I read this interesting bit of news at totalmedia.com (where I buy most of my MiniDV tapes)...
https://www.totalmedia.com/tips_31.asp
Whole article is below...
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD update.
Sony lost the VCR battle in the 1970s when its highly regarded Betamax technology was trounced by VHS, a more widely accepted alternative. Despite being technologically superior, the Sony Betamax machine failed for a variety of reasons, and history may be repeating itself.
Reminiscent of its failed Betamax legacy, difficulties have now been encountered with the Blu-ray technology that have led Sony to acknowledge that it might delay the release of its PlayStation 3 gaming product, which is built on the Blu-ray format, partly because technological details are still being worked out.
This expected delay can only add to the decline of the Blu-ray group’s once-commanding lead in the next generation of high-definition DVD players.
Added to this, HD DVD players from Toshiba are now available for sale; they also play back conventional DVDs and retail at $499—about half the price of the least expensive Blu-ray unit.
It appears that the momentum is now shifting back to the HD DVD format. A few months ago, HD DVD had all but been given up for dead, but with strong support by Microsoft, the technology has gained significant traction. Intel has also joined Microsoft in backing HD DVD, and Hewlett-Packard has now moved away from its exclusive support of Blu-ray.
At first I was “bullish” on Blu-ray, but my “gut” now tells me that HD DVD may be the better option.
As Yogi Berra once declared, could this be “Déjà vu all over again” for Sony? Stay tuned.
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Bugs in Blue-Ray format?
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Paul MacLean
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AndyDursin
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I've said this from the beginning -- the price is a major, major issue. I recently received a Blu Ray press release for BASIC INSTINCT 2 -- retailing for $39.99. 
I realize not all Blu Ray discs will be $40 but there is no doubt HD-DVD is more price friendly, especially when it comes to new releases.
Taking that into consideration, it will all come down to price vs. quality. If HD-DVD outputs a picture quality as good (or roughly as good) as Blu Ray, there's no question it's an uphill fight for Blu Ray -- PS3 or not. They won't be able to stump out HD-DVD as easily.
These delays are also very suspicious, no way around them. The first players have been delayed repeatedly now and it makes you wonder...
I realize not all Blu Ray discs will be $40 but there is no doubt HD-DVD is more price friendly, especially when it comes to new releases. Taking that into consideration, it will all come down to price vs. quality. If HD-DVD outputs a picture quality as good (or roughly as good) as Blu Ray, there's no question it's an uphill fight for Blu Ray -- PS3 or not. They won't be able to stump out HD-DVD as easily.
These delays are also very suspicious, no way around them. The first players have been delayed repeatedly now and it makes you wonder...
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Carlson2005
What's interesting is that the new discs simply aren't selling - and by not selling, I don't mean are doing bad numbers, but really not selling. Some DVD outlets haven't even sold a single disc yet. For a playback system it looks like the general public are satisfied with DVD and don't want to have to rebuy everything again quite so quickly.
The first BR player literally comes out TODAY on 6-15 so it's awfully early in this ballgame. Samsung's player is at Best Buy and some of the other stores starting today, albeit in limited numbers. You can go to AVS and some other forums like that and see the buzz and feeback already starting to roll in.
Again: First generation anything is going to have its share of imperfections.
For both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray:
Cost is irrelevant on something like this because it's YEARS away from being a factor for the average consumer. We're strictly in the high end/early adopter/glorified beta tester phase and I suspect we'll be there for quite some time to come.
Good article:
Ultimate AV eNewsletter June 2006:
Again: First generation anything is going to have its share of imperfections.
For both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray:
Cost is irrelevant on something like this because it's YEARS away from being a factor for the average consumer. We're strictly in the high end/early adopter/glorified beta tester phase and I suspect we'll be there for quite some time to come.
Good article:
Ultimate AV eNewsletter June 2006:
Dying A Quick Death At Retail
By Shane Buettner
Following HD DVD's launch and trying to get my hands of hardware and software as it's been released has given me a serious case of FUD ((Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) about both HD formats.
The presence of HD DVD online and at retail is non-existent, and if it's the same for Blu-ray, good luck, and maybe good night.
My local retailers for HD DVD hardware and software are Magnolia Audio Video, Circuit City and Best Buy. Magnolia Audio Video and Circuit City, in a few random calls since HD DVD's launch, have never actually claimed to have an HD DVD player in stock to sell. Circuit and Best Buy typically have had to break from the phone call, and taken a couple of minutes just to give a lazy "check back next week," but at least Magnolia has claimed to have had players in stock and encouraged me to come in and order a player. As I write this Magnolia claims to have gotten in a run of 20-25 players and sold through it, and claims to have 10-12 orders in on their next run of 20-25 players (the exact arrival date of which is not known).
The software front is even more dire. My local Circuit City has occasionally had two or three copies of two or three titles, and that's it. On June 6th I went in and there was nothing- and nothing was exactly what the clerk I asked knew about what they are or where they might be.
On June 6th I continued on to two different Best Buy stores looking for the latest HD DVD releases, and there's a little story behind this too. Warner's PR firm has a strict policy of sending only one copy of each movie to any single publication. So, since Tom Norton and I are stationed 400 miles apart, I have to shop retail just like the common man order to cover Warner's entry into the new format. Makes sense. Screeners are too expensive to just hand out to journalists trying desperately to support your fledgling format. But I digress.
The reason I really wanted to track down some discs on June 6th is that this was supposed to be a hot day for HD DVD- not only had The Perfect Storm been released, but the relatively new Constantine was slated for that day in addition to a big combo HD DVD/DVD release of the brand spanking new Harrison Ford thriller Firewall. This disc is reputed to be the first disc to have brand new special features that take full advantage of the new format's enhanced interactivity.
Not only were none of these titles anywhere to be found at two different Best Buy stores, the HD DVDs had already been relegated to the miniscule shelf spaces, one of which was entirely separate from where the DVDs are sold. An aisle end display had perhaps a dozen copies of three or four different HD DVD movies, and then in the AV section of the store a flat panel TV was connected to an HD DVD player and there were perhaps 20 HD DVDs spanning 6-8 titles. None of them were the hot new titles that were in fact released that day.
^^
This is the same treatment previously given to other fringe formats such as D-VHS/D-Theater, DVD-A and SACD, all of which can only be described as mainstream failures (of these formats only SACD is barely holding onto a narrow segment of the audiophile niche, and even there its sales are dwarfed by those of vinyl records). This is not retail support so much as retail life support!
Online the situation isn't much better. Amazon.com and Best Buy's web sites have consistently lagged behind with the new releases, often not having them available on the actual release date. As I write this Wal Mart's web site isn't advertising the three Warner titles released on June 6th. It's difficult to find HD DVD on either site without doing a direct search on the site.
Although initially HD DVD ads were prevalent, in Best Buy's 6/4 multi-page Sunday newspaper ad there were DVRs, DirecTV, progressive scan DVD players and even washing machines pimped as being on sale, but no HD DVD hardware or software.
Folks, Blu-ray had better get more run at retail than this, or we're going to be stuck with broadcast HD.
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AndyDursin
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I agree with everything that's been posted here. I think the better shot the powers-at-be have of making either format viable is telling people their current-gen DVDs are NOT going to be obsolete.
The last thing consumers want to hear -- especially people who were raised on VHS for an entire generation and basically switched formats to DVD only within the last 5-7 years -- is that they're going to need to buy everything......all over again. As we've seen it's not going to happen overnight, or any time soon. They did convince the public to buy DVD but it's going to take a lot more to convince them they need to upgrade AGAIN to HD-DVD (which isn't the leap forward like VHS to DVD was), so soon in the marketplace after DVD has taken off.
The better shot they have of selling an HD-based DVD format is telling consumers this is the format for the FUTURE -- as in, from a certain point, you can have the ability of superior picture quality with an HD-based DVD format, so you ought to buy, say, NEW releases in either Bluray or HD-DVD. Making people buy titles all over again....good luck with that. This is a marketplace that took decades to turn away from VHS, after all, and the HDTV market is still comparatively small...so it's going to take a while.
What it also comes down to is that the price for an upgrade a lot of people will view as iffy to begin with is key, and that's one area Blu Ray is at a huge disadvantage. It's possible neither format is going to fly instantly so maybe they'll all eventually come together and salvage something from the situation.
Either way I'm not running out any time soon for either of these formats!
The last thing consumers want to hear -- especially people who were raised on VHS for an entire generation and basically switched formats to DVD only within the last 5-7 years -- is that they're going to need to buy everything......all over again. As we've seen it's not going to happen overnight, or any time soon. They did convince the public to buy DVD but it's going to take a lot more to convince them they need to upgrade AGAIN to HD-DVD (which isn't the leap forward like VHS to DVD was), so soon in the marketplace after DVD has taken off.
The better shot they have of selling an HD-based DVD format is telling consumers this is the format for the FUTURE -- as in, from a certain point, you can have the ability of superior picture quality with an HD-based DVD format, so you ought to buy, say, NEW releases in either Bluray or HD-DVD. Making people buy titles all over again....good luck with that. This is a marketplace that took decades to turn away from VHS, after all, and the HDTV market is still comparatively small...so it's going to take a while.
What it also comes down to is that the price for an upgrade a lot of people will view as iffy to begin with is key, and that's one area Blu Ray is at a huge disadvantage. It's possible neither format is going to fly instantly so maybe they'll all eventually come together and salvage something from the situation.
Either way I'm not running out any time soon for either of these formats!
Read Widescreen Review issue 110 July 2006 ASAP
This is their HD-DVD blowout issue, I guess.
The centerpiece of this issue is a fairly in depth interview conducted
by Gary Reber of WSR with Mr. Joe Kane himself and...Amir from
Microsoft.
The same Amir you see posting at AVS all the time. Yes, THAT Amir.
It's a very interesting interview, to say the least, and I'm eager to get some
others' feedback after reading it.
Just a heads up.
If nothing else, I think you all will come away from reading that with the same message I did:
This format war may be a lot more prolonged, nasty, and bloody than any of us thought.
It might be a real long haul after all.
This is their HD-DVD blowout issue, I guess.
The centerpiece of this issue is a fairly in depth interview conducted
by Gary Reber of WSR with Mr. Joe Kane himself and...Amir from
Microsoft.
The same Amir you see posting at AVS all the time. Yes, THAT Amir.
It's a very interesting interview, to say the least, and I'm eager to get some
others' feedback after reading it.
Just a heads up.
If nothing else, I think you all will come away from reading that with the same message I did:
This format war may be a lot more prolonged, nasty, and bloody than any of us thought.
It might be a real long haul after all.
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Paul MacLean
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- Location: New York
This is the same treatment previously given to other fringe formats such as D-VHS/D-Theater, DVD-A and SACD, all of which can only be described as mainstream failures (of these formats only SACD is barely holding onto a narrow segment of the audiophile niche, and even there its sales are dwarfed by those of vinyl records). This is not retail support so much as retail life support!
Most people I know who own HDTVs aren't recieveing any HD channels. To them HDTV means a big widescreen TV displaying standard definition (and usually vertically squeezed). I don't think most of them are even aware of what true HD even looks like.
However, as more HD channels are made available, I think people are going to wonder "why don't my DVDs look as good as the movies on TV?" Sony is making consumer-level HD camcorders. I can't believe people who are watching HD TV shows, and shooting HD home movies won't demand HD home video releases. It may take a while, but it will happen.
Paul
Unfortunately, it's going to take a very long time.Paul MacLean wrote:
This is the same treatment previously given to other fringe formats such as D-VHS/D-Theater, DVD-A and SACD, all of which can only be described as mainstream failures (of these formats only SACD is barely holding onto a narrow segment of the audiophile niche, and even there its sales are dwarfed by those of vinyl records). This is not retail support so much as retail life support!
Most people I know who own HDTVs aren't recieveing any HD channels. To them HDTV means a big widescreen TV displaying standard definition (and usually vertically squeezed). I don't think most of them are even aware of what true HD even looks like.
However, as more HD channels are made available, I think people are going to wonder "why don't my DVDs look as good as the movies on TV?" Sony is making consumer-level HD camcorders. I can't believe people who are watching HD TV shows, and shooting HD home movies won't demand HD home video releases. It may take a while, but it will happen.
Paul
If I had my way, I'd have nothing but HD all the time right now.
I know we're many years away from that.
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Edmund Kattak
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I think BLU-RAY may have a better shot, as it is supported by a larger Consortium of Consumer Electronics and PC-Manufacturers. Heck,since when do you have Sony AND Panasonic in agreement on anything?
I had heard that the Playstation 3 delay might have been associated with the lack of finalization of the copy and content protection schemes for BLU-RAY at this time last year. If this was true, then it would explain a great deal.
In any event, let's see what happens. Nobody really jumped on the SACD and DVD-AUDIO bandwagon, so it's too early to predict the clear winner.
I had heard that the Playstation 3 delay might have been associated with the lack of finalization of the copy and content protection schemes for BLU-RAY at this time last year. If this was true, then it would explain a great deal.
In any event, let's see what happens. Nobody really jumped on the SACD and DVD-AUDIO bandwagon, so it's too early to predict the clear winner.
Indeed,
Ed
Ed