| Page 1 of 2 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
|
$300 Hi-Def DVD
I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does
this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Jim,
just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty "JimC" wrote in message t... I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
JimC wrote: I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim It is for the HD-DVD format, and it does appear that the prices are starting down again. In BluRay, the cheapest way in with a current generation is the PS3 at about $599. The BluRay that is selling for $499 is 1st generation, as is the Sony BluRay that is $599. IMO, the best way into BluRay is the PS3. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Smarty wrote: Jim, just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty Thanks. Apparently you are pleased with your Toshiba purchased 9 months ago. How about the software selections? I'm still waiting to see how the HD- BR competition falls out and still looking for HDMI 1.3 audio, but if prices keep falling, it wouldn't cost a lot to get one of each. Jim "JimC" wrote in message t... I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
JimC wrote: Smarty wrote: Jim, just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty Thanks. Apparently you are pleased with your Toshiba purchased 9 months ago. How about the software selections? I'm still waiting to see how the HD- BR competition falls out and still looking for HDMI 1.3 audio, but if prices keep falling, it wouldn't cost a lot to get one of each. Jim Keep watching the HiDef space as things are definitely on the move. In HD-DVD, Toshiba is doing lots to move the entry to the $299 mark and will be taking discounts on the other 2 models also. Some think there will be even further price erosion by the holidays. In Blu-Ray, here are some facts and some conjecture : Panasonic has a 2nd Generation player that should be shipping next month. Retail $599 with 5 movies you probably would buy right in the box. One major fault, imo, is the lack of ethernet to make firmware updates easy. Sony is under pressure to reduce the cost of the PS3, conjecture is that either this summer, or no later than the holiday shopping time, it will drop at least $100, maybe even $200. Assuming that is true, then pressure will be on to reduce costs on the Samsung stuff also. Dual-Format : Currently only LG has one and it isn't getting rave reviews, mostly because it doesn't meet full HD-DVD standards. But, Samsung has announced a new one coming late this year. Guesstimates are that it will be about $800. As to content, well the total count is very nearly equal, but there are differences. A good way to get a feel for what is there is to look at Blockbuster online, go to find movies and look at 'collections', subbed in there is the listings for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray rental offerings. Lastly, there is the Chinese players that are in the offing. Lots of rumors and conjecture, but these could very well tumble the BR and HD-DVD player pricing if history is any indicator. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Generally speaking, do all HD/Blu-Ray players up-rez standard def DVDs?
Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , JimC wrote: Smarty wrote: Jim, just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty Thanks. Apparently you are pleased with your Toshiba purchased 9 months ago. How about the software selections? I'm still waiting to see how the HD- BR competition falls out and still looking for HDMI 1.3 audio, but if prices keep falling, it wouldn't cost a lot to get one of each. Jim Keep watching the HiDef space as things are definitely on the move. In HD-DVD, Toshiba is doing lots to move the entry to the $299 mark and will be taking discounts on the other 2 models also. Some think there will be even further price erosion by the holidays. In Blu-Ray, here are some facts and some conjecture : Panasonic has a 2nd Generation player that should be shipping next month. Retail $599 with 5 movies you probably would buy right in the box. One major fault, imo, is the lack of ethernet to make firmware updates easy. Sony is under pressure to reduce the cost of the PS3, conjecture is that either this summer, or no later than the holiday shopping time, it will drop at least $100, maybe even $200. Assuming that is true, then pressure will be on to reduce costs on the Samsung stuff also. Dual-Format : Currently only LG has one and it isn't getting rave reviews, mostly because it doesn't meet full HD-DVD standards. But, Samsung has announced a new one coming late this year. Guesstimates are that it will be about $800. As to content, well the total count is very nearly equal, but there are differences. A good way to get a feel for what is there is to look at Blockbuster online, go to find movies and look at 'collections', subbed in there is the listings for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray rental offerings. Lastly, there is the Chinese players that are in the offing. Lots of rumors and conjecture, but these could very well tumble the BR and HD-DVD player pricing if history is any indicator. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article k.net,
Randell Tarin wrote: Generally speaking, do all HD/Blu-Ray players up-rez standard def DVDs? Yes, but only through the HDMI connector. And the quality of the playback with standard DVDs has been an issue. The 1st generation players didn't do a very good job at all. The best that do up-rezzing are the PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1200 @$599 and $799 respectively. Actually the PS3 needs the Bluetooth remote, so add $25 for it... HD-DVD players all do up-rezzing quite well. I have the HD-A2 from Toshiba that is their entry level, 2nd generation and it does a wonderful job. The quality of the up-rez is better than my Sony up-rezzing standard changer, by a long shot. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , JimC wrote: I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim It is for the HD-DVD format, and it does appear that the prices are starting down again. In BluRay, the cheapest way in with a current generation is the PS3 at about $599. The BluRay that is selling for $499 is 1st generation, as is the Sony BluRay that is $599. IMO, the best way into BluRay is the PS3. Correction, the Sony BluRay is on sale for $799, not $599... |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Lloyd Parsons wrote:
In article k.net, Randell Tarin wrote: Generally speaking, do all HD/Blu-Ray players up-rez standard def DVDs? Yes, but only through the HDMI connector. And the quality of the playback with standard DVDs has been an issue. The 1st generation players didn't do a very good job at all. The best that do up-rezzing are the PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1200 @$599 and $799 respectively. Actually the PS3 needs the Bluetooth remote, so add $25 for it... HD-DVD players all do up-rezzing quite well. I have the HD-A2 from Toshiba that is their entry level, 2nd generation and it does a wonderful job. The quality of the up-rez is better than my Sony up-rezzing standard changer, by a long shot. HD sounds like the way to go for me. I have a large standard-def DVD collection. It's likely that future purchases would be in HD provided that the titles I want are available in HD and not just Blu-ray. I'm leary about buying now because I was the one who invested heavily in the superior Sony Betamax format years ago. We all know how that ended. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article . net,
Randell Tarin wrote: Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article k.net, Randell Tarin wrote: Generally speaking, do all HD/Blu-Ray players up-rez standard def DVDs? Yes, but only through the HDMI connector. And the quality of the playback with standard DVDs has been an issue. The 1st generation players didn't do a very good job at all. The best that do up-rezzing are the PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1200 @$599 and $799 respectively. Actually the PS3 needs the Bluetooth remote, so add $25 for it... HD-DVD players all do up-rezzing quite well. I have the HD-A2 from Toshiba that is their entry level, 2nd generation and it does a wonderful job. The quality of the up-rez is better than my Sony up-rezzing standard changer, by a long shot. HD sounds like the way to go for me. I have a large standard-def DVD collection. It's likely that future purchases would be in HD provided that the titles I want are available in HD and not just Blu-ray. I'm leary about buying now because I was the one who invested heavily in the superior Sony Betamax format years ago. We all know how that ended. I can only speak for me, but here how I was thinking when I decided to go HD-DVD vice BluRay. After looking over both formats, I found that there were plenty of titles on both that I would want to see, which meant that unless I wanted to buy both, I would have to be satisfied with standard DVDs for those titles not carried by whichever format I went with. I found that both offered plenty of titles of things I would rent/buy. So then it came down to : 1. Is the standard set? In the case of HD-DVD it is. BluRay not quite yet. There is a standard that all of the BluRay machines mfg'd after 10/31/2007 have to meet, but in the meantime, they can and do not offer all of it. Most of those changes seem to center around added capability, but the unanswered question is will newer BluRay disks, with the added features still work on older players? I have not been able to find a definitive source to answer that question. This seems to make the PS3 the most sensible BluRay player in that it is better suited to have add-ons made for it, or at least that's my thinking. 2. Price! Let's face it, we all work (in my case worked) hard for our money. With my 61" 1080i TV, the entry level Toshiba HD-A2 @$299 with 10 movies just suited me to a 'T'. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Lloyd Parsons wrote:
In article . net, Randell Tarin wrote: Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article k.net, Randell Tarin wrote: Generally speaking, do all HD/Blu-Ray players up-rez standard def DVDs? Yes, but only through the HDMI connector. And the quality of the playback with standard DVDs has been an issue. The 1st generation players didn't do a very good job at all. The best that do up-rezzing are the PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1200 @$599 and $799 respectively. Actually the PS3 needs the Bluetooth remote, so add $25 for it... HD-DVD players all do up-rezzing quite well. I have the HD-A2 from Toshiba that is their entry level, 2nd generation and it does a wonderful job. The quality of the up-rez is better than my Sony up-rezzing standard changer, by a long shot. HD sounds like the way to go for me. I have a large standard-def DVD collection. It's likely that future purchases would be in HD provided that the titles I want are available in HD and not just Blu-ray. I'm leary about buying now because I was the one who invested heavily in the superior Sony Betamax format years ago. We all know how that ended. I can only speak for me, but here how I was thinking when I decided to go HD-DVD vice BluRay. After looking over both formats, I found that there were plenty of titles on both that I would want to see, which meant that unless I wanted to buy both, I would have to be satisfied with standard DVDs for those titles not carried by whichever format I went with. I found that both offered plenty of titles of things I would rent/buy. So then it came down to : 1. Is the standard set? In the case of HD-DVD it is. BluRay not quite yet. There is a standard that all of the BluRay machines mfg'd after 10/31/2007 have to meet, but in the meantime, they can and do not offer all of it. Most of those changes seem to center around added capability, but the unanswered question is will newer BluRay disks, with the added features still work on older players? I have not been able to find a definitive source to answer that question. This seems to make the PS3 the most sensible BluRay player in that it is better suited to have add-ons made for it, or at least that's my thinking. 2. Price! Let's face it, we all work (in my case worked) hard for our money. With my 61" 1080i TV, the entry level Toshiba HD-A2 @$299 with 10 movies just suited me to a 'T'. You're right. There are few movies I actually want to purchase....we mostly rent. I'm watching on a 720p 42" Pioneer Plasma. Standard def looks pretty good without up-rezzing. So, unless I actually want a PS3, which is doubtful at my age, HD would suffice. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote: In article , Lloyd Parsons wrote: Panasonic has a 2nd Generation player that should be shipping next month. Retail $599 with 5 movies you probably would buy right in the box. One major fault, imo, is the lack of ethernet to make firmware updates easy. If they're smart, they build it so that you can insert a disc with the new firmware on it and have it update from there. That solves the problem in a MUCH more elegant way than having ethernet on board. In fact, in this day and age, I don't want any excuse for my entertainment devices to have network connectivity. DiVX, anyone? Well, then if you had one without connectivity, you would have been sorely disappointed with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean recently. Most, if not all of the current players puked on them, requiring an update. No ethernet, no update, or at least not for awhile. You'd have to wait for a CD/DVD with it on there to be produced, then packaged, then mailed. How long are you willing to wait? Then with Ethernet, like my HD-A2, connect, update, done. Just a few minutes. Just as it was for those that owned the PS3 or the HD-P1200. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
On May 27, 4:04 pm, Lloyd Parsons wrote:
In article , "Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote: In article , Lloyd Parsons wrote: Panasonic has a 2nd Generation player that should be shipping next month. Retail $599 with 5 movies you probably would buy right in the box. One major fault, imo, is the lack of ethernet to make firmware updates easy. If they're smart, they build it so that you can insert a disc with the new firmware on it and have it update from there. That solves the problem in a MUCH more elegant way than having ethernet on board. In fact, in this day and age, I don't want any excuse for my entertainment devices to have network connectivity. DiVX, anyone? Well, then if you had one without connectivity, you would have been sorely disappointed with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean recently. Most, if not all of the current players puked on them, requiring an update. No ethernet, no update, or at least not for awhile. You'd have to wait for a CD/DVD with it on there to be produced, then packaged, then mailed. How long are you willing to wait? So you download an image of the disc, burn it in the computer and load it into the player. Same download time as a network connection plus 2 minutes to burn a 20 cent disc. Doesn't seem like much of a penalty. You can't burn a disc? Not many of us make that claim. Then with Ethernet, like my HD-A2, connect, update, done. Just a few minutes. Just as it was for those that owned the PS3 or the HD- P1200. The real question is how long until someone comes up with a malicious load for the players and starts screwing things up? "It will never happen" are famous words. GG |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Thanks to everyone for the helpful information. Looks like good things
come to those that wait. What I would like, but probably won't be able to get, is a player (not yet decided between HD-DVD and Blue Ray) that would provide all the new uncompressed surround sound formats, which I understand requires hdmi 1.3 connectivity. Also, I would like it to play SACDs audio discs with good quality surround sound, as do several of the Oppo players. - Maybe Oppo will come out with a universal HD player. Jim JimC wrote: I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article .com,
G-squared wrote: On May 27, 4:04 pm, Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , "Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote: In article , Lloyd Parsons wrote: Panasonic has a 2nd Generation player that should be shipping next month. Retail $599 with 5 movies you probably would buy right in the box. One major fault, imo, is the lack of ethernet to make firmware updates easy. If they're smart, they build it so that you can insert a disc with the new firmware on it and have it update from there. That solves the problem in a MUCH more elegant way than having ethernet on board. In fact, in this day and age, I don't want any excuse for my entertainment devices to have network connectivity. DiVX, anyone? Well, then if you had one without connectivity, you would have been sorely disappointed with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean recently. Most, if not all of the current players puked on them, requiring an update. No ethernet, no update, or at least not for awhile. You'd have to wait for a CD/DVD with it on there to be produced, then packaged, then mailed. How long are you willing to wait? So you download an image of the disc, burn it in the computer and load it into the player. Same download time as a network connection plus 2 minutes to burn a 20 cent disc. Doesn't seem like much of a penalty. You can't burn a disc? Not many of us make that claim. That hasn't always been possible. For instance, the latest update for the Generation 2 Toshiba HD-DVDs isn't available as an iso yet. Then with Ethernet, like my HD-A2, connect, update, done. Just a few minutes. Just as it was for those that owned the PS3 or the HD- P1200. The real question is how long until someone comes up with a malicious load for the players and starts screwing things up? "It will never happen" are famous words. GG And words I wouldn't utter! ;-) |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
|
$300 Hi-Def DVD
BDK wrote:
As far as the HD/BlueRay "war" goes, I'm not biting until I can get a cheap universal player, or HD throws in the towel. I really don't see how HD is going to win this thing in the long run, once the price equals out. What makes you think that BR prices will be as low as HD in anything but the longest of terms? HD machines have the advantage of being compatible with DVD tooling. All BR products require new, and very expensive, tooling that has to be amortized. HD could have the price advantage for years because the tooling for it already has been amortized. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am
leaning that direction. However, for me it is still far too soon to make the move to any HD DVD format. Part of me suspects that neither is going to win and they will evently have to come together. The PlayStation 3 is not selling well, the price is just too high even when you figure what you are getting and what it would cost to buy each peice seperatly. But, that isn't something many seem to consider. Personally, I don't feel that either format is what is needed. They feel like stop gap measures especially when you look at the computer side of it. I know a great number of people that have more than are nearly 1 TeraByte of computer storage space. I have almost 2 myself. What I hear most often is that 50GB is nothing and I think they are right it is nothing. If a format could survive without the computer end of it then HD DVD and Blue-Ray might make it, but they can't and even the PS3 can't give them that. Basically it is still too iffy to go with either one. Time will tell if one is the next consumer format or if they are both the equivilent of Circuit City's Divx format or Sony's Betamax. =(8) |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
=(8) wrote:
I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am leaning that direction. Ads are one thing, shipping product is another. BR leads HD 306 to 281 according to www.dvdpricesearch.com. Not enough difference in numbers to matter much. Which movies are on which format is far more important to me. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
"=\(8\)" wrote: I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am leaning that direction. However, for me it is still far too soon to make the move to any HD DVD format. Part of me suspects that neither is going to win and they will evently have to come together. The PlayStation 3 is not selling well, the price is just too high even when you figure what you are getting and what it would cost to buy each peice seperatly. But, that isn't something many seem to consider. Personally, I don't feel that either format is what is needed. They feel like stop gap measures especially when you look at the computer side of it. I know a great number of people that have more than are nearly 1 TeraByte of computer storage space. I have almost 2 myself. What I hear most often is that 50GB is nothing and I think they are right it is nothing. If a format could survive without the computer end of it then HD DVD and Blue-Ray might make it, but they can't and even the PS3 can't give them that. Basically it is still too iffy to go with either one. Time will tell if one is the next consumer format or if they are both the equivilent of Circuit City's Divx format or Sony's Betamax. =(8) It is too early to tell what will or won't survive, but as to new releases, currently Blu-Ray is seeing more blockbusters as you noted. But I think most that are buying into HiDef DVDs now are as much into some older movies as they are the blockbusters. Face it, these prices are either at the top of the impulse buy range, or well over it. The PS3 seems the best choice for the Blu-Ray crowd now, but that could change in part, as you noted, the PS3 isn't really flying off the shelves. From a technical side, it is the best current Blu-Ray player, but I don't think it can go to HDMI 1.3 which would allow some further lossless audio formats. I may be wrong on this though. Computers are nice, but an HD movie is a huge file. With only 50% broadband penetration and the fact that even with broadband, it takes hours to download, I don't think that is going to go anywhere outside of the geek world. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
"=\(8\)" wrote in
: I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am leaning that direction. However, for me it is still far too soon to make the move to any HD DVD format. Part of me suspects that neither is going to win and they will evently have to come together. The PlayStation 3 is not selling well, the price is just too high even when you figure what you are getting and what it would cost to buy each peice seperatly. But, that isn't something many seem to consider. Personally, I don't feel that either format is what is needed. They feel like stop gap measures especially when you look at the computer side of it. I know a great number of people that have more than are nearly 1 TeraByte of computer storage space. I have almost 2 myself. What I hear most often is that 50GB is nothing and I think they are right it is nothing. If a format could survive without the computer end of it then HD DVD and Blue-Ray might make it, but they can't and even the PS3 can't give them that. Basically it is still too iffy to go with either one. Time will tell if one is the next consumer format or if they are both the equivilent of Circuit City's Divx format or Sony's Betamax. =(8) (I paid 300 for the Toshiba ax2. The picture is the same as or close to blu Ray. It has given me much enjoyment |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
|
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
BDK wrote: In article , r says... BDK wrote: As far as the HD/BlueRay "war" goes, I'm not biting until I can get a cheap universal player, or HD throws in the towel. I really don't see how HD is going to win this thing in the long run, once the price equals out. What makes you think that BR prices will be as low as HD in anything but the longest of terms? HD machines have the advantage of being compatible with DVD tooling. All BR products require new, and very expensive, tooling that has to be amortized. HD could have the price advantage for years because the tooling for it already has been amortized. Matthew At a certain point, the price will drop to about the same as HDDVD, and that will be the turning point. The resources of the BR companies is many times that of HDDVD. It won't be a whole lot longer, I bet the reason it's taken this long is teething issues at the factories. Everything electronic has a "tipping point", price wise. LCD TV's are part this point now, getting cheaper and better all the time. I wouldn't be shocked if Xmas or even this fall is when BR comes out with the HD killer. I wouldn't buy either right now, but the price of BR is my only reason not to buy. I have no confidence HD will be here a few years from now. It's not a big concern of mine, I can wait. I just don't see how the HD side can expect to win this against everything lined up against them. Sony and it's allied companies (Zenith, and Toshiba, I think, lost the Beta/VHS war with a better product (Well, a better pic anyway. My friend worked at an appliance store back when I was looking to buy my first VCR. and there were several times as many Beta machines being fixed with serious issues (eating tapes) as VHS machines, and that clinched it (VHS) for me) going up against the much bigger companies of RCA, Panasonic (Who made most of the VHS machines regardless of brand in the early years)Hitachi, etc. RCA was huge back then, and Panasonic too, together, they alone were probably enough to ensure VHS's long term survival. I think I read somewhere that there were 10 companies making/selling VHS machines that were bigger than Sony was. Added together, it was a force Sony had no way to compete with. This time, it looks like Sony will be on the winning side. BDK The kink in the wringer these days is LG and Samsung. Both were BluRay only and strong supporters. But now LG has a dual format player out and Samsung has announced one for later this year. Add in Sony's inability to set a standard in the past and I'm not so willing to bet on BR any more than I would HD-DVD. And strangely, Sony the strongest pusher of BluRay, makes both the PS3 and a BR player. And at this point in time, the PS3 is the much better player at a better price point. Bottom line is that it will be the bottom line pricing that will decide the outcome of the 'war'. As long as pricing of BluRay remains at the $500+ level it will only be enthusiasts that are buying. Joe six pack will not spend that much, content or no. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
|
$300 Hi-Def DVD
"Smarty" wrote:
I think it is far too early to declare a BluRay victory. Moreover, the potential for a merged format, or even a yet to be marketed (Chinese) HD format is not to be entirely dismissed IMHO. Smarty "BDK" wrote in message ... In article , r says... BDK wrote: As far as the HD/BlueRay "war" goes, I'm not biting until I can get a cheap universal player, or HD throws in the towel. I really don't see how HD is going to win this thing in the long run, once the price equals out. What makes you think that BR prices will be as low as HD in anything but the longest of terms? HD machines have the advantage of being compatible with DVD tooling. All BR products require new, and very expensive, tooling that has to be amortized. HD could have the price advantage for years because the tooling for it already has been amortized. Matthew At a certain point, the price will drop to about the same as HDDVD, and that will be the turning point. The resources of the BR companies is many times that of HDDVD. It won't be a whole lot longer, I bet the reason it's taken this long is teething issues at the factories. Everything electronic has a "tipping point", price wise. LCD TV's are part this point now, getting cheaper and better all the time. I wouldn't be shocked if Xmas or even this fall is when BR comes out with the HD killer. I wouldn't buy either right now, but the price of BR is my only reason not to buy. I have no confidence HD will be here a few years from now. It's not a big concern of mine, I can wait. I just don't see how the HD side can expect to win this against everything lined up against them. Sony and it's allied companies (Zenith, and Toshiba, I think, lost the Beta/VHS war with a better product (Well, a better pic anyway. My friend worked at an appliance store back when I was looking to buy my first VCR. and there were several times as many Beta machines being fixed with serious issues (eating tapes) as VHS machines, and that clinched it (VHS) for me) going up against the much bigger companies of RCA, Panasonic (Who made most of the VHS machines regardless of brand in the early years)Hitachi, etc. RCA was huge back then, and Panasonic too, together, they alone were probably enough to ensure VHS's long term survival. I think I read somewhere that there were 10 companies making/selling VHS machines that were bigger than Sony was. Added together, it was a force Sony had no way to compete with. This time, it looks like Sony will be on the winning side. BDK toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. cheapest Blue Ray player I can find is still on the far side of $700.... Actually I think the proplem is, nobody is buying either format....2 formats competing for a 1/4 format market. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
says... In article , BDK wrote: In article , r says... BDK wrote: As far as the HD/BlueRay "war" goes, I'm not biting until I can get a cheap universal player, or HD throws in the towel. I really don't see how HD is going to win this thing in the long run, once the price equals out. What makes you think that BR prices will be as low as HD in anything but the longest of terms? HD machines have the advantage of being compatible with DVD tooling. All BR products require new, and very expensive, tooling that has to be amortized. HD could have the price advantage for years because the tooling for it already has been amortized. Matthew At a certain point, the price will drop to about the same as HDDVD, and that will be the turning point. The resources of the BR companies is many times that of HDDVD. It won't be a whole lot longer, I bet the reason it's taken this long is teething issues at the factories. Everything electronic has a "tipping point", price wise. LCD TV's are part this point now, getting cheaper and better all the time. I wouldn't be shocked if Xmas or even this fall is when BR comes out with the HD killer. I wouldn't buy either right now, but the price of BR is my only reason not to buy. I have no confidence HD will be here a few years from now. It's not a big concern of mine, I can wait. I just don't see how the HD side can expect to win this against everything lined up against them. Sony and it's allied companies (Zenith, and Toshiba, I think, lost the Beta/VHS war with a better product (Well, a better pic anyway. My friend worked at an appliance store back when I was looking to buy my first VCR. and there were several times as many Beta machines being fixed with serious issues (eating tapes) as VHS machines, and that clinched it (VHS) for me) going up against the much bigger companies of RCA, Panasonic (Who made most of the VHS machines regardless of brand in the early years)Hitachi, etc. RCA was huge back then, and Panasonic too, together, they alone were probably enough to ensure VHS's long term survival. I think I read somewhere that there were 10 companies making/selling VHS machines that were bigger than Sony was. Added together, it was a force Sony had no way to compete with. This time, it looks like Sony will be on the winning side. BDK The kink in the wringer these days is LG and Samsung. Both were BluRay only and strong supporters. But now LG has a dual format player out and Samsung has announced one for later this year. Add in Sony's inability to set a standard in the past and I'm not so willing to bet on BR any more than I would HD-DVD. And strangely, Sony the strongest pusher of BluRay, makes both the PS3 and a BR player. And at this point in time, the PS3 is the much better player at a better price point. Bottom line is that it will be the bottom line pricing that will decide the outcome of the 'war'. As long as pricing of BluRay remains at the $500+ level it will only be enthusiasts that are buying. Joe six pack will not spend that much, content or no. When the price gets below $400, that will start a strong move in sales. Dual format players are a good work around, as far as not getting stuck picking the losing format and wasting a ton of money buying the "wrong" thing. BDK |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
BDK wrote:
When the price gets below $400, that will start a strong move in sales. Dual format players are a good work around, as far as not getting stuck picking the losing format and wasting a ton of money buying the "wrong" thing. I just paid $540 for an HD-XA2. I will very quickly pay far more than that in HD-DVDs. Guess what? They will continue to play in my HD-DVD player even if BR "wins". Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
"Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote: In message , sprach forth the following: toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. That player is 1080i, not 1080p. From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Every review I've seen says that onscreen differences are so slight that they are unnoticeable. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
"Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote: In message , Lloyd Parsons sprach forth the following: From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Who would be so stupid as to rely on "lots of reading" to make a judgment regarding PICTURE QUALITY? Apparently, you. LOL! I do a lot of research before I buy, then I look and see. And in both my research and in direct viewing, 1080p and 1080i are a wash. But feel free to spend more money on 1080p over 1080i for a while... |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
"Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote:
In message , sprach forth the following: toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. That player is 1080i, not 1080p. excuse me,,but did I post something about it bieng 1080p,,?? my post was regarding the priice drop. and do you own a TV that even can use native 1080p..? Better question - could you see the difference? |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
"Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote:
In message , Lloyd Parsons sprach forth the following: From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Who would be so stupid as to rely on "lots of reading" to make a judgment regarding PICTURE QUALITY? Apparently, you. Fred Have your Dr up your Lithium. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
"BDK" wrote in message
... At a certain point, the price will drop to about the same as HDDVD, and that will be the turning point. The resources of the BR companies is many times that of HDDVD. It won't be a whole lot longer, I bet the reason it's taken this long is teething issues at the factories. Everything electronic has a "tipping point", price wise. LCD TV's are part this point now, getting cheaper and better all the time. HD-DVD can be pressed on existing DVD equipment. It's just as easy to use an HD-DVD master as it is to use a regular DVD master. Blu-Ray production requires all new equipment from Sony. Even if Sony made that equipment as fast as they could and gave it away for free, it would still take *years* to ramp up the same production capacity as HD-DVD. And that's before we even touch on the market outside the US. Here, $28 vs $30 means nothing but in India or mainland China $2 vs $4 is a huge difference for consumers so even if the players were both free you still wouldn't be able to sell Blu-Ray there. And since most of our stuff is made over there, that will have some influence on what gets mass produced. When they can bid on a contract to press HD-DVD on their existing factory line that already runs smooth OR they can buy all new equipment that requires new training and has had quality control problems and a couple of big recalls already which do you think they will bid on? X |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
=(8) wrote:
I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am leaning that direction. However, for me it is still far too soon to make the move to any HD DVD format. Part of me suspects that neither is going to win and they will evently have to come together. The PlayStation 3 is not selling well, the price is just too high even when you figure what you are getting and what it would cost to buy each peice seperatly. But, that isn't something many seem to consider. Personally, I don't feel that either format is what is needed. They feel like stop gap measures especially when you look at the computer side of it. I know a great number of people that have more than are nearly 1 TeraByte of computer storage space. I have almost 2 myself. What I hear most often is that 50GB is nothing and I think they are right it is nothing. If a format could survive without the computer end of it then HD DVD and Blue-Ray might make it, but they can't and even the PS3 can't give them that. Basically it is still too iffy to go with either one. Time will tell if one is the next consumer format or if they are both the equivilent of Circuit City's Divx format or Sony's Betamax. =(8) some pretty good points. :) i see that my local Costco is offering an instant $100 rebate on the Toshiba HD-D2 player; which makes the current price $249.99 if the current HD disks had gone the extra step of encoding DTS-HD sound, i'd buy now, but afaik none of them has done DTS-HD sound, which includes the blu-ray players fwiw, every single DVD movie that i own that has both DTS5.1 and DD5.1, the DTS5.1 sounds better on a side note: just how much better is the DD HD sound in comparison to DVD-video DTS5.1? all ears. :) bill |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
JimC wrote: Smarty wrote: Jim, just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty Thanks. Apparently you are pleased with your Toshiba purchased 9 months ago. How about the software selections? I'm still waiting to see how the HD- BR competition falls out and still looking for HDMI 1.3 audio, but if prices keep falling, it wouldn't cost a lot to get one of each. Yea I'm also waiting for HDMI 1.3 and the new Hi Def Audio Codecs from DTS and Dolby. Plus for receivers to adopt the 1.3 & Hi Def Codecs. FWIW I'm a little partial to BluRay. Jim "JimC" wrote in message t... I'm seeing ads for Toshiba Hi-Def DVD players selling for $299. - Does this signify a general softening of the HD-DVD market in general, or just a local phenomena? If so, what's the cheapest BR these days? Or am I misinterpreting the ads. Jim -- Ric Seyler Online Racing: RicSeyler GPL Handicap 6.35 http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler remove –SPAM- from email address -------------------------------------- "Homer no function beer well without." - H.J. Simpson |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote: In message , sprach forth the following: toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. That player is 1080i, not 1080p. From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Every review I've seen says that onscreen differences are so slight that they are unnoticeable. This is generally said by those who already are maxxed out at 1080i by their equipment purchase. In this day and age I wouldn't think about buying anything without 1080p capability. Just my opinion though. -- Ric Seyler Online Racing: RicSeyler GPL Handicap 6.35 http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler remove -SPAM- from email address -------------------------------------- "Homer no function beer well without." - H.J. Simpson |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
Ric Seyler wrote: Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote: In message , sprach forth the following: toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. That player is 1080i, not 1080p. From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Every review I've seen says that onscreen differences are so slight that they are unnoticeable. This is generally said by those who already are maxxed out at 1080i by their equipment purchase. In this day and age I wouldn't think about buying anything without 1080p capability. Just my opinion though. Well, since my 61" JVC is still pretty new, I'll wait a bit... ;-) And I don't disagree with you, I would want a new big screen to be 1080p but not necessarily because 1080p looks better, but it would be an indication that I was buying the best quality in the product lineup. I've seen 1080p and have 1080i and I can't see a difference. I will admit that I didn't see them side by side. |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
Ric Seyler wrote: JimC wrote: Smarty wrote: Jim, just my 2 cents..... I bought my Toshiba about 9 months ago for 50 bucks more. Toshiba has since brought out a newer, cheaper model which is the one you see for $299. The phenomena is just the normal pattern in marketing high tech consumer products....the first ones for early adopters skim the market, followed by newer, cheaper, and often better updated versions. HD-DVD is working aggressively to leave BluRay in the dust (in my opinion) and is using pricing as a powerful tool to encourage sales and gain market share. BluRay / Sony does, after all, offer a Playstation 3 with BluRay playback for $600 which includes a powerful game console, so Toshiba is responding with an even cheaper alternative. Smarty Thanks. Apparently you are pleased with your Toshiba purchased 9 months ago. How about the software selections? I'm still waiting to see how the HD- BR competition falls out and still looking for HDMI 1.3 audio, but if prices keep falling, it wouldn't cost a lot to get one of each. Yea I'm also waiting for HDMI 1.3 and the new Hi Def Audio Codecs from DTS and Dolby. Plus for receivers to adopt the 1.3 & Hi Def Codecs. FWIW I'm a little partial to BluRay. Here's a link to a discussion of HDMI 1.3 that you and others might find interesting: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994 |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , Ric Seyler wrote: Lloyd Parsons wrote: In article , "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" wrote: In message , sprach forth the following: toshiba HD 2 player is available now at Costco, and I assume everywhere soon, for $250. That player is 1080i, not 1080p. From doing lots of reading, 1080p is just so much marketing and not much else. Every review I've seen says that onscreen differences are so slight that they are unnoticeable. This is generally said by those who already are maxxed out at 1080i by their equipment purchase. In this day and age I wouldn't think about buying anything without 1080p capability. Just my opinion though. Well, since my 61" JVC is still pretty new, I'll wait a bit... ;-) Now let me say that I wouldn't go out and buy a 1080p display if I already owned a recent 1080i display. That is a little much. :-) And I don't disagree with you, I would want a new big screen to be 1080p but not necessarily because 1080p looks better, but it would be an indication that I was buying the best quality in the product lineup. I've seen 1080p and have 1080i and I can't see a difference. I will admit that I didn't see them side by side. -- Ric Seyler Online Racing: RicSeyler GPL Handicap 6.35 http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler remove -SPAM- from email address -------------------------------------- "Homer no function beer well without." - H.J. Simpson |
$300 Hi-Def DVD
In article ,
"Matthew L. Martin" wrote: =(8) wrote: I see more ads for movies coming on Blue-Ray than HD-DVD so right now I am leaning that direction. Ads are one thing, shipping product is another. BR leads HD 306 to 281 according to www.dvdpricesearch.com. Not enough difference in numbers to matter much. Which movies are on which format is far more important to me. Matthew Then the odds are with BR in the long-term -- remember, both formats have been out less than a year. HD-DVD has to shake loose Disney and Fox from BR-exclusivity at some point or else the cheapest Chinese HD-DVD players won't matter. Hell China has had EVD or some other format they called high-def for several years now, using home-grown codecs. It never got Hollywood support for obvious reasons. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:14 PM. |
|
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
HomeCinemaBanter.com