Engadget HD Podcast 042 - 04.03.2007
By Trent Wolbe 
posted Apr 3rd 2007 1:14PM
posted Apr 3rd 2007 1:14PM
In yet another special edition of the Engadget HD podcast we're talking all format war all the time. We sit down with Tyler Pruitt aka WiFiSpy to discuss where we been and where we are going. Tyler fills us in on what each side needs to do to win and where both sides have failed to deliver. If you're sick of the format war, skip this episode entirely, but don't worry we'll have more for you soon, promise.Get the podcast
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh
Guest: Tyler Pruitt (aka WiFiSpy)Producer: Trent Wolbe
Program:HD DVD vs Blu-ray
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This podcast is so full of mis-information..... I am not sure why you have this Wi-Fi spy guy as a guest.. He seems misinformed... He is just spouting HD-DVD propaganda...
Here is an example, he says that there are only 35,000 (That number is very wrong) set-top BD players that have been sold compared to the 120 - 200k HD-DVD players.. The HD-DVD number includes the add-on drive for XBOX, if you are going to include the add-on box for the xbox, you should include the PS3....
Just seems unfair...
The 180k HD DVD stand alone units is the world wide total from a Toshiba insider. This DOES NOT include the xbox360 add-on drive which has sold somewhere around 150k units.
Did you even listen to the whole podcast? I remember taking HD DVD to task just as much as Blu-ray. I don't drink the Kool-Aid from either side....
Just an FYI. The reason you will not see an internal HD DVD drive in the Xbox360 is due to HD DVD drive speeds. This is the exact problem that the Blu-ray player causes in the PS3. This is why PS3 games take longer to load. By leaving the DVD drive internal you have good load times with games, plus you are not locked into a specific format. If Blu-ray ends up winning, then Microsoft could release an external Blu-ray drive for the Xbox360.
BD-J is the single biggest reason their is a format war. Microsoft was willing to sit this war out which would have sank HD DVD from the start until that decision made. The fact that it is still is not ready just bring home how ridiculous that decision was.
I know audio is important to a lot of viewers of this site and AVS, but for most part people do not care that much about audio. The "a lot" that kept being thrown out there is not really that many people.
This whole format war really sucks. Discs are a thing of the past. They were a godsend when Nintendo cartridges were fragile and slow. Now we have SD and CompactFlash which are much more robust than discs. How long until I can get a HD movie on an SD card? They are already up to 8 GB on those cards for ~$65. At the rate things are going, I could see 16 GB cards for ~$30 in the next year or two. Speed is the main issue for them, but that is increasing as well. I would be completely happy with no more scratched discs, no more giant stacks of cases, no moving parts. Heck invent a new format similar to SD cards if need be.