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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.
why dont they just produce all movies on both
then there would be no war of formatts
Well i own both BluRay & HDDVD, when any new releases come out i buy whatever can get on both formats in HDDVD as I “THINK” in my opinion that they look better & menu’s feel smoother than BluRay (90%) & buy the exclusives for that format. Overall i would prefer HDDVD won BUT that is also because i felt it was WRONG of BluRay to release their players & discs when it wasn’t a finished format & was still in LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT way behind HDDVD & that to me is false advertising & also illegal as the players ARE NOT fit for purpose (Check consumers rights), but i do love my spider-man on blu-ray props is due for that!!!!!!!!
I turn in my HD-DVD for 150 E credit here and get Blu-ray. Stores only selling Blu-ray video now here Frankfurt.
With our local Blockbuster video stores only offering Blu-ray, there is little choice for me.
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