HD-DVD add-on now available - General Discussion (HARDWARE only)

[PKRipp3r]

Study: Consumers Prefer HD DVD Over Blu-Ray

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19223

http://www.thedvdwars.com/index.cfm

Sales Rank at Amazon
http://www.thedvdwars.com/graphs/salesrank-1-1-.jpg

black is HD, blu is blu-ray

more graphs showing HD's dominance at thedvdwars.com

[LinkinPrime]

This site: http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

Has a pretty good list of release dates for upcoming titles as well as titles announced with release dates that are TBD.

[cjclifford]

Well, I'm seriously considering joining the HD-DVD club. I have an HDTV, and, with the Circiut City coupon and Amazon HD-DVD deals, I'm having a had time resisting the urge to get the Xbox 360 attachment. I kept telling myself I wouldn't get HD-DVD or Blu-Ray until one dominated the other because I didn't want to end up on the losing side, but I may just cave.

[guyver2077]

This site: http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

Has a pretty good list of release dates for upcoming titles as well as titles announced with release dates that are TBD.

i go to that site and dvdwars religiously...

[KaneRobot]

I put in a request for a seperate HD-DVD subforum but I wouldn't count on getting one anytime soon. But, we're already getting threads here and there and it's only going to grow over time.


This site: http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

Has a pretty good list of release dates for upcoming titles as well as titles announced with release dates that are TBD.
...you know that has been in the OP for like a month, right...?

[LinkinPrime]

I put in a request for a seperate HD-DVD subforum but I wouldn't count on getting one anytime soon. But, we're already getting threads here and there and it's only going to grow over time.



...you know that has been in the OP for like a month, right...?

No I didnt know. :-# Been following the thread but I haven't checked the Op in a long time.

[getfckedx]

getting the addon is really tempting, and i keep trying to talk myself out of it. i just got an hd-tv and i can definately tell a difference between my hd videos, and my normal dvds.

[GizmoGC]

getting the addon is really tempting, and i keep trying to talk myself out of it. i just got an hd-tv and i can definately tell a difference between my hd videos, and my normal dvds.

If you're TV has component inputs you will notice a difference...even if its NOT HD. This is a sexy little add-on. I sold my A1 unit for this. I only WISH the 360 would get HDMI support.

[flybrione]

I posted this in the deals thread but if anyone is looking for a cheap HD-DVD I picked up Cinderella Man at Target on clearance for $4.98. YMMV.

[thrustbucket]

I posted this in the deals thread but if anyone is looking for a cheap HD-DVD I picked up Cinderella Man at Target on clearance for $4.98. YMMV.

Holy shit! Why would an HD-DVD be on clearance already? That's scary.

[LinkinPrime]

More anti Blu-Ray news:

Will Blu-ray Zap PlayStation 3?
Sony may have miscalculated when it decided to include the advanced high-definition Blu-ray drive in its PlayStation 3 devices. While Sony is marketing the device as the possible center of a home theater system, the average game-device buyer is not necessarily looking to play high-definition movies with it, several analysts have concluded. Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman told Reuters, "Blu-ray is adding $150 to $200 to the product. They've created something that is not for today's market. It's not a market driver, it's only driving the price higher."


http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-12-11/film/3

[flybrione]

Holy shit! Why would an HD-DVD be on clearance already? That's scary.

Target clearances out games and DVDs all the time. They only have limited space for there DVD sections and I sure this was just pushed out to get newer releases on the self.

Target might be a good place for cheap HD-DVDs in the future.

I also watched Enter the Dragon yesterday on HD-DVD and I was very impressed with the picture quality from such an old film. Lots of special features all though none are in HD just 480P. Overall very nice and the sound was very good too especially all the classic punching and kicking sounds!

[PenguinMaster]

Does anyone know if you can use the HD-DVD drive to play 360 games (for use if the DVD Drive in the 360 broke)?

[thrustbucket]

Does anyone know if you can use the HD-DVD drive to play 360 games (for use if the DVD Drive in the 360 broke)?

No you can't.

[KaneRobot]

Target clearances out games and DVDs all the time. They only have limited space for there DVD sections and I sure this was just pushed out to get newer releases on the self.

Target might be a good place for cheap HD-DVDs in the future.

I also watched Enter the Dragon yesterday on HD-DVD and I was very impressed with the picture quality from such an old film. Lots of special features all though none are in HD just 480P. Overall very nice and the sound was very good too especially all the classic punching and kicking sounds!

Target is definitely a place to keep an eye on, they quite often have HD-DVDs for 20 bucks that are normally 30-35 bucks at your BBs and CCs. Doesn't surprise me at all that they are clearancing some, Cinderella Man has been out for quite a while now.

...just wish I had known, since I bought that one like 2 weeks ago for 19 bucks online. Oh well.



Ok, now to be the dickhead (although that's honestly not my intent) - while I'm glad to see all these positive articles about HD-DVD, keep in mind that Blu-Ray is barely out of the gate and they have a HUGE amount of (at least for now) exclusive films that HD-DVD won't be getting. There was an editorial on thedigitalbits.com (http://thedigitalbits.com) that sums how I'm feeling pretty well - that is, optimistic, but cautiously optimistic. It's certainly not "over" already.

There's apparently a report that's been issued by the marketing research firm Cymfony, in which "enthusiast sentiment" about both high-def formats has been measured... sort of. "Blu-ray drowning in negative buzz" says the headline at arstechnica. Basically, Cymfony conducted an informal survey of enthusiast websites, blogs and other places where people are talking about the new HD formats, and found 46 percent more "positive discussions" about HD-DVD than about Blu-ray. Reportedly, this is not because of any complaints about technical deficiencies of the Blu-ray format, but rather because home theater enthusiasts and gamers seem to have a more negative attitude towards Sony right now (for having launched many failed formats in the past, for delaying the PS3 and bumping up the cost, and for a general perception of corporate arrogance). I've had a few people e-mail this to me this morning, some of them claiming it as proof that HD-DVD is winning the format war (in the same way that select people regularly e-mail me the list of top selling high-def titles on Amazon as proof of one format or the other winning - I can tell you from personal experience that the Amazon numbers are almost meaningless in terms of judging actual strength of sales). Frankly, I wouldn't read too much into any of this, though I'm sure some folks will anyway.

This report is certainly interesting, but it's not really anything new or surprising. It's also not really a fair comparison. The fact is, HD-DVD beat Blu-ray to the market by several months and the HD-DVD supporting studios have released more titles on that format, so it's only naturally going to have more positive buzz. What's more, not only has the Blu-ray camp been slower with both hardware and software, the delay and higher price of the PS3 has drawn loud complaints from gamers, which has skewed the buzz negative. Frankly, I'll be more interested to see measurements of enthusiast sentiment next year, once Warner's Blu-ray slate has caught up to its HD-DVD slate, once Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony and Lionsgate have begun releasing many more exclusive Blu-ray Disc titles (major catalog releases along the lines of the Bond films, Alien, ID4 and the Disney animated films), once there are several million PS3s sold, once Sony and Pioneer's players have finally arrived in stores and once you start to see hardware prices come down a bit.

As I've said before, BOTH formats can (and usually do) deliver outstanding picture and sound quality. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The slight differences in video quality some perceive between the two have less to do with individual format specs, and more to do with quirks or deficiencies of the early players and the different video compression schemes being used to encode the films. Personally, I've discovered that I tend to have a preference for AVC and VC1, which HD-DVD uses exclusively. Most early Blu-ray Discs have been encoded in MPEG-2 which, while adequate, seems to lend a slightly softer look to the resulting image. But more and more Blu-ray titles are being encoded in AVC and VC1 these days, so that difference is starting to become irrelevant. And the more hardware that becomes available for each format, the better one is able to judge overall format quality vs. hardware issues.

Based on what I'm being told by industry sources, Blu-ray Disc should start to close the gap in early 2007, both in terms of hardware availability and the sheer number of titles released. Sales of Blu-ray software are reportedly already on the rise, likely triggered by the debut of the PS3 (although NEITHER camp is yet willing to release specific hardware or software sales figures yet, which tells you a lot about consumer interest in HD discs overall).

I'll be the first to admit that, prior to either format launching, I felt Blu-ray Disc had the clear edge in studio and hardware support. I'll also be the first to admit that I've been VERY impressed with HD-DVD so far, and in particular with the efforts of Warner and Universal to release tons of great catalog titles on the format. However, the Blu-ray studios are only now just starting to really ramp up their catalog release slates, so we haven't yet seen a level playing field between the two formats. That will change in 2007, when both camps will be finally be bringing their A-games to this competition. Only then will enthusiasts be able to make truly fair comparisons between the two formats in terms of hardware and software... and we'll see what happens. It's certainly going to be interesting.

[Psykoboy2]

I'm a gamer. And a home theater guy as well. I already bought the HD-DVD add-on for my 360 and I love it. Eventually, at some point in time, I'll have a PS3. Exclusives titles doesn't mean anything to me knowing that eventually, I'll have both. I understand some people won't have that luxury in owning both systems, but at some point in time, those prices will come down, on both players. Even if the formats die, (and even more so because of that happening) the prices of the players and the titles will drop.

[PKRipp3r]

Ok, now to be the dickhead (although that's honestly not my intent) - while I'm glad to see all these positive articles about HD-DVD, keep in mind that Blu-Ray is barely out of the gate and they have a HUGE amount of (at least for now) exclusive films that HD-DVD won't be getting. There was an editorial on thedigitalbits.com (http://thedigitalbits.com) that sums how I'm feeling pretty well - that is, optimistic, but cautiously optimistic. It's certainly not "over" already.

is there a list of the huge amount of blu-ray exclusives that you could link me to?

[KaneRobot]

is there a list of the huge amount of blu-ray exclusives that you could link me to?

Blu-Ray has stronger studio support than HD-DVD, and Sony has a direct hand in a couple of those studios - meaning it's going to take a LOT to get them to switch sides. While New Line and especially Universal supporting HD-DVD exclusively is quite a boost to HD-DVD, it's hard to not feel they are at least matched, if not surpassed by studios like the ones listed (Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony, Lionsgate) exclusively backing Blu-Ray.

And this has already been discussed, but it's obvious to anyone who walks into a Best Buy or Circuit City who has the marketing dollars at work.

So while Blu-Ray doesn't have the glut of exclusives coming out, say, RIGHT NOW, one look at the upcoming release lists:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

...shows that there are signs here and there of it already starting. A "quick and easy" (and hardly scientific or long-term) explanation, sure...but that list is looking a tad short on the HD-DVD side, no?


What I'm really hoping for right now is HD-DVD building a strong enough lead/base to at least some of those exclusive Blu-Ray studios to jump onboard the HD-DVD train...again, Sony will probably never do it unless Blu-Ray is utterly beaten into oblivion. We could be so lucky...

[RedvsBlue]

I wonder how strong Sony's exclusive studio deals are though. I mean at one point WB had an exclusive deal with HD-DVD but now they've got Blu-Ray movies coming out too.

[GizmoGC]

I wonder how strong Sony's exclusive studio deals are though. I mean at one point WB had an exclusive deal with HD-DVD but now they've got Blu-Ray movies coming out too.

WB has been supporting both HD and BR since day 1. HD just sells 5 times better, so they tend to release more movies at a faster rate for the HD. Still boggles me how some studios refuses to switch over to HD or go neutral. Thats like Square making games only for Cube and not PS3. Make movies for the format which sells, not one which continues to delay players and the PS3.

[terribledeli]

Make movies for the format which sells, not one which continues to delay players and the PS3.


I think that is going to happen down the line. I wonder how many of the exclusive deals were built on a foundation of "Look at how many PS2's we sold. We plan on selling even more PS3's that will also double as blu-ray players. So we're obviously going to be the format of choice."

I've got a feeling that a year from now, unless the PS3 sells huge numbers, that only Sony owned studios will be exclusive.

The sad part is Sony won't back off. One guy could be buying blu-ray discs and they'd still call it a success and continue to support the format.

[RedvsBlue]

WB has been supporting both HD and BR since day 1. HD just sells 5 times better, so they tend to release more movies at a faster rate for the HD. Still boggles me how some studios refuses to switch over to HD or go neutral. Thats like Square making games only for Cube and not PS3. Make movies for the format which sells, not one which continues to delay players and the PS3.
Oh, I could have sworn they were HD-DVD exclusive to begin with. So is Universal the only one that's exclusive to HD-DVD then?

[KaneRobot]

Warner WAS originally HD-DVD exclusive in the preliminary stages. In late '04 though they jumped on the fence and decided to release for both. Universal is probably the biggest name that is HD-DVD exclusive*, but there are smaller studios here and there that are as well. I believe the Weinstein Company is as well, at least for now, hence the Clerks II HD-DVD.


Shifting gears, I've seen two sites now say that the upcoming Hulk release has the best HD-DVD picture quality yet. Those looking for another "show-off" disc, this probably fits the bill. I may pick it up despite not being too thrilled with the film when I saw it in the theater. I'd pick up Fearless, which I saw in the theater and liked, but it's a combo disc and at this point I'm kind of trying to avoid those.


NIN fans - "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time" comes out on 2/27.



*I originally wrote Warner there because I had it on the brain from the previous posts. I meant to write Universal.

[LinkinPrime]

Oh, I could have sworn they were HD-DVD exclusive to begin with. So is Universal the only one that's exclusive to HD-DVD then?

I thought so too and then I saw the release list on the main page and found out that Boo-Ray is getting The Matrix and Harry Potter and most likely The Lord Of the Rings. I really hope that other exclusive to Boo-Ray studios do the same thing that Warner and New Line did and hook us up with some more HD-DVD titles.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Okay, just to clear up someting right quick, Warner Bros. and New Line are both Time Warner owned studios, so most of their titles will likely get released for both formats at some point (til the "war" is over at least).

[ryosnk]

For those who have the hd-drvie is it worth it since you got it and does it look that good?

[thrustbucket]

For those who have the hd-drvie is it worth it since you got it and does it look that good?

I love it. Everyone I know that has it loves it. The only real negative thing about it right now is the dolby digital + sound can sound a bit flat sometimes. This is really only an issue if you are severe audiophile with an above average home theater sound system.

Even then, MS is working on that issue. The picture and everything else is fantastic.

[ryosnk]

I love it. Everyone I know that has it loves it. The only real negative thing about it right now is the dolby digital + sound can sound a bit flat sometimes. This is really only an issue if you are severe audiophile with an above average home theater sound system.

Even then, MS is working on that issue. The picture and everything else is fantastic.

Thanks for the info.

Can anyone post a pic of a regular dvd compared to a hd-dvd being played on a hdtv?

[doubledown]

Thanks for the info.

Can anyone post a pic of a regular dvd compared to a hd-dvd being played on a hdtv?

Pics do not do it any justice...I know on DVDTALK.com there was some pics, but a digital camera will not do it justice. I'll try to find some comparisons.

What is your setup right now? TV, sound system?

Ok, here are some comparisons:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=483204&highlight=screenshot

and this is more debatable on how it was done:
http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html

[ryosnk]

Pics do not do it any justice...I know on DVDTALK.com there was some pics, but a digital camera will not do it justice. I'll try to find some comparisons.

What is your setup right now? TV, sound system?

Ok, here are some comparisons:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=483204&highlight=screenshot

and this is more debatable on how it was done:
http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html


I got a hitachi hdtv 50" and I dont have a surround system.

[SteveMcQ]

Pics do not do it any justice...I know on DVDTALK.com there was some pics, but a digital camera will not do it justice. I'll try to find some comparisons.

What is your setup right now? TV, sound system?

Ok, here are some comparisons:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=483204&highlight=screenshot

and this is more debatable on how it was done:
http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.htmlDamn, now everything looks blurry to me. That's pretty amazing stuff. I'm a step closer to jumping into the HD-DVD side now.

Question though: For those that have their 360s hooked up to an LCD monitor, how's it look on there? I've moved my main 360 to my room so I can still play when people are over. The display is a 24" BenQ with a native resolution of 1920x1200. Unfortunately, that resolution isn't one supported by the VGA cable so I'm running it at 720p. I've noticed DVDs are a bit splotchy and on lighter skin tones there's graininess that isn't evident on regular HDTVs.

Is the difference in HD-DVDs running at the non-native resolution of my LCD going to fix those problems?

I wish MS would release and HDMI cable soon. My monitor actually supports 1080p through its HDMI so I'm guessing those problems of resolution settings wouldn't be an issue.

[doubledown]

I got a hitachi hdtv 50" and I dont have a surround system.

I would suggest you invest in a surround system before a HD-DVD drive. Games & DVD's are MUCH better with a decent surround system

[KaneRobot]

For those who have the hd-drvie is it worth it since you got it and does it look that good?
There are opinions throughout this thread, but since you have an Savage Dragon character as an avatar I'll respond anyway.

Yeah, it's nice. Most people place it above the standalone first-gen players from months back, despite the fact that the 360 player is hundreds of dollars less. You said you have a 50" TV, you will definitely notice a difference between HD-DVD and your regular discs.

If you think you're going to get one though, I'd advise you get it soon (as in, before the coupon expires in the OP). 160 bucks for the player, a pack in movie, and a remote is an outstanding deal. Not sure how much longer the movie will be a pack-in, either.

[ryosnk]

There are opinions throughout this thread, but since you have an Savage Dragon character as an avatar I'll respond anyway.

Yeah, it's nice. Most people place it above the standalone first-gen players from months back, despite the fact that the 360 player is hundreds of dollars less. You said you have a 50" TV, you will definitely notice a difference between HD-DVD and your regular discs.

If you think you're going to get one though, I'd advise you get it soon (as in, before the coupon expires in the OP). 160 bucks for the player, a pack in movie, and a remote is an outstanding deal. Not sure how much longer the movie will be a pack-in, either.


I ask all this because my friend got it for me for the holidays but said if I dont want It I can return it back to eb and get store credit. I dont know if I will get many hd-dvd (price) and that he got it for full price and not use that coupon I emailed him and no surround sound system. But a great gift from a good friend so I might keep it for all the trouble he went to.

[doubledown]

Well, if it's a GIFT, keep it....I recommend signing up with Netflix or Blockbuster online for your HD-DVD viewing.

[LinkinPrime]

www.hdnowonline.com (http://www.hdnowonline.com) has started a petition to get other movie studios to jump on the HD-DVD bandwagon. You can sign the petition below. Close to 3000 signatures already.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/HD_DVD_Studio_Support/

I don't usually do this sort of thing but I'd figure what the hell.

Be sure to read the long article, they got some interesting stuff if true. For instace:

It is said that Disney and Lions Gate are now wavering in their support for Bluray, having been let down badly by the launch of the format and the terrible word of mouth - not to mention the poor sales.


EDIT: Found a link to some LOTR HD-DVD Pics here: http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=608&page=6

[KaneRobot]

Yeah, I remember around the time of CEDIA people kept these rumors going that Disney and probably Lionsgate were thinking of bringing stuff out on HD-DVD. CES seems like a good place for those announcements to happen if true, and it's only a month away. Wouldn't surprise me at all. Getting Disney releases would be a pretty big score for HD-DVD.

Ryosnk - if you are into DVDs, keep that drive. If you don't care about movies, get rid of it.

I will say I didn't plan on buying many HD-DVDs when I first got it, but I've already bought 6 since I got the thing about a month ago. Very pleased with it so far. Considering the TV you have I'd definitely hold onto it. Since it's a gift you can use your own money for a decent speaker setup.

[ryanbph]

I buy new dvd releases weekly, ever since I got this drive I always go for the HD DVD version

[SteveMcQ]

So has anyone tried watching DVDs on an LCD monitor when it's output is not the native resolution? Wondering if it blurs badly or the picture is still extremely sharp. MS needs to support more resolutions with their VGA cable.

[KaneRobot]

Sales update

*Edit* - I'm going to revise this since I'm not sure when the start/stop dates are for the sales tracking are.

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14737

For November, an estimated 42,000 drives sold (1.42% of 360 user base).

That doesn't sound too good, but it kind of depends. Some people claim that NPD only tracks until the 25th. If that is the case, then they actually sold quite a few as the player wasn't available until the 7th and most stores didn't have it until days after. Even if the cutoff is the 31st, it doesn't make it sound terrible.

Still, this is why I kept saying don't get too excited about the war "already being over" - the PS3/Blu-Ray base is already killing the 360's HD-DVD customer base. That said, keep this important factor in mind - every single one of those HD-DVD drives means someone wants HD-DVD movies. Just because someone buys a PS3 doesn't mean they want Blu-Ray.

[Sporadic]

Sales update

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14737

For November, an estimated 42,000 drives sold (1.42% of 360 user base).

Yeah, not too good. I'd like to see more recent numbers though since the drive wasn't out for the entire month.

This is why I kept saying don't get too excited about the war "already being over" - the PS3/Blu-Ray base is already killing the 360's HD-DVD customer base. All is not lost though; every single one of those HD-DVD drives means someone wants HD-DVD movies. Just because someone buys a PS3 doesn't mean they want Blu-Ray.

Well, you also have to think that the 360 HD-DVD has been pretty hard to find lately.

Most of the online stores are either sold out or taking backorders.

[ryanbph]

for the first week or so i saw them around regulary, the past 2 or so I have very rarely seen them in stores....best buy in my area had several in stock when I was there on tuesday.

[KaneRobot]

Well, you also have to think that the 360 HD-DVD has been pretty hard to find lately.

Most of the online stores are either sold out or taking backorders.

Indeed - see the revisions I made after seeing more info. They seem to be sold out a lot of places now, and Amazon and EB's sites are both out of stock.

[cjclifford]

That said, keep this important factor in mind - every single one of those HD-DVD drives means someone wants HD-DVD movies. Just because someone buys a PS3 doesn't mean they want Blu-Ray.
Exactly. I said the very same thing on another forum. Every HD-DVD add-on player means another person actually watching and probably buying HD-DVDs. The same cannot be said of the PS3 and Blu-Ray.

And I think the 42,000 sold in November is actually good. I don't recall seeing any kind of advertising for this and it's an add-on device. December will really say something about it though. I had a hard time find the HD-DVD add-on yesterday. Took my coupon Circuit City but was out of luck. Thankfully, another store gave me $40 off after I mentioned the coupon. They asked if I still had it, I gave it to them, and they actually honored it. Amazing!

[Duo_Maxwell]

Exactly. I said the very same thing on another forum. Every HD-DVD add-on player means another person actually watching and probably buying HD-DVDs. The same cannot be said of the PS3 and Blu-Ray.

And I think the 42,000 sold in November is actually good. I don't recall seeing any kind of advertising for this and it's an add-on device. December will really say something about it though. I had a hard time find the HD-DVD add-on yesterday. Took my coupon Circuit City but was out of luck. Thankfully, another store gave me $40 off after I mentioned the coupon. They asked if I still had it, I gave it to them, and they actually honored it. Amazing!

I agree with the first point, but I honestly think we'll see the HD-DVD add-on sales have a slight decline in December. Partially because if it is hard to find now, it'll stay that way through December most likely. Also I think alot of the people who wanted already got it too. I mean for the casual gamers add-ons have never been too succesful and this one doesn't even relatte to games. Obviously if HD-DVD continues to sell well it'll improve, but this one may take awhile before it grows into even 5% of the 360 user base I think.

And honestly, maybe it comes down to location, but at my CC these have been in stock for about 2 weeks or so straight and CC.com has them in stock as well. Plus Target had at least a half dozen on Tuesday when I was there. Again, it's probably location, but where I am they seem at least somewhat readily available (which is good thing really).

[lordopus99]

Sales update

That said, keep this important factor in mind - every single one of those HD-DVD drives means someone wants HD-DVD movies. Just because someone buys a PS3 doesn't mean they want Blu-Ray.

The majority of initial buyers were wanting the PS3 because it was a cheap Blu-Ray player. Most Blu-Ray players are $1000... where the PS3 is at $500-600. In fact, if I was to buy a PS3 it would be because of this reason alone. All the games I want to play I can play on my Xbox360. Does this mean I dont play on getting a HD-DVD add-on? No. I would like to get one. I am just playing the other side.

If HD-DVD wants to win the war, they need to grab more exclusives.

[KaneRobot]

The majority of initial buyers were wanting the PS3 because it was a cheap Blu-Ray player.

I don't disagree with your train of thought, but it seems to me like the vast majority of people actually willing to wait outside for two days to get one of the very few PS3's available would be gamers, not Blu-Ray customers.

Once the PS3 is truly "available," I think we'll see more of the people you're talking abuot.

[doubledown]

I'm curious how many 360 HD-DVD drives were released. I know they were scarce for a while. However, I've seen some at GameRush lately....which is nice.

I have both the HD-DVD and the PS3 now, so I'll have to compare a little more (although, the PS3 is on a smaller TV). We'll see, I've yet to watch a Blu-Ray movie...Talladegha Nights will be soon though (although, I heard the the transfer is not great)

[gsr]

there are at least 10 sitting on the shelf at my local worst buy here in Dallas.

[grendel19]

I don't disagree with your train of thought, but it seems to me like the vast majority of people actually willing to wait outside for two days to get one of the very few PS3's available would be gamers, not Blu-Ray customers.

Once the PS3 is truly "available," I think we'll see more of the people you're talking abuot.I agree with this. I seriously doubt any home theater enthusiast would camp out for days just for a cheap BD player. Those who camped out were either resellers or Sony brand/PS loyalist who are solely interested in the games.

People who care about PS3 as a BD player would be willing to wait until better availability. And I'm sure those people are also certainly capable of affording the new BD models coming out, despite their cost of $1000-$1200.

Just an example, looking at the home theaters of the members of avsforum (again, just an example, certainly not a representation of all the home theater enthusiast comsumers), many have high end equipment. With smart shopping, an extra few hundred dollars for a dedicated standalone BD player certainly wouldn't break their bank.

My point being that this crowd would either wait for PS3 availablility or would have already purchased a standalone player.

[D_Icon]

Whats better 1080i or 1080p. I don't get any of this HD stuff.

[anomynous]

Whats better 1080i or 1080p. I don't get any of this HD stuff.
here:

480i<480p<720p=1080i(this depends on the tv for which is better)<1080p

[thrustbucket]

here:

480i<480p<720p=1080i(this depends on the tv for which is better)<1080p

1080p is better in most cases, and more expensive.

Although most hard core reviews I've read basically say you won't notice much difference between 720p and 1080p unless your screen is very large and you are relatively close to it.

[gunm]

Whelp, my local CC finally got a new shipment of 360 HD-DVDs in yesterday evening so I popped down there today and grabbed one with the $40 off coupon from the other thread with no problems.

[anomynous]

1080p is better in most cases, and more expensive.

Although most hard core reviews I've read basically say you won't notice much difference between 720p and 1080p unless your screen is very large and you are relatively close to it.
I know, I said 720p and 1080i are basically the same

[Sarang01]

The majority of initial buyers were wanting the PS3 because it was a cheap Blu-Ray player. Most Blu-Ray players are $1000... where the PS3 is at $500-600. In fact, if I was to buy a PS3 it would be because of this reason alone. All the games I want to play I can play on my Xbox360. Does this mean I dont play on getting a HD-DVD add-on? No. I would like to get one. I am just playing the other side.

If HD-DVD wants to win the war, they need to grab more exclusives.

This is a joke right? HD-DVD seems to have "Smallville Season 1" exclusively. There's something I can give a fuck about for a series now where are the rest of the wB series and Showtime one's as well as the newer BBC stuff expecially Hex.

[KaneRobot]

there are at least 10 sitting on the shelf at my local worst buy here in Dallas.
Nice to see Best Buy finally got off their ass and started carrying them!

[guyver2077]

This is a joke right? HD-DVD seems to have "Smallville Season 1" exclusively. There's something I can give a fuck about for a series now where are the rest of the wB series and Showtime one's as well as the newer BBC stuff expecially Hex.

Its season 5.. ive been watching all the episodes... great series

[KaneRobot]

Sorry to take a dump on the mood, but Smallville isn't exactly a system seller.

[thrustbucket]

Sorry to take a dump on the mood, but Smallville isn't exactly a system seller.

We really do need to see some of the cooler series being made in HD-DVD. We need season box sets.

I have a feeling that the reason we don't see any of the popular series like Heroes, Lost, or BSG on Video Marketplace is because the studios are afraid of infringing somehow on their lucrative box set sales.

[doctorfaustus]

We really do need to see some of the cooler series being made in HD-DVD. We need season box sets.

I have a feeling that the reason we don't see any of the popular series like Heroes, Lost, or BSG on Video Marketplace is because the studios are afraid of infringing somehow on their lucrative box set sales.

Sopranos Season 6 is on HD-DVD, that's a start.
But you're right we need some tv-series to be available. I want to buy some shows now but I am hesitant because they will eventually be out in HD and I don't feel like re-buying them in the future.

[gsr]

smallville season 5 has been on HD-DVD for about a month now.

[Ruined]

CNN: XBOX 360 HD DVD a bargain at $200

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/12/13/xbox.360.hddvd/index.html

We compared the picture quality of the Xbox 360 HD DVD player to that of our reference video player, the Toshiba HD-A1, which we also connected to the component-video output at 1080i.

We then sent their respective signals to three HDTVs we had on hand: the 1,366x768 Panasonic TH-50PH9UK as well as the 1080p Sony KDS-R60XBR2 and Pioneer PRO-FHD1. In short, the Xbox 360 looked just as sharp as the Toshiba, and the picture was essentially identical in every way -- which is to say, it looked great.

We compared the incredibly sharp "Swordfish" disc, and all of the tiny details came across equally well on both players. We could see every hair on Hugh Jackman's and John Travolta's heads, for example, as they conversed in the coffee shop, and we noticed how their stubble went in and out of focus slightly as they turned their faces.

Details in the fabric of the cop's suit as he surveys the villains looked equally crisp on both players, and we could read the fine writing on the computer screens as well as pick out the weave of the chair in which Halle Berry was sitting.

[doubledown]

Yes, I enjoy this HD-DVD more and more. At first I wasn't impressed, but after watching a few DVD's, then some HD-DVD's, it's much better.

Watching Superman REturns now....the sound is great, although the movie is damn boring...not sure if I can make it through to the end....hence, I'm on the laptop right now. Multitasking ;)

[rustyrage]

Thanks guys & OP for saving me $40 bucks, I picked it up tonight, coupon worked perfectly.

[ryanbph]

while i am for hd dvd to win the war, most of the post here have been very pro hd. I don't spend much time on the avs forums, but I was listening to a next gen gaming podcast recently and they were talking about reports saying blue ray was going to win. Where they speaking incorrectly about blue ray, are there analyst predictions that blue ray will win?

[Ruined]

while i am for hd dvd to win the war, most of the post here have been very pro hd. I don't spend much time on the avs forums, but I was listening to a next gen gaming podcast recently and they were talking about reports saying blue ray was going to win. Where they speaking incorrectly about blue ray, are there analyst predictions that blue ray will win?

Right now HD DVD is better positioned to win. Most analysts/experts changed their prediction to HD DVD around Nov06. Some PS3 fans will do their best to convince you that Blu-Ray will, though - even if they never use Blu-Ray, if Blu-Ray loses then PS3 loses a major bullet point in console debates. And essentially, you are paying $200 more than XBOX 360 for nothing.

[OGHowie]

Right now HD DVD is better positioned to win. Most analysts/experts changed their prediction to HD DVD around Nov06. Some PS3 fans will do their best to convince you that Blu-Ray will, though - even if they never use Blu-Ray, if Blu-Ray loses then PS3 loses a major bullet point in console debates. And essentially, you are paying $200 more than XBOX 360 for nothing.

I think it's still up in the air.

Take me for example. I'm going to get a PS3 eventually so I haven't pulled the trigger on a HD-DVD add on because I see no point in owning both. If the PS3 ends up selling better later on then they have a pretty good chance at winning the HD war.

[Ruined]

I think it's still up in the air.

Take me for example. I'm going to get a PS3 eventually so I haven't pulled the trigger on a HD-DVD add on because I see no point in owning both. If the PS3 ends up selling better later on then they have a pretty good chance at winning the HD war.

Well sure its still up in the air, but I don't see the PS3 as having a major impact on the war aside that it keeps Blu-Ray on life support. By XMAS07 you will be able to buy an HD DVD standalone for $250-$299.

IMO HD DVD will pull away with it next year, it is positioned to be able to do so right now.

[doubledown]

I still don't see either format pulling too far ahead until players and media comes down in price. I still refuse to pay $25-$30 for a disc....

I'm sure if the PS3 becomes a little more popular, it will help in the BD sales, but I own a PS3 and don't really plan on buying any movies for it.

I have the HD-DVD also, and have three HD-DVD's, but just because of deals.

So, we'll see who wins. It appears HD-DVD has the leg up thus far, but studios are still split, which is NOT a good thing for the "war" .

[KaneRobot]

I'm not sure I'm down with the whole "the discs need to come down in price" thing. You can get them for 20 bucks at several stores, not to mention Amazon. That's only about 3-5 bucks more than almost every new DVD release. The multi-disc releases generally are a bit more, but those are pretty rare at this point.

I also think Blu-Ray will probably find a way to weasel their way in to the top spot at some point...however, I don't think either format will become dominant to the point that one format is totally destroyed. That will take a couple years.

...and by then, standalone players for both formats should be wayyyy down, so I'm not worried about it.

[thrustbucket]

Even the few people I know that bought PS3's have sworn to never buy a bluray disk out of principle. That's how sick people are with what Sony is trying to do.

[Ruined]

Sony Blu-Ray rep attempts to silence compressionist on AVSFORUM!

Note that this compressionist CJPlay has worked on both HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles. He has also been posting on AVSFORUM for MONTHS and has given loads of useful technical info; much of the tech info on the software side that we know has been provided by this very compressionist. Then in the insider thread, he implied criticism of Sony's Talledega Nights BD MPEG2 encode... So what happens? A Sony Rep who registered on AVSFORUM recently tries to silence him!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9256182&&#post9256182

This pretty bold coming from another studio. Are you so candid about WB titles? If not, I suggest you walk a bit softer when discussing another studios properties, regardless of format.

After being called on it, it was edited to this:

This is pretty bold coming from another studio. Are you so candid about WB titles? If not, maybe you could walk a bit softer when discussing another studios properties, regardless of format.

Big Brother Blu-Ray is gonna get you, if its not through BD+ Advance Countermeasure (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Print.aspx?NewsId=17598), it'll be by Sony silencing insiders giving you the real info, working with the real product - so that Sony can sell you their own skewed PR instead!

[Sarang01]

Sopranos Season 6 is on HD-DVD, that's a start.
But you're right we need some tv-series to be available. I want to buy some shows now but I am hesitant because they will eventually be out in HD and I don't feel like re-buying them in the future.

Why do you think I haven't TOUCHED buying show boxsets for a while? And WB needs to cut the shit and release both seasons of "Supernatural" on HD-DVD and I'll buy them.
Also how about releasing all the other WB shows that aren't under Disney on HD-DVD as well? Granted that would be small without "Buffy", "Roswell" and others but it would be something.
How about a flood of Anime as well and speaking of tv shows I give a shit about I'd like some Korean Drama's as such and would pay $50 less than what the cost for the limited print English subbed and Region 1 version of "A Jewel In the Palace" costs($250). Also considering that a profit could be made with only 250 of those printed I imagine if they printed 1000 copies of highly popular tv series for International sale I can't imagine they wouldn't make a profit.

[Ruined]

So anyone get an HD DVD addon for XMAS?

[gsr]

Why do you think I haven't TOUCHED buying show boxsets for a while? And WB needs to cut the shit and release both seasons of "Supernatural" on HD-DVD and I'll buy them.
Also how about releasing all the other WB shows that aren't under Disney on HD-DVD as well? Granted that would be small without "Buffy", "Roswell" and others but it would be something.
How about a flood of Anime as well and speaking of tv shows I give a shit about I'd like some Korean Drama's as such and would pay $50 less than what the cost for the limited print English subbed and Region 1 version of "A Jewel In the Palace" costs($250). Also considering that a profit could be made with only 250 of those printed I imagine if they printed 1000 copies of highly popular tv series for International sale I can't imagine they wouldn't make a profit.

there isn't enough market penetration to start going nuts and flooding the market with anime and foreign movies. It's going to take time.

I'm surprised everyone is counting out Bluray. I guess it's just a general hatred of Sony. They have the most important factor on their side - studio support from Fox and Disney, and I think they will eventually win out.

[KaneRobot]

I'm surprised everyone is counting out Bluray.

I've only seen that from a few people here. I'm definitely not counting them out.

Also, you mentioned Disney - Disney is one of the most likely studios to go dual-format...possibly as soon as CES in a couple weeks.

[infamyRISE]

I have a small problem.

I got my Addon for Xmas, hooked it up, and popped in King Kong to get an eyeful...

Crap. It has that digital scrambly-mosaic thing going on, and freezes up during the title "King Kong". At that point I didnt have another HDDVD to compare to, so this morning I went out & bought Superman. Watched the first half of it perfectly, not a single glitch. So I figure it must be the Kong disc. I box up the entire shebang and return it to Walmart when I got off tonight. Hooked it back up only to find the same problem is happening: Superman plays beautifully while Kong has the scrambling, skipping, and freezing. Is this a problem with many discs? A problem exclusive to me? I would really love to watch KK. I haven't even had a chance to see the monkey yet. :(

[ryosnk]

Overall I got the hd-dvd for the holiday and its sweet piece of movie picture quality. My wife enjoys it and I cant wait to start my collection. Since I only have king kong for it where can I get cheap prices on hd-dvds?

Thanks.

[LinkinPrime]

Overall I got the hd-dvd for the holiday and its sweet piece of movie picture quality. My wife enjoys it and I cant wait to start my collection. Since I only have king kong for it where can I get cheap prices on hd-dvds?

Thanks.
Keep an eye on this thread: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111864

You missed out on the Google Check Out sales, I got M:I Collection (M:I I-III), V for Vendetta, The Fast & The Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Batman Begins, & Sahara for about $15 shipped for each after using those coupons. Currently Barnes & Noble has some $17 HD-DVD's.

To the guy with the problem with King Kong: Haven't opened mine, planning on selling it on ebay or trading it to ebgames (if possible).

[shipwreck]

So anyone get an HD DVD addon for XMAS?

Yep, mrs. shipwreck surprised me with one. I also got Superman and Superman II: The Donner Edition. So far I've watched King Kong and Superman and I've been very pleased.

Now I just have to decide what to do with this universal remote since I use the Logitech one.

[DeskLaser]

I also seem to be having a problem with the included King Kong disc. The picture quality looks great, but it skips every now and then (both audio and video). Anybody think this is a problem with the disc, or the player? I noticed the player's disc drive door opens slower than the 360's, and looks like it gets "caught" coming out for short little split seconds. For example, it seems to not come out smoothly. Anybody else's drive do this? Secondly, the $40 off coupon worked just fine for me, with only the front printed out on regular paper.

[doctorfaustus]

I also seem to be having a problem with the included King Kong disc. The picture quality looks great, but it skips every now and then (both audio and video). Anybody think this is a problem with the disc, or the player? I noticed the player's disc drive door opens slower than the 360's, and looks like it gets "caught" coming out for short little split seconds. For example, it seems to not come out smoothly. Anybody else's drive do this? Secondly, the $40 off coupon worked just fine for me, with only the front printed out on regular paper.

Haven't opened king kong but my drive(both the first one which was returned and the second one I got as a replaced) is shoddily made. The seems don't connect at certain points. I also noticed that on my first drive, in which the seams were more apart, the drive door occasionally made a weird sound.
Are your seams flush?

[DeskLaser]

The seems like ok, as far as I can tell. I will probably end up going to Circuit City for a replacement tonight anyways, and maybe pick up another HD-DVD to compare to the replacement copy of King Kong.

[Ruined]

Post-XMAS HD DVD Sales Surge: #8 ranked HD DVD surpasses #1 Blu-Ray in sales

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

Just a day or so after Christmas, HD DVD has experienced a sales surge on Amazon.com with its current #8 highest sales rank title having better sales rank than the #1 highest sales rank Blu-Ray title. Further, HD DVD's #12 sales ranked title has surpassed Blu-Ray's #2 highest sales rank title. HD DVD is experiencing its highest ranked sales since late November with every single of its top10 selling movies breaking into the Amazon Top1000 list, and its top5 within the top500 - pulling away from Blu-Ray who only has 1 title in the Amazon Top1000 list and none in the top500. It is also telling that Batman Begins, an older HD DVD, is the #1 selling title - simply because this means these sales are most likely from new customers who did not have HD DVD when Batman Begins came out.

Looks like a lot of people got HD DVD for XMAS :)

[pinoy530]

I have a small problem.

I got my Addon for Xmas, hooked it up, and popped in King Kong to get an eyeful...

Crap. It has that digital scrambly-mosaic thing going on, and freezes up during the title "King Kong". At that point I didnt have another HDDVD to compare to, so this morning I went out & bought Superman. Watched the first half of it perfectly, not a single glitch. So I figure it must be the Kong disc. I box up the entire shebang and return it to Walmart when I got off tonight. Hooked it back up only to find the same problem is happening: Superman plays beautifully while Kong has the scrambling, skipping, and freezing. Is this a problem with many discs? A problem exclusive to me? I would really love to watch KK. I haven't even had a chance to see the monkey yet. :(

My Kong didn't have a problem. My MI3 played all the way through no problems. My superman returns had some problems. I'd get the mosaic picture thing everynow and then when I was looking at extras, and it froze 15 minutes into the movie, I started it again and its worked fine since then. I watched alot of my Rocky DVDs and no problems though, Im hoping those problems was just some freak occurance.

[Javery]

Is anyone else having a problem with the HD-DVD drive being recognized by the 360? My eject button is red and the camera is also not being recognized (it's plugged into a USB port on the HD-DVD drive). This happens quite frequently but random times when I turn on the system it works fine. Any ideas?

[DeskLaser]

To update my previous post, I went out and got a replacement drive and it seems to work fine now. The included King Kong disc does not skip and stutter anymore. I also noticed the box to my first one had a good bit more noticible scuffs on it than my current one, so maybe it got knocked around a little, who knows.

[TexTuna]

So do any of YOU personally (no fanboy news form letters please) have both HD-DVD and Blue Ray, what's your thoughts and opinions?

I have a 1080P Sony KDS60A2000 RPTV, and a PS3 so they link up quite nice with hdmi and full 1080p.

I also have an Xbox 360 and am thinking about getting the hd-dvd add on but thank you Xbox for leaving out HDMI (oh well with the HD-DVR I'm using up the other HDMI connection anyways).

VGA isn't an option for me as the Sony sets input resolution is 768p over VGA (though of course it would be upscaled to native 1080p by the TV).


It will support 1080i through component though so that would be the route I have to go. Since 1080p is the sets native resolution, the 1080i will be converted to 1080p by the TV. Everything I have read states that TV's with decent deinterlacers such as the Sony don't really show any discernable difference between 1080i and 1080p inputs (though of course it's allways nice to stay in native resolution as the Blue Ray can). Of course I know the Xbox HD-DVD can too on other sets, just not mine without the HDMI connection.

Anyhoo, hows a comparison for those of you with both formats - worth the $200 add on if one has blue-ray allready? I do note there are usually around a $5 or so difference (in the HD-DVD favor) price wise and I'm sure some movies will be offered in one format or the other not allways both.

Thanks,
TexTuna

[Kawnhr]

Serenity looks beautiful in high-def. Just had to say it.

[rustyrage]

Got it for Christmas and now doing the online Blockbuster free trial to test out some HD DVD's. :)

[pinoy530]

So do any of YOU personally (no fanboy news form letters please) have both HD-DVD and Blue Ray, what's your thoughts and opinions?

I have a 1080P Sony KDS60A2000 RPTV, and a PS3 so they link up quite nice with hdmi and full 1080p.

I also have an Xbox 360 and am thinking about getting the hd-dvd add on but thank you Xbox for leaving out HDMI (oh well with the HD-DVR I'm using up the other HDMI connection anyways).

VGA isn't an option for me as the Sony sets input resolution is 768p over VGA (though of course it would be upscaled to native 1080p by the TV).


It will support 1080i through component though so that would be the route I have to go. Since 1080p is the sets native resolution, the 1080i will be converted to 1080p by the TV. Everything I have read states that TV's with decent deinterlacers such as the Sony don't really show any discernable difference between 1080i and 1080p inputs (though of course it's allways nice to stay in native resolution as the Blue Ray can). Of course I know the Xbox HD-DVD can too on other sets, just not mine without the HDMI connection.

Anyhoo, hows a comparison for those of you with both formats - worth the $200 add on if one has blue-ray allready? I do note there are usually around a $5 or so difference (in the HD-DVD favor) price wise and I'm sure some movies will be offered in one format or the other not allways both.

Thanks,
TexTuna

I got a ps3 and a 360 HD-DVD. My family almost bought your tv too, but we settled for the 1080i 55" sony instead. I would recommend getting the HD-DVD player as well. That way, you can get all the studios in HD format. Universal and Weinstein movies aren't on blu-ray and also a bunch of other titles such as Batman Begins arent on blu-ray yet either. Also, when some of the movies get released on both formats, the HD-DVD version might feature more stuff for now. For example, blu-rays don't yet support video commentary or Dolby TrueHD, its also nice having some of the HD-DVD/DVD combos since you can still play them in any player. Yeah, it is another $200, but you can knock off $40 with that CC coupon, and it comes with King Kong and since you are considering it, you know you can afford it.

[daphatty]

So do any of YOU personally (no fanboy news form letters please) have both HD-DVD and Blue Ray, what's your thoughts and opinions?

While I have neither the HD-DVD addon or a PS3, I spent a few weeks with a friend of mine who owns both. He and I spent quite a bit of time comparing movies. Thus far, I have to say that the comparisons are totally unfair. Most of the currently available Blu-ray movies are still in MPEG2 format and looked like a regular DVD (IMO). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, for example, looked horrible and didn't really show off the Blu-ray capabilities. The HD-DVD movies were much more impressive (again IMO) and made me want to run out and buy one. Serenity was a movie that really stuck out in my mind as a must own.

I really think Blu-ray just isn't ready for prime time yet. Despite my initial impressions I am going to give it more time and another chance to impress me.

[thrustbucket]

The ballad of ricky bobby pack-in for the PS3 looks horrible. One reason for this is that it is only a single layer disk (BD25 rather than BD50).

The funny thing was in the insider forums on AVS a Sony employee actually countered the above fact by saying that the pack in movie was in no way meant to be a showpiece for Bluray.

[daphatty]

The funny thing was in the insider forums on AVS a Sony employee actually countered the above fact by saying that the pack in movie was in no way meant to be a showpiece for Bluray.

:rofl: That is funny as hell! Sony must have a new strategy then, pack in Garbage with your hardware! :rofl:

[Ruined]

The ballad of ricky bobby pack-in for the PS3 looks horrible. One reason for this is that it is only a single layer disk (BD25 rather than BD50).

Another is Sony's insistance the inefficient MPEG2 codec!

[TexTuna]

Yeah I've read some comments very similar to yours - that it isn't the blue ray's fault so much as there are some crappy encoding being done for it. One would think they'd get that worked out before long.

I probably will end up doing both just for the hell of it - the kicker for me would be if the local blockbusters start carrying one format or the other. I did mail renting early on with Netflix but it was never quite the same for me as running down the street to B.B. especially after they stopped sticking you with late fees.

What I should have done is used the $100 in gift cards I received for Christmas presents to go towards one instead of buying more games :)

TexTuna

While I have neither the HD-DVD addon or a PS3, I spent a few weeks with a friend of mine who owns both. He and I spent quite a bit of time comparing movies. Thus far, I have to say that the comparisons are totally unfair. Most of the currently available Blu-ray movies are still in MPEG2 format and looked like a regular DVD (IMO). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, for example, looked horrible and didn't really show off the Blu-ray capabilities. The HD-DVD movies were much more impressive (again IMO) and made me want to run out and buy one. Serenity was a movie that really stuck out in my mind as a must own.

I really think Blu-ray just isn't ready for prime time yet. Despite my initial impressions I am going to give it more time and another chance to impress me.

[gkrykewy]

My wife bought me one for Xmas and I love it! Watched Willy Wonka (original) and parts of King Kong so far. No glitching, and the picture quality is simply amazing. Running at 720p on a 46" DLP.

[shipwreck]

I probably will end up doing both just for the hell of it - the kicker for me would be if the local blockbusters start carrying one format or the other. I did mail renting early on with Netflix but it was never quite the same for me as running down the street to B.B. especially after they stopped sticking you with late fees.

Around here, the Blockbusters carry both formats.

[Santurio]

Around here, the Blockbusters carry both formats.
It's very limited right now though, very few BB's carry either. Here in Dallas I have only found one that carries them but they do carry both formats as well.

[doubledown]

Around here, the Blockbusters carry both formats.

Do they have a seperate section for HD/BD discs? I don't think mine has any yet.

[shipwreck]

Do they have a seperate section for HD/BD discs? I don't think mine has any yet.

They are up on the wall with the new releases, but yes, they are separated out so that all the Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs are in one spot. If you are having trouble finding it look for the people saying "Oh, look they do have Nacho Libre in stock. Why's it in this weird case?"

They also sell new movies on both formats and the prices are surprisingly around the same price as other retailers.

[LinkinPrime]

Damn nothing near me yet. I even signed up for Blockbuster online (30day free trial) and they don't carry HD-DVD's yet.

[GizmoGC]

Damn nothing near me yet. I even signed up for Blockbuster online (30day free trial) and they don't carry HD-DVD's yet.

...Yes they do. Thats all I rented from BBO was the HD discs.

I have yet to see an actual store carry HD movies though.

[LinkinPrime]

...Yes they do. Thats all I rented from BBO was the HD discs.

I have yet to see an actual store carry HD movies though.

How do you search for them? I tried using HD-DVD and only one came up that's not released yet.

[anomynous]

How do you search for them? I tried using HD-DVD and only one came up that's not released yet.
You go to "Collections", then you click on HD DVD

[LinkinPrime]

Oh snap. Thanks guys!

[doubledown]

How do you search for them? I tried using HD-DVD and only one came up that's not released yet.

OR, if there is a particular movie you want...search for that, click on it...then clikc on ALL EDITIONS. They are still missing some HD-DVD/BD though.

[TexTuna]

Damn, I'll have to check mine when I get home tomorrow from Xmas vacation then...

Around here, the Blockbusters carry both formats.

[TexTuna]

Hey Santurio, which BB was it?

I'm in Plano so will be checking the ones there when I get home tomorrow. I don't remember seeing them there before at my local one down the street but then last time I rented movies I didn't have that new HDTV nor the PS3 so wasn't exactly looking.
TexTuna

It's very limited right now though, very few BB's carry either. Here in Dallas I have only found one that carries them but they do carry both formats as well.

[guyver2077]

yea ive been renting hd dvds from blockbuster online for a month now.. just click on the movie you want then click on all editions and you should see it

[GizmoGC]

Damn, now I want to use some GR credit and buy some HD/BR at BB. None in my area carry either format right now though, damn.

[Santurio]

Hey Santurio, which BB was it?

I'm in Plano so will be checking the ones there when I get home tomorrow. I don't remember seeing them there before at my local one down the street but then last time I rented movies I didn't have that new HDTV nor the PS3 so wasn't exactly looking.
TexTuna
The only one I've found in the Dallas area so far is the one on Hillcrest right across from SMU.

Hillcrest/University BLOCKBUSTER Total Access Store
6437 Hillcrest
Dallas,TX, 75205-1852
(214) 526-8700


PS: I hate the new BB site. I can never get it to work right, so I still use the old one to add/remove and move movies around in my queue. Plus, it also list all the movies they have in a row including HD, BR and regular versions without having to click the All Editions button.

[ryosnk]

Does hollywood video carry hd-dvds?

[nharmon91]

Do they have a seperate section for HD/BD discs? I don't think mine has any yet.

Mines has NADA, and it sucks, Netflix waits kill me :hot:

[GizmoGC]

Went to a normal BB and was shocked to see about 50 BR and 40 or so HD titles for sale. Most are $24.99, but still not bad if you have GR credit sitting around.

[nharmon91]

BB is usually loaded with them, Walmart and Target are the ones lacking in them. CC has some but they usually favor BD and only have a few HD DVDs.

[shipwreck]

BB is usually loaded with them, Walmart and Target are the ones lacking in them. CC has some but they usually favor BD and only have a few HD DVDs.

By "BB" he meant Blockbuster in this instance.

[doubledown]

Went to a normal BB and was shocked to see about 50 BR and 40 or so HD titles for sale. Most are $24.99, but still not bad if you have GR credit sitting around.

Interesting....I will have to check a few other Blockbusters. My normal one has none...I do have some credit to burn....

[LinkinPrime]

Have any of you returned online movies at your local Blockbuster? I did my first one today about 5hrs ago and checked my queue online and its not received yet. How long does it normaly take?

[anomynous]

Have any of you returned online movies at your local Blockbuster? I did my first one today about 5hrs ago and checked my queue online and its not received yet. How long does it normaly take?
BB still has to mail the movie back before BB Online sends the next one

[LinkinPrime]

BB still has to mail the movie back before BB Online sends the next one

Really? I thought that they scanned it instore and it automatically updated your queue. They scanned mine in.

[doctorfaustus]

BB still has to mail the movie back before BB Online sends the next one

Actually, they send the movie "right away."
From the website:

"When you exchange online DVDs at your local BLOCKBUSTER store your next movie is shipped right away, but it may take 1-2 days for the title returned to the store to clear from your queue."

[LinkinPrime]

Actually, they send the movie "right away."
From the website:

"When you exchange online DVDs at your local BLOCKBUSTER store your next movie is shipped right away, but it may take 1-2 days for the title returned to the store to clear from your queue."

Cool, thanks for the clear up.

[doubledown]

That is total BS about shipping right away though. I think BB.com has a set shipping time. I usually return my movies after work like at 4:00pm and they NEVER ship that day....but they always ship the next. It's fine, but not exactly true what they say....

Ok, back on topic....the HD-DVD is nice :) I've watched a few more movies and it seems better than my first impression. I guess watching a few normal DVD's, then these, I can tell the difference.

[guyver2077]

advise..

bb.com sucks ass with hd dvd.... their stock is horrible.. netflix totally woops them

I finally got my superman 1 hd dvd from buy.com yesterday... man i didnt remember shit of that movie lol.. looked decent too...

[LV-426RS]

advise..

bb.com sucks ass with hd dvd.... their stock is horrible.. netflix totally woops them

I've had an HD-DVD at the top of my queue on Netflix for about 2 weeks with the available status "now" and it keeps skipping over it.

[doctorfaustus]

Casablanca looks amazing on HD DVD.

Edit: Nevermind, they sent out the next movie on my queue because they received one I sent on friday, not because I returned an online movie to a BM BB.
D'Oh!

[guyver2077]

I've had an HD-DVD at the top of my queue on Netflix for about 2 weeks with the available status "now" and it keeps skipping over it.

strange.

well i guess thats better than the "coming soon" bb has on already released hd dvd's..

superman had this for a long time

[nharmon91]

Have any of you returned online movies at your local Blockbuster? I did my first one today about 5hrs ago and checked my queue online and its not received yet. How long does it normaly take?


Usually it takes 1-2 days

[Ruined]

Last day of the deal, I caved and bought one at CC with the coupon.

I already have an HD-A1, but this drive gives me some flexibility and will let me watch HD DVD on my PC!

[TexTuna]

Man, this is an awesome deal. I went ahead and got one last week too with the coupon - $160. By the time you take into account the media remote ($30), and King Kong ($20-25) - it's a damn good deal at $100 especially considering it gives me an additional USB port on the back for the Vision Camera and still to have the wireless adapter back there.

It was a brease to setup, we watched Kong last night and it was just awesome.

Now to rent some more HD-DVD and Blue-Ray movies :)

TexTuna

[KaneRobot]

Coupon is now D-E-D dead. For those that somehow missed the last two months, I'm sure a new deal will pop up eventually.

[ryanbph]

i thought there was already a january one in the cc thread

http://home.jam.rr.com/msu89dawgs/cccoupons.jpg

[nharmon91]

i thought there was already a january one in the cc thread

http://home.jam.rr.com/msu89dawgs/cccoupons.jpg

There is, its sitting on my desktop waiting for me to use it.

[guyver2077]

hd dvd seems severely lacking of triple a new release titles...

it also seems like blueray is catching up if you look at the dvdwars site...

where the hell are the good movies? i see alot of big name movies coming out on br soon

[CAG 79]

Is the HD-DVD drive worth buying if I don't have the VGA cable? My HDTV only has an HDMI slot and I don't want to buy one of those expensive adapters.

I guess my real question is if my picture quality is going to suffer because I don't have the VGA cables or will it look just as good on the component cables?

[ryanbph]

seen a lot of blue ray ads lately....also the ads that speedy posts in the dvd forums, it appears best buy is heavily pimping blue ray..

[guyver2077]

Is the HD-DVD drive worth buying if I don't have the VGA cable? My HDTV only has an HDMI slot and I don't want to buy one of those expensive adapters.

I guess my real question is if my picture quality is going to suffer because I don't have the VGA cables or will it look just as good on the component cables?

looks great on component

[RedvsBlue]

Is the HD-DVD drive worth buying if I don't have the VGA cable? My HDTV only has an HDMI slot and I don't want to buy one of those expensive adapters.

I guess my real question is if my picture quality is going to suffer because I don't have the VGA cables or will it look just as good on the component cables?

I've got mine in 1080i through component cables and it looks fantastic.

[CAG 79]

Alright, thanks for the info guys. I'm going to be picking one up soon.

[ryanbph]

Alright, thanks for the info guys. I'm going to be picking one up soon.
make sure you use the $40 coupon to cc

[Bigsauce]

I went to use the new coupon yesterday and it didn't scan correct. I used the 10% off home audio one for a set of Wireless Headphones for my Grandpa. The chick manually took the 10% off for me but it was weird that that it didn't scan. Just an FYI for ya'll.

[Ruined]

LG Officially Announces HD DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Player to launch in Q1 2007
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/dreams-do-come-true-lgs-makes-worlds-first-blurayhd-dvd-dualformat-player-225924.php
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20070104/660000000020070104110044E0.html

Great news for HD DVD! If you were a studio and you knew that both formats had both approximately the same userbase due to combo players, which would you release in? The one more expensive to replicate (Blu-Ray) or the one cheaper to replicate (HD DVD)?

In the end though, this is the best news for US! Kudos to LG - a formerly BD-exclusive company!

[doubledown]

LG Officially Announces HD DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Player to launch in Q1 2007
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/dreams-do-come-true-lgs-makes-worlds-first-blurayhd-dvd-dualformat-player-225924.php
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20070104/660000000020070104110044E0.html

Great news for HD DVD! If you were a studio and you knew that both formats had both approximately the same userbase due to combo players, which would you release in? The one more expensive to replicate (Blu-Ray) or the one cheaper to replicate (HD DVD)?

In the end though, this is the best news for US! Kudos to LG - a formerly BD-exclusive company!

Thanks for the info....not sure how this involves the 360 though ;)

I think this benefits BOTH formats and will not reveal a "winner". It hink the rumor is this could be priced from $900-$1300...we'll see though (I thought I read a much lower price at one point)

[guyver2077]

wow big news..

I dont know how this will help hd dvd though.. They need more studios to jump over

[Javery]

Do any of you have a problem with the 360 recognizing your HD-DVD drive? Typically when I power on the system everything is fine but once I play a game and then go back to the dashboard I get a red light on the HD-DVD drive (and my camera doesn't come on either - it is plugged into the HD-DVD drive). Even when I power everything off and then on again the red light is still there but if I let the system stay off overnight everything works fine the next day. This is my second Xbox 360 and the same thing happened to my last one. Any ideas?

[doubledown]

Never had that issue with my HD-DVD drive....maybe you have a defective drive. Did you ever replace that?

[Javery]

Never had that issue with my HD-DVD drive....maybe you have a defective drive. Did you ever replace that?

No... I guess I'll call Microsoft and see if they have heard of this problem.

[shipwreck]

javeryh, it's a simple fact: you're just not meant to have any state of the art electronics. I bet that leafblower won't even work right for you.

[LinkinPrime]

"Total HD" To be unveiled at CES 2007

In a surprise leak of what may turn out to be the biggest high-def news to come out of this year's CES, The New York Times is reporting that Warner Home Video is set to bring the first Blu-ray/HD DVD hybrid discs to market (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/technology/04video.html?ref=technology) in 2007.
According to the story, the studio is hoping to both calm consumers' fears over the competing next-gen formats as well as spur high-def hardware sales by creating a Blu-ray/HD DVD hybrid, which the studio is dubbing a "Total HD" disc.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Industry_Forecasts/Total_HD/Warner_to_Unveil_First_Blu-ray/HD_DVD_Hybrid_Discs_at_CES/413

Now this should make things interesting.

[shipwreck]

"Total HD" To be unveiled at CES 2007



http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Industry_Forecasts/Total_HD/Warner_to_Unveil_First_Blu-ray/HD_DVD_Hybrid_Discs_at_CES/413

Now this should make things interesting.

Yeah, I saw this scroll by on G4 a couple of days ago, but I missed what company was actually doing it. I'm a little surprised that they are actually going to get away with putting both formats on one disc as it seems like the format owners wouldn't want to license that.

[LinkinPrime]

Yeah, I saw this scroll by on G4 a couple of days ago, but I missed what company was actually doing it. I'm a little surprised that they are actually going to get away with putting both formats on one disc as it seems like the format owners wouldn't want to license that.

If it retails for Blu-Ray prices its going to suck for us HD-DVD owners. I hope that they can come with a decent price but since the HD-DVD/DVD hybrids retail for $35, I don't see how this Total HD format will be lower.

[doubledown]

Well, I believe WB already puts out HD-DVD and BLu-Ray. They are one of the few companies that support both formats. I'm fine now since I have a PS3 and this drive which the thread is supposed to be about ;)

[Javery]

Yeah, I saw this scroll by on G4 a couple of days ago, but I missed what company was actually doing it. I'm a little surprised that they are actually going to get away with putting both formats on one disc as it seems like the format owners wouldn't want to license that.

Hmmm... I was under the impression that companies would still put out separate blu-ray and hd-dvd discs - it's just that the player will be able to read both of them kind of like a player that plays CDs and DVDs now... granted, I haven't looked into this at all...

[guyver2077]

hybryds huh? jesus christ how much are these movies going to cost...

i just want the plain old hd dvd's (not combo disks) since they are the best priced

[shipwreck]

Hmmm... I was under the impression that companies would still put out separate blu-ray and hd-dvd discs - it's just that the player will be able to read both of them kind of like a player that plays CDs and DVDs now... granted, I haven't looked into this at all...

Well, there's two different things we're talking about here:

1. A device that plays both HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray discs
2. A disc that contains both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray

The former has been talked about in the past and if I saw the blurb right, LG is supposed to be debuting a concept one at CES that is reportedly around $179. I'm not sure if that is their manufacturing cost or what they are actually going to retail at (this was also scrolling across the bottom of the screen though).

The latter is a new announcement from Warner Bros. that they have apparently found a way to put Blu-Ray and HD-DVD on the same disc.

[anomynous]

shipwreck, there is no way a hybrid HD DVD/blu ray player would retail for $179

[shipwreck]

shipwreck, there is no way a hybrid HD DVD/blu ray player would retail for $179

I'm just relaying what I saw on the crawl. (I don't believe it either, but that's what it said.)

[Sarang01]

Personally reading that article and them listening the pricing on "Superman Returns" as $5 more than the Blu-Ray version I'm lead to believe that's a $5 since BB is suppose to be biased towards Blu-Ray from what I've heard.
Personally fuck WB and a combo disk. I'd rather just buy a plain HD-DVD and pay less.
Btw a few questions. Anyone have any idea how many copies of some of these movies are being pressed because some are taking forever. I'd like to get "Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire" but so far it's out only in the UK with who knows how long till it hits here. Any words on that and the previous movies? Btw does anyone know if I'd have a problem watching the UK disc? I mean I plan on getting an American player and hooking it up to my Japanese 360 which is what determines the regions it'll read from what I've heard. Along those lines to my knowledge the HD-DVD system is set up the same, with Europe and Japan as Region 2 so my big question is is the HD format the same in Europe as it is in Japan resolutionwise? I'd assume there'd be no problem with the framerate since all films run at 24 FPS.

[gsr]

a dual player is going to cost at least $800..

[LinkinPrime]

Thanks to my HD-DVD and blockbuster.com I rented Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I was always curious about this movie but man I'm so glad I rented it, its soooo bad ass!

Also sorta off topic. I saw Crank on DVD on my upconveting Samsung DVD player and I could have sworn it was an HD-DVD. Is DVD quality improving as well?

[Duo_Maxwell]

To quiet down the price speculation here's a good article on LG's new player from Business Week's site.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2007/gb20070105_428046.htm

Apparently it will be between $1000 & $1500 according to thier sources.

Thanks to my HD-DVD and blockbuster.com I rented Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I was always curious about this movie but man I'm so glad I rented it, its soooo bad ass!

Also sorta off topic. I saw Crank on DVD on my upconveting Samsung DVD player and I could have sworn it was an HD-DVD. Is DVD quality improving as well?

An upconverting DVD has alot to do with the original DVD's transfer. If it's good it'll look pretty good upconverted, if it's a poor transfer it'll only make the flaws more noticiable. Also if you like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang you may want to check out Smokin' Aces late rthis month, seems like it maybe in a similar vein.

[MetalGator]

Thanks to my HD-DVD and blockbuster.com I rented Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I was always curious about this movie but man I'm so glad I rented it, its soooo bad ass!

Also sorta off topic. I saw Crank on DVD on my upconveting Samsung DVD player and I could have sworn it was an HD-DVD. Is DVD quality improving as well?

Like the other poster said, it's really in the transfer. Generally, most "Superbits" will give you a good upconvert experience since they devote all the disk to audio and video rather than extras. Look for DVDs that put the extras on discs 2 or 3, a lot of DVDs will brag "new high definition transfer" or "digitally re-mastered". You can get a good idea how it will look by reading reviews at DVDTalk since part of their review formula is video quality.

[Trakan]

Thanks to my HD-DVD and blockbuster.com I rented Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I was always curious about this movie but man I'm so glad I rented it, its soooo bad ass!

Also sorta off topic. I saw Crank on DVD on my upconveting Samsung DVD player and I could have sworn it was an HD-DVD. Is DVD quality improving as well?

How'd you see Crank already?

[lordopus99]

Crank came into stores sometime last week. He could have easily bought it early. The guys at the local MovieStop showcased Snakes on a Plane a week early... granted they weren't selling them.

[anomynous]

Here's a tentative price on the LG HD DVD/Blu Ray combo player:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8203311&st=LG&type=product&id=1165610378688

$1200

[LinkinPrime]

How'd you see Crank already?

I have a source at Blockbuster and I rented it early.

[Ruined]

HD DVD goes triple-layer 50GB!

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/003423.html

On both recordable and ROM media!

[slothroplt]

HD DVD goes triple-layer 50GB!

Poor Sony. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Meh, this isn't a big deal. It means nothing til they actually manufacture them and/or put them out for retail use. Hell, TDK announced a long time ago that they actually got a working quad-layer 100gb Blu-ray Disc, but again it means nothing until they actually hit the streets.

[thrustbucket]

Wouldn't the drives themselves have to support triple layer? And do they?

[gkrykewy]

Wouldn't the drives themselves have to support triple layer? And do they?

No, users of existing drives (including the 360 player) would be out of luck with such discs (as far as I know).

[LinkinPrime]

CES '07: Toshiba Announces 50GB HD-DVD

In yet another unexpected announcement to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show, Toshiba has reportedly developed a new 50GB HD DVD disc format -- the world's first.
The news first broke during yesterday's press event held by the HD DVD Promotions Group (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disc_Announcements/CES_2007/CES:_HD_DVD_to_See_300_New_Titles_in_2007/417), and though tech details were few and far between, the news could dramatically change the competitive landscape of the high-def format wars.
A 50GB HD DVD would up the format's maximum dual-layer storage capacity by a cool 20GB, but more importantly, it would close the gap between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Blu-ray currently supports 50GB discs, which so far has been one of the primary tech advantages it holds over its rival.
We should stress that no working prototype of the format was previewed, but given the flurry of next-gen news that's already hit in the hours before the event officially kicks off later this morning, the best may be yet to come.
Stay tuned...

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/CES:_Toshiba_Surprises_with_50GB_HD_DVD/422

What does Sony have to say now? ;)

EDIT: Sorry missed the triple layer info above.

[Duo_Maxwell]

CES '07: Toshiba Announces 50GB HD-DVD



http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/CES:_Toshiba_Surprises_with_50GB_HD_DVD/422

What does Sony have to say now? ;)

Again, they needn't say anything. This working 100gb disc is more than enough for a response... (http://www.physorg.com/news9683.html) Oh wait, that was last year's CES. My guess is they'll very unneedingly try to pull off another one-up this year, even though at least capacity wise they certainly don't need to...

Also I figured our local HD-DVD fanboy Ruined would've known the triple layer announcment is about 20 months old. (http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/11/toshibas-triple-layer-45gb-hd-dvd/) The only difference now vs. then is they upped it 5 gigs to try and even themselves out with Blu-ray. Guess I know why we never saw any of those 45 gbs discs anyplace, they were to busy competing with Blu-ray. Personally I think the back and forth one-upmanship (dunno if that's a real word) that seems to be continuing between them will only alienate regular consumers more. Both may go on to the point it makes it almost inconvient to the consumer and then they both may very well follow the path of the laserdisc or so.

[KaneRobot]

With the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD presentations at CES over, the general consensus among the hardcores is Blu-Ray kicked the shit out of HD-DVD and Universal especially dropped the ball.

Keep in mind this happens every time announcements are made - the "winning" company rides a wave of hype for a month or three, and then it's all forgotten again when another big announcement shows up.

That said, I've always maintained Blu-Ray will be the eventual winner if there is one, and this does little to sway my opinion there....so enjoy it while it lasts. Regardless, this HD-DVD add-on player is still a hell of a deal.

[doubledown]

It's upsetting that most of the studios supported Blu-Ray over HD-DVD. You would think they would do both, just to get more market share. I have both the 360 and PS3, but I enjoy my HD-DVD more (on my bigger TV)

Looks like I may jump to Lions Gate now on Blu-Ray.

[KaneRobot]

Lionsgate has a deal with MS to put out movies over XBLM, for what it's worth. If you're going to bail out, there are probably better reasons than that.

Also, HD-DVD claims to have 300 new titles coming this year. What's amusing is people are going around, trolling HD-DVD forums posting the Blu-Ray release list for the year. While it does look impressive, it only has 99 titles on it. :lol:

[guyver2077]

man i wonder what lucas plans to support...

Star Wars on hd will sell a fucking ton and if it does go to hd dvd.. bb will be forced to fucking market it

[shipwreck]

man i wonder what lucas plans to support...

Star Wars on hd will sell a fucking ton and if it does go to hd dvd.. bb will be forced to fucking market it

Aren't those still published under the Fox license? If so, right now they'd be heading to Blu-Ray. Maybe I'm behind on that though, I just remember seeing the Fox symbol on Star Wars movies in the past.

[doubledown]

Lionsgate has a deal with MS to put out movies over XBLM, for what it's worth. If you're going to bail out, there are probably better reasons than that.

Also, HD-DVD claims to have 300 new titles coming this year. What's amusing is people are going around, trolling HD-DVD forums posting the Blu-Ray release list for the year. While it does look impressive, it only has 99 titles on it. :lol:

I refuse to pay for a 1 Day movie though....I'd rather rent through Blockbuster.com. Not a big deal though.

Yeah, Star Wars goes to Blu-Ray exclusively...that would be a hit for HD-DVD. I still enjoy HD-DVD better though. I guess once I get a new TV and a new house (wife wants one) then it may change.

[KaneRobot]

Well if you look at HT forums now, everyone is screaming this is the end of HD-DVD. It's no different than someone saying Nintendo/MS/Sony/whoever is screwed when it comes to consoles - people get caught up in the hype and declare that one event has ended any and all "wars."

Yes, Blu-Ray came off looking a lot better over the last week, but like I said, that's fleeting. The hype wave only goes until someone makes a newer "big announcement."

On a better note: Clerks 2 on 1/16, FINALLY! That's an HD-DVD exclusive.

Review here (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/clerksii.html)


Re: Star Wars...you can bet your ass that will be Blu-Ray exclusive, unless Blu-Ray somehow gets stomped mercilessly.

[ryanbph]

With the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD presentations at CES over, the general consensus among the hardcores is Blu-Ray kicked the shit out of HD-DVD and Universal especially dropped the ball.

.

sorry i haven't been paying too much attention to the ces coverage, but what has blue ray done to be considered kicking the shit out of hd dvd?

[KaneRobot]

sorry i haven't been paying too much attention to the ces coverage, but what has blue ray done to be considered kicking the shit out of hd dvd?

Keep in mind I said general consensus...this isn't necessarily what I think. I do think Blu-Ray had a better showing, but it was hardly the annihilation people are claiming it was.

It was not so much what Blu-Ray did (pretty much what was expected...announcing new titles), it was what Universal DIDN'T do. Universal didn't make any announcements about upcoming titles. When contacted, they just gave a vague "nothing has changed, we're supporting HD-DVD throughout the year" PR statement. 300 titles coming in 2007, but no specific title/date announcements. HD-DVD DID have some new hardware on display, along with the supposedly upcoming 50 GB HD-DVD disc. Some HD-DVD supporters are spinning this as "CES is for hardware, so it doesn't matter that no titles were announced," but that's pretty weak. They should have at least announced a few big name releases.


Also, Clerks II HD-DVD is on preorder at Amazon now for $21. Two disc set that includes features not on the DVD version.

[gkrykewy]

First, it's sorta fun to keep an eye on TheDVDWars (http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/). It's just based on amazon sales, but still interesting. There's also a cool google search graph at the bottom which says something about mindshare.

Re: Star Wars, it's completely up to Lucas (not Fox), and he has said it's not going to be on either format. He believes both formats are short-term stopgaps until full digital distribution, and doesn't want to support either. Note that all 6 star wars films are already appearing in HD on HBO/Cinemax.

I love my new HDDVD player and I'm very much looking forward to rebuying the Harry Potter movies, Battlestar, Star Trek, and hopefully LOTR. I don't think either format will *die* like betamax until they're both made obsolete by digital distribution.

[guyver2077]

Yea i could of sworn i saw thx or someother lucas movie on hd dvd so i just started wondering...

it always takes lucas forever to release on new formats

[doubledown]

I think the rumor is LOTR will be coming to TotalHD. I don't think New Line has put anything out, right?

I think we need a DVD Discussion thread now....the 360 HD-DVD is lost in the shuffle now.

[Sporadic]

Here's a good list of "rumor" HD-DVDs

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

[gkrykewy]

I think the rumor is LOTR will be coming to TotalHD.

Is that warner's combo format? They can feel free to release everything on that format as far as I'm concerned.

[KaneRobot]

Re: Star Wars, it's completely up to Lucas (not Fox), and he has said it's not going to be on either format.

Oh Georgie. Just like we wouldn't see it on DVD...just like we'd never see the original films again...

...what, does he have another DVD edition coming in the future that he wants to push first?

Also, post your collections/most wanteds here:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123695

[nevposey]

Just got my drive...looks great, and the audio doesnt have problems like teh BD drive on the ps3 (though I think thats because my receiver cant decode DD at such a high bitrate).

[LinkinPrime]

You gotta keep in mind also that HD-DVD has been on top for a few months now, Sony was desperate to release some announements because they need the hype.

I am worried after hearing the CES announcements and with Total HD discs releasing in the 2nd half of 2007, I'm guessing big titles like The Matrix, Harry Potter, and LOTR will be using this format which sucks if they cost more than regular HD-DVD's because this will be a blow to HD-DVD consumers but not to Blu-Ray since they are already paying more per disc.

[gkrykewy]

Oh Georgie. Just like we wouldn't see it on DVD...just like we'd never see the original films again...

To be fair, he never said they wouldn't be released on DVD before, just that he didn't want Star Wars to be used to boost a fledgling format that might not otherwise be competitive. He wanted the DVD format to 'arrive' on its own first. This is all to the best of my recollection, anyway.

[LinkinPrime]

It turns out that HD-DVD is going to have some powerful studio's to back it up, so powerful enough it might end the war and name HD-DVD the grand champion of this Hi-Def Generation.

In a last-minute change of porn allegiance, top adult studio Digital Playground has defected from Blu-ray to HD DVD (http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/83552) for its upcoming next-gen releases -- and it seems that's just fine with Sony.
One-named auteur Joone, the founder of Digital Playground, recently told German magazine Heise Online that "Sony wants me to publish my films on HD DVD."

That's a switch from a year ago, when Digital Playground was planning to be the first adult studio to jump into the next-gen waters, and to support Blu-ray exclusively. Though we're sure "legit" studios like Sony can't be publicly associated with porn, we all know that, historically at least, adult content has driven the success of every major home video format. So we would have thought Sony would have welcomed the news, at least behind closed doors.

But according to Joone, Sony didn't want Digital Playground's dirty laundry on their next-gen platform. He went on to tell Heise Online that he had "wanted to publish his movies on Blu-ray Disc, but that all Blu-ray Disc copying facilities in the United States had refused to cooperate." Even further, the companies involved threatened to withdraw their Blu-ray licenses should Digital Playground attempt to make the blue movie industry even Blu-er.
As a result, Joone and company will now take their four initial high-def releases straight to HD DVD, followed by a large slate in rapid succession over the next several months and beyond. So watch for 'Teen America,' 'Island Fever 3,' 'Island Fever 4' and the big-budgeted porn classic 'Pirates' (the 'Gone with the Wind' of adult film) in early February. We know you're already fumbling through your wallet to grab the plastic.

Since High-Def Digest is a squeaky-clean family site, we can't offer you any reviews of Digital Playground's upcoming titles, or other adult releases in the future. But we will say this: as anyone taking in the very large adult convention right next door to CES can attest, it is never wise to underestimate the power of smut to drive new video formats. A little bit of wisdom that, assuming Joone's comments are legit, we think Sony -- and any other porn poo-pooing studio -- would do well to heed in the future.

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Sony/Digital_Playground/Adult/Disc_Announcements/1080p_Porn_Blu-ray_Says_No_Thanks/433

So it looks like anyone looking for HD porn will have to eventually get an HD-DVD player.

[felixlighter]

It turns out that HD-DVD is going to have some powerful studio's to back it up, so powerful enough it might end the war and name HD-DVD the grand champion of this Hi-Def Generation.


http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Sony/Digital_Playground/Adult/Disc_Announcements/1080p_Porn_Blu-ray_Says_No_Thanks/433

So it looks like anyone looking for HD porn will have to eventually get an HD-DVD player.


The porn industry had a huge influence on the vhs vs betamax format war because vhs was the only option for watching porn in the comfort of your own home. I don't think it will have the same effect this time around since everyone knows the best source for porn today is the internet... No matter what your into...

[ryanbph]

It turns out that HD-DVD is going to have some powerful studio's to back it up, so powerful enough it might end the war and name HD-DVD the grand champion of this Hi-Def Generation.


http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Sony/Digital_Playground/Adult/Disc_Announcements/1080p_Porn_Blu-ray_Says_No_Thanks/433

So it looks like anyone looking for HD porn will have to eventually get an HD-DVD player.

very interesting

[guyver2077]

hd quality porn rules

anyways that article must be a year old...

island fever 3 and pirates have been out for some time

edit.. strange.. its a new article but i know they have been out

[LinkinPrime]

The porn industry had a huge influence on the vhs vs betamax format war because vhs was the only option for watching porn in the comfort of your own home. I don't think it will have the same effect this time around since everyone knows the best source for porn today is the internet... No matter what your into...
Although a good point, the porn industry is a million dollar industry regardless of internet. American's spend millions of dollars a year buying or renting porn on DVD so I don't see this trend changing since internet porn has been out for so long already.

[felixlighter]

I'm sure there will be a porn affect if Sony does prevent it from being released on Blu Ray but I don't think it will be as drastic this time around.

Personally, I'm rooting for the HD-DVD format this round because I don't plan on spending $600 + on a standalone player and I don't plan on buying a PS3 anytime soon. I also don't like the idea of using a console's drive for playing movies anyway; it seems like a lot of unnecessary wear and tear.

That leaves me with the Xbox 360 HD-DVD addon. It uses it's own drive so watching movies won't wear the console drive out and its only $200. If 10 must have titles are released on HD-DVD in the near future then I'll pick one up, if not I'll just buy an upscaling dvd player and hold off until there is a clear winner.

[Sarang01]

Man "Sin City 2" is Weinstein. I hope it looks spectacular.

Also any word on the original? Who owns the rights? Is it Weinstein or what?

[KaneRobot]

Updated OP with new $40 coupon, good thorugh 3/31.

[mikeohara]

I've been looking at this on and off for some time though and thought about it, but I will not see a difference in a HD-DVD versus say a DVD of Lost in Translation on a SD Television right??

[felixlighter]

I've been looking at this on and off for some time though and thought about it, but I will not see a difference in a HD-DVD versus say a DVD of Lost in Translation on a SD Television right??

If you do not have an HDTV or plan on buying one very soon, HD-DVD is a huge waste of money. The main benefit of HD-DVD over DVD is that it contains enough storage space to store feature length HD movies. On a SD television you'll be downscaling a 720p/1080i/1080p signal to 480i, which could actually look worse than a standard DVD.

[jughead]

Anyone notice that they withdrew the coupon offer from circuitcity.com?

[guyver2077]

so i plan on sending my 360 in soon to be exchanged or w.e

is there yet anyway to get this thing workin on the pc... i want to keep on watching my movies

and they took down the new coupon.. supposedly the jan.31 one still works

[doubledown]

so i plan on sending my 360 in soon to be exchanged or w.e

is there yet anyway to get this thing workin on the pc... i want to keep on watching my movies

and they took down the new coupon.. supposedly the jan.31 one still works

I would google it. I think you need WinDVD 8.0 or something like that and a DAMN good PC to make the movies run without hiccups on a PC.

[guyver2077]

seems to work.. ill try when i get home..

http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/11/8303/

[guyver2077]

wow what a mission...

got it to work... had to read alot and try a few diff things

[doubledown]

Isn't it basically just drivers and obtaining a copy of WinDVD8 for it to work?

[guyver2077]

kind of tricky..

yes you need the drivers... powerdvd has this little utility that tests out your pc and tells you whats wrong.... with its help i was able to get it to work



the tricky part is if your pc monitor is not hdcp , it will not work and you get an error message. Through trial and error i managed to get it to work when my videocard is connected via component to my tv

my pc was able to handle it and stepped up to the task :)

[DomLando]

If anyone is interested I have a HD-DVD add on for sale and a bunch of HD DVDs. Heres is the link to the thread: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125506
PM me offers if anyone is interested.

[TheInfamousTimmy]

I have a 1080p question.

I'm sorry if this was answered. I tried searching, but it didn't narrow down the thread all that much.

I have a "Sony Grand Wega KDS-60A2000."

If I buy an Xbox 360 Elite and HD-DVD drive, should it be able to do FULL 1080p movies through the HDMI? I need to know this because my particular model television does not have the ability to do anything with a 1080p signal without HDMI.

[thrustbucket]

I have a 1080p question.

I'm sorry if this was answered. I tried searching, but it didn't narrow down the thread all that much.

I have a "Sony Grand Wega KDS-60A2000."

If I buy an Xbox 360 Elite and HD-DVD drive, should it be able to do FULL 1080p movies through the HDMI? I need to know this because my particular model television does not have the ability to do anything with a 1080p signal without HDMI.

Yes, that's the whole reason it has HDMI.

[TheInfamousTimmy]

Yes, that's the whole reason it has HDMI.

K. Well, from what I understand, it's possible for Xbox 360 games to run in 1080p (NBA Street Homecourt, Virtua Tennis 3), so I wasn't sure.

[thrustbucket]

K. Well, from what I understand, it's possible for Xbox 360 games to run in 1080p (NBA Street Homecourt, Virtua Tennis 3), so I wasn't sure.

I believe the 360 can scale to 1080. I haven't tried it. But that isn't the same as having a 1080 game.

[Trakan]

I believe the 360 can scale to 1080. I haven't tried it. But that isn't the same as having a 1080 game.

It can.

Virtua Tennis 3 is actually a 1080p game though.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/sega/virtua-tennis-3-brings-1080p-to-xbox-360-234434.php

[CocheseUGA]

I shall be welcomed into the world of HD-DVD now.

;)

[exRounder]

I just got one of these drives. I had a question about the problems they tend to have, if any.

Is it like the XBox 360 itself in that many of them have some sort of problem with them or not? If so, what are they?

I have heard that they can be overly noisy; are they supposed to be that way or not? Stacked on top of each other, I can't tell if it's the drive or the 360 that's making the noise.

[guyver2077]

i have had no issues with my drive... nor is it noisy enough for me to notice it..

[KaneRobot]

No real problems with mine. Occasionally (as in, once or twice a month) I'll have to eject/wipe/re-insert a disc, but that's just as likely because of the disc as it is the drive.

It is much more quiet than the 360 so noise is not an issue whatsoever.

[exRounder]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I was wondering if anyone had any problems with it because I'm not particularly discerning but the last thing I wanted to do was be content with a less than optimal product.