Blockbuster to decide Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD?

[PolkThug]

Interesting....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19289649/

AP -By Gary Gentile

Blockbuster Inc. will rent high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray format in 1,450 stores when it expands its high-def offerings next month, dealing a major blow to the rival HD DVD format.

The move, being announced Monday, could be the first step in resolving a format war that has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time.

"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbuster, told The Associated Press.

Blockbuster will continue to rent HD DVD titles in the original 250 locations and online, the Dallas-based company said.

The decision was helped in large part by the lopsided availability of titles in Blu-ray, Smith said. All major studios except one are releasing films in Blu-ray, with several, including The Walt Disney Co., releasing exclusively in Blu-ray. Only Universal Studios, which is owned by General Electric Co., exclusively supports HD DVD.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., and Paramount Pictures, which is owned by Viacom Inc., release films in both formats.

"When you walk into a store and see all this product available in Blu-ray and there is less available on HD DVD, I think the consumer gets that," Smith said.

The rollout of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 game console, which comes standard with a Blu-ray drive, also helped give the format momentum, Smith said.

Blockbuster's decision, while significant on its own, could boost Blu-ray even more if other retailers follow suit.

"It will help shift the balance toward Blu-ray, clearly," said Richard Doherty, president of The Envisioneering Group, a research company.

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group said Blockbuster's decision was shortsighted and skewed by the success of films released by Blu-ray studios in the first three months of the year. The group said HD DVD has since gained momentum, selling more players and popular titles such as "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "The Matrix" trilogy.

"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.

The two formats have been battling it out since they both hit the market last year. Studios hope the high-definition discs, with their sharper picture and more room for interactive special features and games, will replace standard-definition DVDs.

The formats are incompatible and neither will play on standard DVD players, although standard DVDs can be viewed with either a Blu-ray or HD DVD player.

The Blu-ray camp has been helped by the release of such huge hits as "Casino Royale," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Spider-Man" coming out exclusively in its format.

As the battle has unfolded, the price of the high-definition players needed to show the movies has plummeted. Toshiba Corp., the major supporter of HD DVD, is selling its player for $299 with a rebate, down from $499 when it first went on sale.

Sony, which is pushing Blu-ray, recently slashed the price of its player by more than half to $499. The player retailed for $1,000 when it first was introduced.


....

[AndyGwis]

Sweet! So, I've got two "dead format" players.

Way to jump the gun, Andy. Next up, PS3, Tiger Woods golf, and some BR discs.

[venomclan]

The faster the war ends, the better for the industry. Hopefully this will sway the victory to the Blu Ray camp. Which seemed the logical choice imho. Once Sony drops the price of the PS3, which they will have to do soon. It will accelerate BR.
V

[Skynut]

I'm sticking with Betamax

[BIZILL]

this worries me none.

[sucks2beme]

Guess I'll just hijack junoir's PS3.
It's in the rack with the HT anyhow.:p

[Silverti]

I waited and waited until 2 weeks ago. Bought a PS3 for my kids to play with (Ps2 broke down) and the BD for my theater. So I've picked my side and bought 7 movies already.

[Emlyn]

Blockbuster to Expand Blu-Ray to 1,700 Stores
Company will continue to offer HD DVD titles online and in select number of stores


DALLAS, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In response to the growing demand for high-definition DVDs, Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI)(NYSE: BBI.B) today announced that it is rolling out an expanded Blu-ray disc inventory for rental to 1,700 corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER® stores by mid-July. The Company will continue to offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles through its online rental service, http://www.blockbuster.com/, and will continue to offer both formats at its initial 250 stores that currently carry both high-definition formats.

"We intend to meet the demands of our customers and based on the trends we're seeing, we're expanding our Blu-ray inventory to ensure our stores reflect the right level of products," said Matthew Smith, SVP Merchandising for Blockbuster. "While it is still too early to say which high-definition format will become the industry standard, we will continue to closely monitor customer rental patterns both at our stores and online, so we can adjust our inventory mix accordingly and ensure that Blockbuster is offering customers the most convenient access to the movies they want, in the format they want."

When Blu-ray and HD DVD were introduced to the marketplace in 2006, Blockbuster began offering the high-definition formats on all titles in which it was available through blockbuster.com. The Company also introduced both formats on select titles in 250 stores in November of 2006. With Blu-ray rentals significantly outpacing HD DVD rentals at its BLOCKBUSTER stores, the Company made the decision to expand the number of stores offering the Blu-ray format.

With the expansion in July, the 1,700 stores will be carrying more than 170 titles in Blu-ray and will continue to add titles in the format as they are released from the studios.

"We are excited to be able to make more high-definition titles available to our customers in those stores where our research indicates there will be the most demand," said Smith. "Obviously, when customers are ready we can expand the Blu-ray offering into more stores and add HD DVD to more locations if that's what customers tell us they want. We'll continue to work with the movie studios to ensure we have the right assortment of products."

Blu-ray formatted titles are available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, FOX Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, and Paramount Home Entertainment and can be played on Blu-ray dedicated players, Sony PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) or a Blu-ray compatible computer drive.

About Blockbuster

Blockbuster Inc. is a leading global provider of in-home movie and game entertainment, with more than 8,000 stores throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. The Company may be accessed worldwide at http://www.blockbuster.com/.

SOURCE: Blockbuster Inc.

[MrNightly]

How long do you guys think it will be before there is a clear cut winner? How long did the Beta-max vs VHS take?

I need to know how long before I step up the HD :)

[AndyGwis]

Best move, if you want to jump in the water now, would be to get a nice, cheap HD-DVD player (like the HD-A2) and a PS3.

If HD-DVD doesn't win, you only spent like $200-$300 on a solid upconverting player. If BR doesn't win, you have a sweet gaming console. . . worst case scenario isn't that bad.

[PSOVLSK]

Maybe dumb, but I wonder if HD DVD owners let Blockbuster know how they feel about this move if it would make a difference. Seems to me they are jumping the gun on making this decision since many HD DVD players have been sold recently due to Toshiba's rebate offer. These new HD owners will have to find other options without ever having a chance to give Blockbuster their business.

[Sami]

As I see it, the 2 HD-DVD players will satisfy my hunger for HD until the war is clearly over. I'll get into BR (if they win) once they drop below $200 or the PS3 below $300. Although I have invested into HD-DVD I don't really care who the winner is as by the time war is over the players are going to be cheap enough to offset the whole thing.

[aaharvel]

why is the audio set to a lower standard with Blu-Ray than in HD-DVD? Software prices appear to be identical.

[Bill Ayotte]

Guess it's a good thing I only "paid" $99 for my HD-A2....Either way, I would end up owning both of them at this point...I will be buying a PS3 once some worthwhile games come out for it....

[dylan]

Although not as main-stream, aren't we still wondering who'll win with SACD vs. DVD-A, after how many years? I bought a Denon multi-player, but regardless lost interest in the whole idea either way.

Not to mention I have a 'HD TV' with component cables. As an AV-educated consumer, I'm frustrated on both of those fronts. How about people that don't know HDMI from a hole in the ground?

[Sami]

Although not as main-stream, aren't we still wondering who'll win with SACD vs. DVD-A, after how many years?

Apples and oranges. Most people with a decent HD monitor (and those will become mainstream unlike hi-fi audio equipments) will see a major improvement in quality, and most importantly care about it unlike with audio.

[exalted512]

What are the advantages to HD over Blu-Ray anyway? I thought Blu-Ray was supposed to be better...
-Cody

[Bill Ayotte]

Not to mention I have a 'HD TV' with component cables. As an AV-educated consumer, I'm frustrated on both of those fronts. How about people that don't know HDMI from a hole in the ground?

This is very true...The only reason I have a HDMI cable is because it was given to me....Just so you know, many of the new DVDs and BDs require a HDMI connection in order to upscale beyond 480P when played in a HD player....I guess it is some new form of copy protection....:confused:

It frustrated the hell out of me when I tried to watch the regular DVD version of Casino Royale on the HD-A2....I had it hooked up with component cables at first, then hooked the HDMI up after finding this annoying fact out..

[Sami]

PQ is identical. HD-DVD is cheaper format, less problems with discs, less copy-protection BS. BD will most likely win the war but their advantages aren't relevant at this time. In the future the added capacity would be nice for storage purposes but for movies it doesn't matter.

[Sami]

It frustrated the hell out of me when I tried to watch the regular DVD version of Casino Royale on the HD-A2....I had it hooked up with component cables at first, then hooked the HDMI up after finding this annoying fact out..

Pretty much all upconverting players do this as well, one of the copyright protection things. Some players choose to bypass it just like region coding.

[Strong Bad]

This is exactely why I haven't invested anything in any of these new formats. I saw a VHS vs Beta war brewing a while back and stayed away. I'll hang tight for a clear cut winner before buying anything.

Right now, i'm enjoying what I have.


John

[Silverti]

If you guys are seriously into audio and video I would tell you to go get a Play station 3 now. I totally believe Sony loses $300 on each one of these. The last patch introduced media servers. I now can use the PS3 as not only my media player but my mp3 jukebox, picture album and video album and its very easy to use. It was worth $600 alone to be a piece of my media center. Its worth $4500 as a Blue ray player and its even worth another $500 as a game system. Heck, its worth $2000 as a PC since it blows away the 7 PC’s put together that I have in my house (folding@home).

[Ron-P]

How long do you guys think it will be before there is a clear cut winner?
Several years at least, most likely a lot longer. Both have way to much invested in their formats to make this end anytime soon. No big deal, I own both and buy both and will continue to do so.

[Toxis]

I'm sticking with my Denon for 4-5 years. As I see it, 2 years for the war to be closer to the end and the real winner being figured out then tack on another 2-3 years before video processing companies have had enough time to play with and tweak the format to look better. Look at DVD players and how long before they were worth a damn...

[Sami]

then tack on another 2-3 years before video processing companies have had enough time to play with and tweak the format to look better.

:confused:

There is no way in h*ll one should wait for the format to "look better". Nothing wrong with it now, both formats blow any upconverted player away in PQ. SD-DVD looked pretty good until HD came along, now it's getting harder and harder to watch with all the HD broadcasts and HD discs available.

[Bill Ayotte]

:confused:

There is no way in h*ll one should wait for the format to "look better". Nothing wrong with it now, both formats blow any upconverted player away in PQ. SD-DVD looked pretty good until HD came along, now it's getting harder and harder to watch with all the HD broadcasts and HD discs available.

I agree here....Assuming you are playing a HD format on your player....I will say that the picture quality of normal DVDs is quite spectacular when upscaled on a HD-DVD player...The SQ on the HD-A2 is lacking a little for my taste, but I am comparing it to a $1800 DVD player....Take that for what it is. At $299, it isn't a bad deal it you are looking for a new player, while a dedicated Blue-Ray player is still pushing $400-500....I may eventually own a PS3 as well, but I would still like a dedicated player....My first DVD player was a PS2.....I have gone through three of those...

[Toxis]

Everyone keeps talking about the A2 but no one mentions it doesn't even do 1080p on HD DVDs.

I've done the Denon 2910 vs. Toshiba XA-1 comparison and everyone picked the Denon in a blind taste challenge.

[Bill Ayotte]

I could really care less if it does 1080p....I am fairly sure that most of the general public that buys an A2 doesn't have a 1080p set...For the price, it is a semi-affordable way to get into hi-def movies...

[Demiurge]

I don't understand the presumption that Blockbuster is somehow the be-all and end-all in movie rentals.

Netflix rents out both formats and has a much better service, IMO. I think it might cost a whole couple bucks more, but I rarely have an issue.

[PolkThug]

Everyone keeps talking about the A2 but no one mentions it doesn't even do 1080p on HD DVDs.

I've done the Denon 2910 vs. Toshiba XA-1 comparison and everyone picked the Denon in a blind taste challenge.

Yep, I'm holding on to my Denons as the prices keep dropping on the new format players. I'll probably wait until Denon makes an HD player before I drop any coins on one.

[krabby5]

If you guys are seriously into audio and video I would tell you to go get a Play station 3 now. I totally believe Sony loses $300 on each one of these. The last patch introduced media servers. I now can use the PS3 as not only my media player but my mp3 jukebox, picture album and video album and its very easy to use. It was worth $600 alone to be a piece of my media center. Its worth $4500 as a Blue ray player and its even worth another $500 as a game system. Heck, its worth $2000 as a PC since it blows away the 7 PC’s put together that I have in my house (folding@home).

wow.

[krabby5]

Everyone keeps talking about the A2 but no one mentions it doesn't even do 1080p on HD DVDs.

I've done the Denon 2910 vs. Toshiba XA-1 comparison and everyone picked the Denon in a blind taste challenge.

let me get this straight..you played a sd dvd in the Denon and compared the same movie in HD dvd, and they picked the Denon?

that's rediculous

[Gaara]

Gotta love fan boys. Not sure where all the numbers are coming from like $4500 bluray player?

[Demiurge]

No shit, wonder when their fearless leader will weigh in.

[RuSsMaN]

Porn will decide, period.

[PhantomOG]

its my secret desire that china mass produces some 3rd really cheap HD format that catches on because its cheap

F Sony and F Toshiba for not getting their $h!1 together years and years ago.

[AndyGwis]

Wasn't porn heading down the HD-DVD road?

Also, Silverti, were you talking about comparing the two players upconverting SD to 1080i? Maybe that would be close, but SD on Denon compared to HD-DVD on the XA1 shouldn't be close at all.

[Sami]

Everyone keeps talking about the A2 but no one mentions it doesn't even do 1080p on HD DVDs.
1080i is the same thing with a good scaler. Even with an imperfect scaler it's very close.
I've done the Denon 2910 vs. Toshiba XA-1 comparison and everyone picked the Denon in a blind taste challenge.
I'm assuming you're talking about upconverted SD-DVD material and frankly I don't see why that's even an issue. Comparing two SD-DVD players is like comparing do I want a Camry or an Accord, the difference isn't that great, while the HD player is a Porsche.

[MikeC78]

Porn will decide, period.

In that case, HD DVD is the clear winner!

[MikeC78]

I currently own a Toshiba XA1 and PS3, while it's good at upconverting SD DVD's, I can't even bare to watch them anymore compared to HD DVD's or BR's. I haven't seen an SD movie in about 6 months, and don't plan to either.

IMO, there is NO comparison in PQ.

[MSALLA]

I was talking to the owner of a high end audio store in our area last week. He was telling me that Blue-Ray is looking to be the future of DVD's. He sold both so he had no real reson to B.S. me and he knew I was not going to buy one.

[MikeC78]

I was talking to the owner of a high end audio store in our area last week. He was telling me that Blue-Ray is looking to be the future of DVD's. He sold both so he had no real reson to B.S. me and he knew I was not going to buy one.

Ok? And his opinion means...

[wingnut4772]

Is the audio on any Blue Ray on par with HD DVD?

[krabby5]

Wasn't porn heading down the HD-DVD road?

Also, Krabby, were you talking about comparing the two players upconverting SD to 1080i? Maybe that would be close, but SD on Denon compared to HD-DVD on the XA1 shouldn't be close at all.

I was the one who responded to his message...I agree with you..

[MSALLA]

Ok? And his opinion means...

It's the guys living. I would think he would be following the industry to see what companies are supporting which format. I don't think he wants to have money sitting still in the form of inventory on his shelf that's not going to sell.
He may not be right, but I'll bet he knows more then you or I.

[MikeC78]

I don't think he can predict the future with both formats, but ok.

Maybe he should email toshiba and the studios, so they will stop wasting money on HD DVD.;)

[PolkThug]

Wasn't porn heading down the HD-DVD road?



Yep! http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25740

[Silverti]

Gotta love fan boys. Not sure where all the numbers are coming from like $4500 bluray player?

Maybe it was a mistype with an extra "0".

Fanboy? Come on. Anyone who uses that term must be a hypocrate.

[MSALLA]

I don't think he can predict the future with both formats, but ok.

Maybe he should email toshiba and the studios, so they will stop wasting money on HD DVD.;)

I konw it's impossible to watch something and make a guess about whats coming. No one ever makes predictions on sports games or stocks or the future of anything:rolleyes:
I'm not saying he's right or wrong, just making a statement. I'll let the guy know he should keep his opinion to himself.

[cheddar]

No shit, wonder when their fearless leader will weigh in.

Nice. You carry imagined grudges like a woman. I've never attacked you or been anything but calm and reasoned in my discussions with you. But you always seem to make your petty comments which eventually end in a hissy fit and a tirade against me. Can't wait for your next one. They're actually getting quite entertaining. I don't have to even join a thread before you try and flame bait me. Lol.

I believe that it's pretty excessive saying that the ps3 is worth over $1000. The next Christmas buying season will see a continued collapse in the price of players as blu-ray is finally dropping retail prices within striking distance of hd-dvd. HD-DVD has always had an advantage on player price. If you like the movies released on the format,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=766588

I highly recommend buying an hd-dvd player now as Toshiba's losing war with Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, etc. has seen prices drop to $199 at some low priced internet dealers. And you can get up to 7 free disks at places like amazon that make the player almost free. As the only maker of an hd-dvd stand alone (other makers are either combo or a rebrand), toshiba can't keep this up for long. Maybe through the next christmas season. And if their fortunes don't turn around by then, I would expect toshiba to lose its advantage on price altogether after that. But with the current deals that can be had, what's the real risk? Until it breaks, you've got a nice HD player to play Universal movies with (the only exclusive hd-dvd studio, studios like Sony, Disney, and Fox are blu-ray exclusive) and a good secondary dvd player.

I predicted that hd-dvd was having trouble way back when the after christmas numbers came out. Although the quality of individual players might have slight differences in PQ or AQ, the formats have always been pretty much equal in those areas. The biggest difference in quality is the actual movies themselves. All movies, even the recent ones, need to be mastered properly to take advantage of the extra PQ and AQ detail. Some of the early blu-rays were real stinkers in this department like 5th element from sony. It was horrible. But now as universal is rushing to try and save hd-dvd, they're starting to release pretty poor quality movies as well (look at the video quality section):

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/liarliar.html

So it's really a matter of software, not hardware as prices continue to collapse toward each other. And here, the advantage is clearly with blu-ray as BB found. Fox and Disney are both very skittish about releasing movies which are easily pirated. This is why these studios will remain blu-ray exclusive with Fox waiting on blu-ray's BD+ java environment to come together this October before releasing a larger number of movies. And with Blu-ray now leading in since inception numbers of sales and continually posting a 60+% advantage in sales each month since Christmas, they will not jump ship. This leaves titles like Pirates, Casino Royale, and Spiderman Blu-ray exclusive for the forseable future. Universal is releasing like crazy trying to counter this, but they just don't have the box office receipts lately to put a dent in the sales disparity. BB knows it. And after looking at their own internal numbers, they decided that they'd rather put up the capital to stock blu-ray than hd-dvd. Are they losing out on sales, sure. But they don't have to buy identical warner or paramount titles and use valuable shelf space displaying a 30% format. And they will still rent hd-dvd online and at their 250 test locations. Even after all their sales promotions, Toshiba had to revise their estimated player sales downward by 44%:

http://news.com.com/Toshiba+drops+sales+target+for+HD+DVD+players/2100-1041_3-6190361.html

Is the audio on any Blue Ray on par with HD DVD?

Also a note about sound quality. Toshiba players are far from perfect soundwise:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Toshiba/Hardware/Firmware_Upgrades/Workaround_Found_for_Toshiba_HD-XA2_Low_Bass_Issues/688

But, again, I don't think that differences between players should be used to bash one format or the other. Until recent firmware updates, the ps3 couldn't upconvert sd-dvds and Sony's high end player couldn't decode trueHD. But none of these issues were a limitation of the format.

Formatwise, there are only three codecs offered for lossless audio. Standard DD and DTS compress the signal and when uncompressed, the audio is less qualitywise than the original source material. With DD TrueHD, DTS Master Audio, and LPCM, we finally get lossless audio renderings of the original masters. TrueHD and DTS-MA are compressed but uncompress to high resolution audio. LPCM is audio that was never compressed in the first place. Both formats support all these resolutions but only the most recent receivers from the likes of Onkyo and planned by Denon will decode DTS-MA. But you need hdmi 1.3 compatible players to pass the signal to the receiver for decoding like many of us do over optical or coax for DD and DTS now. Players on each side will decode TrueHD internally but you often have to get the firmware update. And no fancy decoder is necessary for LPCM except it takes up more space on the disk. For blu-ray, that hasn't presented a problem because of the increased space available in the first place.

So it's up to the individual studios to decide to include or not include a high definition track in the first place. That's where the variability comes in. But all formats are more or less equivalent in terms of quality and wow factor. Paramount (produces for both formats) continues to release HD content without lossless audio tracks. Warner (produces for both formats) releases great TrueHD tracks on both formats. The upcoming release of 300 should be an identical presentation PQ or AQ wise in either blu-ray or hd-dvd. Sony uses LPCM but is also including TrueHD tracks going forward, again taking advantage of the extra disk space on blu-ray. Disney uses LPCM and has done some reference quality mastering with it on the recent Pirates releases. And Fox uses DTS-MA much as it uses DTS on its standard SD-DVD releases. But remember, all these formats produce great quality sound. So for the top tier releases in either format, you get reference quality PQ and AQ.

My position has always been that software selection will be the key. Hardware prices are important, but as can be seen by the diminishing fortunes of HD-DVD, hardware prices by themselves just can't win a war. They've kept HD-DVD in the running, but with hardware prices collapsing to just a few hundred dollars for either format by Christmas, mass adoption seems to be heading toward blu-ray. I've been saying this since last Christmas hoping to help people on this forum in their buying decisions. It got Demi all bent out of shape. But I hope people can see now that all I was doing was provide some truth to counter the disinformation that gets circulated by people trying to save their formats. I apologize for the long post, but if this kind of information helps a fellow polkie, I'll put up with the hissy fits from Demi. ;)

[AndyGwis]

Besides the first paragraph, I read your whole post and found it to have some great information and insight. I own two HD-DVD players, but bought the first to replace my PE 59avi I sold since SD player prices were dropping like crazy. Cheaper to get the XA1 with 5 free HD-DVDs than anything BR had out.

I bought my second because I was looking for a new bedroom DVD player and found an awesome deal on local CL.

So, I guess I won't buy any new HD-DVDs for the time being. If / when they lose the war, their disc prices should drop drastically, then I can stock up having already purchased two players. Till then, I guess I should get a netflix membership to get some HD-DVD rentals.

[cheddar]

Besides the first paragraph, I read your whole post and found it to have some great information and insight. I own two HD-DVD players, but bought the first to replace my PE 59avi I sold since SD player prices were dropping like crazy. Cheaper to get the XA1 with 5 free HD-DVDs than anything BR had out.

I bought my second because I was looking for a new bedroom DVD player and found an awesome deal on local CL.

So, I guess I won't buy any new HD-DVDs for the time being. If / when they lose the war, their disc prices should drop drastically, then I can stock up having already purchased two players. Till then, I guess I should get a netflix membership to get some HD-DVD rentals.

I apologize to you for the first paragraph. My main interest is always to have good discussions about HD. Things have gotten so cheap that I toyed with the idea of buying an hd-dvd player when the matrix came out. But I think I'll just wait for it to come out on blu-ray, maybe in time for the holidays. No doubt about it, this format split makes it hard on all of us who just want to enjoy great quality HD. Blu-ray movie selection with hd-dvd hardware prices would be perfect. But of course, we get the split instead.

[Demiurge]

Just giving you shit, cheese curd, but I'm tickled pink to know that I got under your skin.

When is Speak & Spell Scotty going to give his sarcastic laden bowl of shit flakes?

[cheddar]

Just giving you shit, cheese curd, but I'm tickled pink to know that I got under your skin.

When is Speak & Spell Scotty going to give his sarcastic laden bowl of shit flakes?

A woman's hissy fit...to the last. But I think your comments annoy other forum members more just trying to have a discussion here than me. Like I said, you've become entertaining in your predictable little hot and bothered moments. :rolleyes:

[jdhdiggs]

Eh, you both need to STFU about it.

[cheddar]

Eh, you both need to STFU about it.

Point taken, I'll go back to ignoring the comments as usual.

[sucks2beme]

I wonder if Blockbuster is going to do another mass exodus from a format?
I remember one day they just blew out all the VHS tapes and a week later, it was DVD or nothing.
If they do the same with DVD's, it will really hurt many consumers.
I stopped dealing with them long ago. They seemed to go out of their way to piss me off.

[cheddar]

I wonder if Blockbuster is going to do another mass exodus from a format?
I remember one day they just blew out all the VHS tapes and a week later, it was DVD or nothing.
If they do the same with DVD's, it will really hurt many consumers.
I stopped dealing with them long ago. They seemed to go out of their way to piss me off.

You mean just pull out of DVD entirely? That seems a bit premature unless an HD format has a couple of blowout holiday seasons hardware wise...but I know what you mean. I went with hollywood video, then netflix and the local BBs started closing.

[Bill Ayotte]

Porn will decide, period.

I found out something interesting last night....Porn has been released in BOTH formats now....There are currently 9 titles available in HD-DVD, and 2 on BR....Vivid is dual releasing everything now...I think this format war has divided even the mighty porn industry...

[dudeinaroom]

I'll wait until my Sony dies before I get my feet wet. Same with the TV. For you people like me who still have a SD-TV, OTA transmission of analog signal will end 2/19/09, the government is supposed to be giving out $40 checks for Set Top Boxes that will convert the signal to analog. I'm not sure if the government is forcing cable to do the same, but my guess is they will not be to far behind that if not before.

[PolkThug]

Will this deadline stick, or just pass by like the others?

[sucks2beme]

There's too many without the resources to change.
Too many stations out in the boonies. Too many on fixed/retirement incomes.
I have one hd. The others are standard. Got one set in my bedroom coming up on 18 years and won't die.
And we have to worry about HD sets making it 5 years. Either way, the content still stinks.
If they had made the cable interfaces in the HD sets standard sooner, this process might of
moved along quicker. Who wants to pay extra for another crappy box from Cox every month.
Wonder how long before they kill off Redbook cds?

[krabby5]

You mean just pull out of DVD entirely? That seems a bit premature unless an HD format has a couple of blowout holiday seasons hardware wise...but I know what you mean. I went with hollywood video, then netflix and the local BBs started closing.

I keep hearing that people are suprised that others still use Blockbuster and that in their town, Blockbusters are closing stores...

In Minnesota, we have tons of Blockbusters and the other video places seems to be the ones that keep closing...weird..not too many Hollywood Videos here..

[cheddar]

I'm sure it's regional just like anything else. Some places walmart is king, other places have more targets. But around me, of the two closest stores, one is now a furniture store and the other is a pizza joint. I can still get to some within 5 miles if I want. But they sure consolidated their stores locally within the last few years. They probably opened up too many to begin with. They had a BB and a Hollywood Video almost next door to each other. You know that couldn't last long.

[steveinaz]

Neither format will see a cent of my money until a victor emerges.

[BIZILL]

honestly, my standard def dvd collection gets ZERO usage.

[scottvamp]

Just giving you shit, cheese curd, but I'm tickled pink to know that I got under your skin.

When is Speak & Spell Scotty going to give his sarcastic laden bowl of shit flakes?

Holy $hit man, i missed this thread. Demiurge has been on my ignore list for three months and just out of know where is slamming me with a personal attach. WOW, this guy needs to be BANNED. People like this is why i don't frequent the forum more. Shit flakes, weird how everything i have said and predicted has been on the up and up. Get over yourself.........

[Demiurge]

Holy $hit man, i missed this thread. Demiurge has been on my ignore list for three months and just out of know where is slamming me with a personal attach. WOW, this guy needs to be BANNED. People like this is why i don't frequent the forum more. Shit flakes, weird how everything i have said and predicted has been on the up and up. Get over yourself.........

I need to be banned? For what? Calling you two out for your constant PS3/Blu-Ray fanboy antics and Microsoft bashing? Give me a break, buddy. Anyone on the Video Game forums sees it plain as day.

The rest of us just want to enjoy what we have, not sit and listen to the two of you bash products the rest of us enjoy. We get it, you don't like Microsoft. It only needs to be said once.

I know Bizill, Shelby, and others have told you two to STFU with the constant back handed comments. Now since you can't take a little ribbing so I should be banned? :rolleyes:

http://www.ritilan.com/archives/images/blogimages/040304_speakandspell.PNG

[BIZILL]

eh, i say get rid of demi...
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e139/bizill75/ban.gif




:D

[scottvamp]

I have never bashed XBox. (The red lights of death and CS speak for themselves.) I have defended the PS3. Blu-ray was suppose to never get off the ground and the PS3 was not going to break 1 million units.
Wrong. I use my PS3 for HT video and have been enjoying the hell out of the Wii. You have just been totally out of line. Like i said, i have had you ignored for awhile now. And now you talking shit about me for no reason. Stay off the "Sony" "Blu-Ray" topics. I have no beef except for you being a A$$hole.
Check youself.................:confused:

[aaharvel]

so why doesn't Blu-Ray adhere to the higher Dolby and DTS standards like HD-DVD? Their discs have the memory available- one would think..

[venomclan]

This is why I stick with my tried and true Atari 2600. Anybody got somthin to say! :cool:

I diden't think so.
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[Early B.]

Here's my opinion -- both formats suck!! Nature documentaries and sports DVDs -- yep. Everything else -- nope.

I don't need to see every freakin' freckle on Nicole Kidman's face. Geez. Hell, because of HD players, every actor in Hollywood will undergo massive plastic surgery.


However, once the format war is over, I'll probably buy an HD player just to keep up.

[bobman1235]

That's an... odd viewpoint. You don't want better picture quality because it exposes the inherent flaws in.... reality?

[PolkThug]

Hell, because of HD players, every actor in Hollywood will undergo massive plastic surgery.

Yep, I immediately noticed how much older talk show hosts looked in HD.

[zombie boy 2000]

Here's my opinion -- both formats suck!! Nature documentaries and sports DVDs -- yep. Everything else -- nope.

I don't need to see every freakin' freckle on Nicole Kidman's face. Geez. Hell, because of HD players, every actor in Hollywood will undergo massive plastic surgery.

Really? That's interesting because isn't that what you strive for in audio? I guess this comes down to crappy source material, as well.
I agree with ya... I could care less about watching the Weather Channel or the TV Guide channel in HD.

[Early B.]

That's an... odd viewpoint. You don't want better picture quality because it exposes the inherent flaws in.... reality?

Yes.

TV, plays, movies, etc. are supposed to provide "suspension of disbelief." Movies are designed to entertain, and when the camera shows every pimple on an actor's nose, it can throw some people out of their suspended disbelief.

[zombie boy 2000]

This is why I stick with my tried and true Atari 2600. Anybody got somthin to say! :cool:

I diden't think so.
V

Put a sock in it, Fanboy! Everyone knows the Calecovision is better:p

[venomclan]

Put a sock in it, Fanboy! Everyone knows the Calecovision is better:p

Just because your InTellevision got the 47 red lights of death, your all bitter...

Smurf on Caleco kicked major a$$, but thats all ya got, FANBOI!

A friend of mine recently told me that when he was a kid they could not afford Q-Bert for his 2600, so they bought the generic version Pogo Joe. It's just not the same. Perhaps I am a video game snob. Back to the basement...
V

[zombie boy 2000]

A friend of mine recently told me that when he was a kid they could not afford Q-Bert for his 2600, so they bought the generic version Pogo Joe. It's just not the same. Perhaps I am a video game snob. Back to the basement...
V


Knock-off's aren't all that bad. My favorite game for the 5200 was the Donkey Kong knock-off Kangaroo. Back to the shed...

[venomclan]

Did you get Shadow of the Colostomy Bag yet?
V

[krabby5]

Here's my opinion -- both formats suck!! Nature documentaries and sports DVDs -- yep. Everything else -- nope.

I don't need to see every freakin' freckle on Nicole Kidman's face. Geez. Hell, because of HD players, every actor in Hollywood will undergo massive plastic surgery.


However, once the format war is over, I'll probably buy an HD player just to keep up.

With that line of thinking, you shouldn't buy an HD tv then...

As for me, I want to see all my movies in HD...because it makes the fact that most movies suck less bothersome:D

[zombie boy 2000]

Did you get Shadow of the Colostomy Bag yet?
V

That'd be an A-1 affirmative ghost rider...
Now I just need to filch my brother's PS2 so I can immerse myself in the magical world of fecal receptacles.

Thanks for sendin' it my way.

[cheddar]

Nobody's got shiite on custer's revenge. All you fanbois can just go f- yourselves and get a 2600...;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custer%27s_Revenge

[cheddar]

so why doesn't Blu-Ray adhere to the higher Dolby and DTS standards like HD-DVD? Their discs have the memory available- one would think..

Not sure what you mean. The blu-ray standard fully supports TrueHD and DTS-MA and even adds LPCM, an uncompressed format, to the mix 'cause of the extra space available on their disks. Blu-ray players, like hd-dvd ones, took time to put internal decoders in their players via firmware updates. This non-support seems to be a common misconception.

[cheddar]

I know Bizill, Shelby, and others have told you two to STFU

Eh, you both need to STFU about it.

Actually people have been telling you to STFU too Demi. Thought the ritalin was supposed to clear up that ADD you have...:rolleyes: I think it's time for all of us to just let it go...start discussing audio again... ;)

[venomclan]

That'd be an A-1 affirmative ghost rider...
Now I just need to filch my brother's PS2 so I can immerse myself in the magical world of fecal receptacles.

Thanks for sendin' it my way.

No prob J, when I think of fecal, I think of you.:).

Snafu your bros station, and ride that soft serve home Pond Skipper.
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