Could Blue Ray be the next Betamax....

[domtheone]

Ok, ok, couldn't help myself.

Ott I know

Pretty amazing news though announced today.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN2028331720070820

Should put a stop to the BR's "the format war is over" chants

Hopefully, more studios will follow (a big ask at the moment still).

Great news for HD-DVD fans though so have faith people. buy a HD-DVD player. They're relly cheap these days and the format should be around for a while yet.

I'm so chuffed i'm going for a swift drive in the countryside

 

[Ibanezman]

Interesting stuff

Hope it bloody sorts out soon, I want to get a nice new player hehe

I don't get how people can be a 'fan' of either format really. One is going to be better than the other at the end of the day, surely we just all want the technically better format to win, surely

 

[dk]

whats amazing about that?

Its only 1 studio, hardly going to change everything, bluray already sells a lot more than hd-dvd, even though bluray players are more expensive and sometimes the hd-dvd discs are better, take 300 for example, bluray sold twice as many even though the hd-dvd had more features.

I have both and i bought 300 on bluray.

 

[DAIR]

Isnt a HD player just a dvd player with a HDMI port?!

 

[Brand86]

That is a huge kick in the teeth for Sony with the PS3 though, if this (huge) company decided that HD DVD is the way to go then others probably will too. If HD DVD becomes the sole format then makes the half the PS3s features redundant...and unfortunately it doesn't have any games either....

 

[dk]

That is a huge kick in the teeth for Sony with the PS3 though, if this (huge) company decided that HD DVD is the way to go then others probably will too. If HD DVD becomes the sole format then makes the half the PS3s features redundant...and unfortunately it doesn't have any games either....

I don't understand why its a kick in the teeth for sony and the ps3????

Its first and foremost a games system but just happens to have many other uses too, they can still do games on bluray.

1 studio is nothing, disney is bluray which means pixar is disney, so hardly a a nightmare that dreamworks isn't.

It doesn't even include spielbergs work so means nothing really.

Its a joke that people take such a small thing and turn it into a mountain, it means nothing.

Bluray will still sell more.

 

[Brand86]

No, but for a big company to come down on one side of the line rather than the other is a signifier that there are advantages of HD DVD over Blu Ray, e.g. it is cheaper and apparently better quality.

If Dreamworks have decided this, and not only say they prefer HD over BR but will only release their films on HD they must be fairly confident in it. And if Dreamworks have come to this conclusion then I am guessing that other companies may make a similar decision before long.

It only needs a few key players in a market to make a decision in a media war and its game over before long. Think about Mini Discs... Sony pumped loads of money into that too and it failed. Subsequently they lost a LOT of money and brought about the demise of their CEO at the time.

If BR fails as a media format then the attractiveness of having a BR player in the PS3 is redundant, and one of its key features (and which makes a large proportion of the PS3s cost) is a waste of time - and yet another reason not to buy a PS3. The other major reason not to buy one is there are no killer-apps for it yet and nothing coming out for a while I think I want. Where as 360 users have a certain Halo 3 to look forward to to name but one.

Not saying HD is better than BR but if its cheaper then of course it will prevail, it is about sales volumes at the end of the day and creating as large a market base as possible to sell all the films to.

Also DK, this is just my opinion. As you closed my thread in gaming I feel like just because you don't agree with me you were making a point...IMO news that could affect console users is very much related to gaming! (Please don't ban me...)

That is a huge kick in the teeth for Sony with the PS3 though, if this (huge) company decided that HD DVD is the way to go then others probably will too. If HD DVD becomes the sole format then makes the half the PS3s features redundant...and unfortunately it doesn't have any games either....

I don't understand why its a kick in the teeth for sony and the ps3????

Its first and foremost a games system but just happens to have many other uses too, they can still do games on bluray.

1 studio is nothing, disney is bluray which means pixar is disney, so hardly a a nightmare that dreamworks isn't.

It doesn't even include spielbergs work so means nothing really.

Its a joke that people take such a small thing and turn it into a mountain, it means nothing.

Bluray will still sell more.

 

[sneeks]

If Dreamworks have decided this, and not only say they prefer HD over BR but will only release their films on HD they must be fairly confident in it. And if Dreamworks have come to this conclusion then I am guessing that other companies may make a similar decision before long.

Dreamworks have not said that at all. The article says "DreamWorks Animation, maker of the blockbuster "Shrek" animated movie franchise, had not committed exclusively to either high-definition format"

Paramount release those titles for them which is why they will currently only be on HD-DVD but Dreamworks themselves may decide to support BD.

 

[dk]

No, but for a big company to come down on one side of the line rather than the other is a signifier that there are advantages of HD DVD over Blu Ray, e.g. it is cheaper and apparently better quality.

If Dreamworks have decided this, and not only say they prefer HD over BR but will only release their films on HD they must be fairly confident in it. And if Dreamworks have come to this conclusion then I am guessing that other companies may make a similar decision before long.

It only needs a few key players in a market to make a decision in a media war and its game over before long. Think about Mini Discs... Sony pumped loads of money into that too and it failed. Subsequently they lost a LOT of money and brought about the demise of their CEO at the time.

If BR fails as a media format then the attractiveness of having a BR player in the PS3 is redundant, and one of its key features (and which makes a large proportion of the PS3s cost) is a waste of time - and yet another reason not to buy a PS3. The other major reason not to buy one is there are no killer-apps for it yet and nothing coming out for a while I think I want. Where as 360 users have a certain Halo 3 to look forward to to name but one.

Not saying HD is better than BR but if its cheaper then of course it will prevail, it is about sales volumes at the end of the day and creating as large a market base as possible to sell all the films to.

Also DK, this is just my opinion. As you closed my thread in gaming I feel like just because you don't agree with me you were making a point...IMO news that could affect console users is very much related to gaming! (Please don't ban me...)

I don't understand why its a kick in the teeth for sony and the ps3????

Its first and foremost a games system but just happens to have many other uses too, they can still do games on bluray.

1 studio is nothing, disney is bluray which means pixar is disney, so hardly a a nightmare that dreamworks isn't.

It doesn't even include spielbergs work so means nothing really.

Its a joke that people take such a small thing and turn it into a mountain, it means nothing.

Bluray will still sell more.

thats ridiculous, whats the point in having 2 threads, its all the same and people who check gaming will also check in here, its not like we are talking football chat and gaming.

I do not care which wins, i have both, a 360 with HD-DVD and PS3 with bluray, and when studios that offer both have a disk i want i choose bluray.

There are studios that only do bluray, sony pictures (obviously) MGM, 20th Century Fox, lionsgate and disney etc. so why is hd-dvd having one any different?

Also, I bought 300 on bluray as it was cheaper so can't see how hd-dvd is cheaper.

The PS3 has bluray movie playback as an added bonus, its not its main selling point. If the movies were to fail they are outselling hd-dvd at the mo) the games will still be released on bluray, meaning games will not be restricted to 4.3gb like they are on the 360, which as games get better will start to be a problem for the 360!

 

[Brand86]

I think they mean cheaper as it is cheaper to produce HD DVD players than Blu Ray players rather than the media itself - hence more people will presumably buy HD as they are effectively the same but one is cheaper to buy.

As for the PS3 not having BR as one of its main features... Sony delayed the release of the console for around 9 months to include one in which time the 360 gained massive momentum, which implies they thought it was so worthwhile they should hold off rather than release it as an option later on.

MS have an optional HD drive and could presumably make an optional BR player too if they wanted at a later date. So 360s aren't limited to the disc sizes you mentioned. Sony including the BR in the PS3 was entirely uneccessary at the time, it was just a huge marketing ploy to get people to support BR as Sony Pictures decided they liked BR initially. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be paying off so far in terms of sales, which is effectively how all products are judged.

No, but for a big company to come down on one side of the line rather than the other is a signifier that there are advantages of HD DVD over Blu Ray, e.g. it is cheaper and apparently better quality.

If Dreamworks have decided this, and not only say they prefer HD over BR but will only release their films on HD they must be fairly confident in it. And if Dreamworks have come to this conclusion then I am guessing that other companies may make a similar decision before long.

It only needs a few key players in a market to make a decision in a media war and its game over before long. Think about Mini Discs... Sony pumped loads of money into that too and it failed. Subsequently they lost a LOT of money and brought about the demise of their CEO at the time.

If BR fails as a media format then the attractiveness of having a BR player in the PS3 is redundant, and one of its key features (and which makes a large proportion of the PS3s cost) is a waste of time - and yet another reason not to buy a PS3. The other major reason not to buy one is there are no killer-apps for it yet and nothing coming out for a while I think I want. Where as 360 users have a certain Halo 3 to look forward to to name but one.

Not saying HD is better than BR but if its cheaper then of course it will prevail, it is about sales volumes at the end of the day and creating as large a market base as possible to sell all the films to.

Also DK, this is just my opinion. As you closed my thread in gaming I feel like just because you don't agree with me you were making a point...IMO news that could affect console users is very much related to gaming! (Please don't ban me...)

thats ridiculous, whats the point in having 2 threads, its all the same and people who check gaming will also check in here, its not like we are talking football chat and gaming.

I do not care which wins, i have both, a 360 with HD-DVD and PS3 with bluray, and when studios that offer both have a disk i want i choose bluray.

There are studios that only do bluray, sony pictures (obviously) MGM, 20th Century Fox, lionsgate and disney etc. so why is hd-dvd having one any different?

Also, I bought 300 on bluray as it was cheaper so can't see how hd-dvd is cheaper.

The PS3 has bluray movie playback as an added bonus, its not its main selling point. If the movies were to fail they are outselling hd-dvd at the mo) the games will still be released on bluray, meaning games will not be restricted to 4.3gb like they are on the 360, which as games get better will start to be a problem for the 360!

 

[a0004_uk]

Isnt a HD player just a dvd player with a HDMI port?!

No that is a HD Upscaling player.Meaning you can get near HD quality off a normal DVD.

And for all you people that want to support both, or just simply dont want to choose; Samsung is bringing out a Blu-ray HD-DVD player towards the end of the year.

 

[dk]

I think they mean cheaper as it is cheaper to produce HD DVD players than Blu Ray players rather than the media itself - hence more people will presumably buy HD as they are effectively the same but one is cheaper to buy.

As for the PS3 not having BR as one of its main features... Sony delayed the release of the console for around 9 months to include one in which time the 360 gained massive momentum, which implies they thought it was so worthwhile they should hold off rather than release it as an option later on.

MS have an optional HD drive and could presumably make an optional BR player too if they wanted at a later date. So 360s aren't limited to the disc sizes you mentioned. Sony including the BR in the PS3 was entirely uneccessary at the time, it was just a huge marketing ploy to get people to support BR as Sony Pictures decided they liked BR initially. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be paying off so far in terms of sales, which is effectively how all products are judged.

thats ridiculous, whats the point in having 2 threads, its all the same and people who check gaming will also check in here, its not like we are talking football chat and gaming.

I do not care which wins, i have both, a 360 with HD-DVD and PS3 with bluray, and when studios that offer both have a disk i want i choose bluray.

There are studios that only do bluray, sony pictures (obviously) MGM, 20th Century Fox, lionsgate and disney etc. so why is hd-dvd having one any different?

Also, I bought 300 on bluray as it was cheaper so can't see how hd-dvd is cheaper.

The PS3 has bluray movie playback as an added bonus, its not its main selling point. If the movies were to fail they are outselling hd-dvd at the mo) the games will still be released on bluray, meaning games will not be restricted to 4.3gb like they are on the 360, which as games get better will start to be a problem for the 360!

cheaper isn't always better though, and thats where the PS3 comes into its own, you can buy one system and get a gaming system and high def movie player in one product. If you add on the HD-DVD addon to the 360 it makes it the same price as the PS3, more expensive infact, take the 360 elite, to make it up to ps3 spec you still need to add the wireless adapter, play and charge kit and the HD-DVD addon which makes it more expensive than the PS3, so wheres the saving?????

The PS3 having bluray was the best thing they could have done, by doing that they can make sure everyone who has a ps3 has a bluray player so is guaranteed to be able to play games produced on bluray.

The problem with the 360 is that they can't produce games on bluray or HD-DVD as most people won't have the addon so won't be able to play the game thus either annoying fans or reducing sales so by not including the high def player as standard they have limited its life whereas the ps3 will have a longer life due to its capabilities from day one.

Sony did wait to release the ps3 but at least then tey released it exactly how they wanted it spec wise and not bang something out to then release a new model (the elite and then the premium with hdmi) 2 years down the line to annoy all the original owners. And lets not even go down reliability!

So as much as you try and turn this into a gaming chat with the ps3, it really doesn't do any more than help bluray sales, i prefer the ps3 having everything in one box, much better package!

Bluray FTW (never thought I would use phrase!)

 

[McBunny]

ah it didnt mention both were paid did it one was paid $50 million the other $100million

 

[Cookie]

I can't believe so many people forget how evil Sony is... tsk

 

[mark_s]

I'm going to buy a Bluray player, I like the blue cases more than the maroon hd-dvd ones.

 

[dk]

I'm going to buy a Bluray player, I like the blue cases more than the maroon hd-dvd ones.

they are more pleaseing to the eye, yes.

 

[Saundo]

How quickly will they change their minds though as Blockbuster has commited to only stocking Blu-Ray?

Could be another Betamax though, why does the better format always loose?

 

[domtheone]

surely we just all want the technically better format to win, surely

I think Betamax was technically superior...

whats amazing about that?

Its only 1 studio, hardly going to change everything, bluray already sells a lot more than hd-dvd, even though bluray players are more expensive and sometimes the hd-dvd discs are better, take 300 for example, bluray sold twice as many even though the hd-dvd had more features.

I have both and i bought 300 on bluray.

Have to disagree. It's a major coupe for the HD-DVD camp and should ensure it's survival for quite some time.

BR Players (inc the PS3) far outnumber the number of HD-DVD players out there (stateside at least).

The fact that BR only outsells HD by 2:1 tells me that HD-DVD owners buy more discs, per say, period. Just need to increase the hardware base. Announcements like the one yesterday from Paramount/Dreamworks is a good start. Rapidly falling prices and possible Chinense HD-DVD players (cheap) coming, another. Transformers in HD-DVD only is a bit of a coup!

300 was a Combo (at least stateside) so was a few quid more than the BR version. I suspect that many dual format owners went with BR on that one for that reason.

I think it's commonly known that HD-DVD has various cost advantages over BR.

Finally, BR came back (or Fox did) with an annnouncement of their own yesterday (what a day!) confirming their posistion as BR only. Some nice titles of their own scheduled for the 4th Quarter.

I suspect we'll have the US holiday season, lot's of big releases up to and including Christmas, before the dust settles and the Studios access where they are.

The format war seems to be hear for quite some time. Certainly more than a few months (as the BR consortium kept telling us:rasp: )

 

[darren_rallye]

We have a Toshiba HD-DVD and a Samsung BluRay player at work.

So far I prefer the HD-DVD overall, mainly because the Samsung BluRay player is rubbish, IMO. There is a lot of detail, but motion is terrible - this is the same with 1080p screens. However, they are both early generation players, so it would be too soon to judge. Maybe in time one format will pull ahead of the other.

Despite the format wars we are still selling more higher-end standard DVD players than ever, such as the Arcam units.

 

[b3nje]

i'm just gona get a ps3

 

[sneeks]

20th Century Fox statement from yesterday:

"Given that Blu-ray has consistently outsold HD DVD all year, and this is the case for any titles released by any studio in both formats, we believe that the time is right for us to accelerate our activities and help convert the nearly 60 million high-definition households worldwide into Blu-ray households," said division president Mike Dunn. "By the end of this calendar year there will be expansive availability of technically vibrant releases featuring never-before-seen, advanced BD-J interactivity as well as a broad offering of playback devices at attractive prices that will prove to any doubting consumers once and for all that Blu-ray is the only way."

 

[darren_rallye]

Also, games consoles are not a substitute for DVD players

I haven't used the PS3, but the PS2 and Xbox are quite inferior for films once you put them on a big screen.

 

[Tom]

Also, games consoles are not a substitute for DVD players

I haven't used the PS3, but the PS2 and Xbox are quite inferior for films once you put them on a big screen.

In which case there is no basis for the initial statement. :S
Have you seen a 360 play HD dvds?

The PS3's output is identical to the current gen stand alone Blue ray Player.

 

[b3nje]

with the ps3 been a blueray player also i'd guess it will be better than a ps2 at playing dvd's

 

[Clellandmc]

with the ps3 been a blueray player also i'd guess it will be better than a ps2 at playing dvd's

PS3 upscales DVDs to a higher standard, so yes it is better than a PS2 playing DVDs

 

[darren_rallye]

Also, games consoles are not a substitute for DVD players

I haven't used the PS3, but the PS2 and Xbox are quite inferior for films once you put them on a big screen.

In which case there is no basis for the initial statement. :S
Have you seen a 360 play HD dvds?

The PS3's output is identical to the current gen stand alone Blue ray Player.

I mean in using them with Standard DVDs, but I could imagine it to be the same with the newer formats?

 

[timmmah]

Great news!!

At least the HD-DVD addon i got for my xbox360 isn't a waste of time getting after all!

 

[domtheone]

We have a Toshiba HD-DVD and a Samsung BluRay player at work.

So far I prefer the HD-DVD overall, mainly because the Samsung BluRay player is rubbish, IMO. There is a lot of detail, but motion is terrible - this is the same with 1080p screens. However, they are both early generation players, so it would be too soon to judge. Maybe in time one format will pull ahead of the other.

Despite the format wars we are still selling more higher-end standard DVD players than ever, such as the Arcam units.

Can I ask where you work?

I wouldn't have thought the likes of Currys/Dixons sell high End Arcam stuff so do you work for a more specialist retailer?

 

[timmmah]

We have a Toshiba HD-DVD and a Samsung BluRay player at work.

So far I prefer the HD-DVD overall, mainly because the Samsung BluRay player is rubbish, IMO. There is a lot of detail, but motion is terrible - this is the same with 1080p screens. However, they are both early generation players, so it would be too soon to judge. Maybe in time one format will pull ahead of the other.

Despite the format wars we are still selling more higher-end standard DVD players than ever, such as the Arcam units.

Can I ask where you work?

I wouldn't have thought the likes of Currys/Dixons sell high End Arcam stuff so do you work for a more specialist retailer?

It's probably in the staff room.

Where I work we have a HD TV and a PS3 in the staff room!

 

[darren_rallye]

Another point to consider - although my understanding on this is simple, and I could be wrong - is that if certain film studios choose one format and the remaining studio choose the other format, then regardless of whether you choose BluRay or HD-DVD, you'll never be able to own all the titles you want?

On this basis there are arguments to both will fail and that the next technology may be the one to have? Formats have come and gone before, often relatively un-noticed outside of niché markets, such as HDCD and SACD.

It's all very interesting debate.

 

[darren_rallye]

Can I ask where you work?

I wouldn't have thought the likes of Currys/Dixons sell high End Arcam stuff so do you work for a more specialist retailer?

No probs, I do work at a specialist retailer, as I have a HiFi hobby

 

[mark_s]

Yep, it is all interesting debate. dont know what to spend my money on yet. Meanwhile i'm going to turn off my minidisc system and watch Terminator on Laser disc.

 

[Phill1978]

if you get the software v1.8 or v1.9 (downloadable off the web onto usb or sony online) then you get a better upscaling dvd player than any currently around + blueray is great and of course 24hz aswell.

i do think HD-DVD will win out, mainly because your average punter wants cheap stuff, sony built nice stuff but the price is always out of the mass markets reach for ages, HD-DVD will be the sort of format avaliable in Aldi for £180 this time nxt year and the sales will be much greater.

 

[darren_rallye]

Yep, it is all interesting debate. dont know what to spend my money on yet. Meanwhile i'm going to turn off my minidisc system and watch Terminator on Laser disc.

Lol - I forgot about Laser Disc!

 

[mark_s]

- pmsl

 

[Phill1978]

anyone heard of holodisc ? apparently 3.9 terrabytes of data stored onto one discs.

also there talking of higher resolutions already at 4million pixels lol




edit* im not joking either !

 

[sneeks]

A dual format player will solve all these problems and then we can all buy whichever discs we like Samsung are releasing one next month.

 

[McBunny]

tosh hd-e1 is only 249 direct from tosh !!

 

[darren_rallye]

I don't think either format will take off in the same way that DVD did.

DVD was a significant leap from VHS in both quality and convenience, which was why it was so successful. Nowadays DVD is so cheap - £40 supermarket players and bargain discs for a fiver sometimes - that Joe Public won't be convinced enough to fork out £xxx on a HiDef player and £20+ for a disc.

Could BluRay just be another Sony format resigned to live forever in a games console? UMD - cough cough


I am interested to see how the later generation HD-DVD and BluRay player perform though.

 

[The Hoff]

tosh hd-e1 is only 249 direct from tosh !!

Exactly, I can't understand why anybody in the right mind wouldn't pay another £80 and get a PS3...madness!