HD DVDs

[moviefan]

Here's a question that I think is a "lounge" question, rather than a possible "technology" question:

Do people think the high-definition DVD players and discs are going to catch on?

So far, the market seems rather slim, despite some of the controversy over the Blu-Rays vs. the other HD DVDs.

Personally, my suspicion is that people are constantly looking for less expensive DVD players and devices, rather than expensive new upgrades. So my guess is they won't catch on. But it's only a guess.

 

[samcan]

It will catch on.
1. Once the format is decided upon
2. When the price comes down and
3. More discs are released and people with HDTV/projectors see the quality difference.

It may be just a niche market for the next couple of years for those looking for the best and money is no object but everything I've read the picture quality is OUTSTANDING...Home Theatre Magazine... unless they just are being paid buy large corps LOL

 

[AnimalMagnetism]

It will definitly catch on, prices will drop fairly quickly, especially after the sony ps3 arrives, you'll see a huge increase in movies compatible. Microsoft X box is adding HD DVD to it, so that will increase movies as well.
and you'll see many companies ie samsung, LG, philips, etc that will play both formats
Also you'll see more burners/players available for PC's which will also drive the market quite a bit. there are a few out now.

also as HD TV's continue to get cheaper and cheaper people want to be able to display the clearest picture possible on the new TV.
This will be a quicker migration than it was for VHS to DVD.
the new DVD format machines ARE compatible with your current dvd collection

 

[Rockslinger]

Don't you find high definition "unnatural"? For example, when you look at your friend, does his blue shirt look bluer than blue? Does his teeth look whiter than white? Normal life is not lived in high definition.

 

[samcan]

I need to disagree regarding companys playing both formats
Samsung is only doing one format already and Toshiba another.
The lenses are different and so are the the size of disc capacity.
I agree prices will come down quick, just like plasma and lcd.
But anwser me this, if you already have a ps2 or xbox360 and decent dvd player are you going to run out and pay 4-5 hundered for new machine? I know I wouldn't.
Good point that we don't live in high def, but boy does football look good.LOL

Mods, maybe this should be moved to tech forum?

 

[Rockslinger]

Maybe, it is just me but football in high def looks almost like cartoons.

 

[samcan]

Maybe, it is just me but football in high def looks almost like cartoons.

In what sense? Like Finding Nemo or other animation that are computer generated?
Just looking for insight.

 

[Rockslinger]

It is the brilliancy of the colours. Doesn't look natural. To me, football was meant to be played in rain and mud and teams should look like the Dick Butcus (check spelling) Chicago Bears in December. High definition should be reserved for tropical fishes.

 

[samcan]

Can't disagree with that but wait till you see DA BEARS play in the mud and how big the raindrops and snowflakes are crystal clear. You can see the holes in the turf.

 

[monkeychan]

HD-DVD does not look anywhere as bad as HD broadcast. I don't subscribe to HD broadcast for that reason. Also you will need to calibrate your HD input differently than regular DVD. In fact, to get the most accurate colour rendition, you'll need to calibrate your antenna input, S-video, component, composite and HD input independent of each other.

I bought an HD-DVD player a couple months ago and loving it. I've bought 20 movies so far with ton loads of movies coming soon such as Tokyo Drift, King Kong, Superman 1, Superman 2 and Superman Returns, The Mummy, Terminator 3, Mission: Impossible 1/2/3 already pre-ordered.

Also the sound of HD-DVD is far better than any DVDs I own, and I own about 1,500 titles.

 

[samcan]

HD-DVD does not look anywhere as bad as HD broadcast. I don't subscribe to HD broadcast for that reason. Also you will need to calibrate your HD input differently than regular DVD. In fact, to get the most accurate colour rendition, you'll need to calibrate your antenna input, S-video, component, composite and HD input independent of each other.

I bought an HD-DVD player a couple months ago and loving it. I've bought 20 movies so far with ton loads of movies coming soon such as Tokyo Drift, King Kong, Superman 1, Superman 2 and Superman Returns, The Mummy, Terminator 3, Mission: Impossible 1/2/3 already pre-ordered.

Also the sound of HD-DVD is far better than any DVDs I own, and I own about 1,500 titles.

Monkeychan

With your knowledge I'm sure you understand the reason for the difference between HDTV and HD-Dvd which the general public doesn't and don't
even know about calibrating picture let alone sound, glad you enjoy it, what player did you buy?
You do have to admit certain sports in HD look far superior to regular tv, depending on the broadcaster/originating network.

 

[monkeychan]

Samcan,

yes most HD broadcast look far superior than regular TV, but for a person with my schedule, it's not superior enough to warrant the extra $10 + taxes or so for the HD box (I use Rogers). Also I can't time-shift HD program either. Not yet anyway, and I hate commercials

For the player I bought Toshiba HD-A1. I tested the HD-X1 but don't feel the $400 price difference justify the outcome (no difference in PQ or SQ, but it is a far better-built machine with far better remote too). By the time I'm buying a second player to replace my HD-A1 (usually I upgrade every 18 months) a flagship player will have dropped quite dramatically too.

A couple of addendums. Any HD-DVD standalone players can be bought right now are manufactured by Toshiba with the drive supplied by NEC. So even if one buys an RCA or Thomson (in Europe), they'll end up with a Toshiba machine with NEC drive installed. Second, it's a pain in the butt finding decently priced HD-DVD movies on their release dates. It's cheaper to buy from Amazon.com and shipping it to Canada than drive around for half a month trying to find one freakin' title and that title is being sold at the same price as Amazon.com + shippping + duties or more (by up to $15) - sigh

 

[AnimalMagnetism]

and you'll see many companies ie samsung, LG, philips, etc that will play both formats

I need to disagree regarding companys playing both formats
Samsung is only doing one format already and Toshiba another.
The lenses are different and so are the the size of disc capacity.

NEC ships hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD chip
http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/10/10/nec_hybrid_chip/
http://www.about-electronics.eu/2006/10/10/nec-starts-shipping-combi-hd-dvd-blu-ray-chips/
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/10/nec-ships-dual-format-blu-ray-hd-dvd-chip/

as you may or may not know, Samsung, Toshiba, LG, Philips etc. use many components from NEC already.

 

[Powershot]

I think it will catch on but not for 3 years or so.. Not enough titles, too expensive. Only very dedicated enthusiasts will purchase titles they already have DVD's copies of. I have about 200 DVD's and I might repurchase 10 of them as HD-DVD's at some point.
I'm happy with my HDPVR. HD + Discovery Channel + PBS = all the TV I need.

 

[MarkII]

Monkeychan brings up an interesting point. Calibrating your tv. This is widely done in the graphics and photography biz. You calibrate the computer monitor so the colours are acurate when you print the picture or graphic.

There are a couple TV monitor devices out there but not really very good at the moment. I know there are plans for several companies to release consumer versions for home TV.

This may well be the reason for the comments earlier in the thread about colours popping way too much. HD is a different animal than normal TV, and your monitor needs to be set accordingly. If you're finding for instance the colours in a football broadcast are too vivid try changing the monitor preset to movie threatre...or the darkest setting in the preset. Your eyes will adjust very quickly.

Regular TV used that old square with the circles..called the test pattern for setup. HD also involves a more intricate white balance. Our brain is geared that white looks the way it does at 12 noon. It means our brains define white as about 5000 degrees Kelvin. The brain is pretty amazing in that even when the colour of white is off we still see it as white.

This is why on your digital cameras you see pictures that are often orangey in colour and you don't know why because the room did not look that way when you took the photo. Our eyes and brain auto adjust for us but the camera records the colour temp in the room. A regular lightbulb is in the warm portion of the light spectrum and therefore digitaly records as orange much like a sunset.

A little geekey on the info I know..but I hope it explains why HD often looks WAY to bright etc...you have to scale back your contrast and brightness from your regular tv settings.

M2

 

[my2cents]

get hd over the air

As was noted here the HD via rogers or even express view is not that amazing. However I would suggest using your HD ATSC tuner and a regular UHF antenna and pick up your HD signals over the air because they are not as compressed as cable etc.
HD DVD and Blue Ray is reminding everyone of Beta vs VHS so I don't see a solid winner because of prices and the wait and see attitude of consumers.
Microsofts move of adding an HD DVD player for the XBOX 360 could shift the race because it now becomes a complete entertainment unit instead of just a dvd player. You may not want a stand alone HD DVD player but if its an add on and you can use HD games with the player it changes people's perspective on it.
The reality is that alot of people are not viewing true HD because their HD sets don't have the specs to deliver true HD and their self contained DVD player sound system has no optical or coax external audio input so they are only hearing 5.1 on their DVDs not from a HD broadcast.

 

[my2cents]

a trend

i plan on getting a HDDVD player and not bl- ray simply because i've come to despise Sony.

This is a feeling by many and may actually hamper the blue ray disk.

 

[monkeychan]

I've bought Blu-ray and it actually sucks big time. I returned it. At least I know I've made the right choice (for siding with HD-DVD).

 

[Tyler1]

i plan on getting a HDDVD player and not bl- ray simply because i've come to despise Sony.

I despise Sony too, you have no idea how much, but so far plan to buy a PS3 for gaming and movies. The specs on the PS3 are far better than XBOX and it is the total all-in-one entertainment system. Quality/performance issues scare me. I never buy extended warranty but I would get it for he PS3. The technology is too new and past experiences with Sony's quality warrant it. I love the XBOX over the PS2 but the new 360 came out way too early and missed the mark for me. It's a shame.
I won't be buying anything anytime soon and things may change in the future for the 360. Plus I would not buy an early gen. PS3 anyway. I want the all-in-one system and not have to add an external HD drive.

 

[Berlin]

next gen DVD

I am impartial to both blu-ray and hd dvd at the moment, and as mentioned, it will catch on. It's just a matter of time .

Just an interesting fact, blu-ray has more film studio backing than hd dvd ; not that it means anything, as there are some corps sitting on both sides, not just Samsung. Microshit and Apple are examples.Only time can tell which will be the next VHS of this century.