Is the time finally right for you to get bluray and/or hd-dvd?

[yoda313]

So with the holiday season upon us and electronic prices dropping like a rock - are you ready to buy into hd-dvd or bluray?

I already have a hd-dvd addon drive for my 360 and it looks great. I have the matrix trilogy, Superman Returns, Transformers, and Harry Potter 1 on hddvd and they are fantastic.

I am looking into and almost ready to buy a bluray read only drive for my vista pc. I will be using that as a htpc with a dvi-hdmi out with my hdcp enabled nvidia 8400. I will finally have the full high def spectrum:

xbox 360
hd-dvd
high def cable (with hd-dvr)
---soon to have---- bluray rom

that way I will finally be able to use the high def tv to its fullest potential. EXCEPT I don't have a high def camcorder. I only have the old 90's vintage 8mm analog camcorder. Though I hardly use it but once a year anyway so until hddvd or bluray burners become more affordable I will stick with analog for video recording purposes.

So are prices just right for you?

Or are you waiting to get a high def tv first?

[gadgetguy]

No.

[SCDVD]

I'm holding out for a player that will play both formats but at a good price. The current combo player cost too much.

[ebenton]

No.

I currently download most of my movies from XBox Live, Cinema Now, MovieLink or Amazon Unbox. HD movies are available. Not in 1080P, but my HDTV won't display 1080P anyway.

Screw both Blu-Ray and HD DVD and their silly-ass disk war.

[Constant Gardener]

I'm sure high-def disks are great, but what about the content? "Planet Earth" was wonderful, but I saw it on HDTV, and I have no intention of buying "Star Wars" in yet another format, since I already have it on 4:3 VHS and anamorphic DVD. It really doesn't bother me to sometimes watch good HDTV and then watch upconverted SD or xvid. Or listen to the radio.

[videopoo]

This is honestly the worst forum to post a question like this. I wouldn't label most folks here as consumers. I think you'll see much animosity towards new formats here - especially when many of us have enjoyed HD content for several years now.

However most people need an easy to understand way to get HD to their new HD boobtubes. Thats why you'll see both formats for many years to come.

[budz]

I'm not buying either format since it'll probably turn into the infamous VHS vs BETAMAX war!

[JimboS]

I purchased a Samsung DVD/VCR combo that has HDMI output and digital(audio) output..Which goes through a plastic tube to a Home Theater system
It UPCONVERTS to either 720 or 1080...To the HDTV...
It does it automatically..
Have you ever seen an old VHS tape reconverted to 720?????????? You wouldn't believe it..
It a'int worth the price to get some deticated dvd player in my opinion.
If you check out the "upconverting" brands , you would see what I mean...

[paulw]

In my part of the world both formats are about US$800 for an entry level player so they can stay on the shelf. I'm rooting for HD DVD to win as Blu-ray will be a disaster outside the US..

[mats.hogberg]

I'll echo gadgetguy: No
1) I don't have a HD TV yet
2) Like someone said in another thread: With a total of 300 titles available on both formats together - It's much too soon.
3) I'll wait for dual format players, or one format a clear winner.

/Mats

[racer-x]

No I won't buy either one yet..........................

I have an HDTV.
I have a Hi-Def HDV Camcorder.
I have a TVIX Box connected to my HDTV that allows me to play back all my Hi-Def video I create.........I'm not interested in Hollywood Hi-Def tittles. For now I'll wait on the sidelines until a better format emerges that will have much higher compatibility with multiple file formats.................

[Soopafresh]

What is worth watching in Hi Def? Is there any need to rush out to get the new Adam Sandler movie because it is in 1080p ? I'd like to see "Apocalypse Now" and the "Godfather" in HD, but they'd still be repeats. If a movie sucks, it is going to suck in HD, and if a movie is great, it is going to be great in SD.

[gll99]

NO.

HD is a chain, one thing leads to another. HDTV, HD cable, HD DVD player, HD recorder, pc HD burner. Glad I didn't buy in early there was a lot of confusion about connectors, resolution and tuners.

As far as HD DVD format, I'm not a gamer so there's no reason to pick one over the other (HDdvd vs Bluray) just because I happen to own a compatible game console. It might skew my judgement as to who should win.

I'll wait. The SD digital cable is fine and my TV's and projectors aren't that old so I can hang on a couple more years or even longer until they settle the format war. If I end up buying anything, first on the list will be a tv or 2 followed by a up converting DVD player and then probably a pc HD burner / player.

[rhegedus]

I have both: PS3 and XBOX360 HD-DVD add-on for PC.

[BoilerUp]

I own both formats - Toshiba HD-A30 and Panasonic DMP-BD30 hooked up to a Toshiba 47" 1080p LCD TV. Now I'm just waiting for the LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray burner / HD-DVD reader to come to the United States. Supposedly, it's in a few Fry's Electronics stores on the shelves right now, but I don't live near one and it's not on their website yet.

[DereX888]

I have ONE format and I love it! - yoda missed that option
(and this is my answer, Im talking about loving the picture quality, not the format itself for which I don't care)

however

SD-quality is what I watch mostly as there isn't enough HDTV content,
and I'm not interested in watching old people's wrinkles in high-def "news" or so-called "reality" crap (not that there is anything wrong with old people of course).
Brainwash broadcasts (aka television programming) suck so badly, that even high-def resolution won't make me watch it

And as others already pointed out, there are only roughly 300+ available flicks on HD-DVDs and BR-DVDs combined. Thats not enough for any film maniac to even start a collection, and thats assuming s/he would like all available titles, which is doubtful since mostly they are latest hollywood crap releases.

[Grain]

Actually there's well over 700 titles in HD-DVD & Blu-Ray. Some of those are only available in Europe or Japan, but most are available in North America. I have a Toshiba HD-A2 and a Samsung BD-1400, love the audio and video quality of both formats.

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/search.php?searchtype=text&param=(HD

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/search.php?searchtype=text&param=(Blu

[yoda313]

SD-quality is what I watch mostly as there isn't enough HDTV conte

If you'll check I do have a "sdtv is fine for me" option

[solarfox]

High-Definition crap is still crap. Maybe when they come up with High-Intelligence TV, I'll be more interested. :P

[DereX888]

SD-quality is what I watch mostly as there isn't enough HDTV conte

If you'll check I do have a "sdtv is fine for me" option

Well: sdtv is NOT fine for me so it's not an option either, more like "no choice"
Anything else I said before still applies (even if there are 700 titles on both formats)...

[TJK1911]

I'm holding out for a player that will play both formats but at a good price. The current combo player cost too much.

This is the only rational answer, and should've been one of the options. There's no reason for this to be a Beta/VHS situation, it's a DVD-R/+R situation. One player should be able handle either format, and at a reasonable price. C'mon, it's just a box with laser and a motor in it!

For those who say SD is good enough - SD looks okay on my 60" Pioneer (it has a good built-in scaler), but HD is definintely better. Once you've seen Planet Earth in HD there's no point in watching it in SD - it just looks pathetic by comparison. Can't wait for The Lord of the Rings movies to come out in HD.

[TJK1911]

High-Definition crap is still crap. Maybe when they come up with High-Intelligence TV, I'll be more interested. :P

Why are you even here then - shouldn't you be reading a book? :P

I refer you to Sturgeon's Law.

[gadgetguy]

I was in a store the other day watching a HDTV demo that included a clip from TLOR. I was disappointed. Not because the picture wasn't spectacular, but because it exposed the animation sfx. In the movie theater and on the DVD I was oblivious to the animation sfx, but on the HiDef screen it stood out and I found it distracting. Of course, it might be partly due to watching only a clip so I wasn't engrossed in the whole story, like I was when watching on the other mediums, but it struck me at the time.

[etrin]

What is real scary is the newer toshiba HD-DVD players won't play rentals from Netflix.
My friends plays some of them, it seems that if it was released 6mo or more ago it will play them
anything newer forget it. THIS IS WEIRD and BS

[wgymiski]

I have a blu-ray player(PS3 $399) and with the latest firmware update from Sony, it supports divx and vc-1 video codecs.

[cal_tony]

In some cases Old movies may look much better on HD But,
that may not always be so. Hd is more about the visual presentation. An okay DVD may have been originally shot with so much clarity that the HD version allows the picture to jump out at you and it becomes a different movie.

I just finished watching the HD versions of Blade Runner. Even though all 3 versions of the movie were on HD only the final cut version was enhanced enough to make it worth the effort. The other 2 versions were washed out and show only as well as the original DVD.

Also, the effect of HD presentation in a movie is scene by scene. In the recent movie NEXT, the clairity on the DVD version is amazing. The HD version shows some scenes, especially some closeups with amazing clarity but that additional clarity does not carry thru for the whole movie.

A lot of the effect of HD quality depends on what the director wants you to see or not to see. A few days ago I was watching a PBS special about the switch of McNeal Lehrer to HD. They indicated how everything had to be changed. The clothing, the makeup, the sets and the camara placement because what looked real with SD no longer looked real in HD.

Another example, when TV went to HD there were lots of complaints by those visually presented (especially older performers) that they were not happy with the additional clarity. Within weeks, the cameras were moved back and unwanted close ups were gone.

Anyway, these are just my opinions from what I've noticed re: the new digital quality of video.

Tony

[Nitemare]

Just got my kid a PS3 for Christmas so I guess I "have" Blu-Ray but since he plays his games on a 13" TV (which can make even VCDs seem amazingly clear) there's no point in spending the extra $$$ for Blu-Ray discs.

I don't own a single thing that is HD and I have YET to see an LCD or plasma screen that I think looks awesome. I see artifacting every time... like watching the movie through a screen door. Add in the fact that the things are costly and only last a few years they can forget the whole thing. I'll never switch until I have no choice.

[edDV]

I'd buy an affordable dual standard player that also plays normal DVD to perfection (similar to Oppo). My main source of programming would be Netflix but I'd buy a few.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Don't get watching a turd under a microscope.

I really have no intention of getting HD anything. I have a 27" TV that I sit about 12 feet from. I can't see the scan lines. I can perceive about the same detail in the TV as the objects around it (like books, text printed on electronics etc), so why "upgrade". I just won't see the benefit. I prove this to myself over again in places like Best Buy. Yes, I see the improvement when I standing 3 feet from the TV but not when I step back to a realistic distance.

This past few nights I have been watching movies on TCM. Mostly 1930s - 1950s 4:3, B&W, Western Electric audio. And they are all far more watchable than just about anything to come out of Hollywood in the last 15 to 20 yearrs.

Two things might persuade me:

1. The original European theatrical cut of Blade Runner
2. The Led Zeppelin O2 concert (when it comes out)

In the latter case, though, the cr@ppy YouTube videos from cell phone recordings at the concert prove that the technical quality doesn't matter. I was transfixed by the performance.

Our brains quickly believe how ever something is being shown. And, no matter how hi-def the image, at the end of the day it is only 2D....

[zagortenej]

Although I am thinking about getting LG blu-ray/HD-DVD ROM for my HTPC (by far the cheapest option to get both formats, provided, of course, the rest of your PC is 'HD-ready'), I also remember the statement by George Lucas from some years ago where he said that for the full enjoyment of the film the size of the screen matters much more than the resolution of the video material. Personally, I think he is right, and I enjoy a movie much more when I watch it using my video projector and 80" video screen then when I watch it on my 32" LCD HDTV. I did try a few HD-DVD's on my 'big screen' at 1080i resolution, but, honestly, I did not see a dramatic improvement over an upscaled SD-DVD. But then again, maybe its me. All considered -- and despite the fact that Future Shop will have Toshiba HD-DVD payer for $100 CAD on sale in a couple of days -- I am not in a rush to upgrade my video system. Things are fine the way they are, for now.