Next-generation DVD battle begins

[joeunderdog]

The first HD DVD players and discs have gone on sale in the US.
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Next-generation formats are able to store much more high-quality data, especially important for high-definition video.
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The two rival systems have been battling to win support for their competing approaches from technology companies and Hollywood studios. Toshiba, with NEC, Sanyo and others, is pushing HD DVD; while backers of Sony's Blu-ray discs include Samsung, Dell and Apple.
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However, the format war, which has been likened to the Betamax-VHS fight in the 1980s, may ultimately be won in the games console market.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4921784.stm

[Ravenseye]

1. I'll sit this one out

Since I dont' even have an HDTV yet I feel secure just waiting for a format to determine itself through market forces. I don't really care which one wins honestly. I'm not going to waste money buying any of it until there is a standard single format, that'll also of course play all my original DVD's.

[Ezlivin]

4. You must be old

Like me. :)

I find that I can wait for these things to settle themselves out rather than living on the "cutting edge" and finding that my top-of-the-line Betamax recorder is essentially worthless.

I've been waiting four years to upgrade my computer. The performance of new Macs keeps rising and the price keeps falling. Eventually I'll be able to get a supercomputer for free if I wait long enough.

[Ravenseye]

8. Yeah Old....and learning how to budget

I remember the whole VHS/BetaMax bruhaha. We lucked out and went VHS, not that it would really ahve mattered 10 years later.

The cutting edge is a place for fools and nuts imho. Anyone who buys the first iteration of something, whether it's a brand new car design, or anything that Microsoft makes, is asking for trouble. Some of the people have no problems and nearly religiously believe in the power of new technologies (apple nuts, microsoft geeks, and so on) while others suffer tons of problems and complain about how horrid a company said same company or technology is.

Best to wait till version 3,4 or even 5. Then you're more assured of getting something you can use reliably no matter the technology.

I've lived for over 3 decades without needing an all in one organizer/cellphone/digital camera/mp3 player/running either windows or OS X/video playing/psp portable/gps tuned/thingamabob....

I can wait a few more years....

[onehandle]

5. I have an HDTV and am an "audio/videophile". But I'll wait too.

I'm not going to play this game so soon after DVDs came on the market. Few people will. They made DVDs too cheap and most people are not ready to upgrade. I get most of my DVDs used for less than ten bucks.

Also, I have an "upscaling" DVD player. Makes regular DVDs look nearly HD.

They made this mistake with CDs too. Two formats for higher quality audio.

I'll pass for now.

[Ravenseye]

11. Honestly for most people it's unnecessary

Sure I can see the difference but I sat on the couch at a friends house who has his nice big hdtv and his hd/dvd showing us how much better the new format is.

Most people had a hard time telling a difference. Audio/Videophiles can see it. I remember when I first hooked up my reciever to my television and was playing a movie trailer that had alot of bass in it, for people who had never heard stereo television.

Heck I remember moving our living room around so that we coudl watch Miami Vice in Stereo which was a novelty at the time. I think we actually had to tune to a radio station if I remember corretly.

Anyway yeah...most people don't really see why it's necessary. Upscalling DVD's played on HDTV's are so good as it is, is much improvement really that necessary?

[onehandle]

15. Eventually it will be necessary.

That's the way it works. Technology is concurrent with evolution.

But for most folks, it's slower than evolution. It's their kids that drive the change.

Kids today cannot picture a world without computers. Computers are becoming HD themselves.

I remember the stereo from FM synced up with video days. A loooong time ago.

[Touchdown]

Oh' come on! You haven't lived until you've seen

The Rikki Lake Show in high definition.:evilgrin:

[Ravenseye]

12. Ah Hi Def...no issues

I love Hi Def. I just don't feel like shelling out money for something that might be obsolete in a year.

Ricki Lake on the other hand...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Thanks to the Playstation 3

I really think Blu-Ray is going to be the winner of this battle. Cost will likely be the only thing standing in its way.

[KyuzoGator]

3. Many analysts think both will fail.

Lots of people are saying that HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will both fail for a few simple reasons:

- Broadband media distribution is quickly supplanting plastic discs.
- Too much anti-piracy technology built in.
- No real need for 20+ GB storage media.
- Too soon after the advent of DVD video, without enough appreciable benefits. People don't want to re-buy their collections.
- Users must have an HDMI-equipped TV to get high-definition images (most HDTV's have component inputs).
- Zero increase in audio quality (unless you really feel the need to have 8+ independent channels).

[Touchdown]

9. That's not all true

Component video handles HD signals. Standard coax can distribute HD video, just not digital sound. HDMI is the piracy jack invented by JVC for HD-VHS. Most HDTVs come with a 5 year "future proof" warranty, and are upgradeable, such as Mitsubishi sets.

20 gigs is bare minimum for a 90 minute HD film. Most will be up to 30-40 gig. Someone with a front projector and a 10ft screen will see a difference.

I disagree that both will fail. I think this will be a niche market, like the videophiles were in the 80s-90s with Laserdiscs. It'll be around, but not ubiquitous and pricey. I expect about $25-35 a disc. That's ok with me. I'm tired of the unwashed masses demanding butchered films on DVD, because they hate those black bars. Now I have to read fine print on the DVD boxes to make sure it's widescreen. My eyes aren't as good as they were when I had Laserdiscs. :eyes:

[KyuzoGator]

13. Don't get me wrong, I'm a videophile and I'll be getting an HD-DVD player.

I currently own about 200 DVD's and I'm right there with you as far as "full screen" butchered discs goes. The sad thing is, it's braindead Wal-Mart customers that are driving that market.

"I hate them thar black bars!" Morons.

All that said, I don't think that there's a tremendously high benefit:cost ratio there for most home viewers over existing DVD video.

[Ravenseye]

14. I agree

I have well over 400 DVD's not counting extra's discs which bumps that number significantly. Plus hundreds more older VHS's that I haven't upgraded yet. I'm a videophile.

I just don't see it becomign mainstream anytime soon. People see the difference between a CRT television and an LCD HDTV. They can SEE The difference and don't want the old CRT anymore.

Same can't be said for this new format. Most people running a normal...heck even a large 60" LCD HDTV might not see enough improvement in the format to warrant buying a new machine. Plus all the other problems mentioned.

If it catches on it'll be slow process. ONe of the formats will die off within a year or two, and the other will take at least a decade to even come close to replacing standard DVD's. Just look at how long DVD's took to replace VHS or CD's to drive audio cassettes out of the stores. It's not going to be an overnight shift and when the chagne takes place, if it ever does, it'll be because people will get a new player and it'll be the standard. 10 years probably.

[aden_nak]

6. If Sony is banking on the PS3 to push BluRay, they are in for a shock.

They'll be last-to-market this time, offering a product that does not differentiate itself clearly or distinctly from the Xbox 360 except in terms of its higher sticker price. Their real, direct competition will be the Nintendo Revolution, which is promsing the lowest asking price and the most dis-similar gaming experience. I used to work at Sony, and I can guarantee that they have no plan in place to deal with this. Their attitude is very much, "We will triumph BECAUSE we are Sony!" and they more or less leave it at that, as though rhetoric can somehow directly boost their sales figures. It didn't work on the PSP (despite offering a technologically superior product to the Nintendo DS) and it won't work on the PS3.

The conversion to HD-DVD or BluRay (my money is on HD-DVD incidentally) is going to take much longer than the conversion from VHS to DVD, simply because the vast, vast majority of consumers will not get any added benefit or convenience from the newer formats. Even if you don't own a high definition television, DVD is an upgrade from VHS in terms of picture, sound and convenience (no worn out tapes, no rewinding, chapter selection, special features, commentary). There's nothing left to offer but more and more lines of resolution, and most consumers simply won't be able to tell the difference with their current hardware. Even many consumers who own a HDTV won't see any real difference, because the majority of HDTVs on the market don't support a high enough resolution.

So unless you are a technology or a movie fetishist, stay way the hell away from both of these formats until DVDs truly start to phase themselves out, or you're going to get burned on a primitive, expensive implimentation of a technology that might not even be around in 12 months.

[KyuzoGator]

16. And on top of that, it's a matter of time before dual-format players.

I believe Samsung is working on a player that does HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, so there's not really a point to banking on one or the other...they'll be interchangeable eventually.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

7. Which ever one the porn industry uses will win

Its amazing how many times porn has been the deciding factor in which technology actually becomes dominant

[Initech]

10. I really dont care and I'm not buying either because:

1. I do not have $500 that I'm going to spend on a new DVD player.

2. No way in fucking HELL am I buying the same titles over again just because they work on a new player.

3. The older I get, the more I'm perfectly fine with outdated technology. You know the old saying - if it aint broke, dont fix it.

4. I've seen the list of launch titles for both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Um... fuck you, Sony!

[Yatar]

17. They want to keep the format battle going...

Look how much money the record companies made off of the format change from LPs to CDs, now there's hi def music DVDs...

[KyuzoGator]

18. The difference was, with each format the quality improvement was awesome.

The quality shift from 480p to 720p/1080i won't really be appreciable to most consumers. And 1080p won't be widespread for another decade.