W0W!1! SCIENC3!1! Blu-Ray FTW!

[MiltonWaddams]

So is the Blu-Ray a smaller format/better picture transfer/more space? I'm not that familiar with all the differences between them and reg DVD. If someone could explain a little it would be great.

DVD players have dropped below fifty dollars and their is money to be made.

[wonkabar]

Familiar "DVD"-logo in red + earlier release date and cheaper hardware = victory with John-Q-public. PS-3 is probably gonna be even more expensive than 360 is now and it will be coming out just in time for a Microsoft price-cut/Halo-3/a thriving online-community. So PS-3 might not be the big boost to Blue-ray that some are predicting. BR may be better than HD-DVD, but then again Beta was better than VHS and Laserdisc was better than both. PS-3 might be slightly better than 360, but XBOX was way better than PS-2. It's all marketing. It's all about who comes out first and who has the better sounding name and prettier colors. I think Sony is gonna lose this year. I may be going out on a limb here, but that's my prediction.

[magicmonkey]

The PS3 has it in the bag. Sony makes cool, cool. I wonder if the world will be split asunder by virtual clans of differing console conscripts each vying in their "live" seperate domains. America goes Xbox, Europe goes Sony. There's my tuppence.

[wonkabar]

The icing on the cake though, is that all the non-Sony stuff, HD-DVD players/ XBOX-360 will be more available and MUCH CHEAPER. That's what really seals the deal. Those BR-players are gonna go for 1800 bucks. So I doubt PS-3 is gonna be anywhere near the $400 mark that is already too high for most. Keep in mind that most people still have regular TV's so noboby really gives a shit about 1080p right now. Yeah, I think Sony is gonna get beta-fucked again.

[Pacino86845]

I'm getting that deja vu feeling...

[Chairman Kaga]

Boo on redeisn for the standard dvd case....(man is that a nit pick). Seriously though can't they simply note it on the standard packaging?

[King Psyz]

It's the industry's way of telling us we're too stupid to recognize different letters so use pretty colors. It's also telling that the companies backing HD-DVD know that they're using the familliar logo to pull people in so they make it all shiny and red to save themselves the agony of customers telling them they were baited into buying the wrong format.

It sucks that the parties invilved couldn't agree on a format, but Sony has some powerfull allies in the Blu Ray format. Panasonic had one of the largest booths this year and almost a full third was touting Blu Ray, Phillips is on board, Sony's PS3 which is a guaranteed way to automatically get into many homes, ect.

[kortanaskew]

Interesting to note that among the first titles to be released on Blu Ray will be Buena Vista's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

However the Weinstein company is completely committed to HDDVD and among their first releases will be Passion of the Clerks.

So View Askew completists here will be split right down the middle. Either they'll be getting their old favorites on Blu Ray and buying the new film on regular ass DVD. Or Vice versa.

How many other film trilogies or Director's works could be affected this way?

I dont really mind buying a new DVD player in the future. But I would really hate getting TWO new ones.

Fuck i already got 9 of them!

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In the home computer market i think we have a winner in HDDVD as it is backed my Microsoft.
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HD DVD players also have a price tag between 400 and 700.
Steep yes. But compare that to the Blue Ray players 1000 to 1800.
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In the end this race may come down not to price and quality but what movies are backing which unit/
Harry_Potter, King Kong, Batman Begins, The Matrix Trilogy And Lord of The Rings will be on HDDVD with of course Superman Returns in the future. Those movies have a combined gross of 8 Bajillion Dollars and insanely rabid fans.

Blu Ray has Chronicles of Narnia and Chicken Little :p

[Chairman Kaga]

I think what is going to drive these sales is the price of HD televisions. Why would I bother getting either of these if I don't have an HD tv...

[bc1970]

Which side is Adult Entertainment on?

That industry seems to give good headway as to which format would stay on top. If one was favored by the major companies, it would enjoy a long session in the marketplace, while the other might just loose steam and flop, although I've read they fully support a player that goes both ways. Sales of HD-DVD could be big up-front, but Blue-ray might well sneak up from behind to take command of the field. Most of the electronics manufacturers couldn't speak and had their hands full during the recent CES convention, which oddly coincided with the AVN awards. Will the big companies spit in the face of consumers and force them to pick a position, or will they swallow their pride? The answers will be coming soon no doubt.

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

Which side is Adult Entertainment on?

That industry seems to give good headway as to which format would stay on top.

Interesting choice of a the words... "give good headway"... "stay on top."

The puns, they were intended?

[bc1970]

The puns are intended with malice, though I truly feel that segment of video sales will affect the format war greatly.

[Petri]

Best of both worlds?

[Petri]

I was casually looking at my account on Netflix and noticed that you can "activate" HD-DVDs to be sent instead of normal DVDs. Of course the supplies are limited and they'll send whatever they have in stock. I thought that was interesting.

[RogueScribner]

I'm glad they are making an effort to please people making the transition. I imagine if HD-DVD really takes off their selection will grow. If it takes off.

[AtomicHyperbole]

Exactly. Betamax was superior to VHS and that didn't take off. Remember Minidisc?

[wonkabar]

Anybody got an HD-DVD-player yet?......

[Petri]

Do they even sell them yet?

[TheBaxter]

I find this encouraging, since I do want to get an HD-DVD or BluRay player, but I'm waiting for several things to happen first:

1) One format - those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. i remember.
2) Reasonable prices on players and decent title selection
3) Ability to rent titles instead of buying, because I prefer renting (either that or REALLY cheap discs that I don't mind paying to see just once)

So if NetFlix starts renting HD-DVDs or BluRay discs, that takes care of #3.

I was actually NetFlix, Blockbuster and all them to sit this out til a single format was settled on, since whichever wins there will end up being a lot of useless HD-DVD or BluRay discs. But I guess the limited nature of it so far isn't going to cost them much. I'm also concerned that this is gonna make things even more confusing for people. Will NetFlix also carry BluRay discs when those start appearing? How confused are people going to be when they have regular DVD, HD-DVD, and BluRay, all available?

And you just know there are gonna be a bunch of dolts out there who rent HD-DVDs, thinking they're just like SuperBit discs or something, like some kind of better-quality DVD that will play on their regular DVD players, then complaining about it when they don't work. I'd hate to be a NetFlix service rep during this period.

[Fried Gold]

Exactly. Betamax was superior to VHS and that didn't take off. Remember Minidisc?

I see this more like the recent SACD vs DVDA battle.

And we all rushed out and bought those players. Didn't we?

[Theta]

Help me out here, because I'm genuinely confused.

Most of the titles available on the format at launch seem genuinely lackluster. I mean, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle?" "Resident Evil?" "The Last Samurai?"

Huh? Do people really want these, because their $10-or-below price point at my local Circuit City would seem to indicate otherwise.

Some of these movies, while not hits, I still get it ("Phantom of the Opera" is quite obviously being done as a demo disc.) But others I'm genuinely confused (I mean, "A Knight's Tale?") It seems that a lot of the titles either confirmed or coming soon aren't movies that are going to make people absolutely HAVE to have an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player.

This especially confuses me because the tipping point for DVD was the release of "The Matrix", which sold 3 million copies (almost as many as there were confirmed sold DVD players.) I mean, there's a lesson right there, you have to admit.

I'm sure they have their reasons...what do you all think?

[MasterWhedon]

I just read a really great article in Home Theater magazine that compared both formats, weighing the pros and cons. The early edge seems to go to Blu Ray, as it has more studios on board thus far.

More to your point, Theta, I spoke with a friend of mine who works as a sort of DVD copy editor for Sony (who patented the Blu Ray technology), and he said they're spending all their time converting premium titles in their library from standard DVD to Blu Ray. Last I heard, the idea was to have a hundred or so titles available at launch, as well as new releases. (This is the same plan for HD DVD.)

[Theta]

Yeah, but why stuff like "Black Rain?" I definitely understand the desire to have modern studio movies because that's what Joe Six-Pack buys, but does anybody care about the Michael Douglas yakuza movie? Why is it centered so heavily on movies that didn't do well in theaters and stuff from the last five years?

[Kilgore]

My guess is this is reverse marketing...by releasing all-new versions of stellar performers like 'Black Rain', 'Full Throttle' and I would assume, 'Dirty Love' first. Johnny Notooth will purchase these perennial Top-Ten-of-All-Time at the trailer, get home, and realize he has nothing to play them on...thus forcing the purchase of the new player while at it's peak cost.

They know we're going to buy this stuff...but the quick and fast money, and the eventual winner of the war, will be he who wins the Walmart dwellers.

Thus, I would look for a 'Ernest Goes to Camp/Jail' twofer on display just in time for the springtime meth harvesting.

[TheBaxter]

they're releasing crappy titles now because they won't be able to sell them later when some REAL movies are available.

so those 3 or 4 people out there who bother to buy one of these players this early will think, "shit, i gotta get something to play on it, and even though i'd never buy this shite otherwise, i'll get it so i have something to show off my new toy with"

[Tubbs Tattsyrup]

I had exactly the same reaction when I saw the news headline
"Sony completes first Blu-Ray movie disc" and it was fucking Charlies Angels 2. WTF?

I'd rather they spent more time on the content and delivery of the premium movies though. After all, there's gotta be SOMETHING there that would make Terminator 2 worth buying for the 30th time.

[The Thin Man]

I hope they only release crappy films on the new formats. I want both these formats to fail because I see a worrying trend here. I've only had my DVD player for 3 years now and already new technology is coming out to superceed it. No doubt, in another three years when I have bought my HD player some twating electronics company will anounce another, even better format and the whole thing will start again. I've already read articles about holgraphics disks that can hold 100s of times the cpacity of HD disks. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for progress but I can't help but think we are being taken for a ride here. My parents first TV lasted them 20 years but in the 8 years since I bought mine it been superceeded by widescreen, plasma/LCD and now HD. If I tried to keep up it would cost me a fortune. Rant over.

[Tubbs Tattsyrup]

twating

Awesome.

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Exactly. Betamax was superior to VHS and that didn't take off. Remember Minidisc?

Well which one's superior, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD? Will one take off and the other fail? Will both fail? Can both possibly co-exist?

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I was actually NetFlix, Blockbuster and all them to sit this out til a single format was settled on,

actually, NetFlix and Blockbuster shouldn't sit this one out as much of the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD battle will take place in the online rental arena.

[TheBaxter]

I was actually NetFlix, Blockbuster and all them to sit this out til a single format was settled on,

actually, NetFlix and Blockbuster shouldn't sit this one out as much of the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD battle will take place in the online rental arena.

I don't see what either has to gain from offering BluRay or HD-DVDs so soon. Maybe a bit of cool factor, that's it. But the 5 or so people out there with HD-DVD players aren't going to make any difference to either one's profit margin. And if they invest a significant amount of money in inventory of either format, those discs will become worthless once one (or both) formats fail. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad if they DO offer them, so that when I eventually get one of these players I won't have to wait around to rent discs like I did when DVD first came out. I just think the format war is going to hurt them just like it will hurt other early adopters.

[colonel_lugz]

Im gonna have to say Lord of the Rings. As stunning as it already is, I want more

[sleepflower]

I really cannot wait to start watching HD films on a projector at home (hmm, better start saving).

Was in the Hans shoots first thread when I realised one of the reasons I havent bought many DVD's is because I want to wait til HD to buy them. I tend to rent currently.

So for me it is possibly the original star wars films, or possibly something like clockwork orange, maybe Brazil if it is out. Something particularly visual.

So... which film is it to be for you guys?

[King Psyz]

honestly? I'd really love a hi-def documentery thing on Yosemite National Park in California...

[Fried Gold]

Planet Earth. I saw it as a HD demo piece at a AV show and it looks glorious. It was the first thing to convince me that HD might actually be worth the hassle.

EDIT: Just realised you said "Film". So probably Revenge of the Sith, in order to recapture the awesome picture of the digital projection I saw of it.

[The Ginger Man]

I'm not touching HD/Blu Ray until it actually starts showing force within my Best Buy.

[so sorry]

I'm not touching HD/Blue ray until i upgrade my HDTV...

[The Vicar]

Bladerunner first.
Then The Trilogy ( LOTR) next.
Then......Blackadder!

[TheBaxter]

Well, the first movie i bought on dvd was Exorcist, so maybe i'll stay consistent and get that one. i don't buy many movies, mainly rent, so whatever i buy i'll be buying cos it's a movie i love and will watch over and over, not because it will show off my blu-ray player. movies i'm sure i'll eventually buy include the LOTR trilogy, SW OT, taxi driver, close encounters, saving private ryan, edward scissorhands, hedwig & the angry inch, donnie darko... basically all the stuff i already have on dvd. i guess which one i get first depends on which ones come out first (or are available by the time i finally get a new player).

[RadioXtatic]

The Star Wars saga hopefully, preferably Sith and Empire.

[Kilgore]

'The Crow', or possibly 'Unbreakable'

[raasnio]

I wouldn't re-purchase most of my collection. There are box sets that would be at the top, though.

Star Wars (Eps 1-6 in Hi-Def-Mainly for Episodes 1-3)

Alien Quadrilogy (The Alien series in Hi-Def is a must)

[skinnyJM]

Since it was "filmed" digitally, I gotta say, Revenge of the Sith.

No?

[Chairman Kaga]

Assume that everyone in here will have a top end HD tv and also assume the HD or Blu Ray transfer is top of the line...for me it would be my first dvd purchase again Ghostbusters...then who knows where I will go with it. I would love an HD transfer of How the West Was Won wherein they get rid of those "lines"....

[kortanaskew]

The Holy Trilogy. And maybe the Prequels.

That is defintiely the only thing i am rebuying.

As long as an HDVD player plays regular ass DVD whats the point?

Does anyone need a High Def copy of Big Momma's House?

[Chairman Kaga]

I would hope not....HD seems more worthwhile for big FX films or like I stated perhaps new transfers of old Cinerama/ Cinemascope etc type movies.
I mean the end of Ben-Hur in an all new HD transfer would be superb but for comedies etc it seems nearly useless.

[TheBaxter]

the thing with HDTV is, assuming you have a screen large enough to show the difference, after you've been spoiled with the clarity of HDTV, going back to DVD is a let-down. its like after DVD came out, once people saw how much better they were, most never wanted to watch a VCR tape again. the difference between HD and DVD isn't as great as the difference between DVD and VHS, but its still significant. when i first got an HDTV, i didn't have any HDTV content to view, so i thought the DVDs i watched like LOTR and SW looked amazing. then i got hooked up with HD and now, when i watch a movie on DVD, i often find myself thinking how much better it would look in HD.

[Chairman Kaga]

Bug Momma's House included?

[sleepflower]

I have to wonder whether hey will rescan all of the disney movies? Not sure if the animation would look better.

Also, I assume the pixar movies were originally rendered in HD, so they will look stunning.

Though the third on my list is wizard of oz, how surreal and beautiful the colours are. Though I would die to have my own film transfer.

I realise non visually important films have no need of HD, hence the question of what people will buy as their first purchae, simply the st important film visually to them? or the most important film to them? Obviously star wars and LOTR crosses these barriers for most people.

Lets see what happens when HMV starts selling and what the first impulse buy is!

[Chairman Kaga]

They would simply rescan the Disney movies from the film negative not from raw cels....many of which no longer exist.

Pixar would probably render out high resolution for a transfer to film though I don't know if the scan a film negative for dvd transfer or re-render frames at DVD quality 720X480 or some such.....I remember back on A Bug's Life they went back and re framed shots for the Full Screen version of the DVD so stuff wouldn't be cut off the letterbox.