HD DVD thread - Toshiba: HD DVD DISCONTINUED, REPAIR/SUPPORT CONTINUES, NO BLU PLANS

[thrustbucket]

I believe Amir quit...I don't know why but I read it somewhere on HighDefDigest.com...though I agree, someone higher up should now.

He did, but he'd know who to contact. It wouldn't be someone at Microsoft. But he has contact info for everyone at HD DVD group.

[thrustbucket]

yea it was kind of ridiculous, they used to be right next to the blu ray players and upconverting dvd and they were just gone. last time i was back there about 2 weeks ago they had them there, so its a recent thing

there was about 20 a-30's stacked up on top of the shelf about 5 aisles over with the speakers and twice as many a-3's

also was a little confusing since they are having that HD DVD deal this week with 9 free and they're basically hidden

Obviously some employee has an agenda there, and that type of behavior is very likely in violation with agreements they have with Toshiba.

[rsigley]

yea, i thought the manager would want to push it anymore cause more sales = more money for him usually

anyone see any deals on Beowulf?

American Gangster is $17.29 AR at FYE, but Beowulf seems to be 27.99 everywhere

[dallow]

yea, i thought the manager would want to push it anymore cause more sales = more money for him usually

anyone see any deals on Beowulf?

American Gangster is $17.29 AR at FYE, but Beowulf seems to be 27.99 everywhereThey make more selling BD players.
HD DVD players sell pretty much at cost.

[Richlough]

They make more selling BD players.
HD DVD players sell pretty much at cost.

Shit , you'd think you got paid for every one they sell .

[dallow]

Shit , you'd think you got paid for every one they sell .Shit, read the 4-5 posts above me.

I'd never care enough to 'contact someone' about some store's product placement.

[rsigley]

import jack ryan collection is about $50

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/798105

its MSRP is $99.99, so figure it'll be like $69.99 at amazon

i got rambo 2, 3, and jack ryan collection for $90 shipped

[mykevermin]

Shit, read the 4-5 posts above me.

I'd never care enough to 'contact someone' about some store's product placement.

Let alone someone who was fired. Oh, 'scuse me..."quit."

[Sporadic]

Why is it that you guys always wander in here to start shit?

I don't see any of us going into the Blu-Ray thread to cause trouble. In fact, most of the people in here have never posted in there and I only posted once to tell you guys that Tony got some Blu-Ray imports in at Xploited.

[CaseyRyback]

yea it was kind of ridiculous, they used to be right next to the blu ray players and upconverting dvd and they were just gone. last time i was back there about 2 weeks ago they had them there, so its a recent thing

there was about 20 a-30's stacked up on top of the shelf about 5 aisles over with the speakers and twice as many a-3's

also was a little confusing since they are having that HD DVD deal this week with 9 free and they're basically hidden

I had trouble finding an A3 when I went. They were sandwiched with all the regular DVD players. They still have A-30's set up by themselves, but tracking down A3's was a PITA.

Movie wise I will say that at one store the Blu's are starting to take over, but at another shit is still about even.

Also thanks to whoever posted that there was a deal on AG on FYE. Going to pre-order it now.

[dallow]

Why is it that you guys always wander in here to start shit?

I don't see any of us going into the Blu-Ray thread to cause trouble. In fact, most of the people in here have never posted in there and I only posted once to tell you guys that Tony got some Blu-Ray imports in at Xploited.Did I start anything? That was Rich.

I just mentioned that fact about player costs to the store.

In fact I was going to ask whether or not the extra features are in that Jack Ryan set because my friend is interested for whatever reason.

Thanks for the import info though.

[Richlough]

Did I start anything? That was Rich.

I just mentioned that fact about player costs to the store.

In fact I was going to ask whether or not the extra features are in that Jack Ryan set because my friend is interested for whatever reason.

Thanks for the import info though.

Sorry , I guess . ;)

[Bezerker]

Just bought myself an A30 off of Amazon for $153. With my EPP discount @ CC it would've only been $150 after tax, but i hate CC and would rather the 3% back from the Amazon card. Plus, if the price drops within the next 30 days, all i have to do is send an email to get the difference back.

Looking on ebay, the 360 HD-DVD player goes for $70-80. Hopefully including a new Bourne Idenity & 300 (already have both, so I wont need the A30 ones) will bump it up.

[rsigley]

i just got $9 and $10 for my copies of bourne identity and 300

so might not bump it up much

[CocheseUGA]

i just got $9 and $10 for my copies of bourne identity and 300

so might not bump it up much

Damn, you could have got a game or $15 out of me for Bourne.

[Zowsky]

okay I'm still not 100% on what movies are coming to what so hopefully you guys can help me out. I seen that No Country for Old Men and The Rock are on BlueRay (or atleast coming to) are these movies not coming to hd dvd aswell?

[Sporadic]

okay I'm still not 100% on what movies are coming to what so hopefully you guys can help me out. I seen that No Country for Old Men and The Rock are on BlueRay (or atleast coming to) are these movies not coming to hd dvd aswell?

You will probably be able to import No Country For Old Men (Paramount has the rights for it almost worldwide outside of the States) while The Rock is Blu-Ray exclusive.

On the flip side, we should be getting There Will Be Blood as an HD-DVD exclusive later this year.

[thrustbucket]

You will probably be able to import No Country For Old Men (Paramount has the rights for it almost worldwide outside of the States) while The Rock is Blu-Ray exclusive.

On the flip side, we should be getting There Will Be Blood as an HD-DVD exclusive later this year.

I liked there will be blood more than no country anyway.

[rsigley]

Damn, you could have got a game or $15 out of me for Bourne.

ah that sucks, i don't play games anymore it seems but i woulda sold it to you for 10 shipped since thats what i ended up getting after ebay fees

mine were sealed too

i sent it out this morning

[LinkinPrime]

Anyone see this movie in theaters?:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W4D0lqGWL._AA240_.jpg
(http://www.amazon.com/Before-Devil-Knows-Youre-Dead/dp/B00112S8SC/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1201559852&sr=8-3)
All I've heard is that its got Marisa Tomei nude :drool:

[pimpinc333]

Well I guess i'll ask this question here.

I bought a Toshiba HD-A2 Player from Walmart when they had that sale on 11/2/07. I never thought anything of this but when I power up my player it just freezes on the initial "Welcome" part. To get past this I have to hold done my power button on my player for like 15 seconds so it reboots itself. Then when i restart it back up it works fine. Anyone else run into this?

[Bezerker]

Damn, you could have got a game or $15 out of me for Bourne.

I'd be willing to sell it for $15 shipped if you still want. I'll get it in on Wednesday.

[Sporadic]

Anyone see this movie in theaters?:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W4D0lqGWL._AA240_.jpg
(http://www.amazon.com/Before-Devil-Knows-Youre-Dead/dp/B00112S8SC/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1201559852&sr=8-3)
All I've heard is that its got Marisa Tomei nude :drool:

Nope, but it's going to be a blind buy for me.

It's from the same director that did Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico (two of my favorite movies)

- edit Well I guess i'll ask this question here.

I bought a Toshiba HD-A2 Player from Walmart when they had that sale on 11/2/07. I never thought anything of this but when I power up my player it just freezes on the initial "Welcome" part. To get past this I have to hold done my power button on my player for like 15 seconds so it reboots itself. Then when i restart it back up it works fine. Anyone else run into this?

Never had that problem.

How long are you letting it sit before "rebooting" it? The A2 take a little while to get started.

[KaneRobot]

Crap. Anyone knows if they shitcanned the UFC disc? It's not up on Amazon anymore...just the regular DVD version is up.

[Sporadic]

Crap. Anyone knows if they shitcanned the UFC disc? It's not up on Amazon anymore...just the regular DVD version is up.

As far as I heard, yes.

They canceled my Amazon preorder and the spec's page was taken down on First Look's website.

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=37327

I plan on calling tomorrow to find out what happened.

http://www.firstlookstudios.com/about.aspx

[rsigley]

looking at movie release dates for the next 3 months which will hit DVD when warner is gone:

universal: 6 movies (5 comedy and Doomsday)
paramount: 5 (and 2 paramount vantage)

gonna be some lean times around then

hope they get some good catalog titles lined up for release

[thrustbucket]

The internets are abuzz with rumors of a major announcement from HD DVD either on the night of the 2nd or the 5th. The website has been down as well.

Seeing as how they are are spending 2.8 million on a super bowl ad, I have to assume it's a positive announcement. Has anyone heard what it might be? The strongest guess seems to be just a really strong lineup of hot catalog titles from Uni and Paramount.

[LinkinPrime]

I hope that they bring on Jurassic Park Trilogy and Back To The Future Trilogy :drool:

[CaseyRyback]

I would love a BTTF box set.

[Sporadic]

I hope that they bring on Jurassic Park Trilogy and Back To The Future Trilogy :drool:

I don't think Jurassic Park is possible due to Spielberg but Paramount has been working on a complete remaster of The Godfather series so it's very possible, those will be released this year.

[velvet396]

why would they wait for the 5th? Seems like they'd run an ad on the 3rd, and then "announce" whatever the following day.

Also, I don't have high hopes for the super bowl ad. It's probably just going to be some version of "the look and sound of perfect".

I would love a BTTF box set.
+1,000
Why does Spielberg impede a JP release? Just the first movie out of that series would be fantastic, the dvd doesn't hold up well (just watched it 2 weeks ago).

[Sporadic]

Why does Spielberg impede a JP release? Just the first movie out of that series would be fantastic, the dvd doesn't hold up well (just watched it 2 weeks ago).

He was the director of the first one.

The films he directed seem to be off-limits.

[guyver2077]

wow.. sucks about the ufc disc

[pimpinc333]

Nope, but it's going to be a blind buy for me.

It's from the same director that did Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico (two of my favorite movies)

- edit

Never had that problem.

How long are you letting it sit before "rebooting" it? The A2 take a little while to get started.

I let it sit the one time for over 5 mins. Once I reboot it, and restart it, it only takes about 1 minute before it works right.

[Sporadic]

I let it sit the one time for over 5 mins. Once I reboot it, and restart it, it only takes about 1 minute before it works right.

Ouch, I've never had that happened with my A2.

You did upgrade the firmware, right?

It maybe just a dud player, I'd try calling Toshiba.

[pimpinc333]

Ouch, I've never had that happened with my A2.

You did upgrade the firmware, right?

It maybe just a dud player, I'd try calling Toshiba.

Yea I just upgraded to Firmware 2.8 and it still does it :(

[thrustbucket]

why would they wait for the 5th? Seems like they'd run an ad on the 3rd, and then "announce" whatever the following day.


The rumors I have heard on other forums is that it would go up on their website and/or have an announcement on the night of the 2nd.

[dastly75]

When did Blockbuster start renting out HD DVDs in-store? I saw a good amount of hd dvds for rent and sale at my local blockbuster. Maybe I misunderstood Blockbuster's previous annoucement.

[guyver2077]

never had that issue either with the a2.

[Sporadic]

6 $21.95 imports now available at Xploited

http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170316

[dallow]

Hehe, pretty cool about Naked Beneath The Water.

I'll check it out when I get the chance.

[guyver2077]

may have to pick it up .....

[rsigley]

saw this over on HDD

dvdcrave has jack ryan for $40 shipped (other was $50 shipped)

https://ssl.dvdcrave.com/products/product.jsp?pid=40608

i canceled my order with the other site pretty easy

[CocheseUGA]

I'd be willing to sell it for $15 shipped if you still want. I'll get it in on Wednesday.

Let me see what my finances are like in a couple of days.

[KaneRobot]

Changed the OP, Amazon is listing Naked Beneath the Water for 2/19 now, as is the official site.

[KaneRobot]

Pics of German T2 here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12962224&postcount=95).

Not sure what's up with the menus, they seem to be German and English...on the same screen. The menu at the bottoms says "Untertitel - Deutsch," which I assume means German subtitles, so it appears English will be an option. Crossing fingers.

[Richlough]

Pics of German T2 here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12962224&postcount=95).

Not sure what's up with the menus, they seem to be German and English...on the same screen. The menu at the bottoms says "Untertitel - Deutsch," which I assume means German subtitles, so it appears English will be an option. Crossing fingers.

I'm a total sucker for this movie , I'm pretty sure the Blu-Ray version is being redone as well because they are blowing out the 'old' version pretty cheap .
Probably because of the new TV show .
If that doesn't come through domestically I'll have to import this .

Thanks for the info .

[bill123]

Has anyone even seen the HD version of deadliest catch anywhere. I can only find it through discovery's website. I'd love to buy that on HD but may end up getting it on dvd instead. Also anyone know of codes for the discovery site to maybe get free shipping or a discount? thanks

bill123

[LinkinPrime]

Pics of German T2 here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12962224&postcount=95).

Not sure what's up with the menus, they seem to be German and English...on the same screen. The menu at the bottoms says "Untertitel - Deutsch," which I assume means German subtitles, so it appears English will be an option. Crossing fingers.
I'm definately getting T2:Judgement Day *Ultimate Edition*...to prepare for it, I just got T3 on HD DVD.
Here's a Youtube video showcasing some of the features:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A4UKRwSZZo

On another note, is Invasion buyworthy?

[Deadpool]

^ Sick!

[Richlough]

I'm definately getting T2:Judgement Day *Ultimate Edition*...to prepare for it, I just got T3 on HD DVD.
Here's a Youtube video showcasing some of the features:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A4UKRwSZZo

On another note, is Invasion buyworthy?

Invasion is like the 4th version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' ex , if you've seen one you've seen them all , IMO .

Check this , http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278277/

Treat yourself to a good catalog title instead like Superman II:The Donner Cut or whatever instead .

[rsigley]

i liked the PQ and AQ of the invasion, but didn't care for the movie

also the special features were pretty boring and lacking

only one of them was a little interesting, talking about how viruses can spread and take over a world quickly

the other two were really short and pointless

[Sporadic]

For a "dead format", the HD-DVD add-on flew off the virtual shelves today in Amazon's DotD.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170756

[dallow]

Things are looking up!

[Sporadic]

Things are looking up!

Not really, things are about the same through my vantage point. Of course, I never bought into that whole "dead format, it's only a matter of time" bullshit FUD. I knew that it would take a month or two for the wake of Warner's decision to finally die down.

-----------------

Weird enough, it's reported that HD-DVD will also be getting the Dirty Harry boxset.

Warner Bros. will release all "Dirty Harry" movies on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray this second quarter.

In a recent held press conference it was revealed that all five movies will be released in new special editions. A "Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collector's Edition" box will also be released on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Feel lucky punk?

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/all-dirty-harry-movies-on-dvd-hd-dvd-and-blu-ray/5197

Fantastic news for me. The three movies I was really going to miss with Warner going exclusive were I Am Legend, Dirty Harry and The Shawshank Redemption. 2 out of 3 isn't bad at all.

[LinkinPrime]

XBOX 360 HD DVD Player officially drops to $129.99
This just in: The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360hddvdplayer/) price has dropped from $179.99 to $129.99 (U.S. MSRP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSRP).) This new price is effective immediately in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Combine the new price with the 5 free HD DVD offer (http://assets.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/hddvd/Xbox360_HDDVDOffer.pdf) and it’s a pretty good deal.
http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/02/06/xbox-360-hd-dvd-player-price-drop-now-us-129-99.aspx

[Sporadic]

Still not as cheap as the HD-A3 on Amazon but it's a good deal if you have your 360 hooked up via VGA (my monitor doesn't have HDMI so the 360 add-on is the best I can do)

[KaneRobot]

I'm baffled as to why this price drop isn't to 99 bucks, but whatever. It should have been 99 bucks six months ago. At least it seems to be selling quickly.

Regardless, the standalones are so cheap now that there's no reason not to just get an A30 or better, unless space is an issue.

[guyver2077]

nice to see a drop on these. I purchased this on day one and dont regret it one bit.

Hopefully more ppl jump aboard.

Honestly though since the warner announcement my movie buying on either format has been pretty much dead.

[KaneRobot]

Space Ace (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Digital_Leisure/High-Def_Gaming/Disc_Announcements/Space_Ace_Rockets_to_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD/1436)

I heard the HD DVD Dragon's Lair was a bit stinky, but this has at least mildly interested me since a) I always preferred Space Ace anyway and b) The online thing that's exclusive to the HD DVD version.

Yeah, it'll probably be terrible, but at least...uh...I don't know how to finish that statement.

[Sporadic]

Blah, who needs Warner when we have ZOMBIE FARM being released through the Indie HD-DVD program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGjfVgei5CY
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Farm-HD-DVD/dp/B0013I1J1W

It seems to be 1440x1080 upconverted to 1080i

- edit And Birthrite

http://www.amazon.com/Birthrite-HD-DVD/dp/B0013HXB28

http://www.birthritemovie.com/

[dallow]

Blah, who needs Warner when we have ZOMBIE FARM being released through the Indie HD-DVD program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGjfVgei5CY
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Farm-HD-DVD/dp/B0013I1J1W

It seems to be 1440x1080 upconverted to 1080i

- edit And Birthrite

http://www.amazon.com/Birthrite-HD-DVD/dp/B0013HXB28

http://www.birthritemovie.com/You can play those on BD players too since it's just bitstarved VC-1 files burned onto dual layer DVDs.

[godhatesjustyou]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before but here goes:

Since Warner Bros will be stopping the production of HD-DVD movies, what're the chances of the last two Harry Potter films coming to HD-DVD going to be? Because I was going to pick up the 5 movie set, but if they're not going to release the last 2 films for HD-DVD, I might as well pick up the BD one so I can finish off the collection in the future.

[LinkinPrime]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before but here goes:

Since Warner Bros will be stopping the production of HD-DVD movies, what're the chances of the last two Harry Potter films coming to HD-DVD going to be? Because I was going to pick up the 5 movie set, but if they're not going to release the last 2 films for HD-DVD, I might as well pick up the BD one so I can finish off the collection in the future.

All we get is the first 5 unless they go dual or HD DVD exclusive later on...which is highly unlikely.

[godhatesjustyou]

All we get is the first 5 unless they go dual or HD DVD exclusive later on...which is highly unlikely.

Bah, as I thought. Thanks for confirming though.

[Sporadic]

Paramount sale going on at Amazon.

http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=171034

[guyver2077]

man ive been trying to watch 2001: space odyssey for like a week now and i just can get into this movie..

its "brilliance" is definitely not appealing to me

[Sporadic]

man ive been trying to watch 2001: space odyssey for like a week now and i just can get into this movie..

its "brilliance" is definitely not appealing to me

Just hold out. It has alot of fluff but the HAL storyline is amazing.

Funny HD DVD movie
REMOVED

reported

[KaneRobot]

Added this week's stuff. Was it you that said the GGW release was terrible, Sporadic? I know someone here was saying it was really tame.


reported


LOL. Someone PM me the details.

[Sporadic]

Added this week's stuff. Was it you that said the GGW release was terrible, Sporadic? I know someone here was saying it was really tame.

LOL. Someone PM me the details.

Yeah, it was me.

I watched the DVD and it sucked. No good stuff like the Girl Power series and it's "hosted" by some no-name rapper.

-----------

Nothing too funny, he was just spamming that stupid HD-DVD is like Hitler in Downfall video in multiple HD-DVD related threads.

[guyver2077]

allright so we are finally getting close to some big name releases finally..

BEOWULF
AMERICAN GANGSTER
BEE MOVIE

about time.. hope these sell a bit

[anomynous]

allright so we are finally getting close to some big name releases finally..

BEOWULF
AMERICAN GANGSTER
BEE MOVIE

about time.. hope these sell a bit

I would get American Gangster, but since HD DVD doesn't get the extended version on the HD side, I'll just get the normal DVD

[LinkinPrime]

FYI: An open box Blade Runner Ultimate Edition on sale at Warehousedeals.com $49.69
http://www.warehousedeals.com/Blade-Runner-FiveDisc-Ultimate-Collectors-Edition/M/B000R5N1MC.htm
Manufacturer shrink-wrap missing.
There's a few available but only one without a dent in the box.

[thrustbucket]

So are we not getting shoot em up anymore?

[anomynous]

So are we not getting shoot em up anymore?

nope

[KaneRobot]

man ive been trying to watch 2001: space odyssey for like a week now and i just can get into this movie..

its "brilliance" is definitely not appealing to me

It's a love it or hate it movie.

Originally I didn't like it either when I first saw it several years ago. As time went on I appreciated it more. Regrettably (but obviously since I'm in my 20s), I never got to see it in theaters, and some of the effect is lost on the smaller screen. This was absolutely mind-blowing when it was released. With all the eye-candy films we've had over the past two or three decades some people seem to find it harder to appreciate it, even if it has and atmosphere and feel to it that far surpasses just about any other movie out there.

[guyver2077]

man if this netflix thing is true im gonna be real pissed...

[Sporadic]

First No Country For Old Men preorder link is up.

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item_tt.zml?pid=798761&rid=0007593423

April 24th and it would be about $38.93 shipped.

[guyver2077]

I would get American Gangster, but since HD DVD doesn't get the extended version on the HD side, I'll just get the normal DVD


ppl are saying its a minute diff. No way id pick up a dvd version over the hd version

[Sporadic]

ppl are saying its a minute diff. No way id pick up a dvd version over the hd version

It's 17 minutes but it doesn't matter since the theatrical cut is Sir Ridley Scott's preferred version.

[guyver2077]

It's 17 minutes but it doesn't matter since the theatrical cut is Sir Ridley Scott's preferred version.

ok.. but thats still on the dvd side correct?

[Sporadic]

ok.. but thats still on the dvd side correct?

Yeah, the extended and the theatrical are on the DVD side while only the theatrical is on the HD-DVD side.

[doubledown]

Netlfix to drop HD-DVD:

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWEN388420080211

[Sporadic]

Netlfix to drop HD-DVD:

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWEN388420080211

:) Makes me glad I have a Blockbuster Online account.

[doubledown]

:) Makes me glad I have a Blockbuster Online account.


Just curious, how has the HD supply there been? When I was a member they were always on some kind of wait...both HD/BD. Now, Netflix is the same way, so I cannot win with either service it appears.

[Sporadic]

Just curious, how has the HD supply there been? When I was a member they were always on some kind of wait...both HD/BD. Now, Netflix is the same way, so I cannot win with either service it appears.

They have gotten alot better.

Alot of the catalog titles/new releases are available while brand new releases are usually short wait if you jump on after release.

[KaneRobot]

It's only a matter of time before Blockbuster drops them as well, so I wouldn't get too comfortable.



I never rent so this news registers about 2/100 for me on the importance scale.

[LinkinPrime]

Anyone know how much renting really affects sales of hardware?

[Lice]

If blockbusteronline drops rentals of HDdvd's then there would be no way for me to rent a HDdvd if I wanted too. If people cant rent, thats huge.

The clock is ticking.

[doubledown]

If blockbusteronline drops rentals of HDdvd's then there would be no way for me to rent a HDdvd if I wanted too. If people cant rent, thats huge.

The clock is ticking.


Agreed....I used to buy all my DVD's, then I realized I only watched them once and that was about it. Now I just rent. I may buy a disc if it is something I REALLY want...but it is slim now. I even have DVD's I haven't watched ever in years. I started to pull some off my shelves and put them on EBAY...just have to get the time to list them all.

I think rentals are a decent portion of people's watching.

[DestroVega]

I have both formats and was really happy you could get both on Netflix, so this news sucks balls. I know HD-DVD will fade out in time, but I thought I could at least rent them till it was gone.

[guyver2077]

just got the email fron netflix... those asses.

and they make it pretty impossible to email them to complain

[thrustbucket]

Wonder if Sony was behind it.

However, Blockbuster has been getting it's ass kicked by netflix for a while now and anything they can do to differentiate from them they might hold on to.

[doubledown]

Got my e-mail also:


We're Going Blu-ray

Dear John,

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

You can click here to change your format preferences.

We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

[Lice]

I know they sell used dvd there, if any of you guys who are members could let us know if they offer HDdvds for sale anytime soon it would be greatly appreciated.

[anomynous]

It's 17 minutes but it doesn't matter since the theatrical cut is Sir Ridley Scott's preferred version.

But this is Ridley Scott we're talking about, he might decide down the line to do another cut of the movie. Then he'll do another one. Then a final one 25 years from now.

[Sporadic]

But this is Ridley Scott we're talking about, he might decide down the line to do another cut of the movie. Then he'll do another one. Then a final one 25 years from now.

Not really.

He had control of this movie, the studio didn't butcher it and there's no real reason why he would redo it.

[Lice]

Best Buy to Recommend Blu-ray over HD DVD

Mon Feb 11, 2008 at 04:17 PM ET
http://www.highdefdigest.com/images/post/5/5129/original.jpeg
The nation's largest consumer electronics retailer says it will recommend Blu-ray as its preferred high-def format.
According to a just-issued press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080211/20080211006384.html?.v=1), Best Buy says that in endorsing Blu-ray, the company hopes to take a step forward in addressing consumer confusion about high-definition formats
"Consumers have told us that they want us to help lead the way. We've listened to our customers, and we are responding," said Brian Dunn, Best Buy's president and chief operating officer. "Our decision to shine a spotlight on Blu-ray Disc players and other Blu-ray products is a strong signal to our customers that we believe Blu-ray is the right format choice for them."

The news amounts to a one-two punch on the heels of this morning's announcement from Netflix (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_Disc_Rentals/Netflix/Netflix_Goes_Blu-ray_Exclusive/1451) that it would drop HD DVD support.
Though Best Buy says it will continue to carry an assortment of HD DVD products, beginning in early March it says it will more prominently showcase and recommend Blu-ray hardware and software products.
"Best Buy has always believed that the customer will benefit from a widely-accepted single format that would offer advantages such as product compatibility and expanded content choices," explained Dunn. "Because we believe that Blu-ray is fast emerging as that single format, we have decided to focus on Blu-ray products."

What is going on TODAY!?!?!

Its not like they weren't favoring blu already but now its official.

[gunm]

I wonder what Toshiba is going to do? In a way, I wish they'd just throw in the towel already, if only for their own financial well-being. I don't think they can afford to bleed money like Microsoft. Too bad I bought most of the HD-DVDs I really wanted as there should be some even nicer clearance sales other than the big 50% off stuff that's been happening lately.

[rsigley]

i remember reading an article from netflix where they said there was a slight edge in HD DVD renting, forget how long ago it was from

a lot must of changed since then

about best buy, sucks, but i could see them being more likely to do some liquidation type sale, B1G1 on all movies, B1G2 maybe something like that for the shelf space

so i hope that comes soon :D

persoanlly, i'm just going to keep supporting HD DVD until the end unless there's a difference in the titles (i.e. I Am Legend - I will be picking up the blu due to the extra content)

random, but has there been a B1G1 at amazon since the warner announcement? Or just these 50% off sales

[Sporadic]

I have some HD-DVDs on sale....again

http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171498

If you don't have any of the Kubrick films, you should buy them immediately (from me :D)

[rsigley]

naked beneath the water got delayed til 3/4 now

wonder if its ever going to come out

[CocheseUGA]

Netlfix to drop HD-DVD:

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWEN388420080211

I saw that just now. I have had a Netflix account for awhile, but picked up a BBO account for a month for the YF360G.com deal. May switch my alliegence to BBO as long as they have HD rentals.

[guyver2077]

the funny thing is im pretty sure that i closed my bb account because

a: they sucked
b: they were putting bd over

[LinkinPrime]

Kinda sad that this is all the supporting words we get from Toshiba:
"We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward. While the Best Buy announcement says they will recommend Blu-ray, at least they will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail."http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Netflix/Best_Buy/HD_DVD_Group_Responds_to_Netflix,_Best_Buy_News/1457

Still waiting for the retaliation with a huge announcement of upcoming titles that will save the day...*sigh*

[guyver2077]

seriously toshiba are just taking a beating.. they have no offense whatsoever. Why cant for once they come out and release some positive news.

How about:

"Weinstein back on board"

" 4th gen players"

"Paramount and Universal are not going anywhere"


i imagine a big corp. office with a small cubicle in the basement for the hd dvd crew to plan out their "Strategy"

They just plain suck ass as much as it hurts to admit.

It gets annoying to see the same damn response to every news. Expect cc to turn "officially" very soon as well.

Expect amazon to be our only place to order by the end of year

[rsigley]

i just wish universal or paramount would announce more titles

universal has 1 release in feb (american gangster) and 1 in march (fletch), and 0 in april currently

paramount has a couple more movies, but most of the feb/march releases are either independent companies or warner delays

meanwhile march for blu ray looks really strong, especially march 11th

[Sporadic]

i just wish universal or paramount would announce more titles

universal has 1 release in feb (american gangster) and 1 in march (fletch), and 0 in april currently

paramount has a couple more movies, but most of the feb/march releases are either independent companies or warner delays

meanwhile march for blu ray looks really strong, especially march 11th

They are coming, from Paramount, Sweeney Todd and Cloverfield are suppose to come some time in April.

You should also expect Atonement and Charlie Wilson's War to get a date from Universal sometime soon.

-------------

Also wtf I just saw a commerical for The Amateurs on Comedy Central.

[rsigley]

yea i guess, i never took a marketing class in college, but it seems like with all the anti hd dvd news recently one of the companies would step up and announce titles or something

[KaneRobot]

seriously toshiba are just taking a beating.. they have no offense whatsoever. Why cant for once they come out and release some positive news.

Well, considering that they were like 48 hours away from nuking Blu-Ray before Sony swooped in and grabbed Warner, they probably had much different plans from now until Summer. It takes a while to redo your entire strategy, especially when your arsenal is suddenly looking pretty meager.

[Richlough]

...I don't want to bring it up in the HD DVD thread, but I find it hilarious that Kane Robot thinks HD DVD was "48 hours away from nuking Blu-Ray" before the Warner deal. LOL.

I didn't say anything .:-\"

[CaseyRyback]

If anyone hasn't bought Zodiac yet, amazon has it for 20 bucks. Great demo material and one of the best movies I have seen in a while.

[guyver2077]

what a dissapointing review for american gangster

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1292/americangangster.html

keep the bad news rollin

[mykevermin]

I didn't say anything .:-\"

I don't care if you want to bring attention to what I said, but there's a reason I didn't post it here, darlin'.

[Richlough]

I don't care if you want to bring attention to what I said, but there's a reason I didn't post it here, darlin'.

OK , sugar .

[unlickedcub]

naked beneath the water got delayed til 3/4 now

wonder if its ever going to come out

We're still working on getting that title out. The problem is that not only are the retailers dropping HD-DVD, but so are the replication/authoring houses.

We put together the DVD wraparound:

http://a171.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/80/l_3387f734bd24ac80624d347138c739ba.jpg

Not too bad, eh?

[KaneRobot]

I don't care if you want to bring attention to what I said, but there's a reason I didn't post it here, darlin'.

So let's hear it. I can't say I've followed it any more beyond Warner (and supposedly Fox) were set to go to HD DVD before Sony picked them just a few days before the announcement. Did this get disproven or something?

[guyver2077]

OK , sugar .


lmao

[dallow]

We're still working on getting that title out. The problem is that not only are the retailers dropping HD-DVD, but so are the replication/authoring houses. Now that's an interesting insight.

Planning a BD version sometime in the future?

[Sporadic]

New rumor, There Will Be Blood will be released 4/8/08 on HD-DVD with a two disc set.

[mykevermin]

So let's hear it. I can't say I've followed it any more beyond Warner (and supposedly Fox) were set to go to HD DVD before Sony picked them just a few days before the announcement. Did this get disproven or something?

The "WB/Fox alliance" certainly was incorrect. In addition, the idea that business moves like this rarely, if ever, take place literally "overnight," so any suggestion that WB saw an offer from BDA and, in the course of 2 days (if that) left HD DVD hanging when the latter thought they were going to acquire their exclusivity, is pure conjecture.

Fox has denied any involvement in the affair. I can find the links if you want later on, but I'm quite busy today.

We can continue this in the format war thread, as I don't want to gain the ire of the folks here.

[thrustbucket]

The "WB/Fox alliance" certainly was incorrect. In addition, the idea that business moves like this rarely, if ever, take place literally "overnight," so any suggestion that WB saw an offer from BDA and, in the course of 2 days (if that) left HD DVD hanging when the latter thought they were going to acquire their exclusivity, is pure conjecture.

Fox has denied any involvement in the affair. I can find the links if you want later on, but I'm quite busy today.

We can continue this in the format war thread, as I don't want to gain the ire of the folks here.

Of course there was nothing officially admitted by anyone in this event. However, I followed the insider thread on avsforum closely before it was closed, and many people in the industry, with high up friends were all telling the exact same story from multiple sources. That's pretty much good enough for me.

Nobody claimed a timeframe, WB could have been playing both sides right up until the end, it really isn't that uncommon. The Fox thing was very hush hush, and many sources do corroborate that Toshiba was in heavy talks with Fox, in order to win WB.

Besides, if what you say is correct, why would Toshiba/HD DVD have a 3 hour event planned for CES that they cancel 12 hours after the WB announcement? Was that planned too?

But, like I said, you are never going to see official statements regarding any of this - inside anonymous sources are about all you are going to get.

[Sporadic]

Of course there was nothing officially admitted by anyone in this event. However, I followed the insider thread on avsforum closely before it was closed, and many people in the industry, with high up friends were all telling the exact same story from multiple sources. That's pretty much good enough for me.

Nobody claimed a timeframe, WB could have been playing both sides right up until the end, it really isn't that uncommon. The Fox thing was very hush hush, and many sources do corroborate that Toshiba was in heavy talks with Fox, in order to win WB.

Besides, if what you say is correct, why would Toshiba/HD DVD have a 3 hour event planned for CES that they cancel 12 hours after the WB announcement? Was that planned too?

But, like I said, you are never going to see official statements regarding any of this - inside anonymous sources are about all you are going to get.

Ken Graffeo said that he found out about Warner's move, literally, on the way to CES.

[mykevermin]

Of course there was nothing officially admitted by anyone in this event. However, I followed the insider thread on avsforum closely before it was closed, and many people in the industry, with high up friends were all telling the exact same story from multiple sources. That's pretty much good enough for me.

Nobody claimed a timeframe, WB could have been playing both sides right up until the end, it really isn't that uncommon. The Fox thing was very hush hush, and many sources do corroborate that Toshiba was in heavy talks with Fox, in order to win WB.

Besides, if what you say is correct, why would Toshiba/HD DVD have a 3 hour event planned for CES that they cancel 12 hours after the WB announcement? Was that planned too?

But, like I said, you are never going to see official statements regarding any of this - inside anonymous sources are about all you are going to get.

If you want to believe Amir and co., be my guest. :lol: It doesn't change anything.

[flybrione]

what a dissapointing review for american gangster

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1292/americangangster.html

keep the bad news rollin

I was pretty disappointed in this review also and I just cancelled my HD DVD order. I think I'll just get the regular two disc dvd instead.

I was really looking forward to it but when they don't put the extended version on HD or have the same extras as the standard two disc dvd its just not worth the extra money.

[cuco33]

My take on WB/Fox and the format war since it's in discussion... Warner was being sweet talked by both sides. I thought they would hold out until Summer the latest before making a move but looking at declining DVD sales (about 5%) and since they had some 20%+ market share in SD, that's too big to hold out on. They knew they had to make a decision then and there. BDA just offered the better deal.

I don't doubt that Fox was pissed at the BDA, I mean they seemed to have been left out in the cold with BD+ on their own as well as the hardware CEMs not living up to expectations (hence why they publicly lashed at Samsung and LG). Maybe they were planning to go neutral, it would give them a boost in disk sales if current disk sales were lack luster, sans day and date releases. I think Tosh was persuading to go over and Warner, due to them having the new interest to end the war, most likely wanted assurance that the war would end. I wouldn't doubt Fox staying Blu and the payments/incentives ended up being the better deal for Warner. This is business. It's about money in the end. Sadly we will never know the details on the move. Anyone who thinks Warner went Blu out of the goodness of their heart, neglecting their favored HD DVD support, is beyond naive. They never were a fan of game consoles for movies but the PS3 I think proved itself to be the mainstream Blu player out of the lot of BD SAs.

Toshiba had their chances. But I blame them and them only for losing this war. Many times they were out but not out. Reminds me of Rocky, always coming back. But in the end they failed to market the format right, failed to get more support, etc.

[psychobrawler]

R.I.P. HD DVD.

The netflix e-mail sealed if for me. I've avoided buying a lot of discs, but I've enjoyed renting them. With netflix closing that off, I'm ditching my crap and keeping an eye out on blu ray deals.

If anyone wants to make me a reasonable offer on the 360 add on w/ remote and King Kong, PM me. I've also got the first 4 Harry Potter movies to sell off...

[Sporadic]

R.I.P. HD DVD.

The netflix e-mail sealed if for me. I've avoided buying a lot of discs, but I've enjoyed renting them. With netflix closing that off, I'm ditching my crap and keeping an eye out on blu ray deals.

If anyone wants to make me a reasonable offer on the 360 add on w/ remote and King Kong, PM me. I've also got the first 4 Harry Potter movies to sell off...

???

You know that Blockbuster Online rents HD-DVDs, right?

[thrustbucket]

If you want to believe Amir and co., be my guest. :lol: It doesn't change anything.

Amir didn't say anything, he isn't/wasn't in it anymore. Bluray insiders corroborated the story too, and independents like Dave Vaugn.

No, their hearsay from their sources wouldn't hold up in a court of law, but it's a lot more informative than the crickets chirping through official channels.

[thrustbucket]

???

You know that Blockbuster Online rents HD-DVDs, right?

There are a lot of people that have almost a cult-like following for Netflix. Obviously some of them are more loyal to Netflix than HD DVD.

[psychobrawler]

???

You know that Blockbuster Online rents HD-DVDs, right?

Actually, I didn't know that - I was misinformed by a co-worker who used Blockbuster that they weren't carrying them on line. Funny, cause she was actually switching to netflix to get blu ray...

There are a lot of people that have almost a cult-like following for Netflix. Obviously some of them are more loyal to Netflix than HD DVD.

Maybe because netflix will still be here in 5 years...

Jokes aside, I'm not loyal to shit. Including HD DVD. I bought the add on cause it was the cheapest route to HD videos at the time, and HD seemed to be superior in a lot of ways to Blu Ray. For better or worse (probably worse) it seems pretty clear what the outcome of this HD format war is. It's not a 50/50 split between studios any more. I'm very frustrated with the noise problem of my 360 while using the add on, and I'd rather go ahead and switch then to buy a different HD player. I'm not investing any more money in something that on a short trip to no where.

[anomynous]

But as a warning BB online has big waits on most of their HD DVDs. At least before I got rid of them.

[mykevermin]

Amir didn't say anything, he isn't/wasn't in it anymore. Bluray insiders corroborated the story too, and independents like Dave Vaugn.

No, their hearsay from their sources wouldn't hold up in a court of law, but it's a lot more informative than the crickets chirping through official channels.

Dave Vaughn is no more an insider than you or I.

[KaneRobot]

The "WB/Fox alliance" certainly was incorrect.
I was skeptical of that in the first place and I'm still not fully convinced about it...I said right after that rumor popped up that it sounded like HD fanfic, but whatever. Enough reputable people have mentioned it that I'm not going to argue about it, and I'm not going to just write it off with "well, if you want to actually believe that..." when the people saying it are more certainly reliable for info than anyone on this forum.

Now if people really believe that the Blu-Ray side actually had the deal wrapped up more than a few days in advance...well, whatever gets them through the night. Not sure what the "LOL"ing was about, as it's pretty clear it would have been fatal to Blu-Ray in the end if Warner had taken the other path. Whichever side they didn't go with gets the lethal injection and withers away. Obviously the Blu-Ray side understood that, since they dumped half a billion dollars (give or take a hundred million or two) on the Warner front porch.

Not to say both of them won't necessarily die off anyway, but that's another thread.

I don't want to gain the ire of the folks here.
I don't post in that thread, and there's no real "ire" here. Only way that happens is if you start acting like a dick. This is just as much HD DVD related as it is Blu-Ray so it doesn't seem that big of a deal.

[thrustbucket]

Dave Vaughn is no more an insider than you or I.

Well he himself may not be.

I don't know about you, but I don't have contacts "In the know" in studios and other corporations that I keep regular contact with... Because of his job, he does.

If you want to insinuate he is a liar, question his credibility or suggest he is being fed misinformation by multiple sources, then I guess there really isn't anything to discuss...since I can't prove otherwise.

But to me, from everything I've read, from multiple sources corroborating the same story, suggests to me with a very high probability the story is mostly true. The biggest evidence being - nobody has outright denied it happened as rumored.

[mykevermin]

Fox did.

[thrustbucket]

Fox did.

I hate to beat a dead horse. But come on. If you were Fox, accused/guilty of doing what this story says, wouldn't you deny it too?

Basically Fox was playing the crybaby bitch in this scenario. It would be a PR nightmare for them to admit or have it be known how they behaved.

[CocheseUGA]

Fox did.

I trust the people at Fox just about as far as I can piss on them.

The whole studio/corporation can fuck off as far as I'm concerned.

[mykevermin]

I hate to beat a dead horse. But come on. If you were Fox, accused/guilty of doing what this story says, wouldn't you deny it too?

Basically Fox was playing the crybaby bitch in this scenario. It would be a PR nightmare for them to admit or have it be known how they behaved.

You said "nobody has outright denied it as rumored." I said "Fox did," because they did.

Warner did too, as I recall.

Whether you think they're covering something up is immaterial, because what you've said at a base level is demonstrably untrue.

[thrustbucket]

Whether you think they're covering something up is immaterial, because what you've said at a base level is demonstrably untrue unprovable.

Fixed.

[Bezerker]

*Gasp*, Sony paid money to get someone exclusive? Good thing HD-DVD never did that.

Back on topic. I posted it in the deal thread, but Deepdiscount has a store through Buy.com, meaning you can get the $10 off $10. $2.30-$8.30 shipped is a great price. Unfortunately my address seems to have been banned from GCO otherwise i'd be all over this sale. Still, $24.60 for Tremors & Dawn of the Dead is a great price.

[guyver2077]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Toshiba/Report:_Toshiba_to_Drop_HD_DVD/1468

looks like this is coming to the close....

its been fun guys especially everyone who stayed till the end

[Sporadic]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Toshiba/Report:_Toshiba_to_Drop_HD_DVD/1468

looks like this is coming to the close....

its been fun guys especially everyone who stayed till the end

I don't believe that for a second.

Why would they pull out now when they still have Paramount locked in until the end of the year?

[guyver2077]

i know but every bit of news as of late is all negative.

im just expecting this to be true and be done with it.

maybe sony offered them $$ lol

[mykevermin]

Fixed.

If you think so. If you say "nobody's denied it," and someone has, in fact, denied it, my grammar senses tingle in the direction of "untrue" rather than "unprovable."

But that's the last I'll say on the subject.

[KaneRobot]

I wouldn't necessarily throw in 100% with a Hollywood Reporter article, although they are certainly more credible than "Random Annoying Blogger". That said, I almost hope that report is true, I wouldn't mind a firesale A35 right now. I keep putting it off since the price keeps dipping, but if Toshiba says screw it and abandons ship, you'll probably be able to get one for sub-200 bucks.

[dallow]

I don't believe that for a second.

Why would they pull out now when they still have Paramount locked in until the end of the year?Because they're bleeding money on their cheap players that they dropped in price too quickly.




Toshiba UK is refusing to comment on widespread speculation on the net that the company is just weeks away from pulling the plug on the HD DVD format.

A spokeswoman for the company's London PR agency, Nelson Bostock, told us: "We are aware of the speculation, but have no comment – there is no information I can give you at the moment."


http://whathifi.com/home-cinema/archive/2008/02/15/news-toshiba-uk-refuses-to-comment-on-speculation-that-the-end-is-nigh-for-hd-dvd.aspx

[SteveMcQ]

D'oh. Way to fuck things up Toshiba. Such a shame if it's true. The hardware was arguably more refined. At least we've got some decent upconverting DVD players.

[mykevermin]

http://whathifi.com/home-cinema/archive/2008/02/15/news-toshiba-uk-refuses-to-comment-on-speculation-that-the-end-is-nigh-for-hd-dvd.aspx

No comment? She's just trying to make Toshiba USA's PR person look good with her boilerplate responses.

[KaneRobot]

The hardware was arguably more refined.
Yes, yes...arguably. It's ok, may as well be diplomatic. Good job ;)

At least we've got some decent upconverting DVD players.
That happen to play HD DVDs!

[guyver2077]

i still havent seen the last potter.. anyone down to test out the net features of that movie?

[guyver2077]

im so pissed... this numb nuts left me bad feedback on amazon

"The transaction went well until I recieved the DVD and found out that the DVD did not work with my HD DVD. I contacted the seller several times to get info to return. He only wanted to give me solutions to fix it. To update my HD DVD. I felt like this info should have been disclosed up front. His response was that it was not his responsibility to keep my DVD updated"
Date: 2/15/2008 Rated by Buyer: Larry H.

[Sporadic]

im so pissed... this numb nuts left me bad feedback on amazon

"The transaction went well until I recieved the DVD and found out that the DVD did not work with my HD DVD. I contacted the seller several times to get info to return. He only wanted to give me solutions to fix it. To update my HD DVD. I felt like this info should have been disclosed up front. His response was that it was not his responsibility to keep my DVD updated"
Date: 2/15/2008 Rated by Buyer: Larry H.

Blah, hit him back preferably with a link to Toshiba's site telling people to update the firmware on their player.

Also, today has inspired me to add a signature.

[captainfrizo]

im so pissed... this numb nuts left me bad feedback on amazon

"The transaction went well until I recieved the DVD and found out that the DVD did not work with my HD DVD. I contacted the seller several times to get info to return. He only wanted to give me solutions to fix it. To update my HD DVD. I felt like this info should have been disclosed up front. His response was that it was not his responsibility to keep my DVD updated"
Date: 2/15/2008 Rated by Buyer: Larry H.

That sucks. I ran into a similar incident on eBay where I was given negative feedback in retaliation to the negative feedback I left for the seller. I won a HD-DVD auction and was shipped the standard DVD release. I left negative feedback claiming the seller didn't ship the right item from the auction.

His reason for giving me negative feedback: "eBay mislisted my auction. buyer got full refund." At least I think it was something like that, English isn't his strong suit, at all. Yep, negative feedback because some dumb-ass was too lazy to double check his auction listing before he had it go live and I called him out on it after wasting my time trying to get in touch with him and having to send the movie back out for the refund.

It never ceases to amaze me how completely idiotic and unreasonable people can be.

Anyhow, getting back on topic:

It does seem that this format war appears to be just about finished up and that's a bummer. Even though I'm now in both camps I still preferred HD-DVD to Blu-Ray. At least we should be able to find some great deals on the inevitable firesales as retailers get rid of inventories.

[KaneRobot]

Unless we hear Toshiba calling bullshit on all this news on Monday or Tuesday, I'll start preparing a postmortem update for the OP. Or more likely a replacement thread.

Bring ya cryin' towel.

[captainfrizo]

I just checked eBay for "HD-DVD." The last few days there's been about 2,500 auctions, down from around the WB announcement and the initial panic that caused. Today it's back up to around 4,500 again. Looks like the firesale from the user base is back into full effect.

[HeadRusch]

Cmon, hopefully nobody here was stupid enough to believe HDDVD had a chance in the long run, Sony had too many important studios...HDDVD had a few converts but it was clear that with so many PS3's being sold that the sway would go in the Sony direction. Anyone with at least half a brain knew this years ago...before the players were out, it was always an uphill battle for HDDVD due to Studio commitments.

What is surprising is that HDDVD wrapped up so soon, I figured it would linger on for 1-2 more years before really coming to a screeching halt. Now Toshiba is just going to cut its losses and be done with it. Makes business sense, since HDDVD market penetration isn't particularly deep at this point...they're just saying "Lets piss off a million people instead of a couple million people".


What is a shame is that now HDDVD could actually gain a foothold if they released RECORDABLE HDDVD's to the PC market, and keep selling the players. Since Sony has no plans to release any BD Burners in the states anytime soon. All of us with HD-camcorders are still looking for a medium to put them on disc (when a DL-DVDR only holds like 30 minutes at high quality) an hour or more at a time so we dont have to wear out the camcorders playing, editing, copying back to tape and then playing back on the camcorder.


Stil...that would be rich...using HDDVD-R's to burn rips of BD movies :D

[anomynous]

Bye HD DVD. Now Wal Mart's Blu only, that's the end

[guyver2077]

Blah, hit him back preferably with a link to Toshiba's site telling people to update the firmware on their player.

Also, today has inspired me to add a signature.

I did point them to the site, copied and pasted the info to an email, and pointed them to the white insert that comes inside the movie.

From buyer:

You are very welcome and don't email me again or I will report this as harassment!

From me:

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 1:05 pm
Subject: Re: Return policy inquiry from Amazon customer xxx

Thank you very much for that wonderful feedback.

I offerred my assistance for no extra charge and you still decided that this was my fault. Every new release movie comes with a white insert stating to make sure your player is updated. This is common knowledge and i should of not been held responsible.

Thanks again.

[KaneRobot]

I did point them to the site, copied and pasted the info to an email, and pointed them to the white insert that comes inside the movie.

From buyer:

You are very welcome and don't email me again or I will report this as harassment!

From me:

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 1:05 pm
Subject: Re: Return policy inquiry from Amazon customer xxx

Thank you very much for that wonderful feedback.

I offerred my assistance for no extra charge and you still decided that this was my fault. Every new release movie comes with a white insert stating to make sure your player is updated. This is common knowledge and i should of not been held responsible.

Thanks again.

Oh no! Not HARASSMENT! Screw it, you should give him some more shit over it. Not like he's going to leave double-negative feedback or something. Hell, give ME his address and I'll mess with him.

I generally wouldn't care, but these techno-ignorant dipshits who blame others after they jump in headfirst without doing research annoy the hell out of me. I can appreciate the sentiment of "I should just plug it in and it should work," but that's not reality anymore.

[dallow]

That guy is a douche.
I also would like to email him.

What is a shame is that now HDDVD could actually gain a foothold if they released RECORDABLE HDDVD's to the PC market, and keep selling the players. Since Sony has no plans to release any BD Burners in the states anytime soon. All of us with HD-camcorders are still looking for a medium to put them on disc (when a DL-DVDR only holds like 30 minutes at high quality) an hour or more at a time so we dont have to wear out the camcorders playing, editing, copying back to tape and then playing back on the camcorder.


Stil...that would be rich...using HDDVD-R's to burn rips of BD movies There are burners in the USA, there's a whole thread about burning BD's at AVS, and you wouldn't be able to copy them on to HD DVD-R's because the bitrates exceed the limit of HD DVD.

[Sporadic]

I did point them to the site, copied and pasted the info to an email, and pointed them to the white insert that comes inside the movie.

From buyer:

You are very welcome and don't email me again or I will report this as harassment!

From me:

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 1:05 pm
Subject: Re: Return policy inquiry from Amazon customer xxx

Thank you very much for that wonderful feedback.

I offerred my assistance for no extra charge and you still decided that this was my fault. Every new release movie comes with a white insert stating to make sure your player is updated. This is common knowledge and i should of not been held responsible.

Thanks again.

No, I meant leave bad feedback for him (should be possible right?) and state that he's a belligerent idiot who refused your help.

[guyver2077]

i did respond to his feedback stating i offered help but buyer was reluctant.

If i remember correctly though the buyers were an older couple (i had no prob though walking them through the simple process)

[staplerwow]

Toshiba ceases HD-DVD hardware production. It's over, guys...

[KaneRobot]

Working on OP update

Update - done. Bigger update/revised OP will be coming sometime this week. For those shopping, the only two notable releases next week are American Gangster and The Invasion.

[SteveMcQ]

The winner is you Blu-Ray.

I wonder if we'll still get the free HD-DVDs that we sent in for? Still waiting for mine....

[thrustbucket]

Toshiba ceases HD-DVD hardware production. It's over, guys...

I am not calling you a liar, and I know there was a news story out of Japan that said this, but I have still not seen an official statement from Toshiba about this.

[guyver2077]

man this sucks

[thrustbucket]

If toshiba does drop out, I am not adopting Bluray. I will just be giving all the money I would have spent on HD DVD to microsoft for movie rentals. I hope they let you buy them soon through marketplace.

It's just insane to me to spend any more than $150 for a movie player, especially one not 2.0 spec.

[magiic]

wweeee time to buy cheap HD-DVD's

[guyver2077]

kinda sad too.. a friend lent me a panasonic bluray player..

i cant believe this thing retails for 500... jesus christ. Its even an older one with no ethernet

[CocheseUGA]

I am not calling you a liar, and I know there was a news story out of Japan that said this, but I have still not seen an official statement from Toshiba about this.

Not an official statement, but even Reuters picked it up. It's all over the net.

If they don't say anything within about six hours, it's a done deal.


OK people, I'm buying/trading for:
Ultimate Matrix - $25
Bourne Supremacy - $10

[thrustbucket]

kinda sad too.. a friend lent me a panasonic bluray player..

i cant believe this thing retails for 500... jesus christ. Its even an older one with no ethernet

A guy hired me to set up his new tv and his Sony brand blu ray player. Omg what a piece of junk. Super long load times, and he spent over $500 on it.

Bluray definitely was the inferior format in a number of ways, and without major competition, I don't see their advances and price drops happening that quickly.

[guyver2077]

Not an official statement, but even Reuters picked it up. It's all over the net.

If they don't say anything within about six hours, it's a done deal.


OK people, I'm buying/trading for:
Ultimate Matrix - $25
Bourne Supremacy - $10

25? thats insane lol

I am still thinking about which movies to keep/sell

[CocheseUGA]

25? thats insane lol

I am still thinking about which movies to keep/sell

If people want to bail on a format, there's no reason for me not to profit.

[KaneRobot]

wweeee time to buy cheap HD-DVD's

I'd agree, but I think I have everything that I want at this point! I'll definitely grab that A35 though, probably this week since we'll start seeing "abandon ship" prices.

I'll probably give Batman Begins and one or two other Warner titles to my brother since he's buying my 360/AO from me since I have an elite on the way, but I don't see myself getting rid of many more discs besides that.

[anomynous]

Better to end it now than drag it on pointlessly.


And I can't stand all the fanboys saying they'll stick with online rentals and normal DVDs. Is it really that serious?

[CocheseUGA]

Better to end it now than drag it on pointlessly.


And I can't stand all the fanboys saying they'll stick with online rentals and normal DVDs. Is it really that serious?

Depends on if you can afford a BD player. I can't, so it's blow-out pricing, rentals, or DVDs for me.

[thrustbucket]

Better to end it now than drag it on pointlessly.


And I can't stand all the fanboys saying they'll stick with online rentals and normal DVDs. Is it really that serious?

There is no logical reason to spend >$150 on a movie player. Especially one that won't even support profile 2.0, unless you have a lot of disposable income.

Digital Downloads are the future, whether you like it or not. They aren't perfect yet. But I am perfectly happy renting movies if I need them in HD. I really doubt you will see Bluray gain that much market penetration. Digital Distributed movies are going to be higher bitrate and offer a better product before BluRay has the time to really get it's feet off the ground.

Oh and it doesn't help that after observing Sony the past 2 years, I would almost rather give my money to a Nazi memorial fund.

[KaneRobot]

And I can't stand all the fanboys saying they'll stick with online rentals and normal DVDs. Is it really that serious?

What the fuck?

I don't want a BD player right now. I'll probably I'll get one eventually, but I've outlined the reasons why I don't want one right this second multiple times. Not sure why that means I'm being "serious" about this.

[staplerwow]

I wonder if we'll still get the free HD-DVDs that we sent in for? Still waiting for mine....
That's irking me too. Sent mine in recently as well...

[staplerwow]

Oh and it doesn't help that after observing Sony the past 2 years, I would almost rather give my money to a Nazi memorial fund.If you want to be a fanboy, at least be subtle about it. PS3 isn't the one with $50 for a P2P online service that was down for 2 months straight a few weeks back, a 33% fail rate, etc. I understand that this is an Xbox 360 forum, but please stop personifying companies, and calling the kettle black.

[KaneRobot]

If you want to be a fanboy, at least be subtle about it. PS3 isn't the one with $50 for a P2P online service that was down for 2 months straight a few weeks back, a 33% fail rate, etc. I understand that this is an Xbox 360 forum, but please stop personifying companies, and calling the kettle black.

I'm not really disagreeing with him when it comes to disc media. To draw from what you said - this is an HD DVD thread, not a game console thread. Live being down and the console's failure rate don't have anything to do with HD DVD. I requested a separate subform but didn't get one, so the thread is here instead.

Now, I'm not going to speak for thrustbucket, but a lot of Sony's approach for Blu-Ray was the reason I preferred HD DVD in the first place, especially in regards to region coding.

That may not mean dick to you or other Blu-Ray supporters, that's fine. But since it's my money it's going to have to do in this case.

[staplerwow]

I'm not really disagreeing with him when it comes to disc media. To draw from what you said - this is an HD DVD thread, not a game console thread. Live being down and the console's failure rate don't have anything to do with HD DVD. I requested a separate subform but didn't get one, so the thread is here instead.

Now, I'm not going to speak for thrustbucket, but a lot of Sony's approach for Blu-Ray was the reason I preferred HD DVD in the first place, especially in regards to region coding.

That may not mean dick to you or other Blu-Ray supporters, that's fine. But since it's my money it's going to have to do in this case.Well, part of why I wanted HD-DVD to lose is the reason I bought an HD-DVD player in the first place last month: firesales. I'm not a fan for any side. I'm a fan of *cheap* high-def media. HD-DVD was destined to lose, but that's its appeal to me. In a few weeks, I'll be able to buy HD-DVD's catalog for incredibly cheap. I bought a PS3 so that in a few years I'll be able to buy its catalog for incredibly cheap. I'm a true cheap-ass fan of HDM, not of any particular format. :D

[anomynous]

I was talking about the people who say they're never gonna buy a blu ray player.

[Sharp Katana]

yeah i hope i'll still get my free hd dvds. Now just to wait for HD DVDs to be dirt cheap.

[HeadRusch]

That guy is a douche.
I also would like to email him.

There are burners in the USA, there's a whole thread about burning BD's at AVS, and you wouldn't be able to copy them on to HD DVD-R's because the bitrates exceed the limit of HD DVD.

Ah lemme clarify what I meant......HDDVD could come out with cheap storage and take over the next optical STORAGE format, BD is still stupidly expensive (what, $15-25 bucks per disc?).

However, as to bitrates, just like dvd's..the bitrates aren't usually needed to be anywhere near that high as they master them at. Which is why you can take an MPEG or AVC or VC1 HDDVD or BD and rip it down to an 8 or 10 gig file (from 20 to 40 gigs), and wind up with (for all intents and purposes) an identical playing copy.
(Visually)

My .02 cents anyhow

[rsigley]

toshiba has to honor the MIR or they will get sued for fraud, so i think we're good there

however, they could run out of supply of certain movies and just replace them with whatever

i'm sure certain movies are more popular than others and they got like thousands of copies of darkman lying around that no one requested

[Littlefields]

Shouldn't the picture be something like this?

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/5786/lolac1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

No offence intended.

[thrustbucket]

If you want to be a fanboy, at least be subtle about it. PS3 isn't the one with $50 for a P2P online service that was down for 2 months straight a few weeks back, a 33% fail rate, etc. I understand that this is an Xbox 360 forum, but please stop personifying companies, and calling the kettle black.

I have a launch 360 that's never broken and I haven't had an issue with live the past two months when I've tried to use it.

Regardless, Sony's tactics with Blu ray is what is in question here, it has nothing to do with game consoles.... Well except for the fact that they bet their entire future on trojan horsing blu ray with the PS3. But that's just one of many strong arm anti-consumer tactics Sony has shown in the past 2 years with the high def wars.

[jollydwarf]

Is it more than likely that they're just going to pull all new releases that they haven't pressed any copies of yet? I've noticed that Amazon is starting to get pretty fucking aggressive with their pricing, and movies like American Gangster are going for well under their MSRP....before they release.

I'm probably going to be eschewing many more game purchases in the coming months, and instead redirecting that money towards cheap, cheap, cheap HD DVDs. When they get below $10 each, I'll even start double-dipping on non-essential titles.

[KaneRobot]

Is it more than likely that they're just going to pull all new releases that they haven't pressed any copies of yet?

Well...we'll get this week's stuff I'm sure and probably next week's stuff (Beowulf) but beyond that, Magic 8 Ball tells me to piss off and try later. Not sure how ahead of time they press stuff.

With this news, though, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Warner shitcans their plans to continue through May regardless of what Toshiba/Uni/Paramount does.

[Scobie]

Just got 3 of my 5 free HD DVDs from the promo last summer.... plus a second copy of Apollo 13. What's even better is both copies of Apollo 13 were shaken loose in their cases (no scratches on the one I opened, though) and both have the classic cut-out bin scratch through the UPC. Classy.

Un-freakin'-believable how incompetently run this and the Blu Ray promos have been run.

So I guess my question is, does anybody have an 800 number where I can get a hold of these turkeys to sort it out?

[Bezerker]

If people want to bail on a format, there's no reason for me not to profit.

FYE (or any other transworld store) pays $36 cash or $43.50 credit for the Ultimate Matrix on HD-DVD as long as you trade it in with any bag. Save yourself the shipping supplies and sell it there.

At this rate it seems toshiba will sell the name to Universal and it'll be called UVD. I'm sad to see the announcement. But, at least it means ill hopefully be able to pick up all the stuff i wanted at some highly discounted prices.

[Sporadic]

What a shame, considering I made a pilgrimage to the holy land yesterday.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2296/universalzn1.jpg

[help1]

I don't care for HD-DVD or BluRay, but I do hate how:

a) This is seen as a loss for the 360.
b) The HD DVD owners got the sham. I honestly believe that something should be done (a firmware update to some players, or a replacement program of some sort) to reimburse those of you got ripped off.

[Sporadic]

I don't care for HD-DVD or BluRay, but I do hate how:

a) This is seen as a loss for the 360.
b) The HD DVD owners got the sham. I honestly believe that something should be done (a firmware update to some players, or a replacement program of some sort) to reimburse those of you got ripped off.

I don't feel ripped off.

My movies still work and I imagine I'll be able to buy a player (on eBay) for the rest of my life.

[HeadRusch]

I didn't get ripped off...I got the worlds best upconverting DVD player, I've had the ability to watch HD Movies for a couple years, and I've still got the ability to do so as long as HDDVD's are around.

[captainfrizo]

I feel my investment in HD-DVD has been extremely worthwhile.

I've got a solid collection of HD movies at my fingertips and I also have a very solid up-converting DVD player (something I was on the market for anyway).

Sure, Blu-Ray may be the future of HD movies on disc, but I don't feel robbed or cheated with HD-DVD and I never will.

I'm more upset/concerned with the potential of Sony jacking up prices on Blu-Ray movies (I'm not saying they will) or retailers not offering great deals with only one format (I'm not saying they won't either) than HD-DVD's inevitable death.

[KaneRobot]

I don't care for HD-DVD or BluRay, but I do hate how:

a) This is seen as a loss for the 360

Well, in a way it is...this is just a much a "battle for the living room" as it is a battle for the game console industry. That's why I'm not sure where people are coming from when they think Microsoft is going to jump out of the game console business - they would never, ever just walk away and let Sony take over the living room without a fight.

That said, it's not a very big loss, because by the time it will really matter, the successor to the 360 will be either out or close to coming out, and it will have either a Blu-Ray drive (if Blu-Ray succeeds) or something else to keep it competitive (if it does not).

I do agree with "something should be done" but not that they should give people money back or replace our players or anything. I'm mostly concerned with...
a firmware update to some players
...because continuing to put out firmware updates for the next several months will likely do wonders to not totally ruin the Toshiba name among the enthusiast consumer.


But I'll echo the previous few posts. Not sure where all this idiotic "durr, hope you didn't buy a HD DVD player" talk is coming from, I even saw it in an EGM today, not that that magazine is necessarily what I look to for high journalism in gaming. Sure, I wouldn't buy one NOW, but if you've had one for a while, what's the problem? Frankly, between gaming magazines like that, and then write-about-anything-but-mostly-gaming blogs like Kotaku and Joystiq spewing whatever second or third-hand information they have about the formats, I'm almost glad to see it coming to a close so I don't have to shake my head in exaspiration at their idiocy on the topic anymore.

But yeah - I haven't regretted buying the player for a moment. This format is pretty fucking awesome.

[dmaul1114]

b) The HD DVD owners got the sham. I honestly believe that something should be done (a firmware update to some players, or a replacement program of some sort) to reimburse those of you got ripped off.


Nobody got ripped off. It's a risk people take when they decide to early adopt. Especially when there are two competing new formats like this---everyone new one (or both) would die off.

If they bought in before now they were willing to take the risk of buying into the one that would lose the war and die off.

[rodeojones903]

This format is pretty fucking awesome.

Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

[-Never4ever-]

Honestly, this is nothing but good news for the VG industry. Sony (specifically, the PS3) needed this.

Now comes the question, how long can BRD last till it falls to DVD?

[gunm]

Ah well, I guess we can finally stick a fork in this particular "format war".

But yeah, I'm satisfied with what I have for HD-DVD, too. Honestly, I didn't invest too much ($170 on the 360 add-on and my 21 discs). And I can still pick up a few more in the future that I was eyeing too.

Let the fire sales begin!

[LinkinPrime]

I wonder if any upcoming HD DVD's past February will be cancelled...

[dallow]

I didn't get ripped off...I got the worlds best upconverting DVD player, I've had the ability to watch HD Movies for a couple years, and I've still got the ability to do so as long as HDDVD's are around.Unless you have the XA2, all the players are poor upscalers. Not even mid-level.

[KaneRobot]

Unless you have the XA2, all the players are poor upscalers. Not even mid-level.

Hardly. The Anchor Bay chip is not going to match the Reon or other high-end chips, but it's definitely capable. The XA2 is arguably the greatest DVD upscaling player available, so obviously anything less will seem a bit lackluster.

So yeah, the XA2 (or Onkyo DV-HD805) would be ideal, but not like 4-500 dollars better (which is about what you'd pay to track one down new at this point). I am tossing around the idea of picking up an XA2 refurb since one can be had for around 300 bucks, but I'm a little uneasy about buying a used player. I know the XA2 has had some issues with the 1080p24 output, but I don't really care about that.

[Scobie]

Unless you have the XA2, all the players are poor upscalers. Not even mid-level.

Please don't crap on our upscaling ability.... it's all we have now!

[bill123]

question for you guys Im planning on finally bitting on a copy of terminator 2 I looked on exploited and they have 2 versions which of those 2 would be the best bang for my buck. I'm thinking of the UK version http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/terminator-judgment-release-p-13428.html

also do you think we'll ever see that ultimate edition that someone posted vids to on here?

thanks
bill123

[KaneRobot]

question for you guys Im planning on finally bitting on a copy of terminator 2 I looked on exploited and they have 2 versions which of those 2 would be the best bang for my buck. I'm thinking of the UK version http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/terminator-judgment-release-p-13428.html
I believe you want the French version since it's two discs and the version you linked to is essentially one disc from that set. Wait for Sporadic to reply for confirmation though.

also do you think we'll ever see that ultimate edition that someone posted vids to on here?
No idea. If it really was going to come out in March, then I'd say the chances are better than 50/50 that we will.


Please don't crap on our upscaling ability.... it's all we have now!

It is?

[Scobie]

It is?

I'm just funnin' with Dallow. Don't be a hard butt.

[anomynous]

So a blu ray add on might be out as early as May..........

[KaneRobot]

I'm just funnin' with Dallow. Don't be a hard butt.

I apologize, and withdraw my absolutely ruthless and furious reply.

Here's the story that anomynous was referring to:

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/18/rumor-xbox-360-blu-ray-player-could-be-out-by-may/

I really doubt we'll see one that fast, but if they did bring out a similarly priced ($150ish) Blu-Ray add on, I'd probably buy. Price was the only reason I bought the HD DVD add-on originally. A low cost like that would at least somewhat offset my disappointment over buying a player that wouldn't necessarily be "fully capable" when the next hardware revision shows up, and let me start to build a library of titles on that side while waiting for a better standalone player to become reasonably priced.

[dallow]

Hardly. The Anchor Bay chip is not going to match the Reon or other high-end chips, but it's definitely capable. The XA2 is arguably the greatest DVD upscaling player available, so obviously anything less will seem a bit lackluster.

So yeah, the XA2 (or Onkyo DV-HD805) would be ideal, but not like 4-500 dollars better (which is about what you'd pay to track one down new at this point). I am tossing around the idea of picking up an XA2 refurb since one can be had for around 300 bucks, but I'm a little uneasy about buying a used player. I know the XA2 has had some issues with the 1080p24 output, but I don't really care about that.I'd definitely try to find an XA2 if you are looking for a standalone to keep.

But no, I disagree about the upscaling capabilities of the other players.
Especially on the 3rd gen models in which the deinterlacing is broken.

It does it's job though.
I just wouldn't call it the 'greatest upscaler in the world' like the other poster did.




However, I think upscaling is rubbish anyway.
Pure HD all the way.

Digital downloads. thrustbucket, are you serious?
Bit-starved features with wimpy DD5.1.
I don't want HD Lite with macroblocking and colorbanding, this is what HD media (be it BD or HD DVD) was made to get away from.


Scobie:
I laughed. :)

[thrustbucket]

Digital downloads. thrustbucket, are you serious?
Bit-starved features with wimpy DD5.1.
I don't want HD Lite with macroblocking and colorbanding, this is what HD media (be it BD or HD DVD) was made to get away from.


Google stuff like XtremeHD CES which was announced at CES. That's just one of many products in the pipe that use queuing technology to allow a centralized server in your home to store hundreds of movies for purchase or rent that exceed the bitrate of even blu ray.

You're being very shortsighted if you believe digital delivery has to always be:
1- Instant streaming over the internet
2- Low bitrate/low quality

Those issues will be conquered in a matter of months, not years. And contrary to what a lot of people believe, the bottleneck is not necessarily broadband speeds. The tech is already here, it's just a matter of a company getting studio licenses at this point.

[KaneRobot]

I just wouldn't call it the 'greatest upscaler in the world' like the other poster did.[/QUTOE]

No, it's definitely not, but it's good enough for most people.

In regards to the XA2 vs. the A35, it depends on what you're really after - the XA2 has the better upscaler and better build quality while having 1080p24 issues (although did they fix that with 2.8 firmware? I haven't been reading up on it), while the A35 seems to load a bit quicker and actually provides a slightly sharper image on HD material, while having deinterlacing issues. Both of those issues may not even come into play depending on the user's setup.

It's kind of hard for me to decide, I was dead-set on getting an A35 but now I'm kind of leaning towards the XA2 refurb...if I can get over my qualms about buying a refurb.

[QUOTE]However, I think upscaling is rubbish anyway.
Pure HD all the way.
I agree, but it's not like we have a choice with most films at this point.

[dallow]

If you want something that'll benefit you more in the future, the XA2 is it.
I do believe the newest firmware fixes alot of the bugs.
Are you sure about it having a sharper picture on HD material?

Though you're about the A35 being faster.



Why did you buy into HD DVD then, Thrust, if you're banking on downloads?

[KaneRobot]

Are you sure about it having a sharper picture on HD material?

That seems to be the consensus at AVS, but I haven't actually seen an A35 to compare yet. Even if it's there it's probably nothing major, but if people didn't nitpick this stuff it wouldn't be any fun.

I'm reading about the 2.8 firmware for the XA2 now (instead of doing my work)...seems like people are rolling back to 2.7 if they have 1080p24 capable displays, otherwise 2.8 works fine...so I guess in that regard the previous firmware was actually better for 1080p24.

[dmaul1114]

Those issues will be conquered in a matter of months, not years. And contrary to what a lot of people believe, the bottleneck is not necessarily broadband speeds. The tech is already here, it's just a matter of a company getting studio licenses at this point.

Another problem is caps on download limits by ISPs. Many companies are talking about it with the advent of large movie downloads on iTunes, bittorrent users hogging bandwith etc. Some like Comcast already throttle connections of heavy users, though they don't have specific set limits yet.

So that could be an issue. They'll likely go to some tiered pricing system where you can pay more for more GBs of download a month. But then cost is a factor as you would have to pay more for your broadband access (which is already too expensive IMO) on top of whatever fee for the download service--be it a per movie fee or a set of monthly options ala download.

That said, I am getting more interested in the potential of a download service. I buy a lot less movies these days as I realize that I seldom watch any of the nearly 300 DVDs on my shelf as I tend to either watch something new I've bought or just watch whatever I've got from Netflix. Probably should go through and sell off a bunch of DVDs.

So to some degree a download system would basically be a more convenient substitute for Netflix. But IMO it will be a long time before the selection gets to Netflix's level (if it ever does) and for prices to get to an acceptable level for me. A/V quality doesn't worry me, I think the HD on demand stuff on Comcast already looks great, and I'm just not very picky about A/V quality. Definitely more picky than the average joe, but not a audio/videophile by any means.

The other barrier to downloads for me is I like to have a physical disc for stuff that I really want to own. But that doesn't mean that I couldn't use a download service in the manner that I use Netflix now. i.e. as a rental service and still by an HDM disc of the few movies I decide are worth owning.

[thrustbucket]

Another problem is caps on download limits by ISPs.
I don't think this will be a very big issue. One word: Satellite services. Like XtremeHD. They are always broadcasting massive amounts of information and a cheap server could catch and store a lot of stuff for when you wan to use it.

When services like that start coming out and becoming popular, ISP's won't be capping anything if they want to compete.

The other barrier to downloads for me is I like to have a physical disc for stuff that I really want to own. But that doesn't mean that I couldn't use a download service in the manner that I use Netflix now. i.e. as a rental service and still by an HDM disc of the few movies I decide are worth owning.
I think once this stuff starts taking off, so will managed copy. You will be able to put your movies on flash drives or discs somehow.


Why did you buy into HD DVD then, Thrust, if you're banking on downloads?

Easy. Because $150 for a great upconverting player and 7 free HD movies is a no-brainer to me. And I'd still argue, is a no-brainer as long as those players are out there to be bought.

I won't invest in blu-ray until I can get a profile 2.0 player for $150 or less. Hopefully Microsoft provides that. It would be awesome if they start undercutting Sony with an add-on for their own format. If you really think about it, Microsoft has the ability to make Blu-Ray's victory be far more painful for Sony than it already has been.

[dmaul1114]

I don't think this will be a very big issue. One word: Satellite services.


That's still problematic. For instance, I can't have a satellite in my condo building. We have no balcony, patio etc. so I have no legal recourse as it would have to be mounted something they own (roof, wall, yard etc.).


I think once this stuff starts taking off, so will managed copy. You will be able to put your movies on flash drives or discs somehow.


What I meant is that for something I like enough to own, I like have a case with art on it, a disc with art, an insert etc. Allowing copying doesn't help that.

It's just the way I am. Even though all my music listening outside of the car is done with MP3's these days, I still buy CDs and rip them and have never paid for an MP3. I just like having the disc, case, insert etc.

So for me, a download service would have to just be used as a rental service.

[mykevermin]

I won't invest in blu-ray until I can get a profile 2.0 player for $150 or less. Hopefully Microsoft provides that. It would be awesome if they start undercutting Sony with an add-on for their own format. If you really think about it, Microsoft has the ability to make Blu-Ray's victory be far more painful for Sony than it already has been.

Wow. And here I thought you had scruples.

If toshiba does drop out, I am not adopting Bluray. I will just be giving all the money I would have spent on HD DVD to microsoft for movie rentals. I hope they let you buy them soon through marketplace.

It's just insane to me to spend any more than $150 for a movie player, especially one not 2.0 spec.

Hell, at this rate, you'll own a PS3 by Friday! ;)

I'm still very very skeptical that Sony would allow MS to sell a Blu-Ray add-on for the 360. Depending on the logistics of it, they may not get much of a say in the matter - but a cheap add-on certainly makes it more difficult to sell a PS3 (even though the PS3 would use the BD for games, while the add-on would not).

[Sulik2]

So when do the HD-DVD movie firesales start? I wanna load up on some cheap hi-def movies.

And I hope a Blu-Ray add on is released so I don't have to import The Prestige.

[rly723]

so what happens to the 360 hd dvd player, does it drop in price, i would assume they would have to? or does microsoft stop producing them and it phases out eventually. i'd love to pick one up on the cheap, but i wouldnt spend more than $100 since it will be obselete eventully

[jollydwarf]

So when do the HD-DVD movie firesales start? I wanna load up on some cheap hi-def movies.

In a way, it already has. Amazon has quite a few titles on sale for up to 50% off, as well as different promotions every week. The new releases all seem to be at least seven or eight bucks off MSRP, if not moreso. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure they've got one HD DVD title in stock that hasn't been marked off at least somewhat.

I would expect the B&M madness to commence very, very soon. The way Best Buy treated the format this whole time, I'd like to think they'll be super-anxious to be rid of those annoying little maroon snapcases!

[anomynous]

I wouldn't buy the blu ray add on......

[thrustbucket]

Wow. And here I thought you had scruples.
Come on now, don't be so silly, you never thought that... ;)

I'm not sure what you are getting at here. Your hyper intelligent witty subtleties that you've worked so hard to cultivate must exceed my abilities to grasp or comprehend...;)


Hell, at this rate, you'll own a PS3 by Friday! ;)



I still stand by my statement that I am more than happy to use XBLA movies for the time being. I only have a 720 plasma so I'm happy with what it provides me. And the only BD player I can foreseeabley see myself getting is a 360 add-on, since it will likely be in that price range. But I think I will be happy with renting XBLA movies for quite some time.

[jollydwarf]

I know they want to "sell, sell, sell" as many Blu-Ray movies as possible, but is Sony really going to play that nice with Microsoft when it comes to allowing an add-on? Wouldn't this at least somewhat diminish the now-blatant advantage the PS3 would have between the two to the average current fence-sitter?

Would there be some sort of agreement in place so that the pricing of the add-on would be just short of prohibitive, i.e. starting in the $179.99-$199.99 price range?

[KaneRobot]

I'm still very very skeptical that Sony would allow MS to sell a Blu-Ray add-on for the 360. Depending on the logistics of it, they may not get much of a say in the matter

Oh, I think they're more than happy to...from the Joystiq article linked in the OP:
"We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable," SCE Managing Director Michael Ephraim told Smarthouse. "In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very successful in driving consumers to Blu-ray."

...but like you hinted at, I doubt Sony would be able to stop them as long as MS went through the proper channels.

Really, the PS3 has been Blu-Ray's bitch since day 1, it's pretty clear Sony is putting the format's importance ahead of the game console. Now that HD DVD is on the way out, they need to start worrying about DVD. They'll need as many weapons as they can get for that fight.




This is a bit random, but does this read like an Obama endorsement to anyone? Not that non-HD geeks would notice, but....

http://i29.tinypic.com/2uf8s9z.jpg

[mykevermin]

Come on now, don't be so silly, you never thought that... ;)

Untrue. I thought you had scruples - I thought they were silly, but I still thought they were real.

EDIT: Heh, you're right, Kane.

[staplerwow]

lmfao at the fanboys (thrustbucket) here:
If MS makes a $150 BR player, not only are they losing money, but Sony gets all royalties from them. If MS wants to be suicidal, it's up to them :lol:

And besides, Profile 2.0 is pointless. All BR players can play BRs in 1080p, with the best A/V quality out there, something HD-DVD can't give.

[benjamouth]

lmfao at the fanboys (thrustbucket) here:
If MS makes a $150 BR player, not only are they losing money, but Sony gets all royalties from them. If MS wants to be suicidal, it's up to them :lol:

But what do Sony make more on, the sale of a Blu-Ray add on to the 360, or the sale of a PS3?

I'm guessing they'd rather sell the PS3.

[KaneRobot]

All BR players can play BRs in 1080p, with the best A/V quality out there, something HD-DVD can't give.
Oh, Christ. Keep the fanboy rhetoric and shitflinging to a minimum please, it has been remarkably civil so far. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're saying that because the A2/A3 only go up to 1080i and not that Blu-Ray's picture and audio quality is noticably and constantly better on dual-format releases, but sometimes I give people too much credit.

...not that the 1080i limitation means anything on any decent 1080p TV anyway.

Thanks. Now, next person to suggest Blu-Ray has offered superior picture quality to HD DVD needs to be tossed off the top of the format war tower and sent back for reeducation on the basics of the two formats.

And besides, Profile 2.0 is pointless.
That remains to be seen.

[terribledeli]

lmfao at the fanboys (thrustbucket) here:
If MS makes a $150 BR player, not only are they losing money, but Sony gets all royalties from them. If MS wants to be suicidal, it's up to them :lol:


A small price to pay if Microsoft ships and sells another couple million alone on the promise of Blu-ray playback.

Furthermore, Sony doesn't get all the royalties. The BDA does. I'm sure Sony's piece of pie is larger than Hitachi's piece, but still.

When it's adopted as the standard format, Sony's face will slowly fade away from it's sheen.

After all, how many folks look at a DVD and say "Thank goodness for Toshiba, Time Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC. Without them, I wouldn't have any DVDs!"?

[Lice]

Toshiba: Still Backing HD DVD -- For Now

Toshiba is denying weekend press reports (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Toshiba/Reuters,_NHK:_Toshiba_to_Pull_Plug_on_HD_DVD/1473) that it has decided to drop its HD DVD support, saying that the company is "currently assessing its business strategies," but that no final decisions have been made.
In an official statement issued this morning, Toshiba said, "The media [has] reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD DVD business. Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this. Although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment."



Put up 3 minutes ago. HD will tread water a little longer.

[jollydwarf]

http://www.starwarsdotcom.com/star_wars/gallery/characters/pics/luke/esb_luke71.jpg

"I'll NEVER join you!...well, at least not until George says so...."

[dallow]

If you want to pick up HD DVD players for the long haul, or media, might want to do it sooner rather than later:

Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida will be announcing the final discontinuation of HD DVD (http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/16/toshiba-pulling-the-plug-on-hd-dvd-already/) tomorrow, as well as halted sales of hardware and media by March (as in days from now). Apparently Toshiba will pull its units from retail shelves
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/18/toshiba-expected-to-announce-death-of-hd-dvd-tomorrow-stop-sale/

Just a heads up.

[anomynous]

Toshiba: Still Backing HD DVD -- For Now

article

that's from this morning, so they're just delaying the inevitable. Everybody's expecting the execution announcement tomorrow, after they meet.

[rodeojones903]

If you want to pick up HD DVD players for the long haul, or media, might want to do it sooner rather than later:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/18/toshiba-expected-to-announce-death-of-hd-dvd-tomorrow-stop-sale/

Just a heads up.


I figured there wouldn't be a fire sale for players.

[getmyrunon]

Those issues will be conquered in a matter of months, not years. And contrary to what a lot of people believe, the bottleneck is not necessarily broadband speeds. The tech is already here, it's just a matter of a company getting studio licenses at this point.

Sorry but I really don't envision ISPs offering up their consumers 100gb / month downloads at any kind of reasonable speed for any kind of reasonable cost at any time in the near future. It may be technologically viable for a select few, but not at all a mainstream option. The broadband penetration figures in the U.S. are low enough already (especially compared to other countries), there's no way we're going to get some kind of downloadable media revolution. You strike me as a smart dude, to dismiss the technological components and say "they're already there" is a ridiculous oversight.

A PS3/BR player + a TV is a WAY WAY more viable alternative for the majority of Americans right now, digital downloading will not catch on until the infrastructure is in place (if at all).

Are people forgetting about the benefits associated with physically owning your media? I let my friends borrow / I borrow my friends' movies and DVDs all the time. What if your friend has a crappy internet connection? Isn't a subscriber to the same service? There goes that.

Also, a hard drive is much more likely to fail (in which case you lose everything) as opposed to a disc (in which case you lose just one thing and it's easily replaceable).

Finally there's the whole obnoxious issue of potential quality loss, compression, and download times.

Anyone campaigning for Digital Distribution right now is just in denial that Blu-Ray (at the moment) is clearly the best investment, and will be for quite some time (years, not months), if you want to watch HD movies of the highest quality. Regardless of whether you backed HD-DVD and thought it was superior, there's NO denying that BR is the next best thing, unless you're just blinding yourself out of hate.

[staplerwow]

Oh, Christ. Keep the fanboy rhetoric and shitflinging to a minimum please, it has been remarkably civil so far. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're saying that because the A2/A3 only go up to 1080i and not that Blu-Ray's picture and audio quality is noticably and constantly better on dual-format releases, but sometimes I give people too much credit.

...not that the 1080i limitation means anything on any decent 1080p TV anyway.

Thanks. Now, next person to suggest Blu-Ray has offered superior picture quality to HD DVD needs to be tossed off the top of the format war tower and sent back for reeducation on the basics of the two formats.


That remains to be seen.HD-DVD has often seen better PQ on dual-format releases. Fair. And I was referring to 1080i for A2/A3.

HOWEVER, audio is half the picture, and HD-DVD has proven time and time again that it does not have the chops to match Blu-Ray in terms of audio.

[getmyrunon]

HD-DVD has often seen better PQ on dual-format releases. Fair. And I was referring to 1080i for A2/A3.

HOWEVER, audio is half the picture, and HD-DVD has proven time and time again that it does not have the chops to match Blu-Ray in terms of audio.

While I sort of agree with you (I think you're making a pretty serious generalization there that isn't necessarily always true), I think the majority of people don't have hardware that sufficiently realizes maximum audio potential just yet. It's a lot easier (and cheaper) to buy a 1080p t.v. than it is to buy an HDMI 1.3 receiver and a reference sound system. That's the only reason I held off on buying the HD-DVD 360 addon, because it couldn't handle truly lossless sound.

Once you hear the difference between uncompressed and compressed sound, though, you will forever appreciate it (and want it on discs!)

[Vitality X]

Sorry but I really don't envision ISPs offering up their consumers 100gb / month downloads at any kind of reasonable speed for any kind of reasonable cost at any time in the near future. It may be technologically viable for a select few, but not at all a mainstream option. The broadband penetration figures in the U.S. are low enough already (especially compared to other countries), there's no way we're going to get some kind of downloadable media revolution. You strike me as a smart dude, to dismiss the technological components and say "they're already there" is a ridiculous oversight.

A PS3/BR player + a TV is a WAY WAY more viable alternative for the majority of Americans right now, digital downloading will not catch on until the infrastructure is in place (if at all).

Are people forgetting about the benefits associated with physically owning your media? I let my friends borrow / I borrow my friends' movies and DVDs all the time. What if your friend has a crappy internet connection? Isn't a subscriber to the same service? There goes that.

Also, a hard drive is much more likely to fail (in which case you lose everything) as opposed to a disc (in which case you lose just one thing and it's easily replaceable).

Finally there's the whole obnoxious issue of potential quality loss, compression, and download times.

Anyone campaigning for Digital Distribution right now is just in denial that Blu-Ray (at the moment) is clearly the best investment, and will be for quite some time (years, not months), if you want to watch HD movies of the highest quality. Regardless of whether you backed HD-DVD and thought it was superior, there's NO denying that BR is the next best thing, unless you're just blinding yourself out of hate.

QFT. and lets not forget how much of a bigger "door" these digital downloads (if they become mainstream) will leave when it comes to theft. DD will never be endorsed totally for that reason alone. As for thrustbucket's comment on later maybe being able to back up these movies on a personal hdd and/or disc (blu-ray or hd-dvd?), wouldn't that be defeating a purpose? isn't one of the main purposes of DD to cut back on costs and become an easy alternative for the customer? you actually might be spending more money that way. the idea just screams failure to me.

[thrustbucket]

Sorry but I really don't envision ISPs offering up their consumers 100gb / month downloads at any kind of reasonable speed for any kind of reasonable cost at any time in the near future. It may be technologically viable for a select few, but not at all a mainstream option. The broadband penetration figures in the U.S. are low enough already (especially compared to other countries), there's no way we're going to get some kind of downloadable media revolution. You strike me as a smart dude, to dismiss the technological components and say "they're already there" is a ridiculous oversight.
You are totally ignoring Satalite based announcements such as XtremeHD (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/08/xstreamhd-details-continue-to-emerge/). They intend to be launching somewhere around Q4 this year or Q1 next.
They have goals of lossless sound and 80 mb/s bitrate digital delivery services. These technologies DO exist right now. The main issue, by their admission, is getting the studios to sign on.

You can attempt to say it's a pipe dream, or we won't see it, or call it vaporware and dismiss it. Time will tell. But there are some major money guys behind this company, and I am sure there are many other company's with similar technology/ambitions.

Again, try to think beyond what your cable modem is giving you today.

A PS3/BR player + a TV is a WAY WAY more viable alternative for the majority of Americans right now, digital downloading will not catch on until the infrastructure is in place (if at all).
As long as current broadband infrastructure remain the only possible source of digital delivery for movies, this is true.

Are people forgetting about the benefits associated with physically owning your media? I let my friends borrow / I borrow my friends' movies and DVDs all the time. What if your friend has a crappy internet connection? Isn't a subscriber to the same service? There goes that.
So bring your external hard drive over to his house and plug it into his player? (just one option).
Really though, if/when something like XtremeHD is available, offering 2x the bitrate through DD, will you still be happy buying an inferior product because it's physical and you can lend it to friends?

Also, a hard drive is much more likely to fail (in which case you lose everything) as opposed to a disc (in which case you lose just one thing and it's easily replaceable).
Hm. Hard drives are pretty cheap. And in the standard drm world, once I've bought it I can/should be fine downloading it again once the drive is replaced.
Break/scratch/lose a few Blu-Ray discs and see how expensive those get to replace.

Finally there's the whole obnoxious issue of potential quality loss,
Not really a reason for this any more than on current discs. Possibly more so on discs when dd bitrate exceeds bluray.
compression,
See above.
and download times.
Not in a queuing scenario.

Anyone campaigning for Digital Distribution right now is just in denial that Blu-Ray (at the moment) is clearly the best investment, and will be for quite some time (years, not months), if you want to watch HD movies of the highest quality. Regardless of whether you backed HD-DVD and thought it was superior, there's NO denying that BR is the next best thing, unless you're just blinding yourself out of hate.
I totally agree, for the moment.

The problem is, that "moment" is going to be much much shorter than the moment between VHS and DVD and even much shorter than the moment between DVD and HDM.

[dallow]

I hope you were never one of the HD DVD guys that said bitrates above 30mbps didn't matter and diminishing returns showed no improvement, Thrustbucket whenever BD guys would talk about higher possible video bitrates on BD.

The bitrates achieved now are more than enough for 1080p video.
80mbps? Get out of here!

None of us have 30 foot screens.

[thrustbucket]

QFT. and lets not forget how much of a bigger "door" these digital downloads (if they become mainstream) will leave when it comes to theft. DD will never be endorsed totally for that reason alone. As for thrustbucket's comment on later maybe being able to back up these movies on a personal hdd and/or disc (blu-ray or hd-dvd?), wouldn't that be defeating a purpose? isn't one of the main purposes of DD to cut back on costs and become an easy alternative for the customer? you actually might be spending more money that way. the idea just screams failure to me.

I really fail to see how dd will be harder to enforce copy protection than discs. Google around and see how easy/possible it is to pirate an XBL rented movie. As far as I know, the only real way to do it is to intercept the signal from your component cables with a video capture device, and re-encoding.

Just fyi, managed copy (the ability to back up your movies) was built into the specification for HD DVD but never implemented. It could be argued that HD DVD would have faired better if it had it working from the beginning (backing up movies to a media server). The DRM is complicated to do so, but already designed.

But to answer your question, you don't have to used managed copy, that would/should just be an option if you want it (probably with a small cost associated with it). Just for people who are nazi's about wanting physical media. Although people that love to stare at disc/cover artwork will indeed be SOL.

[thrustbucket]

I hope you were never one of the HD DVD guys that said bitrates above 30mbps didn't matter and diminishing returns showed no improvement, Thrustbucket whenever BD guys would talk about higher possible video bitrates on BD.

The bitrates achieved now are more than enough for 1080p video.
80mbps? Get out of here!

None of us have 30 foot screens.

I agree with you. But you only need to look a couple posts up to see there are indeed people out there that feel bitrate matters, especially for their hallowed lossless sound.

In all honesty, from what I've seen, I think on 95% of people's equipment, and 95% of scenes in movies, 10mbps is plenty. Unfortunately Sony's marketing department has convinced a critical mass that bitrate is super important, which is why people use it to argue so vehemently against digital distribution first and formost.

[dallow]

10mbps is NOT enough.

Crap man, that's around what most of the 1080p trailers I download are running and there's TONS of color banding.

It's not even good enough for HD DVD.
27-30 is the sweetspot for 1080p.

[dallow]

Just thought I'd post this here too.

Gamestop is apparently only accepting trade ins on the 360 attachment until Thursday.

Also, Toshiba's official announcement is coming at 5pm Tokyo time.

12 AM PST/3 AM EST

[mykevermin]

All this talk of DD not only assumes that the US will overcome its technological shortcomings, nationally, in due time, but also assumes that, unlike the music market (where iTunes and CD coexist somewhat peacefully), DD in this form will absolutely kill off BD.

I'm not particularly convinced of either.