HD DVD Sales Soar To Number One Again - HD DVD Winning In Europe

Showing that the sudden drop in HD DVD sales in the first quarter was likely due to the temporary limited amount of new releases, HD DVD sales ROARED back to life in late March, as scores of new releases made their way back into the release pipeline and onto store shelves.

[MaximusPrime]

Check here for regular update of Bluray vs HDDVD sale.

http://www.eproductwars.com...

As of 16th April, Bluray is in the lead.

[SmokeyMcBear]

ahhhhhh... HDDVD is going to win.. ahhhh.. no its blueray.. no its hddvd.. no its blueray.. aw crap, guess we'll have to wait for next year to see an actual format be preferred and take the lead. We'll just have to wait and see.

[MaximusPrime]

correct. i'd rather wait till a year or two pass. it takes time.

[gta_cb]

the thing is, both the add on for the XBox 360 (HD DVD player) and the PS3 are cheaper then the actual players. but MS arnt really helping things with the video downloads off market place, but then again i could be wrong as i live in the UK and arnt allowed to download them (even though you can just make an account that states you live in the USA lol)

[HaKeRsCanRotINHEL]

advertisements lately, it's been DVD and HD-DVD for the past few weeks. Could the tide be turning in HD's favor???

[techie]

http://www.n4g.com/industry...

[SimmoUK]

Not unless HD DVD can draw in all the big studios that Blu-Ray has under it's wing because of the extra capacity which isn't going to happen seeing as at the last confrence the major players were touting there support for Blu-Ray over any other format...

On another note if you check some of the forums some HD DVD owners have gone on an organised sales increase spending every little penny they had on HD DVD's to try and upsell the figures, pretty sad if you ask me being anyone with half a brain cell could of weighed up all the facts a year ago and realised that Blu-Ray would come out on top...

What good is dvd hardware without software?
Don't even make me go and get the list of which film studios are on what side and embarass the HD DVD camp weve been here before...

[ArmrdChaos]

Sony using their video games division to try and push their next format. What better way to get people to buy blu-ray discs than to pre-maturely push out their "videogame" system with no games. Let's also give away free blu-ray vouchers and include those totals in with the numbers for their then "gameless system" induced sales to create a pretty picture for the movies studios to remain faithful to their cause. Yeh...you can paint either side as looking pathetic/desperate.

I am sure most of you good little corporate cheerleaders will claim one side or the other has won, but the more sensible people agree that this battle has a ways to go yet.

[God of Gaming]

for this format war I am sitting on the side lines. Letting everyone else waste their money before the dust settles. Digital Download FTW :)

[power of Green]

I'm waiting for this HD-dvd uprising to make its way over here in the US as i think it will sooner than later.

[FirstknighT]

...the winner is good ole regular dvd!

[Boon Tarkas]

Amen to that

[Zhoutai]

Sony and DISNEY is backing it. Together they own over 50% of the movie market.

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

Why as gamers do we care ? Only reason people hate blu ray are because they xbox fanboys .. Its a bigger format whats so bad about that

[power of Green]

Umm... i Don't think 99% of whats posted about the disc wars is from what you call "Xbots". You take it so personal you got names for groups of people based on taste in games.lol

[Boon Tarkas]

But because one of the two sides, and the requisite consumers, will be losing out...spending cash on something that will turn out to be our generations betamax.

Money's hard to come by, and I don't like to see anyone burned.

It's possible that even both sides will lose out.

For me and my house, I am not so driven by the need to be the best and brightest, to forgo my big collection of DVD's.

The remedy to my anachronistic philosophy.. to be rich and foolish, and I am neither.

[SimmoUK]

Major studio backing is behind Blu-Ray all the other camps will come over in the end...

[xbox360migs]

Blu-ray does not have universal, universal are pretty big and I own a fair few universal HD DVD's already. Granted blu-ray has more support by major studios, but it's not loads of them like you say, most of the major players support hd dvd and if hd dvd releases keep outselling thier blu-ray counter-parts such as happy feet and planet earth to name a few, things may sway in studio support. Hd dvd actually has more studio support if you count all studios!

[PSN Starfleets]

(the name brands supporting Blu-Ray), you'd think HD-DVD would be close to extinction but if it matches sales of Blu-Ray and even betters it in such a continent like Europe, then what's to stop these companies supporting both formats if not changing loyalty?

[xfrgtr]

hddvd winning in europe? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
http://www.eproductwars.com...
http://www.eproductwars.com...
It's a massacre
http://www.avsforum.com/avs...
This article is based on the anniversary of hddvd, HD-DVD buyers seem to have started the celebration of their 1st aniversary of existence by buying every amazon HD-DVD they can muster the troops to buy.HD-DVD will have been in the lead for 1 day in all categories.In order to be consistently equal to BD sales HDDVD would have to do half of what they did sales wise on April 15th every day for the next 3 months in a row.I really feel sorry for them ,in another day HDDVD WILL be back to where they were April 14th

[Robert22388]

I can't believe they tried to pull that. It's just sad. I wish I had enough money to just throw at a dieing format so I could make a point (however lame that point may be)

BRING ON THE VHS!!!

[masterg]

This article is such bullshit.
First of all blu-ray is dominating. They have come from way behind to take a big lead.
This whole article is based on one day of Amazon sales numbers.
If you look at April as a whole the result it another story.

[grifter024]

Huh the numbers are in favor of HDDVD... where did you get your facts Master????????? I was just wondering where you get them thats all... Its a nice thing for HDdvd.. thats pretty cool...

[Douglasp]

For having million more BR players (ps3 is included), than HD DVD players. But yet you are only able to sell 100k more units since of march. To me that is not domination. You should be killing it by more than just 100k. HDVD owners I guess loves there movies and they are still in there. Wait till prices drop and lets see how well stand alone players do. We do know HD dvd will hit cheaper prices first, than BR players will. As for me Count me in for that Planet Earth BBC series in HD. The ? is which format will be better one.

[ct1g3r]

check out the source: http://www.campaignhd.com/ which is a petition site for blu-ray exclusive studios to go hd-dvd.

[MasterX]

Well.. imagine how it would be for Blu-ray if hd-dvd had same Major studio backing it up.. I think hd-dvd have done a good job alomst alone.. We'll just have to wait and see.

[techie]

Universal are! The biggest studio of them all!

[NextGen24Gamer]

Its going to go back and forth week by week....month by month....its all depending on what movies get released in that time frame. Neither format will win until there is a player on the market that is 200 or less.

HD DVD has the advantage by default when it comes to casual consumers. And HD dvd players are 400 now and by the end of 2007 they will be 300 according to what I have read. Christmas 2007 will be huge for HD dvd.

I currently have over 100 HD dvd's and about 40 blu ray movies. I know I will loose if and when one company looses.....I just love watching movies in Hi Def. I figure, why buy anymore dvd's when I can watch them in Hi Def for 5 to 10 dollars more.

And to answer the question that many review sites have already said....Yes HD dvd movies look better than Blu ray movies. I don't know why....but they do. I realize they are suppose to look the same. But the fact is they don't.

There is much more HD dvd's released than blu ray movies. Thats a fact. Go to bluray.com and look at all their movies released...then go to HDdvd.com and you will see that HD dvd has a much larger library of movies released.

But with that said....the winner will be the next gen format that has a player at or under the 200 dollar mark. Video game fans won't decide the format war folks.

[TheWishman]

there is really no competition as i see it.

I have both formats, and Blu-Ray has a TON more movies available, and now that both use AVC codec they are both equal in quality.

BD sound is better than HD DVD because BD has LPCM 5.1

[Marriot VP]

and we all know consumers don't move an inch without LPCM audio, come on, format wars are won by the casual consumer. Don't think you know the outcome until this christmas.

[BIadestarX]

I think this can be concidered an embarrasment for Sony who already call victory on the format war. The funny thing is that believed them. I though that they would be dead by now, hd-dvd who? With all the support the blu-ray format has, the PS3 trojan horse to help it... how come hd dvd is still in the market? mmm.. it seems as if the consumer is the one that will chose the best format and not Sony and their thugs.

[Robotz Rule]

Library of HD ficks?,Blu-Ray!
Blu-Ray is the best!!! :)

[BIGBAER]

The Matrix Trilogy Arrives on HD DVD (only) on May 22nd [ http://www.campaignhd.com/4... ]

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy [HD DVD]: [ http://www.amazon.com/Lord-... ]

I guess the war IS over.... Or, at the very, very, least still undecided.

[TheWishman]

the problem with your comment is that the Lord of the Rings has no been announced for EITHER format yet.

New Line has not decided on which format to go with, but with sales figures lately they will do both or Blu Ray only.

Second of all the Matrix is being released on Blu-Ray later this year. Warner releases on both formats.

So what exactly is your argument as one of those you listed isn't even announced, and the other is coming out on both?

[Figboy]

so, a trilogy that managed to alienate it's fanbase in the last two films (The Matrix)...

and a trilogy that everybody and their grandma already has on DVD (LOTR).

call me when Spider-Man 1-3, X-Men 1 and 2, The Incredibles, Toy Story 1 and 2, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Indiana Jones Trilogy, and the Star Wars Trilogy come out on HD DVD.

oh, wait, those flicks are exclusive to Blu Ray.

nevermind.

i do think the format war is silly, but there is no denying that Blu Ray has the edge when it comes to the ammount of content that will be exclusive to the format.

Sony owns a ridiculous ammount of movie studios (Tri Star, Columbia, and Sony Pictures, of course). Disney is a big gun, and if all those Pixar fans wants their fix in HD (and who wouldn't?), they can only get it that fix on Blu Ray. and then there's Fox. well, what *DOESN'T Fox own?

those three companies are more than enough to combat the one studio exclusively supporting HD DVD. Universal is a great studio, but it's only a matter of time before they run out of heavy hitters to combat the content that will be coming exclusive to Blu Ray.

also consider this. as a consumer. not as a fan, or as a gamer, but as a consumer who may be interested in HD (think of it as a hypothetical. even if you aren't interested in HD, consider this scenario as if you were): since Blu Ray and HD DVD are now using the SAME EXACT CODECS, the quality of both formats are equal (and i think both have fantastic quality). Casino Royale showcases what Blu Ray is capable of, and it's nothing to scoff at. read any review of the film's transfer. it gets practically straight A's across the board.

since quality isn't a factor anymore (and luckily for us, most of the early Blu Ray movies, using the MPEG2 codec were sh*tty movies no one wanted anyway; excluding the first two Terminator movies, of course, there's no big loss there for those earlier flicks, but the movies hitting later this year will be fantastic. Spider-Man Trilogy anyone?), we move onto the next big factor: support.

as mentioned above, Blu Ray has more support. period. that is just a fact, and why people dismiss it is as irrelevant because it's "Sony" isn't logical. the truth of the matter is that there are more major motion picture studios supporting Blu Ray exclusively than HD DVD. as a consumer investing in this new HD era, you *HAVE to smartly back the format with the best support because it has the best chance of succeeding ultimately. remember, Blu Ray and HD DVD are equal quality, so it's not like one is better than the other. they are equal in nearly every way that matters (picture and sound, and Blu Ray may edge out HD DVD in the audio department slightly), excepting content.

i don't want to support a format that has one studio backing it exclusively, pure and simple. i really like Universal movies, but not at the expense of Sony Pictures, Fox, and Disney movies. it's not a fair trade to me, or balanced.

knowing that Blu Ray has more content, you then move on the biggest factor of them all: Price.

Blu Ray came out of the gate at more than half of the price of HD DVD. not good.

since then, however, Blu Ray players have dropped in price significantly (i've seen them in Best Buys and on the net priced at $680 and under). i read a report not too long ago that Sony was planning on dropping the price of BD players down to $400 by years end.

the cost of Blu Ray and HD DVD movies are exactly the same here in Los Angeles ($24.99-$29.99 for both formats), so the actual disc's prices aren't a factor either.

it simply boils down to price and content.

they have content covered, and due to the lowering costs of manufacturing Blu Ray drives, and even the discs (and also thanks to the Playstation 3's sales), the cost of Blu Ray will drop even more, and sharper than a lot of people expect.

whether a PS3 fan bought his console for games or movies isn't an issue. why? because regardless of his/her reasoning for picking up the machine, it will always have that Blu Ray drive, meaning that there is always a chance that a Blu Ray movie may be purchased one day. a chance is still a chance. there are 3 million plus PS3/Blu Ray players in people's homes at this very moment. it's like a potential reserve of consumers, waiting for the trigger (may be X-Men, may be Spider-Man 3, may be Star Wars), and then they will act.

when more quality BD exclusives hit (and we know which ones are coming. i mentioned a few big ones earlier), sales will grow.

the prices of HDTVs are dropping really, really fast (you can find them for under $500 now online), and people are going to want HD content to go with their newly purchased HDTV (not all of us need a 50" 1080p set. a 27"-32" 720p set will do most of us rather nicely, and i've seen them for under $500 online. smaller sets are even less). and this is year starting prices. by the fall/winter season, expect sales on these things up the ying yang, dropping their prices even more.

the argument of "not everybody has HDTVs" is getting weaker each month. i was just in Best Buy yesterday, and there was this slew of people of all ages and types inquiring about HDTVs, buying HDTVs, perusing HDTVs. the interest is there, and the cost of the machines is lowering enough to eventually meet that interest. come December 2007, the number of HDTV owners is going to probably double, if not more.

the point is that Blu Ray has a distinct advantage in it's content offerings, and the major complaint about the price is being addressed (they can't drop from $1000 to $300 right away, as it would send the wrong message to the consumer. they have to do it in stages. from $1000 to $700. from $700 to $500. from $500 to $300).

who knows, both formats may end up carving a niche for themselves big enough for the both of them.

i don't see that logically happening, but anything is possible. the world is a weird place.

my money is on Blu Ray. but that's just me.

[BIGBAER]

Something for everyone [ http://www.campaignhd.com/4... ]

Academy Award winner Happy Feet? Why not! Gotta keep the kiddies happy (adults too!).

[TheWishman]

you DO know that Happy Feet is on BOTH formats as well, correct?

How about this, find out which has more movies available, which has more movies coming out, and average price....then come back here with your answers

you are posting false info, and shouldn't post any more on this topic

[Scrumptious]

What is sad is the install base of actual Blu Ray hardware besides the PS3. How can a video game machine determine a movie standard? Will serious home theater consumers buy a PS3 to watch movies? I don't think so. HD-DVD has a 85% market share in Europe. HD-DVD will continue to push the set top hardware and outpace Blu-Ray players due to pirce alone. A $600 from Sony in the summer will meet a $300 Toshiba model. I have both formats because of the exclusive studios. In fact, that was a major main reason I bought a PS3. It would be sad if Blu-Ray became the next UMD.

[techie]

Actually..

"since its inception there have been 844,000 Blu-ray units sold, while there have been 708,600 units sold for HD-DVD. "

http://www.n4g.com/industry...

[Robert22388]

Those numbers do not take into account PS3, and for all the lame excuses you guys try to come up with. PS3 IS the reason why Bluray will win this war. (Sorry, HAS won the war)

How much you want to bet those numbers take into account the HDDVD 360 add ons but no the PS3s.

[GameJunkieJim]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Only HD-DVD makes Dolby THD mandatory, as well as LPCM, as well as DD+.

Blu-Ray has no audio advantage in the slightest.

They both have the same requirements for video codices as well, so quit arguing quality of Blu-Ray over HD, because it's not, and never has been, true.

The ONLY advantages BluRay holds are a better transfer rate (not a big deal considering the LPCM format that Blu-Ray makes mandatory will work on a regular DVD) and more storage. And for movies, I think the 15 GB discs work just fine, any more is just bonus features. I don't think they'll have an issue with making multiple disc releases should the need arise. Like, including every scrap of information even partially related to the movie in history.

[TheWishman]

actually i dont know of one HD DVD release that has LPCM...a handful have Dolby TrueHD but that is it.

let me know because i own both formats and have not found one yet.

Blu Ray has LPCM on just about every disc.

[masterg]

Actually. All reviews give Blu-ray better marks in audio.

[GameJunkieJim]

*HD DVD titles with TrueHD
The Phantom of the Opera
Training Day
Constantine
Troy
The Perfect Storm
The Wicker Man
End of Days
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Batman Begins
V for Vendetta
Superman Returns
Lady in the Water
Clerks II
Pulse
Poseidon
The Departed
Happy Feet
The World's Fastest Indian
Feast (release on April 17)
School for Scoundrels (release on April 17)
Alpha Dog (release on May 1)
Letters from Iwo Jima (release on May 22)
The Matrix (release on May 22)
The Matrix Reloaded (release on May 22)
The Matrix Revolutions (release on May 22)
Black Christmas (release on June 12)
Harsh Times (release on June 12)
Nature's Colors With The World's Greatest Music

*Blu-ray Disc titles with TrueHD
Letters from Iwo Jima (release on May 22)

If your reciever doesn't handle True HD, all HD DVD players can convert TrueHD to LPCM.

I cannot find a list with HD-DVD titles with LPCM, but the number is under 30.

Blu-Ray does have a lot of titles with 7.1 uncompressed LPCM, but it takes out the space advantage that BD is supposed to have otherwise.

In any case, the difference to the human ear is negligible with all but the most advanced recievers and speakers and wiring. I mean Marantz Reciever, Ethereal Cabling, and Athena Speakers. Even then unless you had hearing in the top 2% of the human population you probably wouldn't notice it.

[ArmrdChaos]

is the assumption that studio format support will remain a constant. Even if it starts with Europe...all HDDVD needs to accomplish right now is to convince one blu-ray only studio to include their format. Once one studio makes that choice and starts to make money then another one goes...and so on and so on. If Sony/Blu-ray looses the exclusivity of the major studios then they will take a big beating due to HDDVD's cheaper players and aggressive pricing.

Some advice...using "HAAAHHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHA! " as part of your main rhetorical does little to make you sound more convincing or to be taken seriously. All it will get you is a pre-adolescent rep and a single bubble.

[Uganda64]

Actually mate, that already happened to HD-DVD. Fox for example switched to Blu-ray exclusively. Why would they switch back when Blu-ray has an insurmountable lead?
Sony will never switch either.
Universal will, except that's an HD-DVD studio. Once that happens, no amount of HD-DVD propaganda will influence anyone and EVERYONE will be able to accept that this is over.

Oh, and Bluray players will be cheaper than HD-DVD ones, as will the discs - mass market = price reduction is easier, Blu-ray's closer to that while Toshiba and co bleed money on their drives.

[ReconHope]

" I don't think they'll have an issue with making multiple disc releases should the need arise. Like, including every scrap of information even partially related to the movie in history. "

that's the problem right there why do you knowningly prolong and try to fight a superior technology.

We might as well all just go out and by tapes instead of cd's.
and for the case of this article, there will not be temporary limited releases but permenant, sony owns half the movie industry! Different game from betamax, isn't it boys?

[GameJunkieJim]

**" I don't think they'll have an issue with making multiple disc releases should the need arise. Like, including every scrap of information even partially related to the movie in history. "**

**that's the problem right there why do you knowningly prolong and try to fight a superior technology.**

Superior Technology? HD-DVD players are superior to Blu-Ray discs in all features save disc media. AVC runs at 13 MB/s, well under the rated max for HD-DVD and Blu-ray, and in every other instance, the requirements for the system meet or exceed those of the Blu-Ray. You don't want to go that route, the HD-DVD is a superior product at a much cheaper price if you want to go that route.

**We might as well all just go out and by tapes instead of cd's.
and for the case of this article, there will not be temporary limited releases but permenant, sony owns half the movie industry! Different game from betamax, isn't it boys? **

Cassette Tapes used mechanical drives and dragged magnetic cellulose across a magnetic head. Quite a bit different from all digital technology. I don't think Sony is going to repeat the Betamax issue entirely, but I do feel that they have the lesser machine. Add into the equation that I get more from HD DVD for half the price, and I see no reason to get Blu-Ray at all.

[PS3n360]

advertising for hddvd. I support hddvd but the xbox add-on is a piece of sh!t. its too loud for watching movies. Any none biased people care to weigh in on the PS3 noise levels for watching movies. and not fast and furious loud as hell movies but ones where silence is a key factor in the story line. MS really needs to think about making a quieter console if they want to push the xbox as an iptv and media player. I Cnr close the door on my cabinet or the thing will melt.

[GameJunkieJim]

I am currently borrowing a PS3 and have watched a few BD movies on it.

It's not that loud at all, about on par with the 360 running a regular DVD (I.E. only one fan running). The HD DVD add on (for 360) isn't too loud for me either, but to be fair I have the surround sound going when I watch anything on it. I can't hear either player when the surround is on.

[ArmrdChaos]

then halographic discs would be the superior format, but no one (even with studio support) is going to pay $10,000 for a player. What makes a technology superior is when it is available to the majority of the people and not just those with mounds of disposable income. If they were able to offer blu-ray players/discs at the same price as HDDVD then you could claim it as superior, but right now that is not the case.

[GameJunkieJim]

Blu-Ray is quite behind on the player feature department.

[Shaka2K6]

Spidey 3 and Pirates 3 Exclusive on Blu-ray nuff said!

h-dvd R.I.P.

[Uganda64]

Yeah, Casino Royale already outpaced even DVD's figures. This article is a hugely biased spin by an HD-DVD propaganda site.
There are no ifs in this next gen war, Blu-ray won that. The real war is now with DVD, and Blu-ray is, with Casino Royale, already on its way.
Then there's the BILLION box office hit Dead Man's Chest, and the even bigger (presumably) At World's End, Spiderman 3, Bond 22, and those are just upcoming ones.
There's all of Disney, Fox, Sony (exclusively) and Paramount, Warner Bros too.

[Bathyj]

Those graphs aren't an overall measurement of sales. They're a day by day measurement of sales, and they clearly show BR outselling HDDVD all month and then HDVDVD outselling BR for the last day or 2. BR still would be in front for the whole month, based off those graphs. I cant see how HD can outsell BR for 2 days and then claim victory when they trailed all month. It makes no sense at all.

Keep in mind its a HDDVD site reporting it too. Thats like Gamespot telling us Xbox has already won the console war.

PS. for anyone who cares, I got my free Casino Royal BR and its awesome. Great quality and a great movie. First Bond Movie I've really enjoyed since I was a kid.

[Robert22388]

Anybody else notice that the only sales figures this guy cites is Amazon.com. That's like looking at Target's sales numbers and calling a winner.

Also, this is for JUST ONE DAY! Come on, these attempts by the HDDVDfanboys are just getting pathetic.

This article is absurd and has absolutely no basis in truth.

It's no surprise people are buying HDDVD from Amazon, considering its the only place you can find it since most major retailer have/or are planning to stop selling it.

This is nothing more than some lame attempt to twist numbers in HDDVD's favor.

Just wait till April's sales number come in and Bluray is outselling HDDVD 6:1

[BIGBAER]

Samsung hedges its bets with support for HD-DVD: [ http://gear.ign.com/article... ]

Initially Samsung will offer a dual high-def player that supports both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

Samsung is also not ruling out single format HD-DVD drives, and may begin marketing such a solution "whenever consumers demand it." As quoted by Reuters, Craig Kornblau, a longtime HD-DVD supporter and president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, greeted the news by stating, "[Samsung's announcement] is an acknowledgement of the tremendous value that HD-DVD brings to the early adopter of high-definition-packaged media."

Obviously, Samsung wants to be prepared as Blu-Ray has failed to deliver the knockout punch Sony hoped for. For the immediate future everyone needs to cool their jets and put aside fanboyistic tendencies.

The ONLY thing that is certain is that the buying public is fickle. It's more important determing which format Wal-Mart will promote --- that is where the battle will be won. Which format player will offer the lowest priced entry point? Blu-Ray or HD-DVD? Pretty easy choice with this one: [ http://www.walmart.com/cata... ].

[commadore65]

The new LG player that supports both formats with only one disc slot?

was on the gadget show last night.

Seems if people are that intrested in Hi Def they should consider that, it's a safe option.

[Bathyj]

Me, my sister and my friend all had LG DVD recorders and all of them crapped out in under a year. In the end it wouldn't even read a disc I just recorded from TV and sometimes it wouldn't read a brand new DVD. I've heard LG is also recalling some of their TV's in Australia. I wont have anything to do with them again.

[tk]

BluRay won. We are just seeing a flash in the pan for HD-DVD. If MS went and supported it FULLY (like with a build-in HD-DVD for XB360) then we could have debated this seriously.

Now, it is just a matter of time before a BluRay drive becomes available for XB360. Not that it will matter. BluRay will win without the extra support.

MS on the other hand - regardless of the smoke they blow up everyones @sses - had one of two choices: 1) Release later with HD-DVD - and face the PS3 and loose, or 2) Release early without HD-DVD, and try and spin it as if they don't need HD-DVD. They made their choice - and that nailed the coffin shut on HD-DVD. They are half-heartedly trying to support HD-DVD out of spite - but there is nothing they can win from it - except to spite Sony.

So - this is where we are we are now - XB360 minus a HD-DVD drive competing with the PS3 with a BluRay - which will bite MS in the long run, and HD-DVD with the disadvantage of not having a mass market vehicle to give them advantage in the market.

MS played the card - and they hope that they will win without a HD drive - but HD-DVD will suffer for it. MS might still become dominant in the fight between the two nexgen consoles (Wii is competing with the PS2 really), but HD-DVD will die because it was not ready soon enough. BluRay and some great exclusives may actually pull Sony into the dominant position- if the titles are really really good. They have quite a bit of catching up to do. So this race will be interesting - if for nothing else - just because of the different factors involved.

MS with really really bad quality consoles out there causing bad publicity - but with a year lead and some really really good titles to keep the public interested.

Sony launching late, very few titles, but with a standard HD, drive, BluRay, and some really really good franchises still staying exclusive - mostly because they had to ensure them being first party.

This is turning into a really really good fight - not like the last one when Sony dominated everything, was early, killed the Dreamcast, had all the third party support and great first party titles.

[BIGBAER]

I totally disagree that the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray battle is over. Too many factors remain in motion, each playing critical roles which will ultimately decide which format will prosper and which will become the next beta-max, mini-disc or umd failure.

Sony's track record is horrific with regards to pushing new formats. Perhaps Blu-ray will ultimately win out. But with very strong HD-DVD support in Europe, including several important European studios -- and the possible acceptance by Bollywood studios, HD-DVD is holding its own.

Factor in the growing support by North American studios and newly announced support by additional hardware manufacturers, stating that the war is over is both wishful thinking and brash foolishness.

I would suggest that we must wait until this year's Chistmas holiday season before clearer projections can be offered. Again there are too many variables.

Keep in mind, Wal-mart, Target and Best-Buy will sell the lion's share of high-definition dvd players. Amazon will push many units as well.

Price-point will determine the winner. It will be the casual shopper in need of a new dvd player --- and happens to be shopping in Wal-mart that will play the pivotal role --- not the videophile for whom only the best and most expensive system will do. Value shoppers vastly outnumber the high-end selective shopper.

I say let's all step back a bit and let events unfold. I have no doubts that there are some surprises for us all before the 'war' is over.

The only guarantee is that ultimately, one format will prevail. Who will win will undoubtedly surprise some and disappoint others. Which side smiles and which side frowns, only time will tell.

[Maddens Raiders]

Kung Fu Hustle on Blu-ray. So, Blu-ray is now back in the lead.lol

[ReconHope]

the visual comparison is freaking marginal, it's actually ridiculous. And i think u misunderstood me with the cassetes, i'm talking about space,I'm talking about blue laser diodes,i'm talking about the future.