The Official Blu Ray Technology Thread [Archive]

Zer0-Sum

02-19-2008, 05:22 PM

Universal Preparing Titles for Blu-ray

Posted February 19, 2008 12:07 PM by Josh

Universal Studios The statement that Blu-ray fans have been waiting for nearly two years to hear, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment Craig Kornblau has announced that Universal Studios will begin distributing their films on the Blu-ray format. He commented, "While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray."

He continued, "The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for hi-def's unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate."

While no solid details about which titles or specific dates were revealed at this time, a more detailed announcement is expected soon.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1007

Yah! Universal is now seeing the truth. Get ready for Universal movie on Blu Ray baby!!! w00t!!!

curryking1

02-19-2008, 05:30 PM

That Universal & Paramount news is all the news I wanted to hear today.

Ahhh :P

cliffbo

02-19-2008, 06:12 PM

what choice did they have really :shrug:

NeoPlayStation

02-19-2008, 06:23 PM

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/02/holygrailknight-440-hd-dvd-blu.jpg

Zer0-Sum

02-19-2008, 06:26 PM

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/02/holygrailknight-440-hd-dvd-blu.jpg

That is simply awesome. :lol:!!!

cliffbo

02-19-2008, 06:52 PM

The War Is Over!
Author: CHRIS TRIBBEY
ctribbey@questex.com
Posted: February 19, 2008
Email this Story to Friend

The high-definition format war is officially over. Toshiba Corp. Feb. 19 officially announced it will discontinue developing, manufacturing and marketing HD DVD players and recorders.

The announcement ends a two-year-long battle with Blu-ray Disc to succeed DVD.

“We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called ‘next-generation format war’ and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,” said Atsutoshi Nishida, president and CEO of Toshiba. “While we are disappointed for the company and, more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass-market opportunity for high-definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.”

Toshiba will stop shipments of HD DVD players and recorders by March, and will stop production of HD DVD drives for computers as well. The company added it would continue to provide product support and services for current HD DVD owners.

“Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation, and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP,” stated a press release.

“Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.”

The decision came much more quickly than industry sources indicated first to Home Media Magazine on Feb. 14, when they predicted Toshiba would stop backing HD DVD by May.

The move came soon after both Wal-Mart and Netflix announced they would only carry Blu-ray product, and Best Buy announced it would give preference to Blu-ray. Warner Home Video’s decision in early January to only support Blu-ray left HD DVD with Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment as the only major studios supporting the format. Hardware sales data the week after Warner’s announcement showed 93% of high-def players sold were Blu-ray, according to The NPD Group, and Nielsen VideoScan data has consistently shown Blu-ray software outselling HD DVD 3-to-1 or more.

Toshiba significantly lowered its player prices during the holiday season, and Microsoft dropped the price of its Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on by $50 earlier this month. Toshiba also bought a 30-second Super Bowl ad for a reported $2.7 million, but apparently was not effective in boosting sales or digging into Blu-ray’s lead.

At least one of the two studios exclusive to HD DVD is already gearing up to join the other team.

“While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

“The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for high-def’s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate.”

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=12118

XboxEvolved

02-19-2008, 11:44 PM

Well I will be the first to admit, I bought a HD DVD player (with trade-in credits) thinking that it would go stalemate for quite sometime. While I will keep my HD DVD player, since well, the movies still work, and my HD DVD add-on didn't blow up, I am relieved the war is over, but according to all the peeps I talk to, this is happening like 3 months faster than it was supposed to.

I don't know how many of you go to XE's front page but I found out A LOT about all this stuff right before people started talking about it. Essentially, I posted about all the stuff that is happening right now (360 HD DVD player price drop, MS ignoring HD DVD, Toshiba dropping it) but I also posted about a BD player for 360.

The deal is actually going to be quite elaborate, and as fast as things are going we might see some stuff about the deal tomorrow at GDC. Essentially, Microsoft is going to be officially adopting the format for a few reasons--besides HD DVD losing, Media Center manufacturers have been demanding MS adopt it to make things easier for them when putting it into Vista (Vista does not natively support BD), and Microsoft will make deals where the VC-1 Codec which is almost exclusively used for HD formats now (as opposed to older MPEG-2) will be cheaper to license from Microsoft.

Not only that, the BDA will allow the HD-i technology used for making menus in HD DVD to be used in BD. Originally, one of the reasons that MS backed HD DVD was because the BDA decided to go with Sun's Java instead, despite the technology members of BDA voting in favor of HD-i. Now BD media publishers will have the option to use either.

SO anyways...probably before a BD player is announced for 360, Sony will announce their support for Xbox Live Marketplace, and they will follow a similar structure that Disney does, meaning that a lot of older stuff will go up first, and when new releases are out, they will go to XBLM about 3-6 months after DVD/BD release. That is standard for most download rental services though.

Microsoft will in turn as early as May but before November be releasing a $150 BD add-on very similar to the HD DVD add-on, along with a media remote, free movie, and for a limited time a 5 free movie offer. I am thinking May though, because if you figure that we all will get our tax rebates by June, that is the perfect time to release a useless toy for people to use.

Garfunkel

02-19-2008, 11:45 PM

Wasn't it obvious that Paramount and Universal were going to see the light?

Yesterday was an exciting day indeed.

http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?p=1374679&highlight=chinese#post1374679

*cough*slut*cough*

VG Aficionado

02-20-2008, 12:08 AM

SO anyways...probably before a BD player is announced for 360, Sony will announce their support for Xbox Live Marketplace:huh:

XboxEvolved

02-20-2008, 12:11 AM

I don't know what is confusing about it? Sony Pictures will begin releasing movies for renting on XBLM.

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 12:19 AM

SO anyways...probably before a BD player is announced for 360, Sony will announce their support for Xbox Live Marketplace, and they will follow a similar structure that Disney does, meaning that a lot of older stuff will go up first, and when new releases are out, they will go to XBLM about 3-6 months after DVD/BD release. That is standard for most download rental services though.

Are you serious? I am not trying to be rude, but that is just about the craziest thing I have read in a long time. Sony, supporting X-Box Live. In the same sentence. Read that again. Sony, supporting X-Box Live. No way in hell friend. Sony would burn a thousand deaths before they gave anything to X-Box Live. Sorry man, but that is just a pipe dream. A Blu Ray player for the 360 will come a million years before Sony support Live in any context, ever. That would be supporting the enemy.

GTAce

02-20-2008, 12:22 AM

Well Sony pictures gets money, so they would earn cash with the competitors software. :)

Fillibuster

02-20-2008, 12:31 AM

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 12:48 AM

Well Sony pictures gets money, so they would earn cash with the competitors software. :)

I still do not believe it will ever happen. Sony is much more intrested in pushing HD movies on Blu ray then under cutting their own business by offering HD movies on X-Box Live. Sony would most likely rather have a Blu Ray player on the 360 so 360 owners can buy and use Blu ray movies. Kind of logical, no?

XboxEvolved

02-20-2008, 12:52 AM

Zer0- Actually Sony has released over a dozen of music videos on XBLM, and MGM which is partially owned by Sony, has released movies on XBLM. SO yeah.

Garfunkel

02-20-2008, 01:04 AM

What is so strange about it? It's business, if sony can make money off of XBLM then they will release content for it, this has nothing to do competition. Selling HD movies online will not cut into BD's market because most nations do not have quota free bandwidth and cannot download such files. Most people also like physical copies.

Jeez, if it were the other way around Microsoft would be releasing tons on sony's network.

Kiwi

02-20-2008, 01:22 AM

In this case we have a bunch of whinging casualties, who, even though they have no legs, are adament that they can still fight. Reminds me of the black knight scene from Holy Grail.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/02/holygrailknight-440-hd-dvd-blu.jpg

I wasn't the only one thinking about it then :laugh:

Cofey

02-20-2008, 02:18 AM

I'm still very happy with my HD DVDs. I'll probably just scrap my current player and buy an HD/Blu-Ray combo.

Shadow Voa

02-20-2008, 02:41 AM

Congratulations to Blu-ray on its victory... Im still not supporting you hahaha.

Seriously though, this is good for Sony since a loss would have been disaster and Ive never purchased anything in my life that would become discontinued leaving me with a purchase and nothing more (Hi everyone who bought Sega consoles).

Nice to know the PS3's future is secure... now how about the games Sony, can we get some good ones?

OG_Monkey

02-20-2008, 03:43 AM

Meh, Movies are movies to me, ill stick with good ol DVD. But now, the next xbox should be blu-ray game built, while the PS3 already is. Yaaaaay

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 04:24 AM

Nice to know the PS3's future is secure... now how about the games Sony, can we get some good ones?

Nice trolling. Really, keep it else where. There are plenty of great games on PS3.

Shadow Voa

02-20-2008, 05:06 AM

You like it eh? Here have a different helping this time.

Nice to know the PS3's future is secure... now how about the games Sony, can I get some good ones (MGS4, FFXIII)?

Because I can play this song all night long, I dont take offense to that term and I will stick to my guns that Sony needs to work on getting some good games (that I want) now.

frosty

02-20-2008, 06:55 AM

Was FFVII available this soon after launch of the PS1? How about MGS? What about FFX? or MGS 2? Great things take time. I personally commend Sony for pumping out some killer exclusive and ORIGINAL titles for PS3 so far. That said, you can't satisfy everyone's tastes. You are a (very) picky gamer who only seems to like these games that take a very, very long time to develop and polish, yet you are the first to whine about it taking too long. Give it time! It's like being a connoisseur of fine wines, who only drinks the best wines that have been aged to perfection, yet bitches about how long it is taking the winery to crank out your next glass. Either try a younger variety to keep your glass full until your preferred bottle is ready, or shut up!

That said, are we not in tech central? Is this not a Blu-Ray thread? Last time I checked we had a forum for discussion of all things PS3 related. Let's leave this forum and thread to it's intended topic.

XboxEvolved

02-20-2008, 10:06 AM

MGS2 and FFX was available about a year after PS2's launch.

Kiwi

02-20-2008, 10:43 AM

As frosty just said, this is about Blu-ray, not the PS3. Leave your petty bickering outside.

Shadow Voa

02-20-2008, 02:36 PM

I already said congrats and then mentioned one blurb of something else so HA!

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 03:43 PM

You like it eh? Here have a different helping this time.

Because I can play this song all night long, I dont take offense to that term and I will stick to my guns that Sony needs to work on getting some good games (that I want) now.

No, I dont like it and it is illogical. To make a blanket statement that there are no good games on PS3 is a joke. To say that there are no game that you like on PS3 makes perfect sense.

But anyways. Looks like Amazon is going Blu only too.

Amazon Makes Blu-ray Digital Format of Choice

Posted February 20, 2008 08:19 AM by Josh

Blu-ray Disc Amazon has announced that they will now support Blu-ray as the high definition digital format of choice for consumers. This change in policy will result in Amazon more prominently promoting the Blu-ray format - including both players and movies - on its website. Amazon.com has become a favorite source of Blu-ray titles for fans, because of their lower pricing and excellent customer service.

Peter Faricy, vice president of movies and music at Amazon.com commented, "The high-definition landscape is rapidly changing, and consumers are looking for guidance on how to make the best high-definition buying decisions. Our customers have clearly voiced their support for the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray titles have increased from just over half of our high-definition sales to over three-quarters of our high-definition sales since early January. In order to best serve our customers, Amazon is recommending Blu-ray as the preferred digital format and will continue to carry the ‘Earth's Largest Selection' of Blu-ray products."

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1013

This makes sense as I see them selling the highest volume of Blu Ray disks these days. I know most of mine come from BOGO's that Amazon threw. Keep those BOGO coming Amazon! It looks like Blu Ray has locked up all of the highest distributors in the land. This holiday season is going to kick ass.

Kiwi

02-20-2008, 06:36 PM

I already said congrats and then mentioned one blurb of something else so HA!

Doesn't stop you from being an asshole.

[/derail]

cliffbo

02-20-2008, 07:48 PM

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 08:00 PM

So, how bout that Blu Ray. Kicks ass huh? :hugegrin:

cliffbo

02-20-2008, 08:05 PM

So, how bout that Blu Ray. Kicks ass huh? :hugegrin:

it always did :hugegrin:

goku2057

02-20-2008, 09:10 PM

Toshiba officially pulled out now, so it doesn't really matter if people pull selling HD DVD.

And, seriously, leave the console bickering at home. This isn't the time, nor place for it.

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 09:41 PM

Just to get this back on track....

Ensequence and SPHE Join For Blu-ray Authoring

Posted February 20, 2008 09:48 AM by Josh

Sony Pictures Ensequence and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) have jointly announced an agreement whereby SPHE will license and resell Ensequence on-Q Create software suite to both major studios and independent Blu-ray developers. The software, which will be integrated into SPHE's existing Blu-print software package, will allow developers to easily and quickly add BD-Java content to their Blu-ray releases without the necessity for advanced training on the Java language.

The software will provide developers with a drag-and-drop interface with Adobe Photoshop integration and built-in Blu-ray Disc functionality. It will provide support for features such as picture-in-picture (PIP) commentary, purchase functionality, and bonus content - including notifications regarding an upcoming sequel. Additionally, the software will ensure that all authored discs function correctly across all BD-J implementations.

Don Eklund, SPHE's EVP of Advanced Technology commented, "The Ensequence on-Q Create suite has drastically reduced the complexity of authoring Java content on Blu-ray Disc titles, enabling content developers to create compelling, rich and dynamic interactive experiences in a WYSIWYG environment – and in drastically reduced timeframes."

Dalen Harrison, CEO, Ensequence continued, "We were able to apply our expertise in the television set-top box market and create interactive television experiences for multiple platforms to address the complexity of Blu-ray authoring, which is just being recognized in the packaged media community. With the on-Q Create suite for Blu-ray Java, our customers and resellers are able to take advantage of the advanced capabilities made available on the most cutting edge consumer devices today."

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1015

Can you say fully updated and improved Blu Ray 2.0? I thought you could. This is great news for the Blu Ray market as it makes java authoring for the disks that much easier. Now for Sony to fully update the PS3 to be Blu Ray 2.0 compliant with HD Audio processing.....

PSXBatou

02-20-2008, 10:08 PM

Looks like the word is spreading fast :) Look at this display at my local Frys. It is pretty much right as you walk in the store, you can't miss it. Also their HD DVD section has shrank to 2 shelves.

iPhone photo so quality isnt the greatest, but you get the idea :)

XboxEvolved

02-20-2008, 10:28 PM

what the hell is Frys

PSXBatou

02-20-2008, 10:39 PM

what the hell is Frys

Its a huge electronics retail chain for those of us that live near civilization :)

http://frys.com

Zer0-Sum

02-20-2008, 10:39 PM

what the hell is Frys

The best electronics store in the WORLD, IMHO that is.

That pic from Fry's of the Blu Ray display is the bomb PSXBatou.

pari

02-21-2008, 02:25 PM

Microsoft will make deals where the VC-1 Codec which is almost exclusively used for HD formats now (as opposed to older MPEG-2) will be cheaper to license from Microsoft.

From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VC-1)

Although widely considered to be Microsoft’s product, there are actually 15 companies in the VC-1 patent pool (as of August 17, 2006). As an SMPTE standard, VC-1 is open to implementation by anyone, although implementers are hypothetically required to pay licensing fees to the MPEG LA, LLC licensing body or directly to its members, who claim to hold essential patents on the format (since it is a non-exclusive licensing body)

MS lost money by giving away VC-1 codec for free, since they had to pay royalty after losing the lawsuit.

Not only that, the BDA will allow the HD-i technology used for making menus in HD DVD to be used in BD. Originally, one of the reasons that MS backed HD DVD was because the BDA decided to go with Sun's Java instead, despite the technology members of BDA voting in favor of HD-i. Now BD media publishers will have the option to use either.

Not true, both HDi and BD-J were evaluated. Sony supported HDi as compromise but other BDA members were using Java. Only after HDi lost the battle with BD-J did MS switch sides to HD-DVD. There is a great thread in avsfourm regarding the pros and cons of both HDi and BD-J, which has MS manager for HDi Amir and some BD-J insiders.

Zer0-Sum

02-21-2008, 04:01 PM

Paramount In a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Home Entertainment has revealed that they will return to releasing their films on Blu-ray. Initially supporting both high definition formats, Paramount became HD DVD exclusive in a controversial move by the studio in Fall of last year. With Universal Studios announcing their support of Blu-ray earlier this week, Paramount completes the last piece of the puzzle as the sixth and final major studio to support the Blu-ray format.

The statement read, "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer. As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."

While no specific titles or dates have been announced at this time, it is expected that Paramount will first release their stock of Blu-ray titles produced but never released due to their exclusivity deal with HD DVD. This could include titles that were recalled soon after the deal was announced, such as 'Blades of Glory' or other Paramount titles which has already been prepared for Blu-ray release.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1010

It's a Blu world after all, it's a Blu world after....

This is great, it reaffirms the moves that Toshiba has been making to shut down Blu Ray in the eyes of the public. It is the cement in the wall.

LaLiLuLeLo

02-21-2008, 05:30 PM

TRANSFORMERS. I DEMAND IT!
*smashes desk*

LaLiLuLeLo

02-21-2008, 07:16 PM

Gentlemen, a moment to reflect:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/20/two-years-of-battle-between-hd-dvd-and-blu-ray-a-retrospective/

Fillibuster

02-21-2008, 07:37 PM

TRANSFORMERS. I DEMAND IT!
*smashes desk*

Truth.

And I demand the Bourne Trilogy be the first release from Universal on blu!

Zer0-Sum

02-21-2008, 07:43 PM

Truth.

And I demand the Bourne Trilogy be the first release from Universal on blu!

Hulk want Bourne NOW!!! Hulk not get Bourne Hulk smash ALL UNIVERSAL!!!!

Zer0-Sum

02-21-2008, 07:52 PM

Gentlemen, a moment to reflect:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/20/two-years-of-battle-between-hd-dvd-and-blu-ray-a-retrospective/

Very good article. I love the graphs....:lol:

Zer0-Sum

02-21-2008, 10:03 PM

Blu-ray Player Sales Soar in UK

Posted February 21, 2008 06:19 AM by Josh

Blu-ray Disc UK online retailers Play.com and Dixons.co.uk have both reported large spikes in Blu-ray player interest from their customers since Toshiba officially announced they would no longer be supporting the HD DVD format, effectively declaring Blu-ray the winner of the high definition format war. Dixons is reporting that searches for Blu-ray player are up 150%, while Play.com is reporting that Player sales the day of the announcement were up 700%.

deVere Forster, managing director at Dixons, commented, "This is good news for consumers as the availability of a single format will allow consumers to purchase the high definition Blu-ray format DVD player with every confidence and enjoy all the benefits that this fantastic format has to offer".

Stuart Rowe, Chief Operating Officer at Play.com remarked, "People have been waiting a long time to move into the Hi-Def era and now they have the confidence that this is going to be the format."

Consumers have been reluctant to purchase high definition movies during the format war for fear they would end up investing in a failed format. Now that a winner has been declared the winner, consumers are flocking to purchase movies and players on Blu-ray.

As much as the format war has been credited for lowering player prices and offering exclusive sales, it also had its part in keeping consumers away. With a winner declared, consumer adoption can adjust to the level it should have been at all along.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1023

I guess the Brits love the Blu. ;)

Garfunkel

02-21-2008, 11:25 PM

It's good to see less confusion in the market.

I am happy that this one finished so early, it's better for everyone, even for toshiba.

LaLiLuLeLo

02-21-2008, 11:27 PM

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1023

I guess the Brits love the Blu. ;)

People have just been waiting so they could make the safe bet.

Garfunkel

02-21-2008, 11:36 PM

Looking at some pictures, one of the reasons why BD one so easily was probably because of better looking cases. I mean red? not attractive except for us pinko commie bastards.

Zer0-Sum

02-22-2008, 04:36 PM

Blu-ray Disc Onkyo Corporation has announced that they have abandoned the HD DVD format and will now shift focus towards development of a Blu-ray player. The Onkyo HD DVD player shared most parts with Toshiba's HD DVD players, and since those players are now out of production, Onkyo is forced to discontinue development and production of their player as well.

In order to prevent such a situation from setting the company behind, development has been ongoing for the release of a Blu-ray player. No timeframe was given as to when consumers could expect to see an Onkyo Blu-ray player, but by the end of the year should be very plausible, if not sooner.

More Blu ray support. I have no idea who they are, but they have gone Blu. Very good in general.

woundingchaney

02-22-2008, 04:44 PM

Onkyo is primarily known for their products in home theater speakers (often kits) and recievers as well as HTIB packages they also do business in movie and cd players. They are typically very respected as consistently providing quality.

Zer0-Sum

02-22-2008, 04:46 PM

Onkyo is primarily known for their products in home theater speakers and recievers as well as HTIB packages they also do business in movie and cd players. They are typically very respected as consistently providing quality.

Kool, now they will make quality Blu ray equipment. This is great for the high end videophiles.

woundingchaney

02-22-2008, 05:21 PM

Kool, now they will make quality Blu ray equipment. This is great for the high end videophiles.

Really it is good news. Im not very familiar with their movie or cd players but I usually suggest people consider Onkyo when purchasing any kind of stereo equipment.

Garfunkel

02-23-2008, 12:42 AM

Onkyo are cool even if they do sound like Tokyo.

LaLiLuLeLo

02-23-2008, 01:10 AM

to me it sounds like ankylosaurus.
http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/BIOL/classes/bio302/Pages/ankylosaurus.jpg
/offtopic.

Garfunkel

02-23-2008, 01:25 AM

I'd hit it.

Zer0-Sum

02-25-2008, 11:44 PM

More news for the pile....

PLDS Announce Portable Blu-ray Drive

Posted February 25, 2008 11:40 AM by Josh

Philips PLDS (Pioneer & Lite-On Digital Solutions) has announced that they will release a portable Blu-ray drive, the DX-401S. This BD-ROM drive will connect to any PC via a USB 2.0 cable enabling users to watch any Blu-ray movie on their computer without installing a Blu-ray drive. No price has been given at this time for the device, which is expected to be released sometime in April.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1039

This is pretty kool sounding tech. A portable Blu Ray drive with the ability to play on any system. Very nice. It will cost loots I imagine though.

Edion Reveals Trade-Up Plan

Posted February 25, 2008 08:52 AM by Josh

Blu-ray Disc Edion, a Japanese retailer who operates 1000 stores across Japan, has announced that during March they will allow those customers who purchased an HD DVD player to trade up to a Blu-ray player for only the difference in retail price. While HD DVD sales could only be considered dismal at best in Japan, this offer allows those who did purchase the now dead format to go Blu-ray with out the common penalty of being an early adopter.

This offer is similar to one in Germany which gave a rebate to HD DVD owners who turned in their machines. No rebate offer is expected in the US, where the majority of HD DVD sales occurred.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1034

Live in Japan, bought into HD DVD? Edion wants to take care of you by hooking you up with Blu Ray stuff. Pretty nice of them to off set the losses.

Sony Adds D-Box Support

Posted February 25, 2008 08:23 AM by Josh

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has revealed the specs for the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film 'The 6th Day', and a surprise addition will be support for D-Box home theater seating. Joining other film studios who include the motion software on their Blu-ray releases, Sony is the latest to provide support for the unique home theater experience.

Video will be presented 2.40:1 1080p AVC accompanies by English, French, and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. Extras include the "Showtime Special: The Future is Coming", storyboard comparisons and animatics, and "Repet" information and TV spot. Also included are nine behind-the-scenes featurettes including "Another Way to Fly", "Finding Sim Pay Cindy", "The Art of the Chase", "Over the Cliff", "Virtual Girlfriend", "In the Tank", "Free Falling", "Detonation", and "Enhancing the Look".

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1030

D-Box support, pretty nice if you have serious video gear. Not me, but some one out there will love this. That D-Box stuff is pretty trippy I have heard.

Genius Products Hints at Blu-ray Support

Posted February 25, 2008 07:58 AM by Josh

The Weinstein Company Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of Genius Products, stated during a company presentation that "Blu-ray is the last format in, and that has cleared the way for the industry to get aggressive around next generation DVD." Genius Products distributes films for studios such as The Weinstein Company and Tartan Films.

While no Blu-ray titles have been announced from Genius Products, this statement hints that Genius Products will be following the rest of Hollywood by adding support for the high definition format.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1029

More support cementing in Blu Ray as the true next gen format.

NickSCFC

02-26-2008, 11:22 AM

If I wasn't gettin a PS3 I'd get one of these...

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/01/bd-p1500small.jpg

Would match my shiny black Samsung TV a treat!

Kiwi

02-26-2008, 11:42 AM

The PS3 matches well enough ;)

Zer0-Sum

02-28-2008, 03:54 PM

NetBlender Adds Blu-ray Support

Posted February 28, 2008 08:01 AM by Josh

TDK NetBlender has announced that they will add Blu-ray support to their DoStudio line of authoring software. DoStudio Authoring Edition (DSA), which in expected to be released this May, will feature an easy-to-learn GUI interface and support for Adobe Photoshop importing. BonusView support will be added to the package in the Fall, followed by BD-Live support which is expected to be released early next year.

DoStudio Developer Edition (DSD) will add Blu-ray support to current DoStudio MX authoring applications. When released this Winter, it will support full BD-Java authoring.

John Harrington, NetBlender CEO commented, "Our customers have said repeatedly that they need an efficient way to create professional discs with basic functionality such as seamless menus and picture-in-picture. DoStudio Authoring edition will satisfy this need. No scripting knowledge will be required to author discs with DSA."

NetBlender has been supporting the HD DVD community since last fall with their authoring software, and this marks the first product for the Blu-ray authoring community.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1054

Netflix Beefs Up Blu-ray Offerings

Posted February 28, 2008 08:16 AM by Josh

Blu-ray Movies In a statement given by the online movie rental company increasing projected subscribers, Netflix mentioned that they will increase their Blu-ray catalog by as many as 1,500 titles. Currently, Netflix maintains about 400 Blu-ray titles in their rental database. The plus-up in available titles is due to increased demand for high definition movies and the culmination of the format war.

There also continues to be discussion about possibly raising their fees due to the excess cost of the media. When asked if Netflix would raise their fees for Blu-ray customers, CFO for Netflix Barry McCarthy commented, "It seems apparent that content will cost us more. Whether we raise prices will be entirely a function of churn, subscriber acquisition costs and gross margins."

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1055

More Netflix support. More Blu ray movies for people with Netflix. This is very kool. Renting from them just got a whole lot Bluer.

Verbatim Increase Blu-ray Production

Posted February 28, 2008 08:22 AM by Josh

TDK Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, more universally known as Verbatim, has announced the addition of a BD-R line to their Singapore processing plant in the July/August timeframe. They currently output 200,000 discs per month at their Mizsushima factory, and with the addition of their new line, that output will increase to 700,000 per month.

Verbatim is also working with outside contractors in order to outsource additional production. Engineers have already been sent overseas in order to help transfer the technology so that production can start the second quarter of this year.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1056

Hopefully this means cheaper disks for people with Blu ray burners. It this keeps happening I might just get a burner real soon here. Then I can clear some space off of my HD with out having a pile of DVD sitting around. 3-4 BD's and that will be all she wrote. :)

iSDK

02-28-2008, 04:03 PM

This news about Netflix has pretty much decided for me that I should rent from them... I rented 3:10 to Yuma a few days ago and that cost me alone $6 at Blockbuster.

Zer0-Sum

02-28-2008, 10:40 PM

Panasonic Showcases Blu-ray for NASCAR Fans

Posted February 28, 2008 03:59 PM by Josh

Panasonic This past weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California, Panasonic and United Artists showcased their year-long partnership as both companies celebrate their 90th Anniversaries. Panasonic VP of Corporate Development Eisuke Tsuyuzaki was at the event to tell NASCAR patrons visiting the "Fan Zone" about Panasonic and Blu-ray. Scott Hettrick was there filming the event, and he has posted his footage on Hollywood in Hi-Def.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1057

And very suddenly MILLIONS of Americans understand Blu Ray Disk. NASCAR in Hi-Def? You can bet thier red blooded steak eating American asses that all those people want Hi-Def yesterday. People might not see this as big,but to me this is HUGE.

VG Aficionado

03-07-2008, 02:33 PM

Ballmer: "We'll support Blu-ray" (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=33905)

Many wouldn't have believed this a year ago.

Zer0-Sum

03-07-2008, 04:01 PM

Yup, check this shit out....

Sony in Talks with Microsoft, Apple About Blu-ray

Posted March 7, 2008 07:53 AM by Josh

Sony Sony Electronics US President Stan Glasgow has revealed that the company is currently in talks with software giant Microsoft with regards to the Blu-ray format. No specific products were mentioned, but it is expected that Microsoft will offer a Blu-ray X-box 360 Add-on, similar to what they offered for the now dead HD DVD format. As it stands, Microsoft's gaming console is at a distinct disadvantage to Sony's PlayStation 3 which includes a Blu-ray player in every console.

Sony is also in talks with Apple, who has been extremely quite about offering Blu-ray drives despite being a part of the Blu-ray Disc Association. It was rumored that Apple was prepared to offer a Blu-ray drive with the latest upgrade of their MacBook Pro laptops, but that there were size and power consumption issues. It is expected that Apple will incorporate Sony's new drives, which are much smaller and use less power, this summer when they are released.

Additionally, Sony predicts that the price of Blu-ray players will fall to $299 by the end of the year. This is not much of a stretch, with the upcoming Sony BDP-S350 carrying a retail price of $399 and coming out way before the 2008 holiday season.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1091

But I though Apple was all ready on board. Weird....

VG Aficionado

03-07-2008, 10:02 PM

It's probably that Apple's main focus is online distribution but I guess they still don't want to completely ignore optical formats.

Zer0-Sum

03-17-2008, 06:56 PM

Sony Invests $110M into Blu-ray Production

Posted March 17, 2008 12:51 PM by Josh

Blu-ray Disc Now that Blu-ray has been selected as the next generation optical disc, Sony is investing $100M in equipment purchases and property improvements to their Terra Haute Digital Audio Disc Corp (DADC) production facility. The additional investment also includes the addition of 65 positions to manage the new production increases.

Sony is still working out the details of the expansion, but there may be an opportunity to retrofit existing workspace formally operated by Columbia House/BMG. No word on how much additional production capacity would be gained with this expansion at this time.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1121

NickSCFC

03-24-2008, 08:02 PM

So how do really old films (1970s ect) look on Blu-ray compared to DVD?

VG Aficionado

03-27-2008, 03:12 PM

Blu-ray Sales on the Rise (http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1147)

Posted March 26, 2008 11:15 AM by Josh

Blu-ray Disc New data from HMR Research shows that the 9 million movies have been sold on Blu-ray since inception of the format in the United States, with 3 million of those having been sold during the first 11 weeks of this year. If this trend continues, Blu-ray is poised to sell nearly 15 million units in this year alone.

The recent release of blockbuster Hollywood movies on Blu-ray has boosted overall sales. The Miramax release of 'No Country for Old Men' sold 68,000 copies on Blu-ray during its first week of sales, a huge accomplishment for a format where previous top sellers this year were selling only 30,000 copies during their first week of sales.

As more highly anticipated titles get released onto store shelves, such as Fox's April 15th release of 'Juno', sales are expected to continue to grow throughout the remainder of the year.