NetFlix Drops HD-DVD

[Groundbeef]

Welll I may be looking for a BR player after all. Besides the PS3, is there a realtivly inexepensive stand-alone?

I don't want a PS3 (for a number of reasons), but I am actually not wanting to get another remote, and the PS3 is BlueTooth only.

So, what are my options? Anything under $300?

Looks like I know where part of my "rebate" is going to go!

Heres the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssC...EN388420080211

[Rich-n-Texas]

IIRC, the cheapest one I've found so far is about $400. Pix can tell you how much Wal-mart is asking though.

[Groundbeef]

IIRC, the cheapest one I've found so far is about $400. Pix can tell you how much Wal-mart is asking though.

Yeah, but that one doesn't come with cables. It actually comes with a piece of string. You have to get it wet, and jam it in both ends of the player, and the TV. Then the signal travels up the wet string. If you don't re-wet it every few minutes, the signal gets a bit choppy.

Thats why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. But I can understand Pix and all. With his employee discount, its a pretty good deal. It's nice they treat the greeters so well.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Its over for HD DVD, and all you are seeing is the decline of support play out over time. First Blockbuster, now Netflix. Best Buy is set for Bluray only as soon as they get rid of HD DVD inventory. Walmart is fire selling players, one of the largest european vending has gone bluray only. HD DVD never did well in Japan, its game over.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Yeah, but that one doesn't come with cables. It actually comes with a piece of string. You have to get it wet, and jam it in both ends of the player, and the TV. Then the signal travels up the wet string. If you don't re-wet it every few minutes, the signal gets a bit choppy.

Thats why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. But I can understand Pix and all. With his employee discount, its a pretty good deal. It's nice they treat the greeters so well.

Ya know, when I read your first paragraph, I said to myself... where he!! does he get his info, pixelthis?

Then I read your second paragraph and it all came home to me.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Its over for HD DVD, and all you are seeing is the decline of support play out over time. First Blockbuster, now Netflix. Best Buy is set for Bluray only as soon as they get rid of HD DVD inventory. Walmart is fire selling players, one of the largest european vending has gone bluray only. HD DVD never did well in Japan, its game over.

And we got to see it play out first-hand didn't we? I can honestly say that this is the first time I've consciously witnessed a technology go from birth to death.

Just find that interesting to me.

[GMichael]

Toshiba is running a special this week. Buy 5 HD projectors and get an HD-DVD (the A30) player for free. Are they kidding?

[emaidel]

I splurged and bought a Toshiba TOTL HD-DVD player last July. I had no reason to buy it over blu-ray, other than the fact it was a lot cheaper.

After using the player for six months now, I have to say that the best thing about it isn't how good HD discs look, but rather, how well it up-converts standard DVD's. Right now, my wife and I are enjoying a "24-Marathon," watching Seasons 1-5 on DVD. Frankly, I don't see very much difference in picture clarity from an HD disc, or an HD broadcast, or an up-converted "ordinary" DVD. I also find that the player has a number of truly irritating qualities: it takes a looonnnnnggggg time to start up, and switch from one track to another, and it locks up very frequently. Once "locked-up," all I can do is disconnect the power source (I usually just switch off the circuit breaker), and then wait for the unit to power up again. The unit is also a good deal deeper than a standard DVD player, and caused a problem trying to fit it into my equipment cabinet.

I'm not altogether thrilled I picked a loser, but I can certainly understand why it did lose: it deserved to.

[Woochifer]

On Amazon, the Samsung, Sony, and Sharp Blu-ray players are in the $330 to $350 range. Over the holidays, I saw Sony Blu-ray players on sale for less than $300 at Best Buy. I thought that the list prices got dropped to $350 at CES, but Amazon still shows them at $400 to $500.

If $300 is your price point, I doubt you'll have to wait too long before standalones drop below that point. For one thing, the first Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players are coming out soon, which should push the prices for the Profile 1.1 players further down. As a side note, the PS3s will be upgraded to Profile 2.0 via firmware update.

[Rich-n-Texas]

For one thing, the first Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players are coming out soon, which should push the prices for the Profile 1.1 players further down. As a side note, the PS3s will be upgraded to Profile 2.0 via firmware update.

I'll do the research if I have to, but can you give us just a brief explanation of the differences between the two?

[L.J.]

Ouch!!

I just got this email.

We're Going Blu-ray

Dear LJ,

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

You can click here to change your format preferences.

We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

[Woochifer]

I'll do the research if I have to, but can you give us just a brief explanation of the differences between the two?

Profile 1.1 is the Blu-ray player spec that all manufacturers were required to follow starting November 1, 2007. The original Blu-ray player Profile 1.0 spec did not require on-board audio decoders, support for PiP, on-board RAM, or any secondary interactive features. Individual player models might have included these features, but they were not mandated under Profile 1.0.

Profile 1.1 is known as the "final" standard playback configuration because it supports the full range of features built into the Blu-ray standard. Profile 1.0 players can still play the movie and basic bonus features, but there are some feature sets on newer Blu-ray discs incompatible with those older players.

Profile 2.0 (aka the BD-Live configuration) is an optional configuration that bumps up the minimum on-board RAM, and mandates internet connectivity, presumably for other future Blu-ray features. People who must have the latest and greatest will wait for Profile 2.0, and it will presumably maintain the higher end price points. For basic playback and access to the interactive features, you only need Profile 1.1.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...Explained/1186

[Woochifer]

Just another warm up call for the proverbial fat lady.

The format's not dead, and probably won't be for a while, but it will be increasingly difficult for consumers to support HD-DVD once retailers stop restocking their HD-DVD titles and hardware (which has already started happening), and rental outlets like Blockbuster and Netflix phase HD-DVD out (which has also started happening).

It will be no different than the situation in the late-80s for Betamax owners, or the current situation for DVD-A or SACD player owners. You can still feed your machine, but you got a lot of hoops to jump through and dwindling choices.

My parents owned a Betamax, and when their local video store stopped restocking Beta titles, customers with Beta VCRs still had the option of special ordering Beta titles. But, most customers simply opted to buy a VHS VCR. Right now, I'm still buying SACDs, but the number of stores in my area carrying SACDs has pretty much dwindled down to Fry's Electronics and the occasional hybrid disc that inadvertently finds its way into the bins at Borders. Some of the remaining titles I'm looking for will have to be mail ordered or otherwise found in the used bins.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I splurged and bought a Toshiba TOTL HD-DVD player last July. I had no reason to buy it over blu-ray, other than the fact it was a lot cheaper.

After using the player for six months now, I have to say that the best thing about it isn't how good HD discs look, but rather, how well it up-converts standard DVD's. Right now, my wife and I are enjoying a "24-Marathon," watching Seasons 1-5 on DVD. Frankly, I don't see very much difference in picture clarity from an HD disc, or an HD broadcast, or an up-converted "ordinary" DVD. I also find that the player has a number of truly irritating qualities: it takes a looonnnnnggggg time to start up, and switch from one track to another, and it locks up very frequently. Once "locked-up," all I can do is disconnect the power source (I usually just switch off the circuit breaker), and then wait for the unit to power up again. The unit is also a good deal deeper than a standard DVD player, and caused a problem trying to fit it into my equipment cabinet.

I'm not altogether thrilled I picked a loser, but I can certainly understand why it did lose: it deserved to.

Don't feel bad Emaidel, I just got a brand new in the box A-35 for $250 bucks. It plays DVD's beautifully, but I can definately tell the difference between upconverted DVD and HD DVD. It not obvious and the foreground details look pretty close(with a huge amount of detail resolution favoring HD DVD), but its the backgrounds that let you know you are looking at HD rather than upconverted DVD. The detail in the foreground extends into the background as well on HD DVD. Upconverting DVD basically looks like indistinct mush in the backgrounds, even though the foreground can seemingly look identical.

My A-35 has yet to make it completely through a HD-DVD movie. I wash disc, but some disc still break up and freeze. You are right, if a third generation top of the line product performs this poorly, then Toshiba did deserve to lose.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Profile 1.1 is the Blu-ray player spec that all manufacturers were required to follow starting November 1, 2007. The original Blu-ray player Profile 1.0 spec did not require on-board audio decoders, support for PiP, on-board RAM, or any secondary interactive features. Individual player models might have included these features, but they were not mandated under Profile 1.0.

Profile 1.1 is known as the "final" standard playback configuration because it supports the full range of features built into the Blu-ray standard. Profile 1.0 players can still play the movie and basic bonus features, but there are some feature sets on newer Blu-ray discs incompatible with those older players.

Profile 2.0 (aka the BD-Live configuration) is an optional configuration that bumps up the minimum on-board RAM, and mandates internet connectivity, presumably for other future Blu-ray features. People who must have the latest and greatest will wait for Profile 2.0, and it will presumably maintain the higher end price points. For basic playback and access to the interactive features, you only need Profile 1.1.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...Explained/1186

Thank you!

As soon as I saw this:

...is an optional configuration...

I knew...

Profile 2.0, and it will presumably maintain the higher end price points.

...wasn't far behind.

[diggity]

Yeah, but that one doesn't come with cables. It actually comes with a piece of string. You have to get it wet, and jam it in both ends of the player, and the TV. Then the signal travels up the wet string. If you don't re-wet it every few minutes, the signal gets a bit choppy.

Thats why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. But I can understand Pix and all. With his employee discount, its a pretty good deal. It's nice they treat the greeters so well.

hey there, you guys must be lucky over there in yankland, EVERY player/recorder barring any samsung with hdmi capablities come only with composite cables. this includes hd-dvd and blu-ray, and regardless of where it is purchased. has been this way for 10 years or so. on a side note though, if they are giving away hd cables for free with unit i wouldn't fancy their quality.

cheers: dazza

[pixelthis]

Ya know, when I read your first paragraph, I said to myself... where he!! does he get his info, pixelthis?

Then I read your second paragraph and it all came home to me.

Hes one of the guys that scrubs the floor.

Yeah, this punk is really funny, so damn stupid he paid good money for a standalone
hd player and now that he has finally figured out the obvious, that it might make a good paperweight, hes taking it out on me.
BYW groundcow, you'd better hurry, the short yellow bus is leaving

[pixelthis]

Welll I may be looking for a BR player after all. Besides the PS3, is there a realtivly inexepensive stand-alone?

I don't want a PS3 (for a number of reasons), but I am actually not wanting to get another remote, and the PS3 is BlueTooth only.

So, what are my options? Anything under $300?

Looks like I know where part of my "rebate" is going to go!

Heres the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssC...EN388420080211

You might find this hard to beleive, but you can actually but a dedicated Blu player,
all it does is play movies.
Punks like you kill me, plugged into a video game all day till what little brains you have rot,
you think Mp3 is the height of audio tech, and ultimate fighting is your main cultural contribution.
So we know where part of your "rebate" is going, is the rest going for a crack ho so you can lose your virginity?
Groundcow is a good name for you, youi're as low rent as the meat you're named after

[pixelthis]

And we got to see it play out first-hand didn't we? I can honestly say that this is the first time I've consciously witnessed a technology go from birth to death.

Just find that interesting to me.

I have seen it a dozen times, always happens the same way.
Which is why I have always said that Blu would win, it was quite obvious, really.
And now with sony leaving the rear projection market the slow death of this form factor continues apace.
Sir talky thinks I dont know anything, well, I will bet 40 years of watching this market to his mountain of skewed research.
And it might be a near thing, making back the development cost of Blu

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I have seen it a dozen times, always happens the same way.
Which is why I have always said that Blu would win, it was quite obvious, really.
And now with sony leaving the rear projection market the slow death of this form factor continues apace.
Sir talky thinks I dont know anything, well, I will bet 40 years of watching this market to his mountain of skewed research.
And it might be a near thing, making back the development cost of Blu

Skewed research?? You have done none, so what positions you to judge what others have done? You cannot sit in your recliner with two teeth in your head(and even fewer brain cells) for 40 years and think you have a good grasp of how things in the movie and CE industries work. You are just another uniformed old fart who's most significant exposure to either industry has been from your fingers to the power button to turn on the tube. There is a reason that bluray has done more revenue last year than all of downloading put together. There is a reason the movie studios chose the shiney disc over a industry that saw it revenue go from $200 million in 2006, to $123 million in 2007. Even a monkey is smart enough not to invest in a money losing venture, especially when you are well aware if infrastructure limitations, lack of viable sell through business plan, and watching downloading in general not grow significantly in at least 3 years.

[pixelthis]

Skewed research?? You have done none, so what positions you to judge what others have done? You cannot sit in your recliner with two teeth in your head(and even fewer brain cells) for 40 years and think you have a good grasp of how things in the movie and CE industries work. You are just another uniformed old fart who's most significant exposure to either industry has been from your fingers to the power button to turn on the tube. There is a reason that bluray has done more revenue last year than all of downloading put together. There is a reason the movie studios chose the shiney disc over a industry that saw it revenue go from $200 million in 2006, to $123 million in 2007. Even a monkey is smart enough not to invest in a money losing venture, especially when you are well aware if infrastructure limitations, lack of viable sell through business plan, and watching downloading in general not grow significantly in at least 3 years.

Scared?

No reason to be, Blu will probably make a lot of money, but downloading will bite into the rental market really hard in the next five years.

Do me a favor talky,
Sony s' great technical expertise is matched only by their idiotic marketing ineptness.
I think their marketing dept is run by three blind monkeys, which is why I THOUGHT YOU WORKED FOR THEM.
Now, you're probably a fake, and the closest thing to having Sony's ear is filling out the registration card on one of their HTIBS, NEVERTHELESS,
here goes.
Tell them , number one.
NOT TO SCREW THIS UP.
Dont overcharge like they did with CD text, so that only Sony CD's had CD text.
No viruses in the software, like they did with some of their CD's , including one I played in my computer that destroyed the root directory of my HD, tell them that the people buying their stuff are their friends, okay?
No fake marketing like they did with some of their movies, people arent as stupid as they (or you) think.
No greed, leading to the destruction of a promising format, this inckudes trying to keep the cost of player high for years.
Any idiot should know by watching the computer and other industries that the battle is won with SOFTWARE.
Screw the players, heck, GIVE the friggin things away.
It was troublesome you talked about keeping the cost of players high, this shows that not only are you a moron when it comes to marketing, but that people in the Blu camp have learned NOTHING.
My DVD player cost 129 bucks, plays sacd, dvd audio, and upconverts.
I have about ten grand (conservative) in my media collection, probably a lot more.
If people have your player they will buy your software, thats where the money is.
Keep those players affordable, all they are is a souped up DVD player with new software
and a blue laser.
Anything else?
OH YEAH.
Stay away from the stove, its hot

[E-Stat]

Any idiot should know by watching the computer and other industries that the battle is won with SOFTWARE.

Indeed. Now that the studios have spoken and the format war is over, I can safely spend my money and not worry about instant obsolescence. Maybe that's how I'll spend my gubment check.

rw

[GMichael]

Indeed. Now that the studios have spoken and the format war is over, I can safely spend my money and not worry about instant obsolescence. Maybe that's how I'll spend my gubment check.

rw

Are you saying that you will be buying, or renting, something soft?

[E-Stat]

Are you saying that you will be buying, or renting, something soft?

Gotta start by buying something hard first! - a Blu-Ray player. Beyond that, I will end buying some software and renting some. My movie collection is only about a hundred or so. I just don't have the same enthusiasm to watch the same movie over and over like I do with musical selections.

rw

[GMichael]

Gotta start by buying something hard first!

Uhm... not going there.

- a Blu-Ray player. Beyond that, I will end buying some software and renting some. My movie collection is only about a hundred or so. I just don't have the same enthusiasm to watch the same movie over and over like I do with musical selections.

rw

Funny how we'll pay more for a movie but only watch it a few times. Then we'll pay less for a CD or LP and play it into the dirt.