Format War Is Over

TheCustomer99 said:

Ughh.... Time for me to find a BluRay player, and to find deals on HD DVD titles.

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With a PS3 only being $400 on the low end, are there any other decent options to consider?

But........
How much do think it cost Blue Ray to get Toshiba to bow out ?
Don't tell me it don't happen.
Blue Ray is the superior format ?.......... guess it is now $$$$$$$$$$.
An old 80's song by Cyndi Lauper says it pretty well "Money Changes Everything".

mynameis said:

With a PS3 only being $400 on the low end, are there any other decent options to consider?

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Under $400? There are a few on Amazon. They might be older models but I saw some from the $280's +.

fred said:

But........
How much do think it cost Blue Ray to get Toshiba to bow out ?
Don't tell me it don't happen.

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How much will it cost Sony to get Toshiba to bow out? Nothing. Toshiba isn't going to keep putting money into a technology that isn't going to be picked up by mainstream media. They'll probably get out of the multi-million dollar contracts with the few studios that are/were on the HD-DVD side.
It's Blu-ray btw.

:Blushing:
Yeah they probably will get out of the contracts, but that'll cost 'em too.
My Bad, "Blu-ray" ...........

But who's to say that Toshiba only spent enough money on the tech. to be a threat, (that's really all it takes to make money in big business) just waiting for it to be bought out and squashed.
The contracts (multi-million dollar though they may have been), could have just added to the illusion. Who's to say Sony didn't satisfy those contracts on Toshiba's behalf for the cause?
Anti-trust ? Monopoly ? .........Perhaps, but it happens everyday.
So-called "competitors" are also so called "in bed" with each other for the benefit of both to drive the market, and the market share.
Not only in Technology, but in every major industry that drives the economy, or crashes it, depending on your view.
It's simple. It's business.
If I have 49% and you have 51%, you make the most money and have the most power and influence (also key words here).
If my return falls below my investment, I'll offer to sell out to you if I don't want to spend more.
It may be three times want you want to spend, but you'll spend it to get 100% of the market. Hoping that will pay off down the road.

This brings up an interesting thought. I was waiting till HD DVD and Blu-ray got done with their fight before purchasing anything for my home theatre. So I have been saving up for a mac mini for my set up instead. Well now it seems you can get any old blu-ray drive on newegg for 140+.

So could I potentially just buy an old Powermac and stick a blu-ray drive in there and be done with it? Or are there specific hardware issues with blu-ray drives needing certain motherboards etc.?

The only thing I think you need to play Blu-Ray content is an HDMI connection to the TV or an HDCP compliant monitor.

Kash said:

The only thing I think you need to play Blu-Ray content is an HDMI connection to the TV or an HDCP compliant monitor.

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You don't even need that. I think the only thing you need is a DTV with a component input.

KeatMP said:

You don't even need that. I think the only thing you need is a DTV with a component input.

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True. The HDMI or DVI route is recommended for higher definition content or upconvert of DVDs from 480 to 720. And, if you use DVI via an adapter cable, you will need a separate connection for sound, preferably via multi channel analog connections.

I saw a Blu-Ray player around the 1st of the year at Best Buy for about $299. I can't remember if it was a Samsung or Sony (leaning towards Sony). Now the question becomes when will players get cheap enough to catch on?

I remember buying a DVD player around 1998 or 1999 and paying like $250 for it on open box. While the early adopters will pay a premium, the masses will not. The difference this time around is also that in addition to needing a HD player, you also need a HDTV. Unlike DVDs, many people will need to upgrade their TV just to get the Blu-Ray players to play the HD content. That's definitely a stumpling block for some.

I suspect when players get to around $150 they will start to catch on.

I bought an HD DVD player and I have about 30 HD DVD movies and do not feel I wasted my money. I enjoy movies, I got the movies I wanted off of ebay for 10 dollars or less per movie. I watch them all the time, they are 1080P and my toshiba HD DVD player upconverts like no other dvd player I have ever seen. I plan on getting Blu-Ray movies and a PS3 next month as well. Oh and the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player to get because it can be upgraded via firmware update to profile 2.0 most of the stand alones cannot.

hondagus87 said:

Oh and the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player to get because it can be upgraded via firmware update to profile 2.0 most of the stand alones cannot.

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Isn't it odd that the best video machine happens to be a gaming console?

That's how it was with my PS2 as well. Best DVD player I ever owned.

However, the PS2 had good games too, so it was more like, 150 for the game system and 150 for the DVD player.

PS3, at least for the moment, is a $400 Blu-Ray player. Time will tell if that's going to change, but the console war is still young. The PS3 could come out of nowhere and destroy the 360 (my personal favorite) or the Wii at any point.

2nd hondagus

Have 2 HD DVD players and a PS3.
There are some great music vid's on HD DVD not available on Blu-Ray. And at very good prices. Most of them at $15 even before all this. (At least not yet. But then, who knows if they will be put out yet again on B-R.)

The HD DVD players are truly, extremely good at upconverting your standard DVD's. If you pick up one of the players at bargain basement prices while waiting for B-R to drop, you will be satisfied (except with the load times, but this is true on them all), even if this is the only thing you use it for.

Yea, I sold my upconverting DVD player when I got my PS3. If I didn't know The Empire Strikes Back was from the 80's, I would have guessed it was a new release.
I watched the latest version Lucas did after he added a few scenes and digitally enhanced it. My gosh, the colors really pop now in that movie and the image is real crisp.
I was dissapointed when I learned The Bourne Ultimatum came out on HD-DVD. I was wary about buying No Country next month because I thought Blu-ray would loose. I'd be nice if the started putting out House and other HD shows on Blu-ray.

I love House great show and would look good on Blu-ray probably. I wish more sports games would come out in HD. I think a Blu-Ray or HD DVD of a teams season highlights would be awesome to have.

Yep, I'll continue to use my HD DVR for shows like House until they become more commonly available on HD media. The HD really makes House's dry humor and wit shine through.

Dimitri said:

The HD really makes House's dry humor and wit shine through.

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Tru dat

Now if I could only get Lost in HD where I live I would be set.


I love my HD DVR I record so much junk though just because I can.