I don't know if this on-topic in the thread but here goes. (If it's not, tell me and I'll delete it.) :)

It seems somewhat related because a price drop for either could affect the format war IMO.


PS3 and the 360: The race to 65nm (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070205-8767.html)

This does explain what some of us have been observing here on the AVS forum.

Sony picks club promoters, artists and fashion industry to push PS3

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=156440

Each of Sony's chosen 12 will then distributed content digitally across a wide range of outlets including social networks such as MySpace, websites, blogs, e-mail and their own contacts.

According to SCE UK marketing man Alan Duncan, 'traditional' avenues of avertising and PR aren't enough to communicate the PS3's appeal: "The idea is to use physical space, blogs and other forms of digital networking to inform, entertain and encourage interaction and debate about all the different things the PS3 can do."

Moved.

hdguru: Toshiba HD-XA2 review (http://hdguru.com/?p=55)

Perfect Vision declares PS3 Worlds Best Blu-ray Player

http://www.theperfectvision.com

or, Sony cannibalizes BD standalone market

Blu-Ray to Take off After 2009: Report (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19682)

Blu-ray will be the development trend in spite of HD DVD being presently supported by most manufacturers, a recent research indicates.

Research and Markets released the results of its "Global Optical Storage Industry Report, 2006-2007," which includes the details about the global shipments of optical disc drives (ODDs), the companies related to the optical storage industry, along with some estimations regarding the next-generation high definition disc formats.

"With regard to Blu-ray and HD DVD, It is widely acknowledged that Blue-ray will be the development trend in spite of HD DVD being presently supported by most manufacturers. On account of low price, HD DVD also sells very well in America. Yet, some manufacturers hold HD DVD as the transitional product, and they invest a lot into the R&D of Blu-ray driver. Since the instability occurred to Sonys Blu-ray driver PS3, the shipment has been delayed for several times, which led to the wait-and-see attitudes from most manufacturers. Besides, the high cost of Blu-ray also hampers the development of Blu-ray," reads the report. "The majority of manufacturers believe that there wont generate a strong market growth for Blu-ray until 2009. And HD DVD will still be the mainstream in the market during 2007-2009," the report concludes.

Hmmmm, do I misunderstand or isn't this thread for HDDVD and not blu ray?

Hmmmm, do I misunderstand or isn't this thread for HDDVD and not blu ray? This thread is for news on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. News, a link and a short descriptive summary.

Discussion on subjects here are taken to other threads.

http://feeds.engadgethd.com/2007/02/04/toshiba-produces-two-new-hd-dvrs/

Interesting that they went red laser rather than HD DVD for these two models.

Switched On: Universal soldier (http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/07/switched-on-universal-soldier/)

Ross Rubin over at Engadget has an interesting perspective on why Universal is only producing HD DVDs.

"Let me spell it out for you, Burnstein. Universal gets to enjoy some sweet market share without Sony and Disney playing in their high-definition home video pool... at least for a while. But over time its going to become increasingly difficult to ignore all those PlayStation 3s stacking the deck for Blu-ray. Sure, the attach rates on the game consoles for movies may be lower than those for the dedicated players, but it's still going to move a lot of discs. Universal is the weakest link among the HD DVD backers. Unlike Toshiba, it has no hardware R&D investment to lose. And unlike Microsoft, it has no axe to grind with Sony or Java."

Opinion: Is Sony's Blu-ray Porn Stance Repeating Betamax Blunder? (http://www.informationweek.com/internet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197004081) - Information Week

"The rumors started because, it seemed, history was repeating itself. And it was, sort of. For you youngins, way back in the 1980s, Sony invented a high-quality videotape called Betamax. It came to market just before JVC's VHS tape. The story goes that Sony refused to license its proprietary technology to the porn industry, but JVC (Matsushita) would. There was such a demand for porn that Betamax - despite being a better quality product that VHS -- was killed off because it arrogantly took the high moral ground."


Blu-ray, HD-DVD Neck-and-Neck (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4698&Itemid=2) - Next Generation

Sony Computer Entertainment America tells Next-Gen that Blu-ray disc sales lead HD-DVD sales by only 1,000 units, but expects that gap to widen thanks to PlayStation 3 sales;

I wrote Warner Brothers a letter asking them about the HD-DVDs being "Held BacK" controversy and got this response.

First of all, thank you for your support of Warner Bros. and for our films in the new HD DVD format, as well as the existing SD DVD format. As you have pointed out in your note, there have recently been on-line discussions claiming that Warner Home Video is holding titles back from the marketplace in the HD DVD format due to plans in BD, and that this is now a company policy. Regardless of the source of this information, it is not true.

Warner Home Video is releasing titles in both high definition formats, and where possible we try to release a title simultaneously in both formats. But this is not always the case, and in fact since we released our first titles in April, 2006 there have been some titles that have been released in HD DVD before BD, and some that have been released in BD before HD DVD.

There are many factors that determine the timing for the release of a motion picture in DVD, HD DVD, and BD. We currently have released more titles in HD DVD than any other studio, and we are anticipating a very exciting schedule for the rest of 2007. In the month of January 2007, we released 4 new titles in HD DVD.

We hope you will enjoy our upcoming HD DVD releases, including two of our best movies from last year (and both recognized with multiple Academy Award nominations), THE DEPARTED and HAPPY FEET, which will be released in February and March 2007, respectively.

We also expect to announce shortly some title plans for April and May. The titles will be quite a thrill for all HD DVD owners and supporters.

Best regards.

Switched On: Universal soldier (http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/07/switched-on-universal-soldier/)

Ross Rubin over at Engadget has an interesting perspective on why Universal is only producing HD DVDs.

"Let me spell it out for you, Burnstein. Universal gets to enjoy some sweet market share without Sony and Disney playing in their high-definition home video pool... at least for a while. But over time its going to become increasingly difficult to ignore all those PlayStation 3s stacking the deck for Blu-ray. Sure, the attach rates on the game consoles for movies may be lower than those for the dedicated players, but it's still going to move a lot of discs. Universal is the weakest link among the HD DVD backers. Unlike Toshiba, it has no hardware R&D investment to lose. And unlike Microsoft, it has no axe to grind with Sony or Java."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you notice he's director of industry analysis at the NPD group?

Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group and a contributing editor for LAPTOP

Is this a bad thing or a good thing? Is NPD Group on one of the format war's side?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you notice he's director of industry analysis at the NPD group?

Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group and a contributing editor for LAPTOP

This thread is for news on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. News, a link and a short descriptive summary.

Discussion on subjects here are taken to other threads.

What he said.

anandtech: Coming soon to HD DVD: Silicon Optix HD HQV (http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2923)

Both AMD and NVIDIA fail utterly at every test HD HQV throws at them.

digitimes: Lite-On IT to set up new subsidiary in China (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070206PR201.html)

Lite-On IT will invest US$2 million to establish a new subsidiary in China through its overseas subsidiary High Yield Group (BVI) for the production and marketing of electronic devices and components, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) on February 5. The corporate name will be determined at a later date.

Article in this mornings SF Chron on SF firm's cryptography for Blu_Ray

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/08/BUG8UO0IN01.DTL&hw=blu+ray&sn=001&sc=1000

Probably nothing new.

Hidef formats have trouble catching on in France (http://www.hdnumerique.com/actualite/articles/1192-les-lecteurs-haute-definition-ont-du-mal-a-s-imposer.html)

To date, a total of 7,000 players (BD and HD DVD combined) have been sold.

last week HD DVD closed back on Blu-ray in weekly sales

Blu-ray still leads, but it closed to a few points

15% swing between last week and this week :eek:


Percentage of total Hi-Def sales:
HD-DVD Blu-ray

Week of Feb. 06th 48.17% 51.83%

Week of Jan. 30th 33.33% 66.67%
Week of Jan. 23rd 41.99% 58.01%
Week of Jan. 16th 45.83% 54.17%
Week of Jan. 09th 43.87% 56.13%
Week of Jan. 02nd 49.32% 50.68%
Week of Dec. 26th 43.11% 56.89%
Week of Dec. 19th 35.38% 64.62%

http://www.dvdempire.com/index.asp?userid=99365291527966&tab_id=61&site_id=68&site_media_id=0

Discussion here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9721048&&#post9721048

X360 w/hdmi coming soon?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/08/black-xbox-360-with-120gb-hdd-and-hdmi-due-for-april/

Another new hi-def format... ;)

http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/stories/77

Speculation: "Universal poised to hop onto the Blu-ray bandwagon?"

http://feeds.engadgethd.com/2007/02/07/universal-poised-to-poised-to-hop-on-to-the-blu-ray-bandwagon/

High definition DVD war or blog fest?

Said O’Donovan: “I expect to see a wide range of multi-format players on the market at current HD DVD player price levels by the end of this year.”

Steve Wilson, an analyst at ABI Research concurred. “We believe that universal players will come to dominate the high-definition DVD player market,” he said.

As does iSuppli’s Chris Crotty, who is so convinced he doesn’t bother to segment the market by format in his forecast: “The emergence of dual format devices over the next year will render the war moot,” the analyst said.

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/02/08/40701/High+definition+DVD+war+or+blog+fest.htm

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/02/08/40701/High+definition+DVD+war+or+blog+fest.htmSamsung has announced plans for one, and more consumer electronics companies are expected to follow suit.

Said O’Donovan: “I expect to see a wide range of multi-format players on the market at current HD DVD player price levels by the end of this year.”

that's the first actual quote I've seen of a Samsung dual format announcement for this year. Did I miss it earlier?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9728479#post9728479

Wal-Mart version of the Toshiba HD A2, the "HD A2W" on Toshiba's website and found in the wild being sold at Wal-mart.

X360 w/hdmi coming soon?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/08/black-xbox-360-with-120gb-hdd-and-hdmi-due-for-april/

http://www.gamersreports.com/news/4966/120gig-black-xbox360-with-hdmi-official

it's now 100% official that the Black 360, (with black controller), 120gb hard drive and HDMI is due out in Australia for $749 AU in April. They will try to push this forward to late March to deter buyers from the March 23 PS3 launch.

Fox optimistic about the future of Blu-ray (http://www.heise.de/ct/hintergrund/meldung/85035)

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/02/08/40701/High+definition+DVD+war+or+blog+fest.htm

that's the first actual quote I've seen of a Samsung dual format announcement for this year. Did I miss it earlier?
that's the analyst talking not Samsung

One more time; this time, with rhythm:

Sony plans to declare Blu-ray winner in high-def format war (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6415444.html)
Just how many times are they going to do this?

I think finally everything that we knew going into this format has started to happen,” said Sony Pictures Home Entertainment worldwide president David Bishop. “We have a critical mass of content, we have the biggest mass of consumer electronics companies in the world supporting this format. That has moved Blu-ray into the forefront.”

Sony is so confident that Bishop said the studio plans to begin marketing the format to consumers as the winner of the format war.

“The message that we’re going to put out to the consumer now is, now it is safe to make a choice,” he said. “No more fence-sitting is needed.”

In fact, HD DVD sales are continuing at a steady pace, they just haven’t grown as fast as Blu-ray.
But retailers are less confident.

A spokesman for Best Buy said the retailer believes there needs to be industry unification behind one format before victory is declared.

“The view around here is that something has got to be done definitively to get people off the bench,” spokesman Brian Lucas said.Ah, OK now it sounds like Sony is just going to say "we've won the format war!" on every box and disc sold, and are going to include in their advertising. Unbelievable.

PC Magazine
Making Sense of the High-Def DVD Numbers (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2093290,00.asp)

In my mind, neither format has reached a critical mass, and until then, the horse race is wide open. What's critical mass? In my mind, probably one of the following conditions: either one format holds an 80 percent market share for three months; or, one format holds a two-thirds market share for six months.

Dilemma and PS3 of innovation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fit.nikkei.co.jp%2Fdigital%2Fnews%2F index.aspx%3Fn%3DMMITew000009022007&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)

Make of it what you will, but it does not sound good from a Japanese standpoint....

BD cheaper than HD-DVD?

http://wesleytech.com/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-replication-costs-revealed/

Cheers...
Duy-Khang Hoang

Follow on to my above post

http://wesleytech.com/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-replication-costs-analyzed-again/

Cheers...
Duy-Khang Hoang

http://www.hdgamedb.com/amazon/history.aspx

sales history graphs now go back to 30 and 45 days instead of just 14 and 7 days.

Gives a new perspective on the magnitude of the Blu-ray and HD DVD surges.

Porn, Blu-ray and HD-DVD in LA Times: Porn Studios Quietly Courted

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-porn12feb12,1,185063.story?coll=la-headlines-technology&ctrack=1&cset=true

Sony Offers Casino Royale Blu-ray Film To European PS3 Buyers (http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4705)

Major new review up on the flagship HD DVD player.

http://www.guidetohometheater.com/hddiscplayers/207toshhdxa2/

Discussion Here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=804246

Dilemma and PS3 of innovation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fit.nikkei.co.jp%2Fdigital%2Fnews%2F index.aspx%3Fn%3DMMITew000009022007&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)

Make of it what you will, but it does not sound good from a Japanese standpoint....
For some reason, that translation broke up in the middle, but this link works for me...

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=ja%7Cen&u=http://it.nikkei.co.jp/digital/column/gamescramble.aspx%3Fn%3DMMITew000009022007&prev=/language_tools

Now this is ONE way to get "sales" of the new Bond movie up

Free Bond Blue-ray movie with PS3

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157759

Sony has revealed that the first 500,000 "purchasers" of PS3 who registered on the PlayStation Network will receive a Blu-ray version of Casino Royale.

The deal's a bit similar to the one Microsoft offered with offering an HD version of King Kong when you picked up the 360 HD-DHD player. Casino Royale's obviously a better film though...

Darren Carter, VP Brand and Consumer Marketing said, "The PlayStation Network unlocks the broad range of interactive entertainment features of PlayStation 3. It's easy to set up, offers free online gaming, has great tools for staying in touch with friends and family, and includes a wide variety of content for download through the PlayStation Store."

P.S. That's their spelling of "blu-ray" not mine!

Fox Blu-ray release changes: Looks like March-April titles are going to be pushed back for an unknown period of time??

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disc_Announcements/Fox/Fox_Reshuffles_March/April_Blu-ray_Line-Up_/472

Fox Blu-ray release changes: Looks like March-April titles are going to be pushed back for an unknown period of time??

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disc_Announcements/Fox/Fox_Reshuffles_March/April_Blu-ray_Line-Up_/472Possibly due to current lame situation of AACS? Perhaps Fox wants to wait its new title release until the revocation of WinDVD will take place.

Disgruntled CyberLink PowerDVD Customers Complain to BBB (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6047)

A select group of customers who have paid nearly $100 for CyberLink’s PowerDVD for its HD playback capabilities have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, claiming that the software does not perform as advertised.

Philips SPD7000BD Blu-ray TripleWriter Review (http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/Philips-SPD7000BD-Blu-ray-TripleWriter-Review)

Q&A with Hewlett Packard about HD DVD and why they are no longer BD exclusive (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=804610)

Sony to Slash Chip Spending (http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/02/13/sony_says_to_cut_back_sharply_on_chip_spending/)

Sony Executive Deputy President Yutaka Nakagawa told reporters that investment in chips would come down significantly from the 460 billion yen ($3.8 billion) allocated over the three business years since April 2004.

important enough to highlight in this thread :mad:

has found the "processing key" used to decrypt the DRM on all HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc films. Let's break this down for what it is: instead of needing individual keys for each and every high-definition film -- of which there are many -- the processing key can be used to unlock, decrypt, and backup every HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc film released so far. This may explain the delay of Fox and Universal releases

discussion here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=804849

or here
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=777549

important enough to highlight in this thread :mad:
This may explain the delay of Fox and Universal releases

discussion here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=804849

or here
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=777549

I dont know about that otherwise they would be delaying all releases

Guess this qualifies as news...

More than twenty Australian companies, including retail giant JB Hi-Fi, have thrown their support behind Blu-ray at the high definition format's official launch in Sydney

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/9548/52/

SlySoft releases beta version of AnyDVD HD (http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/SlySoft-releases-beta-version-of-AnyDVD-HD.html)

Sharp announced industry's first "recordable" BD Player for Japanese market

Sharp news release (http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/070214-a.html)
Detail specification (http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/070214-a-2.html)
AV Watch news (http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070214/sharp1.htm)
http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/images/070214-a.gif
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070214/sharp106.jpg

- BD-HP1 is the industry's first BD player which can "record" HD programs from FireWire connected AQUOS digital LCD TV, or can "move" from FireWire connected AQUOS HD HDD/DVD recorder (no digital tuner/HDD built-in)
- Suppored recordable BD disc is SL BD-RE (Ver2.1) (DL BD-RE, SL/DL BD-R are not supported)
- BD-Video playback capability with 1080p output by "1080p Image Engine"
- 7.1ch analog audio output
- Decodes Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD (output may limited to 2 channel in certain condition), DTS-HD (core only).
- Plays SL BD-RE (Ver2.1), SL BD-R (Ver1.1), SL/DL BD-Video, DVD-Video, DVD disc with CPRM, DVD+-R/RW, DVD-RAM, Music CD/CD-R/RW
- MSRP is about 150,000 JPY, will be shipped on March 20
- Java related technology used in this player is co-developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Panasonic Europe has announced an improved version of its BD player called DMP-BD10A. It will have HDMI 1.3 and support Dolby TrueHD. It will be released in April about the same time as the firmware update for the DMP-BD10 will be released. The update will essentially give the BD10 the same features as the BD10A (minus HDMI 1.3 I guess).
Source (http://prylportalen.mkf.se/ArticlePages/200702/14/20070214100616_MKF662/20070214100616_MKF662.dbp.asp)

Hackers discover HD DVD and Blu-ray "processing key" -- all HD titles now exposed

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/13/hackers-discover-hd-dvd-and-blu-ray-processing-key-all-hd-t/

*****Sorry, I missed that Kosty posted this news from a different source yesterday.

Wow, a 5 out of 5 for video quality using AVC:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/prestige.html#Section3

'The Prestige' hits Blu-ray in a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer -- and it looks fantastic. I've been very impressed with Buena Vista's recent Blu-ray releases, and they seem to just keep getting better and better. Not only is a five-star release from the studio, but in my opinion it's the best-looking Blu-ray disc they've yet released.


***

This is what high-def is all about. 'The Prestige' is an absolute home run from Disney and, yes, I would rank it up there with the best transfers I've seen on high-def yet. This is in the same league as 'Batman Begins' -- maybe Christian Bale is high-def's lucky charm?

Ouch...

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=158003

PS3 Sales boss quits weeks before launch

SCE UK commercial director Kevin Jowett has left Sony HQ just five weeks before the launch od PS3 to pursue "new opportunities outside of the games industry" reports trade mag MCV.

Jowett took on the role in 1998 and has spent his time working with retailers over stock allocations on PS2, PSP and, more recently, PS3.

One leading games buyer said told MCV, "The timing is absolutely incredible. Kevin is going just as Sony is talking to everyone about terms and arranging pre-orders and in-store marketing campaigns. Obviously, Sony is a big organisation and there will be people there who can fill Kevin's position. But this can't be helpful to them."

Sony to contract out Cell production?
http://www.gizmocafe.com/blogs/gizmo_cafe_blog/archive/2007/02/14/106852.aspx
After marketing the PlayStation 3 with a sheer muscle ad campaign, the company is now clearly regretting its production of the Cell processor, considered by many to be the heart of the console. In fact, executive management is discussing possible plans to pull out of Cell processor production altogether.Unfortunately, partially because of the processor’s cost and the inclusion of a pricey Blu-ray high definition DVD player, the PS3 has sold very poorly.

The Truth about Total Hi Def Disc
http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=12393

"It's important to see THD as a dangerous gimmick that could lure many unwary consumers into the market by creating the false impression that the purchasing choice between HD DVD and BD hardware doesn't matter. If Warner and other major studio officials are indeed concerned about the conflict hampering consumer adoption, perhaps they should stop playing both sides against the middle, make a choice, and exclusively publish movies in only one format."

Reminder: NEWS ONLY. Newcomers, please read the first post of this thread.

HP preparing release of HD DVD-equipped Pavilion DV9269EA (http://www.hdnumerique.com/actualite/articles/1205-hp-prepare-le-lancement-du-pavillon-dv9269ea-equipe-d-un-lecteur-hd-dvd.html)

Price still not announced, but expected around €2,200.

Sharp to ship the BD-HP10S Blu-ray player in May in Germany. No price mentioned.

Press release in German (http://www.sharp.de/presse/pressedetails.php?pid=1140&groupid=0&presseart=1)
Translated by Google (http://google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharp.de%2Fpresse%2Fpressedetai ls.php%3Fpid%3D1140%26groupid%3D0%26presseart%3D1&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8)

According to Sharp Italy (
http://www.sharp.it/news/newsread.cgi?notizia_id=3000104&area=NEWS&output=list_recent&PHPSESSID=612b5bdb1bdce477f2665ffa011246f4), it will be actually end of March. 1080p, HDMI 1.3, 7.1 analog audio output. Price €1,199.

dvdtown: Review of the TOSHIBA HD-XA2 HD-DVD Player (http://www.dvdtown.com/news/reviewofthetoshibahdxa2hddvdplayer/4310)

"Hooray for Blu-ray, it's looking like a winner"

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home-theatre/hooray-for-bluray-its-looking-like-a-winner/2007/02/15/1171405337968.html

A review of the current state of the format war (or lack thereof) in Australia.

Studio Canal announces its first Blu-ray movie (http://www.worldinhd.com/movabletype/archives/2007/02/studio_canal_la.html).

Discussion here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805940).

Horvak to see WHV's worldwide operations (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6416751.html)

Exec also to explore new business opportunities, such as high-def push

Mark Horak has been named executive VP and general manager of worldwide operations and new packaged media at Warner Home Video.

In the newly created post, Horak will oversee worldwide marketing, sales, supply chain and operations. He also will help supervise pre-production activities, category management and business and legal affairs. Additionally, Horak will explore new business opportunities for the studio, including leading Warner’s push for the adoption of high-definition formats.

Sharp unveils low-end Blu-ray player (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197006388)

TOKYO — Sharp Corp. will introduce a Blu-ray Disc player in Japan on March 20. The BD-HP1 player will, however, have limited recording functionality and, for practical purposes, will only work with Sharp LCD TVs and video recorders.

As a late entrant to the BD market, Sharp's strategy is to provide a new feature for its LCD TVs while showcasing its blue laser technology. For Japanese consumers who bought Sharp's high-definition hard disk recorders, the new player is the first to allow the archiving of full HD (1,080 p) content from a hard-disk recorders to a disk.

"We do not deny that it is a strategic product for our LCD TV users, but our first aim is to offer a BD product with a reasonable price," said Mikio Katayama, Sharp's corporate senior executive director.

Sharp is also considering whether to introduce the BD player overseas. It has sold about 10 million LCD TVs worldwide and 1 million hard disk-based, high-definition video recorders.

The new player does not have a hard drive or digital TV tuners, now considered essential features for BD recorders. By omitting the costly devices, Sharp said it will offer the player at about ¥150,000 (about $1,240). That's roughly between the prices for BD players and recorders. $1240? Low end??? Someone was given some bad info for Valentine's day. Blu-ray isn't getting any cheaper. Actually it's getting more expensive!

Forbes
Next-Gen Disc Battle Finally Heats Up (http://www.forbes.com/digitalentertainment/2007/02/12/cx_df_0212varietydvd.html)

The BD-HP1 is a Blu-ray recorder, for which prices have traditionally been well in excess of $2K. This represents a significant price drop from currently available models (albeit with a dependence on having a Sharp LCD TV).

areadvd: Toshiba HD-XE1 player review (http://www.areadvd.de/hardware/2007/Toshiba_HD-XE1_01.shtml)

In related news:

24p support for the XE1 in the summer (http://digital-movie.de/dvd-news/newsinfo.asp?ArtNr=11664)

Attack of the Show: Blu-ray vs HD DVD (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/bluray-vs-hd-dvd-frucci-edition-237164.php)

"Hooray for Blu-ray, it's looking like a winner"

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home-theatre/hooray-for-bluray-its-looking-like-a-winner/2007/02/15/1171405337968.html

A review of the current state of the format war (or lack thereof) in Australia.Making Sense of the High-Def DVD Numbers (http://www.channelinsider.com/article/Making+Sense+of+the+HighDef+DVD+Numbers/200828_2.aspx)

We do know the number of PS3s that have been sold to date within the U.S.: 687,300, at least through January 11, according to NPD. But we don't know what the potential effects of the gift certificates are, as we don't know the size of the respective player markets. (Although it doesn't affect this issue, NPD also noted that 4.5 million Xbox 360s have been sold to date, 6.7 million Sony PSPs have been sold, as well as 9.2 million Nintendo DSes.)

If this is true and the gift certificates indicate an aberration, rather than a trend, then I would think we would see the Blu-ray numbers continue to flatten, followed by a decline, complemented by a resurgence in the HD DVD unit share.


Also, since Wal-Mart does not break out sales of any particular category, Wal-Mart sales of either Blu-Ray or HD DVD discs aren't included in either the Neilsen or NPD numbers. Would a typical Wal-Mart shopper buy a next-generation DVD disc? If we're speaking stereotypically, probably not. On the other hand, it seems ridiculous to assume that the world's largest retailer wouldn't have an effect on sales. (A Wal-Mart spokeswoman refused to comment, even to indicate which format was outselling the other.)


I think it's safe to say that the gift certificate is the reason for the sudden spike in Blu-ray disc sales, even if Crawford will not. As this USA Today article notes:


"Most people spend their gift cards in January and February. And because retailers can't count gift card sales until the cards are redeemed, those sales dollars are pushed out of December into the next year. Gift card sales now represent 5% of total holiday sales, so those dollars are having a significant impact on retailers' business in the months after Christmas. About 40% of card redemptions are made in the first week after Christmas. But the rest comes in January or early February."

ABI Research Foresees a Speedy End to High-Definition DVD Player Format Wars (15/2/2007) (http://hiddenwires.co.uk/resourcesnews2007/news20070215-02.html)

A new study from ABI Research forecasts that such universal players will become the norm, not the exception, benefiting confused consumers unwilling to commit to one DVD camp or the other.

"We believe that universal players will come to dominate the high-definition DVD player market," says Steve Wilson, the firm's principal analyst of consumer electronics. Samsung is expected to release its own universal player soon, and others, including large CE vendors, may follow suit before long

New player in Blu-ray disc market (http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070216/tc_pcworld/129106;_ylt=ApvNTT42jIC5GD7UvB8SguMjtBAF)

Japan's Funai Electric Co. Ltd. is set to enter the next-generation DVD market this year, it said Friday. The product won't be sold under the Funai name but offered to other consumer electronics companies on an OEM basis for resale under their respective brand names.

Price not announced, but reported to be about $500.

Funai hasn't taken sides in the format battle and is also considering an HD DVD player.

oops... :o

The Ugly truth of HD DVD-Ripped Discs (Paul Sweeting) (http://contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/1930006993.html)

Just as virus and spyware writers tend to ignore the Mac operating system in favor of Windows, hackers are putting most of their efforts into cracking HD DVD because that’s what they expect most people to be using.

A similar dynamic is evident in the adult film industry.

Unconcerned with propriety—again, generally speaking—those who survive in the porn business tend to be keen students of supply and demand in their rawest forms. Where the market leads they quickly follow, few questions asked.

And as with the hacker community, the adult market seems to be tipping toward HD DVD.

That may not be something to boast about for HD DVD supporters, or even an indication of the ultimate outcome of the format war.

But it is a sign that for now, at least, the most gimlet-eyed early adopters find HD DVD to be the more flexible, more consumer-friendly, more useful format.

For better or worse.

NBC Theatrical department takes over Video (www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10299)

Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, will continue to oversee the division, working closely with Adam Fogelson and Eddie Egan, president and copresident, respectively, of domestic theatrical marketing.


Ken Graffeo, the home video unit’s executive VP of marketing, has been promoted into a new role in which he will now spearhead the studio’s worldwide strategy for high definition. Graffeo will focus on Universal’s exploits in the much-ballyhooed high-definition arena, in which the studio plays a prominent role for its exclusive advocacy of the HD DVD platform. HD DVD is supported by just three of the major studios, and the other two, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, also support rival next-gen format Blu-ray Disc.

Deleted (moved here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9807884&&#post9807884)) - I hadn't seen the new rule about posting sales figures at time of posting.

- Tom

don't be looking for pooh anytime too soon.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070216/nyf082.html?.v=71

Federal District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, of the United States District Court, Central District, issued a major decision in the federal copyright case, granting Stephen Slesinger, Inc.'s Motion for Summary Judgment, effectively ending the Walt Disney Company's efforts to take back the Winnie the Pooh copyright.

Blu-ray sales figure mentioned in press release for Blu-ray launch in Australia (February 14, 2007):

Globally, Blu-ray continues to grow as the natural choice, next generation format. In the United States, Hollywood Studios are selling upwards of 45,000 Blu-ray titles weekly, with predictions showing steady growth driven by increasing hardware sales.
Source: http://www.blurayaustralia.com.au/news/pdf/Bluray_aust_launch_consumertech_FINAL.pdf

"Sony's Phil Harrison Reveals PS3 Movie Downloads, Denies Price Cuts"

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6139

"
PlayStation 3 soon to get video download service

In a recent interview with 1UP, Sony’s Phil Harrison revealed plans to expand the PlayStation 3’s functionality to include “not just games but movies, music, HD, standard definition TV,” as part of a 10-year plan for Sony’s latest console.

..."

Appears to be a free upgrade to red laser HD9 format. Greasing the skids?
http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=12405
"As interest for the 3X DVD format grows, we want to give our customers a low cost way to experiment and learn the process," stated Bob Edmonds, Eclipse's VP of Sales and Marketing. "We've learned a lot about the HD process over the past year and are ready to share this knowledge with our customers." The 3X DVD format offers a means of providing HD Video content on a red-laser media for broader drive compatibility. It uses the same UDF 2.5 file system and optional AACS copy-protection as HD DVD and the same physical format as DVD. Bringing the higher data rate of HD DVD to the conventional format allows 135 minutes of HD content to be placed on a DVD ROM, using AVC or VC-1 codecs. Eclipse's free upgrade announcement coincides with the release of a new EclipseSuite HD software version. The new version offers faster encryption and dozens of new HD analysis rules; bringing the number of HD-specific analysis rules to more than 200.

Finally! Looks like optical storage to 1.6 TB might really happen. But only 300GB now.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19752
InPhase Technologies announced on Monday it will start shipments of the Tapestry HDS-300R, the industry's first 300GB-capacity holographic disc drive this July.

The initial Tapestry HDS-300R holographic disc drives shipped in December to beta users. The device will be able to record on write-once holographic media and is aimed strictly at the archival market. The company plans to come to market with a re-writable format disc by the end of 2008.

InPhase's first-generation product has a data transfer rate of 20MB/sec, 100,000-hour meantime between failure rate and a 50-year expected lifespan. By the end of 2008, InPhase plans a second-generation 800GB optical disc with data transfer rates of about 80MB/sec, with plans to expand its capacity to 1.6TB by 2010.

Just to add to this story but near the bottom of that article (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19752) it mentions:

At $18,000 for a holographic disk drive, InPhase has priced its product roughly mid-point between a $30,000 enterprise-class tape drive and midrange tape drives such as LTO tape drives, which go for around $4,000. The holographic platters will retail for $180 each.

Link (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/02/19/traxdata_jumps_on_blu-ray_bandwagon/)

The PS3 is cited as a major factor in their decision.

Traxdata sales and marketing director Guido Liber said: "With the steady introduction of next generation media players such as the PlayStation 3 from Sony, we are beginning to experience the consumer demand for the accompanying media."

"Is "3X DVD" HD DVD's secret weapon against Blu-ray?"

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/19/is-3x-dvd-hd-dvds-secret-weapon-against-blu-ray/

DCA masters First 3X DVD-ROM Title (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070219005332&newsLang=en)

"All existing MIS V8 customers are eligible for an upgrade to MIS 8.5 DVD software, giving them immediate access to the new world of HD video"

HD DVD and Blu-ray studio tool debuts (http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=7297)
NetBlender has released DoStudio, aimed at next-generation DVD developers. DoStudio (DVD One Studio) is the latest component added to DVD One, NetBlender’s first-of-kind solution for creating advanced content for HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and DVDs. DVD One allows DVD developers to produce highly interactive applications for all three DVD formats from a single authoring environment.

DoStudio’s interface includes a visual layout editor that allows developers to arrange graphic elements with drag and drop ease, a keyfame animation editor, automatic remote control button assignment, an image list manager and code assist, so developers don’t need to memorize an entire API, according to NetBlender.

Sharp's BD-MPC70 Blu-ray theater in a box (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/20/sharps-bd-mpc70-blu-ray-theater-in-a-box/)

Microsoft says January Xbox 360 sales hit 294,000 (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2007-02-21T014555Z_01_N20230751_RTRIDST_0_TECH-MICROSOFT-XBOX-DC.XML)


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile , Research) sold 294,000 Xbox 360 video game consoles in January, a company executive said on Tuesday, citing preliminary research data.

That is nearly 18 percent higher than the 250,000 units sold in the same month a year earlier, according to Molly O'Donnell, group manager for Microsoft's entertainment and devices division that oversees the Xbox 360.

O'Donnell was citing preliminary figures from market research firm NPD, which could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nintendo Wii Tops PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 in January (Update1) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aeP6KYaQ4o_k&refer=technology):)

By Michael White

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co.'s Wii outsold Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 during January as consumers bought 436,000 of the video-game consoles.

Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 was the second-most purchased machine with sales of 294,000, followed by PlayStation 3 with 244,000, Credit Suisse analyst Heath Terry said today in a report, citing NPD Group Inc. data.

"Significant Progress Made Toward Creation of Joint Blu-ray Disc(TM) Patent License"

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2007/21/c2834.html

"...

Participating companies include CyberLink Corporation; Dell Inc.;
Hewlett-Packard Company; Hitachi Ltd.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.;
LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic);
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pioneer Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sonic Solutions; Sony
Corporation; TDK Corporation; Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; and Warner Home
Video Inc.

..."

Old news. But useful.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-0701250048jan25,0,5949981.story?coll=chi-business-hed


In 2006, about 13.5 million HDTVs were shipped to retailers, according to the CEA, with that number expected to jump to 16 million in 2007. That would represent about 57 percent of all TVs sold for the year. Already, about 30 percent of U.S. households have a high-definition TV, said Sean Wargo, senior industry analyst for the CEA.

Samsung to launch Vista-certified Blu-ray notebook pc 'Sens M55' (http://aving.net/usa/news/default.asp?mode=read&c_num=36521&C_Code=02&mn_name=news)

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/New-blue-lasers-for-next-generation-recorders.html

New blue lasers for next generation recorders

Nichia Corporation announced on a press release the development of a high power blue-violet semiconductor laser diode corresponding to a double-layer disc at more than 10 X record speed/ a quad-layer disc at more than 2 X record speed applied for the next generation DVD recorders.

The estimated life time exceeds 10,000 hours and stable operation was achieved for 1000 hours with the condition of 320 mW pulsed operation at 80°C case temperature.

There is not yet information about prices or availability.

Sony DADC announces production technology Initiative for Blu-Ray Disc Dual Layer (http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=191061)

Sony DADC today announced that it will start an initiative for a production technology alliance for Blu-ray Disc dual layer. Detailed information will be presented at the European MEDIA-TECH Showcase & Conference 2007 in Barcelona, Spain, at the Congress Center of Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I.

The presentation will start at March 6, 2007, at 5.30 pm in Room "Sala F" and will introduce the partners of the coming production technology alliance. Sony DADC will also present its latest Blu-ray roadshow.

Due to the huge capacity of up to 50GB, the Blu-ray Disc dual layer format allows for more than just a movie to be stored in the absolute best high-definition quality. Taking content owners beyond anything ever experienced, the format also offers room for additional extras. There is no need to pack additional discs to store these bonus materials, thereby eliminating costs and simplifying the end user's entertainment experience. Depending on the encoding method, there is room for more than five hours of the highest high-definition quality video.

SF Video Joins Elite Group of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering & HD-DVD Replication Providers (http://prweb.com/releases/2007/2/prweb506706.htm)
SF Video to Become First Non-Entertainment Based Company to Offer These Services

SF Video, INC., a full service multimedia duplication and replication solutions company, will be adding HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering along with HD-DVD replication to its full suite of his services, sometime in the first quarter this year. As a result SF Video will become only the 4th company in the U.S. to offer HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering, as well as the first non-entertainment based company to offer these services. SF Video predicts they will have the capability to produce 50,000 HD-DVDs per day.

Gizmodo: Frankenfight: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, Formats Not Equal (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/feature/frankenfight-bluray-vs-hd-dvd-formats-not-equal-238336.php)

For this week's topic, we dug through the entire archive from the DVD critics at High-Def Digest (about 300 total reviews), averaging every rating they've given yet to HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles.

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/02/BH1.jpg

MEDIA-TECH Hosts HD VMD, Blu-ray and HD DVD at MEDIA-TECH Conference 2007 (http://www.nmeinc.com/index.aspx)

Selected quotes from prss release:
NME Selected to Speak About VMD as One of Three Leading HD Optical Disc Solutions
Dr. Eugene Levich, CTO for NME, has been invited to speak about the company's High Definition Versatile Multilayer Disc (HD VMD) solution at the MEDIA-TECH Showcase & Conference 2007, March 6-7, in Barcelona, Spain. The red laser-based HD VMD optical disc and format gives consumers a cost-effective alternative to Blu-ray and HD DVD formats through a total HD solution at prices comparable with the existing DVD market.

Dr. Levich will illustrate his lecture with a live demonstration of the true HD VMD 20 (GB) disc played back in a regular "off the shelf" DVD drive. He will also display a new HD VMD Media Player based on this "off the shelf" DVD loader.

"Replication manufacturers have long desired a more effective and efficient method to create HD discs -- and only HD VMD gives them a seamless method to move towards HD with their existing infrastructure. Our red laser format is a front line technological adaptation of DVD technology to the demands of HD quality. As the blue laser production costs become more realistic for consumer market and available for mass production, the VMD know-how and technologies will play major role in developing cost effective multilayer and multi-format HD solutions."

VMD 2p technology can provide up to eight information layers on each side of a disc and can be utilized for both red laser and blue laser formats, thereby offering numerous content options and business opportunities for the high-definition and content ecosystem. VMD 2p technology is applicable for single- and double-sided discs and a multiplicity of formats, including Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

Interview with Joe Kane on The Perfect Vision: The Blu-ray Debate (http://www.avguide.com/the-perfect-vision/76/bluray.php)

Blue-Violet Laser Speeds Up Blu-ray Read, Write Times in 2008

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/blueviolet-laser-speeds-up-bluray-read-write-times-in-2008-238525.php

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/05/8401297/index.htm?postversion=2007022214
From CNN Money


Sony, no stranger to embarrassment (remember the exploding batteries?), has not one but two big, expensive potential flameouts: the PlayStation 3 game console, and the Blu-ray DVD format.

The problem with moon shots is that you have to get the trajectory and the timing exactly right, or you wind up lost in space. Sony, despite spending billions on Blu-ray, missed. Not by much, but by enough to call into question whether its massive investments will ever pay off as it had hoped.

"Blu-ray heads for Russia"

http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/02/22/237329

"Sumsung has announced sales of the first world serial Blu-ray player in Russia. However, first discs in Russian will appear not earlier than spring. Experts say it is too early to introduce the new player on the world market.

..."

"Blu-ray friendly studios join forces to promote Blu-ray in the UK (http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/02/bluray_friendly.html)

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, and Warner Brothers Home Entertainment, have pledged to work together in recognition that by uniting, they have a better chance of getting the message across that Blu-ray should be the HD disc format of choice.

HD DVD Plugs into Circuit City (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6418854.html)
Support from retailer, Microsoft could help format against Blu-ray

Blu-ray Disc backers may be declaring the high-definition DVD format war over, but there are new signs that HD DVD shouldn’t yet be counted out.

Among them: stepped up support for the format from Circuit City, a new Microsoft business-to-business Web site (www.thisishddvd.com) aimed at bringing independent program suppliers into the HD DVD fold and retailers’ belief that Toshiba player prices will soon drop, increasing their penetration.

“Circuit City has become a very strong partner,” said Jodi Sally, VP of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products Digital A/V group. “We’ve already done over 200 demos at Circuit City, which we started at the end of January. It was always our intention to expand our retail distribution.”


“Let’s say the software sales are about even, and you’ve got five times as much hardware on the Blu-ray side as you have on the HD DVD side,” said one executive. “That means your attach rates for HD DVD are higher than your attach rates for Blu-ray,” he said, pointing to 1 million PlayStation 3 and stand-alone BD devices combined in homes, versus about 200,000 HD DVD players that have sold, including stand-alones and Xbox 360 add-on drives.

“You’ll see the lower pricing in 30 to 60 days,” said one retail source. “For Toshiba to hit the sell-through numbers that it wants, I expect to see a base level of $299 this fall.”

From Video Business:

No high-def winner yet (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6419351.html)

WITH ALL DUE respect to the folks at Sony and other Blu-ray Disc backers, it seems a bit early to be declaring victory in the high-def format war.

The latest evidence for their claim is the ratio of software sales in January, when BD movies outsold HD DVD movies by 2-to-1. But the number of titles released on Blu-ray last month outstripped titles released on HD DVD by better than 2-to-1, so the greater total software sales—by itself—doesn’t tell us much about BD’s relative popularity.

Moreover, BD software sales in January also likely benefited from the 600,000-700,000 PlayStation 3 consoles sold in the U.S. in December, each of which came packaged with a $15 coupon for a BD movie.

We won’t know whether that PS3-propelled spike in sales will be sustained until we have a few months-worth of data.

If you look at lifetime data of the two formats, total software sales are about even, while BD has nearly a 5-to-1 lead in the installed hardware base if you include PS3 consoles. That suggests the overall attach rate of discs per player is far lower for Blu-ray than for HD DVD.

Insofar as PS3 is considered critical to the success of BD, in fact, it’s hard to see why anyone in the BD camp is feeling optimistic.

I don’t see how the rollout of PS3 to date can fairly be called anything but a disaster for Sony, and the signs are getting worse....

"...direct-view CRT sales paced all other display technologies in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, according a report just issued by market researcher The NPD Group."

"U.S. retail sales of direct-view televisions increased 61 percent in units and 46 percent in dollars the week of the Super Bowl (week ending Feb 3) compared with the prior week (week ending Jan. 27).LCD TV unit sales grew 40 percent and revenue increased 37 percent.Plasma TVs grew 23 percent in units and 25 percent in dollars. Projection TVs saw a jump of 25 percent and 27 percent, respectively, NPD said"

"Direct-view TVs smaller than 32 inches experienced an 72 percent increase in units and a 59 percent revenue increase for the same time period."

Read the rest here:

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6417862.html?nid=2402

The predicted Hi-Def format acceptance is going to take a little longer to take hold

Online Retailer to Sell Third-Format Player (http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10327)

Seeking a cheaper alternative to Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, New Medium Enterprises, which markets a low cost high-def optical disc format and player, Feb. 26, announced it had secured a three-year U.S. distribution deal with online retailer PC Rush.

Under terms of the deal, PC Rush will distribute the Chinese-made $199 HD VMD Media Player Duo and $249 HD VMD Media Player Quattro starting in the second quarter.

HD VMD is a 40 Mbps red laser-based format that claims 1080i/p resolution, up to eight information layers per side and can be played on a standard DVD player or on an NME player.

It has been used over the net to update players. From the Toshiba website:
http://www.tacp.com/tacpassets-images/notices/hddvd2firmware.asp

Firmware Update Version: 1.3

Applicable Models: HD-XA2, HD-A2, HD-A2W, and HD-D2.

Overview:
As part of our commitment to provide world-class service to our customers, Toshiba is supplying this firmware update for use by purchasers of Toshiba HD DVD Player models HD-XA2, HD-A2, HD-A2W, and HD-D2. This firmware update addresses certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related problems identified by Toshiba.

from AP, .. i must say that i am surprised ;) .. and good job

The BDP-S300 will cost $599, yet will have the same capabilities as the $999 BDP-S1 Sony is currently selling, said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of the home products division of Sony Electronics.

Most people buying high-definition discs are apparently doing so to play them on PlayStation 3 game consoles. There are two versions of the console, for $499 and $599, and Sony sold 1.8 million units last year.

The BDP-S300 is a smaller unit than the BDP-S1, and is about the same size as a DVD player. Like the current model, it will be able to output a signal in the highest high-definition format, known as 1080p. It will also be able to play CDs, which the BDP-S1 does not.

[QUOTE]Stan Glasgow, president of Sony Electronics, told reporters at a meeting here that by Christmas, prices for Blu-ray players should be down below $500.QUOTE]

Source: http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/26200729557.htm
Discussion: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9881816#post9881816

Phil Harrison: We Are Under No Pressure to Drop PS3's Price (http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15342)

At the appropriate time and when we can afford to, the business model of the industry is to pass those savings onto the consumer, but we're a long way away from doing that yet.

Sony drops Blu-ray player prices (http://www.p2pnet.net/story/11448)

Meanwhile, "Most people buying high-definition discs are apparently doing so to play them on PlayStation 3 game consoles," it says, quoting another Sony executive, Randy Waynick, as stating:

"There are two versions of the console, for $499 and $599, and Sony sold 1.8 million units last year" and, 80% of people who buy a PS3, "also buy Blu-ray movies to go with it".

Toshiba Ships HD DVD-R Notebook in Japan (http://news.digitaltrends.com/article12358.html)

Electronics and computer maker Toshiba has begun shipping its Qosmio G30/97A notebook computer in Japan, marking the first time a notebook system has shipped with an HD DVD-R drive. Toshiba announced the system in January at CES, but at the time didn't reveal any pricing or available information; now, Toshiba is offering the systems to consumers for about ¥373,365 (just under $3,100 USD) and says the system will definitely be offered overseas, although the company still doesn't have timetables or pricing.

The G30/97A is an entertainment-focused notebook with 1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a standard 1 GB of RAM, and a 17-inch, 1,920 by 1,280 pixe LCD display powered by an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 controller with 256 MB of dedicated video RAM. The notebook offers a bevy of A/V features including analog and digital TV tuner plus VGA, S-Video, and HDMI output. Add in gigabit Ethernet USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, a PCMCIA slot, an ExpressCard slot, a multi-format media card reader, and the aforementioned HD DVD-R drive.

Nothing new here, but now it is official:

Toshiba announces 51Gb capacity HD DVD (http://hdtvorg.co.uk/news/articles/2007022601.htm)

'SF Video Joins Elite Group of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering & HD-DVD
Replication Providers (http://pdfserver.emediawire.com/pdfdownload/506706/pr.pdf)

SF Video to Become First Non-Entertainment Based Company to Offer These ServicesInteresting claim.

San Francisco, CA (PRWeb) February 22, 2007-- SF Video, INC., a full service multimedia duplication and replication solutions company, will be adding HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering along with HD-DVD replication to its full suite of his services, sometime in the first quarter this year. As a result SF Video will become only the 4th company in the U.S. to offer HD-DVD and Blue-Ray Mastering, as well as the first non-entertainment based company to offer these services. SF Video predicts they will have the capability to produce 50,000 HD-DVDs per day.Also interesting is that they did not quote how many BDs they can produce each day. Don't they know?

'SF Video Joins Elite Group of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Mastering & HD-DVD
Replication Providers (http://pdfserver.emediawire.com/pdfdownload/506706/pr.pdf)

Interesting claim.

Also interesting is that they did not quote how many BDs they can produce each day. Don't they know?

They mentioned mastering BD, but mastering AND replication for HD DVD. They've probably updated their standard DVD machinery for HD DVD replication.

Nothing new here, but now it is official:

Toshiba announces 51Gb capacity HD DVD (http://hdtvorg.co.uk/news/articles/2007022601.htm) The news is they never got to this step with 45GB discs.

This is probably sooner than expected based on the speculation when Toshiba first announced this specification..

The news is they never got to this step with 45GB discs.

This is probably sooner than expected based on the speculation when Toshiba first announced this specification..


Yes; I meant the spec had been officially submitted :o

Resolutions of the 37th Steering Committee Meeting (Feb. 28, 2007) (http://www.dvdforum.org/37scmtg-resolution.htm)

'Flushed Away' Plunges DreamWorks Q4 Profits (http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10343)



[...]

DreamWorks Animation is one of few suppliers with major theatrical properties to hold off announcing a high-definition release strategy.

It’s probable that will not change in 2007, said company CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

“[High-def is] still very very small and we keep watching it carefully to find out when there’s an opportune moment to put our product into it,” he said. “Whether we’ll be there in the fourth quarter it’s too early to tell right now.”

Not sure how stale this is...

Fox/MGM Blu-ray Blues (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=64222)

Citing technical difficulties Fox and MGM Home Entertainment have revised their Blu-ray Disc release schedules for March and April, with all but two titles now postponed to as yet unknown future dates. The titles which remain on schedule and will appear on 13th March 2007 are Hoosiers and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

The titles no longer set to appear in March are: Dances with Wolves, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Ice Age, Dodgeball and Commando. The fate of From Hell (which was rescheduled for March) is also unknown at this time.

The full April slate has been removed from the schedule, which includes: Dude, Where’s My Car?, The Fly (1986), Me, Myself and Irene, Tristan & Isolde, Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs. New release Turistas is also off the schedule. Original specs for these titles can be found here, with details on Turistas here.

Sony: There Are PS3 Shortages. We Will Resolve Them (http://news.spong.com/article/11927?cb=152)

"April or May is when we feel like we're going to catch up to demand and have product fully in stock across North America and stay there”, he continued, "Our goal is to fill shelves across the United States. Our goal is not to have empty shelves, it's to have full shelves. If we have empty shelves, that's one less consumer who could have bought a PlayStation 3.”

From DVD Forum letter voting results:

http://www.dvdforum.org/sc-letter-voting-36-37.htm
http://www.dvdforum.org/images/DVD-R_for_CSS_Managed_Recording_Logo.pdf

Blu-ray film producers gear up for UK PS3 release (http://hdtvorg.co.uk/news/articles/2007022701.htm)

Not sure if it is reported before or not or Toshiba just started selling their HD DVD-R equipped notebook in Japan: http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070226/tc_infoworld/86324;_ylt=A9G_Rx9VF.NFK.sAOxkjtBAF

Sony Ships a million PS3 per month on increasing supply of pick-up heads, says paper (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070301PB202.html)

Sony is currently shipping its PS3 game consoles at a rate of about one million units per month due to an increasing supply of pick-up heads (PUHs) from Sharp for its Blu-ray drive, the Chinese-language Commercial Times quoted market sources as saying in a March 1 report.

With a planned March launch in Europe and later on in Australia, total PS3 shipments are expected to top 3-4 million units in the first quarter of this year, as compared to the two million units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2006, the paper said, citing estimates by analysts at Taiwan-based securities houses. For 2007, total shipments of PS3 consoles are expected to top 12-14 million units, the paper indicated.

Get 5 free HD DVDs when you buy any Toshiba HD DVD player (http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/perfectoffer_advert.pdf)

DVD Forum celebrates 10th Anniversary (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19864)

The DVD Forum, the international organization that defines formats for DVD products and technologies, today celebrated its official 10th anniversary at the annual general meeting of its members held in Tokyo.

The Forum, which has been hailed as a model for collaboration between the consumer electronics, IT and entertainment industries, was founded in August 1997, to assume and extend the work of the DVD Consortium, the ten-company organization that initially developed the DVD format. When it started its work in developing the DVD format and promoting its widespread dissemination, the DVD Forum could count 86 members. Today, it has about 220 member companies, drawn from all over the world.

The launch of DVD was one of the most successful consumer product launches in history. An immediate hit with consumers around the world, DVD brought new and exciting capabilities to home entertainment, computing and gaming, and created an immense global market: 2006 demand for DVD players and recorders stood at over 110 million units, and reached about 290 million units for DVD drives. In the same year, 1.7 billion DVD movie discs were shipped in the North America, while shipments of recordable discs climbed to 5.1 billion discs globally.

This success rests on the concerted efforts and long-term support of the DVD Forum. The Forum assured the versatility and wide-ranging applicability of DVD by defining key specifications that met diverse needs, including those for DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-Audio, DVD-RW, and DVD-Video Recording. The Forum continues to define the future for DVD, and is now promoting development of HD DVD, the next generation DVD format -- based on blue laser -- and working on the development of an integrated networking environment -- extending DVD formats to adapt to the expanding online world.

Posted by Efralope in the HD DVD software forum!
Universal Slate for HD DVD in 2007: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#030107

Now for that Universal news. Let's start with HD-DVD. Specific dates are still TBA, but here's what the studio is prepping for high-definition over the summer (most of the April and May titles are already confirmed):

April - The Good Shepherd, Smokin' Aces, The Game, The Jerk, The Hitcher, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Nutty Professor

May - Alpha Dog, The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Unrated, Smokey and the Bandit, Hurricane, Skeleton Key, The River, Midnight Run, The Frighteners, The Big Lebowski, Dragonheart, Lost in Translation

June - Breach, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, Sneakers, Born on the 4th of July, Scent of a Women, Daylight, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Meet Joe Black, Mallrats, Being John Malkovich, Mystery Men, American Me, The Watcher, Bulletproof

July - Billy Madison, The War, The Wedding Date, Dante's Peak, Cat in the Hat, Dead Silence, The Bourne Identity, The Nutty Professor 2, In Good Company, Streets of Fire, Hot Fuzz, Sea of Love, Darkman, Shaun of the Dead, Deliver Us from Eva

August - Heroes: Season One

September - The Last Starfighter, Legend, Battlestar Galactica: Season One, For the Love of the Game, Knocked Up, Evening, The Getaway: Unrated, Patch Adams, Cat People

From Warren Communications News

- About 112,000 HD DVD players sold for Xbox 360 in the U.S. through Jan., NPD says

- HD DVD for China nearer licensing stage with conditional DVD Forum approval

- Specs set for DVD downloads to discs

51GB HD-DVD not really ready:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/03/01/toshiba-says-51gb-hd-dvd-still-in-the-oven/

Contrary to reports this week that Toshiba had completed work on its 51GB, 7 hour HD DVD disc and submitted it for approval to the DVD Forum, Toshiba says the disc is still in the works, and that it hasn't made any official announcements since early January when it first revealed the disc. "We're puzzled ourself by where these reports came from," said Junko Furuta of Toshiba, who denied such developments. That's all we know for now, no word on when the disc will actually be completed, but according to the original announcement, Toshiba will be looking for approval of such a disc this year.

Samsung M55 laptop adds HD DVD burner
http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/03/samsung_m55_lap.html

Slysoft Adds Blu-ray Support To AnyDVD HD (http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4746)

You heard it here first:

Dreamgirls release May 1 on Blu-ray and HD DVD.

You heard it here first:

Dreamgirls release May 1 on Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Link?

Link?

Newest issue of Home Media Magazine has a two-page spread for this title.

Also davisdvd.

Disc Makers Launches ReflexBlu Line of Blu-Ray Tower Duplicators

http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=12465

"Disc Makers, a leading manufacturer of CD and DVD duplicators, today launches its first Blu-Ray compatible tower duplicators, the ReflexBlu2 and ReflexBlu4. The competitively priced ReflexBlu line gives users the ability to create, edit, and duplicate customized Blu-Ray discs (BD-Rs), DVD-Rs, and CD-Rs all in one piece of equipment.

..."

The industry’s push toward new formats is also potentially problematic for the smaller players. The quality of mass-market digital downloads is debatable, and the new Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs, which require substantial investment in new equipment, are already taking up shelf space that might have gone to specialty titles.

“I think high-definition is turning out to be the laser disc of the video business today,” said Bill Lustig, the director of “Maniac” and owner of Blue Underground, an eclectic company with titles including “My Brilliant Career” and “Tombs of the Blind Dead.” “It’s taking up a very, very small percentage of the market, and I don’t know if we will see it grow. Most people are happy with their standard-def DVDs and don’t want to replace their movies.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/movies/homevideo/04rees.html

Couple in-depth player reviews:

- Xbox 360 add-on on dvdactive (http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/technology/microsoft-xbox-360-hd-dvd-player.html)

- Toshiba XA2 on highdefdigest (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/hreview_hdxa2030207.html)

Standalone player sales in Europe (http://www.cinemotion.biz/informacion.php?iinfo=75)

Long article in the Wall Street Journal on Howard Stinger and Sony, including his struggles with Kutaragi and the PS3. Interesting reading, but may not be online long...

Howard Stringer, Japanese CEO (http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page94?oid=76962&sn=Detail)

The dangers of that approach quickly became clear. Two big missteps -- a delayed launch of the PlayStation 3 videogame console and an embarrassing battery recall -- tarnished Mr. Stringer's first years in charge. In both cases, managers tried handling problems in the traditional Sony way: quietly and without informing top executives.

Last fall, Mr. Stringer put together an executive team more to his liking. The reshuffle included moving an uncommunicative star executive, Ken Kutaragi, from his position running Sony's videogame unit. Mr. Stringer now receives every report about manufacturing problems -- "more emails than I care to read," he says
At a board meeting a few weeks later, Mr. Kutaragi sprang another surprise on Mr. Stringer, suggesting he drop the price of the entry-level PlayStation 3 console by 20% to just under 50,000 yen (about $420) to make it more competitive.

"It wasn't financially one of my best moments," Mr. Stringer says. "The budget implications were self-evident. [But] I agreed because I wanted the launch to be successful."

The price cut will help double videogame-related losses for Sony's year ending March 31 to about $2 billion, erasing many of the efforts made by other units to boost profitability. "I think it's fair to say that any time you're aiming for the stars, you're running the risk of falling a bit short on your timetable," Mr. Stringer says.

Cinram Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2006 Results (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,69869.shtml)

Cinram recorded fourth quarter and full-year high-definition disc revenue of $2.8 million and $5.6 million, respectively, following the June retail launch of both formats. We have replicated 180 HD-DVD and Blu-ray titles for our customers in North America since the launch.

http://www.thisisliving.tv/

New Playstation 3 commercial - supposedly for Europe. Check it out if you dare.


"Sometimes you have to let art... flow... over you." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/quotes)

Nick from "The Big Chill"

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9693527-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

Last Friday we reported on a quote from TV Week that Sony President and COO Stan Glasgow said Sony had plans to cut prices on its Blu-ray players to $299 by the end of the year. Well, don't update your Christmas list just yet. According to a Sony representative, Glasgow was misquoted. What Glasgow said, apparently, was that he felt the $299 price would be the tipping point where the average consumer would start to consider buying a Blu-ray player. Indeed, the Sony spokesman went on to specify that the company has no plans to roll out a Blu-ray player at that price point in 2007. That makes a lot more sense considering that Sony just announced a $600 Blu-ray player for this summer, and Glasgow basically said the same thing in an interview with CNET in January.

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19887



HD DVD group approves China-specific specification

The DVD Forum, at its 37th Steering Committee meeting on February 28, 2007, approved the China High Density Read-only Disc (C-HD DVD-ROM) physical specification, termed Version 10.0 (for China only).


This has been done in an attempt to promote the HD DVD standard in the large China market, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The forum will design a licensing system for C-HD DVD-ROM in China, the sources indicated.

The battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray disc (BD) is still hot, with Sony last week unveiling an entry-level BD player, the BDP-S300, for launch in mid-2007 at a recommended retail price of US$599, the sources pointed out. BDP-S300, Sony's second BD player model following the BDP-S1 which launched in December of 2006 at US$999, is intended to compete with Toshiba's HD DVD players which are for sale at US$499, the sources indicated.

"Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President Phil Harrison...confirmed that the PS3 will at some point receive DVD upscaling."

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15403

Broadcom Demonstrates New 65 Nanometer Dual Advanced Video Decoder Chip at CableLabs Winter Conference (http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=970100)


65nm Technology Provides a Faster, Smaller, Lower Power, Highly Integrated Dual Video Decoder SoC for Advanced Codec Set-Top Box Applications

Broadcom Corporation today announced a new dual-channel AVC/MPEG-4/VC- 1/MPEG-2 video decoder system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed in a 65 nanometer process. The new high-performance video decoder SoC is being demonstrated at this week's CableLabs Winter Conference, and provides leading-edge functionality and performance when compared to existing set-top box (STB) solutions currently available.

Taiwan market: LG slashes Blu-ray Disc drive price by 33% (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070305PD220.html)

Cinram Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2006 Results (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,69869.shtml)


http://www.stor-age.com/resources/0C606E30-617D-49B2-8075-F88A977CAF3D/Cinram-r2006.png

interview Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America (http://www.gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=4203)

By including Blu-ray in the PS3 we're taking some lumps in the short term so we can say 'I told you so' in the long term.

Music DVD Conference (www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10369)

Music DVD releases make up a little more thane 14% of the more than 72,000 DVD titles in existence, according to The DVD Release Report. Releases in the genre dropped around 1% in 2006 as suppliers deal with a shifting retail landscape. Last year didn’t even see the traditional spike in music DVDs hitting shelves for holiday shopping, Ralph Tribbey, editor of The DVD Release Report.

There is little or no market right now for high-def music discs thanks in part to consumer confusion, high hardware prices and retail reticence to stock the titles, panelists said.

High-def music releases are in a holding pattern, Carden said.

Authoring is costly — $30,000 per title per format — making the modest sales of a handful of titles thus far little more than an experiment, he said.

Still, everyone is preparing to leap in when the time is right, Amos said.

2006 download, high-def spending 200 mil (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6422096.html)

BEAR STEARNS: Speakers say new delivery formats are fraction of DVD

Consumers spent roughly $200 million in 2006 on movie downloads and both high-definition formats, barely a fraction of what they spent on DVD, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said Monday at the 2007 Bear Stearns 20th Annual Media Conference, offering up some of the first hard revenue numbers on new video formats.

Sarandos said consumers who rent high-def DVDs through Netflix report 80% to 90% satisfaction levels, but he predicted the high-def disc business would stay small until one side prevails.


Iger said high-def TV sales are key to driving the new high-def disc formats.

He predicted high-def disc would take over DVD once a winner emerges, but he backed away from predicting when the format war would end. He also didn’t specifically name Blu-ray Disc as the eventual winner, though Disney is in the Blu-ray camp.

Toshiba plans Hindi films in HD DVD format
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2007/107030705.asp

Imation Unveils World's First Water-Resistant Blu-Ray Discs (http://www.dvd-recordable.org/Article3220.phtml)

Imation have announced the world's first inkjet printable and water-resistant Blu-ray media. Optimized for professional disc duplication, users can record high-definition video, gaming, data and other content on Imation Inkjet Printable BD-R Media with AquaGuard(TM) technology, then print water- and smear-resistant graphics and text right on the disc's surface.

The discs are compatible with Blu-ray disc players and recorders, including the Primera(R) Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publisher and the Bravo SE Blu, the world's first automated burn and print devices to support high-capacity Blu-ray media. Imation Inkjet Printable Media with AquaGuard technology also is ideal for reliable business backup of high-capacity digital files.

"Imation's Blu-ray media with AquaGuard technology is the perfect disc," said James Milligan, General Manager, Commercial/OEM Division, Imation Corp. "We've designed each side of the disc for professional use. The data side features high capacity and scratch resistance. The inkjet printable side allows for creation of custom, water-resistant printed images and text. When used with Primera's industry-leading disc publishers, users can quickly and easily create high-quality, cutting-edge Blu-ray disc projects with ease."

HD Format War Like Iraq Says Arcam Chief (http://www.smarthousenews.com.au/Home_Cinema/Home_Cinema_In_A_Box?Article=/Home%20Cinema/Home%20Cinema%20In%20A%20Box/J8B8R5N7)

Visiting Arcam CEO Charlie Brennan has likened the high-definition format war to the conflict in Iraq because there is “no exit strategy”.

Brennan says the debate between the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats is "already a mighty mess with no real winner".

....

The manufacturer is not yet ready to invest in either HD format and won't be for several years, says Brennan.

"In the next one to two years, neither format will attain critical mass to achieve the public's confidence enough to spend their hard-earned cash," he says.

Brennan also advises consumers and retailers to steer clear of the rivalry in the immediate future.

"Until it makes sense to invest, consumers should be advised to stick with what they've got," he says. "A good chunk of these products will end up on the scrapheap."

Brennan is confident that the majority of consumers will not be able to easily discern the difference between HD and SD broadcasts.

"It's only on six- and seven-foot screens that the difference is dramatic," he says. "After all, it's the software that matters, not the technology."

"Blu-ray vs. HD DVD
An in-depth, unbiased battle royale"

http://gear.ign.com/articles/771/771265p1.html

4-page Australian review.

BLU-RAY ASCENDING
PS3 PUSH GIVES EDGE IN VIDEO FORMAT WAR (http://www.nypost.com/seven/03082007/entertainment/blu_ray_ascending_entertainment_lou_lumenick.htm?page=1)

Lots of quotes.


Alison Casey, who analyzes consumer trends for London-based Understanding & Solutions, predicts that retailers will pull the plug on HD DVD sometime next year.


Being discussed here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=816675)

HD DVD Leads Blu-Ray in Europe (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070308PD200.html)

Toshiba, mainly through its US$499 HD-E1 HD DVD player, accounted for an 85% market share of next-generation blue-laser optical disc drives/players/recorders sold in Europe in January of this year, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Sony and Samsung Electronics, proponents of the competing Blu-ray Disc (BD) format, together accounted for the remaining 15% of the European market, the sources said, citing statistics by GfK Marketing Services. Prior to the launch of the HD-E1, Toshiba's European market share for blue-laser products in 2006 was only 58%, the sources pointed out. Though HD DVD currently has a lead in Europe, the upcoming launch there of Sony's Blu-ray equipped PS3 game console is expected to heat up competition between the two formats.

Although fast growing demand for HDTV (high-definition TV) is expected to be increase the demand for HD DVD or BD drives/players/recorders, prices as low as US$500 are key to the saleability of such blue-laser products, the sources noted.

From Video business:

Panelists: No end yet to high-def war (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6422896.html)

The good news-bad news message that high-definition DVD is a real market but neither HD DVD nor Blu-ray Disc is likely to win the format war this year was woven throughout the DisplaySearch Flat Panel Display Conference 2007, held here March 5-8.

On the positive side, sales of stand-alone high-def DVD players in both formats on a dollar basis combined to represent 8% of the conventional DVD player market during January—twice high-def’s share during the fourth quarter of 2006—said Ross Young, DisplaySearch founder and president. Also during January, monthly PlayStation 3 sales on a dollar basis surpassed those of standard-definition DVD players.
For the last two months, twice as many Blu-ray discs have sold as HD DVD discs, noted conference speaker Vito Mandato, an executive consultant to Paramount Home Entertainment. But he does not see that as a sign that the end of the format war is imminent.

“Some studio chiefs have claimed to have won, but quite honestly the war continues,” said Mandato, who led his speech with the disclaimer that his views may not represent the views of Paramount.

Mandato predicts the number of hardware units in homes by the end of 2007 will be at 1.7 million for each format. On the HD DVD side, that includes 1.2 million stand-alone players and 500,000 Xbox 360 add-on drives. For BD, Mandato is counting only 22%, or 1.2 million, of the 5.5 million PS3 units projected to be sold during the year, plus 500,000 stand-alone players, because his analysis suggests that just 22% of PS3 households purchase movies regularly.This appears to be totally opposite of other reporting on this story. What gives?

Just a little steering note. We're getting a lot of news items that are simply about the format war. Let's get this back to news involving the technology, itself, please. Thanks.

Sony DADC Showcases 50GB Blu-Ray Tech Through New Alliance (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19921)

Sony announced a technology alliance that is expected to accelerate the production technology of Blu-ray dual layer Discs with a storage capacity of 50 GB at Media-tech Showcase and Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Sony DADC will work with Oerlikon and Singulus in order to offer independent disc manufacturers the technology and equipment for 50-GB Blu-ray Discs.

Sony DADC will provide its wet embossing technique for replication, which has been already applied in the company's plants in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. Sony will particularly disclose process technology and testing inspection technology for the BD-50 format, in an effort to accelerate the availability of BD-50 amongst commercial replicators.

Oerlikon Balzers Coating will implement Sony's process in its Indigo line and will deliver it to Blu-ray manufacturers later this year. Oerlikon representatives said that Sony's technology would enable cost-efficient production of Blu-ray 50 GB. Oerlikon has the widest installed base for Blu-ray, with machines already in production in 10 different locations.

Singulus will be able to offer independent disc manufacturers inline production machines for dual layer Blu-ray Discs in the near term. Accordingly, disc producers will be able to build up sufficient capacity for the production of the new disc generation. Sony DADC will provide SINGULUS the necessary production expertise. The start of the machines for Blu-ray dual layer Discs is scheduled for the second half of 2007.

The agreement comes into effect this month. The first machines that make use of Sony DADC?s wet embossing technology are expected this summer.

Vivid to Release 'Debbie Does Dallas...Again In Blu-Ray And HD DVD (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070309/20070309005495.html?.v=1)

Vivid is the world's leading film studio and produces over 60 movies a year, but this particular production has already received widespread press attention because it is the first in the adult film industry to be available in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats and is also the first high definition feature with multiple camera angle options. The film will be sold in a three-disc set including the original "Debbie Does Dallas."

Hardware Price Wars and the influence of Chinese HD DVD players:

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6423230.html

Sony Electronics recently announced that it will lower the price of its set-top Blu-ray player in June, from $999 to $599.

Companies don’t typically announce price cuts so far in advance, because it signals consumers to stop buying until the price cut takes effect.

The logical inference is that Sony wasn’t selling many $999 players anyway and is feeling pressure to narrow the price gap with HD DVD.

The PS3 price points, moreover, are under pressure themselves for reasons that have nothing to do with the high-def format war. But as Sony looks to drive down the cost of its game system, it will inevitably put pressure on other Blu-ray manufacturers to lower the price of their set-tops.

THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT difference between the China-only HD DVD and the version used in the rest of the world is the codec used to encode content.

In the rest of the world, HD DVD supports VC-1, H.264 and MPEG2. The China-only version supports only the Chinese-developed Advanced Video System (AVS).

In nearly every other respect, including the physical specifications of the disc, the interactive layer and the optics, the two versions are identical.

The purpose of the China-only version is to spare Chinese manufacturers the licensing fees associated with the global codecs on decks sold in China and to help propel China into the ranks of technology developers, rather than simply manufacturers.

But manufacturing HD DVD players they will be. And once those production lines are up and running, swapping out the codecs for their outside OEM clients is no big deal.

In other words, HD DVD just secured the inside track on a potentially vast new market. The economies of scale that could result from China’s embrace of HD DVD is likely to have significant impact on retail prices in every market that sources its electronics from China—that is, the rest of the world.

CDRinf:HD VMD At Media-Tech (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19926)
The company demonstrated its HD VMD 20GB disc playback (4-layers) with an "off the shelf" DVD drive equipped with HD VMD PC playback software, along with its new HD VMD media player. The proprietary PC drives will go on sale in Q3 07.
The demonstration at the MEDIA-TECH Show in Barcelona included playback of a 1080p high-def video. The hardware set-up included a DVD-ROm drive, a decoding board for HD decoding and a power supply circuit. These are also expected to be the parts of the stand-alone player of the company, that will go on sale later this year for less than U.S. $200. The player will be manufactured by Chinese Shinco and SVA and will be equipped with an MPEG 2 decoder by LSI Logic. The second generation of the player is expected to additionaly offer play back of H.264 content, through a new decoder by Sigma Designs.

VMD technology can theoricaly provide up to eight information layers on each side of a disc and can be utilized for both blue laser and red laser format. Surprisingly enough, the company said that it has resolved the crosstalk noise problem that typically appears when reading multi-layer discs, allowing the read-out of up to 4-layers per disc side. Note that the disc is semi-transparent, and it is made of different off-the-shelf materials commonly used in DVD production.

Axxicon, Dr. Schenk and Netstal join the integrator and replication line manufacturer VDL ODMS as the official VMD ODMS universal replication line partners. VDL ODMS has already finalised the industrial production of the VMD HD disc. The Dutch company has implemented NME's 2P seperation and bonding process for the production of the new multi-layer discs, which is claimed to be more advanced compared with the typical 2P process.

VMD is currently being adopted by content providers and distributors in 12 regions worldwide, including Brazil, Central Europe, China, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Japan, the Middle East Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States.

Dr Eugene Levich, Director and CTO of NME, told CDRinfo that NME was ready to accept the marketing challenge and aggressively promote the HD VMD format. "With respect to the consumer and an affordable and reliable technology, we have nothing to be afraid of," said Levich.
HD-VMD claim on their website that they will have standalone players available from april in China and India, and the rest of the world in the months after.

This should be as go-to for breaking Hi-Def DVD news as fredfa's thread is for TV news.

So, for example, this one would be appropriate:


Taiwan maker U-Tech turns out pre-recorded HD DVD discs (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070312PD215.html)

U-Tech Media, the largest maker of pre-recorded discs in Taiwan, has successfully developed and produced pre-recorded HD DVD discs, with sample products currently under certification by potential clients, according to the company.

[...]

U-Tech plans to initially secure orders from vendors of consumer electronics, such as DVD players, who will bundle HD DVD movie discs with their products, the company noted. When the global demand for blue-laser products takes off, U-Tech will then compete for OEM orders from Hollywood studios, the company pointed out.

In addition to HD DVD discs, U-Tech and its parent company Ritek have been cooperating to develop pre-recorded Blu-ray Disc (BD) discs, with production possibly to begin in the first half of this year, U-Tech indicated.

But what about this:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid611224406

IBM starts producing Cell chip at 65nm (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/03/12/HNcell65nm_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/03/12/HNcell65nm_1.html)

LG lets loose pics, release date for internal Blu-ray / HD DVD drive




http://www.engadget.com/media/2007/03/lg--ggw-h10n.jpg

http://chinese.engadgethd.com/2007/03/13/lg-lets-loose-pics-release-date-for-internal-blu-ray-hd-dvd-d/

2nd Gen Sammy BD player to hit stores in October

No 2nd Gen Sammy player during launch for UK

Samsung has confirmed to Pocket-Lint.co.uk that its second generation Blu-ray player, that is set for release in the United States in October, will not be available in the UK at the same time, and perhaps not at all. "We don't know whether the 2nd generation player will be launching in the UK or not or whether we will wait until the 3rd generation player before Christmas," Stephen Mitchell, marketing manager, Samsung Electronics Ltd revealed.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/8967.cfm

New Laser Diode Offers 6x Recording For Dual-layer Blu-Ray and HD DVD (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=19963)

Sharp will begin production of a High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diode that achieves a power output of 210 mW. The device will enable high-speed 6X recording on dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD) and HD-DVDs.

The diode (GH04P21A2G) makes full use of crystal growth technology developed for infrared, red, and blue-violet low-power laser diodes.

The supported power output of 210 mW makes possible high-speed 6X recording on dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD) and HD-DVDs. In addition to a newly developed laser chip with a proprietary facet structure, the device also features a long service life of 10,000 hours.

Sharp will ship the first samples of the new diode on April 2nd, priced at 50,000 yen. Mass production is slated to start in June. 50,000 JPY = $429.88 USD. Sharp's samples of 20-milliwatt diodes were available for about $85 apiece back in November. (http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=194500229) On the other hand, it looks like Sharp will sell to HD DVD and BD sides.

War of the format worlds played at MEDIA-TECH theatre (http://www.dvd-intelligence.com/main_sections/news_archive/2003_free/3_mediatech_report.htm)

To date, 21 authoring facilities and replicators across Europe are already providing HD DVD services. Laurent Villaume, the straight-talking founder and CEO of French replicator QOL, explained why he and others have embraced HD DVD – while leaving the door open to BD.

"At this early stage in the game, it is critical for us to be able to amortise the heavy investment in HD DVD replication lines by using them to press DVDs as well, something we do for 80% of the time. A Blu-ray line can only be used for Blu-ray discs," says Villaume. "Moreover, Toshiba, unlike Sony, has no replication subsidiary against which we would compete. It has enabled Toshiba to build a closely-knit partnership with us and others in the chain in terms of support," adds Villaume.

Toshiba HD-XE1 premium HD DVD player now shipping in the UK

http://techdigest.tv/2007/03/toshiba_hdxe1_p.html

http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/03/14/lionsgate_double_movie_bluray/

HD Discs To Grow Packaged Media Market (http://www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10397)

“We do see a great opportunity for high-def to grow the market in about 15% to 20% overall volume,” said Jim Bottoms, analyst at research company Understanding & Solutions. Buy rates are decidedly soft as consumers’ libraries are full, he said, adding they will not replace their entire DVD collections with either high-def format. “We won’t see another doubling of the market like we did with DVD,” Bottoms said.

“The retailer is not your friend,” said Bob Alexander, president of research firm Alexander & Associates. “The entire market is up against a shelf-space issue.”

And that shelf space is supremely valuable to the sale, he said, citing a survey that found 75% of DVD purchasers said they bought a title because they saw it in the store and no other advertising helped the decision.

The high-def market is still a very high-end one, but pricing won’t be an impediment forever, conference presenters said.
In fact, having two formats on the market probably has helped on the pricing front, Adams said.
“The odds of Sony cutting the price of a Blu-ray player to $699 this early if it were alone in the market were zero,” he said.

“We will see HD DVD players below $400 by the end of this year, and within three to four years, it will be less than $100,” Bottoms said.

ArcSoft Demonstrates HD DVD Solutions at CeBIT

Available as a standalone application, Digital Theatre is also part of ArcSoft TotalMedia(TM) Extreme, a software suite which contains four primary applications: Digital Theatre 2, TotalMedia Studio MV, TotalMedia Studio AV, and TotalMedia Backup & Record. The application suite provides video playback, video editing and authoring, data mastering, and backup solutions for virtually all optical media, including HD DVDs, DVDs, and CDs. The component programs are fully integrated, providing an elegant and unified home entertainment experience. OEM licensing for TotalMedia Extreme can include some or all of these primary applications.


http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/03/15/2422660.htm

At a press event today at the CeBIT tradeshow in Hannover, Germany the companies of the HD DVD Promotion Group recapped a strong year for the high definition format and provided an overview of what customers across the region can expect in 2007. Adding to the global promotion structure for HD DVD, a new entity was also announced, the European HD DVD Promotional Group, Ltd., to bolster marketing efforts for the format as HD DVD gains momentum across Europe.

By the end of Q1 2007, more than 100 titles will be available throughout Europe. More than one-third of these titles come from European studios and none of them are currently available on any other high-definition format. The overwhelming majority of the discs are replicated locally. With more than 21 studios and distributors, 14 authoring studios and eight replicators producing HD DVD content and discs throughout the region, the number of titles is expected to increase rapidly throughout the year with an estimated 600 titles expected worldwide by December 2007.

"Our goal is to achieve global penetration of the HD DVD format, so a lot of work has gone into making sure that authoring houses and replicators across Europe were given the training and expertise they need to get up and running quickly allowing a wealth of European content to hit the market right from the beginning," said Yoshihide Fujii, Chairman of the HD DVD Promotion Group and President and CEO of Toshiba's Digital Media Network Company. "This will be a key differentiator for HD DVD in Europe for the foreseeable future. Combine that with a solid line-up of US titles and affordable hardware and consumers have a lot of options to create a home theater experience that is unparalleled."

Toshiba announced a new HD DVD player for the European market, the HD- EP10. This mid-range model, which features 1080p output, was designed to meet the increasing consumer demand for 1080p HDTVs. The new player, priced at 699 Euros, rounds out Toshiba's product line-up, and will be available in May 2007.

HD DVD Gains Momentum Across Europe (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070315/sfth037.html?.v=88)

HD DVD Establishes Promotional Group in Europe (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070315/sfth036.html?.v=101)

At a press conference at CeBIT 2007, Studio Canal, Universal, Toshiba and Microsoft were on stage to announce the formation of a new trade organization, the European HD DVD Promotional Group, Ltd., which will include movie studios, distributors, consumer electronics companies, IT companies, PC makers, disc replication companies and authoring houses companies throughout Europe and around the globe. As the European counterpart to the North American HD DVD Promotional Group and working with the HD DVD Promotion Group originally organized in Japan, the new non-profit organization completes the global promotion structure for HD DVD, working to educate consumers on the quality and value of the format.

[...]

The existing marketing campaign, which showcases HD DVD as "The Look and Sound of Perfect(TM)" will be used to highlight European perspectives, with the launch of country-specific pages to the www.hddvdeurope.com website.

[...]

Blu-Ray aims to oust DVD within 3 years (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL1533248620070315)

The Blu-ray disc association said on Thursday it aimed to replace the DVD storage format within three years.

"Within three years it will just be Blu-ray," Frank Simonis, the Blu-ray Disc Association's European chairman, said at the CeBIT technology trade show.

Any difference between regional sales may be explained by the fact that European consumers cannot yet buy PS3s and there are only two Blu-ray players available, Simonis said.

"It's the launch of the hardware, pulling the software. That has yet to play out in Europe," said David Walstra, director of AV technology at Sony.

Toshiba announces cheapest ever HD DVD (499 Pound Sterling) player for the UK

Toshiba has announced a third HD DVD player for the European market. The HD-EP10, which will go on sale in May priced at 449 pounds (about 656 euro), matches the already available HD-E1 in general specification and finish, but adds a 1080p video output.
Toshiba claims it will be the most competitively priced 1080p capable high definition disc player available.

http://www.about-electronics.eu/2007/03/16/toshiba-announces-cheapest-ever-hd-dvd-player-for-the-uk/

For the first time, in the first two months of 2007 total sales of Blu-ray discs passed those of HD DVD, according to the most recent figures from Nielsen VideoScan.
And propelled by the introduction of Sony's PlayStation 3 - which can play Blu-ray technology - sales of Blu-ray discs have exploded to nearly three times those of HD DVD discs since Christmas.
It's the first clear sign that consumers are choosing sides in the nastiest video format war since VHS emerged victorious over Sony's Betamax machines in the 1980s.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03082007/entertainment/blu_ray_ascending_entertainment_lou_lumenick.htm?page=1

Blu-ray Disc Association launch 'BD Light' license for independent content producers

In recognition of the many smaller independent labels producing content, who don't have the budget or sales volumes of the major Hollywood studios, the Blu-ray Disc Association has introduced the 'BD Light' license agreement, which reduces the fee from $3000 to $500.

“The independent sector is key to the long-term success of the Blu-ray Disc format and we have been working hard within the association to create a licensing channel that works for these companies,” commented David Walstra, Vice Chairman, BDA European Promotion Committee. “With ‘BD Light’, these independent content providers can release titles on Blu-ray Disc using all the logos that the format provides. This is key to the format’s continued growth and prosperity since it will enable a diversity of special interest programmes, movies and other content to be published on Blu-ray. We believe this is a key development in BD’s introduction process,” continued Walstra.

http://www.hdtvuk.tv/

Panasnoic [sic] revises Blu-ray player: DMP-BD10A (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/03/17/panasnoic-revises-blu-ray-player-dmp-bd10a/)

This week at CeBIT Panasonic introduced the DMP-BD10A, which is a revision to the DMP-BD10. Among other things the A revision brings with it advanced CODEC support including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. We are excited about the support, but wonder if the revision is nothing more than the firmware update that was promised at launch. We certainly hope so at that price and with only a few additions over the non-A version it would be a rip to those who bought the first one otherwise. While Panasonic hasn't updated their firmware for the DMP-BD10 yet, we will keep you posted.

ASUS shows their M1&M2 laptops at CeBIt, now with HD DVD (http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/ASUS-shows-their-M1M2-laptops-at-CeBIt-now-with-HD-DVD_.html)

Report: Best Buy to Put 20GB PlayStation 3 on Ice (http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Best+Buy+Puts+20GB+PlayStation+3+on+Ice/article6535.htm)

According to internal Best Buy documents obtained by Joystiq, it looks as though the retailer is no longer going to stock Sony's 20GB PlayStation 3 console. The document lists the 20GB PS3's status as "discontinued."

The writing has been on the wall for the 20GB PS3 for quite some time now. It was revealed back in November that Sony is losing roughly $307 USD for every 20GB PS3 that it sells versus a smaller $241 USD hit for the more expensive 60GB version.

SCEA communications director Dave Karraker also told Joystiq last week that retailers have been overwhelming placing orders for the more expensive 60GB PS3. "Retailers have been requesting the 60GB model, the mix has been about 80 percent 60GB, 20 percent 20GB retailer orders. So, the reason you might not be seeing the 20 GB is simply that retailers have been ordering more of the 60 GB unit," said Karraker.

The Chinese manufacturer of the brands Alco (Venturer) announced at CES that it would be supporting HD DVD , presumably with the Microsoft/Broadcom SoC solution.

A picture of the first mythical Chinese player is on this HD DVD PRG report page from CeBit. :D

http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/event/31cebit.html


:cool:

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6405555.html?nid=2402

anybody know anything else?

discuss here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10064566#post10064566

Toshiba to bring HD DVD to Satellite laptops (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/03/19/more_toshiba_laptops_with_hddvd/)

Toshiba will begin adding HD DVD drives to its mainstream laptop line-up, the Satellite series, in Q3, the notebook maker revealed last week.

Toshiba already offers the Qosmio Q30 with a built-in HD DVD drive, a machine it launched in May 2006. Speaking at the CeBIT show last week, a Toshiba spokesman said the Q30 will get a recordable HD DVD-R drive in Q2.

The company's product plan was announced after it said market statistics from Japan's Techno Systems Research showed that 60 per cent of the blue-laser optical drives designed for PCs that shipped in 2006 supported the HD DVD format. Narrow in on slimline drives for notebooks, and HD DVD's lead jumps to 70 per cent, Toshiba said.

The release of a more advanced Q30, but the availability of the lower-end HD DVD-equipped Satellites in particular, should go some way to help Toshiba meet its forecast that it will sell 500,000 HD DVD playback devices in Europe during 2007.

New Toshiba MSRPs beginning April 1st.

XA2 - $799.99
A20 - $499.99
A2 - $399.99

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=821959

Stringer: Luxury Could be PS3's Downfall (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4960&Itemid=2)

If we fail, it is because we positioned PS3 as the Mercedes of the videogame field. PS3 is after a different audience and it can be whatever it wants — a home server, game device, even a computer,” he said in an interview with CEO Exchange.

Black Xbox 360 w/ HDMI, 120GB HDD @ US$479.99 Confirmed (http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/39309975/m/434008993831/p/1)


According to a source at Microsoft, high-definition movie playback is being withheld from the 360 because the "format's not proven."

New Blu-Ray, HD DVD Drives and 20X DVD Burners at CeBIT (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=20024)

New Blu-Ray, HD DVD Drives and 20X DVD Burners at CeBIT (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=20024)
More details and pictures of the Sony-NEC Optiarc slim notebook BD burners:
http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/35266-OptiArc-graveur-BluRay-graveur-DVD.htm
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2007/0320/cebit14.htm

Rumor: 360 HD DVD Players Now Cheaper? (http://kotaku.com/gaming/hd-dvd/rumor-360-hd-dvd-players-now-cheaper-245746.php)

Over at Cheapassgamer.com, folks are posting that the Xbox 360 HD DVD player is being marked down at Walmart to US $130 from its retail price of $199.99.

PC Mag radio: (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2105827,00.asp)Portable Video and Blu-Ray's Surge (skip to 21'40" for the relevant part)

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/03/21/amazon-selling-samsungs-blu-ray-player-on-the-cheap/

Cheap Blu ray

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/21/optiarc-unveils-first-blu-ray-players-hd-dvd-says-uh-oh/

Slim form Blu ray

Amazon hosts Cuaron interview for Children Of Men promo
Universal sci-fi DVD, HD DVD set to be released the next day

in collaboration with Universal Studios Home Entertainment, today announced it will host the first-ever Global Fan Summit: an exclusive, live interactive interview on its Web site with Academy Award®-nominated director/screenwriter Alfonso Cuaron. The live Web cast can be seen only at www.amazon.com/dvd and will begin Monday, March 26, at 6:00 p.m. PDT, the eve of the highly anticipated DVD and HD DVD release of his Oscar®-nominated motion picture "Children of Men." Cuaron will answer real-time questions from Amazon.com customers watching the interview from around the world. Customers can also submit questions ahead of time by visiting www.amazon.com/specialfeatures.

Link (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070321/20070321005098.html?.v=1)

First Independent Blu-ray Film Distributor Leads Indie Charge into HD (http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20070322/bs_prweb/prweb513268_2)

TDK Ships Printable Surface Recordable Blu-ray Discs Featuring Durabis Hard Coating (http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=117260)

TDK today announced that it has begun shipping recordable Blu-ray Discs with printable surfaces. The two new products are the BD-R25PWX25CB ($24.99) for inkjet systems, and BD-R25THX25CB ($24.99) for thermal systems.

Next Blu-Ray Players Promise More Optioms (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6427147.html)
Studios concerned that discs won’t work on all hardware

Blu-ray Disc players released after Oct. 31 will feature markedly improved functionality over models currently available for sale.

The Blu-ray Disc Assn. has mandated that all hardware streeting after that date must be able to play back picture-in-picture video, as driven by BD Java interactive technology. Many players on shelves now can handle BD Java, but to varying degrees. Few Blu-ray players include picture-in-picture capability, for instance.

Yet Parsons doubts that firmware alone would facilitate picture-in-picture, a relatively complicated part of the BD Java specification.

“There was a grace period between the launch of the first generation Blu-ray launch and October,” said Parsons. “After October, [manufacturers] must conform to the full range of specifications.”

Additionally, after Oct. 31, all Blu-ray players must hold a minimum 256MB of persistent memory storage, which will help power the picture-in-picture feature. Also, any Blu-ray player that features an Internet connection is required to have 1GB of such memory, in order to hold whatever content users decide to download from the Web.

“I just finished graphics with my first BD Java title,” said DVD producer Van Ling, who declined to name the release. “What I’m finding is that there is a lot of optimism that it will work, but it’s not a certainty. We are now out of the realm of normal video format stuff, and we’re into computer programming.”

“The whole problem comes in when some manufacturers toe the minimum line and some others might make twice the minimum [functionality] on players,” said Ling. “In my view, I shouldn’t have to know what every single player can do. Rather than downgrade my creative vision for the lowest common denominator player, I want to create something [that fully realizes Blu-ray abilities].”

Tech.co.uk CeBit interview with Olivier Van Wynendaele, Deputy General manager of HD DVD at Toshiba Ltd
He counter-claimed by declaring that Toshiba had sold 200,00 HD DVD players in the US, compared to just 30,000 true Blu-ray players.
http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/high-definition/news/toshiba-rejects-blu-ray-victory-claim?articleid=943604279

Part II New Nuggets

http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/video/dvd-hdd-players-and-receivers/blu-ray-and-hd-dvd/news/hd-dvd-fights-back-toshiba-interview-pt-2?articleid=1948698931

Toshiba's HD DVD spokesman has fought back against claims that Blu-ray is winning the HD format war. One of the chief reasons by HD DVD will succeed - or co-exist with Blu-ray - is because of the major support for Toshiba's high def format by Chinese manufacturersVan Wynendaele does believe, however, that high def discs will be more slowly adopted than was the case with HD DVD. He said there was no point talking of victory in a war that few people - outside the industry - know is being fought.In fact, he says, many European film companies are put off Blu-ray adoption because you have so few places to go to get your movie authored. This in turn means that the authoring process for Blu-ray is expensive, and that content companies are not free to set their own prices, etc. "The eco system is wider for HD DVD," he says. "It's much more competitive."Van Wynendaele also says Blu-ray overplays its hand when it tries to compare the disc capacities on Blu-ray (with 50GB discs dominating) and HD DVD (with 30GB discs dominating). The difference between the two, he argues, is that Blue-ray discs have to have the extra capacity because the default codec used for Blu-ray - MPEG2 He also believes that HD DVD players will be more future-proof than their Blu-ray equivalents. This, he says, is because all HD DVD players have built-in ethernet connections for the format's interactive features - something Blu-ray currently lacks - and that this connection will enable it to deliver upgrades to users machines in the future. This isn't possible with Blu-ray, he says, leaving you with an expensive player today that could be a lame duck technologically tomorrow. Plus some other HD DVD boilerplate plus a bizarre staement/misquote that HD DVD is mostly using AVC (obviously meant VC-1) which hurts the writer's credibility of understanding the issues.

From Warren Communications News:

SUB-$300 BLU-RAY DECKS POSSIBLE by Q4 as ‘meaningful’ shipments begin to ‘ramp strongly’ 2nd half, Sigma Designs says.

Premiere Pro CS3 to feature Blu-ray output (http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20070327/tc_macworld/cs3premiere20070327_0)

Taken from an interview in the 3/27 WSJ with Reed Hastings from Netflix:

WSJ: How important is renting HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies, the two new high-definition disc formats, for Netflix?

Hastings: Tragically small. We have all the titles on HD-DVD and Blu-ray. They're running neck-and-neck, but the total volume is less than 1% of our volume. Consumers want high-def, but the perception of a format war is freezing consumers out. Until that perception stops, very few consumers will try the new high-def discs.

Warner Turns Green (http://www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=10447)

Warner Home Video is pursuing a different kind of green.

Beginning April 1, WHV will begin using chlorine-free, 30% recycled paper in all of its DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray releases.

The studio said the switch will save enough energy to power 404 homes, prevent the emission of 43.4 million pounds of greenhouse gases, save 53,169 trees, conserve more than 19.3 million gallons of water and eliminate enough solid waste to fill 115 garbage trucks, annually.

Upcoming DVD releases of The Fountain and The Astronaut Farmer, and the HD DVD releases of The Ultimate Matrix Collection and The Complete Matrix Trilogy, among others, will incorporate a Warner Bros.-branded recycling logo.

Packaging for the DVD release of the Oscar-winning Happy Feet — a film that also includes conservation messages — was printed on recycled content.

“Warner Home Video has an ongoing charge to develop methods and practices that reinforce its commitment toward the use of renewable materials,” said president Ron Sanders. “We were fortunate to find an option that allowed us to go green without compromising quality; it’s a smart business move.”

This was originally announced for HD DVD, but no indication when that version is due.

Dragon's Lair Coming to Blu-ray Disc* in True 1080p HD (http://www.digitalleisure.com/contents/pressRelease/press_070326.htm)
Dragon's Lair Coming to Blu-ray Disc* in True 1080p HD
Fully Interactive on Sony PlayStation 3* and Blu-ray* Movie Players

GORMLEY, Ontario , Canada (March 26, 2007 )

High Definition gaming has arrived! Dragon's Lair continues to revolutionize the video-game industry by becoming the first game title ever to be released for the Blu-ray* Disc High Definition format using BD-J.

An instant hit in its 1983 arcade debut, Dragon's Lair has now been digitally restored and enhanced with an all-new 5.1 surround sound mix. The video has been transferred directly from the original film and cleaned frame by frame by Digital Leisure and authoring studio Infinite HD, creating a truly vibrant image. In addition, Dragon's Lair is the first release to be authored in the Blu-ray Java environment, or BD-J, an advanced format that allows users to enjoy a fully arcade-authentic experience .

“I've seen the newly restored footage and it just looks amazing” says Don Bluth, original creator of Dragon's Lair. “It looks even better than I can remember. The visuals, the 5.1 surround sound audio, all I can say is ‘Wow!' Now a whole new generation can enjoy Dragon's Lair all over again.”

All the special features on the disc are in full 1080p HD, including brand-new interviews with creators Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Rick Dyer, and even a full length visual commentary of the game.

Digital Leisure plans to follow up Dragon's Lair Blu-ray with the release of Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp in the Blu-ray format.

Dragons's Lair Blu-ray will be available April 9th at softare and movie retailers as well as online at www.digitalleisure.com.

Digital Leisure is a leading publisher of interactive video-based titles. The company remasters video-intensive titles that benefit from the superior video and audio quality of DVD and the newest High Definition formats.

*Sony and PlayStation 3 are a registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc and/or other Sony subsidiaries. Blu-ray is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association

Press Contact:

Paul Gold
Digital Leisure Inc.
905.888.9550 x83
paul@digitaleisure.com

Related Links:
www.digitalleisure.com www.infinitehd.com

Dragon's Lair Blu-ray will be available April 9th at many fine game retailers as well as at www.digitalleisure.com .

Sony announces improved BDP-S1E for Europe

adds HDMI 1.3, xvYCC, Dolby Digital Plus, CD playback

http://www.sony-europe.com/view/View.action?section=en_EU_Press&pressrelease=1172517899889&site=odw_en_EU&page=PressReleaseDetail

70 HD-DVD titles announced thru July

http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=525

From IMDB news

Studios Make Hi-Def Fare Available on Microsoft's Xbox
Microsoft plans to introduce an "elite" model of its Xbox360 game system that includes a 120GB hard drive -- six times larger than the current version -- and additional high-definition capability. It will have a suggested retail price of $479.99 when it becomes available beginning April 29. At the same time, Microsoft said that New Line Cinema has agreed to provide high-definition films for the Xbox Live downloading service. It will join Paramount, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate, who are already providing HD films for the service.

This was originally announced for HD DVD, but no indication when that version is due.

Dragon's Lair Coming to Blu-ray Disc* in True 1080p HD (http://www.digitalleisure.com/contents/pressRelease/press_070326.htm)

http://www.digitalleisure.com/contents/comingSoon.htm

Expected summer release for HD-DVD version.

From Variety:

Katzenberg sees digital future (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962026.html?categoryid=18&cs=1&nid=2562)

While many in Hollywood are arguing over whether Blu-ray or HD DVD will drive the future of home entertainment, Jeffrey Katzenberg has his answer: Neither.

Responding to a question at a Bank of America conference in New York on Wednesday, the DreamWorks Animation CEO told analysts that both formats are unlikely to appeal to anyone beyond videophiles.

"Blu-Ray and HD DVD are a niche business. They're not going to become the next platform," he said. "I think for the general consumer, there is not a big enough delta between the standard DVD in terms of where it is today and the next generation."

Comment isn't likely to win Katzenberg many friends among homevid execs, particularly those in the Blu-ray camp who have recently been declaring their side the winner in the format war as well as the inevitable future of optical media.
...

Video Business:

High-def player price cuts follow DVD (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6429390.html)

MARCH 30 | Prices for both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD hardware are falling faster than expected, at about the same rate of decline as standard-definition DVD players.

By December, player prices could be roughly half what they were last December, projects market researcher Understanding & Solutions.

By 2009, when the formats will have been in the market for three years each, stand-alone Blu-ray and HD DVD players and the PlayStation 3 should carry average prices of $200 to $300, according to Understanding & Solutions’ projections.

At the comparable three-year mark, DVD pricing was about $100 for entry-level players, but the players launched at a lower $550 average price in 1997.

“I think the rapid reduction of regular DVD pricing took many by surprise, and they felt this curve couldn’t be re-created with high-def, but at the moment, all evidence suggests that the price curve for the high-def formats is mirroring that of the DVD player,” said Jim Bottoms, director at Understanding & Solutions.

“Amazon.com is already quoting $350 for a [Toshiba] HD DVD player, and it has the Samsung Blu-ray player at $470. By fourth quarter, we will see sub-$300 for HD and sub-$400 for Blu-ray,” he said.
...
Sony also has announced it will roll out $599 Blu-ray players by this summer.

Retailer opinion varies on the high-def price slides.

Probably beaten to death with previous articles but.....

More news about the Matrix High def movie sets
http://www.dailytech.com/The+Matrix+Trilogy+to+Hit+HD+DVD+Before+Bluray/article6648.htm

Owc Launches New Blu-ray DVD/CD Drive Solutions

Blu-ray Internal and External Drive Solutions that are 100% compatible with any Windows or Mac system with an available IDE/ATAPI bay port

http://www.widescreenreview.com/news_detail.php?id=13090

Blue Violet Laser Diodes Roll Out For Next Gen DVD (http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800459081_480100_0803984920070402.HTM?from=RSS)

A team of University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) researchers led by Shuji Nakamura, a pioneer of laser diode science, has created a low-threshold-current, non-polar blue-violet laser diode that it says could replace the c-plane violet laser diodes used by Blu-ray and HD DVD.

The team's initial results indicate that the gallium nitride (GaN)-based non-polar laser diodes "require lower operating power and have longer lifetimes" than c-plane violet laser diodes, Nakamura said.

Indeed, he said, "it has been known for a long time that non-polar diodes are theoretically superior to c-plane-based laser diodes, specifically because they are free from polarization." But the years of effort invested in growing the crystalline material on non-polar planes have only recently yielded effective results, Nakamura said.

Nakamura's team from the Solid State Lighting and Display Center (SSLDC) at UCSB's College of Engineering reported the pulsed emission of a 405nm laser beam from a non-polar, m-plane laser diode. Rohm Co. Ltd immediately followed with an announcement that continuous lasing had been achieved at 404nm on a device grown on the m-plane.

Taiwan makers: US$499 blue-laser player models to be generally available in 2H07 (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070402PD200.html)

Samsung Electronics lowered the retail price for its Blu-ray Disc (BD) player BP-1000 by about 48% to US$469.99 in late March of 2007 and in response, Toshiba immediately reduced the US retail price for its entry-level HD DVD player HD-A2 to US$399. The price competition will lead to the situation that many BD and HD DVD player models will be launched at US$499 or less during the second half of the year, according to Taiwan makers of optical disc drives.

With US$500 regarded as an indicator of market acceptance for optical disc drives, BD or HD DVD players for sale at US$499 or lower were originally expected to come up in the fourth quarter of 2007, the sources indicated. However, Toshiba took the initiative to launch an entry-level HD DVD player, HD-E1, at a retail price of US$499 early in March 2007, triggering the US$499 price competition two quarters earlier than originally expected, the sources pointed out.

CMC And Ritek conservative in producing blue-laser optical discs (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070402PD201.html)

Although Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS), Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST), Taiwan-based Lite-on IT and Japanese brands have been making efforts to lower production costs of Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD burners to promote the adoption of the two blue-laser standards, CMC Magnetics and Ritek, the top two makers of optical discs in Taiwan, are comparatively conservative about investing in the production of blank BD-R and/or HD DVD-R discs to match the potential demand for such burners, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

While CMC and Ritek are capable of producing blank BD and HD DVD discs, Sony, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) and TDK currently dominate the global supply of such discs, the sources indicated.

As writing speeds of BD and HD DVD burners are expected to be upgraded from 2.4-4x currently to 6-8x and major brands may launch price competition in the second half of 2007, CMC's and Ritek's conservative attitude may result in a lag in the global supply of blank BD and HD DVD discs, the source pointed out.

"Blu-ray Disc Specification Change Threatens Current Players"[

http://www.dailytech.com/Bluray+Disc+Specification+Change+Threatens+Current+Players/article6702.htm

"Blu-ray Disc Java is coming this fall, and it may be incompatible with some of today's machines"

“Blu-ray player requirements and BD-Java specifications have been gradually changed over and over again, which has caused a good amount of grief for player manufacturers,” said optical storage analyst Wesley Novack. “


[mod changed color back to default by popular demand]

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.html?040307/040307_fr_porn&FOX_Report&Porn%20industry%20pushes%20TV%20tech&acc&Technology&-1&News&122&&&new

News--a week late--from the BDA's meeting in Fukuoka...well, news is such a *strong* word...more like tidbits...we don't have a tidbits thread, so this will have to do for now...as always, this is a fabrication of my mind...

-- The GPC reported that a recent survey indicated 90% of current owners have watched one or more BD movies on their PS3...more than 75% of current owners plan to use PS3 as a *primary* movie viewing device...72% of current PS3 owners also plan to rent one or more BD movies...and 100% of participants in this survey successfully answered correctly on the pre-survey survey

-- The GPC noted that they are expecting "key" next gen HW launches to accelerate sales in the U.S., including a next gen Panny set to launch soon...and it doesn't appear to be the BD10A

-- The GPC is going to add a lot more content to the BDA website..."adding significantly more consumer info while maintaining our (easily hackable) industry/BDA member areas"...they are also going to have a link/info page that centralizes all player firmware updates, to be managed by the BDA Playability Task Force, just as soon as they hire a few thousand people

-- Look for a new Blu-ray newsletter called...wait for it..."The Blu View"...there having some delays in launching its video counterpart, though...Rosie's allergic to the blue dye

-- The BDA has formally kicked off a new PR campaign called "Phase Hydra"....its purpose is to seed "high profile" forums with Blu-ray advocates and target bloggers to promote Blu-ray to get the word out to the world...the campaign will also focus on "smaller, independent studio issues"...

-- In other news, I think Blu-ray absolutely rocks...HD DVD was such a stupid idea...I don't know about you, but I feel like buying a few Blu-ray decks...RIGHT NOW!

-- BD-R v1.2 adds LtH (in groove) to the existing HtL (on groove) spec...for HtL, 4x is optional for SL and DL...but they had problems with LtH, so only 1x/2x is mandated for SL...there is no DL LtH at any speed...so, speed metal continues to rock...tie dye trippin is still slow and single

-- In an absolute shocker, for padded bits on BD50s, the Last User Data Address will be *different* from the last PSN of the Data Zone! Man...I never thought I'd see this happen...just when you think you've seen it all...

-- BD-RE Part 3 v2.0 "BDAV" now adds AVC support and an "HDMV compatible TS" to the mix to support longer recording of broadcast content...I assume AVC broadcast encoding is happening in Japan? Surely this can't be for transcoding on the fly...

-- Not a single word from the JTC about slipping Profile 1.1 to 10/31/07

-- The BD-ROM player test spec moves from 2.11 to 2.12 in May...tools for "Final Standard Profile" (AKA Profile 1.1) and ROM Profile 2 (AKA BD-Live) are still under continued development...as of June 2007, no test tools for either profile are expected to be approved, but compliance test dates are scheduled for this summer for both profiles...gee...I wonder why they slipped the Profile 1.1 mandatory cutover date...

-- ...when it turns out that they don't even need to test things anymore to get certification?!? The BDA has authorized a new "120 Day Notice Rule"...if a required test tool isn't available when a compliance test is scheduled, instead of delaying the test to wait for the tool, all test items which require the test tool are simply removed from the compliance test...only when the required tool is introduced, applicants must use the tool to test compliance, and then they have 120 days to report their results back to the BDA...so, let's see...do I really want to be the first on my block to have a Profile 1.1 or BD-Live player? Let us all pray to the temple of Firmware Updatability, for it is good...

-- Don't you hate it when you're a BD-ROM replicator, and you're legally liable for complying for all format books, but you can't check the logical layer of stuff these idiot content authors send you? Well, my friend, the BDA feels your pain and is prepared to do practically nothing about it...instead of changing the licenses to reflect that content authors are responsible for authoring valid content and that replicators need only worry about replicating what they are given, the BDA has created a new taskforce, the BMMV-TF, to study the issue until the sun goes red giant on us

-- Congrats to the BDA Compliance Committee for coming in $146K under budget in 2006...it's amazing how much money you can save by not running tests...

-- The BDA has allotted $260K in 2007 for the "China Taskforce"...I know it's a big decision and all--the wife and I spent months looking--but isn't that a lot of money to spend picking out a pattern?

-- Blu-ray has a new legal entity in town...the BDAAC...they're either promoting burning iTunes downloads on BD-R/RE, or it's an attempt by the BDA to replace itself through the creation of a mirror-image California 510(c)(6) incorporated organization that will ultimately subsume the unincorporated BDA...the goal is "to create one legal entity...to rule them all...with sufficient power to control, maintain, and enforce IP"...is there an accountant in the house? Hell, is there a doctor in the house? I think the BDA just had a heart attack! The BDA is dead...long live the BDA! By the way, current BDA members have 60 days from the creation of the BDAAC to join and comply, or they get booted to the curb...why do I think that the BDAAC is going to misplace Samsung and LG's applications?

-- Did someone say Blu-ray interactivity issues? TEG2 has created 800+ amendments to the BD-ROM application spec since its creation to "provide clarity" and "reduce inconsistencies in implementations"...TEG2 will continue updating their Guideline Book every month, with recommendations, sample BD-J code, recipes, Hints from Heloise, etc.

-- Every wonder why creating the BD-RE v3/BD-R v2 books was so important? Well, duh, it allows content authors to test unencrypted BDMV on recordable media...thanks, BDMV-TF!

-- Stop calling Profile 1.1, Profile 1.1...it wants to be called "Final Standard Profile"...oh, those debutantes...so chic...

-- I've seen the BD-LIVE logo, and I think the BDA needs to take some of money saved by the Compliance Committee and hire a new graphics designer

-- In one of the most awkwardly ominous wordings ever put into PowerPoint, the BDA urges all hardware manufacturers and content providers to use the new BD-ROM Testing Center in Universal City, CA to "to preapre (sic) for the challenges ahead"...I don't know if preapring will help, but man, let's hope they get prepared!

-- The 3C kids *still* don't have the final ROM Mark License agreement in place...work continues

-- Either Andy Parsons was too lazy to update his slides, or the BD+ System Content Participant Agreement still isn't finished...nor is the Eligible Code Developer Agreement...so, unless something's changed since 3/27/07, as of right now, content providers *still* can't legally release a disc with BD+ yet...that explains the Fox delays...even if they have the technical side all worked out (big if), the legal side is still in the oven...some on, BD+ Agent...um, I mean Sony!

2007 JavaOne(SM) Conference Opens More Possibilities for Attendees Through Business Day and Blu-ray Disc/Cable Day
JavaOne (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070404/sfw044.html?.v=97)

Sun Microsystems, Inc. , today announced that in addition to the 250 conference sessions, 117 BOFs and 15 Hands-on-Labs, the 2007 conference will offer two special one-day tracks -- Java Technology Business Day and Java Technology in TV: Blu-ray Disc and Cable Day.

Java Technology in TV: Blu-ray Disc and Cable Day - Thursday, May 10th

In recognition of the tremendous rate of growth for Java technology in the television market and the skyrocketing demand for developers in this area, the 2007 JavaOne conference will feature a special track of sessions and events around digital television software technologies and markets. Produced in conjunction with CableLabs and major motion picture studios, Blu-ray Disc and Cable Day will feature topics including:

-- A kickoff presentation detailing the current status and future
prospects for the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) and Blu-ray
Disc technologies
-- An overview of OCAP technical features and API's
-- A detailed discussion of how to develop OCAP applications
-- The roadmap for future interactive services on cable TV
-- Producing Blu-ray Java (BD-J) software titles for Hollywood
-- The role of Java technology in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)

Blu-ray Disc and Cable Day attendees will also gain admission to Thursday evening's JavaOne conference After Dark event and Friday morning's General Session with James Gosling, vice president and Sun Fellow. More information on Blu-ray Disc and Cable Day can be found at: http://java.sun.com/javaone/sf/javatvday.jsp

AVS forum report on Panasonic's 2007 High Definition Display & More line show is in this AVS thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=829706) in the CE Pro & Electronic House News & Articles forum. Jason Unger reports "Panasonic 'Quite Confident' Blu-ray Will Succeed".

Sony sold 27K units of PS3 in Australia

That translates to 27,083 PS3 units sold, said GfK analyst Daniel Morse, whose figures are based on sales data provided by all of Australia's major retailers.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/sony-scores-33m-from-ps3-sales/2007/04/05/1175366378265.html

Paramount Set to Debut Two John Wayne Classics on HD DVD

Paramount Home Entertainment may be on the verge of releasing the first high-def versions of two John Wayne classics, according to a new schedule update at the HD DVD Promotions Group official website.

The two Wayne titles, 'Rio Bravo' and 'The Cowboy,' were just added to the HD DVD Promotions Group's upcoming title roster at www.TheLookandSoundofPerfect.com, complete with box cover art. No date was given in the update, however, with the titles simply grouped under the "Upcoming Releases" section.

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Paramount/Disc_Announcements/Paramount_Set_to_Debut_Two_John_Wayne_Classics_on_HD_DVD/561

Video Business: High-def delivery delays due to replication

Retailers report Blu-ray, HD DVD arrive after street date

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6430991.html

Thought this was interesting about the 'real' number of discs sold for some titles

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/nielsentrackingreporttellswhichhdsells/4401

http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/entertainment/dvd_-_player/hd_dvd_beats_bluray

HD DVD has landed a major hit on Blu-Ray, with the Toshiba HD-XE1 winning the Best Hi-Def Player at the Home Cinema Choice awards. The deck saw off competition from two Blu-ray units, by Panasonic and Samsung, to take top honours.

Andy Parsons attempts to explain the blu-ray profiles...

New specs for next-generation Blu-ray players (http://www.techworld.nl/idgns/2879/new-specs-for-next-generation-blu-ray-players.html)

If BD-Java is shipping today, why the confusion? "This fall," explains Parsons, "is the end of a grace period. Any new Blu-ray Disc player model introduced after October 31 must now fully comply with the full range of existing Blu-ray Disc player specifications."
"What's caused the confusion is that BD-Java will be utilized to implement these new capabilities. It's not that this is a new version of Java, it's just the code that will be used to run these features," Parsons says.

Corel Releases Important Update for InterVideo WinDVD (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.watch.impress.co.jp%2Fav%2Fdocs %2F20070406%2Fwindvd.htm&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)

April 6 and 2007
To our valued InterVideo WinDVD Customers,

Today Corel is releasing an important new security update for InterVideo WinDVD. We have taken this step to ensure that our customers continue to enjoy the latest HD DVD and BD content.

Please be aware that failure to apply the update will result in AACS-protected HD DVD and BD playback being disabled.

In the battle over next-gen DVDs, the winner may be decided more by price than by which format has the most backers...

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070406_288377.htm?campaign_id=alerts

Porn could be key to next-generation DVD War (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0435538720070406)

In the battle over next generation DVDs, pornography could prove to be the XXX factor that helps determine a winner.

"If the porn industry wanted to break the logjam of HD-DVD and Blu-ray, it could," McQuivey said. "If they said 'We are going to go with HD-DVD' you would see a few million homes immediately go out and buy HD-DVD players. They have that power."

The founder of adult studio Digital Playground -- whose films include "Island Fever 3" and "Pirates" -- believes Blu-ray backers are erring in not embracing porn as they fight over billions of dollars in royalties.

"The reason they should want to work with us is that they are in a war with HD-DVD and in a war you would want as many people in your corner," said Joone, the Digital Playground founder who goes by one name.

Joone said in an ideal world Digital Playground would offer films in both formats. Instead, he sees Sony and other Blu-ray backers pushing the adult entertainment industry toward HD-DVD, whose supporters he said have welcomed porn producers.


"In general we need to have one format because it cuts down the confusion in the marketplace for the consumer," Joone said. "HD-DVD has helped us tremendously to get titles out."

Fastmac offers Blu-ray upgrade for laptops (http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/04/06/fastmac/index.php)

Fastmac on Friday announced a Blu-ray optical disk upgrade for Apple PowerBooks, iBooks and MacBook Pros. The upgrade costs $799.95. The low-profile drive also works in Mac minis. Fastmac estimates delivery within 10 days.

corrected link

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6430991.html

Video Business: High-def delivery delays due to replication

Retailers report Blu-ray, HD DVD arrive after street date

Originally from Financial Times...Run by many major publications...

Toshiba takes European lead over Sony in HD (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18013123/)

Aficionados of European cinema who would like to watch films such as Roberto Benigni's award-winning The Tiger and the Snow in high definition, may, for the time being at least, have to buy a HD-DVD player rather than a Blu-Ray Disc machine.

A number of European independent film studios and DVD production companies are opting for Toshiba's HD-DVD format over the rival Sony technology, thanks to a strong support programme by the HD-DVD camp and concerns over the price of Blu-Ray technology.

Rodolphe Buet, head of business and marketing at Studio Canal, says: "I have met much more commitment from partners involved with HD-DVD than Blu-Ray. I met Sony in mid-2006 but the support was far below what was offered by the HD-DVD partners."

The cost of production is also an issue. Normal DVD production lines can be upgraded to produce HD-DVDs, whereas for Blu-Ray, companies need to buy completely new equipment.

A HD-DVD replication line costs about €800,000 ($1m) and you can make 40,000 discs a day on it. A Blu-Ray replication line costs €1.7m or €1.8m and you can make 10,000 to 15,000 discs a day," says Laurent Villaume, chief executive of Qol, a French DVD replication company. "The risk is just not the same."
Interesting stuff...

Retailers Explore Movie Download Options ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070408/ap_on_hi_te/online_movies

Sonic Releases White Papers on High-Definition Format Production (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070409/20070409005334.html?.v=1)

Sonic Solutions®, the leader in digital media software, today released a key set of comprehensive high-definition white papers that provide professional content creators and authoring facilities with the knowledge and expertise required to effectively and efficiently create rich HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles. Sonic's white papers cover all aspects of high-definition title production from format technical specifications and capabilities to extensive information on project planning, preparation, and execution. Essential tools for authoring houses initiating high-definition services, the white papers also serve to help firms with high-definition experience establish best practices and streamline their production efforts. The white papers are available direct from Sonic as a free download (www.sonic.com/HD/whitepapers).

Sonic's Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD white papers provide detailed information on enabling and optimizing operations for high-definition services. The white papers take a fresh look at the format specifications, unravel the complexities of advanced content creation, and provide practical overview of the infrastructure, skill sets, and workflow involved in high-definition production.

White Paper Main Topics:

* Key Capabilities and Physical Specifications: Overview of the benefits of next-generation formats beyond better picture and audio quality
* Technical Specifications: Covers the basics and beyond, including a comprehensive overview of advanced interactive content creation and the information needed to master HDi and BD-J
* Production in Practice: Entire production planning and workflow explained, including sections on high-definition authoring and encoding tools, quality control measures, and premastering, replication, and packaging requirements
* Business Planning: Tips and insights to help firms begin and optimize their high-definition production business
* FAQ: Answers to the most common questions regarding high-definition formats and production

Home Media Magazine's Annual Summit Returns to L.A. (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070409/20070409005194.html?.v=1)

A key annual event for the home entertainment industry returns to Los Angeles June 18 and 19 as Home Media Magazine presents the Sixth Annual Home Entertainment Summit: DVD and Beyond.

This year's event, again held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, expands to two days and focuses on the three key components of today's home entertainment market: DVD, next-generation high-definition optical disc and electronic delivery.

There will be three tracks of seminars and workshops, as well as two market research super sessions featuring the latest findings from Understanding & Solutions and other key analysts and market researchers.

* The DVD track will feature the return of the celebrated Presidents Panel as well as focused sessions on the state of the business, future projections, the TV DVD market and other key issues.
* The "Next Generation" track will explore the future of packaged media and provide updates on the progress Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD are making in the market.
* And the "Electronic Delivery" track will provide a comprehensive look at all the ways consumers are bringing entertainment into the home, from dedicated movie downloading services such as Movielink and CinemaNow to video-sharing sites, Intel's Viiv and other delivery mechanisms.

Sony to leave three-way microship development pact (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070407/tc_nm/sony_chips_dc_1)

Sony, Toshiba Corp and NEC Electronics Corp said in February 2006 they would co-develop technologies to make system chips with circuitry width of 45 nanometers, sharing hefty costs and pooling technological expertise.

They announced in December they had developed technologies for volume production of the advanced chips, and the contract between the three expired in March.

But Toshiba and NEC Electronics, the semiconductor unit of NEC Corp. , plan to sign a new contract to develop energy-saving and other technologies to improve the next-generation chips, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.

Since any development efforts in the next stage would have more to do with actual production than the initial phase and Sony is considering contracting out production of 45-nanometer chips, it will not renew its contract with Toshiba and NEC Electronics, a Sony spokesman said.

Sony Executive Deputy President Yutaka Nakagawa said in February the company would cut back on future chip spending and may not produce advanced chips in-house, in a move aimed at driving the semiconductor unit's nascent earnings recovery.

Officials at Toshiba and NEC Electronics were not immediately available for comment.

Replication equipment sales: why the pattern has changed (http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/04/OTO_Apr07_P33-36_Equipment.pdf)

“If demand was there, you would have no choice but to expand,”says Peter Berghammer,CEO of consultancy Copernio.“I just don’t see any real reason to acquire new equipment”– due to the lack of demand. But from Berghammer’s perspective, the real battle is not necessarily between the two formats, but rather physical media versus other forms of entertainment content distribution in general. With alternative forms of home delivery of content on the scene,“the competition this time is radically different than in the past,”says Berghammer. His point has been proven in the audio industry, where competing formats SACD and DVD-Audio were launched, only to both fail miserably to downloading of MP3 audio files.

Evatone’s Franzen says that vendors are not even making much effort to sell next-generation equipment. “I have talked with a number of equipment vendors; I don’t believe they are pushing equipment for the same reason we are not looking for equipment, and that is the uncertainty of the market,” he says. “No matter what the format, no one right now wants to invest capital until we all have a better idea where the market is going...they are spending more time talking with us about what we see. They want to be ready with whatever equipment is going to make it to the independent manufacturers.”

From Franzen’s perspective, it is a sad state of affairs. “This is the crux of the problem with us middle- and lower-tier replicators; we are sitting on the sidelines waiting for Sony, Philips, Toshiba and so on to make a decision for us,” he says. Franzen would like to see replicators take a more proactive stance, and start to push back in the opposite direction a bit. He unabashedly feels that HD DVD is the direction to move. “Why are we not telling the equipment manufacturers what format we are going to produce? Our customers are now asking for HD format products. As soon as Best Buy, Circuit City and Radio Shack start offering consumer HD video recorders, consumers [will begin] buying big-screen HD TVs, and they are going to want to produce their product in HD. So, what do we – the middle- to lower-tier independent manufacturers – say to our customers when they ask us what format would be best for them: HD DVD or Blu-ray? I have to and will tell them HD DVD. Why? Because it is the most cost-effective way for me to provide HD product to my client base, not to mention that if they want Blu-ray, they can only get it from Sony. If I wanted to buy Blu-ray replication equipment, I would have to buy it from Sony, if they would sell it. Why? Because no other manufacturer has been able to perfect the equipment.

“I think it is time for us – the independent middle- and lower-tier replicators – to take charge of our future and the future of our customers and back HD DVD now,” Franzen continues.“We as a group have the ability to make a change, to educate our customer base, to provide an HD product at a lower cost to our customer base and have the ability to do it now. Why do we sit and wait for Sony and others to direct what we as a group should or can provide to our customers? There is so much equipment out there, at low prices, auctions really aren’t needed.

AACS releases security update for HD DVD, Blu-ray playback
http://www.tgdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31553

Additional info....

Cracked HD-DVD and Blu-Ray app keys revoked
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/10/cracked_aacs_keys_revoked/

Americas: optical disc market to remain strong to 2012 at least (http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/04/OTO_Apr07_P22-24_Markets.pdf)

THE NEW HIGH DEFINITION FORMATS were introduced far too late in 2006 to have had any trueeffect in the US as yet.“Japan will lead the market in high definition and will be 10% of the market by 2011,” says Herman. What’s the key to success of high definition for North America? Consumer acceptance of high definition televisions. The good news is that during the holiday season 2006, HDTVs were by far the largest growing category of consumer electronics. “Consumers need the television before they will even consider buying a player, let alone a recorder,” says Herman. In the US, it is estimated that over one-third of households have an HD-ready television.

Freeman gets a bit more specific.“Blue-laser is still in its embryonic stage, with about 30 million discs expected to ship in 2007 in North America and none expected to ship in Latin America. By 2012, North America will consume around 2.3 billion discs and Latin America about 710 million.”

Herman says Imation doesn’t expect to see measurable numbers for Blu-ray or HD DVD until 2008; however, the company just opened an HD DVD/Blu-ray facility in Oakdale, Minnesota.“It’s our second optical production site which right now produces both products.”

Screen Digest’s Cooper says the Blu-ray Trojan horse is the PlayStation 3. “The question remains whether users go on to buy Blu-ray movies. ”While units may not be selling as quickly as they expected, that may be in part due to the reduced shipments… only about 2 million players were in the market at the time of this writing. “The main worry in the industry is that enthusiasm for the unproven video-on-demand sections of the market will take people’s eye away from pre-recorded media.We might end up with a situation like with Sony’s UMD. That’s something people are quite concerned about.”If one format costs even 25 cents per disc over another in 2012, that times 2.3 billion discs is $575 million in 2012 North America alone. Can that sway the war? Less total $ of course until 2012, but BD differential over HD DVD is currently way more than 25 cents. If Sony is subsidizing the major studios, this could be a serious impediment to widespread BD deployment...

First Look Announces 'The Contract' On HD DVD (http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=541)


First Look Studios, fresh off recently pledging their high definition home video allegiance to HD DVD, has announced 'The Contract' starring Morgan Freeman and John Cusack will be released on HD DVD July 24, day-and-date with the standard DVD release.

Details surrounding the HD DVD version are still sketchy at this point so the best we can do is draw from specs and features confirmed for the DVD. That version will include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery andpreviews, and will offer both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks. Will First Look offer DTS-HD lossless audio, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 or port over audio directly off the DVD? It might take a few weeks for First Look to divulge that answer.

'The Contract' on HD DVD will carry an SRP of $32.98, four bucks more than the DVD version. We'll have high resolution artwork to share as soon as it's available.

Not notable for the fact that a disc is coming out, but rather that a new studio is supporting HD-DVD.

20GB PlayStation 3 Consoles Become Extinct
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6836

Retailers speaking with DailyTech are saying otherwise, however, showing that the 20GB PlayStation 3 hasn’t been on the order sheets for months now. “The word I get from head office is that the 20GB has been discontinued across the country,” said Chris P., manager of an EB Games store. “I’d like to have at least a couple 20GB [consoles] on hand to offer customers who get sticker shock [from the price of the 60GB model], but I haven’t seen any on order for months.”

The entry level BD player is now the Samsung BD-P1000 which sells online for about the same price as what the 20GB PS3 sold for.

**************Update***************

Sony Confirms 20GB PS3 as Discontinued
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6883

“Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America,” Karraker (senior director of corporate communications for SCEA) confirmed.

Ops ,, another HD DVD player from Toshiba. Toshiba is now shipping the the HD A20 mid range model. It also does 1080p. Yupe if you think you cant live without 1080p, pay $100 more its yours. the MRSP price is now $499 but with the XA2 selling at <>$620, you can surely get it for less :P


Toshina now cover the high end market with HD XA2 that is also acknowledged to be the best standard dvd up convert player in the industry :P . XA2 has the MSRP of $999 before it was reduced to $799 on April 1st. The player can be obtained at <>$620 from retailers such as Amazon or VE.


The entry level 1080i model is more those who do not need 1080p, those who are without a 1080p display and would not want to pay for 1080p (yupe - basically 90% of the general consumer) HD A2's MSRP = $399 but the A2 can be obtained at <>$320

As promised, Toshiba is shipping the HD-A20 to retailers with a MSRP of $499, but can probably be found online for even less. The HD-A20 fits right in the middle of Toshiba's trio of HD DVD players, which make up all of the stand alone HD DVD players available. The extra benjamin over the HD-A2 gets you HDMI 1.3 and 1080p output, but it lacks a few video enhancements like deep color support and additional connections like RS-232 when compared with its bigger brother, the HD-XA2. If this is any indication of what we can expect from second generation HD DVD players, Toshiba is on its way to producing some of the best next-gen physical media movie players anywhere -- at least until Blu-ray finally gets BD-J live done in October.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2007/03/hd-a20-beauty.jpg

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/11/toshiba...-hd-dvd-player/ (http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/11/toshiba-begins-shipping-hd-a20-hd-dvd-player/)

Toshiba launches HD-A20 HD DVD player


Toshiba America Consumer Products, a unit of Toshiba Japan, has launched its newest HD DVD , the HD-A20, now shipping to US retailers. The model adds to Toshiba's second generation of HD DVD players.

With 1080p output capability, Toshiba's HD-A20 joins the existing Toshiba HD DVD line-up which includes the entry level HD-A2 and the top of the line, HD-XA2. This expanded line of products reportedly offers enhanced functionalities of the HD DVD format.

Through an HDMI interface, DVD content can be upconverted to near HD picture quality. 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.

All of Toshiba's HD DVD players feature interactive capabilities and an Ethernet port to support networking, to provide users with the potential to download content like streaming audio commentary, new audio languages and new HD trailers when a network-enabled HD DVD disc is played.

http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/default.asp?ArticleID=23627

In somewhat of a shocker, God of War creator David Jaffe has admitted that if he could change something about PS3, he would have removed its Blu-ray player and sold the console at a cheaper price.

Jaffe: I Would Not Have Included Blu-ray in PS3 (http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15762)

When asked what he would change about the PlayStation 3, he responded, "I probably would have taken the Blu-ray out and sold it for less money." Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but Sony certainly doesn't seem to view the inclusion of Blu-ray as a mistake. Jaffe didn't outright label it a mistake either, but he's the first Sony employee (to this editor's knowledge) to even question the need for Blu-ray.

Sonic and Digital Vision Team Up To Deliver Ultimate in High-Def Video Mastering (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070412/20070412005401.html?.v=1)

Sonic Integrates Digital Vision Processing Into Its CineVision Encoding Solution for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

Sonic Solutions® , the leader in digital media software, and Digital Vision, a leading developer of advanced digital media applications for film and video, announced today a strategic partnership to integrate Digital Vision's best-of-class DVO finishing tools for high-definition video content with Sonic's CineVision(TM) high-definition encoding platform for AVC, VC-1 and MPEG-2 stream creation. Sonic will offer Digital Vision's image enhancement technologies - including tools for managing film grain, reducing unwanted electronic noise, and increasing picture sharpness - with its well known CineVision encoder. The CineVision/Digital Vision combination will enable authoring facilities to efficiently master high-definition titles for the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats with the highest possible image quality. Sonic and Digital Vision will be demonstrating the integrated solution at NAB (Stand SL4314), April 16th to the 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/04/currys_lay_clai.html#more

Wow...

Who Is Drawing Out The High-Def DVD Stalemate? (http://www.internetnews.com/storage/article.php/3671091)

"Everything I've been told is a lot of people in the HD DVD camp were ready to throw in the towel in late 2005 and something kept them from doing it," he said. "Microsoft seems to be the company that is running around crowing the loudest about HD DVD."

On at least some levels, it would make sense. Blu-ray is a Sony creation and its interactivity is powered by Java. Microsoft has no love for either Sony or Sun. Microsoft and Sony are battling for the videogame console market, and its .Net framework is a competitor to Java. Sony did not return a request for comment.

Kevin Collins, the HD DVD Evangelist for Microsoft (Quote), denied his company scuttled any deal. "Microsoft was a neutral company and supported both formats." At least in the beginning, he said.

Microsoft didn't want to see a format war, either, and went to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), the consortium behind the format and led by Sony, and said it would support both formats if the BDA would agree to three things: support the same codecs in HD DVD; support the same audio standards; and support the same security standards.

"If everything but the physical layer was the same, Microsoft would have supported both formats," said Collins. The BDA met and voted the offer down.

And now it seems the physical layer was also an issue. Mark Knox, an adviser to the Toshiba HD DVD division for Toshiba America consumer products, also denied that Microsoft sabotaged the deal, and said that format structure was non-negotiable with Sony. And on and on...BDA seems very jittery. Why?

thread for discussion here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=833423).

Samusng goes neutral

Samsung says Duo HD BD-UP5000 dual-format Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player on the way
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/12/samsung-bd-up5000-dual-format-blu-ray-hd-dvd-combo-player-on-the/

Samusng goes neutral

Samsung says Duo HD BD-UP5000 dual-format Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player on the way
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/12/samsung-bd-up5000-dual-format-blu-ray-hd-dvd-combo-player-on-the/Every now and then we get to say "I told you so". This is one of those times.

UPDATE - Samsung to launch dual Blu-ray HD DVD player (http://www.computerpartner.nl/article.php?news=int&id=4995)

So it might appear to consumers more than a little ironic that Samsung, which helped create the format mess in the first place, is trying to push the new player as something it's doing because it thinks of consumers ahead of business.

"Our main concern is with the consumer and not a particular technology," said Kwak.Ahhaaa.

EDIT:

http://www.tech2.com/india/news/dvd-players/samsung-to-release-duo-hd-player/5128/0

Samsung is flexible to market a stand-alone HD-DVD player whenever consumers demand it. Our main concern is not technology but consumer choice" said Dongsoo Jun, Executive Vice President of the Digital AV Division at Samsung Electronics.

BD-Plus technology timetable accelerated (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6433561.html)

After unexpected attacks on high-definition disc copy-protection, studios are speeding up development of one potential weapon, BD-Plus (BD+) technology.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment believes it will deliver a BD+ enhanced disc by the end of 2007.
Currently, Sony and a number of other studios are in various stages of approving BD+ use for Blu-ray titles. No Blu-ray backer is required to include BD+.

In addition to Sony, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment also is known to be keen on implementing BD+ on its titles.
However, sources indicate that all testing of BD+ on currently available Blu-ray players has been completed. For the last few months, studios also have been working with a variety of BD+ test discs.

Spy Report - Lite-On Product Roadmap (http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4847)
HD DVD and Blu-ray - This summer, Lite-On will launch internal and external 4x Blu-ray Disc writers as well as HD DVD-ROM and BD-ROM drives. The company also has plans to introduce 8x Blu-ray disc writers in the spring of 2008 and by the fall, a dual format Blu-ray/HD DVD writer. All of these drives will support Serial ATA.

Lite-On IT delayed in securing OEM Xbox 360 HD DVD orders (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070414PD200.html)

Microsoft originally planned to select Taiwan-based Lite-On IT as a new OEM maker for its Xbox 360 external HD DVD accessory with shipments to begin in April. However, Lite-On IT has had to delay its volume production schedule as it has not yet received product certification from Microsoft, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

In response, Lite-On IT declined to comment.

Toshiba currently undertakes OEM production of such HD DVD drives which are for sale mainly in the US market, the sources indicated. In order to minimize OEM costs and to prepare for the launch of the HD DVD drives in the Asia Pacific market in the spring of 2007, Microsoft planned to place OEM orders with Lite-On IT, the sources pointed out. While Lite-On IT has devoted R&D effort in order to fulfill the deal, Microsoft has very high product standards which are causing the certification process to take longer than originally expected, the sources noted.

With Taiwan-based Foxconn (Hon-Hai Precision Industry) having obtained certification for the Blu-ray Disc equipped PlayStation 3 (PS3) from Sony, with volume production possibly starting in the second half of 2007, the sources indicated. This could potentially give the PS3 a potential advantage in terms of volume over the Xbox 360. To avoid this Microsoft is unlikely to delay the certification and release OEM orders to Lite-On IT long than necessary, the sources pointed out.

Link (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/14/microsoft_vc-1_codec_analysis/)

Sixteen companies, including MS are entitled to royalties earned from the use of VC-1.

Out of the 125 patents required to use VC-1 only two of them have been attributed to Microsoft.

Discussion (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10297290#post10297290)