HiDef DVD News VII - News Only : AND WE MEAN IT: NEWS ONLY [Text View] - Page 14

PaulGo

10-28-07, 09:03 PM

Blu-Ray Disc Gets Momentum Here
10-28-2007 18:03
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
Blu-ray discs are taking an edge over HD-DVD discs in the fledgling high-definition (HD) video market with strong support from big firms such as Samsung Electronics and Korea Telecom.

Samsung said it is working together with Sony for Blu-ray movie titles and players in Seoul. Korea Telecom also forged a strategic partnership with the Japanese company, which is the leader of the Blu-ray team, to launch an Internet-based TV service based on PlayStation3 console next month.

``The local Blu-ray market is starting to heat up as the supply of Full HD TVs and Full HD projectors is increasing and more movie titles are released,'' said Jun Dong-soo, executive vice president of Samsung's audio and video division. ``We will spur the growth of the market with new players that can satisfy consumers in both price and quality.''

Neither of Blu-ray and HD-DVD gained a strong foothold in Korea or in other countries. In the beginning, they received a lot of attention from the industry, which thought they would soon replace the vernacular DVD discs. However, as of now fewer than 40 movie titles are available in Korea and none of them have sold more than 2,000 copies.

In the beginning, Samsung was one of ardent supporters of the Blu-ray group and it had downplayed the HD-DVD format, which is bolstered by Toshiba and several major movie producers in the United States. But since last year, the firm changed its position to a neutral one because the meager sales of both formats made it hard to predict which would be the eventual winner. So instead of devoting itself to Blu-ray, Samsung sold an expensive dual player that can play both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats.

Recent moves, however, showed that the electronics giant has finally settled on the Blu-Ray side. Last week, it launched a 600000 won Blu-Ray player, far more affordable than the one-million won model first introduced last year. The following weekend, the firm held a public showcase for the P1400 player and other beam projectors at the COEX exhibition center in southern Seoul together with Sony Pictures. The event was watched by members of DVD Prime, a prominent movie society on the Internet.

Korea Telecom, the telephone and Internet line operator, made a more ambitious move to utilize the HD video fever. The company said last month that it would soon connect its Internet-based TV broadcasting service to Sony's PlayStation 3 game console for the first time in the world. This is supposed to be a win-win strategy, as consumers will be able to use the console box as a Blu-ray player and set-top box for HD TV, it said.

The Blu-ray technology uses a blue-violet laser to read and write the disc. Because of the shorter wavelength of the blue-violet laser, compared to the red laser used for DVDs and CDs, it can store up to 25 gigabytes of information on a single disk, about five times more than a DVD.

In comparison to HD-DVD, which also uses a blue laser, Blu-ray disc has more information capacity per layer, but is known to be more costly to manufacturer.

One of the two formats was thought to replace the current DVD format to become a new market standard by around next year. But so far, the transition to the HD format has been far slower than expected due to high prices and lack of content.

Market reports are showing that the Blu-ray has nevertheless taken a sharp edge over HD-DVD in the format war worldwide. According to Home Media Magazine, American consumers bought 2.6 million Blu-ray discs in the first nine months of the year and just 1.4 million HD-DVD discs.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/10/123_12659.html

2Channel

10-28-07, 10:47 PM

Blu-Ray Disc Gets Momentum Here
10-28-2007 18:03
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/10/123_12659.html

You copied the whole article except for the closing sentence.

In Korea, Warner and Sony Pictures are planning to release some 50 movie titles for either Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats by December, including blockbusters such as ``The Transformers.''

Interesting that no one at Samsung was quoted as saying they were refocusing on Blu-Ray. I wonder if this mean that they won't cancel the new BD-P2400 after all.

crassp

10-29-07, 02:45 AM

and this also:

Neither of Blu-ray and HD-DVD gained a strong foothold in Korea or in other countries. In the beginning, they received a lot of attention from the industry, which thought they would soon replace the vernacular DVD discs. However, as of now fewer than 40 movie titles are available in Korea and none of them have sold more than 2,000 copies.

crassp

10-29-07, 11:21 AM

New Sony Players Cheat Blu-ray Specification Deadline (http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/sony-blu-ray-specification-deadline)

In the market for a new profile 1.1 Blu-ray disc player to make sure that the player has all the latest features such as picture in picture commentary?

Sony doesn’t have it covered.

John Dawson

10-29-07, 03:32 PM

lomax

10-29-07, 03:32 PM

Possible solid state revolution on the horizon

Terabyte Thumb Drives Made Possible by Nanotech Memory

Researchers have developed a low-cost, low-power computer memory that could put terabyte-sized thumb drives in consumers' pockets within a few years.

Thanks to a new technique for manipulating charged copper particles at the molecular scale, researchers at Arizona State University say their memory is, bit-for-bit, one-tenth the cost of -- and 1,000 times as energy-efficient as -- flash memory, the predominant memory technology in iPhones and other mobile devices.

"A thumb drive using our memory could store a terabyte of information," says Michael Kozicki, director of ASU's Center for Applied Nanoionics, which developed the technology. "All the current limitations in portable electronic storage could go away. You could record video of every event in your life and store it."

More http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2007/10/ion_memory

I did not see a future in flash as there was a upward limit on the size the memory modules. But this break though ends all that, if we really see the first product 18 months away it could spell the end for HD Disk media.

PaulGo

10-29-07, 07:41 PM

Jupiter: Blu-ray-HD DVD War Is 'Futile'
The research group says most people will be loyal to the standard-def DVD.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2007) -- Jupiter Research says most Americans may not embrace either Blu-ray or HD DVD in the high-def disc format war.

However, despite what some analysts are saying, Jupiter says the war itself is not the overwhelming obstacle, Consumers may be content to use 'upconverting' DVD players to make their standard-def DVDs look better.

"The real competitor that both these formats face is not each other, but rather low cost DVD players with up-scaling capabilities that pass the ‘good enough’ test for most consumers," says Michael Gartenberg, Jupiter's vice president and the lead author of a new report on high-def discs.

Blu-ray and HD DVD are rival formats competing for the high-def disc audience. However, both player and disc sales have been slow due to high player prices and confusion over the format war.

While acknowledging that consumers are turned off by the format battle, Jupiter says they may not be inclined to accept a single new standard for movie rentals and purchases.

In some cases, for instance, they might prefer to watch films downloaded over the Internet.

"The abundance of material in such a wide variety of formats is going to make adoption of any single standard very difficult as consumers may well opt for a combination of what is already available," said David Schatsky, Jupiter's president.

The company said high-def disc supporters must do a better job of communicating to consumers why their technology is better.

"To be successful, manufacturers must offer a clear and visible improvement in quality and functionality as well as place greater emphasis on platform longevity and backward compatibility," said Schatsky.

And high-def content won't do it alone, the company said, citing research showing that just 24 percent of consumers say additional HD programming would motivate them to upgrade their home equipment.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/jupiter102907.htm

Kosty

10-29-07, 08:26 PM

PaulGo

10-29-07, 08:32 PM

Blu-ray Mounts Event Offensive
Author: THOMAS K. ARNOLD
tarnold@questex.com
Posted: October 29, 2007
Email this Story to Friend

The gloves are off. Backers of the high-definition Blu-ray Disc format are staging a two-day offensive in Hollywood this week, touting their triumphs and offering previews of upcoming releases such as Cars, Ratatouille, the “Die Hard” movies, Dirty Dancing and Spider-Man 3 to a crowd of more than 50 influential print and online journalists.

The event, which concludes Tuesday, could be seen as a guns-blazing pre-emptive strike against the rival HD DVD camp, which almost simultaneously got a boost from Wal-Mart and other retailers, which reportedly began selling HD DVD players for just less than $200. That is expected to give the HD DVD format a significant boost, particularly in the wake of Paramount Home Entertainment’s defection several weeks ago from the Blu-ray side.

The so-called “Blu-ray Festival” coincides with the launch of a new branding and consumer education campaign, with the tagline “I Do Blu,” that premiered Oct. 28 during the final game of the World Series.

Both the campaign and the festival, the latter orchestrated by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, underscore growing sentiments, backed by research, that consumers are largely indifferent to high-definition discs and turned off even more by the presence of two incompatible formats.

To combat this, Blu-ray backers are stepping up the rhetoric and courting the press, particularly the new vanguard of online Web sites, bloggers and discussion boards that cater to the early adopters who historically have set trends the masses have followed.

“It’s a great idea,” said Ron Epstein, a founder of the Home Theater Forum, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. “The early adopters are all on the Internet — that’s where they find their information. And there’s a certain brand new, just happened element.”

“These are the people who are regularly covering technological advances in home entertainment,” said Steve Feldstein, SVP of marketing and corporate communications for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “They are at the forefront of the format, as are their readers.”

Representatives of all the Blu-ray-exclusive studios — Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment — were in attendance at the Monday morning opening breakfast, as were key executives with supporting consumer electronics manufacturers such as Sony, Philips and Panasonic.

Also there was Dan Silverberg, VP of high-definition media for Warner Home Video, which since Paramount’s move to the HD DVD camp is the only studio to support both next-generation formats.

That may not be for long, Silverberg said. “One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

Silverberg noted that Warner has the top-selling Blu-ray title of all time with 300 and is consistently No. 1 or No. 2 in both Blu-ray sales market share and in number of Blu-ray titles in the market.

“We can definitely talk Blu-ray,” he said. “We are committed to the format.” At the Monday morning kickoff, the featured speaker was David Berman, director of Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA), a buying consortium of 62 dealers and 800 installers with combined revenue of more than half a billion dollars a year. He said the HTSA supports Blu-ray because a member survey found 92% favoring Blu-ray over HD DVD.

The press was given a fact sheet of more statistics and Blu-ray milestones, including the fact that even in a week in which Transformers came out on HD DVD and with no comparable title in its lineup, Blu-ray Discs still managed to outsell discs in the rival format. So far this year, Blu-ray titles have outsold HD DVD titles by a 2-to-1 margin. Since inception, Blu-ray software sales have accounted for 61% of high-def disc software sales. And 17 of the 20 top-selling high-definition disc titles are available on Blu-ray.

There also were indications that the Blu-ray camp is done playing nice. At the entrance to the opening breakfast, at the Hollywood and Highland complex, was a huge blowup of a Deadline Hollywood article by renegade online columnist Nikki Finke. The article raised questions about Paramount Home Entertainment’s claim that it sold 190,000 copies of Transformers on HD DVD in a single week.

Later in the day, on the 20th Century Fox lot, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn blasted Paramount for its defection, accusing the studio of “taking the bait,” referring to a reported $50 million payout to drop its support of Blu-ray Disc and release titles exclusively in HD DVD.

Dunn also intimated that the format war is being perpetuated by Microsoft in the hopes of confusing consumers so much they don’t support either format and ultimately buy their entertainment online. He didn’t name the computer giant by name, but blasted “the orchestrated campaigns of confusion and anti-consumerism fueled by an 800-pound gorilla that would prefer to force us all into the practice of paying tolls for the right to exchange information and enjoy entertainment.”

Fox also previewed several Blu-ray Disc titles still in development, including I, Robot, Independence Day and Sunshine, which will be released early next year and boast picture-in-picture, audio mixing and other groundbreaking interactive features.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=11449

2Channel

10-29-07, 09:36 PM

From the London Financial Times 29/10/2007 - page 30 (sorry no link as yet); reporter Mariko Sanchanta in Tokyo.

"By shrinking the powerful "Cell" chip - the brains behind the PS3 and its most expensive component - and reducing the size of the graphics chip, Mr Oneda* said Sony should be able to cut production costs for the PS3 by one-third next year.
Sony says its lossmaking games division should be profitable again by the start of the new financial year in April."

* Sony's chief financial officer

John Dawson
(ARCAM)

Found the link

Sony admits mistakes in TV market
By Mariko Sanchanta in Tokyo
October 28, 2007 11:00:00 PM
http://wapft.volantis.net/d2c/0.0?feed-article-id=aa22974c-8587-11dc-8170-0000779fd2ac&channel-id=FT.com%20-%20US%20homepage

snip.............
Sony's TV division lost Y21bn ($184m) from July to the end of September, more than double the loss in the same period last year. The next few months in the US are crucial as TV sales are the biggest single contributor to Sony's revenues, according to Macquarie Securities.

Poor performance at Sony's TV and games divisions could wipe out any benefits from attempts to restructure the company by Sir Howard Stringer, Sony's chief executive. However, Sony is on track to achieve a 5 per cent operating margin in the year ending March 2008, a target that was established by Sir Howard.

Mr Oneda also said that Sony missed the mark with its rear-projection TVs, a cheaper alternative to plasma and LCD sets, in the US. "In the US, the rear projection TV share was 28-30 per cent, and last year it was less than 20 per cent because of a (pricing) attack from plasma TVs," he said. "The price reduction was so drastic that we couldn't anticipate it. We lost big marketshare and the market is shrinking . . . and we started to lose money very quickly."

Sony is trying to boost sales of its PlayStation 3 games console in the last three months of the year by launching a new model and cutting prices of others.

By shrinking the powerful "Cell" chip – its most expensive component – and reducing the size of the graphics chip, Mr Oneda said Sony should be able to cut production costs for the PS3 by one-third next year.

Ja Phule

10-29-07, 09:49 PM

According to CED...

-China's HD DVD format, CH-DVD will be the topic at the China DVD Forum on Thursday
-Includes update on progress of specs, content authoring, advanced interactive features and copy protection

-BD Association in LA today and Tues will have events hosted by Disney, Fox, and Sony.
-Event also includes tour of Panasonic studio where most of the interactivity is performed

-BD+ to be used on FOX's Prison Break set
-Unknown whether other studios will support BD+, despite issues it causes older players. Warner will not us BD+.

mikemorel

10-30-07, 06:32 AM

Will Warner Bros. Endorse Blu-ray? (http://www.tvpredictions.com/bluwarner103007.htm)

Washington, D.C. (October 30, 2007) -- Warner Bros. has been neutral in the Blu-ray-HD DVD disc war, releasing movies in both high-def formats.

However, that policy may be changing, says a top Warner executive.

Dan Silverberg, Warner's vice president of High-Definition media, hinted Monday at a Blu-ray briefing for the media that the studio might soon endorse Blu-ray.

Warner is now the only major studio that releases movies in both format; two support HD DVD exclusively while four have endorsed Blu-ray.

But Home Media Magazine reports that Silverberg believes that Blu-ray may be winning the format war and, consequently, it may be time for the studio to pick one over the other.

“One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

The Warner executive noted that Blu-ray sales have topped HD DVD by a 2-1 margin over the last nine months.

While he didn't come out and endorse Blu-ray, it sounded like the studio had a clear favorite if it decides to endorse one format.

“We can definitely talk Blu-ray,” he said. “We are committed to the format.”I see at least one thread spiraling out of control...

More here...

Blu-ray Mounts Event Offensive (http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=11449)

Kosty

10-30-07, 07:56 AM

The TVPredictions piece is sourced from the HMM article, it is just adding some editorial comments that are not actually stated in the original piece.

Notice the implied comments in blue are not from the sourced article, thy are his own interpetation of it....

Dan Silverberg, Warner's vice president of High-Definition media, hinted Monday at a Blu-ray briefing for the media that the studio might soon endorse Blu-ray.

Warner is now the only major studio that releases movies in both format; two support HD DVD exclusively while four have endorsed Blu-ray.

But Home Media Magazine reports that Silverberg believes that Blu-ray may be winning the format war and, consequently, it may be time for the studio to pick one over the other If you read through the HMM piece, you can see that it is a bit more neutral on the statements and nowhere is there in the source article those words.

That is Swammi editorializing and reading a bit more into the sourced article than what was really carefully said.

Heres, the appropriate quotes form rom the referenced article:

Notice he was a Blu-ray conference as a guest, as Warner was not an event sponsor:

...Also there was Dan Silverberg, VP of high-definition media for Warner Home Video, which since Paramount’s move to the HD DVD camp is the only studio to support both next-generation formats.

That may not be for long, Silverberg said. “One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

Silverberg noted that Warner has the top-selling Blu-ray title of all time with 300 and is consistently No. 1 or No. 2 in both Blu-ray sales market share and in number of Blu-ray titles in the market.

“We can definitely talk Blu-ray,” he said. “We are committed to the format.”

mikemorel

10-30-07, 08:05 AM

The TVPredictions piece is sourced from the HMM article, it is just adding some editorial comments that are not actually stated in the original piece.Duly noted. :)

PaulGo

10-30-07, 10:32 AM

Blu-ray Ad Campaign Airs
by Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/30/2007 6:37:00 AM

Hollywood, Calif. — Sensing the need to step up promotional efforts behind the Blu-ray Disc format heading into the critical holiday selling season, a group of hardware manufacturers and studios have pooled their resources on a “multimillion-dollar” television, print and online advertising campaign, billed as the largest for the format so far.

The effort, called “I Do Blu,” quietly kicked off its prime-time TV portion a week ago with a spot on “Dancing With The Stars,” and will continue through the Super Bowl. Representatives working with the project declined to reveal the exact size of the budget, but described it is the largest to date for the Blu-ray Disc format.
“Before we were really targeting the early adopter [with Blu-ray] but now the time is right to really go broad,” said Rich Marty, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment new business development VP. “The [PlayStation3] is coming out at $399 now, and while some of purchasers will be into games, we believe a lot more of them will also really be into movies.”

“There are 35 million HDTV sets out there in U.S. homes now, and they need to be informed that if they want to maximize their high-definition movie playback they really need a Blu-ray player,” said Lexine Wong, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment marketing executive VP.

The ads reference the quality of full HD 1080, Marty said, and features players and sets that don’t focus on any particular brand to remain fair to the three supporting equipment manufactures.

Companies backing the project include hardware manufacturers Sony, Panasonic and Philips, and Blu-ray-backing studios include Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lions Gate and Warner Home Video.

“It was agreed that we can get a bigger and better message out there if we all do this together,” Marty told TWICE, explaining the collaboration between studios and manufacturers. He added that some companies were invited to participate but opted out at this time.

Movies featured in the 30-second TV spot include some of the biggest releases of the fall, including “Spiderman 3,” “Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Ratatouille,” “Wedding Crashers,” the “Harry Potter” series, “300” and others.

Magazines targeted in the effort include all of the A/V specialty publications, and mostly entertainment and sports-focused publications including Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, Maxim, GQ, Fortune and others.

The Internet component will include a wide range of top sites and search engines, and will link back to a micro site with more details on the Blu-ray experience, Wong said.

Handled as “a branding campaign,” key retailers starting with Target and Wal-Mart are tagged at the end of the first TV spots, Marty said, but other dealers will be included as the ads continue their run. Retailers will also be supplied with point of sale material, including informational brochures that explain the benefits of Blu-ray, 1080p and the hit movies available.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6495508.html?desc=topstory

firemaster

10-30-07, 10:37 AM

Grubert

10-30-07, 10:38 AM

“We can definitely talk Blu-ray,” he said. “We are committed to the format.” At the Monday morning kickoff, the featured speaker was David Berman, director of Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA), a buying consortium of 62 dealers and 800 installers with combined revenue of more than half a billion dollars a year. He said the HTSA supports Blu-ray because a member survey found 92% favoring Blu-ray over HD DVD.

I think the speaker is David Berman, not Silverberg .

No. Several avs and highdefdigest members have emailed TK Arnold and he clarified the quote came from Silverberg.

Dave JJ

10-30-07, 11:19 AM

gsw

10-30-07, 11:38 AM

Blu-ray Ad Campaign Airs
by Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/30/2007 6:37:00 AM

Companies backing the project include hardware manufacturers Sony, Panasonic and Philips, and Blu-ray-backing studios include Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lions Gate and Warner Home Video.

Read this very carefully. It doesn't say what you think it says. This is exactly the kind of misleading wordplay that the BDA fudsters have no qualms about using.

Dave JJ

10-30-07, 11:46 AM

Read this very carefully. It doesn't say what you think it says. This is exactly the kind of misleading wordplay that the BDA fudsters have no qualms about using.

How does the next paragraph in the article not directly relate to the prior one though?

“It was agreed that we can get a bigger and better message out there if we all do this together,” Marty told TWICE, explaining the collaboration between studios and manufacturers. He added that some companies were invited to participate but opted out at this time.

It seems to clearly state who are participating in this ad campaign and explicitly states that other companies were given the option as well but "opted out". How is that misleading wordplay by "BDA fudsters"?

AEC

10-30-07, 11:47 AM

From CNN Money - Fortune

October 29, 2007
Big retailers launch HD DVD price war

Toshiba HD-A2. Image: Toshiba
A pre-holiday retail skirmish in high-definition DVD players has begun. Just days after Wal-Mart (WMT) slashed its in-store price on the Toshiba HD-A2 to $198, Circuit City (CC) and Amazon (AMZN) followed suit by offering the player online for $197.99.

Consumers seem eager to buy the HD-A2, which had been selling on Amazon for $230 and as much as $280 elsewhere. The Toshiba player, which had been one of several top-selling DVD players on Amazon before the price cut, has quickly become the favorite: On Monday morning it was the 24th most-purchased electronics item on Amazon’s site. The next closest DVD player ranked 46.

The low prices could shift momentum in the high-definition format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray, which are vying to succeed today’s ubiquitous DVD. Like mainstream DVD players, HD DVD and Blu-ray players accept DVDs. But they also play high-definition discs in their own formats, which look sharper on today’s large, flat-screen televisions.

gsw

10-30-07, 11:52 AM

PaulGo

10-30-07, 11:52 AM

Fox Plans First ‘PIP’ Blu-ray Disc
by Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/30/2007 8:41:00 AM

Los Angeles — Interactivity was a hot topic among Blu-ray Disc supporting studios during a Blu-ray Disc Fest for the press here Monday.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment disclosed it expects to be the first to launch a Blu-ray title with picture-in-picture interactivity enabled by Sun’s BD-Java platform, when it releases the Sci-Fi thriller “Sunshine” in January.

A number of players will be on the market that support the 1.1 specs that enable the picture-in-picture with audio capability, including 256MB of persistent memory. Sony’s PlayStation3 is expected to soon receive a firmware update to utilize the feature.

Fox demonstrated the picture-in-picture feature during the festival event at its studios here. The feature presents an inset video of the filmmakers discussing the production of the film in a video stream that runs along with the feature.

Several early Blu-ray players were not designed to support the 1.1 BD specs supporting picture-in-picture features. Players using the rival HD DVD format have offered picture-in-picture capability since launch.

All new Blu-ray players launched after Oct. 31 are mandated to support the 1.1 spec by the Blu-ray Disc Association.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has also disclosed it will offer picture-in-picture enabled releases next year, including “Finding Nemo” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”...

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6495573.html

MrXpress

10-30-07, 12:03 PM

(I searched for a couple of words in this article and nothing came up, so hopefully this hasn't been posted yet. The real interesting stuff is near the bottom)

Toshiba HD DVD Player in Midst of Price War
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=11448

Forget Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when national retailers unveil deep discounts aimed at jumpstarting the holiday shopping season. Retail behemoth Wal-Mart didn’t even wait for Halloween candy to go stale before announcing it will offer Toshiba’s $300 HD-A2 HD DVD player for $198.

Wal-Mart ignited mass consumer frenzy for DVD in 2003 when it bowed a $40 player on Black Friday.

The HD-A2 offers 720p/1080i resolution, unlike Toshiba’s third-generation players the HD-A30 ($399.99) and the HD-A35 ($499.99), which feature 1080p output.

Amazon and Circuit City quickly responded by offering the HD-A2 for a penny less at $197.99. Through Sunday, the HD-A2 ranked in the top 25 among Amazon’s most popular consumer electronics products.

Amazon offers the Samsung BD-P1400 for $389.00, Blu-ray’s most inexpensive player on the market.

Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms, has identified dipping below the $200 price as a turning point in mass consumer adoption of high-def packaged media.

Toshiba spokesperson Jodi Sally said the price cuts were retail-driven — not manufacturer-driven — and signaled an early start of a high-definition holiday shopping season.

“There was no official move on our MSRP, but I’m happy to see the strong sales momentum on our players,” Sally said. “We experienced a great lift in player sales when Transformers (Paramount) was released, and the strong momentum continues.”

The studio, which released titles in both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, now distributes exclusively in HD DVD.

Sally said third-party research indicated Toshiba’s market share of next-generation, optical-disc players (including Blu-ray) has climbed to about 60%. She said the format also experienced a significant unit upturn with sales of HD DVD-enabled PC laptops.

Sally said Toshiba has a 70% worldwide market share of all high-def players.

slugger393

10-30-07, 12:05 PM

Companies backing the project include hardware manufacturers Sony, Panasonic and Philips, and Blu-ray-backing studios include Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lions Gate and Warner Home Video.

How does the next paragraph in the article not directly relate to the prior one though?

It seems to clearly state who are participating in this ad campaign and explicitly states that other companies were given the option as well but "opted out". How is that misleading wordplay by "BDA fudsters"?

Dave.

Take out ',and' (a conjunction - used to join two independent clases.)

Read the two separate sentences.

Please understand that this is how PR works. If you read both sentences independently (say two different articles about different subjects) you have:

-Sony, Panasonic, Philips launching an ad campaign.
-List of companies that release films on Blu-Ray.

This is the exact method AVS poster Kamspy referred to today:

Transformers sales already convinced them. And the fact that Sony will no longer subsidize BD replication in 08(not public yet) is going to be a major factor, my friend is a PR guy for Sony and they have already had meetings about how to spin losing warner.

All the BD talk is people pasting out of context cut up quotes.

Let us all hope that TrueHD is kicked to the curb for DTS-MA. Warner and Universal seem to get away with a crappy TrueHD track and pass it off as lossless. HD DVDs only flaw to me is too much TrueHD and not enough DTS-MA.

This is nothing that can be disputed or my attempt to bash blu-ray.

Toshiba does the same thing except they just throw out random huge numbers.

Dave JJ

10-30-07, 12:28 PM

It clearly states that Sony, Panasonic and Philips back the campaign. It then lists studios that back bluray (read: any studio that releases on bluray) hoping you will skip over the distinction. Now it could just be poor word choice on the part of the author, but it just seems too deliberate.

You are doing the same selective reading as was done by some posters on AVS regarding yesterday's quote from WHV's VP Dan Silverberg (attempting to attribute it to someone else) and we all know how that turned out.

Companies backing the project include hardware manufacturers Sony, Panasonic and Philips, and Blu-ray-backing studios include Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lions Gate and Warner Home Video.

“It was agreed that we can get a bigger and better message out there if we all do this together,” Marty told TWICE, explaining the collaboration between studios and manufacturers. He added that some companies were invited to participate but opted out at this time.

The article reads very clear to me unless you are implying Rich Marty is deliberately being deceptive regarding other BDA members in their very presence no less.

Dave JJ

10-30-07, 12:35 PM

Companies backing the project include hardware manufacturers Sony, Panasonic and Philips, and Blu-ray-backing studios include Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lions Gate and Warner Home Video.

Dave.

Take out ',and' (a conjunction - used to join two independent clases.)

Read the two separate sentences.

Please understand that this is how PR works. If you read both sentences independently (say two different articles about different subjects) you have:

-Sony, Panasonic, Philips launching an ad campaign.
-List of companies that release films on Blu-Ray.

This is the exact method AVS poster Kamspy referred to today:

This is nothing that can be disputed or my attempt to bash blu-ray.

Toshiba does the same thing except they just throw out random huge numbers.

The article is not a press release though. It was written by an independent writer for an independent website and not the BDA or Sony's press office. If that had been the case then I'd follow along with your reasoning.

Edit:
Not sure how I missed this the first time but this is further proof...

Sensing the need to step up promotional efforts behind the Blu-ray Disc format heading into the critical holiday selling season, a group of hardware manufacturers and studios have pooled their resources on a “multimillion-dollar” television, print and online advertising campaign, billed as the largest for the format so far.

gsw

10-30-07, 12:37 PM

Dave, like I said, it could be poor grammar. But if the second clause relates to the first, then it would read "bluray-backing studios including". As it is, it makes two separate statements spliced together with a comma. Would get the author an automatic F from most English teachers.

markrubin

10-30-07, 12:59 PM

Hello

reminder: News Only Please!!

Thanks

mikemorel

10-30-07, 02:52 PM

Blu-ray Disc Assn. promotes new Bonus View (http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6495668.html)

OCT. 30 | LOS ANGELES—The Blu-ray Disc Assn. has branded the new profile for Blu-ray hardware ‘Bonus View.’

After Oct. 31, all launched Blu-ray players must feature advanced functionality not required of earlier players. These enhancements, previously either termed Profile 1.1 or Full Profile, include greater memory and the ability to play picture-in-picture.

During Monday’s Blu-ray Festival here, Andy Parsons, senior VP of product planning at Pioneer and chair of the BDA Promotions Committee, confirmed the new name for the specifications.

Parsons also explained that the BDA is not going to object to some Blu-ray manufacturers, such as Samsung, which are not technically abiding by the Oct. 31 deadline for advanced features in players. Samsung’s dual-format model, bowing in late December, will include ‘Bonus View’ machinery but will still require a firmware upgrade to playback such advanced interactivity as picture-in-picture. That upgrade won’t be available to consumers until January.

“The key point is to get to the transition to Bonus View,” said Parsons to VB. “The player is compatible with all the hardware. We won’t quibble over something like [the firmware upgrade]. We don’t want to get bureaucratic. The most important thing is to deliver product that meets customer expectations.”

On Monday, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment said it would bring out in January the industry’s first Blu-ray picture-in-picture title, sci-fi flick Sunshine.So, no longer either termed Profile 1.1 or Full Profile; now "Bonus View". Got it. :p

PRO-630HD

10-30-07, 03:15 PM

mikemorel

10-30-07, 03:16 PM

Panasonic intros next-gen Blu-ray player (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202800271)

Panasonic has announced the introduction of the DMP-BD30, which the company calls the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. The DMP-BD30 is the first standalone Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field.

Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card.

Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-in-Picture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows).
...
So "Profile 1.1" and "Profile 2.0" gave way to "Bonus View" and now "Final Standard Profile"? :confused:

gtgray

10-30-07, 03:26 PM

BD may not have the intellectual properties rights for FUD. I am sure thet own uncertainty though. They have done everything possible to cloud the whole profile thing with its plethora of naming conventions.

2Channel

10-30-07, 04:35 PM

40GB PS3 features 65nm chips, lower power consumption
http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/30/40gb-ps3-features-65nm-chips-lower-power-consumption/

It's been revealed that the new 40GB PlayStation 3 features more than just a cut down hard disk drive. Sony has also thought to stick the 65nm version of the Cell inside the new console, reducing the power usage down to around 135 Watts (down from 200 Watts.) That means the console also runs cooler and quieter, which is always a plus for a device that usually resides in the living room. Sony also jiggled around a few other components by making the heat pipe smaller, swapping out the motherboard for a new version, and added a button battery to keep time when the system is off. Looks like potential PS3 purchasers will be looking forward to a less noticeable din then.

Richard Paul

10-30-07, 07:44 PM

PANASONIC INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION BLU-RAY DISC™ PLAYER
Only Blu-ray Player to Feature Final Standard Profile (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=195672&modelNo=Content10252007122010583&surfModel=Content10252007122010583)

LOS ANGELES CA (October 30, 2007) – Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology, announced today the introduction of the DMP-BD30, the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. The DMP-BD30 is the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card.

Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-in-Picture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows).
...
With an SRP of $499.95, the DMP-BD30 also features a myriad of technology advances, including Deep Color Compatibility, and HDMI 1.3B, that bumps the step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. To further enhance the viewing experience, the DMP-BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback, so the consumer can enjoy the same 24-fps (frames per second) reproduction as the original movie.
...

Kosty

10-30-07, 08:30 PM

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/blu_ray/panasonics-dmp+bd30-is-the-500-next+gen-blu+ray-player-to-beat-316903.php

"Panasonic's DMP-BD30 Is The $500 Next-Gen Blu-ray Player To Beat".

...Last week Samsung told us its hybrid BD-UP5000 Duo would be the very first next-gen Blu-ray player. Today, Panasonic rolls out theirs, with plans to deliver even faster. The $500 DMP-BD30 will meet the requirements of BD Profile 1.1, also known as "Final Standard Profile." This will be the only next-gen Blu-ray player on the market when it hits in the second week of November. As you read this, Sony and Pioneer are also reading, knowing they probably should have been able to do what Panasonic is doing (and what Samsung claims it will do): deliver a "standard" Blu-ray player by Christmas 2007.

That said, the DMP-BD30 is nothing but "standard." To meet the BD Profile 1.1 spec, it needed internal storage. Panasonic answered that in the the way it knows best, by adding an SD card slot. (This is essentially their way of saying, "Get your own damn 256MB of flash memory," but since I've got more than my share of those, I will happily comply.) It can read JPEGs, MP3s and even video files in the popular high-def AVCHD format used Panasonic high-def camcorders as well as those of competing manufacturers.It's using the P4HD system and Uniphier chip developed for the original DMP-BD10 for 1080p/24p rendering as well as upconversion that can give HQV a run for its money, and it supports HDMI 1.3 for Deep Color (when available).

It's also significantly smaller than its pricier predecessor, as you can see from my picture (top) and the brochure illustration:Of course, the crowning glory of the 1.1 spec is picture-in-picture. Two tuners are required, though as in the case of this player, only one has to be HD. The second tuner is standard-def, but capable of simultaneous reading of other parts of the disc. Those discs aren't yet on the market, but when they hit, this player will be the only thing that can play them. (Samsung's Duo will get that capability following a firmware upgrade promised for January.) That means that, if you are hankering for a Blu-ray player that isn't obsolete the minute it hits the store shelf, your choices are limited, but clear.

Way to go, Panasonic. We applaud your ability to deliver on the Blu-ray promise. Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Sharp, Hitachi... what the heck happened?...

mikemorel

10-30-07, 10:27 PM

DreamWorks Animation Q3 2007 Earnings Call Transcript (http://seekingalpha.com/article/52092-dreamworks-animation-q3-2007-earnings-call-transcript)

Operator

Your next question comes from Doug Creutz - Cowen & Co.

Doug Creutz - Cowen & Co.

I was wondering if you could tell me with respect to your decision to go HD DVD support exclusive, should we expect to see any impact to the P&L, any direct impact to the P&L from that? Thanks.

Lew Coleman

As you know, we have not disclosed or confirmed whatever economic incentives there are. But from an accounting standpoint, the economic incentives would be attached to the ultimates of individual films and therefore would be amortized as we would amortize the profit on any film.

So I guess the direct answer to your direct question is there's no direct relationship but there is an indirect relationship through the ultimate process.

Doug Creutz - Cowen & Co.

So your gross margins would essentially be higher?

Lew Coleman

Yes.

Kosty

10-30-07, 10:47 PM

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=11448

Article linked above but this point was missed

...Toshiba spokesperson Jodi Sally said Kmart, which is owned by Sears, would exclusively stock Toshiba HD DVD players in retail stores due to their lower price.

A clerk at the retail chain's Anaheim location confirmed the store only carried Toshiba players.

He added that Kmart also carried Sony's PlayStation 3 video game console with Blu-ray drive in its gaming department

Ja Phule

10-31-07, 12:05 AM

From CED

www.warren-news.com

"A star performer was its Digital Products segment, which includes PCs, TVs and HD DVD."

Kosty

10-31-07, 12:12 AM

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6495604.html

...Toshiba reported a 17 percent gain in net sales, to $32.1 billion, in its fiscal first half compared with the same time last year, and net income increased more than seven times that of last year’s first half, to $397 million.

Digital products — which includes PC, CE categories HDTV and HD DVD, mobile phone and business products — posted a 9 percent gain in sales to $12.5 billion and reversed last year’s loss to a $2.6 million operating profit. The company noted that TVs still had to “bear the brunt of fast declining sales prices, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.” I guess that massive HD DVD player subsidy thing and selling them at a massive loss per unit meme should die any time now? :D

Richard Paul

10-31-07, 02:44 AM

2Channel

10-31-07, 02:58 AM

Kosty, the title for your post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12063179&postcount=3290) is "Flash memory card and firmware needed for new $500 DMP-BD30" but where in that article does it say that it needs a firmware upgrade? I see that mentioned for the Samsung Duo player but not for the Panasonic. Also aren't you supposed to have the title of a news post match the title of the article? I ask that since I noticed the title for that article is "Panasonic's DMP-BD30 Is The $500 Next-Gen Blu-ray Player To Beat".

First Look at Panasonic's $499 DMP-BD30 Blu-Ray Player (Product Review)
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/panasonic-dmp-bd30-1275.shtml

It's not often that a manufacturer in the Consumer Electronics space actually moves forward a launch date but that's exactly what's happening today with Panasonic's early launch of their third generation Blu-ray Disc player, the DMP-BD30. Originally announced for Q1, 2008, the BD30 is now expected in stores in the middle of November for a suggested list price of $499.99.

The DMP-BD30 is the first player to support Blu-ray's "Final Standard Profile" (a.k.a "BD-ROM Profile 1, Version 1.1"). This means it can do all those nifty tricks like Picture-in-Picture (PIP) commentary tracks (with audio level mixing) and Secondary Audio, when the software supports it.

Although the DMP-BD30 does not include a network port, it does include an SD memory card slot. From this you can play back AVC-HD video files or JPEG images stored on any SD or SDHC memory card. And while you're enjoying a slide show of your favorite digital pictures, you can set them to music, because the BD30 also supports concurrent playback of standard CDs or MP3 CDs with your photos.

By software, do they mean the titles or the player software?

Kosty

10-31-07, 03:10 AM

mikemorel

10-31-07, 06:12 AM

Ritek to launch HD DVD discs via co-marketing with Toshiba in Japan (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20071030PD223.html)

Ritek, the second largest Taiwan-based maker of blank optical discs, on October 30 announced it will launch HD DVD-R (recordable, write once) and HD DVD-RW (rewritable) discs under its own brand Ridata, while Toshiba will launch its new HD DVD recorder in a joint sales promotion in the Japan market.

Ritek's HD DVD discs conform to the AACS (advanced access content system) content protection standard and can store 75-minutes of high-definition video each, Ritek pointed out.

Ritek has used a self-developed FMS (flexible manufacturing system) to upgrade existing DVD disc production equipment for making HD DVD discs. As a result capital spending was much lower than the NT$100-150 million (US$3.1-4.6 million) procurement cost for a Blu-ray Disc (BD)-R and BD-RE (rewritable) disc production line, the company indicated.Consequently, HD DVD discs are significantly less expensive than BD discs, Ritek noted.

timbobarry

10-31-07, 06:17 AM

Rogers Videos Adds More Blu-ray & HD DVD Rentals (http://marketnews.ca/news_detail.asp?nid=3190)
In response to “increasing demand”, Rogers Video says it will add more Blu-ray and HD DVD rentals of top releases in 250 of its stores across Canada.

"We are witnessing increasing customer demand for high-definition movie titles," explained Michael Jacobson, Vice President, Merchandise and Distribution for Rogers Retail. "Our goal is to ensure that we are supplying our customers with choice and availability in whatever format they are after."

These movies will also be included in the retailer’s Star Rewards program which launched in late August, and offers points toward future rentals and purchases.

As the format war continues, Rogers Video is obviously not taking sides, ramping up discs in both formats in what appears to be an equal balance.

For more information, visit www.rogersplus.ca.

mikemorel

10-31-07, 08:15 AM

Toshiba Vardia records HD TV to standard DVDs (http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/high-definition/news/toshiba-vardia-records-hd-tv-to-standard-dvds?articleid=1772103710)

High-definition video recorders, whatever their stripe, are all very well, but wouldn't it be nice if they could use good old cheap DVDs instead of the costly new HD DVD or Blu-ray disks? Well, dream no more - from tomorrow we'll be able to order Toshiba's new Vardia recorder that can do precisely that.

The ¥99,000 (£420) Vardia RD-A301 hits pre-order in Japan tomorrow and will ship there in mid-December. When it does, it will bring with it the handy ability to record broadcast HD TV onto a standard DVD-R.

Using a transcoder that converts high-definition MPEG-2 broadcasts to the smaller MPEG-4 AVC format, the A301 can fit two hours of full quality HD TV on a conventional 4.7GB DVD. We've already seen the transcoding technique used by Panasonic in one of its Blu-ray machines, but that still requires the costly next-gen disk.

The recently industry-approved HD Rec function is flexible too, as it allows high- and standard-definition recordings to share a single disk and can be used to record to the built-in 300GB hard drive. At maximum compression, the drive can hold up to 159 hours of HD TV, while a single-layer HD DVD-R disk stretches to seven hours.

Other features of the A301 include dual HD tuners for recording simultaneous high-def broadcasts and the ability to transfer digital VHS recordings via a FireWire connection. Lastly, at just 69mm tall, the new recorder is considerably smaller than many of the next-generation machines it's likely to compete against.$868 initially.

lsdavinci

10-31-07, 09:21 AM

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic868cb7073298c939b2bb7aed90a45d6

"A Warner source said the studio is watching what happens now that Wal-Mart and other big retailers are selling entry-level Toshiba HD DVD players for less than $200, about half what the cheapest Blu-ray player costs. If there is a significant spike in HD DVD software sales, the studio may cast its lot with that format, whereas if there is no real impact, Warner may go Blu-ray only."

mikemorel

10-31-07, 01:38 PM

Hope this is where this goes as it may impact on the format war.

Sony Said to Be Pondering Partial Sale of Movie Units (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/business/31sony.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin)

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 — Sony Pictures Entertainment is considering selling half of its fledgling animation studio, maker of the films “Surf’s Up” and “Open Season,” and even more of its thriving 15-year-old digital visual-effects company, which pioneered computer-generated imaging techniques in films like “Stuart Little,” “The Polar Express” and the “Spider-Man” movies.

Sony Pictures, a unit of the Sony Corporation, has hired the investment bank Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to assess the value of the two divisions. An outright sale of both, which is possible, could bring around $500 million, according to people involved in the discussions.

All told, Sony has invested more than $400 million in the animation and effects businesses over the years.

One person involved in the talks, who spoke anonymously because the matter is still at an early stage, said the company intended to sell no more than a 50 percent stake in the five-year-old Sony Pictures Animation, which had modest success with “Open Season” last year.
...

rover2002

10-31-07, 02:03 PM

From November 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008, Toshiba will begin a marketing campaign in Japan that offers a free copy of "Transformers" HD DVD for every HD DVD recorder/player purchased.

Gifts for every RD-A301 purchased:

Transformers (2007) HD DVD
Original Transformers action figure
5 Blank HD DVD-R discs
5 Blank DVD-R discs
Gifts for every RD-A600/300 purchased:

Transformers (2007) HD DVD
5 Blank HD DVD-R discs
5 Blank DVD-R discs
Gifts for every HD-XF2/XA2 purchased:

Transformers (2007) HD DVD

http://hddvdformat.blogspot.com/

rover2002

10-31-07, 02:06 PM

Toshiba Vardia records HD TV to standard DVDs (http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/high-definition/news/toshiba-vardia-records-hd-tv-to-standard-dvds?articleid=1772103710)

$868 initially.

Key Features of New DVR

1. Support for "HD Rec" feature that can record HD video in conventional DVD discs
The new DVR is the first model to support "HD Rec", a format for recording HD video*7 to conventional DVD discs*3 standardized by the DVD Forum. Furthermore, by initializing a DVD disc with HDVR format, titles recorded in VR-mode, TS-mode and MPEG4 AVC transcoded TSE-mode can all be stored together in a single DVD disc. "HD Rec" is suitable for viewers who want a simple method for recording HD and SD broadcasts in standard DVD.

2. Integration of HD Transcoder: longer recording of HD video
By integrating HD Transcoder, which transcodes the MPEG2 video used in digital HD broadcasting into MPEG4 AVC, the new DVR achieves longer recording times for HD video. As video is transcoded at the same resolution as the original broadcasted, full-HD can be recorded at the same picture quality. As audio data is not converted in transcoding, recorded broadcast sound remains as it is in AAC up to 5.1ch x 2 stream. The data transfer rate in transcoding can be selected from among 47 rate settings, from 3.6Mbps to 17Mbps, offering consumers a wide variety choices that can be matched with the disc used for recording. When recorded in HD Transconding (TSE-mode)*8, a single-layer 4.7GB DVD-R disc can store from approx. 29 minutes (17Mbps) to two hours (3.6Mbps) of HD video, while a single-layer 15GB HD DVD-R disc can store from around 1 hour 45 minutes (17Mbps) to seven hours (3.6Mbps).

3. Support for dubbing from D-VHS using i.LINK
In addition to standard support for "i.LINK dubbing" of HD video by connecting the DVR with another Toshiba DVR that supports i.LINK, the new DVR also supports "i.LINK dubbing" from D-VHS. This allows viewers to build an HD DVD and DVD library of HD content*9 recorded in the past on D-VHS tape.

4. Support HD DVD for enhanced experience of HD picture quality

The integrated HD DVD recordable drive supports recording of HD television programs to HD DVD-R discs and playback of HD DVD titles. Alongside superb image and sound recording and playback, the new DVR also supports the extensive range of advanced features*10 offered by HD DVD titles.

The new DVR also supports various discs, including playback of DVD packaged software, recording and playback of DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and DVD-RW discs, and playback of music CD.

5. Other features
(1) REGZA LINK (HDMI-CEC)
By connecting the new DVR with Toshiba REGZA LCD TV through an HDMI cable, a remote controller for the REGZA TV can be used to operate the DVR. For example, playback of HD DVD movie software and recorded content, or setting program recording using REGZA's full-HD electronic program guide on display.

(2) Support for dual-recording of HD broadcasting program
By integrating digital tuners into two systems covering the full range of HD broadcasting sources-- terrestrial, broadcast satellite (BS) and 110° communications satellite (CS) broadcasts-- the new VARDIA DVR can record two digital HD broadcasts simultaneously, an essential feature for viewers who want to record two programs at the same time.

6. Toshiba HD DVD Campaign of "Transformers"
From November 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008, Toshiba will promote a marketing campaign that offers a free HD DVD of "Transformers" to purchasers of a relevant HD DVD product who register for the campaign. The scope of the gifts is shown below.

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2007_10/pr3101.htm
http://www3.toshiba.co.jp/hdd-dvd/products/vardia/rd-a301/img/rear-b.jpg
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2007_10/imgdat/img3105.jpg

mikemorel

10-31-07, 04:57 PM

Toshiba downbeat on DVD recorder sales (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a02a136-87d5-11dc-9464-0000779fd2ac.html)

Toshiba on Wednesday said that sales of next-generation DVD recorders in Japan would fall far short of initial estimates, as consumers continue to be put off by high prices.

The Japanese electronics group lowered its guidance for industry sales of Blu-ray and HD-DVD recorders by 66 per cent, from 400,000 units to 135,000 units to March 2008.

Sony and Toshiba are locked in a battle over which of their respective Blu-ray and HD-DVD technologies will become the standard for next-generation high-definition DVD content, in a contest reminiscent of the VHS/Betamax war. At stake is a potentially huge upgrade market for next-generation high-definition DVD movies that can be played on the HD flat-panel displays.

However, Toshiba’s revision on Wednesday casts doubt on whether the two next-generation formats will take off in the world’s second-biggest market.

In Japan, HD-DVD and Blu-ray DVD recorders sell for Y150,000-Y200,000, ($1,290- $1,730) which is still too high for the majority of consumers. “Most people don’t see the need to buy an HD-DVD recorder right now,” said Yoshihide Fujii, president of Toshiba’s digital media network group.

“The market will grow by 2010, but unless prices decline, they will not sell.”

In the US and Europe, however, prices of both Blu-ray and HD-DVD players have dropped over the past year. Best Buy and Circuit City, two leading US electronics retailers, are selling HD-DVD players for $300 and $200 respectively.

Best Buy’s HD-DVD and Blu-ray players come with seven free movie titles thrown in.

In Japan, next-generation DVD recorders are widely on sale, whereas in the US and Europe the majority of models are players only.

Mr Fujii was more upbeat about next year. He said that global sales of laptop PCs equipped with next-generation HD-DVD drives would more than double to 5m units next year as prices decline due to more entrants.
...

2Channel

10-31-07, 10:50 PM

Asus reveals uber-quiet HR-0205T HD DVD drive
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/31/asus-reveals-uber-quiet-hr-0205t-hd-dvd-drive/

Those not exactly thrilled with the noise levels produced by the Xbox 360 + HD DVD drive combo will likely adore Asus' latest, as it gives HTPC builders an uber-quiet alternative to playing back HD DVDs without having to replace one's rig or purchase a standalone player. The "world's quietest" HR-0205T optical drive handles dual-layer HD DVD discs and basically every flavor of DVD and CD, too. Asus swears the unit can play back an HD DVD while emitting just 21.1dB of noise, which could reportedly be compared to a "quiet auditorium." Regrettably, there's no word on a price or release date, but considering that this thing couldn't burn an HD DVD if its life depended on it, we'd hope the price would be fairly reasonable to compensate.

gtgray

11-01-07, 12:31 AM

Walmart really has A2s for $99 Friday AM... have fun kids.

Kosty

11-01-07, 12:36 AM

http://www.walmart.com/

As part of their holiday kick off this Friday 8:00

Secret In store specials

also included

Toshiba HD A2 HD DVD player $98.87 :eek:

Sanyo 50 inch Plasma HD TV $998

HD DVD titles for $14.98

Clerks 2
Lucky # S7even
Pulse
Failure to Launch
4 Brothers
Italian Job
Sleepy Hollow
Casino
12 Monkeys
Backdraft
Big Lebowski
Sea Biscuit
Alexander Revisted
Blood Diamond
Full Metal Jacket
The Last Samurai
Swordfish
Unforgiven

(all my magic price points)

I assume these are still eligible for the 5 free movies rebate from the HD DVD PRG as well

see link for details

http://holiday.ri-walmart.com/?section=secret&utm_source=Walmartcom&utm_medium=POV1&utm_content=secret1&utm_campaign=holiday&povid=cat14503-env15844-module117144-lLink1

AVS Forum discussion thread to discuss this subject here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=931479

Note:

BTW, Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba America Consumer Products, has been personally made aware of the mistake on the Wal-Mart sales website (shows the $98 Toshiba HD A2 as a "DVD" not as a HD DVD player) and has said she has advised the Toshiba accounts manager and Wal-Mart about the issue.

Kosty

11-01-07, 01:47 AM

from Star-Trek.com

HD DVD player giveaway planned for Star Trek TOS HD DVD/DVD combo box set launch day -Media Event Activities

Virgin/Toshiba to Give Away Free HD DVD Players!

One-hundred fifty lucky Star Trek fans will be walking away with a free Toshiba HD DVD player on Tuesday, November 20. There's only one catch ... this special giveaway is happening in New York City at the two different Virgin Megastores. But if you are lucky enough to live close by and are willing to stand in line to get a player, you could be walking away with an HD DVD player from Toshiba, valued at $299!
INFORMATION:

Date:
Tuesday, November 20.

Details:
The Times Square store opens at 9:00 a.m. and the first 400 customers who purchase the Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 Remastered on HD/DVD will receive a goodie bag containing a tribble, a vintage poster of the cast and a free issue of the current Star Trek magazine. Of those, the first 120 customers who purchase the set will also receive a free Toshiba HD DVD player valued at $299.

As an alternate choice, head down to the Union Square store, which opens at 11:00 a.m., and get in line. The first 150 customers who purchase the Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 remastered on HD/DVD will also receive the goodie bag described above. At this location, the first 30 of those customers who purchase the set will also receive a free Toshiba HD DVD player.

(Please note that the Star Trek Remastered set plays on both DVD and HD DVD players. It is literally the best of both worlds!)

We advise that you get there early to take part in this giveaway. Warning: We can't confirm this, but rumor has it there may be Klingon sightings!

Locations:
Virgin Megastore – Times Square
1540 Broadway, Level 2
Phone: (212) 921-1020

Virgin Megastore – Union Square
14th and Broadway
Phone: (212) 598 - 4666

We suggest you get down to the Virgin Megastores early for the best possible chance of getting one of these amazing players!

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/2311736.html

discuss here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=931510

Kosty

11-01-07, 03:01 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcfpJDcmq5M

New Wal-Mart sales campaign for holiday season feautures Toshiba HD DVD players

campaign start was Oct 31st during ABC primetime

edit;

New Shrek HD DVD ad campaign with videos links in this thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=931677

edit:

The holiday campaign will appear on TV networks like ABC, ABC Family, CBS, CMT, CW, Discovery, E!, ESPN, HGTV, Lifetime, NBC, Nick at Nite, TBS, TLC, TNT and USA. The publications to carry the print ads include Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Parade, People and Redbook.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/business/media/01adco.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

PaulGo

11-01-07, 10:59 AM

Victor Matsuda, VP of Sony's Blu-ray Disc Group, tells GameDaily BIZ that the PS3 has played a key role in the format's momentum and this holiday will be huge.

Posted by John Gaudiosi on Thursday, November 01, 2007

LOS ANGELES—The Blu-ray Disc Association held a two-day summit in Hollywood with Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony and Panasonic to showcase new hardware and blockbuster movies being released for the format and trump the latest innovations from the new technology.

PlayStation 3 was a key part of the summit, as executives have focused on Sony's next generation console and the gamers and early adopters who have bought it when targeting their Blu-ray film releases for both new movies and catalog titles. So far, Blu-ray movies are outselling rival HD-DVD movies by a margin of 2 to 1, and that's mostly thanks to sales of PS3.

"When you compare PS3 to other Blu-ray player sales, you can only assume the PlayStation 3 has had a huge impact or else the 2 to 1 margin we have over HD-DVD wouldn't be there," said Victor Matsuda, vice president, Blu-ray Disc Group, Sony. "I think we always focus on how the numbers are doing on hardware and the emphasis tends to be on the traditional disc players only and the PlayStation, numbers-wise, has always been exponentially larger than the total number of disc players (for both PS2 and now PS3)."

Matsuda said the issue now becomes how many of those PS3 owners are using the console as a Blu-ray Disc device.

"The information we have is extremely positive," said Matsuda. "Because that question arises we do surveys on a regular basis and in the next few weeks we'll be releasing information on what percentage of people who buy a PS3 use it for Blu-ray Disc playback and with what frequency. It is very positive."

With hit movies like Cars, Ratatouille, The Simpsons Movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Ocean's 13, Spider-Man 3, and the Harry Potter films all slated for Blu-ray releases this fourth quarter, the format has over $1.5 billion in domestic box office revenue being released on the format. Sony will be doing its part, beyond the pack-in Spider-Man 3 BR-D disc with the $400 40 GB PS3, to promote the movie playing capabilities of its game console.

"Promoting the movies together with the PS3 is a big part of the corporate strategy for promoting Blu-ray Disc this fourth quarter," said Matsuda. "There's a big advertising spend that will focus on the convergence of the PS3 as a movie and game device...much more aggressive than it's been since launch."

Matsuda also said that packaging the remote control for movie playback in the console, something that's currently sold separately, might be something Sony will look at in the near future to boost the movie-playing aspect of the hardware.

Also looking ahead to the future, Matsuda said that the upcoming movie offerings through the PlayStation Network, Sony's digital delivery entertainment pipeline, prepares the company for the long-run when digital delivery becomes more mainstream

"Just working with the Sony Pictures people we know that's definitely another revenue source in the future," said Matsuda. "We're focusing on the packaged media business now while preparing for that next phase, as well."

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/bluray-advertising-for-ps3-to-be-much-more-aggressive-this-holiday/18377/

BenDover

11-01-07, 12:46 PM

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/sony/sony-us-prez-says-rolly-oled-tv-coming-soon-plus-thoughts-on-blu+ray-apple-and-more-317722.php

UPDATEDToday at an executive round table in NYC, Sony Electronics president Stan Glasgow (center) and Sony consumer sales president Jay Vandenbree (left) answered some burning questions. ...

Is Sony concerned with BD Profile 1.1 Blu-ray players from Samsung and Panasonic? "The important thing is the features. Performance doesn't improve with 1.1," says Glasgow, adding "The important thing is what studios are doing to add capability. 1.1 is just the beginning." He confirmed that not every Blu-ray feature can be upgraded via firmware, as we knew.

The HD DVD-Blu-ray Format War: "The war is continuing to rage. We're still in the middle. There's a lot more that can be done. Let me say this: there are 170 companies [in the Blu-ray camp] against two companies [in the HD DVD camp]. I find some abnormality in that. Let's leave it at that." He looks forward to more "performance" on Blu-ray, with increased studio involvement.

...

mikemorel

11-01-07, 02:42 PM

More from Stan Glasgow:

Sony: Upbeat On Holidays; Talks Q4 Blu-ray, OLED Plans (http://www.twice.com/article/CA6496408.html?desc=topstory)

When asked about Blu-ray player pricing from Sony for the holiday season, Glasgow said it should be “in the $399 range ... I don’t expect it to go much lower than that.”

When asked where the industry is in the format battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD, he noted, “It continues. I still find it curious that there are 170 companies backing and two companies behind [HD DVD]. I find some abnormality in that. Hopefully when all the [movie] titles reach the market this season and the beginning of 2008, [consumers] will see the [difference] in performance.”

Concerning talk from this week’s Blu-ray meeting in Los Angeles where Panasonic debuted a 1.1 player, the specification mandated by the Blu-ray Disc Association, Glasgow also said that [B]Sony plans its own for next year with “possibly 1.2” features.

He added, “1.1 is a set of features. Step-by-step we will be adding features and have to work with the studios” which can add plenty of features to a disc. Glasgow added that certain existing Blu-ray decks could be “upgraded with firmware” via the Net to have some 1.1 features.For those keeping score at home, we now have:

Profile 1.05 for those players that have "some 1.1 features"
Profile 1.1 players.
Profile 1.2 players.
Profile 2.0 players.
Bonus View players.
Final Standard Profile players.

mikemorel

11-01-07, 04:15 PM

GSD&M's Idea City to Promote HD DVD (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LATH13301112007-1.htm)

GSD&M's Idea City has been tapped by Toshiba North America Consumer Products, LLC and DreamWorks Animation SKG to produce advertising in support of HD DVD, the high-definition DVD format that's riding a wave of industry buzz. Television and print advertisements will launch November 1st, using characters from DreamWorks Animation Shrek franchise, coinciding with the HD DVD release of Shrek the Third.

Kosty

11-01-07, 04:59 PM

http://www.cnbc.com/id/21581845

Mentions of more Laptops with HD DVD

Blu-ray: Picture Gets Dimmer for Entertainment Format

Posted By:Jim Goldman

Could it be a "black-and-blue" Friday for Blu-ray? Their are rumblings about a big announcement coming from Wal-Mart that could give a big boost to HD-DVD.

I'm hearing that the company will begin selling the Toshiba HD-A2 for $98 in a special one-day, in-store secret sale. The unit sells for $198 at Circuit City and Amazon, so this is a steep discount.

It points to the aggressive strategies shaping up in the format wars gripping next-generation DVDs. K-Mart has already decided not to sell Blu-ray players at all because of the affordability chasm between the two. The cheapest Blu-ray player at Wal-Mart runs $464. The Xbox 360's external HD-DVD drive is now available at $179, and that comes with five free movies. You can get even more free titles with your purchase at Best Buy , including the first season of the NBC hit series "Heroes." Nice deal.

I've already detailed in previous posts how HD-DVD is far-outselling Blu-ray on laptop computers and how Toshiba will make available a notebook with onboard HD-DVD for under $1,000 this holiday shopping season. Look for other big price breaks from the other major HD-DVD laptop makers, including Acer, Gateway , HP Hewlett-Packard
....

BenDover

11-01-07, 05:22 PM

Oh my, Best Buy has apparently followed suit...$99 A2

Best Buy offering A2 at $99 (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/High-Def_Retailing/Toshiba/Best_Buy/Best_Buy_Drops_Toshiba_HD_DVD_Player_to_$99_Supplies__Very_L imited/1134)

Manchild

11-01-07, 06:00 PM

My only problem with the Friday sale is that I already have all those HD-DVDs and a A30...oh well...go HD-DVD I guess!

Richard Paul

11-01-07, 06:02 PM

For those keeping score at home, we now have:

Profile 1.05 for those players that have "some 1.1 features"
Profile 1.1 players.
Profile 1.2 players.
Profile 2.0 players.
Bonus View players.
Final Standard Profile players.mike, isn't this more than a little misleading and aren't personal comments, especially negative ones, not allowed in the news thread? I ask anyone reading to report that post since the news thread shouldn't be used for smearing either HD format.

Manchild

11-01-07, 06:14 PM

Anyone know if Warner re-upped their BDA membership?

2Channel

11-01-07, 06:15 PM

The BDA "clarifies" the Profile 1.1 mandate (PIP)
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/11/01/the-bda-clarifies-the-profile-1-1-mandate-pip/

We don't know about anyone else, but we've been a little confused about this so-called mandatory profile 1.1 deadline of October 31st 2007. While some couldn't care less about PIP, -- or any other extras on their HD movies -- who wants to buy a player that doesn't support everything Blu-ray has to offer? The reason we're confused is because manufacturers like Sony just released a players right before the deadline and Samsung's new BD-UP5000 is 1.1 "ready". Well, at this week's Blu-ray fest, Andy Parsons clears up the confusion by saying "We won't quibble over something like the firmware upgrade. The most important thing is to deliver product that meets customer expectations." We're not sure what your expectations are, but as long as your brand new Blu-ray player can handle the first PIP title when it hits the street, we guess it doesn't matter when it became officially 1.1 compliant. Honestly, we're surprised Samsung said anything at all, after all who'd be able to say it wasn't compliant if there weren't any movies before the firmware hit the streets.

mikemorel

11-01-07, 06:23 PM

mike, isn't this more than a little misleadingMaybe you can explain it.

timbobarry

11-01-07, 07:02 PM

From Home Media Magazine (http://homemediamagazine.com/)
Vanguard Cinema has announced it plans on releasing its first HD DVD in January.

Channels, which will street Jan. 22 at $29.95, follows a Hollywood movie producer who has a recurring dream that could become reality. His late-night channel surfing one day becomes more than recreation when a character from a soap opera magically appears in his room.

The film stars Ed Asner, Jim Oja and Nat Christian.

jdg345

11-01-07, 07:38 PM

mike, isn't this more than a little misleading and aren't personal comments, especially negative ones, not allowed in the news thread? I ask anyone reading to report that post since the news thread shouldn't be used for smearing either HD format.

I agree Mike ... that was certainly misleading.

You forgot to mention the profiles for the audio only formats, and you also forgot to mention that Profile 2.0 is completely optional. Technically, you also forgot to mention the separation for Profile 1.1 and Profile 2.0 players that actually have the local persistent storage embedded and those that do not.

I don't think there was any smearing going on though. It is what it is.

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 07:44 PM

STATEMENT FROM JONATHAN MAGASANIK, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE MANAGER, HOME ELECTRONICS, SEARS HOLDINGS

Kmart Not Exclusively Supporting HD-DVD Format

Hoffman Estates, Ill (November 1, 2007) – There have been numerous statements in the media today, attributed to Toshiba, indicating exclusive support for the HD-DVD format in Kmart stores.

These statements are false.

Kmart intends to support both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray platforms, and has no plans to support either platform exclusively.

About Kmart

Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Martha Stewart Everyday and Route 66. For more information visit the company's website at www.kmart.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

Lee Heytow

11-01-07, 07:47 PM

It is always good to keep it real - for both sides. It is difficult enough for any of us to digest what is real, let alone the phony stuff.

So despite my being an HDDVD supporter, thank you Talkstr8t

IRockSoAwesome

11-01-07, 07:54 PM

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 08:07 PM

Panasonic intros next-gen Blu-ray player (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202800271)

So "Profile 1.1" and "Profile 2.0" gave way to "Bonus View" and now "Final Standard Profile"? :confused:There never was an official "Profile 1.1" - it has always been "Grace Period Profile" and "Final Standard Profile". Bonus View has been approved as branding for Final Standard Profile ("Profile 1.1") players or for titles which contain features which require FSP support (i.e. secondary video).

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 08:20 PM

Flash memory card needed for new $500 DMP-BD30 for profile1.1There's been no official word that the DMP-BD30 doesn't have at least 256MB of internal storage - the SD slot has been positioned as a way of also viewing AVCHD content. I'm checking with sources to confirm whether an SD card is required for local storage.

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 08:21 PM

I don't see this on the sears press release page
http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/Perhaps because it's a "statement", not a press release.
May I ask where you got it fromFrom being an insider!
or if you have a linkNope - if I did any old non-insider could have posted it!

Seriously, this hasn't been widely distributed yet, but it undoubtedly will be.

jdg345

11-01-07, 08:32 PM

[QUOTE=IRockSoAwesome;12088346]I don't see this on the sears press release page
http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/Perhaps because it's a "statement", not a press release.
From being an insider!
Nope - if I did any old non-insider could have posted it!

Seriously, this hasn't been widely distributed yet, but it undoubtedly will be.

Isn't one of the rules of this thread that a link to the source needs to be provided?

Please limit posts in this thread to a link to a news article and/or a partial quote with an optional line or two describing the article.

2Channel

11-01-07, 08:53 PM

johnu

11-01-07, 08:57 PM

Nope - if I did any old non-insider could have posted it!

Seriously, this hasn't been widely distributed yet, but it undoubtedly will be.

Welcome back to the forums. Must have been pretty important for you to come back to this forum. Now that you're back, being a Blu-ray insider and all, maybe you could post something on what the Blu-ray insiders reaction is to the Toshiba-Walmart $98/199 deal. It seems like just a couple of months ago you were telling me that there weren't going to be $200 Chinese players for the holidays. You were certainly right about that, at least so far.

2Channel

11-01-07, 08:58 PM

There never was an official "Profile 1.1" - it has always been "Grace Period Profile" and "Final Standard Profile". Bonus View has been approved as branding for Final Standard Profile ("Profile 1.1") players or for titles which contain features which require FSP support (i.e. secondary video).

Thank you for the name/branding clarification. I have a couple of questions.

1. I assume that "Bonus View" is a trademarked name. Is that correct?
2. Do you know what the official brand names are for profile 2.0 and 3.0?

johnu

11-01-07, 09:01 PM

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 09:15 PM

One quick question on this. Other than the PS3, will Kmart be selling any Blu-Ray players in their stores this Christmas season?I have no further information, just this released statement. If the moderators see fit to delete it because (to my knowledge) it hasn't yet been publicly reported elsewhere, so be it.

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 09:17 PM

Thank you for the name/branding clarification. I have a couple of questions.

1. I assume that "Bonus View" is a trademarked name. Is that correct?
2. Do you know what the official brand names are for profile 2.0 and 3.0?
and the name for profile 1.2?
Sorry, this isn't the appropriate thread for this discussion. PM me with another thread and I'll be happy to respond.

Talkstr8t

11-01-07, 09:19 PM

More from Stan Glasgow:Glasgow also said that Sony plans its own for next year with “possibly 1.2” features.There categorically is no profile 1.2. I presume he either misspoke or was misquoted and in fact was referring to 2.0.

Adam_G

11-01-07, 09:19 PM

There's been no official word that the DMP-BD30 doesn't have at least 256MB of internal storage - the SD slot has been positioned as a way of also viewing AVCHD content. I'm checking with sources to confirm whether an SD card is required for local storage.

I was at PHL for the unveiling/press event this week and I asked the engineers if the 256MB of persistant storage mandated in 1.1 was internal, and was told that no, you would need to use an SD card. I asked if a 256MBSD card was included and was told no.

mikemorel

11-01-07, 09:29 PM

Warner Evaluates, Not Shocks Everyone to Pieces (http://www.videobusiness.com/blog/830000483/post/870016687.html)

Contrary to reports elsewhere, Warner Home Video has not changed its dual high-def format stance, according to studio spokesman Jim Noonan.
Sure, Blu-ray is beating HD DVD in titles sales by a 2 to 1 ratio. But that is not giving Warner an itchy exclu-Blu trigger finger.

True, the studio is using the word "evaluate" more when it discusses its high-def positioning. That does leave some wiggle room for a different decision down the road. But as of now, there is no leaning at Warner, where the studio is happy to be juggling both high-def formats and maximizing all possible high-def business.

"As far as whether this is an iron-clad situation, we are a smart company and evaluate all of our strategies on an ongoing basis," said Noonan. "It won't be any different in this case."

That said, Noonan added, "We have not altered our decision to be in both formats."

Much pressure has been placed on this fourth quarter to shed some light on the status of the format war. Each side is going in with full guns blazing, as studios are exclusively releasing A-list titles in HD DVD and Blu-ray.

The fourth quarter "is another piece of information," said Noonan.

War on, everyone!

BenDover

11-01-07, 10:30 PM

There never was an official "Profile 1.1" - it has always been "Grace Period Profile" and "Final Standard Profile". Bonus View has been approved as branding for Final Standard Profile ("Profile 1.1") players or for titles which contain features which require FSP support (i.e. secondary video).

excuse me, you aren't seriously saying that profile 1.1 was never official? were there major misprints in the blu-ray standards all this time? or are you saying that now they've decided to call it something else b/c it might sound better?

there certainly was/is "profile 1.1" in the bda standards...but if being plastered all over the blu-ray specification books doesn't make it official, then i guess we should take your word for it...

scaesare

11-01-07, 11:48 PM

There never was an official "Profile 1.1" - it has always been "Grace Period Profile" and "Final Standard Profile". Bonus View has been approved as branding for Final Standard Profile ("Profile 1.1") players or for titles which contain features which require FSP support (i.e. secondary video).

Say what??

Are you saying that the name is wrong, or that the set of player specs that EVERYBODY (yourself included) here has referred to as 1.1 really don't exist as anything?

Either way, can you clarify exactly what the Oct. 31 deadline was for then?

Talkstr8t

11-02-07, 12:34 AM

smithfarmer

11-02-07, 12:55 AM

Kosty

11-02-07, 01:23 AM

http://www.hddvdnbc.com/

Ads spotted on NBC CNBC and MSNBC, all owned IIRC by Universal.

New 30 sec national TV spots explaing how HD DVD is different than DVD and how to look for the HD DVD logo on red HD DVD cases..

Richard Paul

11-02-07, 03:36 AM

Maybe you can explain it.mike, I already have (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=10910140&postcount=1) and it seems to me like you are trying to turn 3 video profiles into many more in that post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12083977&postcount=3313). Some of the profiles you listed don't actually exist and three of the ones you listed (Profile 1.1, Bonus View, Final Standard Profile) refer to the same thing. Personally I don't really see the need for you to criticize the Blu-ray player profiles in the news thread and I certainly don't see any need for exaggerating the number of them.

mikemorel

11-02-07, 07:01 AM

it seems to me like you are trying to turn 3 video profiles into many more in that post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12083977&postcount=3313). I was quoting straight from news reports over the last three days.
Some of the profiles you listed don't actually exist The President of Sony Electronics refer to them. I trusted him.
and three of the ones you listed (Profile 1.1, Bonus View, Final Standard Profile) refer to the same thing.Tell the BDA to straighten it out. If they can't get it right among themselves, how can consumers?
Personally I don't really see the need for you to criticize the Blu-ray player profiles in the news thread and I certainly don't see any need for exaggerating the number of them.BTW, what are profile 1.0 now called, if 1.1 players are "bonus" view? :confused:

TomsHT

11-02-07, 07:30 AM

Why is it not required to label the players profile on the box? The in-store demo showed all types of PIP features & online features yet the $1,000 players underneath of it didnt say anything about not being able to play these features.

This seems more misleading then someone quoting an news article that mentions four existing profiles plus now mentions a new fifth profile plus two more names for existing profiles.

amillians

11-02-07, 08:11 AM

‘NATIONAL TREASURE 2' to be Disney’s first Blu-ray with Profile 1.1 interactivity when it bows first half, chief says.

From today's CED. Don't have a subscription anymore, so just the headline. I guess chief didn't get the "Call it Bonus View, dammit!" memo. Meh.

bo·nus : \ˈbō-nəs\ : noun : something in addition to what is expected or strictly due. How...apropos.

scaesare

11-02-07, 08:16 AM

I'm not in any way denying the existence of what has been referred to here as "Profile 1.1", I'm referring to the proper terminology. The specification refers to "Profile 1" and "Profile 2". What has casually been called "Profile 1.1" here is known within the specification book as "Profile 1 Version 1.1". The term used from a specification license standpoint is "Final Standard Profile". The consumer-facing name will be "Bonus View".

OK, so the spec books DO refer to "Profile 1 version 1.1" though, so that is official (albeit slightly different than how it's been referred to here, as you clarify).

So:

Profile 1 version 1.0 = BD Video 1.0 = Grace Period Profile = ???

Profile 1 version 1.1 = BD Video 1.1 = Final Standard Profile = Bonus View

Profile 2 version 1.0 = BD Live = ???

Profile 3 version 1.0 = ??? (BD Audio?) = ???

Are there any "Consumer-facing names" for the other two payer profile versions?

Is there any additional versioning associated with the 3 profiles?

mikemorel

11-02-07, 09:17 AM

KMart: We're Purple (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Kmart/Kmart:_Were_Purple/1137)

Despite reports to the contrary, Kmart says it has no plans to choose to sides in the high-def format war.

In a statement released late Thursday, Kmart VP Jonathan Magasanik said the following:

There have been numerous statements in the media today, attributed to Toshiba, indicating exclusive support for the HD DVD format in Kmart stores. These statements are false. Kmart intends to support both the HD DVD and Blu-ray platforms, and has no plans to support either platform exclusively.

Kmart's dual-format pledge comes on the heels of widespread reports that it had chosen to stock its HD-A2 HD DVD player as its only stand-alone high-def disc player this holiday season.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the retailer's statement meant it planned to stock stand-alone Blu-ray players alongside the Toshiba deck, but as we've previously reported, the chain already sells the Blu-ray enabled PlayStation 3 in its gaming department

TomsHT

11-02-07, 09:38 AM

Kmart: We're Purple (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=12093305)

dead link...

Grubert

11-02-07, 10:46 AM

dead link...

Highdefdigest (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Kmart/Kmart:_Were_Purple/1137)

jdg345

11-02-07, 10:50 AM

dead link...

I wouldn't be surprised if the source of that article was simply Talkstr8t's post here.

TomsHT

11-02-07, 10:52 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if the source of that article was simply Talkstr8t's post here.

I agree, someone makes one unofficial statment with no public source and then all of a sudden its being passed around as news articles

Grubert

11-02-07, 10:58 AM

Again:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Kmart/Kmart:_Were_Purple/1137

Despite reports to the contrary, Kmart says it has no plans to choose to sides in the high-def format war.

In a statement released late Thursday, Kmart VP Jonathan Magasanik said the following:

There have been numerous statements in the media today, attributed to Toshiba, indicating exclusive support for the HD DVD format in Kmart stores. These statements are false. Kmart intends to support both the HD DVD and Blu-ray platforms, and has no plans to support either platform exclusively.

Kmart's dual-format pledge comes on the heels of widespread reports that it had chosen to stock its HD-A2 HD DVD player as its only stand-alone high-def disc player this holiday season.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the retailer's statement meant it planned to stock stand-alone Blu-ray players alongside the Toshiba deck, but as we've previously reported, the chain already sells the Blu-ray enabled PlayStation 3 in its gaming department.

jdg345

11-02-07, 11:01 AM

Again:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Kmart/Kmart:_Were_Purple/1137

What's HDD's source? Why are they the only ones reporting it? Why isn't this information anywhere on searsholdings.com or Kmart.com if it's an official company statement? :confused:

TomsHT

11-02-07, 11:15 AM

What's HDD's source? Why are they the only ones reporting it? Why isn't this information anywhere on searsholdings.com or Kmart.com if it's an official company statement? :confused:

I agree again, HDD usually posts the source of the info even if it is AVS but seems to be excluded this time

mikemorel

11-02-07, 11:25 AM

Sony and Samsung Won’t Slash Blu-ray Prices (http://www.dealerscope.com/story/story.bsp?sid=81550&var=story&publication=Dealerscope&publicationDate=11/2/07&slug=DSEnews2_110207_bluray&category=Consumer%20Electronics&section=Unknown)

Tim Baxter, Samsung’s executive vice president sales and marketing CE division, also said Samsung has no plans to drastically cut prices of its Blu-ray players. In fact, Samsung plans to launch a new retailer marketing program, the Innovation Campaign, which promotes its $999 Dual Blue-ray/HD-DVD player with high-end displays as part of a full home entertainment solutions.

The target audience for high-definition DVD, Baxter said, is still the early adopter or cinephile who is willing to pay a premium for the experience.

“What we’re not going to do is chase a Black Friday price that’s going to last seven or eight hours,” Baxter said.

Grubert

11-02-07, 11:30 AM

markrubin

11-02-07, 11:38 AM

hold on

this thread is for News Only Please

remember?

BenDover

11-02-07, 01:14 PM

No blue-light special at Kmart for Blu-ray (http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/02/no-blue-light-special-at-kmart-for-blu-ray/)
Posted Nov 2nd 2007 9:57AM by Ben Drawbaugh
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

The nations declining discount retailer has decided to not carry Blu-ray players, citing the price. They say that they aren't choosing sides and that no one's bought an end-cap, but they feel that Blu-ray players are more focused on home theater enthusiasts and they recognize that those people don't shop for the latest HT gear at Kmart. We don't get into a Kmart much, but the last time we checked the only HD movie gear they had on the shelves was an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive hidden amongst the rest of the 360 accessories.

someone needs to get the story straight...

roma_victor

11-02-07, 02:17 PM

Orwellian Newspeak at it's finest.:rolleyes:

profile 2.0 = double plus good!

:D

IceTBC

11-02-07, 02:37 PM

No blue-light special at Kmart for Blu-ray (http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/02/no-blue-light-special-at-kmart-for-blu-ray/)
Posted Nov 2nd 2007 9:57AM by Ben Drawbaugh
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

someone needs to get the story straight...

Something related I ran across today from cnbc.com and Jim Goldman:

"As for the rest, here we go: "Konbei" writes that I'm mistaken that Kmart will exclusively sell HD DVDs, saying they "came out today and said they are not exclusive." I spoke with the company this morning for clarification: The company has decided to push HD DVD players this holiday shopping season, but will continue to sell Sony's [SONY CORP SNE 49.45 0.35 +0.71% NYSE [SNE 49.45 0.35 (+0.71%) ] PS3 with a Blu-ray player inside. As far as offering a standalone Blu-ray player on Kmart store shelves? Nope. At least not yet. If/when prices for Blu-ray come down Kmart may offer a standalone unit. But Kmart, the company tells me, is looking for value for its customers and right now, that means HD DVD."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/21598441 Fourth paragraph down.

bobgpsr

11-02-07, 02:51 PM

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=11479

“The [Blu-ray] camp’s claims about Microsoft’s desire to have a format war are baseless,” Collins said. ”Microsoft has over 100 people working on HD DVD interactivity and we believe that HD DVD is the next-generation optical format.”

Collins said Microsoft decided to join the HD DVD format two CES shows ago because the format’s replication costs were and still are the cheapest. He said there are only three plants in the world that can produce BD-50 discs, and those are all owned by Sony. He added that Microsoft’s predictions around costs and availability almost three years ago still hold true today.

mikemorel

11-02-07, 02:56 PM

someone needs to get the story straight...
Blu-ray Vs. HD DVD Battle Turns Into Your Email "War" (http://www.cnbc.com/id/21598441/site/14081545)

As for the rest, here we go: "Konbei" writes that I'm mistaken that Kmart will exclusively sell HD DVDs, saying they "came out today and said they are not exclusive." I spoke with the company this morning for clarification: The company has decided to push HD DVD players this holiday shopping season, but will continue to sell Sony's PS3 with a Blu-ray player inside. As far as offering a standalone Blu-ray player on Kmart store shelves? Nope. At least not yet. If/when prices for Blu-ray come down Kmart may offer a standalone unit. But Kmart, the company tells me, is looking for value for its customers and right now, that means HD DVD.

paidgeek

11-02-07, 06:37 PM

I was at PHL for the unveiling/press event this week and I asked the engineers if the 256MB of persistant storage mandated in 1.1 was internal, and was told that no, you would need to use an SD card. I asked if a 256MBSD card was included and was told no.

Different manufacturers are taking different approaches, but if it is a bona-fide 1.1 (Bonus-view) player, then it is supposed to have the memory in the player or come with the memory as a flash device in the box.

trgraphics

11-02-07, 07:03 PM

Different manufacturers are taking different approaches, but if it is a bona-fide 1.1 (Bonus-view) player, then it is supposed to have the memory in the player or come with the memory as a flash device in the box.

Exactley what does "supposed to" mean? Either it has to per spec or it doesn't. Which is it?

lymzy

11-02-07, 07:08 PM

ASUS to release a low noise (<21.1db)HD DVD ROM HR-0205T.MSRP around $180.

http://img.zdnet.com.cn/0/668/liI8wja5doNmY.png

Adam_G

11-02-07, 09:52 PM

but if it is a bona-fide 1.1 (Bonus-view) player, then it is supposed to have the memory in the player or come with the memory as a flash device in the box.

Paidgeek-That is what I thought. I directly asked if it came with a SD card and was told no, but that as long as it supported the 256MB it was complient. There where a lot of Panasonic emplyees milling around, so I may have asked the wrong one :) I'll fire off an email to a PHL contact and see if I get a different answer.

srw1000

11-03-07, 03:10 AM

From CNN/Money/Fortune (http://bigtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/11/02/expect-blu-rayhdtv-bundles-for-the-holidays/?source=yahoo_quote):

It’s been quite a busy few days for the high-definition format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD. First, Wal-Mart (WMT) confirmed that it has begun selling the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player in stores for less than $200. The next day Amazon (AMZN) and Circuit City (CC) began offering the player online for a penny less.

Now there are reports that Wal-Mart today will sell the Toshiba player for less than $100 for a limited time; Best Buy (BBY) might follow suit.

So what’s the Blu-ray camp thinking about all this?

The best way to find out is to ask. So I got on the phone with Bill Sheppard, who serves as a director of the Blu-ray Disc Association and the Chief Digital Media Officer of the Client Software Group at Sun Microsystems (JAVA).

Sheppard had plenty to say. He’s still confident that Blu-ray will beat HD DVD, unless millions of shoppers “take the bait” and buy the low-cost HD DVD players. But the Blu-ray camp has some of its own cards left to play – he said to expect to see them offer discounts to shoppers who pick up a TV for the holidays. But how far will Blu-ray backers drop their prices to compete? Listen to the two interview segments below to find out.There's a two-part audio interview on the site. Unfortunately, the reporter mostly tossed softballs to Mr. Sheppard, and didn't do a very thorough job with follow up questions, but it's still an interesting interview.

Scott

Grubert

11-03-07, 05:44 AM

To this point, this is amusing. Talk posts this here as an Insider. Highdefdigest reposts the same thing with no official attribution (possibly from this thread?), and then Grubert links it back here.

I don't believe KMart is HD DVD exclusive, but it would be nice if they actually posted a real press release rather than having us all chase the same insider's inside info.

http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-02-2007/0004696858&EDATE=

Kmart Not Exclusively Supporting HD-DVD Format

Statement from Jonathan Magasanik, Vice President and General Merchandise
Manager, Home Electronics, Sears Holdings

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- There have been
numerous statements in the media today, attributed to Toshiba, indicating
exclusive support for the HD-DVD format in Kmart stores.
These statements are false.
Kmart intends to support both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray platforms, and has
no plans to support either platform exclusively.
About Kmart
Kmart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq:
SHLD), is a mass merchandising company that offers customers quality
products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that include Jaclyn Smith,
Joe Boxer, Martha Stewart Everyday and Route 66. For more information visit
the company's website at http://www.kmart.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation
website at http://www.searsholdings.com.

SOURCE Kmart

mikemorel

11-03-07, 09:28 AM

Writer's strike info from Forbes:

Hollywood Strike Set (http://www.forbes.com/topstories/home/2007/11/02/hollywood-wga-strike-biz-media-cx_lr_1102strike.html)

"A strike will happen at everyone's peril," the NBC Universal chief told a breakfast of industry insiders earlier this week. It's a sentiment shared by many in the Hollywood community.

At issue in the talks: compensation for content on the Web and increased residuals for DVDs. While the former was the anticipated sticking point (and still remains a critical issue), it was the latter that caused an 11th hour impasse. Writers are adamant that they be better compensated for content on DVD, looking to receive what amounts to about eight cents for each disc sold, rather than the current four cents. Producers feel differently, arguing that the revenues are crucial to moving projects out of deficit amid sharply rising costs.

So Hollywood is in turmoil over 4 cents per DVD?

Next-gen optical replication costs look to be a critical issue for movie/television studios.

jdg345

11-03-07, 09:46 AM

"Bill Sheppard" aka Talkstr8t :)

He's denied that repeatedly, has he not? No point in trying to out him. If he wants to remain anonymous, so be it.

EDIT: Ooops, removed rest of post. Wrong Thread.

crassp

11-03-07, 05:18 PM

Microsoft expands free HD DVDs offer in Europe (http://www.dvdtown.com/news/microsoft-expands-free-hd-dvds-offer-in-europe/4877)

By Henning Molbaek
FIRST ONLINE Nov 2, 2007

More countries get free HD DVDs when they buy an HD DVD drive for their XBOX 360.

We recently reported that the five-free-HD DVD offer had become available in the United Kingdom. More European countries now join, as the offer expands to countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and more.

crassp

11-03-07, 09:47 PM

Editorial: HD-DVD's Act of Desperation, and Why it Just Might Work (http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=6022)

BenDover

11-04-07, 07:54 AM

bd display mfrs may want to be careful what bundle they offer:

Survey says: LCD and plasma TVs highly reliable (http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/03/survey-says-lcd-and-plasma-tvs-highly-reliable/)
Posted Nov 3rd 2007 6:03PM by Conrad Quilty-Harper
Filed under: HDTV

LCD and plasma TVs are far more reliable than older rear-projection types, according to a report by Consumer Reports. On average, only 3 percent of flat panel TVs need repairs, with the majority of those repairs being free thanks to warranties. Rear projection TVs had a far higher repair rate of 18 percent, probably due to the limited life of the bulbs contained in these TVs. When flat panels TVs did need an out of warranty repair, they cost around $260 for LCDs, and nearly $400 for plasmas, with rear projection TV repairs costing around $300. The report also called out expensive extended warranties, saying that they're only worth it if you're particularly paranoid and they're cheaper than any possible repairs.

Grubert

11-05-07, 06:44 AM

Hitachi reportedly to produce BD pick-up heads in joint venture in China (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20071105PB201.html)

Hitachi, a member of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) Association, will invest 100 million yuan (US$13.4 million) to produce BD pick-up heads (PUHs) on a joint venture basis with Huizhou Foryou Group, which is based in southern China, with monthly output to reach 200,000 units by the end of 2007 and 0.5-1 million units in 2008, according to the Chinese-language CBN Daily newspaper in China.

Huizhou Foryou started technological cooperation with Hitachi in 1993 to make DVD PUHs, the CBN Daily indicated. Hitachi's investment in making BD PUHs is regarded as a breakthrough in the BD supply chain in China, mainly due to the minimization of production costs of BD devices as well as the expected large growth in global demand arising from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the CBN Daily pointed out.

mikemorel

11-05-07, 07:52 AM

In case anyone asked:

Universal confirms "no plans to support Blu-ray" (http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/11112/12136/universal-confirms-no-plans-blu-ray.phtml)

5 November 2007 10:49 GMT - As the next generation format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD continues to rumble on, Pocket-lint sat down over email with Ken Graffeo, excutive vice president, HD DVD Strategic Marketing for Universal, the only studio to singularly back Toshiba's HD DVD format from the start.

Q: Do you see a time when Universal will release movies on both HD DVD and
Blu-ray?

A: We have no plans to support Blu-ray. We want to be able to market all the great things HD DVD can offer consumers. We couldn’t do this if we split our resources on two formats, hedged our bets and had to avoid over promoting features on one format so we wouldn’t undercut the other format. HD DVD allows us to provide the type of quality and truly next generation experiences we need to get consumers to migrate from DVD.

Q. Universal has announced the U-Shop, and some special interactive web features for HD DVD discs, how long do you think it will take the Blu-ray group, with their problems with BD-J, and early players without Ethernet, to catch up and offer similar features?

A: I can't speak to Blu-ray timelines. What’s important to understand though is how HD DVD was launched with a consistent and stable spec that mandates crucial features for all players to enable interactive experiences such as a network connection, persistent memory and secondary video decoder for picture-in-picture scenarios. Even if Blu-ray includes web-enabled features on discs in the future, none of the player sold to-date would be able to access these features, and it’s still unclear what the install base of players in the future will support those capabilities since none of the features are mandatory in the Blu-ray specification.

mikemorel

11-05-07, 12:49 PM

CDRInfo calls on the BDA to explain profiles to consumers:

Talking About Interactivity of Blu-ray Titles (http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=21745)

The interactivity offered by the Blu-ray Discs is considered a major value-add for the format, but hardware makers and the Blu-ray Disc Association have to work closer to educate consumers about these interactive features.

In any case, the important point here is that many of the new Blu-ray players scheduled to appear on the market until the end of 2007 may not be able to play back any of the PIP features that will appear on Blu-ray Discs in the future. This interactivity might not the holy grail for video enthusiasts, but if for some it is, we would expect hardware makers to inform people willing to buy new players so that they would know in advance what these players are able to playback what not before making their purchasing decision.

IRockSoAwesome

11-05-07, 12:56 PM

Warner Says Blu-ray Comments "Misquoted and Misconstrued"

Nearly a week after a Warner VP appeared to indicate otherwise, the studio told High-Def Digest that it has no plans to cease its dual-format stance, pledging a strong line-up for both Blu-ray and HD DVD in 2008.

"Like any major company, we are always reviewing our strategies in every aspect of our business, it is what smart companies do. I can't say what may happen five, ten years down the line. But right now, Warner Bros. has made no decision to change course. We are still onboard with both formats, and will continue in 2008 with a strong line-up of new releases and catalog titles, just as we have in the past in supporting HD DVD and Blu-ray."

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Warner_Says_Blu-ray_Comments_Misquoted_and_Misconstrued/1135

BenDover

11-05-07, 01:02 PM

Warner Says Blu-ray Comments "Misquoted and Misconstrued"

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Warner_Says_Blu-ray_Comments_Misquoted_and_Misconstrued/1135
another important statement from that news if i might quote it:

As for speculation that the studio is waiting for Q4 sales results before making an announcement of format exclusivity -- perhaps even as soon as this January's CES in Las Vegas -- Noonan shot down any such short-term scenarios.

Kosty

11-05-07, 04:37 PM

New advertising campaign for Toshiba HD DVD players to start featuring 300 and Transformers clips aimed at sports fans that bought HDTVs encouraging them to watch HD DVD movies after the game.For those keeping score,

that is 5 national broadcast televison advertising campaigns for HD DVD in progress now:

1, This new Sports and Transformers Toshiba Campaign
http://www.dvdtown.com/news/new-hd-dvd-tv-ad-from-toshiba/4890
http://www.tacp.com/hddvd/ better pop up version of the spot

2. "I love HD DVD -Movie Machine" with Michael Imperioli (Toshiba & HD DVD PRG)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB3KA2GVgis

3. Shrek HD DVD spots (Paramount)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxuJDgxIpR8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAYxYxn3iTA

4. HD DVD Football team with Marty Schottenheimer (Universal HD DVD PRG)
http://www.hddvdnbc.com/

5. Wal-Mart has value - featuring Toshiba HD DVD player as perfect gift for Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcfpJDcmq5M

theone2

11-05-07, 04:58 PM

Experience HD DVD the simple way with Toshiba (http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1872173901)
06/11/2007 08:00:00

Australian retailers can now offer consumers a high definition holiday with an even wider range of HD DVDs this Christmas through the launch of the HD DVD Consortium’s latest promotion.

Commencing now and continuing until 31 December or until stocks last, the HD DVD Consortium makes it possible for Australians to receive up to ten blockbuster films absolutely free with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD player.

“Following competitive price drops and the initial HD DVD redemption offer, the HD DVD Consortium sees this promotion as a natural evolution of bringing HD DVD to market – and Christmas is the perfect time of year to be enjoying home entertainment at its best,” said Francois Spina, AV Product Manager – DVD at Toshiba Australia. “Again, consumers will be the winners as they can now add popular Paramount and Universal movies in HD DVD’s amazing clarity and detail to their collections.”

The high-end Toshiba HD-XE1 HD DVD player is packed with one bonus title in the box and an incredible ten titles by redemption: World Trade Centre, Dream Girls, Black Rain, U2 Rattle & Hum, Norbit, The Holiday, Miami Vice, HULK, Fast & the Furious Tokyo Drift and American Werewolf in London.

The first high definition player under $500 in the Australian market, the Toshiba HD-E1 player, comes with one film in the box and an extra three titles available by redemption: The Holiday, Miami Vice and HULK. In addition to the free movie provided, every purchase of the Toshiba HD-EP10 HD DVD player gives consumers the chance to redeem the following five films: World Trade Centre, Dream Girls, Black Rain, U2 Rattle & Hum, and Norbit.

For more information, please visit: www.toshibaav.com.au

Grubert

11-06-07, 04:50 AM

White paper: 50GB Blu-ray Disc with Singulus technologies (http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/11/OTO_Nov07_P32-34_Whitepaper.pdf)
(by St Hotz, B Cord, Ch Weindel, E Sichmann, Singulus Technologies AG, Kahl)

Excerpts:

The BLU-LINE BD 50 is a result from the close cooperation with Sony and the in house availability of all major process steps, BD mastering, BD molding and BD replication.
Based on this technology, Singulus will ship and install BD DL – Modules to major replicators within 2007 to speed up the replication availability of BD 50 disc.

[...]

The production of Blu-ray discs is now continuously ramping up. Dedicated manufacturing equipment is available and the process is well understood,resulting in high manufacturing yields of at least 80% to more than 90%.

[...]

Blu-ray disc production operates currently at a cycle time below 4 seconds. Molding machine,disc cooling conveyer,lacquer dispensing,infrared heating,spinning, UV curing,hard-coating of the front side and backside coating with low water transmission layer are all integrated into an automatic production line.

[...]

After the cold start the total thickness is high most likely caused by the time to warm up the IR-heaters. It takes about 15-20 discs to bring the coverlayer down to the desired value. From here onward the thickness is constant.

[..]

Summary

The manufacturing technology for single layer Blu-ray of 25GB capacity has already turned into a more or less standard manufacturing technology.The productivity of the replication line is at a level of 20,000 discs per day.Whereas in the beginning it was discussed to apply the 100μm coverlayer either by foil or a lacquering process nowadays the production runs with lacquer.Special issues with the dealing of the lacquer to reduce defects and to achieve a uniform layer are well understood and resolved.

Based on this experience for single layer BD-ROM discs the industry is now moving fast to the double layer 50GB Blu-ray. SINGULUS is fully committed to deliver already within this year,the adequate equipment having all the experience from the single layer BD in the back.

There is also mention of additional figures showing 'Result from the final scanner for a 24h production run,' 'L1 pit replication of >96%,' 'Results of BD 50 with wet-embossing process made with Singulus’ BLU-LINE', and 'Results of L0/L1 Jitter,' but I can't find them (may be for subscribers to the print edition only).

Grubert

11-06-07, 04:57 AM

From an interview with Bob Michaels, vice president of Worldwide DVD for Technicolor (http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/11/OTO_Nov07_P42_Lastword.pdf)

He announces BD JIVE authoring tool, which makes it possible to "author very interactive, highly complex Blu-ray Java discs easily."

But is one format easier to author than the other?
On the authoring there has been a difference between HD and Blu-ray. That is until now.We’re finally capable of authoring Blu-ray exactly like we do in HD DVD; meaning all of the menus and the pop-ups and all of that stuff. These are all of the capabilities of these next generation Blu-ray players Blu-ray has two ways of authoring their disc, either HD MV movie mode, or with Java. Java is where I think the industry is going to trend because it is more dynamic and interactive. We developed our own authoring tool – BD JIVE (Java, Interpretative, Visual Environment) – for Blu-ray to help us get to that level. Essentially, it is a authoring tool that allows us to author very interactive, highly complex Blu-ray Java discs easily.

Will this tool be available outside of Technicolor?
We haven’t sold this to others yet.We are just now introducing it into production.We took it out of development about two months ago. Discs that have been authored with this tool should hit the streets this year.We see a tremendous efficiency with that tool that will help the Blu-ray discs get done more quickly and be more content friendly.

Does BD JIVE give Blu-ray an edge for you?
We have been very careful to keep both formats in equal stride.Obviously,we have the Tiger encoder,which is our AVC encoder that provides streams for both the HD DVD format and the Blu-ray.

Grubert

11-06-07, 05:38 AM

Hey Grubert, you missed one!

Recordable lines – waiting for high definition (http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/11/OTO_Nov07_P27-31_BlankDisc.pdf)

Matsushita (Panasonic) and HD DVD? Sweet! :p

We were through this a month ago. They're not HD DVD recorders - they're high-definition DVD recorders.

http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/en071002-6/en071002-6.html

Grubert

11-06-07, 05:40 AM

More Singulus: SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES Expects Double-Digit Growth for Solar and Blu-ray (http://www.singulus.de/en/presse/pressemeldungen/pressemeldung/article/470/7.html?cHash=fa8b95a459)

BLULINE
SINGULUS has commissioned the first four Blu-ray machines in the US and recognized them as sales in the 3rd quarter. First orders for Blu-ray disc production equipment from the BLULINE range were also received from customers in Europe and Asia. The increasing demand from Europe and Asia shows that Blu-ray does not only play a more important role in the former main market US, but that Blu-ray is also beginning to become increasingly accepted in other markets.

SINGULUS upgraded its Blu-ray disc equipment and is therefore also prepared for the production of the upcoming 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray disc. SINGULUS will still start the first dual layer Blu-ray production modules this year.

mikemorel

11-06-07, 06:05 AM

^^Deleted...

Another great year for consumer electronics, says Sony president (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9811537-7.html)

--Blu-ray will win. But I guess you expected that. Sony is one of the big backers of the Blu-ray format. The rival format, HD DVD, has given close to $500 million in "incentives" to get studios to back it, he asserted. Executives at Panasonic, however, have said that the studios have been asking the Blu-ray powers to cough up some marketing dollars as well.

TomsHT

11-06-07, 08:25 AM

Blu-ray Profile 1.1 makes existing players obsolete? (http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/others/0,39037627,62034159,00.htm)
By Matthew Moskovciak, CNET.com
Nov 06, 2007

October 31, 2007 was the official end of the "grace period" for Blu-ray manufacturers, after which all players released must comply with the latest standard--Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (also known as Final Standard Profile and BD-Video Profile 1.1). Of course, that doesn't mean Profile 1.0 Blu-ray players still can't be sold, and if you walk into your local electronics store over the next few months, you're likely to see both Profile 1.0 and Profile 1.1 Blu-ray players on the shelf. So what's the big difference between Profile 1.0 and Profile 1.1?

Profile 1.0 vs. 1.1

There are several different hardware requirements (see the chart below), but it basically boils down to picture-in-picture functionality. All Blu-ray players up until this point have been Profile 1.0 and have lacked the secondary video and audio decoders necessary to play a smaller video in the corner while also playing the main high-def movie in the background. With the notable exception of the PlayStation 3, Profile 1.0 players cannot be upgraded via firmware to become Profile 1.1 players.

Because Profile 1.0 players lacked this functionality, movie studios have understandably not included picture-in-picture functionality on any current Blu-ray disc.

According to High-Def Digest, Fox has announced that it will release its first Profile 1.1-enabled disc, Sunshine, in the first quarter of 2008. And as more Profile 1.1 players become available, we expect more Profile 1.1 discs to be released.

Profile 1.1 vs. 2.0

Despite Profile 1.1 also being known as Final Standard Profile, there's actually still another Blu-ray specification, Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live. The major difference between Profiles 1.1 and 2.0 is that Profile 2.0 requires that the player has an Internet connection. Although some current Blu-ray players have an Ethernet port, these are strictly for firmware updates and can't be used to access downloadable content.

Again, since Internet connectivity isn't a mandatory feature on current Blu-ray players, there are currently no Internet-enabled Blu-ray discs and none have been announced for the future. Internet connectivity could be used to download additional movie content, download trailers, or enable purchasing movie-related merchandise. Profile 2.0 also increases the mandatory local storage capacity to 1GB, which is presumably to accommodate downloaded content.

TomsHT

11-06-07, 08:33 AM

Gamers don't watch HD movies (http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/video/dvd-hdd-players-and-receivers/blu-ray-and-hd-dvd/news/high-def-movies-failed-by-ps3-xbox-360?articleid=1748725812)
PS3, Xbox 360 owners would rather play games instead
Rob Mead
02 Nov 2007 16:32 GMT

If you believe the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), millions of PlayStation 3 gamers all over the globe are watching movies on their consoles. That's just not true, says HD DVD man Olivier Van Wynendaele, and it doesn't really work for HD DVD movies on the Xbox 360 either.

Van Wynendaele - who's the spokesman for the HD DVD Promotion Group - made the claims during an exclusive interview with Tech.co.uk conducted yesterday. He also said that the majority of PS3 owners didn't know their consoles could play movies, period:

"[According to] the independent figures we have from independent research companies and so on, it appears that 60 per cent of games consoles owners don't know they can play movies - either DVD or Blu-ray - in the PS3. That means at least 60 per cent are not active.

"Even among the remaining 40 per cent... 13 per cent are actually using their games console as a player, and the rest are not. People are buying their consoles to play games, not to watch movies."

AdvertisementThe HD DVD experience
For further evidence, Van Wynendaele turned to Microsoft's record with the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360:

"The attach rate is less than two digits. So [Microsoft has] sold a lot, but it's an expensive accessory for a games console. It was the cheapest HD DVD player in the market, but still less than 10 per cent of [Xbox 360] games console owners have purchased it."

He also said that Microsoft's own research had concluded that console owners play a game for an average of 400 hours, but only spend three hours a month watching movies.

"That's why we don't see on the PlayStation 3 side why gamers would behave differently than on the Microsoft side."

Perhaps someone from the Blu-ray camp would care to explain?

IRockSoAwesome

11-06-07, 02:01 PM

Terminator 3' Blu-ray Hits a Speed Bump

It looks like fans will have to wait just a wee bit longer for Warner's first-ever "In-Movie Experience"-enhanced Blu-ray title.

As first reported in October, Warner had originally planned a December 4 Blu-ray debut for 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.' Now the studio has bumped the title by two weeks to December 18.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Street_Date_Delays/Terminator_3_Blu-ray_Hits_a_Speed_Bump/1122

PopcornReady

11-06-07, 07:17 PM

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6498141.html

It appears the Toshiba HD-A2 sold rather well over the weekend -- 90,000 players and more when other stores (not counted yet) are included.

That ought to drive more sales of Harry Potter on HD DVD when released in a few weeks ... to say nothing of Shrek 3 next week.

Talkstr8t

11-06-07, 08:02 PM

LiquidX

11-09-07, 09:54 AM

Sony CEO Sees 'Stalemate' in Disc Fight

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of Sony Corp., Howard Stringer, said Thursday that the Blu-ray disc format the company has developed as the successor to the DVD is in a "stalemate" with the competing HD DVD format, chiefly backed by Toshiba Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"It's a difficult fight," said Stringer, speaking at the 92nd Street Y cultural center in Manhattan.

Toshiba has been selling its players for as low as $200 heading into the holiday season, while Blu-ray players cost more than twice as much. The HD DVD camp also scored a significant win in August, when it induced Paramount Pictures to drop most of its support for Blu-ray and put out high-definition movies exclusively on HD DVD.

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Stringer said.

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end.

"It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said. He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen.

Stringer was more upbeat about the PlayStation 3, the game console that has so far had disappointing sales compared to the rival Nintendo Wii.
The CEO said the console is the best-selling console in Europe after a price cut three weeks ago. In the U.S., a recent price cut has doubled sales.

"We are coming back up again," Stringer said. The company aims to sell 10 million PS3s by the end of its fiscal year in March. Nintendo has already sold 13.2 million Wiis.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iSSf4xA77eWwRXXF8SovYH6kRhRAD8SPU1BG0

mikemorel

11-09-07, 09:59 AM

Stringer: Content drives digitization (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/business/news/e3idd293825dd51c45cff4f1036c8398c0e)

Asked about the battle between Sony's Blu-Ray high-definition DVD format and the competing HD DVD, Stringer said if Sony lost out, it would have to change the harddrive for its PlayStation, but it wouldn't hurt the conglomerate too much beyond that.I think he meant optical drive.

mikemorel

11-09-07, 12:20 PM

MGM Yanks 'Ronin,' 'Red Dawn' Blu-ray Releases (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/MGM/Street_Date_Delays/MGM_Yanks_Ronin,_Red_Dawn_Blu-ray_Releases/1159)

In what has become a major shuffling of its Q4 Blu-ray line-up, MGM has confirmed an indefinite delay for both 'Ronin' and 'Red Dawn.'

MGM had originally slotted 'Red Dawn' for a November 27 high-def debut, to be followed by 'Ronin' one weeks later on December 4. But now, citing only "marketing reasons," the studio has confirmed recent retailer reports that both titles had been pulled from the 2007 schedule, with no new dates in sight.

Lee Stewart

11-09-07, 05:58 PM

Blockbuster to broaden entertainment reach

Focus back on in-store customers, with eye on future expansion

By Ned Randolph -- Video Business, 11/9/2007
NOV. 9 | Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes yesterday laid out for analysts the company's new strategy to improve its performance by refocusing on its 20 million in-store customers, updating its image from one associated with DVD rental to become a broader entertainment brand and better executing its Total Access mail subscription service.

Keyes said the country's largest movie rental company will refocus on the core business that it deviated from in 2006 when it began pushing its Total Access online subscription program to take on Netflix. Blockbuster's move to eliminate late fees and allow in-store returns to monthly subscribers for movies on the spot boosted its subscriber base to 3.1 million but at a significant cost to profits.

Between 2004 and 2007, Blockbuster's average rental price dropped to $2.79 from $3.60, while the amount of days a title stayed out grew to five, from 3.6, according to the company.

"The concept of Total Access—brilliant. The execution of Total Access left a little to be desired," Keyes said.

In-store customers are twice as profitable as Total Access subscribers, but Total Access cannibalized its own in-store customer base, he said.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6499357.html?desc=topstory

Are we allowed to discuss this article or just post it here in the News thread?

mikemorel

11-09-07, 06:05 PM

'Lack of Applications for Cutting-edge Process,' Sony VP Discusses Reason behind 'Cell' Production Facilities Sale (http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20071108/142069/)

Sony originally planned to make the most of its production line by applying the Cell not only to the PS3 but also to a range of other items such as TVs and digital home appliances. However, in addition to the unit sales of the PS3, which did not grow as much as the company's expectation, it also became difficult to apply the Cell to different application areas, because Sony designed the Cell itself for the game console and ruined its potential to be used for multi-purposes, Nakagawa said.

As a result, it became difficult for Sony to maintain the Cell production line's operating rate high, and, therefore, manufacturing it in house was no longer an advantage, he said. It is possible to boost operating rate if the company utilizes the cutting-edge line like Si foundries, but the company concluded, "It's not what Sony should do."

Kosty

11-10-07, 01:15 AM

Included in local Hollywood Video stores shipping boxes, with the new HDM inventory was a new consumer brochure from Hollywood Video on the format war.

great neutral summary of the High Def formats

Reports are coming in that many Hollywood Video store locations today received new stocks of HD DVD and Blu-ray rental stocks

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=936518

New brochure is a blue colored 4 panel flyer.

Titled: "Get the Perfect Picture with High-Definition Discs"

(with both HD DVD and Blu-ray logos on the bottom of the first page.)

In the inside it has these 6 Q&A's:

"Get the Perfect Picture with High-Definition Discs"

from Hollywood Video

AT HOLLYWOOD VIDEO WE'VE ALWAYS OFFERED THE LARGEST SELECTION OF MOVIES AND GAMES. NOW WE'RE PROUD TO OFFER EVEN MORE - HIGH DEFINITION DISCS.

Q: WHAT ARE HIGH-DEFINITION DISCS?

A:High-Definition Discs are the same size as standard definition DVD,s,but they store much more data. The result is a sharper, higher-resolution picture, uncompressed audio for superior sound;and enhanced bonus content and interactivity. Perfect picture, perfect sound, perfect entertainment.

Q: CAN I PLAY MY OLD DVDS ON THE NEW PLAYER?

A: Thankfully , yes. The new High-Def Disc players should be backwards compatible which means they can play movies and games in the original DVD format just as well as they play the new High-Def Discs.

Q: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HD-DVDS AND BLU-RAY DISCS?

A: Virtually none. They are two different formats delivering the same great experience. Like the format war between VHS and Betamax, one of them should eventually become the optical standard.

Q: CAN I PLAY HIGH-DEFINITION DVDS ON MY CURRENT DVD PLAYER?

A: Unfortunately, no. You will need a format specific player,in other words, either a HD-DVD player or a Blu-ray Disc player.

Q: DO I NEED A HIGH-DEFINITION (HD) TV TO WATCH THE NEW HIGH-DEF DISCS?

A: Yes and No. You can still watch the new High -Def Discs - plus the special bonus features - on your regular TV, as long as it has the proper connections and cables. But you won't get the superior picture and sound. To enjoy the HD difference, you need an HD TV.

Q: WHAT ABOUT HIGH DEFINITION GAMES?

A: Both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 shows games in high-definition. The PS3 uses Blu-ray technology, the Xbox 360 plays standard DVDs discs and has an HD-DVD add-on drive for playing movies.

Overall, this without spec confusion and hype, is one of the best layman's explanations I have seen yet on the high definition DVD formats.

Edit: Scans added

Hollywood Video HD brochure front (http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brochurefrontty6.jpg)

Hollywood Video HD brochure back (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brochurebackwz5.jpg)

HD DVD Background Cover for DVD Slipcase (http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hddvdredbacksheetbw6.jpg)

Flags of our Fathers HD DVD artwork in with background sheet in DVD case (http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flagsbc6.jpg)

Bourne Identity HD DVD artwork in with background sheet in DVD case (http://img249.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bournevm9.jpg)

Blu-Ray cases look similar, rental cases are regular DVD thin cases with HDM artwork case covers and background sheets.

discussion here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12179764#post12179764)

.

Kosty

11-10-07, 02:32 PM

http://www.betanews.com/article/LG_Using_Broadcom_Chips_in_Dual_HD_Disc_Players/1194456951

LG Using Broadcom Chips in Dual HD Disc Players

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
November 7, 2007, 12:35 PM

LG said Wednesday that it had selected Broadcom's integrated dual HD disc format system-on-a-chip had been selected to power the company's next dual-format player.

Broadcom says that its solution continues to be the only one in the industry that can fully support the interactive features of either format -- HD DVD's HDi and Blu-ray's BD-Java -- and other mandatory requirements.

It supports the H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD audio and video standards, and features backwards compatibility and DVD-R, DVD-VR, and CD support as well.

Such a market for dual-format capability is sure to grow in the coming months, as recent moves by Wal-Mart and the sale of some 90,000+ HD DVD players in the past week alone are likely to keep the format war going for a considerable amount of time.

...At the same time, the high price of the players has held many back from purchasing them. For example, dual format players currently run around $1,000. But with dual-format chips becoming more widely available, prices should soon begin to drop.

"Our universal system-on-a-chip and software solution brings us one step closer to ending the confusion surrounding the current format war by supporting both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats at the highest performance levels," Broadcom's consumer electronics chief said in a statement.

Currently, LG's dual-format player is the only one on the market to receive the certification of both formats.

Kosty

11-10-07, 02:35 PM

http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=1073955

LG Electronics Selects Broadcom® Solution for Its Second Generation Flagship Super Blu™ Dual-Format High Definition Disc Player

Broadcom's Highly Integrated Blu-ray Disc®/HD DVD System-on-a-Chip enables LG's BH200 to Play Back the Widest Range of High Definition Content

IRVINE, Calif., Nov 07, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its highly integrated Blu-ray Disc®/HD DVD system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution has been selected by LG Electronics to power its dual-format Super Blu™ BH200 high definition disc player. By combining full support for both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats in a single SoC, Broadcom enables leading consumer electronics manufacturers to build universal high definition players capable of playing back all high definition movie titles thereby increasing the high definition entertainment choices for consumers.

The Broadcom® BCM7440 SoC solution is a single-chip platform that fully meets the requirements of next generation Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player designs. It provides the multiple processing cores and the necessary performance required to support next generation interactive technologies and network connected applications currently being developed by Hollywood studios using sophisticated BD-Java (Blu-ray Disc) and HDi (HD DVD) technologies. This includes enhanced interactive menus, gaming capabilities, real time director's comments, and full support of networked interactivity from select and forthcoming Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD titles. The Broadcom BCM7440 SoC continues to be the only solution in the industry that fully supports both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats in a single monolithic IC, providing consumers with exactly what the film's authors had intended -- the best possible high definition multimedia experience.

Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD are the next generation of optical disc formats for recording, rewriting and playing high definition video and digital formats. With two high definition media player options currently available, consumers are often confused when it comes to choosing one format over the other. By leveraging the Broadcom BCM7440 SoC and its multiple processing cores, media player manufacturers can now design a single, high performance platform that is fully capable of meeting the demanding processing requirements of both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD standards. With the availability of the LG Super Blu BH200 disc player, consumers can now purchase a dual-format high definition player that not only plays back the widest range of high definition content available, but also provides the core processing performance to handle advanced capabilities and requirements being embedded into Hollywood's newest title releases.

"Together with Broadcom, we are proud to release our second generation Super Blu player, the BH200, the successor to our award-winning BH100, the world's first, dual-format high definition player that was released earlier this year," says Dr. Jin-Yong Kim, Vice President of LG Electronics' Digital Media Research Lab. "Utilizing Broadcom's BCM7440 SoC, our new Super Blu player provides the finest user experience for playing back the widest range of high definition titles."

"Our universal BCM7440 SoC and software solution brings us one step closer to ending the confusion surrounding the current format war by supporting both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats at the highest performance levels," said Peter Besen, Vice President of Broadcom's Consumer Electronics line of business. "As was the case with LG's first dual-format player, LG has again chosen to leverage our industry leading solution for its flagship Super Blu BH200 player."

Broadcom BCM7440 Product Information

The Broadcom BCM7440 SoC incorporates the decoding, processing and memory functions for both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD media players, eliminating the need for manufacturers to build two different hardware platforms. Broadcom continues to be a pioneer in this field by also providing a universal software solution to complement the BCM7440 SoC which is now in mass production.

The BCM7440 is a highly integrated system-on-a-chip solution that offers the following advanced capabilities:

Single-chip high definition SoC solution supports Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD and universal dual format high definition players.
Highest performance platform with multiple processors, dual decoders and dedicated graphics engines assures robust applications performance.
Robust and proven universal optical disc (UOD) software stack reduces development risks and supports all Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD profiles.
Complete hardware and software reference design dramatically reduces OEM/ODM development time.
Fully integrated SoC enables highly optimized solutions

The BCM7440 SoC also supports a wide variety of mandatory audio and video compression standards required for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD optical disc formats, including H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD. The SoC also provides full backwards compatibility for current DVD video titles as well as DVD-R, DVD-VR and audio CDs.

LG Super Blu BH-200 Disc Player

The LG Super Blu player, model BH200, is a second generation dual-format, high definition disc player, available from LG Electronics. Sporting both formats' logos, LG's new BH200 player is capable of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD playback with advanced BD-Java and HDi interactivity, enabling consumers to choose from the widest variety of high definition content regardless of disc format.

The BH200 further strengthens LG's position as an innovator in the media player market having launched the first dual-format high definition player seven months ago with the introduction of the award-winning BH100. The BH100 provided a technological breakthrough that has been widely recognized as a groundbreaking product in the industry with accolades including CNN's Best of CES, CNET's CES 2007 Best in Show and Home Video categories and Popular Mechanics' CES Editor's Choice Award. The BH200 is available to U.S. consumers and custom installers at a suggested retail price of $999....

DrDon

11-12-07, 02:59 PM

Opinion pieces, items based on sales figures and comments on news items do not belong in this thread.

HDM News Only, folks.

Doc

dsinger

11-12-07, 04:58 PM

DrDon: Thank You

Kosty

11-13-07, 11:40 AM

New 2.7 firmware now available for the 2nd generation Toshiba HD DVD players. Available by Toshiba servers for Internet connected HD DVD players or by download for ISO burn.

Correctly adds proper 23.98Hz 1080p24 support, adds advanced audio HDMI pass through to AVRs and corrects reported lip sync issues with some setups.

...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 listed above.

This firmware update improves support for 1080p/24Hz OUTPUT, improves network connectivity supporting the download of web-enabled network content associated with certain HD DVD discs, and also addresses certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related issues identified by Toshiba.

In addition, this firmware update provides High Bit Rate Audio functionality for the HD-XA2 player. When integrated through the HDMI connection to a 7.1 capable multi-channel A/V receiver, High Bit Rate Audio has the potential to offer the latest in high definition surround sound.Toshiba information link on the update (http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-images/notices/hddvd2firmware.asp)

Discuss in HD DVD hardware area on these threads.

OFFICIAL - FIRMWARE VERSION 2.7 RELEASED!!!!!!! for HD-XA2, HD-A20, HD-A2, etc (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=937992)

HD DVD gets 1080p 24fps output thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=846721)

mikemorel

11-13-07, 02:46 PM

Venturer HD DVD Launches, But Does Anybody Notice? (http://www.videobusiness.com/blog/830000483/post/640017264.html)

An eagle-eyed reader has pointed out that Target's Web site has begun offering that once highly anticipated Venturer HD DVD player. It's set at $249.99, which isn't quite as low as the $199 pricing initially stated by Venturer executives. But even if the Venturer player had come tagged below $200, wouldn't the product launch still feel anti-climatic?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31IZQCRhmzL._SS260_.jpg

Talkstr8t

11-13-07, 03:48 PM

(PDF file) http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/11/OTO_Nov07_P42_Lastword.pdf

But is one format easier to author than the other?
On the authoring there has been a difference between HD and Blu-ray. That is until now. We’re finally capable of authoring Blu-ray exactly like we do in HD DVD; meaning all of the menus and the pop-ups and all of that stuff. These are all of the capabilities of these next generation Blu-ray players. Blu-ray has two ways of authoring their disc, either HD MV movie mode, or with Java. Java is where I think the industry is going to trend because it is more dynamic and interactive. We developed our own authoring tool – BD JIVE (Java, Interpretative, Visual Environment) – for Blu-ray to help us get to that level. Essentially, it is a authoring tool that allows us to author very interactive, highly complex Blu-ray Java discs easily.

[...]

Discs that have been authored with this tool should hit the streets this year.We see a tremendous efficiency with that tool that will help the Blu-ray discs get done more quickly and be more content friendly.

teachsac

11-13-07, 04:10 PM

Talkstr8t.

Your link doesn't work. I posted this on 11/6 on another site. Good article.

http://www.oto-online.com/pdf/oto_download/2007/11/OTO_Nov07_P42_Lastword.pdf

S~

IRockSoAwesome

11-13-07, 05:58 PM

http://www.tech.co.uk/home-entertainment/video/dvd-hdd-players-and-receivers/blu-ray-and-hd-dvd/news/blu-ray-11-a-lawsuit-waiting-to-happen?articleid=1402030689

Early adopters of Blu-ray Disc could be so incensed by changes being made to 'their' movie format that they could sue Hollywood studios and hardware makers alike.

This is because many Blu-ray movies being launched next year have interactive menus and other features that take advantage of BD-Video Final Standard Profile 1.1 - a new hardware standard that mandates technology like persistent memory, BD Java and internet connections (optional) that older Blu-ray decks do not have.

Don't put much credence to this article, but figured I'd share it

Talkstr8t

11-13-07, 06:03 PM

Information on Panasonic Hollywood Labs, title sneak previews, Panasonic DMP-BD30 player.

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6175/An+unexpected+new+twist

Yaponvezos

11-14-07, 02:14 PM

Total HD Hybrid format on hold.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Total_HD/Industry_Trends/Warner_Shelves_Total_HD_Hybrid_Disc_Plans/1147

Kosty

11-15-07, 05:33 AM

Since Wal-Mart is getting more involved in HDM, this may be of interest to many.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/13/news/companies/walmart_blackfridayad/index.htm?postversion=2007111310

Retailer's planned discounts for day after Thanksgiving center on consumer electronics such as a Philips 50-inch HDTV and an Xbox 360

By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer

November 13 2007: 10:17 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wal-Mart is focusing its much-anticipated Black Friday deals on plasma and LCD televisions, home computers and DVD players, according to sources at two Web sites that track Black Friday promotions.

Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - is one of the busiest shopping days of the year for the nation's retailers. Details about the sales, which Wal-Mart is not expected to officially unveil until next week, are awaited with great expectation in the retail industry.... ...At Wal-Mart (Charts, Fortune 500), the world's largest retailer, the so-called doorbuster deals between 5 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. will focus on limited-supply hot products including a Philips 50-inch widescreen plasma high-definition TV ($1397), RCA 46-inch widescreen LCD high-def TV ($1,196), Polaroid 42-inch widescreen 1080p LCD high-def TV ($798) and a Sanyo 37-inch widescreen LCD high-def TV ($847).......Some of Wal-Mart's other Black Friday promotions include an Apple 80GB iPod Classic ($247.88), assorted DVDs ($2.96), Dell Inspiron 1501 15.4-inch laptop computer ($598), Kodak 7MP digital camera ($89.84) and Xbox 360 arcade console system with 5 bonus games ($279.92)........Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien did not address the leaks from its Black Friday sales circular.

However, she said Wal-Mart is aware that "our Black Friday plans are the subject of some of the hottest rumors in town," O'Brien said in an email to CNNMoney.com. She said that's why the retailer has expanded early promotions, a practice it started last year.

"We'll publish our Black Friday ad circular online as early as next Monday, Nov. 19," she said. "And then on Thanksgiving Day, we'll again release a whole new set of secret in-store specials."

Lee Stewart

11-15-07, 09:28 AM

CompUSA To Carry Samsung BD Player For Black Friday

According to blackfriday.info, CompUSA has the following deals planned for high-def products on Black Friday:

Samsung Blu-ray Player -- $399

http://www.tvpredictions.com/blackcomp111507.htm

mikemorel

11-15-07, 10:52 AM

DVD Forum - 40th Steering Committee Meeting (Nov. 15, 2007) (http://www.dvdforum.org/40scmtg-resolution.htm)

Approval of
DVD Specifications for High Density Read-Only Disc [HD DVD-ROM (51G)] Part 1 Physical Specifications, Version 2.0

Logo/Mark for China HD DVD format. (http://www.dvdforum.org/images/LogoMark_for_HD_DVD_China.pdf)

mikemorel

11-15-07, 04:11 PM

Infosmart Group Announces Record Third Quarter 2007 Financial Results and Financial Guidance (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0329431.htm)

Mr. Seto concluded, "Looking forward, our goal is to further expand our production capabilities for both DVD and Flash memory products during 2008. Additionally, as High Definition (HD) DVD begins to proliferate we have the ability to upgrade our 29 manufacturing lines in Hong Kong in a timely manner as market demand dictates."

TheGizzard

11-16-07, 09:44 AM

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2&newsid=11570

a little known fact about the 30,000 HD DVD players sold by Wal-Mart was that 30% of the devices were connected to the Internet shortly after purchase.

... You wouldn’t have expected that from that demographic

PopcornReady

11-16-07, 10:08 PM

Venturer HD DVD Launches, But Does Anybody Notice? (http://www.videobusiness.com/blog/830000483/post/640017264.html)

Actually, there is more news of the launch and the player here:

http://www.venturer.com/products.aspx?view=423

including

To purchase this unit, visit either Wal-Mart USA, Wal-Mart Canada or Target.

DrDon

11-17-07, 02:22 PM

Once again, sales figures posts removed. If you want to discuss disc or player units sold, do so in one of the appropriate sales figures threads, not here.

NEWS: "Neosho Technologies creates 4 micron blue laser read/write head"

NOT NEWS: "OMG, 200 GameCubes sold since March in Norway. Ur 4mat SUX."

Grubert

11-19-07, 03:42 AM

Preview of the Onkyo HD805 at areadvd (http://www.areadvd.de/hardware/2007/onkyo_dv_hd805_01.shtml)

http://img107.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2007/11/18/onkyodvhd805inside-48jm2jomd.jpg http://img701.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2007/11/18/xa2maininsidebestda0-48jm2xkdn.jpg
Onkyo HD805..................................................... Toshiba XA2

rdjam

11-19-07, 02:43 PM

From IGN:

Sony halves fees for PlayStation 3 software development to encourage outside game designers (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/19/business/AS-TEC-Japan-PlayStation.php)

Boosting PS3 sales is crucial for Sony's overall business strategy because it also supports the Blu-ray disc next-generation video, which is vying with the rival HD-DVD format...

amirm

11-19-07, 03:23 PM

Don't have the link but should be easy to find....

Macrovision to Acquire Blu-ray Disc Security Technology from Cryptography
Research, Inc.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Macrovision Corporation
(Nasdaq:MVSN) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire certain technology assets from Cryptography Research, Inc. (CRI),
the San Francisco-based R&D organization focused on solving complex security
problems. Upon closing of the transaction, Macrovision will own the SPDC(TM)
(Self-Protecting Digital Content) technology, which formed the basis of BD+,
a key element of Blu-ray's content security platform. The purchase includes
certain CRI's patents, security software code, and related third party
customer and partner agreements. Macrovision will also hire certain CRI
employees involved in the technology. Macrovision will hold a conference
call to discuss the transaction today at 1:00pm Eastern time; see dial-in
information below.

The Blu-ray Disc Association adopted BD+, exclusive to the Blu-ray
format, as an added layer of content protection for movies and other premium
entertainment released on the Blu-ray Disc standard. The technology will
complement Macrovision's existing ACP and Ripguard video security solutions.

"As we continue to build our business and work with our partners to
develop and implement new distribution models in the digital marketplace, we
seek to expand our capabilities to address emerging standards such as
Blu-ray," commented Fred Amoroso, CEO of Macrovision Corporation. "The
integration of SPDC into our product portfolio will enable us to continue to
provide innovative technology to our customers as they expand their
distribution vehicles. Not only is BD+ critical for content security, but it
also supports value-added features that enhance the consumer playback
experience, such as potentially unlocking bonus content." Mr. Amoroso also
noted, "I am especially delighted to add some of the cryptographic talent
for which CRI is renowned. We believe they will allow us to accelerate our
future security solution development efforts."

"We are a research organization dedicated to solving difficult
cryptography problems," commented Paul Kocher, President and Chief Scientist
of Cryptography Research Inc. "We developed SPDC to enable consumers to
experience content across a broad range of devices while simultaneously
providing content owners with the control to manage the security of content
in this dynamic environment. Macrovision shares this goal and now that SPDC
has entered commercialization, we are confident Macrovision will take it to
the next level."

Unlike previous DVD security technologies, a critical advantage of BD+ is
its ability to respond dynamically to security threats. Similar to
Macrovision's ACP technology, BD+ resides both in devices and on the media.
Title-specific security code is embedded in each BD+ protected disc. On the
device side, BD+ utilizes an embedded virtual machine and APIs that are
integrated directly into the media player, which communicate with the code
from the discs. As a result, new titles can carry unique security code to
address emerging threats, thus providing content producers the ability to
respond to security breaches without impacting legitimate consumers. This
field upgradeability helps protect investments in the Blu-ray format over
the long-term, a key concern of the motion picture industry.

BD+ has been adopted by more than 20 companies including major CE
manufactures and motion studios. Upon the close of the transaction
Macrovision will be the primary licensor of BD+ technology to Studios.

The consideration for the SPDC assets is $45 million in cash plus
warrants exercisable for Macrovision stock, a portion of which are subject
to certain performance milestones. The transition is subject to customary
closing conditions and Macrovision expects it to close in the fourth quarter
of 2007 and be slightly accretive to 2008 earnings.

Dial-in Information

Macrovision will hold an investor conference call on November 19, 2007,
at 1:00 p.m. ET. Investors and analysts interested in participating in the
conference are welcome to call 800-366-7417 (or international +1
303-262-2075) and reference the Macrovision call.

The conference call can also be accessed via live Webcast at
http://www.macrovision.com/ or http://www.earnings.com/ (or
http://www.streetevents.com/ for subscribers) on November 19, 2007 at 1:00
p.m. ET. The on-demand audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed
approximately 1-2 hours after the live Webcast ends.

Investors and analysts interested in listening to a recorded replay of
the conference are welcome to call 800-405-2236 (or international +1
303-590-3000) and enter passcode 11102772#. Access to the replay is
available through November 21, 2007.

About Macrovision

Macrovision provides a broad set of solutions that enable businesses to
protect, enhance and distribute their digital goods to consumers across
multiple channels. Macrovision solutions are deployed by companies in the
entertainment, consumer electronics, gaming, software, information
publishing and corporate IT markets to solve industry-specific challenges
and bring greater value to their customers. Macrovision holds approximately
270 issued or pending United States patents and more than 1,200 issued or
pending international patents, and continues to increase its patent
portfolio with new and innovative technologies in related fields.
Macrovision is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, U.S.A. with other
offices across the United States and around the world. More information
about Macrovision can be found at www.macrovision.com.

About Cryptography Research, Inc.

Cryptography Research, Inc. provides technology to solve complex security
problems. In addition to security evaluation and applied engineering work,
the company is actively involved in long-term research and technology
licensing in areas including content protection, tamper resistance, network
security and financial services. Security systems designed by Cryptography
Research engineers protect more than $100 billion of commerce annually for
wireless, telecommunications, financial, digital television and Internet
industries. For additional information please visit www.cryptography.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including,
but not limited to, statements regarding the closing of Macrovision's
acquisition of the assets of Cryptography Research, the integration of its
technologies into Macrovision's products and solutions offerings,
Macrovision's plans for such offerings and customer demand for such
offerings. A number of factors could cause Macrovision's actual results to
differ from anticipated results expressed in such forward-looking
statements. Such factors include, among others, satisfaction of closing
conditions to the transaction, the Company's ability to successfully
integrate the merged businesses and technologies, and customer demand for
the technologies and integrated offerings. Such factors are further
addressed in Macrovision's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended
December 31, 2006, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period
ended September 30, 2007 and other securities filings which are on file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (available at www.sec.gov).
Macrovision assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements
except as required by law.

(C)Macrovision 2007. Macrovision is a registered trademark of Macrovision
Corporation. All other brands and product names and trademarks are the
registered property of their respective companies.

Macrovision CorporationLinda Quach,
408-562-8504lquach@macrovision.comorText 100Jill Williams,
415-593-8414JillW@Text100.com

11/19/2007 09:00 ET

Frode

11-19-07, 03:28 PM

AnimeOnDVD posts Q&A with Bandai Visual Japan:

http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/26262/post/new/#NEW

Rich Peterson

11-19-07, 06:57 PM

Source (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20071119150942_Disney_Votes_for_51GB_HD_DVD_Media_Approval.h tml).

Walt Disney Home Entertainment, a major Hollywood studio and one of the strongest backers of Blu-ray disc format, voted for approval of a preliminary specification of 51GB triple-layer HD DVD media, just like all the backers of HD DVD and unlike some other backers of Blu-ray Association within the DVD Forum, who typically abstain in HD DVD-related votes.

In both cases Walt Disney voted for the new HD DVD standards, whereas Samsung Electronics, which supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD with its Blu-ray disc (BD) and unified Blu-ray/HD DVD players, decided to abstain in voting for the 51GB HD DVD, just like some other members of the Blu-ray Association, who always withdraw from HD DVD votes, namely Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Sharp and Sony.

Grubert

11-20-07, 03:49 AM

In both cases Walt Disney voted for the new HD DVD standards, whereas Samsung Electronics, which supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD with its Blu-ray disc (BD) and unified Blu-ray/HD DVD players, decided to abstain in voting for the 51GB HD DVD, just like some other members of the Blu-ray Association, who always withdraw from HD DVD votes, namely Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Sharp and Sony.

The same thing happened last September with version 1.9:

"DVD Specifications for High Density Read-Only Disc [HD DVD-ROM (51G)] Part 1 Physical Specifications, Version 1.9" were approved by a vote of 11-0-9 (with Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, JVC and Hitachi abstaining).

http://www.dvdforum.org/images/39th_Confirmed_Minutes_of_Sep_12_07_SC_Meeting.pdf

mikemorel

11-20-07, 09:34 AM

Nichia succeeded in 420mW pulsed operation of violet LD (http://compoundsemiconductor.net/blog/2007/11/nichia_succeeded_in_420mw_puls.html)

Nichia Corporation succeeded in developing high power violet semiconductor laser diodes corresponding to a double-layer disc at more than 12 X record speed/ a quad-layer disc at more than 2 X record speed applied for the next generation DVD recorders.

We confirmed that estimated life time exceeded 10,000 hours and stable operation was achieved for 1000 hours with the condition of 420 mW pulsed operation at 80°C case temperature.

The LD market is expected to be dramatically expanded with launching for the next-generation DVD market. Nichia Corporation will do the best for the market demands by expanding the production capacity as well as improving the product-quality.

lsdavinci

11-20-07, 01:44 PM

Vudu Goes HD (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-downloads/vudu-goes-hd-thumbs-nose-at-blu+ray-and-hd-dvd-324913.php)

This winter, Vudu will give every Vudu owner and new buyer copies of both The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, pre-loaded on their boxes in glorious HD. They will also have the opportunity to download The Bourne Ultimatum to own for $25. This is a sign that Vudu—and Universal—are looking past the current format war towards the increasingly inevitable download-only distribution.

Talkstr8t

11-20-07, 06:16 PM

Information on upcoming Disney BD Live titles, "obsolete" players, managed copy.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6503907.html

We [Disney] are targeting late Spring for our BD Live applications, and it will be profound when we do it. As examples of what we can do, think of the Liars' Dice computer game that was part of "Pirates of The Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest." Now imagine that we are playing each other through our Blu-ray players — You're in New York and I'm in L.A. Or, think of "Sleeping Beauty" when the first Disney Platinum title comes out in Blu-ray. Let's say we make an appointment that every Tuesday at 5 o'clock Sleeping Beauty comes out and engages in a live chat. You can ask her questions and she will respond to you. The possibilities are limitless.
TWICE: Many of the Blu-ray Disc players on the market now do not have the necessary hardware to utilize those forthcoming BD Live capabilities. Do you have any concern for those who have purchased, in a sense, obsolete products so early in the game?

Chapek: I would say the people who have bought a Blu-ray player, particularly a set-top box, up to this point are early adopters and early adopters thrive on buying not only the first player that's out on the market, but they understand that there's a lot of churn. When I buy the first Blu-ray player that comes out, I know that there are going to be features and benefits to come along two years out that are going to be superior to what I have. I think that amongst the group of people who have already bought it, it won't be too much of an issue, but we are doing everything we can to encourage the CE manufacturers to rapidly evolve their players to full functionality so there are fewer people impacted. But that is up to the CE manufacturers. We just encourage them all the time.

srw1000

11-20-07, 10:05 PM

Posed at the EETimes Online (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204200643) website:

Horizon Semiconductors, a leading provider of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable secure video and audio compression & transmission for the consumer electronics and home entertainment markets, announces the immediate availability of the industry's first universal System-On-a-Chip (SoC) solution enabling dual channel native 1080/60p decoding, encoding and transcoding for next generation media players/recorders supporting the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray optical disc formats (as well as legacy red laser DVD format), iVDRs, place shifting boxes and location-free TV markets requirements on a single platform.

Horizon's Hz7120 HD-DVD/Blu-Ray SoC supports wide range of features and capabilities including conformance to leading video compression standards such as native high-definition 1080/60i & 1080/60p profiles of AVC/H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2 and DV/HDV, leading audio compression standards such as DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD, as well as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray HDi and BD-J (BD-Java) interactive technologies.

The Hz7120 is provided with a comprehensive software stack compliant with both Blu-ray & HD DVD specifications, and a reference hardware platform designed to significantly accelerate OEM/ODM development cycle.

According to Amir Morad, President and CEO of Horizon Semiconductors, "Consumers are not really sure which player format will prevail, and will naturally wait for lower cost native 1080/60p universal HD-DVD/Blu-Ray playback & recording platform. Consumers also want the flexibility of watching content wherever they like, and will therefore naturally prefer devices incorporating higher quality, low bitrate transcoding & integrated iVDR support, as offered in Horizon's Hz7120 SoC."There's more technical stuff in the full article (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204200643).

Scott

mikemorel

11-21-07, 05:31 AM

Blue-laser drives to account for 10% of built-in PC ODDs in 2008, says Panasonic (http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20071121PD211.html)

The adoption of blue-laser optical disc drives (ODDs), Blu-ray Disc (BD) and/or HD DVD, built into desktop and notebook PCs will increase from less than 1% of all PCs in 2007 to 10% in 2008, according to general manager Masayuki Kozuka for the Storage Device Business Strategy Office of Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic).

In the case of BD burners, OEM price levels have dropped from US$1,000 in 2006 to US$800 in 2007 and may further fall to US$500 in 2008 mainly because of increasing yields and production capacity of BD pick-up heads and chipsets, Kozuka pointed out. This has increased the willingness of international PC vendors, including Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Acer and Asustek Computer, to adopt blue-laser burners or drives, Kozuka indicated

mikemorel

11-21-07, 08:04 AM

Toshiba sees both HD formats co-existing (http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/11388/12412/toshiba-see-hddvd-blu-ray-co-existing.phtml)

Toshiba has likened the high-def format war to buying petrol at a service station in the latest spat over who will win the battle for the high-def living room.

"The HD DVD Blu-ray battle is like petrol versus diesel at the pumps," Mike Eves, retail marketing executive, consumer products division for Toshiba told Pocket-lint. "Both will probably exist together rather than a single format wining out."

Instead he implied that consumers have got used to getting exclusives from games companies for their consoles, so why not for movies?

The comments came as Universal showed off the new interactive features for "Bourne Ultimatum", available in the UK from 10th December, which will give consumers the chance to get additional content to the movie from the web direct on their TV.

"What's great is that we will be able to add new content via the web-enabled discs even after you've bought the HD DVD, be that new trailers or extra content," said Steve Collins, head of marketing for HD DVD at Universal Studios.

"It's something we never had with DVD. Better still it will be available to all HD DVD player owners as this has been a prerequisite from the beginning."

BenDover

11-21-07, 12:44 PM

Toshiba outsources pre-recorded HD DVD disc orders to Taiwan makers (http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34948/118/)

42Plasmaman

11-21-07, 12:54 PM

Warner Drops Total HD Dual-Format Discs

Wednesday, November 21st 2007 @ 9:00 AM PST
By Geoff Duncan
Staff Writer, Digital Trends News
Del.icio.us
Warner Bros. has backed away from its "Total HD" dual format high-definition discs, saying it doesn't solve any problems for retailers.

Late last year, Warner Bros. announced it was developed a hybrid disc format designed to end the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Named Total Hi-Def—or Total HD—the planned format would literally split the difference, offering HD DVD content on one side of the disc and Blu-ray on the other. Warner Bros. trotted out the format earlier this year at CES with a spate of retailers already saying they would carry Total HD once became available. However, shifts in the high-definition disc market and amongst the movie studios trying to peddle high-definition goods seems to have claimed Total HD as a casualty: in an interview with High-Def Digest, Warner Home Entertainment's Jim Noonan says the company has set aside Total HD…at least for now.

"Total HD was something that we offered up to the industry as a solution that would address buyer hesitancy, and the concern a consumer might have about the possible obsolesce of the hardware they were buying." said Noonan, senior VP of strategic promotion and communication for Warner Home Entertainment. "We have no proprietary interest in Total HD. There is no patent we're involved in, and there is no monetary reward for us if another studio decides to put out titles on Total HD. It was offered purely as an industry solution—and it is still a good and viable solution that has no expiration date."

Describing the decision to shelve the format, Noonan offered the Warner is currently the only studio offering content in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, and that trying to launch Total HD using only Warner's content would further complicate an already-irksome situation for retailers trying to support HD DVD, Blu-ray, and standard DVD content. (Until recently Paramount had also been supporting both formats; it has since stopped Blu-ray releases.)

SOURCE (http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/14895/warner_drops_total_hd_dual-format_discs)

.

2Channel

11-21-07, 01:35 PM

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix HD DVD to debut new online community features
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/11/21/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-hd-dvd-to-debut-new-on/

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is throwing a new wrinkle on the current list of web-enabled features when it hits HD DVD next month, as the Live Community Screening feature lets multiple owners watch together and chat during the movie. The host initiates the session by inviting other viewers -- no word on how many people are supported -- and synchronizes the viewing on all machines. Other features we've seen before like IME picture-in-picture track, favorite scenes and ringtone store also tag along, but we'll see if this Xbox Live-style community aspect is a hit with Potter aficionados December 11th.

2Channel

11-22-07, 01:04 PM

High Definition Conference Report Shows Growing Importance of Sector
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/26542/

The next generation of high definition optical discs – Blu-ray and HD DVD – provide an alternative source of high quality content, much of it in 1080p. However, the ongoing ‘format war’ is slowing adoption by consumers and, to some extent, content owners outside the Hollywood majors. The cost of creating titles is also considerably higher than DVD, an area of concern for independent studios and distributors on more limited budgets.

Hardware pricing is another issue, particularly when there is a danger of obsolescence. Nevertheless, studio executives attending the conference expressed confidence in the future of high definition discs and are continuing to support their respective choices with new releases containing progressively more advanced interactive features. Delegates had a first-hand opportunity to see demos of the two formats’ online interactive platforms: HDi, now available on several HD DVD discs, and BD Live which is due to launch next year.

2Channel

11-22-07, 01:23 PM

The State of Blu-Ray
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/format-war/the-state-of-blu+ray-320077.php

Denon will offer the third 1.1 player of 2007, also available in December. While it's nice to see that Denon skipped "initial" profile and jumped right into "standard," it's even more encouraging to hear Talmadge say that a universal player is in the works:

"In our heart and soul, we are looking at a true universal player, if that's what the market dictates. And it won't just play all video discs, but it will play SACD and DVD-Audio as well." Hell, a player like that might even be worth Denon's unarguably high-end price.

Meanwhile, Disney is talking about releasing BD Live content next year including Finding Nemo and The Chronicles of Narnia. There is a chance the PS3 will be compatible with the online interactive portion.

srw1000

11-23-07, 01:18 AM

From a new Wall Street Journal article (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119577479647501539.html) with a mixture of old and new information:Latest Cut in DVD-Player Duel: Prices

Analysts say they don't expect the format battle to be decided until late next year at the earliest when more consumers will have high-definition TVs, prices on players will likely come down further, and more movies will be available. Nonetheless, while Blu-ray clearly led the race until recently, the aggressive holiday-season pricing could help bolster HD DVD's position, they say.

"The low price point was, if anything, a test and a precursor," says Paul Erickson, analyst at the NPD Group's DisplaySearch research firm. "They've shown that people will bite if the price is low." Mr. Erickson says he will probably revise his projections for HD DVD player sales upward though he declined to give an estimate. Tom Adams of consultancy Adams Media Research in Carmel, Calif., predicts that by the end of the year, households with stand-alone HD DVD players will total 600,000 and households with stand-alone Blu-ray players will total 400,000.Note that the projected HD DVD sales would fall short of Toshiba's stated goal of one million by the end of the year.One question is how long the companies can keep up such generous price cuts on players. A person familiar with the matter said that Wal-Mart bought about 55,000 HD-A2s from Toshiba for just under $200 apiece before the early November sale, and that it lost about $100 on each sale. A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart says the company doesn't comment on its negotiations with suppliers.

The head of Toshiba's HD DVD business, Yoshihide Fujii, says the company had no prior knowledge of Wal-Mart's plans and declined to comment on its marketing and promotional costs. "Right now we need to increase the size of the market," Mr. Fujii says. He adds that Toshiba expects to sell close to its goal of one million HD DVD players this calendar year, and triple that number next year.Here's an interesting look at HD DVD player costs:Analysts say selling the players to Wal-Mart at such a low cost also likely represented a loss for Toshiba, but that's not unusual in the consumer-electronics business. Product plans generally call for getting rid of older generations of a product at low prices as newer generations hit stores, and the discounts are figured into the business models. Toshiba says it didn't sell any players below cost based purely on manufacturing expenses, but once marketing and promotional expenses are factored in, the HD DVD business is operating at a loss. The company expects it to turn profitable in its next fiscal year, beginning April 2008.There's more in the full article.

I hope this doesn't violate the new rules concerning sales, but the figures discussed are projections and not actual sales, and it's an interesting look at the state of the market.

Scott

teachsac

11-23-07, 01:06 PM

'Potter' HD DVD to Bow Live Community Screening Option

A short article revealing the web enabled features for HP and the Order of the Phoenix (HD DVD). Hope this is OK.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=11610

S~

WayneL

11-23-07, 07:40 PM

http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/hdtvs-hd-confusion/index.html

"Forty percent of HDTV owners and more than 20 percent of all adults believe that their household currently has an HD DVD player, which is much larger than the total number of HD DVD players sold to date."

PaulGo

11-26-07, 02:56 PM

Onkyo DV-HD805 HD-DVD player discontinued:

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.avmagazine.it%2Fnews%2Fsorgenti %2Fonkyo-dv-hd805-l-hd-dvd-fantasma_2654.html&langpair=it%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

ChrisBeveridge

11-26-07, 03:03 PM

Link (http://www.animeondvd.com/news/news.php?news_view=13023)

Geneon Entertainment, Japan (spun off from Pioneer Electronics several years ago) has announced their first high definition media release, the first film by Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue.

Slim GoodBooty

11-26-07, 03:31 PM

PaulGo

11-26-07, 05:22 PM

Is there any indication this this goes further than Italy or Europe?

The article state Onkyo has decided to stop production, so I guess it would be worldwide.

Grubert

11-27-07, 07:49 AM

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20071127PB204.html

Forworld Electronics reportedly to ship Blu-ray Disc players to Alba
Compiled from outside sources, November 27; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 27 November 2007]

Forworld Electronics (formerly Fuh Yuan Electronic Development) has landed ODM orders for Blu-ray Disc (BD) players from Alba, a leading distributor of consumer electronics in Europe, with monthly shipments of 4,000 units initially to begin in January 2008, according to company president Hung-chi Teng as cited by the Chinese-language Commercial Times and Economic Daily News (EDN).

Forworld has signed an agreement with Sony to supply BD loaders, a core part of BD players, and Forworld will undertake assembly of the loader and other components, the Commercial Times cited Teng as saying. Forworld received the orders during the IFA 2007 Consumer Electronics trade show in Berlin, Germany during late August-early September, the EDN pointed out.

In addition, Forworld recently received an order for 100,000 HD DVD-ROM drives at US$57 a drive from OVK Optics Technology in southern China, with shipments to begin in April 2008, according to the Commercial Times.

Commentary on The Register (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/27/alba_readies_cheap_bd_player/):

Alba releases kit over here under its own name, but also under the Goodmans, Grundig and Bush brands, all pitched between the budget end of the market and the mainstream. That suggests Alba's Blu-ray machine, under whichever brand it's released, is likely to be priced at a rather more affordable level than dedicated BD player have been to date.

Everdog

11-27-07, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Onkyo UK Customer Service
Many thanks for choosing Onkyo.

I don't know the origins of the rumours floating around the internet currently.

The actual facts are that we only brought a limited amount of this DVD player into Europe as our colleagues in the USA took the lion's share. It is a "when it's gone, it's gone" product, but we certainly aren't withdrawing it.

We are delighted with the performance of the player, and it is available at most of our key customers.

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards,

David Anderson
General Manager

This is a limited production player. It appears that all them were quickly purchased by retailers (mostly US).

DrDon

11-27-07, 02:52 PM

Sales-figures posts, off topic posts and a few articles I let stand a while even though they're not really news have been removed. Some minor infractions were handed out to those who apparently didn't take the time to read the first post or the other moderator notes in this thread before posting.

A quick note of thanks to the AVSers who help to keep this thread as pure news as it is, either by posting good HDM articles or by alerting me when things go awry. It's appreciated.

Kosty

11-27-07, 09:03 PM

In addition, Forworld recently received an order for 100,000 HD DVD-ROM drives at US$57 a drive from OVK Optics Technology in southern China, with shipments to begin in April 2008, according to the Commercial Times. Forworld (Fuh Yuan ) was the company involved in the HD DVD Chinese SoC - Wal-Mart rumour from last spring.

This 100,000 x $57 HD DVD drive unit order from OVK Optics Technology in China was part of the rumours going around in the summer during that AVS frenzy.

Some of you may recall, that this was the company that was involved in the erroneous we got an Chinese SoC HD DVD order from Wal-Mart order press release last spring.

OVK Optics Technology is an ODM export manufacturer with affiliation with Hitachi and Sanyo

http://www.gdbot.com/e0/GRYG2521.html

Company has also seemed to make DVD drives ODM for Sanyo

http://www.ovk-dvd.com/en/product/product.htm

http://www.ovk-dvd.com/en/product/product.htm

theone2

11-27-07, 09:57 PM

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=21946

The DVD Forum has approved the DaTARIUS headquarters as the first European Class-A Verification Laboratory for HD DVD-Video disc and HD DVD-ROM disc.

HD DVD drive or media manufacturers can contact the DaTARIUS HD DVD Class-A Lab for technical support regarding the HD DVD format, or to perform the First Production Model Verification required to complete their DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation (DVD FLLC) licence. If the evaluation proves to be positive, the DaTARIUS HD DVD Class-A Lab will notify the DVD FLLC of the completion of this requirement. Further information regarding First Production Model erification can be found at the DVD FLLC website: http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/verification/vr_next.html.

"There are two HD DVD Class-A Labs in the US and eight in the Asia-Pacific region, but to date there has been no HD DVD Class-A Lab in Europe," say Toshihiro Sugaya, Technology Adviser, HD DVD Division, Toshiba.

Class-A Verification Laboratories are run by the DVD Forum's Steering Committee members and/or leading companies in the development of DVD Formats. The labs execute comprehensive DVD verification (First Production Model and Next Production Model), services requested by the DVD Forum (e.g. market inspections), contribute to further development of Test Specifications, testing criteria, specification interpretation, methods and procedures, provide technical support to other Class-A Labs, Class-B and Class-C Labs, DVD FLLC, and the DVD Community, contribute to the development of test tools and provide services to the DVD FLLC (e.g. market inspection, market monitoring, etc.).

For several year DaTARIUS has been offering a service both to its customers and industry: the DaTARCENTER, offering quality control expertise and testing-on-demand for optical media manufacturers. The company has already installed its DaTABANK for HD DVD at key media manufacturers. Earlier this year, the company also released its HD DVD Signal Guide ? a guide that demystifies the HD DVD quality control parameters.

PaulGo

11-29-07, 01:05 AM

BD gaining upper hand over HD DVD in PC-use drives, say Taiwan makers

Jimmy Hsu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Thursday 29 November 2007]

While Toshiba has enjoyed exceptionally booming sales of its HD-A2 HD DVD player in the North America market, Blu-ray Disc (BD) appears to have gained the upper hand in the PC-use drive segment.

Sony has recently launched a new BD burner, the BWU-200S, and Taiwan-based Asustek Computer is promoting its BC-1205PT BD Combo drive in the China market, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The BWU-200S features maximum write speeds of 4x for BD-R (recordable, write once) and BD-RE (rewritable), 16x for DVD+R/-R SL (single-sided single-layer), 8x for DVD+R/-R DL (single-sided double-layer) and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 40x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW, the sources pointed out.

Pioneer and Philips have also launched BD drives, the sources noted, while Lite-On IT will launch a BD-ROM drive for sale under its own brand Liteon soon. Additionally Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) will debut a BD Combo drive later this quarter, the sources indicated.

In contrast, Toshiba has not offered PC-use HD DVD burners or drives since it launched a HD DVD drive model in the fourth quarter of 2006, nor have any other members of the HD DVD Group, the sources noted.

However, notebook vendors, including Acer and Asustek, plan to offer high-end notebook PCs with built-in HD DVD drives later this quarter, the sources cited Toshiba Electronics Taiwan as saying.

http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20071128PD216.html

IRockSoAwesome

11-29-07, 03:37 PM

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Fox/Street_Date_Delays/Fox_Confirms_Delay_For_Independence_Day_Blu-ray/1216

"While putting Independence Day through our regular and rigorous QC process we detected a minor glitch. Even though 95 percent of users would likely not know or encounter it, we chose to do the right thing and remaster which necessitates moving the release date."

Though Fox has not yet announced a new street date for 'Independence Day,' the studio told us that it expects to reschedule the title for sometime in March 2008.

Lee Stewart

11-29-07, 03:57 PM

HD VMD to finally be available in the US

It looks like the first shipments of HD VMD set-top players to hit the U.S. will be courtesy of online retailer PC Rush. They've apparently ordered 10,000 units that they'll start selling in December.

HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) players are intended as an alternative to expensive next-generation formats like HD DVD and Blu-ray. Unlike those formats it's built entirely around red laser media similar to DVDs. Despite not having any market presence at all in the U.S., HD VMD has already carved out a significant niche for itself in countries like India. In fact India's highly successful studio Bollywood has plans to release at least 50 movies in the format.

So far no major studio has any plans to release movies in HD VMD format, which isn't surprising since they've all thrown their support behind one of the two major players, HD DVD and Blu-ray. There are a few major studio movies available in other countries, most notably Australia, in the format. This is due to production deals that give companies outside the U.S. distribution rights in some countries.

Source: Video Business

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/12001.cfm

2Channel

12-02-07, 12:56 PM

No Samsung BD-UP5000 Under Your Xmas Tree
http://formatwarcentral.com/index.php/2007/11/30/no-samsung-bd-up5000-under-your-xmas-tree/

It looks like Samsung has dropped the ball again when it comes to its BD-UP5000 Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo player. They have once again delayed their holy grail of HD playback, this time until after Santa has come and gone. We are really disappointed, in that we cant wait to ditch our stack of HD DVD/Blu-ray players in favor of one full featured player. We have January 15th marked on our calendar, which according to Amazon is the day the BD-UP5000 will ship at a price of.....

haggisbingo

12-02-07, 11:08 PM

PCworld says the opposite: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,139965-c,dvdplayers/article.html - it will be available before the end of the year. I've also heard it will be at B&Ms before amazon, so, amazon may not be the retailer to track the release of this product..

PaulGo

12-05-07, 02:28 PM

HDTVs, Game Consoles High on Holiday Wish Lists, CompTIA Poll Finds

http://www.comptia.org/pressroom/get_pr.aspx?prid=1301

PaulGo

12-06-07, 03:59 PM

Lionsgate, Sony to bow first BD-Live titles in January

Web-enabled Blu-ray players still not confirmed
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/5/2007

DEC. 5 | LOS ANGELES—Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring out the first Web-enabled Blu-ray Disc titles in January, even though hardware that can fully playback BD-Live interactivity has not yet been confirmed.......

http://www.videobusiness.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6509942&industryid=47211

2Channel

12-06-07, 11:25 PM

Samsung's DB-UP5000 HD DVD / Blu-ray player: $799, shipping mid-to-late December
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/06/samsungs-db-up5000-hd-dvd-blu-ray-player-799-shipping-mid/

markrubin

12-07-07, 12:20 PM

Need to remind you that posting articles repeating rumors or quoting articles with prognostications is not news: and is not appropriate to post here

Please beware as this can result in infractions/suspensions

Thank you

2Channel

12-12-07, 01:09 PM

Harry Potter Blunder
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=743

Some owners of the 'Harry Potter Limited Edition Gift Set' are reporting that an HD DVD has infiltrated their Blu-ray packaging. Numerous reports are surfacing that owners of the Blu-ray set are finding HD DVD versions of "Goblet of Fire" or "The Order of the Phoenix" in their packaging. So if you picked up the set yesterday, or plan to pick one up soon, make sure to check all the discs for the Blu-ray logo.

theone2

12-13-07, 09:11 AM

Addonics Announces Optical Solution that Bridges Blu-ray and HD DVD Formats (http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20071213005255&ndmHsc=v2*A1194958800000*B1197583324000*DgroupByDate*J2*L1*N 1000837*Zhd%20dvd&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view)

-- Zebra Blu-ray / HD DVD Player Plays Both Formats and Burns DVD±R/RW and CDRW Media

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Addonics Technologies today announced its Zebra Blu-ray / HD DVD Player an optical storage solution that allows your PC to play Blu-ray and HD DVD movies from the same tray.

The Zebra Blu-ray / HD DVD Player also plays standard DVDs and CDs in various file formats and burns DVD±R/RW and CDRW media, which makes it one of the most flexible optical drives available. Users can turn their laptop or desktop computer into a high definition movie player and enjoy high definition video quality of 1080p format at 1920x1080 resolution and the dynamic 7.1-channel audio output that comes with the Blu-ray or HD DVD format.

Addonics has left the decision over which high-def video standard will emerge victorious to the end user. Consumers reluctant to purchase single-format hi-def players can now be assured they will not be left with an obsolete player with the Addonics Zebra solution.

Constructed in a sturdy compact aluminum body, the Zebra Blu-ray / HD DVD player & DVD±R/RW burner comes with a choice of high speed eSATA connection or a combination eSATA and USB 2.0 interface.

The Addonics Zebra records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video on compatible DVD+R DL (double layer) and DVD-R DL (dual layer) media. It is bundled with the Cyberlink High-Def Suite for use with Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista. The product also supports Linux (Kernel 2.6 and above) with free playback software downloadable from various Linux websites.

Maximum transfer rates in various modes of the Addonics Zebra are Blu-ray BD-ROM 215.79 Mbits/s (6x); HD DVD-ROM 109.65 Mbits/s (3x); DVD-ROM 22.16 Mbytes/s (16x) and CD-ROM 6,000 Kbytes/s (40x).

The Addonics Zebra is compact at 10.16 x 6.61 x 2.36 inches and weighs just 3.72 lbs. The MSRP of the Zebra Blu-ray / HD DVD Player is $409 with eSATA interface, or $429 with combination eSATA and USB 2.0 interface. It is available through the Addonics online store www.shopaddonics.com, major catalog companies, resellers, VARs and distributors, including Amazon.com, PC Connection, CDW, Buy.com, Provantage.com, Insight, and Ingram Micro.

Addonics Technologies Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a broad line of external and mobile storage products. Addonics is headquartered at 2466 Kruse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131, Phone: 408-433-3899. Visit Addonics at www.addonics.com.

All products/company names are either trademarks or trade names of their respective holders.

http://www.addonics.com/products/external_cd/images/mobilehd_diagram.jpg
http://www.addonics.com/products/external_cd/mobilehd_dvd_rrw.asp

...............

theone2

12-13-07, 09:30 AM

Microsoft Releases Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator to Help Speed Content Production and Lower Development Costs (http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-13-2007/0004722290&EDATE=)

http://www.minhembio.com/forum/uploads/monthly_12_2007/post-51610-1197556007.jpg

New tool streamlines development and testing process for HD DVD content,
accelerates advancement of next-generation interactivity, including
experiences powered by Microsoft HDi technology.

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
announced the release of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator, enabling film
studios and disc authoring companies to model the behavior of HD DVD disc
content, including encoded video and HDi interactivity, in a virtual
environment before committing to burning a single HD DVD disc. This
comprehensive tool is among the first commercially available,
software-based solutions of its kind, eliminating the need for expensive
hardware or time-consuming and costly trial-and-error processes for testing
HD DVD titles, helping to ensure that titles ship error-free.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

The enhanced content and rich interactive capabilities of HD DVD
increase the need for an efficient way to troubleshoot coding to maintain
the highest-quality consumer experiences. The emulator uses a combination
of available hardware (the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and
the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player) and specialized emulation software to
ultimately enable playback of near-final assets from a network storage
share, portable hard drive or optical disc. This allows focused testing of
the layout, the menus, and the behavior of the interactivity functionality
of a title. Detailed log reports from the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator deliver
valuable tracing information to help quickly and easily pinpoint problems
with advanced interactivity code that otherwise could take hours of manual
debugging.

"We are committed to supporting and advancing the HD DVD ecosystem, and
the new Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator reflects these efforts by providing
developers with the software-based tools they need to efficiently deliver
the highest-quality content," said Jordi Ribas, general manager of HD DVD
at Microsoft. "Microsoft developed the Emulator to help save studios and
postproduction houses time, resources and costs involved with the creation
of HD DVD content, and let them focus on what really matters -- pushing the
envelope with the format."

Sessions using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator are designed to complement
existing workflows so that tests can be run at various stages. The tool
offers several choices for how to run a session: directly from a network
storage share, from a USB drive connected directly to the Xbox 360 console,
or from an optical disc in the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. While the tool
enables the testing of content playback on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player
specifically, it effectively eliminates layers in the testing process for
other HD DVD players as well.

Validated by the Industry's Leading HD DVD Production Houses

As part of the development process, Microsoft implemented a beta
program from July through November of this year, involving more than 40
participants, including Deluxe Digital Studios, Enteractive GmbH, Imagion
AG, Memory-Tech Corporation and NetBlender Inc. Participants found that the
tool significantly decreased the number of hours and reduced the costs
associated with the production process, freeing up time to refine and
improve content.

"The authoring process for HD DVD is more complex and expensive than
the process for standard DVD, and as with any new technology, it can
require a lot of time and resources," said John Harrington, CEO of
NetBlender. "In the process of working with the new Xbox 360 HD DVD Player
Emulator, we were able to cut the number of test discs needed per month
from roughly 200 down to 50, saving more than 100 work hours per month.
This positively impacted our business essentially overnight. We estimate we
will recoup the low cost of the tool in less than one month's time."

Setting up the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator simply requires establishing a
connection to Xbox LIVE, navigating to the Download Games menu, and adding
the Emulator software to the hard drive of the Xbox 360 console. The
one-time licensing fee is $2,999.

As scenarios for next-generation interactivity continue to expand and
evolve, streamlining the production process for HD DVD titles frees up
resources that licensees can use to focus on refining and improving content
-- maximizing the potential of HDi to create compelling user scenarios. The
Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator is available for sale immediately at
http://www.thisishddvd.com/emulator.

More information on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator and HDi License
Program, as well as a downloadable case study of NetBlender's use of the
emulator, is available at http://www.thisishddvd.com/emulator.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
...........

DrDon

12-13-07, 03:23 PM

Rule of thumb: If the article you post contains the phrases "format war" "will win" or "sales of," it's probably not really news and shouldn't be posted in this thread.

crassp

12-15-07, 09:54 AM

Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 to come with seven free flicks (http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/14/venturers-uk-bound-shd7001-to-come-with-five-free-flicks/)

Just about every other high-definition disc player out there is attached to some "free movie" promotion, so it's not all that shocking to hear that Venturer's UK-bound SHD7001 won't be any different. Aside from hearing that the still unpriced player will indeed be available initially in the UK through QVC on December 29th, those with this atop their must-have list can also look forward to quite a few extras. Reportedly, the package will include HD DVD titles Hulk and Troy, a free HDMI cable and a voucher that allows buyers to receive five additional movies gratis courtesy of the European HD DVD Promotional Group. It's noted that customers will have until January 31, 2008 to select their flicks from a predetermined list, but we suppose we'll have to wait until a price tag gets attached to this thing before figuring out if it's worth picking up.

2Channel

12-16-07, 06:14 PM

Peacemaker 2.0: LG BH200 now available
http://gadgetaholic.com/content/view/206/9999/

theone2

12-17-07, 04:51 AM

Toshiba's Qosmio G40 now with world's first HD DVD-RW drive (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20071217/toshiba.htm)

http://www.engadget.com/media/2007/12/toshiba-qosmio-g40-hd-dvd-rw.jpg

PaulGo

12-17-07, 10:50 AM

PS3 2.10 upgrades Blu-Ray tomorrow
Monday 17-Dec-2007 3:12 PM Plus DivX and online voice changers

Sony will release new a PS3 firmware update tomorrow that will enhance the PS3's Blu-Ray movie playback, and add that anticipated AVI support we've all wanted.

Firmware version 2.10 will add 'Profile 1.1' Blu-Ray playback, which is the technical name for a new standard of Blu-Ray films that support new features such as picture-in-picture playback.

DivX support will also be added, along with VC-1 (wmv) video support, so you can finally watch all those perfectly legal videos on your PC through PS3.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=177710

Another story on this update:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/18/sony_posts_divx_update/

And one more:

http://news.cnet.co.uk/gamesgear/0,39029682,49294826,00.htm

BenDover

12-18-07, 03:33 PM

Passive Technologies intros Blu-ray / HD-DVD combo media center (http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/18/passive-technologies-intros-blu-ray-hd-dvd-combo-media-center/)

ChrisBeveridge

12-19-07, 03:35 PM

Linkage (http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/19/hp-rolls-out-laptop-updates-aplenty/)

What's more, each model is also now available with a Blu-ray reader / DVD burner drive, although that can of course be left out if you're looking to save a few bucks.

2Channel

12-20-07, 01:06 AM

Blade Runner Blu-ray Complete Edition arriving with botched Workprint disc?
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/20/blade-runner-blu-ray-complete-edition-arriving-sans-workprint-di/

theone2

12-20-07, 08:19 AM

NetBlender Releases Update to DoStudio MX™ with Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator Promotion (http://prweb.com/releases/2007/12/prweb580362.htm)

NetBlender teams with Microsoft to offer two free months of DoStudio MX, the leading HD DVD authoring solution, with purchase of Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator.

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) December 20, 2007 -- NetBlender today announced an important update to DoStudio MX, the complete HD DVD authoring solution that combines Corel's PureHD™ Authoring Multiplexer with NetBlender's industry first visual editor for creating Advanced Content.

The updated version (v. 1.2) includes CMF formatting, AACS content protection, streamlined play list generation and engine enhancements for 3rd generation HD DVD players.

These new features, combined with DoStudio's industry-leading visual editor for Advanced Content with Photoshop® integration, create the most robust HD DVD authoring solution on the market. DoStudio's graphical user interface dramatically reduces development and testing time by handling many complex tasks visually and DoStudio's intelligent framework compiles smart code that maximizes compatibility and performance on all HD DVD players.

To introduce the new version NetBlender is offering DoStudio MX for free for two months to purchasers of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator. The emulator uses a combination of available hardware (the Xbox 360 entertainment and video game system and the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player) and specialized emulation software to enable playback of near-final assets from a network storage share, portable hard drive or optical disc. This allows focused testing of the layout, the menus and the behavior of the interactivity functionality of a title.

"We are committed to delivering a practical and affordable HD DVD authoring solution to creative developers at all levels of the industry and we think the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator plays an important role in the product ecosystem," said John Harrington, NetBlender CEO. "We are pleased to make this two month promotional offer with Microsoft Corp. because we can not understate the importance of a testing tool in the HD DVD development process. We recommend the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator to all of our customers."

DoStudio MX is available for download and purchase at: http://dostudio.netblender.com for a monthly subscription fee of $249 US/month. Details about how to receive the first two months free are available on the website. DoStudio MX is licensed on a monthly subscription basis -- an industry first. NetBlender introduced the subscription model as a means to make HD DVD creation available to creative developers at all levels of the industry by alleviating the high upfront costs traditionally associated with high-end authoring software.

More information on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator as well as a downloadable case study of NetBlender's use of the emulator, is available at http://www.thisishddvd.com/emulator

BenDover

12-20-07, 01:04 PM

Porn Industry Warms Up to Blu-ray (http://www.cepro.com/article/porn_industry_warms_up_to_blu_ray/)
Leading video producer Digital Playground to ship first XXX title in Blu-ray format, after year-long success with HD DVD.

...

Digital Playground founder Joone says the decision hinged on cost. “The advantage of HD DVD over Blu-ray is the cost factor, both in manufacturing and the players,” he says, adding that the rest of the porn industry is “basically behind HD DVD because of manufacturing costs. It costs a lot more to put out a title on Blu-ray.”

HD DVD has done well for Digital Playground, and the company claims to have an 80-percent share of the market for HD porn. Joone says that about one-third of the publisher’s video shipments are now HD.

So why go with Blu-ray? Joone explains, “A lot of people were emailing that bought a PlayStation and they were basically saying, ‘When are you guys going to release Blu-ray?’ They really have no preference in format yet because it’s so now. When it comes down to image quality, there is no difference between the two.”

...

“Nobody’s doing as much interactivity as we are, even on regular [non-XXX] DVDs,” Joone says. “We have our own team in-house that does HD DVD authoring. We spend good R&D time developing techniques.”

He says the development of interactive content has been a little more challenging with the Blu-ray format. “A lot of advanced features are only supported in newer players. Until yesterday (Dec. 18), not even the PS3 supported Java, which is what most people are using to try to create interactivity.”

Even more interactivity is in the works from Digital Playground. “It’s just a matter of the manufacturer stabilizing the platform.”

...

2Channel

12-20-07, 11:33 PM

PS3 owners most connected to HDTV, Xbox 360 / Wii not far behind
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/12/20/ps3-owners-most-connected-to-hdtv-xbox-360-wii-not-far-behind/

We'll be straight with you: we aren't shocked in the slightest with these results, and while we're sure conjecture will fly over the underlying meanings, the results speak for themselves, really. According to new data from Nielsen Research Group, 71-percent of all PlayStation 3 consoles are connected to some form of HDTV (either LCD, plasma or front / rear projection), while 66-percent of Xbox 360s and 65-percent of Wiis were found to be played on a high-definition set. 'Course, it follows logic that the console with the built-in HD movie player would be most highly used on HDTVs, but considering just how many Wii owners also own an HDTV, it's downright depressing to think how stellar Wii Sports could be in 1080i.

khwiggins2

12-21-07, 05:16 PM

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Official_Blu-ray_Site_Hacked_Re-Directs_to_Official_HD_DVD_Site/1297

In a nasty turn of events, hackers appear to have successfully infiltrated the official Blu-ray Disc Association site, redirecting visitors to the official HD DVD site.

oolitic

12-24-07, 12:19 AM

http://www.rapidtvnews.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2549&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1966&hn=rapidtvnews&he=.com

Paramount Home Entertainment France will take over distribution of all Gaumont movies for the French DVD market.

According to the terms of the agreement signed, the “most ancient Hollywood studio” and the “oldest movie production company” are teaming up to push their market share over the 10% mark.

“Gaumont Video needed a distributor able to follow its quality editorial strategy,” Gaumont Video CEO Nicolas de la Mothe said.

The company’s libraries amount to about 800 movies for Gaumont and 9,000 for Paramount.

The agreement also includes Gaumont’s new feature films like 3 Amis, Enfin Veuve and sci-fi movie Chrysalis.

PaulGo

12-24-07, 07:23 PM

Cookson exits WB
By Carolyn Giardina
Dec 21, 2007
NEW YORK -- Christopher J. Cookson is exiting his post as president of Warner Bros. Technical Operations and chief technical officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

While word is that the executive is in talks with several companies, one scenario has him heading crosstown to join Sony Pictures Entertainment. It's not yet known what role he is considering at Sony, but he would bring with him a skill set that, like Sony, spans entertainment and technology. At Warners Technical Operations, he oversaw video duplication, video mastering, preservation/archiving and restoration.

Cookson's responsibilities have included developing and adapting new technologies for Warners' businesses, and he has participated in initiatives including the development and launch of DVD. He keynoted this year's NAB Digital Cinema Summit, advocating 4K as a mastering and archiving medium.

Cookson was named president of Warner Bros. Technical Operations in 2003, having served as executive vp technical operations since 1997. In 1999, he was appointed CTO of Warner Bros., which he joined in 1992, following stints at CBS and ABC. He holds numerous U.S. patents and has been awarded two Emmys.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3b664324ba4ea5c0f54ce3d2b4143158

markrubin

12-25-07, 08:33 AM

Ron Scalise, ESPN audio guru, top mixer and audio innovator, killed in car crash (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12582736#post12582736)

Steve Schauer

12-25-07, 01:23 PM

http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9837302-56.html

Microsoft has quietly folded its Internet Protocol television, Media Center, and HD DVD efforts into a single organization, known as the Connected TV business group.

The unit, which is part of Robbie Bach's Entertainment and Devices division, is headed by Enrique Rodriguez, the VP (and former WebTV developer) who has been heading the IPTV effort. Peter Barrett, who was CTO of the IPTV unit, takes on that role for the unit.

The move, which took place in October, paves the way for the different technologies, all centered around the television, to work more closely together.

K.L.

12-27-07, 05:09 AM

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/retail/article/panasonic-starts-sample-shipments-worlds-thinnest-95-mm-height-bluray-disc_418993_7.html
Thursday, Dec. 27 2007
Panasonic Starts Sample Shipments of World's Thinnest, 9.5 mm Height, Blu-ray Disc Drives

Fukuoka, Japan, Dec 27, 2007 (JCN Newswire via COMTEX) -- Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. today announced that the company has started shipping samples of the world's thinnest* (9.5 mm height) internal Blu-ray Disc (BD) drives to personal computer manufacturers.

Since Panasonic introduced the industry's first 12.7 mm high internal DVD Super Multi Drive in 2003, it has continued to pioneer optical disc drive technology by making the drive's profile even thinner, to 9.5 mm and then to 7.0 mm. The company has achieved these breakthroughs by producing key devices in-house and is leading the industry in providing the benefits of Blu-ray discs.

Now available to PC manufacturers, the new sample 9.5 mm high BD drives, were accomplished by combining Panasonic's own technologies such as the low-profile, 2-lens actuator and spherical aberration compensation mechanism and an optimized optical design for CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc laser.

Due to the increasing need for data volume on personal computers and the gaining popularity of high definition digital images, the demand for Blu-ray discs and BD drives is rapidly rising. Panasonic believes the world's thinnest BD drive ideally meets these consumer trends as it also provides a high added value for notebook PCs that are also becoming thinner and lighter. Panasonic continues to bring out innovative disc drives through steady improvements in their performance and features.

Even with its 9.5 mm high thin profile, the new BD drive features double speed reading and writing for both write-once BD-R and rewritable BD-RE discs. This feature was facilitated through perfecting technologies such as improved light usage efficiency, high-speed recording waveform and broader bandwidth of the light-receiving element.

The product is also capable of reading and writing on BD-R DL (dual layer/50GB) and BD-RE DL discs and will be compatible with future organic pigment-type BDs.

The new drive is also compatible with three types of optical discs (BD, DVD, CD). It supports reading and writing on four types of BD media (BD-R, BD-RE, BD-R DL, BD-RE DL) and reading of BD-ROMs. In addition, it is capable of reading and writing on seven types of CD/DVD media (DVD-RAM, DVD-R, +R, DVD-RW, +RW, CD-R, CD-RW) and reading of DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs. Thus, the new drive provides a DVD Super Multi Drive function plus Blu-ray Disc support. Further, it is capable of 8x writing on DVD-R/+Rs, making the handling of DVDs fast and easy.

The samples will be exhibited at the 2008 International CES, the world's largest consumer electronics show, to be held from January 7, 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States.

* As a sample of internal Blu-ray Disc drive for PCs. The dimensions are 9.5 mm (H) x 128 mm (W) x 127 mm

signal2noise

01-02-08, 09:20 AM

Release:
CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra Receives BD-Video Profile 1.1 Certification

Taipei, Taiwan----Jan. 2, 2008----CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a world leader in digital home solutions, announced today that CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra has been certified by the Blu-ray Disc Association to support playback of BD-Video Profile 1.1 specification.

CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra featuring support for BD-Video Profile 1.1 format allows the playback of high-definition movie content with multiple video streams, providing users with real-time Picture-in-Picture viewing experience such as watching the movie and video commentaries simultaneously.

"CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra has been acknowledged for various standards for high-definition video support including BD-ROM Profile 1.0, BD+, AVCHD, and HD DVD," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. "Now with PowerDVD Ultra certified for BD-Video Profile 1.1, we ensure users the best Blu-ray movie experience on PCs."

PowerDVD Ultra offers the following key features:

* Playback of high-definition Blu-ray Disc, and HD DVD movies

* Support for next-generation disc features, like Picture-in-Picture movie mode, networking, interactive BD-J and iHD, bookmarks, and advanced disc navigation

* New audio technologies with support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD technologies

* Optimized performance for playing high-definition video content using graphics cards featuring NVIDIA PureVideo, ATI Avivo, and Intel Clear Video technology

CyberLink offers a complete line of software for the Blu-ray Disc format, ranging from high-definition video playback, high-definition video editing and authoring, and burning data onto Blu-ray Disc. For more information about CyberLink’s high-definition disc solutions, please visit: www.cyberlink.com

Product Availability
CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra with certified for BD-Video Profile 1.1 will be available online in 9-language from early 2008 at CyberLink website.

* CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra - $99.95

About CyberLink
CyberLink Corp is the leader and pioneer in enabling digital multimedia on PCs and CEs. Backed by a group of high-caliber software engineers, CyberLink owns its core codec and a number of patented technologies. Today, CyberLink has built a solid reputation for delivering high-quality, interoperable, and fast time-to-market solutions that keep our OEM partners on the leading edge. Our business partners include leaders in the PC industry: drive manufacturers, graphics-card makers, and top-5 desktop and notebook brands. CyberLink Software Solutions include: complete applications for Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs, Digital Home entertainment, Mobile TV and eHRD solutions. With customers spanning from multi-national corporations to small/medium-sized businesses, and from power users to home users, CyberLink has enjoyed rapid and consistent growth leading to a record breaking IPO in 2000 on the Taiwan Over The Counter Exchange (OTC: 5203). CyberLink is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: 5203.TW). CyberLink's worldwide headquarters is in Taipei. To keep up with market demands, CyberLink has operations in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including Japan. For more information, please visit CyberLink's website at http://www.cyberlink.com

2Channel

01-02-08, 11:06 PM

Technology transfer: Cookson joins Sony
http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/900019490.html

Sony made it official today, formally announcing that long-time Warner Bros. technology wrangler Chris Cookson is joining the Japanese giant. Cookson, a pivotal player in many inter-industry discussion groups, technical standards-setting bodies and consortia, will carry the title, president of Sony Pictures Technologies, a newly created position reporting to Michael Lynton, chairman/CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and co-chairman Amy Pascal. One of his chief duties will be to serve as principle liaison between Sony Pictures and Sony Electronics, two sister companies that at times (literally) don't speak the same language. That role is also a new one for Sony.

timbobarry

01-02-08, 11:06 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/technology/03netflix.html?em&ex=1199422800&en=5a1b1f0a8ed4c824&ei=5087%0A
(Netflix) first partnership, announced Wednesday night, is with the South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics to stream movies and other programming to LG’s high-definition televisions.

PaulGo

01-03-08, 11:14 AM

Cable-Cutting WiHD Spec Finalized
By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 1/3/2008 5:00:00 AM

New York — The WirelessHD consortium has finalized specifications for its in-room cable-replacement WirelessHD (WiHD) technology, promoted as the only cable-replacement technology that delivers uncompressed copy-protected high-definition video up to 1080p with no signal loss.

At press time, it wasn’t certain whether and of the consortium’s seven founding members would demonstrate the technology. The founders are LG, Panasonic, NEC, chipmaker SiBeam, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. Intel is also a member.

Although other HDMI-cable-cutting technologies have been demonstrated, almost all of them use lossy compression techniques, said John Marshall, chairman of the WirelessHD Consortium and cofounder of wireless chipmaker SiBEAM. A competing proprietary technology that uses no compression nonetheless reduces color and luminance because of its narrower bandwidth, he contended. “We are the only wireless solution promoting uncompressed, no-loss high-definition video, including 1080p,”he said.

WiHD is able to transmit uncompressed video with no loss because its data rate hits 4Gbps at 33 feet, more than enough to deliver an uncompressed 1080p signal, which requires 3Gbps of bandwidth, Marshall said. WirelessHD also supports two simultaneous 1080i streams, multiple 480p streams, and one 1080i stream simultaneous with one 480p stream, the consortium said....

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6516308.html

coneyparleg

01-03-08, 12:27 PM

Apple to ship with Blu-Ray drive

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/01/03/apple_set_to_ship_macs_with_blu_ray_support_report.html

Apple Inc. at this month's Macworld Expo will will outline a high-definition video strategy that will see its weight thrown further behind Sony Corp's Blu-ray DVD format as opposed to Toshiba's HD-DVD, according to one Wall Street analyst.

In a report issued to clients early Thursday morning, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu cited sources who say the Cupertino-based Mac maker, which already occupies a seat on the Blu-ray consortium, is set to begin shipping some of its computers with support for the next-generation DVD format.

BenDover

01-03-08, 01:15 PM

Studios Preview CES Blu-ray, HD DVD Title Announcements (http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Fox/Paramount/Warner/Sony/Disc_Announcements/CES_2008/Studios_Preview_CES_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_Title_Announcements/1319)
Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 11:00 AM ET

...

On the Blu-ray front, Fox's Mike Dunn indicated that the studio is eyeing extensive day-and-date support of its top titles this year, with such current and future theatrical releases as 'Alien vs. Predator: Requiem,' 'Horton Hears a Who,' '27 Dresses,' 'The List,' 'Babylon A.D.' and M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Happening' all expected to debut simultaneously with the DVD versions.

Sony prez David Bishop similarly pledged continued day-and-date support throughout 2008, naming 'Hancock' and 'The DaVinci Code' sequel 'Angels & Demons' as two of its top titles earmarked for Blu-ray.

For HD DVD fans, Paramount/DreamWorks' Kelly Avery said the two studios will issue an extensive slate of both new releases and catalog titles, including the blockbusters 'Bee Movie' and 'Beowulf' (which have both already been announced to retailers).

Finally, format-agnostic Warner said that their high-def releases this year would include 'The Dark Knight,' 'Speed Racer,' 'Get Smart,' 'The Bucket List' and the current Will Smith smash 'I Am Legend.'

...

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show kicks off Monday January 7th in Las Vegas. We'll be here all next week with complete coverage, so be sure to watch this space.

Richard Paul

01-03-08, 11:56 PM

Marantz to Debut New BD8002 Blu-ray Player at CES (http://www.avrev.com/news/0108/03.marantzbd226.shtml)

Marantz America will demonstrate its ultimate-quality BD8002 Blu-ray Disc Player (SRP: $2,099.99) at CES 2008. The Marantz® BD8002 Blu-ray DVD player features the acclaimed 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset for the ultimate high-definition video resolution possible via HDMI 1.3 connection, as well as the finest possible audio performance, including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The BD8002 will be showcased at the company's CES 2008 Open House at Mandalay Bay, and is scheduled for release in in the second quarter of 2008.
...

BenDover

01-04-08, 06:57 AM

Chip-maker’s Delays Cause Home Theater Industry Woes Late in 2007 (http://www.avrev.com/news/0108/03.chipdelays227.shtml)

Unless you are Onkyo and you are using a Texas Instruments based receiver platform and chipset, it's likely there was a little Scrooge in your Christmas. With the advent of HDMI 1.3-based formats like HD DVD and Blu-ray, complete with their copy protection and advanced surround sound formats, consumers are looking for new receivers to control their cutting edge home theater systems. However, the store shelves this holiday season are bare.

The reason for the shortage in fully functional HDMI 1.3-based receivers is delays in one of the most popular chipsets from Cirrus Logic that was promised for a March 2007 delivery. It was then reportedly redesigned after CEDIA 2007 in September with a promised (and missed) release date of December 2007. Multiple sources tell AVRev.com that the new chip from Cirrus Logic is far better with the post-CEDIA changes. Specifically, the chip is more simple and more stable, yet consumers struggle to understand why they can’t find an effective HDMI 1.3 solution for their home theater systems.

The Consumer Electronics Association refused this past fall to allow 1080p video to flow through analog component video cables, which would have kept this market shortfall from happening. Hollywood studios simply have too much say with the CEA when it comes to copy protection, thus consumers still struggle through clunky and intermittent functionality via HDMI and poorly implemented HDCP copy protection. This leaves millions of potential clients on the sidelines. And it is not just for receivers, but also for HD DVD and Blu-ray players as well as new HDTVs to go along with them.

...

(emphasis added)

timbobarry

01-04-08, 10:07 AM

Link (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0344828.htm)
Zoran Corporation (NASDAQ: ZRAN) announced that it is demonstrating its VaddisHD(TM) High-Definition Multimedia Processor platform, supporting both the Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD emerging standards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 in Las Vegas on Monday.

The VaddisHD(TM) multimedia processor ICs integrate a state-of-the art High Definition (HD) video pipeline and enable multi-standard decoding including support for HD H.264, VC1, MPEG2, MPEG4, and AVS. With an integrated dual processor and dual Audio DSP, it enables the most advanced HD applications, including Java and HDi support for the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD standards, respectively. This IC family also incorporates Zoran's latest HDXtreme® video processing and scaling technology shipping in Zoran's SupraHD® HDTV processors powering major brand HDTVs.

Lee Stewart

01-04-08, 03:27 PM

Pioneer plans pricey new players

JAN. 4 | Pioneer captures less than 5% of current Blu-ray hardware market share, but the manufacturer is committed to playing in its limited, high-end niche.

Other BD manufacturers, such as Sony and Samsung, are rushing to slash prices to below $300. Toshiba HD DVD players have dipped to below $100. But Pioneer is aiming to stay above the fray with its current $999 BDP-95 model, and the company will start talking about upcoming, even pricier players at the Consumer Electronics Show next week.

Choosing to keep details under wraps, Chris Walker, senior manager of product planning and marketing at Pioneer, said the company will launch several players, some less expensive and some more expensive, in 2008. The company also will launch its first BD Live, or Web-enabled, hardware next year.

Pioneer actually produces more set-top BD players than any other company, charging a manufacturing fee on these products, which are sold under different, undisclosed brand names. Yet players stamped with the Pioneer brand currently barely register at retail, where Toshiba, Sony and Samsung comprised 97% of all high-def standalone sales during the week of Black Friday ending Nov. 24, according to DisplaySearch. Fighting within that remaining 3% are such other BD manufacturers as Pioneer, Philips, Sharp and Panasonic.

Still, Pioneer will continue running unique arthouse TV spots to emphasize its elite appeal. The spots began in September to launch Pioneer’s hyper-pricey Kuro line of high-def TVs, in which one of the more popular sets is the $7,500 60-inch plasma model.

“We don’t want to compete at $299, and I truly believe there are enough customers out there for a higher performance player,” said Walker. “When you’re competing at the lower price points, I don’t know if you can make any money. And we are a smaller [company] than Sony and Samsung. [Also], if people are spending all this money on a perfect Pioneer TV set, the last thing they are going to want to do is connect up to a $99 high-def player.”

He added, “I guarantee our products just look like they are worth more. Consumers will know it’s a better product and will be willing to pay more.”

CE critics do agree with Panasonic’s quality claims, with Business Week describing the BDP-95 as the best optical disc player in 2007, noted Walker. Also, Consumer Reports had Pioneer’s earlier model, the BDP-94, tied with Toshiba’s HD-XA2 as best high-def player.

The company does believe the current TV campaign, created by Apple’s company TWA Chiat Day, has increased sales of its TVs and BD players.

“We are seeing surges,” said Walker, who declined to specify further.

Fitting Pioneer’s desire to remain a distinct CE company, the Kuro ads are considered different from most electronics ads, which mostly show people enjoying the products. Pioneer’s black-and-white spots are crafted like a Salvador Dali-esque ode to surrealism. For example, one ad features an eye popping out of someone’s hands.

“We are attracting attention to the Pioneer brand through a little shock tactic,” said Walker. “The only time you see the products are at the end. We don’t talk about specifications and don’t talk about the technical details. We mainly wanted to get an emotional response from the ads. This is branding that moves Pioneer out of the commodity market and elevates us to be perceived as higher performance.”
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6517157.html

lsdavinci

01-04-08, 03:36 PM

WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE ITS HIGH-DEFINITION DVD TITLES
EXCLUSIVELY IN THE BLU-RAY DISC FORMAT BEGINNING LATER THIS YEAR

Decision Made in Response to Strong Consumer Preference for Format

(January 4, 2008 - Burbank, CA) - In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros.
Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the
Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry
Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a
strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give
consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-
definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We
believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for
mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most
importantly, consumers."

Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format
and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray
releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end
of May 2008.

"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to
provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware
prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner
Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by
Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is
the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."

"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward
high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and
becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said
Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that
recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home
entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner
Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high
definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look
forward to working with them on other projects in the future.

Michael Mullis

01-04-08, 03:45 PM

^^^^

You have a link for this? There is no official PR yet anywhere other than the sourced document.

Edit: Nevermind, update just came through:

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN0444635420080104

Rich Peterson

01-04-08, 05:55 PM

Critic & Film Historian Leonard Maltin Hosts a Demonstration of the Advanced Bonus Features and Interactive Capabilities of Blu-ray Disc(TM) With Special Guest Writer/Producer Dean Devlin

--(Business Wire)-- Jan. 4, 2008 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE): -0-

WHAT: Leonard Maltin ("Entertainment Tonight") hosts a
showcase of Hollywood studios demonstrating the
technological advancements and highlights for what's
to come from Blu-ray Disc(TM) at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dean Devlin (producer,
Godzilla, Independence Day) will be a special guest at
the event.

Focusing on Blu-ray interactivity, studios will demo
many new features that take advantage of internet-
connected Blu-ray players and will enable users to
download additional content to the player's internal
memory, along with other "Web-enabled" interactive
features, picture-in-picture technology and more.

mikemorel

01-04-08, 06:24 PM

Toshiba's Comment:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,250140.shtml

TOKYO, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD. As central members of the DVD Forum, we have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros. We worked closely together to help standardize the first-generation DVD format as well as to define and shape HD DVD as its next-generation successor.
We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007.
We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluate potential next steps. We remain firm in our belief that HD DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of the consumer.
Signing off...

Talkstr8t

01-04-08, 06:55 PM

The CES demonstration will be at Sony's booth, Central Hall #14200, on Monday at 11:30AM.

- Talk

Critic & Film Historian Leonard Maltin Hosts a Demonstration of the Advanced Bonus Features and Interactive Capabilities of Blu-ray Disc(TM) With Special Guest Writer/Producer Dean Devlin

--(Business Wire)-- Jan. 4, 2008 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE): -0-

WHAT: Leonard Maltin ("Entertainment Tonight") hosts a
showcase of Hollywood studios demonstrating the
technological advancements and highlights for what's
to come from Blu-ray Disc(TM) at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dean Devlin (producer,
Godzilla, Independence Day) will be a special guest at
the event.

Focusing on Blu-ray interactivity, studios will demo
many new features that take advantage of internet-
connected Blu-ray players and will enable users to
download additional content to the player's internal
memory, along with other "Web-enabled" interactive
features, picture-in-picture technology and more.

Captain Spaulding

01-04-08, 09:59 PM

Notice of CES Press Conference Cancellation by North American HD DVD Promotion Group:
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/hd-dvd-cancels-dog-cites-impact-of-warner-bros-going-blu-ray/

admonish

01-04-08, 11:39 PM

LINK (http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=2980)

A major new Microsoft Patent application entitled DVD identification and managed copy authorization describes and illustrates a secure manner in which DVDs could be enabled for “ripping” of selected sections of media.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/images/msftdvdripabst.jpg

PaulGo

01-05-08, 08:22 AM

Posted: Fri., Jan. 4, 2008, 1:37pm PT
Warner Bros. backs Blu-ray
Studio to support Sony high-def format
By DIANE GARRETT
Warner Bros. will throw all its weight behind Blu-ray later this year, a decision that could serve as a death blow to the rival HD DVD format.

Studio, which had hinted it might drop one format after the holidays, said it decided to back Blu-ray to try and reduce confusion brought on by the high-def format war and better drive mainstream adoption. Warner made the decision heading into the annual Consumer Electronics Show confab in Las Vegas, where it had been skedded to participate in activities promoting the rival HD DVD format on Sunday evening.

Warner execs cited Blu-ray's domestic and international sales as the tipping point in its favor. From the start, the Sony developed format enjoys has had an advantage in greater studio support and the PlayStation 3 console, which plays high-def movies and, at least in the early going, was much more affordable than Blu-ray decks, which have tended to carry a higher price tag than HD DVD counterparts.

Warner's move leaves only Paramount and Universal squarely in the HD DVD camp. Sony, Fox, Disney and Lionsgate all back Blu-ray. Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well.

Warner has been the sole major backing both formats since late this summer, when Paramount dropped Blu-ray in favor of HD DVD, due in part to marketing incentives proffered by Toshiba and belief HD DVD's lower cost would drive greater mainstream adoption.

However, hardware manufacturers for both sides offered sizable discounts for players during the holidays, reducing the price gap between the two formats. And studios did their part to dangle promotional incentives on the software side.

Yet Warner found that consumers still hesitated to dip their toes into the high-def waters due to confusion over the dueling formats.

"The price impediment was going away, but the take up wasn't increasing that much," said Warner Home Entertainment topper Kevin Tsujihara. "The research was making it pretty clear there was still a tremendous amount of confusion among consumers."

Supporting both formats came with a cost for the studio, which had to maintain dual inventories for their releases. And while the studio had some of the best sellers on high-def when both formats were added together, they couldn't help but wonder whether dual support was helping, or hurting, the transition to a next-gen format.

"By us being both, we were playing into consumer confusion," Tsujihara said. "There's a window of opportunity with first time buyers of HD TVs to also buy a high-def player at the same time."

"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger," Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer seconded.

However, the studio insists that cost was not the underlying motivation for the shift. Paramount drew a lot of flak for taking Toshiba incentives, said to be $150 million, to exclusively back HD DVD.

"This was not a bidding war," Tsujihara said.

He pointed out that worldwide the DVD biz brings in $42 billion annually and his studio draws the greatest portion of that as market share leader.

"That amount far dwarfs any financial incentives," he said.

And indeed, Paramount has maintained that it backed HD DVD because it was generally lower priced and therefore had a greater chance of mass adoption.

Warners' Blu-ray shift has been rumored for some time, but the studio insisted it would wait to see how both formats fared during the crucial holiday sales period before backing one format exclusively. Indeed, late in the fourth quarter, the studio ran full page newspaper ads touting HD DVD benefits on one side and Blu-ray on the other. During this point, homevid topper Ron Sanders talked openly of the need to move beyond the format war and convince consumers of the benefits of high-def (Variety, Dec. 17-23).

Warner’s timing apparently took the HD DVD camp by surprise, however. Thursday afternoon, shortly before Warner said it notified Toshiba of the decision, HD DVD backers were paying media calls. The North American HD DVD Promo Group cancelled its Sunday CES confab after Warner’s went public with the decision Friday afternoon.

The shift doesn’t go into effect until June 1. Sanders said the studio will continue to release HD DVD discs until May 31 to honor its previous commitment to that format’s backers, then switch to Blu-ray only on the high-def front. Last summer, Blockbuster similarly phased out HD DVD discs from rental rotation.

Sanders said the studio will continue to release HD DVD discs until May 31 to honor its previous commitment to that format's backers, then switch to Blu-ray only on the high-def front. Blockbuster similarly phased out HD DVD discs at its rental stores.

Studios and manufacturers have been fighting a pitched battle over high-def because there is so much at stake: Sales of standard DVD has started to decline and digital downloads are even smaller than high-def at this point. DVD sales generate around $16 billion annually for the studios, with rental biz contributing another $8 billion or so to the annual domestic homevid spending.

Warner's decision to back Blu-ray exclusively reps its third shift in high-def strategy. Initially, the studio said it would back HD DVD, then shifted toward dual format support in October 2005, several months before the first high-def discs hit shelves (Daily Variety, Oct. 20, 2005). Paramount made similar moves before settling on HD DVD late this summer (Daily Variety, Aug. 21). That commitment is believed to run through this year.

Warner's shift toward Blu-ray is expected to hasten the demise of HD DVD. Victory would give Sony a long awaited triumph after Betamax lost the videocassette war to VHS.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978461.html?categoryid=18&cs=1

FrancescoP

01-05-08, 11:09 AM

Walt Disney Studios announces his Blu-ray line-up for 2008 (http://www.pr-inside.com/walt-disney-studios-home-entertainment-rolls-r372079.htm)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Rolls into 2008 with Blu-ray(TM)
© Business Wire 2008
2008-01-05 05:02:49

- For Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Gaby Vizcaino, 310-526-5530 gvizcaino@gcigroup.com

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) announces an exciting new line-up of Blu-ray initiatives in 2008, an ever-expanding Blu-ray slate and new technological-advancements in bonus feature materials, all which guarantee a superior high-definition home entertainment experience.

"This is an exciting time for Disney as we not only announce the release of our first Platinum Disney animated classic on Blu-ray with Sleeping Beauty, but also allow consumers to create an entirely new home entertainment experience with stunning new bonus features and amazing interactive capabilities like never before seen," stated Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

For the first time ever, WDSHE will begin releasing its treasured animated classics on Platinum Edition Blu-ray Disc(TM) launching with Sleeping Beauty in the fall of 2008. Taking advantage of the numerous technological advancements of the Blu-ray format, these all time favorites have been revitalized to include exceptional high-definition picture and sound quality and compelling interactive content such as virtual games, full motion picture-in-picture and online shopping capabilities via BD-Live broadband connection.

Sleeping Beauty will be WDSHE's first Platinum Edition Blu-ray Disc and will feature a Virtual Castle, utilizing the new BD-Live technology, as well as the interactive game Maleficent's Challenge which puts viewers face-to-face with one of Disney's greatest villains. Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Disc will also feature an all-new enhanced home theater mix in 7.1 surround sound.

Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo Blu-ray Disc will debut the first Cine-Explore featuring full motion picture-in-picture (BonusView). This interactive visual commentary with director Andrew Stanton, co-writer Bob Peterson and co-director Lee Unkrich allows the viewer to dive deeper into the making of Finding Nemo without ever leaving the film. For kids and families, there is the all-new BD-Java enabled learning mode "Mr. Ray's Ed-venture." Hosted by Dory, Marlin and of course Mr. Ray, viewers will learn all about sea life and have the opportunity to earn stickers for their virtual sticker book by answering "quizlettes" while watching the movie. Viewers can also go to their sticker book at any time and create their own scene. Finding Nemo will also feature an all-new enhanced home theater mix in 7.1 surround sound.

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release strategy, WDSHE will be announcing the addition of many exciting movie titles to their 2008 Blu-ray line-up in North America, Europe and Asia.

In North America, WDSHE will be releasing new theatrical titles to Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD including The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) on January 22; Gone Baby Gone and Becoming Jane (both Miramax) on February 12; and Dan In Real Life (Touchstone Pictures) on March 11. WDSHE will expand its catalogue titles on Blu-ray Disc with the releases of The Rock (Hollywood Pictures) and Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) on January 8; Crimson Tide (Hollywood Pictures) on February 5; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 4; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Coyote Ugly: The Double Shot Edition (Touchstone Pictures), Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in spring 2008.

In Europe/Australia, WDSHE will roll out Blu-ray Discs in 2008 beginning with The Recruit (Touchstone Pictures) in January; and Dark Water (Touchstone Pictures) in February; Underdog (Walt Disney Pictures) and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in February; Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) in March; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures) and Gone Baby Gone (Miramax) in April; Signs (Touchstone Pictures), There Will Be Blood (Miramax), Shall We Dance (Miramax), Ladder 49 (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

Japan will see WDSHE release Blu-ray titles starting with Hollywoodland (Miramax) in February; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures), Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Meet The Robinsons (Walt Disney Pictures), and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in April; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures), Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) and Signs (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

Following overwhelming consumer response WDSHE is also announcing the extension of Disney's Magical Blu-ray Tour, sponsored by Panasonic, to eight additional North American cities. The first stop will be to Toronto, Canada the weekend of January 25th and continue on to Nashville, Denver, Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, Hartford and conclude with Chicago at Unity 2008 in July.

The results of the 2007 tour not only reaffirmed consumers' continued desires for high-definition picture without compromise but reaffirmed the need to be educated on how to achieve the ultimate high-definition home entertainment experience beyond just owning an HDTV.

About Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

WDSHE Expands Blu-ray Line-Up with First Platinum Blu-ray Release,
BD-Live and Full Motion Picture-in-Picture

Also Announces the Extension of Disney's Magical Blu-ray Tour

http://www.pr-inside.com/walt-disney-studios-home-entertainment-rolls-r372079.htm

2Channel

01-06-08, 09:00 PM

CES: Panasonic Intros First BD-Live Blu-ray Player
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/CES_2008/Panasonic/CES:_Panasonic_Intros_First_BD-Live_Blu-ray_Player/1335

Panasonic has unveiled plans to release the very first BD-Live Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD50.

The new player will include all of the features of the company's recently-released DMP-BD30K (read our review), plus internal TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and analog outputs allowing for full 7.1 channel surround sound when connected with a 7.1 channel amplifier and speakers.

The player's BD-Live functionality will enable users to connect the DMP-BD50 to the internet to download such data as images and subtitles, and to join in multi-player interactive games that are linked to bonus movie content contained on Blu-ray discs.

"Panasonic was the first to bring a Blu-ray player with Bonus View (Final Standard Profile 1.1) to market and now with the DMP-BD50 we are again leading the industry with the inclusion of BD-Live," said Gene Kelsey, Panasonic Vice President Entertainment Group. "The beauty of the Blu-ray player is that we can now see movies the way the film maker intended, in glorious HD video and audio. The consumer can now combine the new generation DMP-BD50 with a VIERA flat screen televison to create a true living in high definition experience."

No word yet on pricing or a release date for the player. Stay tuned...

2Channel

01-06-08, 09:03 PM

CES: Philips Intros $349 Blu-ray Player
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/CES_2008/Philips/CES:_Philips_Intros_$349_Blu-ray_Player/1338

Philips has announced its latest Blu-ray player, the BDP7200, which it says will retail for the value price of $349.

The first Profile 1.1 compliant player from Philips, the deck boasts full 1080p/24 and Deep Color support, and the ability to control connected devices using the EasyLink HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) protocols.

Although the company's press release makes no mention of audio codec support, the eagle-eyed folks over at Engadget snapped this pic from behind the demo unit, which would seem to indicate a lack of 7.1 audio support.

Philips says the BDP7200 will hit store shelves this April.

2Channel

01-06-08, 09:04 PM

CES: Samsung Bows New Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Samsung/CES_2008/Dual-Format_Players/CES:_Samsung_Bows_New_Dual-Format_Blu-ray/HD_DVD_Player/1337

Updating its recently-released BD-UP5000, Samsung says it will introduce the new BD-UP5500 Duo HD player in the second half of 2008.

Like its predecessor, the BD-UP5500 will support both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, as well as the latest BD-Java and HDi interactivity available (including full support of Blu-ray Profile 1.1).

Samsung says the BD-UP5500 will also feature 7.1 PCM, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master audio, plus Dolby TrueHD Bistream output via HDMI 1.3.

The deck's ethernet connection will enable firmware upgrades and web-enabled features with compatible HD DVD discs. (Company reps tell us the deck will not be BD-Live compliant, meaning it will not support web-enabled features on certain Blu-ray discs.)

The BD-UP5500 is expected to retail for $599, making it the lowest-priced dual format player announced yet. (The BD-UP5000 is currently retailing at $799.)

PaulGo

01-06-08, 09:09 PM

Microsoft Outright Denies Integrated HD DVD in 360

The keynote tonight from Bill Gates is bound to have some sort of big announcement, but Microsoft has emphatically denied that Microsoft is planning an Xbox 360 with an HD DVD drive built-in, as the Xbox Ultimate rumor would have you believe. Microsoft has denied plans to do such a thing in the past, but with the wave of recent rumors, felt compelled to do so once again.

“We have reiterated multiple times since launching the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player that we have no plans to integrate an HD-DVD player in to the Xbox 360,” a spokesman said. “We feel that offering the drive externally is the best way to give consumers the ultimate choice to create their own high-definition experiences.”...

http://news.filefront.com/microsoft-outright-denies-integrated-hd-dvd-in-360/

Talkstr8t

01-07-08, 01:38 PM

Why? This is all news, it seems to me it should be consolidated in one thread. Other CES discussion could go elsewhere....

mikemorel

01-07-08, 01:47 PM

A Blu-Ray Of Hope For Singulus (http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/01/07/blu-warner-singulus-markets-equity-cx_po_0107markets08.html)

LONDON - Warner Brothers exclusive backing of the Blu-Ray high-definition DVD format has not only warmed the hearts of Sony investors, it's good news for the companies that produce the discs.

There are only a few such firms in the world, along with Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ). One of them, Germany's Singulus Technologies, saw its stock surge 21.0%, or 1.44 euros ($2.12), to 8.30 euros ($12.22), on Monday afternoon in Frankfurt.

The choice of Blu-Ray over HD DVD is obviously good news for Singulus, which makes machines for both types of disc. That's because DVD-makers like Germany's Bertelsmann or Canada's Cinram have to buy whole new machines for producing Blu-Ray discs, but they only have to upgrade their current disc-making machines to make HD DVDs.

The rub is that while upgrading to an HD machine costs close to $37,000, buying a whole new Blu-Ray disc maker costs $1.2 million. Though Singulus has sold 8 Blu-Ray machines so far, the product has prospects for some deliciously high margins.

But investors should be wary of this technology firm--the profit it makes from extra machines churning out Time Warner's movies won't last forever, and that won't be enough to revive is flagging stock. Singulus shares have fallen by a third in the last year.

The problem is the demand for DVDs themselves. Some analysts believe that while Blu-Ray may be winning the battle with HD DVD to be the next generation DVD format, neither will win the war, since future consumers will probably choose to download their movies and transport them on memory disk. "They know this is a dying business," said Berenberg Bank analyst Thomas Wissler

Though its Blu-Ray machines have been its biggest money maker, the German technology company has thus diversified into other areas, where it can replicate its expertise for metalization, i.e. the process of coating plastic with a thin layer of metal. Singulus now makes machines for coating things from DVDs to packaging to camera lenses.

Wissler thinks that's a bad idea: "In the long run this helps the company to survive, but in the short-to-mid-term, with so many different segments, you have to spend more on research and development, you need to have distribution channels. It all costs money," he said. "I'm very pessimistic on the stock."

Singulus' only competitors for producing Blu-Ray machines are Sony--which produces discs exclusively for its own movie studio--and Oerlikon of Switzerland.

...

Blu-Ray discs have the benefit of a larger capacity, meaning that film studios can add extra features, but HD discs are popular because they are cheaper to produce.

PaulGo

01-07-08, 10:12 PM

Paramount in HD DVD blow

By Matthew Garrahan and Mariko Sanchanta in Las Vegas

Published: January 8 2008 02:49 | Last updated: January 8 2008 02:49

Paramount is poised to drop its support of HD DVD after Warner Brothers’ recent backing of Sony’s Blu-ray technology, in a move that will sound the death knell of HD DVD and bring the home entertainment format war to a definitive end.

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation, which makes the Shrek films, came out in support of HD DVD last summer, joining General Electric’s Universal Studios as the main backers of the Toshiba format.

However, Paramount, which is owned by Viacom, is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp that would allow it to switch sides in the event of Warner Bros backing Blu-ray, according to people familiar with the situation.

Paramount is set to have a bumper 2008 with several likely blockbusters, including the latest instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise.

Paramount joining the Blu-ray camp would leave HD DVD likely to suffer the same fate as Sony’s now obsolete Betamax video technology, which lost out to VHS in a similar format war in the 1980s.

Warners decision last week to throw its weight behind Blu-ray saw it join Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as backers of the Sony format.

The Warners move gives Blu-ray about 70 per cent of Hollywood’s output, although the format’s grip on film content will increase further when Paramount comes aboard.

It is unclear whether DreamWorks Animation has the same get-out clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp.

However, Paramount and DreamWorks have a close relationship, with Paramount distributing DreamWorks Animation films. The two companies also signed their HD DVD contracts at the same time. Meanwhile, Universal has declined to comment on its next-generation DVD plans since the Warners move.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc409afa-bd75-11dc-b7e6-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=e8477cc4-c820-11db-b0dc-000b5df10621.html?nclick_check=1