Discuss It doesn't matter who wins the format war... HD media will eventually turn to downloads... in the Home Theater - Audio / Video forum.
I'll bet these same people who don't own a computer and don't have internet access but live in rural areas ...

**Sonnie** · **01-12-08, 02:25 PM**

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I'll bet these same people who don't own a computer and don't have internet access but live in rural areas have a cell phone? Most people that live in rural areas have cell phone for emergencies.

That same cell technology is a form of bandwidth that has entered the home. What if the same cell phone had an HDMI connection. You pick a list of movies you want to watch and it downloads them in the free time. Lets you know when it's done. Plug into your set and BINGO!

Those are all very good possibilities, but we'll just disagree on how quick they will become reality and how quick the "masses" will adopt to them.

I also believe physical media in some form will be around long after I and those I know are gone.

**majorloser** · **01-12-08, 02:25 PM**

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tonyvdb wrote:

We already have a way to get movies in HD all you need is PPV HD PVR and you can watch many movies that are available although the audio is only DD5.1 this may change.
As far as a real download there are some new ways of getting this but once they are popular they will be as slow as Broadband is now because people will be downloading these huge 50gb files all the time.

Absolutely right!

But like I said, telephone and cable aren't the only utilities that enter your house. A digital stream could just as easily be sent down a water line. I work in the water utility business, so I know what we can do.......if we want.

**Sonnie** · **01-12-08, 02:30 PM**

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majorloser wrote:

In a few months these same people that you are talking about will have to adapt. The will have to obtain a set-top box to get their digital programming.

Take a look at the latest offerings from companies like Echostar.

Not necessarily. There are still many people who have satellite and they won't need a converter box. While they have satellite, they still don't have Internet access and despite the fact they can rent the movie on PPV, they still go and pick up that physical media on a regular basis either via purchase or rental.

**tonyvdb** · **01-12-08, 02:33 PM**

One form of media that may replace a DVD is a type of memory card like an SD card. Instead of renting or buying a DVD you can buy the movie on a flash memory stick of some sort they are already up to 8gb and I bet there are larger ones around the corner.

**majorloser** · **01-12-08, 02:42 PM**

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tonyvdb wrote:

One form of media that may replace a DVD is a type of memory card like an SD card. Instead of renting or buying a DVD you can buy the movie on a flash memory stick of some sort they are already up to 8gb and I bet there are larger ones around the corner.

THANK YOU!!!!!
Somebody gets it.

Any form of mechanical device will die. DVD's, hardrives, albums, tapes, 8-tracks, VHS.....
Flash memory is a renewable resource that can be easily updated.
And downloading doesn't mean internet. It means transferring data into a device, like a flash card.

**tonyvdb** · **01-12-08, 02:47 PM**

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majorloser wrote:

Any form of mechanical device will die. DVD's, hardrives, albums, tapes, 8-tracks, VHS.....
Flash memory is a renewable resource that can be easily updated.
And downloading doesn't mean internet. It means transferring data into a device, like a flash card.

True but these forms of media will take a long time to replace DVDs probably 20 or more years before we see that a common thing. Companies have way to much time and money invested in the current formats to switch over now.

**majorloser** · **01-12-08, 02:53 PM**

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tonyvdb wrote:

True but these forms of media will take a long time to replace DVDs probably 20 or more years before we see that a common thing. Companies have way to much time and money invested in the current formats to switch over now.

I seem to remember the same EXACT arguement when the CD came out. And look where the music industry is? Digital media is growing faster than the recording studios can adapt. Downloaded music content is destroying the way they do business.

Is that a bad thing? As far as I'm concerned, NO.

Adapt, evolve or die.

**tonyvdb** · **01-12-08, 02:56 PM**

It totaly is a bad thing because the quality of the downloaded media is terable compared to a real CD Movies will be no different as the file will have to be compressed in order to save space and the quality will suffer because of it.
Any person who takes audio/video seriously knows that the real thing has far superior quality to anything downloaded.

**majorloser** · **01-12-08, 02:57 PM**

It seems like there's a lot of devices in the CE industry that are adopting the USB port. They are allowing easy integration with iPods. Even automobiles have USB ports for iPods.

And what can be done over a USB port?

Maybe transfer data?

**majorloser** · **01-12-08, 02:59 PM**

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tonyvdb wrote:

It totaly is a bad thing because the quality of the downloaded media is terable compared to a real CD Movies will be no different as the file will have to be compressed in order to save space and the quality will suffer because of it.
Any person who takes audio/video seriously knows that the real thing has far superior quality to anything downloaded.

Oh, and the SD-DVD that everybody runs down to Blockbuster for is better than the "real thing"?

The public has stated what they want in music. Again, I hate Apple.....BUT.