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Toshiba To Stop HD DVD Player Production
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the hd blu ray war was over when warner went excslousive i think now that since blu ray has won i think we will see blu ray options for macs in the next refresh line and now just bring Transformers Cloverfield and beowoulf to blu ray and ill be happy about this news 
let me guess, you live in a country where all the big movies are produced and always at low prices. let me guess. you pay no more than usd 20$ or so for a dvd. let me guess, all the same will be true for blu ray when prices come down a bit. for the rest of the world (even canada) prices are dire. 30-50 usd for a dvd. so with bloody region coding, hardware b cannot play disk a and consumer is forced to pay double to watch the same film a half year after it comes to the usa.
region is rubbish
Indeed. I first saw HD video back in 1992 on a 50" back projection system running off an HDMAC source (old analogue HD format that never took off) and was simply blown away by the quality. I have wanted HD video at home for a very long time and moved from the UK just as Sky HD started. These days you really can't get a TV that isn't HD and I have an HD projector too. DVD looks OK on it but I really wanted that 1992 experience so when the XBox360 drive appeared it was so cheap I figured what the heck. I expected the PS3 to be a great way to get BD to be a success and I will get one sooner or later but there are so few Blu-ray discs available here in NZ that it isn't worth bothering yet. That, and the PS3 costs about double what it does in the US.
Anyway, for much less than I paid for my first DVD player in 99, or for my first LD player back in 92 (PAL/NTSC Pioneer), I got an HD DVD player and have enjoyed all the films I have been able to buy. They won't magically disappear and if a UP5500 from the US is in my future then I will be able to play Region A BDs and my HD DVDs so I might as well keep buying. Amazon is doing quite a large number of HD DVDs for under US$15. Compare that with the $30 I used to pay for LDs back in the day.......
apple needs to incorporate some blu-ray drives in their macs. even the dell 1530 xps laptop has a slot-load blu-ray drive nowadays...
and on that news january the ps3 passed all video game system in sales last month
Yes. The Sony haters are sure having to eat some today.
And the opportunities for gloating are just going to increase!!!
As far as I'm concerned, I've been there and done that with buying physical optical media in building a DVD collection. I'm not bothering this time around. I'll buy my Blu-Ray player and keep renting from Netflix until it's time to switch to all streaming/download from Netflix, Apple, or whomever comes along with the best service and pricing. Here's hoping that mass production drops Blu-Ray player prices 50% in 6 months or less.
and on that news january the ps3 passed all video game system in sales last month
Nope, not yet. Take another look.
Canada pricing is competitive with the U.S. Sometimes the prices are better in Canadian stores. Unfortunately I can't speak for mail ordering.
I was under the impression that BluRay will not display a full 1920 x 1080p without using HDMI. Something to do with HDCP.
yes, there are a few instances when a dvd is reasonably priced in canada, but that is not often. every time i visit the states, i notice all audio and movie content much cheaper from just about every store. there are bargain basement prices you get in canada as well but the 20-25 dollar dvd is rare.
multiply that in japan, europe (i don' tknow much about anywhere else) where finding dvd for less than 35$ is a fun run
multiply that in japan, europe (i don' tknow much about anywhere else) where finding dvd for less than 35$ is a fun run
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Looking forward to LOTR and The Matrix!
Looking forward to LOTR and The Matrix!
Amen. You can get 4.7GB single-layer recordable DVDs for under $1. I recently bought a 2GB flash drive for about $20. Do the math.
This whole digital download fancy for video is WAY ahead of its time. Audio was able to do it because people like me can store an entire library of music on less than half a 30GB iPod. Video takes up much more space (especially when you start talking HD, even 720p), so until someone can compress video better or cut the prices of flash memory by about 1000%, you're going to need optical drives.
I know that's true when you're talking about home theater (component won't do it). I don't know what the deal is in the computing world.
As for whomever made the comment about watching HD movies on a 15" screen, it ain't about that. It's about being able to use the movies I have on Blu-ray Disc only (the Harry Potter movies, The Simpsons Movie, Lost Season 3) on another device. Actually, it's about wanting to rip them with HandBrake so I can port them. I'm guessing that a lot of you out there like to buy the hard copies on DVD and then rip them to your computer. Well, Blu-ray Discs are exactly the same. They just look a whole lot better than DVDs.
If you can't tell the difference in HD quality and you have all the HD stuff, watch an MLS soccer game on ESPN2HD this year and then watch another one two days later on Fox Soccer Channel in SD. Same with college basketball on your regional channel and then during March on CBS.
No frickin' comparison.
Now I can go ahead and buy a Blu-ray DVD player...
Cheers!
No, wait for BluRay 2.0 players to come out. Unless you're buying a PS3 (they'll be upgradeable).
A dollar.
Hell, most of the time you can find 25 packs of decent media (Sony, TDK, Memorex) for 7-8 bucks a pack.
So around 35 cents a disc. You get 110GB of storage in that 25 pack spindle.
(DVDs format out to 4.38 GB)
I am really happy that this format war seems to be over. At least for the consumer.
Regarding Apple - I am not so sure if they will support BluRay. The comments they made indicate that they think that downloads are the future.
On the other side - their computers are used by many content creators (like me) and I want to create BlueRay media.
I don't think that the next Macbook Pro will have BlueRay because the Mac Pro hasn't got it either.
Regarding Apple - I am not so sure if they will support BluRay. The comments they made indicate that they think that downloads are the future.
On the other side - their computers are used by many content creators (like me) and I want to create BlueRay media.
I don't think that the next Macbook Pro will have BlueRay because the Mac Pro hasn't got it either.
I hope I can get Battlestar Galactica Season one and Star Trek: TOS Season 1 for a song. Screw the "war". I'm not dropping my HD DVD player. It can sit along side a BR player whenever the damn format gets below the "magic" $200 price point. Right now the cheapest BR player is around $300 which is too much. I got my HD DVD player last fall for $160.
I'm more then willing to stock up on HD DVD disks while BR gets its crap sorted out....and when I say crap I mean the interactive features that most BR players can't support yet because they can't connect to the net. Way to back an unfinished spec guys....
Anyways. I'm glad this is over one way or another. Would have rather have had HD DVD win. I have some friends who live in Japan who could have gone on an Anime shopping spree for me. Since HD DVD is region free and BR is not....would have been nice. *shrugs*
I'm more then willing to stock up on HD DVD disks while BR gets its crap sorted out....and when I say crap I mean the interactive features that most BR players can't support yet because they can't connect to the net. Way to back an unfinished spec guys....
Anyways. I'm glad this is over one way or another. Would have rather have had HD DVD win. I have some friends who live in Japan who could have gone on an Anime shopping spree for me. Since HD DVD is region free and BR is not....would have been nice. *shrugs*
Can I ask a question here that's been bugging me for some time? Why, in the name of $Deity, do people get so fanatical about a frickin' MEDIA FORMAT!?!
Okay, I can kinda get the whole Apple/Microsoft thing that some people indulge in (even if it does seem stupid and pointless, but I digress) but the topic of which shiny silver discs will be triumphant has generated more wasted pixels than Britney Spears latest trauma. And the really weird thing is, in my opinion of course, those people celebrating the death of HD-DVD don't actually have a finished product to buy yet.
Oh sure, you can get a PS3 which will be firmware upgradeable to profile 2 when it finally gets released but unless you've got an amp that takes HDMI input forget about getting true HD sound out of the thing. All of the standalone players not only cost a pretty big chunk of dosh but you're going to be stuck with a profile 1.1 or even 1.0 machine so you won't get the full benefit out of discs in less than a years time. And, of course, media prices are currently... what's the word... oh yes, INSANE!
Granted I'm looking at this from a UK perspective which means we get bent over the desk and screwed on a regular basis anyway but as a price comparison here a new release on DVD tends to be around £10 - £12 in the high street on week of release. The same blu-ray or HD-DVD film goes for £20 - £30! And for what, a jump in picture quality and maybe an exclusive extra or two? Without the market pressure of a rival format I don't see that price dropping much for a while either.
Let's be honest here, the 'war' being over is a good thing for the consumer in that there's no need to choose a format and hope movies you want to see are released for that format but that's where the good news ends. Cost of entry just trippled from £100 to £300 (ED-30 HD-DVD to PS3), stand-alone players that are worth buying won't be here until late in the year at best, any future profile updates are still likely to screw you unless the standard is changed to insist on upgradable players and media costs are through the roof, up the chimney and reaching for the stars. The better outcome would have been for all studios to go multi-platform but oh well, such is life I suppose.
And as for assuming that Blu-Ray will be the standard HD media format for years to come, I wouldn't be so sure. That price point of £300 is important because it brings a player in at almost exactly the same cost as a HD satellite box and a years HD subscription. In a worst-case scenario it'll cost £20 to subscribe to the movie package which give you 2 HD channels currently and possibly three in the near future. No, it's not quite the same picture quality as Blu-Ray can offer but for most it'll be more than good enough. Yes, Blu-Ray will get cheaper as time goes on but the number of ways of getting HD content are increasing all the time. Apple TV is one example but it seems everyone and their dog are trying out video on-demand services right now. And remember that the VAST majority of users either a) don't have a 1080p set anyway or b) have a 1080p set but sit far enough away for the screen size that any extra detail is lost. To get the full benefit of 1080p from a normal viewing distance in the typical living room (say,what, 10 feet?) you'd need to be looking at a 70 inch screen at the least. To even start to notice the benefit you'd need a 50 inch screen.
One other thing, have a serious think about what got the majority of people to switch to DVD. Yes, picture and sound improvements were a big plus but what was the one thing all of your non-techie friends latched on to the first time they used it? In my case, and I suspect many others, it was the fact you didn't have to mess about with rewinding tapes and could jump instantly to a scene. A small thing but a major jump forward in useability. HD media doesn't really offer that (no, an in-movie menu bar doesn't count) but on-line distribution does. The great unwashed may well decide that having instant access to 720p versions of thousands of movies (preferably for a flat rate subscription fee but that's a different topic) is better than having to either buy or physically rent the same movie with slightly better picture and sound quality.
Sorry for the rant, guess I just had to get that out of my system.
In response to the previous poster, I am also in the UK and yeah, we get completely screwed over on prices every single time. However, while you were right that in the high street blu-ray is £20-30 a shot, I have never once bought one from the high street and I never will. I've backed blu-ray since last March when I bought a PS3, and since then I've never paid more than £17.99 for a single blu-ray movie. Have a look at the prices online, particularly for region free titles. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Heh! The typical price of the HD DVDs I have been buying from Amazon are US$20 in other words £10. Less than the price of the DVD in most cases. Even new releases in the rather unfortunate combo DVD/HD DVD format cost about US$27 or £13.50. Best of all, I could buy brand new releases without worrying about the region. Sure, there are a number of region free BDs but all the new stuff is region locked so if you don't have a region A player you are stuck paying UK prices. £17.99 is US$35 at current exchange rates and that is a cheap BD.
Want to hear something even sicker? The most expensive BDs in NZ are NZ$50 which is £20. Most are NZ$42 or £17 and that is in the shops. Of course, I can buy HD DVDs in the shops here for NZ$32 which is £13 so it is still a little cheaper to get them from the US as long as I buy several to save on the postage. UK prices are a serious rip off for media. Players are less of an issue, in NZ the players are crazy expensive. We were still stuck paying NZ$1200 for the PS3 60GB version while you guys were getting the same machine for £350 (NZ$870) and we don't even get the 60GB version any more. The 40GB machine is NZ$799 or £322 or US$632. I believe that same machine can be had in the US for US$399. Think about that for a moment. I find it quite cheeky for people in the US to complain about the price of discs and players.
The only people really happy about BD winning are those who live in Region A. Still, they can stick their region coding, I'll just buy a US player and be done with it.
Having to hunt around online for a reasonable price is pretty much the de facto standard for the UK shopper. I'm sure what I consider to be 'cheap' is still expensive by another countrys standards, but it's the best I can hope for being stuck on this miserable little island!!!
If anyone is recruiting for an IT Support Analyst in either Canada or NZ, then I'm available immediately if you can provide me with a box to live in. I come with a free funny accent too.
If anyone is recruiting for an IT Support Analyst in either Canada or NZ, then I'm available immediately if you can provide me with a box to live in. I come with a free funny accent too.