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Sony drops price of its BDP-S300 Blu-ray player
By Stevie Smith Jun 5, 2007, 12:00 GMT
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Older Talkback
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Heh a hybrid, I somehow don't see that happening. I am rooting for Blu-Ray, but I guess it is still up in the air. Honestly I really don't know which one will be the winner, because what I haven't heard, is what the adult entertainment industry is looking at.
Really? No Hybrid BluRay/HD-DVD? Ever heard of LG? How about the LG BH100? How about a company called Samsung? How about the Samsung BD-UP5000? Based on just these 2 company's R&D, I think you'll see more dual format players coming.
The article says that both formats perform equally well, and for video resolution and audio format that may be true. But Blu-ray disks have about double the data storage capacity of HD-DVD. So studios can put much more on a disk or use less disks when they sell on Blu-ray.
All I know is that I'm not budging until this whole mess between these 2 formats clears up.
Honestly, I hope both formats prove to be a mad failure. Thus far, they have been nothing but a headache, especially for those of us who work with video stuff. We've had HD cameras for years now and still no reasonable option for delivering the content. For the love of all things decent, can we please just get on with it!?
I wonder the same thing 'will blue ray go the way of the old beta format?' because they do not care to hawk their wares to the adult entertainment market(a multi-million/billion dollar industry}....almost certainly!
I like the bit about the price drop because demand is increasing - Someone needs an economics lesson here. The price drop occurred because of the existence of a dual-format player (introduced at last January's CES in Las Vegas), and that fact that there is one major studio (Universal) not producing Blu-ray content. Sony's a little nervous that they're not as far along in the race than they should be.
Once Blu-ray starts to include Java for interactive applications the format wars really start. At 30 Gb for dual-layer HD-DVD and 50 Gb for dual-layer Blu-ray, size will matter. Data transfer and audio rates are faster on Blu-ray, which may not be noticable, but allow for faster delivery.
George:
Thanks for your comment, it is just plain wonderful to read something that is intelligently written as well as informative. There is just too much stupidly written junk on the internet. Lynn
>> I like the bit about the price drop because demand is increasing -
>> Someone needs an economics lesson here.
OK, then I'll give you one.
Higher demand means they can up production volume without fear of units collecting dust on the shelf. Higher production volume means lower per-unit production costs. Simple economy of scale.
>> Sony's a little nervous that they're not as far along in the race than
>> they should be.
Hmmm, the PS3 is the top selling Blu-Ray player, and Blu-Ray movies are outselling HD-DVDs by a margin of more than double. How exactly is Sony not far along in the race? Putting Blu-Ray into the PS3 was sheer genius and will be a major component in Blu-Ray winning the format war.
And before anyone brings it up, the HD-DVD add-on for XBox 360 is a joke.
tech.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1295243.php/More_Blu-ray_vs._H D-DVD_performance_confusion
On the idea that 'consumers will move to the cheaper option' - while this may be true, judging based upon the current price point is premature because high definition DVD technology isn't even out of early-adopter phase yet. Prices on everything will come way down in the next year or two. $100 vs $125 is not as big a deal as $400 vs $600. As a consumer, would you sacrifice storage space and performance to save $25 on a device you'll own for years to come? I doubt it.
Blu Ray is winning the war at the moment. In Europe and Japan Blu Ray is got an overwhelming lead. In America Blu Ray is winning over a large margin but HD DVD is still got a chance.
Please note. More Studios back Blu Ray then HD DVD. Pirates of Carribien, Spiderman, Casino Royal and many more appart from Universal titles on Blu Ray. This one studio exlusively backs this format why buy player when cannot get movies from disney, fox, sony and others.
Me personally, going to wait till christmas for blu ray player due to it would be much cheaper and value for money.
Lastly cinsumers should do some independent research
Let's see. I've been a videophile for years. I survived the VHS vs Betamax war by waiting. Then I replaced a large tape collection and a growing Laserdisc collection with dvd's. I hated having spend that money all over again for my favorite movies, even if I did get a clear befit with the digital technology. So excuse me if I don't get too terribly excited with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. I currently have a dvd player that upconverts all of my DVD's for my H-D tv. I also have DirecTV with H-D and an H-D TiVo. I have been able to directly compare movies in H-D with my DVD collection on my JVC Lcos set and, quite frankly, there just isn't that much difference. A tiny bit of extra clarity, but it depends on the movie, how it was filmed and (most importantly) transferred. Sometimes there is no discernible difference at all. So, if you have no collection, rush right out and spend the extra money. Me? I'll pass for now, live happily with my upconverting dvd player and let those who have to have it drive the price down. When there is no premium for H-D, then I'll consider. But I am NOT replacing my movie collection. Again.
Bob,
The difference with broadcast/satellite/cable HD quality is due to how much the provider compresses the signal. Most of them do a good job, don't compress it too much, and that's why the difference is negligible. Certain stations have compression limits in their contracts, too - so the broadcaster can't overcompress it. If they had the bandwidth not to compress at all, then there would be zero difference - since 1920x1080 is the same regardless of source.
Another difference, of course, is whether or not the HD broadcaster letterboxes the content or not. If they do not, then you are not getting the full picture as you would with a DVD.
I continue to wonder if the DVD format (HD or not) will last that much longer anyway. As people get more and more Internet bandwidth at home, movie downloading will become popular. Myself, I prefer to own my own physical copy so I can do with it what I please...but I realize that my opinion may differ from the masses who influence the decision.
I think Blu-ray will become thw next 'Beta' in the HD competirion. 'Beta' as in VHS or Beta?
BluRay/HD-DVD... BluRay support a true framerate/sec while HD-DVD actually uses 'filler' frames to produce the final output to your screen. Additiionally, the audio charastics of HD-DVD movies is not standard.
BluRay for the first time has actually outsold HD-DVD by a huge 20% matgin.
The final benefit is that BluRay can store 50GB on a dual layer disk compared to 30GB with the dula layer HD-DVD.
No Brainer BluRay all the way !!
Holo disk is coming soon with a TeraByte per disk !!!!
By the time this format war is over a new format, which trumps both Blu-ray and HD-DVD, will emerge rendering them both obsolete.
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