I wouldn't say goodbye to either format yet.

It would be safe to say that by chosing either format, the people involved with video sales/rentals would be able to cut the amount of stock sitting on their shelves in half.
Sony in a smart move, sells their blu-ray player (PS3) for less then it costs to produce... this way they hope that the software, in the form of movies and games, will drive up market share and profits. Now it appears that Toshiba, not wanting to be left behind, has inked out a deal with WALMART.

Let me digress by saying that In the end, the consumer winds up with a digital video format that relies on compression to get all that video to fit on a tiny disc and I can't help but wonder if the picture is as good as people think... Anyone can see what compression does to a HD signal just by switching on your cable or satelite provider. They are gambling that by reducing their bandwidth with compression, they can 'squeeze' more services down the same pipeline. In this case more services equals more revenue so bandwidth is money to them. Television stations are investing in compression based systems, VCRs and servers as well because they're cheaper. So I think many of us are trying to get better picture with the HD-DVD because the CRTC is allowing this to happen.

In the end it will be the marketing forces, not the consumer, who determines which format will come out on top. Just like in the 80's when they decided that VHS would beat out Betamax - what many people argue was the technically superior format.

Without even touching the 1080i or 1080p question, I ask will the studios provide the distributors with clean transfers or will they use the MPEG servers that business has grown to love. The posting might have been "Good BUY HD-DVD".  So in the end I have to ask, will the DVD save us from the compression blues?

Keep well and cheers to all
mfl

There as different winner every week. mayby both format may survive. I own a PS3 and I have watch few Blu-ray movie, I was very impressed.

Quoted from Sparky

And let's not forget a VERY important factor folks... HD-DVD players can play regular DVDs... BluRay can't. No contest. People have been buying DVDs by the ton in the last 2 years, and I doubt they will let them die.

Just a BTW, where did you get that fact Sparky?  My cousin has a PS3 with BlueRay and it plays regular DVD movies....

I think I know where the confusion is coming from.

HD-DVD group is able to produce disks that have DVD on one side and HD-DVD on the other.

There is also the theoretical possibility of having both DVD and HD-DVD on the same side, on different data layers. No one has mass produced such a disk yet.

It could also be that the sub-$350 Toshiba HD-DVD players perform better DVD upscaling and audio processing than high-end DVD players worth well over $1000.

Quoted from Sparky

Flashback to 25 years ago... Betamax was the superior product... VHS was the cheapest... remember who won?

  what beta is dead?  i still play mine all the time.  have some great classics and do tape some newer stuff.  
  
  but yes, back then it was the cheaper machine that won.  not the better machine.  like said by others, if one unit plays normal dvd's then i think that one has the advantage.   i too am holding off buying any system for a bit.

Quoted from Meat Popsicle

A poor mans solution would be to take some black construction paper and tape it along the top and bottom of your screen to create the 'Letter Box' effect  

Good idea MP! or...the coin op collector solution: screwing a Defender Bezel to the TV!  

In the end, I predict both technologies will lose out to circa 1981 3D glasses, which will re-emerge as "Blue-Red" technology and sweep the market, I mean hey, I don't
just want to "watch" a hockey game, I want it to feel like they're spitting and sweating right in my living room!!

Not to mention, the glasses can decode some of the most intricate cereal box puzzles in breakfast history, and make the Canadian Flag look purple....let's see
a DVD player do THAT!!

Craig

Fast forward 6 months later.  More news on this front:

Warner Bros. to Become Blu-ray Exclusive
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10233

I borrowed my cousin's PS3 lately and compared DVD (upsampled to 1080p) and Blu-ray of the same movie (on the same Plasma TV) and could tell you that difference is quite nice indeed!

Mind you, it is hard to justify re-buying your entire DVD collection in Blu-ray (or HD-DVD if you still want to go for that or have no choice as current remaining 2 studios that are HD-DVD only won't release on Blu-ray yet).

Has anybody else embarked on this HD front and who's eyes are now so spoiled that you cannot look at regular SD channels or crappy 27" tube TVs (or crappy cheapy LCD or 1st few gen plasma TVs)?

When comparing hidef blu-ray or HD-DVD to standard def dvd, there are many still who don't see a huge difference.  The issue of course is outside of it being HD and the quality, the size of their screen comes into play much indeed.  On my 53" P&S which had a true anamorphic 16-9 mode (which gave it a realistic 46" screen size) I saw a difference.  With my new 60" 1080p Sony SXRD, I see a HUGE difference and 80s.fan, I can say it's very difficult to go back to DVD on this set.  Nothing wrong with the set, it's excellent, but when you're blowing up a 480p pic, even through upconversion to 1080p, it loses some of it's charm.

So all I can say is:  Let's go Universal and Paramount: switch sides so we can get on with the new format with no confusion.

I think the PC market will have big impact on this issue...

As PCs and Laptops start to come out with High-Def drives  (it's starting already...),
we'll start to see a trend...

Dell and HP favor Blue Ray while Toshiba has decided to use HD-DVD.
(...oh, and let's not forget the 400lb Gorilla  [Microsoft] which enables all these PC's,
which is squarly on the HD-DVD side ) .

At this rate, it could take years to declare a winner...


Steph

Well I`m also voting big time for blu-ray to win as I am a huge movie fan and other than football and hockey I couldn`t care less about owning a TV.With technology changing so fast these days it makes me wonder if spending huge money on any of these two formats might be just a waste of time?
Having said that I should add this,my basement is finally wired and insulated and awaiting drywall.I have pre-wired the larger room for a "projector "for a theatre set up.My plan was to have a 1080P projector installed.This all seems like a little bit more work initially but I think the awww factor might be worth it.Any input on projectors  from other members,I have budgeted for a top of the line 1080P projector so I`m thinking it should be quite nice picture quality wise but any info from people in the know on this would be nice.

Blu-Ray = Sony = Boo!  
(as I struggle to get a M2 memory stick working on a Sony phone)

Quoted from STEEL

Well I`m also voting big time for blu-ray to win as I am a huge movie fan and other than football and hockey I couldn`t care less about owning a TV.With technology changing so fast these days it makes me wonder if spending huge money on any of these two formats might be just a waste of time?
Having said that I should add this,my basement is finally wired and insulated and awaiting drywall.I have pre-wired the larger room for a "projector "for a theatre set up.My plan was to have a 1080P projector installed.This all seems like a little bit more work initially but I think the awww factor might be worth it.Any input on projectors  from other members,I have budgeted for a top of the line 1080P projector so I`m thinking it should be quite nice picture quality wise but any info from people in the know on this would be nice.

In general for great information on Projectors that should be non-biased go to

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

If I upgrade my projector, I would go for this one.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/panasonic_ae2000_home_theater_projector.htm  

or last years model the

http://www.projectorcentral.com/panasonic_ae1000.htm

Of course you can spend more and get more, but...

If you want a CRT Projector, send me a note, I still have a couple, but they are Brutes at around a couple hundred pounds. Cheap though...

Dave