pittrek said:
Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:
I too believe that the AVCHD is the most important release, because it is by far the HD format that most people can handle.
That's funny. I know NOBODY who uses (or even KNOWS) the AVCHD format :-) Honestly, EVERYBODY who watches HD movies watches them in mkv format, or from BluRays - that includes my colleagues, friends, "collectors of unreleased videos", people on various forums ... People here at originaltrilogy.com are the only individuals which I know that use the AVCHD format :-)
Don't take me wrong, but I just believe that the full Bluray should be the "product" done with the most care, because other people can always create "smaller"/alternate formats from it.
Sorry for the offtopic :-(
I really think MKV should be considered due to it being such a high-quality format.
Blu-Ray
pros:
Highest quality; multiple audio tracks; chapter support; menus and extras; high compatibility with blu-ray players;
cons:
requires burning on a blu-ray disc; requires a blu-ray player for playback (or else playable as-is by some media players - my Micca can play blu-ray ISO files and folders as-is), or on a pc with a good video card and software; very large download
MKV
pros:
very high quality - approaches blu-ray quality; multiple audio tracks; chapter support; only a single file needed for playback; playable in a large amount of home media players (my Samsung LED tv, my Panasonic blu-ray player, and both my WDTV Live and Micca media players all support mkv playback); playable on any modern PC with a descent video card, and supported by tons of free media player software
cons:
needs to be "delivered" on a usb stick or other means, can't just be given away to friends on a disc; not playable on older equipment; unknown format by many non-techies; large download, but much smaller than blu-ray
AVCHD
pros:
high quality; multiple audio tracks; chapter support; easy to burn; playable on most? blu-ray players; easy to give away to friends when burned on a DVD-9; reasonable-sized download
cons:
requires burning on a DVD-9; requires a blu-ray player for playback (or else playable as-is by some media players - my Micca can play AVCHD files as-is), or on a modern PC with a good video card; unknown format by many non-techies, though you just need to tell them to play it in their blu-ray player
DVD
pros:
easy to burn; cheap media (if DVD-5); multiple audio tracks; chapter support; menus and extras; easy to give to friends; plays on every DVD player and PC; reasonable-sized download
cons:
low quality
They all have their place. I think MKV is a great choice, since it is higher quality than the AVCHD, and doesn't require burning to watch it. Many non-techies will not know what an mkv is. Most of us on here will know, and any internet-savvy person who plays lots of media is familiar with it. But it may not be the best format for giving to friends. Personally, I would like an MKV for myself because it's easy to play on my players, and gives me close to blu-ray quality. I'd probably want the blu-ray if it will have some extras and menus, otherwise I'd be happy enough with a good MKV. However, I would certainly want an AVCHD to burn for friends who have blu-ray players. I don't care about DVD, but I can see how some who haven't stepped into the world of digital and blu-ray might find it a blessing.