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"...there is lots here that reminds me of the old VHS vs betamax battle." - Excellent point.

Posted by Audiophilander on November 7, 2007 at 12:06:17:
That's an observation I've been making for quite awhile, and it doesn't surprise me in the least that HD-DVD has hit that magic under $100 mark. As I've noted several times, I have no dog in this hunt, ...but if Old Blu can't chase the price-point rabbit into the hole in order to compete with it's 'pup-start' rival, it'll be the pasture rather than the future. ;0)

>>> "I dont neeed to remind you the arguments then that said by Sony that betamax was a technically superior format. It was, too, but that didn't matter in the end." <<<

Astute observation. BTW, I chose VHS over Beta during that format war because I felt that SONY's Beta technology didn't have as much overall flexibility as VHS; also, Beta players and tapes cost more and provided less extended recording time (initially). Eventually Beta's flexibility and price point improved and both formats increased resolution that would eventually rival and surpass LD, but by that time Beta had become a niche consumer product focused more on industrial and media applications than mass acceptance.

IMO, format superiority is a very fluid thing, because what seems superior today may be bested by *ahem* 'out of the blue' technical advances tomorrow. The HD-DVD folks are already talking about the possibility of besting Blu-ray's gigabyte space availability through use of multiple layers and better encoding algorithm. If this breakthrough doesn't require new hardware it could remove any perceived Blu-ray advantage. In that regard, Ethernet port access for firmware updates is also a plus for HD-DVD.

So, besides the current gigabyte advantage, Blu-ray superiority seems to be limited to it's scratch resistant coating and uncompressed lossless sound. These are a plus no doubt, but the TDK Durabis coating is only available because the data layer is so close to the surface that Blu-ray discs wouldn't be robust enough for common user handling otherwise. The lossless sound has thus far been unimpressive because it apparently requires a special type of receiver to decode the lossless signal and so far few if any Blu-ray titles even supply lossless tracks. Also, it's arguable whether lossless packing will make much difference since other variables are involved (quality of amplification, speakers, etc.).

AuPh