Blu-ray vs. HD DVD

[edgarh20]

im new to this i have a xbox 360 and i was going to by the hd dvd player but i also want to get the playstation 3 what is the difference between blue ray and hd dvd

[jedisinclair]

If you spend a little time here in the Blu-ray forums, you'll find answers to what you're asking.

But, basically both Blu-ray and HD DVD are High Def Disc formats that offer better picture and sound than standard DVD. Blu-ray has more studio support (Sony, Disney, Lionsgate, Fox, WB, Paramount and a few others)... where HD DVD has studio support from (WB, Paramount, Universal and a few others). Blockbuster Video recently announced that they will exclusively carry Blu-ray rentals in over 1400 stores... dropping HD DVD. If you do some reading, you will see that Blu-ray is the "horse to bet on"

[aaronwt]

Originally Posted by edgarh20

im new to this i have a xbox 360 and i was going to by the hd dvd player but i also want to get the playstation 3 what is the difference between blue ray and hd dvd

BD as in Blu-ray Disc. Not blue ray.

[movies3]

Originally Posted by edgarh20

im new to this i have a xbox 360 and i was going to by the hd dvd player but i also want to get the playstation 3 what is the difference between blue ray and hd dvd

first off welcome to the forum,
there are alot of differences between blu-ray and HD dvd. One being disc space, bluray has 50gb of disc space where as HD dvd only has 30gb.

Blu-ray also as more studio support including:
20th Century Fox
Disney / Buena Vista
Lions Gate Films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Paramount / DreamWork Pictures
Sony / Columbia / Tri-Star Pictures
Universal Music Group
Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema


where as HD dvd only has support from universal, warner and paramount.

Also in the news Starz (Anchor Bay) Joins Blu-ray Exclusively, Adobe and Blockbuster Initiates Blu Only Policy.

I personally wouldnt get the HD dvd add on for the xbox reason being HD is slowly dying out. Plus when you can get full 1080p picture vs only 1080i with HD dvd.

Also you might look into this on the home page of this forum: Five Free Blu-ray Movies with Purchase of Player.

More ppl on the forum can go more in depth with you on this info im just giving you the basic stuff. You wont regret going blu i promise

[jermwhl]

welcome to the forums!

Also for use at your disposal is the search function. There are many threads on the forum discussing different advantages/disadvantages of the two formats!

[nhaase]

To add to Jedisinclair's comments, WB and Paramount release titles on both formats, whereas Sony, Disney, Lionsgate, and Fox only release on Blu-ray. Universal is the only major studio which does not release titles on Blu-ray (abbreviated BD), they are exclusive to HD DVD. Also, Blockbuster will continue to rent HD DVD online and in 250 stores which they used as a test market to research demand for high-def DVDs. BBuster found that 70% of high-def rentals were on BD, so they decided to expand just BD into 1450 additional stores.

As for the physical format, as he said, search the forums, and wikipedia has some good info, as well. Basically, BD has 67% more storage space than HD DVD, meaning that more data can be stored, and at a higher quality. BD also transfers data quicker than HD DVD, so, if you've ever watched a fast-action sequence or explosion on TV and the picture becomes "infested" with large pixels, that is partially due to the picture information not being sent fast enough. Since BD sends the information so fast, you don't get that problem, so the picture quality is much, much higher.

As for industry support, Toshiba is the only company putting out HD DVD players. Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and Pioneer (correct me if I left any out) release BD players. Both formats are available as computer drives, but only BD has recordable drives out, there are no HD DVD writers.

One huge advantage of BD is the hard coating on the disc. Since there is up to 50gb (and 200gb in the future) of information in such a small area, scratching can ruin everything, like with DVDs. The special hard coat on Blu-ray discs (BDs) resists scratching, so when you rent a disc there's less chance it is damaged.

As for sales, the big issue, here's how it is now: Since both formats launched (HD DVD in April '06, BD in June '06), BD accounts for 59% of total hi-def sales. For this year, BD has 67% of sales, a 2-to-1 advantage; BD has maintained this advantage every month this year.

I can go on forever, but just search around. Be sure to check the sticky threads, as they contain information asked by many new members.

[whippersnapper]

If you're not into wasting your money, this is something further to consider. Ken Lowe of Sigma Designs says the game is over in the fall of 2007. HD-DVD losing the war.

http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/27/int...d-dvd-is-dead/

[CJ P]

Just FYI Weinstein is exclusively supporting HD-DVD right now, not Blu-Ray. That may change but movies3 has Weinstein on the BD list.

[The Don]

Welcome to the forums...

just look at what movies are out for each format...and what movies are coming out in the near future...

see what movies you like and that should seal the deal...

[jedisinclair]

Originally Posted by The Don

Welcome to the forums...

just look at what movies are out for each format...and what movies are coming out in the near future...

see what movies you like and that should seal the deal...

Also, look at the amount of newer movies that will most likely be released on Blu-ray vs HD DVD and you'll see the majority are BD.

[GTP]

Not only is the studio support a huge advantage to BD, the players function far better than the Toshiba hd dvd players.
Only someone tottally uninformed would even consider hd dvd at this point IMO.

The future is clearly Blu, lets just hope it does well against sd dvd which is the real eventual war.

[CJ P]

Sorry, but the 2nd gen HD-DVD players function fine (I had an HD-A1 and have an HD-A2 now), at least as well as my PS3. And there are plenty of "informed" people who object to the features of BD+ and the unknowns that surround it (bricking a player permanently because you modded it to be region free, etc.) so its not that open and shut. I know this is a BD forum but I think you can serve the format better by being less biased and letting people make decisions based on facts, not emotional bashing of the other format.

[GTP]

Originally Posted by CJ P

Sorry, but the 2nd gen HD-DVD players function fine (I had an HD-A1 and have an HD-A2 now), at least as well as my PS3. And there are plenty of "informed" people who object to the features of BD+ and the unknowns that surround it (bricking a player permanently because you modded it to be region free, etc.) so its not that open and shut. I know this is a BD forum but I think you can serve the format better by being less biased and letting people make decisions based on facts, not emotional bashing of the other format.

Plenty of people have numerous problems with the new models with freezing as well as noted in the many threads at AVMS.

I speak from experience after owning both an HD-A1 and an RCA with upgraded firmware....and both had many problems with the biggest being brand new out of the wrapper hd dvd's freezing and player lock up at random.

I sold my 24 discs, dumped the players and never looked back.
So I speak from experience and most likely had an hd dvd player before you got your handas on one.
Anyone sticking up for hd dvd in any way is highly suspect to me at this point....and to say the new gen does not have these problems is pure fantasy.....as posted all over the net.
42% had these problems in a zealot hd dvd forum with many outright lying about their players, and then later spilling the beans when the next gen was availble.
Keep in mind that those of us who bought from 2-4 whith all being defective were only allowed to vote once.

I speak with facts as well as from lots of experience and say again...BD players are all far more reliable as is the PS3 than any hd dvd player with regards to playback.
Thats three BD players and a PS3 as well as the two hd dvd players....how many have you owned?

Again...only someone kept in the dark and fed a lot of B.S. would buy into hd dvd at this point.
An MS mushroom comes to mind

[movies3]

Originally Posted by CJ P

Just FYI Weinstein is exclusively supporting HD-DVD right now, not Blu-Ray. That may change but movies3 has Weinstein on the BD list.

hmm i found it on the site, oops my bad thanks for correcting me. but i just checked and Weinstein Company isnt for either side at the moment. According to this site. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/studios.php

[jcdDigix]

Originally Posted by CJ P

I know this is a BD forum but I think you can serve the format better by being less biased and letting people make decisions based on facts, not emotional bashing of the other format.

Toshiba can't even make a decent DVD player... How can one rely on them.

[Shadowself]

Originally Posted by CJ P

Sorry, but the 2nd gen HD-DVD players function fine (I had an HD-A1 and have an HD-A2 now), at least as well as my PS3.

There are reports of them working great and there are reports of them being just as buggy as the first gen. Obviously, YMMV.

Originally Posted by CJ P

And there are plenty of "informed" people who object to the features of BD+ and the unknowns that surround it (bricking a player permanently because you modded it to be region free, etc.) so its not that open and shut.

This definitely has the ring of FUD. To what specific "features" are people objecting? Additionally, I have heard of no concrete evidence anywhere that BD+ will "brick" your Blu-ray player if you've made it so it can play other regions. If there is specific, concrete evidence of this, please point it out. Speculation on what "might" happen is not constructive.

Originally Posted by CJ P

I know this is a BD forum but I think you can serve the format better by being less biased and letting people make decisions based on facts, not emotional bashing of the other format.

Conversely, see above.

[whippersnapper]

And EdgarH2O, understand that on these internet forums you'll be seeing a lot of what we call FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). This is a marketing ploy frequently used by HD-DVD fanboys to spread confusion about Blu-ray. Another popular term for this HD-DVD misinformation has the initials BS.

And welcome to the forum.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by CJ P

Sorry, but the 2nd gen HD-DVD players function fine (I had an HD-A1 and have an HD-A2 now), at least as well as my PS3. And there are plenty of "informed" people who object to the features of BD+ and the unknowns that surround it (bricking a player permanently because you modded it to be region free, etc.) so its not that open and shut. I know this is a BD forum but I think you can serve the format better by being less biased and letting people make decisions based on facts, not emotional bashing of the other format.

Your post history suggests to me someone who might be on the wrong forum.

[GasCat]

Originally Posted by movies3

hmm i found it on the site, oops my bad thanks for correcting me. but i just checked and Weinstein Company isnt for either side at the moment. According to this site. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/studios.php

I think someone theorized they would have to gp blu because BB has an exclusive agreement with them. They think BB will say give us Blu and Weinstein will. I doubt it based on Block Buster. But they'll come sooner or later.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by JTK

Your post history suggests to me someone who might be on the wrong forum.

Ya think?!