I hate black friday madness with a passion... but does anyone know of any players going on sale?
I missed the earlier $99 sales and am hoping that another will occur sometime during this holiday season...
Amazon has some great deals on HD-DVD players & HDM's. The HD-A3 is being offered at $199 shipped with 10 free HDM's (2 already in box, 3 instant picks, & 5 MIR). This is as good as getting a HD-DVD player at $99 and buying three movies at most retails.
Both HD-DVD players and HDM's are selling like hot cakes right now at Amazon. I could only imagine what would happen if Amazon offers B1G1 deals on HD-DVD movies.
As we mentioned earlier, it is turning into a great holiday for the HDM player owners. There are deals everywhere and it can only get better.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. ? Far from declaring a stalemate in the high-definition disc format war as Sony's CEO Howard Stringer recently did, Walt Disney Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek told TWICE during a recent Blu-ray Fest promotional event here that the Blu-ray camp's inevitable victory was only delayed slightly.
He said the surprise announcements of Paramount and DreamWorks this summer to exclusively back HD DVD temporarily confused the market, but Blu-ray's momentum continues unabated, and it should be revealed as the obvious victor during the coming year.
The following is a brief Q&A interview with Chapek during the studio's sendoff for the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases of "Ratatouille":
TWICE: What's your assessment of the progress of the Blu-ray Disc rollout so far?
Chapek: I think it's going according to plan. Some people were surprised, and some weren't about the announcements that took place with competitive studios in the HD DVD camp a few months ago. But, to me, that was the last act of a desperate format trying to pull itself out of a nose dive. It was too little, too late. Consumers are voting with their dollars in anywhere from a 2:1 to 3:1 ratios for Blu-ray domestically, and even higher than that internationally. We have 90 percent market shares in Australia and Japan and anywhere from 70 to 80 percent market shares in Europe.
In my mind, the artificial extension of the format war, through whatever incentives were given, was counter to the consumer. The consumers made their minds up what format they preferred by some pretty large margins, and [the Paramount and DreamWorks decisions to back HD DVD exclusively] just served to extend what's an unnecessary format war, and confused the consumers and put at risk those who may now buy a format that will become obsolete very shortly.
Aside from that little momentary distraction, consumers continue to buy Blu-ray Discs as more players come on the market and discs become more prevalent and start to gain dominance at retail. When Blu-ray first came out it was getting 50/50 shelf space with HD DVD, and now the shelf-space has clearly turned in the favor of Blu-ray, and that means the sales will only continue to slide towards Blu. That will make the already inevitable outcome seem even more inevitable.
TWICE: You sound pretty confident. Any guess for when that might be?
Chapek: I would have said it would be over by the end of the calendar year, but that was before the surprise announcements [from Paramount and DreamWorks]. My guess is that within the next year it will be clear in everybody's mind that Blu-ray is the ultimate successor to DVD.
TWICE: What is Disney's current plan to bring BD Live Web-enabled interactivity into the Blu-ray market?
Chapek: We [Disney] are targeting late Spring for our BD Live applications, and it will be profound when we do it. As examples of what we can do, think of the Liars' Dice computer game that was part of "Pirates of The Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest." Now imagine that we are playing each other through our Blu-ray players ? You're in New York and I'm in L.A. Or, think of "Sleeping Beauty" when the first Disney Platinum title comes out in Blu-ray. Let's say we make an appointment that every Tuesday at 5 o'clock Sleeping Beauty comes out and engages in a live chat. You can ask her questions and she will respond to you. The possibilities are limitless.
TWICE: Many of the Blu-ray Disc players on the market now do not have the necessary hardware to utilize those forthcoming BD Live capabilities. Do you have any concern for those who have purchased, in a sense, obsolete products so early in the game?
Chapek: I would say the people who have bought a Blu-ray player, particularly a set-top box, up to this point are early adopters and early adopters thrive on buying not only the first player that's out on the market, but they understand that there's a lot of churn. When I buy the first Blu-ray player that comes out, I know that there are going to be features and benefits to come along two years out that are going to be superior to what I have. I think that amongst the group of people who have already bought it, it won't be too much of an issue, but we are doing everything we can to encourage the CE manufacturers to rapidly evolve their players to full functionality so there are fewer people impacted. But that is up to the CE manufacturers. We just encourage them all the time.
TWICE: A number of Blu-ray studios and manufacturers recently pooled their resources on an "I Do Blu" national advertising campaign ? but not all are participating. Why was that?
Chapek: The Blu-ray group's strength is that it has 170 companies. The Blu-ray group's liability is that there are 170 companies. Trying to get 170 companies to unanimously agree to anything is really, really tough. Given that there are certain companies that are naturally inclined to step up and fund the marketing efforts, certain companies quickly said "yes" to co-marketing, and that allowed us to move very quickly. But all were invited and all are welcome to participate.
TWICE: 20th Century Fox recently announced that it will add a "Digital Copy" version of "Die Hard 4" to a two-disc special-edition DVD release due on Nov. 20. Purchasers can use the WMV version to transfer to PCs and portable media players without breaking CSS copy protection. Will Disney offer similar option?
Chapek: Absolutely. We plan to begin that around the middle of next year. I think you can look at it one of two ways. It's either a half-step to a true digital rights management managed copy world, or you can say if two of the biggest problems with downloading movies is storage space and download time, it solves both of those pretty well. Either way you look at it, it is going to be a real nifty interim step, or it is going to be the way the majority of consumers get their digital content.
That should be enough for "REAL movie lovers" to go neutral, I mean if they don't, what's to stop anyone calling them a "fanboy"?
Haha... I was very close to taking advantage of 20% Kmart couple few days back on a 40GB PS3. I was going to give it away to my nephew eventually once I get the combo drive for my HTPC. But in the end, the crippled, no PS2 BC version 40GB PS3 was the deal breaker.
Anyway, the Walmart deal still has $499 entry cost with 15 movies (under $30) and this is still too much to spend for many households. The current US economy is changing spending habits for many households and it's also affecting NexGen Gaming/HDM adoption as a whole.
I think going neutral is becoming a luxury. Obviously, many of you could not afford $98 HD-DVD players.
There are plenty of "real" movie lovers who won't (or can't) spend $500 on a new player. $500 can buy a lot of DVDs or months of netflix.
Here here. Sorry, I will be paying for my HDDVD player, HDTV, and Wii for awhile. There is no Blu-ray player in my immediate future. I am not an HDDVD fan boy. The entry cost of Blu-ray is still too high.
Here here. Sorry, I will be paying for my HDDVD player, HDTV, and Wii for awhile. There is no Blu-ray player in my immediate future. I am not an HDDVD fan boy. The entry cost of Blu-ray is still too high.
$187 is too much? Granted, it's a Blu-Ray drive, but you can still hook up your TV to your computer.
Still need an HDTV whether you use a computer drive or not. Not only that but, but what if he only owns a mac? As far as I know there isn't any HDCP connections coming from a mac... am I wrong?
Still need an HDTV whether you use a computer drive or not. Not only that but, but what if he only owns a mac? As far as I know there isn't any HDCP connections coming from a mac... am I wrong?
He said he was getting an HDTV. And a lot of people with Macs still have non-Macs in the house. Unfortunately.
Still need an HDTV whether you use a computer drive or not. Not only that but, but what if he only owns a mac? As far as I know there isn't any HDCP connections coming from a mac... am I wrong?
The current mbp with nvidia 8600m allows HDM playback within the built in display only. However, it's problematic with external displays, but mbp isn't the only laptop with HDCP issues with external displays. I'm hoping future windows graphic drivers will correct it.
Anyway, I think $187 for Blu Only drive is just too expensive when standalone HD-DVD player can be had for similar price plus 10 free HDM movies. I'm still waiting for $99 or less price tag for the combo drive with at least 4x HD/BD disc read speed.
DLP is actually my favorite looking picture that I've seen on anything large. I have a 65" Mitsubishi which I bought before the invent of DLP, or even HDMI, but it still looks killer in HD. But AFAIAC DLP is really crisp, clean and outshines anything 47" and above.
That's my personal observation. Let's not debate it.
DLP looks spectacular with the single major caveat that some folks (like me) see rather distracting rainbows across the screen during high-contrast/high-motion sequences in games, movies, TV shows, etc.
It was horrific with early DLPs and even now with 6-color wheels it's distracting enough to stop me from considering a DLP set. Which is a shame, because in pretty much every other way it's a great technology.
$187 is too much? Granted, it's a Blu-Ray drive, but you can still hook up your TV to your computer.
$187 is indeed too much. However, That's not an option for me anyway. I have a G4 PowerMac 867. The cheapest PS3 is really the cheapest way to Blu for me. Right now, and for the next several months, I can't go Blu unless it costs less than $150 and I won't even be able to manage that for a non-necessity until March 1.
$187 is indeed too much. However, That's not an option for me anyway. I have a G4 PowerMac 867. The cheapest PS3 is really the cheapest way to Blu for me. Right now, and for the next several months, I can't go Blu unless it costs less than $150 and I won't even be able to manage that for a non-necessity until March 1.
People like Guartho are the people that matter in this war. The people that will consider HD if it's in the 100-200 price range. This is why HD-DVD has a HUGE chance to do very well during the holidays vs Blu-ray. I don't care what the CEO of disney says, It's apparent that people are going to buy enough HD-DVD PLAYERS to keep the technology alive and kicking long enough to make this war a stalemate.
TWICE: 20th Century Fox recently announced that it will add a "Digital Copy" version of "Die Hard 4" to a two-disc special-edition DVD release due on Nov. 20. Purchasers can use the WMV version to transfer to PCs and portable media players without breaking CSS copy protection. Will Disney offer similar option?
Chapek: Absolutely. We plan to begin that around the middle of next year. I think you can look at it one of two ways. It's either a half-step to a true digital rights management managed copy world, or you can say if two of the biggest problems with downloading movies is storage space and download time, it solves both of those pretty well. Either way you look at it, it is going to be a real nifty interim step, or it is going to be the way the majority of consumers get their digital content.
FAR more interesting to me although WMV is not my favorite format and isn't aTV friendly.
Comments
I hate black friday madness with a passion... but does anyone know of any players going on sale?
I missed the earlier $99 sales and am hoping that another will occur sometime during this holiday season...
Amazon has some great deals on HD-DVD players & HDM's. The HD-A3 is being offered at $199 shipped with 10 free HDM's (2 already in box, 3 instant picks, & 5 MIR). This is as good as getting a HD-DVD player at $99 and buying three movies at most retails.
Both HD-DVD players and HDM's are selling like hot cakes right now at Amazon. I could only imagine what would happen if Amazon offers B1G1 deals on HD-DVD movies.
As we mentioned earlier, it is turning into a great holiday for the HDM player owners. There are deals everywhere and it can only get better.
http://www.twice.com/article/CA65039...dustryid=23099
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. ? Far from declaring a stalemate in the high-definition disc format war as Sony's CEO Howard Stringer recently did, Walt Disney Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek told TWICE during a recent Blu-ray Fest promotional event here that the Blu-ray camp's inevitable victory was only delayed slightly.
He said the surprise announcements of Paramount and DreamWorks this summer to exclusively back HD DVD temporarily confused the market, but Blu-ray's momentum continues unabated, and it should be revealed as the obvious victor during the coming year.
The following is a brief Q&A interview with Chapek during the studio's sendoff for the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases of "Ratatouille":
TWICE: What's your assessment of the progress of the Blu-ray Disc rollout so far?
Chapek: I think it's going according to plan. Some people were surprised, and some weren't about the announcements that took place with competitive studios in the HD DVD camp a few months ago. But, to me, that was the last act of a desperate format trying to pull itself out of a nose dive. It was too little, too late. Consumers are voting with their dollars in anywhere from a 2:1 to 3:1 ratios for Blu-ray domestically, and even higher than that internationally. We have 90 percent market shares in Australia and Japan and anywhere from 70 to 80 percent market shares in Europe.
In my mind, the artificial extension of the format war, through whatever incentives were given, was counter to the consumer. The consumers made their minds up what format they preferred by some pretty large margins, and [the Paramount and DreamWorks decisions to back HD DVD exclusively] just served to extend what's an unnecessary format war, and confused the consumers and put at risk those who may now buy a format that will become obsolete very shortly.
Aside from that little momentary distraction, consumers continue to buy Blu-ray Discs as more players come on the market and discs become more prevalent and start to gain dominance at retail. When Blu-ray first came out it was getting 50/50 shelf space with HD DVD, and now the shelf-space has clearly turned in the favor of Blu-ray, and that means the sales will only continue to slide towards Blu. That will make the already inevitable outcome seem even more inevitable.
TWICE: You sound pretty confident. Any guess for when that might be?
Chapek: I would have said it would be over by the end of the calendar year, but that was before the surprise announcements [from Paramount and DreamWorks]. My guess is that within the next year it will be clear in everybody's mind that Blu-ray is the ultimate successor to DVD.
TWICE: What is Disney's current plan to bring BD Live Web-enabled interactivity into the Blu-ray market?
Chapek: We [Disney] are targeting late Spring for our BD Live applications, and it will be profound when we do it. As examples of what we can do, think of the Liars' Dice computer game that was part of "Pirates of The Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest." Now imagine that we are playing each other through our Blu-ray players ? You're in New York and I'm in L.A. Or, think of "Sleeping Beauty" when the first Disney Platinum title comes out in Blu-ray. Let's say we make an appointment that every Tuesday at 5 o'clock Sleeping Beauty comes out and engages in a live chat. You can ask her questions and she will respond to you. The possibilities are limitless.
TWICE: Many of the Blu-ray Disc players on the market now do not have the necessary hardware to utilize those forthcoming BD Live capabilities. Do you have any concern for those who have purchased, in a sense, obsolete products so early in the game?
Chapek: I would say the people who have bought a Blu-ray player, particularly a set-top box, up to this point are early adopters and early adopters thrive on buying not only the first player that's out on the market, but they understand that there's a lot of churn. When I buy the first Blu-ray player that comes out, I know that there are going to be features and benefits to come along two years out that are going to be superior to what I have. I think that amongst the group of people who have already bought it, it won't be too much of an issue, but we are doing everything we can to encourage the CE manufacturers to rapidly evolve their players to full functionality so there are fewer people impacted. But that is up to the CE manufacturers. We just encourage them all the time.
TWICE: A number of Blu-ray studios and manufacturers recently pooled their resources on an "I Do Blu" national advertising campaign ? but not all are participating. Why was that?
Chapek: The Blu-ray group's strength is that it has 170 companies. The Blu-ray group's liability is that there are 170 companies. Trying to get 170 companies to unanimously agree to anything is really, really tough. Given that there are certain companies that are naturally inclined to step up and fund the marketing efforts, certain companies quickly said "yes" to co-marketing, and that allowed us to move very quickly. But all were invited and all are welcome to participate.
TWICE: 20th Century Fox recently announced that it will add a "Digital Copy" version of "Die Hard 4" to a two-disc special-edition DVD release due on Nov. 20. Purchasers can use the WMV version to transfer to PCs and portable media players without breaking CSS copy protection. Will Disney offer similar option?
Chapek: Absolutely. We plan to begin that around the middle of next year. I think you can look at it one of two ways. It's either a half-step to a true digital rights management managed copy world, or you can say if two of the biggest problems with downloading movies is storage space and download time, it solves both of those pretty well. Either way you look at it, it is going to be a real nifty interim step, or it is going to be the way the majority of consumers get their digital content.
Well said Chapek, well said.
... Chapek told TWICE during a recent Blu-ray Fest promotional event here that the Blu-ray camp's inevitable victory was only delayed slightly...
Chapek: I think it's going according to plan.
:
Um, okay.
Is victory delayed, or going according to plan? Or was the plan to have victory delayed slightly?
Rumour: PS3 part of Walmart's next "secret sale."
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=26217
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...96036&t=658443
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=23991
Confirmed!
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9820411-7.html
...And from what I understand, you can get five more Blu-ray movies for buying a PS3 as part of the other promotional offer. That's 15 movies!
That's 15 movies!
That should be enough for "REAL movie lovers" to go neutral, I mean if they don't, what's to stop anyone calling them a "fanboy"?
That should be enough for "REAL movie lovers" to go neutral, I mean if they don't, what's to stop anyone calling them a "fanboy"?
Haha... I was very close to taking advantage of 20% Kmart couple few days back on a 40GB PS3. I was going to give it away to my nephew eventually once I get the combo drive for my HTPC. But in the end, the crippled, no PS2 BC version 40GB PS3 was the deal breaker.
Anyway, the Walmart deal still has $499 entry cost with 15 movies (under $30) and this is still too much to spend for many households. The current US economy is changing spending habits for many households and it's also affecting NexGen Gaming/HDM adoption as a whole.
I think going neutral is becoming a luxury. Obviously, many of you could not afford $98 HD-DVD players.
That should be enough for "REAL movie lovers" to go neutral, I mean if they don't, what's to stop anyone calling them a "fanboy"?
There are plenty of "real" movie lovers who won't (or can't) spend $500 on a new player. $500 can buy a lot of DVDs or months of netflix.
Walt Disney: BD Victory Only Delayed
http://www.twice.com/article/CA65039...dustryid=23099
Well said Chapek, well said.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, Disney casts a vote to approve HD DVD's 51GB disc. Seems as though Chapek and his company aren't quite on the same page.
I'm sorry, but I know Disney is big here. But they are NOT the decision maker here.
There are plenty of "real" movie lovers who won't (or can't) spend $500 on a new player. $500 can buy a lot of DVDs or months of netflix.
Here here. Sorry, I will be paying for my HDDVD player, HDTV, and Wii for awhile. There is no Blu-ray player in my immediate future. I am not an HDDVD fan boy. The entry cost of Blu-ray is still too high.
Here here. Sorry, I will be paying for my HDDVD player, HDTV, and Wii for awhile. There is no Blu-ray player in my immediate future. I am not an HDDVD fan boy. The entry cost of Blu-ray is still too high.
$187 is too much? Granted, it's a Blu-Ray drive, but you can still hook up your TV to your computer.
Still need an HDTV whether you use a computer drive or not. Not only that but, but what if he only owns a mac? As far as I know there isn't any HDCP connections coming from a mac... am I wrong?
He said he was getting an HDTV. And a lot of people with Macs still have non-Macs in the house. Unfortunately.
Still need an HDTV whether you use a computer drive or not. Not only that but, but what if he only owns a mac? As far as I know there isn't any HDCP connections coming from a mac... am I wrong?
The current mbp with nvidia 8600m allows HDM playback within the built in display only. However, it's problematic with external displays, but mbp isn't the only laptop with HDCP issues with external displays. I'm hoping future windows graphic drivers will correct it.
Anyway, I think $187 for Blu Only drive is just too expensive when standalone HD-DVD player can be had for similar price plus 10 free HDM movies. I'm still waiting for $99 or less price tag for the combo drive with at least 4x HD/BD disc read speed.
DLP is actually my favorite looking picture that I've seen on anything large. I have a 65" Mitsubishi which I bought before the invent of DLP, or even HDMI, but it still looks killer in HD. But AFAIAC DLP is really crisp, clean and outshines anything 47" and above.
That's my personal observation. Let's not debate it.
DLP looks spectacular with the single major caveat that some folks (like me) see rather distracting rainbows across the screen during high-contrast/high-motion sequences in games, movies, TV shows, etc.
It was horrific with early DLPs and even now with 6-color wheels it's distracting enough to stop me from considering a DLP set. Which is a shame, because in pretty much every other way it's a great technology.
$187 is too much? Granted, it's a Blu-Ray drive, but you can still hook up your TV to your computer.
$187 is indeed too much. However, That's not an option for me anyway. I have a G4 PowerMac 867. The cheapest PS3 is really the cheapest way to Blu for me. Right now, and for the next several months, I can't go Blu unless it costs less than $150 and I won't even be able to manage that for a non-necessity until March 1.
$187 is indeed too much. However, That's not an option for me anyway. I have a G4 PowerMac 867. The cheapest PS3 is really the cheapest way to Blu for me. Right now, and for the next several months, I can't go Blu unless it costs less than $150 and I won't even be able to manage that for a non-necessity until March 1.
Aye. Best of luck, then.
Walt Disney: BD Victory Only Delayed
http://www.twice.com/article/CA65039...dustryid=23099
Well said Chapek, well said.
You highlighted the less important parts:
TWICE: 20th Century Fox recently announced that it will add a "Digital Copy" version of "Die Hard 4" to a two-disc special-edition DVD release due on Nov. 20. Purchasers can use the WMV version to transfer to PCs and portable media players without breaking CSS copy protection. Will Disney offer similar option?
Chapek: Absolutely. We plan to begin that around the middle of next year. I think you can look at it one of two ways. It's either a half-step to a true digital rights management managed copy world, or you can say if two of the biggest problems with downloading movies is storage space and download time, it solves both of those pretty well. Either way you look at it, it is going to be a real nifty interim step, or it is going to be the way the majority of consumers get their digital content.
FAR more interesting to me although WMV is not my favorite format and isn't aTV friendly.
I think going neutral is becoming a luxury. Obviously, many of you could not afford $98 HD-DVD players.
Find me a $98 HD-DVD player and I'm in. I'm stuck not being able to shop Friday which is good and bad...