Need Help! Blu-Ray or HD Dvd?

[Mr.Swagga]

I bought a brand new LG 47' HDTV LCD Flat Panel TV (Mostly for gaming XBox 360 + GoW 2 Oh yeah!)BUT I also would like to watch movies on it but idk if I should start a HD DVD collection (Cheaper but not sure if it is worth investing money in) Blu-Ray looks good but cost so much damn money. So someone come make up my mind for me! (lol)

[BustaUppa]

sounds like it's time for you to get a PS3.

[jaydude84]

Seeing as how HD DVD's are being discontinued, I would go with Blu Ray. You will get a better deal with HD DVD's, but it also won't last you as they have stopped making them. You will have to buy a Blu Ray eventually, so you might as well get one of those soon.

The PS3 also makes a great Blueray player and a great game system.

[ctice44]

Just go Blu-ray. I know HD-DVD is cheaper, but will end up having the larger selection in the end.

[smashthesymbols]

Most people are going to say Blu-Ray and tell you how HD-DVD is dead, and they'd be right.

HD-DVD is still an option though. The players and movies are both very cheap. For a couple hundred dollars you can get a player and quite a collection of movies. Of course, you won't get any new releases and the list of titles is limited, but there's still some great ones to be had and the quality is the same as what you'd get on Blu-Ray. It's a good way to enjoy HD movies on a budget until Blu-Ray comes down in price.

[KingDox]

Go blu-ray. Just bite the bullet and get blu-ray.

It's starting to get a bit harder to find deals on hd-dvd and some of the better stuff like transformers is harder to find and not droped in price as much as some of the other stuff.

[bigdaddybruce44]

HD-DVD is still a great option for high-def movies. Judging by your first post, I am guessing you already have a 360, so you can pick up the add-on for less than $50. Hell, you even get a standalone for less than $100. And there are tons of great movies for less than $10, something you simply can't find on Blu-ray right now.

[aw004g]

If you're a CAG, HD-DVD is the way to go to get a great collection of catalog titles (some with HD-DVD exclusive features) for great prices. Get an HD-DVD drive and a bunch of movies for the price of 5 blu rays.

On another note, has anyone else noticed that since HD was killed off, the blu-ray deals have sucked. I haven't bought a single blu-ray since february. Can't justify $22-$35 for a flick.

[Corizzle]

Don't need to give the Blu-Ray deals, anyone hardcore enough into high def will buy them and they have no competition now. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see some this holiday to try and get more adopters.

I say if you already have a 360 then get the HD DVD drive and wait for a good deal on a PS3/Blu-Ray player. For the price of a PS3 you could pick up the 360 drive and literally dozens of HD DVDs

[jackdoe]

If you're a CAG, HD-DVD is the way to go to get a great collection of catalog titles (some with HD-DVD exclusive features) for great prices. Get an HD-DVD drive and a bunch of movies for the price of 5 blu rays.

On another note, has anyone else noticed that since HD was killed off, the blu-ray deals have sucked. I haven't bought a single blu-ray since february. Can't justify $22-$35 for a flick.

It is quite easy justifying $22 for a flick, especially with ticket prices at $10.50. That is as much as going to see a movie twice in theatres!! Anyways, if you can't afford a Blu-ray player, just get the 360 HD-DVD add on and get a bunch of discs (my top HD-DVD choices would be Batman Begins, Transformers, 300). Of course, you'll be missing out on Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Wall-E in HD (my three most anticipated Blu-ray releases of the year). Either way you'll end up okay. HD-DVD is a short term investment, but cheap (though not that cheap as Batman Begins on HD-DVD isn't that much cheaper than its Blu-ray brother on Amazon) while Blu-Ray is the long term investment but more expensive.

[shadowrage]

If you're a good Cheapass you can find BD titles for no more than $15.

[xxtheycallmedxx]

If you're a good Cheapass you can find BD titles for no more than $15.

QFT

[ryoga79]

Personally I went with HD just because I found the HD drive for cheap and have found a lot of cheap HD deals (like DeepDiscountDVD's recent sale), but nothing else is coming out in it. If you have the drive, get some HDs until you get a ps3, then start getting Blu (that's what I'm going to do).

[Sarang01]

Depends. Right now some movies are still only HD DVD. "Triplets Of Belleville" is one.

[DestroVega]

I've already started rebuying my 25 or so HD DVD titles in Blu Ray whenever I can find them < 15$

Cheaper or not, I wouldn't invest in HD DVD at this point. especially if you have a receiver that can output HD-MA

[blackhole82]

If you don't have either one at this point, I would go with a PS3 (for the bluray) simply for the long term investment.

[metallicoholic]

As others have said, you already have a 360, so why not invest in the HD add-on right now and pick up a PS3 if there's ever a sale on one? There are still a lot of great HD movies to pick up for cheap (usually half the price of the BR version) that can hold you over. However, if you have enough money saved up already, stick with the PS3, but frequently visit this site to get some good deals, otherwise you're going to wind up getting frustrated buying BR movies.

[KaneRobot]

If you want to amass a larger collection quickly, HD DVD is fine. Just be sure you know what you're getting into. Eventually you're going to want to get Blu-Ray as well.

[shrike4242]

I've been picking up HD-DVD's on the cheap, only because I already have an HD-DVD player.

Some of the HD-DVD's you'd purchase have BR equivalents, though possibly with better options, such as The Mummy movies and Transformers. Admittedly, price for HD-DVD is cheaper than BR, though again, it's a dying/dead format, so in theory, any HD-DVD will end up on BR at some point.

If you can find the 360 add-on, it'll do a passable job, though any standalone player would be a better investment, if you really want to go with HD-DVD. I have both discs and pick up HD-DVD on the cheap when I can, though go for BR when it's a movie I know won't be on HD-DVD or it'll be hard to find on HD-DVD.

[GizmoGC]

Go buy a LG 200 or Samsung UP5000. They both play HD DVD and Blu-ray discs and can be had for $400 or less (the same price as many Blu-ray players). Best of BOTH worlds!

[mykevermin]

You're eventually going to get a Blu-Ray Player one way or another, so...

[DX]

If money is an issue buy the HD DVD ad on now and movies for the cheap. By the time you get through all the titles you can get, the prices of BD players and movies will hopefully have dropped.

Seems like the proper CAG thing to do.

[Methadon]

It really depends at how much "consuming" you do.

While Blu-ray has already won against HD-DVD, HD-DVDs are *easy* to find cheap (good searching will have them ~$5, bad search around $10), but these are also movies you will inevitably rebuy (outside of the highly unlikely scenario that the next format will be backwards compatible with HD-DVD).

Provided Blu-ray can realise greater capacities than 50GB, it will be around for quite some time. If not, however, by around 2015 you'll be re-buying what's on Blu-ray (although, Super Hi-Vision [4320p] should upscale 1080p very nicely).

[kevgret]

I would say that you should just go blu now.

I have a HD-DVD player and had it before the format died. I have since added over 100 movies to my collection. I figure that by the time I watch all of them Blu will be cheaper and I will jump over to Blu. It could be another year by the time I go blu.

With getting torchwood season 1 for $30 and Star Trek (10 HD-DVD's) for $30 from amazon.uk I will have alot of discs to keep me busy.

but for you I would recommen going blu and slowly building your collection.

Kevin

[supermodestmouse]

I found the 360 add on to be a worthwhile purchase if not merely to save the drive in the 360 some added stress. the picture is still good, and as everyone has said, HD DVD is cheap. however, whenever i run across a cheap bluray opportunity (few and far between), I buy the ones I want becuase I just bought a PS3. i figure, just keep being opportunistic :)

[gimmepilotwings]

Cheaper or not, I wouldn't invest in HD DVD at this point. especially if you have a receiver that can output HD-MA

That's like saying someone shouldn't invest in an NES, because he can get better graphics with the Wii.

If people are satisfied with what they receive, at the price they want to pay, they should get it.

I have both a PS3 and an HDDVD player, so I buy both. If I have an option, I try to buy Blu, but only if the price is worth it. (I bought the Matrix trilogy and won't buy the Blu because of the price)

[bigdaddybruce44]

I don't see how people think HD-DVD is a waste. You can get great HD movies for about $10 or less at a number of places with zero effort (DDD, iNetVideo, Frys)...or do a little shopping around on places like eBay or Craigslist and get even better deals.

[cagfansub]

Yeah, if you have a Xbox 360 already, the HD-DVD player add-on for less than $50 plus tons of existing HighDef HD-DVD movies for less than $10 each IS a great deal! BluRay is the new format but heck, you'll have to pay more than double for the collecting those movies now. Go CAGers!

[62t]

There are great deals for hd dvd. If you can get a good deal, it will last you till blu ray gets a price drop

[pogipinoy27]

Think about it this way.

Getting the PS3 is biting the bullet for BD. But, you'd have the flexibility of playing games for it as well as the inevitability of falling BD prices in the future as well.

[h0mi]

If you're a good Cheapass you can find BD titles for no more than $15.

I have 22 hd dvds and 18 blu-rays. Factoring in the free titles I got and costs I paid for the titles I own, I paid far more for my hd-dvds than my blu-rays on average. Even if I bought 10 hd-dvds at $5 a piece, I'd still have paid more for the HD-DVDs than blu-rays. (And I got Matrix for $20). This just goes to show how expensive HD DVD was when it was a viable format and what sort of good deals I'd managed to find this year on blu-rays.


My real advice to the OP... blu-ray. Go blu-ray. Any money you spend on HD DVD is wasted money on a format that is dead, and every dollar you spent could've gone towards a blu-ray player. You can rent blu-rays from hollywood video or blockbuster very easily. Or netflix. You can't easily rent HD DVDs. Buy HD DVDs? Why? So you can amass a collection of discs you can't share or play anywhere else? So you can have 20 discs in your collection that are coasters when your player dies? So you can run out and spend even more money on a "backup" player? Or a replacement just to play those same 20 discs?

Not worth it IMO. If price is an issue, you'lre probably renting discs since there hasn't been much recently in the way of good blu-ray sales, and the best sales are in the fall anyway.

[Staind204]

Well i know Blu-Ray won the war, but do you think future Blu-Ray players will also play HD-DVDs? The reason I ask is because I just ordered the HD-DVD add-on for the 360 and if this breaks I still want to be able to watch my HD-DVDs in the future.

[equest943]

Just do the math. Let's say you go HD-DVD. Add the cost of the player to however many movies you want now times $10 (since that's about what they are going for). Also, think about how much money you saved buying the HD-DVD versions vs. the Blu-Ray versions, which comes out to about $12-20 per title. Then, whatever you have saved, you can put that towards a PS3. There is absolutely no need to double dip on Blu-Ray titles that you can get on HD-DVD. If you buy enough HD-DVDs at a low price, you might be able to come up with a difference that is big enough to buy a ps3 with.

[happy]

If you're concerned with taking advantage of HD movies immediately, and like to get them when they come out, get the PS3 for movies. If you can wait find a decent upconverting DVD player for now and work on buying DVDs that won't really get improved by the transition to Blu-Ray (the source material for older movies means there won't be a real difference).

You'll need to get blu-ray eventually though if you want to watch most HD movies.

[von551]

HD-DVD all the way! i got my 360 add-on for $30 came with King Kong and have bought all my movies for under $15 (most $10). the way i see it, by the time i'm ready for the newest HD movies, Blu will be on the way out as well. I've bought Planet Earth series for $30, Galapagos , V for Vendetta, and Blue Planet series for $11, Batman Begins $12, 300, transformers, serenity, aeon flux, and italian job for less than $10. There's still a few I'd like to get, but if you run HDMI from your 360, all your DVD's will be upconverted to HD, so getting a blu-ray is a moot point then. I can't see paying $30 for a movie, that's not the CAG way. lol. $155 for a HD player with 11 movies ain't bad IMO, compared to the $750 the same amount of items could of cost me going Blu.

[Mr.Swagga]

I see everyones points that is why I am having so much trouble trying to make up my mind. But I think I am going to give in and grab a PS3 this Friday even thought there are probably one or two exclusives that only seem to be worth buying

[micro44]

Why not both? Get a blu-ray because that is the way to go moving forward, but you should be able to pick up HD-DVD stuff dirt cheap as well.

[GrilledWitOnions]

I know this is a pricey option, but I went ahead and built a Home Theater PC for about $600 (you could do better than that though, I'm sure), and it has an HD-DVD/BD drive in it. I really lean towards HD-DVD since it is cheaper right now, and I just don't see Blu dropping prices for a while.
I think a couple people speculated (or at least asked about) HD-DVD futureproofness and if it will be available in future standalones, and I think so. Most DVD players play everything: mp3, jpeg, dvd-a, SACD. How many of these features are ever used? SACD and DVD-A didn't really take off, but they are great little bullet points on a box. My understanding is that BD and HD-DVD both use the same laser, and so implementing HD-DVD support in future BD players would be simple and make sense. It might be a while but, well, maybe that will be the time the old HD-DVD player breaks and you need a replacement. Don't see why you wouldn't see some companies with HD-DVD support.
And micro makes an excellent point that you can get both, cause HD-DVD is just that cheap right now. I love my HD-DVD's, and it's because they are what got me into High Def movies and they are what's kept me into it, first with a format war that made both sides have some awesome sales, and now in death it is lower priced than ever. BD, on the other hand, has always seemed like it really wanted to be expensive if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their dog, and now that HD-DVD is dead, BD IS really expensive, nearly all the time. Yeah I can get BD for about $15, but that is way too much for me; it just looks cheap compared to the MSRP of $40. :P
My longwinded two cents.

[GizmoGC]

Go buy a LG 200 or Samsung UP5000. They both play HD DVD and Blu-ray discs and can be had for $400 or less (the same price as many Blu-ray players). Best of BOTH worlds!

I'm going to re-quote this for you. Do this.

Why spend $20 on Casino Blu-ray when the HD DVD is $5?
Why spend $70 on Planet Earth Blu-ray when the HD DVD is $25.

But you can't play new releases...so that's where Blu-ray comes in.

[bigdaddybruce44]

I'm going to re-quote this for you. Do this.

Why spend $20 on Casino Blu-ray when the HD DVD is $5?
Why spend $70 on Planet Earth Blu-ray when the HD DVD is $25.

But you can't play new releases...so that's where Blu-ray comes in.

Indeed. There is a lot of stuff that is cheaper on HD-DVD or simply not yet available on Blu-ray. If you plan on buying a lot of movies in the near future, finding a way to be in the HD-DVD game is a smart option.

I've had my PS3 since January of '07. I got my 360 add-on over a year later in February of this year. Yet, I have twice as many HD-DVDs.

[GizmoGC]

I now own 250 HD DVDs (with another 30 on the way) and barely over 100 Blu-rays...Its becoming a sick, sick obsession.

[heghei555]

"If you can wait find a decent upconverting DVD player for now and work on buying DVDs that won't really get improved by the transition to Blu-Ray (the source material for older movies means there won't be a real difference)"

This is wrong. While old video source material will not, anything with a film source will find improvement on an HD format.

[Ashground]

I can't believe how many people are recommending buying HD-DVD. It's a dead format -- the reason everything is so cheap now is because everything is being liquidated. In a couple months, they'll be off store shelves and out of production, making them neither available nor cheap.

If you're serious about going HD, Blu-Ray is your only choice, period. It's the only HD format things are going to be released on from now on. Buying into HD-DVD now is like buying into lazerdiscs shortly after they were discontined -- sure, it's cheap, but the twenty movies you buy now will likely be the only twenty you ever own.

[bigdaddybruce44]

I can't believe how many people are recommending buying HD-DVD. It's a dead format -- the reason everything is so cheap now is because everything is being liquidated. In a couple months, they'll be off store shelves and out of production, making them neither available nor cheap.

If you're serious about going HD, Blu-Ray is your only choice, period. It's the only HD format things are going to be released on from now on. Buying into HD-DVD now is like buying into lazerdiscs shortly after they were discontined -- sure, it's cheap, but the twenty movies you buy now will likely be the only twenty you ever own.

Do you even bother to read the recommendations people give? Or do you just barrel ahead with your own, while also disrespecting those others? Because if you actually read what people wrote, you would realize why they are suggesting HD-DVD. Do you also understand that you can buy HD-DVDs...and get this...and Blu-rays! Yes, I know, it's craziness, but it's also true. I don't think one person in this thread seriously suggested HD-DVD as a long time solution.

But right now, HD-DVD is not a bad thing to get into, if you want a lot of cheap, high-def movies quickly. If you can't see that, it's your problem. With about $100 in your pocket, you can get an HD-DVD player and a bunch of movies. What can $100 do for you in the Blu-ray category? It can't even get you a player, and with the way prices are, you'll be lucky to walk away with five movies.

[blackhole82]

I can't believe how many people are recommending buying HD-DVD. It's a dead format -- the reason everything is so cheap now is because everything is being liquidated. In a couple months, they'll be off store shelves and out of production, making them neither available nor cheap.

If you're serious about going HD, Blu-Ray is your only choice, period. It's the only HD format things are going to be released on from now on. Buying into HD-DVD now is like buying into lazerdiscs shortly after they were discontined -- sure, it's cheap, but the twenty movies you buy now will likely be the only twenty you ever own.

Yeah. If you don't already have an investment in it, I say it's best to avoid it all together.

[Ashground]

But right now, HD-DVD is not a bad thing to get into, if you want a lot of cheap, high-def movies quickly. If you can't see that, it's your problem. With about $100 in your pocket, you can get an HD-DVD player and a bunch of movies. What can $100 do for you in the Blu-ray category? It can't even get you a player, and with the way prices are, you'll be lucky to walk away with five movies.

But it's a bad investment, pure and simple. Your argument is that you can save money by buying HD-DVD now and Blu-Ray later. That means buying two players, as well as amassing a collection of movies that won't be supported by future players (in the same way that, on modern players, you can play DVDs but not laserdiscs).

Yes, I read over other people's suggestions, and I don't think I'm being disrespectful. I am, however, completely disagreeing. Suggesting that someone pick up a player for a dead format just to pick up a small selection of momentarily cheap movies is bad advice. Any money you save right now will disappear the moment you have to buy a second player for Blu-Ray, not to mention repurchase your HD-DVD library when future players don't support the format (since HD-DVD is a discontinued format, there will be no forwards-compatability).

[shrike4242]

But it's a bad investment, pure and simple. Your argument is that you can save money by buying HD-DVD now and Blu-Ray later. That means buying two players, as well as amassing a collection of movies that won't be supported by future players (in the same way that, on modern players, you can play DVDs but not laserdiscs).

Yes, I read over other people's suggestions, and I don't think I'm being disrespectful. I am, however, completely disagreeing. Suggesting that someone pick up a player for a dead format just to pick up a small selection of momentarily cheap movies is bad advice. Any money you save right now will disappear the moment you have to buy a second player for Blu-Ray, not to mention repurchase your HD-DVD library when future players don't support the format (since HD-DVD is a discontinued format, there will be no forwards-compatibility).Even if I've rebought all my HD-DVD's to BR's, my XA-2 will still be one of the best DVD upscalers around.

Plus, Toshiba's supporting them with parts until 2016, so getting them repaired/replaced is still possible for quite some time to come.

I picked up my HD-DVD add-on after my PS3, and eventually bought an XA-2 at a great price right as the bubble burst. It does a damn good job on DVD upscaling. Plus, from what I've seen, most of the BR versions of HD-DVD's that I picked up on the cheap, are either the same as I have on HD-DVD or no real changes to make me think about double-dipping.

For the moment, I have 82 HD-DVD's and 97 BR's. When I can find HD-DVD's on the cheap that is a movie I want and it is a worthwhile upgrade from DVD, I'll pick it up. For the BR version in the same situation, I'm paying more, without question. In most cases, it's the same movie on both platforms, with possibly some minor differences in added content.

If I was starting fresh, I'd learn towards BR, though it is a much more expensive point of entry than HD-DVD at this time.

[HowStern]

+1 for ps3

seriously, if you don't own a HD-DVD player already then it's not a really smart investment unless you can find one really cheap.

[Ashground]

Even if I've rebought all my HD-DVD's to BR's, my XA-2 will still be one of the best DVD upscalers around.

The XA-2 does have fantastic upscaling, but that's not necessairly a reason to go HD-DVD, since the PS3's upscaling is nearly on par for a full $1000 less.

[Sporadic]

Suggesting that someone pick up a player for a dead format just to pick up a small selection of momentarily cheap movies is bad advice. .

HD-DVD's US library is around 400 titles.

Any money you save right now will disappear the moment you have to buy a second player for Blu-Ray, not to mention repurchase your HD-DVD library when future players don't support the format (since HD-DVD is a discontinued format, there will be no forwards-compatability).

What?

It's really simple. Buy a cheap player (sub $75)...which gives him access to a ton of cheap movies (that will forever be cheap)...which will hold the man over until Blu-Ray comes down in price....at which point he can buy into Blu-Ray if he wants.

There would be no reason for him to repurchase the HD-DVDs he bought again on Blu-Ray because most of the time, they are the same transfer (or that the Blu version recieves a lossless audio track...which isn't worth the extra $$$)

If the player dies, guess what? Hit up eBay. Hell, you can still buy betamax players on eBay. I imagine that 10 years into the future you'll still be able to buy a replacement HD-DVD player if you really wanted to.

[shrike4242]

The XA-2 does have fantastic upscaling, but that's not necessairly a reason to go HD-DVD, since the PS3's upscaling is nearly on par for a full $1000 less.I picked mine up as a refurb for $299, so I'm not in at the $1400 level for it.

I'm not saying I bought the XA-2 just for upscaling, I bought it because I wasn't pleased with the performance of my 360 add-on, and had enough investment with HD-DVD's to drop the money on the XA-2 at the price I found it at.

I just know that if I replace all my HD-DVD's with BR's, I'll have a fantastic DVD upscaler. The A30 and A35 are both great upscalers, though the A35's a bit hard to find these days. For about the price I'd pay for a good DVD upscaler, I could get a comparable HD-DVD player that also plays HD-DVD's.
What?

It's really simple. Buy a cheap player (sub $75)...which gives him access to a ton of cheap movies (that will forever be cheap)...which will hold the man over until Blu-Ray comes down in price....at which point he can buy into Blu-Ray if he wants.

There would be no reason for him to repurchase the HD-DVDs he bought again on Blu-Ray because most of the time, they are the same transfer (or that the Blu version recieves a lossless audio track...which isn't worth the extra $$$)

If the player dies, guess what? Hit up eBay. Hell, you can still buy betamax players on eBay. I imagine that 10 years into the future you'll still be able to buy a replacement HD-DVD player if you really wanted to.I think you can also find laserdisc players there as well.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Exactly. I still see Laserdisc players on Craigslist and eBay all the time, and there you are talking about a format that never really caught on in North America. HD-DVD was on the market for some time, so there will be stuff floating around for years and years to come.

[GrilledWitOnions]

Okay, let me see...
But it's a bad investment, pure and simple. Your argument is that you can save money by buying HD-DVD now and Blu-Ray later. That means buying two players, as well as amassing a collection of movies that won't be supported by future players (in the same way that, on modern players, you can play DVDs but not laserdiscs).
Yes, I read over other people's suggestions, and I don't think I'm being disrespectful. I am, however, completely disagreeing. Suggesting that someone pick up a player for a dead format just to pick up a small selection of momentarily cheap movies is bad advice. Any money you save right now will disappear the moment you have to buy a second player for Blu-Ray, not to mention repurchase your HD-DVD library when future players don't support the format (since HD-DVD is a discontinued format, there will be no forwards-compatability).
This is all assumption. Laserdisc is not supported because it's so damn big.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/LDDVDComparison.jpg/800px-LDDVDComparison.jpg
[laserdisc next to dvd]
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are the same size as DVD's, and use the same laser as each other, so incorporating backwards compatibility is not hard, and I foresee a future with plenty of those types of players. I suppose it might make development costs higher since I know the requirements for each format are a bit different, but I don't think it would be out of the question. As I said previously, DVD-A and SACD are still around, two competing formats, and both can easily be found on many dvd players, and yet neither became very popular. It's a bullet point. And I can't find data on the number of total HD-DVD players sold, but you can bet there are a large chunk of people with HD-DVD equipment right now (well, assuming they didn't just ebay them :P) So when all of these people need new players, they'll just have to throw their discs away? No. Someone will step up and release a cheap dual-format player, probably multiple companies (there is already a dual format player, but it's still pretty expensive from what I gather.)

HD-DVD's don't just stop working because BD won, and companies aren't going to just ignore the people that HD-DVD. Some will, definitly Sony, but then some won't, and they will release dual-format players to get those people that want both, and can't get it from Sony. But this is all assumption on MY part.

Now, the facts are these:
HD-DVD is dead; BD won,
HD-DVD is cheap; BD is expensive,
HD-DVD won't just stop working.

The problem does lie in not knowing what will be the future formats included for players, but I think we have a greater chance of seeing it included than not. So I still think getting HD-DVD now and BD later is the best choice, with getting both now being second best choice.

[von551]

I see everyones points that is why I am having so much trouble trying to make up my mind. But I think I am going to give in and grab a PS3 this Friday even thought there are probably one or two exclusives that only seem to be worth buying

you don't have a 360?

[GizmoGC]

LG BH200 (combo BD/HD player) is $399 at Best Buy right now

GET IT.

[Mr.Swagga]

you don't have a 360?

Yeah I have a 360 just didnt wanna waste cash on something I thought might become useless.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Well, here's a suggestion. A number of people over in the Sears clearance thread were reporting the add-on drive for between $25 and $30. One even said there was a rebate available. If you can find one at a local Sears for that cheap, I'd go for it. Considering you'll get King Kong and the media remote, the drive is pretty much free. Yeah, the add-on isn't nearly as a good as a standalone player, but you won't be making much of a commitment, so if you decide HD-DVD is a waste, you aren't really out much.

[oasisboy]

If you're a good Cheapass you can find BD titles for no more than $15.

Not the movies I want...

[bigdaddybruce44]

Not the movies I want...

It is quite difficult to find decent Blu-rays for under $15. Frys had a good sale back around May or June, and I picked up a number of quality titles. But ever since the fall of HD-DVD, there really haven't been that many great Blu-ray deals, simply because there isn't any need for them, anymore, from a marketing perspective.

[shrike4242]

It is quite difficult to find decent Blu-rays for under $15. Frys had a good sale back around May or June, and I picked up a number of quality titles. But ever since the fall of HD-DVD, there really haven't been that many great Blu-ray deals, simply because there isn't any need for them, anymore, from a marketing perspective.Only times I manage a BR for $15 or under is normally at a B1G1 sale when they're $30 each.

Sometimes, you'll find them on the cheaper end, such as from J&R.com, Frys.com and DD.com, though normally, $15 is a hard point to get a BR at. Sometimes, if you pick the right movies on Amazon.com for the B2G1, you'll luck out at $15 or less.

No issues when they were selling at $20-$28 on Amazon.com with B1G1's. Though, not any more.

[von551]

Yeah I have a 360 just didnt wanna waste cash on something I thought might become useless.

well, like i said, i have a $155 HD DVD collection as opposed to $750 Blu, I'll always keep it because it looks so good and maybe consider Blu if it gets way cheaper, but by then it'll probably be getting replaced by something else. PS3 is a useless game console, but great Blu-Ray player if you're willing to spend at least a grand on a decent collection.

[aw004g]

If you're a good Cheapass you can find BD titles for no more than $15.

Don't get me wrong, the only BD that was purchased at full price was Blade Runner (it was given to me as a gift by my wife). I bought almost all of mine at Amazon when they were really cheap or used at Gamestop.

[Mr.Swagga]

My gamestop dont have used BDs. I got shitty old busted up DVDs lol

[bigdaddybruce44]

My gamestop dont have used BDs. I got shitty old busted up DVDs lol

Don't feel bad. The most my local GS ever had was copies of Spiderman 3 BD and King Kong HD-DVD.

[cybersteve00]

It is quite difficult to find decent Blu-rays for under $15. Frys had a good sale back around May or June, and I picked up a number of quality titles. But ever since the fall of HD-DVD, there really haven't been that many great Blu-ray deals, simply because there isn't any need for them, anymore, from a marketing perspective.

That's the main thing that bugs me. People were real happy that BR won the format war. As a owner of both formats I thought the end of the war sucked. As now we see the BR prices are not as good as they were during the war.

I am very amused by the comments of some of these people on how you should not buy into HD DVD. Too funny. This is the BEST time to get into HD DVD if you want some cheap hi-def movies. I buy as many HD-DVD movies as I can right now because they're sooo cheap. Why would I want to pay double to get it on BR for the same quality? Pretty dumb.

[GizmoGC]

LG BH 200 (Plays Blu-ray + HD DVD). Profile 1.1 (2.0 maybe at a later date). Internally decodes TrueHD. Bitstreams DTS MA. USB slot.

$339 right now at Best Buy!

Couple that with a 10 or 12% off coupon and its like $325 out of the door for something that better then most BD players to date.

[cuco33]

That's the main thing that bugs me. People were real happy that BR won the format war. As a owner of both formats I thought the end of the war sucked. As now we see the BR prices are not as good as they were during the war.

I am very amused by the comments of some of these people on how you should not buy into HD DVD. Too funny. This is the BEST time to get into HD DVD if you want some cheap hi-def movies. I buy as many HD-DVD movies as I can right now because they're sooo cheap. Why would I want to pay double to get it on BR for the same quality? Pretty dumb.

I'm with you. I didn't want the war to end especially with all the sales on both sides. I embraced both formats but the last 10 or so HD films I've purchased have all been HD DVDs. The last BD I bought was on sale on Amazon for a really low price, but not lower than any of my HD DVDs. Yes the war is over, yes HD DVD is 'dead' but my disks don't vanish and neither does my player. My A2 plays all my HD DVDs and DVDs, my PS3 only BDs for gaming and film. You'll always read many comments on many boards preaching BDs advantage, and usually it's a PS3 owner making ridiculous comments like preaching lossless audio with TV speakers or 1080P24 with an SD TV. It is what it is. Shop smart I always say. You'll find deals for Blu, but you'll find far more deals on red. Example, Matrix collection can be had for $30-40 but new it's slated to be almost $130+ on Blu. If you only watch the films, why spend the extra? Being neutral is great :D

[heghei555]

"I still see Laserdisc players on Craigslist and eBay all the time, and there you are talking about a format that never really caught on in North America."

Penetration was supposedly about a million households in the US. It lasted as a format for 15 years.

[bigdaddybruce44]

"I still see Laserdisc players on Craigslist and eBay all the time, and there you are talking about a format that never really caught on in North America."

Penetration was supposedly about a million households in the US. It lasted as a format for 15 years.

I think "limped along" for some time would be more accurate, but that's another discussion. This thread isn't about Laserdisc. The point is, just because a format failed, that doesn't mean the product is suddenly going to vanish into mid-air. There has been enough HD-DVD product put out there to keep a second-hand market going for years to come. As of December of last year, more than 750,000 units had been sold. So, I wouldn't worry about a player breaking and then suddenly not being able to find a replacement. You can still find products that failed, failed even worse than HD-DVD, on the second-hand market.

[h0mi]

I used to use my 360 and hd dvd add on drive but last year I got RROD and earlier this year my 360 had to be sent to MS for disc read errors. So I've had some experience already with being unable to play my hd dvd discs. I did opt to buy an hd-d3 because Costco had their deal going on and it essentially cost me nothing, plus I got 7 movies out of the deal (even if they were all crap or I already owned it). Thats why to me, its just not worth spending money on hd dvd. I don't want to be beholden to a format that has no future, just so I can keep playing my ~20 discs.

[Deadpool]

LG BH 200 (Plays Blu-ray + HD DVD). Profile 1.1 (2.0 maybe at a later date). Internally decodes TrueHD. Bitstreams DTS MA. USB slot.

$339 right now at Best Buy!

Couple that with a 10 or 12% off coupon and its like $325 out of the door for something that better then most BD players to date.

:lol: keep pimping that! No one is listening to ya brother.

[blitz6speed]

Anyone telling you to go HD DVD is just trying to suck you into their sadness. Skip the dead worthless format, go Blu-ray and never look back. If the costs of discs is the issue, buy a PS3 and get a netflix account, done. A lot of HD DVD supporters are die hards even after the format has been dead and buried, like Gizmo who is a shill for HD DVD on every forum he visits and is the laughing stock of movie fans on many forums.

Do not spend good money on a bad format that you will not be able to get 1 dollar for soon.

[Methadon]

I used to use my 360 and hd dvd add on drive but last year I got RROD and earlier this year my 360 had to be sent to MS for disc read errors. So I've had some experience already with being unable to play my hd dvd discs. I did opt to buy an hd-d3 because Costco had their deal going on and it essentially cost me nothing, plus I got 7 movies out of the deal (even if they were all crap or I already owned it). Thats why to me, its just not worth spending money on hd dvd. I don't want to be beholden to a format that has no future, just so I can keep playing my ~20 discs.

You can find drivers for the HD-DVD drive to work on your PC.

[Sporadic]

Anyone telling you to go HD DVD is just trying to suck you into their sadness. Skip the dead worthless format, go Blu-ray and never look back. If the costs of discs is the issue, buy a PS3 and get a netflix account, done. A lot of HD DVD supporters are die hards even after the format has been dead and buried, like Gizmo who is a shill for HD DVD on every forum he visits and is the laughing stock of movie fans on many forums.

Do not spend good money on a bad format that you will not be able to get 1 dollar for soon.

Sounds like you are the one who can't stop carrying the fanboy torch, not Gizmo.

[DX]

Anyone telling you to go HD DVD is just trying to suck you into their sadness. Skip the dead worthless format, go Blu-ray and never look back. If the costs of discs is the issue, buy a PS3 and get a netflix account, done. A lot of HD DVD supporters are die hards even after the format has been dead and buried, like Gizmo who is a shill for HD DVD on every forum he visits and is the laughing stock of movie fans on many forums.

Do not spend good money on a bad format that you will not be able to get 1 dollar for soon.

Yes, you will not get no new movies for the format. But when you have 500+ domestic movies to choose from and lots of imports that you can get for 50% or more less than their BD counterparts its an incredible fucking value no matter how you cut it.

Certain titles who are just now getting the BluRay treatment can be had on HD DVD have better PQ or equal.

If your frugal with your money HD DVD is a great alternative at this time for the price alone.


http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=DV-HD805&modelid=209&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=0

Onkyo 805. WIth discounts it van be had for less than $260. This machine is equal to a Toshiba XA2 which are currently going for around $400+.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Anyone telling you to go HD DVD is just trying to suck you into their sadness.

Anyone? Really? That's odd, because I bought the 360 add-on after the format was dead. So, I guess, you're wrong. I'm not too sad about getting $5 and $10 quality high-def movies...not Beer League and The Curse of King Tut's Tomb.


A lot of HD DVD supporters are die hards even after the format has been dead and buried, like Gizmo who is a shill for HD DVD on every forum he visits and is the laughing stock of movie fans on many forums.Yes, because personal attacks really make your post look unbiased and useful.

Do not spend good money on a bad format that you will not be able to get 1 dollar for soon.How is it a bad format? The movies are the same quality as Blu-ray. As the other poster said, you're the one still waving the fanboy flag. Also, who cares how much one can get for the stuff in the future? We aren't talking about reselling. We're talking about buying movies to actually watch and enjoy.

[cuco33]

Yes, you will not get no new movies for the format. But when you have 500+ domestic movies to choose from and lots of imports that you can get for 50% or more less than their BD counterparts its an incredible fucking value no matter how you cut it.

Certain titles who are just now getting the BluRay treatment can be had on HD DVD have better PQ or equal.

If your frugal with your money HD DVD is a great alternative at this time for the price alone.


http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=DV-HD805&modelid=209&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=0

Onkyo 805. WIth discounts it van be had for less than $260. This machine is equal to a Toshiba XA2 which are currently going for around $400+.

:drool::drool::drool:

I shopped around for a spare HD DVD player and REALLY wanted the XA2 or the Onkyo 805... I think I just got sold! Where can you get additional discounts though?


Anyone? Really? That's odd, because I bought the 360 add-on after the format was dead. So, I guess, you're wrong. I'm not too sad about getting $5 and $10 quality high-def movies...not Beer League and The Curse of King Tut's Tomb.

Yes, because personal attacks really make your post look unbiased and useful.

How is it a bad format? The movies are the same quality as Blu-ray. As the other poster said, you're the one still waving the fanboy flag. Also, who cares how much one can get for the stuff in the future? We aren't talking about reselling. We're talking about buying movies to actually watch and enjoy.

Pay no attention... If you look on any HDM board, even gaming boards, the majority still spewing crap are the elite PS3 zealots who forgot the war is over. The major advantage to go Bluray is that it is here to stay and new releases can be had but if you don't mind saving yourself a good amount of $ on what's available now HD DVD still is a fine product with over 400 titles available in the NA region and with some imports being BETTER than their Bluray counterparts. Sadly most waving the flags own 2-3 Blurays and only preach it because of their beloved console. They tend to be the elite that have their systems connected via composite to an SDTV parading lossless audio with TV speakers ;)
It's your money, let the fanboys preach what they want. I really wished the format war was still going on. My collection of both formats would be a LOT larger due to great sales but war being over means neither side have to win the public's heart as much 8-)

You'll still score some great deals on Bluray but even better on HD DVD even if the format is 'dead'. How many here honestly have more than 50 DVDs in their collection?

[Sporadic]

Pay no attention... If you look on any HDM board, even gaming boards, the majority still spewing crap are the elite PS3 zealots who forgot the war is over.

...........

Sadly most waving the flags own 2-3 Blurays and only preach it because of their beloved console.

Kind of off topic but that's one of the sad things I noticed.

A majority of the people who use to fight with me tooth and nail for pages and pages saying that Blu-Ray was the "superior" format in the old format war thread, never actually post in the Blu-Ray discussion thread now that it's won or own more than 20 discs.

While HD-DVD "zealots" like me, Gizmo and LinkinPrime have already bought Blu-Ray players, own more discs than them in a shorter amount of time and dominate most of the Blu-Ray discussion thread while the people who were "hardcore Blu-Ray fans" completely fell off the map. Seems like they were more in love with the idea of a format war.

[GizmoGC]

Anyone telling you to go HD DVD is just trying to suck you into their sadness. Skip the dead worthless format, go Blu-ray and never look back. If the costs of discs is the issue, buy a PS3 and get a netflix account, done. A lot of HD DVD supporters are die hards even after the format has been dead and buried, like Gizmo who is a shill for HD DVD on every forum he visits and is the laughing stock of movie fans on many forums.

Do not spend good money on a bad format that you will not be able to get 1 dollar for soon.

Thanks for the laugh. Apparently I'm a shill yet I have well over 100 Blu-ray movies...been supporting that format since January 2007. Yeah, makes sense. If you are reffering to HDD, that site in itself is a joke. I love going over there to stir the pop with the fanboys. Post one negative BD comment and *boom* thread derailed. Keeps me busy during the long days of work.

While you pay $20 for a catalog title on Blu-ray I pay $5 and typically get better audio (take a look at Paramount and Warner releases. They typically have DD5.1 on BD and DD+ or TrueHD on HD).

Remember, you own Blu-ray because you bought a PS3. Since its dead in the console wars you, the fanboys, have to be fighting and bragging about something right? Now you are all BD experts :lol:

Thanks for the Love!

[GizmoGC]

Kind of off topic but that's one of the sad things I noticed.

A majority of the people who use to fight with me tooth and nail for pages and pages saying that Blu-Ray was the "superior" format in the old format war thread, never actually post in the Blu-Ray discussion thread or own more than 20 discs.

While HD-DVD "zealots" like me, Gizmo and LinkinPrime have already bought Blu-Ray players, own more discs than them in a shorter amount of time and dominate most of the Blu-Ray discussion thread while the people who were "hardcore Blu-Ray fans" completely fell off the map. Seems like they were more in love with the idea of a format war.

Yeah, its an odd time to see you, Linkin and myself discussing Blu-ray when all the old BD supporters just disappeared. I know Myke posts from time to time...but where is everyone else that fought so hard for BD to win?

[GizmoGC]

:lol: keep pimping that! No one is listening to ya brother.

Check out AVS and HDD forums...tons of people are buying them right now. I just returned my S350 because this play is much nicer (plus it can play any region Blu-ray, any region DVD & PAL DVDs)

[TimPV3]

Yeah, its an odd time to see you, Linkin and myself discussing Blu-ray when all the old BD supporters just disappeared. I know Myke posts from time to time...but where is everyone else that fought so hard for BD to win?This is irrelevant, but I'm loving how when the format war ended everybody preached we'd get no more deals or low prices on Blu-ray, but for me it's been the exact opposite. Retailers are showing major support now, and releases on BD are retailing for cheaper than when they were released on HD-DVD (Heroes for example).

2008 would've been a great (well shitty for anybody who isn't neutral) year for the format war, it's a shame they couldn't hold out longer. Iron Man, the Hulk, the Dark Knight, then October's catalog releases, man it would've been crazy. I'm just happy my collection has puffed up so much, it helped having an HD-DVD supporter friend that sold me all of his HD-DVD exclusives dirt cheap and other buddies I can trade BDs with.

[Sporadic]

This is irrelevant, but I'm loving how when the format war ended everybody preached we'd get no more deals or low prices on Blu-ray, but for me it's been the exact opposite. Retailers are showing major support now, and releases on BD are retailing for cheaper than when they were released on HD-DVD (Heroes for example).

Really? While HD-DVD was around, there were Blu-Ray BOGOs every other week, sales and free movies with player purchase.

Now that HD-DVD is dead. No more BOGOs, no more free movies with player purchase and sales seem to be limited to "same old 10 Warner/Sony/Anchor Bay movies" over and over again. Now an awesome deal is getting Men In Black for $15 or Batman Begins for $18

[bigdaddybruce44]

Yeah, while you might see a dollar or two shaved off regular prices, we aren't getting any really good Blu-ray sales, anymore. Damn, it seemed like there was a BOGO on Amazon all the time. Those was basically the only source of my first handful of Blu-rays films. Now, all you get is the B2G1 deals where Amazon raises the prices of each movie a few bucks right before the sale, thus basically negating most of your savings.

[GizmoGC]

This is irrelevant, but I'm loving how when the format war ended everybody preached we'd get no more deals or low prices on Blu-ray, but for me it's been the exact opposite. Retailers are showing major support now, and releases on BD are retailing for cheaper than when they were released on HD-DVD (Heroes for example).

2008 would've been a great (well shitty for anybody who isn't neutral) year for the format war, it's a shame they couldn't hold out longer. Iron Man, the Hulk, the Dark Knight, then October's catalog releases, man it would've been crazy. I'm just happy my collection has puffed up so much, it helped having an HD-DVD supporter friend that sold me all of his HD-DVD exclusives dirt cheap and other buddies I can trade BDs with.

Umm...no more BOGOs, free movies with players etc. Pretty much what Sporadic said.

As for Heroes...Season 1 BD is $80 at most retail stores, where are you getting it was cheaper than the HD DVD version when it was released? Keep in mind the BD of Season 1 dropped 3 special features as well as coming in a cheaper cardboard package (but does have DTS MA).

Edit: Amazon shows the original MSRP for both sets at $99.95. I got the HD DVD version from Amazon release week for $55 or $65 (I'd have to check), the BD is $69.95 "on sale".

[Deadpool]

Check out AVS and HDD forums...tons of people are buying them right now. I just returned my S350 because this play is much nicer (plus it can play any region Blu-ray, any region DVD & PAL DVDs)

Shit... I might have to break down and get one then, didn't know there was a region free Blu player. Sucks i already have 2 HD DVD players and my PS3 though...

[GizmoGC]

Shit... I might have to break down and get one then, didn't know there was a region free Blu player. Sucks i already have 2 HD DVD players and my PS3 though...

Its region free with a little hacking :)

Took me about 2 minutes to do, but at the moment I do not have any titles that require it so I switched it back. Its a software hack...just need to press a few buttons on the remote.

I was skeptical of it at first...but wound up buying two of them I was so impressed. Beaitiful design, everything plays perfect, and the little 'ping' noise it makes when touching the buttons...mmmm. Firmware updates are done either by ethernet or USB stick. Profile 1.1 (with 2.0 coming eventually). Its seriously one of the best BD players available (besides the PS3)

[cuco33]

Yeah, its an odd time to see you, Linkin and myself discussing Blu-ray when all the old BD supporters just disappeared. I know Myke posts from time to time...but where is everyone else that fought so hard for BD to win?

They are playing games, now that the PS3 has them (iz a joke! :D) but you guys feel me. I lurk more than I post on here and recently for the past few months have been sidetracked with work. I love HDM, love film, love games. Not specific consoles nor formats. I'm still amazed a lot of places that do carry HD DVD sometimes have them listed for $12+. Where do you guys get yours? My last 10 came from inetvideo

I want an Amazon Bluray BOGO but WITHOUT them raising the prices on the BDs in the sale lol

[GizmoGC]

I just bought an A2 + 37 movies (tons of boxsets) for $100 off of Craiglist... :)

Otherwise, eBay, Fry's, Wal-Mart (Canada),...

[GrilledWitOnions]

You can find drivers for the HD-DVD drive to work on your PC.
Just wanted to point this out since it got sorta lost in the shuffle. I went this route since I don't have a 360 yet. It works pretty well, but do note that unless you use a program like Slysoft AnyDVD, which removes region/DRM protection, you will need both an HDCP compliant video card and monitor. In fact, I've found that even though I have those things I sometimes need AnyDVD anyway, cause DRM still incorrectly locks me up sometimes and says my stuff is incompatible (sometimes this is fixed by an update of the video card drivers).

[Demolition Man]

I was skeptical of it at first...but wound up buying two of them I was so impressed. Beaitiful design, everything plays perfect, and the little 'ping' noise it makes when touching the buttons...mmmm. Firmware updates are done either by ethernet or USB stick. Profile 1.1 (with 2.0 coming eventually). Its seriously one of the best BD players available (besides the PS3)

My only complaint with the BH-200 is there being no option to play 4x3 SD-DVDs pillarboxed. Other then that its a fine player. Worth owning if one wants an player that handles both HD-DVD and Bluray. Especially with so many cheap HD-DVDs out there that one can easily build a nice HD disc collection just from those alone. :D

[GizmoGC]

I fixed that by just changing the asepct ratio when I put in a SD DVD that is 4:3. Though that also entails my South Park Seasons, Family Guy, Super Mario Cartoons and Unsolved Mysteries...so no huge biggie for me.

[Deadpool]

I just bought an A2 + 37 movies (tons of boxsets) for $100 off of Craiglist... :)
you... whore...

[h0mi]

You can find drivers for the HD-DVD drive to work on your PC.

The software used to play the movies is not free. I can read the discs but cant do anything with them.

[h0mi]

Really? While HD-DVD was around, there were Blu-Ray BOGOs every other week, sales and free movies with player purchase.

Now that HD-DVD is dead. No more BOGOs, no more free movies with player purchase and sales seem to be limited to "same old 10 Warner/Sony/Anchor Bay movies" over and over again. Now an awesome deal is getting Men In Black for $15 or Batman Begins for $18

There've been at least 3 bogos at Best Buy and Target this year already. Amazon is the one not doing any bogos and they haven't done a b2g1 deal recently. Most of the blu-ray bogos were in the 4th quarter last year which... hasn't happened yet.

I've bought about 8 blu-rays this year and paid >$15 for only 2 titles- Pan's labyrinth and Bladerunner (which were titles that were never discounted last year).

[Sporadic]

The software used to play the movies is not free. I can read the discs but cant do anything with them.

Of course there are less than legal ways to get software but the license for the legit stuff is only $80 and it will also play Blu-Rays. Grab a $120 Blu drive and you got yourself a $200 combo player 8-)

There've been at least 3 bogos at Best Buy and Target this year already. Amazon is the one not doing any bogos and they haven't done a b2g1 deal recently. Most of the blu-ray bogos were in the 4th quarter last year which... hasn't happened yet.

I've bought about 8 blu-rays this year and paid >$15 for only 2 titles- Pan's labyrinth and Bladerunner (which were titles that were never discounted last year).

Hooray, BOGO off MSRP :roll: I meant no more BOGOs worth a damn. Remember when there were BOGOs with 100+ titles at $19.95 each?

[h0mi]

Of course there are less than legal ways to get software but the license for the legit stuff is only $80 and it will also play Blu-Rays. Grab a $120 Blu drive and you got yourself a $200 combo player 8-)


Not worth it to me. It would give me another avenue to watch HD DVDs or blu-rays but I'd rather watch them on my tv. I have no plans to build an HTPC.


Hooray, BOGO off MSRP :roll: I meant no more BOGOs worth a damn. Remember when there were BOGOs with 100+ titles at $19.95 each?

Yeah, they all took place during 4th quarter of last year... the amazon BOGOs. There've been more bogos this year than last; its just Amazon hasn't done any which makes them more attractive when they're combined with up to 50% off as well.

[Deadpool]

Its region free with a little hacking :)

Took me about 2 minutes to do, but at the moment I do not have any titles that require it so I switched it back. Its a software hack...just need to press a few buttons on the remote.

I was skeptical of it at first...but wound up buying two of them I was so impressed. Beaitiful design, everything plays perfect, and the little 'ping' noise it makes when touching the buttons...mmmm. Firmware updates are done either by ethernet or USB stick. Profile 1.1 (with 2.0 coming eventually). Its seriously one of the best BD players available (besides the PS3)

Broke down and got it ;)

[RaidenMGS3]

HD-DVD is still a great option for high-def movies. Judging by your first post, I am guessing you already have a 360, so you can pick up the add-on for less than $50. Hell, you even get a standalone for less than $100. And there are tons of great movies for less than $10, something you simply can't find on Blu-ray right now.

Unless you go to pawn shops. Thanks to their awesomeness, I haven't paid more than 12 bucks for a Bluray and I have many many new releases.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Hooray, BOGO off MSRP :roll: I meant no more BOGOs worth a damn. Remember when there were BOGOs with 100+ titles at $19.95 each?

Indeed! I made BOGO purchases in November, December, and January from Amazon, and they were all great deals. They just kept coming.

[GizmoGC]

Yeah, they all took place during 4th quarter of last year... the amazon BOGOs. There've been more bogos this year than last; its just Amazon hasn't done any which makes them more attractive when they're combined with up to 50% off as well.

Sorry, you're very, very wrong. Fry's had BOGOs almost twice a week, making many titles $9.99 - $12.50 on almost a daily basis. Other stores joined in as well. What your see now at stores is BOGO's, but not to the degree of what happened last year.

Having a BOGO on the same 15-20 titles over and over is not really a deal. Being able to pick up a brand new catalog title that came out three days before for $10 is. You can do a search on the forum...you'd be amazed.

[h0mi]

Sorry, you're very, very wrong. Fry's had BOGOs almost twice a week, making many titles $9.99 - $12.50 on almost a daily basis.


There were not BOGOs every other week throughout 2007, certainly not by Fry's.

Grif32 posted a list on HDD of all the 2007 bogo deals and again, what is striking is that:

1- Amazon's BOGOs were primarily in Oct-Dec
2- From Jan-Sept there were only 3 BOGOs
3- Most of the "bogos for titles at $19.95 or better" were amazon deals

Link here:
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/838008-post34.html

Scouring old Fry's ad posts from April to mid september, there were no deals of significance in April, May had a b2g1 deals for 2 weeks, June had a 2 for $25 sale, July had a 2 for $25 sale, August had nothing until the 31st- there was a 2 for $27 deal through 9/4, and September had that same 2 for $27 deal, a different set of titles in another 2 for $27 deal, and I can't find any fry's ads from Sept 20 through the end of Sept or Jan-March.

Other stores joined in as well. What your see now at stores is BOGO's, but not to the degree of what happened last year.

Having a BOGO on the same 15-20 titles over and over is not really a deal.


But most of the bogos we've seen in 2008 were identical to the 2007 bogos. 4th quarter is when those massive bogos affecting lots of titles kicked in. Looking at the fry's ads, the BOGOs/2 for $XX deals were usually just a handful of titles. Older ones, mostly and not a whole lot of variety there.


Being able to pick up a brand new catalog title that came out three days before for $10 is. You can do a search on the forum...you'd be amazed.

I've searched and what I'm finding is they were Amazon deals during the Oct-Dec timeframe.

[GizmoGC]

His list are far from complete. I too tried putting together a list at one point but it was just too much to do to prove someone wrong :lol:

Most BOGOs now are Buy 2 get 1 Free where they raised the "normal" price up to MSRP levels making the deal not even worth it. As soon as the sale ends, Amazon lowers the prices.

[GrilledWitOnions]

The software used to play the movies is not free. I can read the discs but cant do anything with them.
Just wanted to throw this out there: The lack of BD/HD-DVD software is frustrating to say the LEAST. The only player I've seen is the Cyberlink PowerDVD8, which sucks and I hate (I usually prefer Media Player Classic, since it's so simple and not very resource intensive). I have heard, however, that one can rip BD/HD-DVD's (maybe it was just HD-DVD's?) to ones hard drive and with the right codecs and such, play these movies using MPC, without menus and stuff. I've seen this at AVSForum, so it might help you. It's not as great as being able to just play them but it beats $80-$100 for software which I think is worse than Windows Media Player (and I really dislike that piece of crap). Hopefully we see something take advantage of the new formats and do it well, and be free to boot. I think we can count on it, just not sure when.

[Sporadic]

Just wanted to throw this out there: The lack of BD/HD-DVD software is frustrating to say the LEAST. The only player I've seen is the Cyberlink PowerDVD8, which sucks and I hate (I usually prefer Media Player Classic, since it's so simple and not very resource intensive). I have heard, however, that one can rip BD/HD-DVD's (maybe it was just HD-DVD's?) to ones hard drive and with the right codecs and such, play these movies using MPC, without menus and stuff. I've seen this at AVSForum, so it might help you. It's not as great as being able to just play them but it beats $80-$100 for software which I think is worse than Windows Media Player (and I really dislike that piece of crap). Hopefully we see something take advantage of the new formats and do it well, and be free to boot. I think we can count on it, just not sure when.

There's three out right now that can play Blu-Rays (they all cost money though)

PowerDVD (sucks)
WinDVD9 (pretty good)
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre (best)

[GrilledWitOnions]

There's three out right now that can play Blu-Rays (they all cost money though)

PowerDVD (sucks)
WinDVD9 (pretty good)
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre (best)Ah, I had heard of winDVD9 but thought it was only in Japanese that it played HD? Not sure where I got that impression. Hadn't really heard of ArcSoft, will look into that; I hate PowerDVD.