Universal won't downsample HD DVD content

Add Universal to the list of studios that won't downsample content for owners of non-HDMI HD sets. The company follows Sony and several others in announcing its decision not to use the Image Constraint Token to force owners of older HD sets to watch their films at 540p instead of the discs' native resolution. The decision mainly affects owners of older analog HD sets, and shows that, at least as far as the studios are concerned, it's important to show some willingness to meet consumers (especially early adopters) half way in order to convince them to upgrade their gear to HD. Of course, Universal and the others are under no obligation to maintain this position indefinitely, so we won't be surprised to see ICT implemented across-the-board in a few years, after the format wars are over and we're all hooked on our new players.

[STEPHEN @ Mar 27th 2006 5:38PM]

Ah, Serenity...My fav movie of all time...LOL.

[Mark @ Mar 27th 2006 5:51PM]

Browncoats unite!

[E-Rock @ Mar 27th 2006 5:52PM]

Bait meet switch. The first hit is free and all the other obvious bad analogies this brings to mind.

If they took the ICT out of the spec, they'd be bending to the consumer's will. Turning it off until they've got the consumers locked into the format is the exact line of coporate reasoning that makes it a certainty that I will not be buying into this format.

[Mike @ Mar 27th 2006 6:00PM]

who gives a crap? i dont think that well see either blu-ray or hd-dvd as an industry standard for the next 3-5 years.

[andy @ Mar 27th 2006 6:15PM]

and in 3-5 years time whos gonna be buying phisical media?

[Kamalot @ Mar 27th 2006 6:19PM]

Wow. I'm impressed that movie studios would be willing to let me watch the films I purchase in the format I purchased them in.

That said, I won't be picking up Bluray (blurry?) or HD DVD.

[c.Lake @ Mar 27th 2006 6:21PM]

How f__king BIG of you, Universal.

[Virtuous @ Mar 27th 2006 6:26PM]

In 3-5 years at least 40% of the US population still won't be able to download movies practically. This require a really fast high-speed connection, not what passes for DSL these days.

It will be a few years before I even consider buying 1 HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movie. If studios begin implementing the downsample flag I won't buy any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies.

[Barry @ Mar 27th 2006 6:30PM]

Wow, someone at Universal figured out that forced downsampling was a lose-lose. Go Universal.

Someone said the real competitor for blu-ray won't be hd-dvd, but standard dvds. I think this dead on. In the near term, I don't think blu-ray will fare very well against standard dvds either.

[doyouflip @ Mar 27th 2006 6:43PM]

I'm not too sure what any of this means other than I should be safe if I get a digital HD TV and stick with DVD in the short term.

That being said, I love Firefly and Serenity and now Engadget for using that DVD :o)

[oldschool @ Mar 27th 2006 6:53PM]

what ever happened to FMD?

[batfastad @ Mar 27th 2006 7:38PM]

Frankly, I don't give a stuff about either HD-DVD or BluRay

It just smacks of film studios (and record labels in the case of DVD-A and SACD) trying to tackle privacy by forcing a new technology down everyone's throats.

Persuading people to buy in to a new even tougher copy-protected format under a "it's better quality than DVD" sales pitch.
Obvious!

Plus it means studios can charge a few �s and $s more for the HD versions of new movies compared to even the DVD version for a few years before prices drop.

When are studios / record labels going to realise that piracy is not the only reason for their loss in profits... the internet has opened up a worldwide marketplace in 2nd hand and used CDs and DVDs.
I can't remember the last time I bought a brand new CD from a high-street chain! ebay and amazon marketplace all the time!
(usually stuff ordered from amazon marketplace arrives quicker than ordering through amazon!)

I bought my first DVD in 2000. So it's taken 6 years for the format to be replaced?!

Ok, so HD-DVD / BluRay is amazing quality.
Do I care?
No.
DVD is good enough thanks.

[Dude @ Mar 27th 2006 10:07PM]

So my HD set without an HDMI input won't let me watch Hi-def DVD's when they come out? That's a bummer man. The stuff I watch in HD now on cable blows away the regular DVD format for clarity and visual spendor. I AM interested in Hi-def DVD formats big time, whichever comes out. I don't even watch DVD's now because HD has spoiled my eyes.

[EatingPie @ Mar 27th 2006 10:47PM]

Every comment so far by people who do not own HDTVs! Sorta throws a huge grain of salt onto this whole thread.

The resolution change from DVD to HDTV is greater than that of VHS to DVD. But it will certainly take longer for HD-DVD or BD to get adopted because it will only shine on HDTV sets (DVD "just worked"). But one WILL become a standard.

-Pie

[djphatjive @ Mar 27th 2006 11:40PM]

I can't wait until there is no more sony, universal, MGM, Wait there gone!, Yea one is gone. Now for the others!!!!!! Then we can just buy the movie right from the director. Skip the studios, who needs them when you have digital downloads? Make the movie, format the movie into different formats, then let the people download them, Heck for 2 dollars additional they should be able to download the same movie onto a different format, that sounds fair to me!

[AppleFunatic @ Mar 28th 2006 3:04AM]

Wow... Serenity... awesome, they are releasing the biggest box office bomb of last year on HD DVD. Wheeee...

[Cyotik @ Mar 28th 2006 3:17AM]

Damn right they won't downsample. HD and Blu Ray have become a real circus. Oh and the biggest box office bomb of the year? There were certainly movies that did far worse than Serenity and none of them managed to pull a profit thanks to DVD sales. Death to all who oppose Serenity.

[Thomas Wrobel @ Mar 28th 2006 5:05AM]

Oh please!

This is crazy, they talk about "allowing us", while still having it as part of the protocal?
This obviously means they are only going to "allow us" for a short time.

Screw BluRay/HD as far as I am concerned, its time the consumers showed these arrogant companys who pages their wages!
I am fed up enough of DVD's were I cant skip past company logos, piracy messages and trailers.

Its only going to get worse next gen!

So what should we do?
SKIP IT.

Download services are comeing rapidly all over europe.It wont take that long to get to america if the viewers demand it.

And, even then, we have holographic discs on the horizon thats better then BluRay and HD.
Only 2 or 3 years and they will be consumer products.

We should accept this idea were hollywood, sony and others want us to replace our tvs (twice), then replace our whole movie collection!

WE are the boss, not them.





====
As for Serenity, it was pretty good.
Not the amazing thing some talk about that...the ala'matrix death scene was crigeworthy for one.
Obviously, it would have been suppiour if they could have finnished it as a series, rather then cramping the plot remains into a film.
Same goes for the Farscape miniseries; Great, but clearly very "squashed".

[Thomas Wrobel @ Mar 28th 2006 5:11AM]

"The resolution change from DVD to HDTV is greater than that of VHS to DVD"

VHS to DVD didnt have any resolution change. (in some case's it got worse; Compression)

It was merely an increase in durability, price and convience.

None of which are going to change this time around.
VHS>>DVD seemed like a "hi-tech" leap
DVD>>BitbetterDVD most consumers wont care.

The leap from VHS was a big one; Mainly films didnt ware out after a few viewings, and you didnt have to rewind.

"Then we can just buy the movie right from the director. Skip the studios, who needs them when you have digital downloads?"

Well, skip the distributors, you mean ;)

But yes, the future is downloads.
Might take another decade for a full worlde-wide transition, but it will come.

I want my money to go as direct as possible to the shows creators.
Society always gains from cutting out middle men :)

[Kendall Jung @ Mar 28th 2006 7:36AM]

The thing about the format wars is it is a way for the studios to gain publicity. Pick one for God's sake, and get it over with.

I'm about a year out from having HDTV, and want this crap settled. I also though, refuse to pay $1000 for a DVD player. I have over 300 DVDs right now, and they play just fine on my regular-ol' DVD player and 32" TV. Would I *like* higher resolution? Hell yes. I would love to see Serenity in IMAX if I could. ;-)

Yes, I said it. Serenity. IMAX. NOW. Someone? Anyone? (Okay, I know this is off topic, I am heading back there.)

As for those who think that the movie theaters will someday "vanish", I have to completely disagree. If anything we'll see more companies pop up, wanting a slice of the pie, until there's no margin in movies being released in theaters anymore.

[balu @ Mar 28th 2006 7:44AM]

iamv can store vidio clips

[Michael Gray @ Mar 28th 2006 9:14AM]

The studio's will start downgrading the Analog signal around the point when cheap HD Analog capture cards appear on the market.

Of course, there are market pressures to PREVENT this from ever happening - since most HD cameras have DV or USB outputs. If the industry can give people HD time shifting, archive and backup then the demand for component HD capture might be so small as to keep the technology effectively off the market.

But SOMEBODY will eventually make responably priced Analog capture cards, and start using them to make cheap HD-DVD/Blu-Ray knock-offs.

it's All about revenue. As long as
$(Revenue Lost because of Downgrading) > $(Revenue lost to people making copies)
they won't downgrade. Eventually that formula will shift the other way, and then expect new discs to start downgrading.

[Pip @ Mar 28th 2006 9:23AM]

Considering most of the current HD market right now is STILL analogue component inputs, I would think it would be in their best interest to release players that play 1080i discs over component. Very few sets have DVI, or even HDMI compared to the amount of early adoptor sets that have component only.

It will be quite a shock when the distributers start seeing class action lawsuits forcing them to support the hardware that was designed for this content. Component.

[Jeff @ Mar 28th 2006 10:34AM]

How in the heck am I supposed to watch my HD-DVD's with a Microsoft Xbox 360? The Xbox 360 doesn't have support for HDMI out; therefore, how in the world will I be watching HD-DVD movies in full HD?

Anyone ask THAT question?

[nemi @ Mar 28th 2006 11:09AM]

I bought my HDTV a year ago. I was smart enough to see this coming and got one with a single DVI and a single HDMI port that BOTH support HDCP.

I consumers did not. Theya re the same people who will end up hookign their BluRay of HD-DVD player to their HDTV usign a s-video cable. Good luck to them.

As to the rescent version changes of HDMI to 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 it appears that this only effects the soudn types supported and 1080p picture.

Since I have a 720p set this does not effect me.

Since I use a seperate 6.1 channel receiver via optical or coaxial digital audio link this does not effect me.

[EdZ @ Mar 28th 2006 11:21AM]

Flags? Who cares! We all know it'll only be a matter of weeks until you can buy a little black box for 5o quid that strips off the HDCP amd allows you to convert from HDMI to DVI, VGA, or YPrPb. There are already several that strip the HDCP, there are plans available on the net for building and programming your own, and the whole HDCP format is inherantly insecure (forget key revocation, there's a deeper flaw).

[Kevin @ Mar 28th 2006 12:47PM]

The Question you all should be asking is: Do you think Hollywood is down sampling todays DVDs? There is a rumor that shows HD DVD playing next to DVD playing on identical plasma HDTV screens and the audience couldn't tell which one was HD-DVD.. so the studios, downsampled DVDs? Why not they have to try and sale us a spec (either one BluRay or HD) that was created like a kid creates a wish list for Christmas. Nothing was removed from the spec and all the Hollywood high ups bought into a dream. The fact is that HD and BluRay dics are FAR from reaching being close being relaiable and affordable. Save your time and money stick with DVDs.

[slow news day @ Mar 28th 2006 9:39PM]

Actually you don't need a high speed connection to download movies. Look at MovieBeam which transmits movies wirelessly.

[Ray Morris @ Mar 29th 2006 1:31AM]

#13 "The resolution change from DVD to HDTV is greater than that of VHS to DVD" The noticable, visual difference between DVD to HDTV is by far less obvious and discernable than VHS TO DVD.

"Every comment so far by people who do not own HDTVs."
How do you know? But going along with that false assumtion; many people are happy with SDTV. It's only a small minority that are 'finicky' with HDTV. Many are getting HDTV becuase they are stuck, knowing their present TVs won't be any good before long, not because of preference.
HD-DVD/Blu-Ray will be a small nitch market like Laserdics were years ago. Although Laserdics didn't have catches, gimmicks, codes, flags, threats of down rezzing, and other nonsense these new things have!

[Tex @ Jun 30th 2006 9:44AM]

Most consumers do not even have the capability to play DVD at their intended quality and it is the corporations who made it that way. DVD is much higher-res than SVHS and to believe otherwise is completely ignorant. Just because you can't see it on your current TV doesn't mean it isn't there.

HD-DVD is actually exploding surprisingly fast (You know that Manufactures didn't want it to happen so quickly, how else would they sell us TV's for the next 50yrs.) ...Well there is one major technology (HDR-Displays, now thats something to look forward to.)

Standard-DEf is a DISGUSTING format. The HDTV delay has nothing to do with technology limitations, it is all implementaion (or more acurrately, manipulation). The more material that pushes the market into a decent format the better, no matter how it is implemented.

Every moment that consumers blow off tech advances to "hold-out" for higher quality only exacerbates the problem. The public needs to adopt tech and move on as fast as possible, there is a bigger problem going on here which has nothing to do with HDCP...get over it.

[KevinA @ Jan 21st 2008 11:01PM]

As a full-blown television addict, I try to keep up with the best technology available for picture and sound. I currently have a setup in my den with an older RCA 52" HDTV. The specs say the picture resolution is 1280x1080I with connectors listed as 3-S-Video/Composite,Y-Pr-Pb (RCA jacks) Synchroscan, Hi-Res Input is 15 Pin D-sub (the TV came with a cable that is RCAs on one end and HDMI on the other). With all of this info at hand, it's useless. Comcast is the only cable provider where I live and 0 stations broadcasting HD UHF signals. So, I have to have a cable box anyhow and use the HDMI on it. I'm converting another room into my home theatre, but just as I started planning, this BlueRay vs HD-DVD hits the fan. This brings back bad memories of VHS vs Beta. Yes, I bought a Betamax, but a VHS too. The prices were low enough to do this. I cannot see buying any kind of DVD player/recorder until these greedy mfgs get their act together. I got a tip from a friend in the business (advertising) to wait until after Feb 4th to look at a new plasma TV, the major mfgs have already started a campaign to sell true HDTVs at about half the price. Right now the HD-DVD vs BlueRay is ridiculous. I'm not going to jump into designing and purchasing everything for a new home theatre that will be obsolete within a year. I also have over 200 DVDs, I just boxed up over 300 VHS tapes, made a replacement list, but put that on hold when I saw two of my replacement movies advertised on HD-DVD and/or BlueRay. Maybe it would be a good idea to wait for the "goggle-home-theatre" and watch my movies on the net. I just can't get over the flashbacks from VHS vs. Beta! Same story, different time. Same scheme, different players. Be patient, we the public hold the keys to these manufacturers stop trying to force us to buy things we don't need or are such little improvement that the newer version is already in the works. I agree with the posts concerning downloading movies, remember they said the same thing about music files, look what a giant leap the iPod was once they got the kinks out. Wait until something new (not HD-DVD or BlueRay, I promise there will be soon) hits the market, then see who wins the HD vs BR!