What's your reaction to Hollywood's standards for hi-def DVD's next gen?

http://gear.ign.com/articles/691/691408p1.html

Basically...

-You need to buy a brand-new HDTV and disc player to view Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies
-You need to buy a new graphics card, disc drive, and monitor to watch Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies on your computer

SO how many of us consumers actually have $10,000+ to spare on multimedia?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I think Hollywood can go fuck itself. No way in hell anyone's going to have that kind of money. I could go out and buy the latest equipment next week, and I still wouldn't be able to run the damn hardware.

I hope this doesn't screw Sony, either. Because the PS3 is already going to be expensive. People aren't going to spend much more than they already paid for a PS3 for extra equipment just so they can run it.

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Both formats will flop, due to a mandatory HDMI specification.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

AFAIK, these Hollywood standards only apply to movies, not games on Blu-Ray discs. But still, what happened to Sony's "true HD era"?

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Originally Posted by neothe0ne

SO how many of us consumers actually have $10,000+ to spare on multimedia?

This is what I've been saying all along. Especially considering it will be the same thing all over again in about 5 years. I wonder if this will be a another flop, like DVD Audio/SACD. Perhaps not, but it would serve them right.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Fuck that. I'm sticking to DVDs until they are dead, unless of course there is a more reasonable alternative.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

yeah, i doubt this is a VHS to DVD quality type upgrade. it just doesn't seem worth it.

FELIPE NO

You think that this is bad? Wait until they attempt to force digital output (with Copy protection) only audio specification on the world, then the blood will start to boil.

Also take note:

The current pricing structure for the technology won't last. The high prices you see now are only really for the fools who adopt the technology early. Once this becomes more mainstream, you'll be able to find a HDCP TV for much much less and the HD-DVD box will cost the same as a regular DVD player.

Until movies start to convert to hi-def cameras, there is no real need for the HD-DVD format. The only really cool factor is that you can hold more video content on one disc, so you can see The Lord of the Rings on one DVD instead of two (with the bonus content as well)

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Originally Posted by Jas

yeah, i doubt this is a VHS to DVD quality type upgrade. it just doesn't seem worth it.

Yeah, I'm not seeing the difference in quality at all.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Meh... I see betamax/minidisc/ATRAC happening all over again. Sony has no luck with its proprietary formats, and this will be no exception.

Blu-Ray will flop over HD-DVD for the simple reason of it being too damn expensive. Blu Ray players are going to cost upwards of $1800 when they're released, whereas HD-DVD players are going to be closer to the $499 range. I think the option is clear.

Is there a discernable difference between the quality of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray? The only difference I know of is that Blu-Ray disks hold more gigabytes of data over HD-DVDs. Technophiles will probably go for the Blu-Ray just for name alone.

HD-DVD is cheaper to produce, which will make it cheaper to sell. I don't see any advantages with Blu-Ray other than the disk size... Yeah, Sony has Colombia and MGM... Big deal, what good movies have the produced lately?

HD-DVD for the win.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Porteous

Yeah, I'm not seeing the difference in quality at all.

Yes, you are right. The question you need to ask yourself is, is DVD good enough? Atleast if you want to build a film collection you have to settle with something at some point. Because no doubt a newer better standard will be around soon enough.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will be able to play regular DVDs anyway, so I don't really see the problem; if DVD quality is fine for you, it's not like you have throw away your entire collection and start over, when/if you buy a next-gen player.

I'm certainly not planning to replace all my DVDs with the next format of choice. I'll double-dip on a few films - like LotR - but apart from that, I'll only buy the new format for new releases and possibly for current releases I don't own yet.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Porteous

I'm certainly not planning to replace all my DVDs with the next format of choice. I'll double-dip on a few films - like LotR - but apart from that, I'll only buy the new format for new releases and possibly for current releases I don't own yet.

There'd be no point in replacing your DVDs anyway. A lot of films won't have any better source material than has been used for the DVD transfer, and there simply won't be any noticeable quality gain to be had from an HD version. Sure, there's such things as interpolation, and fixing the occasional, bizarre luma/chroma artifacts that you seem to get as part of the DVD format, but on the whole, for any film that is more than a few years old, you already have the best version that exists.

I was speaking idiomatically.

What saddens me the most is that no matter who wins, we (the consumers) are guaranteed to lose.

As for this spec, well it's not that surprising and is just another example of the industry being short-sighted and bloody-minded. Actually I hope they do clamp down on any way of people pirating material because then they'll actually have to face the fact that the reason people aren't spending as much on movies is because a lot of their films are shit (oh and that cinema prices are crazy high).

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't remember DVDs being such an assfucking on launch. Sure, DVD players were expensive to buy when they first came mainstream, but within 2-3 years the brice drop was so dramatic you could go get you a DVD player for $50-100.

So when is all this shit going to be actually affordable?

Plus I don't totally understand the article. Will you be able to play PS3 on a standard def TV?

I guess it doesn't matter, because PS3 keeps getting pushed back and look like it will be so expensive at launch that it's going to end up being next-nextgen. On the other hand, 360 seems to be stuck somewhere between last gen and what next gen should be.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Porteous

Well HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will be able to play regular DVDs anyway, so I don't really see the problem; if DVD quality is fine for you, it's not like you have throw away your entire collection and start over, when/if you buy a next-gen player.

Yeah sure, my main qualm with this whole thing is really about the software. Not wanting to replace all my DVDs for HD-DVDs (just to see them 'last' only another 5-10 years). I can see how this is less of an issue for the mainstream movie fans, who might buy the latest hollywood stuff only. But when you're invested a lot of money (and more importrantly) time in tracking down and purchasing DVDs you somehow feel cheated when all of a sudden you're supposed to just abandon that and move on to a new standard.

Of course this won't really be a problem for me at all as long as the companies whose releases I'm interested in stick with DVD.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

DVD is dammed good enough for the majority of people out there who collect any number of movies, and I doubt that this will be as good a transition or as wide-sweeping as the difference between VHS to DVD was. Sure, HD Movies may look better to a degree, but at this point, I really don't give a shit. I already have them on DVD, and they look good enough from my perspective.

Hollywood is shooting itself in the foot for trying to force consumers to upgrade so soon. DVD's been out what, 6-7 years? VHS Tapes came out in like the 70s or 80s, which makes a good 10-20 year period before DVD Arrived in wide availability.

I also have the problem with the Xbox 360 and PS3 and Revolution coming out so soon, but can't stop what's already started for the consoles.

Besides, what will happen when HD DVD and Blu-Ray become 'obsolete' 10 years from now?

I'm gonna stick with DVD for a long while.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

I also have the problem with the Xbox 360 and PS3 and Revolution coming out so soon, but can't stop what's already started for the consoles.

I couldn't agree more. I've got SNES games laying around that I have yet to play, dammit =D

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by neothe0ne

-You need to buy a brand-new HDTV and disc player to view Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies
-You need to buy a new graphics card, disc drive, and monitor to watch Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies on your computer

Son of a bitch, all for a high-definition movie?

Fuck that. I'm not even bothering with their capitalist shit. Sticking to DVDs.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by neothe0ne

-You need to buy a brand-new HDTV and disc player to view Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies
-You need to buy a new graphics card, disc drive, and monitor to watch Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies on your computer

not to mention you need a new OS that supports this, and its other built in "features."
personally, I dont see the need to switch to HD discs for a long time.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Some conspiracy theorists have come up with some interesting ideas suggesting that Microsoft doesn't want either format to win. They announce support for HD-DVD, but all that does is buy Toshiba more time with it's format, thus prolonging the battle between the two formats. From what I understand Microsoft is pushing for streamed HD video on demand rather than optical media.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The mandatory HDCP thing is bullshit. There are going to be a LOT of pissed-off early adopters whose HDTV sets have only component YCbCr inputs (no HDMI) and cannot utilize the new media if they go through with this.

Me, I bought an HDTV last summer, for one reason and one reason alone...

HD games. I protested loudly when my family wanted to hook it up to the cable line, as I wanted no TV at all on it (i.e. nothing but games). I have no intentions of buying an HD-DVD or blu-ray player at any point. If Sony cleans up their act big time and releases no more defective CDs, as well as scraps their one-game-one-console licensing scheme, then I might buy a PS3. If the PS3 doubles as a blu-ray player, then fine, I'll own one that way. But I'm in no fucking hurry to adopt that technology. For me, DVD is good enough. The technology exists to play it back well, as well as rip it, convert it, compress it, port it, and otherwise manipulate it as I desire. From what I hear, AACS will try very hard to stop me from doing what I do with current DVDs: rip them, remove all the ads and FBI notices, and burn them back to DVD-R as just main features that auto-play when I put them in my DVD player.

I want HD games. HD Hollywood can go fuck itself.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Porteous

Yeah, I'm not seeing the difference in quality at all.

I'll tell you straight up: The major reason the HD shots look that much better is the color is configured PROPERLY in those shots. The DVD shots are way too bright and saturated.

That being said, until Hollywood gets it straight in their heads that screwing consumers over, the ones who PAY for their movies, is NOT the way to fight pirates will I support them again. Controlling the way I can watch my movies and use my equipment's connectivity is just NOT RIGHT. I should be able to use any connections I want to watch the DVD I just PAID THEM MONEY FOR.

I was planning to wait until the format war ended to invest in the next-gen format, but now I think I'll wait until they get their heads out of their asses and decide to let me use component connections if I want (Even if my HDTV has HDMI. I might want to use my PS3 on that, you stupid bastards.).

Sprout: Blu-Ray is confirmed to hold 1080p resolution video, while HD-DVD, while they claim it supports 1080p, most people feel it'll be in the 720p to 1080i range due to space limitations.

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Good thing none of the upcoming Blu-ray releases support 1080p.

How ya doing, buddy?

I don't know what hollywood is thinking beliving that we are going to throw away all of our DVDs and buy everything again just so they could make little extra.
Maybe they are doing this so they can use a format that we can't copy, unlike the DVD, because the image quality is better but far from being THAT better.
I belive all of us wouldn't spend a lot of money just so we could see a tiny bit of improvement in quality.

I bought a new HDTV recently, why ? Because my old one broke, not because Hollywood, SONY or Microsoft wanted. Sure, I'll play games with a great quality improve, but let's be honest, very few people have resources to buy something new just because they are new withou having real needs for it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.