The Official Blu-ray/HD DVD Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Rachael Bee, May 25, 2006.

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  1. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca Thread Starter

    Sony has announced a $599 stand alone for summer...model 300 or 3000, I think. I think it's gonna play Cee-Dee's, wham. bam, thank ya bam-bam! What a bonehead move to not include CD on their 1000! Why would the public wanna eat CD's when they could dine on expensive Blu pie? :p

    I hope we have a flock of HD-unies pop up this year. I bet the LG is down to $900 in a few months or even lower. It seems to me, if ya got a Blue Laser and you're making said player DVD capable, well, the player could easily play HD-DVD too.

    We all know Sony and proably Panasonic aren't gonna make their players unies anytime soon. They look like the electo-gadjet pushers with the most to gain from Blu patents to me. Then there's everybody else and maybe Pioneer too??? Pio sure was quick to make a uni in the last, late cheese-grate, audiophilic, battle of the fur-mats. Who knows now?

    I think there's a market opening for a not too expensive uni. A player like that would crack the door a little more...say, $599-699, perhaps? Wouldn't that be somethin', playin' both sides of your Total HD disc on the same player. BTW, LG is supposed to have a 2nd-gen uni in the pipeline.

    I'm starting to think that not keeping HD-DVD as an authoring possibility even if Blu wins is a waste. If the bloody decks have to play DVD's, for a longtime to come, it's just too easy to also include HD-DVD. I figur the more authoring possibilities the better for consumers. Sony does not agree, however. I don't know about Toshsiba, would they make a uni? For a yen and a buck, weirder things have happened....

    Total HD.....either a boom or bust, IMO. I don't see no stinkin' middle that's muy bueno, anyways. I'll buy atleast one, if they happen, unless they turn out too heavy or too somethin'.... Total HD is either gonna be the Gettysburg of this format fray or a flagelant footnote. Maybe it's more a threat...???

    Blu loves me, loves me not. loves me....not, ect.... HD-DVD loves me, but stutterss a lot, loves me.... :p I wanna see it all merged, somehow, despite the bloody antagonists, both.
     
  2. I read about the new Sony BDP-S300 and I don't think it will decode Dolby TruHD or the DTS equivalent. Apparently a more expensive player to be released soon after will. I will never use these players for CD, but understand many others would so not including CD playback was hard to understand with the BDP-S1. A truly universal player with Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD-V/DVD-A/SACD/CD playback with all formats handled properly is what is needed, I agree. The THD flippers won't be well received although I might like Blu-ray and DVD combo discs to be able to play the DVD in portable DVD players and other DVD players. Of course the price needs to kept low and that may not be possible. Otherwise, I have no plans to buy many of these discs and will continue to rent only.

    I looked at my second Blu-ray disc last night, "The Prestige" and although I haven't sat down to watch the film yet, it looks to be even better than "The Departed" in terms of picture quality. I ordered a refurbished HD-A1 and now I am into both formats. I wasn't aware Warner had released so many titles exclusive to HD DVD, thinking they would release on both formats.

    Chris
     
  3. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    I think those THD flippers will actually be a hit. Perfect way to guard against obsolesence.

    I think I can wait another gen or two for a BD player after all. The upcoming Sony seems OK, but you know a few months later you there will be several other choices in the $500 range.

    I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I really like the HD-DVD/DVD combo titles. I can use it in the Toshiba, or take it to the other room to watch later. Or make a back up copy.
     
  4. I like them and I like hybrid SACD and DualDisc with DVD-A/CD for ability to play the CD in the car or portable player..

    Chris
     
  5. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca Thread Starter

    Me too....as long as they're less than $25. I think Blu are greedy fools for not having a Combi of their own. Does the BDA think that they can just blast DVD back into the stone age? There's a parallel to Sony refusing to supply SA-CD, les hybrides, here, I think.

    Look at Total HD this way. Has Warner designed a product for themselves or their customers? I think it's the former, more likely. If I'm getting a second program, I want DVD not a redundant HD program. I'm looking at the mass market and thinkin' that's what they'd want too.
     
  6. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    I'm disappointed that Casino Royale won't be released on HD-DVD. That was gonna be my first HD-DVD purchase.
     
  7. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca Thread Starter

    The Java part of Blu that somehow affects extras isn't finished and Warner, apparently, can't put the extras they desire to on the BD's of the HD-only releases. The missing stuff does have many extras, like Adventures Of Robin Hood per example...or the dee-luxe Forbidden Planet which has a second, whole, movie and more. That's what's alleged, X-trees es holdin' da bulls en da pen. Or, you can buy into a variety of conspiracy theories....

    Ain't The Prestige a facinating film. I watched it for a second time last night. Maybe it gets some inspiration from Momento...? I haven't seen The Queen and quite a few of the other better films of last year but, hot dam, I like The Prestige. It gets my Auh-scar till I change my fickkle mind.... :)
     
  8. I deliberately didn't see that one at the theater, waiting for the HD release. I hope this Netflix services works well and I get it quickly after release.

    Chris
     
  9. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    That's the one that got me interested in buying the Blu-Ray Sony player, I'm nuts about this movie and I just know, after watching "The Italian Job" on Blu-ray, that it's gonna scream out of my SONY SXRD, when it's released.

    Chris C
     
  10. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Maybe Happy Feet will be on HD-DVD.
     
  11. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    Interesting parallel with Sony/SACD hybrids/BDs!

    The only option *not* on the table makes a lot of sense: BD + DVD on a single disc. BD obviously has good support, and the capabilities are fine, but lack of DVD legacy support stops me and other adopters from jumping right in.
     
  12. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY

    I hope the DVD version of Casino Royale is done well.
     
  13. It took three tries for my Samsung BD-P1000 to load "The Prestige". It also loaded slower than "The Departed" but once loaded played perfectly. I tried to find information online to determine if this issue is common and did find this article quickly enough:

    http://www.dvdtown.com/news/consumeralertsamsungbdp1000blurayplayers/4303

    I guess I better go ahead and get the extended warranty for this player. In 90 days when my warranty expires, it may not load discs at all. I may try to load the disc again before sending it back to Netflix. The disc looked perfect on visual inspection without even a smudge or scratch. If the issue is that discs will sometimes take two attempts or sometimes load slowly, I can probably live with it reluctantly. If it is a progressive problem and gets worse over time, I obviously can't live with that.

    Chris
     
  14. Jeff Edwards

    Jeff Edwards Senior Member

    Chris,

    Have you updated your firmware on the Samsung? I have one of the reconditioned Samsung units coming, and I guess I need to be aware of that potential problem myself.

    Being an early adopter isn't for wimps.
     
  15. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca Thread Starter

    Chris, my Samsung went through some phases like your's is. I cannot recall it occuring since I sent it in for the chip adjustment. When I sent it in for the chip, I told them to check out the disc rejectio syndrome. I don't know if they actually did. They get neglect to update the firmware at that time. They sent the player back to me with with no documentation as to what they did to it. I phoned them and they did not know what they'd done to my player. Samsung's service and customer service is lacking, no doubt!

    My Panasonic has had trouble reading a few discs along similar lines. So, your problem could possibly be rooted partly in software...? I had no problems with The Prestige though. I've played it twice on my Panny already. It hasn't been in the Samsung, yet.
     
  16. I have updated the firmware to the most current version. It sounds like Rachael has the problem solved with hers so I am going to research the fixes now and see if mine should be sent to Samsung. I am now considering getting the SquareTrade extended warranty to 2-years for $35 since the current warranty runs out after 90 days.

    My refurbished Toshiba HD-A1 is in the home theater at my girlfriend's house now. I didn't mention anything about it, I am constantly moving players to and from the closet or from one room to another and it won't ever be noticed. We watched our first movie in HD DVD, "The Phantom of the Opera" and she asked "This isn't Blu-ray?". I said no, and she said "Wow, it looks awesome". I had a hard time explaining why we needed Blu-ray and decided to not even try this time, but I am going to have a tough time explaining how DVD can look as good as Blu-ray sometimes.

    Here is the SquareTrade warranty proposal I received:

    http://www.squaretrade.com/buyersvcs/displayItemInfo.do;jsessionid=F528676D4542464D943EBE2CD340C139

    Chris
     
  17. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Chris, Your new avatar is cool :edthumbs:
     
  18. Pinknik

    Pinknik Senior Member

    G4 just made mention of Sony's new $600 Blu-Ray player (not the PS3) that'll come out later this year. Looks like a slim version of their first player. Hopefully it's a good machine, and the prices continue to drop.
     
  19. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Just saw the LG machine that plays both formats. $1499CDN !!!

    And it looks and feels as cheap as a $99 DVD player.
    All plastic, incredibly lightweight.

    It wasn't even running so I can't comment on the picture.
     
  20. ubsman

    ubsman Active Member

    Location:
    Utah
    How does that movie rate compared to other Bond movies? Haven't seen the movie yet.

    If A View To A Kill comes out on just bluray, I'll have to buy a machine but from the looks of things there will be some good deals on machines by then.

    Currently have a XA1.
     
  21. I have not seen the movie either but all reviews I read are favorable and dozens of posters online have indicated it is the best Bond film ever. Hard to believe that, but I am looking forward to seeing this one on Blu-ray.

    Chris
     
  22. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Casino Royale was pretty impressive.
     
  23. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca Thread Starter

    Chris, does your Samsung have the hourglass when reading discs? If it does, it needs the firmware update. If you have the little coloured dots when reading, das goode! Without the formware udate, you cannot play DTS audio without lost video frames.
     
  24. I have updated mine and have the little colored dots. I wasn't aware of that issue but glad it has been fixed. I won't have another disc for a couple of days and then I will have a better idea about the loading problems.

    Thanks again, Rachael.

    Chris
     
  25. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    Friday evening I had my first and only glitch with my Panasonic. It was an audio drop-out on the DD 5.1 soundtrack while watching The Unforgiven that lasted about 12 seconds. I did a seek back to the spot where the drop-out occurred and the audio then played without a problem. I was listening through my A/V receiver via the optical out on the Panny.
     
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