Stopping DVD purchases or upgrading dvd library to High Def. (1 Viewer)

A couple of months back I was at AMC25 42nd Street watching Kill Bill 2. The film was projected on this screen that was nothing short of spectacular - I mean truly amazing. I've never seen something so beautiful, and it changed me. I want HD-DVD now, and I see no point in increasing my DVD library. Mind you, I'm up to 300 DVDs, so I do have quite a library already. But still, the bug has hit me, and I will be renting from here on in.

I'll start holding off when you see the first silent film on HD-DVD released.

"Holding Off", would be too strong a term for me.
I am 'holding out'!!!
Certain titles (did not buy the latest DVD version of Predator. Even though I LOVE that movie!!!).
Certain transfers (Cold Mountain, The English Patient, RoboCop, Star Wars: E2...)
Actually have been a little picky about picking up plan old NeverTheSameColor DVD's, all of 2004 & even some of '03.

I think your smart too be thinking of a future, that is only months away.

Congratulations!

HD DVD players will be too expensive so I will wait until the prices are at least 1/3 of intro price before I even consider buying HD DVD's.

Technology advances can wait as far as I'm concerned.

Cheers

No way I'm going to hold off buying upcoming titles like the Star Wars Trilogy, Heat: SE, Spider-Man 2, Return of the King: EE, Matrix Box set or the GoodFellas: SE I bought yesterday just because they MIGHT be released on HD-DVD someday. I think it's going to be quite a while before we see a large amount of HD-DVD software released and there's still a lot of enjoyment left in my DVD collection to hold me over until that happens. I predict I'll be buying into HD-DVD in 2006 or 2007, but probably no earlier than that.

I've considered this but I don't think I want to rely on renting till HD DVD appears. there are just too many steps in the meantime: new displays, new hardware, new software, new pre-amps, etc...

so I'll stick with what works in the hear-and-now instead of holding out for the future.

You're over estimating how soon you're going to see HD-DVD. Studios are going to want to suck the DVD market as dry as possible before trying to get people to rebuy movies they already own. They have nothing to gain by releasing HD-DVDs when few people own HD-TVs and almost everyone who owns a DVD player is happy with the PQ.

With all the nonsense going on with HD DVD Im not waiting.

Exactly, Seth. DVD will continue to be the most successful software format for quite some time while HD-DVD will be a niche market for at least the first 2 or 3 years of its existence.

The real problem with waiting for HD-DVD (or, rather, an optical High Def format) is the terrible format war that's brewing between that format and Blu-Ray.

In all likelihood, certain titles will be exclusive to a particular HiDef format. For example, the HighDef iteration of Spider-Man 2 will almost certainly be exclusive to the Blu-Ray format, while Star Wars will probably be exclusive to the HD-DVD format. So, in order to really get the most out of HiDef optical, you'll probably need both types of decks. (That's an initial expenditure of around $2000.)

I want an optical HiDef format as bad as the next guy, but I'm not about to purchase until the format war is over *and* the prices for the decks have fallen to around $500-$650.

I figure that'll be about 2008. (And that's being optimistic.)

In the meantime, I'll be happily purchasing, and enjoying, my favorite movies and TV series on DVD, secure in the knowledge that I'll still be able to play those same DVD's on whichever HiDef optical format eventually wins the war.

But, "To each his own ...", as they say!

WE ARE that "niche market".

This does bring up an interesting dilemma. When the format war begins, what will everyone do? Invest in both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray? Pick one over the other based on studio support? Wait for one format to emerge victorious(if that even happens)? Or just say "screw it" and stick with DVD?

I have no idea what I'm gonna do, although I'm 99.999% sure I ain't going with the first option(unless my income increases significantly in the near future). That's probably why I still buy a ton of titles on DVD. There's no sense in holding out for the next format when that situation could take years to resolve itself.

Most of my DVD purchases are of cult and foreign films, television and anime... so it'll be a while till I stop buying because of a new format.

I agree with the statement that movie companies will try and suck the DVD market dry before they move on. However, with the J6P crowd/ Wal-Mart masses, I don't know if they really will appreciate HD-DVD (this is the same crowd that still buys full screen, mind you). For them a DVD is simply a flat, shiny VHS. They are the same crowd that doesn't have 5.1 surround sound, large screens, HDTV, or any interest in DVD-Audio.
Sorry to sound so cynical. But I have yet to be impressed by the demands of the "average" consumer.

Rob (and everyone else),
I would think IF any of us fear double-triple-quadruple dripping, it would be for MAJOR titles. I picked up Fear last night for ten ninety nine. Have absolutely positively NO "Fear" of this title coming out on a HiRez format and taking any more of my money.

Reese Witherspoon is CUTE!!!

And, this is a 'clean' transfer.

I have no fear at all about double-triple-quadruple dipping. That's what eBay is for.

Well, take a step back and look at us now. I had a player at launch of DVD and am to this day replacing what was then "Reference" to what is now "Non-Anamorphic garbage", and sometimes they STILL can't get it right (See "Ransom"). Remember, we also had players at that time that couldn't do dual-layered discs. And then had players that had some seriously buggy firmware. So, I think I'll let the first few players come on out, let three versions of the same movie hit and let the prices/format wars come down and then I'll buy. By then, the 200 GB blue-ray discs will be to perfection, and I can enjoy the ENTIRE Friday the 13th Series (or any long sequel ridden movie/TV series) on one blue-ray disc by then.

Ive had to wait this long to get my hands on titles just now hitting the shelves on DVD. Im not about to hold off buying. It took this long for DAWN OF THE DEAD, AFTER HOURS, FREAKS, etc.. Im not about to wait another 10 years.

I don't have an HDTV yet and I'm not too big on DVD-Audio. Does that make me a J6P?

Back to the topic... I'm very, very happy with DVD right now. I'm still anxiously anticipating the releases of some of my favorite films of all-time. There is absolutely no way that I'll hold off from buying those DVDs to wait for a new format that won't be affordable to me or have a decent library for several years.

I would rethink holding off on DVD purchases. Many of us here from the early days of the format launch and earlier days of the dueling proposed formats from Sony and Toshiba remember the hard fought battles that got us here today.

Studios were not particularly thrilled with giving us a digital medium, a decidedly low-res format compared to HDTV. Flashforward to today, do any of us really think that the studios are gung ho to give us high res copies of their properties?

HDTV has a long ways to go to reach critical mass and until that happens HD-DVD or Blu-ray is just going to be a high priced niche format. The ultimate format for HDTV may end being neither one.