With movies, it is a bit different, as the blu-ray format is higher quality (usually) than the DVD format, so there is no reason that the studios can’t charge you for that upgrade in quality. However, it would be nice if the cost was less for an “upgrade” if you already owned the DVD. However, you can always purchase a Blu-ray and sell your DVD, thus somewhat reducing the cost of the upgrade.

One correction for you, though, regarding widescreen vs full screen. It is actually full screen that cuts down on viewable picture, not widescreen. The movies were recorded in the widescreen format, so a full screen (regular, old tv) picture cuts off both sides to make it fit, generally using what is called Pan&Scan.

Ultimately, it is up to the individual if they want to upgrade or not. The studios do not force anyone to do so. Yes, eventually old formats disappear (cassette tape, VHS, etc…), but that is mainly because most people don’t want them anymore, and it becomes unprofitable to continue making them.

Until they get that crap sorted out, and the prices drop to DVD levels, it won’t take over unless they force everyone. And you know once they have market dominance they’ll just switch to another format, and another, and another, etc.

DVD was significant, in that it was superior in quality to tape, AND it in terms of longevity (tapes stress and get de-magnetized over time, losing quality, and copies lower quality, etc). They were cheaper and more portable than LD and didn’t have the “laser-rot” problem or the “disc flipping” problem (well at least not for movies under 3.5 hours). BD just isn’t that much of a leap over DVD that the previous formats were, so it’s a harder sell to get people to “upgrade” when DVD has only been around barely 12 years.

I’ll do it that when they give me a widescreen HD-TV for free (incidentally I love letterbox when it represents the original way the film was shown in theaters to get the full picture as intended, but I agree that if your screen is small, it kinda sucks).

It’s not just that the BD’s are more expensive, but so are the players and sets required to get the full picture (and people shouldn’t have to buy a game console to watch movies… the PS3 is for playing GAMES first, movies are just a side feature).

records to tape to cd to mp3 how many times do they need to be paid.

The same goes for music. I’m tired of the constantly changing formats and buying the same music over and over just to be able to ,listen to it. And the artists aren’t getting anything out of it.

Then they stop making the other formats to FORCE you to buy the newest thing.

That’s what they did with movie rentals. And one major reason I stopped renting movies from the rental places. I don’t have a wide screen TV. The TV I have is sufficient for my needs. And the wide screen format cuts down on the viewable picture, makes it much smaller on a regular TV. I’m not spending my money on that.

I should be able to rent or buy the format I choose.

And the more they manipulate, the more PP’d I get. And I stop spending money period!

So let ‘em rant, scream, whine all they want. If they were giving people what they want, the way they want it, then they wouldn’t have a freakin’ problem selling it. You
d think they would get the message, but nooooo, they’re determined to shove their sh*t their way down people’s throats.

I like to think of myself as a law abiding citizen, but I’ll find a way over, under, around, or behind, if they keep it up. I’ve already paid for my content. I won’t pay for it three or four times over.

Enter the HD Blu-Ray war. I decided to sit this one out. I refuse to pay an extra $15-$20 for a movie I can get on DVD for less or buy a movie I already own. I have never down loaded a movie but I buy less movies for several reasons. My library is already big enough that I have to keep a list of movies I bought and have not watched yet, so new purchases had better be darn good. Movies are getting dumber. Sequels of sequels of remakes that were not that good in the first place. Even renting has me feeling ripped off lately. So when I purchased my Blu-ray player this weekend, it was NOT to play a single Blu-Ray disc, nor will I buy any. I simply needed a new player and didn’t want to buy older technology when I just need something to play my huge library on my widescreen HDTV and surround sound system. IF Hollywood stops playing the bait & switch movie game and sells blu-ray for the same price as DVD, it might make sense to upgrade. But it doesn’t. And what would I do with what I already have or the cabinets I built to hold them? DVD is good enough.