Integra enters the HD DVD fray

[bigbangtheory]

Some of us - especially those who attended CEDIA - already know about this, and it may have already been mentioned somewhere on the forums, but for those who aren't already cognizant of it, Integra will offer a high-end HD DVD player by the end of the year. Here's the official press release. While pricey, considering some HD DVDs can be had for roughly the price of standard DVD players, this unit will have some nice features - Burr Brown DACs, Reon processor - which many other HD DVDs don't (currently) seem to offer.

EDIT: Makes me wonder what Oppo has up its sleeve for xmas this year!

 

[j_garcia]

It may not have been mentioned directly, but there was a thread about Onkyo going HD-DVD, so it is a given.

 

[frostbyte]

That's too bad they have picked the wrong product to back. Poor them.

 

[patnshan]

That's too bad they have picked the wrong product to back. Poor them.

You mean they should have picked the one with players that are twice the cost and offer no real benefit over their bretheren? The one that is an all new format that has no real standard? The one championed by the champions of the root kit and memory stick? Oh, that one.

Pat

 

[frostbyte]

No. Not that one. I mean the one who was the designer of high definition format disks. That started it all. Not the copy cat who puts out a crappy product with a cheap price point to try and win before they are ready to compete. That one.

Blu-Ray was out long before HD-DVD was thought of. When they found out about it, they tried to come up with the same basic thing that they could call their own offering no advantage or benefit other than possibly cheaper.

If HD-DVD wins, I'll just stick with DVD's. It blows.

 

[j_garcia]

I think he means the one that the companies actually make their own players, not the one where Toshiba says "put your name on this for us".

 

[frostbyte]

There's strong feelings obviously by each group....but the Blu-Ray group has been around longer. ^_^ I read about it at least 10 years ago as upcoming technology. Way before I remember hearing about HD-DVD.

Do you realize, if HD-DVD hadn't stuck their nose into it, we would all just be happy with blu-ray and likely not have a format war and blockbuster and such wouldn't have to hold off renting such products to see who wins the war....

 

[jonnythan]

Blu-Ray was out long before HD-DVD was thought of.

I read about it at least 10 years ago as upcoming technology. Way before I remember hearing about HD-DVD.

10 years ago? 10 years ago, DVD players were still hundreds of dollars at the low end. Most of us still had VCRs.

The first DVD player wasn't released until 1996.

I think you're making this stuff up as you go.

 

[j_garcia]

No he isn't. Blue laser technology has been around for at least that long, just not in a consumer product.

 

[jonnythan]

"Blue laser technology" doesn't mean "Blu-ray."

Blu-ray and HD DVD both use blue lasers. Blu-ray didn't exist before HD DVD was thought of.

 

[frostbyte]

Before I got married, I worked at an electronics store. All we had to do when no customers were in was to research fun upcoming technology. That was 10 years ago when I quit working there and got a real job that would allow me to someday actually buy the stuff. ^_^

Just think about it. When did the first thought of HDTV come out? How long do you think it would take them to go from that thought to figuring out that they had no way to make movies that could hold that much material.

I say they just have a USB stick on each TV you can just go rent a movie and put it on a momory stick that has 64 gig of space like the soom to come out SD and miniSD. Oh, too easy to hack. ^_^

It's been around for longer than I knew about it since I only knew about it once it hit magazine articles and such.

 

[patnshan]

Do you realize, if HD-DVD hadn't stuck their nose into it, we would all just be happy with blu-ray

Actually, not ALL. "We" would be missing all of those people who have bought HD DVD players (Amazon, etc.) for around $200 who would never consider buying one for $400 plus. This includes myself. I planned to wait, but the light load on my wallet for a quality product made me jump.

With two formats demonstrating pretty equal qualities (give or take certain things on each side, just read the reviews on BD's and HD DVD's, I am not taking sides on quality at all), price is really the one thing that matters when trying to get something adopted on a large scale. Ask all of those people who bought these HD DVD players recently why they did, most would say price. That's a fact.

Pat

 

[jonnythan]

Go price out a 32GB USB flash drive and compare it to a Blu-ray disc.

You couldn't buy a Blu-ray player until June 25, 2006. You could buy an HD DVD player as of April, 2006.

Blu-ray didn't "exist" before anyone thought of HD DVD. You're making up history.

 

[patnshan]

When they found out about it, they tried to come up with the same basic thing that they could call their own offering no advantage or benefit other than possibly cheaper.

If HD-DVD wins, I'll just stick with DVD's. It blows.

They found out they could offer a similar quality product using the same production lines, etc. for cheaper. Now, they have even found out how to offer similar storage capacity, namely TL51.

Saying something "blows" makes you sound like you are ten. I can see you stomping your feet in your room right now Seriously, whoever wins (I doubt either will) will NEED to offer quality players at a reasonable price, I will be dual format when that happens.

Pat

 

[frostbyte]

It's sad how uninformed you guys are about the facts. Just go research it and come back and see me with an educated response.

If there was only Blue-Ray, then more sales would happen causing the price of the player to drop because they would have more sales thus making the current $400 players, $300 or less.

If there were no hd-dvd, then "you" might just choose to wait another 6 months for a more affordable blu-ray player.

 

[patnshan]

Go price out a 32GB USB flash drive and compare it to a Blu-ray disc.

You couldn't buy a Blu-ray player until June 25, 2006. You could buy an HD DVD player as of April, 2006.

Blu-ray didn't "exist" before anyone thought of HD DVD. You're making up history.

Blu Ray foundation-Feb 2002
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association

Blu Ray evolved from Pioneer's DVR Blue which was unveiled at Ceatac 2000.

HD DVD was announced at Ceatac 2002.

So, the Blu Ray idea did come first. Means nothing, but to clear the air, it did.

Pat

 

[patnshan]

It's sad how uninformed you guys are about the facts. Just go research it and come back and see me with an educated response.

If there was only Blue-Ray, then more sales would happen causing the price of the player to drop because they would have more sales thus making the current $400 players, $300 or less.

If there were no hd-dvd, then "you" might just choose to wait another 6 months for a more affordable blu-ray player.

Macro Economics 101 question:

Does lack of competition generally raise prices or lower prices?

Pat

 

[frostbyte]

There's competition and then there's war. All the companies selling the HD-DVD would now be selling Blu-Ray instead....thus still competition.

 

[j_garcia]

It isn't "war", it is greed, since they both want to be the one who gets the royalties for "the" technology that the other companies build. Product quality is not a function of the technology; that is each company's issue.

 

[bigbangtheory]

Wow.

This'll teach me to start a thread again.