My dad says the DVD is dying, and we should make way for HD-DVD and Blu-ray, should we?

Question

I don't think the DVD is dying at all, because the vast majority of movies today are in DVD format. And the last I heard most consumers aren't completely sure which new format will win the "war" as they put it.

Answer 1

No its not. VHS is still out there even. DVD will be around for a long time.



The only people saying DVD is dead are the Blu-ray people, and product movers like Best Buy. Where this information would help them. I am not buying just yet.

Answer 2

Consider this: Even though DVD came out over 15 years ago, movies on VHS were still available up until just a few years ago - almost 25 years after VHS first appeared on the consumer market. If HD-DVD/Blu-Ray follows the same pattern, that means we'll still see new stuff on DVD well into the next decade. In short, DVD isn't going anywhere.



Also, DVD isn't going to be under any real threat until the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war is decided. Even if you have a HDTV (and over 80% of the market doesn't) it's still too risky to go choosing one format over the other. Ask your dad about the VHS vs. Betamax 'war' that happend back in the '80s. Never heard of Betamax? It was an early competitor to VHS. When VHS won out, there were still a lot of people with Betamax players who had to buy VHS players if they wanted to watch newer movies.



The HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war will last at least another year, maybe longer. Personally, even though I have a HDTV - and a large one at that - I'm quite happy with my plain old regular DVDs, and my upscaling DVD player. I get near-HD quality without the hassle of expensive new equipment, discs, or the worries that I've bought the "wrong" format.



Even many journalists who specialize in high-end home theater admit that HD-DVD and Blu-Ray offer little to customers now, and may never really go mainstream due higher prices, smaller movie selection, and only slight improvements over regular DVD. There's a good chance that HD-DVD/Blu-Ray will become the next "LaserDisc" - popular with home theater afficianados, but virtually ignored by the mass market.

Answer 3

Higher cost of both player & media for Blu-ray & HD-DVD will keep both formats out of the hands of most buyers.



DVD is successfull because of the wide availability at more than reasonable prices. Plus the added quality and ease of use.



DVD was a considerable improvement over VHS. The newer HiDef DVD's are better... but doesn't offer the same value.



More than likely all 3 formats will co-exist for many years. And more "Universal" players will become available. As prices of these start to drop, people will jump on the bandwagon.

Answer 4

I think many people have hesitated to invest in one or the other, for good reason, and have been reading the expert speculations instead. Combo devices are finally starting to drop in price enough that I'm ready to recommend them. Most people know that DVDs will be heading out sooner or later, but were afraid to guess wrong about the next gen. So, they bought the new TV, and hesitated. Expensive early units are fine for wealthy early adopters, but they weren't going to replace DVDs. The combos can roll the next gen out into the mainstream much faster.



I recommend buying devices that can use CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD.

CDs - they may be older, and lacking in storage space, but everyone still uses them, and there are no indications they'll be replaced anytime soon.

DVDs - are likely to carry on at least as long as CDs, if not longer. This doesn't mean that smart buyers will be buying DVDs forever, I'm expecting them to head towards the discount rack like tapes, somtime in the next couple of years. Like tapes, most people will keep playing their old ones, and bargain hunters will buy new ones.

HD-DVD - will probably become quite common, assuming they aim to be the affordable, easy option. It's easy to create combo hardware, which does CDs, DVDs, and HD-DVDs.

Blu-ray - may become fairly common, the hardware's available and dropping in price. Blu-ray is often considered higher quality, which may help a great deal with early adoption.



By the way, if your dad's thinking about buying just a plain blu-ray player this fall, there was a changeover originally scheduled for this November "Profile 1.0" and "Profile 1.1". It will probably take 2008 for the next generation players to actually come out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc

Answer 5

Well, you never know. Both the HD DVD and Blu-Ray could go crashing down. I say stick with the DVD. I agree with you.

Answer 6

10 years ago the vast majority of movies were on VHS...

One of those technologies will win, but I would wait until that happens.