TOSHIBA JUST DROPPED HD DVD!

[Journey69]

Toshiba gives up..I have a Blu Ray player anyhow..YAAAY! This is good new for everyone..Except HD DVD supporters! No more confusing war.. Discuss! Link:

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyN ... 6120080216

[Behshad]

BLURAY ,ALL THE WAY.....
Sony is leading the way to Blu Ray this time around,,,, HD DVD is on its way out,,, and within 3 years, 90% of current DVD owners will have a blu ray player,,,, My predictions of course,, But Im always right! ALWAYS!

[Enigma869]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

[Behshad]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

The only reason I chose Bluray was because I bought a PS3 a year ago and since it came with a bluray player, I started collecting on the bluray movies.
Also, the resolution of Bluray vs regular DVD's,,, DAY and NIGHT !!!

[yulog]

Thats going to cut those hd players prices in half, you could buy 1 for $220 with 5 dvds included.

[Enigma869]

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

I think you're missing the point! The reality is that I didn't "have to wait till the war" was over. I chose to! I spent my money on more established gadgets!


John from Boston

[Behshad]

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

I think you're missing the point! The reality is that I didn't "have to wait till the war" was over. I chose to! I spent my money on more established gadgets!


John from Boston

Im just messing with ya dude,,,,, a true gadget freak doesnt wait !

[Journey69]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

John from Boston,having a flat panel tv hanging on every wall doesn't make you a gadget freak..If you were,you would have bought a blu ray or hd dvd player and not waited.. Also,What other manufacturers John..LOL OMG,your killing me! Toshiba was the only one making HD DVD players! Do you know what Dolby Digital True HD is or DTS Master Audio..We both know you don't..You might have heard of it...But you never actually HEARD it! You would drop your jaw.. And no John,upconverted DVD's do not look anything like HD DVD or Blu Ray.. Gadget freaks have the latest and greatest..

[Journey69]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

The only reason I chose Bluray was because I bought a PS3 a year ago and since it came with a bluray player, I started collecting on the bluray movies.
Also, the resolution of Bluray vs regular DVD's,,, DAY and NIGHT !!!

I have a Panasonic BD30K with and Onkyo 805 and Paradigm speakers.. You should hear Die hard on DTS Mater Audio..OMG... Or Ghost Rider on Dolby Digital True HD..OMG again! Once you do High def..you can't go back!

[Behshad]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

The only reason I chose Bluray was because I bought a PS3 a year ago and since it came with a bluray player, I started collecting on the bluray movies.
Also, the resolution of Bluray vs regular DVD's,,, DAY and NIGHT !!!

I have a Panasonic BD30K with and Onkyo 805 and Paradigm speakers.. You should hear Die hard on DTS Mater Audio..OMG... Or Ghost Rider on Dolby Digital True HD..OMG again! Once you do High def..you can't go back!

try Apocalypto on BluRay with your sound system, if you havent already !

[Journey69]

I'm the biggest gadget freak you'll ever meet. I have a flat panel tv hanging on the wall of every room in my house, but I didn't even bother with the blu-ray versus HD DVD war! Regular resolution DVD was just fine for me until this all shook out. This was essentially Beta versus VHS all over again. Let's see if the other manufacturers follow suit. It will definitely benefit the consumer if just one format takes shape. The good news is that while the "format wars" were waging, prices dropped, exponentially...again benefitting the consumer!


John from Boston

Youre NOT the biggest gadget freak , if you have to wait till the war is over and dust settles,,,,
Also, a TRUE gadget freak, pays the high price when the new gadget 1st hits the market

The only reason I chose Bluray was because I bought a PS3 a year ago and since it came with a bluray player, I started collecting on the bluray movies.
Also, the resolution of Bluray vs regular DVD's,,, DAY and NIGHT !!!

I have a Panasonic BD30K with and Onkyo 805 and Paradigm speakers.. You should hear Die hard on DTS Mater Audio..OMG... Or Ghost Rider on Dolby Digital True HD..OMG again! Once you do High def..you can't go back!

try Apocalypto on BluRay with your sound system, if you havent already !

You know,I rented it a while back and didn't watch it.. I saw 5 mins and I just wasn't in the mood for the gore..Maybe this weekend..I think its PCM lossless..should sound really good..But there is an LFE bug with the Panasonic,so the bass isn't as good.. I think that went over John's head.. Sorry John,just poking fun..I'm crying no foul !

[Greg]

Gadget freaks might have the latest and greatest, but wise tech freaks (like myself) wait until the major firmware updates come shipped with the product AND the product is at a decent price.

Blu-ray was going to win out eventually if, for anything, the increased storage capacity over HD-DVD discs. When it comes to storage, more is always better.

[Enigma869]

John from Boston,having a flat panel tv hanging on every wall doesn't make you a gadget freak..If you were,you would have bought a blu ray or hd dvd player and not waited..

Sorry I'm not worthy! "Gadget Freak" and audio/videophile are two VERY different things, so perhaps you should learn the difference!

Also,What other manufacturers John..LOL OMG,your killing me! Toshiba was the only one making HD DVD players!

That's actually not true. While Toshiba may be the only company to produce a stand alone HD DVD machine, both Samsung and LG have players that support HD DVD along with Blu Ray! I'm also quite sure that there is a stand alone HD DVD player for the XBOX 360 crowd!

Do you know what Dolby Digital True HD is or DTS Master Audio..We both know you don't..You might have heard of it...But you never actually HEARD it!

Nope...Never heard of any of the above. Remember...I'm not a true "gadget freak". Is this Dolby Digital True HD or DTS Master Audio anything like the sound I get on my 8-track tapes

And no John,upconverted DVD's do not look anything like HD DVD or Blu Ray.. Gadget freaks have the latest and greatest..

Listen Fuckwad...I never once said that an upconverted DVD looked ANYTHING like HD DVD or Blu Ray! Read the fucking quote, jackass! I simply said that my simple little 720p DVD player (and for the record, it's a Sony 9000ES DVD player, which I guarantee you cost me more than your HD DVD or Blu Ray player) provides me with a more than adequte picture! All my Pioneer plasmas are simply run down 720p sets. Guess I better go out and replace them all with 1080p displays to keep up with you


John from Boston

[Enigma869]

I think that went over John's head..

Dude...you're a fucking idiot! To be quite frank with you, I could give a rat's ass how much you know about audio and video. Go visit www.avsforum.com . Maybe they'll bring you on as a moderator! You come across like a complete ass. I can assure you that you can keep bringing the attacks my way, and I'll keep coming out with guns blazing! If you plan on winning a battle of words, or wits with me, you better come a bit better armed than dragging your dick behind you, and talking about your home theater system!


John from Boston

[Journey69]

Relax Johnny.. I'm waving the white flag.. Xbox 360 doesn't count and you know it..Who produces them? Panasonic,Pioneer,Samsung,Phillips,LG,Sony makes Blu players....Toshiba makes the HD DVD player.. Ok,maybe gadget guy and techie guys are different..Maybe your a gadget guy and I'm the tech guy..That makes sense..

[yulog]

Costco has a 1080p vizio 42 lcd on sale this week for $950 does anyone know if thats a good deal?Its the lowest i have seen for a 1080p set and comes with 2 year at home warranty + its only a 50 lb set(would only need 1 person to move it). My 32 inch sharp is over 100 lbs and is real hard on knuckles when moving it.

[Enigma869]

Costco has a 1080p vizio 42 lcd on sale this week for $950 does anyone know if thats a good deal?Its the lowest i have seen for a 1080p set and comes with 2 year at home warranty + its only a 50 lb set(would only need 1 person to move it). My 32 inch sharp is over 100 lbs and is real hard on knuckles when moving it.

I don't know much about the Vizio sets, but I do know that Costco has been selling them for years, and doing very well with them. I certainly don't think they compare to the "higher end" sets, but I think for the money, you probably can't go wrong. Also, Costco has a 90 day, no questions asked, return policy on all tv's, so you really have nothing to lose. Perhaps Mr. Expert can check in and let you know what he thinks of the "lowly" Vizio displays. My hunch is that he'll probably tell you that you should have purchased a 1080p display, the day it was released How dare you wait until the price comes down! You're shaming "gadget freaks" all across the country


John from Boston

[Journey69]

Costco has a 1080p vizio 42 lcd on sale this week for $950 does anyone know if thats a good deal?Its the lowest i have seen for a 1080p set and comes with 2 year at home warranty + its only a 50 lb set(would only need 1 person to move it). My 32 inch sharp is over 100 lbs and is real hard on knuckles when moving it.

Yes that's a good buy.. Try checking sam's club.. Definitely get 1080p.. Get a blu ray player and you will crap yourself. If you get a Vizio,don't look at Samsung,Panasonic,Pioneer.. You won't want the Vizio..My dad was looking at a Vizo and ended up with a Samsung 40" lcd..Of course I was with him,and I pried open his wallet for him..LOL But end result is he is glad I did it..The Samsung is clearly nicer..I have a Samsung 56" 1080p DLP that looks incredible myself.. Johnny boy,your funny.. I don't know about costco..that could be a good place too..If your looking for something on a budget,buy the Vizio and if you don't like it ,take it back.. No worries.. I think you will like it.. PS..I read up on this stuff daily,I do know what I'm talking about..

[yulog]

I've heard that pioneer is at the top and i've seen the samsung and agree it's better, sony is as well but it is a huge difference in price

[Don]

The Vizios are okay but you may want to spend a little more if you are going to watch BlueRay. The TV needs to have a good audio delay sytem built in so you don't have the audiosync problems people are experiencing with High Def content due to the TV not being able to process the video quickly enough to match the audio. Some digital cable boxes have this problem also.

[STORY_TELLER]

Could be good, or it could be bad. Less competition means higher prices and Blu-Ray is already priced pretty high.

It's not just the player or format. Upgrading to HD means needing a new TV which averages around $1,000.00 alone. Add in the player which averages around $360.00, plus movies at $30.00 a pop...

I was waiting for prices to come down before buying. I'll still wait. Especially since LCD's are going to be replaced by Laser TV's shortly.

[Enigma869]

Could be good, or it could be bad. Less competition means higher prices and Blu-Ray is already priced pretty high.

It's not just the player or format. Upgrading to HD means needing a new TV which averages around $1,000.00 alone. Add in the player which averages around $360.00, plus movies at $30.00 a pop...

I was waiting for prices to come down before buying. I'll still wait. Especially since LCD's are going to be replaced by Laser TV's shortly.

A couple of points...

First and foremost, I don't think you have to worry about any price increases on Blu Ray. There isn't an electronics product that I can think of, in my entire lifetime, that has EVER gone up in price! As for being into an HDTV for $1,000...I say that's a great price. While I realize that $1,000 is a ton of money for some people, it's FAR cheaper than tv's were 10 years ago! I remember paying $1,300.00 for a 35 inch Sony tube TV, 10 years ago, and HD wasn't even a thought in anyone's mind. It was just a regular old tv that was considered "big screen", for its day! I think the sets out there today are VERY competively priced, when you consider the technology that today's tv's offer!


John from Boston

[RedWingFan]

Great news. I've been waiting for one to drop so I could buy the other. It'll be a tough sell on the wife though. She is incapable of seeing a difference in our 55" 1080i HD picture from a regular signal.
When I'd spend all Sunday watching the clarity of Sunday ticket in HD then have to watch NBC's blurry night game in the regular signal. It would actually give me a headache from my eyes trying to focus the picture. Yet the wife can't see a difference? Regardless she's gonna be buying me a blu-ray for Christmas.

[Enigma869]

I've heard that pioneer is at the top and i've seen the samsung and agree it's better, sony is as well but it is a huge difference in price

I own 4 Pioneer plasmas, and I honestly don't think you'll find a better picture. I am partial to plasma over LCD, for critical viewing. LCD's will do better in a room where you can't control the ambient light, as plasmas reflect ambient light much more. Although I have many LCD's throughout my home, plasma simply offers a far better picture, in my opinion, for serious movie and sports watching!

As for some who tout Samsung as "high end", some of us older people still remember Samsung as VERY crappy electronics from the 1980's! I wouldn't take a Samsung over a Pioneer PDP if you gave the Samsung to me for free! At the end of the day, you have to judge for yourself and what your eyes tell you. The best advice I can give you is to not judge ANYTHING, based upon what you see on the display floors at the Circuit Cities and Best Buys of the world. Those sets are NEVER calibrated correctly and come from the factory in "torch mode" (meaning all the brightness settings are turned all the way up to their maximum brightness and look like crap).

If you're considering plasma, give Panasonic a serious look. While I don't think Panasonic is quite up to Pioneer's standards and performance, they're not far behind, and MUCH more aggressively priced! I've never heard anyone badmouth a Panasonic plasma, and as I said, Pioneer simply won't compete with Panasonic in the price arena.


John from Boston

[STORY_TELLER]

Could be good, or it could be bad. Less competition means higher prices and Blu-Ray is already priced pretty high.

It's not just the player or format. Upgrading to HD means needing a new TV which averages around $1,000.00 alone. Add in the player which averages around $360.00, plus movies at $30.00 a pop...

I was waiting for prices to come down before buying. I'll still wait. Especially since LCD's are going to be replaced by Laser TV's shortly.

A couple of points...

First and foremost, I don't think you have to worry about any price increases on Blu Ray. There isn't an electronics product that I can think of, in my entire lifetime, that has EVER gone up in price! As for being into an HDTV for $1,000...I say that's a great price. While I realize that $1,000 is a ton of money for some people, it's FAR cheaper than tv's were 10 years ago! I remember paying $1,300.00 for a 35 inch Sony tube TV, 10 years ago, and HD wasn't even a thought in anyone's mind. It was just a regular old tv that was considered "big screen", for its day! I think the sets out there today are VERY competively priced, when you consider the technology that today's tv's offer!


John from Boston

Certainly it won't increase, but what I was getting at is, now, it's unlikely to decrease sooner. The competition factor was changing that to a degree. I think Blu-Ray started out at $900.00 when HD-DVD was at $500.00 (or something like that).

The $1000.00 by itself wouldn't be so bad, except it's not just the TV. To truly enjoy the experience that is HD media, it's also the sound system, the Blu-Ray player, the media, etc., etc. Even buying the lower end TV, this can run you between 2-3k easy.

I for one am not about to buy a lower end TV. I'm waiting for laser projection. Inside source says they're going to hit the market in 27 inch formats first though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS6wsJRGqnQ

[finalfight]

Hey, why can't I vote for VHS?

Seriously though, PS3 here I come!

[Enigma869]

She is incapable of seeing a difference in our 55" 1080i HD picture from a regular signal.

Jesus RWF...Even my wife notices the HUGE difference between standard def and HD! I've had an HD set for about 8 years, and I honestly cannot believe ANY human being can't tell the difference. The difference is ASTONISHING! My theory for any human being who truly can't pick up a discernable difference is that there is either something very wrong with the TV or something very wrong with their eyes! I've attached a picture of my 60 inch Pioneer plasma showing HD. This is a crappy picture (I've never quite figured out how to take a picture of a TV that's on without all kinds of relfection issues). I think it's still quite obvious from the picture, just how clear HD is! At least to my eyes, it is


John from Boston

[Behshad]

Great news. I've been waiting for one to drop so I could buy the other. It'll be a tough sell on the wife though. She is incapable of seeing a difference in our 55" 1080i HD picture from a regular signal.
When I'd spend all Sunday watching the clarity of Sunday ticket in HD then have to watch NBC's blurry night game in the regular signal. It would actually give me a headache from my eyes trying to focus the picture. Yet the wife can't see a difference? Regardless she's gonna be buying me a blu-ray for Christmas.

I dont think buying a new TV is gonna solve your problem buddy,,,, first you gonna need THESE back from her purse !!!

[RedWingFan]

Great news. I've been waiting for one to drop so I could buy the other. It'll be a tough sell on the wife though. She is incapable of seeing a difference in our 55" 1080i HD picture from a regular signal.
When I'd spend all Sunday watching the clarity of Sunday ticket in HD then have to watch NBC's blurry night game in the regular signal. It would actually give me a headache from my eyes trying to focus the picture. Yet the wife can't see a difference? Regardless she's gonna be buying me a blu-ray for Christmas.

I dont think buying a new TV is gonna solve your problem buddy,,,, first you gonna need THESE back from her purse !!!

Reading comprehension is everything dude. I already have the 55" 1080i HD TV. She's gonna be buying me the Blu-ray for Christmas.

[Behshad]

Great news. I've been waiting for one to drop so I could buy the other. It'll be a tough sell on the wife though. She is incapable of seeing a difference in our 55" 1080i HD picture from a regular signal.
When I'd spend all Sunday watching the clarity of Sunday ticket in HD then have to watch NBC's blurry night game in the regular signal. It would actually give me a headache from my eyes trying to focus the picture. Yet the wife can't see a difference? Regardless she's gonna be buying me a blu-ray for Christmas.

I dont think buying a new TV is gonna solve your problem buddy,,,, first you gonna need THESE back from her purse !!!

Reading comprehension is everything dude. I already have the 55" 1080i HD TV. She's gonna be buying me the Blu-ray for Christmas.

but if you gonna get the Bluray, you need the good back, so you can get a 1080p,,,,, if you dont have a 1080p TV, you might as well not invest in a Bluray player