Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Yeah it's very different on a 52" 1080p TV. The leap isn't ridiculous, but it's nice to have something that really takes advantage of a top of the line television.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

It's not just a better picture, is the lossless sound that's being included on Blu-rays, too, which you can only play in 5.1 and up on HDMI receivers. It's true quality audio straight from the source, none of this Dolby Digital 5.1 crap. (Although, it's not on EVERY Blu-ray.)

Blu-ray IS a noticeable jump on both video and audio if you have the equipment.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Selecting scenes in your movies instead of fastforwarding the tape wasn't that huge? Bonus features weren't that huge? Extra languages, deleted scenes, multiple subtitles etc. wasn't huge?

That all together wasn't bigger than HD TV? o_O

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Yeah, but now you have more interactive menus, picture-in-picture, and online functions. Not to mention, in the PS3's case, firmware that updates itself over the web so it's future-proof.

And it's not like Laserdisc wasn't around before DVD, so you have to keep that in mind. "Huge" has to be in perspective in the context you're using it in.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

I agree with Angrist. The quality, the accessibility, the prices, the simplicity of it all is much superior with DVDs than Blu-Rays.

It's cliché, but the DVD was a revolution, whereas (I sure hope I used the word correctly :)) the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD generation was just an evolution.

We use these things to watch movies. The easier it is to watch my movies, the better. I don't think the new generation changes the way we watch movies, it just enhances them. You still pop a disc, and it starts directly from the beginning. You can choose a subtitle, or watch it dubbed if you prefer, in your own language. And after the film, you can watch the extras.

Everything more than that is just a bonus, and a bonus which I'm not too happy paying a lot more. Not to mention that most of it is completely unnecessary.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Well, I don't know how accessibility is going to be bettered, except if you're a proponent of the new wave of Digital Downloads. And you may be uninformed, but some DVD players and Blu-ray have the function to play wherever you left off, and not at the beginning every time.

Also, don't remember DVD not being more expensive than VHS and some people even claimed they'd never make the switch. I think Blu-ray is cheaper than DVD was at release with respect to inflation, considering the technology hasn't changed much. And newly released movies are on par as far as pricing goes, if not a few bucks more for Blu-ray sometimes. At least that's how it is in Canada.

Seriously though, what would you prefer? Digital Downloads? That means you have to have a good connection, and even then, you wouldn't get to keep and rewatch the movies you download, and the quality would still only be 720p and Dolby Digital 5.1 (in the case of Apple TV).

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Just not the same as the jump from VHS to DVD.

Case in point, there are plenty of people (in fact, millions) who still have the crappiest standard definition TVs (including me) who would be willing to pay more for a new DVD player than pay less for a VHS player -- even several years ago when VHS was still an option (point being that DVD made VHS obsolete for a reason, and it wasn't high-definition TVs). You do not have the same thing for Bluray or HD-DVD. Angrist is absolutely right there, and like Bube was trying to say, Bluray is an evolution, while DVD was a revolution. This is pretty commonly held belief.

I think the adoption of Bluray will become the norm over DVD when both Bluray players and Bluray movies are equal to the price of DVDs. Will that ever happen? I doubt it, at least for a very long time.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Alright, I guess movie players should stay offline, have clunky as fuck menus, and chapter selections that don't have dynamic pictures and audio so you have to guess where in the movie your favourite action scene is. :p

Also, I don't know what I did without 1.5x speed watching. It's drastically cut down my watching time of some tedious episodes in shows.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

Some DVD players can do that. At least some software ones. It's a nice addition.
Let's see..... I don't care about that, I don't care about that, I don't care about that. :)

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

I know, my 5 year old DVD player does that too. That wasn't what I meant though - I meant that you don't have to rewind like you did with VHS. But, what you said just proves that Blu-ray and DVD are alike, imo.

I'm not saying the Blu-ray is bad or anything, I just don't think it's worth it. But digital downloads..bah.. Now that sucks, plain and simple :).

What would I prefer? As long as we're still watching movies, on TVs, there really isn't much that could change the experience for me. Some new system where I plug into the movie, or one that directly generates the image in my brain, is what would be worth every penny.

However, like I said, the Blu-ray of course isn't bad, and I sure don't hate it. But if I ever buy a system, that would be my tech-geek side paying.

Re: Just purchased HD-DVD drive
 

It is with a PS3.

I could never justify spending $300 on a standalone Blu Ray player...it's not that kind of upgrade. But it is an awfully nice feature on the PS3.