TIME: PS3 vs Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player Posted by XanTium | November 20 23:14 EST

From time.com: [QUOTE] Now that Sony's Blu-ray is appearing in Sony's eagerly anticipated PS3, Microsoft's HD DVD format is appearing in, you guessed it, Microsoft's Xbox 360. Okay, not "in" the Xbox--an accessory drive that connects to the console via USB has just gone on sale for $200. That brings the total for Microsoft's premium high-def-movie playing system to $600, the same price as the premium PS3. I'm a big fan of high-definition TVs, even the more affordable 720p sets, and I can vouch for the fact that whether they're on Blu-ray or HD DVD, movies look much better than they do on standard DVDs. Pop in the Blu-ray edition of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby that comes with the PS3, and you're blown away by the detail (and by how old and pockmarked Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly look up close.) Likewise, load up the copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong that ships with the Xbox HD DVD player, fast forward to an action scene and suddenly, there are two T-Rexes and a gorilla duking it out in your living room. I can't spot the difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD movie; no one but the most finicky of videophiles could. So when looking at both game consoles as a source of high-def movie content, forget about differences in video quality and think more about your gaming preferences as well as the movies themselves, the Blu-ray and HD DVD lineups on Amazon.com or Netflix. [/QUOTE] Read More: time.com

I was kinda interested about this issue and according to the console-neutral videophiles from avsforums (the best videophile site) the winner is Xbox 360. Yea it is a little better but not by much, not enough to cause a consumer to make a definitive choice. They are the same to the average person.

From time.com:
[QUOTE]
Now that Sony's Blu-ray is appearing in Sony's eagerly anticipated PS3, Microsoft's HD DVD format is appearing in, you guessed it, Microsoft's Xbox 360.


Last I checked HD DVD is not a Microsoft product

They are proponents of it, as well as members of the DVD forum (the backers of HD DVD)... So as much as blu ray is sony's, hd dvd is m$'s. They're both pushing their respective formats to the consumer markets with the most affordable players to date. M$ wins either way though, at least to some extent... Especially since they hold patents on VC-1.

I think HD--DVD will be the winner just because of the name of it. I mean your average consumer isn't gonna know what a blu-ray disk is. Yet HD-DVD pretty much says it all. And when I see ads for new dvd's I have seen alot that say also on HD-DVD, but I have yet so see one that says also on blu-ray. Go HD-DVD lol.. Lets make Sony remember Betamax.....

I agree, i just dont see sony winning this battle.

Isnt HD DVD hardware cheaper too? That was the main reason VHS won the war against betamax.
Only problem I have so far is where are the HD DVD burners? Blue Ray is already available, although the pioneer burner is still selling for £500+.

The writer doesn't see any difference between the two movies? Talladega Nights is supposedly one of the worst transfers on either hi-def format... HD-DVD players are not only half as expensive, but also generally have better picture.

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/kingkong2005.html

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/talladeganights.html

I have multiple friends that would drewl over the PS3 and have been for quite a long time saying they will wait out this price drop for it. These people are not videophiles no computerphiles in fact probably never play a computer game. Yet when they see the advertising for the PS3 and see BlueRay they always ask me what the hell is BlueRay, since I have computer common sense and they do not, and I tell them and ask them if they know what HD-DVD is and they know what it is just from the name. Also since a lot of them have a ps2 they never use it as a dvd player, but have a separate one since they have all gone through 1 or 2 ps2's for the lasers, but will keep paying SONY more I don't get it.

Yep, BluRay doesn't pass the "wife test". I asked my wife a simple question, "If I told you to go to Target and purchase me a high definition DVD, which one would you choose. One named BluRay or one named HD-DVD?" Her immediate response was, "What's BluRay?" That speaks volumes in my opinion.

I think a lot of this hi-def format war will depend upon the number of PS3 sold. Everyone knows that Sony is depending upon their installed base of PS3 to win the format war. Between supporting the PS3 and the PSP, it seems like Sony is fighting a war on two major fronts. I think this could be a major mistake because they are losing big time to Nintendo's DS and they are losing $300 on every PS sold.

Well currently the PS3 has zero real effect on the format war due strictly to the PS3 supply problems. Sure the cheaper PS3 is of comparable price to standalone HD-DVD players and a good deal cheaper than current standalone BluRay players but nobody has bought a PS3 yet who is not getting it for hardcore gamer reasons due to the difficulty/hassle factor. So are these gamers going to spend money on movies... or games?

Getting a 360 on launch day was merely a matter of showing up 90min prior to store opening and then getting another one a week or two later was done easily by a small bit of internet info and showing up at or near the store opening on the correct day. Going to this much trouble to get a couple game systems was embarrassing enough but the trouble that the PS3 freaks are going to borderlines on crazy. Nobody does this just to see movies in HD.

Right now everybody in the market for HD movie players chooses one or the other based more on price, availability of players and availability of the movies they want to see. On price HD-DVD wins (especially if you already own a 360), on availability of players the race is close and if the movie lineup is what really matters then the edge probably goes to BluRay (if they continue to get bad press about the quality of the conversions that lead may eventually mean nothing).

The only real fact about the format war is that it SUCKS!! I currently own several HD-DVDs and over 600 regular DVDs. I am happy about the regular DVDs since I will be able to play them on any player for years to come but no player will be playing both BluRay and HD-DVD until long after the battle is decided. I Would like to see Sony owned studios make movies in both formats but this is very very unlikley. On the other hand all other movie studios have little incentive to choose to exclusively offer releases in only BluRay or HD-DVD. This I think will mean that eventually the only format to offer content from all studios is most likely BluRay.

Either way the adoption rate to either HD format will be very very slow. HD is nice but the difference is not nearly so great as DVD was when laserdisk/VHS were the previous options (and the consumer did not require a new TV to take advantage of the players). So for many years to come DVD will remain the choice for most people meaning HD players will remain comparatively low in number thus have less power to sway what movie studios will invest in them. Movie studios will always be more motivated by profit than anything else.