Stopping DVD purchases or upgrading dvd library to High Def. (1 Viewer)

[Jon Martin]

Outside of some of the more technical forums, I don't think most people even know that HD-DVD is on the horizon. DVDs have become the format of choice so it is going to become quite a battle to convert everyone over to yet another format. If people are still getting confused over the fullscreen / widescreen issue, the HD-DVD / DVD issue will be even more confusing.

If HD-DVD is backward compatible then yes, it may have a chance. People looking for a new machine may upgrade if it plays their old discs. But if it doesn't, HD-DVD will go the way of Beta, Laserdiscs, Digital Audio Tapes and the Mini Disc. It won't catch on with the mainstream, no matter how superior it is.

As for holding off on buying new titles until it comes out on HD-DVD, that is VERY silly. At the worst, you spend $10 on a DVD and then if it is worth upgrading, buy it again when it is released on HD-DVD in a few years. DVDs aren't Faberge eggs, they are very cheap to buy. Even if the machines came on the market tomorrow, it will be several years before they become anywhere near as popular as DVDs.

Plus, with all the very obscure titles that are finally only now coming onto DVD, do you really think there will be much of a rush to remaster every title to HD-DVD? Especially if they didn't sell well the first time. Look at all the films on laserdisc that haven't made it to DVD.

 

[Mike Wadkins]

did dvd play your old vhs and laserdiscs jon?
your argument is flawed

 

[Thomas T]

I don't Jon's argument is flawed at all. The question is WHY anyone thinks the masses will rush to embrace HD DVD? I know some people (my sister included) who only got into DVD because her local video store stopped stocking VHS!

I would think that the HD crowd would hope and pray that HD DVD remain a niche market and that the masses don't take over as many complaints about the current DVD market are laid squarely at the feet of companies catering to the mysterious all powerful, Mr. Joe Six Pack.

 

[Jon Martin]

The DVD / VHS combi players are VERY popular, especially among the Wal Mart / Target crowd. A lot of the non-techi people I know have them. And, I still know some people who have yet to get a DVD player so they wouldn't be in the market for an HD-DVD player.

And laserdiscs were a niche market that (unfortunately) didn't catch on so you can't really compare them. But, some of the early DVD players also played laserdiscs.

Like CDs replaced audio tapes, DVDs have replaced video tapes. As nothing has replaced CDs in the past 20 years, it is going to be very difficult to replace DVDs. They are the main video format now.

 

[Mike Wadkins]

it will be the same dvd will go and hd-dvd will go
did anyone ever say that vhs will never go ?
i have a dvhs recorder and a blu-ray recorder im willing to have both

are you guys thinking that no one out there has a dvd player and a vhs recorder ?

people will buy hd-dvd if there is reason to and a format launch will be supported by new movies people want even exclusives

 

[Mike Wadkins]

like hd-dvd will replace dvd there is a pattern here is there not vhs sold more than dvd

if you dont want hd-dvd dont buy it i have and enjoy what i get from it

 

[Chris Will]

I don't buy superbits for better video quality, I buy them for the DTS track that was absent form the initial release. Most of the time I don't even see a major difference in video quality between a superbit and a normal release.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I've read this thread with great interest, and I'm also dubious about mainstream acceptance of HD-DVD. I'm an early adopter of SACD, and then DVD-A, and while I'm nuts about both formats I think it's clear that mainstream America is not.

But I think there might be a distinction here. A backdoor that neither of the hi-res audio formats have available, namely the converging mainstream interest in flat-panel widescreen sets and the widespread availability of satellite and digital cable.

Simply put, the mainstream consumer is fascinated by flat-panel widescreen sets. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that plasma and similar technology (LCD, DLP) are all the rage at the consumer electronic shows, on the floors of the big electronics dealers, and in the minds of the mainstream consumer. For the most part, the average joe is priced out of this market. But he likes what he sees and the prices are finally starting to drop, and will likely see some dramatically lower prices in the near future.

Likewise, satellite and digital cable capable of carrying HD signals are now available to large segments of the country. At some point, mainstream America will put 2-and-2 together and realize that programming that looks like those cool HD demoes at Best Buy can be viewed on their own system. It might start with football games, or the olympics, or some other mainstream entertainment, but at some point a significant number of average folk are going to be watching television in HD. At this point, it's very possible that the DVD will begin to look a tad lacking. If backwards-compatible blu-ray players start appearing on the market, why not buy one? It'll probably come with several big titles on HD-DVD, just like the early DVD players did, and before long people will be hooked.

Maybe. And maybe not. But I don't think the prospects are necessarily as grim as some of you seem to.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Waiting for vapourware is not a hobby I partake of. When the time is right I will make the move to the next technically advanced platform.

At this stage of the DVD life cycle many, not all, of us purchase fewer DVDs than we did two or three years ago. Any savings at this point would be minimal and would not justify delaying the pleasure of those must purchase items.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will become mainstream if the following three things happen.

1. Consumers are aware of the new format.
2. The price point is reasonable.
3. People can notice a significant difference between the new and old formats in terms of A/V quality and disc space.

Both HD formats are backward-compatible with DVD, so that is a non-issue.

The awareness issue is very critical. I consider myself a reasonably well-informed consumer, but the only reason I know that DVD-A and SACD exist is because I have walked past that aisle in Best Buy. If neither the companies, the artists, or other consumers promote it, how can it prosper? HD DVD will have to market itself well to become accepted.

 

[DaveGTP]

That's the biggest thing. I doubt most people will be able to tell/care about the difference between DVD and true hi-def.

These are the same people hooking up DVD players via s-video to their HDTV and wouldn't be willing to invest $60 in a progessive scan DVD player. Or watching movies downloaded off the internet. Etc.

 

[Jean D]

Admin, there was an error with my system and it posted several of the same posts. Im sorry. please delete these

 

[Jean D]

Admin, there was an error with my system and it posted several of the same posts. Im sorry. please delete these

 

[Jean D]

Admin, there was an error with my system and it posted several of the same posts. Im sorry. please delete these

 

[Jean D]

Admin, there was an error with my system and it posted several of the same posts. Im sorry. please delete these

 

[Jean D]

HAHA this is so true.

 

[Don Solosan]

One of the reasons CDs replaced vinyl albums is that record companies changed their return policies so that stores couldn't return unsold product. CDs didn't have this restriction. Suddenly it became an expensive gamble to stock vinyl, and more lucrative to stock CDs. Customers, their option to buy vinyl taken away, were forced to buy CD players and discs -- and to eventually replace their vinyl collections. The record companies got fat off this fact over the past two decades, and now that the bubble has burst, they're looking for someone to blame (evil thieving downloaders!).

It seems pretty simple (in business terms) to make players that handle both DVD and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray, and price the higher resolution discs near DVD prices (after all, CD prices were double vinyl prices and never came down despite being cheaper to manufacture; people still bought 'em). Remove the financial incentive for stores to stock DVDs. When peoples' DVD players die (my Pioneer just croaked after 4 or 5 years), they'll replace them with the hybrid machines and start buying HD discs. TVs last longer, so it'll take a while to get everyone switched over to 16x9 HD sets.

A lot of people seem to think it all depends on what the consumer wants. Businesses don't think that way. They will limit your options so you have no choice but to buy what they want to sell. Pass up an opportunity to make everyone buy their movie libraries again? I don't think so.

 

[Jon Martin]

But to survive, the format has to attract the mainstream. The DVHS recorder hasn't done that, can't even find them in stores. It is going to take a lot of work for HD-DVD to catch on.

 

[Don Solosan]

Not necessarily. If either HD-DVD or Bluray dominates in the format war, the manufacturers have to offer hybrid players at a cost comparable to what DVD players are going for. The inexpensive DVD players the so-called Joe 6-Packs bought in the past few years will probably start crapping out about then. They replace their machines with hybrids. Then stop producing DVD-only machines. Soon, every one has a hybrid or a HD-only machine.
The studios probably will favor HD discs over DVDs if they have the copy protection issues worked out. And the stores don't want to stock two versions of every new movie, so they both start phasing out DVDs. If the prices are similar, and there's enough hybrid players out there, no one will care. What's the difference between one 5-inch disc and another? And if it's TV shows, one or two discs to carry a season rather than several looks pretty sweet.
Then we all buy our movie libraries again. The studios are happy, the stores are happy, the manufacturers are happy. We, however, are broke. But we are entertained.
Phase out the hybrid machines. DVDs really do become coasters, except they leak in the middle.
The tough part, right now, seems to be to avoid or settle the format war.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I use duct tape to cover up the hole. It keeps them from sliding around too!

Glenn