The HDDVDs are a couple bucks more than the same DVDs. The player is $400 more than similarly equipped DVD players, as you proved. You really think it is the discs?

weather or not which format will dominate willl be decided by one factor and that will be the mass consumer. Marketing and studio support are only vehicles to gain this. ultamitaly the more popular format will saturate the market fastest and will eventually win.. i think its far too early to count either of the formats out.
just my 2 cents. (^_^)

there is no HD DVD 360, it is an add on, some think it will be priced at 200$ but I think it could be higher.



PS it is Blu-ray not Blue Ray

It's only been ANNOUNCED as an add-on, but I'm 99% positive that shortly after the external drive comes out there will be a "refreshed" 360 with the new drive built-in, if only to make the 360 more attractive compared to the then-available PS3's built-in BD drive.

Of course they wouldn't announce such a thing in advance, since it would potentially impact immediate 360 sales (better to assure everyone that they can "upgrade later").

Could be, I have thought for some time of the possibility (i.e. one that matches more closely the premium PS3 in specs) or as I call it the 360 MM (multimedia) on the other hand if they do, I think Nov is too early for it, maybe some time in 2007 and a price similar to the expensive PS3. On the other hand if they do make the MM then I would guess they would need to drop one of the existing two SKUs.

I think it would come later (if ever) because
1) 1y is too soon for a new SKU
2) I think it makes more sense for them to see how well the PS3, HD DVD add-on, Nintendo does before progressing

Many ppl have been quoting expense and production costs as 1 of the main criteria to determine whether it will be BD or HD and often look at the player as being the key to a home entertainments system.

Yet most ppl seem to be overlooking a more important part to this, what happens to their existing collection of DVDs. I don't have space in my house to accomodate an LD player, DVD player, BD player and HDDVD player. I have a sizable DVD collection already and would ideally like a player to replace my existing DVD player whilst allowing me to play all my existing DVDs. AFAIK HDDVD does this, however I also like the extra capacity offered by BD discs, and should a RW option ever become available I can see this making a great multipurpose device allowing system backups to be made for securing data and files from my PC.

In terms of the film industry, clearly their main concerns will not be centred around costs of implementation or the costs of change or even over quality, their main concerns will be over digital rights managment and prevention of highly lucrative piracy syndicates leading to a loss of revenue. If that means that end users have to put up with 2 players 1 for standard DVDs and one for an alternative high definition player then so be it. Once the high def standard has been set there will most likely be a changeover process where DVDs slowly get phased out in much the same way that vinyl was until only a few enthusiasts will stay with the older format.

That was discussed at length for many months. Until pretty much all the mfgrs announced (around last fall) that they would make backward-compatible players as the norm. So then we stopped talking about it.

Of course, quality playback is another point on this topic. But until the players are actually out (more than 1 of them), this won't come up.

TheKeyboardDemon: both HD DVD and BD have 5/9 formats in their spec. What it means is taht in order to be an HD DVD player or a BD player it must have red laser and be able to read data off a DVD disk. Even though neither HD DVD or BD require DVD movie playback, they need to read DVDs and everything else is already there (MPEG-2 DD/DTS....) so it is almost a 0 cost toi add DVD movie playback. That is why all HD DVD and BD players will play DVDs your collection is safe from that perspective with either format

I think the main thing people are forgetting is that compared to plain old analog 4:3 televisions, next to no one owns an HDTV. These people are fighting tooth and nail to conquer a market that doesn't yet exist.

My hope is that the availability of all of this new content (video games and both movie formats) will give the HDTV industry a boost. I'm hoping it starts a snowball effect. The more HDTV's in use, the more content that will be made to display on them, having more content available will inspire more people to buy HDTVs.

I have a few laserdiscs, but I don't have a player anymore. I'm not buying a new dvd player for a while either. I just got my DMX-3000 working the way I like it. SG1

Next to No-one owns a HD-TV? Not sure where you live but it can't be in USA/UK/Asia! In the UK, Sky has just released it's High Def broadcasting and ther has been many thousands of people pre ordered it. And I believe that in the US they have had High Def broadcasting for a couple of years now?

Unless I am losing my marbles early I think you will find there are enough people with High Def capability to justify a market that most definitely exists...

i own 4 tv's oin my house that are hi-def. been installing hi def stuff since 1998-99 or something like that. over half the people i know have at least 1 hidef display, that does not mean they have hidef service.

i know lots of people with hi def on their power boats. i am one of them. hi def is everywhere.

you just need to hang out with better people.... :-)

ed

The other thing is- manufacturers will quit making analog TV's soon. Not sure what the exact date is because it keeps getting changed.
And I see they just changed the date analog broadcasts will end from January 2009 to February 2009. That may change again as 85% of the homes must have a Digital TV for the changeover to take effect.
By then there will literally be millions of ED and HD TV's in the US.
SDTV is a Digital format as well. But how many people will actually buy one.

I don't recall seeing a percentage on the latest round. It's February 2009, period. They did not just change the date. It is Feb 17 or 27, I never remember which, and it has been that date since last summer's session decreed it. There was never a January, 2009. The law also includes subsidies for tuners to those households who will need them. Although who "needs them" is under question.

I thought I had read somewhere it was January 2009. But maybe not. According to this site:
[Link: hdtvexpert.com]
The drop dead date is February 17, 2009.