Bye-Bye HD-DVD

[potthole]

Looks like it might be the end of the road for HD-DVD.  Good news for people who have been waiting to see what product, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, would "win." 

Bad news, possibly, for those who have already purchased a Blu-Ray player.

1. Nearly all current Blu-ray players are obsolete: The Blu-ray standard is still evolving. Most models currently available use the original Profile 1.0 standard, while some newer models use Profile 1.1 (which adds the ability to show picture-in-picture commentaries). Later this year, the first Profile 2.0 players--which add the ability to deliver online special features (BD Live)--will become available. Ironically, both of these are designed to bring the Blu-ray standard in line with HD DVD players, which have long been able to deliver these features.

A couple of the most recent Blu-ray players (the combo players from Samsung and LG) can be updated from Profile 1.0 to 1.1 with a downloadable firmware update. But the PlayStation 3 is, supposedly, the only existing Blu-ray player that will be fully upgradeable to Profile 2.0. So if you don't want your Blu-ray player to be obsolete, the PS3 is your only choice until 2.0 models--such as the Panasonic DMP-BD50--hit later this year.

[Revan/anakinjmt]

Dang. My mom bought an HD-DVD player too because all the research she did suggested it would win. And I thought it'd be the consoles that would decide this battle, considering the 360 is doing so much better than the PS3. This makes me a littlemore interested in getting a PS3, but not by much.

[The Dark One™]

Does this mean that the PS3 could actually make a come back from it's dead last place?

STAY TUNED

[TheTire]

I'm sorry that I have to ask this, but why do we really need to replace DVD? Is Blu-Ray signifigantly better than it, or is it just that Sony's used to making new consp;es every few years and thought they should do the same with DVD?

[Revan/anakinjmt]

I'm sorry that I have to ask this, but why do we really need to replace DVD? Is Blu-Ray signifigantly better than it, or is it just that Sony's used to making new consp;es every few years and thought they should do the same with DVD?

Well, if you're asking that question, you should ask why we had to replace VHS with DVD.

Same reasons now as then: Better picture quality and more content that can be fitted in a release.

[Sonic the Werewolf.]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I still don't see a reason to spend hundreds of dollars to update to Blu-Ray. I'm content with normal DVDs...

The fact that not all normal DVDs are backwards-compatible with Blu-Ray players doesn't sway my opinion much either.

[Revan/anakinjmt]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I still don't see a reason to spend hundreds of dollars to update to Blu-Ray. I'm content with normal DVDs...

The fact that not all normal DVDs are backwards-compatible with Blu-Ray players doesn't sway my opinion much either.

Version 2.0 is, but the only players that are 2.0, besides the brand spanking new ones, are PS3s, because currently they're the only ones that  are upgradeable.

[potthole]

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I still don't see a reason to spend hundreds of dollars to update to Blu-Ray. I'm content with normal DVDs...

And for probably the next couple of years, you'll be ok.  Eventually you're going to have to upgrade, however.

The big thing for Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, etc. is the whole HD-TV revolution.  Normal DVD's can't really show the picture quality that Blu-Ray can.  If you have a nice HD-TV, which sooner or later most everybody will probably have, why would you want to watch a movie that doesn't take full advantage of your television's picture quality?

I personally won't be looking to purchase a Blu-Ray player for awhile, mainly due to current costs and the current lack of an HD-TV, but within the next two year I will probably make the jump.