[Randy Yates]

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.
--
% Randy Yates % "...the answer lies within your soul
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % 'cause no one knows which side
%%% 919-577-9882 % the coin will fall."
%%%% % 'Big Wheels', *Out of the Blue*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[JANA]

At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD player. The BlueRay
players are going to keep dropping in price. There are going to be some
major improvements in the signal processing over the next year. This
technology is still in the development stage. It is predicted that within
the next two years, the BlueRay player will cost the same as a regular
player costs at this time.

--

JANA
_____


"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.
--
% Randy Yates % "...the answer lies within your soul
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % 'cause no one knows which side
%%% 919-577-9882 % the coin will fall."
%%%% % 'Big Wheels', *Out of the Blue*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Arny Krueger]

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

There are going to be some major improvements in
the signal processing over the next year. This technology
is still in the development stage. It is predicted that
within the next two years, the BlueRay player will cost
the same as a regular player costs at this time.

Two questions:

(1) Why does a BluRay player have to cost up to twice as much as a HD
player?

(2) Why does a HD player have to cost over twice as much as a standard
player?

[Randy Yates]

"Arny Krueger" writes:

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

I was under the impression from the sales guys at Best Buy that HD was
winning the war.

It's also not just a question of technology, but which format will have
the most releases.
--
% Randy Yates % "And all that I can do
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % is say I'm sorry,
%%% 919-577-9882 % that's the way it goes..."
%%%% % Getting To The Point', *Balance of Power*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Arny Krueger]

"Randy Yates" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger" writes:

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

I was under the impression from the sales guys at Best
Buy that HD was winning the war.

They wish.

It's also not just a question of technology, but which
format will have the most releases.

I wonder if the powers that be have figured out that the format that has the
first economical writer will have an advantage with many consumers.

[Chris Hornbeck]

On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 21:37:51 -0500, "Arny Krueger"
wrote:

I wonder if the powers that be have figured out that the format that has the
first economical writer will have an advantage with many consumers.

Bingo. Also, anybody wishing to be competitive selling players
a year away will need a player capable of *both* formats.

If you're bound and determined to be an early adopter, you
might want to be sure that your player will gracefully
output at "24p", meaning film's native frame rate without
a "3/2 pulldown", the timebase translation from film frame rate
to video frame rate. And that your display device can
both accept that and display it at an integral multiple
of frame rate.

The latest and greatest players and display devices can
transfer at film rate natively and display at integral
multiples of 24 frames per second (Hz to us). Note also
that "1080P" is advertizing copy for a 1920x1080 pixel
array, and that advertized ability to display "1080P"
is unrelated to *anything* really interesting.

Short answer: film buffs might want to ask a *lot* of questions
when designing A/V rooms. The audio is pretty mature, but
digital video is currently about like audio was in 1960.



Thanks, as always,

Chris Hornbeck

[AZ Nomad]

On Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:31:55 -0500, Randy Yates wrote:
"Arny Krueger" writes:

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

I was under the impression from the sales guys at Best Buy that HD was
winning the war.

The sales guys will tell you anything to promote a sale.

[Randy Yates]

AZ Nomad writes:

On Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:31:55 -0500, Randy Yates wrote:
"Arny Krueger" writes:

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

I was under the impression from the sales guys at Best Buy that HD was
winning the war.

The sales guys will tell you anything to promote a sale.

Don't play me for an idiot. I'm not following their statement as
law. But in fact they had both types of players, and I believe the
BluRay was actually more expensive (and thus more profit and more
likely to be "sold").
--
% Randy Yates % "So now it's getting late,
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % and those who hesitate
%%% 919-577-9882 % got no one..."
%%%% % 'Waterfall', *Face The Music*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Arny Krueger]

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message

On Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:31:55 -0500, Randy Yates
wrote:
"Arny Krueger" writes:

"JANA" wrote in message


At this time, I would be buying a the standard type DVD
player.

If anything at all,

The BlueRay players are going to keep dropping in
price.

Ditto for HD.

I was under the impression from the sales guys at Best
Buy that HD was winning the war.

The sales guys will tell you anything to promote a sale.

Unscientific straw poll:

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/show...t=1330&page=49


HD DVD player 707 51.79%
Blu-ray player 396 29.01%
Both. 262 19.19%


Unscientific anecdotes:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=149

"Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores
since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles
more than 70 percent of the time.Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray
and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that
consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6176792...result;title;4

1. Between January 1 and July 1, a total of 795,000 HD-DVDs were sold,
versus 1.6 million BDs. As of the end of July, 2.2 million BDs and 1.5
million HD-DVDs have sold since they both hit the market last year

[Richard Crowley]

"Arny Krueger" wrote ...
(1) Why does a BluRay player have to cost up to twice
as much as a HD player?

Because Sony has their fingers in that particular pie?

(2) Why does a HD player have to cost over twice as
much as a standard player?

Mass-market volume. (Still at the low end of the curve).
I remember paying $700 for my first CDR drive. They
are currently $17 at my local shop.

[Arny Krueger]

"Richard Crowley" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger" wrote ...

(1) Why does a BluRay player have to cost up to twice
as much as a HD player?

Because Sony has their fingers in that particular pie?

Up until lately, the cheapest way to get a Blu ray player was to get a PS3.
Over 5 million sold, world-wide.

(2) Why does a HD player have to cost over twice as
much as a standard player?

Mass-market volume. (Still at the low end of the curve).

IME $200 is the magic price point. Below $200, you can sell almost anything
that works. Above $200, every sale is far more difficult.

I remember paying $700 for my first CDR drive.

I got in around $400.

They are currently $17 at my local shop.

Sounds about right.

[Randy Yates]

"JANA" writes:
[...]
There are going to be some major improvements in the signal processing
over the next year.

Interesting. Such as?
--
% Randy Yates % "Remember the good old 1980's, when
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % things were so uncomplicated?"
%%% 919-577-9882 % 'Ticket To The Moon'
%%%% % *Time*, Electric Light Orchestra
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Trevor Wilson[_2_]]

"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.

**It simply doesn't matter. It is about as relevant as the difference
between DVD+ and DVD-. IOW: Bugger all. Players which can cope with both
formats will be available for peanuts within a few years. As for which
system will win (not that it matters) just look to the computer gaming
industry. That is where such things are decided. The movie industry will
follow the leader.

Trevor Wilson

[Randy Yates]

"Trevor Wilson" writes:

"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.

**It simply doesn't matter. It is about as relevant as the difference
between DVD+ and DVD-. IOW: Bugger all. Players which can cope with both
formats will be available for peanuts within a few years.

Really? Where's your magic ball, because I don't see a big difference
here between this and Beta vs. VHS.

It certainly COULD turn out that way, but I don't see that it's a high
probability that it will.
--
% Randy Yates % "I met someone who looks alot like you,
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % she does the things you do,
%%% 919-577-9882 % but she is an IBM."
%%%% % 'Yours Truly, 2095', *Time*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Trevor Wilson[_2_]]

"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
"Trevor Wilson" writes:

"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.

**It simply doesn't matter. It is about as relevant as the difference
between DVD+ and DVD-. IOW: Bugger all. Players which can cope with both
formats will be available for peanuts within a few years.

Really? Where's your magic ball, because I don't see a big difference
here between this and Beta vs. VHS.

**Then I suggest you investigate the technical differences. They're
miniscule. Beta vs. VHS was far more fundamental, in that the two formats
used physically incompatible mechanisms, writing speeds, etc. Blu Ray and
HD-DVD use the same lasers, the same size media, etc. The only differences
lie in the focussing and the decoding. IOW: Bugger all. In fact, the
differences are very close to the differences between DVD+ and DVD-. Can you
find a player which doesn't play both formats today? Didn't think so. In a
year or two, you won't find a player which won't play both Blu Ray and
HD-DVD either. Hell, you probably won't find a burner which can't cope with
both systems.


It certainly COULD turn out that way, but I don't see that it's a high
probability that it will.

**Not only will it turn out that way, but the writing is on the wall:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9672294-5.html

Trevor Wilson

[Arny Krueger]

"Randy Yates" wrote in message

"Trevor Wilson"
writes:

"Randy Yates" wrote in message
...
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this
too closely, but sometime in the next few months I
think I'm going to spring for a new player and I'd like
to know which one to get.

**It simply doesn't matter. It is about as relevant as
the difference between DVD+ and DVD-. IOW: Bugger all.

Seems like.

Players which can cope with both formats will be
available for peanuts within a few years.

If our experience with CD and DVD are any guide, then this is a reasonble
prediction. The magic price point is still about $200. Get the price under
$200 and watch the lemmings stream into your store, wallets open.

Really? Where's your magic ball, because I don't see a
big difference here between this and Beta vs. VHS.

Neither did any of the people who picked their VCR player based on the stock
at the local video store. As I recall, that was what just about everybody in
the mass market did.

It certainly COULD turn out that way, but I don't see
that it's a high probability that it will.

My cursory marketing study suggests that right now there is a 1/3 - 2/3
split in media sales, with the big difference being the millions of PS3s
(5.6 million world-wide) that people are buying pre-recorded media for. Not
every PS3 owner is using it for a Blu Ray player, but apparently enough are
to make a big difference.

A 1/3 - 2/3 split can allow both sides to survive for a looooong time.

Dual format players are already on the market. Handwriting on the wall?

[dizzy]

Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.

I just sprung for a HD-DVD player. I've read that the market is going
that way, and, for $200 (Tosh A3), it's cheap-enough to not
worry-about.

[willbill]

Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

based on what i've read recently, as well as
my 1st 5 free movies (5 more free in roughly
2+ months), i think it's safe to buy a 3rd
gen Toshiba

of the 5 movies that i've gotten so far, i got
to pick 3. also worth noting is that of the 1st 5,
3 have Dolby TrueHD.

The Last Samurai
Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Dolby TrueHD
The Phantome of the Opera - Dolby TrueHD

of these, Samurai is the biggest disappointment,
in that it's sound isn't much (if any) better
than what's on the regular DVD movie (which i have)

the really happy surprise is the P&P. yes, the
music is the Hollywood muzak, but it is rather
good muzak; no distortion (i'm only half way thru it,
on pause... LOL!). my movie review books give it
3 stars out of 4. i also add an extra half star
for the excellent sound and video, as well as
an extra half star for the incredible extras

if you want great sound, get an OPPO player
(www.oppodigital.com) and some SACD disks

the PotO has some points where i hear distortion;
despite this, the sound is very superior to what's
on the regular DVD movie

fwiw, my player may have a minor problem

i happened to turn off the AVR's power while
a movie was playing and i heard soft sound
(from the movie) coming from my TV. so the
A35 player is leaking sound, either thru the
HDMI cable or thru the power cord. (i don't
run sound into the TV; i use the HDMI strictly
for the video; so far all i've done is to turn
the TV sound to zero when i'm using the A35)

bill

[Steven Sullivan]

willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

___
-S
"As human beings, we understand the world through simile, analogy,
metaphor, narrative and, sometimes, claymation." - B. Mason

[Randy Yates]

Steven Sullivan writes:

willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?
--
% Randy Yates % "How's life on earth?
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % ... What is it worth?"
%%% 919-577-9882 % 'Mission (A World Record)',
%%%% % *A New World Record*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

[Richard Crowley]

"Randy Yates" wrote ...
Steven Sullivan writes:
willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely,
but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a
new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?

The Blu-Ray camp seem to have all but conceeded
defeat with the WB announcement.

[Arny Krueger]

"Richard Crowley" wrote in message

"Randy Yates" wrote ...
Steven Sullivan writes:
willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this
too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to
spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?

The Blu-Ray camp seem to have all but conceeded
defeat with the WB announcement.

Huh????

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/07/sony


Looks to me like it would be the HD camp that is crying in their tea.

[Steven Sullivan]

Richard Crowley wrote:
"Randy Yates" wrote ...
Steven Sullivan writes:
willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely,
but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a
new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?

The Blu-Ray camp seem to have all but conceeded
defeat with the WB announcement.

That would be odd for them to do, as the WB announcement was that WB
was adopting Blu-Ray exclusively come May '08.


___
-S
"As human beings, we understand the world through simile, analogy,
metaphor, narrative and, sometimes, claymation." - B. Mason

[Steven Sullivan]

Randy Yates wrote:
Steven Sullivan writes:

willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?

Yup. It's not quite a slam-dunk, but it's pretty dire
news for HD-DVD.

FWIW, I have no stake in either. I'm one of the people
waiting on the sidelines for the 'format war' to
settle itself, before buying.



___
-S
"As human beings, we understand the world through simile, analogy,
metaphor, narrative and, sometimes, claymation." - B. Mason

[AZ Nomad]

On Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:26:50 +0000 (UTC), Steven Sullivan wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:
Steven Sullivan writes:

willbill wrote:
Randy Yates wrote:

Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.


i just got, 10 days ago, a Toshiba A35 player

Pity. Blu-Ray just won the format war.

Are you referring to Warner Brothers' decision?

Yup. It's not quite a slam-dunk, but it's pretty dire
news for HD-DVD.

FWIW, I have no stake in either. I'm one of the people
waiting on the sidelines for the 'format war' to
settle itself, before buying.

I'm waiting for the encryption to be broken before buying. If I can't play
my media where, when, and how I want, I'm not buying.

I like having my media copied to a central server, instead having my household
littered with little plastic disks.

If the encryption is never broken, that is OK with me too.

[Dirk Bruere at NeoPax]

Randy Yates wrote:
Who's winning the war? I haven't been following this too closely, but
sometime in the next few months I think I'm going to spring for a new
player and I'd like to know which one to get.

BluRay.
Probably because of something as simple as it's easier to say than "HD
DVD" in board meetings.

--
Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
Remote Viewing classes in London