BluRay - 25gb wasn't big enough for ya?

[Skotty]

You sure about that? It may be "here to stay", but the adoption rate and demand for it are horrible from what I understand. I'll speculate that BluRay will never catch on, and that the next form of storage will be the one consumers latch onto. Blame HD-DVD and BluRay for being pig-headed and putting consumers in the middle of their stupid format war. People seem perfectly content with DVD for now.

Like how VHS never caught on after the Betamax war?

[Isiolia]

HVD? Lol...

How long has the DVD been around, what 20 years or so? It is obvious that the Blu Ray will replace it. Right now there's no room for another format for the masses. Hell, they have been a little resistant to switch. Many are jumping the Blu bandwagon thanks to HD tv's dropping in price and most tv content out there is HD. If anything, the HVD may turn out to be like the Beta; mostly used by people in the industry not the common folk.

According to wikipedia, DVD was invented in '95, but was standardized/introduced to the U.S. market in '97 (for video). If memory serves it took a couple years to really get a foothold, probably fair to point at '99/'00 as a real turning point. The PS2 was released in 2000, which was around when the player costs started to drop as well, so perhaps fair to say that's when it became more mainstream.

So definitely not 20 years. I'd say roughly ten years as the dominant format. VHS had over a 30 year run, winning the format war around '76, with the last commercial release in the U.S. in 2006.

Arguably, DVD may not be replaced by a physical format. Blu-Ray is certainly going to be there for enthusiasts, and better stuff past that.
Taking into account the growth of streaming media in the past few years though...how long before broadband and content availability allows for DVD or better streaming video? You can already get set top boxes to stream Netflix and the like for $99 or so, the service can be as low as $9/month (single disc unlimited plan, minimum to allow streaming).

Setting aside enthusiasts in the pursuit of master quality recordings and/or collectors who like having the physical media (meaning I'm stuck actually buying movies for all time, crap), plenty of consumers would jump at the chance to have the whole video store in their living room like that.

[zoobernut]

I would argue at this point that DVD is like VHS and BluRay is like Laserdisc. One format is infinitely more popular and for the "average" consumer, the other is popular enough to survive but will stay for the most part with enthusiasts until both are replaced by something else.

[SephYuyX]

Before streaming becomes mainstream, we have to first fix the world's network infranstructure, namely the USA's. We are lagging behind a lot in terms of speed, stability and pricing, and not only that, our ISPs are assholes. You know the second we switch to streaming media, theyre going to actually move forward with that bandwidth cap crap, and tiered limits theyve been spouting for a couple years.

I for one do like my hardcopies, but I know one day in the future things will be mainly digital, and I dont have a problem with that as long as the shit is worked out beforehand.

[Isiolia]

I would argue at this point that DVD is like VHS and BluRay is like Laserdisc. One format is infinitely more popular and for the "average" consumer, the other is popular enough to survive but will stay for the most part with enthusiasts until both are replaced by something else.

As expensive as Blu-Ray is, Laserdisc never really got to the price/availability that we're seeing from Blu-Ray now. I mean, you can go buy a player for $120, and find movies for $10-20, sometimes less. Not everything, usually bargain titles or ones on sale...but DVD was like that for a while too.
Laserdiscs also had a real lack of convenience, with some movies practically having a side of a disc per reel of the actual film. They also didn't come included as part of a popular video game system, and you didn't have anything like the HDTV shift to complement 'em.

While I don't disagree with the notion of an "average" and "enthusiast" format, I'd say the barrier of entry to Blu-Ray is far lower than Laserdisc's was back in the day. So while the gap exists, it's a much narrower one.

Before streaming becomes mainstream, we have to first fix the world's network infranstructure, namely the USA's. We are lagging behind a lot in terms of speed, stability and pricing

Oh, definitely.

[zoobernut]

I guess it depends on your area. Where I lived Laserdisc was just as popular when I was in highschool as BluRay is now. With similar prices and such. All the movie stores in my area also rented Laserdiscs. Then when DVD showed up the LD's went away.

[SephYuyX]

Only one good thing came from Laserdisc.

Dragon's Lair.

[Isiolia]

I guess it depends on your area. Where I lived Laserdisc was just as popular when I was in highschool as BluRay is now. With similar prices and such. All the movie stores in my area also rented Laserdiscs. Then when DVD showed up the LD's went away.

Could be. I worked retail as a teen in an electronics store, and while we stocked 'em, Laserdiscs weren't popular, and were expensive. None of the rental places I went to carried 'em either. But I can't exactly say I lived in highly populated areas when I was in the U.S.

[Senoska]

Laserdiscs were the size of small apartments and didn't exist during the time of HDTV's and ps3s. Bad argument.

[zoobernut]

What? That didn't make any sense. Make sense or I de-friend you!

But seriously the discussion had nothing to do with connecting laserdiscs to HDTV's or ps3's.

[Colenzo]

Laserdiscs were the size of small apartments and didn't exist during the time of HDTV's and ps3s. Bad argument.

wrong

[Senoska]

I would argue at this point that DVD is like VHS and BluRay is like Laserdisc.

It's a terrible comparison because besides being data-storage devices they have almost nothing in common in their use and application.

[Colenzo]

man, you dont even know

[zoobernut]

It's a terrible comparison because besides being data-storage devices they have almost nothing in common in their use and application.

Sigh* you just don't get it.


First off how do they have "Almost nothing in common"? Their primary use is as a playback device for movies. (In the main market excluding education and research.)
That is the same purpose for all 4 of those formats so I would say they have a lot of common with regards to their use and application. It is a medium that a movie is put onto so people can watch said movie at home on their TV.

The analogy was not to say that they are similar styles of technology. If you think that is what I was trying to do then pick apart the comparison between VHS and DVD because those are even more far apart than BluRay and Laserdisc.


The point was that in their respective time periods they had similar places in the market with respect to the technology and the people using them. The only advantage BluRay has right now is that it also can be used for games for the ps3. Other than that during the time of Laserdiscs and VHS their place in the market of movies is similar in situation to DVD and BluRay now.

[antihero]

if you can't tell the difference between HD and SD you need to get a better TV >B|

[kuronosan]

Yea, I'm sorry... being somebody who has watched high definition video at 1080p versus upconverted 1080i video, I can safely say that you are either blind (as I am without glasses) or absolutely retarded.

There is a gigantic difference in video and sound quality between DVD and BR and if you don't know the difference (Here's a pro-tip: the average consumer doesn't care about it because of the higher price, just like when DVD overtook VHS) then heralding this HVD is like sucking Joe Lieberman's dick - pointless.

[zoobernut]

I don't know if those comments were towards me but I can definitely tell the difference. I worked in a privately owned high end home theater store doing sales and installations for three years. I was watching HD way before BluRay came out on the little known HD VHS.

[kuronosan]

My apologies, they were directed at whomever said that there is no difference in quality between DVD and Blu-Ray.

[zoobernut]

While I can see a huge difference between them I think that the average person falls into two categories, Either they can't see the difference because they are old or unobservant or they just don't care. Really don't underestimate how retarded most consumers are, you learn this when you work in a home theater store.

I actually know a lot of people like that.

I think I said in a previous post that picture quality alone isn't a reason to move to a new technology for most people it has to be more convenient too or add something else drastic.

When CD's came out they were a huge jump in convenience and quality.

[kuronosan]

Trust me, I know how retarded the average consumer is and it makes me cry on a daily basis.