Prices for both hd-dvd and blu-ray players will come down so much to the point that everybody that owns one format will just buy into the other format.

I understand that ppl want just 1 player but if having to have 2 separate players for all HD content, i don't think it'll be a big deal.

plus universal players will also have to come down to compete with the pricing of stand alone hd-dvd and blu-ray players.

i am currently an hd-dvd owner and will have no problems getting a blu-ray player when it becomes cheap enough.

Can see it happening from that side, I can also see all companies eventually going neutral on the software side, even sony and universal.

i am currently an hd-dvd owner and will have no problems getting a blu-ray player when it becomes cheap enough.
Exactly what I'm waiting for...and some more titles I can't currently get on HD-DVD to go with it - but I expect sooner or later, that HAS to happen, I'm just patiently waiting for that while enjoying Red. It doesn't affect me at all, got no beef with Sony - you already have a rack of componets, players, receiver, etc, whats one more piece? You have a shelf full of discs, a whip ass sound system, etc, do you think, or for that matter, your guests really care whats what? All I see them (and me ;)) saying (for years to come) is "S#!T, thats a great picture" when looking at the display! I mean, at the moment, were already spinning two different types of discs on our setups (HiDef and SD) anyway, right? So what else matters? For me, only that I got the best value outta my $$ as a consumer and honestly, thats my only hang up with BR *at the moment*...everytime I read a claim of victory for Sony I have a good laugh - what exactly have you, the consumer won? Are all the MAJOR, top shelf movies that have yet to even be announced magiacally sitting on your shelf? Did you buy a new stand alone player today for at least $300 or less? Then maybe it IS Sony who won, not you, and I dunno, maybe I'm nuts, but 'I' as a consumer want to win, not Toshiba or Sony...I'd wait (and WILL) til the prices and content are much better before claiming I won anything. Fans/supporters on both sides should not be boasting just yet IMO. Kinda reminds me of those guys who route a bit too hard for their favorite sports team and actually let if affect them personally. :)

I'm always saddened by this inevitability. Why have a format war if everyone has to buy everything anyways? It's just going to make people buy one, or more likely none, until dual format players are actually priced reasonably.

Prices for both hd-dvd and blu-ray players will come down so much to the point that everybody that owns one format will just buy into the other format.

I understand that ppl want just 1 player but if having to have 2 separate players for all HD content, i don't think it'll be a big deal.

plus universal players will also have to come down to compete with the pricing of stand alone hd-dvd and blu-ray players.

i am currently an hd-dvd owner and will have no problems getting a blu-ray player when it becomes cheap enough.
I can see that happening. But, unless universal players become cheap and plentifull, this will still be a niche product(s) with the same people but twice the equipement. :rolleyes:
J

I wouldn't want that outcome really. If studio allegiances stay the same then this can only be an advantage for blu-ray because it will allow it time to catch up on the hardware prices. Also Universal can only support hddvd for so long on its own. And yes, this is a slow time for bluray releases but like hddvd's downtime at the beginning of the year, bluray releases will only grow as we approach the holiday season.

I can tell you one thing: the market as a whole will NOT settle for having two incompatible players sitting under their TV. It will be a single format, dual-format players, or nothing (not even dignifying that TotalHD bull with consideration).

The early adopters (typically those who frequent this forum) are open to the idea of stacking two players, but this will never fly with the general public.

An anecdote: I have a dozen friends that own HDTVs and are tech savvy, but refuse to touch either format until the war is over. Two of them just bought higher-end upconverting players instead, when they could have bought into one of the HD formats for similar money. In the real world outside of this forum, I do not know a single person who owns either format. That is the reality. . . the general public would still prefer to buy an upconverting DVD player than either HD format at this point.

We can (and probably will) argue until the end of time as to which format camp is the spoiler, but the bottom line is that the well is poisoned, and there is no end in sight to this war.

The early adopters (typically those who frequent this forum) are open to the idea of stacking two players, but this will never fly with the general public.

An anecdote: I have a dozen friends that own HDTVs and are tech savvy, but refuse to touch either format until the war is over. Two of them just bought higher-end upconverting players instead, when they could have bought into one of the HD formats for similar money. In the real world outside of this forum, I do not know a single person who owns either format. That is the reality. . . the general public would still prefer to buy an upconverting DVD player than either HD format at this point.

We can (and probably will) argue until the end of time as to which format camp is the spoiler, but the bottom line is that the well is poisoned, and there is no end in sight to this war.

A Dose of reality.

As has been pointed out - the EA's that support only one format will buy the other and go neutral. Too small a market to affect the outcome - just makes the issue of HDD staying a niche format that much better.

A $299 priced dual format player - a winner. A $799 DF player - a loser as far as mass adoption.

If we only had Bluray, the cheapest player would probably cost at least $800. Because of the "war", I can now buy one of each for that same $800. Within a year or two I'll be able to buy one of each for less than $500. The only winner in this "war" is us! Thirty years ago I had both a turntable and a cassette deck. Later I had both a Beta and a VHS. My son has both a playstation and an XBox. Same as it ever was..... (except a whole lot cheaper)

Show of hands: who paid more for a VCR than the latest HD players? And that's not even adjusting for inflation. :)

If we only had Bluray, the cheapest player would probably cost at least $800. Because of the "war", I can now buy one of each for that same $800. Within a year or two I'll be able to buy one of each for less than $500. The only winner in this "war" is us! Thirty years ago I had both a turntable and a cassette deck. Later I had both a Beta and a VHS. My son has both a playstation and an XBox. Same as it ever was..... (except a whole lot cheaper)

Show of hands: who paid more for a VCR than the latest HD players? And that's not even adjusting for inflation. :)

RED:

Try 5.5 months - 2 players, one of each format for $499, not including sales tax.

$1200 for first VCR
$1200 for first LD player
$ 800 for first DVD player
$ 325 for first HD DVD player

My first VCR cost somewhere between $220-$260 at Macys (JVC cant remember the model #, had a wired remote) in 1983. I managed to snag a H2A2 at crutchfield for $199. Also got a 360 add on (long story on my insane ideas, heh) for $160 plus 2 free movies.

$1600 for my first Beta HiFi
$1000 for my second Beta HiFi
$600 for my VHS HiFi
$800 for my Pioneer Elite CD player
$800 for my Open Reel tape deck
$800 for my Cassette Deck
$600 for my first DVD player

And the winner is...

$1000 for my Atari 400 with 16K memory and cassette storage. :D

Didn't mind paying that much because I believed I wouln't have to rebuy the software. What a nice world I had inside my head!!!

I wouldn't mind paying the price for BR or HD HDVD. I believe the prices are really good right now, thanks to the format war. What I do mind is paying $20-30 for movies I may end up buying again. So, I'm not buying a player right now. If most companies start making dual format, I'll jump, but I won't buy two players. I don't mind multiple formats (DVD-R, DVD+R, CD, CD-RW, ...) as long as many companies provide players playing all formats: that kind of players insures all my BR/HD DVD will stay alive (as opposed to Beta/VHS for which I never bought movies).

I can see dual-format players coming down to the price and quality that people just start buying them instead of single format players and the consumer quits worrying about the format the movies are released in and just about the overall quality of them, leaving the studios to do what they want.

Prices for both hd-dvd and blu-ray players will come down so much to the point that everybody that owns one format will just buy into the other format.

I understand that ppl want just 1 player but if having to have 2 separate players for all HD content, i don't think it'll be a big deal.

plus universal players will also have to come down to compete with the pricing of stand alone hd-dvd and blu-ray players.

i am currently an hd-dvd owner and will have no problems getting a blu-ray player when it becomes cheap enough.

All of the people that own Blu-Ray are going to have to upgrade to new players much sooner than later do to the lack of next gen audio support and the Blu-Ray Interactive software, Java. Also, since none of the current players can decode and display the Water Mark being implimented, people that bought players will have to buy new players all over again.

I am grateful to Toshiba for at least forcing Blu-Ray player prices coming down in price much faster than would have been done with out the war.

I really think the war has been good for everyone. Unless you bought a Blu-Ray player currently on the market since launch.

The day one format dies is the day all major retailers will begin to drop one format, which is unlikely (so far). With 50/50 support so far for both, dual format players and owners are inevitable.

Rental chains like Blockbuster are also supporting both equally.

All of the people that own Blu-Ray are going to have to upgrade to new players much sooner than later do to the lack of next gen audio support and the Blu-Ray Interactive software, Java. Also, since none of the current players can decode and display the Water Mark being implimented, people that bought players will have to buy new players all over again.

This is a gross overstatement. Most BD owners don't care that much about BD-Interactive and do not own audio equipment that fully leverages next gen audio. To them the difference an incremental improvement akin to comparing a generation 1.0 vs 1.1. That is to say, an improvement, but not a dramatic one. More likely, they will continue to run their existing BD players for now, then migrate them over to a secondary viewing area in a couple years when they decide to buy a second player, or a dual format player if the war is still an issue at that point.

All of the people that own Blu-Ray are going to have to upgrade to new players much sooner than later do to the lack of next gen audio support and the Blu-Ray Interactive software, Java. Also, since none of the current players can decode and display the Water Mark being implimented, people that bought players will have to buy new players all over again.

I really think the war has been good for everyone. Unless you bought a Blu-Ray player currently on the market since launch.

Why would you think movie nuts give a !@$# about these extras, and non sence to just watch the damn movie? I almost wish I never heard of HDi or BDj, actually I could say a lot more on this, but my post would only be deleted, get the point? :mad:

Prices for both hd-dvd and blu-ray players will come down so much to the point that everybody that owns one format will just buy into the other format.

I have both on my HTPC and I am loving it, I don't have to miss movies because they are on Blu-ray any more.

HD-DVD was my first purchase on the set-top but I just decided to go "balls to the wall" with my HD HTPC and get both. Pirates was my first purchase and I gotta say it looks great.

I still support HD-DVD, but I can't take part in this rediculous format war any longer and still enjoy ALL HD movies. As of now, my blockbuster consists of only HD-DVD and Blu-ray, no SD titles. FWIW, I probably never will rent another SD title again.

Why would you think movie nuts give a !@$# about these extras

If no one gives a !@$# about extras, why do they still make them? Why are there tons of extras on standard DVD? Why do they have successful re-releases of titles with added extras? Studios aren't doing this just to pat themselves on the back... extras sell.

Contrary to what I've seen mentioned here, the public at large does seem to enjoy the extra stuff. And, personally, as a "movie nut" myself, I like watch the extras to see how the movie was made. Call me crazy.

I can see dual-format players coming down to the price and quality that people just start buying them instead of single format players and the consumer quits worrying about the format the movies are released in and just about the overall quality of them, leaving the studios to do what they want.The more rational scenario is a single format player is still cheaper than a dual format player and consumers choose it because playback for a fringe format such as WMVHD doesn't matter for a J6P.