Click on the lower right HDDVD Tour link to see if they're coming close to you. Now keep in mind these tour reps are from Toshiba. You are likely to have stores that will demo the same Trailers disc.
Beware of the "simulated" SD portion...I found it to be a poor test because the SD side looks worse than what a properly encoded DVD of good source material would look.
The Trailers though are nice. Why the chose Dukes of Hazzard though is beyond me. It's clearly the lowest fidelity of the group.
Click on the lower right HDDVD Tour link to see if they're coming close to you. Now keep in mind these tour reps are from Toshiba. You are likely to have stores that will demo the same Trailers disc.
Beware of the "simulated" SD portion...I found it to be a poor test because the SD side looks worse than what a properly encoded DVD of good source material would look.
The Trailers though are nice. Why the chose Dukes of Hazzard though is beyond me. It's clearly the lowest fidelity of the group.
Thanks.... Looks like I can catch the demo on the 14th.....
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - As goes pornography, so goes technology. The concept may seem odd, but history has proven the adult entertainment industry to be one of the key drivers of any new technology in home entertainment. Pornography customers have been some of the first to buy home video machines, DVD players and subscribe to high-speed Internet.
One of the next big issues in which pornographers could play a deciding role is the future of high-definition DVDs.
The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year, giving it tremendous power to sway the battle between two groups of studios and technology companies competing to set standards for the next generation.
"It's sort of like the buzz around the campfire," said Peter Warren, DVD editor at industry bible Adult Video News.
One side of the divide is a standard called Blu-ray backed by consumer electronics heavyweights like Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Thomson (TMS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and movie studios Fox and Disney. Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, enough for nine hours of high-definition content.
On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include companies like NEC (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Warner Home Video.
Adult film producers want the higher quality picture as well as extra space for creative expression -- like giving viewers choice of camera angles.
Pornographers weighed in on the coming battle last week at the industry's Adult Entertainment Expo, which ran parallel with the largest U.S. technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show, and had many of the same technologies -- sometimes a generation ahead.
Sentiment about the format rivalry varies, depending largely on the size of porn producer.
Smaller outfits seem to prefer HD-DVD for its lower cost, while larger outfits tend toward Blu-ray for the capacity.
"We're kind of riding it out a little further to see where the trend goes," said Jackie Ramos, an executive in the DVD division at leading porn producer Wicked Pictures. But if he had to choose, Ramos said, "Blu-ray technology sounds pretty attractive."
Paul Hesky, chief operating officer of Multimedia Pictures Inc., one of the smaller groups, disagreed.
"Most of the DVD manufacturers in my business do not want the Blu-ray format because it requires new capital investment," he said, adding, "I know for sure one format or the other will be out (on the market) by this time next year."
Others say they want to see what consumers prefer.
Adult Video News's Warren said HD-DVD production would be a "fraction of a fraction of the price" of Blu-ray, but that the latter format could not be dismissed.
"Blu-ray is going to be very expensive for anyone to do but it is going to be a player," he said.
Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.
Hollywood has begun lining up on both sides of the battle as they have watched the growth of DVDs slow. They will want a new standard in place soon, to accelerate again.
Many are watching the porn industry to see what happens.
"That whole business has driven technology adoption of several platforms," said one major studio executive. "A better, more intense experience is a good thing for porn."
(Additional reporting by Gina Keating in Los Angeles)
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - As goes pornography, so goes technology. The concept may seem odd, but history has proven the adult entertainment industry to be one of the key drivers of any new technology in home entertainment. Pornography customers have been some of the first to buy home video machines, DVD players and subscribe to high-speed Internet.
One of the next big issues in which pornographers could play a deciding role is the future of high-definition DVDs.
The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year, giving it tremendous power to sway the battle between two groups of studios and technology companies competing to set standards for the next generation.
"It's sort of like the buzz around the campfire," said Peter Warren, DVD editor at industry bible Adult Video News.
One side of the divide is a standard called Blu-ray backed by consumer electronics heavyweights like Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Thomson (TMS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and movie studios Fox and Disney. Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, enough for nine hours of high-definition content.
On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include companies like NEC (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Warner Home Video.
Adult film producers want the higher quality picture as well as extra space for creative expression -- like giving viewers choice of camera angles.
Pornographers weighed in on the coming battle last week at the industry's Adult Entertainment Expo, which ran parallel with the largest U.S. technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show, and had many of the same technologies -- sometimes a generation ahead.
Sentiment about the format rivalry varies, depending largely on the size of porn producer.
Smaller outfits seem to prefer HD-DVD for its lower cost, while larger outfits tend toward Blu-ray for the capacity.
"We're kind of riding it out a little further to see where the trend goes," said Jackie Ramos, an executive in the DVD division at leading porn producer Wicked Pictures. But if he had to choose, Ramos said, "Blu-ray technology sounds pretty attractive."
Paul Hesky, chief operating officer of Multimedia Pictures Inc., one of the smaller groups, disagreed.
"Most of the DVD manufacturers in my business do not want the Blu-ray format because it requires new capital investment," he said, adding, "I know for sure one format or the other will be out (on the market) by this time next year."
Others say they want to see what consumers prefer.
Adult Video News's Warren said HD-DVD production would be a "fraction of a fraction of the price" of Blu-ray, but that the latter format could not be dismissed.
"Blu-ray is going to be very expensive for anyone to do but it is going to be a player," he said.
Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.
Hollywood has begun lining up on both sides of the battle as they have watched the growth of DVDs slow. They will want a new standard in place soon, to accelerate again.
Many are watching the porn industry to see what happens.
"That whole business has driven technology adoption of several platforms," said one major studio executive. "A better, more intense experience is a good thing for porn."
(Additional reporting by Gina Keating in Los Angeles)
Yup. There was a couple of articles a while back stating how the majority of the Porn industry is choosing Blu-ray.
"Finally, Video Business has a good story up today on the so-far sketchy launch of the HD-DVD format, which is supported to make its big debut on 3/28. Toshiba's first two players, the HD-A1 ($499.99 list) and HD-XA1 ($799.99), are expected on that day. A number of titles from Warner are expected on 3/28 as well, but... despite the press releases to the contrary... there's been little to no retailer confirmation of the titles so far. There are a grand total of ZERO details about the HD-DVD titles up on WHV's studio retailer site, this with less than three weeks to go before they're supposed to street (by comparison, in-depth details of most standard DVD releases are announced to retailers on the studio site months in advance). Toshiba's nation-wide HD-DVD promotional tour continues this week (click here for the latest dates and locations from Toshiba's official format site - you'll also find them in this PDF file), but I'm told by those who have seen it that the only thing Tosh reps have to show is a demo disc of movie trailers - no final product HD-DVD software is ready yet.
On that front, I've spoken with a number of my contacts within the industry - at various production and authoring houses, as well as the studios - and nearly all of them expect that the titles will end up getting delayed. I'm told that the authoring is just a mess right now - the format is being pushed to launch too quickly, and there are many problems getting the movies to work properly. Part of the problem is that the software used to author discs is still in the beta stage - not surprising given that the AACS portion of the HD-DVD spec was only finalized last month. Even IF Toshiba and Warner are able to get both hardware and software titles out on 3/28, they'll basically just be ports of existing DVD releases, with HD video and maybe a few new special features at the most. The iHD interactivity isn't really going to be a factor on the software releases until later in 2006 (after the authoring software is finalized and functioning, and HD-DVD check discs can be vigorously tested on actual player hardware). We'll have more on all this soon."
3/13
"Sony has also officially listed their first Blu-ray Disc titles on their retailer website. Set to be released on 5/23 (as expected), they include 50 First Dates, Hitch, A Knight's Take, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Fifth Element, House of Flying Daggers, The Last Waltz and xXx. SRP for each is $28.95. There's no word yet on extra features.
It's worth noting that WalMart has apparently stopped taking online pre-orders for Warner's HD-DVD titles (which had been planned for release on 3/28 ) until the official release details become more solid. WHV division president Ron Sanders is now confirming what we've been expecting - that there's likely going to be a delay from the planned 3/28 date of at least one or two weeks (the exact timeframe remains unclear). Neither Universal or Paramount expects to street HD-DVD titles before April (and neither has announced their specific plans to retailers either). Toshiba, however, says that they'll still have some 10,000 HD-DVD players in stores by the end of this month. One good thing for the HD-DVD camp - LG now says they're going to support both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc and will release players later this year."
I would probably get House of Flying Daggers, and The Fifth Element on Blue Ray right away. I already own both on DVD (5th in superbit), but those are two fantastic flix with dramatic scenic elements that would definitely be worth seeing the upgrade. All my flix with Zhang Ziyi will be updated soonest based on availability.
I just have to wonder if they will do something with the additional space in the future? THey pull that crap with regular DVD's already, and it pisses me off.
I would probably get House of Flying Daggers, and The Fifth Element on Blue Ray right away. I already own both on DVD (5th in superbit), but those are two fantastic flix with dramatic scenic elements that would definitely be worth seeing the upgrade. All my flix with Zhang Ziyi will be updated soonest based on availability.
I just have to wonder if they will do something with the additional space in the future? THey pull that crap with regular DVD's already, and it pisses me off.
I'd pickup 5th Element as well, and I too have it on DVD already. Key is what Blu-Ray players will be available and at what price. I'd much rather have a Mac Mini with Blu-Ray drive attached to the TV that a single purpose Blu-Ray player, but I doubt I'll be so lucky at first.
In fact a single HD device with TiVo, disc burning, Blu-Ray, and media streaming would be killer! Why need anything else?
I'd pickup 5th Element as well, and I too have it on DVD already. Key is what Blu-Ray players will be available and at what price. I'd much rather have a Mac Mini with Blu-Ray drive attached to the TV that a single purpose Blu-Ray player, but I doubt I'll be so lucky at first.
In fact a single HD device with TiVo, disc burning, Blu-Ray, and media streaming would be killer! Why need anything else?
That would be lovely if macmini adopts Blu-Ray drive, but I think the movie playback quality will still be very poor compared to the stand alone players unless apple starts investing in writing a good dvd software player and update the GPU that can satisty minimum requirements for the videophiles. Apple can easily charge $899 for it and people will also flock in to get the mini over the windows based htpc. I wouldn't mind the extra cost for the BD Titles, many retailers will run 1st release date discount. Aleast BestBuy and Circuit City do this for all the new releases.
So much for the Spring launch!! Oh well, I'm still in line to get one, that's for sure. Christmas ought to be quite interesting this year! PS3's under everyones' trees. That is, if your lucky enough to get one before they're all off the shelves.
What's nice of course is that they'll be fully backward compatible with all previous generation PlayStation games and from what I understand will uprez the old games to HD.
Despite the recent good news that Disney is considering the format, HD DVD backers have had little encouraging news recently. That trend continues with today's announcement that Warner Home Video will not be releasing HD DVD movies on March 28, after all. This means that early adopters will have to wait until sometime in April to get their hands on U2's Rattle and Hum documentary, the first title to be released in the new format.
This is not encouraging news for Toshiba, one of the primary backers of the HD DVD specification. Two Toshiba players are set to launch later this month, but with Warner's ship date slipping, the players will initially launch without any available titles. Movies should appear within several weeks of the launch, but it's not yet clear how much they will cost. While we already have indications that Blu-ray disc pricing will be in the US$23-39 range, no HD DVD backer has yet set a firm number. Wal-Mart was initially taking orders for HD DVD films at US$25.48 a pop (based on a US$29.99 list price), but a Warner representative said that the studio has not yet decided if this is accurate.
No matter how you spin it, this is not the way to make a strong product launch. Warner will be releasing movies late, and other studios will be even further behind. In addition, Toshiba is currently the only manufacturer of the players, which does not suggest strong backing from consumer electronics manufacturers. (LG has recently agreed to build HD DVD players as well, but nothing will be available for some time). Rumors also have it that only 10,000 machines will be available at launch, a number which suggests that Toshiba's players will be the nichest of niche commodities for a while.
So, is HD DVD doomed even before launch? Of course not. Despite a shaky start, the format has the formidable backing of Microsoft, which is considering plans to release an add-on player for the Xbox 360. HD DVD also has the advantage of beating its rival to market by about two months, and if the rumors of PS3 delays are true, it may have nine months to a year in which to establish itself before Blu-ray drives begin appearing en masse in Sony's new game console. On the other hand, if the HD DVD launch is underwhelming and Sony somehow manages to get millions of PS3s on store shelves by Christmas, the format war could be over sooner than we once thought.
And as 1984 alluded to earlier, looks like HD DVD's launch is a bit delayed as well...
This sort of sums up my argument that HD-DVD would be absolutely nothing without Microsoft. . . and Microsoft is only in it because Sony is in Blu-ray.
I may not have to worry about it. LG seems to be scuttling their previous plans and moving towards delivering a Universal Player this year. If I'm going to spend nigh $1k on a player I'd like to have a UP over anything.
Headlining Sony's new product debuts are the BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc player and the VAIO RC desktop computer. The player is targeted to ship in July for about $1,000. The VAIO PC with Blu-ray Disc will be available for about $2,300. Both the VAIO RC desktop and notebook with a Blu-ray Disc drive will be available by early summer.
Cool! Didn't think they'd be shipping a BD enabled Desktop/Laptop so soon.
Quote:
In April, Sony plans to begin shipping 25GB BD-R (write once) and BD-RE (rewritable) discs for about $20 and $25 respectively. The 50GB BD-R and BD-RE dual-layer discs will come in subsequent months for about $48 and $60 respectively
Nice but the price of the DL media is going to have to come down rapidly. 50GB BD-R is scary...that's an expensive coaster.
Quote:
The BWU-100A, an aftermarket internal Blu-ray Disc drive for computer use, will support recording of 25GB and 50GB BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs at 2X max speed. They are capable of burning a full 25GB disc in about 30 minutes. The drive will also support recording of standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW, Double/Dual Layer 8.5GB DVD+R, DVD-RAM and CD-R/-RW media, making it a true all-in-one "tri-mode" recorder/reader.
Even with a universal player I feel that the competing standards are going to work against widespread consumer acceptance of either HD or BR. Both formats are starting to look more and more like niche products.
Comments
Click on the lower right HDDVD Tour link to see if they're coming close to you. Now keep in mind these tour reps are from Toshiba. You are likely to have stores that will demo the same Trailers disc.
Beware of the "simulated" SD portion...I found it to be a poor test because the SD side looks worse than what a properly encoded DVD of good source material would look.
The Trailers though are nice. Why the chose Dukes of Hazzard though is beyond me. It's clearly the lowest fidelity of the group.
Originally posted by hmurchison
http://www.toshibahddvd.com
Click on the lower right HDDVD Tour link to see if they're coming close to you. Now keep in mind these tour reps are from Toshiba. You are likely to have stores that will demo the same Trailers disc.
Beware of the "simulated" SD portion...I found it to be a poor test because the SD side looks worse than what a properly encoded DVD of good source material would look.
The Trailers though are nice. Why the chose Dukes of Hazzard though is beyond me. It's clearly the lowest fidelity of the group.
Thanks.... Looks like I can catch the demo on the 14th.....
From olympics.reuters.com:
Porn Business Driving DVD Technology
Sun Jan 9, 2005 02:02 PM ET
By Ben Berkowitz
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - As goes pornography, so goes technology. The concept may seem odd, but history has proven the adult entertainment industry to be one of the key drivers of any new technology in home entertainment. Pornography customers have been some of the first to buy home video machines, DVD players and subscribe to high-speed Internet.
One of the next big issues in which pornographers could play a deciding role is the future of high-definition DVDs.
The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year, giving it tremendous power to sway the battle between two groups of studios and technology companies competing to set standards for the next generation.
"It's sort of like the buzz around the campfire," said Peter Warren, DVD editor at industry bible Adult Video News.
One side of the divide is a standard called Blu-ray backed by consumer electronics heavyweights like Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Thomson (TMS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and movie studios Fox and Disney. Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, enough for nine hours of high-definition content.
On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include companies like NEC (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Warner Home Video.
Adult film producers want the higher quality picture as well as extra space for creative expression -- like giving viewers choice of camera angles.
Pornographers weighed in on the coming battle last week at the industry's Adult Entertainment Expo, which ran parallel with the largest U.S. technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show, and had many of the same technologies -- sometimes a generation ahead.
Sentiment about the format rivalry varies, depending largely on the size of porn producer.
Smaller outfits seem to prefer HD-DVD for its lower cost, while larger outfits tend toward Blu-ray for the capacity.
"We're kind of riding it out a little further to see where the trend goes," said Jackie Ramos, an executive in the DVD division at leading porn producer Wicked Pictures. But if he had to choose, Ramos said, "Blu-ray technology sounds pretty attractive."
Paul Hesky, chief operating officer of Multimedia Pictures Inc., one of the smaller groups, disagreed.
"Most of the DVD manufacturers in my business do not want the Blu-ray format because it requires new capital investment," he said, adding, "I know for sure one format or the other will be out (on the market) by this time next year."
Others say they want to see what consumers prefer.
Adult Video News's Warren said HD-DVD production would be a "fraction of a fraction of the price" of Blu-ray, but that the latter format could not be dismissed.
"Blu-ray is going to be very expensive for anyone to do but it is going to be a player," he said.
Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.
Hollywood has begun lining up on both sides of the battle as they have watched the growth of DVDs slow. They will want a new standard in place soon, to accelerate again.
Many are watching the porn industry to see what happens.
"That whole business has driven technology adoption of several platforms," said one major studio executive. "A better, more intense experience is a good thing for porn."
(Additional reporting by Gina Keating in Los Angeles)
Originally posted by onlooker
Has this been posted yet? .
From olympics.reuters.com:
Porn Business Driving DVD Technology
Sun Jan 9, 2005 02:02 PM ET
By Ben Berkowitz
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - As goes pornography, so goes technology. The concept may seem odd, but history has proven the adult entertainment industry to be one of the key drivers of any new technology in home entertainment. Pornography customers have been some of the first to buy home video machines, DVD players and subscribe to high-speed Internet.
One of the next big issues in which pornographers could play a deciding role is the future of high-definition DVDs.
The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year, giving it tremendous power to sway the battle between two groups of studios and technology companies competing to set standards for the next generation.
"It's sort of like the buzz around the campfire," said Peter Warren, DVD editor at industry bible Adult Video News.
One side of the divide is a standard called Blu-ray backed by consumer electronics heavyweights like Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Thomson (TMS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and movie studios Fox and Disney. Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, enough for nine hours of high-definition content.
On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include companies like NEC (6701.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Warner Home Video.
Adult film producers want the higher quality picture as well as extra space for creative expression -- like giving viewers choice of camera angles.
Pornographers weighed in on the coming battle last week at the industry's Adult Entertainment Expo, which ran parallel with the largest U.S. technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show, and had many of the same technologies -- sometimes a generation ahead.
Sentiment about the format rivalry varies, depending largely on the size of porn producer.
Smaller outfits seem to prefer HD-DVD for its lower cost, while larger outfits tend toward Blu-ray for the capacity.
"We're kind of riding it out a little further to see where the trend goes," said Jackie Ramos, an executive in the DVD division at leading porn producer Wicked Pictures. But if he had to choose, Ramos said, "Blu-ray technology sounds pretty attractive."
Paul Hesky, chief operating officer of Multimedia Pictures Inc., one of the smaller groups, disagreed.
"Most of the DVD manufacturers in my business do not want the Blu-ray format because it requires new capital investment," he said, adding, "I know for sure one format or the other will be out (on the market) by this time next year."
Others say they want to see what consumers prefer.
Adult Video News's Warren said HD-DVD production would be a "fraction of a fraction of the price" of Blu-ray, but that the latter format could not be dismissed.
"Blu-ray is going to be very expensive for anyone to do but it is going to be a player," he said.
Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.
Hollywood has begun lining up on both sides of the battle as they have watched the growth of DVDs slow. They will want a new standard in place soon, to accelerate again.
Many are watching the porn industry to see what happens.
"That whole business has driven technology adoption of several platforms," said one major studio executive. "A better, more intense experience is a good thing for porn."
(Additional reporting by Gina Keating in Los Angeles)
Yup. There was a couple of articles a while back stating how the majority of the Porn industry is choosing Blu-ray.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182370,00.html
http://www.cooltechzone.com/Departme..._200602072180/
http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/ps....asp?newID=104
3/06
"Finally, Video Business has a good story up today on the so-far sketchy launch of the HD-DVD format, which is supported to make its big debut on 3/28. Toshiba's first two players, the HD-A1 ($499.99 list) and HD-XA1 ($799.99), are expected on that day. A number of titles from Warner are expected on 3/28 as well, but... despite the press releases to the contrary... there's been little to no retailer confirmation of the titles so far. There are a grand total of ZERO details about the HD-DVD titles up on WHV's studio retailer site, this with less than three weeks to go before they're supposed to street (by comparison, in-depth details of most standard DVD releases are announced to retailers on the studio site months in advance). Toshiba's nation-wide HD-DVD promotional tour continues this week (click here for the latest dates and locations from Toshiba's official format site - you'll also find them in this PDF file), but I'm told by those who have seen it that the only thing Tosh reps have to show is a demo disc of movie trailers - no final product HD-DVD software is ready yet.
On that front, I've spoken with a number of my contacts within the industry - at various production and authoring houses, as well as the studios - and nearly all of them expect that the titles will end up getting delayed. I'm told that the authoring is just a mess right now - the format is being pushed to launch too quickly, and there are many problems getting the movies to work properly. Part of the problem is that the software used to author discs is still in the beta stage - not surprising given that the AACS portion of the HD-DVD spec was only finalized last month. Even IF Toshiba and Warner are able to get both hardware and software titles out on 3/28, they'll basically just be ports of existing DVD releases, with HD video and maybe a few new special features at the most. The iHD interactivity isn't really going to be a factor on the software releases until later in 2006 (after the authoring software is finalized and functioning, and HD-DVD check discs can be vigorously tested on actual player hardware). We'll have more on all this soon."
3/13
"Sony has also officially listed their first Blu-ray Disc titles on their retailer website. Set to be released on 5/23 (as expected), they include 50 First Dates, Hitch, A Knight's Take, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, The Fifth Element, House of Flying Daggers, The Last Waltz and xXx. SRP for each is $28.95. There's no word yet on extra features.
It's worth noting that WalMart has apparently stopped taking online pre-orders for Warner's HD-DVD titles (which had been planned for release on 3/28 ) until the official release details become more solid. WHV division president Ron Sanders is now confirming what we've been expecting - that there's likely going to be a delay from the planned 3/28 date of at least one or two weeks (the exact timeframe remains unclear). Neither Universal or Paramount expects to street HD-DVD titles before April (and neither has announced their specific plans to retailers either). Toshiba, however, says that they'll still have some 10,000 HD-DVD players in stores by the end of this month. One good thing for the HD-DVD camp - LG now says they're going to support both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc and will release players later this year."
I just have to wonder if they will do something with the additional space in the future? THey pull that crap with regular DVD's already, and it pisses me off.
Originally posted by onlooker
I would probably get House of Flying Daggers, and The Fifth Element on Blue Ray right away. I already own both on DVD (5th in superbit), but those are two fantastic flix with dramatic scenic elements that would definitely be worth seeing the upgrade. All my flix with Zhang Ziyi will be updated soonest based on availability.
I just have to wonder if they will do something with the additional space in the future? THey pull that crap with regular DVD's already, and it pisses me off.
I'd pickup 5th Element as well, and I too have it on DVD already. Key is what Blu-Ray players will be available and at what price. I'd much rather have a Mac Mini with Blu-Ray drive attached to the TV that a single purpose Blu-Ray player, but I doubt I'll be so lucky at first.
In fact a single HD device with TiVo, disc burning, Blu-Ray, and media streaming would be killer! Why need anything else?
All my flix with Zhang Ziyi
Sorry Onlooker but the Zhang is mine...the gosh darn girl is mine!
In fact a single HD device with TiVo, disc burning, Blu-Ray, and media streaming would be killer! Why need anything else?
Close
I'll take a Blu Ray/HD DVD Universal Player with HDD and Tivo UI with 802.11N Wireless networking.
Originally posted by Xool
I'd pickup 5th Element as well, and I too have it on DVD already. Key is what Blu-Ray players will be available and at what price. I'd much rather have a Mac Mini with Blu-Ray drive attached to the TV that a single purpose Blu-Ray player, but I doubt I'll be so lucky at first.
In fact a single HD device with TiVo, disc burning, Blu-Ray, and media streaming would be killer! Why need anything else?
That would be lovely if macmini adopts Blu-Ray drive, but I think the movie playback quality will still be very poor compared to the stand alone players unless apple starts investing in writing a good dvd software player and update the GPU that can satisty minimum requirements for the videophiles. Apple can easily charge $899 for it and people will also flock in to get the mini over the windows based htpc. I wouldn't mind the extra cost for the BD Titles, many retailers will run 1st release date discount. Aleast BestBuy and Circuit City do this for all the new releases.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...4320341&EDATE=
So much for the Spring launch!!
What's nice of course is that they'll be fully backward compatible with all previous generation PlayStation games and from what I understand will uprez the old games to HD.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060314-6380.html
HD DVD to launch without any movies
3/14/2006 1:07:04 PM, by Nate Anderson
Despite the recent good news that Disney is considering the format, HD DVD backers have had little encouraging news recently. That trend continues with today's announcement that Warner Home Video will not be releasing HD DVD movies on March 28, after all. This means that early adopters will have to wait until sometime in April to get their hands on U2's Rattle and Hum documentary, the first title to be released in the new format.
This is not encouraging news for Toshiba, one of the primary backers of the HD DVD specification. Two Toshiba players are set to launch later this month, but with Warner's ship date slipping, the players will initially launch without any available titles. Movies should appear within several weeks of the launch, but it's not yet clear how much they will cost. While we already have indications that Blu-ray disc pricing will be in the US$23-39 range, no HD DVD backer has yet set a firm number. Wal-Mart was initially taking orders for HD DVD films at US$25.48 a pop (based on a US$29.99 list price), but a Warner representative said that the studio has not yet decided if this is accurate.
No matter how you spin it, this is not the way to make a strong product launch. Warner will be releasing movies late, and other studios will be even further behind. In addition, Toshiba is currently the only manufacturer of the players, which does not suggest strong backing from consumer electronics manufacturers. (LG has recently agreed to build HD DVD players as well, but nothing will be available for some time). Rumors also have it that only 10,000 machines will be available at launch, a number which suggests that Toshiba's players will be the nichest of niche commodities for a while.
So, is HD DVD doomed even before launch? Of course not. Despite a shaky start, the format has the formidable backing of Microsoft, which is considering plans to release an add-on player for the Xbox 360. HD DVD also has the advantage of beating its rival to market by about two months, and if the rumors of PS3 delays are true, it may have nine months to a year in which to establish itself before Blu-ray drives begin appearing en masse in Sony's new game console. On the other hand, if the HD DVD launch is underwhelming and Sony somehow manages to get millions of PS3s on store shelves by Christmas, the format war could be over sooner than we once thought.
Originally posted by marzetta7
And as 1984 alluded to earlier, looks like HD DVD's launch is a bit delayed as well...
This sort of sums up my argument that HD-DVD would be absolutely nothing without Microsoft. . . and Microsoft is only in it because Sony is in Blu-ray.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Sorry Onlooker but the Zhang is mine...the gosh darn girl is mine!
I'm not giving her up without a fight. What... You think I'd just hand her over to you?
Headlining Sony's new product debuts are the BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc player and the VAIO RC desktop computer. The player is targeted to ship in July for about $1,000. The VAIO PC with Blu-ray Disc will be available for about $2,300. Both the VAIO RC desktop and notebook with a Blu-ray Disc drive will be available by early summer.
Cool! Didn't think they'd be shipping a BD enabled Desktop/Laptop so soon.
In April, Sony plans to begin shipping 25GB BD-R (write once) and BD-RE (rewritable) discs for about $20 and $25 respectively. The 50GB BD-R and BD-RE dual-layer discs will come in subsequent months for about $48 and $60 respectively
Nice but the price of the DL media is going to have to come down rapidly. 50GB BD-R is scary...that's an expensive coaster.
The BWU-100A, an aftermarket internal Blu-ray Disc drive for computer use, will support recording of 25GB and 50GB BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs at 2X max speed. They are capable of burning a full 25GB disc in about 30 minutes. The drive will also support recording of standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW, Double/Dual Layer 8.5GB DVD+R, DVD-RAM and CD-R/-RW media, making it a true all-in-one "tri-mode" recorder/reader.
Great legacy support.
Image CEO: Hi-Def DVD 'Very Cost Prohibitive'
Scroll down for the second article.
Originally posted by wilco
HD DVDs Delayed 3 Weeks...
Image CEO: Hi-Def DVD 'Very Cost Prohibitive'
Scroll down for the second article.
I wonder how much it costs to press an HD-DVD?