Will you be buying HD-DVD or blu-ray for movies?
- Thread starter Shauna Abdouche
- Start date
Jazmynizzle
New member
I think they will have limited success, pure digital distribution is the way forward, getting your movies from the internet - I am just waiting for someone to launch a legal, subscription based service in the UK, maybe HD based on XviD compression. It is unfair these services are available in USA only.
Look how ugly this is: http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000M6XKEK.01-A1NDBS7YGOPBD6._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V50145639_.jpg
You might as well make it brown and claim it's done for 80's nostalgia.
You might as well make it brown and claim it's done for 80's nostalgia.
TheVintageBug
New member
I've never really bought many DVRAB (especially not the last couple of years), knowing they will be superceded by HD discs. The exception being TV shows shot on videotape, which I have bought plenty of (from their native region to ensure maximum quality).
However, I feel we're still a long way off there being a universal HD format, and both current HD technologies use DRM, which I object to (along with many other people). So I won't be buying HD discs for a long time. If I wanted something in HD I'd probably just download it from the Internet illegally, until a viable DRM-free format is available.
DRM
If you don't know what DRM is, you should do. All Apple music software & hardware contains DRM too. DRM heavily restricts your ability to transfer and copy your own files.
To understand what DRM is all about, imagine you've just seen a funny film at the cinema and call your mate to tell him the best line. However, your mobile is listening to your conversation and censors out the line so your friend will have to pay to see the movie himself if he wants to hear the line.
Or imagine you buy a Black and Decker saw, and you try to saw through some wood but the saw won't let you, telling you it will only drill through official Black and Decker wood.
This may sound ludicrous but that is essentially the principle of DRM. It prohibits you from reasonably using what you own. (All so they can squeeze a few more pennies out of you.)
It sucks, and there's no way I would buy it. Apple, Sony etc can kiss my ass.
More info here: http://www.defectivebydesign.org/en/node
However, I feel we're still a long way off there being a universal HD format, and both current HD technologies use DRM, which I object to (along with many other people). So I won't be buying HD discs for a long time. If I wanted something in HD I'd probably just download it from the Internet illegally, until a viable DRM-free format is available.
DRM
If you don't know what DRM is, you should do. All Apple music software & hardware contains DRM too. DRM heavily restricts your ability to transfer and copy your own files.
To understand what DRM is all about, imagine you've just seen a funny film at the cinema and call your mate to tell him the best line. However, your mobile is listening to your conversation and censors out the line so your friend will have to pay to see the movie himself if he wants to hear the line.
Or imagine you buy a Black and Decker saw, and you try to saw through some wood but the saw won't let you, telling you it will only drill through official Black and Decker wood.
This may sound ludicrous but that is essentially the principle of DRM. It prohibits you from reasonably using what you own. (All so they can squeeze a few more pennies out of you.)
It sucks, and there's no way I would buy it. Apple, Sony etc can kiss my ass.
More info here: http://www.defectivebydesign.org/en/node
Brittany T
New member
atm we have a bluray player on our PS3, and havent noticed much improvment compared to normal DVRAB, but my dh wants to get a HD drive for the XBox360 so well see if thats any better.
So you really think that non gamers are going to be shelling out for games consoles to watch Blu-Ray when they can buy a proper HDDVD player for roughly the same price?
Blu-Ray will get a boost from PS3 sales but only from those who want something to play,just like PSP owners bought UMD movies to start with.
Once the novelty has worn off Blu-Ray is set to join UMD and others in the ever increasing Sony Format Graveyard
Blu-Ray will get a boost from PS3 sales but only from those who want something to play,just like PSP owners bought UMD movies to start with.
Once the novelty has worn off Blu-Ray is set to join UMD and others in the ever increasing Sony Format Graveyard
from gadgetnetz
Dismal PS3 Launch Forces Sony To Discard BluRay
On the heels of various industry reports of the lackluster sales of Sony's new Playstation 3 console up to, during, and through the Christmas season, it's no wonder that Sony feels internal pressure to reverse it's course to more profitable waters. Obviously, the number one deficit of the new electronic entertainment device is the sheer number of newly introduced technologies, each with it's own seemingly continuous chain of production pitfalls. This same collection of newly deployed technologies directly impacts the pricing, further straining the retail sales of the Playstation 3. Considering that HDDVD technology is moving towarRAB a broader market of consumers, Blu Ray is taking a considerable hit regardless of the Playstation branding.
One doesn't have to pay close attenion, or even take a second glance, to see that Sony, as a large corporation, has dropped the ball in it's own court. It has been reported time and time again that Sony has been facing financial difficulties, having to lay off workers, close plants, and refocus parts of their business. What only a few expected, Playstation 3 sales failed to match even the reduced supply during this holiday season. The affect of this has rippled through the major electronics retailers, creating a need to ship stock from store to store, and further impacting what profit margins retailers expected to see from the launch of a major new platform. The slick new Nintendo Wii and the powerhouse Microsoft XBox 360 managed to dominate the market, taking full advantage of the price differential, supply problems, and even the imagination of the consumer market. The season, in reality, isn't even over, and there is already a new captain at the helm, an almost unprecedented event indicating changes to come.
At a cost of over two hundred dollars per drive, the Blu Ray is the force behind the massive cost of the Sony Playstation 3. It is speculated that Sony is bleeding some three hundred bucks per unit, and continues the wild trend of manufacturers losing cash on the console in expectations to get their money back on the software. However, with a scant dozen titles or so, Sony holRAB little hope of a quick turn around in their fortunes. From it's core, the powerful Cell processor,with it's poor production yielRAB, has added pitfalls to it's on rollout that is compounded by the difficulty in mass producing the Blu Ray in the Playstation 3. The tremendous cost of product, let alone support and delivery costs, may have been a factor in the recent executive level staff changes, but that change (of executives) has pushed the importance of other changes up the ladder of importance.
Sony is rumored to be making drastic changes to recapture the market before losing even more of it's command share to the likes of Nintendo (the success story of the holiday season) or the XBox 360 (still suffering in the land of the rising sun, but gaining momentum everywhere else). In a move that is "aimed at family pricing," Sony is rumored to be working on a Playstation 3 that does not include the Blu Ray drive. Whether this will result in the current low-end model having a change, or a newer "entry level" Playstation 3, remains to be seen. However, this is in stark contrast to their previous, egocentric, statements regarding "what kind of consumer"* will be looking at the Playstation 3.
To further fuel the fire, Toshiba has been reported to be getting ready to announce at CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) a new HDDVD player in the sub-two hundred dollar range. If these reports hold to be true, Sony's Blu Ray hopes may be dashed in even more markets than just that of the video-game arena. The steep pricing of Blu Ray players already make the Playstation 3 the entry level model, and Toshiba may have just put the nail in the coffin of this format. This holiday season was Sony's chance to leap ahead of the HDDVD format, establishing Blu Ray in the consumer market.
Supply problems alone would have likely created problems with Sony's hopes about Blu Ray, but with lackluster sales it is nearly a forgone conclusion. This puts Sony in a terrible position of not only trying to turn their ship around, but if they aren't careful--it could very well sink. A Playstation 3 without Blu Ray technology may save the Playstation from the fate previously seen by Sega's Saturn, but it will be the death nail in the Blu Ray coffin.
Dismal PS3 Launch Forces Sony To Discard BluRay
On the heels of various industry reports of the lackluster sales of Sony's new Playstation 3 console up to, during, and through the Christmas season, it's no wonder that Sony feels internal pressure to reverse it's course to more profitable waters. Obviously, the number one deficit of the new electronic entertainment device is the sheer number of newly introduced technologies, each with it's own seemingly continuous chain of production pitfalls. This same collection of newly deployed technologies directly impacts the pricing, further straining the retail sales of the Playstation 3. Considering that HDDVD technology is moving towarRAB a broader market of consumers, Blu Ray is taking a considerable hit regardless of the Playstation branding.
One doesn't have to pay close attenion, or even take a second glance, to see that Sony, as a large corporation, has dropped the ball in it's own court. It has been reported time and time again that Sony has been facing financial difficulties, having to lay off workers, close plants, and refocus parts of their business. What only a few expected, Playstation 3 sales failed to match even the reduced supply during this holiday season. The affect of this has rippled through the major electronics retailers, creating a need to ship stock from store to store, and further impacting what profit margins retailers expected to see from the launch of a major new platform. The slick new Nintendo Wii and the powerhouse Microsoft XBox 360 managed to dominate the market, taking full advantage of the price differential, supply problems, and even the imagination of the consumer market. The season, in reality, isn't even over, and there is already a new captain at the helm, an almost unprecedented event indicating changes to come.
At a cost of over two hundred dollars per drive, the Blu Ray is the force behind the massive cost of the Sony Playstation 3. It is speculated that Sony is bleeding some three hundred bucks per unit, and continues the wild trend of manufacturers losing cash on the console in expectations to get their money back on the software. However, with a scant dozen titles or so, Sony holRAB little hope of a quick turn around in their fortunes. From it's core, the powerful Cell processor,with it's poor production yielRAB, has added pitfalls to it's on rollout that is compounded by the difficulty in mass producing the Blu Ray in the Playstation 3. The tremendous cost of product, let alone support and delivery costs, may have been a factor in the recent executive level staff changes, but that change (of executives) has pushed the importance of other changes up the ladder of importance.
Sony is rumored to be making drastic changes to recapture the market before losing even more of it's command share to the likes of Nintendo (the success story of the holiday season) or the XBox 360 (still suffering in the land of the rising sun, but gaining momentum everywhere else). In a move that is "aimed at family pricing," Sony is rumored to be working on a Playstation 3 that does not include the Blu Ray drive. Whether this will result in the current low-end model having a change, or a newer "entry level" Playstation 3, remains to be seen. However, this is in stark contrast to their previous, egocentric, statements regarding "what kind of consumer"* will be looking at the Playstation 3.
To further fuel the fire, Toshiba has been reported to be getting ready to announce at CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) a new HDDVD player in the sub-two hundred dollar range. If these reports hold to be true, Sony's Blu Ray hopes may be dashed in even more markets than just that of the video-game arena. The steep pricing of Blu Ray players already make the Playstation 3 the entry level model, and Toshiba may have just put the nail in the coffin of this format. This holiday season was Sony's chance to leap ahead of the HDDVD format, establishing Blu Ray in the consumer market.
Supply problems alone would have likely created problems with Sony's hopes about Blu Ray, but with lackluster sales it is nearly a forgone conclusion. This puts Sony in a terrible position of not only trying to turn their ship around, but if they aren't careful--it could very well sink. A Playstation 3 without Blu Ray technology may save the Playstation from the fate previously seen by Sega's Saturn, but it will be the death nail in the Blu Ray coffin.
freepetrhyme
New member
That's not what I see on Amazon.com (US) or Play.com (UK)
So HD-DVD is a cheap player, but right now the movie count is behind. (or at least not "complete" - hence people are buying into Blu-Ray now as well)
It's a frustrating war!
So HD-DVD is a cheap player, but right now the movie count is behind. (or at least not "complete" - hence people are buying into Blu-Ray now as well)
It's a frustrating war!
But UMD did not do well because there was no portable market.
Besides, the only device that could play UMD was the PSP. People were not keen on spending money on both DVD and UMD.
Both HD formats have to survive by convincing the public that the upgrade is worth it. A replacement for DVD.
So if the public think BD on PS3 and stand-alone players is worth the upgrade over DVD, I don't see them stop buying.
Besides, the only device that could play UMD was the PSP. People were not keen on spending money on both DVD and UMD.
Both HD formats have to survive by convincing the public that the upgrade is worth it. A replacement for DVD.
So if the public think BD on PS3 and stand-alone players is worth the upgrade over DVD, I don't see them stop buying.
Shimmy in 2012
New member
I was using the UMD example to counter the claim that the PS3 will make a significant difference to the future of Blu-Ray.
I don't think it will.
There will be initial enthusiasm but success has to be mass market.
While I don't see either format having mass market success while the war continues I think BR has the hardest job.
Certainly it will be easier for manufacturers to give away HDDVD equipment with HDTV's than it will for Blu-Ray simply because the players are so damn expensive.
If it wasn't for the control that Sony have over some key movies thanks to their buys of the last couple of years I would write Blu-Ray off right now.
Looking at PLAY and PLAYUSA there seems to be similar numbers of movies available and coming soon on both.
Whether you want certain titles is personal taste.
Neither offer any real must haves yet.
I don't think it will.
There will be initial enthusiasm but success has to be mass market.
While I don't see either format having mass market success while the war continues I think BR has the hardest job.
Certainly it will be easier for manufacturers to give away HDDVD equipment with HDTV's than it will for Blu-Ray simply because the players are so damn expensive.
If it wasn't for the control that Sony have over some key movies thanks to their buys of the last couple of years I would write Blu-Ray off right now.
Looking at PLAY and PLAYUSA there seems to be similar numbers of movies available and coming soon on both.
Whether you want certain titles is personal taste.
Neither offer any real must haves yet.
calilove3456
New member
Not meaning to be sexist, but a lot of women seem to not be able to tell the difference.
lotsanoisy69
New member
I can NEVER see Fox changing. They are the ones that pushed BD+ to be on the format.
Actually I can't see any major studio changing and hence why we now have dual-format players being proposed.
Actually I can't see any major studio changing and hence why we now have dual-format players being proposed.
Masokabaso
New member
yeah well my dh says the same theres not much difference.
Chuckwalla
New member
I don't need to replace my CRT Widescreen TV yet (it still works after all) and so won't get into HD until it does. Besides there is no HD Freeview available yet and I mostly rent by DVRAB rather than buy them. Some of the internet DVD rental places are starting to offer downloadable rentals which may be the way I get into HD rather than via the discs.
