Wal-Mart to officially discontinue HD DVD sales by June (1 Viewer)

[Thorin]

Here's an explanation with photos.

http://www.av-outlet.com/en-us/dept_335.html

 

[Jeff Miller]

Where are you getting this from? Microsoft gave out checks to the studios to keep them with HD-DVD but still lost the battle. That has been written about.

Maybe, I missed the Sony stories. Links, man, links.

Yes you did miss the Sony stories. Sony dished out a couple of hundred million dollars to each movie stuido to go exclusively with BluRay.

Unlike the VHS/Betamax war, this outcome was NOT decided by the consumers in the market. It was decided by business executives in back room deals.

Oh well, such is life...these are not the Droids your looking for...

 

[Thorin]

I just took these pics. This is standard DVD upconverted to 720p at 92"

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/simtech0001/Junk/photo#5167349018512685442"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/simtech0001/R7YcjfbpeYI/AAAAAAAAARc/Z_1d4m_b4rw/s800/DSC_0001.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/simtech0001/Junk/photo#5167349022807652754"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/simtech0001/R7YcjvbpeZI/AAAAAAAAARk/LyliWYbjh5Q/s800/DSC_0005.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/simtech0001/Junk/photo#5167349027102620066"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/simtech0001/R7Ycj_bpeaI/AAAAAAAAARs/fOAFF0gnnFo/s800/DSC_0006.JPG" /></a>

 

[Saint by the Bay]

Here's a question on upconverting. Is there a big difference in quality between players? Since I planned on my player being a temporary bridge device until I got a PS3 I went really really cheap. Is there a difference in quality if I got a better player?

 

[Thorin]

There is a big diff when you get into the larger displays, that's why I spent $229 on this little guy (also because it has HDMI output).

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_index.html

EDIT: I have a lot of dough invested into my DVD collection, this was essential.

 

[TDH]

Is there really a noticeable difference when upconverting dvd?

Yes, it makes most of those crappy Hollywood movies look crappier.

 

[NCSaint]

This is still very much undecided. Not the bluray vs' HD part of it but if the "winner" of this new format war really wins anything. For us enthusiasts yes it is cool to buy and watch HD movies but it is at best a $300M niche market and will be for many many years. Before I got my HD A1 I hooked up a $50.00 portable DVD player to my HD projector and I was the only one being critical of the picture when it actually looked pretty damn good. The wife gets into the movie (go figure) and really could careless if a DVD is playing on the portable or a $30.00 HD transfer is playing on the A1. She is not alone in this thinking.

So now the real war begins which is Blueray vs SD DVD.


So I was and still am a HD guy and have zero plans of helping the evil Sony empire anymore than I already have through the years. I hope they fail too. Cool technology but not worth rebuying an existing library or even paying extra for HD transfers. Just my $.02.

 

[Eeyore]

Toshiba is about to pound the final nail in the coffin... http://www.cepro.com/article/toshiba_hints_at_dropping_hd_dvd_report_says/

 

[Jeff Miller]

This is still very much undecided. Not the bluray vs' HD part of it but if the "winner" of this new format war really wins anything. For us enthusiasts yes it is cool to buy and watch HD movies but it is at best a $300M niche market and will be for many many years. Before I got my HD A1 I hooked up a $50.00 portable DVD player to my HD projector and I was the only one being critical of the picture when it actually looked pretty damn good. The wife gets into the movie (go figure) and really could careless if a DVD is playing on the portable or a $30.00 HD transfer is playing on the A1. She is not alone in this thinking.

So now the real war begins which is Blueray vs SD DVD.


So I was and still am a HD guy and have zero plans of helping the evil Sony empire anymore than I already have through the years. I hope they fail too. Cool technology but not worth rebuying an existing library or even paying extra for HD transfers. Just my $.02.

I could be wrong, shocking i know, but the only way i see BluRay over taking SD DVD is for movie studios to stop releasing movies in SD DVD. The one thing this so called HD format war has shown, is that the format doesn't matter, is the movies on the format that drive sales.

 

[Jayden]

All this really confuses me. Can someone simplify all this. First there was something to do with TV's and needing a converter. One of my TV's has S-Video, the others don't. I noticed that DVD players are now being sold with some strange outlet on the back now that sort of looks like a USB port but not.

The set up I have in my living room has so much involved in it that I begin to get confused. I am the one in the house that has to hook everything up.

Now I hear something about after a certain date you will need some sort of device to view your TV programing due to the input of the signal being changed at that date??

It seems like the world today has so much technological stuff that we are on overload.

 

[TDH]

All this really confuses me. Can someone simplify all this. First there was something to do with TV's and needing a converter. One of my TV's has S-Video, the others don't. I noticed that DVD players are now being sold with some strange outlet on the back now that sort of looks like a USB port but not.

The set up I have in my living room has so much involved in it that I begin to get confused. I am the one in the house that has to hook everything up.

Now I hear something about after a certain date you will need some sort of device to view your TV programing due to the input of the signal being changed at that date??

It seems like the world today has so much technological stuff that we are on overload.

In 2009 all over-the-air TV broadcasts will be sent out in digital signal instead of analog. If you have an old TV you may need a converter box. I think you can get one for free.

 

[TDH]

Here's the official word on the switch:

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html

 

[NCSaint]

All this really confuses me. Can someone simplify all this. First there was something to do with TV's and needing a converter. One of my TV's has S-Video, the others don't. I noticed that DVD players are now being sold with some strange outlet on the back now that sort of looks like a USB port but not.

I never really thought about people getting confused but I can see how you would be. Here goes a try at an explanation.

First of all these are two seperate issues and may not even effect you at all. One has to do with TV programming and one has to do with watching a DVD.

1. TV Programming. What is changing is how a signal is being sent to your TV.

It is changing from analog (takes alot of space in the airwaves) to digital (less space in the airwaves).

So if they change how they broadcast it (to digital form being sent in the airwaves) you will have to change to a new TV tuner to pick it up from the airwaves that has a digital tuner in the tv (digital to digtal). You can do this two ways - buy a new TV with a digital tuner or buy (government is helping people pay for these) a converter going from old to new method.


BUT, this only applies to you if you use an antennae to receive your signal (older method but one alot of people still use).
'
IF you have cable tv this effects you less and maybe not at all. The cable companies are still looking at this but may just provide you a new setop box such as above or maybe reconvert it back to the old (analog) way and all will be the same.

If you go buy a new TV just make sure it has a new digital (called ATSC) tuner and the others (NTSC) are obsolete.

One thing is these older TV's will work forever if hooked up to a DVD player - you just can't hook it directly to cable or an outdoor antennae for reasons above.

You may ask why? And the reason is the US Gov't controls the frequency spectrum and sell it to tv, cell phone companies etc to use. Well if they can make everyone go digital they have more airspace to sell which means more services and $$'s for it's use.

2. The DVD question. Nothing to worry about...the DVD makes (studios, dvd player companies) have come up with a way to transfer the movie films onto a new higher capacity disk which brings a higher definition image. For most this is something to not even get involved in unless you really want to spend more for the same movie you can get and play with your current DVD players. Worry about this only if you have interest in it or DVD's stop being made available (not likely for a LONG time).

The s-video connection you mention will not work for these new high capacity movies (technically it will I think as I know composite is available but then again why pay for higher capacity and use lower capacity ports). The new plug you mention is called an HDMI plug and you guessed it is for High Definition Media Interface (all the new high capacity content from either cable or HD DVD players).

I am telling everyone to not worry about any of this. If one day in about a year your TV doesn't work you will know something is mixed up. It want be the end of the world.

Hope this helps some.

 

[RANdom_Saint]

no, the future is bittorrent

So piracy is the answer... No thank you.

 

[RANdom_Saint]

I, for one, would love to have 17 different HD players in my living room....

seriously, dude, you care too much about this

coming from a guy who buys M$ products

I would tend to agree, also, if I were straddling the fence on this the tone would leave me cold. Lumping people together and creating an "Us who know better" vs. "hopelessly clueless" style points of discussion rarely win any support. I for one will sing the highest praise for any side winning the war because movies exclusive in one High Def format is incredibly annoying. Examples I would cite is of course "Battlestar Glalactica" "Star Trek" If that little game were not played I would care less about formats, nor whichever won or if any did. Not letting me buy movies in my CHOSEN format shows the same hardball tactics that frankly disgust me.