? then i will buy it. so... what are these titles that make me go, are you kidding? indiana jones, star wars, LOTR, back to the future, matrix, most of you film nuts already have it as well. i'd like to see an admin or someone post a poll about that. these triple A-list film series are the ones that's going to bring the format to the masses in a huge rush. i distinctly remember the first movie that created a desire in me to buy a DVD player: The Matrix. i was aware of DVD's prior to that... but it was the title that won me over. and yesh, i frequently pop in star wars, LOTR, bttf, matrix, indy just to play my action scenes. to me, of the thousands of times i've watched either scenes or the complete film from those series is worth the $ i paid for it... or the films paid for itself for the value/amount of enjoyment that tipped the scale in my purchase.

okay, other than the big titles, what other types of titles? i'd have to say classics like Citizen Kane, 7 Samurai, etc. i don't mind paying for the film series up above or classic titles like those on VHS, SD-DVD, VOD, HD-DVD, BluRay, HVD or "3D" medium in the future. i don't mind paying to watch it on a local film festival to watch it on the big screen a few times. to me, these timeless classics are just... cost no object for a film nut like me. hell, if i could afford it, i'd buy build a film projection theater w/film vault just so i can collect film reels of the above titles i just ticked off. loonie? sure. cost? pricelss.

that's why i don't own hundreds or thousands of DVD's (i think i hover around 70 or less). where will i have time for a life or to watch any other new films?

also related to finance, the DVD that's sitting on your shelf is taking up space and could have been used for somn better... like an extra lamp, extra space for books, etc. but that's venturing into subjectivity now =).

the point is, if you keep to a principle no matter what new entertainment medium comes along, you'll have a rule to follow (at least for me). i think it also saves you $... because before i developed this principle... i was asking myself, why did i buy Ace Ventura (or insert your dumb purchase film of choice)?

so, in short, it's all about titles for me. i think the specific question of HD vs. SD is less relevant for me than titles. but if it is relevant, i'd have to say the 1st purchases of HD medium for me will be to replace all my A-list titles.


one point that i haven't seen here is rentals. why spend $100/month for 5-8 titles when you spend $53 for tens of thousands of titles in SD AND HD-DVD? if you're that consistent, $53 is a MUCH better deal than $100/month. the only downside is no instant gratification. ever since i've been a nf member 2 years ago, i've stopped buying any movies and rarely go out to cinemas. i'm not one of those instant gratification guys... unless they're huge titles like starwars. i think nf subscription model is a VERY cost effective way to achieve your moviegoing orgy.

 

[Frank@N]

As I consider on the effects of HD playback availability on SD sales, I'm preoccupied by the opposite effect.

BB and CC are now having weekly firesales on reference quality DVDs starting at 3.99!

On my visit this week, I saw swarms of regular people snapping up Along Came Polly, 8 Mile, Bad Boys, Blue Crush, Eternal Sunshine, Intolerable Cruelty, Van Helsing, Red Dragon, Spy Game, The Hulk, Seabiscuit, Wimbledon, Spider-Man, Spider-Man II, Men In Black, SWAT, and Something’s Gotta Give.

The arrive of HD has opened the SD selloff floodgate, but will regular folks be back for $30 HD movies?

 

[Paul Arnette]

When I started this thread, it wasn't to get into a pissing contest about who is too good for DVD anymore. No, it was merely to get some opinions from those that have adopted a pre-recorded HD video format (BD or HD DVD), and see how it has changed their decision to buy SD DVDs in the future. As you can see, the responses are quite varied, and no one response is more correct than another.

I am not in the camp that only HD DVD will due for me now, but given the age of my set (six years) and the fact that I'm going over component rather than HDMI, I am astounded at times by the difference in quality between the too.

I used to purchase a lot of SD DVDs, and I never got around to watching a lot of them. Again, as I said before, that is a MP. However, it has afforded me the opportunity to be a lot pickier about what SD DVD I buy from here on out because I have a large backlog of SD DVD titles to choose from.

I'm not going to go out of my way to buy movies I don't like (e.g. The Chronicles of Riddick) on HD DVD just because they're HD. But my money will be going to HD first and foremost from now on when there is content I deem worth purchasing. SD DVD titles from mainstream studios are going on hold for me. For those that reference recent summer releases by BD supporting studios, I've seen them in the theater. I can wait until a winner shakes out of the format war or a universal player appears at the same price point as the HD-A1.

That being said, there is a preception in this thread that I find fascinating. That is the preception of $30 HD movies. To date, I have paid no more than $17.99 (shipped) for an HD DVD from Amazon. Where is this $30 coming from? Who here actually pays list prices for their SD DVDs? I don't, and I won't be paying it for HD DVDs either.

And, it was hard not to notice the SD DVD firesale that Circuit City was running last week. However, I'm not so convinced that it is the result of BD and HD DVD. More I think what we're seeing now is the results of over-zealous studios that have been awoken to the reality that SD DVD is not growing at the same rate it once did, and that the SD DVDs sitting in the warehouse are costing them money, not making them money currently.

 

[JediFonger]

if SD-DVD's are selling@$1 to 4 budget bins... then... wouldn't VHS tapes be free? i imagine that even if it's free, people wouldn't want it.

PS i make it a rule to have seen all of the films i have. why buy the DVD if you're not going to watch it? the hording for later argument is a bit poor. why not rent it when you have time to watch it or buy it later?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I stopped buying standard DVDs. Well, that's not entirely true.
I'm buying "off" titles that will never see the light of day on HD.

Otherwise, things like King Kong Extended and Chronicles of
Narnia Extended are being put on hold because I know the studios
are delaying a HD release just so we buy it twice.

 

[Paul Arnette]

It wasn't an arguement, it was exposition. It lays out my current situation, which factors heavily into my decision-making process.

The hoarding wasn't planned either. It just kinda happened. In fact, I'm looking to set up some rules for myself concerning pre-recorded HD media because I decided I need that sort of thing. I need to get better about renting, but for some reason it hasn't been an easy habit for me to adopt.

 

[JediFonger]

the key is killing off that instant gratification thing... then rentals/subscriptions will start to make sense. it's almost like owning all of the HD-DVD/BR titles ou there. it's just a day or 2 away.

 

[RaymondSteiner]

But i think the argument is true. When i saw a disk, i think i really want it or could i wait until i get an HD-DVD. Seeing the sale bins, it's easy not to buy and simple rush to the bin and get a heavy discounted disk.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I do not own a HD player yet, but I have purchased a few titles on both formats. I have allway purchased some software for almost every new format I have ended up buying. Up to the date the HD formats where released I was still buying SD-DVD's. Once the HD formats where available however I started being really choosy about what SD-DVD I purchased. For myself its all about having the best picture and best sound I can get. I also can not afford to go out and buy SD-DVD and HD copies of the same title. I will most likely still purchase SD-DVD for titles that are older titles or titles that are only purchased because I really dont care if its in HD or not. Most of my purchases for titles that I don't have yet will most likely be HD titles. I will only go back and repurchase some of my top titles that I have to have in HD. I will not replace all my SD-DVD so they will still be viewed on my HT system for the foreseeable future.

My main focus will be on HD and upgrading my HT for HD and upcoming audio formats.

 

[Stan Rozenfeld]

I no longer buy regular dvds of movies. I reserve that money for movies on hd dvd that I want to keep (such as the upcoming Searchers). I still rent or buy tv shows on regular dvd though.