Home audio & video forum: HDDVD war

The contest is over. Blu-Ray is the winner. This should be obvious to anybody who is paying any attention.

Some people seem to be confused because Blu-Ray came out of Sony, and they presume that therefore Sony will be the loser to Toshiba's HD-DVD like its Beta format was before to JVC's VHS. But there was a very good reason why Beta lost to VHS -- the longest the early Beta machine scould record was 1:30, too short to record a movie, while VHS tapes, even initially, held 2:00 of content. By the time the slower (and lower quality) speeds were implemented, there was already a VAST quantity of VHS content around compared to Beta. For consumers, this was the obvious deciding factor. No quality advantage could ever overcome this shortcoming for Beta. We are already seeing the content advantage for Blu-Ray reaching insurmountable proportions.

Blu-Ray, on the other hand, has EVERY advantage over HD-DVD for the consumer except a small difference in the cost of the players (albeit well within the affordable range for the vast majority of those who own TVs that can display HD content), and save for a minor, and soon to be overcome, advantage related to the cost of disk production it also has every advantage for producers. The chief advantage is the same advantage that VHS held over Beta -- greater storage capacity.

But an even greater advantage in the long run is the fact that Blu-Ray RECORDERS are already out for computers and will soon be available in consumer video units. This is the chief advantage that tape cassettes had over 8-Tracks in the early '70s when that silly old format war was going on.

Furthermore, in the lab, Blu-Ray disks have been made to record many multiple layers of data, and may eventually have capabilities approaching or even exceeding a terabyte of storage on a single disk. I have heard of no such capabilities on the part of the HD-DVD format.

HD-DVD is already dead. Any life in it you see is merely residual reflex, consisting mainly of deep denial on the part of Toshiba and other backers of their clearly inferior format. There's no breath in that body. You can buy Blu-Ray now with confidence that it will endure as a format, perhaps the final and ultimate audio-video physical media format.

There are many advantages audibly and visually, including vastly hightened bit rates for video (48Mbps BluRay vs 36Mbps HDDVD, BD's rate having the capability of going much higher) and audio (18.5Mbps HDDVD vs 24.5Mbps BluRay, again, BluRay's potential is increaseable). Higher Storage capacity YEILDS higher performance Capacity. 50GB DL single side today can do a ton, when Sony finishes work on the 200GB BD, there will be enough room for tomorrows picture sizes and audio formats as well. HDDVD hasn't much more capability than what it can do now. It is limited by having a larger diameter laser, which limits storage space, and when stopping an HDDVD, one must start from the beginning of the disc again (Toshiba officially announced this "limitation", which even standard DVD (and VHS, for crying out loud) has the capability of performing. If HDDVD cannot perform the simplist tasks, how wilol it succeed in the future. Anybody who walks into a Best Buy will encounter a person who sells based on the long-term trends of technology and quality over time. These are the values that are held in many Retailing Outfitters, minus WalMart, who is soley price-driven. Since overall, BD is outselling HDDVD by a considerable margin, the difference in quality, usability, and storage space (computing, movie features etc.) is obviously one that the consumer would like to have.
In short, BD is not only a better format in EVERY respect (because the price will not make a huge difference to somebody who just spent a couple of grand on some sort of screen, if they are spending that much already, what's a few hundred bucks gonna do?), But it is alo something that will appeal to both audiophiles and videophiles. They are not the largest part of the population, however they are the ones (as consumers, not companies) that hold the heaviest influence on the battle. If videophiles and audiophiles alike decide the BD will be the winner, then BD WILL be the winner, as so vice versa. They are the ones that look at the pictures intensely and listen to the sound visiously, and they are the ones that also spend more money than other consumer groups combined. I would be the phile who looks for the $22,000.00 BD player with vivix processing and Classe D/A's. 22 grand is about 100 of those cheap-assed WalMart HDDVD players (assuming the price is 200 for one). People were not created equal, and money is not spread evenly, ones with more money have more sway, and from knowing many people like me who have money to invest in a new player (they carry similar influence), they would go for BD as well, there is simply more potential and already better quality.

neither format will go mainstream until they have the average consumer. I am not saying HD-DVD will win, but price is a big influence for the average consumer. If Blu-ray wants to win this format war, they need to get some cheaper alternatives out there that will appeal to mainstream consumers. That is HD-DVD's advantage at this point.

I have a HD-1080i tv. Will I be able to use BLU RAY DVD RECORDER?
All different answers confusing to someone not savvy. Thanks.

If both types cost the same and both had the same movie availability, which would sell better?
I saw the way the wind was blowing, but research led me to believe that the Toshiba HD DVD was a better machine. I have no intention of replacing ALL of my movies and I got it as much for its upconversion capabilities as anything else. Even if this format loses the "war", I will still not buy a Blue-ray because Sony's business practice in this matter puts me off. I am not swearing off all Sony products. If they have the best product to fit my individual needs, then maybe...
The upconversion on the HD is great, so I am happy if that's all I use it for.
I used to have cable TV. I shared the the cost with a house mate. It was in his name. When he moved, I went to the company to have the name changed. They wanted a full installation fee to change a name on a computer. I told them to get rid of it. That was 1988. With so much crap on TV, I haven't missed it. What was the point of that story?
Companies like Sony do this to us because we let them. Some people can't live without cable or satellite, so they let them. I prefer to believe that I control my money and if you want to sell me a product, it better impress me.
I'm starting to blither. Never mind.

Historically I think we can well notice that long before a battle between formats is finaly decided a newer and better format will be there. I don't belive anyone should make it a big pannic when deciding what to buy. The only thing thats guaranteed, are that youl pay too much (it will be cheaper next month) and if you wait to make a decission, youl just face that same dilemma on the successor and miss out on the good times in the mean time.
DVD's are not going to go anywhere soon, Blue ray will stick it out as disks are so cheap to make unlike Video tapes that manufacturers have no problem making both.
Next - the Crystal Data Cube - right now still a little too big to ship / sell, but then, my first Cell phone was too big and heavy to carry and that wasn't that long ago - same time a 2x CDROM cost me $1000 and 10 years before my now $100 tabletop DVD burner was $20,000

Ain't it fun what we have to worry about now-a-days