Anyone with hd-dvds??

"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
05/25/2016 at 01:43 • Filed to: None

With my love for dead formats, I bought this HD-DVD player! And it’s not just a regular HD-DVD player, but the very best one to ever come out, the Toshiba hd-xa2. The only high end player to ever come out. That thing was around 900$ back in 2007 lol.

No movies for now apart from Transformers that came with it, but considering how freaking cheap movies are in this format, the massive collection is only starting :)

That will fit very very well next to my laserdisc player :)

It came with its original box manual and update CD too :)

Hopefully it never dies on me, as these things are rare as fuck lol.

DISCUSSION (62)

Steve in Manhattan > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 01:47

Use a PS3 to play blurays, and my Sony VHS player still works. Maybe I should get a laserdisc.

CRider > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 01:52

You need to go deeper.

Kinja'd!!!

lone_liberal > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 01:59

I have a few of the movies and the drive that attached to the Xbox 360. The drive also works with PCs so I’ve been able to rip the movies to mp4 files. I also have some ,SACD disks and player.

Flavien Vidal > Steve in Manhattan
05/25/2016 at 02:02

LDs are awesome! Great analogic feel to the movies and colors come out better and image uncompressed compared to DVDs. Movies are often sold by the dozen for next to nothing and often have extra not published anywhere else.

HD-DVDs are insanely cheap too and quality is equivalent to Blu-ray.

Flavien Vidal > CRider
05/25/2016 at 02:04

Oh D-Vhs... nice!

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:06

the only person I know who ever had HD-DVD exclusively used it for porn. They were way expensive, $100 in some cases.

Flavien Vidal > lone_liberal
05/25/2016 at 02:06

More of a minidisc kind of guy. :)

Flavien Vidal > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
05/25/2016 at 02:07

Porn HD-DVDs ?? I need to look into that lol

avens > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:11

I’d like to have unique LD versions of classic movies, that weren’t released for DVD. Yes I want to say “you haven’t watched Star Wars until you have seen the LaserDisc version”

Flavien Vidal > avens
05/25/2016 at 02:14

Well with the despecialized edition now, it’s not really true anymore but...

Kinja'd!!!

I’m set in term of Star Wars Laserdiscs :)

CRider > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:16

Not mine*

Steve in Manhattan > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:17

LDs were what, 50 bucks apiece back then? Wow.

Flavien Vidal > CRider
05/25/2016 at 02:26

Lol, still pretty cool :)

Flavien Vidal > Steve in Manhattan
05/25/2016 at 02:28

I buy all of mine in Japan, as they are not dubbed but subbed instead. I buy them for 50 to 100 yen each on average, some at 3 or 500 yen but it’s if they are rare :)

armandthegreat > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:36

HD-DVD is the shit, much better than blu-ray. I still have many, and I never did get a blu ray player because I am all digital now anyway. Have fun collecting HD-DVDs, there are more than enough great movies for you to watch, and they are probably dirt cheap these days if you buy in bulk

armandthegreat > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 02:39

HD-DVD is superior to blue ray, because everything is so much quicker. Blue ray can hold more data, but 50gb is so overkill for a movie.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 03:04

yeah, he had the Xbox 360 HDDVD player, and literally the only HD-DVD’s he could get in town by that stage were porn, I think this was circa 2008 when BR had all but won the war.

Flavien Vidal > armandthegreat
05/25/2016 at 03:07

They are ridiculously cheap indeed... and yes the quality of Transformers is really surprising!

Nauraushaun > armandthegreat
05/25/2016 at 06:18

How is HD-DVD better than Blu-ray? My impression is that both will deliver your HD movie, but Blu-rays hold more. BRs are also very resistant to scratches, does HD have that?

Nauraushaun > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 06:18

I can’t believe people revive dead formats like this! They’d only remind me of failure.

Flavien Vidal > Nauraushaun
05/25/2016 at 06:33

Well, yes and no... These are essentially Blu-Rays. Blu-Rays nobody wants that sell for nothing. On ebay you can buy lots of 40 or 50 moveis for 6o or 70$, shipping included.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-50-HD…

And then you have hundreds more to buy for 1 or 2$ each... So it’s a good deal considering that 400+ HD-DVD came out during its 3 years lifespan.

Same goes for my laserdisc collection (which can hardly be considered a failure, as it had a 24 year commercial lifespan... I own the Phantom Menace in LD for exemple but also some unique Ayrton Senna documentaries that only came out in LD). I buy movies with sometimes bonuses that only came out in this specific format, for 40 to 90cts each. Quality is a lot better than VHS and the whole format itself has something that I’ve always found really, really cool :)

so all in all, I’m doing a BR quality massive collection for a fraction of the cost and I have a pretty awesome now dead format that had thousands and thousands of movies published but nearly no money at all :)

I like that!

Stapleface > CRider
05/25/2016 at 06:35

I'm an aficionado of oddball formats and I've never even heard of D-VHS. Learn something new every day I guess.

Stapleface > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 06:39

Yes, Star Wars was far superior on LD. I had one of the earlier releases of all three of them (the ones with the drawn art on the cover) but I somehow lost my LD player and all of my Discs when I moved. Same thing happened to all my LPs.

Stapleface > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 06:41

Flavien Vidal > Stapleface
05/25/2016 at 06:55

I have those two actually... I also have the modified version just for the sake of it... That’s what happened when these are worth like 2 or 3$ now for the full sets here lol

Nauraushaun > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 07:46

That’s pretty awesome :) The price makes it a great endeavour. I imagine it would be a lot less fun if they were expensive.

Have you heard of the UMD? I’ve always liked it. Looking back now it seems like a weird failed disc-based format. But at the time flash memory was still very expensive, the 1.8gb UMD was the best solution to fitting console-style games for the PSP on a portable medium. It also had a neat plastic cover that made them more durable than regular discs, something that never caught on for other formats.

The Dummy Gummy > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 07:52

$2 for a dead format seems like $2 more than it should be. You can find tons of recent titles on blu-ray for $2 or less.

Flavien Vidal > Nauraushaun
05/25/2016 at 08:06

I only used UMD on my PSP... I still have a couple of movies on that format :)

And no I would not collect them if they were expensive. But an abandonned format no one uses anymore, this cannot really happen and it’s pretty much always coupled with a low price :)

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/25/2016 at 08:23

You want to buy Fast and Furious, “for the lolz”. You have the 2$ brand new wraped HDDVD and you have the 5$ used BluRay. You have a player for both. Why on earth would you buy the BluRay??

Blurays ARE on average quite a bit more more expensive, and HDDVD are often brand new and still wraped due to unsold old stocks. And what are you planning on doing with that BR?? What difference does it make to your movies if I were to tell that all of a sudden BluRay were a dead format?? Would you throw all you movies in the trash to buy them again in a non-dead format??

If I really want a Blu-ray because the cheap HDDVD equivalent doesn’t exist, I just buy it. Just because I collect HD-DVD doesn’t mean I don’t buy BR for newer movies... I have a PS3 that plays them very well. They are just a lot more expensive.

But HD-DVD have the exact same level of quality as BR. The codecs are the same, the bitrate is the same, only the format changes. It’s just a A LOT cheaper and you can buy brand new movies in bulk for 1$ per movies or less, or you can choose any you want for like 2 or 3$, often brand new, which is pretty damn nice.

A movies is a movie. Whether the format is abandoned or not does not matter in anyway.

DoYouEvenShift > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 08:30

I have an HDDVD player too, I think its a Toshiba, but not sure what model it is. Also have Transformers and a few other movies. Bought it all dirt cheap a few years ago when the format died lol. Got it setup in our spare bedroom since it plays regular dvds as well.

Flavien Vidal > DoYouEvenShift
05/25/2016 at 08:32

Yeah I plan on getting as many movies as possible... HEck the entire collection of 400+ movies to ever come out should cost me less than 1000$ so... :)

BorkBorkBjork > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 08:37

Want my HDDVDs? My player busted a while ago.

Flavien Vidal > BorkBorkBjork
05/25/2016 at 08:52

Sure, but it would have to match the 1 to 2$ per film ebay prices lol :)

I have an adress in the US to ship them for cheap... I’ll go there in August and would pick them up then... I do have Paypal so... :)

Contact me on my email if you want... it’s my name with a point in the middle @gmail.com

BorkBorkBjork > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 08:54

I was just gonna fedex them your way, no charge.

Flavien Vidal > BorkBorkBjork
05/25/2016 at 09:04

Man, I live in Japan :)

Fedex-ing something to me would cost quite a fortune lol, but thx a lot really. Though I’d love to at least get you something in exchange... something cool from here. Just drop me an email and we talk this through :)

DrJohannVegas > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 09:08

I’ve got that machine’s older sibling, the HD-A2. Load times are WAAAAAAAAAAY longer, and it’s obviously not quite as nice. Will have to keep an eye out for the XA2.

Flavien Vidal > DrJohannVegas
05/25/2016 at 09:12

The worst in all that is how much I payed for it: 40$ shipped to my place. They usually go for 5 times more on ebay lol + shipping of course!

I was waiting for the HD-Xa2 and no other... If i’m gonna get a dead format player, might as well get the best of the best. It’s never going to get any better so :)

It looks brand new (the guy only had one movie, transformers), complete in its original box, with manual, styrofoam, update DVD (rare! and needed for some) along with an immaculate remote control :)

How freaking cool isthat lol

Nauraushaun > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 09:17

True. That’s awesome!

I think if I ever see some UMDs around for cheap, I’ll pick them up.

Flavien Vidal > Stapleface
05/25/2016 at 09:20

Yeah, not common to say the least... REALLY strange format.. it’s a tape based digital format/storing device. It was capable of showing higher definition format... not sure of the max res, but it was better lol

Tons of compatibility problem between manufacturer killed the thing before it ever really existed though...

DrJohannVegas > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 09:22

Thats pretty neat. I tend to agree with you on dead formats, although I also tend to collect (hoard?) “interesting” models of a technology. (See: my cassette changer)

My unit was $5, then discounted half price from a local thrift store, but you really got a steal. Nice find.

Flavien Vidal > Nauraushaun
05/25/2016 at 09:24

It’s not better than the BR... Quality wise, it;s the exact same. And I mean EXACT same as BR and HD-DVD used the same codecs and bitrate. But player are old and often worse due to long loading times. Those loading times compensates by more reactive menus though... And not all HD-DVD were protection coated, while I think all BR are.

Flavien Vidal > armandthegreat
05/25/2016 at 09:25

It’s quicker but at the cost of longer loading times... But menus are indeed quicker to react.

Flavien Vidal > Nauraushaun
05/25/2016 at 09:27

Problem with those is the size of the screen you can watch them on... You’d need to plug your PSP to a TV and that makes lots of cables for a portable system, that takes space and well, it’s just not that practical :)

Flavien Vidal > DrJohannVegas
05/25/2016 at 09:30

Yeah, the xa2 is really the most looked after HD-DVD player... I thought I’d end up paying 200$ for it, not... 40$ shipped lol

And what do you mean by tape changer? A tape deck?? If so, I have one back in France haha

My parents still use though... It’s a mess to know what has been rewinded, where is what and what plays what lol

DoYouEvenShift > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 09:48

Ive never thought to check ebay or amazon for them, Ill have to check them out.

Flavien Vidal > DoYouEvenShift
05/25/2016 at 09:53

Worth as far as movies are concerned... These are 1 or 2$ Blurays basically.... Buy them in bulk from people getting rid of all they have :)

The Dummy Gummy > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 10:10

My point was why go out of your way to buy a dead format when you can get brand new Blu ray for the same cost. As well as support as well as new movies going forward.

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/25/2016 at 10:24

Going out of my way?? You mean like clicking 4 or 5 times instead of just twice on Amazon? And again BR are NOT the same cost.. They are roughly 2 to 4 times more expensive on average... Most being sold as brand new “old stock”. If not sold for 50cts each at yard sales, because you know... dead format.

That’s usually how much I buy my laserdiscs too....

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 10:38

I still remember the very day it was decided that Bluray was going to be the format that was gonna stick around. ALL HD-DVD were dropped to $4/ea that same day. Remember this was back when Blurays were still $30-$35/each. Ah the good old days.

I still collect UMD’s for PSP. They are normally 3-4 bucks in the game stores. I buy them pretty much for the novelty factor. Back then I still remember that PSP movies were the coolest shit ever. We couldn’t watch movies on our phones so if you wanted movies on the go. The PSP was your go to device. Actually just on saturday I bought the original Fast and the Furious on UMD for 3 bucks.

Flavien Vidal > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/25/2016 at 10:51

Haha, i still have a few movies in umd too:)

I even watched a few with the TV adaptor for PSP that I still have today :)

The Dummy Gummy > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 11:03

You can get almost any Blu-ray for $2 brand new even if it takes an extra couple months upon release. Given you are buying dead format electronics, time doesn’t seem like it’d be an issue for you.

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/25/2016 at 11:10

I’d love to see those couple months old brand new Blu-rays for 2$ you’re talking about... Heck, i’d buy a bunch actually...

(I mean I had”a guy” who would sell me brand new DVDs the time for 2$ but... you know... not exactly amoffician retailer lol)

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/25/2016 at 11:17

Oh man, now I just want to go find a PSP and a bunch of UMD’s. I loved my PSP but it was plagued by issues with the UMD bay never working properly.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)
05/25/2016 at 11:29

I barely use mine but it is still my absolute favorite device. I have it right by my bed. Sometimes when I can’t sleep I’ll play a few rounds of Gran Turismo.

I bought the Gran Turismo Bundle brand new 2 years ago at Sears on clearance for $40 bucks. how they still had these was beyond me.

Kinja'd!!!

Since then I’ve bought a shit ton of UMDs and a spare PSP.

I now have 2 psp’s and over 40 UMDs and still have less than $100 bucks invested. I think the most I’ve spent on a single UMD is $4 bucks so it’s pretty cheap to acquire lots of them.

The Dummy Gummy > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 11:36

Slickdeals.com I see it all the time. Major headline movies too. They start at $5-10 then drop quickly to $2 range. Also with even more time eBay has a host of them.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/25/2016 at 11:37

That’s incredible they still had that bundle 2 years ago. If I had known that 12 years later I’d still want to play it, I would have kept it. Might be time to go looking for one....

CaptDale - is secretly British > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 16:03

MMMM, Laserdisk. You sir know how to turn a vintage tech guy on.

Nauraushaun > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 18:08

Yeah they really only worked before there was a better portable media player, when smartphones still weren’t a thing. The PSP was ahead of its time, but unfortunately that sort of device was absored by the smartphone.

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/25/2016 at 18:28

I just went through pages of slickdeals’ Bluray and as of right now, you have 6 or 7 pages of bluray under 5$, most deals being expired and most deals implying that you pick up the movies in store (talk about going out of your way lol).

http://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?…

So yup, that still 2 to 5 times more than the HD-DVD... And when you plan on doing a 3 to 400 movies collection, that matters a lot.

Flavien Vidal > CaptDale - is secretly British
05/25/2016 at 18:38

Love my LDs :)

The Dummy Gummy > Flavien Vidal
05/25/2016 at 19:31

Over time you watch and they come, they always do. I was just trying to understand your side.

Flavien Vidal > The Dummy Gummy
05/25/2016 at 19:55

A small amount of movies gets priced this low in BR, not for long and as I said, often combined with in-store pick, which is not exactly practical when you live in Japan like me...

Talking about getting out of my way, I have hundreds of movies always cheap that nobody wants, readily available for me to buy... I can buy them brand new sealed and in bulk. You will NOT find this kind of deal with BluRay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-23-…