3 reasons not to abandon HD-DVD

[Looneybomber]

3 Good Reasons To Stick With HD DVDBy most accounts, Blu-ray has surged ahead in the high-def format war. But here are three reasons why HD DVD is still a solid investment.

Although it’s quite possible the decision by Warner Brothers Entertainment to abandon HD DVD will wind up being one of the final shots in the high-definition disc war, there remain some very sound reasons to ally with the HD DVD camp.

Granted, when Warner in June joins forces with Sony, Disney, and Fox as exclusive Blu-ray Disc distributors, the BD arsenal will be pretty impressive. But HD DVD still has a couple of powerful weapons in Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks, and both companies recently restated their support of the format. That means anyone planning to add the high-def version of “American Gangster” to their home video library better not be too quick to give up on HD DVD.

According to a poll of some 1300 Electronichouse.com readers, (see the following articles: Top 10 Reasons to Buy HD DVD, Top 10 Reasons to Buy Blu-ray), 41-percent currently own or plan to buy an HD DVD player, compared to 36-percent who own or plan to buy a Blu-ray player. Twelve percent said they were waiting for the dust to settle before making a decision, and 11-percent own or plan to buy both formats.

This is (albeit unscientific) proof there are some HD DVD supporters out there. Here are three compelling arguments to join their side.

-Hardware Bargains If it’s true that money talks, HDTV owners wanting to join the high-def disc world should walk into the HD DVD camp. HD DVD players have had a price edge – sometimes significant – over BD players from Day 1, and Toshiba’s recent price cuts suggest that isn’t about to change any time soon. List prices for Toshiba’s players are now $149.99 for the 1080i HD-A3, $199.99 for the HD-A30 with 1080p output, and $299.99 for its top-of-the-line HD-A35. Amazon is offering the HD-A3 for $129, which is less than the collective regular cost of the seven free titles that are part of the deal. And the format’s mandatory specifications ensure that all HD DVD players support the latest Dolby audio codecs and full internet-based interactivity. Not bad for less than half the price of the least expensive BD player.

-Exclusivity It may be true that around 70 percent of home video titles will be on Blu-ray Disc once Warner stops supporting HD DVD, but your high-def disc library simply won’t be complete if it’s exclusively BD. Right now, for example, mega-hits such as “Shrek the Third,” “Transformers,” “Knocked Up” and all three titles in the Bourne series are available only on HD DVD. Barring a sudden change of heart by Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks, the same will be true of upcoming releases such as “American Gangster,” “Bee Movie,” and “Beowolf.” Granted, there also are plenty of must-have BD exclusives – the Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean trilogies come immediately to mind. But we’re not arguing against adopting Blu-ray; we’re citing reasons it makes sense to embrace HD DVD.

-Dual Personality Chances are pretty good – like, say, a billion-to-one – that anyone who buys an HD DVD or BD player already has a collection of standard DVDs and realizes that players from both camps will upscale those DVDs to near high-def quality. But anyone with a DVD library also is likely to have more than one DVD player, and you might as well feed it a hockey puck as try to play a BD disc on it. But HD DVD standards provide for Combo Format discs that feature high-def on one side and a standard-definition DVD on the other. That means they’ll not only work on the new HD DVD player in the home theater, but also on the DVD player in the bedroom, the laptop, and even in the car.

How much longer you’ll be able to buy new high-def releases to feed your HD DVD player, of course, is uncertain. But with movie downloads gaining momentum, the longevity of Blu-ray also is up in the air. And HD DVD prices are so affordable it won’t hurt as much if the hardware is relegated to playing DVDs and catalogue titles a few years from now.

http://www.electronichouse.com...74/D2/

I don't know about you guys, but if this format war doesn't end any time soon (which it isn't), because of price points, I will likely buy the Toshiba A35 HD-DVD player and wait for a good BD player to go on sale.

[x240xdrifter]

good read

can hd-dvd's be played on blu-ray?

[Looneybomber]

can hd-dvd's be played on blu-ray?

DVD yes (and can up-scale them). HD-DVD no, thus the battle that's going on between BD and HD-DVD.