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Topic: Anyone consuming HD or Blu-ray?

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 10-03-2007 01:20 PM

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
HD DVD to launch online shopping feature

Whooptee fuckin' doo!
[Roll Eyes]

It's kind of funny, but I already have a device that works pretty well for doing online shopping. It's a device called a "personal computer."

I'll probably start using my DVD player to surf the Internet and do online shopping once I also make the move to using my microwave oven to wash my clothes.

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 10-03-2007 03:49 PM

What a lame idea. It's more concrete proof that the suits in bollywood have lost all touch with reality. [Eek!]

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 10-03-2007 05:59 PM

I just picked up my Sony BDP S300, and two movies to go along with it: Phantom Of The Opera, and Pirates Of The Caribbean #1.

Boot up and disk load times are a little long, but I imagine that will get better as drive speed and processing power increase.

Other than that, no complaints here yet. Except that it really sucks that I can't shop online directly from my remote control. Wow, what a bummer. [Frown]

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-03-2007 07:25 PM

quote: Brad Miller
I've got a few CDs that I purchased in the mid and late 1980s that have suffered some sort of rot and will no longer play.

I've heard that this is indeed a humidity/temperature issue. I've still got a lot of CDs from the mid '80s and have never seen this happen. Or could it be some CDs were made better than others...shades of the 8-track and LP quality issues from the 70s! Some things never change.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-03-2007 09:36 PM

quote: Mark J. Marshall
Boot up and disk load times are a little long, but I imagine that will get better as drive speed and processing power increase.

Its more likely its because its running on Linux as is the HD-DVD stuff. First the Linux Shell boots up then the player operating system boots after that... takes my player almost exactly the same time it takes for an XD-10 to boot up.

quote: Mark J. Marshall
Except that it really sucks that I can't shop online directly from my remote control. Wow, what a bummer.

Heck... you're lucky! Unlike us HD-DVD owners that are going to be paying for shipping that recycled toilet paper in oversize UPS boxes for lots of $$$

Mark

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-01-2007 09:00 PM

Now it looks like all out war! For those interested Wal-Mart is having a one day only sale on the Toshiba HD-A2 for $99.00 and this sale is supposed to be happenning tommrrow. This sale is exempt in five states but I don't know which ones. Check your loco Wal-Mart for details.

There is also a new firmware update (Ver 2.5) for the Toshiba HD players. It adds 1080P 24fps playback to the more expensive players and well as full bit rate DTS HD to all players... and a few other language related thingys.

Mark

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 11-02-2007 12:32 PM

Sounds like desperation to me.

Warner is watching 4th quarter activity to possibly make a decision to go one way or the other. Undoubtedly their Harry Potter release is the one they'll be watching. Toshiba probably feels that more HD-DVD players out there will mean higher Harry Potter on HD-DVD sales than Blu-Ray sales, which may be true.

Some of those consumers will be upset when they find out that they can't buy the Pixar movies. Well, they could buy them. But they're not going to be happy when they don't play.

It's going to be an interesting Christmas!

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-02-2007 11:26 PM

The interesting thing about this is that Best Buy offered a price match on the deal, the local store here told a friend that BEst Buy had to remove it from their web site as they had over 4000 people wanting players before noon. When the new A3 player comes out there will also be specials on that at Best Buy just before and after Thanksgiving. You'll get two free disks in the box, 2 more free disks from Best Buy and 5 free ones to choose from a list. I picked up a player for a friend this morning at the Wal-Mart near the house here and out of 18 units that had at 7am opening there were three left at 8:30 am. People are definately watching what happens and purchasing units and disks.

I've decided that when Blew Ray offers a similar deal to the upcomming A-3 deal that I will also get one of those.

Mark

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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 11-06-2007 10:22 PM

So Mark, is the 1080p a software update and not a hardware issue? My dad is leaning towards HD dvd and will probably wait until closer to the holidays before jumping in once the fire sales start. I thought it was odd the first Hd dvd player didn't offer full 1080p resolution but if it can be simply upgraded with a firmware update, then I'll probably recommend getting that one as it'll be cheaper (format war and all that). What's the difference between the 2nd gen and the newer 3rd gen player?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-07-2007 12:17 AM

quote: Mark J. Marshall
Sounds like desperation to me.

I agree. Toshiba will be bleeding a lot of red ink over that deal, especially with the value of the dollar dropping right through the floor currently.

As it stands, HD-DVD looks more like it is in the bad marketing position as Sony's Beta in the 1980s. Toshiba is the only electronics company fully behind making standalone HD-DVD players. There is more hardware activity going on with the Blu-Ray front. And Blu-Ray's supporters may end up being the only salvation for HD-DVD through development of dual format players. Toshiba doesn't appear to be interested in any hybrid players.

According to the Tom's Hardware website Samsung pushed back the release of their BD-2400 Blu-Ray player to January so they could get the Samsung UP5000 hybrid player onto store shelves in December. That player will be capable of both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback. The player will also be fully compatible with BD Profile 1.1 discs.

Eventually every electronics company selling HD-quality movie disc players will have to sell dual format hybrid players. That includes both Sony and Toshiba.

It doesn't matter in the slightest if Toshiba marks down its HD-DVD player to $99 or even $49 for that matter. It can't play any HD movie discs from Disney, Fox and Sony's studios. And those studios are showing absolutely no sign of breaking from the Blu-Ray camp. Universal is backing HD-DVD. Paramount/Dreamworks is stuck supporting it for the next 2 years due to that $150 million pay off from Toshiba and Microsoft.

Hybrid players are the future.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-07-2007 08:21 AM

Actually I think if they were that hard pressed they woulda been $99.00 everywhere and an electronics giant like Toshiba is hardly going to be hard pressed even if HD-DVD fails. Lets face it... at $99.00 they probably didn't loose anything on them... The cost to make em is way less than that! This was a one time deal and when BEst Buy caught wind of it they just jumped on the bandwagon and offered them at the same price. I think the over 4000 people (in one day) that tried to buy them at Best Buy is a pretty good signal that there is alot of interest in the format and it will indeed be around for a very long time. The A-3 deal will be available Nov. 23rd at at Sears and DVD Town for $169.00, the deal includes 7 free HD-DVD movies. Two in the box and 5 more by mail in offer.

Mike.... No firmware upgrade on the A-3 it does 1080P out of the box. When the A-2 was built the decoding chips to do 1080P were not ready.... at least according to reviews I've read on the different models.
Mark

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-07-2007 10:19 AM

I think it's hilarious the way the big boxes all beat the shit out of each other trying to have the lowest price. It sucks all the profit out of what could be a lucrative new product.

The consumer thinks he's the winner because he got a bargain, but half of them or more will have wasted their money buying something on impulse when they would have waited for a better/cheaper/newer thing otherwise.

Meanwhile, another batch of small stores bite the dust because they can't beat the price, putting more Americans out of work.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-07-2007 11:02 AM

quote:
The cost to make em is way less than that!

What is your specific proof of that claim?

The Digital Bits and a number of other websites have been commenting how Toshiba is losing money with this move because at $99 or even $199 they selling the players at below their manufacturing cost.

Toshiba is merely pulling the same stunt that has been pulled for a long time from video game console makers (and come to think of it manufacturers of color laser printers as well). A X-Box or Playstation 3 console costs more than their MSRP price to manufacture. The companies are merely betting they'll recoup their losses on software sales. What doesn't make any sense in Toshiba's regard is they make no "software." They're not a movie company. Giving a big share of a $150 million payoff to Paramount and dumping players at $99 is a risky gamble.

The bet alone isn't enough to kill Toshiba. But rapidly changing market conditions going to the negative (the housing market bust and falling home values, the weak dollar, rising prices on fuel, utilities and other living expenses) can make for a really nasty combination for Toshiba and have them hurting seriously for quite a while.

All Asian consumer electronics companies are highly dependent on the health of the American economy. They're also dependent on the health of the American entertainment industry too. The Writers Guild is currently on strike. It looks like the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild may strike when their contracts run out in a few months. That could lead to a lack of new American movies and some kind of downtown in home theater product sales.

I'm sure Toshiba is painfully aware of those market conditions, and that's why I think it's an act of desperation for them to still insist on dumping HD-DVD players at $99 or $199.

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 11-07-2007 11:35 AM

The AnimeOnDVD website posted a sales graph showing how next-generation video disc sales are going in Japan. Over there BR is still commanding a huge lead.

quote:
Blu-ray Dominates Japan Again (11:15 AM EST): An interesting graph just came through here that takes a snapshot of how weekly sales in Japan of recorders are doing across the three main markets. The graph covers the overall recorder market, including DVD-only recorders, DVD+HDD recorders (Standard Definition only), DVD+HDD SD/HD recorders, Blu-ray recorders and HD DVD recorders. Other than the PS3, Japan is still essentially a recorder-only market for Blu-ray. On the HD DVD side, it's essentially the same with the add-on for the Xbox 360 and Toshiba's HD DVD recorders.

Link to said graph from BCN (weekly Japanese IT industry news):
here

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 11-07-2007 05:31 PM

Is HD DVD a Japanese invention like BluRay is? Japanese are extremely xenophobic. If it is not from Japan, they hate it. True, Toshiba is manufacturing them (or having them manufactured in Mexico or something like that), but is it a true Japanese brainchild? If not, it hasn't got a chance in Japan. The Japanese people need to get out more.

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