On The Fence

[jedisinclair]

I started out as a strong Blu-ray supporter... then I read some things that made me see some positives with HD DVD... it's so discouraging. I sold my Blu-ray movies and now I don't own any HD content. I wish there was ONE format to succeed DVD or I wish I could see a clear winner in this "war". But, until I do, they're not getting any more of my hard earned money. I thank you guys for this forum and I will continue to "monitor" the progress of both. I just hope it isn't going to be years before there's a definitive winner.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by jedisinclair

I read some things that made me see some positives with HD DVD

Like what?
I haven't heard a single positive thing about hd dvd. Its most likely FUD from some fanboys...

[Knight-Errant]

Originally Posted by Dave

Like what?
I haven't heard a single positive thing about hd dvd. Its most likely FUD from some fanboys...

Yeah there's a lot of nonsense flying around. Its really depressing.

[Deane Johnson]

I noticed in the HD-DVD forum over at AVS, there seems to be less optimism for the momentum of HD-DVD than there was when the first cheap players hit the market. Just an impression, but I found it rather interesting.

I haven't purchased either, I'm going with the winner. At the moment, that's looking more and more like Blu-Ray. I suppose with the massive imbalance of studio and hardware support on the side of Blu-Ray, it probably doesn't take a Harvard professor to figure out how thing will go.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

I noticed in the HD-DVD forum over at AVS, there seems to be less optimism for the momentum of HD-DVD than there was when the first cheap players hit the market. Just an impression, but I found it rather interesting.

And that's saying something, given the obvious Mecca for HD-DVD that AVS has been, with MS employees getting free run to post FUD and lies about their competitors and the rest of it.

If chinks in the armor are even showing up THERE...just imagine what actual reality "on the ground" is?

I haven't purchased either, I'm going with the winner. At the moment, that's looking more and more like Blu-Ray. I suppose with the massive imbalance of studio and hardware support on the side of Blu-Ray, it probably doesn't take a Harvard professor to figure out how thing will go.

There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by jedisinclair

I started out as a strong Blu-ray supporter... then I read some things that made me see some positives with HD DVD... it's so discouraging. I sold my Blu-ray movies and now I don't own any HD content. I wish there was ONE format to succeed DVD or I wish I could see a clear winner in this "war". But, until I do, they're not getting any more of my hard earned money. I thank you guys for this forum and I will continue to "monitor" the progress of both. I just hope it isn't going to be years before there's a definitive winner.

I can certainly understand where you're coming from. I could easily afford a Pioneer player, but the situation has me owning a PS/3. It works great. It looks great. And it definitely won't be a doorstop in two years (including many G1 BD players, and definitely G1/G2 HD DVD ones).

The Blu-ray specs show me potential for the future. HD DVD strikes me as maxxed out already. But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't have been happy with HD DVD if it was all that was going to be offered. The BDA are simply offering more with Blu-ray, and I hope people are ultimately convinced to take it, instead of being fixated on anti-Sony nonsense, or transitory price issues.

The cost of players NOW, will not sway the mass market three years from now. None will be choosing a format "because I want to support those people who were choosing based on price three years ago".

HD DVD people always accuse BD people of looking ahead. But, assuming pricing will always be in HD DVD's favour, or that studios will switch anytime soon, is looking ahead too. And this is far less reliable than the obvious high probability that quality, quantity and pricing will improve with time for BD (or anything).

18 months ago, I first declared my top three factors for choosing:

(1) Studio support - It's all about content. And unless Disney/Fox move neutral, or Warner/Paramount shut off their content to Blu-ray, simple logic tells you that in six months Blu-ray is going to be far ahead of HD DVD in content availability. It has caught up or passed already, and HD DVD fanboys choose to look at incomplete information as facts.

Studio support was my number one. It is my number one. I would dearly love Universal titles. But, why would I give up LGF, MGM, Sony, Fox, and Disney titles?

"DVD upscaling (of Fox, Disney, etc.) is good enough" means DVD upscaling is good enough, doesn't it? I thought people wanted HD movies? Or, does somehow all that "crap" the BD studios put out suddenly turn to gold if it is released on HD DVD?

(2) CE support - I like choice of equipment, and consumers like choice. I personally have never liked Toshiba DVD players. Other people don't like Panasonic, Samsung, or Sony offerings. That's fine. With Blu-ray you have choice. With HD DVD if you don't like Toshiba, you need to suck it up and hope Toshiba continues to put out OK players, and improves them beyond anything they've accomplished before, or some other angel comes along who knows how to build one.

(3) Recording - I don't know if the content people will allow us to have it, but I hope we can have recordings of what we capture on a PVR. And on computers if the 100/200GB sizes can be made affordable, this is a nice archival format for everyday people who certainly don't back up their data enough. Blu-ray is it for recording. HD DVD recording is MIA. All we see is HD DVD-ROM drives coming out, which only serve as media PC drives.


What people seem to think is that some massive flood of support is going to come to either format, burying the other format. I didn't think so, and I believe the numbers show I turned out to be right. Both formats will be very niche, and it is going to be a very long process of convincing people to pay for a new box, and a premium on content. As well, convincing them that HD discs still have a place when so many other offerings are becoming available.

I never thought the PS/3 never represented instant massive BD usage, although I do think it will show 10%. What the PS/3 represents is the answer to the question:

What will be your first HD disc player?

Assuming the PS/3 sells the expected 10-20 million units over the next few years, why would anyone expect that these 10-20 million owners would answer with "a Toshiba HD DVD player"?

Every PS/3 owner is someone who has to be convinced to ignore the free HD disc player they have, and buy an HD DVD player. Why wouldn't they be satisified with what they already had?

Put it this way, how many iPod or PSP owners can be convinced to buy a another ultra-portable movie player?

Gary

[jedisinclair]

Gary... thanks for your VERY informative post. Your points are well taken and I'd like to add something... when you said it's about HD, you are right. Upscaling is not high def, and what's with these HD DVD/DVD combo discs? If they're trying to push the next technology, why waste disc space with a standard movie? I don't quite get that one. Plus it ruins the look of their cases by having the HD DVD, COMBO MOVIE, DVD all over it. (IMO)

Also, something kind of funny happened to me today. I forgot that I had ordered some Blu-ray movies on buy.com and they arrived via UPS today. I had sold a couple of other movies on ebay but the auctions ended yesterday and I haven't shipped... SOOoooo, I refunded the buyers their money back and have decided to keep the movies along with my new shipment. I will probably hold off on future purchases until things look a little clearer, but in the meantime, I will keep my fingers crossed that Blu-ray has a powerful future. I wish Universal would offer titles... Breakfast Club, Happy Gilmore... etc.

Thanks for restoring some of my Blu-ray faith and I will stare at my movie cases with no player for awhile... (sigh)

GO Blu-ray

[BTBuck1]

those scary...ie "on the fence", i suggest using game systems as stop gaps....ps3 for blu, 360 add on (if you already own a 360)for HDDVD. I own both and players of both (see sig) and while i like my stand alone players, if i had to give up one or the other, i'd give up the stand alones, as the game consoles seem just as good in enough ways, and better in that they do more and operate faster.

[Sony_Blue-Ray]

You want to see a clear winner get behind your format of choice and buy its that easy. Take for instance every member of this forum goes and buy's one BD-DVD this weekend you would see sell's jump for Blu-Ray. Which in turn would make universal or any others rethink there position on supporting both. Thats all it takes is sales the more sales made on Blu-Ray side the closer this war is to over. So pick up your balls and get behind the better format. Dont let this be like the Betamax and VHS we know who the loser was on that one "consumers". You can lead this war by example.

[jedisinclair]

Originally Posted by Sony_Blue-Ray

You want to see a clear winner get behind your format of choice and buy its that easy. Take for instance every member of this forum goes and buy's one BD-DVD this weekend you would see sell's jump for Blu-Ray. Which in turn would make universal or any others rethink there position on supporting both. Thats all it takes is sales the more sales made on Blu-Ray side the closer this war is to over. So pick up your balls and get behind the better format. Dont let this be like the Betamax and VHS we know who the loser was on that one "consumers". You can lead this war by example.

OK... tell ya what... let's throw the challenge out there: How bout EVERYONE on this forum go out and buy at least one Blu-ray movie this weekend. Let's do it... I'm in. I think I'll get Jay & Silent Bob

[sticks]

KK, I was on my way out when I read these posts so i'l pick up one of this weeks releases.

[dialog_gvf]

I have Black Hawk Down, Superman Returns, and Superman II - RD on order from Amazon.

I'll commit to buying The Italian Job locally this weekend. I'll buy The Wild if I see it show up.

Gary

[theknub]

i have to get off the mountain to buy one, but if i do i'll pick up something

[TheForce8686]

I started with an HD-DVD player first because it came out first but in the last 2 months I have seen the light and have dumped my player and all my HD-DVDS and gotten my Blu Ray Player and have 40 titles already. Im sad about Universal but Im sure they will change there mind soon. Other than that all the other companies will start dropping some great titles soon (i.e. Pirates, and Nemo, and The Matrixes) Blu Ray seems to be catching if not already surpassing HD. I love it.

[dialog_gvf]

Maybe Universal needs an e-mail from you.

EVERYONE wants Universal to start releasing Blu-ray content. But, I expect that Microsoft and Toshiba know what that would mean and will do absolutely everything to stop it.

Although I wonder how far they can legally go.

Gary

[Deane Johnson]

Although I wonder how far they can legally go.

Since NBC owns Universal, or vice versa (I forget which), and NBC has some sort of arrangement with Microsoft relative to MSNBC, I wonder how much that plays into it. Perhaps far fetched, but it makes me wonder.

Given the stellar performance of MSNBC, it doesn't seem that NBC always makes all the best choices in their operating ventures.

[C6 Z06]

Originally Posted by Sony_Blue-Ray

You want to see a clear winner get behind your format of choice and buy its that easy. Take for instance every member of this forum goes and buy's one BD-DVD this weekend you would see sell's jump for Blu-Ray. Which in turn would make universal or any others rethink there position on supporting both. Thats all it takes is sales the more sales made on Blu-Ray side the closer this war is to over. So pick up your balls and get behind the better format. Dont let this be like the Betamax and VHS we know who the loser was on that one "consumers". You can lead this war by example.

I have done(and doing) my part. Bought my Blu-ray player 3 days ago and 17 Movies to go with it in the past 3 days. Go Blu-ray!!!

[Sony_Blue-Ray]

Im glad to see some of you are getting behind your format of choice. Now lets see how far you will carry your sack of friend's? I would like to see what people jumped on the bandwagon and what they bought and where they bought it? So when you do pick up your Blu-Ray movie this week tell us about it.

I just got my first for the week: The Big Hit

Circuit City $24.99

And it was nice to see that Blu-Ray was being Displayed better than the HD-DVD's. I couldn't even find HD-DVD untill I asked and seen this end cap with maybe 25 movies on it. But all you had to do was look In the TV section and there was a nice two sided floor stand with at least 55 different Blu-Ray movies. Good job Circuit City!

[frankc4s]

Black hawk down
Kingdom of heaven.DC

Plan to add to my collection on a weekly basis.

Based in the UK and am waiting for the release of either the PS3 or the Pioneer player in march before I can play these discs. HD DVD does not seem to have the same buzz over here as Blu Ray does.
Even the local HMV Stores have started selling Blu Ray discs.....no sign of the HD DVD discs.

I get the feeling once PS3 gets into its full production stride, this will spell the end for HD DVD.

[C6 Z06]

Picked up 3 more today. Eight Below, Terminator, and Total Recall. All from Circuit City.