Blu-ray vs. HD DVD (2007) - Page 7

Originally Posted by Elixir

uhh the xbox 360 launched in all 3 territories and had limited supply for a long time so it really isn't a straight comparison of demand (kicking ass on either side). the 700k isn't even a definite. also its of importance to realize the ps3 is sitting on floors right now either because their supply is meeting demand or people are just lacking interest. your theory on why consoles may be available is pretty comical to be honest.

anyways, the importance really isn't about launch figures because if the 360 had a million units to sell to the NA market on launch they would have sold all of it. if sony is starting to meet demand at close to a million units right after launch (assuming this is what is going on) then thats a problem.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/06/ps...uy-com-still/- SDW what more do you want from me? u want me to get a best buy representative to give you a ringa ding ding?

Originally Posted by bitemymac

As much as it is important to have the right size of display, the right source of view material can play even bigger role. Check out King Kong and Hulk in HD-DVD on 1080p display.... there's no other source material available that can match the jaw dropping PQ, not even from any of BD titles being offered as of now. Some source material is in the class of it's own.... beyond Hi-Def.

Originally Posted by vinea

Hardly true. 1080i with very dynamic pictures is arguably worse than 720p...which is why ESPN is 720p. 1080p is double the bandwidth and the difference is noticable...at the right viewing distance anyway.

Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Con Air, King Arthur Directors Cut, Chicken Little, The Rock, Cinderella Man, Face/Off, Crimson Tide, Air Force One, Finding Neverland, G.I. Jane, The Recruit, Open Range, Remember The Titans and Scary Movie 4 among the exciting titles
to be released on Blu-ray Disc

BURBANK, CA, (01/08/07) Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment (BVWHE) today announced the companys most extensive Blu-ray Disc slate yet, with action-packed and family titles due for release throughout 2007 in North America, Europe and Asia. Showing its continued commitment to the next-generation, high-definition format, the company has selected a wide range of titles, many 50GB, to showcase the new Blu-ray Disc format, from blockbusters and Academy Award®-winning masterpieces, to popular animated movies for the entire family. In North America, BVWHE will release titles beginning March 07 to include Chicken Little, King Arthur Directors Cut, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Cars, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Finding Neverland, G.I. Jane, The Recruit, Open Range and Remember The Titans. In Europe, titles to be released beginning March 07 will include Eight Below, Chicken Little, Enemy of the State, Flightplan, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Pearl Harbor, Scary Movie 4, Sky High, The Wild, Dinosaur, King Arthur Directors Cut, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Bruce Almighty, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Cars, Air Force One and Finding Neverland. In Asia, titles to be released beginning March 07 will include Chicken Little, Face/Off, King Arthur Directors Cut, The Wild, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, Scary Movie 4, Cars, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock and Air Force One. See paragraphs below for complete date listings.
Commenting on the announcement, BVWHE President Bob Chapek stated, Blu-ray is quickly becoming the high-definition standard on the market today and we are very pleased to add this amazing slate of Blu-ray releases that will appeal to our core demographic. With the dual-layer, 50GB discs, the possibilities for exciting new interactive features and additional bonus content are endless.
The company has already had tremendous success with the first generation of Blu-ray Disc titles such as Eight Below and Dinosaur, and is releasing most new titles on the new dual-layer Blu-ray Discs that features a massive storage capacity of 50GB, enabling the highest caliber encodes, expanded bonus material and exciting new interactive features.
As part of its worldwide release strategy BVWHE will release Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest in all territories May 07 and Con Air, Crimson Tide and The Rock in all territories beginning June 07. Cars will also see a worldwide rollout schedule in 2007.
In North America, BVWHE will release Chicken Little and Finding Neverland on March 20; King Arthur Directors Cut and G.I. Jane on April 3; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest in May; Con Air, Crimson Tide and The Rock on June 8; and Cars, The Recruit and Open Range in Summer 07.
Europe will see its first Blu-ray Disc titles from BVWHE beginning in March with the release of Eight Below, Chicken Little, Enemy of the State, Flightplan, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Pearl Harbor, Scary Movie 4, Sky High, Finding Neverland and The Wild. Next up are Dinosaur and King Arthur Directors Cut in April; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest in May; Bruce Almighty, Con Air, Crimson Tide and The Rock in June; and Cars, Air Force One and Reign of Fire in Summer 07.
In Asia, BVWHE will release Face Off in March; Chicken Little and The Wild in April; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest and Scary Movie 4 in May; and Cars, Con Air, Crimson Tide, The Rock, King Arthur Directors Cut, Air Force One and Starship Troopers in Summer 07.
Blu-ray Disc is the next-generation optical disc format for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 25GB of data, and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50GB of data. Blu-ray Disc is supported by the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and gaming companies, and, with seven of eight Hollywood studios releasing their high-definition content on Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray will deliver the widest variety of high-definition, home entertainment content.

About Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment
Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista DVD, Blu-ray Disc and electronic distribution product. Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment is a division of Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Studio Plans to Have 40 Blu-ray Titles Available by End of 2007
List of Releases Includes Award Winning TV Series WEEDS Along With Theatrical Hits DIRTY DANCING, BASIC INSTINCT and More


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF - News), the leading independent filmed entertainment company, today announced the studio's upcoming slate of titles on the next-generation high-definition Blu-ray Disc (BD). Headlining the announcement is one of the format's first-ever TV DVD releases as the Golden Globe®- winning and Emmy® Award nominated series WEEDS will be offered in high definition. In addition, Lionsgate will deliver (BD) versions of the top-selling Marvel Animated Series titles ULTIMATE AVENGERS and ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2. The studio will also unveil high definition versions of some of its most popular catalog titles including DIRTY DANCING and BASIC INSTINCT. Further details, including street dates and pricing, will be released at a later date for these and other Blu-ray titles. By end of 2007, the studio will have 40 Blu-ray titles on the market. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by Lionsgate President, Steve Beeks.
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An early supporter of Blu-ray and the second studio to release titles on Blu-ray, Lionsgate has showcased to consumers the groundbreaking power of the technology in two of the studio's most recent releases -- THE DESCENT and CRANK (which hits stores on January 9). Both movies were released day and date with standard DVD as dual-layer (BD) 50 GB DVDs, setting the bar for maximizing the capabilities of the format. One of the most critically-acclaimed horror movies of 2006, THE DESCENT was the top-selling high definition release in its first week (December 26 - January 1) and boasted the format's third most successful debut to date. THE DESCENT is the first disc of either format to employ Picture in Picture, taking advantage of the full capacity of the disc, as well as the advanced BD Java Language that allows for seamless branching of multiple video and audio stream. Lionsgate has plans for numerous day and date Blu-ray and standard DVD releases for its theatrical slate throughout 2007 including the upcoming releases of EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH on January 16 and SAW III on January 23.

"There has never been a home entertainment experience available to mass audiences like Blu-ray, and Lionsgate will continue to deliver to consumers our top-line product with sound, audio and extras that are beyond anything they ever could have imagined," said Beeks. "As a company, we have always been at the forefront in utilizing technology to offer consumers the best viewing experience. Blu-ray's technological capabilities take home movie-watching to new levels."


Other upcoming Blu-ray titles from Lionsgate include:
* CRANK (January 9)
* EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (January 16)
* SAW II and III (January 23)
* AMERICAN PSYCHO (February 6)
* RAMBO FIRST BLOOD (February 6)
* RESERVOIR DOGS (February 6)
* YOUNG GUNS (February 6)
* ULTIMATE AVENGERS and ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2
* WEEDS (TV series)
* HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES
* NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER
* WAITING
* THE DEAD ZONE (TV series)
* REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
* PI
* CABIN FEVER
* MONSTER'S BALL
* DUNE
* BELLY

Lionsgate's support for Blu-ray stems from the format's ability to help propel the home entertainment industry to the next level of performance. The studio has always aggressively supported emerging technologies that maximize value to the consumer. Lionsgate was the first studio release product on DVD-9, DVD-18, DVD+CD, the first to utilize Microsoft Windows Media 9 as well as the first studio after Sony to support the UMD format, and one of the frontrunners in acquiring VOD rights throughout its catalog.

ABOUT BLU-RAY DISC:

The Blu-ray Disc format provides nearly five times more data storage than DVD, with an unprecedented 25 GB (single-layer) and 50 GB (dual-layer) of capacity. Blu-ray Disc players are backward compatible with other disc formats and deliver the highest quality high-definition (HD) entertainment, while providing a secure playback environment through the use of the most advanced copy protection available.

Blu-ray Disc was created to support the accelerating convergence between consumer electronics and information technology. The platform can also support numerous film, music, computer and game applications. Sony Computer Entertainment recently announced plans to utilize BD-ROM technology in their next-generation Playstation 3 system.

Blu-ray is supported by more than 170 leading hardware and software manufacturers, including the leading innovators in the CE and IT industries.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award® for CRASH, generating two consecutive years of $300 million-plus domestic theatrical box office, operating a $500 million-plus home entertainment business and producing a broad slate of prime time television series for fiscal 2007. It is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 10,000 titles is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

CES: Fox, MGM Plan 2007 Blu-ray Assault
Mon Jan 08, 2007 at 02:21 PM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Fox, MGM, CES (all tags)

New title announcements continue to pour out of CES, with Fox/MGM announcing an extensive lineup of Blu-ray new release and catalog hits to come throughout 2007.

In advance of the Blu-ray Group's press conference to be held this afternoon at CES, the studios have issued a joint press release detailing their upcoming Blu-ray release plans. Among the many titles due for release this year from Fox include a very balanced, impressive assortment of both blockbuster theatrical hits and catalog favorites: :

More Blu-ray Top Sellers | Blu-ray Pre-Orders List

April 3: 'The Fly (1986),' 'Tristan & Isolde,' 'Me, Myself & Irene,' 'Dude, Where's My Car?'

April 17: 'Turistas'

May: 'Master & Commander,' 'Man on Fire,' 'Edward Scissorhands,' 'Predator,' 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' 'The Siege'

June: 'Independence Day,' 'I, Robot,' 'Cast Away'

And from MGM:

April: 'The Silence of the Lambs,' 'Hannibal'

May: 'Platoon,' 'The Graduate,' 'Battle of Britain,' 'A Bridge Too Far'

June: 'Ronin,' 'To Live & Die in L.A.,' 'A Fistful of Dollars,' 'Out of Time,' 'Walking Tall,' 'Bull Durham'

No specs for the above have yet to be unveiled, but according to release, Fox/MGM plans to aggressively support Blu-ray's cutting-edge interactive technology, including BD-Java and the increased storage capacity of 50GB dual-layer discs.

Looks like a very fine lineup for the first half of 2007. We've added all the titles to our Blu-ray Release Schedule, and stay tuned for further news as it is officially announced.

Originally Posted by OldCodger73

I had to go to Everett this morning to pick up some maps and TourBooks at AAA and in the spirit of research stopped at Best Buy. There was one lone 20GB PS3 on the shelf. It was not part of a bundle. I didn't see any PS3 Bluetooth remotes. There were no Wiis. According to the sales person, BB gets a Sunday Wii shipment and they're gone shortly. I didn't ask how many they receive.

Since this is a Blu-Ray, HD-DVD thread, I'd like to ask Bite or anyone else who cares to answer why people keep throwing Wii lack of availability and sales figures in? Also, which of the HD formats can you play on it?

Regarding the LG universal player, according to a short article in the Seattle Times business section today "while it [LG player] will display the full range of interactive features contained on Blu-ray discs, such as menus that appear while the film is playing, it will not play similar interactive elements contained on HD DVD discs." Is this a serious flaw?

The PS3 apparently doesn't do that good of a job upconverting standard DVDs. According to the buzz on AVSform, most people expect this to be solved in a firmware update, perhaps in March. Will it happen? Who knows.

Also from AVSforum's Blu-Ray board, in a poll of B-R player owners, approximately 2/3 have the PS3 as a player. About 1/3 also have a HD-DVD player. Definitely not the average consumers there.

Going back to this morning, I was really tempted to buy the PS3. I don't play games so it would be strictly as a B-R player. I didn't as I'm still not comfortable with competing formats and the list of titles is still pretty underwhelming. I think the deciding factor was I'm still satisfied with the picture I'm getting from my upconverting DVD player. Besides, with Sony really ramping up PS3 production and the pressure the PS3 must be putting on other makers for a machine to compete at that price point, there should be a lot to choose from in the next 3 - 6 months if I do decide to go that route.

Originally Posted by OldCodger73

Also from AVSforum's Blu-Ray board, in a poll of B-R player owners, approximately 2/3 have the PS3 as a player. About 1/3 also have a HD-DVD player. Definitely not the average consumers there.

Going back to this morning, I was really tempted to buy the PS3. I don't play games so it would be strictly as a B-R player. I didn't as I'm still not comfortable with competing formats and the list of titles is still pretty underwhelming. I think the deciding factor was I'm still satisfied with the picture I'm getting from my upconverting DVD player. Besides, with Sony really ramping up PS3 production and the pressure the PS3 must be putting on other makers for a machine to compete at that price point, there should be a lot to choose from in the next 3 - 6 months if I do decide to go that route.

Originally Posted by shetline

You're ignorning the caveat I included: "As long as a 1080-line display device does half way decent de-interlacing".

Originally Posted by vinea

1080p/60 is hopefully the future for both media and "film".

Originally Posted by OldCodger73

Since this is a Blu-Ray, HD-DVD thread, I'd like to ask Bite or anyone else who cares to answer why people keep throwing Wii lack of availability and sales figures in? Also, which of the HD formats can you play on it?

Originally Posted by vinea

Yes, you are correct when trying to recreate 1080p/24 from 1080i/60. On the other hand "film-look" is a short way of saying "looks like the way we're used to film looks from the limitations of technology from 50 years ago". 24fps judder on pans is IMHO an aquired taste. Motion blur is also a nice trick but 60+ fps better.

1080p/60 is hopefully the future for both media and "film".

Vinea

Originally Posted by addabox

Anyone remember Doug Trumbull's "Showscan"? 70mm film shot and projected at 60fps. He had hoped to turn it into a feature film enhancement, like Cinerama or Dolby sound, but the chicken and egg of content/distribution was too tough a nut to crack. It exists today in special attractions and in "ride films".

Originally Posted by vinea

Yah, the distribution costs for going from 24 fps to 60fps was evidently the killer of that concept...all that extra feet of film going to each theater...

Now its just bits...a whole LOT of bits...but bits none the less. 1080p/60 maybe on BR but not on HD-DVD. At least if my mental arithmetic is correct.

Heh...1080/60 at home and 4K/60 at the theater? For shame...1440/60 at home!

But I'm sure someone will add artificial motion blur and film grain as part of the process for that "film look". I only half acknowledge the suspension of disbelief argument for 24 fps. Its also a trained response...kinda like 4:3 vs 1.85:1 is TV vs movies.

Vinea

Originally Posted by bitemymac

not quite... 51GB triple layer HD-DVD announced at CES....... not sure when will such storage size would be required for film other than putting on bunch of extra's at this time.... but if 60fps requires it, then it will be ready on HD-DVD.

BTW, some of the 1080i juddler maybe thing of the past for the 1080p display owners once the Hi-Def format players are able to output 1080p24/48/72 rendered directly from the player from 1080p24 source.

Originally Posted by marzetta7

Yeah, HD DVD announced that 51GB was attainable, but didn't even have a working prototype, or any prototype for that matter.

TDK however, had a working 200 GB disc prototype though.

So in general 51 GB triple layer discs are vaporware at the current moment and for the foreseeable future until at least a prototype shows up.

At the Blu-ray Disc event on Monday, the results of a Sony study as pertains to PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray Disc usage were revealed.


This, of course, has remained a question of much speculation since the release of the PS3 back in November: Will the gamers who flock to Playstation 3 for its games also look to use the console and its integrated Blu-ray Disc player to watch Blu-ray Disc movies?

According to a survey of more than 10,000 PS3 owners, 80 per cent of the respondents planned to purchase Blu-ray Disc movies for use on the PlayStation 3. And over 75 per cent planned to use Blu-ray Disc as a primary movie player.

By extrapolating from those numbers and Sony's assertion that it shipped 1 million PS3 consoles by the end of 2006, the BDA came up with some intriguing projections. If you follow those numbers through – 80 per cent of 1 million – it equals an installed base of 800,000 Blu-ray Disc players, just based on the PlayStation 3 alone.

With numbers like that, notes the Blu-ray Disc Association's Andy Parsons, "Blu-ray Disc represents the safe buy. It's not going to go away any time soon."

In a rather surprising move, primary HD DVD backer Universal Studios Home Entertainment confirmed today that they will be making no major title announcements at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, despite the formidable presence of all major studios supporting rival format Blu-ray.

Universal, the sole major Hollywood studio to be supporting HD DVD exclusively, was expected to bringing out its big guns for 2007 at CES -- or at least make enough new announcements to dazzle the early adopters who have been passionately backing the format thus far.

But when we contacted Universal to find out if anything further is to come from the studio out of CES, they confirmed they will not be unveiling any new street dates or detailed title info at all for the duration of the show. The studio stressed that they continue to support HD DVD and are planning to announce new titles "throughout 2007."

We must say, it seems like a strange promotional strategy to arrive at CES with nothing to brag about, especially given the highly visible nature of the show in the mainstream media, and that Blu-ray's showing has been quite muscular.

To be fair, a promotional flyer has been issued to the press and is available on the show floor, listing several notable HD DVD titles expected from Universal over the coming year, though many were already bandied about by Universal at last year's CES. Among the hits due in in 2007 are: 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin,' 'American Pie,' Bruce Almighty,' the 2003 remake of 'Dawn of the Dead,' 'Pride & Prejudice,' the original 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Inside Man.'

At a Blu-ray event at the CES, Mike Dunn, president worldwide of News Corp.'s (NWS) Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, said he believed Blu-ray will outsell HD DVD.

By the end of the first quarter of 2007, he projected Blu-ray sales to be three to four times higher than HD's.

"By the end of the first quarter, the format war is over," he said, noting Sony's recently released PlayStation 3 game console with a Blu-ray drive had boosted sales.

"I'm selling 70,000 discs a week. Sales are doubling every week. ... Average PS3 owners buy 6 discs," he said.

Originally Posted by marzetta7

PlayStation 3 Comes up BIG for Blu-ray

http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=6930



Quite telling on a decent survey. With that type of usage, I won't be suprised at the projected 3.5 to 1 buying ratios in favor of Blu-ray by March. We'll have to see though, for sure, but in the meantime it certainly appears Blu-ray has a lot going for it. 8)

Originally Posted by kupan787

You could say that there are 8,000 PS3 users playing Blu-Ray disks, but you can extrapolate to 800,000 (as the article writer did). Just as I can't go poll 5 friends, ask them if they like coke or pepsi, and when 4 say they like coke, determine that 80% of the population likes coke. Way more information is needed. So take these "figures" with a grain of salt (of the huge variety).

Originally Posted by kupan787

First, its a study done by Sony, so what do you expect. Lets see some independent research done. Secondly, we no nothing of the methodology. The article doesn't explain who was polled (aside from PS3 users), and doesn't say anything about how the numbers were gathered, etc. If I learned anything in my Prob and Stats class this year, I learned that without more information about this "survey" you can't take these numbers all too seriously. You could say that there are 8,000 PS3 users playing Blu-Ray disks, but you can extrapolate to 800,000 (as the article writer did). Just as I can't go poll 5 friends, ask them if they like coke or pepsi, and when 4 say they like coke, determine that 80% of the population likes coke. Way more information is needed. So take these "figures" with a grain of salt (of the huge variety).

On a side note, I just got the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player, and 5 movies. Circuit city didn't have Serenity in stock, so I am going over to Best Buy later to pick that one up. I have fully jumped into the HD race now, and have picked my horse.

Originally Posted by shetline

Since in your second sentence you say, "Just as I can't...", I suspect you meant to say in the first sentence, "...but you can't extrapolate to 800,000...". However, I'm a bit confused, since the way you did type is closer to correct than the way I think you meant to type.

If you learned much in your stats class, you should know that 8000 people makes for a damn good sample, provided that sample is sufficient random and/or any biases against being purely random are properly compensated. 8000 well-taken samples extrapolates very, very well to a total population of 800,000.

Originally Posted by liquidjin

I took the poll. It was a poll that Sony emailed to everyone who signed up for a Sony Online account after setting up their PS3. It was not only concerning Blu-ray... I wish they would release the results to the question about do you own an HDTV.

According to a survey of more than 10,000 PS3 owners, 80 per cent of the respondents planned to purchase Blu-ray Disc movies for use on the PlayStation 3. And over 75 per cent planned to use Blu-ray Disc as a primary movie player."

Originally Posted by liquidjin

I took the poll. It was a poll that Sony emailed to everyone who signed up for a Sony Online account after setting up their PS3. It was not only concerning Blu-ray. Pretty much the standard hardware survey - what other hardware do you own, what do you plan to use this in conjuction with, what features prompted you to purchase the PS3, how many hours a day would you say you spend doing this activity, how about that activity. I wish they would release the results to the question about do you own an HDTV. I'm really curious to know how many people who bought a PS3 actually own an HDTV.

Originally Posted by kupan787

Its just hard for me to believe that 80% of PS3 buyers have a HDTV, let alone are buying Blu-Ray movies (and why would you buy a blu-ray movie, when you can get the DVD for cheaper if you don't have an HDTV?).

Originally Posted by liquidjin

What's the point of the TotalHD disc, when they acknowledge that Blu-ray is going to have almost 3 times as many production units at retail over 2007 than HD-DVD, not even including the PS3?

Originally Posted by liquidjin

What's the point of the TotalHD disc, when they acknowledge that Blu-ray is going to have almost 3 times as many production units at retail over 2007 than HD-DVD, not even including the PS3?

Originally Posted by kupan787

So we already see some bias. Only people who check there email and it didn't get filtered out as SPAM, and only those that signed up for a Sony Online account. Would have been much better to put cards in every PS3 sold, and taken a survey that way (hit your whole audience, rather than a small, select, group of individuals). There are probably people in both camps (those using the PS3 for movies and those who aren't) that didn't get this survey, or declined to state. That would be an interesting figure to know as well...

Hopping on along to the TDK booth, part of the Blu-ray supporters club, and we saw the company highlighting incredible leaps made in Blu-ray disc capacities.

Click on the above image and the top-left disc is a single-sided 200GB prototype. That's right, the potential to store over 40 DVD's worth of data on a single disc. TDK has managed to reach this outlandish mark by increasing the layer count to six and the capacity per layer to 33.3GB, above the usual 25GB associated with Blu-ray media.

It's presently unclear whether current Blu-ray drives will be able to support this disc but that's a moot point for now. The 200GB prototype needs to be passed via the Blu-ray standards body before certification is approved. Whatever the case, at CES 2007 the supporters of Blu-ray have lots more to shout about than their HD DVD counterparts.

You may well be aware of the fact that Blu-ray discs have a much smaller coating layer than incumbent DVD's or HD DVD's 0.6mm. The BD discs shielding is just 0.1mm thick, so media manufacturers have needed to come up with methods to safeguard data. TDK's harde-coating solution is its Durabis 2 technology.



To highlight the effectiveness of the hard-coating technology against the usual scratches and wear subjected to media over time, fine wire wool and a permanent marker were rubbed/applied on to both a standard DVD disc on the left and a Durabis 2-coated disc on the right. As the picture shows, there was no meaningful wear on the TDK BD but the DVD disc was rendered unplayable. Not the most scientific of tests, sure, but an indication that it does indeed work.




Want to know how a four-layer BD is constructed? The above picture indicates the process used by TDK to engineer its 100GB prototype. There's more to it than meets the eye.

Originally Posted by DonnyG

Maybe it's a silly question here from this 'ol timer newbie, but since there are now hybrid players available, why couldn't Apple develope and build a hybrid burner into their machines?

Since the competing formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD, each bring something special to the table, why not go with both? It's not like the old days of the VHS vs Beta wars, where the technology was basically the same.

It would be the perfect world, the user would select the format and it's corresponding disk. Burn it, and play it back in either the proper player or a hybrid player.

Seems like Mr. Jobs and his crew of geniuses ought to have the capabilities to accomplish this.

Originally Posted by bitemymac

Only with projected PS3 #, but since PS3 sales aren't going to reach as high as expected, the projected numbers would be revised. BTW.... what is the attachement figure of PS3 purchase as a sole BD player?... not including the one time buyer who wants to check out BD movies for the first and the last time......but ones who buy PS3 as a sole BD player would buy at least 2 to 3 BD movies/month.