WooHoo! Going Dual Format! - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

GAD · 12-23-2007, 02:09 AM

I've had an HD-DVD player for about a month, and now for Christmas we're getting ourselves a PS-3, so I'll have Blue Ray too.

Bring it on format wars!

GAD

AlanY · 12-23-2007, 02:58 AM

Is this something really to celebrate? Now you're guaranteed to be burned whichever side wins the format wars. If you stick to a single format, there's a 50% chance you won't be burned when one side wins.

GAD · 12-23-2007, 03:34 AM

Not sure how I'll be "burned".

If I buy DVDs in either format, I'll have a player to play them. One's a video game console, and we play the games, and the other cost me $99, and still plays regular DVDs.

Absolute worst case I have a nice game system and a DVD player.

I use netflix for 99% of my video needs. Now when a movie comes out in either format, I can watch it in high def. I rarely buy videos anymore, so I'm not really "invested" in either side.

Nope - not feeling burned at all.

GAD

fordgtlover · 12-23-2007, 04:38 AM

Do you find HD to be much of an improvement over SD?

GAD · 12-23-2007, 01:39 PM

It depends on the movie and the transfer.

For example on many animated movies, the improvement can be subtle, and on others (like Monsters Inc.), the detail is amazing in HD.

Stuff like Battlestar Galactica in HD can be disappointing because it's not transferred well (IMO).

Many of the upconverting DVD players are fantastic. If you're migrating from an upconverting DVD player to HD, the improvments are subtle but real in many cases.

I've had HD and HD cable as a source for almost two years, and there are a few things that continue to wow me. Things like:

The Tonight Show
David Letterman
Shuttle Launches (wow!)
Imax movies and the like

If you really want to be wowed, get yourself an HD camcorder. I've showed many people my HD setup, and while some are more impressed than others, as soon as I hook up the HD camcorder they are floored.

GAD

lisnalee · 12-24-2007, 01:20 PM

I had the same thoughts on this as you GAD.

I have the ps3 and bought the xbox 360 hddvd add on. There's still too many new releases choosing one format over the other, this way i can have my cake and eat it

penguindude · 12-25-2007, 11:34 PM

The consensus is that HDDVD will win. If you believe in history repeating itself, you will realize that currently it is repeating how VHS won over Sony's Betamax in the 80s. And for most non-tech consumers, HD DVD sounds like the ultimate upgrade to conventional DVD, which also goes with their new HDTV. Good luck!

GAD · 12-26-2007, 12:31 AM

I was a believer in HD-DVD over BR, but I was amazed at how many of the movies in my Netflix queue were available on BR.

That's probably because I have two kids under 10 and Disney is big here though.

GAD

SuperNothing · 12-26-2007, 02:38 AM

I was big on HD over Blu-Ray but then my parents decided to turn the basement into a home theater and while they were at it we went dual format also. It is great because I don't have to worry about renting one over the other. Issue is we haven't been watching HD that much. We have been using this thing called Kaleidescape and had it hooked up to every TV in the house. Basically it allows you to import DVDs onto a server and then it streams them to a player hooked up at each TV and you can watch the movie on your TV without fumbling and searching for the disc. Also the system doesn't force you to watch the same movie on each TV. Every TV can play a different movie. Greatest purchase the family has ever made. It supports HD but something with the licensing doesn't allow them to activate it being able to import HD-DVD or BR.

lordmozilla · 12-28-2007, 08:37 AM

your saying that "the improvments are subtle but real in many cases. " ??? are you crazy ? what's your tv?

Even with a bad 720p tv most people can tell. I just came back from home where my dad has a 1080i 42" LCD panel and we were streaming some test 1080i telestreams and they looked awesome.