Is this the end of HD-DVD?

[SinisterDeath]

For the past few months, Studio after Studio has fallen to Blu-Ray, Even an early adopter of HD-DVD got behind the Blu-Ray format.

Currently, the studios who have gone exclusive to Blu-Ray are as follows,

Disney, Fox, Warner, Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate and MGM. Thats 7 out of the 8 major Studios.

We've also seen several retails falling behind Blu-Ray. (even including 'wohlsworth, which died in america?)

 

So, whats putting the next nail in the coffin for HD-DVD?

 

 

Netflix switches to Sony DVD format

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Netflix Inc., the online movie rental company, said Monday it is switching exclusively to the Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs, following four major movie studios in selecting the Sony technology over one pushed by Toshiba Corp.

 

Toshiba (TOSBF) and Sony (SNE) have been vying to set the standard for high-definition DVDs for several years. The stakes are high because the winner will also get a boost in sales of DVD players needed to read the new format.

 

The Walt Disney Co., (DIS, Fortune 500) Sony Corp.'s (SNE) Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s (NWS, Fortune 500) Twentieth Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have endorsed Blu-ray. Paramount and Universal Studios publish their high-definition DVDs in Toshiba's HD DVD format.

 

Netflix (NFLX) has stocked both formats since they became available in 2006, but said the decision of four of the six major studios to issue films only in Blu-ray format made it likely that the Sony format will prevail.

 

"From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers," the company said, adding that not many customers order high-def DVDs.

 

Consequently, many consumers have held off on buying a high-def DVD player.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/11/news/companies/bc.netflix.blu.ray.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008021110

 

 

Wal-Mart on Blu-ray bandwagon

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- National discount retailer Wal-Mart announced Friday that it had decided to only sell Sony's Blu-ray hi-definition movie discs, and will phase out Toshiba's competing HD-DVD formatted discs over the next several months.

 

Wal-Mart said that by June, its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores would sell only Blu-ray discs and Blu-ray hardware players. Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD format are not compatible.

 

"We've listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases," said Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment in a statement.

 

Apple TV vs. Blu-ray: How do they stack up?

Wal-Mart said it would continue selling HD-DVD products, but over the next 30 days, customers will see a significant shift in emphasis to Blu-ray in both brick-and-mortar stores and online. The retailer said it will continue to sell DVDs and standard-definition hardware.

 

Wal-Mart is the latest movie vendor to choose Blu-ray over HD-DVD. Earlier this week, online movie rental company Netflix (NFLX) announced its support for Blu-ray, and said it would phase out HD-DVD as well. Video publishers Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500), Sony's Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s (NWS, Fortune 500) Twentieth Century Fox, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have all endorsed Blu-ray.

 

In a rivalry that mirrors the Betamax-VHS dispute of the 1970s, Sony (SNE) and Toshiba have been battling each other to define the industry's hi-definition video standard. The winner will see a boost in the sale of hardware needed to play the hi-definition discs.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/15/technology/wal-mart_blu-ray/index.htm?postversion=2008021511

 

 

Walmart, and Netflix.

Thats going to be huge for 'sales'...

And personally, I'm happy about the netflix one. Maybe now, I won't have to wait 4 months to watch a Blu-Ray movie when it would take less then a week for a regular dvd. ;)

[Cadsuane]

Now if only Netflix would hurry up and work out a deal with Apple so that their streaming movies would play on Macs.  :P

[Emperor]

What would that matter.  They only have like 5 movies that can stream anyway. 

 

Yes Sin, HDDVD is dead.

[Shendare]

Last I heard, Toshiba (the biggest HD-DVD pusher next to Microsoft) was working on a Blu-Ray player.

 

Within two years it'll be, "HD-DVD? What's that?"

[ironcross]

*** plays taps***

[Jelly]

*Laughs*

What is HD-DVD?

[Emperor]

At a press conference a few minutes ago, Toshiba officially announced that it will "no longer develop, manufacture and market" any HD-DVD players and recorders.

 

Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

 

Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe.

 

The move effectively kills the format and finally brings to an end the several year long format war that has been running since both Blu-ray and HD-DVD were first announced.

 

HD-DVD was the first out of the gate in April 2006 with its players and discs. Despite lacking the support of three of the major six studios, the format's cheaper prices and other benefits (eg. no region coding) but equally good audio/video quality led it to prove a surprisingly tough competitor against the Sony-backed Blu-ray juggernaut which came out a few months later.

 

Through til mid-2007, it also looked like the war could very well go either way - reviews for most titles on major sites generally favored HD-DVD more in terms of picture quality and functionality, whilst owners were generally more satisfied with their format than the Blu-ray counterpart. Yet Blu-ray had a lot more marketing muscle and an equally excitable fan base.

 

One good thing that came out of the competition is that it got Sony off its ass and was forced to actually work hard to make their format succeed. Whereas HD-DVD came out from the get-go with the best the format could offer, Blu-ray launched with unfinished tech that had far more potential, and thus was able to make dramatic improvements in quality.

 

Disastrously bad early Blu-ray titles (such as the infamous first "The Fifth Element" printing) quickly improved, the studio dumping its crappy MPEG2 video codecs, lackluster audio tracks and inadequate single-layer 25Gb discs for dual-layer 50Gb discs and much higher quality transfers that equaled or exceeded their HD-DVD counterpart. Its interactive features only recently finally caught up with HD-DVD's nifty picture-in-picture capabilities amongst other things, but have offered better quality video for its supplements thanks to the format's extra space.

 

By late Summer last year, Blu began to overtake HD in terms of reviews and quality. Thanks to the PS3's footprint, sales of Blu always remained superior (about 2:1 in the US, higher in other countries) but never as overwhelming as the Sony marketing machine would have you think. Paramount's defection to HD-DVD in August for example, showed that the war was still very much in play.

 

The decisive move though was Warner Bros. defection to Blu-ray during the New Year. That originally dual-format supporting studio was easily the market leader in the high-definition realm and so with it firmly entrenched in the Blu-ray camp, other major dominoes began to fall. The mega-distribution trio of Best Buy, Netflix and Wal-Mart all going Blu-ray last week hammered the final nails in HD-DVD's coffin.

 

The fallout will be settling for the next week or so. This will not please HD-DVD owners however and as of last month, over a million dedicated HD DVD players have been sold with several times that many discs as well. Studios have yet to announce any plans for a 'format swapping' program allowing disgruntled users to get Blu-ray equivalents of their libraries and its expected that they'll simply have to eat the costs.

 

HD-DVD exclusive studios Paramount and Universal are expected to have been freed from their commitments, in fact talk has it that Paramount has already been getting Blu-ray copies of its major 2007 performers like "Transformers," "Blades of Glory" and "Zodiac" ready for release quickly. Blu-ray versions of HD-DVD only titles like "Batman Begins," "The Mummy," and "Heroes: Season 1" are expected to all hit shelves later in the year.

 

So thinking of going out and buying a Blu-ray player right now? Hold it a moment. If you've already bought a stand-alone Blu-ray player other than a Playstation 3 then you'll be stuck with the HD-DVD people - ie. likely to throw out your player in the near future.

 

Only players capable of playing Blu-ray's 2.0 profile (aka. BD-Live) are truly future proof. At present, the only player capable of doing that is the PS3, though Panasonic and Sony are expected to release players soon that use the standard. We're also still a good year or so off from the holy grail - a region free Blu-ray and DVD player that can play either format disc from anywhere in the world.

[Shendare]

Microsoft's response: "Crud! Umm... nobody flock to PS3! Keep buying XBox 360s!"

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23225024/

 

SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft Corp. does not expect sales of its Xbox 360 game console to suffer if Toshiba Corp. discontinues HD DVD technology, Microsoft said in a statement on Monday.

 

"We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace," the company said. "We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player."

 

Xbox 360 supports a plug-in HD DVD accessory that allows customers to view high definition DVDs produced only with this Toshiba technology.

 

Toshiba sources said on Saturday that the company is preparing to exit the HD DVD business, thereby surrendering a two-year battle to control the format of next-generation DVDs.

 

Customers would be left to buy high-definition DVDs produced with Blu-ray, an alternate technology controlled by Sony Corp.

 

The Microsoft statement pledged that Xbox 360 customers would continue to be able to consume high-definition movies, television programs, and DVDs they already own.

 

In January, a Microsoft executive said the company would be open to supporting Blu-Ray technology for its Xbox 360 machine.

[Tenshin_Xo]

The Microsoft statement pledged that Xbox 360 customers would continue to be able to consume high-definition movies, television programs, and DVDs they already own.

 

Basically this is a poor way of saying that the HDDVD player was an external upgrade that could be replaced with an external Blu-Ray drive.

 

I wonder if a Plug and Play DVD(BR) drive would work on the Xbox.

[Tenshin_Xo]

Salt in the wound for Toshiba/ HD-DVD;

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Console/J7L7H2R4?page=2

 

Rumours were circulating today that Microsoft is set to dump HD DVD and bring out a Blu ray Xbox 360 by as early as May 2008. The move will allow the Company to go head to head with the Sony PS3 gaming console which has been credited with being one of the main reasons that retailers have preferred Blu-ray over Toshiba’s HD DVD.

Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.

 

The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.

 

Both Intel and Microsoft have been supporters of the HD DVD format that is set to be killed off this week.

 

The Company has also held discussions with several OEM manufacturers of media centres with nearly all of them telling the software Company that they are set to move to Blu-ray configured Media Centres within the next month.

 

Late last week US Media Centre maker Niveus dumped HD DVD in favour of Blu-ray.

 

The Company VP of marketing Brian Paper said that Niveus had received support from Microsoft and Intel when implementing HD DVD. The format wasn't pushed on Niveus, he said, adding that the commitment in both Intel and Microsoft "isn't religious for HD DVD".

 

Michael Ephraim the Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment said: "We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable. In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very succesful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player".

 

When asked whether Sony would grant Microsoft a Blu-ray licence he said: "That is up to Sony Corporate but I see no reason why they would not do it".

 

During CES 2006 the then Microsoft's Xbox corporate VP of worldwide marketing and publishing Peter Moore told Japanese site ITmedia that a Blu-ray Xbox 360 peripheral could appear for the system if the need arises. Moore admitted that Microsoft isn't sure of the next-generation format war's outcome, with the worst-case scenario being a repeat of the Beta vs. VHS war of the '80s.

 

However, he suggested that whatever the outcome of the HD-DVD/Blu-ray war, the Xbox 360 can adopt the dominant format since its uses an external drive.

 

 

Bolded and underlined for emphasis.

[Cadsuane]

I blame the name. "Blu-ray" is so much more exciting than "HD-DVD." ^_^

[SinisterDeath]

I blame the name. "Blu-ray" is so much more exciting than "HD-DVD." ^_^

 

Blame, implies that Blu-Ray is a 'bad' thing. It Is the supperior format, via shere volume. Perhaps not in the special features, but, you know. I don't care about the special effects they have on the disk. I just want to see the damned movie, and the things like, alternative endings, making off, ect. Which both HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray can and have done. Only blu-ray could hold more of it, in HD. ;)

[Jelly]

*Looks at all the weird words and decides to ignore them*

Does it really matter? They both play DVD's don't they?

[SinisterDeath]

*Looks at all the weird words and decides to ignore them*

Does it really matter? They both play DVD's don't they?

 

Regular DVD's yes.

But they both play HD movies, just on a different format of a disk.

HD movies, require more space, and a regular DVD disk, just wouldn't be able to contain enough data to hold a feature length HD movie on it.

[Jelly]

What does HD stand for?

[Haxorsist]

High-definition.

[Jelly]

Ah...I see..

[Cadsuane]

I blame the name. "Blu-ray" is so much more exciting than "HD-DVD." ^_^

 

Blame, implies that Blu-Ray is a 'bad' thing. It Is the supperior format, via shere volume. Perhaps not in the special features, but, you know. I don't care about the special effects they have on the disk. I just want to see the damned movie, and the things like, alternative endings, making off, ect. Which both HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray can and have done. Only blu-ray could hold more of it, in HD. ;)

 

Well, it IS a bad thing for the makers of HD-DVD. I don't know or care enough about it for it to be a bad thing for me. Besides, my tv doesn't do HD anyway. ;D

[Emperor]

Jelly... HD is the future.  Much like Digital is better than analog.  Once you have tasted (watched) something in HD, it is hard to go back to regular TV.  I am a HD snob.

 

 

[Tenshin_Xo]

The difference is also plainly visible in many HD video games too.  For example, playing GoW or Assassin's Creed in 720p with 5.1 is a whole different ball game than playing it over my old junky s-video cable with stereo. ;)

[Shendare]

I only have an early-generation widescreen 19" LCD TV (DVI, no HDMI/HDCP!), and I very much notice the difference between standard picture TV/DVD and even just regular DVDs played over component video. I can only imagine how much better full 1080p on a big screen TV with Blu-Ray over HDMI would look.

 

I hope to find out later this year!

[Emperor]

I have a 1080p TV but can't play games or watch DVD's that high yet.  Basically my DVDs move up to 480p over the 360 and my 360 goes up to 1080i. 

[Shendare]

The built-in 360 drive doesn't do standard DVD upconversion to even 720p, eh? I wonder whether the Blu-Ray add-on drive will.

 

And in case you're wondering what the difference is, Jelly, even just on my little 19" TV, the difference I've seen between watching a movie playing from my "digital quality cable" and watching the same movie from a DVD is like going to the cinema and switching from a room with the projector somewhat out of focus to one where it's so much clearer.

 

And yet it would be that much better again in a High Definition format like Blu-Ray and playing on a larger TV with a digital video connection.

 

Technology is getting very good for home entertainment this decade. *laugh*

[Tenshin_Xo]

I have a 1080p TV but can't play games or watch DVD's that high yet.  Basically my DVDs move up to 480p over the 360 and my 360 goes up to 1080i. 

 

Criminal!!!  ;)  Go get yon self a falcon Xbox and an HDMI cable. :P 

 

  Seriously though, the Xbox does upscale into EDTV, which is the effective limit for any SD DVD upscaling, unless you are willing to drop a grand on a DVD player specifically designed for upscaling.  Good luck finding one, because they disappeared when HD/Blu-ray hit the scene in a big way.  You'll see 720p upscalers for what 5-600? Realistically though they are a gimmick 9 times out of ten because they artifact terribly bad, and if you spend the money on your TV it'll upscale ANY input you bring it, not just your DVD player.

 

Also the the drive does no upscaling on its own, you need some form of video processors, deinterlacers/line doublers, etc etc for any decent upscaling.  On a side note, because of AACS its illegal and sometimes impossible to create an upscaler that plays SD DVD's at 1080p, unless it's an HD-DVD or BluRay player.  Copyright crap.  Buying the external component unlocks the features to upscale.

 

So much misinformation is out there, and the marketing is sneaky as all get out.  The thing that gets me is the lack of standardization for terminology.

 

Like games which play natively at 720p but can internally upscale to 1080p and so are called native 1080p, even though they show 720p video in a 1080p signal.

 

 

[SinisterDeath]

The built-in 360 drive doesn't do standard DVD upconversion to even 720p, eh? I wonder whether the Blu-Ray add-on drive will.

 

And in case you're wondering what the difference is, Jelly, even just on my little 19" TV, the difference I've seen between watching a movie playing from my "digital quality cable" and watching the same movie from a DVD is like going to the cinema and switching from a room with the projector somewhat out of focus to one where it's so much clearer.

 

And yet it would be that much better again in a High Definition format like Blu-Ray and playing on a larger TV with a digital video connection.

 

Technology is getting very good for home entertainment this decade. *laugh*

 

From my understanding, the dvd player in the 360, wouldn't upscale to 720p. but the HD-DVD adon does. (I think)

 

And, the difference between 1080i, and 1080p, is 'minor' and really only apparent (from my understanding) when you move up to tvs over the 46" size.

 

 

I have a 1080p TV but can't play games or watch DVD's that high yet.  Basically my DVDs move up to 480p over the 360 and my 360 goes up to 1080i. 

Like games which play natively at 720p but can internally upscale to 1080p and so are called native 1080p, even though they show 720p video in a 1080p signal.

 

A lot of 360 games do that, I believe Halo 3, is 720p Native, but upscales to 1080p. I would say, most games use 720p as there Natives, specially the 'early' games for the consoles generation...

I think, games that came out with in the last say, 9 months, are making 1080p there actual Native display.

 

Oh, when it comes to Region codes, DVD has like, 300 (jk, its more like 28)

Blu-Ray has 3, I believe. Basically, North America, Europe, Asia.

Studios don't like non-region coded formats, but formats that are, they like them relatively 'simple'. To many regions, it hurts 'sales', 'slows' things down. To few, they lose 'profit'. IF everyone bought DVD player in the UK, they have to wait for the UK release of the said movie. Same for NA, and Asia.

Though, Apparenetly China isn't region coded, even though they manufacturer everything. ;)