What questions would you put to Toshiba and Sony?

[Stuart Wright]

We're putting together a podcas feature on HD DVD and Blu-ray.
Toshiba have already agreed to be interviewed.
What questions would you put to Toshiba about HD DVD?

What questions would you put to Sony about Blu-ray?

And what questions would you put to both about the format war?

We would prefer it if you could ask your questions over the phone to our podcast answering service on 0208 123 9587. We can then edit your question directly into the podcast.
But if this is not your cup of tea, please reply below with your questions.
thanks

[unique]

how about asking both of them a couple of pretty obvious questions perhaps

1) when do they reckon the machines will be at a more "affordable" price range like dvd players, ie. more like £100 than £500, or even £200ish

2) what are the chances of a player that plays both type of discs, and in what kind of timeframe

and asking about the possibility of not having region encoding would be good, but understandable if you don't ask that, particularly sony. i'm sure it puts a few of the new adoptee's off buying an expensive machine thats region locked and software is limited at the start

[lfletcher]

Ask Toshiba when they think they will get more support from the major studios (Fox, Disney, etc)?

Ask Sony when they are going to have widespread availability of 50GB discs and/or use better codecs so the rest of their releases arent as pony as their release titles in the US and will match the standard that HD-DVD has set?

Those questions should give both of them the hump :grin:

[richard plumb]

Similar question to ifletcher, but perhaps worded more discreetly :)


To Sony:"how would you comment on initial reports that bluray movies are not up to the standard of HD-DVD? Does your choice of MPEG2 and lack of dual layer discs mean that bluray cannot compete on quality with HD-DVD?"

[AML]

I would tell them to grow up and stop this stupid format war from alienating any potential customers who are already confused by all the different specs and technologies involved with these HD formats.

(ie. 1080i/1080p, HDMI 1.2/1.3)

I want to know when they are going to implement 1080p and HDMI 1.3 for a start.

Also, what many people want to know, are they going to implement content protection through HDCP and the other token thingy. (cant remember what its called)

Will they allow us to watch 1080p though component?

Also, regarding sound. So far only Toshiba have implemented the new audio codecs in their player. When are sony and toshiba going to make amps/players that support the new codecs?

Samsungs Blu Ray (recently reviews) player leaves a lot to be desired...

I want to ask if they realistically beleive that both formats are going to be successfull considerig how much players/PC drives are costing?, and how confusing all the specs are?

Seeing that DVD is still plenty popular how do they expect these 2 competing formats to do well?

[Phil Hinton]

Guys,
Thanks for the comments so far, we interview Toshiba on Friday so can those who have left questions for Toshiba here please phone the answer machine on 0208 123 9587 and leave you questions in voice form.

This is your podcast, so we want you to get involved as much as possible. Don't be shy, its great to hear different voices and accents and adds to the whole community feel. If you make a mistake just start again, theres about 3 minutes on each answer message and I can edit your comments at this end.

Keep the questions coming.

[ash]

Guys is this question 1 correct? I get confused sometimes with all these numbers.


Will your UK and US release of films be 1080p/24 or 1080p/25.
Will all players play Blu-Ray Dual Layer 50GB?
Will all players play BD+R(or HD-DVD+R) and BD-R(or HD-DVD-R) i.e. when the BluRay Recorder era comes, will there be any compability problems like we see today with DVD+R and DVD-R
Wil BluRay recorders support HDMI, the HDCP aspect to do with copyright.
When will we see software for Blu Ray on PC's.
When is the estimated release dates or when will you release them along with price?

Try to ask as many as you like, maybe pass on the recording questions, but it might be important for those who want to buy one for the long run.

I very much doubt you will get anwers on when the players will be £100 etc.

[lurcher]

To Sony ,
I bought the HD Camcorder HC1 and a HD screen to go with it , when can I have a HD Standalone Recorder so as to not keep useing the camcorder to replay the quality footage ?

[boksbox]

Apart from asking them why they decided to start an unecessary war but we all know that either format will only shift in large numbers when the price approaches that of DVD players, do they have a policy of trying to recoup development costs from early adopters?

[Drew2]

1st Q. for Sony:

"Blu-ray has been available in Japan for over 3yrs with very little impact on the market, why do you feel it is necessary to keep 'flogging' this dead horse?" (:eek: Controversial!)

2nd Q. for Toshiba:

"After watching Sony,Panasonic and Sharp have a poor market response with Blu-ray recorder/players over the past 3 yrs in Japan, why did you feel it was necessary to develop a cheaper version of the same thing?" (:eek: even more controversial!:eek: )

or to both of them:

"Surely until most households have HD capable displays and a majority of consumers have experienced HD transmissions, then these next generation players are premature?" - could be released 5yrs from now at a fraction of the cost.

:) Just my 2p worth!!

[AML]

Those recorders your talking about were never designed to be used for HD playback the way new Blu Ray and HD DVD players are.

Yes, they can record in hi def, but you wouldnt be able to watch a movie in say 1080p on them. They also dont support the new audio codecs.

Still, having said all this, its true that they havent had much market penetration in Japan.

Most normal users wont know the difference in specs between the Current available Blu Ray recorders and the upcoming Blu Ray players.

[richard plumb]

and if you're going to wait until everyone has a HD set, what about those that bought one early and want content now?

I don't buy the 'DVD players are cheap now'. VHS players were cheap when DVD came out. All the same arguments were trotted out, yet it was still successful.

anyway, back to the topic..

[AML]

Well, there was/is a really big difference between VHS and DVD.

That difference is much smaller with these HD formats. For the average user its going to be hard to tell the difference between DVD and BR/HD DVD.

This is also something I would ask them.

How do they intend to show punters/average joe, the benefits of BR/HD DVD over Standard DVD?
(Considering that many people still dont have HD TVs)

Wouldnt it be fair to say that these new HD formats are aimed at a niche market and will probably never truely take off?

Now, try convincing the average joe that he needs to buy not only 2 players (if you want to enjoy the full range of what holywood offers), but a new HDTV that supports HDMI/1080p and a new amplifier that supports the new audio codecs just to enjoy a few movies in HD.

[rooster-x]

Now, try convincing the average joe that he needs to buy not only 2 players (if you want to enjoy the full range of what holywood offers), but a new HDTV that supports HDMI/1080p and a new amplifier that supports the new audio codecs just to enjoy a few movies in HD.

Well they managed to convince me to replace my VCR, Pro-Logic Analogue Amp and 28" CRT with a SD DVD Player, Dolby Digital Amp and 42" Plasma.

I'm sure they will be able to do it again with a HD DVD Player, HDMI Amp and a 1080P Projector, just takes time and money. These companies have to grow their profits somehow (with new technology). :grin:

Rooster-X

[Lyris]

To both studios:

What is being done in terms of quality control for video transfers? I hear that some of the first Blu-Ray discs are in fact, filtered to remove fine detail like many current DVDs are.

High definition to me, as well as a lot of people, not only means a high number of lines but also high standards. Are there steps in place to ensure this?

Thanks for putting these forward :)

[mattrixdesign2]

Do they (Tosh/Sony) see downloadable Movies etc a threat to their "physical" formats?

I see Movies following the MP3 route, I think that CD will be the last medium for Music, and I predict that DVD will be the last main medium for Movies - BluRay and HD will have a short specialist shelf life - IMO.

[iain-j]

I have a few questions,

1. Is DTS-HD likely to become a standard feature on Blu-Ray / HD-DVD. as currently DTS on DVD is sporadic to Non-Existent (especially from Sony and Warner) this has found me sourcing discs from around the world with DTS Tracks.

2. Is there likely to be anyway to give Home Cinema Enthusiasts more of a Cinema feel from there Hi-Def Movies as Hi def is claimed to be as good as the Cinema in your home. E.G the Disc automatically selects the Viewers desired (favourite audio track) Choice of audio format and if desired to start the movie automatically. Personally I would like some sort of automation where the player can switch the Amp and TV/Projector on, play some relevant Theatrical trailers (And that doesn't mean that god damn piracy is a crime trailer!) Then play the Film (with DTS or whatever was the bast track on the Disc and relevant Subs if Needed. Lighting control and Apspect ratio Masking signals would be cool too. Too some this might sound complicated but it only takes a few bytes of data and a relevant communications port on the back of the player to do this.

I ask this because these kind of simple to use features would get a lot more on the Home cinema bandwagon because most average joe public put the DVD in the player and watch the film regardless of audio format, extras Etc.

3. currently on DVD different countries usually use different masters or conversions due to varying TV standards. With Hi-Def Movies most likely being in 1080p/24 will the idea of one Master for all countries be the Norm (OK, There is censorship issues of different countries and distributor logos to be added or removed). The reason I ask is that people looking for the best viewing experience have had to import discs from abroad to get the quality that should have been on there homelands disc anyway.

4. I have noticed that Hi-Def players have an Ethernet Port for Internet access. Is there anyway of adding some Media Server Client compatibility so that I can use the PCs in my Home Network as a giant server for Music Files (MP3, WMA, OGG) or even Video Files (MPG, AVI, WMV-9 Etc.) that the Player could access and play.

5. With DVD-Audio and SACD not getting a lot of mainstream support what is the future for them and Hi-Def Music in general.

[Uruloke]

Ok, I did ring the number to ask sony a question but got totally nervous and cocked it up! :oops: I hope you guys can edit it. Below is the question I was 'trying' to ask Sony:

Given you've had limited to no success with your previous proprietary formats such as Betamax, Minidisc and more recently UMD, why have you opted for yet another proprietary format in the form of Blu-Ray?

I did mention other stuff but completely cocked it up! But now that I have this written down I can read it so I'll ring again and say it properly! I hope!

edit: Left a proper, coherent question this time! :thumbsup:

[rock-hard]

Sony when can we expect your first HD-DVD player like you did with VHS ?

Toshiba when can we expect 40GB dual layer with 1080P output ?
my guess is in time for nail in the coffin holiday season ...

[goldenvirginia]

wow nice that you have got an interview setupp

id be interested to hear why blu-ray is coming out so soon, as dvd is still a young format really

[amardilo]

I have no idea of how to word my thoughts into a question, but here goes (please edit to make sense).....

Sony Question) My first DVD player was a PS2 and the quality compared to stand alone units was not as good and with the price of the PS3 expected to be lower than most Blu-Ray players what are you doing to ensure that the picture quality of the PS3's playback of Blu-ray discs will be of a high standard and help push Blu-Ray over HD-DVD as a poor quality Blu-Ray player may turn people towards using HD-DVD players for watching HD movies.