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Is it silly to buy a HD-DVD?

majordude said:
And just what are you smoking? :rolleyes:

Standard DVDs still sell at $15+ at Target. The movies that went straight to video are $10.

I can't see the day when they drop that low. It wouldn't be worth it to manufacture, distribute, stock and put them on the shelves at that price.
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You are ill informed and don't know where to shop.

Target is the worst place to buy DVDs. Their Target consumer is solidly middle class so the store charges higher prices than others.

Shop elsewhere and find low prices on DVDs. I pay at most $10 for a newly released, popular movie and only $5 or less for one that was released a while ago. Target charges double this amount.
 
I've got both formats - a PS3 for BD.. and a Toshiba HD DVD player. Both formats look great - difference over SD is absolutely noticeable on my 85" projector screen.. but on a 42" TV.. not so much.

HD DVD and BD movies look the same to me.. I can't really tell the difference.. but some scenes HD DVD looks a bit better (to my untrained eye) I'm not much of a video person.. more into music.. :eek:
 
virus1 said:
Here is a really great article summing up the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray battle:

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9689600

Basically, Blu-Ray has the potential to be better, but it just isn't as realistic as HD-DVD at this point.
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Agreed. I've worked in the disc manufacturing field, and everyone I talk to says that HD-DVD is infinitely easier to produce (lower cost, higher yields, etc). But, Blu Ray is the technologically superior format.

I had an XBOX 360, but ended up switching to the PS3 (traded the xbox + a little cash when I needed wireless, and didn't want to spend $100 on the adaptor). I figure, if Blu-ray wins, I've got the player already. And worst case, I can pick up a cheap HD-DVD player when the price drops.
 
A couple of comments:

1) I think Blu-Ray will win in the end because the Fox, MGM, Sony/Columbia, Disney and Time Warner file libraries are vastly bigger than the HD-DVD selection. Who wouldn't want to see a Pixar movie or the Lord of the Rings movies on Blu-Ray format? :D

2) Contrary to popular reports, Sony has NOT banned the mastering of adult video titles on Blu-Ray format. The only issue for adult video companies is the still-high cost of mastering a Blu-Ray disc.

3) Once the Blu-Ray 1.1 spec players become commonplace (probably by spring 2008), we will finally see the price of players drop rapidly.

4) With rapidly increasing sales of non-CRT rear-projection TV's and flat-panel TV's that can display 720p/1080p output from a HD player through the HDMI connection, the issue of not enough TV's to support the new format will go away.
 
I'd go with HD-DVD.

Do you really want to chose a format that Sony backs?

I mean they've been so succesful that's why we all have beta vcr's, digital audio tapes, and mini disc players.

My tv can only do 1080i and all the shows over the air are mostly 1080i.
 
Just to clarify that I am following this thread correctly, the Sony PS3 comes with a Blu-Ray player and it is actually pretty good?

Is it firmware upgradable? What happens when a new standard comes out?
 
raggedjimmi said:
I'd go for HD-DVD. It's outselling BluRay.
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Where did you get this? Everything I've seen claims otherwise.

As for gaming - yeah, that's a totally different story. XBOX is currently on top, but I think they'll end out about even (w. the 360 having the slight edge in the end). I like both systems, actually.
 
Just as a note, HD DVD and Blu-ray support EXACTLY the same codecs, and on releases that come out on both formats are usually the exact same encode, so there won't be any visual difference (unless you're comparing one of the first-run Blu-ray discs which were all MPEG-2 and don't look as good as the newer VC-1/H.264 releases).
 
CaptainWOW said:
A cheap HD DVD player ($199 retail) is hitting stores this Christmas. It's made by the Chinese company Venture.
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Venture is Canadian company with manufacturing in China.

But I agree, if your want standalone HD disc player now (= don't have XBox360 or PS3), I think HDDVD is a better choice at the moment since you will be risking smaller amount of money.
Or wait a bit longer until market decides a winner or hybrid players go down in price.

P.S.
Don't really understand all those fanboys for either side :confused:
 
MK2007 said:
You are ill informed and don't know where to shop.

Target is the worst place to buy DVDs. Their Target consumer is solidly middle class so the store charges higher prices than others.

Shop elsewhere and find low prices on DVDs. I pay at most $10 for a newly released, popular movie and only $5 or less for one that was released a while ago. Target charges double this amount.
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No, the worst place to buy DVD's is a movie store in the mall, followed by the music stores in the mall. Target is as good a place to buy DVD's as Circuit City, Best Buy or Walmart. The prices are always within less than a dollar of each other.
 
mwpeters8182 said:
Where did you get this? Everything I've seen claims otherwise.

As for gaming - yeah, that's a totally different story. XBOX is currently on top, but I think they'll end out about even (w. the 360 having the slight edge in the end). I like both systems, actually.
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Sorry, I thought I'd try what US folk do and not say ¨where I'm from¨ :p

In Europe HD-DVD is outselling BluRay.
 
killmoms said:
Just as a note, HD DVD and Blu-ray support EXACTLY the same codecs, and on releases that come out on both formats are usually the exact same encode, so there won't be any visual difference.
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True, but Blu-ray's larger capacity and substantially greater data rate should eventually mean that the visual differences between the formats are much more pronounced than they are now, it's only the current apathy and indifference of the studios that is preventing such at the moment.
 
iGav said:
True, but Blu-ray's larger capacity and substantially greater data rate should eventually mean that the visual differences between the formats are much more pronounced than they are now, it's only the current apathy and indifference of the studios that is preventing such at the moment.
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And the best audio formats are mandatory for HD DVD players but only optional in Blu Ray, so movies released for the latter have less probability of using them.

Besides triple layer HD DVD has been approved, bringing the size to 51GB, which is more than Blu Ray.
 
cube said:
so movies released for the latter have less probability of using them.
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Not at all.

It would be safer to assume that once content providers actually begin to encode for the individual formats, that they'll make use of Blu-rays substantially greater data rates for both audio/video, resulting in significantly higher quality content on a Blu-ray disc.

cube said:
Besides triple layer HD DVD has been approved, bringing the size to 51GB, which is more than Blu Ray.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the data rate remains the same with the triple layer HD DVD and as such is the limiting factor, subsequently the extra GB will ultimately make no significant difference at all because of this.
 
To move one notch to High 10 Profile at 30 fps for TV shows, requires 60 mbps which cannot be provided by Blu Ray, either. 24fps would leave no room for audio, at best.

Plus, a new coding requirement in the specification.
 
iGav said:
Not at all.

It would be safer to assume that once content providers actually begin to encode for the individual formats, that they'll make use of Blu-rays substantially greater data rates for both audio/video, resulting in significantly higher quality content on a Blu-ray disc.



Correct me if I'm wrong, but the data rate remains the same with the triple layer HD DVD and as such is the limiting factor, subsequently the extra GB will ultimately make no significant difference at all because of this.
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Higher data rate DOES NOT mean higher picture quality, except for terribly inefficient encoding technologies like MPEG2. That Blu-Ray STILL uses. HD-DVD's data rate is MORE than sufficient for playing VC-1 movies.
 
cube said:
To move one notch to High 10 Profile at 30 fps for TV shows, requires 60 mbps which cannot be provided by Blu Ray, either. 24fps would leave no room for audio, at best.

Plus, a new coding requirement in the specification.
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Indeed, but this discussion really is about whether jessica. should consider either a Blu-ray or HD DVD solution.

And unarguably Blu-ray has the much greater potential between the two formats in their current approved (and available specifications).

That the difference is not currently noticeable or appreciably different in current products (e.g. films), is not down to the formats capabilities (or lack thereof), but the content providers (e.g. the studios) indifference to not pushing the technical capabilities of one format over the other, a difference that is distinctly obvious when content is properly encoded to best make use of one formats technical capabilities, rather than restricting it to the levels of a technically less capable one.
 
And Blu-ray is not even finished so spending double on a current player makes no sense.

Although with HD DVD I would wait for an official confirmation of triple-layer compatibility (said to come to current players via firmware update).
 
raggedjimmi said:
But PS3 gaming is tanking :eek:

I'd go for HD-DVD. It's outselling BluRay.
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wow, can you add anymore false statements into that comment?

blu-ray is by far outselling HD-DVD (media and players), even including the one year head start.

apple is on the board of directions for blu ray

hd-dvd=microsoft=bad

if you buy hd-dvd, I will laugh at you and go spend 200 on something worth it...the players are crap, just like the xbox 360 (~30% failure rate) , and are priced accordingly.

frankly, im surprised on a mac site ppl would be considering hd dvd. we pay for quality and technologically advanced products. not degenerate prodcuts priced to keep a format war alive.
 
cube said:
And the best audio formats are mandatory for HD DVD players but only optional in Blu Ray, so movies released for the latter have less probability of using them.

Besides triple layer HD DVD has been approved, bringing the size to 51GB, which is more than Blu Ray.
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no HD DVD players will be able to play these discs! not to mention, half of these hd-dvd players cannot even play in 1080p!!!!!!

the best audio formats are not mandatory for HD DVD....in fact, many new releases including 'shrek 3' will contain the same audio track as used on the standrard DVD bc there is NOT ROOM for a full hd audio track (lossless).

hd-dvd is a waste of money bc there is no way this format will be adopted, way to many problems
 
majordude said:
Just to clarify that I am following this thread correctly, the Sony PS3 comes with a Blu-Ray player and it is actually pretty good?

Is it firmware upgradable? What happens when a new standard comes out?
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it is one of the best blu-ray players on the market actually, and is upgradable via built in wireless internet.

one recent upgrade added standard dvd upconversion, which looks really nice in 1080p :)

microsoft=hd-dvd all that really needs to be said
 
overcast said:
Higher data rate DOES NOT mean higher picture quality, except for terribly inefficient encoding technologies like MPEG2. That Blu-Ray STILL uses. HD-DVD's data rate is MORE than sufficient for playing VC-1 movies.
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man, you must really have invested a lot of money into hd-dvd to be spreading these LIES. a higher bit rate does mean better picture quality, and ive witnessed this first hand in hd-dvd artifacts in movies.

the triple layer disc is a marketing campaign, think about. 15 gb=single side, right? triple layer means 45 gb? wait, blu-ray is 50gb? ****, lets add 6 gb so we can trump them and make it seem that our product is worthy.
 
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