There is something about the latest technology that makes people love to use the word obsolete. The new iPhone makes the iPod obsolete, the latest Core 2 Dou makes the old one obsolete, but most of the time these devices are just as useful as they were when they were released -- and certainly still "in use." In October, when the BD Profile 1.1 is mandated by the BDA, all the current players will be every bit as useful as they are today. Sure it would of been great if Blu-ray was actually ready (no it's still ready now) when HD DVD was, but who wants them to stop adding features now? Sure it sucks when you pay $1000 for something only to have it replaced with a faster, better model less than a year later for half the price, but come on, obsolete? Knowing all this, we'd still rather buy now and enjoy HD movies than to have to wait till all the bugs are worked out, cause we all know that'll probably never happen.Blu-ray won't be obsolete in 2007
There is something about the latest technology that makes people love to use the word obsolete. The new iPhone makes the iPod obsolete, the latest Core 2 Dou makes the old one obsolete, but most of the time these devices are just as useful as they were when they were released -- and certainly still "in use." In October, when the BD Profile 1.1 is mandated by the BDA, all the current players will be every bit as useful as they are today. Sure it would of been great if Blu-ray was actually ready (no it's still ready now) when HD DVD was, but who wants them to stop adding features now? Sure it sucks when you pay $1000 for something only to have it replaced with a faster, better model less than a year later for half the price, but come on, obsolete? Knowing all this, we'd still rather buy now and enjoy HD movies than to have to wait till all the bugs are worked out, cause we all know that'll probably never happen.
Does your local Wal-mart feature both HD formats?
The folks at Format War Central discovered a new stand at their local Wal-mart Supercenter, featuring both HD DVD and Blu-ray high-definition formats. Two sides of the display had flat panels showing off some HD content, with a reasonable selection of movies for the two competing standards. Having done our own fair share of crawling local retailers to see the offerings, we've noticed some stores carry a meager selection of titles, and some stores don't really carry any at all. What have you seen in your area stores? Tons of HD content? Nothing but standard-def as far as the eye can see? Or just one format or the other? Leave a comment and let us know!Read - Formatwarcentral
Panasonic prepares 4x DL BD-R burner: 50GB in 46 minutes
Panasonic is set to join LG with the introduction of their own 4x speed BD-R recorder. However, while LG's GBW-H10N Blu-ray recorder burns are limited to single-layer media, Panny is boasting of a 4x burn to a dual-layer BD-R platter. That's 50GB in 46 minutes in case you're keeping track. No pictures, price, but you can expect Panny to go big and fast with product sometime later this year. [Via Impress]
Verance rolls out audio watermarking for HD DVD / Blu-ray
Microsoft & Amazon are sponsoring 1,000 indie films on HD DVD
Indie filmmakers have an easy in to sell high definition movies, as Amazon and Microsoft have teamed up with CustomFlix to provide free authoring and setup (normally $499) for up to 1,000 titles. CustomFlix will then sell the titles through Amazon using its DVD on Demand service, which produces DVDs to order. Filmmakers don't have to worry about managing inventory and can get their product to customers quickly. CustomFlix has been selling HD DVD, Blu-ray and WMV-HD flicks for a while now, but says HD DVD "fits its business model perfectly." HD DVD might not have all of the major studio supporters of Blu-ray, but maybe cheaper players and a wide variety of content can tip the balance its way.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HDTV Listings for July 2, 2007
What we're watching: We'll watch The Closer on TNT, and then Big Love at 11 p.m. on HBO, with a quick Wimbledon update on NBC in between.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Altec Lansing introduces new surround sound speaker systems
Continue reading Altec Lansing introduces new surround sound speaker systems
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on July 3rd, 2007
HD DVD gets Blood Diamond this week and with web enabled content, so if you haven't already, go download the latest firmware update. It was released on Blu-ray last month sans the new interactive content. The rest of the titles are solid catalog titles, as most titles this month are. While the total keeps rising for both formats, we can't help but wonder why each week there are so many more DVDs released than both formats combined.HD DVD 241 vs Blu-ray 260.
Blu-ray
- Flatliners (Sony)
- The Patriot (Extended Cut) (Sony)
- The Untouchables (Paramount)
- The Warriors: Ultimate Director's Cut (Paramount)
- Blood Diamond (Warner)
- The Untouchables (Paramount)
- The Warriors: Ultimate Director's Cut (Paramount)
HD DVD's latest firmware update enables web features
There is no doubt that both Hi-Def disc formats are a work in progress, and the latest update (for second-generation HD DVD players only) from Toshiba keeps HD DVD's interactive content at least one step ahead of Blu-ray. This latest update will help HD DVD fans enjoy web-enabled content included on a few titles like Warner's Blood Diamond, which hits the streets tomorrow; the update also resolves a few other issues such as the dreaded chroma bug. Like previous updates, you can download it directly to the player, (if it's connected to the Internet) or request a free update disc from Toshiba. Read -- Blood Diamond's web-content
Read -- HD DVD chroma bug
Read -- Firmware download
Sharp's AQUOS HD recorders: 5 more with less
[Via Impress]
Japan's awash in slim, 120Hz Sharp AQUOS G LCDs
[Via Impress]
Live Earth delivers 24 hours of HD concerts July 7th
[Via Multichannel News]
HDTV Listings for July 1, 2007
What we're watching: Tonight is the series finale of The Loop on Fox. We'd tell you more about it but we've never watched it before, and with three episodes airing in one evening, this seems as good a time as ever to start...and finish.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for June 30, 2007
What we're watching: Tonight we'll check out Outkast's Idlewild on Cinemax.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Analysts say only a fraction of gamers use video playback capabilities
Research analysts at The Diffusion Group have released an interesting study into the habits and knowledge levels of gamers in relationship to playing back videos, DVDs, and other video content on their consoles. Only 30% of console owners surveyed knew their game boxes were capable of playing back movies or other content, and only 13% were actually using it for that purpose. Read on for more.Continue reading Analysts say only a fraction of gamers use video playback capabilities
