Anyone have the GitS Blu-ray edition yet?

[sketchley]

A bit of a pessimistic interpretation of the article, my friend.

It appears that LG has to rework some of the guts of the player to get it up to spec (and the article didn't even ask the question about whether that DVD Forum has given HG access to the software that is needed to play the additional content on the HD-DVD). In addition, it sounds like the DVD Forum is playing like a spoiled child - especially if they choose to litigate LG for displaying a product with their logo on it...

The DVD Forum and HD-DVD is coming across pretty badly here... and it's making me wonder about their customer relations in the future.

Edited January 17, 2007 by sketchley

[Gaijin]

A bit of a pessimistic interpretation of the article, my friend.

It appears that LG has to rework some of the guts of the player to get it up to spec (and the article didn't even ask the question about whether that DVD Forum has given HG access to the software that is needed to play the additional content on the HD-DVD). In addition, it sounds like the DVD Forum is playing like a spoiled child - especially if they choose to litigate LG for displaying a product with their logo on it...

The DVD Forum and HD-DVD is coming across pretty badly here... and it's making me wonder about their customer relations in the future.

Like DVD before it, HD DVD needs to be licensed by DVD forum with whatever features the format provides. All DVD Players in the world are licensed by DVD forum to play that format. There is nothing new here. DVD Forum isn't being spoiled...LG didn't even license the HD DVD name. In other words, a manufacturer can't just sell something just because they can make it.

As much as I dislike HD DVD and the DVD Forum...their reasoning is legal, sound, and makes sense. The "HD DVD" side of that player is anything but. There is no need to question anything about "access to software that is needed to play additional content". It doesn't exactly work like that. They'd have "access" to anything they needed if they want the HD DVD name on it by following the specs and paying the license.

[sketchley]

Huh? Sorry, maybe because I just finished work and it's late in the day, but that doesn't make sense to me. The only part that does is the line of 'just because they can, doesn't mean that they are legally allowed to.'

[Gaijin]

Huh? Sorry, maybe because I just finished work and it's late in the day, but that doesn't make sense to me. The only part that does is the line of 'just because they can, doesn't mean that they are legally allowed to.'

To make a DVD player requires licensing. To make an HD DVD Player or Blu-ray requires licensing. In the license are things the manufacturer must follow. LG did not get a license for the HD DVD side of the player, nor are they following the HD DVD specs.

In other words, the only reason this thing got press was the fact that it was supposed to be a dual format player which turns out it really isn't the case. It's a Blu-ray player with basically a "bootleg" version of an HD DVD player slapped in. This is why the DVD forum has issues with LG.

It would be like if Samsung made a new game console that played XBox and Playstation games, but the Xbox games would only play without being able to save plus the A button was disabled on all the games. Plus they didn't even get the XBox license to manufacture the hardware in the first place but somehow got the ok from Sony to have it play PS games. Bad analogy but maybe that would make sense of what LG has done.

[sketchley]

Not a game player. The allegory doesn't work for me.

Nevertheless, I did some thinking on this, and the conclusions I came to are:

1) The LG player is a technological demonstrator - proving that it can be done. Perhaps they should have called it HD-DVD 'reader', and not 'player.'

2) There is a clash of cultures. LG is an Asian company, and the DVD Forum is acting 100% like a greedy capitalist. The Asian business philosophy is largely lets work together so that we both make profit, and the customers more or less happily give up their money for all of our products. The greedy capitalist philosophy is let's make short term profit by sueing them, thereby solidifying the monoply of the product, and hope that the format wins the war - in the process, alienating customers, and delaying large volume sales for all sides of the format war for months to years.

Yes, LG obviously doesn't have a license, but at the same time they are obviously not manufacturing and selling the player. It is obviously just a technological demonstrator, and the DVD Forum is obviously missing a rather large business opportunity in their shortsightedness and quest for short term profit and a monopoly.

That's my opinion based on the little facts available (gives a stern look to the reporters for not asking the right questions.)

[JB0]

Not a game player. The allegory doesn't work for me.

Nevertheless, I did some thinking on this, and the conclusions I came to are:

1) The LG player is a technological demonstrator - proving that it can be done. Perhaps they should have called it HD-DVD 'reader', and not 'player.'

2) There is a clash of cultures. LG is an Asian company, and the DVD Forum is acting 100% like a greedy capitalist. The Asian business philosophy is largely lets work together so that we both make profit, and the customers more or less happily give up their money for all of our products. The greedy capitalist philosophy is let's make short term profit by sueing them, thereby solidifying the monoply of the product, and hope that the format wins the war - in the process, alienating customers, and delaying large volume sales for all sides of the format war for months to years.

Yes, LG obviously doesn't have a license, but at the same time they are obviously not manufacturing and selling the player. It is obviously just a technological demonstrator, and the DVD Forum is obviously missing a rather large business opportunity in their shortsightedness and quest for short term profit and a monopoly.

That's my opinion based on the little facts available (gives a stern look to the reporters for not asking the right questions.)

Under US law, you are REQUIRED to sue people for using your trademarks without permission. If they ignore LG's unlicensed use of the HD-DVD name and logo, they WILL lose the trademark. At which point anyone can use the name for anything.

Some rather stupid lawsuits come out over this facet of the law. Which exists to prevent people sitting on a trademark, waiting for everyone else to start using it, and THEN suing the bejesus out of everyone(Bayer tried it with Asprin. They failed.).

Of course, LG's creation of a barely-functional HD-DVD Player also damages the DVD Forum's reputation.

If it makes it to retail as-is...

Joe Average buys it, and his BluRay disks have spiffy menus, multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and always work, but his HD-DVDs aren't even as function VHS cassettes(the LG player apparently lacks even fast-forward/rewind) and disks that don't work at all, he's going to draw the conclusion that HD-DVD sucks. Sure it's all because the player doesn't even remotely adhere to standards, but Joe Average doesn't know this. He just knows that his BluRay disks work right and his HD-DVD ones don't.

The fact that LG announced that they planned to ship first quarter 2007 indicates that it was far more than a proof of concept. They intended to ship it as-is.

So there's no real benefit to the DVD Forum. And that's why they've stated they won't approve the player in it's current form.

[cyde01]

hmmmmm strange, i have never heard that you cannot fast forward or rewind HD DVD discs without HDi support before reading that article. all the articles on Cnet say HDi is only good for spiffy interactive menus, which i honestly could care less about. and while it's true that LG was unable to obtain a license for this player, it still sounds like they're selling it for sure. in fact, there are some reports that this thing is already in stores now. http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9678398-1...l?tag=cnetfd.mt

i agree that not having fast forward or rewind functions is kind of crippling but as long as i can skip chapters not having fast forward and rewind or spiffy new menus is not a deal breaker for me. the price, however, is. this combo player isn't gonna make the format war end any sooner until it gets a lot cheaper.

oh, and as far as the clash of cultures thing goes. the claim has been made that asian corporations are more about cooperation than their western counterparts, but their are plenty of greedy and short-sighted asian corporations involved in both sides of this format war. Toshiba and NEC among those on the DVD Forum side and Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, and many other asian tech giants supporting blu-ray. (i'm not trying to be racist!! i'm an asian too!!)

[Gaijin]

hmmmmm strange, i have never heard that you cannot fast forward or rewind HD DVD discs without HDi support before reading that article. all the articles on Cnet say HDi is only good for spiffy interactive menus, which i honestly could care less about. and while it's true that LG was unable to obtain a license for this player, it still sounds like they're selling it for sure. in fact, there are some reports that this thing is already in stores now. http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9678398-1...l?tag=cnetfd.mt

HDi is the entire interactive layer...not just "spiffy menus". This includes control of the video/audio. Not having that layer means you literally cannot do anything with it except play and stop..no pause, chapter search, fast forward, etc. I believe whatever was the default audio and language would be stuck as well. Think about that one if watching anime.

The HD DVD player side of that LG player is completely void of doing anything except play and stop. It is hardly worthy of being a player...especially at that price.

And yes, it's started to show up in stores already. Expect this thing to be pulled and become quite the videophile's collector's item.

Edited January 18, 2007 by Gaijin

[ComicKaze]

What is the point of anime and blu-ray? You can't get any higher definition or clearer with details. It's animation! If you put classic animation on blu-ray, you'll just magnify all the defects. If you put even modern computer assisted cel animation, you'll still get simplistic details at best.

The only benefit I can see is that some company can throw an entire series onto one single disc in the future when capacities are high enough.

[eugimon]

What is the point of anime and blu-ray? You can't get any higher definition or clearer with details. It's animation! If you put classic animation on blu-ray, you'll just magnify all the defects. If you put even modern computer assisted cel animation, you'll still get simplistic details at best.

The only benefit I can see is that some company can throw an entire series onto one single disc in the future when capacities are high enough.

it's more of a bonus for people with large TV's. Since the resolution of a DVD is relatively low compared to what a new HDTV can project, anti-alaising becomes a big deal. So with a HD source, diagonal lines and curves will apear smoother and less jagged.

You are right in that a poor transfer will just make the defects more apparant.

[Gaijin]

What is the point of anime and blu-ray? You can't get any higher definition or clearer with details. It's animation! If you put classic animation on blu-ray, you'll just magnify all the defects. If you put even modern computer assisted cel animation, you'll still get simplistic details at best.

The only benefit I can see is that some company can throw an entire series onto one single disc in the future when capacities are high enough.

Not true. At higher res, you'll see even greater 'pop' to any recent series or animated movie...if an older series masters are not in such great shape and not much is done to fix it then yes the difference would be minimal but the same applies to older movies.

You won't find pores and facial detail on your people in high def animation if they were never there to begin with of course, but you'll see a much sharper image onscreen.

See the two side by side and you'll notice right away. Even on a smaller 32" and under HDTV. And with animation, you'll appreciate the color high def provides over current standard def outputs.

Edited January 18, 2007 by Gaijin

[sketchley]

Under US law, you are REQUIRED to sue people for using your trademarks without permission.

Your country, your laws.

From the information being presented in this thread (and no, I am not going outside of this thread to search for more,) it appears that what showed up at the CES was a technological demonstrator - as we all can agree that most reputable companies (and LG is a reputable company) release products that largely work. Perhaps this was a gamble that isn't paying off because a sought after agreement with the DVD Forum may not be coming (based on the statements of other posters in this thread.)

Nevertheless, plan to ship is different from will be shipping. If the fiasco with the Playstation 3 proves anything, it's that plans don't always go as planned.

ComicKaze, I suggest reading earlier posts in this thread, as the issue has been addressed. And yes, even with smallish sized screens, there is still a noticeable difference in quality. I also recommend that you check out Star Wars II (possibly III) if it ever comes to an IMAX screen for you. If anything, the detail increased, and all that they did with Star Wars II was reformat the digital print to fit on a larger film stock! Watching the making of documentaries also indicates that there is a lot more detail then may not be readily visible - texture of real skin used to make the skin of the CG characters, etc..

Anyhow, late... cheerio.

[cyde01]

I believe whatever was the default audio and language would be stuck as well. Think about that one if watching anime.

hahaha I don't think about that one at all actually because I understand Japanese!! So I don't need crappy subtitles that aren't always accurate anyway!!

[Gaijin]

hahaha I don't think about that one at all actually because I understand Japanese!! So I don't need crappy subtitles that aren't always accurate anyway!!

Umm..that's largely the point...it would be stuck in english as that's usually the default language on US released anime. Do you like dubs?

[JB0]

Your country, your laws.

Yup. It also happens to be a country the HD-DVD Forum has trademarks registered in, as well as one LG does business in.

From the information being presented in this thread (and no, I am not going outside of this thread to search for more,) it appears that what showed up at the CES was a technological demonstrator - as we all can agree that most reputable companies (and LG is a reputable company) release products that largely work. Perhaps this was a gamble that isn't paying off because a sought after agreement with the DVD Forum may not be coming (based on the statements of other posters in this thread.)

The article saying the DVD Forum wasn't going to license it said that they refused to license it in it's current, barely functional, form. Not that they were opposed to a multi-mode player.

All I've read about it has been the articles linked in this thread.

I know LG has a reasonably good reputation, and can't fathom WHY they would engage in a fiasco like this. But that's what it looks like.

My best guess is they intended to market it as a BluRay player that also offered basic HD-DVD playback, as opposed to a true dual-format player. But it still doesn't make a lot of sense.

Nevertheless, plan to ship is different from will be shipping. If the fiasco with the Playstation 3 proves anything, it's that plans don't always go as planned.

True. But if your demo unit is a half-functional proof of concept, you need to ID it as such.

[Gaijin]

The LG player wasn't a tech demo or anything of the sort. It was intended to be a player that will go to market (and has as well) and as JBO pointed out, if it was an experiment (which it wasn't)it would have been labeled as such.

[sketchley]

Did some research (much needed in internet discussions...):

While it supports all the DVD and CD recordable and re-writeable formats, along with BD-R and BD-RE, it's read-only as far as HD DVD goes, and we understand the player won't support some of the HD DVD format's online interactivity features.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/07/lg...ils_multi-blue/

The Broadcom UOD platform incorporates the decoding, processing and memory functions for both Blu-ray and HD DVD media players, eliminating the need for manufacturers to build two different hardware platforms. The platform supports a wide variety of mandatory audio and video compression standards required for Blu-ray and HD DVD optical disc formats, including H.264/AVC, VC- 1 , MPEG-2, Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby Tru-HD and DTS-HD. The UOD platform also provides full backwards compatibility for current DVD video titles as well as DVD-R, DVD-VR and audio CDs.

http://ja.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=947700

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/03/lg-kill...s-combo-player/

When Samsung and Sony signed their patent-sharing deal in late 2004, it sealed a partnership that included joint development of LCD displays and participation in the Blu Ray alliance. Now Toshiba and LG have signed a similar deal, agreeing to cross-license patents related to HD DVD technology.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/09/toshiba...t-sharing-deal/

By the content of the above articles, LG has full access to the technology of HD-DVD, and the player being offered doesn't have HD-DVDs online interactivity features.

Now, if I have to go online to access things like subtitles, and alternate language tracks, I don't want HD-DVD - as it reaks of the industry attempt to get DVDs marketed as pay-per-view a few years back!

I'd like my fellow posters in this thread to provide articles (and not internet hearsay) about the lack of ability of the HD-DVD player aspects of the LG multi-player.

[Gaijin]

Did some research (much needed in internet discussions...):

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/07/lg...ils_multi-blue/

http://ja.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=947700

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/03/lg-kill...s-combo-player/

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/09/toshiba...t-sharing-deal/

By the content of the above articles, LG has full access to the technology of HD-DVD, and the player being offered doesn't have HD-DVDs online interactivity features.

Now, if I have to go online to access things like subtitles, and alternate language tracks, I don't want HD-DVD - as it reaks of the industry attempt to get DVDs marketed as pay-per-view a few years back!

I'd like my fellow posters in this thread to provide articles (and not internet hearsay) about the lack of ability of the HD-DVD player aspects of the LG multi-player.

I would like the above poster to believe that some of us might know what we are talking about, have friends and associates in the industry, have been following the format war not only "on the internet" but in person at CES, trade shows, and conferences, and had no need to research the vocabulary to understand what we were talking about in the first place.

Most of your "Articles" are from early 2006. The only one from this year only repeats what a press release stated meaning they have no idea of what it even means. HDi isn't just spiffy menus or online interactivity...it's the entire thing. Trust us...you'll be able to watch it and that's it.

You don't need to go online in order to access HD DVD's most basic functions that we are used to on any standard player except that particular LG. Because it doesn't have them.

The LG player doesn't support the entire interactive layer of HD DVD. That is fact. There were already articles posted about it. Their next model will. The current one doesn't even have the HD DVD logo on it (removed from CES) thus isn't even an HD DVD player. Basically, it's a Blu-ray player that moonlights as HD DVD but with severely limited playback on HD DVD discs.

Maybe you'd understand it as if you bought a DVD player, and it played CD's...but the CD's were not able to be skipped, paused, chapter searched, fast forwarded or rewinded...You can play the whole thing through and that's it.

Besides...HD DVD is dead in Neyagawa, as in every other part of Osaka no? Why even bother?

Edited January 19, 2007 by Gaijin

[sketchley]

Throws up arms.

Thanks for completely ignoring my request for citing ones sources.

Dated those articles may be, they are the ones that came up FIRST in a google search. Many things could be read into that, but as google's spiderbots aren't always up to the second, I put a request in for additional articles on the subject - articles that could prove that posters in this thread know what they are talking about. Not providing articles nor citing ones sources amounts to internet hearsay.

Trust is earned, not given freely, my friend.

As for HD DVD being dead here - it doesn't appear to have even arrived. I've seen Blu-Ray releases in retailers, but no HD DVD. Though that could be due to poor marketing and/or in store product placement as much as anything else at this time.

[cyde01]

Umm..that's largely the point...it would be stuck in english as that's usually the default language on US released anime. Do you like dubs?

gaaaah!!!! no!!!!!! so i would be forced to pay for japan's grossly inflated prices!!?

edit:

Their next model will.

so they already have a next model planned that will have HDi compatability? why did they even release this one?

Edited January 19, 2007 by cyde01

[Gaijin]

Throws up arms.

Thanks for completely ignoring my request for citing ones sources.

Dated those articles may be, they are the ones that came up FIRST in a google search. Many things could be read into that, but as google's spiderbots aren't always up to the second, I put a request in for additional articles on the subject - articles that could prove that posters in this thread know what they are talking about. Not providing articles nor citing ones sources amounts to internet hearsay.

Trust is earned, not given freely, my friend.

As for HD DVD being dead here - it doesn't appear to have even arrived. I've seen Blu-Ray releases in retailers, but no HD DVD. Though that could be due to poor marketing and/or in store product placement as much as anything else at this time.

HD DVD did launch in Japan...it bombed quicker than the XBox 360. Which is probably why you haven't seen it.

What are you googling? You want proof that the HD DVD side of the player doesn't support HDi? It can be found in ...every article that talks about the player. There is a link or two in this very thread already. Here's 4 more at the top of the google search list:

http://www.gizmora.com/?p=1810

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/14/lgs-b...o-be-sold-sans/

http://www.i4u.com/article7636.html

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00701180014.asp

It will play a disc but if it's incompatible in ANY way, they don't officially support it anyways.

[Gaijin]

gaaaah!!!! no!!!!!! so i would be forced to pay for japan's grossly inflated prices!!?

edit:

so they already have a next model planned that will have HDi compatability? why did they even release this one?

Who knows? Probably just to create buzz that they could do it. LG is a semi decent company nowadays but at $1200-1300 this player isn't exactly the best bargain around. You could literally buy a PS3 and a second gen HD DVD player and have $200-300 bucks left over if you wanted to support both formats.

Which brings me to the point that I was trying to make...combo players and discs only serve to confuse people more (look at this thread) and prolong a war. THis isn't like a recordable format. Retailers will not stock 2 or even 3 different versions of a movie. One will prevail, and even though Sony haters want Blu-ray to fail, they forget that Blu-ray isn't only So ny's baby..it's virtually everyone in the entire electrnoics realm, sans Toshiba.

Edited January 19, 2007 by Gaijin

[JB0]

THis isn't like a recordable format. Retailers will not stock 2 or even 3 different versions of a movie.

Actually, the are right now. DVD and HD releases. And on platform-neutral releases, both HD-DVD and BluRay versions.

I doubt they intend to sustain it, though. They're probably just trying to accelerate HD adoption so they can ID the leader faster and declare it winner.

One will prevail, and even though Sony haters want Blu-ray to fail, they forget that Blu-ray isn't only So ny's baby..it's virtually everyone in the entire electrnoics realm, sans Toshiba.

Hmm...

I prefer HD-DVD's boxes, but I'd REALLY love to point and laugh at the people ranting about "BetaRay"...

Now I'm not sure which I want to see win...

[Gaijin]

Actually, the are right now. DVD and HD releases. And on platform-neutral releases, both HD-DVD and BluRay versions.

I doubt they intend to sustain it, though. They're probably just trying to accelerate HD adoption so they can ID the leader faster and declare it winner.

I was speaking of eventually. They are upset with this now. They won't keep it up forever. They don't have the space. Even Wal-mart has been barking about it. Not to mention the consumer confusion.

I dislike both cases colors. The case itself is fine. I just don't like the colored case. I wish they would go to a clear one similar to the thicker PS3 ones (with the same BD/ HD DVD width of course).

Edited January 20, 2007 by Gaijin

[sketchley]

HD DVD did launch in Japan...it bombed quicker than the XBox 360. Which is probably why you haven't seen it.

(...)

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00701180014.asp

It will play a disc but if it's incompatible in ANY way, they don't officially support it anyways.

Thanks! Trustage is earneding. Hmmm... the impression I am getting is that the LG player is a player of HD-DVD in only the loosest sense of the verb. Anyhow, marketing score for them for being the first.

The XBox 360 is still kicking around in Japan... somewhere. Not a big seller, but the CMs are still showing from time to time on the boob-tube. The PS3, too, doesn't crop up often either, though it's games are. What I do notice a lot of is the Wii - mind you, that could be because of the Wii-mote's unique gameplay interface.

Looking at who is supporting what: "Blu-ray is used in products of Sony, Samsung Electronics, Hitachi and JVC; HD DVD is supported by Toshiba, Microsoft, Intel and NEC." My interpretation is that the two camps are composed of majority AV product vs. majority computer product manufacturing companies. Hmmm... maybe that's why the porn industry went with the majority computer camp's option?

I'm also getting an itching feeling that North America will go HD DVD and Asia will go Blu-Ray. It won't be surprising, as it's happened before. Beta had a much, much longer product life in Japan than North America, the MD player never took off in North America but is still alive and well in Japan, and I occasionally come across a format called 'video disc' in used shops here... I don't ever remember seeing or hearing of that when I was in North America.

Edited January 20, 2007 by sketchley

[JB0]

I'm also getting an itching feeling that North America will go HD DVD and Asia will go Blu-Ray. It won't be surprising, as it's happened before. Beta had a much, much longer product life in Japan than North America, the MD player never took off in North America but is still alive and well in Japan, and I occasionally come across a format called 'video disc' in used shops here... I don't ever remember seeing or hearing of that when I was in North America.

I gather LaserDisk did reasonably well in Japan too?

'S a couple of things I can think of that "video disc" could apply to. None of which were relevant to the States.

I think VideoCD is the only one that ever approached genuine success in any region.

[sketchley]

I saw the Macross Plus Movie laser disc a few weeks ago in Book-off for something like ï¿¥1,000.

I should clarify - the video disc (whatever the name of it) was first seen in Korea. LGì˜êµ­.

[cyde01]

*sigh*

read this article:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9678168-1.html

it says:

I've read reports that the lack of HDi support means that the player cannot access menus at all, but I highly doubt that's the case. In fact,

during the BH100 demo at the LG press conference at CES, the company's rep made a point of browsing to the menu system of Batman Begins on HD DVD, selecting a chapter, and jumping there.

From what I understand, lack of HDi support means the player won't be able to access interactive functionality available on some discs, such as picture-in-picture commentaries and Web-enabled features, for example. Given that most peple I know don't watch the special features anyway, I doubt lack of HDi would be a deal breaker for that tiny part of the population actually considering the purchase of this $1,200 player.

Yes, this is all speculation at this point. However, I am inclined to believe Cnet editors much more than some article written on a game mag website, especially because they were at CES watching the demo.

Eventually, everything is gonna move to downloadable content and we aren't gonna need to buy movies on discs, although I think it will take some time.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9678699-1.html?tag=txt

Perhaps the biggest issue still facing HD DVD and Blu-ray is the fact that neither could win. After years of false promises, so-called digital delivery is finally becoming a reality. Industry heavy hitters Microsoft (Xbox 360 Video Marketplace) and Apple (iTunes Store) are already offering movies and TV shows in DVD and true HD quality, and the online options will only multiply as broadband bandwidth continues to expand. While they face a variety of their own challenges and shortfalls (restrictive digital rights management, rental versus "ownership" pricing models), such services seem to be the wave of the future, especially with devices like the Xbox 360 and the forthcoming Apple TV making it easy to watch the content on the big screen instead of a computer.

[Gaijin]

*sigh*

read this article:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9678168-1.html

it says:

I've read reports that the lack of HDi support means that the player cannot access menus at all, but I highly doubt that's the case. In fact,

during the BH100 demo at the LG press conference at CES, the company's rep made a point of browsing to the menu system of Batman Begins on HD DVD, selecting a chapter, and jumping there.

From what I understand, lack of HDi support means the player won't be able to access interactive functionality available on some discs, such as picture-in-picture commentaries and Web-enabled features, for example. Given that most peple I know don't watch the special features anyway, I doubt lack of HDi would be a deal breaker for that tiny part of the population actually considering the purchase of this $1,200 player.

Yes, this is all speculation at this point. However, I am inclined to believe Cnet editors much more than some article written on a game mag website, especially because they were at CES watching the demo.

Eventually, everything is gonna move to downloadable content and we aren't gonna need to buy movies on discs, although I think it will take some time.

The CNet article is wrong in a sense. It still can't access the disc menus. But it makes it's own apparently so it's kind of moot for some people. It uses a custom menu system that is overlayed over when you play an HD DVD, not the disc menu, like the PS2's DVD menu. It is quite primitive but will allow you to skip forward and back between chapters and such. I stand corrected on that front though, because I hadn't seen it until someone posted pics on AVS.

But it still doesn't support HDi. In a player costing that much, it should give you the full benefit. A second combo player from LG in the next few months with full support from both formats. And...seriously....$1200 for an LG player?

Wait 3 months for the true combo player from LG.

[cyde01]

From the article:

Given that most peple I know don't watch the special features anyway, I doubt lack of HDi would be a deal breaker for that tiny part of the population actually considering the purchase of this $1,200 player.

The only source that is claiming that a successor model with HDi compatibility is already in the works is you. And in your previous posts you hinted that that was only speculation on your part. I haven't seen anything else from other sources that back up your claim.

Regardless, I'm not in the market for this product anyway. I'm gonna wait a lot longer than 3 months, probably a year, until enough movies that I like are released on either format and I am willing to buy an HDTV. Hopefully by then there will only be one format and no need for a combo player, although that is wishful thinking.

Edited January 22, 2007 by cyde01

[Gaijin]

From the article:

Given that most peple I know don't watch the special features anyway, I doubt lack of HDi would be a deal breaker for that tiny part of the population actually considering the purchase of this $1,200 player.

The only source that is claiming that a successor model with HDi compatibility is already in the works is you. And in your previous posts you hinted that that was only speculation on your part. I haven't seen anything else from other sources that back up your claim.

Regardless, I'm not in the market for this product anyway. I'm gonna wait a lot longer than 3 months, probably a year, until enough movies that I like are released on either format and I am willing to buy an HDTV. Hopefully by then there will only be one format and no need for a combo player, although that is wishful thinking.

I give up lol. Good luck.

[bandit29]

Ahem... back to original topic lol

Close enough

Ghost in the Shell Solid State Society has been announced for DVD and Bluray from Manga

in July

http://www.animeondvd.com/index.php

Manga Entertainment New Blu-ray Title Solicitation (03:25 PM EST): The folks at Manga Entertainment have solicited the first Blu-ray release for North America (though not the first anime release in "region A") with today's announcement of:

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society Vol. #1 - 100 minutes - $39.98 - 07/03/2007