HD DVD format dead?

[Bulldoggie]

I can't wait for these to come down in price.

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10867

I have the matching DL DVD.
The best "superdrive" I've used.

[snowtrooper1966]

Greetings, psychos2!
I do not subscribe to that "bigger is better" theory.
I just want a quality master recording with perhaps some commentary, maybe a few "making of" featurettes.
I definately do not want my player to be surfing the web looking for links of the film I am watching, and letting me know while I am veiwing said film.
As far as I know, neither format has come close to filling up a disk yet. The greater Blu capacity is more of a needless gimmick, at this point, IMHO.
It seems like Blu is adding "pow, wiz, bang" features because they are trying to justify something. In fact, as I stated earlier, most of these little used featuers seem to only make the disks harder for players to handle, and ruining the simple enjoyment of (gasp) enjoying a film!
Best,
James
snowtrooper1966

[snowtrooper1966]

Bulldoggie,
If you had that LaCie, where would you be burning stuff from? Archived material from satalite HD feed? That stuff is full of compression atrifacts.
It seems that the only quality signal you could record would be a local HD broadcast captured from an HD antennae. Unless you would have it hooked up to a HTPC......
I do have a home A/V component DVD burner. I remember looking at those when they first came out, close to 10k, if memory serves....
I bought it to burn series episodes I have captured, but as I mentioned, the quality of the sat feed is pretty badly compressed. Coupled with the fact that most of the stuff winds up for sale, I find myself recording less and less. The majority of my digital recording is on my Dishnetwork HD DVR. I like to record "chunks" of series, and watch a few episodes in a sitting.
For me, there is pride of ownership in professionally mastered and packaged DVD and HD media material.
Best,
James
snowtrooper1966

[Bulldoggie]

HD home movies.
DVD box sets.
Soon to be common HD Ripping software?
iTunes back-up to one disc.

I'll wait till blank media is <$5.
By then the burner will be <$300.

Some features are worth the premium price.
But if the source is lower quality, DVD is plenty good.
A lot of my favorite movies are pre-digital.
Twilight Zone would not look better in Blu

[snowtrooper1966]

Yea, I don't think HD ripping is too far off. I have seen video of someone cracking the "unbreakable" hd media.....
I feel if the mastering is done right, the final HD media can look better than what we have had available on DVD.
I have a few older films on HDDVD that were obviously done with great care, expertise and reverence.
Two John Wayne films, The Coyboys and The Searchers come to mind, as does 2001: A Space Odessey.
While watching The Cowboys, it is hard for me to believe that film is 30+ years old....It is obvious that whomever did that trasnfer was a master.
Best,
James

[spaceCADETzoom]

I'm a user of both formats. I like them both. Have a PS3 and a HD drive for the xbox. I think everyone should have that combo... invest in a PS3. (the HD drive is only 120 bucks or so for the 360--and chances are you already have a 360, right?)

Honesty, I watch more movies on the PS3 than play games on it. In fact, I really DON't play games on it--it upscales norm DVD;s great and BLU looks amazing.

Formats are honestly the same. Deciding factor is library. HD is capable of better menu interactivity and potentially better extras (sounds silly---but check out the screen-in-screen extras on the movie 300, bluray vs hddvd side by side...if you have both players and bought the BR version you will feel gipped). BR has the capacity, but thats a moot point as well. (blade runner comes in the same amount of discs either way, for example). NOthing has really come to capacity on either format. This leaves library...I'd have a problem if I had to throw out either my HDDVD player or PS3. Take out the only snag in the equation.. get both

Truthfully, reg DVD upscaled through a good player is just fine.

[johnnyapollo]

Star Trek - The Original Series looks pretty good on my HD player - completely remasted from the original, cleaned up negatives in HD DVD with new sound and effects. I got my HD player for Christmas, along with 5 HD DVDs (free) and the ST set. I won't be buying any new, but for now I can at least watch what I have - the unit doesn't take up "too" much space.

-- John