Netflix drops HD-DVD

[Wuzup101]

http://www.reuters.com/article...ws/idUSWEN388420080211

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online video rental company Netflix Inc (NFLX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it would exclusively stock Blu-ray high-definition DVDs after a decision by some the world's biggest movie studios in favor of the Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) developed format.

Netflix has stocked DVDs using both Blu-ray and the competing HD DVD format developed by Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) since they first came on the market in early 2006.

Four out of six major Hollywood studios have recently decided to publish high-definition DVDs only using Blu-ray.

Netflix said that with such a clear signal from the industry, it will only buy Blu-ray discs going forward and will phase out stock of HD DVD by about the end of the year.

(Reporting by Michele Gershberg, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

Sadly, it might be time to sell my HD-A2. I don't have a large collection... and I mostly rented... so now I have a player that will get little to no use :/

Locked at the request of the OP (Wuzup101)
-Schadenfroh

 

[Wuzup101]

Someone lock this... just realize that it was already posted in the format war thread... damn I always forget about that thread!

 

[K1052]

Well, I'm glad I only paid $100 for my HD-A3. It will make a good DVD player for my bedroom set when I do eventually get a BR player.

 

[chizow]

Netflix made the decision for me after the 4th or 5th HD-DVD that wouldn't play because it was so banged up. Switched over to Blu-Ray from and that protective coating has made a big difference. Out of Blu-Ray 15 rentals from Netflix/BB all have played flawlessly. Out of similar number of HD-DVD from Netflix 4-5 wouldn't play at all, another 3-4 required skipping entire chapters to continue.

 

[Wuzup101]

Originally posted by: chizow
Netflix made the decision for me after the 4th or 5th HD-DVD that wouldn't play because it was so banged up. Switched over to Blu-Ray from and that protective coating has made a big difference. Out of Blu-Ray 15 rentals from Netflix/BB all have played flawlessly. Out of similar number of HD-DVD from Netflix 4-5 wouldn't play at all, another 3-4 required skipping entire chapters to continue.

Ditto... about half of my netflix HD-DVDs came flat out broken or were so scratched that I couldn't get solid playback. I bought a PS3 about 2 weeks ago and have been doing BR through a BB in store pass since then... definitely love it...

 

[Genx87]

Havent had a single issue with the HD-DVDs we have received.

 

[Slick5150]

Yeah, I admit that several of the HD-DVDs I've receive from Netflix have, at some point during the movie, stuttered and then locked up due to scratches. So, perhaps the extra coating on Blu-Ray discs does serve a good purpose from the rental standpoint where discs get far more abuse than purchased ones do.

 

[Kindjal]

I received one HD DVD from Netflix that was so scratched up...that I swear some played air hockey with it over concrete. When I reported the disk to Netflix, I got the exact same disc back in the mail.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Havent had a single issue with the HD-DVDs we have received.

I've only had an issue with 1 disc out of the 30 discs I have rented with netflix and blockbuster and it looked like it was scratched intentionally. :disgust:

 

[Auric]

Nutty... the debate over the merits of each physical media has waged for years but now there may be actual real-use results which contravene the notion that the thicker protective layer of HD DVD is better than that of BD. However, HD DVD is the same as DVD in that regard so one would not expect the discs themselves to suffer more (whether the drives are less tolerant to equivalent disc damage is another matter).

Interestingly, precursor blue-violet disc formats UDO and PDD sport protective DVD-RAM-esque cartridges and BD was originally intended to also.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: Auric
Nutty... the debate over the merits of each physical media has waged for years but now there may be actual real-use results which contravene the notion that the thicker protective layer of HD DVD is better than that of BD. However, HD DVD is the same as DVD in that regard so one would not expect the discs themselves to suffer more (whether the drives are less tolerant to equivalent disc damage is another matter).

Interestingly, precursor blue-violet disc formats UDO and PDD sport protective DVD-RAM-esque cartridges and BD was originally intended to also.

althought the media itself is similar, the data 'pits' on an HD DVD are closer to the surface and closer together, which allows scratches on the disk to affect disk playback more easily.