Sony won the Blu-Ray battle, but did they win the war? (1 Viewer)

[RJ992]

I never felt any "love" for one vs. the other, I just wanted the one with the bigger storage capacity to win.

Seeing how longer 3D films like "Titanic" and "The Hobbit" (both 1 and 2) already require two Blu-ray discs, I'm glad we wound up with the format with the larger disc space.

If that were the case, then you'd have opted for HD-DVD. They scheduled a press conference to introduce the 51gb disc (yep...one GB more than BD). But when Warners announced BD-only support just HOURS before the scheduled HD-DVD announcement, the press conference was cancelled. So you lost out on the largest capacity disc! (It should also be noted that most BD discs were NOT making use of the 50GB space either...so quality-wise, HD-DVD and BD either looked the same, or the HD-DVD was superior. (I don't recall a single case were a BD trumped an HD-DVD.) But hey...at least HD-DVD would have been able to "...go to 11!")

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But wasn't HD-DVD's 51gb disc supposed to be triple layer, which they weren't entirely sure if it would work, could be manufactured at existing plants, and if it would compatible with existing players? And wasn't Blu-ray going to investigate doing their own three layer disc at 75gb total?

With Blu having 25gb per layer and HD-DVD only 15gb, if I had been willing to jump into the format war, I would have supported Blu. But I wasn't willing to spend any of my money on any of it until it was settled. Ultimately, I ended up with a BD player before I even had an HDTV. It was Warner's "How the West Was Won" in smilebox format (along with a pre-order of "The Dark Knight" where the Blu-ray exclusive was the film with its shifting IMAX ratios) that made me take the plunge. Content is king for me.

 

[Ejanss]

Not to dig up old wounds but I remember one guy (long gone or now using a new name) who would freak out and scream that I was a rabid Blu-ray fanboy the few times that I criticized any aspect of HD-DVD. The joke is that whenever discussing the topic, I'd always go out of my way to say that I didn't have a horse in the race and that I planned to (and did) wait until there was a clear winner to buy into either format but this maniac couldn't take any criticism of the disc that he supported.

Remember when we called HDDVD supporters "Rootkits", because we knew the first thing they would always reflexively say in trying to convince us that Sony Was Evil?

 

[cwilli]

I anticipate that streaming will be the way to watch media in the future. I am buying all of my favorite movies as the price drops because if they stop manufacturing disks the prices will most likely go way up for the classic titles.

 

[rayman1701]

I don't know if it was because the Trek discs were hybrids with dvd one side and HD the other but I found the HD DVD discs to be very glitchy.When I got a Bluray player I was surprised at how it all seemed so very smooth in comparison.

OMG! I went thru 3 sets of the Matrix box before I got one set that would play all the way thru, I hate, hate, hate those hybrid discs. I was so glad to do the Red2Blu upgrade from Warner's just so I had a Matrix set I know will play the next time I wanna watch it. It did seem like either they needed more testing, better manufacturing QC, or just that it wasn't gonna ever work, but that it was rushed to add some kind of "value"/hook to get DVD buyers to buy HD DVDs instead. Thankfully for the most part they gave up on that idea, I know there are some blu-ray flippers, but for the most part they just haven't caught on, and I know I won't buy them. Heck I hated DVD flippers![But if anyone wants another Matrix HD DVD set because theirs is glitchy, I've got a set that I won't guarantee will definitely work.......................just let me know. ;-) ]

 

[ROclockCK]

OMG! I went thru 3 sets of the Matrix box before I got one set that would play all the way thru, I hate, hate, hate those hybrid discs. I was so glad to do the Red2Blu upgrade from Warner's just so I had a Matrix set I know will play the next time I wanna watch it. It did seem like either they needed more testing, better manufacturing QC, or just that it wasn't gonna ever work, but that it was rushed to add some kind of "value"/hook to get DVD buyers to buy HD DVDs instead. Thankfully for the most part they gave up on that idea, I know there are some blu-ray flippers, but for the most part they just haven't caught on, and I know I won't buy them. Heck I hated DVD flippers!

...not to forget that the HD-DVD logo alone created a heckuva lot of market confusion, resulting in a ridiculous number of returns by customers thinking they could play these discs in standard DVD drives:

So it seems as if Toshiba got backed into creating the Combo HD-DVD disc, at least in part, simply to reduce the number of returns of otherwise good discs...ironically, opening up an even bigger can of worms from actual defects in the Combo product line.

Dumb move using a name and logo style too closely associated with an existing product which HD-DVD was only backwardly compatible with...average consumers just thought it was like a Superbit DVD or something.

 

[Jari K]

"Dumb move"Personally I believe that the only real dumb move was made when two parties couldn't unite behind one disc format. Sure, we got "thrills" etc, but we also kinda lost few years in the process. Important years, I might add.We also lost potential consumers since many people were confused what to buy (especially the "masses", who probably kept buying DVDs) and sadly some HD DVD supporters got burned so badly that they stopped buying discs. Certainly they didn't want to buy the same films for a third time (DVD, HD DVD, BD).

 

[Yorkshire]

I was a loud HD DVD fan, but I was dual format from the very start.

I think I've replacedevery HD DVD I own with a Blu-ray Disc (unless the latter hasn't appeared), but I don't think I had to pay more than £8 each, and a lot less for some.

I just filled in from my budget during quiet months.

I have absolutely no regrets - I got a lot of enjoyment from the format.

I still wonder - if they could have come to some agreement, I'm sure dual format players would be cheap as chips now, and would have been for some time. I'm sue HD DVDs were cheaper to produce, as they just converted SD DVD production ines.

I think it'd be easier/cheaper and hence more economically viable for companies to put out back catalogue titles.

Steve W

 

[Sam Posten]

Lots of old wounds here, eh? =)

I don't have much to add save this: Those pining for a premium product and bemoaning BluRay going mass market quickly have me scratching my head. That's no way to build something that lasts. Did you miss all the excitement that DVD brought to our hobby when it became a market success where LD failed? We got the best of all worlds: All of the special editions that Laser introduced, low costs, mass availability, and most important of all, amazing amazing amazing (compared to what we had at the time) HD screens became affordable to EVERYONE at commodity prices.

I'm sure I'll sound like a broken record here but I think Apple gets it right here, pricing wise: Veeblen goods. Produce a -premium- product, not an exclusive one, and give people reasons to justify spending the extra $$$ to get that product over the competition.

 

[Jason_V]

Lots of old wounds here, eh? =)

I don't have much to add save this: Those pining for a premium product and bemoaning BluRay going mass market quickly have me scratching my head. That's no way to build something that lasts. Did you miss all the excitement that DVD brought to our hobby when it became a market success where LD failed? We got the best of all worlds: All of the special editions that Laser introduced, low costs, mass availability, and most important of all, amazing amazing amazing (compared to what we had at the time) HD screens became affordable to EVERYONE at commodity prices.

The argument is then the revenue for those products comes way down and we have a billion and one conversations about the death of physical media precisely because everyone can get it. Everyone has access or easy access to BD so it's not "cool" anymore. Everyone has it. The lower those prices get, the less home video revenue the studios get...which then, in turn, means less physical media and more streaming for roughly the same price but in inferior "packages."

The special editions are nearly gone from BD's now with some exceptions. But that's just me. I do like, for the record, being able to go into the store and pick up five BD's for $45 or $50. That's me being selfish, of course. It's not going to help the long term health of physical media in my opinion.

 

[Worth]

The lower those prices get, the less home video revenue the studios get...which then, in turn, means less physical media and more streaming for roughly the same price but in inferior "packages."

But that assumes that the same number of discs would have been sold at higher prices, which I don't think is true. A lot more people are willing to pay $5-$10 for a movie than $25-$30. So the studios would have made more profit per disc, but sold fewer discs overall. In the end, what's the difference between selling 10 000 discs at $10 versus 5000 at $20, or 2500 at $40?

 

[Jason_V]

No difference at all, when it comes down to it, unless you're looking at the number of discs sold instead of the revenue they're bringing in.

 

[MatthewA]

Remember when we called HDDVD supporters "Rootkits", because we knew the first thing they would always reflexively say in trying to convince us that Sony Was Evil?

I still remember all the predictions of Blu-ray's failure based on Sony's inability to launch a successful format before. If I never hear anyone say "FUD" again, it won't be a moment too soon.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Nothing dumb about enjoying HD in a format that works for your older TV while you have it. As I said I didn't buy that many discs so my investment was small. No point in spending double on Blu-Ray player at that time only to have it down convert to 480P on my TV. With HDDVD at least I could get 1080i. The only thing dumb would be to wait 3 years for an obvious war to be over and not enjoy HD discs all that time. Life is too short. I think you completely missed my point on why I bought an HDDVD player. I never bought or understood Toshiba's bound to fail marketing strategy.

So, in other words, you bought them in keeping with most of the HD audience and Toshiba's competing marketing strategy to reach them:They were cheaper, and you were dumber.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

The streaming download "latest gadget" fanatics and their avid supporters at the studios have all but won "the war". The victims, of course, are those who actually believed that high definition versions of their old favorites might eventually become available on disc to own outright and play in their homes. For the older among us that would be sometime before a final visit to the crematorium.

 

[Sam Posten]

Not all of us believe that the success of downloads and streams is necessarily the immediate death of physical media. I expect to enjoy both for a long time to come.

 

[Jari K]

It's a habit of some sorts to use terms like "death" or "dying". How many years can something be dying anyway? When I bought my first Blu-ray player (PS3), people told me (well, format war was part of it, but still) that Blu-ray will die. Then PS3 didn't sell that well during the early years so PS3 was "dying". Then Sony was totally doomed when PSN was hacked. At some point PS3 was hacked and people said (again) that Sony is really doomed and everybody will just DL games for free. They also said that PS4 is doomed and now it's beating MS and even Nintendo. And now Blu-ray is dying and turning into LD since streaming/digital distribution is taking over etc. Only Twilight Time can save us from total annihilation.Blu-ray = Been dying since 2006. PS3 = Dying since 2006 with "only" 80 million+ consoles sold. 3D = Never alive in the first place, but theatres are full of 3D movies.So excuse me if I don't lose any sleep over these death-dying-doom talks. They're part of this business. Truth is out there.

 

[bluelaughaminute]

Not all of us believe that the success of downloads and streams is necessarily the immediate death of physical media. I expect to enjoy both for a long time to come.

Me too.
While I can understand why people wanting to rent titles are happy with downloads or streaming I can't see people purchasing movies to keep when those movies are not transferable to another device or medium .
Although Bluray does seem to be dropping in popularity when it comes to catalogue titles the market for recent movies should keep it alive for many years yet.
Certainly here in the UK prices to purchase downloads usually match that for discs at new release and when discs have been discounted a few months later the downloads haven't.
I don't think they can reduce downloads to a low enough price to make me bother with them

Its been a couple of years since I last rented from the PS Store but when I did I couldn't get standard 5.1 sound let alone the HD audio I get from Bluray discs

 

[RJ992]

. 3D = Never alive in the first place, but theatres are full of 3D movies.

#D at home has actually been growing, as sales of GRAVITY and THOR 2 (which were outselling the 2D edtion for several weeks at some outlets). The most common question I get from people who have recently gotten 3D sets has been "Where are the 3D discs?" (Not everyone scours the Net for software.) A shame the industry doesn't see it. But they abandon anything that doesn't take off in Year One. (Now Samsung is dropping OLED.)