I guess you could call this the official Apple statement to the original topic question. Not to mention the official position Apple gave to Hollywood. This is a quote of Frank Cassonova from the Hollywood Reporter:
Looking toward the future, H.264 will be part of the next generation optical disc whether its Blu-ray or HD-DVD. "We'll let those companies battle it out for which will be the predominant format," Casanova says. "The good news is that they both use H.264 AVC as a mandatory format, and it's built into QuickTime . Hollywood is a QuickTime town, and when we show them the AVC codec they're blown away."
Regarding 100GB or 200GB discs. People let's not forget this is Sony. They support their tech until they decide it cannot win and then the give nothing but basic life support after that. I will not make a purchase decision based on some esoteric tech sitting in Sony's skunkworks lab.
DAT
Minidisc
MicroMV
Beta(to an extent)
Sony is fond of making huge claims about their proprietary stuff and then forgetting them when they don't obtain critical mass. Blu Ray discs cost more to manufacture in their present form. Add in 2 more layers and guess about how much those discs will be to fab.
Hollywood is about the profit. If they can ship the Star Wars series on 6 discs for a net manf cost of .06 cents a disc then that's superior to one 200GB Blu Ray disc that costs .10 cents.
Frankly optical disc technology for computer uses has failed. It's slow and the capacity is nothing special hence the reason why LTO Ultrium TAPE is standard for backups so you scratch Blu Ray as a backup medium that will flourish in computerdom.
My hope is that Universal Drives come sooner rather than later and the market/content providers will decide what format wins over time.
Sony is fond of making huge claims about their proprietary stuff and then forgetting them when they don't obtain critical mass.
My hope is that Universal Drives come sooner rather than later and the market/content providers will decide what format wins over time.
I think that the fact the Blu-Ray drive will be in the PS3 will certainly help it on the way to obtaining critical mass (don't forget how important the DVD player was on the PS2).
I think that the fact the Blu-Ray drive will be in the PS3 will certainly help it on the way to obtaining critical mass (don't forget how important the DVD player was on the PS2).
Has this been officially stated anywhere, or is it just rumors and speculation from guys like us? It seems to me that Sony would lose a lot of money including a Blu-Ray drive with every PS3, as the two devices will be launching around the same time (if not within a 6 month period of each other). At that point Blu-Ray drives will probably still cost close to $500 a piece, more than the whole PS3 console.
I've heard that the PS3 will have BR as well and from beyond Rumor sites. Sony seems to be keyeing on BR to propel PS3 sales. Make it affordable and I'll buy in...say at $399.
Hopefully, you can help complete my knowledge on HD(TV):
- What is the resolution of the broadcasts?
- Some display devices (projectors, screens) claim to be HD(TV)-ready, but offer a for smaller resolution. Will the picture be scaled to size thus losing parts of the image quality? And why can they claim to be HD-compatible?
- What will the resolution of the contet on BR/HD-DVD discs be?
- Do you think that computer equipment with digital video I/O will be forced to comply to HDCP? Will Apple's HD-displays be upgrade-able (probaly not, it's Apple!)?
Hopefully, you can help complete my knowledge on HD(TV):
- What is the resolution of the broadcasts?
- Some display devices (projectors, screens) claim to be HD(TV)-ready, but offer a for smaller resolution. Will the picture be scaled to size thus losing parts of the image quality? And why can they claim to be HD-compatible?
- What will the resolution of the contet on BR/HD-DVD discs be?
- Do you think that computer equipment with digital video I/O will be forced to comply to HDCP? Will Apple's HD-displays be upgrade-able (probaly not, it's Apple!)?
-resolution of broadcasts is 1080i, that is, 1080 horizontal lines as opposed to the 480 lines of standard def. with movies, there is also 720p, which is 720 progressive. this allows for a nice film look, and a higher per-frame quality. generally, 1080i is the best res.
-yes, many units in fact claim to be hd ready, but actually use scaling to achieve this quality. they do this b/c they know most consumers are stupid and will buy their cheap product because it has the letters "HD" on the box.
-apple's 23" and 30: displays are already fully, truly hd compatible. no upgrading is necessary. (sorry if i misunderstood this question)
-resolution of broadcasts is 1080i, that is, 1080 horizontal lines as opposed to the 480 lines of standard def. with movies, there is also 720p, which is 720 progressive. this allows for a nice film look, and a higher per-frame quality. generally, 1080i is the best res.
How about 1080p? Are there broadcasts in this quality?
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Is the broadcast content highly compressed? Are there artefacts sometimes?
Quote:
[i]-yes, many units in fact claim to be hd ready, but actually use scaling to achieve this quality. they do this b/c they know most consumers are stupid and will buy their cheap product because it has the letters "HD" on the box.[/B]
Thought so... ;-(
Quote:
[i]-apple's 23" and 30: displays are already fully, truly hd compatible. no upgrading is necessary. (sorry if i misunderstood this question)[/B]
HDCP is the copyprotection that will be (is?) mandatory for digital video source/display connections. As far as I know, Apple's hardware is not compatible yet (IIRC, nVidias chips can already do it).
How about 1080p? Are there broadcasts in this quality?
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Is the broadcast content highly compressed? Are there artefacts sometimes?
HDCP is the copyprotection that will be (is?) mandatory for digital video source/display connections. As far as I know, Apple's hardware is not compatible yet (IIRC, nVidias chips can already do it).
There are indeed multiple standards for HD broadcast, including the aforementioned 720p and 1080i (even 480p and 576p can legitimately claim to be HD, depending on where you live) but 1080p is not one of them so far as I know due to bandwidth considerations.
As for compression, it probably depends on how good a job the broadcaster has done. Live events will always look a little blocky in HD due to the on-the-fly compression, but stock programming, TV shows and movies will look better.
As I understand the way at least one codec will work on BR/HD-DVD, however, video is capable of being stored either 720 or 1080 lines of vertical resolution, either interlaced or progressive (in which case it's up to your player and display, and whatever flags are embedded in the stream, as to whether that will be displayed as interlaced or progressive). If it follows existing DVD practice then even film source will be stored as interlaced field pairs and an onboard deinterlacer will be required to recreate a progressive output. However, as that practice is an artefact of SD display technology, it may not be the case. I don't know for sure, but it seems like 720(60p), 1080(30i) and 1080(25p) are all possible using H.264/AVCfreXT. (Note that there is no mandate that content on these formats actually be stored in HD format, of course.)
As for HDCP, good question, but I suspect no display that isn't manufactured with HDCP compatibility is upgradeable, Apple or not. As I understand it the implementation of the key on either side of the connection is a hardware thing, but I could be misinformed.
There are indeed multiple standards for HD broadcast, including the aforementioned 720p and 1080i (even 480p and 576p can legitimately claim to be HD, depending on where you live) but 1080p is not one of them so far as I know due to bandwidth considerations.
480p/576p is NOT HD. It is just progressive standard definition (or EHTV whatever the manufactor wants to call it). Although 480p is part of the approved DTV broadcasting scheme, it is not HDTV. This standard was included as one of the DTV broadcasting standards to provide broadcasters the option of providing multiple channels of programming in the same bandwidth as a single HDTV signal. In other words, 480p is just more of what we already have with only a slight increase in image quality. HDTV is 720p/1080i/1080p (yes, 1080p is part of the standard, sets are just now becoming affordable to make at that native resolution.)
Most RPTVs today have a native res of 1080i. This means that all 720p broadcasts are "upconverted" to 1080i. Most LCD, Plasmas, and DLP TVs are 720p native res, meaning 1080i content is "downconverted".
As far as broadcasts in 1080p, at this time I don't think there are any.
Quote:
As for compression, it probably depends on how good a job the broadcaster has done. Live events will always look a little blocky in HD due to the on-the-fly compression, but stock programming, TV shows and movies will look better.
It all depends on what bitrate they use. I have seen stuff looking amazing live, and crappy prerecorded and vice versa. It always looks better than the standard def channels, but the HD image quality can range from good to outstanding.
Quote:
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Either 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, as those are the high def. I am sure that each studio will pick a format, and stick to that. Your TV will automatically convert whatever format they encode at to its own native resolution.
480p/576p is NOT HD. It is just progressive standard definition (or EHTV whatever the manufactor wants to call it). Although 480p is part of the approved DTV broadcasting scheme, it is not HDTV. This standard was included as one of the DTV broadcasting standards to provide broadcasters the option of providing multiple channels of programming in the same bandwidth as a single HDTV signal. In other words, 480p is just more of what we already have with only a slight increase in image quality.
All true, but as I said, it depends on where you live. In Australia 576p is actually defined by the Digital Broadcasting Authority as the lower-end spec for HD, to differentiate it from standard DTV broadcasts which are 16:9 576i. We don't have the intermediate EDTV standard here, either. (And the increase in image quality is actually pretty startling on a good set!)
Anyway, getting back to topic, it seems to me that Apple will want to jump on board both formats as quickly as possible, given that they both implement H.264/AVC - the cornerstone of the new QuickTime. It'll be pretty embarrassing if one or the other of these don't play back on a PowerMac because the drive can't read it.
We're all used to the idea of the SuperDrive (or equivalent) being a "does it all" product by now. In the home theater market, universal players that support competing formats have proven themselves to be viable moneyspinners, even for obscure/niche functions (witness the growing number of DVD-A/SACD compatible players out there), and video compatibility is a far more powerful incentive than audio, so we'll see dual format drives sooner rather than later. Leading the charge on low-cost universal drives for both the HT and PC market is, of course, Pioneer, and although they are backing Blu-Ray I can't see how it's a bad business decision to build a machine that will take your rivals' discs too. It only adds to the product appeal.
You'd think that as soon as Pioneer starts making a reasonably low-cost model that Apple will just take advantage of its existing deal, build them into its new lineup and brand it as the HyperDrive, or something like that. I'd be interested, though, to see if that takes a while and Apple is tempted to support one format before the other. That would be bad.
Whatever format wins out?or if both exist side by side?prosumers are eager to make the jump to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p content creation. In fact, many are chomping at the proverbial bit.
Moving media went mainstream with non-linear editing and the dv format, and now we're beginning to enter the great next turn: 15" x 20"+ of pure visual candy.
Because the eye will feed but not learn, the story?the narrative?must assume center stage amidst all the dazzle and the layering, the morphing and the big size.
Has this been officially stated anywhere, or is it just rumors and speculation from guys like us? It seems to me that Sony would lose a lot of money including a Blu-Ray drive with every PS3, as the two devices will be launching around the same time (if not within a 6 month period of each other). At that point Blu-Ray drives will probably still cost close to $500 a piece, more than the whole PS3 console.
It also states the very same thing on Blu-Ray's homepage--www.blu-ray.com--and I do have to say that Universal drives do sound interesting. But I do have to question just how expensive the Blu-Ray players will be. I imagine they'll be on par with the HD-DVD players, maybe less, considering that HP plans on mass producing Blu-Ray drives in each of their desktop PC sometime next year. Also, I imagine that Sony & Co. (let's not forget Philips, Pioneer, HP, TDK, etc., etc., etc,) has learned their lesson from previous failures, but much like Apple with it's iPod and other products, are determined this time around to make in this case, the format (Blu-Ray) a success. I think that's precisely why they coupled it with the PS3. I think hmurchison, had a good guestimate for the new PS3, $399. And maybe the price will be slashed to $350 come next Christmas!
Has this been officially stated anywhere, or is it just rumors and speculation from guys like us? It seems to me that Sony would lose a lot of money including a Blu-Ray drive with every PS3, as the two devices will be launching around the same time (if not within a 6 month period of each other). At that point Blu-Ray drives will probably still cost close to $500 a piece, more than the whole PS3 console.
The PS3 is not going to be available until 2006 (and may only include a BR-ROM drve). Blu-Ray recorders are available right now in Japan for around $2000 or so. I would imagine that Sony and partners will manage to bring costs down enough so that we will have BR enabled PS3 for a reasonable price. The $399 sounds about right.
<<Whatever format wins out?or if both exist side by side?prosumers are eager to make the jump to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p content creation. In fact, many are chomping at the proverbial bit>>
As a computer user I can see the advantage of the increased storage BR or HD will offer, but from the consumer standpoint I have a hard time with the above quoted statement. IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media. Maybe someone can help me out here.
BTW, one of the things that really fascinated me was how DVD consumers were able to avoid the artificial high prices that CD manufacturers were able to impose and maintain. What happened?
IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media.
Why did Apple move to the G4? How about the G5? I mean, 95% of [mac] consumers had embraced the G3 as "good-enough". It satisfies the websurfing, word typing, email reading crowds. The G4 and G5 are just a ploy by Apple to force people to buy new equipment and software. Right? I mean why should technololgy move forward. I think we were probably all fine with the horse and buggy.
HD-DVD (and Blu-Ray) are both 100% backwards compatible (unlike VHS). There is zero, none, nada, absolutly no negative from developing HD-DVD and selling it. YOU don't have to purchase anything. DVDs will still be produced for many years (just like VHS is/was). But those that upgrade (like me!) will be extremely happy by more HD content. HD-DVD equipment will be expensive at first (just like DVD equipment was) and early adaptors will buy it, but given a year equipment will get down to cheaper levels and hit the mainstream. Then when you go out to buy your next DVD player, it will just happen to also play the "new" disks along with your existing content.
Quote:
Maybe someone can help me out here.
Go to your local Magnolia Hi-Fi, Good Guys, or wherever place sells HD sets, and watch an HD feed. You will then realize the big difference that HD offers over standard def, and even DVD.
Go to your local Magnolia Hi-Fi, Good Guys, or wherever place sells HD sets, and watch an HD feed. You will then realize the big difference that HD offers over standard def, and even DVD.
Exactly. HDTV is the driving force here. People will want to play and record HD content.
I think Sony (if they are smart) will have two PS3 versions. One with playback and one with recording. The playback version would be a direct replacement for the PS2 and the most popular due to it's price. The recording version would be more the centerpiece of an HDTV system. As for price I would suspect $299 and $999 respectively. They may be willing to take a loss on each unit in order to saturate the market as they did with the PS2 when it first came out. They make most of their profit off the games anyway. The new PSP seems to be priced so low that they may be doing the same with that too.
By the way, Sony released a Playstation Extreme (alas only in Japan) that combined a PS2 and PVR quite a while ago.
I think Sony (if they are smart) will have two PS3 versions. One with playback and one with recording. The playback version would be a direct replacement for the PS2 and the most popular due to it's price. The recording version would be more the centerpiece of an HDTV system. As for price I would suspect $299 and $999 respectively. They may be willing to take a loss on each unit in order to saturate the market as they did with the PS2 when it first came out. They make most of their profit off the games anyway. The new PSP seems to be priced so low that they may be doing the same with that too.
By the way, Sony released a Playstation Extreme (alas only in Japan) that combined a PS2 and PVR quite a while ago.
I think Sony have already indicated that they will probably release two forms of the PS3, one similar to the basic PS2 console and one as a PVR like the PSX (which incidentally may be released in the US and Europe early 2005). Don't forget that cell is to be used in many 'multimedia applications'. I think a Sony 'entertainment centre' with BR-high def recording combined with the PS3 ability is definitely on the cards.
<<Whatever format wins out?or if both exist side by side?prosumers are eager to make the jump to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p content creation. In fact, many are chomping at the proverbial bit>>
As a computer user I can see the advantage of the increased storage BR or HD will offer, but from the consumer standpoint I have a hard time with the above quoted statement. IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media. Maybe someone can help me out here.
OldCodger, I don't mean to beat a dead horse here?kupan soundly made my case for me?but let me add that as someone who works in both education and entertainment?the advantages of HDV and HD will be made manifest in numerous ways. There will still be a place for DV?particularly in training students to work in the non-linear realm?but the fundamental judge of these matters is the human eye, and it tends to crave greater resolution as well as greater size. Note also that I mentioned "prosumers," not "consumers." Regardless, I think the point stands. As long as technology better satisfies that basic human craving, the old will give way to the new.
I think Sony have already indicated that they will probably release two forms of the PS3, one similar to the basic PS2 console and one as a PVR like the PSX (which incidentally may be released in the US and Europe early 2005). Don't forget that cell is to be used in many 'multimedia applications'. I think a Sony 'entertainment centre' with BR-high def recording combined with the PS3 ability is definitely on the cards.
A Blu-Ray recorder is going to be more expensive than a Blu-Ray player and a player will be expensive when they first come to market. That is if history is any indication. CD-R drives came out after CDs were mainstream, and cost a couple hundred for a burner. DVD-R drives came out after DVDs were mainstream, and cost half a grand at first. Maybe since Blu-Ray doesn't have to follow the bureaucracy of the DVD forum, they have more freedom to do as they please, and can release a burner quickly. But cost will still be a factor. I can't imagine that first PS3 will have a Blu-Ray burner on board. It is hard enough for me to believe that it will have a Blu-Ray drive from the get go, but if it is true it is coming out Late 2005 early 2006 than that seems more reasonable.
Comments
Looking toward the future, H.264 will be part of the next generation optical disc whether its Blu-ray or HD-DVD. "We'll let those companies battle it out for which will be the predominant format," Casanova says. "The good news is that they both use H.264 AVC as a mandatory format, and it's built into QuickTime . Hollywood is a QuickTime town, and when we show them the AVC codec they're blown away."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr..._id=1000733155
DAT
Minidisc
MicroMV
Beta(to an extent)
Sony is fond of making huge claims about their proprietary stuff and then forgetting them when they don't obtain critical mass. Blu Ray discs cost more to manufacture in their present form. Add in 2 more layers and guess about how much those discs will be to fab.
Hollywood is about the profit. If they can ship the Star Wars series on 6 discs for a net manf cost of .06 cents a disc then that's superior to one 200GB Blu Ray disc that costs .10 cents.
Frankly optical disc technology for computer uses has failed. It's slow and the capacity is nothing special hence the reason why LTO Ultrium TAPE is standard for backups so you scratch Blu Ray as a backup medium that will flourish in computerdom.
My hope is that Universal Drives come sooner rather than later and the market/content providers will decide what format wins over time.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Sony is fond of making huge claims about their proprietary stuff and then forgetting them when they don't obtain critical mass.
My hope is that Universal Drives come sooner rather than later and the market/content providers will decide what format wins over time.
I think that the fact the Blu-Ray drive will be in the PS3 will certainly help it on the way to obtaining critical mass (don't forget how important the DVD player was on the PS2).
I think universal drives will be inevitable.
Originally posted by DaveLee
I think that the fact the Blu-Ray drive will be in the PS3 will certainly help it on the way to obtaining critical mass (don't forget how important the DVD player was on the PS2).
Has this been officially stated anywhere, or is it just rumors and speculation from guys like us? It seems to me that Sony would lose a lot of money including a Blu-Ray drive with every PS3, as the two devices will be launching around the same time (if not within a 6 month period of each other). At that point Blu-Ray drives will probably still cost close to $500 a piece, more than the whole PS3 console.
- What is the resolution of the broadcasts?
- Some display devices (projectors, screens) claim to be HD(TV)-ready, but offer a for smaller resolution. Will the picture be scaled to size thus losing parts of the image quality? And why can they claim to be HD-compatible?
- What will the resolution of the contet on BR/HD-DVD discs be?
- Do you think that computer equipment with digital video I/O will be forced to comply to HDCP? Will Apple's HD-displays be upgrade-able (probaly not, it's Apple!)?
Originally posted by RolandG
Hopefully, you can help complete my knowledge on HD(TV):
- What is the resolution of the broadcasts?
- Some display devices (projectors, screens) claim to be HD(TV)-ready, but offer a for smaller resolution. Will the picture be scaled to size thus losing parts of the image quality? And why can they claim to be HD-compatible?
- What will the resolution of the contet on BR/HD-DVD discs be?
- Do you think that computer equipment with digital video I/O will be forced to comply to HDCP? Will Apple's HD-displays be upgrade-able (probaly not, it's Apple!)?
-resolution of broadcasts is 1080i, that is, 1080 horizontal lines as opposed to the 480 lines of standard def. with movies, there is also 720p, which is 720 progressive. this allows for a nice film look, and a higher per-frame quality. generally, 1080i is the best res.
-yes, many units in fact claim to be hd ready, but actually use scaling to achieve this quality. they do this b/c they know most consumers are stupid and will buy their cheap product because it has the letters "HD" on the box.
-apple's 23" and 30: displays are already fully, truly hd compatible. no upgrading is necessary. (sorry if i misunderstood this question)
Originally posted by ipodandimac
-resolution of broadcasts is 1080i, that is, 1080 horizontal lines as opposed to the 480 lines of standard def. with movies, there is also 720p, which is 720 progressive. this allows for a nice film look, and a higher per-frame quality. generally, 1080i is the best res.
How about 1080p? Are there broadcasts in this quality?
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Is the broadcast content highly compressed? Are there artefacts sometimes?
[i]-yes, many units in fact claim to be hd ready, but actually use scaling to achieve this quality. they do this b/c they know most consumers are stupid and will buy their cheap product because it has the letters "HD" on the box.[/B]
Thought so... ;-(
[i]-apple's 23" and 30: displays are already fully, truly hd compatible. no upgrading is necessary. (sorry if i misunderstood this question)[/B]
HDCP is the copyprotection that will be (is?) mandatory for digital video source/display connections. As far as I know, Apple's hardware is not compatible yet (IIRC, nVidias chips can already do it).
Originally posted by RolandG
How about 1080p? Are there broadcasts in this quality?
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Is the broadcast content highly compressed? Are there artefacts sometimes?
HDCP is the copyprotection that will be (is?) mandatory for digital video source/display connections. As far as I know, Apple's hardware is not compatible yet (IIRC, nVidias chips can already do it).
There are indeed multiple standards for HD broadcast, including the aforementioned 720p and 1080i (even 480p and 576p can legitimately claim to be HD, depending on where you live) but 1080p is not one of them so far as I know due to bandwidth considerations.
As for compression, it probably depends on how good a job the broadcaster has done. Live events will always look a little blocky in HD due to the on-the-fly compression, but stock programming, TV shows and movies will look better.
As I understand the way at least one codec will work on BR/HD-DVD, however, video is capable of being stored either 720 or 1080 lines of vertical resolution, either interlaced or progressive (in which case it's up to your player and display, and whatever flags are embedded in the stream, as to whether that will be displayed as interlaced or progressive). If it follows existing DVD practice then even film source will be stored as interlaced field pairs and an onboard deinterlacer will be required to recreate a progressive output. However, as that practice is an artefact of SD display technology, it may not be the case. I don't know for sure, but it seems like 720(60p), 1080(30i) and 1080(25p) are all possible using H.264/AVCfreXT. (Note that there is no mandate that content on these formats actually be stored in HD format, of course.)
As for HDCP, good question, but I suspect no display that isn't manufactured with HDCP compatibility is upgradeable, Apple or not. As I understand it the implementation of the key on either side of the connection is a hardware thing, but I could be misinformed.
Originally posted by Shalmaneser
There are indeed multiple standards for HD broadcast, including the aforementioned 720p and 1080i (even 480p and 576p can legitimately claim to be HD, depending on where you live) but 1080p is not one of them so far as I know due to bandwidth considerations.
480p/576p is NOT HD. It is just progressive standard definition (or EHTV whatever the manufactor wants to call it). Although 480p is part of the approved DTV broadcasting scheme, it is not HDTV. This standard was included as one of the DTV broadcasting standards to provide broadcasters the option of providing multiple channels of programming in the same bandwidth as a single HDTV signal. In other words, 480p is just more of what we already have with only a slight increase in image quality. HDTV is 720p/1080i/1080p (yes, 1080p is part of the standard, sets are just now becoming affordable to make at that native resolution.)
Most RPTVs today have a native res of 1080i. This means that all 720p broadcasts are "upconverted" to 1080i. Most LCD, Plasmas, and DLP TVs are 720p native res, meaning 1080i content is "downconverted".
As far as broadcasts in 1080p, at this time I don't think there are any.
As for compression, it probably depends on how good a job the broadcaster has done. Live events will always look a little blocky in HD due to the on-the-fly compression, but stock programming, TV shows and movies will look better.
It all depends on what bitrate they use. I have seen stuff looking amazing live, and crappy prerecorded and vice versa. It always looks better than the standard def channels, but the HD image quality can range from good to outstanding.
What resolution(s) will be used for BR/HD-DVD content?
Either 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, as those are the high def. I am sure that each studio will pick a format, and stick to that. Your TV will automatically convert whatever format they encode at to its own native resolution.
Originally posted by kupan787
480p/576p is NOT HD. It is just progressive standard definition (or EHTV whatever the manufactor wants to call it). Although 480p is part of the approved DTV broadcasting scheme, it is not HDTV. This standard was included as one of the DTV broadcasting standards to provide broadcasters the option of providing multiple channels of programming in the same bandwidth as a single HDTV signal. In other words, 480p is just more of what we already have with only a slight increase in image quality.
All true, but as I said, it depends on where you live. In Australia 576p is actually defined by the Digital Broadcasting Authority as the lower-end spec for HD, to differentiate it from standard DTV broadcasts which are 16:9 576i. We don't have the intermediate EDTV standard here, either. (And the increase in image quality is actually pretty startling on a good set!)
Anyway, getting back to topic, it seems to me that Apple will want to jump on board both formats as quickly as possible, given that they both implement H.264/AVC - the cornerstone of the new QuickTime. It'll be pretty embarrassing if one or the other of these don't play back on a PowerMac because the drive can't read it.
We're all used to the idea of the SuperDrive (or equivalent) being a "does it all" product by now. In the home theater market, universal players that support competing formats have proven themselves to be viable moneyspinners, even for obscure/niche functions (witness the growing number of DVD-A/SACD compatible players out there), and video compatibility is a far more powerful incentive than audio, so we'll see dual format drives sooner rather than later. Leading the charge on low-cost universal drives for both the HT and PC market is, of course, Pioneer, and although they are backing Blu-Ray I can't see how it's a bad business decision to build a machine that will take your rivals' discs too. It only adds to the product appeal.
You'd think that as soon as Pioneer starts making a reasonably low-cost model that Apple will just take advantage of its existing deal, build them into its new lineup and brand it as the HyperDrive, or something like that. I'd be interested, though, to see if that takes a while and Apple is tempted to support one format before the other. That would be bad.
Moving media went mainstream with non-linear editing and the dv format, and now we're beginning to enter the great next turn: 15" x 20"+ of pure visual candy.
Because the eye will feed but not learn, the story?the narrative?must assume center stage amidst all the dazzle and the layering, the morphing and the big size.
Here ya go:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/08...s_6104095.html
It also states the very same thing on Blu-Ray's homepage--www.blu-ray.com--and I do have to say that Universal drives do sound interesting. But I do have to question just how expensive the Blu-Ray players will be. I imagine they'll be on par with the HD-DVD players, maybe less, considering that HP plans on mass producing Blu-Ray drives in each of their desktop PC sometime next year. Also, I imagine that Sony & Co. (let's not forget Philips, Pioneer, HP, TDK, etc., etc., etc,) has learned their lesson from previous failures, but much like Apple with it's iPod and other products, are determined this time around to make in this case, the format (Blu-Ray) a success. I think that's precisely why they coupled it with the PS3. I think hmurchison, had a good guestimate for the new PS3, $399. And maybe the price will be slashed to $350 come next Christmas!
--Always the optimist.
Originally posted by kupan787
Has this been officially stated anywhere, or is it just rumors and speculation from guys like us? It seems to me that Sony would lose a lot of money including a Blu-Ray drive with every PS3, as the two devices will be launching around the same time (if not within a 6 month period of each other). At that point Blu-Ray drives will probably still cost close to $500 a piece, more than the whole PS3 console.
The PS3 is not going to be available until 2006 (and may only include a BR-ROM drve). Blu-Ray recorders are available right now in Japan for around $2000 or so. I would imagine that Sony and partners will manage to bring costs down enough so that we will have BR enabled PS3 for a reasonable price. The $399 sounds about right.
As a computer user I can see the advantage of the increased storage BR or HD will offer, but from the consumer standpoint I have a hard time with the above quoted statement. IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media. Maybe someone can help me out here.
BTW, one of the things that really fascinated me was how DVD consumers were able to avoid the artificial high prices that CD manufacturers were able to impose and maintain. What happened?
Originally posted by OldCodger73
IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media.
Why did Apple move to the G4? How about the G5? I mean, 95% of [mac] consumers had embraced the G3 as "good-enough". It satisfies the websurfing, word typing, email reading crowds. The G4 and G5 are just a ploy by Apple to force people to buy new equipment and software. Right? I mean why should technololgy move forward. I think we were probably all fine with the horse and buggy.
HD-DVD (and Blu-Ray) are both 100% backwards compatible (unlike VHS). There is zero, none, nada, absolutly no negative from developing HD-DVD and selling it. YOU don't have to purchase anything. DVDs will still be produced for many years (just like VHS is/was). But those that upgrade (like me!) will be extremely happy by more HD content. HD-DVD equipment will be expensive at first (just like DVD equipment was) and early adaptors will buy it, but given a year equipment will get down to cheaper levels and hit the mainstream. Then when you go out to buy your next DVD player, it will just happen to also play the "new" disks along with your existing content.
Maybe someone can help me out here.
Go to your local Magnolia Hi-Fi, Good Guys, or wherever place sells HD sets, and watch an HD feed. You will then realize the big difference that HD offers over standard def, and even DVD.
Originally posted by kupan787
Go to your local Magnolia Hi-Fi, Good Guys, or wherever place sells HD sets, and watch an HD feed. You will then realize the big difference that HD offers over standard def, and even DVD.
Exactly. HDTV is the driving force here. People will want to play and record HD content.
I think Sony (if they are smart) will have two PS3 versions. One with playback and one with recording. The playback version would be a direct replacement for the PS2 and the most popular due to it's price. The recording version would be more the centerpiece of an HDTV system. As for price I would suspect $299 and $999 respectively. They may be willing to take a loss on each unit in order to saturate the market as they did with the PS2 when it first came out. They make most of their profit off the games anyway. The new PSP seems to be priced so low that they may be doing the same with that too.
By the way, Sony released a Playstation Extreme (alas only in Japan) that combined a PS2 and PVR quite a while ago.
Originally posted by TWinbrook46636
I think Sony (if they are smart) will have two PS3 versions. One with playback and one with recording. The playback version would be a direct replacement for the PS2 and the most popular due to it's price. The recording version would be more the centerpiece of an HDTV system. As for price I would suspect $299 and $999 respectively. They may be willing to take a loss on each unit in order to saturate the market as they did with the PS2 when it first came out. They make most of their profit off the games anyway. The new PSP seems to be priced so low that they may be doing the same with that too.
By the way, Sony released a Playstation Extreme (alas only in Japan) that combined a PS2 and PVR quite a while ago.
I think Sony have already indicated that they will probably release two forms of the PS3, one similar to the basic PS2 console and one as a PVR like the PSX (which incidentally may be released in the US and Europe early 2005). Don't forget that cell is to be used in many 'multimedia applications'. I think a Sony 'entertainment centre' with BR-high def recording combined with the PS3 ability is definitely on the cards.
<<Whatever format wins out?or if both exist side by side?prosumers are eager to make the jump to 720p, 1080i, and 1080p content creation. In fact, many are chomping at the proverbial bit>>
As a computer user I can see the advantage of the increased storage BR or HD will offer, but from the consumer standpoint I have a hard time with the above quoted statement. IMO, 95% of consumers have embraced DVD technology and feel that it has reached the "good-enought" stage, much as they have with CDs, and will not see any reason to embrace any new DVD technology. In fact, they'll probably view it as a ploy by a-v manufacturers to force people to buy new equipment and by the media providers as an effort to raise prices for their media. Maybe someone can help me out here.
OldCodger, I don't mean to beat a dead horse here?kupan soundly made my case for me?but let me add that as someone who works in both education and entertainment?the advantages of HDV and HD will be made manifest in numerous ways. There will still be a place for DV?particularly in training students to work in the non-linear realm?but the fundamental judge of these matters is the human eye, and it tends to crave greater resolution as well as greater size. Note also that I mentioned "prosumers," not "consumers." Regardless, I think the point stands. As long as technology better satisfies that basic human craving, the old will give way to the new.
Originally posted by DaveLee
I think Sony have already indicated that they will probably release two forms of the PS3, one similar to the basic PS2 console and one as a PVR like the PSX (which incidentally may be released in the US and Europe early 2005). Don't forget that cell is to be used in many 'multimedia applications'. I think a Sony 'entertainment centre' with BR-high def recording combined with the PS3 ability is definitely on the cards.
A Blu-Ray recorder is going to be more expensive than a Blu-Ray player and a player will be expensive when they first come to market. That is if history is any indication. CD-R drives came out after CDs were mainstream, and cost a couple hundred for a burner. DVD-R drives came out after DVDs were mainstream, and cost half a grand at first. Maybe since Blu-Ray doesn't have to follow the bureaucracy of the DVD forum, they have more freedom to do as they please, and can release a burner quickly. But cost will still be a factor. I can't imagine that first PS3 will have a Blu-Ray burner on board. It is hard enough for me to believe that it will have a Blu-Ray drive from the get go, but if it is true it is coming out Late 2005 early 2006 than that seems more reasonable.