VHS>DVD>HDDVD, Oh My! (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

Here's something I've been wondering, even though the latter is still 20 years in the future...
How many of you have never bought a VHS Tape of a movie, prefering to watch it only on TV? When DVD came out, how many of you who did by the VHS Version, rebought the thing on DVD? And finally, when HDDVD comes out, assuming they are compatible with current DVD players, what will become of your DVD collections?
The Studios must love these format wars, because they get to repackage the same thing over and over again .

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

That's how the studios & manufacturers stay in business
I seriously doubt we'll see HD-DVD for another 5 years at least, maybe more. Hollywood is very paranoid when it comes to copy-protection -- HDTV is stalling right now because of it & Panasonic was pressured to pull its HD1000 DVHS-HD deck a while ago.
As much as I'd love to have HD-DVD soon, I expect it's a ways off. Not that the technology doesn't exist -- a couple manufacturers showed off prototype HD-disc-based decks at the recent CES.

 

[Kevin Porter]

Will this be for every release or just the recent ones? If it's for everyone, this is so going to suck that I have to replace every stinking DVD. What will be the marketing format for these? Will they be compatible with existing players? Someone educate me.

~Kevin

 

[Michael Reuben]

Will this be for every release or just the recent ones?

Well, take a look at DVD for a clue. Most releases are of new titles, but there are many older ("catalogue") titles as well. And there are also some older titles that haven't appeared, and probably some that never will.

M.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Neil V --
You forgot a key format in your listing:
LD
I never bought VHS tapes, but I've replaced a lot of LDs with DVD. And believe me, those LDs cost considerably more than Kevin's DVDs.
M.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

In my nearly fifteen years of life before we got a DVD, I purchased exactly zero movies on VHS. In slightly over a year, I've amassed a collection of about 30 DVD's, so that should give you a pretty good idea of my feelings about this subject.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

HDDVD is 10-15 years off, don't worry about it

 

[Artur Meinild]

I don't think I'll rebuy all my movies on HD-DVD, except if I at some point in the future get so much money that I don't have to worry!
I'm quite satisfied with my current DVD collection, and I'll still enjoy it in 10 or 20 years...

 

[PaulHeroy]

I'm right there, too. I never felt VHS was a format worth owning, and purchased a grand total of 1 in about 11-12 years BDVD (before DVD ). Even though I wasn't into LD in a big way, I did buy maybe 20 there. Now I've got about 50 DVDs in about 2.5 years, which isn't a high rate (compared to many here) but it's about 200 x my VHS rate!

 

[DeathStar1]

>>You forgot a key format in your listing:
LD >>
Heh, I never did care for the LD format. For some reason, we basically just ignored it. Probably because of the fact that it was almost as big and bulky as having an old 75RPM(?) Record still hanging around . Yes, we still have two record players in the house .
But as soon as DVD came out, I jumped on it. Saved up some money in a few months, bought a Creative Labs DVD player, and bought my first DVD Movie, Ninja Turtles 1.
As far as VHS, answering my own question, I've probably bought a total of 10 VHS movies over it's existance. Mostly Star Wars re-hashes, but a few other properties as well. However, I have TONS of TV Taped VHS tapes that I can't wait to convert to DVD for storage reasons... That, and after years of rewatching, the quality is really starting to degrade, not to mention the ever rare VCR breaking of the tape..

 

[RobR]

...when HDDVD comes out, assuming they are compatible with current DVD players,...

More like incompatible with current DVD players. Manufacturers get to sell new players (HD-DVD or FMD) all over again. This is one reason why I'm keeping my DVD collection small and mostly rent through Netflix.

 

[Shawn C]

As long as I can still play my DVD in an HD-DVD player, I'd be happy.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I owuld not buy HDDVD until I got myself a HD projector and the format was in a position to replace the old format. Of course, if I had an HDD projector then any new films that came out, I would but them on HDDVD but I would not replace ll of my old DVD collection.

 

[Ted Todorov]

How many of you have never bought a VHS Tape of a movie, prefering to watch it only on TV? When DVD came out, how many of you who did by the VHS Version, rebought the thing on DVD? And finally, when HDDVD comes out, assuming they are compatible with current DVD players, what will become of your DVD collections?

I never even had a TV, much less VHS or VHS tapes or LDs or what have you. DVD was the first "good enough" format for me to forgo going to the movies and actually being willing to watch them at home.

As was pointed out, Hollywood's copy protection paranoia will keep HD-DVD off the market for a loooong time. They are VERY reluctant to let out movies looking that good.

Ted

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Heck, I am happy with DVD as it is but still wish more classic titles would find their way to this format.
From the perspective when I was growing up watching Black & White television which only had 3 channels, two going off the air at 6:00pm (or sundown), and with fuzzy picture tubes, each format to follow was a true blessing in itself!
Now if someone would just come up with FM radio

 

[Michael Reuben]

Heh, I never did care for the LD format. For some reason, we basically just ignored it.

So did most people. But before DVD, LD was the collectors medium. VHS wasn't. Much of what we take for granted on DVD today (widescreen, special editions, etc.) was created by LD, not VHS. If you want to look at overall trends, you need to include LD in the picture.

M.

 

[Robert Franklin]

Just to keep all of you guys up to date, there is something in the works as far as a possibility of some type of HD-DVD. It is called "FMD". It stands for Flourescent Multi-layered Disc. It has the possibility of having up to 100 layers. Talk about laser switches!! I guess I would still keep my dvds, unless there was a real significant difference such as the outputs would be something like this: "Selectable resolution outputs from any source disc" For example, if the disc is 1280x1280 24 fps, then I could select the output from the player to downconvert that to fit the resolution of my display; let's say 1280x768 at 30 fps, with no loss in signal quality. Also, would they all have dts? Are there titles that are in the new format with 96/24 dts, and the dvd equivalent only has dd? Then, I guess that I would trade them all!!
Have a good evening!

 

[Thomas Newton]

As was pointed out, Hollywood's copy protection paranoia will keep HD-DVD off the market for a loooong time. They are VERY reluctant to let out movies looking that good.

It's trivial for commercial counterfeiters to illegally copy DVD movies. I don't see how refusing to release HD-DVD makes life harder for them.

As for individuals, the people trading DIVX (MPEG4 codec) files don't seem to care all that much about film quality. DIVX files made from DVDs are reportedly lower than DVD quality (due to high compression), and DIVX files made from bootleg camcorder tapes must be even worse. Someone who is willing to watch a DIVX version of a shaky camcorder tape to save a $3 DVD rental or a $20 DVD purchase is not going to infringe any less, or "respect copyrights" any more, just because Hollywood refuses to make high-definition transfers available.

 

[Luis A]

If a new format comes out for DVD that is truly superior to my current collection, then I will relace every one that is available in the new format.
L

 

[Rob T]

As long as I can still play my DVD in an HD-DVD player, I'd be happy.

me too.