http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/ Engadget HD Comments for http://www.engadgethd.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadgethd.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
Now.. get the price down to something I can afford on a stand-alone BluRay player and I'm in.]]>Feb 12th 2007 1:00PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
]]>Feb 12th 2007 1:03PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
It's still just amazing that there's even a format war to begin with! WTF are they thinking?]]>Feb 12th 2007 1:38PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 12th 2007 1:41PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 12th 2007 2:16PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 12th 2007 2:18PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/But apparently Sony doesn't see the stacks of unsold PS3s:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic
And, people, it's not that Sony lies all the time- the truth just has an anti-Sony bias.]]>Feb 12th 2007 2:25PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
1. HD DVD has more classic titles and more titles that would interest a wider range of age groups.

2. Blu-Ray has more new and action based titles that appeal to a younger age group.

3. HD DVD has much better interactive features from a software standpoint.

4. Blu-Ray has the PS3 which is a MUCH better player than my A-1 in speed and features from a hardware standpoint.

5. All HD DVD players have an ethernet port for quick and easy upgrades and bug fixes. Not the case with Blu-Ray. ( Although the PS3 does have it )

6. Blu-Ray has a hard coating with makes the disks more durable.

7. All HD DVD players must have dual video output for PIP features on the disks. Not so with Blu-Ray.

8. Blu-Ray enjoys much broader studio and manufacter support. Although HD DVD has the eclusive support of Universal and other smaller studios.


I could go on and on but the point is that they are both good and if you want to get all the HD you just get both. This battle isnt like Beta/VHS because they are both on the same size disk. There are already combo player and combo disks are comming. It will be like DVD+ and DVD-. Both of those are still here and still play.

So say we all.]]>Feb 12th 2007 2:35PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 12th 2007 3:17PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
BTW: I own both formats, I could care less about Universal's interactive features on their disc, all their discs are the same and I would prefer the unique interface like all Blu-ray discs are.]]>Feb 12th 2007 4:18PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Spoken like a true idiotic HD-DVD fanboy. nuff' said.]]>Feb 12th 2007 4:26PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/]]>Feb 12th 2007 4:33PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Call me an idiotic HD-DVD fanboy, hope that made you feel better to get that out.. the fact of the matter is, if Bluray could actually deliver with a consistent equal picture quality that HD-DVD does, I could care less who wins this stupid war, I'd actually root for the way things point to Bluray just so one won.. but Bluray sucks.. I watched Click Bluray played on a demo plama at Best Buy and it looked awful, pixelated, like a high bitrate dvd if that. For those of us who have invested in a nice high definition unit, we want the absolute best we can get to deliver on our screen for our money.. and HD-DVD wins for picture quality, Bluray fails. So stop calling me a fanboy and realize that all I want is the max performance achievable quality wise and Bluray currently doesn't deliver. "nuff said"]]>Feb 12th 2007 5:33PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
Eventually there will come players that can do both i think.

I will wait a while before buying.]]>Feb 12th 2007 5:56PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/How does Kris's comments make him an "idiotic hddvd fanboy?" For Sony to be claiming false victory at this point is stupid, arrogant and outrageous. Just because they have enjoyed a few weeks of lots of movie releases does not make this anywhere close to being over. Sony really is taking advantage of herds of uninformed consumers that will believe anything they hear.

I too have both a ps3 and an XA1 and support both formats, I'm just renting bluray's and buying hddvd's at this point and hope HDDVD trounces Bluray just to spite Sony's complete an utter arrogance.]]>Feb 12th 2007 7:12PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
Understand that MS supports HD-DVD primarily to stall Blu-Ray adoption (secondary reason is that BDA did not include their iHD technology). If Blu-ray takes off, the 360 will become obsolete piece of technology as well in terms of packaged media, given that it uses disk technology from the previous gen of consoles]]>Feb 12th 2007 8:49PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Even though the Playstataion 3 has its issues at this moment as a game console, as a blue-ray player it is awesome! I have bought a few blue-ray DVD's and cannot wait till my favorite movies get converted to blue-ray.]]>Feb 12th 2007 10:47PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
.....



That's what I thought.

More spin from this Microsoft-sponsored blog.]]>Feb 13th 2007 12:12AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/ you DO NOT need to have total support from all studios initially to be victorious as a format. For example, if you overwhemling support of MAJOR studios supporting your format (sony, mgm, fox, disney, wb, paramount, columbia, new line...the only not support blu ray being universal) you're doing pretty damn good.
In any business... SPIKE in sales is just that, a blip on the radar. You would much rather have a HD sales graph trending your way, then a spike here and there. Recent Nielson numbers show that since inception, HD-DVD disc sales still hold an advantage over blu ray in a 100:92.4 ratio (01.14.07), but keep in mind that is down from their previous lead of 100:85 which was 1 week earlier (01.07.07). Even more of a bad sign is that since the New Year, sales for HD-DVD have gone down in that same time from a much more skewed 47:100 to 38:100 in that same 1 week period. Bad sign especially since the YTD numbers including the addition of the xbox 360 HD-DVD add on, PS3, pioneer, panasonic, sony, and LG dual format BH100 (all of which were very LATE additions of the 06 year, or early 07 in the case of the LG) may be more indicative of future trends.
He/She is stating opinions rather than facts. The PS3 is not a $600 waste of space. A lot of people are buying them to play video games, store music, movie clips, internet connectivity, and watch movies and blu ray discs (and yes, there are quite a few people buying them for this reason ONLY even though some people don't want to admit it for some reason). On a gaming sidenote: I have personally not bought a PS3 yet, because my local best buy is always out of stock of them. But like any other system, any games developed the next year after a console release which are exclusive to that console will always look much better (think the next gran turismo, resistance 2 (example), or GTA XVI or w/e is next). Developers will know the ins and outs of the console and how to extract the max programming code/processing power of the console. This has held true since the ps1 release, ps2, xbox and 360, and i'm assuming that ps3 will continue the trend.
]]>Feb 13th 2007 2:03AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
Re: the formats, the writing really is on the wall folks. Those of you backing HD-DVD and thinking it will come out on top do need to start looking at things more realistically. I've got my HD-DVD add-on for my 360, and I've got my PS3 too. I like HD-DVD better in a lot of ways (interactive menus are great). But it's not about which format has better features (the guaranteed ethernet port, the PIP of HD-DVD vs the extra capacity, etc.. of bluray), it's about who's behind it.

There is a lot to be learned here from Betamax, ironically. Betamax, better format than VHS, but it died because it wasn't licensed and therefore didn't get the support. Here you've got HD-DVD with essentially only 4 firms behind it (MSFT, Intel, Toshiba, Universal) versus BluRay with quite literally everyone else. I know people are enjoying their HD-DVDs and shockingly still buying them at a reasonable pace. But all it takes is Universal to bail and the 'war' is indeed over. At this point Universal is just profit taking, and when they see that they could be making more selling Bluray despite the competition they will rerelease all of their HD-DVD titles on Bluray.

People have been knocking Sony for 'forcing' a Bluray player on people with the PS3, but they chose the right format, the one with all the backing. HD-DVD is the proprietary, outlying format here, not the other way around. Had MSFT waited a year to release the 360 and included HD-DVD, things could be different. Had they included an HD-DVD drive when they launched in 2005, again, things could be VERY different-- as there could be nearly 10 million HD-DVD players out there. But they didn't. And that's why as we move through the year and into 2008, and the PS3 drops in price... there will be millions of Bluray players out there vs the very small installed base of HD-DVD. Perhaps MSFT could stem the tide by releasing the long-rumored 360 v2 with included HD-DVD and HDMI out... but with just one studio behind them it's not a smart move. They won't. You've got a better chance of seeing a Bluray add-on for 360 as soon as the 'war' is over.

To the guy that is buying HDDVDs and renting Bluray, you've got it backward man. Rent the HD-DVDs, or get prepared to ebay the moment Universal jumps ship.
]]>Feb 13th 2007 9:31AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
That is what finally settle the VHS/Beta war.

It was clear at the Adult Expo here in Vegas (Held the same time CES is) that they are both courting porn producers but no one is talking on the record. ]]>Feb 13th 2007 9:40AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/"I watched Click Bluray played on a demo plama at Best Buy and it looked awful, pixelated, like a high bitrate dvd if that."

You picked a bad Blu-ray movie to compare and I agree, "Click" was a poor transfer due to all the grain that appears on the picture though some people like grain since this is how it was filmed. But for you to say Blu-ray's PQ is inferior to HD-DVD PQ is utter stupidness.. I've seen the best on HD-DVD which is "King Kong" and movies like "Open Season", "Crank", "Underworld", "The Wild", "Black Hawk Down" will match anything HD-DVD has to offer. Also, people at AVSForum are rating more flawless perfect transfer for Blu-ray (6) then HD-DVD (4). I own a PS3 and 360 w/ HD-DVD add-on, I'll pick the PS3 anyday with HDMI connection, better audio transfer and better performance.]]>Feb 13th 2007 12:25PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 13th 2007 4:52PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/Feb 13th 2007 10:45PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
My point, whichever format you are hoping for, please thank Toshiba/Microsoft/Universal for improving the quality and lowering the prices of BOTH formats.]]>Feb 13th 2007 10:47PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
HD DVD will hit lower pricing before Blu-Ray, in fact they are investing time right now in producing budget/value HD DVD players to be sold at lower retail prices by second tier manufactrers. The 360 HD DVD add on is already retailing for $200 including an HD DVD. If they introduce a standalone for around the same price, this whole game changes.

Any talk of this thing being early is extremely premature because neither format has a mass market friendly price yet, HDTVs still haven't been adopted by a majority of the TV market yet and the existence of dual format media and players are likely to allow both formats to exist much in the way DVD + and - have.]]>Feb 13th 2007 11:28PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.thedvdwars.com
]]>Feb 14th 2007 2:03PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.gizmocafe.com/blogs/gizmo_cafe_blog/archive/2007/02/08/106130.aspx and I think it's right.

]]>Feb 14th 2007 7:39PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/sorry, but i'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, the adult film industry isn't going to people like it did in the 80s...why?

al gores invention...the internet

ok, well...seriously. this is a digital age where people download a lot of their content, and which it from the comfort of their own basement. people dont have to rent videos, or go to peep shows like in years past, because there is so much porn you can get by simply searching and downloading. During this period, "Indecision 2008", i think that porn is really gonna have a minimal amount of sway. ]]>Feb 15th 2007 2:29AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/
Someone in these comments posted that the 360 is going to become obsolete because they invested in dvd and not hd-dvd or blu-ray. Both formats are pretty unstable right now but both of them are gaining ground everyday. TThe instability a year and 2 months ago lead Microsoft to release a Hd-dvd player later on so if blu-ray did win they wouldn't lose out on much profit and release a blu-ray player to be a competing player.

Coming from a PC perspective for games. The game industry in the PC market is just starting to release more and more games on dvd. So for consoles I see no need why developers would need 20gb+ space for games the on consoles/PC, unless it was for those Japanese CG anime sequences that I hate. (I'd rather be playing the story out then watching it.)]]>Feb 17th 2007 3:24AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/12/sony-sez-the-format-war-is-over-really/

Too bad that BD is the first to have something going into production with the cheap second tier manufacturers hey!]]>Feb 17th 2007 10:22PM