I made the HD DVD plunge, should you?

[azsouthendzone]

Well, it looks like I may have a PS3 to go with the HD DVD player by the end of the day.

what kind of deal did you get/ $400???

 

[dreamcastrocks]

what kind of deal did you get/ $400???

I traded my Wii + controllers + 3 games for it.

 

[azsouthendzone]

I traded my Wii + controllers + 3 games for it.

You got rid of the Wii? what happened?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

You got rid of the Wii? what happened?

Nothing happened, I wanted the BluRay player mostly, and a buddy of mine wants to sell me his Wii for $150. I figure if once I get the Wii back, it will only cost me $150 + 2 Wiimotes + 3 games for a PS3 with NBA2K7 and 5 Bluray movies.

It is an awesome deal.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Father of Sony PlayStation steps down

I posted this in another area, but thought it might pertain to the PS3 arguments here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070619/ap_on_hi_te/japan_sony

By HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago



TOKYO - The chief architect of Sony's PlayStation game console stepped down Tuesday as the Japanese company struggles to defend its dominance in the video game industry and revive its reputation as an electronics pioneer.

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Ken Kutaragi, 56, retired as Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s chairman and group chief executive, the gaming unit said Tuesday. The unit is now headed by Kazuo Hirai, SCE's former president and chief operating officer.

Kutaragi had already been relieved of day-to-day responsibilities as president last year but stayed on as chief executive and chairman. In April, he announced his intention to retire from those positions this month.

Though no longer a board member, Kutaragi will hold an advisory post at the gaming unit, according to SCE official Sayoka Henmi.

The departure of Kutaragi, an icon among gamers, marks the end of an era at Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). that saw the company dominate the video game industry with its flagship PlayStation consoles.

But it also highlights troubles amid a series of blunders over the rollout of its PlayStation 3 and intense competition from Nintendo Co.'s Wii console and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Kutaragi's most recent brainchild, the PlayStation 3, has been marred by embarrassing production shortages and a $600 price tag that some fans said was too steep. It went on sale late last year.

Tokyo-based Sony shipped 5.5 million PS3 machines in the fiscal year through March 31, fewer than the 6 million the company had targeted. Nintendo shipped 5.84 million Wii consoles worldwide during the same period.

The PS3's hefty startup costs have weighed heavily on the company's fight to drive up profit in its core electronics division. Sony is not expecting to post a profit in its game business until the fiscal year ending March 2009.

The flop has added to the woes facing the maker of the iconic Walkman, which has ceded its leadership in portable music players to Apple Inc.'s iPod.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

How does the Blockbuster announcement change the BR vs. HD DVD landscape? Next month Blockbuster will only offer BR discs for HD customers. They said that, so far, 70% of their HD rentals have been BR.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

How does the Blockbuster announcement change the BR vs. HD DVD landscape? Next month Blockbuster will only offer BR discs for HD customers. They said that, so far, 70% of their HD rentals have been BR.

I don't know how much it really changes things. Blockbuster B&M stores have been going downhill for the past 5 years, and would have gone bankrupt by now, if they hadn't moved online, a la Netflix.

For those that still rent video's this way, I don't understand how. It just isn't cost effective. For a couple dollars more than the cost of a rental, you could own the movie outright.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

btw, I am loving both my PS3 and HD DVD player.

I honestly feel that the HD DVD player has a better picture. (from the 10 or so HD DVDs/Blurays that I have seen) I have not watched either of the Pirates movies yet, and they are supposed to be the best that Bluray has to offer so far. I probably should withhold all judgement until then.

So far, I'd give the HD DVD player a 9.5, and the Bluray player (PS3) an 8.

 

[conraddobler]

Eh, most likely they'll call it a draw and develop dual format players.

Both sides are being stubborn, unless one side makes a real end run it's pretty much a war that's just a standoff

 

[azsouthendzone]

Blockbuster online will still offer HD DVD. I can't remember the last time I actually went to Blockbuster Video. I'm betting Sony paid them a certain amount of money to come out and say this.

 

[Chaplin]

Regardless which side "wins", it's looking more and more like High Def DVD will remain a niche market--the next "DVD" will probably be hi-def downloading from the internet.

 

[azsouthendzone]

Regardless which side "wins", it's looking more and more like High Def DVD will remain a niche market--the next "DVD" will probably be hi-def downloading from the internet.

That would be fine by me.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Regardless which side "wins", it's looking more and more like High Def DVD will remain a niche market--the next "DVD" will probably be hi-def downloading from the internet.

I agree with this. There are still a ton of people that can't see the difference between SD and HD.

I watched the Matrix Trilogy within the past week and the visuals on it were eyepopping. I almost wished I would have moved into HD sooner. In fact, I will probably drop my cable HD service until football season starts.

 

[abomb]

Regardless which side "wins", it's looking more and more like High Def DVD will remain a niche market--the next "DVD" will probably be hi-def downloading from the internet.

Yep.

Is the movie content on Xbox Live HD? I think it is.

I wonder if iTunes offers HD DVD content for iTV or whatever that box is called.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Yep.

Is the movie content on Xbox Live HD? I think it is.

I wonder if iTunes offers HD DVD content for iTV or whatever that box is called.

Not all of it, but some of it is.

 

[Covert Rain]

Based on what happened in the CD recordable format wars, I just don't think Blu-Ray or HD DVD is going to be over any time soon. This is far from over and HD DVD still has way to much support to fold up anytime soon.

It's funny because I don't think necessarily hardware or software by itself will decide the format was as much as whoever gets to the magical price point first and markets the hell out of it. HD DVD is cheaper and fast approaching the average joe price point. Can or will Sony match that? It is completely premature to call any format "niche" or having a clear advantage. All the facts right now point towards it being a virtual 50/50 split.

Not to mention that if studios starting using the combo Blu Ray / HD DVD media and the allegiances go away then everything can change again and then this war comes down to the hardware and pricing again.

Personally, I am actually going to buy one of the new dual format players very soon. I am waiting on 2nd gen dual format player then I will run down and plunk down the cake. I could care less who wins as along as i get my movies in 1080p glory.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Personally, I am actually going to buy one of the new dual format players very soon. I am waiting on 2nd gen dual format player then I will run down and plunk down the cake. I could care less who wins as along as i get my movies in 1080p glory.

Here was my logic for buying what I bought. A duel player will cost you about $800. If you combine buying an HD-A2 for $249, and a PS3 which will cost $599, you come out just about even. Although now, you have a PS3 to play games with as a bonus.

 

[azsouthendzone]

You can download HD DVD and Blu Ray rips in WMV-HD, 720p, Dolby Digital, from newsgroups, and play them on Xbox 360, or so I've heard....

 

[dreamcastrocks]

You can download HD DVD and Blu Ray rips in WMV-HD, 720p, Dolby Digital, from newsgroups, and play them on Xbox 360, or so I've heard....

I used to be in the "ripping" scene (games) many years ago and decided that it wasn't worth my time. Spending $5 for a DVD or $10 for an HDDVD/Bluray is worth way more than sitting at my computer for hours trying to download subpar quality movies/games.

 

[azsouthendzone]

I used to be in the "ripping" scene (games) many years ago and decided that it wasn't worth my time. Spending $5 for a DVD or $10 for an HDDVD/Bluray is worth way more than sitting at my computer for hours trying to download subpar quality movies/games.

Sub par? Not that sub par. Nowhere near the days of downloading some bad camcorder shot.. Its just an option for those who think the prices of these discs/ players are too high.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Sub par? Not that sub par. Nowhere near the days of downloading some bad camcorder shot.. Its just an option for those who think the prices of these discs/ players are too high.

I am sure that bootleg movies are just fine for some people, just like DVD will be fine for some people for a long, long time. Just not me if I can help it.(depending on the source material)

I'm pretty cheap overall. If you search for the right deal, you can do very well for yourselves, even with current prices. Once Columbia House starts their Bluray/HDDVD clubs later in the year, my library will expand greatly I'm sure.

 

[Covert Rain]

Interesting article.

Gadgets Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-on Sells 155,000 Units in U.S.
Marcus Yam (Blog) - June 25, 2007 7:13 AM

Xbox 360 HD DVD drive more popular than standalone drives

The HD DVD Group announced in April that it had sold over 100,000 players in the U.S. in its first year of availability. The numbers only represented standalone players, and did not include sales of HD DVD PC drives or the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.
A Microsoft representative told CNET UK that 155,000 Xbox 360 HD DVD add-ons have been sold in the U.S., making it the “biggest-selling accessory” ever sold for the console. By “biggest-selling,” Microsoft may be referring to the overall revenue, as it would seem unlikely that the HD DVD add-on would be more popular than extra controllers. Each HD DVD drive retails for around $200.
Even with the combination of standalone HD DVD players and the Xbox 360 add-on, the overall number of HD DVD-capable players is less than the total number of Blu-ray playing machines. The difference between those two, however, is that every HD DVD player or drive is purchased with the intention of playing movies. On the other hand, not every Blu-ray machine is (with the majority of them being PlayStation 3 consoles) purchased for movies.
Even though there is more Blu-ray hardware in the hands of consumers, the HD DVD side averages more movies sold per machine. According to CNET, an average of one disc per Blu-ray machine is sold, compared to four discs per HD DVD machine. Nevertheless, overall disc sales for 2007 are still in favor of Blu-ray.

http://www.dailytech.com/Xbox 360 HD DVD Addon Sells 155000 Units in US/article7795c.htm

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I have about 9 HD DVDs and about 4 Blurays. So I guess their theories have weight behind them. Even with only one major studio exclusive, (Universal) there are more HDDVDs that I want to own, vs. Bluray.

 

[Shane]

Well dreamcast I followed in your footsteps I bought an HD DVD player today its the HD-A2 I picked it up on E-Bay. Hopefully I wont pay for getting it used. I payed 179.00 I cant wait to get it.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Well dreamcast I followed in your footsteps I bought an HD DVD player today its the HD-A2 I picked it up on E-Bay. Hopefully I wont pay for getting it used. I payed 179.00 I cant wait to get it.

A few bits of advice.

First, do not be alarmed about the boot up times of this player. It takes about 25-30 seconds before you get control of the DVD player. I would just turn on the A2 first, and then the rest of your devices.

Second, Make sure that you update the firmware. It is simple to do, and well worth it.

Third, to show off the system, get Planet Earth, or the Matrix Trilogy. The first movie of the Matrix is obviously the best movie, but the sequels actually look the best.

Finally, make sure that you get your movies from Buy.com. You can get $10 off of your first order, and that can let you get quite a few movies for about $11 or $12 shipped. If you signup with a new email address everytime, you can get $10 off over and over again, I have done it about 10 times now without an issue.

Enjoy.