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Talkbacks

First! That hadda' hurt Harry. Sorry.
by Piltdown Joey
Feb 16th, 2008
12:47:07 PM
Whooptie.
by JKrow21
Feb 16th, 2008
12:47:07 PM
I'm still waiting for the prices to go down on all of this bullshit before I start wasting my money.
So who wants to buy...
by d1138
Feb 16th, 2008
12:48:16 PM
...my Toshiba HD-A30?
Yay!
by Golitsyn1
Feb 16th, 2008
12:49:04 PM
I just bought a PS3 :-)
Harry Has Chosen WRONG and Here's Why!
by DanDelion
Feb 16th, 2008
12:49:18 PM
See Above! OWNED!!
Suck it. Suck it. Suck it
by Kragmose
Feb 16th, 2008
12:49:36 PM
Suck it real good.
the power of playstation
by mmaddox3
Feb 16th, 2008
12:49:43 PM
the war wouldve gone on longer if blu-ray hadnt been in ps3
Forget Blu Ray - bring back VHS
by theycallmemrglass
Feb 16th, 2008
12:50:11 PM
The way forward is Backward. Ie Retro.
At least it's over and this is the last HD vs Blu Ray talkaback
by Doctor Zoidberg
Feb 16th, 2008
12:50:17 PM
Well poop...
by Triceratops on Fire
Feb 16th, 2008
12:50:28 PM
Not that I really care. Although will this really lower prices of blu-ray movies?
BLU RAY
by top1tony
Feb 16th, 2008
12:50:29 PM
HD sucks the big one anyway. It was about time
Amen Zoidberg
by Kragmose
Feb 16th, 2008
12:50:51 PM
does anyone else think...
by mmaddox3
Feb 16th, 2008
12:51:23 PM
..that animated features look like shitty computer games in HD? i mean it looks terrible to me. same with some other stuff, like the pirates movies, they loook terrible in hd.
Finally over
by Norm3
Feb 16th, 2008
12:51:27 PM
I was sick of this format war. Let the buying begin.
Harry, better cash your check
by skimn
Feb 16th, 2008
12:51:40 PM
from Toshiba before it bounces....I keed, I keed. Actually my old DVD player was misreading discs so I picked up an HD player on the cheap a couple of weeks ago. Waiting for the 5 dollar bargain bin at Walmart on Hd discs soon.
You know why it won?
by Mr. Nice Gaius
Feb 16th, 2008
12:52:17 PM
Because of the name. Blu-Ray is just sooooo much cooler to say. It makes people think of blue lights and laser beams. Which, as we all know, looks cool.

Whatever. I'm sticking with the ol' trusty DVD format while I wait for direct downloading.

i knew this would happen as soon as Warner dropped HDDVD
by mish87
Feb 16th, 2008
12:52:35 PM
PS3 move the smartest of all.
by The Reef
Feb 16th, 2008
12:52:41 PM
If Microsoft had added an HD DVD drive to the X360 and persuaded PC manufacturers to add HD to PC and laptop units by releasing Vista/Office on HD DVD discs the story would have been very different. Will X360s be providing blu-ray now...? That's a decision that's going to sting a lot of senior MS brass. Sony's inclusion of an updatable BLU-RAY in the PS3 sealed the argument early on, all the rest of this "war" was nothing more than a waiting game from that point onwards. P.S. Ratatouille on Blu is just fantastic. Reef out.
Oh, Great Harry
by klonger
Feb 16th, 2008
12:53:24 PM
Can you enlighten us once again with your home viewing setup? Per your columns, I've avoided purchasing either Hi-Def system in anticipation of your announcement. I want to be you, Harry...so I think the best place to start to use buy the same viewing stuff as you.
There can be only one
by aboriginal
Feb 16th, 2008
12:54:22 PM
HD DVD: the new word for Betamax. Sony was not gonna go down this road a third time after that and mini disc.
I would say this has
by comedian_x
Feb 16th, 2008
12:55:08 PM
not as much to do with the PS3, but rather Sony as the media giant is today. Back in the eighties with Beta Sony was just a electronics company who had to rely on others make the content. Today, with Sony owning Columbia Pictures, et al they could have drug this "war" out for years by making their own content. The other studios knew that and acted accordingly. (And received a cash reward from Sony for their forsight.)
This doesn't matter
by Mo_Green
Feb 16th, 2008
12:55:21 PM
because no one is going to spend money to completely revamp their home video library to Blue Ray. There's simply not enough of a difference in the product for people to make the complete changeover from DVD to Blue Ray. Whoever won this format battle was going to face the uphill fight of selling a hard medium in an age where everything is increasingly digital. In 3-5 years, when the average consumer is able to download HD quality movies to their televisions, anyone who has invested thousands of dollars in Blue Ray players and discs is going to feel very foolish.
Do I recall problems on the BluRay holiday discs
by skimn
Feb 16th, 2008
12:55:25 PM
Pirates At Worlds End and Live Free Die Hard not playing properly, if at all, on some BluRay players?
Harry watches his TVs Clockwork Orange style.
by JKrow21
Feb 16th, 2008
12:57:20 PM
Move along.
Oh the irony
by Multiplex
Feb 16th, 2008
12:57:44 PM
There is an HD-DVD ad in the sidebar of this page.
So what!? It won't replace the DVD anyway.
by DerLanghaarige
Feb 16th, 2008
12:57:45 PM
Kiss and make up time.
by RAVENL0RD
Feb 16th, 2008
12:59:13 PM
Kumbaya and stuff. HD movies rule. One format for all movies. Yay!
Mo_Green
by jfp2007
Feb 16th, 2008
12:59:45 PM
There's a huge difference between DVD and HD content. If you can't see it then you're either looking at the wrong movies or have crappy hardware or have shit for brains.
The Cost of Blu Ray Discs
by oosamon
Feb 16th, 2008
01:01:04 PM
...is probably about to go up. There won't be any competition from HD DVD to keep the prices low. But since I just bought a PS3, I'm glad that more movies will be available for my viewing pleasure. Not to be self-centered or anything.
C'mon Harry....
by CarmillaVonDoom
Feb 16th, 2008
01:02:03 PM
Why is it 'important' for people to abandon the systems (and untold numbers of DVD's) that they have already spent so much money on??? For *most* consumers, the difference in quality is pretty underwhelming...unless you have a bunch of multi-thousand dollar home theater equipment. A lot of us 'out here' are perfectly happy watching a variety of media ONLINE, FOR FREE. I don't have any problem with a small picture and inferior sound...the quality of what I am choosing to watch is more important to me. These format wars are just irrelevant to the vast majority of people who can't afford to throw money at every new media development. We ALL KNOW that a new format will be along as soon as the money is done being wrung from these. :P
I'm not buying titles
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
01:02:12 PM
I'm sure eventually I'll be forced to buy a player, but they've lost me as a real consumer. I don't want to take up any more space in my home with boxes that I might watch once and will then collect dust. I gave up on DVD titles without moving to HD, and buying an HD player won't make me buy a bunch of boxes. All the new movies wind up in HD on cable. If there is an extra or a movie I need to see, I might rent it on whatever player I have, but the idea of buying titles is dead to me.
Hey, people who own standalone BD players
by sonic3305
Feb 16th, 2008
01:02:45 PM
Enjoy buying a new one in October, lol
hahaha, suck it HD DVD supporters
by Jett
Feb 16th, 2008
01:02:49 PM
you are fucking stupid for supporting that format to begin with, you deserve to lose your money
Giant Robot has chosen the VHS-
by TomBodet
Feb 16th, 2008
01:03:38 PM
-and here's why: it tastes good.
i still have a betamax
by bacci40
Feb 16th, 2008
01:06:57 PM
anyone want to buy it?
HAHAHA
by BGDAWES
Feb 16th, 2008
01:07:18 PM
Harry was wrong. Ole' Harry just screwed the pooch.
Blu-ray will not replace my dvds and hd-dvds.
by JDanielP
Feb 16th, 2008
01:09:38 PM
And by the way, I've recently had regular dvds of "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK" and "FANTASTIC 4" playing on my HD-DVD player, showing selected scenes to my young son...and I continue to be amazed at how well it up-converts. (FF looked convincingly "HD", as many dvd titles benefit the visual up-grade.) It's unfortunate to see the more consumer friendly format go away...but I'm scorin' some deals!
To be honest Harry
by wash
Feb 16th, 2008
01:10:48 PM
You really blew it when you came out with your big shill "here's why" post that was so misinformed you had to redact portions (and not even comment on it). That was pretty tacky, and even though I can believe no money actually changed hands (if that's what you still claim), I'm certain that you got freebies up the ying-yang. And that makes any endorsement suspect, especially when you came off so disingenuous.
Life has chosen SINESTRO CORPS WAR and here's why
by messi
Feb 16th, 2008
01:11:06 PM
BECAUSE IT KILLS YOU! IN BLACKEST DAY! IN BRIGHTEST NIGHT!
HD IS replacing DVD
by Guy Who Got A Headache And Accidentally Saves The World
Feb 16th, 2008
01:12:27 PM
HD shit is selling way more than what regular DVD was at the same point in it's life span, so the bullshit about people "not wanting a format war" or "being happy to stick with dvd" is just that, bullshit
DVD will be around for a while
by messi
Feb 16th, 2008
01:12:33 PM
it's a great format and too convenient for the mass populace.
I bought one HD DVD despite owning only a blu-ray player
by ufoclub1977
Feb 16th, 2008
01:12:39 PM
I had to buy it... haven't been able to watch it yet... the 1976 KING KONG only released on French HD DVD.
I don't regret adopting HD DVD early
by HEADGEEK
Feb 16th, 2008
01:13:33 PM
I've got two extra players mint in box - and that'll keep me going good on the 200 or so discs that I have in that format for a very long time. The fact is - I prefer that format. The interactivity is vastly superior to BLU RAY - on a disc to disc comparison - the extras were better. And the player is much more stable than my Blu Ray. That said both produce beautiful film images and awesome sound. Contrary to popular opinion - both formats have advertised on AICN - so if anything - both sides have "paid the bills" - However, neither affected editorial policy - I bought my HD DVD player - and I bought my Blu Ray player. I get lots of discs from both sides for review. And I'm not the only one that having compared both formats - preferred HD DVD.
HD Cable does not look as good as Blu-Ray
by wash
Feb 16th, 2008
01:13:41 PM
Maybe good enough for some granted, but if you have a nice enough tv and a sharp eye the difference in quality is pretty glaring.
Sony?
by staticneuron
Feb 16th, 2008
01:13:55 PM
"In the last few months, 'Sony' has completely and totally flanked and surrounded HD-DVD." This is exactly why I don't feel bad for alot of HD-DVD supporters. Many of them just swore it was another 'sony' format. Ignore the rest of the companies who made it. Ignore the head of the BDA who is from Philips. Those who went red because they felt like they were sticking it sony, deserve the holes in their pockets. If you kept your head out of the sand and actually investigated these two formats maybe it would have made more sense. But the FUD train seems more fun to ride. I honestly wonder what on earth had people thinking that HD-DVD was a better format than Blu ray.
IT'S OVER? WELL THANK FUCK FOR THAT!!!
by alucardvsdracula
Feb 16th, 2008
01:14:17 PM
Glad I never went HD now, very nearly did. I ended up going Blu when I got a PS3 - that and Casino Royale swung it for me.
I'd upgrade my collection
by Onset
Feb 16th, 2008
01:15:17 PM
... if they had a 1:1 trade.
PS3 is a wonderful thing.
by gridbug
Feb 16th, 2008
01:17:19 PM
Just got one a couple weeks back and it's easily one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Blu-ray has always been technically superior to HD-DVD and now that it's here to stay we're going to see a wide expansion of titles as well as advanced interactive content and stability. The future is Blu. Suck it, bitches. :)
Playstation 3....brilliant move Sony
by Brians Life
Feb 16th, 2008
01:19:02 PM
Seriously, it's like millions of people bought a Blu-Ray player as a second thought. Always thought Blu Ray had this, as there was no way 2 HD formats would stick around and stupid people don't like saying "H-D-D-V-D"...BORING!!! But "Blue RAY!" Sounds like hi tech shit.
Just make an HD DVD player sandwhich, Harry
by JimCurry
Feb 16th, 2008
01:19:20 PM
and eat it.
It doesn't matter...
by JackIsLost
Feb 16th, 2008
01:19:48 PM
HD downloads are the future. Discs are the new 8-tracks...
That said....
by Brians Life
Feb 16th, 2008
01:21:13 PM
The moment I bought my first Blue Ray disc I knew this was the format for me, if not for everyone. Harry, interactivity!?! Extras superiority?!? Examples?!
5 Players?
by cutest_of_borg
Feb 16th, 2008
01:22:03 PM
I guess I'm getting old but we only have one player and it is old style dvd - and I use it maybe three times a month. Would it kill you people to go outside once in a while?
Ok harry, I see the confusion
by staticneuron
Feb 16th, 2008
01:22:09 PM
The formats are the discs. Technically speaking blu ray was superior. Space, bitrate, coating. As far as the features and players and even the encodes on the disc, they have nothing to do with the format itself really. I mean it is always safe to assume that the players and the software that is going to take advantage of blu ray will get better over time. The here and now is way to short sighted for this industry and for technology in general. As far as extra features they seem to have made it there. I have heard that heroes on HD DVD had excellent extras but then I also heard about the lost season 3 on blu ray whos extras compare or even might be slightly better than that on heroes. That shows that the companies can do it if they are willing to spend time and money. Even the encodes or suspect because after I watched MI:3 on both blu ray and HD-DVD, I couldn't see what was wrong with the MPEG2 encode. That disc shows that it must be the way the studios are handling the encodes.
JackIsLost....
by Brians Life
Feb 16th, 2008
01:22:30 PM
...I agree, but how far off to you think that technology is. An HD download takes forever now over bit torrent....that has to change before HD downloads become a reality.
I don't mean this to be an assy thing...
by Lenny Nero
Feb 16th, 2008
01:22:57 PM
...but I really really really want to hear from those on this site--and there were many--that said there was no fucking way Blu-Ray would ever ever beat HD-DVD. It would just be an absolutely fascinating test to see if they've learned to stop and think before stating absolutes, probably the worst plague on this site as far as talkbackers go.
in hind sight, hd-dvd looks like wishful thinking
by The Decider
Feb 16th, 2008
01:25:18 PM
And Blu Ray looks like a forgone conclusion. I guess because the PS3 was initially so expensive, it looked like maybe there was some hope for HD-DVD, but Sony dropped the price on the PS3 so aggressively that their trojan horse worked.
Nero
by wash
Feb 16th, 2008
01:27:29 PM
They'll scream and cry about how Warner was paid off, never mentioning that Paramount was paid off months earlier, and that Toshiba was trying to pay off Fox, Warner, and Disney too. Money talks of course, but looking at the numbers (Blu-Ray already had the advantage), it made more sense for Warner to take that deal. And Warner should be praised for making the choice that would piss off LESS people.
In all fairness
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
01:28:15 PM
if Harry had to go outside on his own power, he probably would die.
Well...
by jimmy rabbitte
Feb 16th, 2008
01:28:35 PM
...Sony finally gets to be on the winning side of a format battle.

This should erase any residual sting from losing out with Betamax back in the 80's

Blu-Ray it will be... now the prices should get more in line with regular DVD movies and players. Which is what the smart consumer was waiting for all along.

It's good of Harry to "man up
by Kid Idioteque
Feb 16th, 2008
01:30:26 PM
It's good of Harry to "man up" like that.
by Kid Idioteque
Feb 16th, 2008
01:30:47 PM
Well done, sir. Blu-ray FTW!!!!
Harry
by skimn
Feb 16th, 2008
01:31:37 PM
I know you bought your HD player at Best Buy or Circuit City or wherever, and you just recently got a BlueRay when your expenses could swing it, but where did all the free HD players that were given away at BNAT come from?? That smells a lot like payola of some sort..sorry pal.
I don't own a HDTV so...
by Evil Lincoln
Feb 16th, 2008
01:32:52 PM
...they can still suck it hard!
Did I mention...
by RAVENL0RD
Feb 16th, 2008
01:33:03 PM
how happy I am that this thing is over? Also, I chose wisely. Not to sound like a prick, but I still don't see how anyone thought HD-DVD would win this. Anyway, let's play nice now. Let's be friends!
My TV
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
01:33:10 PM
gets HD on demand right now. The technology is already here. You don't download it, you just watch it, whenever you want, and if you watch it again, you just watch it again without ever downloading it.
what about porn?
by Jubba
Feb 16th, 2008
01:33:27 PM
will all porn go obsolete because they chose hd-dvd?
Sony gets to be on the winning side..?
by skimn
Feb 16th, 2008
01:34:50 PM
What would you call their domineering the video game wars with Playstation/Playstation 2?They ruled the majority of the '90s/early '00s.
regular DVDs look fine
by Rupee88
Feb 16th, 2008
01:36:03 PM
how much more clear do you need the picture to be..damn.
Here's the thing...
by expert_40
Feb 16th, 2008
01:40:02 PM
... unless you bought a PS3, a great many of the people who bought the $300.00 Profile 1.0 Blu Ray players over the Holidays are TOTALLY fucked. They bought a $300.00 doorstop.

Those things don't have net access, which means no firmware updates, which means no Profile 1.1 or 2.0 discs. See... Sony STILL loves screwing over their customers. Like with the PSP.

What's with the PSP you ask? Sony is about to dump that format, which is why the so agressively packaged it over the Holidays. Trying to get rid of their backstock. The scuttlebutt is (and I should know, I work at, well, THE video game store) that they're either getting out of the handheld market because they've lost so much money trying to fool people in adopting minidiscs again, or they're entering a new technology into the fold, forsaking all the current PSP owners, like they just did with the PS2 owners.

What's that, you say? How is Sony screwing their loyal PS2 owners? Well, not only did Sony try to charge people with a library of PS2 games an extra $100.00 just for the right to play them on a PS3 (they only played on the 80 gig PS3), now they've dumped the 80 gig PS3. We've taken them all off our shelves. Sony has lost SO much money on the PS3 that they're only offering the 40 gig version (which is 80 gigs less than the XBOX Elite, so sorry people who want to download content!).

And because Blu is still so expensive, and the Profile 2.0 players are going to be around $500.00 bucks, I forsee Blu Ray becoming EXACTLY what Moriarty said it would be... Laserdisc 2000. He warned us. And now you Sony sycophants will see just how bad this will get.

Sony is known for screwing their customers (PS2 owners can't play PS2 games on the PS3, all of those people duped into buying $300.00 Profile 1.0 players, dumping the PSP, MINDISC, etc.). I refuse to buy a PS3 (the games suck and they don't have a single PS3 only game worth buying, all of the games that used to be PS3 only, like Final Fantasy, GTA, Unreal Tournament, etc, can all be found on XBOX 360). I prefer choice. It's the American way. I don't like companies forcing me to buy what they want me to buy. That's what Sony does. So until the price of Blu Profile 2.0 players drop to $200.00, or until Microsoft adds a Blu Ray add on drive to the 360 (which may not be far off), I won't get Blue.
Better yet, don't buy any new formats.
by Fahrquar
Feb 16th, 2008
01:40:15 PM
There is no logical reason for dropping DVD, especially now that it is at the height of title availability. Blu Ray is going to need years, and what is the likelihood that it will actually match DVD in titles? Will this really be worth it several years from now? Also, since when does 1080pi make watching shitty pirate movies or special effects porn more interesting? I will still take a ratty VHS if there is a film worth watching on it, I've never once thought, "if only this were on HD, then I would be enjoying this movie."
omg lemmings break your dvds
by palewook
Feb 16th, 2008
01:40:49 PM
and buy blu ray discs!

yawn. 30-40 for a blu ray dvd or 10 bucks for a dvd. yeah the war is over. and dvd won.

People are forgetting the Most important thing
by StuckInthePresentPaused
Feb 16th, 2008
01:42:33 PM
now that a format has won we can look forward to the announced release dates probably sooner than later of some favorite films such as the star wars saga and lord of the rings
Jubba...
by Shawn F.
Feb 16th, 2008
01:43:16 PM
Porn on DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray etc. will go obsolete because of the internet. As for this format war, thank God its over. I have both, but the majority of the stuff I own is on Blu-ray. Nice to finally be able to concentrate on just one format now.
I have DVD player. I keep DVD player.
by TomBodet
Feb 16th, 2008
01:45:29 PM
I watch DVDs and will keep watching DVDs. Hulk use Bloo Ray for Beer Koaster.
Go fuck yourself, Harry
by Frankenblogger
Feb 16th, 2008
01:45:30 PM
You're a fucking idiot who was obviously working for the HD DVD camp and who doesn't have a clue as to which format is better. Technologically Blu-Ray was the winner from the get go. Furthermore, the disc prices were roughly the same. I'd also like to point out that Blu-Ray was winning BEFORE Warner's decision to back Blu-Ray exclusively. How about doing a little research before making a post. Might make you appear a bit smarter even if you aren't.

4 HD DVD players? What a fucking moron.
mmaddox3
by lensproject
Feb 16th, 2008
01:46:21 PM
The reason those discs looked bad might have something to do with improperly calibrated TVs. I know my HDTV (the beautiful 120hz Sony XBR4) came out of the box with TERRIBLE factory settings. (All sorts of contrast "enhancement", "vivid" color, etc.) Once you turn off all those gimmicky features, and just set everything to '50', the movies look like the movies are supposed to look, in their 1080p glory. Oh, and make sure you get a BD player AND television capable of 24fps playback (many don't) and one-to-one pixel mapping (many don't).
well spiderwick just flopped, thank god for that
by Mysterious Yobo
Feb 16th, 2008
01:46:25 PM
hopefully no more kids fantasy shite.
get a hd-hard drive player
by smutpeddlar
Feb 16th, 2008
01:48:53 PM
http://tinyurl.com/3yfb7m i am never buying another dvd player again,someday everyone will have a portable hd-hard drive...load the drive,turn it on,press play on the remote..i hope to someday forget what a dvd even looks like..no dvd's no cds
Go fuck yourself , Frankenblogger
by godhatesyou
Feb 16th, 2008
01:49:29 PM
This is Harry's website he can say whatever the fuck he wants.
DVD "lovers"
by lensproject
Feb 16th, 2008
01:50:44 PM
Anybody who claims to like movies and thinks 480i is 'good enough' for enjoying them either 1. doesn't know what they're talking about, or 2. doesn't really like movies. There's just SO MUCH more information in a movie than can be put on a standard-def DVD. Of course, the best thing to do is to see prints in theaters (roughly 4K resolution) but 1080p on a Blu-ray disc/ 1080p HDTV is a hell of a lot closer to theatrical quality.
The format war is over, and the winner is...
by buckarez
Feb 16th, 2008
01:51:45 PM
Hi-Def downloads.
Physical media? I laugh at physical media!
by Christopher3
Feb 16th, 2008
01:52:14 PM
Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Haaaa.
Blu-Ray is still too expensive
by Mullah Omar
Feb 16th, 2008
01:54:25 PM
Why pay $20-30 for Blu-Ray when I can get a used DVD of the same film for about $3-5? Sure, high def looks better, but not THAT much better, and it's not like I re-watch a lot of films anyway. Until the prices for Blu-Ray come down by half, I won't even consider buying that format.

The only part of this that really excites me is that a lot of people will probably get on the Blu-Ray express, will flood the market with their used DVDs, and will drive the prices down for the format that I'm still using.
Movie theaters HD
by thenatureboy
Feb 16th, 2008
01:54:26 PM
When are movie theaters finally going to switch to HD?
Regular DVDs still work!
by skywalkerfamily
Feb 16th, 2008
01:56:35 PM
I'm sticking with those!
Actually, DON'Ta buy a player just yet...
by MaxTheSilent
Feb 16th, 2008
01:56:44 PM
Wait six months for the Profile 2.0 player to get released. The manufacturers, with the permission of the BDA, knowingly withheld vital piece of hardware that would allow a simply firmware upgrade to the new specs. As it is now, the PS3 is the ONLY future-proof BD player on the market. Every single stand-alone player is incapable of upgrading to the advanced features coming out. So seriously, wait.
HD DVD still lives on in our hearts, minds
by thebearovingian
Feb 16th, 2008
01:57:46 PM
...and living rooms!

I love HD DVD. I have a standalone HD DVD player and the 360 add-on. I have no regrets either. I have plenty of movies that aren't available on Blu-ray (...yet) just like there are plenty of exclusive Blu-ray movies. No matter what anyone says it kinda sucked for both sides b/c you couldn't get everything you wanted in your format. IMO, lots of movies aren't necessary to have in HD (on an HD disc). They look great upconverted. For example, I watched Gone in 60 Seconds (SD DVD) upconverted and it looked fantastic. Maybe when The Dark Knight releases on Blu-ray I'll pick up a PS3.

Eh. Talk to me when new show seasons cost $20.
by happybunni
Feb 16th, 2008
02:02:32 PM
I still like DVD. I will go for the next format only when seasons of TV shows become cheaper than the $40-80 they cost now. I don't really care about stuff that's a tad higher quality, 1 disc compared to 10 should cut down production costs by quite a bit but it hasn't happened because all they did was up the quality. Which again, I am not a fan of.
WHAT? lensproject...
by dogstar69
Feb 16th, 2008
02:03:52 PM
How the fuck can someone not know what they're talking about by saying 480i is "good enough". If a film is good you don't need the greatest resolution availible to enjoy it. you sound like one of those people who refuse to watch Clerks because its black and white (insert your own, i don't like Clerks because it shit quips here)you clearly don't know what you're talking about. did you not enjoy movies in the home enviroment until bluray appeared?, DVD is a great picture, just be grateful that video is no longer our main format
Ah, the irony!
by Zardoz
Feb 16th, 2008
02:05:03 PM
Sony finally wins a format war and it's for the inferior product! (and yes, BD is inferior to HD-DVD, no doubt: more expensive to produce, less features, more expensive players, no upgrades) All your BD 1.0 players are screwed: no upgrades for you! I love my HD-DVD player and will not be buying a BD player. Period. I don't need a PS3, since I have the best gaming system, XBox360. My S-DVD's upconvert beautifully on my HD-DVD player, and I will be buying lots of HD-DVD's dirt cheap at all the fire-sales in the next few weeks. (Just bought Zodiac:The Director's Cut for $16!) So congratulations Sony! You finally won a format war! Too bad it was for the vastly inferior product. (maybe now you'll be able to turn a profit on the whole BD/PS3 financial fiasco!) As to downloadable media being the future: it's not in my future!
God damn it, I just bought an HD player YESTERDAY
by Vern
Feb 16th, 2008
02:06:00 PM
Just kidding. But I'm not jubilant OR morose. This may be because almost nobody I know has an HD-TV so what the fuck are we gonna do with this invisible extra resolution? Vern has stuck with his choice of DVD and VHS, there's why.
StuckInthePresentPaused
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
02:07:32 PM
Are there still people out there who want to blow money on another magical box of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings? Haven't we all been milked enough?
embarrassing
by Captain Katanga
Feb 16th, 2008
02:09:19 PM
the whole idea of being a "loyal supporter" of one of these faceless corporations is just plain embarrassing. I don't know what it is about adolescent males and their need to "pick a side" and then "hate" their opponent, but its pathetic. These are billion dollar corporations, they don't give a fuck about your "support" as long as they get your money. I love the way some of you fanboys gloat as some incredibly rich people now stand to get richer... YAY WHAT A VICTORY! Both formats are excellent.
Payola, bribes and kickbacks
by Trik_Ster
Feb 16th, 2008
02:12:07 PM
kept HD-DVD alive as long as it did.

Toshiba would find non-tech savvy people with something of a following, write them a big fat cheque, shower them with hardware and media and het them to praise their inferior product.

I feel for the people that invested significant money by listening to those that they shouldn't have.

I hope lessons have been learned all around.

1) Don't hawk hardware when your not a hardware guru
2) Don't take hardware advice from media reviewers
(esp when it's obvious their praise is bought and paid for)

Milk this.
by d1138
Feb 16th, 2008
02:12:31 PM
So when a new edition of a movie (say, Star Wars on Blu-Ray) comes out, does your credit card sprout legs and jog down to the Best Buy without your approval? Quit bitching and don't buy it.
Hey, VHS was inferior to BetaMax.
by Lenny Nero
Feb 16th, 2008
02:15:29 PM
We still use BetaMax in editing because of its superior visual quality to VHS.
People pay money to watch video IPOD
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
02:15:35 PM
Some people care more about being entertained by a good story than pixel ratios. Also, MP3 is worse than CD, which is worse in sound quality than a properly played vinyl record. Kinda fucks with the whole idea that the masses demand better quality. How are those audio DVDs selling?
INWO
by StuckInthePresentPaused
Feb 16th, 2008
02:16:40 PM
if there is enough reason to buy than yes. For LOTR, it would be an added pleasure to not have to switch dvds when watching the Entended Editions plus all the alleged footage that is still in a vault somewhere. And with Star Wars well its Star wars you know people are going to buy it. Now i jus bought a samsung dvd upconverter and im very satisfied with the picture but a star wars and/or LOTR blu ray release would surely be one of my first blu ray buys
As long as HD downloads don't win
by ebolamonkey
Feb 16th, 2008
02:17:52 PM
A 900GB HD master file squashed down to a 3-5GB download. It's the VHS of our time, and I pray it doesn't supplant Blu-ray. Cause it sucks. Your hard drive crashed? I'm sorry you'll have to buy that title again.
Nice!
by Lord_Soth
Feb 16th, 2008
02:18:32 PM
Now that the clearly inferior format has won, the price of BR disks and stuff can skyrocket to cover the huuuge expenses of Sony.
expert_40
by rxse7en
Feb 16th, 2008
02:20:26 PM
I have the backwards compatible 60gb PS3, were the 80gb models also backwards compatible? Those 60gb models are a real steal if you can find them on eBay or Craigslist.
ughh
by slkboxrman
Feb 16th, 2008
02:24:07 PM
if we have to get blue ray u might as well get a PS3, it costs about as much as a standalone bluray player, and at least u can play games on it as well.... i still got standard def, no sense gettin a better one till i get an hd tv
Zardoz
by MaxTheSilent
Feb 16th, 2008
02:24:13 PM
Preach, brother! I hope all existing stand-alone Blu-Ray owners love the look of their pretty, expensive paper-weights.
Another thing
by Trik_Ster
Feb 16th, 2008
02:24:31 PM
early adopters always lose

'grats

Why not do HD discs this way:
by theyreflockingthisway
Feb 16th, 2008
02:25:00 PM
I can't see why they can't invent a disc that plays the same film on both a normal DVD player and in HD on a HD DVD player.

HD discs can store a huge amount of data so would be no trouble to stick a DVD playable version of the film on there too so it works on both players. Instead of a new format we'd still be simply buying DVDs (which we all love) only newer ones would have little "HD compatible" tags on them.

There's no way I'm buying Blu Ray unless I have to (if they stop making standard DVDs). To me there's not that much of a difference to warrent the purchase - sure HD looks crisper but not enough to really change my enjoyment of a film. Hell VHS would still do me if it wasn't for the inconcenience of tapes.
Play.com
by dogstar69
Feb 16th, 2008
02:26:25 PM
are offering a Bluray writer/HDDVD rom for the PC for less than £200. bought one and love it, covers all formats and you can upgrade the firmware...
Now, Vern...THAT was funny
by JackIsLost
Feb 16th, 2008
02:27:45 PM
And you can quote me on that.
just buy a macbook air!
by BadMrWonka
Feb 16th, 2008
02:28:48 PM
you won't have to buy an actual physical disc every again...

um, right?

wait a minute, where's the USB drive on this thing?

oh fuck, I just sneezed and blew away $3000!

Good thing I stuck with Beta.
by xannibal
Feb 16th, 2008
02:29:31 PM
And I'm waiting for this laser disc craze to catch on.
Expert_40
by Dr. Chim Richalds
Feb 16th, 2008
02:31:22 PM
Are you high? All early models of the PS3 had backwards compatibility. I should know, I have a 60 GB. The 40 GB model was reduced in price, in part, because it did not have backwards compatibility. Less features = cheaper model. That's generally how things work - for example, the 360 Elite has more features than the Live Arcade, as you probably know. And, as you should know, they're going to be rolling out a model with a disk drive in the range of 120-160GB shortly. Moreover, I have seen no indication that Sony is abandoning the PSP - I don't know where that comes from. For someone who claims to be an "expert," you are awfully misinformed.
Sony turned down a format merger early on.
by MaxTheSilent
Feb 16th, 2008
02:31:26 PM
Arrogance, lies, bribery. Welcome to a Sony-controlled future, film geeks.
I called that shit awhile ago..
by Stalkeye
Feb 16th, 2008
02:32:26 PM
especially since the PS3 utilized the Blu-ray format making it the cheapest BR player out there, and not to mention it plays games with next gen graphics.

It's a wrap fuckers, Sony's trojan horse worked.

HD-DVD LIVES!
by SuperBurgerBat
Feb 16th, 2008
02:32:59 PM
I'm gonna go buy a 360 add-on for porn!
theyreflockingthisway
by Dr. Chim Richalds
Feb 16th, 2008
02:34:41 PM
The players for both formats upconvert. In other words, a Blu Ray player will play a normal DVD and make it appear better than it would appear on a standard television (this assumes that you have a high def-compatible TV). There's no need to abandon your library, and in fact your regular DVDs will look better on the new player, if not quite as good as a Blu Ray disk of the same movie. Does that address your point?
Convenience is more important than quality.
by rbatty024
Feb 16th, 2008
02:36:05 PM
Go read Walter Benjamin's Art in the Age of Mechanical reproduction. It's an incredibly prescient essay written in the 30's about, among other things, this very phenomena. Essentially, he says that people are more concerned with bringing art to them, via film and reproduction, rather than trekking to out to the Louvre to see the actual Mona Lisa. Similarly, as people have mentioned, people are more concerned with carrying around their mp3 player than listening to DVD audio. There are both good and bad implications to this.
Harry's choice
by Jerri Blank
Feb 16th, 2008
02:39:49 PM
Having not bought either format yet, even though I've had a 50" HDTV for a year, I can understand Harry's choice of HD-DVD for at least two reasons: The players and software were priced to sell and you don't have to do any firmware updates. Can someone please tell me if this new 2.0 or whatever Blu-Ray player coming out will be the definitive Blu-Ray player, or will buying a Blu-Ray player mean constantly having to take the player from my downstairs den, upstairs to my office, hooking it to the internet, and performing upgrades on it? Will there ever be a player that you can just take out of the box, hook to your TV, and reasonably expect it to play all of the Blu-Ray movies? And whay are the players all $400 bucks. And I'm not being snarky. It would be cool if someone can really explain this to me, especially the whole firmware updating thing. I'm so confused.
End to the pointless loss of lives.........
by Bobman46
Feb 16th, 2008
02:40:13 PM
.......wait- what war are we talking about again? Blu Ray- that's a death weapon isn't it? What? HD- That's Iraq right? What? Format for watching movies?....so fuck?
HDDVD is the 'New' Dead Parrot "'ELLO POLLY!!!!!"
by HarryBlackPotter
Feb 16th, 2008
02:47:11 PM
"I wish to complain about this HDDVD what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique." "Oh yes, the, uh, the HD DVD...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?" "I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it!" "No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting." "Look, matey, I know a dead format when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now." 'E's passed on! This HDDVD is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't been for Universal and Paramount, 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-FORMAT!"
a little bigger than laserdisc
by Bouncy X
Feb 16th, 2008
02:47:23 PM
while i wouldnt be surprised if blu-ray never really achieves "ruling status" and just becomes a niche product like laserdic, its already bigger and more popular so it has a better chance. i live in a decently sized city and i've only ever seen laserdics sold in ONE store my entire life. i dont even know anyone who's ever bought or rented or even watched any. it just never caught on at all. but blu-ray is already in every store that sells movies and i constantly see advertising for it and players. so i think whats gonna probably happen is that regular DVD will be around and doing well while blu-ray will sorta be there in the background. me personally, i'm not gonna rebuy all my dvds so if blu-ray truly does become the one and only and regular dvd dies, well then that'll just mean i'll be buying all my future movies on blu-ray from that point. i dont have a huge collection like some people but hell if i'm rebuying. i never even completely re-bought all my VHS movies when i moved to DVD. but i do have a question, i'm not super tech savvy so whats this about HDDVD having better features than blu-ray? do people mean those little extras that are HD/blu-ray exclusives or what?
Great
by Bone-In Foray
Feb 16th, 2008
02:51:06 PM
Now Harry can focus solely on Blu-ray releases for his "weekly" "DVD" Picks & Peeks.
Harry is unfamiliar with how to use a hyphen
by Gwai Lo
Feb 16th, 2008
02:51:26 PM
Now - don't get offended Harry -- but you just don't know how to use these. Why? Hard to say - but they aren't comma replacements - or run on sentence fixers.
So much for Porn deciding the war.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
02:52:23 PM
So much for what people think they know eh?
Ok...
by RAVENL0RD
Feb 16th, 2008
02:53:05 PM
Everywhere I have gone, HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies are the same DAMN price. I don't know what mystical shop these people went to where HD-DVD software was "priced to sell." Of course, that is likely to change now that HD-DVD titles go disco, but back when it mattered, they were the same price.
Sorry i'm a bit slow....
by Giant Ape Balls
Feb 16th, 2008
02:53:47 PM
Could someone please explain why I would need either of these?
Pnuematic 8 system rules!
by Uncapie
Feb 16th, 2008
02:54:46 PM
NOW THAT'S A SYSTEM!
Blu-ray movies are cheap. The players are fine.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
02:55:04 PM
If you can afford an HD TV a blu-ray player shouldn't be out of your price range.
regarding blu-ray players upconverting
by Bouncy X
Feb 16th, 2008
02:55:46 PM
does the ps4 do this cuz i think it doesnt. me and my brother did a test, he owns the 3rd pirates on regular dvd and i rented the blu-ray version and we popped both into the ps3 and watch the same scene. we even popped the regular dvd version into my dvd player and even my 360 and it looked the same in each machine. and to be honest, the blu-ray version didnt look THAT much better. but the odd thing is i've bought 4 blu-rays since and they indeed look much better than DVD...so maybe its an issue with the pirates blu-ray. now i gotta admit, my tv is only 1080i but as i said, the other blu-ray movies looked amazing and when i watched HD tv channels its amazing too. so maybe disney just screwed that one up.
Giant Ape Balls: You need it if you have an HDTV.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
02:56:37 PM
Cause why did you buy an HD TV if you aren't going to watch things in HD?
Stupidity Reigns
by Bramton1
Feb 16th, 2008
02:56:41 PM
In every...single...forum...I've ever...seen...on the...format war, there are two comments that opponents of Blu-Ray or HD discs in general make. And every time, someone explains that the comments are baseless. Yet instead of these idiots backing up their comments or adding something, they just say the same damn things over and over again. So here I go. To anyone you makes these comments again without anything to add to it, I reserve the right to beat you to a bloody pulp. STUPID COMMENT #1: "I'm not going to want to abandon my DVD collection, or spend hundreds or thousands of dollars switching my DVD library over to Blu-Ray." YOU DON'T HAVE TO, ASSHOLE! DVDs will work fine in a Blu-Ray player. They're compatible. In fact, they'll work better than fine. The Blu-Ray player will upconvert the DVD to better quality. STUPID COMMENT #1: "Blu-Ray won't last long when we're downloading high definition movies onto our television." Hey Einstein, how long are you going to want to wait to download a 25 GB movie? Got 4 or 5 hours, probably longer in a lot of places? You think the average consumer will want to wait?
knowthyself
by Bouncy X
Feb 16th, 2008
02:58:09 PM
depends what your definition of cheap is. i'm in canada and blu-ray movies are still 34$ and up. sure they had some sales around xmas where older titles were 20 and under but i've noticed they're back to 34 and over. but from what i've seen, the US have decent prices, 3 of the 4 movies i own were bought online through an american site due to this. but yeah, movies are still expensive over here, its the main reason i havent fully abandoned dvd for movies.
Long Live Standard Def
by Super Rabbi
Feb 16th, 2008
02:58:27 PM
ps4?
by Bouncy X
Feb 16th, 2008
02:58:49 PM
wow, i must be thinking ahead, sorry about that...i obviously meant ps3.
Bramton 1, THANK YOU. Always the same stupid comments.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
02:59:05 PM
Against HD media. People really are stupid. If you have an HD TV, HD movies is a logical
Superstar Talkbacker has chosen Torrents and here's why
by messi
Feb 16th, 2008
02:59:37 PM
because Sinestro Corps War is TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION!
Frankenblogger/God posts...
by Uncapie
Feb 16th, 2008
02:59:59 PM
Those have got to be the best headings ever! Frankenblogger creates life from a dead blog as God tells him to fuck himself! You know Mary Shelly is eating this up! Frankenblogger-"It's alive! It's alive! Oh, now I know how it feels to be God!" God(Looking down from the heavens.)-"Go fuck yourself, Frankenblogger!" Genius!
So tired of the lame blu-ray b.s.
by tubuku69
Feb 16th, 2008
03:00:04 PM
1-I have an HD DVD player and don't/won't regret buying it. It upconverts regular DVDs and the HD movies are all great and aren't going to suddenly stop working. They do things Blu-Ray can't (picture in picture, web interactive) and were all built to an established standard from day one (unlike Blu-Ray-who actually complained that the reason that Blu-Ray is on the market but incomplete is Toshiba forced its hand by coming out sooner and complete-wow...). 2-Blu-Ray isn't a complete standard. I CAN'T WAIT until the new standard is implemented and Blu-Ray discs come out soon with up to 3 stickers indicating which of the features work in which players. I can't wait for consumers to buy a movie and then realize their current player can't do everything that's on the disc and most likely can't be upgraded to do so. 3-If the "war" ends, Sony will stop lower the Blu-Ray prices-why bother without competition? 4-Apple TV Take 2 isn't there yet, but as a lot of commentators have noted-mass consumer will ALWAYS go with fast/easy/cheap. Sure Apple TV (or other VOD devices such as Vudu or what have you) aren't fully 1080p, don't have extra features, and don't have all the bells and whistles related to the new audio formats-but most people won't care and don't have home theaters that have those capabilities any way. People will have a device that downloads movies quickly and is "good enough". So enjoy the "victory"-battles won don't always mean you've won a "war."
Now slay that fucking X-Box 360
by Hoots Mon
Feb 16th, 2008
03:00:28 PM
and hurry the hell up with GTAIV
Well amazon.com has the best prices.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:00:36 PM
Lots of deals all the time. Many films are 15-24. A few are pricey at 26. Just don't be dumb enough to buy them in a store. Last I checked some two disc sets on DVD still go for 22.99 so blu-rays aren't too far from the norm. Again..just don't go to stores, buy online.
so i guess cd's don't exist anymore because everyone downloads
by noiretblanc
Feb 16th, 2008
03:01:50 PM
personally, i don't want a hard-copy option to go away. i want it to become a lot cheaper, as it should be - not overinflated price-wise.
DVD had zero competition outside of VHS.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:02:16 PM
Prices lowered when demand went up. Same will happen with HD media. I remember paying 30 dollars for the first DVDs before it became mainstream.
knowthyself
by Giant Ape Balls
Feb 16th, 2008
03:02:30 PM
I haven't bothered with one of those either. So that's OK then. I don't see the point as yet. When there's a decent amount of stuff in HD I'll do it then but at the minute I just don't think there's enough stuff out there to warrant it.
Sort of, Dr. Chim Richalds
by theyreflockingthisway
Feb 16th, 2008
03:03:04 PM
But it means those discs won't play on a standard DVD player. I know HD players will come down in price but it's not convenient for those who watch their movies on a games console or PC or those who own a number of DVD players.

It'd cost a lot to replace all that or cause an inconvenience so my point was allowing discs with HD content to play on a standard DVD player. So basically downscaling rather than upscaling. It can be done and would solve the problem of people not wanting to adopt to a new system already.
Poor HD DVD adopters. Nah..I laugh at you.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:03:33 PM
Yeah. Now your just being sore losers. "DVD IS TEH NORM ANAYWAYZ" and "DOWNLOADZ ARE DA FUTUREZ". Hahaha sour grapes early adopters. Sour grapes.
What does anyone need FOUR HD-DVD players for?!?
by Playkins
Feb 16th, 2008
03:03:48 PM
I can maybe see 3- One in the Lving room, one for the office, one for the bedroom. Even that's excessive. I don't even own four DVD players, and I'm not poor.
Harry hates MST3K and picks the wrong format...
by mr_sinister7381
Feb 16th, 2008
03:03:48 PM
what an ass-face. Those Toshiba ads cost you your credibility.
pricey at 26?
by Bouncy X
Feb 16th, 2008
03:03:53 PM
man we indeed live in different countries because finding a blu-ray for 26 would be a deal for me. blame canada. lol
Bramton1
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
03:06:22 PM
The last HD movie I watched on demand played instantly, all I did was hit play. That technology is just going to get better, and the shitty movie I watched won't take up any space in my home.
Harry got 4 free HD DVD players.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:06:28 PM
He had to buy his blu-ray player. Remember when Harry had "inside" information that HD DVD was going to win? LOL.
Wait-Harry has 2 mint-in-box?
by mr_sinister7381
Feb 16th, 2008
03:07:08 PM

wasn't affordability a big factor in that "here's why" post as to why Harry couldn't just get both?

For this guy to say that $$$ didn't influence his editorial stance is an insult to our intelligence.

The consumer wants hard copies.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:08:02 PM
Pretty boxes that say LIMITED EDITION, SPECIAL EDITION, and COLLECTORS EDITION. Beautiful cover art. You can't do that with downloadable movies. It loses alot of its "hold in hand" appeal. Plus a hard copy is juts more reliable and the quality is guaranteed. You don't want a "this movies quality may be different depending on your internet connection."
If I have an HD TV, does that mean I can't watch Seinfeld?
by INWOsuxRED
Feb 16th, 2008
03:08:35 PM
Because apparently because I have the TV, I'm now only allowed to watch shit made in HD.
Well one day all channels will be in HD.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:10:13 PM
Of course. But if you can choose between LOST on the normal channel or LOST in HD which channel do you watch it on? Now if Fox goes HD and Seinfeld reruns are shown in HD, wouldn't you choose the option that makes your 2000 TV worth the purchase?
knowthyself
by Giant Ape Balls
Feb 16th, 2008
03:12:17 PM
I still don't download music as I simply prefer it on something more real. I think that makes me a technophobe.
Harry Has Chosen....All too Easy.
by uss cygnus
Feb 16th, 2008
03:12:23 PM
*Activates carbon freeze*
Is the format war really over?
by BobPalpatine
Feb 16th, 2008
03:12:44 PM
Certainly HD-DVD is in it's last throes, we knew that after the Netflix and Best Buy announcements which put the last shoveful of soil over HDs grave (the last nail in the coffin would be WB signing over). But of course the real format war, which has been raging even while HD was viable, has been DVD vs. Next Generation. How many people here have friends/family who got that nice new HDTV and bought a next gen "upscaling DVD player" and think they're on the cusp of change while watching their 10 year old Blade DVD on their 1080p tele? People are adopting HD insofar as they're getting a new fancy TV, but the knowledge of the actual players is so miniscule among the public that the war is far from over. Certainly there is folk like us who know the difference and will choose accordingly, but it seems for the majority of the public the choice can't be made since they don't realize the option exists! For those that were waiting to buy one or the other, trepidation over which would win out is now replaced by trepidation in buying a format that could be extinct as quickly as HDDVD was.
Not a technophobe. I prefer hard disc to downloads.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:13:49 PM
I will always physically own it. No matter what happens to my hard drive, itunes account, or MP3 player. That CD guarantees me years of ownership that no download can match.
Bobpalatine: Now is the time to finally advertise to new HD TV o
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:15:14 PM
One format means you can sell it to them without the confusion of a format war. Its an easy sell "want to get the most out of that expensive TV?" Who doesn't?
Blu-Ray
by 4we8have15to16go23back42
Feb 16th, 2008
03:15:39 PM
This is exactly why I never buy electronics this new. I always wait to see which format is going to win and for the price to drop.
As far as people saying 480P (yes, it's fucking progressive!)
by SK229
Feb 16th, 2008
03:16:44 PM
Is good enough, I agree with them that buying a ton of shitty movies in 1080p on blu-ray is not what everyone had in mind. The only people buying these movies, for the most part, are rich people with a new toy to show off. They are not, traditionally, the cinephiles who will build a REAL library of titles. BD has better get their fucking act together quick with the price of the players and the types of titles available, or you will see Sony dropping it as a movie format REALLY quick.

If this happens, something similar to HD-DVD might rise from the ashes because let me put it in terms of the prosumer video camcorder market - Panny fully put their support and money behind P2 cams, which record up to 1080p to super expensive memory cards on cams that cost upwards of $5k. Canon came along and, with the HDV and AVCHD codecs, are revolutionizing the cost structure of high definition image aquisition. Couple this with the excellent and hard-to-beat Brevis 35mm adapter, and you have a ton of people who no longer see any reason to spend the 10k it costs to put together a panasonic P2 system. What you can get is, SAY IT WITH ME NOW, 'GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE MONEY'. Same as DVD is for now versus BD. As far as Sony and the camcorder market? They dropped the ball altogether, doing what they always do, trying to slow or stop the release of new technologies at lower prices altogether, although they may yet bring up the rear with this new cam and format they have coming out. As long as they price it correctly (which they are often wont to do) I'm with whomever puts out the most affordable product with the best features.

The only difference between that market and the home video market is the studios. But in this case, if the studios don't see people buying into BD en masse by the end of this year, you can kiss it goodbye. They will be looking for a newer, cheaper tech that delivers HD to get their back catalogue sales back up. They did the same thing to LD when DVD came out. If DVD can be cheaper to manufacture and for consumers to adopt in the long-run, why NOT abandon another technology? They're in it for the software sales, not for the players and certainly not for the company that has the most to lose if the format doesn't take hold with consumers.

So yes, I agree that the biggest problem with BD right now is the titles first and foremost, because I'd probaby spend the money if they would put out some great hi-def bells and whistles treatments of classic films, but seeing crappy movies with more pixels and more detail doesn't make them any more exciting. Their second biggest problem is cost, and that's a big hurdle that I honestly think they just can't overcome. The average consumer will not buy the PS3 as a player, most people already own their favorite films on DVD and the difference isn't big enough to joe and jane consumer like it was from VHS to DVD, and this whole format war left such a bad taste in people's mouth that I think you might see people avoiding BD purely on principle at this point.

tubuku69
by Bramton1
Feb 16th, 2008
03:16:52 PM
You say that Sony won't have to lower prices now that HD-DVD is dead? Someone else suggested prices will go up? Yet others are arguing that DVD is still the norm, and Blu-Ray isn't. So how is there no competition? In fact, I would say it's more likely to see prices drop. Sony had to beat out Toshiba and HD-DVD before it could go after standard DVD. Now that's over and won, and the war to unseat DVD as the dominant media option will begin. Now, Sony won't be able to win that war, unless (a) Prices drop on the players and the discs, and (b) HDTVs become more commonplace. If you have a regular TV, what's the point of going to Blu-Ray?
Umm..the stanley kubrick collection and blade runner in HD.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:18:45 PM
And you say theirs nothing for the film lover in HD? wtf? I must imagine owning Volver, The Fountain, Blade Runner, and Close Encounters on blu-ray.
The PS3
by Ckuouka
Feb 16th, 2008
03:21:04 PM
it does upscales regular DVD's. it's not the default option, though. you have to set it in the settings. plus, you also have to have downloaded the latest system update, but, yeah, it's able to upscale. and i'm glad someone else corrected "expert," since he had no idea what he was talking about. the 20 gig, 60 gig, and 80 gig ps3's all played ps2 and ps1 games. most likely the new 120/160 gig model will, as well. there is also NO evidence whatsoever that sony is getting rid of the psp.
to anyone that knows, is the PS3 a good blu ray player?
by JimmyJoe RedSky
Feb 16th, 2008
03:22:12 PM
id get one before id get an actual blu ray player - but only if its a quality disc player - ive heard rumblings that claim its not
Bramton1 you're stupid
by JimCurry
Feb 16th, 2008
03:22:59 PM
STUPID COMMENT #1 and... STUPID COMMENT #1?? Try going with a "2" next time, dildo.
PS3 is a great blu-ray player.
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:23:20 PM
Not like the PS2 which was a crappy DVD player.
DVD will be around for a while
by messi
Feb 16th, 2008
03:25:29 PM
too good and convenient a format. titles available, cheap, great picture. blu ray will be niche.
So, if some of the previous format wars is any indication...
by mrmgp
Feb 16th, 2008
03:25:53 PM
Blu Ray was the shittier format, just like VHS was shittier than Beta and NTSC was shittier than PAL, right?
All I can say is...
by Tourist
Feb 16th, 2008
03:27:52 PM
....HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH HAHAHA. No, really. Are these dicks serious? Like I'm gonna buy a fucking HD player when all the good shit is on regular DVD anyway. Just bring me my fucking Downloadable content already.
Who needs DVD when I have VHS?
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:29:56 PM
I have all the movies I want on VHS and all the music I love on Vinyl. Who needs DVDs and cassette tape? Just give me a live concert performance any day. And who needs a cable modem when my dial up is free?
HARRY CHOSE HD-DVD AND HERES WHY
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:30:18 PM
because hes a dumbass!
HARRY CHOSE HD-DVD AND HERES WHY
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:30:19 PM
because hes a dumbass!
"hey, man, i haven't seen that movie yet...
by noiretblanc
Feb 16th, 2008
03:32:10 PM
let me borrow that downloadable content."
ps3 is still the worst console to have ever been released
by slappy jones
Feb 16th, 2008
03:32:45 PM
and that is why it has failed to take off and this totally ridiculous format war does nothing to help it. this format war was being fought by like 12 guys...no one out side of those 12 guys GAVE A SHIT OR GIVES A SHIT NOW THAT IT IS OVER. I mean if a war is fought in the forest does anyone hear it....
Great now both formats and consumers lose
by Darth_Inedible
Feb 16th, 2008
03:33:09 PM
So now we have Sony standing alone with their hugely overpriced format, trying to use it as a tool to sell their crappy overpriced next gen consoles. With most people happy with DVD the adoption rate will be glacial...
oops double post
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:34:12 PM
sorry. but harry is still a dumbass.
No I won't buy a blu ray.
by Pipple
Feb 16th, 2008
03:34:19 PM
I don't have one of those fancy schmancy hd tvs so there's no point. Though if anyone wants to get me one, feel free...
4 HD-DVD PLAYERS - WTF?!
by ninjatracksuit
Feb 16th, 2008
03:34:27 PM
Why so many players, Harry? I don't understand that, but so be it. I have a Blu-Ray player, the one that came in my PS3...But believe it or not, that was the main reason I bought a PS3. Yeah, I feel for Toshiba, but Sony was just the smarter company here, and aggressive when the needed to be. And jeez, give 'em some time to get to pressing a wider variety of discs - it WILL happen, and faster now, too. I also don't think prices on the discs will really drop that much (and it isn't like they are outrageous, either), but they should start slashing the stand-alone player prices. For all you computer-tech geeks, though, I suggest getting a PS3 - it plays divx files now. This isn't really something they can market in the mainstream, but it should be a HUGE factor to those that know what this means. I'm not suggesting that everyone start wearing an eyepatch, but it is nice to download those hard to find on DVD flicks and then transfer them to your PS3 (umm, or should I say hard drive with uber video/sound card?) to view.
well, thats nice. i think i'll stick to the old DVDs for quite a
by BMacSmith
Feb 16th, 2008
03:34:40 PM
i what movies on a grammaphone
by noiretblanc
Feb 16th, 2008
03:35:56 PM
not only is that impossible, but it's great quality too.
Basically, HD media is dead
by JoeSixPack
Feb 16th, 2008
03:36:31 PM
With the "success" of blu ray. I don't see any potential of BR catching on like DVD did. HD downloads will be the next frontier.
I'm a dumbass...
by Rando Calrisian
Feb 16th, 2008
03:36:32 PM
I too bought an HD-DVD player. But I don't feel to bad. I needed a new DVD player anyway, and got 11 free movies with it for $200. So I made a bad mistake, but I've enjoyed the hell out of the player. Looks great. I'm sure I'll get a Blu-Ray some day. Now that the war is over, more companies will be making Blu-Ray players, and they will be affordable soon. I bet they stop giving away free movies with them though.

Anyone want to buy some HD-DVDs?
Sheeeeeet...
by Tourist
Feb 16th, 2008
03:37:39 PM
...I'm with Vern. I rent, don't buy (much), and I mostly go with DVD-R's of fucked up cult stuff, regular DVD, VCD from chinese video stores and old fashioned VHS. Still pick up the odd 5 dollar laser disc too. Mostly though, I like to download shows and oddities and watch them on my computer. Which is where I watch everything anyway. Funny thing is, I'm just about the last person I know who actually rents or buys media. Everyone else downloads and burns. The thieveing cunts.
what or watch. it's the same word really
by noiretblanc
Feb 16th, 2008
03:37:54 PM
it's true
i got the hybrid plays all player so it doesn't matter to me
by slappy jones
Feb 16th, 2008
03:37:57 PM
all I know for sure is that the ps3 is an awful machine and the one I got for my birthday went to ebay a few months later....its awful
Mr. Nice Gaius
by snowtires
Feb 16th, 2008
03:38:18 PM
As crazy as it sounds, I've been saying that since the beginning. HDDVD has three more syllables than Blu-Ray and, not only that, HDDVD is a bit of a tongue-twister. The PS3 helped a lot, but I think the names were a big factor as well.
ALL disk media will be DEAD in 5-8 years.
by hollywoodsummers
Feb 16th, 2008
03:39:32 PM
I work in the DVD special features biz and Blu-ray will be the last form of tangible media. Your film library will be downloaded onto multi-terabyte hard drives over HD ISDN lines. It will contain a menu and special features content similar to a DVD, but there will be no disks. It'll be very similar to iTunes now.
Ckuouka, you're full of shit and misinformation...
by expert_40
Feb 16th, 2008
03:41:59 PM
... Sony hasn't sold a 20 or 60 gig PS3 since last summer. They starting selling 40 gig and 80 gig PS3's, with only the 80 gig PS3 able to play PS2 games... and NONE of them play PS1 games, so you lie there.

So yes, Sony basically decided to charge their loyal PS2 owners an extra $100.00 for the right to play their PS2 games.

And now, Sony has dropped the 80 gig PS3, meaning any PS2 owners who couldn't afford the $500.00 80 gig PS3 but want backwards compatibility are totally screwed.

And yes, all the whispers and signs are pointing to Sony ditching the PSP, either for good, or to be replaced by new tech, thus screwing everyone who they conned into buying one over the holidays.

If you don't believe me, you into your nearest GameStop and look at the release list for the PSP. It's about ten games deep. No big games besides God of War. No Madden. No NCAA Football. No GTA IV Stories. No big, tent pole games.

The PSP is toast, and if you bought one, just like if you bought the $300.00 doorstop Profile 1.0 Blu-Ray players, you're screwed.

Don't fucking spread your Sony propaganda here. I come armed with facts, not your bullshit.
true my ps3 is awfully awful
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:42:00 PM
drakes uncharted fourtune, warhawk, and one other ps3 game that i cant remember are pretty fun. it pisses me off how 360 has the good versions of madden and all the sports games, but ps3 gets all the crappy ports. but not to much because i have a 360.
Bouncy X
by snowtires
Feb 16th, 2008
03:42:05 PM
The PS3 does up-res, but you have to actually turn that function on in the settings. I have the first Pirates movie on DVD and on Blu-Ray and it definitely looks worlds better on Blu-Ray. I have a 1080p set, though, so that might be your problem.
uhhh my 600 dollar ps3 plays ps1 games
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:43:19 PM
so your wrong
not saying there's NO content in HD...
by SK229
Feb 16th, 2008
03:43:45 PM
just not enough. Like my post in Harry's last DVD's of the month forum, I own an HD-DVD player that I got for $160 with 10 free movies, many of which were either Kubrick films or other classic films I love. And last time I checked, since this announcement, they still play in my player! Someone better call the BD association, because I am enjoying hi-def content that I paid next to nothing for without theirs or the fanboys permission!

Like I said in my post in that TB, I do not regret it because I didn't own an upscaling player and not only does it do that, but I also get to enjoy a ton of hi-def movies for way less than BD would cost me. I don't want another games system and I don't like watching my movies on one. If I spent all that money on the PS3, I'd still wind up wishing I had a good, upgradeable standalone BD player, so I'll just sit and wait.

What I'm saying is, there's still not enough content to make it worthwhile to spend that much money. For the HD DVD player, I was like, ok, and I'll have some great movies in high-def to boot. I looked at the purchase like a great upscaling player with a high-definition bonus. I thought about whether or not the format would lose and it didn't matter to me cause the price was so low and the movies were free!

I'm not saying I wouldn't buy BD at all, I'm saying that the price will have to come way down, the spec will have to be 2.0, and there will have to be a better selection of titles. I still will not replace most movies that I already own on DVD with BD. I don't need stuff like Trading Places and Easy Rider in BD. So the studios dreaming of some new miracle format that will magically boost back catalogue sales again like DVD did are living in a pipe-dream. DVD was it. The next time you see something like that, where all movies, big, small, great, and bad are bought in a new format will be when the generation coming up only has a newer format other than DVD to choose from. Even then, it will be tough as DVD set a home video standard that's hard to beat as far as quality and price and the titles will be available for a long time to come. One could argue that upscaling itself was like the studios and the manufacturers shooting themselves in the foot by making the argument for HD even more difficult.

"Hey, lets hang out, bring over that download."
by knowthyself
Feb 16th, 2008
03:45:11 PM
haha.
expert_40
by snowtires
Feb 16th, 2008
03:47:58 PM
My 60 gig PS3 has no problem playing PS1 games, so you can't really say that 'NONE' of them are completely backwards compatible. To be honest, though, the main reason they are doing this is because, with a PS3 with a bigger HD, they can sell the PS1 and PS2 games as downloads on the Playstation store and get even more money for games you already own. But hey, for once, it pays to be an early adopter.
So fucking glad I waited
by Dashing Roger
Feb 16th, 2008
03:48:11 PM
Early adopters always get hosed. That's why I still use a rotary phone!

Go fuck yourself, technophiles!

noiretblanc
by Tourist
Feb 16th, 2008
03:48:54 PM
This is how it actually goes, already, right now: "hey, dude, I haven't seen that movie, burn me a copy, would ya?".
Everyone saying BD players won't be able to play all features
by tjhksig
Feb 16th, 2008
03:49:37 PM
Are dead WRONG. All you need to do is download the latest firmware, burn it to DVD, then pop it into your DVD players and hig "PLAY". Vioals, your BD player is updated and can use all the features. Look it up.
Guys...
by expert_40
Feb 16th, 2008
03:51:24 PM
... you're mincing words. I'm sorry, I should have spelled it out for y'all... the 40 and 80 gig PS3's don't play PS1 games.

There... happy?
yea expert...i assumed
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:56:29 PM
you meant all of the ps3's didnt play ps1 games. does anybody find it hilarious that i bought a ps3 for 600 dollars and just played crash bandicoot 2 and 3 the whole time?
RE: tjhksig
by MaxTheSilent
Feb 16th, 2008
03:58:18 PM
ONLY the PS3 has the required chip-set that will allow the 2.0 update, or BD-LIVE as it's more commonly known. Like I said, the BDA was complicit in companies holding back on these vital components (not to mention ethernet ports) simply to try to keep cost down of this exhorbitantly priced second-rate format. With that guy launching a class action lawsuit against Samsung, I can't wait for the lawsuit against the BDA for allowing this to happen. Mark my words, when the 2.0-compatible players come out and every single stand-alone BD owner is faced with the 'choice' to upgrade, the consumer backlash will be HUGE!! And I'll be sitting back, laughing my ass off.
VICTORY!!!!!!!!!
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
03:58:41 PM
timmy: is it over dad? dad: its over little timmy. its finally over.
AND YOU 'DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT' PEOPLE ARE FORGETTING...
by ninjatracksuit
Feb 16th, 2008
03:59:05 PM
While this is the way of the future (and something I use from time to time right now, though not HD), you guys have to keep this in mind - One: The target audience for movies in general aren't as tech saavy as some of you. Two: the studios are archaic, for the most part the big money is still moved by and older generation. Three: they (the studios) are fiercly protective of their property. Combine this with the previous statement (where, you know, most people still like to lay hands on the thing they are purchasing), and you can see why there will be physical discs for years. These will be whittled away when this and the younger 'hi-tech' generation becomes the majority of movie-goers, and when the PC becomes the real entertainment center for households. On the downloadable front - though movies are ripped and uploaded almost immediately these days, having all media go strictly non-tangible is like a welcome mat for illegal downloading. The analysts that the studios have know this, and are probably waiting for security developments to advance further so they can protect their new release HD products. Ha - and with the open sea that is the internet...well, they'll never be able to fully protect anything for very long.
Just the name "blu ray" is so gay
by hktelemacher
Feb 16th, 2008
04:04:05 PM
I've got my image to worry about here.
PS3 worst console? And what does that make Xbox 360?
by Stalkeye
Feb 16th, 2008
04:05:33 PM
A system that is notoriously know for hardware defects ( Can you say Red Ring Of Death?) and expensive add ons like the wireless adapter,an HD DVD strap on and $50 for a fucking Xbox live subscription?(PS3 has built in wifi,a high def player and free online service mind you.)

If not for exclusive games like Gears of War,Mass Effect,Bioshock and HALO 3, this doorstop would be just a fucking shelf piece. Now that the PS3 sales are surpassing Xbox 3-shitty and the Wee Wee, the console war has just gotten more interesting.

Bluray won the war in November of 2006.
by Horseflesh
Feb 16th, 2008
04:05:39 PM
Anyone that didn't realize it then was short sighted and kidding themselves.

by Pariah74
Feb 16th, 2008
04:07:22 PM
Anyone who says people who are still using DVD don't like movies is a complete tit. It completely possible that they are unable to understand that to a normal person looks at HD and DOES see an improvement...but we look at it say is it enough of an improvement to warrant the money. No it's not. But at any rate I love movies, but I don't see any reason to lay out tons of cash on any format yet. It doesn't make me love movies less. I means that I'm not a moron who likes to waste money. I like movies so much that when I do upgrade, I do it once and I do it right. And when I buy a player with twice the features as yours I'll get it for half the price. Oh and loving movies means more than just the stupid hollywood blockbuster pirate movies made with super sony deluxe digital cameras. I love just as many (probably more) small films made with a rickity old 16mm film camera. What difference does it make how I watch that film? Yer an idiot.
Harry Bamboozled you.
by Gay Jesus Christ
Feb 16th, 2008
04:07:41 PM
Harry totally steered you wrong. I feel bad for all those guys that respected Harry's opinion and blew all their hard earned money on a system that bit the big one. I can just see someone confused on the the whole HD format and was swayed by Harry's whole " I choose HD-DVD, here's why" speech. that tipped the scales into buying the ill fated format while Harry lined his pockets with Toshiba money. I don't understand how someone who could buy a format knowing that going into it that you would never ever ever get SONY Columbia movie titles? did that even register? I just want to round up all the HD-DVD buyers and get a gang and point and laugh at them and yell "SUCKERS!" while holding my right hand and making a L Shape with my index finger and thumb pressed to my head. Harry fucked you guys up.
Blu-Ray won the war...
by MaxTheSilent
Feb 16th, 2008
04:08:14 PM
When Kaz Hirai said: "Games? Fuck games!!"
This won't replace DVD
by Funketeer
Feb 16th, 2008
04:10:12 PM
Doesn't matter if the prices on the players and the movies come down. Most people don't own an HD TV and they're not going to until the prices on THOSE come WAY down. This format change came too soon and anyone who buys into it, especially anyone who buys a movie on Blue Ray that they already own on DVD is a sucker. The companies push format change solely so they can make you buy stuff a second or third time.
I hate geek-tech talkbacks, and here's why...
by ebonic_plague
Feb 16th, 2008
04:10:55 PM
NERDS!!!!!!!!!
the ps3 surpassed the 360 for 1 month
by deliciouscowbell
Feb 16th, 2008
04:11:27 PM
and that was a month when overall sales where WAAAAAAYYYYYY down. and by best console i think we mean the console with the best games and ports. ps3 is garbage. i have a huge piece of 600 dollar garbage sitting in my room.
DVD WILL OUTWIN THEM ALL!
by Prossor
Feb 16th, 2008
04:13:04 PM
search your feelings, you KNOW it to be true.
tourist
by noiretblanc
Feb 16th, 2008
04:13:12 PM
yeah, this is actually how it is going to go. "hey, this drm says i can't burn it or won't let me connect it to your computerized tv because it's locked to my tv account. shucks" i guess i'll bring my whole entertainment center over!
What you HARD FORMAT people have to remember...
by Tourist
Feb 16th, 2008
04:13:39 PM
...Is that the target audience for movies is ALREADY downloading most of the studios content. You can get middle class young folk to roll out to the cinema once in awhile, but nearly all of them download movies or share downloaded movies. Fuck, even broke ass folk simply buy stacks of burnt flicks now. You can walk into net cafes all over the world with a hard drive, pay some student behind the counter, and download gigs of flicks and music. If they don't get their ass into downloadable content soon, they are just gonna lose more money.
this is my last ever talkback to aicn...why?
by dalbatron
Feb 16th, 2008
04:14:17 PM
Many reasons... In short here they are... People who personally attack via talkbacks. Why? could you, would you do this face to face? Why so personal? Have you never heard of an opinion? I joined to participate in constructive discussion on movies and the industry. This has degenerated into personal attacks and foul language. So sad.... I just dont want to read infantile abuse levelled at individuals anymore.Thanks guys for all the interesting chats but I think its time to grow up and get back to what you originally came here to talk about... I'll be of now. Cya guys.
Noir...
by Tourist
Feb 16th, 2008
04:15:44 PM
...? What? Um, people already do download, or burn, and swap just about everything thats available. What the fuck are you talking about?
Stalkeye
by Funketeer
Feb 16th, 2008
04:16:07 PM
In defense of the 360, no one is making you buy those add ons and I don't know anyone who has. I'll also take my $50 ANNUAL Live subscription over the free Sony online play which leaves the online support up to the game company. Yes the red ring of death exists but it's a fixed problem and Microsoft extended the warranty on the product by 2 years to make sure they covered anyone who would be affected by it. And by exclusive games, do you mean those games that anyone can also buy for the PC? PS3 users are sheep. PS2 owned the market based on the sheer number of games available (most of which were crap). Both Xbox and Nintendo have a much better selection of quality games.
Last I heard DVD was doing pretty well
by skywalkerfamily
Feb 16th, 2008
04:18:06 PM
It always comes out with more than 100 titles a week.
dogstar
by lensproject
Feb 16th, 2008
04:18:26 PM
Well, black and white movies are often visually superior to color movies, so your analogy isn't quite right. Until I became serious about movies, I thought DVD was adequate. But DVDs are travesties if you care about the art of film. 480 shitty lines is not enough to capture good cinematography. That's why theatrical prints are the best way to watch great films. DVD can never compare. If the film is not shot entirely in closeup, you're just missing vast amounts of qualitative information. What's nice about HD is that it allows us to see the things we've been missing for so long. Case in point: the first Blu-ray I watched was Dog Day Afternoon. You can read the signs on the wall of the bank or on the stores across the street. These kinds of little details make up what a film is. Another case in point: anyone who saw the restored Blade Runner in theaters (especially good theaters) recently can attest to the fact that it was like watching the movie for the first time. No matter how many times you had seen it prior.

by PedroM
Feb 16th, 2008
04:22:11 PM
Harry´s right, blu ray needs to get better. But it will take a long time to the mass population to make the leap from dvd to blu ray. Here where i live, blu ray players are VERY expensive, so something´s not right. Sony ha