The Future of DVD's (1 Viewer)

[Clay-F]

Does anyone have any information on the future of movie disc's.

Meaning...When is the next big switch (like LD to DVD) projected to take place.

I was just thinking of how annoyed I would be to have an entirely new format appear in the near future.

Just wondering what the "know" was.

thx

 

[Joshua Moran]

don't dwell on it, if it annoys you that much stop buying anything that has to do with technology because something new is always ready to go. HD-DVD is on the way in about 4 years. So far from what we have heard is that it is backwards compatiable.

 

[Ryan FB]

The next "big thing" will probably be HD-DVD.
Now what HD-DVD will actually turn out to be is currently being decided...
Some want to use massive compression and just keep the current red laser DVD discs (which can only hold about 9.4GB max, iirc), some want to make HD-DVD an actual new format by using blue-ray discs or other high-capacity discs that can store 20GB+ of data (the better way IMO). The good thing is, HD-DVD should be a big step up from what DVD currently is. If they make the spec right, it could be quite amazing. 1080i (possibly 1080p) video (meaning much higher resolution for you), and other nice goodies. I think DVD will still stay around though, a lot of stuff will probably not need the capacity of HD-DVD (i.e. 480i-only stuff, that can't or won't get a new HD transfer). When HD-DVD will actually be finalized into a standard, and when it'll start to hit market, I don't know.

 

[Lee_eel]

Clay, High Definition DVD or(Blu-Ray) is the next big step. Just do a search and you will find loads of info on the potential of this format.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I am eagerly awaiting HD-DVD but you won't see me replacing my entire collection over it!

 

[Cees Alons]

What Neil said.

Cees

 

[Joe6pack99]

Same here I WANT HD-DVD but will not replace everything only favorite titles.

 

[Clay-F]

Thx for the replys!

Thats what I was wanting to check. I was just curious as to how close a massive change was.

It seems like "they" are just finally really starting to take full use of DVD's.

I feel sorry for my friends who have huge vhs collections.......

 

[Steve_Tk]

The future of DVDs are very simple.

HD-DVD will take over. We will pay extremely high and ludicrous prices for it at first due to good marketing and most likely some innovative way to package the new HDDVD cases (yes we will fall for it, "ooohh it's in an octagon case, that's so much better! $3800 for the player is a total steal now, plus Circuit City is giving away a free stapler!). After a couple of years it will become mainstream. By then the price will be so low, and if we had waited just a couple years, we could buy 5-6 of the players for the price we payed for the first. We will be so spoiled we will actually complain over certain releases picture quality. By this time we may have actually gotten rid of a lot of our DVDs, and replaced them. Make sure you say "your welcome" to all the studios.

After another year we will argue why MIB needs it's 12th HD-DVD release and then we will have long debates on why ULTRA-HD-VHS is bad because it's tape based, and all dream of the new ULTRA-HD-DVD.

Repeat this for the next, well, till you pass away.

 

[Seth Paxton]

I third what Neil said.

I also think this feeling, along with other aspects of HD (like many average viewers can't tell much of a difference) will keep HD-DVD more in the area of what LD was to VHS rather than what DVD was to VHS.

Much viewer HD-DVD players will be out there, and sales of software will be limited to a few select titles even for regular DVD collectors.

I can see replacing my whole collection...over a period of many, many years, just like LD collectors and VHS collectors did with DVD. I still have some LDs that I haven't replaced in fact (Trainspotting, Dazed and Confused, Heat, just to name a few).


Besides, you already have an example in action. How many SACDs or DVD-A's do you own? How many people have replaced their 500-1000 CD collections with Hi-Rez audio?

None of course. They couldn't even if they wanted to due to the lack of software, not to mention the more expensive hardware to play them. It takes a lot more than just being a newer, better format to sweep the nation. So far we have seen Cassettes, VHS, CDs, and DVDs. What we haven't seen is Betamax, 8 Tracks, MiniDisc, LD, etc.

DVD hit at just the right time with just the right list of improvements. With HD TVs being pushed into the market for the upcoming digital transition it was a good time to catch people ready to upgrade. And on the audio side Dolby Digital and then DTS were just coming to home audio fresh from their relatively new debut in theaters, thus another upgrade option.

Plus DVD came in cheaper than either LD or VHS (during rental windows that ran months or years) and in easier to use packages. And on top of all that it added software that enabled menus and other user friendly options (choice of audio and subtitle tracks), enhanced video both in true 480 line resolution, component video output and anamorphic video, as well as the aforementioned surround audio options.

DVD technology was just a major improvement in basically every way a person could imagine except for smaller boxes than LDs which meant the hardback books and lithiograph extras dissappeared.

HD-DVD simply does not offer any of those drastic improvements except enhanced resolution. That's why you shouldn't sweat a swift outdating of your collection.

Let's not confuse the computer industry with the home audio/video industry.

 

[Francois Caron]

Another item to consider is that whichever 5" high definition disc format comes out in the future, the players built around it will most likely support almost every format that preceeded it. Already today, you can find DVD players that include support for CD, CD-R, MP3, VCD, DVD-Audio and SACD just to name a few. HD-DVD will simply be added to those formats. Even then, the studios won't start turning over their entire libraries unless it was really profitable for them to do so. Chances are many titles will continue to be released on standard DVD because there might not be any quality related benefits to transfer them over to HD-DVD.

 

[Greg_M]

The guy at Best Buy told me HD-DVD might be available by the end of the year. I'm guessing when "Raider of the Lost Ark" hits the stores shevles, it won't be long before HD-DVD titles also appear. (Paramount likes to save the best for last)

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

The guy at my bestbuy told me that DVDs would play the audio portion if you put them in a cd player. I heard one tell a lady that "pro logic" was only for professional discs, like special software used to fix your TV.

Seems like rock solid info.