[Merged]Hi Def DVD Format Wars - Page 2

Gareth · 09-01-2006, 13:01

But didn't Sony Pictures (or Columbia as it was back then) only support Betamax instead of JVC's VHS format, until they finally admitted defeat in 1988 and switched completely to only manufacturing VHS recorders and only producing films to VHS..?

I've never used a Betamax VCR, but weren't they supposed to be technically superior to VHS, but JVC's marketing strategy beat Sony's?

09-01-2006, 13:04

problem as i see it is we are moving forward so fast they cant keep up.How many years have passed since vhs was born till the birth of dvd/? loads longer than dvd to lue ray /hd dvd and as ive said already a few times theres already the next stage in view

handyman · 09-01-2006, 13:45

This time Sony will win. By putting blu-ray in the ps3 thats a master stroke.

Gareth · 09-01-2006, 13:49

Yeah, good point. I might not bother with blu-ray nor hd-dvd, and go to whatever comes after it.

09-01-2006, 13:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

Yeah, good point. I might not bother with blu-ray nor hd-dvd, and go to whatever comes after it.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,3...2107853,00.htm holographic dvd sometimes I feel like I dont exist

09-01-2006, 14:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth

Yeah, good point. I might not bother with blu-ray nor hd-dvd, and go to whatever comes after it.

By which time things will have moved on again.

With new tech there are 3 main bying approaches:

1) Early adopter of bleeding edge technology - expensive, you will soon have outdated equipment and if you picked the wrong one, you might only have an expensive doorstop after.

2) Wait for the technology to mature - much less expensive, more reliable and you're not likely to end up with useless hardware. But the total lifespan of the technology would be less, as new things take over.

3) Wait for the sunset of the technology - here you pick up bargains (if you can find them) and get red-hot yesteryear technology. It's ultra reliable (though media/spares may be rare) and may even see you through till the next technological sunset.

Yours is the 4th - you may find that much harder to do, because while technology moves apace each year, the industry isn't going to gear up for a new tech every couple of years - they have to recoup their investment - so either of these technologies is likely to be around for quite some time.

Personally, with HD-TV looming large in the living room, I think the buying public will find choosing anything with a HD- tag much more obvious than than 'Blu-ray' - remember how long it took for Bluetooth to become kinda familiar to the general public.

---------- Post added at 14:02 ---------- Previous post was at 14:01 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,3...2107853,00.htm holographic dvd sometimes I feel like I dont exist

Just wait a little longer and enough storage to fit your entire life on video will be no bigger than a small, translucent plastic chip. ( as per Star Trek...)

Neil · 10-01-2006, 10:48

Interesting news for those Hi Def afficionados out there....

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetaNews

Having finished speaking to Blu-ray, BetaNews sat down with a representative from HD DVD to discuss how the Microsoft-backed format will compete with Blu-ray. Toshiba HD DVD expert Mark Knox gave a thorough explanation of the optical disc drive technology, and said that because of Blu-ray's complicated design, HD DVD will triumph in the format war.

Blu-ray's difficulties, Knox explained, begin with the technology itself, and the idea that its 50GB dual-layer capacity is superior to HD DVD's 30GB. Through the use of better codec technology, such space is not actually needed for high-definition movies. In fact, Blu-ray admitted to BetaNews that most discs won't go beyond the 25GB mark.

Full article here.