Is Disney considering going HD DVD?

[dxwwf3]

There is still a huge gap in player price. The lowest price Blu-Ray is $400 while HD-DVD players have dropped as low as $98 and can commonly be found for under $200.

But at least Blu Ray manufacturers aren't going to release a 1080i player that will be out of date...as soon as the box is opened :lol:. 1080P is the new future standard and for 1080P players, prices are very similar. If someone wants to buy a 1080i HD DVD player, be my guest, but don't complain if it doesn't wow you as much as you thought it would if you get a 1080P TV (which just about all of the new HDTV's are).

 

[Tim G]

As every self respecting media company, Yes they would...

 

[k.hunter30]

We're still a ways away from this being the norm. Not large enough hard drives yet to hold people's entire film library. And not worth it money wise to buy multiple hard drives for movies. I think Blu Ray (hopefully) or HD DVD will still be the norm once one wins.

They are already contemplating it (or at least how to market it) - not sure how far away they really are. :shrug:

 

[Master Yoda]

But at least Blu Ray manufacturers aren't going to release a 1080i player that will be out of date...as soon as the box is opened :lol:. 1080P is the new future standard and for 1080P players, prices are very similar. If someone wants to buy a 1080i HD DVD player, be my guest, but don't complain if it doesn't wow you as much as you thought it would if you get a 1080P TV (which just about all of the new HDTV's are).

True but how many 1080i HDTV's are all ready out there. I picked up the Toshiba A2 1080i HD-DVD player at Wal-Mart when they hit $98 and I was not the least bit concerned as I will not be replacing my 1080i TV for some time. Even so the new A3 1080P player is only $219

 

[dxwwf3]

True but how many 1080i HDTV's are all ready out there. I picked up the Toshiba A2 1080i HD-DVD player at Wal-Mart when they hit $98 and I was not the least bit concerned as I will not be replacing my 1080i TV for some time. Even so the new A3 1080P player is only $219

Oh that's very true. $98 was a great deal on that if nothing else, but for an upscalling DVD player. And if I thought that we were definitely going to have a dual format for as long as either disc is at the top, I would have jumped on that just for Universal titles. But I'm pretty confident that eventually Blu Ray will win because of Disney (nobody sells videos like them) and the PS3 (which I think will gain a lot of steam this upcoming year with the price drop and people looking at all it can do). Blu Ray players will be below $300 fairly soon anyways to compete with the A3.

Even though I have about 15 or so Blu Rays, I would still rather just see one format win ASAP instead of dragging things out. That's why I hope WB makes a Blu decision soon and maybe we can put an end to this mess. It's a shame that a lot of people will end up "wasting" money on the losing format. But I think a lot of people are doing like me and aren't really buying a lot of catalog titles on Blu Ray/HD DVD and are just paying a little more to get new titles, so they really don't have THAT much invested in it.

 

[Master Yoda]

Oh that's very true. $98 was a great deal on that if nothing else, but for an upscalling DVD player. And if I thought that we were definitely going to have a dual format for as long as either disc is at the top, I would have jumped on that just for Universal titles. But I'm pretty confident that eventually Blu Ray will win because of Disney (nobody sells videos like them) and the PS3 (which I think will gain a lot of steam this upcoming year with the price drop and people looking at all it can do). Blu Ray players will be below $300 fairly soon anyways to compete with the A3.

Even though I have about 15 or so Blu Rays, I would still rather just see one format win ASAP instead of dragging things out. That's why I hope WB makes a Blu decision soon and maybe we can put an end to this mess. It's a shame that a lot of people will end up "wasting" money on the losing format. But I think a lot of people are doing like me and aren't really buying a lot of catalog titles on Blu Ray/HD DVD and are just paying a little more to get new titles, so they really don't have THAT much invested in it.

You and me both. I got the Toshiba HD-A2 simply because my regular DVD died about 2 weeks prior to the sale and at under $100 it was a no brainer. Chances are I will wind up with a PS3 80 gig under the Christmas tree from my wife so the format war will really become a moot point at least in my household. However there is no way that I will be replacing DVD's I already have until one of the 2 formats is dead an buried or dual format machines are commonplace.

 

[dxwwf3]

However there is no way that I will be replacing DVD's I already have until one of the 2 formats is dead an buried or dual format machines are commonplace.

I've only replaced a few. Amazon has been running these amazing Buy One Get One Free deals on Blu Rays and I got the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies for a little over $20 (no tax, no shipping). I sold my old copies for a few bucks to SecondSpin.com and upgraded for about $10 total. Can't beat that. I also got my favorite movie "Coming To America" when Paramount was still with Blu Ray because the DVD version was very poor. But yeah, more recent DVD's with great transfers and bonus features won't be replaced until a winner is crowned and some of them I don't rewatch enough to warrant another purchase. Some movies, as long as I've got a digital version in widescreen, that's enough for me.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

There is still a huge gap in player price. The lowest price Blu-Ray is $400 while HD-DVD players have dropped as low as $98 and can commonly be found for under $200.

There are now $299 Blu-Ray players available.

 

[Master Yoda]

There are now $299 Blu-Ray players available.

I just noticed that over at walmart.com.

 

[dxwwf3]

I just noticed that over at walmart.com.

I tried to tell you stand alone player prices were dropping rapidly :animwink:

 

[Master Yoda]

I tried to tell you stand alone player prices were dropping rapidly :animwink:

They pretty much had to. Hopefully they will hit the sub $200 range by my birthday in February.

 

[dxwwf3]

They pretty much had to. Hopefully they will hit the sub $200 range by my birthday in February.

No doubt. Hopefully you'll still get a PS3 instead of a standalone though. Until standalone's get to below $150, the PS3 is still a much better buy.

 

[wolf lightnin]

This has nothing to do with Disney but, I don't think everyone should start tossing their dvd players just yet. I honestly don't think that either hd or blu-ray will be the successful successor (alliteration people) of the mighty dvd.

to the general populace, dvd started beating out vhs because it was just more convenient and user-friendly in its day to day use. being able to pick chapters, yet still fast forward and rewind (at varying speeds!) was the reason dvd kicked vhs off the home video throne. the average person could not care less if the picture was slightly more vivid on the dvd than it was on the vhs.

my point is that I don't think either blu-ray or hd dvd will replace dvd b/c the next thing to replace dvd must appeal to the average person's innate laziness.

 

[dxwwf3]

HDTV sales are rising and I would bet by the middle of 2009, we have a winner and it was start selling decently. Nobody can deny that the jump from DVD to Blu/HD is nearly as big as the jump from VHS to DVD was. It's not close. But I do think when prices are comparable to current DVD pricing, it will take over. Even if you are viewing on SDTV, you can tell there is a picture improvement. Surely not enough to warrant a purchase by itself though :lol:

 

[Master Yoda]

No doubt. Hopefully you'll still get a PS3 instead of a standalone though. Until standalone's get to below $150, the PS3 is still a much better buy.

I found out yesterday that I am getting an Xbox 360. I do not know why because my wife is usually more clever than this but she used my Newegg account to buy it and the order conformation popped up on my e-mail. I might pick up a Blu-Ray player for my birthday in February this year. Of course I will also need to get a HDMI switch as I will have 4 HDMI devices and only 1 HDMI port on my TV.

 

[dxwwf3]

I might pick up a Blu-Ray player for my birthday in February this year.

You're still better off getting a PS3. Buy 360 exclusive games for the 360 and do everything else on the PS3 :lol:. If you have wireless internet set up at your house, you can stream all of your videos and audio on your computer to your PS3. A free program called TVersity does this. I watch a lot of my WDW videos on my TV, which is much more convenient than watching on my computer screen all the time.

 

[Master Yoda]

You're still better off getting a PS3. Buy 360 exclusive games for the 360 and do everything else on the PS3 :lol:. If you have wireless internet set up at your house, you can stream all of your videos and audio on your computer to your PS3. A free program called TVersity does this. I watch a lot of my WDW videos on my TV, which is much more convenient than watching on my computer screen all the time.

Would the $400 40 gb version be enough or do I need to get the 80 gb?

 

[dxwwf3]

Would the $400 40 gb version be enough or do I need to get the 80 gb?

40 GB should definitely be enough, unless you have PS2 games you want to play on it. If you hook up your PS3 to the internet (wireless or with ethernet cable) you can use your computer to hold most of your larger files and can still use TVersity. I only put HD videos (like Dolbyman's Disneyland series) on the hard drive because they don't stream that well. But normal videos (such as Martin's series) stream perfectly for me. And 40 GB is still a lot of space for Demos, MP3's and Pictures. I think you would be surprised how well the system was set up for things like that. The good games are starting to roll in and I think the PS3 could be THE system for 2008. But I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 360 if you decide to only go that route. It's a great system too, but just doesn't have as many "extras" as the PS3. Also if you want to play games online, you have to pay on the 360 and it's free for the PS3 (many people either choose not to believe this or have no idea).

 

[prberk]

I've been reading a lot about this format war lately, and it looks like Blu-Ray typically has higher quality and seems to be preferred by filmmakers. I think Disney has made a safe bet with Blu-Ray and won't ever need to go with HD-DVD.

Sounds like Betamax to me.... They always used to say that Sony Betamax was the clear winner in quality, but VHS had the lead and name recognition.... and ultimately won that war....

Paul

 

[Master Yoda]

Sounds like Betamax to me.... They always used to say that Sony Betamax was the clear winner in quality, but VHS had the lead and name recognition.... and ultimately won that war....

Paul

I actually heard there was a different catalyst for VHS winning that format war....The industry. They went with VHS due to lower production costs and longer run time. At the time the industry consumed more tapes than traditional movies. If you remember from way back when, no one bought movies they rented them, but because the average Joe did not want to be seen renting an adult film they were purchased through mail order.

But alas it seems like Warner dropped a proverbial atom bomb in this war when they went blu-ray exclusive this Friday. HD-DVD will hang on for a few more years mainly due to the European market but it will only be a matter of time now before the format is a footnote in technological history.