Complete Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Movie List

[flf]

I can see the whole thing about consumers choosing but I think publishers need to take this whole situation by the balls and work it out. I see publishers releasing exclusives as doing this.

Which publishers? We're talking a world-wide format here. Do you have any idea how hard it would be to get anyone to agree on a format willingly? It *has* to be survival of the best (or best marketed) as you will *not* get any progress otherwise. See all the examples of standards that are hotly contested: GSM vs. CDMA, NTSC vs. PAL, ad nauseam infinitum.

The scenario where the "consumer" gets to choose will have the consumers choosing the losing disk up the creek. Why? They may be able to buy cheap players years down the line but they still have a back catalog of disks that will only work with a player that is considered and won't be seeing movie releases for it.

Sure. Tell that to all the DCC (digital compact cassette) and MD (minidisk) and other dead-format owners out there. There was a time when you could buy a top of the line DCC deck for $40, and still no-one bought them.

While we're on the subject: Wouldn't it be nice if they'd just FORCE a console standard on the industry so we wouldn't have this Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo mess? What if the games I want to play aren't available for the system I own? Do they actually expect me to buy ONE of EACH type of console?

Your contentions regarding this are poorly thought out.

 

[Titanio]

Also - what is up with HBO?

They're on Blu-ray too, they came as part of Warner (like New Line).

 

[scooby_dooby]

What lower pricepoint? PS3, again, isn't likely to be more than $500!

ahh but the PS3 wil be launching at least 6 months after the $500 HD-DVD player hits the market, there will be other manufacturers with lower pricepoints. Not to mention PS3 is heavily subsidized, and does not reflect the price-gap we are seeing between standalone players.

Even with PS3 being so heavily subsidized, it's like there will be several HD-DVD players on market that will be less epxensive.

 

[BlueTsunami]

While we're on the subject: Wouldn't it be nice if they'd just FORCE a console standard on the industry so we wouldn't have this Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo mess? What if the games I want to play aren't available for the system I own? Do they actually expect me to buy ONE of EACH type of console?

Your contentions regarding this are poorly thought out.

Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo mess?

Your transitioning from a Single Medium (DVD) to two Blu Ray and HD-DVD. ONE surviving. This isn't nothing like the situation with Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo. If that was the case, console gaming shouldn't exit and just be kept on PCs (Which I wouldn't want).

I DON'T wan to see 2 different disks on the market. I DON'T want to worry about which player I choose the down the line have a movie I want come out for a different players. Competition IS good, but IMO not in this situation.

I love that people were grumbling about a Format War and now its ok to have a Format War. Which is it?

 

[<nu>faust]

are there any new words on combo (bluray/hddvd) players?

 

[Titanio]

ahh but the PS3 wil be launching at least 6 months after the $500 HD-DVD player hits the market, there will be other manufacturers with lower pricepoints. Not to mention PS3 is heavily subsidized, and does not reflect the price-gap we are seeing between standalone players.

Even with PS3 being so heavily subsidized, it's like there will be several HD-DVD players on market that will be less epxensive.

That depends which market you are talking about. How many HD-DVD players do you think will be sold before Sony launches PS3? It's not like $500 is cheap, by any stretch. That's still fairly hardcore territory for "just" a movie player.

And there's still the problem of content, and perception by consumers. The content situation, for example, will be made very well known to consumers, you can be sure of that.

 

[dukmahsik]

oh great, another format war

 

[whql]

this is one analysts opinion on the situation so far. funny that some here haven't reported it

http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/060105/fto010520061526032448.html?.v=1

 

[Sis]

oh great, another format war

You using that crystal ball of yours again? Your predictions today have been uncanny!

.Sis

 

[scooby_dooby]

That depends which market you are talking about. How many HD-DVD players do you think will be sold before Sony launches PS3? It's not like $500 is cheap, by any stretch. That's still fairly hardcore territory for "just" a movie player.

And there's still the problem of content, and perception by consumers. The content situation, for example, will be made very well known to consumers, you can be sure of that.

Those are valid points, I agree. But it does seem that HD-DVD is considerably less epxnsive, and if you removed the content 'issue' then HD-DVD would have a fairly easy victory which was my original point.

btw, I'm talking about the region that really matters overall, the Ol' US of A.

 

[BlueTsunami]

If a both formats last for three years then I'll be holding out for a player that plays both (supposedly Samsung may be releasing a player that plays both at some point in time).

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well, this is one of the first "competition == bad" opinions I've seen in quite a while.

By the way, who gets to decide and enforce a single format?

DVD seems to have managed very well. As for competition == bad, quite often it can. People cut corners to be cost effective, which can result in serious problems and we have various watchdogs to guard against this. It's not so much a case of competition is bad, as much as competition isn't guarenteed to good.

 

[RobertR1]

this is one analysts opinion on the situation so far. funny that some here haven't reported it

http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/060105/fto010520061526032448.html?.v=1

You're trying to preach financial impact and economics to people on here who believe that PS3's will be favored over stand alone DVD players by the general consumer.

 

[flf]

DVD seems to have managed very well. As for competition == bad, quite often it can. People cut corners to be cost effective, which can result in serious problems and we have various watchdogs to guard against this. It's not so much a case of competition is bad, as much as competition isn't guarenteed to good.

I'm not sure that cutting corners and creating deficient product is a result of competition, but rather greed. But that's a rather relativistic debate, so I'll skip it.

With regards to the DVD format: Were there any competing formats of similar ability in the same time frame?

 

[Carl B]

this is one analysts opinion on the situation so far. funny that some here haven't reported it

http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/060105/fto010520061526032448.html?.v=1

That articles starts off bogus because it claims a three month edge. Well, right now Samsung is saying that they're shipping in March as well.

It's just that if they're going to build an argument off of that premise primarily, you'd think they would have researched it more thoroughly.

 

[flf]

Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo mess?

Your transitioning from a Single Medium (DVD) to two Blu Ray and HD-DVD. ONE surviving. This isn't nothing like the situation with Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo. If that was the case, console gaming shouldn't exit and just be kept on PCs (Which I wouldn't want).

I DON'T wan to see 2 different disks on the market. I DON'T want to worry about which player I choose the down the line have a movie I want come out for a different players. Competition IS good, but IMO not in this situation.

I love that people were grumbling about a Format War and now its ok to have a Format War. Which is it?

How is the console war not analagous? It is a distribution of an entertainment medium in slightly different flavors. Some titles are available on all formats, some are excusive to particular formats.

Why can't two formats exist at the same time?

Is anyone complaining that you can't buy most music on vinyl these days? And cassettes... they're just about done for. The superior 8-track player died, and no-one complained about the money they spend on 8-track players or libraries of music. (Or maybe they did, but no-one cared.)

How about the format war between 33 1/3 (LP), 45, and 78-speed records? All those existed at the same time, and the world didn't come to an end.

Your stance is "This makes my life inconvenient, so they need to stop it!" Whatever. If you don't like the format war, then stick with DVD until it sorts itself out. No one is forcing you to purchase your entertainment on bleeding-edge media formats.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Your stance is "This makes my life inconvenient, so they need to stop it!" Whatever. If you don't like the format war, then stick with DVD until it sorts itself out. No one is forcing you to purchase your entertainment on bleeding-edge media formats.

Which is why i'll be sitting back waiting for a Hybrid player. If this "Format War" really does pan out for years, then its going to be fun seeing consumers who invested lots of money into movies get left high and dry.

So yeah, ok then, I guess we'll see what happens. I'm just sad that alot of consumers may be buying into the wrong format.