Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25GB, which can be used to record over 2 hours of HDTV or more than 13 hours of standard-definition TV. There are also dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB. Blu-ray is expected to replace VCRs and DVD recorders with the transition to HDTV over the coming years. The format is also likely to become a standard for PC data storage and HD movies in the future.
That said, who here thinks that this is the definite future of DVD, or just a fad? VHS has been around for 20+ years, and although it is slowly dwindling and dying away, it has had a lengthy run. Why shouldn't DVD have the same? Does this mean that with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD seeping into the format scene, we're gonna have to start all over with our libraries of movies since they won't be the "norm"?

Regular DVD isn't going anywhere. It's not like it'll be phased out, considering a large percentage of the US alone is just now moving on from VHS. HD-DVD is just a treat for those who can afford it.

It just worries me that soon all media will be HD, and therefore we'll be forced to buy new products that are compatable, and I don't see any reason to upgrade just yet. Blu-Ray seems like nice idea, but I agree that the public is just now settling into the transition from VHS to DVD.

I remember an episode of The Simpsons where Homer and Bart are at the dump. They walk past a pile dedicated to BETA tapes. Then a pile of VHS tapes. Then there's a sign "Reserved for DVDs".

Anyway, I hope Blu-Ray will die out with the laser disc.

Logically, I think DVD should live longer than VHS. I never invested into VHS. Movies were eventually going to go to TV which I would would just record onto a blank VHS. I would get the same exact thing and save space because you can fit an average of three movies on one VHS tape. So my store-bought VHS collection consists of about ten movies. However, I've invested a lot into DVDs. Quality, features, etc. has encouraged me to. If there are a lot of people like me, DVD should live a long time, it's in higher demand than VHS ever was.

Still, hearing about Blu-Ray worries me.

If it does become big, the things better play original dvds!

This doesn't worry me. DVDs will be around for ages to come. There is no need for a change. Unless there is something drastically different from DVD. Even then it's far too soon and stupid because there is nothing wrong with DVDs.

It's the future yes, but right now most people don't have HD TV's so regular DVDs will stay around.

^^^True, I own a widescreen HDTV, but I haven't even had it for 3 months.

The PS3 are going to use Blu Ray

I think DVD's will definately stay around for a lot longer, even with Blu-Ray/HDDVD.

1. You will need an HDTV to use either format, which not everyone can afford, even the smaller sets.

2. The players themselves are going to cost an arm and a leg for years to come until the price drops, even then I fear it's still going to be expensive.

3. What use is a larger capacity on the discs? The only use I see is fiting a series of movies onto one disc instead of multiple. It's not like studios will dig up tons of behind the scene features to fill the disc up, most studios have a hard time filling current DVD's up with goodies.

4. Hopefully when the big transition happens to the new formats, the players can be capable of also playing current DVD's. Since they use different lasers to read them, maybe have a side by side DVD/Blu-Ray player or maybe even some mechanics on the inside that read whether or not the disc is one format or the other and uses the appropriate laser.

People thought DVD's would go out when mini-disks were released.. now I never see mini-disks.

Its all just another way of getting us to cash in yet again. Like do you realise something like 25% of HD tvs sold will not be able to play HD tv or HD dvds? Its all a bloomin con! I nearly bought a huge badboy tv last year but after reading about all the dodgey HD tvs sold im staying put untill they can be trusted

Originally posted by LanceWindu
1. You will need an HDTV to use either format, which not everyone can afford, even the smaller sets.
In 2009, TV stations are all required to switch over to HD, making analog TVs useless unless you have cable or satellite.

bit of a cheak realy aint it

I looked up the prices on Amazon just now. Blu-Ray players will go for $999.99 and HD-DVD players for $599.99. All the titles I saw were an average of $20.

If these prices don't drop fast, I think these will die out.

Also, the covers are UGLY.

Apparently you will not notice much of a difference(or any difference) in the film quality, unlike when it went from video to dvd.

Yeah. You really don't. Unless you can afford HD-TV. Sony's going to shove HD-DVD down everyone's throat.

The thing is alot of people still have 100's of movies on VHS . Dvd is still new for me . I hope they both lose even if the price comes down !!!

Long live DVD

I don't know what will win but i'd like to see blu-ray do well. Burning 25 gigs single layer and 50 gigs duel layer sound nice to me. Whole seasons on one disk. Back up my HD in 4 disk.

I like the idea of blu-ray but it all depends on what caches on in the end.

A lot of people don't have high hopes for either, more for the collectors/gadget mad really. Plus the dvd cases are ugly as hell.

Originally posted by MildPossession
Plus the dvd cases are ugly as hell.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so.

Originally posted by MildPossession
Plus the dvd cases are ugly as hell.

100% agree. I just happened to see a Blu-ray showcase and I thought it delivered imagery that was brilliant then I saw the packaging and I thought "F*ck that". Plus, it's expensive as hell. I doubt Blu-ray will be the one to take off anyway. Especially since HD-DVD has an exclusive contract with Universal which will cut Blu-ray out of a part of the industry.

Poor Sony, their the Germany of formats. They lost the first Format War and I think they'll lose the second. Then again, The PS3 does play Blu-ray so that could save it. Who knows anyway it's too soon to judge.

Ugh. Next generation is killing me.

Recent article said that the Blu-ray player i nthe PS3 drives up the prices of the console by $200 or more, and that people don't like not having a choice. Where as the HD add on for the 360 is seperate, and little under $200.

Personally, I'm still holding out for a HD-DVD player one of these days, but I hardly watch movies anymore, so I'm in no real hurry.

Do we have to buy a HD tv + player to get the best picture ? Cant we use our dvd players ? Thanks

Originally posted by coolmovies
Do we have to buy a HD tv + player to get the best picture ? Cant we use our dvd players ? Thanks

You get better picture with HD-TV if the movie runs in HD. You also get better picture with HD-TV becuase the TV's are newer. But to get best all around picture you would want Blu-ray or HD-dvd with a 1080p tv. MMMmmmm so nice look.

1080p sets don't come any smaller than 46", and that will set you back atleast $2,000 or more, depending on the brand. To be perfectly honest, if you get anything above a 50", you may as well get a screen and projector, unless you have a gargantuan living room, and a 7.1 surround set up, it's overkill.

A very illuminating article and review on HD DVD player for the Xbox 360:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Microsoft_Xbox_360_HD_DVD_player/4505-6463_7-32138037.html?subj=fdba&part=rss&tag=MR_Search+Results

Worth a read!

Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
A very illuminating article and review on HD DVD player for the Xbox 360:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Microsoft_Xbox_360_HD_DVD_player/4505-6463_7-32138037.html?subj=fdba&part=rss&tag=MR_Search+Results

Worth a read!

Still no HDMI and no 1080p I'm not getting it for my xbox

Blu-ray isn't 1080p, either. Hell, for those who own 1080i sets like me, PS3 scales 1080I DOWN to 480p.

Negative.



That's been the biggest selling scam in the whole BR campaign. The players don't display in 1080p, they down convert 1080p signals to 1080, then display it in an "upscaled" 1080p signal. It loses progressive resolution, and ultimately displays softer, which would be the same as 1080i.

Sound and Vision Magazine



The 360 add on does 1080p through component cables, but most TV's aren't set up for that, anyway. Probably take care of that in the future. I actually have a set of Monster Cables that I run from my tv to my HD-DVR box that work better than the HDMI cable I had running from my TV to the upscaling DVD player.

That is just one blu-ray player. They all arn't going to be like that.

That's indicitative of all the Samsung's right now, including the PS3.

Originally posted by The Core
That's indicitative of all the Samsung's right now, including the PS3. And in 5 years that will not be the case.

I saw the snowman on a HDTV. The picture improves alot if u watch a dvd on a HDTV .

http://practical-tech.com/entertainment/blu-ray-hd-dvd-or-none-of-the-above/



this article is dated by a couple of months, but i decided to post it.
could it be that whoever wins the format 'wars' will ultimately share defeat?
this article speculates something which makes alot of sense to me.

the apple iTV, which will be coming out shortly, will work on the same principal as the ipod. so, rather than have removable media, you could download movies at 480 resolution (yeah i know thats not true hd, but thats irrelevant).
so, the movies will likely be cheaper than dvds, will be stored in a hard drive, and all available instantly...not to mention that music/internet would most likely be able to be integrated into it as well.

the point is, (assuming bandwidth wont be an issue) its more practicle. imho such a system would turn the media format industry upside down in the same way as mp3s have effected the record industry.

http://practical-tech.com/entertainment/apples-itv-may-be-just-what-we-need

so the question: do you believe that in the next 10 years we will still be using disk format media for movies or will it turn exclusively digital? and for the hell of it, if you believe disk format will prevail, which one will?

HD-DVD/Blu Ray Thread

yeah, this is a specific poll.
bluray, hddvd, or downloadable media

please disregard the last post. we are experienceing merger confusion.

http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2125467.ece

Sorry if this is old news. I thought I'd throw it out there for those that didn't hear about this.

Thats just good news for the consumer. It would be nice of both HD-dvd and Blu-ray won the war.

Why do they still call it a dvd player?

"LG Electronics plans to launch a DVD player that will run both types of discs"

Because that's what it plays?

Anyway, the story is null and void, since the hybrid player has already been pulled, and pre-orders have been cancelled. It turns out that the LG player does NOT support HD-DVD features, just the movie. Meaning, you can't access anything other than the film

Maybe next year.

I heard blu ray or hd dvd is a backward format what does that mean ??
I hope non of the formats win and yes i want dvds to live longer then vhs

Here it is - the dual Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player.

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/superblu/?logon=&langid=EN

Nobodies going to pay $1,200 for that thing.

Originally posted by Wolfie
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so.

Yup they're really hideous.

In the HMV near me the HD DVD and Blu-ray section is only like one "block" (whatever it is). Only a very small percentage of the population must actually buy them. They're way too expensive, and as many people have mentioned you have to have all the other equipment to go with it which costs a fortune. I'm pefectly happy with DVDs and I think that speaks for the majority.

Originally posted by The Core
Nobodies going to pay $1,200 for that thing.

Yes, only the ones with more money than brains.

$1500 Canadian? I'm not looking again until they drop to at least $300.

In the meantime, I'm happy with my upgrading HDMI player.

on the first page, many people were speaking as though Blue Ray and HD-DVD won't catch on (which is true for the majority)........but they attribute it to not everybody owning an HDTV.

Have you guys watched dvds on HDTV? They look fantastic. I haven't watched Blue Ray.....but the difference from HD-DVD to DVD on a HDTV is about a 5% improvement, mainly in contrast/sharpness. I'll keep using my Xbox to watch dvds on my LCD until the price of either of the new HD mediums are $60 for a player and $15 for the disc. There is absolutely no reason at all to go for the new HD mediums with such a big price difference compared to the very low quality improvement.

basicly......if you want a dvd that you can access the menus while you're still watching the movie, pay double for a HDDVD or a BR disc........but quality isn't an issue.

Originally posted by Evil Dead
on the first page, many people were speaking as though Blue Ray and HD-DVD won't catch on (which is true for the majority)........but they attribute it to not everybody owning an HDTV.

Have you guys watched dvds on HDTV? They look fantastic. I haven't watched Blue Ray.....but the difference from HD-DVD to DVD on a HDTV is about a 5% improvement, mainly in contrast/sharpness. I'll keep using my Xbox to watch dvds on my LCD until the price of either of the new HD mediums are $60 for a player and $15 for the disc. There is absolutely no reason at all to go for the new HD mediums with such a big price difference compared to the very low quality improvement.

basicly......if you want a dvd that you can access the menus while you're still watching the movie, pay double for a HDDVD or a BR disc........but quality isn't an issue.

Oooh I didn't realise you could access the menu while watching the movie, that's cool.

Just to let you guys know that blue ray and HD players can play dvds so you dont have to start your collection all over again . In a few years time we will all have a HD player and HD tv and wont be complaining about how expensive it is . I have seen the differance between Dvd and HD its mind blowing very sharp pic quilty !!

Ohh and Sky HD

I've seen all the demonstrations of HD, going into major electronics stores. They will have an HD-DVD or Blu-ray movie playing ( King Kong, Batman Begins etc.), playing off a HD or Blu-ray player on a HD TV. Looking at it, I wonder if the picture isn't 'unnaturally' sharp & bright - the picture quality more like a video game, and less film-like. I like DVDs that reporduce the film quality, with slighty soft focus and some blurry feeling to the edges. Just because an image is completely exact doesn't mean it's better to look at, for me.
The image quality from my HDMI player still gives me that quality of projected film, with the touches of grain and focus.

Apparently Blu Ray is blowing HD dvds away.

Based on what?

Based on blogs, articles, and word of mouth. Example:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20070423/tc_nf/51707

I don't see this race over anytime soon...(but that's just me personally)

It's because of studio support, can't be much else, considering now HD-DVD players a mere $400, and most places are offering 4 HD-DVD movies for FREE with purchase, a $125 dollar value.

I stopped caring along time ago about the formats, personally. It's just interesting to see what transpires, especially with the hybrid player on its way.

I still feel there is a long way to go. Wal-mart will be offering a HD DVD players at lower costs pretty soon. Wal-Mart practically help boosted sales for HD TV last year.

In the video game sector the recently discontinue 20GB PS3 could also change things...that was practically the cheapest blu-ray player available.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/783/783545p1.html

Apparently it's pretty close still.

If we look at it in terms of technical evolution, I think that storage capacity and downloading/compression technologies are moving most quickly and in a way that will not have you married to choosing a particular hardware platform.

Lets face it, we're all already committed to having a PC and most of them are upgradeable in terms of storage and throughput.

i just don't know what to think about this.
Though I can't really say, since i haven't tried Blu Ray or HD-DVD

Now Blockbuster Video has chosen a side - they will be going with Blu-ray titles for the future.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/30293

Hmm...HD DVD players are going cheap.

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9809165-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Could this be a clearance or an actual good deal?

Holiday season will be here soon.

Paramount & Dreamworks made waves when they announced they would only distribute in the HD-DVD format, prior to releasing Transformers in October. They must have received truckloads of money from the HD people for their allegiance. Just when Blu-ray seemed to be getting a sizable edge...
How many years are we into this war, again?

Originally posted by roughrider
Paramount & Dreamworks made waves when they announced they would only distribute in the HD-DVD format, prior to releasing Transformers in October. They must have received truckloads of money from the HD people for their allegiance. Just when Blu-ray seemed to be getting a sizable edge...
How many years are we into this war, again?

Block Buster is #1 video rentals and just plain revenue. Block Buster's allegiance recently switched to Bu-ray. That just seeded the fate of HD DVD. I was on the fence this WHOLE time and I could not see any clear cut winner until recently. I really thought the HD DVD payer for the Xbox 360 was going to be the deciding factor for HD DVD but that proved only marginal.

Now that Block Buster has clearly chosen a side, HD DVD will be the format to fail.

Does anyone realize how much of an influence Block Buster has on the American movie industry? Chair of the promotion committee for the U.S. region of the Blu-ray Disc Association says in reference to Block Buster's recent committal, ""I think it would be presumptuous that this is the make or break in the format war. But it does reflect what we've said all along: if you have more content available, people will come. It's not spin, it's not hype--it's just reality. These are the titles people want to watch."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133154-page,1/article.html

However, I think it is naive to think that Block Buster's allegiance didn't just cause the war to be over. With any major competing products, of course it is going to take a while for HD DVD to die out. With "Transformers" being idiotically placed on the HD DVD format, the death of HD DVD was only prolonged.

Come this holiday season, you will see purchases for Blu-rays disc players widen the gap.

Next summer, I am buying a large and high quality 1080p TV along with a purchase of a Blu-ray disc player...probably the PS3. PC World gave PS3 as a Blu-ray disc player, a pretty good score and an excellent interface score.

You overestimate BlockBuster's power. Their presence and importance has been declining steadily over the last few years and it will continue to do so. More and more poeple are getting movies from Netflix, so no, saying the war is over because Blockbuster chose a format is hyperbole at its worst.

A more important factor is the massive price drops HD-DVD players are recieving. As WD showed earlier in the thread, Walmart had a sale for a $99 HD-DVD player (my Dad got one, pretty sweet), and other stores will probably have similar sales, while BluRay players still cost several hundred dollars. This alone could be responsible for a spike in HD-DVD sales this holiday season.

Regardless, the war is far from over.

Originally posted by BackFire
You overestimate BlockBuster's power. Their presence and importance has been declining steadily over the last few years and it will continue to do so. More and more poeple are getting movies from Netflix, so no, saying the war is over because Blockbuster chose a format is hyperbole at its worst.

A more important factor is the massive price drops HD-DVD players are recieving. As WD showed earlier in the thread, Walmart had a sale for a $99 HD-DVD player (my Dad got one, pretty sweet), and other stores will probably have similar sales, while BluRay players still cost several hundred dollars. This alone could be responsible for a spike in HD-DVD sales this holiday season.

Regardless, the war is far from over.

Blockbuster was still creating revenues 4 times higher than Netflix the last time I checked. Blockbuster is operating at a net less for the 3rd quarter $35 million...not good on the surface but there is much more going on in the background. The loss came from selling of company owned stores to the beat of 526 stores. That was almost offset by an increase in online rental revenue of $79.2 million, year over year.

Some people are giving Blockbuster 2 years(Only because they are laymen and really don't have a clue about corporate economics.)...others are calling that absurd hyperbole...a comparable contrast to how you used hyperbole in my description of Blockbuster being a deciding factor for Blu-ray.

Blockbuster is far from gone. It is gaining new customer's in its online rental position to the tune of 3.1 million, currently.

Also, blockbuster is operating at 4 times the amount of revenue that netflix is...

Compare

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2007/10/netflix-breaks-.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071101/lath056.html?.v=101

How come no one talks about netflix not meeting their onloine membership goals they projected for themselves? Surely that would be something to talk about considering that "everyone" is claiming Netflix is taking down Blockbuster.

Also consider that fact that I feel that Blu-ray, even when it wins the battle of formats, will be a short lived disc format for Movies. The real format in the near future will be digital rentals...Why wait on a movie when you can download it? Why use a specific format for a digital movie when you can download several movies, overnight, all in delicious 1080p resolution? With the large push Verizon and AT&T are making on their fiber networks, bandwidth requirements are far from a limitation in the near future. (I really really would like to talk about that, but that is far from on topic.)

I suspect that the 2007 4th quarter and the 1st quarter of 2008 will show marked sales increases in the Blu-ray discs/disc players and more stable Blockbuster revenues.

Also, reducing the price of the Blu-ray disc players will soon occur, as well. As manufacturing techniques and the technology employed in the hardware improves, they will continue to become cheaper and cheaper.

Blu-ray also whooped some major ass this year.

2.6 million copies of Blu-ray sold

1.6 million copies of HD DVD sold.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/10/24/blu.ray.beating.hd.dvd/

The recent drop in HD DVD players WILL cause a spike in HD DVD sales, obviously. The same thing will happen when when Blu-ray disc players come down in price.

When DVDs first came out, the players were rather expensive. My father bought his first one for $800.

This always happens with any new electronic product.

Yes, none of this changes the fact that --

Less and less people are going to Blockbuster. While it may still be outdoing it's competition, it's doing so at a much lesser degree. The number will continue to decline.

And that Blockbuster does not hold the amount of power to single handedly decide the outcome of the format wars.

Also, yes BluRay will see a price drop at some point, but the fact that HD-DVD has now done it first, and sold many many units, that's that many buyers who are now probably off the market for BluRay.

Nothing else you said had anything to do with my post, so there is no need for me to respond.

Blu ray is a thousand times better.

Originally posted by BackFire
Yes, none of this changes the fact that --

Less and less people are going to Blockbuster. While it may still be outdoing it's competition, it's doing so at a much lesser degree. The number will continue to decline.

And that Blockbuster does not hold the amount of power to single handedly decide the outcome of the format wars.

Also, yes BluRay will see a price drop at some point, but the fact that HD-DVD has now done it first, and sold many many units, that's that many buyers who are now probably off the market for BluRay.

Nothing else you said had anything to do with my post, so there is no need for me to respond.

Less and less people? Where are you getting this info? Last time I checked, the customer base was increasing for Blockbuster?

Do you have a link? My link showed that the online customer base has increased to 3.1 million customers...but instore customers, I don't have. However, I thought that instore customers increased as well.

And yes, Blockbuster DOES have that power to turn the tide on the format war.

Add the revenues up for the next 10 largest movie rental companies. Does it equal 1.2 billion dollars a year?

Also, post a link for the above information IF I am wrong about the closest 10.

Also,

Backfire, this is a side of you I haven't seen!!! I had no idea that you were a techy.

Nah, I've no link. I know stores have been shutting down across the nation because the customer base has been shrinking. I'm talking about the actual stores, online may very well be increasing. For instance, there used to be nine Blockbusters in my city, there are now three, and I hear one of those may be shutting down shortly as well. But yes, Blockbuster online is most definitely the future for the company, and they have fierce competition online in Netflix.

I never said that Blockbuster didn't have power in the format war, or even that it didn't have the power to turn the tide, what I said was that it doesn't have the power to decide the war all by itself. Like "Oh, BB is Bluray, war over". There's other factors that will contribute.

Honestly though, I don't think either side will die. I predict one of two outcomes --

1. Dual Format Players will eventually get so low that everyone will be able to afford them, thus rendering the war pointless as everyone will be able to play both formats.

2. Companies will realize that they can make more money by releasing their films on both formats, so they will, also rendering the war pointless.

I'm not really a techy, friend. I just love movies and find this war, though stupid and counter productive, quite fascinating.

Originally posted by BackFire
Nah, I've no link. I know stores have been shutting down across the nation because the customer base has been shrinking. I'm talking about the actual stores, online may very well be increasing. For instance, there used to be nine Blockbusters in my city, there are now three, and I hear one of those may be shutting down shortly as well. But yes, Blockbuster online is most definitely the future for the company, and they have fierce competition online in Netflix.

I never said that Blockbuster didn't have power in the format war, or even that it didn't have the power to turn the tide, what I said was that it doesn't have the power to decide the war all by itself. Like "Oh, BB is Bluray, war over". There's other factors that will contribute.

Honestly though, I don't think either side will die. I predict one of two outcomes --

1. Dual Format Players will eventually get so low that everyone will be able to afford them, thus rendering the war pointless as everyone will be able to play both formats.

2. Companies will realize that they can make more money by releasing their films on both formats, so they will, also rendering the war pointless.

I'm not really a techy, friend. I just love movies and find this war, though stupid and counter productive, quite fascinating.

I just did some reading and the loss of revenue was due almost completely by their idiotic free trial this summer with the "Total Access" plan. They said that the free in store rentals caused a big loss as well. He also said that 500,000 thousands customers were lost at the end of the 3rd quarter...300,000 of which were customers from the free trial period. Also, over zealous advertising expenditures also attributed to the loss...and they cut back on that.

Basically, it was bad management that caused the problems in the 3rd quarter. Blockbuster WAS fast closing the gap with Netflix until recently. Blockbuster WAS actually stealing customers from Netflix, on a "net" basis. (Though Netflix was adding new customers so fast that Netflix still noticed a net increase in customer base.)

Blockbuster just made some blunders this year. They should really steal the market back and maybe even add customers that haven't really been into movie rentals when they start doing download-able rentals.

I agree that Blockbuster alone cannot turn the tide of the format war. However, imo, Blockbuster was the last major player necessary to decide the format war outcome. If Blockbuster chose HD DVD, I may not be so sure because Blu-ray has been selling better than HD DVD.

Originally posted by BackFire


A more important factor is the massive price drops HD-DVD players are recieving. As WD showed earlier in the thread, Walmart had a sale for a $99 HD-DVD player (my Dad got one, pretty sweet), and other stores will probably have similar sales, while BluRay players still cost several hundred dollars. This alone could be responsible for a spike in HD-DVD sales this holiday season.



Did you dad get a good warranty? See, I was too lazy to get one. I'm still waiting for MS to drop the price on the HD DVD for the 360.

As for Blockbuster business... both Netflix and Gamefly have really taken customers away.

What's funny is that after 17 years my local neighborhood video store is still standing...and they don't even stock HD DVD or Blu-ray.

The Results are in!

90,000 units over the weekend.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6498141.html

Rumors are that a similar sale might happen on Black Friday. If it does I might consider getting one.

WD, my dad didn't get a warranty as far as I know.

You should definitely get one if you have an HDTV, it's quite a difference.

Originally posted by BlackC@
Blu ray is a thousand times better.

And Beta was supposed to be far superior to VHS, 25 years ago. But Beta lost the war because VHS was cheaper to produce. Isn't HD-DVD cheaper to make?
The other wrinkle in this is that Blu-ray players receive constant complaints for their malifunctions; HD players don't have that rep right now.

Originally posted by BackFire
Nah, I've no link. I know stores have been shutting down across the nation because the customer base has been shrinking. I'm talking about the actual stores, online may very well be increasing. For instance, there used to be nine Blockbusters in my city, there are now three, and I hear one of those may be shutting down shortly as well. But yes, Blockbuster online is most definitely the future for the company, and they have fierce competition online in Netflix.
Actually, as I understand it, Blockbuster is closing stores because the company is working toward converting to 100% online.

Originally posted by Wolfie
Actually, as I understand it, Blockbuster is closing stores because the company is working toward converting to 100% online.

I read the same thing myself...but it wasn't from a blockbuster rep...it was some third party opinion.

I read, I think it is in one of the links I submitted, that BlockBuster is also preparing to go digital...which digital rentals should make the format war useless.

Yes, they probably are working towards converting to 100% (or close to it) online, but that is because their brick and mortar stores have not been doing well.

If Blue ray wins what will happen to the movies on HD ?

Originally posted by coolmovies
If Blue ray wins what will happen to the movies on HD ?

Ever heard of 8 tracks? My first car had an 8 track player in it and I borrowed my grandmothers copy of some Bill Cosby and laughed my ass off on the way to work for a few days...lol....good times...good times.

ok people, you gotta think PIRACY!!!!! sure, the only things normal blue rays are good for is having the data space for the HUGE ps-3 games. or the space for h-d movies{which dont fit on normal dvds}. but that isnt the fun part.

its PIRACY which will benefit the most. imagine, you can have hundreds of hours of low quality or mp-3 quality movies'series etc.{they do that u know, decrease the quality a bit, take out 5.1 channels/special feature etc etc. and can fit in around 12 -13 hours of movie on a single dvd. i shud know, i only really get those pirated ones where i live } on a single dvd. also, consider that if you have a blue ray writer, you can store hundreds of episodes of series/anime etc that you have downloaded online with a high speed broadband. will make it cheeper for people who cant buy all those expensive external harddrives.

basically, yay for me, as long as i am able to affprd a 1-2 mbp/s , unlimited broadband connection{hope its soon}. lol

Well! MS just threw gasoline into the fire.



Other Sources: http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_slashes_price_of_Xbox_360_HD_DVD_addon/1196869845


Five free movies and the player for my 360? I hope this deal last. Because this is something I would get.

Damn! I didn't want to join either camp. But now...this is looking more favorable for the HD DVD people.

It looks like Blu Ray held its own following black Friday.

Blu-Ray seems to be controlling the market...but can't quite edge out HD DVD. However, the following article seems a bit one sided, IMO.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6509196.html?industryid=47215

Its comming out soon


http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/11038

Keep in mind that if regular DVD's outsell more than Blu-ray. WB will end up dropping Blu-ray. So Blu-ray better deliever for the WB. Otherwise...WB gets scare easily.

I honestly hope this gadget puts an end to the lame Blu-ray/ HD DVD war.

I hope so too

Snow white and the seven dawafs willl be out on blue ray next year

Whatever happens, I don't want my current DVD's to become useless, like my laserdisc collection.
I only bought my Samsung HDTV & upconverting player two years ago - I want to get value for it before I have to change over. Until there's one format, I can sit it out & wait.

10 years? In 10 years I expect movies to be broadcast directly into my brain by way of a telepathic device capable of over 10,000p.

Well...maybe 15.

I jumped on the HD DVD bandwagon days before Xmas. Amazon was running a deal on the Toshiba A30 for around $250 with 10 free titles! Kind of regretting my decision now!

I accompanied my parents to help them with purchasing an HDTV and they were sold into buying the the Dual HD-DVD and Blu-Ray player from LG (BH100 model) at Best Buy which cost them a cool $1000! It worked great until we popped in the Spiderman 3 Blu-ray and it did not work!
The problem was it needed to be updated (we just bought the damn thing). This consisted of calling the number on the back of the model and waiting on customer service to get an update-disc (4 week delivery timeline).

Lesson learned? Don't purchase the Dual player. I'd stick with the Blu-ray.

I heard today that Toshiba is going to give all their HD DVD players another price cut. Cheapers is better.

http://gorillamask.net/gm_media.php?show_page=video&page_id=14670

Hitler isn't pleased.

I watched a bond movie yeturday 'You only live twice' and i could see grains and lines in the movie . I know its a old movie but i dont think films like these will benefit from HD ?

Originally posted by coolmovies
I watched a bond movie yeturday 'You only live twice' and i could see grains and lines in the movie . I know its a old movie but i dont think films like these will benefit from HD ?

Not as much. That's what people aren't thinking about - this is about getting us to buy recent films & the just released, to take advantage of the tech. There's only so much they can do for films a few decades old or more. Can they really improve upon what the best standard DVD can do?

What I want to see in the future - the oldest B&W films COMPLETELY restored. No scratches on the frames, no hiss from the soundtrack.

We will be lucky to get a old color movie in 1080p glory let alone B&W.

I dont know if anyone watches WWE in hear but on friday they will also go HD for the very first time hell ya !!

http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/6251602

Blu-ray seems better

Soooo..the hybrid player is out, it's $800, and Blockbuster hasn't a prayer once Netflix incorporates their direct-to-home HD movie feeds.

If WWE goes HD what side are they on ?

I posted this in another thread but it is very much relevant.

The format war is now over.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186141.html

Toshiba is abandoning HD-DVD.

http://www.sync-blog.com/sync/2008/02/hd-dvd-its-all.html

PS3 pwned?

In other words, did the PS3 have very much to do with Blu-ray winning the format war?

I would think that the PS3 is what started it...followed by BlockBuster...then Netflix...then Walmart. Opinions?

Mods...are we going to change the name of this forum to "Blu-ray Talk"?

I wish a new format comes out that craps all over blue ray before it even becomes as mainstream as DVD's.

Originally posted by Inhuman
I wish a new format comes out that craps all over blue ray before it even becomes as mainstream as DVD's.

Well, Blu-ray is getting there.

There is something out there that will very soon be bigger than physical media.







Streaming.



It is already done EVERYDAY on my computer through Neflix.

Blue ray disks are going down in price

Is anyone considring starting there movie collection all over again but in blue ray ? This time without making the mistakes you did with dvds ??
I am !

I wanna sell all my dvds but i dont think i'll get much money for them becouse i only have 50 .

Would you start all over again ? I dont wanna be left behind the Blue ray revolution

In short no.

Definitely not, between dvd and blu ray on my television there isn't much of a difference, not enough to bother me and make me want to get better quality. So to me it's just stupid to replace all my dvds with blu ray.

Plus I don't like the shitty boxes the discs come in, I like the normal dvd size boxes and different editions you can get.

All I've seen is horrible plastic boxes with this nasty blue bit at the top.

The only time I will get blu ray is when that is all they start selling and dvds start becoming like vhs, and that will not be for a long time.

That's what I would have said if I wasn't lazy.

i think am the only one who like the blue boxes

i have a Ps3 so all i buy now is blu ray discs anyone else givin up on buying dvds ?

No, and not going to ever unless dvds stop selling, and that WILL NOT be for a longgggggggggggggg time.

Originally posted by MildPossession
No, and not going to ever unless dvds stop selling, and that WILL NOT be for a longgggggggggggggg time.

Same.

Well, I will probably get a Blu Ray player when they cost under $100, but that itself probably won't be for a long time.

Too expensive i stiil need to buy HD TV

Originally posted by MildPossession
No, and not going to ever unless dvds stop selling, and that WILL NOT be for a longgggggggggggggg time.

I feel the same way.

Originally posted by coolmovies
Too expensive i stiil need to buy HD TV


I have a HD TV

We have HD ready televisions in the house. Not bothered, just all the televisions we looked at had it on lol.

wait till star wars comes out on blue ray sales will hit the roof !

does anyone know if Fight Club is coming to blu ray?

everything is coming to Blu-Ray..........eventually....

Blu-Ray won, great! I have a PS3 so I have a Blu-Ray player....and I also have a newer HD DVD player that I bought mere months before it's demise. The end of the format has allowed me to pick up all kinds of flicks on HD DVD dirt cheap on deepdiscount.com. In years to come if my HD DVD player shits the bed, most of the HD DVDs are futureproof with a regular dvd on the flip side that I can still play in my Blu-Ray player.

who really won the war? me.

Bond is back on Blue ray

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1417

Blu ray is overrated and overpriced.

I've read people have had quite a few problems with blu ray players unless they are the ps3 ones. Not a good start. Also, on most the only way you can update whatever on your machine is via the internet!! I think that's very unfair for people who don't have it...

Originally posted by MildPossession
I've read people have had quite a few problems with blu ray players unless they are the ps3 ones. Not a good start. Also, on most the only way you can update whatever on your machine is via the internet!! I think that's very unfair for people who don't have it... other way around the PS3 is the last system you want to use as a blu ray player. people have alot of audio issues with blu ray players because they dont do the firmware updates for the player

anyone picking up any blu rays??

Really? I've been told by a lot of people who know their stuff on such things and have tried lots of different ones, that currently the PS3 blu ray is the best out there at the moment.

Steve Jobs comments..

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/14/steve-jobs-calls-blu-ray-a-bag-of-hurt/

Well, it appears that Blu-ray has now have a champion.

Blu-ray copies of the The Dark Knight have been very positive. Will this boost Blu-ray players and maybe help the PS3?

How will 2009 be for the Blu-ray format? Wait and see more...

Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
Well, it appears that Blu-ray has now have a champion.

Blu-ray copies of the The Dark Knight have been very positive. Will this boost Blu-ray players and maybe help the PS3?

How will 2009 be for the Blu-ray format? Wait and see more...


True, but I've read that Blu-Ray may be outdated as early as next year..

I'll try to find the article that I read , but it was saying that a company in China is developing something better than Blu-Ray

Originally posted by BruceSkywalker
True, but I've read that Blu-Ray may be outdated as early as next year..

I'll try to find the article that I read , but it was saying that a company in China is developing something better than Blu-Ray

Bloody hell...

<--------- Ah non blu ray people

All I have to say is F*CK BLU-Ray!!!!

What's made you come out with that all of a sudden lol?

Heh.

I went to my local video store to, possibly, buy some Blu-ray movies since I finally just now acquired a 50 inch plasma screen.

Dude...............$34.99 for the Dark Knight? $19.99 for Jurassic Park?!? F*cking $17.99 for Poltergeist?!?!?!? faint

It's a scam, I tell you.

Originally posted by Impediment
Heh.

I went to my local video store to, possibly, buy some Blu-ray movies since I finally just now acquired a 50 inch plasma screen.

Dude...............$34.99 for the Dark Knight? $19.99 for Jurassic Park?!? F*cking $17.99 for Poltergeist?!?!?!? faint

It's a scam, I tell you.


those are about the right blu-ray prices.. try to catch sales if u can

Your blu ray prices are high.

Blu Ray is too high, especially with the economic crisis we're dealing with.

Originally posted by Impediment
Heh.

I went to my local video store to, possibly, buy some Blu-ray movies since I finally just now acquired a 50 inch plasma screen.

Dude...............$34.99 for the Dark Knight? $19.99 for Jurassic Park?!? F*cking $17.99 for Poltergeist?!?!?!? faint

It's a scam, I tell you.

Why do you say that? Blu-Ray offers a picture quality that is so much better then that of DVD that it's like comparing a gameboy to a high-end gaming PC.

Everytime I've showed some ppl Blu-Ray when showed them the DVD version afterwards they have all been amazed at just how good Blu-Ray really is. I'd rather buy 1 Blu-Ray movie then get 2 DVD's but thats me.

Originally posted by Wolfie
Blu Ray is too high, especially with the economic crisis we're dealing with.


They are comming down in price

They are still expensive for most. Older films will be cheaper of course.

hehehe

it took five or six years for dvds to come down in price.

they are getteing cheaaper

Yea, but they are still kinda expensive.

But I would still buy 1 blu-ray instead of 2 dvds.

I am sold on blu ray now. After watching Star Wars on a PS3, I was totally wowed. So, I have a blu ray now and normal dvds with HDMI looks amazing.