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The Format War finally appears to have an exit strategy. Rumor mill now has it that Toshiba is at least contemplating pulling the plug on HD DVD, which has taken a serious beating since its defeat at the Battle of Warner, the turning point in the long-running Format War.

So, do I really need to throw out my HD DVD player and my half-dozen HD DVD discs? No. I plug it in, play the movie, and it works. I just won't be able to get any more new ones in a year or so. And, I can hit sales tables as others bail out and chunk theirs.

What I don't understand is why no one seems willing to entertain the idea of owning both formats. Sure, it's easier for the average Joe to know that DVDs are good but Blu-Rays are better, but keeping straight that HD DVDs aren't DVDs goes over their head; but, techies can at least shouldn't have been a killing blow to the format.

I'm glad to see an end to the confusion for normal people out there. But, just because HD DVD is on the way out doesn't mean I should feel compelled to throw out a perfectly good player and half a dozen videos I got just two or three months ago.

I don't know much about the formats...but just out of curiosity, did HD have any real advantages over blu-ray? Because I've heard that blu-ray has a lot of advantages over HD, but I've never heard anything the other way around...

Anyway, I guess I'm glad it's all over. Now whenever I eventually buy a blu-ray player, I won't have to worry about it losing to HD.

(By the way...do blu-ray DVDs play in a normal DVD player? Because I was thinking of starting to buy blu-ray DVDs instead of regular ones...since I'll likely be getting a blu-ray player in a couple years.)

Well....before DVDs came out...people had tons of movies on VHS. When Laserdisc came out....it didn't end up replacing VHS cause not everyone liked how it performed. Sure...picture and sound is better....but who wants to flip a large disc half way through the movie?

Right before DVDs came to be...there was 2 formats being worked on. Toshiba had one....and so did Sony and thier partners. A commitee told them to agree to one format. Toshiba won the format rights. They called it....DVD.

DVD was an overnight success. Laserdisc was no more. But it took a while longer for VHS to die.

Now.....what I don't understand is......how come the committee who told Sony...Toshiba to come up with one format (DVD) didn't do it this time around for the HD formats?

I don't mind having both formats. But being an "early adopter" has its risks. HD-DVD players CAN play DVDs. So there's no need to get rid of them. But....until the exclusives on HD-DVD ends up on Blu-Ray..I'll be keeping my HD-DVD add on for a little while longer.

Renorei wrote:
(By the way...do blu-ray DVDs play in a normal DVD player? Because I was thinking of starting to buy blu-ray DVDs instead of regular ones...since I'll likely be getting a blu-ray player in a couple years.)

Nope.

And its not called "Blu-Ray DVDs" Just "Blu-Ray."

I just hope Paramount changes their choice from HD-DVD to Blu-Ray cause i want Transformers and Iron Man on Blu-Ray so i can destroy my house with the sound system on my tv

I thought Blu-Ray would end up taking the lead, something I may get into in a few years if everything is as cheap as DVD, for now DVD's.

By the time that either Blu-Ray or HD DVD settles down to be the next great movie system, they'll be obsolete.

Went to a Con a few months back and saw the new format on the block:
Mass Mem, or Massive Memory cards. A card about the size of a paperback ( Length and Width) holds four hours of EHD image and 5.1 stereo. No moving parts, and cheap to load (which DVD's aren't).

So, I think I'll wait. Actually, we're at the point that the Media has more capacity than the playback or input systems do. Basically, we can't Input the quality of image it's capable of holding, or Play it back, because the systems are still not up to the task.

I'll stay with DVD's for now. They're adequate.

I don't care either way, I'm just waiting for one to be affordable and have a large enough library.

I looked at some blu-ray DVD's today and they were thirty dollars! Granted, the picture quality is fantastic but it'll be a loooonnnngggg time before I start buying them. Right now, I'm perfectly content with the dvd's that I have.

RedEye wrote:By the time that either Blu-Ray or HD DVD settles down to be the next great movie system, they'll be obsolete.

Of course they'll be obsolete.

Technology is always evolving. Flat screen TVs are getting flatter and flatter. Soon we won't NEED a screen!! And storage media in the future will hold even more data.

RedEye wrote:Went to a Con a few months back and saw the new format on the block:
Mass Mem, or Massive Memory cards. A card about the size of a paperback ( Length and Width) holds four hours of EHD image and 5.1 stereo. No moving parts, and cheap to load (which DVD's aren't).

If its very cheap and easy to load...then the studios will want no part of it. It'll be to easy to bootleg.

RedEye wrote:So, I think I'll wait. Actually, we're at the point that the Media has more capacity than the playback or input systems do. Basically, we can't Input the quality of image it's capable of holding, or Play it back, because the systems are still not up to the task.

I'll stay with DVD's for now. They're adequate.

We can all "wait" for the next big thing. But it'll get to the point where you'll have no choice but to get that new player. Seen any new titles on VHS? Laserdisc? Hmmm? Soon....new titles will go to Blu-ray only.

Riddle wrote:I looked at some blu-ray DVD's today and they were thirty dollars! Granted, the picture quality is fantastic but it'll be a loooonnnngggg time before I start buying them. Right now, I'm perfectly content with the dvd's that I have.

*sigh*

Its "Blu-ray" or "Blu-ray disc." (BD) Not "Blu-ray DVD."

See?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu_ray

Blu-ray Disc (also known as Blu-ray or BD) is a high-density optical disc format for the storage of digital information, including high-definition video.

Also......look here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD

You'll notice this......

The term "DVD" is commonly misused to refer to high definition optical disc formats in general, such as HD DVD, its official successor, and Blu-ray, its rival. As a result, the original DVD is often called SD-DVD (for standard definition).

It is the same thing as the Beta or VHS battle. We had a beta player, but VHS won out in the long run.

I refuse to buy a Blueray dvd payer

I can't be bothered buying one either. The higher quality simply isn't worth the price difference (and performance loss when it comes to playing anything that Isn't Approved For Distribution Worldwide). Not to mention that, considering the age and source of much of what I do watch, the higher quality of end product will only call more attention to the limitations of the original masters...

I knew about this long ago. But I will only really care if those darn things lack DRM on em. Those hundreds of gigabytes would be useless if you aren't allowed to read properly off of em.

Figarou wrote:

Riddle wrote:I looked at some blu-ray DVD's today and they were thirty dollars! Granted, the picture quality is fantastic but it'll be a loooonnnngggg time before I start buying them. Right now, I'm perfectly content with the dvd's that I have.

*sigh*

Its "Blu-ray" or "Blu-ray disc." (BD) Not "Blu-ray DVD."

Figarou, I really don't think it matters what anyone calls it.

Midnight wrote:I can't be bothered buying one either. The higher quality simply isn't worth the price difference (and performance loss when it comes to playing anything that Isn't Approved For Distribution Worldwide). Not to mention that, considering the age and source of much of what I do watch, the higher quality of end product will only call more attention to the limitations of the original masters...

very well put.
I agree.

Sad fact is that some of the best Cinema was done on black and white film formatted for projection on a large movie screen.
As pointed out above, too much data can actually degrade the quality of the video image.

And yes, the price is a killer. I think, though, that while first releases may be Blu-Ray, there will be additional HD-DVD and DVD releases as well. Hollywood does not scorn the pockets they pick...

RedEye wrote:Sad fact is that some of the best Cinema was done on black and white film formatted for projection on a large movie screen.
As pointed out above, too much data can actually degrade the quality of the video image.

And yes, the price is a killer. I think, though, that while first releases may be Blu-Ray, there will be additional HD-DVD and DVD releases as well. Hollywood does not scorn the pockets they pick...

Its not "degrading" the picture.

If you play a DVD on an HDTV, you'll notice flaws. Compression artifacts is just one of the flaws. Some people actually thought the HDTV they just bought is defective. Thats not the case. Pop in a Blu-ray or HD-DVD and the picture looks much better.

For example.

DVD=480i
Place that on an HDTV that does 1080p, you'll notice flaws.

HD-DVD/Blu-ray=1080p
Place that on an HDTV that does 1080p, You get a nice sharp picture.

Remember...... "You only get out what you put into it."

Its also true for the studio's "Master." Have you seen what Disney had to do with thier old films? They had to "restore" the film before placing it on Blu-ray.

Watch this trailer and see what they say 1:10 minutes into it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afuI2TakE84

RedEye wrote:Sad fact is that some of the best Cinema was done on black and white film formatted for projection on a large movie screen.
As pointed out above, too much data can actually degrade the quality of the video image.

Movie film: luxury. A lot of the DVDs I have are old (as far back as the `sixties) Doctor Who. The typical 'sixties episode was: recorded onto 405 (I think) line black and white videotape, played on TV, a black and white film print was made (with only half as many frames per second), and the original videotape was eventually re-used. The film print was sent around the world, played a dozen or so times on its journey, returned to the BBC (if it was lucky), forgotten about (if it was lucky - if the BBC remembered they had them, they remembered to bin them after seven years, or however long they were supposed to be kept) and finally unearthed some time in the late 1970s when the series started getting popular in the United States.

In the past 25 or so years stray episodes have been popping up all over the place. The classic was when the entire "Tomb of the Cybermen" serial was unearthed in Hong Kong while they were having a clean-out of capitalist TV while preparing for the Chinese takeover... Anyway, some time in the next year or so "The Time Meddler" (from about 1966) is going to be released on DVD. For a while now, there's been a lot of restoration work done on the original film prints in order to make them suitable for DVD release. But the only surviving prints of "The Time Meddler" are in such poor condition it isn't even practical to do restoration work on them.

I'll be getting the DVD because I'd like to see the serial. But, even if I had a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player, I couldn't see the sense in paying more for something that's going to be that borderline anyway...

Scott Gardener wrote:The Format War finally appears to have an exit strategy. Rumor mill now has it that Toshiba is at least contemplating pulling the plug on HD DVD, which has taken a serious beating since its defeat at the Battle of Warner, the turning point in the long-running Format War.

Its sooner than you think.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20 ... weeks.html

Midnight wrote: I'll be getting the DVD because I'd like to see the serial. But, even if I had a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player, I couldn't see the sense in paying more for something that's going to be that borderline anyway...

I agree that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is a bit pricey. Thats why I rent them instead of buying them. (Unless its a title worth owning)

Heck...video games cost $10-$30 more compared to new Blu-Ray releases!!

I can't see myself paying $60 for a new game. I'll rent it or play the demo to see if its worth it. That or wait till the price goes down.

Short Tail wrote:It is the same thing as the Beta or VHS battle. We had a beta player, but VHS won out in the long run.

VHS won here in the U.S.A.

But in South America.....Beta was still alive and kicking!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videotape_format_war

In 1988 Sony began to market their own VHS machines, and despite claims that they were still backing Beta, it was clear that the format was dead — at least in Europe and the U.S. In parts of South America, Beta continued to be popular, and in Japan, the format was developed into ED-Beta and SuperBeta, and was still produced up to the end of 2002. The rise of DVD finally took away the niche market that Betamax had survived in during the '90s, giving the home format a total lifespan of 27 years.

Figarou wrote:

Riddle wrote:

Figarou wrote:

Riddle wrote:I looked at some blu-ray DVD's today and they were thirty dollars! Granted, the picture quality is fantastic but it'll be a loooonnnngggg time before I start buying them. Right now, I'm perfectly content with the dvd's that I have.

*sigh*

Its "Blu-ray" or "Blu-ray disc." (BD) Not "Blu-ray DVD."

Figarou, I really don't think it matters what anyone calls it.

If you're a home theater enthusiast....it does matter.

HD-DVD ALSO uses a "Blue ray" in its specs. Sooooooo.....if you ask for a "Blu ray DVD" you're asking for an HD-DVD.
I'm just trying to prevent some confusion between the formats. Thats all.

Ok, I understand now.
Sorry, If my comment offended you Figarou.

Riddle wrote:
Ok, I understand now.
Sorry, If my comment offended you Figarou.

Its ok. I wasn't offended in any way.

DVD became a household name. So its going to take a while for people to say "Blu-Ray disc" instead of "Blu-Ray DVD."

Some brand names became household names.

For example..........if someone wants to clean thier ears....they'll ask for a "Q-tip" instead of saying "cotton swab." Or...if they want to blow thier nose...they'll ask for a Kleenex instead of a tissue.

I think you get the idea.

Yep.

Figarou wrote:

Riddle wrote:
Ok, I understand now.
Sorry, If my comment offended you Figarou.

Its ok. I wasn't offended in any way.

DVD became a household name. So its going to take a while for people to say "Blu-Ray disc" instead of "Blu-Ray DVD."

Some brand names became household names.

For example..........if someone wants to clean thier ears....they'll ask for a "Q-tip" instead of saying "cotton swab." Or...if they want to blow thier nose...they'll ask for a Kleenex instead of a tissue.

I think you get the idea.

At my school everyone calls calzones Hot Pockets. It pisses me and my friend off.

Its offficial.

HD-DVD is dead.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site ... 0219005651


now...what to do with my HD-DVD add on for the Xbox 360.