Comments on: Warner: DVD format war hurt movie sales

By: wewa, honolulu, hi

wewa, honolulu, hi — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:09:37 +0000

Would like to see a follow up story to this. Like how Tsujihara is now gone, and how Warner backing HD DVD may have turned out differently.

I have both HD DVD and BD and almost never buy or use my BD. Its truly not as good, engineering-wise, and consumer friendly, and price-wise.

I buy only SD and HD titles. $30+ BD titles are not that great when I stick them in and watch them.

I get better quality from my $50 Philips HDMI upconvert player from costco.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:42:45 +0000

"My research at the very beginning of the battle showed HDdvd had a better picture and more usable space when recording data on your computer compared to Blu-Ray. I readily admit this may have changed or may have even be inaccurate. But I also remember that six months ago reading that more people bought HDdvd sets than Blu-Ray players, but ONLY due to the new Sony game systems were there more Blu-Ray capable players out there. It seems to me that the people have spoken and prefer HDdvd but are being manipulated again by big business instead of being provided a TRUE choice."

HD-DVD and BluRay movies look identical when played side by side on the same HD set. The difference is the storage capacity on the BluRay disk which is more than double the HD-DVD disk. And if you going by purchasing statistics from a few months ago you need to update yourself on trends. The only reason people were buying HD-DVD players over BluRay was cost, they were cheaper off the start than BluRay. Pricing is now much closer between the two. This has nothing to do with big business pushing consumers, it's what the consumers want. "Big Business" HD-DVD supporters dumped $150 million off the start to offer promotions and help companies advertise their players and HD-DVDs and it obviously didn't get them anywhere.

By: Steven, Atlanta GA

Steven, Atlanta GA — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:17:45 +0000

"Please tell me you’re kidding! Dude seriously – Wal-Mart is selling HDTV’s and home theater; the % of owners left “small” years ago."

Mike, even though you yourself may be affluent, don't be naive enough to believe that everyone has an HDTV and home theater. Even though they are sold in Wal-Mart, a large HDTV, for most people shopping at a Wal-Mart, represents a decision that spending several hundred or even thousand dollars on a television is right up there with clothing and housing your family. There are many more folks than you would believe still getting their television from a 19-inch CRT. I received a Sony home theatre for a birthday gift a few years back, and my wife is still giving me hell about letting the kids talk her into spending that much money. And we still watch it on a 32-inch Sharp CRT we spent $300.00 on. Why? Because spending a thousand dollars on a television isn't real high on my list of priorities right now. And don’t forget, getting true HD television programming from your cable or satellite company costs extra. Yours is the kind of thinking which led the NFL to move Monday Night Football to cable.

Mike, despite what may be true in your circle of friends, the percentage of people with HDTV/home theatre setups is still “small.”

By: Neal, Brooklyn, New York

Neal, Brooklyn, New York — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:32:15 +0000

Maybe neither format will "hit-it-off" and win-over the general public … remember what happened to Super VHS? (yes, I bought one of those recorder/players!)

By: James, Americus GA

James, Americus GA — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:28:20 +0000

My research at the very beginning of the battle showed HDdvd had a better picture and more usable space when recording data on your computer compared to Blu-Ray. I readily admit this may have changed or may have even be inaccurate. But I also remember that six months ago reading that more people bought HDdvd sets than Blu-Ray players, but ONLY due to the new Sony game systems were there more Blu-Ray capable players out there. It seems to me that the people have spoken and prefer HDdvd but are being manipulated again by big business instead of being provided a TRUE choice.

By: Brandon, Des Moines, IA

Brandon, Des Moines, IA — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:06:19 +0000

Lets put the library aside for a minute and compare the hardware itself.

The only real advantage Blu-Ray had over HD-DVD was that it was 1080p capable. Up until recently HD-DVD would only reach 1080i. However, Toshiba's format (Not Microsoft's format as someone posted earlier) now matches Blu-Ray. The human eye can't even distinguish the difference between 1080p and 1080i until matched with a 55+ inch HD-TV. With that said, you're now looking at two formats that are pretty much identical, except for one thing.. PRICE.

Your comparing $400 for a Blu-Ray player to $200 for a HD-DVD player. Price is usually the winning factor.

I was planning on waiting a few years before even considering a HD format, but when I found a Toshiba HD-DVD player for only $100, I found my winner. On top of that, 5 free HD-DVDs. Granted, the selection isn't great but it isn't horrible either. Lets aim low and say each of those HD-DVD's you get for free cost $15 a piece. $15 x 5 = $75, that leaves $25 for the player itself. Who can argue with that?

By: Alex, Phoenix AZ

Alex, Phoenix AZ — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:38:56 +0000

Chew on this… History repeats itself. The last format war was resolved with the support of a few genres. What was was one major reason Betamax lost the format war? Disney chose VCR, the adult video industry chose VCR. Fast-forward to the present day, Disney and adult video are both backing Blu-ray. Its trending towards Blu-ray.

By: Jon, Melb, Australia

Jon, Melb, Australia — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:03:46 +0000

this format war issue is becoming irrelevant now that combo players are starting to show up. Just buy any format you like.

By: Mike, Denver, Colorado

Mike, Denver, Colorado — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:01:52 +0000

"the % of people with HDTV and a home theater setup is still small."

Please tell me you're kidding! Dude seriously – Wal-Mart is selling HDTV's and home theater; the % of owners left "small" years ago.

By: Bob E.mmerich, Lindenhurst, NY

Bob E.mmerich, Lindenhurst, NY — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:08:28 +0000

I have to agree that there is confusion in the marketplace which is hurting sales, not only about formats but for DVDs in general. My personal example – I've been waiting for what seems like forever to buy Battlestar Galactica Season 3 on DVD, but now I see season 1 also available in HD, so maybe I should wait. Also, Seinfield just came out in a complete box set, so people may be putting off buying seasons until the entire series comes out cheaper (I but 7 seasons of Buffy for my wife in 1 box for much less the cost than separate seasons.) And yes, people are renting more from Netflix, Blockbuster and online, buying less, and the economy is bad. How could DVD sales NOT go down?