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Format Wars: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD
The format war. Over the last few decades it has played out across various forms of tech -- AC vs. DC, VHS vs. Beta -- usually with fierce battle lines drawn and millions, or even billions, of dollars at stake. Recently, none has burned so brightly as the battle of HD DVD vs. Blu-ray (read our blow-by-blow retrospective of the 2005-2007 battle here). And it brought all the classic elements: Sides were divided between titans of the industry, led by Sony pressing the Blu-ray side and Toshiba backing HD DVD, with the PS3 and Xbox 360 ready to serve as Trojan horses. As if the stakes weren't high enough already, the specter of an oncoming internet-streaming winter loomed like Game of Throne's army of White Walkers. So what really happened? Who won in the end? And, most importantly, was that victory actually worth it all?
Best Buy wants your horrible DVDs and is willing to give you Blu-ray discs for them
If you're like us, you ran out into the yard and burned a pile of old DVDs in a giant bonfire the minute you bought a Blu-ray player. If you're of the more sentimental sort and held onto the things, however, now's probably a good time to cash-in. Best Buy has launched a Trade & Save promotion, giving users $5 toward the purchase of a Blu-ray discs for each old DVD they bring into the store, without all of the limitations of Warner's DVD2Blu. Of course there are a few caveats here -- for one thing, it's got to be a genuine, commercially released title, so no home movies or BitTorrent rips of The Hurt Locker. The coupons are good only on select Blu-ray titles, and you can redeem five movies per visit through June 4th. Now if we can only find someone who'll take our HD DVDs. [Thanks, Anthony]
Screen Grabs: Chuck cowers in the HD-DVD graveyard
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. An eagle-eyed reader pointed this one out: Where do HD-DVD players go when they're no longer hot items? That's right: Hollywood, where they help make up the backdrop of Buy More's in-store Halloween display. Chuck was involved in some horrifying shenanigans, and then we were horrified by sitting through most of an episode of Chuck. And the circle is complete. [Thanks, Ryan]
Deadlands 2 HD DVD rises from the grave for a limited run
And here we were thinking that the Deadlands 2 labor of love has passed peacefully on to the next world. Appropriately enough for a zombie flick (or whatever it is, we haven't actually bothered to watch the trailer that closely -- though if you're interested, there is a free download of the entire flick on the director's website) even cancellation could not stop a limited edition HD DVD-R run from reaching the faithful who preordered. After all the shipping issues and a lackluster DVD effort the film will apparently no longer be distributed by Anthem Pictures, though it could see a "proper release" by another company. Still, we never expected a new HD DVD to ship in 2010, leaving us to wonder if the inevitable Deadlands 3 will keep the streak going next year. [Thanks, Popeye9000]
Deadlands 2 cancellation puts an unnecessary nail in HD DVD's coffin
We're sure there's a few people out there still waving the Red flag, unfortunately for them a planned last hurrah for HD DVD won't go off, as the release of Deadlands 2: Trapped on the format has been cancelled. Director Gary Ugarek had attempted a limited edition pressing of the flick to raise dormant HD-A1s and the like from the dead but ran into "one too many roadblocks" including U.S. printers backing out and has been forced to end the project. Those already on the preorder list can email Anthem Pictures at info@anthemdvd.com for a refund, while others can check the trailer after the break and wonder what might have been..
HD DVD rides again: TCL brings China Blue HD & Blu-ray together for a CES face-off
Ah, HD DVD, our old friend - we thought we'd never see you again. But there was no mistaking it, here's the logo tucked away in Chinese manufacturer TCL's booth on a China Blue HD deck next to a similar Blu-ray player. The Blu-ray demo appeared to be down when we stopped by making this not much of a fight -- although with recent gains by CBHD like adding studio support from Paramount, it may want to take this challenger more seriously. We'll move the threat level on this conflict to yellow. %Gallery-82741%
HD DVD's Managed Copy was never necessarily free, was always Mandatory
It isn't often that we specifically call out another site for writing things that are just not true, but this one we can't let go. In an article about Blu-ray's Managed Copy, Ars Technica's Nate Anderson posts that Blu-ray's Managed Copy is a "stinker" because you might have to pay to make a copy and claims that the HD DVD version was better because it was free. Other than the fact that this is just not true, the part that really struck out to us was that he linked back to the Ars archive to support his statement, but must've missed the part of the source that states "No, as Jordi Rebbas told me, studios have to offer managed copy, but they have the option of charging for it." Lucky for us, both Intel and Microsoft exposed the real difference in Managed Copy between the two formats, which was that initially on Blu-ray the studios could choose whether or not each title was copyable, so in other words it wasn't mandatory. The BDA eventually caved and as we've said before, Managed Copy on Blu-ray is mandatory. Another related note is that Managed Copy was never implemented on HD DVD either, as it was also dependent on the finalization of AACS, but what was different was that the Discs did contain data that pointed to what was expected to become authentication servers. So in theory, if the format would've survived, even the initial Discs would've been copyable when it was implemented. Of course we'll never get to find out if it would've worked, but at least they did plan ahead a little, which is more than you can say for Blu-ray.
Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player gets official
Hope you didn't spend your well-earned shekels on a WD TV Mini -- it turns out that the HD-less wonder was just a waypoint to Western Digital's latest. The WD TV Live HD media player is an unassuming sort that doesn't really offer any surprises: 1080p video playback, support for all your favorite codecs, both Pandora and Live365 Internet radio apps, WiFi, two USB ports for external storage, HDMI, composite and component video outputs, SPDIF audio output, and more. No big whoop, right? All this can be yours for an MSRP of $149.99, but we hear that Best Buy has 'em for $119 -- and we wouldn't want you to pay any more than that. PR after the break.Update: "That's WiFi ready." As in "WiFi adapter sold separately."
Toshiba adopts Blu-ray for laptops, completes shame circle
First Toshiba caved on Blu-ray for the home, and now they're taking the sad show portable. The once-great defender of the HD-DVD crown has begun adopting the format for its laptops, bringing the discs to the P500 (a member of the Satellite family). The system -- which was released originally in June sans Blu-ray -- sports an 18.4 inch (1920 x 1080) display, HDMI REGZA link, a Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and a slew of the standard ports and wireless radios. The laptop will be available in October, irony comes standard on all models. [Warning: read link is a PDF] [Via Pocket-lint]
Blu-ray reportedly trailing CBHD in China, the second theater of the format war begins
Just because Toshiba has given up on HD DVD and moved on, doesn't mean the format war is totally over for red. According to a report by a Japanese TV station, its successor, China Blue HD is actually leading Blu-ray in marketshare in that country. Of course, based on the article found by our friends at FormatWarCentral, all we have to go on is a machine translated description of a video in a language we don't speak describing the apparent initial success of the government backed format in a socialist republic. If you need more evidence than that to declare the format war officially restarted, you're probably a communist, but before we drag you in front of the Un-American activities committee check out the video for a peek at the slick new CBHD cases that The Onion will surely be shipping its videos in very soon.[Via FormatWarCentral]
Toshiba launching Blu-ray player by year's end
Need a little something to get you over the Saturday lull? Gnaw on this. Japan's own Yomiuri is reporting today that Toshiba is expected to finally admit defeat and enter the dark, devious world of Blu-ray later this year. For those keeping tabs, we've heard both confirmations and denials about the outfit finally caving and supporting the format it once battled so valiantly, but this seems to solidify it. If machine translation is to be believed, the company's first DVD / Blu-ray deck is slated for release somewhere in the world by the year's end. The article also mentions that Tosh is strongly considering a Blu-ray recorder for the Japanese market, though no further details on that are available. C'mon Toshiba -- get this bad boy to the States before Christmas. We're anxious for a BD price war.[Thanks, Rata]
Harris Poll concerning Blu-ray and HD DVD penetration is way off
We had a feeling something was up with the results of the recent Harris Poll and it looks like we had good reason. No one is trying to say that the folks that conducted the poll had a Red agenda or anything, it is just like Adams research puts it when talking about consumer polls in general, "you can't trust the average survey respondent to correctly identify the high-tech devices in their homes." You can say that again. The funny thing is that the results of the poll even look screwy when compared to the HD DVD Promotion group's numbers which reported that even after a few months following the format war, only 1 million stand-alone HD DVD players were sold. This is nowhere near the 10 million that it would take to make up 9 percent of the 111 million US households the poll reports. And in case you care, analysts project -- you know, the ones actually based on retail sales instead of a consumer survey -- that 14.8 percent of US households will have some way to play a Blu-ray Disc by the end of 2009, which is almost double what it was at the end of 2008.
Toshiba CEO mentions the possibility of supporting Blu-ray
Though some iffy poll results & a Chinese spinoff may have you thinking HD DVD is just on the cusp of a comeback, Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida suggested today that the company might join the rest of the consumer electronics community and support Blu-ray. In the midst of defeat last year he said it had "no plans" to switch sides, focusing on flash memory and DVD upscaling tech instead, but after a few billion in losses that might have changed, as the prez indicated just losing the format war wasn't enough reason to skip out on the Blu-ray market and that Toshiba "would like to keep our options open." Besides enjoying the good news that our exes have found gainful employment as executive speechwriters, we'll be keeping an eye out for another Cell-based Blu-ray player to join the PS3, if not tomorrow, someday.
Evidently it's still cool to hate on Blu-ray: Harris Poll spin
We'd expect nothing less from some, and honestly 90 percent of the time we just ignore these types of posts, but when our friend CmdrTaco from Slashdot gets in on the fun we just can't help ourselves. It all started with that Harris Poll late last week in which stand-alone Blu-ray players got their own box instead of being grouped in with the PS3. So of course it's more fun to point out that only 7 percent of Americans own a stand-alone Blu-ray player than it is to recognize the fact that twice that many can actually watch Blu-ray Discs thanks to the PS3. So while it is true that HD DVD managed to sell more stand-alone players than Blu-ray, even today, it is still true that Sony's PS3 strategy was successful in selling more Blu-ray Discs than HD DVDs. Which is in the end what really matters.
Kinetic's HD:Hub HTPC now shipping, HD DVD still a selectable option
We've got to hand it to 'em -- these guys aren't ashamed to be clearing out excess inventory, and honestly, we're still fond of the choice. Sure, HD DVD may be defunct, but what's the harm in having the capability in your HTPC should an old friend pop over with a disc to watch? All that aside, Kinetic UK's trio of media center PCs are now shipping after being introduced initially in March, with Blu-ray / HD DVD compatibility, up to 6TB of storage space, Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Quad / Core i7 processor choices and a healthy array of CTO options elsewhere. As for prices, you're looking at starting tags of £849.00 ($1,351) for the Mini HD:Hub, £1449.00 ($2,306) for the Home HD:Hub and £1569.00 ($2,497) for the flagship X HD:Hub.
China Blue HD players revealed, second stage of the format war is officially on
China's alternative to Blu-ray finally has some hardware to show off, with players from TCL and Shinco making their debut this week. Priced at less than 2,000 yuan ($292) they're reportedly 40% cheaper than the competition, and while the promised support from Warner Bros. has yet to materialize it plans to release 100 movies on the CBHD format by the end of the year. That's about all the machine translation could help us make out beyond the usual promise of lower licensing fees for Chinese manufacturers, but a better look at the latest (and by far most legit, although that's not saying much) Blu-ray fighter is beyond the read link.[Via CDR Info]
Warner reintegrates HD DVD faithful with Red2Blu trade-in program
U.S. HD DVD fans that passed up Best Buy's offer of $3 per disc, or just those who stocked up on cheap movies after the format gave up the fight have another option coming from Warner Bros. Send in the cover art sleeve (keep the disc) including UPC from your HD DVD case (plus $4.95 per movie and $6.95 / $8.95 per order S&H) and it will send you back a brand new Blu-ray copy. There's a few other restrictions, like 1 copy per movie and 25 different movies per household, but the biggest decision is likely to be whether giving up your precious I Am Legend sleeve is worth the trade, hit up Red2Blu.com for all the details and necessary forms. It seems to us like a decent offer to make HD DVD owners whole, we'd be surprised if Paramount and Universal came through with similar plans.[Via DVDTown]
Microsoft to Toshiba: with HD DVD, we go down together
We've been looking for some new paper to turn here at the Engadget HD offices, and it looks like Marshall Phelps' "Burning the Ships" may be our next purchase. Penned by a top Microsoft lawyer and co-authored by David Kline, the book lays out details on how Microsoft had decided to sink right along with Toshiba even as HD DVD took its last dying breath. Apparently Microsoft pledged its unconditional support for the format in hopes of winning a rare cross-license deal with a large Japanese electronics firm. CNET reports that at the time, winning such a deal with Tosh was "key for it in its efforts to convince large companies, even those with broader patent portfolios, to cross-license Microsoft's technology." The writeup tucked away in the read link is pretty interesting for those intrigued by deep, dark secrets of the past, so head on down if that's you.
Kinetic HD:Hub HTPC gets hip with Core i7, square with HD DVD
We know, vendors have to get rid of these leftover HD DVD drives somehow, but it's still a tad comical to see brand new systems shipping with support for a format that perished over a year ago. Nevertheless, we're still pretty jazzed about Kinetic's HD:Hub, as the built-in HD DVD drive is actually a dual-format player that handles the very much alive Blu-ray format as well. Furthermore, this one comes with a potent Core i7 processor, up to four TV tuners, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a Creative X-Fi Titanium sound card and Windows Vista runnin' the show. There's no mention of a price, but we get the feeling that these are mostly reserved for those across the pond.[Thanks, Anonymous]
Netflix streaming-only subscriptions coming 'in the future'
This news may not be a surprise, given the huge success of Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service, which had been activated over 1 million times on Xbox Live the last time we checked -- accounting for about 10 percent of its subscriptions. Regardless, word has come from Netflix's CFO Barry McCarthy that the company plans to offer a streaming-only service "in the near future." The Watch Instantly service currently offers about 12,000 movies (around 100,000 titles are available if you order the physical discs), on a variety of devices, including Xbox Live and Roku boxes, so it seems like a smart move, though we don't know the timeline or pricing of the stream-only service. Here's to hoping they expand their offering a little before then... maybe Final Destination? Just a suggestion. [Via Joystiq]
