JsARCLIGHT Posted January 8, 2008 Author Posted January 8, 2008 Paramount/Dreamworks announces they are still supporting HD DVD...but didn't announce any new titles for HD DVD at CES. Not looking too good. Paramount CES 2008 Why am I imagining a room full of lawyers pouring over that exclusivity contract like mad for some kind of out clause? Oh well, one side had to win and one side had to lose... I'm kind of glad that the side that is "losing" is the side I have the least amount of money invested in.
Gaijin Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 (edited) This was a long time in coming but now it's officially out of the bag: Blu-ray to offer digital copy for PSP EDIT: And perhaps something a lil bigger: Paramount going back to Blu?? Edited January 8, 2008 by Gaijin
Gunbuster Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 Why am I imagining a room full of lawyers pouring over that exclusivity contract like mad for some kind of out clause? Oh well, one side had to win and one side had to lose... I'm kind of glad that the side that is "losing" is the side I have the least amount of money invested in. you're right ;; "Paramount is poised to drop its support of HD-DVD following Warner Brothers' recent backing of Sony's Blu-ray technology, in a move that could sound the death knell of HD-DVD and bring the home entertainment format war to a definitive end. Paramount and DreamWorks Animation, which makes the Shrek films, came out in support of HD-DVD last summer, joining General Electric's Universal Studios as the main backers of the Toshiba format. However, Paramount, which is owned by Viacom, is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD-DVD camp that would allow it to switch sides in the event of Warner backing Blu-ray, according to people familiar with the situation. " from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ea637496-bd8d-11dc...;nclick_check=1
Nied Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 This was a long time in coming but now it's officially out of the bag: Blu-ray to offer digital copy for PSP Ugh. This is why I was hoping Blu-Ray wouldn't win. So now I can by a Blu-Ray disc and be locked into watching that movie on a crappy portable game system, and get locked out of most of interactive content unless I have an overpriced gaming system, all brought to you by the people who gave us the rootkit. Wonderful.
Gaijin Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 Ugh. This is why I was hoping Blu-Ray wouldn't win. So now I can by a Blu-Ray disc and be locked into watching that movie on a crappy portable game system, and get locked out of most of interactive content unless I have an overpriced gaming system, all brought to you by the people who gave us the rootkit. Wonderful. The same content exists on the BD, PS3, or stand alone player. Did HD DVD allow managed copy on anything? It was promised to do so but never happened, nor did the studios want it.
mikeszekely Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 (edited) Technically I shouldn't care, since I've got a PS3 and a 360 HD-DVD, but I'll admit, despite owning a ton more Blu-rays, I've kinda rooted for HD-DVD. And even I'm ready to call it now. This was a long time in coming but now it's officially out of the bag Meh. I mean, I suppose it's great for the hardcore Sony crowd that really gets into the PSP's media functions, but what about all the iPods, Zens, Treos, Zunes, and what-have-yous? I don't know how much it's changed since I switched to the iPod (5G, then Touch), but the PSP has always been kind of a pain with how particular it is about how you name movies that, while I enjoy it as a gaming system, was almost immediately looking for a better portable media player. EDIT: Managed copying sucks. I long for the good old days when we bought media, not licenses. Edited January 8, 2008 by mikeszekely
EXO Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 i dont really care about copying... I bought a big screen so I can watch it on there. If I wanted to see it on a smaller screen, I'll pop it in my laptop. I never copied movies when it was on videotape unless I recorded it on TV, same with downloaded stuff... if you really want it, you can always torrent it.
cobywan Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 EDIT: Managed copying sucks. I long for the good old days when we bought media, not licenses. This was NEVER true. Video tapes, audio cassettes, CD's and DVD's were license purchases. The labels owned what was on the media. Not the "buyer". The difference now is that digital copies can be identical to the originals. This is what made the studios nervous in the early nineties when cd burners came out. And when DVD ripping software came out the movie studios were sueing the poor Nordic kid who wrote the program. The studios need to get innovative with thier licensing structure. And start making compelling media while thier at it. I never rip off a great band. But I will never pay for the popcorn garbage that plays on the radio.
JsARCLIGHT Posted January 8, 2008 Author Posted January 8, 2008 Abandon Ship! Now that Reuters has it expect this to go wide... Aaaaoooooooghaaa aaaaaaoooooooghaaa! Flooding in forward bulkheads! She is listing to starboard! Women, children and studio executives first!
eugimon Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 It's still just a rumor. Paramount is still in the HD-DVD camp for now.... until they get better lawyers.
Roy Focker Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 There was associated press story talking Blu-Ray be "declared" the winner today.
JsARCLIGHT Posted January 8, 2008 Author Posted January 8, 2008 Rumor or not the overall damage is done. Even if the story is erroneous it has created doubt... and in the business world once you have doubt you'll see everyone backing away from you like mad.
Gaijin Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) Meh. I mean, I suppose it's great for the hardcore Sony crowd that really gets into the PSP's media functions, but what about all the iPods, Zens, Treos, Zunes, and what-have-yous? I don't know how much it's changed since I switched to the iPod (5G, then Touch), but the PSP has always been kind of a pain with how particular it is about how you name movies that, while I enjoy it as a gaming system, was almost immediately looking for a better portable media player. . PSP and other portable media...it isn't restricted to PSP only. And I agree with the PSP not being the best handheld for media. But an option to do it is better than no option. EDIT: And now New Line is official as well: New Line Drops HD DVD Edited January 9, 2008 by Gaijin
Ishimaru Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 Hmm, I went over a friend's house with my 360. He had a Olevia and I'm surprised at how great the quality is, I'm not too fond of spending $600-$700 on a HD set when I can get one of those.
mikeszekely Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 PSP and other portable media...it isn't restricted to PSP only. And I agree with the PSP not being the best handheld for media. But an option to do it is better than no option. EDIT: And now New Line is official as well: New Line Drops HD DVD But which other players? An iPod is still restricted to what's in its associated iTunes library. And let's be honest, love 'em or hate 'em, they're a huge portion of the market. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing Sony's doing... I agree that some sort of option to do it is better than none. I personally find it hard to get excited about, though. BTW, it's on Kotaku (don't feel like linking right now), but even Microsoft is talking about a potential Blu-ray add-on for the 360. Nothing's official, but if Microsoft's money isn't backing HD-DVD anymore, the war is definitely over.
eugimon Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) Man, the movies I want to see are coming out on HD-DVD... and it's not until March that there's a blu-ray movie coming out I would even care about (michael clayton). oh, woops, michael clayton comes out in february. uhm.. yay? Edited January 9, 2008 by eugimon
eugimon Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 So, Darkhorizons is reporting that Paramount AND universal are in talks to dump HD-DVD: end of the line And that once the transition is made, that the big hitters will be released in short order to be better entice consumers to take the plunge and leave the blurry world of DVDs behind them forever... left behind like a three legged pitbull at michael vick's house.
Gaijin Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 (edited) Officially, Universal has no comment...but is not announcing any new titles for HD DVD this year. Oh well, looks like it truly is on the way to be over. Universal quiet about HD DVD And HBO makes their switch to Blu-ray exclusivity as well: HBO BD Exclusive Edited January 9, 2008 by Gaijin
Necron_99 Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 /Waits for Star Trek to be released on Blu-ray
eugimon Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Want to do your part to keep the war going? Sign the online petition!
JsARCLIGHT Posted January 10, 2008 Author Posted January 10, 2008 I just want my Indiana Jones and Aliens. Where's that petition?
eugimon Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I just want my Indiana Jones and Aliens. Where's that petition? that would be: God, just let it end already petition.
Dangard Ace Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I just want my Indiana Jones and Aliens. Where's that petition? x2. + Predator.
Dangard Ace Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Nevermind about Predator. http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Fox...or_Blu-ray/1355 Fox Preps 'Predator' Blu-ray Wed Jan 09, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET Tags: Disc Announcements, Fox (all tags) In an early announce to retailers, Fox has set an April Blu-ray debut for the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic 'Predator.' One of the "monster" franchises of the '80s (along with the 'Alien' series), the original 'Predator' has long been on the wishlish of early adopters for high-def release. Now Fox has heeded the call to hunt, setting an April 15 street date for the Blu-ray. With a full press announcement still due in the coming days, there are no supplemental details yet available, but we'll keep you posted. Tech specs are set to include 1080p video and audio flavors in DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround, plus a French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo dub. Retail for the Blu-ray is $39.98.
jwinges Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 So, Darkhorizons is reporting that Paramount AND universal are in talks to dump HD-DVD: end of the line And that once the transition is made, that the big hitters will be released in short order to be better entice consumers to take the plunge and leave the blurry world of DVDs behind them forever... left behind like a three legged pitbull at michael vick's house. I'm happy that blu-ray is going to win...I really can't stand microsoft and toshiba The icing on the cake would be if the xbox360 was found to be utterly unworthy of a blu-ray upgrade making the PS3 the real winner. It would be hilarious if all blu-ray upgrade compents made the 360 go red ring of death... GO Blu-RAY!!
eugimon Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 yeah.. who needs a more affordable, easier to manufacture, region free and spec finalized format when we can have get over priced players that can't play releases just a year later due to a format that's always changing, sloppy transfers on a bloated out-dated codec and 2 disc releases which completely negate the advantages of increased capacity. Yup, consumers really won this time.
Oihan Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Wasn't the HD-DVD camp working on a higher storage capacity? Blu-Ray's storage capacity is a moot point. Higher bit-rate? I'm sure we all know having a higher bit-rate doesn't ensure a quality picture. I sure hope HD-DVD doesn't die.
Uxi Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 2 disc releases is marketing. They sell better. I never put in the second disc on most releases but don't mind that it's there. I m uch prefer that to special features like PiP parasiting off the precious bandwidth for the main release, especially on HDDVD which had barely over half the bandwidth available to begin with. Consumers won't truly win until Toshiba throws up the red flag, though and Universal and Paramount are releasing on Blu-ray.
DJ Loe Kee Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Want to do your part to keep the war going? Sign the online petition! lol, anybody can sign that, even ppl who don't plan on buyin' a hd-dvd player until the format war is over. you should have voted with your money instead. warner won't be switchin' even if 2 billion ppl sign that petition. me, i want blu ray just for capacity. it would take 10 double layer blu ray discs to back up my pc (500gb hard drive). who cares who wins, ppl say that hd-dvd and blu ray looks the same, but blu ray owns it when it comes to storage.
Gunbuster Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 (edited) lol, anybody can sign that, even ppl who don't plan on buyin' a hd-dvd player until the format war is over. you should have voted with your money instead. warner won't be switchin' even if 2 billion ppl sign that petition. me, i want blu ray just for capacity. it would take 10 double layer blu ray discs to back up my pc (500gb hard drive). who cares who wins, ppl say that hd-dvd and blu ray looks the same, but blu ray owns it when it comes to storage. If you wanted storage space, you can wait for Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) which can hold up to 3.9 terabytes (TB) of information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc Edited January 10, 2008 by Gunbuster
Dangard Ace Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Christ some of you guys are having sour grapes. HD DVD More affordable? Yes it was...at first. Toshiba ate up huge costs to be attractive to the masses. Hell I bought an HD-D3($99) because of the cheap price. The last few months the HD DVD players that apparently were hardware spec'd equivalent to the BD players were about $50 different. All reports from CES said that the higher price BD standalone players out sold the cheaper HD DVD players. Add that to all the high profile day-and-date releases that the BDA was releasing compared to what the HD group was releasing and you can guess what brand consumers bought into. Easier to manufacture? The optical media? That's what's been reported but so what? Why were they priced to match the BD discs or sometimes more expensive then the BD discs instead of being lower? Obviously the saving they were making on the cheaper discs weren't being passed onto us the consumers. Region free? Yes it is. Too bad in other countries Bluray is what's been dominating the HD market. Also I've read that BD region coding is left up to the studios to decide whether they wanted to use it on their discs or not. Can't remember who exactly but Fox or Disney were the ones who pushed for it. Spec finalized format? Definitely. HDi is better then Java. HD DVD wins this. Bluray doesn't have web interactivity yet. PiP has been implemented in profile 1.1, but saying newer discs won't play in older players? Not according to codec insiders on the AVS forums insiders thread(see below for link). You won't get to use PiP but you can still watch the movie and see the PiP information playing separately. Bloated out-dated codec releases? First six months of BD inception yes it used older crappier codec MPEG-2. They got called on it and they fixed it. MPEG-4 AVC is used on most BD discs now. 2 Disc releases? Some movies needed them and like Uxi said it's also a marketing gimmick. IIRC all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies clocked in at over 40Gb per movie....and you can't argue that Pirates doesn't benefit because the transfers beautiful. TL51 discs? From what I read from the insiders thread on AVS the likelyhood of these discs getting produced quickly enough in amounts that would affect the HD format war was very unlikely. Go here to read the insiders of both sides thrash it out. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=899842
eugimon Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 (edited) Nah, I'm not sour over HD-DVD losing at all. I just get annoyed at blu-ray fanboys running around and proclaiming all the virtues of BD and then trying to turn it into a 360 versus PS3 flame war. The only advantage BD has over HD-DVD is in capacity, image quality and audio quality has been tossed back and forth and most people agree that there's very little real world difference and even then, it matters greatly on the quality of the encode. And POTC:DMC is hardly a beautiful transfer, there's plenty of gripes about the level of artifacting on that disc. There are also more than few comparisons of shows released on both blu-ray and HDVD, or with VC-1 encode versus AVC where the vc-1/HD-DVD disc wins for superior image quality. My only point was that increased bitrate/higher capacity is in no way a guarantee of superior image video or audio. Also, don't forget the combo HD-DVD/DVDs. These gave a very nice upgrade path.. you could upgrade your player and not have to rebuy that portion of your library. AFAIK, this option isn't available on BD. The only thing that bugs me, is that many of the movies I'm interested in are from Universal, so now I have to wait until the BD versions are announced. But I am hoping that the BD version of BSG fixes the video problems and resolves the manufacturing defects. Edited January 10, 2008 by eugimon
Dangard Ace Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 Funny I see all the opposite re:360vsPS3 fanboys over at both avsforum and highdefdigest.com. They're the ones proclaiming HD optical media doesn't matter anymore it's all digital downloads or that 720p downloads are good enough. WTF? How can you go from a 1080i/p fight to 720p is better then what Bluray offers? Okay point. POTC:DMC wasn't a beautiful transfer. As for the AVC vs VC-1 comparisons are you talking about the Doom9 thread or the afterdawn.com? I want to see if they've got comparison pictures, more info on if they're comparing similar region/distributer discs etc..etc..etc.. Combo HD-DVD/DVD.....good in theory, tons of problems. Below is a bunch of links I copied from an insider when asked what he thought about HD DVD and Combo discs. (actual post http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showpos...postcount=2399) From Josh Zyber - http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/894 HD DVD discs from Weinstein having playback issues http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/08...ayback-issues/ HD DVD experiences playback problems on Xbox 360 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hd-dvd...view-2201.html DVD/HD-DVD Version of 300 Experiencing Some Player Issues http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/44/21644.php HD DVD Playback Problems Due To Poor Testing Procedures? http://www.cdrlabs.com/news/byte/4826
eugimon Posted January 10, 2008 Posted January 10, 2008 I guess I should be clear, I hate fanboys of both sides. Frankly, I think the DL cheerleaders are just selling out consumer rights. A future where we license everything and own nothing doesn't appeal to me. I usually read engadgetHD, joystiq, etc... and those forums are just full of trolls and lately the PS3/BD boys are out in force. It seems like it's impossible to have a calm discussion on the formats without it devolving into rhetoric and name calling. I guess I never looked into DVD/HD combo issues since I haven't had a problem with any of the discs I own... Granted, I only own 5 of them. 300 isn't one of them, so I can't confirm or deny any problems with playback on my 360 add-on drive. One of the comparisons I read was the afterdawn one, and that one doesn't have pictures. But the avsforum comparisons do: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=855440 In that thread, there's some pics comparing flags of our fathers and it looks even to me, some shots BD looks a tiny bit better and in some shots HD-DVD looks better. But considering the BD version is 12 gigs larger than the VC-1 encode, you can hardly call a 'draw' a 'win' by any means.
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