HiDef DVD News VII - News Only : AND WE MEAN IT: NEWS ONLY

[Rio]

NEC Electronics announced new "EMMA3" SoC for HD DVD player/recorder [original Japanese] (http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20061227/necel.htm), [Google translation] (http://www.google.co.jp/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.watch.impress.co.jp%2Fav%2Fdocs %2F20061227%2Fnecel.htm&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=ja&ie=UTF8)
News release (Japanese) (http://www.necel.com/news/ja/archive/0612/2701_1.html)

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20061227/necel05.jpg
EMMA3 in HD-A2

- Used in HD-A2, HD-XA2, HD-XF2, HD-E1
- MPEG-2(MP@HL/MP@ML), MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, VC-1 video decoding
- Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS, DTS-HD audio decoding
- Two HD video decoding capability
- Multi CPU core architecture (total 6 CPUs) - 64bit CPU (654DMIPS), 32bit CPU (457DMIPS), 2 audio CPUs
- HD graphics engine/image decoder, full HD graphics plane x 5
- Video scaler
- HD/SD video encoder for video output
- CSS, CPRM, AACS support
- Sample price is 20,000 JPY

"Currently, our costomer is only Toshiba, but we have heard some interest from some companies to make HD DVD product."

It looks like similar to SoCs from Sigma and Broadcom. Then, why does HD-A2 need Intel 900MHz dual core CPU?

[Kosty]

Agrh. those translation links won't work for me nor a cut and paste of the link into google or other translation engines.

Can you provide a bit more of the translated english as a excerpt?

[los seres]

Manufacturers Integrate DTS-HD for the Next Generation Optical Disc Formats (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061227/20061227005006.html?.v=1)

DTS, Inc. today announced that 10 major integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers have licensed DTS-HD Master Audio and / or DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS' high definition multi-channel audio technologies for the next generation optical disc formats, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. The manufacturers will incorporate DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio into chips they are currently designing for their customers in the consumer electronics industry that are producing HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc players, A/V receivers and Home Theater In-A-Box components, as well as the PC and automobile markets.

In addition to DTS-HD technology, the IC manufacturers have also licensed DTS-HD LBR (Low Bit Rate) for Secondary / Sub Audio and / or the DTS encoder for transcoder usage within the next generation HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc players. The new IC licensees are:

* Analog Devices, Inc.
* Broadcom Corporation
* Cheertek, Inc.
* LSI Logic Corporation
* Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
* MediaTek Incorporation
* NEC Electronics Corporation
* Renesas Technology Corp.
* Sigma Designs, Inc.
* Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd.

[b2bonez]

Agrh. those translation links won't work for me nor a cut and paste of the link into google or other translation engines.

Can you provide a bit more of the translated english as a excerpt?
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.watch.impress.co.jp%2Fav%2Fdocs %2F20061227%2Fnecel.htm&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

b2b

[lazyn00b]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oZGYb92isE

This guy also posted at Doom9:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=119871

mod::take discussion of this topic here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=775910

[g55555sim]

Microsoft was playing santa this year, a very generous Santa. They have partnered with AMD and Acer to give out a bunch of HD DVD equiped Acer Ferrary note books. The notebooks were given to internet bloggers.

http://www.bootdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=237&Itemid=59


Microsoft gave out bunch of HD DVD equiped Ferraries

Microsoft together with AMD gave out some really nice Christmas presents to a bunch of bloggers this year. Brandon LeBlanc got one, Scott Beale got one, Barb Bowman got one, Mauricio Freitas got one, Mitch Denny got one, Zen.Heavengames got one, plus many other bloggers who did not even write about it (shame on them). They seem to have covered everyone from A-list to Z-list, a first in the industry with such a valuable gift, kudos for thinking about the little guys.

....... It sports an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core 2ghz CPU, 2GB of DDR2-667 RAM, AMD-ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 on a 15.4″ widescreen. It also has a 160GB SATA drive, HD-DVD reader and burner as well as a 1.3mp camera.

[DrDon]

Posts not conforming to thread rules have been removed. See Post #1

[AnthonyP]

http://www.remotecentral.com/wn061223.htm

PS3 + Universal Remote = Possible

[2Channel]

Report predicts disc downturn in '07
Analysts see declining sales at Best Buy, Circuit City as harbinger for industry

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6402797.html

The analysts don’t believe sales of high-definition discs will be substantial enough to improve studio revenue next year.

They also warn that the downturn could continue into 2008 unless high-def discs or digital downloads take off.

[mikemorel]

Probably nothin', but somewhat interesting amongst all the AACS misreporting...

Samsung Hires Sony Executive for US TV Market (http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200612/kt2006122818163511910.htm)

Samsung Electronics has hired a veteran Sony executive to be its new marketing vice president in the United States, where the two Asian firms are competing to be the top TV seller.

Timothy Baxter will oversee the marketing and promotion of Samsung’s consumer electronics division, which includes TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players, music players and camcorders, Samsung said Wednesday.
...
He led Sony’s Blu-ray marketing, including the Hollywood studio support negotiations and its horizontal launch strategy. Kind of a wierd time for the head of blu-ray marketing and hollywood studio support negotiations to jump ship, right before CES...

[UxiSXRD]

Rumors of the AACS crack have proliferated to ARS Technica (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061228-8510.html) and Slashdot (http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/28/0259244&from=rss) .

ARS Technica names HD-DVD alone while the Slashdot article pins to both HD-DVD and Blu-ray, which is more correct. As the ARS article speculates, it should be interesting to see how the key revocation / update operates in practice, as well as what happens to PowerDVD and their response.

[Kosty]

DVD Charts Comeback

http://homemediaretailing.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2

What we’re looking at is a market that is up slightly from last year, overall,” said David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “But if you break down the components, we’re projecting DVD sales to be up 3%, year over year, and rental to be up about 12%. What drags the industry down to a flat or slightly up basis is that VHS sales and rentals are virtually going away.”
Thats a big change from last year for DVD and rental.
On the packaged-media front, the launch of two rival, incompatible [HD]formats was, if not a disaster, a major disappointment. But the real culprit, and the reason software sales have been anemic (fewer than 10,000 units of even a really big title are typical), wasn’t so much a lack of a unified standard. ...

“Everyone was disappointed in the quantity [of [HD]players] that came out of the electronics companies,” Sanders said. “But what is encouraging is that the attach rate of the software was amazingly high. On average, consumers bought 28 to 30 movies per set-top box, and that’s just below what it was for DVD in the same time frame.” Well since most of those were HD DVD players, thats another confirmation of a very high attach rate for HD DVD.

[mikemorel]

From TheStreet.com.

Sony's PS3: High-Scorer No More (http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/markets/activetraderupdate/10330004.html)


After more than a decade at the top of the video game heap, during which it sold more than 200 million consoles, Sony (SNE - commentary - Cramer's Take - Rating) is set to be knocked off its firm position as King of the Hill because of its flawed PlayStation 3 strategy. This is only one of many reasons to avoid shares of the consumer-electronics conglomerate, but it's certainly the most important.

Zapped by Blu-Ray
Among the most glaring errors Sony has made with the PS3 has been the inclusion of a next-generation Blu-ray DVD drive in the console. Having seen Blu-ray in action up close, I can say it certainly is impressive.

But it has also had the effect of driving up the cost of the two versions of the PS3 to $500 (20 GB hard drive) and $600 (60 GB hard drive) respectively, much more expensive than the competing Microsoft (MSFT - commentary - Cramer's Take - Rating) Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, with no discernible improvement in game quality. Shortages of certain Blu-ray components have resulted in extremely short supplies of the PS3, giving Microsoft and Nintendo some running room to build market share.

In addition, the competition between the two next-generation DVD technologies, Blu-ray and HD-DVD, is causing an enormous amount of confusion among consumers and hindering adoption of both. This is a critical issue; slow consumer adoption of Blu-ray will make it more difficult to build economies of scale, which normally result in lower manufacturing costs.

Sony's video-game business is easily its crown jewel. At its best, it has provided more than 60% of Sony's operating profit despite hovering around 10% of overall Sony revenue. Given that Sony is almost certainly going to lose market share, the company's profitability will be dragged down dramatically.

This state of affairs means Sony's historically lucrative video-game unit is very likely to lose its luster over the next few years as Microsoft and Nintendo gain market share in this segment. Plus, one must consider the generally tough state of the consumer electronics business, given how competitive businesses such as high-definition televisions have become. With that in mind, it is nearly impossible for me to come up with a bullish case for Sony

[mikemorel]

Being carried across country...

In a pivotal year, video console makers battled for supremacy (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/16335767.htm)

During the E3 trade show, Kaz Harai - then president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, now president worldwide - said, "The next generation doesn't start until we say it's time."It's time...

[b2bonez]

Seems that HD-DVDs "low cost" claims are disappearing quickly...
News
Samsung Blu-ray Player: $569 at Amazon
The e-commerce site knocks $300 off the retail price.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (December 28, 2006) -- Looking for a bargain on a Blu-ray HDTV DVD player? We've found one today at Amazon.com.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/samsungprice122806.htm

b2b

[amillians]

Seems that HD-DVDs "low cost" claims are disappearing quickly... Old news, my good man. :)

And Swann Song got the new MSRP wrong:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9243712&&#post9243712

P.S. It's getting ready to be retired. They have move out all the inventory.

[mikemorel]

The present condition of Blu-ray and HD DVD and standard dispute (http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0612/29/news010.html)

Translated: The present condition of Blu-ray and HD DVD and standard dispute (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fplusd.itmedia.co.jp%2Flifestyle%2Fa rticles%2F0612%2F29%2Fnews010.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)

He that shall not be named translated:

Japan :
- Both formats are pretty much dead in Japan. PSX3 hasn't done a thing to lift BR-ROM sales there.

US :
- HD-DVD is winning in the US, to the dismay of BR-ROM camp.

- BR-ROM's earlier "poor" image refuses to go away even though BR-ROM has caught up with HD-DVD in image quality.

- Like Japan, the BR-ROM movie distributors are disappointed by the failure of PSX3 to lift BR-ROM sales. PSX3 hasn't done a thing to lift BR-ROM sales. Sony argues that the sales would take off after January.

- BR-ROM camp believes that there is an exclusivity window contract that Universal signed with Toshiba, and that Universal would jump onto BR-ROM sometime in 2007.Any Japanese want to take this on?

[mikemorel]

BD Observers avert thine eyes, as EETimes brings in the New Year,

'06 had Sony singing the blues (http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196701694)

Perfect storm
While Sony appeared to be its own worst enemy in 2006, outside forces helped create "the perfect storm" that knocked the company off its pedestal, said Stu Lipoff, a partner at consultancy IP Action Partners, (Newton, Mass.).

Certainly, the internal problems are legion, and they go beyond the manufacturing issues. Wave after wave of internal reorganizations in the past decade drained engineering resources and sometimes forced group managers to scrap product development projects just as they were nearing completion. Sony management at times has proved less than adroit at juggling the hardware vs. software sides of the business. The result has been a company in perpetual catch-up modeAll I am left with is - Holy Moly - and I'm sure I spelled moly wrong. Happy New Year everyone.

[2Channel]

Millions miffed at poor quality from holiday HDTV purchase

http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/12/30/millions-miffed-at-poor-quality-from-holiday-hdtv-purchase/

This looks to me like an opportunity to sell High Definition disc players and movies to a lot of people!

[DrDon]

THIS THREAD WAS GREAT WHEN IT WAS STICKING TO JUST NEWS -- CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK TO THOSE RULES!

Thanks.. Caps off.. Posts removed to that end.

Doc

[los seres]

China market: EVD players not selling well due to high price (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070102PD202.html)

Gome, China's largest consumer electronics retail chain, has been actively promoting the sale of players of EVD (enhanced versatile disc), a China-developed DVD format, but sales have been slow due to relatively high prices, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Although retail prices of EVD players have been lowered from 1,000 yuan (US$128) to below 700 yuan (US$89), they are still much higher than the 200-300 yuan for a DVD player, the sources pointed out. In addition, there is limited availability of EVD titles, which are all produced by studios in China, since EVD has not gained support from Hollywood movie studios, the sources indicated.

China developed EVD as a means of freeing Chinese makers from having to pay DVD royalties.

[mikemorel]

Xbox 360 led US Xmas sales - just (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/02/us_console_sales_npd/)

According to the research firm, around 2m Xbox 360s were sold between the start of November 2006 and Christmas Day. Nintendo's Wii total was 1.8m units, a very good figure given the machine didn't launch in the US until 19 November, giving the Xbox 360 a head-start of almost three weeks.

Sony sold around 750,000 PS3s during the same period - less than half the amount of Wiis picked up during the key consumer sales period.

[mikemorel]

Cyberlink Responds to Alleged AACS Crack (http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archive/2007/01/02/463980.aspx)

Full text posted here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9335189&&#post9335189

[Grubert]

davisdvd reports that all Harry Potter SD DVDs will go on moratorium during January.

Rumors swirl that the studio is indeed planning new high-definition special editions in anticipation of the new fifth film due later this year, but no concrete plans have been revealed.

[the blob]

AMD Live! to support both hd-dvd and blu ray in Q3 2007..

OEM's include Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway and HP. Not much info at the moment so no idea as to who will provide blu ray/hd-dvd systems or both.

Unfortunately i can't post a url as i don't have enough posts yet but the news release is at various places.

[DrDon]

AMD Live! to support both hd-dvd and blu ray in Q3 2007..

OEM's include Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway and HP. Not much info at the moment so no idea as to who will provide blu ray/hd-dvd systems or both.

Unfortunately i can't post a url as i don't have enough posts yet but the news release is at various places.Such as here (http://www.legitreviews.com/news/3010/)

[archibael]

I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what this means, actually-- I'm not being corporate: if we suddenly announced "support" for HD DVD and Blu-ray in VIIV, I'd be just as confused.

You can already play both formats on Intel or AMD platforms-- the HTPC threads are proof of this. So what's to support?

[Grubert]

Silicon Optix HQV Video Processing Adopted for Toshiba's New HD DVD Player (http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=92459)


Silicon Optix, the leader in programmable video processors, announced today that its Reon-VX HQV video processor will be featured in Toshiba's new top-of-the-line HD DVD player, the HD-XA2.

[Kosty]

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2007/01/review_sony_pla.html

He likes it, kinda

Obviously this was the earliest of observations and trying to compare formats without the benefit of the same titles is an exercise in futility. Nevertheless I couldn’t help but think about the difference in my first impressions between HD DVD and Blu-ray. I remember savoring every pixel displayed on my set and day dreaming about which titles I’d love to see announced next for the format. I didn’t really get that feeling here, but I do have one caveat to that statement, more on that in a minute.Could HD DVD’s favored codec; VC-1 somehow be responsible for the subtle grain and overall sharper images I’ve grown accustomed to?The PS3 is by design a bit of a mixed bag. It's part game console, part media center and of course part Blu-ray player. I’ve kept this in the forefront of my mind during my review process and I feel that mindset wound up being critical in my overall satisfaction. The PS3's value is in the sum of its parts, even if some of those individual parts fall a tad short

[Kosty]

Silicon Optix HQV Video Processing Adopted for Toshiba's New HD DVD Player (http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=92459)http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/08/denon_dvd2930ci.html

Included in this article on this Denon is a review of the first use of the Silicon Optix Reon HQV. It gave the same results as the more expensive Realta HQV in this application.

This should be very good news for the HD XA2 standard definition DVD upconversion capabilities.

[rdjam]

According to Home Media Retail and NPD Group, the PS3 has only sold 750,000 units, Worldwide, to date.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2&newsid=10102

talkestr8t may have to fix his signature... again.

[Grubert]

Posted on previous page by mikemorel:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/02/us_console_sales_npd/

They're figures for the US market [...]

The numbers come from US retail market watcher NPD by way of a CNBC video report.

[Grubert]

360 movie downloads outperforming Amazon rival (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21991)

Consumers download high definition versions of films over standard formats where both are on offer, with the average US $1 more for HD content no barrier to purchase.

"If you look at our sales charts, movies like The Perfect Storm, Unforgiven and Swordfish are all doing disproportionately better than you would expect, and the only explanation is that they're available in HD," said Ross Honey, senior director for media at Microsoft's content and partner strategy group.

[rdjam]

"Samsung, LG set up duel in Las Vegas"

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200701/kt2007010318432911870.htm

Sony has insisted that its Bravia TV is the only one that meets the full HD standard and Samsung and LG lack the necessary software technology. The two Korean companies have laughed off the claim.

Things are going swimmingly, then...

[wco81]

Engadget has an article saying NPD is repudiating those numbers.

Their report comes out next week. Isn't that when CES starts too?

[rdjam]

Engadget has an article saying NPD is repudiating those numbers.

Their report comes out next week. Isn't that when CES starts too?
Link?

EDIT: Found it - http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/03/holiday-2006-console-sales-figures-erroneous/

[Rob Zuber]

Digital connection that will replace DVI and VGA making progress:

DisplayPort inches closer towards replacing DVI (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070103-8542.html)

Just in time for next week's Consumer Electronics Show, The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) have announced that they have completed their first DisplayPort Plugtest, which was scheduled on December 14...DisplayPort will, essentially, close the gap between PC monitors and other displays such as laptops, projectors, televisions, and other consumer electronic devices by creating a common digital display interface as it replaces DVI and eventually VGA outputs.The new connection is copy protected, of course.

[Rob Zuber]

LG Electronics to Launch First Dual-Format High-Definition Disc Player

(Seoul=뉴스와이어) 2007년01월04일-- LG Electronics (LG), a leader in consumer electronics and mobile communications, announced that it will launch the world's first dual-format high-definition disc player, capable of playing both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD content. The unit will be released in the United States in early 2007. Details will be provided at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held January 8-11 in Las Vegas.http://pr.hankyung.com/read_sub.php?id=216676&no=0&ca=&ca1=&ca2=&sf=&st=&of=&nwof=&conttype=&tm=1&type=&hotissue=&sdate=&eflag=&spno=

[Adam Tyner]

From http://news.com.com/New+disc+may+sway+DVD+wars/2100-1041_3-6147053.html :

Warner Bros., which helped popularize the DVD more than a decade ago, plans to announce next week a single videodisc that can play films and television programs in both Blu-ray and HD DVD, the rival DVD technologies.

[Kosty]

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/08/denon_dvd2930ci.html

Included in this article on this Denon is a review of the first use of the Silicon Optix Reon HQV. It gave the same results as the more expensive Realta HQV in this application.

This should be very good news for the HD XA2 standard definition DVD upconversion capabilities.

Speaking of b.greenway's blog, this was an interesting comment on the Reon processor in a high end DVD player he reviewed with it...

Speaking of the format wars, I’ve decided what would make for the ultimate combo-player, a Denon multi-format player that consists of whichever HD side wins and their own excellent up-scaling DVD playback.

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/07/new_hqv_equippe.html

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/08/denon_dvd2930ci.html

Talk about predicting the future... not saying that HD DVD will win but....this might the ultimate combo player he predicted.... :)

[BenDover]

From http://news.com.com/New+disc+may+sway+DVD+wars/2100-1041_3-6147053.html :


also reported on highdefdigest:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Total_HD/Industry_Forecasts/Warner_to_Unveil_First_Blu-ray/HD_DVD_Hybrid_Discs_at_CES/413

[Grubert]

HD DVD Ahead Slightly in HD Race in Europe (http://www.videostoremag.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10111)


An IPSOS survey in France, Germany and the United Kingdom conducted for the HD DVD Promotion Group from August to September last year found that 65% of respondents were familiar with next-generation high-definition format HD DVD, compared to 35% for rival format Blu-ray Disc.



Main points:

* From 56% to 61% of respondents would likely purchase HD DVD, compared to 32% to 36% who would purchase Blu-ray when told the names of the studios and consumer electronics manufacturers supporting each format.

* From 26% to 28% of French respondents would purchase PS3 specifically for the Blu-ray drive, compared to less than 20% in Germany and the United Kingdom.

* Among likely buyers (early adopters), however, interest between the two formats was nearly equal, with 54% favoring HD DVD, compared to 51% for Blu-ray.

[BenDover]

With little time to spare, the Weinstein Co./Genius has officially set a January 16, 2007, street date for its second wave of HD DVD titles, including 'Clerks II,' ':Pulse' and 'Lucky Number Slevin.'

Each title will receive the 1080p and Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround treatment, and a host of extras. Both 'Pulse' and 'Lucky Number Slevin' feature audio commentaries, featurettes and deleted scenes, while 'Clerks II' is a two-disc behemoth with no less than three audio commentaries, a 90-minute documentary, a VH-1 TV special, and more.


http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Weinstein_Co./Disc_Announcements/Weinstein_Co._Sets_Date,_Specs_for_Second_HD_DVD_Wave/414

[g5555sim]

More mouth watering news for HD DVD supporters, the long awaited HD DVD writer is now here :) . The PC drive will ship THIS MONTH :D

[moderator's note: Here is the official statement: "Volume shipments of the SD-H903A are scheduled to start in February with OEM sampling in January. " -Doc]


Opps sorry .. the URL : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2007/04/c3398.html

TOKYO, January 4 /CNW/ - Toshiba today brought the wide ranging
capabilities of HD DVD to the desktop PC with the announcement of a standard
height HD DVD drive able to read and write to HD DVD and to standard DVD and
CD discs. Sample shipments of the new drive, SD-H903A, are scheduled to start
this month.


The new drive takes full advantage of the shared physical structure of HD
DVD discs and standard DVD discs, which allows it to read and write to HD
DVD-R discs, to read the diverse line-up of discs in the HD DVD-ROM disc
family, including twin format disc and combination discs, and to read and
write to standard DVD and CD discs, using an optical pick-up head with only a
single objective lens.

The new drive is also fully compliant with the EU's RoHS directive, which
came into force in July 2006.


Main specs:

Main specifications

Model name SD-H903A


Write

HD DVD-R SL(1): 1x; HD DVD-R DL(1): 1x
DVD-RAM: Max. 3x; DVD-R SL(1): Max. 8x
DVD-R DL(1): Max. 2.4x; DVD-RW: Max. 4x
DVD+R SL(1): Max. 8x;
DVD+R DL(1): Max. 2.4x

Read/Write Speed

DVD+RW: Max. 4x; CD-R: Max. 16x
CD-RW: 4x;
High Speed CD-RW: Max. 10x
Ultra Speed CD-RW: 10x

Read

HD DVD-R SL(1), DL(1): 1x;
HD DVD-ROM: 2.4x
DVD: Max. 8x; CD: Max. 24x

discuss the topic here : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=781001

[Grubert]

AACS Hacker Replies to Controversial Press Comments (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19400)

Please discuss here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9362466&&#post9362466).

[Grubert]

DVD spins bigger coin (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6404388.html)

DVD and VHS sales and rentals: $23.6 billion

DVD sales: $14.90 billion (B&M), $15.65 billion (B&M plus online)
Overall sales (including VHS and DVD): $15.91 billion.

DVD rentals: $7.39 billion

Revenue from movie downloads and high-def disc sales both represented less than 1% of 2006 DVD revenue [some back-of-the-envelope calculation yields about $200 milliion in hidef disc sales]

[Grubert]

I spy with my little eye...

an Xbox with HDMI!

From engadget (http://hdtv.engadget.com/2007/01/05/the-second-xbox-360-revealed-codename-zephyr/):

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/5681/xboxzephyrnu3.jpg

[Grubert]

LG Electronics unveils new Super Multi Blue dual-format drive at International CES (http://www.hometoys.com/news.php4?section=view&id=16371351)

The GGW-H10N is a "Super Multi Blue" drive, compatible with Blu-ray Disc read/write, DVD read/write, CD read/write and HD-DVD-ROM read. Its OPU uses LG’s proprietary technologies.

The product will be released during the first quarter of 2007, priced under US $1,200.

[Grubert]

Lacie ships external Blu-ray solution for Mac and Windows (http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4604) and chooses Sonic to enable new Blu-ray burner (http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4608)

[nilsp]

Disney finally announces Cars + other titles. http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

[g5555sim]

Samsung to unveil second gen BD player at CES.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2007/01/1.3.07-bd-p1000.jpg

Toshiba and LG have already indicated their plans to wow us at CES, and now the first company to release a Blu-ray player -- Samsung -- has announced it will display the first second generation player next week at CES.

http://a.engadgethd.com/2007/01/04/samsung-to-debut-first-second-gen-blu-ray-player-at-ces/

[2Channel]

This is something I haven't seen posted before. I ran across it by accident.

Speaking of gamers, look for Microsoft to start showcasing Vista's gaming capability along with the new integration into the Xbox live gaming framework so that folks on PCs and Xbox 360s can play against each other. The game developers have been looking forward to this and controllers that work with both the Xbox 360 and PCs will probably be in abundance.

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/12/13/ces_macworld_preview/page2.html

I would not be surprised to learn that Vista HTPC's will be able to do movie downloads from the Xbox Live service as well.

[amillians]

The BDA has refreshed the look of the BDA site:

http://www.blu-raydisc.com/

They still don't realize 1=1, though.

[2Channel]

Looks like the BDP-S1 and BDP-HD1 are having problems playing The Descent

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/06/the-descent-giving-fits-to-bd-java-less-blu-ray-players/

[Kosty]

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/business/2007/01/04/afternoon.business.update.cnn


This CNN video link refers two dual format players to be announced at CES, The LG and an HP model

[BenDover]

seems that the hdmi equipped x360 is real:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/753/753296p1.html

[Grubert]

Various PRs:

New HD DVD Developments to be Unveiled at the HD DVD Promotional Group's CES Press Event (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9htfMQCD6FFBysACA_QtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHZkMjZyBHBvcwMxB HNlYwNzcg--/SIG=12daq8rii/EXP=1168269442/**http%3a//biz.yahoo.com/bw/070107/20070107005033.html%3f.v=1)

LAS VEGAS, NV – January 7, 2007 – Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE), a leading provider of digital media software, announced today that the HD DVD networking features made possible by the collaboration of Intel®, Microsoft Corp., Deluxe Digital Studios, Universal® and Corel's subsidiary, InterVideo®, will be demonstrated at CES. The demonstration will be given at the HD DVD Promotional Group's CES press event on Sunday, January 7th at 8:30 PM PST at the Venetian Hotel, Galileo Room 905.

The new HD DVD technologies will deliver networking capabilities that are not available today on existing HD DVD discs. They will provide a special "download center" on the screen that will enable content owners, such as film studios and other entertainment providers to communicate directly with viewers via a networking protocol. This will enable users to download and unlock new content from an online server. It will also allow viewers to share collections of clips called "my scenes" with other viewers who own the same movie. Content owners will benefit from being able to quickly and seamlessly upsell additional timely content and other accessories to consumers.

Representatives from the HD DVD Promotional Group will be on stage to demonstrate the new HD DVD features running on an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo based PC with content authored by Deluxe and provided by Universal. This specially authored title includes additional information on navigation and the location of the Deluxe server with the bonus content. Corel's subsidiary, InterVideo, provided an enhanced version of WinDVD® – the world's first PC HD DVD software – with support for the new networking capabilities and interactive menu system.

****************

Verbatim/MKM Ready to Ship 30GB Dual Layer HD DVD-R Media to North American Markets

Technology Advances Deliver Superior HD DVD-R DL Recording

LAS VEGAS, NV (January 7, 2007) – Verbatim Corporation and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Verbatim/MKM) announced today that it will begin shipping single-sided, dual-layer 30GB HD DVD-R media to customers in North America when HD DVD-R DL-compatible hardware becomes available in Q1. The premium-quality dual-layer HD DVD-R media has been shipping throughout Japan since July 2006, when recordable HD DVD hardware first became available.

The high-capacity Verbatim/MKM HD DVD DL media will find extensive application in computer data storage. Business and home users will be able to back up their laptop PCs onto one long-lasting 30GB optical disc. Consumers will also record and enjoy the amazingly sharp images that high-definition video provides. Users will be able to save the data recorded by high-definition camcorders, author and edit the material on their PC, and then burn the content onto HD DVD-R media for viewing on an HD DVD playback device. Many new HD DVD hardware devices will be launched in 2007.

The new 30GB HD DVD DL media can be used to store about 150 minutes of high-definition video on a single side. Verbatim/MKM HD DVD DL media also supports the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy protection technology.

To achieve the best balance of reflectivity, transmission and absorption for both recording layers, MKM leveraged its proven dye technology to develop a new highly sensitive recording dye. The high recording sensitivity plus the wider power margin of the new recording layer ensure a low error rate, regardless of drive power fluctuations or smudges on the disc surface. Highly resistant to sunlight and heat, the media provides ultra-stable recording characteristics for a lifetime of high performance--even after long periods of storage--for both recorded and unrecorded media.

Verbatim/MKM HD DVD-R DL media is produced at MKM's technically advanced Singapore factory which is widely recognized for developing and refining the world’s premier dual-layer DVD media. By leveraging its DL expertise, the factory provides consistent high-quality HD DVD-R DL discs.

Verbatim/MKM is a general member of the HD DVD Promotion Group and a charter member of the DVD Forum.

[Grubert]

LG BH100 "coming soon" on bestbuy.com (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8203311&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat87100050009&id=1165610378688)

Price $1,199

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8203/8203311_sa.jpg

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8203/8203311_ba.jpg

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/8203/8203311rca.jpg

[max-pain]

That's one ugly machine! It looks so cheap.

[madshi]

Here are 2 more pictures:

http://www.blu-ray.com/images/ces2006/lg_06.jpg
http://www.blu-ray.com/images/ces2006/lg_07.jpg

A person on the German home cinema forum claims that the LG looks very nice in real life. He sais there are buttons on the top of the device which are illuminated. He sais the LG is built very solidly and looks/feels expensive.

And the sign sais: 50i, 60i or 24p. So it seems to do 1080p24 output from the get go.

[Grubert]

madshi, that was the BD199 (Blu-ray only). The new one is called BH100.

[Vogon Poet]

madshi, that was the BD199 (Blu-ray only). The new one is called BH100.

Yeah, but it appears the pictures of the 100 are just pictures of the BD199 with the BD logo photoshopped off the drive drawer. Notice the top is exactly the same including a Blu Ray logo but no HD DVD markings.

[madshi]

madshi, that was the BD199 (Blu-ray only). The new one is called BH100.

You may be right, but the design seems to be identical. And the LG does look better on the photos I posted, don't you agree?

[bwclark]

I am holding off buying any hidef player until this is out....both formats...all studios.....one player....one purchase.......... :D

PRICELESS!! :)

[BenDover]

Toshiba to have another G2 machine, the A20

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9384177&&#post9384177

[Grubert]

More on the LG: http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/16825.html

[Grubert]

Samsung, LG Seek to Steal Las Vegas Limelight (http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200701/kt2007010720393611880.htm)

Apart from LG and Warner duality, other interesting points:

* The new Xbox 360 will perform as an IPTV set-top box, which will enable users to download movies and TV shows through Internet network and watch them on TV.

* Samsung is unveiling new, and cheaper Blu-ray player, which is expected to be priced at around $500.

[g5555sim]

Samsung 2nd Gen BD player to cost $499

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200701/kt2007010720393611880.htm

Committed to the Blu-ray side, Samsung is unveiling new, and cheaper Blu-ray player, which is expected to be priced at around $500. Another noteworthy products are a double-sided LCD display for mobile phones, a slim MP3 music player that has an external speaker, and a slide-up style mobile phone with a full qwerty keyboard.

http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/16826.html


At the press conference, Toshiba announced that there have been an estimated 60,000 HD DVD units sold so far to consumers, and that the HD-A2 and HD-AX2 are "currently selling very well already," says Sally.

[b2bonez]

Samsung, LG Seek to Steal Las Vegas Limelight (http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200701/kt2007010720393611880.htm)

Apart from LG and Warner duality, other interesting points:

* The new Xbox 360 will perform as an IPTV set-top box, which will enable users to download movies and TV shows through Internet network and watch them on TV.

* Samsung is unveiling new, and cheaper Blu-ray player, which is expected to be priced at around $500.

There is also a small mention of a Daewoo BD player in that article..
Daewoo Electronics, the distant third after Samsung and LG, is taking a lineup of full-HD LCD TVs with a snowflake pattern embroiled on the frame. Sleek Blu-ray players and car navigations are also to be shown in its medium-size booth.

b2b

[Grubert]

Toshiba PR (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070107/clsu004.html?.v=3)

HD DVD - The Players

To meet the latest advancements in Audio/Video interfaces, Toshiba's models connect to HDTV sets via High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI(TM)) - the multi- industry-supported, all digital A/V connection capable of providing the transmission of uncompressed digital video and multi-channel audio on a single cable.

To match the resolution of your display, Toshiba's HD DVD players output HD DVD content through the HDMI interface in 720p or 1080i for the HD-A2, and 720p, 1080i or 1080p for the HD-A20 and the HD-XA2. Through the HDMI interface, standard definition DVDs can also be upconverted to match the resolution of HD displays. The HD-A2, HD-A20, and HD-XA2 are all backward

compatible, so users can continue to enjoy their libraries of current DVD and CD software.

Both the HD-A20 and the high end HD-XA2 HD DVD player are designed to output 1920 x 1080p, the highest HD signal currently available, via HDMI. As the premium HD DVD player, the HD-XA2 also incorporates support for Deep Color output through HDMI, and a 297MHz / 12 bit Video DAC with high-quality, 4x oversampling for increased bandwidth for true playback of an HD picture to a video source. Additionally, it comes with a picture setting function allowing customers to optimize picture quality with user adjustable settings for color, contrast, brightness, edge enhancement and block noise, among others.

All of Toshiba's HD DVD players support a variety of HD audio options to complement its HD video offerings. This includes both lossy and lossless formats from Dolby Labs and DTS® including the Dolby® Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD.

With black high gloss finishes and slim chassis designs, the new HD DVD player line has a refined, sleek appearance that complements Toshiba's extensive TV line-up.


Expected Pricing and Expected Availability:
HD-A2 ($499.99, Available Now)
HD-A20 ($599.99, Spring 2007)
HD-XA2 ($999.99, Available Now)

[jsl_80]

Pioneer announces the BDC-202 5x BD combo drive (BD reader, CD/DVD writer):
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/press/release/detail/0,,2076_310069589_396277707,00.html

"The BDC-202 is expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2007, and is targeted at computer OEMs and system builders."

[madshi]

8G Pioneer plasmas - 80% lower black levels!

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/07/pioneer-launches-new-plasma-display-tech-to-trump-lcd-and-sed/
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/press/release/detail/0,,2076_310069589_396277724,00.html

This news has its own thread in the Plasma forum here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=782695

[UxiSXRD]

Toshiba offering 120Hz and and xvYCC on their new Regza lineup.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/07/toshiba-updates-regza-lcd-lineup-120hz-deep-color-and-xvycc/

[sknight1]

Anyone have any specs on that new Samsung yet? Does it do the Advanced audio codecs (as opposed to the legacy core stream)?


http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/samsung-unveils-the-first-second-generation-blu-ray-player-bd-p/

Player will have DTS audio support and HQV video processor.

[Talkstr8t]

According to reports today, the new LG combo player doesn't support HD-DVD interactivity:
The BH100 fully supports the features of the BD format including Blu-ray Disc Java, allowing for full use of interactive and other features that may be included with a BD movie. Unfortunately, the BH100's HD DVD interactive feature support is non-existent as the format's iHD technology is not supported. While the BH100 appeared to play HD DVD movies just fine, popup menus appeared quite generic as the on-screen chapter selection lacked the thumbnail images seen on other HD DVD players.
See reports here (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2079911,00.asp) and here (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/lg-press-event-super-multi-blue-blurayhd-dvd-player-1199-226710.php) among many news reports.

Surely this will raise some interesting discussion in other threads... :D

- Talk

[2Channel]

Toshiba announces another new HD-DVD player. HD-A20 $599

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/07/toshiba-announces-hd-a20-midlevel-hd-dvd-player/

[UxiSXRD]

Sony with 70" Bravia XBR3 with 120Hz, xvYCC, HDMI 1.3, etc

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/sony-announces-its-biggest-bravia-kd-70xbr3/

[Outlaw Z]

Lion's Gate joins HD DVD:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/live-from-the-bill-gates-keynote/

7:40 - TV and movies. "Big news is HD and how fast that is taking off. I wanna talk about four ways to get HD movies today on MSFT ecosystem. HD-DVD player add-on for Xbox 360. Perhaps bigger news is that HD-DVD format has been top selling format.

2nd way you can get that experience: on Media Center. 30M copies of Media Center worldwide. 3rd way is with Xbox Live Video, introduce in November, 1000 hours of content. Adding Lion's Gate to the mix for even more content."

[darinp2]

Lion's Gate joins HD DVD:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/live-from-the-bill-gates-keynote/

7:40 - TV and movies. "Big news is HD and how fast that is taking off. I wanna talk about four ways to get HD movies today on MSFT ecosystem. HD-DVD player add-on for Xbox 360. Perhaps bigger news is that HD-DVD format has been top selling format.

2nd way you can get that experience: on Media Center. 30M copies of Media Center worldwide. 3rd way is with Xbox Live Video, introduce in November, 1000 hours of content. Adding Lion's Gate to the mix for even more content."I don't see anything there about Lionsgate joining HD DVD. The XBox Live Video market is not HD DVD. Now maybe they will start publishing on HD DVD, but that doesn't say that to me.

--Darin

[Outlaw Z]

Yup, I missed the transition from HD DVD to Xbox Live.

[RockStrongo]

Yup, I missed the transition from HD DVD to Xbox Live.

Yeah, but I think its only a matter of time.

[dialog_gvf]

RCA's Stance on Next-Gen Media: We Quit
(http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/rcas-stance-on-nextgen-media-we-quit-226792.php)


If you remember, RCA unveiled the HDV5000 HD DVD Player, last year at CES. According to RCA's Dwight Sakuma, they will not produce HD DVD (or Blu-ray for that matter) players in 2007 until a clear victor emerges in the current next gen media war. In other words RCA is saying "We're scared as **** of losing a ton of money, so we'll just wuss out for a while." Nice move, RCA. Real ballsy.


Gain one (sorta) lose one.

Gary

[b2bonez]

Philips bringing out Wireless HDMI device - high def without cables

Philips is bringing out a range of Blu-ray products and a device that will transfer high definition video wirelessly.

The Wireless HDMI comes out in May; the company claims it is the only device of its type on the market, transferring uncompressed high definition signals through the air. It is designed to replace HDMI cabling and has a 25foot range.

Philips said the lossless 1080p signals won’t suffer from other electronic devices in the home, such as wifi or mobile phones because it operates in the ultra wideband frequency.

Wireless HDMI costs $300.

http://www.cesblog.co.uk/2007/01/philips_bringin.html

b2b

[Grubert]

With all the CES news, it seems two burner reviews on cdfreaks slipped through the cracks:

LG GBW-H10N Super Multi Blu-ray burner (http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/LG-GBW-H10N-Super-Multi-Blu-ray-Burner-Review.html)

Lite-On LH-2B1S Blu-ray Disc Triple Writer (http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/Lite-On-LH-2B1S-Blu-Ray-Disc-Triple-Writer-Review.html)

[Grubert]

Toshiba will showcase the first notebook with HD DVD-R Drive, which also incorporates an HDTV tuner. Pricing, availability, specific model number and configuration will be announced in the first quarter of 2007.

[JunioR]

Sony displays prototype "Sapphire" second-gen Blu-ray players

Unfortunately they were only given a passing mention during Sony's CES press conference earlier, but a quick look at the fact sheet revealed a few additional details about these two second generation Blu-ray players with launch and price TBA. Named Sapphire 1 and 2, we don't know what makes them different from each other, but the only features listed are 1080p24 output, and support for x.v.Color, Sony's term for the xvYCC expanded color space. Of course, we're most interested in seeing if they can load a Blu-ray movie as fast as the PlayStation 3, but that remains to be seen. Impress Watch got a look at the two players, but it will likely be a while before we find out more about what the followups to Sony's BDP-S1 will be capable of.

Story with two photos at:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/sony-displays-prototype-sapphire-second-gen-blu-ray-players/

[trbarry]

Amir's summary from the now-closed-again Insider's thread of the MS Press conference:
See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9391914&&#post9391914).

Of course, I am on a high from a fantastic HD DVD press conference. We announced my favorite which is Meridian building HD DVD players! First high-end company to commit to either format. Of course, we also had the likes of Onkyo, LiteOn, J/K, etc. So we got both the high-end and the low-end covered. Toshiba rocked the house with their announcement of A20 with 1080p support at just $599 MSRP.

On the content side, we announced 240 titles so far, with 40+ independent studios publishing content worldwide on HD DVD. We demonstrated fully functional networked interactivity between both gen 1 an gen 2 Toshiba HD DVD players, moving bookmarks around, downloading additional content, community features (sharing bookmarks with friends), etc. All running on real production shipping hardware. All because features such as PiP and networking are standard in every player. This should answer the question about what the networking port is for and when it will be put to use.

And oh yeah, we announced a joint reference design with Broadcom for a complete HD DVD package including HDi using… their SoC design! So there, hopefully that answers B2b and Rob. Sorry guys. J/K and LiteOn machines will use this SoC solution. There are others but they prefer to not say.

There were other stuff I am sure but I am a bit too tired to remember .

This is quite a bit higher signal to noise ratio than we usually see around here. ;)

- Tom

[Grubert]

Corel and Ulead Demo Advanced HD DVD Authoring, Navigation, and Playback Suite at CES (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070108/20070108005508.html?.v=1)

Corel(R) Highlights InterVideo(R) and Ulead(R) High-Definition BD Entertainment Solutions at CES (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070108/20070108005507.html?.v=1)

*********
Verbatim/MKM Producing 50GB Dual Layer Blu-ray Media for Shipment to US Market

Verbatim Corporation and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Verbatim/MKM), announced today that it has started producing 2X speed 50GB Dual Layer (DL) Blu-ray Recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray Rewriteable (BD-RE) media for shipment to the US market.

Verbatim/MKM is preparing to launch 4X BD-R both single and dual media in 2007.

[amillians]

From a special CES CED:

Surprising feature shortcuts mark LG’s much-heralded industry-first dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD player, including its inability to support HD DVD’s iHD interactivity, senior executives told a pre-CES news conference here Sun. Moreover, its dual-format PC drive supports the full suite of Blu-ray read-write functionality, but only ROM playback for HD DVD, the executives said.

It takes the BH100 about 30 sec. to load an HD DVD movie, about 25 sec. for a Blu-ray disc. Lee said for Blu-ray that’s the fastest in the industry.

The BH100 has an HDMI 1.2 output but no iHD interactivity for HD DVD, though it offers full BD-Java interactivity. Lee said that’s because the BH100 originally was designed as LG’s first Blu-ray player. The HD DVD functionality was added when LG made the decision to go forward with a dual-format product...Warner officials attended the presentation but didn’t speak. They told us they were assured by LG that future dual-format players due out this year would have full iHD interactivity...Lee told us LG will market additional dual-format players this year.

Key to the dual-format products is an optical pickup designed by LG and built by its Hitachi-LG Data Storage joint venture...It has 2 laser diodes -- one blue for Blu-ray and HD DVD, the other red for DVD playback. The BH100 doesn’t support audio CD playback...The player uses a Broadcom all-format decoder that will be announced at CES today (Mon.), Lee said.

By using the now-superceded HDMI 1.2, the player can’t pass lossless Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master....Kim assured us that “Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master are in the player.”

Lee and other LG executives denied the features were left out to get the price of the deck down to $1,199. Executives at LG hq in Seoul in Oct. had discussed a $1,500 price point (CED Nov 3 p4). But Lee told us the $1,199 price had been established quite some time ago.

Best Buy and Circuit City are among the retailers that have signed up for the product.

==================

Microsoft has been making as many Xbox 360 HD DVD drives as it “possibly can,” but supplies continue to fall short of demand, Robbie Bach, pres.- Entertainment & Devices Div., said at the annual Bill Gates pre-CES keynote session here Sun. Microsoft shipped 10.4 million Xbox 360s worldwide through Dec. 31 -- half a million better than its prediction, Bach said.

==================

Pioneer added to its Blu-ray offerings with a PC drive that plays but doesn’t record. The BDC-202 is aimed to expand the base for Blu-ray movie playback and PCs, and will be distributed to PC OEMs....the drive records all blank DVD formats. Price wasn’t disclosed.

[Grubert]

Sony displays prototype "Sapphire" Blu-ray players (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/sony-displays-prototype-sapphire-second-gen-blu-ray-players/)

[Grubert]

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Continues Blu-ray Industry Leadership with Aggressive Release Strategy (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070108/20070108005980.html?.v=1)

More Than 40 Fox and MGM Titles To Debut On BD In First-Half 2007
Studio Research Shows BD Vastly Outpacing HD DVD Chart (http://mms.businesswire.com/bwapps/mediaserver/ViewMedia?mgid=84851&vid=5)


FOX:

January 23
Alien Vs Predator, Men of Honor, Courage Under Fire

February 13
The Sentinel, Entrapment, Broken Arrow, Phone Booth, Planet of the Apes (2001), Chain Reaction, The Marine

March 13
Ice Age, Dodgeball, Commando, From Hell

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

April 17
Turistas

May '07
Master & Commander, Man on Fire, Edward Scissorhands, Predator, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Siege

June '07
Independence Day, I, Robot, Cast Away

MGM:

January 30
Flyboys, Hart's War

February 13
The Usual Suspects

March 13
Dances with Wolves, The Thomas Crown Affair, Hoosiers

April '07
The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal

May '07
Platoon, The Graduate, Battle of Britain, A Bridge Too Far

June '07
Ronin, To Live & Die in L.A., A Fistful of Dollars, Out of Time, Walking Tall, Bull Durham

[AV Doogie]

Toshiba surprises with a 50Gb Disc

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/CES:_Toshiba_Surprises_with_50GB_HD_DVD/422

[Grubert]

Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment Unveils Unparalleled Blu-ray Disc(TM) Release Slate for North America, Europe and Asia (http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/070108/ca_buena_vista_home.html?.v=1)

Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Con Air, King Arthur Director's Cut, Chicken Little, The Rock, Cinderella Man, Face/Off, Crimson Tide, Air Force One, Finding Neverland, G.I. Jane, The Recruit, Open Range, Remember The Titans and Scary Movie 4 Among the Exciting Titles to Be Released on Blu-ray Disc

[Grubert]

PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT TO LAUNCH 2007 BLU-RAY SLATE WITH HIGH PROFILE TITLES

Year Kicks-Off with Seven Time Golden Globe® Nominee, Babel


LOS ANGELES (January 8, 2007) – Following a well-received slate of Blu-ray releases in 2006, highlighted by M:i:III, one of the year's best-selling high-definition titles, Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE), a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA), announced today that it will kick off 2007 with powerhouse new release and catalog titles. Leading off the high-profile films scheduled to debut from PHE is the critically-acclaimed Babel, arriving day-and-date on Blu-ray and DVD February 20. Directed by renowned filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, Babel leads the year's Golden Globe® contenders with seven nominations, including Best Motion Picture—Drama. Among the additional titles slated for release on Blu-ray in 2007 are Clint Eastwood's emotionally gripping WWII drama Flags Of Our Fathers. The epic film has garnered Eastwood a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director and features an all-star cast in its action-packed story of the Greatest Generation.

"We've been very pleased by the reception of our initial slate of Blu-ray titles from both the press and early adopters of the format," said Kelley Avery, President of Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. "Looking ahead to 2007, we're enthusiastic about growing consumer adoption and excited about the titles we have lined up for the format."

Tapping into the studio's vast library, PHE also will debut a brand new director's cut of the fan-favorite action drama Payback. Starring Oscar® winner Mel Gibson, the new Payback: Straight Up Blu-ray disc features an extensive array of all-new bonus material and never-before-seen content including a behind-the-scenes look at director Brian Helgeland's efforts to capture his definitive vision for the film.

Also scheduled for release on Blu-ray is a new Special Collector's Edition of Face/Off, the sensational crime-drama starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Directed by action-master John Woo, the suspense-filled film earned over $100 million at the box office and celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2007. Additional titles will be announced throughout the year.

[RockStrongo]

Ugh....very limp from Paramount.

[rdjam]

Just so no-one gets the wrong idea - Paramount has announced it is releasing those titles on BOTH formats, not just Bluray as indicated above.

here's one story: http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=00416

and another: http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Paramount/Disc_Announcements/Babel_Leads_Paramounts_Latest_2007_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_Announcements/397

[markrubin]

Format Neutral Thread: a Haven from the craziness (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9394211&&#post9394211)

[Talkstr8t]

Juicy tidbits from the BDA press conference:

Of the 20 top-grossing DVD's, 18 are from studios supporting Blu-ray (fourteen exclusively Blu-ray), four are from studios supporting HD DVD (one exclusively HD DVD), and one from an undeclared studio (Dreamworks)
Sony released results of a survey of over 10,000 PS3 buyers. 80% said they plan to watch Blu-ray movies on the PS3, and 75% will use the PS3 as "a primary video player"
According to Fox, on 12/24 Blu-ray disc sales (all studios) surpassed HD DVD sales by 21%. They expect Blu-ray disc sales to be triple HD DVD by the end of 2007.
According to Sony, there has been a 700% rise in Blu-ray disc sales since mid-November.

[Talkstr8t]

Couple more tidbits:

According to Disney, they are thrilled with the results they are seeing with their BD-J development. Their first BD-J title will be The Guardian, released this month.
Sony is using AVC on Open Season and one other title which I don't recall. Open Season (due this month) will also be BD-J (Sony's first).


- Talk

[rdjam]

Yeah, but it appears the pictures of the 100 are just pictures of the BD199 with the BD logo photoshopped off the drive drawer. Notice the top is exactly the same including a Blu Ray logo but no HD DVD markings.
Here is a picture of the LG hybrid player that I took today.

Notgice the HD DVD logo on the top, which would seem to indicate they intend to have full HDi support within 90 days of release, per the HD DVD requirements.

EDIT: As we now know, LG will not be including HDi on this player, and as such, will lose the right to bear the HD DVD logo. They have announced that they will be releasing another player shortly which will be fully compliant.

http://www.hdnowonline.com/images/HD100_LG.jpg

[rdjam]

Also - the MATRIX has been announced for HD DVD today!

Plus - Here's a photo of the LG stand's front. It seems they are treating this hybrid player as their STAR attraction:

http://www.hdnowonline.com/images/LG_STAND.jpg

[los seres]

From CES: High-def rivals agree that no agreement is in sight (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6405630.html)

For now, it looks like there’ll be two formats. That’s the takeaway from a mix of industry players who took part in the “And the Winner Is” panel, moderated by Paul Sweeting of Video Business and ContentAgenda.com at CES Monday.

Ben Keen, chief analyst with Screen Digest, said fewer than 125,000 standalone high-definition players made it to market in 2006, and he predicted that both sides will struggle to get 1.8 million units out in 2007, referring to Toshiba’s prediction for its own players.

Keen blamed the low numbers on consumer confusion. But Warner Home Video senior VP of market management Steve Nickerson said it’s because of limited hardware availability.

“On any of our platforms, it’s pretty difficult to find hardware now,” Nickerson said.

Warner’s Nickerson, whose studio is putting films out on both formats so as to “not leave any money on the table,” said unless the two leading backers of Blu-ray and HD DVD decide to end the war, it’ll be up to consumers to make the choice.

“Walk around this show; multiple formats is what this industry is about,” he said. “Consumers make choices all the time on technology.”

Microsoft corporate VP of the media technology group Amir Majidimehr said LG Electronic’s announcement about a dual-format player shows that HD DVD is not going away and could force Blu-ray-only studios to reconsider HD DVD.

“You can wish it will go away, but I’m here to make sure it doesn’t go away,” he said.

When asked what the tipping point would be that would push one format to victory, nobody had any clear answers.

Pointing to past format wars in other industry, Nickerson said those most involved would likely say the tipping point “winds up being something that couldn’t be projected because if you can project it, you can affect it.”

[Rio]

Notgice the HD DVD logo on the top, which would seem to indicate they intend to have full HDi support within 90 days of release, per the HD DVD requirements.The rep at LG booth I talked said they have no plan to firmware update for this player to support HDi. But they are planning to release another universal player which is HDi compatible around June. He said it will be more expensive than current one.

[max-pain]

Sony is using AVC on Open Season and one other title which I don't recall.


The other title is Casino Royale.

[Grubert]

Studio press releases:

* Lionsgate Announces Upcoming Slate of Blu-ray Titles (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/01-08-2007/0004501965&EDATE=)

* SPHE Announces Q1 Blu-Ray Slate (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070108/lam063.html?.v=74)
Casino Royale to Make Its Debut on High Def
Full-Length Animated Feature Open Season First Mpeg-4 AVC Encoded Title From SPHE

* Best Films of 2006 and 2007 and Classic Favorites on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=989a6827590d7dda9cdf6023a0908a0c&epi_menuID=c791260db682611740b28e347a808a0c&epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=-436958928&newsId=20070108006584)

[lymzy]

Should put here.

First batch of Bandai HD DVD animation release
Patlabor the movie 1&2, FREEDOM, The Royal Space Force - Wings of Honneamise
will be released around Summer all in VC-1/HDi

Source: Watch Impress (http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.watch.impress.co.jp%2Fav%2Fdocs %2F20070109%2Fbandai.htm&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8)

[amillians]

CED recapped the HD DVD conference...

5 Chinese/Taiwanese HD DVDs manufacturers will release in 2007: Alco/Venture, Jiangkui/ED Digital, Lite-On, Shinco and TCL.

Onkyo's forthcoming HD DVD deck will sport HDMI 1.3 in North America, but not globally (at first).

Alpine will have an HD DVD auto-based solution on tap. Eek...HD on wheels...that's silly.

Meridian's HD DVD will be a reference deck. Duh....really?!?

TL51 discs cost just a little bit more then HD DVD 30 and have been manufactured successfully in test volumes, the PRG says. Hmmm...where have I heard that before?

Extra space on TL51 will add extra HDi features. Hey, if a 45lbs. block of cheese couldn't snag the mouse, maybe a 51lbs. block can.

Universal, perhaps speaking for everyone, noted that "most" HD DVD titles in 2007 would be combo discs.

HDi 's reliance on Intel soon to disappear if the Microsoft/Broadcomm work on merging the BCM7440 with WinCE 6.0 pays off.

[mikemorel]

No ceasefire in DVD format battle (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6243383.stm)

...
Toshiba and Microsoft, the principal backers of HD-DVD, see the future very differently.

They believe that the cheaper cost of HD-DVD - both in terms of hardware and the ability of firms to produce content on HD-DVD disks gives them the advantage.

Amir Majidimehr, corporate vice president of consumer technology at Microsoft, said the dual format player by LG - originally a Blu-ray only backer - was proof of the vitality of HD-DVD.

"LG are recognising there is a thriving market for HD-DVD. That's the most positive thing for me.

"It's going to show the way to other Blu-ray exclusive companies. LG is saying that HD-DVD is not dying.

"You can wish it goes away but I'm here to ensure that it doesn't."

Microsoft has sold more than 175,000 and says that they sold out as quickly as they were made.

Toshiba has said that it plans to sell more than 1.8m HD-DVD players in 2007.

Mr Majidimehr predicted that the lifespan of both formats would also be less than the current DVD format.

It has lasted 10 years with great success but Mr Majidimehr said the technology would be superseded by developments in online delivery of hi-def content.

[los seres]

Nero Announces Sigma Designs is 1st Partner to Receive Nero Digital(TM) AVC High Profile Certification (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070109/20070109005003.html?.v=1)

Nero, leaders in digital media technology, announces that Sigma Designs is the first IC partner to receive Nero Digital(TM) AVC High Profile Certification for its SMP8630 series of secure media processors. The Nero Digital(TM) AVC High Profile Certification program is the first to promote the use and interoperability of AVC high profile (MPEG-4 Part 10) video technology in consumer electronics devices, ensuring that consumer electronic devices are ready for next generation HDTV 1080p video.

Sigma Designs' SMP8630 series of secure media processors provides highly-integrated solutions for products requiring high-definition MPEG-4 Part 10 (H.264), SMPTE 421M (VC-1), WMV9, MPEG-4 Part 2 and MPEG-2 decoding. Incorporating flexible, advanced audio/video processing, these processors enable cost-effective solutions for consumer products such as digital media adapters, IPTV set-top boxes, Blu-ray and HD DVD players/recorders and HDTVs.

[nataraj]

In slightly related news Dish Network announced their new HD DVR will support VC-1 for VOD.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/live-from-the-echostar-press-conference/

[los seres]

Hybrid products unlikely to end format war (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2007-01-09T164229Z_01_N09476937_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTRONICS-SHOW-DVD.xml&WTmodLoc=TechNewsHome_C2_technologyNews-1)

While the backers of the hybrid products say they offer a solution to the format war, many industry experts said they actually extend the battle and consumer confusion.
"To me, it makes no sense, said Steven Hirsch, co-CEO of Vivid Entertainment Group, an adult entertainment firm supporting both formats. "Now there will be three discs, adding yet another cost to producers. These two sides should get together to prolong the life of DVDs, since sales are stagnating."
LG, a member of the Blu-ray camp, said its new Super Multi Blu Player, due in February for about $1,200, has not generated any ill will among its Blu-ray partners.
Yet many Blu-ray proponents like Philips Electronics NV said they were not pleased. "We don't believe that this will unify this industry," said Lucas Covers, chief marketing officer at Philips. "It will only create confusion, add complexity and cost," he said.
"Pure Blu-ray proponents don't like it at all because it lends more credibility to HD DVD. It definitely extends the debate," said analyst Richard Doherty of Envisioneering.
Indeed, HD DVD spokesman Mark Knox called it a positive. "It's not a bad thing. It means there are that many more pieces of HD DVD-compatible hardware out there, which means that many more potential customers for HD DVD movies."
At a Blu-ray event at the CES, Mike Dunn, president worldwide of News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, said he believed Blu-ray will outsell HD DVD.
By the end of the first quarter of 2007, he projected Blu-ray sales to be three to four times higher than HD's.
"By the end of the first quarter, the format war is over," he said, noting Sony's recently released PlayStation 3 game console with a Blu-ray drive had boosted sales.
"I'm selling 70,000 discs a week. Sales are doubling every week. ... Average PS3 owners buy 6 discs," he said.
"It's very, very hard. I understand it's twice as hard to make a dual mode disk and twice as expensive," said Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek, noting he would never make a dual mode disk.

[BenDover]

i don't get the "there will now be 3" comments i've read lately, including in the last post ^^

the point behind it is there would be one; someone opting for the warner total hd disc would only make/sell the totalhd disc, not all 3...

[lymzy]

Sonopress to Join HD DVD Promotion Group (http://www5.sys-con.com/read/320908.htm)

Sonopress, a subsidiary of the arvato storage media group, has joined the HD DVD Promotion Group. With this step the international media manufacturer continues its efforts in research, development and the production of next generation formats.

[Ilka]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Universal/CES/CES:_No_New_HD_DVD_Announcements_from_Universal/429

[los seres]

Consumers think they already have high-def LOL (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6406124.html)

Talk of consumer confusion has been a main focus at high-definition DVD events at CES this week, and research released by NPD Group at a press conference Monday shows just how confused most consumers are.

NPD found that 85% of consumers surveyed think they’re buying high-definition DVD movies, but many of these movies weren’t available in high-definition. Of those that thought they were buying a high-def movie, 59% don’t even own a high-definition DVD player.
At this point, not many consumers plan on buying a high-definition player in the immediate future. NPD found just 10% of DVD buyers plan to buy a high-def DVD player in the next six months, which Crupnick called a “startlingly low number.” Between 70% and 80% say they definitely won’t be buying a high-def player.

Those that are buying high-definition players fall into the early-adopter demo: primarily male, ages 25-34 or over 55, college graduate, income topping $100k and action-adventure fan. Early high-def DVD adopters also skew Hispanic and tend to live in the Pacific census region.

[thomopolis]

Also - the MATRIX has been announced for HD DVD today!

Plus - Here's a photo of the LG stand's front. It seems they are treating this hybrid player as their STAR attraction:

http://www.hdnowonline.com/images/LG_STAND.jpg



Warner has also said they will put the Matrix Series and Harry Potter Series on BluRay - just so there is no confusion.

[xboxboi]

Hip Hip Hoooraaaaaay !!! .. this is getting more serious!! as discussed in the "first HD DVD CE support negative sign" thread, that the LG combo players as it is would do more harm than good for HD DVD, an unconfirmed report is saying that DVD Forum who governs HD DVD, is weighing legal actions against previously BD exclusive CE supporter, LG Electronics.

A HD DVD steering committe member from MS, Kevin Collins was quoted by the article saying: "LG will not be able to sell the product and claim it supports the format if it leaves out HDi." Collins said LG provided no advance notice before announcing the BH100 player at CES, and noted he was surprised by the move.

LG may have a difficult time bringing its newly announced BH100 hybrid Blu-ray and HD DVD player to the market, BetaNews has learned, because it will not receive certification from the DVD Forum. Without such certification, LG cannot publicly claim the player supports HD DVD as it is doing now.

The problem stems from the lack of support for HDi, the advanced interactivity technology used by HD DVD. LG has only included support for BD-J, Blu-ray's interactive menu system, in the BH100. Without HDi, only the video content from HD DVD discs will play back; menu systems and other interactive features will simply not be usable.


URL to the full article articel on BETANEWS:

http://ces.betanews.com/entry/LG_Hybrid_BlurayHD_DVD_Player_Cannot_Be_Sold_As_Is/1168407626


endgadget also expresses why, the non-HDi compliant LG combo player would be a killer blow for HD DVD

LGs combo HD DVD/Blu-ray player could very well be the killer blow for HD DVD. What's that you say? Well, the combo player fully supports Blu-ray's interactivity, BD-J, but the BH100 seems to have forgotten all about HD DVD's interactive features, iHD. That's right, none of it - no PIP, next-gen menus, user bookmarks, HD DVD downloads/updates - nothing that will "WOW" the average Joe.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/09/a-little-dirty-detail-about-lgs-combo-hd-dvd-blu-ray-player/

[Grubert]

Total HD aka FrankenDisc: Live coverage from the Warner press conference (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-coverage-from-the-warner-press-conference/)

[mikemorel]

Top Porn Publisher Changes Mind on Blu-ray, Ships 4 HD DVD Titles (http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/16901.html)

also posted here...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=783991

[Talkstr8t]

New Pioneer 5x Blu-ray Drive (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/press/release/detail/0,,2076_310069589_396277707,00.html)

Fastest drive yet. This drive doesn't burn Blu-ray (it does burn CD and DVD), so will probably be somewhat cheaper than current burners.

[mikemorel]

CES: Blue-laser wars (http://www.edn.com/article/CA6405883.html?spacedesc=opinions)

Before presenting the data, I'll re-emphasize that these are enthusiasts, presumably with much higher-than-average probability of pulling out their wallets each time some cool new tech toy appears.

Percentage of enthusiasts
surveyed who would buy
a high-definition DVD player

$1000 - 2%

$750 - 3%

$500 - 8%

$300 - 28%

$200 - 60%

$100 - 76%

[Grubert]

Found by josh2012:

Meridian refutes HD DVD hardware announcement (http://avzombie.com/blog/2007/01/10/meridian-refutes-hd-dvd-hardware-announcement/)

Meridian will not be releasing an HD DVD player anytime soon. So says brand spokesman John Bamford, who claims that he was surprised to read that the company had been announced as a hardware partner by the HD DVD Promotion Group during its Las Vegas CES press event.
“We’re interested in HD DVD, but we’re also interested in Blu-ray,” says Bamford. “Meridian has been helping the HD DVD group with encoding and technical issues but our involvement appears to have been blown up out of all proportion. If we were to launch an HD DVD deck it would not appear for years.”

[mikemorel]

Warner sets Total HD for second half (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6406192.html)

Warner has talked to Paramount about Total HD and plans to talk to other studios to get industry support for the disc, Warner Home Video President Ron Sanders said after the presentation. The hope is that Total HD will convince Blu-ray only studios like Disney and Fox and HD DVD-only Universal to support both formats.

Sanders said it could become more difficult for studios to justify sticking to one format in the coming year with sales on each growing.

Warner is projecting that revenues from Blu-ray software sales will reach just $400 million in 2007, even though the format will have 6.2 million players in the market. However, the majority of those will be PlayStation 3 game consoles, and Sanders said the studio has found that most units are being used for gaming.

[BenDover]

Found by josh2012:

Meridian refutes HD DVD hardware announcement (http://avzombie.com/blog/2007/01/10/meridian-refutes-hd-dvd-hardware-announcement/)

Discussions here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9417584&&#post9417584

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9418642&&#post9418642

[dialog_gvf]

Sony BMG Blu-ray Music Titles (http://sonybmg.com/blu-ray/)

Incubus (1080p - 48/24 5.1 LPCM)
Tony Bennett (1080p - 5.1 LPCM)
John Legend (1080p - 5.1 LPCM)
Destiny's Child (1080p - 5.1 LPCM)

[DrDon]

NOTE: PS3 sales figures belong in gaming or one of the sales threads. Not here.

[Grubert]

I see hecklers got my software sales thread locked. Shame.

Anyway, considering no other sites have picked it up, I think I can then use myself as a reference. :)

2006 software sales: HD DVD outsold BD 2:1 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=784579)

Warner lead with 37 percent overall market share.

[Grubert]

BBC Video travels Planet to high-def (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6406659.html)

BBC Video has picked $25 million-budgeted documentary Planet Earth: The Complete Collection as its first high-definition release, streeting on standard DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray on April 24.

Distributed by Warner Home Video, which services all BBC titles to retail, Planet Earth (prebook March 20) spans four discs on HD DVD and Blu-ray and five discs on DVD. It’s priced at $78.98 for standard DVD and $99.98 each for HD DVD and Blu-ray.

[mikemorel]

Long article from Hollywood Today: Blu-Ray Blues (http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=122)

This is different than the last 12 "Blu-Ray Blues" articles...Comes with many quotes...

[Grubert]

Meridian Statement on HD-DVD (http://media.meridian-audio.com/press/CES07-presskit/meridian-hddvd-ces07.pdf`)
Clarifying company position on HD disc technology and products

International CES 2007, Las Vegas, NV, January 11, 2007—Leading British audio/video manufacturer Meridian (South Hall 1, Booth 20538) is pleased to make the following statement to clarify the situation regarding reports on its involvement in HD-DVD.

“Meridian is a company renowned for state-of-the-art digital audio and video technology, and we are delighted to be working with Microsoft on the development of high-end players. Meridian has for some time been deeply involved in some of the core audio technology in HD DVD and at CES 2007 we are pleased to announce that we have now joined the HD DVD Promotional Group.

“Consistent with Meridian's product development approach, where standards of performance, particularly for audio and video are exceptionally high, product development takes some time, and for that reason we cannot announce any product-specific details at this time."

[los seres]

Bach Trilogy Finds New Home on High Definition DVD (http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=96238)

Soli Deo Gloria announces the release of J. S. Bach's Mass in B Minor, BWV 232, on high definition DVD, featuring a live performance of the work at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, filmed by Olivier Simmonet on March 27-30, 2006. Grammy award-winning conductor John Nelson leads L'Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Ma??trise Notre-Dame de Paris and soloists Ruth Ziesak, Joyce DiDonato, Daniel Taylor, Paul Agnew and Dietrich Henschel.

[Talkstr8t]

This appears to be a DVD title which they are declaring to be high definition, not an HD DVD title. The cover photo on the website shows a DVD logo; the term HD DVD is never used while DVD (alone) is frequently, if you order it the shopping card just shows DVD, and the price ($25) seems low for an independently-produced HD DVD (or Blu-ray) title.

[Grubert]

HD Digital Video Essentials Postponed again (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9433646&&#post9433646)

From Ultimate AV's CES blog.


I ran into industry icon Joe Kane at Warner's Total HD glitz and glam event, and among the many things I learned in the conversation was that the HD DVD version of Digital Video Essentials is on hold again.

Joe said the disc was authored and ready to go into replication when the Toshiba HD-A2 came out and threw the proverbial monkey wrench into his plans. Although DVE plays on all of Toshiba's first-gen HD DVD players, it wouldn't go in the HD-A2.

As if that weren't bad enough, Joe turned a non-calibrated color of green when I told him that Toshiba had just announced another new player, the $599 HD-A20, for a Spring release.

[mikemorel]

Wicked Pictures, ClubJenna join Digital Playground in producing HD DVD.

CES - HD DVD gets boost from adult film industry (http://www.infoworld.nl/idgns/bericht.phtml?id=002570DE00740E1800257261002D0264)

"It's a lot less expensive to use HD DVD," said Jackie Ramos, vice president of DVD production at Wicked Pictures, at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, which runs parallel with the International Consumer Electronics Show.

[Rob Zuber]

Sony Unveils BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player Firmware Upgrade V1.50 (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Sony/Hardware/Sony_Unveils_BDP-S1_Blu-ray_Player_Firmware_Upgrade_V1.50/435)

Sony Electronics today launched the first firmware upgrade for its BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc Player, adding enhanced BD-Java functionality and increased BD-ROM support.

[2Channel]

New Xbox360

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/13/new-xbox-360-due-for-late-07-to-handle-iptv/

[2Channel]

LG's BH100 hybrid Blu-ray / HD DVD player unable to be sold sans HDi?

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/14/lgs-bh100-hybrid-blu-ray-hd-dvd-player-unable-to-be-sold-sans/

[mikemorel]

Dr. Don - can you let this in? If not then we should talk in private...


http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=20745&hed=PS3+Sales+Could+Fall+Short


“We think management needs to correct as soon as possible the discrepancies we see in the PS3 business model, namely the gap between consumer expectations and the company’s views on the product, and by doing so to bring losses at the games business to a more tolerable level,” wrote Mr. Katayama.

[Grubert]

Taiwan market: Microsoft to introduce Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on in 1H (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070115PD204.html)

[b2bonez]

65nm HD decoder supports HD-DVD, Blu-ray

http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800449244_499501_7f5ff98620070115.HTM?from=RSS
STMicroelectronics has announced a new dual-video-stream high-definition (HD) decoder chip, the STi7200, intended for STBs, digital video recorders (DVRs) and DVD players. This highly integrated SoC supports both HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats, in addition to high-definition satellite and cable TV standards, and is produced in 65nm process technology to deliver lower power consumption and competitive pricing. It is said to be the world's first such device to be available in this small geometry.

The STi7200 is available in sample quantities, in a cost-effective 35-by-35 PBGA package that enables 4-layer PCB routing, and is priced at $30 in high volume.

b2b

[mikemorel]

Video Business decends on Descent.

BD Java problematic on Blu-ray Descent (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6407856.html)

[mikemorel]

Interview on CNet - Sony CEO Howard Stringer, CFO Rob Wiesenthal and Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow (http://news.com.com/Sonys+brave+Sir+Howard/2008-1041_3-6150661.html?tag=st.num)

[los seres]

Nec Electronics Introduces Next Generation of LSI Chips for HD DVD Systems (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19521)

NEC has introduced its newest generation of its EMMA series of LSI chips for systems such as HD DVD players and recorders that handle the processing of next generation DVD content.

The latest EMMA series incorporates in a single chip all the functions necessary to process high definition images, sounds and graphics in HD DVD players. It can process compression formats such as MPEG2, H.264, and VC-1, and offers powerful support for high level applications by way of two built-in CPUs. EMMA3 is already used successfully in HD DVD players sold by Toshiba such as the HD-XA2 and HD-A2 in North America, the HD-XA2 and HD-XF2 in Japan, as well as other players designed for Europe and Australia.

[Talkstr8t]

NEC (original HD DVD supporter!) announced Blu-ray laptops:
NEC will put out in February two laptops with Blu-ray Disc support. The LaVie C will come out February 9 for about $2570 and the LaVie L will come out February 23 and cost around $2487. Both will be based on Windows Vista Home Premium.

The drives will be read-only models suitable for playing back Blu-ray Disc movies and other prerecorded content but not in full high-definition resolution. The computers have 15.4-inch widescreen displays that only offer 800 pixels of horizontal resolution. Full HD images have 1080 picture lines.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/nec-lavie-c-laptop-with-bluray-hdmi-229102.php
http://akihabaranews.com/en/en/news-13089-Nec+LaVie+C%2C+Blu-Ray+and+HDMI.html

[Grubert]

Sonic Scenarist world’s first authoring system to support Warner Bros Total Hi Def disc (http://www.sonic.com/about/press/news/2007/01/warnerbros.aspx)

[dialog_gvf]

DVDEmpire compares Blu-ray, HD DVD sales
Online retailer reports on percentages, number of format releases
(http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6408142.html/)


“We just thought it was something interesting to add,” said Shannon Nutt, DVDEmpire.com editorial director. “People are interested in seeing how the two formats are doing against each other. Obviously, we keep track of this in-house. But it’s also something that our customers will be interested in for awhile.”



For the week including Tuesday, Jan. 16, DVDEmpire.com noted that 57.7% of its high-def sales were BD and 42.3% were HD DVD. But for 2006, HD DVD led at 59.16% to BD at 40.84%.


Link to current table (http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365233619572&tab_id=60&site_id=69&site_media_id=0)

[nataraj]

A little surprised this hasn't been reported yet. Ofcouse this is not yet HD ... still.

Netflix launches 1,000-title online movie feature (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2007-01-16T163524Z_01_N11457284_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-NETFLIX-DOWNLOAD-DC.XML&from=business)

Here is the twist ...

Online movie viewing time is awarded to Netflix subscribers based on their rental plans, with entry-level subscribers getting six hours per month and those with the most popular plans--three DVDS at a time-- getting 18 hours per month.

[rdjam]

http://hd-insider.com/2007/01/17/lord-of-the-rings-hd-dvdbluray-details-trickling-out.aspx

VC1 video and TruHD 7.1 Audio for Lord of the Rings... yum!

[Outlaw Z]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/17/lg-bh100-hd-dvd-blu-ray-hybrid-player-in-the-wild-and-on-sale/

LG Combo sold without HD DVD logo.

[Grubert]

Sony Starts MPEG-4 AVC Encoding of Blu-Ray Content (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19526)

Sony PCL has announced that it will start its AVC encoding services for Blu-Ray discs in April 2007.

[dialog_gvf]

Toshiba Unsure Whether 51 GB HD DVD Works in Existing Players
(http://www.betanews.com/article/Toshiba_Unsure_Whether_51_GB_HD_DVD_Works_in_Existing_Player s/1169052893)


A spokesperson for Toshiba of America told BetaNews late yesterday that the company is still researching whether a new, three-layer HD DVD disc format it may propose -- the existence of which was carefully leaked at last week's CES -- will work in the first generation on HD DVD players, including its own.

"Since the disc is not standardized yet," the spokesperson told BetaNews, "we are researching whether it is applicable to the current HD DVD players."

[Grubert]

HD DVD Heads to the Super Bowl (http://www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10175)


The HD DVD Promotion Group's mobile tour of the new technology, the 'HD DVD Mobile Experience,' which features an elaborate tour bus decked out with a theater and sound system to showcase the high-def format, will be parked in Miami for the Super Bowl, leading up to the big game Feb. 4.

[robena]

Relative news only please, no personal opinions.

[mikemorel]

Chat Transcript: Microsoft's Kevin Collins (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/011507htfchat.html)

Courtesy of The Digital Bits.

[DaveMoritz] Other than Onkyo do you know of any other companies that will be offering HD-DVD players this year? I currently own a Toshiba HD-A1 and am looking forward to upgrading it to a HDMI 1.3 player using better components and one that is a higher end piece of equipment and one that boots up quicker as well. I have been happy with my HD-DVD player so far but am thinking of the future and going beyond 5.1 audio.

[kevincol] Meridian announced at CES for HD DVD. There are others that will announce, I just can't say them here. There were alot of deals done at CES... :)
[Gary] Hi Kevin, thank you for your time. Can we read anything in to Universal's relative silence on titles at CES?

[kevincol] Universal announced "The Good Shepherd" and "Babel" They have a slew of titles that will be coming out in 2007.

[Bits Editor's Note - Babel is a Paramount title, coming on 2/20 on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc.]

[Gary] I think we were expefting a lot more!

[kevincol] I have seen the list and it is very impressive, so there is nothing bad going on with Universal. you will be happy with what will happen in 2007! :)

[Grubert]

HD DVD players below US$500 possible in 2H07, claim Taiwan makers (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070119PD200.html)

[mikemorel]

Retailers: No Quick End to Format War (http://www.homemediaretailing.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2)

Despite heady comments made by Blu-ray Disc backers at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, it’s far from “game over” for high-definition discs, at least not on the retail front lines or in the hearts of consumers.

“I think it’s more likened to ‘game suspended because someone didn’t read all the rules and get everybody playing,’” said David Workman, executive director of PRO Buying Group, which represents independent consumer electronics retailers. “All throughout this, there’s been a lack of sensitivity to what the consumer is really needing or wanting.”

It’s going to be a long time before there’s a clear-cut format “winner” or before there is significant market penetration of devices, retailers say.
...

[mikemorel]

Toshiba Introduces HD DVD-R Drive to Windows Vista Notebook PCs (http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20070118/126596/)

Toshiba claims this is the world's first PC that ever features an HD DVD-R drive.

[Kosty]

(Just saw the first printed ads at a retailer)



New Toshiba Program

Buy a new Toshiba HD TV 42" or larger along with a HD DVD player and receive $200 instant rebate off the bundle .

Dealers also receive an inventive.

Dealers must create or use a Toshiba ad or distribute an in-store flyer on the promotion.

Key element is the co-branding element of associating HD DVD with HDTV.

Limited time promotion is to start soon

This might be the best deal for months on getting a HD DVD player, if you are considering buying an 42 or larger HDTV.

The get 3 free HD DVD with HD DVD player purchase incentive is always still in place and can be used with this promotion.

[Kosty]

Some more details on the first Toshiba 2nd generation HD DVD player promotion

The promotion dates run 1/28/07 - 2/2/07. We're going to spice it up with more instant rebate money. The promotion is limited select dealers an only on purchases of either a XA1, A2 or XA2 HD DVD player and any current model Toshiba 42", 47" or 50" plasma or LCD HDTV as well as all Toshiba DLP models 50" and up.

-Robert

Effectively buy a HD DVD player for $299 or less if you were going to buy a Toshiba HDTV anyway.

[2Channel]

Blu-ray cracked too?
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/20/blu-ray-cracked-too/

[Kosty]

Did not see this before:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/011507htfchat.html

(from hometheaterforum)

Long interview discussing a lot of aspects for the format war.

Obviously from the pro HD DVD side, but interviewer and online questioners are more neutral or pro-BD. Transcript of a on-line chat. from Jan 15th

Good summary of CES from the HD DVD side.

[amirm]

Sony Starts MPEG-4 AVC Encoding of Blu-Ray Content (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19526)

Sony PCL has announced that it will start its AVC encoding services for Blu-Ray discs in April 2007.
Paidgeek in the Insider thread says the article is wrong. Their encoder runs 12 times slower than real-time, not real-time as the article states.

[mikemorel]

Did not see this before:Only six posts above yours! :)

[Kosty]

Only six posts above yours! :) I must be blind. Don't worry, Mike, I don't have you on ignore. :D

[Kosty]

Speaking about going blind :rolleyes:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/19/HNnopornonbluray_1.html

The choice of which high-definition disc format to use was "kind of made for us, so everything we are replicating right now is in the HD DVD format," said Robby D, a director at popular adult film maker Digital Playground Inc. "As far as I understand, Sony has said to the replicators that if you replicate adult, you'll lose your license."

Sony's decision to stay away from pornography could have wide implications for Blu-ray Disc. Not only could some companies backing Sony's format will miss out on a lucrative market, but analysts say it could eventually mean that Blu-ray loses out to HD DVD in the battle to become the next-generation DVD format.

Several adult film companies said the issue is not just gaining access to the "stampers" that reproduce their movies in bulk, but that they also can't get help with technical issues from the companies backing Blu-ray Disc.

"Nobody comes out and says 'No, we won't work with adult.' But Blu-ray just offers no help," A bit more detail than we've seen before.

[Grubert]

From highdefdigest:

Driving the HD DVD Juggernaut: Microsoft's Amir Majidimehr (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/feature_microsofthddvdinterview.html)

[TomsHT]

1/22/2007

Sony has cut the price of the Sony PlayStation 3 in just two months after the launch of the console.

There is a bit of a catch to this story though and that it is only pertaining to the 20GB model and only happening in . The price is being cut by 20% which will knock about $82 off the price of the 20GB model in that country.

This is due to a very low demand for the console in its native country as sales of the next-generation console from Sony have completely come to a standstill.

Sony Cuts Prices Of PS3 in Japan (http://ps3center.net/story-205.html)

[Grubert]

Pie time

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8866/2006yearendoverallconsu6rd.jpg