Gamers are pioneering high-def movie players

PALGN News | Do you own an Xbox 360 HD DVD player or PS3?

According to an article on Joystiq, consoles are making up over half the amount of high-definition movies players purchased by consumers.

First up, a Microsoft representative has revealed that over 155,000 units of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on player has been sold in the US alone. Not only does that make it the system's top selling peripheral device, it's also 55,000 more units that standalone HD DVD players which sold 100,000 units in the US in April, according to the HD DVD Promotional Group.

The PlayStation 3, having a Blu-ray player built into the system, obviously has an advantage over standalone players given it's sold millions across the globe. In North America, it currently sits above the one million mark with Business Week stating that standalone Blu-ray players have sold "less than 100,000" which is a similar figure to the HD DVD players.

We're almost certain the debate over which technology is superior will be sparked by this news in our forums, but for the meantime, it's looking like gamers are the ones who adapting to the new technologies the fastest.

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23 Comments

sephiaya

4 years ago

Until there is a major difference between HD movies and upscaled dvd's i am not fussed..

Not worth paying $40+ for a movie that looks only slightly better than dvd upscaled.

Crestfallen

4 years ago

sephiaya wrote

Until there is a major difference between HD movies and upscaled dvd's i am not fussed..

what do you mean until? This isn't computer graphics which will improve over time. Native HD res images look better than upscaled ones. More pixels in original source = more detail. Fin.

sephiaya

4 years ago

Yes but it is like dvd.

The first quality dvd's were **** in comparisons to new ones (cameras, and the actual method used to convert the film into that format)

So untill the difference is getting close to vhs-dvd i will not waste my money (unless the blu-ray/hd-dvd movies drop to the dvd prices, then i will buy them)

Crestfallen

4 years ago

Quote

The first quality dvd's were s*** in comparisons to new ones (cameras, and the actual method used to convert the film into that format)

Yeah I don't think thats true. The cameras used to capture films have always been HD capable ones (the reason why old films can be released on Bluray). And I doubt new encoding algorithms will improve the picture by that much.

Sunrider

4 years ago

The main reason I converted to DVD was because I was sick of brand new VHS tapes having lines across the video, not because of video quality. (Chapters were neat too!)

I picked up the HD-DVD add on for my 360 mainly because it was only $250 - which isn't much to jump on board the new technology.

Gutsman Heavy

4 years ago

HD-DVD, cheap imports FTW

admeister

4 years ago

Well, this news is no surprise, what would else would you expect with PS3s having built in Blu-Ray players? Of course that's where most of the sales are going to be. Nobody can say this wasn't a good move by Sony, they've effectively sold two products at once when you buy a PS3, a games console and a player. However, this is a mutual benefit on the whole, since the consumer gets the advantages of both.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft tries to hold up their side of the fort with an optional, moderately pricey add-on for their console. People like choice, but when it comes to getting the sales, well, Sony have shown us something I think. Sure, "shoving" Blu-Ray down our throats isn't the best practice, but its certainly worked.

sephiaya

4 years ago

But crest the actual quality, and re-release of early blu-ray/hd-dvd films will be better within the next few years.

That is the main reasons i did not rush to buy a player. Just doesn't do much for me atm. (though i seriously considered getting a blu-ray player for rocky 1-6 and rambo) LOL

ittekimasu

4 years ago

hmmm well it'll be interesting to see which format will win in the long run. even though its a little bothersom that the 360 has to be apart of an add on, and i doubt its built into the elite either.

Adeptus

4 years ago

PS3's are more common than standalone BluRay Players? Oh my what a surprise!

Last I checked, some places are selling PS3's for slightly less than BluRay players...

I'm waiting for the "format wars" to be settled before I jump in to the new technology... don't want a next-gen Beta VCR...

Itachi

4 years ago

If blue ray wins i hope to hell someone released a region free player seriously. I can't commit to a format that puts in region locks it's crazy. For now i am supporting HD DVD for that single reason. Region free ftw. As you can tell i hate waiting with a passion

brad_sickness

4 years ago

The kind of movies I like are very unlikely to get HD releases anytime soon... if ever.

Though I got a PS3, I'm more about HD gaming rather than HD movies... so still, I'm supporting HD.

admeister

4 years ago

Sylar wrote

Don't forget that Blu-Ray isn't just a movie format. PS3 games are on Blu-Ray, and they are all region free. Meanwhile you say that you can't commit to a format that puts in region locks, yet you have an X360, which does just that (on most games) using the DVD format. Also, some Blu-Ray movies are region free. Region locking has always been a big part of DVD (which is the most used format), so your statement doesn't make sense. However, region free players are fairly easy to come by nowadays.

poweroffarts

4 years ago

admeister wrote

Sylar wrote

Don't forget that Blu-Ray isn't just a movie format. PS3 gams are on Blu-Ray, and they are all region free. Meanwhile you say that you can't commit to a format that puts in region locks, yet you have an X360, which does just that (on most games) using the DVD format. Also, some Blu-Ray movies are region free. Region locking has always been a big part of DVD (which is the most used format), so your statement doesn't make sense. However, region free players are fairly easy to come by nowadays.

Sorry his comment does make sense. DVD has not been region free, blu-ray is not. HD-DVD is region free. DVD players with region free function can brought, so comment above wants the same for blu-ray.

Second point Video games have nothing to do with movie industry. If xbox has HD-DVD and has console region locking, it doesnt change the fact HD-DVD are region free.

ittekimasu

4 years ago

^i think thats what he was getting at. while ad's right about how some movies are reigon free and that games on the ps3 are reigon free which is a big bonus to gamers who can't wait. i'm more than sure for that the winning format there will eventually be a reigon free player.

Itachi

4 years ago

All i am tring to say is i hate region locking HD DVD is different they have come out and saying we have not region lock hence i will save money/time by importing. I should of reworded it sorry my english is not so good

However if blue ray wins than i will wait till they release a region free player just like i did with dvd. hehe

Jellyfish

4 years ago

Actually, you might wanna try ringing up the technical support for the Blu-Ray player and request the region unlock method. If they don't you can take them to the consumer watchdog as region encoding is against Australian law (or something like that).

Gtpod

4 years ago

If I'm gonna be going HD, I'll get a blu-ray drive for my PC; won't be for a while though, they're about £1k at the moment. I suppose it'd be cheaper to get an alright HDTV and a PS3...

Crestfallen

4 years ago

GTPod wrote

If I'm gonna be going HD, I'll get a blu-ray drive for my PC; won't be for a while though, they're about £1k at the moment. I suppose it'd be cheaper to get an alright HDTV and a PS3...

Really? I can grab one for $AU 500. The main problem though is the $40 empty BD-ROM discs.

I wouldn't use my PC as movie hub. I like lounge rooms.

poweroffarts

4 years ago

GTPod wrote

If I'm gonna be going HD, I'll get a blu-ray drive for my PC; won't be for a while though, they're about £1k at the moment. I suppose it'd be cheaper to get an alright HDTV and a PS3...

I think they're about £600 for a burner so simple drive shouldnt be as pricey.

Gtpod

4 years ago

crestfallen wrote

I wouldn't use my PC as movie hub. I like lounge rooms.

My computer room's the most lounge-like one in the house... there's a sofa right behind a 22" 16:10 screen, so it's quite cool for watching movies in Vista Media Center.

Certainly better than the crappy TV in my living room...

Thanks for the heads-up about the cheaper prices though, I shall be keeping an eye on them...

Nova Prime

4 years ago

crestfallen wrote

Quote

The first quality dvd's were s*** in comparisons to new ones (cameras, and the actual method used to convert the film into that format)

Actually it is true. Check out the Blade Runner (and Reservoir Dogs if memory serves) comparison shots on IGNDVD, there's quite a difference between some of those earliest releases and later ones. And you don't think camera and film quality have improved at all over the years? They really, really have.

Skiller

4 years ago

sephiaya wrote

Until there is a major difference between HD movies and upscaled dvd's i am not fussed..

Not worth paying $40+ for a movie that looks only slightly better than dvd upscaled.

Man you must be watching the wrong blu-ray movies, Casino Royale was done really well and the quality difference between it and normal dvds really was like the diff from vhs to dvd. I'm hesitent to go to cinimas to see movies now because the quality of Casino Royale shat all over any cinima I've ever been to and I like to watch movies in the best quality available the first time.

However I have a 42" 1080p TV connected to my PS3 over HDMI, anything less than that and I can definatally see there being quality issues, especially since until recently the PS3 didn't do blu-ray at 720p and basically outputted a upscaled dvd quality image (which may have been what you saw?).

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