Is HD DVD A Better Deal Than Blu-Ray?

Don Lindich, a national columnist and creator of the "Digital Made Easy" book series writes, "My column endorsing HD DVD was released today and I expect site traffic to spike as the word spreads around the web. I have followed the format war since the beginning and now that I am ready to recommend a format, it was an easy call to endorse HD DVD. It comes down to three things which have not really changed since it started last year."

1) "Picture and sound quality is identical between formats. All the impressive specs in the world don't matter if the end result is the same."

2) "Almost all Blu-ray players lack the necessary hardware to support announced features, and hence are obsolete. Conversely, every HD DVD player from the HD-A1 onwards is fully functional, having the hardware necessary and needing only a firmware update to enable advanced features."

3) "Blu-ray players have cost twice as much as HD DVD players from the start, and this doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. It is impossible for me to recommend someone spend double on an unfinished product that merely matches the performance of its competitor. That goes completely against common sense and any reasonable person would agree. As HD DVD has become regularly available for under $200, I find it impossible to NOT tell people to go get one… it's a fanastic product and a fantastic buy, and the public needs to know it."

[Bladestar]

Truth... sadly this article will also not pass.. this site is infected with Sony leg humpers... they don't want to hear, "Picture and sound quality is identical between formats. All the impressive specs in the world don’t matter if the end result is the same"...

[Zhuk]

i'm not even into the whole format war thing, but I do notice that a lot of HD DVD stuff is rejected for no good reason except that just by being approved it is somehow an affront to Blu-Ray.

Lets keep this site fair and balanced, and approve articles like this

[Makroyale]

This statement I don't believe is true as I can tell the difference between a 1080i and 1080p picture.

"Feed a 1080i signal to a 1080p TV and you will be watching a 1080p picture with no loss of information."

I have these articles to back me up plus my own eyes (again, in certain situations I can tell the difference). I have a PDP-6010FD Plasma that I'm viewing on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
http://www.cwi.nl/projects/...

[xplosneer]

Even you should know that no matter what this site will never be fair and balanced.

[unlimited]

truth?? all they talking about is how hddvd is cheap..what about movies?? thats the biggest concern..

[ActionBastard]

It's losing. It will always lose. And the articles you ass clowns post are a combonation FUD and flat out lies. Deal with it. Now go watch King Kong that came with your HD DVD addon and no other movies, because rather than support the HD DVD format you talk about it.

[neogeo]

that the huge difference between the 2 formats.

if ya don't know ya better ask somebody.

http://www.digitalpreservat...

[blackmagic]

If film was shot at 60 frames per second then data would be lost but it isn't. Film is shot at 24 frames per second and so the odd and even interlace frames are from the same frame in the source resulting in no loss of visual data. Again, film is shot at 24fps so a 60 frame interlaced signal is able to transmit all of the visual data without losing visual data.
http://www.hometheatermag.c...

http://www.projectorcentral...

http://blog.hometheatermag....

Now, I am not saying that you are not seeing visual artifacts because some televisions have issues with deinterlacing an interlaced signal but be aware that this is an issue with the television not the transmission method. I would suggest checking with your manufacturer to see if there is a firmware update that addresses this issue.

[leinadem2]

It has been really amazing the sound and the quality of the image is breathtaking; I have a 50" plasma 1080p so the $98 toshiba from walmart was a super deal. I just got TRANSFORMER this movie looks great.

[tatical]

That $98 Toshiba you got from Walmart is only 720p/1080i. It's kind of meaningless to get a 50" plasma 1080p, and then get a 720p/1080i HD-DVD player. That match-up is a litle half-baked.

[blackmagic]

tatical,see the links in comment 1.7

[truegamer12]

I think it really depends on the movies

[Marty8370]

No. HD DVD is dead.......

[ruibing]

Is this Lindich guy spamming about HD-DVD, didn't we just get a column from him earlier today? He's making an editorial reply to his own column? He sounds like an HD-DVD advertisement, mainly because he strategically left out a lot of recent developments and understated a lot of important things Blu Ray has going for it.

[speakthetruth]

Your idol doesn't think so:
http://www.highdefdigest.co...

Dwell on that.

If I had a PS3, "I" would buy the HD DVD player after reading this.

[gtgcoolkid]

http://n4g.com/tech/NewsCom...

Still want to go to HD-DVD?

[speakthetruth]

Your post is dishonest and so is neilson. Neilson Data doesn't include Wal-mart and other chains. You're spreding useless propaganda, here it is from your CEOs mouth again:
http://www.highdefdigest.co...

That is not propaganda.

Quit with your lies. Read my link and make up your mind.

[DJ]

If so, Blu-ray is a much better investment. 90% of movie studios support Blu-ray, so the selection is pretty awesome.

[speakthetruth]

That was probably the biggest load of crap I have seen on this site to date.

[blackmagic]

Actually, both formats have about the same number of titles released so far. 343 bd vs 330 hd
http://www.engadgethd.com/2...

As far as studio support, go ahead and take a look at the major studio catalogues for yourself:

Universal is massive (a bit over 7500 catalogue titles):
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

And Paramount/Dreamworks ain't too shabby either (a bit over 3700 catalogue titles):
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

Compare that to:
Columbia/Tristar (a bit over 4000 catalogue titles):
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

MGM (a bit over 3200 catalogue titles)
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

Disney/Buena Vista (a bit over 1700 catalogue titles)
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

20th Century Fox (a bit over 1400 catalogue titles):
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

Sony Pictures (just under 600 Catalogue titles)
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

Lions Gate (just over 200 catalogue titles)
http://www.imdb.com/M/list?...

You see, Universal alone is larger than MGM, Disney/Buena Vista, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Lions Gate combined.

[Bubble Buddy]

well on walmart, it shows 3 shelves of blu-ray and one of hd-dvd... my walmart in canada anywyas, iunno bout u guys

[speakthetruth]

Probably only 5% of the US market has been penetrated with HD quality players and media.

Here are the words of SONY'S CEO:
http://www.highdefdigest.co...

Yeah, Not Good. "Change of Hard Drive", what does that mean? NO BLURAY DRIVE, Maybe.

Go buy the HD-A2, its a great deal. 5 free movies with it, and Transformers is an HD DVD exclusive.

[PirateThom]

It's terrible that such a high profile website doesn't know:

1. The difference between a hard drive and an optical drive
2. That all PS3 games are on Blu-ray, so changing the optical drive means no owners would be able to play all games.

[Peekay]

there are so many of them - & who exactly are you trying to convince bloodmask?

this site really should have a main page for HD DVD vs BR

[Jandre02]

?

[DrPirate]

The article itself is fine, but it's like, why is the 360 beating PS3?

It's all about the content, and truth is, the Blu-Ray will always have more content. Simple as that...360 will always have more content then the PS3 and I expect the 360 to always lead the PS3 in sales by that amount from hereforth and on.

[blackmagic]

See comment 5.2

[pilotpistolpete]

This is the same f*'n article as the last one. Stop spamming.

[xplosneer]

Too many HDDVD Blu Ray articles today....Seriously...Stop....I t hurts....

Can I post an article linking to a petition to stop limit the amount of this news per day? Seeing as how the other petition passed anyways.

[Xbox is the BEST]

the holidays movie sales should pick up. Every HD player sold is will be used on an HDTV, every PS#3 sold won't be on an HDTV. And HD studios have plenty hits next year it will be interesting.

[highps3]

Looks like Ps3 users buy more movies then standalone players. Either way Blu Ray still is selling more. A lot more.

I own a Ps3 and absolutly use it for blu ray movies and connected to a HD set... Who wouldnt?

[jaja1434]

Umm not really. If PS3 users bought more than the standalone buyers then the gap wouldn't be 2:1. It would be something like 10:1 or higher. But your right about one thing, sales do speak for themselves...

[SIXAXISofEVIL]

All this back and forth is distracting from a suprise attack from beta max.

[ReBurn]

HD-DVD is a better deal if that's what you want.

[f7ss1]

bloodmask has to be the biggest hd dvd fanboy ive ever seen in my life, i think there was probly about 3 er 4 stories today posted by him bashing bluray without any real merit. i dont own either format but from what i can see, blu ray is gonna be the winner because its been selling more the whole time and theres about 5 er 6 million people out there with ps3's that are gonna wanna start watchin blu ray movies sooner or later

[PaulyG]

Who would buy a format that does not have fox, sony or disney/buena vista. Thats what it comes down to, the movies! Not who has the cheap (no 1080p) player or anything else. Thats what I don't get. Who in their right mind would buy hd-dvd?? The only people who buy it are people who don't want to support sony. (even though bluray is not just sony).
I think its time for hd-dvd to curl up and die so this stupid format war can be over with.

[speakthetruth]

buy the cheaper priced and equal quality HD DVD player for $98, or upgrade to the 1080p players for a little more (still cheaper than Blu-Ray). I can't tell the diff between 1080i and 1080p, most can't.

Again here is Sony's CEO's words on the matter:
http://www.highdefdigest.co...

Oh yeah, HD DVD has Universal, Paramount, and Many Warner Movies as exclusives.

Blu-Ray needs to Curl up and Die, FANBOY!!!

[LoydX-mas]

Since when did paying $98 for an HD-DVD/dvd player become a bad thing? Anyone can still buy the same titles on SD-DVD and watch them upscaled.

This isn't like game systems where titles are completely exclusive.

[OmegaKulu]

this is your 4th or 5th blu vs HD-DVD crap today. This is a gaming site... try harder with your viral marketing.

[Death]

1080 is 1080. Interlaced or progressive scan, it's the same image quality since it is still 1920x1080 pixels on screen. The differance is in potential framerate since it takes twice as many passes to paint a single 1080 interlaced frame. The crazy thing about plasma, lcd, and LcOS is they will convert an interlaced signal to progressive prior to displaying them.

Unless you have a tv capable of 1080p/24, your signal is being deinterlaced and reinterlaced into a 1080p/30 or 60 format anyway. Motion pictures are filmed in 1080p/24 and tv shows are in 1080p/30. I'm not sure if everyone has noticed yet, but 1080p tv's are now coming with 120hz refresh rates, what does your 1080p tv have?

All is not so simple with 1080 tv's as many of you might now realize. What "True HD" is seems to change weekly. Unless you have a 1080p/24 capable tv refreshing at 120hz, you are no longer king of the hill. Welcome to reality. The good news is you probably didn't know it.

-Death

[Rooftrellen]

"The good news is you probably didn't know it."

But you told them and ruined their day!

I'm kidding, anyone who is so obsessed about these things doesn't have time for things like logic, and will simply blindly say that their format is superior in spite of all reason.

Of course, the truth of the matter is that most people don't have an HD TV yet, and, when they get one, won't get something that measures up to the highest standards right now, so all the worrying about specs and letters means nothing anyway.

[Makroyale]

This article will give you some knowledge as I was wondering myself.

http://blog.hometheatermag....

But you are correct mostly. A 1080p display will deinterlace a 1080i picture from a 1080i HD-DVD player to 1080p with no picture quality loss (as long as you have a capable deinterlacing 1080p TV).

However, if you have a television (like one of the new Pioneer Kuros) that is capable of 72 Hertz than you can set your PS3 to film mode (24 fps) and you will get true 3:3 pulldown as the article states and better Picture quality than a 1080i HD-DVD player.

So I guess the 1080i HD-DVD is a good deal if you don't have a high end TV.

[jaja1434]

I remember when True HD was 720, then it was 1080, then it was 1080p. I'm beginning to think that everyone on this site is filthily rich to be able to afford the True HD(1080p) that is so often thrown out.

[DrDreadlox]

"True HD" applies to audio. 720p, 1080i, and 1080p are all HD, but 1080p is regarded as "full HD".

[vilmer]

How the hell is this guy getting approved to post this debauchery? He's trying to hard.

[Greysturm]

I understand the odd Hddvd vs bluray article on a slow news days bu this is ridicoulous its just a spam attack against bluray which in the end doesnt change the fact that its currently winning on both players (thx to ps3 which even if not all gamers watch movies the few that do make up for it) and movie sales. For god sake the only week of the year looking good for hddvd it still didnt manage to sell more software than bluray so until either of those two facts changes or a studio goes exclusive or neutral stop with the viral campaign that only annoys people. If you guys hate sony and ps3 so much do sometyhing interesting like terrorist attacks being fanboys only leaves you friendless and stupid.

[OmegaKulu]

I don't think they got any friends to start with. Anyway... 5 HD-DVD > Blu-ray article in 1 day from 1 guy is restarted.

[vilmer]

And yet, we have the mindless drones hammering the disagree button to any backlash.

[jaja1434]

Ha lots of these types of articles today. But its Sunday so its to be expected. :)

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Untill then DVD is still king, only a PS3 fan would disagree that DVD is still king.

[ActionBastard]

Only an idiot brings up DVD in a BD/HD DVD discussion. Meh. Bygones.

[Grassroots]

Stop posting this garbage hour after hour. A REAL story announcement will be accepted, weekly numbers, fire-sale, exclusivity deals. This is not news by any standard.

[jaja1434]

Yet by reading it and commenting on it you raise that little number next to the story and make even more newsy. Just pointing out the silliness of it.

[trane007]

This is the 4th damn article you've scrambled up to try and do a "pat back" to hd-dvd. Its pathetic.

First it was "sony digs grave for blu ray" which was bull
Then it was "warner bros drops blu-ray" which was a lie
after that it was "hd-dvd is better than blu-ray" which was false
And now its "is hd-dvd a better deal than blu-ray"?

Um can somebody please report this fanboy dumbass? Please?

[gtgcoolkid]

It takes a lot of time to find these hack stories. And all it takes is one story to bring it all back into perspective.

http://n4g.com/tech/NewsCom...

@below

Heh. Actually its aprrox 95-97% of the market depending on who you go with. I see what you are saying though. The fact is that its important who wins this war because thats where the studios will finally throw all their support behind. BD and HD-DVD don't have to beat DVD for now, right now its important to win in the HD market before concentrating on the overall picture.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

So how is it you know it's bull, a lie or false? look into that magic Blu-Ray ball did ya? you know that standard DVD is still 99% of the market don't you?

[marauder77]

I have been reading this site for many months now. Day after day, these format war stories drive the flame war further into who really cares? I own an XboT36! One day I may purchase a GayStation3, as it is referred to many times on here. Neither of which really matter when it comes to movies. As far as High Def mediums. It is really to early to rule out any and all isn't it?

I can watch HD with 5.1 on a standard dvd if I choose, been there done that. I can download them legally or illegally if I choose. I soon will be able to buy,burn, or borrow, many if not all movies to a holographic disc or flash chips. Both of these formats are quicker and cheaper for per price and performance. Still this does not matter.

Yeah,Yeah, I know but as of today its Bluray and HD-Dvd dude! 99$-1,000$ why is there a difference... If I wanted to jump on board right now. regardless of how many studios for each format. Though I do beleive I read somewhere about importing bluray on Hd-dvd disc's from over seas. Knowing I could get one for $99 and get over $100 worth of movies is a No brainer, regardless of what movies are out now. If a person took the time to do some research. You would find many movies are coming out for both sides, and will most likely grow by the week. Does Sony have to worry? No, I don't think so. It is always going to be about games for them 1 st. for it's PS3. Same for microsoft and it's xbox, with or with out it's ad-on or downloadable content.

When it comes to high fidelity. It is really pointless to argue over 500,000 hd players, or even 1 million. Hell I have near that in regular dvd players in my house now! jk Still though, prices will drive the consumer. Even if your earning enough money in a week to buy a small island. Majority wins, and most people do not want to spend any more than they have to in the end.

I guess in the end. People just like to bash and take sides with which they want to validate an expensive purchase. Maybe in the end if everyone could get along and be content. Then just maybe, You & I could just go to a friends house and watch the Hd-dvd or bluray movie at ya friends house. Atleast until they change ones format again or decide on one or the other.

Games may become a factor for size in the future. For right now I think compression is a good thing for me and my dual layer pc rig. Though for movies, I just dont see one needing anything bigger than 20 gigs let alone 200 gigs. Hell as far as audio 7.1 ... many will argue that the audio track should ship on Vinyl .."thats the old round records we old folks liked back in the day!" The sound quality is better... or is it? Who cares again.

In the end, Both have pro's and con's. No matter what. If someone says different. Then send them my way. I have plenty of $12 Gallon Bluray milk, and access to some $6 Gallon Hd-Dvdgasoline.

[mordecai_]

i have a ps3....and i have no intentions of getting an hd-dvd player...but i gotta give cred where its due....blu ray so far has NONE of my favorite movies....hot fuzz, dawn of the dead remake, shaun of the dead and a whole lotta indie films. i dont think blu ray does enough to support indie films....eh, my two cents worth

[bloodzombie77]

Sorry dude, I gotta say that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were not funny. And as far as indie films go, the good ones at WAY too few and far between for me to care about.

[PimpHandHappy]

how many HD-DVD vs BR news post have you posted in the last two weeks?

im guessing 15

what a tool

I guess its hard finding the bad news so u just try and make news from something that isnt

Blueray is the better format and that 98$ hd player doesnt even play 1080p

so yea this war is already over. Just think the guy at bestbut about to upgrade to 1080p and he see's hd-dvd players only play 1080i

yea its over

Blueray FTW

[blackmagic]

See comment 1.7

[PimpHandHappy]

hot fuzz is the worst movie FUKN ever! Shaun of the Dead?!?!? U 4real

wow

[HarryEtTubMan]

Douchemask is a desperate loser. wow.

[Ashira]

It's so sad. Every day you read comments on articles like these (which I think was really good, btw), I have to hand out more "shut user up" then "let user speak."
What is also so sad is those who have clouded judgments. Why is BD going to win? Look here. Before PS3 came out, HD-DVD was doing circles around BD, and everyone thought HD-DVD would win. Now it's turned around again, so who is to say BD will win? I will certainly n not. The format war isn't over yet and until it's over, there's no sure winner.

And REGARDLESS of what many may think, $100 for an HD-DVD player? It's a bargain! I'm planning on getting one as soon as possible.
Who cares if it doesn't output 1080p? Sure, it's a small, small, small reduction in quality, but it's HD dammit! $100 is a great bargain for players that once cost $500+.
There will be players that output 1080p and 1080p24 soon enough for those who are demanding.

Come on, if anything, this article has many valid points. Would you rather pay $400 and $10 more for a movie just for another format with equal picture and sound quality? I think not. HD-DVD is a steal right now.

And remember! The HD market is in its infancy right now. We can't predict which format will have more titles than the other. Right now, HD-DVD has more. Will BD have more later? Only time will tell!
Why does everyone have to jump to conclusions?

As I see it, BD is for tomorrow and HD-DVD is for today.

[aliveinboston]

Video and audio quality are not the same.

1) Blu-Ray movies consistently rank higher on movie reviews than the same HD-DVD version for picture quality. The higher bit-rate makes a difference there.

2) Audio. Blu-Ray has the bit-rate and capactity for true lossless surround sound audio and has the capacity for future audio formats that include vertical arrangement of speakers so audio is truly three dimensional. Current audio is left-right & front-back. Future adds up-down. Even currently, Blu-Ray offers better sound quality.

3) Blu-Ray has better movies. Hard to argue with this. The sales figures prove it as well.

1. Spider-Man 3 BD 100.00
2. Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy BD 71.95
3. Transformers HD 31.42
4. Meet the Robinsons BD 8.82
5. 300 BD 6.56
6. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer BD 5.03
7. License to Wed BD 4.24
8. The Shining BD 4.11
9. Mr. Brooks BD 4.03
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey BD 3.88

4) There is still only one volume manufacturer of HD-DVD drives, Toshiba. Blu-Ray? Here's a few: Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, etc...

5) HD-DVD is already maxed out. Current movies already use all the capacity on HD-DVD drives. Blu-Ray still has head-room for future advances. And with most players, all you will need is a firmware update. Especially if you have the PS3, which is by far the best and most upgradeable next-gen video player.

[Ashira]

Video and quality is the same. If they're not, then it's the fault of the movie studios for not compressing it properly.
1) Huh... still, this is NOT a format limitation! This is the fault of the compressors of the movie, who can't do it right.
2) Untrue. There is little to no difference between lossless and lossy audio that the human ear can detect. Who is to say that HD-DVD can't do the same? I haven't looked at specs for such surround, but I don't see why not.
3) I don't know about you, but I like some movies on HD-DVD too. This is a matter of taste and not the problem of a format.
4) So?
5) This is untrue. More capacity can be achieved on HD-DVD discs as well as BD discs.

[atlys]

1) Blu-Ray movies consistently rank higher on movie reviews than the same HD-DVD version for picture quality. The higher bit-rate makes a difference there.

actually movies released in both formats score the same or higher on HD DVD. don't believe it, check out highdefdigest.com or the dvd tab on ign sometime.

2) Audio. Blu-Ray has the bit-rate and capactity for true lossless surround sound audio and has the capacity for future audio formats that include vertical arrangement of speakers so audio is truly three dimensional. Current audio is left-right & front-back. Future adds up-down. Even currently, Blu-Ray offers better sound quality.

yes blu ray offers the capacity to support 7.1 channel uncompressed audio, but as of yet there are no releases that support it. not even sony pictures much hyped release of spiderman supports uncompressed 7.1. at any rate, most sound engineers would tell you that you can't even tell the difference.

3) Blu-Ray has better movies. Hard to argue with this. The sales figures prove it as well.

1. Spider-Man 3 BD 100.00
2. Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy BD 71.95
3. Transformers HD 31.42
4. Meet the Robinsons BD 8.82
5. 300 BD 6.56
6. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer BD 5.03
7. License to Wed BD 4.24
8. The Shining BD 4.11
9. Mr. Brooks BD 4.03
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey BD 3.88

blu ray currently holds 61% market share in high def media sales. the high def media market is only about 3% of the entire visual media market. while these sales figures look impressive, it's not even a fart in the wind when compared to dvd sales figures. boasting about having the lead in a market that only comprises 3% is silly and irrelevant. paramount and dreamworks switching sides should've proven to everyone that nothing is written in stone. studios are only loyal to themselves. if HD DVD continues to grow and the profit margins start to look better than they are on blu ray, don't be surprised if more studios switch sides. that whole "they got 150 million to switch" is hogwash. they could make that much in one month with the right box office hit.

4) There is still only one volume manufacturer of HD-DVD drives, Toshiba. Blu-Ray? Here's a few: Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, etc...

that maybe true, but according to the NPD the xbox 360 add-on has sold better than all blu ray stand alones. the best blu ray stand alone is a sony and its only managed to sell just over 100,000 since its release this past summer. blu ray stand alones only account for about 2-3% of blu ray players sold. thats not comforting. the number of people that are gamers and watch movies is insignificant compared to the number of people that are movie goers but not gamers. if blu ray was really catching on, stand alones would also be selling better than HD DVD. how long do you think those other manufactures are going to toe the price line while there players sit on shelves collecting dust? they might be allied with sony right now, but they have to make money too.

5) HD-DVD is already maxed out. Current movies already use all the capacity on HD-DVD drives. Blu-Ray still has head-room for future advances. And with most players, all you will need is a firmware update. Especially if you have the PS3, which is by far the best and most upgradeable next-gen video player.

actually the DVD forum has approved the development of a 51 gig disc, but won't approve of it's use until it is proven to be compatible with all existing players as well as new models. they don't want to screw over early adopters by causing legacy issues. sure blu ray has more capacity, but this isn't a size contest. it's already been said that anything more than 50 gigs would be a waste. its a movie, lets not forget that. and as far as firmware upgrades are concerned, that would require that all current blu ray players have a connection to the internet, which they don't. blu ray players that are profile 1.1 and 2.0 compatible won't be seen until late Q1 or Q2 of 2008. sure the ps3 is capable of upgrade to these profiles, but nothing has been announced for it yet. HD DVD players are all required to have connectivity as to be upgraded with future firmware updates even the lowly A2.

realistically, this is just the start of this war. as hdtv adoption increases, so will the sale of hd media. the only good thing that has come out of this war so far has been the rapid reduction in prices. just look at what these players cost about a year ago on both sides. prices will continue to come down and as they do a clear winner will start to surface. until then, all this back and forth over specs that are utterly meaningless to the average consumer, is a waste of time.

[bloodzombie77]

This is the SAME EXACT ARTICLE FROM EARLIER!!!! Bloodmask is a complete loser douchebag fanboy, and I vote he be exiled from this website, and basically the internet in general.

[level 360]

Shut-up Makroyale you have no credibility.

Have you got bionic eyes to tell the difference between the two? Don't think so...

If Blu-Ray can match the US$99 price offered by HD, that would be a more defining moment than all the bull..sh you'ved been talking and posting about.

[vaan]

This b1tch posts more anti Sony, pro Scumsoft FUD than anyone on here.
Remember. ALWAYS give negative feedback to BLoodStool, MART, PowerOFPenis, XG1, and all those other baby's. They love negativity.

[tk]

Specs: BR > HD-DVD
Available titles BR > HD-DVD
Price BR >= HD-DVD
Player price BR < HD-DVD
Scratch resistant BR > HD-DVD
Image quality BR = HD-DVD

So for 1/5 that makes HD-DVD "better value"?
That means only one of the above 5 criteria translates into being accounted for as "better value"?

So why not just say cheaper player price = better value and nothing else counts. Quite a stupid way of ranking a product I would say.

Really - the retards that call themselves analysts and reviewers.

[Ashira]

OK, seriously now. Where did you get all that misinformation?
Specs: Yes, true. But then again, what do we get from those bigger specs? Better audio? We can't really discern much from lossless/lossy, so no biggie there. Video? Bitrates isn't everything, so there's not much there either. Space? 50 GB is quite enough for a movie. And HD-DVD's theoretical max is about 150 GB.
Available titles: Don't know 100% for sure.
Price: HD-DVD > BR. Why do BR have a better price? More money for something you'll never use / get any better experience from? HD-DVD is cheaper, so I'd say it's better.
Player price: Correct.
Scratch resistant: HD-DVD > BR. Blu-ray is MORE prone to scratches due to the data layer being closer to the disc edge. Plus yields are very low, so how is it better in this category?

And I have to agree with them. Would you buy a $400 player just for 1080p and something else you'll never get any better experience from rather than $100? If yes, then you are a special someone. If not, then you'll have to agree HD-DVD is better value.
BTW, lots of BR titles is actually hiding on HD-DVD too (though the movie studios won't admit that, go figure).