Real Prices: HD DVD -vs- Blu-Ray players!

[jla0]

Here they are.. which one would you buy? (please don't say you won't buy one or the other.. if you ultimately had to choose? :twisted: )

Toshiba HD DVD Player (HD-A1) @ $699.99 (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10071898&catid=20208&logon=&langid=EN)

OR

Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Player (BD-P1000) @ $1299.99 (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10073990&logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2F85612BBB7512FD22CB7D7 1E27EE062CAAEF469A3F1940A91FAC8E00F197B67DC998B983 8521A0441A6B8173EB4BB98B40AB6D8E2E15B2200B10652465 308D6977A31FA27D2E014A0065CF05DB1A0CA25C18BB1A12ED B0FC877406DB4A45A1D1FC5BE8E2997EB7EEDC8C07206D9DB4 88&test%5Fcookie=1)

[FastFokker]

Neither of those two pieces of hardware... although I do like Samsung products.

You must have something against BluRay, which is why you are trying to illustrate a huge price differential?

[jla0]

Neither of those two pieces of hardware... although I do like Samsung products.

You must have something against BlueRay, which is why you are trying to illustrate a huge price differential?

Not really.. the price difference is a fact of life. It's here to stay.. for now. I just want to know where this compitition for the market might be headed..

[Nubee]

I myself am going for the cheaper player, but for now I'll have to wait and let the dust settles a little bit before jumping on the bandwagon.

[Jaytee]

Its too early to tell who will win the format war and its even possible both formats may survive like DVD+R and DVD-R co exist.

I think the manfacturer who make dual format players at a reasonable price will win. But really I hope the format war causes massive price slashing as each side tries to kill off the other.

Those first gen Toshiba HD DVD players only do two channel Dolby TruHD (sucessor to Dolby Digital) which is garbage.

Its impossible to make a decision now based on hardware and software that isnt available to buy and evaluate yet. Best off doing this thread again when both players are both available and people have used them.

But if I had a gun to my head and had to pick one, I would buy the Toshiba HD DVD player for $700 first because its cheaper and then a Playstation 3 for Blu Ray later as PS3 price will cheaper then other players as console makers take a lost on their systems in order to recoup it through software licensing sales.

Check out AVS forums for good info regarding HD DVD vs Blue Ray.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb

[Menace]

I won't be buying any of those yet unless I know I can backup my newly invested media (HDD or BD).

[FastFokker]

Take a look at most emerging technologies throughout history.. they've always been hefty on introductory prices.

The cheaper initial price point on hardware won't necessarily be the determination of the winner on the format war. At this point neither win, both are outrageous priced.

[Eduardo]

Yep my first CD burner was 2x for over $1000 and media was $10 each

[Jon Lai]

$700 HD player? How about a Blu-Ray PS3 reader for $500? Lmao, as if anyone is actually going to buy one of these when the Ps3 is out.

[FastFokker]

PS3 won't be out until near Christmas right?

Electronics drop in price.. *FAST*

If the PS3 will play bluray, then I'm sure standalone bluray players will be less than the PS3.. as you pointed out it's only reasonable.

Could be part of the reason why the PS3 is delayed.

[ShadowVlican]

neither.... i'm never one to jump on a shiny new bandwagon

[jla0]

I guess I would do the same. I would buy the Toshiba HD player now and the buy a PS3 for Blu-Ray..

I still don't understand how they can sell a stand alone Blu-Ray player for $1299 but then turn around a sell a console that does this PLUS have high end processor(s) and GPU for under $500 US (or so people speculate)

[FastFokker]

I still don't understand how they can sell a stand alone Blu-Ray player for $1299 but then turn around a sell a console that does this PLUS have high end processor(s) and GPU for under $500 US (or so people speculate)I believe the console you're speaking of doesn't exist on the consumer market yet.

As time goes on, you'll see new technology is NEVER cheap... so why would HD DVD or BluRay be an exception?

[kingsley]

Let's have them battle it out first and then we start buying them.

[Emancipated]

I've never been an early adopter of technology, but to avoid deviating from your question, I would buy the HD-DVD format. The end result is the same; Blu-Ray just promises to hold more. What's the difference between DVD-5 and DVD-9? Capacity. Same story here.

[jb22]

I really think I could live skipping over this next generation of DVD technology. The fact that there has to be two diffeent standards for two very similar technolgies is just stupid, and both Toshiba and Sony have shot themselves in the foot IMO.

I really don't know why anyone would be excited about either HD-DVD or BR. HD-DVD movie releases keep getting pushed back, and all of the BR movies that have been announced and confirmed kind of suck.

Honestly, if you ahve an HDTV wouldn't you just be better off subscribing to say TMN HD?

As for the PS3, it is a known fact that DVD playback from a console be it the PS2 or the Xbox is never as good a a standalone player. And if Sony is able to sell the PS3 with BR playback and everything else for less then $1000 I'd be very shocked and surprised, atleast with all the specs and features they have listed.

I think the only real factor that would maybe get me interested in one of these formats is what extra features can one provide over the other, say in interactivity or new content expreiences.

[jb22]

I've never been an early adopter of technology, but to avoid deviating from your question, I would buy the HD-DVD format. The end result is the same; Blu-Ray just promises to hold more. What's the difference between DVD-5 and DVD-9? Capacity. Same story here.

But all current DVD players can play both a single layer or dual layer movies, so DVD-5 and DVD-9 isn't an issue.

[Emancipated]

But all current DVD players can play both a single layer or dual layer movies, so DVD-5 and DVD-9 isn't an issue.


Well, yes that is a valid issue. I hope we can agree the main demographic for these formats are ultimately the DVD movie crowd. If that's the case, then studios will either draw their lines in the sand and risk losing customers. I'm not sure many would buy two players so they can watch movies; no one particular movie in history has ever had the distinction of being a platform title (forget the catch phrase) like Halo did for Xbox and Gran Turismo for PS2.

What it boils down to is, if their (studios) backs are against the wall, they will release their movies in both formats. Where the home market is concenred, that's a different story. I would personally still pick which is cheapest since content is going to be pervasive enough. HD movie isn't going to be movie.HD-DVD or movie.blu-ray; at least I hope not.

[Jon Lai]

Well, yes that is a valid issue. I hope we can agree the main demographic for these formats are ultimately the DVD movie crowd. If that's the case, then studios will either draw their lines in the sand and risk losing customers. I'm not sure many would buy two players so they can watch movies; no one particular movie in history has ever had the distinction of being a platform title (forget the catch phrase) like Halo did for Xbox and Gran Turismo for PS2.

What it boils down to is, if their (studios) backs are against the wall, they will release their movies in both formats. Where the home market is concenred, that's a different story. I would personally still pick which is cheapest since content is going to be pervasive enough. HD movie isn't going to be movie.HD-DVD or movie.blu-ray; at least I hope not.

How do you not understand? BluRay will be able to hold MORE HIGH DEFINITION quality video. HDDVD is expected to only be able to hold 2 Hours of 1080p video while BluRay can hold up to 7 Hours. Imagine watching a 3-Hour LOTR and having to switch disks in between...

[Bunkhouse]

Toshiba HD-A1 : $473.17 Ca

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~707060~Curr~CAD.asp

[Geese_Howard]

I at first was thinking HDDVD would be an easy winner, but with ps3 including blu-ray, i expect both formats to succeed now.

[Bunkhouse]

[QUOTE=Jon Lai]HDDVD is expected to only be able to hold 2 Hours of 1080p video while BluRay can hold up to 7 Hours.QUOTE]
So your saying BLU-RAY has 3.5 times more storage then HD-DVD?

The difference is 30Gigs to 50Gigs.

Using Mpeg-4 it is 10gigs per hour of 1080p is it not?

[divx]

How do you not understand? BluRay will be able to hold MORE HIGH DEFINITION quality video. HDDVD is expected to only be able to hold 2 Hours of 1080p video while BluRay can hold up to 7 Hours. Imagine watching a 3-Hour LOTR and having to switch disks in between...
bluray is about twice the capacity of hddvd, not 3.5 X as you claimed to be.

[bembol]

$699.99 for the Toshiba at Best Buy/Future Shop...wtf...!!!


I'm getting my parents to pick it...they go to Niagra Falls/Buffalo several times a months so...I'm getting Blu-ray as well, Sony PS3 though :)

Not waiting for prices to come down...I didn't when I bought my first DVD when it launched back in '97...I paid over $1,000+ for my Sony DVP-S3000...works like new...it even handles Layer Switch better than my current players like Sony DVP-C670D

[B0000rt]

Ho hum who cares about HD discs.

We have this stuff on our digital cable boxes already. :lol: :lol:

[FastFokker]

Most of us don't even have HD tv's... by the time I get an HD tv, the players will have worked themselves out and be affordable.

Living on the leading edge of technology has always been a costly hobby. That's why I live at least a good 1-2yrs behind, sometimes more. :cheesygri

[mahpoaht]

Maybe im outdated but high-definition and blueray dvd movies arent out yet. Why buy the players?

[Madcatmk2]

Are you guys already thinking in buying a HDPC bypasser?
http://www.spatz-tech.de/spatz/spatz.htm
250 EUR/ 350 CAD, sheesh.

[jb22]

In regards to Sony's higher capcity dics for blue-ray I think the 50gb discs it was, has Sony even put any of these out in terms of being able to produce them becasue last I heard, there might have been some trouble actually producing the higher capacity discs.

[Daijoubu]

I'm waiting for MPEG4 VOD, screw buying disks at stores :lol:

[gordholio]

Here they are.. which one would you buy? (please don't say you won't buy one or the other.. if you ultimately had to choose? :twisted: )

Toshiba HD DVD Player (HD-A1) @ $699.99 (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10071898&catid=20208&logon=&langid=EN)

OR

Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Player (BD-P1000) @ $1299.99 (http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10073990&logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2F85612BBB7512FD22CB7D7 1E27EE062CAAEF469A3F1940A91FAC8E00F197B67DC998B983 8521A0441A6B8173EB4BB98B40AB6D8E2E15B2200B10652465 308D6977A31FA27D2E014A0065CF05DB1A0CA25C18BB1A12ED B0FC877406DB4A45A1D1FC5BE8E2997EB7EEDC8C07206D9DB4 88&test%5Fcookie=1)
Just wait 3 or 4 years and they'll be about $100.
Never buy something when it just comes out because it will be way too expensive. Look what happened to VCR's, then to DVD players.
The same thing will happen to Blu-Ray (or HD DVD).
Heck, there aren't even many (if any) movies out in these formats yet.

[jla0]

Just wait 3 or 4 years and they'll be about $100.
Never buy something when it just comes out because it will be way too expensive. Look what happened to VCR's, then to DVD players.
The same thing will happen to Blu-Ray (or HD DVD).
Heck, there aren't even many (if any) movies out in these formats yet.


I find it makes more sense in the end to wait and see who wins the formats wars... price is less an issue. I just hope they both die a horrible death and let download services pick up steam! :twisted:

[divinemethod]

let the enthusiasts buy the new tech at ridiculous prices...

usually marked up to pay for research --- sooner or later we will see these units at prices at market level.

remember when DVD came out? i remember seeing $2000 per player.

remember cdrw's?

[Aero]

Just wait it out, the first few months the titles that the studio will release are still limited. Same thing like the DVD. In the end its not about the media or the player, its the titles that are available.