HD DVD's latest firmware update enables web features

There is no doubt that both Hi-Def disc formats are a work in progress, and the latest update (for second-generation HD DVD players only) from Toshiba keeps HD DVD's interactive content at least one step ahead of Blu-ray. This latest update will help HD DVD fans enjoy web-enabled content included on a few titles like Warner's Blood Diamond, which hits the streets tomorrow; the update also resolves a few other issues such as the dreaded chroma bug. Like previous updates, you can download it directly to the player, (if it's connected to the Internet) or request a free update disc from Toshiba.

Read -- Blood Diamond's web-content
Read -- HD DVD chroma bug
Read -- Firmware download

[Nobuyuki Idei @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:16PM]

Jeebus, they still have chroma bugs on HD DVD? Another reason for Blu Ray I guess.

[liqwid @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:39PM]

Jeebus, my HD DVD player works just perfectly well and has no bugs. Another reason for HD DVD I guess.

[kingofwale @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:17PM]

Blood Diamond will help HD-DVD a little, but wait until Pirates and Spiderman 3 come out on Blu-Ray exclusive later on this year. the War will be over soon.

[David Susilo @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:46PM]

Blu-ray: The Format of the Future: "Wait until... "

[Tony @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:28PM]

They fixed the chroma bug issue?? For reals?!? Now I have no idea which format to go with. Damn you, Toshiba!

But yeah, can they give up already?

[stuckouteast @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:28PM]

Finally, I'll be able to learn more about a movie on the internet! I don't see how this would be possible without HD-DVD's web content!

blah.

[artifex @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:34PM]

Is the 360 drive considered 2nd gen or 1st?

[Jacob Welsh @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:44PM]

Does anyone know where i can download it over the internet, i have tried and tried to get my Toshiba HD-A2 hooked up to my Apple Airport and it seems impossible and i dont want to wait for the disk to come in the mail? any ideas thanks

[Segarsj @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:06PM]

@ Jacob Welsh

Though I haven't tried it myself, High Def Digest states that the update is available from their site at http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvd/hddvd.asp

I hope that helps.

[Dave @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:56PM]

there is still hd dvd format??? damn... what for?

[andy @ Jul 2nd 2007 7:46PM]

movies.

[Kaminix @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:23PM]

I don't think the future is HD-DVD -OR- Blu-Ray. I think it's a combo-player (or burner, although Blu-Ray is FAR more interesting for burning purposes). Probably most readers will be able to do both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

[Mike @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:43PM]

A good point and a logical conclusion, but I have a feeling that by the time these combo players have come down in price and are more widespread, one of the two sides will have already "won." And besides, the differences between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are too great for it to be as simple an issue as the DVD+R vs. DVD-R skirmish. Even if combo players take over the home theatre market, it'll take even longer for internal Blu-Ray/HD-DVD drives to come down in price enough to be economically feasible.

And although Sony does have a dirty habit of keeping prices high, they aren't the only player in the Blu-Ray Disc Association, and if Hi-Def discs are going to replace traditional DVDs, I wonder if movie companies won't have some say in how the discs are priced, as well. After all, it is their content, and they do have some power in the process, as well. And although it was Sony that invented and marketed CDs, Sony didn't have a big say in pricing; it was the record labels that drastically dropped prices on CDs during the late 90's-early 00's.

[Andy @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:12PM]

The prices of CDs were "drastically dropped" by the record companies? Where exactly did this happen? I thought that was the reason for music CDs to be doing so badly. While it seemed reasonable to pay $18-20 when the cost of a CD was about $10, it seemed really stupid to pay the same when you could get a CD for $0.10.

[Chris @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:35PM]

For data yes bluray may be better

but come on you sony fanboys... iHD makes bluray look like betamax.... i mean dear god blurays not even supporting dual video streams from the disk let alone a dozen other nextgen features that iHD supports...

hell the weird java thing that bluray opted for doesnt even work on most of the launch players.

[Jimmy @ Jul 2nd 2007 3:17PM]

Chris,

Fanboy or Fanboi is a term used to describe someone who is utterly devoted to a single subject or hobby, often to the point where it is considered an obsession. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, and they take these details extremely seriously. So....


"iHD makes bluray look like betamax...." --- By this you mean Blu-ray has higher video quality and shorter recording times than HD-DVD? In fact Blu-ray has higher video bandwidth, larger storage capacity, support for all the same video codecs, and more content support.


"i mean dear god blurays not even supporting dual video streams from the disk" --- You are correct if you only look at BD-J 1.0. This version of BD-J does not support PiP at all. However, BD-J 1.1 and 2.0 include PiP in dual 1080P output. Lets see, iHD supports the main picture at 1080P and PiP in standard definition (480P). Gee, thanks for the superior capabilities there Chris.

"a dozen other nextgen features that iHD supports..." --- Please elaborate on these dozen next-gen features that BD-J does not support?

"hell the weird java thing that bluray opted for doesnt even work on most of the launch players." --- Well, lets break this down:

1. "weird java thing" - BD-J is based on a packaged media profile of Globally Executable MHP, or GEM. GEM, in turn, forms the basis of most global digital television application standards, including Multimedia Home Platform ("DVB-MHP") for broadcast, satellite, and cable worldwide, OpenCable Application Platform ("OCAP") for North American cable, and Advanced Common Application Platform ("ACAP") for US broadcast. GEM is an ETSI standard; DVB-MHP is a DVB standard. All GEM-based standards are built on top of Java technology, invented by Sun Microsystems. Because BD-J, MHP, OCAP, and ACAP are all based on the Java platform, there is a high degree of content interoperability between these standards, making it easier, for example, for Blu-ray Disc content features to be made available on cable Video on Demand, or for interactive television content originally aired on broadcast television to be repackaged and made available on Blu-ray Disc. Oh, and iHD or HDi was created specifically by Microsoft and Toshiba as the interactive layer for HD-DVD. Which one is really the "weird" incarnation?

2. "doesnt even work on most of the launch players" --- Not quite correct. All first generation Blu-ray machines support BD-J 1.0 specification. The next generation of players will support BD-J 2.0 but that will not be completed until October. However, all discs will work on all players but the older players will not support the newer BD-J content. And the 6 million or so PS-3s will support BD-J 2.0 with a firmware update. But while we are on the subject of not supporting features - what do we do with all of those first generation HD-DVD players that do not support this update?

[dmek @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:18PM]

Damn Succa. You just got SERVED

[WiFiSpy @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:41PM]

6 Million PS3s?? HAHA

from VGchartz.com

PS3

0.97m Japan
1.55m America
1.05m Others

3.57m Total

[NANA @ Jul 2nd 2007 9:28PM]

Jimmy, which format of 300 is coming with more extra features?

[Jimmy @ Jul 2nd 2007 11:36PM]

6 million PS3s - the number made not the number sold - I am talking compatibility with products manufactured that is all.


300 will have more extras on HD DVD. Let us consider why that might be. 300 is being released by Warner. I wonder if they would have a reason to want HD DVD to last a little longer, like maybe until 2008?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/28/warners-total-hd-delayed-till-2008/

[Dale @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:36PM]

I am still hoping that impossible hope that both formats die and everyone is forced to work together to create a format from which no one is the major beneficiary of licensing dollars.

[Sharp Banana @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:26PM]

So yeah, is the 360 hd drive a first or second gen hd drive?

[Ben @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:26PM]

This update is for the stand alone Toshiba players.

[hypereric @ Jul 2nd 2007 3:52PM]

I'm pretty sure the 360 HD-DVD is "next gen" in this context. About two weeks ago, I put in a HD movie to watch and it said it needed an update, and when that was done I had a new button on my "toolbar" called "HD-DVD Network Settings".

I couldn't figure out why the heck I should be worried about cookies and whatnot for the HD-DVD player until I heard this announcement. Mind you, I haven't tried any "web-active" disc, so how well it works or not is an open question.

[Andy @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:15PM]

Any updates like this for the Xbox 360 HD-DVD is applied to the Xbox 360 itself, not the drive. The drive only reads discs, not processes any data. For the drive to need a firmware update, it has to need a fix like compatibility with discs, or with newer XBOX machines, should any incompatibility arise, or something like that.

[LJKelley @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:34PM]

The Xbox 360 HD DVD drive get its own updates from time to time thru Microsoft. I guess its upto Microsoft if they add these features (which I'm sure they will). Every now and then when I try to watch an HD DVD film I get an update.

Its nice to know they are fixing any problems. If your Blu-ray player had faulty firmware or new features were released you would have to wait for a disc in the mail as most don't have internet connectivity.

[mrbutabara @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:47PM]

whatever happened to just watching the movie? is there really any need for the interactive stuff during the movie or are people just so impatient now-a-days to wait for the bonus feature at the end of the movie?

[boe @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:59PM]

Who really cares- just release everything in the latest Dolby and DTS MA and we'll have a reason to upgrade - we aren't buying the first run - halfway transferred DVD releases any more - just release the good stuff - we aren't double dipping.

[HyperHacker @ Jul 2nd 2007 3:59PM]

Do all of you Blu-ray people not care how many people Sony has screwed over in the past? Rootkits, Lik-sang, DRM that makes DVDs unplayable, UMD, any of this ring a bell? Yet you still continue to buy from them?

[David Susilo @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:19PM]

Really old news. The firmware have been posted for about a month on Toshiba's website. Furthermore the "news" of Blood Diamond having network connectivity have been around (and confirmed by the studio) for more than a month!

[David Susilo @ Jul 2nd 2007 4:21PM]

Jeebus, they still can't do interactive content like the lowly and cheaper HD DVD? Another reason for HD DVD I guess.

[Diggiti @ Jul 3rd 2007 7:27PM]

You CANNOT let SONY win !

The price for Blu Ray Movies & Blanks will ALWAYS stay high if HD DVD dies

Competition is the ONLY thing that forces Sony to respect their customers. Otherwise we'd all be using MiniDiscs and UMD's

Am I Wrong ?

[Tony @ Jul 2nd 2007 12:48PM]

Yes and no. Having competing standards keeps the big boys going, like Sony and Toshiba. But smaller groups have to figure out which standard to choose to reach the most people...which isn't many on either one yet. Besides the fact that us consumers need to decide as well.

If you look at DVD+R and DVD-R, it worked out ok because the burners today work with both types. If players for HD discs all start working with both types of discs, then yeah, the competition would keep lower prices. Competition is only a good thing when there's a good market FOR competition.