Blockbuster to focus on Blu-ray

[Osiris]

This is definatley a blow to the HD-DVD fans out there.


Film rental firm Blockbuster is to rent high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray format at 1,450 US stores. The move is viewed as a blow for the rival Toshiba-backed HD DVD format - which has been battling against the Blu-ray format, supported by Sony.

Blockbuster said that consumers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD in the 250 stores where both were available.

The limited choice of titles in the HD DVD format was also a factor in focusing on Blu-ray, Blockbuster said.

"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbusters, told the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Smith added that most studios were offering films on Blu-ray, with the exception of Universal which has been supplying films on HD DVD alone.

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group said Blockbuster's move was short sighted, and had been prompted by the success of films released exclusively in the Blu-ray format in early 2007 such as Casino Royale and Spider Man.

"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.

The HD DVD format will still be available at Blockbuster in 250 of its stores as well as via the internet.

[Hollywood]

Not to mention, Blu-ray sounds cooler than HD DVD and the boxes are cooler too. Blu-ray ftw!

[TRAXX]

From a technical aspect, which one IS better?

I wasnt old enough to remember but pops says when Beta and VHS were battling, Beta was the better (clearer picture) technology, but lost due to the length of recording.

[Cartman]

from the demo's I have seen the hd dvd has a better picture, couldn't tell if one had better sound or not. but the picture on the blue ray was like looking at SD when side by side to a HD dvd

[Roliath]

As someone who has had both for around 3 months. I choose to stay with HD-DVD, mainly because sound/picture quality were better than blu-ray.
AND blu-ray movies are NOT all equal, meaning the quality from BR disc to disc varies (alot sometimes!).
This blockbuster shit disappoints me, Blu-Ray from my experience is sub-par to HD-DVD.

[line-em-up]

As someone who has had both for around 3 months. I choose to stay with HD-DVD, mainly because sound/picture quality were better than blu-ray.
AND blu-ray movies are NOT all equal, meaning the quality from BR disc to disc varies (alot sometimes!).
This blockbuster shit disappoints me, Blu-Ray from my experience is sub-par to HD-DVD.

How does hd dvd compare to OTA HD quality. Saturday, ABC broadcast Pirates of the Caribbian, and the OTA looked a lot better than the standard DVD.

[Roliath]

I only have one HD "movie" channel, HBO.
I have the FIOS HD package whatever that is, but that HD is about on par on the movies I have if not better. But I think it looks amazing due to the scenery since i'm watching more and more of the Nature shows in HD which look down right gorgeous.

[line-em-up]

I only have one HD "movie" channel, HBO.
I have the FIOS HD package whatever that is, but that HD is about on par on the movies I have if not better. But I think it looks amazing due to the scenery since i'm watching more and more of the Nature shows in HD which look down right gorgeous.

I got my first HDTV in February and I've just about gotten the picture adjusted perfectly. I find it hard to turn the tv off because the picture is so intoxicating. :o

[Roliath]

yeah i got my TV calibrated, two inputs and it took a long while to get that done.
But man it was soo worth it, DiscHD/NgcHD are like "the" channels my tv is always on now.

[line-em-up]

yeah i got my TV calibrated, two inputs and it took a long while to get that done.
But man it was soo worth it, DiscHD/NgcHD are like "the" channels my tv is always on now.

How much does it cost? I only found one guy here in the Dallas area, but I live in Ennis. So, it would have cost extra per mile.

[Hollywood]

I haven't seen either one. I'm only going by who has the cooler name. but I want to recant my allegiance despite that. If blockbuster is supporting Blu-Ray, then it must suck. HD DVD for the win!

[Roliath]

How much does it cost? I only found one guy here in the Dallas area, but I live in Ennis. So, it would have cost extra per mile.
It was pricey, but my uncle knew a friend from work who did this on the side. He came from fort worth to my home in garland and it was worth the money, beer, and pizza :-)
Gears of War never looked soo prettay!

[line-em-up]

If you have his info, I'd like to give him a call to get a quote.

[Roliath]

My uncle doesn't work there anymore, and this was done a few months ago.
So I highly doubt I can get his number but i'll ask, there's someone on the board that does it though.

[line-em-up]

My uncle doesn't work there anymore, and this was done a few months ago.
So I highly doubt I can get his number but i'll ask, there's someone on the board that does it though.

Thanks for your help.

[Grant]

I got my first HDTV in February and I've just about gotten the picture adjusted perfectly. I find it hard to turn the tv off because the picture is so intoxicating. :o

Read www.avsforum.com other users might already have your TV and had it calibrated and share how they were setup.

If you want to try it yourself and have a regular or HD-DVD, this isn't too bad - http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5055125?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

You can get it for $22.99 in the store.

As far as the Blockbuster supporting Blu-ray, that's not really a surprise. My only question is who really goes to Blockbuster? They've pissed off so many of their customers, that I don't see this being a big revenue driver. They have a limited selection of both in very select stores right now. (I think only 5-6 stores in the DFW area have them and it's about 2:1 for blu-rays. It's still cheaper to just go through netflix with a bigger selection.

Most people who bought HD-DVD players got free trials of netflix, which helped seed them there. I don't think this will really hurt HD-DVD that much. As far as picture quality, it really depends on your setup, they both look great, on great setups and they both are pretty much more capable than about 80% of TV's out right now, unless your TV has HDMI 1.3, which barely any do right now.

[Craizie]

Correct me if im wrong but. I thought HD-DVD's were were 1080i, as where blue ray was 1080p.

[Grant]

Correct me if im wrong but. I thought HD-DVD's were were 1080i, as where blue ray was 1080p.

You're wrong.

Originally when HD-DVD's were launched, the media was in 1080p, however the toshiba and rca's (launch HD-DVD players) were 1080i. Shortly after that, a bunch of native HD-DVD players came out that do native 1080p.

[KOZMO]

You can get a calibration done at best buy. I wouldn't use just a "calibration disc" to calibrate your tv. All you can do with that is change whats called front page settings. You go to your menu, change color, sat, contrast, bright, etc...

An actual TV calibration is done using high tech equipment with sensors and what not. He actually goes into the service part of the TV, and changes CUT OFFS. Brightness settings from the factory are crazy high, as well as blue levels (the easiest color of the spectrum for humans to see). When they turn that up they have to up the RED and GREEN as well. The guy will show you what he is doing while he is doing it, so you know your money is well spent. I do work at best buy and didn't use to try to sell the calibrations because I thought they were a waste of money.

Needless to say, after the demo, I sold about 10 that week.

They are indeed a bit expensive ($300) but there are pro's to it besides the great picture.

He used the metaphor of a car running at red line. This should very well make your TV possibly last 2-5 years longer. I good investment for plasma users.

ALL TV's need CALIBRATION!!! DLP projectors are the worse as far as Blue and Brightness levels.

[Grant]

You can get a calibration done at best buy. I wouldn't use just a "calibration disc" to calibrate your tv. All you can do with that is change whats called front page settings. You go to your menu, change color, sat, contrast, bright, etc...

While I agree it's not the 'best' thing to do, it's certainly not the worst either. It's better than having nothing done.

As far as paying best buy $300+, you can get your own equipment and learn how to do it yourself for around $150-$300. Here's an example of the tool that I used, with pretty good luck on both of my DLP and Plasma. My Plasma didn't need near as much changes as my DLP did.

http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/monitor-accessories/m/10908281/

Kozmo - Are the 'pros' that best buy uses in-house employees or do you contract them out?

[KOZMO]

Kozmo - Are the 'pros' that best buy uses in-house employees or do you contract them out?

They are Magnolia pro's at the one in Hurst. All the home theater is done by them unless you get the most basic TV delivery. Which are in house delivery people, the same peeps that will deliver your washer or fridge.

As for Calibrations, its only one guy that does them at Hurst, and thats ALL he does . He does some in Oklahoma, Waco, and surrounding areas too. I was told there wasn't too many people that actually do this the correct way in Texas.

The item you have a link to will still not allow you to go in the Service menu and adjust cut offs. (If you did this yourself you would void the warranty) You are still just using front page settings.

[Grant]

The item you have a link to will still not allow you to go in the Service menu and adjust cut offs. (If you did this yourself you would void the warranty) You are still just using front page settings.


You are using a colorimeter though, which does make quite a bit of difference. Have you ever used one before? There are programs that you can download on a laptop to do the changes you're speaking about, which also involves using a colorimeter. Callibration is still subjective for the most part, it's really about whatever the end-user sees as most appealing.

[line-em-up]

You are using a colorimeter though, which does make quite a bit of difference. Have you ever used one before? There are programs that you can download on a laptop to do the changes you're speaking about, which also involves using a colorimeter. Callibration is still subjective for the most part, it's really about whatever the end-user sees as most appealing.

It's the same way with music. You can adjust a perfect frequency response, but ultimately it's up to the listener's ears.

I have looked at the SpyderTV before, but there seems to be so many bad reviews, I'm not sure I want to spend the money on something when I can't adjust the internal settings. Maybe if I could get someone to go in halves on one, it would be easier to decide.

[Mustangman_2000]

i think hd dvd is a better format.

they both offer great quality, but there are differences.

the blu ray discs do offer a greater theoretical capacity over hd dvd.

blu ray discs are a tad more expensive to manufacture.

blu ray has a significant backing. they have more studios behind them vs. hd dvd.

at the end of the day they both play high definition video + multichannel soundtrack. i like hd dvd because they are a hair cheaper and look awesome.

[Grant]

i think hd dvd is a better format.

they both offer great quality, but there are differences.

the blu ray discs do offer a greater theoretical capacity over hd dvd.

blu ray discs are a tad more expensive to manufacture.

blu ray has a significant backing. they have more studios behind them vs. hd dvd.

at the end of the day they both play high definition video + multichannel soundtrack. i like hd dvd because they are a hair cheaper and look awesome.

Actually, I tend to like HD-DVD a little better as well, but lately Blu-ray's have been cheaper than HD-DVD's, nearly anywhere you go locally. I'm sure it will level out at some point, right now it's just not really economical for the average person to buy blu-ray/hd-dvd's with the availability of netflix/blockbuster rentals.

[staticX]

They are Magnolia pro's at the one in Hurst. All the home theater is done by them unless you get the most basic TV delivery. Which are in house delivery people, the same peeps that will deliver your washer or fridge.

As for Calibrations, its only one guy that does them at Hurst, and thats ALL he does . He does some in Oklahoma, Waco, and surrounding areas too. I was told there wasn't too many people that actually do this the correct way in Texas.

The item you have a link to will still not allow you to go in the Service menu and adjust cut offs. (If you did this yourself you would void the warranty) You are still just using front page settings.


I didn't know you could get someone to calibrate a TV, Mines pretty clear but would like to have it Calibrated.