BluRay Gets A Boost from Blockbuster

[Subjugation]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070619/...er_bluray_dc_5

In the HD DVD vs BluRay battle, it looks like Blockbuster Video has sided with the BluRay camp. Blockbuster has made a deal to stock its stores with way more BluRay than HD DVD, and since Blockbuster is the leading retailer of movies, this can't be good news for HD DVD or those who've invested in players already.

Previously, it was looking like HD DVD was going to win the race, since the Porn Industry had decided to devote its future to HD DVD, instead of BluRay. But I guess we'll see.

[NaiLed]

for the dumb people (me), can somebody explain what HDTV is and what blu-ray is

[GuruMeditation]

Can still get HD-DVDs from Blockbuster Online.

[Subjugation]

for the dumb people (me), can somebody explain what HDTV is and what blu-ray is

Basically, they are the next generation of DVD's. I'm not sure if there are other significant differences, but the main difference is HD DVD is less expensive to produce and the players are cheaper to make, and BluRay has a bit better picture quality, has a higher capacity for data storage, but is more expensive.

[Facetious]

how good a tv do you have to have in order to tell the difference between blu-ray and hd-dvd? 1080i? 1080p?

[Displaced]

to tell the difference between blueray and hd-dvd?

theoretically, you cant, since both are 1080p media.

althought, from what ive seen on my tv, there are major differences in quality, depending on who has released the movie.

[Jerome Scuggs]

blockbuster's influence probably isn't as strong thanks to online rental sites + competitors

it will be interesting to see what format wins

[Subjugation]

I hope you're right, Jerome. Unless I am misinterpreting the impact of BluRay. I mean, if it's more expensive to produce and the players are more expensive to produce...isn't the consumer going to be handed the cost?

[Capital Knockers]

I hate all this new stuff. It's always such a big fuss when it all first comes out, it's overpriced, in wars with competitors, and usually breaks or winds up being defective or something. My favourite thing I've ever learnt about technology, is wait. Hell I love my PS2, I bought it, and all the games I've wanted for it, for less then I could of bought the system alone.

[Vykromond]

I mean, if it's more expensive to produce and the players are more expensive to produce...isn't the consumer going to be handed the cost?

yes

[geekbot]

Yes, but....

...if you wait long enough everything becomes cheap. As time passes, the price difference will go away.

I just got an HD LCD TV. Spent a lot of money on it and all of a sudden the DVD looks like crap because it's outputting standard def. : (

Time for a DVD that upconverts? Or wait for Blu-ray and HD-DVD to duke it out?

[Jerome Scuggs]

Last night we went to blockbuster (rented blazing angels and that paper mario RPG for the wii, and a season of pete and pete) and at both stores, there were definitely way more HD DVD's in stock than blu-ray

the thing is, blockbuster runs its franchises a bit less strict than most chains, IMO. we have three blockbusters within driving distance here, and all 3 have different late fees, different "specials", and even different videos. i think that at least in shreveport, HD-DVD is what blockbuster stocks. but perhaps I should wait more than a few days to see what actually happens

[Displaced]

geekbot, your tv should (if its a good set ) be able to upconvert 480i/p to whatever its native resolution is.

if not, a good upscaling dvd player would be where id start, i wholeheartedly recommend the Oppo-DV981HD, has the best upconverted picture ive seen from standalone players with built in scalers, and its not the most expensive.

that said, the "improvement" isnt mind boggling, and is nowhere near the quality of HD-DVD or Blueray.

i bit the bullet and got both setups (mainly because i cant get all the titles i want on 1 format), in retrospect id probably have opted for LG's "ultra" player that plays both HD-DVD's and Blueray instead of opting for two separate players, that way, if one format goes defunct, you wont have an obsolete player.

just my 2 cents.

[Dameon Angell]

If you take sides now, it's a gamble. But Blue Ray will most likely win out, because it's cooler to say than HD DVD. The general public stupid like that. They can't tell the difference in picture, they're ignorant to the size of the discs, and they won't care about the price so much if it's for something crazy new like that.

[Liquid Blue]

Not really, Beta Max was a helluva lot cooler to say than VHS, and look where that ended up.