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View Full Version : HD DVD vs Blu-ray- Fight!


Chris Gohlke
11-27-2007, 12:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2007/11/which_is_more_consumer_friendly_hd_dvd_or_blu-ray.php' target='_blank'>http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2007/11/which_is_more_consumer_friendly_hd_dvd_or_blu-ray.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"No, this is not the standard HD DVD vs. Blu-ray article that you may be used to reading. I am not declaring a "winner" because I think we are at a point now where neither camp is going away. Instead, this article explains which format I believe is the better choice for the consumer (you) this holiday season. Could that change a year from now? Sure, but I want to help you decide what to buy this year. This article is not written in an attempt to convince anyone who has already made an investment one way or the other, for that is an almost impossible feat. It was written for those that are still "on the fence", as they say. It is for those who are either undecided, or are waiting to see which one will come out ahead (or which will be first to waive the white flag). It's time to hop down off of that fence."</i><br /><br />Actually this is one of the better comparisons of HD DVD vs Blu-Ray I have seen, high on facts and low on emotional arm waving. Of course it ends up siding with my choice (HD DVD), so I might be a little biased.

Dyvim
11-27-2007, 02:48 PM
I finally jumped off the fence myself and went HD-DVD. I couldn't resist the deals at Amazon any longer (I know I could have found a better deal around $100 at Walmart or Best Buy if I went in person and tried to snag a special deal but I couldn't be bothered). Comes with 7 free HD-DVDs (I missed the promo that would have given me 10, oh well). Too bad the 5 free disks let you pick from a pool of only 15 in 5 groups of 3 and seem to include (IMO) questionable titles. Some of the groups have nothing I really want. Oh well, free is free. Mostly I plan on renting HD-DVD disks from NetFlix (my standard DVD library consists of a whopping 3 titles).

Even if Blu-Ray eventually wins or comes to dominate, I'll just pick up a Blu-Ray player at that point in the future (when one would hope they'd be cheaper). Since I'm not much of a disk buyer, my only investment is in the hardware. In the mean time for $172 (and a 30-day price match in case Amazon goes lower) I have a great upscaling DVD player that can play hi-def rental content. If I waited for a final winner (if there ever is one, which there may not be) I'd just spend another year or two or more watching standard DVD content on my HDTV.

Chris Gohlke
11-27-2007, 03:02 PM
I'm the same way. The only HD DVD I actually own is King Kong that came in the box. I'm still waiting for my 5 free HD DVD's. I'm renting a bunch through Blockbuster, but probably won't purchase too many until the dust settles.

Felix Torres
11-27-2007, 03:19 PM
The one thing that jumped out at me was the implications of DRM being a mandatory, non-optional part of the BD-spec. Namely if I shoot a video in HD and encode it as as a faux-BD on a red-laser DVD, which most modern home video editing software lets you do, the DRM gets automatically attached to it and I can't opt out. So I can't just burn one disk and then use a copy program to replicate it or give out copies to the relatives for viral distribution.
Mandatory DRM even when you don't need or want it?
Definitely not a good idea.

Felix Torres
11-28-2007, 08:49 PM
Black Friday numbers are in: HD-DVD camp is crowing about 750K dedicated HD-DVD players.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/retail/20071127/AQTU12227112007-1.html

mssturgeon
11-28-2007, 09:32 PM
Thank you for posting a link to the article, and I'm happy to see it was of some value.

Cheers,

- Shane Sturgeon