I made the HD DVD plunge, should you?

[dreamcastrocks]

I finally did it. I went and bought an HD DVD player. I bought a Toshiba HD-D2 at Costco last weekend. A couple of reasons why.

1) I currently had an Oppo 970HD DVD player serving as my main DVD player. It is an upconverting player that upconverts your regular DVDs up to 1080i. It is widely regarded as the best upconverting DVD player on the market, for the price. The Toshiba's upconverting of DVDs is supposed to be slightly better. I witnessed a noticeable difference in the upconversion between the two players, with the Toshiba coming ahead.

2) Price - The price of this player is only $249.99. It is only $100 more than I spent on the Oppo player just a couple of months ago. The player comes with 5 free HD DVDs by mail, which will be a throw in to the already excellent player. I sold the Oppo player for $120 and I already had half of the player paid for. I bought the player at Costco as well, and they still have a lifetime warranty on DVD players.

3) I purchased a DVE HD/SD combo disc to calibrate my TV. The test tones that they use on the calibration disc are a full 1080p, and my TV looks amazing after the calibration.

4) Price of HD DVD titles. It is going to take another 6 months to a year for HD DVD/Bluray prices to really drop, but if you shop around, you can find good titles for around $10. I have already purchased Batman Begins, V for Vendetta, Serenity, etc. for around $10 shipped. I try to spend less than $6 per DVD, so spending $10 on an HD DVD isn't so bad when you look at it. I know people that spend much more than $10 on DVDs.

5) No longer concerned about the format war. Over the past few weeks, I have realized that the format war can be a good thing. The competition between the two formats has driven down prices on these players at an alarming rate. If Bluray were the only player around for example, there is no way that we would be able to see over a 50% price drop in these players in less a year's time. I also plan on purchasing a PS3 eventually for the game playing and Bluray capability, once the price is below $400.

6) Actually watching these movies made it a blast. I watched Batman Begins last night, and it made me love the movie even more. The blacks were amazing, (very important, as this is a dark movie by nature) the flesh tones were right on, and the movie itself is awesome. I am going to rewatch Serenity tonight, (with a tear in my eye) and the Matrix Trilogy over the weekend.


I really had planned on waiting for the format war to end, before jumping into the HD realm of DVDs. I am glad that I didn't. I equate this, to waiting on newer technologies of HDTVs before buying one. There will always be something better coming out in the future. There is still a huge lack of HD programming on TV, and watching HD DVDs, along with my existing SD collection, has made me a happy, happy man.

If anyone has an HDTV, I encourage you to buy an HD DVD/Bluray player.

 

[Chaplin]

Enjoy it. By this time next year, HD-DVD will be gone, or at least, pretty close to being gone.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Enjoy it. By this time next year, HD-DVD will be gone, or at least, pretty close to being gone.

I don't think so at all. They have sold 250,000 players in the past two weeks because of the $100 price drop.

This thing is far from over. If it does go down though, once I get the PS3, I won't have an issue with having a format that is no longer supported.

There is no difference between spending $250 for an HD DVD player, and $400 for a PS3, or spending $799 for a duel player that plays both formats.

The HD-A2/D2 is the best DVD player that I have had my hands on. I have had a Denon 3930 (standard DVD player, $1,499 retail, brand new, and doesn't even come out until September) connected to my setup for comparison purposes, and the D2 rivals everything that this $1500 player does.

 

[Treefiddy]

I don't think so at all. They have sold 250,000 players in the past two weeks because of the $100 price drop.

This thing is far from over.

Personally, I would have just waited for a clear winner rather than spending the money for two systems. I don't feel the need to be there with the technology at every turn.

But if we want to get into a debate on Blu-Ray or HD DVD, I think HD DVD will win in the end due to the price tag. Blu-Ray is before it's time and should have been saved to replace HD-DVD in my opinion.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Personally, I would have just waited for a clear winner rather than spending the money for two systems. I don't feel the need to be there with the technology at every turn.

But if we want to get into a debate on Blu-Ray or HD DVD, I think HD DVD will win in the end due to the price tag. Blu-Ray is before it's time and should have been saved to replace HD-DVD in my opinion.

I thought about that for a long time. Me buying an HD DVD player only cost a little more than $100 after selling my Oppo DVD player.

I have been tired of waiting, and do not regret my purchase at all. I know that there are a LOT of people that are satisfied with the picture quality of DVD. I am not. I can tell the difference between SD and HD on TV, and I can see the difference in DVD as well.

 

[abomb]

Enjoy it. By this time next year, HD-DVD will be gone, or at least, pretty close to being gone.

What is your reasoning?

 

[Chaplin]

Blu-Ray stats have been far and away higher than HD-DVD. My personal feeling is that Blu-Ray will win the battle, but Standard DVD will win the war.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Blu-Ray stats have been far and away higher than HD-DVD. My personal feeling is that Blu-Ray will win the battle, but Standard DVD will win the war.

Like what?

You truly sound like you have no idea what you are talking about, no offense. The only "stat" that Bluray has over HD DVD is that they have the capability of using BD50 (as in 50GB of data to be stored on the disc) where HD DVD uses 30GB in 2 layers. Most of the Blurays that are released aren't using BD50, but BD25. The failure rate of BD50 discs is still around 75%. That's right. 75% of the BD50 discs fail during production.

Bluray has been using outdated compression technologies...MPEG2, same as DVD encoding vs. the VC-1 encoding that HD DVD has been using on the majority of the discs, that is clearly better.

The studio support that Bluray has right now is important, but both Fox and Disney has been reluctant to release titles for Bluray. POTC has come out recently, but these titles were supposed to be Bluray launch titles.

Bluray may very well win the "war" but not because of the "stats" that you have failed to mention.

 

[Chaplin]

Like what?

You truly sound like you have no idea what you are talking about, no offense. The only "stat" that Bluray has over HD DVD is that they have the capability of using BD50 (as in 50GB of data to be stored on the disc) where HD DVD uses 30GB in 2 layers. Most of the Blurays that are released aren't using BD50, but BD25. The failure rate of BD50 discs is still around 75%. That's right. 75% of the BD50 discs fail during production.

Bluray has been using outdated compression technologies...MPEG2, same as DVD encoding vs. the VC-1 encoding that HD DVD has been using on the majority of the discs, that is clearly better.

The studio support that Bluray has right now is important, but both Fox and Disney has been reluctant to release titles for Bluray. POTC has come out recently, but these titles were supposed to be Bluray launch titles.

Bluray may very well win the "war" but not because of the "stats" that you have failed to mention.

Excuse me? Wow, didn't expect you to pick a fight.

Statistics, as in SALES STATISTICS. Blu-Ray has consistently outsold HD-DVD. Only 1 studio (Universal) has all their support into HD-DVD, the rest are either both (like Warner Bros.) or only Blu-Ray (Fox and Sony). Warner Bros. used to be only HD-DVD, but they saw the numbers and changed to supporting both.

To tell you the truth, the only reason that HD-DVD is still around is because of a) the XBOX 360, and b) it appears to be the format of choice for the porn industry. But how long is that going to last? The porn industry is moving to do all it's distribution online, and sooner or later, the 360 will stop selling. And I'll be the first to say, the reason Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD has nothing to do with the colossal waste of money called the PS3.

Check out this article, and then come back and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. To be honest, it's upsetting that you are picking a fight like this.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/soapbox/soap060107.html

 

[azsouthendzone]

I bought the HD DVD add on two months a go for the XBOX 360 and it is awesome. Dreamcast adds many good points. either you can sit on the side and not experience it, or you can. If you are waiting for teh format war to end, well you will be waiting a LONG time. The time and money invested by all parties involved is enough to keep them both around. The war has dropped the prices acrosss the board so it is a good thing. HD DVD movies are a dramatic improvement over regular DVDs. It makes watching movies that much better, and for $200 the investment isn't very extreme.

as far as the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray thing, the PS3 is failing badly, and the PS3 is literally the only hope for Blu-ray. You can go back and forth on this all you want, but it really doesn't matter much. what it boils down to is either you can enjoy now or wait for a resolution that probably won't come.

DCR- watch King Kong man. It is out of control. Its practically 3-D.

 

[azsouthendzone]

To tell you the truth, the only reason that HD-DVD is still around is because of a) the XBOX 360, and b) it appears to be the format of choice for the porn industry. But how long is that going to last? The porn industry is moving to do all it's distribution online, and sooner or later, the 360 will stop selling. And I'll be the first to say, the reason Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD has nothing to do with the colossal waste of money called the PS3.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/soapbox/soap060107.html

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That shows you know absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. To say that HD DVD is around because of the attachment for the 360 is absurd. To say the only reason Blu-Ray is around is because of the failing PS3 is dead on. EVERYONE KNOWS THIS. IT IS INDUSTRY FACT. Until a few weeks ago the PS3 was the only Blu-ray player under $1k! Looks like you buy into anything Sony spins at you (i.e. shipped figures vs. sales figures). The HD-DVD version of Planet earth CRUSHED the PS3 errrr, Blu-ray version is SALES. HD-DVD owners, who are the majority non-Xbox owners, buy movies. Only 1 of 3 PS3 owners have even bought a Blu-Ray movie. Go do some research then come back with that weak stuff. You lost literally ALL credibility with that post.

And the 360 will sell fine because unlike the PS3 it is built for gaming. Movies are an afterthought. Please tell me you weren't serious with that post.


www.hidefdigest.com

 

[Chaplin]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That shows you know absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. To say that HD DVD is around because of the attachment for the 360 is absurd. To say the only reason Blu-Ray is around is because of the failing PS3 is dead on. EVERYONE KNOWS THIS. IT IS INDUSTRY FACT. Until a few weeks ago the PS3 was the only Blu-ray player under $1k! Looks like you buy into anything Sony spins at you (i.e. shipped figures vs. sales figures). The HD-DVD version of Planet earth CRUSHED the PS3 errrr, Blu-ray version is SALES. HD-DVD owners, who are the majority non-Xbox owners, buy movies. Only 1 of 3 PS3 owners have even bought a Blu-Ray movie. Go do some research then come back with that weak stuff. You lost literally ALL credibility with that post.

And the 360 will sell fine because unlike the PS3 it is built for gaming. Movies are an afterthought. Please tell me you weren't serious with that post.


www.hidefdigest.com

Who are you? I never said anything like your saying. The PS3 is a failure, but if you base everything Blu-Ray on that, how do you explain the huge gap in sales numbers for the formats? And I have said this exact same thing for the last year and a half, and outside of decent player sales, there is no reason whatsoever to change my opinion.

I never said anything bad about the 360. In fact, it's my opinion that it is the best system out there, but it will NOT keep HD-DVD afloat. It just won't. To think otherwise is naive homerism for Microsoft.

You work for Microsoft, don't you? Because considering I live and work in the industry in LA, and NOT in Mesa, Arizona, I think I have some validity. Why is it so easy for you to discount things and call me stupid?

Just look at that site you quoted--there is AMPLE evidence on that site alone that Blu-Ray is doing MUCH better than HD-DVD. Just look at it!

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Excuse me? Wow, didn't expect you to pick a fight.

Well, misinformation is bound to cause an argument.

Statistics, as in SALES STATISTICS. Blu-Ray has consistently outsold HD-DVD. Only 1 studio (Universal) has all their support into HD-DVD, the rest are either both (like Warner Bros.) or only Blu-Ray (Fox and Sony). Warner Bros. used to be only HD-DVD, but they saw the numbers and changed to supporting both.

Yes, I did mention studio support, but guess what. Take a look at one fact, from the article YOU posted.

HD-DVD - 207 titles released, plus 54 more announced. Blu-ray - 241 titles released with 40 more announced.

That tells you that the amount of movies released on both formats are nearly identical.

They use the "Pirates have sold more than the Matrix trilogy" argument, but guess what. Most people hate the 2nd and 3rd movies in the Matrix trilogy. You cannot buy them separately. That same hatred does not move across to the Pirates movies, although the 1st one is considered to be the best of that trilogy too.

To tell you the truth, the only reason that HD-DVD is still around is because of a) the XBOX 360, and b) it appears to be the format of choice for the porn industry. But how long is that going to last? The porn industry is moving to do all it's distribution online, and sooner or later, the 360 will stop selling. And I'll be the first to say, the reason Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD has nothing to do with the colossal waste of money called the PS3.

This must be the most incorrect statement that you have EVER said. Do you have any idea how many Bluray stand alone players have been sold? Flat out false. Roughly 94% of the Bluray players on the market are the PS3, but that has nothing to do with reason Bluray has sold more copies of certain titles than HD DVD.

Check out this article, and then come back and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. To be honest, it's upsetting that you are picking a fight like this.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/soapbox/soap060107.html

This article is like reading something from TBN, the Washington Post, or something in the P&R forum. It is slanted. The fact that you cannot see that, is troubling.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

oh, azsouthendzone. I plan on grabbing King Kong, but when I find it cheaper. I am still a tightwad, and when I find it or around $10 or a little more, I will pick it up.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

There are disc production costs, and player production costs that I haven't even brought up.

"An HD DVD replication line costs about €800,000 and you can make 40,000 discs a day on it. A Blu-Ray replication line costs €1.7m or €1.8m and you can make 10,000 to 15,000 discs a day."

HD DVD uses the existing DVD technologies, making production costs much, much lower.

Like I said, Bluray may win this war, but it will be at least 2 years from now. For some DVD may be enough to wait. For me, it is not. For me to spend roughly $100 extra for an HD DVD player to have HD content and have a SOLID standard DVD player is plenty worth it to me. The PS3 will be in my household eventually, so no matter what happens, I will not have to worry about the format war any longer, and I can enjoy HD content.

I feel strongly about presenting correct information, and I truly don't care who wins the war. I will have both of them, and my viewing eyes and ears will be thankful that I haven't waited.

 

[Chaplin]

That tells you that the amount of movies released on both formats are nearly identical.

You do know that Blu-Ray was released almost a FULL YEAR after HD-DVD, right? Don't you think that's a valuable bit of information?

They use the "Pirates have sold more than the Matrix trilogy" argument, but guess what. Most people hate the 2nd and 3rd movies in the Matrix trilogy. You cannot buy them separately. That same hatred does not move across to the Pirates movies, although the 1st one is considered to be the best of that trilogy too.

That is based entirely on your opinion.

This must be the most incorrect statement that you have EVER said. Do you have any idea how many Bluray stand alone players have been sold? Flat out false. Roughly 94% of the Bluray players on the market are the PS3, but that has nothing to do with reason Bluray has sold more copies of certain titles than HD DVD.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

Blu-Ray ranks higher in every single category. Yes, set-top players for HD-DVD are outselling Blu-Ray. I never disputed that. And yes, I probably under-valued the PS3 in the sales war. So for that, I apologize. But my point remains the same.

This article is like reading something from TBN, the Washington Post, or something in the P&R forum. It is slanted. The fact that you cannot see that, is troubling.

How is it slanted? The writers of the article (which are some of the most respected home video gurus in the industry) have no financial stake in whether Blu-Ray beats out HD-DVD. They look at SALES figures and go by that. They are opinionated from reviewing dozens of hi-def titles in both formats, but if their reviews come out with more positives for Blu-Ray, how can they be faulted? Do you have a huge $30,000 system to test on like they do?

Call me names or do whatever it is you guys feel like doing, but I never once said that one was better than the other. I personally don't like either one right now. I merely said that due to sales rankings that are quantifiable, HD-DVD is the odd format out. That's all I said, but instead you and your buddy decided to make this personal.

 

[Chaplin]

There are disc production costs, and player production costs that I haven't even brought up.



HD DVD uses the existing DVD technologies, making production costs much, much lower.

Like I said, Bluray may win this war, but it will be at least 2 years from now. For some DVD may be enough to wait. For me, it is not. For me to spend roughly $100 extra for an HD DVD player to have HD content and have a SOLID standard DVD player is plenty worth it to me. The PS3 will be in my household eventually, so no matter what happens, I will not have to worry about the format war any longer, and I can enjoy HD content.

I feel strongly about presenting correct information, and I truly don't care who wins the war. I will have both of them, and my viewing eyes and ears will be thankful that I haven't waited.

I merely said that I don't think it will survive. This is coming from someone who is in the industry in Los Angeles, has over 2000 DVDs, AND was a casualty of the Laserdisc years, which is eerily similar to the hi-def war. You seem to think I am insulting you by saying that Blu-Ray is so much better, and I not once said that--I only said that due to sales numbers, there will be a point where HD-DVD will not be made anymore due to studios not getting the revenue from them.

And right now, in 2007, the fact that Blu-Ray can hold so much more doesn't really mean much, there have been very, very few that take advantage of the formats other than picture and sound so far. But when extra features become more geared towards the hi-def discs, we'll start seeing differences between the two formats because Blu-Ray can offer more. However, IMO, we probably won't see that day since HD-DVD might be obsolete by that time.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

You do know that Blu-Ray was released almost a FULL YEAR after HD-DVD, right? Don't you think that's a valuable bit of information?

Do you know that Bluray was delayed by nearly a year because of production costs and failures? Don't you think that's a valuable bit of information?

That is based entirely on your opinion.

So is the initial article that you posted. IT'S A FREAKING BLOG! What is your point exactly?

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

Blu-Ray ranks higher in every single category. Yes, set-top players for HD-DVD are outselling Blu-Ray. I never disputed that. And yes, I probably under-valued the PS3 in the sales war. So for that, I apologize. But my point remains the same.

Are you kidding me? Do you even know how to read that chart? The #1 sales ranking that I clicked on was Planet Earth. The Amazon sales rank for this on Bluray is 20th. Guess what HD DVD is? 5th. How are they winning in every category?

How is it slanted? The writers of the article (which are some of the most respected home video gurus in the industry) have no financial stake in whether Blu-Ray beats out HD-DVD. They look at SALES figures and go by that. They are opinionated from reviewing dozens of hi-def titles in both formats, but if their reviews come out with more positives for Blu-Ray, how can they be faulted? Do you have a huge $30,000 system to test on like they do?

You are right, the professionals there do not have any financial stake on which format war wins, but TDB picked a winner, before the formats were even announced. How can you use SALES figures for their argument, before any player was out on the market?

Call me names or do whatever it is you guys feel like doing, but I never once said that one was better than the other. I personally don't like either one right now. I merely said that due to sales rankings that are quantifiable, HD-DVD is the odd format out. That's all I said, but instead you and your buddy decided to make this personal.

I'm not making it personal, I have just stated that you have been flat out wrong in some of your points.

You will probably be like most everyone else, and watch from the sidelines, but you have picked a side based off of skewed information. You may want to do some more research if you do decide to make a plunge though.

 

[Linderbee]

 

[abomb]

I'm going Beta all the way. There is no way it misses.

 

[D-Dogg]

I'm going Beta all the way. There is no way it misses.

Superior technology wins every time.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I'm going Beta all the way. There is no way it misses.

Superior technology wins every time.

Sony wins all the time too. Uhhh. Nevermind.

I can't wait to watch Serenity tonight.

 

[Chaplin]

Do you know that Bluray was delayed by nearly a year because of production costs and failures? Don't you think that's a valuable bit of information?



So is the initial article that you posted. IT'S A FREAKING BLOG! What is your point exactly?



Are you kidding me? Do you even know how to read that chart? The #1 sales ranking that I clicked on was Planet Earth. The Amazon sales rank for this on Bluray is 20th. Guess what HD DVD is? 5th. How are they winning in every category?



You are right, the professionals there do not have any financial stake on which format war wins, but TDB picked a winner, before the formats were even announced. How can you use SALES figures for their argument, before any player was out on the market?


I'm not making it personal, I have just stated that you have been flat out wrong in some of your points.

You will probably be like most everyone else, and watch from the sidelines, but you have picked a side based off of skewed information. You may want to do some more research if you do decide to make a plunge though.

You're obviously not reading a word I'm writing since you're taking this so personally. Sorry for that, considering all I originally wrote was that HD-DVD wasn't going to last--an opinion of which you have said "could" happen. I don't see why you had to get all uppity about it. Usually I'm the one that's being accused of that.

 

[Chaplin]

Sony wins all the time too. Uhhh. Nevermind.

I can't wait to watch Serenity tonight.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SONY! To say that the only reason I pick Blu-Ray because it is made by Sony is lame--that has nothing to do with it.

 

[Chaplin]

I'm going Beta all the way. There is no way it misses.

Maybe you can go laserdisc after that too.