Are they admitting defeat in next gen dvd war?

joe316

sorta looks like it: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3146900

seems to me like they are messing round their consumer base with all these add ons. how many add on did the megadrive have? megacd/32x(i think thats right)

aidan_walsh

Hardly, it says "should Blu-Ray win the format war". Its called not alienating your customer base because you backed the wrong horse, not admitting defeat. Would you prefer if they didn't release an add on? Prefer to be stuck with a player that won't play any of the next gen DVDs?

secret_squirrel

Not really. which ever HD disc wins the format war is irrelevant for Games. MS have said they will always be on dvd.

The only reason the PS3 is going blu-ray is that sony have a vested interest in kicking off BD discs since they have a stake in blu ray production. the theory is that having a big installed base of blu-ray players (in PS3's) will promote both the creation of blu-ray content and standalone blu-ray players. Both of which sony will get a cut from.

MS have less of a vested interest in supporting HD-DVD since they have less to gain from it. The WMV codec is up for inclusion in both formats if I remember right so MS will get their slice of the pie which ever wins.

secret_squirrel

aidan_walsh wrote:

Prefer to be stuck with a player that won't play any of the next gen DVDs?

Personally I dont think that most people will see that as a big issue. If the selling price of DVD players is anything to go by a dedicated HD player will soon be cheap enough. Unless of course HD video disks (of either format) are a flop like DVD-A and SACD.

wayne040576

secret_squirrel wrote:

. Unless of course HD video disks (of either format) are a flop like DVD-A and SACD.

I think that is a big possibility. I can't imagine the general public are ready for a new format already. DVD has only really taken hold in the last few years.

steviec

I don't think the new formats will both flop because they'll still be compatible with DVD, you don't need to throw away your collection if you buy a new player. The discs look the same, the cases are the same size, you don't need a new cabinet or anything for storing them. It's not like the massive switch of VHS to DVD.

As soon as the players are affordable, you'll see dvd players in shops less and less and high definition players will come in, much as is already happening with HDTVs, they're everywhere in the US and they're starting to take floor space here, even though we don't even have HDTV broadcasts here.

Also, when people see HD images, they won't want to go back. I've already ordered the Terminator 2 special edition WMV-HD DVD to play on my HDTV(still hasn't arrived yet) and I'd buy more if there were any available! I've no intention of buying a HDDVD or Blu Ray player till they're affordable though, which will take some time.

Only one format will take off though, which one I don't know but PS3 has got to be a huge huge head start for Blu Ray.

Microsoft are being smart. They're a software company, they have no massive vested interest in either format, they're supporting HDDVD in the hope it might destabilize PS3 a little but its really no skin off their back who wins the format war.

iregk

If Microsoft were really clever here they would market this on a play with words. HD-TV has now become the next standard and people are aware of it. The 360 has a HD-DVD where as the PS3 has a BluRay.

MS could so easily work it into peoples heads that the two systems are conforming and that they go together where as the ps3 is completely different!!! We know thats its not the case but think about it, getting people to put HD-TV with HD-DVD would dent the PS3 and as such BluRay if done properly.

steviec

iregk wrote:

If Microsoft were really clever here they would market this on a play with words. HD-TV has now become the next standard and people are aware of it. The 360 has a HD-DVD where as the PS3 has a BluRay.

MS could so easily work it into peoples heads that the two systems are conforming and that they go together where as the ps3 is completely different!!! We know thats its not the case but think about it, getting people to put HD-TV with HD-DVD would dent the PS3 and as such BluRay if done properly.

I was thinking the exact same thing when looking at pictures of the two boxes from CES. HD-DVD has the exact same logo as DVD that people are familiar with as something that plays movies, with a HD put in front of it so people will recognise it as high definition, while the Blu Ray logo is completely different. While I'd like to think most people would do a bit of research before investing in something so expensive, the success of iPod shows that marketing can mean everything.

However, considering the 360 doesn't actually play HDDVDs as standard and Microsoft are still saying they don't intend to release an internal version, it probably won't have a huge impact on consoles. I don't think anyone would choose their console based on what movies it supports. However, people will choose their movies based on what console they just bought. So I think Blu Ray should do very well as a side effect of Playstation's success as a games machine. If Hd-DVD was as standard in 360s it would be more interesting, but it isn't.

Put it this way. I own a 360. I will also own a PS3 and a revolution. Movie X comes out on blu ray and hddvd. Will I just buy it on blu ray, or will I buy it on HDDVD along with spending 100+ on an external drive for my 360? Obviously I'll go with blu ray. I know I'm in the minority and not many people will own both consoles, but I think its fair to say 100% of people who own a PS3 and a HDTV are likely to buy a blu ray movie, the figure for 360 owners buying HDDVD will be substantially less since they need an external drive.

GrumPy

I agree man, and i'll prolly get a ps3 too, but id rather buy an external drive for my 360, then a ps3 straight away, as it will undoubtably be the cheaper option, if i decide im to cheap to get a ps3 after all, i will buy the external drive, and total cost of premium 360 and external drive, will more then likely be less expensive then splashing out on a brand new ps3.

iregk

yeah i can't believe ms didn't put hd-dvd playback in teh 360

flogen

I was originally of the belief that the HD generation of discs wouldn't catch on purely because of DVD only taking hold recently, but the more I see of HD technology, and the more I realise how a new format is needed to take full advantage the more I think a new format could happen.
Blu Ray may well rise or fall on the PS3 but the fact that a user could go ahead using their new playstation without ever needing to buy a blu ray disc in order to enjoy movies as well will probably mean it won't improve DVD sales like the PS2 did.
Now, it's hard to deny that the HD drive was an after thought for MS. They probably dropped it because of cost, or maybe they began to realise that it wasn't a sure bet anymore, even though it is cheaper to produce and an easier conversion for manufacturers. Depending on how this hooks up to the 360 will indicate how much of an after thought it was. It might slot where the HDD goes, which would be cool, but I don't think it will.
Anyway, it's not alienating anyone, nor is it admitting defeat to blu ray, what it does do (especially if it hooks into the HDD slot), is show how much consoles are becoming like PC's, with their network capabilities, USB slots, HDD's and customisable add ons.
I'm happy to get a 360 for cheaper without a HDDVD drive, I won't be converting for a while anyway, chances are I'll be investing in a blu ray/hddvd player before anything else, unless it's obvious very early which format will win.

(One thing that sprang to mind, BETA was better quality than VHS, just like blu ray is better quality [size] than hd, both seem to have similar support from publishers, though, while BETA suffered as a result of this. Will be an interesting battle)

event

iregk wrote:

If Microsoft were really clever here they would market this on a play with words. HD-TV has now become the next standard and people are aware of it. The 360 has a HD-DVD where as the PS3 has a BluRay.

MS could so easily work it into peoples heads that the two systems are conforming and that they go together where as the ps3 is completely different!!! We know thats its not the case but think about it, getting people to put HD-TV with HD-DVD would dent the PS3 and as such BluRay if done properly.

and when the customers find out, they'd lose them forever more than likely

iregk

how so, if they play it correctly people will buy it, blu ray will not catch on and so software and production houses will produce hd-dvd.

so i fail to see how by the time people catch on (when everything else is in hd format) they will loose people. are sony loosing people after fiasco of bull that was the ps2? nope...

people are blind people are sheep, they buy what ever you tell them to.

flogen

iregk wrote:

how so, if they play it correctly people will buy it, blu ray will not catch on and so software and production houses will produce hd-dvd.

so i fail to see how by the time people catch on (when everything else is in hd format) they will loose people. are sony loosing people after fiasco of bull that was the ps2? nope...

people are blind people are sheep, they buy what ever you tell them to.

You make it sound like Sony will take months to respond, they won't.
Besides, people will buy into a new format for the following reasons:
product advantages,
Availability
Pricing.
If HDDVD has more selection than BR, is easier to find and is at a reasonable price, people are more likely to invest. The fact is that the ps3 will not be the only reason that blu ray does well, there are many more reasons.
I won't buy a bluray/hddvd version of a movie so I can play it in my ps3/360 unless I have a suitable TV (which most people dont) and unless it is at least close to DVD prices.

gamer

Whats the point of buying a hd dvd if u only have a standard tv, when more people buy hd tvs then hd dvds will become successful,as people will realise the picture quality is much better on hd tvs,like dvds they,ll be popular with pc users first.It depends on how many films are released in hd format,many formats like minidisc have failed cos the public didnt understand them, or thought i get my music on cd ,i dont need another complex gadget to play music on.Dvd took off when the players came down in price.

Nyum Nyum

Don't know about anyone else but I really don't fancy having to re-purchase everything again in yet another format

DVD is good enough for me. Not bothered about Blu ray or whatever

Ciaran500

Nyum Nyum wrote:

Don't know about anyone else but I really don't fancy having to re-purchase everything again in yet another format

Thats why the players are backward compatible.

projectmayhem

Nyum Nyum wrote:

Don't know about anyone else but I really don't fancy having to re-purchase everything again in yet another format

DVD is good enough for me. Not bothered about Blu ray or whatever

blu-ray and hd-dvd players will both support old DVD's, thank god. i was worried about this too as i've a fairly substancial dvd collection sitting there

iregk wrote:

yeah i can't believe ms didn't put hd-dvd playback in teh 360

doing that puts the price of the 360 up even more, which wouldn't sit with Microsoft's pricing strategy

Nyum Nyum

Ciaran500 wrote:

Thats why the players are backward compatible.

Ah right, didn't know that.

I certainly don't fancy shelling out for a new telly anyway.

4Xcut

Nyum Nyum wrote:

I certainly don't fancy shelling out for a new telly anyway.

i'd say that'll big the big point for most people. i wouldn't mind hooking something up to my nice 17inch lcd pc moniter but its not really the ideal living room situation. most ordinary people aren't going to shell out a few hundred € just to have the privallage of buying a very expensive television aswell.

Ciaran500

Every technology thats released goes through the same phase at the start. It just takes time for people to realise the benefits and the prices to drop and they will become commonplace.

flogen

Ciaran500 wrote:

Every technology thats released goes through the same phase at the start. It just takes time for people to realise the benefits and the prices to drop and they will become commonplace.

Indeed, I find that it's about a year, perhaps a bit more, after the mainstream notice of a product before a good technology becomes reasonable in pricing. I imagine HD Ready TV's will be at a much better price next Christmas, and the year after that HD/BR players will be similar.