[jandron]

I'm format neutral; have been for some time. I've breathlessly waited for the latest firmware updates, downloaded and made discs, and installed. I've sat through sync problems, freezes, re-starts, re-boots, and discs that wouldn't play. I have a disc that was a Christmas present that I still haven't been able to watch because my Samsuck needs a firmware update.


And as I look at all this I suddenly realized that J6P will NEVER put up with this crap. They will simply say, "hey Comcast has that movie On-Demand, and all I need to do is push a button."


So, Im wondering, will Blu-Ray or HD-DVD ever be more than a niche market? I seriously have my doubts.

 

[Super XP]

HD DVD did have a chance seeing that it was backed by the DVD Forum, but Blu-Ray has no chance. If HD DVD goes under it's back to 1080p SD DVD up-scaling for many.

 

[jeff_c]

I think it will. Whoever wins, IMO, will replace DVD as the physical media. Downloads/on demand will eventually be a bigger market though. Still, people like to actually have something in their hands that is easy to share with friends, so I think that physical HDM will take hold soon.

 

[westgate]

hdm is gonna have a 'hard row to hoe', imo, to become accepted by the masses, if ever.


unless:

prices drop like rocks. (at least for software and bd players)

players become both much more reliable and easier to deal with.


and maybe most importantly, a whole lot more folks have to buy hdtvs.

 

[Big J]

I have my doubts about replacing DVD, but I suspect HDM will be a healthy niche market for a few years at least.

J

 

[mproper]

Nope.


Mainstream isn't ready for it. Most people still don't have HDTVs, and of those that do, a good bit of them are content with SD content (look at numerous studies of how many people either think they are getting HD and aren't, or who don't care).


By the time mainstream is ready for it, the next thing will be ready (probably downloads or on-demand stuff that will be better than DVD, worse than HDM, but plenty good enough for all those people with sub-50" HDTVs who use the TV speakers.


That's not to say it can't enjoy a healthy life as a niche market though.

 

[Newbie]

I think you're right that J6P won't put up with that nonsense, and goodness knows he shouldn't.


But I do expect those issues to go away

 

[ADGrant]

HDM adoption is already ahead of DVD at a similar point in its lifecycle. In about a years time, analog TV transmissions will cease and the format war will probably be over. I would expect mass market adoption of BD a couple of years after that.


BD players will get cheaper, faster and more reliable. In the meantime you can always buy a PS3.

 

[SimpleTheater]

Sony has already announced they will stop making SD-DVD players. Panasonic and all others will follow suit in the coming years. The format war has to end before the big marketing push can begin. After all, Toshiba & Sony have probably dropped nearly $1 billion in incentives to the movie studios. For that kind of money they could have bought EVERY 30 second spot on the Super Bowl.

 

[RWetmore]

If there's one format that all the studios release content on, then yes I think HDM will take hold, but not in any significant numbers for another couple years.

 

[mva5580]

High Def FormatS will never take hold.


However, once one of these formats go away, the "winner" will gain mainstream acceptance.


I have both, and I'm so sick and tired of this garbage. I wish one of them would just go away already, so these companies could actually get behind High Def Movies.

 

[jzoz01]

Prices need to come in line with current SD media and players. Realistically I think they messed up when they developed the formats. TL51 would have been ideal from the get-go if they would have had 2 layers of HD-DVD and a third layer for SD. That way they could put out ONE disc that is playable in SD players and HD players. That would have brought mass adoption.

 

[JAC6]

Did we truly need another thread on this topic, which has been discussed at excruciating length in literally dozens of other threads?

 

[Figgie]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ADGrant /forum/post/12978397


analog TV transmissions will cease and the format war will probably be over.

not for anything but how much are the Digital to Analog convertor boxes minus the $40 off coupon from the goverment v. buying a new tv?

 

[Jiffylush]

Let me help you out...


HD DVD supporter - No, both are now doomed to failure.


BD supporter - Yes, once we have 100% studio support the skies the limit.


Neutral - (somewhere in between)

 

[anotheraviator]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiffylush /forum/post/12978835


Let me help you out...


HD DVD supporter - No, both are now doomed to failure.


BD supporter - Yes, once we have 100% studio support the skies the limit.


Neutral - (somewhere in between)

Reality... nobody is lining up for HDM players. They are for iPhones. There is no mass market or mass demand.


Just replace all the players on the shelves with HDM players, replace all the movies on the shelves with HDM, keep the prices the same as they are for SD-DVD, stamp a "new and improved - now in 1080p" sticker on the front and call it a day.


Guarantee that the movie business doesn't go the way of the music business in under 5 years.

 

[TheCrackedJack]

Why are we even discussing this anymore? Do you people even have the slightest shred of patience?


It's taken DVD over a decade to get to where it is now. And now only a little while into HDM formats, people are whining and wondering if it will catch on? Get a freakin grip.

 

[thebland]

Blu Ray has taken hold and will take off. It is a done deal as the wheels are already turning to that end. I am surprised there are so many conspiracy theorists.

 

[Jiffylush]



Quote:
Originally Posted by anotheraviator /forum/post/12978879


Reality... nobody is lining up for HDM players. They are for iPhones. There is no mass market or mass demand.

/snip

Just wanted to add that I got pissed at my wifes carrier two days ago, last night I stopped off at an AT&T store on the way home and bought her an iPhone.


I know it is overpriced and unecessary and etc, but I wanted to get one for her, and she was very excited.


BTW, that was absolutely not her reaction when I brought the PS3 home (though admitedly it wasn't for her), and the PS3 was $100 more at that time.

 

[Figgie]



Quote:
Originally Posted by thebland /forum/post/12978987


Blu Ray has taken hold and will take off. It is a done deal as the wheels are already turning to that end. I am surprised there are so many conspiracy theorists.

Nah No need for conspiracy.


It is another two words though..


PURE ECONOMICS.