Blue Ray or HD-DVD?

[romantico]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 1:47pm

Considering buying one but not sure which one is best. I saw Blue Ray at Best Buy and was amazed at how sharp the picture quality is. Since they did not have a HD-DVD there I really couldn't compare.I noticed the selection of movies are about the same for both formats. Does anyone have one or the other? Anyone know/have an opinion on which is better? Thanks!

[Patronus]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 1:53pm

I have HD-DVD and I like it quite a bit. I bought the add on player for the XBox 360. I've been extremely impressed with how well the HD-DVD player upconverts regular DVDs on my 51" Sony HDTV that doesn't actually have HDMI inputs. The true HiDef Dolby Digital sound is an improvement as well.

One of my favorite features is being able to view the menu without leaving the film itself. Another great feature is that it remembers your place in a film even if you remove the disc from the player and put something else in.

At this moment, BluRay is winning the war because the PS3 comes with a built in BluRay player.

Although, it's still quite close and it's still anyone's guess as to which format will win out. I'd probably recommend waiting unless you've got big bucks to spend on this combo player that plays both formats:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/LG-Super-Blu-HD-Player-BH100/sem/rpsm/oid/171323/catOid/-16221/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[tazber]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 2:08pm

I say wait. I don't think either will catch on and both will fizzle out. Like the laserdisc did.

The next time consumers change formats will be when entertainment goes digital and you just download movies ala itunes.

Updated On: 5/2/07 at 02:08 PM

[romantico]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 2:28pm

Hey, thanks for the replies! Perhaps I will wait. I had a similar problem deciding with Sirius or XM about 2 years ago. I doubt alot of people will rush out and buy a new player. My plan was to just buy a player and maybe buy a very select few movies in that format to help "show off my system". Thanks again for the feedback!

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 5:08pm

I agree with Taz on this one. The next credible step will be digital. Or, for me at least, until one of the two formats takes a CLEAR lead.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 5:12pm

I say NIETHER!

If you have to buy anything save your money and get Playstation 3, it is a HD-DVD player at a cheaper price.

Portable media is dead. The problem to is transfers, even if you get an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray it is not nesscarily the best print. I heard there will be a combo player.

I don't think it's really worth buying either.

[Patronus]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 5:34pm

That is false. Playstation 3 has Blu-Ray as it's a Sony project. XBox360 has the optional HD-DVD add on.

There is already a combo player available and there is a link in my above post.

[HeidiPuck]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 5:51pm

Personally, I'm waiting. Right now, however, HD-DVD is "winning". It's currently the cheaper player, and the Adult industry has backed it as the format they will use (that's how the VHS/Beta war was won and how many other technology decisions are made, as strange as it might sound).

I would recommend buying a decent upconvert DVD player for not much money and using that until the dust settles on this issue.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 7:58pm

I have read Blue Ray is alledgedly winning the battle

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/2/07 at 11:49pm

There are more Blu Ray players out in the market because of the Playstation 3. HD currently has more titles, but Blu Ray is catching up.

I belong in the Blu Ray camp - love it.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 4:45am

I think I will wait until Christmas, but I am leaning towards Blu-Ray ! I have a feeling it will be the one that will prevail !

[bschneid76]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 8:22am

Both are WAY too expensive and I agree with most that it will probably fade out. Comparing that a DVD which still has pretty good picture qualities are 10.00-19.99 approximately and a Blu-Ray and HD are 29.99 and up depending on the DVD. I say wait until it all comes down in price, like LCD TVs.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 9:27am

I work on both formats. My team was chosen to be the beta-testers for the Blu-ray graphic interface. I've produced over 30 BD (short for Blu-ray Disc) titles to date for Sony and other studios. I'm also working on HD-DVD titles, including some exciting projects that I can't mention by name yet.

...and depending on which day you ask me, I'll give you a different answer as to "who is winning." It changes almost that often. Neither side is slowing down production, or remotely throwing in the towel.

In the meantime, I'll continue to work on both... plus regular DVD titles (or "low def" as we call it at work), until the industry figures it out.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:07pm

B12B, are both blu-ray and hi-def backwards compatible?

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/9/07 at 5:08pm

Sorry, taz... I'm slow on the response here. Yes, BD players and HD-DVD players will both play standard def DVDs (aka "backwards compatible"). They will not play each other's (competitive) format, however.

There are a few (currently pricey) combo machines on the market with BOTH hi-def players included (BD and HD-DVD). I'm not sure how good they are, though.

The best performing BD player on the market right now is the one built into the Sony PS3. It's also one of the cheapest because Sony is basically "giving it away" with their PS3s to get the players out on the market. And it's working.

If you want to watch your standard def DVDs on your hi-def player, you should connect via an HDMI port. The SD signal will "up-rez" to an HD signal (480 SD converting up to 1080 HD), and it looks really nice. Sometimes it's hard to tell that it isn't a true HD signal.

Things you should know about your HDTV: Many are pushing 1080p right now. But no HD channels are currently broadcasting in true 1080p. They "max out" at 1080i/720p. That's because of the bandwidth limitations. As soon as they work out the streaming issues, that will change. Tests are going on right now on new compressions. But for now, just know that when you're viewing HD digital cable or a dish feed, it's 1080i/720p not true 1080p. The only way you'll see a true 1080p image (on your lovely 1080p TV) is if you're watching a 1080p hi-def disc (either HD-DVD or BD) and have it connected via an HDMI port.