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Will you be rushing into the new Hi-Def formats in 2006? (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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At this point in time I would love to be
a cheerleader in this forum, throwing my
support behind the new high-definition formats...

I don't feel compelled to support these
two formats at this time. I'm also very
curious why there are those of you who are.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not here to take
potshots at either format. You see, like
most of you, I have been through the advent
of new formats many times before. All of us
know what to expect from the manufacturers
and the studios and I'm sort of surprised that
so many of you have indicated you will jump
on board with one of these formats in 2006.

First of all, buying a player in its first
year of production can be compared to buying
a car in its first year. You know that not
only are there going to be bugs, but next
year's model will be vastly improved at a
cheaper price.

We also have heard that the initial HD-DVD/BLU-RAY
releases from the studios may be bare-boned.
Give it a year or two and these titles will be
re-released as Special edition product.

Then there's still the problems concerning
those of us who do not have compatable televisions
to play these discs on thanks to the HDMI
standards that have been set in place.

I'm not dooming this format at its inception,
but I can't help but feel worried about jumping
on the HD bandwagon this early. As of now,
standard DVD -- especially on players that can
upconvert -- look pretty damn good. Personally,
I'd rather for all the kinks to be worked out
as well as the availability of a universal player
that can play both formats.

I'd like to hear your thoughts about whether
you plan to support or wait on High Definition
DVD in 2006.

Please vote and share your thoughts in writing.
 

Aaron_Brez

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I'll be buying in 2007, most likely, when prices on players have come down and BD-50s are reality instead of hype. Christmas 2006 is not out of the question, depending on price. $500 for a set top box is something I would pay, provided it was full-featured in terms of video output (1080p) and audio codec (puts out lossless DD and DTS).

I'm not holding out for a universal player, as I expect that all studios will release on Blu-ray.
 

DeanWG

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Price certainly isn't an issue for me, more the risk of buying something that would have a relatively short existence. (If that makes any sense, since all of these DVDs I already own kind of qualify.)
 

Alex-A

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I have zero interest in this high definition business. Too many variables to make anything a worthwhile purchase. DVD was launched in 1997, and I didn't buy my first one until 2003. Don't think I'll be switching over so soon.
 

Jason_V

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^ Ditto. Whatever happened to HD-VHS or whatever that was called? And Divx? I'm not saying HD is going to fade away, but there isn't an infastructure in place to support it right now. By infastructure, I mean general education, publications and whatnot that speak to the average consumer and not above them.
 

Jason Seaver

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I don't yet have an HDTV (looking at one when I move to a new place), but as of just yet, I'm not feeling an immediate need. This could, of course, change immediately as soon as I get a look at how good the picture is.

I'm also kind of not enthusiastic about being the only person I know with one; I like borrowing and lending movies with friends and family, and none of them are going to have the new equipment. Besides, I just bought a DVD recorder last year - if I'm going to update anything for HD, I think the PVR is first in line.
 

Andy_Bu

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I am normally a fairly early adopter.

I had an HD set back in 1999 and was using a progressive scan DVD player to watch DVD's at that time.

I got the HD Tivo box the moment is was released by Direct TV.

But for some reason I am very hesistant to move on a high def DVD solution yet.

As such I am thinking of holding off until 2007 at least.

Andy
 

Cees Alons

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I'm VERY interested in a hi-def format on DVD - and I will wait for the dust to settle.

I'm not very happy with the whole DRM thing - to say it kindly - and at the moment I don't trust the companies to come up with a decent (sic!) solution. And certainly not a decent solution for the consumer.


Cees
 

Tim Glover

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I'm not buying the big titles this year on dvd...wanting to wait for the Blu-Ray or whatever version since hopefully it will be close or the same date as regular dvd.

However, the only way that can work for me is to get a new BrDisc player and those are going be very pricey at first.

I'll jump in very quickly once the price of hardware gets down to reasonable levels.
 

Rocky F

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Looking at the list of launch titles and titles coming out in the first few months has got me wishing I could afford to jump in, but price would be an issue for me, especially considering that my HDTV doesn't have HDMI. In order for me to really experience either format would require a new display, and for that matter my sound system wouldn't be quite good enough either. So as much as I would like to be an early adopter, I'm hoping that the format war will wind down and the prices get to reasonable levels about the same time as I am ready to upgrade the rest of my system in a few years.
 

Steve Kuester

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I'll be sitting on the sidelines this year. I'm very excited for HD on disc, but my TV is over 5 years old (Sony KP53HS10) and has just 1 set of component inputs for HD, let alone any HDMI input. If it wasn't for the incompatibility with my TV (not looking to spend THAT kind of money this year) I would probably be getting into HD on disc by the end of this year.
 

Juan C

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I will buy a PS3 and use it to watch Blu-rays. At worst, if the format fails I'll have a high-resale-value games console.
 

Cary

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I voted yes to Blu-Ray this year. By the end of CES, it will be obvious that every movie studio will be releasing media for it (half of them will have comparable HD discs too). My TV is ready for HDMI and I'm ready for hidef movies. I've grown so addicted to HD on cable that I have to force myself to even browse other channels.

The cost of the players are not out of line with what I would normally purchase, $1000-1500, and I'm betting the discs come in at about $30 too - the high end for a current DVD release. I expect the 2nd wave of players will show up magically in time for Christmas 2006 in the $500-700 range and a lot of folks will jump in then.

Basically, I'm ready for the next big thing.
 

Inspector Hammer!

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No way i'm touching this until at least 2008 for a number of reasons...

1. Price. They will be expensive, too expesive for me.

2. Hardware compatability. I have a front PJ that doesn't have an HDMI terminal on it and I don't plan on getting a new PJ in the near future.

3. The "Gremlin Factor". I still have nightmares about that God damned Panny A-110 and it's problems, I still say that it was possesed ;), and i'm not going anywhere near another newly introduced piece of hardware until it's proven itself durable and reliable.

Patience is a virtue, and so I will wait...and watch the situation.
 

Paul McElligott

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I'll be waiting until next year at the eariest to even get an HDTV set. Then I'll have a look at the current state of HiDef formats and go from there.
 

TravisR

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Given the starting price that they are now quoting for the players, I have to admit that I am much more likely to buy a high def player (whichever format looks to be the winner) sooner.

Although out of all the movies listed as coming soon, I'm only interested in maybe three or four. The most likely scenario for me is that I'll probably pick up the few HD titles that I want as they become available and then get a player either for Christmas or early 2007 when the prices drop a little lower. That way when I do get a player, I'll have a small library already built up. Also, I'll only be spending the money on the player at that point instead of the player AND the movies.
 

Paul_Scott

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very few of the titles so far announced for either platform, really have me that enthusiastic. assuming they push mostly big budget eye candy this year, it will be very easy to sit this out for a while.

Like Tim, i think i can also safely say i've bought my last 'new release' on the dvd format. catalog titles, especially the more obscure or lower profile titles, i expect to still be buying, although with a backlog of a couple hundred titles yet to be watched, i really don't need to be buying anything this year.
What is going to be hard to resist, are those titles like The Searchers- something i've wanted to see get remastered for a while now- you just have to expect that eventually 2005/2006 remastered titles are going to be penciled in for an HD release somewhere down the line. how far down the line is going to be the frustrating thing.

the only way i see this gameplan of mine changing is if my now over 4 year old primary player develops problems and i have to look for a new unit- in that case i would be motivated more by price and reviews of quality than by format.

i do find it interesting/ironic that just as we are on the cusp of a new home video standard(s) a major retailer that initially helped to exploit the DVD format has now gone belly up (Media Play). i wonder if this is a signal that B&Ms are no longer going to be as big a factor as online retailers will be in the launch and acceptance of products like this. i wonder how many people will go to CC or BB to ooh and ahh at the demos and then go home and order the titles (and hardware?) on-line?
 

Alistair_M

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Well for the likes of me - I'll be an early adopter simply because I also love games.

So I'll be pre-ordering a PS3. That makes me able to play bluray movies. I don't understand why there is any problem. I love games, I love movies. Buy a PS3 and you get both. I already have a HDMI interfaced projector (a Sony HS50) which does 720p, so the movies should look good on my setup. And even if the PS3 is 499 dollars as expected, that seems like value to me for what you get.

I haven't bought a Xbox360 yet...something in the back of my mind suspected that Microsoft would release a HD-DVD based version of it. And lo behold - we'll get one. I'll get an Xbox360 later this year (still waiting for some games which are must have) and if the HD-DVD drive is only 150 dollars more (my estimate) then I'll certainly consider it.

It looks like region coding is here to stay, so for us Brits unless we buy a US version of a high def player, we'll be stuck with the late, or cutdown Region 2 releases (going by my experience with dvd). So my current thinking is to buy UK PS3 for games/movies, and an imported Xbox360+HD-DVD addon (probably imported from US as its also region 1 for high def).

Job done - lots of new games toplay in high def, and both region1 and region 2 movies. And its not really much more than I would be spending anyway, getting the game consoles anyway and all.

The only offputting thing for me are the lackluster titles - I want North by Northwest, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Goldfinger, etc etc. There's a complete absence of classics in the announcements to date. But I'm sure we will get some big classics this year.
 

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