Home audio & video forum: Poll: In your opinion, do you think HD DVD has a chance?

With today's economy, I think there's a good chance of HD surviving. Mentioned is hoping the price of Blu-Ray will go down. True but HD already has. HD seems to fits today's budget. Blu-Ray hasn't budged. Eventually I'm sure like all technology prices will go down. Nice if you have both.

Even if Bose "bought" HD-dvd, their marketing could not save it.

I am perfetly happy with an upconverting DVD player on my high def TV. Until the price comes down to under 100 dollars, i am not buying a high def DVD player of any format. and will not buy HIGH DEF movies in any format until they are around the price of current 480I wide screen DVDs.

Yes i own a VHS/ Dvd player and it does the thing i bought it for. it plays the movies for methat's all i need , i don't really need to see the bldes of grass the sharpness because i'm just interested in the movie . If my player breaks i'll go buy another standard one and not pay big bucks forHD. I don't have a Hd Tv but got a 42" rear projection Tv. which shows a good picture. yes it's just like the old Beta and Vhs wars, and now it's DVD. what happens next year when they find a new format to show it on. then your stuck with the HD.

>>sbill:
"I am totally happy with my standard DVD player, even with a new HDTV. It's not even an "upconverting" model, and in fact I didn't even buy the pricier "component video" cable, like the manufacturer recommends. It's hooked up with the standard 3 RCA cables (Audio-L, Audio-R, Video), and the picture and sound are excellend."

What matters is that you are happy. Given your configuration, you are definitely not realising the potential of your hdtv - but really that is your choice. I too own an hdtv, have for the past 3 & 1/2 years, so I have an older 1080i crt. I've been happy with my sd dvd hooked up by component cable. After purchasing a Toshiba laptop on black friday with an HD DVD rom, however, I decided that I may have to reconsider. I recently bought the HD DVD A3 for $149 and got 9 free HD DVD's with it. Phenominal! The other really surprising thing, however, was how much better my regular sd dvd's looked on it: more vibrant colors, brighter picture, sharper lines and details I had never seen before. If nothing else, the HD DVD A3 is an incredible upconverter (when connected by an hdmi cable - I use a $15 generic brand - works fine). I've had friends buy upconverters before and I thought they were overated, but with the A3, even my wife was impressed (and that is saying something!).

The A3 is really the only HD player I was going to consider for two reasons: it puts out a 1080i signal - and price. And those are the two reasons I hope HD DVD is able to last.

Will HD DVD make it to July? Sure. Will they be there in July '09? To me that is the bigger question. I sure hope so. I won't be buying a 1080p player for my tv though... whether it is bluray or anything else. If HD DVD does fail, at least I've got one of the best upconverting players around and I'll be able to use it for years to make my sd dvd's look great.

It hurts to think about watching a DVD on my HDTV via a RCA cable for video. If anything you need an upconverting DVD player with a HDMI output to really make your DVDs look good on a HDTV.

Only way for HD DVD to win is to displace plain ol' DVD by becoming as cheap in players and movies and becoming the standard optical device in PCs.

I only marginally noticed the price of players; HD-DVD or Blu-ray. For me, it was all about which movies were in what format. Unfortunately I discovered that my favorites were split between the two formats. So I bought both players. At the time Warner was still HD-DVD.

Now, I dont think any Board of Directors is going to approve the necessary capital investment in HD-DVD to give it a boost and will likely see such proposals as good money after bad.

Sorry, HD camp. I did my part; I bought an HD-DVD player to sit beside my PS3. I have HD-DVDs and will be watching them. I may buy more if I see titles not in BD or if there is an HD-DVD fire sale.

Gary

...unlike VHS did vs. Betamax, and CD vs. SACD or DVD audio! It's about time that people wise up about BETTER QUALITY, rather than just mediocre continuation of some pre-existing format stretched to a higher lever by greedy manufacturers. These manufacturers who throw out an abundance of MEDIA along with half baked technological improvements of the equipment that is able to play this media, know WELL IN ADVANCE, that the newer, better technology is already in the works,albeit at higher cost, and when all the 'guinea pig' customers gobble up the cheaper, more abundant lesser formats, the manufacturers come down with the boom, and lo and behold present the better, more advanced and FAR higher quality media and equipment, making the earlier buyers' investments worth .. well as much as cow manure!

Content is everything. And Toshiba's format has only two major studios backing it. If you don't think content is what really matters for media gadgets, just ask MS about its Zune player. MS is trying to attract more content for the Zune player because it will never compete with Sony, otherwise.

We have to remember that whilst most of the big players are on their third generation machines, only HD-DVD players fully meet the specs regarding PIP, interactive content, HD audio formats etc. For goodness sake, the latest top-of-the-line Sony does not even meet BD 1.1 (let alone 2.0)and does not even have networking, so how's a buyer to access interactive content? The price drop for Tosh machines may yet cause a turnaround, so don't gloat yet you BluRay fanboys.

HD DVD may last with the installed base just as Betamax did for a while, but manufacturers will stop producing them once it's clear there's a winner. Movies only out on HD DVD will switch formats when those studios see their market is larger on the other side.

If were a retailer, I would choose a format that minimizes the additional SKUs. HD can have BOTH regular DVD on one side and HD on the other. If Paramount decides to issue all new DVD as HD at the same price point, the war is over... The retailers will stock 1 sku and will start to ask BR BIG money to provide with adequate shelf space. That will bring BR to its knees as a) the DVD will cost more, and b) the players will be way over priced compared to HD.

From a consumer standpoint the issue is simple: If I buy a dvd today, can I get a better picture tomorrow for FREE. If the answer is yes, I will choose that option.

Some people, at CNET and other places, believe that content will make or break the BR vs HD. Possible. But the game is still young and we have seen many reversals of technology... the one that comes to mind is Sony's Betamax. It did NOT matter what content Betatmax had or did not have, when the Blockbusters of this world stopped renting it... it was doomed. Netflix still rent HD.

Some feel that the war is not to be as we will download VC1 video streams and bypass BR/HD. Possible. We have that same discussion with printed books vs electronic version of the same. Both will coexist for some time.

Then there is Microsoft, the fact that HD connects to the Internet, the strenght of HD players in internal memory and upscaling older DVD, especially for 'better' players.

I was disappointed to see how CNET reacted to Warner's posturing. It is ignoring that Toshiba, Paramount and Microsoft are very significant players in the DVD arena. For example the Microsoft content is nothing to sneeze about as it sells millions of DVDs a day (Software, for sure, but still DVDs)

The battle with Warner may be lost, but the war is not over. We need to see how the silent players react.

Jerome Boyer

There are a few issues at work that suggest the format not only surviving but even thriving, IMHO.

One, upconverting regular DVDs...The requirement that consumers will have to have at minimum 2 DVD players (Both standard and BluRay) already make it a less appealing option...And if you're going to be forced to have 2, why not have one that is HD-DVD that will upconvert your regular DVD anyway?

Two, price still prohibitive to go BluRay.

Third and my biggest 'issue' with BluRay has been the proprietary nature of Sony and their media...Consumers are being forced to (Limited choices as more and more band up with BluRay and the studios) to adopt multiple formats rather than a player that can play everything.

I have my Planet Earth and a few other HD-DVDs and I have no plans to sign up with BluRay in the near or longterm future...Why should I?