Format war over!!

Comments: 20
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Strike Back below!
by: Mike Sampson Feb. 19, 2008

UPDATE - If you're wondering what this means for Universal and Paramount movies, which were releasing on HD-DVD, they're obviously moving over to Blu-ray. Says Universal: "While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray."

You've seen the signs and heard the rumors - now the truth is here. HD-DVD is dead. The DVD Clinic is reporting that Toshiba has officially pulled the plug on the ill-fated HD-DVD format leaving Blu-ray as the one, true high-def disc. Sez Toshiba in a press release: "Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD-DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD-DVD players and recorders." The move was widely expected after many major retailers began to abandon the format and Toshiba began to lose money on its price reduced HD-DVD players. Toshiba blamed the decision on "recent major changes" in the consumer marketplace but reiterated that they felt HD-DVD was superior going so far as to say they felt "disappointed...for the consumer." Well consider us not so disappointed. We got what we wanted - one HD format. In the end it didn't really matter which it was so long as it was one of them. Toshiba expects to fully cease shipments of existing players in March. Despite the move, they vowed to "full product support and after-sales service" to consumers with HD-DVD product.

Source: DVD Clinic , Toshiba

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jampes
11:35AM on 02/20/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I guess it's cool to see Sony get some love after losing big on Betamax. But not really. Blu-ray is supposedly DRM'd like crazy, which might make for some bumpy early years for everyone (buggy players, discs).

About the pricing, my guess is that now that Toshiba is out, Blu-Ray prices aren't going to drop as fast as they were when there was a competitor. Eventually they'll be che...
I guess it's cool to see Sony get some love after losing big on Betamax. But not really. Blu-ray is supposedly DRM'd like crazy, which might make for some bumpy early years for everyone (buggy players, discs).

About the pricing, my guess is that now that Toshiba is out, Blu-Ray prices aren't going to drop as fast as they were when there was a competitor. Eventually they'll be cheap, but till then I'm happy with regular DVD.

BTW, if you ever saw how much Blu-Ray Discs and players cost, there might be a riot at Best Buy
 
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Crimson_Kahuna
9:23PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I'll be waiting...
.... for the geeks to hack the Blu-Ray players to allow me to turn it into a multi-region player.

To many other than R1 DVDs in my collection to do otherwise. Or has that already happened?
.... for the geeks to hack the Blu-Ray players to allow me to turn it into a multi-region player.

To many other than R1 DVDs in my collection to do otherwise. Or has that already happened?
 
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smok3h
5:15PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
good
excellent. I've been waiting for this format war to be done before I bought my high-def dvd player. Looks like I'll be picking up a blue-ray player this week
excellent. I've been waiting for this format war to be done before I bought my high-def dvd player. Looks like I'll be picking up a blue-ray player this week
 
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studboi69
2:31PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Great news for me. It seems that my PS3 purchase wasn't so much a waste anymore.
Great news for me. It seems that my PS3 purchase wasn't so much a waste anymore.
 
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konfused1
1:35PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I had bought a HDDVD drive for my 360, and bought a like 10 HD films, so now that this happen Im hoping the lower prices or xbox comes out with a blu-ray drive...
I had bought a HDDVD drive for my 360, and bought a like 10 HD films, so now that this happen Im hoping the lower prices or xbox comes out with a blu-ray drive...
 
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Mut
1:12PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
@SkyNet:
I don't claim to be an expert, but from what I understand, Blu-ray had a higher storage capacity than HD, region coding (which HD did not), and a whole bunch of DRM crap.

Really, though, who gives a shit? When we jumped from VHS to DVD, we gained a much higher quality image, optional widescreen, chapter selection, special features, etc. Going from DVD to HD? It...
@SkyNet:
I don't claim to be an expert, but from what I understand, Blu-ray had a higher storage capacity than HD, region coding (which HD did not), and a whole bunch of DRM crap.

Really, though, who gives a shit? When we jumped from VHS to DVD, we gained a much higher quality image, optional widescreen, chapter selection, special features, etc. Going from DVD to HD? It looks and sounds nicer. Whoopdee-shit. They're gonna have to do more than that for me to start replacing my 700+ DVD collection. A lot more.
 
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Zeptron
1:05PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Essentially, a Blu-Ray disc holds much more information than an HD-DVD (and rolls off the tongue far easier), which is why they were deemed superior & won over the marketplace.
Essentially, a Blu-Ray disc holds much more information than an HD-DVD (and rolls off the tongue far easier), which is why they were deemed superior & won over the marketplace.
 
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SkyNet
12:53PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
im familiar with both formats... i have said iw ould wait to buy which ever one won the ofrmat wars... but in all actuality... what were the differences between HD DVD and Blu Ray? (forgive my ignorance, i just never really cared to study up on it)!
im familiar with both formats... i have said iw ould wait to buy which ever one won the ofrmat wars... but in all actuality... what were the differences between HD DVD and Blu Ray? (forgive my ignorance, i just never really cared to study up on it)!
 
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LordSimen
12:30PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Good. The superior format has won and all is right with the word.
Good. The superior format has won and all is right with the word.
 
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cricker
12:27PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
GOOD
HD-DVD was inferior and deserved the death it got. Yeah consumers,lower prices with one format, thank god!
HD-DVD was inferior and deserved the death it got. Yeah consumers,lower prices with one format, thank god!
 
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Snowboy
12:14PM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Meh. I don't care. Just put a regular DVD in my hand and I'm happy. :)
Meh. I don't care. Just put a regular DVD in my hand and I'm happy. :)
 
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DeejayForte
11:59AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I'm glad I'm still one of the few schmoes that actually doesn't give a shit about the format war and is sticking with his plain old throwback dvd's. ^_^
I'm glad I'm still one of the few schmoes that actually doesn't give a shit about the format war and is sticking with his plain old throwback dvd's. ^_^
 
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Cipher Jo
11:53AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Almost There
I'm glad there's only one format. My greatest wish, and I think we are nearly there...is to not physically own 1,000DVDs but rather have them stored by a company and I can watch what I own for free anytime, anywhere and what I don't own I can rent. That way I don't have to lug around all these DVDs, nor have to worry about my Hard Drives failing!
I'm glad there's only one format. My greatest wish, and I think we are nearly there...is to not physically own 1,000DVDs but rather have them stored by a company and I can watch what I own for free anytime, anywhere and what I don't own I can rent. That way I don't have to lug around all these DVDs, nor have to worry about my Hard Drives failing!
 
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jmar
11:33AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Now that it's "over"
The companies won't have anyone or anything to blame when their HD DVDs don't sell. Asking people to rebuy all their movies when DVDs just really started coming out less than 10 years ago isn't going to go over well, whether there's a clear format winner or not. With the technology moving so fast, I'll be sticking to regular DVDs, thanks.
The companies won't have anyone or anything to blame when their HD DVDs don't sell. Asking people to rebuy all their movies when DVDs just really started coming out less than 10 years ago isn't going to go over well, whether there's a clear format winner or not. With the technology moving so fast, I'll be sticking to regular DVDs, thanks.
 
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Vong
11:03AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
The benefit of HD-DVD is not in movies, but in computers. I sincerely hope they keep the technology open so they can allow people to burn onto HD-DVD discs than the Blu-Ray.
The benefit of HD-DVD is not in movies, but in computers. I sincerely hope they keep the technology open so they can allow people to burn onto HD-DVD discs than the Blu-Ray.
 
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Spoonard
11:02AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Thanks Sony!!
Sony did what they set out to do. The consumer choice has been eliminated. Now there is only BD for HiDef DVD's. Bend over and prepare for the butt-raping of your life!!
Sony did what they set out to do. The consumer choice has been eliminated. Now there is only BD for HiDef DVD's. Bend over and prepare for the butt-raping of your life!!
 
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Approverman
10:08AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
So you've won
Ok Sony, you got your payback from the "BETA-WARS". Now will you lower those damn prices for your players? those with HD DVD players...I hear you can give them to IKEA and they will use them as props for their store :-)
Ok Sony, you got your payback from the "BETA-WARS". Now will you lower those damn prices for your players? those with HD DVD players...I hear you can give them to IKEA and they will use them as props for their store :-)
 
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JimmmyChopblock
9:46AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
haha
are they kidding? They feel sorry for the consumer?? Yeah, I feel really sad that the future of DVD's will be on a superior disc format that offers insane amounts of storage space for more uncompressed video - rather than HD-DVD which basically does little more than compress HD footage so that it can fit on a disc very similar to a standard dual-layer DVD.

I don't think Blu Ray...
are they kidding? They feel sorry for the consumer?? Yeah, I feel really sad that the future of DVD's will be on a superior disc format that offers insane amounts of storage space for more uncompressed video - rather than HD-DVD which basically does little more than compress HD footage so that it can fit on a disc very similar to a standard dual-layer DVD.

I don't think Blu Ray will have a problem with digital downloads. Many people, myself included, actually like to own copies of our movies that don't disappear in the blink of an eye due to an unfortunate hard drive malfunction. Also, portability of said movies is another major plus... ever try using the Nintendo Virtual Console? Good luck bringing Super Mario Bros. to your buddies house to knock out a few levels. Same situation.
 
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NINJARTIST
8:49AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I'll be sticking to regular DVD

I am also "disappointed for the consumer" ...Ah well, at least this decision will have me saving some money.

I am also "disappointed for the consumer" ...Ah well, at least this decision will have me saving some money.
 
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Spoonard
7:22AM on 02/19/2008 Add as a friend | MFC profile
It's not over....
It's still far from over. Blu-Ray still needs to prove itself against regular SD DVD's and digital downloads. I'm a major fan of the latter. www.vudu.com
It's still far from over. Blu-Ray still needs to prove itself against regular SD DVD's and digital downloads. I'm a major fan of the latter. www.vudu.com