Although it’s quite possible the decision by Warner Brothers Entertainment to abandon HD DVD will wind up being one of the final shots in the high-definition disc war, there remain some very sound reasons to ally with the HD DVD camp.
Granted, when Warner in June joins forces with Sony, Disney, and Fox as exclusive Blu-ray Disc distributors, the BD arsenal will be pretty impressive. But HD DVD still has a couple of powerful weapons in Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks, and both companies recently restated their support of the format. That means anyone planning to add the high-def version of “American Gangster” to their home video library better not be too quick to give up on HD DVD.
According to a poll of some 1300 Electronichouse.com readers, (see the following articles: Top 10 Reasons to Buy HD DVD, Top 10 Reasons to Buy Blu-ray), 41-percent currently own or plan to buy an HD DVD player, compared to 36-percent who own or plan to buy a Blu-ray player. Twelve percent said they were waiting for the dust to settle before making a decision, and 11-percent own or plan to buy both formats.
This is (albeit unscientific) proof there are some HD DVD supporters out there. Here are three compelling arguments to join their side.
Hardware Bargains
If it’s true that money talks, HDTV owners wanting to join the high-def disc world should walk into the HD DVD camp. HD DVD players have had a price edge – sometimes significant – over BD players from Day 1, and Toshiba’s recent price cuts suggest that isn’t about to change any time soon. List prices for Toshiba’s players are now $149.99 for the 1080i HD-A3, $199.99 for the HD-A30 with 1080p output, and $299.99 for its top-of-the-line HD-A35. Amazon is offering the HD-A3 for $129, which is less than the collective regular cost of the seven free titles that are part of the deal. And the format’s mandatory specifications ensure that all HD DVD players support the latest Dolby audio codecs and full internet-based interactivity. Not bad for less than half the price of the least expensive BD player.
I just wanted to say I just watched the Bourne Ultimatum in 1080P/24 frame per second in DOLBY TRUE HD on my Toshiba HDDVD A35 player that I got from Amazon.com. Phenomenal unmatched surround sound with jaw dropping detail and clarity. Then watched Transformers in DOLBY DIGITAL + and was just as spellbound. Is there a Bluray player that can give me DOLBY TRUE HD and DOLBY DIGITAL + right now for 230 BUCKS with 7 free movies to boot?? And I am not just talking about a player that mentions the audio codecs on the box, I am talking about one that can give me that sound today.
Aaron, where you at Aaron?
Poll numbers referenced in above article were from Jan. 30. You are correct…the poll remains open and results have since changed.
Poll numbers are off above (Blu-ray leading) - but that is just one poll - all sales figures worldwide have been in favor of Blu-ray and are growing more so now.
I doubt there will be any new adopters of HD-DVD unless someone goes to Best-Buy and buys one of the last ones left before a salesperson tells them to get Blu-ray instead.
GHU
What did I lie about? Oh, I know. It must have been the part about bluray looking about the same as hddvd on 1080P. You right, I lied. Todays head to head match up of hddvd Eastern Promises on 1080i vs We Own The Night on bluray. Eastern Promises (Universal) was much sharper and more detailed than We Own The Night (Sony Pictures) and it was only 1080i thru my HDD1. Even on my regular dvd player in the study the flip side dvd version is great. I can’t seem to get a picture from the bluray flip side on my dvd in the study. Nevermind, I forgot, it doesn’t have a dvd version on the flip side. Yeah, bluray is the obvious choice for consumers (wink,wink).
GHU
Incase you missed it, I was lying about the last part.
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I was just at the local Sams club. The employee said the sold 20 Toshiba HDDVD A3 players in two days, and can’t keep them in. The Sony bluray players are going for 377 a pop and they have sold 2 this week, in spite of the enormous Sony endcap with the 52” lcd 1080p hooked up to the 377 dollar blewray player surrounded by a dozen blurays.