7 Reasons to Forget Blu-ray

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A Response To Dave

Dave wrote the following:

"Some folks misunderstood this column as being HD DVD vs. Blu-ray. It was meant as disk vs. the alternatives. And it was one man's opinion from experience."

I don't believe many people confused this post as being HD DVD vs Blu-ray. The problem with your "column" is that your opinions don't really seem based on experience and that your opinions don't seem to mesh with the general consensus of most peoples experience with HD content.

"The HD disk formats just didn't look that much better on my 42" plasma than did the alternatives, which impressed me with their convenience. Most performed better than I expected. I almost exclusively rent disks. I don't like the restrictions, especially the 24-hour viewing window."

Which alternatives, exactly?? How did you test or experience XStreamHD, since it isn't in production yet? You mentioned it as a viable option -- the first thing on your list, no less -- yet, you have not true knowledge of what kind of product it is, right? Do own or did you test Vudu and AppleTV? What is your experience with any of the products you listed?

"Yes, I own an HD DVD player, for which I recently paid about $100, almost on a lark. At that price, why not try it? I didn't buy any HD DVD movies. I didn't have a dog in the format fight."

It seems like you do have something against Blu-ray, specifically, in that you came up with 7 reasons to suggest others not to use the product. You didn't write this article a month ago when there was still some hope of HD-DVD making it through the year and in doing so you're only critiquing the winning product, not both the products that had fairly similar features (ie disc based, 1080p, new formats, etc.). You waited until a couple of days after Toshiba dropped out, thus making Blu-ray the winner, to make a statement about Blu-ray, again specifically, and how it does and does not compare to your list of alternatives.

Additionally, If the alternatives you listed performed so great for you, why would you continue to own a HD-DVD player? Given that there will be very few new films released in that format in the near future and no films in the not so near future, it seems like a silly investment. Being a "geek" and all, I would imagine you already have a nice upconverting DVD player in your home theater. I can't imagine you'd be qualified to write an article about the future of HD equipment and not, in fact, have a decent home theater set up.

"XStreamHD was courteous enough to let us use their logo to illustrate the piece. No dollars from them, either."

That just tells me you're dumb or a liar. If you give free advertising to a company and promote their products, without ever having tested them, and get nothing in exchange, then you're being used. I'm willing to bet that you got something for doing them a favor, it may not have been dollars, but you received something.

The recap: you're a liar and shill and you should not be writing about things you obviously know very little about.

Watching of WA @ Feb 21, 2008 16:23:49 PM

You can't see the difference?

I'm sorry, but if you can't see the difference between the uber compressed broadcast channels against a quality Blu-ray transfer, you my friend, need to get a new prescription from your eye doctor.

Mr.O of IL @ Feb 21, 2008 14:03:14 PM

1080p is the biggest rip off, so are upconverts

Upconvert players, such as the toshiba and others mentioned above do almost nothing to standard dvds. The 3:2 pulldown technology provided in these devices are often less quality than the tv's themselves. That is why your better off to just connect any standard dvd player to your tv via component and let the tv upconvert, rather than the player. I guess you might see an advantage of upconvert players on tv's such as Vizio, Olevia, Westinghouse, and other valued brands, but for the most part they are a waste of money.

As far as 1080p is concrened it does not make a lick of difference on tv's up to 50 inches, unless you like to watch your tv from 3ft away. The naked eye is only capable of so much. Save the money and buy 1366 x 768 resolution tv (720p).

I'm kind of interested in this XStreamHD box. Blu Ray does not look good because it outputs 1080p, it looks good due to the fact is operating at a 60 frame per second rate. Now if this XStreamHD will offer the same feature it just might give blu ray a run for the money. AS we know right now HD broadcasts tend to have some bandwith issues. We all know video rental stores are on there way out. Having the convience of renting through a box at home with the same cost of renting at a video store is on the rise and the recent decline in sales at video stores has proven this.

Matt F. of MI @ Feb 21, 2008 08:29:39 AM

I'm so sorry!

You bought an HD DVD player didn't you, Dave?

I don't know why everyone is being so mean to you! I empathize with you. It really sucks to fork out all that money and be told it was a COMPLETE waste! You just bought the most expensive DVD player that will ever exist. I'm so sorry.

Nic @ Feb 21, 2008 02:34:57 AM

Dots

I'm in my fifties ,lived through the dot thing years ago,

do ya know what trinatron is? Now I get to go through square

dots . Yaaaaaaa enhanced colors? Is it worth it?

Bro of CA @ Feb 21, 2008 01:28:01 AM

DAVID = BITTER HD-DVD FANATIC

Funny how all of those services are failing miserably. Even Apple's iTV is dogged by poor sales and is the only product in their lineup that they actually lose money on.

Fen of KY @ Feb 21, 2008 01:06:23 AM

BLURAY.COM PS3 FANATICS

The only reason there are so many posts against your Article is because it was posted on bluray.com the home of the most hatefull deluded fanyboys any product has ever had a following of. Go and read some of the posts over there and you will see that the success Bluray has enjoyed so far is due to a Hardcore group of earlyadopters and PS3 lovers.

scott of MI @ Feb 20, 2008 23:41:35 PM

Hmm

Nice paid advertisement that you pass off as a "blog". I see the XStreamHD paid advertisement right at the top off the page. You're a hilariously unqualified person to be posting a blog such as this. Go get educated and come back to me with some real reasons to abandon a growing format.

PS - Viva physical media!

Downloads are the future of music, which is used as a background activity (exercising, driving, etc.) -- When you watch a movie, it requires your full attention and you want it to look and sound its best. Collectors will ALWAYS want something they can actually hold onto.

Dane of IA @ Feb 20, 2008 23:41:20 PM

XstreamHD: subscription via satellite

Toshiba: upconverting DVD players

Comcast: subscritpion via coax

Verizon: subscription via fiber

Vudu: digital download rental

AppleTV: digital download rental

WNBC: OTA (over the air)

1 of those isn't even HD. Upconverting DVD can only get you so far and it isn't HD. OTA is free, so no competition there for HD dollars. You really only have 2 alternatives with several different providers each. Face it, this article is nothing but dreck. Beginning with listing Toshiba when meaning upconverting DVD players, say what you actually mean. Following with listing XstreamHD which is still, for all intents and purposes, vaporware. And all of them provide PQ/AQ that is inferior to what you can get from Blu-ray with perhaps the exception being XstreamHD but then, see my previous point, we have no idea how good or bad it will actually be.

me of CO @ Feb 20, 2008 23:30:04 PM

Well...

On a 42" display, you have a point. I presume you were to far back for your eyes to see a distinct difference. There in lyes the conundrum. Your eyes can only see so much detail at a certain distance. However, put you screen at 55 or perhaps a 110" projecter..and its obvious. Or sit close enough, and it will be as well. It will be interesting to see if the marketing or REAL improvment will win out in this. However your piece seemed to be without these considerations.

steve of CO @ Feb 20, 2008 22:50:53 PM

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