I thought Blu Ray would win due to the fact that sony is a big content provider and it had backing from the PC side of things

Maybe from the users, but the manufatcurers were split. Microsoft, HP and a few others were HD DVD supporters (HD DVD uses a few microsft video codecs in Vista), Apple and Dell were Blu-Ray, again with a few others.

Most of the major HD friendly Movie companies are either getting out of exclusive HD deals or are supporting Blu Ray and HD Discs. One of the major film houses has a get out clause from HD that states it can leave the stable if a certain other major film house leaves first. They will be exercising this later in the year.

That was Paramount who went HD DVD exclusive (and were reportedly paid $150,000,000 to do so. They decided not to use the clause when Warner decided to go Blu-Ray only.

Now HD DVD is dead in the water when it comes to development of the format, both the HD DVD exclusive film studios (Paramount and Universal) have announced they will be supporting Blu-Ray in the next couple of months along with the obligatory face saving press releases.

I’m waiting for the first cheap (£150-200) Blu Ray players to come on the market. As long as they support 1.3a, (24 frames and HD Audio) I defo want one. I use the slightly cumbersome method of plugging my Blu Ray laptop up toe the AV system currently.

I’m waiting for the first cheap (£150-200) Blu Ray players to come on the market. As long as they support 1.3a, (24 frames and HD Audio) I defo want one. I use the slightly cumbersome method of plugging my Blu Ray laptop up toe the AV system currently.

You will also want one that supports profile 2.0, as they are constantly updating the spec of blu-ray. Of the early players only the PS3 is capable of it, and also your laptop because of the hard drive being able to store the needed info that not all but the very latest players will do.

most of the early players can't even fully play the latest discs for the same RREason, of course that is fr the fancy stuff like the video commentary, and watching a pre CGI version of the film alongside the final cut.

So be careful what one you end up going for

You will also want one that supports profile 2.0, as they are constantly updating the spec of blu-ray. Of the early players only the PS3 is capable of it, and also your laptop because of the hard drive being able to store the needed info that not all but the very latest players will do.

most of the early players can't even fully play the latest discs for the same reason.

My laptop has a problem (thank you Sony Vaio, you are pants!) and won’t output audio from Blu Ray in anything but stereo. I think there is a protection issue as generic sounds and 5.1 test tones work fine, but potentially copywrite stuff won’t do what it says on the tin. I have given up on this front for now as I have lost several hours of my life that I won’t get back, talking to the sodding idiots at the Vaio helpdesk.

My laptop has a problem (thank you Sony Vaio, you are pants!) and won’t output audio from Blu Ray in anything but stereo. I think there is a protection issue as generic sounds and 5.1 test tones work fine, but potentially copywrite stuff won’t do what it says on the tin. I have given up on this front for now as I have lost several hours of my life that I won’t get back, talking to the sodding idiots at the Vaio helpdesk.

Would you not need a special soundcard in your lappy to out put in Dolby True HD audio?

Would you not need a special soundcard in your lappy to out put in Dolby True HD audio?

I don’t need the HD audio, just the 5.1 compressed will do. But the optical O/P doesn’t want to play with anything other than microsofts own audio.

I’m waiting for the first cheap (£150-200) Blu Ray players to come on the market. As long as they support 1.3a, (24 frames and HD Audio) I defo want one. I use the slightly cumbersome method of plugging my Blu Ray laptop up toe the AV system currently.

Sadly because the format war is over, I dont think the prices will drop as fast as they have been because there is now no competition. If anything they will level, or possibly rise as sony and the other partners attempt to recoup losses they have builtup as a result of the format war.

Sadly because the format war is over, I dont think the prices will drop as fast as they have been because there is now no competition. If anything they will level, or possibly rise as sony and the other partners attempt to recoup losses they have builtup as a result of the format war.

I’m hoping the same way DVDs eventually dropped in price, so too will BR. Market forces hopefully will drive the prices down (fingers crossed) but I can see your point. My local Video shop rents Blu Ray now though and this sort of thing may well help the manufacturers to bring prices down in order to let us all buy their very expensive discs.

I am led to believe that copying these discs illegally is also very difficult and if this is true then it is to the advantage of the manufacturers/movies houses to get us all to buy Blu Ray. Well it’s a theory anyway.

Sadly because the format war is over, I dont think the prices will drop as fast as they have been because there is now no competition. If anything they will level, or possibly rise as sony and the other partners attempt to recoup losses they have builtup as a result of the format war.

nah not likley fella, theres gonna be more companies now making the players as they may have held back until the war was won.

im sure now they have sorted the format out, the prices will tumble as per usual. my sony dvd player should have cost over 500 quid new, within the year you could buy a dvd player for 30 quid (although not quite the build quality of course ) there was no format war then, so it wont be any different now