But they're not ignoring 30% of their customers. If they're ignoring anything (or anybody), they're ignoring 30% of the small percentage of customers that rent hi-def. How many BBV customers would/could rent hi-def at all? I don't know. But let's assume it's 5% (just to pick a number). So, if 5% is correct, then it's 30% of that 5% which BBV would be "ignoring".

And they still offer the HD DVD rentals online, just not in-store. Which means that HD DVD owners have the same opportunity to rent discs from BBV as they do from, say, NetFlix.

I haven't rented from BB in years. I'd rather buy then rent.

I've bought into both - BD moreso than HD DVD (from a software and hardware perspective) and prefer BD. I jumped on the HD DVD wagon due to low cost, not necessarily because of the technology, I did that with BD.

While the war rages on, I'll be enjoying some great movies in their full HD glory, but continue to buy primarily BD.

I have both a PS3 (Blu-Ray) and an HD-DVD player, however I like HD-DVD better. Their movies, for the most part, are usually cheaper, they have a better selection of movies I like and the players are much cheaper than Blu-Ray

I'm waiting. Most of the movies that are available are your standard Hollywood fare. The only HD movie I'm interested in getting is Casablanca. Until more classic/foreign films are released I will wait.

What's the status of the analog output issue (analog outputs being limited to 480p)?

I've been waiting, but I may jump in with a PS3/Blu-ray later this year.

No HD DVD or Blu-ray discs have been encoded with the Image Constraint Token that would cripple them to 480p resolution over Component Video, and there are no plans to use it until at least 2010. So it's safe to watch either format using Component.

Playback of standard DVDs is limited to 480p over Component, however. If you want to upscale, that can only be done over HDMI.

It's a stupid contradiction, but the DVD Forum insisted on it.

Thanks -- that's acceptable. Do you know if any of the players support aspect ratio control for proper display of non-enhanced letterbox and pillarbox on 16x9 sets? I can do this fine with my HTPC, but it was an annoying issue with most set-top players I used.

Regarding component upconversion restraints, it MIGHT be worth purchasing an upconverting DVD player and a separate HD DVD player if the upconverting is that much better. $150 for an Oppo is a drop in the bucket of the serious videophile and DVD collector.

I currently have about 10 HD DVD movies and the Planet Earth HD DVD set. I'm doing the same thing as I did when DVDs started coming. I bought the discs a few at a time, then got the player when they came down in price.

The HD DVD players automatically pillarbox 4:3 content, but will not zoom for non-anamorphic letterbox. Some Blu-ray players pillarbox and some don't. I'm not aware of any that zoom non-anamorphic, unfortunately.

still waiting, but the PS3 may make my wait to be shorter

Not interested in either. Need a TV first.

If you don't even have a TV, why are you buying DVDs?

I have never understood why there is such an insistence by the DVD forum to restrict standard DVDs from upconverting over component. I mean, who copies DVDs in this manner? Anyone I have ever seen that wants to copy a DVD simply rips it on the computer.


I thought I had read recently that a few standard DVD titles released by Sony are flagged not to upconvert, even over HDMI. Perhaps I am imagining it or I just misunderstood, though. Can anyone confirm this?


I am an HD-A1 owner with about 25 HD-DVDs. I have been considering jumping in to Blu-ray, but I recently convinced myself to wait, since a) the 1.1 Blu-ray standard won’t even be finalized until later this year, and b) there are only a handful of Blu-ray exclusive titles in which I am interested.

In the end, I believe HD-DVD is indeed the more consumer friendly format. It has no region coding and less copy protection that Blu-ray. Aside from the whole legal issue of “backing-up” your HD-discs, I have read that potentially, a BD+ Blu-ray disc could refuse to play on a player that has been modified in some manner by its owner, and I find this deeply troubling. It is no wonder, though, why more studios support Blu-ray.

In the end, it baffles me why so many consumers are eager to embrace the format that the studios want you to have, as opposed to a less restrictive format that more greatly benefits the consumer. While more space per layer is certainly appealing, I personally don’t think it’s worth it if the studios insist on maintaining greater restrictive controls over the format.

I can't confirm, but I don't know how such a thing would be possible. Since I don't think upconversion was even a glimmer in anyone's eye when the DVD specs were hammered out, I'm not sure how there could be a flag to control it.

Actually, I thought I had read that it specifically was Blu-ray players that would not upconvert a few standard Sony DVDs. I was thinking that Casino Royale was one of the titles in question.

Again, I freely admit that I may be way off here. I can’t quite remember where I stumbled upon this, though I’m sure it was a forum somewhere. So, even if I am remembering what I read correctly, the poster may simply have been mistaken (or outright deranged).

EDIT: O.K. I pinned down where I read this. It’s over at the AVS forums and the actual issue is still being discussed. As it turns out, an individual is having issues upconverting a few Sony titles on his HD-A20 over HDMI. Weird.

Well, it just demonstrates how out of touch these people are. They don't care about common sense. They just care about the ones who make copies of movies, and ignore the 90% of those who do not who simply want convenience for their high-priced product.

Sony is infamous for consumer control, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if they did something like preventing upconversion of their SD DVDs. Sony never ceases to amaze or surprise me.

He must be from the 1920/30's when listed to the radio was top-notch entertainment. He must be trying to relive the 'Good Ole' days'.

I think he meant that he needs an HDTV first.

He's probably like me, where it makes little sense to get into either format, IVO the fact that my display is limited to 480p.

Well I took the HD plunge last night. I was buying a new 47" LCD for my apartment on Long Island and decided I needed HD. I went with Blu-Ray although there was no rational reason, I just had to go with one or the other and the display at Best Buy had many more BR titles

So, here's my story.

I decided to wait to see which would win, HD or Blu-Ray.

Then I read the Digital Bits' article on why they think Blu-Ray will prevail.

Then Sony released a firmware upgrade that improved the Blu-Ray capabilities of the PS3 and allowed upscaling for DVD.

http://www.bluraysavings.com/ announced a summer special - buy a Blu-Ray player, get 5 free Blu-Ray discs.

Then Sony dropped the price on the PS3 to $499.

Amazon then announced a special where you buy the PS3 and they'd throw in a Blu-Ray remote and Memento on Blu-Ray disc for free.

I chose to throw in with Blu-Ray and ordered the package from Amazon.

Not jumping in until there's a $5 HD bin at Walmart...

HD DVD exclusively. A1 in the bedroom and A2 in the home theater.

Even though I'm mooching off of two friends systems at the moment, I find it ironic that this year alone, I'm purchasing alot more standard DVD's than say last year.