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Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: FM-77 on February 17, 2008, 09:43:05 AM
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A couple of months ago, someone here argued with me that HD-DVD was going to be the winning format... whoever that was, they were wrong.
Now it has finally happened! HD-DVD is now officially dead and buried.
Toshiba just bailed. It's over.
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/dailynews7.html
Japan's electronics giant Toshiba Corporation will withdraw from high-definition DVD production.
Sources say Toshiba plans to stop producing HD-DVD players and recorders at its plant in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, and further development of the products.
The plan will probably be officially decided at the company's board of directors extraordinary meeting early this week.
Toshiba is expected to continue to sell HD-DVD products for a while, and announce support measures for users as soon as the decision is officially made.
Toshiba has been struggling with its version of DVD format, called HD-DVD, in a fierce battle with the Blu-ray format backed by Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi.
The wide adoption of the Blu-ray format by US movie studios and retailers apparently prompted Toshiba to decide to withdraw from the HD-DVD business.
Electronics firms expect the end of the high-definition DVD race to boost sales of the products.
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Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.
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Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.
Hell yeah. While I did find this "war" interesting, I have no intention of ever getting either format. I don't even have a DVD player or a VCR, simply because I don't have any DVD movies or whatnot. I think it's crap. I download everything I want to watch (which isn't much).
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Isn't this just another "inside source" rumour?
I read about it the other day, but haven't seen any "official" reports yet.
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Wait for an official statement from Toshiba themselves before believing this kind of unofficial report. If said official report never comes, don't be surprised. Besides, the real-world statistics are in direct conflict with what this unofficial report states.
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Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.
Yeah, high definition is just a stupid fad and will go away. People hate clarity! They want dogshit!
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Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.
Yeah, high definition is just a stupid fad and will go away. People hate clarity! They want dogshit!
The problem isn't the picture quality, but the movie quality :P .
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Ha! True enough.
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I believe the final nail in the coffin was Wal-Mart's support for the Blu-Ray format. When you get a retail giant like Wal-Mart choosing your competition over your own product, you're pretty much f*cked. Here is the news article that states more about the current situation:
BLU-RAY PRIME CHOICE FOR WALLY WORLD! (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-02-15/wal-mart-chooses-blu-ray-disc-over-hd-dvd)
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I still go by my old wait for it tactic when DVD came out. Remember when Divx disc and DVD came out around the same time? Of course every one knew DVD would win it. It is funny how the first DVD players from like 96-98 won't play most DVDs due to no dual layer support and not to mention they usually ran like shit anyways. My first DVD player was July 98 in my PC with a Hitachi GD-2000 drive and a shitty decoder card. It ran a lot better when I bought a ATI Rage Pro 32MB with built in decoder. My first actual DVD player was a Sony DVD player from 2000 which just dies a year ago with the lens crapping out. It ran everything fine until it died.
I am probably not going to buy a BR player until the beginning of 09 or so. Three years is usually enough time to sort things out with software and hardware issues. It might as well be a PS3 since it can do more things as well as SACD and has upgradeable firmware unlike standalone players. I guess we will see soon enough.
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I was one of those unfortunate soul that pick up a HD dvd during the holiday season because it was cheap compared to the bu-ray. I paid $168 bundled with two movies. I mainly used it as a up-converted dvd player. RIP HD-DVD :cry:
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Does the PS3 with it's Bluray player also play old-school DVDs (and upscale them)? The PS3 has been looking more and more attractive to me lately.
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It's just a matter of time before Toshiba officially announces the death of HD-DVD. More and more companies are abandoning the format (including Best Buy, Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, and New Line), so there's not much reason for them to keep dumping money into a sinking ship. Bring on the cheap, multi-format players!
Does the PS3 with it's Bluray player also play old-school DVDs (and upscale them)?
Yes, though not as well as a quality stand alone player.
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The PS3 is supposedly one of the best upscaling DVD players EVAR when hooked up with HDMI (no player is allowed to upscale over component). But it still looks like a DVD. It can't add detail that's not there. It will not look like HD source material. Just don't go expecting the world like a lot of people do when they hear "upscaling DVDs to HDTV resolution". You must be smarter than that.
The PS3 rules. Buy one now. It's probably the best current Blu-Ray player on the market.
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Thanks. I have a pretty good idea what to expect from upscaled DVD. My current DVD player (hooked up to my HD LCD) is a crusty pile of 7-year-old elephant shit and it gives the second-best-looking video on my HD out of any of the devices hooked up. If I could get even that level of video from my cable TV box and VCR I'd be the happiest pig in shit you'd ever met. All that said, I can see what needs to be improved in the legacy DVD picture to get it to make the grade and I have no doubt upscaling will take care of that. I'm no fool-- I don't expect 1080p HD magically generated from a stinky old DVD.
The PS3 rules. Buy one now. It's probably the best current Blu-Ray player on the market.
It's looking more and more like that's gonna happen real quick like. I still don't really have any interest in anything I've seen for the PS3 (the Wii is doing a good job scratching my next-generation itch) but that doesn't mean there won't be something for me in the future. And there's nothing better than a console and movie player all-in-one.
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This is good news, now studios can focus on one format and get all the classics out on Blu-ray like Alien/Aliens and the Indiana Jones trilogy. I have a hard time watching regular DVDs now since I've been spoiled by blu-ray, even the best DVD transfers look like shit compared to blu-ray.
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Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.
:)
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Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.
:)
What makes you think that they can't? Nearly every HD-DVD and Blu-Ray title currently available was originally shot on 35mm. The only reason that Indiana Jones isn't on one of these formats is because Lucas is slow to adopt new mediums (look how long it took for Indiana Jones and Star Wars to be put on DVD).
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poop. I guess people who own HDTVs at this point would want to pay more for their high def discs. :?
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Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.
:)
What makes you think that they can't? Nearly every HD-DVD and Blu-Ray title currently available was originally shot on 35mm. The only reason that Indiana Jones isn't on one of these formats is because Lucas is slow to adopt new mediums (look how long it took for Indiana Jones and Star Wars to be put on DVD).
No, I meant since it is such an old movie... the picture quality won't be as good. At I guess it would be like that. I'm no expert in movie stuff/filming. All I know is that some of the old movies that have come out on HD formats haven't looked much better than a DVD.
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If they took care of the old negatives/answer prints/show prints then they can get a better HD version than movies shot today on 2K digital like Apacalypto. You may see film grain in a movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark, but grain isn't a bad thing unless it is excessive like in Ghostbusters.
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The PS3 rules. Buy one now. It's probably the best current Blu-Ray player on the market.
First of all, I will only buy a PS3 when the console finally puts out an attractive game library and second, I buy game consoles to play games, not watch movies. Give me the meat, not the f*cking potatoes!
This is good news, now studios can focus on one format and get all the classics out on Blu-ray like Alien/Aliens and the Indiana Jones trilogy. I have a hard time watching regular DVDs now since I've been spoiled by blu-ray, even the best DVD transfers look like shit compared to blu-ray.
The biggest gripe I'm having with Blu-Ray players right now is that movie studios and distributors are deliberately shafting regular DVD players with inferior materials just so they can put out brand new prints and better quality on Blu-Ray. The irony is that we can get this same kind of quality on our regular DVD players but movie studios don't want to do it just so they can get quality whores to pony up for the newer product. It's a dirty marketing tactic.
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The PS3 rules. Buy one now. It's probably the best current Blu-Ray player on the market.
Sure it's a great Blu-Ray player, but isn't the 40gb version missing backwards compatibility? It kinda sucks, but I guess that it's worth an extra Benjamin to be able to play more than a handful of 'good' games.
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Sony has been putting out so many different GB models of the PS3 that I've lost track on what's available and what's been cancelled. Anyone care to clear the air? ](*,)
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There's only one single PS3 model available. The 40 GB one.
You can play PS1 games of the same region as the system on it. No PS2 games.
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This sucks. Not good news at all. I was honestly hoping for HD-DVD to stay a lot longer, or pull through everything. But I guess consumers are stupid (not surprising). All the stupid marketing hype, and this is what happens. People are attracted more to a blue color than red, and to me, that is the equivalent of a caveman. I don't really give a f*ck what color discs I have.
If I ever end up buying BluRay anything, it won't be anytime soon. I will download EVERYTHING once this happens. I download quite a bit now, and have bought the majority that I wanted on standard DVD over the last 7 years, but I have slowly stopped buying DVD's in the last year, because of all of the changeover, not to mention lack of stuff I care to buy anymore. I don't even have an HDTV, aside from my 19" CRT monitor that does 1920x1440, which I have had for about 5 years.
Some of you are probably asking, why am I so against BluRay? I have one word for you.
SONY.
They are nothing but a huge monopoly, and have been for years. Their CEOs are full of themselves (especially the one in charge of PlayStation), they were previously in debt (and probably still are), and were selling off their movie studio due to their stupid decisions, not to mention the result of their rotted Laserdiscs is reason enough for me to be completely opposed to any kind of disc based format that they are behind. While they do make descent electronics most of the time, BluRay is a media format, not a piece of electronic hardware. Not to mention, history repeats itself, as I have already heard of more than 1 BluRay disc rotting. Also, where are UMDs now? Mostly in the clearance bins of any store that still carries them, or marked down to half price. Charging the same amount for a inferior resolution version of something when you can buy the same thing on DVD for cheaper, and convert it over yourself...? Smart move there Sony. Also, both the Wii and the X-Box 360 are beating the PS3 in sales, and have been since inception.
Now don't get me wrong. I own a PlayStation 1, and a PlayStation 2. I have bought plenty of games for both. I have no reason at this time to buy a PlayStation 3, not to mention the games I have seen, are unimpressive, and run like shit (Heavenly Sword is just one good example of ass). Not to mention the whole multiple models crap and issues with each has driven me away from it. Very few games on the console for me at this point. I also have a Sony VCR, I previously had a Sony WEGA 36" CRT TV, that I only got rid of because it weighed almost 250lbs., and it became too much to move.
So for me right now, BluRay is not an option for me. Downloading is. I'm tired of wasting my money because these stupid studios want to release multiple format versions of things, not to mention they want to play games with myself and other consumers. I don't find it funny, and they aren't getting any of my money until they stop f*cking around.
If or when I get into the format, and only because it is the only thing on the market, I will buy Japanese releases most likely. Sure, they will be a little bit more pricey, but guess what? Far less Japanese laserdiscs by Sony have rotted to this day, not to mention they always get better packaging and usually better usage of audio and video. I will also end up buying a dual-format player, that plays HD-DVDs, because at that point, HD-DVDs will have dropped down because the rest of the world has deemed them inferior (either that or they will be considered collectors items). I also hope that the price of HD-DVD recordable media and PC drives continue coming down in price, because if they do, and they at least care to support them as a viable PC format, I will buy it and use it. They will eventually hit Dual-Layer HD-DVD if it keeps up on PC.
If the rest of you think that this is great and all the world is well, good for you. Keep on pouring money into the Sony pot. I won't be.
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Yeah but I've watched older movies like Bullit and Unforgiven and they looked way, way better than a DVD, especially Bullit. Just watched Basic Instinct too and it looked really good, so old movies can look just as awesome as the newer ones on blu-ray.
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The biggest gripe I'm having with Blu-Ray players right now is that movie studios and distributors are deliberately shafting regular DVD players with inferior materials just so they can put out brand new prints and better quality on Blu-Ray. The irony is that we can get this same kind of quality on our regular DVD players but movie studios don't want to do it just so they can get quality whores to pony up for the newer product. It's a dirty marketing tactic.
Exactly...if you look at the back of these HD/BD releases, they specifically state (extra features at 480p).
That is DVD resolution. No reason for them to not put it on standard DVD in the form of at least a special edition.
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The biggest gripe I'm having with Blu-Ray players right now is that movie studios and distributors are deliberately shafting regular DVD players with inferior materials just so they can put out brand new prints and better quality on Blu-Ray. The irony is that we can get this same kind of quality on our regular DVD players but movie studios don't want to do it just so they can get quality whores to pony up for the newer product. It's a dirty marketing tactic.
Are you trying to say that regular DVD's can do Blu-Ray quality "if the studios wanted to"? I really, really hope not, as that would not be a smart and informed thing to say.
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There's only one single PS3 model available. The 40 GB one.
What about the 80gb Motorstorm pack? Amazon, Toys R Us, Sears, and K-Mart's respective web sites all claim to have it in stock and ready to ship. Did it recently get the ax and these stores are just clearing out old stock? If so, Sony better have plans to add a new model with PS2 compatibility or add it to the 40gb version, or their sales will suck even more than they already do.
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There's only one single PS3 model available. The 40 GB one.
What about the 80gb Motorstorm pack? Amazon, Toys R Us, Sears, and K-Mart's respective web sites all claim to have it in stock and ready to ship. Did it recently get the ax and these stores are just clearing out old stock? If so, Sony better have plans to add a new model with PS2 compatibility or add it to the 40gb version, or their sales will suck even more than they already do.
Sorry, no idea about USA. But I have read that they have stopped producing everything but the 40 GB one. Apparently it is responsible for the skyrocketing PS3 sales (4 million in a three or so months).
Not good news
That's where I stopped reading.
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Are you trying to say that regular DVD's can do Blu-Ray quality "if the studios wanted to"? I really, really hope not, as that would not be a smart and informed thing to say.
Actually, they can, if you use a DVDROM to store hi-def data. However, the size of a DVD is small enough that multiple disc swapping would be neccesary, which most people are not going to put up with.
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Actually, they can, if you use a DVDROM to store hi-def data. However, the size of a DVD is small enough that multiple disc swapping would be neccesary, which most people are not going to put up with.
But DVD-ROMs won't play on a standard DVD player, so what's the point? MPEG-2 does allow for 1080p and 720p resolutions, but the bit rate is so high that it would be useless and the DVD standard doesn't allow for 'em anyway. MPEG-4 is supported by a few DVD players, and its bit rate at HD resolutions is about half of a standard DVDs bit rate; I haven't seen anything recorded at this format, but I assume that it would be riddled with artifacts and clearly inferior to the HD mediums. Any way you slice it, 8.5gb DVD < 30gb HD-DVD < 50gb Blu-Ray.
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One thing I found to be funny is some movie rentals d/l on Xbox Live 720p are 4 gigs with 5.1 surround included. Clean, but not 1080p though. Pirates 3 was like 7.6 gigs with 5.1 surround, ouch. I found it is cheaper for me to rent with my 360 than to drive 35 min round trip to Blockbuster. Of course, the Netflix mail order is nice and all, but I like to watch a movie right away and I change my mind often.
I usually buy movies that won't see the light of day on HD format for many years or I already own the ones I would buy on HD. Standard DVD movies I bought recently: Fist of Legend (Jet Li), Orgazmo (Trey Parker), The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren) and Split Second (Rutger Hauer). So I am just not really ready yet, and I don't want to spoil myself to make DVD look like what VHS looks like to me now.
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One thing I found to be funny is some movie rentals d/l on Xbox Live 720p are 4 gigs with 5.1 surround included. Clean, but not 1080p though. Pirates 3 was like 7.6 gigs with 5.1 surround, ouch. I found it is cheaper for me to rent with my 360 than to drive 35 min round trip to Blockbuster. Of course, the Netflix mail order is nice and all, but I like to watch a movie right away and I change my mind often.
I usually buy movies that won't see the light of day on HD format for many years or I already own the ones I would buy on HD. Standard DVD movies I bought recently: Fist of Legend (Jet Li), Orgazmo (Trey Parker), The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren) and Split Second (Rutger Hauer). So I am just not really ready yet, and I don't want to spoil myself to make DVD look like what VHS looks like to me now.
Ever heard of The Pirate Bay? :wink:
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^^ We get it dude, you're a huge pirate, you don't have to remind everyone every 2 seconds.
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This sucks. Not good news at all. I was honestly hoping for HD-DVD to stay a lot longer, or pull through everything. But I guess consumers are stupid (not surprising).
REALLY sucks...BETAMAX finally wins . :lol:
Some of you are probably asking, why am I so against BluRay? I have one word for you.
SONY.
I laugh here. :o
They are nothing but a huge monopoly, and have been for years. Their CEOs are full of themselves (especially the one in charge of PlayStation),
The TRUE.
Now don't get me wrong. I own a PlayStation 1, and a PlayStation 2. I have bought plenty of games for both. I have no reason at this time to buy a PlayStation 3, not to mention the games I have seen, are unimpressive, and run like shit (Heavenly Sword is just one good example of ass).
LOL again.. PS1 was very special to me..ff7...CSOTN..was a great system with a LOT of good and classic games however with a bad hardware conception.I cant forget how I used to run my games in my psx upside down. that f*cking optical unit. ](*,)
I have a ps2 too but especially for exclusive games... like SOTC ,Kingdom hearts...and GOW.
So for me right now, BluRay is not an option for me.
Isn't for anyone.We being forced to. Anyway..thats the way it is.
Ill buy a ps3 when gow 3, and TEAM ICO launching something... until then..isn't a worth buy to me.
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If they took care of the old negatives/answer prints/show prints then they can get a better HD version than movies shot today on 2K digital like Apacalypto. You may see film grain in a movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark, but grain isn't a bad thing unless it is excessive like in Ghostbusters.
I actually had a chance to watch a print of Raiders in 2002 or so that was in *amazingly* good shape. I'm not sure what the story was behind that thing, or where it has been all those years.
Yeah, anyway, a full budget movie of from any period talkies on up demands at *least* 1080p. 35mm is way way beyond DVD. I think what makes people forget (or in the case of younger people who only go to mall theaters, never know in the first place) what a good print looks like is that new films are all cranked out of a super high speed process so that everything can have the largest opening day possible. Prints of new films pretty much look like grainy shit. I remember seeing Return of the King in the theater and just being appalled by how shit it looked. It looks better on DVD, and that just shouldn't be the case.
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Bah I could care less "who" wins as I don't plan on purchasing either format.
haha..as long as i gettin' my "HD-Torrents".
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This sucks. Not good news at all. I was honestly hoping for HD-DVD to stay a lot longer, or pull through everything. But I guess consumers are stupid (not surprising).
The death of HD DVD has nothing to do with consumers. Very few people comparatively bought either format, it was the studios and retailers that killed the format...and quickly. Two months ago HD DVD was doing fine, and if we are supposed to think that there wasn't some sleazy back room shenanigans going on with Sony motivating this then they take us for morons.
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Sorry, no idea about USA. But I have read that they have stopped producing everything but the 40 GB one. Apparently it is responsible for the skyrocketing PS3 sales (4 million in a three or so months).
Meh, and I'd say about 3.5 million of those people are pissed when they get home and realize that they can't play their PS2 games. That was really scummy of Sony and just plain stupid. How many PS3s do they actually have out and which are backwards compatible...oh wait...I don't even care to know. :P
I for one couldn't really care less about this lame format war. There is virtually no difference between Blue Ray and HD except that Blue Ray seems to cost more....for now. All I know is that I keep hearing that "the format war is OVER!!", and yet it still seems to go on and on and on....
Reminds me a little of something else....hmmm..... :-k
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/analogue_sympathizer/georgebushAP2604_468x306.jpg)
I'd say that by the time someone actually "wins" this format war there will already be another format out. [-(
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Are you trying to say that regular DVD's can do Blu-Ray quality "if the studios wanted to"? I really, really hope not, as that would not be a smart and informed thing to say.
If that's not the case, then prove me wrong. Personally, I'm just sick of tired of stores and studios gushing over the Blu-Ray like it is the second coming of Christ. What's so "revolutionary" about it aside from it having greater storage space and sharper image and clearer sound? If that's revolutionary, we can see this same kind of crap happen again 10 years from now with even greater storage and even sharper picture. If you want revolutionary, find a way for us to watch our movies in a new media format that doesn't look like a disc and makes the DVD look outdated like the MP3 player vs the CD Player.
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with more advanced decompression algorithms, today you may bring a much better quality on a DVD (4.7GB) as with the present used MPEG2 decompression. a good decompressed DVD can be reduced to a quater of its space with almost the same quality. so may be the same could be said now about HD-DVD/Bluray, since a DVD today could be almost compressed down to a CD. but i believe that the imense bigger space of a bluray, coulnd't be compensated with a DVD, even using the best decompression possible.
since the resolution and sharpness of todays HD-televisions will still arise, the media have to follow as well. DVD on HD-TV just doesn't fit anymore. on a low-res CRT it doesn't matter!
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I wonder when we'll get decent amount of completely uncompressed video & audio fitting into an optical disc? (Or at the very least, lossless video).
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If that's not the case, then prove me wrong.
Part of what I do for a living is author DVDs. Video DVDs can only contain MPEG2 video and can only be 480p or 480i resolution. That is NOT the same quality as Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray also offers uncompressed sound which is at a higher resolution than anything afforded by DVD. Nobody is making shitty DVDs on purpose. DVD movies released these days look great considering the format. There are no shenanigans going on with the A/V quality of the format.
What's so "revolutionary" about it aside from it having greater storage space and sharper image and clearer sound?
Who says it is supposed to be revolutionary? It is more "evolutionary" and HDTV is a big leap over SDTV. DVD itself didn't even offer that big of a jump over VHS as Blu-Ray does over DVD... it was still standard definition. DVD = 720x480 vs about 300x480 for VHS. Blu-Ray = 1920x1080 vs 720x480 for DVD. The only extra thing DVD offered was menus (who cares?) and selectable special features. What more would you have Blu-Ray add?
with more advanced decompression algorithms, today you may bring a much better quality on a DVD (4.7GB) as with the present used MPEG2 decompression. a good decompressed DVD can be reduced to a quater of its space with almost the same quality.
You'd still need all new players to decode the new compression scheme. The DVD video standard is already maxed out. Also DVDs are 8.6 real gigs (or 9.4 GB if you count to 1000 instead of 1024).
As for audio and video improving again and again, there is a limit to how much the human eyeball can discern and the ear can hear. I wouldn't worry too much. The same people were freakin' about about DVD when it came to be. Nothing is being forced. If nobody buys Blu-Ray then it would be stupid for studios to keep spending money on it.
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I wonder when we'll get decent amount of completely uncompressed video & audio fitting into an optical disc? (Or at the very least, lossless video).
That came out ages ago. It was called Muse, and nobody bought it because it was hella expensive.
The problem with making a new format is that convenience is more important than quality. The CD is 25 years old, yet sadly its still the best sounding mainstream format...and its dying because people are buying 128kbs AACs from iTunes. People want the shitty sounding stuff because it fits into a smaller package. Example: Dark Fact up there that seems to be indicating that MP3 players are an advancement over CD players. Technologically they are, but most kids are listening to ultra shit quality 128kbs MP3. The best quality audio I can get on my iPod is a CD encoded to something that sounds as good as CD (wav, aiff, Apple Lossless). Almost without exception I can't get anything better than CD, which is sad because CD isn't even very good. Hell, my home computer can record 24-bit 96khz stereo uncompressed, but I can't buy anything that high quality because SACD and DVDA are flop formats with almost no titles worth purchasing. WTF?
I think one of many mistakes in the HD war is marketing these new formats as mainstream instead of connoisseur formats. Every since DVD came out I've been interested in the next thing. DVD wasn't actually an improvement over LD in every way. It was a somewhat lateral movement. Its better in some ways, but the real advantages over LD are the connivence and price. The things are small and cheap as hell, and so are the players. You don't have to flip them like LDs, or rewind them like tapes. They are so cheap that you don't have to take care of then like an LD that costs $40-100. Just buy another one for $10 when you scratch the hell out of it like a slob. Those are the reasons why DVD took off, and those sorts of changes aren't present in BR/HDDVD. In fact, BR and HDDVD are less convenient because ripping them is nearly impossible, there are no portable players (save $1800 laptops from Sony), etc.
The format war is over. I'm not happy that Sony came out on top, but oh well. I expect Toshiba to offer a dual format player quiet soon. They are going to have to make BluRay players eventually, so they might as well throw HDDVD playback in there for free.
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DVD wasn't actually an improvement over LD in every way. It was a somewhat lateral movement. Its better in some ways, but the real advantages over LD are the connivence and price. The things are small and cheap as hell, and so are the players. You don't have to flip them like LDs, or rewind them like tapes. They are so cheap that you don't have to take care of then like an LD that costs $40-100.
I agree with you somewhat. I think the average LD costs less than the average DVD actually. There are lots of collector LDs out there for anime nerds and stuff, but for people like me who just buy typical movies on LD, they're like a buck each online (but high-ish shipping). I personally don't mind flipping discs and kind of enjoy it actually (like old fashion breaks in theaters), even though there are dual sided players which make things a little easier.
But you're absolutely right: DVDs are cheap as hell, both the media and the players. I love my Panasonic LX-21 LD player because you can tell a lot of care went into the design for a very sturdy product, but I've come across so many DVD players that look like the companies just didn't give a damn. I've never had a LD skip or anything on me, but I've seen DVDs skip and make awfully annoying screetches several times because of a tiny scratch (it's even happened to brand new DVDs).
Another thing I hate about DVDs is how phony they are. With LD, you get true film transfers to match the original, but DVDs digitally encode the films and then try "touching up" on them with "digital enchancements" just ruining the original picture, not to mention the annoyance of digital artifact that likes to rear it's ugly head. I also hate it when DVDs add borders to a film and try selling it off as widescreen or do a awful job cropping the picture (example: Back to the Future triology).
Ever since I got into LD, I've pretty much figured I won't ever have to buy a DVD again unless it's something that's only available on DVD or something special like that. There are also old movies that aren't available on DVD and I imagine even less will be available with the new formats coming out and since I rarely come across a new movie I enjoy, I'm pretty much set with LD 8) . In the odd cases that there is a new movie I like, I'll just download it.
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Not good news
That's where I stopped reading.
Too bad they cant HD-ify old movies like Indiana Jones... It would be neat to see it in real 1080p. Or higher.
:)
Ever heard of The Pirate Bay? :wink:
These 3 quotes from this thread alone, prove that you obviously know nothing about movies, movie studios, transfers or anything else about the industry, not to mention you are nothing but a pirate that has no insight past their download speed. I modified this post from what I originally said, because I had completely forgotten that you were the one that I have heard other people talk about being a pirate so much on here. Completely slipped my mind, so I apologize for not remembering this sooner.
So, you just keep on downloading, and spewing out ignorance. You have no say in any of which format succeeds or doesn't last. People like you never put any money anywhere, and all you do is nay-say any hope of what could be good or well off, based on what company you think is 'cool'.
Now those who have been paying attention, could say I'm doing the same thing, by saying that all I'm going to do is download now. But here is the difference, I'm what you call a smart consumer. I've already been buying DVDs for 7 years or more, not to mention I am also into laserdisc collecting for about the same amount of time. I'm tired of spending endless amounts of money, just because these movie companies/studios decide what format makes it, and what new technology has to supersede the previous, that myself and others have already invested in. Leaving people high and dry is no way to treat a consumer, and it does nothing but piss people like myself off. They offer no upgrade programs, and throw the same old recycled shit in our faces, and I'm tired of it.
When they decide to start doing things right again, and I decide to jump into the market again, I will put my money where my mouth is, like I always have. Until then I will be using my money towards back releases, and other things like video games/arcade boards/laserdiscs, that won't get outdated, due to a format war.
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I agree with you somewhat. I think the average LD costs less than the average DVD actually.
Well, now yeah. When LD was still a living format though $25 was considered a budget release, and on DVD that's almost as expensive as it gets. My most expensive LD (Macross: DYRL Perfect Edition CAV) had a price of 14,369 yen. $140 For one 2 hour film! My Aliens and Schindlers Lists boxes were something like $100 each.
I bought a batch of LDs when I was in Cali last summer. Great deals. I got both 2001 and 2010 as well as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and some other stuff. I also got a copy of The Jerk that was so old it said Discovision on it. Its of an *extremely* low quality. Pan and scanned and very blurry. Most of the stuff I bought was under $5 though, so LD is a great format to collect. Its kind of like vinyl at this point, except much harder to find.
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This sucks. Not good news at all. I was honestly hoping for HD-DVD to stay a lot longer, or pull through everything. But I guess consumers are stupid (not surprising).
The death of HD DVD has nothing to do with consumers. Very few people comparatively bought either format, it was the studios and retailers that killed the format...and quickly. Two months ago HD DVD was doing fine, and if we are supposed to think that there wasn't some sleazy back room shenanigans going on with Sony motivating this then they take us for morons.
Pretty much, and that is the point. There is no reason it should be dying. Kinda funny that there was an investigation last year into Sony paying companies to only release titles on BluRay. Now you hear nothing about it.
That's not fishy or anything... :roll:
It also doesn't help that Wal-Mart (another monopoly) stopped carrying HD-DVD. Ma and Pa bumpkin only buy what is there.
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I agree with you somewhat. I think the average LD costs less than the average DVD actually.
Well, now yeah. When LD was still a living format though $25 was considered a budget release, and on DVD that's almost as expensive as it gets. My most expensive LD (Macross: DYRL Perfect Edition CAV) had a price of 14,369 yen. $140 For one 2 hour film! My Aliens and Schindlers Lists boxes were something like $100 each.
Doh, yeah I just realized that you were referring to prices when they were new before I read your post. ](*,) Yeah LDs were definitely pricey when new.
I bought a batch of LDs when I was in Cali last summer. Great deals. I got both 2001 and 2010 as well as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and some other stuff. I also got a copy of The Jerk that was so old it said Discovision on it. Its of an *extremely* low quality. Pan and scanned and very blurry. Most of the stuff I bought was under $5 though, so LD is a great format to collect. Its kind of like vinyl at this point, except much harder to find.
Totally. LDs are really fun to collect, not just for their price but for their awesome full-sized covers. Despite having a much bigger circumfrence than DVDs, I actually think LDs save space for me since their cases are so thin. They do get heavy though!
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I wonder when we'll get decent amount of completely uncompressed video & audio fitting into an optical disc? (Or at the very least, lossless video).
Not sure what the hell is going on with this, but they should get their ass in gear:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc
I heard about that 3 years ago.
That would end this format war, and allow for uncompressed everything.
That would probably be enough size disc for even quadruple the resolution uncompressed, but it would still require much, much higher end hardware.
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Despite having a much bigger circumfrence than DVDs, I actually think LDs save space for me since their cases are so thin. They do get heavy though!
Oh yeah, for sure. My LD shelf is smaller than my DVD shelf and has twice as much stuff on it. Its about 100 lbs though, and not easy to transport. Same goes for records.
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You guys make me want to go out and buy a LaserDisc player.
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You guys make me want to go out and buy a LaserDisc player.
I was interested in LD for years and I finally let go and bought one last year. One of my favorite purchases 8) . It can be hard finding a good, affordable player at first, but it's worth it I think.
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Who says it is supposed to be revolutionary? It is more "evolutionary" and HDTV is a big leap over SDTV. DVD itself didn't even offer that big of a jump over VHS as Blu-Ray does over DVD... it was still standard definition. DVD = 720x480 vs about 300x480 for VHS. Blu-Ray = 1920x1080 vs 720x480 for DVD. The only extra thing DVD offered was menus (who cares?) and selectable special features. What more would you have Blu-Ray add?
Agreed, and the difference between DVD and S-VHS / LD / Hi8 is even closer.
But you're absolutely right: DVDs are cheap as hell, both the media and the players. I love my Panasonic LX-21 LD player because you can tell a lot of care went into the design for a very sturdy product, but I've come across so many DVD players that look like the companies just didn't give a damn. I've never had a LD skip or anything on me, but I've seen DVDs skip and make awfully annoying screetches several times because of a tiny scratch (it's even happened to brand new DVDs).
True, but only because most LD players were made for a niche market and never made it into mass production. You shouldn't compare an expensive LD player to the cheapest piece of poo DVD player on the market. Instead, compare your LD player to a quality unit, like one from Oppo.
Now those who have been paying attention, could say I'm doing the same thing, by saying that all I'm going to do is download now. But here is the difference, I'm what you call a smart consumer. I've already been buying DVDs for 7 years or more. I'm tired of spending endless amounts of money, just because these movie companies/studios decide what format makes it, and what new technology has to supersede the previous, that myself and others have already invested in. Leaving people high and dry is no way to treat a consumer, and it does nothing but piss people like myself off. They offer no upgrade programs, and throw the same old recycled shit in our faces, and I'm tired of it.
You're not a being savvy; you're being unreasonable. DVD has been around for more than a decade thus far, and will likely remain the dominant format for years to come. Expecting a single format to be supported forever is just nuts. Nobody has left you 'high and dry', as your DVDs have no expiration date and will play in any of the next-gen players. Sony isn't forcing you to do jack shit.
HD-DVD is undeniably inferior to Blu-Ray (30gb < 50gb), and the only reason that any studios originally backed it was because the discs were cheaper to make and therefor more profitable. Studios aren't behind some conspiracy to ruin a format, but are merely businesses trying to maximize profits, and if Sony were to try to win in an underhanded war, they'd lose their asses to the masters on the HD-DVD side.
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
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I wonder when we'll get decent amount of completely uncompressed video & audio fitting into an optical disc? (Or at the very least, lossless video).
That came out ages ago. It was called Muse, and nobody bought it because it was hella expensive.
The problem with making a new format is that convenience is more important than quality. The CD is 25 years old, yet sadly its still the best sounding mainstream format...and its dying because people are buying 128kbs AACs from iTunes. People want the shitty sounding stuff because it fits into a smaller package. Example: Dark Fact up there that seems to be indicating that MP3 players are an advancement over CD players. Technologically they are, but most kids are listening to ultra shit quality 128kbs MP3. The best quality audio I can get on my iPod is a CD encoded to something that sounds as good as CD (wav, aiff, Apple Lossless). Almost without exception I can't get anything better than CD, which is sad because CD isn't even very good. Hell, my home computer can record 24-bit 96khz stereo uncompressed, but I can't buy anything that high quality because SACD and DVDA are flop formats with almost no titles worth purchasing. WTF?
I think one of many mistakes in the HD war is marketing these new formats as mainstream instead of connoisseur formats. Every since DVD came out I've been interested in the next thing. DVD wasn't actually an improvement over LD in every way. It was a somewhat lateral movement. Its better in some ways, but the real advantages over LD are the connivence and price. The things are small and cheap as hell, and so are the players. You don't have to flip them like LDs, or rewind them like tapes. They are so cheap that you don't have to take care of then like an LD that costs $40-100. Just buy another one for $10 when you scratch the hell out of it like a slob. Those are the reasons why DVD took off, and those sorts of changes aren't present in BR/HDDVD. In fact, BR and HDDVD are less convenient because ripping them is nearly impossible, there are no portable players (save $1800 laptops from Sony), etc.
The format war is over. I'm not happy that Sony came out on top, but oh well. I expect Toshiba to offer a dual format player quiet soon. They are going to have to make BluRay players eventually, so they might as well throw HDDVD playback in there for free.
There is not a single thing above that I don't agree with.
I hope to get a MUSE system one day, but no telling when that will be. Even then, there aren't that many titles that really interest me on it, mainly b/c I just don't care to spend as much as people are getting for the players that are compatible with the format these days, not to mention buying the whole MUSE decoder and other equipment for it.
The way the market is going, is all about convenience. Apple/iTunes, and all these other online carriers are teaching the damn kids that MP3 is the way to go, b/c you need to carry it on you, on your player, on your phone, etc. I still buy CDs. I convert all my own MP3s, and at no lower than 320kbit for my own personal listening. 128 is ass, and 192 is borderline with me. Even when I first started doing MP3s of my own, I was doing 192. 320 sounds pretty much like CD to me, and it is much easier than digging out my originals all the time, so they stay safe in case something happens to the file. It is nothing once you learn how to encode your own files.
SACD flopped because of too much new hardware requirement and copy protection. I have a couple of them, and I can't even get the full quality out of them! My DVD player supposedly supports it, and I have a surround receiver, but I get nothing but stereo no matter what I do. Completely worthless (and now dead) format.
DVDA I also have a couple of as well. I am rather impressed with what I have heard, in comparison to the standard CD versions or even listening to it in 2.0 on the same disc. Very nice, and it's kinda sad that there is little done with this these days as there should be.
There are Dual players out now (albeit none by Toshiba), and also it is very easy to rip HD-DVD/BRs with AnyDVD supposedly.
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But you're absolutely right: DVDs are cheap as hell, both the media and the players. I love my Panasonic LX-21 LD player because you can tell a lot of care went into the design for a very sturdy product, but I've come across so many DVD players that look like the companies just didn't give a damn. I've never had a LD skip or anything on me, but I've seen DVDs skip and make awfully annoying screetches several times because of a tiny scratch (it's even happened to brand new DVDs).
True, but only because most LD players were made for a niche market and never made it into mass production. You shouldn't compare an expensive LD player to the cheapest piece of poo DVD player on the market. Instead, compare your LD player to a quality unit, like one from Oppo.
Actually my LD player isn't a fancy expensive one. I may not have used the finest of DVD players, but I think every DVD player I've used has all caused similar problems, some better than others. And again, it's not just the players, but the actual discs themselves too.
Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
No, truth.
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
No, truth.
More sarcasm?
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Now those who have been paying attention, could say I'm doing the same thing, by saying that all I'm going to do is download now. But here is the difference, I'm what you call a smart consumer. I've already been buying DVDs for 7 years or more. I'm tired of spending endless amounts of money, just because these movie companies/studios decide what format makes it, and what new technology has to supersede the previous, that myself and others have already invested in. Leaving people high and dry is no way to treat a consumer, and it does nothing but piss people like myself off. They offer no upgrade programs, and throw the same old recycled shit in our faces, and I'm tired of it.
You're not a being savvy; you're being unreasonable. DVD has been around for more than a decade thus far, and will likely remain the dominant format for years to come. Expecting a single format to be supported forever is just nuts. Nobody has left you 'high and dry', as your DVDs have no expiration date and will play in any of the next-gen players. Sony isn't forcing you to do jack shit.
HD-DVD is undeniably inferior to Blu-Ray (30gb < 50gb), and the only reason that any studios originally backed it was because the discs were cheaper to make and therefor more profitable. Studios aren't behind some conspiracy to ruin a format, but are merely businesses trying to maximize profits, and if Sony were to try to win in an underhanded war, they'd lose their asses to the masters on the HD-DVD side.
It's unreasonable to ask companies to respect myself and others then I guess, and look back at who kept them going.
No, DVDs have no expiration date. They also only play in SD, and look like shit on all the HD players and HDTVs that the market will only be selling in about year. Ask anyone here, plenty of comments about DVDs looking like shit on HDTVs, upscaled or not.
In reference to:
'HD-DVD is undeniably inferior to Blu-Ray (30gb < 50gb)'
Size has nothing to do with this. And even if it did, there is an old saying: It's not the size of the disc, it's what you do with it. Dual layer HD-DVD was being worked on, so your point is null in that fashion, as that would have made HD-DVD 60GB, though that would have been countered by BluRay probably doing the same to 100GB.
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
No, truth.
More sarcasm?
No, I'm being serious. Why does everybody think LD>DVD?
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
No, truth.
More sarcasm?
They do this a lot with DVDs. The companies will transfer special features/deleted scenes from laserdiscs, because they either no longer have the masters around anymore, or the commentaries were specifically made for LDs at the time. No one was looking at there being another format back then, nor was one being widely talked about or expected that the same material would be presented elsewhere. I have a few DVDs like this as well. There are also some DVDs that used the same exact transfer that the LD got, they just went back and added menus for the DVD release. Obviously those are none that have been released anytime soon, as I am talking about releases from no later than 2000 or 2001, mainly late 90's stuff.
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Why do you really want a stack of discs that take up a shitload of space, don't have a lot of movies available, and don't even have as many special features as DVD?
BTW, apparently the collector's edition of Pulp Fiction on DVD is a laser transfer, watch the deleted scenes.
Sarcasm?
No, truth.
More sarcasm?
No, I'm being serious. Why does everybody think LD>DVD?
Plenty of reasons:
No compression, which equals
No artifacts (99% of the time) which equals
Looks better than DVDs (especially early ones)
Full size artwork (record size covers, some with gatefold sleeves, some with director comments)
Better artwork than DVD
No region lockouts
Discs don't skip or freeze up
Movies that still aren't on DVD
Some movies that still have better transfers than DVD counterparts
Movies that always have better transfers than any VHS
etc. etc...
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Plenty of reasons:
Aight, let's do this.
No compression
But you have to flip the discs over.
No artifacts (99% of the time)
If you spend more than $50 on a player, you don't get noticeable artifacts.
Looks better than DVDs (especially early ones)
The way you are wording that seems objective, and added in as filler to make the list bigger. WHY does it look better, if that's even true?
Full size artwork (record size covers, some with gatefold sleeves, some with director comments)
OK, that's actually something I do agree with you on.
Better artwork than DVD
But this is just more objective bullshit of a personal opinion.
No region lockouts
You can look up codes or download firmware that remove region lockout for most players.
Discs don't skip or freeze up
If you take care of your shit, shit works. Don't handle your DVDs without a Kleenex (none of that Vicks shit or lotion shit either), and make sure your DVD player is in a cool dry place. They don't put that on the back of the box for their health.
Movies that still aren't on DVD
Again, this is subjective because every movie that I have ever wanted has been released on DVD. Also, I'm pretty sure they don't make laserdiscs anymore, so if you see a movie you like in theaters, well, good luck. :P
Some movies that still have better transfers than DVD counterparts
And there are some DVDs that have EXCELLENT transfers. It depends on how good of a job the studio feels is "cost-effective".
Movies that always have better transfers than any VHS
But VHS sucks in general, and I don't use it.
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It's unreasonable to ask companies to respect myself and others then I guess, and look back at who kept them going.
No, DVDs have no expiration date. They also only play in SD, and look like shit on all the HD players and HDTVs that the market will only be selling in about year. Ask anyone here, plenty of comments about DVDs looking like shit on HDTVs, upscaled or not.
How have the companies disrespected you? They're selling what the public wants to buy, which I shouldn't need to point out to someone that has dumped a Wega because it was too heavy/bulky. Your DVDs played in SD when you bought them, so you shouldn't be surprised that they still play in SD. Using quality scaling equipment, DVDs can look equally good on HD sets as they did on a similarly sized SD set. I'd bet that a lot of the people bitching about the quality of their DVDs are comparing 'em between their 42" (or larger) LCD and their 32" (or smaller) CRT. Few SD rear projection sets had picture quality that would compare favorably to newer sets.
In reference to:
'HD-DVD is undeniably inferior to Blu-Ray (30gb < 50gb)'
Size has nothing to do with this. And even if it did, there is an old saying: It's not the size of the disc, it's what you do with it. Dual layer HD-DVD was being worked on, so your point is null in that fashion, as that would have made HD-DVD 60GB, though that would have been countered by BluRay probably doing the same to 100GB.
30gb HD-DVDs are already dual-layer, as are 50gb Blu-Rays. You're likely thinking of their double sided specifications, which double capacity to 60gb and 100gb, respectively. So far, experimental HD-DVDs have been developed with three layers (51gb) and ten layers (150gb); experimental Blu-Rays have been developed with four layers (100gb), six layers (200gb), and ten layers (250gb). As far as 'it's what you do with it': they both use the H.264/AVC codec.
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I'd bet that a lot of the people bitching about the quality of their DVDs are comparing 'em between their 42" (or larger) LCD and their 32" (or smaller) CRT.
Hey now, after I changed the aspect ratio I LIKE my new TV.
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Ah man, this seems to be a hot topic.
First of all, 30 GB HD DVD is dual layer. They were trying for a special tri-layer which would have made it 51GB. Yes, 51. Blu-Ray also has a much higher bandwidth than HD DVD (ie: it can read more data at a time, it's like having cable modem vs DSL... or so). That means higher bitrates for the video and more uncompressed or lossless audio.
DVD is better than LaserDisc in that it is stored in component format whereas LaserDisc is composite AT BEST. DVD is also 480p and offers a true anamorphic picture. However any DVD player... actually EVERY DVD player will exhibit compression artifacts. That's just the nature of the MPEG beast. It is absolutely impossible to eliminate them. Some movies will have more than others, etc, but the MPEG2 format is an extremely poor one. the early DVDs were the worst because they compressed the movie to fit on a single layer. I hate compression. I agree with Keranu about the edge enhancement treatment (or sharpness) that many DVDs get these days. I hate seeing that white halo around contrasting objects in the image. Unfortunately the studios that do this do it because they actually think it makes the image look sharper or clearer. They did this with the crappy Star Wars Episode 1 DVD. Enough people complained to the point where they didn't do it at all or as much for Episodes 2 and 3.
I don't know why people are saying that DVDs look like ass on an HDTV. They look really good on my HDTV in 480p. They also look good when upscaled to 1080i on my PS3. DVDs look good on most TVs, period. But Blu-Ray looks phuggin' great (depending on the movie, as always).
I don't think I've had DVDs freeze up on me very often, nor a LaserDisc, but it has happened on both formats for me... but never on my own personal discs.
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However any DVD player... actually EVERY DVD player will exhibit compression artifacts. That's just the nature of the MPEG beast. It is absolutely impossible to eliminate them. Some movies will have more than others, etc, but the MPEG2 format is an extremely poor one.
I don't get what you guys mean by artifacts...my Magnavox player has absolutely nothing wrong with it, or maybe I just haven't been looking. Sometimes when things move it looks like they consist of vertical lines, but this only happens on my computer, so I chalked it up to my shitty software DVD decoder.
This brings up an unrelated question, but it has to be asked. Why do DVDs look so shitty on a computer? It looks like you are watching a game of Phantasmagoria someone played that was recorded on one of the very first VHS camcorders.
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If you can't notice the artifacts, you really don't want anyone pointing them out for you or else you will always notice them forever and ever. But artifacts are things like "mosquito noise" around edges of color, marco blocking, piss-poor gradients, interlacing/deinterlacing artifacts, etc.
DVDs look really good on my computer.
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interlacing/deinterlacing artifacts
I'm guessing that's the one I'm talking about, since I have a vague understanding of what interlacing means thanks to ZSNES, but I'll be honest with you, I didn't understand any of that other stuff.
DVDs look really good on my computer.
But you probably have a zillion-dollar computer.
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This brings up an unrelated question, but it has to be asked. Why do DVDs look so shitty on a computer? It looks like you are watching a game of Phantasmagoria someone played that was recorded on one of the very first VHS camcorders.
I'd guess a combination of crappy decoding software, crappy scaling software (scaling to a display with far higher pixel density than most televisions, no less), and that you're likely sitting much closer to the computer screen than you do to a television. The optimal distance that you should be from the display (where you can no longer discern individual pixels) is about 7.5 times the picture height. For a 20" display it's 6'-3", yet it's only 12'-10" for a 42" display. I'm betting that you don't sit six feet away from your computer monitor.
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No compression
But you have to flip the discs over.
Flipping discs is easy and if that's too much work for 'ya, you can always get a dual sided player. Besides, no compression is worth it!
Looks better than DVDs (especially early ones)
The way you are wording that seems objective, and added in as filler to make the list bigger. WHY does it look better, if that's even true?[/QUOTE]It pretty much is objective, but that doesn't stop me personally from prefering the natural, analog look of LD over DVD! There are technical advantages of both, but it's what I think that matters anyways :P .
Better artwork than DVD
But this is just more objective bullshit of a personal opinion.[/QUOTE]Objective, but majority ruled :D .
No region lockouts
You can look up codes or download firmware that remove region lockout for most players.[/QUOTE]That sounds like more of an inconvience than flipping discs!
Discs don't skip or freeze up
If you take care of your shit, shit works. Don't handle your DVDs without a Kleenex (none of that Vicks shit or lotion shit either), and make sure your DVD player is in a cool dry place. They don't put that on the back of the box for their health.[/QUOTE]Generally this is true, but as I have said, I had brand new DVDs skip before. Also keep in mind that DVDs are smaller and thus scratches would effect them more than the bigger and badder LDs. You could say that LDs are more prone for scratches since they are bigger, but I've never in my experience had a LD skip and never had to wipe one, unlike DVDs.
Movies that still aren't on DVD
Again, this is subjective because every movie that I have ever wanted has been released on DVD. Also, I'm pretty sure they don't make laserdiscs anymore, so if you see a movie you like in theaters, well, good luck. :P[/QUOTE]You're subjective for only having a limited taste in movies on DVD :P . I'm going to be un-subjective and say new movies suck.
Some movies that still have better transfers than DVD counterparts
And there are some DVDs that have EXCELLENT transfers. It depends on how good of a job the studio feels is "cost-effective".[/QUOTE]And there are lots of LDs that have EXCELLENT transfers! :D
Movies that always have better transfers than any VHS
But VHS sucks in general, and I don't use it.
[/QUOTE]And some DVDs suck worse than VHS (The Wizard!).
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If you can't notice the artifacts, you really don't want anyone pointing them out for you or else you will always notice them forever and ever.
Hahaha, so true.
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No region lockouts
You can look up codes or download firmware that remove region lockout for most players.
That sounds like more of an inconvience than flipping discs!
[/QUOTE]
But you only do this one time, and then your player is region-free. You have to flip discs everytime.
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Wait for an official statement from Toshiba themselves before believing this kind of unofficial report.
http://gizmodo.com/357957/toshiba-kills-hd-dvd-official
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LD pros:
LaserActive turbo pac and genesis pac
Cool record like form
no compression
LD cons:
disk flipping (also like records, haha)
composite quality video
DVD pros:
compact
component quality video
readily available
DVD cons:
artifacts
poor transfers
Winner= Bluray :mrgreen:
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No region lockouts
You can look up codes or download firmware that remove region lockout for most players.
That sounds like more of an inconvience than flipping discs!
But you only do this one time, and then your player is region-free. You have to flip discs everytime.
[/QUOTE]I remember my bro trying to get firmware on one of his DVD players and couldn't get it to work. Besides, region lockout is just gay to begin with. Flipping a disc takes like half a minute and is usually done at appropriate times. Like I said, I actually like flipping discs because it's a nice time to get up and take a bathroom and refreshment break, like how old theaters used to do. And again, there are dual sided players if you are too troubled to flip a disc :) .
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Do LDs' shatter if you drop them? What are they made of?
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Do LDs' shatter if you drop them? What are they made of?
I think it would depend how and where your dropped them, but I would say no generally. Not exactly sure what they're made of.
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I remember my bro trying to get firmware on one of his DVD players and couldn't get it to work.
He must have either:
1. Burned the disc improperly
2. Not followed the instructions
or
3. Put the CD in upside down
because that shit is like second nature.
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But the fact that you have to download files and burn them onto a disc just to make your player region free is stupid. I'm against region lock for anything. :P
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But the fact that you have to download files and burn them onto a disc just to make your player region free is stupid. I'm against region lock for anything. :P
Well you don't usually have to unlock APEX or Cyberhome players, but speaking from experience, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. :-&
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No, I'm being serious. Why does everybody think LD>DVD?
I don't think that LD is better than DVD, I just think that DVD shouldn't have been released until it was totally superior to LD in every single way, like Muse was. In some ways LD is better than DVD, and things shouldn't have turned out that way. HDDVD/BR is superior to LD except for region lock out, copy protection, and cover art. This makes them worth to exist.
Whatever player you have, it *does* produce artifacting, Major artifacting. Its a problem no DVD player can get rid of. Some players are better than others, but they all produce a night sky with big blocks of crap jumping around in it. If you can't see it, you just can't see it. That doesn't change anything. The almost total lack of artifacting is the best thing about the HD formats for me. The resolution isn't important at all. 640x480 proscan with no artifacts would be good enough for me.
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This thread is pretty funny :D The number of fanboys here is simply incredible.
Toshiba has still not released a press statement. Sorry, Kitsu, but that website, like all the others, are simply feeding off of the same bogus report. Toshiba's last press release was in January, which was an announcement for their entry into the external HD craze.
Though this whole "format war" is pretty hilarious. What choices...hrm...back Sony or back Toshiba/Microsoft? Hrm...which is the lesser of two evils?
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But the fact that you have to download files and burn them onto a disc just to make your player region free is stupid. I'm against region lock for anything. :P
In my experience, very few DVD players require a firmware update; the region code is set via the remote control in the service menus.
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But the fact that you have to download files and burn them onto a disc just to make your player region free is stupid. I'm against region lock for anything. :P
Yeah, that's one of the few benefits of the PS3. Too bad there aren't any games you'd want to import. :-({|=
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No region lockouts
You can look up codes or download firmware that remove region lockout for most players.
That sounds like more of an inconvience than flipping discs!
But you only do this one time, and then your player is region-free. You have to flip discs everytime.
[/QUOTE]
Not every player has region-free codes.
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Do LDs' shatter if you drop them? What are they made of?
No. At most they would crack or chip, just like a CD or DVD would if it were heavier. I have never had one break from any kind of drop or anything like that.
To quote wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserdisc
The standard home video laserdisc is 30 cm (11.81 inches) in diameter and made up of two single-sided aluminum discs layered in plastic and bonded with glue.
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This thread is pretty funny :D The number of fanboys here is simply incredible.
Toshiba has still not released a press statement. Sorry, Kitsu, but that website, like all the others, are simply feeding off of the same bogus report. Toshiba's last press release was in January, which was an announcement for their entry into the external HD craze.
Though this whole "format war" is pretty hilarious. What choices...hrm...back Sony or back Toshiba/Microsoft? Hrm...which is the lesser of two evils?
:cry:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080219005651&newsLang=en
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Toshiba has still not released a press statement. Sorry, Kitsu, but that website, like all the others, are simply feeding off of the same bogus report. Toshiba's last press release was in January, which was an announcement for their entry into the external HD craze.
It's over for HD-DVD, and here's (http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm) the word (straight from the horse's mouth).
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interlacing/deinterlacing artifacts
I'm guessing that's the one I'm talking about, since I have a vague understanding of what interlacing means thanks to ZSNES, but I'll be honest with you, I didn't understand any of that other stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinterlacing
http://www.videohelp.com/
Go do your own research on this Kitsune. ZSNES is not an example of what interlacing/deinterlacing is. ZSNES uses that as a mock filter. In fact, all of those on there are junk. Interlacing/Deinterlacing is NOT a filter, and all those filters do is make the games look like ass.
DVDs look really good on my computer.
But you probably have a zillion-dollar computer.
...Then I guess myself, Michael, and everyone else I have ever known have 'zillion-dollar' computers. I guess all 5 of my systems are 'zillion-dollar' computers. :lol:
Funny how I spent less on any of them than you did on the one you just bought not too long ago.
I seriously think you need to clean your monitor. PowerDVD and even a 300mhz computer looks good on a DVD with no problems, and that is severely outdated and basic.
BTW, you want to see artifacts? Go watch the first 'The Matrix' DVD that came out back in 1999. Namely the scene where Morpheus is sitting in the corner after Neo threw up. All those blocks and noise is artifacts.
That disc was packed with tons of special features and all kinds of crap, and a result the video severely suffers.
Artifacts are caused by a combination of poor quality encoding, and low bitrates. Think of it as the equivalent to a low quality MP3, just in video form. It's not so common anymore, b/c of dual-layer and the format has evolved and encoding techniques have become much more advanced than they were at the beginning.
Maybe after you see the artifacts on stuff, you will understand what the 'hoopla' is about laserdiscs, and why myself, Michael, Keranu, and several others here have or have had them, and cherish them more than most DVDs. Maybe if you were around when VHS was the dominating format, then you might understand. All full-frame/pan and scan releases, with the exception of a few here and there. At least VHS had no artifacting, even if it was lower resolution, and had less detail.
Just like Keranu said earlier to a response to you saying that 'every movie that I have ever wanted has been released on DVD':
A lot of new movies DO suck. To the point that where I used to go to the theater multiple times in one year, I am barely going now. Hollywood is pumping out nothing but remakes and family oriented crap these days for the most part. With the exception of a few franchises and series, if they stopped making movies tomorrow, I wouldn't be that upset.
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These 3 quotes from this thread alone, prove that you obviously know nothing about movies, movie studios, transfers or anything else about the industry, not to mention you are nothing but a pirate that has no insight past their download speed.
You know why? Because I don't give a damn about movies, and especially not the movie industry (although I would love to witness its downfall). I don't watch movies - with a few (emphasis on few) exceptions. I made this thread because I am THRILLED that a movie format has died.
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These 3 quotes from this thread alone, prove that you obviously know nothing about movies, movie studios, transfers or anything else about the industry, not to mention you are nothing but a pirate that has no insight past their download speed.
You know why? Because I don't give a damn about movies, and especially not the movie industry (although I would love to witness its downfall). I don't watch movies - with a few (emphasis on few) exceptions. I made this thread because I am THRILLED that a movie format has died.
Thanks for proving my point for me.
Now, go scuttle on back to Pirate's Bay.
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Thanks for proving my point for me.
Now, go scuttle on back to Pirate's Bay.
Way ahead of you. See you there?
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Way ahead of you. See you there?
I'm more of a mininova guy. But Piratebay is OK too.
DVDs are really just too expensive to buy regularly, at least for me - I'd personally rather spend my coin on PCE/Turbo games. :P DVDs have not really gone down in price at all. Though Walmart and Best Buy have pretty good prices on old stuff. Now that Blu Ray is the official standard, we can look forward to even more inflated prices. #-o
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You guys should all just do Netflix, I haven't wasted money on a DVD or Blu-ray in ages (blu-rays I've never bought, period). I don't know why people continue to buy movies when there's netflix (except for seasons or box sets, I can totally understand why people would still buy them). Blu-rays are f*cking expensive, I don't think I would ever buy one brand new, the only one I own is The Simpsons Movie and I got that one for super cheap off some guy.
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Okay, NOW the official press release has come out. So NOW, we can OFFICIALLY say that HD-DVD is dead. FINALLY.
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You guys should all just do Netflix, I haven't wasted money on a DVD or Blu-ray in ages (blu-rays I've never bought, period). I don't know why people continue to buy movies when there's netflix (except for seasons or box sets, I can totally understand why people would still buy them). Blu-rays are f*cking expensive, I don't think I would ever buy one brand new, the only one I own is The Simpsons Movie and I got that one for super cheap off some guy.
I'm in the same boat at GUTS here - I've been a Netflix user for years and love them. My deal is 2 out at a time/unlimited rentals a month, online "watch it now" viewing (also unlimited), Blu-ray rentals...Japanese imports...anime....they got it all. use DVDfab to do an easy VOB rip of whatever I want....I'll only now buy Blu-ray movies if I really love the film (don't buy DVDs anymore).
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I would always want to buy a movie like Blade Runner, Grand Prix, Nausicaa, etc, but I've been using Netflix for years and I f*cking *love* it.
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I myself buy movies I really like. I rarely make a leap and buy something I have not seen unless enough people I trust judgement wise have told me its good enough to own,not just a rental.
I am in full support of supporting movie companies and giving them money for good releases. if they entertained me then they earned my cash.
I dont care what format its on,LD,DVD,if I want it and its a good release of it to the best audio/visual quality the format can offer,Ill buy it.
I wasnt sold on Blu Ray or HD-DVD,but did want the HD Dvd format to survive just because Sony has had a poor track record with producing LD and Blu Ray disc them selves.
If other (reliable) companies start to manufacture them I will step into that format slowly,just like any other I have messed with.
I dont plan on replacing any of my dvds I own with newer versions though,even if better picture is present,unless there are many extra features present and better packaging/presentation.
For me Im still very pleased with the visual quality/audio LD provided,and most DVDs I own that are re-releases,ect....
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I know what I like, so I just buy it. I've only sold some DVDs once, and it wasn't worth it, so now I buy to keep.
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I know what I like, so I just buy it. I've only sold some DVDs once, and it wasn't worth it, so now I buy to keep.
Bop Bop Peranu says HD is dead,buy more DVDs.
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Amakusa666/bopbopperanu.png)
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...huh? o_0
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HD isn't dead. I think 30% of US consumers have HDTVs now. It's just beginning! Not sure what a Bop Bop Peranu is (Keranu's cousin, maybe?) but he is wrong.
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Just pokin fun with Zombie Bop Bop Peranu. Yea,High Def media itself is just starting to take off well,but rather forced.
Really the market wasn't ready for it. I think part of it was just because we took so long to make composite based signal items phased out,esp VHS. Because they continued to support VHS so strongly half way through DVDs life alot of people out there were pretty late adapters to DVD,and now are going to have slightly disgruntled feelings. People were just getting used to S-video and Component on SDTV,and now they are going to be irked as they are expected as consumers to jump into the next big thing. I expect that even though HDTV will be the standard due to the FCC,ect,the majority of the nation will stick to SDTV sets well into 2012 until their Tvs die natural deaths.
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Bop Bop Peranu says HD is dead,buy more DVDs.
What the hell? Did Validus hijack Michael Helgeson's account or something? Actually, for either one of them this is a pretty dumb-ass post.
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I got into DVDs very late myself; didn't even buy anything capable of playing DVDs until I got my PS2. That was just a few years ago. I'm certainly not switching to HD anytime soon.
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Yea,High Def media itself is just starting to take off well,but rather forced.
Really the market wasn't ready for it. I think part of it was just because we took so long to make composite based signal items phased out,esp VHS. Because they continued to support VHS so strongly half way through DVDs life alot of people out there were pretty late adapters to DVD,and now are going to have slightly disgruntled feelings.
The gubmint mandated digital broadcasts, not high-def. broadcasts; if the market wasn't ready for it, then people would still be buying the same old stuff. For the average consumer, it doesn't make sense to pay good money for a 250lb 35" CRT, when they can get a sleek and sexy LCD for just a bit more. Besides, three out of four homes have cable or satellite service, so the changeover doesn't really effect them one bit, yet they're still buying fancy new LCDs (which are high-def simply because it doesn't substantially increase the manufacturing cost).
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For all the sexy sleek HD LCDs out there,I don't know a single person who owns one except for a few people on gaming forums,not in person. Yea,they are selling alot,but not widely taking over everywhere yet,regardless of all the hype in the media. For that matter,when I do go for a HD set up,Ill be sticking to something CRT based. I don't like LCD displays. I never have. They currently are not as durable,and I don't see them being anymore so in 2-3 years.
I got into DVDs very late myself; didn't even buy anything capable of playing DVDs until I got my PS2. That was just a few years ago. I'm certainly not switching to HD anytime soon.
Same here. I didn't start buying dvds until around 2004-2005. Im going to keep buying movies on that format for quite a bit longer before I go to anything else.
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For all the sexy sleek HD LCDs out there,I don't know a single person who owns one except for a few people on gaming forums,not in person. Yea,they are selling alot,but not widely taking over everywhere yet,regardless of all the hype in the media.
If you don't think that LCDs are taking over, then explain why they're the only thing available in the 32"-50" range that isn't complete junk (I'm lumping Plasmas in with LCDs, since the average consumer doesn't care). People haven't swapped every set in the house for a LCD, but when it comes time to replace a set, the majority of people are buying LCDs unless it's a little 19" set in the kitchen or the kids' room.
For that matter,when I do go for a HD set up,Ill be sticking to something CRT based. I don't like LCD displays. I never have. They currently are not as durable,and I don't see them being anymore so in 2-3 years.
I don't blame you, but that means that you'll either be buying low-end crap, a used set, or a pricey front projection unit. Nobody has made a quality HD direct view set in years, which makes me sad that I didn't pick up a Sony KD34XBR960 when local stores closed 'em out for $750.
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^ What do ya mean..Sony still has the Wega CRT hi-defs??
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I agree with Michael, I would stay away from LCD and Plasma myself I were to buy an HDTV. However there is a new type of TV being made called laser TV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_TV), which you can tell is awesome already by the name, which I think would fix all of our TV problems. Unfortunately it hasn't been released yet and it hasn't been really picking up yet. :(
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^ What do ya mean..Sony still has the Wega CRT hi-defs??
No, they don't. The aforementioned XBR960 was the last Superfinepitch tube, and that was a 2005 model. It was replaced in 2006 by the XBR970, but those sets used the lesser quality tubes found in previous non-XBR models. Either way, they've been gone for quite a while.
On a side note, I see that Sony has abandoned the rear projection market. The 37" model would've interested me based on size, but it didn't have the best picture quality and wasn't very reliable. The larger models look quite nice, but I'd rather go front projection if I'm going to spend that much coin.
I agree with Michael, I would stay away from LCD and Plasma myself I were to buy an HDTV. However there is a new type of TV being made called laser TV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_TV), which you can tell is awesome already by the name, which I think would fix all of our TV problems. Unfortunately it hasn't been released yet and it hasn't been really picking up yet. :(
Meh. That's just a modified DLP rear projection - I doubt that it'll perform much better than a LED based DLP set. If you want play the waiting game, wait for SED displays.
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My friend bought in hugh jazz Sony CRT in 2004 or so. Its so stupidly heavy that moving it should require unionized skilled trades people and a UN resolution, and it won't go all the way to 1080p, but the truth is I really like it. Even with warped edges (never seen a Sony without them) is nice because HDDVDs look great on it, and more importantly PC Engine, Famicom, SNES, etc look *really* good on it.
I can't remember the last time I saw something like that in a store though.
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I have the Sony XBR960. It's OK. It's pretty small (only 34 inches) and only ouputs 1080i or 480p (it can accept 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i inputs, though). The geometry is f*cked in the corners. I don't like that. Different resolutions have different problems. So if you try to fix one problem in the service menu, it f*cks up the other resolutions in some way. I'd much rather have a 1080p projector. I'm not on the market for one now, but hopefully someday soon.
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Even with warped edges (never seen a Sony without them) is nice because HDDVDs look great on it, and more importantly PC Engine, Famicom, SNES, etc look *really* good on it.
I have a flat screen 29" JVC SDTV CRT that sounds a lot like that (minus all the HD stuff). Classic game systems look SO GOOD on it, even in composite. It has the best composite picture I've ever seen, almost as crisp as S-Video on the same set. The colors are so vibrant. You never hear anything about JVC sets, good or bad. I can't say enough good things about this one, though.
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The better sets from the 90s had killer comb filters in them because they were trying to make laserdiscs look good. This carries over to stuff like PCE, and SFC as well. Now this sort of thing isn't really a concern since all new sources have at least component. Its sad, really.
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The better sets from the 90s had killer comb filters in them because they were trying to make laserdiscs look good. This carries over to stuff like PCE, and SFC as well. Now this sort of thing isn't really a concern since all new sources have at least component. Its sad, really.
My HDTV has a 3D colorcomb filter in it. 0_0
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So does mine. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's on or off-- it doesn't appear to do anything, ever.
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3D comb filters only work with 3D movies (glasses required).
When I was shopping for an SDTV for my old-skool game systems, I wanted a TV with all types of connectors, including component. What I found was that a lot of new TVs had RF, composite and component. No s-video! That pissed me off. I was finally able to find a nice 20" Toshiba with all four connections. It kicked the hell out of the Sony I tried in component picture quality (which also lacked s-video). This TV looks 20 times better with SD game systems via component than the Sony 34XBR960 could ever possibly hope to.
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So does mine. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's on or off-- it doesn't appear to do anything, ever.
How do you turn it on??? o_0
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How do you turn it on??? o_0
Buy it flowers, take it out to dinner and a show, talk dirty to it, etc. - you know, all the regular ways. Failing that, check the setup menus.
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Yeah, my LCD HDTV has an "Advanced Video Settings" menu where I can toggle 18 different kinds of visual "Noise Reduction" in addition to the "3D Comb Filter," "Blue Screen," and change the "Color Temperature."
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Always leave that noise reduction shit off.
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Always leave that noise reduction shit off.
Agreed. There is even one of them.. "Spatial" or "Temporal" or something that seems to make the video out of sync with the audio. It's horrible. And none of them actually make the image look better. The "Speckle" reducer, which I guess is supposed to reduce film grain, makes edges fuzzy like they're moving all the time.
I turned all that shit off quickly after getting the TV.
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Always leave that noise reduction shit off.
Agreed. There is even one of them.. "Spatial" or "Temporal" or something that seems to make the video out of sync with the audio. It's horrible. And none of them actually make the image look better. The "Speckle" reducer, which I guess is supposed to reduce film grain, makes edges fuzzy like they're moving all the time.
I turned all that shit off quickly after getting the TV.
It's amazing how that crap never works, and in fact, makes things even worse. Even "voice enhancement" features on cordless phones suck.
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Well there is no colorcomb filter setting in my TV's menu, but the noise reduction works GREAT! Also I found out to leave the color temperature on normal, it looks shit otherwise.
Also, why the f*ck have a "FREEZE" button if the thing is NOT A TIVO??? o_0
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^ To study the nipples on porn actresses of course :dance:
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Always leave that noise reduction shit off.
Actually on my 36" Sony Wega that I had, depending on what I was doing, I would turn the DNR on it to high or middle for some games or movies, and it would make them look better. That TV was nice. Now I'm wishing I had just kept it. :cry: I had all the settings to my liking and had 2 main modes I used: one vibrant mode for games and so on, and one calibrated mode set pretty close to NTSC J for movies. Turbo games looked great on it, as did PS2 and other systems, with no need for adjustments. It was just too damn heavy though. I don't find lifting 250lbs with another person, 'fun times'. I could always grab a 27" model of the same TV, but honestly I have my eye on another one that I test modeled before the unit I have now (the one I actually wanted), and I can get it for the same price or cheaper after shipping and with warranty, than people are selling the 27" of my old one used.
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Hey quoth, would this (http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ele/579087276.html) happen to be the same TV you had? My brother is picking it up this Sunday 8) .
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The comb filter really does help on my Sony 27". It is from 2003-04 or so. When using composite say with a NES, it does wonders by trapping in the color bleeding and enhancing the resolution almost to S-video. Works great for my digital cable also using composite. This TV also has S-video which almost looks as good as component, especially with my Sega Saturn. Component looks next to perfect from what I see.
It depends on the model of the TV. I have no settings menu stuff for comb filter of DNR. It does have one for Vertical Edge Enhancement which just makes outlines thicker and makes text look like ass. I never use VEE or VM as the TV menus says. My parents have a slight different model of the same TV just about and has the same good results. I have used the service code and turned off the comb filter before and made it look worse. I hope this TV lasts another 15 years at least problem free.
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It was just too damn heavy though. I don't find lifting 250lbs with another person, 'fun times'.
Agreed, those Wegas can be a real bear. The worst CRT that I ever moved was a 40" Mitsubishi; I don't know exactly what it weighed, but the dude had it in an alcove over his fireplace. Fun times indeed, lifting one of those pigs up to shoulder height and holding it there while hooking everything up.
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My tv in my bedroom I use for my gaming and movies is a Apex 24 inch monitor with 3 composite av in,1 s-video in,and one av out. Quoths seen my tv in action plenty. Gaming on it is tops.Both composite and s-video are very clear and vibrant. Not a tv Id get rid of easily. If it starts to have issues Ill get it repaired first.
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Those APEX TVs aren't too shabby. I have a smaller one, and the image is awesome. Still doesn't compete with the JVC though.
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I dont know,Apex had alot of different models,some were cheaper then others yet had better quality circuitry and tubes and yield better results after calibration.
In general though I think any Apex set you got was great. I never heard any complaints. I know my bedroom one does have better picture quality then my mothers 20 inch Apex in her bedroom for sure.
Ive seen some excellent JVC sets and some not so hot ones,so the only good way to compare is to have the two sets running the same thing side by side and have both of them calibrated and see which is better.
As of late I have been hard pressed to find any better tv on the market I want then the one I already have. Ive been tv hunting with Quoth plenty,just not too impressed with everything out there.
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I dont know,Apex had alot of different models,some were cheaper then others yet had better quality circitury and tubes and yeiled better results after calibration.
In general though I think any Apex set you got was great. I never heard any complaints. I know my bedroom one does have better picture quality then my mothers 20 inch Apex in her bedroom for sure.
I think the small one I have is the 20". Mine has a pretty good picture though, definitely what I would consider "above average."
Ive seen some excellent JVC sets and some not so hot ones,so there only good way to compare is to have the two sets running the same thing side by side and have both of them calibrated and see which is better.
I agree. I have a JVC from 1991 and a flatscreen JVC from the very late 90's. The late 90's set has possibly one of the best pictures I've ever seen on a CRT, while the 1991 set is pretty mediocre.
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APEX does not make their own TVs. I have a 13-inch APEX with component and the tube is made by Sansui, I believe. The image is really good. My Toshiba which also has component is made by Sansui as well. The picture quality is even better than the APEX, but you can see the similarities. It totally blows away Nat's JVC (I have spied on him while he used it).
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Apex sourced the tubes and dvd players from all sorts of companies,a couple of which were owned by the Chinese government. Because of that deal going bad with Sichuan Changhong Electric Appliance the VP and Pres of Apex became wanted men in China,one for sure got arrested there. Not sure if they are still holding him.
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Apex sourced the tubes and dvd players from all sorts of companies,a couple of which were owned by the Chinese government. Because of that deal going bad with Sichuan Changhong Electric Appliance the VP and Pres of Apex became wanted men in China,one for sure got arrested there. Not sure if they are still holding him.
:o
The wild west of capitalism.
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Hey quoth, would this (http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ele/579087276.html) happen to be the same TV you had? My brother is picking it up this Sunday 8) .
Bah, the link has been deleted. The WEGA I had was one from 2000. It had the speakers on the bottom rather than the side, and it was before SRS was put on the units. It was 36", no PIP. I don't remember the model # off hand anymore.
Either way, it was a nice unit. If it is the same one, he should be happy. Actually any WEGA and he should be happy, lol.
Take a photo and send it to me when you get it, and I will tell you if it the same one or not. You should seriously get the operator code for it when you get the chance,that way you can adjust all the variables that are not in the normal menus. The unit I had, had a black remote with some of the buttons green.
Also another nice thing that it supported, was anamorphic mode for wide screen movies, let you flip back and forth from 4:3 to 16:9, which isn't on that many SD units.
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My tv in my bedroom I use for my gaming and movies is a Apex 24 inch monitor with 3 composite av in,1 s-video in,and one av out. Quoths seen my tv in action plenty. Gaming on it is tops.Both composite and s-video are very clear and vibrant. Not a tv Id get rid of easily. If it starts to have issues Ill get it repaired first.
The only complaint I have about your TV is the fact that it doesn't have component on it. Otherwise, it's better than what I have now. Hopefully that will change soon...otherwise I will attempt to reclaim my glory and get another WEGA. I will just pick up a 27" this time if I do that though.
Either way, I'm either going to sell the one I have now, or it's going to become a permanent vertical monitor for my arcade boards...I haven't decided yet. A 27" Vertical is tempting... :-k