having second thoughts about going with a HD DVD player over Blu Ray

danger boy

I haven't bought any HD player yet.. but after doing some research for the past month.. i decided I should go with HD DVD with the A35 player from Toshiba.

While visiting a couple of big box stores like BB and CC, it appears that they carry way more movies for Blu Ray then they do for HD DVD.

So now of course i'm having second thoughs about which format to go with. Yes, the simple solution would be go get a player that plays both formats, but, they are twice the price of either a BR or HD DVD player right now.. and I haven't heard to many good reviews on the new one from Samsung.

UGH! why can't they have ONE format?

I went thru this already with DVD-Audio VS SACD. Of course I choose the format that died the fastest, DVD-Audio, while SACD lived a little bit longer. SACD players are still made as far as I know.. while they no longer make DVD-Audio ones that i know of.

I really don't want to wait any longer to see which format reigns supreme.

Face

Combo player.

mantis

Face wrote: »

Combo player.

Good advise. However,

check into the movie and see where your movies are. I noticed that I like more movies on blue ray then I do on hd dvd. I own hd dvd and find no reason to pick a side. Both camps are strong in there own respect and I also don't see any end to the madness.

Why they didn't make one format??? Think the industry would learn from the past. but they don't. No one can get along and this is why we always have to effin choose or buy both. Sucks but it's how it is. DVD was the only format that just came out strong and sold like mad. Think someone would look at that and figure that out. I hate all this.

Stay away from the entry level Sony BDPs 300 right now untill they release there firmware upgrade as the player has some issues. I have Intalled about 50 of them and about 10 of them has problems. Sony's BDPs500 however has no problems that I can report. These are Blue Ray players. Personally right now the best player is the Panasonic 30. It's fast and it works good. 499.99 I believe. Not bad at all or Sony Ps3 is probably the best overall blue ray choice.

HD DVD is starting to suck. All the new movies I want to see are coming out on Blue Ray. I got HD DVD first thinking they will take off and have more movies. They don't . Not for me anyway. I own 13 movies and I have left Best Buy at least 10 times with no movie in hand due to nothing there I want.

Get both man. Samsung is releasing there combo player. LG have have heard of many problems and they already have a replacement player.

Good luck man, I know it all sucks. Then you have to get a HDMI 1.3 receiver or preamp(which sucks **** right now to try to get). I'm considering getting a Receiver and using it as a Preamp. That sucks **** but it's how it is right now.

Dan

64met

I own the XA2 from Toshiba and could not be happier! Yes, BR might have more movies available right now; however HDDVD is coming out with more and more every day. Another main reason I went with the XA2 is the incredible upscaling it does with the reon chip!! BTW... the XA2 can now be had for approx. $450-$500.

m00npie

XA2 is tops, but the A35 will be sufficient and cheaper which means you could pick up a PS3 and enjoy both formats.

I'm blue & red but I always buy red when offered in both.

rskarvan

mantis wrote: »

Stay away from the entry level Sony BDPs 300 right now untill they release there firmware upgrade as the player has some issues. I have Intalled about 50 of them and about 10 of them has problems.

Sony has already released the firmaware update for the BDPs 300. Its free and downloadable from the Sony website. Works fine for me!

bdaley6509

I have both and prefer Blu-ray. I like the blue cases as oppossed to the reddish-brown

mantis

rskarvan wrote: »

Sony has already released the firmaware update for the BDPs 300. Its free and downloadable from the Sony website. Works fine for me!

What did the firmware fix? I will go to the Sony website and download. We sell that player alot and I would love to have the firmware disc. The Sony rep was sending them to us via premade disc's but I have not seen them yet.

Cool thanks for the info.

Dan

reeltrouble1

from what I read HD-DVD presently delivers a more complete package, much of blu-ray's promise is unfullfilled, maybe HDMI 1.4 will help blu-ray. I picked HD-DVD mostly because the players are reasonably priced, so now I can rent a few movies in HD.

RT1

Early B.

Here are some choices:

1. Wait -- until there are more combo players on the market and prices decrease.

2. Pick a format and go with that one. Both of them will be around for a while.

3. Buy both types of players. With the prices, you can pick up both an HD-DVD and BR player for less than $500 total.

venomclan

I hate this stupid war also, and am sitting on the sidelines until it shakes down. The word on the street from some of the larger installers I spoke with is that Blu has already won in the rest of the world and is winning in the U.S. Another thing I heard is that with HDMI 1.3 being so problematic, they will go back to using Firewire, the original cable they were going to use before HDMI.
Venom

AsSiMiLaTeD

There are must have movies on both sides for me, so I went with both. IMO the Toshiba players are cheap enough that it makes going with both formats doable.

I grabbed the A2 for $150 and the PS3 for $399, so for $550 I've got both formats - that's about the same price as one of the standalone Blu Ray Players and the top player from Toshiba.

I don't get 1080P with either player, but the marketing machine hasn't sucked me in just yet and I'm not biting on the whole 1080P thing. All 3 of my TVs are either 1080i or 720P, and I'm not upgrading those anytime soon, so a 1080P player doesn't do me any good. I tried the XA2 player from Toshiba jsut for grins, and couldn't see or hear any advantage over my A2, so I returned it.

My advice, get the less expensive players and enjoy both formats. I think that any difference you may see in pic quality is easily offset by the fact that you don't have to choose a format, and be dissapointed when your favorite movie only comes on HD in the other format.

I don't see either format winning. With HDDVD being backed by the 'DVD Consortium (aka DVD Forum' and Sony having so much studio support for BluRay - I just don't see either side giving in. So, may as well grab both now and enjoy.

In fairness I should also note that there are other differences between the players besides just 1080P, the more expensive players have analog outputs and stuff like that if that's important for you...

Sherardp

another vote for going both ways........Hi Def players that is.

Systems

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AndyGwis

the HD-A3 can be gotten on Amazon for $179.99 shipped and comes with 10 free HD-DVDs (5 with player, 5 with rebate).

Get that and a stand alone BR player (some for $300 shipped with 5 free BRs) or a PS3 ($400 + a bunch of freebies).

You can get both and about 15 movies for $500 or so.

Sami

I'd pick both player before a combo as well, but if money is a concern then a $100-150 HD-DVD can't be beat. The cheapest BR I've seen is $300+.

I have both and I do see more HD-DVD movies although BR is picking up the pace. Check the movie selection as it is a personal thing what you want to see. Netflix rents both so it's a good site to check what's available at the moment. And it's a great service too, a cheap way to see the HD movies, at least until the disc prices come down. (just mentioning since so many seem to whine about disc prices)

danger boy

here is my problem.. or where I'm at. I don't have HDMI anything. I only have 1080i, not 1080P, I like analog outputs on a player for HD audio. yeah. going with both players is a good idea.. if I can do it for under $500, but both players would be entry level. I was hoping to get one player that would be more TOTL instead of two bottom of the line players.

I'll check what movies are available for both, then decide I guess. Why do the players need so many firmware updates. OMG, if I have to update the FW every other month, i'm gonna be pissed.

billbillw

Instead of comparing the movie selection at BB and CC, take a look at Amazon. Cheaper and much better selection. Actual movie titles per format are pretty even in in terms of numbers.

danger boy wrote: »

I haven't bought any HD player yet.. but after doing some research for the past month.. i decided I should go with HD DVD with the A35 player from Toshiba.

While visiting a couple of big box stores like BB and CC, it appears that they carry way more movies for Blu Ray then they do for HD DVD.

So now of course i'm having second thoughs about which format to go with. Yes, the simple solution would be go get a player that plays both formats, but, they are twice the price of either a BR or HD DVD player right now.. and I haven't heard to many good reviews on the new one from Samsung.

UGH! why can't they have ONE format?

I went thru this already with DVD-Audio VS SACD. Of course I choose the format that died the fastest, DVD-Audio, while SACD lived a little bit longer. SACD players are still made as far as I know.. while they no longer make DVD-Audio ones that i know of.

I really don't want to wait any longer to see which format reigns supreme.

AndyGwis

Danger, you could get an HD-XA1 if you like 5.1, build quality, and only need 1080i. You can get them for $350 shipped, maybe much cheaper for used. I know www.6ave.com has them for $348 and should be in stock.

danger boy

AndyGwis wrote: »

Danger, you could get an HD-XA1 if you like 5.1, build quality, and only need 1080i. You can get them for $350 shipped, maybe much cheaper for used. I know www.6ave.com has them for $348 and should be in stock.

that's the same price that the newer HD-A35 is going for.. so i don't really think it would benefit me to jump back in generation(s).

AndyGwis

yeah, I got it for that price almost a year ago myself. Just saying that model meets your needs and if you can find a good deal, might be worth looking into. If not, get the HD-A35 then. . .

Sami

danger boy wrote: »

I was hoping to get one player that would be more TOTL instead of two bottom of the line players.

Save the money as you'll most likely replace them/it rather soon, whether it's TOTL or entry level. I'm pretty sure once prices hit below $100 the features and functionality has passed the 1st and 2nd generation players already.

rskarvan

mantis wrote: »

What did the firmware fix? I will go to the Sony website and download. We sell that player alot and I would love to have the firmware disc. The Sony rep was sending them to us via premade disc's but I have not seen them yet.

Cool thanks for the info.

Dan

I think it fixed some Java issues related to playback. In particular, I think it fixed an annoying bug with Pirates of the Car. playback. The details of the fixes are listed on the firmware. Also, I think it expanded the playback ability to include home-burnt blue ray discs (when the price drops).

The firmware update took longer-than-I-expected to complete. But, it was problem free.

Glad I could be of help.

Ron

danger boy

right now leaning towards the Toshiba A35, then 6 months' later get a el cheap-o blu ray player. sucks, but combo players are out of reach for now.

dorokusai

I suggest sticking with VHS and making a statement.

dkg999

I went with the Cambridge Audio 540D v2 upconverting DVD player. Screw the HD formats until the industry comes to it's senses. I had hopes for the new Samsung dual format player, but it appears to have a host of issues.

I still have a nice Panasonic VHS deck for the eventual return of that format

Early B.

danger boy wrote: »

here is my problem.. or where I'm at. I don't have HDMI anything.

Don't worry about that.

My friend just purchased a 65" DLP TV and he's using S-video cables.:eek: He also has an HD-DVD player, but when he popped in the "300" HD-DVD, the picture was exceptional. Frankly, I can't imagine an HDMI cable giving him a better picture.

fireshoes

Look, we are a few days from CES. There is no reason to pick anything before then, at least. Rumors have been incessant about Warner ditching neutrality and supporting one format exclusively. Whoever they pick is very likely to win. The deal may not be announced at CES, but shouldn't be much later if it isn't. You've waited this long, so you might as well wait a little bit more.

fireshoes

Early B. wrote: »

Don't worry about that.

My friend just purchased a 65" DLP TV and he's using S-video cables.:eek: He also has an HD-DVD player, but when he popped in the "300" HD-DVD, the picture was exceptional. Frankly, I can't imagine an HDMI cable giving him a better picture.

Ugh...give the guy a set of component cables so he can at least get HD! Maybe use three composite cables....something!

izafar

fireshoes wrote: »

Look, we are a few days from CES. There is no reason to pick anything before then, at least. Rumors have been incessant about Warner ditching neutrality and supporting one format exclusively. Whoever they pick is very likely to win. The deal may not be announced at CES, but shouldn't be much later if it isn't. You've waited this long, so you might as well wait a little bit more.

Reuters is reporting that Warner is indeed going Blu exclusive:

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN0432340820080104

Danny Tse

Warner goes exclusively Blu-ray

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/boost-for-blu-ray-warner-bros-will-release-high-def-titles-exclusively-in-that-format/