View Full Version : Blu-Ray or HD-DVD
Synchro
26-07-2007, 7:43 AM
There are threads discussing this in different sections of the site, but none specific to PC's.
So, what are you thoughts?
I've just bought a Blu-Ray BDC-202 drive, so I'm sitting in the Blu-Ray camp, as I believe that its future is more secure. However, I am let down by Microsofts current dismissal of utilising Blu-Ray technology, which is a pain in a HD-HTPC environment :/
There are threads discussing this in different sections of the site, but none specific to PC's.
So, what are you thoughts?
I've just bought a Blu-Ray BDC-202 drive, so I'm sitting in the Blu-Ray camp, as I believe that its future is more sucure. However, I am let down by Microsofts current dismissal of utilising Blu-Ray technology, which is a pain in a HD-HTPC environment :/
I've got an HD-DVD drive in my HTPC and I'll be adding a Blu-ray drive shortly to give me the best of both worlds.
DrPepper
26-07-2007, 8:29 AM
If it wasn't for Microsofts 1080p/VC-1. sony would still be using mpeg 2.
Synchro
26-07-2007, 8:42 AM
There is also the fact of data storage to consider, if a PC is going to buy a writer, rather than just a reader. Although the popularity (and possible ultimate winner) of players, may indirectly decide the winning writer technology. So, the writing capabilities may not be enough to secure a winning format.
There are threads discussing this in different sections of the site, but none specific to PC's.
So, what are you thoughts?
I've just bought a Blu-Ray BDC-202 drive, so I'm sitting in the Blu-Ray camp, as I believe that its future is more secure. However, I am let down by Microsofts current dismissal of utilising Blu-Ray technology, which is a pain in a HD-HTPC environment :/
I think one of the primary reasons MS side with HD-DVD is because it's SONY that push blu-ray. If it was the other way round (and Tosh were pushing blu-ray), then MS would have launched an external blu-ray drive!
MS and Sony have a long running spat which manifests itself in ways like this. I personally agree that blu-ray has a better future than HD-DVD, and I've invested in a BDC-202 for my HTPC because of this. Rumour has it though, that if blu-ray wins through and HD-DVD becomes a distant memory, MS have external blu-ray drives in the labs ready to go.
While the 'war' is on, MS will push HD-DVD, but only if it's worth *their* while. They're not doing this to help Toshiba, more to spite Sony, unless there's some behind the scenes deal were not aware of.
pjclark1
27-07-2007, 2:28 PM
I think HD-DVD has the edge in PQ and menu functionality
but BluRay has easier playability and is more user friendly.
I can just drop a BluRay transport stream into media player classic and get instant screen grabs and playback on any graphics card.
HD-DVD is unplayable without the right graphics card and can only be played using PowerDVD ultra and getting screen grabs takes about 15 mins.
BluRay wins for ease of use/play/grab on a PC/laptop.
SeanT
23-08-2007, 12:14 PM
So can you play Bluray discs on a pc WITHOUT paying Cyberlink 50 quid for the privilege then? The only thing that has been putting me off buying a HD drive is having to buy software to play back with that is essentially still in development (most versions of PowerDVD that I have ever used should have "beta" written on them!)
pRot3us
23-08-2007, 4:00 PM
So can you play Bluray discs on a pc WITHOUT paying Cyberlink 50 quid for the privilege then? The only thing that has been putting me off buying a HD drive is having to buy software to play back with that is essentially still in development (most versions of PowerDVD that I have ever used should have "beta" written on them!)
PowerDVD Ultra 7.x is certainly not beta, its a great piece of software and well worth the cash. :smashin:
There are no issues playing HD DVDs :)
I'm gonna sit on the bleedin fence for a few more weeks, having read the Universal / Paramount threads, unless I can get an Xbox HDDVD player to have a fiddle with for like 50 quid :)
doshim
24-08-2007, 1:46 PM
Slightly off topic but....
Has anyone managed to get hold of the LG-GGW 10HN COMBO BLU RAY/HD DVD DRIVE? Quite exspensive at the moment. Thinking of getting one for my next PC Build. All i need know is a sound card that is capable of decoding DOLBY TRUE HD AND DTS MASTER AUDIO and sending it via hdmi!! I think i might be in for a long wait!!
I have a Sony Vaio blu-ray laptop and am using Roxio's Easy Cd Creator with it. It works easy peasy and is great for creating blu-ray video discs that play on your PS3.
Data storage-wise being 25 and 50 GB blu-ray obviously has the advantage here, and it has been great to store all 5000 of my MP3's on one 25GB blu-ray disc. Personally I think that blu-ray is better than HD-DVD for PC's just due to the higher storage allowances.
The downside though is that BD discs are bleedin' expensive and I personally wouldn't buy a BD burner as an add-on to a pre-existing PC. Reason being is that the BD burning software is in its infancy and can be very buggy. While the preinstalled burning software works fine on my Vaio, other programs I've tried such as Nero have crashed. So be warned! :lesson:
ducattigezzer
25-08-2007, 1:00 PM
as doshim mentions wait for the combo drives to come out then you can have the best of both worlds.
as for microsoft if they were going to back HD-DVD all the way don't you think they would have put the HD-DVD drive in the x-box 360 elite????
hutch.
25-08-2007, 6:26 PM
as for microsoft if they were going to back HD-DVD all the way don't you think they would have put the HD-DVD drive in the x-box 360 elite????
Erm, no, before you go making silly statements its usually best to do some research first.
stu.artd
26-08-2007, 12:12 AM
as for microsoft if they were going to back HD-DVD all the way don't you think they would have put the HD-DVD drive in the x-box 360 elite????
They're saving that for the XBox 360 Ultimate :devil:
I'm still sitting on the fence. I have a XPS M1710 with bluray drive and have connected the X360 HD drive to my desktop PC. Power DVD Ultra plays HD material back well on both systems.
I have had no issues at all when using Nero 7 along with a BD-RE disc in my laptop.
That's not sitting on the fence, you've already bought both! I'm truly format neutral, I haven't bought either of them :rotfl:
badbob
26-08-2007, 4:28 PM
The studio /film specific format is stupid. It's like games consoles, you can't buy certain games on the other console. At this rate both formats will fail.
From Highlander "There can only be one" and LOTR "One format to rule them all" :)
I will not buy one, at least until a multi-region combo player is available. It would have to output multi-channel HD audio to the 5.1 analogue outputs as well.
Synchro
29-08-2007, 10:33 AM
That's not sitting on the fence, you've already bought both! I'm truly format neutral, I haven't bought either of them :rotfl:
Rather than sitting on the fence it sounds like he has one leg on each side of the fence. :god: :eek: :rotfl: sounds painful
SeanT
29-08-2007, 11:34 AM
Either that or he has very long legs :)
OK, so someone just splashed out on an SD-H802 (or whatever the model number is) on ebay - a ton plus 6 quid post - hope it works!!!
OK, so someone just splashed out on an SD-H802 (or whatever the model number is) on ebay - a ton plus 6 quid post - hope it works!!!
They're only £106 brand new.
Where from, couldn't find it for less than £127 posted?
Where from, couldn't find it for less than £127 posted?
http://lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?prodID=B75140
£118.72, they must have gone up in price.
AIstudio
30-08-2007, 8:21 AM
Hi all,
Well I think that I will make my side of the fence quite open.
HD :thumbsup:
The only thing that blue ray has, in my eyes, is a fancy name and a larger storage. Most of the big guns have signed to HD now, including the porn industry. That to me is the deal breaker for Blue Ray.
The HD format has loads of interactive features that Blue ray does not.
I think that anyone thinking that Blue ray have won already, is making a mistake!
I got that spiel when I walked into a certain Hi Fi specialist the other week.
He was trying to say that Blue Ray had already won it. Whilst I was waiting to be served I was listening the spiel that he was telling a customer. He should be up for an award for the rubbish that he was touting lol :rotfl:
The big problem with software at the moment is the audio. The new audio formats are downmixed in power DVD before they get to drivers etc
Kev
DaveH
30-08-2007, 10:18 AM
I'm in the process of getting a HTPC and am going to get both a blu-ray drive and a HD-DVD drive.
Am I right in thinking that the profile 1.1 issue of Blu-ray is not an issue on a PC based system because the software can/will produce the extra video feature of PIP via upgrades in the future? Or am I mistaken?
tinners
30-08-2007, 12:44 PM
Am in the BR camp myself, purely because I didnt want an external HDDVD drive and the BR drive was cheap-ish.
For info theres an interesting section in a recent AVF podcast about the format war.
One thing I am very disappointed with is the availability of discs. Hopefully this also will get better. Also I am now slightly concerned over the Paramount announcement but hey ho such is the life of an early adopter.
raptor_demon
30-08-2007, 2:52 PM
I too am waiting on drives,
Personally i find them still too expensive,
i rember paying 200quid for an hp-cdr it burned at 4x and i has seperate reader just so i wouldnt wear it out. by the time it died u could get a dvd burner for 30quid....
I'm also concerned about how it will work in my Pc....
I have a 3.2ghz p4 prescott with 1gb of ram and a 7600gs connected to a 46" samsung m86 so im expecting HDCP issues with the 7600gs.
Has anyone seen any Hd-dvd titles for rental? i have seen blu-ray but never hd-dvd?
Raptor
pjclark1
30-08-2007, 3:59 PM
I have a 3.2ghz p4 prescott with 1gb of ram and a 7600gs
You don't have enough processor/graphics power for the new MPEG-4 AVC encoded Blu-Rays anyway.
Now watching Harry Potter on HD-DVD - fantastic, wish I'd done it sooner!
tinners
31-08-2007, 11:28 PM
Has anyone seen any Hd-dvd titles for rental? i have seen blu-ray but never hd-dvd?
Lovefilm have both for rental.
KelvinS1965
08-09-2007, 12:28 PM
Has anyone seen any Hd-dvd titles for rental? i have seen blu-ray but never hd-dvd?
Raptor
Oddly, blockbuster's online rental service does both, but in the shop you can only get BlueRay rentals. Hence I'm starting with a BlueRay internal drive first and then I might get the XBox external drive later, to cover both bases. I prefer to go into the shop rather than faffing about with posting stuff back. Given the cost of buying either format, I think I'll be renting for the time being, whereas DVDs are now so cheap I buy them.