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[TAJ]

Actually, is there a difference in features?

Both versions have lossless audio and the same video encode, and are priced the same. The only difference is that the HDDVD version has an In-Movie Experience track that the Blu version lacks.

 

[YYZ]

For Canadians it looks like Futureshop will be doing a bogo for Blu again according to their flyer.
Looks like the same line up though (POTC1&2, The Prestige, Ladder 49 etc)

When is it? Do you have a complete list of titles?

 

[Warm Machine]

Has anyone found a copy of 2001 in Canada/Vancouver? Futureshop had all the other Kubrick rereleases except for 2001.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Both versions have lossless audio and the same video encode, and are priced the same. The only difference is that the HDDVD version has an In-Movie Experience track that the Blu version lacks.

Slightly misleading.
The bluray version takes all of the "in movie experience" clips and has them all as one.

 

[OokieSpookie]

When is it? Do you have a complete list of titles?

Unfortunately not, I am not in Canada so I do not get the flier thing in the mail.
It says over 20 to choose from and so far all that has been mentioned are Apocalypto, Deja-Vu, Ladder 49, POC 1 & 2, The Prestige

Apparently HMV has one also starting tomorrow. ( 9th -17th)

 

[OokieSpookie]

Also remember to sign up for Disney movie rewards, when you enter the codes from your movies you get points that you can use to get movies and other stuff.

http://disney.go.com/disneymovierewards/

Apparently there is a survey you can take for 100 points right from the start.

 

[Whipped Spartan]

I just joined the HD DVD ranks. I have 300, Riddick, king kong and Transformers any other suggestions.

 

[ChrisJames]

I just joined the HD DVD ranks. I have 300, Riddick, king kong and Transformers any other suggestions.

...There's a lot, but among my favorites are Children of Men, the Bourne Identity/Supremacy, Batman Begins, Matrix, Planet Earth, Hot Fuzz, Eternal Sunshine, and The Thing.

 

[gkryhewy]

I just joined the HD DVD ranks. I have 300, Riddick, king kong and Transformers any other suggestions.

Corpse Bride, 2001, Polar Express, NIN Beside You In Time....

 

[mr stroke]

For Canadians it looks like Futureshop will be doing a bogo for Blu again according to their flyer.
Looks like the same line up though (POTC1&2, The Prestige, Ladder 49 etc)

Futureshop is the Canandian version of bestbuy right?

 

[Whipped Spartan]

...There's a lot, but among my favorites are Children of Men, the Bourne Identity/Supremacy, Batman Begins, Matrix, Planet Earth, Hot Fuzz, Eternal Sunshine, and The Thing.

I was really tempted to grab the matrix. It's pretty good? I was also thinking of getting casino, I love that movie

 

[djkimothy]

Futureshop is the Canandian version of bestbuy right?

More or less, Best Buy owns FS though. Though I go to BB since their movies are displayed in a coherent fashion.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Just picked up Hot Fuzz on HD-DVD (why do HD-DVDs and some Blu-Ray titles take so fucking long to be released in Australia compared to the rest of the world? It's a disgrace) and I can now finally retire the DVD.

 

[ChrisJames]

I was really tempted to grab the matrix. It's pretty good? I was also thinking of getting casino, I love that movie

Top notch audio and video quality, but it's unfortunately only available in the trilogy box set.

 

[Whipped Spartan]

Top notch audio and video quality, but it's unfortunately only available in the trilogy box set.

I know I wish I could just buy 1

 

[OokieSpookie]

Blu regains lead in available movies

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

When Paramount Home Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation SKG Blu-ray Disc titles were taken out of the picture in August, Blu-ray lost 29 titles in its repertoire. That doesn’t include three titles that had been announced, but not released.

HD DVD’s stint as leader in terms of high-def releases proved short-lived, however, as in the first week of November Blu-ray regained its lead in terms of total titles available to consumers.

According to figures from The DVD Release Report, total Blu-ray titles available at retail passed HD DVD for the first time since the Paramount/DreamWorks decision, 332 to 328, the week ended Oct. 31. Companies that support Blu-ray also have 66 titles in the pipeline, compared to 42 for HD DVD backers. Those numbers include four HD DVD and 11 Blu-ray titles released Nov. 6.

Compared to the 236 DVD titles added to the market the week ended Oct. 31, the 16 high-def titles released during the same period (12 Blu-ray, four HD DVD) still represent a snail’s pace of high-definition software releases.

Since the Paramount/DreamWorks HD DVD exclusive decision, Paramount Home Entertainment has released six HD DVD titles through Nov. 6. A Paramount representative did not immediately return a request for comment, however a Paramount representative said at a DVD Forum event in early October that more than 30 HD DVD titles were already being planned for 2008. For the rest of the year, Paramount and DreamWorks have another six HD DVD releases planned. The two companies have one more (Zodiac, Jan. 8) announced thus far for early 2008.

Representatives from both sides have stressed how important this fourth quarter is for high-def media. However, Jim Bottoms of the home entertainment research firm Understanding & Solutions said recently that the fourth quarter is no longer the determining period for either format. The Paramount/DreamWorks decision made sure of that, he said.

“There is growing concern throughout the industry that both high-definition disc formats could be lost completely in a world of competing delivery options and viewing platforms,” Bottoms said. “As we stand today, industry support for [Blu-ray] across content and hardware remains the strongest grouping, and it is therefore the format with the greatest chance of market success, although its strength is being eroded.

“Whatever happens, continued competition between the two groups will lead to continuing confusion and uncertainty, and therefore delayed consumer purchase decisions.”

Barring any surprise announcements, Blu-ray will have extended its lead in terms of total title count by the end of the year. Not including titles set for release after Dec. 31, the total title count will likely be 406 Blu-ray Discs versus 372 HD DVDs.

 

[YYZ]

I got my Ratatouille Steelbook in the mail today, there's still plenty available at Futureshop (it's in the flyer so I'm not sure if it's available in stores as well). It doesn't come with the Blu-Ray version, I put that in there myself. It comes packaged (empty) along with the DVD package you see in the left sides of the pics.

 

[OokieSpookie]

I got my Ratatouille Steelbook in the mail today, there's still plenty available at Futureshop (it's in the flyer so I'm not sure if it's available in stores as well). It doesn't come with the Blu-Ray version, I put that in there myself. It comes packaged (empty) along with the DVD package you see in the left sides of the pics.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/Batman1940/Games and Media/Ratatouille_Steelbook_01.jpg http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/Batman1940/Games and Media/Ratatouille_Steelbook_02.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/Batman1940/Games and Media/Ratatouille_Steelbook_03.jpg

Nice!

 

[Ripclawe]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPU1BO0&show_article=1

Sony CEO Sees 'Stalemate' in Disc Fight

Nov 9 12:20 AM US/Eastern


NEW YORK (AP) - The head of Sony Corp., Howard Stringer, said Thursday that the Blu- ray disc format the company has developed as the successor to the DVD is in a "stalemate" with the competing HD DVD format, chiefly backed by Toshiba Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"It's a difficult fight," said Stringer, speaking at the 92nd Street Y cultural center in Manhattan.

Toshiba has been selling its players for as low as $200 heading into the holiday season, while Blu-ray players cost more than twice as much. The HD DVD camp also scored a significant win in August, when it induced Paramount Pictures to drop most of its support for Blu-ray and put out high-definition movies exclusively on HD DVD.

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Stringer said.

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end.

"It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said. He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen.

Stringer was more upbeat about the PlayStation 3, the game console that has so far had disappointing sales compared to the rival Nintendo Wii.

The CEO said the console is the best-selling console in Europe after a price cut three weeks ago. In the U.S., a recent price cut has doubled sales.

"We are coming back up again," Stringer said. The company aims to sell 10 million PS3s by the end of its fiscal year in March. Nintendo has already sold 13.2 million Wiis.

 

[OokieSpookie]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPU1BO0&show_article=1

A stalemate? NO SHIT

 

[mr stroke]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPU1BO0&show_article=1

"He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen"

In hindsight I asume both Toshiba and Sony wish they would have just united in the first place.

 

[OokieSpookie]

"He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen"

In hindsight I asume both Toshiba and Sony wish they would have just united in the first place.

Agreed, numbers would be huge by now.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Really up to Toshiba. They could end this thing right now. Really I see Toshiba as holding out in this whole thing, moreso than the BDA. It is several companies against 1...

 

[distantmantra]

FYI, Oldboy is $22.99 at Frys.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPU1BO0&show_article=1

This makes Sony look like idiots after months of "This war is already over" speeches. Believe it or not, they are seriously worried. The format war hangs on what Warner does. If Toshiba manages to move a lot of hardware and HD DVD closes the gap on Blu-ray significantly, it's a tossup.

 

[OokieSpookie]

This makes Sony look like idiots after months of "This war is already over" speeches. Believe it or not, they are seriously worried. The format war hangs on what Warner does. If Toshiba manages to move a lot of hardware and HD DVD closes the gap on Blu-ray significantly, it's a tossup.

They are not worried in the least.
THEY ARE WINNING.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BE WINNING.
THEY WILL WIN THIS WEEK.
THEY WILL WIN NEXT WEEK.
THEY WILL WIN THE WEEK AFTER THAT
THEY WILL WIN THE WEEK AFTER THAT AND AFTER THAT AND AFTER THAT.
Toshiba has nothing left to throw at Blu if this "90k sold" do not make an impact in ratio numbers.
Well unless they want to try $50 hd players.

It is someone just trying to talk straight without all of the political PR bullshit but of course everyone is going to try and spin it how they want it.
It is reactions like this that are why PR releases are so full of bullshit.
It is the only thing people understand and accept.

It is so funny to see trolls on highdefdigest forums trying to say that this is sony conceding :lol

 

[thaivo]

This makes Sony look like idiots after months of "This war is already over" speeches. Believe it or not, they are seriously worried. The format war hangs on what Warner does. If Toshiba manages to move a lot of hardware and HD DVD closes the gap on Blu-ray significantly, it's a tossup.

Yeah, it's a rather startling turn-around from the stance that the war has already been decided. Especially from the top Sony exec.

That's one of the most realistic stances I've seen from Sony in a while, rather surprising actually. You would think he would continue the rhetoric of HD has no chance. Yet in the face of $200 dollar (or less) HD DVD players, maybe he is just being realistic. :lol I have to say I respect the man more than Jack Trenton (sp?).

 

[SRG01]

Stringer has always been straight talking.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Yeah, it's a rather startling turn-around from the stance that the war has already been decided. Especially from the top Sony exec.

That's one of the most realistic stances I've seen from Sony in a while, rather surprising actually. You would think he would continue the rhetoric of HD has no chance. Yet in the face of $200 dollar (or less) HD DVD players, maybe he is just being realistic. :lol I have to say I respect the man more than Jack Trenton (sp?).

I think we are getting to a point in all of this where Warner and other companies who are biding their time are tired of all of the PR mudslinging and shit, especially after the Transformers number bit.
I think that is more the motivation, because these people are finally realizing that every little thing is being cut apart and pulled apart and run through the magnifying glass.
Not that you will not still see PR bullshit but I think you will see people like this person trying to play good cop and letting others on the staff be bad cop as it were.

 

[Days like these...]

They are not worried in the least.
THEY ARE WINNING.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BE WINNING.
THEY WILL WIN THIS WEEK.
THEY WILL WIN NEXT WEEK.
THEY WILL WIN THE WEEK AFTER THAT
THEY WILL WIN THE WEEK AFTER THAT AND AFTER THAT AND AFTER THAT.

WHY ARE YOU YELLING? DJK is on your team and has valid point after all the Sony talk that the war was over back in jan/feb. I'm not saying Stringer is conceding the war but he is downplaying the outcome whatever it may be. Take a deep breath man it's gonna be alright.

 

[AZ Greg]

2 quick questions:

1.) Has Disney said anything at all about the cropping issues found in POTC?

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

 

[OokieSpookie]

WHY ARE YOU YELLING? DJK is on your team and has valid point after all the Sony talk that the war was over back in jan/feb. I'm not saying Stringer is conceding the war but he is downplaying the outcome whatever it may be. Take a deep breath man it's gonna be alright.

:lol side effect of spending too much time on another board.
My bad.

 

[Snah]

2 quick questions:

1.) Has Disney said anything at all about the cropping issues found in POTC?

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

2. IMO, Pirates 2, Ratatouille, and Casino Royale.

 

[OokieSpookie]

2 quick questions:

1.) Has Disney said anything at all about the cropping issues found in POTC?

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

1) No unfortunately

2) Cars (BD-J)(uPCM)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (BD-J)(uPCM)
Ratatouille (BD-J)(uPCM)
Corpse Bride
Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (BD-J)(DTS-MA)
The Ant Bully
TMNT (uPCM)(TrueHD)
Happy Feet
A Scanner Darkly
Bridge to Terabithia (uPCM)
Open Season (uPCM)
Meet the Robinsons (BD-J)(uPCM)
Crank (uPCM)

 

[thaivo]

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

Although I don't have a BD player, I would think Ratatouile would be amazing looking. Pixar films always looked a step above DVD quality to me. I think part of it is the fact that digital films are natively the resolution you want them to be, so there's no capturing images from a print or anything. It's like a direct feed movie. : ) I wish I could purchase Pixar films in HD. Hopefully someday I will.

 

[YYZ]

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

2001: A Space Odyssey got 5/5 video and 4/5 audio and 5/5 movie (opinion) on hddigest, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. I think Ratatouille is the best one for now.

 

[thaivo]

I think we are getting to a point in all of this where Warner and other companies who are biding their time are tired of all of the PR mudslinging and shit, especially after the Transformers number bit.
I think that is more the motivation, because these people are finally realizing that every little thing is being cut apart and pulled apart and run through the magnifying glass.
Not that you will not still see PR bullshit but I think you will see people like this person trying to play good cop and letting others on the staff be bad cop as it were.

I agree that BD's rhetoric has had a lot of the hot air flushed out of it in the past few months.

Also, you do realize that this "person" that you speak of outranks EVERYONE at Sony? I'm not sure a scenario where he's playing "good cop" so that his underlings can be the "bad cops" is exactly probable.

He's just expressing regret over how things were handled before he got in a position to make a difference. It's a sentiment almost all of us in this thread echo.

 

[DC R1D3R]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPU1BO0&show_article=1

Damn!!

Stringer raising the "White flag" already? Surely this isn't a good sign when Sony's CEO is already complaining of fatigue and Toshy are only just warming up for round 2?

amIrite?

 

[thaivo]

Damn!!

Stringer raising the "White flag" already? Surely this isn't a good sign when Sony's CEO is already complaining of fatigue and Toshy are only just warming up for round 2?

amIrite?

I don't know. White flag? That's quite a stretch. I remember Stringer has always been quite honest and frank about things. For example his tales of Kutaragi's ego... I wonder what would have happened had he been able to influence 1) the price of the PS3 2) the fate of BD & HD DVD.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Damn!!

Stringer raising the "White flag" already? Surely this isn't a good sign when Sony's CEO is already complaining of fatigue and Toshy are only just warming up for round 2?

amIrite?

See what I mean?
It is mind numbing.


Yes, Sony is so worn out from winning week after week (a trend that will continue ) that they are putting secret messages in quotes from Stringer that it seems only HD backers can decipher.

 

[DC R1D3R]

I don't know. White flag? That's quite a stretch. I remember Stringer has always been quite honest and frank about things. For example his tales of Kutaragi's ego... I wonder what would have happened had he been able to influence 1) the price of the PS3 2) the fate of BD & HD DVD.

ok bro, maybe I was stretching it a tad with the White flag, but seriously, WTF did Sony expect? For Toshy to just roll over on their belly like a puppy dog? I actually have a lot of time for Stringer, and wish him the best of luck as he spits it like he sees it. The way he's been treated by Japanese Sony execs has been disgracefull (especially Kutaragi).

I think this format war boils down to one simple factor; Who's money is longest. And I think I'll just leave it @ that :]

 

[neverknowsbest]

Ugh, format fanboys are terrible. This includes the executives at Toshiba. Yes, I'm biased because I own a PS3, but when the PS3 came out and outsold every single standalone player by an order of magnitude they should have just said fuckit. Actually, they should have seen that it would happen and tried to get in on that action. Now the war has been going on for so long and it seems like such a stalemate that I don't even have any urge to buy HD movies anymore.

 

[XMonkey]

2.) What movie (Blu-ray) is the best combination of video quality, audio quality, and of course just being a great movie? I'm looking for a showpiece.

Single movie? Casino Royale.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

See what I mean?
It is mind numbing.


Yes, Sony is so worn out from winning week after week (a trend that will continue ) that they are putting secret messages in quotes from Stringer that it seems only HD backers can decipher.

:lol

Props to Stringer for not being like the usual American/Japanese exec who's all bluster and pompousness. God know enough people took umbrage at the "HD-DVD will be dead in three months" thing, better to call it like it is and see how this holiday shakes out.

 

[Kolgar]

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides."

I still don't get the BDA's comments about 'merits' and 'performance.'

Hey guys? Your spec's not complete. You're shipping INCOMPLETE HARDWARE for an INCOMPLETE FORMAT. How does that equate to superior performance and value? Can your players do that little picture-in-picture thingy that the 360 add-on could do last November? No? Then.... WTF are you talking about? :lol

Oh, right. Bitrate and capacity. Too bad the benefits of higher bitrate have yet to show a marked difference, video wise, in any BD release I've seen. Though the capacity issue may hold weight if it compromises audio tracks on some discs. (And it might, I'm not an audiophile so I don't pay much attention to that. Still... the overall impact of bitrate and capacity seems more of a talking point right now than a real differentiating factor for end users.)

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end.

So, you're not playing for the eight billion dollars? This whole war is just for pride? LOL

Really up to Toshiba. They could end this thing right now. Really I see Toshiba as holding out in this whole thing, moreso than the BDA. It is several companies against 1...

Well, Toshiba's never been in the fight alone. Universal has been a staunch partner. Paramount's gone red. It not quite Toshiba versus the world.

Ugh, format fanboys are terrible. This includes the executives at Toshiba. Yes, I'm biased because I own a PS3, but when the PS3 came out and outsold every single standalone player by an order of magnitude they should have just said fuckit. Actually, they should have seen that it would happen and tried to get in on that action. Now the war has been going on for so long and it seems like such a stalemate that I don't even have any urge to buy HD movies anymore.

See, but there's this thing in business and marketing called "positioning," and it has a lot to do with psychology. As it applies here, it pretty much says that you can't send a game console to do a standalone player's job. Certainly, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, PS3 is the reason for Blu-ray's disc sales lead, not to mention its very survival. That's good and bad because while Blu-ray is in the game, and some would say winning the game, it also places CE partners like Panasonic and Samsung in a tough spot because face it, those standalone players just aren't selling like hotcakes. And how could you expect them to, when the PS3 is more future proof and costs less?

On the other hand, the PS3 has cost Sony dearly in its game division. A year into the console's life, it's still being outsold by the PS2. And of course, the majority of the Blu-ray base is made up of PS3s... I think that's something the studios will consider carefully if and when Toshiba moves enough hardware this holiday to give them pause.

Business people see and appreciate the difference between people who would buy a PlayStation3 as BD player and those who would not. They understand the importance of a base built on standalone players. The Trojan horse theory is beautiful and clever, but it breaks some fundamental rules of marketing that may doom it to failure.

We don't know that yet. But we shall see.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Merits: Capacity, bitrate, studio support
Performance: Sales of software.

Hardly takes a genius to see wht he means by that.

And al the people buying BluRay clearly don't care about the interactive fluff which is the only thing that's incomplete.

Your post reads like something from avsforums. I suppose we'll get more of that (see Ookie's ALL CAPS) as people look for new venues to vent.

 

[avaya]

@Kolgar on merits Stringer means in monetary terms for CE's and studios.

HD-DVD is not a profitable venture, the royalty pool is heavily weighted in favour of Toshiba and Time Warner compared to a far more equitable split between many firms on the Blu-ray side. Afterall this is what the war was about. One format came into existence with widespread intra-industry support the other format didn't. The BDA wasn't a cabal, it was a consensus shift made in unison with all but one of the top CEs in the world. In a format war that's what winning on merits is about.

Talking about specs for for interactivity matters very little to the profit margin.

In any case Blu-ray offers far more than just a movie format it offers a unified ROM and recordable optical standard with great future proofing. That alone makes it superior to HD-DVD in my opinion and in many people's too since capacity and bandwidth are the the most important functions of an optical storage medium. Dismissing them is like saying a restaurant has great food and service and apart from that what else does it have to offer? I have never understood that sort of reasoning.

Software is fixable. Hadrware isn't. Shipping incomplete hardware is inexcusable, but it is simply a function of a execution within a large group. DVD hardware in 1997 wouldn't read DL discs made today.

 

[plagiarize]

@Kolgar on merits Stringer means in monetary terms for CE's and studios.

HD-DVD is not a profitable venture, the royalty pool is heavily weighted in favour of Toshiba and Time Warner compared to a far more equitable split between many firms on the Blu-ray side. Afterall this is what the war was about. One format came into existence with widespread intra-industry support the other format didn't. The BDA wasn't a cabal, it was a consensus shift made in unison with all but one of the top CEs in the world. In a format war that's what winning on merits is about.

Talking about specs for for interactivity matters very little to the profit margin.

In any case Blu-ray offers far more than just a movie format it offers a unified ROM and recordable optical standard with great future proofing. That alone makes it superior to HD-DVD in my opinion and in many people's too since capacity and bandwidth are the the most important functions of an optical storage medium. Dismissing them is like saying a restaurant has great food and service and apart from that what else does it have to offer? I have never understood that sort of reasoning.

Software is fixable. Hadrware isn't. Shipping incomplete hardware is inexcusable, but it is simply a function of a execution within a large group. DVD hardware in 1997 wouldn't read DL discs made today.

the BDA wasn't a democracy either. yes, it has a lot more people in the group, but a handful of those companies were the ones with all the power. cf the HDi scenario... and ask Disney how they felt about it.

obviously, Disney aren't going anywhere allegiance wise, and i'm not trying to suggest they are, i'm just saying that arguing that BDA was a 'consensus shift' when we have record of a consensus being thrown out by the power players in the group isn't painting an accurate picture.

i'm not saying it is as based on the wants of a few companies as HD-DVD is, i'm just saying, it's not quite as you've described it.

 

[avaya]

I'm not saying it was a democracy at all. It's like choosing between rabies and ebola to coin a Clarkson phrase.

From an equitable standpoint one side obviously had far more industry support off the bat and still does. Either they bribed them all, unlikely, or these firms found it to be mutually beneficial to form the BDA.

I'm not sure what happened with iHD. I don't think Sony veto'ed it at all, I doubt Matsushita or Philips would have either. Maybe Apple and others. Then again Java is an industry standard.

I was just saying from a consensus standpoint one side obsiouly had widespread backing from the major players. The other didn't have anything close to it and still doesn't. If you go back to DVD, Sony realised after Beta that going against an industry wide group is pointless and that must have played a huge role in their concession - even though Morita bought a film studio to enable them to have a better chance in future standards skirmishes. Toshiba were about a hair's breadth from accepting the unified option of Blu-ray hardware and HD-DVD software. IIRC it was the chief engineer, Mr. DVD, that wouldn't compromise at all.

 

[Kolgar]

Merits: Capacity, bitrate, studio support
Performance: Sales of software.

Hardly takes a genius to see wht he means by that.

And al the people buying BluRay clearly don't care about the interactive fluff which is the only thing that's incomplete.

Your post reads like something from avsforums. I suppose we'll get more of that (see Ookie's ALL CAPS) as people look for new venues to vent.

I don't know why I respond to your posts when you add jabs like that AVS dig. I'll probably stop soon enough. :lol

Studio support. Yup, agreed. While "PS3 as Trojan horse" brings with it some good and some bad, it is one of the concepts that won Blu-ray its studio support. For that reason (studio support) alone, I've always thought the clock was ticking and it was just a matter of time before Blu-ray won out. Time was on the BDA's side; all they had to do was hold things together and eventually, the buzzer would sound on HD DVD.

Then Paramount switched sides. HD DVD got a bit of a reprieve.

But the clock was still counting down. Time was still on BDA's side. What would Toshiba do?

Well I think they've tried to turn time against their competitor with the aggressive hardware pricing here in Q4. Now, instead of selling a few units through the holiday season and waiting for that inevitable Blu-ray buzzer to sound, they've begun pumping large quantities of hardware into Wal-mart and other retailers, and into consumers' hands.

Suddenly, time may have turned against the BDA, for if Toshiba can put enough of its players into consumers' hands this holiday, it may be able to reach that critical stage of mass-market acceptance. And if HD DVD reaches that point before Blu-ray does, well, that could change the studio picture and that could mean game over.

There are some big ifs there. But I think the Toshiba/Wal-mart strike on Nov. 2 was just the start of a big push. What's the BDA's response? I guess they have to hope PS3 sells better at its lower price point, because I don't think the hardware partners want to go much lower. Sony seems to be pushing the Blu-ray angle harder now. Again, double-edged sword. I expect they'll connect well with gamers and the tech savvy, but meanwhile, Toshiba's going straight for mom and pop at the local Wal-mart.

What will happen? I'm as interested as you to find out.