mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Eight months ago, we looked at the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray format war through the lens of the Netflix Top 10 in each category. At that time, Million Dollar Baby topped the HD DVD charts, and Crash led the way in Blu-ray.
The charts look very much the same today.
1. Crash; 2. Mr. & Mrs. Smith; 3. Million Dollar Baby; 4. Finding Neverland; 5. The Da Vinci Code; 6. Syriana; 7. Click; 8. Hitch; 9. The Devil Wears Prada; 10. Failure to Launch
1. Million Dollar Baby; 2. Ray; 3. Syriana; 4. Failure to Launch; 5. The Break-Up; 6. Batman Begins; 7. Firewall; 8. The Lake House; 9. Rumor Has It; 10. Ocean’s Twelve
I don’t know a single person with either a Blu-ray disc player or its HD DVD rival. Anyone want to come to the defense of either format?
See you around Christmas with another update.
Comments (11)
Comment
I don’t have a horse in this race, but any format that has ‘The Lake House’ in it’s top ten is doomed.
My wife, a lover of all chick-flicks and especially ones starring Sandra Bullock, has the ability to like even the shallowest plot if it contains a romantic thread. Even she thought ‘The Lake House’ was irrational nonsense.
posted by n2y2 on 4-24-2007 at 11:57 am
ok i have a ps3 b/c i am a gamer - it has a blue ray player built in - not as good as the $2k stand alone system/player that I have watched as well - I can attest that the blue ray player is crisp and clean and is slightly better then watching in HD. But slightly may not be worth the extra money. I love Sony and the idea is great - again the cost to purchase the movies is too high for the general consumer when comp. are avail for almost half in standard format or $10 less for HD.
I hope it doesn’t flop either way - I am waiting for Planet Earth to come out in BluRay.
posted by mike czuk on 4-24-2007 at 12:48 pm
not seen what HD DVD looks like but I do have a blu ray player (in the form of a PS3) and with that we got casino royale and x men 3 for free. I have to say theres a hella difference between blu ray and dvd. It looks a lot sharper and it all looks fantastic. Although some thing are not for Hi def. We rented Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy and the bit when they bring earth to life is fantastic but the guy that plays the lead (I forget his name) looks horrendous. You can see every imperfection and on a 42″ screen it can be quite daunting to look at.
posted by Megan on 4-24-2007 at 1:02 pm
– but I do have a blu ray player (in the form of a PS3) —
Blu Ray is Sony’s baby, and they want to make sure they get a chunk (albeit small) of every movie that is sold by owning the format. They still feel a real burn from losing that VHS/Beta war, so they’re always looking to be the owner of the next big format (which is why they put out their own form factors, like the ‘memory stick’)
From what I know the blu ray player jacked up the price of the PS3 a lot, but they thought it was worth it to get players of the format in homes.
posted by EV on 4-24-2007 at 2:42 pm
Companies such as LG already make players that play both and they are also making discs that format for both. It may not matter at the end of the day.
posted by Ben on 4-24-2007 at 3:20 pm
I work for a high end home theater installer, and we are in deep with the Blu-Ray vs HD players. Until very recently we didn’t sell either, but LG (as previously mentioned) has a dual format player- it will not do audio CDs (according to our rep) It retails for about $1,000-$1,200. Not worth it in my opinion, but hey I just install the things. So far, with the five or so we have installed, there have been no complaints- but there is always tomorrow.
If you want to know which one will win in the end, look to the adult film industry. Ultimately, in the old VHS/BETA war, they were the ones who pretty much determined the direction when they went to VHS.
posted by Charlie on 4-24-2007 at 4:26 pm
the porn industry picked HD DVD.
game over.
posted by moonablaze on 4-24-2007 at 4:35 pm
Wal-Mart also picked HD-DVD.
Double game over.
At least, it has been rumored by slashdot, engadget, and many other sites that Wal-Mart picked up a big stock of HD-DVD players.
I have an HD-DVD player and really enjoy it. I’m pulling for the HD-DVD format because I think it’s a better value and because of my early bias toward HD-DVD movies (the early HD-DVDs blew the early Blu-Rays out of the water for picture quality).
I’m sure I’ll get a Blu-Ray player one day in the form of a PS3. But, until the PS3 gets some games to make it worth the pricetag, I’ll stick with my Wii and two 360s.
posted by Anthony on 4-24-2007 at 4:49 pm
For all those saying “Game Over” on HD-DVD….I’m pretty sure its the complete opposite. Blu-Ray is actually destroying HD-DVD in sales, and looking to win this format war. Not too rain on anyone’s parade I like both formats but I don’t think HD-DVD is going to last for much longer.
Oh yes, of course, the proof silly me…
www.engadget.com/2007/04/23/blu-ray-disc-one-million-served/
posted by Jaramillo on 4-24-2007 at 8:01 pm
I don’t care who wins as long as I can play my old DVDs on it.
In the long run, it not just a matter of what format has better releases, or what industry or retailer adopts what format… it comes down to manufacturing cost of the player and cost to the customer. That what really ended up killing Beta over VHS… it was a combination of available titles and the fact that VHS players ended up being cheaper to purchase than Beta.
Keep watching the price. If one side can significantly reduce their manufacturing costs and the price of their player, a lot of holdouts will end up purchasing the cheaper player… regardless of which format has the better picture quality.
There’s my two cents.
posted by Jason! on 4-25-2007 at 9:51 am
everybody keeps bringing up the porn thing with vcr/beta war, but i dont think it really has any weight in this format war. it doesnt matter which format the porn industry picks anymore. times were different in the 80s, video cassettes were the only way to get it, now there is this little think called ‘the internet’ and anyone can get their porn that way.
so, in my opinion, i dont think porn will decide this format war at all.
that being said, i do think hd dvd will win. think about it: has sony ever created a format that has won? betamax, umd, memory sticks, etc. what ever format sony makes, i will automatically choose the other option, i just look at their track record.
posted by bibbyroo on 4-25-2007 at 1:08 pm