Good news doesn't sell newspapers or attract big web-site hits (okay, the rule may be suspended when England win the 2006 World Cup) but we've still got some considerable reservations about Clint DeBoer's editorial over on Audioholics, headlined, "10 Reasons Why High Definition DVD Formats Have Already Failed".
In some of the 10 reasons he gives, Clint does actually talk a lot of sense. Like him, we're not happy about the high-def DVD format war - or, indeed, about the silly hardware pricing and the constant delays and set-backs.
What we want is companies to launch machines that can play movies on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD and sell these at more affordable prices. And we want this to happen sooner, rather than later.
We agree with much of what Clint says in some sections, and the sub-headlines alone will give you the flavour:
4. Studios are Conservative,
Greedy and Unmotivated
5. PlayStation 3 Cannot Save the World
5. PlayStation 3 Cannot Save the World
However, we're not convinced by his reasoning in a number of others, including:
8. Enthusiasts Are Getting Tired
(and Smarter)
10. Broadband and IPTV to Compete?
10. Broadband and IPTV to Compete?
The bottom line - to us at any rate - is that people who've bought large-screen hi-def TV sets are gagging for some suitable source material to view, so that they can finally stop thinking they've paid out vast sums of money simply for the pleasure of watching the line structure of standard-def transmissions, something that Clint does underscore quite nicely by saying,
"While Billy Bob is
impressed by his DVD player, he is dumbfounded by his cable TV
– which actually looks worse than it did on his old set
(mostly because it’s bigger). You see, nobody told Billy Bob
that he’d have to get an antenna or subscribe to HD service
from his cable/satellite provider".
But we believe he's plain wrong when, he says,
"The last thing
they’re going to do is rush out and buy the next greatest
thing."
And we say that even though we reckon that high-def DVD hardware is overpriced in the USA (so will be even less affordable in the UK) and the current situation with the war between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD is madness.
Still, Clint's piece is a good read and well worth checking out. Once you've done that, why not let us have your thoughts on matters HD in the HEXUS.community?
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community - discussion thread about this article
Audioholics - "10 Reasons Why High Definition DVD Formats Have Already Failed"
