68sting said:
I'm surprised to hear a lot of people here are going to wait on the HD dvd players. I would assume that most people here would not think twice about spending $500 on cables (or many other mods)for there system with minimal effects. The difference between HD and standard dvd on my 115" front projector is huge, probably one of the biggest upgrades to my HT per dollar I can think of. If I can pick up a hd player for $500, and if it peters out for one reason or another in a couple of years, I could probably live with that. I do agree blue ray is a better format but if their players are double I might go with the hd-dvd because of the uncertainty involved. In the end it will be the number of movies available. If I can go to blockbuster and pick up all the new releases in one format or another, that will be the determaning factor. I'm ready to get beat up on this one.
People would be more restive to it if there were only one format to choose from. Unfortunately the thought of buying a player and software and having it go obsolete a year later will keep most people away. It looks like a lot of people are chousing HD-DVD because of the price tag, but it is still too early to tell and this does not guarantee it will succeed. Personally I think the fact the Playstation 3 will support Blu-Ray is reason enough for me to stick with Blu-Ray, because I fell even if HD-DVD wins the PS3 will still have enough pull to keep the movies flowing and my collection growing. IF HD-DVD looses that it, its dead, make the switch to Blu-Ray because there is no reason for the industry to keep supporting HD-DVD.
I see Blu-Ray as a win, win format and HD-DVD as a pass for fail.
Here is a list of industry support for the two formats.
Blu-Ray
Studio Support
1. Sony (Columbia, Tristar, MGM, Sony Pictures Classics)
2. 20th Century Fox
3. Paramount (DreamWorks SKG.)
4. Disney
5. Warner Brothers (WB, New Line)
6. Lion's Gate
7. Eagle Rock Entertainment
8. TBS/Angel Seekers
9. Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc.
10. Bandai Visual CO. LTD.
11. Digital Playground (adult movies)
Studios Withholding Support
1. Universal (Universal, DreamWorks SKG)
Consumer Electronics Manufacturers
1. Sony
2. Sharp
3. Phillips
4. Pioneer
5. Samsung
6. Hitachi
7. Panasonic
8. LG
9. Mitsubishi
10. JVC
11. RCA
12. Yamaha
13. Sanyo
Computer Companies
1. Sony
2. Dell
3. Apple
4. HP? <-Still Listed on Blu-Ray website, correct me if I'm wrong.
Game Consoles
Sony Playstation 3 - Native Support
HD-DVD
Studio Support
1. Paramount
2. Warner Brothers (WB, New Line)
3. Universal (Universal, DreamWorks SKG)
4. Studio Canal
5. The Weinstein Co.
Studios Withholding Support
1. Sony (Columbia, Tristar, MGM, Sony Pictures Classics)
2. Disney
3. 20th Century Fox
4. Lion's Gate
Consumer Electronics Manufacturers
1. Toshiba
2. RCA
3. LG
4. Sanyo
Computer Companies
1. Toshiba
2. HP
3. Microsoft
4. Intel
Game Consoles
x-Box 360 - Not Native, Add On or 2nd Generation