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

Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD? Maybe, but as I see it, for watching movies at home, there may be better options for the average person. For example, Apple TV, which will let me download regular-def or high-def movies at the click of a button. Sure, the resolution won't be as high as Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, but it will be quite good. And, with software updates, such devices easily upgrade themselves to offer new features or better performance.

Once the Apple TV Take 2 software comes out in the next couple of weeks, I will be able to rent movies from my sofa in high or low def (with 5.1 sound) in addition to what I can do now: stream music, videos, movies or TV shows from my computer library, watch theatrical trailers, and view photos. This small box does a lot, takes up little space, and wirelessly interacts with my network. And I'm only using the Apple TV as an example; similarly oriented options from other manufacturers exist now, and I predict more will come.

Why should I spend money for yet another dumb, one-trick-pony disc player, continue to go to the rental store for the discs, and run the risk that the stupid thing is obsolete in a year? (Or, if not obsolete, broken, as manufacturers cut quality to cut prices). New technology, yes, but old methodology. How many of us have plain old DVD players that are gathering dust, broken after just a couple of year's service?

I, for one, won't be adding either to my system for a long time. For the hard-core video collector or high-def addict, there's probably value, but I think even for those people, disc-based systems will eventually be surpassed by other technology.

Someday downloading HD movies will be a widely employed, viable option, but not any time soon. At present download speeds with an infra-structure that certainly won't support everybody downloading this much info simultaneously, this is a limited option at best. It takes 16+ hours to download an HD movie over XBoxLive, not to mention the amount of HDD space this occupies. Permanent storage media is going to be the norm for quite awhile, IMHO. New advances in technology will certainly change this. Those of us with high def HT's will continue to seek out good source material and both HD DVD and BD are the best that is available. I am not excluding OTA, cableTV and satellite HD, but that is a separate discussion.

HD-DVD v/s Blu-Ray - who cares! It's only as good as the TV you watch it on. If all you have is an older 25" analog Magnavox it really doesn't make much difference.

If u really didn't care then.. u won't of added your opinion. At the end of the day I want the options to exist. Just like in the PC world. I want options!

I own both formats,just recently purchased an Hd-dvd h30 player for $165 and I'am very impressed with the picture quality and sound,the price is right,they have 2 studios combined that are owners of 46% of movie titles out there today,so i believe that Hd-DVD will be around for a long time.

I really don't give a crap!

I would just like it to go one way or the other, so I can buy the one that is going to be the standard. I am thinking a lot of people want this, so they can start watching/buying DVD's of there favorite movies in the best possible way.

This reminds me of the VCR vs. Betamax wars. I didn't buy a player until the war was over. Again, the same thing happened with CD+R vs CD-R and DVD+R vs DVD-R. At least with this one, the players eventually handled all formats.

I don't have an HiDef TV so the HD formats don't concern me. I'm sure that the format war will be resolved by the time I aquire an HD TV.

I'll wait, just like I did before I bought my first 8-Track or VHS (against BETA) I remember asking if 45s would ever replace 33-1/3 lps. They never really did ---the quality sucked but they were great to bring to your girl friend's house and play with hers (on her 45 player, that is).

I have 6 DVD players $ one recorder BUT no screen bigger than 27". My favorite is my 10" combo on my sailboat on which I can watch (and listen to) music DVDs while gently trying to catch a breeze on the lake. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO SIT AND WATCH AND MUCH LESS CARE WHETHER THE QUALITY IS GOOD, BETTER OR BEST. The ads are abounding with discount TV/DVD ads which tells you it's all stuff that just is not going to be around long.

AND what are you worried about watching in "hi-def"? Most of the movies out stink, new TV is on hiatus until after the strike and the Packers are out of Super Bowl contention. The only thing worth watching are the girls on the red carpet for the awards which also may not make it on because of the strike. AND, having spent time in Hollywood, I can guarantee you they look MUCH BETTER IN PERSON if you get to see them around and about. The only improvement to TV viewing will be when they add "Smell-A-Vision" so the tantilizing aromas of their perfumes will come over while you are trying to decide how those dresses stay up!

by chance?

Technology wars do not end with a bang but a whimper.
Just because HD DVD is a loser in a format war doesn't mean it will disappear in a second. The prolonged format wars will wreak havoc on the public good in the end, and I am glad this format war has ended now.
On the other side of the coin, however, Blu-ray should not monopolize the market 'casue it will wreak havoc as well.

The TCO... total cost of ownership... is way higher in Blu Ray. That does not mean more money goes to the studios, but it simply cost more to get a BR on the market compared to HP. One can read a number of posts on that technical topic.

It means that BR disc will continue to be MORE expensive for quite a while, meaning that buying a plain DVD will be more 'palatable' for many years.

I wish BR would die, as it would leave the competitive HD quickly filling the niche of better DVDs at a fair price.

And the market will decide... I can see BR dying of a slow death, like most (ALL) Sony efforts in the media domain.

It would help if the technical press would take sides and help that death to be faster. Is CNET listening?

We have both HD and Blu-Ray. From a consumer standpoint, HD is better because many of them are offered in a "combo" format of HD on one side, standard on the other. We like this since the standard is playable on our computers, portable DVD player, etc. We're not "stuck" only watching the moving on our home theater. Also, HD plays on the Xbox 360 which integrates our home theater - watching home movies, photos, playing music as well as games and movies - much better than PS3. For some reason, Blu-Ray discs offer very little bonus material compared to HD. But, there are two big reasons HD can survive: (1) combo players will eventually make the question of format moot if HD can survive that long, just as CD-R and CD+R, etc. were made moot (faster than expected) (2) Microsoft is still in the HD camp and most people seem to forget that, but they could be as influential as a major studio. It won't be too long before HD drives will be going on computers. If Microsoft chooses to throw its weight around and provide Vista support for HD drives only, well you get the picture. The biggest loser in all this has of course been the consumer. I believe combo drives will return the power of choice to the consumer where it belongs, though.

Simple -- Warner wanted to break the hi def impasse and did the logical thing: it went with the format that had more titles. Its action had the expected effect -- obviously!

For me, the time hasn't yet come to buy a Blu-ray machine. The prices are high, the standard isn't settled, and the professional reviews show them all wanting in one way or another. For a while there, the Panasonic DMP-BD30K looked good -- but then a CNET user reported it won't work with his Samsung HDTV. Since I have a Samsung myself, that puts the kibosh on it at least for now.

Another issue is movies. There aren't that many titles that really interest me in either format. Until that changes, my Toshiba HD-A2 will be good enough.

Really don't give a crap. This an expensive "sport" still, and I only consider blue-ray disks or HD DVD disks as data storage when these devices will be availiable at a logical price for PCs.

Even HEALTHY contention is good for costumers, I really believe that companies will go to a new format soon, after copy protection compromised.
Exept they don't care about profits and all that they said about copyright,where bull.

no more of these foolish vhs vs. beta wars.