blu-ray player and movie prices

[mshulman]

Originally Posted by The Don

wait until a LOTR movie comes out on HD DVD...plus you're seeing quality differences in the recent Universal titles all being half assed...

just because studios use the same compression for both formats doesn't mean they can't...

Well, that still doesn't answer my question. How big a difference is it between the max bitrate of HD DVD vs. the max of Blu-ray?

I'm not sure anyone knows for sure since we haven't had 2 good titles to compare with yet. Nature's Journey will a good one to make this comparison on.

[mshulman]

Originally Posted by BStecke

Most of your comments are based on how few people actually have an HDTV. So now you're taking that small percentage and taking a sample from that group, creating an even smaller percentage of the total population.

So let's say this is accurate regarding people with HDTV's:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/13...w-own-an-hdtv/

And 28% of the population (approx. 302 million (http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html)) have an HDTV. That's about 84,560,000 people with an HDTV. So then we take the approx. 150,000 BD players sold (http://www.tvpredictions.com/sonysold061407.htm) plus the PS3's sold for good measure (or do those not count when we're talking about HD DVD?) with worldwide sales of about 4.5 million (http://play.tm/story/12089) and we get about 4,750,000 people with a Blu ray player (when talking about the US, yes, this will be lower, but I like to figure high). That's about 5.6% of people with an HDTV. So then we take the percentage of people who have all these things, PLUS the need for a portable version of the same movie (let's call it 75% for good measure, we'll figure high) and that's about 4.2% of the country. So . . . not a very big number.

I think you are missing my point. I think today, maybe 1/10th of a percent of current high def player owners actually need DVD or will want to use it. Its the other 290 million+ people that don't have an HDTV yet or don't have a high def player yet that I'm talking about.

People owning today are early adopters. Its the general public that we need to be concerned with. HD DVD Combo's are a good option for them. Its also this same general public that wouldn't see a difference between an HD DVD and Blu-ray if they were both maxed out to each of their own capacities.

[BStecke]

To me . . . if it's a noticeable difference, it's a significant difference. Why would I possibly want a format that I can tell is worse than another, especially when they're available at the same time? What possible advantage does that have for me, or anyone? For instance, I know what Superman Returns looked like in the theatre . . . and I know what it looks like on Blu and HD DVD, and it REALLY needs a higher bit rate transfer, as it is UNDOUBTEDLY smooth compared to when I saw it theatrically. A prime example of a fairly long movie that had to be dulled down in order to fit HD DVD's discs. Yet another thanks to HD DVD.


To comment on your above post . . . HD DVD and Blu Ray are not targeted at the general public. Neither was DVD when it first came out. They're targeting the people who are actually going to buy the stuff. HD DVD is catering to the lowest level of these people, those who are concerned more about price than quality, and that's why the technology and MANY releases, specifically by Universal and Warner Bros., are sub par. BD and HD DVD are barely out of the innovators stage of the life-cycle, and are just starting to break into early adopter status. These people couldn't give a damn about combos.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by mshulman

Well, that still doesn't answer my question. How big a difference is it between the max bitrate of HD DVD vs. the max of Blu-ray?

I'm not sure anyone knows for sure since we haven't had 2 good titles to compare with yet. Nature's Journey will a good one to make this comparison on.

it depends on the length of the movie....

Blu-ray can hold any movie out there at it's highest quality...HD DVD can't...

if Warner maxed out on HD DVD and then maxed out on blu-ray...the blu-ray version would be sharper....whyelse do they not put lossless audio on those releases?...

the majority of the Warner movies on BD are some of the worst movies on the format in regards to PQ at an overall standpoint....