moviewizguy

So I went to my walmart today and found no sale going on, let alone the DVD players being $99. What's the deal? Is it only the HDDVD player and the XBOX 360 going on sale or only the dvd player? And which deal is the best and where to get that deal?

vballboy51

The deal at walmart was only for yesterday. Its over now.


360 HDDVD sale was at BB i want to say last week - someone can correct me there if i'm wrong.

h8red

I'm not certain that it was just yesterday. I went to Wal-Mart today (11/3/07) and they had ~10 left and there was a huge display for $98.99 (or whatever price it was, maybe $98.88)

vjack99

I think the sale is supposed to go through this weekend, but it isn't happening everywhere. That is, not all Wal-Marts are participating.

TLeeTx2012

The "secret" sale ( I was told by a manager at my Wal-Mart ) is Fri - Sun.

scarredgod

the secret sale is technically all weekend but once the supplies were gone, they probably wouldnt be replenishing.

our walmart had 30 of the HD-DVD players, 70 of the laptops, and zero of the sale HD-DVDs because we never got our shipment, and i dont know how many of the Plasma TVs but they were gone by 10am.

darkside

This was the exact situation at the Wal-mart I went to. The 30 players were gone before the line of people waiting got to the front, but they still had laptops and HDTVs when I left.

SI78

Since this is a more general thread, I'd like to ask about what this means for the format war. Is this a concentrated effort on the part of HDDVD to blow BluRay out of the water and will it continue, or is it just an old model going on clearance?

Do you think BluRay will follow suit and slash prices soon?

I'd like a format to hurry up and win already.

TGM

yes, and yes.

Christ, I hope so... I'd love to be format neutral.

not me! I'd like BluRay to drop down to about $250 bucks, and have the two battle it out for years to come, which will have the effect of lowering the prices of the various discs !

moviewizguy

So...should I be assuming that Blue ray will do this soon? Is Blue Ray better than HD-DVD?

I usually dispise these DVD players A LOT because regular DVDs play clearly already. But now since this HD dvd player cost less than a regular DVD player, I'm not as mad but I still hate the DVDs for being like $30.

DVD Polizei

Quality-wise, Blu-ray is the same as HD DVD. However, quality will VARY per movie. So, it depends. It helps to read reviews of the HD movies so you know which titles you can put off.

icarwngs55

Exactly right! Both formats will be around for a loooong time...unless Buena Vista/Disney pulls out of blu-ray...then blu-ray is up shit's creek without a paddle; but that will never ever happen.

So truly, you can't go by 'what format is better.' You go by how each disc looks and the best way to do that is to read reviews before buying; especially since some discs are so pricey.

I use fulvuedrive-in because they have some of the biggest selections of both blu-ray and HD reviewed I think.

cracksky

http://www.videobusiness.com/article....html?nid=2705

docdoowop

Interesting read. Thanks for the link.

DVD Polizei

I think we should tell Disney lovers Blu-ray is the favored porn HD format in Japan. I read something last year about Disney/Buena Vista supporting Blu-ray in the US because HD DVD was the favored porn format.

If true, wouldn't some ideological Blu-ray supporters like to know Pirates of The Carribean was pressed a few minutes after Oh! Yugi! Oh! Oh! Oh! Part 2. No wonder the Blu-ray cases stick together better than HD DVD cases.

I can only confirm the first half of the first paragraph with an article:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13...y/article.html

Obviously, I can't confirm the second paragraph.

tylergfoster

Even if you dislike the opinions of The Digital Bits (and someone does, last night at 1am it had been hacked and is still clearly hacked), Bill Hunt makes a good point: these players hit the market for like $500 and Toshiba is dumping them for $100? There's no way they cost less than $100 to make so Toshiba is losing money on every single one of these players.

Worse, the A2 can't even do 1080p, apparently. Sounds like a waste of money to me. The Best Buy XBOX360 deal a week or two ago was better.

silentbob007

The way I see it, if you are bargain hunting for an HD player, the 1080p thing doesn't make any difference anyway. How many people have a 1080p capable tv? I know those things are getting cheaper and cheaper, but still ....

DVD Polizei

I'm assuming Toshiba makes a few more bucks off of the movies as well, in addition, they apparently sourced their players from China. And we all know, in China, you can make anything for practically nothing. It's not just about the hardware. It's the sales of movies which lead to big profits.

When I shopped for a HDTV, I saw 1080p, 1080i, down-converted 1080i, and 720p video from HD movies (BD and HD DVD) on 50" plasmas. I saw little difference. Which is why I purchased the Panasonic 50" "1080i" plasma. 720p or down-converted 1080i is just fine for me. And I would bet it's just fine for most HD viewers as well.

The A2 not having 1080p capability is like saying your car doesn't have wipers on the headlights.

ds6161

If B-ray does nothing this $100 HD player will be a small win for HD. Small cause its too small numbers of units, still a win thou..
If B-ray does the same thing its another wash they did it - we did it.
If B-ray drops their units $ to the ground across the board..

The only way to win is to get your hardware in everyhome that has a dvd player now.
Or get exclusive release rights to major movies.. ie Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones...
If they split these people will get a combo unit or both & we will have both formats forever..

bluetoast

For people that now have HD Players, what are you doing in terms of buying regular DVDs?

My dad was saying not to buy regular DVDs anymore and stick to HD DVD, but I disagree for a few reasons:

Unless I own both Blu-Ray and HD, then there will always be a few titles that I will only be able to have on standard DVD.

There are titles that are just plain cheaper, or not available on HD yet: Criterions, TV Shows, for example.

So my logic is, if the HD version is better, then I'll buy that, if it's cheaper (Blade Runner), even better. Otherwise, DVDs are still good, and will be around for a while.

Do people usually do that, or hold out on all releases?

Nugent

Actually it sounds more like you need to get educated before declaring something a waste of money. If you have a 1080p display there is ZERO difference in the final picture the display will show. In the CNet reviews of both the A20 and A30 they stated that the image was better setting both of these 1080p models to 1080i since the deinterlacer in most 1080p sets is better than the on board chip in these HD DVD models. The A2 is also arguabley one of the best upscalling players available. A lot of the models showing up in Wal-Mart are made in Japan. For under $100 they are a crazy bargain whether HD DVD survives or not.

"1080i v. 1080p
By Geoffrey Morrison (Home Theater) • November, 2006
Less than meets the eye.

The most frequently asked questions I've received this year have been about the difference between 1080i and 1080p. Many people felt—or others erroneously told them—that their brand-new 1080p TVs were actually 1080i, as that was the highest resolution they could accept on any input. I did a blog post on this topic and received excellent questions, which I followed up on. It is an important enough question—and one that creates a significant amount of confusion—that I felt I should address it here, as well.

There Is No Difference Between 1080p and 1080i
My bold-printed, big-lettered breaker above is a little sensationalistic, but, as far as movies are concerned, this is basically true. Here's why. Movies (and most TV shows) are shot at 24 frames per second (either on film or on 24-frame-per-second HD cameras). Every TV sold in the United States has a refresh rate of 60 hertz. This means that the screen refreshes 60 times per second. In order to display 24-frame-per-second content on a display that essentially shows 60 frames per second, you need to make up or create new frames. This is accomplished by a method called 3:2 pulldown (or, more accurately, 2:3 pulldown). It doubles the first frame of film, triples the second frame, doubles the third frame, and so on, creating a 2-3-2-3-2-3 sequence. (Check out Figure 1 for a more colorful depiction.) So, the new frames don't have new information; they are just duplicates of the original film frames. This process converts 24-frame-per-second film to be displayed on a 60-Hz display.

It's Deinterlacing, Not Scaling
HD DVD and Blu-ray content is 1080p/24. If your player outputs a 60-Hz signal (that is, one that your TV can display), the player is adding (creating) the 3:2 sequence. So, whether you output 1080i or 1080p, it is still inherently the same information. The only difference is in whether the player interlaces it and your TV deinterlaces it, or if the player just sends out the 1080p signal directly. If the TV correctly deinterlaces 1080i, then there should be no visible difference between deinterlaced 1080i and direct 1080p (even with that extra step). There is no new information—nor is there more resolution, as some people think. This is because, as you can see in Figure 1, there is no new information with the progressive signal. It's all based on the same original 24 frames per second.

In the case of Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player, the player interlaces the image and then deinterlaces it to create 1080p. So, you get that step regardless.

Two caveats: Other Blu-ray players can output 1080p/24. If your TV can accept 1080p/24, then it is adding the 3:2 sequence, unless it is one of the very few TVs that can change its refresh rate. Pioneer plasmas can change their refresh rate to 72 Hz, and they do a simple 3:3 pulldown (showing each film frame three times). This looks slightly less jerky.

If you're a gamer, then there is a difference, as 1080p/60 from a computer can be 60 different frames per second (instead of 24 different frames per second doubled and tripled, as with movie content). It is unlikely that native 1080p/60 content will ever be broadcast or distributed in wide numbers. The reasons for this are too numerous to get into here, but I list them in my follow-up blog.

So Don't Worry (Or Only Worry a Little)
Without question, it would be better if all TVs accepted a 1080p input. (Read that again before you start sending your e-mails.) What I hope this article points out is that, if you have a 1080p TV that only accepts 1080i, you're not missing any resolution from the Blu-ray or HD DVD source. If a TV doesn't correctly deinterlace 1080i, on the other hand. . .well, that's a different article. "

ds6161

In this weeks Best Buy add Toshiba HD-A3 is $299.
NO IT'S NOT. IT'S $199!!!!

plus you get 300 & Bourne Identity free in the box... WOW can it get any better?? OF course it can.
How about 3 more free HD movies (must be under $34.99) in store right now.
Please tell me there's more you say..
OK you get 5 more free by mail. follow the link below to see you choices & take with you so you don't pick one as your 3 free in store!!
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....at135100050035

if they are sold out have a sales person order it for you. Remind them about the 3 free now movies. They will charge you up front for everything. They ship it to the store mine will take 5 days max.

I was gonna wait for the LG duel player 2nd gen on sale.
Now I'm hoping B-ray has a sale like this next week. Getting both systems for under $500 can't be beat.

wewantflair

If you do what's called a "Customer Fulfillment" order, they can still use the 12% coupon if you have one.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Buy.com is having the same thing only cheaper, about $159 and today's the last day.

I posted a thread here but just got laughed at.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I still buy standard DVDs mostly. All store exclusives, where I live, are only with the standard DVDs.

If I have a losing format, I'll have a player just for a few movies and that doesn't seem worth it for the space it'll be taking up. I have tons of stuff on VHS that isn't on DVD and I hate having to drag a VCR out, finding a spot for it, and hooking it up just to watch stuff on a format that isn't going to grow anymore.

Unless it's an amazing deal or comes with something really great that the standard version doesn't come with, I won't be getting the HD version.

I also cheat and keep HD versions of movies(Star Wars, Matrix, waiting for Harry Potter) on my Tivo.