Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD

[NoCry]

bbb but destyn; I have a ps3..and internet connectivity. Does that mean that I wont be able to click on a link and go to some lame microsite? oh dear, a calamity indeed.

oh, and who said anything about death? limited content from 2 studios is far from dead (one of whom certainly has a written escape clause and the other should be able to claim frustration in relation to).

[Anonymous]

The PS3 will never give you fill BR functionality, but I'm sure such a well informed consumer as you already knew that.  Unless clicking on a microsite link will give you HD audio through HDMI?  Umm nope.  Or maybe it'll give you region-free access like 99% of the DVD players in Europe and all HD-DVDs?  Umm nope.  But surely, it will mean the time between inserting a disc and a clunky menu appearing will be reduced?  Umm nope.  Ahh but I'm sure it will allow you to play Sony's fucked up protected content through a non-HDMI connection, won't it?  Umm nope.

And there are more than two studios releasing on HD-DVD, perhaps you've heard of Canal+?  They're pretty big in Europe.

Though you are exactly the kind of sucker consumer Sony loves  As a PS3 owner and a HD-DVD drive owner the format war concerns me only for one reason: it will hold back the development of what could have been next-gen content and give Sony an excuse to rape us all with extortionate disc prices once they've cornered the market.

[NoCry]

a few comments to add (to this supposedly random thread).

What is fill BR functionality? I am a consumer, not an expert with the time or the inclination to study the architecture of an entertainment format, I want merely to be entertained with good picture quality and as wide a choice of content as possible. One format, which happens to be the same as what I have already is good, for me.

As to waiting for a menu; I am really not that fussed if I have to put a disc in, chat to my wife for a while whilst waiting for a screen to load and thereafter watch the film. The same way that I am not averse to driving to the cinema, buying a ticket, a few sweeties, having a slash and then moving on to watch the film.

Oh, of course, canal plus and its subsidiary companies, the likes of Mr Bean's holiday would, I am sure, be great on HD DVD.

Again, and although not sure of the relevence of calling names again on a forum you miss one important point. Above all else, I think you might genuinelly be the only person I know who still refers to people as "suckers".

Finally, have I missed something, how will Sony charge extortionate disc prices? Even if they could, I would perhaps refer you to a concept known as "abuse of dominant position" that is something I am entirely familiar with.

[Anonymous]

BR functionality is all of the features Blu Ray is supposed to be able to offer, and therein lies the rub: you don't know what they are, but you followed a format because you had a player already inserted into another item you bought.  I had a radio in my car when I bought it, but it was shit so I replaced it, I didn't sing its praises because it was there at the time.

Indeed I'm glad you're not worried about the menu loading, though it is an indicator that the format was unfinished at the time it was released (and Profile 2.0 proves this).  Again I refer you to those people who won't be able to play 2.0 discs in their 1.0 machines, the same way touts of Laserdisc can't pop them into DVD players.

Nice one, Mr Bean, ha ha that's hilarious.  Yes, indeed, it's an established argument isn't it.  Probably comparable to La Haine, yes?  What an excellent argument you put forward.  As for name calling, well if you prefer I could use "dickhead"?  In the end though as much of the playground taunting came from you, ipso facto.  However I would still consider anyone who backs a format they don't understand, without considering any of the "architecture of an entertainment format", a sucker (do a forum search on the word before trying to belittle its usage).

Yes you did miss something, it's called monopoly.  When the US are paying $40 per disc and we're paying £26.99, you can re-evaluate the position.  Cost of license, cost of intellectual property on the "features" of BR, etc.  I'm sure you're very familiar.

[Anonymous]

dickhead would be preferable old boy. Thanks for the latin too; as a lawyer I sometimes struggle with concepts such as that.

Monopolies, ahh, now that is a concept. In Europe, I would refer you to the various European Courts; perhaps you have heard of microsoft being fined recently for abuse of dominant position? In the UK, perhaps the competion commission is the best body? These laws are real, and have teeth.

Finally, and as to name calling, you stomp around these boards putting down anyone who would dare disagree with you (tec being the most recent example although if I had the time or the inclination I could find many, many more), indeed I entered into this very debate just as a little experiment to see how you would react. Thank you for proving my point. As to the others who have had to read this childish interaction I, for one, apologise.

By the way, you buy minidisc and regret that too?

Apologies for quoting your message NoCry, but you posted it while I was in the middle of a topic split and it was too much hassle to move it again (there is no option to move one post to another thread it seems).

You're a lawyer?  Could have sworn in your original profile you mentioned being a solicitor.  May I ask what the difference is, as a layman unfamiliar with such terms?  I am genuinely interested.

As for examples, please find them and forward them to my captain.  Anyone else who wants to pitch in to free debate, please do.  Heck, I'll even leave if it keeps you happy  But don't come up with churlish responses to cover your hide NoCry, you entered an argument and you were argued with: as a lawyer, I'm sure you're familiar.  I reserve the right to keep my opinions, and I think you'll struggle to find an incident of me forcing them on anyone, or indeed "stomping around the board".

Back on subject, I never owned Betamax, or MiniDisc.  Or a Mega-CD.  I do have one UMD film in my collection.

[NoCry]

on the assumption that your question as to differences inter lawyer and solicitor was a genuine one I would point out that a lawyer is normally a generic description of someone who practices law for a living. In England at least we have solicitors (like I am, who, with reference to the kind of work I do spend most of their time in the office and do transactions) and barristers (who wear the wigs and spend nearly all their time in court or preparing for court). The reason I use the term lawyer here is because, when I was much younger, I met a young american lady in a bar, in france, she asked me what I did and on being told that I was a solicitor threatened to throw her drink over me. I took from that that our US cousins were less familiar with the split which exists in my profession and now, out of habit, refer to myself as a lawyer if there is an american in earshot.

BTW I have no problem with arguments, I just dont like name calling (unless of course dickhead, that, I take as a compliment).

[Anonymous]

I understand your point, I have a similar issue with clumsy sarcasm.

[Ash]

Here's a couple of links that might be of interest, they talk more in-depth on the 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0 profiles Destyn talks about.  They also mention how, if you own a PS3, then you're one of the lucky few who can actually upgrade the machines firmware to the new BR profiles without having to re-purchase a BR player.  You may continue beating the dead horse.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9808376-1.html

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Firmware_Upgrades/PlayStation_3/Sony_Says_PS3_Firmware_Upgrade_Will_Boost_Blu-ray_Interactivity/1060

[Anonymous]

Indeed Yotogi you are right, PS3s can receive an update to Profile 2.0, but at this time still cannot output HD audio to HDMI.  What is most galling about Sony's chosen format is simply that they have no base standards, so the quality of any release can (and does) vary enormously...

[Pirus]

PlayStation 3 > All

And Blu-ray is winning!

Yeah Blu-Ray has basically won it's a shame though seeing as how HD-DVD is the better media... But its all about advertising and getting it out there.  Putting Blu-ray on the PS3 was the best thing they could have done.

How is HD-DVD the better media?  Blu-ray discs hold larger amounts of data than HD-DVDs do.


Size aside HD-DVD has a better picture.. blueray has the edge on audio but hd-dvd beats it on all other fronts pertaining to movies playback ect... its features give it a huge edge over blu-ray.  Features such as PIP.  Now on the gaming front definately Blu-ray with its larger capacity it should make for some awesome games...

[Anonymous]

It would if the PS3 had any games to play

[Tecknik]

The PS3 has plenty of amazing releases due out this year.  You obviously must favor the Xbox if you're one of the people pulling the "no games to play" card.

As far as BR Profiles go, I couldn't care less about anyone ignorant enough to spend up to $1000 on BR 1.0 players when the PlayStation 3 was available for as low as $500 (at launch).  

HD Audio through HDMI? Who cares when I can get it through an optical TOSLINK (Toshiba created, like HD-DVD - Irony?) cable?  Any decent surround sound system will have both Optical and HDMI inputs.

Hooray! The one thing HD-DVD has going for it is it's region-free coding.  You really think it will stay region-free?  Wish in one hand, shit in the other.  See which one fills up first.

What protected Sony content are you referring to?  I'm currently using component cables, and haven't had a problem viewing anything.

What clunky menus are you referring to?  I pop in Enemy Of The State, and the movie starts playing.  The Simpsons Movie had a menu, but it was far from clunky, and didn't take long to load at all.

$40 per disc?  Where are you buying your movies?  I don't believe I have paid over $25 for any of my Blu-ray titles.  The price argument is another ignorant one, brought on by people who are Anti-Sony.  I'm sorry, but when Sony revolutionized the media industry with DVDs, price went down when DVD began to conquer the market.  What would make you believe that Blu-ray prices would not do the same?  Sony isn't stupid.  They know how to market their products, and they know how to manipulate prices to make sure consumers buy their products.  That is why they took a $500 hit on every Playstation 3 system sold.  They took that hit because they wanted Blu-ray players in homes across the globe.  

It is inevitable that Blu-ray will win the format war, and it seems like everyone except for Toshiba and Universal (and their ignorant followers) can see that.  Blu-ray has gained the greater share of studios backing the format, and for Toshiba to prolong this stupid fight is just down right insane.  It is doing nothing but hurting themselves, and the consumers.  They bowed out of CES, ultimately allowing Blu-ray to dominate the convention.  They need to just bow out of the format war completely.

At this point, I think we are just arguing for the sake of arguing though.  You obviously aren't swaying my vote, and I am obviously not going to sway your's.  This argument is proving nothing, and going nowhere, and I apologize to everyone for starting it.

[Anonymous]

Looks like Universal may be heading towards BR too

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6184567.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;3

[Tecknik]

Well, that doesn't say that Universal is going to Blu-ray.  It just says they haven't renewed their HD-DVD exclusivity contract.

What does that mean? It means that Universal will most likely start producing movies on both mediums after May.  They aren't switching completely, but they aren't staying exclusive.

And if there is any truth to that, Blu-ray has won.  With Paramount/DreamWorks on the edge about going back to producing Blu-ray movies and Warner and its subsidiaries non-exclusive anymore, the format war is done.  Once Warner starts producing Blu-ray movies, Paramount/DreamWorks (being the only major studio fully supporting HD-DVD) will most certainly go back to producing Blu-ray movies.  Maybe not exclusively, but it won't be long before both Warner and Paramount drop the HD-DVD format, and Toshiba drops out all together.