DieselsDen

Not if CED and Beta make their guaranteed comeback.

Mr. Cinema

You sound like a robot spouting off bitrate numbers. I thought most people just watched the movie, but I guess not. I guess there has to be some sort of meter reading going on.

splattii2

That's great. New Line delivers a controversial transfer for Pan's, but offers a great transfer to a film on par with Gigli.

GreenMonkey

I can't believe people sit through a movie with a bitrate meter going.

In the different comparisons I've seen the only differences between the BD and HD-DVD are pixel-sized and detectable only on a paused screen. And no one has shown they can reliably pick out the a blu-ray encoded version vs the HD encoded version as on better or the other. The difference is generally so tiny it is likely indistinguishable to the human eye.

For that matter on a blind test over on AVS forum the blu folks picked the HD-DVD version on one of the blind tests, apparently.

bunkaroo

It's nice that Shoot 'Em Up has what appears to be bitrates that exceed what HD DVD can do, but the real test will be if/when the HD DVD counterpart comes out and they are compared side by side.

If New Line can pull off an encode on HD DVD that looks identical to the Blu-Ray, then that's obviously a big deal. Conversely, if the lower bandwidth truly affects the what the best PQ possible is on the HD DVD, even marginally (but noticeably), it may be the first time accomplished reviewers can definitively state one format offered better quality than the other due to specs.

Should be "interesting" to see....

Mr. Cinema

Did anyone ever notice big differences between all the Paramount dual releases with separate encodes?

xfilekr

Shoot 'em up is so much better than Gigli....

RichC2

Pan's is controversial to purists, it's otherwise an amazing transfer that is being bashed sight unseen by people. It's one of the better looking HD Transfers out there.

Shoot 'em up is a much better film than Gigli, I get where you're coming from but they're in two totally different leagues.

dsa_shea

It would be stupid for WB to go HD-Dvd only. The bottom line is that there is nowhere near the pieces of hardware capable of playings HD-Dvds out there as there are Blu-Ray players. I hope they stay neutral but if they decide to stick with one camp their money should bet on Blu-Ray.

bunkaroo

I seem to recall reading reviews for Flags Of Our Fathers and Shooter giving the slightest edge to the BD for a tad more sharpness. Of course don't take that as gospel, but that is what my memory is telling me.

Also, I would think a lot of the earlier Paramount BD's may have been on BD-25, so it's possible capacity came into play on those Blu-Ray's.

I am not a bitrate checker, so I don't know what the peak bitrates on some of the later Paramount BD's were.

Maxflier

But doesn't WB have a stake in HD DVD? If so then they have more to gain in the long-term by HD DVD winning the format war rather than Blu-Ray, which i'm sure many people feel it would do if WB went exclusive.

bunkaroo

I wonder, would WB stand to make more from typical sales revenues if Blu-Ray dominates than they would off of HD DVD only sales revenues + royalty money in a stalemate?

Does WB get any money from HD DVD hardware sales?

RockStrongo

I think that rumor of Disney going neutral is as valid as any rumor.

stingermck

I have a bitrate meter in my eyes. 3 settings; looks bad, average, or excellent.

Qui Gon Jim

Again, the number of capable decks is irrelevant without the inclusion of the number of titles people purchase per deck. Otherwise, VHS would still be a viable format.

BD diehards LOVE to leave off this vital piece of info. It is only half the picture.

mmconhea

Watching a movie with the bitrate meter on is like dressing up as a a Ferengi to watch Star Trek.

bunkaroo

Sure is - totally awesome.

edstein

"Once you have their money, never give it back." - Anonymous Ferengi

dsa_shea

But the fact is that people who own the hardware could at any time begin purchasing the software for it. I bought my PS3 originally for game play and didn't buy my first Blu-Ray movie until about a month later. I'm sorry to say but as this year progresses I think you will see more PS3 owners using their systems for more than just gaming. This will happen even moreso as manufacturers crank out cheaper and cheaper high def sets. Consumers will want to take full advantage of their purchase and their already owned PS3/Blu-Ray will allow them to do so. The bottom line is that HD-Dvd doesn't sell near the number of players even after slashing prices and nearly giving them away. I like both formats but if I had to prefer I would go with Blu-Ray since I have no playback issues with them so far and I see that there is still plenty of improvement that can be made with the offered disc capacity.

applesandrice

Many people who own a pair of tennis shoes will never take up tennis, either.

edstein

I think you give J6P too much credit. Most PS3 owners use their systems for games. J6P doesn't know that their PS3 plays movies, much less BD's. How many PS2 owners used that system to watch DVD's, not too many I think.

Qui Gon Jim

A predictable retort.
It has ALWAYS been about what COULD happen with Blu-Ray. This is not a sound counter-argument. Let's talk about the right now. RIGHT NOW Blu-Ray has a lead in number of installed units. RIGHT NOW Blu-Ray has the lead in software sales. RIGHT NOW HD DVD has a far better attach rate. Those are facts, like them or not. In this case, the attach rate is DEFINITELY a factor in whatever WB's decision is. If they don't think that sales of the pS3 are enough to maintain a profit by selling BD discs, then they will jump. These companies have no loyalty to anything but money.

Now if we want to live in the world of potential, where you say that all of a sudden PS3 owners start buying BDs like crazy, you ALSO have to acknowledge that there is the POTENTIAL that HD DVD player sales skyrocket, and disc sales tip overwhelmingly in the favor of HD DVD.

I reiterate: Any talk of sales numbers HAS to include the installed base, discs sold, and the comparison of those two numbers to be valid in any way.

Mr. Cinema

So when more games come out, movie purchases from PS3 owners will increase? They'll be able to buy $60 games and $30 movies? If I was a movie studio, I'm not sure I want the vast majority of BD machines to also be able to play video games. Not only would they be competing with other movie studios for sales, but they would be competing with video games as well. Maybe that's why Warner Brothers said movie formats shouldn't be dependent on a game console.

slop101

Not only does Pan's HDdvd transfer look great to me, it's been getting great reviews too.

Adam Tyner

Heavy DNR removing pretty much every trace of film grain. I haven't seen the HD DVD or Blu-ray with my own two eyes, though, so I can't comment myself. The airing on Cinemax-HD a couple months back was plenty grainy, so I'd assume that to be part of the film's aesthetic.