If you were hoping for a cheaper player:
Good news for those looking for a HD-DVD player is that the going price on eBay is $50-$75. Those trying to sell for more are not getting any bids.

On the “obsolete” comment, older Blu-ray players will still be able to play all the Blu-ray moves so they will not be obsolete. The only disadvantage will be that the old players will not be able to take advantage of new “special” content or web linking.

Aren’t the internets about going over-the-top?

On the obsolete comment, you are correct. I have read thread after threard by PS3 fanboyz (sorry best way to describe them) that the extra features do not matter. Maybe not to a fanboy, but the mass market likes them. What’s more, if my dad (average non-techie consumer) bought a BD palyer and found out he could not access PiP features of later releases he would be pissed that he spent $500 duckets on a player and can’t use the all the features of the format.

Its just bad marketing.

Plus, the PiP feature on HD DVD are pretty cool in movies like Miami Vice and Smokin’ Aces.

Ultimately, the point is that it is a big weakness for BD.

Additionally, keep an eye out for CH-DVD …

The comments in the Intel memo are sound. I left it in tact

thanks for your comments.

I want to know how you figure that studio support doesn’t matter. If Universal and Paramount switch to Blu-Ray, what will HD-DVD be releasing? Studio support is everything! Why would anyone purchase a media player that has no media to play? If even one of the two remaining major studios supporting HD-DVD defects to Blu-Ray, it would definately end the format war. Blu-Ray would have close to 90% of the entire High Definition home media library. The remaining studio would have no choice but to convert as well and Toshiba would be forced to resign its product. I’m sorry but you seem quite naive if you truly believe that studio support is irrelevant in the format war.

And one more thing. Seeing as how technology changes at such a fast pace, it seems imprudent to be quoting a document that is nearly two years old. The entire landscape of the war has changed. Blu-Ray has essentially taken a stranglehold on the market since that document was written. In 2007 Blu-Ray media sales outpaced HD-DVD every single month. And since Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive, Blu-Ray has had over 80% of the sales every week and the top ten selling High Definition DVDs have been in the Blu-Ray format. It’s not even close anymore.
I wish that Blu-Ray was less expensive like HD-DVD but just because HD-DVD is less expensive doesn’t mean it will win. Toshiba’s recent price cuts are a clear move of desperation. As a business analyst for the last 18 years, I can tell you it has all the signs of a desperate company grasping at straws to stay alive behind a dominant competitor. Sorry.

I concede that if all studios only make movies for Blu-ray, HD DVD will go the way of the Dodo. It would be stupid to think otherwise.

My comment on studio support is centered on the prevailing opinion that because 70% of the studios are presently Blu-ray, HD DVD is dead. That comment is incorrect. HD DVD is not dead. Additionally, that comment is based on expereience with the NHS and Beta war – which is no way comparable to the HD DVD/Blu-ray war.

I the 80’s Videocassette was the only way to get movies in the home. accordingly, if a studio did not produce a movie in beta, you could not watcdh it in the home. Today, however, there are more choices. If Warner does not release movies in HD DVD, I can watch it in HD on VOD, PPV, upconversion SD, etc. Accordingly, consumers can choose the best, most affordable format without regard for studio support – that is, until studios stop producing movies for that format. Regardless, HD DVD will continue to sell as upconverting DVD players.

I understand many people think that HD DVDs pricing moves are desperate. What did you expect Toshiba to do? Raise prices? BD has a problem in that its main BD player, and the only Profile-proof BD player is PS3. Most consumers are not going to buy a PS3 to watch movies. Once consumers learn that their $500 BD player is obsolete and cannot take advantage of all the features in a movie or not, they will not be happy.

The HDM market is only something like 4% of the entire Home video market. Until that number gets ALOT bigger, neither BD or HD DVD will :win”. The question is will either format gain that market share before digital downloads do.

Thanks for your comments!

And one more thing. Seeing as how technology changes at such a fast pace, it seems imprudent to be quoting a document that is nearly two years old. The entire landscape of the war has changed. Blu-Ray has essentially taken a stranglehold on the market since that document was written. In 2007 Blu-Ray media sales outpaced HD-DVD every single month. And since Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive, Blu-Ray has had over 80% of the sales every week and the top ten selling High Definition DVDs have been in the Blu-Ray format. It’s not even close anymore.
I wish that Blu-Ray was less expensive like HD-DVD but just because HD-DVD is less expensive doesn’t mean it will win. Toshiba’s recent price cuts are a clear move of desperation. As a business analyst for the last 18 years, I can tell you it has all the signs of a desperate company grasping at straws to stay alive behind a dominant competitor. Sorry.

“Warner supports HD-DVD”

oh wait, wait, that was last year also!

ROTFL, ROTF, ROTFL

Blu-ray anti-scratch coating has proven itself as longer lasting than the older DVD and HD-DVD technology. Netflix states that the average DVD only lasts 12 rentals before it dies due to abuse. The Blu-ray disks are lasting longer.

Manufacturing costs are about equal now as well. Blu-ray quantity has driven down its cost with disks being made for movies, PS3 games, and PCs.

PCs and Laptops are coming with Blu-ray recorders. HD-DVD recorders are nowhere to be seen except as an option in Toshiba laptops. Even the so called “dual format” recorders only record to Blu-ray disks while HD-DVD usage is as a reader only.

The whole 2006 memo is funny when Paramount and Universal are the only things allowing HD-DVD a lingering rather than a fast death. Even those two studios will eventually release in Blu-ray when the dismal sales ranking of HD-DVD movies finally sinks in.