According to reports in Japan, today (Tue), Sony will be looking at a 100 billion yen loss this fiscal year. That's 700 million quid at today's exchange rates. Ouch...
-
-
I'm of the opinion that Blu Ray is the next MiniDisc (or Betamax). There's little to justify most people getting rid of all their perfectly good DVDs to re-buy them on Blu Ray just so they can enjoy those same films at a slightly higher resolution.Originally posted by Brats View Post
Sony would have been better off not pinning the fate of the PS3 on the Blu Ray format. The lack of Blu Ray would've certainly made the machine cheaper, and more appealing which is ironic considering that Blu ray was supposed to be a selling point a la DVD in the PS2.Comment
-
Spot on Ady.Comment
-
Most of the people claiming that BD is the next Betamax/Minidisc/Laserdisc/<niche format here>, and claiming that people won't want to move to the new format because people are happy with the existing one, seem to be forgetting that the exact same arguments were used repeatedly as reasons why DVD Video would fail.
Commercial BD movies have been out in the US and Japan for about 2 and a half years now and we've already seen the format begin to take hold. People seem to forget that DVD (which launched in 1996 don't forget) was *not* an overnight success story and by most accounts it took until around 1999 for the "thumbs up" to come through. So, forgive me for getting tired of all the doom and gloom when the thing is doing comparatively better than DVD was at that point in its life, despite having to fight off customer confusion from the format war.
Sorry to go on, but I've heard it all before. "What we have now is good enough", "the films are too expensive", "not everyone is a picture quality obsessive"...
Considering that all BD players have included DVD backwards compatibility, I'm not sure why you think people have to "get rid of all their DVDs" myself.I'm of the opinion that Blu Ray is the next MiniDisc (or Betamax). There's little to justify most people getting rid of all their perfectly good DVDs to re-buy them on Blu Ray just so they can enjoy those same films at a slightly higher resolution.
Since DVD players couldn't play VHS tapes (combo units excepted), this was actually one of the more valid points that the DVD refuseniks had at the end of the last decade, but it's actually one of the biggest reasons why BD will be a success. The fact that both formats use the same size of disc means that eventually, Blu-ray Disc players will be standard. You won't be able to buy a DVD Player, just a DVD/BD player, once it becomes financially viable.
With PAL DVD being 720x576 (the effective resolution is actually far less due to the pre-filtering used, and on most people's setups is degraded because of the need for a good deinterlacer chip, but we'll leave those out of the equation) and just about all BDs using 1920x1080, I wouldn't call that a "slight" increase in resolution myself either, but then again video is my whole thing.Last edited by Lyris; 13-01-2009, 17:09.Comment
-
Difference being that DVD came after a good 2 decades of VHS, which means that a change was due. I find it hard to believe that, at the close of the 90s, any sane person thought that DVD would not really catch on and that analogue VHS tape would continue to be the dominant format.Originally posted by Lyris View Post
DVD distinguished itself with better picture quality, easier access, speed and even compactness. BD only seems to distinguish itself from DVD by picture quality alone (and then only if you have the right kind of TV).Comment
-
Well that's true, BD isn't as big a revolution. DVD was the first optical video disc most people used so the idea of alternative audio tracks and chapter stops and such were a novelty. But that doesn't mean it's going to be a flop.
People did!I find it hard to believe that, at the close of the 90s, any sane person thought that DVD would not really catch on and that analogue VHS tape would continue to be the dominant format.Comment
-
Blu-Ray FTW! Fight on lol :-)Comment
-
LOL. BluRay has already passed DVD at the same point in their respective lifetimes. From where I'm sitting, it's a success already, and will only get more successful. Anyone who loves films should be behind it and what it's given the home cinema enthusiast. Film grain is WONDERFUL
Comment
-
The Huge diff for me , was DVD offered extra's....16.9 format, extra footage, behind the scenes, cast interviews , better picture, sound and what have you over VHS.Sorry to go on, but I've heard it all before. "What we have now is good enough", "the films are too expensive", "not everyone is a picture quality obsessive"..
What can BluRay offer bar better picture ?. To me , more so a Jackie Chan and Horror fan, that was massive need to get the full 16.9 , and all the cut out extra's from horrors on DVD to that of VHS
BluRay the picture isn't enough , I'm sorry . And I'm no a basher just for the hell of it . I own a PS3 , but I don't really care if I get the BluRay or DVD version . Now I would never have been saying that as a VHS and DVD owner .
To me HD DVD is the better format as wellComment
-
Sorry to be pedantic but wouldn't that be like saying what can the PS3 or 360 offer bar better graphics? When we all know they have given us a "bit" more than just higher quality graphics.
I was extremely sceptical when first hearing about the Blu-Ray (and HD-DVD) formats, I didn't think they would offer a sizeable upgrade from DVD. A few months after, I watched my first HD movie and I was sold! The sound and the picture quality are brilliant (on most movies), truly a great home cinema experience.Comment
-
Eh?Originally posted by ezee ryder View PostSorry to be pedantic but wouldn't that be like saying what can the PS3 or 360 offer bar better graphics? When we all know they have given us a "bit" more than just higher quality graphics.
Bluray will coexist alongside DVD for a few years, but it will never replace it. Digital distribution will be the next big step.Comment
-
Which I doubt will happen in our life time , thanks to the relic that is BT. Untill we get super fast BB across the country , I don't see Digital distribution taking off any time soon sadlyOriginally posted by parkinho View PostComment
-
This will have to happen, there will be no shops left open by the end of 2009, probablyOriginally posted by parkinho View Post
Comment
-
"Eh?" indeedOriginally posted by parkinho View Post
The point is that Blu-Ray offers a much higher picture quality over DVD, that is fact. To say "is that all it offers?" is a bit simplistic. You also get better the better sound, basically you get the true home cinema experience which alot of people out there like otherwise Blu-Ray would have gone down the drain just like HD-DVD.
Furthermore no-one said Blu-Ray will replace DVD, if people want DVDs instead then fair play to them. However alot of people are now getting on the "Blu-Ray train", that cannot be ignored. As the links I posted show, if you compare sales of the two during the same time period then Blu-Ray is ahead. The main reason for this (again as stated in the articles I linked to), a vast majority of people are getting HDTVs and to accompany them (to show of their new TV) they are also buying a Blu-Ray player in some form or another (whether it be a PS3 or a standalone player). Another thing is also, Blu-Ray movies are not amazingly expensive either. In terms of new releases, most stores (online and offline) sell them £2-£5 more expensive than the DVD counterpart.....infact in some cases they are actually the same price.
Last edited by ezee ryder; 13-01-2009, 18:41.Comment
Comment