Exactly. When this might happen is anyones guess... But since HD-DVD is down for the count, it is more likely that it will happen sooner rather than later, once consumer and professional demand warrants it.
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Toshiba To Stop HD DVD Player Production
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Exactly. When this might happen is anyones guess... But since HD-DVD is down for the count, it is more likely that it will happen sooner rather than later, once consumer and professional demand warrants it.
This development is another portent to the coming irrelevance of Microsoft as a "major player". A few years ago, the mere fact that Microsoft was backing HD DVD would have doomed BD, but that was then.
Do not get me wrong, Microsoft is entering new arenas, its touch table is intriguing, but I think that their time as a Monopoly, simply, is in the past, and now they will have to compete along with everyone else, as equals.
The next major development? Nanotechnology. And I can't imagine why Microsoft isn't putting all its riches into it, instead of meaningless ventures as Yahoo (which, by the way, I have never used).
Do not get me wrong, Microsoft is entering new arenas, its touch table is intriguing, but I think that their time as a Monopoly, simply, is in the past, and now they will have to compete along with everyone else, as equals.
The next major development? Nanotechnology. And I can't imagine why Microsoft isn't putting all its riches into it, instead of meaningless ventures as Yahoo (which, by the way, I have never used).
If HD-DVD was that "credible", why did it lose? I guess it wasn't that credible after all, huh? So what exactly did DVD-Forum bring to the table?
As to "finalized format".... that's more or less a non-issue anyway. There has been new version of the BD-spec, but those deal mostly with extras on the disc, not the actual movie. So at worst some early players might not have all the features in the extra-materials. Big deal. There are already profile 2.0-discs out there, even though for all intents and purposes there are no 2.0-compliant players out there, and those discs work fine in 1.1-compliant players.
While I was an HD DVD supporter, I think its a good thing that there's one format. Though I would have rather had the customer decide instead of the studios and companies making behind the scenes deals, I also realize that would have taken much longer to decide on one format. Hopefully now bluray players will drop in price and we can all get our HDM on.
Doubtful. Ask a non-technical person what "Blue Ray" is out of context, and they probably won't even know. Ask them what "HD-DVD" is, and they can at least hazard a guess.
Are you saying a disc format named "FWAM!" would then beat the others?
No, you can have it days after you feel like watching it. If I'm in the mood for a specific movie, I want it now.
Thanks for coming out...
😎
stephenli
macrumors 6502
Excuse me but It seems to me that you are trying to say that all ppl choosen Blu-ray were not educated?!
Why studios choose Blu-ray? Becasue more consumer buy Blu-ray Disc instead. Take a look at the sales of titles that have both format in the market, which one sell more?
I am not an AV mania. I don't realise (an I don't care) the difference betweem quality difference BD and HD-DVD. I just wish the format war to end as soon as possible so that I can purchase HD movies.
I got PS3 at day one, and not getting a single BD movie until now.
Its great that I could start buying BD disc.
Too bad you need a PC to do this!
Come on, why is this thread even on Mac Rumors? We all know Apple does not want to support Blu-Ray, especially having it competing against their movie download store.
I just feel sorry for those who were tricked by jobs into assuming since iMovieHD supports HD cameras, they'd be able to make HD discs playable in setup players.
i just hope that when war is over they will remove that terrible blue strip on top of the movie artwork on the blu ray cases.
JesterJJZ
macrumors 68030
JesterJJZ
macrumors 68030
Because the blue plastic looks cheap and horrible not to mention doesn't go with every movie cover. Needs to be something that goes with everything. It's a different type of case, that's good enough. If you have to put another color in there make it something more universal like grey or silver. Heck, I'll take a white case over that blue crap.
Because it means you can't buy your media from where you want it. A region unlock in a BluRay device seems quite a bit harder if not impossible than in a DVD player.
Me I'm behind Bluray but the region code things bugs me quite a bit. It means I won't be able to buy Crietrion releases should they decide to sell their stuff locked.
So next time you ask that question try to think of other people in other parts of the world too, 'kay?
diamond.g
macrumors G5
VC-1 (a derivitaive of WMV) is a codec BD can use as well.
HD-DVD did so poorly because of 3 letters P S 3. It is the cheapest full spec player. Pretty much all the studios were told that BD would win because the PS3 would have such a large market share. If you look at the number of BD players out, it does. As far as the profile 2.0 thing, what disc is a 2.0 disc? That seems like poor form to release a disc with features no one can use.
About monopoly...
I think some people are a little confused about what monopoly means:
They say it is bad to have only one format because that monopolistic or because that's going to increase the prices due to lack of competition.
Well, I quite think it is the opposite...
The battle was ABOUT THE FORMAT, not ABOUT THE BRAND. Someone mentioned the airlines getting together to control the market. It is not similar to what happened here. Actually, the similarity would be choosing the same format for their planes (WHICH THEY DID: elongated body, two wings, etc).
Monopoly would refer to only one brand making BD discs. Now that the war is over, all tech companies are going to start to adapt to BD and by the end of the year dozens of companies are going to be offering BD discs and players. THAT IS COMPETITION and that's what is going to reduce the prices. Same thing happened when CD or DVD were adopted. Monopoly would mean, again, that ONLY Sony would make BD products and control the market by that. But as long as other brands make them too, there's going to be fierce competition as it happened in the past with every other tech product.
On a different topic, do you really think that the lack of region codes or DRM in HD-DVD would last. Those are not disc features, but content related features that media companies want included no matter the format. It would have been a question of time...
I think some people are a little confused about what monopoly means:
They say it is bad to have only one format because that monopolistic or because that's going to increase the prices due to lack of competition.
Well, I quite think it is the opposite...
The battle was ABOUT THE FORMAT, not ABOUT THE BRAND. Someone mentioned the airlines getting together to control the market. It is not similar to what happened here. Actually, the similarity would be choosing the same format for their planes (WHICH THEY DID: elongated body, two wings, etc).
Monopoly would refer to only one brand making BD discs. Now that the war is over, all tech companies are going to start to adapt to BD and by the end of the year dozens of companies are going to be offering BD discs and players. THAT IS COMPETITION and that's what is going to reduce the prices. Same thing happened when CD or DVD were adopted. Monopoly would mean, again, that ONLY Sony would make BD products and control the market by that. But as long as other brands make them too, there's going to be fierce competition as it happened in the past with every other tech product.
On a different topic, do you really think that the lack of region codes or DRM in HD-DVD would last. Those are not disc features, but content related features that media companies want included no matter the format. It would have been a question of time...
Actually, there were lots of people early on that paid quite a bit more for players, each of which will as I said, play Blu-Ray disks fine. According to one estimate that I have read, 85 percent of Blu-Ray capable players will be able to be updated to v2.0. Those would be the PS3's. The rest have a choice of selling and buying v2.0 compatible players, or living without PIP and interactivity. Life on the bleeding edge does not a class action make.
Meanwhile, a couple of million HD-DVD players with the supply of content drying up would appear to call for a class action suit against the DVD-Forum, don't you think?
Very true, and as the hardware requirements are steep, I'm not able to accomplish this on Pentium hardware with PC apps either.
So, SD for me until Apple supports AVC output, which probably will arrive with Blu-Ray burners once Apple establishes HD downloads.
It sucks, but there it is.
fluidedge
macrumors 65816
imovie HD can edit HD footage which can then be exported as a 1920x1080 AVI (.mov ~ whatever) that can then be used on a website, or played on a high def monitor. It can be moved on to Apple TV and played in HD there.
There was never any con or promises about burning the file to BluRay etc
There was never any con or promises about burning the file to BluRay etc
There were cheaper HD-DVD-players out there than what PS3 cost.
I would guess that the studios can figure out what format is going to win and what isn't. And fact is that BD was outselling HD both in content and players. In the latter part, BD-players outsold HD-players even if we disregard PS3.
As to 2.0... It refers to the version of the specification. Currently BD-discs and players are version 1.1-compliant, with 2.0-compliant version becoming available later today (PS3 will just need a software update though). But that doesn't mean that existing players and/or discs become obsolete. 2.0 just deals with extras and their features.
There are few 2.0-spec discs out there, and while there are no player that can take advantage of the extra features at this moment, in few months time there will be. IF you have a 1.1 player that can't be upgraded to 2.0, there's no need for alarm, 2.0 doesn't bring any "must-have" features with it.
diamond.g
macrumors G5
Based on my understanding of the "war" BD really didn't take off until after the PS3 became available. HD DVD was winning. On AVSforum I seem to recall BD supporters saying wait for the PS3. I thought BD players started outselling HD players about halfway through the 2007 year, mainly due to the BOGO's.
I know what 2.0 refers to. I was asking what disc were 2.0 compliant discs. That is why I said it would seem to be poor form to make a disc no one can take full advantage of.
Um, no. First of all, DVD-Forum is not responsible for manufacturing players or releasing content for the format. Second: If you really think that this calls for a lawsuit, then by that same logic you should sue Nintendo because they do not provide any content for Nintendo 64 anymore. Or Micrsofot for not providing any content to Xbox. Or Sony for not providing content for PS1. Or Apple because they no longer support OS9. The list goes on....
Besides, those players can play back DVD's from here to eternity. I bet that DVD still has about 5 years of life left in it.
In short: it sucks to be an early-adopter on the losing side! But that's the chance you take.
Mine was a rhetorical point as was yours. Either none of this is class actionable, or all of it is. Its the nature of technological obsolescence and evolving standards.
Well, PS3 was one of the first BD-players available. There was some other player available few months earlier, but it had a price-tag of over 1000 bucks. When PS3 was released it was the cheapest BD-player out there (and I think it still is), but IIRC HD-DVD was a bit cheaper still.
Of course HD-DVD was winning at first, for the sole reason that it was released earlier. They had players and (some) content out there, whereas BD was not yet available. So of course it was outselling BD.
So, do you think that they should release 1.1 spec discs now, and 6 months later release 2.0-spec discs? Um, why? What benefit would that give?
What benefit would releasing 2.0-spec disc now give? Simple: when 2.0-players become available, those discs are ready to take advantage of the additional features. Maybe they want to design the disc and it's contents once, as opposed to first designing 1.1-compliant disc, and then designing 2.0-compliant disc?
As to what discs are 2.0-compliant at this moment.... Wikipedia sez: "War" and "Saw IV".
mkjj
macrumors 6502a
I just received my Disney Annual Report which features a lot of Blu-Ray stuff and a nice pic of Steve J (with hair!). Wonder what he has to say about BR when sitting on the Disney Board???🙄