Will you buy a bluray or hddvd player this year?

[Baldrick]

Maybe...it depends on movie prices...

[dvdguy4]

No. Im still content with the everyday dvd. Maybe next year when the price of the set tops go down.

[gadgetguy]

It will be a cold day in...


I'll wait until there's some compelling reason. From what I've read so far it might be a loooooong wait.


Edit: Yippie, a short poll for the front page.

[dphirschler]

Wow! 85% so far will wait! I am shocked. I guess I shouldn't be though, after all the trouble settling on a single standard and all the DRM nonsense. I am waiting. I bet they will both fail unless the DRM is removed. People like to *own* the movie they just bought.


Darryl

[lumis]

i'll be buying a playstation 3 on launch day, so yes.

[ROF]

It depends on features and price. If there isn't alot of features or the price is over a grand for a decent one I'll probably wait. I do plan on getting one at some point this year though.

[Bondiablo]

Where's the no, never? :P Not unless they force out DVD as DVD has done with VHS. I'm still not convinced yet they'll be any more popular than SVHS was compared to VHS.

[RottenFoxBreath]

i'll be buying a playstation 3 on launch day, so yes.

i used to think like that,but after being shafted by the ps2,and with the almost immediate price drop in the xbox,i think ill wait a few months,let the bugs get ironed out so to speak.
i plan on getting a revolution on launch day though..still a sucker for nintendo.

[Paul_G]

No, I will wait

Sound about as useful as a condom with a hole in the front.

[whitejremiah]

86% of people that voted either are waiting or don't know what it is (or are just being sarcastic ) this tells me that the companies need to iron out things, specifically DRM......i think one of the main reasons that dvd was such a success is primarily because it can be copied relatively easily for the most part.......i think if there was a known way to copy the discs, that poll would swing considerably in a differant direction.....

[Baldrick]

So assume most of you have don't have a 1080p projector/ tv...

[pijetro]

A newly built WalMart by my neighbourhood..

Every second person is walking out with a cheaply priced DVD player..
I have a hard time believing the average Joe, is gonna run out and buy himself an HD DVD player anytime soon...

[rumplestiltskin]

No way. I've been moving away from discs and to HD (hard drive) storage, then using the EyeHome to play everything to my TV.

Of course, Apple will have all of this integrated in the next "mini".

[ozymango]

So assume most of you have don't have a 1080p projector/ tv...

I don't know 'bout anybody else, but I haven't got $1,080 to spend on video equipment!

[dphirschler]

My "HDTV" is an 800x600 projector connected to my PC. It's a significant improvement over SDTV, but not quite HDTV. I love HDTV, I want it to grow in popularity, but I want a better way to archive it rather than Blueray or DVDHD. Too bad DVHS didn't take off. It seems ideal except for being on tape. Maybe that's why it failed.


Darryl

[FulciLives]

I'm very excited for HD-DVD and Blue Ray but hardware prices are going to be way too high this year since it is the 1st year and I don't make all that much money so I will be waiting.

I did just buy a 51" 16x9 HDTV for Christmas 2005 so maybe I'll get HD-DVD or Blue Ray as a Christmas 2006 present (to myself) but most likely I will wait until sometime in 2007 ... perhaps my tax return that year.

I will definately be buying fewer regular DVD Video releases. In fact I recently made the decision to only buy "fringe" titles such as imports or those released by small labels. I'm into horror movies so that accounts for a lot of releases.

But Hollywood blockbusters on DVD Video ... not for me as this stuff will be comming out on HD-DVD and Blue Ray. I also will definately hold off on any double dips as I noticed there are some re-releases in the works (a bunch of Stanely Kubrick stuff is comming out again soon which is wave 3 now for regular DVD Video).

I'll get by for now by renting those big studio DVD Video releases then buy the HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray version once I get a player.

So for me no HD-DVD or Blue Ray in 2006 and as for regular DVD Videos I will be renting more and buying less.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[hech54]

Nope...probably never will. I don't even have 5.1 and do not long for 5.1 or surround sound. There are much more important things in life.

[Baldrick]

There are much more important things in life.

No. I long for TrueHD 13.1 surround...

[FulciLives]

I am curious though ... for those who intend to get HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray ... even if you don't intend to get it RIGHT AWAY ...

Is this changing your buying behavior now with regular DVD Video discs?

As I said I will not be buying any DVD Video release that is on a major label (Warner Bros, Fox, MGM, Universal, etc.) because we all know that they will be re-releasing everything on HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray so why buy it now when you know that you will be buying HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray even if you plan to hold off the first year.

I'll be renting much much more and only buying "fringe" titles such as those released on small lables or maybe some imports of stuff you can't buy in the USA.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ROF]

I am curious though ... for those who intend to get HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray ... even if you don't intend to get it RIGHT AWAY ...

Is this changing your buying behavior now with regular DVD Video discs?

I usually buy my movies and then trade the ones I don't want anymore with others or trade them into my local video retailer for credit. I do not plan to modify my buying habits now. When I bought my first VHS player I already owned several VHS titles. When I bought my first DVD player I already owned several DVD titles. I don't foresee why Blu-ray will be any different. I'll probably be buying the movies all summer while still purchasing standard DVDs and wait until the fall or winter before I purchase a player to support my new media. I already bought into the HDCP hype when I purchased my 42" HDCP Plasma screen so I'm looking forward to seeing what these new discs have to offer.

[hech54]

There are much more important things in life.

No. I long for TrueHD 13.1 surround...

13.1?
I take it you are not joking?

[TBoneit]

No sale here. I'm still waiting for HDTV to drop in price to a reasonable level. Maybe when most of the programming I watch is in HD format... Wait... The movies I watch are all form pre widescreen days and thus are 4:3 ratio to start. I watch a few TV Shows... I suspect that they are shot widescreen for the HD feeds and also that the action is planned for a 4:3 SD Tv set since that is most of the audience right now.

Lately I've been watching old British TV/Movies off of DVD. The Sweeney, Dad's Army, A bunch of old Sid James series, 2 point 4 Childern, Two in Clover, And the ever popular Carry On movies series. Red Dwarf, Brittas Empire, Thin Blu Line etc. All as far as I know in Sd ratio and for that my 32" TV is fine... And sized properly for the room it is in.

So No new format for me.
Cheers

[FulciLives]

No sale here. I'm still waiting for HDTV to drop in price to a reasonable level. Maybe when most of the programming I watch is in HD format... Wait... The movies I watch are all form pre widescreen days and thus are 4:3 ratio to start. I watch a few TV Shows... I suspect that they are shot widescreen for the HD feeds and also that the action is planned for a 4:3 SD Tv set since that is most of the audience right now.

Lately I've been watching old British TV/Movies off of DVD. The Sweeney, Dad's Army, A bunch of old Sid James series, 2 point 4 Childern, Two in Clover, And the ever popular Carry On movies series. Red Dwarf, Brittas Empire, Thin Blu Line etc. All as far as I know in Sd ratio and for that my 32" TV is fine... And sized properly for the room it is in.

So No new format for me.
Cheers

SONY makes a 32" 4:3 HDTV and a 36" 4:3 HDTV

I was looking at these recently as I was shopping for a HDTV this past holiday season.

I did end up going with a 16x9 HDTV eventhough I thought I would hate the bars on the side of 4:3 material but as it turns out it really doesn't bother me much at all.

My only slight regret is that my HDTV cannot do 1080p but right now very few HDTV's can do 1080p and those that do are far more expensive than what I bought due to what I could afford.

Since the HD-DVD and Blue Ray formats support 1080p my suggestion to those who have yet to buy an HDTV is to wait a bit longer as I imagine HDTV's capable of 1080p will become more common (read cheaper) but as of now they are damn expensive.

Although having said that I highly doubt that 1080p "down coverted to" 1080i will look "bad" ... just not as "good" as it could.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[joeg04]

No, I wait until the film industry offers all movies as DRM-free HDTV internet download. Recording HDTV from DVB-S would also be O.K. Then I will store my complete audio/video collection on HDD or HVD (holographic versatile disk) and play it via a streaming client.

Where's the no, never?

I agree.

[LloydAZ]

Nope! No HDMI or DVI on my current HDTV set, only Component. I can't afford to upgrade both.

[joeg04]

DRM protected BluRay and HD-DVD will have the same success as SACD and DVD-Audio.

[Guy_Fawkes]

Nope! No HDMI or DVI on my current HDTV set, only Component. I can't afford to upgrade both.

Same for me with a 65" Mitsubishi that only has Componant I'll stick with upconversion players. My habits have already changed to renting more than buying, mainly due to the currrent content of the studios.

[joeg04]

Unfortunately the Spatz box, that decrypted HDMI, will no longer be sold because Spatz Tec wants to avoid a lawsuit.
http://not-hdtv-ready.pixelzauber.ne...04cd4c9cb3a346

[ozymango]

I
Is this changing your buying behavior now with regular DVD Video discs?

As I said I will not be buying any DVD Video release that is on a major label (Warner Bros, Fox, MGM, Universal, etc.) because we all know that they will be re-releasing everything on HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray so why buy it now when you know that you will be buying HD-DVD and/or Blue Ray even if you plan to hold off the first year.

This may be true for major releases, but there are a heck of a lot of movies out there that I'd love to see released in DVD format period that aren't out yet. Look how long it took for them to get the original King Kong on DVD!

Perhaps with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD these will finally come out in digital form? If so, that might be some incentive, but as it is now one of the reasons I do any video conversion at all is to back-up some of my obscure VHS and Laserdisc releases onto DVD so they'll stay viewable until somebody actually releases the movies I've been waiting for.

A few examples of movies I'm still waiting for on DVD that I fortunately have on VHS and/or Laserdisc:

* That Hamilton Woman (Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh)
* Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder)
* Bedazzled - in NTSC, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore original
* The Incredible Shrinking Man

I'm hopeful that some movie companies will see the new formats as a chance to release some neglected classics!

[LloydAZ]

Nope! No HDMI or DVI on my current HDTV set, only Component. I can't afford to upgrade both.

Same for me with a 65" Mitsubishi that only has Componant I'll stick with upconversion players. My habits have already changed to renting more than buying, mainly due to the currrent content of the studios.

Where did you find an upconversion player that uses componenet video? Every single one that I've seen on the market here uses HDMI, so I'm still in the same boat. If you know of one, please let me know the manufacturer and model number.

Thanks!