Been a loyal HD DVD owner since last November and currently own 41 titles including Transformers. I am a big Superbad fan and would love to have in Hi Def. Unfortunately it is a BLU RAY exclusive like many, many others I regret wanting. (Usual Suspects, Kingdom of Heaven, Patriot, Apocalypto(also on HD DVD but don't understand Polish) and many others) :(

I am really thinking about going neutral but don't want to give in. Please give me EDUCATED reasons not to go NEUTRAL. Very serious, No FANBOY BASHING please !!!

Can't wait for: The Kingdom, Bourne Supremacy, Iron Man, Braveheart, Gladiator, Godfather Trilogy and Scarface on HD DVD

Go neutral. I can't give you a reason not to, if there are titles you want.
Its not a crime. :)
J

You say no Fanboy bashing....I assume you mean don't hassle you for considering going neutral. The irony in your request is that you are even struggling buying a Blu Ray player....IMO that is a sign of a fanboy. A non-fan boy doesn't consider the format...just which player and which movies work best for him or her.

If you can afford it, why wouldn't you buy one?

I have refused to play their silly "which format will win" game and recently added HD-DVD and am quite happy - I can Netflix or purchase whichever I want and sit back and enjoy the view!




Been a loyal HD DVD owner since last November and currently own 41 titles including Transformers. I am a big Superbad fan and would love to have in Hi Def. Unfortunately it is a BLU RAY exclusive like many, many others I regret wanting. (Usual Suspects, Kingdom of Heaven, Patriot, Apocalypto(also on HD DVD but don't understand Polish) and many others) :(

I am really thinking about going neutral but don't want to give in. Please give me EDUCATED reasons not to go NEUTRAL. Very serious, No FANBOY BASHING please !!!

Can't wait for: The Kingdom, Bourne Supremacy, Iron Man, Braveheart, Gladiator, Godfather Trilogy and Scarface on HD DVD

you can go neutral, it's OK...you don't need to be convinced not to. You'll be much happier.

neutral is the way to go. Best of both world lol.

I went purple 2 weeks ago and it is the best way to be. No more getting upset when something only comes out on one format. Go neutral.

I'm a big HD DVD supporter, but have started picking up the odd blu-ray in anticipation of going format neutral. There's nothing wrong with this - enjoy your movies and don't waste your energy getting worked up over the"war"!

Have to agree with the others punky. I'm not neutral at this time, but I see no reason that you shouldn't if that's what you want. I don't think either format is going anywhere for a while, and I seriously doubt Sony will be releasing HD-DVD titles anytime soon. (I think they're the studio behind Superbad, but can't recall at the moment)

...I am a big Superbad fan and would love to have in Hi Def...regret wanting...I am really thinking about going neutral but don't want to give in. Please give me EDUCATED reasons not to go NEUTRAL...

You want to watch a film but you want someone to "educate" you so you don't give in and do what you want?:confused:

There are definitely Blu-ray releases I'm looking forward to owning in the future, but I really don't want more than one player. I'm looking forward to the day I can buy a reasonably priced, full featured dual-format player. In the mean time HD DVD and SD DVD keep me happy.

You say no Fanboy bashing....I assume you mean don't hassle you for considering going neutral. The irony in your request is that you are even struggling buying a Blu Ray player....IMO that is a sign of a fanboy. A non-fan boy doesn't consider the format...just which player and which movies work best for him or her.

If you can afford it, why wouldn't you buy one?

+1

Been a loyal HD DVD owner since last November and currently own 41 titles including Transformers. I am a big Superbad fan and would love to have in Hi Def. Unfortunately it is a BLU RAY exclusive like many, many others I regret wanting. (Usual Suspects, Kingdom of Heaven, Patriot, Apocalypto(also on HD DVD but don't understand Polish) and many others) :(

I am really thinking about going neutral but don't want to give in. Please give me EDUCATED reasons not to go NEUTRAL. Very serious, No FANBOY BASHING please !!!

Can't wait for: The Kingdom, Bourne Supremacy, Iron Man, Braveheart, Gladiator, Godfather Trilogy and Scarface on HD DVD

Your call buddy.:)

We cannot tell you where to spend your bucks. Me, I made my decision to stick with one format until the end of the war. I believe that all titles would eventually available on HD DVD anyway.;)

BD+
Its the sole reason I will never own a BD player.

Secondary reasons for not going neutral but wouldn't stop me if the above wasn't an issue.

BD-J 1.1 Support (non existent supposed to see players supporting it soon).
BD-J Live (2.0) Support (non-existent support not till Q1-Q2 08)
Sony involvement - Sorry I just have an issue with how this company treats their customers. Microsoft got in a bunch of trouble for how they treated competitors, but Sony is doing the same thing to people who actually buy their products.

I am not advocating not going neutral if you want to. But I have some specific issues with BD. BD+ is seriously a very abrasive and borderline illegal technology.

Get both if you can, I am purple. I don't worry about what format a movie is on, though I do perfer my A2 to my PS3. That might be different if there was more than one PS3 game a gave a #@$! about.

I have Hd DVD A2 and playstation 3, Not worry about the exclusivity..... I take all sale of both formats

I think that if I could afford it I would be neutral but at the same time there are things stopping me from going neutral. Below are pretty much my exact reasons. I am very interested in Superbad as well, but I have already decided that SDDVD is more than suitable for the look of the film at this point.

2008 will be the telling time of whether I go format neutral or not.

BD-J 1.1 Support (non existent supposed to see players supporting it soon).BD-J Live (2.0) Support (non-existent support not till Q1-Q2 08)
Sony involvement - Sorry I just have an issue with how this company treats their customers. Microsoft got in a bunch of trouble for how they treated competitors, but Sony is doing the same thing to people who actually buy their products.

Your call buddy.:)

We cannot tell you where to spend your bucks. Me, I made my decision to stick with one format until the end of the war. I believe that all titles would eventually available on HD DVD anyway.;)

And this is the other side of the equation....I can't disagree with those that choose this route either...WHY?

Cause it's an individual's choice....that's why it's a little hard to tell you what to do.

For myself, I see that Blu ray was forced on the public and onto people who didn't ask for it. Also, the BD shortcomings and BDA lies convince me that they do not deserve my support. If we continue to support HD DVD, the studios will eventually give in.

But you can do whatever you feel like :)

I went format neutral last year, and am still alive. In other words, it won't kill you.

A reason to "not" go neutral: You're not made of money. I know I'm not. If I were rich, I'd own HDDVD, BD, 10 cars, 3 houses, 8 wives, and 14 airplanes.

Alas I'm not rich, so I own 1 highdefinition player, 1 car, and 1 house :(

Superbad is one of the few BD titles I want (others, like The Prestige, are available via import). It's not enough for me to go neutral.

I'll be getting the SD version of Superbad

I want Superbad as well. I think eventually everyone will be neutral (Customers and CE's), except the studios may hold out.

As soon as dual format players go under $200 the "war" will be over, and both formats will stick around. Very likely I will continue to go HD-DVD for the maturity of the platform, assuming all else is equal.

Don't worry about the war. If you can afford the blu player, go for it. For me, these things are holding me from blu at this time 1. not going to buy any sony made hardware. (I bycotted Sony after the rootkit fiasco) 2. players not compliant or upgradeable to new bd specs 3. players too expensive. No way I will buy a ps3 just for blu playback, I want an all in one, dvd-hd-dvd-blu player (If i'm going to go neutral).

Like I said, I think eventually it will happen. At this point there is no burning urge for me to go blu. the only titles I would buy if they came out on hd-dvd today are potc 1, spidey 1 & 2, superbad. The rest (of the US blu -exclusives) I own on hd-dvd (The Prestige, Underworld, Underworld Evolution, Fantastic Four, and a few other imports).

I have no cognitive dissonance about preferring HD-DVD but being format neutral.

I paid good money for my HD monitor and audio setup. Investing in both BD and HD-DVD was a further investment in my total system, and actually a drop-in-the-bucket compared to the rest of my system.

I agree with previous posters that state that "refusing" to buy the other format is more a sign of fanboyism that seeking approval to do so.

A reason to "not" go neutral: You're not made of money. I know I'm not. If I were rich, I'd own HDDVD, BD, 10 cars, 3 houses, 8 wives, and 14 airplanes.

Alas I'm not rich, so I own 1 highdefinition player, 1 car, and 1 house :(

If you had 8 wives, you would not be rich for long. They and their lawyers would be though. :)

Punky, if you want to go neutral, go for it. It's your money, spend it as you want.

BD+
Its the sole reason I will never own a BD player.

Secondary reasons for not going neutral but wouldn't stop me if the above wasn't an issue.

BD-J 1.1 Support (non existent supposed to see players supporting it soon).
BD-J Live (2.0) Support (non-existent support not till Q1-Q2 08)
Sony involvement - Sorry I just have an issue with how this company treats their customers. Microsoft got in a bunch of trouble for how they treated competitors, but Sony is doing the same thing to people who actually buy their products.

I am not advocating not going neutral if you want to. But I have some specific issues with BD. BD+ is seriously a very abrasive and borderline illegal technology.:confused:

"BD+ is seriously a very abrasive and borderline illegal technology?"
Huh?

Nobody can blame anyone for going format neutral. If you want the movies on the Blu side bad enough, that's what you should do. I'll even consider it myself when profile 1.1 or 2.0 Blu-ray players are available and had enough time in the field to be sure all of the BD-Java and BD+ issues are resolved. But there's NO WAY I'd buy a profile 1.0 player at this point. Not with the profile 1.1 deadline being just 2 weeks away. And there's also NO WAY I'd go with a PS3. I need a true home theater standalone with real infrared remote, not some Bluetooth thing that requires a USB adapter to do IR and even then you can't turn it on and off with the IR remote.

Mark

Owning players from both formats I have been able to enjoy more movies without being limited but must say I am dissappointed in the blu-ray format overall.

Paying 1k for a player that will need to be replaced with changing software & hardware requirements just wasnt worth it. Plus having things promised like dozens of movies from Fox who then went over a half a year without releasing anything was a big circle jerk. And with a bunch of $40 titles with little to no extras is hardly worth it.

At this point I rather pay $35 for imported titles like Mr & Mrs Smith in HD DVD.

If your still interested in investing in the format though send me a PM and I'll offer ya a deal with purchasing my player & existing movies.

Go Bd Aswell. If I could afford to I would. Although all the great Hd-dvds coming out isn't helping any ha.

But get a ps3. If BD fails you still have a great game system and a collection of movies to play. Plus the ps3 should be able to upgrade to all future BD specs when the time comes.

:confused:

"BD+ is seriously a very abrasive and borderline illegal technology?"
Huh?

Think rootkit disaster but worse. Say you bought the $2000 Denon then picked up a movie for about $20. BD+ basically has the ability alter your firmware on the fly without you permission as a way for copyright protection, now the plan is for this to be done on a temporary basis, but without published specifications (unlike AACS) we are unable to see how far and how long its able to control your firmware.

It just makes me think of computer drives Starforce literally killed. If this can alter the firmware in anyway what is to stop it from "accidentally" wiping the firmware requiring you to send it into the company for a reflash. Also as someone who works on computers non stop, updating your firmware is not something you want done on a whim. The more times your firmware is flashed the higher likely hood some minuscule thing will go wrong and you have a paper weight.10-20-30 times probably not an issue, every time I watch a movie on the other hand is way to much.

So again lets say you purchased a $2000 player (me I don't care if the player was only $60), do you really want to give that kind of control to a $20 piece of software. Me this is a technology I am very very much against and refuse to support it in any way. For me buying BD is supporting BD+ and eventually if BD was to win there would be nothing stopping us from having every movie released with that crap embedded. Fox didn't make my player, I didn't buy the player from them, and its my player either way they can keep their grubby hands off of it.

Been a loyal HD DVD owner since last November and currently own 41 titles including Transformers. I am a big Superbad fan and would love to have in Hi Def. Unfortunately it is a BLU RAY exclusive like many, many others I regret wanting. (Usual Suspects, Kingdom of Heaven, Patriot, Apocalypto(also on HD DVD but don't understand Polish) and many others) :(

I am really thinking about going neutral but don't want to give in. Please give me EDUCATED reasons not to go NEUTRAL. Very serious, No FANBOY BASHING please !!!

Can't wait for: The Kingdom, Bourne Supremacy, Iron Man, Braveheart, Gladiator, Godfather Trilogy and Scarface on HD DVD

I went neutral this week from being Blu, so now you can too and we'll just cancel each other out =)

No reason not to own both formats. I have since last Thanksgiving.

Usually the foaming-at-the-mouth "Death before the other format!!!" zealotry comes from the other side of the tracks. You'll find that most folks on this side have no problem with format coexistence...

Jeez, just go neutral! This so called 'war' is just about rediculous. These are movies for crying out loud. Its not gonna affect your life in a bad way if you do or dont buy one or the other.

Go neutral. I started off with HD DVD and realized that I had to go BD also to be complete. Being neutral is the only way to go if you love films and want a Hi Def library. My heart is still with HD but I do like BD also.

Go neutral. As soon a BD player breaks $200 I'll be going neutral to have access to all content.

I used to be a strong blu-ray only supporter, but now i wouldn't hesitate purchasing an HD DVD player as i've realized i'm an HD enthusiast. But at the moment, i'm a little tight on funds, so i can't afford to invest in two formats. However, i will be format neutral sometime in 2008. Screw being limited to what you can watch in HD and screw the annoying fanboys!

I think being format neutral in this war is awesome, you just have to accept the fact that one of them won't be around forever and that your $$ player will be junk :)

I wouldn't mind going neutral, BUT... I will not until the 1.1 and 2.0 spec is straightened out. I would hate to buy a player and have not all the functions work on it.

PS3 sound like a sound choice if you so decide.

BUT......I would wait until the spec issue is taken care of.

Well I went neutral this past weekend I picked up a ps3 its fine to be neutral. I just got tired of looking to make sure the movie I wanted is in HD-DVD. Now I can get any movie on any format.

I think being format neutral in this war is awesome, you just have to accept the fact that one of them won't be around forever and that your $$ player will be junk :)

Uhh, your blu-ray/hd dvd player will not suddenly stop working. They'll continue to play your movies for years and years...

Going neutral? Nothing wrong with it.

Just ask every Blu-ray only people who bum rushed CC to get their $15.00 Transformers HD DVD :D

I went neutral about a month ago when Amazon was offering the PS3 60 gig with 3 movies in the box and 5 free on rebate. That made the PS3 around $320 after the discount. I felt it was worth it and I'm not sorry for it. Plus, it's a PS3. If BD fails, it still plays games, much to my 9 year-old's delight.

And while I still prefer HD DVD as a format, it does feel nice knowing I can walk down the aisle and buy what I want. I still buy the HD DVD versions of Warner titles, but I'm happy to buy BD exclusives now that I can. And, it was nice that I could mix and match with this BOGO sale going on at CC. Can't beat that. :D

This war isn't going away anytime soon. If you have the means, do it.

With prices for both formats dropping it is easier to become neutral than it was a year ago. Go for it!

Cost. That's about it. I'd have both formats but for the cost. I can't justify spending $400+ on another player at this point in time.

Uhh, your blu-ray/hd dvd player will not suddenly stop working. They'll continue to play your movies for years and years...

Ok well I think the wrong words came out for the thought I meant to convey. It should have been fairly obvious what I was trying to say though. Of course I didn't mean to say the losing format player would suddenly stop working, but that the person will have spent the extra cash to get a player they won't be able to buy new movies for.

For myself, I see that Blu ray was forced on the public and onto people who didn't ask for it. Also, the BD shortcomings and BDA lies convince me that they do not deserve my support. If we continue to support HD DVD, the studios will eventually give in.

But you can do whatever you feel like :)

+1

i mean i am a huge movie fan but by buying a blu ray movie would be me condoning how the BDA does business, and i do not condone it.

i support HD DVD with the hope it will become the standard of choice eventually, in the meantime i would love a movie like Super Bad or Donnie Brasco or the first Spider Man in HD, but going neutral will only prolong the format war, not solve it. now imagine if everybody was neutral....things would stay like this until the next format launches.

thats how I look at it