Is the HD format war a good thing? IMDB poll says no ...

[Feanor]

That might be the case except for one thing...
Most don't even know what blu-ray, HDDVD is!
..,

Right now I agree on this point. With at 27" CRT like I'm using neither Blu-Ray nor HD-DVD mean diddly.

It brings to mind the SACD example where that product never did and never will go mainstream, (though it might endure longer than Laserdisc). On the other hand Woochifer, (I believe it was), made a compelling arguement that HD video is inherently more interesting to the masses than HD audio.

[nightflier]

It brings to mind the SACD example where that product never did and never will go mainstream, (though it might endure longer than Laserdisc).

That brings up a good point: why the %$#$@% heck don't any of the Sony Blu-Ray players support SACD? The S-300 plays CDs and the S-1 even has 5.1 outs, but neither plays SACDs - actually the S-1 doesn't play any music format unless it's burned to a DVD! Asking people to choose between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is hard enough, but they still want something to play the rest of their disks.

From what I've been able to compare, Sony, the inventor of Blu-Ray, is manufacturing hobbled-down products, when their competitors (Panasonic, Samsung, LG) at least play music CDs. The S-1 should be their flagship but it's plodding along like the Titanic. Why would anyone support a company that does not support its own legacy formats, especially those that could use a shot in the arm?

[pixelthis]

That brings up a good point: why the %$#$@% heck don't any of the Sony Blu-Ray players support SACD? The S-300 plays CDs and the S-1 even has 5.1 outs, but neither plays SACDs - actually the S-1 doesn't play any music format unless it's burned to a DVD! Asking people to choose between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is hard enough, but they still want something to play the rest of their disks.

From what I've been able to compare, Sony, the inventor of Blu-Ray, is manufacturing hobbled-down products, when their competitors (Panasonic, Samsung, LG) at least play music CDs. The S-1 should be their flagship but it's plodding along like the Titanic. Why would anyone support a company that does not support its own legacy formats, especially those that could use a shot in the arm?

And they wonder why SACD is moribund.
I had a 5 disc Sony DVD changer that supported SACD (one of the reasons I got it)
and the sound was nothing special. It wasn't until I listened to SACD on my current Samsung that I knew just how good they could sound.
But be fair, blu ray is expensive, probably why they left Sacd out.

[PeruvianSkies]

That brings up a good point: why the %$#$@% heck don't any of the Sony Blu-Ray players support SACD? The S-300 plays CDs and the S-1 even has 5.1 outs, but neither plays SACDs - actually the S-1 doesn't play any music format unless it's burned to a DVD! Asking people to choose between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is hard enough, but they still want something to play the rest of their disks.

From what I've been able to compare, Sony, the inventor of Blu-Ray, is manufacturing hobbled-down products, when their competitors (Panasonic, Samsung, LG) at least play music CDs. The S-1 should be their flagship but it's plodding along like the Titanic. Why would anyone support a company that does not support its own legacy formats, especially those that could use a shot in the arm?

That's a dang shame. I didn't know that until I read your post either...I have not kept that close attention to this whole mess. It's a shame because there are DVD players out there (a Pioneer unit comes to mind) that is under $100 and has been for about 2 years that will play anything you throw at it....CD-R, SACD, DVD-A, anything except the HD formats...I am waiting to see what Pioneer comes up with in their Elite line for the formats.

[drseid]

That brings up a good point: why the %$#$@% heck don't any of the Sony Blu-Ray players support SACD? The S-300 plays CDs and the S-1 even has 5.1 outs, but neither plays SACDs - actually the S-1 doesn't play any music format unless it's burned to a DVD! Asking people to choose between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is hard enough, but they still want something to play the rest of their disks.

From what I've been able to compare, Sony, the inventor of Blu-Ray, is manufacturing hobbled-down products, when their competitors (Panasonic, Samsung, LG) at least play music CDs. The S-1 should be their flagship but it's plodding along like the Titanic. Why would anyone support a company that does not support its own legacy formats, especially those that could use a shot in the arm?

Well it really isn't Sony... Pioneer is the OEM for the Sony player (and their player does not play CDs either). I use a dedicated player for my CDs, so it really is irrelevant to *me*... but I agree the lack of support is lame.

---Dave