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Blockbuster backs Blu-ray - HD DVD on the ropes?
iTWire ^ | Monday, 18 June 2007 | Adam Turner

Posted on 06/17/2007 10:29:06 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

In another blow to HD DVD, the giant Blockbuster video rental chain has thrown its weight behind Blu-ray in the fight to see which format is the high definition successor to the humble DVD.

After renting Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year, Blockbuster has decide to stock only Blu-ray in its other 1250 US stores. Customers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time, reports Associated Press via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The release of Sony's Blu-ray-enabled PlayStation 3 games console was also a factor in the decision, said Blockbuster senior vice president of merchandising Matthew Smith. Smith's comments comes after Microsoft conceded that the Xbox 360 games console may eventually support Blu-ray.

While Blockbuster is following market trends, its backing of Blu-ray as the format winner is possible a self-fulfilling prophesy - with other retailers likely to follow Blockbuster's lead. Blu-ray also has some heavy-hitting backers in Australia, with entertainment retail chain JB Hi-Fi declaring it will only stock Blu-ray.

It's true that Blu-ray players are more expensive than their HD DVD counterparts, but at this point I don't think price is a factor. Early adopters aren't too concerned about price tags. In 12 months time when prices fall and the tag becomes important, it will probably already be too late for HD DVD.    

Things are staring to look grim for HD DVD, but the format war could drag on due to the release of dual format Blu-ray/HD DVD players from the likes of Samsung and LG. While this is might seem to be a good thing, it's just going to delay mass adoption of one format and thus stop hardware and movie prices falling. Blu-ray v HD DVD is a battle to the death, and the sooner one dies the better off consumers will be.


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: blockbuster; bluray; boycottviacom; cbs; hddvd; highdefinition; hitech; media; technology; viacom
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To: Tolsti; Ernest_at_the_Beach

THx


101 posted on 06/18/2007 8:00:53 AM PDT by Fawn (If it wasn't for FR, I'd be having an Existential MELTDOWN..............right now)
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To: capitalist229

Why stick with a 1940’s technology?

Even if you don’t care about HD, you CAN get a new TV that can accept the new broadcast signals for under $300 now. It won’t be high def but it WILL be able to use the new digital signals and produce a “regular” picture with it.


102 posted on 06/18/2007 8:02:47 AM PDT by RockinRight (Our 44th President will be Fred Dalton Thompson!)
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To: Tolsti
Hopefully the Blu-ray will generally take over. I really can’t stand watching standard def DVD now. On a bigger HDTV screen, it’s just fuzzy no matter how well it’s upscaled.

I'm grateful that my palate isn't that finely-tuned. DVDs and cable, HD or not, are enough for me. Where my ears are concerned, I'm only occasionally bothered by the MP3 compression artifacts that bug audiophiles, usually at the high extremes, like crash cymbals. Strangely, the Doobie Brothers are the main band where MP3 compression bothers me -- the heavy crash cymbal in "Jesus is Just Alright" and the wind chimes in "Black Water" are muddied.

To me, it's like reading a cheap paperback; I'm reading the words, not focusing on how the ink has bled into the crappy dull paper. Good printing on good paper is better, and I can tell the difference, but I can cope. I'm not that many years removed from endlessly adjusting an antenna to pull in a weak crappy signal, so it's all still cool to me.

103 posted on 06/18/2007 8:02:59 AM PDT by ReignOfError (`)
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To: puroresu

Yes.


104 posted on 06/18/2007 8:03:10 AM PDT by RockinRight (Our 44th President will be Fred Dalton Thompson!)
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To: Tolsti; LibLieSlayer
From my understanding, everything will play on HDMI, DRM or not. DRM stuff just won’t play on non-HDMI connections eventually.

HDMI is simply DVI (with HDCP) and audio, all built into a single cable and plug. So you don't have a lot of confusing plugs and connection problems. HDMI is so Grandma can handle it.

DVI is the older standard. The DRM is the HDCP part. Some older DVI set support only unencrypted DVI. The newer ones all support the encrypted HDCP.

If you have an HDTV with DVI/HDCP, then you can always just buy an adapter plug for HDMI which will split the HDMI plug into two cables, DVI and digital audio.

Now they're considering replacing HDMI with something else, at least on computers. I hate these people. Anything to sell you another crappy player with different interface plugs.
105 posted on 06/18/2007 8:05:26 AM PDT by George W. Bush (Rudi & McVain: tough on terror, scared of Iowa)
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To: Mr. Jeeves

‘Cuz there are still people out there that like bellbottoms and haven’t watched TV since “Maude” was on the air?


106 posted on 06/18/2007 8:07:03 AM PDT by RockinRight (Our 44th President will be Fred Dalton Thompson!)
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To: bmwcyle
I will be buy HD-DVD. It is not dead yet.

'Ees just pinin'.

107 posted on 06/18/2007 8:10:17 AM PDT by dfwgator (The University of Florida - Still Championship U)
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To: theFIRMbss
All the Blockbusters
near my house have gone bankrupt.
With net downloads and


NetFlix and cable,
does Blockbuster still have "weight"
it can "throw around?!"

When folks post with short line lengths, I usually berate the bad haiku. But damned if you didn't nail the 5-7-5. I think a formal haiku is supposed to contain a reference to a season,but I won't stand on ceremony; my cap is doffed. Nicely done.

108 posted on 06/18/2007 8:11:07 AM PDT by ReignOfError (`)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
(Blockbuster) customers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time, reports Associated Press via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

It would be interesting to see the ratios from Netflix and also from DVD sales. That would give us a better view of total demand.

109 posted on 06/18/2007 8:12:21 AM PDT by reg45
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To: Carbonsteel
If so, then we should all be pushing the HDDVD format.

HDDVD is the inferior format. The disks hold about half the data as a Blu-Ray.

110 posted on 06/18/2007 8:13:44 AM PDT by Texas Federalist (Fred!)
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To: George W. Bush

Now that’ll really upset me. I’d like to see HDMI monitors take over and *standardize* all this stuff..

I just bought a laptop with HDMI out. To me, that’s awesome. Can hook it into my TV, HDMI Receiver, or (future) PC monitor.

It would be a moronic awful step to add something else. HDMI 1.3 has *allll* the bandwidth PC’s will ever need I’m sure.


111 posted on 06/18/2007 8:16:45 AM PDT by Tolsti
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To: Texas Federalist

30 gigs vs 50 gigs.

The bigger thing is the bandwidth, which applies more to video, same as MP3 quality goes up with higher data rates.

I really hope Blu-ray takes over the DVD market. Things move fast, and in 15 years we might all be on download-only media.. But for the time being, Blu-ray will last.


112 posted on 06/18/2007 8:19:20 AM PDT by Tolsti
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To: ReignOfError

The thing that killed BetaMax was the limited recording capacity on each tape.


113 posted on 06/18/2007 8:23:37 AM PDT by reg45
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To: reg45

I use to work selling VHS and Beta. It was cost of the machine.


114 posted on 06/18/2007 8:27:09 AM PDT by bmwcyle (Satan is working both sides of the street in World Socialism and World Courts.)
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To: Tolsti
Now that’ll really upset me. I’d like to see HDMI monitors take over and *standardize* all this stuff.. ...I just bought a laptop with HDMI out.

DisplayPort is the new standard, being replaced by UDI. People are saying you'll be able to use a passive resistance cable adapter to convert DVI and HDMI to UDI. UDI will be able to drive monstrous resolutions, stuff like 4096x2500 at 30-60fps. Since they are planning to build such displays at least for the commercial market, they have to have an interface capable of the bandwidth and DVI/HDMI won't cut it.

Anyway, it shouldn't be an issue for ordinary folks. I think HDMI is the winner for the next 5 years or more.

- DisplayPort is seen as a replacement for DVI - Future HD applications using resolutions up to 4096x2160 will need capacity far beyond what DVI can deliver.
- Whilst HDMI and DVI are related, DisplayPort is incompatible with either of them, and even employs its own content protection system (DPCP - Display Port Content Protection)
- Unified Display Interface (UDI) is being developed by Silicon Image as a replacement for DisplayPort. SI developed HDMI but not DisplayPort. DisplayPort is barely in use in hardware and there's an attempt to supersede it.
- UDI and HDMI are 'similar' but aren't interchangeable standards.
- DisplayPort backers include ATI, nVidia, Dell, Genesis, Hewlett-Packard, Tyco, Molex, and Philips.
- UDI backers are fewer, including Apple, Intel, and Samsung.

115 posted on 06/18/2007 8:34:47 AM PDT by George W. Bush (Rudi & McVain: tough on terror, scared of Iowa)
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To: George W. Bush

Well, I doubt my laptop will last 5 years, or my 1.3 HDMI receiver I plan on buying in August :P

There really *is* a need for 4k video though. That’s the next move. It’s like megapixels in cameras, but takes a lot more investment :(


116 posted on 06/18/2007 8:46:33 AM PDT by Tolsti
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To: Tolsti

Which HDMI 1.3 receiver are you shopping for? I’m looking for a decent modern receiver too.


117 posted on 06/18/2007 9:18:09 AM PDT by George W. Bush (Rudi & McVain: tough on terror, scared of Iowa)
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To: George W. Bush

I’m looking at the Onkyo 705 for my parents and the Onkyo 875 for myself.


118 posted on 06/18/2007 9:20:56 AM PDT by Tolsti
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To: George W. Bush

Mark that, 805 for the parents. The 705 has only 2 hdmi inputs. They need at least 3. I want 4 with the 875.


119 posted on 06/18/2007 9:21:26 AM PDT by Tolsti
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To: Tolsti

Nice stuff. Onkyo always is. I’ll have to wait on an 805 to come down or settle for something cheaper from some other company.


120 posted on 06/18/2007 9:26:01 AM PDT by George W. Bush (Rudi & McVain: tough on terror, scared of Iowa)
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