Quote:
Originally Posted by crod1 /forum/post/12875930
ok, got a sony xbr2 46" . so i want a compatible picture from a dual or hd or blu .
i dont follow the "war" as much as some of you guys, can someone help me out.
i have nothing invested into blu ray or hddvd. (own no movies ect.)
has it been confirmed yet, that one will "win" ?
if so should i just buy a sinlge player?
if i rent movies instead of purchasing should i just get a dvd upconverter?
thanks guys
crod1,
With no discs, you are in probably the best position. The war isn't offically over yet, but the BD camp looks like having the upper hand. Having said that, you can still get Laser Disc stuff, I believe, so having HD DVD discs and HW probably isn't a problem for now.
Just remember that some titles will only, for now at least, be available on one format. So if you really must have The Matrix or BSG or The Simpsons movie, then you'll have to get a player that will play that sort.
If I had it to do over, which I do as I have just taken my 5K back, I would go BD all the way. What I am going to do is mix it up with a BD and HD DVD singles, as I now have some of both.
Have a stroll down the Samsung 5000 and LG BH200 lists on this forum and you'll find that both players have issues. Some will play X, some will not. The LG FW update bricked (ie made into expensive doorstops) some players (which they later fixed with another FW update), and the recent Samsung FW seemed fix a small amount of issues and created some more.
There are concerns that newer discs are causing issues, and that some units will play some. Some people can get the LFE (sub woofer) track with their players, some can't. Some can get 24pfs to work, some can't. It's all a bit random really.
Money is the main thing. Both types of players seemed to have dropped in price. You can get the BH200 and 5K for about $800. You can also get a PS3 (40Gb) or Panasonic BD30K and Tosh A30 or A35 for around the same price, depending on where you look (like Amazon or ebay).
Other will be able to correct me on this, but I think most HiDef (regardless of flavour) will upconvert to some degree, so that may be a non issue. Flavour X looks better than flavour Y, but again, it all takes 480p and tries to make it nearer 720/1080 etc. Remember to clean any disc you rent. That seems to help out too.
HD DVD is pretty much a fixed format. The spec is mostly complete and there shouldn't be too many compatibility issues. Blu Ray is still evolving. 1.0 today, with some 1.1 and 2.0 coming over the horizon. If you want all the bells and whistles, then pick a BD player with care. So far, I believe, no current BD player is 2.0 certified.
Picture resolution is also a gotcha. The A1, 2 and 3 only go up to 1080i, some BD players may also have the same draw back (I personally don't know of any). All newer players will go to 1080p. If possible, use HDMI all the way.
I enjoyed my HiDef tv stuff, but it all seemed a bit rushed to me. I'll probably get flamed to hell for my reply, but that's OK.
Seggers