Blue-Ray or HD DVD

[dekadentdave]

I concur. The Digital Bits have editorialized their bias toward Blu-Ray for quite some time, even going so far as challenging early adopters of HD over at Ain't-It-Cool on their premature choice of format. I'm not investing in EITHER until this whole stupid format war is over but The Digital Bits is far from unbiased. They are very knowledgeable and have some good points about each format and Blu-Ray has some legitimate strengths but personally I don't want to support a monopolizing corporation like Sony who advocates their format should be supported by the studios. It's the old VHS/Beta war all over again. Beta was better, but Sony shot themselves in the foot and they are doing it again with PS3 and Blu-Ray.

 

[darthviper107]

Unfortunately, the crew over at The Digital Bits is far from unbiased. They have been strong supporters of Blu-ray from the very early days, despite their ofttimes desperate attempts to sound otherwise.

Now, as far as using your existing DVD library as a reason not to upgrade, I confess I'm a bit confused. I own around 2500 DVDs, and it wasn't an issue for me at all. Every HD DVD and Blu-ray player ever made (now and into the future) will continue to play existing DVDs, and they will generally play them as well as or better than the very best DVD players out there. You stand to lose NOTHING with regard to your existing collection by upgrading, but you stand to gain a surprisingly improved picture, even from your trusty old DVDs.

Although some of the disc drives for the computer are exclusively HD-DVD or Blu-Ray without support for regular DVD's (they have to use a different laser so they would have to add both lasers into the drive)


For me right now it's HD-DVD, just because I have an Xbox 360 and there isn't enough reason for me to get a PS3 since they aren't going to have good games for a while.

The only big issue I can see between the formats is that since Blu-Ray has a larger size it will be able to hold larger movies (like LOTR) at a consistent quality while it could possibly be hard to do with HD-DVD, although I'm not sure how large a 3-hour movie would be in 1080p, but they did release King Kong already on HD-DVD so maybe it's not really an issue.

To me the difference between regular DVD and the new Hi-Def video is very important. Regular DVD's are 720x480, HD is 1920x1080, that's 345,600 pixels vs. 2,073,600 in HD, 6 times larger. On my computer screen it's a big difference.

 

[misbitski]

I would check out the movies that are out now and planned for the near future in their respective formats. I think studios are moving towards a combo hd-dvd/bluray disc soon so they don't have to worry about the format war as much.

As far as technology, they're both pretty similar. I personally have both, and like the flexibility.

PS3 for blu-ray and Toshiba HD-A2 for HD-DVD (recently sold my HD-A1).

They both have the good and bad points. As others have said, PS3 is dropping soon and you get 5 free movies. I scored my HD-A2 from Amazon for mega-cheap with the Matrix deluxe box set, two free movies, and another 5 HD-DVDs coming from Toshiba for less than $300. Shop around because deals do pop-up.

 

[nash]

Ive read that the quality of the PS3 Blu-Ray player is far better than that of the HD-DVD drive for the Xbox360.

 

[rabidwolverine21]

thanks for the info so far with the prices of some of the players what do you think of the ps3 for blue ray and x-box attachment for hd, because i am also first and foremost a gammer.

 

[Natrix]

HD-DVD has already been cracked! :chew

So has Blu Ray...

 

[Gruson]

You know how big the difference between VHS to DVD was... is the difference that significant between standard DVD to say Blue-Ray and HD DVD?

Actually, if you have a large screen (over 100") and a front projector, it is that big of a difference.

I love reading these threads where people assume to know it all.

Too funny.


I would recommend you pick up a cheap HD-A2 for $200. Promo comes with 5 movies and is one of the best standard DVD upcoverting players.

Enjoy both DVD and HD DVD playback on it.

If HD DVD loses the war, you still have a quality DVD player and some movies in HD at a really cheap price.

Stay away from the 360 HD DVD drive though. It is lacking in both video and audio when compared to a standalone HD DVD player.

As for the PS3, it is probably the best BD player. I have not had one problem with it. The question is if you want to spend $500 for a BD player though.

 

[rabidwolverine21]

yea the ps3 is a steep price but i also love gaming and i wouldnt mind having both systems so i can get all the games i could possibly want, i read the reviews on the Hd-A2 and that seems like a good investment

 

[rabidwolverine21]

i also allready have most of my set up i have 12 inch speaker in high boxes 2 bass speakers built into the tv stand all running into a old school sony amp, and the big piece is the sony 50 inch wega hdtv

 

[RoboDad]

I would check out the movies that are out now and planned for the near future in their respective formats. I think studios are moving towards a combo hd-dvd/bluray disc soon so they don't have to worry about the format war as much.

The only studio that is planning to release movies in any kind of combo high definition format is Warner, with its Total HD concept. No other studios have joined them in this venture, and even they are having problems, although they won't say exactly what those problems are. Their original plan was to have titles available this fall, but that has now been delayed until at least the first half of next year. Some are speculating that Warner may be waiting to see if there is some kind of "clear winner" in the war after the holiday sales figures are in.

Actually, if you have a large screen (over 100") and a front projector, it is that big of a difference.

True, but for the overwhelming majority of consumers, that will never be a factor. They will be content with their 42" or smaller screen. And if they don't see a difference, both of the HD formats are going to continue to have a tough sell on their hands.

I love reading these threads where people assume to know it all.

Too funny.

OK. Whatever.

I would recommend you pick up a cheap HD-A2 for $200. Promo comes with 5 movies and is one of the best standard DVD upcoverting players.

If HD DVD loses the war, you still have a quality DVD player and some movies in HD at a really cheap price.

The A2 is good, but for even $50-100 more, the A20 offers some nice improvements, especially for someone with higher-end equipment, such as 1080p/24 output (coming in a September firmware update).

As for the PS3, it is probably the best BD player. I have not had one problem with it. The question is if you want to spend $500 for a BD player though.

What makes the PS3 worth the money for me isn't even the gaming aspect. It is the way it functions as a "media center", which no standalone players in either format do (yet). You can stream audio and video from a PC or Mac, you can play them from USB devices, or you can download content directly from the Internet to the PS3 hard drive. The XBox 360 also offers similar features, but I have to say that Sony's implementation is much more fluid, and as has already been mentioned, the 360 HD DVD add-on drive is woefully lacking compared to pretty much any other player (in either format).

 

[Gruson]

I agree, the PS3 could be a VERY nice media center. I tried to set it up but did not want to format my HD drives from my server.

Does it support NTFS drives yet? The limit of 4.5gigs is really dissapoining with FAT32....most HD movies are anywhere from 9 to 20 gigs each.

 

[tomandshell]

I have the 360 drive and the HD-A1. Unfortunately, my sound system doesn't have an HDMI input, which is required to send the high def audio signal to the receiver for processing/decoding. Now, the player can decode the audio internally, but that's where there's a difference between players. If I try to listen to the uncompressed audio track on a Blu-ray disc, the PS3 downcoverts it to a 2.0 stereo mix. The 360 will downconvert it to a 5.1 DTS mix (getting better), and--best of all--the HD-A1 has the ability to decode the audio and faithfully output it through the analog connection. So I am actually able to listen to the Dolby TrueHD audio on my HD DVDs.

And I hardly even go to thedigitalbits.com any more because I get so tired of their bias against HD DVD. They need to stick to reporting the facts, not pushing their agenda in an attempt to get more free stuff from Sony.

 

[RoboDad]

I agree, the PS3 could be a VERY nice media center. I tried to set it up but did not want to format my HD drives from my server.

Does it support NTFS drives yet? The limit of 4.5gigs is really dissapoining with FAT32....most HD movies are anywhere from 9 to 20 gigs each.

Is that a limitation for directly-connected drives? I don't think it cares over a network (at least I know mine works when I stream from my NTFS PC drives over WiFi). But if it doesn't support NTFS for direct connection, that is disappointing news.

I have the 360 drive and the HD-A1. Unfortunately, my sound system doesn't have an HDMI input, which is required to send the high def audio signal to the receiver for processing/decoding. Now, the player can decode the audio internally, but that's where there's a difference between players. If I try to listen to the uncompressed audio track on a Blu-ray disc, the PS3 downcoverts it to a 2.0 stereo mix. The 360 will downconvert it to a 5.1 DTS mix (getting better), and--best of all--the HD-A1 has the ability to decode the audio and faithfully output it through the analog connection. So I am actually able to listen to the Dolby TrueHD audio on my HD DVDs.

That is the one area where the PS3 comes up short. I know that Sony is "looking to the future", when most (if not all) receivers sport HDMI inputs, but in today's world, where multi-channel analog inputs are common, and HDMI is still rather sparse, the PS3 doesn't play as well in the HD audio world as some other players.

From what I've read, it wouldn't even be possible, given the design of the D/A hardware in the PS3, to develop a simple connector for it to "fix" that problem. It would require an external HDMI audio decoder, which could then supply the analog outputs. Whether or not anyone will develop such an adapter only time will tell.

Then again, by the end of the year, I suspect that HDMI-equipped receivers will be much more available and affordable than they were a year ago. There are already some nice models out there, even outside the high-end market.

 

[Fubeca]

is there any chance you can prove this?? they both support 1080p and depending on the source material and the quality of the transfer they both can look really great or terrible. and there are a couple recent movie reviews that scored HD DVD with better visuals than the blu ray version. HD DVD can store up to 30gb on a disc which is plenty for a movie. and cost is everything. remember the beta/VHS war?? the superior format didn't win.

I have a friend who installs home theater movie systems and he has me see both HD DVD and Blu-Ray side by side and I will say that the Blu-Ray looked slightly better. Not sure why since they are both suppose to be the same but maybe due to the fact that the Sony Movies are specifically made for Blu-Ray and other movies on HD DVD are just made...

BTW TOMSHELL What do you do for work since you can afford both?

But if I were to get one I'd say Blu-Ray all the way. I am just waiting cuz I don't want to have to rebuy movies when the battle is over.

 

[RoboDad]

I am just waiting cuz I don't want to have to rebuy movies when the battle is over.

There are a couple of alternatives to this dilemma. Rather than buying movies for now, you could rent them. Netflix offers a pretty decent selection in both high-def formats, so you would not be making any significant long-term investment, other than the player. Another option, assuming that the format you choose ends up losing, would be to buy a spare player (and maybe a few more discs) at clearance prices (which will happen to whichever format loses), to guarantee that your movies would still be playable for years to come.

Either way, you really can't lose. Remember, just because one format might lose, that doesn't mean that their discs or players will suddenly stop working.

 

[Radagaster]

Robo, do you have a link that shows how to set-up a Media Server to stream video/audio from on the PS3? Will it do it over the wireless network (which is what I have)?

I share the sentiments of TomandShell about thedigitalbits shilling for Sony. I lost my respect for them when they try to daily skew Blu-Ray news as the death knell for HD-DVD.

As other have already chimed in, I see no difference in the video between both formats. They were encoded the same way by the studio. If anything I go to highdefdigest.com and read their reviews of the same movie on both formats to see if they discern and differences. Right now I buy more based on the movies I like, and whichever one has more content. Right now, that's HD-DVD for me. Yes, I won the POTC movies on Blu-Ray, and own the Matrix Ultimate on HD-DVD. And I plan to buy 300 in HD-DVD, and Heroes S1 on HD-DVD.

December as I see it is the determining factor for either camp to try to take a slice of the bigger pie. Even though digitalbits purports that Blu-Ray has studio support backing, who's to say that none of them will switch over at any given time? The ultimate decider is people's pocketbooks.

If there's any gripes I have with the current slate of HD releases, is that the rehash/re-release of titles they have that don't include at least the content that their regular DVD release have! That fact irks me to no end! I will not double-dip on a title if it doesn't at least match the same bonus features as its DVD counterpart!!

 

[RoboDad]

Robo, do you have a link that shows how to set-up a Media Server to stream video/audio from on the PS3? Will it do it over the wireless network (which is what I have)?

I did have a link at one point, but I deleted it once I got everything working.

What I do remember is that, aside from a couple of minor tweaks to the router configuration, connecting to Media Player's server was quite easy. All I had to do was turn the PS3 on first, and then start Media Player. In the Media Player Options dialog, you go to the Library tab, click on "Configure sharing...", and the PS3 will show up as an unknown device. Select it and allow sharing to that device, and it should work. When you go back to the PS3, you may have to restart it, but you should see the server show up as an icon in each of the media lists (photos, music, video). Then you can configure Media Player to be aware of the folders on your system where you keep your stuff, so the PS3 will be able to find it. And yes, it is working over my wireless network.

The only downside I've found is that Quicktime isn't supported (yet), only mpeg. Just like on the music side, iTunes' AAC format isn't supported (yet?), only MP3 and (I think) WMA.

 

[Radagaster]

How is its support for divx video files?

 

[Natrix]

How is its support for divx video files?

What support...none...

 

[rabidwolverine21]

so would you say that a ps3 is a safe investment if you want a blue ray and you dont mind rotting your mind with video games?