Blitz6Speed

You are certainly not the only one! I also think HD-DVD is a wash. Blu-Ray is what im going to support and im sure its the format to go with for the next 10 years.

Quack

I care about the new format but not enough to rebuy my entire collection....Maybe a couple of my favorite movies, but I'm a big TV on DVD guy and there's no way in hell I'm gonna rebuy for any of that.

lordwow

I don't care. I have no interest in either of the new formats. Why rebuy everything I've spent years collecting?

SINGLE104

You may want to ask this question in the primary HD Talk Forum, where all HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray enthusiast members converse.

SINGLE104

This is the first original post that I've seen ever written in color! I'm glad you asked this question here because, if you would've posted in the HD Talk forum, you would have been crucified.

Nesbit

To get a complete understanding of your view people should post what type of tv they have with their post.

Drexl

I imagine there will be a sequence like this for some people:


-No way. I've spent a lot on DVD and I'll stick with it...


-Hey, that HD video looks good, maybe I'll try it, but I'm only buying a few movies I really like...


-Hmmm, I might as well buy some of my new releases in HD now...


-I might as well buy all new releases in HD if available...


-Hey, those catalog titles are in HD now? I guess one or two of those can't hurt. I'll get those...


-Well, I wasn't planning on getting that catalog title in HD, but I did buy ______ in HD, so why not?


-Hey, those titles are on sale! I think I'll get that, and that...


-More price drops! I guess I'll replace some more of my DVDs since these are cheap enough, and at this point I'm so used to HD I can't go back to SD...


-Fuck it. I'm replacing everything I can.

Josh Z

Is there a reason this couldn't have been consolidated into one of the other "I'm a Luddite with my head in the sand" threads?

dvd_luver

In order to see a huge difference with Hi-Def your vision has to be nearly perfect with glasses off and even with them on, DVD will do just fine I think for most people, that is why some people don't care. That is ultimately what will truly delay this excellent format from taking over DVD and the marketplace, people are merely just human and most don't have X-ray vision you know. Haha.

lordwow

I agree, I do video editing, I can tell the differences in quality, and yes it bugs me when there's a loss in quality on a disk... but DVD is "good enough" as far as I'm concerned. Without an HDTV, what good are HD-DVDs to me anyway? I'm not smacking down the believers in the system, if it works for you, go for it, it's definately better than DVD. BUT, I'm also not going to spend $100s on a player, $1000s on a HDTV, and then on top of that repurchase DVDs that I already own. I own DVDs so that I can watch TV and Movies at my lesiure, not necessarily the same as sitting in a theater.

Again, if I had the money to, I would jump all over these HDDVDs, but I, and many other members here don't have that sort of income, so I'd rather stick with DVDs. And hey, people are still playing Albums even though CDs are "better," I think the same is true here. HD-DVD will probably win in the long run, but it's going to be a long time before anyone gives up old DVDs.

Jray

I can't believe the misinformation (or just plain misunderstanding) I keep reading whenever I drop into one of these HD-DVD vs. DVD threads. It seems to me that most people that make the most outlandish statements like "HD will never take over DVD" have never even seen an HDTV. And to say that you can't see the difference is like saying you can't see the difference between color and black and white.

I have a 60" LCD HDTV and believe me. You can tell what is in HD and what isn't. That's why there are many of us very excited by the prospects of HD-DVD and Blu-ray. They are a clear step up in quality. On smaller CRTs and even 40" HDTVs the difference may not be as clear but there is still a difference. I was shocked when I first started watching DVDs on my 60" TV and how "blurry" some things looked, even on topnotch DVDs like LOTR EEs.

The revolution is coming. Get in or don't, but don't pretend that it isn't happening. Face it, all of our DVDs will be "obsolete" at some point just because newer, better versions will supplant them in HD. But it will take years for that to happen. If you don't have an HDTV yet, great... but I can pretty much guarantee everyone will eventually. Just like nobody watches B&W anymore, except for maybe your 90 year old senile grandma.

Clockwork

Keep in mind, all of your HD-DVD &/or Bluray disc will also be obsolete as well. You cannot win chasing new technology. The computer you used to type your message with is already obsolete, even if you bought it yesterday. At some point, you have to pick a media type you are comfortable with. What if nobody bought computers because they where waiting for the newest chip?How many times can you realistically expect a 30-45 year old to rebuy Ferris Bueller, because (Super HD? S-Bluray? MP3-Ray?) looks "Awesome"?

Qui Gon Jim

Good thing for you that LD owners didn't turn their noses up at DVD or it would have failed. Those people were looking for the best presentation possible, and DVD, in most respects, was superior to LD.

Your argument holds no water whatsoever. How many cassette decks do you regularly use? Do you use your VCR regularly? How about your 8- track? Phonograph?

It is the nature of technology that things move forward, and no amount of "drawing the line" will stop it. There will come a day when DVD production stops, when next-gen prices are as palatable as current DVD player prices. The studios want this to happen and won't stop pushing until it does.

candyrocket786

I have HD-DVD and loving it!!!!!

Can't wait for Batman Begins and Harry Potter to be released!!!!

candyrocket786

Brother.....when you see and actually hear HD-DVD in action, I bet you will change your tune!

onebyone

That's my thinking too. After one format wins out, I will dive in eventually if it is backwards compatible, but I am not rebuying everything, especially all my TV on DVD. You got to know what is worth upgrading and what isn't.

darkside

Here is the problem. I own a TV that can output a 1080i picture. If I was willing to stick with a standard definition television then regular DVDs would be okay. The problem is HDTV is the hottest thing going right now and when you get one you can not overlook HD content for it. Regular DVDs do not hold up well at all next to HD DVDs. There is no reason to invest in an HDTV and turn your nose up at HD discs for it.

1080p is going to be the end game for some time. There is talk of 4K television, but the bandwith is a nightmare and I don't see this TV format being a real factor in my lifetime. TV is definitely not going to be broadcast in it and there will not be the incentive we have now to upgrade to it. HD DVD and Blu-ray will probably be the best option for home video for long, long time. There was nothing wrong with DVD, but it came out right at the time TV was making a transition to HD.

BTW, I'm not replacing all of my hundreds of DVDs either. Some movies I love and want in HD and some I'm just a casual fan of and will keep on DVD. Not to mention many like the TV box sets probably are as good as they can get already in DVD. You don't have to chuck all your DVDs, but you can't ignore how much better HD discs really are.

Eric D.

Well...I just bought my first HD-DVD player tonight along with three different movies. The display at Best Buy did not really do much to sway me about the differences from SD-DVD to HD-DVD, but I felt that I could always return it if I was not impressed. So once I got home I decided to put in A Perfect Storm first and went to the scene where the big wave comes and....HOLY SHIT did it blow me away!!!!!!! I have no idea what crappy display they had up at my Best Buy, but what I saw at home was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I also called my father over to see what he thought and he noticed the improvements right away and had a huge smile on his face the whole time. This truly is the way of the future. I can't wait to pick up some more films now. However I am in no way going to replace my SD-DVD collection which clocks in at around 3,000 titles. But from now on, I'm only going to buy new releases on HD-DVD if that title is available. Well maybe I'll make an exception for Batman Begins and Serenity and pick them up again.

darkside

One thing HD DVD does is bring out just how bad those TVs are set up at Best Buy. The format looks 10 times better on a properly set up TV compared to those shitty full brightness, contrast and sharpness displays Best Buy uses.

Its sad how many people Best Buy turns off to HD DVD with bad displays. Even their Magnolia sections can't properly set up a TV.

Eric D.

So true. They weren't even playing a film, just clips from a bunch of random stuff that are not even on HD-DVD yet. I'm glad that I went with my gut and bought the player anyway because it was the last one in the whole store.

Mr. Cinema

These anti-HD comments make me laugh. Getting upset because studios are now able to offer their movies with the best possible audio and video for home viewing is strange. If you're a true movie lover, I don't see how you can be mad that you now have a chance to see movies with a huge increase in video resolution and audio quality over what dvd offers.

Josh Z

And 'A Perfect Storm' isn't even one of the better looking HD DVDs.

SINGLE104

Not only HD DVD, but with all non-calibrated HDTV monitor demostrations.

caligulathegod

I tend to be an early adopter, when I can afford to be. My first DVD player was a laserdisc/DVD combo player I bought when DVD was still in the original seven cities. I'm going HD soon. I'm definitely not "anti" HD. However...

We in this forum live in a rarefied community where the highest quality matters and we can't understand why everyone doesn't feel that way. We look at HD and tell ourselves that all anyone need do is experience it and they will be hooked. Fact is, most people will look at it and go "wow" and then go right back to plugging their standard definition DVD players right back into their SD TVs with the little yellow, red and white cables. Lots plug the yellow cable into a demodulator then plug a COAX into their TV. Nevermind using a digital connection to get 5.1 channels. Lots of people are happy with the crappy sound coming out of the crappy TV speakers.

There's lots of "disinformation" going on. There's no FCC mandate that will force us all on High Def. The mandate is that we go to digital. The only people that are going to be affected are those that still use rabbit ears. They'll have to get a digital tuner, but the rest of us with cable and satellite will just have our service provider exchange the box for a digital one (if they haven't already-mine's digital) and we'll still be using our regular TVs until they wear out or we choose to buy a new one. For the most part, we won't even notice a difference. The digital signal can send up to 6 SD channels or 1 HD channel over the same bandwidth. We're going to continue to live with standard definition for a long time. HD will still be limited to network or specialty channels that most of will either never tune to or will watch at a lower resolution on our standard TVs, just like it is today. There may be more of them, but I doubt it. HD channels will tend to be premium channels that will be an extra charge.

I know you guys that own HD sets are blown away by them. The upcoming digital changeover isn't really going to make that much of a difference because much of it has already happened and it is still going to be primarily standard definition.

Mr. Salty

You make some good points, but I don't entirely agree with all of them.

HD will be a gradual evolution, and it will take several years. While the FCC mandate is for digital, in many, many cases that also means HD. All of the major networks have gone to HD, and even the local TV affiliates in backwater Southern Illinois, where I used to live, had converted to HD simulcasting a couple of years ago. Believe me, if those low-rent outfits are HD, HD is just about everywhere.

So, now the only matter is cost of TV sets. I was at Best Buy yesterday, and they had a couple of nice CRT HDTVs for $500-$800. Not as cheap as SD TVs, but that certainly represents a big price drop over even a year ago at this time. Those prices will go even lower.

While the vast majority of people aren't going to run out and replace their perfectly functional SDTVs with HDTVs, they may very well consider doing so in the years to come as their TVs wear out and need to be replaced anyway.