Joe Kane talks about the battle of the formats

Video calibration expert Joe Kane gives his point of view on the coming of HD to Europe, what it is capable of offering, what is needed to truly benefit from the new quality formats as well as his opinion on HD DVD and Bluray formats. You will certainly enjoy some of his quite frank and provocative comments.

[shotty]

HD-DVD is going to smash blu-ray. Sony thinks their smart including blu-ray with the ps3. The majority of PS owners are the casual crowd and don't know that blu-ray is. Why would they drop $30 on a Blu-ray movie that can only be played on their ps3. The people that buy HD-DVD are actually buying it for the movies. The people that buy the HD-DVD add on are buying it for the movies and they know that. They will also buy the movies. Money is made on movie sales and not on the player. Sony killed itself with Blu-ray, history is not on their side for creating new formats. Blu-ray is already failing due to sony being arrogant. They refuse to use any other codec that MPEG 2 since sony own over 100 patents for MPEG 2. If they want to go to VC-1 which is 2 to 3 times more effiecent than MPEG 2 they would get a better picture but sony would lose licensing fees since microsoft created VC-1 and sony would have to pay microsoft to use the codec. All movie studios that are currently creating HD-DVD have the option to use: VC-1, H.264 or Mpeg 2 and they all choose VC-1 since it looks the best out of all 2 codecs and it also uses the least space meaning better bit rates. However blu-ray is forced with Mpeg 2 until sony lets they change. As of right now HD-DVD is better than Blu-ray is every aspect; better visual quality, more capacity and importantly way cheaper. Blu-ray has NO advantage as of now over HD-DVD. The reason HD-DVD looks better than Blu-ray at the moment is that the VC-1 codec allows for video to be 3 times smaller in size than if it was coded in Mpeg 2 and it also looks better. HD-DVD can hold 4 hours of HD content at 1080p on a single 30GB disc. 50Gb disc of Blu-ray are in development, same as 45Gb disc of HD-DVD. However 45Gb aren't needed for HD-DVD for movies since the 30Gb can hold 4 hours of HD video so the 45Gb would be made avaible as HD-DVD R and RW for HD-DVD recorders for computers and standalone players. Even if sony managed to release a 50Gb disc it still won't hold as much video as a 30Gb HD-DVD disc due to HD-DVD superior codec. My 2 cents... Check out MajorNelsons podcast this week; it's all about HD-DVD/Blu-ray.

[bernie]

I have a lot of friends who are going HD DVD, most of them don't care about bluray. One of them even thought it was just the playstation format, not realising it could do films.

[specialguest]

the only reason why you're against blu-ray is because of the whole Xbox360 vs PS3 thing huh? i bet your opinion would have been different had the formats for those consoles been reverved.

[shoota33]

Thats exacly what i have been saying.They are going foe hd dvd because MS supports it and they dont want th xbox 360 and hd dvd to fail.Blu ray is the better format and its more popular.If had blu ray they would be priaseing it.SHOTTY stop being a stupid fanboy and face the facts hd dvd is inferior to blu ray so go ahead and waste 500 or 600 bucks on a dvd 1.5 player with NO MOVIES.

[sa73917]

I hate to say it guys but shotty is right.. I'm a PS boy from way back (and I have my PS3 on order and have never enjoyed XBOX or 360) but if you read ANY home theatre website that has a comparison of the two players available in the US at the moment they ALL say the HD-DVD player is outputting better quality looking movies..

This is not people interested in 360 or PS3, these are video and audiophiles who spend $10,000s of dollars on video and audio equipment to try to get their idea of perfection and they ALL say HD-DVD.

Wish it wasn't true..

Until Sony start looking at current generation codec's and start getting dual-layer discs out there, their output quality is always going to be inferior.. :-(

[BIadestarX]

@specialguest & @gametime: what are you talking about? It has nothing to do with the PS3 or XBox. What's sad about it is that every person in the industry that knows something about hd-dvd and blue ray will tell you the same thing (blu-ray have some major issues). If you don't believe me them name 1 format that Sony made that succeeded? Why should blue ray be any different? I own a Xbox 360 and I am buying the PS3 because there are some exclusive games I want to play; though I prefer that it excluded the blu-ray since the price would be lower and I am paying for something that may fail. Take the PSP for example; Sony said that UMD was going to be the future of portable movies? Where is it? Didn’t UMD cripple the PSP with bad loading time and poor battery life compared to other handhelds (just because Sony wanted royalties on their new format and wanted to force it on people?). Now with the blu-ray; Sony is trying to do the same thing. If blu-ray fails (same as UMD); it will be a PS3 only format same as the PSP. Tell me how is me wanting the PS3 and not wanting to pay extra for blu-ray (not a established format) make me bias against Sony? Why didn’t they make it optional and Microsoft did? 1) Microsoft does not own hd-dvd format. 2) Sony owns blu-ray format.
Try putting it together. This is why Microsoft is making the xbox 360 HD-DVD drive optional and Sony is forcing blu-ray. Most people prefer not to be pushed into buying an HD drive yet. I'm all for the PS3 but Sony is abusing their fan base with this blu-ray nonsense.

[shoota33]

Yes blu ray is in so much trouble but yet everyone is supporting it and no one is supporting hd dvd.STFU MS bot and get the hell out of here with your one sided views.

[AuburnTiger]

Well blade I’m with you, I understand that Sony is pushing this new format on playstation owners, but your wrong about one thing, it has a lot to do with the PS3 and XBOX. Hell, because the ps3 has a blu ray drive means that there is no reason for me to get a HD DVD player. Regardless which format is better, I know that I’m getting a PS3 and for me that determined which high definition player I’m getting.

[Liverpool4ever]

I really dont get the point...

[AuburnTiger]

obviously there's a lot of things you don't get.

[Liverpool4ever]

Well, let's see. Hmm... who was the first one who didn't get what I was saying? Hmm...... Oh, It was you. HOW SURPRISING. And on top of it all you had to answer with the most stupid comment in history, huh? ... yeah, bet you got scared now little cat, mjau.

[AuburnTiger]

I didn't get what you were saying because you don't make sense. Again here is what you wrote. "Suppose you can English" and
"Where does is stand that I put it in the same league?"

Learn some damn grammar moron.

[Liverpool4ever]

First of all, I'm not from the UK or the US. But, atleast I'm a little good in my 2.nd foreign language, but if you wish, correct this post and "Suppose you can English" and "Where does it stand I put it in the same league". Yeah, C'mon. Do your worst.

[BIadestarX]

gametime, I'm not one sided. I own every Sony game system and one of my HD-TV is from SONY; I'm also buying the PS3 since I don't have a choice. Unlike you I have the money to buy every system that comes out. I don't have to hate Sony or Microsoft; so my judgment it's not blurred by pockets.
Also, don't say "everyone is supporting it"; didn't most of these companies supported UMD and Betamax? One of these days you will see that this means sh** if people don't buy it. Before I bough my PSP I was pissed about the UMD format, adding moving parts to a handheld would affect battery life and loading time. Sony weakened the psp in order to sell movies; now what? How do you feel knowing that the PSP could have load faster, cost less, have more games now that UMD movies are discontinued? How will you feel when the same thing happens with the PS3.

StarCraftRocks, "Hell, because the ps3 has a blu ray drive means that there is no reason for me to get a HD DVD player." I agree with you 100%; you have the choice of not getting the HD DVD and every other 360 owners. But as a PS3 owner you don't have a choice. maybe this works for you since you seem to be a die hard sony fan that don't mind paying 200-300 extra and help them with their products even if you never going to use blu-ray. Wouldn't you like the PS3 to cost 200-300 less; so later when you are ready you can buy wherever HD player you want? Heck, if blu-ray wins the format war I'm all for it! and if HD-DVD wins then I go for that. but why should I pay in advance for a HD player when 1) I don't know if it will succeed. 2) No movies yet.
Sony is making us pay extra money to ensure that their blu-ray format succeed when it should be the other way around. Sony is charging all of us for being beta testers.

[Bishop]

For one they offer you more for your money and considering 90% of the movie studios support blu-ray with some of the companies such as Disney, Paramount and etc. supporting blu-ray I will be happy to have the blu-ray player included in my PS3 until the price on the players come down. With most of the movie studios, the 3 largest computer companies and the worlds largest music companies behind the format it certainly has some serious support and if movies like Pirates of The Caribbean come out only on blu-ray because the companies is on the board of directors of the blu-ray format then consumers will go where the movies are just like they did with VHS

[BIadestarX]

"more for your money" only if you care about blu-ray.
Also, supporting does not mean that all these companies will continue to make movies on a dead format. If blu-ray does not pickup and hd-dvd does; how long do you think this companies will continue to make movies for blu-ray? Companies supporting blu-ray are not under contract to make exclusive movies for blu-ray; they will make movies in the format that sells the most. Didn't you learn anything from UMD? That format had all the support you can get and it died because they werent selling. So, just because you hear that companies support blu-ray it does not mean 1) They are making movies for it now. 2) They will make movies knowing that no one will buy them.

[PS3sux360inchWiiWii]

Im not buying a PS3 cause all the games I want are 3rd party and also on 360!

and Im not buying the HD-DVD drive for my 360 because just like Blu-Ray it's not a proven format. Both are dead tech if you ask me, they are being concieved too early.

At least if I do pick the HD-DVD drive for my 360, I have the option. If I don't want it thats a hundred or so more dollars towards more games and stuff. Something Sony don't give you the option with!

[The BS Police]

Present DVDs is really what most pople care about.

[Marty8370]

PS3/Bluray are the future.

[emandm]

We've seen this before and you would think Sony would have learned their lesson,(God know's with all the failed formats they've brought to market) They are taking a massive gamble which i believe will fail (just my opinion). HD dvd, more films available, cheaper and at the moment better quality.
Unfortunately, i think they've screwed up big time