If You Had To Buy Only One Format, Which Would It Be?
Wish I could...
03-19-07 | 10:34 PM
#27
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From: TORONTO
Originally Posted by audiomixer
I am not buying both. I am leaning towards Blu-Ray, perhaps purchasing the new Sony stand-alone player coming out this summer.
All opinions, please!
All opinions, please!
03-19-07 | 10:55 PM
#28
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by egy971
Isn't Grindhouse an HD DVD exclusive (Weinstein Co.)?
Yep. This film and the eventual release of SIN CITY 2 and KILL BILL..THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR (both also Weinstein and assuming the latter film ever gets released at all) may force me to get a HD-DVD player if Harvey doesn't go neutral soon.
03-20-07 | 07:47 AM
#29
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Well, I was perfectly happy with just HD, but just because of all the discs out and coming, I broke down and bought a PS3. Obviously at this point I still prefer HD, just because I don't have anything on BD yet, but I think it says alot that I decided to buy even though I was pretty set not to do it for a while.
03-20-07 | 07:52 AM
#30
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I have to say, I started out with HD-DVD and it was awsome. But my first player broke and I couldn't get one for months and months. Then I saw that BD was coming up real fast so I purchased a PS3 and I have to say I'm glad I did. I haven't decided if I'm going to replace my HD-DVD player though. Ive thought about just selling off my HD-DVD collection and waiting to see if Universal will make the jump to BD. But by no means is HD-DVD a bad format, its just I don't know that I will support them anymore due to financial constraints and the fact that they aren't really releasing that many movies as of late.
03-20-07 | 08:24 AM
#31
Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom
Well, I was perfectly happy with just HD, but just because of all the discs out and coming, I broke down and bought a PS3. Obviously at this point I still prefer HD, just because I don't have anything on BD yet, but I think it says alot that I decided to buy even though I was pretty set not to do it for a while.
03-20-07 | 09:01 AM
#32
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HD DVD. Not because i had to buy only one format, but because it is the only format i choose to support.
03-20-07 | 09:04 AM
#33
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Originally Posted by Maxflier
HD DVD. Not because i had to buy only one format, but because it is the only format i choose to support.
03-20-07 | 10:00 AM
#34
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From: Durham, NC USA
actually, the one format I want to win is SD-DVD. I hate HDMI and without High def we would be back to good old analog cables.
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
03-20-07 | 10:02 AM
#35
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Steve
actually, the one format I want to win is SD-DVD. I hate HDMI and without High def we would be back to good old analog cables.
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Sales are currently less than 1% of DVD. What we need is for the HD formats to at least hit 25% of DVD sales.
03-20-07 | 10:07 AM
#37
Originally Posted by Steve
actually, the one format I want to win is SD-DVD. I hate HDMI and without High def we would be back to good old analog cables.
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Oh and I vote for Blu-Ray
03-20-07 | 03:27 PM
#40
Originally Posted by Steve
actually, the one format I want to win is SD-DVD. I hate HDMI and without High def we would be back to good old analog cables.
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
Sorry - I have seen high def and just don't think it's worth the hassle of dealing with handshaking issues, incompatibilities, new formats - let alone a format war.
Oh - I have a 106" Calibrated front projection system. Yes, I see an improvement - but not worth the pain of HDMI...
: )
03-20-07 | 03:47 PM
#41
Originally Posted by Bokasmo
I've bought into both formats, but my heart says HD DVD, head says Blu-ray.
I think that's the sentiment amongst most, but who knows...?
I think that's the sentiment amongst most, but who knows...?
03-20-07 | 04:07 PM
#42
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Originally Posted by audiomixer
I just came back from Best Buy, West Los Angeles. AND...people were all over the Blu-Ray section. HD-DVD...nada. And the stock in the Blu-Ray seems to be moving a lot quicker. Not wanting to start a fight...just an observation.
03-20-07 | 04:25 PM
#43
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Blu for the improved AQ. Universal still hasn't figured out how to do TrueHD properly, the 360-add-on won't get it for you anyways, and the Toshiba players are also lacking IMO compared to the PS3 (at least my A1 is... great PQ though)
03-20-07 | 05:40 PM
#44
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From: Durham, NC USA
Originally Posted by DthRdrX
I have a 106" as well, and dvd looks crappy on it.
1) get a new receiver (HDMI switching)
2) get a new projector (1080p)
3) New DVD player
4) new cables..
That's a lot of money.. So the question is : is what I would be getting from all of this worth it? If money was no object, then I still think HDMI adds a level of complexity to this whole affair (I wonder how the HDMI 1.2 receivers will work with HDMI 1.3 TVs? or vice a versa?)... but that is a lot of money for me to spend to get a - what - 20% increase PQ?
I have seen jaw dropping SD, and 'eh' HD. It's all on how they author the discs. I have also see 'ugh' SD and jaw dropping HD. My point is that I don't think most SD DVDs use all the bits as it is.....
Perhaps my opinion would change if Sony never entered the ring. Then I might have perceived it to be a cheaper investment and probably have lived with my 720p system. So maybe the war has just soured my taste on the whole thing..
But I have read numerous reviews by videophiles that also share my opinion that it's just not worth the upgrade. but obviously the people posting here are not from that group!!!
BTW - I got this in the mail yesterday from Toshiba. have NO idea of why- but I thought I would share it with you...
If you look at some of the press releases flying around lately, you'd think that HD DVD is ready to pack up our tent and go home. Suffice to say, we're not goin' anywhere.
But what about the Nielsen numbers you might ask? What about the "independent" research reports, the subjective customer surveys and the fact that it's the Chinese Year of Pig? What does it all mean?
It's all in how you look at the data. And while you might not believe our marketing spin over someone else's, here's our take on the numbers:
Right now, overall movie sales to date for each format are roughly equal. Some see that as Blu-ray catching up and "winning." But look a bit farther and you will see that Blu-ray has a 5:1 hardware ratio over HD DVD right now due to sales of the PlayStation 3. That means five times as many players on the market. But if that's the case, why aren't their movie sales outpacing HD DVD by a similar ratio?
We'll let you speculate on that one. In fact, it's the opposite - every HD DVD owner out there is buying five times as many movies per player. That's huge! We'll take that kind of devoted consumer any day.
Yes, we know - our anecdotes versus theirs. But the real message here is don't believe everything you read – try it out on your own. Kick the tires. Check the prices. See if we're offering what we say we are. And as always, you can go to www.TheLookAndSoundOfPerfect.com for the latest news and updates.
But what about the Nielsen numbers you might ask? What about the "independent" research reports, the subjective customer surveys and the fact that it's the Chinese Year of Pig? What does it all mean?
It's all in how you look at the data. And while you might not believe our marketing spin over someone else's, here's our take on the numbers:
Right now, overall movie sales to date for each format are roughly equal. Some see that as Blu-ray catching up and "winning." But look a bit farther and you will see that Blu-ray has a 5:1 hardware ratio over HD DVD right now due to sales of the PlayStation 3. That means five times as many players on the market. But if that's the case, why aren't their movie sales outpacing HD DVD by a similar ratio?
We'll let you speculate on that one. In fact, it's the opposite - every HD DVD owner out there is buying five times as many movies per player. That's huge! We'll take that kind of devoted consumer any day.
Yes, we know - our anecdotes versus theirs. But the real message here is don't believe everything you read – try it out on your own. Kick the tires. Check the prices. See if we're offering what we say we are. And as always, you can go to www.TheLookAndSoundOfPerfect.com for the latest news and updates.
03-20-07 | 05:51 PM
#45
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by audiomixer
I just came back from Best Buy, West Los Angeles. AND...people were all over the Blu-Ray section. HD-DVD...nada. And the stock in the Blu-Ray seems to be moving a lot quicker. Not wanting to start a fight...just an observation.
At my local Best Buy, I always seem to be the only person even looking in the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD section. Except for the occasional confused person who doesn't know what they are.
Anyway, I have to vote Blu-ray. Gotta go where the majority of the studio support is.
03-20-07 | 06:01 PM
#46
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We made the decision about a week ago and went Blu-Ray with a PS3. Casino Royale was a factor as well as Disney being in the BD camp. The PS3 made sense for us since it gives a high definition movie player, a game system backwards compatible with the PS2, and a machine for browsing the internet in our family room. HD-DVD player prices are certainly cheaper, but the upcoming content I've read about just doesn't compare to what will be coming out on Blu-Ray (for our tastes).
If we had already had an XBox 360 or PS2, we may not have made the same decision. Maybe we wouldn't have even got an HD player at this time. With the format war still going on it was a risk, but mitigated by the fact we'll still have a game system if Blu-Ray fails.
If we had already had an XBox 360 or PS2, we may not have made the same decision. Maybe we wouldn't have even got an HD player at this time. With the format war still going on it was a risk, but mitigated by the fact we'll still have a game system if Blu-Ray fails.
03-20-07 | 06:34 PM
#47
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by cultshock
At my local Best Buy, I always seem to be the only person even looking in the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD section. Except for the occasional confused person who doesn't know what they are.
03-20-07 | 06:37 PM
#48
Originally Posted by cultshock
At my local Best Buy, I always seem to be the only person even looking in the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD section. Except for the occasional confused person who doesn't know what they are.
03-20-07 | 06:42 PM
#49
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
a year ago I would have pushed HD-DVD 'til the cows came home. now in current times I think I'd just recommend Blu-Ray.
at this point I'm just really glad my XA1 is a great upconverting player as I still don't see that many upcoming releases that are must buy for me.
at this point I'm just really glad my XA1 is a great upconverting player as I still don't see that many upcoming releases that are must buy for me.
03-20-07 | 07:08 PM
#50
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by cultshock
At my local Best Buy, I always seem to be the only person even looking in the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD section. Except for the occasional confused person who doesn't know what they are.