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Joe Kane offers upgrade pricing for forthcoming DVE: HD Basics
Not only is ESPNews HD slated to launch this month, but the long-awaited HD Basics disc from Joe Kane Productions is finally hitting shelves on March 25th. Interestingly, Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics will still be made available on Blu-ray and HD DVD, so those adamant about keeping a red player around can still get in on the calibration action. Best of all, users who purchased the original Digital Video Essentials HD DVD last year will be able to procure the forthcoming successor disc for just $14.95 on either format by ordering online and sending in the case wrap from the first DVE HD DVD. As for everyone else? You'll be coughing up $29.95.
Ballmer affirms that Microsoft is thinking Blu-ray
Apparently, Steve Ballmer didn't just take time to respond to the latest iPhone announcements and give that whole Monkey Boy Dance another go during the Mix '08 event. Oh no, he most certainly took the opportunity to address Microsoft's stance on where it was headed now that the format war has concluded. Granted, it's not like it ever had much choice here but to pick up the pieces and support the Blu camp, but for those who put a great deal of stock in confirmation, Mr. Ballmer did say that it had "already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like." He also noted that "Toshiba had moved on" and that it too was moving forward, but unfortunately, he didn't make a peep about the recently rumored Xbox 360 BD add-on. Still, we're hoping that one thing will lead to another, if you catch our drift.[Via Gamespot, thanks rooshma]
Xbox 360 HD DVD emulator drops from $2,999 to free
With HD DVD officially dead, there's not a lot of demand for Microsoft's $2,999 HD DVD emulator, but taking a shot at the Bee Movie interface that never was now costs the low, low price of $0. Microsoft's reasoning for continuing to release the emulator for free (and refunding those who had already purchased it) is to help those working on HD DVD projects finish them and represent its "commitment to interactivity". Curious about creating your own interactive discs with HDi? The easiest route is to grab a copy of NetBlender's DoStudio MX and download the emulator to an Xbox 360 via the marketplace, and imagine what might have been. [Via Xboxic]
Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending March 2nd, 2008
Once again this week, Home Media Magazine was nice enough to let us use its Nielsen VideoScan charts to witness Blu-ray regain the top spot -- despite the fact that for the second week in a row HD DVD had the better releases. So at the same time the DVD version of Beowulf outsold 30 Days of Night by almost 2:1, the Blu-ray 30 Days of Night bested Beowulf by almost 20-percent. Either way, from there the sales of HD DVDs really drop off, so much so that the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford only sold 6.45-percent as many copies as Beowulf. To put this into perspective, when it debuted on Blu-ray it hit number two, but only made the top ten for two weeks. The real shocker this week is that classic animated movie, Justice League: The New Frontier hit number five its first week out. The other unusual appearance this week is from the studio Topics, with Over California. We expect next week to be HD DVD's last with over 20-percent share, when the last Paramount titles hit the street, but we supposed Atonement might be a hit for Universal later this month.
Future Shop offers trade-in credit for HD DVD players, will donate old decks to charity
Slowly but surely, we're seeing retailer after retailer conjure up its own trade-in / exchange program to deal with the finality of the format war. Canada's Future Shop, however, has certainly put an interesting twist on things. First off, it'll accept standalone HD DVD players purchased from anywhere until April 3rd. In exchange, you'll receive $100 off the purchase of an LG or Samsung Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player, but not a standalone Blu-ray player of any kind. Unfortunately, that means your options are pretty limited, but we can certainly understand the retailer's desire to wash its hands of anything with an HD DVD logo on it. Better still, Future Shop will be donating all of the returned HD DVD players to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada "for use in their after-school and evening programs." Now if that's not a reason to trade-up, we don't know what is. [Thanks, Josh]
Samsung kills BD-UP5500 combo player before it ever truly lived
Given the finality of the format war, we can't say we're totally shocked to hear that Samsung will be pulling the plug on its recently announced BD-UP5500 HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player, but still, it's not good news for folks planning to pick it up for kicks (or watching their library of HD DVDs). Interestingly enough, Sammy had already planned to axe its current flagship hybrid player -- the BD-UP5000 -- this May, just months after it went on sale and began taking heat for not meeting expectations. On the plus side, the firm's latest BD-only player was a real gem, so hopefully we'll see lots more where that came from in the future. Oh, and if you're weeping this very moment at the thought of never getting to see one in person, feel free to click here and live vicariously through us.
Best Buy hacking 30% off all HD DVDs
We knew retailers were washing their hands of HD DVD as quickly as possible, but it seems as if Best Buy is opting to initiate what we can only assume is the first wave of a fire sale by taking 30-percent off every HD DVD in its stores. At least, that's what we've confirmed for a number of locations. As of now, there's no word on whether the HD DVD players themselves will see equally steep price cuts, but feel free to drop by your local Best Buy at lunch and stock up if you so choose. 'Course, we've got a sneaking suspicions this 30-percent will grow to 50-percent and beyond in the not-too-distant future, but alas, the selection will probably be quite poor by that time.[Thanks, Tim and Vince][Image courtesy of Aaron S.]
Circuit City quietly accepting HD DVD player trade-ins
Did you get stuck on the losing end of the format war, and are now cursing that HD DVD player as it stares mockingly at you? Does your rage meter go to 11 when you hear of consumers living abroad getting treated to some trade-in value on HD DVD players? Well, our friends over at Format War Central have gotten word that Circuit City is quietly offering a trade-in program to consumers who jumped into the HD DVD pool within three months of Toshiba's fateful announcement. Apparently, you'll be able to trade in your player, at full purchase price, towards a Blu-ray player or a gift card. Nice move, Circuit City! Three words of advice if you're affected and go to cash in on this deal -- "calm but firm." Let us know if you have any luck in switching out equipment in the comments, too!
Downloads haven't arrived at a theater near you yet
Hey, don't say we didn't tell you so, but according to The Diffusion Group, the great masses aren't ready to get their full-length movie content via download just yet. Here's the blow-by-blow findings from the study: more than half polled didn't even know movie downloads exist; more than a third know about but have never tried them; and less than 10-percent regularly download movies. And what, pray tell, is the biggest feature consumers are looking for? A little something called "quality of content," a.k.a. "more titles, please." Shocker, right? Don't get us wrong, we're all for downloadable content. But beyond the chicken-and-egg problem of getting studio support to attract more customers to get studio support, there are other outstanding issues as well. Until bandwidth is a non-issue and crazy DRM restrictions are gone, physical media makes good sense to consumers and businesses alike. Of course, if you've made the switch to all direct download movies, let us know about it below!
Sony offers Blu-ray trade-in deal for HD DVD owners, in Switzerland
We've already seen a couple of Blu-ray exchange programs offered to HD DVD owners looking to jump ship, but looks like Sony is now finally getting in on the action itself, albeit only in Switzerland. While some of the details are lost in translation, it seems that if you buy either the BDP-S500 or BDP-S300 Blu-ray player before the end of March, you'll then be able to send in your HD DVD player for Sony to recycle and receive a discount of 200 Swiss Francs (about $190), plus both the Spider-Man trilogy and Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy on Blu-ray. Not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive and all computer HD DVD drives are excluded, and you'll need the proof of purchase and cash receipt for your HD DVD player (purchased before February 29th) in order to take advantage of the offer. Needless to say, we wouldn't recommend holding your breath for Sony to offer a similar deal 'round these parts.
Rock officially offering Blu-ray (and HD DVD, still) drives on laptops
Although Rock began offering a Blu-ray option on its pricey gaming rigs soon after Toshiba threw in the HD DVD towel, prospective buyers were forced to specifically inquire in order to get one. Now, however, the company has finally bit the bullet and began offering internal BD drives as an option on its gamut of gaming laptops. Reportedly, Rock's CEO Nick Boardman proclaimed that he was "disappointed that HD DVD didn't make it," but noted that even if you have a machine on order right now, you can "stick with HD DVD, downgrade to DVD-RW or upgrade to Blu-ray" sans issue. Interestingly, the company is still offering up HD DVD drives as "standard," but we suppose it has to move that suddenly worthless inventory somehow, eh?[Via Tech Digest]
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.
