Blu-ray or HD DVD?

[scrockstar]

Best thing to do right now is to invest in a decent internet connection, torrent the Bluray / HDDVD movies you want, and play them on your HDTV with a DVI to HDMI cable. If you have a laptop, a portable hard drive, and a $9 DVI to HDMI mono cable it makes it very easy to play your HD movie collection when you visit someones dorm / apartment / house.

Or if you really want, Bluray drive readers are really coming down in price (sub $300) just get one of thoes for your computer and play them on your TV. The advantage of using your computer to play HD content is that you have access you many different filters to fine tune your picture quality / color.

[Mysterio]

I don't now if it's been mentioned but Universal announced last week that it will be Blu-Ray exclusive.

Where did you hear this>?

because the internet does not know of this.

Do tell

Definitely news to me and if it's true, which I doubt, then I'm a happy camper.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/09/sour ... going-blu/

This is but a scant rumor from a well known blu-ray fanboy apparently.

Pretty rest assured they'll both be blu-ray eventually, I doubt they'll be anouncing it so soon.

[octopus]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/10/univ ... -non-rene/

Well, apparently Universal's contract expired and they didn't renew it.

[Ninjadik]

http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom ... 83,00.html
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797 ... =1237&cs=1
http://www.sonydefenseforce.com/?p=324
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/sh ... u-ray/1351
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/sh ... ivity/1357

Just some articles to look over in your spare time. Looks like Blu-ray is pulling away.

[Mysterio]

http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1700383,00.html
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797 ... =1237&cs=1
http://www.sonydefenseforce.com/?p=324
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/sh ... u-ray/1351
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/sh ... ivity/1357

Just some articles to look over in your spare time. Looks like Blu-ray is pulling away.

Really?

When did this happen?

[Kwijiboe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friS4OOcdgQ

Found this.

[Auspice]

I'm format neutral. Picked up my 360 Add on when Heroes and 2 movies came free with it so I really didn't pay anything for the player. Just got a PS3 a few weeks ago from trading in a bunch of old shit I didn't use anymore.

The feature set of HD-DVDs impressed me more than BluRay, especially since Sony STILL hasn't actually finalized the specs(and when they do a lot of people are going to have to get all new players) but the studios have made their choice by supporting BR so w/e.

I'm sure I'll keep buying for both formats since they players themselves are going to keep working for quite some time.

[Jefe]

Saturday, February 16, 2008 9:50 AM PST
Toshiba has halted production of HD DVD players and recorders and is close to making a decision on whether to throw in the towel on the high-definition movie disc format, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Saturday evening.

The decision, which NHK said will likely cost the company several tens of billions of dollars, is being made in the face of flagging support by movie studios and major U.S. retailers.

"We are making considerations following the impact on sales of Warner's announcement but we haven't made any decision," said Keisuke Ohmori, a spokesman for Toshiba, when reached on Saturday evening. He was referring to the January decision by Warner Bros to stop issuing movies on HD DVD and go solely with Blu-ray Disc.

Other local media reports on Saturday said an official announcement from Toshiba is likely in the coming week.

HD DVD has been battling Blu-ray Disc for just under two years to become the defacto replacement for DVD for high-definition video. HD DVD is backed by Toshiba and a handful of other companies including Microsoft and Intel but Blu-ray Disc counted a larger number of consumer electronics heavy hitters. The main backer of the format is Sony and other supporters include Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, LG and Philips.

Both formats delivered a similar audio and video quality and the main difference comes down to the movies available on each format. Most movie studios have taken one side or the other so consumers are left with a difficult decision. As a result many have walked away from stores with neither an HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc player and the market has performed poorly.

The Warner Bros decision in January has been seen by many as the beginning of the end for HD DVD. With Warner pulling out HD DVD only two of the major Hollywood studios, Paramount and Universal, are left backing the format.

In the weeks since the Warner announcement things have gotten worse for HD DVD. In the last week Netflix, an Internet-based movie rental company in the U.S., said it would cease supporting HD DVD and then on Friday Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the U.S., said it would stop selling HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray Disc.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,14257 ... ticle.html

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3629/lolda2.jpg

[wyrmtung]

I just heard about this. Ding dong the witch is dead.

Sony vs. Microsoft -- The choice seemed pretty mutha-fuckin clear to me who I wanted in my home theater.

Now can if we can get this satellite radio merger to go through, my entertainment options would be greatly simplified.

[Exoduso]

Good, now give me Heroes on Bluray.

[Starfire]

Good, now give me Heroes on Bluray.

Yes please!
[[=
Heroes would be awesome to have to BLU-Ray!

[Kaisha]

Now if only they'd 'finish' BluRay and quit adding on features which render most existing players obsolete.
(most features being ones the competitor had built-in from the get go)

Anyways, I'm a little disappointed considering that it was a gaming system that determined the winner. Well, that and it was Sony behind said system.

Overall, I just hope this means that HDTVs will lower in price as more people demand them to make use of their BluRay players.

[Don Katsu]

The PS3 apparently is a future proof blu ray player, inexpensive in comparison and a good one from what it sounds like. Seems rather familiar.

The PS2 played every DVD I put in it where as my friend's $300 DVD player didn't (this was in Dec 2000)

Also someone mentioned Blu-Ray burners, Pioneer's Burner is $169.99 now.

[melbufrauma]

screw heros on Blu-ray, gimme some muthafuckin Transformers!

[Keno]

The PS3 apparently is a future proof blu ray player, inexpensive in comparison and a good one from what it sounds like. Seems rather familiar.

The PS2 played every DVD I put in it where as my friend's $300 DVD player didn't (this was in Dec 2000)

Also someone mentioned Blu-Ray burners, Pioneer's Burner is $169.99 now.

Where can you get their burner for that price? The lowest I can find around is ~$450.

[Mysterio]

all the naysayers who decided to shit all over the PS3 for "force-feeding" blu-ray to customers, are finally coming around.

[Angelsin]

all the naysayers who decided to shit all over the PS3 for "force-feeding" blu-ray to customers, are finally coming around.

No, Sony just finally did the right thing this time and bribed the right distributors (i.e. Walmart) without being the cheap asses they are. They forced their way into being the HD format of choice and looking back at some of the things they've done to break into certain markets it's about time they finally got something right.

For people like me though, I honestly didn't give a shit which format won. I just wanted one format to win so I can get on with getting my HD collection and setup.

[archibaldcrane]

Also someone mentioned Blu-Ray burners, Pioneer's Burner is $169.99 now.

Where can you get their burner for that price? The lowest I can find around is ~$450.

Blank Blu-Ray discs are still $10+ each right? I suppose it'll still take a year or two for the price to be low enough (and for fiber optic internet to be more available) for massive torrenting/burning of HD movies.

I'm broke, so I can wait.

[Lordwafik]

For people like me though, I honestly didn't give a shit which format won. I just wanted one format to win so I can get on with getting my HD collection and setup.

At first I was cheering on HD, but it was getting kinda rediculous, if you wanted to watch a variety of movies you were forced into buying 2 players, and what most people did was not buy either until one settles.

It's retarded when they think of the main consumers (which are casual movie fans), think they're gonna fork out money for two systems? Or give up in confusion and stick with DVD?

[Jefe]

So today in my engineering class my instructor was mentioning that Toshiba will make an announcement to officially end it. I just read the rumor elsewhere that such announcement will be tomorrow at 12 AM PST, let's see what happens.