Blu-ray vs. HD DVD = good for us

[septic death]

First of all i wish the war between Blu and HD would end very soon. But i am glad that there was a war, it really helped to lower the price of players and etc.. very quickly.

Now that the players are pretty cheap and soon the movies(i hope), die HD DVD !!!

[Blu-Style]

Since this whole High-Def war, i´m very interested in all the supporting and distribution Studios...
without this war, i still wouldn´t care, and take big notice from them...

but it could really end now...
no format war = life will be getting normal

and the price will fit also....


It could be over soooooooo easy.....

[kaliraver]

At first it was ok that we had a war since that drove down prices of the players, but I think after the holidays this war is going to be useless.I can't wait till CES 2008 hopefully this ridicules war will be over.

[so n so]

Originally Posted by septic death

First of all i wish the war between Blu and HD would end very soon. But i am glad that there was a war, it really helped to lower the price of players and etc.. very quickly.

Now that the players are pretty cheap and soon the movies(i hope), die HD DVD !!!

I agree! If not for the format war I think Sony and Blu ray pricing would continue to have been ridiculous! I hope the HD DVD competition brings prices even lower. Once Blu Ray players reach $250, I hope the war ends so that I can get movies in one format.

I have already got a buyer for my HD DVD peripheral and XBox 360, depending on how things look in February (if Blu is dominating or not, I'm sure 1080p HD DVD players will be available for $200, if nothing else as open item sales), I may or may not buy another HD DVD player.

[Lee Christie]

I'd be willing to pay more for Blu-ray Discs if it ment one single HD disc format. This format war just threatens th whole concept, puts off consumers, and means that I can't watch Paramount titles!!! If we don't win the war soon both Blu-ray and HD DVD will end up being replaced with some DRM-riddled iTunes-style* movie download service instead.

* but with evil Microsoft-grade restrictions instead of nice Apple-grade resrictions.

[BluCrusader]

the winner of the HD format wars is going to be phased out in 5 years anyway, give or take a year....sad but true

digital distribution is way cheaper...the avg consumer just doesnt have the space nor the fiber optic cables in their homes yet.

[Lee Christie]

Originally Posted by BluCrusader

the winner of the HD format wars is going to be phased out in 5 years anyway, give or take a year....sad but true

I know, but it would be nice to win the war BEFORE becomming obsolete, rather than the other way around.

Originally Posted by BluCrusader

digital distribution is way cheaper...the avg consumer just doesnt have the space nor the fiber optic cables in their homes yet.

I'm thankful it's not practical yet yet, it gives Blu-ray a chance. In maybe 5-10 years we might have the bandwidth for it, 15 years tops, and HDD cost per GB is constantly dropping. I just wonder if we'll have come up with a means of protecting content from piracy without being as restrictive as current DRM.

[Terjyn]

Digital Distribution will replace rentals.

Why do people believe it will replace physical media? Why? Give me one good reason why I would want a digital download? I don't have physical media. If I get a new system I have to redownload. You are looking at gigs of downloads. You won't be able to go browse at a store, cutting WAY down on impulse buys. I can't take a movie over to a friend's house.

It will not be cheaper.

There are near-zero advantages of downloads over physical media. If Microsoft manages to sell it I will lose all hope for humanity. And I don't have much left as is.

iTunes works because people don't like entire CDs and because of the portable factor. Neither applies to movies.

[Joe Cain]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

It will not be cheaper.

Well, I can see how it might be cheaper for everyone involved but the consumer...

Considering how woefully the US lags in download speed, wouldn't the telecoms & cable companies have to upgrade the infrastructure and improve service for dl'ing HDM to become truly feasible and attractive to the consumer? What incentives do they have to do so?

[highdefw]

I heard a new router is being built to stream large amounts of data over networks (aka: High Definition Video). Its expected that this would challenge current routers, including wireless n. They say it will be ready in a few years.

[CAB]

I do not agree that this is "good for us". Artificially lowering price can result in companies losing more money on the front-end which means higher prices for longer if/when there is some final victor in this format action. Companies need to make a resonable profit or they will eventually leave the business. Call me an idealist but I'd like to see a winner based on capabilities. I'm betting and hoping that Blu delivers the best in time for the consumer rush to HD.

[Riverside666]

Apparently it seems to me they're more afraid of losing money to piracy then losing money over the format war's hence all the problems I have with BD+ and it's implementation. Blu Ray almost lost me the other day as I struggled to find the firmware updates for my PC/Laptop. Granted firmwares are no real biggy, it's a complete hassle especially considering I just wanna watch a fricken movie. You buy a movie at the store with the intentions to watch it when you get home, please don't turn this into a Computer VIdeoGame thing with Patches every week.

Granted I know they don't really come every week, but if they continue to be a hassle like it was this past week I'm leaving Blu, it's just not worth it for me to put up with this just to watch a simple film. (Average PC users would have been LOST COMPLETELY this past week) As if paying 35 dollars for a film wasn't enough. This might seem crazy, but it really is the truth, but this past week has proven that it's far easier to download a film on Xbox Live and watch it then to buy Blu Rays and download and run and uninstall and reinstall these patches.

[zachhar]

Without a little competition things tend to get stale. There would be no need for innovation or price lowering. Let the war continue until the prices go to DVD price the have Blu win.

[Kurgan]

Competition is almost ALWAYS good for the consumer and buisness.It keeps prices affordable and makes sure that any competitors do their best to compete for the consumer's dollar/euro/lb.It's gettting to the point that pretty much anyone with a decent income can get into both BRD and HD DVD without breaking the bank, if they so chose.

[Lee Christie]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

If I get a new system I have to redownload.

Not if you back up, or have a network attached storage

Originally Posted by Terjyn

You are looking at gigs of downloads.

HDD cost per GB drops really fast

Originally Posted by Terjyn

You won't be able to go browse at a store, cutting WAY down on impulse buys.

You've never impulse bought while browsing on iTunes? I have.

Originally Posted by Terjyn

I can't take a movie over to a friend's house.

That sucks, but they would tell you NO LENDING!

--------

That LAST thing I want is digital downloads for films to replace physical media. But none of the above reasons is why. Well, you touched on it with taking it to your friend's house. It's the restrictions big Brother can place on YOUR movies.

I use iTunes and you get to activate your account on 5 machines, if you forget to deactivate which you change computers, you lose one. I only have 2 left. And what if you have 6 computers in your house? Also, you can't play them in Media Player, WinAmp, RealPlayer, etc, and you can't upload them to a non-iPod player. Also, it contains your email address in the file (even the new DRM-free songs contian your mail address so they know who to hunt down if they turn up on filesharing - what if someone modified the file to frame you?)

I could go on, but you get the point. People complain about copy-protection on DVDs preventing them from playing on Linux or backing them up, well that's nothing compaired to DRM.

[w_tanoto]

Originally Posted by septic death

First of all i wish the war between Blu and HD would end very soon. But i am glad that there was a war, it really helped to lower the price of players and etc.. very quickly.

Now that the players are pretty cheap and soon the movies(i hope), die HD DVD !!!

format war has done its part. Now let's kill HD DVD

[welwynnick]

I always seem to disagree with almost everyone about the format war – I don’t see any good in it whatsoever. There will still be competition – there are lots of choices. Prices will come down anyway, because they have to come down before people start buying en masse. Prices did come down with DVD, and then it gained widespread adoption. Quality HAS to go up, or there’s no reason to buy Fifth Element on Blu-ray.

History isn’t my bag, but it does teach us a lot. The relative success of SACD/DVDA and DVD might not be directly applicable, but does give us some big clues about how the CE & movie industries need to manage formats. I didn’t hear anyone decrying the lack of competition to DVD ten years ago. The vast majority of people won’t risk spending money on something that may not succeed. They don’t know much about video, but they aren’t all dumb either, and they EXPECT one format to prevail, and will wait until that happens. So let’s cut to the chase!

BR, Nick

[Xerious]

The format "war" is good for only one thing... driving prices down. Aside from that, I'm still bitter about the whole Transformers fiasco...

I guess I'll be watching it in SD until 2009 (or soon should the HD-DUD format fold before the next CES)

[Go Blu]

I'm all for prices dropping.

What happens when you have both camps with $199 players?
Then what? Do you just ask the other to pack it in?
BDA was all ramped up to win this Q4.

We need a big move from BDA and we need it in Q4.

First is lower player prices.

Second, your installed base of PS3 has enormous untapped potential.
Create incentives to get them on board with blu and HD.
Both movie and HDTV incentives. You'll sell more TV's too!

Get Warner on board.

Push hard into the PC/Home Computer industry.
Another huge area.

BDA should Lobby studios and their directors within to bring forward Heavy Hitting News Worthy titles. Such as Star Wars, LOTR and Indiana Jones. I wouldn't underestimate the power of these titles to turn the tide if they are exclusive.

BDA use your collective power and END this war!

[Xerious]

The $399 40G PS3 will be a huge seller, all things considered, those who have been holding off getting a PS3, fanboy or not, will most likely be getting one this winter. That, compounded by several key releases on the BD front as well as nice long list of games for the PS3, you'll be pressed to find one this Christmas. Last year was a foul up, very limited quanities and the excessively high price really deterred people. We'll be looking at a H2H fight for most wanted gear of the season btwn Wii and PS3 again.

HD-DVD has nothing going for it. 2, maybe 3, releases (Transformers, Shrek 3, Bourne Ultimatum) that will give them a push, but the consumers are picking their side, and it's the Blu corner. It's only the fanboys that actually care for the Red corner, but hey, if I wasted a few thousand dollars on my collection, I'd be pissed and praying for my side too. It's not like their stuff will stop workinig the day the Red side dies... you just can't grow it anymore