Blu-Ray Thread

HD Movies : What floats your boat?

  • Dont really care about HD Movies

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • Have a Blu Ray player

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Have a HD-DVD player

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Have a PS3

    Votes: 11 61.1%

  • Have 360 HD-DVD

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I download all the movies I ever need

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • TV supplier and On Demand movies do me

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Well two things.

Fitst, the current HD-DVD players (not sure about the 360 HD-DVD addon) are region free, and will always be. So say in a few years, we see region coding on HD-DVD discs, those older players will play everything.

And yeah, currently all HD-DVD is region free. I'll get back to you on if HD-DVD can do regioness (what a word!)
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

rockykabir said:
....prob because only Universal, Warner Bros and a few random arthouse production companies are supporting HD-DVD. Maybe someone can confirm this, but if the same companies supporting Blu-Ray were to support HD-DVD, it's likely that we'll see region locking in HD-DVD too?

(or maybe, the other companies didn't go with HD-DVD as it didn't allow region coding? those greedy buggers!)
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I also think tha alot of companies supported Blu Ray due to PS3 & Playstation brand.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I think they supported them because of Sony, they are the spearhead of the BDA, and they have a big reputation to live upto so if BD does go down, it won't go down without a fight. I think they should have learnt from the BetaMax/Sony.... and that HD-DVD players are cheaper to produce
 
HD Movies

I was just wondering (so I added a poll), how many people actually have the ability to play HD movies, be it Blu Ray or HD-DVD outside of the PS3 or 360 add-on. Do forum members actually have standalone players, or are they waiting for the price to drop, or will actually not really care?
 
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Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Don't care.

I've said it before and I really don't understand why I'm in the minority here - I buy a games console for the games, I don't WANT to be able to play movies, MP3s and all that crap on it, purely because it means paying for something I will never use. If I buy a PS3 it's because I want to play Metal Gear Solid 4, and I'm paying, what, £400 for that? It's ridiculous, why am I being forced to pay over the odds? Why am I being forced to enter the Bluray market? Take away the money pumped into research and development of the movie stuff, the music stuff, the photographs stuff and lower the price of the console, PLEASE. I did NOT pay £200 for a Wii so that I could draw a fucking moustache onto somebody, and I would NOT pay £400 to scatter virtual photographs over a virtual table and go "wow, this looks pretty".

I'm sorry but the games companies (well maybe not MS) have got it all wrong. If you want to play your fancy movies in 3D or 4D or extra-sensational-ten-speaker-sound then you go and buy an addon for £120 - drop £120 off the price of the console and then I might actually go and buy one.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

You're telling me they couldn't fit the data onto a HD-DVD? I don't believe that, if they wanted to port it then they'd find a way, they do with everything else. But that's not my point. If they use Bluray for games then fair enough, but I'm sure if the PS3 could only play Bluray games then the price would be lower, and then if you wanted to watch films on it you could go and get your seperate drive/remote with drivers/whatever. I don't think it's right that you're forced to pay such a high price, when you're only going to play games on it (and Sony are pushing it as a PC-replacing does-everything-for-you machine).
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Jack Bauer said:
You're telling me they couldn't fit the data onto a HD-DVD?
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You probably could but Microsoft confirmed many times that the HDDVD addon wont be used for games so the X360 is stuck with DVDs.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I bet if Hideo had a chat with them they'd have soon changed that. Shame. :(
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

You forget that games are £50 - release three games on it and that's £150 for the games, more than it would cost for the addon. I'm sure MGS4 wouldn't be the only game that would take advantage of it.

I wonder if the hardware is locked so that it will only play movies or if an Xbox Live update could unlock it for games at some point... Saying that, knowing Microsoft, they'll bring out a HD-DVD movie and games-playing drive for the "Elite" 360.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Jack Bauer said:
You forget that games are £50 - release three games on it and that's £150 for the games, more than it would cost for the addon.
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If you want to look at it like that then go ahead. Theres no way I'm paying £130 plus another £50 just to play one game. :roll:
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I said "three games" - I wouldn't pay £130 for one game either, you'd be mad to. But I'd rather pay £130 for an addon to play three or four (good) games on a console I've already got than spend £400 on a PS3 for the same games.

Anyway, this is getting away from the topic - my point is that the PS3's price is ridiculous to your average gamer, and if all of the extra features that are nothing to do with games were taken out (movie player, music player, photograph playerabouter, even the PSone downloads which is just a waste of time and investment, you don't buy a PS3 to play last-last-gen games), then the company would save money and the consumer would save money. I find it utterly stupid that, if I want a games console, I'm being forced to pay an extra £200+ (compared to 360/Wii) for features that I (and others) would literally never use.

I mean, I know several people who have had PSPs and none of us have played a UMD movie.

You don't set out to make a DVD player and then include a games console in there for an extra £200, so why the hell is it okay to do it the other way around?
 
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Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Jack Bauer said:
I said "three games" - I wouldn't pay £130 for one game either, you'd be mad to. But I'd rather pay £130 for an addon to play three or four (good) games on a console I've already got than spend £400 on a PS3 for the same games.
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Thats the problem, you're looking at this from the point of view of a person who already has an Xbox 360 and not a PS3. So in other words, your POV is biased.
What would you say to someone who already has a PS3 or someone who doesnt have either? I guess the PS3 is your best option now, isnt it?
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Of course, but I'm not looking at it from my point of view (well I sort of am), I'm looking at it from Microsoft's point of view, saying that it would make good business sense for them - as long as there were enough games publishers currently working on PS3 who would support it and go cross-platform, including Konami with MGS.

Saying that, I'm sure they could strip it all down onto a normal DVD (or several) if they tried hard enough, so it doesn't matter.

I wasn't looking for an argument. :freak:
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I'm just saying IMO, Sony have a reasonable price for their console. People like you want to pay less and have some of its features taken out when its not your choice. You cant go to buy a house and say "Can I have it for less if I dont want the back garden or the double glazed windows?"
And you're not being forced into the bluray market cuz no one's forcing you to buy that PS3.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

RuneEdge said:
I'm just saying IMO, Sony have a reasonable price for their console. People like you want to pay less and have some of its features taken out when its not your choice. You cant go to buy a house and say "Can I have it for less if I dont want the back garden or the double glazed windows?"
And you're not being forced into the bluray market cuz no one's forcing you to buy that PS3.
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Noones forcing, correct BUT saying the PS3 is reasonably priced is strong.

IMO its around £125 overpriced. A console should never be over £300. Jacks argument is spot on, a games console should never approach £350, never mind over £400!

What you get for £425 is a great deal, but its not as if you get all the extras thrown in - you're paying for it.

Back to topic, Blu Ray is outselling HDDVD in Virgin stores by a huge amount. Obviously thanks to PS3. Is the war over already?
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Adonis said:
Noones forcing, correct BUT saying the PS3 is reasonably priced is strong.

IMO its around £125 overpriced. A console should never be over £300. Jacks argument is spot on, a games console should never approach £350, never mind over £400!

What you get for £425 is a great deal, but its not as if you get all the extras thrown in - you're paying for it.
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Why should a console never be over £300? Is it cuz thats all you're will to pay? Considering how much standalone Bluray players cost, the PS3 is a bargain. To me it just sounds like people have a problem affording it and then moan about it forgetting that its actually worth it.
Give it a year or two and everyone's gonna want a HD player of some kind and many will finally think the PS3 is worth it. The problem with the PS3 is that its ahead of its time.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

RuneEdge said:
Why should a console never be over £300? Is it cuz thats all you're will to pay? Considering how much standalone Bluray players cost, the PS3 is a bargain. To me it just sounds like people have a problem affording it and then moan about it forgetting that its actually worth it.
Give it a year or two and everyone's gonna want a HD player of some kind and many will finally think the PS3 is worth it. The problem with the PS3 is that its ahead of its time.
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Im talking about mass market price. A price that will appeal to everyone. The Wii has it obviously, but the 360 is in the happy medium. The PS3 is at what I call a 'desirable' price.

Its not affordable to a majority of people. And because of this the console is suffering. Id be VERY surprised if the price isnt closer to £300 rather than £400 by Xmas.

I do agree with you saying its ahead of its time. Maybe a year too early infact. With the PS2 still the best selling console there wasnt really a need for the PS3. Also if they waited a year the parts that go into the console would cost Sony loads less, meaning a cheaper console at launch. All if's and but's.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

RuneEdge said:
The problem with the PS3 is that its ahead of its time.
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Adonis said:
I do agree with you saying its ahead of its time. Maybe a year too early infact. With the PS2 still the best selling console there wasnt really a need for the PS3. Also if they waited a year the parts that go into the console would cost Sony loads less, meaning a cheaper console at launch. All if's and but's.
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Very good points.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Is the PS3 easy to use as a HD movie player? I seam to remember the PS2 being a pain compared to a standalone, had a crap remote etc. The player should help sales for a while until standalone players drop even further in price...
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

It is pretty easy to use htis time round, especially with the remote.

Some "AV freaks" don't like the PS3 remote because it is bluetooth, and so you can't use your all-in-one remotes :(

And the quality is not half bad, but it still can't do 1080p24.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Adonis said:
I do agree with you saying its ahead of its time. Maybe a year too early infact. With the PS2 still the best selling console there wasnt really a need for the PS3. Also if they waited a year the parts that go into the console would cost Sony loads less, meaning a cheaper console at launch. All if's and but's.
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When I said ahead of its time, I meant Sony could probably sell a lot more in the future but at the same price. Right now, no one cares about HD and Bluray and all that but in the future when everyone has the technology to make the most of the PS3, the price tag will seem like its worth it seeing how you'll be getting more use out of it.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

After watching a few HD stuff, it'll be very difficult to go back buying regular DVDs - especially when they are approximately the same price for the latest titles. However, I won't repurchase all my DVDs again apart from a select few.

I remember from my days in Comet when there was a trend when a lot of people brought LCDs & Plasmas - the prob was that they were non HD. Now, a few years later, they are redundant. LCDs/Plasmas should have been HD Ready from the start :(

As HDTVs gain a significant market, this whole Blu-Ray/HDDVD mess will become relevant. It's just rubbish that companies are making us decide between two formats :(
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

So no one on the site, (who can be bothered to come in here) has an actual standalone player, and those that have a PS3 have embraced the HD movie era. I do believe splitting the market was a daft thing to do, and I reckon the first player that will be available at under a ton in a supermarket could well swing it all. But the market is still at the mercy of people who have moved to HD tv's, and it would be interesting to know what percentage of homes have a HD display.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

Its still early days, but all the signs are early on that Blu-Ray will win. Possibly by 2009 Blu-Ray will outsell HD-DVD by 5:1 and also by 2009 Universal will begin releasing movies on Blu-ray. The problem with HD-DVD is that it didnt gather up enough Studio Support. Sony were smart, they made a huge mistake before with BETAMAX and learnt from that mistake. Previously, HD-DVD used more advanced codecs (VC-1) than Blu-ray, but now most Blu-rays are released with VC-1 coding so HD-DVD has lost the codec advantage.

Although i must say Sony were agressive with Blu-ray, it makes sense them including it in the PS3. I mean the system is expensive now, but by Christmas this year it will be between 300 - 330 GBP. Thats when it will begin to sell. That will further push Blu-ray into the market.

The problem with HD-DVD is that things just keep going against it. Its had a tough break and the lack of studio support is not gonna help. Disney/MGM alone could help Blu-ray win, think of all the kids screaming "Daddy, I want the LION KING" or watever!
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

But that's what gets me, is the re-release of movies that you already have etc, then you end up buying them again. Also, do animated movies need HD?
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I'm sure something like Finding Nemo would look lovely in 1080p.
 
Re: Blu Ray/HD-DVD war

I'm currently just downloading x264 rips of the HD-DVD/BluRays. They are amazing quality, and just have a PC connected to my TV. Perfect.

I WaNT to buy originals, but too risky. I'm waiting for all the studios to use VC-1 codec and have lossless audio format that I like. Then I can make a proper collection, and not having to buy a new version few months down the line.

And I'm waiting for a fully functional hybrid player. LG are releasing one but does not fully support HD-DVD interactive capabilities. And also the current Blu-Ray standalone players don't have BDJ support, so wait for that.
 
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