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

[Paul.S]

Well, Monday's Par/U/Warner HD-DVD announcement pretty much puts the final kabosh on any on-street-date/full retail price standard def DVD purchases for me. There'll be more Netflixing and less buying, and what buying there is will be via Amazon Marketplace.

Un-freakin'-believable that Par has announced support of the next gen HD DVD format before ever announcing anamorphic proper SEs of Titanic and Mission: Impossible.

-p

 

[Michael Elliott]

Even with the recent news, how long until we see releases of BUSTER KEATON COLLECTION, RAGTIME, HOW TO STEAL A MILLION or various other titles that have been announced from now until early next year? Warner has yet to release one of their legendary gangster pictures to DVD so the wait for a HD release wouldn't sit well with me. We've waited 8 years for WHITE HEAT so are we to wait possibly 8 more for a HD version?

 

[Joel Vardy]

Precisely why waiting for the next best technology to come around doesn't suit my style. Why not wait for the inevitable HD+ ? 1080i looks 'pale' in comparison to 4320i or whatever the next generation of technology holds. Even though I've been exposed to HD material for some years now -- not all of it is that impressive. I've just upgraded my photo capability ot 8MP. I also take quick shots with my 0.33mp CLIE and interestingly it is just fine for many situations. No doubt my 8MP camera is generations ahead (especially when you scale it to poster size images) but realistically DVD today, when delivered with a first quality transfer is quite satisfying.

Joel

 

[Don]

will the current DVD's Be Compatible with the Newer HD-DVD players ?????????????????????

 

[Eric F]

Yes.

 

[Brent M]

There are a lot of DVDs that still look absolutely amazing to my eyes and the whole "DVD is low-res and just doesn't cut it anymore" logic completely baffles me. If it weren't for DVD, you'd still be watching movies on VHS and Laserdisc praying for something that looked better so I think we should have a little perspective here. In my opinion, this upcoming HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war is a joke and I refuse to buy two new players in addition to repurchasing my entire DVD collection on a new format(at a much higher price per title I might add) just because it will look and sound a little better than DVD. I don't care what anyone says, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will not be the night and day improvment that DVD was over VHS so unless they decide on one format or a universal player that plays both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray titles I won't be buying in next year. No thanks!

 

[Don Solosan]

See comment #1 above. Have you even seen HD demonstrated?

Personally, I plan on waiting until I see products demoed in stores before making up my mind about the format.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I think problems with the current format are a lot more varying than if someone is using a projector, a 16x9 set or a normal 4:3 set.

I'm sure everyone here has noticed that current DVD releases are getting different complaints from different people. THE TERMINAL looks great on this 100 inch screen but looks bad on this 102 inch screen. LOTR looks wonderful on this projector but looks horrid on this 16x9 setup. GONE WITH THE WIND, SPIDER MAN 2 and THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST are only a few examples were different people are seeing different things.

IMO, it's not as simple as saying my equipment is better than yours or someone seeing something has poor equipment. The problem is that there are so many different brands of projectors, TVs, DVD players, speakers and everything else that makes a "Home Theater" that there's no doubt people are seeing different things. Until every single one of us own the exact same equipment then every transfer is going to have issues by someone. This trend will continue with HD unless again, we've all got the same setup and we've got everything hooked up correctly.

I first got into DVD back in 98 or 99 and every review site ALWAYS had the same opinion when it came to V/A. When they gave their grade ratings, they usually matched unless one site was unhappy that a film from 1915 didn't look as great as T2. Over the past few years a lot more sites are on the net and quite often we are seeing reviews that are totally against one another as if they were watching two different films. Some claimed THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was reference quality while others said the picture was too soft and full of EE. To my eyes, THE TERMINAL was near perfect and some agreed with me. However, others claimed the picture looked bad.

As a reviewer, it's getting very tricky doing this because of the various equipment being used by myself as well as the readers. I think everyone knows what they are seeing with their eyes but someone else might be seeing something else. I think the last thing any reviewer wants to do is give false information and cost the readers money on a bad product. I think every reviewer out there from every site tries their best and they honestly report what they see. The problem is that someone else with different equipment might see something else.

Just as a fun trick, if anyone owns a projector, a widescreen set and a normal 4:3 set, get one movie and do a review of the picture quality. Watch a scene projected and write down your "review". Then watch that scene on the widescreen set and do the review. Then try it on a 4:3 TV. I think you could notice different things on each display so.....

From watching films from the years 1896 to 2004, I personally see the biggest problems from films made within the past five years. To my eyes, the older films stand up a lot better when projected. I think these current films could be find and dandy with normal DVD but the studios are messing things up somehow.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

DVD is not NTSC, but every player can downconvert to NTSC.

720x480p resolution, and the color bandwidth of DVD exceeds NTSC specifications.

 

[Brent M]

Don,

I have a Panasonic 50" 7UY High Definition plasma mated to a Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi DVD player with HDMI so obviously I know a good picture when I see one. Like I said before, while I agree HD looks better than DVD, I don't think it's the night and day difference that DVD is/was to VHS. A well mastered DVD(and there are many out there) can look pretty darn close to HD in my opinion. As for the pricing of HD-DVD/Blu-Ray titles, just wait and see when they come out this time next year. You definitely won't be able to buy new releases for $14.99 or $15.99 at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. I'm guessing titles will be anywhere from $29.99-44.99 at launch which will make them much more of a niche product(kinda like Laserdisc) than DVD. I just don't see the public buying into this at all and I think we'll see the same trend that has occurred in the music industry. Anyone who has heard SACD or DVD-Audio knows it's better than CD, but the public has no desire to upgrade to a new format and they are satisfied with the inferior technology. People will also see that HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are better than DVD, but they will most likely react with the same lack of interest that they've shown towards hi-res audio.

 

[Sean Patrick]

i've gotta agree with DOn - now that i've gone with a projector, only the best dvd transfers seem to hold together.

even the best dvd transfers, when played simultaneously with the HD transfer, it's very disturbing to see just how much softer the dvd is.

i really do believe it's as big of a difference as VHS to DVD was. Perhaps even more!

PS - i am using a dvi connection from my dvd player and it is calibrated correctly so i am seeing the best picture available from the dvd.

 

[Brent M]

Obviously opinions are going to vary on this from person to person and since I'm not really a fan of projectors I can't speak as to how DVDs look on them. All I know is that there are a lot of DVDs that look fantastic on my set-up(infinitely better than VHS I might add) and even though HD might look a little better, it's not going to be enough for me to upgrade when these new formats launch next year. If it were one format backed by all the studios I would probably feel differently, but there's no way I'm going to give into these greedy companies and invest in 2 new players. My DVD collection will suffice until the smoke clears and either one format wins out or a universal player comes along that plays both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I can't disagree that an HD format will look better, but how big of a screen do you need to have before you can notice it?

If you don't have the money - and the room needed - for a projector, can you see the difference on an 80" screen? 65? Going down..... 50, 35, 19?

...and for some reason I can't see the studios putting even our newest flicks back in the machine for a new HD transfer.

It might be neat getting a trilogy or quadrilogy (?) on one disk, but outside of that, I think it is going to be stuck in a niche market.

Glenn

 

[Marc Colella]

I don't think anyone will argue that HiDef DVD will be in a niche market - but I think this niche market will be larger than you think.

People are comparing it to laserdisc's niche - but I think it'll be much larger and healthier than that.
HD Widescreen TVs are selling extremely well. It seems that's all the stores are selling now.

Granted, not everyone who purchases one of these sets will be interested in HD DVD, but even if it were 30% - that's still alot of consumers.

 

[Ernest Rister]

"People are comparing it to laserdisc's niche - but I think it'll be much larger and healthier than that."

Item 1: TVs as we knew them will be slowly phased out, until we reach the point in the US that you won't be able to buy a non-HD TV. People *will not have a choice* in this, all TVs will eventually be HD, and this is already happening now.

Item 2: The same exact thing is going to happen to DVD players. We will reach a point where all DVD players are HD players, using one (or even both!) of the competing formats. If you buy a DVD player this year, by the time it breaks in 2009 or so, you may find yourself buying an HD or Blu Ray player because you won't be able to buy a non-HD DVD player.

Item 3: All next-generation video game platforms like the PlayStation 3 will use an HD format. PS3 will be Blu-Ray, an enormous advantage for that format.

Item 4: PCs and the computing market are also going to play a major role in driving the formats, because of the cpacity issues. Dell has already signed on with Blu-Ray, don't know about HP.

Item 5: Laserdisc had none of these advantages. Marc is right -- people once said DVD itself would be a niche market that wouldn't catch on.

 

[Heinz W]

Almost all the remaster/restorations done by the studios for DVD were done at the HD level. The hard part is already done for the most part, they knew hi-def was right on the heels of DVD! I would venture to say it will be easier to make HD versions of many films than it was to make the DVD since that crucial remastering step is already done.

I agree with Marc's estimate for the HD disc market, at least for the first five years or so.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I certainly read you loud and clear on this, Michael. But I find it unusual coming from you, as you were always the one telling me to be patient and wait until everything comes out remastered in great qulaity for DVD, even if it takes 10 years. I admit I'm just trying to catch you in a little contradiction here.

But everyone enjoy your movies TODAY -- tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

No, Ernest has it. Ernest, that was really nice. I was only looking at the next year or two, but you've got the rest of the decade all mapped out!

We will all end up with HD of some sort. The question is more of - do I leap in in '05 or wait?

ONE format is needed. Two is ok only if you've got money to toss out at anything. Hey, send some my way!

(Edit) Oh, and I must add... if films are already set up for HD type movies, then they should sell at or below what the prices are today. (Yeah, right)!

Glenn

 

[Brent M]

Ernest,

Just because analog TV will be phased out in a couple years doesn't necessarily mean everybody will be buying a new HDTV. It's widely known that converters will be made available for analog TVs that allow you to pick up the HD signal so everyone isn't forced to go out an purchase an expensive new set. Also, I don't believe for one second that DVD players are going to be "phased out" anytime in the near future. You can still buy VCRs and CD players(technologies that have been around for over 20 years) and DVD is still relatively new(around 7 years old) so I think it's going to be around for a while.

I'm not against the idea of pre-recorded movies on a high definition format at all and in fact if the studios were all backing one new format, I would gladly embrace it. The thing that pisses me off is that there are going to be two competing formats with certain movies only available on one platform and not the other. You'll need an one player for Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, but then you'll need a different player for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. In my opinion, that sucks! The great thing about DVD is all the titles are available on one format at a reasonable price and sadly this won't be the case when the format wars begin next year.

 

[rich_d]

Agreed and ditto for life in general. I understand that people that are really into techno-advances find speculating on the 'latest and greatest' gadget fascinating. Which is fine. Others come across as more rah-rah (no pun intended) marketing cheerleaders than anything else.

Naturally, advances should be expected over the long run. 'Course as the economist Keynes noted - "in the long run we're all dead."

Perhaps a little Jimmy Buffett philosophy also applies:

"I love the now"