hd dvd
Latest
Maxell to no longer manufacture discs, blow customers away
Though the Maxell brand name will live on, the company announced it is ending production of CD, DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD discs at the end of the month. It plans to outsource to other manufacturers (like Mitsubishi perhaps?) and though the name on the packaging will be the same, we just don't see how anyone else can provide the rather unique experience of Maxell tape discs.[Via Impress]
Toshiba CEO: HD DVD didn't stand a chance after Warner left
We had an inkling that the format war was soon to be over when Warner announced it was going Blu-ray just before CES and HD DVD canceled its press conference, but we didn't realize how quickly things would come to an abrupt end. It looks like Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida was decisive in ending the battle, telling the Wall Street Journal that HD DVD didn't stand a chance after Warner left, and that if HD DVD wasn't "going to win then we had to pull out, especially since consumers were already asking for a single standard." That's interesting, especially since Toshiba issued all those jilted-lover press releases as former partners defected and continued to waffle for another month or so and even air a Super Bowl ad, but we suppose PR people can't go running around saying things like "One has to take calculated risks in business, but it's also important to switch gears immediately if you think your decision was wrong," like the CEO can. Of course, the CEO probably shouldn't be saying Toshiba's upconverting DVD players are so good "consumers won't be able to tell the difference from HD DVD images" either, but give the man a break -- he's still in mourning.[Thanks, ogscorpion]
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on March 4th, 2008
Despite HD DVD imminent demise, things are going pretty good. For the third week in a row the Red camp has the hottest title of the week; Into The Wild (IMDB 8.3). But considering this is Paramount's last week, and there is only one remaining exclusive new release left (Atonement 3/18/08), we're getting closer to the end of the road. The biggest title for Blu-ray this week is Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but the biggest news is Disney's non-release of 101 Dalmatians. Disney did promise to take a classic out of the vault for Blu-ray this year, evidently just not this one. With only 31 titles left on the calendar for HD DVD, it appears the count will end at 435, but only 15 of those titles are from studios you've heard of and only two are HD DVD exclusives from Universal. The rest are Warner titles which will be delayed three weeks after the Blu version, and we'd be willing to bet they won't be hot sellers. HD DVD 404 vs Blu-ray 461*Blu-ray Ice Age (Fox) Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox) The Rookie (2002) (Walt Disney) HD DVD Aquarium Impressions (Navarre Corporation) Fireplace Impressions (Navarre Corporation) Into the Wild (Paramount) Mystic Forests (Navarre Corporation) No Reservations (Warner) Things We Lost in the Fire (DreamWorks) * Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously officially available.
Warner's Michael Clayton reviewed on Blu-ray and HD DVD
While the release list for hot new HD DVDs is quickly dwindling, that's not to say that there aren't any titles just hitting the shelves worth picking up. Oscar nominee Michael Clayton is one such film, which has landed on both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats and has been reviewed on both. On the BD side, critics over at Home Theater Mag were quite disappointed by the exclusion of any advanced audio tracks, but did appreciate the "inky blacks" and overall strong HD (read: visual) presentation. Conversely, Home Theater Spot found things to be "too dark" in the HD DVD version, but we're chalking that one up to personal preference. Nevertheless, the red version did no better in terms of audio, but it was noted that this film wasn't one to really take advantage of such luxuries, anyway. Extras were scant on both discs, leaving both reviewers to suggest picking this one up only if you're a fan of the genre, or more specifically, this very title.Read - Michael Clayton Blu-ray review Read - Michael Clayton HD DVD review
Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending February 24th, 2008
American Gangster is the title to talk about on this week's edition of the Nielsen VideoScan numbers courtesy of Home Media Magazine. It's the title of the week because it has done something we wouldn't have dreamed possible, it easily took the number one spot on the charts outselling the best Blu-ray title Michael Clayton by almost 2:1. But this isn't as impressive as it seems because the DVD version of AG outsold the DVD version of MC by over 3:1. Regardless, this title single handedly kept HD DVD out of the teens in overall market share as the number two HD DVD (Transformers) this week only sold 6 percent as many copies. Meanwhile, We Own the Night wasn't able to hold off a few older Blu-ray titles -- obviously there was some sort of sale. We expect much of the same next week as HD DVD's final hot exclusive, Beowulf gets counted. But what will be reallying interesting is to see how well The Assassination of Jesse James sells on HD DVD. This title debuted at number two on the charts when it was released on Blu-ray three weeks ago, and will give us a better idea on how many HD DVD fans are still loyal to Red.
Chip makers rise and fall with format war conclusion
Though the clear winner and loser in the format war was Sony and Toshiba, respectively, quite a few behind the scenes supporters are now facing similar celebrations / dilemmas in dealing with the fallout. A new report takes an in-depth look at how chip makers are faring, and while not surprising, we are told that both NEC and Broadcom are reeling after HD DVD went under, and will have to "absorb software R&D costs that can't be recouped." On the flip side, parties such as Sigma Designs and IBM have their lucky stars to thank, as the former even attempted to ally with Toshiba but were spurned in favor of Broadcom. Interestingly, the article also notes that many fencesitters are now looking to jump in, which could hopefully lead to increased competition and lower overall prices for those anxious to snap up a Blu-ray player in short order.[Thanks, Daniel H.]
Paramount & Dreamworks HD DVD support ends March 4
We don't know if Jeffrey Katzenberg got a text message, fax, e-mail or smoke signal indicating the format war was over, but Video Business has confirmed Paramount and Dreamworks Animation will (rather abruptly) to stop releasing HD DVDs after next week. If you were looking forward to Bee Movie on March 11, Sweeney Todd on April 1 or the just announced There Will Be Blood, those are cancelled. Into the Wild and the appropriately-named Things We Lost in the Fire will be Paramount's last reminders of its exclusive agreement. Not specifically mentioned was Star Trek: TOS Season 2, but don't hold your breath. Blu-ray release plans are still up in the air but we wouldn't be surprised to hear something soon. As far as HD DVD movies still scheduled, that leaves two from Universal (for now) and twelve from Warner Bros, who may have been the first to leave red, but will apparently be the last major studio out the door.Read - Video BusinessRead - High-Def Digest
Thomson launches HD AVC encoding tools for Blu-ray
Thomson's Tiger AVC encoder that it has been using in house for the last couple of years, is now available for sale to interested Blu-ray (and HD DVD) compression and authoring facilities. Including Thomson's film grain adjustment technology among other parts of a "secret sauce" Thomson says results in better looking MPEG-4 / h.264 encoded movies. Packaged as the Nexcode HD AVC Encoder, its a full hardware and software solution built to scale to business requirements. No word on who exactly will use this technology, but as long as our HDM is artifact-free, we're not too concerned how it got that way.
HD DVD's last hurrah: Terminator 2: Ultimate HD-Edition due March 20
HD DVD fans have at least one more high profile release to look forward to, as German distributor Kinowelt is prepared to release Terminator 2: Ultimate HD-Edition (region free of course) March 20th. Produced by HDi (and Blu-ray) pioneers Imagion AG this release includes the directors cut of the film, with DTS-HD 7.1 audio and more than four hours of bonus material in a high quality SteelBook case. Expect this to be the triumphant example of HD DVD's advanced features and capabilities that American Gangster so sadly wasn't. Check out a list of features after the break or our hands-on from CES to learn more about the disc's interactive and online capabilities, and maybe a peek at the future of BD Live.
Sony Centre UK celebrates Blu-ray's victory
Engadget reader Raheem spotted this cheap shot on the door of Sony Centre in London, just in case anyone's not sure of the latest developments in the high definition format war. Ouch, still, they may want to fax that over to Dreamworks Animation, cc: Jeffrey Katzenberg. Check after the break for another pic of the atrocity..
Dreamworks Animation isn't ready to quit HD DVD yet
While even the most steadfast red fans have accepted things are over for HD DVD, it appears Dreamworks Animation isn't able to let the format war go. Even though Paramount seems to have found a way out from under its exclusivity deal, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told Reuters he still needs to hear from Toshiba what to do with the truckloads of money HD DVD gave them about its agreement before making any Blu-ray release plans. He seems (to be the only one) worried about the upcoming DVD release of Bee Movie and what will happen there. An analyst quoted said they should certainly have this taken care of by the holiday season, which would only be six to eight months after HD DVD manufacturing has ceased to be. We have a feeling it won't take that long to turn Shrek Blu.
Netflix switching queued HD DVDs to DVDs?
Granted, Netflix did warn us that renting HD DVDs from it would become a lesson in futility in due time, but we're receiving multiple reports that the company has already began switching queued HD DVD titles to vanilla DVDs. If this is going on en masse, that's a pretty quick changeover, to say the least. So, dear readers, have any of your HD DVDs mysteriously morphed into regular DVDs overnight? Sound off below![Thanks, Chris and Aaron]
Switched On: Blu-ray had friends in high def places
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.
