Let's see what's coming up here. . . . hmm. Not much

The Departed on February 13 and. . . maybe Bullitt on February 27. On second thought, that's a rental, I think.

That about does it.

Okey dokey.

yup I am starting to have the same problem, I have most of what I want to see, and everything else I have seen already multiple times...time for Blu Ray :(

You must REALLY love movies. How movies a week do you watch?

Are they waiting to release all 300 new HD DVD titles in the summer for some reason?

What to do.

Maybe I'll watch Seabiscuit again. Wait. . . it's on TV tonight. Maybe I'll watch Serenity for the fourth time.

I got a PS3 last week so I could watch some more high-def movies after exhausting my HD movie list. Now, I'm just glad the A2 does a good job of upscaling. I haven't really seen anything on either formats upcoming release schedules that makes me jump for joy after having bought a player for each. Maybe a few Blu-ray titles but still..........Oh well, I can't blame anyone but me for being impatient. Perhaps we will have some good announcements before long for HD.

You must REALLY love movies. How movies a week do you watch?

I have 65 HD DVDs. I was watching 3-4 a week for a while there. Then I began a rationing program and I was only doing about 1 every two weeks. I held off as long as I could and finally watched the last HD DVD I had . . . Scorpion King. Now I'm completely out and it appears the drought is in full force. It looks like one every two months or so.

Does anybody know if it's wise to turn on the HD DVD player every few weeks to keep it conditioned when not in use? I didn't read anything about that in the owner's manual.

Does anybody know if it's wise to turn on the HD DVD player every few weeks to keep it conditioned when not in use? I didn't read anything about that in the owner's manual.
I don't think electronics need to be "conditioned" or turned on every once in a while to keep them in some kind of tip-top state. It's not an automobile engine you know :p

I have 16 HD-DVD's total and just got done watching the four new ones I just bought recently. I'll probably go back and check out the special features and listen to the commentaries.

Let's see what's coming up here. . . . hmm. Not much

The Departed on February 13 and. . . maybe Bullitt on February 27. On second thought, that's a rental, I think.

That about does it.

Okey dokey.

Buy a BD player and start posting in that forum. I am just enjoying my new XA2. The true interactive features are great.

i watch about 3 movies a day never less then 1. im watching seabiscut right now on abc and gonna purchase it. but i am thinking of getting a ps3 if things go well

if i get a blueray device its going to be a drive for the comp when they become cheap. (built a new comp with hdcp compliant)

Just get a ps3, problem solved.

Ive got 2 or 3 I still need to pick up but otherwise I still have about 10 I need on BD as well as about 20 preorders. I support HD over BD (I own both) but this is pretty pathetic and annoying

I have 92 titles. I only watched 20.

Get a netflix account and expand your horizons by renting the rest of them, that is unless you have seen every one ;)

I know this is the HD DVD forum, but in the past I think this place was about people getting movies in the best form they could for that particular movie. This war doesn't look like it is going to end any time soon and the reality looks like it is that those who want to get each movie in its best form, watch enough movies that the releases don't keep up, and can afford to, are going to need to get a player from each side. I know that there is a certain piece of mind I get in knowing that if a movie comes out for either format that I want to see, I won't have to miss out on seeing it in HD just because it isn't on the right format. And I'm not going back to SD no matter how much some people claim that upscaled SD looks like HD with some particular scaler or player (since I know it won't on my screen with a 1080p projector). There is no way I would watch "Casino Royale" on DVD instead of Blu-ray, anymore than I would watch "The Departed" on DVD instead of HD DVD or Blu-ray.

Ric,

If you can afford 65 HD DVDs it sure seems like you could afford a Blu-ray player. If you won't get one, is it something other than cost? As I said, I think this place used to be about getting movies in their best form.

--Darin

I dont know. I really think hd-dvd being cracked is whats keeping them from pumping out releases. We dont even have dates any more. I jumped on the a.b groups on friday. It really made my stomach turn. Its almost shocking how fast hd-dvds are being posted. If I had any control what so ever over the release of hd-dvd's, I would halt all releases until the piracy crack was bypassed.

The thing is. Rumors started in October about a crack being in the works. I think studios were warned ahead of time and stopped production of future hd-dvd's. I think we will see hd-dvd's released here and there like we are seeing but, untill this is worked out dont count on any big release dates. I dont think that all is doom and gloom at all for hd-dvd but, even I'm tempted to grab Equilibrium HD-dvd that I see was just posted. Hmmm 50 bucks or free for a movie I already own on dvd. Tough choice.

On the other side of the coin. Blu-ray is also cracked. I give it a month at most before we see the first bd posted. Its an easier fix for them though.

I still have over 20 movies I own I haven't seen, but if I did run out, I'd probably start seriously considering importing from Japan and Europe.

As it is, I'm planning on getting Total Recall now CES has come and gone and there is still no Lion's Gate support.

I think the ACCS exploit is an issue.

That should be corrected soon.

You can always use the upconversion feature to watch all though standard DVD's one last time that are stashed in closet, before you get back to HD DVD.

I have 101 and have probably watched about 60 of them... I like to try and save as many as possible for winter...

ricwhite have you ordered any of the import titles from xploited cinema?

Get a netflix account and expand your horizons by renting the rest of them, that is unless you have seen every one

good luck with that-still waiting for my first HD movie since early december!
thetman

It just seems obvious that things have slowed to a crawl in terms of releases. I think what the OP is looking for, like many of us, is to get back to 4-5 good releases every week.

There are WAY to many treasures yet to be released, so at this point in the game, I don't think it is unrealistic to expect 3-4 good releases weekly along with one blockbuster title?!?!

This hobby has just become boring lately as I have nothing left to watch on either format. And the horizon holds about 5 titles I am interested in, so it's going to be a long winter.

I remember DVD so I will have patience. And while this isn't unexpected, it doesn't make it FUN :mad:

I have about 40 titles and I probably haven't even watched half of them. I like to watch the special features that are cool, see IME, and at least listen to the audio commentaries (while cleaning, surfing the net, doing something else, etc). I try to wear a disc out a little, so to speak, before I go on to the next one. Makes me feel like I really got my money's worth. Besides I find that usually when I'm listening to a commentary or re-watching a film - that I always find something really new and interesting to take notice of about it. Helps that I only buy movies that I find are quality and am sort of a "fan" of - I don't buy anything just for PQ.

Beyond that too, though I've had an A1 since launch - I have, of course, also been renting (for cheap) non-HD DVD SD DVD movies somewhat regularly as well.

I know these patterns of mine will continue so it helps ease the wait for more HD stuff. However, I know that if the day comes where I've felt I've REALLY watched everything in my HD DVD collection, don't want to re-watch any more of it at all (anytime soon) AND that day I also look at the release list w/it looking similiar to the meager situation we have now - that will be the day I officially panic and go insane.

God, help me if BD is finally offering a product that is attractive to me then (i.e. enough titles that consistently are like HD DVD: all known extras, advanced authoring, top-tier PQ, and movies that are actually good). That would be the day where they could turn a "true-believer" to the dark side. Let's pray that doesn't (have to) happen though...
-

I know this is the HD DVD forum, but in the past I think this place was about people getting movies in the best form they could for that particular movie. This war doesn't look like it is going to end any time soon and the reality looks like it is that those who want to get each movie in its best form, watch enough movies that the releases don't keep up, and can afford to, are going to need to get a player from each side. I know that there is a certain piece of mind I get in knowing that if a movie comes out for either format that I want to see, I won't have to miss out on seeing it in HD just because it isn't on the right format. And I'm not going back to SD no matter how much some people claim that upscaled SD looks like HD with some particular scaler or player (since I know it won't on my screen with a 1080p projector). There is no way I would watch "Casino Royale" on DVD instead of Blu-ray, anymore than I would watch "The Departed" on DVD instead of HD DVD or Blu-ray.

Ric,

If you can afford 65 HD DVDs it sure seems like you could afford a Blu-ray player. If you won't get one, is it something other than cost? As I said, I think this place used to be about getting movies in their best form.

--Darin

So true. If you like movies, and if you're in this to watch movies the best they can be ,then you are going to need to get both formats IMO.

Art

I have plenty left unwatched on Blu-Ray and HDDVD.

Blu-Ray:
Underworld Ev. and Kung Fu Hustle

HDDVD:
Machurian Candidate, Robin Hood, Hulk (only parts of it), Cinderella Man, Batman Begins, and Troy.

The problem is, I prioritize movie time on the rentals and new releases since 99% of the titles I mentioned are ones I have seen before in other formats.

RedDog']I dont know. I really think hd-dvd being cracked is whats keeping them from pumping out releases.

...more like welcome to January, its not 4th quarter/Christmas anymore. HD is a niche, they arent going to keep pumping tremendous volume into a niche market throughout the year evenly.

HD is a niche, they arent going to keep pumping tremendous volume into a niche market endlessly throughout the year evenly.

you mean like what blu-ray is doing now ? pumping tremendous volume into a niche market ...

you mean like what blu-ray is doing now ? pumping tremendous volume into a niche market ...Isn't that the truth!! Blu-ray is much more concerned about blindsiding its few followers with excessive movie announcements than getting their technology to John Public. HD DVD is taking the exact opposite approach. Both sides are past the point where newcomers will buy a player and *ALL* available titles. They only need to see a few they like before they bite.

I've actually be really good (at least much better than with DVD) at watching what I buy. Out of ~110 HD DVDs, there are only ~12 I haven't watched. I'm looking forward to what Universal will be annoncing this year... :)

Get a netflix account and expand your horizons by renting the rest of them, that is unless you have seen every one ;)


Good luck getting the scracthed-up Netflix HD DVD's to play glitch-free on the extra-sensitive HD-DVD players.

The only luck I've had getting Netflix HD DVD's to play flawlessly is to rent them on release date.

be careful all. look out for the my format is better than your format people. last week i started a thread called hd dvd where's the beef? boy did the format war people come out and post as though it is stupid or disloyal to want content. i don't agree. all hd formats have the hd audio and 1080p. i just want hd content. i got into hd dvd for that. i got into hd dvd first before br because these first and second generation players seem better than br players. bad thing is for hd dvd i'm finding them content challenged.
as a professional it seems so strange to me that hd dvd has not capitalized on what seems to be a large economic advantage. they are so much cheaper. the shelves should be flooding with less expensive hd disc. where's all the warner brothers stuff, universal, paramount? wouldn't ace ventura be great in hd dvd? where the heck is it? godfather? can you all imagine lotr or some of those lionsgate titles rolling out every week. c'mon.
can posting and inquiring help them get their act together? that is why i posted my where's the beef thread. if more people make their consumer expectations known hd dvd might come around.

be careful all. look out for the my format is better than your format people. last week i started a thread called hd dvd where's the beef? boy did the format war people come out and post as though it is stupid or disloyal to want content.

Ugh. Please see my Sig for details... :rolleyes:

ricwhite have you ordered any of the import titles from xploited cinema?

Yes, I have Harry Potter Goblet and Total Recall. There are a few others I'm on the fence about.

Let's see what's coming up here. . . . hmm. Not much

The Departed on February 13 and. . . maybe Bullitt on February 27. On second thought, that's a rental, I think.

That about does it.

Okey dokey.
I agree.
There really isn't much out there in the way of HD titles. BR isn't any better either. I'm still buying SD DVDs, so thankfully my A1 is great at upscaling.
J

So true. If you like movies, and if you're in this to watch movies the best they can be ,then you are going to need to get both formats IMO.

Art

Alas . . . I believe you are correct. Initially, when I purchased HD DVD technology, I thought that eventually the exclusive BD studios would go neutral. I've been waiting for any hint of that. Since I already invested in HD DVD, I was hoping that I could just stick with that and the other studios would eventually come around. But it appears that studio neutrality for MGM, Disney, Fox, Sony, etc is not going to happan any time soon. In fact, I believe that Universal is actually more likely to go neutral first.

So. . . a BD player is probably in my future. I just find it troubling that there are only 2 HD DVDs in 2007 that I am currently interested in. When the HD DVD camp DOES start releasing HD DVDs, it would have to be like flood gates opening because they have "promised" over 300 new titles in 2007 but only have dates right now for 16 in 2007. If they deliver the 300 titles over the next 11 months (which is almost 30 titles per month), it would keep me pretty busy -- maybe even too busy to think about adding a BD player. But I see no sign of those releases.

I've got both formats and I'm not seeing much to get excited about in the next several months. The HD-DVD's are few and Blu's release list maybe bigger but I have so many of those Fox title on D-Theater. My impression is that Blu's release schedule is way too geared to what young males want.

Ric, I doubled down from the start and I'm stille in your position. I've seen over 100 HD-DVD's and over 70 BD's. Well, repeat season won't be so bad..... ;)

This isnt ending anytime soon, no matter what anyone says. Thats really all that matters to me at this point. I usually just say **** it Im going to have both my HD and BD players until the next format comes around so It doesnt matter which I buy for.

Just a bit of background on the current situation. In the months leading to holiday 2006 the studios really, really pushed the post houses to produce. Folks were doing three shifts producing titles across the board. We put our people in to help with the toughest titles and we managed to get through it. But then the holidays came and CES and folks took a breather.

Now the machinery is getting back in gear. Some of the most sought after titles are getting encoded now that would put the titles from last year to shame :). I expect to see even stronger slate this year than has. As we have announced, we expect 300 new titles to come out this year.

So bear with us as the pipeline gets full again. And check out the independent titles coming out of Europe and such. This may be a good to enjoy some of these, as opposed to Hollywood blockbusters :).

And thanks much for a great 2006. Your support of HD DVD was fantastic and we really appreciate it!

Just a bit of background on the current situation. In the months leading to holiday 2006 the studios really, really pushed the post houses to produce. Folks were doing three shifts producing titles across the board. We put our people in to help with the toughest titles and we managed to get through it. But then the holidays came and CES and folks took a breather.

Now the machinery is getting back in gear. Some of the most sought after titles are getting encoded now that would put the titles last year to shame :). I expect to see even stronger slate this year than has. As we have announced, we expect 300 new titles to come out this year.

So bear with us as the pipeline gets full again. And check out the independent titles coming out of Europe and such. This may be a good to enjoy some of these, as opposed to Hollywood blockbusters :).

And thanks much for a great 2006. Your support of HD DVD was fantastic and we really appreciate it!

Thanks for the update Amir, always appreciated!

P.S. - Make sure you get Digital Leisure to use the USB ports on the a1/a2 for an XBOX 360 controller/arcade stick on their upcoming Dragon's Lair HD DVD release! I know its possible, I just hope the software/technology is in place both on Toshiba's end and Digital Leisure's end :)

It doesn't help that when the HD DVDs do come out, seemingly at least half of them are poor picture quality transfers.

They won't sucker me. I've bought 6 Blu-Rays in the last month and 0 HD DVDs.

Just a bit of background on the current situation. In the months leading to holiday 2006 the studios really, really pushed the post houses to produce. Folks were doing three shifts producing titles across the board. We put our people in to help with the toughest titles and we managed to get through it. But then the holidays came and CES and folks took a breather.

Now the machinery is getting back in gear. Some of the most sought after titles are getting encoded now that would put the titles from last year to shame :). I expect to see even stronger slate this year than has. As we have announced, we expect 300 new titles to come out this year.

So bear with us as the pipeline gets full again. And check out the independent titles coming out of Europe and such. This may be a good to enjoy some of these, as opposed to Hollywood blockbusters :).

And thanks much for a great 2006. Your support of HD DVD was fantastic and we really appreciate it!

Thanks for the update and "hope" that good things are on the horizon. I'm still a little puzzled, however, why the BD studios "post houses" seemingly didn't take a breather during the holidays. HD DVD's count for January and February is at 12 titles. BD count for that same period is 43 titles. That just seems odd to me if it were a "normal" production slowdown after the holidays.

Regardless, thanks for the words of encouragement.

It doesn't help that when the HD DVDs do come out, seemingly at least half of them are poor picture quality transfers.

They won't sucker me. I've bought 6 Blu-Rays in the last month and 0 HD DVDs.

Really? Hmm. I'm guess I'm pretty picky about the titles I choose, because I've been VERY pleased with the PQ of HD DVD. I just finished watching Scorpion King and King Kong, and V for Vendetta. I'm very pleased with what I'm seeing.

I read a lot of reviews, and from what I can gather, HD DVD still has a slight "lead" when it comes to PQ -- although I think BD has just about caught HD DVD in that regard. But to say "half" of HD DVDs are poor transfers and that you purchase a lot more BD discs because of PQ doesn't ring accurate to me. In fact, it borders on trolling in my opinion.

Just a bit of background on the current situation. In the months leading to holiday 2006 the studios really, really pushed the post houses to produce. Folks were doing three shifts producing titles across the board. We put our people in to help with the toughest titles and we managed to get through it. But then the holidays came and CES and folks took a breather.

Now the machinery is getting back in gear. Some of the most sought after titles are getting encoded now that would put the titles from last year to shame :). I expect to see even stronger slate this year than has. As we have announced, we expect 300 new titles to come out this year.

So bear with us as the pipeline gets full again. And check out the independent titles coming out of Europe and such. This may be a good to enjoy some of these, as opposed to Hollywood blockbusters :).

And thanks much for a great 2006. Your support of HD DVD was fantastic and we really appreciate it!

I agree. I'm going to have to quote a game developer from a different forum. "Forum time moves much faster than developer time." It's only been 3 weeks since New Year. 21 days. The machines have just started moving again.

We all know that last year a lot of movies on the HD side were announced one or two weeks before release. I remember quite a few coming out of nowhere.

Relax, movies will come.

Thanks for the update and "hope" that good things are on the horizon. I'm still a little puzzled, however, why the BD studios "post houses" seemingly didn't take a breather during the holidays. HD DVD's count for January and February is at 12 titles. BD count for that same period is 43 titles. That just seems odd to me if it were a "normal" production slowdown after the holidays.
A couple of reasons for that. First, Fox and Disney didn't publish as much as HD DVD studios did last year (i.e. their post houses were less busy as a result). Second, Sony does a lot of BD encoding using real-time MPEG-2 encodes with a maximum production cycle of 2 days. This lets them get titles out faster, but I would argue that they are schedule driven, rather than quality driven as a result.

Regardless, thanks for the words of encouragement.
My pleasure.

I've ran out of movies to buy, but theres still plenty worth renting

it has taken about 20 years to collect things to get where my ht sits now. i am looking forward to more hd dvd for 2007.

i have found that a lot of the parts of my ht setup are inadequate to take full advantage of hd dvd.

my disk purchases have slowed down and i am rewatching the stuff i already have with audio and video upgrades. i haven't run out of new stuff to buy. i even passed for now on some things ....like superman movies that might be in a box set later.

currently i am upgrading my center and surrounds to better match my front speakers.

i highly recommend looking at an import hd dvd or two...

i liked:

equilibrium
rambo 3

i know they are a bit expensive but i found it to be fun seeing what goes on with the disks over seas.

When the HD DVD camp DOES start releasing HD DVDs, it would have to be like flood gates opening because they have "promised" over 300 new titles in 2007 but only have dates right now for 16 in 2007. If they deliver the 300 titles over the next 11 months (which is almost 30 titles per month), it would keep me pretty busy -- maybe even too busy to think about adding a BD player. But I see no sign of those releases.My understanding is that the 300 is worldwide. They could release 13 titles a month in the US and still hit 300 worldwide. I don't think that they were counting porn in the 300, but they might have been.

--Darin

This thread is hilarious. I'm just happy that HD DVD is here as well as Blu Ray. Heck, I remember a few times when there was nothing in BB to rent for SD's. And this is where my 360 comes into play. When 24 (or Heroes), Lost and Supernatural isn't on and there's no good movies I play my 360.

I purposely waited a good spell before jumping in just so I'll never have to worry where the next movie I haven't seen in HD is coming from. I'm so far behind that I'll never catch up and I'm glad. But I hear you have thee best upscaler in the biz. try out some DVD's.

This thread is hilarious. I'm just happy that HD DVD is here as well as Blu Ray. Heck, I remember a few times when there was nothing in BB to rent for SD's. And this is where my 360 comes into play. When 24 (or Heroes), Lost and Supernatural isn't on and there's no good movies I play my 360.


i agree but what are you gonna do?

the 21st century is full of people who live on instant gratification.

Well, I gotta say that with each passing day I feel less guilty about going neutral. I have placed preorders for a number of Blu-ray titles and the only HD DVDs I have on preorder are Brokeback Mountain and Hollywoodland...

good luck with that-still waiting for my first HD movie since early december!
thetman

Hmmm, I had no problems at all getting MI:III from Netflix.

I joined and had the movie 3-4 days later.
I hope it wasn't a first time thing.

be careful all. look out for the my format is better than your format people. last week i started a thread called hd dvd where's the beef? boy did the format war people come out and post as though it is stupid or disloyal to want content. i don't agree. all hd formats have the hd audio and 1080p. i just want hd content. i got into hd dvd for that. i got into hd dvd first before br because these first and second generation players seem better than br players. bad thing is for hd dvd i'm finding them content challenged.
as a professional it seems so strange to me that hd dvd has not capitalized on what seems to be a large economic advantage. they are so much cheaper. the shelves should be flooding with less expensive hd disc. where's all the warner brothers stuff, universal, paramount? wouldn't ace ventura be great in hd dvd? where the heck is it? godfather? can you all imagine lotr or some of those lionsgate titles rolling out every week. c'mon.
can posting and inquiring help them get their act together? that is why i posted my where's the beef thread. if more people make their consumer expectations known hd dvd might come around.
Darry, I agree with some of your points, however, the problem I see is lack of advertising. Many of my friends come over, watch a movie (or scene, rather), and when I ask them about BD or HD, they don't have a clue. It's not like DVD. At the time, that was a completely new format. BD and HD are more of an extension on the already existing format. You had a choice back then. You could watch VHS, with what would eventually be considered subpar quality (compared to DVD). Or, you could watch a huge Laserdisc, which still had less picture quality than a DVD. Most people are just happy with DVD. Plus, the only time I see something about BD or HD, is in a home theater mag. Most people that look at those, already know about the new formats.

[QUOTE=DeathKnight]I don't think electronics need to be "conditioned" or turned on every once in a while to keep them in some kind of tip-top state. It's not an automobile engine you know :p


I had 2 Sony MDP 605 laserdisc players that I had, for one reason or another not turned on in about 7 years.When I finally got around to have the time to be able to play these LD's again both machines would not work.I took them to a repair guy I know & he opened them up.There was electroylitic fluid all over the boards from busted caps.
He said that it was like that because they had not been used in such a long time.So the 2 of them became instant boat anchors.A real shame for 2 $1000.00 laserdisc players.
Now I have the Star Wars Box Set & Lion King,Robocop,etc just sitting here because of no more laserdisc players in my house.So be warned,you should not leave electronics off for a few years.D:

are these 300 titles unique? Or will it be 150 for the US and the same 150 for overseas title-wise. Honestly, the number sounds good but only if it's 300 unique titles.

are these 300 titles unique? Or will it be 150 for the US and the same 150 for overseas title-wise. Honestly, the number sounds good but only if it's 300 unique titles.

We don't know yet.
J

gotcha.

thanks

:)

Good luck getting the scracthed-up Netflix HD DVD's to play glitch-free on the extra-sensitive HD-DVD players.

The only luck I've had getting Netflix HD DVD's to play flawlessly is to rent them on release date.

Yeah, I've been hearing more and more about that lately. What a bummer!

Is there a fix for that in the works?

I had 2 Sony MDP 605 laserdisc players that I had, for one reason or another not turned on in about 7 years.When I finally got around to have the time to be able to play these LD's again both machines would not work.I took them to a repair guy I know & he opened them up.There was electroylitic fluid all over the boards from busted caps.
He said that it was like that because they had not been used in such a long time.So the 2 of them became instant boat anchors.A real shame for 2 $1000.00 laserdisc players.
Now I have the Star Wars Box Set & Lion King,Robocop,etc just sitting here because of no more laserdisc players in my house.So be warned,you should not leave electronics off for a few years.D:

Dang! I'm going right now and dusting off my HD DVD player and turning it on for a few minutes. I'll do that each month until new movies come out.

i think that people who like hd dvd( myself) and the people who like br should post like mad about the dearth of good content. complain clearly. after making the next few comment i will not post along these lines again. i will try my best to avoid such threads because of my personal frustration, i'm the consumer, they should be working for me. hddvd says br and br says hddvd. i know of no other industry were the consumer gets this you don't understand, you are for the other guy treatment from the business man who wants that same consumers money. are we ht enthusiat or what? that's right or what? c'mon, post some complaints so that these guys start listening and start putting their best foot forward. i want hd dvd to put their best foot forward so i don't have to buy stale stuff just to say i watch hd. lets make them roll out more good stuff!! you damn right, i've seen some fun hd movies, but man the picking is slim.

Second, Sony does a lot of BD encoding using real-time MPEG-2 encodes with a maximum production cycle of 2 days. This lets them get titles out faster, but I would argue that they are schedule driven, rather than quality driven as a result.

Isn't that equivalent to 16 days of VC-1 encoding at 8x?

How long does the average VC-1 title take to encode nowdays?

Gary

P.S. The same 2 day process has resulted in many highly praised titles over the last three months.

How long does the average VC-1 title take to encode nowdays?
We are running at 3X real-time. So first pass for a 2 hour movie takes 6 hours. So yes, a lot of tuning gets done after the fact for best performance.

P.S. The same 2 day process has resulted in many highly praised titles over the last three months.
This is not the thread for this kind of discussion Gary. Please take it elsewhere.

My understanding is that the 300 is worldwide. They could release 13 titles a month in the US and still hit 300 worldwide. I don't think that they were counting porn in the 300, but they might have been.

--Darin

It was 600 worldwide, 300 in the US. (At least, those were the numbers I read from the CES HD-DVD announcements.)

I never thought the HD DVD camp would be so stupid as to lliterally "drop the ball." Every bit of the momentum we had is lost. It is the 21st of January and HD DVD owners have little if anything to look forward to in February unless they purchase that new Blu-ray player. I lambasted the mishandling of Blu-ray's launch and basked in the sunshine of my decision to go with HD DVD. With every passing day it becomes more apparent where consumers will find what they want in high definition and it doesn't come in red cases... Is it time to cash in and unload my HD DVDs on ebay?

With every passing day it becomes more apparent where consumers will find what they want in high definition and it doesn't come in red cases... Is it time to cash in and unload my HD DVDs on ebay?

Sheesh. OK, so there aren't a lot of releases in January. BFD. They cranked out more than 100 titles in the last 6 months. RELAX. This is a new format, remember? Gamers who bought the PS3 are going to have to wait 2-3 months for new games to hit the market. Some people are SO friggin' impatient.

It was 600 worldwide, 300 in the US. (At least, those were the numbers I read from the CES HD-DVD announcements.)

just read the press release, 300 this year to make a total of 600 between this year and last year combined Worldwide...


http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/010707_hddvd_ces_2007.pdf

Sheesh. OK, so there aren't a lot of releases in January. BFD. They cranked out more than 100 titles in the last 6 months. RELAX. This is a new format, remember? Gamers who bought the PS3 are going to have to wait 2-3 months for new games to hit the market. Some people are SO friggin' impatient.


Rusty, my post was a little over the top but you gotta admit they are missing a golden opportunity to build on all the positive press. Unfortunately, I believe a great deal of momentum has been lost.

Second, Sony does a lot of BD encoding using real-time MPEG-2 encodes with a maximum production cycle of 2 days. This lets them get titles out faster, but I would argue that they are schedule driven, rather than quality driven as a result.


P.S. The same 2 day process has resulted in many highly praised titles over the last three months.


This is not the thread for this kind of discussion Gary. Please take it elsewhere.

Is this some special kind of thread where Amir gets to bad mouth Sony but nobody else gets to mention them?

Rusty, my post was a little over the top but you gotta admit they are missing a golden opportunity to build on all the positive press. Unfortunately, I believe a great deal of momentum has been lost.

We're only 3 weeks into the New Year. Up until this point BOTH BD and HD have each released exactly 7 movies.

In the month of December there 20 releases for BD and 22 for HD. Where is the BD content advantage?

Yes, this upcoming week is a good week for BD but it's 1 week out of the last 2 months....and 2 of those movies have been out on HD for a while.

Relax, movies will come :) HD has generally kept releases pretty close to their vest until a couple of weeks before release. BD has already pushed back a number of previously announced titles.

. . . . . . . . . . . and no "A or B list" type of movies from HD DVD. Yikes!

Not good.

This is getting embarrassing:

HD DVD has 16 titles announced with release dates and 3 of those are exclusive

Blu-ray has 70 titles announced with release dates and 55 of those are exclusive

http://www.highdefdigest.com/

This is getting embarrassing:

HD DVD has 16 titles announced with release dates and 3 of those are exclusive

Blu-ray has 70 titles announced with release dates and 55 of those are exclusive

http://www.highdefdigest.com/

This is the crux of the format war right here.....

HD DVD: Still has the cheaper player
Blu Ray: Has and will have far more (and better) content to choose from this year.


This is where the format war impacts buyer. Buy the $500 player, and accept you will have less titles to choose from. And wait until HD DVD finally defeats Blu Ray to get all the content (at least 2 years if it happens)

-OR-

Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years.

Now that Blu Ray is finally rolling the strategies of both camps will really start making their impact. Hopefully it expedites this war so the winner becomes apparent faster!

We're only 3 weeks into the New Year. Up until this point BOTH BD and HD have each released exactly 7 movies.

In the month of December there 20 releases for BD and 22 for HD. Where is the BD content advantage?

Yes, this upcoming week is a good week for BD but it's 1 week out of the last 2 months....and 2 of those movies have been out on HD for a while.

Relax, movies will come :) HD has generally kept releases pretty close to their vest until a couple of weeks before release. BD has already pushed back a number of previously announced titles.


Even though I agree people are pretty impatient, I would be a little concerned if HD DVD was the only format that I supported and I looked at the upcoming calendar. It's not pretty. Hopefully HD DVD will announce a lot more titles, but they need to do it soon.

i get the studios mixed up.
but, doesn't hd dvd have access to movies like: any given sunday, jurasic park, indiana jones, top gun, private ryan or even ace ventura? those titles would seem like killer apps for hd video. why are they not moving these titles onto hd dvd. is there anyway for consumers to gain influence?

dude, no offense, but what are you, HIGH?!?!?!?

this tuesday...

HD-DVD TITLE
Black Rain
Brokeback Mountain


BLU-RAY TITLE
Alien vs. Predator
Black Rain
Casanova
Chicago
Courage under Fire
The Guardian
Hitchhiker’s Guide to Universe
Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Men of Honor
Saw II
Saw III
We Were Soldiers


next tuesday...


HD DVD TITLE
Beerfest
Half Baked
The Wicker Man (2006)

BLU-RAY TITLE
Beerfest
Flyboys
Hart's War
Open Season
The Wicker Man (2006)

feb. 6th...

HDDVD TITLE
Failure to Launch
Hollywoodland

BLU-RAY TITLE
American Psycho
Failure to Launch
First Blood
Reservoir Dogs
Running With Scissors
The Tailor of Panama

Feb. 13th

HDDVD TITLE
The Departed

BLU-RAY TITLE
Broken Arrow
Chain Reaction
The Departed
Entrapment
Ladder 49
Marie Antoinette
The Marine
Phone Booth
Planet of the Apes
Reign of Fire
The Sentinel
The Usual Suspects

I stopped at the 13th but you get the idea. More of the same proportional disparity for the next several weeks after that.

d

And yet, there aren't enough titles I actually want to own on BR, to even justify me buying a BR player.
J

This is the crux of the format war right here.....

HD DVD: Still has the cheaper player
Blu Ray: Has and will have far more (and better) content to choose from this year.


This is where the format war impacts buyer. Buy the $500 player, and accept you will have less titles to choose from. And wait until HD DVD finally defeats Blu Ray to get all the content (at least 2 years if it happens)

-OR-

Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years.

Now that Blu Ray is finally rolling the strategies of both camps will really start making their impact. Hopefully it expedites this war so the winner becomes apparent faster!

Unless something happens that isn't apparent right now your post seems to sum it up.

Arthur

why a war? what is most likely is that br early adopters will get an xbox 360 and hddvd early adopters will get a ps3. the inapparent that is most likely to happen is the rise of full featured universal players.
but i digress, this is the hddvd software forum. i wish the fast paced, swash buckling, non-stop action movies would come out now to reward the early adopters of hd dvd.

Out of all those BD titles Planet of the Apes is the only one I would want and that would be if Fox gave it a great transfer. I can live with the sd dvd upconverted until a winner is determined.

This is not the thread for this kind of discussion Gary. Please take it elsewhere.

But it is a thread to take a shot at Sony's committment to quality?

I chose to push the positive rather than comment directly, and you respond like this? Nice.

Gary

But it is a thread to take a shot at Sony's committment to quality?

I chose to push the positive rather than comment directly, and you respond like this? Nice.

Gary

I agree with dialog_gvf's comment.

"Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years."

Or buy the PS3 for $499.Isn't that supposed to be one of the better ones?

"Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years."

Or buy the PS3 for $499.Isn't that supposed to be one of the better ones?

careful, les others will start to post that you have the hidden agenda of supporting sony electronics in "the format war".

This is getting embarrassing:
HD DVD has 16 titles announced with release dates and 3 of those are exclusive

Blu-ray has 70 titles announced with release dates and 55 of those are exclusive

http://www.highdefdigest.com/


Well thats funny... the last HD-DVD I saw is a Bluray exclusive titel that isn't even out on Bluray yet. :)

Out of all those BD titles Planet of the Apes is the only one I would want and that would be if Fox gave it a great transfer.

I hope you realize that this is the awful remake, not the classic original Apes.

i think, i have concluded that not partaking in the format war is the best way to get titles rolling out more quickly. sales managers might read threads and forums like this one. they may then realize that if they want to be in the market they will have to bring content.

careful, les others will start to post that you have the hidden agenda of supporting sony electronics in "the format war".

Personally I just want the content.Blu-ray,HD-DVD,whatever studio,that's trivial to me.I don't care,or have ever cared,about the name on the package.I just wish this ridiculous 'war' would end so we can just watch some damn movies without the politics.

i think, i have concluded that not partaking in the format war is the best way to get titles rolling out more quickly. sales managers might read threads and forums like this one. they may then realize that if they want to be in the market they will have to bring content.

Or it could mean that both formats will die on the vine and we will be treated to only artifact laden low bit rate HD like we had till April of last year.

art

Sheesh. OK, so there aren't a lot of releases in January. BFD. They cranked out more than 100 titles in the last 6 months. RELAX. This is a new format, remember? Gamers who bought the PS3 are going to have to wait 2-3 months for new games to hit the market. Some people are SO friggin' impatient.
I agree, this thread is a joke. :o

And yet, there aren't enough titles I actually want to own on BR, to even justify me buying a BR player.
J

Exactly! Those BR titles are mediocre at best. The Usual Suspect is the only one I'd consider....

dude, no offense, but what are you, HIGH?!?!?!?

this tuesday...

HD-DVD TITLE
Black Rain
Brokeback Mountain


BLU-RAY TITLE
Alien vs. Predator
Black Rain
Casanova
Chicago
Courage under Fire
The Guardian
Hitchhiker’s Guide to Universe
Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Men of Honor
Saw II
Saw III
We Were Soldiers


next tuesday...


HD DVD TITLE
Beerfest
Half Baked
The Wicker Man (2006)

BLU-RAY TITLE
Beerfest
Flyboys
Hart's War
Open Season
The Wicker Man (2006)

feb. 6th...

HDDVD TITLE
Failure to Launch
Hollywoodland

BLU-RAY TITLE
American Psycho
Failure to Launch
First Blood
Reservoir Dogs
Running With Scissors
The Tailor of Panama

Feb. 13th

HDDVD TITLE
The Departed

BLU-RAY TITLE
Broken Arrow
Chain Reaction
The Departed
Entrapment
Ladder 49
Marie Antoinette
The Marine
Phone Booth
Planet of the Apes
Reign of Fire
The Sentinel
The Usual Suspects

I stopped at the 13th but you get the idea. More of the same proportional disparity for the next several weeks after that.

d

I see only 3 Must Haves for me of the Blu-Ray exclusives.

American Psycho
Reservoir Dogs
The Usual Suspects

I dunno I still dont get what all the fuss is about, taking a look at the releases for BluRay its just seems they are pumping out some of thier "older" releases on BD, and that for HD-DVD what we are seeing is announcements of "new" releases. HDDVD has had a head start on the "older" titles so I am not worried too much it all takes time to come out and for those that do wait I am sure it will be worth it. If people are so worried about the releases then get a BluRay player that way you ahve the best of both worlds. There are some BluRay exclusives here in the US that are available or will be available for import so that should take away some of the "pain" But as with most "early" technology it is slow to start, I for one am willing to wait as I would want quality releases more then a Quantity of releases...

This is the crux of the format war right here.....

HD DVD: Still has the cheaper player
Blu Ray: Has and will have far more (and better) content to choose from this year.


This is where the format war impacts buyer. Buy the $500 player, and accept you will have less titles to choose from. And wait until HD DVD finally defeats Blu Ray to get all the content (at least 2 years if it happens)

-OR-

Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years.

Now that Blu Ray is finally rolling the strategies of both camps will really start making their impact. Hopefully it expedites this war so the winner becomes apparent faster!

Solid logic AND noninflammatory.

Nice work TB.

I see only 3 Must Haves for me of the Blu-Ray exclusives.

American Psycho
Reservoir Dogs
The Usual Suspects

And I don't see any HD-DVD exclusives that I would want ;) . Wish they would hurry up and release the JP series, I can't wait to see that.

Sheesh. OK, so there aren't a lot of releases in January. BFD. They cranked out more than 100 titles in the last 6 months. RELAX. This is a new format, remember? Gamers who bought the PS3 are going to have to wait 2-3 months for new games to hit the market. Some people are SO friggin' impatient.


And yet Blu-ray,also a new format, is pushing out a long list of titles this upcoming year through summer.The Hd-dvd offerings are very slim by comparison. I don't think it's strange to be a bit concerned if you're exclusively an HDDVD supporter.

CES was the time for HDDVD to drop bombs,instead Blu-ray came away smelling like roses.Even Universal was very mum on any upcoming titles for HD-DVD.I'm not saying that to say one should have a heart attack over this,but right now it seems the momentum is as much with Bluray as it was with HDDVD 2 months ago.

Now in June if HD-DVD has not stepped to the plate with releases, then some concern would be merrited.

I guess I don't put that much into release schedules. Maybe I should aye?

just read the press release, 300 this year to make a total of 600 between this year and last year combined Worldwide...


http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/010707_hddvd_ces_2007.pdf

Thanks for the correction :)

Now in June if HD-DVD has not stepped to the plate with releases, then some concern would be merrited.

I guess I don't put that much into release schedules. Maybe I should aye?

Just curious, why June?

Sounds pretty generous on your part.

Now in June if HD-DVD has not stepped to the plate with releases, then some concern would be merrited.

I guess I don't put that much into release schedules. Maybe I should aye?

Personally I'd rather a release schedule compared to deathly silence.The latter doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

why a war? what is most likely is that br early adopters will get an xbox 360 and hddvd early adopters will get a ps3. the inapparent that is most likely to happen is the rise of full featured universal players.
but i digress, this is the hddvd software forum. i wish the fast paced, swash buckling, non-stop action movies would come out now to reward the early adopters of hd dvd.

My solution is to eventually pick up a dual format player. When one is available that is full featured, an excellent performer, and modestly priced (ie. WELL under $1200), then I'll be in the market. In the meantime, I'll just be watching what transpires between the two formats and enjoying my G1.

This is the crux of the format war right here.....

HD DVD: Still has the cheaper player
Blu Ray: Has and will have far more (and better) content to choose from this year.


This is where the format war impacts buyer. Buy the $500 player, and accept you will have less titles to choose from. And wait until HD DVD finally defeats Blu Ray to get all the content (at least 2 years if it happens)

-OR-

Pay $900 for the Sony Blu Ray player and have many more titles to choose from over the next two years.

Now that Blu Ray is finally rolling the strategies of both camps will really start making their impact. Hopefully it expedites this war so the winner becomes apparent faster!


Which is exactly why I think both formats will be little more than niche products.
HD for being sloppy and frittering away months of potential business and new buyers. BR, for their arrogance in thinking people will want a game console or a $1000 player that doesn't even play CDs to watch their movies. Plus, I don't think BR's content is better.
I'm really beginning to wonder if both sides deserve to die.
I'm fed up with it all, and for now have gone back to buying SD DVDs.
J

Can Sony replicate all of these announced titles at their announced release dates? It seems like Sony might have a bottleneck. Also, at $40 a pop for Fox titles, I would have a hard time justifying many movie purchases from that studio.

And yet Blu-ray,also a new format, is pushing out a long list of titles this upcoming year through summer.The Hd-dvd offerings are very slim by comparison. I don't think it's strange to be a bit concerned if you're exclusively an HDDVD supporter.

CES was the time for HDDVD to drop bombs,instead Blu-ray came away smelling like roses.Even Universal was very mum on any upcoming titles for HD-DVD.I'm not saying that to say one should have a heart attack over this,but right now it seems the momentum is as much with Bluray as it was with HDDVD 2 months ago.

CES was the time to drop HARDWARE bombs, which is exactly what HD DVD did. The BDA had practically nothing, and so their gambit was to hide that behind a long specific title list. Although CES was the wrong place for it, it clearly had a telling impact on the skittish.

Can Sony replicate all of these announced titles at their announced release dates? It seems like Sony might have a bottleneck. Also, at $40 a pop for Fox titles, I would have a hard time justifying many movie purchases from that studio.Sony et al at least has the "advantage" of not having to produce near as many discs. If asked about this, they'd likely act as if this was part of their "strategy" all along... :rolleyes:

CES was the time to drop HARDWARE bombs, which is exactly what HD DVD did. The BDA had practically nothing, and so their gambit was to hide that behind a long specific title list. Although CES was the wrong place for it, it clearly had a telling impact on the skittish.

Well when you've already got like 4 times as many players, how many more bombs can you drop?

It is about the C-O-N-T-E-N-T, no question....lemme know when Sony drops MPEG2, then you'll have my interest, until then, the *content* looks better on the other side....and if by some chance, the release flow doesn't hit warp speed like the Sony side (which I personally could care less, I buy 'em sloooow, and usually only WORTHY titles), there is always the dual format player (which will only drop in price over time) to play the rare BD titles I might want (and honestly, thus far thats been VERY few for my tastes)....the war will END someday, but that doesn't mean there has to be a "loser."

Why June?


Because I think 1/2 of a year is enough time to see what really may transpire. 22 days of 2007 is not enough, not near enough. Title release is important, title PQ quality is important too.

June should let us get a feel for how many quality PQ titles each format is really comming out with.

Personally I'd rather a release schedule compared to deathly silence.The latter doesn't exactly inspire confidence.


I look at them the same. As I stated, maybe I shouldn't, but I do.
Only real titles that look fantastic count anything with me, that is for sure.


Silence can be better than BS to me every time. I am nto syaing that is what the release schedule of BD is, but it sure has the potential to be. By June we shoudl know.

Sony et al at least has the "advantage" of not having to produce near as many discs. If asked about this, they'd likely act as if this was part of their "strategy" all along... :rolleyes:

Seems like their strategy from the beginning has been to keep promising via marketing and then deliver by whatever schedule happens to come together over time. The goal being to keep people in line to purchase their products, rather than risk silence which might help support naysayers and consumer defections.

Part of that would naturally be the marketing developed "newspaper" they produced for CES proclaiming the success of BR and the demise of HD DVD. It's all about selling perceptions, and they are doing a wonderful job. It's very clear the thrust of their CES marketing effort has been wholly successful with many here at AVSForums.

Fact is, this is still only January and Amir hasn't been in the habit of providing bad information in the past. With 300 titles for the year (probably true -- after all, the HD DVD track record may not be perfect, but it's been pretty good so far), we should be seeing more title announcements show up in February and over the course of the year. There appears to be likelihood of additional hardware announcements as well.

Why June?


Because I think 1/2 of a year is enough time to see what really may transpire. 22 days of 2007 is not enough, not near enough. Title release is important, title PQ quality is important too.

June should let us get a feel for how many quality PQ titles each format is really comming out with.

O.K., so you meant BY June.

Sounds reasonable.

dude, no offense, but what are you, HIGH?!?!?!?


No offense taken :P but no, I was simply pointing out that all the HD people who are getting ansy about titles need to realized that HD put out more titles in December than BD did. In November it was 24 for HD and 27 for BD (but I would subtract 3 of the movies which had been out on HD for a while making it 24-24). If BD puts out more this month than that's great, but it's not the end of the world for HD.

I've only had my A1 since early November so perhaps it wasn't always this way but I remember movies coming out of nowhere from the HD camp. Wasn't it V for Vendetta that was announced the week before it shipped? Hulk certainly wasn't announced months ahead of time. In talking with a friend who works at one of the local stores with a big selection he was always complaining that releases were being announced 1 or 2 weeks before arriving. It made his job harder.

I too would love to know what's coming for HD and BD is banking on generating excitment for their format (which from all signs was behind prior to CES) by announcing everything they are releasing months ahead of time, but to think that those announced movies on the HD release list are the only things being released on HD in February is premature.

My other point was that BD have postponed a fair number of titles that previously had street dates. There is nothing to stop them doing that again.

I suppose we'll see. I'm not emotionally attached to HD but there simply aren't enough quality releases on the BD side at this time to make my justify the cost of a player. I really don't want a PS3 just for movies.

Well when you've already got like 4 times as many players, how many more bombs can you drop?

Don't know. The thing I wonder about is that all the standalone players are somewhat pricey ($800 Samsung through $1500 Pioneer Elite). They do provide a choice of brand, but I'm not clear in what other ways they are strongly differentiated. That 75K standalone sales number doesn't seem healthy to me -- leaves an awful lot of reliance on a game console. That LG strikes me as a real wildcard that could seriously shake up the standalone ranks.

I really haven't noticed much standalone differentiation discussion -- outside of a frequent perception that the Sony (made by Pioneer) is the one to get.

Out of all those BD titles Planet of the Apes is the only one I would want and that would be if Fox gave it a great transfer. I can live with the sd dvd upconverted until a winner is determined.

The D-Theater tape was very, very good. It would smoke your upconvert.

Now the machinery is getting back in gear. Some of the most sought after titles are getting encoded now that would put the titles from last year to shame :).
So that would put them on par for what a summer releases? May? August?
I want me some content. :D

is it possible that movies like wotw, gladiator or master and comander might show up in hd dvd? any one of them announced?

Don't know. The thing I wonder about is that pricewise all the standalone players are somewhat clustered ($800 Samsung through $1400 Pioneer). Outside of catering to a choice of brand, guess I'm not clear on how effectively differentiated they truly are. That 75K standalone sales number doesn't seem healthy to me -- leaves an awful lot of reliance on a game console. That LG strikes me as a real wildcard that could seriously shake up the standalone ranks.

Guess where I'm primarily coming from is the price issue, but I really haven't noticed much differentiation discussion -- outside of a frequent perception that the Sony (made by Pioneer) is the one to get.

Well I've read that the Pioneer is the one, but I don't know.

IMO, the LG will make a difference. Of course prices have to come down to make a real dent.

Personally, I can't see the Chinese stuff doing much. Those brands are sub-Wal-mart. More like Rite-Aid, drugstore stuff, AFAIC. Seriously, when was the last time you bought an Alco... or a Shinco?

JMHO

is it possible that movies like wotw, gladiator or master and comander might show up in hd dvd? any one of them announced?

Master and Commander? I hope you mean "HD", as in BluRay HD, because that's a Fox title....and at this point in the game, EVERYONE should know who's in what camp. :cool:

I hope you realize that this is the awful remake, not the classic original Apes.


That movie was so bad, I forgot about it. Then there is nothing on that list that would make me buy a BR player. I think the BDA put out that list to try and slow down the sales of HD DVD players. Who knows if they can really crank out all of those titles.

Master and Commander? I hope you mean "HD", as in BluRay HD, because that's a Fox title....and at this point in the game, EVERYONE should know who's in what camp. :cool:

The funny thing is I paid very little attention to which studios released what movies until this silly "war". Obvious ones (for me) were the Star Wars and Matrix movies as the music at the beginning of those worked so well with the studio logos that they were ingrained. I'm sure there were others but it's never really mattered much to me.

That movie was so bad, I forgot about it. Then there is nothing on that list that would make me buy a BR player. I think the BDA put out that list to try and slow down the sales of HD DVD players. Who knows if they can really crank out all of those titles.

I was looking at the list of current BDs trying to decide if it was worth getting a player. At this point there are only a handful of titles (7-10) I even marginally want and even some of those are barebones which makes them much less appealing. There were only 2 or 3 must-haves. I'm talking exclusives here, I already have all the Warner and Paramount releases I want. I'll reevaluate in a few months.

I can't believe the other forum is actually bragging about those BD titles being released. There are a bunch of crappy movies out there and I'm not going to buy them just because they have 1080 lines of resolution.

Well I've read that the Pioneer is the one, but I don't know.
Well, it's natural enough for fans to tout Pioneer Elite, I tend to think well of that label as well. (I've three of their LD players and recently picked up one of their receivers.) Note, it's the same manufacturer :), though I think the Sony name alone for higher price technology carries a continuing appeal. Not died yet :).

IMO, the LG will make a difference. Of course prices have to come down to make a real dent.

Personally, I can't see the Chinese stuff doing much. Those brands are sub-Wal-mart. More like Rite-Aid, drugstore stuff, AFAIC. Seriously, when was the last time you bought an Alco... or a Shinco?

JMHO
Never bought one of those brands myself, but others have mentioned them as providing decent products. I would think some of those players could potentially be sold rebadged by Walmarts and other discount stores. I think it will ultimately come down to whether the players are any good at their price points. If they are, they can make a significant impact in the low cost bracket.

PS. And given those players will be skiing of the MS/Broadcom HD-DVD in-a-kit package, I would think they have a good liklihood of being decent.

I think the BDA put out that list to try and slow down the sales of HD DVD players. Who knows if they can really crank out all of those titles.

Yeppers! :D

Master and Commander? I hope you mean "HD", as in BluRay HD, because that's a Fox title....and at this point in the game, EVERYONE should know who's in what camp. :cool:

i know this particular response is in just.
but it also shows how silly this war is. wouldn't the mentioned movie really be a great hd adventure? what about gladiator with a great hd transfer?

PS. And given those players will be skiing of the MS/Broadcom HD-DVD in-a-kit package, I would think they have a good liklihood of being decent.

They may be, but who will buy them? If they are dirt cheap and CC & BB will push them, they may sell. But I think brand names are really important to a lot of people. I have concern for HD DVD if their hopes lie in Shinco leaping into the U.S. marketplace as their knight in shining armor.

Well I've read that the Pioneer is the one, but I don't know.

IMO, the LG will make a difference. Of course prices have to come down to make a real dent.

Personally, I can't see the Chinese stuff doing much. Those brands are sub-Wal-mart. More like Rite-Aid, drugstore stuff, AFAIC. Seriously, when was the last time you bought an Alco... or a Shinco?

JMHO
They are not aimed at us...AVSForum is not the center of the universe. :rolleyes:

They are not aimed at us...AVSForum is not the center of the universe. :rolleyes:

I must have missed my own quote. When, exactly did I say that?

They may be, but who will buy them? If they are dirt cheap and CC & BB will push them, they may sell. But I think brand names are really important to a lot of people. I have concern for HD DVD if their hopes lie in Shinco leaping into the U.S. marketplace as their knight in shining armor.I can guess just who would buy them...anyone looking to replace their DVD player or looking for HD DVD on the cheap. These players are not meant to replace our beloved Toshiba players or even knock Onkyo out of the market. They are meant for the most important market of all...the mass market!! These are the players that Joe Public will buy instead of the sub-$200 DVI/HDMI upconversion players that sell like hotcakes now.

Cheap players won't impact the quality of the discs being produced. As a result, cheap players won't concern those of us buying $400+ HD DVD players. It's not like the Chinese players will be the only option once they are available. They will simply be the most likely option for Joe Public. Getting this technology into the hands of Joe Public, I believe, will be a major milestone to determining a winner in this stupid war of ours. Once mass adoption happens, I'd guess that we'd know rather quickly if Fox, Disney and Lionsgate are interested in making money on HD content...if they are, they'll release HD DVD. If they'd rather keep HD a niche market, they'll continue on the course they've set out with Blu-ray. (Sorry, no amount of "proof" or other "facts" is going to sway my opinion on this one. I believe Blu-ray is well on its way to becoming a niche product. I don't get the impression that HD DVD plans to remain a niche product. Yes, this is nothing more than my take on CES annoncements and, well, simple logic.)

I don’ think brand names are important to “most” people; have you seen the name of brands at a Wal-Mart store? I don’t know what those brands are, but Joe and Jane six-pack is picking them up. These people will make a difference in the long run.

Isn't that equivalent to 16 days of VC-1 encoding at 8x?

How long does the average VC-1 title take to encode nowdays?

Gary

P.S. The same 2 day process has resulted in many highly praised titles over the last three months.

VC1 and MPEG4 are about 2 week process still, even one of the Porn Maker states that it's still takes 2 week to do a fully VC1, HDi HD DVD. MPEG4 is probably the same.

Most good looking title are coming from FOX and Disney witch both use MPEG4 a lot not, even Sony gonna use it soon in Casino Royale..

simple logic

Star Trek IV?

To be honest I hope you're right...

well, about some of that, anyway.

My biggest concern is HD vs. SD.

However we'll have to agree to disagree. It would have been nice had Alco and Shinco already firmly established themselves in the DVD market.

I think you're kidding yourself to think name recognition is unimportant. J6P doesn't, necessarily need Sony or Pioneer, but he normally likes to have at least heard of the company before.

I think Onkyo is a big coup though. If the price is right, CC can dump truckloads of those on the masses.

JMHO

Name recognition case in point.

I own an Optoma RD50A. I have to explain to people that know me as the HT buff what the heck an Optoma is. A lot of us here know it's an excellent, Korean made product that is an extremely good value, if you know how to calibrate it. Even though they made it to Costco, no one bought them in any real numbers, otherwise they would still be making them.

Now if it said RCA or Sanyo on the boxes, they would've probably flown off the shelves.

I dunno I still dont get what all the fuss is about, taking a look at the releases for BluRay its just seems they are pumping out some of thier "older" releases on BD, and that for HD-DVD what we are seeing is announcements of "new" releases. ...

In March BD is getting Day and Date exclusives Borat, Night at the Museum and Casino Royale. Those are pretty new.

I can't believe the other forum is actually bragging about those BD titles being released. There are a bunch of crappy movies out there and I'm not going to buy them just because they have 1080 lines of resolution.

They must be gutted with all those recent blocbusters.

I don’ think brand names are important to “most” people; have you seen the name of brands at a Wal-Mart store? I don’t know what those brands are, but Joe and Jane six-pack is picking them up. These people will make a difference in the long run.

First and foremost, they'll be seeing which format has the likes of CARS, Pirates of the Carribean and Casino Royale in their catalogue.

First and foremost, they'll be seeing which format has the likes of CARS, Pirates of the Carribean and Casino Royale in their catalogue.

People won't care until both are 199$ range, Joe Potato prefer getting is ALL IN ONE DVD player for 79.99$ and his copy of CARS , 3 month after the release in the 10$ bin than buying anything others... a 699$ Player won't make it jump around..

They may be, but who will buy them? If they are dirt cheap and CC & BB will push them, they may sell. But I think brand names are really important to a lot of people. I have concern for HD DVD if their hopes lie in Shinco leaping into the U.S. marketplace as their knight in shining armor.

As I mentioned, rebadging could easily be a possibility for sales in the discount stores.

even the drives in the current toshiba players are made in china.

they don't have to make the whole player over there. they can make major parts for "kits" that brand names can use to build a product around.

even the drives in the current toshiba players are made in china.

they don't have to make the whole player over there. they can make major parts for "kits" that brand names can use to build a product around.

Of course they're made in china. What isn't.

What brands do you think are poised to do this that people would want to buy? And why didn't they announce anything at CES?

You just said it yourself; announcing that a Chinese manufacturer is going to manufacture components for other HD DVD CE manufacturers is not exactly breaking news.

Of course they're made in china. What isn't.

What brands do you think are poised to do this that people would want to buy? And why didn't they announce anything at CES?

You just said it yourself; announcing that a Chinese manufacturer is going to manufacture components for other HD DVD CE manufacturers is not exactly breaking news.Specific Chinese player manufacturers were listed in CES press releases. These players are planned for second quarter 2007. At least that's what the press releases indicated.

Specific Chinese player manufacturers were listed in CES press releases. These players are planned for second quarter 2007. At least that's what the press releases indicated.

from the CES press release...

Several of the more innovative of the Asian manufacturers such as Alco, Jiangkui/ED Digital, Lite-On, and Shinco will add competitively priced HD DVD products to the market, and well-known brands such as Meridian and Onkyo will create HD DVD players as well.

from the CES press release...

Well of course the Meridian announcement was a stretch, to say the least.

As I said, Onkyo is huge, AFAIC.

Lite On is definitely marketable. I look forward to see what they come up with.

Well of course the Meridian announcement was a stretch, to say the least.

As I said, Onkyo is huge, AFAIC.

Lite On is definitely marketable. I look forward to see what they come up with.

i didn't have time to look it up but there were also announcements about windows ce/broadcomm.

IMO if you look into it it makes a lot of sense as a low cost core that other CEs can build on. it is understandable to me that mid-level brands won't annouce anything until development is near done.

Other than The Departed, I'm STILL out of HD DVDs to watch. This drought is longer than I expected.

I am glad I decided to support HD titles instead of formats... With droughts like this there is no way I could have had just one format...

My Xbox add-on has been sitting idle for a while now, except for the departed. I just can't bring myself to buy or rent movies I have seen umpteen times just for the sake of seeing them in hd, so I am going to get the Sammy 1200 next month and enjoy the best of both worlds. The players are not cheap, but a $500 Toshiba that gets played 1-2 times a month verses a $800 Sammy that I will use 2-3 times a week is a no brainer.

My Xbox add-on has been sitting idle for a while now, except for the departed. I just can't bring myself to buy or rent movies I have seen umpteen times just for the sake of seeing them in hd, so I am going to get the Sammy 1200 next month and enjoy the best of both worlds. The players are not cheap, but a $500 Toshiba that gets played 1-2 times a month verses a $800 Sammy that I will use 2-3 times a week is a no brainer.


There must be dozens of us HDDVD fans who have been forced to go Format Neutral. I was pushed over in January and already have 21 BDs. I got the HD-A1 in April and reached 55 HDDVDs. I guess HDDVD doesn't want any more of my cash.

Isn't it strange how people argue that BDA used the CES to smokescreen a lack of hardware devices with a title list? Then when we come to a thread about the lack of HD DVD titles, people smokescreen that lack with talk of Chinese players and "replacing $200 upconverting players," when they have no idea how much these Chinese players will cost.

Do you know something we don't? Do you know what they'll be capable of (TrueHD 2.0 or 5.1?), do you know how much they'll cost or when they're coming? Because I've seen no press releases on this. Or are you ass-um-ing because it's what you got? I seriously doubt the ability of any HD DVD player coming this year for less than 300. At 300, you've still got a massive roadblock for the "mass market." And most people have enough common sense not to buy no-name's at $300, features or no. I'm not even sure I count on the cheapos to be reliable given how unreliable Toshiba's own efforts have been.

But all that is beside the point. We're not talking about the hardware here. We're not talking about "encoding processes" as excuses for lack of content, Amir. And we're certainly not here to badmouth Sony's own efforts with mpeg2 that have presented some fine looking titles and certainly Tier 0 and 1, too.

Isn't it odd how the HD DVD market went from, "Content is king, more content means HD DVD is going to win!" to, "Content isn't king any more because BD just comes out with old crap, crap I don't want, I don't like this or that, so it's all crap. I don't need a BD player. I'm just going to go watch Batman Begins again," argument?

Please. You don't have to like every release that comes out to still admit that having the titles in high def is still better than not. And newer titles? POTC, POTC2, Cars, Casino Royale, The Departed, Rocky Balboa not new enough for you? Are these titles not outside the "young male" demographic enough for you? Heh.

See, you're really making little sense. You should never, realistically, be arguing for "less titles" unless you have an agenda because we all need MORE titles. Arguing for less titles is you begging for these high def disc formats to be forever niche because YOU don't need certain older, catalog titles.

So stop being silly or letting your agenda drag you down. Anyone who really wants high def discs should already have invested in both. If you want to have an agenda, then cling to that anti-Sony desperation, but don't complain that the BDA coming out in earnest for BD is worse than the HD DVD camp sitting on their hands for a third of the year while PROMISING 300 mostly-unannounced titles. Because it's not.

Originally Posted by Sketcha

Personally, I can't see the Chinese stuff doing much. Those brands are sub-Wal-mart. More like Rite-Aid, drugstore stuff, AFAIC. Seriously, when was the last time you bought an Alco... or a Shinco?


I bought a Shinco a few years back and it turned into one of the best purchases I've made for my home theater! Region free with a few button presses on the remote and some nifty features not found in most name-brand DVD Players.. it even has a Karaoke player built into it ;)

Like has already been said, these players won't be targeting the AVS users on this site. They'll be good for the average joe who can't tell the difference between a $1200 BD Player and the $299 imitation that accomplishes the same job?
If they can get the prices right, these could be a huge help to whichever format is supported. Selling a couple hundred dollar HD video player to go with a new TV would be MUCH easier than ones starting at $500 for the average consumer.

I bought a Shinco a few years back and it turned into one of the best purchases I've made for my home theater! Region free with a few button presses on the remote and some nifty features not found in most name-brand DVD Players.. it even has a Karaoke player built into it ;)

Like has already been said, these players won't be targeting the AVS users on this site. They'll be good for the average joe who can't tell the difference between a $1200 BD Player and the $299 imitation that accomplishes the same job?
If they can get the prices right, these could be a huge help to whichever format is supported. Selling a couple hundred dollar HD video player to go with a new TV would be MUCH easier than ones starting at $500 for the average consumer.
Getting the prices right will sure not hurt, but...

I believe most buyers are brand conscious to, at least some degree. Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Australians for sure. I can speak for Americans. Most, even J6Ps will care about brand named product.

Getting the prices right will sure not hurt, but...

I believe most buyers are brand conscious to, at least some degree. Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Australians for sure. I can speak for Americans. Most, even J6Ps will care about brand named product.

Is "Emerson" a good brand? Isn't that kind-of like Pioneer or Sony? Or is it more like a Marantz, Denon or Onkyo? ;)

Getting the prices right will sure not hurt, but...

I believe most buyers are brand conscious to, at least some degree. Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Australians for sure. I can speak for Americans. Most, even J6Ps will care about brand named product.

Walmart and the like sell large volumes of players and displays that you and others on this forum would not consider "brand name". That viewpoint is just a conceit, not representative of the average person.

I have The Departed up on a shelf by itself still wrapped and unopened while the other 72 HD DVDs are all stacked on the shelves below. It is a prized possession. When will I watch it? It looks as it it's the only HD DVD I will have for the next couple of months.

I think I will choose a weekend some time in March. It'll be a huge event with guests and food. Then we'll watch and savor each minute in high-def glory. I know it'll be rather melancholy at the end when the reality sinks in that my last HD DVD has been watched.

But I'll look every day for the next good release. Maybe April or one in May. I'll circle that on my calendar and countdown until my next purchase. What a day that will be!

Is "Emerson" a good brand? Isn't that kind-of like Pioneer or Sony? Or is it more like a Marantz, Denon or Onkyo? ;)
Isn't Emerson more like Meridian and other super premiums? :)

No Emerson would be more in line as one of Wal-Mart's crappiest brands...

...outside of Shinco of course. ;)

Walmart and the like sell large volumes of players and displays that you and others on this forum would not consider "brand name". That viewpoint is just a conceit, not representative of the average person.
If you say so.

I don't think the "average person" you are referring to will be buying into HD optical anytime soon. That average person has an "Emerson" 20".

I have The Departed up on a shelf by itself still wrapped and unopened while the other 72 HD DVDs are all stacked on the shelves below. It is a prized possession. When will I watch it? It looks as it it's the only HD DVD I will have for the next couple of months.

I think I will choose a weekend some time in March. It'll be a huge event with guests and food. Then we'll watch and savor each minute in high-def glory. I know it'll be rather melancholy at the end when the reality sinks in that my last HD DVD has been watched.

But I'll look every day for the next good release. Maybe April or one in May. I'll circle that on my calendar and countdown until my next purchase. What a day that will be!
Dang.

Walmart and the like sell large volumes of players and displays that you and others on this forum would not consider "brand name". That viewpoint is just a conceit, not representative of the average person.

Well said. We are all brand whores here but in the real world they only care about price. With the new tech going into these no brand players there is no reason to expect sub par performance just yet. We should see one before passing judgment. Remember what everybody said about HD DVD before it was released. That wasn't true either. They turned out to be the format to match, not BR.

Well said. We are all brand whores here but in the real world they only care about price.

Actually, you are both wrong, because BRANDS do matter a lot to people, which is why companies take pains to create and preserve brand names, and why the largest and most successful companies in the world HAVE brand names.

Instead of subjective declarations like people here seem to be so fond of doing, why not provide HARD NUMBERS on the sales of a non-branded versus branded product.

The only time you may have a case where branding matters less is in commodity products, where all the products are pretty much the same (e.g. oranges, minerals, etc)

The other case is where the consumers are all very poor and have very low disposable incomes, in which case they may WANT a brand name item, but they cannot justify the expense or be able to meet the expense.

I have The Departed up on a shelf by itself still wrapped and unopened while the other 72 HD DVDs are all stacked on the shelves below. It is a prized possession. When will I watch it? It looks as it it's the only HD DVD I will have for the next couple of months.

I think I will choose a weekend some time in March. It'll be a huge event with guests and food. Then we'll watch and savor each minute in high-def glory. I know it'll be rather melancholy at the end when the reality sinks in that my last HD DVD has been watched.

But I'll look every day for the next good release. Maybe April or one in May. I'll circle that on my calendar and countdown until my next purchase. What a day that will be!
Sure glad you weren't the President in early 1942! :rolleyes: