Progress Report: Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

What do you want for Christmas? Manufacturers and retailers are already banking on high definition's promise of a successful holiday season. Will it just be HDTVs that sell, or will HD DVD and Blu-ray players begin to make their mark? Halfway through 2007, it's time to take a look at both formats' progress.

[Diselage]

Let me guess their both still saying their respective camps are winning?

[snoop_dizzle]

I wonder how long it will be until blu-ray and hddvd actually give DVD competition.

[masterg]

That like comparing the PS3/360 to the Wii.

[Eclipticus]

ps3/360 vs wii? thats stupid
its more like ps3/360 vs ps2.

[23478ueyur_938223]

All these articles are the same.

Intro: It's about time we look at who's winning the format war. (Seeing as there is a new report everyday, it must always be time.)

Body: Same BS from every other article

Conclusion: OH WAIT, it's too EARLY to decide on a winner!! Sorry for wasting your time.

-_-

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Well, both camps AREN'T saying they're winning. Even the HD-DVD camp knows Blu-ray is winning.

You'd be an idiot to think differently...

[snoop_dizzle]

when will bluray give dvd actual competition?

[23478ueyur_938223]

@snoop_dizzle: this will really be dependent on TV vs HDTV's in households, which atm, is very low on HDTV side.

[iceice123]

(and not by much) is the fact every ps3 has one in it. Look at it that way and begin to understand. More people want HD-DVD players, this is obvious by the stand alone units sold compared to blu-ray sold. It doesn't even matter, though. Both are not needed and will fall to DVDs which will give way into digital distribution. Didn't even Sony say the reason they didn't pack HD composite cables with the ps3 was because less than half of TVs sold were HD? So why would HD players possible be big?

[23478ueyur_938223]

Talk about unjustified opinion. Digital distribution doesn't interest many at the moment for HD content. The only "digital distribution" people are interested in is illegally downloaded movies. <-- generalization, referring to video, not music.

[drtysouf21]

I think people are watching the progress to decide which way to go in the future. I'm impatient which is why i have a PS3 with blu-ray and also the hd dvd add on for my 360. I think even though blu-ray is winning and will probably win in the end it will be a long time before it is actually claimed the victor. So in the meantime i can enjoy both.

[23478ueyur_938223]

HD DVD's plus so far is that it still has exclusive Universal support, so you would benefit from having both formats.

[iceice123]

Oh, and those new fancy HD-DVD or blu-ray players do? Yeah, come on. There's no need for them there nothing special, omg some improved quality and sound! Wow I bet the average Joe is really excited about that. Also, I didn't say digital distribution was big now, I feel however it will be not too long from now. When FIOS is common place. Downloading those HD movies will be better than managing a disk. I'm sure cheaper, too. Everyone will see, DVDs will keep the high ground and will give into digital distribution. These HD-DVD and Blu-ray, well they're just a phase.

[23478ueyur_938223]

You're speculating beyond what analysts do, on no basis at all.

Do you realize that HD content requires good computers and HD monitors? Whereas, if you buy an HDTV and an HD DVD or Blu-ray player (of which the price is moving down slowly but surely), it is a lot simpler to enjoy HD content?

I donno about you, but I don't want to be waiting for a download which may fail, risking loss or deletion of the content, and then watching it on my computers so all my buddies can gather around the small screen.

Most people who want HD content, will buy HDTV's and the appropriate format of their choice. That's in the statistics.

[Bloodmask]

pointless to speculate right now. HDDVD and Bluray make up about 2% of the DVD market. DVD sells on an average of about 100,000 to one compared to any HD format....What you people have to realize is that the install base of the PS3 is about 3.3 million and is about 30 times the install base of HDDVD. Bluray movies are only outselling HDDVD on a ratio at the most 7 to 1......usually 3 or 2 to 1. This really isn't a good sign bc Bluray movies should be outselling HDDVD at least close to 30 to 1 based just on the install base. People who buy HDDVD players or the 360 add-on are buying it bc they want to buy movies. This isn't necesarily the case with the PS3, bc if you look at the install base alone HDDVD should have been done a long time ago.

[Kyur4ThePain]

some people are actually buying the PS3 for games.

[Covenant]

Short-term, I think Blu-Ray "wins." By that, I mean it gets the most market share. That's a definite setback for those who already invested in HD-DVD players/drives. Worst case, they have to buy a combo player down the road to play their HD-DVDs.

Best case for HD-DVD at this point--and this is based on the short-term numbers of one-year post-launch--is a compromise. Combo players may give them longer-term market viability. This might be the best for the consumer, as there is already confusion over the two formats.

HOWEVER: As the article notes: This Christmas could help decide the war. HD players starting at $299 fall right in the range of most consumers, and with heavier adoption of HDTVs already underway, HD-DVD could see market gains this winter.

Looking long-term, I still see the chance for a compromise. BUT, it may be moot. Digital downloads may bring significant HD content into households before very long...without the need for warring formats (hopefully) or discs.

Imagine this: Downloading a favorite movie directly to an HD receiver w/ a hard drive, and watching it at your leisure. Imagine maybe paying one fee for renting it (temporary download, deleted after use) and a slightly larger amount to "unlock" it, and burn it to disc if you wanted.

What format would that disc be? Maybe not Blu-Ray or HD...but maybe something like HVD or something else not yet invented.

Most places do not have the infrastructure to handle thousands of large files being downloaded at once...so this is probably a few years away. But it could happen...maybe soon.

Just a few thoughts. Take them as you will.

[MadMax]

Majority of people are gonna go by price, bottomline. If you can get a stand alone player for $299 vs $799 your gonna see alot more HDDVD players being sold. Hell why not, both formats look the same and HD movies are even becoming more affordable too. Its like it mentions in the article, doesnt mean sh@t how many titles blueray has, whats gonna matter is how many HD players are being sold! Same thing happened with laserdisc, people chose to stay with VHS mostly because of price and VHS was already out. I think Sony made a big mistake this time, they have been laying off loads of employees recently. Everyone thought PS3 was the sh@t until it came out and look what a failure that has been. 7 months later and still no games, mostly ported over 360 games from last year, lol. That outta control pricetag too, thats a whole other story. I am glad i was one of the smart ones that didnt beat someone up in line or wait out in the cold for a week to get one of those overpriced and way overhyped pieces of junk. I rather stick with my PS2. I dont care for Microsoft either, but at least the 360 has gotten some serious mileage of gameplay and HD movie entertainment over here.

[XxZxX]

I will gladly support both side of the camp, to me at least they're pushing forward new technology. I hate those people that willing to stay in DVD well or SD is way more than enough. Well if that's the case why dont they stay on dial-up modem, this is exactly why US are now very slow in technology adoption. Man I went to Europe and Japan and I felt they are so high-tech than we do.