HD-DVD drives are fairly cheap now, at least the 1080i ones are. I recommend people buy those, just to annoy the Blu Ray elitists.
That makes you all kinds of asshole doesn't it. That is Microsoft stance there :P
I'd rather be an asshole than an ignoramus.
Telling people to buy anything HD right now for spite is quite the dickish thing to do.
It's also a good format, both HD-DVD and high-definition in general. And your entire attitude toward HD-DVD is spiteful and obnoxious, so maybe you should look in the mirror before pointing your finger at others.
HD-DVD drives are fairly cheap now, at least the 1080i ones are. I recommend people buy those, just to annoy the Blu Ray elitists.
That makes you all kinds of asshole doesn't it. That is Microsoft stance there :P
I'd rather be an asshole than an ignoramus.
Telling people to buy anything HD right now for spite is quite the dickish thing to do.
It's also a good format, both HD-DVD and high-definition in general. And your entire attitude toward HD-DVD is spiteful and obnoxious, so maybe you should look in the mirror before pointing your finger at others.
I mean HD in general, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray should not be supported until the higher ups can pick one format. Buying anything right now sends the wrong message.
I don't know about that. I think that HD-DVD and Blu Ray (together/separate/whatever) may be the last front in the inevitable war between physically owning a movie and "on demand" digital downloads that you don't own. Like...DiVX, but economically feasible since it seems like a lot of people are more interested in renting movies now than outright buying them.
Downloadable HD movies are available now and will not stop being available. They will only become MORE available. I, personally, do not want to see HD movies ONLY become available as digital downloads, or via cable. I'd very much like to physically own them. I don't really have anything against Blu Ray. If it's a choice between Blu Ray or nothing, I'd choose for Blu Ray to exist. I'd prefer HD-DVD because it seems more cost effective and that the discs are more durable, but the truth is? I don't give a shit, really. If Blu Ray swallows HD-DVD, I'll adapt and I'll live.
Even so, it's not a consumer's responsibility to send the right messages or to not send the wrong messages. He has no moral obligation in this respect, except to his own utility, and I would hardly even call that a "moral obligation."
I really would like to see some form of optical HD content supported. And I'd rather have BOTH formats than NEITHER format. That would be very bad.
I highly doubt physical media is going to disappear.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, always.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
Since when is HDDVD more durable than BD? Last time I checked, they're pretty much identical on that level because of the weird plastic coating they're now making standard on optical media. CDs used to come with it way back in the day, but they scrapped it for some reason.
I highly doubt physical media is going to disappear.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, [I]always[/I].
Yes, but with DVDs being so popular, physical media WON'T go away. But HD physical media MIGHT.
That doesn't logically follow. VHS was really popular, but it disappeared. I know it's hard to believe, but technology does this thing where it progresses, so SD media formats will become obsolete and HD media formats will become dominant. At that point, there will still be demand for physical copies of your media.
Since when is HDDVD more durable than BD? Last time I checked, they're pretty much identical on that level because of the weird plastic coating they're now making standard on optical media. CDs used to come with it way back in the day, but they scrapped it for some reason.
I'd read that data is written deeper into HD-DVDs than Blu Ray discs, and that the "special" plastic coating on a Blu Ray disc isn't as durable as they purport due to certain less-than-scientific tests done to the disc.
Sadly I didn't bookmark it, so I can't back my comment up, but I remember reading it and seeing something about it with pics on a science blog somewhere.
Since when is HDDVD more durable than BD? Last time I checked, they're pretty much identical on that level because of the weird plastic coating they're now making standard on optical media. CDs used to come with it way back in the day, but they scrapped it for some reason.
I'd read that data is written deeper into HD-DVDs than Blu Ray discs, and that the "special" plastic coating on a Blu Ray disc isn't as durable as they purport due to certain less-than-scientific tests done to the disc.
Sadly I didn't bookmark it, so I can't back my comment up, but I remember reading it and seeing something about it with pics on a science blog somewhere.
Technically, deep data can be more fragile, if the depth is measured from the surface that the laser views to the data itself. That's one reason CDs could be a bit fragile, because the slightest hairline scratch could, over the distance the laser had to travel to the data layer, skew enough to corrupt the image it received.
I highly doubt physical media is going to disappear.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, [I]always[/I].
Yes, but with DVDs being so popular, physical media WON'T go away. But HD physical media MIGHT.
That doesn't logically follow. VHS was really popular, but it disappeared. I know it's hard to believe, but technology does this thing where it progresses, so SD media formats will become obsolete and HD media formats will become dominant. At that point, there will still be demand for physical copies of your media.
What? You didn't logically follow my statement.
The fact is, HD-DVD and Blu Ray are both in flux. DVDs were in flux too. So were Laserdiscs. DVDs took hold in the market. Laserdiscs did not. They were ahead of their time. And unwieldy. HD-DVD and Blu Ray aren't "unwieldy" but the way the two formats are waltzing around each other is. It's unwieldy for the consumer to decide which format to choose. And it may turn out that they are ahead of their time. Their fate - positive or negative - is rather unpredictable right now. A lot of people thought DiVX was going to take off. Man, they were fucking stupid, I know, but the fact is, you just don't know. Laserdiscs were great, but they failed. I think HD optical content is great, but it may fail. And people are getting more and more used to the concept of digital downloads. It's very possible for the market to change significantly so that phyisical media goes away and digital downloads dominate, that people will decide the ease of downloading a full HD movie in 10 minutes (if bandwidth expands to allow for that) is easier and more cost-effective, money and time-wise, than either buying the movie or driving to Blockbuster to pick it up. A majority of people that watch movies don't really care about owning them, I'd wager. Most of them just want to watch, not to collect. I'm more of a movie collector, but I fear I'm in the minority. If a quick, painless, cost-effective method for downloading HD movies becomes available and neither of these HD formats really gains steam in the market, I'm willing to bet that DVDs still get produced for the "collector folk" but that HD movies are relegated to digital downloads instead.
Some form of physical media will still exist due to habit and the problems of getting high speed internet connections to a majority of people (even if the Google fellas did buy up a bunch of optical wiring).
Yes, SOME FORM OF PHYSICAL MEDIA WILL. In my scenario, that form will remain DVD. Are you even reading my posts?
I'll lay it out again. Right now we have:
- DVD
- HD-DVD
- Blu Ray
- SD On Demand
- HD On Demand
1) The latter two will remain no matter what.
2) DVD will remain no matter what.
3) HD-DVD and Blu Ray may not remain.
4) HD-DVD and Blu Ray may go bye-bye because of (1) and (2).
As others have said, there is no real necessity, apparently, for HD optical content. Right now, you can get most movies on HD by some form of video download. The Xbox Live Video Marketplace offers HD films. Some cable stations are offering "on demand" HD content. It's entirely possible that DVD + the ability to download HD content will cover most of the "needs" of consumers, and that HD-DVD and Blu Ray will go away, and that another optical HD format will not try to take their place.
As others have said, consumers at large may not really consider physical HD content "necessary." I wholly agree with you that SOME kind of physical content is necessary. For most people, apparently, DVD fills that role, and it may continue to "be enough" for consumers, especially if they can obtain HD content in a cheaper, more brainless way, like paying for a temporary download.
Some form of HD physical media will still exist due to habit and the problems of getting high speed internet connections to a majority of people (even if the Google fellas did buy up a bunch of optical wiring).
That's what I meant to imply. Just because people don't find HD a necessity right now definitely does not imply that it will always remain as such. Unless we get some octo-layer DVDs or something, technology will progress and will eventually be adopted en masse.
Some form of HD physical media will still exist due to habit and the problems of getting high speed internet connections to a majority of people (even if the Google fellas did buy up a bunch of optical wiring).
That's what I meant to imply. Just because people don't find HD a necessity right now definitely does not imply that it will always remain as such. Unless we get some octo-layer DVDs or something, technology will progress and will eventually be adopted en masse.
I hope so. I just don't think anyone can be sure at this point.
It's easy to draw a conjecture based on current trends. Look at how well has digital download performed since it came to the market, versus how well the HD formats have performed.
I highly doubt physical media is going to disappear.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, [I]always[/I].
Yes, but with DVDs being so popular, physical media WON'T go away. But HD physical media MIGHT.
That doesn't logically follow. VHS was really popular, but it disappeared. I know it's hard to believe, but technology does this thing where it progresses, so SD media formats will become obsolete and HD media formats will become dominant. At that point, there will still be demand for physical copies of your media.
What? You didn't logically follow my statement.
The fact is, HD-DVD and Blu Ray are both in flux. DVDs were in flux too. So were Laserdiscs. DVDs took hold in the market. Laserdiscs did not. They were ahead of their time. And unwieldy. HD-DVD and Blu Ray aren't "unwieldy" but the way the two formats are waltzing around each other is. It's unwieldy for the consumer to decide which format to choose. And it may turn out that they are ahead of their time. Their fate - positive or negative - is rather unpredictable right now. A lot of people thought DiVX was going to take off. Man, they were fucking stupid, I know, but the fact is, you just don't know. Laserdiscs were great, but they failed. I think HD optical content is great, but it may fail. And people are getting more and more used to the concept of digital downloads. It's very possible for the market to change significantly so that phyisical media goes away and digital downloads dominate, that people will decide the ease of downloading a full HD movie in 10 minutes (if bandwidth expands to allow for that) is easier and more cost-effective, money and time-wise, than either buying the movie or driving to Blockbuster to pick it up. A majority of people that watch movies don't really care about owning them, I'd wager. Most of them just want to watch, not to collect. I'm more of a movie collector, but I fear I'm in the minority. If a quick, painless, cost-effective method for downloading HD movies becomes available and neither of these HD formats really gains steam in the market, I'm willing to bet that DVDs still get produced for the "collector folk" but that HD movies are relegated to digital downloads instead.
But, really, nobody knows. I'm just speculating.
Why do I get the picture that you were holding a flashlight under your face while writing that?
But see, the 2 HD formats are also slowly but surely sliding into the same pricepoint as DVDs. Now why would average joe consumer want to pay the same for a movie with an inferior PQ/AQ when he can get the HD version?
Because Average Joe already owns a DVD player and doesn't feel like spending the cash to pick up a HD equivalent?
Until he watches some HD content on that brand new HDTV of his and realizes he doesn't really care.
Fixed. Again, the youtube argument. People are more than content to watch content on youtube. What makes you think the average consumer, who's perfectly content to watch blotchy, artifacted clips on youtube, ebaums, and break, will suddenly decide they should pony up a relatively large fraction of their pittance of a salary, for a shiny new HDTV?
Remember, the best selling console is still the PS2. By your same argument, that once consumers see the difference, they'll be willing to pony up, shouldn't the 360 or PS3 be the best selling consoles, by a wide margin?
Yes, let's compare a 7 year old system with a library of thousands of games that costs $130 to two system that are fairly new and cost 3x-4x that. That is not a flawed analogy at all.
And gee, I guess all the customers that I make contact with on a daily basis were just lying to my face about how excited they were when I explained to them then showed the the difference between SD and HD content.
And in case anyone's wondering I'm a cable tech so I'm in and out of around 12 houses a day.
Is it just me, or is that actually a perfect analogy for DVD versus HD-DVD/Blu Ray?
I highly doubt physical media is going to disappear.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, [I]always[/I].
Yes, but with DVDs being so popular, physical media WON'T go away. But HD physical media MIGHT.
That doesn't logically follow. VHS was really popular, but it disappeared. I know it's hard to believe, but technology does this thing where it progresses, so SD media formats will become obsolete and HD media formats will become dominant. At that point, there will still be demand for physical copies of your media.
What? You didn't logically follow my statement.
The fact is, HD-DVD and Blu Ray are both in flux. DVDs were in flux too. So were Laserdiscs. DVDs took hold in the market. Laserdiscs did not. They were ahead of their time. And unwieldy. HD-DVD and Blu Ray aren't "unwieldy" but the way the two formats are waltzing around each other is. It's unwieldy for the consumer to decide which format to choose. And it may turn out that they are ahead of their time. Their fate - positive or negative - is rather unpredictable right now. A lot of people thought DiVX was going to take off. Man, they were fucking stupid, I know, but the fact is, you just don't know. Laserdiscs were great, but they failed. I think HD optical content is great, but it may fail. And people are getting more and more used to the concept of digital downloads. It's very possible for the market to change significantly so that phyisical media goes away and digital downloads dominate, that people will decide the ease of downloading a full HD movie in 10 minutes (if bandwidth expands to allow for that) is easier and more cost-effective, money and time-wise, than either buying the movie or driving to Blockbuster to pick it up. A majority of people that watch movies don't really care about owning them, I'd wager. Most of them just want to watch, not to collect. I'm more of a movie collector, but I fear I'm in the minority. If a quick, painless, cost-effective method for downloading HD movies becomes available and neither of these HD formats really gains steam in the market, I'm willing to bet that DVDs still get produced for the "collector folk" but that HD movies are relegated to digital downloads instead.
But, really, nobody knows. I'm just speculating.
Why do I get the picture that you were holding a flashlight under your face while writing that?
Just out of curiosity, do any Blu-Ray owners have "spotting" on the bottom of their discs? I've heard that it occurs often, and occasionally it makes the disc unreadable.
Nobody's ever told me about a compelling feature of any of the new formats that would make me want to upgrade. Picture quality isn't enough. DVD had a truckload of new features to offer over VHS. It's not the same this time.
Going from playing games in SD to HD is like switching from Generic Soda to Brand name.
You'd never know what your missing if you hadn't tried Coke over that "Cola" at Sam's Club.
What i'm saying is, playing Gears of War on a 46 inch 1080p display is a wholy different experience than playing in SD.
It's hard to describe, but trust me.
I was at somebody's house once, for a LAN party, and I got to see Gears of War being played the size of a wall from a 1080p projector. In a dark basement. It was glorious.
edit: yes I know Gears is only 720p
Since the fall update last year, the 360 is able to upscale games to 1080p.
Just out of curiosity, do any Blu-Ray owners have "spotting" on the bottom of their discs? I've heard that it occurs often, and occasionally it makes the disc unreadable.
The responses make it sound isolated, and I just checked the handful of BDs I've had for a while. They all seem fine, but I wonder what could contribute/prevent the rotting.
I don't know about that. I think that HD-DVD and Blu Ray (together/separate/whatever) may be the last front in the inevitable war between physically owning a movie and "on demand" digital downloads that you don't own.
Even if one of these formats sucedes, it will definitely be the last physicalmovie format (in any sense that we know it). Digital distribution, of owned files OR rented files, is already atthe point where it could supply the entire market, and will only improve. I don't see it REALLY posing a threat for a few years, but once it ramps up, it will really give physical media a run for its money, and will eventually overtake it. It might not even take that long.
On top of that, if the market is wholly unable to decide on an HD format in the near future, digital distribution may take over sooner than later. Why invest in a format that you can't entire depend on future support for, when you could make the move to files that you know will work? There IS something to be said for physical ownership of media, but if the market is unable to choose a side, it just might drive consumers over the threshhold and into direct digital media.
Evander on
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Vicious_GSRDudePrincipality of ZeonRegistered Userregular
Just out of curiosity, do any Blu-Ray owners have "spotting" on the bottom of their discs? I've heard that it occurs often, and occasionally it makes the disc unreadable.
The responses make it sound isolated, and I just checked the handful of BDs I've had for a while. They all seem fine, but I wonder what could contribute/prevent the rotting.
It was an isolated case in manufacturing, they replaced the discs in store. Just because it was a Sony product allot of people went out of there way to over hype a bad production run of discs. Funny how the 360 has not suffered such a fate.
Why, again, do I need HD? I watch a movie to be entertained. I don't watch a movie so I can see every last drop of sweat as it appears on the pores of the actor.
Why, again, do I need HD? I watch a movie to be entertained. I don't watch a movie so I can see every last drop of sweat as it appears on the pores of the actor.
In case it hasn't been pointed out yet, referring to Laserdisc as a failure is sort of silly. It was around for almost two decades - during pretty much the entirety of the run of VHS. It wasn't the most popular media format, but it was supported by enthusiasts, and there were plenty of excellent movies released for it. If you were a videophile, it would keep you pretty happy, and it provided unprecedented video and audio quality.
If HD-DVD or Bluray becomes the next Laserdisc, I'll be perfectly content with that. I think it'll do better, though.
For one thing, Laseridiscs were huge and cumbersome, and watching a movie generally meant getting up to swap the disc a few times. HD formats are the same size as DVDs. Laserdisc players couldn't play VHS tapes, while HD format players can. You couldn't record on VHS, which was a huge bonus. Recording onto HD media is at least an option, but more importantly, DVR has made recording to physical media far less important.
The only thing standing in the way of at least moderate acceptance of an HD format is the format war itself, but I'm pretty sure that one or the other will prevail eventually. And by "one or the other" I mean "HD-DVD", because Bluray players are twice as expensive and offer no discernable benefits over HD-DVD.
ElJeffe on
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
In case it hasn't been pointed out yet, referring to Laserdisc as a failure is sort of silly. It was around for almost two decades - during pretty much the entirety of the run of VHS. It wasn't the most popular media format, but it was supported by enthusiasts, and there were plenty of excellent movies released for it. If you were a videophile, it would keep you pretty happy, and it provided unprecedented video and audio quality.
If HD-DVD or Bluray becomes the next Laserdisc, I'll be perfectly content with that. I think it'll do better, though.
For one thing, Laseridiscs were huge and cumbersome, and watching a movie generally meant getting up to swap the disc a few times. HD formats are the same size as DVDs. Laserdisc players couldn't play VHS tapes, while HD format players can. You couldn't record on VHS, which was a huge bonus. Recording onto HD media is at least an option, but more importantly, DVR has made recording to physical media far less important.
The only thing standing in the way of at least moderate acceptance of an HD format is the format war itself, but I'm pretty sure that one or the other will prevail eventually. And by "one or the other" I mean "HD-DVD", because Bluray players are twice as expensive and offer no discernable benefits over HD-DVD.
Except there's no reason to believe that Blu-Ray players will always be more expensive than HD-DVD drives. I really do strongly suspect we'll end up with a dual format future, as after all, the laser is only a minor component in the system.
In case it hasn't been pointed out yet, referring to Laserdisc as a failure is sort of silly. It was around for almost two decades - during pretty much the entirety of the run of VHS. It wasn't the most popular media format, but it was supported by enthusiasts, and there were plenty of excellent movies released for it. If you were a videophile, it would keep you pretty happy, and it provided unprecedented video and audio quality.
If HD-DVD or Bluray becomes the next Laserdisc, I'll be perfectly content with that. I think it'll do better, though.
For one thing, Laseridiscs were huge and cumbersome, and watching a movie generally meant getting up to swap the disc a few times. HD formats are the same size as DVDs. Laserdisc players couldn't play VHS tapes, while HD format players can. You couldn't record on VHS, which was a huge bonus. Recording onto HD media is at least an option, but more importantly, DVR has made recording to physical media far less important.
The only thing standing in the way of at least moderate acceptance of an HD format is the format war itself, but I'm pretty sure that one or the other will prevail eventually. And by "one or the other" I mean "HD-DVD", because Bluray players are twice as expensive and offer no discernable benefits over HD-DVD.
In the face of digital distribution models, I don't know if the comparisson is all that inapplicable, honestly.
I mean if digital distribution really goes mainstream (which a combination of cheaper prices and confusing over high def formats could concievably cause) I think that whichever format comes out on top would have a life which very much mirrors Laser Discs.
They would definitely still be bought by collectors, and if standard def digital distribution catches on faster than high def, the enthusiasts will also tend towards physical media, possibly even after high def distribution takes off, due to habit.
There are even more similarities, such as the fact that with digital files you don't have to get up to switch discs between movies, but with physical media, unles you only ever watch the same movie over and over, you do.
I'm not saying that this WILL happen, but I do see it as a possibility.
Posts
I'd rather be an asshole than an ignoramus.
Telling people to buy anything HD right now for spite is quite the dickish thing to do.
It's also a good format, both HD-DVD and high-definition in general. And your entire attitude toward HD-DVD is spiteful and obnoxious, so maybe you should look in the mirror before pointing your finger at others.
I mean HD in general, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray should not be supported until the higher ups can pick one format. Buying anything right now sends the wrong message.
Xbox Live Gamertag: Suplex86
Downloadable HD movies are available now and will not stop being available. They will only become MORE available. I, personally, do not want to see HD movies ONLY become available as digital downloads, or via cable. I'd very much like to physically own them. I don't really have anything against Blu Ray. If it's a choice between Blu Ray or nothing, I'd choose for Blu Ray to exist. I'd prefer HD-DVD because it seems more cost effective and that the discs are more durable, but the truth is? I don't give a shit, really. If Blu Ray swallows HD-DVD, I'll adapt and I'll live.
Even so, it's not a consumer's responsibility to send the right messages or to not send the wrong messages. He has no moral obligation in this respect, except to his own utility, and I would hardly even call that a "moral obligation."
I really would like to see some form of optical HD content supported. And I'd rather have BOTH formats than NEITHER format. That would be very bad.
There will always be a mass amount of people that want to buy a physical copy, always.
Yes, but with DVDs being so popular, physical media WON'T go away. But HD physical media MIGHT.
That doesn't logically follow. VHS was really popular, but it disappeared. I know it's hard to believe, but technology does this thing where it progresses, so SD media formats will become obsolete and HD media formats will become dominant. At that point, there will still be demand for physical copies of your media.
I'd read that data is written deeper into HD-DVDs than Blu Ray discs, and that the "special" plastic coating on a Blu Ray disc isn't as durable as they purport due to certain less-than-scientific tests done to the disc.
Sadly I didn't bookmark it, so I can't back my comment up, but I remember reading it and seeing something about it with pics on a science blog somewhere.
Technically, deep data can be more fragile, if the depth is measured from the surface that the laser views to the data itself. That's one reason CDs could be a bit fragile, because the slightest hairline scratch could, over the distance the laser had to travel to the data layer, skew enough to corrupt the image it received.
What? You didn't logically follow my statement.
The fact is, HD-DVD and Blu Ray are both in flux. DVDs were in flux too. So were Laserdiscs. DVDs took hold in the market. Laserdiscs did not. They were ahead of their time. And unwieldy. HD-DVD and Blu Ray aren't "unwieldy" but the way the two formats are waltzing around each other is. It's unwieldy for the consumer to decide which format to choose. And it may turn out that they are ahead of their time. Their fate - positive or negative - is rather unpredictable right now. A lot of people thought DiVX was going to take off. Man, they were fucking stupid, I know, but the fact is, you just don't know. Laserdiscs were great, but they failed. I think HD optical content is great, but it may fail. And people are getting more and more used to the concept of digital downloads. It's very possible for the market to change significantly so that phyisical media goes away and digital downloads dominate, that people will decide the ease of downloading a full HD movie in 10 minutes (if bandwidth expands to allow for that) is easier and more cost-effective, money and time-wise, than either buying the movie or driving to Blockbuster to pick it up. A majority of people that watch movies don't really care about owning them, I'd wager. Most of them just want to watch, not to collect. I'm more of a movie collector, but I fear I'm in the minority. If a quick, painless, cost-effective method for downloading HD movies becomes available and neither of these HD formats really gains steam in the market, I'm willing to bet that DVDs still get produced for the "collector folk" but that HD movies are relegated to digital downloads instead.
But, really, nobody knows. I'm just speculating.
I'll lay it out again. Right now we have:
- DVD
- HD-DVD
- Blu Ray
- SD On Demand
- HD On Demand
1) The latter two will remain no matter what.
2) DVD will remain no matter what.
3) HD-DVD and Blu Ray may not remain.
4) HD-DVD and Blu Ray may go bye-bye because of (1) and (2).
As others have said, there is no real necessity, apparently, for HD optical content. Right now, you can get most movies on HD by some form of video download. The Xbox Live Video Marketplace offers HD films. Some cable stations are offering "on demand" HD content. It's entirely possible that DVD + the ability to download HD content will cover most of the "needs" of consumers, and that HD-DVD and Blu Ray will go away, and that another optical HD format will not try to take their place.
As others have said, consumers at large may not really consider physical HD content "necessary." I wholly agree with you that SOME kind of physical content is necessary. For most people, apparently, DVD fills that role, and it may continue to "be enough" for consumers, especially if they can obtain HD content in a cheaper, more brainless way, like paying for a temporary download.
That's what I meant to imply. Just because people don't find HD a necessity right now definitely does not imply that it will always remain as such. Unless we get some octo-layer DVDs or something, technology will progress and will eventually be adopted en masse.
I hope so. I just don't think anyone can be sure at this point.
Why do I get the picture that you were holding a flashlight under your face while writing that?
That's what I thought when I read it
Because I was!
Link on it: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=857067
Since the fall update last year, the 360 is able to upscale games to 1080p.
The responses make it sound isolated, and I just checked the handful of BDs I've had for a while. They all seem fine, but I wonder what could contribute/prevent the rotting.
Even if one of these formats sucedes, it will definitely be the last physicalmovie format (in any sense that we know it). Digital distribution, of owned files OR rented files, is already atthe point where it could supply the entire market, and will only improve. I don't see it REALLY posing a threat for a few years, but once it ramps up, it will really give physical media a run for its money, and will eventually overtake it. It might not even take that long.
On top of that, if the market is wholly unable to decide on an HD format in the near future, digital distribution may take over sooner than later. Why invest in a format that you can't entire depend on future support for, when you could make the move to files that you know will work? There IS something to be said for physical ownership of media, but if the market is unable to choose a side, it just might drive consumers over the threshhold and into direct digital media.
It was an isolated case in manufacturing, they replaced the discs in store. Just because it was a Sony product allot of people went out of there way to over hype a bad production run of discs. Funny how the 360 has not suffered such a fate.
Planet Earth
Few shows have the production quality and budget of Planet Earth.
Is $430 ok?
I found a refurb of that one for $400, but I figured if I posted that one you'd be all 'hurr ... refurb'
2.35:1 is the future
Well, I've been hopeing at least.
If HD-DVD or Bluray becomes the next Laserdisc, I'll be perfectly content with that. I think it'll do better, though.
For one thing, Laseridiscs were huge and cumbersome, and watching a movie generally meant getting up to swap the disc a few times. HD formats are the same size as DVDs. Laserdisc players couldn't play VHS tapes, while HD format players can. You couldn't record on VHS, which was a huge bonus. Recording onto HD media is at least an option, but more importantly, DVR has made recording to physical media far less important.
The only thing standing in the way of at least moderate acceptance of an HD format is the format war itself, but I'm pretty sure that one or the other will prevail eventually. And by "one or the other" I mean "HD-DVD", because Bluray players are twice as expensive and offer no discernable benefits over HD-DVD.
In the face of digital distribution models, I don't know if the comparisson is all that inapplicable, honestly.
I mean if digital distribution really goes mainstream (which a combination of cheaper prices and confusing over high def formats could concievably cause) I think that whichever format comes out on top would have a life which very much mirrors Laser Discs.
They would definitely still be bought by collectors, and if standard def digital distribution catches on faster than high def, the enthusiasts will also tend towards physical media, possibly even after high def distribution takes off, due to habit.
There are even more similarities, such as the fact that with digital files you don't have to get up to switch discs between movies, but with physical media, unles you only ever watch the same movie over and over, you do.
I'm not saying that this WILL happen, but I do see it as a possibility.
Man if I ever see black bars on my flat/wide (16:9) HDTV because it becomes not wide enough, I'm going to cry
Have you tried watching any films made in the last 10 years?
Yes...
As far as I know all the DVD's I have are 16:9, unless I didn't even notice...which would be funny