Honest to goodness question...

[daryle]

I've already experienced HD-DVD and Blu-Ray content in my house...

I've researched both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD as best I could...

Currently I own NEITHER tech's because I brought the players back to the stores. With a format "war", I'm not willing to be a casualty.

My QUESTION though, for BLU_RAY supporters / fanboys is this:

Since the initial release of both formats, why did you choose Blu-Ray?

Reasonings for my questions:

- Blu-Ray has exclusive movies NOW, but didn't have anything substantial at first (like Pirates)

- Blu-Ray currently doesn't support enhanced features when viewing media like HD-DVD does.

- Almost every Blu-Ray disc made currently doesn't support this enhanced feature set (BD-J is it?) which means either 1) the movie is as it is and if on HD-DVD, you're getting the "inferior version" OR 2) you'll have to repurchase an already expensive movie (doesn't anyone still feel burned by "Director Cut" DVD's????)

- Blu-Ray is more expensive, still, to this day

- Sony is VERY nasty when it comes to proprietary formats. I'm still very burned by their DRM CD's and their pricing structure for Beta tapes even when VHS was kicking their butts (I KNOW Betamax was a better tech... )

- Blu-Ray is superior in disc capacity but with DD+ and DTS HD (and VC-1?), I would think most people would prefer the awesome interactive menus and extras afforded by HD-DVD hardware (they really are cool... I liked Superman II: the donner cut)

- As far as picture and sound quality, aren't Blu-Ray and HD-DVD pretty much neck and neck in real world tests... meaning when not being viewed through an Oscilloscope?

If you bought your Blu-Ray player because you like Sony products, that is 100% fine and I offer NO response to that. It just seems that other than disc capacity, Blu-Ray was inferior in every way coming out of the gate yet they somehow snowballed into a very real threat to HD-DVD supporters...

Did PS3 make that big of a difference?

[timbobarry]

Should put this in the smackdown forum since it seems like you want a debate.

[daryle]

I don't want a debate...

I want an honest to goodness response why Blu-Ray should be considered.

Right now, fact for fact, it seems:

- Blu-Ray is more expensive
- Offers less features

So, with that rationale, I'm finding it VERY difficult to understand why Blu-Ray is holding its own against HD-DVD.

I may be missing something about Blu-Ray... I'm all about going to buy a Toshiba player and keeping the dang thing but I don't purchase with BLINDERS.

I'm not asking to be "sold" either side... just get some information I may not be seeing regarding Blu-Ray before I make a final purchase decision.

[Nicodimus22]

Blu-Ray is superior because:

-Far more studio backing than HD-DVD (only Universal is HD exclusive)
-Much larger capacity (allows uncompressed PCM audio)
-It's not going anywhere, PS3 will use it for several years.
-Blockbuster already decided to carry it over HD-DVD, which is big. The
general public is already perceiving it as "the" HD format.
-Armor coating on the discs makes them damn near unscratchable

The interactive menu thing is just fluff to me, but if it's important to you, BD+J has you covered.

[Merlins]

Blu-ray is the format supported by major part of the industry and have been developed by many companies. Fortunately Blu-ray is not equal to Sony.

You can choose a player among different CE-companies, companies like Sony, Samsung, Sharp, LG, Pioneer, Panasonic and Philips.

You have a wider selection of movies and more exclusive studios. Many of the top grossed box office movies belong to Blu-ray exclusive studios because of the greater studio support for Blu-ray.

Blu-ray is technological superior in storage space and band width. Same codecs are available for both formats as are the features even if no player have yet been released with firmware capable of doing PiP for Blu-ray.

The Playstation 3 is a guarantee that the Blu-ray format will survive for many years. I did choose Blu-ray because the Playstation 3 came with the Blu-ray player. I almost solely use it as a movie player.

I don't like extras except some deleted scenes but the Blu-ray formats features is capable of doing everything HD-DVD features are but it looks like most studios do not care so much about extras either.

[onyxx]

I felt that Blu-ray was a sure winner because of many well known facts, but I went Blu mainly because of:

1. Potentially better PQ and AQ (50Gb discs that is)

2. Hard coating (better scratch resistant discs)

3. All the exclusive movies...

Universal Studios: 5259
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/

NBC Studios: 150 (not NBC which list every TV broadcast available)
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0060748/

Plus, Focus, Weinstein Co and Dimension: 235

Colombia/Tri Star: 4425
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0071509/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005883/

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 2882
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0020206/

Sony Pictures/Classic: 672
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0026545/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0014453/

Lions Gate: 479
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0060306/

Twentieth Century-Fox: 3000
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0000756/

Buena Vista/Miramax/Disney/Touchstone: 2160
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0044279/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0022594/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0098836/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0049348/

This brings the HD DVD exclusives to 5737 and Blu-ray exclusives to 13618

To be honest I like extras but I don't care what type of extras it is as long as it gives a little extra value to the movie (IME or a bunch of featurettes don't matter to me as long as something is there). Kind of an easy choice, don't you think?

[BluAngel]

My Blu-ray choice wasn't so much about numbers as it was about my favorite studio, which is Disney. If Disney were HD-DVD exclusive, I would have an HD-DVD player. But the greater studio support is definitely a plus.

[illegalprelude]

Well, im a very religious person and Jesus had Blu eyes and therefor Blu-ray was the obvious choice of HD DVD that represents Satan's color

[Godstar]

Originally Posted by illegalprelude

Well, im a very religious person and Jesus had Blu eyes and therefor Blu-ray was the obvious choice of HD DVD that represents Satan's color

LOL!

Yeah, Blu is so peacefull, and Red is angry. So I went with peacefull.

[eNoize]

Originally Posted by illegalprelude

Well, im a very religious person and Jesus had Blu eyes and therefor Blu-ray was the obvious choice of HD DVD that represents Satan's color

ROFL

A true logician, you are!

[nyg]

Great post onyxx!

That pretty much sums up my reason for choosing Blu-ray: the movies!

[Jared]

I don't understand why anybody feels compelled to "choose." If you have enough money to buy one player and a crapload of movies, then you can afford to buy two players and a bigger crapload of movies. I enjoy having both.

[highdef4ever]

Originally Posted by Jared

I don't understand why anybody feels compelled to "choose." If you have enough money to buy one player and a crapload of movies, then you can afford to buy two players and a bigger crapload of movies. I enjoy having both.

That's the spirit. Since I Have both formats I could care less about "the war." I love HD movies so having both makes the most sense. In the end it's about the movies,
not one format winning over another. Hopefully combo players will change the playing field dramatically.

[Nicodimus22]

Originally Posted by Jared

I don't understand why anybody feels compelled to "choose." If you have enough money to buy one player and a crapload of movies, then you can afford to buy two players and a bigger crapload of movies. I enjoy having both.

I can explain. I am not the average consumer but I understand his reasoning. This is expensive new technology. Only about 20% of US homes even have a HDTV. Of that 20%, a lot of them have kids, mortgage, and other financial responsibilities that make blowing several hundred dollars or more on something that may be dead in 6 months a foolish choice. Usually in cases like this, there IS a definite winner, and a lot of people are waiting to see which that is before committing to a major purchase for their situation.

I live alone, have no debt, and can afford to buy both if I feel like it because I have no other responsibilities, but the average consumer...no, even the average HDTV-owning consumer DOES, so he has to be more careful.

[mrkiller]

Originally Posted by onyxx

I felt that Blu-ray was a sure winner because of many well known facts, but I went Blu mainly because of:

1. Potentially better PQ and AQ (50Gb discs that is)

2. Hard coating (better scratch resistant discs)

3. All the exclusive movies...

Universal Studios: 5259
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/

NBC Studios: 150 (not NBC which list every TV broadcast available)
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0060748/

Plus, Focus, Weinstein Co and Dimension: 235

Colombia/Tri Star: 4425
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0071509/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005883/

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 2882
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0020206/

Sony Pictures/Classic: 672
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0026545/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0014453/

Lions Gate: 479
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0060306/

Twentieth Century-Fox: 3000
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0000756/

Buena Vista/Miramax/Disney/Touchstone: 2160
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0044279/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0022594/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0098836/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0049348/

This brings the HD DVD exclusives to 5737 and Blu-ray exclusives to 13618

To be honest I like extras but I don't care what type of extras it is as long as it gives a little extra value to the movie (IME or a bunch of featurettes don't matter to me as long as something is there). Kind of an easy choice, don't you think?

Thanks for the info