Support NeoGAF

[Warm Machine]

Anyone know if the transfer on the 4 disc Blu-ray release of Planet Earth is going to be the same as the HD-DVD one or if they would take advantage of the 50GB discs with a better transfer?
I just ordered the set off of Amazon.ca yesterday (almost $90 CDN after tax :/), and am looking for a real showcase (though I am only using 1080i at the moment).

I think the documentary was shot in 1080i so no worries

 

[djkimothy]

Anyone know if the transfer on the 4 disc Blu-ray release of Planet Earth is going to be the same as the HD-DVD one or if they would take advantage of the 50GB discs with a better transfer?
I just ordered the set off of Amazon.ca yesterday (almost $90 CDN after tax :/), and am looking for a real showcase (though I am only using 1080i at the moment).

I'm wondering the same thing as I also pre-ordered it on Amazon.ca. Because it's a Warner release, I'm really starting to have my doubts on the quality.

Does anyone else know if they are using the 16x9 aspect ratio to go full screen?

 

[ManaByte]

Does anyone else know if they are using the 16x9 aspect ratio to go full screen?

It's probably going to be the same quality they showed on Discovery HD.

 

[djkimothy]

It's probably going to be the same quality they showed on Discovery HD.

Awesome!

Some friends and I are already planning a Planet Earth night. Will be fun. Yes, we're all science geeks here.

 

[Beer Monkey]

It's probably going to be the same quality they showed on Discovery HD.

I think it will be even better than that (image quality).

I think the documentary was shot in 1080i so no worries

It was actually shot with all different kinds of cameras depending on the situation. It was shot in 1080i, 1080p, 720p, and on film.

 

[ManaByte]

I think it will be even better than that (image quality).

I don't know. At least on my cable system, DiscoveryHD has shown stuff that looks better than March of the Pengiuns and the National Geographic special on BRD/HD-DVD in terms of picture quality.

 

[Suikoguy]

Getting closer to my mark of 249.99 first one to get a stand alone player to that price gets my business. That way I can keep it under 500 bucks for 2 players one for the living room and one for the bedroom. That way I won't have to buy movies 2x once regular dvd for the bedroom and hd for the living room. I will probably buy a 3rd player when they get under 150.

So, content does not matter to you?

 

[djkimothy]

So, content does not matter to you?

This is gaf, it's not about the content/games.

 

[Beer Monkey]

I don't know. At least on my cable system, DiscoveryHD has shown stuff that looks better than March of the Pengiuns and the National Geographic special on BRD/HD-DVD in terms of picture quality.

19.4Mbs MPEG-2 has its limits. If you aren't going to filter demanding content you need to be able to handle spikes that go substantially higher. The BBC has a better quality master available and there's no doubt that it is possible to make an even better looking release.

Discovery HD looks awesome on my cable system as well, but nextgen disc can definitely look even better if mastered and compressed properly.

If it doesn't look better than it did on Discovery, it's because of bad production.

 

[VanMardigan]

HD DVD has no content? Come on, this is silly. It'll probably have around 600 movies by the end of this year. There is plenty of content, and it will have exclusive content.

All of you harping on about content are probably using a Ps3 to play your Blu Ray movies on. If you were so keen on content, it begs the question of why you didn't just stick with an Xbox 360, the king of next gen content right now.

Someone who owns an Xbox 360 with a HD DVD add-on is just as well off as someone with a Ps3. Sure, Blu Ray is pulling ahead in movie content, but 360 owns game content right now, so it's a wash, no? Silly comparison, but it just goes to show how this stupid "content is king" argument is ignored when choosing your gaming console.

And if you go "but but Ps3 has exclusive games I want", then you should at least acknowledge that possibility for HD DVD fans as well that the exclusives THEY want are on HD DVD.

edit: hidefdigest has the Scanner Darkly review up. A full 5 stars on video. Looks like another reference-quality film to show off:

It's bold, colorful, solid as a rock and always eye-popping. I rarely give out five star video ratings, but this is one of those times. Warner again offers its usual identical 1080p/VC-1 encode for both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray (which are hitting stores simultaneously), and I found it to be a flawless presentation. A direct digital-to-digital transfer, the source is pristine. Blacks and contrast are also perfect -- the image is never too dark nor too light, and whites are spot-on without any blooming.

Colors are magnificent, with clean hues -- I spotted none of the noise or other artifacting that apparently marred the standard-def release. The film also has great detail and depth. Yes, it is a "flat" 2-D animation style, but that only makes the three-dimensionality of the image more impressive. This one really pops off the screen, and I loved the sheer act of looking at this movie. Tying with 'Happy Feet,' 'A Scanner Darkly' is the best animated title I've seen yet on high-def.

 

[sonycowboy]

HD DVD has no content? Come on, this is silly. It'll probably have around 600 movies by the end of this year. There is plenty of content, and it will have exclusive content.

Sony, MGM, Fox, Disney vs Universal.

Nuff said. Unless something changes, HD-DVD is so far behind Blu-Ray it's verging on the pathetic. If ~most consumers actually knew that this was the case, I think HD-DVD would likely be dead already, despite the price discrepancy.

There's simply no mainstream reason to buy a player where you can't play half of the movies out there, unless you think that eventually the exclusivity will disappear.

 

[VanMardigan]

Sony, MGM, Fox, Disney vs Universal.

Nuff said. Unless something changes, HD-DVD is so far behind Blu-Ray it's verging on the pathetic. If ~most consumers actually knew that this was the case, I think HD-DVD would likely be dead already, despite the price discrepancy.

There's simply no mainstream reason to buy a player where you can't play half of the movies out there, unless you think that eventually the exclusivity will disappear.

Even if the exclusivity situation doesn't change, there is still a lot of content on HD DVD, and that's my point. It works for me, personally, because I only spent $160 on the 360 add-on, and mainly rent online. With the dropping hardware prices, it becomes enticing, because even though Sony, MGM, Fox, and Disney aren't currently putting out content on HD DVD, there is still a lot of movies like I said earlier.

And, for the record, there is no mainstream reason to buy into ANY format at the moment, in case you weren't paying attention to the sales numbers. This is an enthusiast market and a gamers market, and right now, choosing between Ps3 and Xbox 360/add-on for games and movies, I'd have to say it's a wash, depending on what your preference is (games-heavy, or movies-heavy).

edit: I don't want to turn this into another vs. discussion. It's just annoying to read responses here pretending like you'd have to be certifiable to buy HD DVD movies or players at this point. It's silly, since folks here spend a lot of money on consoles that only last 3-4 years if they're not the market leader. Some folks spent a ton of money on UMD movies, on handhelds that vanished, on stuff that didn't "win" (like Xbox or GCN). All of a sudden, it's somehow stupid to buy an HD DVD, as if the hundreds of movies already compatible will disappear, as if combo players which will allow you to transition gracefully in case of format death won't ever exist.

All of a sudden, if you're not on the currently "winning" side, you're an idiot. This coming from folks using the console currently in dead last position to play those movies.

 

[Alcibiades]

throwing out studio names is silly at this point...

How many titles did Universal release in February/March? How many does Fox/MGM plan to release in April? Also, Warner is definitely leaning HD DVD at the moment (not because they necessarily want to). Point is, things are fluid and throwing out names doesn't matter as much as Sony/Playstation fans are making it out to.

you can't buy half the movies out there on either format, but the truth is, you can buy a ton of movies on BOTH formats right now... consumers see a ton of movies on both formats, with plenty of exclusive stuff on each...

taking engadgethd's count (which is undercounting HD DVD titles):

HD DVD 168 vs Blu-ray 197

Somehow, that 90% studio support vs. 40% studio support doesn't seem to hold up by the number of released titles, and with Warner having trouble with interactive stuff on Blu-ray, this is likely to last a while longer.

Looking at the studio breakdown, you've basically got 6/11 supporting HD DVD, and 9/11 supporting Blu-ray. Blu-ray has an advantage by 3 studios, but as long as the number or releases remain somewhat close, the difference isn't a big deal. Now, if a year from now you have 900 titles on Blu-ray and only 400 on HD DVD, yeah that would be a major blow, but both sides have a ton of stuff coming out.

HD DVD:

Warner
New Line
Paramount
Dreamworks SKG
Universal
Weinstein Co.


Blu-ray:

Warner
New Line
Paramount
Dreamworks SKG
Sony
Fox
Disney
MGM
Lion's Gate


What this means in the end is that both formats are here to stay. Both are far to entrenched to disappear, and most of the movies out there will eventually be on both formats due to studio neutrality. Warner, HBO and Paramount were just the beginning. Soon Dreamworks and New Line will join, and although Universal, Disney, Fox, MGM, and Sony are gonna hold out for quite a while, the rising number of installed base will probably force them to go neutral a few years from now. Weinstein Co. and Lion's Gate, as independents, have little reason to stay neutral as they'll probably want to maximize their profits sooner.

 

[forgeforsaken]

Neither looking really that hot in sales

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/564

 

[VanMardigan]

Neither looking really that hot in sales

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/564

Yep, you see top tens where movies in it don't even break 1000. A FRICKIN THOUSAND!!! And with such miniscule sales, you have the BRD camp and fanboys somehow declaring victory, when the sales indicate that the format has so much potential for growth. I understand that, within the very small HD disc format, BR is doing REALLY well right now, but if you look at the total disc sales and how close they are, you can see that the format wars are one major factor away from swinging wildly in any direction.

Whether that factor is the Matrix, Universal going neutral, Fox/Disney/ going neutral, low cost players gaining traction on either format, or a factor we haven't even thought of. At this point, the market is so tiny, and represents such a niche (gamers/av enthusiasts), that it makes no sense to bash anyone for deciding to go with HD DVD for now.

 

[The Main Event]

At the end of the day, it all comes down to what titles are available. The consumer who currently wants The Bourne Movies, The Matrix, Children of Men and The Grind House will have no other choice but to pick an HD DVD player. The other guy who wants Casino Royale, POTC, Kill Bill and Spiderman will pick up a Blu-ray player.

Smaller independent studios and the European market seem to also lean towards HD DVD.

No matter which side you're on, there isn't any drought of content at all for both formats.

 

[mckmas8808]

Neither looking really that hot in sales

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/564

But they are doing better than what DVD was doing in it's same time in its life, so what's the big deal?

 

[Raistlin]

All of you harping on about content are probably using a Ps3 to play your Blu Ray movies on. If you were so keen on content, it begs the question of why you didn't just stick with an Xbox 360, the king of next gen content right now.

'Right now' being the important qualifier.

When spending $400+ on a console early in their life, people tend to judge content on future expectations ... not just current libraries.

 

[djkimothy]

'Right now' being the important qualifier.

When spending $400+ on a console early in their life, people tend to judge content on future expectations ... not just current libraries.

QFT, MGS4 and FFXIII says...

 

[Raistlin]

Looking at the studio breakdown, you've basically got 6/11 supporting HD DVD, and 9/11 supporting Blu-ray. Blu-ray has an advantage by 3 studios, but as long as the number or releases remain somewhat close, the difference isn't a big deal.

That is a pretty obtuse comparison.

To assume 1:1 title quality is simply unrealistic. HD-DVD's main issue is not necessarily number of releases (though in truth, I expect the delta to continue increasing in BluRay's favor), but the actual titles themselves.

BluRay simply has more higher grossing films as exclusives in the pipe. This isn't necessarily a critique on quality, lord knows some terrible movies are high grossing, just simply an observation of title popularity.

 

[Days like these...]

These threads just aren't the same without zaptrarca

 

[sonycowboy]

That is a pretty obtuse comparison.

To assume 1:1 title quality is simply unrealistic. HD-DVD's main issue is not necessarily number of releases (though in truth, I expect the delta to continue increasing in BluRay's favor), but the actual titles themselves.

BluRay simply has more higher grossing films as exclusives in the pipe. This isn't necessarily a critique on quality, lord knows some terrible movies are high grossing, just simply an observation of title popularity.

Forget 1:1 title quality, how about 1:1 studio output?

While you can call out 11 studios (and more), it's pretty well established that there are 6 major studios in this business.

Warner
Fox
Sony / MGM
Buena Vista (Disney)
Paramount
Universal

The Weinsteins, Dreamworks, Lions Gate, & New Line are pretty far down the mark, once you get past the big six. Again, not a determinant of quality, but more of market clout.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/?view=company&view2=yearly&yr=2006&p=.htm

 

[ManaByte]

Forget 1:1 title quality, how about 1:1 studio output?

While you can call out 11 studios (and more), it's pretty well established that there are 6 major studios in this business.

Warner
Fox
Sony / MGM
Buena Vista (Disney)
Paramount
Universal

The Weinsteins, Dreamworks, Lions Gate, & New Line are pretty far down the mark, once you get past the big six. Again, not a determinant of quality, but more of market clout.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/?view=company&view2=yearly&yr=2006&p=.htm

Not that it matters anything with Blu-Ray, but Fox handles the home video releases for MGM; not Sony.

http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2006/05/31/sony-mgm-fox-cx_po_0531autofacescan01.html

 

[Nerevar]

But they are doing better than what DVD was doing in it's same time in its life, so what's the big deal?

as long as studios continue to offer DVDs of movies at a lower price point, neither format will get past the DVD-Audio / SACD level of penetration.

The fact is DVD took off because it offered a better experience more conveniently at a lower price point than VHS. So far, all BRD or HD-DVD have gotten right is the "better experience" part.

 

[Raistlin]

as long as studios continue to offer DVDs of movies at a lower price point, neither format will get past the DVD-Audio / SACD level of penetration.

I disagree. There are several differences between the DVD-A/SACD situation and the current one.

 

[djkimothy]

as long as studios continue to offer DVDs of movies at a lower price point, neither format will get past the DVD-Audio / SACD level of penetration.

The fact is DVD took off because it offered a better experience more conveniently at a lower price point than VHS. So far, all BRD or HD-DVD have gotten right is the "better experience" part.

IIRC, DVDs were more expensive than VHS at its inception (both media and players). The only reason I switched to DVD was the picture quality and the convenience of the format (no rewinding!). I don't believe price was a major selling point for at this time for DVD.

 

[captive]

Hey i just got Identity for 20 bucks at Frys on BRD.
/stepping away from the sales -> gaf -> sales cycle.

 

[Nerevar]

IIRC, DVDs were more expensive than VHS at its inception (both media and players). The only reason I switched to DVD was the picture quality and the convenience of the format (no rewinding!). I don't believe price was a major selling point for at this time for DVD.

and DVD wasn't selling at a high rate at this point in it's life - it was selling to high-end enthusiasts who cared about quality. The same people who are buying BRD or HD-DVD now.

DVD took off when prices fell to reasonable levels, not before it. As I said, if studios continue to offer the same movies at a lower price point on DVD then consumers will never fully switch over to HD-DVD or BRD.

 

[djkimothy]

and DVD wasn't selling at a high rate at this point in it's life - it was selling to high-end enthusiasts who cared about quality. The same people who are buying BRD or HD-DVD now.

DVD took off when prices fell to reasonable levels, not before it. As I said, if studios continue to offer the same movies at a lower price point on DVD then consumers will never fully switch over to HD-DVD or BRD.

But the prices are already falling. Toshiba has just announced price cuts, that are in my mind, very aggressive.

Do you really assume that the pricing of HD content is static?

 

[XMonkey]

and DVD wasn't selling at a high rate at this point in it's life - it was selling to high-end enthusiasts who cared about quality. The same people who are buying BRD or HD-DVD now.

DVD took off when prices fell to reasonable levels, not before it. As I said, if studios continue to offer the same movies at a lower price point on DVD then consumers will never fully switch over to HD-DVD or BRD.

There is a floor for how low studios want to sell DVDs at. They like to make money after all. The studios want to transition asap to high-def so they make more money per disc.

Besides, DVDs were priced as high (actually higher IIRC) as their high-def counterparts at this time.

 

[Raistlin]

DVD took off when prices fell to reasonable levels, not before it. As I said, if studios continue to offer the same movies at a lower price point on DVD then consumers will never fully switch over to HD-DVD or BRD.

In general, DVD prices have always been at a premium over the VHS release.

So I would argue it is not necessarily the case that BluRay and HD-DVD must actually equal DVD pricing. Simply that the HD HW and SW must eventually hit a price that the mainstream market can accept.


Also, to comment on 'fully switching' is a bit of a non-issue. DVD did not overtake VHS until fairly recently iirc. So a long-lived co-existance is certainly a valid possibility in the market. Overlap of media platforms has happened throughout history. I don't see why this should be an exception.

 

[mollipen]

Also, to comment on 'fully switching' is a bit of a non-issue. DVD did not overtake VHS until fairly recently iirc. So a long-lived co-existance is certainly a valid possibility in the market. Overlap of media platforms has happened throughout history. I don't see why this should be an exception.

I think the "recent" even was the number of DVD players in households vs. the number of VHS players in households. And, I mean, that has less to do with DVD vs. VHS in recent years, and more to do with the fact that there were a shitload of VCRs out there to begin with. I'm pretty sure DVD sales have been way beyond VHS for many, many years now.

 

[Emowii]

What this means in the end is that both formats are here to stay. Both are far to entrenched to disappear, and most of the movies out there will eventually be on both formats due to studio neutrality. Warner, HBO and Paramount were just the beginning. Soon Dreamworks and New Line will join, and although Universal, Disney, Fox, MGM, and Sony are gonna hold out for quite a while, the rising number of installed base will probably force them to go neutral a few years from now. Weinstein Co. and Lion's Gate, as independents, have little reason to stay neutral as they'll probably want to maximize their profits sooner.

I hope you don't really believe that There is a lot of speculation that retailers are gonna push HD-DVD out of the stores before Christmas, as it's simply too far behind to catch up at this point. Retailers are not gonna carry two high def movies formats forever, and devote that kind of floorspace to both. They're gonna pick one, and right now all signs point towards that one format being Blu-ray.

 

[Raistlin]

I'm pretty sure DVD sales have been way beyond VHS for many, many years now.

I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised ... and wrong

 

[Emowii]

Can some people give me some great site links that review blu-ray and HD-DVD movies?


So far i've only found dvdtalk.com, and dvdfile, but neither reviews every movie released. They are both good when they review one though.


Any better sites out there?

 

[rage1973]

Just saw this article on Ars Technica that HD DVD has taken an early lead in Europe. This is not surprising since PS3's delayed launch there. What caught me by surprise was this quote from French replication company Qol CEO Laurent Villaume

"An HD DVD replication line costs about €800,000 and you can make 40,000 discs a day on it. A Blu-Ray replication line costs €1.7m or €1.8m and you can make 10,000 to 15,000 discs a day."

I have a feeling that this cost along with cheaper players from China coming out soon might turn the tide on the HD war at least to balance things out more.

 

[ManaByte]

IIRC, DVDs were more expensive than VHS at its inception (both media and players). The only reason I switched to DVD was the picture quality and the convenience of the format (no rewinding!). I don't believe price was a major selling point for at this time for DVD.

Um no.

People forget that on VHS not EVERY movie released was priced at sell through. If you wanted to buy a movie that was only priced for rental, you'd have to pay $80-$120 for the VHS copy. A $25-$30 DVD of a movie that was only out for rent on VHS was much more attractive to people.

And I got my first DVD player in 1997 when they were released in the US.

 

[ChrisJames]

Can some people give me some great site links that review blu-ray and HD-DVD movies?


So far i've only found dvdtalk.com, and dvdfile, but neither reviews every movie released. They are both good when they review one though.


Any better sites out there?

Highdefdigest.com

Can't believe you don't know about that site, seeing how it's been linked to numerous times in this thread.

 

[Tabris]

As soon as more players get out there into the market, Blu-Ray will start getting closer to DVD price. As soon as it's the same price, it will absolutely explode as no one in their right mind would see Blu-Ray and DVD and pick DVD at same price.

They are just screwing the early adopters like any format. As soon as players hits something like 10 million WW, which is going to be this year w/ PS3, you'll start seeing cheaper prices and more sales.

There's just not a big enough userbase to sell at DVD price.

 

[mollipen]

I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised ... and wrong

Who in the last couple of years has even carried VHS for sale in any kind of serious quantity? I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just honestly shocked if it's true that VHS still won out over DVD for that long.

 

[Captain N]

Anyone else feel that April seems like a some what dry month...in both games & movies. I don't mind it all that much as it helps me catch up in all of the movies/games I've wanted, but didn't get yet.

I really wish the Elite would've had an HD DvD drive built in so I didn't have to buy it on its own. I'm not really sure any more is calling out to make me buy an HD DvD drive since I've got the PS3 with Blu Ray. If Turtles is only HD I'll probably go ahead and pick it up with turtles.

 

[JB1981]

Anyone else feel that April seems like a some what dry month...in both games & movies. I don't mind it all that much as it helps me catch up in all of the movies/games I've wanted, but didn't get yet.

I really wish the Elite would've had an HD DvD drive built in so I didn't have to buy it on its own. I'm not really sure any more is calling out to make me buy an HD DvD drive since I've got the PS3 with Blu Ray. If Turtles is only HD I'll probably go ahead and pick it up with turtles.

it's a really dry month. my ps3 basically just folds proteins these days. pretty sad.

 

[davepoobond]

DVD had JUST overtaken VHS in terms of sales in the past 5 years or so. DVD has been out for 10.

 

[distantmantra]

Anyone else feel that April seems like a some what dry month...in both games & movies. I don't mind it all that much as it helps me catch up in all of the movies/games I've wanted, but didn't get yet.

I don't think it's that "dry" of a month for films. Volver and A Scanner Darkly both came out on Blu Ray, which made me very happy.

 

[VanMardigan]

Anyone else feel that April seems like a some what dry month...in both games & movies. I don't mind it all that much as it helps me catch up in all of the movies/games I've wanted, but didn't get yet.

I really wish the Elite would've had an HD DvD drive built in so I didn't have to buy it on its own. I'm not really sure any more is calling out to make me buy an HD DvD drive since I've got the PS3 with Blu Ray. If Turtles is only HD I'll probably go ahead and pick it up with turtles.

I think it's decent movie wise:
HD DVD
* Dog Day Afternoon (Warner)
* Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut (Paramount)
* A Scanner Darkly (Warner)

April 17, 2007

* Feast (Weinstein)
* The Game (Universal)
* The Jerk (Universal)
* School for Scoundrels (Genius)
* Smokin' Aces (Universal)

April 24, 2007

* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Universal)
* Failure to Launch (Paramount)
* The Nutty Professor (1996) (Universal)
* Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (BBC)


Blu-Ray
April 09, 2007

* Dragon's Lair (Digital Leisure)

April 10, 2007

* Dog Day Afternoon (Warner)
* Payback: Straight Up - The Director's Cut (Paramount)
* A Scanner Darkly (Warner)

April 17, 2007

* The Dirty Dozen (Warner)
* Enter the Dragon (Warner)

April 24, 2007

* Deja Vu (Buena Vista)
* Failure to Launch (Paramount)
* Night at the Museum (Fox)
* Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (BBC)
* The Queen (Buena Vista)
* Secret Window (Sony)
* Ultimate Avengers Collection (Lionsgate)

 

[djkimothy]

Planet Earth for me please. Warner better not screw up the Blu-Ray version.

Although I'm interested in seeing Queen and Deja Vu, I don't want to actually buy them.

 

[JB1981]

Planet Earth for me please. Warner better not screw up the Blu-Ray version.

Although I'm interested in seeing Queen and Deja Vu, I don't want to actually buy them.

So awesome. Just yesterday I was wondering if this series was coming to blu-ray! Everyone in my family was talking about it during easter sunday dinner

 

[Raistlin]

Who in the last couple of years has even carried VHS for sale in any kind of serious quantity? I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just honestly shocked if it's true that VHS still won out over DVD for that long.

I'd have to look up info to get numbers, however ... I was mainly replying to how you worded your statement. I guess I need to know the context of what you meant be 'many, many years', and 'way beyond'.

From what I recall, many Walmarts have had a decent selection of new releases and greatest hits on VHS up until only a few years ago (some still have them). While they've carried a greater selection of DVD recently, I'm simply saying it is less time than what many would constitute 'many, many years'.

IIRC, Walmart is actually the single largest seller of DVD at this point, and I'm sure must have been the same (or close) for VHS. That is why studios consider it a priority to get all of their big-budget and highly advertised releases onto Walmart's limited shelf-space.

Then there's the 'way beyond' thing. During the transition period that occured up until only a few years back, VHS was still available and selling at places like Walmart. While obviously at some point the tables shifted to DVD's favor (somewhere aroudn 5 years ago maybe?), I highly doubt it was some sort of exponential decline for tape. So even when DVD sales overtook VHS, I'm quite sure VHS sales continued to be respectable for a while.


Put simply, I do not believe DVD sales were 'way beyond' VHS sales 'many, many years' ago. Bottem feeders (ie Walmart shoppers ) prevented that from happening until a bit more recently than conventional wisdom would imply.

 

[djkimothy]

So awesome. Just yesterday I was wondering if this series was coming to blu-ray! Everyone in my family was talking about it during easter sunday dinner

Same here. A friend of mine was going to get it on DVD. But when he heard that I was getting it on Blu-Ray he said he'd hold that off just to see it in high definition. I'm turning my friends into snobs... 1080i high definition snobs...

 

[mrklaw]

Just saw this article on Ars Technica that HD DVD has taken an early lead in Europe. This is not surprising since PS3's delayed launch there. What caught me by surprise was this quote from French replication company Qol CEO Laurent Villaume

"An HD DVD replication line costs about €800,000 and you can make 40,000 discs a day on it. A Blu-Ray replication line costs €1.7m or €1.8m and you can make 10,000 to 15,000 discs a day."

I have a feeling that this cost along with cheaper players from China coming out soon might turn the tide on the HD war at least to balance things out more.

Sony DADC in Austria and other replication plants will handle bluray for a while, subsidising costs so that costs to the studio will be roughly on par with HDDVD. Agreed its not super attractive to 3rd party replicators just yet until volumes build up and costs come down.

But ultimately, replicators will do what studios want and reflect demand in the market. So if HDDVD tanks, that 'cheap' replication line suddenly looks a lot more expensive.