Format war gets more warlike

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]

[Carbonize @ Nov 7th 2007 5:47PM]

So many people, so few lives.

[JLTate @ Nov 7th 2007 5:57PM]

I, for one, welcome our warring high definition overlords.

[Ally @ Nov 7th 2007 6:08PM]

JLTate , you just defined the word cliche :|

[Phreak511 @ Nov 7th 2007 6:10PM]

*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*

[CraigJ @ Nov 7th 2007 6:50PM]

http://dogtoe.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/arguing_on_the_internet.jpg

[Neebs @ Nov 7th 2007 7:10PM]

Caronize - Greatest post evar?

[Carbonize @ Nov 7th 2007 7:23PM]

@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.

[E71 @ Nov 7th 2007 7:41PM]

Hmm... Price vs superiority. I'll go with superiority, thanks.

Go Blu-ray!

[Carbonize @ Nov 7th 2007 7:57PM]

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.

[rv @ Nov 7th 2007 8:46PM]

"What set you rollin wit?"
" BLUUUU RAAAAEEEE"
"Wrong answer muthafucka!"

[Penguin Warlord @ Nov 7th 2007 9:10PM]

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 @ Nov 8th 2007 1:22AM]

"JLTate , you just defined the word cliche :|"

Yeah, I know. :)

[WL @ Nov 9th 2007 7:30PM]

@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

[gjp303 @ Nov 7th 2007 5:49PM]

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.

[Ken @ Nov 7th 2007 5:49PM]

fanboi's R teh ghey

[BandB @ Nov 7th 2007 5:51PM]

Get a life people

[Bob Sapp @ Nov 7th 2007 5:52PM]

This time h4idol has gone too far!!

[John @ Nov 7th 2007 5:52PM]

Must be bacause HD-DVD is 90 bucks and Blu-Ray is 700 for a PS3!!!!!!!!!!!

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 7th 2007 6:07PM]

$399... it has never been $700

[Otsego_Undead @ Nov 7th 2007 6:33PM]

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"....

[John @ Nov 7th 2007 6:36PM]

Say what you will. When the PS3 reaches 1/15 the sales of the wii or the 360. Let me know.

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 7th 2007 6:54PM]

Most figures place it roughly 1/2.

[Dan @ Nov 7th 2007 9:48PM]

Wow... you really are stupid.

[farfisa @ Nov 7th 2007 5:52PM]

Maybe if they had more good hi-def movies to watch...

[pete @ Nov 7th 2007 5:54PM]

Just sad, so sad.

To all those whole made the threats, maybe the format you chose should loose, just like your loosing attitude

[pAT @ Nov 7th 2007 5:57PM]

It's like the Bloods and the Crips, only with chubby a/v geeks doing drive-by flame wars from their man caves.

[recon @ Nov 7th 2007 5:58PM]

LOL, aw man....that was great.

[Tiptup300 @ Nov 7th 2007 6:34PM]

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.

[mlody11 @ Nov 8th 2007 1:36AM]

All your base are belong to us!!

[recon @ Nov 7th 2007 5:57PM]

So sad. its all fun and games 'til someone gets hurt. luckily no one has....yet. Ya happy now Hollywood...

[Patrick @ Nov 7th 2007 5:58PM]

"Possbile legal action"

Fanboyism is illegal now? I mean, that wouldn't be a bad thing...

[Derbeste @ Nov 7th 2007 6:00PM]

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?

[Cam @ Nov 7th 2007 6:01PM]

Bloods all the way baby!

Death threats are unnecessary folks, come on now.

What happened to just plain ole trash talk?

[Me @ Nov 7th 2007 6:02PM]

Bluray holds a lot more data on a single disc.....why would anyone still support HD when it holds, what......half?

[Cam @ Nov 7th 2007 6:10PM]

Because its cheaper and produces equal audio/video quality. THAT'S why!

And not everyone cares about Disney movies

[wysiwyg @ Nov 7th 2007 6:15PM]

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.)

[miguel @ Nov 7th 2007 6:23PM]

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.

[chris fredette @ Nov 7th 2007 6:37PM]

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.

[Static @ Nov 9th 2007 7:43AM]

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.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Nov 7th 2007 9:53PM]

@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

[Dustin @ Nov 8th 2007 12:15AM]

@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.

[Loonie @ Nov 7th 2007 6:06PM]

Philips Video 2000 FTW!

[RWD fan @ Nov 7th 2007 6:09PM]

Nice use of the 92fs

[jamma @ Nov 7th 2007 6:12PM]

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!

[kuade @ Nov 7th 2007 6:19PM]

You Rock jamma! I am glad to see there is another logical thinking human being on this planet.

[Jason Brennan @ Nov 7th 2007 6:20PM]

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..

[Urza @ Nov 7th 2007 6:52PM]

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.

[Kris @ Nov 7th 2007 6:15PM]

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.

[ja$on @ Nov 7th 2007 6:15PM]

I think Betamax is the best.

I will attack anyone who disagrees.

[Cam @ Nov 7th 2007 6:21PM]

I disagree...flipbooks are better