Lounge of Tomorrow - It's Beta-max vs. VHS all over again

Lounge of Tomorrow (http://74.208.121.111/LoT/index.php)

- Egg Head (http://74.208.121.111/LoT/forumdisplay.php?f=13)

- - It's Beta-max vs. VHS all over again (http://74.208.121.111/LoT/showthread.php?t=2636)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

As a comsumer, I stick by the fact that the quality of the Betamax picture was/is far superior to VHS. (That's why lots of TV shows etc used it to record long into the 90's and early 00's.)
:)

Which is exactly why I will make zero gambles until one of the two takes hold. I don't care how convinced I am that one or the other technology is "better", you never know which will win the general public's favor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

...replicate a movie-going experience.)

Wait, I thought you said there were no ads before the movie on the laserdisc.

I'm waiting for a hybrid unit that will play Blu Ray AND HD as well as regular DVD, laser disc, CD, and LPs.

For under $100

And I'll bet that hundred dollars the one to succeed, if either do, will be the one that's backwards compatible with regular DVD.

Consumers are simply not ready to replace the DVD collections they are just beginning to term "collections." Even if Blu-Ray wows the tech-geeks, Joe Blow Consumer is not going to let his DVDs go the way of the 8-track just yet.

Frankly, neither format is going to be offering the kind of improvement over DVD that Joe Blow will roll over for. Perhaps it would have been better to wait the few years till all analog signals disappear from the consumer realm. HDTV will have near universal penetration by then (or by 2 weeks after the analog cut-off) ... and perhaps a format that offers a slightly better picture quality might have a chance at that point.

That's still a big perhaps.

As for more room for extras - - well I've already got 96 hours of running commentary on my Lord of the Rings DVDs plus 544 hours of documentaries and such. Do I really need the extra "extras" room that a new format would provide?

hehehehe. He said Penetration.

Do we really need any sharper pictures in the world of porn, as so many of the stars get even older and wrinklier?

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Frankly, neither format is going to be offering the kind of improvement over DVD that Joe Blow will roll over for. Perhaps it would have been better to wait the few years till all analog signals disappear from the consumer realm. HDTV will have near universal penetration by then (or by 2 weeks after the analog cut-off) ... and perhaps a format that offers a slightly better picture quality might have a chance at that point.

That's still a big perhaps.

As for more room for extras - - well I've already got 96 hours of running commentary on my Lord of the Rings DVDs plus 544 hours of documentaries and such. Do I really need the extra "extras" room that a new format would provide?

I think the FCC deadline for digital transmission is July of this year, though cable companies can get an extension if they request it. I know pretty much all of LA is digital already, with analog being transmitted just for the people who don't have a box or CableCARD.

Also, having extra room means that the Lord of the Rings will be able to fit on two DVDs instead of like 50. Which, in turn, results in lower costs, which would hopefully be passed on to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

hehehehe. He said Penetration.

and "blow"!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyFan25863

I think the FCC deadline for digital transmission is July of this year

Ah, but the analog cut-off has been pushed back to 2009, after being pushed back twice already. Who knows when it will really happen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyFan25863

Also, having extra room means that the Lord of the Rings will be able to fit on two DVDs instead of like 50. Which, in turn, results in lower costs, which would hopefully be passed on to you.

:cool: Hahahahahahahah! Uh-huh, just like the lower costs of CD were passed on to us. Ahahahahahahahahah!

:D From www.Blu-ray.com (not Sony):

Quote:

Will Blu-ray be backwards compatible with DVD?

Yes, several leading consumer electronics companies (including Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and LG) have already demonstrated products that can read/write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs using a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical head, so you don't have to worry about your existing DVD collection becoming obsolete. Although it's up to each manufacturer to decide if they want to make their products backwards compatible with DVD, the format is far too popular to not be supported. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) expects every Blu-ray Disc device to be backward compatible with CDs and DVDs.

(Emphasis mine)
My disclaimer -- I work for Sony but not in Electronics...