The HD format *OUCH* factor « Videomaker Community Forums

ThomasTyndan
Member

The HD home media format wars between BlueRay and HDDVD are not only killing each others chances of becoming a superior format, but they are hurting themselves. Neither truely offers anything that is a big enough step up from DVD video to warrant becoming the next format. Here are some reasons:

When DVD came out there were so many great features that made it far superior to VHS. Ignore for the moment the video quality I will get back to that later. Not only was there the video quality, but there was the lastability of DVDs. You can watch a DVD hundreds of times, and as long as you don't mishandle to DVD there will be no degregation of the content, as on VHS. You also have the ability to skip to any point in the movie almost instantaneosly. Not to mention 5.1 surround sound capabilities. This, along with video quality, was more than enough for anyone to completely rebuild their movie library and making the conversion to DVD from VHS.

Also the DVD format easily passed the so called "Mom Test", which is whrere you sit your mother down on a couch in front of the TV and ask her "which one is better? The VHS or the DVD?" she would say the DVD. It was such an obvious difference.

Now as not to make this list too long on to why the HD format just doesn't cut it as the new wave home media format:

What does HD offer over DVD, as a home media format (excluding disk space)? there are 2 key things:

Video Quality - duh! It has a higher resolution! No big surprise there... or is there? We will get back to that...

Audio Quality - 7.1 surround sound capability. Okay so how does it stack up?

Lets look at the jump from DVD to HD - There is not interface jump worthy of note, there are still chapter selects, and no signal degregation. So there is a zero jump in those department.

So the video is what is worth it right? Well lets see... How many out there when watching a movie are 3 feet from their HDTV? are you like me, do you sit back on your couch an relax? well then the video quality increase may not really make that mutch of an impact on you quality of entertainment. Obviously you will notice the better quality change, but when you start to enjoy the movie you won't even think about it.

How about the 7.1 surround sound? Well there is a problem there... once again there is not enoguh of a difference between 7.1 and 5.1 (except the 2 speakers :D ) There will be no real noticable change in the surround sound, you may notice an initial difference, but when enjoying a movie you won;t even think about it.

Want proof, see if it passes the "Mom Test"... The fact of the matter is there is not enough of a jump to warrant the cost of the HD formats, almost never less than $30 right now, for enjoyability a DVD can do the same. HD makes much more sense for formats outside of home media:

Video Games make great use of it, as people do tend to play games nearer to the TV

Computers mke a great use of HD, but then again they have been doing that for years...

Does this mean I am not going to buy HD products.. No In fact I will when the prices drop. I am looking forward to owning an HD copy of Lord of the Rings. But honestly even the few movies I would buy I would be just as likely to still buy DVDs...

And what is going to happen when holographic DVDs are released?
http://www.betanews.com/article/Holographic_DVD_to_Hold_16_Terabytes/1133197797

What will have been the point of spending all that money of HD products for them to become obsolete in just a few years?

There will be none, people will have wasted their money...

And that is my rant, I cannot believe you read all of it X-D

Posted 5 years ago #
videolab
Member

I would agree with everything you just said these new formats don't offer the jump in functionallity that the jump from vhs to dvd did. I would like to add though that I believe that this will be the last physical format war. With things like the iTunes movie store becoming available and ways to view this media on tvs (iTV) the only three things keeping this from killing HDDVD and Blu Ray is that the internet is not yet fast enough to ensure fast delivery of HD content, special features are not yet included with these downloads and people like to buy physical products and are not quite ready to embrace digital media (that day will come though) Just my two cents on the subject. I may be wrong but only time will tell.

Posted 5 years ago #
ThomasTyndan
Member

I agree but I don;t think the idea of streaming media will ever take. People want their copies and if they have to pay to stream copies they might as well download illegally =/. I think there is still a lot to be said about owning an actual copy.

Now they might make it where oyu buy the streaming right AND they mail you a hard copy... that might attract people. But a lot of people buy DVDs like that are trophies, so they can proudly display them, just like books... I mean comon, Ebooks never caught on, why would straming media?

Posted 5 years ago #
videolab
Member

Very good point. I do think that people will become more accstomed to it though. I dont think there will be dvd sales numbers for a number of years. Downloads will however grow every year. Look at what iTunes did for music. Shure the vast majority of people still buy cds but iTunes is now the 5th largest music seller. Video is different however and the big thing holding it back is the restrictive drm that is in place. If people could burn dvds of downloaded content like they can cds with downloaded music it would be more popular. Because people do want to be able to have something physical when they buy something.

Posted 5 years ago #
ThomasTyndan
Member

Audio makes sense "on the go" video is different. Video is something that people actually stop to watch. I don't think downloading will take as much as is speculated, as I ssaid people want a hard copy, and I don;t mean a disc they can burn. They want a professionally made, silkscreened Dual Layer DVD. with the nice collector's edition box, that they can place on shelves. You cannot download that, and you cannot produce that yourself.

An example:

kingkong.net made production diaries. Thery were free to download. I downloaded all of them, then one day they pulled them off the website and made a really nice box set. I already had downloaded the videos. But I bought the box set the first day. Now when I buy music online I don;t really care about having a nice CD, I don;t see as much production value in a CD...

And once again, as I said the holographic disc will come out in a few years... and then what? HD will already be outdated?!?

Posted 5 years ago #
kfox
Member

Consider this. The "ouch" for most consumers is without a doubt something to consider, but the professionals are the one's who take the most hit. When DVD became an accepted format, shops had to convert from VHS to DVD to produce product for our customers. As was mentioned, it was a no-brainer. The quality was clearly (sorry, pun) better, and most of the other reasons you all have already covered. With this "war" over HD, etc. we who try to make a little money are finding that we MAY need to now convert to HD cameras, HD upgrades for NLEs, HD monitors, HD burners, ETC to meet our customers demands!!! Then add the "learning curve" on the ins-and-outs of producing this new format. If we do this in a time-vs-cost manner (and you must agree most smaller shops have to carefully watch spending), are we going to find that we now have to do it AGAIN when consumers find the next "GREATEST" format (maybe the holo disks Thomas mentions), or realize that DVD was just about as good (as far as they were concerned) as the new higher priced stuff we can produce. What will happen when we have spent the moeny and raised our rates to accomodate that expenditure, and consumers finally use the "Mom Test" and want to go back to having their video delivered on plain old (and cheaper) DVD?

Did'nt your Mom tell you she was always right...........................

Best,

kfox

Posted 5 years ago #
ThomasTyndan
Member

Mind you the High Def drive for the XBOX360 just sold out on amazon and is apparently a great hit, I think those people will buy HD where appliacable, but what about the movies they want on Blueray?!? HD is going to kill itself :( As I said HD is a great thing, but is just doesn't offer enough, at least not for home media. It is a great success on cable and satellite tv!

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Historically, video media has had deep roots. VHS stayed around long after better formats were available. I doubt that DVDs will disappear all that soon. If the BluRay/HDDVD formats (or one of them) take hold before the holographic one (as they likely will), the latter will likely be relegated to special use and retain a high price.

I learned long ago not to hold my breath waiting for scientific advances. In the sixties, we were assured we'd all be driving "flying cars" by the eighties. My extra-wide garage is still waiting. X-D

Posted 5 years ago #
dnathan
Member

The big investment is the camera, and HD cameras have a toggle so that you can record in either HD or SD. I love my FX1. If HD just went away I would still love my FX1.

Another thing is selling (if you're talking weddings). Brides don't care about the internal struggles of HD, but they are smart enough to know that if if you have HD and the others don't, you're going to give them better quality -- quality that their grandchildren will demand.

The big question is who is winning, HD DVD or Blu-Ray?

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Excellent points, dnathan!

As for who is winning, you gotta figure there is more hype out there than facts. If anyone can come up with actual sales figures, that would be interesting.

My gut feeling is that without some sort of "wow" factor in the difference, Blu-Ray can't justify a 100% price increase over HD-DVD.

When I Googled the question, I had to pass over three sites declaring that Blu-Ray is winning to get to one that differed, but this one appears to be the more reliable..

http://displaydaily.com/2006/07/24/hd-dvd-declared-winning-format-says-evan-powell/

Posted 5 years ago #