My DVD player broke.
On comercials for new video releases, I notice they are usualy available in both DVD and Blu-Ray. I don’t think I’ve seen any released in whatever that other format is (I forget).
Is Blu-Ray a safe bet, then?
Or should I just get a new DVD player and wait a couple of years?
Er wut?
-FrL-
The other format is HD-DVD, and there are several studies that use it (basically, about half sided with Sony and went Blu-Ray, the other half went with HD-DVD.) My adivce? Just get a $40 regular DVD player now, and in a year or two, when prices come down, get a DVD player that plays HD-DVD AND Blu-Ray, that way, whichever one wins (though since it’s relatively easy to make a player that does both, I don’t think either will win,) you’ll be all set. They exist now, but cost a shit ton. So I guess if money is no issue to you, then you can get a dual-player now.
Yes it is.
But so was Betamax
Yes, definitely.
I have a feeling HD-DVD will prevail, but I could very well be wrong so I’m waiting.
You could get an up-converting DVD player.
There was just a cnet piece about how the blu-ray/hd war is just hurting everyone. Some manufactures tired of the low sales, due to consumer hesitation, due to no standards, are going to introduce combo blu-ray and hd players.
http://news.com.com/A+shotgun+marriage+for+Blu-ray+and+HD+DVD/2100-1041_3-6147442.html?tag=nefd.top
My humble O is to buy a cheap DVD player ($35), a bag of microwave popcorn ($1), put the rest of that money ($564) in a high yield account and in a few years buy the combo unit or the winner of the standards war ($99).
Sony is known for developing proprietor technology that for one reason or another goes nowhere. Betamax is the primary example, but there are others out there, like the ‘memory stick’, a device which, like a compact flash or secure digital card used in digital cameras and other devices which offer the consumer no real advantage, but higher costs due to the proprietory nature (IIRC about 2x the price). I don’t know what their corporate plan is, but if it’s to make a standard, they have shown themselves incapable, if it’s to lock people into a technology and milk them, they seem to be doing a great job, then when other formats overtake theirs, their loyal customers are stuck with useless technology and have to replace not only the betamax player, or digital camera, but their old tape/memory stick is basically useless.
Another vote for replace your current standard DVD player and wait.
First of all, do you have a HDTV? If not, theres little point in getting either of the formats until you get that first.
The PS3 which was supposed to save blu-ray is going nowhere fast. If you really want true HD movies, I would get a HD-DVD now and wait it out.
This is the fundamental problem. Everybody’s waiting. And if everybody’s waiting, no advance on ‘who is going to win’ can manifest. It’ll stalemate for a lot longer than people may expect.
Having said that, the failure of the PS3 certainly could be a death blow to Blu-Ray.
I think the public has a longer memory that the industry gives them credit for.
Four Track vs eight track
Betamax vs VHS
Now HD DVD vs Blu-Ray. Sorry we are sitting this one out till you guys get your shit together.
LG has announcedits first dual-format BD and HD-DVD player. And, while digging around on their site, I found this: a disc writer for PCs, the GBW-H10N, that writes BD-R and BD-RE as well as all of the DVD and CD formats. It reads all the BD, DVD, and CD formats as well. They just need to add HD-DVD to that.
Digging around on Greytech’s site, I find four other models of BD writer; they cost between $700 and $1350 Canadian.
Is the PS3 failing? I haven’t been keeping up.
I think if you really want to get a high definition DVD player, you may as well get one of the consoles, Xbox360 or PS3. At least then if the particular DVD format fails, you’ve still a console to amuse yourself with.
Yes. After the initial rush wore off, people realized that they paid as much for a system with virtually no games as they could for a similarly powerful next-gen system with a developed library of games (X-Box 360), and a hot new system with an innovative control system that’s been a big hit (Nintendo Wii) combined (and Sony was still taking a $300 loss on every unit). People who bought PS3s to scalp them on eBay are returning them, and what’s left are just sitting on the shelf.
Maybe it’ll be saved when they get a few big games like the next Final Fantasy, but maybe not. It’s just too damn expensive. Here’s an interesting timeline of the PS3’s fall from grace
The expense is partially the Blu-Ray’s fault. Sony decided to push the technology so that the legion of PS3 owner would choose that over HD-DVD, given that they already owned a player. Simply put, they got arrogant, and assumed that everyone would want their product, without showing us any reason why.
If the information in the DRM podcast on this site is accurate, then I’d say, “Neither.” There’s a transcript linked to on the page so you don’t have to listen to the whole podcast if you don’t want to, and this comes out near the middle, but the DRM on both the new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players is absolutely nuts. The short of it is if the studios decide that a particular model of player is too vulnerable to hacks (like those which could have their region coding turned off easily), they can encode all new releases such that when your player reads it, if it’s the type that’s easily hacked, it’ll shut itself down and refuse to play any discs.
So just think, one day you could plunk yourself down in the easy chair after having stocked up with plenty of supplies, taken the next month off of work. All so that you can watch the ultracomplete 72 HD-DVD disc edition of Peter Jackson and M. Night Shamalaman’s Attack of the 50 Ft Scrotum, it all it’s HD glory. You push “play” on your Sorny remote and get:
Yeah, that’ll suck.
Admittedly, I haven’t listened to the podcast you linked to. But I’m very suprised if what you say is true. Wouldn’t the studios be in clear danger of losing lawsuits if they did something like this? Its property damage, after all.
-FrL-
The problem is, however, when it comes to DRM, it quickly stops being your property as far as the content suppliers are concerned. Remember Sony’s recent debacle with copyprotection where the software on audio CDs put your PC at risk? Then there’s the DMCA which puts you at risk of legal action for making back up copies of copy protected material, even though under “fair use” statues, this is perfectly legal.
Here’s an article which discusses the implementation of it on PCs running Windows Vista.
My 2 cents: I’ve seen more commercials for Blu-Ray, but I’ve seen more HD-DVDs in the store. My conclusion is that Sony is pouring a shitload of cash into advertising, so people will adopt their proprietary technology, but the more freely used technology will win out in the end.
Did they not learn anything from Betamax?
Nationwide, WalMart is flooding the market with $5 - $8 DVDs, and people are snapping them up. We are talking about tens and tens of millions of units. That sets up an irresistible dynamic that Blu-Ray simply can’t touch.
Thanks, that was interesting reading.