Highest definition DVD format?

[Nugget]

i just want to watch HD movies on my nice plasma without deciding which effin format its in.

Yeah, ain't that the truth. Now that I've gotten accustomed to HD quality films (thanks, NetFlix!) I have totally lost my interest in old SD DVDs. The HD stuff is just so much better to see and hear. It's a crying shame that consumers are being deterred from upgrading all on account of this format war. Bring on the cheap combo players, I say. It can't happen soon enough.

 

[JFreak]

Now that I've gotten accustomed to HD quality films (thanks, NetFlix!) I have totally lost my interest in old SD DVDs. The HD stuff is just so much better to see and hear.

Actually; SD DVD and SD TV picture itself is pretty good if you don't ruin it with bad connections. Sure, more detail is always more detail, but SD is not bad at all. Most often SD video is transferred with composite video (CVBS) or separated video (Y/C). Going from 576i separated video to 576p component video is almost bigger upgrade than upping it to 720p as far as picture quality is concerned.

Maybe the 1080p would be "huge" upgrade, can't comment because my projector only does 720p, but even then you would have to be looking at a very huge screen. Mine is 100" and I think that SD DVD image looks good enough for being able to tell the story Point being SD DVD looks so good I'm more interested in the story than how great it looks. Completely different situation than when we were replacing our trusty old VHS with a DVD player.

 

[Nugget]

Point being SD DVD looks so good I'm more interested in the story than how great it looks. Completely different situation than when we were replacing our trusty old VHS with a DVD player.

Wow, we have totally different eyes, then. Watching SD DVD looks pretty awful to me now that I'm accustomed to HD-DVD and BluRay (HDMI, 60" television, quality upscaling DVD player). I don't think mine is the minority opinion.

 

[monkeytap]

Wow, we have totally different eyes, then. Watching SD DVD looks pretty awful to me now that I'm accustomed to HD-DVD and BluRay (HDMI, 60" television, quality upscaling DVD player). I don't think mine is the minority opinion.

Cannot agree anymore. Standard definition looks terrible now that I've been watching my TV and movies (blu-ray) in HD. Even when I goto the theatre (not very often anymore) I can't help but thinking to myself how much worse it looks than my blu-ray movies, either my 46'' 1080p LCD or 104'' 1080i projector.

 

[JFreak]

Even when I goto the theatre I can't help but thinking to myself how much worse it looks than my blu-ray movies, either my 46'' 1080p LCD or 104'' 1080i projector.

You must be kidding. Do you even realise how much definition there is whether you're watching film or digital movie projector? It's insane. Depending on theatre we're talking about 2540p or 4320p and film has even more detail. Surely looks better than 1080i/p hands down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UHDV.svg

 

[faustfire]

Just people lets just end the fighting please lol and end the war its the most pointless thing ive ever seen it just pisses the consumer even more if something release the hd-dvd player for mac and blu-ray while your at it please lol i just want to watch HD movies on my nice plasma without deciding which effin format its in.

Really, the HD format war is the best thing that could have ever happened to the consumer, price wise. If only one format had been developed, we would still be looking at $1000+ for the cheapest players. But with the competition between the formats, the price has been pushed down quickly and substantially.

 

[QuarterSwede]

You must be kidding. Do you even realise how much definition there is whether you're watching film or digital movie projector? It's insane. Depending on theatre we're talking about 2540p or 4320p and film has even more detail. Surely looks better than 1080i/p hands down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UHDV.svg

I have to agree with monkeytap. Even though the actual resolution is higher at the cinema it looks better at home on a 1080p TV simply because you're closer to it and you can see all the detail that is otherwise lost to you when you're 50+ feet from the screen.

Here's a test. Stand 30 feet away from both a 720p and 1080p TV at the store and see if you can tell the difference. It only becomes apparent when you're close enough to see the extra resolution on the 1080p set.

The only film that looks better than a 1080p TV is an IMAX movie. Those are gorgeous!

 

[ftaok]

Really, the HD format war is the best thing that could have ever happened to the consumer, price wise. If only one format had been developed, we would still be looking at $1000+ for the cheapest players. But with the competition between the formats, the price has been pushed down quickly and substantially.

Not necessarily.

When DVD Players first came out, they were about $400 or so. Within a year, they were around $200. A couple more years and they were $100. Now, they cost the same as a McDonald's Happy Meal (well not really). NOTE - my memory of prices might be off, but the underlying point is that DVD prices dropped pretty quickly.

The point is that there was only one format and the prices dropped quickly. Mainly due to the fact that everyone wanted/needed a DVD Player and the huge volume contributed to dropping prices.

If there were only one blue-laser format, there may be higher interest in the the HD player category that would drive prices down. Or maybe not. We'll never know.

 

[gkarris]

Wow, we have totally different eyes, then. Watching SD DVD looks pretty awful to me now that I'm accustomed to HD-DVD and BluRay (HDMI, 60" television, quality upscaling DVD player). I don't think mine is the minority opinion.

A poorly transferred/mastered high-def disc is worse than a standard def DVD with a great transfer/master.

I'm only impressed with my HD DVD's and Blu-ray's with good masters and transfers.

I usually go by

http://www.highdefdigest.com

as far as how good a disc looks and whether I should buy. They've been extremely accurate as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Grimace]

HD-DVD allows the playback of existing DVD formats as well as HD-DVD disks, whereas a Blu-ray player will only play Blu-ray disks.

Oh god, can we please stop this?? Blu-ray plays standard DVDs just fine, that was an early myth.

 

[bigbossbmb]

A poorly transferred/mastered high-def disc is worse than a standard def DVD with a great transfer/master.

I'm only impressed with my HD DVD's and Blu-ray's with good masters and transfers.

I usually go by

http://www.highdefdigest.com

as far as how good a disc looks and whether I should buy. They've been extremely accurate as far as I'm concerned.

x2

highdefdigest is a great resource

 

[Antares]

Beautiful Lovely Ultimate - Radical Awesome therefore it should be Yours (couldn't resist)

Anyway, I have to agree that both formats look identical. As previously echoed, it's all in the quality of the master and how the film in encoded. Which can be good or bad in either format. However Blu-ray is more likely to survive than HD-DVD and is doing much better in the marketplace. That's one of the reasons why I'm on the side of Blu-ray.

 

[Malfoy]

Cool kids buy both.

You should too.

I want to play games.
Limit myself to one console? Nada.

I want to get things done.
Limit myself to one OS? Negative.

I want to watch movies.
Limit myself to one format? Not gonna happen.

 

[cantthinkofone]

 

[monkeytap]

You must be kidding. Do you even realise how much definition there is whether you're watching film or digital movie projector? It's insane. Depending on theatre we're talking about 2540p or 4320p and film has even more detail. Surely looks better than 1080i/p hands down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UHDV.svg

blah blah blah blah....I don't care what the numbers are, in my experience (similar theaters to most) the difference is obvious. you must not have a 1080p TV or a good high definition source. see below for explanation.

I have to agree with monkeytap. Even though the actual resolution is higher at the cinema it looks better at home on a 1080p TV simply because you're closer to it and you can see all the detail that is otherwise lost to you when you're 50+ feet from the screen.

Here's a test. Stand 30 feet away from both a 720p and 1080p TV at the store and see if you can tell the difference. It only becomes apparent when you're close enough to see the extra resolution on the 1080p set.

The only film that looks better than a 1080p TV is an IMAX movie. Those are gorgeous!

yes, the actual experience is what matters. I like IMAX but $16 per showing isn't worth it to me...would truthfully rather spend the extra $3 for the blu ray and enjoy it nearly the same numerous times.

 

[monkeytap]

Cool kids buy both.

You should too.

I want to play games.
Limit myself to one console? Nada.

I want to get things done.
Limit myself to one OS? Negative.

I want to watch movies.
Limit myself to one format? Not gonna happen.

if warner doesn't go blu-ray exclusive at CES, I will bite the bullet and get the xbox 360 add on to watch the movies I want to see on hd-dvd, otherwise I have no problem waiting a few extra months.

 

[maxvamp]

Here is how to tell

How many here have..

Disney Films on HD-DVD?
Transformers on Blu-Ray?
Star Trek on Blu-Ray?
Any SONY film on HD-DVD?

The Video of both formats are the same. The Audio is a bit different between the two ( Blu-Ray tends to want to use PCM Audio where HD-DVD tends to use DTS or AC-3 ). In Advanced surround schemes, the difference comes more into play ( HD-DVD supports just about everything, Blu-Ray support is based on how much money you spent on your player).

In the end ( for now ) it all depends on what films you want to see in HiDef. You will not get every film released in HiDef, unless you only want to see films from Warner Brothers, which is about the only studio releasing in both Formats.

In My opinion, if you do not wish to have two players, and want every film, I expect to see more dual format players in within a year, so you are best to wait.

It is sad the studios decided to start this p*ssing match, as all it does is cost them more money, cause confusion, and drive the consumer away from the latest technologies.


My 2 cents..

Max.

 

[Malfoy]

I'm gonna take your 2 cents Max and put 1 cent into 2 jars towards getting th OP a BR and HD player. Hope you dont mind.

 

[Gelfin]

A friend has a new 50"+ HDTV and he has a normal DVD player attached to it. It looks like crap.

Which format (Blu-Ray or HD-DVD) looks better?

I shouldn't have to disclaim, but the following is my opinion. No claim is made that there is anything wrong with people who disagree with me or their opinions.

First, before you write off plain old DVD, make sure your friend has a quality upconverting DVD player and is hooking it up using component or HDMI cables. The Panasonic DVD-S97S is the best I was able to identify (superior to many overpriced boutique brands), and you can find it for far less than MSRP. Most people who think DVD doesn't look acceptable on an HD set just have a player that wasn't designed for that job.

Second, once that problem is solved to your satisfaction, I'd suggest sitting back and waiting. Talking about which HD format is "winning" over the other can be a little silly given neither of them is actually doing very well. Most video consumers still don't own HD sets. Most who do are not so burnt up with desire for HD discs that they won't buy and rent DVDs. There are advantages, but they are not so overwhelming as to redefine the market. For my own purposes, I don't have much use for discs I can't optionally watch on my laptop (the subset of HD-DVDs that are hybrid do address this concern). So far, the overwhelming "winner" of the format wars is plain old DVD.

I do own a Blu-Ray player, because it was rolled into my PS3. I do own an HD-DVD player, because through an unlikely series of events someone gave me one. My own impression is that it's hard to claim one is consistently superior to the other without betraying an axe to grind, and neither is really so super-duper that I feel the need to rush out and start repurchasing my DVD library in an HD format instantly. There are a few things I'll get in HD, but aside from special things (the new Blade Runner release comes to mind) it's not an overwhelming priority for me.

Politically, Blu-Ray seems to have more mindshare right now, but honestly I think eventually Sony will screw it up by trying to over-control the format. I only say that because Sony has crashed and burned practically every media format they've ever invented in exactly this manner for more than thirty years. That's no reflection on the worthiness of the format, just on Sony's stewardship of media formats generally. Also, don't get the impression I'm hating on Sony here. I like Sony. Seeing them do this sort of thing is a little like watching a buddy get into the same kind of bad relationship over and over again and just having to stand back knowing you can't do a thing about it.

So I'm not betting on any horses right now. To be honest, realistically for me whichever format ends up with a SuperDrive player in my MBP becomes the de facto winner, and I don't much care which it is. That's a lot of pressure on Unca' Steve, for a decision Apple seems to be likewise holding off on making. Que sera sera.

 

[dstoltz]

Cool kids buy both.

You should too.

I want to play games.
Limit myself to one console? Nada.

I want to get things done.
Limit myself to one OS? Negative.

I want to watch movies.
Limit myself to one format? Not gonna happen.

Wow. I stand corrected: someone actually DID purchase Alpha Dog.

 

[rogersmj]

...However Blu-ray is more likely to survive than HD-DVD and is doing much better in the marketplace. That's one of the reasons why I'm on the side of Blu-ray.

Once again...stupid. Stupid to be on a "side", that is, disregarding the fact that that your argument for doing so is the classical logical fallacy known as "bandwagon."

Why take sides in this war? I don't understand you people. The war is GOOD for us, because they're both trying to drive down prices on their players. Consumers who are actually taking sides and trying to campaign for one format or the other need to get that through their thick heads...let the companies do the fighting. We'll win. Both formats are going to survive anyway, I'll bet anyone any amount of money on that. See my previous post in this thread.

 

[monkeytap]

Once again...stupid. Stupid to be on a "side", that is, disregarding the fact that that your argument for doing so is the classical logical fallacy known as "bandwagon."

Why take sides in this war? I don't understand you people. The war is GOOD for us, because they're both trying to drive down prices on their players. Consumers who are actually taking sides and trying to campaign for one format or the other need to get that through their thick heads...let the companies do the fighting. We'll win. Both formats are going to survive anyway, I'll bet anyone any amount of money on that. See my previous post in this thread.

your silly...hd-dvd is a sinking format, and the best -and only- thing it can do now is bring blu-ray down with it, WON'T HAPPEN.

put your money where your mouth is and don't give me ANY of that digital download crap, its not ready! both formats won't "win"

Im on blu-rays side because I heart high definition and its not worth it ($) for me to invest in a format that won't last (i already did laserdisc). I agree the war is best for us consumers, but that isn't to say I want to see blu-ray win. high definition is awesome and I want to see more material on it.

 

[JFreak]

A poorly transferred/mastered high-def disc is worse than a standard def DVD with a great transfer/master. I'm only impressed with my HD DVD's and Blu-ray's with good masters and transfers.

Exactly. Content is king, period.

Even the old and dead VHS can look nice if it's done properly. Standard DVD can look pretty d*mn good if it's done properly. Naturally HD DVD can look even more awesome if it's done properly. Bad news is all digital formats can look worse than properly done analog VHS if corners have been cut while making the DVD master.

Everything has to be done just right, and it does not stop to the disc. Most home theaters I've seen don't take full advantage of the media. There are people who are willing to spend a grand to speaker cables made of silver but don't want to spend money to convert their video cables from Y/C to component video.

Everything has to be optimized. Once properly done, standard DVD looks good enough for 100" screen.

 

[rogersmj]

both formats won't "win"

I didn't say they'd both win. I said they'd both survive. And they will -- I guarantee you that in a year there will be a whole bunch of dual-format players on the market, and once those make it into homes it won't matter one damn bit to the consumer if a movie comes out in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray because the box they have hooked up to their TV will play ANY disc.

You made the argument that HD-DVD is a "sinking ship"...the other fellow I quoted claimed that Blu-Ray is "doing much better in the marketplace." You know what? Both sides claim that. Both camps put out numbers that are spun to make it look like they're doing better. And the numbers fluctuate wildly from month to month -- general opinion has swung back and forth so many times as to which format is selling more that I've lost count. So if you actually put stock in what the formats' marketing people are saying, you're just gullible.

I've got $100 that says neither format is going to die -- they'll both still be going strong next year, because of dual-format players that are going to get cheaper and cheaper. So it really is pointless and stupid for fanboys to run around the Intertubes proclaiming the greatness of one format over the other -- they're both high-definition video, so if we get cheap combo players in another year or so then who the hell cares if there's two different formats? If you really have nothing better to do than go around spewing gems like "HD-DVD is for *******" or "Blu-Ray sucks and should die", you need to get a life. I'll be laughing my ass off in another year or so when the fanboys finally realize it doesn't matter.

 

[Nugget]

Everything has to be optimized. Once properly done, standard DVD looks good enough for 100" screen.

You had me until this line here, which is puffery and hyperbole. Standard-def video is pretty freakin' far from "good enough" at 100" diagonally unless you're sitting 50 feet away from the screen.

All other things being equal (and let's face it, it usually is) high def content looks much much better than standard def content. Sure, you can cherry pick some regrettable Blu-Ray or HD-DVD titles that are poor quality, but for the vast majority of released titles the quality improvement is tangible and substantial.

The shame of the format war is that it's discouraging people from finding this out for themselves.