Why? I can certainly understand right now. But if there is an eventual winner to the BR/HD-DVD mess or combo players become commonplace and are reasonable priced that you wouldn't be interested in converting?

I'm not talking about re-buying any or all of the titles on DVD, but for your new purchases?

I'm sure plenty of people said that they had no interest in switching from VHS to DVD, where are they now? You can't even buy or rent VHS at most places now.

I do think DVDs will be around for quite awhile, maybe they will even stick around until whatever comes next, but I have a hard time believing that HD discs won't become the standard in 3-5 years.

I dont ever plan to start buying hi-def disks. i hated VHS and once i started buting DVD's in early 1999 i never looked back to VHS.
I just dont like the hi-def disks. The packaging, price, the difference of blu-ray and hddvd has just completely turned me off on the format.
As far as I am concerned regular dvd is perfect.

I do agree with you on some parts, but you have to take in consideration that to fully take all the benefits from HD you also need the HDTV, the plugins and everything, not just the player and the movies, which for many people they don't or don't plan on getting one anytime soon. For now, HD discs are more like LDs were back then with VHS. You had better picture and everything, but needed new set-up to fully get all the benefits. Comparing VHS to DVD is not the same you know, since they were both different medias, one being discs and the other being tapes, and of course were not playable in both players (of course they were eventually). So 3-5 years seem a bit too close if you think about it..The jump from VHS to DVD was also easier considering you were getting ...bonus features, original aspect ratios, different languages, subtitles, no need to rewind, a product that you could watch several times without losing any quality, and finally better picture and audio (which for many people are great but not all we're looking for). Just my 2 cents.

As far as hi-def goes, I would completely bite if it weren't for high price of players. If those come down, then there is the dramatically higher price of the hi-def DVDs (compared to their standard cousins) to deal with. And then there are competing formats -- even an enthusiast such as myself wouldn't know which version to go with. I don't see it going away, but I don't see it picking up steam like it would if these factors weren't in play.

I look at the HiDef market like the SACD market years back. They were marketed as the next format with higher resolution.

Most people I know don;t even know what a SACD is or a DVD-A for that matter.

My point is that if there hasn't been a comparable acceptance of the hi-def music format then how are we to believe it is going to happen for HD-DVD or Blu-ray, especially considering the simple fact that they are shooting each other's foot off by trying to split an already very small market.

I just don;t see acceptance of the Hi-Def format for at least 10+ years. And that's assuming the knuckleheads trying to run the show decide on ONE format. And even then I don't think it's going to happen unless they price them at $14.99 like the DVD market and price the players at less than $100.

One difference would be that people are getting the Hi-def experience in home now with HDTV, and they notice the difference. I don't think there is a similar upgrade in audio that people get over their basic services (besides, I think people aren't as discerning when it comes to audio over video, that's why downloading was able to explode the way it did)

VHS to DVDs are not the same as DVDs to HD-DVDs, a better comparison would be like VHS:S-VHS :: DVD:HD-DVD. To act as though regular DVDs are somehow vastly inferior in the same way as VHS is misguided at best and idiotic at worst. True I can't see Matt Damon's pores on regular DVD, but have you ever seen a film? I don't need to be able to count his eyebrow hairs, standard crisp great quality of DVD, with the film in its original aspect ratio and supplemented properly is hardly in the same league as a pan and scan VHS tape which deteriorates with each viewing.

Of course they aren't the same, I don't think anyone has stated as much. Is it a comparable situation? Certain aspects are, others aren't. I also disagree on the VHS:S-VHS :: DVD:HD-DVD comparison. I bet more people are aware of HD-DVD/BR than people ever knew about S-VHS. S-VHS never had players built into a Sega Genesis. Is the jump from DVD to HD-DVD/BR as big as the jump from VHS to DVD? Not even close, but it is still an improvement.

I do agree that it will take time, but as HDTVs become the standard more and more people are going to go HD-DVD/BR especially as prices of players and discs start to fall.

Well, with online retailers you still have to wait. What if I want to see a movie tonight? Either I plan for it beforehand or pay a $1-$3 premium by buying it in stores.

As far as places with terrible prices (Borders, mall stores), just look at what happened to Tower. They won't be able to exist for much longer.

I understand paying a small premium for convenience, but I recently ordered the new Taxi Driver release from ch.com for $10.00 shipped. Barnes & Noble was selling it during release week for $25 + tax. Now I could see them selling it for $12 or $15, but Jaaaysus, a 150% differential??

I completely agree with you on that.

Yeah, it's called DVD.

It is my belief that high definition packaged media will never enjoy the massive consumer acceptance that DVD has. Regular DVD is simply good enough for the vast majority of consumers. Any HD packaged media will be similar to Laserdisc, enjoyed by the few who care about the quality enough to pay for it.

DVD has become a commodity in that originally they were a thing of value, and now they are 'publicly traded' items at retailers and online. It's come to the point where I will no longer buy new DVDs. I know that within 2 weeks of release date, they will be sold used on Amazon for a discount. Since I sell on Amazon, I have credit built up and can easily buy whatever I want without having to dig into my 'real' money.
Yes, huge title DVDs sell for very little on Amazon, the smaller/newer the title, the better your selling price can be. I have actually had better success selling VHS, especially titles not on DVD.

To another poster, I am amazed as well at people who will walk into a store and pay full retail at Blockbuster (21.99) for a new DVD but many do. Just like some people will buy a new car, or bottled water at $8 a gallon.

Spoken for truth.

I really can’t get into the HD/Blu-Ray thing either. The Packaging is just hideous & the picture doesn’t blow me away like it should. I collect way too many TOD titles & most of the current movies available on HD DVD/Blu-Ray, either I already own or I don’t give a sh*t about. The only TV shows available on HD DVD/Blu-Ray are The Sopranos & Smallville, two shows I could care less about.

I’m not getting the Heroes-season one DVD this Tuesday (I don’t think the show is good) but the price difference between the SD DVD & the HD DVD is mind blowing.

I was never huge fan of VHS either & the DVD was definitely a huge step up, HD DVD/Blu-Ray, not so much.

in order for this to happen, the HD TVs will need to drop in price a ton. Part of the problem is the size of those things. I live in a small apartment and there is no way i will ever buy a big screen TV. If the hi def tvs drop in price a ton, say to $200 to $400 then i would probably get one. Is it realistic to expect the HD TVs to have a huge drop in price? It is possible but i really dont know enough about the hi def to say for sure.

As far as DVDs becoming obsolete like VHS, yeah it is just a matter of time.

wow i should seriously look into that. I have loads of dvds i will never watch again. Is that $5 to $6 in money or in store credit?

One thing that will help is the mandatory switchover to digital broadcasting.
You already almost can't buy a non-digital (NTSC only) at Wal-Mart, they have very few left. Now granted, most people who don't care will probably buy a SDTV and be done with it but huge numbers of people who have been holding off buying will step up to an HDTV when they go to buy that replacement TV.
I saw an article on CENewsbrief that was about how Wal-Mart had planned to sell $499 42" Philips LCD HDTVs this Christmas. At that price point, the masses will be switching over to HD.
Remember, too, you don't have to get a huge TV to have HD. You can buy a 15" LCD HDTV if space is an issue. They come in just about all sizes.

For me I may look into BR/HD DVD When one side or the other is more clear as far as which format will be around longer. I wasn't old enough to have felt the VHS/Beta riff but I do like the thought of the HD or blu-ray being more durable and not so easy to scratch up.

When/if the time comes I will probably get my favorite movies on next generation discs and all the other stuff keep on dvd. Since I have a large TV DVD collection I won't be converting that over either.

Is HD and Blu-Ray on a 1080 set really that much of a step up from dvd? I haven't done a side by side comparison yet.

Can you say crack smoking is bad for your health? HD DVD's a total bust? Not sure what you mean by that statement.

And the only reason standard dvd's will dominate the market for sometime is beacuse the foramat is in its what, 11th year now? And I never really remmember a market for used DVD's anyway unless they are Criterions. Hell you couldnt sell discs 5 years ago for that much either so I dont see where that has changed any.

I can't remember where I read it but several months ago I read something about Super HD (or something like that) and that being the next step after 1080p. Sorry that I don't have more details but it was just a small article. But it shows that technology doesn't stop. There will be something after 1080p.

But if something like that comes along in several years and it is a unified format unlike BR & HDDVD, it could possibly take the place of DVD and the current HD formats would become obsolete. Like Laserdiscs.

Until there's an eventual winner of this Blu ray - HD DVD format war, I'll stick to standard DVD.

Why pay $20-30 for a HD or Blue Ray when I can wait for the dvd to drop to $3.99. Not only that but the players are pricey too. Maybe after a clear winner to the war and prices drop then I convert. Probably only favorvite movies since I have about 550 regular movies and 67 differenet tv shows ranging from 1 to 7 seasons. Am a cheap dvd slut even if it looks border line I figure only $4 watch once and sell.

I'll try to keep this on topic but have to veer off a little bit -- people argue that the BR/HDDVD war will have an eventual winner but given how good regular DVDs are, I have my doubts. Why? On-Demand content services and set-top PVR/DVR's.

Netflix offers downloadable movies and tv-series. Cable companies like comcast and RCN offer free premium movie downloads if you subscribe to the premium channels. X-Box live offers tv and movie downloads. Apple is releasing their set-top box soon. All of this is available over standard cable hookups so there aren't huge barriers to entry.

As DVR/hard disk costs drop in price and with the eventual push to FIOS (verizon is throwing everything they have at it), I seriously think BR/HDDVD won't live quite as long as dvd has and dvd is an excellent placeholder.

I know this thread has been dead for about a month but I found it interesting to read, especially since it seems all I've heard for the last two years was how reat HD was and that everyone who's anyone has it. I've found that often times I get a unrealistic view of how things are going with movies from forums like this, since people here are enthusiasts; I think I tend to think everyone is.
At any rate, I jumped in on HD-DVD when best buy had it's 360 Drive+Heroes+Matrix+Planet Earth for $180. I'd wanted HD for a while, and bought a tv a few months back (Olevia 32"). I have about 300 dvd's.
The cost wasn't so bad since I was able to sell my complete matrix I bought from CC at $20 and Planet Earth since my bro had bought that (not knowing he would need a new player). I threw a few other auctions up and the set up cost me only about $40 in the end (except I had to buy a new video card, since I have no 360 and wanted to use my computer... but I don't count that $100 since I will most likely use the vid card for a new HTPC eventually anyway).

All this to say, the cost is what kept me out, but this holiday we are seeing (as others pointed out), players and tv's in a very affordable range. And, I guess I may have been too young, but were Laserdiscs, SVHS, and other formats touted as much as HD is being? I think we can look at UMD's for a good comparison here, actually. UMD's were a crappy, more expensive, proprietary disc that nobody really bought into. But I also think marketing was terrible, and it went after a demo that knew it was a bad idea. But HD stuff, well, since we'll have a switch to hd tv in a couple years, joe blow at WM will buy an hdtv. And then, want HD media for it. And doesn't have to know anything else, just that it's what is made for what he has.

I also see HD media dropping in price in the near future. We had some recent titles at $13 at CC (I believe this week). Nothing great but for those that believe DVD's all cost $21.99 (and yes, there are plenty that still do (as was noted with people buying at Blockbuster)), this looks INCREDIBLE. HD is here to stay IMO, and will only get stronger. Once we get a unified format and one dies off, that is.

Sorry for the long post to an old topic, but I was just too interested.

That is completely untrue. What is the source for your data?