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[Ignatz Mouse]

Mpeg4 is on its way out, for sure.

Biggest differences:

HD-DVD players are cheaper
HD-DVD selection today is better, and supports more advanced features
BluRay holds more, which will eventually matter, but not much
BluRay has, by far better studio support (but most of those studios have been holding back their big-name titles).

I expect BluRay selection to take off this year, and the advanced features to start appearing on discs.

 

[StoOgE]

I think they have moved on from MPEG2 (at least Sony has) and there really isn't a difference in software prices (for the consumer, I have no idea about anyone else though)

They both do the job though.

HDDVD is generally a few bucks cheaper in the store and on amazon. Except for those stupid combo discs.

The players however are *much* cheaper, and there should be some 200-250 dollar standalones out soon.

 

[jjasper]

HDDVD is generally a few bucks cheaper in the store and on amazon. Except for those stupid combo discs.

The players however are *much* cheaper, and there should be some 200-250 dollar standalones out soon.

Every where I go they are all 19.99-37.99 for both formats dependent on which movie(except for my Cinderella Man $4.99 score at Target).

There is no denying that the hardware is cheaper although PS3 now that it is readily available helps Blu ray some

 

[TheJesusFactor]

If you want a stand alone player for HD-DVD, you can get the first generation Toshiba HD-A1 player for $249.99. They have individual audio output channel so that you can get the full effect of Dolby TrueHD lossless Audio, since no audio equipment supports that now. The only problem with this player is for people who owns 1080p set, as this player supports 1080i. So if you don't plan on getting a 1080p set in the next 5 years, this is a very good bargain. Otherwise, you will have to pay $400 - $500 for the new Toshiba 1080p HD-DVD players.

 

[Chichikov]

Regarding size, the only difference will be that a year from now most HD-DVD films are 2 disc collectors edition with the extras on the 2nd disc (like Clerks 2 HD-DVD), whereas on Blu-ray it'll just be a single disc.

I’m going to guess that if anything, you’re going to start seeing multi-disc BD releases.
Not because of size.
Because of pricing.
Public perception is that more plastic discs = more value.
You can charge more for packages that have more discs.

 

[Bebpo]

"Codecs, interactivity and mandatory specs aside, by far the biggest worry I hear from early adopters, regardless of format preference, is one of obsolescence. What steps are Microsoft taking to ensure that the investment fans are making today in HD DVD won't come back and, to be blunt about it, bite them in the ass?

---
First of all, if you look at what a consumer's investment is in our technology, with the Xbox add-on drive you are almost spending nothing. You can buy a few movies for the cost of an HD DVD add-on drive. So your hardware investment is really low. Even a stand-alone Toshiba player is only a few hundred dollars. It really is not that much money for the enjoyment of this stuff, even if you have to chuck it the next day. But you don't have to chuck it, of course, because all HD DVD players can play DVD. Plus, with the HD DVD/DVD combo discs, they are forwards and backwards compatible.

Plus, we are shipping a lot of these drives. And look at Toshiba, what they've shipped in [stand-alone] HD DVD players is by far more than the sum of shipments of all Blu-ray stand-alone companies combined. So, from that point of view, we expect the format to have a very long shelf life.

My personal opinion is that neither side is going to win. We will have a PlayStation/Xbox kind of scenario with Blu-ray and HD DVD co-existing. But we [HD DVD] will be very popular -- we're sticking around."
---

--Microsoft's Amir Majidimehr
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_microsofthddvdinterview.html

Yeah, uhh..I don't think the X360 add-on or the standalones are so cheap I wouldn't feel jipped if I had to chuck them....

 

[ManaByte]

That's exactly it. As someone who owns both formats, both look and sound identical as the files on the discs are the exact same. On top of that, HD movies really only need about 25gigs for a 3 hour movie, so both formats are perfectly fine space-wise. Regarding size, the only difference will be that a year from now most HD-DVD films are 2 disc collectors edition with the extras on the 2nd disc (like Clerks 2 HD-DVD), whereas on Blu-ray it'll just be a single disc.

Just go with whatever format has the movies you want to watch. In my case both sides had films I wanted in HD, so I went with both.

Or like Mission Impossible 3 BRD or World Trade Center BRD? Both are two disc Blu-Ray releases.

 

[Bebpo]

Or like Mission Impossible 3 BRD or World Trade Center BRD? Both are two disc Blu-Ray releases.

Yes, Paramount is strange. WTC is a 50gig disc and could've easily fit all the extras on the same disc as the film.

 

[TheJesusFactor]

2 disc? Then what is the point with all the extra capacity?

 

[LJ11]

Yes, Paramount is strange. WTC is a 50gig disc and could've easily fit all the extras on the same disc as the film.

I don't understand Paramount at all.

Instead of porting their VC-1 encodes over to Blu-Ray, ala Warner Bros, they re-encode their movies in MPEG2. Most reviews I've seen, both professional and user, claim that their's no noticeable difference, visually, between their Blu-Ray and HD-DVD releases. Why do they waste their time encoding in MPEG2, if results are equal to their VC-1 titles? Do they like wasting time? Does Sony want/per$uade them to use MPEG2, even though they recently abandoned MPEG2 for AVC encodes? I would normally go over to AVS, but that message board is unbearable right now. If anyone has any answers, I would love to hear them.

 

[ManaByte]

Yes, Paramount is strange. WTC is a 50gig disc and could've easily fit all the extras on the same disc as the film.

Bull ****ing shit. The WTC extras are in 1080p as well.

 

[LJ11]

Bull ****ing shit. The WTC extras are in 1080p as well.

Maybe they would've fit on one disc if Paramount didn't use bit-hungry MPEG2. Which goes back to my original question, wtf do they use it when their HD-DVD releases are VC-1?

 

[Petrarca]

Blu-ray sales number dominates in both Amazon and DVDEmpire

Amazon
http://www.hdgamedb.com/amazon/versus.aspx

DVDEmpire
http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365258923474&tab_id=60&site_id=69&site_media_id=0

 

[yacobod]

Blu-ray sales number dominates in both Amazon and DVDEmpire

Amazon
http://www.hdgamedb.com/amazon/versus.aspx

DVDEmpire
http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365258923474&tab_id=60&site_id=69&site_media_id=0

hahahahaha

take off the fanboy goggles

the only format dominating anything is dvd

dvd is dominating hd dvd and bluray

hd dvd and bluray trade leads on those sites every hour or every other day

i swear ppl follow these sales rankings like if it was a sporting event

omg my team is winning

 

[HyperionX]

Blu-ray is starting to pull away. We have already reached the crossover point for all practically purposes. DVD crossover may take several years though.

 

[Petrarca]

hahahahaha

take off the fanboy goggles

the only format dominating anything is dvd

dvd is dominating hd dvd and bluray

hd dvd and bluray trade leads on those sites every hour or every other day

i swear ppl follow these sales rankings like if it was a sporting event

omg my team is winning

HAHHAHA

your format is losing, nice knowing you HD-DVD or should I call it Betamax 2?:lol

Nothing will stop the blu-train, next target is the outdated steamboat called DVD. Within 3 years, GUARAN-DAMN-TEED!!

 

[thirty]

i thought hd-dvd was dead after CES but what about the porn industry now openly supporting hd-dvd over bluray?

btw, i'm on the DVD team as i'm looking forward to the new 1080p upscaling players.

 

[Petrarca]

i thought hd-dvd was dead after CES but what about the porn industry now openly supporting hd-dvd over bluray?

debbie does blu-ray too!!

 

[Cheebs]

HAHHAHA

your format is losing, nice knowing you HD-DVD or should I call it Betamax 2?:lol

Nothing will stop the blu-train, next target is the outdated steamboat called DVD. Within 3 years, GUARAN-DAMN-TEED!!

over 130 million standalone dvd players in USA.

37 Million PS2's in USA.

Blu-ray needs to sell a lot to beat DVD because PS2 bombed compared to standalone dvd player standards.

 

[jjasper]

HAHHAHA

your format is losing, nice knowing you HD-DVD or should I call it Betamax 2?:lol

Nothing will stop the blu-train, next target is the outdated steamboat called DVD. Within 3 years, GUARAN-DAMN-TEED!!

I love watching HD movies and all and think Blu ray will eventually win out the format war (unless something changes with studio support) but thinking blu ray will take over DVD in 3 years is just plain retarted

 

[LuCkymoON]

I love watching HD movies and all and think Blu ray will eventually win out the format war (unless something changes with studio support) but thinking blu ray will take over DVD in 3 years is just plain retarted

Hopefully HDi will find its place in the BD market, it's a great interface.

 

[Cheebs]

I love watching HD movies and all and think Blu ray will eventually win out the format war (unless something changes with studio support) but thinking blu ray will take over DVD in 3 years is just plain retarted

Like I said, gaf thinks in gamer terms. The penentration rate of standard DVD is huge. It makes video games look like a niche market.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

hahahahaha

take off the fanboy goggles

the only format dominating anything is dvd

dvd is dominating hd dvd and bluray

hd dvd and bluray trade leads on those sites every hour or every other day

i swear ppl follow these sales rankings like if it was a sporting event

omg my team is winning

lololol

i think

you might have a point

i mean dvd is cool and here to stay

for a while

bluray and hdvdvd are awesome though i must say but ya

and it's funny to see people go crazy

funny like a monkey doing backflips

or some shit

right?

 

[teiresias]

Hopefully HDi will find its place in the BD market, it's a great interface.

I believe "HDi" is the proprietary name for the XML-based interface used in the HD-DVD standard (developed by MS, with, i believe, alot of involvement from Disney - ironic since they've now gone completely into Blu-Ray land).

The Blu-Ray standard uses an interface completely different based on Java.

Weren't there just some new Blu-Ray releases this week? I think this back and forth about who's ahead will continue, with whichever format has new releases that week being ahead for that time frame. So look back here during the next day with HD-DVD new releases and it may be ahead then.

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_microsofthddvdinterview.html

Pretty good read.

 

[mollipen]

Mpeg4 is on its way out, for sure.

Wait... you meant to say MPEG2, right?

 

[plagiarize]

HAHHAHA

your format is losing, nice knowing you HD-DVD or should I call it Betamax 2?:lol

Nothing will stop the blu-train, next target is the outdated steamboat called DVD. Within 3 years, GUARAN-DAMN-TEED!!

seriously. you just baselessly labelled someone who'd posted something about how people cheering on *either* format at this stage was stupid as an HD-DVD fan and then laughed at him.

 

[Beer Monkey]

seriously. you just baselessly labelled someone who'd posted something about how people cheering on *either* format at this stage was stupid as an HD-DVD fan and then laughed at him.

It's almost like mindlessly tagging anybody who doesn't agree with your gaming opinions as an 'xbot'.

 

[methane47]

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_microsofthddvdinterview.html

Pretty good read.

From the article

HighDef: I imagine it must have gotten very contentious?

Microsof: It was very contentious, because some of our best partners were supporting Blu-ray: Sony, Dell, HP [Editor: HP now supports HD DVD as well]. It is tough to go against our best partners in the matter. But as big companies, sometimes we compete, sometimes we cooperate. In this case, we compete.

WAIT A DOGGONE SECOND did i just read that correctly?

 

[jjasper]

WAIT A DOGGONE SECOND did i just read that correctly?

They are like 2 of the highest selling computer companies maybe that is what he means.

 

[Beer Monkey]

From the article


WAIT A DOGGONE SECOND did i just read that correctly?

What? About the Sony = partner thing? Sony is a big MS partner (notebooks, media PCs). They are partnered up together with Starz on the Vongo vod service, etc. Just because they compete in the game console business does not mean that they don't partner elsewhere.

 

[methane47]

What? About the Sony = partner thing? Sony is a big MS partner (notebooks, media PCs). They are partnered up together with Starz on the Vongo vod service, etc. Just because they compete in the game console business does not mean that they don't partner elsewhere.

still though.. lower down in the article the MS rep stealth trolls the PS3.. lol AND SONY...

It's just so wierd that bitter enemies can be good friends on other fronts... Just last week Gates Bashed Sony... Week before had execs bashing sony's DNA... and Sony before that Bashed Microsoft for other stuff.. and yet.. somekind of partnership still exists... it's amazing to me..

 

[plagiarize]

still though.. lower down in the article the MS rep stealth trolls the PS3.. lol AND SONY...

It's just so wierd that bitter enemies can be good friends on other fronts... Just last week Gates Bashed Sony... Week before had execs bashing sony's DNA... and Sony before that Bashed Microsoft for other stuff.. and yet.. somekind of partnership still exists... it's amazing to me..

as much as people here may favour one company over another, and harbour grudges because of past events, most big businesses only care about making money. microsoft and sony aren't going to not work together in an area that will make them both money just because of somethings said at press conferences.

 

[Suikoguy]

as much as people here may favour one company over another, and harbour grudges because of past events, most big businesses only care about making money. microsoft and sony aren't going to not work together in an area that will make them both money just because of somethings said at press conferences.

Same thing goes with Universal and Sony

 

[methane47]

as much as people here may favour one company over another, and harbour grudges because of past events, most big businesses only care about making money. microsoft and sony aren't going to not work together in an area that will make them both money just because of somethings said at press conferences.

True.. I guess when companies get to a certain size.... words dont make as big a difference.... as long as the money is still coming in.

 

[LJ11]

Hopefully HDi will find its place in the BD market, it's a great interface.

Won't happen, because of who's behind the technology. Hopefully BD-J matches what HDi offers some time down the line.

 

[virtuafightermaster]

There are already players can play both format.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8203311&st=blu-ray&type=product&id=1165610378688

 

[Phoenix]

There are already players can play both format.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8203311&st=blu-ray&type=product&id=1165610378688

The problem is that they are more expensive than buying individual players for both formats.

 

[ManaByte]

There are already players can play both format.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8203311&st=blu-ray&type=product&id=1165610378688

That won't fully play HD-DVD. It doesn't support HDi so you can't play the HD-DVD exclusive special features and as such the DVD-Forum is going after LG for marketing it as a HD-DVD player when it isn't compliant.

 

[virtuafightermaster]

Wonder how long before they can ship out 100gb blu-ray discs at reasonable price, I really want to replace some of my hard drives.

 

[ManaByte]

Wonder how long before they can ship out 100gb blu-ray discs at reasonable price, I really want to replace some of my hard drives.

It'll be cheaper to buy a new HDD than to buy a BRD reader that can record to a 100gb disc.

 

[virtuafightermaster]

It'll be cheaper to buy a new HDD than to buy a BRD reader that can record to a 100gb disc.

Its true, I know that. But you know hard drive doesn't last forever, I am not sure how long an external hard drive usually last. 5-10 years maybe? If it fails you lose everything. So I am hoping there will be 100 GB disc out there for cheap in a few years that can serve as a back up device. Those Blu-ray, HD-DVD are supposed to last 100 years right?

I just checked, can't find 50 GB blu-ray disc for sale anywhere yet.

 

[Aisenherz]

hahahahaha

take off the fanboy goggles

the only format dominating anything is dvd

dvd is dominating hd dvd and bluray

hd dvd and bluray trade leads on those sites every hour or every other day

i swear ppl follow these sales rankings like if it was a sporting event

omg my team is winning

Go to bed, son.
It's too late for you

 

[yacobod]

Go to bed, son.
It's too late for you

coming from a guy with a rocky balboa avatar this is especially funny

 

[LuCkymoON]

Its true, I know that. But you know hard drive doesn't last forever, I am not sure how long an external hard drive usually last. 5-10 years maybe? If it fails you lose everything. So I am hoping there will be 100 GB disc out there for cheap in a few years that can serve as a back up device. Those Blu-ray, HD-DVD are supposed to last 100 years right?

I just checked, can't find 50 GB blu-ray disc for sale anywhere yet.

HDD have faster access as well.

 

[Souldriver]

Go team!

 

[DarienA]

coming from a guy with a rocky balboa avatar this is especially funny

<tries to find the connection....fails>

Help me out here.

 

[yacobod]

<tries to find the connection....fails>

Help me out here.

wtf does

Go to bed, son.
It's too late for you.

have to do with my post regarding this silly little format war and its fanboys. I find it amusing how up in arms each camp is. I don't really know what prompted that comment. And comments like this bolster my claim anyways.

i dont know regarding the avatar, for some reason it was funny to see balboa and dixon in the context of what he said, but w/e

 

[methane47]

It'll be cheaper to buy a new HDD than to buy a BRD reader that can record to a 100gb disc.

Didn't TDK say that the only difference between BD disks is the frequency and that a simple firmware update (to update the stored frequencies for disks) to read and write to their 200gb BD-R disk?

I think IGN has the CES interview somewhere.

 

[cank stoochie]

i wonder if they can fit an entire season of 24 on one blu-ray disk. that would be awesome not having to get up and swap discs