BLU RAY vs HD DVD

Why no option for neither?

While the picture quality for both is very good, it's not a jaw-dropping difference over regular DVD with a LCD or plasma display. (It's nowhere near the experience of going from TV to HDTV). Both formats are a way the studios can raise the retail price of their media, and benefit from lower piracy (at least until these formats are hacked). Strange, since the studios have been claiming that they want to raise DVD retail prices due to piracy - yet they are leaving DVD retails low, and charging a premium on formats that nobody (as yet) can pirate. Studios will also benefit by people buying Hi-Def versions of movies they alreadsy own on regular DVD. (I'm sure that they will make the "Definitive Hi-Def" editions of their releases, which will include an extra deleted scene, or maybe a 20-second interview with an assistant grip.)

HD-DVD is just a manufacturer's consortium trying to set a new standard, since the old one has been hacked. Since the DRM is also in the hardware, they benefit from making people buy even newer Plasma screens, etc. They also benefit by the premium added to the price of the new drives.

Blu-Ray has all of the "wonderful benefits" of HD-DVD, except that Sony gets to pocket all of the hardware premiums, as well as capatlizing on the disks themselves. With all of their past, excellent proprietary formats, as well as their consumer-friendly rootkits - I hope that Blu-Ray goes over as well as the laptop batteries Sony sold to Dell.

From a computer standpoint, neither make a very good choice. While the prices of the drives and blank media will drop - right now they are absurd. Also, even though I'm sure the speed will increase somewhat, it's still far slower than a harddrive. I got an 80GB drive free with a NAS enclosure, a 60GB drive free when I got my keyboard/mouse set, and I think they are including 40GB drives as prizes in kid's cereal boxes.

Note: While I do hate both implementations of DRM, I am against piracy in any form. I am just dissapointed by both formats as they are more of a step sideways, than they are forward. Being that 2006 was the first year that DVD players outsold VCRs, I think regular DVDs will be around until something that is truly an upgrade (maybe holographic DVD/storage?) comes along. I think that these current Hi-Def solutions benefit the manufacturers/studios far more than the consumer.

Or one for not until the prices crashes and I can have a universal drive.


Samsung is looking to push these puppies out.
Only a matter of time before Lite-On starts mass producing them.

Exactly why I wouldn't use either for back up. Which is why size isn't as important...in this fight anyway.

DVD :?:

maybe wait for QuadHD "SUPER DUPER" DVD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holog [...] atile_Disc

TDK durabis coating would be nice to port to all optical disc formats (happening slowly, will start to check for it)

we are already used to the high-resolution computer displays
NEED SOMETHING BETTER, NEED TO HAVE THEATER EXPERIENCE AT HOME -
minus the screaming babies/children, sticky floors, and weird smells

"not beta" -snake

How about Beta... i hear it's coming back...

Inquirer? You little...

*calls down a plague of patent lawyers on VBDude*

[/the hot sheets] 8)

I had a bunny once. Pancakes, more frequently...

Where's the option for Beta, Dickhead? [/old school hardcore]

I'll see your bunny under pancake and raise you a possum under stripes