Topic: The War Begins...

[av_phile1]

At the rate Sony is missing on its promises over the last 12 months and disappointing eager markets, one woud think heads should start rolling, either in their PR department, Inventory management department or the planning department.  It is clear, some sony HQ people goofed. Elementary contingency planning, resource planning and inventory management planning with the proper coordination with marketing and the PR departments would have prevented such embarrassing delays that have given the other camp a clear advantage.

But without heads rolling, Sony seems to be deliberately delaying in order to whet the market appetite for the PS3.   A marketing ploy that can easily backfire.  They should not underestimate a disappointed consumer.  Then again, the market has a collective patience that's quite admireable. 

[av_phile1]

Titles on HD-DVD as of Sept 5, 2006

• 16 Blocks (Warner)
• Aeon Flux (Paramount)
• Apollo 13 (Universal)
• Assault on Precinct 13 (Universal)
• ATL (Warner
• Blazing Saddles (Warner)
• The Bone Collector (Universal)
• The Bourne Supremacy (Universal)
• Caddyshack (Warner)
• The Chronicles of Riddick (Universal)
• Cinderella Man (Universal)
• Constantine (Warner)
• Doom (Universal)
• Dukes of Hazzard (Warner)
• Enter the Dragon (Warner)
• Firewall (Warner)
• Four Brothers (Paramount)
• Friday Night Lights (Universal)
• The Fugitive (Warner)
• Full Metal Jacket (Warner)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner)
• Goodfellas (Warner)
• Happy Gilmore (Universal)
• The Italian Job (2003) (Paramount)
• Jarhead (Universal)
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Warner)
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Paramount)
• The Last Samurai (Warner)
• Lethal Weapon (Warner)
• The Manchurian Candidate (2004) (Paramount)
• Million Dollar Baby (Warner)
• National Lampoon's Animal House (Universal)
• The Perfect Storm (Warner)
• The Phantom of the Opera (2004) (Warner)
• Pitch Black: Unrated Director's Cut (Universal)
• Ray (Universal)
• Rumor Has It... (Warner)
• The Rundown (Universal)
• Sahara (Paramount)
• The Searchers (Warner)
• Serenity (Universal)
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Paramount)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999) (Paramount)
• Spy Game (Universal)
• Swordfish (Warner)
• Syriana (Warner)
• Training Day (Warner)
• U2: Rattle & Hum (Paramount)
• U-571 (Universal)
• Unforgiven (Warner)
• Unleashed (Universal)
• Van Helsing (Universal)
• We Were Soldiers (Paramount)

HD-DVD Titles scheduled for release

September 12, 2006
• House of Wax (2005) (Warner)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (Warner)
• Red Dragon (Universal)
• Seabiscuit (Universal)
• Space Cowboys (Warner)
• That's the Way of the World (BCI)
• Traffic (Universal)
• Troy (Warner)

September 19, 2006
• Backdraft (Universal)
• Dazed & Confused (Universal)
• End of Days (Universal)
• Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (Universal)
• Galaxina (BCI)
• Golgo 13 (BCI)
• Land of the Dead (Universal)

September 26, 2006
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (Warner)
• The Dirty Dozen (Warner)
• The Fast and the Furious (Universal)
• 2 Fast 2 Furious (Universal)
• The Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift (Universal)
• Grand Prix (Warner)
• The Lake House (Warner)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Warner)

October 3, 2006
• The Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up (Eagle Rock)

October 10, 2006
• Army of Darkness (Universal)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Universal)
• Waist Deep (Universal)

October 17, 2006
• The Break-Up (Universal)

October 24, 2006
• 12 Monkeys (Universal)
• The Interpreter (Universal)
• Out of Sight (Universal)
• The Thing (1982) (Universal)
• Slither (Universal)
• Spartacus (Universal)

October 30, 2006
• Mission: Impossible III (Paramount)
• Mission: Impossible - Ultimate Missions Collection (Paramount)

November 7, 2006
• Barry Manilow Live! (Image Entertainment)
• Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre (Image Entertainment)
• Heart: Alive in Seattle (Image Entertainment)
• The Sopranos: Season Six, Part One (HBO)

November 14, 2006
• Hulk (Universal)
• King Kong (2005) (Universal)
• Waterworld (Universal)

December 5, 2006
• Poseidon (Warner)

Street Date To Be Announced
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner)

Release Dates Pending

The following titles are planned for release in the HD DVD format (as indicated by press release or previous public statements made by the distributor), but release dates have not been announced:

 • 2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner)
• Above the Law (Warner)
• Accepted (Universal)
• Alexander (Warner)
• American Pie (Unrated) (Universal)
• American Pie Presents: A Naked Mile (Universal)
• An American Werewolf in London (Universal)
• Angels in America (HBO)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (New Line)
• The Aviator (Universal)
• Awake (Weinstein Co.)
• Band of Brothers (HBO)
• Batman Begins (Warner)
• Bikini Destinations (Magnolia)
• The Black Dahlia (Universal)
•Black Rain (Paramount)
• Blade (New Line)
• Blade Runner (Warner)
• The Blues Brothers(Universal)
• Braveheart (Paramount)
• The Breakfast Club (Universal)
• Breaking and Entering (Weinstein Co.)
• Bubble (Magnolia)
• Casino (Universal)
• Catwoman (Warner)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Warner)
• A Clockwork Orange (Warner)
• Coach Carter (Paramount)
• Conan the Barbarian (Universal)
• Contact (Warner)
• The Corpse Bride (Warner)
• Dante's Peak (Universal)
• Dark City (New Line)
• Deadwood: Season One (HBO)
• Decameron (Weinstein Co.)
• The Deer Hunter (Universal)
• Derailed (Weinstein Co.)
• The Dirty Harry Collection (Warner)
• Dune (1985) (Universal)
• Elizabethtown (Paramount)
• Eraser (Warner)
• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Magnolia)
• Executive Decision (Warner)
• Eyes Wide Shut (Warner)
• Jet Li's Fearless (Universal)
• Field of Dreams (Universal)
• Final Destination (New Line)
• Forbidden Planet (Warner)
• Forrest Gump (Paramount)
• Friday (New Line)
• Friends: Season One (Warner)
• From the Earth to the Moon (HBO)
• Ghost (Paramount)
• Gothika (Warner)
• Grease (Paramount)
• The Green Mile (Warner)
• Grind House (Weinstein Co.)
• Hard to Kill (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas(Universal)
• Idlewind (Universal)
• Killshot (Weinstein Co.)
• Last Legion (Weinstein Co.)
• The Lemon Drop Kid (Universal)
• The Libertine (Weinstein Co.)
• Lucky Number Slevin (Weinstein Co.)
• The Maltese Falcon (Warner)
• The Mask (New Line)
• The Matador (Weinstein Co.)
• The Matrix (Warner)
• The Matrix Reloaded (Warner)
• The Matrix Revolutions (Warner)
• Maverick (Warner)
• Meet the Parents (Universal)
• Miami Vice (2006) (Universal)
• Mission: Impossible (Paramount)
• Mission: Impossible 2 (Paramount)
• Mrs. Henderson Presents (Weinstein Co.)
• The Mummy (Universal)
• The Music Man (Warner)
• Mutiny on the Bounty (Warner)
• Mystic River (Warner)
• Next of Kin (Warner)
• North by Northwest (Warner)
• Ocean's Eleven (Warner)
• Ocean's Twelve (Warner)
• Out of Sight(Universal)
• Passenger 57 (Warner)
• Passion of the Clerks (Weinstein Co.)
• The Player (New Line)
• The Polar Express (Warner)
• Pulse (Weinstein Co.)
• Red Planet (Warner)
• The Return (Universal)
• Rush Hour (New Line)
• Save the Last Dance (Paramount)
• Scary Movie 4 (Weinstein Co.)
• School of Rock (Paramount)
• School for Scoundrels (Weinstein Co.)
• Scoop (Universal)
• The Scorpion King (Universal)
• Se7en (New Line)
• The Shining (1980) (Warner)
• Shuttle Discovery's Historic Mission (Magnolia)
• Sin City 2 (Weinstein Co.)
• Soldier (Warner)
• Son of Paleface (Paramount)
• Spawn (New Line)
• Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie (Paramount)
• Star Trek: First Contact (Paramount)
• Superman Returns (Warner)
• Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner)
• TransAmerica (Weinstein Co.)
• Twister (Warner)
• The Ultimate Star Trek Collection (Paramount)
• Under Siege (Warner)
• Unleashed (Universal)
• U.S. Marshals (Warner)
• Vanilla Sky (Paramount)
• Vengeance of the Zombies (BCI)
• The War Within (Magnolia)
• Wild Wild West (Warner)
• Wolf Creek (Weinstein Co.)
• You, Me & Dupree (Universal)
• Young Hannibal (Weinstein Co.)

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/currentlist.html
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

[av_phile1]

Titles on Blu ray as of Sept 5, 2006

• 50 First Dates (Sony)
• Basic Instinct 2 (Sony)
• The Benchwarmers (Sony)
• Blazing Saddles (Warner)
• Crash (Lionsgate)
• The Devil's Rejects (Lionsgate)
• The Fifth Element (Sony)
• Firewall (Warner)
• Full Metal Jacket (Warner)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner)
• Hitch (Sony)
• House of Flying Daggers (Sony)
• Into the Blue (Sony)
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Warner)
• The Last Waltz (MGM)
• Lethal Weapon (Warner)
• Lord of War (Lionsgate)
• Memento (Sony)
• The Punisher (Lionsgate)
• Rumor Has It... (Warner)
• RV (Sony)
• Saw (Lionsgate)
• Silent Hill (Sony)
• Species (MGM)
• Stargate (Lionsgate)
• Stealth (Sony)
• Stir of Echoes (Lionsgate)
• The Terminator (MGM)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Lionsgate)
• Total Recall (Lionsgate)
• Training Day (Warner)
• Ultraviolet (Sony)
• Underworld: Evolution (Sony)
• xXx (Sony)

Blu Ray titles Scheduled for release

September 5, 2006
• Blazing Saddles (Warner)
• Firewall (Warner)
• Full Metal Jacket (Warner)
• Lethal Weapon (Warner)

September 19, 2006
• The Big Hit (Sony)
• Dinosaur (Buena Vista)
• Eight Below (Buena Vista)
• The Great Raid (Buena Vista)
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (Buena Vista)
• A Knight's Tale (Sony)
• S.W.A.T. (Sony)
• Tears of the Sun (Sony)

September 26, 2006
• Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Warner)
• Four Brothers (Paramount)
• The Fugitive (Warner)
• House of Wax (2005) (Warner)
• The Lake House (Warner)
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Paramount)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (Warner)
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Paramount)
• Sleepy Hollow (Paramount)
• Space Cowboys (Warner)
• Swordfish (Warner)

October 3, 2006
• The Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up (Eagle Rock)

October 10, 2006
• Aeon Flux (Paramount)
• Click (Sony)
• The Italian Job (2003) (Paramount)
• Sahara (Paramount)
• U2: Rattle and Hum (Paramount)

October 17, 2006
• American Psycho (Lionsgate)
• The Brothers Grimm (Buena Vista)
• Dark Water (Buena Vista)
• First Blood (Lionsgate)
• Gattaca (Sony)
• Glory Road (Buena Vista)
• Gone in 60 Seconds (Buena Vista)
• Haunted Mansion (Buena Vista)
• The Professionals (Sony)
• Saw II (Lionsgate)
• Young Guns (Lionsgate)

October 24, 2006
• Monster House (Sony)
• Reservoir Dogs (Lionsgate)

October 30, 2006
• Mission: Impossible III (Paramount)
• Mission: Impossible - Ultimate Missions Collection (Paramount)

November 14, 2006
• Behind Enemy Lines (Fox)
• Fantastic Four (Fox)
• Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut (Fox)
• Kiss of the Dragon (Fox)
• The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (Fox)
• The Omen (2006) (Fox)
• Speed (Fox)
• The Transporter (Fox)

November 21, 2006
• Ice Age: The Meltdown (Fox)

November 28, 2006
• The Usual Suspects (Fox)
• Windtalkers (Fox)

December 5, 2006
• Bulletproof Monk (Fox)
• Rocky (Fox)

Release Dates Postponed

The following titles were originally given release dates but have since been postponed with no new dates announced.

• Black Hawk Down (Sony)
• The Da Vinci Code (Sony)
• Kung Fu Hustle (Sony)
• Legends of the Fall (Sony)
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Sony)
• Sense & Sensibility (Sony)

Release Dates Pending

The following titles are planned for release in the Blu-Ray format (as indicated by press release or previous public statements made by the distributor), but release dates have not been announced:

 • 2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner)
• Above the Law (Warner)
• Alexander (Warner)
• Angels in America (HBO)
• Armageddon (Buena Vista)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (New Line)
• Band of Brothers (HBO)
• Batman Begins (Warner)
• Black Rain (Paramount)
• Blade (New Line)
• Blade Runner (Warner)
• Bram Stoker's Dracula (Sony)
• Braveheart (Paramount)
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (Sony)
• Catwoman (Warner)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Warner)
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (Sony)
• Chicken Little (Buena Vista)
• A Clockwork Orange (Warner)
• Coach Carter (Paramount)
• Constantine (Warner)
• Contact (Warner)
• Dark City (New Line)
• Deadwood: Season One (HBO)
• Desperado (Sony)
• The Dirty Dozen (Warner)
• The Dirty Harry Collection (Warner)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (Warner)
• Frank Herbert's Dune (Lionsgate)
• Elizabethtown (Paramount)
• Eraser (Warner)
• Executive Decision (Warner)
• Eyes Wide Shut (Warner)
• Final Destination (New Line)
• Flightplan (Buena Vista)
• For a Few Dollars More (Sony)
• Forbidden Planet (Warner)
• Forrest Gump (Paramount)
• Friday (New Line)
• Friends: Season One (Warner)
• From the Earth to the Moon (HBO)
• Ghost (Paramount)
• Goodfellas (Warner)
• Gothika (Warner)
• Grand Prix (Warner)
• Grease (Paramount)
• The Green Mile (Warner)
• The Guns of Navarone (Sony)
• Hard to Kill (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner)
• • Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Buena Vista)
• Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Buena Vista)
• The Last Samurai (Warner)
• The Maltese Falcon (Warner)
• The Manchurian Candidate (2004) (Paramount)
• The Mask (New Line)
• The Matrix (Warner)
• The Matrix Reloaded (Warner)
• The Matrix Revolutions (Warner)
• Maverick (Warner)
• Million Dollar Baby (Warner)
• The Music Man (Warner)
• Mutiny on the Bounty (Warner)
• Mystic River (Warner)
• Next of Kin (Warner)
• North by Northwest (Warner)
• Ocean's Eleven (Warner)
• Ocean's Twelve (Warner)
• Passenger 57 (Warner)
• The Perfect Storm (Warner)
• Phantom of the Opera (2004) (Warner)
• The Player (New Line)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista)
• The Polar Express (Warner)
• Poseidon (Warner)
• Red Planet (Warner)
• Rush Hour (New Line)
• Save the Last Dance (Paramount)
• School of Rock (Paramount)
• See No Evil (Lionsgate)
• Se7en (New Line)
• The Shining (1980) (Warner)
• Soldier (Warner)
• The Sopranos: Season One (HBO)
• Spawn (New Line)
• Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie (Paramount)
• Stargate: Atlantis - Season One (Sony)
• Star Trek: First Contact (Paramount)
• Superman Returns (Warner)
• Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner)
• Syriana (Warner)
• Troy (Warner)
• Twister (Warner)
• Under Siege (Warner)
• Unforgiven (Warner)
• U.S. Marshals (Warner)
• Vanilla Sky (Paramount)
• We Were Soldiers (Paramount)
• Wild Wild West (Warner)

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/currentlist.html
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

[aldrinpsx]

Even if HD DVD loses that doesn't mean that your player dies with it. You will still be able to watch the movies that you purchased.

peace and blessing!!!

[Mouldingo]

Grrr...Maybe this question will eventually come into mind.  Any of you guys stopped buying DVD and  have intentions of overhauling your DVD collection? Also which format will you choose now?Nakaka hinayang bumili ng DVD kung may katumbas na HD nalalabas na kasabay. :'( :'( example: Underworld Evolution.

[levi]

AV phile,

    I noticed that you are really following the HDDVD/BLU RAY players. So what is your choice and when are you getting one? Would you recommend to buy now or wait and what monitor do you recommend for these players? Im also following the development but still has no plans of buying.

[taggart]

Grrr...Maybe this question will eventually come into mind.  Any of you guys stopped buying DVD and  have intentions of overhauling your DVD collection? Also which format will you choose now?Nakaka hinayang bumili ng DVD kung may katumbas na HD nalalabas na kasabay. :'( :'( example: Underworld Evolution.

not me.  i'll stick to sd as long as it takes breath.    then again, i'm not an early adopter so that's my stand.

[Munskie]

Grrr...Maybe this question will eventually come into mind.  Any of you guys stopped buying DVD and  have intentions of overhauling your DVD collection? Also which format will you choose now?Nakaka hinayang bumili ng DVD kung may katumbas na HD nalalabas na kasabay. :'( :'( example: Underworld Evolution.

for me, ill just buy DVD release of recent films that I havent watched (coz I really want to watch now, even if they have HD release now).  Other catalog titles not in my collection, im planning to have them in HD, so stop na muna ako sa mga dun.  Thats my plan for now. 

[Munskie]

Highdefdigest's Blu-Ray VS HD DVD ROUND TWO

CLICK HERE

[av_phile1]

AV phile,

    I noticed that you are really following the HDDVD/BLU RAY players. So what is your choice and when are you getting one? Would you recommend to buy now or wait and what monitor do you recommend for these players? Im also following the development but still has no plans of buying.

Yes, I am following it closely.  My personal take is that it's a silly wasteful needless war that I fear will settle into a war of attrition, or even a detente, with neither side winning especially when news about a dual format player gets floated around.

If I had the money and if I already own an HDMI-equiped 1080p HDTV or pj, based on many reviews I've read and the av forums I've visited, i'd get the Toshiba HD-A1. The HD-XE1 for Europe is better specified but is priced higher and you get the same pic quality but faster load times.  The reviews, the forums, and net articles are unamimous in praising its excellent price/performance for a launch player compared with the pathetic Samsung BDP-1000 for  bluray. You can do a similar browse on the net about it. 

For less than $390, with reports that it is now $370, it's definitely a better value proposition than many upscale upsampling DVD players costing twice or more. Providing 6x resolution (720x480 regular DVD vs 1920x1080 for HD-DVD) while similarly capable of de-interlacing and upsampling standard DVDs via HDMI, this player simply delivers the best value for a logical upgrade for your 1080p pj or LCD/plasma at this time.   I have seen the demos for HD using bravias and aquos and they simply confirm what those posters in forums who already own them say:  you will never know what night and day difference means until you've compared HD-DVD with regular DVD.   

If you want to experience HD now, this is the route.  You can ofcourse wait and sit it out to see who the winner will be, which may or may not emerge over the next 18 months, if at all.  But why wait for such a small price and if you already own an HDTV?   Those who have ordered online lately from www.movietyme.com even gets 6 or 7 HD-DVD titles of their choice FREE.  And if you check the site and at amazon, the HD titles aren't that expensive at $26 each - justly slightly more than a regular priced 2-disc SE DVD. 

And another thing, the next generation players may offer better features and slimmer designs.  But improvements in picture quality will hardly be significant nor be commensurate with the increased prices expected to hover around $1000, as compared to what the Tosh A1 already delivers.  The Tosh's HD picture already conforms to what the industry expects from HD.  Don't get suckered into the arguments that it can only deliver 1080i.  Nope, the 1080i output already contains ALL the video frame information needed for a suitable HDTV to upscale to 1080p without any loss or motion artifacting.  HD-DVD discs use the VC-1 compresion codec which is already the best there is, compared to mpeg2 that bluray launch discs use.  For $390 today, this is said to be the best upgrde you can have for your 1080p HDTV.

But you may ask, what if the HD titles I want are in Bluray?  I can only echo the sentiments of those early adopters who bought the HD-A1: they will still buy BD players once they see performance value better than what the Samsung and the crappy early BD titles offer.  That may come early or mid next year.  It would seem to me that serious HD enthusiasts have no qualms getting the players from both camps.   

But there's great danger in going HD.  After experiencing one,  you might not want to watch any regular DVD anymore.   

[Munskie]

nice take sir AV. 

A post ive read in one of the forums, an early adopter sounded off:  "while you're bickering or weighing your options, and waiting for any format winner to come out, im already lying on my recliner, watching movies on HD  in all its visual glory.

[av_phile1]

Very true.  If you have to wait at all, wait for the BD camp to get its act right and get a better value BD player later or a dual format player when it comes out.  In the meantime, enjoy what you can enjoy with the Tosh HD player for a measly $390 or less.     (Assuming you already have an HDTV display.)

[av_phile1]

Grrr...Maybe this question will eventually come into mind.  Any of you guys stopped buying DVD and  have intentions of overhauling your DVD collection? Also which format will you choose now?Nakaka hinayang bumili ng DVD kung may katumbas na HD nalalabas na kasabay. :'( :'( example: Underworld Evolution.

It certainly won't happen overnight, unless you get the urge to suddenly splurge on all those HD titles at amazon.    The apparent consensus from early HD adopters seem to suggest that, yes, their DVD collection is ended and will have to go sometime via attrition. Maybe not all, but only the titles they cherish will get the HD version when they arrive.  And certainly they will only get the HD releases of new films from hereon.   If right now, the repeat viewing of most DVD titles on your shelves is nearly zero,  what more after you've seen what HD can do?  There just won't be any incentive to revisit a DVD title.    Except maybe for nostalgic reasons.

[levi]

OK so you are saying to get the HD DVD? Im sorry Im at lost with the format war and somewhat not to up to date with recent developments. Are you planning to get one very soon? If only the players are priced at 5T each then just buy both, but its not.

[Mouldingo]

I have some junk video format: VHS, Beta, LD... The machines that run them don't work anymore and uneconomical to repair them, and you'd be lucky if you do find one that new.  I hope not to end up with the losing HD format cuz I don't want to add to this junk pile.

[av_phile1]

That's a valid but pointless fear.  Because with HD, sooner or later,  even your current DVD players and DVDs might well join their ranks.     A lot of early HD adopters have already quit buying DVDs.  After they've experience one, many have lost all interest going back to their DVD collection.  They still buy TV series released in DVD though.  But most TV series were never shot at 1080p to merit HD anyway.   

In this technology driven world,  the phenomenon of obsolescence gurantees the consumer will end up with junk sooner or later.  I have my own share of beta and vhs tapes in a sack I am sure is gathering mildew in a closet.  And apart from taxes and death, DVDs becoming junk eventually looms much more imminent than I earlier thought. 

It is only normal and prudent to be cautious with these new formats.  I and most pundits in the forums I've visited agree this war will last for a while - maybe at least 4- 5 years before a clear winner emerges.   And there's even a good chance both will co-exists just like those various game formats.  Studios like Disney are seriously considering releasing titles in both formats and many like Warner already does. 

But if you're a serious HT afficionado, I don't know if you can wait out 4-5 years before you get your first taste of high definition in your home.   

[av_phile1]

OK so you are saying to get the HD DVD? Im sorry Im at lost with the format war and somewhat not to up to date with recent developments. Are you planning to get one very soon? If only the players are priced at 5T each then just buy both, but its not.

Yes, IF I already have an  HDMI 1080p display, I would charge one Tosh HD-A1 to my card online today.  But I don't, so I won't. 

I haven't visited the more upscale AV shops that are said to carry these Toshiba A1s at around 40T.  That's really quite an investment on its own.   Maybe if you order online, at $390, that's a much better value, not sure though  with shipping and duties. 

HD-DVD player prices are expected to plummet especially with the licensing of China's biggest DVD makers to make low-cost units.  I doubt if BD players will do likewise which are expected to be twice the prices of HD-DVD at anytime from hereon.    With no commensurate improvement in HD pic quality whatsoever.

[av_phile1]

A poster in a british avforum had the resourcefulness to extract the top 10 best selling high defintion titles from the rankings of DVD sales at Amazon.  Here's his findings:

1. Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines [HD DVD] Sales rank: 157
2. Backdraft (HD DVD) Sales rank: 974
3. Red Dragon (HD DVD) Sales rank: 1062
4. Space Cowboys [HD DVD] Sales rank: 1686
5. Ray Sales [HD DVD] rank: 1879
6. Serenity [HD DVD] Sales rank: 1889
7. Lethal Weapon 2 [HD DVD] Sales rank: 1928
8. The Searchers Sales rank: 2032
9. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) [HD DVD] Sales rank: 2204
10. Apollo 13 [HD DVD] Sales rank: 2205
12. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride [Blu-ray] Sales rank: 5415

The best selling HD-DVD is ranked 157th while the best selling Blu ray title is ranked 5415th.  And the top 26 HD-DVD titles outrank the best selling BD title .  I don't know what's  keeping the studios from deciding, but this silly needless format war can end right now.  Forget about the ps3, after prolonged delays and reduced launch quantities, it is plain SONY is screwing its market,  The  market can just SNUB their release and that's it for BD. 

Here's a rather objective assessment of the war so far:

http://www.thedvdwars.com/index.cfm

[akyatbundok]

how about HVD ---- Holographic Versatile Disc

it will store 80 times the maximum capacity of BD or HD-DVD. (wikipedia)
maybe these 2 formats are already...... (gulp!)...... obsolete? 

one disk to rule them all 

[akyatbundok]

Ricoh has already developed a lens that reads both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray (as well as DVD and CD).

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=190300953

[av_phile1]

Good, so we can see univerasl or dual format players anytime soon.  That should settle the war into a detente.  Peaceful co-existence. 

Actually, early adopters already own both players.  So this should not be necessary, except maybe for the masses, if it's priced low enough.   

[krazy]

That's a valid but pointless fear.  Because with HD, sooner or later,  even your current DVD players and DVDs might well join their ranks.     A lot of early HD adopters have already quit buying DVDs.  After they've experience one, many have lost all interest going back to their DVD collection.  They still buy TV series released in DVD though.  But most TV series were never shot at 1080p to merit HD anyway.   

On the contrary, most primetime TV shows (at least in the US) are shot on 35mm film which (needless to say) has higher resoloution than HDTV (not to mention newer shows being filmed in HDCAM) so it would be easy to release TV series on HD-DVD/BD at 1080p.  Sound would be another issue though with very few TV series being recorded in 5.1, let alone Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD

[Munskie]

TOSHIBA  OFFICIALLY UNVEILS 2ND GEN HD DVD PLAYERS (CLICK)

Toshiba unveils 2nd gen players while also fixing its first gen players thru firmware updates.  The Blu Ray camp's first player is still being fixed.

Samsung to Finally Upgrade Blu-ray Player (click)

[av_phile1]

HD-DVD is obviously enjoying a headstart.  It's now on its second generation player.  The BD camp has yet to get their act together and still fixing the problems in its shameful launch player.   

[av_phile1]

Just FYI, there are now 3 variants of the DTS codecs to be used in both Bluray and HD-DVD.

http://www.dtsonline.com/dts-hd/dts-on-bluray-and-hddvd.php

DTS-Encore
Rebadged old DTS but using maximum bitrates at a CONSTANT 1.5mbps on compressed LOSSY format.

DTS-HD
High Defintion DTS at CONSTANT bitrate of 6mbps for Bluray and 3mbps on HD-DVD that can deliver 7.1 channels at 96/24 using compressed LOSSLESS codec

DTS-HD Master Audio
High Defintion DTS at VARIABLE bitrate up to 24.5mbps for Bluray and 18mbps on HD-DVD that can deliver 7.1 channels at 96/24  using compressed LOSSLESS codec - virtually indistinguishable from original audio masters. 

OTH, DolbyTrueHD  is said to be similar to DTS-HD Master Audio with a variable bit rate up to 18mbps on both formats using MLP - same lossless compression codec used for DVD-A.   

Just for reference, the CD uses a constant bit rate of 1.1mbps of uncompressed data for 2 channels.

The typical DTS tracks on SD DVDs use LOSSY compression at a constant bitrate of 768kbps or 0.77mbps for 5.1 channels.

The typical DD tracks on SD DVD use LOSSY compression at a variable bitrate averaging 384 kbps to 448kbps max for 5.1 channels.

If people are generally happy with the CD and the DTS tracks on their DVDs, wait til they hear what the  DolbyTrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for HD-DVD can do.    It seems that both formats today represent the pinnacle of digital audio fidelity for both BD and HD-DVD.

[barrister]

Sony will definitely insist on the MPEG4 while the other camp will use VC-1.  But Warner will use VC-1 for both its HD-DVD and BD releases.

Round Two:  Blu-Ray in VC-1 vs. HD DVD

Peter M. Bracke says Round Two is a draw.  http://www.highdefdigest.com/feature_blurayvshddvd_roundtwo.html

I say HD DVD won Round Two because its retail price is lower.

[av_phile1]

HD-DVD is delivering on its promises.  Can't say the same for the other camp.

Also, HD-DVD has not and might not implement region locking.  IT is region-free.  None of its launch players are region locked.  OTH, blu ray is.

[bumblebee]

Anyone seen this? Sorry if it's already posted...

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/10reasonsHDDVDsfailed.php

[av_phile1]

Have come across this article before.  The author thumbs down both formats as having a luckluster appeal to the public for a number of  reasons containing some truths, half truths and sheer nonsense.   Suffice it to say that the author apparently can't let go of his DVD collection to bother about high def.     But I can agree with his parting statement that HIgh Def could just be headed for a niche market.  FOR NOW.  If and when the prices of progressive flat panels and HD players tumble near where DVD is today, an industry takeover becomes a real possibility.

[bachwitz]

just got back from infoMaxx.

They are still playing cinderella man as demo. I havent seen it yet on DVD I really cant compare, nevertheless heres my initial impression.

-though theyre playing the demo on a big screen (42" plasma). I can say the resolution is the same or a bit bitter than my 28" jap surplus tv
-around 5 feet away, I can see a little bit of noise on dark scenes.
- according to the lady the resolution is running on 1080p(?) maybe its 1080i.

I take back my word. 

I happen to drop by listening in style yesterday in shang. They are playing U-571 on HD-DVD using a 50-70" projection TV. PQ is jaw dropping and in great details. NO pixelation whatsover. I even went closer to the screen and only a little bit of noise is noticeable (and this is just a projection TV!)

Hats off to HD-DVD.