Topic: Blu Ray, In or Out?

[Ralliart]

I think this is the way to the future. Soon 200 Gb on one disk and in a few years 1024 gb  on one disk sigle layer.

Many computer compagnie have sign the Blu Ray technology.

Dell have one Laptop equip with a Blu Ray reader.

Sun want is for the storage capacity and many more...

[RossRoy]

I personally think Blu ray and HD DVD are both non issue. For storage, there are much better alternatives available. For entertainment, by the time BR and HD grow in sales enough to make a dent in the market, there will already be a new, better alternative.

That's just my personal view. Either way, I'm not buying into any of the HD formats just yet. Yes, I'm "wow-ed" by the HD trailers I download on the net, but it still doesn't justify, for me, the cost difference.

[Telecine]

BR is the go I think. Forget the consumer drive and the dispute over BR versus HD, BR has won the battle in the corporate space as an archiving technology base for data via UDO technology. We have very large UDO jukeboxes at work that would make home users eyes water.

[JP_S]

But that still doesn't mean a format has one because companies are going to use it for storage?

Isn't is mostly focussed on the consumer market?

The only problem I still have with HD DVD (and possibly also BR) hardware is that they take way TOOOOOOOOOOOO much time to start up, open the drawer... and finally one can watch a movie... but make sure you put the right disc in, and the right side up....

A friend of mine has got a Toshiba HD DVD player, but if you want to watch a movie very quickly it is best to use your DVD player. It is probably because those High Def players are computers?

[Skywatcher]

And they are 1st. gen. ones.
Both Toshiba's 2nd. gen. HD-DVD and Panasonic's 2nd. gen. Blu-Ray, recently released are a lot faster than the previous ones.

[JP_S]

Well I really hope so... because I don't want a HTPC

[Edward Karlinski]

I also refuse to buy either HD format. I believe that HD is the laser disc of the twenty first century. It was introduced too early. Most people do not even own high definition televisions! Personally, my Oppo upconverts DVD's into beautiful pictures on my 60" HD set. I am satisfied and believe that most consumers are as well.

[Touti]

Interestingly I made the very analogy when talking with a friend earlier this week.  He asked me if I thought BluRay or HDDVD would win and I said I think it's today,s LD, no one's gonna win because they'll both die.

While the majors are fighting to win this battle, someone will come up with an ingenious technology that doesn't belong to any big manufacturer and it's gonna be adopted by everyone.

[Edward Karlinski]

I agree that another technology will be the winner. It will just have to wait until most people have high definition sets. Once that happens, the interest in HD media will increase greatly.

[NightHawke]

My biggest problem with the current format war is that I can't seem to find a straight forward answer to exactly what each format does and what a side by side comparison of the two would reveal.  Everywhere I have been able to find information has been biased to either one or the other.  Does anyone have a link to a site where you can get a truly unbiased review of the two formats so that you can make an informed decision as to which (or neither) format might be the one to follow.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Skywatcher]

I don't think you'll be getting that anywhere.
Owning portuguese biggest A/V forum I get a lot of contact with the brands/manufacturers, and get marketing all around.
My personal experience so far is:

• Blu-Ray has the most studios (exception being Universal)
• Blu-Ray has the most manufacturers (exception being Toshiba)
• Blu ray has the most space per layer
• HD-DVD has a more organized development process. Practically only one manufacturer working closely with content provider(s), leading to faster development times.
• Enconding on movies is being done resorting to the same processes, hence giving you the same quality on both formats. Thus meaning blu-ray is probably being a little bit wasted in terms of the extra space available. But it's commercially dumb for Warner, for instance, to encode in way way for HD-DVD and in another (a tiny bit better) for Blu-ray. Double the expenses, no visible difference for the endd consumer. Just use the same on both of course, so the same quality is achieved on both formats.
• Blu-ray is playing catch real fast after the launching delays. To that contributes the fact that the PS3 "player" sells a lot more than regular stand-alone HD players form both fields. Sony is giving away BRD films to those customers to give'em a little taste and making them start buying stuff.
• Toshiba had a head start that allowed them to strengthen their position more than what I think even they thought being possible. But on the grand scheme of things, if they manage to pull it it's going to be the consumer electronics miracle of the century. Toshiba is in fact a renowned brand. But a mid-table one. Everybody else is on "the other side". I don't really know the American market, but here in Europe, the big players are the likes of Sony, philips, Samsung, panasonic... and those are all in the Blu-Ray Alliance. The average consumer buys by price and brand. Knows absolutely nothing about protocols, formats, etc. A thing that we, informed people around here tend to forget. We are the exception. When HD players lower their price in the future and get to the masses, the masses will keep doing what they always have done. Buy their favorite brand, or buy the cheap one. Those are the 2 typical trends in mass consumption towards consumer electronics. Toshiba can only attack in one of those trends. Because it'll be seriously screwed up in the other...

[dvdloverCJ]

Blu- Ray owns the hi def dvd industry, LITERALLY, with the downfall of HD DVD, Blu Ray is the future.