As of today, I've got a whopping TWENTY-FOUR pre-orders on amazon and FYE.com courtesy of gift cards! And I still need to order Midnight Run, Smokin' Aces, Trading Places, Coming To America and possibly Black Christmas (depending on reviews). Wait until Warner & Paramount start gearing up along with Universal -- I'll be broke! :eek:


• Failure To Launch
• The Game
• The Jerk
• Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind
• The Nutty Professor
• The Good Shepherd
• The 40-Year Old Virgin
• A Scanner Darkly
• Dog Day Afternoon
• Happy Feet
• Alpha Dog
• T2 (France)
• March Of the Penguins
• Lost In Translation
• Dragonheart
• The Big Lebowski
• The Frighteners
• The Skeleton Key
• The Architect
• Feast
• Dreamgirls
• Flags Of Our Fathers
• Payback
• The Fountain

Bob:

Last week neither side had any new releases . . .this week HD DVD has no new releases. We of the HD DVD have gone 2 weeks with no new releases. It is simply a fact . . . nothing more.

Lee

Plenty of HD-DVD content to buy for me, and I haven't minded watching exclusives such as The Prestige and The Guardian from netflix in glorious upconverted quality.

Good slelection of movies there Bob.

There are certainly more movies than I can afford. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress.

Since I bought a BD player, I think there has been more HD DVD announcements. It was a good time for me to beging BD with the HD DVD lull. But I am anxious to pickup many of the HD DVD titles coming: Children of Men, Happy Feet, The Good Shepherd, Smokin' Aces, Harsh Times, Eternal Sunshine..., The Nutty Professor, 40-Year Old Virgin, The Fountain, The Hurricane, Smokey and the Bandit, Big Lebowski, Midnight Run, The Frighteners, Coming To America, Trading Places.

Good slelection of movies there Bob.

There are certainly more movies than I can afford. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress.


I can't afford them all either! I've returned tons of SD DVD's -- some brand new & never opened -- and I've generated enough in gift cards to fund this onslaught of titles. One of these days, I'm going to run out of credit and then I'm in deep sh*t! That's when the wife will step in and try to put the hammer down! :D

I respect you doing your part, NOW if we could all support a play like your HD DVD would be in good shape.

Plenty of HD-DVD content to buy for me, and I haven't minded watching exclusives such as The Prestige and The Guardian from netflix in glorious upconverted quality.

Don't forget The Prestige is apparently due to be released on HD DVD in the UK

Besides Alpha Dog & Feast, which I haven't seen nor heard many reviews of, these are all great movies that I must have! I'm dying to see Children Of Men, Flags, and Dreamgirls, and I am so looking forward to seeing Frighteners, Big Lebowski, Payback, The Game, The Jerk and T2 in HD (just wish T2 was the DC)!

In between posts, I actually went back & added Midnight Run because I still had almost enough in credit on amazon to cover it! It's a sickness, I swear! ;)

Don't forget The Prestige is apparently due to be released on HD DVD in the UK


Don't you worry -- that one is a definite for me as well! Brotherhood Of the Wolf may need to be picked up as well, but I'll wait for the reviews first.

I just wish Rocky Balboa was being released overseas as well so I could get that one. The wife & I really liked the movie at the theater. But not nearly enough to buy another player and sell my soul to the devil (Sony)! :D

I respect you doing your part, NOW if we could all support a play like your HD DVD would be in good shape.


I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:
Nice collection and nice theater!

For me, the fact remains that last year I purchased over 70 HD DVDs in six months. In 2007, I have purchased 2 and have 2 on pre-order through June. Yeah, maybe I'm more picky now, but I haven't seen a lot I'm interested in yet this year. I'm averaging less than 1 HD DVD bought per month right now. Most of the movies people are listing as "buys" are, at best, "rentals" for me. I hope things pick up in the second half of the year.

Bob you need to break We Were Soldiers open and watch it!

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:


You have too much time on your hands Bob....LOLOL Impressive picture!

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:

Hey Bob,

If my math is right, you have 123 HD DVD movies at a cost of over $2000.00 dollars +. Now that's impressive and I am jealous.

Randy

Plenty of HD-DVD content to buy for me, and I haven't minded watching exclusives such as The Prestige and The Guardian from netflix in glorious upconverted quality.

The Sony PQ sucks so bad on BD that Upconversion is actually an upgrade. :eek:

are you kidding?

The Sony PQ sucks so bad on BD that Upconversion is actually an upgrade. :eek:
:rolleyes:

As of today, I've got a whopping TWENTY-FOUR pre-orders on amazon and FYE.com courtesy of gift cards! And I still need to order Midnight Run, Smokin' Aces, Trading Places, Coming To America and possibly Black Christmas (depending on reviews). Wait until Warner & Paramount start gearing up along with Universal -- I'll be broke! :eek:


• Failure To Launch
• The Game
• The Jerk
• Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind
• The Nutty Professor
• The Good Shepherd
• The 40-Year Old Virgin
• A Scanner Darkly
• Dog Day Afternoon
• Happy Feet
• Alpha Dog
• T2 (France)
• March Of the Penguins
• Lost In Translation
• Dragonheart
• The Big Lebowski
• The Frighteners
• The Skeleton Key
• The Architect
• Feast
• Dreamgirls
• Flags Of Our Fathers
• Payback
• The Fountain
^ Bolded movies are really good

Good list overall though, however I would recommend not getting Smokin' Aces, that movie was abysmal except for Alicia Keys.

Happy Feet and Dreamgirls are the only two I will buy. But I will rent all the others!

^ Bolded movies are really good

Good list overall though, however I would recommend not getting Smokin' Aces, that movie was abysmal except for Alicia Keys.

I know we all have different tastes but....
Your telling me that The Nutty Professor is a good movie but Terminator 2 and The Jerk aren't?

Thats one nice preorder list :)

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:

:eek: i bought all the available HD DVD titles :P

I agree with what the others around here are saying. I'm not buying into the smoke and mirrors campaign. The release of HD-DVD titles has been anemic at best.
As I said in another thread, I am leaning more towards Blue Ray every day. They are at least releasing some good titles.
Plus, I feel better about buying into a format that is actually being promoted.

Craig

I am so glad that after a couple of slow weeks things are back to normal again. From the day Children of Men arrives there are good releases every week for months to come and not everything is even announced yet. Indeed no reason to complain anymore. But I guess people always find a reason to complain ;)

oh they will definitely find a reason

I agree with what the others around here are saying. I'm not buying into the smoke and mirrors campaign. The release of HD-DVD titles has been anemic at best.
As I said in another thread, I am leaning more towards Blue Ray every day. They are at least releasing some good titles.
Plus, I feel better about buying into a format that is actually being promoted.

Craig


Craig,

I must say, I couldn't disagree with you more. If any format has had a "smoke & mirrors" game, it's been Blu-Ray. If you haven't heard, FOX just confirmed yet ANOTHER canceled release in Mr & Mrs Smith, again with no explanation! That makes about 15 releases that they boasted about at CES that have been dropped -- leaving little else but a couple of titles waiting in the wings.

Sure, BD has more recent hits coming in the immediate future than HD-DVD like Casino Royale, Pirates, Cars, Rocky Balboa (moderate hit), but what have they offered previously? HD-DVD has a much better library of films with recent exclusive hits like Batman Begins, King Kong, V For Vendetta, Lucky # Slevin, Poseidon, Brokeback Mountain, Charlie & Chocolate Factory, T3, Bourne Ultimatum, The Mummy, Mummy Returns, Meet the Parents, Fast & Furious trilogy (not my cup of tea, but hits nonetheless), and other great classics like Spartacus, The Sting, The Thing, American Werewolf In London, Animal House, Casablanca, The Deer Hunter, etc, etc.

It's really tiring to keep hearing everyone complain about the releases, as if anything pre-2006 doesn't count! :rolleyes: The recently announced titles from Universal ALONE (Children Of men, Scarface, Monty Python's Meaning Of Life, Erin Brockovich, Legend, Lost In Translation, Midnight Run, The Frighteners, etc) is more compelling a slate of titles to me than a half-dozen recent blockbusters!

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:
Oh my god, you have almost ten times as many as I! :eek:

But I live in Germany where we haven´t seen hardly any new releases since end of last year. Maybe that´s an excuse.
I would probably buy seven or eight out of Bob Black´s list. But the way things are going over here in Germany, I´ll be lucky if they are released by the end of 2008! :(
Guess I´ll have to import some more some day...

Craig,

I must say, I couldn't disagree with you more. If any format has had a "smoke & mirrors" game, it's been Blu-Ray. If you haven't heard, FOX just confirmed yet ANOTHER canceled release in Mr & Mrs Smith, again with no explanation! That makes about 15 releases that they boasted about at CES that have been dropped -- leaving little else but a couple of titles waiting in the wings.

Sure, BD has more recent hits coming in the immediate future than HD-DVD like Casino Royale, Pirates, Cars, Rocky Balboa (moderate hit), but what have they offered previously? HD-DVD has a much better library of films with recent exclusive hits like Batman Begins, King Kong, V For Vendetta, Lucky # Slevin, Poseidon, Brokeback Mountain, Charlie & Chocolate Factory, T3, Bourne Ultimatum, The Mummy, Mummy Returns, Meet the Parents, Fast & Furious trilogy (not my cup of tea, but hits nonetheless), and other great classics like Spartacus, The Sting, The Thing, American Werewolf In London, Animal House, Casablanca, The Deer Hunter, etc, etc. It's really tiring to keep hearing everyone complain about the releases, as if anything pre-2006 does not count! :rolleyes:


Here is my quick reasoning...
I am a fan of the older movies. More so than the recent movie releases of the past few years. BUT, many times the older movies like Casablanca I am content with on SD-DVD. The newer releases like Casino Royal for example are the ones I am looking forward to seeing on HD.
Now, I don't know what Casablanca looks like on HD-DVD. But I know some of the older stuff is slightly better at best than its SD-DVD counterpart.
I think this is where Blue Ray is winning out for me.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have been an HD-DVD supporter since I first seen it. I want an XA2 so bad I can taste it. Infact, the XA2 is the only thing that is keeping me from going BD. But, I am finding it hard to support a format that seems to be left to its own demise by Toshiba. If Toshiba is not going to market its own product... HD-DVD will ultimately die and I refuse to spend my money on their format.

Craig

Now, don't get me wrong. I have been an HD-DVD supporter since I first seen it. I want an XA2 so bad I can taste it. Infact, the XA2 is the only thing that is keeping me from going BD. But, I am finding it hard to support a format that seems to be left to its own demise by Toshiba. If Toshiba is not going to market its own product... HD-DVD will ultimately die and I refuse to spend my money on their format.

Craig

Fair enough. I think you would be greatly surprised by the quality of most of the older films like Robin Hood, Casablanca, Forbidden Planet, The Sting...just look at the threads regarding these titles. Then there are later classics like John Carpenter's The Thing & Dune which look phenomenal for their age!

I just don't know what else Toshiba can do but continue to release value products that perform great and feature upconverting second-to-none! I'd love to get an XA-2 myself, but I may have to settle for the A-20 as my 2nd player. Unlike you, I see no reason to support Blu-Ray. Much like the PS3, the format is over-hyped, over-priced, and under-performing. Sony is well aware that the only factor even keeping Blu-Ray alive is their strong-armed tactics with the studio support. Take that away and ask Blu-Ray to compete on merit alone & it falls flat on its face!

Here is my quick reasoning...
I am a fan of the older movies. More so than the recent movie releases of the past few years. BUT, many times the older movies like Casablanca I am content with on SD-DVD. The newer releases like Casino Royal for example are the ones I am looking forward to seeing on HD.
Now, I don't know what Casablanca looks like on HD-DVD. But I know some of the older stuff is slightly better at best than its SD-DVD counterpart.


Craig
I keep reading this, and it just doesn't make any sense. I can understand not liking older movies, but just because they are old, doesn't mean they won't looik good, or better than the SD DVD, in HD. Read the reviews of Casablanca, or Forbidden Planet. I have FP, and the difference between the SD and HD discs is HUGE-just as large as any other movie, possibly more than some.
To say that older movies won't look good in HD, is just plain wrong-misinformation spread by BR zealots.
J

hey, here's me going out again on a limb... if the Crank SD DVD looked like ass, then the jump to "tier 0" status on the BD side would be all the more remarkable.

Shockingly, a film shot in HD with a good HD master looks good on BD (or HD...duh), =and= looks supergood on DVD. Those are the =easy= titles to encode, and is thus all the more shocking when there are problems.

It's when you look at the Cassablancas/Searchers/AoRH of this world that the true HD benefit is seen, IMO. An old, noisy, grainy, beloved film can look like that, a film, not a swarm of MPEG2 480i artifacts and softness that we've all taken for granted.

Don't get me wrong, loved Crank, thought Casino Royale looked purdy, Departed rocked hard, but I really get my HD rocks off when I see classic films look better than they've ever looked at home, period - not just because their classic, but because the nature of film grain makes doing compressed video total hell, so when it's done right and well we can all celebrate.

I just don't know what else Toshiba can do but continue to release value products that perform great and feature upconverting second-to-none! I'd love to get an XA-2 myself, but I may have to settle for the A-20 as my 2nd player. Unlike you, I see no reason to support Blu-Ray. Much like the PS3, the format is over-hyped, over-priced, and under-performing. Sony is well aware that the only factor even keeping Blu-Ray alive is their strong-armed tactics with the studio support. Take that away and ask Blu-Ray to compete on merit alone & it falls flat on its face!

I'm not sure I understand your argument. You are saying, take away the intrinsic studio support advantage that Blu-ray has and is part and parcel with owning and enjoying the format, but let HD DVD keep the advantage of "value" (which is debatable considering the PS3 is $499, performs well, and does more than a standalone player can do), and given this scenario, Blu-ray would fall flat on its face?

First of all, why are we making up fantasy scenarios in order to allow HD DVD to compete better (such as taking away Blu-ray's studio support advantage, which is part and parcel with the term "Blu-ray" at this point)? Shouldn't HD DVD also compete on "merit alone" or does this, in your world, not include studio support, movies and new releases? Are you just talking about specs? Price? What exactly consitutes, in your world, "merit alone"?

I'm also confused on why Sony is to blame for studios releasing more movies on Blu-ray lately? Would this not come part and parcel with any format that has 5 more exclusive major studios? Why is Sony to blame for an influx of new movie releases by OTHER companies?

The PS3 that is $499 is nearly impossible to find. If you are comparing the PS3 to a Toshiba stand alone, the PS3 cannot be fully controlled by a universal remote at this point and it can not send lossless audio to your non-HDMI receiver. These are two huge things for me and downloading HD trailers which everyone seems so excited about and playing video games are much lower on my priority list.

Things are about to swing in HD DVD's favor as far as releases are concerned starting on March 27 all the way through the end of the year.

I hope the BR crew enjoyed their little lead, it's about to go puff!

But the again, they could start the "buy 1 get 4 free" numbers cooking strategy again. ;)

I hope the BR crew enjoyed their little lead, it's about to go puff!



The Blu Ray lead is going to go 'puff'? I think you have been puffing something..... :p

If you meant 'poof', I am looking forward to the Amzon ranks going back to HD DVD.

So, when would you venture a guess as to when HD DVD will take back the lead? A week? A month? A year?

The Blu Ray lead is going to go 'puff'? I think you have been puffing something..... :p

If you meant 'poof', I am looking forward to the Amzon ranks going back to HD DVD.

So, when would you venture a guess as to when HD DVD will take back the lead? A week? A month? A year?

April 15th Poof !! Hd-dvd will be ahead again !!
You been in the wine celler or what ??LOL

Bob

I'm not sure I understand your argument. You are saying, take away the intrinsic studio support advantage that Blu-ray has and is part and parcel with owning and enjoying the format, but let HD DVD keep the advantage of "value" (which is debatable considering the PS3 is $499, performs well, and does more than a standalone player can do), and given this scenario, Blu-ray would fall flat on its face?

First of all, why are we making up fantasy scenarios in order to allow HD DVD to compete better (such as taking away Blu-ray's studio support advantage, which is part and parcel with the term "Blu-ray" at this point)? Shouldn't HD DVD also compete on "merit alone" or does this, in your world, not include studio support, movies and new releases? Are you just talking about specs? Price? What exactly consitutes, in your world, "merit alone"?

I'm also confused on why Sony is to blame for studios releasing more movies on Blu-ray lately? Would this not come part and parcel with any format that has 5 more exclusive major studios? Why is Sony to blame for an influx of new movie releases by OTHER companies?


Well, I hate to break it to ya, but he is right.
Infact the PS3 is not the value it is hyped to be. Does it up-convert SD-DVD's??
This to me is what is keeping Toshiba in the game. The XA2 is incredible. I challenge you to pit one of the current Blue Ray players against it. I just finished reading my recent edition of Home Theater magazine. you should read it as well. They infact will confirm what I am saying about Blue Rays up conversion short comings.
I ask, why can't Blue Ray make players that will up convert as well as the XA2?? They certainly cost enough. The pioneer which weighs in at almost twice the price as the XA2 is the only one that comes close.
This is the sole reason I have not bought a Blue Ray player and have not completly ruled out HD-DVD.
If both formats had equal studio support, Blue Ray would be dead by mid summer.

Craig

Well, I hate to break it to ya, but he is right.
Infact the PS3 is not the value it is hyped to be. Does it up-convert SD-DVD's??
This to me is what is keeping Toshiba in the game. The XA2 is incredible. I challenge you to pit one of the current Blue Ray players against it. I just finished reading my recent edition of Home Theater magazine. you should read it as well. They infact will confirm what I am saying about Blue Rays up conversion short comings.
I ask, why can't Blue Ray make players that will up convert as well as the XA2?? They certainly cost enough. The pioneer which weighs in at almost twice the price as the XA2 is the only one that comes close.
This is the sole reason I have not bought a Blue Ray player and have not completly ruled out HD-DVD.


He is right because HD DVD players do upconversion better? When did this become a big talking point? Most of us have great upconverting players already--it is nothing new and not worth being format exclusive about since we aren't even talking about upconversion, we are talking movies already in high def. If that's the sole reason you have not bought a Blu-ray player that seems pretty miniscule don't you think.

Sony has announced that the PS3 will upconvert DVD's as part of the next firmware update BTW.


If both formats had equal studio support, Blue Ray would be dead by mid summer.


If Lou Malnati's pizza in Chicago had as many storefronts as Domino's here, Domino's would be dead here by next year. But that is a meaningless fantasy statement designed to change the reality in which we live.

If I had as much money as Bill Gates, I could have the same size house as him, so Bill's house size advantage is meaningless. Just give me the exact same amount of money and you'll see.

But the fact is such reasoning isn't even worth bringing up. It is purely a fantasy scenario designed to completely change reality to selectively give one side advantages that the other enjoys without doing the same for the other.

Both formats do not have equal studio support so there is no point in bringing up such a scenario, a scenario that may never even happen.

Either way I do not agree. Giving HD DVD all the studio support in the world would not make Blu-ray "dead by mid summer" unless you take all that support away from Blu-ray. This is evidenced by the fact that the Blu-ray sales momentum shift and current lead appear to be driven mostly in part by the PS3, a piece of hardware that just launched and will continue to sell through mid summer. The PS3 is not going away by mid summer so neither would Blu-ray.

Your pound for pound studio argument does not work even today. The Departed, a movie available on both formats with a completely neutral studio (hence giving HD DVD equal studio and movie parity as you had wanted), sold almost twice as many copies on Blu-ray as HD DVD. So neutral studios putting out a movie on both formats currently sell more copies of the disc with "Blu-ray" printed on it than the one with "HD DVD," making the idea suspect that the format more likely to die would ironically be the one that is selling more copies of the exact same movie.

Either way I do not agree. Giving HD DVD all the studio support Blu-ray has would not make Blu-ray "dead by mid summer" given that the Blu-ray sales momentum shift and current lead appear to be driven mostly in part by the PS3, which just launched and will continue to sell through mid summer. The PS3 is not going away by mid summer.

You're right -- if HD-DVD had equal studio support, Blu-Ray wouldn't be dead by summer -- it actually would have been DOA -- it would never have even made it to the summer! This is because HD-DVD is the far superior value. It's the very reason why HD-DVD led in sales all throughout 2006. Sure, the PS3 gave BD some momentum after its launch, but don't overlook the fact that Sony & Fox have been discounting software titles left & right since January. TWO BOGO sales at Best Buy, BOGO sales at Fry's, 5 rebate forms enclosed with every PS3, 50%-off sale at amazon...Blu-Ray has been scrambling constantly in an attempt to kill HD-DVD before they saturate the market with bargain players. This is the very reason why I stated that BD cannot succeed simply on merit. You'd be foolish to think otherwise. Look at the rankings on amazon for Blu-Ray discs now that they've been slashed in half during this sale. Don't think HD-DVD discs wouldn't have a similar, dramatic spike if Universal was willing to cut their prices in half!

Your pound for pound studio argument does not work even today. The Departed, a movie available on both formats with a completely neutral studio (hence giving HD DVD equal studio and movie parity as you wanted), sold almost twice as many copies on Blu-ray as HD DVD.

Far be it for me to point out the obvious, but the HD-DVD / DVD Combo was $5 more than the Blu-Ray version. Don't discount the fact that many, many dual-format consumers opted for the cheaper version, as illustrated in numerous threads on this very forum!

See, when you look at sales figures, you should actually think about the circumstances that affect such sales. When there are nearly 2 million BD players in the market courtesy of the PS3, yet the format just weeks ago finally reached and surpassed HD-DVD in sales, this is a problem! Despite Sony's subsidizing of the PS3, disc manufacturing, giving away software to increase market share, and the marketing blitz, they've still not even reached a million discs sold! Considering the circumstances, that's pathetic!

He is right because HD DVD players do upconversion better? When did this become a big talking point? Most of us have great upconverting players already--it is nothing new and not worth being format exclusive about since we aren't even talking about upconversion, we are talking movies already in high def. If that's the sole reason you have not bought a Blu-ray player that seems pretty miniscule don't you think.Sorry, but your Oppo or Panasonic unconvert DVD player doesn't hold a candle to the upconversion quality of the XA2 and for those that have hundreds or thousands of DVD's, some limited editions, quality upconversion is always a selling point.

Sony has announced that the PS3 will upconvert DVD's as part of the next firmware update BTW.Sony has not confirmed this. Please stop spreading rumors or provide a source.


If Lou Malnati's pizza in Chicago had as many storefronts as Domino's here, Domino's would be dead here by next year. But that is a meaningless fantasy statement designed to change the reality in which we live.No, what you would have is two Pizza places with equal distribution and the consuming public would be the determining factor as to who sells more Pizza. "I personally do not like being told what to do. I do this crazy thing called.... thinking" --George Carlin

Your pound for pound studio argument does not work even today. The Departed, a movie available on both formats with a completely neutral studio (hence giving HD DVD equal studio and movie parity as you had wanted), sold almost twice as many copies on Blu-ray as HD DVD. So neutral studios putting out a movie on both formats currently sell more copies of the disc with "Blu-ray" printed on it than the one with "HD DVD," making the idea suspect that the format more likely to die would ironically be the one that is selling more copies of the exact same movie.I'm not trying to put spin on this. Departed selling better on BD than HD-DVD is a fact. However there are three factors that I think could have contributed, therefore The Departed might not be the best example.

1. PS3 - This film hits dead center in the target demographic of PS3 owners. I would like to make the same sales comparisons with Happy Feet when it is released. I think we will see a different trend. Casablanca was on the top of the HD-DVD sales list. I think there are some differences in the demographic between the two formats at current time.
2. PCM - All I hear about on these forums is how much better PCM is, even though in theory it isn't. Anyway, this led many people with both formats to choose the BD over the HD-DVD.
3. Price - Unless I am mistaken, I believe the Blu-Ray version was several dollars cheaper. Again, reason for dual format supporters to choose the BD version.

Craig,

I must say, I couldn't disagree with you more. If any format has had a "smoke & mirrors" game, it's been Blu-Ray. If you haven't heard, FOX just confirmed yet ANOTHER canceled release in Mr & Mrs Smith, again with no explanation! That makes about 15 releases that they boasted about at CES that have been dropped -- leaving little else but a couple of titles waiting in the wings.
To be fair, Fox has not cancelled these releases. They have been delayed. Fox studios is similar to Universal in that they want to bring extra content about their films to the viewer. It seems as if Fox is holding these titles until BD-J interactivity is functional.

TheLoveone is just another BD troll around here. If you look at his other posts, you'll know what I mean.

I think some guys should spend less time coming over here and pissing on HD DVD while convieniently not pointing out just what those killer aps are that Blu has sitting on the shelves right now. You wan't to pound your chests in victory already? Then instead of coming over here to an HD forum and telling HD what we don't have (I.E. the upper hand on the sales graphs that continuously change, sales figures for both are squat right now vs SD, just a fact) how about sticking to your, what was it, oh yeah, content to prove your point...so ghead - tell us what YOU have thats such a fantastic group of movies that were missing out on, then you can rub it in. Whats that? :::crickets::: Yes, you've got some nice titles, with more coming, SO DOES HD, but face it...NEITHER side has that GREAT stuff at this moment, yet some of you act like YOU currently have the Gladiators, LOTR's, Bravehearts, Spielberg stuff, Star Wars, etc, on BD and HD has nothing....again, neither has that yet. I love the analogy I read here a few days back - the two ticks fighting/bragging over the poor dog they're hanging out on - true. =/

He is right because HD DVD players do upconversion better? When did this become a big talking point? Most of us have great upconverting players already--it is nothing new and not worth being format exclusive about since we aren't even talking about upconversion, we are talking movies already in high def. If that's the sole reason you have not bought a Blu-ray player that seems pretty miniscule don't you think.

Sony has announced that the PS3 will upconvert DVD's as part of the next firmware update BTW.



If Lou Malnati's pizza in Chicago had as many storefronts as Domino's here, Domino's would be dead here by next year. But that is a meaningless fantasy statement designed to change the reality in which we live.

If I had as much money as Bill Gates, I could have the same size house as him, so Bill's house size advantage is meaningless. Just give me the exact same amount of money and you'll see.

But the fact is such reasoning isn't even worth bringing up. It is purely a fantasy scenario designed to completely change reality to selectively give one side advantages that the other enjoys without doing the same for the other.

Both formats do not have equal studio support so there is no point in bringing up such a scenario, a scenario that may never even happen.

Either way I do not agree. Giving HD DVD all the studio support in the world would not make Blu-ray "dead by mid summer" unless you take all that support away from Blu-ray. This is evidenced by the fact that the Blu-ray sales momentum shift and current lead appear to be driven mostly in part by the PS3, a piece of hardware that just launched and will continue to sell through mid summer. The PS3 is not going away by mid summer so neither would Blu-ray.

Your pound for pound studio argument does not work even today. The Departed, a movie available on both formats with a completely neutral studio (hence giving HD DVD equal studio and movie parity as you had wanted), sold almost twice as many copies on Blu-ray as HD DVD. So neutral studios putting out a movie on both formats currently sell more copies of the disc with "Blu-ray" printed on it than the one with "HD DVD," making the idea suspect that the format more likely to die would ironically be the one that is selling more copies of the exact same movie.


SD DVD up-conversion is very important. I am sure that if Blue Ray had a decent up-converting player, it would be important with you as well. The fact is, I have over 250 movies and I am not in any rush to replace 80-90 percent of them. I actually have the Denon 2910. Pretty decent up-converting player. But I want convenience. I want my next HD player to eliminate the Denon. My plans are to sell the Denon and use part of the $$ for a new HD player. Just not sure what format (HD-DVD/BD) yet.
So no, I don’t think it is pretty miniscule that Blue Ray players don’t up-convert well.
Sony is going to make a firmware upgrade for the PS3 to up-convert eh. So, are they going to address their only analog choice of stereo any time soon??
Actually, I think if HD-DVD had the same studio support as Blue Ray, Sony’s format would be dead by mid summer. Why, well for starters, why would you go out and pay 30-40-50 percent more for a product when at best is equal to HD-DVD??
If Toshiba had the studio support, it would then hold content, player price and performance in its advantage. Tell me how that wouldn’t spell doom for either format??

Craig

I'm also confused on why Sony is to blame for studios releasing more movies on Blu-ray lately? Would this not come part and parcel with any format that has 5 more exclusive major studios? Why is Sony to blame for an influx of new movie releases by OTHER companies?

BTW, I'm really jealous of the huge assortment of great films coming from FOX Studios...how many do they have announced through June right now, TWO!! :p

Weinstein Pictures has twice as many coming to HD-DVD, for Christ's sake, and they're a brand new studio. Mike Dunn is a complete tool, and Fox support has been pathetic. It's more like Disney & Sony versus Universal, and I'll take Universal any day of the week!

BTW, I'm really jealous of the huge assortment of great films coming from FOX Studios...how many do they have announced through June right now, TWO!! :p

Weinstein Pictures has twice as many coming to HD-DVD, for Christ's sake, and they're a brand new studio. Mike Dunn is a complete tool, and Fox support has been pathetic. It's more like Disney & Sony versus Universal, and I'll take Universal any day of the week!


Thedigitalbits is reporting that Fox is putting some releases on hold for technical reasons. Sounds like either AVC encodes or BD-J to me. More than that, we already know that the releases that have been postponed are sure to come out in the next few months.

X-Men 3 sold rather well at PS3 launch. Kingdom of Heaven is one of the best discs (and movies) available on any high definition format. Ice Age 2 was the first CGI movie on BD and is one of the format's biggest proponents. Is it coincidental that the Fox releases slowed when they took over MGM's distribution duties in addition to their own?

Nah, I think Fox is a fairly strong supporter of the format. Stronger than WB's been supporting HD DVD as of late. ;)

Thedigitalbits is reporting that Fox is putting some releases on hold for technical reasons. Sounds like either AVC encodes or BD-J to me. More than that, we already know that the releases that have been postponed are sure to come out in the next few months.

X-Men 3 sold rather well at PS3 launch. Kingdom of Heaven is one of the best discs (and movies) available on any high definition format. Ice Age 2 was the first CGI movie on BD and is one of the format's biggest proponents. Is it coincidental that the Fox releases slowed when they took over MGM's distribution duties in addition to their own?

Nah, I think Fox is a fairly strong supporter of the format. Stronger than WB's been supporting HD DVD as of late. ;)

Fox has released a couple of good titles, but the vast majority have been $5 Wal-Mart dump-bin calibre, mediocre films on BD25's often with shoddy transfers and a hefty $40 MSRP! The only area where Fox has excelled is mudslinging at HD-DVD, puffing their collective chests regarding Blu-Ray, and being completely obnoxious.

As for Bill Hunt & The Bits, he'd defend the Blu-Ray format even if every PS3 caught fire and their entire release slate was canceled, so I wouldn't put much stock in his typical BD spin.

I think I'm doing my part as well...check out my current discs and see how many are still sealed! I get them quicker than I can watch them! :eek:

Some of those movies sealed should stay sealed.

Some of those movies sealed should stay sealed.

I should have left Aeon Flux sealed! :(

I'm pretty happy with all my other purchases though. I am on the fence about opening Lady In the Water, however. I did refrain from Wicker Man & Beerfest, so there's hope! :D

The PS3 that is $499 is nearly impossible to find. If you are comparing the PS3 to a Toshiba stand alone, the PS3 cannot be fully controlled by a universal remote at this point and it can not send lossless audio to your non-HDMI receiver. These are two huge things for me and downloading HD trailers which everyone seems so excited about and playing video games are much lower on my priority list.

Impossible to find? I question whether they made any after the Christmas season.

Nah, I think Fox is a fairly strong supporter of the format. Stronger than WB's been supporting HD DVD as of late. ;)Sisko, I agreed with most of what you had to say except this comment.

hey, here's me going out again on a limb... if the Crank SD DVD looked like ass, then the jump to "tier 0" status on the BD side would be all the more remarkable.

Shockingly, a film shot in HD with a good HD master looks good on BD (or HD...duh), =and= looks supergood on DVD. Those are the =easy= titles to encode, and is thus all the more shocking when there are problems.

It's when you look at the Cassablancas/Searchers/AoRH of this world that the true HD benefit is seen, IMO. An old, noisy, grainy, beloved film can look like that, a film, not a swarm of MPEG2 480i artifacts and softness that we've all taken for granted.

Don't get me wrong, loved Crank, thought Casino Royale looked purdy, Departed rocked hard, but I really get my HD rocks off when I see classic films look better than they've ever looked at home, period - not just because their classic, but because the nature of film grain makes doing compressed video total hell, so when it's done right and well we can all celebrate.


Exactly. Even though I only have a 480p display, the extra color depth and contrast that HD offers allows me to see things that just aren't shown in SD. I especially get a kick out of watching older films for the first time ever - like Casablanca - in HD because it is the closest to seeing it on a remastered film print I may ever get. Seriously, it's fantastic finally being able to bring the experience of the movie theater to your home theater. DVD was great, but it just could never quite pull it off for me.

Count me in as another HD DVD player owner who is a little disappointed with the current HD DVD release schedule. I am hoping that the current anemic level of releases is not a symptom of concern by the studios about HD DVD's future.

Many above have said that they prefer quality older pictures than the latest blockbusters, and that is fine. For me, I have a limited budget, and if I already have the movie on DVD, I likely won't buy it on HD DVD. Upconversion gets things pretty close. There are a few exceptions (I will have to buy the LOTR movies again if they come out) but mostly I am satisfied with my DVD's. If I don't have it on DVD already? Well there is probably a reason for that.

A new format needs both catalog titles and blockbuster new films. We are getting less of both right now, while Blu Ray is piling on the releases. This can change really quickly, and I am confident that it should, but at this point the release schedule makes HD DVD look like less of a viable format.

That all said, I am sure they will pull it around, and hopefully this is just a momentary glitch. But they have to pull it around soon or it will be too late.

I should have left Aeon Flux sealed! :(

I'm pretty happy with all my other purchases though. I am on the fence about opening Lady In the Water, however. I did refrain from Wicker Man & Beerfest, so there's hope! :D


DO NOT I repeat DO NOT unseal Lady in the water.!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now this is just my 2cents but that is one POS movie!!!!!!! I wasted my money on it and regret it now!!

Considering I was two new Universal releases in January away from buying an HD-DVD player, I understand why owners of the HD-DVD format are voicing frustration. It was this same frustration that ended up putting me in camp Blu.

The value argument meant almost nothing to me. At the time of my purchase the XA2 was $879 and I got the Panasonic BD10 for $920. Upconversion actually PISSES me off, because I have an outboard Gennum scalar and would LOVE to send it 480i off SD-DVD's, but neither the XA2 or BD10 will send anything but 480p via HDMI. Believe me, the Gennum upscaling is far superior to the XA2, but for around $2k it better be.

The XA2 lacks 7.1 channel output (limited to only 5.1), so this too was another point for the BD10.

Add the BD10's support for DVD-A and to me the value play was the BD10.

But it was the complete lack of movies from Universal during January and early February that ended any hopes of putting me in the HD-DVD camp. It gave me the impression that Universal was planning on going neutral. And there are some nice Universal titles that I miss, but I just can't compare Children of Men to Casino Royal, or the Mummy to Spiderman, or Lady In The Water to the SAW series. Throw in Cars (and everything else from Pixar) for the kids, Stranger than Fiction, all of Fox's/Sony's titles and then Spielberg saying Universal is not releasing his movies without his permission and I felt BluRay was the obvious choice.

what's important is to get more hd dvd PLAYERS sold. at this point, jsp is going to look at what is already out and buy whatever format has better titles. i'm afraid bd has the edge.

I have an A2 which I love, but I also bought a PS3 as a BD Player and a gaming machine, it will also play TS streams (with hdtv2mpg for the audio fix) pretty well. That being said if the title is available as HDDVD and BD, I'd buy the HDDVD version just because things appear to me to be a little crisper in the titles I've seen.


Format Neutral
HDDVD 5 BD 4

From that list....maybe Payback. Other than that, not a great selection to me.

Thanks for the selection list! Just added some to my pre-buys.

But it was the complete lack of movies from Universal during January and early February that ended any hopes of putting me in the HD-DVD camp. It gave me the impression that Universal was planning on going neutral. And there are some nice Universal titles that I miss, but I just can't compare Children of Men to Casino Royal, or the Mummy to Spiderman, or Lady In The Water to the SAW series. Throw in Cars (and everything else from Pixar) for the kids, Stranger than Fiction, all of Fox's/Sony's titles and then Spielberg saying Universal is not releasing his movies without his permission and I felt BluRay was the obvious choice.The only thing you forgot was to mention Spiderman, and take sarcastic shots at "The Jerk" and "Half Baked".

I've heard all this before, and again, and again, and ... :eek:

the complete lack of movies from Universal during January and early February
all of Fox's/Sony's titles
So what would people prefer, a lack of titles for a period of time that causes consternation, confusion and defection or a slate of announced titles that evaporate prior and just prior to the release date with no revised date.
Obviously neither but right now #1 seems preferable.

I know we all have different tastes but....
Your telling me that The Nutty Professor is a good movie but Terminator 2 and The Jerk aren't?

Ditto.

Greg

So what would people prefer, a lack of titles for a period of time that causes consternation, confusion and defection or a slate of announced titles that evaporate prior and just prior to the release date with no revised date.
Obviously neither but right now #1 seems preferable.I understand what you are saying and agree. What Fox did was pretty bad. Especially the part about not telling people earlier. On the other hand, when titles get cancelled (or delayed) and there are other titles to buy it makes it a lot easier to take than when there are no new releases to buy, even if nothing was announced. Of course, having players for both formats makes it easier to take a lack of releases from any one, two, or three studios.

--Darin

there are other titles to buy it makes it a lot easier to take than when there are no new releases to buy, even if nothing was announced.
Agreed.
I have not gone neutral and the last month except for The Departed and NIN have been rather lean to say the least plus 2 of the 3 European imports that I ordered got delayed as well.
What with Combo pricing, Warner's THD-lite implementation and lack of or delayed content, in some respects it's a frustrating time to be a HiDef disc customer of either format.
A lot of people are loving Casino Royale but I lost interest in the Bond franchaise long ago.

Considering I was two new Universal releases in January away from buying an HD-DVD player, I understand why owners of the HD-DVD format are voicing frustration. It was this same frustration that ended up putting me in camp Blu.

The value argument meant almost nothing to me. At the time of my purchase the XA2 was $879 and I got the Panasonic BD10 for $920. Upconversion actually PISSES me off, because I have an outboard Gennum scalar and would LOVE to send it 480i off SD-DVD's, but neither the XA2 or BD10 will send anything but 480p via HDMI. Believe me, the Gennum upscaling is far superior to the XA2, but for around $2k it better be.

The XA2 lacks 7.1 channel output (limited to only 5.1), so this too was another point for the BD10.

Add the BD10's support for DVD-A and to me the value play was the BD10.

But it was the complete lack of movies from Universal during January and early February that ended any hopes of putting me in the HD-DVD camp. It gave me the impression that Universal was planning on going neutral. And there are some nice Universal titles that I miss, but I just can't compare Children of Men to Casino Royal, or the Mummy to Spiderman, or Lady In The Water to the SAW series. Throw in Cars (and everything else from Pixar) for the kids, Stranger than Fiction, all of Fox's/Sony's titles and then Spielberg saying Universal is not releasing his movies without his permission and I felt BluRay was the obvious choice.

Please see the below thread. I think it might be a particularly interesting read in your situation. :D
Yes, up conversion is very important. Right now, Blue Ray doesn't have a horse in this race.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782887


Craig

Please see the below thread. I think it might be a particularly interesting read in your situation. :D
Yes, up conversion is very important. Right now, Blue Ray doesn't have a horse in this race.
Up conversion HAD to be important to HD-DVD because if you want to watch a movie in anything close to hi-def it will be using a SD-DVD due to the lack of content.
Dedicated Toshiba XA2 Problem Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9638948&&#post9638948)

I don't want to act like a troll, but give me a break! You're arguing that upconversion is important because there's nothing to watch in HD-DVD.

I think this thread would be a particularly interesting read in your situation. :D
Blu-Ray Release List (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782217)
Movies in blue are Blu-Ray only. If a similar list was created for HD-DVD it would be a very sad list.

Up conversion HAD to be important to HD-DVD because if you want to watch a movie in anything close to hi-def it will be using a SD-DVD due to the lack of content.
Dedicated Toshiba XA2 Problem Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9638948&&#post9638948)

I don't want to act like a troll, but give me a break! You're arguing that upconversion is important because there's nothing to watch in HD-DVD.

I think this thread would be a particularly interesting read in your situation. :D
Blu-Ray Release List (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782217)
Movies in blue are Blu-Ray only. If a similar list was created for HD-DVD it would be a very sad list.

Please...
I merely pointed this thread out because you were running around here puffing out your chest and spinning on your eyebrows because you have a scaler that you said is far superior. :rolleyes:
My reasoning for owning a good up-converting DVD player is the fact that I have over 250 movies that I am not ready to buy again. I have about 12-15 titles in my library that I would up-grade to HD, but other than that, I am not going to buy movies on any HD-format at $30+ a pop when I already own them on DVD.
From reading that thread I showed you, I would have to say that your statement of...



Believe me, the Gennum upscaling is far superior to the XA2, but for around $2k it better be.



...is a bit overstated. Right along with your credibility. ;)


Craig

A lot of people are loving Casino Royale but I lost interest in the Bond franchaise long ago.I did too. I remember sitting in the theater for one Bond film thinking I had seen the same stuff before. But this one was a lot different for me. I was pleasantly surprised. As far as HD DVD, at least things start picking up in under 2 weeks.

--Darin

Things started picking up for me this week because I have now gone format neutral with the purchase of a BD-P1000. Plenty of new BD release to keep me busy until HD-DVD finally decides to get going again. The constant shoving of combos down our throats and the lack of new releases is what finally pushed me to go Blue. I have Happy Feet pre-ordered on HD-DVD but will probably change it to BD. I know I'll loose the TrueHD track but I'm sick of combos. It is somewhat comforting to know that, now that I've gone neutral, I'll be able to enjoy any movie released regardless of the format but, somewhat discomforting knowing that one day one of the players could be a paper weight.

Believe me, the Gennum upscaling is far superior to the XA2, but for around $2k it better be.I guess you haven't read this thread:
TEST RESULTS ON UPSCALING: XA2 vs. SDI+Crystallio 2 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782887)

Excerpt from above thread: Bottom line-- there is NO REASON TO BUY AN EXTERNAL VIDEO PROCESSOR if you buy the XA2. Not only did it match in virtually all the tests and visual observations the Gennum VXP chip in the Crystallio II VP but in some cases was VISUALLY SUPERIOR.
No offense SimpleTheater, but I have to trust the scientific testing of lorelevitt over your opinion.

No offense SimpleTheater, but I have to trust the scientific testing of lorelevitt over your opinion.
Another wonderful quotes:
In the other corner we had a Pioneer Elite 59AVI DVD player that had been modified professionally to produce an SDI output.

Why not just put up a Oppo that can actually output 480i via HDMI? The whole test is flawed, not only because of this issue but because no actual measurements or pictures were taken. If something appeared better - take a picture and show it.

Excerpt from above thread: Bottom line-- there is NO REASON TO BUY AN EXTERNAL VIDEO PROCESSOR if you buy the XA2.
Unless you want to plug something else into it - like a DVR, LD player, Kaleidescope, HTPC. But other than that - I see no reason either.

In all honesty I think the XA2 is a bargain at $609 from Amazon (free shipping). If it had 1080/24p output (I know, it's coming) and 7.1 analog outputs I'd have one today. Once they get all the bugs out of it (see the previously linked XA2 problem thread) I may still buy one. I came here only to say why I went from HD-DVD to BluRay (which was lack of support from Universal during Jan-Feb) - not to get into a flame war.

Still think there are no new tittles coming??? HD-DVD software


Another wonderful quotes:
In the other corner we had a Pioneer Elite 59AVI DVD player that had been modified professionally to produce an SDI output.

Why not just put up a Oppo that can actually output 480i via HDMI? The whole test is flawed, not only because of this issue but because no actual measurements or pictures were taken. If something appeared better - take a picture and show it.


Unless you want to plug something else into it - like a DVR, LD player, Kaleidescope, HTPC. But other than that - I see no reason either.

In all honesty I think the XA2 is a bargain at $609 from Amazon (free shipping). If it had 1080/24p output (I know, it's coming) and 7.1 analog outputs I'd have one today. Once they get all the bugs out of it (see the previously linked XA2 problem thread) I may still buy one. I came here only to say why I went from HD-DVD to BluRay (which was lack of support from Universal during Jan-Feb) - not to get into a flame war.

Well, for one thing if in pictures you mean screen shots. Well, screen shots are only as good as your computer monitor. So screen shots would not do it justice. If you meant you want to see picture of the set-up to prove his test ever happened, well, I don’t know what to say to that. Perhaps you need to post your accusations to him on the thread I have a link to. (If you do, would you be so kind and PM me to let me know you are going to post?) :D
Perhaps you should ask Lore for his reasoning behind the use of the Pioneer. For starters, I would guess that the Pioneer has a bit more quality than the Oppo. I would also guess that the Pioneer also is a better player for the Mod.
Don't get me wrong, I am not ripping on the Oppo.
In fact, I would like to see how one of these Oppo players stacks up against the up conversion of the Blue Ray players. Any Blue Ray player for that matter. :D :D
Now that would be funny. We could bill the A/B comparison as -$200 Oppo vs. $1000+ Blue Ray players. Hahahaha. I have a pretty good idea which player would win.
By the way, I completely agree with your assessment of Toshiba’s lack of studio support. For this, I hold Toshiba completely responsible. If they had a marketing campaign that rivaled Sony, I firmly believe Toshiba would have more studio support.

Craig

Speaking of upconversion, as slow as the HD drives are I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD. Did many really get rid of their DVD players when they upgraded to the HD formats?

I will say this, until more titles are avaialble to watch, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.

I got rid of my Sammy upconverting player when I got my A2. I'm happier with the decision.

Speaking of upconversion, as slow as the HD drives are I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD. Did many really get rid of their DVD players when they upgraded to the HD formats?

I will say this, until more titles are avaialble to watch, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.You must not own an HD-DVD player. Standard DVD's have normal load time. It is HD-DVD's that take longer to load. You really shouldn't spread false information like that.

You must not own an HD-DVD player. Standard DVD's have normal load time. It is HD-DVD's that take longer to load. You really shouldn't spread false information like that.

That's what Blu-ray fans do.

Speaking of upconversion, as slow as the HD drives are I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD. Did many really get rid of their DVD players when they upgraded to the HD formats?

I will say this, until more titles are avaialble to watch, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.


When speaking of the A1 slow was definately the case. My kids complained so much I bought an A2. No complaints now! The Denon 2910 is in my 14 y.o. son's bedroom as he has a 19" HDTV.

That's what Blu-ray fans do.
:D :D

When speaking of the A1 slow was definately the case. My kids complained so much I bought an A2. No complaints now! The Denon 2910 is in my 14 y.o. son's bedroom as he has a 19" HDTV.The A1 and XA1 are slow on two occasions.

1. During Boot Up
2. When loading an HD-DVD.

We are talking about when loading an SD-DVD. Generation 1 players do not load SD-DVD's any slower than other HD-DVD players or SD-DVD players. Please read the threads carefully. We already have TheBland spewing incorrect information about these players. Please do not compound the issue.

Please...
I merely pointed this thread out because you were running around here puffing out your chest and spinning on your eyebrows because you have a scaler that you said is far superior. :rolleyes:
My reasoning for owning a good up-converting DVD player is the fact that I have over 250 movies that I am not ready to buy again. I have about 12-15 titles in my library that I would up-grade to HD, but other than that, I am not going to buy movies on any HD-format at $30+ a pop when I already own them on DVD.
From reading that thread I showed you, I would have to say that your statement of...



...is a bit overstated. Right along with your credibility. ;)


Craig


I'm kind of shocked when I see messages here of People selling off huge chunks of their Collection to afford to buy HD-DVD or those preordering everytitle, so I agree with your sentiments. I have about 20 HD-DVD's I like what I see but the format is too new to go that crazy in the middle of a format war, with no clear winner. Also with DVD Firmly Entrenched there are some great buys out there on SD DVD. The Next couple of Weeks I've Preordered about 6 of the bigger titles coming out for about $9 ea. on SD. Last week I picked up Cellular a decent little film for $4.99 at Best Buy, upconverted it looked pretty dang nice it was a decent transfer and it cost me five Bucks. Next wek BB has Xmen 3 on Sale for $9.99, I passed on it when it came out, now I'll pick it up, these titles would be what $28 bucks each in a HD format. I see a difference in Color Depth, Black Levels and Clarity in HD, it's Quite nice. In the Case os Cellular and others will it be $20 to $25 Bucks Nicer... not really.

The A1 and XA1 are slow on two occasions.

1. During Boot Up
2. When loading an HD-DVD.

We are talking about when loading an SD-DVD. Generation 1 players do not load SD-DVD's any slower than other HD-DVD players or SD-DVD players. Please read the threads carefully. We already have TheBland spewing incorrect information about these players. Please do not compound the issue.


I am not trying to spread misinformation or compound the issue. Do you have kids? They really don't differentiate between boot up times and different load times between SD and HD. The reality was I used to hear complaints of how slow the new DVD player was (the A1) compared to the 2910 it replaced and now with the A2 I don't.

Speaking of upconversion, as slow as the HD drives are I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD. Did many really get rid of their DVD players when they upgraded to the HD formats?

I will say this, until more titles are avaialble to watch, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.

and would it not be a key part to Blu-ray also? unless of course Blu-ray has already produced all of the available titles from all of the available studios.

I'm kind of shocked when I see messages here of People selling off huge chunks of their Collection to afford to buy HD-DVD or those preordering everytitle, so I agree with your sentiments. I have about 20 HD-DVD's I like what I see but the format is too new to go that crazy in the middle of a format war, with no clear winner. Also with DVD Firmly Entrenched there are some great buys out there on SD DVD.

My feelings are exactly the opposite. I feel buying DVD's now is a waste of money, since the technology is obsolete now. I have over 1500 DVD's, but as soon as they are announced for HD-DVD I return / sell the other copy. I also returned over 100 discs that were brand new and never opened. I got full price for them since they still had the label on them & everything. This process has been fueling my HD-DVD habit since April.

Speaking of upconversion, as slow as the HD drives are I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD. Did many really get rid of their DVD players when they upgraded to the HD formats?

I will say this, until more titles are avaialble to watch, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.

I didn't early adopt HDTV so when I bought my set this year having an HD DVD player that did a good job unpconverting SD was a nice bonus. As you correctly put there is too much content still on SD to completely eschew that format.
BTW when my kid came home from leave this winter and complained about the startup time on the A1 guess what I told him ?:D
I usually use the extra startup time to figure out how to get a corckscrew into thebland's latest recommended bottle of wine. Gawd I miss a good bottle of Boone's Farm(taste like s***,blinding hangover but a bargain at 79 cents). :D

Still using my Oppo for SD DVD.

I am surprised anyone uses their HD player for SD DVD.

&
I will say this, upconversion will be a key part of HD DVD players.
What have you been drinking???
(no "wine of the week" ;) )

&

What have you been drinking???
(no "wine of the week" ;) )

He's probably torn between what he really thinks and what he's paid to say. ;)

Guys no one is paying thebland to say anything.

Guys no one is paying thebland to say anything.
I thought $ony was paying reviewers over at 'www.upcomingdiscs.com' ? I seem to recall something about it sometime ago.