Haven't dual SACD/DVD-A players been on the market for some time now?

BTW, Come on the England!

Yes, but since Sony didn't win that war, I'm not sure how the analogy applies.

I dont know about that. Given that BD is currently 20-25gb single layered and using MPEG2 encoding, I wouldnt be surprised if WB and Universal didnt release BD until these things are resolved.

Does anyone have any news on whether Sony is allowing WB and Universal to use VC-1 encoding on their movies?

Also, whats the space issue going to cause for special features? Will WB and Universal have to release their discs with less special features than the HD-DVD versions?

Still alot of questions on my part and im not impressed so far at all with BD (high pricetag, delays and lack of special features on discs).

Personally, im now invested in HD-DVD, but if BD starts to make serious headway, ill jump on board. I just want HD content on disc (without sacrificing pq/aq and special features)!

Universal doesn't support BD. They're the only 100% HD DVD backer. As far as the VC1 question, not sure. I'd like to see a side by side of a WB HD DVD title with VC1 and the same title on BD using MPEG2.

I'm starting to think that we won't be seeing a clear winner for a long time, if ever.

It's entirely possible that both formats strike out with joe consumer. Maybe mainstream America isn't interested in Hi-Def yet.

I think it's also possible that both formats are successful enough to keep running for several years with no clear frontrunner. Consider that a lot of the initial sales are going to be to gadget-freaks with a good amount of disposable income who are going to be buying both players.

That's probably enough to keep the format war chugging along for several years at least.

Enough time for the hardware prices to drop to the point where joe six pack takes an interest. And only then will the format war be decided. This war will be fought and won in the aisles of Wal-Mart, and to a lesser extent, Target.

Also, I think that the longer this goes on and the more software that gets released, will make it harder for the average consumer to pick a format. I expect that, somewhere down the line, you're going to be looking at a lot of exclusive titles for each format... probably mostly at the hands of those who have a stake in the hardware like Sony, Warner, and Uni.

It'll probably come down to having combo players. And if Sony's going to be an asshole about BD, I expect some cagey hardware manufacturer will find a way around it by making players with two disc trays.

With the increasing number of HDtvs sold and being displayed in stores, I do think America is interested. They just need to be educated.

Yep, I think your dead on. Mainstream America loves DVDs....they arent ready for a new format. Besides, only a small percentage of people even have HDTVs (someone posted once....wasnt it 15%??)!!

AND, some that have them (like my brotherinlaw) dont even have an hd receiver on it.

This market is VERY small. I bet it will be a few years (when prices come down and more HDTVs are in homes) before a format wins.

HD is getting more mainstream. They're not in the stage where they are only available at high-end electronic stores. Walmart and Target have adopted them. SDtvs are getting phased out.

True, but only about 15-20% of homes have them. AND, I bet alot of those dont even have them set up correctly.

DVDs are king right now and I dont see that changing for a while at least.

Not from Sony.

It's an analogy, not a simile.

According to this chart from Yankee Group, about 20% of homes had an HDTV-capable display device (i.e., at least "HD-Ready") at the end of 2005, but that number is growing rapidly. By the end of this year, the number is projected to be 30%. And in 18 months, at the end of 2007, over 40%.


Falling Prices, HD Programming, HD-Grade DVDs and Cable/Satellite Carriage to Drive Rapid Growth

Which is why I called it an analogy. A comparison was made between the state of the SACD/DVD-A war (which both sides lost) and the HD DVD/Blu-ray war (which has yet to be decided). I pointed out that I fail to see any similarity between these two scenarios.

If, at some point, the war is decided in no one's favor, or if it drags on for a protracted period of time, then the demand for combo drives will force the two camps to some kind of detente. But until that happens, I don't see anything in Sony's attitude that gives any hope of seeing a combo player emerging. And if Blu-ray does win before HD DVD gains enough market share, then I don't see Sony having any desire to placate people who bought HD DVDs.

If i were sony and had crushed HD-DVD (Miss Cleo said it would happen!), i wouldnt let a combo player be released as well. 100% dominance. Sony is indeed intelligent to not allow a dual format player on the market, for the sole purpose of dismissal of HD-DVD entierly. They shouldnt even consider it competition, as 90% of the CE industry is backing BR with players comming out from all major companys. These companys are about making money, and with Toshiba possibly taking a loss per unit sold, whats the incentive to go on board with them? They can just go with Sony who promises profits per unit sold, along with 90% of the movie industry backing sony.

Now that Blu-Ray is in stores, its just a matter of time before people will be putting their HD-DVD players in the same closet as their D-VHS players. With no support from the industry its trying to work in, HD-DVD, IMHO, has no chance to thrive. PS3 is also going to come in, shoot the # of BR players sold through the roof and thats that.

Here is what I meant, but we are spending way too much on an offhand comment. (mine) You said:

A comparison was made of Sony's attitude over SACD and BD, not over the respective wars. Hence my comment was, clarification added:

Oh, and it's an analogy since the background of the two situations (the wars) don't mesh perfectly. But that isn't the main point, so they don't have to be the same situation.

I get it now (I'm kind of slow sometimes).

S'ok. Makes ignoring Blitz easier.

Sony allowed combo SACD players from other companies and I see no reason they will hold off on allowing Blu-ray combo players forever. Eventually Denon will have one and I will own it.

here we go again...

That's why DVD Talk provides that wonderful Ignore List feature.

Tis true! I've been Blitz-free for a while. The only problem is when someone bothers to "quote" him

Apparently, in your vast and infinite travels, you've never met a sports fan. Or do you waste your breathe telling them that they are stupid fucks for cheering on their favorite teams and feeling vindicated when those teams win?

I consider the desire to pick a side and root for it to be human nature.

Either way, why the fuck do you care?

Well, one would hope that if you're going to "root" for a team that the team would not claim to be the Yankees when they're the Indians...and said team would also hopefully give a shit about their fans and the other teams as well.

I think you're missing the point that, since the beginning, BD fans have been about "killing" the competition and world-domination. It IS as if they have a stake in this whole scenario. I can say this cause I used to be one of them. However, good sense and sanity set in and I stopped being so rabid about the whole thing.

This is all in good fun for me. Either way, we're going to have an HD format to watch movies with and that makes me happy. However, once the price goes up and the quality goes down, THAT is when fun turns into something other...at least for me.