Blu-ray VS. HD DVD

[spicyapple]

HD-DVD will win with consumers, because of the familiar name and lower cost. Blu-ray will win among video professionals, eg. XDCAM format, huge storage, etc.

The same was true between VHS and Beta, where professionals took up Beta-SP as the analog format of choice and VHS was relegated to pornos and home videos.

 

[Jschultz]

Neither will win! We'll all go back to puppet shows!

Honestly, I'm waiting for some dual-format player. I wonder if it's even possible.

But as of right now, HD-DVD is selling more. Sony's Blu-Ray, Samsungs, and Panasonics are still at the $1K mark. That is keeping A LOT of people away.

At my circuit city, we've carried the Samsung Blu-Ray player since July. It is now almost mid October, and we've sold 1 whopping unit.

 

[Jschultz]

I just read a WHOLE lot on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Most good displays(televisions) can de-interlace signals on their own now, so the 1080i vs
1080p seems to be pretty irrelevant.

I haven't seen HD-DVD yet, so I can't conclude. All I know is that Blu-ray is stunning.

It looks like right now the only advantage to Blu-ray is the larger capacity disks and the amount of studios/manufacturers behind them. you can get the Toshiba HD-DVD player for $399! Thats a great deal!

 

[edcrosay]

merge

Neither.

On second thought, I want HD-DVD to win.
But just because I hate HATE sony and everything they produce.
Every sony product I have ever purchased has broken.
PS2, DVD player, CD player, CRT monitor, digital camera... the list of dead sony electronics goes on.

 

[kgarchar]

i'm really looking forward to getting a ps3 or xbox 360 and checking out the next gen dvds on my new tv

 

[LethalWolfe]

Just because it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again.

Betamax, ATRAC, MiniDisc, Memory Stick, MicroMV... Sony even dropped the ball on personal music players even though they practically invented them w/the Walkman.

HD-DVD will win with consumers, because of the familiar name and lower cost. Blu-ray will win among video professionals, eg. XDCAM format, huge storage, etc.

The same was true between VHS and Beta, where professionals took up Beta-SP as the analog format of choice and VHS was relegated to pornos and home videos.

The similarities between Blu-ray and XDCAM and Betamax and Betacam are only superficial. The physical media is similar, but the formats used on the media are very different.


Right now it's still too up in the air to call, IMO. If HD-DVD had more studio support then they would have a very big advantage, but they don't so their early success will mean nothing if more content providers don't get behind the format. BR has the opposite problem. It has more studio support behind it, but if it continues to be slow getting out of the gate defections over to HD-DVD are gonna happen.


Lethal

 

[apfhex]

It's still too early to tell, but I can't see either format winning anytime soon.

Some things to consider (I may be wrong, I've read a lot of different information on the formats):

for HD-DVD
- Apparently a single layer BD-ROM is actually smaller than a single layer HD-DVD
- HD-DVD is easier to produce (existing DVD factories can be modified?)
- Cheaper so far?
- From what I hear HD-DVD movies look better, for whatever reason. I'll have to judge for myself.

for Blu-ray
- More studio support
- support from some good companies (Apple )
- PS3 will help get players into homes

Studio support can be swayed to the other side if HD-DVD takes off though. Frankly neither formats have a whole lot going for them other than some nice storage sizes. I'd expect to see a lot more use for them as storage media before HD videos become commonplace. But then, buying an external hard drive would probably be cheaper anyway.

 

[Mechcozmo]

I'd expect to see a lot more use for them as storage media before HD videos become commonplace. But then, buying an external hard drive would probably be cheaper anyway.

Backups. Lots of people would rather buy two $10 discs to use in their built-in burner than buy a $200 external drive.

Over time, sure, the drive is cheaper and reusable, but the discs are also permanent and allow for easy offsite backup. Like to relatives or something.

 

[pseudobrit]

BR is doomed, some may say its better quality wise but then again so was Beta...

Beta wasn't a much better quality format. Average consumers couldn't tell the difference. The reason VHS won had to do with licensing and, more importantly, capacity.

As far as Blu-ray players not selling very well so far, is that any surprise? Why drop $1000 on a player when the $600 PS3 (which of course does more than just play the movies) hits the market next month?

 

[Zwhaler]

I have a feeling BD will win, but i know HD-DVD is the better format. I just think it will win because sony has more money and is paying Best Buy to say crap.

Just to let you know, they both use blue lasers as their "format". Blu-Ray has larger storage (25GB and 50GB, opposed to 15GB and 30GB on HD-DVD)

 

[Stridder44]

Beta wasn't a much better quality format. Average consumers couldn't tell the difference. The reason VHS won had to do with licensing and, more importantly, capacity.

As far as Blu-ray players not selling very well so far, is that any surprise? Why drop $1000 on a player when the $600 PS3 (which of course does more than just play the movies) hits the market next month?

We have a winner folks!

 

[grizzlybrice]

Has there been any BR and HD-DVD releases of the same titles that have been compared, and with screen-grabs of each at full resolution?

Thanks
gB

 

[plinkoman]

blu-ray.

I happen to think the increase from ~5GB on a DVD to the ~15GB on HD-DVD to be basically worthless. not that ~25GB is that much better, but it is better. I hate having to use a whole spindle of dvds to make backups, and given a choice between a third as many, or a fifth as many, or even a tenth as many if I use dual layered discs; the choice is obvious.

and for movies; I can't even afford to buy a movie right now, to say nothing of a next generation playback device and an HDTV; so I could really care less.

that's what I want to win. as for what I think will win? I haven't a clue. HD-DVD will get a good start this year with blu-ray in short supply because of the PS3, but the PS3 might be well enough for it to catch up.

 

[ReanimationLP]

Blu-Ray is yummy.

The PC drive is 750, which burns the discs.

I have not seen AT all a internal HD-DVD drive. At work, we got one Blu-Ray burner in a few weeks back, and it sold within 2 days. And thats with the nice 750 price tag.

Newegg has the Samsung BD player for 800.

Now, what I'd like to know, is wtf is the point of having composite outputs on the back of a BD/HD-DVD player. You're going to get 480i video... wow, this looks exactly like my DVD player! And my DVD player was 950 dollars cheaper! '