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Eug · Jul 26, 2007, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by icruise

Eh, not a huge deal.

Yeah, it was marketed by the Blu-ray insiders as Target throwing down the gauntlet and going completely Blu, but given the real news it's clear that was a gross exaggeration.

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 07:27 AM

THIS is big news:

Two sci-fi classics get high-tech makeovers - USATODAY.com

Close Encounters coming to BR in November.

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by starman

I think it is. You put something in a popular chain like Target and people will only know one format.

Adding a player to an end cap does nothing like that. It's not even a blip on the radar for this "format war."

Dakarʒ · Jul 26, 2007, 08:46 AM

The 360 HD-DVD add-on went down $20 and includes some movies supposedly. Don't have a link handy at the moment.

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by starman

THIS is big news:

Two sci-fi classics get high-tech makeovers - USATODAY.com

Close Encounters coming to BR in November.

Blade Runner is old news. Close Encounters will be interesting to see how it sells. $50 is a lot to spend on a single movie, even if it includes 3 different versions.

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Adding a player to an end cap does nothing like that. It's not even a blip on the radar for this "format war."

This is like 1997 all over again when people thought DVD was a fad.

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by Dakarʒ

The 360 HD-DVD add-on went down $20 and includes some movies supposedly. Don't have a link handy at the moment.

Here ya go:
HD DVD Goes Big at Comic-Con 2007: Hit Movies, Blockbuster TV Shows, and a Price Drop on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player

To further sweeten the deal for Xbox 360 owners, Microsoft announced a
price reduction on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player in the United States to $179
effective August 1, keeping the player as the most affordable high
definition drive on the market. In addition to the price drop, Microsoft is
extending the highly successful "Perfect Offer" of five free HD DVD discs
to Xbox 360 consumers. Previously exclusive to Toshiba HD DVD Players, with
the purchase of an Xbox 360 HD DVD Player at the new low price of $179,
consumers can choose five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15
popular titles via a mail-in offer.

A $50 would've been much better.

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by starman

This is like 1997 all over again when people thought DVD was a fad.

Who thought DVD was a fad, and how is this at all similar?

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Blade Runner is old news. Close Encounters will be interesting to see how it sells. $50 is a lot to spend on a single movie, even if it includes 3 different versions.

Blade Runner is NOT "old news". How much of this restoration do you know about? They're refilming scenes for this film. This movie has been through so much turmoil that a book was written about it. This is a BIG deal.

Close Encounters is a MASSIVE boost to Blu-Ray. Back when DVD was first out, nobody gave a rat's ass about anything except Star Wars and Spielberg. Read the home theater forums about how big of a deal this is.

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Who thought DVD was a fad, and how is this at all similar?

I'm curious: how old were you back in '97?

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by starman

Blade Runner is NOT "old news". How much of this restoration do you know about? They're refilming scenes for this film. This movie has been through so much turmoil that a book was written about it. This is a BIG deal.

Close Encounters is a MASSIVE boost to Blu-Ray. Back when DVD was first out, nobody gave a rat's ass about anything except Star Wars and Spielberg. Read the home theater forums about how big of a deal this is.

Well I heard about the Blade Runner stuff over a month ago - maybe not all the *details* of the restoration, but the 5 disc set has been known about.

I never said Close Encounters wasn't a big deal. I said it'd be interesting to see how well a $50 movie sells. Defensive much?

jokell82 · Jul 26, 2007, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by starman

I'm curious: how old were you back in '97?

Old enough to have owned a DVD player. How does that matter at all?

Dakarʒ · Jul 26, 2007, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Here ya go:
HD DVD Goes Big at Comic-Con 2007: Hit Movies, Blockbuster TV Shows, and a Price Drop on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player

Aren't you handy.

Originally Posted by jokell82

A $50 would've been much better.

No ****. Funny thing, I was just pondering when they'd do this yesterday, as they had already announced cuts on the rest of the line. I wonder why they're keeping it so high.

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Well I heard about the Blade Runner stuff over a month ago - maybe not all the *details* of the restoration, but the 5 disc set has been known about.

I never said Close Encounters wasn't a big deal. I said it'd be interesting to see how well a $50 movie sells. Defensive much?

No, not defensive. CE3K is one of my favorite films. It's going to sell, believe me. The people that like the film are the kinds of people that will drop $50 on it. Joe Sixpack won't care about this film and that's not who this set is aimed at.

DVD was thought to be a fad in '97. In '99 I said on Usenet "Never underestimate the sexiness of a movie on a 5" disc". Look it up. Apparently I said it earlier but I cna't find it. People really thought DVD was a fad, just like people thing Blu-Ray/HD-DVD is one too.

Here's the link:

alt.video.dvd | Google Groups

Zeeb · Jul 26, 2007, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Old enough to have owned a DVD player. How does that matter at all?

If your mother was still driving you to school at the time you might not have been aware that people did, in fact, say that DVD's were a fad--like laserdiscs(do you know what those were?). Some were still afraid of the same thing happening with DVD's.

starman · Jul 26, 2007, 09:23 AM

According to his profile, jokell82 was 15 in 1997. I doubt he paid $1000 for a DVD playing on Day One like I did.

awaspaas · Jul 26, 2007, 10:03 AM

Funny, I also spent $1000 to get a DVD player at launch (and was 19 at the time), but now even though I want a Blu-Ray player, I can't bring myself to spend more than $200 or so on it. I've become more frugal with age apparently.