TheMovieman

I hope that digital downloads doesn't work. I want to be able to go into a BB or CC... well, maybe just BB, and purchase an HD-DVD... er, BR and have it sit on my shelf, not in my computer that at any moment could get infected with a virus and then poof, there goes my collection.

I may not be completely comfortable with BR, but since it looks like the next level after DVD, I hope it suceeds, but I have my doubts. Isn't it possible that it will remain a niche product and J6P will continue to buy SD-DVDs at far cheaper prices for the considerable future?

BTW, another question: Why are studios releasing seemingly every day and date titles? Why does a movie like The Heartbreak Kid need an HD release in the first place? I'd think they could save some money and just skip some of these comedies and stick with the movies that actually benefit from HD video and sound. Or doesn't it cost them that much to release it in the HD format?

TheMovieman

Well, WB has some web-enabled features (like the HP5 community viewing feature) so we'll see what they do and assume Paramount and/or Universal would do the same.

Personally, while those features are cool, I won't miss them too badly.

bunkaroo

I think since studios do make the most off of day-and-date, they're going to try and recoup whatever they can on stinkers like THK.

Still, I'd be surprised if THK moved more than 1,000 copies on HD DVD at regular price. It may have been snapped up as a freebie during Best Buy's sales, but I sincerely hope no one paid $30 for it unless they really liked the film before purchasing.

bunkaroo

I won't miss them at all.

My players are in the basement, and my router is on the second floor, so I never take the Toshibas online. I'm not spending more money on the various things I could do to get them on wirelessly just for online features. The only time I may ever look at online features is through my PS3, which is wireless already.

It's too bad some of the higher-end Toshiba decks didn't have a WiFI adapter built-in - that's a nice convenience to have.

darkside

VOD has been the next big thing for at least a decade and it still hasn't caught on in a big way. It works okay for rentals. I think cable companies do pretty well with their VOD services, but it is not going to be a big deal over the internet because the bandwith in the US is complete shit.

It is just too much of a hassle to download a 10GB (some compressed to hell 720p download) movie to watch something in HD. Even the HD channels are heavily compressed on satellite and cable making compression artifacts the new thing to get used to. We had snow back in the analog rabbit ear days before everyone switched to cable.

There is going to be a market for an HD disc format and even if it can't beat DVD it should at least take a huge chunk out of it if it. Sony and the studios sure think so or they wouldn't be spending all this money to get Blu-ray at the top. Granted they have to get it mainstream and that means getting disc prices and player prices to DVD levels which is definitely not something they originally wanted to do. Thanks to Toshiba for getting that Genie out of the bottle.

bunkaroo

Boy you said it.

I was watching my saved copy of Revenge Of The Sith from HBO-HD, and in the beginning when there's a big explosion that covers the screen in flame for a few seconds, it was block city. Ugly ugly ugly.

Drexl

It's yet another reason why online content for these discs probably isn't a good idea. If they would have put the content on the disc in the first place, you wouldn't be wondering about it.

And can we please stop with the "comedies don't benefit from HD" nonsense? What, do they use SD video cameras to shoot them instead of film? If you want to buy only action, sci-fi, and comic-book movies in HD, that's fine, but that doesn't mean some of us don't want a variety of genres, including comedies. Granted, I wouldn't buy The Heartbreak Kid either, but that's beside the point.

It's an awfully slippery slope when we start deciding certain movies don't "belong" in HD.

Supermallet

Please don't discuss banned members in this forum. Thank you.

ryuryu2949

Amen.

darkside

Agree. This idea that only certain films need to be in HD is really hurting the format. Classics aren't selling and I bet this attitude is part of it even though the classics released like Casablanca look amazing in HD. If HD becomes the format only for blockbuster action films it is doomed to failure.

BTW, I also hate the idea of web enabled features. The HP thing where you can watch the movie with other people on line is one thing, but if they start putting the documentaries and other extras online only that is basically just screwing the consumer. You have to have your player online to watch them and of course they can pull those features whenever they feel like it.

Supermallet

I think posts about the behind the scenes stuff is okay. It's when fights break out that it's not.

Scaryguy

I am an avid gamer, and also movie buff, so the fact the PS3 did both games and BR was a major selling point for me. I chose BR about 6 months ago knowing full well that this 'war' could have gone either way. Had it gone the other way, I would have been disappointed, but hope that I would have accepted the decision gracefully and moved on to HD-Dvd without much hesitation.

The Thing that concerns me now, is that if the BDA really wants this thing to swing into full motion and get your J6P involved and away from Dvd, they need to continue to be aggressive on pricing for both hardware and software. Hopefully this is a fact that they realise and will do all they can about it, otherwise we will be stuck in a niche market and thats how it will stay.

darkside

I'm hoping this is the case. A Sony exec had said the original plan was to roll out BD slowly and keep prices high as long as possible. That is over now due to the HD DVD competition. I don't think they can just stop the B1G1 sales and lowering of hardware prices. They have to continue it or they will never compete with DVD.

I'm completely ruined by the B1G1 sales. I see a price of $19.99 now and think pass. Very different from the early days of the HD formats.

Pizza

Totally agree with you on this. I bought a disc not a download. After paying my money, I want easy access to all the content and not have to worry if it's still online or not. Besides, my players are in other rooms and are not wired up for the internet.

abintra

I wish WB/Fox's decision was truly the end of all this but for me, it isn't. In terms that nearly two years after HDM was launched, with one format remaining, being desperate to get into HDM.. I still seemingly appear to be a year away from doing so solely due to there not being a finalized BD player available to purchase and/or the best option to do so being a PS3 in which I'm paying extra for something I have no interest in using (the game aspect). Which means perhaps by the holidays, or soon after, I hope there is an affordable quality stand alone BD available so that I can give them my money (man, do I hope it is sooner though).

I actually was a lot closer to jumping in before the end of the war than I likely am at this point (though I did buy some BD movies anyway). At least currently, there was no quality difference between the two HD media releases so that I didn't care which one I purchased. The only short term differences, for me, were the higher BD player prices and lack of finalized options outside of the PS3.

Long term, it didn't much matter to me as long as the 51GB HD DVD discs came into being and would play in existing machines, or a second disc would be used much like they are for DVDs, as studio/manufacture support will always follow whatever will make the money aspect worth it to them.

If the war had continued, I would have purchased an HD DVD player, as it was closer to the price range that personally interests me, and just enjoy that until the market eventually settled on one or the other.

Now, I'll just sit and wait until they make a finalized stand alone BD player within those price ranges so I can give them my money. If there was one available currently, I already would have. Guess I will just look into the HDTV purchase for baseball season and enjoy that in the interim.

Like has been mentioned by many others, I'm personally not at all concerned about non-disc based media. That will take quite sometime before that comes to be, though it will, as it will be via some type of set-top box or built in with another product and require massive improvements in bandwidth (outside any niche format for portable movies but that isn't something that appeals to me). Remember the AT&T commercials from a decade or so ago with the person askin if a certain in the middle of nowhere motel had a certain movie.. soon every movie available at the touch of a button via fiber optics? Long time away now with the lack of attention telecom companies have given it since laws have changed and competition/progress has remained stagnant.

Not having a disc and case to touch won't personally bother me even when it does as everything will be stored remotely so that there shouldn't be much of a concern for corruption if handled properly. The lack of cover art and such will be addressed by virtual collection shelves with access to all of that via ones TV and computer if desired anyway. All cast/crew info, tech specs available on that much like one uses on IMDb or the various collection based sites.

My only concern with that, long term as it is a decade away at least, is them making sure quality and price issues are handled properly. Any HD disc based format is likely the last of its kind before that anyway. As long as that offers the same HD quality in the distant future, could potentially save tons of time and physical storage space. A ways of in the future though so a lot will change.

Peep

Huh?

Uh, I was answering your question about Microsoft. Why are we suddenly talking about Sony?

Microsoft would have had to spend money to woo Warner. Sony would have to, if my theory was right, give up profits - profits possibly spread over many years. The two are very different things. And if Warner had gone red-exclusive, Sony would have lost all of their Warner-related profits along with possibly losing the entire format war. Now does it start to make more sense?

Scaryguy

Well, you must know how I feel walking into local retailers and seeing RRP (MSRP) on titles ranging in price from $35 - $50, where the best we get is a B2G1 sale maybe every 3 - 6 months (with the cheapest players on either format being minumum $750 - $800). Thats makes region coding the most sad part about all this for me, maybe I will buy another PS3 the next time I'm in the states, which will likely be '09.

Peep

Well, the bolded portion of his his statement shows just how far Mr. Vaughn's head is up his arse. Losing the format war and discontinuing the PS3 would hardly sink Sony. The PS3 is currently a big money-loser there. They are banking on turning it around in the very long run. Losing it now would actually stem a very large flood of red ink. I wouldn't be surprised if some knowledgeable industry analysts think that the discontinuation of the PS3 would be the healthiest thing that could happen to Sony right now.

MetalGator311

The "sky is falling" crowd should realize if Toshiba concedes, their first Blu Ray players will be combo players. Look at the PS3 you can still listen to SACDs, and ATRAC is an option for encoding CDs to the hard drive. A year from now we'll see Toshiba BR players with "HD-DVD compatible" simply listed as a spec.

cmvolt

I took a risk when I chose the PS3 as the format of choice as my entry into the world of HD, and luckily it paid off. In the past, I also took a risk on competing formats in the world of gaming. 3DO, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, etc...these systems were considered the "losing format". I spent thousands of dollars supporting these formats to the end. Am I bitter in my choices? A little bit...but I chose to move on to the "winning format". So far I am content in my decisions. MOVE ON...you'll sleep better.

analogue

whats with everyone hating the heartbreak kid?
i actually thought it was funny, and i don't regret the HD purchase.

Qui Gon Jim

I agree. It is understandable that some don't want to talk about financial considerations becasue they were so vocal and agry when Paramount flipped, and they cited financial considerations as the only reason.

I would be shocked beyond shocked if there were not some type of financial arrangement involved in both deals.

Furthermore, if reports are true, and I am Disney, I am pissed. THAT is HD DVD's last chance. Pay through the moon to get Disney and they things are back to 50-50% again.

Qui Gon Jim

I think he was probably right. If BD was dealt a deathblow, then it would be less of a loss. If Sony had to continue a war of attrition with BD, it may well have bankrupted the company. Sony conceeded the lead in marketshare in the VG market to get the lead in the next-gen formats. To lose both would have been devastating.

A-aron

why even consider that, though? Having things at 50/50 only put the public back on a "wait and see" mindset. If they were hesitant to invest in one format or the other before, returning to where there is no leader will only cause sales to slow again. By having a clear winner, the public should feel a little more at ease, and willing to purchase the hardware and media.

TGM

The problem with BOTH Blu-ray and HD DVD is that for Joe 6 Pack it just isn't a big enough leap forward from DVD to warrant investing in *either* side. It's the same old argument... DVD was a quantum leap forward from VHS, in both ease of use, features, and PQ/SQ. Sure, us wingnuts at websites like this drool over this HD DVD/Blu-ray stuff, but you tell me... some regular dude who sees, oh, I don't know, some shitty Blu-ray release like "Total Recall", sees how grainy and awful it is, is he going to be onboard the HD disc revolution? It doesn't even have to be a lousy release, even the best PQ and sound quality from a release, is still, in the eyes of Joe Consumer, just a modest upgrade at best (assuming they even have their high def setups setup correctly!!). When a good % of the random population who even own a HDTV and/or an HD or Blu player have it setup via component cables, and not an HDMI, you are fighting a losing battle from jump street.

Even if Blu-ray wins, and is the *only* HD disc option, they are still going to have an uphill battle on their hands... standard DVD is just too good to warrant upgrading your hardware, let alone double dipping and upgrading your old DVD collection.