[aaronwt]

It is crazy to think HD DVD was first introduced almost 8 years ago. But till this day, I still prefer to watch movies on my HD DVD players. I don’t like the forced endless movie previews.

...................

Almost nine years ago. I got my launch HD DVD player in April 2006.

 

[Blasst]

Its been NINE years now! Just flat out crazy how time seems to blow by as you get older. Still have a couple of XA2's and an A1 with around 100+ movies. Maybe my family 100 years in the future can make some big bucks selling them.

 

[Blasst]

10 Years ago this month we had lots of fun here on AVS! I wonder if Amir will ever write his book on how the HD DVD vs BD went down from his viewpoint while working for Microsoft? Now 10 years later we are slowly getting UHD BD discs.

 

[blackssr]

Almost nine years ago. I got my launch HD DVD player in April 2006.

Same here..

 

[blackssr]

Its been NINE years now! Just flat out crazy how time seems to blow by as you get older. Still have a couple of XA2's and an A1 with around 100+ movies. Maybe my family 100 years in the future can make some big bucks selling them.

10 years older.... 10 years slower.

When you are 10 years old and 10 years go by, you get stronger.. When you are 40 years old and 10 years go by, you get weaker... funny how that works isn't it?

 

[pizzadave80]

As a new guy to this forum, I found reading through this old thread highly entertaining. I recall the days as well, but I was looking at it differently. I was a kid, looking for a new gaming machine. Both the 360 and PS3 were on the market, and I was unsure of what I wanted to get. I decided on a PS3, because it had the capability to play Blu Rays internally, while the 360 required an additional player. I think the most confusing part of the format war was the local video stores. There were DVDs everywhere, and then two small sections with Blu rays and HD DVDs. Seeing movies on HD DVD vs. the Blu Ray I owned made me nearly buy a pawn shop HD DVD player just to watch them in HD. Luckily, just a few months later, HD DVD was declared dead and all of those movies were then produced as Blu Rays.

BETTER PICTURE, BETTER SOUND, BLU RAY!

 

[chadsmith013]

I still have the xbox HD player in my attic collecting dust..and about 4-5 movies...

 

[Scoob]

Nostalgia. Lord of the Double D where are you?

I too came to AVS forum when the HD DVD format launched. It was awesome. Never have I had such a passion for a new Consumer electronics product like I did when HD DVD came out. As I perused the forum several years ago, I saw the pic of Lord of the Double D posted of his new player and movies on launch day, and I just HAD to have one. Its a bummer that the pic he posted isn't available anymore, it's almost iconic to me even a decade later. The only reason I thought of this, was I haven't been into my home theater hobby for 5 years or so and this whole 4K thing has kind of revitalized me. Was fun to see the first UHD BD player in the wild. It took me back to April of 2006. Lord of the Double D, can you dig out that pic and post it for us?

 

[NorthSky]

I missed all the good times ten years ago here; I was still busy watching DVD movies, with the first Toshiba DVD player (1996-97), then the 2nd gen six months later (1997).
And ten years after I started watching HD DVDs with the first Toshiba HD-A1 player (1080i), and more Toshiba HD DVD players (1080p), then Samsung BP-UP5000 Duo player (Sony was big on Blu back then).

I bought the first VHS movies, first DVD titles, first HD DVD titles, first BR titles. During the Laser Discs (expensive) years I was playing mainly outside (Pioneer LD players were inside), and with analog vinyl inside, plus CDs. ...Only UHD I'm not in yet...still with BR 3D. ...Ain't dead yet...The Force Awakens 3D is comin' up and Avatar 2 3D.

When was the last time I watched a HD DVD movie from my still vast Red collection? I can't remember, Blu is all over me now.

Today, when talking about the Blus, it's UHD, HDR, color gamut, new HDMI handshake issues, UHD front projectors, only one UHD BR player, and $45 for a UHD Blu-ray movie title (here in Canada).

The names that built this nation...X-Box, Microsoft, Toshiba, Warner Brothers, PS3, Sony, Columbia Tristar, Philips, Magnavox, Apple, JVC, Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic, James Cameron, FOX movie studios, 3D, Dolby, dts, Auro. That, is entertainment.

 

[Blasst]

I too came to AVS forum when the HD DVD format launched. It was awesome. Never have I had such a passion for a new Consumer electronics product like I did when HD DVD came out. As I perused the forum several years ago, I saw the pic of Lord of the Double D posted of his new player and movies on launch day, and I just HAD to have one. Its a bummer that the pic he posted isn't available anymore, it's almost iconic to me even a decade later. The only reason I thought of this, was I haven't been into my home theater hobby for 5 years or so and this whole 4K thing has kind of revitalized me. Was fun to see the first UHD BD player in the wild. It took me back to April of 2006. Lord of the Double D, can you dig out that pic and post it for us?

Ron-P was the first to post on the A-1 main thread,http://www.avsforum.com/forum/151-h...hiba-hd-a1-hd-dvd-first-end-user-reports.html and his photos have been gone for a long time. Found a pic on web that was shown on The Digital Bits around that time that I believe were of Lord of the Double D that we all remember. It looks like his posts are no longer in the thread for some reason but there are quotes of his so not sure what the deal is. Here we go:

 

[aaronwt]

As a new guy to this forum, I found reading through this old thread highly entertaining. I recall the days as well, but I was looking at it differently. I was a kid, looking for a new gaming machine. Both the 360 and PS3 were on the market, and I was unsure of what I wanted to get. I decided on a PS3, because it had the capability to play Blu Rays internally, while the 360 required an additional player. I think the most confusing part of the format war was the local video stores. There were DVDs everywhere, and then two small sections with Blu rays and HD DVDs. Seeing movies on HD DVD vs. the Blu Ray I owned made me nearly buy a pawn shop HD DVD player just to watch them in HD. Luckily, just a few months later, HD DVD was declared dead and all of those movies were then produced as Blu Rays.

BETTER PICTURE, BETTER SOUND, BLU RAY!

I've still got over 350 HD DVDs. With several dozen never opened. And I still have four players, not including the three HD DVD 360 add ons I have around somewhere. I recently moved my HD-XA2 from my A/V cabinet.(I returned my launch XA1 a few days after HD DVD lost the format war for a full $500 refund(I had 10% off) from BestBuy) That thing was heavy. It was built like a tank. I still hate the java solution that Blu-ray Disc still uses. It was never anywhere near as good as what HD DVD used.

 

[LordofDoubleD]

Hey guys LordofDoubleD here - thanks for the great PMs - I will answer those in a second.

Can I say that I LOVED HD-DVD - well, at least the concept

In practice that whole format was pretty janky and buggy - but it was a really exciting time for home theater: HD content on a physical disc.

Truth be told my best (most solid) playback device was the HD-DVD add-on drive for the XBOX 360.

Fast forward to today and I had this crazy idea that 4K blu-ray would be a similar experience - I hadn't been this excited since I purchased that first HD-DVD player.

If you were on the Samsung K8500 thread you'll see that (once again) I was one of the first people lucky/savvy/crazy? enough to pick up that Samsung 4K UHD player - it really made me think about the above pic and that first HD-DVD purchase.

The reality: not the same experience at all - I realized very quickly that HDR and WCG are the real "features" of the 4K blu-ray format - not resolution. I have just jumped through a million hoops to swap my Vizio M-70 for a 2016 P65 - all in the name of getting an HDR capable display! Now that I have it I'm caught in a trap where my only options for content are Marco Polo and renting UHD movies from VUDU - WTF!

Still have that HD-A1 out in the garage and have an HD-A30 that I picked up at Goodwill patched into the system (looking for a cheap HD-A35 - bitstream!). Still have all of my HD-DVDs!

Great thread - onward and upward!

-DD

 

[pizzadave80]

Hey guys LordofDoubleD here - thanks for the great PMs - I will answer those in a second.

Can I say that I LOVED HD-DVD - well, at least the concept

In practice that whole format was pretty janky and buggy - but it was a really exciting time for home theater: HD content on a physical disc.

Truth be told my best (most solid) playback device was the HD-DVD add-on drive for the XBOX 360.

Fast forward to today and I had this crazy idea that 4K blu-ray would be a similar experience - I hadn't been this excited since I purchased that first HD-DVD player.

If you were on the Samsung K8500 thread you'll see that (once again) I was one of the first people lucky/savvy/crazy? enough to pick up that Samsung 4K UHD player - it really made me think about the above pic and that first HD-DVD purchase.

The reality: not the same experience at all - I realized very quickly that HDR and WCG are the real "features" of the 4K blu-ray format - not resolution. I have just jumped through a million hoops to swap my Vizio M-70 for a 2016 P65 - all in the name of getting an HDR capable display! Now that I have it I'm caught in a trap where my only options for content are Marco Polo and renting UHD movies from VUDU - WTF!

Still have that HD-A1 out in the garage and have an HD-A30 that I picked up at Goodwill patched into the system (looking for a cheap HD-A35 - bitstream!). Still have all of my HD-DVDs!

Great thread - onward and upward!

-DD

I am confused. You said that you were one of the buyers of the Samsung 8500 UHD Blu Ray Player, but then said that your only content to watch was Marco Polo and Vudu (which is Dobly Vision instead of HDR). Does the P65 process HDR-10? If so, you should be able to pick up a good selection of UHD Blu Rays with HDR and have a great experience. I was very excited when Blu ray first came to be, and not nearly as excited about 4k. I am a 4k owner, but there is so much gray area with HDR, Dolby Vision, Codecs in between, cabling, receiver switching, dobly atmos and all of these other things that will make it great, but all for $$$$$$. And besides, my Blu Rays look great the way they are on a 4k display I just don't see it being nearly as much WOW factor.

 

[aaronwt]

Hey guys LordofDoubleD here - thanks for the great PMs - I will answer those in a second.

Can I say that I LOVED HD-DVD - well, at least the concept

In practice that whole format was pretty janky and buggy - but it was a really exciting time for home theater: HD content on a physical disc.

Truth be told my best (most solid) playback device was the HD-DVD add-on drive for the XBOX 360.

Fast forward to today and I had this crazy idea that 4K blu-ray would be a similar experience - I hadn't been this excited since I purchased that first HD-DVD player.

If you were on the Samsung K8500 thread you'll see that (once again) I was one of the first people lucky/savvy/crazy? enough to pick up that Samsung 4K UHD player - it really made me think about the above pic and that first HD-DVD purchase.

The reality: not the same experience at all - I realized very quickly that HDR and WCG are the real "features" of the 4K blu-ray format - not resolution. I have just jumped through a million hoops to swap my Vizio M-70 for a 2016 P65 - all in the name of getting an HDR capable display! Now that I have it I'm caught in a trap where my only options for content are Marco Polo and renting UHD movies from VUDU - WTF!

Still have that HD-A1 out in the garage and have an HD-A30 that I picked up at Goodwill patched into the system (looking for a cheap HD-A35 - bitstream!). Still have all of my HD-DVDs!

Great thread - onward and upward!

-DD

??? IF you have the K8500 UHD BD player then you have available over two dozen titles available in UHD with HDR. Most of them look great from the K8500 on an HDR capable UHD TV.

I have a low end Sony UHD TV with some HDR capabilities. And the UHD BD content with HDR looks great. On a set with FALD(Like the P series Vizio) it should look superb.

HD DVD and BD titles can't touch UHD BD titles in HDR.

 

[hernanu]

I am confused. You said that you were one of the buyers of the Samsung 8500 UHD Blu Ray Player, but then said that your only content to watch was Marco Polo and Vudu (which is Dobly Vision instead of HDR). Does the P65 process HDR-10? If so, you should be able to pick up a good selection of UHD Blu Rays with HDR and have a great experience. I was very excited when Blu ray first came to be, and not nearly as excited about 4k. I am a 4k owner, but there is so much gray area with HDR, Dolby Vision, Codecs in between, cabling, receiver switching, dobly atmos and all of these other things that will make it great, but all for $$$$$$. And besides, my Blu Rays look great the way they are on a 4k display I just don't see it being nearly as much WOW factor.

??? IF you have the K8500 UHD BD player then you have available over two dozen titles available in UHD with HDR. Most of them look great from the K8500 on an HDR capable UHD TV.

I have a low end Sony UHD TV with some HDR capabilities. And the UHD BD content with HDR looks great. On a set with FALD(Like the P series Vizio) it should look superb.

HD DVD and BD titles can't touch UHD BD titles in HDR.

The 2016 Vizios don't support HDR-10 right now. There will be a firmware upgrade to support it in 90 days or so. Right now the only way to watch HDR content is to stream it, since it does support DV.

One thing that you can do, waiting for the HDR-10 push later is to buy a UHD bluray now and use the certificate in the bluray to get a DV version of the movie on Vudu. I've heard that it is pretty incredible. The upscaling of clean sources (HD-DVD?) is supposed to be excellent, so it would be good to see how it plays on a Vizio P 65.

 

[LordofDoubleD]

The 2016 Vizios don't support HDR-10 right now. There will be a firmware upgrade to support it in 90 days or so. Right now the only way to watch HDR content is to stream it, since it does support DV.

One thing that you can do, waiting for the HDR-10 push later is to buy a UHD bluray now and use the certificate in the bluray to get a DV version of the movie on Vudu. I've heard that it is pretty incredible. The upscaling of clean sources (HD-DVD?) is supposed to be excellent, so it would be good to see how it plays on a Vizio P 65.

Great idea!

I've got a few UHD discs - I should definitely use my digital copy to get the VUDU Dolby Vision version - struggling with buying (even renting) VUDU UHD titles - thank you!

 

[LordofDoubleD]

I am confused. You said that you were one of the buyers of the Samsung 8500 UHD Blu Ray Player, but then said that your only content to watch was Marco Polo and Vudu (which is Dobly Vision instead of HDR). Does the P65 process HDR-10? If so, you should be able to pick up a good selection of UHD Blu Rays with HDR and have a great experience. I was very excited when Blu ray first came to be, and not nearly as excited about 4k. I am a 4k owner, but there is so much gray area with HDR, Dolby Vision, Codecs in between, cabling, receiver switching, dobly atmos and all of these other things that will make it great, but all for $$$$$$. And besides, my Blu Rays look great the way they are on a 4k display I just don't see it being nearly as much WOW factor.

Yep, the Vizio P65 (at this time) only does Dolby Vision - so I am kind of stuck.

I agree with you 100% - if you do not have a HDR WCG capable display do not buy a 4K BD player - it is really no worth it.

IMHO - spending that money adding Atmos to your system would be a much better investment than adding the K8500 - just my two cents

 

[NorthSky]

HD DVD is like a turntable spinning analog vinyl.
UHD might look digitally pretty in its pink ballet dress, but those were the days and still are if you have heart.

That Sammy UHD BR player is mickey mouse compared to Toshiba rolls royce first HD DVD gen.

 

[capt.video]

Nail in the coffin

I believe that the final nail and / or the beginning of the end for HDDVD was putting Blu ray into the play station...some thing like Netflix was for Blockbuster

 

[Scoob]

agree

If you were on the Samsung K8500 thread you'll see that (once again) I was one of the first people lucky/savvy/crazy? enough to pick up that Samsung 4K UHD player - it really made me think about the above pic and that first HD-DVD purchase.

The reality: not the same experience at all - I realized very quickly that HDR and WCG are the real "features" of the 4K blu-ray format - not resolution. I have just jumped through a million hoops to swap my Vizio M-70 for a 2016 P65 - all in the name of getting an HDR capable display! Now that I have it I'm caught in a trap where my only options for content are Marco Polo and renting UHD movies from VUDU - WTF!

Still have that HD-A1 out in the garage and have an HD-A30 that I picked up at Goodwill patched into the system (looking for a cheap HD-A35 - bitstream!). Still have all of my HD-DVDs!

Great thread - onward and upward!

-DD

I feel very similar as an owner of a P50 and the Sammy UHD BD player. I am feeling content starved and its kind of taking some of the fun out of all this. But in time there will be plenty of titles with DV and HDR10........I bought one titleon UHD BD Pan, and it looks marginally better than BD (if all) yet watching Marco Polo on Netflix with DV blew me away. Oh well, in time our P series will have HDR10 and also there will be more titles on disc. I love this hobby and am jacked to have some new gear.