If you can't decide get something that plays hd dvd, blu ray and dvd. It's known as super blu and lg has the first player.
http://us.lge.com/superblu/
ive already got blu ray so..:yahoo:
Stay away until a final decision has been made on where the industry is going to go.
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;194365Stay away until a final decision has been made on where the industry is going to go.
same oppinion
Quote from: Gorion;194375same oppinion
Ditto :)
My bet is on Blu-Ray, it's bigger and back by all Sony's force (as well as the PS3 getting them into houses). But I'm not getting fooled twice. In the +/- wars I went out and got a + for around £120 and then Dual format comes out, since both were still available I didn't mind too much, then damn dual layer comes out.
My guess is even if Blu-Ray does win in about a year there will be dual layer ones come out so if you're looking for a burner steer clear for now and buy an external HDD. As far as video players go I can't see going wrong with a combi-player. (Though the longer you wait the more features for less money you'll get).
On a similar note, but marginally off-topic:
Let's not upset all the people who bought an HD TV and now find that the little HDMI socket on the back is now obsolete as HDMI 1.3 arrives in October..... :devil:
TL.
Thought this may be of interest. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/115802/blockbuster-backs-bluray.html
Damn, seriously? Lame, £650 well spent, (it still makes a good 32" monitor with it's DVI port).
I assume they're not going to get rid of the hundereds of thousands of people with HDTVs from their potential market straight away so it'll be a good few years yet though. I thought they'd agreed not to implement changes till 2012?
for me storage is hard drives all the way now wherever possible. For work internet (VPN etc) accessible network drives are handy so long as I don't need instant access to the whole of a large file. Disks are used as they are perceived as having the tightest security wrt copy-protection, and are a simle method of distributing large chunks of data. Steam may have it's issues but IMO it's a great way to manage software purchases. No disks to lose, no manuals/packaging to recycly/chuck. We can already stream pretty good quality films over wires (eg cable TV) so why can't that go disk-free too? Just need a wider selection of films.
sure disks will still be in circulation for some time, but until Blu-ray / HD-DVD drive prices fall to the region where DVD-RW drives have been for the past few years... :)
...having said that it's probably only a matter of time before I give in and purchase a console of one type or another ;)
That's pretty much exactly my opinion Monkey :)
I wouldnt be so sure on blue ray. Hddvd has the advantage of being able to be manufactured on only lightly modified dvd machinery. Blu ray needs to have entirely new factories.
Quote from: T-Bag;194403My bet is on Blu-Ray, it's bigger and back by all Sony's force (as well as the PS3 getting them into houses). But I'm not getting fooled twice. In the +/- wars I went out and got a + for around £120 and then Dual format comes out, since both were still available I didn't mind too much, then damn dual layer comes out.
My guess is even if Blu-Ray does win in about a year there will be dual layer ones come out so if you're looking for a burner steer clear for now and buy an external HDD. As far as video players go I can't see going wrong with a combi-player. (Though the longer you wait the more features for less money you'll get).
I wouldnt be to sure of that, some of the biggest movie distributors, Universal, MGM and the US adult entertainment industry seems to be backing more and more towards HD DvD... due to the fact hd dvd's are much cheaper to manufacture, and the possible increase in storage is higher then on bluray disks..
and when this battle is finally over, we will prolly see a new kind of media underway... for example i heard a chinese firm just complete their first 100% working prototypes of a 1.5Tb disks.. that would prolly beat HD DvD and Bluray off the market quite fast :)
For example the Japanese firm Optware has already had holo cards and readers out in japan (industry only tho) since last yeah, 30Gig on a credit card size "disk", and a 1 holo card costs apperently around 1$ a piece :) technology just needs 1-1½ more years of development to achive a data rate transfer speed high enough to beat HD-DvD and bluray on that point ^^
Big plus for the Optware cards are tho, mechanical parts are limited compared to a CD/DVD/HD-dvd/bluray drives, which means longer lifetime for the disks! i would love that, then i wont have to buy new Starcraft disks each 6 months as i wear em down! :D
These my thoughts, not saying that either HD DvD or Bluray are crap, good concepts both of em.. just my 2 cents of wisdow (think i fried the rest of my brain)
i just came accross a news that i wanted to share http://www.dvddossier.com/2007/07/a2-toshiba-hd-d.html
i want a HD-DVD for 99$ that would mostly add for HD-DVD sales to go up up and away... to bad it seems just to happen in the US. :crying:
I'm still of the opinion that Blu-Ray is taking off. The studios (-porn industry apparently) support it more (only major one studio is exclusive HD).
Plus the name seems to have stuck more if you listen to the press. I'm not buying yet though, not for a long while, and wouldn't recomend anyone does yeat till it's been settled properly with all studios releasing on one or the other.
Quote from: T-Bag;197889I'm still of the opinion that Blu-Ray is taking off. The studios (-porn industry apparently) support it more (only major one studio is exclusive HD).
Plus the name seems to have stuck more if you listen to the press. I'm not buying yet though, not for a long while, and wouldn't recomend anyone does yeat till it's been settled properly with all studios releasing on one or the other.
Love your point :D and out of context even more :D made me giggle, my mind has a life of it's own.. :g:
but serious: a HD-DVD player for 99$ would be like omg and allmost cheaper than my crappy dvd player :woot2:
I went in a local blockbuster and i could only find blu ray discs to rent. I hope blu ray wins though. Imagine 50gb on a disk :P
imagine this http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20050608/105586/050608_hvc1.jpg
just with 30 times the amount of that card :P
After the Blu Ray/HD battle it's probably going to be a battle for the format which govens the flash memory which is the next battle. SD, Micro SD, Compact flash etc. I can't see it being to long till flash drives are big enough and cheap enough to replace optical media. Oh the joys of replacing expensive computer components regularly.
Any update on this? what to buy? I haven't been in the loop and is part of a present that might be either or...
Recent news in this sector seems to be that combi drives will soon be out for the pc. So fingers crossed for a Christmas release :).
Quote from: GhostMjr;210865Recent news in this sector seems to be that combi drives will soon be out for the pc. So fingers crossed for a Christmas release :).
Cheers, will try and spot one of those
I think i saw somewhere LG would have some ready for late november, just in time for the christmas sales ;)
I would wait and see until the porn industry decides what format to use. We know from the VHS/Betamax/Video2000 war back in the 80s that VHS won because of the porn industry. Even though both Betamax and Video 2000 were superior products in every aspect.
Also, is HD or Bluray the next format? Considering the sizes of flash memories and their falling prices they really need to pick up the pace.
The porn industry seems to be settling on HD dvd, and sounds like MS is settling for that now also, because of its low manufacturing cost compared to Bluray.
Tho i agree with sadako, HD dvd and Bluray might end up loosing both, if they dont start kicking up the progress or they will be left behind by Flashmemory chips or cards like the Optware holo cards..
Quote from: delanvital;194399Ditto :)
tritto :D
Quote from: Dr Sadako;210887I would wait and see until the porn industry decides what format to use. We know from the VHS/Betamax/Video2000 war back in the 80s that VHS won because of the porn industry.
That is a myth:
"Many theories regarding why Sony's Betamax failed have arisen over the years. One of the more amusing (and false) is that Sony refused to allow pornographic material on their system. A quick perusal of the Betamax library reveals that adult entertainment was readily available. For example, Playboy Industries released their videos in a dual format, both Betamax and VHS, for most of the 1970s and 80s (and can be confirmed with a quick search through Ebay's adult section, or other used video markets). Second, the adult industry is too small to have any lasting impact on standards selection. According to Forbes.com, adult video income is approximately $1 billion.
"The industry is tiny next to broadcast television ($32.3 billion in 1999), cable television ($45.5 billion), the newspaper business ($27.5 billion), Hollywood ($31 billion), even to professional and educational publishing ($14.8 billion). When one really examines the numbers, the porn industry â€" while a subject of fascination â€" is every bit as marginal as it seems at first glance." [2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videotape_format_war#_note-1)"
Quote from: delanvital;210906That is a myth:
"Many theories regarding why Sony's Betamax failed have arisen over the years. One of the more amusing (and false) is that Sony refused to allow pornographic material on their system. A quick perusal of the Betamax library reveals that adult entertainment was readily available. For example, Playboy Industries released their videos in a dual format, both Betamax and VHS, for most of the 1970s and 80s (and can be confirmed with a quick search through Ebay's adult section, or other used video markets). Second, the adult industry is too small to have any lasting impact on standards selection. According to Forbes.com, adult video income is approximately $1 billion. "The industry is tiny next to broadcast television ($32.3 billion in 1999), cable television ($45.5 billion), the newspaper business ($27.5 billion), Hollywood ($31 billion), even to professional and educational publishing ($14.8 billion). When one really examines the numbers, the porn industry â€" while a subject of fascination â€" is every bit as marginal as it seems at first glance." [2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videotape_format_war#_note-1)"
Sure this might be right but why don't they give the reason for the VHS victory? I believe it when I see a better source than wikipedia.
I never said that porn wasn't released on Betamax/video 2000. However, in a documentary I saw about VHS the porn industry was credited as one of the factors that increased VHS success.
The figures presented are interesting ... today, but back in the 70s 80s I would believe it was much different. I don't remember being able to rent (or buy for that matter) TV shows to any larger extent. The big figures presented I would credit to all people buying their DVDs. Back in the 70s no one owned the original movie.
Quote from: Dr Sadako;210919Sure this might be right but why don't they give the reason for the VHS victory? I believe it when I see a better source than wikipedia.
I never said that porn wasn't released on Betamax/video 2000. However, in a documentary I saw about VHS the porn industry was credited as one of the factors that increased VHS success.
The figures presented are interesting ... today, but back in the 70s 80s I would believe it was much different. I don't remember being able to rent (or buy for that matter) TV shows to any larger extent. The big figures presented I would credit to all people buying their DVDs. Back in the 70s no one owned the original movie.
I am sorry I forgot the link to Wikipedia btw.
There are plenty of other, much more reliable explanations, Doc. This has to be one of the most studies cases of advanced strategy ever. I had this in an advanced strategy course and there are several that explains this much much better and in extreme detail. Just google about and you will find loads of articles and references in this.
I like the study by Liebowitz, I can dig it up if you want in paper, but what he mentions is this IIRC:
BetaMax did not have that vastly superior performance to the average user. It had the crosstalk improvement, faster loading and well-designed loading mechanics allowing for future improvements here but not the lead that i think some people give it. VHS machines were smaller (and much more adequate for rental shops) and had advantages in larger size tape giving better running time/quality ratio - some even say VHS produced better quality as the machines quickly mimicked the advantages of Sony's - I have articles backing this up in paper somewhere around here.
Key though has to be Sony's faulty idea of a 1 hr but smaller tape being better than JVC's bigger but 2 hours tape. It turned out the average consumer did not care as much about the size and maybe minor better quality, as about the capacity. VHS lad the lead in capacity all the way and when you could have a whole American football game on one tape you would prefer a VHS.
Distribution - Sony's was sold in high-street shops only, VHS was spread more out in other shops. VHS was in better supply, BetaMax could happen to have waiting lists.
VHS was the one you rented on in video rental shops, this was a planned strategy from SelectaVision (in the US). People did not want to buy a machine yet, when there was such a standard war going on, and they decided to rent, especially with the machines being pricey. With VHS being the option this quickly increased the possibilites of what to rent on VHS, compared to BetaMax. (Edit: I cant remember the right figures, but I think VHS got a 70-80% share of the rental market in absolute no-time).
BetaMax was introduced in 75 or 76 I think. SelectVision introduced VHS machines in 77. In almost no time VHS was outselling BetaMax. Months IIRC.
Edit: So, even if BetaMax had first mover advantage they were not capable of exploiting these advantages. Partly because of faulty strategy and path dependency they quickly lost the standard war and suffered lock-in. Parallels are made to Xerox, believing as well that superior quality would always prevail, regardless of competitors much more suitable business models.
I have loads of sources for this if you want but in paper.
IMHO a much better explanation.
Quote from: delanvital;210923I am sorry I forgot the link to Wikipedia btw.
There are plenty of other, much more reliable explanations, Doc. This has to be one of the most studies cases of advanced strategy ever. I had this in an advanced strategy course and there are several that explains this much much better and in extreme detail. Just google about and you will find loads of articles and references in this.
I like the study by Liebowitz, I can dig it up if you want in paper, but what he mentions is this IIRC:
BetaMax did not have that vastly superior performance to the average user. It had the crosstalk improvement, faster loading and well-designed loading mechanics allowing for future improvements here but not the lead that i think some people give it. VHS machines were smaller (and much more adequate for rental shops) and had advantages in larger size tape giving better running time/quality ratio - some even say VHS produced better quality as the machines quickly mimicked the advantages of Sony's - I have articles backing this up in paper somewhere around here.
Key though has to be Sony's faulty idea of a 1 hr but smaller tape being better than JVC's bigger but 2 hours tape. It turned out the average consumer did not care as much about the size and maybe minor better quality, as about the capacity. VHS lad the lead in capacity all the way and when you could have a whole American football game on one tape you would prefer a VHS.
Distribution - Sony's was sold in high-street shops only, VHS was spread more out in other shops. VHS was in better supply, BetaMax could happen to have waiting lists.
VHS was the one you rented on in video rental shops, this was a planned strategy from SelectaVision (in the US). People did not want to buy a machine yet, when there was such a standard war going on, and they decided to rent, especially with the machines being pricey. With VHS being the option this quickly increased the possibilites of what to rent on VHS, compared to BetaMax. (Edit: I cant remember the right figures, but I think VHS got a 70-80% share of the rental market in absolute no-time).
BetaMax was introduced in 75 or 76 I think. SelectVision introduced VHS machines in 77. In almost no time VHS was outselling BetaMax. Months IIRC.
Edit: So, even if BetaMax had first mover advantage they were not capable of exploiting these advantages. Partly because of faulty strategy and path dependency they quickly lost the standard war and suffered lock-in. Parallels are made to Xerox, believing as well that superior quality would always prevail, regardless of competitors much more suitable business models.
I have loads of sources for this if you want but in paper.
IMHO a much better explanation.
This explanation makes more sense. My family had both Betamax and VHS and I agree with many of the points presented above.
The question is if Bluray or HD DVD will have a chance in comparison to large and cheap memory sticks? The fast evolution of all memory solutions make HD and Blu extremely slow. I think many people could consider plugin a memorystick with a movie in the TV straight away instead of using a player.
Here is one example that is on the way towards what I am meaning.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/22/sandisk-wants-to-simply-your-pc-to-tv-viewing/
Quote from: Dr Sadako;210956Here is one example that is on the way towards what I am meaning.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/22/sandisk-wants-to-simply-your-pc-to-tv-viewing/
Interesting.
I guess it would matter how movies are sold in the future. Like music, do we want to buy the disc and have it in the collection? And when we rent a movie is it okay to just have the right stream it for 24 hours? Music-wise I must admit that I have sold out to just buying downloads. It is just so darn easy. For a movie I would not mind streaming it either. Even buying it in the form of unlimited access to the movie online instead of storing a disk in my house.
If streaming is sufficient for most I guess we would just need temp storage in the form of whatever is in the PC or home entertainment system (and I take it flash it slowly killing magnetic storage, or...?). And if we want to buy a disk to store, flash could be a good option. Seems like either way, flash storage would be off to a good start?
Ive rented a lot of movies over the net so far, delan you might know tv2's sputnik service, where you can view their shows and rent quiet a few movie's.. tho its still a bit pricy with a cost around 40dkr for a movie for 24 hours...
On topic, i heard from a employee at Blockbuster yesterday that, HD dvd is to be announcing 24 hour hd dvd disks, a thing Blockbuster has already taken a great liking for in the DVD format version.
For those who dont know what a 24 disk is, its pretty much what the name says, you BUY the disk and take it home, and after you break the package the DVD starts degrading, and after 24-30 hours the dvd is unplayable.. tho some of the ones i bought could still be viewed after 48 hours... i like the idea, but it has the downside its rather hard on natural resources and will create a lot of garbage compared to normal dvd's :)
I have bluray as I got it with my ps3, but can you see much life in any of the formats, I get all HD movies though Sky HD and use there anytime TV service. Not sure why anyone wants to go out and hire a disk.:2cents:
i still see a decade or so in the formats, before Streaming TV/movies is everyones home's... and people still want a media they can back/record stuff on.. will take a long time before that gets exchanged with hdd's/ssd's for everything... but it prolly wont see the same life lenght as VHS/dvd has seen
Yeah sputnik is quite nice.
Quote from: kregoron;211054i like the idea, but it has the downside its rather hard on natural resources and will create a lot of garbage compared to normal dvd's :)
They just have to develop a DVD that turns into a BigMac. Problem solved!
BigMac's sux tbh ;) Strawberry milkshakes is the only reason i get near McD ;)
I have never been in blockbuster and did so a couple of months ago for the first time. Unfortunately the dvds i rented were scratched to pieces and i asked for a complete refund. I asked whether they had any cleaning facilities and they said they didn't but they were being rolled out soon so that discs could be replaced. I can see the advantages to usb players as this has already been seen with the boom of usb enabled mp3 car radios. However at home i wouldn't mind using the flash media but in all fairness after having a think how cheap are flash drives to make. Are they cheaper than cds and dvds? A move to flash drives and no physical disk maybe a shock to some consumers as dvds/ cds have been around for a few years now.
With Waner Brothers switching to Blu-Ray it looks like it's all over for HD-DVD.
Even Hitler agrees...
Contains subtitled strong language, you must be mature to view this (or one of the cool rebelious kids)
Here (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/15/youtoob_downfall_of_hddvd/)
Quote from: T-Bag;219082With Waner Brothers switching to Blu-Ray it looks like it's all over for HD-DVD.
Even Hitler agrees...
Here (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/15/youtoob_downfall_of_hddvd/)
that was very funny
:roflmao::lmfao::roflmao:
Quote from: T-Bag;219082With Waner Brothers switching to Blu-Ray it looks like it's all over for HD-DVD.
is that true? :blink:
p.s got a ps3? Add Jewellsy :flirty:
Quote from: T-Bag;219082With Waner Brothers switching to Blu-Ray it looks like it's all over for HD-DVD.
Even Hitler agrees...
Here (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/15/youtoob_downfall_of_hddvd/)
This link contains foul language against community standards. While it is mildly amusing can a moderator please remove the link.
Soz.:crying:
honestly this war will continue the next 2-3 years, then one of em might turn into a product normal people will see in their homes, but by then, the next gen formats will already have arrived on the scene and start pushing out HD-dvd and Blu-ray..
Quote from: kregoron;219402honestly this war will continue the next 2-3 years, then one of em might turn into a product normal people will see in their homes, but by then, the next gen formats will already have arrived on the scene and start pushing out HD-dvd and Blu-ray..
The war might already be over, with Warner's swing vote, now not supporting both formats but only using blu ray. There is a very good article in The Economist, which I cannot get away with providing here, but basically the market share lead has tipped severely to the blu ray side. blu Ray now has about 65% with HD DVD down to only Paramount and Universal with 27%, measured by box office revenues from the biggest studios. I am quite thrilled to see Microsoft in disarray, being a grumpy fella when it comes to Windows.
Things can still change, but better soon, with sales of DVDs gone down by 5% in US last year, and 3% worldwide.
Seems like people with the PS3 has a more future proof drive in their machines.
Yeah guessing so too, so now the ps3 is good for two things.. Folding and watching Blu-ray on :D
QuoteBlu-ray sales reach 2 mil in Europe
Format accounted for 79 per cent of HD disk sales in the last year
Europe has bought 2.37 million Blue-ray disks since the format went on sale in 2006, achieving the landmark figure faster than it took standard DVD to when it first appeared in 1997.
The news comes just three months after the format broke the one million European sales mark in November last year.
Blu-ray sales accounted for 79 per cent of all HD disk sales over the last year in the region, leaving the rapidly faltering HD-DVD format trailing behind with 21 per cent of sales.
The flagship Blu-ray title over the Christmas period was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End which achieved nearly 100,000 units, closely followed by Simpsons: the Movie and Casino Royale.
This looks interesting. Can't wait to start using bluray as my primary drive tho :).
is the end of HD DVD nigh?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7250068.stm
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;222779is the end of HD DVD nigh?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7250068.stm
Nice find mate.
They took too long about it. The PS3 was the key which go people buying HD without worrying if their several hundered pound player would become scrap in a few months time. The only way they could have won is by getting backing from all the studios and a load of exclusive deals.
Since neither side had exclusivity from the start, it went on with the PS3 slowly dominating the market.
Now if Xbox 360's came with HD-DVD we could well have been seeing the reverse (assuming no increase in price/availability issues - There are 2 very unlikely assumptions)
Quote from: T-Bag;222825They took too long about it. The PS3 was the key which go people buying HD without worrying if their several hundered pound player would become scrap in a few months time. The only way they could have won is by getting backing from all the studios and a load of exclusive deals.
Since neither side had exclusivity from the start, it went on with the PS3 slowly dominating the market.
Now if Xbox 360's came with HD-DVD we could well have been seeing the reverse (assuming no increase in price/availability issues - There are 2 very unlikely assumptions)
I think the xbox didn't want to go the hddvd route to begin with as they did seem to rush the release of the xbox 360 to beat the ps3 and so then added hddvd as an added extra, which was looking back a good strategy. Talking of the pc market on the other hand I will still buy a combi drive when it comes to crunch time as I can then choose the cheapest releases but i suppose one format will fall at some point. Also this is the same for rewritable media as one format could be cheaper to clear stocks than another.
Quote from: GhostMjr;223046I think the xbox didn't want to go the hddvd route to begin with as they did seem to rush the release of the xbox 360 to beat the ps3 and so then added hddvd as an added extra, which was looking back a good strategy. Talking of the pc market on the other hand I will still buy a combi drive when it comes to crunch time as I can then choose the cheapest releases but i suppose one format will fall at some point. Also this is the same for rewritable media as one format could be cheaper to clear stocks than another.
I imagine HD DVD will hang around for quite a long time as a rewriteable media, alot of factories are setup to create them, or can be more easily converted that to Blu-ray. They can have a few years of pumping out cheap disks to cover the conversion cost of the factory.
Quote from: T-Bag;223078I imagine HD DVD will hang around for quite a long time as a rewriteable media, alot of factories are setup to create them, or can be more easily converted that to Blu-ray. They can have a few years of pumping out cheap disks to cover the conversion cost of the factory.
It seems that Microsoft was quick at turning the Xbox 360 rudder:
http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Console/J7L7H2R4?page=2
I'm with the watch and wait crowd (money, or lack of it does that) :eyebrow:
Blu Ray does seem like the one to go for but we've been in positions like this before huh? Tapes, Vinyl, CD's, Video blah blah....
I'd be interested in the expected life-span of a technology such as this. I'm guessing a few years before the next big thing comes along?
Quote from: Jabbs;223260I'm with the watch and wait crowd (money, or lack of it does that) :eyebrow:
Blu Ray does seem like the one to go for but we've been in positions like this before huh? Tapes, Vinyl, CD's, Video blah blah....
I'd be interested in the expected life-span of a technology such as this. I'm guessing a few years before the next big thing comes along?
I reckon they allready have the next thing ready.
2-3 years or such...
I'm also in the waiting crowd...
For my money the 'next big thing' is digital downloads rather than physical media. You can already download rental HD quality movies with 5.1 sound over XBox Live. About 7GB for a movie, which lasts for a week (IIRC) before the DRM expires. Smaller than the stuff on a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disk I assume because the 360 has enough power to decompress a compressed stream instead of streaming it raw. A standard def movie rental from there (DVD quality) is only 1.5GB.
just remember that its all down to money, so long as we have to buy a disk and a player to play it on that will be the way manufactures will want , so we spend lots of monies, on the other hand could the films industry look at a ipod type solution, a player that sits under your tv and you then download movies in hd , ooh wait a minute thats sky, and how much do they charge for the hd box plus monthly and film payments!!!.
It's great downloading a 7gb HD film until your ISP shuts you down for breaking the T&C, under there "reasonable use policy":sideways:
Quote from: Armitage;223304It's great downloading a 7gb HD film until your ISP shuts you down for breaking the T&C, under there "reasonable use policy":sideways:
Good point. With increased use for the bandwidth the ISPs better get used to users pulling loads of data.
Quote from: delanvital;223319Good point. With increased use for the bandwidth the ISPs better get used to users pulling loads of data.
Virgin are talking of 50Mb broadband (soon). I guess it wont be long until 100Mb (LAN speeds). Then what? 200Mb? 1Gb? At those speeds you could easily save movies to HDD. As already mentioned the main problem is the ISP's getting all screwed up as soon as you download more than a 1GB (or whatever)
There certainly needs to be some major changes in broadband and 'over usage' before it becomes a 'medium' to contend with Blu Ray, DVD etc.
Microsoft have now axed the HD-DVD drive as well http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/25/ms_axes_xbox_360_hd_dvd/
I imagine Sony are quite happy at actually winning a format war.