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[Oni Jazar]

unless you think its going to get a 50% reduction at retail, this is still a great price for it though. I could see it coming down to 120-150 before the end of the year, but I doubt it hits under 100 bucks.

I think if a standalone can reach $99, then the addon shouldn't be that far off.

 

[StoOgE]

I think if a standalone can reach $99, then the addon shouldn't be that far off.

Yeah, but those were sold to Walmart at 180 bucks. So a huge chunk of that sale was Walmarts doing. Actual prices of A2s/A3s are around 180 bucks now (granted with alot of free movies).

So, I just dont see them knocking the going rate of these below 100 bucks. There could be sales that do that in the next few months, but whats the point in waiting for a sale thats the same price as he can get it for now.

 

[borghe]

OK guys, you all have been following the Blu-ray HD-DVD thing. This weekend I can get the 360 HD-DVD player for 90 bucks, is it worth it?, or do I need to be worried about HD-DVD support ending?

you know, I'm one of the ones who believes HD will sooner rather than later be delivered over IP... however for that price you would be fucking crazy not to jump on it (pardon my french). While it isn't the end all be all HD-DVD player like the PS3 is for BRD, it does do 1080p output, displays a gorgeous picture, and if you already have your 360 hooked up to your HDTV, it takes up no additional inputs on your stereo or TV. I will seriously be hard pressed to ever replace mine any time soon.

You won't get anything but Dolby D and DTS from the unit and supposedly 1080p on some of the higher players looks slightly better, but IMHO 640Kbps Dolby D sounds terrific and the nitpicking in video is just that.. compare this to the convenience of the unit and I think you'll find yourself using this one for quite a while.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

If you are worried about the format takinga dive, you could always buy the add-on an Netflix the movies.

My resistance to HD-DVD hasn't been the cost of the player, but the cost of amassing a library.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Oh by the way... since we discussed this earlier...


I rented Ocena's 13 (in SD, boo) and now I see why all the negative talk. It was somewhat entertaining, but far, far less of a movie than the first two. It has almost zero dramatic tension. I won't be buying it. I'm not too surprised that it didn't do well this week.

 

[Oni Jazar]

Official numbers for Shrek 3 week are finally out:

Week: 66:34
YTD: 65:35
SI: 61:39

 

[rage1973]

I ordered Toshiba HD-A30 last night from Amazon for $277 including the 5 free movies plus the 5 additional movies. Now I can get rid of the Xbox 360 add on and that noisy player. I got 300, Bourne Identity, Letters from Iwo Jima, Big Lebowski, and Hot Fuzz as my 5 movies. I wished they would have included Transformers in the deal as I still need to pick that movie up.

 

[maynerd]

Official numbers for Shrek 3 week are finally out:

Week: 66:34
YTD: 65:35
SI: 61:39

I take it the first number is BR while the 2nd is HD-DVD?

 

[OokieSpookie]

I take it the first number is BR while the 2nd is HD-DVD?

Yes indeed

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I take it the first number is BR while the 2nd is HD-DVD?

Correct. BD has been shredding HD-DVD all year, with the exception of Transformers release week.

 

[VanMardigan]

Correct. BD has been shredding HD-DVD all year, with the exception of Transformers release week.

It was also during the first few months of the year. I think someone here had posted a chart with every week this year.

And "shredding"? :lol It's definitely shredded it a few times this year, like when it's gone beyond 70/30, but 69/31 is where we are in standalone sales, and I haven't heard that referred to as shredding. Of course, that's due to the overall low volume, which applies to movies as well.

 

[The Main Event]

Correct. BD has been shredding HD-DVD all year, with the exception of Transformers release week.

Day      Week         YTD         SI
04/22    52/48       68/32       57/43
05/20    58/42       67/33       57/43
09/02    56/44       66/34       61/39
09/30    54/46       66/34       61/39
10/21    51/49       65/35       61/39
10/28    55/45       64/36       60/40

Not quite.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Day      Week         YTD         SI
04/22    52/48       68/32       57/43
05/20    58/42       67/33       57/43
09/02    56/44       66/34       61/39
09/30    54/46       66/34       61/39
10/21    51/49       65/35       61/39
10/28    55/45       64/36       60/40

Not quite.

Um yeah :
11/18 66% 34%
11/11 65% 35%
11/04 71% 29%
10/28 55% 45%
10/21 51% 49%
10/14 71% 29%
10/07 68% 32%
09/30 54% 46%
09/23 63% 37%
09/16 61% 39%
09/09 60% 40%
09/02 56% 44%
08/26 68% 32%
08/19 71% 29%
08/12 66% 34%
08/05 62% 38%
07/29 66% 34%
07/22 74% 26%
07/15 61% 39%
07/08 66% 34%
07/01 65% 35%
06/24 70% 30%
06/17 64% 36%
06/10 66% 34%
06/03 61% 39%
05/27 69% 31%
05/20 58% 42%
05/13 62% 38%
05/06 60% 40%
04/29 71% 29%
04/22 52% 48%
04/15 61% 39%
04/08 62.4% 37.6%

I see non stop wins for blu here or are we going to argue about the fact that they just didn't win by so much on some weeks?

 

[VanMardigan]

I see non stop wins for blu here or are we going to argue about the fact that they just didn't win by so much on some weeks?

Did you see the part he bolded in the quote he was responding to, or do you just go around butting in without knowing what folks are talking about?


Oh, and

07/22 74% 26%

WOW. What the hell happened there? That's probably what triggered the Paramount move right there. :lol

 

[OokieSpookie]

It was also during the first few months of the year. I think someone here had posted a chart with every week this year.

And "shredding"? :lol It's definitely shredded it a few times this year, like when it's gone beyond 70/30, but 69/31 is where we are in standalone sales, and I haven't heard that referred to as shredding. Of course, that's due to the overall low volume, which applies to movies as well.

That would be because as soon as someone tries to bring up stand alones like they actually matter someone else points to the PS3 numbers and then the fact that more stand alones obviously do not equal more sales per title so the person who originally brought up stand alones sounds silly.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Did you see the part he bolded in the quote he was responding to, or do you just go around butting in without knowing what folks are talking about?

I saw it quite well.
I disagree and I agree with the original quote.

 

[VanMardigan]

That would be because as soon as someone tries to bring up stand alones like they actually matter someone else points to the PS3 numbers and then the fact that more stand alones obviously do not equal more sales per title so the person who originally brought up stand alones sounds silly.

Except that stanalones apparently do matter, because the CE advantage is constantly mentioned here and despite a 10:1 player advantage, software sales are 6:4.

I saw it quite well.
I disagree and I agree with the original quote.

You disagree that it wasn't close on weeks besides Transformers?

 

[mrklaw]

Except that stanalones apparently do matter, because the CE advantage is constantly mentioned here and despite a 10:1 player advantage, software sales are 6:4.

6:4
6:4
6:4
6:4

really, the only numbers that matter, unless you're a 'standalone' unit retailer.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Except that stanalones apparently do matter, because the CE advantage is constantly mentioned here and despite a 10:1 player advantage, software sales are 6:4.



You disagree that it wasn't close on weeks besides Transformers?

I agree that the split between the two formats should be much larger.
But I also say that stand alones are not the be all and end all.
The truth is somewhere in between.
All most hd backers have to fall back on is "bu bu stand alones" and it still does nothing.
In my opinion HD has shot its load and will either take over or fail by it.
Toshiba's pricing games have already driven Onkyo out of making stand alones for them and they will not be the only one.
On the other hand the PS3 will counter every single stand alone that hd sells while the blu stand alone numbers will still grow.
There are multiple deals for 299 on blu stand alones right now and they will only get lower and 1.1s will reach that zone in the very near future.

As far as the second question
Close means nothing to me at all to be quite honest.

 

[VanMardigan]

This is true, but means nothing in the context of the discussion about standalone sales not meaning anything.

I agree that the split between the two formats should be much larger.
But I also say that stand alones are not the be all and end all.
The truth is somewhere in between.

I agree with this. Not completely, but definitely more than this:

someone tries to bring up stand alones like they actually matter

Also

Close means nothing to me at all to be quite honest.

fine, but that has nothing to do with main event's quote and the statement mousey made.

Finally, I agree to a certain extent that Toshiba's moves means it's difficult to sell standalones on HD DVD, but the Ps3 makes it equally difficult on the Blu Ray side. They clearly are not, aside from one standalone.......................Sony's. In my mind, the only way for the CE's to sell standalones in this format war is to sell dual formats at reasonable prices.

 

[OokieSpookie]

This is true, but means nothing in the context of the discussion about standalone sales not meaning anything.



I agree with this. Not completely, but definitely more than this:





Also


fine, but that has nothing to do with main event's quote and the statement mousey made.

The thing that gets me, and again this is just my opinion but so many hd backers neglect BD stand alones and it will come back to bite them.

Toshiba has a one front attack, it lives and dies on its players and the pricing variations are results of this.
Toshiba is very much in the red ( no pun intended ) because of it and admitted it to the wall street journal and say that they expect to start turning a profit in '08 sometime.

Blu on the other hand has two attacks.
The PS3 will not in and of itself win for blu, I think many understand this and the thing is that it does not have to.
All it has to do is neutralize any move that hd makes and it has done that and I forsee it doing that for as long as it takes.
Hd folks try to push the "blu ray is the PS3 movie format" but we know that it isn't.
What the PS3 has done is allow blu to bring down its player prices on its own terms so that it does not alienate any of the other makers. Sony, LG, Samsung have all been able to work their players down and now that Samsung has the 1.1 available they will start dropping in price also.
As I said before you can find stand alones under 299 at quite a few places already.
Sony could have easily done something dumb and dropped players to 149 or something but then the other companies would have been shafted as would they.
The true growth will come from the blu stand alones.
If they can raise the percentage of PS3 owners who are movie buyers than it is all bonus.

The reverse of that is that Toshiba is now in a position of trying to unload their 299 and 399 players after pushing $99 and $149-$199 players into the public eye.
I can not help but feel that it WILL hurt them because people will not understand what the difference is.
All of the people who try and force the notion that there is no difference between 1080i and 1080p to justify the lower end players only make it worse for them.

 

[Kolgar]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

Oh, and I figured the "Onkyo isn't making HD DVD players anymore!!11" would show up sooner or later, and sure enough it did. My take is that expensive players for either side are STUPID right now, for all but the super-rich. There's just no point in buying an $800 player when the machine could just as well wind up being a doorstep two years from now.

The studios want to reinvigorate media sales with a new format, I get that. So the priority needs to be getting affordable hardware into peoples' hands ASAP. There's a fundamental problem with HDM right now in that its benefits aren't as obvious to the average consumer as DVD vs. VHS. It's still a disc, so it offers no perceived convenience advantage. Worse, many people have a hard time appreciating the visual improvement that HDM offers, or they think "DVD is good enough" and shrug and walk away. Then you figure that only so many people own HDTVs and you may as well just throw up your hands.

So the mass market isn't going to adopt either of these new formats until the players come down in price to the point that the difference is transparent to them compared to DVD. Media prices need to come down too, and they will, but if someone wants to jump-start this whole thing, affordable hardware is the only way to do it.

Hell, affordable hardware may be the only way to ensure the survival of HDM at all.

LATER, when (if) one format emerges and can be said to be a safe buy, THEN there can be high-end, "luxury" players that cost an arm and a leg. I don't see the sense in it now.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

Oh, and I figured the "Onkyo isn't making HD DVD players anymore!!11" would show up sooner or later, and sure enough it did. My take is that expensive players for either side are STUPID right now, for all but the super-rich. There's just no point in buying an $800 player when the machine could just as well wind up being a doorstep two years from now.

The studios want to reinvigorate media sales with a new format, I get that. So the priority needs to be getting affordable hardware into peoples' hands ASAP. There's a fundamental problem with HDM right now in that its benefits aren't as obvious to the average consumer as DVD vs. VHS. It's still a disc, so it offers no perceived convenience advantage. Worse, many people have a hard time appreciating the visual improvement that HDM offers, or they think "DVD is good enough" and shrug and walk away. Then you figure that only so many people own HDTVs and you may as well just throw up your hands.

So the mass market isn't going to adopt either of these new formats until the players come down in price to the point that the difference is transparent to them compared to DVD. Media prices need to come down too, and they will, but if someone wants to jump-start this whole thing, affordable hardware is the only way to do it.

Hell, affordable hardware may be the only way to ensure the survival of HDM at all.

LATER, when (if) one format emerges and can be said to be a safe buy, THEN there can be high-end, "luxury" players that cost an arm and a leg. I don't see the sense in it now.

Yeah we won't talk about the other incentive that Paramount had...
Sorry, couldn't resist.


I do agree about the last point you make with the luxury players.

 

[VanMardigan]

The thing that gets me, and again this is just my opinion but so many hd backers neglect BD stand alones and it will come back to bite them.

Who's neglecting BD standalones? Oh yeah, the general public is. They're too expensive and they lack functionality. Plus they sell less than HD DVD standalones. Of course the sales will pick up as the price goes down, but you can't blame consumers for being gun shy about spending that much money for players that will lack functionality and are involved in a format war. Personally, a BD standalone wasn't even an option. The Ps3 was really the only choice.

Toshiba is very much in the red ( no pun intended ) because of it and admitted it to the wall street journal and say that they expect to start turning a profit in '08 sometime.

Taking a loss to try to get your product off the ground is alien to you? Don't you own a Ps3?

Hd folks try to push the "blu ray is the PS3 movie format" but we know that it isn't.

Right now it is. As standalone prices drop and functionality increases (still at least a year away), then it'll change. Right now, it's Ps3 vs. HD DVD.

All of the people who try and force the notion that there is no difference between 1080i and 1080p to justify the lower end players only make it worse for them.

I think the difference is negligible, and I own a 1080p Xbox 360, 1080p Ps3, and 1080p 57" DLP. If Blu Ray offered a 1080i standalone at $199 or less, I wouldn't have bought my Ps3.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Who's neglecting BD standalones? Oh yeah, the general public is. They're too expensive and they lack functionality. Plus they sell less than HD DVD standalones. Of course the sales will pick up as the price goes down, but you can't blame consumers for being gun shy about spending that much money for players that will lack functionality. Personally, a BD standalone wasn't even an option. The Ps3 was really the only choice.




Taking a loss to try to get your product off the ground is alien to you? Don't you own a Ps3?



Right now it is. As standalone prices drop and functionality increases (still at least a year away), then it'll change. Right now, it's Ps3 vs. HD DVD.



I think the difference is negligible, and I own a 1080p Xbox 360, 1080p Ps3, and 1080p 57" DLP. If Blu Ray offered a 1080i standalone at $199 or less, I wouldn't have bought my Ps3.

As I have said many times in the past ten minutes you can already get stand alones for 299 and less.
There is already a 1.1 available and there will be many more and they will be with in the same range as current stand alones before long. ( not even close to a year away )

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

It was also during the first few months of the year. I think someone here had posted a chart with every week this year.

And "shredding"? :lol It's definitely shredded it a few times this year, like when it's gone beyond 70/30, but 69/31 is where we are in standalone sales, and I haven't heard that referred to as shredding. Of course, that's due to the overall low volume, which applies to movies as well.

No, it's because standalone analysis ignores a huge percentage of the overall market.

 

[VanMardigan]

As I have said many times in the past ten minutes you can already get stand alones for 299 and less.
There is already a 1.1 available and there will be many more and they will be with in the same range as current stand alones before long. ( not even close to a year away )

I was referring to full spec players at decent prices. Not a $300 player that will lack the functionality that just about every BD movie next year will have. 2.0, web enabled players will take some time to

a. be released

b. be affordable

I predict a year, but seeing how long it took for 1.1 profile to come out, I have my doubts.

btw, as far as the Onkyo:

Wasn't that a rebadged XA2 that cost hundreds more? Not a good position to be in. Onkyo would be better served turning that into a combo player, like I recommended for the other CE's.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

How's this:

"BD has been shredding HD-DVD all year, with the exception of Transformers release week and a couple of weeks where the margin wasn't overwhelmingly in Blu-rays' favor."

I like how people jump all over this concrete fact like it's a terrible thing to say, but are happy to repeat the distorted "standalone" argument or want to imply that sales had any bearing on Paramount's move.

Spin, ftl.

How to stir up a hornet's net in the thread-- remind everybody of the grim lopsidedness of movie sales.

YTD: 65:35
That's the average. How is nearly 2:1 not shredding?

 

[Kolgar]

LOL, I hope you know I'm trying to adopt a more tongue-in-cheek demeanor around here, guys. This format war has gotten way too serious and stressful for a lot of folks, and it IS a pickle, so... I say just have fun with it.

I'm too young to have a stroke over what piece of plastic will supercede the reigning piece of plastic... but I'm not too old to trade good-humored barbs with my fellow consumers-caught-in-a-hard-place once in a while.

Carry on!

 

[VanMardigan]

I'm too young to have a stroke over what piece of plastic will supercede the reigning piece of plastic... but I'm not too old to trade good-humored barbs with my fellow consumers-caught-in-a-hard-place once in a while.

Whichever piece of plastic wins, I'm good. If none goes away, I'm good. If both go away, I'm.........not good.

 

[tjhooker]

HD-DVD fans never fail at attempting to spin HD-DVD's miserable numbers.

It's almost as if they're paid to do it.

 

[Gattsu25]

HD-DVD fans never fail at attempting to spin HD-DVD's miserable numbers.

It's almost as if they're paid to do it.

Dancing around the accusation is the same damn thing as saying it outright. If you have no proof then stow it.

 

[Chiggs]

That's the average. How is nearly 2:1 not shredding?

Seriously. I file that argument the same place I filed the "Halo 3's success is actually bad for the 360" argument/stealth troll.

 

[Fëanor]

Some of you are pretty pathetic, jesus.... Worse than console fanboys.

 

[C4Lukins]

Some of you are pretty pathetic, jesus.... Worse than console fanboys.

I think half of my ignore list is a direct result of this thread.

 

[Shogmaster]

HD-DVD fans never fail at attempting to spin HD-DVD's miserable numbers.

It's almost as if they're paid to do it.

Irony is so thick it's hilarious! :lol

Hey TJ, the only person here that got banned for being a viral was your ex OA buddy Hans pimping BR.

 

[mrklaw]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

Oh, and I figured the "Onkyo isn't making HD DVD players anymore!!11" would show up sooner or later, and sure enough it did. My take is that expensive players for either side are STUPID right now, for all but the super-rich. There's just no point in buying an $800 player when the machine could just as well wind up being a doorstep two years from now.

The studios want to reinvigorate media sales with a new format, I get that. So the priority needs to be getting affordable hardware into peoples' hands ASAP. There's a fundamental problem with HDM right now in that its benefits aren't as obvious to the average consumer as DVD vs. VHS. It's still a disc, so it offers no perceived convenience advantage. Worse, many people have a hard time appreciating the visual improvement that HDM offers, or they think "DVD is good enough" and shrug and walk away. Then you figure that only so many people own HDTVs and you may as well just throw up your hands.

So the mass market isn't going to adopt either of these new formats until the players come down in price to the point that the difference is transparent to them compared to DVD. Media prices need to come down too, and they will, but if someone wants to jump-start this whole thing, affordable hardware is the only way to do it.

Hell, affordable hardware may be the only way to ensure the survival of HDM at all.

LATER, when (if) one format emerges and can be said to be a safe buy, THEN there can be high-end, "luxury" players that cost an arm and a leg. I don't see the sense in it now.

onkyo isn't a 'luxury' brand - its a high end brand. There is a difference. Many people won't even consider buying a HD player unless its by a brand they trust. And for many that means Onkyo or Denon or Marantz etc.

Toshiba right now is the only manufacturer of HDDVD, and they are persuing a completely focused low price policy. Thats fine to get players in the hands of people who are price sensitive but IMO thats ignoring a segment of the market who want quality and are willing to pay for it.

Perhaps they have no alternative right now, but more manufacturers on board would be a good thing, and I can't see how anyone can dismiss that.

 

[dallow_bg]

Speaking of Onkyo's HD DVD player....

http://www.avmagazine.it/news/sorgenti/onkyo-dv-hd805-l-hd-dvd-fantasma_2654.html

translated:

Onkyo DV-HD805, the phantom HD DVD

By: Gian Luca Di Felice

The first Onkyo HD DVD player has been available in Italy for a few days now, but it can already be considered as a collector's item, because there are very few units in existence, and Onkyo has stopped its production.

We were waiting for a unit of the first Onkyo HD DVD player, the DV-HD805, for review on the pages of AV Magazine. After a conversation with Tecnofuturo, the Brescia-based Italian distributor of the Japanese manufacturer, we decided in mutual agreement that it was not worth the trouble. The reasons are quickly explained: the DV-HD805 is no other than a rebranded Toshiba HD-XE1 HD DVD player, which is already compatible with streaming of all lossless multichannel HD codecs via HDMI 1.3, and there are only few units of it available.

In view of the new marketing policy being applied by Toshiba, consisting of sinking the price of its own players, Onkyo has difficulty in positioning its own player (the Europe list price is 899 euros) and has therefore decided to stop production. The scarce units produced have been redistributed in varios markets. It has been known that barely 11 units arrived in Italy, and no others will come. Germany has been more fortunate, with 20 units, and Spain will receive none.

As to why it was decided not to review such a product, apart from its being a clone, it won't be effectively be available on the market (the 11 Italian units are already sold). We thank Tecnofuturo for such a quick communication and we apologize to the enthusiasts. Onkyo is already working actively on a new player and according to tidbits it could be this time a Blu-ray player or a hybrid player. We'll have other news and more confirmation during the upcoming CES at Las Vegas.

 

[Doubledex]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol .

Well, Blu-Ray shredded them enough to win neraly every damn week. So yeah, the shredded them!

 

[The Elite]

How's this:

"BD has been shredding HD-DVD all year, with the exception of Transformers release week and a couple of weeks where the margin wasn't overwhelmingly in Blu-rays' favor."

I like how people jump all over this concrete fact like it's a terrible thing to say, but are happy to repeat the distorted "standalone" argument or want to imply that sales had any bearing on Paramount's move.

Spin, ftl.

How to stir up a hornet's net in the thread-- remind everybody of the grim lopsidedness of movie sales.

YTD: 65:35
That's the average. How is nearly 2:1 not shredding?

This is why I can't bring myself to pick up the 360 HD DVD drive. I was looking at it today again, with free Transformers, and I still decided not to get it. If the margin was closer I would say it was was anybodies game but even with Paramount going HD DVD, Blu Ray is maintaining a pretty strong lead.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

onkyo isn't a 'luxury' brand - its a high end brand. There is a difference. Many people won't even consider buying a HD player unless its by a brand they trust. And for many that means Onkyo or Denon or Marantz etc.

Toshiba right now is the only manufacturer of HDDVD, and they are persuing a completely focused low price policy. Thats fine to get players in the hands of people who are price sensitive but IMO thats ignoring a segment of the market who want quality and are willing to pay for it.

Perhaps they have no alternative right now, but more manufacturers on board would be a good thing, and I can't see how anyone can dismiss that.

My miserable experience with a Toshiba upscaling DVD player last year certainly doesn't help me be excited about their cheap HD-DVD players. Perhaps I should thank them, though, as that was one thing that pushed me over the edge to get real HD media.

Hans was banned as a viral marketer, really? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's gone, but could somebody back that up? If only because I'd like to know how vm's operate, how he got exposed, etc.

 

[SUPREME1]

I see this cat fight is still as fierce as it was last week and the week before and the week bef...


Anyhow, I finally picked up an A3 as a gift to my in-laws on black Friday.

$199.00 + 7 movies [2 in the box (300/Born Identity) + 5 mail-in movies)

I could have picked it up on Amazon for the 10 movie deal, but couldn't wait.. I hooked it up for them that aftrenoon. They now love Jason Bourne.

They also have a 50" Toshiba Plasma.. so no need for 1080P.

 

[fortified_concept]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

No, the reason for that would be the 150 million MS and Toshiba payed off Paramount for non-Spielberg movies. You seem to forget that fact. Otherwise there wouldn't be a chance in hell for a movie studio to support exclusively a dying format.

 

[Kolgar]

I just love the random posters who teleport in here from points unknown--maybe up my bunghole--and complain about what's going on in this thread. Especially love it when they get all super-defensive because they failed to detect a sarcastic remark. :lol

No, the reason for that would be the 150 million MS and Toshiba payed off Paramount for non-Spielberg movies. You seem to forget that fact. Otherwise there wouldn't be a chance in hell for a movie studio to support exclusively a dying format.

I give you exhibit A.

!

And exhibit B.

Moving on.

onkyo isn't a 'luxury' brand - its a high end brand. There is a difference. Many people won't even consider buying a HD player unless its by a brand they trust. And for many that means Onkyo or Denon or Marantz etc.

I know Onkyo isn't "luxury." I was generalizing, perhaps at the expense of clarity. And I realize Toshiba runs risks going it alone. Then again, Sony's strategy has downsides as well (they can't drive the price down like Tosh can). Which is worse (or better)? Who knows.

This is why I can't bring myself to pick up the 360 HD DVD drive. I was looking at it today again, with free Transformers, and I still decided not to get it. If the margin was closer I would say it was was anybodies game but even with Paramount going HD DVD, Blu Ray is maintaining a pretty strong lead.

Some people think there's more to the market right now than those ratios. There are other factors at play that the studios are looking at, such as market share of standalones, attach rates, storage space, replication costs, copy protection, region coding, interactivity and who's willing to pony up the biggest moneyhats. The overall market is pretty small at the moment and it's impossible to call a winner right now.

So if you want high-def movies, any move you make is a gamble. I've said time and again that this is not a game for the weak of heart. But if you happen to find the hardware at a price that won't kill you if the format goes belly-up, I wholeheartedly recommend you take the plunge. I bought my add-on last holiday for $160--figured that was a steal to be able to watch movies in HD--and seeing King Kong on my 61" Samsung was a revelation.

I got hooked instantly and now I own a PS3 and Toshiba A2 so I don't miss out on anything.

Life is short, enjoy it.

 

[Doubledex]

No, the reason for that would be the 150 million MS and Toshiba payed off Paramount for non-Spielberg movies. You seem to forget that fact. Otherwise there wouldn't be a chance in hell for a movie studio to support exclusively a dying format.

!

 

[fortified_concept]

I just love the random posters who teleport in here from points unknown--maybe up my bunghole--and complain about what's going on in this thread. Especially love it when they get all super-defensive because they failed to detect a sarcastic remark. :lol

Everyone understood it was sarcastic and the reason behind the sarcasm, that's why they responded accordingly.

 

[Kolgar]

Everyone understood it was sarcastic and the reason behind the sarcasm, that's why they responded accordingly.

I <3 you too.

Never change!

:lol

 

[polyh3dron]

Yep, Blu-ray has shredded HD DVD all year. It's gotten so bad that in August, Paramount jumped off the good ship Blu-ray to go HD DVD exclusive.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

Oh, and I figured the "Onkyo isn't making HD DVD players anymore!!11" would show up sooner or later, and sure enough it did. My take is that expensive players for either side are STUPID right now, for all but the super-rich. There's just no point in buying an $800 player when the machine could just as well wind up being a doorstep two years from now.

$150 million sez HI.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol


You're missing the point about what Onkyo pulling out of the HD DVD hardware market means for the format. Since Toshiba is now selling their players at a ridiculous loss on some kind of kamikaze run, no other CE companies will ever make HD DVD players because they can't compete with Toshiba. This does not bode well for HD DVD's future as a movie format because no money can be made from it on the hardware. Blu-ray on the other hand doesn't have this problem.

And don't even start with the Samsung dual-format player. It's actually manufactured by Toshiba Samsung Storage Technologies (TSST) which is 51% owned by Toshiba. You could actually say then that Toshiba is manufacturing a Blu-ray player. :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Hans was banned as a viral marketer, really? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's gone, but could somebody back that up? If only because I'd like to know how vm's operate, how he got exposed, etc.

So was this just a flip comment, then? Cause I always thought vm's were supposed to be subtle. :lol


Unrelated: It's funny to watch Kolgar damage-control on being owned for the Paramount comment.

 

[HyperionX]

Speaking of Onkyo's HD DVD player....

http://www.avmagazine.it/news/sorgenti/onkyo-dv-hd805-l-hd-dvd-fantasma_2654.html

translated:

Kinda confirms what we already knew: Super-aggressive pricecuts from Toshiba are scaring away hardware makers from HD-DVD. In the long-run, that's gonna hurt real bad. How is the consumer going to be convinced that HD-DVD is still alive when there's a whole shelf of Blu-ray players made by 10 different companies, but HD-DVD consists of only 1 or 2 machines from one company?