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HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray Battle Over? Warner Switches to Blu-Ray

MacNut said:
More the reason why these companies should of worked together on a unified format.
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Sony defected from the DVD Forum because the forum (chaired by Toshiba) adopted Toshiba's blue laser technology instead of theirs.

Toshiba had promised the forum that HD DVD would be ready by 2004. Sony didn't think that was possible, and continued working on what became Blu-ray.

Turns out Sony was right, Toshiba didn't ship HD DVD until mid-2006.

In that same amount time, Sony had turned the Professional Disc for Data (23GB) into Blu-ray (25GB/50GB DL), created a Blu-ray consortium with many of the same members from the DVD Forum and signed on Disney.

The BDA ended up shipping Blu-ray around the the same time as Toshiba's first HD DVD player.

It's an interesting read.

By the way, both groups tried to merge in early 2005. However, Microsoft wanted the BDA to adopt their WindowsCE-based HDi technology. The BDA sided with Sun's Java, and merger talks ended.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/08/29/origins-of-the-blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-war/
 
michaelverdin said:
It's a shame more people don't know that HD-DVD is region independant
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It isn't. Region coding is part of the specification, but has not yet been adopted by the manufacturers. That's not to say that it wouldn't be, and indeed the forum has hinted that it would be willing to activate this in order to bring the studios on board.

And that might even mean early adopters have to throw away their machines to read new HD DVDs with the coding activated. (Well, if there were any new HD-DVDs.)

It's a shame more people don't know that. Then they'd probably be less quick to support what is in every respect an inferior technology simply because they perceive the lack of early region coding as a pro-consumer move.
 
michaelverdin said:
It's a shame more people don't know that HD-DVD is region independant
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In the big picture, region encoding is not an issue to the vast majority of consumers. It wasn't for the vast majority of DVD consumers either. In fact, I doubt most of them even know what that region 1 icon on the back of their DVD means.
 
michaelverdin said:
It's a shame more people don't know that HD-DVD is region independant
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As others have noted, regions are in the spec for HD DVD but it has not been enforced. Ironically, prior to their switch to Blu-ray exclusivity, New Line delayed Hair spray on HD DVD because HD DVD did not have regions and the movie was still in the theatre in some markets. If HD DVD had won several studios would have insisted on regions being enforced.

But I have to tell you that contrary to the HD DVD propaganda, most Blu-ray titles are are region free except for some new releases but there is a provision in the blu-ray spec to retire region locking after a one year period.

Here is a list of 95 region free blu-ray that I either own or have on order:
http://www.dvdspot.com/list.php?member=aristotles&filter=1464733866

In that collection, I have imports for Germany, the UK and Scandinavia in addition to my Region A titles. You should also note that Japan, and Korea (IIRC) are also in Region A.

Here is a site that has a list of titles both new and catalogue that are region free:
http://bluray.liesinc.net/
 
lord_flash said:
It's a shame more people don't know that. Then they'd probably be less quick to support what is in every respect an inferior technology simply because they perceive the lack of early region coding as a pro-consumer move.
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It's a shame that more people didn't consider Sony's use of root-kits on CDs as pro-consumer as well. ;)

I understand studio may be pusing it, but the reality is still that one format is more restrictive, whether that's 1% or 100% more is a matter for fanb0is to discuss, just like whether or not one is fundamentally inferior or not.

Siding with either of them and "their pay off the studios at the expense of the consumer" console-style strategy is more a view of personal foibles than issues with the hardware.

At this point BR didn't win they simply didn't die first, they're going to go down that same drain as well because neither is a hit with consumers, and the OTA, sattelite, cable and FIOS crowd all just laugh and say "what you want me to pay extra for that headache?". VOD is already cutting into DVD sales and rentals, with more of it moving to HD content it looks like BR and HD just took too long to get off the ground to matter. I own both, and couldn't care less about buying all my collection on HD versus just specific titles, get me LOTR on either and also Star Wars adn Aliens and I'm good for 'purchased' content.
 
Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say

Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.

Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said.

But she hinted that something's in the air. "Given the market developments in the past month," she said, "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players."
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Hollywood Reporter Link

If true, it looks like Toshiba is losing so much money on every HD-DVD player they are fire-selling that it's cheaper to just cut the cord and formally end support for the format as a manufacturer.
 
CWallace said:
Hollywood Reporter Link

If true, it looks like Toshiba is losing so much money on every HD-DVD player they are fire-selling that it's cheaper to just cut the cord and formally end support for the format as a manufacturer.
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Damn... And I haven't even gotten the five free-by-mail movies from the HD DVD player I got for Christmas. (I sent the form off about two days before WB's announcement. No other time in my life have I wished I could recall an item sent by post.)
 
takeabyteoutta said:
and you'll pay for it too. Optical disk technology is becoming dated anyways. Downloadable content is the way of the future. You might as well skip to the next chapter and get an AppleTV.
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No Thanks. Not while iTunes is DRM'd and Apple can revoke what you buy at anytime. At least with my DVDs and BD movies I can always watch what I already purchased as long as I have functioning hardware. Downloadable content is a bad proposition for consumers as long as the music/movie industry insists on crippling content with DRM.

As for AppleTV and pay content, I might have been interested in it for movie rentals, but the current rental terms are unreasonable.
 
takeabyteoutta said:
and you'll pay for it too. Optical disk technology is becoming dated anyways. Downloadable content is the way of the future. You might as well skip to the next chapter and get an AppleTV.
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I will take 1080p (Blu Ray) over 720p (Apple TV) any day. What happens when you upgrade to a new version of the Apple TV hardware down the road? What happens if the hard drive dies in it?
 
takeabyteoutta said:
Downloadable content is the way of the future. You might as well skip to the next chapter and get an AppleTV.
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No it's not. You can say that once CDs are phased out. And that won't happen for a good while. Movies will take well beyond that.
 
3dmac said:
I think blue ray sounds better.:):)
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I feel the opposite. I always felt that the name HD DVD sounds more like what the true successor to DVD should be. They should change the name once it's only one format left. And please get rid of those awful blue cases.
 
JesterJJZ said:
They should change the name once it's only one format left. And please get rid of those awful blue cases.
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Oh sure. That's a good idea. I can see it now...

Customer: I bought a Toshiba HD-DVD player from you last year, and now none of your new HD-DVD disks work with it.
Retailer: That's a Blu-ray era HD-DVD player and you just bought a post era HD-DVD disk. It's really Blu-ray. You need a new HD-DVD player.
Customer: WTF are you talking about?
Retailer: you have a red player...you need a blue player
Customer: you're an idiot...where's the manager
 
RaceTripper said:
Oh sure. That's a good idea. I can see it now...

Customer: I bought a Toshiba HD-DVD player from you last year, and now none of your new HD-DVD disks work with it.
Retailer: That's a Blu-ray era HD-DVD player and you just bought a post era HD-DVD disk. It's really Blu-ray. You need a new HD-DVD player.
Customer: WTF are you talking about?
Retailer: you have a red player...you need a blue player
Customer: you're an idiot...where's the manager
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Haha.

I have a HD-DVD player myself but I just got notification a couple of days ago from Netflix that since most of the major companies are backing Blu-Ray they as well will be phasing out HD-DVD. It truly looks like this format is dead.
 
Blogger said:
I'll take two syllables over five any day.
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I couldn't agree more. When I hear someone say "HD DVD" it almost sounds like they're stuttering. It certainly doesn't slide off the tongue nearly as easily as Blu-ray, that's for sure. :)
 
takeabyteoutta said:
and you'll pay for it too. Optical disk technology is becoming dated anyways. Downloadable content is the way of the future. You might as well skip to the next chapter and get an AppleTV.
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Downloads won't be the norm for at least another ten years. Televisions, especially HD ones won't be connected to the Internet. Besides, people want to "own" the movie on some sort of media.

I'm very sad to see that one media won, even though having both wasn't good for us. Now blu has a monopoly on HD.
 
Lancetx said:
I couldn't agree more. When I hear someone say "HD DVD" it almost sounds like they're stuttering. It certainly doesn't slide off the tongue nearly as easily as Blu-ray, that's for sure. :)
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Too bad HDV is already taken...
 
JesterJJZ said:
Long live physical media!!! :D
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The majority of people want something tangible - a downloaded movie isn't!

The audio CD has a lot of life left in it yet; the very fact that all of the digital disc formats are based upon the same essential "12cm disc" allows for a quantifiable perspective at each of the established formats, ie. audio/data CD together with data & video based DVD - I know it's only a question of time but that time is quite away off!!
 
Toshiba is pulling the plug on HD-DVD Life Support system.

Offical news should be coming in the next week.

Long Live Blu!
 
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