Just when the members of the Blu-ray Disc Association were settling down to enjoy the fruits of victory, another challenger has entered the ring -- oh wait, it's just NME, makers of
VMD, so it's really more like "remained in the ring and basically ignored." The company just issued a press release saying "All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD," and that "The way is now clear for VMD to be embraced by the industry." We suppose that's true -- the Asian bootlegging industry really hasn't weighed in with a format choice yet, has it? In any event, VMD players have apparently been shipping to the US for a month now, so all you HD DVD fans out there looking to back yet another losing horse can probably find one -- start at the shadiest retailer you can think of, and then move downwards.
[Thanks, Chris]
posted Feb 29th 2008 6:34PM
Who?
"What", "When", "Where", "Why" and "How" would like to join in too.
ME. Jack Burton.
NiagAra Falls...
NME = "No, Me Eemportant :("
hey fixed it!
... step by step, inch by inch...
lol Breakfast Club
better use protection or you'll end up with VMD
interesting...
Is the CEO Ralph Nader?
hahahahahaha
Engadget, you should be bloody ashamed of this post. I thought this was supposed to be a gadget site where we all shared a fascination of all things shiny. As such we accept that from time to time we're going to go left where we should go right, it's just part of the risk of being early adopters of said shiny things. But one of the biggest tech blogs on the net coming out with stuff like this:
"all you HD DVD fans out there looking to back yet another losing horse "
makes me sick to my stomach. Gloating at what, for some people, could be a considerable financial investment because of what? Loyalty to a particular format of optical disk? A smug sense of satisfaction that the author was right and others were wrong? Is this really what the geek community has sunk to?
Personally, I'm very grateful to HD-DVD. It gave me a very cheap and legal way to experience HD media for the first time. That experience has taught me some valuable lessons (for example: the PS3 is useless to me personally as a Blu-Ray player as it has no analogue audio outs and the new HD sound formats are one of the big draws of HD media) and I still have a core set of movies that I really wanted in HD which will work perfectly for the foreseable future. In the meantime I've invested in a HD satellite box which would never have happened without HD-DVD.
Pathetic. Just pathetic and WELL below the usual standard of writing on this site.
Hey, most of the Engadget staff got burned too. Fact is that HD DVD lost, gallows humor is dark for a reason.
This is "Gallows Humor"? Ah, you see that's where I've gone wrong because that particular line:
a) has nothing to do with the content of the article
b) is EXACTLY the sort of gloating comment you see from *shudder* fanboys when celebrating 'their victory'.
c) isn't actually funny (IMO of course).
Fair enough though, I think the problem is with me here. I keep expecting more from the web than it's ever going to deliver in that I yearn for rational and civil discourse. This of course is impossible while people both invest emotionally in their choices and, at the same time, experience the dizzy highs that come with anonymity.
Take a 100mg chill pill every 6 hours. That ought to cure that case of stick rectitus.
Wow, calm down buddy. Maybe you should find another gadget site if you don't like the tone of this one. That's what some of us visit for, you know.
Bitter much?
I pirate.
Bitter HD DVD fan is bitter.
Lighten up, Francis.
Right on SteveM. It's rather insulting. Are HD DVD owners stupid for choosing a format they thought would at least stick around for a while longer due to lower price points for the players? For most products the prices are very important. There was a time when it was not clear which side would win, or even if there would be a single winner.
Blu-Ray fans are sore winners.
Engadget chief among them.
NME = Enemy.
Do not trust what they have to say.
NME = Enemy.
Do not trust what they have to say.
Garrr, you beat me to it.
Yes, I will put all my trust and five a bucket full of money to a company named ENEMY!
Hmm... ok, I'll head on over to RadioShack!
...and then to the guy in the parking lot, with the big van.
um, I think you got that backwards...
I'd rather buy this than the alleged music magazine of the same name! Either way, the name seems synonymous with failure!
Xbox 360 VMD Add-on CONFIRMED!
Hahahahahaha!!!
lol :D
NME...do they mean enema?
Come on, give em a break! Aren't you tired of not having a choice and being told what we are going to buy? With their disc format; players are cheaper 1080p HD quality. Movies will be cheaper to manufacture + we won't get raped like Sony is so used to doing by overcharging the consumers..
Red laser, you say?
If these guys can get together with some geniuses at Microsoft and figure out some (magical?) way to implement this as a firmware update for existing Xbox 360's...
In a press release sent to Pocket-lint, New Medium Enterprises, the company behind the format....
---------
Pahahaha. Sorry, I stopped reading there.
I asked what my friend was getting for his mom for Xmas, and he said a VMD player. Then I lol'd.
"All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD."
Bahahaha.
Which void is that? The one with no movies on it anymore? The fire sale void? Or the market for paperweights and doorstops?
@Engadget:
Please stop insulting people that supported HDDVD. When this format war started no one knew which format was going to win.
People that supported HDDVD don't want to support another dying format as you say.
Don't be morons Engadget.
i would disagree - there are many people who called this before either product hit the market... the fact is that blu-ray had ps3, more storage, and better studio exclusivity from the start.
Jon:
Your reasons don't justify insulting people. Human beings deserve respect.
Obviously you don't have respect.
Am I the only one who finds everyone that is taking the HD-DVD strike so personally hilarious? I wouldn't be surprised if they are near tears, very literally, as they are writing their sorrowful comments.
Seriously, please... guys, it was a optical media format, not humans vs. the machines.
"Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine"
This is obviously HD DVD in blue glowy form.
NME's HD VMD uses red laser, and was introduced in 2005. The sad reality is that HD VMD will not be anywhere as successful as HD DVD. End of story.
People who are taking that last bit about HD-DVD are taking this a little bit too seriously. just relax and think of the brighter side of things:
1 - its still useable. how many DVD's do you own? well now you have a DVD player that will upscale all your DVD's an feed it to your HD TV through HDMI. think of it as a very good DVD player
2 - It wasnt that expensive of a mistake. if you can afford an HD TV and then become an early adopter then a $1000 loss isnt that big of a mistake (especially since iys not a complete loss see #1)if on the other hand you have bills, bills bills make only enough money to live month to month, and spent your life savings + your credit cards to buy your TV and HD-DVD player. then I recommend you smarten up, block engadget and all similar sites because your an idiot and getting these sites to get you excited about things you cant afford but will buy anyways is a sure way to get you into some major trouble.
and for the record I really like bluray, the main reason I wanted that format to win is not because of movies but because of data, I have alot of things on my computer and the extra space on bluray disks will come in handy when bluray-RW drives and media become affordeable and widespread.
@READER
hey do you still play AOE2 i remember that exact comment phrased there.
I've never found dissing stuff funny. It's too easy.
@t-man152
From reading the title of the article one can determine that it was NME that stated that "All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD," and that "The way is now clear for VMD to be embraced by the industry."
HD DVD has been quite successful, but Toshiba believes that HD DVD continued success is in doubt.
HD VMD (or just VMD) is missing many of the key ingredient to be successful. Very few people actually believe that HD VMD will be a success.
From the fact that the parent post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards.
P.S. You do not know what a person can or can not afford. Responsible people actually manage their finances for, long term goals, short term commitments, or just to treat themselves now and then.
My error; an new thread was started when it should have been a reply. Thus:
"From the fact that the parent post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards."
Should read:
"From the fact that 'my original' post is short, it is hard to determine who your comments are directed towards."
Well said, SteveM. I agree that Engadget's being pretty nasty with they're tendency to rub in HD DVD's losing, but by far this was the nastiest. It's one thing to say "well, what're ya gonna do now?", but to insult us by saying that were going to run out and plunk down more money on VMD is an insult to our intelligence. I don't know how much you guys make in a year, but I'll bet that you didn't have to worry about which side won, unlike the rest of us normal people who make an average paycheck. Hell, I'll bet that my combined household income (after taxes and all that crap) is only about half of what you make. I'm telling you guys, enough is enough. Lighten up, and you should just post a quick "I'm sorry I offended you", Nilay. I would honestly expect a little more decorum from a corporation-backed company.
So what is this?
they do look a hell of a lot like sky HD boxes.. still dont know wtf vmd is tho
I think that if all current PC's can be JUST UPGRADED BY FIRMWARE, then we (the world) would be ridiculously stupid not endorse and use such a technology.
I have an XBOX 360, but never bought the HD DVD drive because I couldnt decide which was better hddvd or bluray...but:
I just heard about HD VMD today and I'm already sold.
From the world wide PA system:
OK WORLD, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS UPGRADING YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS, YOUR GAMING SYSTEMS, EVERY ONE OF YOUR COMPUTERS, OR...DO YOU WANT TO PICK THE FORMAT THAT WILL WORK WITH YOUR EXISTING COMPUTERS, GAMING SYSTEMS, AND FIRMWAREUPGRADABLE ENTERTAIMENT SYSTEMS FOR FREE?
Well I know what President Bush would say:
Nation...we started using this new blue laser technology and we gotta see it to the end!
Even if it ruins us economically, hehehe. The format war is over! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Why don't we all become just a little bit fiscally and environmentally responsible and choose the format that makes the most sense.
Maurizio
Honestly I wouldn't discount this tech. Most Americans don't know that in the 90's early 00's a tech called VCD (video CD) ruled most of asia including China & India because CDs are more resilant than VHS, easier to create than VHS & DVD &, key point, very cheap. If this can deliver on the quality & quantity & price, no American movie studio has to support it for it to be huge. I hope the 1/3rd of the earths population that is China & India embrace this. GO UNDER DOG!