HD-DVD Dead?

[Daz]

After Walmart said it's gone Blueray exclusive, rumour has it Toshiba is gonna kill HD-DVD in the next couple of weeks. Indeed people are saying they're already shutting down factories.

Did the better format win? Anybody seen/used both?

[leowyatt]

I've never seen either but personally at the moment I'm not fussed about it. Besides MS said if blueray became the format the consumer used we can expect a player to arrive soon :D

[Haly]

I've never seen either but personally at the moment I'm not fussed about it.

Same here. I've spent enough on DVDs as it is and I'm quite happy with them at the moment :p
No doubt there will come a time soon enough where I have to switch to a different format but I'll wait till nearer the time to do so. It's cheaper!

[Daz]

Aye, I deliberately stayed away from any sort of HD media until someone won it. I can see the appeal of it but didnt want to wast my money!

I'd have bet on HD-DVD simply because of Sony's track record with their own formats - good thing I didn't!

[leowyatt]

The blue ray rips I've seen are excellent but we don't buy enough films to care at the minute.

[Feek]

I'm just happy that one of the formats is going, I really didn't care which survived and I think that the sooner it happens the better for everyone. Well, except those who spent a lot of money on HD-DVD but it's not as though the stuff they've got will stop working.

[petemc]

I've not seen either in the flesh but I've got HD rips from both sources. Never really noticed which is which. Like others I've waited for a winner before even thinking about it. I haven't bought a dvd in years simply because I'll have to rebuy it on the fancy smanchy "HD" version. I just know there'll be another release of Star Wars in HD. Then the originals and so on. So for now, HD rips till it settles down.

[Flibster]

Sadly, it does look like that Bluray has won this round. But as 2k and 4k tv's are now starting to make an appearance - I can't see it lasting that long.

Watch Sony turn on all the DRM on Bluray disks now. ;)

The main problem with HD is, it's not that much of a step up from DVD. I've got a HD-DVD and Bluray drive and several films on each - most of the differences are not particularly noticable from the normal viewing distance.

8k HD does look mightly impressive though. Not really available yet sadly.

I first of went for HD-DVD because:

1) It's not Sony - I fully expect any Sony kit to fail within weeks of me buying it. 2 TV's, 3 DVD players, many minidisk players and lots of other stuff all failed within 6 months of purchase

2) Sony's track record of their own formats. Minidisk? Betamax? UMD? The only oen I can think of that has succeeded is CD, and that was primarilly designed by Phillips who sony then really pissed off by adding in.... DRM... and not making it CD compatible.

[Stan_Lite]

I'm another one who was waiting for one format to prevail before buying. I must say, I agree with Flibster in that I was hoping it wouldn't be Sony. I'm not a big Sony fan because of the DRM nonsense and the crippled European PS3s which were more expensive than the better specced US ones. I haven't had much in the way of hardware problems with Sony, I just object to some of their underhand business practices.

I'll wait for confirmation that HD-DVD is dead and then wait a few months more until the price of players and drives starts to come down to sensible levels.
I don't watch a lot of movies so it's not vital I have one but my desire to have the latest technology (at least as far as the PC is concerned) is well known and will drive me to have one :o

[Daz]

I'll wait for confirmation that HD-DVD is dead and then wait a few months more until the price of players and drives starts to come down to sensible levels.
I imagine for a long time the most cost effective way to get a BR player will be the PS3, as it has been currently. They're slowly starting to put together a really appealing set of features with the PS3, especially if you have a PSP. Not sure if it's life yet but they were adding the ability to pop a BR movie into the PS3 and have it (legally) rip the movie to your PSP for remote viewing. Plus Play-TV freeview recording and streaming to the PSP, UPNP media player, install your own Linux OS, and the list goes on.

Eventually it'll be an appealing games platform too (both in terms of cost and game library). Quite a turn around really considering where they were 12 months ago.

[Stan_Lite]

I imagine for a long time the most cost effective way to get a BR player will be the PS3, as it has been currently. They're slowly starting to put together a really appealing set of features with the PS3, especially if you have a PSP. Not sure if it's life yet but they were adding the ability to pop a BR movie into the PS3 and have it (legally) rip the movie to your PSP for remote viewing. Plus Play-TV freeview recording and streaming to the PSP, UPNP media player, install your own Linux OS, and the list goes on.

Eventually it'll be an appealing games platform too (both in terms of cost and game library). Quite a turn around really considering where they were 12 months ago.

I can see your point there. The combination of the BR player with the games console makes more sense (I don't own a DVD player, I use the 360). However, I'd need a fair bit of convincing before I shell money out on a PS3. Initially, I will probably get a BR drive for the PC and use that until I am convinced that the PS3 is good value for money - which at the moment, I'm not.

[Will]

I only ever saw a bluray video a year or so ago in my old job on a top range projector and tv, it looked good but not enough of a difference to make it worthwhile IMO. however technologies have changed somewhat from then. at least there's a "standard" now. not fussed about it for the moment. it's not as if i'm going to have to replace thousands of pounds worth of dvds!!

[Marmoset]

I've got a PS3 and the difference between upscaled DVD playback and Blu-ray is much bigger than I was expecting. I bought it primarily as a Blu-ray player and I'm hugely impressed. The PQ is just outstanding.

I'm not a Sony fanboy at all - I was waiting to see which way the HD format war went before deciding what kind of player to get. From everything I read there simply isn't a better Blu-ray player for the money than the one in the PS3 so that's why I bought it.

The rumours of Toshiba dropping HD-DVD haven't yet been confirmed AFAIK.

[Daz]

Seems fairly certain though - both Sony and Tosh stock have risen this morning, suggesting the shareholders are for it.

[Marmoset]

Seems fairly certain though - both Sony and Tosh stock have risen this morning, suggesting the shareholders are for it.
Cool. :cool:

Countdown to Blu-ray add-on for the 360 boys...

[Daz]

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44760

Rumours were circulating today that Microsoft is set to dump HD DVD and bring out a Blu ray Xbox 360 by as early as May 2008. The move will allow the Company to go head to head with the Sony PS3 gaming console which has been credited with being one of the main reasons that retailers have preferred Blu-ray over Toshiba’s HD DVD.
Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.
It is GDC this week, so something could be announced. I think an external BR drive is certain now, not sure about one built into the console.

[Desmo]

External would be the way to go...I can't see them fitting an internal one due to the same problem with fitting an internal HD-DVD drive.....they can't spin DVD games fast enough.

[Stan_Lite]

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44760


It is GDC this week, so something could be announced. I think an external BR drive is certain now, not sure about one built into the console.

I'll have one of them o/

[Garp]

I'm just happy that one of the formats is going, I really didn't care which survived and I think that the sooner it happens the better for everyone. Well, except those who spent a lot of money on HD-DVD but it's not as though the stuff they've got will stop working.

Likewise. I've been interested in High Def but its been a complete and utter waste of money for me until one or other of the formats took noticeable dominance. HD-DVD may be cheaper, but they failed to hit the market. Back in the days of VHS vs Betamax, and indeed with the old cassette tape market there were a few factors that resulted in the particular formats dominance:
Price & Availability of Media.

Everyone knows that Betamax was the technological superior of VHS but when it costs all that much extra it doesn't matter two hoots.

The Cassette market was similar. Other platforms out there were superior, but Phillips absolutely flooded the market with players, and more importantly media. You could buy tape cassettes dirt cheap almost from platform introduction which is what won them the market.

The whole Blue-ray / HD-DVD thing has been an unmitigated disaster from square one. The electronics market has changed over the years, and the average early adopter is far more knowledgeable about these things than they ever used to be. Tack in that the platform is going to be used for more than just video playback and you have to wonder quite what was going through the heads of the consortium's when they decided that they would rather produce competing products rather than compatible. They could have walked away from this both winners. Sure the slice of the profits would have been slightly less, but what's demonstrating the most stupidity choosing a sure thing or a highly dubious thing.

Toshiba hoped to push the market by making HD-DVDs cheap, but they needed more than the players to be cheap, they needed the media to be cheap too, but they never quite succeeded in persuading the other media companies to adopt that policy. HD-DVDs are cheaper to produce than Bluray disks are, but if you can't get the people producing them to sell them at any price point significantly different from BluRay (after all, its extra profit, right?), what can you do? To the end consumer, for the most part, media price was the same as BluRay, which meant they had no significant advantages. Add in that one of the best and most flexible BluRay players also happens to be a next gen games console for very little extra cash... and HD-DVD just had nothing to offer. It's a technically inferior brand and the only thing going for it was cheaper players but not cheap enough, soon enough to make the difference.

[Daz]

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/237434359/hd-dvd-is-dead-please-move-on-with-your-life
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/19/tosh_drops_hd_dvd/

Ding ding! Dead.

Also in the news: Gamestop in the states will be refusing trade in for HD-DVD discs and drives tomorrow, which means our Game will likely follow suit soon (same company iirc) if anyone was thinking of getting rid.

[Marmoset]

Woot! Blu-ray FTW. :cool:

[Marmoset]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Universal/Breaking:_Universal__Studios_Goes_Blu/1483

[Mark]

R.I.P. HD-DVD

Something inside me was hoping Sony would fall on their sword, but I'm really just glad there's a winner - one way or the other. I like most everyone else here wasn't prepared to enter the market until there was (and it's still going to be a while before I do even now).

[Belmit]

I don't know why but I always hoped HD-DVD would win out. I have no allegiance to either technology but I guess I just liked the idea of DVD being superseded by HD-DVD. Seemed to make sense. Other than that I'm not sure why I felt so strongly about it - maybe just because Microsoft brought out the external 360 HD drive, who knows?!

[Marmoset]

I'm really just glad there's a winner - one way or the other. I like most everyone else here wasn't prepared to enter the market until there was (and it's still going to be a while before I do even now).
Exactly how I felt. I didn't mind which way I jumped, I just knew I wanted HD films of some description. When it was clear which way the cookie was crumbling I got a PS3. :)

[Matblack]

Hmmmmmmmmm HD disc based media

I'm a bit like everyone else, I wasn't really bothered who won and having pretty much opted out of buying disc media for the last year (unless it was a box set or something very rare, god bless x264!) I probably had even less interest.

However I'm stunned by how the public are paying ~£20 for discs which cost a pitance more to make than DVDs and no more to film. Yes HD is great, I know, I have a 720 pj and it really makes a difference to the quality and the experience but come on £20!!!!!!!!!!! These movies are filmed with the same cameras as before, they are no more expensive to make and the only extra is the manufacture process for the disc and yet people swallow however much extra because that the price point the distributers and studios decide to set.

No wonder I'm downloading films left right and centre and if I can trouble telling the difference between a Bluray rip and a good x264 on an 8 foot screen then how people will tell on a 42" LCD is beyond me. If the industry have said 'hell we'll sell them at the same price as a DVD maybe a £1 more, because people will transition over to them gradually' then I'd probably have bought a PS3 by now but instead they are pushing people to start downloading movies and because the infrastructure isn't there to do it legally then they are getting their movies for free and the industry is losing money hand over fist.

Opppps

MB

[Feek]

It's nothing unusual though, when DVDs first appeared they were twenty quid a pop which was much more than videos and that was a long time ago. I'm sure that prices will drop.

[LeperousDust]

I quite wanted HD-DVD to "win" since it would carry on a constant theme in history :D But tbh i couldn't care less either way, as MB mentioned they're all a rip off really. And the few films i wathc i'd download, if i couldn't download i'd do without, its not a lost sale... They are their own worst enemies when it comes to pricing...
Now sony basically "own" the standard, i don't know if theyre are any rules/regs in places but i hope to god they don't start abusing their position like i imagine they would (thus why they keep going for standards, ie ATRAC, betamax etc...). Not a huge fan of the sony corp, nor the PS3 myself (although it seems to make a decent enough media player).

[Mark]

I just hope they don't DRM it to hell and back (rootkit Mk II, anyone?). Take something from the music industry and go in the other direction please.