Do you worry about a newer, better format coming out soon, rendering DVD obsolete? (1 Viewer)

[Ken_McAlinden]

I was going to worry about a better format making DVD obsolete this weekeend, but instead, I stayed home and watched my Raiders of the Lost Ark and Aladdin laserdiscs.

Regards,

 

[Frank]

Frank, is that a joke? How could you say that the picture is 'not good enough' on a DVD? Do you watch films because you like the movie, or because you like the technology?

I watch films because I like to be entertained.

I have collected about 1000 DVDs since April of 97 and I also have quite a few movies recorded in HDTV format.

I have done everything within my power to make DVDs watchable. This includes buying my first progressive scan player back in December of 97. (3DFusion)

I've also tried just about every combination of scalers and computers in my quest for improved image quality.

However, after watching HDTV for well over two years, I am spoiled and 480P just doesn't cut it anymore.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Why would I worry about a hobby I enjoy getting BETTER and more enjoyable? I mean, I'm not retarded.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I watch films because of my love of great films.

I have to chuckle when I hear that there is 'enough good stuff on HDTV' to not watch DVD. To me, there isn't even enough on DVD yet. I still watch tons of laserdisc titles that don't even exist on DVD yet.

Other than stuff I have already seen that I would not watch a second time (The Sopranos), there isn't really more than a couple of hours of HD each week worth watching IMO. I often think about selling my settop box for the time being.

I guess my views on such matters are what makes me a film enthusiast first, and a home theater enthusiast second.

 

[Mark Hanson]

In the years I have watched technology advanced, I have come to many conclusions, one is that just because a part of a system has the potential to be upgraded do not hold your breath. At one time in my life I was having a big quandry about what camera to get, every one was pointing to all the new things coming. I followed an old timers advice get the best you can find now, put away the sales magazines, and enjoy what you have until it is worn out or it is time to change for some other reason. My Pentax LX is still serving me well 20+ years later. Someday I will change, but the time has not come for me.

Now being the old timer I started in DVD in 1998. It replaced movies I like on VHS, others no. I expect when the improved technology makes it to market. ie standardized specs, the format war over, software written for security, studios on line and supportive, the early glitches out including problems with certain tvs. I was on this form just to see the initial problems with studio support and the length of time that took. I expect to be very old old timer when I pull the mags out and start looking for the replacement which even though it may cause some compromises will be backward compatible.

Been there many times, no need to worry about outdating DVD yet. Remember every tech item you buy is obsolete the day it is designed.

 

[StevenW]

I also watch movies because I actually like the film i am watching. The higher resolution is just icing on the cake for me.

 

[Ted Lee]

here's a link about the new blu-ray format:
http://www.audiorevolution.com/news/....blu-ray.shtml
things are always going to change, be updated, etc. it's a never-ending story with electronics. oh well...whaddya going to do? i'll wait until it becomes mainstream enough (i still haven't gotten to sacd/dvd-a yet) that i won't have to worry about compatibility, etc.
ain't technology a beautiful thing!

 

[Eddie W.]

Would we rather have techology stagnate for the sake of the collectors? If that were the case, we'd all be here arguing the merits of VHS tapes and CED videodiscs (ok, maybe DiscoVision laserdiscs too). Make me upgrade any day!

 

[Carlo_M]

Ever since I got into building computers (for myself, friends, family) I've learned to enjoy the now. Technology marches on. There is always something better on the horizon. Does that mean you shouldn't enjoy what is in the present? Of course not. I'll continue to enjoy DVDs as the best way to watch movies at home until it's deposed. So far, five years and counting (May 1997). I don't think anything is coming in the next few years, so eight-plus years of enjoyment won't have been a waste.

 

[JohnJB]

I don't worry for a split second although if it happened too quickly it would be a pain in ass dealing with 350 e-bay auctions (ha ha) like if extra special editions of my entire collection were released on the same day, but what I don't understand is why any new DVD format would be used for anything but Hi-Def exclusive versions for the circa 100,000 (this is a guess please don't shoot me) lucky Americans who own Hi-Def TV's, as 95% (i.e. Fawlty Towers, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, The Silence of the Lambs, etc) of standard DVD's in my opinion are running at about 50% of how good they could be with some effort surely all HD-DVD will mean is that that 95% of HD-DVD will be 25% as good as they could be or some such percentage.

Let's say Fast & Furiuos or Shrek picture quality wise are close to reference for current DVD capacity & MPEG 2 compression, most disks are nowhere near as good even though a lot of them are from supposedly HD masters, so how will HD make them any better.

And if I'm wrong (which as a film lover I hope so, but as a consumer it means were getting shafted) great but I don't think so.

The irony is that the discs which are likely to show significant improvement are the ones which least need it.

 

[Jon_Are]

I went through this when CDs became the norm as I sat on 1200 lps. Sure, I made the transition to CDs, but I've never regretted investing in my album collection. And as long as I own a turntable, I'll never dispose of it.

The introduction of a new format doesn't automatically make the previous format useless; I get just as much pleasure spinning the black circle as I always did.

Jon

 

[Artur Meinild]

I'm not worried yet. I think DVD will stay as the main format for quite some time. I do believe that some day it will be replaced by HD-DVD, but I also believe HD-DVD will be the end of the line.

You will not gain anything from a format offering higher resolution than HD. The noticable difference will be minimal. Besides, Star Wars and other digital movies are filmed in HD, you will not gain anything by upsampling them.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Any future HD-DVD player will play your Standard-Def DVDs and upconvert them to match the resolution of your display...making them look better than they look today on your NTSC tv. If you want the added improvement of true HD resolution you'll have that option to buy.

Why are you complaining?

 

[Josh_Hill]

Im not buying over 400 movies again after I already bought most of them from VHS to DVD. Nope, aint happening again!

 

[Feng]

Haven't we learned from Bill Gates' "640K memory is enough" lesson?

 

[AaronMK]

I guess a reason I might worry is that SD DVD will be unacceptable to me after viewing HD DVD. However, if that were the case, then I would never want to watch movies at again home after comming back from a well presented showing at a cinema, or I would not go back to the cinema after seeing Beauty and the Beast or Fantasia, (or anything) on IMAX. And yes, I have gone to enough good presantations at cinemas to miss that quality at home.

But then, I also have to wonder why there are so many of us (myself included) who will not buy a movie on VHS (assuming OAR, of course), even if it is the only option for a movie that they really like.

I will still enjoy watching it of course, but it would not be worth the purchase price for me at that quality.

 

[Frank]

I watch films because of my love of great films.

That's great!
I watch them to be entertained, no more no less.
As far as I'm concerned movies aren't art, they're product.
They are designed, engineered, manufactured and packaged to generate the maximum return on investment.
I suppose that opinion might get me kicked off this forum.
We all have our minimum standards for audio and video acceptability.
For some, VHS-EP is good enough because they love movies first.

 

[Artur Meinild]

I'm quite worried about the article on DVDfile that says as it is right now, HD-DVD would still use DVD-9 with high compression/low bitrate. WTF? This is not good...

 

[John Berggren]

I'm not worried. Any new tech will likely be backwards compatible. Also, there is nothing scary about progress.

 

[Ted Lee]

when technology makes large jumps like cassette --> cd or vhs --> dvd, i think the choice is obvious. you're clearly going to a better format with better features, etc.
it's these "minor" improvements that bug me. i know this new dvd stuff is actually pretty cool and i do like it, but i think for the average consumer, they're not going to see the larger picture or benefits of these types of changes.
to me, the mini-disc is a perfect example.
to them, the dvd is already a nearly "perfect" format.