Blockbuster goes Blu-ray, HD DVD=beta?,

The thing is, Blu-ray players are still $600 and up, mostly up, whereas you can currently get a Toshiba A2 or D2 for $249-299, and a full-featured 1080p (with 5.1 analog output) machine for about $500. Plus they're excellent upconverting players and CD players as well.

Blu-ray's biggest advantage is the Sony pictures juggernaut--Blu-ray exclusivity on releases from Sony Classics, Columbia, MGA, UA, Disney, and Fox.

HD DVD's advantages are lower price of admission, excellent digital transfers on most releases so far (bravo Universal), a higher standard for required audio, ability to play CDs, etc.

One thing that puzzles me however is that so far all HD DVD players are Toshiba (plus LG if you count their dual format player), whereas you can get Blu-ray players from Sony, Sanyo, Pioneer, Panasonic, and Philips.

In the past, Sony shot themselves in the foot with Beta by refusing to license it to other mfrs, while JVC made VHS available to everyone. Toshiba also got industry-wide buy-in on std. DVD when it came out. So I wonder what's going on with HD DVD? Is Toshiba trying to keep the technology to itself or are other manufacturers simply not throwing in with Toshiba this time?

Don't forget that Sony's Play Station 3 will play Blu-ray, so there a huge market penetration due to the sale of these machines.

06-21-07: Fatparrot
Don't forget that Sony's Play Station 3 will play Blu-ray, so there a huge market penetration due to the sale of these machines.

And Xbox does HD DVD. But on the worldwide market, you're absolutely correct: Playstation has by far the dominant market share.

Microsoft is accustomed to setting standards, but in the case of gaming, Playstation has far more market penetration.

Having recently acquired a Toshiba A2, I wonder if I bet on the wrong horse given the disparity in studio support for the two formats, but at $249, I guess I can afford to for now. If I "lose", I still have a really good upconverting DVD player and a very decent CD player, and current Blu-ray players don't do CD.

For now, Sony is sitting in the catbird seat based on movie studio support, but the high price of Blu-ray players is blunting the theoretical advantage.

Never the less, with the introduction of the sony s300 at 500 dollars starting price (only to go down) also is rumored to play cd's.

the best buy near my house just got ours in yesterday and i wasnt set up yet so i havent had a chance to check it out but as far as i know its very good quality

On matters of the Toshiba... my guess for right now is they are trying to get a payday. they are probably hoping to beat the blu ray and then possibly make a lot of money if they win due to "trust" because they have been making them the longest helping them to sell the most.

Another rumor is there is going to be a "wal-mart" brand blu ray player. then again there is a reason it is a rumor so it may not be true.

Honestly, i am pulling for blu ray because there is still room for expansion as far as the possibilities because of the memory of the discs themselves.

Playstation 3 is the only Playstation that can be a Blu-ray player. Wii is outselling PS3 right now by 4 to 1. Xbox 360 is the Xbox that you can add an external HD-DVD player to.

Research firm Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) revealed that there are 1.5 million Blu-ray players in the U.S., compared to only 300,000 HD DVD players. But while the HD DVD hardware base is a nearly equal split of set-top boxes and Xbox 360 HD DVD players, the Blu-ray camp is divided up into 1.4 million PlayStation 3 systems and 100,000 set-top boxes.

Blu-ray Disc Beating HD DVD...Thanks to the PS3