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[DJ_Tet]

Back to movies for a min:

My NIN HD DVD arrived today (along with Shaun of the Dead, Hulk, Jarhead, and Batman Begins )

Just thought I'd say it's a must-have for NIN fans. I saw the concert when it came to town, and through two songs this has been by far the most visceral concert film I've seen. The quick cuts really pick up the intensity, and everything is so crystal clear in HD. Amazing. The sound is truly awesome as well on my system, if you have a surround sound system and like NIN you definitely should pick up this disc.

I can't wait till some of the background screens start popping on. Oops there they go

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

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?

Attach rates!

Standalones!

Disc fabrication costs!

Paramount!

Anything I can drag out of my ass to make the situation look better for HD-DVD!

 

[Kolgar]

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

Damage control? Owned? Sheesh, some of you guys need to step away from the monitor and take a break.

Or maybe you're just being disingenuous again.

I saw a pressure point and pushed, for comedic value. Unfortunately, I forgot what a parade of humorless pewps some of you are, or perhaps that particular spot is just a little too sore still and I should have stayed away.

Anyway, I don't mean to ruin anyone's fun. Flame away!

edit: I see Ignatz already is. Not surprised!

Back to movies for a min:

My NIN HD DVD arrived today (along with Shaun of the Dead, Hulk, Jarhead, and Batman Begins )

Just thought I'd say it's a must-have for NIN fans. I saw the concert when it came to town, and through two songs this has been by far the most visceral concert film I've seen. The quick cuts really pick up the intensity, and everything is so crystal clear in HD. Amazing. The sound is truly awesome as well on my system, if you have a surround sound system and like NIN you definitely should pick up this disc.

I can't wait till some of the background screens start popping on. Oops there they go

Glad you like it!!

Please, Kolgar, you try to hard to act like you don't care, but you never miss an opportunity to push the party line.

Right back at ya, babe.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Comedic value requires actually being funny!

Please, Kolgar, you try to hard to act like you don't care, but you never miss an opportunity to push the party line.

Edit: Never said I didn't care. It's your mantra lately, however. :lol

 

[polyh3dron]

Damage control? Owned? Sheesh, some of you guys need to step away from the monitor and take a break.

Or maybe you're just being disingenuous again.

Wow, the damage control never stops with this guy. :lol

He's proven wrong and because he is, everyone that has proven him wrong is taking this way too seriously and they "need to step away from the monitor and take a break."

 

[Kolgar]

Edit: Never said I didn't care. It's your mantra lately, however. :lol

Is it? I thought I made my preference pretty clear a few weeks ago when I said that while I own players of both formats, I prefer HD DVD.

Between you and me, I mostly want it to win just to see what it would do to a couple of characters on this and other boards.

I'm watchin'!

Wow, the damage control never stops with this guy. :lol

He's proven wrong and because he is, everyone that has proven him wrong is taking this way too seriously and they "need to step away from the monitor and take a break."

How was I wrong? About what was I wrong? Blu-ray outsold HD DVD ALL DAMN YEAR and STILL lost Paramount! I don't care if it was moneyhats or lap dances or what the reason was, Paramount dropped Blu-ray like a bad habit. Or did I imagine the whole thing?

Damage control, my ass. Losing Paramount, now THAT's a need for damage control...

 

[The Elite]

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



I give you exhibit A.



And exhibit B.

Moving on.



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.



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.

You definitely make some good points. I can't help but think that by the time either format matures into viable competition, something new will be the "hot thing."

The HD DVD deal is certainly tempting though: Transformers, King Kong + 5 other HD DVDs for free.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

DoctorWho: Like I said, you could always netflix the discs. The cost of a player is nothing compared to amassing a library.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Comedic value requires actually being funny!

Please, Kolgar, you try to hard to act like you don't care, but you never miss an opportunity to push the party line.

Edit: Never said I didn't care. It's your mantra lately, however. :lol

Hypocrisy at its finest, folks.

Some of you guys need to take a break for all this nonsense. You take it much too seriously at times.

 

[polyh3dron]

How was I wrong? About what was I wrong? Blu-ray outsold HD DVD ALL DAMN YEAR and STILL lost Paramount! I don't care if it was moneyhats or lap dances or what the reason was, Paramount dropped Blu-ray like a bad habit. Or did I imagine the whole thing?

Damage control, my ass. Losing Paramount, now THAT's a need for damage control...

$150M $150M $150M

The HDM market is in its infancy and isn't exactly profitable yet. All of the studios are either losing money or breaking even on HDM in the hopes that it will be a profitable business model in the future where everyone will rebuy all of their movies. The HD DVD Promotions Group made an offer to Paramount that they couldn't refuse to the tune of ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS. It made financial sense for them to go HD DVD exclusive even though it was the lesser selling format with that much money involved for an 18 month period.

If by the end of this deal Blu-ray emerged the winner, Paramount could then open the floodgates of Blu-ray releases to a much larger install base and make even more money since they would get free advertising for all these releases due to the big news stories surrounding a return to Blu-ray. If HD DVD won, then that would be cool for them too I guess. But regardless, Paramount just came up on $150 MILLION DOLLARS just to stop making & selling some shiny discs that aren't profitable just yet.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I never said I didn't push a party line, I was saying that Kolgar's "tongue in cheek" claim was full of shit, especially when he starts pulling out obscure pro-HD-DVD arguments like disc replicating costs while claiming to not care.


I mean, come on...

 

[Kolgar]

$150M $150M $150M

The HDM market is in its infancy and isn't exactly profitable yet. All of the studios are either losing money or breaking even on HDM in the hopes that it will be a profitable business model in the future where everyone will rebuy all of their movies. The HD DVD Promotions Group made an offer to Paramount that they couldn't refuse to the tune of ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS. It made financial sense for them to go HD DVD exclusive even though it was the lesser selling format with that much money involved for an 18 month period.

If by the end of this deal Blu-ray emerged the winner, Paramount could then open the floodgates of Blu-ray releases to a much larger install base and make even more money since they would get free advertising for all these releases due to the big news stories surrounding a return to Blu-ray. If HD DVD won, then that would be cool for them too I guess. But regardless, Paramount just came up on $150 MILLION DOLLARS just to stop making & selling some shiny discs that aren't profitable just yet.

Dude, I KNOW. It was fairly well publicized. :lol If you notice, I didn't give any reasons for it, I just said it happened and people jumped on me like I'd teabagged their grandma.

I never said I didn't push a party line, I was saying that Kolgar's "tongue in cheek" claim was full of shit, especially when he starts pulling out obscure pro-HD-DVD arguments like disc replicating costs while claiming to not care.[/I]

Oh, you mean THAT got your goat? A little mention of disc replicating costs? You'll notice I also made sure to include factors that are advantages for Blu-ray, such as storage space and copy protection. But gah, so sorry to drip a little red on your Blu, Blu world...

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.

Over and out, Mousey.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

This whole shitstorm started today because I pointed out that Blu-ray dominated in sales all year. I didn't say "blu-ray has won" or "hd-dvd sucks" or "don't buy hd-dvd" (in fact, I encouraged a couple of people on the fence to go hd-dvd and rent as a hedge if they fear for the future)-- and the spin artists for the HD-DVD side came out swinging. At what point does this stop? Blu-ray has a near 2:1 sales advantage for the year, despite buying out Paramount. Period. Does that mean anything in the long term? I think so, but Jesus, you'd think that software sales for a year are completely meaningless by reading this thread.

65:35 YTD. Cheaper players, Paramount exclusive, blow-out sales... still 65:35.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Dude, I KNOW. It was fairly well publicized. :lol If you notice, I didn't give any reasons for it, I just said it happened and people jumped on me like I'd teabagged their grandma.

This probably had something to do with it:

Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

You were asking for it, dude. But whatever, Blu people are mean and You Just Want To Get Along. :lol

 

[polyh3dron]

You were asking for it, dude. But whatever, Blu people are mean and You Just Want To Get Along. :lol

Pretty much.

 

[Chemo]

How was I wrong? About what was I wrong? Blu-ray outsold HD DVD ALL DAMN YEAR and STILL lost Paramount! I don't care if it was moneyhats or lap dances or what the reason was, Paramount dropped Blu-ray like a bad habit. Or did I imagine the whole thing?

Damage control, my ass. Losing Paramount, now THAT's a need for damage control...

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

 

[bishoptl]

Rampant asshattery has claimed Snah and Kolgar. Any more takers?

 

[gkryhewy]

Rampant asshattery has claimed Snah and Kolgar. Any more takers?

I picture the Treehouse of Horror episode when Homer asks his clones if any more of them remember the way home.

 

[Ponn]

Yay! I got my free Blu-ray for doing that Blu-ray retail advisor course thingee. I got a small pin and certified Blu-ray advisor card:lol

More importantly I got my free copy of The Prestige

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Yay! I got my free Blu-ray for doing that Blu-ray retail advisor course thingee. I got a small pin and certified Blu-ray advisor card:lol

More importantly I got my free copy of The Prestige

What exactly is this? Are you in retail, and this is the official "learn the spiel" class?

 

[VanMardigan]

I'll be damned. Didn't see just one person taking the fall for that mess. And mousey, the only thing about your statement that I (and main event) contested was your assertion that the weekly ratios were close ONLY on Transformers week. You were corrected. When ookie and mrklaw jumped in arguing completely unrelated points, stuff turned ugly. I glad I logged off before risking a ban.

 

[Ponn]

What exactly is this? Are you in retail, and this is the official "learn the spiel" class?

Saw it over at cheapassgamer a month ago. Shipped fast (faster then the 5 free movie deal). http://www.blurayvt.com/mainPortal.php

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I'll be damned. Didn't see just one person taking the fall for that mess. And mousey, the only thing about your statement that I (and main event) contested was your assertion that the weekly ratios were close ONLY on Transformers week. You were corrected. When ookie and mrklaw jumped in arguing completely unrelated points, stuff turned ugly. I glad I logged off before risking a ban.

Yeah, I took the correcton in stride, and you were right. You did toss in the token standalone comment, tho.

 

[VanMardigan]

Saw it over at cheapassgamer a month ago. Shipped fast (faster then the 5 free movie deal). http://www.blurayvt.com/mainPortal.php

wtf, is the next step after this to stand outside a Wal-Mart and convince folks not to pick up an A3? :lol

edit: so you're a retailer, or does it not matter? What does it consist of?

 

[Ponn]

wtf, is the next step after this to stand outside a Wal-Mart and convince folks not to pick up an A3? :lol

edit: so you're a retailer, or does it not matter? What does it consist of?

I used to work at Blockbuster. They didn't need to know I don't anymore.

It's basically just listening to a guy spiel about basic Blu ray info and specs and some really easy questions. All in all I think it took me 20 minutes or so. Worth it for a free movie.

 

[VanMardigan]

I used to work at Blockbuster. They didn't need to know I don't anymore.

It's basically just listening to a guy spiel about basic Blu ray info and specs and some really easy questions. All in all I think it took me 20 minutes or so. Worth it for a free movie.

What did they tell you to say when someone asks about the different profiles and their player lacking functionality? Do they cover that? I'm not even being a dick, I'm genuinely curious to hear if there's an official line other than the crap the Disney guy said about early adopters just know they're getting screwed.

 

[Ponn]

What did they tell you to say when someone asks about the different profiles and their player lacking functionality? Do they cover that? I'm not even being a dick, I'm genuinely curious to hear if there's an official line other than the crap the Disney guy said about early adopters just know they're getting screwed.

Basic information. Not forum geek jack off material. Stuff like Blu-ray's won't play in DVD players.

 

[Manmademan]

What did they tell you to say when someone asks about the different profiles and their player lacking functionality? Do they cover that? I'm not even being a dick, I'm genuinely curious to hear if there's an official line other than the crap the Disney guy said about early adopters just know they're getting screwed.

going on my own experience in retail, if anyone is at the level of expertise where they're even asking those kinds of questions, then they already know the answer (or at least a better place to go than random retail guy) and are looking more for an excuse to show off what they learned on an internet forum than actually learning something.

let those jackasses be smug and eat up someone else's time, and walk away

 

[VanMardigan]

Basic information. Not forum geek jack off material. Stuff like Blu-ray's won't play in DVD players.

ah. I see.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

going on my own experience in retail, if anyone is at the level of expertise where they're even asking those kinds of questions, then they already know the answer (or at least a better place to go than random retail guy) and are looking more for an excuse to show off what they learned on an internet forum than actually learning something.

let those jackasses be smug and eat up someone else's time, and walk away

This amuses me a lot.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

going on my own experience in retail, if anyone is at the level of expertise where they're even asking those kinds of questions, then they already know the answer (or at least a better place to go than random retail guy) and are looking more for an excuse to show off what they learned on an internet forum than actually learning something.

let those jackasses be smug and eat up someone else's time, and walk away

Correct answer. People who work in retail have to cover a lot of bases. It makes me laugh when I read the "I went to Best Buy" story from some shmuck who has to teach these kids lessons. Most of the kids at Best Buy are there for one reason - to make money to pay for goodies. They don't care about being all that informed. I sure wasn't when I was 18, 19.

 

[Kintaro]

Blah blah blah.

Wanna know what I care about?

Paprika
Jin-Roh

Both due out on BR tomorrow.

 

[chubigans]

Just got the Die Hard collection on BD. Man, what a HUGE improvement Vengeance is over the horrible DVD transfer...I'm so happy.

I hate hate hate the Live Free menus though. Nothing like input lag along with a 2-second flashy graphic to totally screw up menu selections. Yuck.

 

[Vyer]

Official numbers for Shrek 3 week are finally out:

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

So, I like to catch up on this thread from time to time, just to see if anything is close to being decided, or if there is a good deal going on, or to watch the fireworks.

But can someone tell me exactly what these numbers you guys use are? Like what these ratios mean, what they cover, etc.? I see them every once and a while in here but never really understood them.

 

[mckmas8808]

So, I like to catch up on this thread from time to time, just to see if anything is close to being decided, or if there is a good deal going on, or to watch the fireworks.

But can someone tell me exactly what these numbers you guys use are? Like what these ratios mean, what they cover, etc.? I see them every once and a while in here but never really understood them.

Blu-ray got 66% of the sales the week before last, while HD-DVD got 34%. YTD means "year to date" and SI means "since inception" or since they both started.

 

[Raistlin]

So, I like to catch up on this thread from time to time, just to see if anything is close to being decided, or if there is a good deal going on, or to watch the fireworks.

But can someone tell me exactly what these numbers you guys use are? Like what these ratios mean, what they cover, etc.? I see them every once and a while in here but never really understood them.

Basically, BD has pretty consistently outsold HD DVD 2:1 for this year ... and the overall software userbase is getting pretty close to that as well


(HD DVD has been out longer).

 

[Vyer]

Is this like NPD for example, that covers most retail outlets? Who releases these numbers and what/where do they cover?

And sales of what? Is this players, movies, etc?

 

[OokieSpookie]

Is this like NPD for example, that covers most retail outlets? Who releases these numbers and what/where do they cover?

And sales of what? Is this players, movies, etc?

Nielsen sales percentages for movies yes like NPD.
Comes out weekly.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

little PSA here:

NEVER EVER BUY FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO. EVER. not even if you find yourself in Saw XXVI and some variation/apprentice of the Jigsaw Killer is forcing you to order from them or be disemboweled by a blunt serving spoon.

Thank you for contacting Online Customer Service.

Unfortunately, no exact ship date is available. If you no longer wish to wait for this order, please let us know.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Regards,
Online Customer Service

this is RE: the Ocean's box set. What the hell is wrong with this company? I ordered something from them previously and it arrived on time. Ever since then I've just seen people complain about the poor service. I thought it was a fluke, but apparently my getting my movies on time was the fluke. They had just better not screw up my Blade Runner order.

 

[OokieSpookie]

little PSA here:

NEVER EVER BUY FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO. EVER. not even if you find yourself in Saw XXVI and some variation/apprentice of the Jigsaw Killer is forcing you to order from them or be disemboweled by a blunt serving spoon.this is RE: the Ocean's box set. What the hell is wrong with this company? I ordered something from them previously and it arrived on time. Ever since then I've just seen people complain about the poor service. I thought it was a fluke, but apparently my getting my movies on time was the fluke. They had just better not screw up my Blade Runner order.

Warner is notorious lately on both sides of the fence.
Sucks too because alot of people tried to take advantage of that promo code they had not long ago.

 

[vdo]

What did they tell you to say when someone asks about the different profiles and their player lacking functionality? Do they cover that? I'm not even being a dick, I'm genuinely curious to hear if there's an official line other than the crap the Disney guy said about early adopters just know they're getting screwed.

Actually in the FAQ on that site, they seem to touch on that (seems to be a longer way of saying what the Disney guy said - except to say that a firmware upgrade may or may not be available for particular players):

Why don't all Blu-ray bonus features function on all Blu-ray Disc™ players?

Our Blu-ray Discs™ are manufactured to the highest quality available. It is possible a Blu-ray Disc™ was manufactured after your Blu-ray Disc™ player was released.

If that is the case, your player may not support all the features on the disc. In some cases, a firmware or software upgrade to your player may improve playability.

To ensure the best possible viewing experience, please consult your hardware manufacturer's website for the latest firmware or software version and, if an upgrade is available, we suggest that you follow its installation instructions. If you have any questions about Disney Blu-ray Disc™ or its playability, please contact our consumer support department at 1800-477-2811 (U.S) or 1888-877-2843 (Canada).

 

[XMonkey]

Warner is shit. I still don't have my Kubrick Blurays. I would cancel them by now, but I'm so busy with school lately that I don't even have time to watch them anyways.

 

[NR1]

Sony Pictures will be releasing Groundhog Dog: The 15th Anniversary Edition on DVD on January 29, 2008. No word on a Blu-ray version yet, but I would be quite surprised if Sony passed up the opportunity to release the film on the format at this time.

According to IGN DVD, the DVD's bonus materials include:

"A Different Day: An Interview with Harold Ramis"
"The Study of Groundhogs: A Real Life Look at Marmots"
Newly discovered Deleted Scenes
"The Weight of Time" - a documentary on the making of "Groundhog Day"
Audio Commentary with Director Harold Ramis

Speaking of Harold Ramis and Bill Murray, I sure hope Ghostbusters makes it to Blu-ray next year along side "Ghostbusters: The Video Game" in October. I was really disappointed that Sony didn't release it this year in time for Halloween (Not to mention WB not releasing Poltergeist on blu-ray... ) If it doesn't make it out next year, then it should be a lock for 2009 since that will be "Ghostbusters" 25th anniversary and "Ghostbusters II" 20th anniversary.

 

[VanMardigan]

Groundhog Day?

yes please

 

[mrklaw]

Groundhog Day?

yes please

You mean they made a movie about this thread?

I just recorded this on sky hd, so there is a hd version available. Hope they release on bluray

 

[VanMardigan]

Comedian too? So many hidden talents in this thread.

I hope it's HD DVD only, so we can due the net chat stuff while watching it.

 

[maynerd]

I still don't have a couple of kubrick titles that I ordered from Waner online and I ordered in like september. Oh and I still don't have my oceans 13 box sset.

 

[borghe]

I still don't have a couple of kubrick titles that I ordered from Waner online and I ordered in like september. Oh and I still don't have my oceans 13 box sset.

my wife has said she'll be super pissed if we don't have Harry Potter by the end of the year. She wanted to cancel our order and just pay the $20 difference on amazon, but as frugal as I am want to just keep the Warner pre-order.

 

[gkryhewy]

Sellout.woot.com has these 6.6 ft cables for 2.99 plus $5 shipping. The shipping is the same whether you order 1 or 3:

http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ao4i96...aleId=4296&ts=1196177580&sig=7aef8c17621de6ba

 

[Chiggs]

It's been close to 8 weeks now, and I still don't have my free Blu-rays. This is getting very frustrating. I called Archway and they say my order is still processing. WTF?

To all you Blu-ray/HD-DVD buyers, my advice to you is go for the deals that give you the discs asap, because as far as I'm concerned, these mail offers are garbage.