This is a question for HD DVD owners who are currently thinking of buying into BD. Why are you interested in buying a BD machine as well?

I'm just genuinely curious why you'd want to have another player added to your shelves. Please only people who currently own an HD DVD machine.

I can only come up with 2 options:

1) you were buying a PS3 anyway

2) you don't have the patience to wait to see which manufacturers/studios switch to HD DVD

Personally, I won't be buying into it until HD DVD is dead. I don't have any interest in buying a BD disc that may be available on HD DVD someday. For instance, we're now hearing that Lion's Gate will be joining HD DVD next year and the already released titles will be re-done in VC1 for HD DVD.

Your thoughts?

I may get a PS3, but only when I walk into a store and see them setting on shelves. I searched for the 360, but I won't for this system. The other reason is Fox. I personally don't think they would switch to HD DVD until at least 2008, if ever, given their stance on the importance of security. They just have way too many titles I want in high-definition. I can live without Sony's library and Disney's, although I think they could have HD DVD releases next year. IF.....IF......BD ever lives up to the hype..consistently that is, it would make my choice easier. I won't buy a BD player that costs over....$700. So the earliest I would buy into the format would be next Spring. But they need to show consistency, not only in software, but hardware.

Content is king. If/when Blu-ray starts amassing titles I can't live without -- and Fox, Disney, and Sony have plenty of 'em -- then I'll buy in.

I guess this is what I'm trying to get at...

Is it really all about impatience?
Or is it just that I'm looking at it from the perspective of someone who completely believes one of them will eventually die?
I guess I just think that if you buy both, you're guaranteed to have a turkey eventually and are only helping to prolong the format war, not end it.

I'd buy BD if they can prove that they're really on par with HD DVD in every way.

I'd need a player with analog outs, onboard decoding of all advanced audio, BD-J Profiles 1 and 2, BD-Live, a majority of movies either on 50GB or using VC-1, all DVD extras ported, and new HD extras available. If they can do all that, and the majority of movies look good, I'd buy in. Even if only Fox and Sony were the last remaining exclusive studios, I'd do it, because the Fox catalogue and some select Sony catalogue titles (I'm looking at you Lawrence and River Kwai) would be must haves for me in HD.

Is it impatience? Yes and no. I'm impatient enough that I'd buy on BD if the HD DVD version wasn't forthcoming. But I'm patient enough for them to do it right on the hardware AND software.

Impatience isn't the word I'd use.

I do believe there will only be one format standing, but I don't want to limit what I'm able to watch if the format war drags out for a year or two (if not longer). Sure, that means one of my players will no longer have titles added to its collection, but I'll still be able to watch everything I've bought up to that point.

If I buy both, I can watch whatever I want. If I just stay with HD DVD, it could be years -- if ever! -- before I have a chance to see movies like Alien, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Léon, Lawrence of Arabia, or classic Disney animation in high-definition on that format.

What if I wind up 'siding' with HD DVD and it's the one that keels over? I'll wind up buying a Blu-ray player anyway, only I've deprived myself of months/years/whatever of enjoying a bunch of great movies in the meantime.

For home theater nuts who can afford to buy both, why not dive headfirst into both formats? I won't get a Blu-ray player until there's a full-featured deck (preferably $700 or under) and a selection of really compelling exclusive software.

Hey, if you've got money to burn...be my guest. I guess that's another option.

I'm buying a PS3 first chance I get. if a movie hits BD with no HD-DVD release in sight I'll pick it up. then, if BD survives for another 6 months or so after I get the PS3 I'll pick up a then hopefully cheaper standalone player.

While it's nice to see the cheap PS3 getting HDMI 1.3, and even if the PQ on the PS3 matched the top tier players, I still wouldn't use it for movies, because my receiver had no HDMI in, so I can't get advanced audio from the PS3.

The only way that I'll be picking up a BD player is if HD DVD loses the war. Until then I have no interest. As for wanting titles from a BD exclusive studio, the only ones that I really want are Alien, Aliens and Die Hard from Fox. But I see no point in investing all that money in a player for just three films. I'll just have to suck it up and enjoy the SD versions until Fox comes to HD DVD, or BD wins. So is there a BD player in my future...maybe. But that's only if HD DVD is defeated. I also have no intent on geting a PS3, I'm more of a Xbox/Nintendo guy.

Freak, methinks this thread is related to this post you made on AVS:

As I mentioned on AVS, we should continue to support quality Sony products to send them the message that we will support quality. We won't support stuff just because it has the Sony name on it. I think both Adam and I both stipulated that BD would actually have to deliver before we went with them.

Honestly, every big company out there is responsible for awful stuff that hurts consumers. You think I like supporting a format that's being made possible by Microsoft?? There's a reason I don't use Windows. But in this particular case, Microsoft is "the good guy." In the end, it's not about good vs. evil, nice vs. not nice, it's about quality. If the quality is there, I will support it.

Content, though I plan to be patient. I was originally before all the delays and BS going to buy the Pioneer player. It kept getting delayed, BD reviews were horrible, HD-DVD were great, Continetal deal came along and I jumped ship. I am so happy with HD-DVD at this point I really hope Disney and LG jump and put pressure on FOX to jump ship as well. I can live without Sony, but maybe not FOX, Disney and LG. I am in general not a Sony fan, but early on they had me sold on BD even though I am a Toshiba guy (57" HDTV, 32" CRT, DVD & 6-head VCR). The content and hardware just is not there currently for me to add to the home theater. The right amount of studio support and my plan to have both may disappear.

I am open to the idea of getting into BD, but only if they get their act together. I was blown away by the review here of Dinosaur. That was suppose to be the pinnacle of BD thus far, and it sounds like it sucks.

But the reasons I would get in are the same reasons I got into HD-DVD

1) Content - though honestly there isn't much on BD that I want currently, other than those that are done so poorly that I wouldn't bother.

2) Price - obviously this will be awhile before the price gets close to where I got the HD-DVD, but if it hits sub $400 and has good content, I can't think of a reason not to.

3) It does have potential. None of it seems realized, so this is another thing keeping me out.

So basically, if BD were to get equal to HD-DVD (which doesn't seem like a lot to ask, but seems to be something they show no ability to obtain), I don't see a reason not to get in. If it is sub $400, I don't consider it a huge purchase. I would prefer to get the PS3 because I think it will be the first BD player to be below that price, but it still needs to be a quality player, which I tend to doubt it will. I like the idea of playing games, but I don't have time to, so I am realistic that it would just be a player.

So it is still a definate MAY buy BD for me. So far we have an expensive player with content that is subpar, and a medium that can't even approach its potential. Add to that the fact that I think Sony will stick with MPEG2 just because they can't admit they are wrong, and it is probably a very long wait. But basically, I will support the superior format, and right now that is what I am doing with HD-DVD.

I'll wait probably two years to get a BD player. I don't mind focusing on the HD-DVD studios' catalogs and waiting to get the others' catalogs. However, in two years, I will probably have purchased much of what I want (and what will be released) from Warner, Universal, and Paramount's catalogs, and new (recently in theaters) releases from those studios just aren't going to be enough. I buy about one title per week, and if there are enough HD-DVD titles to keep that rate going, I'll wait on BD.

why would I buy? One word . . . BOND !

and well a loyalty factor for Pioneer from LD days.

Pioneer is a great CE company, but I'm still stunned that their G1 player will not play standard CDs when their top of the line DVD player can upconvert DVDs, play CDs, HDCDs (I think that's what they're called), DVD-A and SACD.

I might eventually buy a combo player to replace the HD-A1 but probably wouldn't otherwise have both. There are plenty of Fox titles I want.

I would one day buy into BD if it seems the "war" will continue for a while (which I think it will), if the price is right, and the movies coming out are just ones I cant seem to pass on. But we are talking quite a while here, but I will never say never.

I may or may not get a PS3. It depends on availability. At that point, I will buy any BD movies I am absolutely interested in.

I may get a BD standalone player once prices are

Well, I'm probably not buying a PS3 anytime soon. I may not buy a 360 or Wii either.

I'm not completely opposed to buying a BD player, however, HD DVD has done a lot to earn my loyalty. First of all with a very high quality player worth much more than its price tag and second with discs that in most cases surpassed the expectation of the format. Instead of being below Blu-ray in quality they have so far surpassed it.

Basically, the underdog format has gone all out to make me a happy consumer and the format that is supposedly superior has had the worst launch in recent CE history.

2006-2007 belongs to HD DVD. I'm going to continue to build a library regardless of what happens next year. If Blu-ray finally gets it together and starts to dominate I will consider coming aboard. My hope is HD DVD survives because I think it really deserves to. It will definitely be my first choice for HD movies whenever possible.

Exactly my thoughts. Right now I own a XBOX 360, HD-A1 and am not considering the 360 add-on or a BR player. So far, there aren't any titles exclusively on BR that I want, so there is no reason for me to run out and purchase a BR player. If that changes in the future (and also for me, FOX is a biggie) and BR players are more affordable and better quality, I will buy a BR player. And it will most likely be a Pioneer (count me also in as a LD-Pioneer-fanatic )

Playstation 3 and Devil May Cry 4.

I could care less about BD films..... especially when I can import them on HD-DVD.

Dante is not the lead in Devil May Cry 4. Just found this out on Friday.

If, and only if, the Sony Blu Ray Player drops in price to a comparable price point (i.e. sub $500) will I consider Blu Ray titles at all. While not a J6P, I consider my sentiments to be what many others may think. I'm very happy with my HD-A1, and with component video as well. I'm not going to buy a PS3 just to have BD (I'm 41) and don't consider this game system to be tailored to my demographic. After all, I have a challenge just trying to watch a couple of movies on hd-dvd each week, let alone sd-dvd. Just my 2 cents...

Link?