DthRdrX

Your facts aside, Samsung, who claims they are shooting for April, does have their player up for preorder somewhere online though I can't remember where offhand. It was 1K for the player. First BR title appears to be an IMAX film being released March 16th.

As for my logic, it's not remotely the same since Sony didn't say they would provide a product with a stated price of 1000 dollars, miss the deadline they set THREE times now, (2 US releases and the Japan release) then give yet another date at CES with a price that happened to decline by 50% over a few months!!!

Just because you can preorder something does not mean they have to deliver it.

DthRdrX

Heres the first mention of the Samsung player.

Samsung BR player

DthRdrX

Speaking of launch titles, prices have been confirmed to range from 29.99 to 39.99.

Mr. Cinema

If I do jump on the new format early, I know I won't be buying many titles to begin with. It'll likely be the same pattern when dvds were similarly priced back in the day. $34.99 for a non-anamorphic Fox title. Glad those days are over...

digitalfreaknyc

Welcome back to the days of Laserdisc

darkside

Well $39.99 is a bargain for a laserdisc. I have to say I'm really getting tempted by HD-DVD. However, the investment costs are pretty high for a format many think will lose out. There is the hope that if Blu-Ray wins it will also support HD-DVD down the road in combo players, but still that means buying a new player. Too bad this war couldn't have been avoided because its probably going to keep away a lot of potential customers which will hurt both formats. I think people walking into a store and seeing half the movies they want as HD-DVD exclusives and the other half as Blu-Ray exclusive will probably just forget it and stick with DVDs.

Another concern is shelf space. Are many stores going to be able to stock the DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray version of every title?

Artman

Is that the msrp? If so that's pretty much where DVD's are at now (what with the SE pricing nowadays). Although I wouldn't expect a big markdown - so in-store prices of potentially $25-$30 ya think?

Adam Tyner

I'd imagine so. Paramount said around this time last year that their titles would be $5-$10 higher than traditional DVDs, so that sounds about right.

DthRdrX

The figures came from a vendor over on AVS, that sells things like DTV HD and whatnot. He said he got them direct from WB, Paramount and Universal. Someone also speculated that the 39.99 prices could be from Universal, since they sold DVHS titles at the same price. It could get interesting if their one exclusive studio sold at the highest prices.

BTW, he also said that they will have 20 titles available on launch day, and that they would be in limited quantity.

Qui Gon Jim

BR has slipped just as many times. They even released hardware in Japan that will not be compatible with the final product. The PS3 keeps slipping, and it seems like they are afraid to set a price point. Just about any point you make about HD can be made about BR.

Again, I am not saying HD is better, but I see so much loyalty to a format that is essentially vaporware as of now since no actual, working, consumer hardware has been shown yet.

DVD did not have full studio support until it whipped DIVX's ass. Who knows what will happen.

digitalfreaknyc

I don't know where you (if you did) bought your laserdiscs but most of mine were 25-35 when I was buying them. 40 is NOT a bargain.

Adam Tyner

Camelot Music had a huge selection of Laserdiscs for $12.88 in the early '90s, and although there wasn't any AAA stuff in there (mostly schlock like Slumber Party Massacre 2 and Dr. Alien), that's where a lot of my collection came from.

joshd2012

I'm not sure what you are saying. Are you saying that because Blu-Ray has been successfully used in Japan for two years, that it is a weaker format? Against a technology which hasn't been released anywhere yet?

And as far as anyone outside Sony knows, PS3 is still on track for Spring 2006 - just as they first announced almost a year ago. To trust the word of an analyst is rediculous. History shows us that.

DthRdrX

The BR recorders in Japan were never intended to be compatible with future BR HD players and recorders. It was basically a test run of the format. Sony has been working on BR for ten or so years.

I don't have any info on the PS3 slipping dates as all I have seen is Sony stating a spring launch in Japan. That is like May-June to them I belive.

DthRdrX

Grubert,

Toshiba has a HD-dvd website now. Looks like a some additions have been made. I saw Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 1 ect ...

ToshibaHD-dvd

darkside

Maybe for bare bones discs, but I have several sets that were $50-$100. You weren't going to get many quality LD sets for $40. If the special edition HD discs are $40 MSRP then they will be very affordable and only $5-$10 more retail than regular DVDs.

Grubert

Lethal Weapon was already on my list.

Braveheart wasn't mentioned at all in Paramount's press release. Note it was supposed to be part of the abortive '05 launch. Maybe some mixup?

Blitz6Speed

Hmm

Im still in the Blu-Ray camp on this one. PS3 will definetly put more BRD players in homes then anything else out there IMO. Lets say the PS3 was 599, would you buy a low end stand alone HD-DVD player for 499, or spend 100 more and get the same as the other low end player AND get a gaming system thats designed to last up till 10 years from now?

The choice seems very simple to me. Ontop of that, Sony has a legion of die-hard fans that will support them blindly. I wouldnt be too concerned about the HD-DVD exclusives, they'll all be released IMO onto BRD at some point (its free money to them, why not!). If youre THAT concerned, you could always just buy the HD-DVD film, then copy the contents onto a Blu-Ray disc and watch it on your Blu-Ray player (with proper menu changes of course). Im not saying pirate the darn thing, buy the film, then xfer it over to BRD. Studio still got your funds either way! Remember, HD-DVD is only 15GB per layer, BRD is 25GB per layer. Easy transition =)

Ninja edit -

I forgot to mention that the first Blu-Ray Burners will be out by end of jan/early feb from Pioneer. Model # BRD-101A.

Qui Gon Jim

So everyone is counting on the PS3 to be the "low end" market champion for Sony, but does anyone remember how hard it was to find a PS2 for months? If someone wants "chep" HD NOW, the PS3 may not be the option many think it will be.

I feel like I am starting to sound like a BR-Hater, and I am not. I just think there is a lot of blind loyalty to Sony and it is far from a done deal that they have the next gen locked up. A low price point can mean so much.

Mr. Cinema

Right now, I'm leaning towards HD-DVD. I just got a 360, so I won't be getting a PS3 at launch (unless I get that "must have" feeling). A Toshiba HD-DVD player for $500 should be easier to find than a $400-$500 PS3. And I don't want to pay $1000 for a BR player.

King Kong, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings are another reason to lean that way.

I am wondering this. Why is it so upsetting that there may be 2 movie formats, but it's not that big of a deal that there are 3 different game formats? Just curious.

Grubert

SACD vs DVD-A. Mutual Assured Destruction. Many think only one format will survive.

Blu-ray is more technologically advanced and has more support from both the CE companies and the movie studios.

HD DVD arrives three months earlier, has a cheaper player and an optional box for the Xbox 360.

And BTW: of the three titles you mention, only one (King Kong) is an HD DVD exclusive for the time being. Warner/New Line/HBO is releasing in both formats. Maybe it'll take a little longer, but I guarantee you'll have Potter and Rings on Blu-ray inside of a year. Not to mention Alien (Fox - not on HD DVD), Spider-man (Sony - not on HD DVD), Narnia (Disney - not on HD DVD), Terminator 2 (Lions Gate - not on HD DVD), 007 (MGM - not on HD DVD)... Shall I continue?

My conclusion: HD DVD must die.

Mr. Cinema

Okay, again, so why is it accepted that there are 3 gaming formats?

You can list a 1000 BR titles, and I would still say I'm leaning towards HD-DVD.

What if the PS3 is delayed? What if it's harder to find than a 360? Are most people willing to pay a $1000 for a BR player to watch a movie?

Grubert

Maybe a gaming fan can accept not being able to buy Halo and just look for an equivalent title for his Playstation.

But you can't tell a music lover that if he buys a certain player, he can play Springsteen but not Eminem.

And I will hate not being able to go buy a copy of any movie because it's 'on the other format'.

joshd2012

Videogames are a very different beast and makes a bad comparison.

Movies can be seen in theathers, or purchased on multiple formats. Videogames can only be played on the systems they were made for.

Movies are a way for studios to make additional money on movies that were already making money in the theaters. Videogames its a one shot deal and all profit comes from disc sales.

You just simply can't compare the two when they are following completely different business models.

Mr. Cinema

What is the reason Universal, Paramount, and WB won't just support Blu-Ray?

Consumers are usually the ones to decide which format survives, but I'm worried about the timeframe it will take to decide a winner. If both formats are available for over a year or 2, then whichever side loses, there's going to be plenty of people with a worthless BR or HD-DVD player. I just hope it doesn't take long for a winner.

If Universal switches to Blu-Ray I may change my mind, but they have alot of titles I want.