You'd think that Michael
BDA Bay might be happy with his
record-breaking HD DVD release of
Transformers, but he re-voiced his preference for the blue camp in a recent interview. Granted, his movie probably would have been wildly successful on either HD format, but it seems like either he's got a bit of "gift horse"/"mouth" or he's come down from the
kool-aid. Talking about the format war, he said "It's short-sighted and it has delayed consumers' moving to HD (home video). As a director, my critical eye is that Blu-ray is where my money is." We totally agree with him on the format war being a real mess, but if he really wants to get feedback on which format consumers prefer, shouldn't he be pushing for a dual-format release?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
domerdel @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:04PM
i'm not sure a dual format would make Michael Bay entirely happy. He wants two encode authoring, but with the exclusivity that Paramount/Dreamworks have, that request is not even on the same planet right now.
ryan @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:06PM
Isn't his pro-BD comments from when Paramount first went HD-DVD exclusive or did he say them again? His comment looks very much like what he said a few months ago.
Dave @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:16PM
Wow. Where did he voice his preference for Blu-Ray again? He said the format war is short-sighted--and it is, in fact, delaying HDM adoption. He said Blu-Ray is where the money is--and Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD.
You guys are unbelievable. Why don't you change your site to BluRayFanBoy.com?
John B @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:37PM
@Dave:
Because h4ldol already owns and lives it. :)
TrentD @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:23PM
The really funny thing about it is that Bay is a big fan of ultra-special editions, with special features out the wazoo. The Pearl Harbor 4-disc set is one example.
Ironically, all the cool special features like the director's commentary, the Transformers HUD overlayed on the film, and the seven days of special Transformers downloads accessible through the disc, AREN'T EVEN SUPPORTED by current Blu-ray players! Since an ethernet jack isn't mandatory, and are extremely rare on BD players, none of the online features would have worked, and the other features aren't supported by crippled 1.0 BD players.
The mandatory interactivity spec of HD DVD actually benefited him in bringing his director's vision of Transformers to the home. If there had been a Blu-ray version, it would have been just like Warner's 300 - totally devoid of the special features that Bay places such a high value on.
And by the way, the picture is reference quality too!
HeiSt-420 @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:33PM
Engadget is terribly biased... TeRRiBLy....
Like Bay even gives a flying f*ck; I just see this as more Blu-Ray propaganda.
With High-Def Media adoption at ONE FREAKING percent, there's no "money" in blu-ray, sha'mown now.
Cheap media, a shitload of exclusive titles, cheap HD-DVD players = The average consumer adopting HD-DVD
AG23 @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:40PM
@HeiSt-420
How is EngadgetHD biased for or against Blu-Ray.
They are just reporting the news regarding HD which is what they are supposed to do!
And this is not the same thing as he said a few months back, this was in an interview published in USA Today yesterday...
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/dvd/2007-10-22-transformers-bay_N.htm
Geoff Gibson @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:35PM
Prepare for the Michael Bay retraction and apology in:
5. . .
4. . .
3. . .
2. . .
1. . .
Seriously though, does he really think the Blu Ray is where his money is? I am an HD DVD guy but even I have to admit that the whole war in general is pretty abysmal, 190,000 HD DVDs in week one compared to the 8.3 million DVDs? Let us not forget that Transformers is the single best 1-week selling HDM title to date and yet it still doesn't even account for 5% of the total Transformers sales.
andyg8180 @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:47PM
Yeah but with a blockbuster movie like his, it would have sold big on both formats like 300 did... We cant go solely off single movie sales here because a lot of people rather rent movies... HD-DVD, technology-wise, is far ahead of blu-ray, hence the Blu-Ray 1.1 mandate...
But of course fanboys on both sides are still going to have at it, so everyones comments are worthless to the comments of "HD-Dud" and "Blu-Gay" comments that are non-stop... Wahhh blu-ray wells more movies, Waaahhh hd-dvd players are cheaper... WHO GIVES a damn, can we get a steady platform?
rinwin @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:50PM
HD-DVD would have been long dead if it wasn't for Microsoft funding all the propaganda and paying off "supporters" and "editors". Toshiba has always been and forever will be Microsoft's bitch. I'm sure the world is a better place and more kids will become future astronauts with Windows Media support logo on Toshiba DVD players.
TrentD @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:53PM
Make sure your tin foil hat is tightly fastened, because the black helicopters are coming to get you.
Some people are a little too angry.
ryan @ Oct 23rd 2007 3:54PM
I'd much rather Toshiba be Microsoft's bitch then myself being Sony's bitch. There's a club just for that, there are quite a few members. On behalf of someone not in the club welcome to the club!
Dave @ Oct 23rd 2007 8:45PM
"HD-DVD would have been long dead if it wasn't for Microsoft funding all the propaganda and paying off "supporters" and "editors"."
Actually, Blu-Ray would be long dead if it wasn't for the PS3. It was losing prior to the PS3 launch. Blu-Ray is still behind in standalone players.
HeiSt-420 @ Oct 23rd 2007 4:30PM
@ ryan
u put it perfectly! The vast majority of PS3 owners are simply dissapointed gamers, who now have to take advantage of their last-place gaming machine to watch high-def movies. while hd-dvd adopters CHOSE HD-DVD from the very beginning, buying a dedicated player (or player add-on), and NOT a gaming machine; not being force-fed a weak gaming machine, and eventually having to buy movies for it to get their money's worth.
HD-DVD is a *complete* technology, although they might add region coding to cater to New Line. I support HD-DVD because of their STANDARDS, and dont support Blu-Ray because of their lack thereof. All i have to say is, check out BluRay's coming release of T3, how pathetic is it that they chose to get around the problematic BDJ by putting TWO versions of the movie on the same disc, pathetic from a technological standpoint.
I also attribute Transformer's success to the true movie buff's out there; Who buy movie players, and not gaming rigs. The Blu Ray fan base is made up mostly of dissapointed young adults who bought a PS3, and actually thought it would be a gaming machine...
I guess I'd be a Blu-Ray fanboy too if I was tricked into buying this movie machine that was masked as a video-game console.
MegaZone @ Oct 23rd 2007 9:56PM
Uh-huh. I bought a PS3 to use primarily for Blu-ray, with gaming secondary. I own or have on order over 30 BD titles, I haven't purchased any new games yet - though I'll probably grab Rock Band. I'm not much of a gamer, but I enjoy movies. The PS3 is a good player, and it is a better value because I do like to game from time to time and would end up buying a console at some point anyway. Sony is also planning to launch video downloads (like Xbox has now), which will be a bonus. I'm 36, I'm not a disappointed young gamer
And I know other people who have done the same - picked up a PS3 for Blu-ray as the primary function. I've heard from more who plan to pick up the $400 PS3 next month too.
In the end what matters is the movie sales - doesn't matter if it is a buff like myself or a kid picking up a BD just because he can - a sale is a sale and the PS3 is helping Blu-ray win.
h4Idol sucks @ Oct 23rd 2007 4:36PM
Oh Michael Bay,
Your movie was good but couldve been great if it wasnt one HUGE commercial for GM and the Air Force. I enjoyed the HDDVD but his comments are a little ridiculous. Whose fault is it that people arent adopting HDM????? Its Toshiba and Sony for not agreeing on a format. Now they are both losing because they are fighting over 2%.
8.3million dvds / 190k hddvd's = 2.28%
@ rinwin - dont talk about Microsoft pushing the format war. You want to know who is???? Sony! Forcing people that want a ps3 to buy a blu ray player is crap and Im glad theyre losing the console war because of it. They would be in the console war even without any great games if the console wouldnt have been $500-$600 for the last year.
I surprised h4Idol hasnt said anything. He must be on vacation. That or hes changed his name and finally talking like a normal person
Ed @ Oct 23rd 2007 4:57PM
You forgot to mention how much Michael Bay needs new screenwriters and better casting directors (lots of busty ladies, but not a lot of variety if you know what I mean).
And maybe we should cut "rinwin" some slack. At least he makes an attempt to present an argument unlike our "buddy", h4Idol.
Phoenixxx1974 @ Oct 23rd 2007 7:37PM
just wanted to clarify why GM cars were used. I am assuming you did not see the making of transformers on HBO huh?
They sent invites/letters to all car companies for the rights to use their car in the movie and the ONLY one who responded was GM so yes there is a valid explanation to why all the cars were GM because they did not have the rights to any other cars. Plus the military has worked with Bay on other movies so they were more then happy to lend their hand and get free advertizing.
rinwin @ Oct 24th 2007 1:03AM
It's called proper product marketing. Most geeks in this world have no understanding of this.
I'm sure the majority of normal consumers would prefer an extra dangling peripheral in ADDITION to the console box... right. If everyone could build their OWN PC from scratch off Newegg, the world would be a better place! And OH your living room would look sooo... GEEK?
dude, I'm a geek (software engineer) too inside but I live in the real world.
EEL @ Oct 23rd 2007 4:36PM
QUICK, SOMEBODY GO FIND h4Idol! Michael Bay is on his side! And maybe, just maybe, h4Idol will finally explain why he loves Blu-Ray so much, loves PS3 so much, hates HD-DVD, XBOX 360 and the "war" in Iraq.
Kris @ Oct 23rd 2007 4:55PM
First of all, Steven, this interview by Michael Bay was conducted before yesterday's press release of the record breaking sales and your article makes it sound like this was his reaction after the sales announcement. I think you need to clear that up, as he will probably retract what he said now that Paramount made their 190,000 first week record announcement and be pro-HD DVD again. We saw him last time, we all know Michael Bay is nothing more than a flip flopper who constantly changes his mind and is never satisfied. This whole interview originated from him voicing his frustrations over the DVD release and how he wanted a 4disc set of bonus stuff, etc. etc. Please don't make it sound like he's mad at the sales record as this was taken prior to that!
Eddie @ Oct 23rd 2007 5:07PM
Old news and misquoted source. Comments taken from his original entry.
Thanks for making that an easy one.
See ya next time HD DVD scores another point against BR.
Steven Kim @ Oct 23rd 2007 5:13PM
@Kris: Good point, and thanks for keeping me honest. But if you read through to the original USA Today piece, you'll see they also mix the statements by Bay and the sales figures. It's not clear when he was interviewed by USA Today relative to when the sales figures were known. And I don't know that he's not upset at the sales record -- a dual format release could have put him over the mark set by '300', perhaps. So far today, no retraction from Bay, either. Personally I think he'll stick by Blu-ray, even despite the good numbers put up by the Transformers release.
Dave @ Oct 23rd 2007 8:47PM
@Steven Kim
Really, Steven, I'm not sure he's "sticking by" Blu-Ray. He says the format war is bad. I agree. He says the money is in Blu-Ray. I agree with that, too--as they sell more movies. Would it surprise you to know that I'm a huge HD DVD advocate? I prefer it. Yet, here I am not disagreeing with a guy you claim is a supporter of Blu-Ray for the exact same opinion. I don't think it's clear from the article that he prefers the Blu-Ray format.
Franssu @ Oct 23rd 2007 5:45PM
"As a director, my critical eye is that Blu-ray is where my money is." - Michael Bay
Michael Bay ? As a director ? You mean THE Micheal Bay ? The Michael Bay who directed Pearl Harbor ? Wow the HD-DVD camp must be afraid. Really, really afraid.
Jeff N. @ Oct 23rd 2007 6:10PM
I do agree that the format war has prevented many from buying a new generation of DVD player(Hi Def). Transformers sold more than 8 million DVD's and only about 200,000 were in High Def. It's nothing to get really excited about. Neither format is winning big time approval from the public which is what really counts.
Angelo @ Oct 23rd 2007 6:41PM
I own just a Xbox360 and don't have a HDM player (yet), so I'm pretty much on the sidelines of this thing for now, but there's something that's really bothering about HD-DVD. Wasn't one of the justifications for HD-DVD that the manufacturing process would be cheaper as they could simply repurpose existing DVD manufacturing equipment without having to change the laser diodes? I totally get that this will help them get the players down to mass-market pricing first, but why are the discs the same price as Bluray if this is the case? Is the benefit then that the studios make a bigger profit off of HD-DVD sales than they would off of Bluray? I don't see the benefit to the consumer one way or the other if the media costs are the same, which is really the major cost in the long run after the player prices come down to reason.
Jimmy @ Oct 23rd 2007 7:56PM
Angelo,
The cost of production for either disc is almost identical. Here are the most recent numbers I can find. These prices are for orders of 10,000 disks. The price goes down the more you order.
HD DVD Single Layer: $1.15 per disk
Blu-ray Single Layer: $1.30 per disk
HD DVD Dual Layer: $1.30 per disk
Blu-ray Dual Layer: $1.45 per disk
These are not the only costs. There are set-up fees or first-run fees that some replicators charge. For either format these 'other' fees are basically identical and as you can see from the price list above there is less than 15% difference in actual disk fees.
The real investment in putting a disk on the market is in mastering the disk: encoding the film, gathering all of the extras, writing code for bonus features, etc. These items can easily eat up thousand of man hours.
Bob P. @ Oct 24th 2007 8:24AM
@Angelo
Here's your info
HD-DVD disks could be created using the existing manufacturing equipment. Blu-ray needs new manufacturing equipment. This cost though is born by the disk manufacturers though and Jimmy's numbers below are pretty standard from what I've seen. It should also be noted that since most manufacturing companies try to run as close to 100% as possible, that there hasn't been a drop off in demand for dvd's and that it takes time to retool the euqipment to make HD-DVD's most manufacturers decided to purchase new equipment anyway. Blu-ray equipment runs almost 3 times the current cost of DVD(HD-DVD) manufacturing equipment, but is almost twice as fast and can make DVD, HD_DVD and Blu-ray disks. Additionally it is easier to switch between them since it was designed that way.
There's also to hardware manufacturing side. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray use the exact same laser, but HD-DVD uses the same optics as DVD. Blu-ray uses much more advanced optics which wasn't in mass production at the time. This is one of the prime reasons for Blu-rays higher price, but it should come down quickly as mass production steps up.
Jeff @ Oct 23rd 2007 7:15PM
Breaking News!!!! Michael Bay has the IQ of a 5-year-old rhesus monkey with downs syndrome.
Michael @ Oct 23rd 2007 10:54PM
So you mean to tell me Dodge didn't agree to have their car prominantly featured as a Decepticon police cruiser?
Get outta town!
H4Idol @ Oct 23rd 2007 7:47PM
Hi guys, I'm baaaaaack.
Just thought I'd let you all know that I have officially come out of the closet. I luv blu ray and I luv you.
I also luv HD DVD, I think it's great, in fact, I think it's better than blu ray :)
Lets just all hold hands and sing together
"United we Stand,Divided we Fall".
Steven Kim @ Oct 24th 2007 2:21AM
@Dave: You could be right. We'll see if Bay issues a statement. But when he said "...Blu-ray is where my money is," I interpreted that as his vote for Blu-ray. But you could be right, maybe he meant that Blu-ray is where the money is. And I'm not shocked you're a HD DVD supporter -- this format war does make for some interesting points of conversation.
HeiSt-420 @ Oct 23rd 2007 10:08PM
The point i'm trying to get across is the fact that the average consumer is going to decide this war. Not a handful of tech-geeks like ourselves who do all this online-research.
At 1-2% ... mostly techies have adopted a format. When it's time for the average consumer to make their decision, they'll be leaning towards movie selection and MAINLY, PRICE TO OWN A HIGH DEFINITION MOVIE PLAYER. The majority's not going to pay double for something that producdes the same quality movie. HD-DVD ftw =)
EDO* @ Oct 24th 2007 12:46AM
That was a Saleen Mustang not a Dodge.
Michael @ Oct 23rd 2007 11:05PM
Nobody's going to win until a single format wins.
Sony doesn't want to back down because they already lost the Betamax vs. VHS war in the 1980s.
Sony seems to be a fan of proprietary formats with their UMD used for the PSP and MemoryStick used in the PSP and Sony digital cameras.
If they lose the next-gen optical disc war, I don't think they'll be able to recover.
Here's hoping a clear winner will emerge soon, otherwise we'll all have to buy dual-format players in the interim.
peyote @ Oct 23rd 2007 11:35PM
Stephen Kim,
i hope you noticed your misinformation of the story. the story you mention above is based on the Bay being disappointed about the production level of the DVD version. they only mention bay's past distaste with HD-DVD at the end of the story as a historical point of reference where he stands, they just didn't time stamp it.
i understand the importance of getting news out quick which also means mistakes will be made. but to not fix mistakes is not a good thing. reports like this do make you guys look like the worst kind of BD fanboys (the ones that blog & report it as news).
check out bay's blog. i did. i listen to this podcast, but this is inexcusably bad reporting. whatever it is, it took me 10 seconds to notice the mistake & it would take the same amount of time for you to RETRACT it or update the story.
still love the podcast & this is in no reflection of it.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/dvd/2007-10-22-transformers-bay_N.htm
Steven Kim @ Oct 24th 2007 2:40AM
@peyote: Thanks for listening to the podcast, and for your compliments. I don't think that I said anything in a Blu-ray fanboy tone in the post -- I certainly didn't intend to, because, well, I'm not a Blu-ray fanboy. Looking at the USA-Today article (which is where I pulled the quote from), I see the sentence immediately before the Bay quotes reads "...but he *is* still upset about the format war" (emphasis mine), which I took to mean 'at the time of this article'.
JBDragon @ Oct 23rd 2007 11:43PM
Look what has happened to DVD Audio and SACD! Sony and to cause problems there also, and both formats have pretty much died over junky MP3's. The same will end up happening with Blu-Ray/HD DVD. Die to Down loadable HD Movies. With DVD sticking around indefinitely. Blu-Ray would have been long dead if it wasn't being forced on PS3 suckers. Also anyone buying a PS3 mainly for a Blu-Ray movie player, WHY? It sucks for that since it lacks a IR port. Any Serious Blu-Ray Movie watcher will have a Halfway decent HDTV setup, and using a good Universal Remote. Myself I use a Harmony 1000 with my setup which works great with the 360 and it's HD DVD drive. Last thing I want to do is use a second crappy Sony Remote to control the PS3 with Blu-Tooth. Or one of the Hack PS2 Adapters to kind of work, but doesn't control importing things like On/Off, so still pretty much worthless.
If it wasn't for Sony forcing Blu-Ray with the PS3, The Format war would have been over long ago, with the better finished HD DVD winning. Dual Players really isn't a good way to go. Costs are to high, and why make disc's in both formats for years down the road?!?! Stupid. Blu-Ray, should DIE. It's a unfinished format that should be done with. If it wasn't rushed out into the market place Unfinished in the first place, it would have failed anyway, so kill it NOW. Kill that DRM infested garbage. Where're getting away from that with Music, but want more of it with Movies? Are you kidding me?
domerdel @ Oct 24th 2007 12:45AM
JBDragon,
I've read your comments in the past and even though I disagree with you i respect your non-fanboyism tone.
However, I can't say the same for this one. The PS3 is quite undoubtly the most powerful console/player out there. And I always here HD-DVD guys gripe "Well, if it weren't for PS3, the format would be dead". get over yourself, it's a great marketing tactic. And might I add that you brought up SACD, that there are more players involved other than story, so your past analogy will not work here.
As for my HDTV setup, it's pretty sweet, I do have a universal remote, and I'll have to change to my PS3 movie remote... there's a technology out there you may not have heard of that is probably a thousand times better than IR... it's called bluetooth, now I know that's not the case for my other devices, but the 3 second latency it takes from me to pick up one remote to the next I can live with.
So here's some clarity to you HD-DVD guys
1) The production cost is not that high anymore, in the beginning it was and developed a stereotype, in which you stopped your level of research.
2) "well, if it weren't for the PS3, blah blah blah" get over it, it's a great tactic.
3)Bugs/issues with BD+ or movies in general - this is like exploiting one of microsofts daily security vulnerability patch... it's really not that big of a deal, and in my movie watching experience, I have had a flawless victory with my library so far.
Notice I didn't rip on HD-DVD? Just simply stating my point of view of blu-ray, and my experience with it. I love it, go blu. You like HD-DVD? Good for you, enjoy your movie collection and defending your freedom of choice. You're not stupid, and neither am I.
H4Idol* @ Oct 24th 2007 3:15AM
@Domerdel
I resent that remark, I, for one, am very stupid!
peyote @ Oct 24th 2007 6:07PM
steven kim,
wrong on your quote. that was at the bottom of the article. everything below the "find more interesting stuff::::::::etc." are just bullet points of the past.
you're not meant to quote backlogs as current day events.
yes at some point in time he did say that, but that point was when they originally switched to HD-DVD.
this is just something you don't assume what they meant when reporting. find a quote anywhere on the internet that proves he said that in october & i'll send a crisp $100 bill or however you want if you can prove your report is true.
please prove otherwise.....thanks for responding...
peyote @ Oct 24th 2007 6:28PM
Steven Kim, I hate to do this but I'm calling you out. Put up or shut up. i'll pay you to prove it ($100) & consider it a donation to the site. i'd gladly donate to the site anyway, but in this case you're way off.
engadget link below was the timeframe it originally happened. he's recently only been upset about how the DVD's turned out because they got rushed. He was not quoted anywhere in the story about what you said. bullet points are not quotes at the bottom but summarizations about the past.
like i said on this & other post, prove you're right & i'll pay....
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/21/michael-bay-responds-to-paramounts-abandonment-of-blu-ray-no-t/
now we have idiots doing the same reporting as you:
http://www.onthexbox.com/forum/showthread.php?s=e5f3843048c93117d8e5f14811ece488&p=87352#post87352
of course he copied & pasted it but basically titled it as you did.
rinwin @ Oct 24th 2007 2:49AM
Dave: "Actually, Blu-Ray would be long dead if it wasn't for the PS3. It was losing prior to the PS3 launch. Blu-Ray is still behind in standalone players."
*sorry for my wordiness*
Ok, people in this country need to stop feeding into propaganda headlines from the FOX news school of journalism. Stop swallowing these lies as if it were facts. THINK.
Just because you could buy an HD DVD player 6 months before you could buy a Blu-ray player doesn't mean in any way shape or form that HD DVD was WINNING.
Blu-ray was/is winning only because of majority studio, manufacturer, and more recently large retailer support.
Just because some geek put up a website with the word WAR in it doesn't mean you have to gather your geek troops and do single-day spike sales of any given format. Despite what you may think/dream, it still comes down to industry support at this point.
There has been countless number of propangada spins to try and convince people there is a WAR.
theDVDWars.com: based on Amazon.com unit sales statistics is retarded, but the geeks still followed. READ: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=781308
In today's world of the internet, Microsoft has people including willing anybodys and "professional editors" on the payroll to post fake support and lies on all major websites: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/24/tech/main2392719.shtml
Many huge traffic posts on this "war" are started because of posts from a so called "industry expert", Rob Enderle. Remember these original posts he did?
http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback158.html
http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback184.html
Oh yeah, ended up being total lies. Who is Rob Enderle? Ohhhh, he's on the Microsoft payroll.
And remember the OMG, porn has gone exclusive with HD DVD?!?! FALSE. It ended up only being that Sony wouldn't itself produce porn on Blu-ray, but it never meant any other disc duplication plant couldn't do it. You think Sony prints out everyone's porn in this world? MSNBC ended up trying to spin more of the lie by trying to force Vivid porn exec to take a side with a format on national TV: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=dcb882f9-6fb3-44ff-876e-66db6af4ae7e
When more large retailers started to announce big support for Blu-ray on their shelves, Microsoft pulled what it only knows how to do which is its huge sum of cash... and paying $150 million to buy off several studios for "exclusive" support. This was an obvious desparate move. There is NO HD DVD group ok, it's Microsoft because they have the bank to do it. Just like taking a $6 billion loss in 1st gen XBOX.. they do it because they CAN.
Oh and for those who just read headlines and don't follow up on their facts, it's not FOREVER HD DVD exclusivity for those studios... it's for 2 years ONLY people.
smee @ Oct 24th 2007 6:30AM
That has to be the most one eyed, mixed up, incorrect piece of blu drivel to ever hit a blog. I suppose sony are the white knights in all of this?
Do some research before you spout such garbage, most of us here know what's going on, you are an embarrassment to the blu team!
You win the prize champ, you are officially the biggest KNOB to ever post here, you make H4Idol look like an intellect!
Alan @ Oct 24th 2007 3:24AM
Seeing all these comments only makes me giggle like a school girl. I enjoy both formats, although I'm more partial to Blu Ray for a few different reasons. I've watched the same film on my set up in all three current formats (dvd, bd, and hd dvd). Movies being 300, Troy, and The Departed. The quality of blu ray is just so much more intense. Colors are more vivid and the sound suburb. I bought the HD player because of HD exclusives, but all dual formats are purchased on BD. Call it fan boyism if you will, but everyone is entitled to there opinion. Eventually, there will come a point where someone says "Ok, this is the HD format and thats that." until then, I'll sit back and watch people grip about formats while I enjoy both :)
Dave @ Oct 24th 2007 7:57PM
@Alan
"The quality of blu ray is just so much more intense. Colors are more vivid and the sound suburb."
You've noticed something no independent reviewer ever has. According to independent reviews, there is no discernable difference. And, with little exception, if there are two versions, they are encoded in EXACTLY the same way. In other words, they are the same resolution, they use the same audio codec, they use the same video codec, they are the same file size. Why? They are the same encode.
h4Idol sucks @ Oct 24th 2007 9:03AM
@ Ed youre on the ball
@ Phoenixxx1974 I watched the making of on the second disk of the HDDVD. Im sure it was the same one that was on HBO. I totally understand why GM was used, but its still basically a commercial for them. I know that he has a great relationship with the military, and it was obvious they were going to be used. But for the average person that hasnt seen the making, how can they not think that GM basically made the movie? Dont get me wrong though, I still like the movie.
@ rinwin In no way am I trying to be negative towards you, but sony really screwed up with the ps3. Just think about it, WHAT IF they wouldve came out when they did, but NOT put a blu ray drive in? It wouldve been priced much cheaper and they wouldnt be almost totally out of the console race. Is the ps3 the best blu ray player there is? Yes, hands down. Is it the worst console? Once again yes. The sales numbers speak for themselves.
Do I prefer a HDM add on? No, not really, BUT I do like the choice, and so do others. I can 100% guarantee that I would not have bought my 360 when it first launched if it wouldve included a HDDVD player. The price wouldve been waaaay to high and its too early to adopt. I wish, everyone could build their own pc. You can build a pc and not have it look geeky. I did. I hate the glowing lights and stuff, but once again, you get into choice :)
rinwin @ Oct 24th 2007 4:27PM
@ h4Idol sucks: PS3 being at a high price point yes sucks indeed, but bundling the Blu-ray player for a platform that is intended by Sony to last a while is great product marketing. There are some consumers who don't WANT a DVD player with their PS3. Gamers historically are the ones that pay big $$$ for their crazy gaming rigs, so I don't see the high price point as being a huge negative long-term. Point being compared to a standalone player, the PS3 is a great deal.
I know many who bought the PS2 when it came out because it included a DVD player.
A big reason for slow sales for PS3 is availability of games. Microsoft did a strategic thing to release the XBOX ahead. This allows for developers to take advantage of the API earlier. When PS3 was launched, most developers just got the PS3 API.
Sony has the luxury of being a manufacturer of hardware and can scale their products over time to profitability. Microsoft's only goal is market share. 1st gen XBOX was a $6 billion loss. They may have done well in north america for 1st gen XBOX, but in the rest of the world sales were crap.
Anyhow I'm not debating why one console is technically better than another. Just want to state some facts on this so called HD format "war". It wouldn't have been this way if Microsoft just let the industry/retailers decide on one format as it was already doing so.
h4Idol sucks @ Oct 24th 2007 9:03AM
@ Alan I understand your point, but youre incorrect about the look of the movies. What it depends on is how the studios do the encoding for the movie. Each for should look exactly the same if they are encoded the same. Many studios are using crappy MPEG 2 encodes that take up a ton of space and dont look that great. Just look at some of the re-releases already for bluray. (5th element and robocop(I may be wrong about robocop)). HDVD isnt perfect either.
The SACD and DVD audio point is great. People were so confused about the 2 that people just gave up and they both died. I dont understand why it is ALWAYS sony that seems to be involved in these battles, where everyone loses. Im willing to bet that both formats will be around forever, or they will both die out. If bluray would get their act together and finish their spec, then some more dual format players could come onto the market and I would get one. Until then, I will be attempting to enjoy my A2 with 1/2 of the movies I want to see. I want this crap to end!