HD DVD fires back, slashes hardware & software prices
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jan 14th 2008 4:11AM
posted Jan 14th 2008 4:11AM
HD DVD's response to being unceremoniously jilted by Warner going into CES was ... nothing. A canceled press conference, downtrodden Toshiba press conference and rumors of further losses left great doubt that red had anything left in 2008, but now HD DVD is firing back. Leveraging its "approximately 50% market share in 2007" -- we're not sure where that number comes from either, we've contacted Toshiba for clarification -- indisputable lead in the notebook market and 100% compatibility with internet-enabled HDi features, Toshiba has announced it is not laying down yet. Effective yesterday, the HD-A3 MSRP has dropped to $149.99, the 1080p-capable HD-A30 to $199.99, and the top of the line HD-A35 to $299.99. Combined with an extended "perfect offer" of 5 free HD DVDs with every purchase, Toshiba's HD DVD Concierge service, and a sudden 50% off sale on Amazon, it seems this format will not go quietly into the dark. Fire sale to clear suddenly obsolete inventory or real chance to hang onto its remaining supporters? This could be the best -- or worst -- time to pick a side in the HD war.Update: Amazon is also having a 50% off Blu-ray sale, so whatever your format of choice, pick up some discs and let the movie studios know who you rep.
Read - 50% off sale on Amazon (Thanks Jeremy)
Read - Toshiba press release
It does not matter which one of these formats "wins". They both have already lost.
Ever heard of downloading or streaming? You wanna see what's going to "win"??? Check out either iTunes rentals or Netflix "Watch it now".
P.S. I have HD DVD and love it. Oh no, I'll have to possibly pick up a load of movies for next to nothing that play back in the highest resolution ever available in my home. What am I to do???
GO HD DVD!!! GO!!!!
Go Where?
Go gentle into that good night, of course.
Choose your mode of death.
You've selected slow and horrible.
I'd love to go buy one of those players, but I just sold my Xbox 360 add on drive because I can see where things are going. It doesn't matter how cheap it is if you can't watch movies on it in a few months.
@Boostjunkie:
AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WTF is with people like you!?!
"if you can't watch movies on it in a few months." STOP IT! NOW!
FACT: **ALL** HD DVD players upconvert DVDs
FACT: **ALL** HD DVD players play HD DVD
FACT: Even if HD DVD media is no longer sold, **ALL** HD DVD players will continue to play HD DVD and standard DVD media until the day that each unit breaks
FACT: **ALL** statements that HD DVD players will not be able to play anything in the near or distant future are absolutely, positively, 100% WRONG!
Jesus %$@#*^# Christ! If you are the kind of person that was primarily the purchaser of HD DVD, then maybe it deserves to die!
@John B.: The gratuitous use of "FACT:" and "**ALL**" do not make a statement more credible. Please learn how to discuss a topic like a proper grown-up.
@ John B
What a ridiculous post. What Boostjunkie should have said is; It doesn't matter how cheap it is if you can't watch *new* movies on it in a few months.
Yeah, you can watch DVDs all you want, but I'll venture a guess that 99.9% of people that bought HD DVD players already had a DVD player. They bought it for the HD, not the DVD. No need to jump up and down screaming like a little girl. He forgot one simple word. Get over it.
Tell that to the BD fanboys who propagate the lies like those that Boostjunkie fell victim to.
@John B
I'm pretty sure when they say it won't play movies in the near future, they mean NEW movies (in that studios will soon cease production of HD-DVDs in favor of Blu-ray).
@John B
I'm with you, even if your arguement is a little too focused.
Y'see, here's the problem I see with this move. HD DVD, no matter what any BD fanboy has to say, is the superior format. It beats out Blu-Ray in every aspect SAVE ONE...cost of production. It has superior capacity, superior capability, and a higher pricetag to produce than Blu-Ray. THAT is where Blu-Ray is winning, the studios want to use the format that offers the best cost-benefit scenario. Now, while a price drop at the consumer end MAY give it enough commercial appeal to convince the studios to pick HD-DVD up, that's a very difficult point to position on, as it really leaves everything up to opinion. And when it comes to money, opinion can be VERY short sighted. The best, and safest, move that can be made to bump HD-DVD popularity is to cut the price for studios to produce the movie disks. Problem is, as I don't know the ACTUAL cost of production versus the cost charged to movie makers, I have no idea what the margin is to work with, so a price cut at that end may not be feasible.
*sigh* What a shame. It really pisses me off when Sony dominates with an inferior product.
To "D":
Are you sure you didn't get the two backwards?
It's pretty widely agreed upon that BD has the higher capacity, while HD-DVD is the more affordable to produce.
thats right hd dvd will come back i though this would happen this will make it the most affordable why to get hd dvd and is going to come back man you watch it we wont just lay down and give up but i must say i do want this all to be over so i dont have to buy one format for a movie and anouther for my ps3
Cheaper isn't always better. For example, I wished you'd splurged on some punctuation.
As affordable as it may be, it doesn't matter if there isn't the content to back it up. If HD-DVD looses all its studios, consumers who bought the cheap players are still screwed. A sale like this may fool some consumers into picking a side (if they even knew a war was going on) but when they can't find the movies that they want, they will eventually buy a Blu-Ray player.
btw, I was on HD-DVD's side, but I can see the writing on the wall.
Splurge on some punctuation... -grammar, and proofreading too!
I feel that I would have to agree with some that this war is still going to be going for a while. Universal and Paramount so far have decided to stay in support of HD-DVD while they are no longer bound to which means they probably have hope for it as well.
Even before the price cut, HD-DVD was pointed at a larger group of people with it's lower price. Not everyone has the money to go out and spend $300 on a player and then another $30 per movie which just limits the amount of people that will purchase Blu-ray.
I have come to realize that the movie studios are focusing on how much has been sold already instead of how much could be sold for that certain format. The people that have Blu-ray are usually the ones that can go buy a new movie in that format when ever they see it.
I was kind of able to compare it to what I learned in Algebra. If you put different ranges of income on a number line, HD-DVD would start lower and be equal or greater than which basically means that group up. Blu-ray would be higher thus they have less than what HD-DVD does because HD-DVD includes those in the Blu-ray section plus some below that.
I'm Truly Not a Fan of Either Camp, Having Both HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray. But wanted to point out, that most of the statistics are based on the likes of US, ie. early Adopters that have to have the lastest and greatest. The True test will come this year as more and more Joe Blow Consumers start heading to Best Buy and Circuit City to replace their ailing tv's before the big switch to digital next Feb.
And being a person that has worked at such places, i must point out that when Joe Consumer goes into Best Buy, or Circuit City and looks between the two, devices the old Argument that my TV says HDTV, so my Player should say HD also might give a small boost to the HD DVD camp. Yet, when our families ask us what to buy we being of the mindset that HD-DVD got its but handed to it at the end of '07, we tell our family to Buy Blu-Ray.
In the End, only Time will tell which will win, but 2008 will be the year that it is decided.
I hope this means Blu-ray prices will drop aswell
Its already started:
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=24224
Anybody who buys an HD-DVD player - regardless of price now - is a moron.
Just because something is cheap doesn't make it useful. A cheap doorstop is still just a doorstop. This is them cutting their losses. Not some awesome last hurrah.
Whatever!!!
HD output with a bunch of movies for CHEAP!!!
Use it until you can't anymore, then grab a 2nd generation combo DVD-RAY player if you MUST.
Get your HD fix now, upgrade your TV to match, see what you like and don't like, make some more choices later.
That's like saying don't buy a ford from last year because they're gonna discontinue the parts for it 5 years from now, I'll be damned if I'm gonna be waiting to test the DVD-RAY output on my eyeballs.
If you can afford it right now, grab a CHEAP HD PLAYER, and see if you even like it on your TV right now, even if you don't like the movies you get to chose from, they will show you what you've been missing from regular DVD :]
If someone wants Universal or Paramount movies in HD then they should buy a HD-DVD player. The format war is not over so by saying don't buy a HD-DVD player now is like saying don't buy a Blu-ray player now. Just because one format has more supporters now does not mean it will in the end of the battle.
but if that means that a cheap doorstop is as useful as an expensive doorstop, then wouldn't a cheap HD media player be as useful as an expensive HD media player?
For all those people who got a HDTV for Christmas and have a bunch of SD DVDs and want to upscale them, this is an incredible deal - and they will snap them up even if they do not use them as a HD DVD player. They will wonder why they should pay $350 for a Blu-ray player to do the same job for $200 less. And don't think it will not happen - there are many people out there that buy an HDTV and connect SD cable to their TV and think they are getting HD, so upscaled will do them just fine.
The thing all the Blu boys are missing is that they do not realize that they ended it for themselves as well. There are plenty of people who are die-hard fans that will continue to buy Blu disks, and there are people who will buy HD DVDs as long as they are available. But people will see the confusion in the marketplace. If HD DVD folds, the average, non-fanboy will be concerned about the future of Blu. We geeks may know who (unfortunately) won, but the guy who wants a good picture does not know the difference, to them upscaled is wonderful. If HD fails, then Blu has the same probablility of failing, and they will be just as afraid to buy in.
If I "buy" a Toshiba HD-DVD player from MyCokeRewards.com for just over 13000 points does that still make me an idiot? :-)
Maybe you want to evaluate how much you spent on coke to get it?
Name one doorstop that (A) plays HD DVD discs that WILL NOT EXPIRE (unlike Circuit City's DIVX) meaning that the media is still good as long as the player lasts, and (B) upconverts EVERY DVD out there and therefore is a great player for those who just want to upconvert DVDs.
This attitude that HD DVD players are "obsolete" or "doorstops" or whatever other childish metaphor that idiots like you seem to enjoy using is nothing short of pathetic. There is not one HD DVD player out there that will be "obsolete" as long as there are regular DVDs out there that people want to upconvert. Get over yourself.
But anyone that just bought a non PSP blu-ray player is left with a device that is not fully functional. are they morons when they find out that they will not get the full blu-ray experience?
HAHAHAHA...!
There are still people holding out for HD-DVD to make a comeback.
THEY'RE CLEANING HOUSE GUYS, NOT COMPETING. God God, you're all like that person in Monopoly who only has $15 and a hotel n Baltic who just won't stop rolling the dice becase there's that 1% chance the other player will land on it 30 times in a row.
IT'S OVER.
For all of you saying "Buy this because it will work as a upconverting DVD player" don't be ridiculous, if your so worried about cost, there are $90 upconverting DVD players at Walmart save yourself $60.
AWESOME - They're using Wal-Mart tactics, to increase their volume throughput at Wal-Mart.
People will spend money, loads of it, if you give them movies CHEAP, and the hardware CHEAP!
Those bins full of DVD's from times long since forgotten still get a stirring from people who are curious.
"Complete HD packages with awesome titles" are great for the sales reps padding their month end commission cheques, they know you'll BUY BUY BUY when you're new to HD and they can throw in a stack of movies for ya :]
I hope Blu-Ray does the same SLASH AND BURN style market tactics, who's going to BLEED for what they believe in?!?!?
Personally, the dollars in my pocket will be deciding what hardware to grab, and usually the kind that leaves more dollars in my pocket wins!
FIRE SALE!!! Quick, unload all this useless crap!
Yup. This is called a closeout.
My bet is Toshiba has already thrown in the towel and is clearing inventory. Of course, they can't announce that or they'd never make any of the money back on these already-produced units.
Or maybe they're trying to get more of the market share?
Cheap HD is a marketing oxymoron, and HD DVD has been fighting this uphill battle since the moment they thought to target a budget-conscious audience that is perfectly happy with DVD as it is today, and is enjoying new, lower-fi video in the internet at the same time.
As someone else noted a while ago, the only reason why VHS vs. Beta was so legendary was because there was nothing else to fall back to. Anyone truly budget-conscious is going to wait happily for a clear winner. Anyone who is willing to *splurge* is, generally speaking, going to go for what is perceived to be the premium product.
If Sony wins this battle, it will be because they knew the DVD market was too healthy to convince the "average Joe" to upgrade yet -- and for right now an HD format needs to be marketed as brand-new, cream-of-the-crop object.
HD DVD being discounted like this probably won't work, it will like make the format appear discontinued and liquidated.
Its funny, the only thing that swayed the general public to side with Blu-Ray was the 50GB vs 30GB argument. Despite it being the death of customer rights.
and we haven't even seen that extra space put to use for tv series yet
Not yet at least. But with this much space the future is bigger. Devs have more to work with. There's a reason why PC games are not on CD-rom no more. As technology advances it will need more space to work with. It seems like technology is moving fast.
I said it before and I'll say it again, I personally see no difference between the two format. The only reason I use Blu Ray is b/c it came with my PS3. If my 360 had HD-DVD built in, I probably would of gone that direction. Also, these extra feature ppl keep talking about, I believe is useless. Most ppl are tired after a late night movie and just sit the sack, not playing with features.
Jamesology
I'm just curious... Did you post your comment via your cell phone?
RIP HD DVD... this is the end for you !!!
"rip"-- interesting choice of words. despite banana boat's convincing argument, i still think that's what the studios are afraid of.
yeah, and when people see these prices they are going to go ask their son or relative who knows about all of this stuff (family geek) and ask if its worth it. And you know what we say?
HD DVD IS DEAD! Buy a Blu Ray player!
HAHA, we have the power!
Where all the idiots got the idea that HD-DVD wasn't just as DRM'd up as Blu-Ray, I have no idea. The same idiots still believe whole heartedly that Sony is the sole owner of Blu-Ray. And yes, I know BD+ is there, but DRM is freaking DRM.
Anyway, I think this is more of a they-did-it now-we-have-to sale. Amazon has had deals on blu-ray movies (some as low as 15 bucks I believe) for awhile now. It would have been suicide if they weren't to offer similar deals on HD-DVD movies.
I don't think this format war will end until...well...it begins. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are still in the dominion of enthusiast electronics. Most people still don't have, or want, either format. It's looking more and more like the choice might be made for them though.
I'd hate it if they based their decision on idiotic ideas, such as blu-ray being "anti-consumer" when compared to HD-DVD, or owned by Sony, or any of the other desperate garbage that HD-DVD fans spew across the internet. I own both players, (In the form of a PS3, and HD-DVD add-on for 360), and honestly I could care less which format wins, but to deny that blu-ray has a gigantic lead is...well...stupid.
DRM is DRM, but Sony formats/media tend to have more of it. Even their DVD's (Casino Royale) are harder to backup then those from other studios. And do I have to mention rootkits? Sony tends to be very pro-DRM, and that trend is continuing with BD. I'll choose the standard with the lower theoretical storage limit over the one that will probably be more restrictive. That's the trend I've seen with Sony formats so far, and I've seen no evidence that anything will change.
Bah, its as good as done.
This recent action is a sign of some desperation on the part of Toshiba, the irony is that it would be impossible for them to support prices like this for any prolonged period of time, so any potential gain they stand to make would be moot once their forced to raise the prices to more financially bearable levels. It would be especially difficult if sony and the rest of the blu camp followed suit.
That leaves only one of three possible tactics:
1.)Their willing to sustain marketing at a loss for a prolonged period of time, seriously hurting their annual profits.
2.)Thier willing to return the war to the status quo; that is, a stalemate, by selling hd-dvd stock quickly
3.)The goal is just to bail out with as little loss as is manageable; ie: fire sale
I hope it's #3. Yes, and I'm in the red camp, but I can see the writing on the wall. It's over.
OT: Null Profusion! wooo... That card is hard to build a deckaround though.
Awesome.
Obsolete hardware on sale !
Hey, BD fanboi:
Here's a clue ... HD DVD players are also DVD upconverters. So, knock it off with this "obsolete" crap. Even if HD DVD media goes away, there still will be EVERY DVD out there that HD DVD players will play. And, unlike Circuit City's DIVX, every HD DVD will still play successfully on HD DVD players until such time as the player stops working.
I'm really fed up with these morons who desperately spout "nothing to play" or "obsolete" or "useless doorstop" when it's 100% not true.
I don't understand some people's argument that they should buy a cheap HD DVD player because it's good at up converting. Why don't I just buy an up converting DVD player? The reason I'll buy a HD DVD or Blu Ray player is to watch movies in High Def.
The argument that a HD DVD player is useless IS true, if you intend to actually watch High Def movies on it. I'm sure you'll have a great time 5 years from now showing people how great Transformers was on your vintage HD DVD player. Too bad it'll play nothing else.
Five years from now I'll also have a BD player. Hell, I'll probably have one five months from now if my tax refund is a good one. But at least that gives me up to that long until I need to replace those HD DVD movies that I have with their BD counterparts.
And as per your statement about showing Transformers on a "vintage" HD DVD player, why should I *not* do that? It's nothing short of ridiculous that so many people like you are blinded by this arrogant notion that because something is old or technically obsolete it's no longer useful. As long as the hardware is working there is absolutely no reason for anyone to replace or upgrade their hardware if they're in the market to have both.
And, once again, someone is spouting "Too bad it'll play nothing else" when it will play HD DVDs, DVDs, and audio CDs without any problems until the day that it stops working entirely.
NOTHING is obsolete until it no longer suits your purpose, and as far as I'm concerned HD DVD suits my purpose just fine and will sit in equality to my PS3, whenever I get it. It's absolutely astounding that the concept of actually using something that you purchase is beyond the comprehension of most of the people on Engadget.
It's all lost, as the common man outside this fanbox got to understand thru CNN, Times, FOX News that it looks dark for HDDVD after Warners move, so when they see a firesale they propably will think it's cleaning time for the stores, to remove outgoing hardware..
This is a good point.
Whether the war is actually over or not, the fact that HD-DVD has been depicted as dead or in trouble by just about every news source and pundit means that it may as well be finished. Perception is reality, I guess.
Buy! Buy! HD-DVD!
...sorry, I meant:
Bye, Bye HD-DVD!!!
For god's sake, HD-DVD - This is exactly what we are talkign about when we say the format war is bad for consumers...if the content is not there, just drop the prices. UMD anyone? So now more people are gonna be buying HD-DVD players, and wont be able to get a majority of movies on it.
Really? Name one DVD that these players will not be able to upconvert.
Any PAL and/or non-region 1 DVD?
Maybe, but there might be a remote control code to take care of those issues as well.
In other news, I have a Sony Betamax player for sale for 50% off its original MSRP . . .
So... where is my steve jobs inspired $50 refund for buying a A3 before xmas?
ok, time to buy an hd-dvd player :)
there are still a lot of movies for it and i bought more expensive high-tech crap i used once or twice....
they're only doing this to make a quick buck and try to sell their remaining hardware and software before they go completely dead and no-one buys their stuff.
Amazon is also offering 50% off of Blu movies too. Please check your resources first! It is not a depletion of inventory!
Yes it looks like Toshiba are simply getting rid of stock before it's too late. Quite logical.
I wonder whether Paramount will now discover the stock of the 32 Blu-ray films they put in storage in August? There's no point wasting that investment now the game's up with HD-DVD. They might as well put them back on sale.
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_5667612_2?ie=UTF8&node=193640011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=0M3R4P8XMH81CCAC29Y4&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=331162801&pf_rd_i=blu%20ray
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TME35W/ref=br_fq_4
Bluray is on sale too well for movies and the samsung player as posted in the link at least and hd-dvd sucks like i have both formats and still didnt receive my repair box from microsoft for my hd-dvd player which is broken how strong this product is Blu-ray FTW
correction the players are all on sale but prices like $369 if it was 400 but thats why there is PS3 if u want more
lol. I love that this "war" is being waged in the US only. I have both HD DVD and Blu-ray and so far have only purchased one movie outside of the freebies. While in the US there's a BOGO or a 50% sale every other week, in Canada I can take a walk to my local HMV and expect to pay just a tad over $40 + tax for Children of Men. I understand that the US has a much larger population base but come on.
Man, for less than $150, who cares? Amazon will probably have the A3 for $125 soon. I like Blu-Ray and own one but there are still a lot of great movies on HD-DVD and it still upscales DVDs quite nicely. Plus, you get 2 movies in the box and 5 free ones. Seven movies free plus an upscaling player for a spare bedroom ain't a bad deal at all for less than $150. I pay more for dinner at decent restaurant.
I care. $150 would fund my newsgroup access for an entire year. That's basically as many 720p / 1080p movies I want - and I don't even need to pick a format! Enjoy the game suckers!
Going out of business sale?
Do not forget the porn industry backed HD DVD ....
Dont forget the people who watch porn have the internet.
Must have been a 1 day sale. HDDVD are back to 30% off. There are still selected BD at 50% off.
Doesn’t anyone believe in a competitive market anymore? If Sony and Toshiba/Microsoft did not compete for your dollar, I don’t think the average Joe could afford either one of these formats if only one ever existed, or paying a lot more then they are asking for now.
As much as I am Blu-ray fan boy I don’t like the idea of Sony or Toshiba/Microsoft having the only game in town. Despite the confusion, and the ease of just buying one format, I think ultimately the consumer benefits from the competition. Blu-ray and HD DVD camp compete for a cheaper price, a better product and library availability.
I have a feeling when if one wins out, the consumer will lose.
That's the thing. Now that the industry is moving towards a single dominant format, the real competition can begin between Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, etc. When Toshiba has to swallow their pride and start making Blu-ray players, they'll be fighting for marketshare too.
Prices will still go down and features will still go up, like any other technology, but at least consumers that were on the fence before will finally be able to jump in, and you can bet all the BD manufacturers are going to want their share.
You know, as much as I am leaning towards Blu-ray, this war is by no means over. Remember when Paramount went HD-DVD exclusive and it looked like it was the end for BD?
We haven't seen the last of HD-DVD. They're going out guns a-blazing.
LOL you obviously forgot the part where blu-ray essentially owns 70 percent of the high-def market now.
I'm just saying, HD-DVD still has that 30% they plan on clinging to for as long as they can.
That's great!! What will you play in this cheap player?? WOW, I bought a cheap HD-DVD player and now I can watch Universal movies!!! This will do nothing, but put Toshiba's losses even greater. If you have every major film company, but one against you, the war is pretty much over.
Blu-ray is the winner.
Anyone who is screaming door stop is an idiot. My A3 is the best upconverting player I've ever owned. I paid $99 for it and got 5 movies. It will always play my DVDs at 1080i and there are hundreds of movies already out there on HD DVD. Just because some studios have chosen not to release any more doesn't mean the 400 titles already out there are going to stop playing. You can't find any good upconvert players for less than $149. If you own DVDs and an HD TV, this is a great deal. The ability to play HD DVDs is just a bonus.
It amazes me to no end that all you effers clamoring for the death of HDDVD and the triumph of BlueRay are the same ones who cried foul when the whole Sony Rootkit thing hit and SWORE never to buy any of their stuff again. Bunch of bandwagon hopping aholes.
NO format requiring the user to manually upgrade the firmware will ever survive. People just don't have the skill. Downloads will be the future.
I think eventually downloads will be the future. But I don't think most people have an ethernet connection to their TVs. And where will the films be stored? Media PCs (or even devices like Apple TV) are not in most homes. I think the download as being mainstream (and profitable for the studios) is still 10 years away.
But I could be very wrong!
I'm puzzled: how can anyone who claims to be a collector whine about the cost of a $300 BluRay player? You are a collector but only have the 5 free disks that came with the deck? I'm just a middling collector with 700 titles. My disks cost many times the price of the changers they are in. And the worry about new features to be added to BR. Does anybody remember the phased introduction of features to DVD? Don't think it was a great impediment. I still have a $1000 Panasonic portable that I bought because it had THX audio - a feature that my original $400 deck didn't have (don't ask about the reasoning - THX + portable?). In all likelihood 95% of the public won't ever look at the new features to begin with, so WTF?
Come on blugirls. No content. This price puts HDDVD on par with some of the better upconvert players. Now if Joe Q Public has the ability to buy an upconvert player (90+ % of the market) at the same time as a player that will not only upconvert but also play hddvds which one are they going to choose?
Mediaphiles like ourselves will mostlikely own both (I do) but the average person will not spend the extra cash on bluray. PS2 didnt go crazy with sales until it hit the $149.00 price point and then it went from first in a video game market to first mass media device.
I'm a former HD-DVD supporter, but IMO HD-DVD is DEAD. VERY DEAD. Warner switched camps, several others followed, and the remaining ones are rumored to be preparing to do the same. I don't care what they issue in their press releases. They are just speaking the party line right now until they get their ducks in a row. We've seen this too many times before.
The only way HD-DVD is not dead is if major studios switch back to it again. Does anyone honestly see that happening? It's not like Blu-Ray has any fatal flaws. It's drawbacks will be fixed in time, especially with the backing of all these studios.
I own an HD-DVD add on for the 360. But Saturday I ponied up for a PS3 to play Blu-Ray, because to me it's finally clear where this is going.
The player is down to $131.25 now. Helluva deal. I may have to get one until I can fork out for a blu-ray.
target="_blank">www.wearchildren.com
I picked up the HD-DVD expansion drive for my Xbox 360. It came with that 5 disc "perfect offer." That was back in October...a few weeks ago, they sent me a postcard indicating that they couldn't fulfill my selections and that I either had to forfeit my requests or wait longer.
Has anyone who picked up the expansion drive (middle to late last year) received their 5 discs yet?
I don't see what there is to lose at this. At the very least you are getting yourself an upconverting DVD player. That library is bigger than anything else out there.
As the price comes down Toshiba can certainly just continue to make HD-DVD players that play the HD-DVD here and there as it exists and continue to player DVD media upconverted. Seems like a win-win in my honest opinion.
Yawn cuz really cheap prices helped so much before.
50% off of $30-$50 list price for this crap, is NOT a good deal!
Player that will play any HD-DVDs that one could buy and upscale every DVD out there to HD resolutions, that is comparably priced to those standalone DVD upscaling players- how is that not a good deal?
I don't know if you Hd dvd fanbois got the memo, but when you can purchase a BD for 15-20 dollars, DVD is officially obsolete. Still useable, but obsolete
And what kind of economics did you learn when you throw good money after bad? It will cost you more in the long run. Well short run actually, seeing how things are going.
If you know something fails or is failing, don't buy it because you 'think' it's cheaper.
Oh wait a minnit. We're using xbox logic. Please, carry on.
Uhhhhh okay? Still doesn't change the fact that over 70 percent of my favourite movies will be released on blu-ray only......silly HD-DVD......
What happens lets say if Disney decides to do HD-DVDs and bluray and fox also decideds.....
You guys need to look who is behind HD-DVD
Microsoft, GE, and Viacom Inc.
Hands down Microsoft can outright buy disney, and Ge can outright buy every company out their. Ge is the worth 360 Billion dollars compare to sonys 50 bln... The war is not over.
Here's a story that has links to all relevant sales surrounding this news:
http://www.techconsumer.com/2008/01/12/hd-dvd-price-drops-while-blu-ray-screws-early-adopters/
Throwing good money after bad? Kinda' like Sony and their PlayStation 3 and all the shit they have been doing with Blu-Ray?
You have done nothing but make a fool of yourself.
$30 for a typical HD movie, 5 films that come with all the players in the article, comes to $150, the price of the low end player. Can the films be chosen? If so it's like a free HD DVD player. Which I guess doesn't mean too much if HD DVD becomes obsolete, but still, you're "breaking even".
Hmm, not sure if this makes sense...