Not since the infamous
PS3 crime wave of late 2006 have we seen anything like this. According to a notice posted on the heavily trafficked
AVS Forum, the HD DVD and Blu-ray sections are being closed to new posts "for a short time," and the reasoning behind such a severe action may shock you. Apparently, a number of hot-headed posters have not only been dissin' supporters of (insert rival format here), but some have lashed out at other members with "physical threats that have involved police and possible legal action." While it's not exactly clear what pushed these extremists to the edge, there's no denying that the recent
price drops on standalone HD DVD players have given the HD community as a whole
a lot more to yap about, and we guess some folks just didn't know where to draw the line. The format war just took on a whole new meaning, and it's not one to be proud of.
[Via
CNET, image courtesy of
Olive-Drab]
posted Nov 7th 2007 5:41PM
So many people, so few lives.
I, for one, welcome our warring high definition overlords.
JLTate , you just defined the word cliche :|
*steps on soapbox*
Yep. I've seen it on AVS Forum. As a member there, I'm constantly amazed by the behavor of several long-time members. These are guys with 5,000 + posts, early, EARLY adopters with a lot of disposible income and people who make a pretty impressive salary doing whatever they do for a living. Which is why it is puzzling to me when I see those folks writing threatening comments against other members (i.e, physical harm) and THREATENING the moderators and the owner of that web-site with legal action should their posts be deleted!
Well, what those idiots don't get is the First Amendment means bupkis on a private web-site and the moderators have every right to delete, edit and remove those morons AND call the police when threats are leveled at other members.
Just my rant.
*gets off soapbox*
http://dogtoe.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/arguing_on_the_internet.jpg
Caronize - Greatest post evar?
@CraigJ - An argument is an argument be it on the internet or in real life. Now death threats over the internet are stupid.
@Neebs - Sorry but I can't read your comment without hearing it being said by the comic book guy from The Simpsons.
Hmm... Price vs superiority. I'll go with superiority, thanks.
Go Blu-ray!
As someone who was around for the Betamax Vs VHS war (if only just) I can safely say that in the end price always decides. Most people are not concerned with which format is best and are more concerned about which they can afford.
I think in the end we might get a sort of stalemate where HD-DVD is used for movies and Blu-Ray is used for data storage/access. Annoying as that might be.
"What set you rollin wit?"
" BLUUUU RAAAAEEEE"
"Wrong answer muthafucka!"
Let's see what's running through the minds of these people. "I can take 20 minutes out of my day to write death threats that make me sound like a tard orrrr I could write a meaningful letter to my letter local member of government about a serious world issue like poverty, hunger, or the environment." hmmmm tough choice isn't it douchebags.
"JLTate , you just defined the word cliche :|"
Yeah, I know. :)
@carbonize: so true
@rv: funny s**t! I literally laughed out loud.
wow seems like some of the readers over there are making the fan-boys on this site look like diplomats
If i spent 1,000 + for a High def dvd player then i would be crazy about wanting it to win as well.
But ..um..., i must clarify - i would not be death threat crazy.
fanboi's R teh ghey
Must be bacause HD-DVD is 90 bucks and Blu-Ray is 700 for a PS3!!!!!!!!!!!
$399... it has never been $700
you could even tack it on as the PS3 costs $299 and the included blu-ray player adds the other $100.... theres your $100 ps3.. oh and it includes a removable sata Hard Drive.. not some crippled proprietary "memory card"....
Say what you will. When the PS3 reaches 1/15 the sales of the wii or the 360. Let me know.
Most figures place it roughly 1/2.
Wow... you really are stupid.
Get a life people
This time h4idol has gone too far!!
Maybe if they had more good hi-def movies to watch...
Just sad, so sad.
To all those whole made the threats, maybe the format you chose should loose, just like your loosing attitude
So sad. its all fun and games 'til someone gets hurt. luckily no one has....yet. Ya happy now Hollywood...
It's like the Bloods and the Crips, only with chubby a/v geeks doing drive-by flame wars from their man caves.
LOL, aw man....that was great.
HDDVD 4 LIFE!
Im gonna go submit some youtube videos of me dissing other brand by pissing on their corpses now. Gotta call dem out, hopefully the po-po dont sho.
All your base are belong to us!!
"Possbile legal action"
Fanboyism is illegal now? I mean, that wouldn't be a bad thing...
Bluray holds a lot more data on a single disc.....why would anyone still support HD when it holds, what......half?
Because its cheaper and produces equal audio/video quality. THAT'S why!
And not everyone cares about Disney movies
See Terminator 3. The reason why BD needs 50gig is because it needs to hold TWO copies of the same movie to deliver picture in picture, which btw is not TRUE-IME (i swear, the "TRUE"xxx is way overused.)
The only "need" for BR's supposed "extra" capacity (you apparently don't know that most BR discs are only 25GB, compared to HD-DVD's 30GB) existed when Sony was still insisting on using its own outdated compression format, which required significantly more space. Once everyone saw how crappy the discs authored under format looked, Sony started using VC1 as well. Really no need for much more than 20GB, as demonstrated by Sony's own discs. Sony's claim about extra capacity is nothing more than marketing spin used to dupe people like you into paying 2x or 3x the price.
Thanks miguel,
finally some truth. After buying two hd-dvd players and the PS3 I have to say I think HD-DVD is better. I have also seen movies on 2 50+" tv's one 720p and one 1080p.
I only assume people who think blu-ray is better buy into the storage hype or bought a PS3 and are trying to justify their purchase.
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/missionimpossibleiii.html
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/missionimpossibleiii.html
Way back in 2006. A movie by the name of mission impossible 3 cam to the HD formats. One was on a 25 gig disc and the other was on a 30 gig disc. One used VC-1 while the other used Mpeg-2.
Surprisingly enough the BOTH LOOKED THE SAME. Complaining about codecs and sony is just as lame as the console fanboy war going on. A studio's choice of codec and the way they master a disc has nothing to do with sony. For blu ray AVC, VC-1 and MPEG-2 were all supported from the beginning. The max bit rate of blu ray is attributed to why you can directly compare MPEG-2 to VC-1 and get vety comparable results.
The intense fanboyism on the web leads to misinformations and pointless bickering. Now we have gotten to the points of physical threats? This is really sad.
@miguel
Please do not cherry pick your facts, especially technical data. You are comparing apples and oranges, It's obvious which side of the debate you sit on. Per single layer Blu-Ray hold 25GB and HD-DVD holds 15GB. Double layer Blu-Ray holds 50GB and Double Layer HD-DVD holds 30GB. Blu-Ray has a much higher density than HD-DVD.
If you don't believe me, see for your self-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD
@I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY:
I think the point he is trying to make is that the majority of discs you get for released films, 30GB is the most common for HD, and 25GB is the most common for BD.
Old proverb...
"He was right. Dead right. As true as a song. And he was just as well off...as if he were wrong."
There is no way to win an argument.
If there was, why do all the format war mongerers look like such losers right about now?
Bloods all the way baby!
Death threats are unnecessary folks, come on now.
What happened to just plain ole trash talk?
Philips Video 2000 FTW!
And the flame war winner is...anyone who can get someone to spout death threats in defense of a fricken hi-cap DVD player. Goodness, most movies suck these days anyhow.
Nice use of the 92fs
I really really, really don't get this
these are consumer electronics, we are the consumers. Who gives a damn which is better, because you bought the item for YOUR benefit. If someone else bought the other, that was for THEIR benefit.
There's no need to argue which is better, unless these people are just insecure and are trying to justify their purchase.
Example: i have a PSP. Tons of people tell me that it is crap and the DS is better. but FOR ME the psp is better . For people that prefer the DS, that is better, FOR THEM. No need to argue and hate people for it.
However, if it wasn't for two different formats battling it out, then companies would give us as little extra functionality as possible because we would buy it anyway [*cough* apple, sony, MS]
but that doesn't mean consumers should argue: if YOU got the product YOU want, with the functionality YOU want, then YOU win the "war," and if someone else got the other product because THEY preferred it, THEY also win.
To summarise, STOP ARGUING AND WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE!
You Rock jamma! I am glad to see there is another logical thinking human being on this planet.
Yeah I totally agree. And even if one format suddenly DIES, it's not like the movies and player you own will suddenly cease to function. I reckon by the time one format actually dies, the other player will be cheap anyway, so it's not that huge of a loss.
And even if it WERE, what could possibly be so bad about that you'd want to/claim to want to physically hurt somebody? Is there nothing better you could think of? I mean, we geeks all get fanatical from time to time about our gadgets, sure, and yes, sometimes it feels "reel good®" to win an argument, but does something like "I'll kill you!" really win any argument? I mean really..
The problem is when you spend $1000 on a player as an early-adopter, then that format dies. Your player is now worth exactly nothing. The movies you have for it still work, sure, but what good is that? There's nothing new for it.
There is plenty of room for both the PSP and the DS in this world. But history shows there will probably only be one dominant media format. So your analogy is kinda flawed.
I think the "war" is just going to find new ground here. We have an over abundace of data storage options and capabilities. This is just human nature playing out in the form of BRDVD vs HDDVD. Nothing is ever good enough for you people, in ten years you are going to be saying "100Tb vs 75Tb which is better?" You know what I Quit!
I say let the formats war, and just sit back and watch them suck and have to lower prices and bleed cash. Not just due to competition, but to consumers (hopefully) realizing that this battle is stupid and not buying either format.
I'm so glad that I'm not into HD enough to even care at all. I'll buy an HDTV when a Sharp Aquos 52" 1080p is $999.
I think Betamax is the best.
I will attack anyone who disagrees.
I disagree...flipbooks are better
Cam,
Prepare for a beatdown.
I like laserdisk personally...
You're all wrong. Obviously the best way to watch movies is with a Viewmaster. I'd like to see Blu-ray and HD-DVD try to compete with those killer 3-D images!
Shampoo is better. I go on first and clean the hair.
Conditioner is better. I leave the hair silky and smooth.
It's technology for heaven sake! Why are they so greedy??? Pathetic.
may be these people should take up a religion to calm them down...
oh wait, last thing we need is blu-ray/HDDVD jihad.
You know what format war I must put up with? Whether to download the x264 or the WMV-HD rip of the BR/HD disc from UseNET. I mean it's taxing and all, but I haven't threatened anyone yet.
When they do pull their heads out of their asses and there is one format remaining, I might consider actually purchasing a player. Until then I'll have to keep streaming to my chinese HD playing wonder box.
Amen, brother.
So, do some of these readers/posters perhaps think it was a DeathRay instead of a Blu-Ray?
Good god... it's a media disc format. It's not like someone came to your house and bulldozed it down.... Sheesh!
Maybe this disposable income these major fan boys have comes with a load of disposable time on their hands.
Seriously, I have my preference of formats, but I don't expect to push it with violence or threats.
Sony Betamax, Sony Minidisk, Sony Blu-Ray ...
One of these things is just like the others.
All of these things plainly belong.
Can you tell what point that I am making,
by the time I finish my song?
Three of these things belong together
Three of these things are kind of the same
Can you guess what point I am making?
Now it's time to play our game
Look at the bright side... The headlines could have been "Apple - Microsoft war gets more warlike on Engadget"
The format war is fought everyday at my place
personally i've been looking at the features offered by both sides, comparing prices, and looking at the past records of the companies behind each, and i've decided to go with HD-DVD.
also, i'll kill anyone who says i should do different.
In the future there will be format war recreationists. I hold this to be true.
also, apologies to jason, who i see made a similar comment earlier.
If you want to talk capacity, then you should be talking about laser discs. They had amazing amounts of physical capacity. I mean one laser disc could hold an entire pizza!
Oh how I lol'd.
Geeks... TO THE MAX!
Or, more like, Geeks... TO THE MACS! (You know, because everything is related to Apple?)
Sup nugs. I got me a HD-DVD at the hotlanta wals mart. 90 bucks yo. 90 bucks. my nuggas be watching that spidey shit right now! it's off the chain!!
ella ella ella ella
Spiderman is on blu-ray...
Racist.
We all must resteck-p one another ~ Ali G
As fans from rivalling formats lay into each other, I think someone should step in and tell them that by the time HD-DVD and Blu-Ray media is mass market, people will be downloading HD movies to their TVs rendering HD-DVD and Blu-Ray totally useless.
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is a total waste of time.
It's really disgusting a Blu-ray PS3 fanboi had to shutdown the avsforum for physically harming someone. This has proved Sony has really cornered the thug culture successfully.
Playstation users have been saying for years only little kiddies own Nintendo. Yet Disney flicks and cartoon movies like Spiderman and the awful Pirates films are really embarressing to be proud of.
If the police are involved, which it sounds like, I wonder what their initial response was.
>Victim: I would like to report a threat
>Police: OK, what is their names
>Victim: LongLVR71
>Police: What did they say
>Victim: he he… (sobs…) He said that he was going to put me into a BlueRay Disk stamping machine if I don’t admit that HD-DVD is better. He then said he was going to sell disk made of me on the mean streets of Shanghi… (more sobbing) ..and he said the disk would be poorly bootleg anime (begins hysterically crying)
Of all the posts yours made me cry (from laughter that is)
I'm not surprised. Whenever I mention that I prefer Mac, I get a wide variety of responses and some of them are actually angry and threatening. I've had people call me every name in the book because of my choice of computer or video game console. When working at Best Buy I witnessed customers getting bristly and rude when a format that was different from the one they chose was suggested.
People are really, really weird and tribal about technology... But as I've said before, I don't think I've ever seen a Maytag user and a Whirlpool user get into a flamewar over their choice of dishwasher, so I think it's just a particular kind of person suffering from objectophilia who gets into this sort of "my tech choice is better than your tech choice" argument.
Tech by it's nature has serve a wide variety of purposes an features for a varying price, is branded, and unlike dishwashers...people buy lots of tech and quickly become loyal to a brand.
hahahaha whirlpool owns maytag.... hahaha
Yeah I get that a lot from apple mac fanbois, when ever I comment on why I don't like macs,
cant we all just get along?
This is HD! HD? THIS IS BLU-RAY!!
Two Formats enter. One Format leaves.
"ill give you a war you wouldn't believe" "Blueray... ... im coming for you"
Can anyone name the move reference? (i know its easy)
this is really sad. i was at best buy friday night and one of the salesman was very depressed. i asked what was wrong. he said he was a big blu-ray fan and they had been selling a crap load of HD DVD. I felt sorry for the guy. It was like blu-ray was oxygen or something. it is not that serious. the consumer will choose what they feel is best for themselves. just move on with life. i am hd-dvd supporter but i am not going to fight, shoot or commit suicide because the format is not doing well. if it is going to come down to that i will become a bluray supporter as well.
lets keep the peace. it is ok to debate but threats are not needed. may the best format win!
god bless all
I like the guy who finally said it, we are consumers, we buy what is best for us. I prefer blu-ray not becasue I bought a PS3, but because for me, the movie selection is better and it is a new technology using the blue laser instead of the red. Innovation is what I like about it. Granted HDDVD is cheaper and has some extra features but honestly, for me, i could care less about the other crap they put on the disc. I want to watch a movie, not people talking aobut making the movie while watching the movie and so on. So will people please shut up about which is better, because both are the same max res and sound quality, why else should anything else matter besides the rez and sound on a movie?
Also jsut fyi, I have tested both formats on multiple HDTVs so I know about this stuff
Just my two cents
"and it is a new technology using the blue laser instead of the red."
Um, they both use violet lasers.
There are red laser hi-def formats, but HD DVD isn't one of them.
Yes, i know both use violet lasers, but Blu-Ray has the hi-frequency laser that gives it a "blue" tint to it allowing for a smaller laser. However all I can find is the size of the laser for Blu Ray at 405nm while HD-DVD I can not find at all, so I am assuming it is the same right now. It is said that the violet/blue lasers used in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD can go as small as 360nm which means that down the road a year or two, both will have the same capacity, it is all determined on how small the two competitors can shrink their formats. Since Sony is known for miniturizing things it gives Sony a small edge over Toshiba, but Toshiba is fighting back really well.
i kinda like this stuff going on. because i'm just sitting back waiting for the last man standing. when that happens, then i'll buy. technology is always better after its been kicked around a few times.
what kind of gun is that
now THAT question matters more then the actual subject. anyone else that thinks otherwise needs to get laid.
I laugh at idiots that get so worked up over something as stupid as the format of a DVD. It's a fucking movie for pete's sake. I mean c'mon, has society gotten so mentally unstable and idiotic that people actually will threaten someone with physical harm over something said over the INTERNET? These people should be purged from the gene pool as they're a waste of space and oxygen.
I have a better format: SATA.
A portable hard drive is cheaper than one of these players, holds a lot more than one of these disks, and is not going to become painfully (and irreperably) obsolete as soon as someone comes up with a bigger disk-shaped storage medium.
They're pretty durable, too.
Every movie I buy ultimately ends up on a hard drive, so why not just skip the middle step?
Okay, that still leaves us with the nice box and the goodies associated with it. I suppose this is the reason people want disposable disks as Bluray or HDDVD offer; to justify a pretty box.
Thus, the ultimate format that rules all: Paper. Paper wins, eveyone else loses.
I recently (And reluctantly) have chosen a side. I just got a Toshiba Gaming laptop that has an HD-DVD drive.
Now my incursion into this format war would have ended there... But there happens to be an offer for 5 free HD-DVD's by mail... So I will soon have 5 HD DVD's that will only play on my laptop...
I doubt I will purchase any other HD-DVD's untill this format war calms down, and either a singular unified format, OR every high-def player fully supports both formats.
I know this is not the place to say this but since the AV forums are down well here it goes
I think HD-DVD is going to win cuz Blue Ray sounds to non tech, thats why vhs won over BETAMAX
PS @ sony: next time name your product more tech like, such as R2D2 or som
This whole format war goes back to Sony be assholes AGAIN. But we've seen after they loaded rootkits on our computers that they don't really give a shit about consumers. Though their TVs are the bomb!
Abso-freakin'-lutely. Sony scored big with the PS2 because back then not a lot of people had DVD players so the PS2 was the best of both worlds. They now put all their blu-ray chips on the PS3 basket but what is happening now? Four PS3 SKUs in less than a year, sales lagging, and hardly any games worth playing. A friend of mine who is a huge Sony fanboy just got a 360 because he "was tired of waiting for PS3 games".
I also agree with you that Sony TVs are excellent.
What I like most about these comments is that no one took this post of all posts as yet another opportunity to pimp [your format of choice here]. Lesson learned.
/sarcasm
You stay classy, San Diego.
Humans will fight over anything.
Beta-Ray is much superior than HDDVD Sieg Heil!
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister for the Third Reich or replace Goebbels with Sony cronies same diff.
Bring on the format wars! I want a cheap player!