Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD: I Win!

I recently purchased a Playstation 3 mostly for the use of the Blu-Ray disc player in my home theater. I was impressed by the first couple movies I watched, but wasn't taken aback with amazement; although, after watching a couple movies in Blu-Ray, then watching a regular DVD again, I can really notice a difference.

All in all, I am happy with Blu-Ray and look forward to watching more movies on the format. At the time I was buying the PS3, I was also trying to score one of those sub-$100 Toshiba HD-DVD players. I didn't get it, but I'll be seriously looking for one soon. The reason: I simply don't think either format is going to "win", and I think we'll need both players if we ever want to go beyond the realm of DVD.

Frankly, that last statement may be the problem with this entire format "war" in the first place; the problem isn't Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD; it's them vs. DVD. I'm not sure that most people will go beyond DVD. I asked my wife if she noticed a difference after watching the Blu-Ray and DVD movies - she thought the Blu-Ray was a little better, but it didn't affect her viewing experience. So do we really think that the people out there who think they're watching high-def television simply because they have a new widescreen LCD TV are really going to switch to formats that offer little strong advantages over its predecessor? That's hard to say.

DVD had a clear advantage, even to the average consumer, over VHS. Superior picture, superior sound, the ability to jump to any scene, and a familiar disc format (looked like a CD). The only thing that held people back for a while was that you couldn't record like VHS. The Tivo helped eliminate that problem, and cheaper prices for players and movies established DVD.

What are the new format's advantages over DVD? Better picture and better sound (if you have the right setup), but it's not as significant as the difference that DVD had over VHS. Special interactive features are touted, but I don't think this will have much effect. Initially, the extras on a DVD were a great selling point - but now they've lost most of their luster. People buy a DVD for the movie, not the features.

Will the recent price cuts of players have an effect? Sure they will. The sub-$100 HD-DVD players are big, as is the new $400 PS3. But the cost of the movies themselves are going to be the deciding factor. Notice I said the cost, and not just the movies - since most studios are strictly behind one format or the other, that's not going to be the main factor. Transformers may arrive on HD-DVD and sell a bunch of copies, but then Spiderman 3 comes out on Blu-Ray; it will even itself out in the end, no matter what the numbers are that the backers tout. No, the real factor is the price: many new releases arrive at Best Buy or Circuit City at around $15 for the DVD - are many people really going to shell out twice as much for the high-def equivalent? I don't think so.

I have a pretty decent DVD collection, but I don't feel like I've been screwed because my movies are being re-released on the new, better formats. That's how technology works. But I do know that I'll never be buying a movie at $30 a pop - $20 for a DVD was always a stretch for me. Yes, the prices will come down, but I won't be buying up movies left and right. Part of it is simply because I haven't bought many movies in a while; the other part is that I've discovered Netflix. There is no price difference between renting a movie in DVD, HD-DVD, or Blu-ray format on Netflix, and that was a major selling point for me in joining the service and looking to buy the high-def players. Are brick-and-mortar rental stores the same way?

Regardless, it comes down to the purchase price of the movies. One of the reasons why digital movie rental services haven't quite caught on is because people like buying an actual disc - it's why the CD is still alive today.

I don't believe that this format war will go the way of VHS vs. Betamax; I think we're going to be stuck with having two players in our entertainment center. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - competition will help drive prices down considerably. While it might be confusing, the dual formats may actually be better for the consumer. I'm not sure that I'd call that a "win", but it's not a "loss" either.