and not worry about the whole no HDMI issue with a PS3 that has a drive built-in?
Firstly, how many people have HD sets currently? 10%? Is that overly optimistic? Sure, but lets go with that. Of those, how many are 1080p capable? Maybe 10%? So we are talking about 1% of all tv sets out there are 1080p capable. So this is not a huge deal at this point, as time goes on it will be, and HD-DVD is ready for 1080p as more sets can use it. Plus, this quote from microsoft:
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as part of the fall 2006 console update all Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to output native resolution 1080p games and movies, according to Microsoft
Sounds like they will support 1080p, so the whole "PS3 supports 1080p and Xbox doesn't" becomes moot. But who really cares. I would be willing to bet that of that 1% that own a 1080p capable set, less than 1% are gamers. At this point, 1080p is a bullet point for the uninformed. It will be important as time goes on, and the 1080p sets get cheaper, but for the next 2 or so years, it doesn't matter.
Now, as far as HDMI goes, same boat. Why is having HDMI such a big deal right now? How many sets have HDMI? Mine doesn't, and I just got it 3 years ago (56" JVC). Could this be just another bullet point? There are a bunch of HDTVs out there with no HDMI (I know of a few with RGB and component only!), so HDMI will only matter going forward. Early adopters buying hd-dvd or blu-ray would have been early adopters of HDTVs. No HDMI there...
At this point I don't know what I am going to go for. Currently we have a Xbox360 and our cable box doing HD work on the TV. I want a next-gen dvd format, but which one I don't know. My plan is to wait 6-9 months (about the time I am finished with school, and hopefully had a job for a bit), then I will just buy which ever format has more movies I like. I wont care about price so much then. Plus, my hope is that in 6-9 months, things will be a lot more clear (all the studios will have played their cards, there will be multiple players for each format, etc).
I'd say if you think this is "catching up" I'd like to know your definition.
Murchie, Murchie, Murchie. Correct me if I'm wrong, but YOU were the one who mentioned the phrase "catching up" with regards to Sony. Now you're trying to palm it off on me? Wow.
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Originally Posted by hmurchison
ahhhhh the infamous "HD DVD is more or less at full capacity" Most of today's HD DVD movies were encoded months ago using an older VC-1 encoder and they still avg around low 20 GB for the movie itself. In movies like the Last Samurai and Phantom of the Opera both movies have around 8GB of extras. Here's the kicker though...the new VC-1 encoder maintains the same quality but can go as low as 9Mbps. So I expect to see more new movies coming out that are smaller and look better. Dropped the "maxed out" schtick..it simply makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about.
Oh, so they don't need any more capacity? So why do they gleefully announce triple layer discs, which may or may not ever make it into production?
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Originally Posted by hmurchison
The PS3 doesn't ship until mid November. That's a ways away distribution will be limited. Let's wait until it actually ships before we start talking about it as a low cost BD player mmmm'kay?
"Wide" distribution of HD DVD doesn't seem to have helped it that much, given the distinctly five digit sales figures after months on the market. It'll sell. There's absolutely no doubt about that. There are too many Sony fans for it not to sell.
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Originally Posted by hmurchison
Many people in various technology and entertainment communities were afraid that there would be DIVX exclusive releases, and that the then-fledgling DVD format would suffer as a result. Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures, for instance, initially released their films exclusively on the DIVX format. It should be noted that DIVX featured stronger encryption technology than DVD (Triple DES), which may have been a contributing factor to the three aforementioned studios supporting DIVX first.
Notice the parallels? Disney, Fox and Paramount "EXCLUSIVELY" delivered their movies in DIVX and all the studios were wooed by stronger encryption technologies. Notice the similarity with these ideals and Disney and Fox once again going down that same road?
What same road? I wasn't aware that Blu-ray discs phoned home for rental permissions. Divx was doomed from the get-go because of its restrictive usage and high TCO for repeat viewings. In the end, it all comes down to what consumers are willing to put up with, and you haven't come up with anything that would be a knockout blow to Blu-ray, except for your oft-repeated cost difference.
I doubt Triple Layer makes it into production because it simply isn't needed. DL50 GB isn't needed even for movies like LotR. I don't think studios will really want to pay the price for the lower yield discs when they can deliver a fine movie on the cheaper product.
HD DVD outsold Toshiba's expectations. 25k units for a product launch where there is a battle going on isn't too shabby. They've proven that HD DVD is a viable product and this years success will fuel more support next year from other vendors and studios.
There's nothing that's a knockout for Blu-Ray. The price is going to hamper it for sometime because HD DVD will always be cheaper. I'm not afraid to give Blu-Ray props. My goal isn't HD DVD vs Blu-Ray but what format is the best for consumers and I truly believe that the features of HD DVD trump the extra storage of Blu-Ray.
Like Acer and fellow "strong" Blu-ray supporter LG, Samsung is showing the hi-def crowd how to mix it up by opening their Blu-ray love affair to the HD DVD camp. Here we have their M55 -- formerly billed as the "world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch widescreen" at 30.5 ~ 34.4-mm thick and 2.99-kg -- only now packing some swank HD DVD action along with an apparent pixel increase to 1920x1200. Just to run down the rest of the specs on this: you get a glossy 17-inch display, 256MB GeForce 7600 Go graphics, up to 120GB of SATA disk, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, a wide range of in and outs including HDMI and S/PDIF, and suite of SRS audio features all powered by an Intel T2500 Core Duo proc. No drop date but they should pull about €3,000/$3,810 -- yeah, we know. And yes, gentle readers, there is a woman in that photo, now please try to comment on the laptop, mkay? We don't want to get rough, see.
Well, considering that, although I love the Wii, the graphics on it are just disappointing, and that my XBOX 360 combines the best attributes of a dutch oven and a windtunnel, I think it's pretty clear that despite it's price, the PS3 is going to be the only acceptably decent console this generation.
So while you may hate Sony, which is fine, the PS3 is by far the best of the three consoles quality-wise, and the one that all the companies are making games for.
and you truly believe the ps3 wont be hot? noisy? this is typical sony bullsh*t that annoys me.. the ps3 could end up being the worst out of the 3. yet you say its clear to see it being the only decent console lmao.
i mean they have no proven online system, they ripped nintendo (pathetically) with their motion controller, they lost key franchises like GTA, and yet you say all the game developers are making games for the ps3? hmm you do realize there has been a handful of companies that dropped out of making games for the ps3 right? some dont know when they will start, others have said not for another year.
marzetta- i've seen you continuously reiterate what sony has said about launching their consoles, games that will be released yada yada yada, and a majority of the time sony has left you with your foot in your mouth.
first sony says they would have a much bigger launch that microsoft, than they said it was stupid for microsoft to release on all 3 markets, then they said they would be doing the same lmao, NOW they took it back and said only japan and the u.s, plus the u.s is only getting 500k consoles (which still might not happen)
Why would it be? No other console ever has been. Lots of new computers aren't.
Just because Microsoft's engineering is incompetent doesn't mean Sony's is. Sony has just a little more experience there.
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this is typical sony bullsh*t that annoys me..
The bullshit you're imagining?
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the ps3 could end up being the worst out of the 3. yet you say its clear to see it being the only decent console lmao.
Well, the XBOX and the Wii already have obvious flaws. All we have are your speculations that the PS3 is gonna suck, and since you're clearly a bit out to lunch, I'm not really interested in those.
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i mean they have no proven online system, they ripped nintendo (pathetically) with their motion controller, they lost key franchises like GTA, and yet you say all the game developers are making games for the ps3? hmm you do realize there has been a handful of companies that dropped out of making games for the ps3 right? some dont know when they will start, others have said not for another year.
They didn't lose GTA. GTA's been out for PS2 and XBOX, it's continuing for PS3 and XBOX 360. I'm just going to assume that there haven't been any other companies dropping support either, since the only one you managed to point out isn't true.
The online service is irrelevant, there's lots of online games for the PS2. I'm sure whatever it is will be fine. They'll be able to work it out.
You're right, they did rip off Nintendo's controller. Boohoo. That makes them automatically lose the market, doesn't it, because they're meanies.
Why would it be? No other console ever has been. Lots of new computers aren't.
Just because Microsoft's engineering is incompetent doesn't mean Sony's is. Sony has just a little more experience there.
The bullshit you're imagining?
Well, the XBOX and the Wii already have obvious flaws. All we have are your speculations that the PS3 is gonna suck, and since you're clearly a bit out to lunch, I'm not really interested in those.
They didn't lose GTA. GTA's been out for PS2 and XBOX, it's continuing for PS3 and XBOX 360. I'm just going to assume that there haven't been any other companies dropping support either, since the only one you managed to point out isn't true.
The online service is irrelevant, there's lots of online games for the PS2. I'm sure whatever it is will be fine. They'll be able to work it out.
You're right, they did rip off Nintendo's controller. Boohoo. That makes them automatically lose the market, doesn't it, because they're meanies.
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
what are the obvious flaws to the 360? you dont actually know if sony will have a problem at launch, i mean look at their batteries, apple and dell just recalled them... so much for manufacturing superiority right? so again i'll say what i said before, if sony has a problem at launch they are done for.
wait so the wii has obvious flaws? you know this or are you speculating since its not out yet? you're funny. yes, it is a big deal that sony ripped nintendo, because it shows lack of innovation on their part, they haven't brought anything to the table besides its cell chip that hasn't even proven itself, and a bunch of floating point calculations.
the online service is irrelevant but your sure it will be fine? oh man, we might as well end our discussion here.
HD DVD outsold Toshiba's expectations. 25k units for a product launch where there is a battle going on isn't too shabby. They've proven that HD DVD is a viable product and this years success will fuel more support next year from other vendors and studios.
Given they want 10x that number by year end and will be lucky if they hit 100k it isn't a success. They've done better than people expected but ultimately no major consumer electronics company supports Toshiba and none look even close to jumping. Really their stance is very reminiscent of the Sony of old, running off on a self-created format despite the movements of the rest of the industry.
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Originally Posted by Elixir
and you truly believe the ps3 wont be hot? noisy?
Developers and people that have actually played early versions have stated that the latest versions aren't noisy, which one can assume also means they aren't overly hot.
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Originally Posted by Elixir
first sony says they would have a much bigger launch that microsoft, than they said it was stupid for microsoft to release on all 3 markets, then they said they would be doing the same lmao, NOW they took it back and said only japan and the u.s, plus the u.s is only getting 500k consoles (which still might not happen)
Keep in mind 400k is more than Microsoft's US launch and if they meet their year end goals it is a sizable launch. It'll match the first 6 months of 360 sales in the US. They will actually not be far behind Nintendo with the Wii, which is a much easier console to produce.
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Originally Posted by Elixir
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
There's a good reason Microsoft is yet to sell a million consoles in Japan. The Playstation has a range of games far beyond that of the 360. I don't mean in number either but the types of games you can get for the Playstation consoles are far more varied than what you can get for the 360, which is very lacking. Although there has been some improvement the 360 still has a library that is heavily oriented towards the US.
Add to that complete backward compatibility for the PS3, or at least very very close, and you have a lot of Playstation owners that have a good reason not to switch, particularly among families later in the consoles cycle.
Then to top it off a large number of Sony's accessories are non-proprietary meaning lower costs. Everything from the HDD to the USB cable, potential headsets and mouse + keyboard add ons. Ordinary camera memory cards can be used too. It's a huge improvement. The PS3 has plenty going for it still.
You're right, sony does have a very wide range of titles, a majority of them stink. sometimes i think sony allows anyone to put any kind of game out for its system...
microsoft needs to do this in japan, i dont see it making the slightest difference here or in europe but in japan, those guys seem to love those odd little gimmicky games.
this is still a different generation, playstation faithfuls wont be able to say that sony has all the games, all the good games,its not gonna happen. developers are pretty much developing for everyone, the battle is going to come down to those few exclusives, and in my opinion online play.
And speaking of exclusives, here is a big announcement !
Microsoft just announced 2 new halo games being developed besides Halo3. one of them is being produced by peter jackson the other one is called Halo Wars
the game is going back to its roots, going back to what halo 1 was intended to be... real-time strategy
also, microsoft came out and said HDMI cables will hit the market when the market demands it stating that their console can put out a 1080p signal when needed.
splinter cell's next step in the franchise after double agent will be exclusive to the 360. so finally, after all these years of saying microsoft needs to lock in splinter cell, they finally have.
did you guys catch that? just because im no longer supporting blu ray I am irational,and I`m spreading FUD.... well Elmer,that aint so!
lets not forget we are all friends here,united under our love for macs!!!! so lets not sling mud...
I have a very fair insight into this whole thing I have actually seen blu ray side by side with hd dvd,I know some local home theater dudes that own a shop and sometimes i go and experiement along with them with new stuff.
and the bottom line is HD DvD does what it says... and does it cheaper,it crushes the qaulity of blu ray,you can talk codecs and the great "oh just you wait stuff" all you want hd is doing it!!!!and by the way none of the players output 1080p right now!!! they might say so but that is not whats coming out of the end.
we will have to wait on that one.
I have found out that,both camps are willing to talk about managed copys,once a standard is set,so i was wrong "and i am glad" about them copy protecting us to death.
the real issues about storage are,how long are we going to put up with our extras on the dvd being in standard def?
if we will soon be getting "and i think we will" dvds that are indentical to the studio masters,why go to the movies anymore?
seems some sort of home pay per view for new movies from then on out would become the norm,what about universal players and universal disks?
it would be funny to see universal disks as we have heard of come out in purple cases!
lol
I have to agree with some though that with both formats being so close we may end up with another - and + r deal like we did with blank cd formats,where both will be standard!!!!! at this point that would be cool,we could all get the movies we want in the quality we want and enjoy mondo storage!
And speaking of exclusives, here is a big announcement !
Microsoft just announced 2 new halo games being developed besides Halo3. one of them is being produced by peter jackson the other one is called Halo Wars
Who cares? Peter Jackson is vastly overrated. I snored through most of "The Two Towers" and his name behind the King Kong remake didn't help it become the super-smash the studio hoped it would be. I cost $200 million to make and made only that much in the theaters. If not for DVD sales, he'd be sunk.
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also, microsoft came out and said HDMI cables will hit the market when the market demands it stating that their console can put out a 1080p signal when needed.
"When the market demands it" is a massive waffle. You may still be sitting around with no HDMI two years from now as long as MS keeps saying the market isn't demanding it yet.
Who cares? Peter Jackson is vastly overrated. I snored through most of "The Two Towers" and his name behind the King Kong remake didn't help it become the super-smash the studio hoped it would be. I cost $200 million to make and made only that much in the theaters. If not for DVD sales, he'd be sunk.
"When the market demands it" is a massive waffle. You may still be sitting around with no HDMI two years from now as long as MS keeps saying the market isn't demanding it yet.
who cares that there are new games coming from the halo franchise? apparently many people, since the announcement yesterday the Halo Wars forum has been getting bombarded. Peter Jackson is producing the halo movie, that is why its a big deal, if he wasn't, then yeah i'd be like ok who cares?
if sony came out and said "when the market demands it" then yeh, it would be a "waffle" cuz sony never delivers on any of its hyperbol. microsoft has however lmao. their new hd-dvd drive comes out this november, and i'm sure when the hdmi cables are needed they will release it.
for god sakes 95% of the population doesn't even have HDMI ready television sets yet! its crazy how much blogging will screw with peoples perceptions of the real world.
Given they want 10x that number by year end and will be lucky if they hit 100k it isn't a success. They've done better than people expected but ultimately no major consumer electronics company supports Toshiba and none look even close to jumping. Really their stance is very reminiscent of the Sony of old, running off on a self-created format despite the movements of the rest of the industry.
10x will be easy. You have the Euro launch next month. Canada still needs a launch and the further proliferation of HD DVD enabled laptops which as of now includes Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, Asus and LG. LG has a HD DVD STB model to complement their Blu-Ray model coming our March 2007. Microsoft "will" sell tons of the HD DVD addon as who doesn't want a remote and King Kong as an enticement?
You have to keep in mind that the "buzz" early this year was all about Blu-Ray so not only did Toshiba erase this positive buzz and create their own but they are out executing Blu-Ray at every step. There's not much of a reason for other companies to jump in now. The Christmas season is being planned for now but what I'm hearing from some retailers is that CES 2007 will be a good coming out party for more HD DVD products. I believe them because studios and hardware vendors have seen that Toshiba can support the platform right and hit the ground running with a solid product. No longer will either format live on hype alone. The Playstation 3 "is" going to have a nice impact on Blu-Ray but I'm thinking that the Xbox addon will have a pretty good impact as well. I'll probably buy one because I know I'm going to get an Xbox and I'd love to have a STB HD DVD and Blu-Ray player as well as an Xbox.
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
It wasn't an exclusive before, the XBOX version just came out a bit later. I have 2/3 GTA games for the original XBOX.
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what are the obvious flaws to the 360?
I can't hear my games over it. That's a biggie.
I also had to actually get a fan for my room, because the central air in my house physically wasn't powerful enough to keep the 360 from turning my room into an oven. That's kind of serious drawback.
Also, I've yet to find a game for it that I like. I've just been playing original XBOX games on it.
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you dont actually know if sony will have a problem at launch, i mean look at their batteries, apple and dell just recalled them... so much for manufacturing superiority right? so again i'll say what i said before, if sony has a problem at launch they are done for.
Sony has been making consumer electronics for years. Yeah, some dust got into they're batteries, that was an accident. That happened to, what, one of the million products they've released over the past 60 years? You're right, every Sony product from now on is clearly going to randomly explode.
Microsoft's expertise with mice hasn't exactly parlayed into gaming consoles. The XBOX 360's issues weren't a mistake, Microsoft has a serious deficiency of competent engineers.
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wait so the wii has obvious flaws? you know this or are you speculating since its not out yet?
The graphics are terrible. The games are going to be great and I'll definately get one. But if a game is on multiple consoles, I'll definately buy it for PS3 or XBOX first, because it will be a far better experience.
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you're funny. yes, it is a big deal that sony ripped nintendo, because it shows lack of innovation on their part, they haven't brought anything to the table besides its cell chip that hasn't even proven itself, and a bunch of floating point calculations.
The controller's a gimmick. The innovation is in the games (where Nintendo themselves are very innovative.)
However, you contend that PS3 is going to be a distant third. Lack of innovation isn't going to put them there.
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the online service is irrelevant but your sure it will be fine? oh man, we might as well end our discussion here.
Online services are pretty easy to roll out. If small, underfunded companies can do it, Sony can.
Since having no online service clearly didn't kill the PS2, I don't see why even a slightly imperfect one would phase the PS3.
who cares that there are new games coming from the halo franchise? apparently many people, since the announcement yesterday the Halo Wars forum has been getting bombarded. Peter Jackson is producing the halo movie, that is why its a big deal, if he wasn't, then yeah i'd be like ok who cares?
if sony came out and said "when the market demands it" then yeh, it would be a "waffle" cuz sony never delivers on any of its hyperbol. microsoft has however lmao. their new hd-dvd drive comes out this november, and i'm sure when the hdmi cables are needed they will release it.
for god sakes 95% of the population doesn't even have HDMI ready television sets yet! its crazy how much blogging will screw with peoples perceptions of the real world.
Oh, I see,...so when the lower end PS3 did NOT have HDMI, it was a big deal since it was sooooo expensive and all, but now that the lower and higher end PS3 will both be having HDMI, all of a sudden HDMI is not such a big deal because of some random percentage you've decided to pull out of the sky. Or is it because your beloved Microsoft decided to ship their HD DVD add-on without it (HDMI), that it just makes everything OK? Whatever...
And again none of you PRICE mongrels have responded to my question, why aren't you guys in an uproar over the price of the Xbox360 add-on? The price of the PS3 (low end or high end) when compared to a comparitively equipped Xbox360 is the same price....$499 or $599--except that with the PS3 you get an INTEGRATED drive and not some tacky add-on and you also get HDMI with 1080P goodness (not to mention all the audio goodness coming out of the console as well). I thought price was where it was at! I thought price was what was going to bring down the PS3 in this generation. Price, price, price. But alas, it just seems a lot of you were all about price when it pertained to bashing Sony, but when Microsoft releases something for the same price, it is a different story--time to check your double standard there Microsoft fanboys.
IMO, it doesn't matter how you spin it, you're getting a heck of a deal with the PS3 that will most assuredly sell like hotcakes. BTW, you need to get your facts straight as Sony plans on a rollout of 100,000 consoles in Japan and 400,000 consoles in the US AT LAUNCH. Keyword--launch. They still expect to sell 1,000,000 [insert Dr. Evil pinky to side of mouth gesture] consoles by the end of the calendar year 2006. Will they get to all 1 million? That remains to be seen, but I can assure you it will be a hell of a lot more than 25,000 HD DVD players.
With little fanfare, Magnolia Home Entertainment has jumped into the Blu-ray format with its first release, Steven Soderbergh's 'Bubble.'
Hitting stores quietly this past Tuesday, September 26, Magnolia has released no press info on the Blu-ray 'Bubble,' though oddly the release is currently available at major online outlets, including Amazon.com.
Magnolia previously announced support for the HD DVD format in April of this year, pledging an initial slate of three theatrical titles that was to include 'Bubble.' However, those releases never appeared, which makes the almost covert appearance of the film on Blu-ray a bit of surprise.
We hope to have more details on 'Bubble,' as well as Magnolia's future Blu-ray and HD DVD plans soon. Also look for a review of the disc in the coming days.
Yet another studio joining the Blu-ray juggernaut. 8)
About as easy it was for them to sell 25,000 in six months. And you expect them to sell ten times that in 3 more months...uhh huh...sure...
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Microsoft "will" sell tons of the HD DVD addon as who doesn't want a remote and King Kong as an enticement?
Not me for one, and especially when you are talking about an external add-on that costs $199 without HDMI and is NOT capable of playing games on HD DVD media. Plus, you're talking about a movie that IMO, is not all that good. Sure, it had some good scenery and was well paced about after the first hour and a half, but ultimately I found the movie slow, not very interesting, and lacking in that "push your console" draw.
Now, there are rumors that the PS3 will be shipping with a demo disc and/or a movie as well. Can you imagine if they bundled the PS3 with say the likes of Spiderman? I now what conole would be garnering more of the "push your console" draw if this were the case.
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You have to keep in mind that the "buzz" early this year was all about Blu-Ray so not only did Toshiba erase this positive buzz and create their own but they are out executing Blu-Ray at every step.
I'll give you that this statement somewhat had its place in the first two months of Blu-ray's launch as Blu-ray did falter with the sole Samsung player hardware issue and SOME releases. However, I think you're overreaching a bit to claim that Toshiba has erased the positive buzz of Blu-ray--maybe in some promininent pro-HD DVD world like the AVS forum that you frequent--but back in the real world, this is surely not the case. This third month has been really good news for Blu-ray, as it appears that any PQ issues on discs have been ironed out as well as the hardware issue for the Samsung, since a firmware update is fixing the issue.
4th quarter is going to be huge for Blu-ray. I'm of the opinion that at the end of 2007, people are going to be going "HD DVD what?...DivX...huh?...are they the same failures?....what?" and Blu-ray will have had a long time hitting the ground bulldozing the competition and becoming the rightful de facto standard. 8)
That's good the more the merrier although they will still make HD DVD discs as Mark Cuban is a co-owner and he's definitely friendly toward HD DVD
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About as easy it was for them to sell 25,000 in six months. And you expect them to sell ten times that in 3 more months...uhh huh...sure...
Please provide to me the sales estimates for the Samsung Blu-Ray player. 25k players may not sound like much but we need another player to give us some relativity.
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Not me for one, and especially when you are talking about an external add-on that costs $199 without HDMI and is NOT capable of playing games on HD DVD media. Plus, you're talking about a movie that IMO, is not all that good. Sure, it had some good scenery and was well paced about after the first hour and a half, but ultimately I found the movie slow, not very interesting, and lacking in that "push your console" draw.
HDMI is not guaranteed to look better than component. It's a digital connection that carries audio as well. I don't know why you're talking about the efficacy of playing games on HD DVD or not. Games don't get played off the disc they get played from the RAM and GPU in a console. The disc holds the data that gets uploaded so fretting over DVD vs HD DVD vs Blu-Ray Disc is superfluous. King Kong was indeed overly long and weak in many areas but the HD DVD is going to look GREAT.
read the rest of the article. The Toshib is a runaway success compared to the Samsung. I tell you CES 2007 is going to interesting. Look for HD DVD to flex some muscles with newfound friends.
No, no, I said you are overreaching, not overreacting. I think you are overreaching a bit when one considers the PS3, the Pioneer, the Panasonic, the Sony, the Philips, the Sharp, and the LG have all yet to be released...with some starting next month.
Toshiba can't really erase a buzz when the buzz really and in all honesty has yet to start. That's why I think you are overreaching a bit. Blu-ray is just beginning and 4th quarter is shock and awe time.
As picture quality goes, this blu-ray disc is a slight improvement over the hd-dvd release. It is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and encoded at 1080p. The colors are strong and smooth, suffering from no noise problems. Also, there was minimal grain, a bit less than on the hd-dvd. There was a great sense of three dimensionality to the image as well.
No, no, I said you are overreaching, not overreacting. I think you are overreaching a bit when one considers the PS3, the Pioneer, the Panasonic, the Sony, the Philips, the Sharp, and the LG have all yet to be released...with some starting next month.
Toshiba can't really erase a buzz when the buzz really and in all honesty has yet to start. That's why I think you are overreaching a bit. Blu-ray is just beginning and 4th quarter is shock and awe time.
Well I'm all for some shock and awe but I tell you going into the 4th quarter with players that will average over $1000 is going to be shock and awe in the most negative of ways. Consumers are used to seeing laptops for $350 and other great deals. I don't see how Blu-Ray can make a meaningful impact with such expensive players. At best the quality will only equal what the $500 HD DVD player can do.
Meh...Tomb Raider isn't one of the standout movies. But let us just say that indeed Tomb Raider is slightly better than the HD DVD version. Does this slight improvement warrant paying $500 more for the player and getting less features?
Blu-Ray is falling behind. Look at the amount of laptops with HD DVD players in them.
LG
Acer
Asus
Toshiba
Fujitsu-Siemens
Samsung
HP
7 to what 1 Sony Vaio with a Blu-Ray drive? Where's the shock and awe? Why has Sony delayed their player until Nov 16? Why are we still seeing delays in Blu-Ray? Clearly it was a half baked over marketed technology and frankly I've been more right since defending HD DVD. I haven't had to make excuses or tell people to wait wait wait.
Wait for the PS3
Wait for the Sony/Pioneer
Wait for the 4th quarter
Wait until DL 50GB disc get here.
The laughable thing is that people are at home today watching great looking HD movies on their HD monitors and there are these fanatics watching their macroblock infested HD feeds telling them to wait. The irony.
Comments
and not worry about the whole no HDMI issue with a PS3 that has a drive built-in?
Firstly, how many people have HD sets currently? 10%? Is that overly optimistic? Sure, but lets go with that. Of those, how many are 1080p capable? Maybe 10%? So we are talking about 1% of all tv sets out there are 1080p capable. So this is not a huge deal at this point, as time goes on it will be, and HD-DVD is ready for 1080p as more sets can use it. Plus, this quote from microsoft:
as part of the fall 2006 console update all Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to output native resolution 1080p games and movies, according to Microsoft
Sounds like they will support 1080p, so the whole "PS3 supports 1080p and Xbox doesn't" becomes moot. But who really cares. I would be willing to bet that of that 1% that own a 1080p capable set, less than 1% are gamers. At this point, 1080p is a bullet point for the uninformed. It will be important as time goes on, and the 1080p sets get cheaper, but for the next 2 or so years, it doesn't matter.
Now, as far as HDMI goes, same boat. Why is having HDMI such a big deal right now? How many sets have HDMI? Mine doesn't, and I just got it 3 years ago (56" JVC). Could this be just another bullet point? There are a bunch of HDTVs out there with no HDMI (I know of a few with RGB and component only!), so HDMI will only matter going forward. Early adopters buying hd-dvd or blu-ray would have been early adopters of HDTVs. No HDMI there...
At this point I don't know what I am going to go for. Currently we have a Xbox360 and our cable box doing HD work on the TV. I want a next-gen dvd format, but which one I don't know. My plan is to wait 6-9 months (about the time I am finished with school, and hopefully had a job for a bit), then I will just buy which ever format has more movies I like. I wont care about price so much then. Plus, my hope is that in 6-9 months, things will be a lot more clear (all the studios will have played their cards, there will be multiple players for each format, etc).
I'd say if you think this is "catching up" I'd like to know your definition.
Murchie, Murchie, Murchie. Correct me if I'm wrong, but YOU were the one who mentioned the phrase "catching up" with regards to Sony. Now you're trying to palm it off on me? Wow.
ahhhhh the infamous "HD DVD is more or less at full capacity" Most of today's HD DVD movies were encoded months ago using an older VC-1 encoder and they still avg around low 20 GB for the movie itself. In movies like the Last Samurai and Phantom of the Opera both movies have around 8GB of extras. Here's the kicker though...the new VC-1 encoder maintains the same quality but can go as low as 9Mbps. So I expect to see more new movies coming out that are smaller and look better. Dropped the "maxed out" schtick..it simply makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about.
Oh, so they don't need any more capacity? So why do they gleefully announce triple layer discs, which may or may not ever make it into production?
The PS3 doesn't ship until mid November. That's a ways away distribution will be limited. Let's wait until it actually ships before we start talking about it as a low cost BD player mmmm'kay?
"Wide" distribution of HD DVD doesn't seem to have helped it that much, given the distinctly five digit sales figures after months on the market. It'll sell. There's absolutely no doubt about that. There are too many Sony fans for it not to sell.
Many people in various technology and entertainment communities were afraid that there would be DIVX exclusive releases, and that the then-fledgling DVD format would suffer as a result. Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures, for instance, initially released their films exclusively on the DIVX format. It should be noted that DIVX featured stronger encryption technology than DVD (Triple DES), which may have been a contributing factor to the three aforementioned studios supporting DIVX first.
Notice the parallels? Disney, Fox and Paramount "EXCLUSIVELY" delivered their movies in DIVX and all the studios were wooed by stronger encryption technologies. Notice the similarity with these ideals and Disney and Fox once again going down that same road?
What same road? I wasn't aware that Blu-ray discs phoned home for rental permissions. Divx was doomed from the get-go because of its restrictive usage and high TCO for repeat viewings. In the end, it all comes down to what consumers are willing to put up with, and you haven't come up with anything that would be a knockout blow to Blu-ray, except for your oft-repeated cost difference.
HD DVD outsold Toshiba's expectations. 25k units for a product launch where there is a battle going on isn't too shabby. They've proven that HD DVD is a viable product and this years success will fuel more support next year from other vendors and studios.
There's nothing that's a knockout for Blu-Ray. The price is going to hamper it for sometime because HD DVD will always be cheaper. I'm not afraid to give Blu-Ray props. My goal isn't HD DVD vs Blu-Ray but what format is the best for consumers and I truly believe that the features of HD DVD trump the extra storage of Blu-Ray.
Samsung agrees
http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/09/28...op-yes-hd-dvd/
Like Acer and fellow "strong" Blu-ray supporter LG, Samsung is showing the hi-def crowd how to mix it up by opening their Blu-ray love affair to the HD DVD camp. Here we have their M55 -- formerly billed as the "world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch widescreen" at 30.5 ~ 34.4-mm thick and 2.99-kg -- only now packing some swank HD DVD action along with an apparent pixel increase to 1920x1200. Just to run down the rest of the specs on this: you get a glossy 17-inch display, 256MB GeForce 7600 Go graphics, up to 120GB of SATA disk, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, a wide range of in and outs including HDMI and S/PDIF, and suite of SRS audio features all powered by an Intel T2500 Core Duo proc. No drop date but they should pull about €3,000/$3,810 -- yeah, we know. And yes, gentle readers, there is a woman in that photo, now please try to comment on the laptop, mkay? We don't want to get rough, see.
Well, considering that, although I love the Wii, the graphics on it are just disappointing, and that my XBOX 360 combines the best attributes of a dutch oven and a windtunnel, I think it's pretty clear that despite it's price, the PS3 is going to be the only acceptably decent console this generation.
So while you may hate Sony, which is fine, the PS3 is by far the best of the three consoles quality-wise, and the one that all the companies are making games for.
and you truly believe the ps3 wont be hot? noisy? this is typical sony bullsh*t that annoys me.. the ps3 could end up being the worst out of the 3. yet you say its clear to see it being the only decent console lmao.
i mean they have no proven online system, they ripped nintendo (pathetically) with their motion controller, they lost key franchises like GTA, and yet you say all the game developers are making games for the ps3? hmm you do realize there has been a handful of companies that dropped out of making games for the ps3 right? some dont know when they will start, others have said not for another year.
marzetta- i've seen you continuously reiterate what sony has said about launching their consoles, games that will be released yada yada yada, and a majority of the time sony has left you with your foot in your mouth.
first sony says they would have a much bigger launch that microsoft, than they said it was stupid for microsoft to release on all 3 markets, then they said they would be doing the same lmao, NOW they took it back and said only japan and the u.s, plus the u.s is only getting 500k consoles (which still might not happen)
i mean it goes on and on and on
and you truly believe the ps3 wont be hot? noisy?
Why would it be? No other console ever has been. Lots of new computers aren't.
Just because Microsoft's engineering is incompetent doesn't mean Sony's is. Sony has just a little more experience there.
this is typical sony bullsh*t that annoys me..
The bullshit you're imagining?
the ps3 could end up being the worst out of the 3. yet you say its clear to see it being the only decent console lmao.
Well, the XBOX and the Wii already have obvious flaws. All we have are your speculations that the PS3 is gonna suck, and since you're clearly a bit out to lunch, I'm not really interested in those.
i mean they have no proven online system, they ripped nintendo (pathetically) with their motion controller, they lost key franchises like GTA, and yet you say all the game developers are making games for the ps3? hmm you do realize there has been a handful of companies that dropped out of making games for the ps3 right? some dont know when they will start, others have said not for another year.
They didn't lose GTA. GTA's been out for PS2 and XBOX, it's continuing for PS3 and XBOX 360. I'm just going to assume that there haven't been any other companies dropping support either, since the only one you managed to point out isn't true.
The online service is irrelevant, there's lots of online games for the PS2. I'm sure whatever it is will be fine. They'll be able to work it out.
You're right, they did rip off Nintendo's controller. Boohoo. That makes them automatically lose the market, doesn't it, because they're meanies.
Why would it be? No other console ever has been. Lots of new computers aren't.
Just because Microsoft's engineering is incompetent doesn't mean Sony's is. Sony has just a little more experience there.
The bullshit you're imagining?
Well, the XBOX and the Wii already have obvious flaws. All we have are your speculations that the PS3 is gonna suck, and since you're clearly a bit out to lunch, I'm not really interested in those.
They didn't lose GTA. GTA's been out for PS2 and XBOX, it's continuing for PS3 and XBOX 360. I'm just going to assume that there haven't been any other companies dropping support either, since the only one you managed to point out isn't true.
The online service is irrelevant, there's lots of online games for the PS2. I'm sure whatever it is will be fine. They'll be able to work it out.
You're right, they did rip off Nintendo's controller. Boohoo. That makes them automatically lose the market, doesn't it, because they're meanies.
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
what are the obvious flaws to the 360? you dont actually know if sony will have a problem at launch, i mean look at their batteries, apple and dell just recalled them... so much for manufacturing superiority right? so again i'll say what i said before, if sony has a problem at launch they are done for.
wait so the wii has obvious flaws? you know this or are you speculating since its not out yet? you're funny. yes, it is a big deal that sony ripped nintendo, because it shows lack of innovation on their part, they haven't brought anything to the table besides its cell chip that hasn't even proven itself, and a bunch of floating point calculations.
the online service is irrelevant but your sure it will be fine? oh man, we might as well end our discussion here.
HD DVD outsold Toshiba's expectations. 25k units for a product launch where there is a battle going on isn't too shabby. They've proven that HD DVD is a viable product and this years success will fuel more support next year from other vendors and studios.
Given they want 10x that number by year end and will be lucky if they hit 100k it isn't a success. They've done better than people expected but ultimately no major consumer electronics company supports Toshiba and none look even close to jumping. Really their stance is very reminiscent of the Sony of old, running off on a self-created format despite the movements of the rest of the industry.
and you truly believe the ps3 wont be hot? noisy?
Developers and people that have actually played early versions have stated that the latest versions aren't noisy, which one can assume also means they aren't overly hot.
first sony says they would have a much bigger launch that microsoft, than they said it was stupid for microsoft to release on all 3 markets, then they said they would be doing the same lmao, NOW they took it back and said only japan and the u.s, plus the u.s is only getting 500k consoles (which still might not happen)
Keep in mind 400k is more than Microsoft's US launch and if they meet their year end goals it is a sizable launch. It'll match the first 6 months of 360 sales in the US. They will actually not be far behind Nintendo with the Wii, which is a much easier console to produce.
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
There's a good reason Microsoft is yet to sell a million consoles in Japan. The Playstation has a range of games far beyond that of the 360. I don't mean in number either but the types of games you can get for the Playstation consoles are far more varied than what you can get for the 360, which is very lacking. Although there has been some improvement the 360 still has a library that is heavily oriented towards the US.
Add to that complete backward compatibility for the PS3, or at least very very close, and you have a lot of Playstation owners that have a good reason not to switch, particularly among families later in the consoles cycle.
Then to top it off a large number of Sony's accessories are non-proprietary meaning lower costs. Everything from the HDD to the USB cable, potential headsets and mouse + keyboard add ons. Ordinary camera memory cards can be used too. It's a huge improvement. The PS3 has plenty going for it still.
microsoft needs to do this in japan, i dont see it making the slightest difference here or in europe but in japan, those guys seem to love those odd little gimmicky games.
this is still a different generation, playstation faithfuls wont be able to say that sony has all the games, all the good games,its not gonna happen. developers are pretty much developing for everyone, the battle is going to come down to those few exclusives, and in my opinion online play.
And speaking of exclusives, here is a big announcement !
Microsoft just announced 2 new halo games being developed besides Halo3. one of them is being produced by peter jackson the other one is called Halo Wars
you can find the trailer here http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/8...36/vids_1.html
the game is going back to its roots, going back to what halo 1 was intended to be... real-time strategy
also, microsoft came out and said HDMI cables will hit the market when the market demands it stating that their console can put out a 1080p signal when needed.
splinter cell's next step in the franchise after double agent will be exclusive to the 360. so finally, after all these years of saying microsoft needs to lock in splinter cell, they finally have.
microsoft is coming out strong lmao.
lets not forget we are all friends here,united under our love for macs!!!! so lets not sling mud...
I have a very fair insight into this whole thing I have actually seen blu ray side by side with hd dvd,I know some local home theater dudes that own a shop and sometimes i go and experiement along with them with new stuff.
and the bottom line is HD DvD does what it says... and does it cheaper,it crushes the qaulity of blu ray,you can talk codecs and the great "oh just you wait stuff" all you want hd is doing it!!!!and by the way none of the players output 1080p right now!!! they might say so but that is not whats coming out of the end.
we will have to wait on that one.
I have found out that,both camps are willing to talk about managed copys,once a standard is set,so i was wrong "and i am glad" about them copy protecting us to death.
the real issues about storage are,how long are we going to put up with our extras on the dvd being in standard def?
if we will soon be getting "and i think we will" dvds that are indentical to the studio masters,why go to the movies anymore?
seems some sort of home pay per view for new movies from then on out would become the norm,what about universal players and universal disks?
it would be funny to see universal disks as we have heard of come out in purple cases!
lol
I have to agree with some though that with both formats being so close we may end up with another - and + r deal like we did with blank cd formats,where both will be standard!!!!! at this point that would be cool,we could all get the movies we want in the quality we want and enjoy mondo storage!
And speaking of exclusives, here is a big announcement !
Microsoft just announced 2 new halo games being developed besides Halo3. one of them is being produced by peter jackson the other one is called Halo Wars
Who cares? Peter Jackson is vastly overrated. I snored through most of "The Two Towers" and his name behind the King Kong remake didn't help it become the super-smash the studio hoped it would be. I cost $200 million to make and made only that much in the theaters. If not for DVD sales, he'd be sunk.
also, microsoft came out and said HDMI cables will hit the market when the market demands it stating that their console can put out a 1080p signal when needed.
"When the market demands it" is a massive waffle. You may still be sitting around with no HDMI two years from now as long as MS keeps saying the market isn't demanding it yet.
Who cares? Peter Jackson is vastly overrated. I snored through most of "The Two Towers" and his name behind the King Kong remake didn't help it become the super-smash the studio hoped it would be. I cost $200 million to make and made only that much in the theaters. If not for DVD sales, he'd be sunk.
"When the market demands it" is a massive waffle. You may still be sitting around with no HDMI two years from now as long as MS keeps saying the market isn't demanding it yet.
who cares that there are new games coming from the halo franchise? apparently many people, since the announcement yesterday the Halo Wars forum has been getting bombarded. Peter Jackson is producing the halo movie, that is why its a big deal, if he wasn't, then yeah i'd be like ok who cares?
if sony came out and said "when the market demands it" then yeh, it would be a "waffle" cuz sony never delivers on any of its hyperbol. microsoft has however lmao. their new hd-dvd drive comes out this november, and i'm sure when the hdmi cables are needed they will release it.
for god sakes 95% of the population doesn't even have HDMI ready television sets yet! its crazy how much blogging will screw with peoples perceptions of the real world.
Given they want 10x that number by year end and will be lucky if they hit 100k it isn't a success. They've done better than people expected but ultimately no major consumer electronics company supports Toshiba and none look even close to jumping. Really their stance is very reminiscent of the Sony of old, running off on a self-created format despite the movements of the rest of the industry.
10x will be easy. You have the Euro launch next month. Canada still needs a launch and the further proliferation of HD DVD enabled laptops which as of now includes Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, Asus and LG. LG has a HD DVD STB model to complement their Blu-Ray model coming our March 2007. Microsoft "will" sell tons of the HD DVD addon as who doesn't want a remote and King Kong as an enticement?
You have to keep in mind that the "buzz" early this year was all about Blu-Ray so not only did Toshiba erase this positive buzz and create their own but they are out executing Blu-Ray at every step. There's not much of a reason for other companies to jump in now. The Christmas season is being planned for now but what I'm hearing from some retailers is that CES 2007 will be a good coming out party for more HD DVD products. I believe them because studios and hardware vendors have seen that Toshiba can support the platform right and hit the ground running with a solid product. No longer will either format live on hype alone. The Playstation 3 "is" going to have a nice impact on Blu-Ray but I'm thinking that the Xbox addon will have a pretty good impact as well. I'll probably buy one because I know I'm going to get an Xbox and I'd love to have a STB HD DVD and Blu-Ray player as well as an Xbox.
i never said it lost gta as in it wasn't coming out for the system, it lost it as an exclusive, the one exclusive that really pushed ps2 beyond the xbox. so what does the ps3 actually have that will put it over the top? how will it gain number 1 now? there really isn't anything, it hangs in the balance, the blu-ray drive is the only thing that could save it.
It wasn't an exclusive before, the XBOX version just came out a bit later. I have 2/3 GTA games for the original XBOX.
what are the obvious flaws to the 360?
I can't hear my games over it. That's a biggie.
I also had to actually get a fan for my room, because the central air in my house physically wasn't powerful enough to keep the 360 from turning my room into an oven. That's kind of serious drawback.
Also, I've yet to find a game for it that I like. I've just been playing original XBOX games on it.
you dont actually know if sony will have a problem at launch, i mean look at their batteries, apple and dell just recalled them... so much for manufacturing superiority right? so again i'll say what i said before, if sony has a problem at launch they are done for.
Sony has been making consumer electronics for years. Yeah, some dust got into they're batteries, that was an accident. That happened to, what, one of the million products they've released over the past 60 years? You're right, every Sony product from now on is clearly going to randomly explode.
Microsoft's expertise with mice hasn't exactly parlayed into gaming consoles. The XBOX 360's issues weren't a mistake, Microsoft has a serious deficiency of competent engineers.
wait so the wii has obvious flaws? you know this or are you speculating since its not out yet?
The graphics are terrible. The games are going to be great and I'll definately get one. But if a game is on multiple consoles, I'll definately buy it for PS3 or XBOX first, because it will be a far better experience.
you're funny. yes, it is a big deal that sony ripped nintendo, because it shows lack of innovation on their part, they haven't brought anything to the table besides its cell chip that hasn't even proven itself, and a bunch of floating point calculations.
The controller's a gimmick. The innovation is in the games (where Nintendo themselves are very innovative.)
However, you contend that PS3 is going to be a distant third. Lack of innovation isn't going to put them there.
the online service is irrelevant but your sure it will be fine? oh man, we might as well end our discussion here.
Online services are pretty easy to roll out. If small, underfunded companies can do it, Sony can.
Since having no online service clearly didn't kill the PS2, I don't see why even a slightly imperfect one would phase the PS3.
who cares that there are new games coming from the halo franchise? apparently many people, since the announcement yesterday the Halo Wars forum has been getting bombarded. Peter Jackson is producing the halo movie, that is why its a big deal, if he wasn't, then yeah i'd be like ok who cares?
if sony came out and said "when the market demands it" then yeh, it would be a "waffle" cuz sony never delivers on any of its hyperbol. microsoft has however lmao. their new hd-dvd drive comes out this november, and i'm sure when the hdmi cables are needed they will release it.
for god sakes 95% of the population doesn't even have HDMI ready television sets yet! its crazy how much blogging will screw with peoples perceptions of the real world.
Oh, I see,...so when the lower end PS3 did NOT have HDMI, it was a big deal since it was sooooo expensive and all, but now that the lower and higher end PS3 will both be having HDMI, all of a sudden HDMI is not such a big deal because of some random percentage you've decided to pull out of the sky. Or is it because your beloved Microsoft decided to ship their HD DVD add-on without it (HDMI), that it just makes everything OK? Whatever...
And again none of you PRICE mongrels have responded to my question, why aren't you guys in an uproar over the price of the Xbox360 add-on? The price of the PS3 (low end or high end) when compared to a comparitively equipped Xbox360 is the same price....$499 or $599--except that with the PS3 you get an INTEGRATED drive and not some tacky add-on and you also get HDMI with 1080P goodness (not to mention all the audio goodness coming out of the console as well). I thought price was where it was at! I thought price was what was going to bring down the PS3 in this generation. Price, price, price. But alas, it just seems a lot of you were all about price when it pertained to bashing Sony, but when Microsoft releases something for the same price, it is a different story--time to check your double standard there Microsoft fanboys.
IMO, it doesn't matter how you spin it, you're getting a heck of a deal with the PS3 that will most assuredly sell like hotcakes. BTW, you need to get your facts straight as Sony plans on a rollout of 100,000 consoles in Japan and 400,000 consoles in the US AT LAUNCH. Keyword--launch. They still expect to sell 1,000,000 [insert Dr. Evil pinky to side of mouth gesture] consoles by the end of the calendar year 2006. Will they get to all 1 million? That remains to be seen, but I can assure you it will be a hell of a lot more than 25,000 HD DVD players.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ith_Bubble/265
With little fanfare, Magnolia Home Entertainment has jumped into the Blu-ray format with its first release, Steven Soderbergh's 'Bubble.'
Hitting stores quietly this past Tuesday, September 26, Magnolia has released no press info on the Blu-ray 'Bubble,' though oddly the release is currently available at major online outlets, including Amazon.com.
Magnolia previously announced support for the HD DVD format in April of this year, pledging an initial slate of three theatrical titles that was to include 'Bubble.' However, those releases never appeared, which makes the almost covert appearance of the film on Blu-ray a bit of surprise.
We hope to have more details on 'Bubble,' as well as Magnolia's future Blu-ray and HD DVD plans soon. Also look for a review of the disc in the coming days.
Yet another studio joining the Blu-ray juggernaut. 8)
10x will be easy.
About as easy it was for them to sell 25,000 in six months. And you expect them to sell ten times that in 3 more months...uhh huh...sure...
Microsoft "will" sell tons of the HD DVD addon as who doesn't want a remote and King Kong as an enticement?
Not me for one, and especially when you are talking about an external add-on that costs $199 without HDMI and is NOT capable of playing games on HD DVD media. Plus, you're talking about a movie that IMO, is not all that good. Sure, it had some good scenery and was well paced about after the first hour and a half, but ultimately I found the movie slow, not very interesting, and lacking in that "push your console" draw.
Now, there are rumors that the PS3 will be shipping with a demo disc and/or a movie as well. Can you imagine if they bundled the PS3 with say the likes of Spiderman? I now what conole would be garnering more of the "push your console" draw if this were the case.
You have to keep in mind that the "buzz" early this year was all about Blu-Ray so not only did Toshiba erase this positive buzz and create their own but they are out executing Blu-Ray at every step.
I'll give you that this statement somewhat had its place in the first two months of Blu-ray's launch as Blu-ray did falter with the sole Samsung player hardware issue and SOME releases. However, I think you're overreaching a bit to claim that Toshiba has erased the positive buzz of Blu-ray--maybe in some promininent pro-HD DVD world like the AVS forum that you frequent--but back in the real world, this is surely not the case. This third month has been really good news for Blu-ray, as it appears that any PQ issues on discs have been ironed out as well as the hardware issue for the Samsung, since a firmware update is fixing the issue.
4th quarter is going to be huge for Blu-ray. I'm of the opinion that at the end of 2007, people are going to be going "HD DVD what?...DivX...huh?...are they the same failures?....what?" and Blu-ray will have had a long time hitting the ground bulldozing the competition and becoming the rightful de facto standard. 8)
About as easy it was for them to sell 25,000 in six months. And you expect them to sell ten times that in 3 more months...uhh huh...sure...
Please provide to me the sales estimates for the Samsung Blu-Ray player. 25k players may not sound like much but we need another player to give us some relativity.
Not me for one, and especially when you are talking about an external add-on that costs $199 without HDMI and is NOT capable of playing games on HD DVD media. Plus, you're talking about a movie that IMO, is not all that good. Sure, it had some good scenery and was well paced about after the first hour and a half, but ultimately I found the movie slow, not very interesting, and lacking in that "push your console" draw.
HDMI is not guaranteed to look better than component. It's a digital connection that carries audio as well. I don't know why you're talking about the efficacy of playing games on HD DVD or not. Games don't get played off the disc they get played from the RAM and GPU in a console. The disc holds the data that gets uploaded so fretting over DVD vs HD DVD vs Blu-Ray Disc is superfluous. King Kong was indeed overly long and weak in many areas but the HD DVD is going to look GREAT.
It's not me overreacting it's the owners
http://www.hdblu.com/reviews.htm
read the rest of the article. The Toshib is a runaway success compared to the Samsung. I tell you CES 2007 is going to interesting. Look for HD DVD to flex some muscles with newfound friends.
It's not me overreacting it's the owners
No, no, I said you are overreaching, not overreacting. I think you are overreaching a bit when one considers the PS3, the Pioneer, the Panasonic, the Sony, the Philips, the Sharp, and the LG have all yet to be released...with some starting next month.
Toshiba can't really erase a buzz when the buzz really and in all honesty has yet to start. That's why I think you are overreaching a bit. Blu-ray is just beginning and 4th quarter is shock and awe time.
http://www.docdvd.com/bluray_reviews_14312.htm
As picture quality goes, this blu-ray disc is a slight improvement over the hd-dvd release. It is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and encoded at 1080p. The colors are strong and smooth, suffering from no noise problems. Also, there was minimal grain, a bit less than on the hd-dvd. There was a great sense of three dimensionality to the image as well.
No, no, I said you are overreaching, not overreacting. I think you are overreaching a bit when one considers the PS3, the Pioneer, the Panasonic, the Sony, the Philips, the Sharp, and the LG have all yet to be released...with some starting next month.
Toshiba can't really erase a buzz when the buzz really and in all honesty has yet to start. That's why I think you are overreaching a bit. Blu-ray is just beginning and 4th quarter is shock and awe time.
Well I'm all for some shock and awe but I tell you going into the 4th quarter with players that will average over $1000 is going to be shock and awe in the most negative of ways. Consumers are used to seeing laptops for $350 and other great deals. I don't see how Blu-Ray can make a meaningful impact with such expensive players. At best the quality will only equal what the $500 HD DVD player can do.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/larac....html#Section3
Meh...Tomb Raider isn't one of the standout movies. But let us just say that indeed Tomb Raider is slightly better than the HD DVD version. Does this slight improvement warrant paying $500 more for the player and getting less features?
Blu-Ray is falling behind. Look at the amount of laptops with HD DVD players in them.
LG
Acer
Asus
Toshiba
Fujitsu-Siemens
Samsung
HP
7 to what 1 Sony Vaio with a Blu-Ray drive? Where's the shock and awe? Why has Sony delayed their player until Nov 16? Why are we still seeing delays in Blu-Ray? Clearly it was a half baked over marketed technology and frankly I've been more right since defending HD DVD. I haven't had to make excuses or tell people to wait wait wait.
Wait for the PS3
Wait for the Sony/Pioneer
Wait for the 4th quarter
Wait until DL 50GB disc get here.
The laughable thing is that people are at home today watching great looking HD movies on their HD monitors and there are these fanatics watching their macroblock infested HD feeds telling them to wait. The irony.