I just read Matt Whitlock's HD-DVD article about the introduction of the first commercial HD-DVD player and all I can say is "yawn".
I'm an early adopter, the kind that Matt refers to and presumably the kind that would jump at the chance to be one of the first to snatch up one of these (admittedly reasonably priced) high-def DVD players. After all, I have already taken the HD plunge with new TVs, upgraded satellite service, and more so it would seem like I'm the ideal candidate for adopting HD-DVD.
The problem is that it is completely impractical to think about upgrading my existing DVD collection to HD versions. Even if the HD-DVD commercial DVD selection were available for me to start buying newer DVDs in the higher quality, it would take me years to make a dent in my existing collection and I can't find a good reason to swap any of the movies I already own.
Note that this is not a slam against HD-DVD in particular - the same argument would hold for BluRay if that had come out first. A long-predicted format war doesn't help things either and most everything I read says the industry is killing the whole appeal of high-def discs by forcing consumers to choose.
I do agree with Matt that next-gen game consoles will do alot to support these new disc formats but most gamers don't care about the underlying media so to proclaim BluRay the winner a year from now because Sony succeeded in getting a billion PS3s in people's hands is absurd.
For me, HD-DVD or BluRay support is just one of a number of checkboxes on my list when I eventually replace my primary DVD player, which could be years from now. Someone - anyone - give me a reason to care!!!
Early Adopter says, "no way" to HD-DVD
Thu, 04/20/2006 - 17:09
#1
Early Adopter says, "no way" to HD-DVD
Well, I think you're missing the point a little. I'm not sure the point behind these next gen formats is to convince you to go out and replace every movie you own on DVD. I currently have a collection of over 300 DVD movies, and even the higher quality of these new formats can't convince me that it's worth it to go and buy everything all over again. No... that's not it.
Contrary to that point, I did replace many of my aged VHS tapes with DVD copies. However, I did this only if the tape was worn and defective. All my tapes that played fine were typically not replaced.
I'd say the point is that you've spent thousands on a high-definition capable display, and now there's a way to enjoy movies that take advantage of every pixel your TV can muster. That shouldn't be enough to make you rebuy everything again, but it certainly makes sense to buy and rent your movies in this format going forward... doesn't it? Well, maybe not today... and maybe not tomorrow. But at some point you stopped buying movies on VHS. That same time will come for DVDs as well. I'm not sure I get your "checkbox" analogy. Is CD support a checkbox feature when looking for a new cassette deck?
It's inevitable that movie distribution needs to follow television display standards. DVD was released at the very end of NTSC's life. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray essentially play catch up to technology. You, the consumer, benefit by more features and much higher quality video, and the studios benefit by a newer copy-protection scheme and more control... which coincidentally is also one of the largest detrements to the consumer.
As far as your statement that a long-predicted format war is not helping... you couldn't be more correct. Until one dies completely, buying into either format is a gamble.
Matt, great response, thanks. I do see the logic in investing in a new DVD player that is capable of playing the new discs so that I have the option to rent/buy them in the future. Of course, the only practical decision would be to buy a component that supports both formats (and CDs too;-)
I think a great selling point for my next DVD player would be up-conversion so that I could get even more out of the DVDs I already own when playing them through my HDTV.
You know what would be great for me? Provide a lala-like (http://www.lala.com) service where I could trade the DVDs I own but don't want in order to get new high-def versions of new movies I do want! Maybe seems a little premature since lala hasn't even opened its doors to the public yet.
Sigh.
Every HD-DVD and Blu-Ray player will support standard DVDs, and all will have the ability to up-convert standard DVDs to HD scan rates. Don't expect a much better picture on tubes or CRT rear pros, but you may get some added benefit on fixed pixel displays.
The lala service sounds interesting. I'll keep my eye on them going forward.