BluRay vs HD-DVD camps and news

I've added TSST to the list, and removed on both camps the software co's as you mentioned they always support all formats.

Wasabi
 
Rasczak said:
To be honest it wouldn't surprise me - DVD-Audio and SACD have failed to grab the imagination of the public as many of them don't have the kit to enjoy the material properly. It may well be the same for high def discs - it will certainly be a small market for awhile that's for sure.

Don't forget that SACD and DVD-Audio formats never had a big advertising push, so aside from AV enthusiasts who frequent this and other on-line forums or read AV mags, most people will be oblvious to the existence of the formats.

At least with Sky's planned HD service and the HD Ready logo there will be some awareness growing of what HD is, however the cost of getting a HD capable set-up will severely restrict take up IMO. I certainly don't think you're going to be talking about a similar level of market penetration as DVD has enjoyed, especially if the respective format camps can't get their act in gear and sort out a single format.
 
I guess everyone knows now as discussions are going on on other threads, Intel and Microsoft are joining HD-DVD camp. http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050927_190208.html

That also means that next generation Windows OS "will be build around HD-DVD, but XBOX360 won't get HD-DVD. http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-09-27

In the financial world, analysts are saying its "positive for Toshiba but not decisive", which I also heard from my research analysts collegues yesterday (one of the top 4 US investment banks).
http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-09-28/

Funny, having quickly gone through imdb's news articles from August to yesterday, most studios are reporting a loss or flat 2005 so far, and most of them are saying dvd sales are the cause of fall in boxoffice sales, then the same studios are reporting dvd sales are way down, and thats because of internet and consumer saturation. This makes me believe that copy protection will definitely be a increasingly deciding factor in the choice of format.

I also found this short news, which surprised me, "Sony is discovering surprisingly strong demand for movies being released in the UMD format, which can only be played on its PlayStation Portable device." http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-09-20

And something that could have had an small impact on the battle of the studio camps, "Universal-Dreamworks merger falls apart"
http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2005-09-28

I'll update in my camp vs camp list on page one ;D

Wasabi
 
I'm sure big Blu-ray supporters Dell and HP will be very upset if the new Windows OS only supports HD DVD and not Blu-ray. D'oh!

Steve
 
That'll be ok. They'll just keep selling XP PCs until Microsoft cave in and include BluRay support for Vista. And keeping XP will mean their PCs will be cheaper too.
 
I thought MS said that they had no plans to include Blu-Ray in Windows for now, but would not prevent 3rd parties from adding the playback option, so for instance a future version of QuickTime could play Blu-Ray discs..?
 
Funny thing is that by saying "Windows Vista will only support HDDVD" all it means is that if you were to put a Bluray drive in your system, you'd have to install "additional software and drivers"... Like we do for every other peripheral anyway.

So i'm not sure what the big deal is.

Bloody mouses today (and for some time now) come with installation discs, having an installation disc for Blueray drives will just be the norm.

And for playback, it will mean we'll have to install different players like DivX, VLC etc. NEVER HEARD!! :rolleyes: I mean who uses WMP anyway?

This is just MS and the HDDVD group making a big deal out of nothing.
 
Dan, my man.

Thanks for explaining the Vista situation.

Wasabi
 
Wasabi said:
Dan, my man.

Thanks for explaining the Vista situation.

Wasabi

No prob!
Obviously what i said could be wrong in case MS decides to somehow "block" the distribution of Bluray players for PC, but i seriously do not see that happening.
Even HDDVDs will need "additional software", or are we going to believe that Windows Vista will have decent software preloaded to make playback flawless? Like DVDs today i guess.
Wonder why PowerDVD comes preloaded with every new PC! :rolleyes:
 
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3144209

apparently, hd-dvd group is still open to the idea of a unified hd format, but only if sony & co can convince them of the BR disc's structure, and they got 'till end of year to do that. could be great if the hd-dvd group got merged into the technically better bluray and we wouldnt have to have this 'dvd war' going on. which would lessen the allready small general public interest in next gen dvd.

[BIAS PROPAGANDA]c'mon we all want bluray right? who gives a toss about replica price, in the long run we WILL appreciate those 200GB BR discs i'm sure!! [/BIAS PROPAGANDA] :D :smashin:
 
Indeed. The per-unit cost may not be that important. Think how much it still costs to buy a "chart" DVD compared to a recordable DVD. Even if BD is significantlymore expensive, that will be dwarfed besides the studios royalties, and the difference may end up being a few pence rather than a few pounds. Or perhaps none at all if it means you don't need a second disc for all the extras.

Nick
 
I like this bit:

BLU-RAY DISKS, those DRM-infected rights-removal tools disguised as movies, are going to launch real soon.

:D

Steve
 
dont want to hi-jack the thread....

but what resolution do the movies actually come in? Oh well as long as they look good on 720p i dont mind :thumbsup:
 
Film material will be stored in 1080p24 or 1080p25 format, but will be able to be output at 720p, 1080i or 1080p depending on player capabilities. I expect HD video material to be in any of the above 3 formats depending on original master format. Yes, they should look great on your 720p display. :smashin:

Steve
 
More news from cdfreaks

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13187
"Fujitsu announces neutrality in blue laser war at CeBIT"


http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13189
"HD DVD likely be a sluggish start with no movies for the launch"
Also LG has "just" agreed to manufacture players, which means it will take a while they are out on the market, leaving Toshiba alone selling machines.

Wasabi
 
Setback for Sony

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/5733.html
"PlayStation 3 launch postponed to November"
"According to Goldman Sachs analyst Yuji Fujimori, the cost and features of the PS3 would matter more than the launch date. “The news brings some measure of assurance in that it indicates the PS3 will be ready for the year-end holiday season,” Fujimori said."

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worldbiz/archives/2006/03/15/2003297499
"Microsoft welcomes PS3 delay"
"The Redmond, Washington-based company has spent more than US$12 billion developing the Xbox 360, which it will sell in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan from Thursday."

Unbelievable money they spend on developing. Good news for MSFT for sure.

Wasabi
 
Dutch said:
Shame I may not have any HD DVDs to watch on my HD-XA1. :eek: Good news though about Disney's possible move to HD DVD. Who's going to be next? ;)

Steve


That leaves only Fox on the bluray camp not being on both sides, and Universal on the hd-dvd side not releasing on bluray. I don't count Sony as I wouldn't think they ever launch on a competitor's side, just like on the gaming industry.

Wasabi
 
Wasabi said:
That leaves only Fox on the bluray camp not being on both sides, and Universal on the hd-dvd side not releasing on bluray. I don't count Sony as I wouldn't think they ever launch on a competitor's side, just like on the gaming industry.
I dont see how it does make Fox the only Blu Ray camp left. Disney said that they might produce HD-DVD, not that they will. I dont quite see how everyone takes that to mean they should be looking forward to lots of Disney releases on HD-DVD in the coming months.
Fine, if Blu Ray turns out to be a turkey, Fox, Disney et al will produce HD-DVDs, no question, but if you see any Disneys titles on HD-DVD this year I'd be very surprised.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom