CNET Editor wishes HD-DVD to Surrender by September

[Bdub]

Hmmmm. Dreamworks supporting both formats? Maybe HD DVD has a little more life in it!

[JohnnyG]

Originally Posted by james99

You guys are funny.

My sentiments exactly.

[james99]

On paper (today anyway) HD DVD is the underdog.

That being said, folks like us won't decide the winner (if you assume one will exist).

The general public has no knowledge of either format.

Proclaiming a BD victory because of 20 titles a month is just silly.

Once WB, Paramount and Universal stop supporting HD DVD then the war is over between the 2 HD formats. That doesn't mean BD will beat DVD.

[Marco23]

Doesn't mean bd will beat dvd, what do you mean, your comparing hd and sd, of course bd will beat dvd give it time thats all!

The difference is there, people just need to see it.

[Proteosome]

The difference is there, people just need to see it.

And spend money on it if they can see it. Or, they can see there is not an earth shattering difference, unlike VHS vs DVD, and continue to buy $30 DVD players and <$10 movies.

I also think it is too early to say what kind of effect the PS3 will have on the war. I don't believe it will be as large as some hope for several of the reasons James and others have already suggested. I do think it will play a role to a small extent.

[Marco23]

We are spending money on it, and so many people are following the television standard will be HD soon too, which means people are buying hd tvs, then will come the hd players, so yes it is too early but its happening. BTW with a hd tv at full 1920 lines of resolution the difference is there better than vhs to dvd, I'm truly amazed at what I've seen. I rather watch HD then go to the movies, so there is my 30$ well spent. This can go on but you get my point..

[Rolando]

listen, it has nothing to do with seeing the difference in quality. My wife's aunt could not see the difference in PQ between VHS and DVD. She got hers when it was at wal mart for the same price as a VHS and wanted to be "cool" auntie.

My wife can see the difference in PQ. "I am not blind" she says. But she just does not care. If we were not married and she lived alone she might have gotten a DVD player in her house yet. seriously. We have a 65" TV and have both a DVD player and VHS on the TV (I have tried to disconnect the VHS but they won't let me ) and if she is going to put on Toy Story for the kids she does not care about putting on the 4:3 VHS or the 16:9 DVD. she' grab whichever is closest of whichever the kids grabbed and brought saying "this".

I KILLS ME!

When HD or BD are all the store has or is only $2 more expensive than SD software, then J6P will be getting it in masses. until then, forget about it.

[Paulo]

I hear you brother...!

Paul

[eightninesuited]

Proclaiming a BD victory because of 20 titles a month is just silly.

Do you play chess, James? If so, then you know that you have to be thinking several moves ahead. It's not so much about titles, but titles that can SELL - well. Fact of the matter is, Universal's new releases are dismal sellers compared to Blu-ray studios. You may like the movies, but they're not format sellers. Looking at the top selling HD DVDs, the vast majority of them are Warner titles, not Universal.

And with the announcement that there probably won't be any Spielberg movies on HD DVD anytime soon, can you really name many titles that can compete with what Blu-ray is offering? It's late February and Blu-ray has already taken the lead without having released their big guns yet. What will be the story in April, or May?

I'm not writing HD DVD off. You never know what can happen, but if things proceed the way it is and the way it's expected, it's not looking good for HD DVD.

[HIDEF]

The launch of the PS3 in Europe should be the final nail in the HD DVD coffin.

[jvincent]

I don't think Europe will come close to deciding this war.

Regarding whether or not Universal can make/break HD-DVD, while in the long term they cannot, they can certainly keep it alive.

The reality is that today there are simply not enough titles available (or announced with real dates) from either side to make either format viable in the long term. This is even with the "overwhelming" studio support for BluRay.

Looking at the available titles there are just as many HD-DVD exclusive titles (perhaps more) that I would buy than there are BluRay. Thus there is no clear winner.

[U]

Originally Posted by eightninesuited

What will be the story in April, or May?

Don't worry... In that department the creativity seems to be endless. It's like that guy in Myth Buster says, you reject reality and substitute your own, or something like that.

[eightninesuited]

Regarding whether or not Universal can make/break HD-DVD, while in the long term they cannot, they can certainly keep it alive.

They can but they won't. It's bad business. Keep in mind that this isn't the early 80s - where a format HAD to win. Neither HD DVD or Blu-ray has to win for consumers to be happy since they have DVD. There's just so many ways to "entertain" now. If both formats stick around too long without any resolution, it'll end up being a DVD-A / SACD scenario.

The studios know this. It'll never reach the J6P or the $200 player level. If one of the formats (at the moment it's Blu-ray) can establish a constant lead then it puts tremendous pressure on the opposing studios to give in. The lead that Blu-ray has right now: if it continues into fall, there will be outcry from Universal shareholders, retailers, studio execs to get Universal to end this.

[jvincent]

And that's the problem. It's a big game of chicken right now.

The "fence sitters", i.e. the studios that have announced but not released any movies, are just waiting it out to see who blinks.

This is not about making money right now. The studios make money hand over fist with SD-DVD. HD sales are less than the coffee budget.

[james99]

Sony should just give up the fight so the war ends before Sony shareholders and execs start a public outcry.