The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1 · Sat Jan 05, 2008 11:19 pm

Warner just signed an exclusive contract to do Blu-ray discs. Will this battle ever end?

Sat Jan 05, 2008 11:23 pm

nope

News Credits: 767 · Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:20 am

didn't they do that already?
Besides everybody knows that HD is as good as finished.

Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:44 pm

BAH! And I just got an HD-DVD player for Christmas (for the record, It's my preferred format). Not quite sure why they'd need exclusives, though. Releasing for both formats usually tends to work in HD-DVDs favor.

News Credits: 1 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:37 am

I officially (and finally) made the switch to DVD in 2006. I don't have any HD DVDs or Blu-Ray discs.

Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:07 am

I'm sticking to DVDs for at least these next 5 years.

Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:28 am

the quality is good and all.
but not enough to buy those players yet.
I prefer HD-DVD. Though I could switch to Blu if the boxes weren't so ugly.
I see 300's cover. Its covered in blood and sweat and yellow clouds and golden helmets. It looks great on a red box. but a blue box... eww.
Once boxes become black again, I'll start buying.
Blu-Ray letting us get free movies doesn't make me want to buy a B-Player, so just quit, Sony. I wouldn't watch Surf's Up and Good Luck Chuck if it was free.

News Credits: 3 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:59 am

So, other than box covers, what is the difference between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? I'm still using plain DVDs and want to know what the difference is?
And yes, my TV is HD-ready; or so the instructions say

News Credits: 38 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:14 am

HD-Ready doesn't mean it's an HDTV, just that it can be hooked up to an HD Tuner when needed.

Personally I'm sticking with DVD for the time being. I just picked up an upconverting DVD player last week and it's great, cheap and effective.

News Credits: 129 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:28 am

I plan on passing on both formats.

Pure digital media, ala downloads and memory stick data is where this is going. Discs will be dead, all for the better.

News Credits: 38 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:08 am

I don't ever want to see purely digital media. I like having something I can actually hold in my hand. I don't like the idea that at any time, my data can just magically disappear. With a disc I know where it is at all times. It's like Valve's STEAM program. Yeah you can download the games without a disc....But I still bought Half Life 2 on DVD. I don't trust servers or my local Hard Drive to keep that information. Those things can be wiped clean with a couple of wrong clicks.

News Credits: 129 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:25 am

TheMuffin wrote:I don't ever want to see purely digital media. I like having something I can actually hold in my hand. I don't like the idea that at any time, my data can just magically disappear. With a disc I know where it is at all times. It's like Valve's STEAM program. Yeah you can download the games without a disc....But I still bought Half Life 2 on DVD. I don't trust servers or my local Hard Drive to keep that information. Those things can be wiped clean with a couple of wrong clicks.

Dude, speaking from experience and from my perspective...

It's more likely that someone crowbars your door 3-4 inches in, removing the deadbolt from the wall and then steals all those things I could have held in my hand.

Loss is loss.

If I had a claim to the digital use rights of those media pieces, I could have just downloaded them all again and my formerly hip and impressive dvd collection would be back on its way.

News Credits: 38 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:08 pm

In your case it's validated. But from the standpoint of someone who has never been robbed, I don't agree. The chance of someone breaking into my house compared to a Hard Drive failing isn't even close.

Not to mention that with digital media, the creator of that said media can easily through in a loophole clause and take your media away. With a DVD, you own that copy. Sony isn't going to break down your doors and demand that the DVD be returned. Though I'm sure they'd like to.

Not to mention how much easier this would make it to pirate media. "Oh hey George, I got this great new movie today" "Oh really Byron? Hey why don't you zip it and send me a copy?" "Okay!"

That, compared to someone having to take the time, rip the DVD, compile the VOB's correctly, and then upload for hours upon hours before you get good seeds.

I don't think any production or distribution company wants all digital media.

News Credits: 49 · Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:04 pm

TheMuffin wrote:In your case it's validated. But from the standpoint of someone who has never been robbed, I don't agree. The chance of someone breaking into my house compared to a Hard Drive failing isn't even close.

Not to mention that with digital media, the creator of that said media can easily through in a loophole clause and take your media away. With a DVD, you own that copy. Sony isn't going to break down your doors and demand that the DVD be returned. Though I'm sure they'd like to.

Not to mention how much easier this would make it to pirate media. "Oh hey George, I got this great new movie today" "Oh really Byron? Hey why don't you zip it and send me a copy?" "Okay!"

That, compared to someone having to take the time, rip the DVD, compile the VOB's correctly, and then upload for hours upon hours before you get good seeds.

I don't think any production or distribution company wants all digital media.

Hah, funny. You used my name, and my fathers name in your example.

But I do agree, having an actual item in your hand makes the purchase seem more worthwhile, however, at the same time, I can see where CP is coming from, having purely digital media is better, barring a hard-drive failure, or a fatal encounter with a magnet, but thats why we have backups.

But I stick with my whole philosophy, if it's worth buying, I'll buy it. If not, then I'll put on my ol' Piratehat for it.

Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:00 pm

Thunderscream wrote:So, other than box covers, what is the difference between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? I'm still using plain DVDs and want to know what the difference is?
And yes, my TV is HD-ready; or so the instructions say

The differences are mostly internal specs that most people don't bother with. The Blu-ray discs have a higher capacity. However, the HD-DVDs benefit from a standardized spec (unlike Blu-ray, where players today may not play Blu discs made in a few months) as well as higher interactivity due to a web-language based interface. That's my take on it. For most people, the simple answer is that both do 1080i images and have a sharper view than DVD (if you have a TV that can support it).

Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:25 am

I don't really see the point in getting an HD-DVD player. Like when DVDs first came out, there were a few players, all of them were expensive as hell, full of bugs, and there wasn't a lot available.

Purrsonally, I'm taking the same route I did last time. My playstation 2 is my dvd player, and my playstation 3 will be my HD dvd player, plus I'll have some new games to go with it.

News Credits: 38 · Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:48 am

I once tried using my PS2 as my DVD player....It turned two of my movies in coasters when it tilted the discs and scratched them to pieces.

No wonder I haven't bought into anything else they sell since then.

Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:56 am

I've heard of that happening, and I've heard people say that it ruins any disc when used standing up. Dunno, never had a problem, and my ps2 plays dvds that for whatever reason my laptop and desktop won't. Never had a problem with it, and I'm pretty confident about the ps3 being a good enough hd dvd player, maybe not the best, but good enough to not warrent buying a deticated player.

Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:39 pm

ShadowKatt wrote:I've heard of that happening, and I've heard people say that it ruins any disc when used standing up. Dunno, never had a problem, and my ps2 plays dvds that for whatever reason my laptop and desktop won't. Never had a problem with it, and I'm pretty confident about the ps3 being a good enough hd dvd player, maybe not the best, but good enough to not warrent buying a deticated player.

Just for correctness purposes, the PS3 is actually a Blu-ray player, not an HD-DVD Player. The HDDVD goes to the Xbox 360 (but only with an attachment drive)

Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:35 pm

The Happy Locust wrote:
ShadowKatt wrote:I've heard of that happening, and I've heard people say that it ruins any disc when used standing up. Dunno, never had a problem, and my ps2 plays dvds that for whatever reason my laptop and desktop won't. Never had a problem with it, and I'm pretty confident about the ps3 being a good enough hd dvd player, maybe not the best, but good enough to not warrent buying a deticated player.

Just for correctness purposes, the PS3 is actually a Blu-ray player, not an HD-DVD Player. The HDDVD goes to the Xbox 360 (but only with an attachment drive)

Same difference. It still plays them. Purrsonally, I was never a huge quality freak, just as long as it plays :wink:

Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:54 pm

the only time i was tempted into buying an hd/blu-ray player was the wal-mart black friday special: 80G PS3 and a total of 15 br movies for 400 bucks. i'm kind of regretting passing, but i can live. in a year or so, the "winning" format will be as widespread as dvds are now. (and hopefully as cheap)