My experience earlier this week in updating my XA1 HD DVD player to the new 2.1 firmware which made the HDMI>DVI connection to my display almost unusable got me to re-thinking the whole HD DVD / Blu-ray debate, and lead me to looking at different equipment options for my Home Theater (HT) system.
I first decided to go with HD DVD in early May last year for two main reasons:
1- The first generation HD DVD players from Toshiba required no upgrades to my HT.
2- Early reviews of the HD DVD players praised them for being some of the best upconverting players out there.
My HT display is a Sony KDP-57WS550 - a 57" CRT rear projection HDTV, supporting 480i/480p/720p/1080i resolutions, with built in ATSC tuner. It has two component inputs, and one HDCP compliant DVI input. I bought it in Sept. 2004. It was my first HDTV purchase. I'd been following HDTV and done quite a bit of research. With its inputs, I felt I was "future proofing" for several years, and even bought a 4 yr. extended warranty. It fit in perfectly with my other equipment - a two year old (at the time) Sony 5.1 A/V receiver with digital optical & coax inputs, plus 5.1 analog inputs. My Level 2 Home Theater Direct speakers always sound good.
I was blown away by cable HD, and even more impressed when I added an antenna for over-the-air HD broadcast. Unknown to me, when Cox Cable Las Vegas installed the HD set top box, they only connected RCA 2 channel stereo jacks, so I wasn't getting 5.1 surround sound. Then I bought a Denon upconverting player, and my DVD's never looked so good. I thought I was set.
:
Then Blu-ray & HD DVD came along. I was going to set this one out. I'm not an "early adapter" - first HDTV wasn't until 2004; waited until 2001 for my first DVD player. Blu-ray had it all - more studio backing, more CE manufacturer support. And, with a Sony HDTV & receiver, I'm obviously not a Sony hater. But then the reviews of first BD movies came out looking less than spectacular, while the HD DVD releases were praised. The first Samsung BD player was largely scorned, while the first generation Toshiba HD DVD players were praised. So, I looked more closely at HD DVD. Their HDMI video output was compatible with my TV's DVI input with a converter cable. In addition to the HDMI audio output, all the first generation players supported 5.1 analog output. And with built in decoders for the new HD audio formats, I could enjoy HD audio on my perfectly good now 5 yr. old receiver. And the DVD upconversion quality was important to me. Even if all of my DVD collection magically came out in HD in the first few years, I couldn't afford to replace them all.
So, I went with the XA1, and have been very, very pleased with its performance, and with the quality of HD DVD movies. Until I upgraded to the newly released firmware. Toshiba apparently tried to make it more compatible with HDCP standards, and with my HDCP compliant DVI connection, the only way I could get a display from the player was to "break" the HDCP connection by powering off my display, or using my HDMI switcher away from the XA1 input. Then the player would display "no HDMI link" and stop. Then switch back to the connection and press Play. Then my screen would flicker for a few seconds while the player negotiated a HDCP "handshake", and then finally start playing & displaying the HD DVD, happily content the precious content was fully protected.
So, then I started considering and evaluating new HT equipment. I quickly decided against a new HDTV with HDMI. I want at least a 55" display for the size of my HT room, and if I'm going to upgrade, I might as well go with 1080p. LCD or Plasma that size are out of my budget. DLP is still high for my budget. And, I'm stubborn. My current display is more than adequate for Dish Network "HD Lite", works perfectly with OTA HD broadcasts, still works perfectly & I have 1 1/2 years left on the warranty.
Then I read in AVS forums that if you have a "full fledged" HDMI device - like a HDMI receiver that is not just a "pass through", that the HD DVD player just sees that HDMI HDCP compliant device, and is happy. So then I started looking a HDMI A/V receivers. What a nightmare! Does it support HDMI 1.0, 2.0, 2.01, 3.0? Does it support 1080p? Most seem to require a connected HDMI output an HDMI display to play the HDMI audio, and it can be hit or miss if the different receivers consider HDCP compliant DVI connections as fully compliant. No thanks! Besides the $400 - $1000 & up expense, I'm not going to upgrade my receiver until all these HDMI / HDCP standards are more standardized. Besides, my now 6 yr. old receiver works just fine - when it doesn't have to deal with this HDMI / HDCP crap.
Well, all's well that ends well. I was able to downgrade my XA1 to the previous firmware with the disk sent previously by Toshiba, and it's once again happy with my crappy old DVI connection.
And, I hope all this wasn't too long winded. But, it all got my thinking. No wonder both Blu-ray and HD DVD combined continue to be a small, niche market. In my opinion, you need at least a 40" or larger display to appreciate the difference in quality over standard DVD. And it needs to be at least 1080i, 1080p is better. And it needs to have HDMI to avoid problems like mine. And then you need to have an HDMI receiver, and pray that it likes your display. The least expensive BD player, the PS3, only has HDMI output for multi channel audio. And of course it doesn't support DVD upconversion, so you need another upconverting DVD player to enjoy your DVD collection at its highest quality. But then to, the 2nd generation HD DVD players have all dropped analog outputs, except for the high end XA2. I think the higher end BD players also have analog audio outputs. But then, anyone going for the high end model of either format probably already has an HDMI receiver. It's the average Joe who doesn't have the necessary equipment to enjoy BD/ HD DVD, and sure as hell doesn't understand all the complexities of HDMI / HDCP.
I'll close this long winded rant with one example. I had two friends staying with me recently while they moved here & got a place of their own. They were so impressed with my HDTV / HD DVD system they promptly went out to Wal Mart and bought themselves a new HDTV for their new house. They called me & asked me to come check it out, as they didn't think it looked nearly as good as mine. I get there; it's a 27" Sanyo LCD, with "HDTV" boldly labeled on the front. I had to go online to check the specs. Yep, only 720p. But worse, the newly installed Dish Network receiver was only standard def, so the standard def screen was stretched to fill the screen. They didn't know enough to tell Dish that they needed an HD receiver, Dish didn't bother to ask, and the installer didn't bother to point it out. Now they're fighting with Dish on the upgrade charge. And I told them them not to bother with an HD DVD - they really wouldn't be able to appreciate the difference on that display. They'd be better of going back to Wal Mart and get a $69 upconverting player.
Long winded story short: I think Katzenberg was right - both Blu-ray & HD DVD will continue to be niche markets, with neither making significant inroads in the next couple of years. :up
I first decided to go with HD DVD in early May last year for two main reasons:
1- The first generation HD DVD players from Toshiba required no upgrades to my HT.
2- Early reviews of the HD DVD players praised them for being some of the best upconverting players out there.
My HT display is a Sony KDP-57WS550 - a 57" CRT rear projection HDTV, supporting 480i/480p/720p/1080i resolutions, with built in ATSC tuner. It has two component inputs, and one HDCP compliant DVI input. I bought it in Sept. 2004. It was my first HDTV purchase. I'd been following HDTV and done quite a bit of research. With its inputs, I felt I was "future proofing" for several years, and even bought a 4 yr. extended warranty. It fit in perfectly with my other equipment - a two year old (at the time) Sony 5.1 A/V receiver with digital optical & coax inputs, plus 5.1 analog inputs. My Level 2 Home Theater Direct speakers always sound good.
I was blown away by cable HD, and even more impressed when I added an antenna for over-the-air HD broadcast. Unknown to me, when Cox Cable Las Vegas installed the HD set top box, they only connected RCA 2 channel stereo jacks, so I wasn't getting 5.1 surround sound. Then I bought a Denon upconverting player, and my DVD's never looked so good. I thought I was set.
: Then Blu-ray & HD DVD came along. I was going to set this one out. I'm not an "early adapter" - first HDTV wasn't until 2004; waited until 2001 for my first DVD player. Blu-ray had it all - more studio backing, more CE manufacturer support. And, with a Sony HDTV & receiver, I'm obviously not a Sony hater. But then the reviews of first BD movies came out looking less than spectacular, while the HD DVD releases were praised. The first Samsung BD player was largely scorned, while the first generation Toshiba HD DVD players were praised. So, I looked more closely at HD DVD. Their HDMI video output was compatible with my TV's DVI input with a converter cable. In addition to the HDMI audio output, all the first generation players supported 5.1 analog output. And with built in decoders for the new HD audio formats, I could enjoy HD audio on my perfectly good now 5 yr. old receiver. And the DVD upconversion quality was important to me. Even if all of my DVD collection magically came out in HD in the first few years, I couldn't afford to replace them all.
So, I went with the XA1, and have been very, very pleased with its performance, and with the quality of HD DVD movies. Until I upgraded to the newly released firmware. Toshiba apparently tried to make it more compatible with HDCP standards, and with my HDCP compliant DVI connection, the only way I could get a display from the player was to "break" the HDCP connection by powering off my display, or using my HDMI switcher away from the XA1 input. Then the player would display "no HDMI link" and stop. Then switch back to the connection and press Play. Then my screen would flicker for a few seconds while the player negotiated a HDCP "handshake", and then finally start playing & displaying the HD DVD, happily content the precious content was fully protected.
So, then I started considering and evaluating new HT equipment. I quickly decided against a new HDTV with HDMI. I want at least a 55" display for the size of my HT room, and if I'm going to upgrade, I might as well go with 1080p. LCD or Plasma that size are out of my budget. DLP is still high for my budget. And, I'm stubborn. My current display is more than adequate for Dish Network "HD Lite", works perfectly with OTA HD broadcasts, still works perfectly & I have 1 1/2 years left on the warranty.
Then I read in AVS forums that if you have a "full fledged" HDMI device - like a HDMI receiver that is not just a "pass through", that the HD DVD player just sees that HDMI HDCP compliant device, and is happy. So then I started looking a HDMI A/V receivers. What a nightmare! Does it support HDMI 1.0, 2.0, 2.01, 3.0? Does it support 1080p? Most seem to require a connected HDMI output an HDMI display to play the HDMI audio, and it can be hit or miss if the different receivers consider HDCP compliant DVI connections as fully compliant. No thanks! Besides the $400 - $1000 & up expense, I'm not going to upgrade my receiver until all these HDMI / HDCP standards are more standardized. Besides, my now 6 yr. old receiver works just fine - when it doesn't have to deal with this HDMI / HDCP crap.
Well, all's well that ends well. I was able to downgrade my XA1 to the previous firmware with the disk sent previously by Toshiba, and it's once again happy with my crappy old DVI connection.
And, I hope all this wasn't too long winded. But, it all got my thinking. No wonder both Blu-ray and HD DVD combined continue to be a small, niche market. In my opinion, you need at least a 40" or larger display to appreciate the difference in quality over standard DVD. And it needs to be at least 1080i, 1080p is better. And it needs to have HDMI to avoid problems like mine. And then you need to have an HDMI receiver, and pray that it likes your display. The least expensive BD player, the PS3, only has HDMI output for multi channel audio. And of course it doesn't support DVD upconversion, so you need another upconverting DVD player to enjoy your DVD collection at its highest quality. But then to, the 2nd generation HD DVD players have all dropped analog outputs, except for the high end XA2. I think the higher end BD players also have analog audio outputs. But then, anyone going for the high end model of either format probably already has an HDMI receiver. It's the average Joe who doesn't have the necessary equipment to enjoy BD/ HD DVD, and sure as hell doesn't understand all the complexities of HDMI / HDCP.
I'll close this long winded rant with one example. I had two friends staying with me recently while they moved here & got a place of their own. They were so impressed with my HDTV / HD DVD system they promptly went out to Wal Mart and bought themselves a new HDTV for their new house. They called me & asked me to come check it out, as they didn't think it looked nearly as good as mine. I get there; it's a 27" Sanyo LCD, with "HDTV" boldly labeled on the front. I had to go online to check the specs. Yep, only 720p. But worse, the newly installed Dish Network receiver was only standard def, so the standard def screen was stretched to fill the screen. They didn't know enough to tell Dish that they needed an HD receiver, Dish didn't bother to ask, and the installer didn't bother to point it out. Now they're fighting with Dish on the upgrade charge. And I told them them not to bother with an HD DVD - they really wouldn't be able to appreciate the difference on that display. They'd be better of going back to Wal Mart and get a $69 upconverting player.
Long winded story short: I think Katzenberg was right - both Blu-ray & HD DVD will continue to be niche markets, with neither making significant inroads in the next couple of years. :up
