Blu-Ray Demos in Colorado (1 Viewer)

I recieved a mailer from ListenUp yesterday. They will be having demos of Blu-Ray next week in their stores in Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs. I called to RSVP a spot in the Denver Store for Wednesday at noon today. I was told that the 7:00 pm demo was already booked solid and they added a 6:00 pm demo that was still open.

I was shocked that the demo slots had filled so quickly and I am really looking forward to getting a view at the new technology. I am not sure how many slots are still available but if you are in the area and interested call your local store.

Boulder is on Tuesday
Denver Wednesday
Colorado Springs in on Thursday.

There's a lot of us out there, you'd be surpised. Keep us posted on what it looks like.

Ok I have just returned from actually seeing blu-ray. This was a typical demo, no real software is available yet so it was a series of clips. My impression is that Blu-Ray beats HD-DVD up and down the block with a stick.

The unit was a DBP-S1 that will retail for $999.95 - this was described as Sony's flagship model with an extremely impresive build quality. It was outputing a 1080i stream that was upconverted to 1080p on a 50 inch flat pannel display. I could not tell but I have a feeling it was an lcd.

The clips that were used included

Chicken Little
RV
Click

The color on the RV clip was jaw dropping. Chicken Little was used to show image detail which was very impressive.

I wish that the Toshiba HD-DVD player was hooked up to the same equipment for a true comparison but the Tosh was hooked to a 50" rear projection dlp model. The HD-DVD player picture was nice but did not come close to provoking the same viseral response as the Blu-Ray player.

The Sony rep explained that there would be massive product announcements in early June of recievers, televisions, and projectors that will be specificaly designed to take advantage of Blu-Ray. He also explained that models will be produced that will be competative with HD-DVD in the future.

Sony considers Blu-Ray to be one of the biggest product launches in their history. All divisions of the company are working hard to make Blu-Ray the standard.

I gotta tell ya, I am no longer interested in HD-DVD at all.

This I find to be one of the most ridiculous things to do. Here Sony has a product that's been delayed till late August, twice as much as the competition and all the do for a demo is show "CLIPS". Good grief, I'm pretty sure they have BD movies available to them, why do just clips from movies. Here we go again Sony making bad choices in regards to marketing.
I have no preference between the two formats I want a universal player and I'll go with who ever the clear winner is. But Sony is coming out like a donkey in a horse race.

This I find to be one of the most ridiculous things to do. Here Sony has a product that's been delayed till late August, twice as much as the competition and all the do for a demo is show "CLIPS". Good grief, I'm pretty sure they have BD movies available to them, why do just clips from movies. Here we go again Sony making bad choices in regards to marketing.
I have no preference between the two formats I want a universal player and I'll go with who ever the clear winner is. But Sony is coming out like a donkey in a horse race.[/quote]

Coming out like a donkey in a horse race? What part of "their will be massive announcements in early June of receivers, televisions and projectors that will be specifically designed to take advantadge of Blu-Ray" did you not understand?

It's more than just Sony. Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic are in this too. Conveinient how people seem to forget this.

You are absolutely correct about this. Unfortuntately Blu-Ray is starting on the absolutely wrong foot.

wow such hatred.

Look I went to Toshiba's pre launch demo and Sony's and they both just had clips. No software was available at the time. I am actually impressed with Sony becuase they did not use a wildy slanted split screen demo like Toshiba did.

Haveing seen both systems my preference is definately toward Sony, and Blu-Ray.

It's not hatred, just clear disappointment with how Blu-ray is starting out of the gate. I'm glad you enjoyed the demo, wish they had one in NYC or upstate NY where I live.

- how can you definitively say that the Blu-Ray picture quality was actually better? By your own admission, the two set-ups were completely different from one another, with the Blu-Ray one being a demo set up by the manufacturer. Obviously, the Blu-Ray set-up is going to be tweaked to hell and back for such a demo, whereas for all you know, the HD-DVD set up in the same store could've been set up by any of their workers, and who knows what settings they have it running at...

The only true comparison I'll listen to is one that uses the SAME software titles taken from the same HD master tapes and mastered to both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, and with both machines hooked up to the SAME calibrated-equipment via HDMI jacks as a double-blind test. There's simply no way for your "comparison" to be considered valid at all.

Vincent

Chicken Little = CG Animation
Click = Shot on HD cameras
RV = fresh minted filom release

2 of these titles would look impressive even on sd. No doubt Bd would have looked impressive here.

If I had to chose between the two based on what I saw with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray I would have picked the Blu-Ray system. Notice that I preface everything with "I". I do not presume to believe that "I" means everyone, or the my opinion is ever fact, something a good many people on this board need to learn.

Is Blu-Ray better, hell it sure looked better to me. And really that is all I am saying. I can definitively say that the Blu-Ray demo looked better. That is all, was it valid for "you" no certainly not, and I even expressed your concerns. So please I would appreciate it if you got off my ass Vincent.

Vincent, remember that he saw both the HD-DVD & Blu-Ray demos...both of which were probably configured to really show off the devices. Sure, the Blu-Ray is fresher in his mind, but he did see both demos and prefers Blu-Ray.

Thanks for giving your opinion David.

Huh?
Not only will both the Sony and the Samsung support 1080p out of the gate, but they will also be the first players to upconvert standard DVD to 1080p as well.

Not to mention the $699 PlayStation 3 will have 1080p support out of the box as well.

I'm sorry.

But all of this, inclusive of the "demonstration" is totally meaningless.

Is there any major visual difference between the two formats?

No!

Different manufacturers; different licensing; different egos.

Any demonstration set up as these have been is akin to selling snake oil, with a bit of smoke and several mirrors to hype "quality."

An illusion!

Absolutely and undeniably Worthless.

Both formats will look superb.

This is total waste of time and effort, and no way to run a true "demonstration."

Here she is ladies and gentlemen... See her wriggle like an alligator...

RAH

Well, Mr. Harris, I can give you something to ponder.

Say two of the films you worked on: "My Fair Lady" and "Lawrence of Arabia". Both LONG films. You want the best picture and sound, so maximum bitrate and a Dolby TrueHD track.

What would you prefer them on? A dual-layer 30GB HD-DVD or a 50GB DL Blu-ray disc?

We pretty much thought DVD was great out of the box. As the years passed and new transfer technology and compression methods improved, those first DVD releases no longer look so great.

Which format has the most room to grow and evolve? It isn't the one that's based on older DVD technology.

Great post, Mr. Harris.

And does every post that has anything good to say about one of the formats need to be answered with evangelistic fervor by a cheerleader?

I'm with Mr. Harris on this. There's more than one road to "Rome". I'll proably end up getting a Blu-way player too, but not because I think it's overwhelmingly better, certainly!

I would turn that argument around and ask- after 10 years of DVD, why is it desireable to buy into another format that 'needs' time to evolve and grow?
and since DVD is already established at this point- where is the incentive to subsidize a new format that is that far away from maturity? (this is assuming you are correct that it needs time to reach its full potential).

to me, that isn't a benefit, it's a demerit. DVD was the rehersal, the next format better be ready for prime time. and at least one of them appears to be at this point.

Again, Blu-ray wins on that point.

Toshiba can't even make a proper deck. Even Samsung can do that!

Plus may I mention Blu-ray has a 54Mbps capability, compared to HD DVD's 36Mbps. (Then again, judging by your sig you'll probably ignore that too).

3 months from now we'll have a Sony, a Samsung, a Panasonic, and a Pioneer Blu-ray decks.

You'll have 2 Toshibas and an RCA which is a re-labled Toshiba.

And you want to talk about who's not ready for prime time????

It is worth noting that Blu-Ray recording decks and blank discs have been on sale to the public for some time now — two years? It has been the movie studios holding up the train as they waited to perfect their "copy protection" schemes.