News HD DVD gets a big boost from sales

[Da Dego]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/11...t_from_sales/1

Toshiba’s HD-A2 HD-DVD player has sold over 90,000 units this past weekend alone thanks to a sub-$100 price point at BestBuy and Walmart.

[UncertainGod]

I wish HD-DVD would just go away, it's not a good format for the future.

[Robotrix]

Originally Posted by UncertainGod

I wish HD-DVD would just go away, it's not a good format for the future.

Why do you say that? It has a lot of its own advantages over Blu-Ray (not including price).

[leexgx]

i like to know what advantages it has over BR

in the pc market BR is an better format strate away you got 25gb/50gb disks over 15/30gb HD-DVD disks (and most users are only going to buy Single layer disks as dual layer ones most likey to much)

PS3 for Xmas (or next time i pay my self) be able to fit most of my tv stuff onto one single BR disk or when i work out how to Send it to the PS3 hard disk

[TreeDude]

As long as HD-DVD is cheaper it will stick around. I myself will probably end up with a dual format player when the prices aren't $1,000 for a decent one.

[Bursar]

Anyone fancy a trip to the US? That's about £46!! Anyone know if they'll run on our leccy, and what Customs might think?

[Flibblebot]

Originally Posted by leexgx

in the pc market BR is an better format strate away you got 25gb/50gb disks over 15/30gb HD-DVD disks (and most users are only going to buy Single layer disks as dual layer ones most likey to much)

But BR/HD DVD aren't created primarily for the PC market, they're created for the movie market. The fact that writable media will become available on PC is just a natural progression, not the reason they were created.

We're talking about the benefits of BluRay vs HD DVD for movies here, and there are no real benefits for one medium over another. Triple layer HD DVDs have been demonstrated with no modification needed for existing players. BluRay is a proprietary standard; HD DVD is the only format approved by the DVD Forum. HD DVD is also a finalised standard - BluRay has just updated its standard, which renders all current BluRay players useless.

I could go on and on - personally, I don't think there will be a winner in the format war. CE companies will just produce hybrid players capable of playing either format (since they do, at least, share some common features unlike VHS & Beta).

[boggsi]

in leexgx defence it does make sense to consider the wider implications. I mean it would be good to have 1 format that could answer all the questions of movies, pc data stoage and writeability. Doesnt make sense to decide on whats best for movies outside the context of them being useful to pc users. The winner of the format wars (if we ever get one) will undoubtedly decide what pc users can get hold of easily for backup / *cough* torrents *cough* / whatever

[leexgx]

who is likey to buy an Dual layer disk never mind an tripple layer disk, Cost (an Slingle layer blu-ray disk is 5gb less then an dual layer HD-dvd disk and most likey is cheaper)

allso i still do not see any HD-dvd burners for sale yet

PC market most likey be an HD-dvd reader combo Blu-ray burner later on

dono why DVD Forum approved means any thing as i have never been there before, (now i have) looks like an USA web site to me, does not look likey thay even support DVD+ from the box at the top right, even thought both offer No bernerfits

------------- boggsi ------------
thats the idea Unlike DVD+ and DVD- Both formats was the sime size, but HD-dvd and BR Are not even close (15/30 25/50) do not quote tripple layer disks as most users are not even going to buy them, even to the point most users are not even going to buy dual layer disks

if i wanted to put all my stuff onto an Single HD-dvd disk i proberly will have to use more then 1 HD-dvd disk to do it (i worked the numbers out and i would need more disks allso adding to cost)
i be getting an BR burner after new year when thay get to about £100 as they sell for £300 at this time and the readers sell at £120, just an little to high at this time

[Joeymac]

HD DVD is an actual finished movie format... it was when it came out. Blu-Ray has only just got to 1.1 spec.. there is a 2.0 spec which still has no final date and not all standalone players will support it. That's a redicolous state of affairs for normal consumers. They will also have to burn out firmware updates to disc just to update players without net connections. Given the draconian BD+ DRM (which is already cracked, and thus useless) those people will have to be updating firmware all the time to just get a movie to work...
You would be an idiot to buy a standalone Blu-Ray player.. the only one which will get proper support and might be set for all future Blu-Ray spec changes is the PS3. So all it is, is a game console movie format.. a game console which is lagging behind and has no games till the spring.
As if that wasn't enough reason NOT to go with Blu-Ray.. it also has region encoding and BD+ closes the possibility of managed copy that the AACS encryption allows.
HD DVD doesn't have region coding, it's players are cheap and it has some good movies.
The argument of Blu-Ray having bigger discs so it's better for PCs doesn't really hold water either. Are you really going to be spending £20 to time for 50GB discs (when they come out and have dropped in price a bit... 25GB SL discs are currently about £15) so that you can backup a terabyte hard drive.
Why bother. Just get a 100GB 2.5inch USB drive.

[leexgx]

[crazybob]

Leexgx: Both formats will be sticking around.
BluRay is not a better format, it's merely a bigger format. The readers and the disks are likely to be more expensive due to licensing. I agree, I can see BluRay taking a bigger share of the PC market because in that situation, size matters most.

However, this article is not about a PC, it's about a movie playing device. A device which is much cheaper than BluRay will be, and which has plenty of storage space for a 1080p movie. In the home theater market, the lower size of HD-DVD is not an issue, so the lower cost and greater compatibility of HD-DVD is significant.

[MaximumShow]

I have had my money on HD-DVD winning the format war since the begining.

[zoom314]

I'd rather get a full function Dual format DVD player instead(Blu-ray+HD), But until the price on Samsungs dual format model comes down or there is a less costly model(Not just slightly less either w/no less features), I'll pass until then.

[Robotrix]

Hmm... I can't believe no one's mentioned HDi for HD DVD as an advantage over BD, yet.

[proxess]

And the winner is... DVD! And Nintendo's 2 and a half generation console Wii!

[Flibblebot]

Originally Posted by leexgx

dono why DVD Forum approved means any thing as i have never been there before, (now i have) looks like an USA web site to me, does not look likey thay even support DVD+ from the box at the top right, even thought both offer No bernerfits

OK, terrible grammar and spelling notwithstanding, you really aren't getting the point here. We're talking about which format is best for movies. Forget about disk sizes: a dual-layer HD DVD is more than enough for any movie plus extras.
The DVD forum is the official body that oversees the DVD format; it is composed of about 200 member organisations, including Sony, Philips & Time Warner. They control everything to do with the DVD format (including the writeable DVD formats) and are the trademark holders for the DVD logo. It's not a forum like bit-tech.

HD DVD is a finalised standard; BluRay is a proprietary format invented (primarily) by Sony. If you buy a HD DVD player, it will work with new disks in 10 years. If you've already bought a BluRay player, it won't work with the disks you buy next year.

As I've said before, both formats have their benefits and downsides. As an AV professional, I'd like to see HD DVD win, but I don't think it will. As I said above, I think we'll end up with hybrid player capable of playing both formats, in which case the "format war" just fizzles out and the only winner is the consumer. Which format you buy will depend on which format the movie companies support, not which player you have.

Now, leexgx, if you have a response that:
(a) you've used a spellchecker on; and
(b) actually pertains to HD disc formats with relation to movie players
then please feel free to respond. I'd be interested to see if you have anything pertinent to add to the discussion.

[sinizterguy]

Originally Posted by UncertainGod

I wish HD-DVD would just go away, it's not a good format for the future.

And I could say the same for BD and its stupid region coding.

[DXR_13KE]

Originally Posted by proxess

And the winner is... DVD! And Nintendo's 2 and a half generation console Wii!

and we have a weiner!!!!

[cyrilthefish]

Personal opinion, HD-DVD will win due to being the 'lesser of two evils' and cheaper to manufacture than BR.

That said, i'd be surprised if either HD formats became popular any time soon, as the difference between DVD and HD-DVD/BR being non-existent on older TV's, and not nearly as big a difference on hi-def TVs as VHS -> DVD was on standard-def TVs