Paramount will soon follow Warner and eventually Universal, leaving the HDDVD camp with no supporters. HDDVD is dead, see it now before it's too late.

Sell or take back your HDDVD players and invest in a Blu-ray player.

Thank god i have a multiformat player, i wish both formats would survive but i know that's not going to happen.

Woot, way to go on suspending that guy! spreading Blu-Ray propaganda in the HD-DVD discussion area was just uncalled for...

Yea, it's all how you said it.

A) rumor that proved to be untrue
B) Why sell it? I got a great upscaling DVD player for $98 that happens to play HD-DVD's..I plan to buy more movies and support what I feel is the better product.. because if it fails, i'm just sticking with upscaled DVD's, because 1080P is all blu-ray has to offer over standard DVD's, the death of HD-DVD means innovation is dead.

Originally posted by misfit410:

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Yea, it's all how you said it.

A) rumor that proved to be untrue
B) Why sell it? I got a great upscaling DVD player for $98 that happens to play HD-DVD's..I plan to buy more movies and support what I feel is the better product.. because if it fails, i'm just sticking with upscaled DVD's, because 1080P is all blu-ray has to offer over standard DVD's, the death of HD-DVD means innovation is dead.

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A)The rumor has not been proven untrue.
B)Keep wasting your money. The only reason why HDDVD lasted this long is because they bought Paramount and Universal (150M).

Originally posted by goodswipe:

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Woot, way to go on suspending that guy! spreading Blu-Ray propaganda in the HD-DVD discussion area was just uncalled for...

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Hello. I was just stating the obvious. Sorry you took offense.

Roger32, I can still find 8 track players. Enough HD-Dvd players have penetrated the market that I can view my hd-dvd's till the next big thing comes out. How is that waisting are money. Will are whole HD-DVD collection's stop working if Sony prevails?

don't listen to hddvd dead crap
(no offense to bd players)i support both formats
hddvd players are quad players
bd players are triple players

hddvd can play-vcd/dvd/hddvd/vmd dvd
bd can play -vcd/dvd/bd

This war will last long, microsoft and toshiba is going to do whatever it takes to win.

Plus, I don't think Sony will stop producing Blu-Rays for a while, that actual format will live on, only because the PS3 games are made. So technically, Blu ray can never die ;).

I have a feeling Microsoft is going to pull something like that too.

The Rumor was proven untrue when Universal themselves came out a day later and stated they are not leaving HD-DVD.

Toshiba...today announced that it is stepping up its successful
marketing campaign for HD DVD as it experienced record-breaking unit sales
in the fourth quarter of 2007. Major initiatives, including joint
advertising campaigns with studios and extended pricing strategies will
begin in mid- January and are designed to spotlight the superior benefits
of HD DVD as well as the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer's current DVD
library by upconverting standard DVDs via the HDMI(TM) output to near high
definition picture quality.

As Toshiba achieved the #1 sales volume in the next generation DVD
category with an approximately 50 percent market share in 2007, HD DVD is
proven to be the format of choice for consumers. Coupled with an 80 percent
plus market share of all next generation DVD equipped notebooks for the 4th
quarter 2007, the HD DVD format has already paved the way to a high
definition digital AV solution by eliminating the boundaries between the
consumer's living room and on the go.

HD DVD not only creates the ultimate high definition entertainment
experience, leveraging all of the promise of the format such as superior
audio/video performance, Web-enabled network capabilities and advanced
interactive features - it also has a high-level of compatibility with DVD.
With DVD upconversion via the HDMI output, HD DVD players instantly make a
movie lover's existing DVD library look better than ever.

"HD DVD is the best way to watch movies in high definition," said Jodi
Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "Our HD
DVD players not only play back approximately 800 HD DVD titles available
worldwide and deliver an entirely new level of entertainment but also
enhance the picture quality to near high definition on legacy DVD titles by
all studios. In short, we added high def to DVD which already is the de
facto standard format created and approved by the DVD Forum that consists
of more than two hundred companies."

New Marketing Strategy for Mass Market Adoption

Taking the holiday season sales based on promotional prices into full
consideration, these new manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) are
designed to meet the potential demand for HD DVD players in the U.S.
market. Effective on January 13, 2008 the MSRP of the entry-model HD-A3
will be $149.99, the HD-A30, with 1080p output, $199.99, and the high-end
HD-A35, $299.99...


They just need to make a Mac vs PC like tv spot with the following information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blu-ray may have taken a commanding lead in the next-generation format war, but the group has a big problem looming: early supporters of the format will be left out in the cold when the Blu-ray Disc Association introduces BD Profile 2.0

Unlike HD DVD, which mandated features such as local storage, a second video and audio decoder for picture-in-picture, and a network connection from the very beginning, the companies behind Blu-ray took a different approach. Initial hardware players lacked these capabilities in order to keep costs down.

None of the Profile 1.0 players can be upgraded to Profile 1.1, which was finalized recently, with the exception of the PlayStation 3 -- whose update arrived in mid-December. Likewise, Profile 2.0 is expected to arrive in October bringing Internet connectivity that Profile 1.1 players lack.

Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.

In order to allay confusion, the BDA has adopted special labels that will be placed on Blu-ray movies. Those with a "Bonus View" sticker will require Profile 1.1 players, while those with "BD Live" will require Profile 2.0...


When BetaNews asked developers of BD Live whether they were concerned about a backlash from early adopters who supported the format from the beginning, we were told: "They knew what they were getting into..."

BDA President Andy Parsons echoed that sentiment at the Blu-ray press conference Monday, telling BetaNews that it's normal for new technology to change and older hardware to become obsolete. He added that early Blu-ray owners can continue to do everything they could in the beginning: watch movies in high-definition.

Still, the confusion will only likely further alienate existing and potential customers of the nascent format. One key Blu-ray developer told BetaNews that although he builds discs for studios including Fox and Lionsgate, he did not buy a Blu-ray player for personal use...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by misfit410:

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blu-ray may have taken a commanding lead in the next-generation format war, but the group has a big problem looming: early supporters of the format will be left out in the cold when the Blu-ray Disc Association introduces BD Profile 2.0

Unlike HD DVD, which mandated features such as local storage, a second video and audio decoder for picture-in-picture, and a network connection from the very beginning, the companies behind Blu-ray took a different approach. Initial hardware players lacked these capabilities in order to keep costs down.

None of the Profile 1.0 players can be upgraded to Profile 1.1, which was finalized recently, with the exception of the PlayStation 3 -- whose update arrived in mid-December. Likewise, Profile 2.0 is expected to arrive in October bringing Internet connectivity that Profile 1.1 players lack.

Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.

In order to allay confusion, the BDA has adopted special labels that will be placed on Blu-ray movies. Those with a "Bonus View" sticker will require Profile 1.1 players, while those with "BD Live" will require Profile 2.0...


When BetaNews asked developers of BD Live whether they were concerned about a backlash from early adopters who supported the format from the beginning, we were told: "They knew what they were getting into..."

BDA President Andy Parsons echoed that sentiment at the Blu-ray press conference Monday, telling BetaNews that it's normal for new technology to change and older hardware to become obsolete. He added that early Blu-ray owners can continue to do everything they could in the beginning: watch movies in high-definition.

Still, the confusion will only likely further alienate existing and potential customers of the nascent format. One key Blu-ray developer told BetaNews that although he builds discs for studios including Fox and Lionsgate, he did not buy a Blu-ray player for personal use...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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so if 1st generation blu-ray players can't play profile 2.0 equipped discs, can they still play just the movie without the PIP and web enabled features or are they forced to ditch their players and buy new ones??

BLU-RAY and HD-DVD will both soon be dead, Make way for the super UHD.
Talk about 24Gps, and 33 megapixel resolution.

Oh for god's sake who cares if Universal doesn't leave HD-DVD, they have lost. It's over.

Blu-Ray now has over 70% of the market share in home video.

HD is done for.. especially since Paramount said they will reserve the right to switch their backing for HD at any time. Their just waiting to see how much more profit BD will make, and how more many sales they squeeze out of HD-DVD and then jumping on the bandwagon as soon as figures look good.

Irregardless of whether the public is aware or even cares, BD has technically won, it'll just take some time before you start seeing more and more Blu-Ray titles and players flooding the market. For now it seems the formats are neck and neck, but it'll change shortly.

Sure it takes time for newer formats to pick up and prices to fall, but Blu-Ray won't require the 3-4 years DVD's needed to become a recognised format.
Everyone has a PC and DVD Player these days.
Most of the general public is much more aware of optical technology than people were in the 1990's, and thanks to strong campaigning from Sony (PS3), movie studios and in general, word of mouth. I'd say give it a few more months and you'll see Blu-Ray start to take a dominant stance.

Adamontar:

Ultra High Definition is still strictly experimental, it'll take at least another 3 years before that technology goes public and even then I don't anyone's gonna go for it initially, considering how much it would cost.

Originally posted by Amir89:

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.
Ultra High Definition is still strictly experimental, it'll take at least another 3 years before that technology goes public and even then I don't anyone's gonna go for it initially, considering how much it would cost.

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Kind of like Blu-Ray? on snap yes I did go there...in that three years Blu-Ray might actually be complete after it's users have purchased their 4th generation of machine to finally have all of the features HD-DVD already had standard.

Ok, so Toshiba did exactly what they said they would do, they have their HD-A3 for 149.99 at Best Buy and still offer the 5 free movie deal. So if they are not just doing this to make money off all the remaining stock, then anyone who was to purchase a Blu-ray player would be a fool.

goodswipe:

In about 6 months time those "fools" will be the only people with viable next-gen Video Players, while everyone who bought a HD-DVD player is going to be feeling a bit like a kid with a Dreamcast.

Originally posted by Amir89:

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goodswipe:

In about 6 months time those "fools" will be the only people with viable next-gen Video Players, while everyone who bought a HD-DVD player is going to be feeling a bit like a kid with a Dreamcast.

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BD Profile 2.0 says you are wrong on that one. Looks like the people you speak of will be rebuying as well.

Rebuying what? HD-DVD Players that don't exist anymore... lol

Face it mate, it's over, doesn't matter how much HD-DVD deserved to win they have lost.

Quote:

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When BetaNews asked developers of BD Live whether they were concerned about a backlash from early adopters who supported the format from the beginning, we were told: "They knew what they were getting into..."

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Think you can treat buyers of expensive hardware with that kind of contempt and not get a backlash.... Think again..

How would you like to buy that car that is in your sig, only to have the makers declare it obsolete and unfit for any use 18 months from now... would you just blithly go out and buy another updated one?

Somehow I don't think so.

M$ are still behind the HD format, as are a lot of manufacturers.. All this blu-ray blu-ray fanboy crap is based on a small increase in disk sales falsely inflated by the seasonal buying of the reduced price ps3.

Who wants to pay all that for a games console just to watch films?? Not me.

Now lets look at this a little deeper.. Why do these yankee imperialist studios like blu-ray.. Because they can use the region coding feature TO RIP PEOPLE OFF!! by selling disks in different regions at different prices. End of story.

Sounds to me Amir that you work for one of these RIP OFF businesses, either that or you have no actual concept of what it means to compete as a business in a global marketplace...

These media companies exist only by the whim of the shareholders.. which is why they are always whining about reduced profits and piracy.. how so if every film they release is a blockbuster breaking all previous records??
All that smoke is to keep the shareholders (who only look at short term personal profits) happy..
To maximise profits these businesses will treat customers like crap.. exclude them from fair use, and rip them off in every way they can get away with..

You people really need to wise up to what is going on..

Someone was talking about M$ still being behind the HD format. For how long? Why doesn't M$ incorporate in XBOX 360's hardware HD DVD support, the way Sony did with blu-ray and PS3. Probably becuase Mr. Bill doesn't really give a fudsicle, which ever way the flag swings, he will make money anyway.

Quote:

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"Microsoft's director of global marketing for the Xbox 360, Albert Penello, told BetaNews this morning that the company will continue to push an HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, but acknowledged the external nature would enable it to ship a Blu-ray drive if Sony's format became the new high-definition standard.And if HD DVD did pack up and go home? Then Microsoft would have the option of offering an add-on Blu-ray drive, said Penello

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I don't own either format player, don't own a PS console or XBOX( I do have a han-held tetrix game though!), so I am pretty neutral in this nonsense war.
Am I being naive thinking that both formats could co-exist? Cross-licensing the technology, have nice inexpensive hybrid players and all that? Or it would mean thinking about the consummer too much...For example the memory cards, you have Compact Flash, SD, xD, Memory Stick, Micro something...

As for the Blu-Ray profile compliance, profile 1.0 vs. 1.1 vs. 2.0 and the older players not being compatible with the new profile, I think that is total crap, kicking the buyers right in the nuts, with complete disregard.
I am rather neutral, but for some reason HD DVD looks better. Maybe just because Sony and their attempt to monopolize everything.

There's a lot of apprehension about BluRay profiles so I've decided to see for myself.

I have a Profile 1.0 Panasonic DMP-BD10 and a Profile 1.1 PS3. That being said I also have a Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player.

There are no 2.0 discs to test so far so I got 2 Profile 1.1 discs - Resident Evil Extinction and War.

On my 1.0 Panasonic these two discs play without a problem. I'm able to watch both movies through without any playback problems. The BD-J Virtual Machine "knows" my player is 1.0 so the menu option for the PiP 1.1 features are not accessible. A colleague who has a Profile 1.0 Sony BDP-S1 also reports no playback problems with these 2 discs.

On my Profile 1.1 PS3 the movies and the 1.1 PiP features work fine. Sony has promised a future software update for the PS3 that will make it 2.0 compliant.

The XA2 HD DVD player on the other hand also works well with secondary stream PiP features such as that in Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. The problem with the XA2 comes when you use bitstream transmission to your advanced decoding receiver. As some afterdawn users have reported - and corroborated in other forums - the sound from the PiP is lost when you use bitstream. No solution for this has been found yet.

As you see any new technology will have its problems. For now I can play 1.1 movies on my 1.0 Panasonic BD10. I have seen statements from BD insiders saying that any problems arising from BD-J profiles and implementation can be resolved with firmware/software updates. In addition, the hardware in the upcoming 1.1 and 2.0 players announced at CES 2008 will be robust enough to handle compatibility issues.

The new sales figures following the Warner move is helping to nail the HDDVD coffin closed.

its hard for me to believe either format can win, when wally world has 1080p upconvert players for $34.88 and a free hdmi cable to boot. all we need now is 5 free movies...hehehe.

We have enough arguments like this in the news section.