HDDVD or BLURAY version of a movie?

[Flashram]

I have the AVR-987 which is the same as the 2807. Nice receiver.

Check here starting about 4 posts down for info on the weak sound compared to the same movie on regular dvd. There is a lot more talk about it earlier in the thread.

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: Flashram
I have the AVR-987 which is the same as the 2807. Nice receiver.

Check here starting about 4 posts down for info on the weak sound compared to the same movie on regular dvd.

Thanks for the link

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Exactly the damn same. Technically, your Blu-Ray player will be better, depending on your audio system, because of the TrueHD capabilities, but AFAIK, no receiver can handle it yet. Honestly, I'd get whatever is cheaper. Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i, but if you read up on Inverse Telecine, you'll know it's the same damn thing .

Not entirely true...in respects to the OP's actual question.

He has an Xbox360 HD-DVD Add-on. Meaning, the highest quality connection available is component.

His PS3 can be connected via HDMI. I haven't seen Component and HDMI side-by-side but I think it's well-known that HDMI > Component.

Hence, for the time being his PS3 should have better quality. I expect MS to release an HDMI cable sometime in the near future...but until then... PS3 > Xbox360 (only in terms of movie quality).

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry, but you're sort of wrong .

Find something to show me that HDMI truly is better then Component. Theoretically, yes, it is better, but I've yet to see an image that looks better on HDMI over component. The real reason I like HDMI is the fact that it's one cable; no denying that's nice. But in terms of video quality, I don't think theres a difference. In fact, the first gen. HD-DVD players from Toshiba had a better quality from component then HDMI .

So you've seen the same source images through component and HDMI? I'm a Xbox fan-boy myself so anything to slam Sony and PS3 I'm all for.

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Exactly the damn same. Technically, your Blu-Ray player will be better, depending on your audio system, because of the TrueHD capabilities, but AFAIK, no receiver can handle it yet. Honestly, I'd get whatever is cheaper. Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i, but if you read up on Inverse Telecine, you'll know it's the same damn thing .

Not entirely true...in respects to the OP's actual question.

He has an Xbox360 HD-DVD Add-on. Meaning, the highest quality connection available is component.

His PS3 can be connected via HDMI. I haven't seen Component and HDMI side-by-side but I think it's well-known that HDMI > Component.

Hence, for the time being his PS3 should have better quality. I expect MS to release an HDMI cable sometime in the near future...but until then... PS3 > Xbox360 (only in terms of movie quality).

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry, but you're sort of wrong .

Find something to show me that HDMI truly is better then Component. Theoretically, yes, it is better, but I've yet to see an image that looks better on HDMI over component. The real reason I like HDMI is the fact that it's one cable; no denying that's nice. But in terms of video quality, I don't think theres a difference. In fact, the first gen. HD-DVD players from Toshiba had a better quality from component then HDMI .

So you've seen the same source images through component and HDMI? I'm a Xbox fan-boy myself so anything to slam Sony and PS3 I'm all for.

Not at the same exact time, but I have compared both my cable box and a Blu-Ray player (at work) using component and HDMI, and saw no difference. Like I said, this wasn't side by side, but rather, connect, watch, disconnect, watch .

 

[Shadowknight]

The one advantage HD has over BR for sure is that they (or at least some discs) come with a regular DVD version along with the HD version. So in case you're worried about buying movies and then throwing them out if the standard you choose to stick with loses (ex VHS vs. Betamax), you can at least watch them on a regular DVD player.

 

[Staples]

Depends which codec they are using. Most BD movies today are using MPEG2 which looks inferrior to HD's VC1 but now there are some BD movies that are H264 which I have not heard any comments on but I would assume would rival HD's VC1. If this is the case and this becomes the standard, HDDVD has absolutely ZERO advantage over BD except cost which will probably be on par in a year.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Flashram

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Flashram

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Flashram

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Exactly the damn same. Technically, your Blu-Ray player will be better, depending on your audio system, because of the TrueHD capabilities, but AFAIK, no receiver can handle it yet. Honestly, I'd get whatever is cheaper. Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i, but if you read up on Inverse Telecine, you'll know it's the same damn thing .

Lots of bad info here.

Anyway, check here for some decent reviews on both formats.

BTW, the 360 addon supports 1080p over VGA. No TrueHD from the 360 drive but the Toshiba HD-A2 supports it.

What bad info? The 360 doesn't do TrueHD, while the PS3 does, and no receiver, AFAIK, can handle it as of now. Yes, 360 can do 1080p over VGA, but there's been so many reports of the VGA giving a washy image that looks worse then the component connection. HD-A2 is the same exact picture as the A1, except for a few minor updates, and sans analog 5.1. HD-AX2 isn't even out yet.

Yeah I see he's only interested in the addon. However, I have my 360 connected via VGA and have no problems with it at 1080p. My image is not washed out at all and appears sharper than when using component. I have a Samsung HL-S6187W.

I use my 360 addon through Component on my 720p plasma, though I can't say I've tried VGA. No reason to in my case, I suppose. Either way, I've never been so enthusiastic about a picture before.

Edit: So, what bad info?

"Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i"

Other then using the VGA connection, which, like I said, has had lots of reports of washy colors, there's no other way to get 1080p. But yes, I did forget to mention that in my original post.

But Sony says 1080p matters!

 

[AmdInside]

I bought the HD-DVD add on for the Xbox 360 but then returned it thinking I might have luck finding a PS3 which I did. The PS3 is a very advanced Blu-Ray player, almost the most advanced one out there. Since the PS3 video features are all software based, Sony can improve upon them over time with firmware updates which they have and will continue to do so. Although I don't have a high end audio receiver, I plan on buying one in the future (when an HDMI 1.3 audio receiver is available). It just seems like for high def video playback, the PS3 has a brighter future so I would recommend Blu-Ray. Oh yeah...my PS3 is silent and can not hear it when watching a movie.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: AmdInside
I bought the HD-DVD add on for the Xbox 360 but then returned it thinking I might have luck finding a PS3 which I did. The PS3 is a very advanced Blu-Ray player, almost the most advanced one out there. Since the PS3 video features are all software based, Sony can improve upon them over time with firmware updates which they have and will continue to do so. Although I don't have a high end audio receiver, I plan on buying one in the future (when an HDMI 1.3 audio receiver is available). It just seems like for high def video playback, the PS3 has a brighter future so I would recommend Blu-Ray. Oh yeah...my PS3 is silent and can not hear it when watching a movie.

Haha...the PS3 has a brighter future because....? Way to back up your opinion homie!

 

[JACKHAMMER]

Originally posted by: AmdInside
I bought the HD-DVD add on for the Xbox 360 but then returned it thinking I might have luck finding a PS3 which I did. The PS3 is a very advanced Blu-Ray player, almost the most advanced one out there. Since the PS3 video features are all software based, Sony can improve upon them over time with firmware updates which they have and will continue to do so. Although I don't have a high end audio receiver, I plan on buying one in the future (when an HDMI 1.3 audio receiver is available). It just seems like for high def video playback, the PS3 has a brighter future so I would recommend Blu-Ray. Oh yeah...my PS3 is silent and can not hear it when watching a movie.

Just FYI, the 360's player is also software based and upgradeable. I don't agree w/ your decision, I believe HD-DVD has a brighter future for many of the reasons listed above, plus Sony's previous attempts at creating standards have been less than stellar. But enjoy your PS3!

 

[vetteguy]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
This is all fine and good but it doesn't help the OP.

I'm not aware of any studios producing DVD's in both formats. Right now the movies are released on one format or the other. If you see Happy Gilmore on HD-DVD you probably won't find it on BR.

So, since the OP has both players, just buy the title if you want it. Don't fret over the format because you probably won't have a choice.

Not true, some are already out, more coming. Check Superman Returns if you don't believe me.

 

[secretanchitman]

probably blu-ray because of the titles (spiderman). though hd-dvd has some good ones too (the italian job).

so i would say both, but im leaning towards blu-ray.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Flashram
My biggest gripe with the 360 drive is the audio. There seems to be no dynamic range in action scenes. Everything sounds flat. There is a thread over on AVS forum about it as well. Hopefully there will be a fix.

They are coming out with a software upgrade to the 360 HD DVD add-on sometime early next year. Supposed to upgrade the audio support. I can't remember to what exactly but I remember reading one of the MS blogs post about it.

I'm not supporting either HD DVD or Blu-Ray right now. Just not worth the extra cost for me. When prices come down a lot I will consider it.

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Flashram

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Exactly the damn same. Technically, your Blu-Ray player will be better, depending on your audio system, because of the TrueHD capabilities, but AFAIK, no receiver can handle it yet. Honestly, I'd get whatever is cheaper. Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i, but if you read up on Inverse Telecine, you'll know it's the same damn thing .

Lots of bad info here.

Anyway, check here for some decent reviews on both formats.

BTW, the 360 addon supports 1080p over VGA. No TrueHD from the 360 drive but the Toshiba HD-A2 supports it.

What bad info? The 360 doesn't do TrueHD, while the PS3 does, and no receiver, AFAIK, can handle it as of now. Yes, 360 can do 1080p over VGA, but there's been so many reports of the VGA giving a washy image that looks worse then the component connection. HD-A2 is the same exact picture as the A1, except for a few minor updates, and sans analog 5.1. HD-AX2 isn't even out yet.

yeah the HD-AX2 isnt out it. And from the sources I seen on the internet, it going to cost $1000. But it coming with hdmi 1.3 and 1080p, other than those 2 feature, not a clue what else is added, to make the price jump up $500.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: Staples
Depends which codec they are using. Most BD movies today are using MPEG2 which looks inferrior to HD's VC1 but now there are some BD movies that are H264 which I have not heard any comments on but I would assume would rival HD's VC1. If this is the case and this becomes the standard, HDDVD has absolutely ZERO advantage over BD except cost which will probably be on par in a year.

Finally. After 30 posts, someone answers the OP's question appropriately.

OP, you'll have to check if the MI:3 Bluray was authored using MPEG2 or not. If it was, then the HD DVD will look better. If the Bluray disc used one of the newer codecs (VC-1 or H.264) then the two formats will look close to identical.

Does anyone know what codec MI:3 on Bluray disc used?

 

[Mackie2k]

Sorry, I'm backing any Sony based technologies........I love the HD-DVD drive for my 360.

HD-DVD will win the format war.....

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: Staples
Depends which codec they are using. Most BD movies today are using MPEG2 which looks inferrior to HD's VC1 but now there are some BD movies that are H264 which I have not heard any comments on but I would assume would rival HD's VC1. If this is the case and this becomes the standard, HDDVD has absolutely ZERO advantage over BD except cost which will probably be on par in a year.

Finally. After 30 posts, someone answers the OP's question appropriately.

OP, you'll have to check if the MI:3 Bluray was authored using MPEG2 or not. If it was, then the HD DVD will look better. If the Bluray disc used one of the newer codecs (VC-1 or H.264) then the two formats will look close to identical.

Does anyone know what codec MI:3 on Bluray disc used?

I don't know about the Blu-Ray version, but reports are, the HD-DVD version of MI:3 displayed on Panasonic's new 65" 1080p plasma is absolutely breathtaking.

 

[yllus]

HD-DVD versus Bluray: Microsoft employees weigh the pros and cons.

Video Compression Scheme (Codecs)
With a 1-gigabit per second bandwidth requirement for uncompressed high definition (1080p) video, there is a clear need for a codec to fit a feature-length movie on a 25GB or 30GB disc. Both Bluray and HD-DVD support three codecs: MPEG2, the scheme used today on DVDs, and two new codecs, Microsoft?s VC-1, and H.264 MPEG4. All Bluray and HD-DVD players support each of the three codecs. The actual decision of which codec to use falls on the content provider.

Bluray: Currently a 25GB disc, supports all three codec standards. Bluray studios currently making use of MPEG2, a less efficient compression scheme by a factor of 2x or 3x than VC-1 (a comparison to H.264 MPEG4 was not made). This requires that a higher compression ratio is used, which amounts to more data containing information about how the picture should be represented is thrown away. In other words, lowered video quality due to the inefficient use of space available on the disc.

HD-DVD: Currently a 15GB or 30GB disc, supporting all three codec standards. All HD-DVD studios are making use of VC-1 on 30GB discs, with special assistance by Microsoft being provided to each with the goal of optimizing video quality.

Commentary: This is the strongest argument against Bluray. The use of MPEG2 over a newer compression scheme will in most cases result in a lower quality picture. Consumers will likely not care a whit for the issues encountered by content providers or player manufacturers, but tangibly better quality from a HD-DVD disc will hurt Bluray?s chances badly.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: yllus
HD-DVD versus Bluray: Microsoft employees weigh the pros and cons.

Video Compression Scheme (Codecs)
With a 1-gigabit per second bandwidth requirement for uncompressed high definition (1080p) video, there is a clear need for a codec to fit a feature-length movie on a 25GB or 30GB disc. Both Bluray and HD-DVD support three codecs: MPEG2, the scheme used today on DVDs, and two new codecs, Microsoft?s VC-1, and H.264 MPEG4. All Bluray and HD-DVD players support each of the three codecs. The actual decision of which codec to use falls on the content provider.

Bluray: Currently a 25GB disc, supports all three codec standards. Bluray studios currently making use of MPEG2, a less efficient compression scheme by a factor of 2x or 3x than VC-1 (a comparison to H.264 MPEG4 was not made). This requires that a higher compression ratio is used, which amounts to more data containing information about how the picture should be represented is thrown away. In other words, lowered video quality due to the inefficient use of space available on the disc.

HD-DVD: Currently a 15GB or 30GB disc, supporting all three codec standards. All HD-DVD studios are making use of VC-1 on 30GB discs, with special assistance by Microsoft being provided to each with the goal of optimizing video quality.

Commentary: This is the strongest argument against Bluray. The use of MPEG2 over a newer compression scheme will in most cases result in a lower quality picture. Consumers will likely not care a whit for the issues encountered by content providers or player manufacturers, but tangibly better quality from a HD-DVD disc will hurt Bluray?s chances badly.

That was true with the first few dozen movies that were released on Bluray. I think the majority of the newer Bluray releases are using the VC-1 or H.264 codecs.

EDIT: Yeah, the article is five months old.

 

[Reckoner]

HD-DVD since it's cheaper

 

[Flashram]

Originally posted by: sonoma1993

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: Flashram

Originally posted by: SLCentral
Exactly the damn same. Technically, your Blu-Ray player will be better, depending on your audio system, because of the TrueHD capabilities, but AFAIK, no receiver can handle it yet. Honestly, I'd get whatever is cheaper. Blu-Ray has 1080p vs. HD-DVD 1080i, but if you read up on Inverse Telecine, you'll know it's the same damn thing .

Lots of bad info here.

Anyway, check here for some decent reviews on both formats.

BTW, the 360 addon supports 1080p over VGA. No TrueHD from the 360 drive but the Toshiba HD-A2 supports it.

What bad info? The 360 doesn't do TrueHD, while the PS3 does, and no receiver, AFAIK, can handle it as of now. Yes, 360 can do 1080p over VGA, but there's been so many reports of the VGA giving a washy image that looks worse then the component connection. HD-A2 is the same exact picture as the A1, except for a few minor updates, and sans analog 5.1. HD-AX2 isn't even out yet.

yeah the HD-AX2 isnt out it. And from the sources I seen on the internet, it going to cost $1000. But it coming with hdmi 1.3 and 1080p, other than those 2 feature, not a clue what else is added, to make the price jump up $500.

It ships the week of 12/26 so we will find out soon enough. It is $899 at Valueelectronics w/ 5 free movies.