Last-Minute Delays Looming for HD-DVD Launch? 109
An anonymous reader writes: "No official comment from Toshiba or Warner, but both Best Buy and Amazon revised ship dates for initial HD-DVD hardware and software on Friday, suggesting that high-def DVD enthusiasts chomping at the bit for next Tuesday's arrival of the first HD-DVD players and discs may have to wait a few days more."
Revised Shipping Dates (Score:2, Funny)
Re:pricing (Score:1)
Snooze (Score:2)
late (Score:1)
Re:late (Score:2)
Please don't say that DVD's are ok because the DRM has been bypassed because despite that, the DRM is still there, just in an earlier form of what these new players and disks will have.
There's a huge difference between DVD and HD (Score:1)
> mind can comprehend, why would they need another format?
Have you seen an HD broadcast of your favorite TV show (Lost, Battlestar Gallactica, etc?). It's definately better than a DVD. Maybe you can't tell if your TV isn't very good, but I use a 100" front projector (AE700), and there's a significant difference.
I would probably still buy most of my movies on DVD, because they're much cheaper, but there are some movies (Serenity, LotR, Terminator
Re:There's a huge difference between DVD and HD (Score:2)
BSG isn't available in HD. SciFi doesn't have an HD feed, AFAIK.
Re:There's a huge difference between DVD and HD (Score:1)
Re:There's a huge difference between DVD and HD (Score:2)
I have the exact same projector as you. You spelled "slight difference" incorrectly.
Both look terrific. You do know that 1080i broadcasts (such as those from PBS) are actually being adapted to your 720p system by downgrading them to 540 lines of resolutio
Re:late (Score:1)
When i got them I did not know about DRM, Regein coding ect.
But....I know alot more then I did back then and most are in that boat.
I find that I can have Component out, Composite out and S-vidio out. DVD is fine for me.
No down rezzing as with the HD-DVD and Blue ray. and the DRM in them is more evil.
dont have to trash my 32in lcd tv eather because it wont be compatible.
The standard DVD is going to be around for a longer then they would like you and i to beleive.
On a foot not
Re:late (Score:1)
DVD's are ok because "fair use" is possible (Score:2)
Before then, it is just controlled encrypted data, which you may able to watch under certain conditions and restrictions: conditions and restrictions which are likely to change.
The DVD format and DRM have become an unofficial open standard.
Re:DVD's are ok because "fair use" is possible (Score:2)
Fair use of anything is possible, but it's a matter of cracking your way into it and having a complete disregard for the other laws that make it impossible.
Re:DVD's are ok because "fair use" is possible (Score:2)
No "cracking" is needed. You don't need to crack the encryption. It is public knowledge. Plenty of open source software allows you to decrypt movies, to allow you to watch your purchased movies with flexibility.
Re:DVD's are ok because "fair use" is possible (Score:2)
Re:DVD's are ok because "fair use" is possible (Score:2)
The primary purpose of decrypting the media, is to watch it.
If you bypass CSS for the purpose of making illegal copies, then perhaps you are "circumventing copy protection".
But if you are just decrypting the disc to watch it (or remove commercials), you are just decrypting the disc to watch it (or remove commercials).
Someone has to say it: (Score:5, Insightful)
Then again, I might consider an HD-DVD player to watch Serenity. If, of course, I could afford a TV that would play it back.
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:5, Insightful)
It sold solidly in DVD upon release (extremely well in comparison to its box office) , and is popular with an audience that is relatively high on early adopters. It's a reasonable choice for an early HD-DVD release.
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:2)
Contrast it with releasing a more popular romantic comedy on HD-DVD. What have they
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:2)
Of course, while there's that cult following and relatively geeky and therefore early adopter audience, they're also targeting the people that are most likely to avoid the product
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:2)
Actually, yes. (Score:1)
Revenge of the Sith is only 49th.
So yes, I'd say Serenity is selling very well.
Firefly was also the 2nd most TiVo'd show while on Fox, so that shows that people who like Serenity have technology gadgets and disposable income.
It makes sense to me.
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:2)
million dollar baby and all them were pushed back about a week ago, this is old news to anyone reading engadget.com. and certainly doesn't mean the doom of HD-DVD, since blu-ray is still set for june/july, AFAIK.
Re:Someone has to say it: (Score:2)
If you have an LCD (w/DVI) that's 17" or larger, then I think you don't need a TV to play Serenity using an HD-DVD player. I'm not seriously suggesting buying a $500 player (plus HDMI-DVI adapter) to watch HD movies on a 17" LCD, but I'm pretty sure it can be played (maybe not well). In case you missed the story:
I'm su
Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a disc? (Score:1, Interesting)
On a slightly different topic, I wonder when, if ever, we will see storage alternatives you can actually use to make a full backup of a modern hard drive. I don't know about others here, but HD-DVD wouldn't even cut it for my laptop's comparatively small drive (by today's standards), let alone the 300-500 GB drives making their way into everyone's computers nowadays.
I guess it's always been like this, thinking back to the floppy, CD, DVD, etc. Anyway. Not to say that HD-DVD won't help, but I guess the que
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:1)
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:3, Interesting)
Back when CD-ROM *readers* were new I think average hard drive space was maybe 200MB? Well even a rev 1 CDR held 600+, which was plenty, but while CD
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:4, Insightful)
As a result, the right medium for backup, assuming a willingness to make the investment, is and always has been tape. Because it packs much more surface area into a single reasonably-dimensioned package than can be done with a removable disc, it will always be better at holding bulk data.
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:2)
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:2)
If you have an index, and don't write your backups as one huge
Granted, it's not nearly as nice as a hard disk, but not as bad as you seem to imply either.
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:1)
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:1)
These DVDv2 disks are a step in the right direction, but the max spec is only for eight (IIRC) layers and even right now hard disks are bigger than
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:2)
I recently got myself a DDS4 tape drive. I thought about my backups and came to a few conclusions:
I'll never keep it up if it involves messing with a stack of DVDs.
It's got to fit all my backups in one piece of media.
It won't last if it interferes with my normal usage.
I need to backup daily to get into the routine (too easy to forget if it's once a week or month)
So, I looked at how much I had to backup, and
Re:Will we ever be able to fit a large HDD on a di (Score:1)
There is one: it's called tape. Only problem, you need to amortize the price of the drive across many media to enjoy the good price/capcity of the media. That's why it's only attractive for large systems.
HVDs (Score:1)
It won't be anything to compete with BVD or HDDVD as a distibution format because they can't be pressed in their thousands like BVD and HDDVD can.
I wonder what the absolute overkill would be for consumer grade storage mediums. The only thing that really fills the Hard Drives of today is Video, and I suppose that will only get worse the more we use HDTV.
No Delay, Get them Today! (Score:5, Informative)
See this page for more detalis/pics:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=6
Re:No Delay, Get them Today! (Score:1)
--
Steve
Re:No Delay, Get them Today! (Score:1)
Re:No Delay, Get them Today! (Score:2)
Doom9 Comment (Score:4, Interesting)
HD DVD was launched early. Yesterday, the first HD DVD players were being sold in Japan and a reader managed to grab one and two discs, and he was not pleased. I haven't managed to get any details yet as to which codec was used and if the disc was single layer or double layer, but 1080i content encoded with MPEG-2 to a single layer HD DVD would indeed be a disaster.. two times the space for 4 times the amount of pixels - you do the math.
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:2)
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:2)
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:2)
That is not necessarily true. Single-Layer HD-DVD is 15GB. 1 hour of full-bitrate broadcast HDTV is roughly 8.5GB (19.2Mbps) . So a 100 minute movie would be about 14GB. That leaves 1GB for menus and all the lame standard-def extras.
Some will argue that 19.2Mbps is not quite sufficient for 1080i, but modern MPEG-2 encoders are greatly improved ove
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:3, Interesting)
Perhaps he didn't use the HDMI connector?
This comment shows a serious lack of knowledge about how video compression works. Increasing the size of the picture does not require an equally large bitrate increase. A lot of MPEG overhead is fixed, and can't be reduced, no matter how l
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:1)
It depends an the content you're using. HDTV supports 24fps, the framerate movies are shot in. So for movies it would be more logical to encode a progressive picture at the lower framerate.
But would the specs be able to handle 1080p24?
Re:Doom9 Comment (Score:2)
As far as I've heard, HD-DVD only supports up to 1080i, which means 30fps 3:2 telecined films. Meanwhile, Blu-ray is the one that will actually support 1080p.
Re:Chomping at the bits? (Score:2)
Some don't make it (Beta, Laserdisc, anyone?), some do (CD, DVD, cassette tape, VHS). Nobody serious ever *ostensibly* releases a new format just for the sake of having a new format - there are always new purported gains with a new format, which are what generate the excitement.
But either way, *somebody* has to be a pioneer and stick their necks out in hopes of adoption by others. Otherwise nothing would ever improve.
ast-Minute Delays = Years for geeks like me (Score:1, Redundant)
It took ages before a geek named Jon made it possible for me to enjoy DVD discs on my entertainment system (not that it really matters since I playd DVD's on it like five times ever - I get most media from the Internet).
So. HD-DVD is delayed a week or month. So what? I'd be amazed if I'm able to play those on my GNU Linux before 2008 - if ever - regardless of a short delay..
(it should also be noted that I don't
Re:ast-Minute Delays = Years for geeks like me (Score:1, Informative)
Re:last-Minute Delays = Years for geeks like me (Score:1)
I've got windows/suse 9.1 installed on my laptop and it uses grun to load up. I want to replace suse with a different version of linux... how do I do that without messing up GRUB and making windows not able to load (bearing in mind I don't have the windows CD) and what distro of linux should I choose as somewhat of a noobie? (ideally free in both senses)... and there goes the karma...
Re:last-Minute Delays = Years for geeks like me (Score:2)
Open a terminal as root or su into root
cd
Use your favorite editor (`nano`|`pico`|`kate`|`gedit`) grub.conf
add the following lines
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0) <~~ look at your current grub.conf to find out exactly this should be
chainloader +1
make
Re:ast-Minute Delays = Years for geeks like me (Score:2)
But honestly, who cares? That's your choice of lifestyle.
You could live in the woods and complain you don't get curbside garbage pickup, and it would be the same thing. Nothing would change unless you moved to a less rural area, somehow started a massive campaign to get curbside pickup, or funded it yourself.
Something I've thought about in the format wars.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:2)
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:1)
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:2)
Did people think you needed a "Beta" TV to plug a Betamax player into?
Instead, people will buy one player, and most likely occasionally buy the wrong discs for it. Just like my girlfriend didn't know the difference between Xbox and Gamecube when I bought her a Gamecube.
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:2)
No one in this world, so far as I know
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:2)
Re:Something I've thought about in the format wars (Score:1)
Ummmm (Score:1, Insightful)
Missing the boat (Score:2, Insightful)
Depends on the screen size (Score:2)
Re:Missing the boat (Score:2)
Less than a week ago we got a samsung 67" DLP, 1080p, for roughly $3300. Then we upgraded to digital cable, and got one of those HDTV cable boxes. As of right now, there are only a handful of channels in HD. We also have a 'sample' HD channel that is used strictly to show off the capabilities of HD - we call it the 'scenery channel.' The scenery channel is outrageous, we just turn it on and watch cam
Re:Missing the boat (Score:2)
I just can't help but to butt in to rant about how incredibly pointless all this is. An upscale DVD player plays movies on typical household tv's absolutely fine. When I say fin
Am I the only one.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Look at HDTV. Very few rushed out to buy it. Most people just upgraded as their old TV died. Hell, there's still a majority of content not in hi-def.
Oh well, at least I get to analyze another major industry change as it unfolds. Always interesting
Re:Am I the only one.. (Score:2)
I am not buying a HD-DVD player, I will not mount any rented media, BluRay, HD-DVD, or just plain DVD, on my PowerMac (which is the device that dives my HDTV).
oh... an I plan on buying another Hi-Def display from an early adopter who has discovered that legal media would display properly on it... this may not be happening next weekend but it will hap
Re:Am I the only one.. (Score:1)
Very Clever (Score:1)
In fact, they oughta bundle some of these players with Serenity. How could a geek resist?
I 4 1 welcome our old-is-new-again DRM overlords! (Score:1)
Well no....not really.
There's enough problems with standard DVDs and the DRM scheme (with an e, not an a). Yet here people are, ready to rush headlong into FURTHER enshacklement in this new medium.
Wow. Higher resolution. Higher prices. Lower availability. Less rights to fair use.
Whee!
Color me unenthused.
(Translation: Fuck that noise!)
News item for the manufacturers (Score:2)
Nobody's waiting. Nobody cares.
Get your shit together, come up with a single format that is backwards compatible, provides a clear benefit, and doesn't screw things up, and THEN people might raise an eyebrow.
DVDA (Score:2)
Re:DVDA (Score:1)
HDTV (Score:1)
Re:HDTV (Score:1)
does anyone have a link to one of those articles about the people who get paid to post stuff?
Technology Betting (Score:1)
AVSForum has posts and pics of purchased players (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=6
Not Interested (Score:1)
I sincerely hope that most consumers think that this HD-DVD stuff is not worth dropping the cash, and stick w
Re:Not Interested (Score:2, Insightful)
There are a few home theatre junkies who have their undies in a wad over anything that some company tells them is "NEW!" - these are the people that spent $5-10K years ago for HD-TV before there was even content to be had (not that there really is now, as aside from sports freaks most people don't care). Those families picking up HD-TV's in Wal-Mart today? They don't give a fig about a new format. They just want a new, big TV to watch, again, the only HD-content they are likely
Re:Not Interested (Score:1)
You apparantly don't have HDTV, because if you did, you'd realize that nearly every primetime show is now broadcast in HD... Do you care if CSI is in HD? Maybe not. But it IS there. The "there's no content" argument is dead, and has been for a year or so.
> They are improvements only in picture quality, and not that great of a leap at that.
Actually, they do improve on audio -- DD+. I don't know how mu
Re:Not Interested (Score:1)
I know there is more content out there, but as I said, most people don't care if they watch CSI in HD or SD. It's sports lovers that are driving the HD content market at the moment.
I was unaware of the audio improvements, but again, it's not something that's going to sell it to the masses. Most people don't have dolby digital set-ups, and I'd be willing to be the vast majority of consumers are watching on plain old stereo or surround.
It's not that it's not a bit better,
Re:Not Interested (Score:1)
Re:Not Interested (Score:1)
AE
Re:Not Interested (Score:2)
You aren't the market.
The market are the families who paid $290 million USD to see Goblet of Fire in theaters and want the theatrical experience at home.
RCA introduced color television in 1954. It took ten years for color to gain significant market share. Digital HDTV has reached that threshold in under five years.
The current DVD resolution works just fine, thanks.
Not on the 40 a
The Next Player... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The Next Player... (Score:3, Informative)
The software player VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ [videolan.org]) will let you do that with DVD's. A godsend if you have kids and disney media.
Champing at the bit not Chomping (Score:3, Informative)
Best Buy's availability (Score:1)
Boycott (Score:2)