Prediction: Blu ray blows away HD DVD in 2008

[Gimpy Ric]

Link:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/film/e3i3b664324ba4ea5c03e0924ea906b3ecd?imw=Y

Article:

2008 is the year Sony's Howard Stringer and the Blu-ray Disc will slay HD DVD as effectively as Joseph Turok dispenses with dinosaurs. If you're unfamiliar with that metaphor, you probably don't have a PlayStation 3.

Every PS3 console sold in the U.S. comes equipped with a Blu-ray DVD player. That's an advantage that has put the Sony device in about 2.7 million U.S. homes, compared with fewer than 750,000 for HD DVD. Blu-ray movies also outsell HD DVD movies in Europe by a 3-to-1 margin. This despite HD DVD players costing less than half the price of a PS3/Blu-ray combo unit. True, Paramount, DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation recently joined Universal in exclusively embracing HD DVD. But those decisions stemmed from a $150 million "incentive payment" that smacked of desperation.

To truly understand Blu-ray's dominance, compare titles that are available in both formats. Warner Bros.' "300" is the best-selling next-gen DVD, and Blu-ray boasts an advantage of 66% to 34% over HD DVD in sales of the title.

The final stake in HD DVD's heart could come from Blockbuster, which is testing both formats. "It's still about 70%-30% in favor of Blu-ray at our stores that offer both," a Blockbuster spokeswoman says.

Dual players are expensive, and a recent Forrester Research study suggests that 22% of Americans say they will not buy a next-gen player until one format wins over the other. Couple that with the 25% who say they'll never buy a next-gen player, and the incentives are in place for Hollywood to finally stop confusing the consumer with one too many choices.

 

[Alamar]

I wouldn't be surprised by BluRay winning at all because of the simple numbers game. I would be disappointed though because the BluRay camp seems [note the key] a little less customer friendly on issues like managed copy / region code lockouts / etc. Add to this that many of the supporting studios were swayed by the extra DRM on a BluRay system as their main reason for supporting Blu just means that I don't like the way that the wind is blowing here.

I wouldn't be surprised that as soon as they win the format war they'll start downsampling any component connections and hose people that have older HD sets .....

Either way I'd like to see the format war end as I'm getting really tired of the whole thing myself ....

 

[fmw]

While opions are a dime a dozen it is interesting to me that the press seems to want BD to win. I'm not sure why that is but sure seems so.

 

[Emusica]

"If you're unfamiliar with that metaphor, you probably don't have a PlayStation 3."

That's funny, they assume you have to own a PS3 to know about this game. This article is biased from the start. This format war crap needs to end so I can ejoy some nice HD content. I'm not buying anything until it does....

 

[naisphoo]

but i don't think that those pigs at m$ will fold easily...

 

[smurphy522]

No offense to Emusica but if you, or anyone else for that matter, are planning on waiting it out to see who wins the format war; then those waiting may be getting their HD just after the cows arrive home.

Just my 2¢

 

[GlocksRock]

Either pick one format and enjoy it, or get a combo player and enjoy both... Your best bet is to go with blu ray since there seems to be more titles available to it, and the things that HD DVD have that blu ray doesn't are getting less and less as more blu ray players are becoming profile 1.1 and 2.0 compliant.

 

[Alamar]

If you're a wanna be gamer getting a PS3 [from what I hear] wouldn't be a bad investment. If you're leaning HD I'd probably wait to see if there are any more 99$ Toshiba clearouts because [at that price] I'm sure the units aren't bad if you can get one. Plus if they throw in 5-7 free movies that's not bad.

 

[skads_187]

I think blu-ray will win over. You can fit so much more in a blu-ray disc compared to a hd-dvd. Also, here in Canada, there was a special on a toshiba hd-dvd player as well, I am not sure if its the same one you're tanlking about, but it only was able to output up to 720p? at 99$ its pretty tempting, but I dont think I would get it, since it kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[jake5717]

.... I'm not buying anything until it does....

IMO you really owe it to yourself to pick up a cheap HD player to enjoy until the "war" is over. I bought my player for like $350 and have enjoyed every penny of it. Blu Ray could win tomorrow and I'd have no regrets.

 

[Jacksmyname]

FWIW, I have 2 HD DVD players; the A2 and the XA2. Both are excellent (as I'm sure BD is).
If BD should be the format that "survives", I'd also have no regrets. The XA2 is an absolutely first rate upconverting player for SD's, and the A2 is no slouch in that department either.
Also, for *my* taste in films, HD DVD seems to have more titles that I like.

 

[Jacksmyname]

I think blu-ray will win over. You can fit so much more in a blu-ray disc compared to a hd-dvd. Also, here in Canada, there was a special on a toshiba hd-dvd player as well, I am not sure if its the same one you're tanlking about, but it only was able to output up to 720p? at 99$ its pretty tempting, but I dont think I would get it, since it kind of defeats the purpose.

The A2, Toshiba's entry level player, does 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Well before you make any snap judgements you might want to take a look at this.

http://charts.highdefdigest.com/versus.aspx

 

[aberkowitz]

Well before you make any snap judgements you might want to take a look at this.

http://charts.highdefdigest.com/versus.aspx

True, but in the interest of full disclosure Amazon is currently having a BOGO sale on HD DVD that includes 7 of the top 10 of the topsellers on the chart that you provided, and the entire top 5. The problem with that page you linked is that it gives up to the minute data, but provides nothing cumulative over a period of time.

Check out the graphical section and look at data for the last 90 days. You'll see that BDs outsold HD DVDs on about 75% of the days, many of which were by a large margin.

 

[Addy]

sooner or later xbox 360 going to decide to equip their system with a hd drive to counter ps3 sales when there own sale go south. i have a feeling Microsoft is just waiting out hd until its cheap enough to make a profit with xbox 360 when this happens the war will be tied again... i prefer blu-ray but i have both ps3 and xbox 360 elite

 

[agabriel]

I guess I fall in a different camp, I'm sick of these dumb silicon discs; I just want to be able to download my movies and have them look & sound great on my system. I don't care if the movie takes all night to download either... I think 2008 will be the year both formats die and iTunes or Netflix put out the killer technology.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

It wouldn't surprise me much to see both formats disappear. I expect that standard DVDs look great to the majority of consumers (as they do to me) so that the market for Blu Ray/HD will never grow large enough to be profitable.

 

[Jacksmyname]

It wouldn't surprise me much to see both formats disappear. I expect that standard DVDs look great to the majority of consumers (as they do to me) so that the market for Blu Ray/HD will never grow large enough to be profitable.

You just might be right. I love the XA2, not only because of the HD discs, but also because it's a terrific upconverting player.
Some of the movies we've watched recenly are the Indiana Jones series, some old James Bond, and I, Robot. The picture quality on those SD discs (and others), as played on the XA2 and a Sony 46XBR4, is beautiful. VERY close to being HD.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It wouldn't surprise me much to see both formats disappear. I expect that standard DVDs look great to the majority of consumers (as they do to me) so that the market for Blu Ray/HD will never grow large enough to be profitable.

Yeah, my SD DVD of "Brotherhood of the Wolf" LOOKS and SOUNDS just as good as the HD HD DVD version!

The DUAL-LAYER SD DVDs are becoming more and more excellent in quality, especially with the DTS sound and Upscale to 1080p.

Seriously, I am buying LESS and LESS of these HD movies (both Blu-ray and HD DVD)!!!

I think they will only be a Niche Market.

 

[Addy]

the players it self is mildly cheap, but the disc's are a rip-off why would i pay 30 bucks for a blu-ray movie that came out in 82 when the same movie on dvd cost 4.99?