And the winner is.........

[69Mustang]

Netflix battles Apple by eliminating online-watching limits | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone

I saw this today about Netflix, Apple movie. With Macworld coming up this week I'm sure there will be more buzz about online movies.

 

[diogen]

From the linked article:

With all of these recent developments looking so promising, someone is going to have to break
the news to Sony that all of this fuss over Blu-ray isn't going to matter in a year or two.

Deja vu anybody?
MP3 was not only worse than DVD-A/SACD, it was even inferior to CD.
But it has beaten the high resolution audio formats hands down...

Diogen.

 

[Zookster]

Unfortunately their selection is quite limited (6,000+ available online vs. 90,000 on disk).

My cable service is also now even offering HD ON Demand, but there again, the selection is extremely limited. Neither of those services have curtailed my viewing of movies on disk, be it BD or DVD. In fact, just last month I upgraded my Netflix service to have more out at a time. I know I'm not J6P, but selection is important to me.

 

[ONUOsFan]

From the linked article:



Deja vu anybody?
MP3 was not only worse than DVD-A/SACD, it was even inferior to CD.
But it has beaten the high resolution audio formats hands down...

Diogen.

Of course, most people aren't so concerned with taking their HD movies on their arm while riding their bike or jogging, in the car, on their computer (I said MOST PEOPLE) or any of the multitude of other places they listen to music. Music is a lot more about convenience - I think there's much more desire for quality when it comes to movies.

Then again, I could be wrong - there are plenty of people I know who watch SD channels all the time just because they're afraid they might see black bars on the HD ones...

 

[diogen]

...taking their HD movies on their arm while riding their bike or jogging...

Was MP3 high resolution?
That is the irony: a definitely low resolution audio standard beat the hell out of two high resolution ones...

...Music is a lot more about convenience - I think there's much more desire for quality when it comes to movies.

We would have to wait for Apple sales report...

What is also ironic, the very service Microsoft was accused of planning to use to kill hidef optical - downloads -
is left, front and center in a BDA board member strategy that hasn't released a single BD drive or player - Apple.

And not a peep from the BD faithful....

Diogen.

 

[ONUOsFan]

Was MP3 high resolution?

Obviously not, but that was my point (maybe not very well stated): convenience and portability are much bigger factors in music, where quality would take a higher place of importance in movies.... again, just my opinion.

 

[69Mustang]

Blockbuster, Netflix now challenged by iTunes movie rental - MarketWatch

The one good thing about all of this is competition. And because of it there will/should be lower costs and more choices to us the consumer and hopefully better PQ and sound. At least I'm told that's how it works in a perfect world.

 

[allargon]

I thought Apple was firmly in the Blu camp with their buddies Disney and Sony.

 

[r.jones1116]

Blockbuster, Netflix now challenged by iTunes movie rental - MarketWatch

The one good thing about all of this is competition. And because of it there will/should be lower costs and more choices to us the consumer and hopefully better PQ and sound. At least I'm told that's how it works in a perfect world.

Some one better tell Blockbuster. They have had two price increases in 4 months.
I guess it really doesn't matter, they'll be history in a year or two.

 

[teamerickson]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray

By Steve Bliss -- Video Business, 1/11/2008

I was a little surprised by Warner’s decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray Disc, but there is no question about its motives.

Ten years ago, WHV led the charge to launch the DVD format, advancing an aggressive release schedule while its other major studio counterparts were dragging their heels and hedging their bets.

Fast-forward to 2007, and it’s the same story, as Warner is releasing the most titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD while its competition once again shuffles its feet and spends most of its time bickering in the trade press.

WHV even went so far as to begin development on a “Total HD” format that would work on all players, in the process so horrifying boosters in both high-def DVD camps that they convinced major retailers to shun this notion.

Finally, Warner threw up its hands and said OK, we’ll go exclusive with Blu-ray if that’s what it takes to keep both formats from becoming the next laserdisc.

So let’s review the history of this “format war”:

1. HD DVD players have been cheaper than Blu-ray players since launch, by a wide margin until recently.
2. All HD DVD discs have worked on all HD DVD players since launch, in stark contrast to a dismal record of bugginess and incompatibility with Blu-ray discs.
3. Only HD DVD offers the benefit of HD DVD on one side of a disc and standard DVD on the other side, meaning consumers can play the same DVD on different DVD players in their homes without having to purchase the same movie twice.
4. HD DVD has offered picture-in-picture special features and Web-enabled special features since launch, while Blu-ray owners who wish to enjoy these features on future Blu-ray discs will have to scrap the player they already own and buy a new one.
5. HD DVD is far less expensive to produce than Blu-ray, making it economically feasible for smaller and independent labels to release on HD DVD and ensuring a wider variety and selection of titles.

Gosh, it seems pretty obvious that the big winner for consumers is . . . BLU-RAY???

Our industry better be careful about ignoring the needs of its consumers.

That can get to be a bad habit.

We might want to ask our friends in the recorded music industry how that worked out for them.

Steve Bliss

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray - 1/11/2008 - Video Business

 

[db2]

FWIW, Bill Hunt's take on movie downloads vs. HDM:

"Everyone is certainly going to push downloads, but think of it this way... after all these years of talking about MP3 and music downloading, the record industry is hoping - HOPING mind you - that downloading will get to represent 10% of all music sales by 2010. And video files present a much bigger problem due to filesize, bandwith, etc. So downloading still has a long way to go."

 

[jwfgeol]

I just saw this article on CNN. I don't think it's been posted here, yet.

Could Apple TV win format war? - CNN.com

 

[Zookster]

Interesting. 1000 movies on Apple TV are already more than are available on BD. But no mention of whether they are in HD and how long one has access to the downloaded movie rental.

At this point, I'd have to say this is more of a threat to Netflix, Blockbuster, and cable/sat PPV
or On Demand services.

 

[meStevo]

It's too early for a download only pay per movie delivery system to win. What is needed is some kind of Netflix/Blockbuster like buffet service, where you can have x titles on your device for x per month. Paying $6 everytime I want to watch a HD movie, even one I've seen before, is not appealing. Perhaps 'diminishing returns' on costs would be a step closer to that, if you've rented it before, subsequent rentals are only $1. Nobody is doing anything like that yet, but would help get some over the hump and into that type of service IMO.

In the absence of the above, people want to hold it in their hands, they want to own a physical object that they have purchased.

I think my fiance has watched Transformers once a week since we got the movie on SD DVD.

 

[Sean Mota]

TvWeek has an interested article today. Comcast is getting ready to increase their ON DEMAND library to 6000 with half of those in HD.

Apple, Comcast Push HD Movie Services
As Sony and Toshiba responded to Warner Bros.' recent decision to exclusively back Sony's Blu-ray high-definition DVD player format, Comcast...