The first generation Blu-ray players currently on shelves, profile 1.0, don't offer many nice perks like picture-in-picture, local storage, or internet connectivity. Those features will arrive with second generation players, called BD Live or profile 2.0, which should hit stores by the end of the year. Once prices fall, those are the players to buy.
As for HD-DVD...
Japanese public broadcaster NHK had earlier reported that Toshiba would suffer losses in the tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) as it scrapped production of HD DVD players and recorders and took other steps to exit the business.An official eulogy is expected early next week.
Toshiba to give up on HD DVD, end format war: source [Reuters]
]]>ah, but don't forget that the company that makes the discs controls what you see. Want to skip past 10 minutes of garbage promos on a standard DVD player the first time you watch a movie (or every. single. time. on one without playback memory)? Forget about it.
]]>if DVDs are any indication (and they are a historical precedent), multi-layer BD-Rs will never be as cost effective as multiple single-layered discs. So expect price trends to roughly mirror DVDs.
]]>Well, with HD-DVD out of the way, Blu-Ray still has one competitor to overcome, standard DVD. I don't think BD is going to overcome DVD, but both will co-exist.
]]>once there is an easy, "computer illiterate" way for the masses to download movies on their existing computer... and watch then it on their big fat TV .... the final war is won.... still a challenge, because we all know that computers and TVs still have very different karmas....
]]>50 Pack TDK Blu-ray (BD-R) Single Layer Write-once Discs White Inkjet Hub printable 25GB 1-2X In Cake Box (BD-R25PWX25CB) - $999.99
i think ill stick to dvd and dvd-r. personally i think with this monopoly on hd format is to combat piracy, who would want to buy a 25-50 dollar disc to burn a movie. that leaves you with the option of actually BUYING a bluray disc instead of pirating or making backups.
]]>By comparison, BluRay discs hold 50GB on two layers (versus 10 layers for VMD), and 100GB on four layers (versus 20 for VMD).
One of the major reasons why BluRay costs more to manufacture is because the manufacturing process is different, requiring them to ramp up production. Eventually, the costs to do that will come down, negating any advantage VMD has (HD-DVD's lower cost didn't save it). And who knows, perhaps we'll one day see a 10 or 20 layer BluRay disc, holding 250-500 gigs.
]]>They've already publicly stated that if HD-DVD were to fail, they would introduce a BluRay add-on. They even spewed out some marketing crap about how their choice to make the HD-DVD drive external meant that they could do this without any major issues.
]]>I second that. DVD's at Blockbuster or GameStop used are so cheap. I rarely buy DVD's at full price. I wait until a 4 for $20 or buy 2 get 1 free sale pops up. BluRay is just to high priced for me right now, but like all things, they will soon have BluRays of old movies for $1 in the checkout line at Wal-Mart.
]]>@pastabatman: Yeah, but if you haven't seen a movie in the theatre, seeing it for the first time in DVD quality can be a bit of a surprise. Just as an example, I love the movie Jaws, but ol' Bruce the shark looks a little more fake on DVD than he does on VHS. And, if 35mm is higher-def than, say, Blu-ray, then that extra detail does exist, and it'll show up more clearly when they print the movie in the new format.
So either Bruce ends up looking like he's made of papier-mache, or Spielberg goes in with the cinematic Photoshop and overdoes it like they always do, and everybody goes home sad.
]]>Now I may buy my next gen player. I sat watching some Harry Potter flick at a box store yesterday...wow. So much prettier than DVD. I am so glad that I ceased buying DVDs of eye candy movie serveral years ago so there is nothing to replace.
Until my internet connection is 95% reliable, I think I will still favor movies on disc. Plus, I am the geek who watches ever second of extras and then rewatches the movies with the commentaries by the actors third cousin once removed who actually things the actor is a bit of a twit...
As to HD DVD v. Blu, the new and better technology seems to have won. Isn't the name of the game volume? (speed too).
LONG LIVE BLU!
]]>If you need to upgrade now, buy a update-able PS3.
VHS vs. DVD: way better picture, small, no rewinding DVD vs. Blu-Ray: I guess maybe it's a little clearer but I feel like it's an eyetest -
Doctor: "Screen A or screen B?"
Me: "...um...ah...B, I guess"
Me (mentally): "Is this a placebo test?"
My mom bought a 1.0 Blu-Ray player and hooked it up with A/V cables. D'oh! Sometimes it really is a placebo test.
Meh, I only have Blu Ray because I bought a PS3 but beyond that, I think this generation is going to go the way of the LaserDisk because it doesn't really offer anything significant unless you have serious components and a high end audio receiver.
]]>The irony is that when they/we switched to DVD they purposely created a single standard first thus leading to one of if not the fastest technology adoption of all time. I think this was in response to the vhs/beta-max wars.
Why they would not learn from their success and repeat the idea of an industry standard is beyond me.
Additionally I agree that the bump to hi def is lost on a majority of users. the bump from VHS to DVD was a HUGE improvement that anyone with eyeballs could see WITHOUT having to truly upgrade anything else like a $1500 tv.
Thanks for the HD vs Film explanation.
]]>However, 4K capture [www.silicongraphics.net] would seem to bury the entire argument once it becomes more widely used.
And 4k archiving is currently being used to remaster and preserve film (as digital storage is considered more 'permanent'). The remasters of the James Bond library were scanned at 4K.
the old stuff would look good too. You wouldn't 'see' more as you can't pull more definition out of the film that has already been shot. meaning - if you didn't see it in the theater (not tv) it probably ain't there.
correct me if i'm wrong, but film (depending on format ie 16mm, 35mm, etc) is 'higher def', than hi def.
]]>@penarestel: Maybe we care because we don't need an insider to tell us this. Toshiba made the announcement officially in Japan last week.
@AcidReign: There's a different between stop working and stop receiving signals. If it was receiving no signals, it could still be working just peachy.
]]>@EBounding:
Random access is also a big advantage of discs over tapes.
How is this Hi-Def format catching on? Is there really that big of a difference? I always felt the biggest appeal of DVDs from VHS was that they were more compact and didn't degrade in quality. Blu-Ray hasn't improved in this area, so what's the big deal?
]]>@vr4z06gt: Thanks for the tip, vr4z06gt. Millions of Americans that want to watch Disney movies with their kids were all concerned about the underutilization of their own multi-terabyte media servers, gigabit ether net and htpcs.
And I personally was also impressed with the amount of money (such a provider you are!) you have to spend on nerd toys.
]]>But with all of this mind, the format war isn't over. Plain old DVD is still king. BD players and movies are still on the expensive side, and a very small percentage of TV owners have upgraded to an HDTV set anyways. Sure economies of scale will kick in and hardware/movie prices will drop. But it might take some time. I think the sweet spot for most consumers would be under $150 for a BD player, and under $15 for the movies. It's all a matter of time.
* I think people tend to forget or don't know that Blu-ray is NOT a Sony proprietary format. It's a format that is jointly developed and promoted by several hardware manufactures and content providers. Sony is in the spotlight because they are both a hardware manufacture and a content provider. They have the resources to heavily promote Blu-ray. To say that you hate Blu-ray because you hate Sony, would also mean you hate all the companies on the list.
]]>@Kia: blu-ray prices will drop radically since everyone will now be cranking them out and blu-ray is superior for computer data storage to HD. There is no upside to HD for data storage but the sky's the limit with blu-ray.
@CumaeanSibyl: unless they are filmed in HD or at minimum, digitally remastered, that is correct. however newer movies have a much better chance of meeting that criteria, especially animation.
]]>Man, I haven't even replaced my VHS collection yet.
I acknowledge the technical superiority of high-definition TVs and next-gen DVDs, but here's the thing: the movies I watch wouldn't really gain anything. Either they're dramas, which don't need super-advanced graphics, or they're older action/scifi/horror movies with old special effects that would probably show all the wires and seams in HD, and who wants to see that?
]]>There might be more PS2 and PS3s out there than N64 (wow, that's going wayyy back) Gamecube and Wii's, but Sony continually loses money in the "console war".
Nintendo has found a niche market (younger kids) and is the format of choice for many parents. That's not even talking about their domination in the hand-held gaming devices.
So what if they don't have the best titles... Since many nintendo titles are licenced by nintendo, they reap the benefits...
When was the last time sony video games produced a profit?
]]>With a mentality like that I'm surprised you're even "with it" enough to use the computer. >_>;
That being said, I was hoping HD-DVD would win, because I hate Sony. All the same, standard DVDs are fine by me for now, and I expect they will be for a long time. Especially at Blu-Ray's -ridiculous- prices.
]]>Plus I forgot to mention that there's no way around the NTSC color gamut being much smaller than that available to ATSC (CSI Miami is a good example of how vibrant and vivid color can look along with the sharpness of 1080 lines of resolution).
]]>You know, with everything going digital and non-physical - from money to music to movies - a 'Fight Club' climax scene would now be pulled off with a massive virus, rather than explosives at the base of all financial buildings. "Re-set the debt record to zero." Ouch. "Your head will collapse if there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, 'Where is my mind?' "
One warning: Some BD mastering software does not produce consumer recordable BD-Rs that play properly on PS3s. But, that is a problem with the mastering software - not the PS3.
]]>That said, the current players have much better up-conversion and I find it difficult to tell the difference between SD and BD on a 46" screen using a PS3 with the latest OS. I am told the PS3 beta OS has even better up-conversion.
]]>I have not bought a next gen DVD player. I will resist purchase until they are down low and I feel the need to own movies rather than rent them. Think on this: How often do you actually go back and look at a movie that you own on DVD (bluray/HDDVD/LaserDisc/whatever)? How often do you actually access the extras beyond deleted scenes. I do this math now. If I can rent it three times for the same cost or less of ownership, then there is no need to own it. There are very few movies that I have seen that I want to see more than thrice. Short list: The good james bond movies, Lawrence of Arabia, Blade Runner, the Fifth Element, Spinal Tap, Tampopo, Brazil, a few other comedies, and that's about it. And I already own most of that.
]]>If it's good enough for you, by all means stick with standard DVD. I did for a long time and am only slowly planning to pick up movies I already have since I'm not sure either if it's worth spending the money to duplicate stuff either. But HD definitely looks better much of the time.
]]>(I remember when I was the only one I knew who owned a McIntosh, and it was a stereo amplifier!)
]]>@Buran: So if I spend $3,000 for a big TV, which takes up as much of my field of vision as other screens, then the need for spending $400 or whatever a bluray player costs would be justified? Not to mention buying all the titles in the new format?
]]>As for Blu Ray, well, I'll wait to see if MS releases an add-on for the 360. That way I can share it between PC and 360...
]]>DVD Shrink works OK, for ripping. You'll notice a little quality loss, but it's nothing compared to aged VHS tapes.
]]>And what happens when your hard drive dies? I'd rather stick to optical media. If my PS3 dies I can get it fixed or buy a new one. If one individual disk won't play I can get another. And I can go to the store and back in a few minutes or get a mail order in a few days. 50 gigs would take forever to download.
Downloads? Take forever, missing a vital feature, and too vulnerable to a single point of failure. No thanks.
]]>@penarestel: WB never, ever tended toward HD-DVD. The studio was always format neutral. Regardless of the long-standing and substantial financial interest in HD-DVD arising from days when WB was instrumental in the development of SD-DVD, there was always a perception that BD would win.
@BayStateDarren: Yes. You are an old man.... LOL
]]>That statement is laughable at best considering regardless of what HD-DVDs infractions were, Sony is the king with a long history of being anti-consumer.
]]>Woot, cheap HD-DVDs! Now to buy more!
]]>My laserdisc player that's shoved away in the basement is going to have to sit all by itself for a few more years until I (assuredly) get stung on something else that quickly goes obsolete.
]]>however sony finally got something right how many failed propriatary formats have they had, betamax, umd....
]]>DVDs are as fragile as all get-out. I'd expect a Sony product to be even worse. Any movies you expect to keep forever need to be ripped and backed up on the family server, on at least RAID-5!
]]>Wasn't it not too long ago that a "Warner insider" claimed they were going HD DVD exclusive?
We all see how that one turned out.
Even if this is true then it just means cheap HD DVDs and players for me.
Oh and good job consumers, you just let Sony, a company known for its anti-consumer policies, win a format war.
You might as well bend over now and accept your fate for the next few years. At least I'll be happy with cheap HD DVD player that's upconverting my standard DVDs.
@humphrmi:
I think Sony should accept your Betamax in exchange for a Blu-ray player. Would make for a good promotion, you think?
I'm so far out of the loop on this that I never even had a chance to pick a side. I haven't had much time for movies lately.
]]>I liked HD-DVD better but whatever. I didn't buy a player yet. I will get a BluRay 2.0 player when they are released though. Glad I waited.
]]>So. buy a PS3.
]]>Oh well, its not like I had any interest in HDDVD or Bluray.
My DvDs suit me just fine and by the time they don't make them anymore I'll be buying my movies on the internet.
As for storage, who the hell wants to mess with optical media when solid state is 10 times easier, faster, and more reliable.
]]>