[gsteinb88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zotjen I doubt you could even watch a Blu-Ray or HD DVD on a standard set. You can't watch an HD broadcast signal on standard set.

Can and have. It just isnt HD quality, obviously.

 

[DarkAngel]

Its the software price that matters, not the player

What killed SACD quickly was the $30 price for very limited selection of music artists for long time........by the time they offered SACD hybrid discs at much lower CD price range it was too late to save format.

Notice that new Blu Ray format movies are selling for $30 vs $20 for standard DVD new release at Best Buy..........this is what will really slow down format from catching on quickly..........must lower that purchase price for Blu-ray to have big market appeal IMO.

Also need big players like Netflix offering Blu-ray titles at close to same rental price as DVD

 

[Gabe Logan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood BluRay is a flop right out of the starting gate. I thought it was bad at CES, but apparently it's even worse for the release. Way to go, Sony. BluRay = Betamax There is much discussion at AVS forums and the like.

Another misinformed person.There is way too much info out there that puts that saying to rest.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe Logan Another misinformed person.There is way too much info out there that puts that saying to rest.

So says you.

BluRay has yield problems even with single layer discs.

Some first gen BluRay movies have more artifacting (lots of macroblocking) than the previous DVD releases.

BluRay discs are also more delicate and prone to scratching than HD DVD, let alone DVD's.

Now let's add on the fact that software and hardware costs are more than it's nearest competitor.

Oh, and let's see, the DVD format is barely a decade old, and the masses are expected to replace their barely new DVD collection for a more expensive format that is not more convenient, and in some cases less convenient (ICT, anyone?).

-Ed

 

[FalconP]

Get a Blu-ray if you want to enjoy a new generation of what is euphemistically refered to as "Interactive films"

http://www.computerworld.com.au/inde...5038;relcomp;1

 

[RichA]

I'm a slow-adopter of technology. I don't even have a DVD player yet

. I did have one, but I took it back because it broke, and they didn't stock that model any more. so I got my cash back.

There are so many formats that come and go, without having a significant impact on the market. Despite being technically better, or more suitable to our needs than the products we're currently using, for one reason or another they tend to flop.

The reasons for this?

Greed. Manufacturers price their goods too highly, and the market is starved. for a format to succeed, it needs to be priced aggressively in the first instance. Films need to be half the price of a DVD for the first 18 months of a formats lifetime - this way, the products get a decent foot in the market. Or, at the very least, you should be able to send in your old VHS or DVD and have a copy of the new format for £5 or so.

Backwards compatability. DAT, DCC(which nobody has mentioned yet), MD - they all required a big-shift to use them where we already used the 'outgoing' format - tape. We had tapes in the car, at home, in our bags. The adoption of one format meant one had to purchase a heap of equipment to get the same functionality - and regardless of whether a particular product is better or not, there is no arguing with the wallets of customers. If it's too much, it's too much.

This is where the PC wins - physical media is pretty much dead, despite what is going on with manufacturers today. We've been stung by format nonsense too many times - and we still end up paying top-whack for the formats that have been superceded.

Physical media gets scratched, dropped, broken, left in the sun, stolen, lost, and eaten by the dog. The real future is downloadable - whether it is to your PC, or a set-top-box. Much easier to pay £1 to download a film each time you want to see it, rather than pay £20 for a physical copy that'll end up skipping in 3 years time. And, despite owning it, 15 years later you won't have a player to watch the damned thing.

I can download an album in CD-quality in a few minutes, now I've got fast broadband. Literally, 10 minutes for an uncompressed CD. I can get DVD quality films in 20 minutes, or a pukka DVD rip in well under an hour. Until manufacturers realise that audio/visual entertainment is no longer dependant on actually going to a shop to buy the media, we'll see more than two formats flop, in my opinion.

The future is so bloody simple, and there is no avoiding it. Yet manufacturers insist on bringing out standards that have no chance of success. It's quite saddening.

--Rich

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Whichever format has the better LOTR release is the format that is going next to my TV.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP Get a Blu-ray if you want to enjoy a new generation of what is euphemistically refered to as "Interactive films" http://www.computerworld.com.au/inde...5038;relcomp;1

LOL, always the solid indicator of which will be the standard.

Although I'm guessing until Sony overcomes the yield problems, HD-DVD may be picked because of it's easier manufacture, and cheaper overall cost.

Or they may not pick one at all.

 

[JaGWiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood LOL, always the solid indicator of which will be the standard. Although I'm guessing until Sony overcomes the yield problems, HD-DVD may be picked because of it's easier manufacture, and cheaper overall cost. Or they may not pick one at all.

I was hoping HD-DVD would win from the start, I am anti Sony, but I don't know why, it's like I'm boycotting a product just because it's from a company that I don't like. But, in all honesty, if both formats failed, I wouldn't be upset too. As said before, VHS - DVD was an rediculously huge jump, VHS was on the market for many many years (more then the 9-10 that DVD has been), and DVD was all together a new format, like record to cd, and cd to digital music formats (mp3, flac, etc.) It'll be hard to psyche out those technically not so inclined as to begin with, the blu-ray and hd-dvd discs are both the same physically (in looks) as a DVD, they are still discs. Unless the price difference between DVD players and these new formats closes up at a drastic rate, and they begin putting some real high quality stuff out there, people are not going to go nuts, only enthusiasts, but obviously aren't so happy themselves.

 

[Edwood]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Best case scenario, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are fighting to be the next Laserdisc.

These new formats are too soon, and not enough for the mass consumer.

 

[JaGWiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood I've said it before and I'll say it again. Best case scenario, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are fighting to be the next Laserdisc. These new formats are too soon, and not enough for the mass consumer.

I agree.. the avergae consumer probably just purchased their dvd player in the last few years, people take years and years to catch onto new formats, so why enroll a new one so quick? In reality, dvd was released in '97, but many didn't get it till the 21st century. Some people are just getting players now themselves.

Listen, nothing has replaced RBCD now, and hopefully nothing will for many years to come (look how long vinyl survived, hell, it's still going today). If they released a brand new format right now that has the goal to overtake CD (not talking about SACD / DVD-A, these were high resolution and planned no matter how you put it for a audiophile market), I am sure it would fail too. There are so many dvds and cds already on the market now, that these consumers / format will take years to migrate to a new format when one is released that does show a very large substantial preformance difference, which imho is neither hd-dvd or blu-ray atm. And for all we know, the format of the disc may change into flash data of some sort ,or something else (no comment), which would certainly show a much bigger format change in itself.

 

[AlanY]

If both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD fail, it'll put serious pressure on the revenues of the movie studios. Very few people will be inclined to buy DVDs once high-definition TV takes off (who wants to pay money for a shiny disc with content that looks worse than broadcast HDTV)?

I think one of the formats will eventually win, just because people will want content for their expensive HDTVs. But it's possible that something new may come down the pipe and leapfrog them both, probably some form of HD video on demand or video subscription services.

 

[Gabe Logan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood So says you. BluRay has yield problems even with single layer discs. Some first gen BluRay movies have more artifacting (lots of macroblocking) than the previous DVD releases. BluRay discs are also more delicate and prone to scratching than HD DVD, let alone DVD's. Now let's add on the fact that software and hardware costs are more than it's nearest competitor. Oh, and let's see, the DVD format is barely a decade old, and the masses are expected to replace their barely new DVD collection for a more expensive format that is not more convenient, and in some cases less convenient (ICT, anyone?). -Ed

I believe TDK announce a scratch proof Blu Ray disk a long time ago.if they aint out now they sure will be.

Now if some movies look stunning and other look like crap then maybe it aint Blu Ray at all.

Yes the hardware is a killer i'll give you that but price drops will come even before year ends.

Now if you could just lay off the teamxbox site you just might be ok.

 

[jefemeister]

I don't understand why anyone with a larger HDTV wouldn't be excited about the high-def discs. They're not perfect right now (not utilizing the proper codecs etc) and there's too much uncertaintity to jump right on it. But I don't see the price as being too high even right out of the gate. If you have a multi-thousand dollar TV and are spending over $100/mo on HD cable services, what's $500 for a HD player? Problem is, not enough people have HD in their homes yet, and this will confuse the market. But I'd rather have them make the switch from DVD sooner as opposed to later, so I don't have yet more DVDs become obsolete when the technology does finally become stable. In the meantime, I have no problem continuing to buy regular old DVDs.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe Logan Now if you could just lay off the teamxbox site you just might be ok.

Reread my previous post.

I mentioned AVS Forum not the teamxbox site.

Read up here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=148

Then perhaps you might sound like you know what you are talking about without accusing me of being an XBox fanboy.

Oh, and maybe seeing some Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies in person might help too.