This does kinda piss me off!

[SHayes]

I saw this this morning while peeking around IGN.com and in their "Gear" section they have a really nice section called HDTV Q&A. I saw this posted and was like "WOW how could you be so uninformed..."

"So our DVD player is almost dead and so today me and my mom went out pricing DVD players. DVD players are starting to become a little outdated and with HD-DVD and Blu-ray players dropping down in price there seems to be no point.

I know a lot about HD-DVD players and I know that at least most of them are backwards compatible, but I wasn't sure if Blu-ray was.

The choice I'm having a problem with is deciding which one to get, because right now it's fairly tough, because no one format has a complete library of DVDs. So right now we're just using our old DVD player, but I'm wondering which one do you think I should get a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, because it would suck if I got a Blu-ray and then HD-DVD's ended up being the basic format. So I was just wondering which one do you think will win out in the end and if it's worth buying at this point right now?

Charles

Hey Charles,

That's the big question on everyone's mind these days. We get a lot of Blu-ray or HD-DVD questions, and honestly, if I could say for sure what's going to happen I'd be making some really aggressive investments. At the moment though, warring factions of PR and fans of each format will use any scrap of good or bad news to attack the other, which makes it hard to get a sense of what's really going on.

I do think that all sides will agree that this holiday season will be rather influential in the futures of the formats. HD-DVD players will be available as low as $199, which is a solid advantage over Blu-ray. If people flock to the format thanks to its lower hardware pricing HD-DVD will have scored a major win, which will probably result in both formats surviving for several years to come. Even if HD-DVD gains only modestly, I think both will be around for years. If, however, HD-DVD is thought to have bombed, like being outsold dramatically by Blu-ray despite the price advantage, we could see some relatively swift reactions by studios pulling back HD-DVD support. There's also the possibility that neither format will sell well (in the scale of things), which will lead to all the pundits saying physical media will not be the distribution method for HD films in future, and what we really need to wait for is better digital distribution and faster internet connections.

I think the most likely outcome will be good, but not explosive HD-DVD sales compared to Blu-ray, which will mean the format war will continue pretty much as it exists now with no decisive resolution for years. As such, in choosing a player, I'd weigh hardware costs against the libraries (is, or will, your favorite movie be exclusive to one format?). Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD players will play regular DVDs. Almost all will also up-scale regular DVDs to make them look somewhat better.

I've already got both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players (Xbox 360 add-on and PS3). Were I trying to decide right now on a replacement to a dying DVD player, I'd probably get the first $199 HD-DVD player I could find (or the Xbox 360 add-on for $179). At that price you get a taste of next-gen movies and an up-scaling player for your old DVDs, which is nice and cost efficient (9 months ago you could spend the same money on just an up-scaling player). Sure HD-DVD might lose, but it's not like losing $199 is the end of the world, and chances are there won't be a resolution to the war for quite a while. Spend the cash you save on the cheaper hardware on some nice new HD movies and you'll probably be pretty happy.

-Gerry"

So the best format out there is HD-DUD because its cheaper, WTF?

[raginranger]

It's official. IGN is in Microsoft's pocket.

[Xerious]

Originally Posted by SHayes

I saw this this morning while peeking around IGN.com and in their "Gear" section they have a really nice section called HDTV Q&A. I saw this posted and was like "WOW how could you be so uninformed..."

"So our DVD player is almost dead and so today me and my mom went out pricing DVD players. DVD players are starting to become a little outdated and with HD-DVD and Blu-ray players dropping down in price there seems to be no point.

I know a lot about HD-DVD players and I know that at least most of them are backwards compatible, but I wasn't sure if Blu-ray was.

The choice I'm having a problem with is deciding which one to get, because right now it's fairly tough, because no one format has a complete library of DVDs. So right now we're just using our old DVD player, but I'm wondering which one do you think I should get a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player, because it would suck if I got a Blu-ray and then HD-DVD's ended up being the basic format. So I was just wondering which one do you think will win out in the end and if it's worth buying at this point right now?

Charles

Hey Charles,

That's the big question on everyone's mind these days. We get a lot of Blu-ray or HD-DVD questions, and honestly, if I could say for sure what's going to happen I'd be making some really aggressive investments. At the moment though, warring factions of PR and fans of each format will use any scrap of good or bad news to attack the other, which makes it hard to get a sense of what's really going on.

I do think that all sides will agree that this holiday season will be rather influential in the futures of the formats. HD-DVD players will be available as low as $199, which is a solid advantage over Blu-ray. If people flock to the format thanks to its lower hardware pricing HD-DVD will have scored a major win, which will probably result in both formats surviving for several years to come. Even if HD-DVD gains only modestly, I think both will be around for years. If, however, HD-DVD is thought to have bombed, like being outsold dramatically by Blu-ray despite the price advantage, we could see some relatively swift reactions by studios pulling back HD-DVD support. There's also the possibility that neither format will sell well (in the scale of things), which will lead to all the pundits saying physical media will not be the distribution method for HD films in future, and what we really need to wait for is better digital distribution and faster internet connections.

I think the most likely outcome will be good, but not explosive HD-DVD sales compared to Blu-ray, which will mean the format war will continue pretty much as it exists now with no decisive resolution for years. As such, in choosing a player, I'd weigh hardware costs against the libraries (is, or will, your favorite movie be exclusive to one format?). Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD players will play regular DVDs. Almost all will also up-scale regular DVDs to make them look somewhat better.

I've already got both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players (Xbox 360 add-on and PS3). Were I trying to decide right now on a replacement to a dying DVD player, I'd probably get the first $199 HD-DVD player I could find (or the Xbox 360 add-on for $179). At that price you get a taste of next-gen movies and an up-scaling player for your old DVDs, which is nice and cost efficient (9 months ago you could spend the same money on just an up-scaling player). Sure HD-DVD might lose, but it's not like losing $199 is the end of the world, and chances are there won't be a resolution to the war for quite a while. Spend the cash you save on the cheaper hardware on some nice new HD movies and you'll probably be pretty happy.

-Gerry"

So the best format out there is HD-DUD because its cheaper, WTF?

Okay, HD-DVD might lose... and wasting $199 is a justifiable loss for supporting something that might not be around very long... what a stupid suggestion.... it's like saying, support the Zune, it's cheaper, plays music, but it's crappy and probably won't be around very long, at least you'll have a cheap player and if you do buy it, chances are you have supported the war to last just a tad longer!!! how is losing money on shit cheaper? every HD-DVD bought is a minute tacked on to it's life... just shut it out already!!

[SHayes]

Not too mention that me, as a consumer, do not want to hear hey spend $2-500 on this junk and it may not be around for a while but it might be fun. the only thing I spend money on that I know will be obsolete in a year or less is computer hardware, even then it is not that often. But this your suggesting to spend up wards of $500 just to throw it away.

[Xerious]

true your discs won't just automatically stop playing after the industry wises up... but what's the point of getting a handful of movies on a format that's no longer producing any more products? you'll end up getting a BD player in the long run, so might as well jump in now rather than tack on 2-5 hundred dollars of cash that will be burnt along with an already suffering (not dying) format.

[Coltboy]

Guess he was trying to be diplomatic not favoring one side or the other but kinda grey, i would have had more respect if he woud have chosen a side, instead of leaching off both, that is what pisses me off about this whole "fence riders" Grow a pair and chose a side, if you lose fine, we will welcome you back, if you win great. but chose a side.

P.S. Since it is Payday i wil be purchasing 5 of the Blu movies comming out the 25th

[jermwhl]

Besides the very last paragraph he actually put up a fairly unbiased response, I was quite surprised!

[SS316SRV]

Interesting idea...

I like how he fails to mention that future "advancements" in the HD DVD technology will probably not be compatable with the current hardware. Or that there is wider variety of blu-ray players out there to suit anybody's tastes. And the hardware over media argument is absurd. "Well I loved Cars and Ratatouille, and Finding Nemo. I am also a big fan of the Bond Movies. Plus I can't go without John McCain. Oh well, I am going to get an HD DVD player and watch more expensive movies that I really don't care about." Good argument there.

[tron3]

Same arguement I make over and over. In the VERY LIKELY event that HD-DVD goes away, what happens when your player dies? Can you buy a new one? Will it cost an arm and a leg to repair? Will you get it repaired locally, or have to mail it out?

The smart studios have gone exclusive to help get this off the ground. Dual support is nice for both sides buying movies, but ultimately only confuses the consumer and makes them wait. No one wants another Div-x format.

[Sonny]

what a panny waist , with that fence up his ass lol!!

[Mote]

Sure HD-DVD might lose, but it's not like losing $199 is the end of the world, and chances are there won't be a resolution to the war for quite a while.

Solid advice from the experts at IGN. I'm not surprised.

[E-Dogg]

It sounds to me like he is almost admitting defeat and knows that for every player bought the war will last a little longer. He completely contradicts himself at every turn. As a consumer wouldn't you want to maybe spend a little bit more $ and get something that is worth purchasing that you know will not become a relic in a year or two?

[SHayes]

I guess they pay well enough at IGN that burning $3-500 is ok. Me on the other out here in the real world has to budget if I want to buy 2 movies.

[ToonyLoons]

I do not think Gerry's reply to the letter was as biased as some of you are trying to make it seem. In the end it does seem to favor HD-DVD because of its major (if only) selling point, hardware price.

The thing that kinda gets me is that Charles was basically looking for a DVD player and only considering going to a HD format. Gerry at IGN who is talking about price failed to mention or suggest just getting a DVD player for around $20-30 and waiting until a clear winner is chosen. Or even getting a Xbox360 sans HD-DVD attachment to play back DVD movies with the option of later spending $179 to get the HD-DVD attachment if he wanted to. If by suggestion a game system, he could have mention the PS2 as a DVD player or the PS3 with the option of not buying into Blu. But the PS3 might have not been part of his argument of going with something low cost unless you factor in the cost of a new 360 plus the add-on is more then a 60gb PS3 if you can still find one.

I support Blu and in no way intend on supporting HD-DVD. I believe blu is the better tech and will come out on top. But when you look at the masses like this kid Charles that doesn't know much, the superior tech might not matter to them. Most of us here on the Blu forums are interested in the best tech and best experience in movies. When the masses get into an HD format, they may not care which one has the higher/better audio because they don't have surround sound or about higher over all bit rates because they have no idea what that is. Just which one looks pretty and which one can I watch what I want to watch on.

[Terjyn]

I think his reply was either biased or stupid.

He basically says that the best HD-DVD can hope for is a stalemate, but you should buy it anyway and help it reach stalemate status.

[SHayes]

Well said and I agree but when he puts the price as a selling point for HD-DUD and no clear points for Blu then IMO it now becomes biased to HD-DUD. If he had said that "HD-DVD selling at $199 is cheap and easy to afford now but the tech in such low end machines can't compare to the Blu-ray players." Unfortunately most uninformed consumers will grab the cheapest thing thing they see unless someone tells them otherwise. I think someone like the Gerry guy has to realize this and and either be a good giver of advice and point out both pro and con on BOTH or just shut up and stand back.

Lead, Follow or get out of the way!

[ScoBro828]

Originally Posted by SHayes

Were I trying to decide right now on a replacement to a dying DVD player, I'd probably get the first $199 HD-DVD player I could find. At that price you get a taste of next-gen movies and an up-scaling player for your old DVDs, which is nice and cost efficient

That is EXACTLY what I did (and needed no one to tell me) Got an HD playa and three movies. Thinking to myself, well I won't really dig on HD movies anyway. Put in the first movie: Serenity, and was blown away. Then I decided really fast that theis whole HDM movie thing might have some real balls to it. Then it dawned on me that BD had far more popcorn flicks than HD.

[SHayes]

There is the old saying, You get what you pay for...

[SNAP]

Wouldnt that also apply to the $10.00 HDMI cables that everybody here seems to love??

Originally Posted by SHayes

There is the old saying, You get what you pay for...

[Pilam69]

Originally Posted by jermwhl

Besides the very last paragraph he actually put up a fairly unbiased response, I was quite surprised!

His advice for a "normal" consumer is probably pretty right on. People are generally more price concious than anything else when it comes to technology. I know all of us here would have preferred that he said buy blu but, really, if the main consideration is the price point of the player then how can you? I paid more because I am (I think) more educated and I believe that Blu will not only win but is really the true NEXT generation format for media. That being said, if I left it up to the wife we would have an HD-DVD player or (more likely) nothing at all because she thinks our upscaling DVD player is the bee's knees.

We need to continue to remember that we are early adopters and there are a lot of "normal" folks out there that are just not up on this at all.

That said, Blu rocks and I will celebrate when HD-DVD dies.