Why should I choose Blu-ray?

[davewolfs]

Originally Posted by Smackos

Ultimately if Content is King.. then HD DVD's the court Jester...you cannot ignore the sheer volume of titles from major studios that will not be available to HD DVD.

I'd also say that now it is being realised which way the format wars going and how much Blu-ray has been constrained by HD DVD the neutral studios are starting to cater now to what the formats capable of.. link

Also on the calculations of bandwidth you've got to consider that it's not a constant number that is put through the system and onto your screen.. whats the point of having 48mb maxed out when your fading to a dark screen or watching end credits for example. When the raw power is needed the player even buffers some of it to top out even that "maximum" rate when it's needed when a lot of visual info is on screen.

I USED to be a big fan of HD DVD but I could not ignore that it from both a consumer point of view and the studio's point of view Blu-ray is a better end product.

Are there any Titles out there from Neutral Studios that look significantly better on BR?

[supersix4]

Also the fact that sonys releasing a new ps3 w/ 40gb hd for 399 so comparing the price of the 1080p hd-dvd your spending the same .. maybe you havent watched hd-dvd/blu-ray side by side but blu-ray looks better sorry to tell you owning both I will always be BLU

[MasterXeus]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

Well it still all depends on what initial player I go with. But the initial titles that I was looking at are Planet Earth, Children of Men, 300, Blades of Glory and Heroes. The best of compilation looked kinda cool too.

Some movies that I would like to have that are not available are Casino Royale and POTC. I really couldn't care less for Spiderman.

Children of Men and Heroes are the only ones in your list that are HD-DVD only.

The rest you can get on blu-ray. then you can buy all 3 POTC. Casino Royale, so do you like any of the other James Bonds moives? If so, they’re all only going to be on Blu-ray.

If you truely haven't decided which format you want, then wait or answer this question.

How many Movies (even the ones that are now out on Blu-ray or HD-DVD right now) do you like from?
Buena Vista
Disney
Fox
Lionsgate
Sony
MGM
Total Blu-ray Movies:

New Line Cinema
Paramount
Warner Bros
Total Neutral Movies:


Universal
Total HD-DVD Moives:


This is how you should decided to buy a player, not buy cost of a player.
Given time Neutral Studios will have there movies on both formats.

[sbeney]

Concerning all the comments about the "cheaper" HD-DVD players, I though about this too, but in the end, it's not the player that is the issue, it is the cost of the movies. The movies you purchase today will likely be around and viewed for the next ten years. However, over that time you likely will purchase new players - just think of how many DVD players you have accumulated over the last ten years!

My biggest concern was owning a bunch of movies that I couldn't watch once the format war was over. Are you willing to replace all those movies once your HD-DVD player dies?

[davewolfs]

Originally Posted by supersix14

Also the fact that sonys releasing a new ps3 w/ 40gb hd for 399 so comparing the price of the 1080p hd-dvd your spending the same .. maybe you havent watched hd-dvd/blu-ray side by side but blu-ray looks better sorry to tell you owning both I will always be BLU

No I haven't. Unfortunately not too many stores around here have this setup.

I have tried to find comparisons online but most are fairly old.

[Smackos]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

Are there any Titles out there from Neutral Studios that look significantly better on BR?

Good question.. probably not as yet... since it's only a very recently that the neutral studio's have actually started to cater to Blu-ray. Ask me this question again in another few months and I'll give you the answer. The least you'll get with Blu-ray is EQUAL transfers to HD DVD.. so the worst you could do is rule out picture quality as an arguement whatsoever as a reason to decide on one or the other. It comes down to the other factors already mentioned.. Universal is the 6th Major studio behind all the others involved in the HD formats. It's got a big back catalogue of titles (no where even close to what MGM alone has by the way) but what new titles are you going to have going forward.. its alright having the format survive but if all your buying is 3 movies a year scraping the top 50 box office hits of the year... whats the point!??

[daman]

Originally Posted by supersix14

Also the fact that sonys releasing a new ps3 w/ 40gb hd for 399

Do you have a link for that ?

[davewolfs]

I'm sorry, can I get another glass of Kool Aid?

[bear]

Don't you just love it when someone asks for help and advice and then, after it is given, doesn't have the manners to say thanks or even acknowledge the support?

His words should be as the buzz of flies in our ears.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

I am completely new to HDTV so I figure I will play devils advocate

Here is my logic to jump on the HD DVD bandwagon until the format war is over.

1. There is no indication that HD DVD has plans to give up anytime soon, in my opinion the available HD DVD content is decent, there is nothing explicitly on Blu Ray that I MUST have.
2. The video quality is virtually on par, videophiles may say otherwise, but they are pretty damn close, perhaps in the future this will change but lets be realistic both formats are serving high quality content in comparison to standard DVD's.
3. There is no guarantee that current Blu Ray players will be capable of supporting the 1.1 spec. Which means a $500 investment could effectively turn into what I would deem an expensive paper weight.
4. For someone who is just entering the market and enjoys renting movies online, $230 is a minimal investment in comparison to the cost of a Blu Ray player.

These are just my thoughts after researching the topic. My largest concern is that there will be no true winner in either of these formats, so I am choosing to reduce my risk by going with the cheapest available player.

Dave

1. You're correct: it looks like Toshiba will be flogging the dead horse known as HD DVD for some time yet. As for content, that's a personal thing, and I'll respect that. However, I think you'll agree that having access to 8 major studios' content is better than just 3. And what if one of those goes Blu-exclusive?

2. Close, perhaps, but why settle for second best? Blu-ray has MUCH more potential (greater disc space and bandwidth) than HD DVD.

3. I suspect most, if not all, current players (except perhaps the PS3) will not support Profile 1.1. But so what? Movies will still play on pre-1.1 players, without problems, so you won't have a $500 paperweight. You just won't be able to use stuff like PIP on the older players.

4. $230 might well be a minimal investment for now, but with all resepct it's not a very smart one. HD DVD's days are numbered, so sooner rather than later you'll have a $230 paperweight, and you'll still have to buy a Blu-ray player anyway, so you might as well back the winning side now.

Your concern about there not being a winner is a valid one, but by buying onto HD DVD, you're exacerbating the problem. By backing Blu, you'll be helping the war to end sooner. With respect, chosing a side that's so obviously doomed doesn't sound like reducing risk to me.

It might be best if you just waited a bit longer.

[The Don]

you only mentioned 7 movies...I highly doubt that your player purchase hangs on the grips of these 7 movies...

but if it does...it really depends on which 2 series of movies you like more


Heroes and Children of Men.....or the 3 Pirates movies and Casino Royale...

[richteer]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

Well it still all depends on what initial player I go with. But the initial titles that I was looking at are Planet Earth, Children of Men, 300, Blades of Glory and Heroes. The best of compilation looked kinda cool too.

Some movies that I would like to have that are not available are Casino Royale and POTC. I really couldn't care less for Spiderman.

How can one's movie taste "depend[s] on what initial player" they go with? This must mean that you presumably don't like any movies at the moment, because presumably you have neither a Blu-ray or an HD DVD.

I smell a troll, but just in case:

PE: BD & HD
CoM: HD
300: BD & HD
BoG: BD & HD
H: HD
CR: BD
POTCCBP: BD
POTCDMC: BD

All but two of your choices are available on Blu (3 exclusively), therefore by your own stated movie prefereces, Blu-ray would be the better format for you. QED.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by richteer

How can one's movie taste "depend[s] on what initial player" they go with? This must mean that you presumably don't like any movies at the moment, because presumably you have neither a Blu-ray or an HD DVD.

I smell a troll, but just in case:

PE: BD & HD
CoM: HD
300: BD & HD
BoG: BD & HD
H: HD
CR: BD
POTCCBP: BD
POTCDMC: BD

All but two of your choices are available on Blu (3 exclusively), therefore by your own stated movie prefereces, Blu-ray would be the better format for you. QED.

he threw in the CR and POTC choices so he didn't come off like a complete troll..

[Blu_J]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with your nice shiny new (or existing) HD-DED player. Congrats to you.

[Smackos]

Dave, leaving the "devils advocate" approach aside then for one minute... what are YOUR thoughts on the subject of what you've put? I've watched you post over at AVS so I know your not dumb on the subject of AV etc.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

I'm sorry, can I get another glass of Kool Aid?

Not like there was ever any doubt, but comments like these should clear up for everyone once and for all what this thread was really all about.

[gandley]

Originally Posted by davewolfs

I'm sorry, can I get another glass of Kool Aid?

sure, but kool aid only comes in RED.

[Smackos]

Originally Posted by JTK

Not like there was ever any doubt, but comments like these should clear up for everyone once and for all what this thread was really all about.

Oh well, if thats really all its on about then good luck to him... the more people that come over and try and tell me that HD DVD's his/hers format of choice the more I chuckle. I researched the formats and there was nothing that made any sense to me on choosing HD DVD over Blu-ray. He'll find out over time like the rest of them one way or another, it'll just be a case of how much good money after bad they're willing to invest first..

[tranzishun]

Originally Posted by MasterXeus

True Blockbuster online is renting HD-DVD, but Blockbuster stores that don't have HD-DVD in them won't be getting them. All Blockbuster stores will have Blu-ray. Blockbuster Online is a small profit compare there stores.

Honestly i don't think Blockbuster stores have much of an impact on the rental market anymore. Renting from the store is fading and all but obsolete. They were the biggest and best video store at one time and for a long time but theres too much competition these days and with today's technology and online resources there's not much reason to have to go to a store to rent a movie anymore. Movies on demand, pay per view, more channels on tv. downloadable movies, Netflix/Blockbuster online and if you like to go out and rent don't forget your local library. There are even video rental machines. Blockbuster total access has little interest for me. I guess it's cool to be able to exchange movies in store but kinda defeats the purpose of renting online in my opinion especially if you don't have a close store around. It's just there way of trying to beat out Neflix by offering something of little significance.

[baccusboy]

Scratch-resistant discs on BR are the thing for me.