BD Players have ben problematic from day one for so many reasons. It is important for all of us to keep em honest so that we actually have a decent product to choose from in a couple of years when Blu Ray catches up to where Hd-DVD already was.
The main problem is a lack of agreed upon spec so that all of the players dont have similar functionality.
Assuming that Blu ray movies actually move to web enabled content and true interactivity at some point in the future ( I believe this will occur)- then a viable Blu ray player will need to have an ethernet port, picture in a picture capability, and persistent memory capabilities. Maybe Toshiba will teach them how to have all of this in one player for a reasonable price so mass-adoption has a chance.
Most folks dont own an audio system that allows any of the hidef audio formats to make a difference. Obviously on this forum that doesn't apply.
Knownothing, Oppo has already announced a BD player.
Blu-ray is the superior tech despite what a couple of naysayers have tried to preach in this thread.
Warner has publically stated that BD was cheaper and easier to encode than hd dvd was because of bandwidth. Now lets just hope they use the extra space and bandwith on future releases instead of the good enough hd dvd ports we had been getting on Blu.
Bandwidth and space are very important for HD optical.
With all the CE's backing Blu from the beggining, I can't believe anyone is suprised that hd dvd lost. The truth is that this would have been over long ago had M/S not suckered Toshiba into pressing on last year.
I owned several players from both formats as well as a PS3, and BD's best looking movies do look better than hd dvd's on my 110" screen. Is it far better?...no Is it enough to matter to a true enthusiast with a dedicated theater? That would probably depend on the size and quality of display ect.
BD had always had the better audio with uncompressed PCM on every single Disney, Sony title, and DTS-=Master Audio on every Fox title. Warner sold 63 million dollars more on Blu than hd dvd in 07 with 25 titles including The Matrix, Batman Begins and V for Vendetta not out on Blu.
The consumers/ enthusiast have chosen BD so let's just hope that Universal and Paramount actually use the 50gb discs with higher bitrates and Lossless/Uncompressed audio.
With reportedly 7 out of 10 HDTV owners waiting for a clear winner in the previous pillow fight, we should see quite a bit more adoption between now and the end of 08.
Nobody with any common sense is going to pay 300.00 for a box so they can pay to rent crappy looking downloads that are barely better looking than dvd, and take 7 hours to download, when they can rent the better looking and sounding BD from Netflix, Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery ect.
Actual 1080p downloads that will most likely never have lossless audio, are mnany years away for the majority. I would say at least 5 years.
1. companies like OPPO will be able to choose a new format to focus on and we will start to see reasonably priced high quality BluRay players on the market at about the same time as
2. the switch to all digital HD broadcasts occurs in less than 12 months and
3. many consumers are faced with buying either a set top box to control their current 4:3 set, or purchase a new HD wide screen tv that takes advantage of HD broadcasts, downloads and disks and
4. standard DVD will begin to fade to black as the cost of entering into full on HD falls and
5. land fills around the world will brim with all $50 DVD players, and cheap 5.1 non HDMI HT systems people bought and are throwing out with their perfectly good 4:3 CRT televisions and
6. both Sony AND Toshiba enjoy incredible profits as the entire world retools to go HD.
Yes! I just bought one yesterday, very impressed with its 1080p upscaling, and I guess I will buy some of my fave movies once the drop in price, maybe even a second player to keep in storage, at these clear out prices it's hard not to be tempted
HD DVD is officially dead?! Who would have believed after all this started that, at this time this year, we would no longer be considering HD DVD players in our future? I mean, at the very least I figured a co-existence of the formats - but a complete dismantling of one of the formats? LOL - the funny thing is that even though Sony FINALY got what they wanted aparently, which is total market share and monopoly of some major technology or format in the electronics world, it probably won't matter! In fact, I think the universe is conspiring against Sony, personally (lol)! I say that because I'm pretty darn certain that discs as we know them, are becoming more and more obsolute, as "hard drive media storage" is where it's all going anyway!!! Mmmmmmmmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuahahahahahahaha!
Ryder: I am totally going to buy one of the newer HD-DVD players on closeout at $99 and $129 with 7 movies.... because this is one of the most impressive upscaling DVD players for regular DVD's. I think that DVD's will be around like redbook CD's for a long time... most of america only cares about cost and DVD quality is good enough for their smaller tv's. $15.95 on sale for a DVD versus $25-39 for a Bluray.... SACD had this problem... the average consumer didn't care enough for the extra quality to buy the gear to play it. Plus you factor in all the HDCP incompatibile tv's with gear and people really get frusterated... and the rip off $100 HDMI cables at your BestBuy stores.. Christmas 2008 will be interesting... streaming rental of movies or Bluray?
Although Toshiba had announced that they would discontinue the development of HD-DVD, there is no clear indication that the production of standard DVD will cease immediately. I reckon SD DVD will continue to be produced. But the question is how long will they continue to be produced? VHS video had suffered death years ago due to format changes, and time will tell when SD DVD will suffer the same fate to Blu-ray.
We can still take consolation in that HD DVD players can still play HD-DVD discs as well as SD DVD. I guess both player and HD-DVD disc will now be sold at dirt cheap prices, and maybe folks will still continue to purchase them?
Blu-ray is the superior format over HD-DVD, although not measured in the same way as Beta vs. VHS.
Sony already has a working prototype Blu-ray disc with 100GB capacity. In fact, they had it more than a year ago. More capacity means greater "headroom" for evolution of the technology over time.
Capacity is everything! That is what took them more than five years after high definition hit the streets to move forward with hi-def movies. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray had to work out the bugs with "Blue" laser pickup technology. That's why we wound up with two formats to begin with. Two powerful and well-backed associations spent a great deal of resources overcoming specific, technological challenges and didn't want to just give up on their specification.
With 100GB of room, Blu-ray will provide us with more content, improvements in audio to 7.1 and beyond, as well as upgrades we haven't even thought of yet (Yamaha already has an 11.2 receiver - RXZ11).
Imagine, for the first time in movie reproduction history we'll be able to hear a movie soundtrack in lossless, studio-quality audio. With more room on the disc, I can imagine a time when we'll be able to buy a Blu-ray disc movie, that will include an Original Master Recording quality stereo/SACD soundtrack as well!!!! You couldn't do that with an HD-DVD because there wasn't enough room on the disc.
Imagine more audio options when you watch a live performance on Blu-ray... What if you could choose DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 or 11.2 or 5.1??? What if you had 8 or 10 different audio choices, instead of the standard 2 or 3? With all that capacity on the disc, Blu-ray can give you what HD-DVD could not.
Yes, there will be a lead time on this. But just you wait. Now that Blu-ray is King, there is a feast being prepared in the Kingdom!
Mr. Consumer: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint. (Toshiba does not respond.) Mr. Consumer: 'Ello, Miss? Toshiba: What do you mean "miss"? Mr. Consumer: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint! Toshiba: We're closin' for lunch. Mr. Consumer: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this format what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique. Toshiba: Oh yes, the, uh, the HD-DVD player...What's,uh...What's wrong with it? Mr. Consumer: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it! Toshiba: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting. Mr. Consumer: Look, matey, I know a dead format when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now. Toshiba: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable format, the HD-DVD player, idn'it, ay? Beautiful features! Mr. Consumer: The features don't enter into it. It's stone dead. Toshiba: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting! Mr. Consumer: All right then, if he's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the HD-DVD player) 'Ello, Mister HD-DVD Player! I've got a lovely fresh Blu-Ray disc for you with the latest Hollywood movie... (Toshiba hits the power button) Toshiba: There, it moved! Mr. Consumer: No, he didn't, that was you hitting the power button! Toshiba: I never!! Mr. Consumer: Yes, you did! Toshiba: I never, never did anything... Mr. Consumer: (yelling and hitting the player repeatedly) 'ELLO HD Player!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call! (Takes out of the Blu-ray disc and thumps it on the counter. Throws the HD-DVD player up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.) Mr. Consumer: Now that's what I call a dead format. Toshiba: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned! Mr. Consumer: STUNNED?!? Toshiba: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! HD-DVD Players stun easily, major. Mr. Consumer: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this. That format is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of media content was due to it bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk with Sony. Toshiba: Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords. Mr. Consumer: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home? Toshiba: The HD-DVD Player prefers keepin' on it's back! Remarkable format, id'nit, squire? Lovely features! Mr. Consumer: Look, I took the liberty of examining that format when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been getting along was it was so cheap in the first place and was that it had been almost GIVEN away. (pause) Toshiba: Well, o'course it was almost given away! If I hadn't given it away that Sony would have nuzzled up to those customers, and VOOM! Feeweeweewee! Mr. Consumer: "VOOM"?!? Mate, this format wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised! Toshiba: No no! 'E's pining! Mr. Consumer: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This format is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't given 'im away 'e'd be pushing up the daisies long ago! 'Is features and processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-FORMAT!! (pause) Toshiba: Well, I'd better replace it, then. (he takes a quick peek behind the counter) Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the shop, and uh, we're right out of formats. Mr. Consumer: I see. I see, I get the picture. Toshiba: I got a slug. (pause) Mr. Consumer: Pray, does it talk? Toshiba: Nnnnot really. Mr. Consumer: WELL IT'S HARDLY A BLOODY REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!? Toshiba: N-no, I guess not. (gets ashamed, looks at his feet) Mr. Consumer: Well. (pause) Toshiba: (quietly) D'you.... d'you want to come back to my place? Mr. Consumer: (looks around) Yeah, all right, sure.
One major issue involved in this format war is that a Blueray DVD has to be made on a new type of DVD manufacuring machine whereas HD-DVD did not. Since Blueray is now the offical HD-DVD format, it will compell disc makers to purchase new and very expensive stamping equipment and related accessories to make Blueray DVDs. Thus, I would look for the price of Blueray DVDs to go up initially as many medium size DVD stampers simply do not have the capital to invest in these very expensive stamping machines. Even with larger DVD stampers like BMG, it will take them time to recoup the initial capital outlay to buy more of these machines and produce Blueray DVDs.
Elizabeth: BlueRay was not the better format, video quality is almost identical 1080p is 1080p... there was no advantage other than Sony reaping the patent $$ from every blueray sale. SACD was only brought out by Sony because they lost the Patent $$$ they were collecting from every CD manufactured not to destroy DVD-A. SACD Failed because Sony's licensing approach like the betamax. Toshiba receives patent money from DVD.
Perceived advantage of more storage???? Blueray disc's didn't use the double sided tech because of manufacturing problems. "Fully implemented Blueray features" were included in the first HD-DVD player... not 2 years later like blueray where the first players can't play some of the current movies (Samsung lawsuit), and at the end of this year the 2.0 version of blueray will come out cause headaches for everyone buying one.
The only winner in this situation after confusing the customer base are the online downloaders... AppleTV, Vudu, etc where customers can download HD content (doesn't look as good) but doesn't require a $400+ Blue Ray player or spending $39 for a single movie.
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