HD-DVD players

bobman1235

I like PS3 bashing only because it is a subset of Sony bashing. Eff Sony and their proprietary products **** with the market.

scottvamp wrote:

I am very happy with standard/upconverting DVD market right now, in more than one way (recordable).

Uhh, I think you might be in the wrong place, Scott

MikeC78

Scott,

All I can say is that you are missing out on the best picture possible for the money. The PQ is absolutely stunning!! IMO, it's a NO brainer to have if you have a HD display. I'm glad to hear you are happy with your upconverted SD DVD's, but i'm sure you'll change your mind if you try the Toshiba. You could always pick one up at your local B&M, try it out for 30 days if you don't like it take it back. I can almost guarantee you will keep it!!

Mike

Edit: Pick up a few titles like, Corpse Bride, Chronicles of Riddick, Seabiscuit, MI3, Aeon Flux, and prepare to be stunned!

scottvamp

Oh, i will own the PS3 at the very least. I get the picture quality - believe me. I am the one that won't even watch a football game if is not in HD. The PQ is that noticeable now. But we are talking about movie/ht watching. I still enjoy what we call the "film" look on movies on the big screen, not a 30 inch lcd monitor. That's fine for hanging on the wall next to my spa.
I love new technology - i bought one of the first dvd players to hit the market, the first week it came out. It was a now brainer, over VHS.
I am just saying the market is not going to convert to HD DVD material like they did with standard dvd. It going to take a while.
The older i get, i just seem to have more patience. It will all come around.;)

Shizelbs

I have a question. What percentage of US homes actually have an HDTV? The last I heard there were more people that thought they did than those that actually had a TV that could display HD. I could be wrong though. Anyways, the point is, all this HD/BR stuff when compared to the emergence of DVD is a little hindered by the lack of units that can properly display them. Anyways, just thinking out loud.

scottvamp

Its a valid thought. I go to my local video store every week and people are still asking for full screen dvds like you would not believe.:eek: They are baffeled by them black bars on the screen.

MikeC78

Shizelbs wrote:

I have a question. What percentage of US homes actually have an HDTV? The last I heard there were more people that thought they did than those that actually had a TV that could display HD. I could be wrong though. Anyways, the point is, all this HD/BR stuff when compared to the emergence of DVD is a little hindered by the lack of units that can properly display them. Anyways, just thinking out loud.

Good point!

I have a feeling the PS3 is going to be a pitfall for BR. Majority of gamers don't have a HD display, and when they play the free BR title that comes with it they are going to be stunned that there is no difference in PQ from regular SD DVD.

PolkThug

scottvamp wrote:

Its a valid thought. I go to my local video store every week and people are still asking for full screen dvds like you would not believe.:eek: They are baffeled by them black bars on the screen.

Yep, same people who won't buy a plasma TV because they have to recharge it.

scottvamp

MikeC78 wrote:

Good point!
I have a feeling the PS3 is going to be a pitfall for BR. Majority of gamers don't have a HD display, and when they play the free BR title that comes with it they are going to be stunned that there is no difference in PQ from regular SD DVD.

The point has nothing to do with PS3. Hardcore gamers are whole different breed of consumer. Someone paying over $500 plus for the PS3 knows what they are getting. Early polls stated that the #1 reason for getting PS3 was for blu-ray. Even though that may have swayed a little.................

MikeC78

Only time will tell, we shall see...

unc2701

Whoa, speaking of bumped releases, this just came out:

http://www.electronichouse.com/columns/products/16254.html

peteran

Like I said on a earlier post, Blue-Ray was never ready for release this year.
The only reason they rushed was , they were afraid of HD-DVD taking up the Market.

Now can we dig up and see if any other Electronic Mfg's are planning on building HD-DVD players?

bobman1235

I think anyone who can afford a PS3 can probably afford an HDTV as well. Granted the majority of people don't have an HDTV, but the majority of people IN THE MARKET FOR A PS3 probably do. I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.

sickicw

I just got my hd-a1 yesterday. i only really bought it because it was under $400 and includes analog outs. For the next generation of hd-dvd, you will have to buy the high end model ($1000) for the analog outs. I only demoed one movie so far (Terminator 3) and it sounds really good with Dolby Digital Plus. Best sounding movie on my system by far. Of course hd video is good, but I need to buy another hdmi cable to really demo the video.

Anyway, i just wanted to say that apart from the dvd player, it is also a very nice CD player. After demoing terminator 3 for about an hour, i listened to some CDs out of my collection and have to say they did sound better than with my old sony cd player. anyway, i think it is a good buy if you can still find it in stock.

EDIT: I also hear it is really good at upconverting regular dvd, but i haven't played any of my old ones yet.

MikeC78

peteran wrote:

Like I said on a earlier post, Blue-Ray was never ready for release this year.
The only reason they rushed was , they were afraid of HD-DVD taking up the Market.

Now can we dig up and see if any other Electronic Mfg's are planning on building HD-DVD players?

To be honest, both sides were not ready. However, Toshiba is backing up it's player with firmware upgrades. I have the 2.0 version with NO problems to report.

There are rumors, let me repeat RUMORS that Denon and I beleive Marantz are going to the HD DVD side and are working on players? This rumor came across on the AVSforum, and it's all speculation at the moment.

Mike

unc2701

You guys see this? Not exactly related, but funny none the less:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/microsoft-and-the-case-of-the-1080p-sony-hijinks-211581.php

MikeC78

unc2701 wrote:

You guys see this? Not exactly related, but funny none the less:

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/microsoft-and-the-case-of-the-1080p-sony-hijinks-211581.php

Dude, you really need to stop reading that gizmodo garbage!:) That site spreads the most FUD and rumors I ever seen on the internet, period! I guess if you like reading magazines like the National Enquiror, Globe, and the Star then that site is for you!;)

The 360 add-on isn't even released yet to the general public until the 7th of Nov.

Mike

bobman1235

In Gizmodo's defense, they usually say "we heard this rumor..." They don't try to present these things as fact, just try to keep you up to date on what the current word is floating around. Before official announcements are made, all we can do is speculate, so might as well have some fun with it

unc2701

Yeah, probably so... Ok how about this:
http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/about/member.html

D&M holdings is a member of the HD-DVD group... That means Denon, Marantz, McIntosh & Boston are all affiliated.


edit:
well, ****. Looks like they're on the fence:
http://www.blu-raydisc.com/general_information/Section-14009/Index.html

MikeC78

A little off the topic, but what the hell...

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_13_4/samsung-bd-p1000-blu-ray-player-10-2006-part-1.html

Mike

polksda

Egads... I see the PS3 gam0r fanboiz have found Polk as well. They're desperate.

Given the sales trends to date of HD-DVD hardware and software versus BR hardware and software, the BR crowd is pushing all their chips into the pot based on the forthcoming PS3 release.

Only a few problems doing that:

1. With the decrease in number of units that Sony is shipping, good luck to most consumers finding one for anywhere near MSRP for the first month or more.

2. Unlike with the Xbox 360 add-on HD-DVD drive, the purchase of a PS3 does NOT necessarily translate into sales of BR movies. The vast majority of purchasers are doing so in order to... get this... play games. There's all sorts of predictions and prognostications of movie sales based on eleventy billion PS3 units being sold. I'm not so sure I'd be willing to wager on this.

3. The Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on is selling like hotcakes (Amazon sold out of their initial allotment, which boggles the mind), and unlike the PS3, the sole purpose of this device *IS* to watch movies, so one can make more credible assumptions re: translations into movie sales.

The BR crowd keeps referring to greater studio support as being the lynchpin to BR's guaranteed victory, as if that is carved in stone.

The following quote from over at AVS sums things up perfectly:

Those that cite exclusive studio support for BD are deluding themselves if they think that loyalty runs any deeper than the next bad quarter.

I love that statement. It summarizes the current state of affairs so well. If BR cannot reverse or at least flatten the sales trends with respect to HD-DVD on an ongoing basis (not a spike here or blip there), studios are likely to rethink their strategies, regardless of what they "promised." It's all about money... and actual money rather than promised money at that.

We, as early adopters can prognosticate left and right, and studio heads can pontificate the pros and cons of one format over the other, but at some point the CFO is going to interject financial reality into the equation.

For example, if you were betting multimillion or multibillion dollar investments in one of the following curves, which would you feel more comfortable advocating, especially in light of the fact that these are actual results, not predicted results.



(It's a chart of Amazon HD-DVD sales ranks in black versus BR sales in blue)

Yes, I realize it's only Amazon, but for the sake of argument let's assume that it is a microcosm of the format war sales in general. Which format comes across as more consistent and reliable and more likely to produce a profit?

"Ah hah!" you say. It doesn't take into effect the impending PS3 launch! You're right. But what if the PS3 launch does not have as monumental effect on software sales as people predict? Remember that most diehard BR defenders predicted that the initial launch of BR alone would reverse the above graph. It hasn't happened.

Now, that's not to say that it can't happen in future, but the longer that the above behavior continues, the greater the odds that BR-specific studios become format neutral. It's in their own financial interest to do so.

At some point the issue turns from "what is promised" to "what is delivered" and people holding the purse strings tend not to be as forgiving (or as patient) as others...

MikeC78

Good read polksda!!

Mike

unc2701

+1 That's one of the better reasoned HD-DVD/ BR arguments I've seen recently.

peteran

I didn't want this thread to turn political, you all know which side I'm on.

I never was a fan of Sony and their propiertary SW & HW. They lost 1 war, Betamax vs VHS, the 2nd war pretty much fizzled out between both sides, DVD-A & SCAD. This 3rd war, HD-DVD is ahead right now, if their ps3 sales don't correspond to BR movie sales, like POLKSDA told us, the format war is over by June 2007.
I personnally advocated strongly for DVD over Divx back in 97-98 (does anybody remember them), And I personally would like to see HD-DVD win.
Who wouldn't want to buy brand new HD-dvd movies Online from 10-$20.00 a year from now and HD-DVD players for $200.00 also a year from now.
That is what is going to happen when a the clear winner emerges.

Now lets hope some major Electronic Mfgs start making some players, of course I will wait for the 2nd generation one.

Deadof_knight

Samsung hd-960 174.00 bucks all day on Ebay and electronics stores on line

MikeC78

Deadof_knight wrote:

Samsung hd-960 174.00 bucks all day on Ebay and electronics stores on line

That is not a HD DVD or a BR Player. That player you have quoted is only an upconverter and will not play the new format.

Mike

shawn474

I don't think that HD-DVD or Blu-Ray offer a HUGE difference in PQ over the Oppo 981 (or 970 / 971 for that matter). For three to four times the price, I feel like unless there are side by side comparisons you are not going to be able to justify the price difference over PQ for those on a moderate budget. I got the 981 and the PQ is stunning!!!! That being said, if I had the funds to purchase Blu-Ray, I would do it in a NY second.

MikeC78

shawn474 wrote:

I don't think that HD-DVD or Blu-Ray offer a HUGE difference in PQ over the Oppo 981 (or 970 / 971 for that matter).

Ohh yeah, it's a HUGE difference!:) Have you seen them?

Mike

polksda

shawn474 wrote:

I don't think that HD-DVD or Blu-Ray offer a HUGE difference in PQ over the Oppo 981 (or 970 / 971 for that matter).

Then you haven't seen HD-DVD or BR on a system worth its salt...

Ron-P

I don't think that HD-DVD or Blu-Ray offer a HUGE difference in PQ over the Oppo 981

.
The Oppo 981 is nothing more then an upconverting player. The difference between upconverted 480p and 1080p is huge. You haven't seen "stunning" until you've seen HD-DVD or Blu-ray with a properly calibrated display.

peteran

There is a huge difference.
I ran the HDDVD kk through compnent on the XBOX
and ran the SDDVD kk through dvi on my 2910.

There is sharpness, more color and detail, there is no comparison.

Only if the studios don't do their jobs in the HDDVD transfer, then and only then you wouldn't notice a difference.