Comments on: Should HD DVD be Added to Your 2008 Death List?

By: ShaneM

ShaneM — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:19:30 +0000

I currently have the XA2, which is a rock solid player. I haven't had an issue with it yet. However, what disappoints me about the PS3 is the it does not bitstream the high-def audio codecs to be decoded by the receiver.

So I grabbed the Panny Player which is 1.1 profile and bitstreams the audio codecs. The PS3 still remains the best Blu-ray player on the market.

By: bradbrevet

bradbrevet — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:07:18 +0000

I read somewhere that Warner completely denied a payoff, but I think we all know that probably doesn't mean much of anything.

As for the Blu-ray itself, I just bought the PS3 and love it. It is actually a better Blu-ray player than either of the Toshiba HD DVD players can even imagine being. Considering it is a Blu-ray player second I think that is saying something.

As for the web capabilities, are you sure the PS3 won't be able to handle it via a firmware upgrade?

By: ShaneM

ShaneM — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:04:04 +0000

On paper they are a better technology, but they havne't proven themselves to me yet. It's not a finished spec unlike HD DVD which has been since the day it launched. Audio/Video wise it's a wash. Unless you have robotic eyes and hearing the majority of the public can't tell the difference.

I review the media professionally and I think both look and sound great. However, I don't like the fact that I have to buy another player this year so I can have the web capabilities that were already available with HD DVD after having just gotten a profile 1.1 player.

By: davidfrank

davidfrank — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:49:34 +0000

I'll get a blu-ray player when Oppo Digital makes one, after getting my latest dvd player from them, they're pretty much the only company I buy from for players. I'm thinking it's over for HD-DVD. But that sort of surprises me that Blu-ray is the probable victor since porn went towards HD-DVD–which helps a format win ala VHS over Beta–and HD-DVD players came out sooner and have been inexpensive compared to Blu-ray. But I guess it's a good thing since Blu-ray discs are the better technology.

By: ShaneM

ShaneM — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:24:32 +0000

I don't know if you've heard the news that Fox and Warner were suppose to announce HD DVD exclusivity before Sony or the BDA tossed a large sum of money at both companies to get them to go Blu-ray exclusive. Of course, there's some fact probably mixed with speculation, but I have no doubt something was offered as incentive to WB to drop HD DVD.

The Wall Street Journal has an article saying something similar that Warner went Blu to end the war.

While I'm disappointed that is probably the death blow to HD DVD I've been living in a purple world since the PS3 launched.