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I've been following the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc since the days when each was on the drawing board. For the record, I'm not choosing sides in this debate, nor am I recommending that anyone buy into either option. Each format brings HD quality movies and advanced playback features to the table. In my mind, that makes them both good. However, mass adoption of either simply won't happen until one of two things occurs:
- One camp drops out of the race.
- The stalemate draws on long enough that the ability to play back both formats is included in every playback device. Simply put; a tie. While a handful of hardware makers not entrenched in one camp or another have done this (namely LGs Super Blu players... "Super" meaning "super expensive"), the Toshiba's and Sony's of the world don't seem likely to build in support for their rivals even though it could finally advance adoption.
So that leaves the folks these products are built for, me and you, watching our favorite prime time shows in HD, but enjoying our favorite summer blockbusters in the "glory" that is up-converted standard definition. I'm tired of DVD. I WANT the better picture and advanced features each HD format brings to the table, but I NEED resolution that I won't be buying into the next Betamax.
If I had to back a format, I'd pick the one that's got the best chance to win in the short term (as I've said, I'm tired of waiting). To me, it looks like HD-DVD has a better chance nailing a short-term victory, but not unless the HD-DVD camp starts utilizing some of the advantages that have been on their side from the beginning.
How HD-DVD Could Win the Format War
For the record (again) I'm not picking sides. I (like most people) really don't care which format becomes the next-gen standard, as long as there is ONE type of disc that works in my PC, car, and standalone player. If the HD-DVD folks are listening, here's 5 things you can do to knock out Blu-Ray for good so we can all finally start enjoying movies on HD:
1. Take advantage of HD-DVD+DVD Combo Disc Backwards Compatibility
I want a single HD format, but I'm even more selfish than that. I've got a million DVD players, and I kind of want to buy one disc that plays in everything. HD-DVD provides that! The ability to create HD-DVD+DVD Combo Discs is a huge advantage HD-DVD has for a short-term win. Unfortunately, the backwards compatibility goodness HD-DVD provides isn't being utilized.
Studios exclusive to HD-DVD should be required to release films in HD-DVD+DVD Combo Discs ONLY. Forget the standard DVD release and provide one SKU for retailers to stock. Even if we're watching it on our regular DVD player we HAVE the HD-DVD version, too. And the more HD-DVD discs we acquire, the more we'll want to buy a HD-DVD player.
PLUS, with only one SKU, retailers that have sided up on the Blu-Ray exclusive bandwagon have no choice but to stock the HD-DVD+DVD Combo Disc. It's that, or not carry the movie at all and lose sales.
For the consumers, HD-DVD+DVD Combo Discs are a bigger win. I have the flexibility to enjoy the film in HD on my home system, but also bring the same disc along in the car to play for the kids on the cheap-o portable DVD player. It's more convenient! It's the best of both worlds! We CAN have our cake and eat it, too!
2. Take Advantage of the Cost Savings While it Lasts
Why, oh why, is the same movie twice as expensive on HD-DVD than it is on regular DVD? One of the advantages HD-DVD claimed was that existing DVD productions lines can be cheaply converted to produce HD-DVD... so that can't be it. Don't studios master their work in HD, then convert it to standard def for DVD already? If so, then that can't be it either. Why the HUGE price premium?
Okay, it's business and you're there to make money. I get it. However, the sheer desire to roll in consumer's dough is a bit of a turn off for some, and is giving people enough reason to ignore the benefits these next-gen formats provide.
"It's another money grab by the big companies," says Daniel Malen, self-proclaimed TV addict and founder of the popular TV blog theTVaddict.com. "Sony, Toshiba and whomever else wants to further gouge consumers, get us to throw away our perfectly good DVD players and the thousands I've spent on TV on DVD... only to go out and buy the exact same stuff on the new High Def Version."
Daniel is not the only one who feels this way. The battle between companies has consumers caught in the crossfire, and while choice is typically a good thing for shoppers, this war is being waged with the hard earned cash of the typical consumer on the line.
HD-DVD has the opportunity to strike a one-two punch in favor of the we consumers, but the opportunity to be the price hero is diminishing daily. My advice: sell everything as a HD-DVD+DVD Combo Disc and sell it for the SAME price you would for regular DVD. Yes, you won't make as much money, but forego the short-term nickel and diming and hold out for the cash-cow of becoming the next-gen standard. You'll be rolling in it by then and still giving consumers a fair deal.
I (a cheapskate consumer) love the fact that HD-DVD players are relatively affordable. $200-$400 for a fully functional HD-DVD player isn't the problem. The fact of the matter is that DVD looks pretty darn good on an HDTV, and I can't justify the additional ten to fifteen bucks for the HD version, particularly if that disc doesn't work in every player I have.
Blu-Ray is getting cheaper. The what was once ungodly expensive Playstation 3 is getting more attractive with lower priced options. Standalone Blu-Ray players are not "wallet-crushing" anymore. However, there's still a ways for them to go to hit the ultra-low hardware prices of HD-DVD, and the opportunity to win the war on price is fading.
3. Get Hardware Prices Even Lower, and Enough with the 1080i Only Players
As I mentioned above, HD-DVD is relatively affordable, but it could be better. I don't expect to see $29 cheap-o HD-DVD players anytime soon, but it's high time we saw some players at the $99 range that aren't Black Friday limited closeout specials. And with Sony's latest $399 PS3 SKU, it's high time we saw that XBOX 360 HD-DVD add-on get a big price drop.
Then there's the "on paper perspective." I know both formats are capable of offering razor sharp 1080p images, but only some HD-DVD models offer that level of output. To most, 1080i and 1080p won't look any different, but it sure does make a difference on paper. Let's see 1080i go away for good and get a few $99 to $199 standalone 1080p HD-DVD players out there (you listening Toshiba?). You may not make money in the short term, but think of how much money you'll make if Blu-Ray becomes the next standard? I'll help you visualize: $0
4. Forget Crazy DRM
People want to rip a movie to their hard drive, transcode it, and load it onto their iPod or other portable player. From my research, Blu-Ray's DRM is stricter than HD-DVD, but let's make it so folks can easily move this glorious content around from device to device without hacks, headaches, or illegal software.
Don't want to allow folks to encode a movie in HD? Fine, make it easy for folks to encode a standard def version for portable digital devices, reserving HD only playback from the disc itself. You know what!? If it's all HD-DVD+DVD Combo Disc, there's already a standard def version ready to go.
5. Take a dominant position in the PC market.
Vista plays nice with HD-DVD, now let's just get some drives out there that are affordable. Let's also start to see some dual and triple layer writable HD-DVD discs for sale.
The maximum storage space differences between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are nil if 51GB triple layer HD-DVDs truly are in the pipeline. However, I'm more interested in seeing super-affordable 15GB and 30GB discs on my retailer's shelf in the short term. A single 25GB BD-R disc (at the time this was written) couldn't be found for less than $10 (a piece). However, I couldn't find a writable HD-DVD disc at all! Let's see some 10 packs of blank HD-DVD-Rs for a few bucks per disc and then we're talking.
HD For Everyone... Eventually
Movies in HD quality are something that most people want, but until this "VHS vs. Betamax - Round 2" is over, most consumers will sit comfortable with their regular DVD players. Let's face it, there's so little to differentiate the two formats, and so much competition from the current standard that getting folks to buy in will take lower prices and more incentive than ever. With HD-DVD's so far unplayed trump cards like backwards compatibility and lower priced hardware, they're in the best position to end the stalemate quickly. HD-DVD, can we finally see all your cards?
What do you think HD-DVD could do to win the war? Think Blu-Ray is the faster track to a single standard? Think both formats could co-exist peacefully? Post your thoughts below.
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