An interesting little piece over at IMDB regarding consumer ratings of competing Blu-Ray and HD DVD players:
Not even the venerable Consumer Reports can decide between the rival Blu-ray and HD DVD high-definition video formats. The consumer-product testing publication has ranked Pioneer’s DBP-94HD Blu-ray player and Toshiba’s HD-XA2 HD DVD player both at No. 1, with an overall score of 91 percent. The publication evaluated nine high-definition players. The magazine commented that all of the players tested provided excellent picture quality. It indicated, however, that the HD DVD players have the advantage of lower price.
I find the whole HD Civil War thing pretty interesting, although I’m quite happy to stay as an observer watching from the sideline. I still don’t own an HD system, nor do I have any plans to get one in the near future. For a little more on that, see another post I wrote called:
Until that beautiful day of 1 standard HD format for all… I’m quite happy with my DVDs.
I’m also an observer watching from the sideline!
Well the holiday season is going to be round 2 of the format war, round 1 having been won by Blu-ray, thanks to its summer blockbusters which overshadowed the HD camps exclusive blockbusters in total.
Round 3 is upcoming, wich is going to be determined by next years blockbusters, and the ongoing console wars.
With PS3 sales climbing rapidly the installed base for blu-ray in people homes will obviously increase greatly.
I think we have to look at what WB do next year and also what blockbusters are coming from each camp.
The War is far from over, and personally I believe both formats will exist in some format or another for years to come.
Blu-ray will be around for aslong as the PS3 is around (10 years future proof according to sony) as games are being developed for it meaning the format will survive whatever happens.
Blu-ray drives seem to be gaining ground when it comes to computing to.
HD-DVD on the other hand is handling itself very well at the moment, with great offers and increasing stand alone unit sales – it also has big studios in its corner.
that said, the only place HD-DVD is doing well enough to boast about is the USA, Asia and EU are fronting the way for blu-ray.
Imo you have two choices 2 choices
1. Choose a format, and enjoy HD
2. Dont choose and wait for the next stage
I dont see either format winning, I see them both existing untill we move onto HD downloads, but I dont think this is a close as some people think, as many countries are already reaching the upper reaches of there internet capacity and so are in the future going to need massive infastruture changes to incorperate themselves into the digital world.
Right now, I’m Blu-ray as I own a PS3, if I cant get a movie on blu-ray, standard DVD will do.
People who are sitting it out and waiting for a winner, will be waiting forever – most of the people sitting out shout about how good DVD still is and they will wait it out for a winner, but why wait? get the HD format you want then buy others on DVD, you win both ways.
Not exactly John, most studios support Blu Ray. With that majority, the # of disk produced will be Blu Ray>HD-DVD. The real question is what titles go on which format. If Star Wars Episode 4-6 Original Theatrical Blu Ray disk were sold tomorrow as the same day Gigli is released in HD-DVD, which do you think will outsell who?
I think Blu Ray/HD-DVD and this war will be short lived (compared to the life of the DVD format). In 3 years a new hardware format will arrive, and it won’t be the typical CD that we’re all use to. With the technology and capacity of flash drives, we all will be replacing our DVD/HD-DVD/BluRay disks with these small flash cards. Gone will be the care of not scratching the disk and ring of deaths, instead we’ll have entire seasons/trilogies/video games in the palm of our hands. Like John says, besides the picture quality, there is nothing wrong with DVD currently. Save your money as we all will be buying new HD technology in a few years and the DVD will be the way of the past like VHS/cassette/8-tracks…
Btw, HD-DVD has a long way to go to overtake Blu Ray and it won’t happen in just a years time: http://www.engadgethd.com/tag/VideoScan/
Here my two opinions with one said conclusion…
FUCK HD-DVD, FUCK Blue-Ray and Im enjoy regular DVDs because you can get any movie on DVD I want.
I personally prefer HD over Blue-Ray. Blue-Ray looks too much like video. It takes away from my enjoyment of the film. I think that studios are limiting themselves by picking formats. People obviously like one or the other but to only have movies like Casino Royale or Transformers on one format makes no sense. They’re just hurting the comsumer.
Both formats aren’t going anywhere because both formats are selling quite well. The HD era will end with both format. The install base for both formats is too much for the studios to abandon.
The HD war doesn’t Suck
Why? Because companies are competing fiercely for my consumer dollar, so much so that I got a HD-DVD player for $149 last week and the PS3 recently dropped to $399. If your not on-board no your just being Mr Scrooge
last I heard, the estimated price of the Samsung BD-UP 5000 was $799. You can find an HD-DVD player and a BluRay player that, combined, would cost less than that.
As I said, “we maybe begin seeing the dual format players coming down to acceptable, mass market pricing.” $799 is not mass market pricing. As crazy as you might think this sounds, $299 and lower is what I would truly consider mass market pricing for the dual format player. PS3 hasn’t even gotten that low yet, so was still have a wait ahead of us. But, if prices keep falling how they have been, I have hope for next Christmas.
Just buy the Samsung BD-UP 5000 dual format player when it comes out in January. Then you can buy both formats and suddenly- there is no format war and you can stop justifying watching the inferior picture and sound of DVD.
That’s the thing though, I think the opposite has happened. Around mid-summer, the HD-DVD players were outselling Blu-Ray players while the discs were doing vice-versa. Now the players are in a virtual tie, so all that tells me is that Blu Ray has caught up or HD-DVD has slowed down. Either way, now both sides are set to zero, with Blu-Ray the front runner getting points for having sold more DVDs. But you could be right John. I am no expert and I really have no authority on this subject. Just thought I’d throw in some of my half-witted knowledge.
I actually decided today that I want the HD format war to continue.
Crazy talk? Maybe. Maybe not.
I would rather that there be two formats, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, both. I want hybrid dvd players to become the defacto solution instead. For a few different reasons. First of all, I know that there is an argument used by some people that Blu-Ray holds more space than HD-DVD, but honestly, they both hold plenty of space, and it was even announced recently that the DVD Forum has approved a 51GB triple-layer HD DVD spec, so there doesn’t seem to be a problem with size. In fact I see no basic advantage to either format. They are both just as good or bad as the other.
More or less, I am looking beyond the formats themselves, and instead looking towards the companies that control these formats. The EU just lashed Sony, Fuji, and Maxell with fines totaling €75 million ($110 million) on grounds of fixing the price of professional videotapes. Microsoft’s history of playing fair is historic. I think having the competition between the two formats will help prevent price fixing, monopolies, and the numerous other ways that companies find to work together to screw the people at the end of the line (us, the consumers).
I am certain, that were we not to be amidst a format war currently, there is little chance that we’d be seeing the HD movie players as low in price as they are today. It would have taken much longer before they started offering up deals for HD-DVD players at sub $100.00 prices, but just a couple weeks back, even before Black Friday was upon us, such a player was available for just such a price.
Certainly, this format war is not the friendliest to each of us now, but if we just hope each format hangs on for a little longer, we maybe begin seeing the dual format players coming down to acceptable, mass market pricing. If we can make it to that day, then the consumer truly will be the winners. Each of these sides in this format civil war are only being regulated by the opposing side. The reach their prices as low as they can to undercut the competition, not to help us. As long as they can keep this war going, the better things can truly be in the long run.
That’s my opinion.
-Calviiin
Sources for some of my info:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/15/dvd-forum-approves-51gb-triple-layer-hd-dvd-spec/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/20/sony-fuji-and-maxell-fined-110m-for-videotape-cartel/
To be honest HD-DVD players are not outselling Blu-Ray players. That is only the dedicated player market which is what all HD-DVD fans hold on to. Simply look at the PS3 sales recently the started selling 500K units a week. That is one hell of a lot of players. For comparison when WalMart did $98 dollar Toshiba product dump they only sold 90K units.
Say only 10% of the PS3 market watches movies on the units that still blows out the dedicated market for both parties in huge numbers.
To be honest though I still enjoy the standard DVD movies they look fabulous when up-sampled to 1080p. I just don’t see this war even if won by Blu-Ray accomplishing anything. Very soon within the next 5-10 years our movies are going to be downloaded anyways.
However John… those figures are for standalone players only. Therefore not taking into account the PS3 or for that matter the Xbox 360 add on. I would guestimate that a figure including those sales would be more in favour of the Blu-Ray camp.
Some may argue that the PS3 is a games machine etc but it is the best Blu-Ray player on the market regardless of the fact it’s primary recognised nature is for playing games on. Perception can change. I for one have bought the PS3 purely for Blu Ray capability.
Hey BeerChugCharlie
That’s all well and good that Blu Ray discs are outselling HD DVD discs NOW. But if HD DVD players are outselling the Blu-Ray players… the disc sales are going to catch up.
Well, Bluray dvds actually have been outselling HD-DVD 2 to 1. And even when HD-DVD Players were outselling Blu-Ray Players, the Blu-Ray discs were and STILL are dominating the market. Sales figures prove that and can easily be found by an internet search. HD-DVD can sell all the players they want, but if people are buying more Blu-Ray discs, that just says something else. Not to mention Blu-Ray holds more information.
Life is short. Seize the day! When in Rome…
Whatever, all I know is I am very happy being HD format neutral. Colour me purple too.
I have to say that DVD for film content is now looking like VHS when compared to HD.
I know that I may be in the minority to say that BUT I really do believe it is as significant a leap in quality as it was when VHS got taken over.
I have Blu-Ray and HD-DVD which apparently makes me purple…
When being viewed upscaled on a TV, DVD is still fantastic..
However when being pumped into a projector, 2.35 DVD films look dreadful when compared with their HD counterparts. All of a sudden you notice the complete lack of clarity, the halos around objects… and simply the digital nature of the medium. HD however is like watching at least 35mm. It simply is beautiful.
Obviously I hate this war and am one of the ones that couldn’t be patient but I am glad. I am falling in love with films again all over.
However I think that my views are such because I have HD and am therefore able to directly compare it with DVD. Without that comparison I am sure I would be happy with it still. Of course I would…
I just want this war to be over so that it doesn’t implode and destroy what is essentially an amazing format and the best current way to watch films at home. Actually… better than most cinemas I have recently been to too.
As someone with both HD formats as well as DVD running on a projection screen in 1080p, I can say that HD looks fabulous.
However, even though I’m fully happy with my setup and have no regrets doing the double format, I can fully say that even though I can tell a difference from DVD to HD, DVD movies still look FANTASTIC on the setup as well.
Now I can’t say for sure whether its the PS3 upscaling the DVD thats making it look as nice on the screen, but I think signs are pointing to DVD is still an extremely viable option for people such as John who desire to wait.
If you like/love HD video, you’ll like/love either HD DVD or Blu-Ray, however you’ll also love how the DVDs look as well.
If they look great on a 100″+ screen, they’d look fantastic on an even smaller screen.
Bravo my friend
Don’t these companies have better place to put their money than a senceless compation
We went over this with the VHS war.
There are more productive way to compete
Ty Agoston