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Samsung BD-P1000 & 50GB Blu-ray incompatibility rumors continue
Ever since the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player launched there have been rumors that it did not ship with the ability to read 50GB discs based on a passage in the manual which only cited 25GB compatibility.. Over at The Digital Bits, they cite unnamed sources from as recently as two weeks ago stating that dual-layer 50GB discs weren't available for testing (even though it was originally delayed for further compatibility testing) before the player launched and now that there are, they just don't work. The good news would be that this is apparently fixable via a firmware update like another BD-P1000 problem we've heard about; but this problem is figuring into the delay of not only dual-layer movies, but other upcoming standalone Blu-ray players as well. Firmware update or not, we're pretty sure early adopting Blu-ray buyers didn't spend $1000 to only be able to read 25GB discs. We'd love to confirm or deny these rumors, in fact, we'll just go grab a dual-layer movie release and put it in right now...oh. Like so many other things about this format war we'll have to wait and see.
Sony Pictures: At least two 50GB Blu-ray releases by year-end, no BD-J until 2007
Retail movie releases on dual layer 50GB Blu-ray discs will become a reality in 2006, according to Sony Pictures President Ben Feingold, quoted by VideoBusiness as stating that the studio will release at least two movies on the discs by the end of this year. He didn't specify any additional features, titles, prices or advanced codec support yet, but while another executive confirmed more Blu-ray features would be coming, we shouldn't expect to see discs using Blu-ray Java (BD-J) technology until January. They also commented on the criticism of the quality of some Blu-ray releases, noting that newer movies and more recent releases have received better reviews, while also putting some blame on the decisions of filmmakers and the monitors used during the mastering process. Movie houses are also waiting for more players (read: PS3) to hit the ground to be able to test compatibility before they start including highly interactive features. At least so far, HD DVD has been able to take advantage of their lead time on the movie side with (currently) larger discs, more efficient compression and some interesting bonus features. The real Blu-ray launch is coming this winter as several new players will be greeted by these much improved discs, we'll see how the format war stacks up then.
Sony gets their 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs out the door
Well, they missed their June launch plans by a couple of months, but Sony has finally managed to ship their 50GB Blu-ray discs to a doting public. Just as expected, the discs are going for that $48 slap-in-the-face of a pricetag, and you'll still be better off buying a pair of 25 giggers, or a few DVDs if you're looking for price-per-gigabyte. But if you've gotsa have the latest and greatest, or just would like to find something nifty to do with that new Blu-ray drive of yours, it doesn't get much hotter than 2x 50GB discs with AccuCORE protection. Sony is still promising rewriteables for later in the year -- these discs are just write-once -- and we're guessing prices won't stay so lethal forever.[Via HD Beat]
Sony shipping 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray BD-R discs
While we continue to wait for the first movie release on dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray discs, Sony has announced they are now shipping 50GB BD-R recordable media for use with Blu-ray burners. The 2x media uses their AccuCORE technology to protect it from scratches or warping, and carries a suggested retail price of $48 per disc. This is a win for Blu-ray and its supporters as they're finally delivering on the extra capacity they've promised and it is doubtful HD DVD will ever be able to match -- Microsoft's Amir M. has stated he doesn't expect triple layer HD DVD to be widely adopted -- but due to manufacturing differences between the BD-Rs and commercial Blu-ray discs, we're still left wondering when our MPEG-2 Blu-ray movies will have some room to breathe. One thing is for sure, at $750 for the drive, $50,000 for the software and nearly fifty bucks per single disc this is not for the thrifty.[Thanks, plaque monster]
Blu-ray discs do exist, really
Contrary to what you may have heard, Sony is making Blu-ray movies on actual Blu-ray discs. Really. Our friends over at CE Pro visited a production plant in Indiana to check and say it is so. They saw busy robots pumping out as many copies of Hitch as you could ever hope to watch (which apparently is a number greater than 1, who knew?).It's not all good news however, as all the discs being produced are of the single-layer 25GB variety. While dual-layer 50GB discs are expected to hit shelves this fall, this presents an odd situation where while Blu-ray may be cheaper, HD DVD 30GB discs currently available will be larger. Remember those rumors about 50GB Blu-ray not being real? While "this fall" may not be the "many years" delay Microsoft alluded to , it certainly isn't as quickly as we'd hoped.
TDK shipping Blu-ray media, still no players
Even with Blu-ray (and HD-DVD for that matter) players still MIA on store shelves, you might be able to buy the discs somewhere. They announced today they are shipping single-sided single layer (25GB) capacity discs. You can get the write-once BD-R blanks for $19.99 apiece while the rewriteable BD-RE will run you $24.99. They also announced they will ship dual-layer 50GB blanks later this year for $47.99 or $59.99 depending on -R or -RE. The discs also include DURABIS hard coating technology to protect against scratches dust and fingerprints form damaging your valuable (25 bucks a disc, yeah thats valuable) data.Eeesh. That certainly puts a damper on the whole create-my-own-archive-of-everything-ever-known-ever project. For $25 we can buy a 50 pack of single layer DVD blanks and get cases to boot. Heres to hoping prices come down (and quick).
Bill said next gen DVD's were the last physical format, but just in case they're not: HVD
Because that 50GB Blu-ray disc just won't be big enough of course. Oh no, what you really need is a 200GB Holographic Versatile Disc. Luckily for you, Optware will be giving you much more of what you're looking for in 2006, which they announced yesterday. Of course, at $30K a drive that might be a bit expensive for your tastes, but I mean hey, you read Luxist every day right? You're a baller, go buy three, and some of the $100 discs they expect to sell while you're at it. Maybe Toshiba should throw in the towel on this HD-DVD thing and focus on lowering costs on this technology that they have already invested in, just a thought.
