HD DVD movies: not coming soon

If you've already pre-ordered some HD-DVD videos for that HD-DVD player that you also pre-ordered, you may end up getting the deck before you get the flicks. Warner Home Video -- the only studio that had set a firm date for a rollout of HD-DVD movies -- has now backed off and won't commit to a specific timetable. The company had originally planned to launch a slate of films including "Batman Begins" and "Million Dollar Baby" on March 28, and had even allowed major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy to take pre-orders. However, division head Ron Sanders now says "the outlook is tenuous -- we're still coming out with an initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don't know." That can't be good news for Toshiba, which has been promoting its new HD-DVD players with a national roadshow, and still plans to have players in stores by the end of the month -- whether or not there's anything to watch on them.

[Adamz @ Mar 14th 2006 10:13AM]

You can still buy these HD DVDs:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/dvd.aspx

:)

[hmurchison @ Mar 14th 2006 10:15AM]

Talk about dropping the ball. Clowns

[milkfat @ Mar 14th 2006 11:20AM]

I am going to completely pass over this first generation of HD disks. DRM, competing formats, incompatibility with older HDTVs (like mine)... it's all a bunch of crap. I'm content with HD content over cable right now. Give me Tivo series 3 and I'll be set for a few years.

[Mojo Yugen @ Mar 14th 2006 11:21AM]

Listen...

Is that the sound of the fat lady warming up in the wings?

[duerra @ Mar 14th 2006 11:31AM]

You know, I secretly wish for both of these next-gen systems to fail. Why, you ask? Because of the draconian DRM implementations being put on them.

I'm not talking about a hate for these measures because I don't feel that IP shouldn't be protected, but because the measures implemented in the next-gen media formats will and do cause massive amounts of unnecessary problems and troubles for *legit* consumers. Lack of fair use rights are the most obvious anti-consumer measures, but definitely not the only hindrance.

[Kyle @ Mar 14th 2006 11:51AM]

What a f***ing fiasco. Anyone that buys into one of these high definition formats anytime in the next year is a freaking goon who has too much money and not enough information. I've never seen anything as bloody ridiculous as this 'format war.' I can only hope that consumers will be as intolerant of all this nonesense as they OUGHT to be, and not buy a damn thing from either company. Maybe if they had actually swolled some pride and merged the formats they would have had a chance, but as it is, both formats deserve to fail miserably, and I sincerely hope they do.

[Raider @ Mar 14th 2006 11:58AM]

More and more all I read about is bad news about HD DVD. And nothing but good news about Blu-Ray.

[Mack Swift @ Mar 14th 2006 12:10PM]

5 and 6 - Both formats will fail, and fail hard. This will be worse than that Circuit City and Divx fiasco of yesteryear.

For starters, people are starting to find out and realize that if you want to enjoy the Hi-Def-ness of these formats you have to have a TV with HDMI inputs that support HDCP. Anything less, and the movie dowgrades to 780p or less because you aren't following the MPAA's rules for enjoying your purchased content.

Next, okay so you bought a TV last year with HDMI and HDCP capabilities. It should work, right? Wrong, Intel changed the HDCP specs. So, you still can't enjoy Hi-Def on your HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray discs unless you go out and buy a brnad new TV along with that player on the same day (and don't forget the $100 2 meter long HDMI cable!).

Next, regular DVDs are still making sales and look pretty damn good on current and even 1st generation DVD players. I bought a 60in Toshiba HDTV 4 years ago, and DVDs still look great. I plan on getting a up converting DVD player soon as well.

These next generation formats have nothing to do with improving picture or sound quality; it has to do with a new encryption scheme and protecting the studios pockets from the evil bane of file sharing (yeah, your falling tickets sales have nothing to with with crappy movies - it's all the file sharers fault!)

I've compared; side by side; a DVD player using HDMI and component on the same flat screen. Not a difference in quality at all. It's all a scheme to rip consumers off.

Okay, I'm done ranting and raving. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will fail miserably and I wonder who they'll blame it on?

[zombieflanders @ Mar 14th 2006 12:25PM]

"For starters, people are starting to find out and realize that if you want to enjoy the Hi-Def-ness of these formats you have to have a TV with HDMI inputs that support HDCP. Anything less, and the movie dowgrades to 780p or less because you aren't following the MPAA's rules for enjoying your purchased content."

This is incorrect. Fox, Sony, and Disney (all exclusive to Blu-Ray) will not downrez over unprotected/non-HDCP connections. It's rumored that Paramount won't either. Warner and Universal refuse to comment, which is never a good sign.

[Kyle @ Mar 14th 2006 12:26PM]

Nothing but good from BluRay eh? Well have fun spending over a thousand dollars for something that looks just like HDDVD and will likely be extinct in 2 years.

[Kyle @ Mar 14th 2006 12:38PM]

I'm sorry but I just can't stop from commenting, one of the things 8 mentioned is probably the most important single fact in this entire fiasco: DVD sales.

How long do you think it will take companies to measure the bottom line from DVD sales agains both of these new formats? And what do you think they will find? If you guessed that they're making about 100x more money from DVDs than both other formats combined, YOU GUESSED RIGHT!

So explain, again, why ANYONE will have any sort of vested interest in the success of these formats, if the consumers are annoyed, and the studios aren't making money? Riiiight.

[Dirty Puppy @ Mar 14th 2006 12:41PM]

Here is a thought/question regarding HD video....

In order for something to be in HD, doesn't it have to be filmed with HD cameras?
And so all the movies scheduled to be released, and ummmm, re-released have all been filmed with HD equipment?
I find that hard to believe!

[Josh L @ Mar 14th 2006 12:49PM]

"I've compared; side by side; a DVD player using HDMI and component on the same flat screen. Not a difference in quality at all. It's all a scheme to rip consumers off."

You're misunderstanding the argument. Nobody is claiming HDMI provides better quality than Component Video. The improved quality they are refering too is HD-DVD/Blu-Ray over DVD. Having a HD TV at home I can confidently say that High Definition looks better than DVD. I've seen a movies that I own on DVD on HBOHD or StarzHD and they look better in HD format. This is over a cable system where they are using a lot of compression to cram a lot of HD (and non HD) content on the same line. I'm excited to see what it will look like playing off a disc where the bitrate hasn't been compressed down.

[c.Lake @ Mar 14th 2006 12:50PM]

Does anybody really believe that the studios are NOT going to down-rez? Or cripple their movies with DRM? MPAA would pimp their grandmothers, if they thought they could make money from it.

That paints any ugly picture, doesn't it? Both formats are going to go down in flames. Just don't be the SUCKER who fell for it.

[play games @ Mar 14th 2006 12:52PM]

Yeah, this is such a fiasco. I'm not buying any of the formats for a while, not only for first adopter price reasons, but for the fact that this format war is ridiculous. Other posters are right, people may just reject both formats, and an enterprising company may come in with an IP-based distribution that might allow some fair use.

[Henry Mumford @ Mar 14th 2006 1:08PM]

Dirty Puppy - Movies shot on 35mm have a resolution of about 4k, many times larger than the largest HD formats. They would just simply have to be scanned at a higher resolution than they are for DVDs.

[zombieflanders @ Mar 14th 2006 1:57PM]

#17: My information comes from a Blu-Ray event held a couple weeks ago. Reps from Sony and Disney publicly said they're not downrezzing. Fox has publicly stated they're against the ICT. The information I have on Paramount comes from a source (CED Magazine) that requires a pricy enterprise-level subscription.

For more information, check out the links from places like HDBeat.

[Mosquito Control @ Mar 14th 2006 2:16PM]

HD definitely looks much better. As mentioned HBOHD looks amazing, unless there's action, then it looks like a compressed, jumbled mess (I despise Digital Cable. I'd rather a quarter of the channels and higher quality feeds.)

I won't jump on either of these. While HD might be better, DVDs are more than adequate for me. Especially considering my roommate's collection of several thousand DVDs. No interest in replacing them. Obviously I'd just build from there, but... DVD prices will probably just fall and I'd rather the cheaper product if it still suits me.


All in all, though, I'd rather HD-DVD catch on. Not a fan of Sony getting more power. And a big fan of Sony formats failing. Sony has fallen far from grace in my eyes in the past decade, as with many consumers outside of PS2 gamers, and I'd rather see that fall continue.

[Echo_ @ Mar 14th 2006 4:58PM]

number 8 is a blind old man

how can 1080p not look better than 480p
even 720 p looks a helluva lot better

[Skan @ Mar 14th 2006 6:07PM]

What�s funny is that Tech enthusiasts are suppose to be the first ones to buy these players and not normal every day consumers. But as you can already see in this forum most Techies aren't even interested in either format. Talk about a flop!! This thing hasn't even come out yet and it's already looking like the next Divxx fiasco.

Also another point, think about MP3's vs normal cd's? Which is the most popular right now and which has the higher quality of the two? MP3's are lower quality but yet consumers don't care. Quality does not matter to consumers, it's cost and availability as well as compatibility. Why switch to HD-DVD when you can rent DVD's from Netflix for $10 a month, easliy make your own back up copies, play your DVD's in your car, on your laptop, your PC, your Mac, your PS2, your Xbox, 360. Switch to HD-DVD???? Are you kidding me! It will never work, like I said quality is not important to consumers. It it was iPods would be used as paper weights.

[ElCapitanAmerica @ Mar 14th 2006 11:23PM]

> "12. Here is a thought/question regarding HD video....

In order for something to be in HD, doesn't it have to be filmed with HD cameras?
And so all the movies scheduled to be released, and ummmm, re-released have all been filmed with HD equipment?
I find that hard to believe!"

Huh ... film is much higher res than HD. I'm going to assume you haven't seen any movies in HD via cable?

BTW the link to your site seems to indicate you do video work, and you didn't know this? Don't mean to offend but you need to review the basics!

[DBG @ Mar 15th 2006 1:14AM]

Number 7 is completely wrong.
First bad news about Blu Ray: PS3 will not be ready until DEC 2006 or even later. The price will be more than $600.
Second bad news about Blu Ray : Disney is considering to sell movies in HD-DVD. LG is already ready to start prducing HD DVD players.

This is very simple: Price will matter a lot since the only avantage right now about blue ray is the storage but still both formats have enough space for more than one movie. This is not like it happenned with Betamax ( that only had enough space for 60 minutes )

[iyasnih @ Mar 15th 2006 4:51AM]

yes.. FILM has much better Resolution than any video.. that's why.. you can always remaster "gone with the wind" shot back in the 60's with film into Hi definition video.

think of it this way. if you had scrolls of 35mm Film you took with your 50 years old camera (in an excellent condition), chances are scanned with the latest Film scanner, it will have much more resolution than your latest Digital camera you bought within a year. and that's a fact.

[Steve @ Mar 18th 2006 10:55PM]

2000 - PS2 - DVD - DVD's are accepted into mainstream

2006-2007 - PS3 - Blu-Ray - Blu-Ray will be accepted into mainstream.

Millions and I do mean millions of these consoles will be put into homes when PS3 is released, not for the blu-ray player but for the mere fact that it is the PS3. Once people realize that they have a essentially a free blu-player they will buy the movies. Why go out and buy a HD-DVD player when you have a PS3 sitting in your home. I love Toshiba's products but they need to start looking ahead when it comes to product placement. They should have given there HD-DVD player to Microsoft to put in there X-box 360.

The only thing I am concerned about is content on either player. If blu-ray can get the studios to release all the same content on the blu-ray format, there will be no chance for HD-DVD to come back.


As for the pessimists that think the formats will fail, I think you guys are sadly mistaken. When people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on a TV, a few more hundred on cables, and all then even more money to make sure it sounds good, what makes you think they will not buy a new HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player? People want the best, not mediocre or satisfactory. They want to put a new format disc in there player and be amazed at how clear, crisp, bright, and vibrant the image is. One will win its just a matter of who.

[vilago @ Mar 28th 2006 3:22PM]

#24, you are a moron.

mar 18th 2006- "#24, Steve" posts on this site and misspells "their" as "there" and uses it out of context like a 4th grader.

mar 28th 2006- 10 days later I come here and reveal him for what he really is: an idiot making idiotic assumptions about what the consumer wants, when it is actually what he wants. dont confuse your own misguided purchases with what the consumer will or will not do. I think the ipod analogy works well here. the consumer wants convenience, compatibility, and cheapness without sacrificing too much quality. thats why we're all not listening to vinyl.

[Chris @ Mar 29th 2006 5:22PM]

#20: The difference between MP3 and CD's is isn't even remotely the same argument as HD vs. SD content. The whole point of MP3 is that the uncompressed content is compressed simply to save space without sacrificing quality. Yes, MP3 is of lesser quality than CDs but for the most part, the difference in undetectable to the common consumer. Quite the opposite with SD vs. HD. HD content is much higher quality and that quality is readily apparent to anyone who isn't blind.

#23: Your technical comments are correct but please... Gone With the Wind in the 60's?? It was 1939! Everyone should know that!

[fc3 @ Mar 30th 2006 8:21AM]

Very funny thread.

As soon as there is some software that I want to watch, I'll buy a BD unit, or an HD unit, or both if necessary. Initially, the player will not be "pocket change cheap" but they will be soon enough. Mechanical stuff is expensive. Silicon and software are cheap. Right now, the stuff is new and thus a little costly, but in quantity the prices will drop, and drop quickly. BD and HD-DVD players will eventually be about the price of a current DVD player. When you can buy a BD player with pocket change, like you can a DVD player today, the average consumer won't think about it.

Now $1,000 or $2,000 must seem like a lot of money to you kids, but there are a lot of people like me to whom that kind of money just represents an afternoon's work. There's enough of us who will buy these things because we don't care that "Sony is all about power," so some nonsense of that sort. That's just children speaking about things they don't understand. When you grow up, you'll learn that the trivial things simply don't matter.

[nubian @ Apr 9th 2006 11:18PM]

all i want to say is i cant beleive all these people who think both formats will fail.i cant see that happening.
im a bartender and if i have no problem gettin one i cant see why people will shy away.
it wont be money stoping people.if people like what they see it will sell

[Nate @ Apr 15th 2006 4:06PM]

I just wanted to add a point about film vs. digital.. People have been comparing the "Resolution" of film and digital and we must keep in mind that film does not have a "resolution" per se, because it is an analog format. There has been so much done with digital video that people forget that film, just like taking pictures with a film camera, (Remember those days??) is light being exposed to FILM. Now, of course, to play on a DVD or HD-DVD, the actual film goes through some sort of scanning process to digitize the film, like scanning a picture on a scanner.
An HD-DVD will simply be encoded at a higher resolution. Perhaps someone could comment on whether movies filmed with HD digital cameras are first converted to film before being converted back, or if they are taken directly from the digital image itself.

[Matthew @ Nov 23rd 2006 1:17AM]

First off, I don't think anyone is still watching this thread but anyways. As in any format war there will be a winner. Both formats have their ups and downs. HD-DVD may be smaller but it doesn't matter unless you are going to put multiple movies on one disc. Blu-Ray has a larger disc size, but more production issues(not to mention cost issues, at least in my opinion). There are also going to be over 200 HD-DVD movies out for Christmas 2006. There will be about 100 this year on Blu-Ray. Seeing that PS3 will have a Blu-Ray player in it for $400-$500 off what a normal player costs, it may get more support. Although the Xbox 360 has just gotten its HD-DVD add-on, giving people some incentive to buy the 360 too. Xbox 360 premium ($400) + Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive ($200) = $600, PS3 premium (to make it fair), with Blu-ray player built-in = $600. So there is really no help there other then the 360 has better games available but that is kinda off topic and really left to personal opinions (mine is 360 is better for FPS, example: Halo 1,2,3, but PS3 is gonna have better racing games, example: Gran Turismo HD, Ridge Racer 7). Ok back to the topic. Both formats have plenty of supporters, Blu-Ray with bigger companies (including a pornographic one, if you're into that kind of thing). I have seen both compared side by side and they are exactly the same, the remotes/menus were slow on the Blu-Ray though. Both had the full surround sound which was very nice. Those that say that both formats are total morons, and can stick with their DVD's for now. But for those that want the pinnacle of HD or Home Theater capabilities should but the PS3 and Xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive. You now see that there is no clear leader or winner at this point, so pay the $600 or wait until there is a clear winner.

[Blikkem @ Oct 4th 2007 6:22PM]

What ever we do don't support Blu-ray!!!!
Have you seen the mark up Sony puts on it's products? You want to put a standard in the hands of a company not afraid to overcharge us? Sony plays the marketing game better then most. They are all hype. And they will stick it to us if they succeed and we'll be paying $50 for Blu-Ray movies forever.