Let's talk Hi-Def DVD players...

[Ó Flannagáin]

Take it back, get a 40gig for $319: http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kmartaz9.jpg


(the report is this really works, over and over again if you just keep printing em out)

 

[Dude]

Take it back, get a 40gig for $319: http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kmartaz9.jpg


(the report is this really works, over and over again if you just keep printing em out)

The 40 gig isn't backward campatible with PS2, right? We have a c-load of PS2 games. No dice!

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

The 40 gig isn't backward campatible with PS2, right? We have a c-load of PS2 games. No dice!

Ahhh, well, if they have any 20gigs or 60gig left + that coupon, you'd still be saving a buttload. Otherwise, yea, I hear ya. If you aren't gonna be playing games, don't really need it. A cheap stand-alone bluray player will be out someday. But it will win the format war I'd put my money on it.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Dude, you should keep it. You're not gonna get a blu ray player cheaper anytime soon. When you DO get the time to play on it (maybe you could take it on deployment) you'll frickin' love it.

 

[Dude]

Blu-ray Gets Black Friday Win


Posted November 29, 2007 by Josh

Nielson VideoScan data for last week reports that Blu-ray has topped its high definition rival for yet another week - this time with a very impressive 72.6% market share. The sales data includes titles sold on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving characterized by deep discounts and enormous amounts of consumer spending.

Despite the cheap HD-DVDs and HD-DVD player sales, looks like Blu-ray is winning the battle.

I think SWMBO is getting me a stand-alone Blu-ray player for X-mas. I got a pretty good hint today.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

I figured Sony and its over pricing and horrid advertising would have made Blueray the next Betamax

 

[ovejon]

I'm having the same dilemma many of you guys are having. I just recently bough an hdtv and I need to find some hd source to fully appreciate the tv. I can't wait for hybrid players to be more affordable. In the mean time, I'll be lining up to get myself a media tank from www.popcornhour.com

 

[Dude]

okay...so I got to test out my x-mas present early. SWMBO got me the 80GB PS3.

However, I have to say I am kind of disappointed in the movies I've watched so far. The Blu-ray on my system isn't near as stunning as what I saw at Best Buy when I first fell in love. I'm thinking 2 things are the cause: My projector only goes to 1080i, not 1080p. I doubt that is the cause though. It can' tmake that much of a difference, can it?

Second, I'm wondering if the resolution (I'm projecting a 100 inch screen) is just too much. The blu-ray discs I've played so far are definitely HD quality (comparable to my HDTV channels), but certainly not that stunning 3-D quality that I saw on the system at Best Buy.

The games? OMFG. Call of Duty is the most kick ass game I've ever seen.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

You may find this helpful with the new PS3, Dude:

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2007/10/stop_playing_matrix_img.gif

 

[drunkatuw]

Dude, what kind of projector do you have? You say that it can go to 1080i, does this mean that it projects 1080i or it can accept up to 1080i, but down converts to 480p? I have a 720p projector that can accept 1080i/p, but only projects 720p. But HD-DVD looks awesome on my projector (better than anything you can see at best buy). You might want to pick up a calibration dvd. I picked up Digital Video Essentials on HD-DVD when it first came out, I'm not sure if there is a blu-ray version yet though.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah, it's important to know the native resolution of your projector. Mine is 720 so I force any of my components (dishnetwork receiver for now) to up/downconvert everything to 720p so the projector doesn't have to switch everytime I change a channel.

Hi def on 720p looks pretty good, especially compared to SD DVD at only 480p. You'll never be able to compare the blown up image at 100" to those of the 50" 1080p LCD TVs until you buy a good 1080p projector. Hey, they're coming cheaply soon.

 

[Dude]

On my projector, I believe (almost 100% positive) native is 720p. I let my projector flip to whatever the channel is broadcasting--but the PS3 I have set up for 1080i. Do you think I'd be better off at just setting the PS3 to read at 720p?

Also, does the PS3s blu-ray upconvert regular DVDs?

BTW, my projector is the Sharp XR10X.

 

[ovejon]

does the PS3s blu-ray upconvert regular DVDs?

If the ps3 has firmware version 1.80+ then yes, it will upscale your dvd and even your ps1 and ps2 games to 1080p. It will also downscale blu-ray's to 720p.

 

[ScubaSteve]

On my projector, I believe (almost 100% positive) native is 720p. I let my projector flip to whatever the channel is broadcasting--but the PS3 I have set up for 1080i. Do you think I'd be better off at just setting the PS3 to read at 720p?

Also, does the PS3s blu-ray upconvert regular DVDs?

BTW, my projector is the Sharp XR10X.

I tried this very thing with my ps3 the other night. I think it's better in 1080i, inspite of the "choppiness" of really fast moving things....there were definitely intricate details I noticed that I didn't see on 720p. Try for yourself. I have a DLP, so it might be different. Not sure about upconverting, but I swear it looks better on my PS3 than regular dvd player....could be the HDMI though.

 

[Dude]

I tried this very thing with my ps3 the other night. I think it's better in 1080i, inspite of the "choppiness" of really fast moving things....there were definitely intricate details I noticed that I didn't see on 720p. Try for yourself. I have a DLP, so it might be different. Not sure about upconverting, but I swear it looks better on my PS3 than regular dvd player....could be the HDMI though.

You shouldn't see a difference video wise with HDMI and components--the only difference is HDMI includes audio, right?

I'm going to experiment a little bit.

 

[Dude]

More Blu-Ray good news!!!!!!! This is the final straw for HD-DVDs, methinks.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment announced Friday that it will begin offering its high-definition DVDs exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format, striking a major blow in the marketplace battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Warner Brothers is Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs, representing 18 to 20 percent of sales in the United States, said Warner spokesman Scott Rowe.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/01/04/us.warner/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Apparently, New Line Cinemas (can you say LORD OF THE RINGS) has also gone Blu-Ray exclusively now as well. Come on Paramount and Universal, do the right thing.

This is awesome news.

 

[wihophead]

You shouldn't see a difference video wise with HDMI and components--the only difference is HDMI includes audio, right?

I'm going to experiment a little bit.

You may see a difference since component is an analog signal while HDMI is digital

 

[homebrewer_99]

You won't believe the money I just saved...I just plugged my Nintendo-001 into my analog TV......welcome back Mario and Duck Hunt!!!

Now I have my HD-TV back all to myself...

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm gonna bring this thread back for a minute. I just noticed that the Toshiba HD-A3 HD-DVD player is now available at Walmart for $148 or even cheaper at buydig.com for $128 with free shipping.

That same Walmart has the Sony Blu-ray (not sure of the model now) for $388.

I'm thinking short term here because DVD players are basically built to last 2-3 years of constant use. At least that's my replacement schedule.

I have a Netflix account and they carry just about equal numbers of BlueRay and HD movies. I'm not going to buy any discs at all for another few years.

My display is a native 720p front projector so the increased quality of 1080p is completely irrelevent until I upgrade the PJ in the next 2 years.

HD-DVD the better value or is the studio commitment issue going to completely screw up my movies selection in the near future?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I am just gonna wait it out. There is no shortage of standard def DVD's.

If my current gear craps out, sure I'll consider the newer formats but, otherwise I'll wait it out. IF both BR and HD-DVD decide to try to "share" the market well, I'll just get a universal player. Most likely, I'd save my money on the player and use my laptop, connected to the HT instead.

I'd much rather install software than buy dedicated hardware.

As for the gaming systems, that'll come back when the boy is older. I have had my XBOX and PS2 unplugged and disconnected now for about 2 years. I just don't have the time for it and I am too old and tired to be "up all night with bleeding eyes" playing Silent Hill 39 :cross:

 

[drunkatuw]

I bought the HD-A2 when it was on sale at walmart for $98 in November and I don't regret getting it at all. Just last week I got the 5 free HD-DVDs in the mail, which makes the player basically free (5 movies x $20 each = $100).

The toshiba HD-DVD players are also some of the best upscaling dvd players on the market, so it'll make your SD DVDs look great as well.

I too have my HD-DVD player hooked up to a 720p projector, so 1080p doesn't matter to me and it still looks great.

If blu-ray does win the format war, eventually I'll get one, but I'm waiting until they finalize their format (even if you buy a blu-ray player today, you'll probably want to upgrade to a profile 2.0 player once they come out), atleast if you buy an HD-DVD player now, you know it will work with all current and future HD-DVDs.

 

[Bobby_M]

There's no shortage of SD DVD but the quality sucks bad. I have a 90" display and enjoy HD broadcasts. Then I put a SD-DVD in which is supposed to be a treat compared to regular old TV programming and it falls really flat.

I guess I'm looking at a $130 HDDVD player as a stopgap to make me stop hating poor quality for now. I really do want to wait it out and actually feel like I have (since I didn't drop $600 on a first gen player like I normally would).

The more I look at how studios have been crossing over to BR though, the more I think it's going to win in the long run. This is hard.

 

[Evan!]

First off, I think it's safe to say the BD has won the war. The Warner Bros double-cross of Toshiba at the last minute was huge (I'd hate to be one of those Toshiba execs on the private plane when they found out...)

IIWY, I'd either wait or get a PS3. Like drunkatuw says, with a standard BD player, you'll want to wait for an upgrade to 2.0. The great thing about PS3 is the system architecture and the internet connectivity, which means upgrades can be performed without hardware ups, making the ps3 much more futureproof. Not to mention that the base ps3 is $400, versus $300 for Sony's BD player. $100 isn't much more for all you get on a ps3.

 

[Bobby_M]

Ok, it's official. I'm sure you all saw the headlines, Toshiba is dropping HD-DVD.

Here's the timeline from Wiki:

2008
Jan. 4-- Warner Bros. drops its bombshell: it will stop issuing HD DVD movies in the coming months and rely exclusively on Blu-ray Disc. In response the HD DVD Promotion Group cancels its CES news conference.

Jan. 6-- Akio Ozaka, head of Toshiba America Consumer Products, says at CES: "We remain firm in the belief that HD DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of consumers." In response Sony CEO Howard Stringer, with a grin on his face, says "All of us at Sony are feeling blue today."

Jan. 14-- Toshiba cuts the price of HD DVD players with the HD-A3 seeing a retail price of US$150.

Feb. 11-- NetFlix and BestBuy say they will phase out HD DVD.

Feb. 15-- Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, says it will phase out HD DVD by June.

Feb. 16-- Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports Toshiba has halted production of HD DVD players. Several additional local media reports confirm and The Nikkei business daily says Toshiba has decided to stop developing the format any further.

Feb. 19-- Toshiba formally announces it will phase out the production of HD DVD players and recorders by the end of March. The format war is over.

I just hope that when Tosh buys into BR that it means the prices will come down. Is SONY going to allow them to play nice (license the technology) now or what?

 

[riored4v]

Ok, it's official. I'm sure you all saw the headlines, Toshiba is dropping HD-DVD.
?

Heard about that this morning as well.. was very happy to hear that as well. Makes me glad that I bought the PS3

 

[drunkatuw]

I just hope that when Tosh buys into BR that it means the prices will come down. Is SONY going to allow them to play nice (license the technology) now or what?

Don't expect Toshiba to buy into BR anytime soon.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/toshiba-no-plans-to-adopt-blu-ray/

Toshiba owns the patents for DVDs, so they still make royalty money off of all SD-DVDs sold, so they have no reason to push BR players.

 

[shafferpilot]

I don't understand the point in blue ray or hd dvds. A standard DVD with a quality dvd player hooked up to a good flatscreen TV via the Y/Pr/Pb terminals delivers a fabulous picture with bright vibrant colors. A good friend of mine has a huge LCD with a high def dvd player, but his picture isn't any better than mine. Even he says so.

 

[NitrouStang96]

It's the difference between 350,000 pixels and 2,100,000 pixels. 1080 has the equivalent of watching six standard def screens at once. If you can't see the difference, you're not watching 1080p content on a good 1080p TV.

I'll give you this, though - old standard tube TVs will display standard def content a lot better than these current lcd and plasma screens do, from what I've seen.

 

[Dude]

I don't understand the point in blue ray or hd dvds. A standard DVD with a quality dvd player hooked up to a good flatscreen TV via the Y/Pr/Pb terminals delivers a fabulous picture with bright vibrant colors. A good friend of mine has a huge LCD with a high def dvd player, but his picture isn't any better than mine. Even he says so.

I call BS. I've seen the difference first hand, and it is major.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Made a little comparison: