Which HD disc player(s) do you plan on buying?

[zombie]

I'll be getting a standalone BD player, a standalone HD DVD player, and a PS3. Hollywood loves me!

[Sony1]

I thought you were mad at me because I said I pre-ordered th Toshiba HD DVD player last month, now you have decided to get one?

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Sony1

I thought you were mad at me because I said I pre-ordered th Toshiba HD DVD player last month, now you have decided to get one?

I was never mad at you, just a bit baffled by some of the positions you were taking in some of your posts. Ever since about a week ago, I keep going back and forth about getting the HD DVD player. I think if BD were released at the same time I wouldn't give HD DVD a second look but since the Pioneer BD may not be out till September and HD DVD is priced great, I don't want to wait anymore for HD on disc. I realize this goes against a lot of previous postings I've made but it now looks very likely that I'll be buying both formats. Worse yet, I now have to hope both formats can coexist so my money isn't wasted.

[Blue]

What I would like to know is - how are you going to decide to purchase what moveis in what format? Do you plan only to have the players in one room or HD in one and Blu Ray in another. I'm not being sarcastic but if you ave worked out away around the obvious - who knows I may join you as eventually I will have a player in the living room - projector and one in the bedroom with a nice LCD /SED TV (eventually). I have no intentions buying 2 of each!

I'm actually thinking of waiting until early next year. There will be the second generation players coming out and much more competition out there.
My experience of DVD's was they quickly released second versions that had extra features such as DTS, widescreen (not a problem with the HD formats - hopefully) dula layer instead of dual side etc and at cheaper price. It looks like the same thing is going to happen with sound at least. If DTS and Dolby are correct in their claims of forward and backward capability then it doesn't matter if you can't decode the high quality sound - but you will get the standard DTS or DD, without replacing th disc when the HD audio one comes out.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Blue

What I would like to know is - how are you going to decide to purchase what moveis in what format?

That is indeed a bit of confusion for me. Obviously studios supporting only one format would be easy to decide but as for the others it's not so easy. If Warner releases a movie I like on HD DVD months before the BD then I'd be more likely that I'd buy the HD DVD of that title. If Paramount releases a movie I want on both formats on the very same day, then I'd probably pick up the BD version. Honestly, I hate the idea of having two formats out there but I'm so very tired of waiting for HD on disc and I've never been known to have much patience.

Do you plan only to have the players in one room or HD in one and Blu Ray in another.

I would have both the HD DVD & BD players in my HT. The only other TV I have set up is in another room and is for my sons to play PS2 games on. There are HDMI switcher boxes available which will make it possible for me to have four hardware items with HDMI connected to my HDTV. Besides these two players I have an HD STB and an HD DVR to consider. I would use my current DVD carousel as an audio CD only player so I wouldn't even need a video input although I could have it connected via component. Strangely enough I do have a VCR connected though it hasn't been used in ages.

Regardless of all of this I still haven't decided 100% either way yet. From AVS discussions, there are obviously some annoying quality control issues with the Toshiba HD DVD player to consider. I keep going back and forth, to buy or not to, at this very moment I'm leaning against it again. God having two formats sucks!!

[thunderhawk]

That's right, having two formats sucks! But we're missing something here...
It has just started. None of the two formats actually settled. There are no two formats standard now. They haven't been adopted yet. We, the consumers, still get the choise: "What standard do you want to buy?". We can still decide what format survives and what format doesn't. If both survive or not.
If we all start buying both (the early adopters), then the format war will take longer, if not last; like it's the case with DVD+R(W) and DVD-(W).
In my opinion, Blu-ray Disc is going to win the format war and I will buy a Blu-ray Disc component for my computer and a Playstation 3. And I will consider buying a Blu-ray Disc player later, when prices have dropped further and players gained more features.
I don't want to buy HD DVD equipment and discs, because it'll only make HD DVD last longer and if Blu-ray Disc wins, I still stand there with obsolete hardware, again. I don't want to spend some $1000 just to see some movies in HD and see a year later BD won. I respect you guys opinion and choise but I don't want two formats in my house.

L8terz..

[zombie]

Good point Thunderhawk. By buying into both formats people like Sony1 and I are helping to prolong the format war. I may hold off, I just don't know yet. It'd be nice to see a list of great titles from Disney & Fox with release dates throughout the summer. That'd help quench my thirst in the meantime. But my biggest frustration is that the BD player I want isn't coming out until September! Why oh why must I be tormented for five more months?! I don't really have an interest in the Samsung, and the Sony isn't coming out till July. Perhaps I'll settle on the Sony but I do wish they'd move the release up a couple of months.

[The Don]

I think it is pretty obvious BD wins...they have too strong a following not to...

this time they have more than just the "better technology"...with Fox and Disney backing them up along with Pioneer, Mitsubishi etc., it would be hard to lose....but that's JMO...

people who are going to buy a HD/BD player will hear who owns the rights to more movies and then see which one costs more and likely just wait for the BD player to come down in price...

[The Don]

Originally Posted by nyg

Good point Thunderhawk. By buying into both formats people like Sony1 and I are helping to prolong the format war. I may hold off, I just don't know yet. It'd be nice to see a list of great titles from Disney & Fox with release dates throughout the summer. That'd help quench my thirst in the meantime. But my biggest frustration is that the BD player I want isn't coming out until September! Why oh why must I be tormented for five more months?! I don't really have an interest in the Samsung, and the Sony isn't coming out till July. Perhaps I'll settle on the Sony but I do wish they'd move the release up a couple of months.

yeah, Samsung DVD players aren't exactly user-friendly...

the $1,000.00 price tag is due to the fact that it's the 1st one available...I'd expect a price-drop after Sony comes out with theirs..

[GTP]

Originally Posted by Sony1

I thought you were mad at me because I said I pre-ordered th Toshiba HD DVD player last month, now you have decided to get one?

You may be mad at yourself.....and I speak from experience.
Compression in the sky scenes in Samarai,DD is output as DTS via coaxial or optical and the output is down 8-10db, and very thin /weak sounding.
The hdmi is hard to get synced....and I got hdmi error 1 more than once, the player is about as loud as an xbox 360, and louder than my pc.
It takes a long time to load or play...and at least 2-2.5 seconds to even advance chapters.
Phantom is reported to have the same audio outout problems also.
The up/down button sometimes takes 8-10 pushes to get any function to work...especially in the menu for some reason.
This title looks about as good as average D-vhs...but not as sharp and compression free as the very best D-vhs titles such as Man on Fire, I Robot and X Men 2.

The only positive so far is that the sd playback, although not as good as my Onkyo sp 1000 or the Denon 3910 before it, or even my any region playing Oppo, but is much better than average.

I am torn between buying another title to try....and bringing it back tommorow to Best Buy.
I doubt BB will reimburse us for titles, even though the audio is being read and output wrong...so I don't want to be stuck with any more titles than needed untill some of these bugs get worked out....assuming they do.

[zombie]

It reasons like those GTP describes that are making it sound more and more like it's the right decision to NOT buy this HD DVD player.

[Patrick]

To anyone who has read my post this wont be a shock. I am only buying Blu-ray. A Blu-ray player, the Ps3 and Blu-ray for my computer. No hd-dvd for me. I wont support the least superior of two products even if it is cheap. No one can give me any good reason and i mean GOOD reasons why Hd-dvd is better than Blu-ray. But I can give you more great reasons why Blu-ray is better than Hd-dvd. Like TDK's Durabis which All Blu-ray disc will have for more disc protection than cd, dvd and Hd-dvd. Also Space is a big reason why Blu-ray is more superior Up to 200 Gb so far and its possible they could take it further. The ONLY thing Hd-dvd has got going for it is Price and that is because Toshiba is pressing to attempt to make it the chosen format. Other companies making Hd-dvd players probably wont be so willing to sell their players as cheap as toshiba. And player price is a temporary problem to be corrected in a short amount of time. Then, when price does drop. Hd-dvd will have nothing to hold over Blu-ray. But Blu-ray will still have its superiority over hd-dvd. So who do you want to back? Second best just due to a temporary price difference? Or spend a little more at launch and KNOW for sure that you have the Best the market has to offer? Your choice. As for me, I want the Best. The Future is Blu!
Oh and besides, The color red in our world usually means Stop, Caution, Danger, death...ect. Think about that when you see those red cases trying to get you to buy the second best.

[thunderhawk]

The only reason I find for HD DVD is the laser system. When discs are read, they form mostly not 90 degrees with the laser. Therefor, HD DVD has a sensor to measure the corner between the laser and the disc like most DVD recorders.
Blu-ray Disc hasn't got that kind of a sensor, therefor the chanse of a read-error is greater, however the BDA said they'd incalculated that in the read/write process... I sure hope for Blu-ray Disc.

I don't think I can find another reason. Oh, maybe because they launch a few months earlier, but that's not a real advantage in my eyes. It are still first-gen players and when you look at it in about 5 years, those months don't mean a thing.

[Sony1]

Wow, it sounds like GTP already has the Toshiba, I surely hope it is not as bad as he makes it sound. If that is the case (and I will document my experince as soon as it arrives either today or tomorrow) than Blue-ray will win hands down. I do agree with NYG(N2Blu) that supporting both formats will bennifit the consumer, and both camps will slash prices in order to win the consumers over. Time will tell, however Toshiba has poured Billions$ into HDDVD, and so has NEC, so unless their is a settlement we will likely see this battle go on for at least 2 to 3 years. PS3 will be the deciding factor in the long term, if Sony can bring the price down to 250$ to 400$ in 2007, and Xbox doesnt have an HD DVD player the winner will be Blue-ray!

Once I recieve this HD DVD player(Best Buy said I should get it this week) I will hook it up and give a complete review to this forum.

[GTP]

Its official...there is no way to use coaxi or optical...or even analog outs to get dd+ or any variation of normal db DD.....except hdmi.....expect massive returns on these.
Stacy Spears has confirmed this if you read at AVS.

Could they get this anymore wrong?

This is very bad for hd dvd....and if BD does not have these problems, it will bode well for them imo.

I only hope they will take the one title I bought back today with the player.

Buyer....beware big time.

[GTP]

If you have...or purchase an hdmi receiver/pre/pro you can get the DD+...only problem is, the receiver/pre/pro will be outdated in a few months with the upcoming and absolutely needed hdmi 1.3 for future lossless audio.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Sony1

I thought you were mad at me because I said I pre-ordered th Toshiba HD DVD player last month, now you have decided to get one?

I've changed my vote. I'll just say "No!"

[Sony1]

Too late, I know your only telling us that you won't buy it but as soon as becomes available you will run right out and get it!

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Sony1

Too late, I know your only telling us that you won't buy it but as soon as becomes available you will run right out and get it!

It's available right now at 4 of the 5 local Best Buys. I could have run out and bought one this morning but I chose not to. I don't doubt it would be a bit fun but even if I didn't have any problems with the player, in the end I'd only be buying it for Universal movies. That seems a bit foolish and IMO Uni will join the BD crowd later this year.

[Jodi]

I guess the verdict's out.....
"Everybody Loves Blu-Ray"

Jodi