Brian
05-11-2006, 08:23 PM
Why the World Doesn't Need Hi-Def DVD's (http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/9968/Why+the+World+Doesnt+Need+HiDef+DVDs/)
"Over all, the A1 does deliver the spectacular picture and sound promised by Toshiba. Should you buy one, though?
Not unless you're an early-adopter masochist with money to burn.
Reason 1: The average person can see the difference in picture quality, but only on a big, high-def screen, preferably side by side with a standard DVD signal. The leap forward is nowhere as great as it was from, say, VHS to DVD.
Reason 2: For a brand-new technology, the A1 is a reasonably priced razor — but it's got a serious blade shortage. Only 20 will be available by the end of this month, priced at $20 to $40, and only a couple of hundred are expected by year's end. (Tens of thousands are available in the traditional DVD format.)
Reason 3 (and this is the big one): You could be placing a very big bet on the wrong horse.
In fact, this might even be a race that neither horse wins; the public may well decide that regular DVD's are just fine as they are. (Remember SACD and DVD-Audio, two rival "high-definition audio" formats that also required new players and new discs? Didn't think so. Both are well on their way to the great eBay in the sky.)
You, and everyone else, have everything to gain by waiting until prices fall, the movie catalog grows and a single standard emerges. After all, how will you feel if you buy a player and a bunch of movies — and the one you picked turns out to be the Betamax of the new millennium?
Probably more cynical than ever."
Read full story here (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/11/technology/11pogue.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=7c4fcf2a9a0f2155&ex=1305000000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)
"Over all, the A1 does deliver the spectacular picture and sound promised by Toshiba. Should you buy one, though?
Not unless you're an early-adopter masochist with money to burn.
Reason 1: The average person can see the difference in picture quality, but only on a big, high-def screen, preferably side by side with a standard DVD signal. The leap forward is nowhere as great as it was from, say, VHS to DVD.
Reason 2: For a brand-new technology, the A1 is a reasonably priced razor — but it's got a serious blade shortage. Only 20 will be available by the end of this month, priced at $20 to $40, and only a couple of hundred are expected by year's end. (Tens of thousands are available in the traditional DVD format.)
Reason 3 (and this is the big one): You could be placing a very big bet on the wrong horse.
In fact, this might even be a race that neither horse wins; the public may well decide that regular DVD's are just fine as they are. (Remember SACD and DVD-Audio, two rival "high-definition audio" formats that also required new players and new discs? Didn't think so. Both are well on their way to the great eBay in the sky.)
You, and everyone else, have everything to gain by waiting until prices fall, the movie catalog grows and a single standard emerges. After all, how will you feel if you buy a player and a bunch of movies — and the one you picked turns out to be the Betamax of the new millennium?
Probably more cynical than ever."
Read full story here (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/11/technology/11pogue.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=7c4fcf2a9a0f2155&ex=1305000000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)