Toshiba Officially Confirms Death of HD-DVD

#1 +Coldgunner on 19 Feb 2008 - 08:52

yay!!!

(14 replies) #2 Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 08:55

and so it ends , well done to bluray never had any doubts

#2.1 bobbba on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:13

While I'm glad that were getting to a single format I seriously don't think that is a good thing for the consumer that bluray has won.

#2.2 Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:29

(bobbba said @ #2.1)

While I'm glad that were getting to a single format I seriously don't think that is a good thing for the consumer that bluray has won.

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

#2.3 +TCLN Ryster on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:10

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

#2.4 Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:31

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

sure its my opinion that's why i beg to differ

for me i already chose bluray and its a win for me and since im a consumer its a win for one consumer so i beg to differ

i bought a ps3 with a built in bluray player for 299 , i get two functions out of it , well more if you include a media server so for me it was an o brainer and tbh 299 for a games consol that can play bluray hd content is a winner all round considering what you get , i dont find it too much of a high price to pay considering what im getting out of it like i said each to their own but personally for me i think the better format won , about time sony got a win after the failed betamax all those years ago

Last edited by Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:38

#2.5 The Gunslinger on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:36

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

#2.6 Kussie on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:40

(Fubar said @ #2.4)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

sure its my opinion that's why i beg to differ

for me i already chose bluray and its a win for me and since im a consumer its a win for one consumer so i beg to differ

i bought a ps3 with a built in bluray player for 299 , i get two functions out of it , well more if you include a media server so for me it was an o brainer and tbh 299 for a games consol that can play bluray hd content is a winner all round considering what you get , i dont find it too much of a high price to pay considering what im getting out of it like i said each to their own but personally for me i think the better format won , about time sony got a win after the failed betamax all those years ago

I wouldn't call Betamax a failure, while it did poorly in the consumer market, professionals loved it and is still widely used amongst television stations.

While I was supporting HD-DVD I'm glad a winner has finally been declared.

#2.7 Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:43

(The Gunslinger said @ #2.5)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

again i beg to differ , DVD wasnt in a format war and was expensive to start with , hell even vhs record and tapes where to start with , they all came down in price , personally i think there will bea drop in prices after 6 months or so , the more people buy the less ti costs to make the cheaper it gets to buy and so on

and tbh the value of the ps3 at 299 is pretty good compared to a stand alone hd-dvd considering what ti does , also the ps3 sold 10.5 million units with bluray built in , stand alone hd-dvd players where at the 1 million mark , the consumer spoke in more ways than one

now if the 360 had a hd-dvd player built it , it would have been more than likely that hd-dvd would have one , with it beiong out a full year before the ps3

#2.8 ermax on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:42

(Fubar said @ #2.7)

(The Gunslinger said @ #2.5)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

again i beg to differ , DVD wasnt in a format war and was expensive to start with , hell even vhs record and tapes where to start with , they all came down in price , personally i think there will bea drop in prices after 6 months or so , the more people buy the less ti costs to make the cheaper it gets to buy and so on

and tbh the value of the ps3 at 299 is pretty good compared to a stand alone hd-dvd considering what ti does , also the ps3 sold 10.5 million units with bluray built in , stand alone hd-dvd players where at the 1 million mark , the consumer spoke in more ways than one

now if the 360 had a hd-dvd player built it , it would have been more than likely that hd-dvd would have one , with it beiong out a full year before the ps3

The difference is DVD wasn't backed by the world's largest anti-consumer corp, Sony. Sony is going to keep the prices high for a long time.

#2.9 Fubar on 19 Feb 2008 - 16:24

(ermax said @ #2.

(Fubar said @ #2.7)

(The Gunslinger said @ #2.5)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

again i beg to differ , DVD wasnt in a format war and was expensive to start with , hell even vhs record and tapes where to start with , they all came down in price , personally i think there will bea drop in prices after 6 months or so , the more people buy the less ti costs to make the cheaper it gets to buy and so on

and tbh the value of the ps3 at 299 is pretty good compared to a stand alone hd-dvd considering what ti does , also the ps3 sold 10.5 million units with bluray built in , stand alone hd-dvd players where at the 1 million mark , the consumer spoke in more ways than one

now if the 360 had a hd-dvd player built it , it would have been more than likely that hd-dvd would have one , with it beiong out a full year before the ps3

The difference is DVD wasn't backed by the world's largest anti-consumer corp, Sony. Sony is going to keep the prices high for a long time.

i fail to see how sony are anti consumer i go on my own dealings with the company and not some little kid having a hissy fit in internet forums ive used sony for a long long long time and i cant really fault them because i havent had any anti consumer hassle from them infact i can honestly say if anything has ever broken from a sony walkman years and years ago to a discman ive always had it replaced in a matter of days , i cant say the same for other companies ive had to deal with, and where is your proof that they will keep the prices high for a long long time ?? they have been dropping the price of the ps3 for ages that isnt keeping the prices high is it ?? seems to me that sony are being portrayed of a evil corp when really all they are doing is supplying our demand for the latest and greatest. its logic that the prices will come down, lower price more people buy more money they make and the lower profit margin would equal out , its business one two one , they keep the price hi people wont touch them

#2.10 Skwerl on 19 Feb 2008 - 16:39

(The Gunslinger said @ #2.5)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

That's not true at all. Every electronics company will begin selling their own Blu-Ray players. There's your competition, Sassafrass. Prices will begin to fall as manufacturing gears up, too.

#2.11 bobbba on 19 Feb 2008 - 17:55

#2.12 PatrynXX on 19 Feb 2008 - 19:42

(The Gunslinger said @ #2.5)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #2.3)

(Fubar said @ #2.2)

i beg to differ i think its good for the consumer

each to their own

Care to explain why you "beg to differ"?

Siding with the format that costs more to make and with the format that changes its specification whenever it feels like it is NOT good for the consumer. The only good aspect for the consumer that I can see is that now there is only one format to worry about so less confusion for the average Joe.

Thats why I also see it as a loss to the consumer in the long run...Sure we may have the certainty of a single format now, but this means that the prices can now stabilise at the higher price point, due to no competition...

It's still competing with normal DVD players. Unless the price comes down, people won't switch.

#2.13 Joel on 20 Feb 2008 - 00:23

(Fubar said @ #2.7)

again i beg to differ , DVD wasnt in a format war and was expensive to start with , hell even vhs record and tapes where to start with , they all came down in price , personally i think there will bea drop in prices after 6 months or so , the more people buy the less ti costs to make the cheaper it gets to buy and so on

You don't remember how long it took for the prices to drop, do you? Hint; it was more than 6 months.

#2.14 QuarterSwede on 20 Feb 2008 - 03:16

(Joel said @ #2.13)

(Fubar said @ #2.7)

again i beg to differ , DVD wasnt in a format war and was expensive to start with , hell even vhs record and tapes where to start with , they all came down in price , personally i think there will bea drop in prices after 6 months or so , the more people buy the less ti costs to make the cheaper it gets to buy and so on

You don't remember how long it took for the prices to drop, do you? Hint; it was more than 6 months.

That would've been true of HD DVD if it had "won." I suppose no one noticed that BluRay and HD DVD prices hadn't dropped when they were competing.

This nonsense about HD DVD being better is straight up BS. BluRay and HD DVD are so much alike it's pathetic there was a war to begin with. I'm just glad the industry can move on and start producing decent players for less now that they don't have to worry about choosing a loser format.

(2 replies) #3 HawkMan on 19 Feb 2008 - 08:55

and this is where consumers lot.

watch any future price drops evaporate and possibly even an increasie in prices again.. well technically that allready happened when BD got the upper hand but.

#3.1 kravex on 19 Feb 2008 - 08:58

No, Sony have such a good record with fair and low prices, oh wait....

All that money they've spent bribing movies companies to come to them has got to come from somewhere.

#3.2 brent3000 on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:45

(kravex said @ #3.1)

No, Sony have such a good record with fair and low prices, oh wait....

All that money they've spent bribing movies companies to come to them has got to come from somewhere.

Thats exactly what i think... They will now have no reason to charge less for their players now.... Lets see what happens now...

PS3 will not sell so well now that 360 will include a BD addon... we shall see...

(1 reply) #4 CrimsonBetrayal on 19 Feb 2008 - 08:58

There will be competition within the BD market itself. There is nothing bad about this, well, other than non-region free and java vm encryption, but other than that, it's a win for the general populous.

Sad day for HD-DVD adopters, though in the end someone had to win. Either way, we all can have sweet HD now.

#4.1 HawkMan on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:14

Not so much when one company pretty much controls the production of the blue lasers used by BD...

(4 replies) #5 NimrodUK on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:02

As much as I dont wanna get into the ins and outs of both formats, it is a sad day when the format that charges £20 a movie wins

Consumers never win.

#5.1 michael.dobrofsky on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:12

Consumers always have the power...always. Just don't buy them at the price you think is unfair. Companies price goods at what the market will bare.

#5.2 +Coldgunner on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:15

HDDVD was charging around the £20 mark too, anyone remember the birth of DVD? that was £20 a disc too!

they drop in the end

#5.3 NimrodUK on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:19

(michael.dobrofsky said @ #5.1)

Consumers always have the power...always. Just don't buy them at the price you think is unfair. Companies price goods at what the market will bare.

I think your find the consumers were just pawns in a game played by the big boys involving money and other deals. No consumer would pick a format which costs more, for no benefit plus keeps pushing updates making £400 players useless because they couldnt get their format right first time.

Also HD-DVD's iv seen for months and months (before the Warner announcement) for £15 or less, sometimes even the same price as their DVD counter-parts.

#5.4 ThaCrip on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:02

(NimrodUK said @ #5.3)

(michael.dobrofsky said @ #5.1)

Consumers always have the power...always. Just don't buy them at the price you think is unfair. Companies price goods at what the market will bare.

I think your find the consumers were just pawns in a game played by the big boys involving money and other deals. No consumer would pick a format which costs more, for no benefit plus keeps pushing updates making ï¿½400 players useless because they couldnt get their format right first time.

Also HD-DVD's iv seen for months and months (before the Warner announcement) for ï¿½15 or less, sometimes even the same price as their DVD counter-parts.

i agree! , cause WHY would any consumer PICK a format which is pretty much roughly double the cost of the hardware and there pretty much the same as far as audio/video quality?

o well, i aint planning on buying either anytime soon as i dont even have a HDTV yet AND im already happy with x264 720p (or 1080p if your pc is powerful enough) rips

... x264 is to blu-ray as xvid is to dvd

#6 nonick on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:03

At least this division of sony is going to be profitable for a change!

#7 ]SK[ on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:06

Woohoo!

(1 reply) #8 Lt-DavidW on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:11

I've always backed Blu Ray, so I'm glad this format war is finally over.

I can still spare a tear for HD DVD however.

#8.1 venejo on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:16

(Lt-DavidW said @ #

I've always backed Blu Ray, so I'm glad this format war is finally over.

I can still spare a tear for HD DVD however.

+1

(1 reply) #9 Steven on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:12

Sweet I get to throw out more stuff or keep my HD-DVD player and watch Transformers another 100 times.

#9.1 +TCLN Ryster on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:37

I'll be keeping hold of my Toshiba HD-EP35 player as I now have a very large catalog of HD-DVDs available to me at what I hope will soon be very low prices

#10 +status-seeker on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:14

I'm glad the war is over, although I was a HD-DVD supporter.

I didn't, and actually still don't really care for HD. Maybe when I have money.

#11 tiagosilva29 on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:18

Good night, sweet prince.

#12 +nezermundy on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:22

Prices will drop, do you remember how expensive when DVD's where when they first came out? They were more than what Blu-Ray was, give it time.

(2 replies) #13 solardog on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:29

So is the Xbox360 gonna start shipping with Blu-ray? I mean they're gonna have to aren't they? Ive held off buying a 360 (not because of this tho), so I guess I should hold off a bit longer. I don't want to buy one with obsolete hardware.

#13.1 pwaddy on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:33

i'm not entirely sure, but i believe the xbox 360 only comes with a dvd drive. and the hd-dvd is an add-on. Furthermore, games only come on dvd discs. so in terms of a games console i dont think you will get an 'obsolete hardware'

#13.2 ThaCrip on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:06

(pwaddy said @ #13.1)

i'm not entirely sure, but i believe the xbox 360 only comes with a dvd drive. and the hd-dvd is an add-on. Furthermore, games only come on dvd discs. so in terms of a games console i dont think you will get an 'obsolete hardware'

i have a xbox360 and your exactly right it's just a dvd-rom drive and the games are on dual layers (mines moded and it runs backups from Verbatim DVD+R DL media) ... and i read reports on xbox-scene.com ( http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/Ek...FuEnRNJRneB.php ) that they got a blu-ray player for the xbox360 in the works but i dont think anything 100percent confirmed yet though.

(6 replies) #14 kazgor on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:35

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

#14.1 +TCLN Ryster on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:34

(kazgor said @ #1)

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

Did you not actually read the news article? The article is all about how Blu-Ray has won... ie. there's now 1 standard.

#14.2 kazgor on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:45

(TCLN Ryster said @ #14.1)

(kazgor said @ #1)

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

Did you not actually read the news article? The article is all about how Blu-Ray has won... ie. there's now 1 standard.

and did u even bother to read what i wrote.. i dont care that Blu-ray won or even if it was HD-DVD.. i just wont buy into a market with competing formats.

More fool all those early buyers that now have shelf full of HD-DVD disc and now have to rebuy for Blu-Ray.

Nuff Said..

#14.3 sonic331va on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:29

(kazgor said @ #1)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #14.1)

(kazgor said @ #1)

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

Did you not actually read the news article? The article is all about how Blu-Ray has won... ie. there's now 1 standard.

and did u even bother to read what i wrote.. i dont care that Blu-ray won or even if it was HD-DVD.. i just wont buy into a market with competing formats.

More fool all those early buyers that now have shelf full of HD-DVD disc and now have to rebuy for Blu-Ray.

Nuff Said..

Umm... but, there's no competition anymore since BD won.

Or are you saying that you won't buy because there WAS competition?

If that's the case then you've never owned, uh, anything? Because I'm pretty sure that almost anything you've ever owned in life has had a competing "format" or product which has the same basic function but is different in one or more ways.

#14.4 kazgor on 19 Feb 2008 - 21:50

(sonic331va said @ #14.3)

(kazgor said @ #1)

(TCLN Ryster said @ #14.1)

(kazgor said @ #1)

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

Did you not actually read the news article? The article is all about how Blu-Ray has won... ie. there's now 1 standard.

and did u even bother to read what i wrote.. i dont care that Blu-ray won or even if it was HD-DVD.. i just wont buy into a market with competing formats.

More fool all those early buyers that now have shelf full of HD-DVD disc and now have to rebuy for Blu-Ray.

Nuff Said..

Umm... but, there's no competition anymore since BD won.

Or are you saying that you won't buy because there WAS competition?

If that's the case then you've never owned, uh, anything? Because I'm pretty sure that almost anything you've ever owned in life has had a competing "format" or product which has the same basic function but is different in one or more ways.

Ummm... so i guess u're trying to equate VHS with DVD? and imply i dont own VHS because DVD's were on the market? I'd say VHS is clearly not the same as DVD.. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are instead 2 formats to push HighDef regardless of the tech behind the two, the end result was the same picture quality... not the Same as VHS vs DVD.

i am now glad we have one format to move HD forward...

#14.5 Joel on 20 Feb 2008 - 00:35

(kazgor said @ #14.4)

Ummm... so i guess u're trying to equate VHS with DVD? and imply i dont own VHS because DVD's were on the market? I'd say VHS is clearly not the same as DVD.. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are instead 2 formats to push HighDef regardless of the tech behind the two, the end result was the same picture quality... not the Same as VHS vs DVD.

So you DIDN'T own a VHS player? It had a competing format.

#14.6 Shiranui on 20 Feb 2008 - 01:49

(kazgor said @ #14)

im not bothered which one wins.. i totally refused to buy into either camp.. until there 1 standard.

Your English sucks; it is that simple.

(1 reply) #15 Neo Razgriz on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:59

Does this mean that HD-DVD only films like Transformers will get BR forms now?

#15.1 g0wg on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:29

Yeah, I would really like to know about this, since I intend to jump on the HD bandwagon soon now ...

(2 replies) #16 Julius Caro on 19 Feb 2008 - 09:59

Fear not, HD-DVD backers, Universal and Paramount are still supporting HD-DVD!!!

RIP

#16.1 brent3000 on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:50

your kidding :| wont they be moving over now???

#16.2 shockz on 19 Feb 2008 - 21:32

(brent3000 said @ #16.1)

your kidding :| wont they be moving over now???

It means for the time being... new movies will be available in both formats... but it will no doubt come to end... with bluray's being the only ones around now.

#17 BrainDedd on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:36

After the fiasco that was the HD war ... I'll skip HD (on disc anyway)

#18 njlouch on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:45

VERY glad I never invested in either - in any way shape or form.

Now I can possibly invest in BluRay - if I choose to still use a physical format.

#19 gigapixels on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:47

An unfortunate end, but at least one format came out a clear winner rather than it dragging on for much longer.

Yet another time when the superior format does not make it.

#20 BGM on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:51

woo blu-ray yay

glad i backed the right horse, phew

#21 DaveBG on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:56

Finally! Awesome!

(3 replies) #22 Julius Caro on 19 Feb 2008 - 10:58

I don't think HD-DVD was the superior format. Leaving the messy implementation of BD profiles aside, both are able to deliver the same content in the same way. Whether it uses Java or HDi is something that hardly matters to the consumer. How many of the BD players (being used as BD players) out there are PS3s? Those are going to be Profile 2.0 compliant. So virtually, only the early-adopter minority will suffer from that. And it's not like the movies won't play, it's just that certain features won't work. Not only that, but the limited number of titles with "next-gen" interactivity shows that nobody cares enough about it.

And HD-DVD wasn't created with the consumer in mind. HD-DVD was created when BD already existed, as a cheaper alternative to allow bigger profit margins. The only reason HD-DVD went so low on the prices was because BD was whooping its ass so badly, not because they felt consumer friendly and charged less. Had HD-DVD been in BDs position since day 1, it's cheap-ness would have allowed those companies to cash-in more money because it's cheaper to make.
Hardly consumer-friendly. HD-DVD was cheaper to the consumer because Blu-ray existed.

#22.1 Danrarbc on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:45

(Julius Caro said @ #22)

I don't think HD-DVD was the superior format. Leaving the messy implementation of BD profiles aside, both are able to deliver the same content in the same way.

So basically you're saying 'well if you ignore the disadvantages of BluRay then HD-DVD doesn't look so much better'

#22.2 yakumo on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:47

you can't leave the profile aside, they're not use profiles, they're profiles that define exactly how they can deliver the content!

the first profile blu players absolutely could NOT deliver the same content as HD-DVD (picture in picture etc).

It's a moot point as Toshiba has backed out anyway, but as a consumer I'm sorely disappointed the biggest backstabber has won.

#22.3 Julius Caro on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:00

PiP sucks, that's my point. I don't think anybody cares about it that much. Out of the 500+ HD-DVD movies out there, only about.. 30? Have PiP. We know how extras work for the studios. They throw in a few commentaries and they call "packed with extras". We know how PiP is just going "commentaries on a little window".
Sure, there are exceptions, that can be counted with ten fingers. That's why I'm totally leaving the profiles aside, because nobody cares about PiP. 300 and Batman begins having done good things with PiP doesnt account for over 500 titles releases on HD-DVD.

And who's the bigger backstabber when Toshiba is basically dumping all the support and production of HD-DVD.

(3 replies) #23 JamesWeb on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:01

HD DVD was always the more sensible name though, can Bluray have the name now?

#23.1 testman on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:56

You must be joking. HD DVD - say it out loud and count the number of syllables. Blu-ray - count the nujmber of syllables. Blu-ray is simply easier to say, it comes off the tongue and is more memorable.

#23.2 brent3000 on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:52

(testman said @ #23.1)

You must be joking. HD DVD - say it out loud and count the number of syllables. Blu-ray - count the nujmber of syllables. Blu-ray is simply easier to say, it comes off the tongue and is more memorable.

I think he is saying the name explains what it is... and shows its 1 up from the current DVD format... Blu-Ray is a new jump and totally diffrent... If u catch that drift....

#23.3 Galley on 19 Feb 2008 - 16:57

(brent3000 said @ #23.2)

(testman said @ #23.1)

You must be joking. HD DVD - say it out loud and count the number of syllables. Blu-ray - count the nujmber of syllables. Blu-ray is simply easier to say, it comes off the tongue and is more memorable.

I think he is saying the name explains what it is... and shows its 1 up from the current DVD format... Blu-Ray is a new jump and totally diffrent... If u catch that drift....

No, Joe Sixpack think it means he can get HD out of his standard DVD player.

#24 Ronnie Sunde on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:06

HDi Rest In Peace.. hope HDi comes back in Blu-Ray profile v2.1 or something...

as someone said before, both formats use the same codecs, so they both look the same the only difference was BD-J and HDi, where HDi seemed to work better.

I read somewhere that on Blu-Ray when you want to see the extras the movie stopped but on HD DVD it was like the extras ran on a different layer and process/thread...

oh well. HD DVD RIP

(2 replies) #25 elvenseven on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:14

#25.1 +TCLN Ryster on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:44

Such maturity.

#25.2 C_Guy on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:20

I wonder what Webster's Dictionary defined "pwned" as.

Oh that's right! It's not a word... in any language.

(1 reply) #26 Danrarbc on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:43

"Toshiba said on Tuesday it would stop promoting its HD DVD format"

You mean they actually started promoting it? Cause they sure could have fooled me.

#26.1 +TCLN Ryster on 19 Feb 2008 - 11:45

+1

I've never seen a single HD-DVD advert here in the UK. Seen plenty of Blu-Ray ones though.

(2 replies) #27 Skyfrog on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:00

I was hoping HD DVD would win, I think it was better for consumers. Lower priced, slightly less DRM (no BD+), no region encoding, and more durably designed discs (data between plastic layers like DVD vs Blu-Ray's data on the surface like CDs). I liked HDi better than java too. Doesn't matter to me though since I wasn't planning to buy either one, DVDs are good enough for me.

#27.1 +Coldgunner on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:29

BD has hard coating whereas HDDVD didn't, I tested the hard coating myself and its pretty durable, more durable than my dvd's infact, don't think any of my bd's have scratches

#27.2 Skyfrog on 19 Feb 2008 - 13:06

HD DVD doesn't need the coating though, like DVDs there is a layer of plastic over the data. You can scratch the top of a DVD with a knife and not hurt it. Blu-Ray was originally planned to have caddies like DVD-RAM before they got the coating. It might be strong enough but I still think the DVD type design is more durable as far as protecting the data layer.

(2 replies) #28 Galley on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:22

It's still hard to believe the war ended so quickly. On Jan. 1, (just seven seeks ago), it appeared that the war might drag on for another year or more.

#28.1 bits on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:08

What? When? Blu-Ray had it stitched completely up months and months ago(the sales figures are more than clear about that fact). Toshiba had their last ditch fire sale in Dec/Jan, that's when you know a company is done for. All Toshiba did for the past few months was rip customers off to clear stock. A rather heartless move, preying on the gullible/foolish.

#28.2 Julius Caro on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:34

But.. but... toshiba is more consumer friendly!!!

#29 Sillysam on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:50

Enough is Enough! Im so sick of hearing about the stupid format wars......

#30 brent3000 on 19 Feb 2008 - 12:56

Now that HDDVD is dieing... is there a chance that sony will incorporate the discs playback in newer players and stuff like that????

After all its not like that dont run of similar technology....

#31 castor_troyuk on 19 Feb 2008 - 13:33

I guess like the old marketing slogan, you should "Never underestimate the power of playstation"

I am genuinelly disappointed that Blu Ray won and I still to this day struggle to understand how the average consumer sided with Blu Ray as a HD DVD format, when HD-DVD even has it in the damned name.

Most people I've spoken to outside of console fanboiism have really not cared about either format, so I guess it's good now there is only one. Shame it's the more expensive of the 2 that won.

(1 reply) #32 seta-san on 19 Feb 2008 - 13:49

i think most people who wanted HD-DVD are probably not Americans. I'm happy. US and Japan are in the same region code!!! It's time to start importing

#32.1 castor_troyuk on 19 Feb 2008 - 13:51

That doesn't really make much sense as HDDVD had no region coding, so why would it matter as to which region each country was.

#33 zeta_immersion on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:15

i am somewhat happy blu won, and sad since now well ... we have to fight for lower prices, then agian ... with extra storage it compensates, within a year things will get better and dvd's will get phased out ...

#34 Windam on 19 Feb 2008 - 14:33

At last the fast and the furious 4 will be on blu ray now..

#35 Arkos Reed on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:05

F*** that
BluRay was forced down our throats from the very beginning, less functionnality from the start, way more secured and therefore not really user friendly compared to HD-DVD, and of course Gdamn expensive to begin with... not that it's gonna change anyway now they have no competition anymore

#36 ir0nw0lf on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:17

Now it is up to Sony (and YES I know that Sony isn't the only player in the BD arena! ) to ensure that they don't pooch this whole ordeal. I hope they don't try to do anything stupid to payback the universe for the Betamax failure...

If Sony plays this right, it should be a good thing over the course of time, like VHS. It's just going to take some time for the bloody water from the HD wars to clear, again like the VCR wars. IMHO, it would be a great time for Sony to do the right thing and put out a sub-$200 BD player, or at least in the near future.

I'm not moving over to BD until then -- the players are still too overpriced for my tastes.

Last edited by ir0nw0lf on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:56

#37 Megalon on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:20

great now i have a reason to purchase a big ass PS3

too bad i don't give a rats ass about hd video i'll just settle with DVD until i can find one under $200

(5 replies) #38 C_Guy on 19 Feb 2008 - 15:22

It's a sad day for technology. Just like the Beta/VHS war, the lesser format wins again.

#38.1 MightyJordan on 19 Feb 2008 - 17:10

Excuse me? Blu-Ray had more space over HD DVD, and faster read speeds! Sony deserved to win this time round.

#38.2 Joel on 20 Feb 2008 - 00:38

(MightyJordan said @ #38.1)

Excuse me? Blu-Ray had more space over HD DVD, and faster read speeds! Sony deserved to win this time round.

Same storage space, and I only watch my movies at full speed. I don't need them played faster.

#38.3 PeterTHX on 20 Feb 2008 - 02:56

Same storage space, and I only watch my movies at full speed. I don't need them played faster

Same storage space???

Maybe my math isn't so good but 50GB>30GB

It isn't a matter of speed, it's bandwidth. 36Mbps for HD DVD vs 54Mbps Blu-ray.

The lesser format is HD DVD by far. Toshiba's hardware monopoly is dead.

#38.4 Joel on 21 Feb 2008 - 03:18

(PeterTHX said @ #38.3)

Same storage space, and I only watch my movies at full speed. I don't need them played faster

Same storage space???

Maybe my math isn't so good but 50GB>30GB

It isn't a matter of speed, it's bandwidth. 36Mbps for HD DVD vs 54Mbps Blu-ray.

The lesser format is HD DVD by far. Toshiba's hardware monopoly is dead.

51GB > 50GB. No?

Give me a real-world example of where this bandwidth difference made a difference. Don't quote specs, give me an example.

#38.5 PeterTHX on 21 Feb 2008 - 18:26

51GB > 50GB. No?

Where are these 51GB discs? What titles?

1 bit > vaporware

Give me a real-world example of where this bandwidth difference made a difference. Don't quote specs, give me an example

Easy, Flags of Our Fathers. Sharper & cleaner on Blu-ray. Optimized encodes that aren't dumbed down for HD DVD's limited bandwidth.

The fact that BD can have multiple lossless audio tracks, like the new Run Lola Run has both the original German and English dub in Dolby TrueHD. Or Close Encounters of the Third Kind with TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

#39 PGHammer on 19 Feb 2008 - 16:41

The very reason Blu won was *not* the consumers, as they never got a chance to choose. The reasons Blu won were further up the distribution chain:

1. Except for NBC Universal and Paramount, the other studios with their own HV distribution arms had all settled on Blu, for reasons of content protection.

2. The larger chains (Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, and the big-box electronics retailers) had decided to push Blu (both media and players) due to increased margins compared to HD DVD.

I don't know about you, but I, as a consumer, find it horribly disappointing that the *only* sub-$500USD universally-compliant BD player (by universally compliant, I mean one that complies with both the required and optional BD specifications) is the PS3. The other four (Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic, and even one from Sony) all lack Ethernet connectivity for easier firmware updates (while optional, this feature is incredibly useful, and *is* in most HD DVD players, including every model from Toshiba). I'm 46 and have no children; I do *not* want to be stuck purchasing a video-game system to use as a BD player simply because nobody wants to provide a BD player that *just* plays BD/DVD at the same price.

Now that you have killed off HD DVD, Blu needs to find the stones to lower prices below that of the PS3 on universally-compliant BD players; otherwise, the consumer *will* feel betrayed.

(1 reply) #40 sPudz on 19 Feb 2008 - 16:58

awesome! now we're stuck with the more expensive option, i smell a cartel here

at the end of the day im happy paying £5 for a normal DVD which is pretty good quality anyway...who needs the picture to look 'real' or in 'better quality' its not like your eyes need much clearer pictures than a normal DVD

I'll also only need to own a blu-ray player if i own a hd tv, which i will only do when they make terrestrial tv hd!

#40.1 shockz on 19 Feb 2008 - 21:34

(sPudz said @ #40)

awesome! now we're stuck with the more expensive option, i smell a cartel here

at the end of the day im happy paying £5 for a normal DVD which is pretty good quality anyway...who needs the picture to look 'real' or in 'better quality' its not like your eyes need much clearer pictures than a normal DVD

I'll also only need to own a blu-ray player if i own a hd tv, which i will only do when they make terrestrial tv hd!

Obviously you don't have an HDTV... because you wouldn't be saying that if you had one.

When you put a regular DVD on a Widescreen HDTV... it looks like total ****... upconverts help, but still... it doesn't look good.

#41 Julius Caro on 19 Feb 2008 - 17:13

Universal's going blu. No surprise there:
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html...rticle_id=12118 (it's at the bottom of the page)

(3 replies) #42 Mike Frett on 19 Feb 2008 - 17:40

I'm glad it's over too. But really didn't care to begin with since it's possible I will never own a HDTV.

#42.1 bobbba on 19 Feb 2008 - 18:01

Never is a long time...

#42.2 WAR-DOG on 19 Feb 2008 - 18:35

I have no intentions to buy a HDTV in near future, but when I am ready to buy one... Blue Ray discs will be probably history... In the mean time I enjoy dvd rips on my 24" LCD screen

#42.3 daPhoenix on 19 Feb 2008 - 23:23

(WAR-DOG said @ #42.2)

In the mean time I enjoy dvd rips on my 24" LCD screen

Ah the way movies are meant to be watched, from a small screen with PC speakers.

I think I'll stick to my 55"+7.1 and a big couch instead

#43 James812 on 19 Feb 2008 - 18:03

Yay! Sad to see hd-dvd go but at least now there is a winner!

#44 BALDheadedGRL on 19 Feb 2008 - 18:23

think ill still wait my oppo upconverts to 1080 and looks damn near HD, so until everyone rushes out and buys there BD players, and brings the prices down for us others, ill be a waitin....

#45 Mendes on 19 Feb 2008 - 18:29

Finally, now I can buy a high-definition player with no doubt. And more one headache to Microsoft.

#46 nMIK-3 on 19 Feb 2008 - 20:41

If you haven't already go ahead and watch this hilarious video regarding Blu-Ray and HD DVD war!

#47 IntelliMoo on 19 Feb 2008 - 21:03

Will stick with normal dvd, thanks. lol

#48 neocyber_16 on 19 Feb 2008 - 22:06

finally!! Now I know which format to get in the long run. In the mean time, I'll stick with simple DVD

(1 reply) #49 PeterTHX on 19 Feb 2008 - 22:11

Well, hate to say it but...

TOLD YOU SO!

(Actually, I don't hate to tell you so).

Where's my old friends Boz and RAID0 to tell me I'm wrong again?

I also like how the FUD continues from the sore-losers in the HD DVD camp.

Prices will NOT go up. Blu-ray has Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi, Sharp, Denon, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, etc all to compete with each other and standard DVD. Hollywood wants to sell you their films again. Universal just signed up and Paramount is set to return.

Did DVD prices rise or fall when DIVX failed?

As for reliability, as any Netflix user with both which format had less problems with scratches...(hint, begins with Blu- ends with ray)

So, to those who believed me, thank you.

Those who didn't (and were insulting about it to boot)...well...I'll let the events of the past week speak for themselves.

#49.1 Howard on 21 Feb 2008 - 00:51

Nice acceptance speech. Thank you for bringing and end to the format war. I knew you could do it, damn non-believers!

(1 reply) #50 Nodiaque on 21 Feb 2008 - 01:18

yay, the worst consumer friendly product win.... let's have java player unsupported, let's have a new 2.0 format not supported by older player, let's have not real new media interactivity (like hd-dvd had) for next 10 years, let's have blu-ray player that can't even read spiderman 3 when it's written on the box "watch spider-man 3!".... oh yeah, don't forget that uberly stupid region encoding...

All good reason for any cie to shift for that product.

Oh and PeterTHX, mighty Peter, way to go compare DIVX with DVD. I had forgotten that petrol price raise because there's a shortage of tire.

#50.1 PeterTHX on 21 Feb 2008 - 18:21

let's have java player unsupported

Java is part of the spec 1.0

let's have a new 2.0 format not supported by older player

Which doesn't affect playback of the video or audio of the films themselves or the majority of extras.
Just as having DVD-ROM features on DVDs didn't affect stand alone players.

let's have not real new media interactivity (like hd-dvd had) for next 10 years

That is what profile 1.1 and 2.0 are all about. By summer, 2.0 players will be available and titles like Men In Black, Godzilla, Finding Nemo, and Sleeping Beauty will take advantage.

let's have blu-ray player that can't even read spiderman 3 when it's written on the box "watch spider-man 3!"

Which player would that be exactly?

oh yeah, don't forget that uberly stupid region encoding

You mean the OPTIONAL region encoding? The region encoding Warner titles DON'T use? OR the ALL REGION (playable anywhere) encoding of Sony & Disney catalog titles? Or the region encoding that would have New Line initially delay all new titles from coming out on HD DVD, or not let Fox release anything at all?

I had forgotten that petrol price raise because there's a shortage of tire

Huh? Is this a quote from Borat?

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