HD-DVD and the language the studios understand (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I think we might be in for a pleasant surprise on August 1st.



Crawdaddy

 

[Walter Kittel]

Given Warner's reticence to announce their HD DVD titles, I think it is premature to assume that V for Vendetta won't be receiving an HD DVD release. Now it may be similar to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang were the entry is deferred a week ( or so. ) Basically, I believe a little patience is needed with new titles from Warner Bros. and Universal due to production limitations. For me, it isn't a question of whether the titles will recieve an HD DVD release, but when it will occur, for those studios supporting the format. Also, my backlog is big enough that I am just not 'chomping at the bit' so to speak for new title releases.

For studios that haven't committed (yet ) to HD DVD the calculation is a little more along the lines of how much interest does the title hold for me as I am not ready to invest in Blu-ray. I find myself limiting my SD title purchases to mostly back catalog titles these days with an exception every now and again for contemporary titles that hold strong appeal.

- Walter.

 

[EricCr]

Didn't Universal announce Slither for day and date on HD and SD DVD? I have seen several posts about it on AVS but nothing official. Not a "Big" release but still day and date.

 

[Glen C]

why would you be "forced" to buy anything on SD?

netflix or rental is your friend.

ps - insiders already said VfV from WB being made, released this year

 

[Eric DiPiazza]

Yep they sure did and it is official. Slither will be out on October 24th. I don't know if anybody posted this yet, but Universal also announced The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious for HD DVD as well. They will be comming out on September 26th.

Here are some sources.

Slither - http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/slither.html and http://www.davisdvd.com/news/news.html
The Fast and the Furious films - http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62186

 

[AaronSCH]

Hey Ron, I just picked up "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "16 Blocks." Weren't they day and date? It was pretty damn close anyway. Both happen to be dual format which is way cool. I was able to finish "KKBB" on my bedroom television which is hooked up to that old school format. I can't believe I am saying this but my HD-DVD purchase has set my wallet free (for the time being that is). I have absolutely no interest in adding any more SD-DVD titles to my library except in a few very rare instances. I have listed all my Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal titles on Ebay…even my limited editions of Jarhead, Munich and Titanic. Since I was a diligent shopper, I am actually making money on the various limited editions and the two-disc sets from Warner. I purchased them through Columbia House and as a member I got the DVDs at 50% off so I paid about $10.98 for each set and have made anywhere from 2 to 5 bucks on each…how sweet is that? It won't be long before you won't be able to give 'em away.

Hey, getting back to "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," check it out… it is a great flick. Its hands-down the best work Robert Downey Jr. has done since "Chaplin."

 

[Pete T C]

V for Vendetta will be out before XMAS on HD30 with In Movie Experience and Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1. The guy who compressed it posted so over on AVSFORUM, so don't go buying it on SDDVD yet!

 

[Stan Rozenfeld]

I agree with the main thrust of this thread. Things we do as individuals do have a large scale cumulative effect. At this point, if you buy dvds, you're sending "dvd is good enough" message.

From now on, I rent whatever dvds I need, but I only buy hd dvds. Even on my netflix queue, hd dvds almost always go on top.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Okay, I'll cancel my preorder for VFV.

Also, I don't rent DVDs. I buy everything new that I want.
That's my problem, I suppose.

And, yes, I did buy the WB hybrid discs including KKBB
(which I loved!)

Part of the problem is that we aren't getting a very clear picture
on release dates. If the studios would make more of an effort to
announce the HD-DVD dates at the same time as the SD-DVD dates,
it would help all of us avoid buying titles twice.

Even as owner of a forum like this, I don't get any press
announcements for HD-DVD releases. I get ton for SD-DVD.
All the information I receive on new HD product comes from the
same source as all of you.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I need to add here that even retailers who we talk to on a
regular basis are having a difficult time in getting information
on new HD-DVD releases from studios such as Warner Brothers.

This makes it extremely difficult to offer preorders to customers.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

The release date situation is very frustrating. With short announcement periods, there are some retailers who are not getting their product--or only getting small amounts of product--until a week or more after release date.

I am still waiting for my copy of Enter the Dragon to ship from Amazon, but their price is so much better than Best Buy that I can't bring myself to buy it locally. The same was true with KKBB--which took a full two weeks after release date to ship from Amazon.

Patience is a virtue. I'd love to know what is going on behind the scenes with these late announcements and even later deliveries.

- Steve

 

[AaronSCH]

DVDTalk.com has release dates for the next crop of HD-DVD releases. I just pre-ordered "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," "Sleepy Hollow," and "Sahara." I'm not a fan of "Lara Croft Tomb Raider," but it too is due on July 25th. Each title carries a price less than $20 bucks. This is another area that I think begs discussion. Since replication can ramp up much quicker and existing facilities can be used to produce HD-DVDs, will this mean consistantly lower prices overall for HD-DVD software? I wonder.

 

[Glen C]

why do you guys buy EVERY title still?

$20 for a movie that you probably won't watch again for a few years if ever. Even local blockbuster rental is a better bargain. I just got rid of hundreds of DVDs that were collecting dust. I can netflix the "restored version" when i want to rewatch.

 

[Paul Anthony]

I've repeatedly watched movies that I bought, and collecting films on DVD is my hobby (or HD-DVD for that matter).

 

[Robert Crawford]

Because that's what videophiles do!

 

[Carl Johnson]

Glen, I think it's safe to say that 99.999% of the people posting at Home Theater Forum have some disposable income. Some like to donate it to church while others spend it on booze, sports cars, time share property, DVDs, their kids' college fund, furniture, clothes, or any other number of things. Those more fortunate than me can afford to do all of the above

I too Ebayed a significant percentage of my DVD collection because I figured that I could rent what few titles I watch semi annually but don't criticize those that take pride in housing 1000+ title DVD collections. Would you go to a book of the month forum and suggest to the crowd that they sell their collections?

 

[Harminder]

It's my hobby. I'd rather spend it on my HD-DVD collection (now) instead of spending it on stuff like booze and cigarettes, now THOSE are a waste of money.

 

[Glen C]

LOL. But people paying for booze/ciggys are actually getting USE out of what they're paying for. Not dust collectors.

Who said videophiles have to "buy"? It's not 1997 and VHS lining blockbuster's shelves.

I'm aware of that as i recall when this site was formed... but times change. It's just that since then you'd think people would at least rethink the notion of "BUYING MOVIES OVER AND OVER AGAIN". You can spend $$$ in a hobby in other ways... netflixing/renting and tweaking their gear.... etc.

It's also MORE surprising given the fact Netflix has all the Bluray/HD-DVD titles instantly, eliminating the need to "BUY AGAIN" the same flicks. That wasn't possible with DVD and there are no "Reel.com codes" to get those $5.99 titles and preorders

 

[Harminder]

Well the thing with me is that I've been collecting DVD's since 1998, so far I'm only up to 260+. Now that seems really small compared to real collectors, but I don't collect every movie under the sun. I only collect movies that get a rating of 7 or above from me (some are lower, but that's for a particular reason, like great soundtrack, scene, etc.).

So I spend my money wisely on DVD/HD-DVD. I have no DVD's/HD-DVD's that I haven't watched at least once, most I've watched more than that.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Oh boy -- a resurrected discussion on why people buy DVDs.

I have 2,000 DVD titles in my library spanning across shelving
and carousel towers in 2 separate rooms.

This is a hobby, in the same way someone collects books, stamps,
figurines, etc.

The bottom line answer here would be, why not collect something
that brings you the most happiness?