In 2007, Japan's Toshiba Corporation sold 1 million HD DVD digital video recorders in North America, according to Toshiba executives speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Only two days after Warner Bros studio announced the decision to exclusively support the rival Blu-ray format, the company’s spokespeople had a tough presentation to deliver. Jodi Sally, vice president of marketing for digital audio and video at Toshiba America Consumer Products, noted that HD DVD players represented 49.3% of the players for high definition discs sold as of December 22, quoting figures from market research firm NPD.
However, the figures don't include sales of Sony Corporation's PlayStation 3 game console, which plays Blu-ray discs. Like I said back in October, even though I don’t want it to believe it, the PS3 is the key to Blu-ray winning the HD format war. Blu-ray has consistently beaten HD DVD in the number of discs sold. Two major U.S. studios now support HD DVD, compared to the five supporting Sony's Blu-ray disc. Warner is the last studio to put out movies in both formats, but will stop publishing HD DVDs in May. "It's difficult for me to read the comments of the pundits that HD is dead. We've been declared dead before," said Sally.
well thats my opinion
well thats my opinion
How is HD-DVD for PC's? Blu-Ray has more space on it's disks, SO it would be better for backups, games, etc.
Another one whos bought the Sony marketing blurb hook, line and sinker. This myth comes from the fact that Blu-Ray has a bigger size PER LAYER. HD-DVD currently has discs with the most layers.
Huh? This is a count of sales in 2007, so it seems more like a historic count of who seem to be have bought the wrong format.
These figures don't change the fact that there's been a mass drop of the format recently. That is the real problem for HD-DVD here.
Last edited by Jugalator on 06 Jan 2008 - 23:50
Sorry, but TL51 HD DVD discs are what's known as vaporware.
All they did was approve a spec. They haven't mass produced any discs, or announced any titles to use them. Well, maybe they were going to be used for Lord of the Rings...
Besides, how much do you think it would cost to actually produce the things, since HD DVD fans are so preoccupied with cost (nevermind the same titles cost the same or LESS for Blu-ray on the market, HD DVD using combo discs drives up the price $5 or more, and they are a full $1.50 more costly to replicate than a BD50).
Sony marketing? How about HITACHI demonstrating quad-layered Blu-ray discs?
How about PANASONIC who was first with a 50GB dual-layer BD burner?
How about SAMSUNG being the first BD player, and to to play 50GB discs?
Anyone saying BD is a SONY format is seriously misrepresenting the facts.
Last edited by PeterTHX on 07 Jan 2008 - 08:50
So it doesn't really matter how terrible the PS3 is when it is selling very well and is able to play Blu-Ray movies. The HD-DVD group is desperately trying to appear Still Alive (nice Orange Box reference there). I'm not saying Blu-Ray has more to offer (other than the "potential" for greater storage) but I am happy that one format is closer to victory so I am closer to being able to buy hi-def movies.
The PS3 is one of the best priced players on the market, plus it plays games. Firmware upgardable with processing power to spare meaning those HD-DVD fanboys can not claim profiles will be an issue. All those "but bluray players do not need to support truehd decoding" etc can infact find that the PS3 does support it.
The power usage is not as high as some would have you believe, like a PC it's max usage is not the typical usage.
The HD-DVD and anti-sony guys are pulling your leg if they tell you the PS3 isn't worth every penny.
Standalones for both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have a LONG way to go before they catch up to the PS3.
Last edited by bits on 07 Jan 2008 - 01:17
The PS3 is one of the best priced players on the market, plus it plays games. Firmware upgardable with processing power to spare meaning those HD-DVD fanboys can not claim profiles will be an issue. All those "but bluray players do not need to support truehd decoding" etc can infact find that the PS3 does support it.
The power usage is not as high as some would have you believe, like a PC it's max usage is not the typical usage.
The HD-DVD and anti-sony guys are pulling your leg if they tell you the PS3 isn't worth every penny.
Standalones for both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have a LONG way to go before they catch up to the PS3.
Sure the PS3 has some great features, but we all no how easily something can be made average. Who knows whats coming next...
"only 40 percent of PS3 owners surveyed knew that the system even had Blu-ray built-in. Furthermore, only half of those people had played a Blu-ray movie in the last ten times they turned on their PS3s."
Source
Any early adopter takes a risk at purchasing new technology, especially when it's unknown to being the standard. High price and reliability are enough factors alone to keep me from being an early adopter. Can't really say,"I told ya so", but... I told ya so.
Any early adopter takes a risk at purchasing new technology, especially when it's unknown to being the standard. High price and reliability are enough factors alone to keep me from being an early adopter. Can't really say,"I told ya so", but... I told ya so.
It's not over yet. I'm sure people will still buy HD-DVD for some time to come. The best thing Toshiba and others can do is slip Blue-ray compatibility into players in the future. At that point, they can undercut the Blue-ray only players, take all the market share, and dump Blue-ray. I would laugh so hard!
Any early adopter takes a risk at purchasing new technology, especially when it's unknown to being the standard. High price and reliability are enough factors alone to keep me from being an early adopter. Can't really say,"I told ya so", but... I told ya so.
It's not over yet. I'm sure people will still buy HD-DVD for some time to come. The best thing Toshiba and others can do is slip Blue-ray compatibility into players in the future. At that point, they can undercut the Blue-ray only players, take all the market share, and dump Blue-ray. I would laugh so hard!
That's a very flawed idea, and I'm way too tired to explain why. ><!
WRONG.
Blu-Ray has more capacity per layer, but HD-DVD is currently capable of more layers.
WRONG.
Blu-Ray has more capacity per layer, but HD-DVD is currently capable of more layers.
Well, Blu-ray discs on the market has more capacity. That's probably what the poster meant. That's what most mean.
Wrong. Sony will not allow any porn to be produced at their disc replication facilities but there are already third-party facilities available and they are able to produce porn.
Sony dismissed the claims saying it has no control over the licensing of Blu-ray, and has no problem with the adult industry using the format. "There's no prohibition against adult content," Lisa Gephardt, a spokeswoman for Sony Corp. of America, said. "We don't tell people how they can use the licenses they get from the Blu-ray Disc Association."
Source: EETimes.com
HD-DVD discs can hold up to 15GB of data per layer. Single- and dual-layer discs are available now. Triple-layer discs holding up to 51GB have been produced in small quantities in laboratories. No information of quad-layer or higher discs has been announced, and the design of HD-DVD makes such layers difficult to engineer."
Last edited by $n!pR on 06 Jan 2008 - 23:57
I would have thought if HD-DVD was able to have more layers, or add them more easily, they would have put that out into the public. Instead it is only Sony that has stated it is able to produce eight-layer discs. However, I remember DVD claiming upto four layers or more and we never saw beyond two - I imagine the price is prohibitive.
I do think it's strange that Sony stated it could manage eight layers and yet HD-DVD currently has the advantage. Sony needs to get these multi-layered discs out there so that they have an advantage to push over the HD-DVD group. I know I would much rather only have a couple of discs for a series than the eight or so discs you currently get with DVDs / HD-DVD.
I would have thought if HD-DVD was able to have more layers, or add them more easily, they would have put that out into the public. Instead it is only Sony that has stated it is able to produce eight-layer discs. However, I remember DVD claiming upto four layers or more and we never saw beyond two - I imagine the price is prohibitive.
I do think it's strange that Sony stated it could manage eight layers and yet HD-DVD currently has the advantage. Sony needs to get these multi-layered discs out there so that they have an advantage to push over the HD-DVD group. I know I would much rather only have a couple of discs for a series than the eight or so discs you currently get with DVDs / HD-DVD.
I have to laugh when I hear the storage argument. Blank HD discs and burners are so cost prohibitive at this point that by the time it's really affordable for mutli-layer discs, we will all have moved on.
Indeed. Looking at dual-layer DVDs they're not worth getting when single-layer discs are so much cheaper. However, I was talking about storage from a manufacturing point of view by studios. I'd much rather than one eight-layer Blu-Ray disc that four triple-layer discs for Battlestar Galactica, or whatever show I want to buy.
Sony needs to sort its act out or else it's failing to take advantage of the biggest, if not only, feature it has over HD-DVD.
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