Is Blu-ray Preparing a Death Blow for HD-DVD?
Thu Jul 5, 2007 10:31PM EDT
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Numerous stories have been written of late noting the apparent success of Blu-ray and, by extension, the imminent demise of HD-DVD. We all know about the big Blockbuster news, but what else is going on behind the scenes?
Well, Digi Times says that Blu-ray is about to severely stack the deck by giving away five free Blu-ray movies to anyone who buys a new Blu-ray player or a PlayStation 3 console. While that means there'll be a whole lot more copies of Stir of Echoes and Invincible on the market (full list of titles at CrunchGear), it also means the Blu-ray camp will get a huge boost when it comes to counting market share by title, as everyone who buys one player will increase the number of those titles owned five-fold, a key market metric.
Such stunts are nothing new. I remember my first DVD player came with five DVDs in those awesome cardboard cases. Gems like U.S. Marshals, Sphere, and Lost in Space remained in my collection until I wised up and tossed them out. HD-DVD ran a similar promotion in the past, as well.
HD-DVD is getting so trampled these days that one commenter has given the technology until September to get its act together or go the way of the dodo.
Sure, you like all that picture-in-picture stuff in Tokyo Drift, but is that enough to keep people interested in a technology with less storage space and waning industry support? Is this indeed the beginning of the end for technology's latest brutal format war? The jury's obviously still out, but signs point to this battle coming to a head, and soon.
Your thoughts are welcomed, as always.
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7 Posted by slap0r on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:26PM EDT Report Abuse
HD DVD is done! 250$ Blu-ray players are coming soon, too! The 5 free dvds really helps offset the cost difference between the players currently. Im a little unhappy that current player owners can't take advantage of the promotion. The Blockbuster announcement will impact the market. i hope they get disks in my store soon cause i am tired of using the online for blu-ray. NetFlix Is EXCELENT for blu-ray, they deliver very fast and have all the titles without wait. Blockbuster Online has twice as many blu-rays than HD-DVD's, netflix has similar numbers. also, All the players burn discs, why wouldnt you want as much space to use as possible? HD-DVD's hold 30gigs less space?! thats ALOT of space! now onto sales numbers, Please check the current stats for blu-ray's preorders vs hd-dvd. i know the HD-DVD fanboys couldnt wait to drop the news that there were more preorders for Planet Earth but now the tables have turned, BD leads with preorders of the upcoming release "300". its also 5$ cheaper for BD. I dont value just amazon's numbers because it only represents such a small amount of total sales but i figured id throw that in there. but you should stage a buy-off so HD-DVD appears to be winning this war, more like a slaughter. - Sony's stragity is very good and well planned out.. this is the first step in winning the ps3 war and they are well on their way to winning the first battle. But this is about more than just the PS3, its the future of home entertainment. Now all they need to do is make some huge announcements at the E3 expo on july 11th. Possibly a rumored 100$ price drop on the PS3? Cheaper players are already in the works. get your popcorn ready.
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8 Posted by petricwi on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:08PM EDT Report Abuse
I think there are a couple important things to remember when talking about the different technologies. First is storage and no matter what anybody says more storage is going to mean that more can be done. In the future that is going to be important. Also I am sorry to comment on Xbox but the HD drive is not currently to my knowledge supporting either DVI or HDMI output which is neccessary to fully enjoy HD on a 1080p tv. I currently use a PS3 on a 42 1080p lcd and it is amazing. I have the full HDMI connection and the ability of the machine as well as the discs make it incredible. Also another selling point which I haven't heard much about is the coating used on the discs. The Blue Ray discs have a stronger and more finger print resistant coating than even cds making them a better buy than other discs out there. HD dvd is simply higher capacity, blue ray is changing the previous technology something that will continue to set itself apart and as price dips down it would be better to go that route rather than sticking with older technology which is hd dvd.
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9 Posted by tommy11b on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:15PM EDT Report Abuse
Peronally as someone who own's both a HD DVD and a Blu-ray play for over a year now; I definitely think the HD DVD player provides the higher quality and better product to us consumers. I am happy to see all the extra features, superior quality and web interativity that is on HD DVD.
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10 Posted by whiteb001 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:44PM EDT Report Abuse
I got my HDDVD player because the price was right and Netflix had the movies. I am not going to spend $800 for a first generation clunky looking Blue Ray player. I don't know anyone who has. How many players has Blue Ray sold, independent of the game machines?
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11 Posted by gimmefuel84 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:09PM EDT Report Abuse
What about DVD players that can play both formats? Samsung announced yesterday they will release a dual player, and LG did the same earlier this year. The fact that both formats are on DVD is the most glaring difference I see when compared to VHS/Betamax.
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12 Posted by brighamg5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:13PM EDT Report Abuse
Interesting. It sounds like Sony is trying to not lose another format war, i.e. VHS vs. Betamax. Good luck. If history has a tendency of repeating itself, Sony Blu-Ray doesn't have a very bright future.
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13 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse
Actually the format that is going to win hands down is the HD VMD format. The BlueRay / HD war in the US will only last until people realize that the new high capacity drives for computers are all HD VMD drives, and the players only cost about $150 for their entertainment system, and its available today.
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14 Posted by derekforeals13 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:41PM EDT Report Abuse
hey g5sim "HD DVD titles has way more features at 30GB then BD. just Compare 300 on HD DVD and BD, and blood diamond." That's really funny... how about let's compare the interactivity features of Pirates 2 with liars dice which actually has AI features built into the java script with characters that fully interact with your responses. And let's not forget Pirates 1 which let's the user build their own pirate documentary that coincides with the film that you create and watch at the end of the film (much like the 300 special features - you pick and choose scenes and you can watch your finished version) Oh Wait... you can't because pirates is only on blu-ray and people have been enjoying these so called "HD-dvd only" interactive features before hd-dvd. Where's your proof? i'll give you mine, go to amazon and read about the special features on pirates 1 and 2 on blu-ray and then go to dvdtalk.com and read the reviews of the best rated HD movies released so far; Pirates 1 and 2, and that's a general consensus. Read any review for those movies and they all agree that it has been the best transfered film to hi-def to date. There is a reason why some claim exclusive to blu-ray and if you did your homework you might realize all your points are mute. Also... Toshiba had the exact same sales promo, however if you also did a tiny bit of research you would've seen that their sales forcast was cut dramatically due to poor sales of hd-dvd players despite the free movies and the despite the $100 off each player. Just incase you didn't read many of the articles written i'll enlighten you... Sales Forecast was slashed by 44% - Reuters - June 12th 2007. Now listen children, you see what I just did? I stated facts. I gave a point of view with some information and where you can find that information. Now let's see what happens when the spiderman trilogy hits the market and the ps3 gets a price cut.
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15 Posted by rogermiami31 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:48PM EDT Report Abuse
In response to g5sim's comment regarding "in the gaming world is XBOX 360 games on DVD beat the crap of PS3 games on BD25 .. so go figure. its mind blowing that some claim exclusive support for BD with the aim of ending this format war" I have the following to say. You must really love your XBox 360. The fact of the matter is that the technology your parading is good but will not hold up to the future that the PS3 has. Games for the PS3 at the moment are lacking in quality due to the lack of 3rd party software support. Many companies are having difficulty designing software for the cell but like all new technologies, there is a learning curve involved. The Blu ray technology is beginning to show promise, have you heard of Stranglehold (game for PS3 that will come with a HD movie included). I'd like to see HDDVD do this. Enjoy living in your fantasy world, I'll wake you up when its over.
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16 Posted by g5sim on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
please do roger ;) . I have a feeling that Sony deliberately preventing good PS3 titles from coming out so that it would force the 5mil PS3 owners to try the BD movies ;) . However, hopefully its will not backfire with Final Fantasy produers announcing the the XBox 360 version :D :D :D . Derek, you have not seen the youtube video on the Pirate games havent you? the greatest shamble from FOX i must say ;) . I know all about the 1.8mil and then 1mil standalone HD DVD player sales figure forecast. ever think that Toshiba might have concrete info that other players will be coming (providing standalone HD DVD players) in therefor affecting Toshiba's sales figure? ;)
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17 Posted by kknight1974 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse
I own both formats and I regret for ever buying HD-DVD. The format is doom, Universal movies sux cuz all their movie's interface look the same, HD-DVD PQ is no longer better then Blu-ray, AVC MPEG-4 is superior then VC-1 codec, I never use the interactive features on HD-DVD so I could care less about them, it's only a matter of time before 20th Century Fox launches a whole load of movies that'll make HD-DVD list look small..
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18 Posted by g5sim on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
^ good for you then. Without the interative features that are now available on HD DVD there is no significance between a standard dvd and a Hidef title therefore no reason for consumers to jump to hidef. all the 1080i or 1080p wont matter on a 720p or less 32/37in LCD TVs that majority consumers have ;) . Interactivity in Hidef showcase the differences with standard dvd and hidef. The the lossless or TrueHD wont matter on general consumers built in LCD speakers ;)
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19 Posted by nyctribe on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:42PM EDT Report Abuse
Fact #1. Blu-ray is the superior technology - just try and prove it is not. You can't. Larger storage capacity and better video imaging technologies. Interative features in Movies are at the whim of the studios that put them out and neither platform is limited in this ability except the limits imposed by storage on the specific platform, and therefore Blu-ray is the superior platform if simply narrowed down to the technology. Fact #2. Regardless of where the Blu-ray players are located in a new generation Media center (PS 3) or a standalone player you cannot argue the rental and sales figures for Blu-ray movies are clearly outselling and outpacing HD-Dvd. Fact 3. HD-Dvd has dramatically less entertainment industry support than Blu-ray. And it is unarguable. So here is the question - why the defence of a product (HD Dvd) that has inferior technology, weak industry support, and lagging sales to the leading technology? I just don't understand it. Blu-ray is winning at this time and is only getting stronger week by week.
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20 Posted by gretchenclingman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse
HD-DVD will die!
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21 Posted by kevin_rm on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50PM EDT Report Abuse
This is not reporting, more like propagating. Free movies is not behind the scenes. It's called following HD DVD's previous promotion. HD DVD getting trampled, they were the first format to have two titles in the Top Ten DVD Sellers on Amazon. Blockbuster made there announcement, and in the following weeks announced the closing of 200+ stores. Being over anytime soon, I wish. A chosen format is far from over. People vote with their dollars, and believe me, there are still a lot of people that have yet to vote. Here is the real clincher that you have achieved Blu Fan Boy status. You overlooked Amazon's deal with HD DVD with their Custom Flix. 1000 Title's. While it isn't another Studio, it is an adoption. Do your research. Blu success cant only be measured in North America. Try looking at the world picture. Things look different with varying degrees of your so called success for a particular format.
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22 Posted by tommy11b on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:15PM EDT Report Abuse
What death blow, its still double the price with half the features and content as HD DVD
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23 Posted by negadelph_native on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:35PM EDT Report Abuse
wow there are alot of HD DVD fanboys here... I don't care about features on movies, I care about studio support... for the people who don't know...this is what the studio support looks like between the 2 formats Blu-ray Paramount Warner Bros. Disney (Buena Vista) Fox Lionsgate MGM Sony Pictures HD DVD Universal Paramount Warner Bros. Weinstein do the math and your homework if you plan on investing in the high-def market and if you think blu-ray is too expensive, see what movies are available for HD DVD to see if it suits what you are looking for... I'm not going to say HD DVD is a bad decision, because not everyone can afford blu-ray...but at least know what you are getting before making a purchase... even look at the top movies that came out this year and the last and see which movies will be exclusive to blu-ray and which ones will be exclusive to HD DVD... example: Spiderman 3, Pirates 3, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Transformers are all Blu-ray exclusive....now, Knocked-up and Evan Almighty are HD DVD exclusive....then you have Shrek 3, the new Harry Potter along with a few others that are coming out on both formats...
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24 Posted by skeletaldrawing on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:25PM EDT Report Abuse
And the death-throws of the whininning HD DVD fans comes out in full force...not a bad article (you can tell it's fairly written when the losing side is crying foul).
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25 Posted by traveler3615 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:19PM EDT Report Abuse
SONY and Toshiba had studied eachother's methods and both have known very well eachother's technological merit and demerit. But their answer was different. It depends on their basic policies. SONY wanted it be as the most cutting edge technology. Toshiba wanted it be as more closer to DVD and friendly to consumers and disc manufactures. It had been once held format unity meeting of both camps but broken off as you know. I say it couldn't be helped, even if it's harmful to consumers though. Storage capacities are meaningless to argue about. Both technologies have large enough room to store 2 hours HD movie with compression. About Blu-ray, I wonder how many people would use effectively rest of capacity. More interactives?, mmmh, I say that's only for some maniacs. And those technologies are going to be perished as the history repeats itself. Actualy NHK (do you know who they are?) has been already starting next gen. HDTV development. It's pixel can't be seen by human eyes, and that'll cause, looks just like photo or looking through the window, I've heard. And most of dinosauor like studios are clinging to more strict Blu-ray's DRM for their old style revenue model. As a matter of fact, the point is which tech has more friendly to consumers. If both methods are substantially same, then more cheeper, more less DRM and more open minded, I mean like no regional lockout or accepting adult contents, has to be the standard. I hope rest of the unpurchased average consumers and tech freeks, including us, will choose HD-DVD with clever decision.
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6 Posted by coltongrundy6 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse
Waning industry support? Samsung has left the BD exclusive group and Onkyo is releasing an HD DVD player as well. First comes the hardware vendors then the software will follow.