Toshiba offically confirms death of HD-DVD

By DrCheese
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Grand Master

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I've been talking to a number of people now, and the going opinion is that Blu-Ray will remain a niche market for years now. There is not that big of a benefit to spend hundreds of dollars on something that looks marginally better than DVD. The only way Blu-Ray will catch on is if they pay off the studios to only sell movies in Blu-Ray, or the prices drop to $10 per disc. Until then, DVDs will vastly outsell Blu-Ray titles. Mass adoption might happen in 3-5 years from now, since Sony has to build all new factories, which take time. Plus, if they can't get their yield rate up, they will lose billions more subsidizing disc production.

This news is plainly sickening. HD-DVD had everything going for it except the studios, of which Sony paid off to stick with their inferior, more expensive format. The consumer lost a huge battle today. Hopefully Internet downloads will take off soon, and the majority of consumers can kiss these optical formats goodbye.

I'm sorry but on my 40" display HD content looks far better than DVDs.

Keep telling yourself your upscaled DVDs look great if you want, I'd rather just enjoy HD content on my HDTV. Even now with DVDs costing nothing, I'd still rather buy a Blu Ray copy with it costing a little more. Much better cinema experience, and it "wows" your friends/whoever is watching the movie with you more.

Also Blu Ray discs themselves are not inferior, it's the hardware that was inferior - Something that will be sorted out, and with a PS3 for example, when it is sorted out, you can easily update.

Movies were fine, extras were inferior, to define.

Grand Master

TruckWEB

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Do you honestly think that digital distrubution will become mainstream in the next 3-5 years?

ISP's are currently trying to cutback bandwidth...not increase it. That plus most people (including myself) would like to have a physical copy of my movies makes digital downloads even less appealing.

I believe digital downloads will be the niche market...and actual physical media will continue to dominate in the future.

+1

Slow Internet speed, reduced bandwidth, high-cost per month to upgrade to a better ISP plan will not help digital download. Current offer from Microsoft XBox Live! Tops at 720p, nowhere close to FullHD.

And I like to have my movies, on a physical media that I can carry around with me, when needed. That's how most collectors wants it.

Grand Master

soniqstylz

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True, but it wasn't the consumers who decided the victor though. It was the movie studios who did, seriously how was HD-DVD gonna survive with only 2 major studios, I mean seriously? I'm (well I suppose the correct term now is; was) a HD-DVD support but life goes on, just means my PS3 now gets all the new HD movies, so doesn't really change much (for me).

Uh, the studios and retailers switched because they were selling more content on Blu-ray.

Grand Master

eilegz

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+1

Slow Internet speed, reduced bandwidth, high-cost per month to upgrade to a better ISP plan will not help digital download. Current offer from Microsoft XBox Live! Tops at 720p, nowhere close to FullHD.

And I like to have my movies, on a physical media that I can carry around with me, when needed. That's how most collectors wants it.

QFT, 1+, Agree

If youtube its killing the ISP and internet, HD download wont do good.

Now digital download wont be focused on internet ISP would embrace it in other way with cable television service and DVRS.

Grand Master

TruckWEB

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There is not that big of a benefit to spend hundreds of dollars on something that looks marginally better than DVD.

Hopefully Internet downloads will take off soon, and the majority of consumers can kiss these optical formats goodbye.

Okay first of all, dear NateB1, probably never saw a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray movie on a good 1080p HDTV. If you had done so, you would not be saying something that stupid.

Like I said, like others have said, digital download is not the solution right now. ISP will have to work something out, give faster speed, increase bandwidth, lower their price, and the provider will have to offer 1080p movies with True-HD sound with all the extras that we can get on a physical media.

Even if we do get all this, collectors will still prefer to have their movies on a disc.

Grand Master

TruckWEB

Posted
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QFT, 1+, Agree

If youtube its killing the ISP and internet, HD download wont do good.

Now digital download wont be focused on internet ISP would embrace it in other way with cable television service and DVRS.

Well, the current solution offered by Microsoft Xbox Live or Apple iTune all need the Internet. Even the NetFlix box use the internet for distribution.

I have access to "pay-per-view" movies rental with Videotron digital cable here, but the movie selection is limited, far from what you can have in a rental store. And they only have a handful of HD movies with only DD 5.1 sound. You don't have any extra.

Grand Master

eilegz

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so in the end what nintendo its right, HD era would not be mainstream until the next gen. And somehow i agree with Them. Now in japan where isp and internet speed its very fast digital distribution wont be an issue but at least here in latin america it will take years and years...

Grand Master

Corris Veteran

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While I have a PS3, and preferred Blu-Ray, I wasn't in to the whole thing, but now that there is a victor, I think I will have to start purchasing some nice new ones.

And I never quite got the HD-DVD name argument, did people buy DVD because it sounded like VHS? :s

Grand Master

DrCheese

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Horray! looks like Universal are now on board with Blu-ray. It was pretty much definite anyway but its nice that they have finally spoke up about it.

"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html...rticle_ID=12118

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

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Horray! looks like Universal are now on board with Blu-ray. It was pretty much definite anyway but its nice that they have finally spoke up about it.

"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html...rticle_ID=12118

Does that mean some of the successful old hits will be coming to Blu Ray as well? I hope so (Y)

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NateB1

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Okay first of all, dear NateB1, probably never saw a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray movie on a good 1080p HDTV. If you had done so, you would not be saying something that stupid.

Like I said, like others have said, digital download is not the solution right now. ISP will have to work something out, give faster speed, increase bandwidth, lower their price, and the provider will have to offer 1080p movies with True-HD sound with all the extras that we can get on a physical media.

Even if we do get all this, collectors will still prefer to have their movies on a disc.

I have. To me, it looks way better. However, for most people (whom I was speaking for in the previous post), they really don't care that it is 1080p - all they care about is cheap. I guess the next couple of years will show whether I'm wrong or not, but most people honestly don't care. They will upgrade to Blu-Ray when the players are $40 in Walmart, and they can purchase an HDTV for under $200. I know people who have walked up to Blu-Ray promo in Blockbuster and have said, and I quote, "That's it? That's HD? I don't know why people would spend all that money for this!" Shocking, I know. This quote is coming from a person who loves watching movies on a 60 inch SD TV with an SD DVD player. My parents are the same way, as is most of their friends.

In 3-5 years, who knows what will happen. Note that I did not say that the Internet is there today - I'm looking 3-5 years down the road. Look at Netflix - imagine subscribing to Netflix for $20 a month, like cable, except with Netflix you can watch thousands of movies instantly over Xbox Live or PSN, or, I imagine, eventually a standalone box. Of course there will always be a niche for those who like physical media, but for everyone else, instant delivery is the future.

Until then, for me personally, HD is great, but I'm fine with watching SD-DVD for a couple years now - I simply can't afford a PS3 and $30 movies right now. It's either SD-DVDs or nothing. For those that can afford HD, great! I'm happy for you.

Grand Master

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I have. To me, it looks way better. However, for most people (whom I was speaking for in the previous post), they really don't care that it is 1080p - all they care about is cheap. I guess the next couple of years will show whether I'm wrong or not, but most people honestly don't care. They will upgrade to Blu-Ray when the players are $40 in Walmart, and they can purchase an HDTV for under $200. I know people who have walked up to Blu-Ray promo in Blockbuster and have said, and I quote, "That's it? That's HD? I don't know why people would spend all that money for this!" Shocking, I know. This quote is coming from a person who loves watching movies on a 60 inch SD TV with an SD DVD player. My parents are the same way, as is most of their friends.

In 3-5 years, who knows what will happen. Note that I did not say that the Internet is there today - I'm looking 3-5 years down the road. Look at Netflix - imagine subscribing to Netflix for $20 a month, like cable, except with Netflix you can watch thousands of movies instantly over Xbox Live or PSN, or, I imagine, eventually a standalone box. Of course there will always be a niche for those who like physical media, but for everyone else, instant delivery is the future.

Until then, for me personally, HD is great, but I'm fine with watching SD-DVD for a couple years now - I simply can't afford a PS3 and $30 movies right now. It's either SD-DVDs or nothing. For those that can afford HD, great! I'm happy for you.

This quote is coming from a person who loves watching movies on a 60 inch SD TV with an SD DVD player

Yeah fair enough SDTV! Try watching movies through an SD DVD player on a 60" HDTV.

HDTVs are pretty cheap nowadays, even in the UK you're talking about spend a few hundred pound at the low end - And the TV in your house is not a "cheap" investment, it's something you're with for many years - So I don't think a couple of hundred pounds is outside many peoples budget for a TV.

I'd say it's an essential as something like a washing machine, it costs hundreds, but you need to have it.

What im saying is the more people buying HDTVs, the more people interested in HD content.

The market is going HD whether you want it to or not, so you can stick with DVDs for another 2-3 years, but retail chains and even websites will be onto promoting and selling Blu Ray.

Of course there will always be a niche for those who like physical media, but for everyone else, instant delivery is the future.

Also JUST PLAIN WRONG.

That is the niche market until ISPs WORLDWIDE, embrace HD content and the huge bandwith bills it will run up. 720p downloads are large, 1080p downloads are colossal.

The UK is nowhere near ready for HD downloading to be the standard, nowhere near at all. Many other countries aren't either. I don't even think America would be fully equiped for it yet either.

It will exist, but as I said downloading will be the niche market for those with the pleasure of being able to spend high monthly fees to get "unlimited" bandwith, fast speeds, and be able to chew through 5-10 movies a month ONTOP of their normal PC internet usage.

Grand Master

Julius Caro

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Consumer associations in spain are advising people that purchased HD-DVD players to return them (regardless of the date of purchase) because, basically, it will never be able to fulfill expectations ( you know, you'll never find more than 30 HD-DVD titles ANYWHERE, and that's saying much :p).

Rising Star

abcdefg

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I would probably be happy about this if anyone other than Sony was behind the format. It never ceases to amaze me how short the public attention span is for such vile corporations.

On the other side was The Mother Of All Evil (aka M$). They've sure been acting a lot naughtier than Sony ever.

Haha, Microshot.

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