Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD...Do we need to care???

[b_panther_g]

I was listening to Robert Heron, a tech guy, talk about the format war. He spoke to some hardware manufactures.

According to Robert, the people who make the players aren't too worried about the format war. He suggested that there are already prototypes for universal players that can play HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, DVD, CDs, and other formats. So this got me thinking...

If universal players are just around the corner, why should I care about which format succeeds. At that point, isn't the battle just between the giants? We, the consumers win either way, right? Am I missing something?

What do you guys (and gals – if there are any on this board) think?

Enjoy,
Panther

 

[korgoth]

sony and toshiba are in negotiations this week to try and stop a format war which would cost each company millions..

toshiba's hd-dvd will probobly be on the market for a while, if the negotiations dont reach a conclusion by the next 2 weeks, but they already admit that eventually soon, there will only be one media, and obviously they could never compete with sony's 50 gig disc, so blue ray wins..

and they already know it. with sony's ps3 coming out in blue ray that is another huge step for blue ray.. its going to take over extremely fast.

there is a chance that hd dvd will never even come out. sony says if they change it to where the specs are exactly the same as blue ray, then they can unify their media, and maybe make a new name.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I think we should care. A format war would delay the widespread availability of both formats by years. In the case of DVD, it's tussle with DIVX (remember that one?) delayed it's adoption by "the masses" by probably a year and a half til things got sorted out. Plus, while it's possible to create a "universal" machine that played both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, it's certainly not guarenteed that all machines will. Will you have to pay $500 more to get one that will? No one seems to know yet.

At any rate, I care because Blu-Ray is much more advanced. I simply don't want to have to buy some inferior HD-DVD products simply to get all the films I want. What if it went like this: Star Wars- BR, Raiders of the Lost Ark- HD, Casablanca- BR, ET- HD? Yeah, that'd be a lot of fun! Not to mention the arseholes will probably put each in a subtley different sized or shaped case that won't rack up properly with the other brand...

 

[nick_danger]

As far as I'm concerned, HD-DVD is already here in the form of WMV-HD. 720p and 1080p movies can fit on standard DVDs with no problem using the VC-9 codec. Hollywood should just embrace it and start producing titles en masse. The picture quality is outstanding! I have some Star Wars Episode II footage in high-def and it looks killer! Makes my DVD look like VHS. They have tons of new movies filmed in HD and even more remastered in HD just waiting for an HD debut... JUST DO IT ALREADY!

Besides, Hollywood would save a fortune not having to buy all new DVD technology and media... the bottom line is the bottom line for Hollywood...

 

[b_panther_g]

Hello Rob,

You wrote...
“At any rate, I care because Blu-Ray is much more advanced...”

I seen several people write this. I'd like to know...

Why is Blu-Ray so much more advanced?

Besides having more storage, I'd didn't think that there was much difference between the two, except typical proprietary SONY stuff.

Any additional info or articles would be helpful.

Thanks and enjoy,
Panther

 

[b_panther_g]

Hello Nick_D,

I agree that Hollywood could start making their movies available in HD right now. But they won't do it on regular DVDs. Why?

Copyright issues - DVD are too easy to RIP and download. The HD media is supposed to be more secure.

Everyone admits that there is no such thing as a foolproof copyright system. But DVDs have already been compromised. Plus more and more people are getting broadband Internet.

So, for about 2 hrs of your time, you can simply download your favorite DVDs the day it's released in the stores. In many cases, that's less time, hassle, and expense than going to the store and buying the DVD.

I think execs in Hollywood are betting that, among other things, the huge storage capacity of the new HD DVD media will deter people from downloading. Who's going to wait all day to download a movie, right? (Personally I think they are either NUTS or STUPID).

So you're right that we could have movies in HD right now. But no one is going to release them on regular DVDs. They think that it's just too risky. (I disagree with them BTW)

I hope this makes sense and doesn't come across as rambling – LOL .

Enjoy,
Panther

 

[nick_danger]

I don't believe copyright issues have a single thing to do with it. Technologically speaking, everyone knows that copyright protection is a waste of time and resources because it will be cracked within days and the flow of online media sharing will continue unabated. The only thing the studios care about is money, pure and simple. They'll offer HD-DVD when they can get the most profit from it. DVD is still hotter than Hell on the sales shelf and HDTVs still have a lot of ground to cover to displace SDTVs. For us, we're ready for HD-DVD, but the standard hasn't been decided yet, and there aren't enough people to buy it.

As far as BRD vs HDDVD goes, BRD has advantages both in storage capacity and read/write speeds, but like I stated earlier, T2: Extreme Edition along with other WMV-HD DVDs proves that a 2+hour, 1080p, 24fps film with surround sound can fit on a standard DVD. There is really no reason to move to another medium. Granted, a much larger storage capacity would allow for lower video compression... but damned if I could tell the difference.

 

[HookedOnSound]

I agree with Rob Babcock,

we should all care about having as few formats as possible.

This fragments the market (multiple formats for ent. media content distribution), which does nothing to lower media prices into a common place commodity. Not to mention all those formats usually result in license costs that are passed down to the consumer which will keep prices higher than necessary on media/media players...

Imho, mfg's are still short sighted, all they care about is their own sales objectives. The longer they disagree on providing a good alternative to replace cd/dvd's as a solution for the next 15-25 yrs, the longer CD/DVD standard will linger...

 

[korgoth]

how can you say there is no need to upgrade?

there is always a need.. fitting more space on the discs we have now might be cool compared to what we have now.. but why not skip that step and go one better..

also there is much more potential on the blue ray discs..

ive heard blue ray is capable of 8 layers with 200 gigs? hd only at 100-150 or so.. im just tryin to remember numbers so dont quote me.. but it was somethin huge.

if we upgrade now, i dont think well have to do it again for a while... this disc should last us at least 10 years, maybe more since it has the potential to fit more. it all depends on your personal preference i guess, but i would like to get the best quality available as soon as possible.

 

[LDanix]

how can you say there is no need to upgrade?

there is always a need.. fitting more space on the discs we have now might be cool compared to what we have now.. but why not skip that step and go one better..

also there is much more potential on the blue ray discs..

ive heard blue ray is capable of 8 layers with 200 gigs? hd only at 100-150 or so.. im just tryin to remember numbers so dont quote me.. but it was somethin huge.

if we upgrade now, i dont think well have to do it again for a while... this disc should last us at least 10 years, maybe more since it has the potential to fit more. it all depends on your personal preference i guess, but i would like to get the best quality available as soon as possible.

I agree. However, I will add that using either format should last much longer than 10 years. By the time there is a need for more space on these discs, video codecs/formats such as WM9 and Divx will be more known and better developed. Once the max limit is hit with current 1080p, 7.1 audio technology; there will be a need for a new format. I know there is already developement on ultra-violet laser based discs, but if a compression codec/format is already familiar in every home (not just the file sharers'), it would be easier to add the compatibility to current hardware; a firmware upgrade should do the trick and all the major effort to upgrade hardware is the consumers' responsibility. All that the studios have to do is sell discs that have the new codec/format.

 

[LDanix]

...T2: Extreme Edition along with other WMV-HD DVDs proves that a 2+hour, 1080p, 24fps film with surround sound can fit on a standard DVD. There is really no reason to move to another medium. Granted, a much larger storage capacity would allow for lower video compression... but damned if I could tell the difference.

That is all well and good, but how about the extras that come on the standard DVDs- deleted scenes, alternate endings, outtakes, director comentary, DTS and DD, multiple languages. By the time you added all these back to the WMV-HD DVD, it would overflow.

The WMV-HD DVDs are a great idea for people who are only interested in watching the movie in English with 5.1 channel sound. But consumers have come to expect those extra features on their video discs now. 6.1 discrete channels of sound are starting showing up more and more (DTS ES), and more discrete channels might be around the corner (PCs already support up to 8.1). What if Hollywood decideds to increase the frame rate of movies to create smoother movement in action-packed scenes? There are many DVD collections (TV shows mainly) that several discs to hold the content. With a higher capacity medium the number of discs could easily be cut to one per collection or one per two or three collections.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD will provide the extra potential for everything listed here to be realized at the same time, on one disc. I think that there is definately an advantage to changing mediums.