There appears to be much confusion out on the Internet right now. There are Blu-ray players being advertized for $300 to $450. There is only one problem: When one reads the detailed specs these are actually HD DVD players that do not support Blu-ray. Some of these electronics sites even list Blu-ray after the model of a clearly identified HD DVD player. How are consumers supposed to figure this out when the resellers do not have a clue?

Hopefully this trend will continue so a victor can be declared and we can all buy a next gen player with confidence. I'm glad it's Blu-Ray given it is the technologically superior of the two.

Shortly, you're going to see combination players on the market that can play both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. And then it won't matter which titles are available or which format is technically superior. Does anyone even pay attention anymore whether you buy DVD-R or DVD R blanks? No, because the combo burners made it irrelevant. And, of course, the first company to make the combo player will immediately sell a large number of them, as consumers will feel safer/protected with a less risky piece of hardware.

HD-DVD hardware is cheaper, HD-DVD production costs are cheaper, HD-DVD media is cheaper, and as far as the average Joe movie shopper is concerned, HD-DVD has no measurable downside. Meanwhile stories of nightmares with Sony DRM are always in the news. And worst yet the PS3 is being beaten by TWO other game consoles (not including the PS2!) Only a fool would support blu-ray. The longer blu-ray holds a sales lead, the longer this is going to be drawn out. When HD-DVD players drop under $199 it wont matter how many PS3's are out there.

This isnt about Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, it is about the PS3 vs HD-DVD... Sony is smart for pitting gamers against all consumer's best interests (low prices) but market forces are stronger than gamers' stupidity!

Bout time been hoping and crossing my fingers that blu-ray would win out hope it does its definetly the better of the two technologies

HD DVD did not have any releases in March, so Blu-Ray couldn't loose.
HD DVDs are flooding the market though especially in may and June.
Blu-Ray won't dominate near as much when it actually has something to compete against.
Like Wal Mart buying 2 million HD DVD players!
Ouch!

This is great. I hope that we soon will finally have winner for this format war. And I glad that Blu-Ray is on the lead. Its name sounds much better than HD-DVD and less confusing with DVD, VCD, CVD.

Man, can't wait for TMNT to be released in Blu-Ray. XD

@Shadowmaster625

I don't think price will be any issue here. To watch HD movies you need more than just a player. HD-TV with HDMI and Sound system, those things are not cheap either. People who interest in Hi-Def generally have money to spend on.

Average Joes would stick with DVD and their SD-TVs until a format clearly win and standardized. By that time, production cost would go down, low enough and affordable by anyone.

to Shadowmaster625;

News coming out slowly had originally stated that Walmart will be carrying a low-cost HD-DVD player and all HD-DVD fans rejoiced....well all stories on that are being retracted as it was apparently mis-translated and that in fact it is a Blu-Ray player that Walmart will be carrying. Best to wait to know for sure.

In either case, HD-DVD is really in trouble. You have to remember that they have Universal as the SOLE HD-DVD-only backer in the major studios, all others are BD supporters. As time goes on, the library delta between the two will only grow in favour of BD.

Besides, BD is technically superior and TDK has already showcased a 200GB disk. All major hardware CE manufacturers, except of course Toshiba, are backing BD because of that. MSFT themselves who back HD-DVD said they were open to the idea of making BD available to 360 users which speaks volume of their confidence, or lack there of, in the format.

And as far as DRM and HDCP are concerned, both formats have and will suffer equally from it as they use the same encryption and DRM methods. Both have had their problems and if anything I've heard more about issues with HD-DVD that those surfacing from BD.

I'm no fan of either as I strictly use DVDs right now, but this war is killing the next format and the faster HD-DVD throws in the towel the better for consumers, it looks like that will be the end result anyhow so why not just speed up the process.

BR will win over HD-DVD. What many people have yet to consider is that Sony is a big reason why the DVD is the dominant format in the market place today. With the release of the PS2 in 2000, which was priced at the cost of a "good" quality DVD ($299), many people purchased the PS2 just because it was a DVD player and a game console. Sony is using the same formula that they used with the PS2 on the PS3 and so far it seems to be working.

Keep in mind that HD-DVD is backed by Microsoft is the next format and their console, the Xbox 360, has an add on attachment to make it into a console capable of supporting HD-DVD. However, if you add up the cost to have a console and next gen DVD player, sony is offering more hardware for the dollar (sony $599 for system w/ 60gb HD vs. MS $399 199 for HD player = $599 with 20gb HD). Finally, I would rather sony win cause I hate MS as it is for putting out mediocre products once they gain market dominance.

It's way too early to tell who's going to win here. Sure HD-DVD only has Universal backing them in terms of major studios...but apparently the porn industry is backing them too. The support of Microsoft and Toshiba will help them as well.

Blu-Ray on the other hand...Sony, Pioneer, a number of major studios, etc...Sony has taken a few big hits lately...recalls, product defects, etc...plus the low initial release numbers and the delayed US and even worse Europe releases for the PS3...they're hurting. I really wouldn't be surprised to see them slowly die away over the next decade, maybe two...sensitive balance right now.

To really compare them, you have to look at the cons.

Blu-Ray:
-Single layer laminate means any scratch can damage or reduce performance.
-Multi-layer support...last time I checked into it, they were having problems
-Very slow load times (I think they run at 1-2X)
-Still utilizes the older MPEG-2 video format (Last time I checked)

HD-DVD
-Less overall capacity than Blu-Ray
-Not integrated into XBOX 360 like Blu-Ray is in the PS3 (Whether this is a pro or con is all opinion)
-Less big studio support (despite having more titles, last time I checked)

As for the comments on consoles...the XBOX 360's HD-DVD player is USB based, and can be used directly on a computer with a patch from Microsoft. The only computer based Blu-Ray drives I've seen run at about $1000, sometimes more. Plus...the price to package comment...the 360 Elite was announced at about $50 more, and comes with a 120 GB hard drive, HDMI, etc...And now that they released the 1080p patch for it a few months ago, the PS3 doesn't have anything the 360 doesn't.

There is no format war. The release of combo players and burners makes format a non-issue.

If there were a format war, HD-DVD would win. Anyone remember betamax/VHS? The deciding factor in that format war was the support of the adult video industry. They chose VHS, and let's face it... they sell a big ole steaming pile of media. The adult industry has chosen again, it was recently announced that they are supporting HD-DVD. Production costs are cheaper, it is that elegantly simple.

Yes, production costs of both formats are going to fall, but in my opinion, blu-ray will always cost more to produce. It is a more complex process, involving more expensive materials. Bulk purchasing and larger production facilities wont change either of those facts.

Im curious as to whom is 'winning' this 'non-war' if you drop all the console numbers. In the history of either of these technologies, has anyone actually bought a console solely to play HD content and not games? I think not, and therefore I feel the player sales numbers, which include consoles, are skewed.

To SomeJoe7777:

You make a good point in saying that combo players make discs irrevelant, but have you considered that the more Sony sells the PS3, the more of a lead blu-ray has in terms of devices capable of playing net-gen blu-ray? In otherwords, it's great there's a player that plays both formats, but have you considered that the only company losing out on disc sales will be Universal as they remain exclusive to HD-DVD? And since they are in for the money, do you really believe Universal will remain faithful if this trend continues? Yes, Toshiba might not lose out if that's the case, that there are combo players. But then, there would also no point in having HD-DVD if Universal is the only supporter of movies, seeing as though 90% of the movies coming out are on both formats or remain exclusive to blu-ray. Personally, I see the next-gen format being in favor of blu-ray, but that's just me. Hopefully that makes some sense.

There are more HD DVD players in the market than Bluray players.
Why is it that more Blueray disks are being sold than HD DVD?
The answer is: Consumers Buying Power.
Consumers that buy Bluray Players will buy more disks.
In other words, consumers that buy Bluray Players have more spending money.
It is the spenders that will set the market. The spenders seem to choose Bluray.
After all in a couple of years Blueray Players will be affordable to a wider range of consumers.
If we take in account that Bluray is a better technology, it seems to me that it is more futureproof.

Props MK.2 . I agree, if you don't have a great TV and /or sound system there is no point getting a next def player. If you do have a great TV and sound system, spending an extra few hundred to get a blu-ray player isn't that much in the scheme of things.

Either way I hope the public adopt either format. I would hate to see the public take the quality backwards with video formats in the same way that they have with audio formats (i.e. MP3 is worse sounding than CD audio, hence the massive file size difference).

There's a misconception spreading around the net that HD-DVD has the adult industry backing while blu-ray does not.

While I don't think that the adult industry support will have anywhere near the impact this time around compared to the betamax/VHS battle, both formats are/will equally support the adult industry.

Both formats are shying away from publicly announcing support for obvious PR/public image reasons.

The misconception comes from the very limited pressing capacity of BD offered currently to the adult industry. This stems from Sony currently owning most of that capacity (although more capacity outside Sony is coming online fast) and at the same time from Sony's agreement signed with Disney that prohibits Sony any involvement in disc pressing with any member of the adult industry (this agreement came as a result from the fiasco in which certain porn clips showed up on Disney DVD titles).

Make no mistake though; both formats are aggressively courting the adult industry but they will not do so publicly.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01...-ray-disc/

Please stop the fud that Blu Ray disks are fragile.

Here's where I think it's headed. Sony sold 1million of their PS1, and their PS2, as the tech gets cheaper to produce, the players get cheaper to produce, and in the end, it's not DvD-R vs DvD R, it's CD vs. DvD. You've got a tech that's good for now, and one that's great for now, and the one that's great for now, will be good later on.

Same thing with the PS3. Sony was real ballsy to release it relatively... Well... Unfinished. But the PS2 is still their flagship, still outselling everything. That'll change soon, but until then, Sony doesn't care about the next gen victor, as far as saturation goes, Sony is in way more houses than MS, remember, MS does well here in the US. Sony does well everywhere.

Blu-Ray may have a lead in product currently in the field, but the installed total base of players (both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) is very small at this point -- not yet at any kind of critical mass. The number of players of either type in the field right now is not predictive of any future sales or numbers. Another factor not yet on the playing field is the recordable market. Remember that for a long time, DVD plus R had a burning speed advantage and a price advantage over DVD-R, a factor which drove plus R burner sales. If HD-DVD-R ends up cheaper, more available, or faster than BD-R, then you have a similar market driving factor. Further, since the two formats have software differences, authoring software ease of use, availability, speed, and price will also be a factor. If dual-format players eventually become the major seller, then the movie studios can publish in any format they want and not worry about it. Universal may be behind in distribution right now by sticking to HD-DVD, but that's not going to last long.

That is true. Currently though, a majority of the electronics and computer companies have pledged full support to blu-ray. Also keep in mind that Sony was one of the ones that made DVD R, not important, but interesting to note anyhow. That is true that IF the combo players come out that studios can print to whatever format they choose, but the fact still remains that Sony, MGM, Disney, Fox, Lionsgate are exclusive to blu-ray; whereas Universal and Weinstein Co. are on the HD-DVD bandwagon. Personally, I like the movies from the former better, and I strongly believe that PS3 will be the catalyst for blu-ray like PS2 was for DVD. The more PS3 they can push, the more movies that can sell to a wider audience. And, when the prices of the stand-alone can come down in price, they won't need to use PS3 as a Trojan Horse any longer. But it comes as no surprise that blu-ray is currently outselling HD-DVD 2:1 for the past 3-4 months, and I believe firmly the trend will not cease with the likes of Pirates of the Carribean coming out on blu-ray next month near when the third movie is coming out.

Porn is no longer the deciding factor for this battle because of high-speed internet and computers in millions of homes in the US. HD content is already available in many porn sites and a single Blu-ray/HD-DVD costs as much as a month's subscription. Back in the Beta/VHS era, the internet was not widely available and broadband was unheard of.

I may be underestimating the average consumer, but I feel BR will win because their attractive blue cases (at least in the movie department), whereas HD-DVD's cases are shit-brown.

First off, a combo drive will need at least 4 different optical lenses to play all current disc formats, One for Blu-Ray, One for HD-DVD, One for DVD and finally One for CD.
It is very expensive to add the extra lens to accommodate all four. Current HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray players have three lenses. HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, DVD
There are ones planned that exclude the CD optical lens. This may not be a huge issue but some people are bound to be angry that they can't play CD's through their player.

Microsoft doesn't care what you use, may the best DRM win... er, nevermind.

-Stewart