Blu-ray wins?

[Mr. Checks]

Looks like Blu-ray is squeezing out HD DVD and it's happening fast:

NYT:
Nothing has been announced, but Variety is reporting that the last two major studios backing HD DVD "” NBC Universal and Paramount "” are opening the door for a switch to Blu-ray. These studios have commitments to release some discs this year in HD DVD, but both have ended their exclusive commitment to that format, which is backed by a group led by Toshiba.
This comes after Warner Brothers, which had been issuing movies in both formats, decided to go exclusively with Sony's Blu-ray format. Variety also reports that retailers may also put pressure on Universal and Paramount to back Blu-ray. Last summer, Blockbuster decided to go with Blu-ray only.
So what appeared to be a stalemate may, with one relatively small move by Warner, now turn out to be a quick victory for Sony. The fight between the systems has hurt studios, electronics makers and consumers. And I suspect a winner "” any winner "” will be welcomed by all sides (except Toshiba and Microsoft, a key partner).

 

[Dakota rube]

I read something earlier this week which wasn't so definitive on BR's win, but it said the tide had surely turned in Sony's favor.

When is the last time a Sony format "won" a competition? Betamax got killed, and the MiniDisc doesn't seem to have caught on at all (unless I am blind here on the prairie).

This is a gigantic win, especially since Microsoft threw in with Toshiba on HD-DVD.

 

[HomerJ]

MS can always come out with a Blu Ray add on drive for their 360. I think MS is more interested in nonphysical download/stream media down the road.

 

[saint]

Was on the fence about this for awhile, despite the obvious advantages of Blu Ray. Before Christmas decided BR was going to be the winner and bought a PS3 (which is also a great BR player) as part of a very sweet HDTV deal.

Watching movies on BR is incredible, and the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series on BR are a revelation. If you have a 1080p HDTV, I would definitely buy a PS3 and Planet Earth on BR, you won't regret it.

 

[greg_atlanta]

HD-DVD cheapened itself by getting added to Windows laptops and PCs. What's the point? High def doesn't mean much unless your screen is 40" or bigger.

I think Blockbuster is Blu-ray exclusive now. Although their business model is kaput, they still have a lot influence.

 

[DNW]

The battle is over. My next HD DVD player will be a Blueray, ironically.

 

[teddieriley]

I always liked Sony products in general. Blueray just sounds cooler. Hope it eventually turns out on top so I can stop blowing money on shoes and clothes and get me a blueray player.

 

[B1FF]

Originally Posted by greg_atlanta

HD-DVD cheapened itself by getting added to Windows laptops and PCs. What's the point? High def doesn't mean much unless your screen is 40" or bigger.

That's just silly.

 

[Bogie]

I've already switched to buying solely blu rays and they look phenomenal in my theater.

 

[GQgeek]

I'm glad that there will be a winner. i was anti-sony but I don't really care. I just want to see one disc on the shelf and not have to have 2 players or an expensive combo player.

 

[Reggs]

This has gone on long enough that I am just happy a standard has been set. I don't care about the "war" anymore.

 

[brimley]

Originally Posted by greg_atlanta

HD-DVD cheapened itself by getting added to Windows laptops and PCs. What's the point? High def doesn't mean much unless your screen is 40" or bigger.

I think Blockbuster is Blu-ray exclusive now. Although their business model is kaput, they still have a lot influence.

Er, your computer is likely running at 1280x1024 or a similar resolution right now, which definitely qualifies as high def. When you're sitting two feet from the screen, 20" can show a lot of detail. Not to mention that easy tie-ins to PC allow people to use their PC as a video source in their HT system, burning capabilities, etc.

I don't think that the major studios with HD DVD exclusives are going to switch to Bluray exclusive. Likely they will tear up their exclusivity contracts and release on both formats. I'm certainly not happy about the Warner development, seeing as how my Toshiba A2 is less than two months old, but I think multiformat players are still the reasonable future and the HD DVD library will continue to grow.

 

[von Rothbart]

HD DUD is pretty much dead. It's only a matter of time the 2 remaining HD DUD exclusive studios, Paramount and Universal, going neutral and then dropping HD DUD eventually. If you're an average consumer shopping for a HD player which format would you buy? I don't think any of the big retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City or Walmart) will take in any additional HD DUD players. There's going to be a fire sale on all HD DUD player and movies.

However, Blu-Ray's victory is going to be short-lived. The competition between DVD and VHS was lop-side because DVD was such a giant technological leap. But not so with Blu-Ray over DVD, especially when an average consumer can't tell the quality difference between an up-converted DVD and a Blu-Ray player. I predict in five years 50GB memory cards will cost about $3, and with the next generation of broadband it'll take only 30 minutes and $10 to download a 50GB HD movie into a memory card.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

HD DUD is pretty much dead. It's only a matter of time the 2 remaining HD DUD exclusive studios, Paramount and Universal, going neutral and then dropping HD DUD eventually. If you're an average consumer shopping for a HD player which format would you buy? I don't think any of the big retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City or Walmart) will take in any additional HD DUD players. There's going to be a fire sale on all HD DUD player and movies.

However, Blu-Ray's victory is going to be short-lived. The competition between DVD and VHS was lop-side because DVD was such a giant technological leap. But not so with Blu-Ray over DVD, especially when an average consumer can't tell the quality difference between an up-converted DVD and a Blu-Ray player. I predict in five years 50GB memory cards will cost about $3, and with the next generation of broadband it'll take only 30 minutes and $10 to download a 50GB HD movie into a memory card.

I don't know what you've been watching but a good HD transfer destroys the IQ of a DVD (bad ones offer little improvement). Once the HD sets are in people's homes people will start buying them en masse instead of DVD as the price will gradually fall. The average person is never going to have a big enough media server to store these downloaded movies in HD. For DL i'm sure they will offer lower quality and smaller versions, but still... If you spend money on something you generally want to keep it. A lot of people enjoy owning a DVD collection. Besides, how many movies are impulse buys at big box electronics stores or walmart? Most of my DVDs fall into that category. I rarely go out looking to buy a specific movie.

 

[von Rothbart]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

I don't know what you've been watching but a good HD transfer destroys the IQ of a DVD (bad ones offer little improvement). Once the HD sets are in people's homes people will start buying them en masse instead of DVD as the price will gradually fall. The average person is never going to have a big enough media server to store these downloaded movies in HD. For DL i'm sure they will offer lower quality and smaller versions, but still... If you spend money on something you generally want to keep it. A lot of people enjoy owning a DVD collection. Besides, how many movies are impulse buys at big box electronics stores or walmart? Most of my DVDs fall into that category. I rarely go out looking to buy a specific movie.

I want to keep movies too and you can keep them forever too, but not in disk form but in memory card like the one you use in digital camera. What I was trying to say is that in the future you can buy a 50GB SD memory card for a few bucks and pay another $10 to download a HD movie into it and you can take the card anywhere you want to pay the movie. 16GB SD memory card will be available later this year, so 50GB or bigger MC will happen sooner than you think. You could have movies on BR disk or in SD MC, I'd rather have them in SD MC.