[GAD]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[GAD]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[OverlordXenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penguindude /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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!

Does anyone actually have that consensus? Right now, BRD has more companies and studios and more movies being released...If I were to think anyone would win, it would be BRD. I honestly think either both will win, both will fail, or BRD will win. The most likely occurance I see is them both failing due to another format.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperNothing /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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.

How much are the movie player units in that system?

 

[GAD]

"Most people" huh?

My father in law can't tell. In fact none of my family over the age of 60 can tell, and I often find them watching football games on SD on their HD screens. Show these people Corpse Bride on an upscaling DVD player and they're blown away. Show them the same movie in HD and they don't see the need to spend the money for HD. I'm talking source here - not TV. The 480p source is upscaled to 1080i for the HD TV.

I suggest you refrain from calling posts rubbish (other thread) or posters crazy when they don't agree with your thinking.

I've had an HD setup for over two years. I have lots of experience showing it to people. Many people are wowed. Many are not. Believe it or not, many people just don't care what the resolution of their TV is.

And to answer your question, my TV is a 50" Sony SXRD 1080p.

GAD

 

[lordmozilla]

your bang on the head there overlord, who knows who will win,

i hope for hd-dvd having a grudge at sony, but blueray is the better format, more capacity its a no brainer, microsoft are backing hd-dvd so its got some strong support, but it depends, price wise hd-dvd is winning, but that doesnt mean it will in the end.

 

[OverlordXenu]

I dislike people who "hate" a corporation, then parade around another corporation in retaliation against the other corporation.

They're corporations, their morals are all the same.

Eh, whatever...

 

[lordmozilla]

i dont hate them, but i dont think its a good idea to use a sony format. They sunk the minidisk by their own stupidity, and while their hardware is better than hd-dvd's their implemetation of HD is not as nice for the consumers. More drm, harder to decode, its basically a pain.

Plus the fact sony put rootkits on usb sticks... ever since then i've been a little annoyed with them.

and i'm not parading microsoft or toshiba, but i think toshiba has the beter implementation and has the better deal for consumers. heck both formats have problems.