Two opposing views on who will win the HD battle (1 Viewer)

[ppltd]

I agree that judging anything in the first months can be problematic, but it does tend to show the seriousness of the manufacturers and studios. In this, HD had it's act togeether with quality releases, whereas BD is still struggling. Whether this was through releasing a product well before it should have been, poor quality control, or problems with the format doesn't matter. First impressions when you have a competing product out is vital, and has done BD serious damage with the early adopter group.

Many of us were sold on BD well before the release of product from either camp, but have been moved into the HD camp because of delivery of the promises made.

While I am lucky enough to own both systems, the Samsung has not even come close to what we expected from this new technology. I will continue to give BD the benefit of the doubt, but they have a long way to go to prove the format.

BTW, I find it difficult to even comment on any product released by Phillips, a company that has not been known for quality. I would rather compare the new Panasonic or Pioneer to the gen 2 Toshiba to get a more like for like hardware comparison. I had some time to play with the pre-release demo Pioneer at my Local Best Buy, and it looks like a fine piece of hardware, but on viewing the early release of Fifth Element, while certainly looking better than on the Samsung, it still looked pretty bad.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

I am, perhaps, inclined to hyperbole, but it is accounted a legitimate figure of speech in English. My point, saying that it is an "argument about nothing", as indicated by my opening and my conclusion, is that there are arguments which lead different persons to favour alternate systems, but the long-range effect of the choice, on patterns of dress, social interaction, the food supply, bodily integrity, indeed anything other than the stock prices of a few consumer electronics companies, is pretty much nil.
That is to say, all the ranting and raving and hair-tearing is radically misdirected.

Incidentally :Perhaps. For broadcasters using a recording medium to store the medium-compression MPEG-II network feeds, it's a live issue. This is what I mean about BD not drying up and blowing away if the movie-disc market did. HD DVD just doesn't have that market.

 

[Tim Glover]

If you read some of the more recent reviews comparing the new Paramount BD with their previously released HD-DVD, reviews still seem to give HD-DVD an advantage. Slight, yes, but it's there.

 

[Doug Miller]

Let's take a moment away from just specs for a minute, and talk marketing.
HD-DVD is definitely doing a better job marketing their product. AGAIN, get away from the specs of the product; HD-DVD leads in price of hardware, and software. HD-DVD leads the market on unit production. HD-DVD has a built in advantage in the name "HD-DVD", a logical upgrade of standard DVD.

http://thelookandsoundofperfect.com/
http://www.blu-raydisc.com/

Which of those websites excite you the most? (Asking, not deciding for you.)

Doug

PS - Tim, change your sig, it's too big!

 

[PeterTHX]

Actually there is quite a bit of confusion on the JP6 side of things. A LOT of them (and I mean a LOT) confuse HD DVD with upconverting DVD players. Besides, you want to get into what site looks better well I think that the HD DVD logo itself is ugly and lopsided. People find symmetry more attractive, in architecture, in faces, etc. Logos are no different.

 

[James St]

Wrong. HD DVD price advantage will remain until consumers can walk into a Best Buy, Walmart, etc. and actually buy a PS3 off the shelf. That won't happen until well into next year. Most online pre-orders will be bundles so look to pay more then the $500-600 hardware price.

 

[Jason Seaver]

And then there's the question of how many people are going to walk into Best Buy to buy a "next-generation DVD player" and even see the PS3? The Best Buy I visit most has game systems and audio/video equipment on different floors, and most stores I go to have them in different locations.

 

[ppltd]

And the under 200.00 HD add-on will hit the market 10 days before the PS3. BTW, the Pioneer is not shipping.

 

[Bob Black]

The very notion that so many BD supporters cling to the PS3 as their last hope for dominance is utterly hilarious! You've touted this format as the superior, obsoletion-proof, high-capacity product that's already been crowned the new king of HD-disc playback - yet its success is somehow penned on a videogame console! All the "supposed" merits of BD don't mean squat - the format war will be decided by a videogame! Hilarious!

The Xbox 360 - which has just shipped its 6 millionth console - has a little device known as the HD-DVD add-on hitting stores in about 2 weeks in quantities of hundred-thousands. A device which, incidentally, is selling-out pre-orders everywhere and has also risen to the #1 computer device on amazon.com! Also, these add-ons are only manufactured for HD movie playback unlike the PS3 which is, first and foremost, a gaming system.

These videogame systems will be a wash - this format war will be decided by sales of hardware & software which have been favoring HD-DVD dramatically since its debut.

 

[PeterTHX]

Massive edit.

I originally had a line for line reply but in the end I'm erasing the whole thing before it degenerates into yet another tit-for-tat flamewar.

Summing up:

50GB was important before (sony can't make them, vaporware, etc). Now it's "overkill", "doesn't matter"?
"Unforgiven" and "Last Samurai" are 50GB BDs with VC-1.
"MI3" could have fit on 1 BD50. Having the feature AND extras in HD will become more commonplace. Less than 6 months after introduction HD DVD has hit the capacty wall.

The PS3 will be a significant BD seller. In the field experience proves this. In 3 weeks we should have some feedback on BD movie attach rates.

BD movies are every bit as good as the competition (it's the TRANSFER folks, not the format or codec). Lossless soundtracks are the norm, not the exception.

IME meets BD Java with the Fox releases. LionsGate even has Java releases planned ("The Descent")

PS3 erodes HD DVD pricing advantage.

 

[Ryan-G]

Um, there's still the price of the base unit, which can be as much as $600. Trust me. I'm going to be paying for it for a couple months yet, and I did pre-order the HD add-on. Figuring that $200 for HD-DVD functionality on top of an unrelated investment was a fair deal.

I wouldn't have bought HD-DVD otherwise, but $200 was within my realm of tolerance for a risk on a format war.

 

[dpippel]

I'm gonna get you a Sony cheerleader outfit to wear on Halloween. You crack me up.

 

[MarekM]

I can imagine a MANY MOVIES requiring more than 30GB !

3hour movie in VC-1
- 1 dts hd master soundtrack (or PCM or DolbyTruHD) for movie
- 1 dts hd master soundtrack (or PCM or DolbyTruHD) for music only
- several DD+ language soundtracks
- 2 commentary tracks....
- other video stream for example IME alias BD JAVA
etc etc.

well I am sure this all CAN'T FIT in 30GB space...., and even if it will fit HD-DVD will not play it, because it will be well over it's BITRATE, which was confirmed by AMIR from avs....

Marek

 

[PeterTHX]

I edit to avoid a flamewar and they still get personal :frowning:

 

[ppltd]

For the 1/2 of 1 % who really care about all of this bunk, let em buy BD. Then, in 2008, when all of these new possibilities actually are added to releases, they can rejoice.

As far as music only tracks, I would rather have it released on a supplied CD so I can listen to it in my car or portable.

Whether other functionality can fit within the confines of HD's 30 GB limit, has niether been proven or disproven. It is only conjecture. At this time, no release has had an issue with capacity, nor has quality been affected.

I started this thread to show the comedy each side has been stating as fact and that the media has been reporting. Now I kind of wish I would have never posted it as it seems to have degraded into a 'my disk is bigger than yours', none of which matters to the viability and survivability of the format.

Hogwash to it all. Think I will go watch MI III

 

[MarekM]

Well Thomas,

Maybe you are just in those 1%, and other 99% do care about all of this bunk...

In 2008 ? Where are you living ? It can be added to any present MOVIE on BD50GB, don't spread false informations......

there are many people who would like to listen to HIGHEST possible audio in theit hometheatres... and NOT in the car, you can buy CD anytime you want.., and we are talking about DVD-AUDIO quality here...

yeah sure, I can see any studio representative talking about their problems to fit more features to one disk, THEY WILL never tell you they had such problem.... and yes it has been confrimed that with several tracks, IME, main feature you can easily breake bitrate limit on HD-DVD

Well Thomas it is not only more GB but mainly higher possible bitrate to play more of those features with main feature....

 

[ppltd]

Unproven disadvantage. I will enjoy my HD (and my BD) releases while you continue to believe in this disadvantage. Again, I repeat, Bunk.

 

[ppltd]

And don't forget Grand Prix, at 178min, Dolby plus, and many special features.

 

[PeterTHX]

Not really. Compare the sales of the single disk editions to the 2-disc "collector" editions like Warner, Universal and Paramount have been doing lately. It's not even close.

If people can get all their content on a single platter, so much the better. It's about joe six pack not having to get his butt off the couch to watch some special features he may or may not be interested in.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

HD discs are to be marketed to "the lowest common denominator"? Really? I thought it was agreed that DVD would remain the mainstream format for the forseeable future…