Blu-ray/HD-DVD format war discussion thread.......

[14ers]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

To watch HD content here I would have to upgrade my Dish box which costs MONTHLY, then pay for content on top of that. I am not willing to do that. I don't like TV that much.

Don't rub that penny to hard, scrooge.

I can not imagine ever watching sports again without HD, especially football. I can actually see the plays develop because you can see both the offensive and defensive backfields in HD. The colors are amazing, but I love the extra wide screen for football.

[14ers]

I also do not buy into the idea that HD TVs are not that popular right now.

How many people posting in this thread do not own a HD TV?

Every single electronic store I am walking into now days seem to be loaded with these supposed HD TVs that no one is buying. Hell, I can't even remember going into a store that had old fashion CRT TVs. I am a partime home desinger that has been to at least 4 or 5 major homeshows this year and not a single new home in any of shows had an old fashion CRT TV. Most houses being built now days are prewired for wall mounted flatscreen TV.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Originally Posted by 14ers

I also do not buy into the idea that HD TVs are not that popular right now.

How many people posting in this thread do not own a HD TV?

Every single electronic store I am walking into now days seem to be loaded with these supposed HD TVs that no one is buying. Hell, I can't even remember going into a store that had old fashion CRT TVs. I am a partime home desinger that has been to at least 4 or 5 major homeshows this year and not a single new home in any of shows had an old fashion CRT TV. Most houses being built now days are prewired for wall mounted flatscreen TV.

So far, your evidence amounts to a big "marketing push" to sell HDTVs. All electronic stores sell SDTVs. Why would a homeshow use an old CRT - that makes no sense (we're you expecting old toilets too (you know the kind that 75% of Americans sit on each day?). So, houses are prewired? All you are talking about are "new homes." Most Americans do not live in new homes and won't be anytime soon. They live in old homes and apartments. I would conservatively estimate that SDTVs in use right now in the U.S. outnumber HDTVs somewhere in the neighborhood of maybe a hundred to one. And it ain't changing anytime soon. Down the road, yes. Like in 5 years, as I have already stated. But by then, we'll be moving to different technology than BR and HD-DVD -- which was the point of this thread discussion.

I'm glad you think that the percentage of people posting at FOFC in a thread about BR and HD-DVD is a representative sample of HDTV ownership in the U.S.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

To follow up, my research indicates that last year (2006) was the very first year HDTV sales exceeded standard definition TV sales. That's alot of ground to make up. HDTVs exist in only about 4 million+ households (although admittedly there are varying surveys on this- however, surveys showing market penetration in the 20+million number are believed to be inaccurately high because those numbers do not come close to matching industry sales statistics). Potentially, it will be optimistically another 3 years before it reaches 50 million households. As it stands now, there is probably around 110 million households in the U.S.

It's also estimated that 50% of actual HDTV owners aren't watching HDTV programming because they don't have necessary hardware. And half of those 50% don't even know they aren't watching HDTV.

That might put actual HDTV content users currently at less than 5% of all U.S. households. That should give you an idea of how popular BR and HD-DVD will be to the masses in the near future.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by 14ers

Don't rub that penny to hard, scrooge.

I can not imagine ever watching sports again without HD, especially football. I can actually see the plays develop because you can see both the offensive and defensive backfields in HD. The colors are amazing, but I love the extra wide screen for football.

Uh, great. That's YOU. I am not made of money and don't care enough about the increased quality to justify the expense. If that makes me "scrooge" in your eyes, so be it. It is not true, however.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Comments from the new Disney CEO when asked if they would ever consider releasing their movies on the HD-DVD format. Note that Disney has been a BR exclusive from the start, so take these comments in that context:

"We made our bed with Blu-ray because we believed more in that format for a variety of reasons; some technical in nature, some due to the fact that it simply had broader support from a variety of industries, notably the motion picture studios but also what I’ll call the consumer electronics and the tech industry.

What we are seeing lately is that sales of Blu-ray discs are outpacing HD discs by at least two to one. As more quality Blu-ray product comes on the market, which is going to happen, notably with Pirates on May 22, we actually believe that the difference or the advantage of Blu-ray is only going to widen.

What we are also seeing is that the adoption of the platform right now is being held back a bit by a perception among consumers, really, that there is a format war; and that the hardware or the players are too expensive. We see the players coming down in price nicely, particularly by the Christmas season. We also believe that if Blu-ray continues to outpace HD DVD the retailers are ultimately going to weigh in, because they only have a limited amount of shelf space, and they are going to have to choose a format in order to manage their own shelf space. Once that happens, the advantage is going to go even more in Blu-ray’s direction.

I think the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage. The best thing that could happen is for the format war to end, which will be very pro-consumer, particularly as hardware comes down.

The other thing I want to note is, if you look across the globe, the only place there is really a format war is in the United States. In other markets where next-gen DVD is starting to penetrate, Blu-ray is winning, and substantially; so much so there isn’t even a perceived format war.

So I think we made the right decision, the trends we are seeing seem to validate the decision. We think long-term, this is going to be a nice growth area for the company, because as you know sell-through DVD is a big business for the Walt Disney Company, even though we believe in things like VOD and the rental model. People want to own a Disney DVD, particularly in the next-generation format."

[Deattribution]

Originally Posted by Vinatieri for Prez

If you read my above post you would know. Because HD programming is expensive is why people wouldn't buy an HDTV regardless of price. Without the TV, no need for BR or HD-DVD. And as time goes by before HDTV is commonly adopted, no need for DVDs of any kind due to internet/PPV purchase. And you comparison is wrong because people already had SDTVs when DVD came about.

And if you read my post above you would know. HD programming is not expensive for everyone, most people can get full HD programming through their cable company for about an extra 10 bucks a month (or less). There are more people who have reasonably priced HD programming (or free with a tuner) as an option than there are HDtvs in homes right now.

My comparison had nothing to do with SDTVs, just the fact that cable/dish had nothing to do with the format (DVD) succeeding, nor will it have anything to do with BR or HD-DVD succeeding. People who do not want to pay for HD programming can easily watch SDtv on their TVs and watch movies in HD if they choose.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

You think someone who won't pay for HDTV programming (or bother to hook it up) - which is about 50% or HDTV owners is going to pay for a HD-DVD and higher priced DVDs? I don't think I ever said it would cause it, just that it was an indication that the whole BR/HD-DVD war is irrelevant to the vast majority of the public (as opposed to VHS/Betamax and VHS/DVD).

[Deattribution]

Originally Posted by Vinatieri for Prez

You think someone who won't pay for HDTV programming (or bother to hook it up) - which is about 50% or HDTV owners is going to pay for a HD-DVD and higher priced DVDs? I don't think I ever said it would cause it, just that it was an indication that the whole BR/HD-DVD war is irrelevant to the vast majority of the public (as opposed to VHS/Betamax and VHS/DVD).

HD-DVD and Blu-ray aren't that much more expensive, most through Amazon are in the 20-25 dollar range, while DVDs are in the 17-20 dollar range (not counting the discounted DVDs that have been out a while).

The high def DVD market has only been around about a year, it's crazy to write it off already.

[14ers]

Originally Posted by Vinatieri for Prez

You think someone who won't pay for HDTV programming (or bother to hook it up) - which is about 50% or HDTV owners is going to pay for a HD-DVD and higher priced DVDs?

Yo, right here. Like I said in my post above I am renting Blu-ray discs from Netflix as we speak. I purchased Talladega Nights at my local Sears store for $25.00

[Mac Howard]

Just some clarification guys: you're surely not talking about 1080p tvs at $650 are you?

The reason I ask is that I'm close to upgrading my tv system to hd and aware that the prices you guys pay today are what I can expect over here (Australia) in about 12 months time.

Yesterday I was looking at the range of tvs in my local store and I noticed that the 1366 x 720 lcds have been pushed to the back of the store and replaced with the 1920 x 1080 tvs at the front being fed with signals from blue ray players. The quality of the video was superb. Stunning! So good in fact that my intention of buying a 1366 x 720 tv evapourated instantly. And with Playstation 3s flying off the shelves faster than Sony can produce them and the price of BR players dropping like a stone I don't see it being long before this quality of video becomes common in homes. The idea that it will take 5 years for BR or HD to take off I cannot fathom.

But the price of these tvs is currently $A3500 and upwards (around $3000 US) for a 40 inch set. If they were to drop below $1000 you'd get killed in the rush.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Mac Howard

But the price of these tvs is currently $A3500 and upwards (around $3000 US) for a 40 inch set. If they were to drop below $1000 you'd get killed in the rush.

No, definitely not talking about 40 inch 1080p HDTVs being $650. In that range here are mid 20" HDTVs in 720p. And you can get a pretty big 720p HDTV for about twice that.

The lowest 1080p HDTV I've seen at 40" is from Dell (although I have not looked much at all). They sell one for $2500.

[Mac Howard]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The lowest 1080p HDTV I've seen at 40" is from Dell (although I have not looked much at all). They sell one for $2500.

Oh, what a pity. Maybe I've got to start looking at 720p machines again

[14ers]

You usually can find a low-end 37" 1080P TV for around $1,000. A top of the line 37" Sharp Aquos for under $1,500 is around if you look hard enough.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by sabotai

No, definitely not talking about 40 inch 1080p HDTVs being $650. In that range here are mid 20" HDTVs in 720p. And you can get a pretty big 720p HDTV for about twice that.

The lowest 1080p HDTV I've seen at 40" is from Dell (although I have not looked much at all). They sell one for $2500.

40" Samsung LMT 4065 1080p LCD HDTV at Amazon.com for $1841.52 US dollars. This is the highest rated line of LCD TV's at CNET.com.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The lowest 1080p HDTV I've seen at 40" is from Dell (although I have not looked much at all). They sell one for $2500.

Oh no. You can get them for much cheaper than that. Techbargains.com has a 42" 1080p TV for $1400 shipped. Hell, if you're a TV glutton, you can get a 73" rear projection 1080p TV for $2999 shipped right now. You can also get 720p TV's with HD tuner built-in for around $1000. The prices on high-end HDTV's are plummeting right now. There's going to be some great deals on these TV's by the holidays.

[Logan]

1080p is very overrated anyway.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Logan

1080p is very overrated anyway.

I'd agree with that. Unless you've got a screen that's more than 45-50", you're not going to see a ton of difference between 1080p and 720p. Even in the larger sets, the difference isn't worth the extra cost. 720p will give you a very good HD experience.

[Logan]

Yes, and you also need to be sitting significantly closer to the screen for "optimal" views in 1080p. And chances are, if you're within this distance from your couch to your TV, you probably aren't going to buying a 50" screen for such a narrow room.

A great informative thread on AVS Forum on 1080p vs 720p here. And for a quick reference, the "optimal viewing" chart for 1080p vs. 720p.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

In video games, there is also the concern of a slow-down in the frames per second (FPS) if you're playing in 1080p. You're going to get a much smoother gaming experience in 720p in most cases.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

40" Samsung LMT 4065 1080p LCD HDTV at Amazon.com for $1841.52 US dollars. This is the highest rated line of LCD TV's at CNET.com.

Yes, these tv's are absolutely stunning.

[stevew]

dola, if Amazon is selling that one at 1840.XX, i think the cost is probably about 1600-1650. The "cost" on all sets from even late 2006 to 2007 went down like 10-15%....I mean right now you're not really getting a deal on anything, as most stores are taking a pretty huge profit margin, but in the future it should really bode well for the consumer by like oct-nov.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another big price drop on a nice BR stand-alone player.......

May 15, 2007 - Panasonic Announces DMP-BD10A
Posted May 15, 2007 by Josh


Riding the wave of huge success generated by their first Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD10, Panasonic has announced the availability of an updated version: the DMP-BD10A. Technically, the player is exactly the same as the BD10, featuring an HDMI connection, 7.1 analog outs, and decoding for DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD. The big difference comes with the price tag; the SRP has been set at $600US.



Additionally, Panasonic will be packaging in a bundle of five titles which is sure to excite any Blu-ray owner. Purchasers will be treated with 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl', 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest', 'Transporter', 'Fantastic 4', and 'Crash'. As some of the hottest titles on Blu-ray, this makes an excellent start to any movie fans collection.



The combination of high quality features, low price (more than half the price of the original only six months ago) and five of the hottest movies on Blu-ray makes this player a must have for anyone looking to get into Blu-ray.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lots of HD movie news in the past few days. First, reports out of Europe show that the PS3 has pushed the Blu-ray format from a trailing position to a market leader in two short months:

PS3 Boosts European Blu-ray Sales
Posted May 21, 2007


Prior to the release of the PS3 in Europe, HD DVD was comfortably outselling Blu-ray discs on a weekly basis. But now, less than two months since PS3's release, Blu-ray has gained a 64% share on the year, and consistently outsells HD DVD weekly. Specifically, last week's data shows Blu-ray having a weekly sales ratio 3-to-1 over HD DVD, a ratio Blu-ray in the US has only managed once (when Casino Royale was released).

For many months, top executives from Blu-ray exclusive studios have claimed that there is no format war because of how well Blu-ray is selling outside of the United States. Their comments have now been backed by data suggesting that Blu-ray in Europe may soon rise to the popularity it has in Japan (where Blu-ray owns 96% of the HD movie market).

Also, big news in the BR player format as low-cost provider and Wal-Mart supplier Funai is planning to release a low-cost BR player:

Funai Confirms Blu-ray Support
Posted May 21, 2007


Low cost electronics manufacturer Funai (who make components for such low costs brands as Sylvania, Emerson, and Magnavox), has revealed in their latest financial report that they plan to launch a Blu-ray player. With 52% of the DVD player/recorder market in the US, it is very likely that a low cost Blu-ray player would be widely adopted, similar to the success Funai continues to have in the DVD market.

No specific player has been announced, nor any time frame, or manufacturer partnerships, but the inclusion of the bullet in their annual financial report alerts stockholders of their intention to move into the Blu-ray market. As a favorite manufacturer of Walmart (who awarded them a Billion Dollar Supplier Prize in 2006), these low cost players would most likely see wide distribution through the retail giant.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Price drop today on the LG Electronics BH100 player to $999.00. For those that don't know, this is a player that plays both HD-DVD and Blu-ray format discs. If they're dropping the price under $1000 on this bad boy, it's pretty likely that prices on the single format players will drop soon as well.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Price drop today on the LG Electronics BH100 player to $999.00. For those that don't know, this is a player that plays both HD-DVD and Blu-ray format discs. If they're dropping the price under $1000 on this bad boy, it's pretty likely that prices on the single format players will drop soon as well.

We're running some promo this week at work where if you buy a 1080p Samsung, you can get their BD player for 399. Of course, in my market we won't sell any of them.

[stevew]

Man, that Funai shit is such garbage. I can't believe people pay for it, no matter what the cost is.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Man, that Funai shit is such garbage. I can't believe people pay for it, no matter what the cost is.

I don't disagree. I wouldn't touch one of those players with a 10 foot pole. With that said, if they do put out a low-cost alternative in a store like Wal-Mart, it's good for Blu-ray as a format and great for consumers as the prices on other players will have to come down quicker to keep a competitive edge.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

We're running some promo this week at work where if you buy a 1080p Samsung, you can get their BD player for 399. Of course, in my market we won't sell any of them.

Awfully good deal. There's going to be some great deals on HDTV's this fall. I wouldn't be surprised to see more deals like that as the holiday buying season begins.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Awfully good deal. There's going to be some great deals on HDTV's this fall. I wouldn't be surprised to see more deals like that as the holiday buying season begins.

Yeah, like I said in some different post, the cost on this springs models are considerably lower than they were previously. The Midrange Panasonic plasma, the 75u one, the 42 inch version costs at around 950ish. The fall's version may be closer to 850-900ish....that means that a really good HDTV may go for around 900 or less on BF this year.

[Deattribution]

Blockbuster has announced it'll carry Blu-ray exclusively in 1,450 of it's stores as it expands it's HD movies.

That's a huge blow for HD-DVD, and what could be the final nail if another big retailer follows suit.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19289649...5829?GT1=10056

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Vinatieri for Prez

Potentially, it will be optimistically another 3 years before it reaches 50 million households.

If HD TVs reach 50 million households in 3 years, Sony will make a mint if Blu-Ray wins. I'm as big a supporter in online distributions for media as there is, but there's no way people will simply stop buying DVDs (or HD disks) if they have a download option. Heck, every cable company and satellite offers pay per view, yet DVD rentals are as strong as ever.

As an aside, Best Buy is doing a deal where you basically get a free PS3 if you buy an HD TV from Sony. Basically you get this TV:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1155069777368

($1,999 normally) + PS3 + free PS3 game + Blu Ray movie for $2089 . That's something that cost almost $2,700 last week. This has to move some PS3s.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Deattribution

Blockbuster has announced it'll carry Blu-ray exclusively in 1,450 of it's stores as it expands it's HD movies.

That's a huge blow for HD-DVD, and what could be the final nail if another big retailer follows suit.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19289649...5829?GT1=10056

This line is a little surprising:
"Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time."

This might be the first big blow directly from the PS3 to HD-DVD. I have a feeling if Blu-Ray was not part of the PS3, that number would have been reversed.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

If you spend time at home watching movies, it's a must.

Quick!!! Look down - Earth is calling!!!

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Arles

If HD TVs reach 50 million households in 3 years, Sony will make a mint if Blu-Ray wins. I'm as big a supporter in online distributions for media as there is, but there's no way people will simply stop buying DVDs (or HD disks) if they have a download option. Heck, every cable company and satellite offers pay per view, yet DVD rentals are as strong as ever.

As an aside, Best Buy is doing a deal where you basically get a free PS3 if you buy an HD TV from Sony. Basically you get this TV:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1155069777368

($1,999 normally) + PS3 + free PS3 game + Blu Ray movie for $2089 . That's something that cost almost $2,700 last week. This has to move some PS3s.

Well, yes and no. I don't think anybody who was going to buy a PS3 is going to jump on this unless they're absolutely sold on the TV in question.

However, somebody who was looking at one of those TVs anyway would be taking a much harder look at PS3 with a deal like that; I had a guy a couple weeks ago who wanted a game machine for his son and a next-gen DVD device for himself.

If he's in the market for a TV, and something like this pops up, it becomes a no-brainer...but more because of the TV than the system, IMO. I can't see anybody spending an extra $1400 to save $600, but I can sure see them maybe taking a step up from a lesser TV to one of the two in this deal to get a PS3.

[SackAttack]

Well, an extra $2000, really. Don't mind my math.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Arles

This line is a little surprising:
"Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time."

This might be the first big blow directly from the PS3 to HD-DVD. I have a feeling if Blu-Ray was not part of the PS3, that number would have been reversed.

I'm not sure why it's all that surprising. Sales numbers as far as number of units moved are very similar to the rental numbers. Last numbers I saw were that BR is outselling HD-DVD discs at a 68/32 clip. So the rental ratio is nearly identical to the sales ratio.

As far as the PS3 effect, there's no doubt that it likely is going to end up winning the format war. HD-DVD had a lead in North America until the PS3 release. Since then, BR has been steadily outselling HD-DVD discs at a 2:1 ratio. In Europe, HD-DVD actually had pretty good sales. After the PS3 release, HD-DVD sales fell by 87% and BR now holds a 72% market share in terms of discs sold and that number is growing. Japan was never a battle as BR holds a 96% market share in that region.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Well, yes and no. I don't think anybody who was going to buy a PS3 is going to jump on this unless they're absolutely sold on the TV in question.

Yeah, what I was getting at is if you were in the market for a $1700 to $2300 HDTV, this deal becomes a nice way for Sony to also get you a PS3 for essentially nothing.

It's almost like the old AOL "buy a year and we give you this cable modem for free" setup. The consumer saves $600 and feels like they got a good deal. From a Sony stanpoint, they make decent money from the TV and still get to count a sale for both a PS3 and Blu-Ray DVD in their "war" against Xbox and HD-DVD.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The new copy protection system for Blu-ray movies is now available. The reason this is important is that Fox and MGM (which are BR exclusive distributors) have been holding off on releasing a lot of their movies until this new technology was complete. Now that it's ready, we're likely to see a flood of BR titles from these companies in the coming months, which should increase the BR library size quite a bit.

BD+ Goes Live
Posted June 19, 2007 by Josh

The BD+ Technologies, LLC is now issuing specifications for use by movie studios to begin using the BD Plus (BD+) content protection system. Essentially, BD+ is now ready for studio use on new releases. BD+ is a very fluid content protection system which allows many levels of protection from piracy, ensuring that studio content isn't copied for financial gain.

Most will note that Fox/MGM has been silent for the past few months while waiting for this technology to mature, so we should be seeing an announcement from them shortly in regards to new releases. Other studios, including those who currently don't support Blu-ray, have shown some interest as well, though it is unknown if any other studio besides Fox will make use of this technology at this time.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Panasonic's CEO says that the format war is over.......

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layou...leID=CA6453379

Panasonic's Taylor Outlines Views On Blu-ray, Flat Panel
By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 6/20/2007 8:00:00 AM
UPDATE! Secaucus, N.J. — Joseph Taylor, executive VP/COO of Panasonic Corporation of North America, said Blu-ray has won the HD disc format battle and indicated while the company is still solidly behind plasma, LCD may get more attention.

Those were just two of the issues Taylor discussed in an exclusive one-on-one interview with TWICE, the first since the 25-year Panasonic Industrial Company veteran took on his new job earlier this year.

Concerning Blu-ray and HD DVD, Taylor commented, "I'm giving a very politically incorrect answer. I think the battle is over. I think Blu-ray has won."

He said there are two "determining factor[s] ... Who did the content providers select? At the moment, overwhelmingly, the content providers have selected Blu-ray. What are consumers buying? Since the beginning of the year content [sales have been] almost two to one for Blu-ray."

Taylor added, "There may be some noise for a little while, but in the end I think Blu-ray will be the technology that wins the battle."

With so much of Panasonic's emphasis on plasma in the last few years, when asked if the company is comfortable being the leading plasma TV market share leader, while surveys show a trend towards LCD in flat-panels, Taylor remarked, "We are never comfortable and hope we never become comfortable (with the status quo). Really the marketplace will decide which flat panel they prefer."
Joseph Taylor


He noted, "We are in a unique position because we just don't just provide plasma but LCD. In this unique position we can do what our customers need us to do."

In discussing Panasonic's emphasis on plasma in recent years, Taylor said plasma is the centerpiece of the company’s strategy to drive sales of high definition devices but, "We are not just pushing plasma ... We are saying 'flat panel' because we are also a major manufacturer of LCD products as well."

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The new copy protection system for Blu-ray movies is now available. The reason this is important is that Fox and MGM (which are BR exclusive distributors) have been holding off on releasing a lot of their movies until this new technology was complete. Now that it's ready, we're likely to see a flood of BR titles from these companies in the coming months, which should increase the BR library size quite a bit.

So instead of people breaking the copy protection in a week, it'll take em two.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

So instead of people breaking the copy protection in a week, it'll take em two.

Yeah, I totally agree. I'm not sure why they think this protection scheme will be any better, but I'm glad that we're going to be seeing a lot of movies in the BR pipeline now. Whatever floats their boat.......

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

He noted, "We are in a unique position because we just don't just provide plasma but LCD. In this unique position we can do what our customers need us to do."

Panasonic makes like a 26lcd and a 32inch LCD. Maybe a couple smaller ones, but they basically just pay lip service to LCD's. I wish they would make larger LCD's(maybe like a 37") cause their LCD's are pretty nice, and people are still kind of leary for plasmas.

Oh yeah, and their projection TV's are basically junk.

[Mac Howard]

Do your free-to-air channels not transmit any HD content yet?

On sales here in Oz: in the last three months:

56% of tvs sold are plasma/lcd HD and 81% of HD DVDs are Blue-Ray.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Mac Howard

Do your free-to-air channels not transmit any HD content yet?

On sales here in Oz: in the last three months:

56% of tvs sold are plasma/lcd HD and 81% of HD DVDs are Blue-Ray.

Yes, most of the major local stations do transmit HD content over the air here in the U.S.

I'd heard that BR was doing well in Australia. I'd be really interested to see the percentage of TV's sold in the U.S. that are HD.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Low cost BR players on the horizon. Expected to be sold for $200-300 for the holidays. Both Sony and Toshiba need to get these players out as quickly as possible to expand the market.

Low Cost Funai Blu-ray Player This Fall
Posted June 22, 2007 by Josh

The first low cost Blu-ray player will hit US shelves this fall from Funai, according to reports from Japan. As we reported earlier, Funai makes low costs electronics which are then sold under brand names such as Sylvania, Emerson, and Magnavox. While no pricing or specs have yet been released, expect pricing to be lower than players from top manufacturers, which are expected to drop to around $400 for the holiday season.

At this year's CES, HD DVD announced that they would leverage cheap players from China to reach a wider marketplace. Since then, the camp has been very quite as to when these players would actually show up. It appears that Blu-ray may match their claim, or even beat it, effectively nullifying any pricing advantage this important holiday season.

[SnDvls]

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/30293

Blockbuster Sides With Blu-ray

In what some have termed a "death knell" for HD-DVD, Blockbuster Video has announced that it will be moving almost exclusively to Blu-ray for its high-definition titles and away from HD-DVD. 1700 stores will be Blu-ray only, while 250 stores (and online) will carry both next-gen DVD formats. (Naturally, all will still carry regular DVDs and, I guess, VHS. That still exists, right?)

The news isn't quite a death blow for HD-DVD, though it isn't good. Blockbuster's power in the market has been fading for some time. The company's market capitalization, for example, is now 35 percent less than online-only renter Netflix. Blockbuster stock trades at $4.60. Still, Blockbuster buys an awful lot of DVDs and they won't be stocking many HD-DVDs going forward. That could be a big problem for the format in this early stage in its life.

The news is particularly sad because most users tend to feel that HD-DVD is the superior format, with people going ga-ga over its heavily interactive features and exceptional bonus content.

That said, Blu-ray has, according to many reports, been chipping away at HD-DVDs early lead. Though making predictions based on early results is difficult, Blu-ray undoubtedly has the momentum right now.

Personally, I am so unthrilled with both formats that I'm happy to see someone, finally, taking a stand in the marketplace one way or another. Even if Blu-ray is technologically inferior, it will evolve and improve. But the industry is just spinning its wheels while this format war rages on, and consumers continue to be the ones who lose while things get figured out as half the buyers are essentially wasting their money.

Still, Blockbuster is just one player, and Netflix could announce tomorrow that it is only stocking HD-DVD titles, who knows? And I hope all renters and retailers make similar decisions in the near future, one way or the other. The sooner the format war is ended, no matter who wins, the better off we all are.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like you can now buy the Panasonic Blu-ray player and get 10 free BR movies. Also, gift cards being offered on the PS3........

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=280

Five Free Blu-ray Movies with Purchase of Player
Posted June 26, 2007 by Josh

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has revealed an exciting offer for those of you who are still looking to pick up a Blu-ray player. If you purchase a Blu-ray player (including the PS3) between July 1st and September 30th, you will automatically qualify to receive 5 Blu-ray movies absolutely free. Combine this with existing offers (like the 5 free Blu-ray movies with purchase of a Panasonic DMP-BD10A), and you could receive up to 10 free Blu-ray movies with the purchase of a player.

But wait, there's more! If you decide you would like to purchase a PS3, Sony is offering a special deal through their retail Sony Style stores. Purchase a PS3, two games, and an extra controller from now until July 8th, and you will receive a $50 gift card.

[jbmagic]

Yet Another High-Def DVD Format Arrives...



You've barely had time to grow to hate Blu-ray and HD-DVD, but here comes yet another high-definition DVD format: HD Versatile Multilayer Disc, or HD VMD.

The story of HD VMD reads like a farce, maybe Don Quixote updated for the internet age. The technology is the brainchild of a UK company you've never heard of called New Medium Enterprises. New Medium has one independent studio lined up to provide content in the U.S., and one online retailer you've never heard of to sell HD VMD players. Outside the U.S., HD VMD may have better luck: a handful of films from Mel Gibson's Icon Film Distribution will appear on the format in Australia and New Zealand. A purported 5,000 films are slated for various European country releases.

What's the catch with VMD? It's a red-laser technology, which means it uses the same basic manufacturing, mastering, and playback system as DVDs and audio CDs. This means everything involved with the technology should be cheaper than with blue-laser tech, eliminating a major complaint with next-gen DVD formats. New Medium's goal is to offer players at less than $200 in the U.S., cheaper than even the cheapest high-def player by quite a big margin, but at least twice the price of a good standard DVD player.


But so many questions remain, mainly what VMD actually looks like on screen, what the audio sounds like, what the special features might look like, and more. We won't see VMD in the U.S. until September, and frankly I'm doubtful if many people will see it at all. The one thing I do know: VMD discs will hold 40GB, max, and discs can have up to 20 layers of data on them (hence the big storage capability and the name).


Ultimately I'm reminded of attempts to reinvent the floppy disk after it was nearing the end of its life. Anyone remember LS-120? You'd have to be a major geek to recall this floppy enhancer, which tried to muscle into the market after CD-R was on the rise.

But why not market VMD as a successor and enhancement to regular DVD-R drives? While I can name no one who's interested in yet another high-def movie format, consumers would kill to have affordable ways to burn 40GB data discs at home. Imagine burning an 8,000-song music collection onto a single disc for safe keeping. Now that's something I'd pay 200 bucks for.