Who has been here since the format war, and are you surprised by how heated it got?

[Geoff D]

I bought into HD DVD first because I liked the selection of movies better and it seemed to have been born fully formed, unlike BD with its piecemeal rollout (additional profiles), early reliance on MPEG-2 etc. But as the BD range expanded and it became clear that HD DVD was struggling with its 30 GB limit (although given how efficient the video codecs have become it wouldn't be a massive problem today) I bought a PS3 and never looked back.

I never really got into the 'war' aspect though, I just wanted the best all-round package and supported whichever release I saw fit. I was simply a fiend for high-def media, having bought loads of DVHS movies prior to the disc-based HD formats.

I joined BRDC once the dust had settled because there were just as many BD zealots on here as there were HD DVD fanatics at AVS, with the HTF providing a nice middle ground. But now, this is the only place to be for BD discussion.

[Race Bannon]

I believe that war was VERY damaging to the adoption of blu-ray, and helped extend the lifespan of DVD for untold years. It sent a message to rank-and-file folks to "Forget it, the industry can't figure it out so just wait years until it's all sorted out."

It made HD video somehow not seem like the obvious and smooth evolution to go along with the HD TV's everybody was getting.

Even now, there are people that will always think of blu-rays as something odd.

I think from here on out, all new improved formats should be called something along the lines of "blu-ray," so that never again to people get the idea that the new thing is something terrifying and different.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Race Bannon

I believe that war was VERY damaging to the adoption of blu-ray, and helped extend the lifespan of DVD for untold years.

I agree, then after Blu-ray won in 2008 you had so many of the pro-HD DVD people (which included some in tech media publications) proclaiming Blu-ray would be dead in a few years as downloading and streaming would completely take over. As much BS as this was, I do think some people bought into it and shyed away from adopting Blu-ray. I think if Blu-ray launched on its own, DVD would have a smaller market share to some extent.

The HD DVD fanboy crowd was a lot more fanatical than the Blu-ray fanboy crowd in my opinion. It was almost like a sub-cult going on for a while after the remaining studios dumped the format and they refused to go to Blu-ray no matter what.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

It was almost like a sub-cult going on for a while after the remaining studios dumped the format and they refused to go to Blu-ray no matter what.

Very true but there were/are many that switched and have been avid BD supporters. The late Kosty (Daniel Kostyshak) switched from a Red flag to a Blu flag and waved it like few have. Man, I still miss that guy!!

[ouflak]

I guess I was around for most of that stuff. I didn't buy into either format and the 'war' had no effect on that decision. But it sure was entertaining! I did keep track of it, and occasionally threw my own perspective into the ring as that of a fence-sitter.

Originally Posted by Race Bannon

It sent a message to rank-and-file folks to "Forget it, the industry can't figure it out so just wait years until it's all sorted out."

Unless you mean rank-and-file HD enthusiasts and/or movie collectors, then I seriously doubt the average consumer even knew there was a format war going on, and probably wouldn't have cared even if they did know.

[mohit9206]

I was not there during the HD DVD vs Blu ray rivalry but today the rivalry between Blu ray vs Streaming is also interesting. Though this time streaming is poised to win.
Also there is another format war going on in case you guys forgot. Dvd vs blu ray. And DVD is winning this one too. So Blu ray is getting hammered by DVD on one side and Streaming on the other.

[thegoat]

I was paying attention, but I didn't jump on board until after it was all sorted out. I knew that BD had better storage capacity, but I initially favored HD-DVD because they had a better selection, early Blu-ray players seemed glitchy and required lots of updating just to play Blu-ray discs, Blu was more expensive, and Blu'ray's marketing to the consumer was aggressive, which annoyed me. It seemed like half of the coverart was devoted to letting you know how HD the movie was, and there were Blu-ray previews on every DVD disc. Glad I waited!

And I'm glad for the way that it worked out as Blu-ray has better legs to keep physical media moving. I bought an economy level player in 2010 and have never had an issue playing a disc. The selection keeps growing and prices have leveled out. And as far as packaging, Blu-rays are getting all the nice packaging while new release DVDs are mostly spindle-stacked, single disc, slipless shells of their predecessors. :P

[HeavyHitter]

I just remember how incredibly clunky the very first HD DVD player was that I bought. I remember all of the issues almost everyone was having with it. That thing should have never been released as it was looking back. However, it was a race to get in front of BD before they released anything.

[dvdmike]

I do have to say its weird how hollow and light and crappy most bd players are built now

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

I do have to say its weird how hollow and light and crappy most bd players are built now

Yes, and they actually look like toys. The blu-ray players are so light, you can lift it with one finger. The first generation blu-ray players, were bigger, sturdier and well build.

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I bought into HD DVD first because I liked the selection of movies better and it seemed to have been born fully formed, unlike BD with its piecemeal rollout (additional profiles), early reliance on MPEG-2 etc. But as the BD range expanded and it became clear that HD DVD was struggling with its 30 GB limit (although given how efficient the video codecs have become it wouldn't be a massive problem today) I bought a PS3 and never looked back.

This just about 100% sums up my feelings back then as well.

[prerich]

Initially bought a HD-DVD player for my PC. It worked flawlessly with the HD-DVD's that I had purchased and I was satisfied. I was an avid Red supporter because Blu-ray had put it's stock on a game machine. I then purchased a standalone HD-DVD player for $75 bucks for the bedroom. Was still an avid Red supporter...Then, BD came out for PC!!!! I said, OK - lets test drive, had more hiccups with BD, but more and more content came out. I worked through the BD problems and then I turned Purple....I didn't care who won because I was set and stable with both formats. I became a firm BD supporter when studios began to crossover and my favorite animated films were now on BD.

I'm not surprised how heated it got. However what I hated most were the PS3 fans acting like the only real BD player was a PS3. I was so happy when the OPPO came out, and when the LG dual player outscored the PS3 along with the Pioneer Elites! Arguing with gamers on why an audiophile would want something other than a PS3 was brutal (more brutal than the war itself). I think I quieted quite a few of them when they saw that I could do the same things they could (and more) on my PC (I could game if I wanted to, but I wasn't an avid gamer). That was my worst memory of the war...the PS3 worship.

[bruceames]

As far as the message boards were concerned, the format war was the best of times. There was so much excitement back then and people were so emotionally involved.

It was also very exciting because of the HD discs that were just coming out with some amazing content. I felt like a kid in a candy store with all the sales they were having on movies and players.

I supported HD DVD back then but I didn't really have much expectations that they would win. I knew they were definitely the underdog, but I liked the format better for the content and because most of my forum friends were HD DVD supporters as well.

My best memories are when I bought an HD DVD on launch day and saw the amazing quality at home for the first time. Also I enjoyed it very much when Paramount went HD DVD exclusive and saw many Blu-ray fans go into hiding.

My worst memory was when Warner went Blu-ray exclusive. But after I recovered from the shock (since it was unexpected happening only 4 months after Paramount went HD DVD exclusive), I bought a Blu-ray player a few weeks later and went purple. I have absolutely no regrets since it was so much fun and I still enjoy my HD DVD collection.

[BozQ]

I was a HD DVD supporter during the format wars. I wasn't particularly too impressed with the first wave of Blu-ray releases. Many of them were 25GB Single Layer discs, compared to HD DVD 30GB. Videos on Blu-ray were encoded in rubbish MPEG-2 and Audio was just a measly Dolby Digital 640kbps.

HD DVD, at some point, did everything better. Videos were encoded in VC-1 and Audio were at least encoded in Dolby Digital Plus, if not Dolby TrueHD.

I remember Transformers was a very important release. Blu-ray owners were eagerly anticipating the Blu-ray release when Paramount drops this bomb that they were going to be HD DVD exclusive. I could feel the sinking feeling right after that.

Of course, after Toshiba gave up the fight, Blu-ray was much better after that.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I bought into HD DVD first because I liked the selection of movies better and it seemed to have been born fully formed, unlike BD with its piecemeal rollout (additional profiles), early reliance on MPEG-2 etc. But as the BD range expanded and it became clear that HD DVD was struggling with its 30 GB limit (although given how efficient the video codecs have become it wouldn't be a massive problem today) I bought a PS3 and never looked back.

I never really got into the 'war' aspect though, I just wanted the best all-round package and supported whichever release I saw fit. I was simply a fiend for high-def media, having bought loads of DVHS movies prior to the disc-based HD formats.

I joined BRDC once the dust had settled because there were just as many BD zealots on here as there were HD DVD fanatics at AVS, with the HTF providing a nice middle ground. But now, this is the only place to be for BD discussion.

That was sort of how I got into the formats. I was hungry for HD media and when HD DVD came out at a reasonable price with some good movies, I jumped on it. However, when I got the PS3 and the Blu-ray selection widened...I began realizing the true benefits the format had over HD DVD. I soon became a strong Blu-ray proponent and cheered aloud in excitement when I read Warner was dumping HD DVD as I knew it was over then and there. I remember it happened during my Christmas vacation in 2007 and reading the article at my desk at home.

I do have to disagree a little about HTF. While it was more of a middle ground, there were some obvious bias with the moderators for HD DVD. Then I heard they were given free HD DVD players by Toshiba. lol

[Geoff D]

Well, it was more balanced than AVS at any rate.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Well, it was more balanced than AVS at any rate.

Yes, AVS was terrible! It's funny how dead their software forum is now.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Yes, AVS was terrible! It's funny how dead their software forum is now.

It really fell off a cliff

[reanimator]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Yes, AVS was terrible! It's funny how dead their software forum is now.

Is that why nobody posts on the AVS blu ray section?

I ignored the format war until a winner was declared, then I jumped in head first. The masochist in me wants to start digging through all the old posts to see how the carnage played out.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by reanimator

Is that why nobody posts on the AVS blu ray section?

I ignored the format war until a winner was declared, then I jumped in head first. The masochist in me wants to start digging through all the old posts to see how the carnage played out.

They pushed a ton of us out to where all the people who made content left