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[The Main Event]

Rotten Tomatoes have a nice feature page about HD-DVD. Nothing about Blu-Ray.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/hddvd/index.php

 

[Zaptruder]

They're basically swapping leads now.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

It'll probably be all over before then, but if not, it'll be all over in march, during Euro PS3 launch.

 

[ManaByte]

Rotten Tomatoes have a nice feature page about HD-DVD. Nothing about Blu-Ray.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/hddvd/index.php

Interesting that Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Fox

 

[The Main Event]

Interesting that Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Fox

Haha, that makes it even more ironic.

 

[Triumph]

That would be unfair. :lol

Why? DVD is going to win this format "war". You know why? Because there's no fvckin demand for a new format, that's motherfvcking why.

 

[krypt0nian]

Why? DVD is going to win this format "war". You know why? Because there's no fvckin demand for a new format, that's motherfvcking why.

OMG SO INSIGHTFUL!

 

[Raistlin]

Why? DVD is going to win this format "war". You know why? Because there's no fvckin demand for a new format, that's motherfvcking why.

Demand is growing ... you can thank the broadcasters for that.

 

[HyperionX]

Hasn't been an update in a while, but anyways: Blu-ray is doing better than ever, but HD-DVD is still unwilling to give up the lead. Still, it can't hold back the tide forever. Blu-ray sales are gradually rising while HD-DVD sales are only doing slightly better than it was a few weeks ago so the crossing point will happen soon.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6408142.html

Article from Videobusiness saying while HD DVD led for much of 2006 (no surprise since Fox started releasing titles in November) Blu-ray has been outselling HD DVD since December.

Here's a sales report from Best Buy's Insider page for their employees.

This is only with 1 million PS3s in US. What will happen when Casino Royale and the other big titles (Pirates 1, 2, Spiderman, etc..) are released this year when there's several million PS3?

 

[jjasper]

I bought some at Best Buy yesterday, and that sheet makes me want to avoid Best Buys on Sunday.

 

[TheJesusFactor]

The big titles on Blu-ray is not going to make a difference. In fact any number or stats that you are getting now it all meaningless. Simply because 99% of the population can't afford HD movies. We have to wait till the players are down to $299 (including PS3) to see any significant difference.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

The big titles on Blu-ray is not going to make a difference. In fact any number or stats that you are getting now it all meaningless. Simply because 99% of the population can't afford HD movies. We have to wait till the players are down to $299 (including PS3) to see any significant difference.

This has nothing to do with the general public. That's still a few years down the road. It's about convincing studios to choose 1 format. Whichever format starts running away with it will shift all momentum to its side.

IMO, March will be the most telling month. Casino Royale comes out with the PS3 launch in UK. Universal is really the studio that will decide the outcome. If they become format neutral, it's over. Considering the fact that they were pretty quiet at CES, who knows.

 

[djkimothy]

Can anyone tell me when Pirates is coming out on Blu-Ray?

And as much as I don't want to pay for this again... any hints on Star Wars hexilogy?

 

[wasting]

Can anyone tell me when Pirates is coming out on Blu-Ray?

And as much as I don't want to pay for this again... any hints on Star Wars hexilogy?

May.. when the new one comes out in theaters

nothing yet.

 

[Alcibiades]

Universal, the company whose President of Home Video sales stood alongside Microsoft and Toshiba at the HD DVD Press Conference, was "quiet"?

Go to thelookandsoundofperfect.com and watch the CES Press Conference clips. Universal Studios is in charge of the promotion group in the US. If by "quiet" you mean they didn't have a press release with a list going all the way to summer, then they were quiet. But they did mention a few big names including Scarface and Battlestar Galactica. It was also their interactive features that were being used the show of HD DVD.

Universal may decide one day to publish on Blu-ray, but it would be a heck of a surprise if that happened before the end of this year. They have invested a lot in promoting interactivity like PiP commentary & soon network functions on HD DVD, something that won't become similarly available on Blu-ray until the 2nd half of the year at the earliest. In addition, at CES they said most of their titles were gonna be on hybrid Combo discs (another thing Blu-ray isn't doing right now) to help the transition between DVD and HD DVD.

Warner and Paramount were also "quiet" and only let slip a few titles without any dates. Does that mean they aren't gonna release anything until summer? Out of nowhere, a few days later Warner announced 2 titles for release in February on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Sounds to me like each studio has a different strategy for announcing releases, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[ManaByte]

Universal may decide one day to publish on Blu-ray, but it would be a heck of a surprise if that happened before the end of this year. They have invested a lot in promoting interactivity like PiP commentary & soon network functions on HD DVD, something that won't become similarly available on Blu-ray until the 2nd half of the year at the earliest. In addition, at CES they said most of their titles were gonna be on hybrid Combo discs (another thing Blu-ray isn't doing right now) to help the transition between DVD and HD DVD.

In before picture of The Descent.

And the HDi stuff on HD-DVD has me buying more discs on that format than BRD. The PiP features in Batman Begins, Constantine, V for Vendetta, and Troy are fantastic. I am going to grab Terminator 3 and probably Bourne soon as well as those are supposed to be great too.

 

[jjasper]

Go to thelookandsoundofperfect.com and watch the CES Press....

Still the worst web address ever.

Does The Descent have PiP? I didn't think any BD did?

 

[Alcibiades]

The Descent doesn't use PiP the way Universal and Warner do.

PiP commentary is nothing new, we had it on DVD (with Planet of the Apes I think, or at least instances of it). That's the same way Lion's Gate did it on Blu-ray. Basically, they use a 50 GB disc and just put in 2 versions of the movies, one with and one without. That's why you can't turn the commentary window on-and-off.

That's different from having 2 video streams (which will become mandatory on Blu-ray players in June) do the PiP, which is the way Warner and Universal are doing it.

 

[Days like these...]

TRACKER:
Top 10 Average Sales
Blu ray
713.8
HD DVD
494.1

Salesrank of top 10 products:

Current leader: HD DVD

# in top 1000:
Blu ray
7
HD DVD
10

Current leader: HD DVD

#in the top 10000:
Blu Ray
103
HD DVD
97

Current Leader: Blu ray

PS 3 hasn't put Blu Ray over the top yet.

 

[Marty Chinn]

In addition, at CES they said most of their titles were gonna be on hybrid Combo discs (another thing Blu-ray isn't doing right now) to help the transition between DVD and HD DVD.

The combo discs are sooooooooo pointless though. Combo discs on average cost more than a regular HD-DVD disc. HD-DVD discs cost significantly more than regular DVD. Thus making the cost of HD-DVD Combo discs even more than the regular DVD. There are a few exceptions but in general the cost to the consumer makes them stupid to begin with. As an HD-DVD owner, I pay extra for a version I'll never watch. If I was only a DVD consumer, no way would I pay that much more for a movie when I can get the DVD version for so much cheaper, often at least half the cost. Combo discs are pointless.

 

[LuCkymoON]

The combo discs are sooooooooo pointless though. Combo discs on average cost more than a regular HD-DVD disc. HD-DVD discs cost significantly more than regular DVD. Thus making the cost of HD-DVD Combo discs even more than the regular DVD. There are a few exceptions but in general the cost to the consumer makes them stupid to begin with. As an HD-DVD owner, I pay extra for a version I'll never watch. If I was only a DVD consumer, no way would I pay that much more for a movie when I can get the DVD version for so much cheaper, often at least half the cost. Combo discs are pointless.

I buy combo discs because I know my friends and family don't have HDTVs and dont care about HD, but still want to borrow my movies.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

I buy combo discs because I know my friends and family don't have HDTVs and dont care about HD, but still want to borrow my movies.

No one touches my Blu-ray or HD DVDs. Even though they're pretty much indestructible scratch-wise, especially the Blu-ray discs. You can drag those things behind your car and the sucker would still play.

 

[Alcibiades]

Yeah, I love the combo discs myself. I was able to leave ATL back home for my sister (she really wanted to borrow it and had seen it in theaters). Also, when visiting my aunt I told them I had Superman Returns on "dvd" and they wanted to watch it (wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't combo). It was a lot easier to take my combo discs in my backpack when visiting my hometown for Christmas than it would have been to pack up my HD DVD player (especially since I was hitching a ride)

Although I wouldn't be too fond of lending some of my more irresponsible friends combo discs, I enjoy the flexibility they offer.

They may be pointless if you don't want to spend an extra $3-5 than it would have otherwise, but on the whole I think they are a really good idea and wish every HD release was this way.

 

[Ponn]

I buy combo discs because I know my friends and family don't have HDTVs and dont care about HD, but still want to borrow my movies.

You're an enabler. No one borrows my shit and I buy for me and me alone.

 

[LuCkymoON]

You're an enabler. No one borrows my shit and I buy for me and me alone.

No one touches my Blu-ray or HD DVDs. Even though they're pretty much indestructible scratch-wise, especially the Blu-ray discs. You can drag those things behind your car and the sucker would still play.

wow that sux to not have real life friends.

 

[StoOgE]

What happened, I thought the takeover was set?

Im really confused.

HDDVD group is playing their cards very very well. Just wait till the 200-250 dollar players hit this summer. This war is far from over.

Also, dont expect Star Wars anytime soon. Lucas controls the home video rights to it, and given how long it took him to come to DVD, it'll be a while before that shows up on either format (Universal is going to have the same issue with some of Spielburgs old classics).

 

[Ponn]

wow that sux to not have real life friends.

I have friends, they don't borrow my shit. I used to that when I was young and stupid and lost half of my videogame collection and found a good bunch of my music CD's lying in a puddle of syrup almost dried up coke.

No one borrows my shit and I certainly don't buy my shit thinking "Oh I think I will pay extra just so my friends can borrow this copy of As Rumor Has It and watch it on their DVD player even though I have HD DVD"

 

[LuCkymoON]

I have friends, they don't borrow my shit. I used to that when I was young and stupid and lost half of my videogame collection and found a good bunch of my music CD's lying in a puddle of syrup almost dried up coke.

No one borrows my shit and I certainly don't buy my shit thinking "Oh I think I will pay extra just so my friends can borrow this copy of As Rumor Has It and watch it on their DVD player even though I have HD DVD"

I totally understand where you are coming from. I had those type of friends before as well, but they are no longer my friends.

 

[Alcibiades]

No one borrows my shit and I certainly don't buy my shit thinking "Oh I think I will pay extra just so my friends can borrow this copy of As Rumor Has It and watch it on their DVD player even though I have HD DVD"

I have to admit, I'm weary of some friends borrowing my stuff (since they can't take care of their own DVDs), but one of the factors I like is that they can be lent out, and I'd probably be one of those who thinks about whether some of his friends could borrow the movie if they wanted to watch it...

One irony about the combo discs is that Disney originally chose Blu-ray over HD DVD because they were tauting hybrid discs that could be played in children's bedrooms and not just a high-end setup in the living room. If you look at the AVSforum, posters are giddy over the fact that Happy Feet (from Warner) is gonna be a combo so their kids can watch it in their rooms as well. Funny that Disney hasn't brought up this issue since almost a year, and so far none of their kids movies are hybrids.

 

[Alcibiades]

*touting

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

C'mon BluRay, c'mon BluRay....

 

[StoOgE]

Funny that Disney hasn't brought up this issue since almost a year, and so far none of their kids movies are hybrids.

Disney also touted that they needed more room.. and when HDDVD offered the 45GB option as a potential standard they also werent interested.

Dont kid yourself, Disney and Fox are on Blu Rays side because of the draconian anti piracy measures that are in place in Blu Rays specs (though currently unused). I just hope that if Blu Ray does win that the interactive features (bookmarking, pip, network content etc) wind up being as good as HDDVD's... thats the only reason Im really backing HDDVD at this point. I think its the next gen format that is actually "next gen" beyond just picture quality.

 

[Alcibiades]

Disney also touted that they needed more room.. and when HDDVD offered the 45GB option as a potential standard they also werent interested.

Dont kid yourself, Disney and Fox are on Blu Rays side because of the draconian anti piracy measures that are in place in Blu Rays specs (though currently unused).

don't forget interactive Disney World tea parties...

Considering the interactive network features showed off at CES, don't be surprised if some HD DVD studio does some stupid kids network feature before Disney

 

[HyperionX]

Actually, for those who may not be aware, Blu-ray has already taken over (go here: http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365226339142&tab_id=60&site_id=69&site_media_id=0 ), just that for some reason it's not showing on Amazon.com. So this is for no fun, not for serious thought.

 

[cvxfreak]

This is the most hilarious competition I've ever seen. :lol

 

[StoOgE]

Actually, for those who may not be aware, Blu-ray has already taken over (go here: http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365226339142&tab_id=60&site_id=69&site_media_id=0 ), just that for some reason it's not showing on Amazon.com. So this is for no fun, not for serious thought.

yes, because dvdempire is a good litmus test for overall sales. For the record all of these are retarded. and prove nothing.. looking at one store, no matter how large tells you nothing at all... especially when we dont have actual hard sales numbers for anything...

 

[Pachinko]

I clicked that dvd empire link, never has the tag line for a film so aptly described the thread it was linked from. The top film listed was aliens vs predator and well "whoever wins we lose" made me chuckle given that I went there from an HDDVD vs BLURAY sales thread.

 

[Suikoguy]

yes, because dvdempire is a good litmus test for overall sales. For the record all of these are retarded. and prove nothing.. looking at one store, no matter how large tells you nothing at all... especially when we dont have actual hard sales numbers for anything...

Yeah, true
This is based on a ranking

If anything its sorta fun to watch, but nowhere near accurate.

If anything, that retailer insider article is probably more accurate then websites using rankings.

 

[HyperionX]

Well, it appears Blu-ray has it's first sustained lead right now. Let's see how long it lasts, or if perhaps it is the final takeover.

 

[HocusPocus]

I looked at all the future BluRay and HD-DVD releases over the next few months. Horrible.

 

[Ponn]

I looked at all the future BluRay and HD-DVD releases over the next few months. Horrible.

Thanks, good to know. Can you give us a similar update two months down the road?

 

[BlueTsunami]

I would subscribe to the Hocus Pocus BD/HD-DVD newsletter. If they were composed of 5 words criticisms, I think it'll take off.

 

[virtuafightermaster]

Serious Question: I will have to pick one over the other soon or later, what is the difference between Blu-ray and HD-DVD other than the size difference? Does the video format actually different for both discs? I thought they are just media to hold HD-Video files, and one can hold a bit more than the other.

Also I am not sure how do you transfer from film to a HD-Video, if the film is not originally shot in HD?

 

[Beer Monkey]

Also I am not sure how do you transfer from film to a HD-Video, if the film is not originally shot in HD?

The process is called a telecining and has been around for a long, long time.

FYI, depending on how you shoot film (the stock used, the lenses used, etc) it can have substantially more detail than HD. Film is not inferior to HD it is simply different.

 

[virtuafightermaster]

The process is called a telecining and has been around for a long, long time.

FYI, depending on how you shoot film (the stock used, the lenses used, etc) it can have substantially more detail than HD. Film is not inferior to HD it is simply different.

I know about telecine, but film is usually shot in 24 frames per seconds if i am correct, but when they transfer to a DVD it becomes about 30 frames per sec, where does the extra frames come from? Do they have to just repeat some of the frames?

Also as a side question, which do you prefer if you download a movie, telecine or dvdrip, which has higher quality?

 

[Midas]

What about digital recording of films? I know Lucas did it for Star Wars, is anyone else doing it?

 

[Raistlin]

Serious Question: I will have to pick one over the other soon or later, what is the difference between Blu-ray and HD-DVD other than the size difference? Does the video format actually different for both discs? I thought they are just media to hold HD-Video files, and one can hold a bit more than the other.

While they offer the same codecs, BluRay can support higher bitrates for both video and sound.

However, unless BluRay takes over ... we probably won't see many studios support this (at least the studios that release both formats) ... as they will likely transfer to the lowest common denominator for video.

 

[TheJesusFactor]

I think some of the things that differentiates the two formats are the following:

1) Dgitial Rights Management - BD more restrictive, HD-DVD less.
2) PIP - HD-DVD mixes footage together (less use of space), while BD requires 2 movies (orginial and pip movie) for now.
3) Compression: HD-DVD generally uses VC1 vs. BD generally uses Mpeg2
4) Interactivity - BD uses java, HD-DVD uses Microsoft HDi. First gen BD players do not work with some java functions. There are 3 different java versions on the market.
5) Capacity - BD currently has more. 50 vs. 30, both can increase in capacity..
6) Price - In general HD-DVD is cheaper for the hardware and software.
7) Backward compatible with DVDs - HD-DVD supports regular DVD movies in a combo format, but it is more expensive.
8) Studios - BD has more studio support for now.
9) Bandwidth - BD has a higher bandwidth limit.
10) Internet - All HD-DVD players comes with an ethernet port for internet connectivity. Already you can download a different set of subtitles now, and the future might even alter footages from the internet.

 

[Bebpo]

Serious Question: I will have to pick one over the other soon or later, what is the difference between Blu-ray and HD-DVD other than the size difference? Does the video format actually different for both discs? I thought they are just media to hold HD-Video files, and one can hold a bit more than the other.

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.

 

[jjasper]

3) Compression: HD-DVD generally uses VC1 vs. BD generally uses Mpeg2

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.