I'm in the same situation. For now regular DVD works for me. Although I do plan on buying a PS3 when the next Metal Gear game comes out. So I guess I'll be buying a Blu-ray player by default within the upcoming year.

 

Just ordered the 5-disc on Amazon Prime for 54.99....(I'm lazy...almost everything I get is through on-line ordering)....If I could've bought the HHR that that way I probably would have

Bladerunner is one of my all time favorite films (slowly replacing my Beta collection)

 

I'm waiting for the "Final Cut" edition to come out in HD-DVD format. The HD stuff has won me over.

 

Have both gameplay systems, PS3 and X 360, so I buy both HD optical format with no fear. The biggest fear I have is of course that the HD optical discs will go away period. Studios want to direct stream their content to us and I cannot stand their results with poor compression and other artifacts.

HD optical discs represent the closest thing we can get to what the director shoots and approves. The trouble is, they are too pricey for Joe Six pack and most folks are happy with DVDs and the whorish pricing involved with them. DVDs for the most part cast us all less than ten dollars after a few months at a slightly higher price. Even box sets that were once $100.00 are now $20.00. Wal Mart's bins of 2/10.00 are quite responsible for this.

It's hard for someone to see a new movie on release day ( Which is also a cheap day. Retailers raise prices a week later, keep them high for a few months THEN drop them again ), at $14.00 for a standard DVD and $30.00 for the same thing on HD or Blu Ray and justify buying the HD optical discs. I often don't. I just don''t buy the movie at all any more. It's a waiting game.

It really only buy something I can't wait for, which are few and far between. Pan's Labyrinth will be coming home today on Blu ray, but it is $27.00 . A bit high, for a single movie these days. I've skipped Transformers and will wait for a lower price for the HD version.

Blade runner on Blu ray will be mine though!

I am mad at the format war, but is not really the same as Beta VS VHS since both versions deliver almost identical goods. Beta was better technically and visually, but we got the inferior VHS thrown down our collective throats due to the magic of marketing.
Both HD optical formats are quite good, with a bit more potential going to the Blu Ray. But they are really about the same audio/visual/content wise.
Stupid war, though it may make one of the camps lower its software and hardware prices.
Right now their is a combo player that does both formats, but it costs a grand A combo player at $159.99 is what is needed, then disc prices comparable to DVDs. If those things happen, optical disc HD may achieve some market penetration.

Most folks are just happy with DVD and will never know the difference or even care. They set up their widescreen TVs, buy a FULLSCREEN DVD at Wal Mart , push the Stretch button and smile. Fool screen stretched, yup I see it hear of it all the time.

People don't understand it all,never will, and don't care. They want simplicity over quality. That's why CDs are giving way to badly compressed lossy downloads, like MP3's and AACs. But I digress......

SO who will win the format war,
DVD............
End of rant

CH, I augmented my Robocop II night with Devils Rejects in HD. It made my night much better. A catharsis as it were

Congrads on the Criterion Robocop I. Good disc to hold onto

 

I got my BluRay version from Amazon and watched it last night.

By the way, the BluRay vs HD-DVD war is over and BluRay is the winner

1. Market Share
2. Blockbuster only supports BluRay
3. A survey of the top 10 movies that most folks want to own (Star Wars, Spideerman, LOTR etc.) Almost all are exclusively BluRay Studios

Not that I am biased??

 

Funny, a techie friend of mine just came in with a similar list as to why HD DVD is winning Not all the exact same things of course, but sound reasons.

I think the main one is the recent three hundred thousand players that were sold at real ow prices like $200.00. That is a good thing. Bring on the low priced players and things may progress. Keep things expensive, and both will only be high end niche products like Laser Discs were for twenty years.

BTW, just for silly trivia, The last laser disc I bought was Star Wars Episode one, with JAR JAR BINKS! Mesa SOOOOO SORRY

 

Check out www.hdbeat.com to find the statistical facts of software sales. Hardware sales is unimportant because if you buy a PS3 and never buy a movie it doesnt matter.

 

Thanks for the link.

True on the game console front, but we are talking dedicated low priced HD DVD players. Single purpose, so the owners have to buy HD DVDS, one would assume?
I'm just the opposite on my PS3. We play movies, but have no games for it, yet. May never get games. The ones we like are on X-box 360 and Nintendo.. We do play our PS2 some though.
We usually buy one game a year or less and play it for hundreds of hours. Champion's of Norath, Gauntlet, Baldar's Gate, and Mario, Sonic style games.
Heck, we still play our Japanese Dreamcast for some puzzle games.

I like this site a lot for HD info it is Format neutral , which is fine by me:

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/index.php

 

The Dreamcast is the greatest home console ever created. Saturn comes second.

 

CH , I viewed Pan's Labyrinth last night on Blu Ray. A very somber film that makes Brazil look happy!

As we know, it is a fantasy staring a child that is not for the kiddies.

On one level it showcases some of our coping mechanisms in this cruel world.
It is also part allegory examining childhood innocence, death, birth, cruelty and salvation.

Lots going on.

For a sad night at home, put on Shindler's List first then go to Pan's Labyrinth for a one two punch on our inhumanity to each other. Not popcorn date material, that's for sure.

An important film, Pan's will get me to re watch another time or two, since it strikes such emotional chords, but I'll take Blade Runner with all its ambiguity for more repeat ,viewings.

Still, for visceral impact on the human psyche, few films go where Pan's dares to take you.