BR/HD-DVD Thread

[Ty]

What the heck? So now some HD-DVD players are not going to have VC-1? So doesn't that potentially fracture the HD-DVD sector somewhat?

 

[London Geezer]

Don't know about you guys, but i'm not really understanding most of this, the hollywood giants' deals don't seem to be exclusive, meaning they could support both formats, each format changes format or codec-wise, like, every month... I'll just wait here and see, it's not like i'll be able to afford any of them anytime soon anyway.

 

[PC-Engine]

What the heck? So now some HD-DVD players are not going to have VC-1? So doesn't that potentially fracture the HD-DVD sector somewhat?

Are you talking about HD DVD specifically or HD players? Because Blu-ray also uses VC-1...

 

[one]

If those decoders without VC-1 get de facto, VC-1 may be simply dropped from the proposed standard. Anyway, it seems Microsoft is really hesitant on opening up the VC-1 spec as by opening it they can no more control the licensing terms. Though codecs are not directly related to gaming, you can presume how thin the possibility Xenon adopt HD-DVD in this situation is.

 

[Ty]

Are you talking about HD DVD specifically or HD players? Because Blu-ray also uses VC-1...

HD-DVD players. At least the first wave of them anyhow since I thought HD-DVD players would hit the market before BR ones and thus the comment about lack of VC-1 was for these HD-DVD players. Or did they mean BR players as well?

 

[PC-Engine]

The article doesn't specifically mention HD DVD or Blu-ray.

 

[wco81]

Those chips are for set top boxes, not optical disc players. Those vendors supposedly have no presence in the disc market.

In any event, those chips are supposedly firmware-upgradeable.

There is a Microsoft guy posting at AVSFORUM who says getting VC-1 finalized in time won't be a problem.

BTW, there are different flavors of MPEG 4 H.264 AVC. The one going into the BR and HD-DVD players is called MPEG 4 H.264 AVC High Profile or HP for short. Also called FRExt.

It's not clear if these chips being announced has the HP version. But it's interesting that they are sampling these chips now. No cable or satellite system has announced a transition to MPEG 4. I think there was talk that Voom, which have paltry market share, might go to WM.

 

[Ty]

The article doesn't specifically mention HD DVD or Blu-ray.

Sure but since (I thought anyhow) HD-DVD players are coming out sooner than BR player, I thought it at least applied to HD-DVD.

Then wco81 pointed out that it's for set top boxes, not disc players. Whew.

 

[cthellis42]

HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are probably going to "suck up and deal" on all those matters, as they don't want divergence within their own format. They have enough to worry about from the other.

 

[one]

The article doesn't specifically mention HD DVD or Blu-ray.

Sure but since (I thought anyhow) HD-DVD players are coming out sooner than BR player, I thought it at least applied to HD-DVD.

Then wco81 pointed out that it's for set top boxes, not disc players. Whew.

If you browse the eetimes article it contains disc recorders at least

 

[PC-Engine]

Thomson to enter HD DVD market

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5487246.html

Thomson to enter HD DVD market

By Dawn Kawamoto CNET News.com December 10, 2004, 7:52 AM PT

Thomson announced Friday it that it will enter the HD DVD market with a line of players and that it will also manufacture HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Thomson is the latest company to throw its support behind the next-generation DVD formats. And while the debate continues over whether the industry will ultimately favor the HD DVD format or the Blu-ray format, Thomson is pushing ahead.

"Our tradition is based on being a trusted service provider to content owners, independent of format choices," Quentin Lilly, president of Thomson's Technicolor Home Entertainment Services business, said in a statement.

NEC and Toshiba are main advocates for the HD DVD standard, while Sony and a larger number of technology powerhouses, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Royal Philips Electronics and Samsung Electronics, support the Blu-ray format.

Supporters of both HD DVD and Blu-ray say their respective format will pave the way for higher-capacity DVDs, which in turn will result in higher resolution for video and audio, Web connectivity and other advancements.

Thomson's Technicolor business will manufacture both the HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. However, the company is planning to only provide HD DVD players--they're scheduled for release by the latter part of next year--and has no immediate plans for unveiling a Blu-ray player, said Monica Coull, a Thomson spokeswoman.

The next-generation DVD players will be sold through Thomson's RCA brand in the United States and through the Thomson brand in Europe.

"While HDTV is just beginning in Europe, our experience with other digital entertainment products tells us that the steady growth of HD content will fuel continued growth of the category," Mike O'Hara, a Thomson executive vice president, said in a statement.

Isn't Thompson one of the Blu-ray founders?

 

[PC-Engine]

http://www.compoundsemiconductor.net/articles/news/8/12/9/1?rss=1

Sanyo 'to build blue laser assembly line' in 2005
9 December 2004

According to press reports in Japan, Sanyo Electric will spend nearly $100 million over the next two years to mass produce blue laser diodes and optical pick-ups.

Japanese company Sanyo Electric is to install assembly lines to manufacture blue laser diodes by next summer, according to a report in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper.

Sanyo is already the leading supplier of optical pick-ups for conventional DVD players and recorders based on red lasers, controlling an estimated 40% market share.

The company now plans to invest more than ¥10 billion ($96 million) over the next two years on equipment that will be used to mass-produce optical pick-ups for the next-generation equipment, claims the report.

Sanyo is a member of the high-definition (HD) DVD industry group, which is promoting technology developed by Toshiba and NEC. However, the Japanese report says that Sanyo will also make pick-ups for the rival Blu-ray Disc camp, which is based on technology developed by Sony and Matsushita Electric.

GaN-based blue lasers are expected to be manufactured in Japan at Sanyo's Tottori facility, with assembly lines to be fully-installed by summer 2005.

Sanyo will then gear up its Chinese production base to make the pick-ups containing the blue lasers.

Around 100 people are expected to be employed in Sanyo's optical pick-up design and development business by early next year.

Next-generation DVD machines based on both the rival formats are expected to be released commercially in the final quarter of 2005.

 

[cthellis42]

Ah, the smell of convergence in the mornin'... When will Hollywood exert its muscle, I wonder?

 

[London Geezer]

Ah, the smell of convergence in the mornin'... When will Hollywood exert its muscle, I wonder?

Hollywood would just rerererererelease The Matrix Trilogy on whatever format, even toilet paper (u'll need to unroll it VERY fast), if it meant they could make money out of it.

 

[cthellis42]

Hollywood would just rerererererelease The Matrix Trilogy on whatever format, even toilet paper (u'll need to unroll it VERY fast), if it meant they could make money out of it.

If they can afford to.

 

[London Geezer]

Hollywood would just rerererererelease The Matrix Trilogy on whatever format, even toilet paper (u'll need to unroll it VERY fast), if it meant they could make money out of it.

If they can afford to.

Wow i never knew that!

 

[PC-Engine]

Ps2 didn't drive dvd sales just like the ps3 / xenon wont drive the next format sales .


Look. In 1999 dvds were already taken off . By the time the ps2 came out they had hit mass market and were getting alot of media attention about how fast it was growing and this and that.

The ps2 launched in very small quanitys in 1999 and was still hard to get into 2000.
.

I posted a nice little comparison between DVD and PS2, actual facts.

Since we tend to do nothing here but exchange beliefs it was nice for once to have some more concrete data.

When DVD was 3 years old it had sold 7 million stand alone players.

When the PS2 was 2 years old i had sold 10 million.

What i tried to show with those numbers is that the PS3 could be an even bigger factor, since the HD format will be 3 years old and the PS3 should be around 2 years at that time.

Right now there is actually 81 million stand alone players and 25 million PS2s in the USA. So even today plenty of PS2s are used for DVD playback.

1997
349,000 DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (About 200,000 sold into homes.)
900 DVD-Video titles available in the U.S. Over 5 million copies shipped; about 2 million sold.
Over 500,000 DVD-Video players shipped worldwide.
Around 330,000 DVD-ROM drives shipped worldwide with about 1 million bundled DVD-ROM titles.
60 DVD-ROM titles (mostly bundled).
1998
1,089,000 DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 1,438,000.)
400 DVD-Video titles in Europe (135 movie and music titles).
3,000 DVD-Video titles in the U.S. (2000 movie and music titles).
7.2 million DVD-Video discs purchased.
1999
4,019,000 DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 5,457,000.)
Over 6,300 DVD-Video titles in the U.S.
About 26 million DVD-ROM drives worldwide.
About 75 DVD-ROM titles available in the U.S.
2000
8.5 million DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 13,922,000.)
About 46 million DVD-ROM drives worldwide.
Over 10,000 DVD-Video titles available in the U.S.
Belgium: 100 thousand installed base
France: 1.2 million installed base
Germany: 1.2 million installed base
Italy: 360 thousand installed base
Netherlands: 200 thousand installed base
Spain: 300 thousand installed base
Sweden: 120 thousand installed base
Switzerland: 250 thousand installed base
UK: 1 million installed base
2001
12.7 million DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 26,629,000.)
Over 45 million DVD-ROM drives in the U.S.
Over 90 million DVD-ROM drives worldwide.
UK: 3 million installed base
2002
17 million DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 43,718,000.)
Over 75 million DVD-ROM drives in the U.S.
Over 140 million DVD-ROM drives worldwide.
2003 (fall)
16 million DVD-Video players shipped in the U.S. (Installed base of 73,300,000.)
Over 27,000 DVD-Video titles available in the U.S.

jvd and I were correct...

Also DVD drive numbers for computers cannot be ignored.

 

[one]

jvd and I were correct...

Also DVD drive numbers for computers cannot be ignored.

Where's the source for numbers?

I wonder how many people hooked up PC video output to their 16:9 TVs

 

[PC-Engine]

jvd and I were correct...

Also DVD drive numbers for computers cannot be ignored.

Where's the source for numbers?

I wonder how many people hooked up PC video output to their 16:9 TVs

Not many, most of them watched on their monitors.

By the time PS2 arrived sales of DVDs, DVD players, and DVD drives were already exploding. In other words, PS2 had little affect in pushing the DVD format.

The numbers are from http://www.ce.org/

 

[-tkf-]

I were correct...

In what way?

The numbers i posted are correct.