CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

If you hadn't bought into Blu-ray, are you going to?

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

I'll be going dual format, I'm doing this with a HTPC so the cost to add the second format isn't as substantial. However I haven't bought the drive yet and I'm hoping that the price will fall a little further before I'm ready to get it.

Erik

Tinman · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:08 pm Post subject:

It's all about the players. Once the specs are finished, set in stone, and the price drops to around 2 bills... then we'll talk.

The (back then) $199 shipped offer is the ONLY reason I bought into HD-DVD. All about price point.

Same with the combo players. Once everything stabilizes, good time to hop onboard.

Marc

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I agree. Regardless of what the latest "news" is, price is still king in my book. Once the prices get to what they are for what I paid for my HD DVD setup I will hop on. I have said this from the start.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject:

I have one HD-DVD and about 40-50 Blu-ray discs.

Bought an HD-DVD player back in January 2007 but then returned it when I noticed that well, the "war" seemed really up in the air.
Then bought a PS3 in summer when (IMHO) Blu-ray was in the lead.

Given where things are today, I won't be buying HD-DVD discs.

Kal

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

I voted for a hold until pricing drops. I'm concerned that if BD ends up the only game in town pricing may not reach the pricepoint I need to justify a standalone purchase. I've already gotten a PS3 and have the Xbox 360 addon so I have both bases covered but they have their shortcomings.

There's the gamma and dedicated AV processing aspect to think of that only a standalone or instream processor such as our vendors offer here can provide. I don't have, and refuse to allocate, gobs of money chasing technology around when I have so many other things that require attention (money).
I'm fairly tired of being manipulated by this 'war'. I just want it over, the equipment rack populated with what's going to stay there, and watch a stinking movie and relax when I go down to my HT.

This whole thing has gone way beyond rediculous and is now approaching criminal. Perhaps not literally but how many older non tech savvy consumers want to just watch frigging Matlock and now find out their good ole RCA console TV's are going to be trash without a box from cable because the world has gone HD crazy? How many people made what they thought were informed buying decisions over the last couple years and bought plasma, LCD, whatever, displays only to find out they AREN'T fully compliant? Consumers are naively subsidizing this bull**** 'war' with no clue they're propagating it via their purchases. I refuse to buy one more damn thing whether it's BR, HDDVD, a display, an HDMI cable (standard? what standard?) until those with disposable income pay to get it settled for the rest of us. Evil or Very Mad

This isn't even a case of getting a CRT projector and knowing up front you need a scaler, transcoder, good cabling, etc. Once you have those things, it's like back in the day when you bought a TV; you lugged it in, plugged it in, and used it. done. If you upgraded anything you went from a crappy antenna to a better one. And from there you went from antenna to cable. From there you went from cable to SAT or to telcom delivered content. In all cases, your display was static.

Now it's lug it in, plug it in, and plug it in, and plug it in, and when a 'standard' changes and you find yourself with an AV component that is no longer functional, you go back out and buy, lug, and plug some more. Where does it end? I call bull****. This whole HD thing is big money just as cancer is. Nobody is in a hurry to find a cure.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Greg, you think their would be collusion amongst the Blu-ray player manufacturers? I think that alone would insure price competition.

Kal, what is the one HD DVD movie you have?

rod · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:54 am Post subject:

Was going to get an Xbox but now I'm not so anxious. I think I'll wait for a bit. Besides I kinda feel like JustGreg right about now with the 5 or so components (from source to PJ) and the 1000+ combinations of cabling to go with it. I can definitley see his point but unfortunately it's the masses that created it - bigger, better, faster, cheaper.

**kal** · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:06 am Post subject:

**kal** · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:08 am Post subject:

papalek · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1536 Location: Longs SC

A good deal is when Blu-Ray has the $99 player like what I paid for my HD-DVD A2. I will wait till then and then,I will have both and be able to watch whatever they put out. At least till the next greatest thing comes out.

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I went shopping for minivans today (I know ::shriek: Smile

, but I just realized that this whole war is pointless.

The minivans that we were looking at all had built in dvd players. At that point I saw that DVD is so far penetrated that nothing can pull it out!

I don't see HD DVD or BluRay overtaking DVD before another format comes into play that makes more sense such as VOD. An even then, I think DVD aint going anywhere.

I am guessing that this will end up like a niche product such as DVDA and SACD. I don't have either of those but I hear they are nice!

mhalsan · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 146 Location: Astoria, Oregon

I wouldn't expect prices to really fall on Blu-Ray until HD-DVD throws in the towel. This might be further away- I'll bet HD-DVD continues as a subservient format for quite a while.

I ordered one of LG's Super Blu combo players. HDDVD/Blu-Ray/Standard DVD/CD.
A nice feature set, upgradeable firmware and the price is down to around $700.

This is less than the $1000 I coughed up for my DVL-919 eight years ago, when LaserDisc was handing the sceptre to DVD.

I'm not really convinced that either HD format has a significant technological advantage at the present.. Why not get the ability to use both?

thanks, Mark

chrisc1122 · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 12

Already bought a Samsung 5000. I have to say, it makes the XG110LC sing. I now no longer care about the formats. By the way, both were great !!!

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Not that I really want to, but, to watch a movie in high def and it aint on HD, then WTH. Gunna have to get a BD. (HTPC is still a PITA for me.)

I just wonder how much the "under the table money" this cost Sony. After losing the Beta war, I am sure they were not about to lose this war; at any cost.

wallace

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

I know what you guys are saying (Wan and Kal). I know I should just buy something and get it over with and shut the hell up. My first computer ran CP/M with an early 8xxx series Intel processor and I never bitched about the speed at which processors became obsolete. (Moore's Law).

I guess my love of that hobby made it 'OK' for my computer to be obsolete every 18 months. These days I can't seem to bring myself to accept a Moore's Law mindset for my CRT hobby. I have more financial responsibilities now with little left over for hobbies I suppose.

More likely it can be explained as age creeping up on me. Laughing

Greg

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

So, who chose "Nope, sticking with my guns and HD DVD"?