Taking Sides - HD-DVD or Blu-Ray?

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right now as I understand it the major bottleneck is at the endpoints, e.g. your computer and their computer. download speeds can be increased many times from current levels as better transport- and data link-layer protocols are devised.

TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

msft's entire IP-video system actually streams OVER port 80, HTTP. It's a bit insane but for the end-consumer it actually makes decent sense. problem: MSFT sucks at content.

TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:12 (6 years ago) Permalink

I look forward to seeing these formats die.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:14 (6 years ago) Permalink

In high resolution, no doubt.

Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:35 (6 years ago) Permalink

every shard of crimson death will dance to Ned's tune, and you'll see it all.

Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:37 (6 years ago) Permalink

Popup menus while the film is running are about the only thing I've seen on HD-DVD which made me think, "Oh, handy." Apparently there's the potential (perhaps only with Blu-ray - I haven't really been paying attention) to add after-market content to the disc over a Web connection (or perhaps just access it remotely while the disc is in the player). In reality, I expect this just means the studio revising the unskippable trailers every few months, but, y'know, you might get an extra interview with V1n D13s3l on there or something.

I think it's all balls and I'm so glad my long-term job security has been gambled on this.

Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 21 July 2006 14:56 (6 years ago) Permalink

I agree that these probably won't catch on to a wider audience. People have so much invested in DVDs that they aren't going to go replace entire collections with HD DVDs.

I'm currently using an upconvert DVD player with an HDTV and the picture quality is amazing and the DVD player and DVDs are dirt cheap. I can't imagine that an HD DVD or blu-ray is going to add that much more to my viewing experience and it's going to cost a lot more.

Matt Olken (Moodles), Friday, 21 July 2006 16:29 (6 years ago) Permalink

Yeah the ROI for all but engadget/gizmodo RSS subscriber types is just too low. I don't have HDTV myself but I agree with a lot of other people who've said basically that unless you're standing in the store looking at real HD on one TV and a DVD on another, similar TV, you really can't tell, much less care.

TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Friday, 21 July 2006 16:36 (6 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Supposed to be a big announcement next month at the CES by Bill Gates which will finally decide which format will succeed in the long term. Either that HD DVD is dead or more likely that HD DVD drives will be fitted as standard to Xbox 360s.

Billy Dods, Thursday, 20 December 2007 15:57 (5 years ago) Permalink

Tracer plz to summarise that ridiculously long article into handy take-home soundbite.

ledge, Thursday, 20 December 2007 16:02 (5 years ago) Permalink

"In summary, Apple wins again (probably)"

Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 December 2007 16:02 (5 years ago) Permalink

As with audio, punters don't give a crap about quality and would rather watch harry potter on youtube than on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.

More or less

Ed, Thursday, 20 December 2007 16:03 (5 years ago) Permalink

* sub-SD mobile video has taken off in a huge way; HD is useless on a phone
* DVDs upscaled on HD television sets look fantastic already

Tracer Hand, Thursday, 20 December 2007 16:15 (5 years ago) Permalink

thx!

ledge, Thursday, 20 December 2007 16:19 (5 years ago) Permalink

by the way, when i was in new york earlier this year i watched Letterman on a friend's girlfriend's gigantic HD television, and yyyeeeeeuccchhhh

Tracer Hand, Thursday, 20 December 2007 22:24 (5 years ago) Permalink

* DVDs upscaled on HD television sets look fantastic already

this is more OTM than I ever imagined. The final nail for me was when I saw Assassin's Creed played on a 60" giganto-plasma that was capable of 1080p - I was all "holy shit this is amazing, is this full 1080p?" and dude is like "no this is actually just upscaled from the component signal"

El Tomboto, Thursday, 20 December 2007 22:31 (5 years ago) Permalink

There's one particular HD title I worked on recently - it has sold 37 copies worldwide. 37. I can think of a couple of others which can't have even reached that figure.

Michael Jones, Thursday, 20 December 2007 22:31 (5 years ago) Permalink

What does Tay Zonday look like in HD

El Tomboto, Thursday, 20 December 2007 22:33 (5 years ago) Permalink

El Tomboto - that Assassin's Creed still would have been 720p being upscaled - which is fair a lot different than upscaling a progressive scan dvd, I'd imagine. You're just start with a much higher res image which can have a lot more detail, etc...

Anyhow, a good 1080p transfer is going to have a lot more detail and a lot cleaner look on a good 1080p HDTV, than a 480p dvd being upscaled to 1080p. But I would agree that the average consumer couldn't give a shit (or at least not enough to drop a couple of thousand and to bother setting up all that stuff to work right).

Jeff LeVine, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:01 (5 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, the comments in the article comparing HD disc formats to SACD and DVD-Audio seem OTM to me in that regard

El Tomboto, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:03 (5 years ago) Permalink

Sorry, I can't type in English today :(

Jeff LeVine, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:04 (5 years ago) Permalink

The one thing I've seen in HD that was really wow - 1080i NFL broadcasts on a big plasma

El Tomboto, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:05 (5 years ago) Permalink

this thread does remind me I need to e-mail my landlady and ask when they're getting the roof dish upgraded

El Tomboto, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:05 (5 years ago) Permalink

the truth is HD DOES look a lot better but upscaled DVDs still look GREAT so ya.

s1ocki, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:11 (5 years ago) Permalink

it also depends on the dvd and how it's encoded too. ppl forget about that whole thing.

s1ocki, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:12 (5 years ago) Permalink

Since getting HD a couple years back it's really the only thing I watch. If there's a movie I really want to see it's only theater or HD for me - anything else is kind of unacceptable. I don't think I'm the average consumer, but it's a big deal for me - I'm actually less precious about music and whether it's on a serious hi-fi etc.

Spencer Chow, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:23 (5 years ago) Permalink

...though I care about music more.

Spencer Chow, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:23 (5 years ago) Permalink

I am considering a PS3 for Gran Turismo and Blu-Ray, but I'm still not sure. I figure $$$ upfront for the first kind of player and something $ later if blu-ray loses.

Spencer Chow, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:24 (5 years ago) Permalink

Another problem with HD-DVD & Blu-Ray is that there still aren't really many very good movies out on either format. And of course, in most cases, what is on there is a lot more expensive than the standard DVD versions. Lots of people didn't switch from VHS to DVD until the prices on DVDs got more than competitive too. For instance, the 28 Days Later DVD is $9.99 US on Amazon right now, while the Blu-Ray disc is $27.95 - and this is a movie that supposedly looks no different in either format. Why would somebody in their right mind buy the blu-ray disc even if they had a player?

Jeff LeVine, Thursday, 20 December 2007 23:26 (5 years ago) Permalink

Would somebody in their right mind buy that movie in the first place...?

Tracer Hand, Friday, 21 December 2007 00:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

would somebody in their right mind buy a movie?

s1ocki, Friday, 21 December 2007 00:31 (5 years ago) Permalink

no way, movies are expensive! they cost tens of millions of dollars!

Tracer Hand, Friday, 21 December 2007 00:57 (5 years ago) Permalink

The de laurentiis family bought Dune as a gift for all of us

El Tomboto, Friday, 21 December 2007 01:00 (5 years ago) Permalink

They're both basically doomed, unless Warner takes a side soon, and then the other side would be immediately dead.

Eric H., Friday, 21 December 2007 01:53 (5 years ago) Permalink

I don't care about Warner. I do care about Criterion. I just want them to start putting out HD movies - damn it. I don't care which format - I will buy either player I need at that point, which will hopefully come soon (but I doubt it).

Jeff LeVine, Friday, 21 December 2007 03:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

Warner chooses Blu-Ray. HD-DVD is pretty much dead.

Eric H., Saturday, 5 January 2008 00:11 (5 years ago) Permalink

ya that's somethin.

s1ocki, Saturday, 5 January 2008 00:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

And Toshiba cancelled (or at least postpones) their CES press conference? God, this is really bad for HD-DVD. I really wish I hadn't stupidly bought a player a couple months ago when they were doing their warehouse-is-on-fire sales. At least I've only bought a couple discs beyond the freebies.

Eric H., Saturday, 5 January 2008 09:11 (5 years ago) Permalink

if you got one for cheap you will probably be able to scoop up tons of good movies when the format dies. i mean, even if you didn't get one for cheap. the point is, you'll probably get your money's worth.

s1ocki, Saturday, 5 January 2008 19:43 (5 years ago) Permalink

and some studios are still HD-DVD only, so it's not going to be obsolete for a while

milo z, Saturday, 5 January 2008 19:53 (5 years ago) Permalink

Suppose HD-DVD dies. And a Blu-ray costs just as much as the DVD equivalent. Will there still be a reason for consumers to go Blu-ray?

Unless computers start making all their built-in optical disc drives Blu-ray *and* DVD compatible, and/or offer cheap portable Blu-ray readers/burners, Blu-ray is going to have to eat money for a long time.

...

I mean I still see many kids on buses use CD walkmans. It's not as if iPods have really "won" yet either, ya know?

Mackro Mackro, Saturday, 5 January 2008 22:38 (5 years ago) Permalink

^^^Wut

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Saturday, 5 January 2008 22:51 (5 years ago) Permalink

they're saying apple might start putting blu-ray in macs as early as this season.

s1ocki, Saturday, 5 January 2008 22:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

Suppose HD-DVD dies. And a Blu-ray costs just as much as the DVD equivalent. Will there still be a reason for consumers to go Blu-ray?

Blu-Ray is HD. Regular DVDs are not.

milo z, Saturday, 5 January 2008 23:04 (5 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, I was thinking of pawning off my HD-DVD player, but that was just crazy talk off the initial shock of the announcement. I'd only do it if I was a gamer and wanted a PS3 anyway, which I sort of don't.

Eric H., Sunday, 6 January 2008 00:40 (5 years ago) Permalink

i'm glad we could talk you down.

s1ocki, Sunday, 6 January 2008 00:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

Haha

Eric H., Sunday, 6 January 2008 01:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

I do have to say this will probably curb any future HD-DVD buying for now.

Eric H., Sunday, 6 January 2008 01:07 (5 years ago) Permalink

lol @ warner brothers rescuing the playstation 3

El Tomboto, Sunday, 6 January 2008 01:18 (5 years ago) Permalink

lol i rly don't know. i finally just watched "Cruel Intentions"

surm, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 16:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

Got a blu-ray player this week along with "The Searchers" and "2001". They're both stunning. Crazy.

Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 3 February 2012 00:58 (1 year ago) Permalink

Good stuff :) I remember the first time I watched 2001 on blu I was blown away. If you can stand to double-dip on one film, then the Kubrick blu-ray box set is a real treat and thoroughly recommended.

that mustardless plate (Bill A), Friday, 3 February 2012 08:53 (1 year ago) Permalink

So how long does Blu-ray have left to 'happen' before the next format wars comes along?

Andrew Farrell, Friday, 3 February 2012 10:12 (1 year ago) Permalink

Bluray almost certainly the last optical media. Ultra HD is being trialled though it will most likely be as a streaming service which will need superfast broadband which will probably take 3-8 years to deliver.

fun loving and xtremely tolrant (Billy Dods), Friday, 3 February 2012 11:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

HD-DVD ftw.

Chewshabadoo, Friday, 3 February 2012 12:01 (1 year ago) Permalink

we're still not even close to streaming Blu-Ray quality, are we? when you stream "HD" from Netflix or whatever, i assume you're not transferring anywhere near the ~40 gigs of a typical BD.

xpost

circa1916, Friday, 3 February 2012 12:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

Yeah, still a way off. tbf, HD video compression has come on a long way since the BR standards were set, but the thing that HD streaming cannot manage (currently at least) is uncompressed audio. Even my (UK) cable tv providers HD channels are still "only" Dolby Digital audio. I got a new AV receiver a while back which can handle DTS-HD Master Audio etc and this brings almost as much joy as HD video for me.

that mustardless plate (Bill A), Friday, 3 February 2012 13:00 (1 year ago) Permalink

pixar films in blu ray are something to behold

akm, Friday, 3 February 2012 15:38 (1 year ago) Permalink

^^^

Showing my wife Finding Nemo on Blu-Ray was how I convinced her we needed the PS3.

Gonjasufjanstephen O'Malley (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 3 February 2012 15:39 (1 year ago) Permalink

I just read that on the Bluray of The Apartment you can see the face powder and eyeliner on Jack Lemmon and Fred MacMurray. Exceeding the technological limits of the ers in which the work was produced has its drawbacks.

(ie, I don't want a Bluray player)

Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Friday, 3 February 2012 15:56 (1 year ago) Permalink

Back in the day you'd never have seen that detail on the big screen, what with all the cigarette smoke in the theatre, everyone blurry eyed through being stoked up on whisky and gin since breakfast.

●-● (ledge), Friday, 3 February 2012 16:03 (1 year ago) Permalink

Misread this as "Showing my wife Finding Nemo on Blu-Ray was how I conceived her" etc etc

‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper (Eazy), Friday, 3 February 2012 16:05 (1 year ago) Permalink

I think the (kinda jarring at first) details one picks up on like makeup, wrinkles, obviousness of studio sets vs. location shots in a sequence, etc. become less distracting the more you watch. Also, if the film is just plain engaging these things do fade into the b-ground. Some of my SD DVD's upres'd thru my new blu setup look great as well, esp. Criterion stuff (later Melville, b+w Renoir).

Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 3 February 2012 16:31 (1 year ago) Permalink

However all the stuff I burned from 700 mb avi's originating off some c. 1983 vHS - many of my favorite films like hard to find Rivette/Tourneur/etc. - looks like blobby shit.

Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 3 February 2012 16:34 (1 year ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

anyone seen any good Blu Rays lately?

piscesx, Wednesday, 2 May 2012 20:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

Do you mean films that are good in themselves, or stuff that shows off the blu medium as well? If the latter then Hugo looks fabulous, as do Melancholia and the Tron set with old and new; Tron Legacy in particular is stunning. Don't know if you're multi-region equipped for blu, but the Criterion BBS Story boxset is *fantastic* and seeing stuff like Head and Easy Rider in glorious grain-heavy HD, with uncompressed audio is a total treat too.

that mustardless plate (Bill A), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 20:32 (1 year ago) Permalink

Peeping Tom looks amazing on Blu-ray. Along with Alien, that's the one that has really stood out for me.

DavidM, Thursday, 3 May 2012 18:43 (1 year ago) Permalink

Road Warrior bluray is pretty a+

Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 3 May 2012 18:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

The Star Trek reboot looks amazing on blu-ray.

Spencer Chow, Thursday, 3 May 2012 18:51 (1 year ago) Permalink

otm

Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 3 May 2012 18:56 (1 year ago) Permalink

Yeah, Alien is one I saw recently that was most O_O. Beautiful.

circa1916, Thursday, 3 May 2012 18:58 (1 year ago) Permalink

Some recent purchases that look great: "Mysteries Of Lisbon", "Ronin", "Kuroneko", "Seven Samurai", "Excalibur".

Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 4 May 2012 03:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

There is a simply AMAZING slapfight going on at Jeff Wells's "Hollywood Elsewhere" over the upcoming Criterion Rosemary's Baby blu-ray disc and the proper aspect ratio for the film: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/07/criterion_cleav.php (It's being mostly propagated by Glenn Kenny.)

(Note: Wells has not called anyone "fat" yet, but "fascist" has been busted out nearly a dozen times.)

Marco YOLO (Phil D.), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 14:25 (10 months ago) Permalink

Yeah that whole thing is v entertaining!

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:02 (10 months ago) Permalink

I'm purple-faced with rage. I've got stomach acid. I'm spitting saliva on the rug.

lol jesus

heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:10 (10 months ago) Permalink

Who cares? It's not 48 fps so it'll suck.

StanM, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:15 (10 months ago) Permalink

I liked when Wells got in a tizzy over the Anatomy of A Murder edition and how someone at Criterion dug up a photo taken from the audience perspective at the film's original premiere that proved they were using the correct A.R. and uploaded it to Facebook.

Don't Feel Like Santana, But Oye Como Va To Them (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:56 (10 months ago) Permalink

Oddly enough, the actual ratio was 1:1

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 18 July 2012 02:22 (10 months ago) Permalink

all the reality shows out there and THIS isn't televised

priorities

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 18 July 2012 02:31 (10 months ago) Permalink

haha, was Wells called a fascist by Polanski?

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2012/07/letter_to_polan.php

Pangborn to be Wilde (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 19 July 2012 01:40 (10 months ago) Permalink


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