Ok, so Warner has finally broken their stance and picked the one with the biggest attache case. So now that is said and done, in the words of Madonna as Evita, "where do we go from here?" Well, ideally we are all preparing now for a single format, namely Blu-ray.

For the most part the war is over, the empire has won, and the rebels are left to go back and re-strategize their next move. The Death Star did not get destroyed, and the laser is still operational. Reading over the many, many, many, many threads pertaining to this whole mess (and yes, it is a mess as far as I am concerned), there are still so many points of view out there that what is real and what is rumored still is unclear.

So far what is established is that Blu-ray has the clear advantage over HD-DVD. This is mostly due to the studio support that Blu-ray currently has, and the fact that the sales of the DVDs are better than that of HD-DVD. I do think its a foolish argument to say one is "better" than the other. To me that is like saying Daisan water is better than Arrowhead. Ultimately its the same thing, but who has the better marketing capacity? What started out as a technological achievement ended in a bitter dispute and ultimately a war of political tactics that hinged on religious fervor.

Hopefully to keep perspective, we still have to remember, its just technology that is being upgraded. Blu-ray suggests that by the end of 2008, over 10 million homes will have a Blu-ray player. This is based on the fact that, up till now, 3.5 million players have been sold. While this may be remarkable in itself, it might be worth noting that 3 million of those players were PS3's, which leaves about 500,000 as stand alone players. Why does this matter? It matters to the degree that the PS3 is a gaming device first, and a DVD player second. That the intention of buying one of these is probably less upon watching movies (although that is a bonus and would probably be an incentive), but more so you can play games. Again, this is sold to a younger group of people (even though games are being made for all ages nowadays).

You might get the feeling that I am chopping Blu-rays legs off a little bit, and you would be right to feel that. Because I am. I dont think its an inferior technology, or any less than HD-DVD, but I do feel that the ultimate move towards Blu-ray has less of the consumer in mind, and more of how it benefits the studio. Yes, of course, money is always a factor. But it goes further than that and it leads down the road of controlling intellectual property (watch the special features on the DVD of This Film is Not Yet Rated and there is are some interesting points made about this matter).

Blu-ray (now, I cant say that I have done all my research on this new technology, which I will get to momentarily), appears to have more restrictive capabilities than its counterpart HD-DVD and even the SD version. This is in part to the regional coding, which not all titles carry a code, but still a restriction. Blu-ray does have a higher capacity than HD-DVD, but that is something I believe was in the midst of changing with HD-DVD's 51 gb capacity disc. Ok, so regional coding is my only gripe.

Really, I just dont like Sony. They are a sneaky company that is not only greedy, but really want to keep the consumer at a distance from owning their products. If you remember in 2005 Sony released a virus onto peoples computers when they put select music CD's into their computers that was automatically downloaded without user consent. This is a big no-no in my book. Now, from what I read that some of the "features" that they want to include with Blu-ray, it all adds up to monitoring your internet activity, for both demographic purposes and security purposes. Eventually becoming an invasive technology that would prevent any sharing information. Maybe I am thinking too extreme, but thats what it appears to me where it could go. Again, as I said, this technology is less about the development of a format, and more about creating a product that is suitable for the coporations to protect their products. 

I think I am running off on a tangent here. Ok, back to the issue at hand. Where was I? Oh yes, the hi-def format. While the current market is up-in-arms with the unexpected Warner announcement, now we see the dominoes fall, as they should, with New Line, HBO and other companies to follow in their footsteps. It is at this point that many are waiting on pins and needles to see what Universal and Paramount's next move is. Will they stay red or turn blue in the face? Well, if they go blu, then at least the titles that have been discontinued, it is more than likely we shall see their return.

Let's say that all studios support Blu-ray. I still don't think the changes will be as quick as they are expecting them to be. There are still troves of people who have no idea about the HD format or what its about. Yeah, stores like Best Buy are really pushing it. But thats all scenery for the show, not the reality. Nevermind what all the experts are saying about the technology, they are the minority. The technology will speak for itself.

The fact remains that I still buy VHS. That there are more SD's being made and sold than HD. And, to top it off, to change over to HD is not just about buying a player, even if it is $99.99. You have to invest in a whole new living room. That is to say, a new TV, cords, cables, outlets and outputs, and sound system. Maybe not all at once, but basically just getting a player will not change anything. You will get whatever your current TV can output, which most people have the standard 450 lpi (is it lpi?). To me, that is an expensive investment to get my movies to be shown at super high quality. To top it all off, I have to buy all the movies again. And if you have intolerable neighbors who do not like loud noises vibrating their walls like I do, then you might not get to experience the full capacity of your new expensive system.

Also, the question about the smaller companies making HD versions of their movies. Can small companies like Severin, Synapse, Cult Epics of Suberversive afford the change over? I am not sure how expensive it is to make these DVDs, but its another remastering process that takes time thus money. They have trouble enough moving the movies they already invested in and to make them into high def versions seems like a difficult move. So will they be left behind in the hi-def world? Also, there are many movies which never even hit the SD market, so who is to say they will reach the HD market?

Bill Gates recently spoke at the CES conference and side-stepped the whole issue of HD-DVD or Blu-ray stuff, but decided to talk about downloadable movies and X-Box Live, a service for HD channeling. While I am inclined to think it will move in that direction as well, I am less satisfied with that idea than Blu-ray as I like to have and hold the movie. I like the packaging. I like the art work. I like the discs and all the little bells and whistles that goes with the DVD aspect. To me downloadable media is like the paperless society. Its a good idea, but will it really come to fruition? Actually, I really like the iTV which I feel is an underdeveloped technology, nor did it seem like it was promoted correctly for mass consumption. To me that whats X-Box Live is purporting to do, but again, it has studio support (Disney and MGM), so it will likely be the platform that will thrive from it. The iTV had all the right ideas, but not enough content to make it  the next cool Apple device.

Well, as it stands, my opinion is just that. Its a fact that hi-def is here and its a move towards better things, even if this is the step is has to go. I think SD will be around for quite a long time from now, even if HD begins to outsell it. Ultimately I am format neutral with a lean on the HD-DVD side, but as it goes, if you don't vote, it does not matter. I have waited and will continue to wait until its necessary for me to upgrade. In the future, it probably more than likely we will see Criterion on Blu-ray, and potentially even get their own cable station or something of a streaming/downloadable content channel. 

The reality is, I am looking at this technology, not only as a consumer, but also as a seller of DVD's. This website is dedicated to out of print DVD's and ultimately we (myself and a majority of those in the forum) examine and research the marketplace to offer hard to find DVD's at premium prices to those looking and buying. It's about creating a fine collection of DVD's that are of the choicest quality. No bootlegs or DVD-R's, only the premium Region 1 DVDs are selected. So my perspective, I guess, is more out of concern for the SD market than anything else.

The concern lies in the fact that now that the HD market is in full effect, there is that inevitability of the fate of the SD. Sure it will take time for the conversion to happen. Because HD is such a new market, collectible items will initially be scarcer, and, not to mention, render the SD's less desireable (unless they never make it to HD). Further, a downloadable environment would erradicate any potential of a third party market all together. And what if you cannot share your Blu-ray DVD because your player is already registered with that title with that particular DVD? Is that one of the restrictions of these new high security technologies? Can you not trade it? Can you not sell it? Can you not play it at your friends house? It would appear not. So you are more or less stuck with it. So a third party seller might go away with the SD's. So, that is where my true stance lies. I hope my fears are only fantasy and have no basis in reality. 

Comments and thoughts are welcome in our forum here.