I wasn't really sure how to word this question so I will and explain the best I can. I just purchased a PS3 with my intention being BR playback. I honestly haven't been and probably won't be following the format war but I am wondering how many titles that come out from the supporting studios are both SD and HD? Are we close to 100% or are they only picking specific titles? I really like concert and music titles, how long until we start seeing those on a regular basis? Ultimatly I guess I am wondering how long it will be before I walk into my local Best Buy or similar electronics store and see more than just a small section devoted to HD titles, months, a year or two, or a long time?

Mike

Mike: That is a loaded complicated question. The simplest answer is MOST titles that are available in SD, aren't available in HD. that was true too when SD was only a couple years old and VHS was king.

You are best served by going through the titles listed on Amazon to get an idea of what's available....also take a look a a typical release week for SD and compare it to BR or HDdvd release week and that will give you your typical answer. Amazon and Best Buy etc breakdown their releases by week.

The studios are only putting out a small percentage of their titles on BD. To put things in perspective, according to Amazon, the week of Jan. 8th saw 953 new DVDs (though that includes HD DVDs and BDs). Hundreds of new DVDs come out every week. It will be a while before there are really large numbers of HD titles out there.
J

Whether you like it or not, you are already involved in the format "war." As a consumer, by purchasing a PS3, you chose your format. You must have learned that HD-DVD was in dire straits and made a decision to go with a PS3 instead of an HD-DVD player...so I don't understand how you can claim that you haven't been "following" the format war?

About your other issues...it's still way too early to have as many movies available on Blu-Ray as there are on standard DVD. It took years for studios to release their catalogs on SD...and many movie are STILL unavailable, even though it's been something like 11 years now that DVD has been available.

Do what the rest of us are doing--go with the flow! There are some awesome movies coming out on Blu-Ray and the future can only be brighter (Star Wars, E.T., Indiana Jones, Jaws, Back To The Future, Aliens, etc.)

Hope you enjoy your PS3. As for myself, I support both formats, but have a lot more Blu-Ray than HD-DVD and will probably never purchase another HD-DVD.

I wasn't really sure how to word this question so I will and explain the best I can. I just purchased a PS3 with my intention being BR playback. I honestly haven't been and probably won't be following the format war but I am wondering how many titles that come out from the supporting studios are both SD and HD? Are we close to 100% or are they only picking specific titles? I really like concert and music titles, how long until we start seeing those on a regular basis? Ultimatly I guess I am wondering how long it will be before I walk into my local Best Buy or similar electronics store and see more than just a small section devoted to HD titles, months, a year or two, or a long time?

Mike

Whether you like it or not, you are already involved in the format "war." As a consumer, by purchasing a PS3, you chose your format. You must have learned that HD-DVD was in dire straits and made a decision to go with a PS3 instead of an HD-DVD player...so I don't understand how you can claim that you haven't been "following" the format war?



That isn't true at all. It's entirely possible for someone to purchase a PS3 having never heard of Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, or High Definition. And, as we all know, there are a large majority of PS3 owners that aren't buying Blu-Ray discs. He hasn't joined the format war until there is a purchase of a software title.

As a consumer, it is entirely possible that all that has occurred is that a videogame platform was chosen. If the format war is XBOX 360 vs. PS3, ok, THAT side has been chosen (unless a 360 is owned as well). But, there are way too many PS3 owners that could care less about Blu-Ray or the format war to say that they've "chosen sides" by purchasing a PS3...

One of my favorite resources on the www for researching DVDs (including the new formats) can be found here:

DVD List (http://hometheaterinfo.com/dvdlist.htm)

As you will note, there have been 41,579 different releases in the Unites States since the advent of DVD through 1/15/2008. (This does not include adult titles).

Of this list of 40,000+ releases, fewer than 1,000 are in the HD DVD or Blu-ray formats.

At this point, I think the more interesting question to ask is, "How many titles will NEVER be released in HD?".

Maybe an interesting trivia question (that i do not know the answer to)

Anyone can name a movie that has been released on DVD but not HD
Can someone name a movie that was released on VHS but not DVD (ie. are we close to complete replication now?)
Bonus part, can someone name a movie that was released in theaters but never on VHS?
or maybe just not on VHS (some other medium?)

Dave

Maybe an interesting trivia question (that i do not know the answer to)

Anyone can name a movie that has been released on DVD but not HD
Can someone name a movie that was released on VHS but not DVD (ie. are we close to complete replication now?)
Bonus part, can someone name a movie that was released in theaters but never on VHS?
or maybe just not on VHS (some other medium?)

Dave

I know Yentle was never released on DVD in the states.

I can think of two movies right off the top of my head that I am still waiting for on DVD, Howard the Duck, and The Invisible Kid. I loved both of them as a kid, and would like to replace my worn out VHS copies.

I can think of two movies right off the top of my head that I am still waiting for on DVD, Howard the Duck, and The Invisible Kid. I loved both of them as a kid, and would like to replace my worn out VHS copies.

HOWARD THE DUCK!!!!!!!!! hahahaah wow, I remember that as a kid too. It doesnt get any better/worse than that ; )

I guess they are getting an official DVD release in the UK on Feb 18th, still no work on a US release though. I've found a website that has a a version for sale here in the US, but it seems like a homemade bootleg and not an official release.

I can think of two movies right off the top of my head that I am still waiting for on DVD, Howard the Duck, and The Invisible Kid. I loved both of them as a kid, and would like to replace my worn out VHS copies.

Still waiting for "The Peanut Butter Solution" and "The Great Land of Small"

:cool:

Can someone name a movie that was released on VHS but not DVD
Green Slime.
There were a few that made it to DVD, but went out of print in what seems like several nanoseconds.
J

To answer the question about what can be in HD, anything shot on film could be a candidate for release, except in some cases where it was edited on video (some TV shows, unless they're willing to go back and re-edit using the original film elements). The quality will vary, though, based on the condition of the film and what kind of film was used (16mm won't look as good as 35mm).

There is a great deal of TV material that was produced in SD, so it cannot be released in HD. Many sitcoms from the 70s to the 90s, and much live material made before recently was shot in SD. Even some recent shows like Chappelle's Show, Scrubs, and South Park were/are produced in SD, although with South Park they went and re-did an episode for HD (it's animated on computers so they can re-render it in a higher resolution).

Unfortunately, many music concerts were also shot on SD video, although in recent years some have been shot in HD. Then, there are some that were shot on film, so they can be released.

Also, bear in mind that the aspect ratio has nothing to do with whether something can benefit from HD. Don't assume that just because a show is 4:3 that it can't be released on HDM; it's whether it was filmed or not that matters. TV material that can benefit can be released on HDM with pillarbox bars on the sides.

To answer the question about what can be in HD, anything shot on film could be a candidate for release, except in some cases where it was edited on video (some TV shows, unless they're willing to go back and re-edit using the original film elements).

I think there are many, many shows that fall into the "shot on film, edited on video" bucket. Virtually everything shot on film in between the start of the editing on video/computer and the start of the HD era.

We know they've re-edited Seinfeld from the original elements (although they've yet to release it in HD). It's so labour intensive it's hard to imagine it being done for many series.

Can someone name a movie that was released on VHS but not DVD (ie. are we close to complete replication now?)
Dave

Despite how successful DVD has been in conquering the home video market, we're nowhere near complete replication of the VHS library. At this point, most MAJOR titles/classics have been issued on DVD (and we're finally getting EL CID and LOST HIGHWAY), but there are tons of more minor films that have never made it. Off the top of my head (and sitting in my TV room on VHS) the Jack Lemmon film UNDER THE YUM-YUM TREE, Josef von Sternberg's great version of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, BACKGROUND TO DANGER, THE BEST MAN (not the recent version), THE HORSE THIEF (Scorsese's pick for the best film of the 90s)... As far as major classics go, we still don't have THE AFRICAN QUEEN, King Vidor's THE WIND, and Erich von Stroheim's GREED. So there's still plenty of reason for a film buff to keep a VCR plugged in.

And just another trivia question... does anyone know what the LAST movie released on VHS was? Or on laserdisc?

Last on LaserDisc in the USA, I believe was Sleepy Hollow or Bringing Out The Dead - I can't remember which - they basically came out at the same time.

A movie on VHS, but never on DVD? "Cassie." The "R" Rated version of the porno "Up-n-coming". A movie in theaters but never on VHS? The Jimmy McNichol, uh, 'classic' "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker" I saw it in Albuquerque, at the Coronado 4 theater - Mr. McNichol was there for the premiere - Albuquerque got all kinds of great 'premieres' back in the 70's and early 80's. The Jaws rip-off "Great White" also premiered there at the M-Plaza 5 theater. As we walked out of the theater I remember my dad saying "Well, they tried, but not very hard."

Last on LaserDisc in the USA, I believe was Sleepy Hollow or Bringing Out The Dead - I can't remember which - they basically came out at the same time.


The last LaserDisc I remember ever seeing in a store was "Bowfinger."

Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out The Dead were truly the last LD releases from Pioneer in the USA. Neither were pressed in large quantites - about 350 of each were pressed. Neither had AC-3 - just PCM tracks. Paramount dropped AC-3 in the last year of LD's life. Those two titles were truly the very last titles released in the USA on LD both were released on 10-03-2000.

The last title from Universal was "End Of Days" on 4-08-2000.

I think it would be easier to count how many are on HDM and then subtract... The HD-DVD and BD stats sites should make it easy for HDM. A DVD database site for the other.

larry

Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out The Dead were truly the last LD releases from Pioneer in the USA. Neither were pressed in large quantites - about 350 of each were pressed. Neither had AC-3 - just PCM tracks. Paramount dropped AC-3 in the last year of LD's life. Those two titles were truly the very last titles released in the USA on LD both were released on 10-03-2000.

The last title from Universal was "End Of Days" on 4-08-2000.

Wow, how appropriate they were Bringing Out the Dead and End of Days. ;)

It would have been cool if an HD DVD studio was behind Gone Baby Gone so that could be their last HD DVD. Maybe Image can stop releasing on HD DVD after Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

Has the television series "Six Million Dollar Man" with Steve Austin been released on DVD or Blu-ray???

DVD in Europe and Australia. I've bought The Bionic Woman DVD sets. I wish they'd release a US version because I hate the 4% PAL speed-up.

Maybe an interesting trivia question (that i do not know the answer to)

Anyone can name a movie that has been released on DVD but not HD


um easy one, 99.9% of every movie made.

Well i remember a few cases where my film teacher would show us a movie and say "You guys are lucky they just released this on DVD, otherwise you'd have to watch the VHS version":eek:

Just counting feature films, 75% of my modest DVD collection is not yet available on HDM. I guess that's not too bad. However none of my favorite films are on HDM (no classic Disney or Miyazaki yet), which makes it feel much worst.