Going to Blue Ray?

[Magnus]

I probably won't even think of upgrading my DVD collection to Blu-Ray for a few years at least, because a) Blu-Ray players will be much cheaper then and When on earth am I going to find time to re-watch all my favourite films?!

[Jack Aubrey]

QUOTE (Magnus @ Feb 20 2008, 05:36 PM)

I probably won't even think of upgrading my DVD collection to Blu-Ray for a few years at least, because a) Blu-Ray players will be much cheaper then and When on earth am I going to find time to re-watch all my favourite films?!

A true film fan makes the time!

[Godeater2112]

All I can add right now is that it won't be from Wally World but hot DAMN I am looking forward to scoop up "Run Lola Run" for this weekend and enjoy it in all its high-def BluRay glory.

 

Haven't seen that in ages. Classic!

[PassTheAmmunition]

The lowest common denominator for how good a Blu-Ray Disc will look is your equipment, obviously. If you don't have a TV that supports 1080P (very few bought within the past two years would qualify) then your looking at 1080i anyway, which can be achieved through upscaled DVD. The big GOTCHA however is the Blu-Ray HD technology, which you won't be able to touch with upscaled (non-HD) DVDs even on a 1080p set.

 

Hopefully, the recent Toshiba news will kick-start an influx of new releases to BD, and a price drop for the BDs themselves as well as the players.

 

Its funny to me how the XBox crowd still talk about the PS3 like it is a failure, here's an interesting read:

 

http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=PS2...3=All&weeks=100

 

 

[Jack Aubrey]

Here's an interesting piece I found while perusing Digital Bits today (and once again, if you're a serious videophile that site is definitely worth bookmarking):

 

QUOTE

You know.... DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is one of those guys who just makes you scratch your head and wonder. Back in March of 2007, he had this to say on the subject of high-def discs to Variety: "Blu-ray and HD-DVD are a niche business. They're not going to become the next platform. I think for the general consumer, there is not a big enough delta between the standard DVD in terms of where it is today and the next generation."  But then in August, his company takes a widely reported $100 million offer from Toshiba to abandon Blu-ray and go HD-DVD exclusive. Paramount is said to have accepted $50 million to do the same. Disney's Bob Iger called foul to the Hollywood Reporter, saying: "Those studios are largely taking easy money, and it will cost them in the future."  At the time, Katzenberg basically side-stepped the payment issue by suggesting that the Blu-ray studios were compensated for their support of that format too: "It's somewhat disingenuous for other companies to suggest that they were not compensated for endorsing Blu-ray."  Which Iger proceeded to deny outright at an investor's conference: "We haven't taken any money because we think it's far and away the best business. I think it's a foregone conclusion about which [format] will win." Turns out Iger was right. DreamWorks Animation proceeded to release only a handful of HD-DVD exclusive titles, none of which had much of an impact on Blu-ray's software sales momentum. Then Warner went Blu at CES. Every major video industry retailer went Blu within a month thereafter. Microsoft bailed on HD-DVD. Finally Toshiba officially threw in the towel on the HD-DVD format a little over a week ago, and both Universal and Paramount have announced their intention to support Blu-ray in the near future. But now, just yesterday, Katzenberg has reportedly said that his company is still locked into its deal to distribute movies on HD-DVD: "We have a partnership with Toshiba and have an obligation to see this through. As you know, we have been well-compensated for our support. It really is in their court at this point to really declare what the next step will be. We're poised either way to jump into the marketplace when the conditions are right to do so." Either Katzenberg is COMPLETELY out of touch with reality... and DreamWorks Animation has the worst contract lawyers in Hollywood... or he's posturing for some reason. So what's really going on here? Here's our take: He's posturing. Take this as VERY Rumor Mill-worthy, but here's what our industry sources are suggesting is happening behind-the-scenes. Very reliable sources are telling us that DreamWorks Animation is currently authoring and replicating multiple new titles on the Blu-ray format for release in the coming months, including Bee Movie. They're also working on an official announcement of Blu-ray support. So why the new comments from Katzenberg? Well, our sources are hinting that as of the day Toshiba threw in the towel, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount hadn't yet been paid the full $150 million they were promised for abandoning Blu-ray and supporting HD-DVD exclusively (it's generally standard practice in a deal like this for payments to be made in installments over the life of the deal, as various contractual milestones are reached). Both studios are reportedly negotiating with Toshiba as to just how much of the still unpaid amount they'll receive for having remained loyal to the end. That's why neither studio has officially announced new Blu-ray titles yet, and that's why Katzenberg is still talking about loyalty to Toshiba. Having taken a big PR hit with Blu-ray fans for abandoning the format last year, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount want to at least get as much of the promised payment from Toshiba too. As soon as this issue is sorted out however - and our sources say all parties are close to agreeing on a final amount - you'll see both Paramount and DreamWorks Animation start announcing new Blu-ray titles. Anyway, with a little luck, all this confusion will be cleared up in the next few weeks. So just be patient in the meantime. Hey, we've been saying all along that this format war was all about the benjamins. It's perhaps only fitting that the end of it is all about 'em too. Stay tuned...

Edited March 4, 2008 by Jack Aubrey

[MacBob]

Until you get FIOS (or some other flavor of fiber) to the vast majority of homes, downloads are not going to take of with HD movies. And with so man ISPs leaning on the dark side of "net neutrality" and wanting to shape traffic and charge people who actually use their "unlimited service" this won't happen soon. BD will slowly gain market as the digital TV switch over happens and more people buy flat panel sets. Sony took a huge gamble, but the PS3 is on the edge of some huge growth with the inclusion of BD playback. Any studio head who throws out dodgy comments about BD media being temporary is just evading the question at best, Dreamworks will start cranking out BD releases soon enough. Edited March 6, 2008 by MacBob