Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Toshiba quits HD DVD business
Tribune-Star ^ | Feb. 19,2008 | By Yuri Kageyama

Posted on 02/19/2008 11:20:38 AM PST by Military family member

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 next last
To: Digital Sniper

VHS won out in the consumer marketplace, but Beta was technically superior and won in the pro marketplace. SuperVHS came along to try to make up the tech difference, but it never was as good as Beta.

This time around, the technically superior one won, partially because there was never going to be a way to record HD-DVD at home (even with a computer) and there already are BluRay burners on the market.


21 posted on 02/19/2008 11:41:27 AM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Military family member
Congratulations to your hometown.

Blu-Ray is the superior technology, at least if they have been able to increase yields on disk manufacturing which I believe had been considerably lower than for HD DVD disks at one time.

I'm still a bit surprised that HD DVD is just going away. I would have expected players that played both formats would have become common first and then have the one format die out.

I guess that implementing both in the same player was more difficult than I thought it would be.

22 posted on 02/19/2008 11:42:14 AM PST by untrained skeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Prokopton
Beta was technically superior to VHS but lost out.

The critical factor was that VHS could put an entire movie on a single tape.
23 posted on 02/19/2008 11:43:17 AM PST by Locomotive Breath
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Military family member

What is your hometown?


24 posted on 02/19/2008 11:43:36 AM PST by listenhillary (They should have hung the first person that said "there ought to be a law...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Military family member
I don't get it. What's the difference?

My wife and I got a DVD recorder/player a few months ago (it's yet to be actually USED even once) so what does this mean for us? Should we dump it?

25 posted on 02/19/2008 11:43:56 AM PST by ExSoldier (Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Prokopton

“Blu Ray is technically superior...”

Do you mean the specification theorectically allows for higher audio and video resolutions, greater color depth, more audio channels, more info in general? Because my understanding is that they’ve done a pretty poor job of rolling out the early players (probably to respond to and head off HD-DVD). The standard is evolving, and some players are missing things. I understand that not all Blu-ray players play all Blu-ray discs.


26 posted on 02/19/2008 11:44:29 AM PST by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Zuben Elgenubi

I always pick the Betamax. Heck, I still have two Beta decks.

$179 for the HD DVD add-on for my Xbox360 didn’t hurt all that much, and the remaining disks should be really cheap. It’s not like they become trash in two months.

I’d still warn people to avoid standalone Blu-Ray players until the profile 2.0 players hit stores in the fall. The only current player that is assured of being updated to the 2.0 spec is the PS3.


27 posted on 02/19/2008 11:44:43 AM PST by MediaMole
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: mmichaels1970
"Eventually, it's believed that your standard dvd will become less and less available."

I still don't understand the whole thing. I thought I heard that NetZero, Best Buy, Walmart, (I may be mistaken on some of these) will only be carrying blu-ray DVD's. If this is case then I wouldn't be able to play them on my regular DVD player would I?

I absolutely do not understand hi-tech stuff.

28 posted on 02/19/2008 11:45:38 AM PST by Spunky (You are free to make choices, but not free from the consequences)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Digital Sniper
I'm gratified to hear that and will certainly be looking forward to enjoying the high-def experience on my 50" HD TV! :-)

You'll love it. I just had a 65" Plasma delivered Friday. Now I'm waiting for Panasonic to come out with their Blu Ray 2.0 player.

29 posted on 02/19/2008 11:46:34 AM PST by Prokopton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Locomotive Breath; Prokopton
The critical factor was that VHS could put an entire movie on a single tape.

That, and it was the choice of the porn industry.

30 posted on 02/19/2008 11:55:21 AM PST by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Spunky
I still don't understand the whole thing. I thought I heard that NetZero, Best Buy, Walmart, (I may be mistaken on some of these) will only be carrying blu-ray DVD's. If this is case then I wouldn't be able to play them on my regular DVD player would I?

A Blu Ray disc will not play on a regular DVD player. Regular DVDs will play on a Blu Ray player.

And with regardes to "only carrying", that is in reference to the Blu Ray vs. HD DVD battle. You will still be able to buy all the regular DVDs you could ever want.

There are only like 435 movies out on Blu Ray, while the DVD Movie catalog is in excess of 60,000. They will not be going away for a long long time.

31 posted on 02/19/2008 11:57:59 AM PST by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Prokopton

Just get a PS3.


32 posted on 02/19/2008 11:58:28 AM PST by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: swain_forkbeard
Do you mean the specification theorectically allows for higher audio and video resolutions, greater color depth, more audio channels, more info in general?

Blu Ray discs hold 50 GB vs. 30 GB for HD. Blu Ray bandwith is 48Mbit/sec vs. 30 Mbit/sec for HD. Blu Ray discs also have a protective hard coating.

You are correct in that Blu Ray players have gone through the three versions of Blu Ray 1, 1.1 and now 2.0. 2.0 is the last spec for full use of all of the potential in the Blu Ray discs. From now on most Blu Ray players will be full 2.0 specs and will be able to perform all Blu Ray functions.

33 posted on 02/19/2008 12:01:05 PM PST by Prokopton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Phantom Lord; Spunky; Prokopton
My mistake in previous posts. DVD titles are in excess of 90,000.

And on getting a Blu Ray Player, here is an interesting piece from Crave. They strongly suggest the PS3 as your Blu Ray player. Five reasons you shouldn't buy a Blu-ray player yet

34 posted on 02/19/2008 12:02:31 PM PST by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Zuben Elgenubi

Blue-Ray? Izzat some kind of salt water creature?


35 posted on 02/19/2008 12:08:04 PM PST by Sig Sauer P220
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Military family member

Final nail in the coffin I would think.


36 posted on 02/19/2008 12:11:33 PM PST by comebacknewt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Spunky
I thought I heard that NetZero, Best Buy, Walmart, (I may be mistaken on some of these) will only be carrying blu-ray DVD's. If this is case then I wouldn't be able to play them on my regular DVD player would I?

If this WERE true, you'd be correct that your regular DVD player would become nothing more than an end table. However, I think they mean that Walmart etc. won't be carrying BluRay's main competitor: the HD-DVD. These moves by the large resellers are a big part of HD-DVD's imminent death. I'm sure your standard DVD's will be carried at your local Wal Mart for a long time to come since standard DVD's will still be in high demand for at least several years.

I absolutely do not understand hi-tech stuff.

Think about what it was like in Blockbuster during the transition from VHS to DVD. The shelves were full of VHS tapes with a small DVD section in the beginning. Soon, it was 50-50. Now, you can't find a VHS tape anywhere. There was very little if any outrage to VHS offerings disappearing because adequate time elapsed to allow just about everybody to naturally transition over to a DVD Player. I'd project the same type of future for BluRay.
37 posted on 02/19/2008 12:13:09 PM PST by mmichaels1970
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: listenhillary
Terre Haute Indiana

Maybe now we'll be know for something other than the home of the Federal Death Chamber

38 posted on 02/19/2008 12:16:02 PM PST by Military family member (GO Colts!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Phantom Lord
Just get a PS3

Current PS3s probably cannot be made 2.0 compliant. Also, the upconversion quality of the PS3 is not the greatest.

39 posted on 02/19/2008 12:17:01 PM PST by Prokopton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Prokopton
Current PS3s probably cannot be made 2.0 compliant. Also, the upconversion quality of the PS3 is not the greatest.

Thanks for p***ing on my Cheerios. Just when I thought I had this all figured out.
40 posted on 02/19/2008 12:21:47 PM PST by mmichaels1970
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson