As I have stated before I have considered my position, made my choice and picked my format {BD}, the Paramount news is a bit of a shock in face of the news a few days prior that BD has been outselling HD-DVD 2:1
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness will effect me very little.
below is my pick through of films I had decided I might buy if the PQ reviews were good enough
Stalag 17 (1953) already have on DVD
The War of the Worlds (1953) quaint but DVD would do
Rear Window (1954, now owned by Universal) already own on DVD I might double dip but it's doubtful TBH unless the restoration goes beyond the current one.
Zulu (1964) (international distribution only, distributed in US by Embassy Pictures) A strong chance of me double dipping until Paramounts announcement.
The Godfather (1972){and sequels} Have on DVD, see no need to double dip.
The Untouchables (1987) Have on DVD unlikely to double dip.
The Hunt for Red October (1990) Difficult, its SOOO black I'd need LCDs to get better at black reproduction to see much improvement from the DVD IMO, which means a new set, and I don't like the film THAT much!
Event Horizon (1997) mm MAYbe
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002, co-production with Intermedia Films and National Geographic Feature Films) Great film, but See Red October above.
Galaxy Quest!!!! DAMN! {although do I really want it in Hi def?} but thats dreamworks so who knows what format that will end up on
The Ring Already have, but its creeptastic
and Popeye I've just bought
Star Treks I can wait on.
So thats a pretty unimpresive list IMO I can live without it, pretty poor though that I've found this so UN worrying. then again I bet that list (from the link) isnt exhaustive, but Im sure its counted the big hitters.
oops! forgot to mention Duck Soup, Monkey Business and the other Marx Bros. films, which are great, but having seen them onDVD I really wonder if they are worth more money on a more expensive format, they are in a terrible state and need a LOT of care and effort before gettign a release in ANY hi-def format. such a shame, as they are out and out classics that almost EVERYONE remembers from their childhood - no matter how old they are
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness...
While I realize that you've been one of the more down-to-earth Blu-Ray backers, I must still take issue with the general idea that Paramount is somehow being irrational with this decision.
It's fine to disagree with their position. But from what I've seen, they seem to have considered the thing from many business angles and then negotiated the best deal they could for their studio.
Here's their stated business rational for the change, from no less than their CTO. In addition to these reasons, there is the behind-the-scenes financial deal with the marketing incentives, plus the bonus that their successes will not end up subsidizing a rival studio. Seems like a good business plan to me.
As I have stated before I have considered my position, made my choice and picked my format {BD}, the Paramount news is a bit of a shock in face of the news a few days prior that BD has been outselling HD-DVD 2:1
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness will effect me very little.
below is my pick through of films I had decided I might buy if the PQ reviews were good enough
Stalag 17 (1953) already have on DVD
The War of the Worlds (1953) quaint but DVD would do
Rear Window (1954, now owned by Universal) already own on DVD I might double dip but it's doubtful TBH unless the restoration goes beyond the current one.
Zulu (1964) (international distribution only, distributed in US by Embassy Pictures) A strong chance of me double dipping until Paramounts announcement.
The Godfather (1972){and sequels} Have on DVD, see no need to double dip.
The Untouchables (1987) Have on DVD unlikely to double dip.
The Hunt for Red October (1990) Difficult, its SOOO black I'd need LCDs to get better at black reproduction to see much improvement from the DVD IMO, which means a new set, and I don't like the film THAT much!
Event Horizon (1997) mm MAYbe
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002, co-production with Intermedia Films and National Geographic Feature Films) Great film, but See Red October above.
Galaxy Quest!!!! DAMN! {although do I really want it in Hi def?} but thats dreamworks so who knows what format that will end up on
The Ring Already have, but its creeptastic
and Popeye I've just bought
Star Treks I can wait on.
So thats a pretty unimpresive list IMO I can live without it, pretty poor though that I've found this so UN worrying. then again I bet that list (from the link) isnt exhaustive, but Im sure its counted the big hitters.
oops! forgot to mention Duck Soup, Monkey Business and the other Marx Bros. films, which are great, but having seen them onDVD I really wonder if they are worth more money on a more expensive format, they are in a terrible state and need a LOT of care and effort before gettign a release in ANY hi-def format. such a shame, as they are out and out classics that almost EVERYONE remembers from their childhood - no matter how old they are
Don't take much to bait PS3 crowds over to $199 or $149 holiday price HD-DVD player.....
Transformers!
The demographic of simple minds are easily influenced. Piece of cake.... Don't need to get them all at once.... just one fanboy at a time....
Don't take much to bait PS3 crowds over to $199 or $149 holiday price HD-DVD player.....
Transformers!
The demographic of simple minds are easily influenced. Piece of cake.... Don't need to get them all at once.... just one fanboy at a time....
Would you FFS get some sense and stop using the "fanboy" insult.
I personally had a little interest in seeing Transformers, now (because of the paramount whoo-ha) that I know the director behind "Pearl Harbor" is behind "Transformers" I know its most likely a turd, thats just personal opinion.
PLEASE stop seeing disagreement where there isnt any, its getting old, and its all in your head.
This is fun Link to 3D on Blu-ray if a little wishful thinking but remeber before you scoff, its all about the movie. but if BD is the only format on which this works, I can see 1080 not being the top experiance any more.
Of course we've had 3D being threatened since the 50s so don't hold your breath
after a little looking around I found a List of movies on the blu-ray site I thought it would be interesting to check through that list to see what took my interest.
Ended up being a far longer list than I imagined which has shocked me.
A Clockwork Orange a Must have Double Dip for me
A Fistful of Dollars another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Alien vs. Predator another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Armageddon
Batman Begins Been waiting on this
Blade Runner: Ultimate Collector's Edition another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
The Bridge on the River Kwaianother Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Chronos looking forward to this
The Day After Tomorrowanother Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Deja Vu Already out, just havent got round to ordering it
Dune a maybe dependant on PQ reviews
Enter the Dragon another DD I already have on DVD (and VHS )
Eyes Wide Shut another DD I already have on DVD
The Fifth Element (Remastered) been waiting on the Remaster
For a Few Dollars More another DD I already have on DVD
Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition another DD I already have on DVD
The Green Mile another DD I already have on DVD
Independence Day another DD I already have on DVD
Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut Glorious film I've been waiting on
The Last Samurai another DD I already have on DVD
Lawrence of Arabia CLASSIC must have DD I already have on DVD
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End another DD I already have on DVD
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black just waiting on a release
Planet of the Apes this film has grown on me so HD should make it grow more
Rambo: First Blood another DD I already have on DVD
Reservoir Dogs Hell yeah!
The Shining another DD I already have on DVD
Sin City another DD I already have on DVD
Sleepy Hollow MAYbe
Space Cowboys another DD I already have on DVD
Unforgiven Been holding out on this for SOO long but the PQ reviews haven't been stunning, so I can wait a while longer to see if they remaster
The Usual Suspects LOVE this film another DD I already have on DVD
2001: A Space Odyssey I've been waiting on this for SOO long on Hi Def another DD I already have on DVD
300 Just waiting on a release date for over here {off to check}
I've left off stuff like the Rocky and Terminator movies until they are all out, say in a box set. I must say though, I'm much happier with that selection of movies than the list I made above from Paramount.
This whole thing is very VERY interesting. It's a pity we can't have one unified format yet, but we will get there soon enough I'm sure.
In the mean time I'm waiting on "Open Season" to arrive in the post
wow.... you must be a genius. Most original reply I've ever seen. Keep it coming if it make you feel any better.
You are a genius to come up with such a brilliant insult yourself. Try not to be a hypocrite. Insulting PS3 owners and Transformer fans is any better apparently.
Guys, I know this war is almost religious, but come on. As someone said it is just a piece of plastic. Chill out, just talk about news related topics, no more casting stones. The rest of us come here to hear news about blu-ray, not someone casting stones because they are a sony fan or m$ fan.
What is the cheapest multi-format player available on the market today? Is it still $1k?
Guys, I know this war is almost religious, but come on. As someone said it is just a piece of plastic. Chill out, just talk about news related topics, no more casting stones.
I personally had a little interest in seeing Transformers, now (because of the paramount whoo-ha) that I know the director behind "Pearl Harbor" is behind "Transformers" I know its most likely a turd, thats just personal opinion.
Actually Transformers was quite good. I share many of the films on your list (Like Zulu) so take that for whatever its worth.
Pearl Harbor was a turd though although the effects were fun.
While I realize that you've been one of the more down-to-earth Blu-Ray backers, I must still take issue with the general idea that Paramount is somehow being irrational with this decision.
Sure its rational. They got paid to make the change. But some of the listed "reasons" is very weak.
Its better for the consumer NOT to support the leading platform? No.
Early adoptors assume that what they buy "early" gets replaced "early" as well. So the thing about the stability of the standard for that reason is weak at best. Especially with the timing now that new profile is about to become mandatory.
Also their methodology for interactivity is suspect. They implement on HDi first and then sometimes have trouble with BD-J? Mkay. Why not try the other way first?
And the whole "cost of a server" thing because the userbase size is bogus. They have servers now that support individual movie content like trailers, interviews and etc.
Meh. The only rationale they needed was "We got paid $150M...that's great money for 18 months commitment".
But where's the problem? Are you suggesting that we should leave average consumer desires out of this conversation?
It would be a complete waste of time to speculate on the winner of this format war without considering J6P.
You missed the point entirely. We're saying what we want based on the media we support without paying attention to, to use your term, what J6P wants. Basically they want one format, players and discs no more expensive that SD-DVD is now. The biggest obstacle that HD formats have right now is overcoming the perception that SD-DVD is "good-enough" and contrary to what Bite is saying, for most J6Pers SD-DVD is good-enough and is priced right.
Actually Transformers was quite good. I share many of the films on your list (Like Zulu) so take that for whatever its worth.
Pearl Harbor was a turd though although the effects were fun.
Vinea
OK point taken but I guess I was just too old to "get" the whole Transformers thing in the 80s so surely too old now {could have taken slightly more interest in it if they had somehow managed to get Orsen Wells' voice into it somehow though }
Pearl Harbour had Ben (talentless) Aflick in it, mm, Transformers DOESN'T have him in it, makes sense then that Transformers would be a better movie then
Hey guys, I think we're all idiots for hanging on to this thread as long as we have and continuing to say the same things over and over.
Right now over in AVS it seems more HD-DVD people are posting in the BD forum than BD people. It's kind of comical how seriously some people are taking the Paramount announcement.
From Walter's Paramount list, the only two titles I'd be interested in Buying are The Untouchables and The Hunt for Red October. I'm heading into Lynnwood tomorrow and will probably swing by BB and CC and pick up TU. It's too bad about THfRO as I was looking forward to buying it. Guess I'll keep watching it on LD,
From his BD list the only two I'll be buying are Blade Runner and Lawrence of Arabia. I also have the Fifth Element on order from Amazon-- took the free shipping so who knows when it'll turn up.
The Paramount announcement will have one additional effect for me, in the choice of a new receiver. My present receiver hasn't HDMI and I had pretty much settled on getting a Yamaha 861, which has 2 in, 1 out HDMI, in November. Now I'm thinking about the newly announced Yammy 1800, with 4 in, 1 out HDMI. It's beginning to look like one can't have too many HDMI inputs.
You missed the point entirely. We're saying what we want based on the media we support without paying attention to, to use your term, what J6P wants. Basically they want one format, players and discs no more expensive that SD-DVD is now. The biggest obstacle that HD formats have right now is overcoming the perception that SD-DVD is "good-enough" and contrary to what Bite is saying, for most J6Pers SD-DVD is good-enough and is priced right.
I'd be fairly well in agreement with most of the stuff you post
{this went on longer than I thought, I guess this sums up my thoughts over the last while}
I think if we look at SD-DVD and say it is "good enough" so then next gen will have difficulty, we need to look at the timing of SD-DVDs introduction, VHS was a universal standard, IT was "good enough" for J6P then.
What J6P saw in DVD was CD like access to the film, CD like "Never wears out" and they saw value, then they saw the PQ and went "I'll have one of those please its clearly better"
CRT TV sets had reached the pinnacle of PQ and size was up from a 20" 20 years ago standard, to a 28" then very quickly to 32" (at least here in the UK) sure there were bigger sets, that cost more, but offered only increased size at the cost of graininess.
For a 32" CRT set SD-DVD is pretty much the top of the tree in comparison to VHS.
Fast forward to now and LCD (which hasn't reached the maturity of CRT) is only just getting into the "acceptable enough" (compared to CRT) stage at the 32" size. Plasmas are seen as a rich indulgence because of many myths that have grown up around them (gas needing replaced etc.) mainly due to their initial high pricing, J6P hears these myths and will stick to CRT or look towards LCD, because the new computer screens have that, so they can be seen and used first hand, and due to the massive computer industry, are "cheap and getting cheaper"
Along comes a next gen optical disc format offering an improvement over SD-DVD, but "its good enough" plus "I don't want to HAVE to buy a new TV.. YET"
so the cash stays in the bank.
add the tiniest smite of doubt, due to a competing format.. well.
J6P MAY upgrade their TV to a 720 LCD set, but in what time scale?
HD TV is here NOW, but its wide spread acceptance won't be arrived at anytime soon, and along with that any Hi-def disc formats acceptance won't arrive any time soon, but it will take even longer if there is confusion due to a format war. All this compounded with DVDs maturity, in that its cheaper to maunfacture and the codecs have been tweeked since it first appeared. not to mention that players are ubiquitous and CHEAP!
This is why both sides would be delighted if there was one outright winner, be it Marz, Bite or Murch. some people might not admit it, but its still true one format makes sense, just like DVD made sense to J6P.
Until Paramounts announcment it looked like only a matter of waiting for Universal to at least go "universal" and then the public really did have the power to decide with their wallets which format would "win". Now however in the face of increasing evidence that one format was pulling ahead we have an injection of money to the "loosing" format, that at the very least seems to have some doubt around it, by the very fact that it was/is "loosing"
We all suffer with a protracted battle, as if it wasn't protracted enough already.
Either or neither of these formats, is what it looks like just now, which is slightly depressing.
It will be a long haul for Hi def sets to become the Norm in order to be able to play the hi def discs and tagging along behind them will be a next gen optical format (or two )
SD-DVD already had a MASSIVE inbuilt user base ready and willing to say "yes please!" Either Hi-def format incur BIG costs for the price of entry as far as J6P is concerned, its a new TV set when the current one is perfectly ok, its a new player, when there is confusion over formats and its up against SD-DVD which "looks fine on my current set", and whos "players I already have"
J6P doesn't post here, and isn't as aware of the new formats (if at all) as any of us.
Give it 5 years though, those TVs will be (needing) replaced, leaving a bigger install base. Of course in 5 years the format war will have been resolved one way or another amoungst the early adopters and film buffs and people who invested in LD - with eiteher 2 dead formats, 1 winner or universal players being dirt cheap.
This all speaks nothing of M$ and download services, IPTV, Apple and iTunes movie rentals, who knows where they will be in 5 years time? could AppleTVs 720 be "good enough" for J6P?
-
I don't see how an anti M$ stance can be seen as a bad thing on an Apple forum I really can't
Comments
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness will effect me very little.
below is my pick through of films I had decided I might buy if the PQ reviews were good enough
Stalag 17 (1953) already have on DVD
The War of the Worlds (1953) quaint but DVD would do
Rear Window (1954, now owned by Universal) already own on DVD I might double dip but it's doubtful TBH unless the restoration goes beyond the current one.
Zulu (1964) (international distribution only, distributed in US by Embassy Pictures) A strong chance of me double dipping until Paramounts announcement.
The Godfather (1972){and sequels} Have on DVD, see no need to double dip.
The Untouchables (1987) Have on DVD unlikely to double dip.
The Hunt for Red October (1990) Difficult, its SOOO black I'd need LCDs to get better at black reproduction to see much improvement from the DVD IMO, which means a new set, and I don't like the film THAT much!
Event Horizon (1997) mm MAYbe
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002, co-production with Intermedia Films and National Geographic Feature Films) Great film, but See Red October above.
Galaxy Quest!!!! DAMN! {although do I really want it in Hi def?} but thats dreamworks so who knows what format that will end up on
The Ring Already have, but its creeptastic
and Popeye I've just bought
Star Treks I can wait on.
So thats a pretty unimpresive list IMO I can live without it, pretty poor though that I've found this so UN worrying. then again I bet that list (from the link) isnt exhaustive, but Im sure its counted the big hitters.
oops! forgot to mention Duck Soup, Monkey Business and the other Marx Bros. films, which are great, but having seen them onDVD I really wonder if they are worth more money on a more expensive format, they are in a terrible state and need a LOT of care and effort before gettign a release in ANY hi-def format. such a shame, as they are out and out classics that almost EVERYONE remembers from their childhood - no matter how old they are
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness...
While I realize that you've been one of the more down-to-earth Blu-Ray backers, I must still take issue with the general idea that Paramount is somehow being irrational with this decision.
It's fine to disagree with their position. But from what I've seen, they seem to have considered the thing from many business angles and then negotiated the best deal they could for their studio.
Here's their stated business rational for the change, from no less than their CTO. In addition to these reasons, there is the behind-the-scenes financial deal with the marketing incentives, plus the bonus that their successes will not end up subsidizing a rival studio. Seems like a good business plan to me.
As I have stated before I have considered my position, made my choice and picked my format {BD}, the Paramount news is a bit of a shock in face of the news a few days prior that BD has been outselling HD-DVD 2:1
After looking down that list though I've come to the realisation that this Paramount madness will effect me very little.
below is my pick through of films I had decided I might buy if the PQ reviews were good enough
Stalag 17 (1953) already have on DVD
The War of the Worlds (1953) quaint but DVD would do
Rear Window (1954, now owned by Universal) already own on DVD I might double dip but it's doubtful TBH unless the restoration goes beyond the current one.
Zulu (1964) (international distribution only, distributed in US by Embassy Pictures) A strong chance of me double dipping until Paramounts announcement.
The Godfather (1972){and sequels} Have on DVD, see no need to double dip.
The Untouchables (1987) Have on DVD unlikely to double dip.
The Hunt for Red October (1990) Difficult, its SOOO black I'd need LCDs to get better at black reproduction to see much improvement from the DVD IMO, which means a new set, and I don't like the film THAT much!
Event Horizon (1997) mm MAYbe
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002, co-production with Intermedia Films and National Geographic Feature Films) Great film, but See Red October above.
Galaxy Quest!!!! DAMN! {although do I really want it in Hi def?} but thats dreamworks so who knows what format that will end up on
The Ring Already have, but its creeptastic
and Popeye I've just bought
Star Treks I can wait on.
So thats a pretty unimpresive list IMO I can live without it, pretty poor though that I've found this so UN worrying. then again I bet that list (from the link) isnt exhaustive, but Im sure its counted the big hitters.
oops! forgot to mention Duck Soup, Monkey Business and the other Marx Bros. films, which are great, but having seen them onDVD I really wonder if they are worth more money on a more expensive format, they are in a terrible state and need a LOT of care and effort before gettign a release in ANY hi-def format. such a shame, as they are out and out classics that almost EVERYONE remembers from their childhood - no matter how old they are
Don't take much to bait PS3 crowds over to $199 or $149 holiday price HD-DVD player.....
Transformers!
The demographic of simple minds are easily influenced. Piece of cake....
Don't take much to bait PS3 crowds over to $199 or $149 holiday price HD-DVD player.....
Transformers!
The demographic of simple minds are easily influenced. Piece of cake....
You're an idiot.
You're an idiot.
wow.... you must be a genius. Most original reply I've ever seen. Keep it coming if it make you feel any better.
Don't take much to bait PS3 crowds over to $199 or $149 holiday price HD-DVD player.....
Transformers!
The demographic of simple minds are easily influenced. Piece of cake....
Would you FFS get some sense and stop using the "fanboy" insult.
I personally had a little interest in seeing Transformers, now (because of the paramount whoo-ha) that I know the director behind "Pearl Harbor" is behind "Transformers" I know its most likely a turd, thats just personal opinion.
PLEASE stop seeing disagreement where there isnt any, its getting old, and its all in your head.
wow.... you must be a genius. Most original reply I've ever seen. Keep it coming if it make you feel any better.
He does have a point. Did you even READ my post?
Of course we've had 3D being threatened since the 50s so don't hold your breath
What does that tell you about the commitment Fox has versus Paramount?
Ended up being a far longer list than I imagined which has shocked me.
A Clockwork Orange a Must have Double Dip for me
A Fistful of Dollars another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Alien vs. Predator another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Armageddon
Batman Begins Been waiting on this
Blade Runner: Ultimate Collector's Edition another Double Dip I already hav on DVD
The Bridge on the River Kwaianother Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Chronos looking forward to this
The Day After Tomorrowanother Double Dip I already hav on DVD
Deja Vu Already out, just havent got round to ordering it
Dune a maybe dependant on PQ reviews
Enter the Dragon another DD I already have on DVD (and VHS
Eyes Wide Shut another DD I already have on DVD
The Fifth Element (Remastered) been waiting on the Remaster
For a Few Dollars More another DD I already have on DVD
Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition another DD I already have on DVD
The Green Mile another DD I already have on DVD
Independence Day another DD I already have on DVD
Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut Glorious film I've been waiting on
The Last Samurai another DD I already have on DVD
Lawrence of Arabia CLASSIC must have DD I already have on DVD
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End another DD I already have on DVD
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black just waiting on a release
Planet of the Apes this film has grown on me so HD should make it grow more
Rambo: First Blood another DD I already have on DVD
Reservoir Dogs Hell yeah!
The Shining another DD I already have on DVD
Sin City another DD I already have on DVD
Sleepy Hollow MAYbe
Space Cowboys another DD I already have on DVD
Unforgiven Been holding out on this for SOO long but the PQ reviews haven't been stunning, so I can wait a while longer to see if they remaster
The Usual Suspects LOVE this film
2001: A Space Odyssey I've been waiting on this for SOO long on Hi Def another DD I already have on DVD
300 Just waiting on a release date for over here
I've left off stuff like the Rocky and Terminator movies until they are all out, say in a box set. I must say though, I'm much happier with that selection of movies than the list I made above from Paramount.
This whole thing is very VERY interesting. It's a pity we can't have one unified format yet, but we will get there soon enough I'm sure.
In the mean time I'm waiting on "Open Season" to arrive in the post
Linky
wow.... you must be a genius. Most original reply I've ever seen. Keep it coming if it make you feel any better.
You are a genius to come up with such a brilliant insult yourself. Try not to be a hypocrite. Insulting PS3 owners and Transformer fans is any better apparently.
What is the cheapest multi-format player available on the market today? Is it still $1k?
Guys, I know this war is almost religious, but come on. As someone said it is just a piece of plastic. Chill out, just talk about news related topics, no more casting stones.
HD plastic is serious business.
I personally had a little interest in seeing Transformers, now (because of the paramount whoo-ha) that I know the director behind "Pearl Harbor" is behind "Transformers" I know its most likely a turd, thats just personal opinion.
Actually Transformers was quite good. I share many of the films on your list (Like Zulu) so take that for whatever its worth.
Pearl Harbor was a turd though although the effects were fun.
Vinea
While I realize that you've been one of the more down-to-earth Blu-Ray backers, I must still take issue with the general idea that Paramount is somehow being irrational with this decision.
Sure its rational. They got paid to make the change. But some of the listed "reasons" is very weak.
Its better for the consumer NOT to support the leading platform? No.
Early adoptors assume that what they buy "early" gets replaced "early" as well. So the thing about the stability of the standard for that reason is weak at best. Especially with the timing now that new profile is about to become mandatory.
Also their methodology for interactivity is suspect. They implement on HDi first and then sometimes have trouble with BD-J? Mkay. Why not try the other way first?
And the whole "cost of a server" thing because the userbase size is bogus. They have servers now that support individual movie content like trailers, interviews and etc.
Meh. The only rationale they needed was "We got paid $150M...that's great money for 18 months commitment".
Yeah, that's me commenting on J6P.
But where's the problem? Are you suggesting that we should leave average consumer desires out of this conversation?
It would be a complete waste of time to speculate on the winner of this format war without considering J6P.
You missed the point entirely. We're saying what we want based on the media we support without paying attention to, to use your term, what J6P wants. Basically they want one format, players and discs no more expensive that SD-DVD is now. The biggest obstacle that HD formats have right now is overcoming the perception that SD-DVD is "good-enough" and contrary to what Bite is saying, for most J6Pers SD-DVD is good-enough and is priced right.
Actually Transformers was quite good. I share many of the films on your list (Like Zulu) so take that for whatever its worth.
Pearl Harbor was a turd though although the effects were fun.
Vinea
OK point taken
Pearl Harbour had Ben (talentless) Aflick in it, mm, Transformers DOESN'T have him in it, makes sense then that Transformers would be a better movie then
Right now over in AVS it seems more HD-DVD people are posting in the BD forum than BD people. It's kind of comical how seriously some people are taking the Paramount announcement.
From Walter's Paramount list, the only two titles I'd be interested in Buying are The Untouchables and The Hunt for Red October. I'm heading into Lynnwood tomorrow and will probably swing by BB and CC and pick up TU. It's too bad about THfRO as I was looking forward to buying it. Guess I'll keep watching it on LD,
From his BD list the only two I'll be buying are Blade Runner and Lawrence of Arabia. I also have the Fifth Element on order from Amazon-- took the free shipping so who knows when it'll turn up.
The Paramount announcement will have one additional effect for me, in the choice of a new receiver. My present receiver hasn't HDMI and I had pretty much settled on getting a Yamaha 861, which has 2 in, 1 out HDMI, in November. Now I'm thinking about the newly announced Yammy 1800, with 4 in, 1 out HDMI. It's beginning to look like one can't have too many HDMI inputs.
You missed the point entirely. We're saying what we want based on the media we support without paying attention to, to use your term, what J6P wants. Basically they want one format, players and discs no more expensive that SD-DVD is now. The biggest obstacle that HD formats have right now is overcoming the perception that SD-DVD is "good-enough" and contrary to what Bite is saying, for most J6Pers SD-DVD is good-enough and is priced right.
I'd be fairly well in agreement with most of the stuff you post
{this went on longer than I thought, I guess this sums up my thoughts over the last while}
I think if we look at SD-DVD and say it is "good enough" so then next gen will have difficulty, we need to look at the timing of SD-DVDs introduction, VHS was a universal standard, IT was "good enough" for J6P then.
What J6P saw in DVD was CD like access to the film, CD like "Never wears out" and they saw value, then they saw the PQ and went "I'll have one of those please its clearly better"
CRT TV sets had reached the pinnacle of PQ and size was up from a 20" 20 years ago standard, to a 28" then very quickly to 32" (at least here in the UK) sure there were bigger sets, that cost more, but offered only increased size at the cost of graininess.
For a 32" CRT set SD-DVD is pretty much the top of the tree in comparison to VHS.
Fast forward to now and LCD (which hasn't reached the maturity of CRT) is only just getting into the "acceptable enough" (compared to CRT) stage at the 32" size. Plasmas are seen as a rich indulgence because of many myths that have grown up around them (gas needing replaced etc.) mainly due to their initial high pricing, J6P hears these myths and will stick to CRT or look towards LCD, because the new computer screens have that, so they can be seen and used first hand, and due to the massive computer industry, are "cheap and getting cheaper"
Along comes a next gen optical disc format offering an improvement over SD-DVD, but "its good enough" plus "I don't want to HAVE to buy a new TV.. YET"
so the cash stays in the bank.
add the tiniest smite of doubt, due to a competing format.. well.
J6P MAY upgrade their TV to a 720 LCD set, but in what time scale?
HD TV is here NOW, but its wide spread acceptance won't be arrived at anytime soon, and along with that any Hi-def disc formats acceptance won't arrive any time soon, but it will take even longer if there is confusion due to a format war. All this compounded with DVDs maturity, in that its cheaper to maunfacture and the codecs have been tweeked since it first appeared. not to mention that players are ubiquitous and CHEAP!
This is why both sides would be delighted if there was one outright winner, be it Marz, Bite or Murch. some people might not admit it, but its still true one format makes sense, just like DVD made sense to J6P.
Until Paramounts announcment it looked like only a matter of waiting for Universal to at least go "universal" and then the public really did have the power to decide with their wallets which format would "win". Now however in the face of increasing evidence that one format was pulling ahead we have an injection of money to the "loosing" format, that at the very least seems to have some doubt around it, by the very fact that it was/is "loosing"
We all suffer with a protracted battle, as if it wasn't protracted enough already.
Either or neither of these formats, is what it looks like just now, which is slightly depressing.
It will be a long haul for Hi def sets to become the Norm in order to be able to play the hi def discs and tagging along behind them will be a next gen optical format (or two
SD-DVD already had a MASSIVE inbuilt user base ready and willing to say "yes please!" Either Hi-def format incur BIG costs for the price of entry as far as J6P is concerned, its a new TV set when the current one is perfectly ok, its a new player, when there is confusion over formats and its up against SD-DVD which "looks fine on my current set", and whos "players I already have"
J6P doesn't post here, and isn't as aware of the new formats (if at all) as any of us.
Give it 5 years though, those TVs will be (needing) replaced, leaving a bigger install base. Of course in 5 years the format war will have been resolved one way or another amoungst the early adopters and film buffs and people who invested in LD - with eiteher 2 dead formats, 1 winner or universal players being dirt cheap.
This all speaks nothing of M$ and download services, IPTV, Apple and iTunes movie rentals, who knows where they will be in 5 years time? could AppleTVs 720 be "good enough" for J6P?
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I don't see how an anti M$ stance can be seen as a bad thing on an Apple forum I really can't