I too remember watching the DVD section overtake the VHS section at the movie rental store. Every few months or so, one wall section would switch to DVD. At blockbuster, I remember the day that the outer/new-release wall went all DVD. It really felt like the future.
With HD-DVD out of the picture, I suspect we'll see a lot more discussion of LaserDisk and how much of it's history might be analogous to Blu-ray. The fundamental question is, will Blu-ray replace DVD as DVD replaced VHS? Or will Blu-ray go the LaserDisk route?
For the next few months, or perhaps even years, forums like these are going to be sprouting LaserDisk/Blu-ray analogies like they're going out of style.
But then how will Marzetta and Walter remind us how awesome Blu-Ray is six times a day? \
So why have prices of Blu-Ray players gone up $100 or more since Warner's announcement in January?
Where? Because I think that is a question to the retailers (as they're probably trying to increase their spread or cut), and not to the Blu-ray manufacturers per se. For instance, the Samsung BDP1400 was $299 before the Warner announcement and now can be had for $289 brand new.
...it just entirely depends on where you look. Moreover, you'll always find that deals aren't as plentiful after the holiday, so is the life of sales, but make no mistake, competition IS still here even with one unified format, and prices will continue to be driven down.
Where? Because I think that is a question to the retailers (as they're probably trying to increase their spread or cut), and not to the Blu-ray manufacturers per se. For instance, the Samsung BDP1400 was $299 before the Warner announcement and now can be had for $289 brand new.
...it just entirely depends on where you look. Moreover, you'll always find that deals aren't as plentiful after the holiday, so is the life of sales, but make no mistake, competition IS still here even with one unified format, and prices will continue to be driven down.
Amazon was selling the Samsung BDP1400 for as low as $260 before the Warner announcement, and now it's $358. The only player under $300 I found on your list (admittedly I didn't look long) was a refurbished Samsung 1400, and an-older-than-dirt Samsung 1000 (also refurbished).
Thanks for posting links to articles! (I really do appreciate them... saves the trouble of googling if you're on the ball. )
But I've got to comment on the "sour grapes" meme that I see trying to gain a foothold. The phrase seems to be getting bandied around quite a bit recently. But I've yet to see a significant number of HD-DVD supporters fit that description.
The article in question certainly doesn't exhibit the sour grapes phenomenon. It advises people to wait for a price drop, which is anything but sour grapes. They're not claiming that HD is undesirable. Just that it makes more sense at a lower price point, which has always been a harping point for the HD-DVD camp.
It isn't like HD-DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore.
Definitely not "sour grapes".
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
Amazon was selling the Samsung BDP1400 for as low as $260 before the Warner announcement, and now it's $358. The only player under $300 I found on your list (admittedly I didn't look long) was a refurbished Samsung 1400, and an-older-than-dirt Samsung 1000 (also refurbished).
First link is a brand new Samsund BDP1400. If you have complaints, I'd ask your beloved Amazon, and not blame the Blu-ray manufacturers.
Also, if competition is gone, why are there still tons of sales on Blu-ray disc movies to be had?
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
That's a mighty broad brush you've got there.
There isn't a common psychosis for supporters on either side. Outside of these ridiculous forum flame-fests, people bought into one or the other based upon the merits they felt were most important.
The portion of the article you disagree with is nothing like "sour grapes". It simply suggests that the death of a competing format may mean less price competition. And that blu-ray is currently fairly expensive for most consumers so waiting might make sense. Seems like a rational assertion that is quite debatable without resorting to name calling.
Why assume that the author engages in this fanboy nonsense? Almost everyone in the real world is evaluating these things on merit, not on emotional attachment.
Please don't paint everyone with that fanboy brush. It is much too broad.
Huh? Why is that? Don't publishers and electronics manufacturers still make a margin on their SD hardware and media? Yes of course they do, though probably not as large as with blu-ray. And just because you are ready for a 1080p world doesn't mean everyone else needs to be.
I was thinking more in the near future than now. You don't have to be all set up for 1080p to need a higher capacity disc media. Home HD video editors are all waiting for them as is everyone looking to back up those huge iTunes files that would span several hundred DVD-R's.
DVD's not going anywhere for a while, but it will gradually become less and less practical as storage needs grow and HD-TV sales expand.
There isn't a common psychosis for supporters on either side. Outside of these ridiculous forum flame-fests, people bought into one or the other based upon the merits they felt were most important.
The portion of the article you disagree with is nothing like "sour grapes". It simply suggests that the death of a competing format may mean less price competition. And that blu-ray is currently fairly expensive for most consumers so waiting might make sense. Seems like a rational assertion that is quite debatable without resorting to name calling.
Why assume that the author engages in this fanboy nonsense? Almost everyone in the real world is evaluating these things on merit, not on emotional attachment.
Please don't paint everyone with that fanboy brush. It is much too broad.
I see, so what you are attempting to assert here is that my interpretation of his last statement is wrong, and your interpretation is right. Well, I would think you had something there if the author simply left off the last sentence. That's it...his last statement was editorializing at its best--that is, interjecting his own personal opinion in a piece that was simply news. I thought his last statement wan't needed, as the basis of it has no merit, especially considering that we have yet to see how pricing for Blu-ray players will pan out over the given months. In general, given the way in which the author of the piece conveyed his last statement, I thought it was less than objective.
Moreover, who's name calling? Where did I ever call the author or you a name? Hmmm? Seems you have a broad brush yourself there chief. Ya need a cranberry juice or something?
Furthermore, I'm not assuming anything about the author--that he "engages in this fanboy nonsense." All I stated was that...
Quote:
Although the article had a bit of HD DVD slant/sour grapes at the end (as prices will come down as competiton between Blu-ray companies is still thriving), I think this is the right move for Toshiba.
...so would it have helped you if I trailed this with IMO so that you didn't get your panties all in a wad over pretty much nothing. Does "sour grapes" have a nasty connotation that I'm not aware of up in Pittsburgh, PA? Or is it something readily present given your baseball team situation up there? ---I kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid. But really, the Pirates suck. On a serious note, I empathize with you...I'd be pissed too if the current Home Run king skipped out of town and left nothing but a barren hole of a team.
So back to the topic...why do you have a problem with my interpretation? Not sure,...something abstract about a broad brush and fanboys. I'm simply giving you my opinion on why I thought the piece had a somewhat HD DVD slant given the last statement in the article. I fail to see where this involves brushes, fanboys, and emotional attachment. It's just an opinion, nothing more.
Blu-ray is no longer a question, it is the answer. The high-definition format war is suddenly over. Blu-ray won.
So did the public, the tech-savvy consumers frustrated with having to choose sides as the battle raged.
?If there ever was a battle,? Eisuke Tsuyuzaki tells Sun Media with a touch of sarcasm.
Tsuyuzaki is vice-president of corporate development for Panasonic and general manager of its Blu-ray Group. Panasonic is part of a winning consortium of companies manufacturing Blu-ray machines.
Toshiba was the sole manufacturer of the incompatible HD DVD machines and, yesterday, the company gave up and surrendered. Toshiba had no choice, especially after North American retailers started siding exclusively with Blu-ray ? the machines and movies ? in recent weeks, announcing plans to stop stocking the rival format.
Critically, only two of the major Hollywood studios ? Universal plus Paramount and its DreamWorks division ? have been releasing exclusively in HD DVD. Both studios are doomed in the high-def business if they do not capitulate and quickly switch. Both are expected to do so, although both studios refused to comment to Sun Media this week.
Warner Bros., which also supported both formats, announced in January it was dumping HD DVD and going Blu-ray exclusive by May.
?From anyone?s point of view,? says Tsuyuzaki, ?doing both, sitting on the fence, doesn?t really mean anything. So, if we are serious about not playing politics, if we are serious about developing the market, then it is Blu-ray.
?High definition is here to stay. It?s like when black-and-white went to colour and when VHS went to DVD. It is inevitable. We?ve been saying for the past seven years, if you want an elegant solution, Blu-ray completes high definition.?
Industry insiders expect that Blu-ray will go mainstream by Christmas.
Blu-ray had been outselling HD DVD by a two-to-one margin throughout 2007.
But the market was still weak. Only early adopters ? the tech junkies ? were involved.
?Early adopters, by nature, want the latest and the greatest,? says Tsuyuzaki. They voted with their purchases and Blu-ray lurched ahead, despite a faltering start when both formats went public in mid-2006.
In November, Paramount/DreamWorks made an astounding decision.
Like Warners, it had been releasing titles in both formats. Then it partnered with Toshiba and sided exclusively with HD DVD. The bizarre factor is that, even with Paramount?s own titles, Blu-ray outsold HD DVD by two-to-one.
The Paramount play was irrelevant, however. The Warners decision had far more impact, says Tsuyuzaki. It is a numbers game. Paramount/DreamWorks has four percent of the $30-billion home entertainment market, he says. Warners commands 25 to 30 percent. ?So it?s a much bigger impact.?
Like other Blu-ray backers, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has been watching the market closely. Lori MacPherson, general manager for North America, tells Sun Media that the two-to-one sales figures in favour of Blu-ray quickly accelerated in January and February.
?After the Warner Bros. announcement, that shifted pretty radically to five-to-one one week, six-to-one the next week, and eight-to-one the next.
So it has really given consumers that added level of confidence to go ahead and make their purchase and feel that, by investing in Blu-ray, they know the titles they want will be available.
?And it is a fantastic home entertainment choice. We did a lot of research on all the options early on and, right from the get-go, we staunchly believed that Blu-ray was the best consumer format. So that?s where we put our support from the beginning and we haven?t wavered.?
Blu-ray and HD DVD were both in serious development since 2000. Repeated attempts to get studios, machine manufacturers, video game creators and computer companies to agree on a single high-def format failed. It was a new millennium version of the video war between VHS and Beta.
Both new DVD formats use blue-violet lasers. But the formats are incompatible. Blu-ray backers argue their format is superior because it holds more information and provides sharper images and better sound. HD DVD backers argued that their format was cheaper to manufacture and more stable.
But mainstream consumers made it clear they needed one choice before they would buy high-definition DVD players for their new HDTVs.
Content and clarity will be the key for Blu-ray to go mainstream, MacPherson says.
?It?s hard for it to be consumer-friendly on a piece of paper,? she says.
But, once people see Blu-ray in action, ?then a consumer sees the benefits right away.?
Although this article has a bit of a Blu-ray slant / ripe grapes through it, I think most of the comments are spot on. <duck and cover due to "ripe grapes" comment>
Well I posted my thoughts on the whole thing over at AICN ( as they're talking about this also ) and since I don't want to repeat the whole thing I'll post it here as well.
The thing about this is I don't think anyone on either side has anticipated the bad taste left in the mouth of the consumer by this format war.
The winner of this format war wasn't decided by the consumer. It was decided by the greed of the manufacturing companies. If any of you doubt this read all the replies here saying they're going to stay with DVD. About Downloading no one here has yet to tell me how they're going to get this past the movie studios. And yes we're talking about owning the movie not renting. And once again there's the lost portability of just renting. Come people no one will go for this as the main and only way they watch movies. I understand that some people just rent but they're in the minority.
Plus there's the traffic problem on the internet this would cause. Even if they expand the data pipeline it'll still be unmanagable for a long time. And yes you can compress but as many here of said with the current compression technologies it downgrades the picture quality.
As far as HD not being in our future and upscaling looking as good as real HD well that's not the truth. Period. Upscaling looks better but doesn't begin to have the detail that HD does pure and simple. And if anyone tells you anything different....well as they say in the Movie " The Princess Bride " " They're selling something ".
So here we are with only BluRay. I hope it does succeed! But there's really no certainty of this. And I don't think the war helped at all. It's just more of the same mess we've had converting to HD. Truth be known if there weren't so many fingers in the pie we could have started having HD for broadcast 10 years ago. But no one was ready and everyone wanted to make sure they got their cut.
I can't wait for this all to shake out because HD truly produces a beautiful picture.
Overwhelming support from all the relevant industries, including Hollywood studios, consumer electronics and IT companies, retailers and video rental stores, is clear proof that consumers have chosen Blu-ray as the next-generation optical disc format.
Ah for Christ Sake. Sony, the fanboy king until the end. Link
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
Well there is the fact that after the Warner announcement their least expensive player went up 50 bucks. Even as some have said this was a new player that's the wrong direction if they want this format to catch on over the current mainstream DVD.
Uh, didn't they choose by buying the players and media? Thought so. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
It's called they should have released their titles on both equally instead of playing favorites with the consumer as cannon fodder.
If that had happened we ( Star Trek fans ) wouldn't be sitting here wondering when Season 2 of Star Trek Remastered is going to available and in what form.
It was scheduled for March 25th before Toshiba pulled the plug. This title should be a poster child for what was wrong in this format war.
Less than a day after Toshiba's announcement Wired already a detailed walkthrough of transferring your HD-DVDs to a DRM-free digital format and then on to Blu-ray, if you so choose.
Comments
I too remember watching the DVD section overtake the VHS section at the movie rental store. Every few months or so, one wall section would switch to DVD. At blockbuster, I remember the day that the outer/new-release wall went all DVD. It really felt like the future.
With HD-DVD out of the picture, I suspect we'll see a lot more discussion of LaserDisk and how much of it's history might be analogous to Blu-ray. The fundamental question is, will Blu-ray replace DVD as DVD replaced VHS? Or will Blu-ray go the LaserDisk route?
For the next few months, or perhaps even years, forums like these are going to be sprouting LaserDisk/Blu-ray analogies like they're going out of style.
But then how will Marzetta and Walter remind us how awesome Blu-Ray is six times a day?
So why have prices of Blu-Ray players gone up $100 or more since Warner's announcement in January?
Where? Because I think that is a question to the retailers (as they're probably trying to increase their spread or cut), and not to the Blu-ray manufacturers per se. For instance, the Samsung BDP1400 was $299 before the Warner announcement and now can be had for $289 brand new.
http://www.fotoconnection.com/p72711...c-version.html
...and there are a number of Blu-ray players that can be had below $299...
http://www.nextag.com/serv/main/buye...aid=1294951142
...it just entirely depends on where you look. Moreover, you'll always find that deals aren't as plentiful after the holiday, so is the life of sales, but make no mistake, competition IS still here even with one unified format, and prices will continue to be driven down.
Where? Because I think that is a question to the retailers (as they're probably trying to increase their spread or cut), and not to the Blu-ray manufacturers per se. For instance, the Samsung BDP1400 was $299 before the Warner announcement and now can be had for $289 brand new.
http://www.fotoconnection.com/p72711...c-version.html
...and there are a number of Blu-ray players that can be had below $299...
http://www.nextag.com/serv/main/buye...aid=1294951142
...it just entirely depends on where you look. Moreover, you'll always find that deals aren't as plentiful after the holiday, so is the life of sales, but make no mistake, competition IS still here even with one unified format, and prices will continue to be driven down.
Amazon was selling the Samsung BDP1400 for as low as $260 before the Warner announcement, and now it's $358. The only player under $300 I found on your list (admittedly I didn't look long) was a refurbished Samsung 1400, and an-older-than-dirt Samsung 1000 (also refurbished).
Thanks for posting links to articles! (I really do appreciate them... saves the trouble of googling if you're on the ball.
But I've got to comment on the "sour grapes" meme that I see trying to gain a foothold. The phrase seems to be getting bandied around quite a bit recently. But I've yet to see a significant number of HD-DVD supporters fit that description.
The article in question certainly doesn't exhibit the sour grapes phenomenon. It advises people to wait for a price drop, which is anything but sour grapes. They're not claiming that HD is undesirable. Just that it makes more sense at a lower price point, which has always been a harping point for the HD-DVD camp.
It isn't like HD-DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore.
Definitely not "sour grapes".
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
Amazon was selling the Samsung BDP1400 for as low as $260 before the Warner announcement, and now it's $358. The only player under $300 I found on your list (admittedly I didn't look long) was a refurbished Samsung 1400, and an-older-than-dirt Samsung 1000 (also refurbished).
First link is a brand new Samsund BDP1400. If you have complaints, I'd ask your beloved Amazon, and not blame the Blu-ray manufacturers.
Also, if competition is gone, why are there still tons of sales on Blu-ray disc movies to be had?
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
That's a mighty broad brush you've got there.
There isn't a common psychosis for supporters on either side. Outside of these ridiculous forum flame-fests, people bought into one or the other based upon the merits they felt were most important.
The portion of the article you disagree with is nothing like "sour grapes". It simply suggests that the death of a competing format may mean less price competition. And that blu-ray is currently fairly expensive for most consumers so waiting might make sense. Seems like a rational assertion that is quite debatable without resorting to name calling.
Why assume that the author engages in this fanboy nonsense? Almost everyone in the real world is evaluating these things on merit, not on emotional attachment.
Please don't paint everyone with that fanboy brush. It is much too broad.
Note: I do not claim that my method is as precise as cracking open the box or SSHing in to extrapolate the exact data for video and audio.
And this is how I got my numbers :-)
SSH in, SCP file to Mac, load into iTunes, get info on file.
Huh? Why is that? Don't publishers and electronics manufacturers still make a margin on their SD hardware and media? Yes of course they do, though probably not as large as with blu-ray. And just because you are ready for a 1080p world doesn't mean everyone else needs to be.
I was thinking more in the near future than now. You don't have to be all set up for 1080p to need a higher capacity disc media. Home HD video editors are all waiting for them as is everyone looking to back up those huge iTunes files that would span several hundred DVD-R's.
DVD's not going anywhere for a while, but it will gradually become less and less practical as storage needs grow and HD-TV sales expand.
That's a mighty broad brush you've got there.
There isn't a common psychosis for supporters on either side. Outside of these ridiculous forum flame-fests, people bought into one or the other based upon the merits they felt were most important.
The portion of the article you disagree with is nothing like "sour grapes". It simply suggests that the death of a competing format may mean less price competition. And that blu-ray is currently fairly expensive for most consumers so waiting might make sense. Seems like a rational assertion that is quite debatable without resorting to name calling.
Why assume that the author engages in this fanboy nonsense? Almost everyone in the real world is evaluating these things on merit, not on emotional attachment.
Please don't paint everyone with that fanboy brush. It is much too broad.
I see, so what you are attempting to assert here is that my interpretation of his last statement is wrong, and your interpretation is right. Well, I would think you had something there if the author simply left off the last sentence. That's it...his last statement was editorializing at its best--that is, interjecting his own personal opinion in a piece that was simply news. I thought his last statement wan't needed, as the basis of it has no merit, especially considering that we have yet to see how pricing for Blu-ray players will pan out over the given months. In general, given the way in which the author of the piece conveyed his last statement, I thought it was less than objective.
Moreover, who's name calling? Where did I ever call the author or you a name? Hmmm? Seems you have a broad brush yourself there chief. Ya need a cranberry juice or something?
Furthermore, I'm not assuming anything about the author--that he "engages in this fanboy nonsense." All I stated was that...
Although the article had a bit of HD DVD slant/sour grapes at the end (as prices will come down as competiton between Blu-ray companies is still thriving), I think this is the right move for Toshiba.
...so would it have helped you if I trailed this with IMO so that you didn't get your panties all in a wad over pretty much nothing. Does "sour grapes" have a nasty connotation that I'm not aware of up in Pittsburgh, PA? Or is it something readily present given your baseball team situation up there? ---I kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid. But really, the Pirates suck.
So back to the topic...why do you have a problem with my interpretation? Not sure,...something abstract about a broad brush and fanboys. I'm simply giving you my opinion on why I thought the piece had a somewhat HD DVD slant given the last statement in the article. I fail to see where this involves brushes, fanboys, and emotional attachment. It's just an opinion, nothing more.
Blu-ray is here to stay
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Lifestyle...9/4859507.html
Blu-ray is no longer a question, it is the answer. The high-definition format war is suddenly over. Blu-ray won.
So did the public, the tech-savvy consumers frustrated with having to choose sides as the battle raged.
?If there ever was a battle,? Eisuke Tsuyuzaki tells Sun Media with a touch of sarcasm.
Tsuyuzaki is vice-president of corporate development for Panasonic and general manager of its Blu-ray Group. Panasonic is part of a winning consortium of companies manufacturing Blu-ray machines.
Toshiba was the sole manufacturer of the incompatible HD DVD machines and, yesterday, the company gave up and surrendered. Toshiba had no choice, especially after North American retailers started siding exclusively with Blu-ray ? the machines and movies ? in recent weeks, announcing plans to stop stocking the rival format.
Critically, only two of the major Hollywood studios ? Universal plus Paramount and its DreamWorks division ? have been releasing exclusively in HD DVD. Both studios are doomed in the high-def business if they do not capitulate and quickly switch. Both are expected to do so, although both studios refused to comment to Sun Media this week.
Warner Bros., which also supported both formats, announced in January it was dumping HD DVD and going Blu-ray exclusive by May.
?From anyone?s point of view,? says Tsuyuzaki, ?doing both, sitting on the fence, doesn?t really mean anything. So, if we are serious about not playing politics, if we are serious about developing the market, then it is Blu-ray.
?High definition is here to stay. It?s like when black-and-white went to colour and when VHS went to DVD. It is inevitable. We?ve been saying for the past seven years, if you want an elegant solution, Blu-ray completes high definition.?
Industry insiders expect that Blu-ray will go mainstream by Christmas.
Blu-ray had been outselling HD DVD by a two-to-one margin throughout 2007.
But the market was still weak. Only early adopters ? the tech junkies ? were involved.
?Early adopters, by nature, want the latest and the greatest,? says Tsuyuzaki. They voted with their purchases and Blu-ray lurched ahead, despite a faltering start when both formats went public in mid-2006.
In November, Paramount/DreamWorks made an astounding decision.
Like Warners, it had been releasing titles in both formats. Then it partnered with Toshiba and sided exclusively with HD DVD. The bizarre factor is that, even with Paramount?s own titles, Blu-ray outsold HD DVD by two-to-one.
The Paramount play was irrelevant, however. The Warners decision had far more impact, says Tsuyuzaki. It is a numbers game. Paramount/DreamWorks has four percent of the $30-billion home entertainment market, he says. Warners commands 25 to 30 percent. ?So it?s a much bigger impact.?
Like other Blu-ray backers, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has been watching the market closely. Lori MacPherson, general manager for North America, tells Sun Media that the two-to-one sales figures in favour of Blu-ray quickly accelerated in January and February.
?After the Warner Bros. announcement, that shifted pretty radically to five-to-one one week, six-to-one the next week, and eight-to-one the next.
So it has really given consumers that added level of confidence to go ahead and make their purchase and feel that, by investing in Blu-ray, they know the titles they want will be available.
?And it is a fantastic home entertainment choice. We did a lot of research on all the options early on and, right from the get-go, we staunchly believed that Blu-ray was the best consumer format. So that?s where we put our support from the beginning and we haven?t wavered.?
Blu-ray and HD DVD were both in serious development since 2000. Repeated attempts to get studios, machine manufacturers, video game creators and computer companies to agree on a single high-def format failed. It was a new millennium version of the video war between VHS and Beta.
Both new DVD formats use blue-violet lasers. But the formats are incompatible. Blu-ray backers argue their format is superior because it holds more information and provides sharper images and better sound. HD DVD backers argued that their format was cheaper to manufacture and more stable.
But mainstream consumers made it clear they needed one choice before they would buy high-definition DVD players for their new HDTVs.
Content and clarity will be the key for Blu-ray to go mainstream, MacPherson says.
?It?s hard for it to be consumer-friendly on a piece of paper,? she says.
But, once people see Blu-ray in action, ?then a consumer sees the benefits right away.?
Although this article has a bit of a Blu-ray slant / ripe grapes through it, I think most of the comments are spot on. <duck and cover due to "ripe grapes" comment>
Perhaps the new thread should be Blu-ray Macs? (2008)
The thing about this is I don't think anyone on either side has anticipated the bad taste left in the mouth of the consumer by this format war.
The winner of this format war wasn't decided by the consumer. It was decided by the greed of the manufacturing companies. If any of you doubt this read all the replies here saying they're going to stay with DVD. About Downloading no one here has yet to tell me how they're going to get this past the movie studios. And yes we're talking about owning the movie not renting. And once again there's the lost portability of just renting. Come people no one will go for this as the main and only way they watch movies. I understand that some people just rent but they're in the minority.
Plus there's the traffic problem on the internet this would cause. Even if they expand the data pipeline it'll still be unmanagable for a long time. And yes you can compress but as many here of said with the current compression technologies it downgrades the picture quality.
As far as HD not being in our future and upscaling looking as good as real HD well that's not the truth. Period. Upscaling looks better but doesn't begin to have the detail that HD does pure and simple. And if anyone tells you anything different....well as they say in the Movie " The Princess Bride " " They're selling something ".
So here we are with only BluRay. I hope it does succeed! But there's really no certainty of this. And I don't think the war helped at all. It's just more of the same mess we've had converting to HD. Truth be known if there weren't so many fingers in the pie we could have started having HD for broadcast 10 years ago. But no one was ready and everyone wanted to make sure they got their cut.
I can't wait for this all to shake out because HD truly produces a beautiful picture.
We'll see what happens.
Overwhelming support from all the relevant industries, including Hollywood studios, consumer electronics and IT companies, retailers and video rental stores, is clear proof that consumers have chosen Blu-ray as the next-generation optical disc format.
Ah for Christ Sake.
So now it's got to be within days, or weeks that Paramount, and Universal will announce they will soon be selling BR DVD's. Right?
Universal already did. No official word from Paramount yet.
I commented on that because I was referring to the editorializing statement at the end...
"Of course, with the exit of Blu-ray's major competition, those prices may fall later rather than sooner."
I simply disagree and find it to be a hint of sour grapes as competition still exists between Blu-ray backers for the consumer's almighty buck. You'll see this competition intensify as we draw closer to the holidays, with or without HD DVD. I just find it ridiculous that now that we have one unified format the HD DVD faithful are already harping on price for Blu-ray, when 3-6 months ago, HD DVD was at the same price. Is six months really that long in the grand scheme of things? And I find it intersting as well that the "magical price point" for the HD DVD faithful, is just that...magical...as it seems to be decreasing every time Blu-ray players reach a new low price point.
An no, it certainly isn't like HD DVD people are now saying that they don't want HD anymore, they are just finding everything under the sun to grasp onto that attempts to marginalize Blu-ray's superiority and victory whether it be complaining about profiles, price, posturing on how it is small in comparison to DVD, that downloads are the way to go now, or how competition is supposedly no longer here, or my favorite, that somehow a prolonged format war would be a good thing for consumers and high-def in general.
Well there is the fact that after the Warner announcement their least expensive player went up 50 bucks. Even as some have said this was a new player that's the wrong direction if they want this format to catch on over the current mainstream DVD.
Ah for Christ Sake.
Uh, didn't they choose by buying the players and media? Thought so. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
Uh, didn't they choose by buying the players and media? Thought so. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
It's called they should have released their titles on both equally instead of playing favorites with the consumer as cannon fodder.
If that had happened we ( Star Trek fans ) wouldn't be sitting here wondering when Season 2 of Star Trek Remastered is going to available and in what form.
It was scheduled for March 25th before Toshiba pulled the plug. This title should be a poster child for what was wrong in this format war.
http://formatwarcentral.com/index.ph...d-not-delayed/
Universal already did. No official word from Paramount yet.
Wow, It happened today.