Home Cinema

Now hurry up and release Transformers the 2007 Michael Bay movie on Blu-Ray so i can use my PS3 for something other than a huge dust magnet.

HD DVD you will always be my first love :)

Actually, the consumer didn't speak....the war was won by the simple fact that Blu-ray was included as standard in the PS3, and masses of casual videogame players suddenly had access to high def. It is the stong Playstation brand that is selling PS3 not the fact that it contains Blu-ray; the console would still have sold millions anyway. I'm sure that if Microsoft had included HDDVD as standard in the 360 then the war would still be raging. What would have been the outcome of standalone BR player vs standalone HDDVD player? Easy win for HDDVD.

But it was a fantastic self-promoting move by Sony and when all is said and done they have to be congratulated.

If MS had but a HD DVD drive in the XBox, 360 as standard, it probably would have prolonged the war, would be difficult to predict the effects, but don't forget it would also have made the initial price higher (which is the main critisism of the PS3).

Its always puzzling that HD DVD proponents refused to acknowledge the PS3 as a valid choice for playing high def. Being one of the cheapest players, recieving good reviews from magazines such as this, being upgradeable to new BR profiles and having the added bonus that it is also by far the most powerful console ever made, its not surprising that many people have chosen it as their first high def player, some even just for the BR capability.

Apart from having their pride a bit battered, toshiba have a lot to smile about BR winning. They have a vested interest in the success of the PS3 and BR in the form of supplying the Cell CPU which powers it. Sony currently take a large loss on the actual PS3 console, all the risk is Sony's but Toshiba get a nice slice of profit for at least the next 5-6 years or so for every PS3 sold.

The format war that HD DVD started and now finished has prolonged the life of standard DVD, a toshiba format, thus keeping substantial revenue flowing on that front for longer too.

Both Toshiba and Sony have a fantastic record of creating great technology and innovations, they are 2 of the very few large electronics companies who really do innovate and create things which change the way people do things through research in many different areas.

Ok 1st of all Sony own 51 percent of BLU RAY the "BLU RAY DISC ASSOCIATION or BDA own the other 49 percent(only because Sony let the patent expire a couple of years ago).  Because Blu Ray IS NOT OWNED by 1 company and is backed by so many others (Samsung, Panasonic etc) Toshiba owned the HDDVD patent and chose not to share it until it was 2 late. 2nd Your dead on IF Microsoft had put in a HD DVD into the X Box as standard the war would still be on but they didn't so stop CRYING!! Warner Bros sold both over the past year now and sited the fact that over 80% of their sales were BLU RAY!!  So the people spoke! HD DVD hoped that the Sales of TRANSFORMERS and the Boure Ultimatium would give them impressive numbers like the Departed did for BLU RAY (during the 1st week for every 2 dvds sold they sold 1 Blu ray Really impressive for a new format).  SO Now 1 down(HD DVD) and 1 to go (DVD).  the High Def war is over but the Home Video format war rages on.

We just need a fall in the price of the players now to mass market levels and a cut in the price of the discs from the totally ridiculous levels some are at now.

Then we might have a winning format.

Spot on Nick from philly. exactly right. I wish the HD DVD crowd would stop demonising Sony. Blu ray was the original, industry supported standard, which has the potential to be so much better than HD DVD could ever have been once the bugs are ironed out of the initial players. It used more open technologies, and was the clear consumer choice. Its much better now the war is over.

I bet toshiba figured out video discs won't be their future meal ticket. While sony dumps tons of money into blu-ray that will only last another 3 years max, toshiba will quietly be researching the next media; Flash drives and TV's that instantly connect to the internet for on-demand HD movie viewing.

"Rigadig...? Sony are on the phone. They want you to give them some advice on their new Blu-ray ad campaign. Apparently you came top in a vote off to find Britain's Biggest Sony Fanboy."

I've just got a press release here which states that all major studios and now microsoft have given a long term commitment to Blu-Ray.  The only major player to not adopt the format is PiperUK who continues his one man promotional campaign for the now defunct HD-DVD format.

Piper, do you actually read what is written or do you just have a magical ability to ignore everything that isn't praise for HD DVD?

I have not been advertising BR or sony, as I have stated before, I have very little sony kit, and have not once put down toshiba. You appear to be the one on a promotional mission, for a format that is abandoned even by its own creators, you constantly sing the praises of a single company, whilst spreading false propaganda against Sony. Surely you are the one with some inexplicable allegiance to 1 company.

I have only stated the facts, and tried to correct you on some your extreme views. I notice how you have not actually disputed any of the evidence I put forward in my posts, and simply resort to attacking the format and company that you didn't buy into for whatever reason. At the same time, you have not once provided any kind of basis in facts to support your argument.

I suspect that you won't actually take any of this in, and instead sit in your living room sobbing into your Toshiba/HD DVD fan club issue handkerchief and simply reply with more negative comments about what is now clearly the future of mainstream HD for probably the next 5 - 10 years or so, as well as the company who put the effort in to research it, and anyone else who disagrees with you.

Your favourite lost, get over it.

Wait, hold on...yes, I can see the light...I can make something out....what's this I see as I stumble around my living room, stunned, dazed and confused...it's a new format, one that I must accept...I can just make out a Sony badge, it's...it's...a Betamax VCR!

Did I ever tell you that Betamax was in fact better than VHS? Goddamn you JVC, I will never go near a JVC product again!!!!!

@ PiperUK your funny :)