HD-DVD Dead?

Daz · 16-02-2008, 22:25

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 · 16-02-2008, 22:31

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

Haly · 16-02-2008, 22:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by leowyatt

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

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 · 16-02-2008, 22:34

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 · 16-02-2008, 22:36

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

Feek · 16-02-2008, 23:02

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.

Garp · 18-02-2008, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

petemc · 17-02-2008, 00:12

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 · 17-02-2008, 00:28

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 · 17-02-2008, 07:06

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

16-02-2008, 22:25	#1
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	HD-DVD Dead? 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? __________________ apt-get moo

16-02-2008, 22:31	#2
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	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 __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

16-02-2008, 22:34	#4
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	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! __________________ apt-get moo

16-02-2008, 22:36	#5
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	The blue ray rips I've seen are excellent but we don't buy enough films to care at the minute. __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

16-02-2008, 23:02	#6
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	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. __________________

17-02-2008, 00:12	#8
petemc Moonshine Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Nr Liverpewl Posts: 4,371	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. __________________ Thats no hamster, its a space station!

17-02-2008, 00:28	#9
Flibster Moonshine Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,388	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. __________________

17-02-2008, 07:06	#10
Stan_Lite Stan, Stan the FLASHER MAN! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In bed with your sister Posts: 5,483	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 __________________ Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I...