HDDVD/Blu-ray

[Warbie]

Any early adopters around?

Impressions on the formats and movie recommendations would be appreciated as i've just joined the fold.

 

[Sulkdodds]

My first impression is of cynical/zealotesque advertising executives attempting to con a buying public into spending more money on a more expensive and not-so-supported format by, through what must now be very tired audio-visual motifs and codes evoking high media quality (the sound of razors; the bombastic, deep American voice), luring them into a cult of hi-definition, spurring them onwards with ever-more-impossible sharpness, ever-clearer sound, racing toward the compelling but ultimately hollow and unattainable fantasy of the perfect picture.

But I've only watched adverts. I too would like to know if it's actually any good.

 

[VirusType2]

10 or 20 years ago I would have killed to have a great picture on my TV.

Now, it seems standard TV's are so much richer, sharper, and more detailed now, that it's hard to tell the difference between SDTV and HDTV. Generally, the bigger the TV, the worse it looks no matter what.

I never thought it would have gone down like this. It's absolutely confusing for the consumer I would think.

I am steering clear of anything HD until things are cheap and plentiful.

For starters, I use my PC for everything, so I'm spoiled in that - I have better than HD resolutions.

When it comes to the disc players, the prices are too high, the movie selection is grim, the prices of the movies are horrible, the blank discs are ridiculously priced. The disks run at 1x speed. The burners are over $1000. Again the difference is hard to notice unless they are side by side.

I'd say If you want to dive in, go for it. I won't disagree that better is better. It's just not worth it to me.

It's not a good time to adopt. 20 years and more from now some people will still be using standard TV's because well, they still sell them. And some people just don't give a shit and will refuse to pay many times the price for a slightly better picture.

I got an upscaling to (up to - depending on TV) 720p HDMI output DVD recorder for $99 at wal*mart, and it is very sleek and stylish, the DVD's look incredible, and burns the 1/4 dollar discs fast, and I can play them on any DVD player. I don't have to worry because 9/10 people have a DVD player now-a-days. I can play them on my PC, game systems, moms house, etc. I don't have to have HDMI or anything. The movies are as cheap as $1, but generally $4 - $12.

They already screwed so many people over. Now people who bought HDTV's without HDMI inputs are told their HD movies will be down-scaled in a few years. I would be furious.

Who knows what they might decide to change next.

HDDVD has already been cracked (so I hear) so maybe they will change something and screw that all up for anyone who bought something.

Or hell, maybe either Blu Ray or HD DVD will become discontinued in the near or distant future.

I think they should have moved to pushing upscaling dual layer recorders and players for a few years, and spent more time developing their HD DVD/ Blu Ray strategies, because it's been quite amuzing, but ultimately unsuccessful so far.

I hope that was helpful.

Re-reading your question, I guess this had nothing to do with what you were asking? LOL. Oh well, I hope it was useful anyway.

 

[Warbie]

Prices aren't too bad for HDDVD and Blu-ray - importing HD movies often works out cheaper for me than buying standard dvds in the high street. The improvement in PQ can also be quite dramatic on a large, high res screen. I agree about the price of players, though, mine cost quite a bit (sold a PS3 to fund it) and they're bound to drop in price substantially over the next year. The 360 HDDVD is a good deal if you already have the console.

For me it's worth the cost to recreate that cinema experience in the living room. Watch something like Batman Begins in HD and the standard version looks quite flat, less vibrant and with poorer blacks.

 

[Asuka]

I was never able to tell the difference. Until my friend showed me a LIVE comparison. It wasn't even 1080P. Next day i was in the market for a HDTV.

Until you see it for yourself you wont believe it. Now when i look at SDTV i just cant bear and watch. Never again will i watch anything in SD just to hard on my eyes!

About HD DVD and Blu Ray. I have both and at 1st i thought HD DVD was better, but I'm leaning towards Blu Ray now. Both are amazing tho.

Not to mention the sound on Blu Ray/HD DVD is just breath taking. Trust me its worth every penny.

Right now i have:

HD DVD:

The Departed
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Big mistake was desperate for HD movies back when there weren't many.
Poseidon
U571 - Got it with Charlie, needed something.
King Kon
Fearless

Blu Ray:
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Got it with PS3 dont ask.
Casino Royal

 

[Warbie]

I'm still leaning towards HDDVD simply because there are far more movies that I want for the format. Blu-ray does look great, but there's only 3 exclusives that i'd buy.

My HDDVDs:

Matrix Trilogy (arrives tomorrow )
The Thing
Batman Begins
Serenity
The Departed
Total Recall
Goodfellas
Children of Men
Superman The Movie
King Kong
Seabiscuit
Apollo 13


The 'to buy' list:

Planet Earth (this looks AMAZING)
Hot Fuzz
Shaun of the Dead
Casino
Deer Hunter
Terminator 2
Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior
Casablanca
Robin Hood (1938)
Lost in Translation
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Bourne Identity
Bourne Supremacy
Enter the Dragon
Fearless
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
The Fountain
Unforgiven
Harry Potter 1-4


//edit

Just got a call and my projctor is arriving tomorrow Expect lots of screenshots and other fappery.

 

[CyberPitz]

I'm too poor for those HD players. ;(

 

[Absinthe]

From limited experience, I prefer HD-DVD. Also, I kind of don't like Sony.

That said, I don't have the urge (nor the money) to invest in HD right now. Gonna wait a bit until one of the formats looks like it's truly taking hold, and by then it should be cheaper.

 

[Warbie]

There's combi players on the way. It shouldn't be too long untill they're pretty cheap.

 

[Asuka]

Cant wait for the Ultimate Matrix on HD DVD!!!!!!!

 

[Warbie]

Mine arrived this morning

 

[Operational]

I'm surprised you guys have so many HD-DVD titles, the top three movie studios are Blu-ray exclusive.
While I haven't played around with either I think Blu-ray looks to the future more than HD-DVD (50GB vs 30GB with Blu-ray able to be pushed further than HD-DVD)

 

[Warbie]

Which 3 are those? There are very few BR exclusives that look half decent, especially when compared to the number of Universal releases exclusive to HDDVD.

 

[Warbie]

Band of Brothers, 300, Oldboy and The Host coming out for HDDVD

BoB is going to be awesome.

 

[smwScott]

Which 3 are those? There are very few BR exclusives that look half decent, especially when compared to the number of Universal releases exclusive to HDDVD.

You know that Universal is no longer exclusive to HD-DVD now right? There are currently no major studios exclusively supporting HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is outselling it by a vast margin. Why on Earth would you sell a PS3 to buy a HD-DVD player, especially when HD-DVD appears to have already lost?

 

[Warbie]

You know that Universal is no longer exclusive to HD-DVD now right?

Nothing but rumour.

Right now HDDVD easily has the better selection of movies (well, imo). A glance at releases over the next year suggests more of the same.

I didn't make the decision to sell the PS3 lightly btw - there are just so few BR movies I want at the moment (less than a 1/4 of the amount available for HDDVD) with little on the horizon that's really tempting. The number of exclusive PS3 games just wasn't quite enough to tip the balance.


The PS3 is still in my house btw, awaiting payment from a mate. Every day he delays sending the cash i'm more and more tempted to keep the damn thing - all it would take is one really hot game on the horizon that definately isn't going to end up on the 360.

 

[Lt. Drebin]

I beleive Walmart should be putting the format war to rest pretty soon. I beleive that the $250 HDDVD player is on the way. Remember, it really was Walmart that put the ultra-expensive original DVD players to rest...they made the format disposable (and widespread) amidst VHS and they'll do it again. I believe they bought the cheap players from China (shock).

I'm leaning toward HD-DVD as well...there's just more high quality movies that interest me as well. But, I'm still not going to blow my money on it anytime soon. You never know what's going to happen. I'll just continue to enjoy my upconverting Oppo...best $200 I've spent in a long time....beautiful picture.

 

[The Monkey]

At the moment I think it's only worth buying HDDVD or Blue-ray if you got a really big screen. Otherwise you won't notice the difference.

 

[Warbie]

There are advantages other than the higher res. Colours are better, blacks deeper, less video noise etc. The image looks cleaner, more 3d, and a whole lot more detailed. I agree you need a large screen to get the most out of HD movies, but they don't cost much more than standard dvds and are well worth it if you already have a PS3 or a 360 (the addon is a bargain). I went for a Toshba HDDVD player as it's superb at upscaling standard def (something the 360 and PS3 aren't) and HD looks stunning.

 

[AmishSlayer]

I've been over to plenty of friends' places that all have HD sets and whatnot...the quality is nice but I can still easily go back to SD and not bat an eye. None of it is worth spending $$$$ on right now to me. I just bought a VGA cable for my 360 because I was sick of how dark things were and how tiny fonts were on my SDTV. My friends with SDTV don't have these problems though :| They actually have decent SDTVs.

 

[Direwolf]

I'm waiting till you can stick a fork in this format war and declare it done. Till then I'll save, no matter how amazing the picture is.

 

[Warbie]

I've been over to plenty of friends' places that all have HD sets and whatnot...the quality is nice but I can still easily go back to SD and not bat an eye.

It depends on the size of the screen. Blow the image up to 100"+ and HDDVD and Blu-ray look AMAZING. Watch standard dvds at that size and they look shite in comparison. That's no exageration - they look terrible.

 

[AmishSlayer]

It depends on the size of the screen. Blow the image up to 100"+ and HDDVD and Blu-ray look AMAZING. Watch standard dvds at that size and they look shite in comparison. That's no exageration - they look terrible.

Exactly. But right now, the difference in the way SD content looks on an SDTV and the way HD content looks on an HDTV just isn't big enough for me to bother.

 

[brink's]

I really hope these don't catch on.

 

[Direwolf]

I'm willing to admit I've seen some really startling stuff in HD that just doesn't compare to SD. But the price/advantage gap hasn't closed quite enough for me.

 

[mastag]

Well, since my xbox 360 elite, with the HDMI cables, upscales all my DVD's into 720p anyway, I really don't see the need to shell out money for the HDDVD add on.

 

[Sam]

I've got an upscaling DVD recorder too, and it works fine with a nice picture for the bumped up TV and DVDs. I don't see getting a HDDVD / Bluray player any time soon, simply because of the price and the limited selection of films. Probably getting Sky HD at some point though, partly for Sky+ and partly for the HD channels (even though there aren't many).

 

[VirusType2]

I like how (some/all I don't know) HD DVD's have the DVD format on one side, and the HD DVD format on the other side of the disk.

So if you are going to buy a movie for your DVD player, it might be a good idea to get the HD DVD version - as then you will have both. Good for in the future.


As for the Blu Ray outselling the HD DVD format, it's been about even. As of this month, HD DVD is said to be beating Blu Ray.

Monday June 11, 2007
HD DVD Players Outselling Blu-ray Alternatives

For those of you that enjoy following the back and forth monthly battle between the two high-def DVD camps, the news this week is that HD DVD is beating Blu-ray. If you are a Blu-ray fan, have no fear, I?m sure they?ll waste no time responding with numbers of their own declaring themselves the winner.

Supposedly, standalone HD DVD players now hold 60-percent of the market share amongst standalone high-definition disc players, and the recent "aggressive spring retail and marketing campaigns" are to thank. Unsurprisingly, Toshiba's heavily (albeit momentarily) discounted HD-A2 was dubbed the "best-selling next-gen DVD player model to date," and we were even told that over 75,000 HD DVD titles were sold in the final week of May alone.

Comments

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/news.html?news=MjYzMDAsLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdCwsLDE=


There is no winner yet, and might never be. Personally, I predict that the HD DVD format will never go away, since it will become incredibly inexpensive as it replaces it's former DVD format.

I don't think Blu Ray will ever be cheap like the DVD format is. You've been able to get a standalone DVD player for like $40 for years.

I bought a standalone 720p/1080i upscalling DVD recorder for under $100 - and now I see that it is down to $80 at Wal Mart. Buy online and you might get one for much less.

And now you can pick a DVD recorder - for your PC at least - for under $20.

HD DVD should follow the same pattern as DVD in the years to come, where you can bet your ass Sony will never go that low with Blu Ray. They still want quite a bit more for their DVD and CD format players!

But I'm no oracle, so we'll see.

 

[Direwolf]

For the record, its only some HD-DVD discs that are specifically "hybrid" format that will play in both DVD and HD-DVD players.

 

[VirusType2]

Just did some research...

Hybrid formats

There are two types of hybrid formats which contains standard DVD-Video format video for playback in regular DVD players, and HD DVD video for playback in high definition on HD DVD players. The Combo disc which is a dual sided disc with one side DVD and the other HD DVD, each of which have up to two layers. The Twin disc which is a single sided disc containing up to three layers, with up to two layers dedicated to either DVD or HD DVD.[5] These hybrid discs make retail marketing and shelf space management easier. This also removes some confusion from DVD buyers since they can now buy a disc compatible with any DVD/HD DVD player in their house.

This is a huge advantage for HD DVD here:

"It is technically possible for consumers to create HD DVD compatible discs using low cost DVD-R or DVD+R media."

86minutes run time using a DVD to record HD DVD content with is still really good for home movies, TV shows, video clips, etc., with a disc that costs a few cents. I buy DVD R's on sale - like $8 for 50 of them at Circuit City or Office Max or something. Much cheaper than HD DVD's or Blu Ray blanks.

So you don't have to spend a fortune to burn a home movie or something - just use a DVD-R that will play in any HD DVD player.

3x DVD

The HD DVD format also can be applied to current red laser DVDs which offers a lower-cost option for distributors; this type of disc is called "3x DVD" as it is capable of up to three times the bandwidth of regular DVD-Video.

3x DVDs are physically identical to regular DVDs, which explains why the cost is lower for the physical media. While 3x DVDs provide the same high definition content, the trade off is that playback time is limited. For instance on an 8.5 GB DVD you could fit about 85 minutes of 1080p video encoded with VC-1 or AVC at an average bitrate of 13 Mbit/s. This makes the format suitable for subjects such as training videos and home movies, but not suitable for typical wide release studio movies.

It is technically possible for consumers to create HD DVD compatible discs using low cost DVD-R or DVD+R media. At least one guide has been written that walks users through authoring these discs.

Ongoing development
Although the HD DVD standard has been finalized, engineers continue working to advance the technology. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 7, 2007, Toshiba and TDK announced that they have created HD DVDs with 17 GB layers, and demonstrated a triple-layer 51 GB disc. Toshiba aims to secure approval of the new disc by the DVD Forum within this year. There is no guarantee that the triple-layer format will work in existing players as it was not part of the original mandatory specifications.

Also behind closed doors at CES 2007, Ritek has revealed that they had successfully developed a High Definition optical disc process that extends the disc capacity of both competing formats to 10 layers. That increases the capacity of the discs to 150gb for HD DVD and 250gb for Blu-ray Disc. However, they noted that the major obstacle is that current reader and writer technology does not support the additional layers.[8]

Future proof - "That increases the capacity of the discs to 150gb for HD DVD and 250gb for Blu-ray Disc."

Nice!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD



More stuff here in case you don't know, it claims to have the same audio quality and video quality capabilities of BluRay.

"All movie titles released so far have had the feature encoded in 1080p"

Audio

HD DVD discs support encoding in up to 24-bit/192 kHz for two channels, or up to eight channels of up to 24-bit/96 kHz encoding. For reference, even new big-budget Hollywood films are mastered in only 24-bit/48 kHz, with 16-bit/48 kHz being common for ordinary films.

All HD DVD players are required to decode linear (uncompressed) PCM, Dolby Digital AC-3, Dolby Digital EX, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. A secondary soundtrack, if present, can be stored in any of the aforementioned formats, or in one of the HD DVD optional codecs: DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio.

For the highest-fidelity audio experience, HD DVD offers content-producers the choice of linear PCM, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Due to the high-bandwidth requirements of linear-PCM, lossless audio on HD DVD movies has thus far been delivered in the lossless format Dolby True-HD.

Video

The HD DVD format supports a wide variety of resolutions, from low-resolution CIF and SDTV, all video resolutions supported by the DVD-Video standard, and up to HDTV formats such as 720p, 1080i and 1080p. HD DVD supports video encoded in MPEG2 which is what is used in DVDs as well as the new formats VC-1 and AVC which are more efficient. All movie titles released so far have had the feature encoded in 1080p, with most supplements in 480i or 480p. Almost all titles are encoded with VC-1, and most of the remaining titles encoded with AVC.

 

[Direwolf]

I think a lot of people don't care whether one is slightly better than the other (or are probably not even aware of it). No matter what its an improvement. We're just not ready for another format quite yet.