got the hidef screen now where's the films?

[stuartam_81]

Hi guys, after much looking round i finally have a panny hidef plasma, and had connected it to a htpc.

i am currently downloading the hidef demos from the m$ site but when / where can i start buying hidef films on DVD?

when will we start seeing blu-ray or hddvd players for the PC and the movies disks?

so many questions, so little time....

best regards

stuart moore

[Starburst]

There are a quite a few genuine High Def movies on DVD (uses the MS codec) which require a PC solution or a very rare player which supports wmv. To be honest that format is just a stop gap and marketing strategy in an attempt to corner part of the upcoming HD market. You can import a DVHS machine and while content isn't abundant it is a viable solution for those are desperate for HD.

WMV related thread

HD-DVD is still expected to debut this xmas although the price will be very high for the initial player and content will probably upto £10 more expensive than the equivalent DVD version. Not sure if there will be a global launch or like DVD the UK will end up being 12-24 months behind the times. Blu-ray is expected sometime mid 2006, nothing firmer than that really.

[stuartam_81]

thanks for the reply, i think i might hold off buying a lot of HiDef dvd's untill HD-DVD is released at Xmas.

best regards

stuart moore

[1080 jawbreaker]

not 100% but hd-dvd maybe pushed back till spring 2006

[paulfoley]

May have been lucky but got a brand new boxed JVC 3000 for £250. I order my films from DVDBoxoffice at £17-19 a pop. The quality is stunning, imagine the hi def clips you download from the web but more punchy, far smoother, full length & with lossless digital sound !

[Razor]

I have used these sites for a few movies

http://esd.e-sonopress.com/product.h...a572399b09e5b9

http://babel.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent

Hope this helps a bit

[leeboy2k3]

Or newsbin is your friend for hd movies till the retails anyway.

[Nic Rhodes]

what plasma was it you got?

I'm fortunate enough to live where we have quite a few hours of HD a week on TV. Can't wait for the next gen of DVD players to come out. Then again, can't wait for the next gen of TV's that have 1080p to come out..

Mark

[stuartam_81]

Originally Posted by Nic Rhodes

what plasma was it you got?

ive got an panny pv500

thanks for all the replys guys

[locky79]

anyone tried running HD material via xbox media center? and if anyone knows more about XBMC please message little me i got version 2.4 and i havent a clue how to upgrade it

Boo hooo!!

hullo sir Razor

[Razor]

Originally Posted by locky79

anyone tried running HD material via xbox media center? and if anyone knows more about XBMC please message little me i got version 2.4 and i havent a clue how to upgrade it

Boo hooo!!

hullo sir Razor

Locky

I think you can do divx HD. I dont think WMV HD will work smoothly but I could be wrong on both acounts

You are spot on Razor, because of the Xbox's paltry 733Mhz Celeron it will not decode HD-WMV with any great success. However as you say Divx HD can be done dependant on the bitrate, a mid-range CBR works best.
I have tried a few (well ok all) of the clips from Divx.com on the Xbox and the do look pretty damn good even if they stutter a little on occasion.

locky79, Upgrading Media Center is a straightforward process, obtain the latest release (better not say where) and overwrite the existing XBMC folder contents with the new ones, assuming of course that you have a standard installation and have not put anything else in the XBMC folder. Make a backup of your old folder first if you are unsure or in case anything goes wrong.

[Andy Leitch]

Originally Posted by leeboy2k3

Or newsbin is your friend for hd movies till the retails anyway.

Absolutely.....my 2Mb connection has been maxed out for the past 3 months.

Can't get enough HD. \0/ \0/

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Stuart McLean

You are spot on Razor, because of the Xbox's paltry 733Mhz Celeron it will not decode HD-WMV with any great success. However as you say Divx HD can be done dependant on the bitrate, a mid-range CBR works best.
I have tried a few (well ok all) of the clips from Divx.com on the Xbox and the do look pretty damn good even if they stutter a little on occasion.

Cheers for confirming Stuart