NME says format war still on, it totally made out with a girl last summer in Niagara Falls

Just when the members of the Blu-ray Disc Association were settling down to enjoy the fruits of victory, another challenger has entered the ring -- oh wait, it's just NME, makers of VMD, so it's really more like "remained in the ring and basically ignored." The company just issued a press release saying "All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD," and that "The way is now clear for VMD to be embraced by the industry." We suppose that's true -- the Asian bootlegging industry really hasn't weighed in with a format choice yet, has it? In any event, VMD players have apparently been shipping to the US for a month now, so all you HD DVD fans out there looking to back yet another losing horse can probably find one -- start at the shadiest retailer you can think of, and then move downwards.

[Thanks, Chris]

[murray @ Feb 29th 2008 6:36PM]

Who?

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Feb 29th 2008 6:47PM]

"What", "When", "Where", "Why" and "How" would like to join in too.

[hemmy @ Feb 29th 2008 7:30PM]

ME. Jack Burton.

[holycow @ Feb 29th 2008 6:36PM]

NiagAra Falls...

[Jons @ Feb 29th 2008 6:40PM]

NME = "No, Me Eemportant :("

[holycow @ Feb 29th 2008 6:44PM]

hey fixed it!

[CaptCaveman @ Feb 29th 2008 8:38PM]

... step by step, inch by inch...

[Steve @ Mar 1st 2008 9:37AM]

lol Breakfast Club

[phanbouy @ Feb 29th 2008 6:40PM]

better use protection or you'll end up with VMD

[Kennii @ Feb 29th 2008 7:13PM]

interesting...

[Eh @ Feb 29th 2008 6:44PM]

Is the CEO Ralph Nader?

[Prey521 @ Feb 29th 2008 7:08PM]

hahahahahaha

[SteveM @ Feb 29th 2008 6:47PM]

Engadget, you should be bloody ashamed of this post. I thought this was supposed to be a gadget site where we all shared a fascination of all things shiny. As such we accept that from time to time we're going to go left where we should go right, it's just part of the risk of being early adopters of said shiny things. But one of the biggest tech blogs on the net coming out with stuff like this:

"all you HD DVD fans out there looking to back yet another losing horse "

makes me sick to my stomach. Gloating at what, for some people, could be a considerable financial investment because of what? Loyalty to a particular format of optical disk? A smug sense of satisfaction that the author was right and others were wrong? Is this really what the geek community has sunk to?

Personally, I'm very grateful to HD-DVD. It gave me a very cheap and legal way to experience HD media for the first time. That experience has taught me some valuable lessons (for example: the PS3 is useless to me personally as a Blu-Ray player as it has no analogue audio outs and the new HD sound formats are one of the big draws of HD media) and I still have a core set of movies that I really wanted in HD which will work perfectly for the foreseable future. In the meantime I've invested in a HD satellite box which would never have happened without HD-DVD.

Pathetic. Just pathetic and WELL below the usual standard of writing on this site.

[Nilay Patel @ Feb 29th 2008 6:51PM]

Hey, most of the Engadget staff got burned too. Fact is that HD DVD lost, gallows humor is dark for a reason.

[SteveM @ Feb 29th 2008 7:01PM]

This is "Gallows Humor"? Ah, you see that's where I've gone wrong because that particular line:

a) has nothing to do with the content of the article
b) is EXACTLY the sort of gloating comment you see from *shudder* fanboys when celebrating 'their victory'.
c) isn't actually funny (IMO of course).

Fair enough though, I think the problem is with me here. I keep expecting more from the web than it's ever going to deliver in that I yearn for rational and civil discourse. This of course is impossible while people both invest emotionally in their choices and, at the same time, experience the dizzy highs that come with anonymity.

[Eh @ Feb 29th 2008 7:03PM]

Take a 100mg chill pill every 6 hours. That ought to cure that case of stick rectitus.

[tiuk @ Feb 29th 2008 7:29PM]

Wow, calm down buddy. Maybe you should find another gadget site if you don't like the tone of this one. That's what some of us visit for, you know.

[murray @ Feb 29th 2008 7:48PM]

Bitter much?

[mushrooshi @ Feb 29th 2008 8:02PM]

I pirate.

[hemmy @ Feb 29th 2008 8:15PM]

Bitter HD DVD fan is bitter.

[why not the LS2/LS7? @ Feb 29th 2008 8:30PM]

Lighten up, Francis.

[engadget @ Feb 29th 2008 9:02PM]

Right on SteveM. It's rather insulting. Are HD DVD owners stupid for choosing a format they thought would at least stick around for a while longer due to lower price points for the players? For most products the prices are very important. There was a time when it was not clear which side would win, or even if there would be a single winner.

[lcdrdata @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:45AM]

Blu-Ray fans are sore winners.

Engadget chief among them.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 29th 2008 6:55PM]

NME = Enemy.

Do not trust what they have to say.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 29th 2008 6:55PM]

NME = Enemy.

Do not trust what they have to say.

[HektikLyfe @ Feb 29th 2008 6:56PM]

Garrr, you beat me to it.

[HektikLyfe @ Feb 29th 2008 6:56PM]

Yes, I will put all my trust and five a bucket full of money to a company named ENEMY!

[Clark H. @ Feb 29th 2008 6:58PM]

Hmm... ok, I'll head on over to RadioShack!

...and then to the guy in the parking lot, with the big van.

[[e-mail] @ Feb 29th 2008 7:16PM]

um, I think you got that backwards...

[ClarkyCat @ Feb 29th 2008 7:00PM]

I'd rather buy this than the alleged music magazine of the same name! Either way, the name seems synonymous with failure!

[peacebyanymeans (AKA: Moorio) @ Feb 29th 2008 7:18PM]

Xbox 360 VMD Add-on CONFIRMED!

[AJ in the East Bay @ Feb 29th 2008 7:26PM]

Hahahahahaha!!!

[MikeG @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:42AM]

lol :D

[Willis @ Feb 29th 2008 7:24PM]

NME...do they mean enema?

[dromesburg @ Mar 1st 2008 2:28PM]

Come on, give em a break! Aren't you tired of not having a choice and being told what we are going to buy? With their disc format; players are cheaper 1080p HD quality. Movies will be cheaper to manufacture + we won't get raped like Sony is so used to doing by overcharging the consumers..

[Tired_ @ Feb 29th 2008 8:19PM]

Red laser, you say?

If these guys can get together with some geniuses at Microsoft and figure out some (magical?) way to implement this as a firmware update for existing Xbox 360's...

[tekdroid @ Feb 29th 2008 8:29PM]

In a press release sent to Pocket-lint, New Medium Enterprises, the company behind the format....
---------
Pahahaha. Sorry, I stopped reading there.

[Sora267 @ Feb 29th 2008 8:55PM]

I asked what my friend was getting for his mom for Xmas, and he said a VMD player. Then I lol'd.

[AlexHD @ Feb 29th 2008 9:19PM]

"All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD."

Bahahaha.

Which void is that? The one with no movies on it anymore? The fire sale void? Or the market for paperweights and doorstops?

[Matsu @ Feb 29th 2008 9:21PM]

@Engadget:

Please stop insulting people that supported HDDVD. When this format war started no one knew which format was going to win.

People that supported HDDVD don't want to support another dying format as you say.

Don't be morons Engadget.

[JoN @ Mar 1st 2008 1:01AM]

i would disagree - there are many people who called this before either product hit the market... the fact is that blu-ray had ps3, more storage, and better studio exclusivity from the start.

[Matsu @ Mar 4th 2008 2:59PM]

Jon:

Your reasons don't justify insulting people. Human beings deserve respect.

Obviously you don't have respect.

[paul34 @ Feb 29th 2008 9:30PM]

Am I the only one who finds everyone that is taking the HD-DVD strike so personally hilarious? I wouldn't be surprised if they are near tears, very literally, as they are writing their sorrowful comments.

Seriously, please... guys, it was a optical media format, not humans vs. the machines.

[Reader @ Feb 29th 2008 9:51PM]

"Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine"

This is obviously HD DVD in blue glowy form.

[AoMoe @ Mar 1st 2008 12:56AM]

NME's HD VMD uses red laser, and was introduced in 2005. The sad reality is that HD VMD will not be anywhere as successful as HD DVD. End of story.

[t-man152 @ Mar 1st 2008 12:16AM]

People who are taking that last bit about HD-DVD are taking this a little bit too seriously. just relax and think of the brighter side of things:

1 - its still useable. how many DVD's do you own? well now you have a DVD player that will upscale all your DVD's an feed it to your HD TV through HDMI. think of it as a very good DVD player

2 - It wasnt that expensive of a mistake. if you can afford an HD TV and then become an early adopter then a $1000 loss isnt that big of a mistake (especially since iys not a complete loss see #1)if on the other hand you have bills, bills bills make only enough money to live month to month, and spent your life savings + your credit cards to buy your TV and HD-DVD player. then I recommend you smarten up, block engadget and all similar sites because your an idiot and getting these sites to get you excited about things you cant afford but will buy anyways is a sure way to get you into some major trouble.


and for the record I really like bluray, the main reason I wanted that format to win is not because of movies but because of data, I have alot of things on my computer and the extra space on bluray disks will come in handy when bluray-RW drives and media become affordeable and widespread.

[Gadgetguy @ Feb 29th 2008 11:47PM]

@READER

hey do you still play AOE2 i remember that exact comment phrased there.

[Ypoknons @ Mar 1st 2008 12:08AM]

I've never found dissing stuff funny. It's too easy.

[AoMoe @ Mar 1st 2008 1:12AM]

@t-man152

From reading the title of the article one can determine that it was NME that stated that "All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD," and that "The way is now clear for VMD to be embraced by the industry."

HD DVD has been quite successful, but Toshiba believes that HD DVD continued success is in doubt.

HD VMD (or just VMD) is missing many of the key ingredient to be successful. Very few people actually believe that HD VMD will be a success.

From the fact that the parent post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards.

P.S. You do not know what a person can or can not afford. Responsible people actually manage their finances for, long term goals, short term commitments, or just to treat themselves now and then.

[AoMoe @ Mar 1st 2008 1:16AM]

My error; an new thread was started when it should have been a reply. Thus:

"From the fact that the parent post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards."

Should read:

"From the fact that 'my original' post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards."