Ask most proper movie lovers to compare the two and Blu Ray wins. Blu Ray has the capacity in the future for larger discs, the sound quality is far superior and to be honest it's all about the movie and not really about the extras. BDJ is on its way anyway to solve that and many older players can be upgraded with firmware updates. Plus there are far more BDs available than HD-DVD. HD-DVD is attempting desperate strategies - such as Universal releasing everything they can on HD-DVDs just to flood the market, Microsoft writing out massive cheques for "exclusives" but it's not fooling the die hard film buffs.

Digital downloads may be a thing of the future but that future is a LONG way off. The speeds that we have for downloads in our home are at present way too slow, especially if you're talking about downloading full HD content, and if people are expected to buy these services, we don't have the storage space on our computers or download boxes to hold masses of downloaded material. So for that reason, it makes sense to carry on with a high storage portable disc that you can buy, keep for a later date and if you wish sell on. I don't think the film buffs of the world are calling out for a digital download services just yet. If you think about DVDs, they've only been available on the mass market for 7 - 8 years really, there's no way a digital download service is going to be readily available withing 10 years.

The age of firing lasers at small plastic discs to get sound and pictures out of them will soon be over!

If Microsoft was that serious in HD-DVD they would have included it in the Xbox 360 or made it soo cheap as an add-on that you just couldnt turn it down something like £69.

Oh and about the audio how many High Definition surround systems are there? Last time I looked zero. None from any of the large companies like Sony, Panasonic, Samsung etc I have not seen any.

So HD audio is useless, even if HD audio systems are released can you imagine the prices??

DTS is the only audio I am interested in and there are very few discs that even have this audio. PCM well I dont know much about this audio format is it comparable to DTS?

Hang on, why would Microsoft spend so much money to kill off both formats?

Thats like saying that the only reason they released the XBOX360 was to kill off the PS3 then drop the 360 format so that everyone will buy a PC to play games instead.

That doesnt make sense does it?

No, and neither do these statements. Michael Bay is just throwing his toys out of his pram because he knows he would have shifted 3 times the amount of discs if Transformers was available on both formats.

I for one, want covers and inlays cos I give a s**t and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. Downloads are the future but once again, the physical format will have to exist, even if it is only for the 'die hard film buffs'

Having looked at the details i see that HD-DVD has less storage space then Blu-ray. Although increases have been developed these are not in production, and will still be less than Blu-ray double layer discs, but it will have the superior HDi.

However as a longtime Microsoft fan I still think HD-DVD is superior. Blu-ray will be aborted before it has a chance to take off.The Microsoft Xbox 360 Video Marketplace launches in the UK next week. I cant wait. Whilst movies will be in the 720p HD format. This is good enough! It is only Sony fans who want 1080p HD.

THE NAKED EYE CANT SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 720P & 1080p.

I'm not a fan of Sony but I cant see them ever giving up on Blue Ray, especially after the flop that was UMD.

you have proved it ryu, master ninjas don't know anything about tech'.

The naked eye can see a difference. I certainly can. True I have perfect 20 20 vision, but that shouldn't be an issue.

From what I have seen, the quality difference between blu-ray(sic) and HD-DvD (sic) is very minimal. BR will probably win with people needing more portable storage space, but HD is a cheaper solution to make than BR.

Personally, I don't think the difference between normal dvd and either HD format justifies the cost of upgrading your entire system, and I am a graphics nut. Why would I spend 3x more on a film I already have just to get it looking a bit better?

And Michael Bay should keep quiet. This is the second time this year that he has made an off-the-cuff statement (before he had to retract it, when we reaslised he hadn't done his research/got paid off)

umd would have worked if it was cheaper. charging the same price as dvd for a format you can only play on PSP was...as they say on the internet...FAIL!!

"This is good enough! It is only Sony fans who want 1080p HD"

Argh jeez... Now come one, what sort of argument is that? So all these HD ready TVs that boast about 1080p rather than 1080i are just Sony fans now? And I suppose all these XBox 360 fans that complain because a game like Bioshock isn't using full HD are really Sony fans in disguise (Transformers pun not intended) having a dig at xbots? Go into any department store and get them to show you 720 and 1080. If you can't see a difference I would suggest that the Xbox has done something to your eyes and you should get them tested. Stick to gaming Ryu - you clearly know nothing about the real world. There are TONS of movie lovers out there not interested in gaming but films at the highest quality - be it sound or picture.

Betamax
MiniDisc
UMD
Blu-Ray

were all formats by Sony? I know the last 3 are (which is rather telling)

Yes, Betamax was yet another failed Sony format.
Not a good strike rate, it has to be said.

People (very quickly) forget that Blu Ray isn't just Sony - and I quote this from wikipedia - The "Blu-ray Disc Founder" was founded in May 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Matsu****a, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronic****achi, Sharp, Samsung and Sony"

And also -

"Blu-ray Disc was started by Hitachi, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Thomson in February 19, 2002."

It's not Sony Vs Microsoft, it's all these giants Vs MS / Toshiba. And let's not forget the number of Hollywood giants that back Blu Ray. Why can't MS fan boys accept that MS have ****ed up and Blu Ray is going to win? If it fails, it'll be done to ALL these companies and not just Sony. Sony have made a bigger effort to get the Blu Ray into the homes of the general public by sticking one in a PS3.

...no.... Sony have made a bigger effort to force Blu Ray into people's homes by forcing it into a console, trying to limit the choice people have.

if you were to by a ps3, why would you by HD-dvd?
at least with the xbox360 they kept the cost down, and you can choose hd-dvd addon or get a blu ray player.

besides....blu ray will not win, neither will hd-dvd. but the customer will lose, as they will not be able to change to one format to watch all film, they would have to buy both.

the transistion from video to dvd was hard but worthwhile. from dvd to the new formats is nigh-impossible. Who in their right mind is going to replace their shelves with 200 next gen dvds (both BR and HD) at 1.5 times the price for no real benefit?

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