seismologist
Regular
AlphaWolf said:
You mean this giant thing?
http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/popup_image.asp?pid=1726&screenshot=1726_5.jpg
This is what people who aren't idiots use to play movies on their PSP?
Microsoft announces external HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360
- Thread starter BlueTsunami
- Start date
You mean this giant thing?
http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/popup_image.asp?pid=1726&screenshot=1726_5.jpg
This is what people who aren't idiots use to play movies on their PSP?
seismologist said:
No I mean the 250GB HD you can stick in your computer for $100.
Just transfer the half dozen movies you intend to watch in the near future to your memory stick, and really at the current price of memory sticks vs UMDs, it might be cheaper to shrink your DVD collection and carry memory sticks than it would be to buy the UMDs.
I agree wholeheartedly with Aaronspink's opinions on Mmckmass's list. I buy discs to watch films. The extras are invariably an utter waste of time. Pointless chessy gimmicks. I don't know if people on the whole like these things or not. It's like free clock radios or towel sets when you buy such and such. If I want a clock radio or towel set, I'll buy one and make sure it's one I want. I'd rather just pay less for the goods I want, then pay more for goods I don't want and a sweetener. Plus extra content means extra work means extra cost. Let me buy the game I want seperately, and keep just a simple 'play the damned film' interface instead of jumping through hoops trying to navigate a new interface for every film.
DVDs are IMO a mess. The idea that HD means even more mess worries me. I just want the film, in the best quality you can deliver it to me. Provide other services on the film's website.
DVDs are IMO a mess. The idea that HD means even more mess worries me. I just want the film, in the best quality you can deliver it to me. Provide other services on the film's website.
I think the extras have a novelty value for some very old movies that were made before most of us wee born.I am a horror fan and i like my extras on movies like the original TCM for example.I could care less about extras for new movies that are ,almost always ,boring and that we know about them already from the internet or "movie documentary"- TV shows.Shifty Geezer said:
Anyway since i bought a new LCD HDTV(the only way to have high def in Europe),i am interested in both these new formats,despite the fact that my DVDs look amasing on my upscaling DVD player and my LCD.It all depends on the price of this add on and the launch line up of the ps3.If the ps3 has a lgreat launch line up i will buy it and forget this add on.If not,however i could see myself buying this add on and waiting for a ps3 price drop.
thatdude90210
Regular
That list reminds me of the crap they have on dvds that trys to install when you watch dvds on your PC. I always click no, don't install that junk... I just want to watch the movie.Shifty Geezer said:
Don't know if this has been asked about an external HD-DVD drive.
I have an older HDTV Samsung HCP4241, which only has component cable input. As mentioned in another thread, this means that if I want to watch HD movies, I would need HDMI input if the HD player is plugged directly into my TV.
With the HD-DVD player being external, and the 360 would plug into my TV, not the HD-DVD player, would this mean I can use my TV since the drive would plug into the 360 first as HDMI, then into my TV from the 360?
I have an older HDTV Samsung HCP4241, which only has component cable input. As mentioned in another thread, this means that if I want to watch HD movies, I would need HDMI input if the HD player is plugged directly into my TV.
With the HD-DVD player being external, and the 360 would plug into my TV, not the HD-DVD player, would this mean I can use my TV since the drive would plug into the 360 first as HDMI, then into my TV from the 360?
Sis said:You know what, I knew Laa Yosh did CG work and I'm an idiot for not thinking that meant CG for movies. I meant no offense (but damn if it wasn't funny all the same
I'm doing game cinematics, and I'm not yet interested in movie VFX, so no worries
Ayway, it's bad writing and direction that ruins movies, not the fact that they're using CG.
But the problem is Media Center PC's are as of yet failing to make any headway (seeing this stuff rolled into TiVo and other PVR's is more likely), and we are not this generation going to see the "set top media player" leave its' role of prominence, IMHO. Unless Apple does something drastic...AlphaWolf said:
...and the levels of tie-in necessary for each individual title will be coming from the media itself--not a PC behind it--so the first layer of real change will be coming from the enhancements HD DVD and Blu-Ray roll in, as the PC's will be playing OFF that media and not the other way around.
DVD will gain some useful enhancements (through computers/networking) as well, but it won't have as much emphasis, and those content providers looking to make NEW enhancements will be all looking in one way, rather than back at DVD which will remain static as a format. Third-party players will still be searching for new things to do, but I can't see the studios investing much money in it while they've already hit the "what people want on their DVD" plateaus and can coast from here on in.
seismologist
Regular
Shifty Geezer said:
Well yeah that's why the navigation system will be greatly improved and is nothing like DVD.
but apparently some of you are content with the old system.
I will be happily moving on to the upgraded format as soon as I can get my hands on it.
mckmas8808
Legend
Guys my nine points actually pointed out more things then just extras on a disc. Out of those nine points (which should have probably been 5 points) why did you guys skip the part where you will be able to search for a certain movie over a broadband connection a record it to a Blu-ray disc right then and there?
What's so bad about buying the content directly from Sony or Paramount studios? Do you want The Matrix? Cool. Search for it on the internet, find it, pay for it using a credit card, and then stream it to your Blu-ray player for recording on you 25 or 50 GB disc. What's wrong with that?
What's wrong with being able to download a different langauge of a movie over the internet? If you brought a movie like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Sony (I think they made this movie right?) could allow you to download the original language if you already had the English only version.
What if the movie only had 3 languages on the disc when you brought it, but a year later 5 more languages came out on the marketplace to buy for an extra $2.99? Would you purchase it if you had people in your family that spoke that certain language and they wanted to watch the movie?
The movie studios could releases a batch of movie trailers on their websites ready for download, so that you could stream and press it on your wonderful Blu-ray disc. I know plenty of people would like the idea of downloading a special first peak trailer of Spiderman 3 or Mission Impossible 3 to a HD disc.
Why not? Imagine having 50 2 to 5 minute trailers on a 50 GB disc with movies like Silent Hill, Halo the Movie, Spiderman 3, or Xmen 3? Damn I would buy those trailers on the first day available.
Kind of think about it like Xbox Live Marketplace. I see plenty of guys here are getting a good use out of it now correct? Well I don't why the movie companies doing the samething doesn't get counted as something good for this HD media? How can you deny the possiblities of these discs besides higher resolution?
What's so bad about buying the content directly from Sony or Paramount studios? Do you want The Matrix? Cool. Search for it on the internet, find it, pay for it using a credit card, and then stream it to your Blu-ray player for recording on you 25 or 50 GB disc. What's wrong with that?
What's wrong with being able to download a different langauge of a movie over the internet? If you brought a movie like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Sony (I think they made this movie right?) could allow you to download the original language if you already had the English only version.
What if the movie only had 3 languages on the disc when you brought it, but a year later 5 more languages came out on the marketplace to buy for an extra $2.99? Would you purchase it if you had people in your family that spoke that certain language and they wanted to watch the movie?
The movie studios could releases a batch of movie trailers on their websites ready for download, so that you could stream and press it on your wonderful Blu-ray disc. I know plenty of people would like the idea of downloading a special first peak trailer of Spiderman 3 or Mission Impossible 3 to a HD disc.
Why not? Imagine having 50 2 to 5 minute trailers on a 50 GB disc with movies like Silent Hill, Halo the Movie, Spiderman 3, or Xmen 3? Damn I would buy those trailers on the first day available.
Kind of think about it like Xbox Live Marketplace. I see plenty of guys here are getting a good use out of it now correct? Well I don't why the movie companies doing the samething doesn't get counted as something good for this HD media? How can you deny the possiblities of these discs besides higher resolution?
mckmas8808 said:
Er when do you think these standalones capable of this realtime burning of HD content is going to happen? I wouldn't hold my breath on this capability if I were you.
Or you could just put it in 3 or 4 languages on the disc, just like they did with the DVD. My copy of crouching tiger is in mandarin, english and french.
No. I'd teach them to speak english. You're really scraping the barrel here, how many people would really be affected by this? How many people would pay extra for this capability?
I don't need a bunch of garbage burned to disc, I download trailers, watch them, discard them. But if I did want this, it isn't anything I can't do already with my pc.
Imagine having a whole stack of discs you will never watch again.
I think you are in a very very small minority, if I enjoy the movie I buy the DVD, I don't horde the 2minute trailer and watch it over and over.
Games are a completely different story from movies. Xbox Live Marketplace is merely adding a feature for console gamers that PC gamers have had for years, the ability to demo a game before you buy. Movies already have trailers, BRD/HD-DVD isn't a catalyst to any improvement in this medium. In fact many movies already have high-def trailers for PC (well at least they claim to be, I really haven't done/seen any qualitative assessment).
scooby_dooby
Legend
cthellis42 said:But the problem is Media Center PC's are as of yet failing to make any headway (seeing this stuff rolled into TiVo and other PVR's is more likely), and we are not this generation going to see the "set top media player" leave its' role of prominence, IMHO. Unless Apple does something drastic...
Maybe you're a bit behind the times, but in the last year alone MediaCentre sales have jumped from 4.3% to 27.7% of PC sales(~5million), and MS expects to be shipping 50million/year of these by 2009.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1869960,00.asp
Highlights:
- The update will support 200-disc DVD changers that will come to market this fall, and will add a provision for a second high-definition tuner card for handling high-definition video and HDTV signals.
- It will also add a new "Away Mode," that will allow Media Center PCs to be shut down and started back up immediately—whereas it takes a few seconds to awake from sleep or hibernate modes—at the touch of a button, the sources said.
- Microsoft also is expected to add this week a new subsite to its Windows Marketplace shopping portal that will be dedicated to Windows Media Center plug-ins, including one for shopping on eBay Inc.'s online auction site. Windows Marketplace is Microsoft's one-stop shop for software and services from both Microsoft and third-party providers that support the Windows platform.
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...which would be nice if it told you anything at all about how people use their PC's in relation to their entertainment center, but sadly... no such luck.
Increased sales can be very much tied to falling prices and rebranding (the lowest-level entry on Dell's website is now $599 and is the next cheapest line to the I'M CHEAP CRAP(TM) one. But how much is the first model to come with an actual TV tuner and remote control on the base unit? $1200+ It is, in fact, the highest-priced base model in the highest-priced line of "Media Center PC's" (which are named that for merit of having that OS installed, but not much more.) For HP it starts at ~$800, so at least they're drawing more attention to it.
Since MCPC's failed at being "premium" computers, they've basically shifted down to the commodity end. Home is the base OS on the cheapest models, and Media Center has shifted down instead, as at least it's more marketable and makes people think they're getting much more.
So while they may move, they are still just going to be "computers" with more emphasis on integrated picture-viewing, etc. Just where and when and how much will be making the leap to "home media control center" and how well will it handle said duties, and will people be buying them specifically for that purpose? ...or will they instead be people's new computers with features no one things of using...? (Notice: the exact same complaint parallel people seem to have regarding HD DVDs?)
Personally, I still think we're a long way before MCPC's get any kind of living-room recognition. They still aren't being designed for it, they can in no way compete price-wise with current DVRs--especially since they'll be pushed and subsidized by the cable/satellite companies directly more and more--and "customer habit" is hard to break when it doesn't NEED to be broken. In regards to PC's in general, their use will come from "more networking," which I think it going to be the form of convergence this next generation will take. ...and the people who will drive things the furthest will be those who figure out how to make everything inter-operate the least-painfully for the consumer.
This COULD lean in the MCPC's direction if they make solid software strides before the other more recognizable "living room" items do--but I don't see that yet. Consumers probably have their computers in the same room as a TV/DVD player/console/etc., but their primary utility is still pretty separate right now. We'll be seeing more and more software strides over the next few years, but not enough to change things overly; and it will be who can best (and "most cheaply") encorporate the more useful functions of the other that will start crossing over stronger.
Increased sales can be very much tied to falling prices and rebranding (the lowest-level entry on Dell's website is now $599 and is the next cheapest line to the I'M CHEAP CRAP(TM) one. But how much is the first model to come with an actual TV tuner and remote control on the base unit? $1200+ It is, in fact, the highest-priced base model in the highest-priced line of "Media Center PC's" (which are named that for merit of having that OS installed, but not much more.) For HP it starts at ~$800, so at least they're drawing more attention to it.
Since MCPC's failed at being "premium" computers, they've basically shifted down to the commodity end. Home is the base OS on the cheapest models, and Media Center has shifted down instead, as at least it's more marketable and makes people think they're getting much more.
So while they may move, they are still just going to be "computers" with more emphasis on integrated picture-viewing, etc. Just where and when and how much will be making the leap to "home media control center" and how well will it handle said duties, and will people be buying them specifically for that purpose? ...or will they instead be people's new computers with features no one things of using...? (Notice: the exact same complaint parallel people seem to have regarding HD DVDs?)
Personally, I still think we're a long way before MCPC's get any kind of living-room recognition. They still aren't being designed for it, they can in no way compete price-wise with current DVRs--especially since they'll be pushed and subsidized by the cable/satellite companies directly more and more--and "customer habit" is hard to break when it doesn't NEED to be broken. In regards to PC's in general, their use will come from "more networking," which I think it going to be the form of convergence this next generation will take. ...and the people who will drive things the furthest will be those who figure out how to make everything inter-operate the least-painfully for the consumer.
This COULD lean in the MCPC's direction if they make solid software strides before the other more recognizable "living room" items do--but I don't see that yet. Consumers probably have their computers in the same room as a TV/DVD player/console/etc., but their primary utility is still pretty separate right now. We'll be seeing more and more software strides over the next few years, but not enough to change things overly; and it will be who can best (and "most cheaply") encorporate the more useful functions of the other that will start crossing over stronger.
Much of what you say is about downloading content, which is nothing to do with what's on the discs, and I though the argument was 'BRD movies will us much more than just better quality films.' You won't need BRDs to do much of what you suggest. When the infrastructure is there to support downloading of 50 GBs movies, we'll be using cableboxes to download and view.mckmas8808 said:
As for movie quality, I think Matrix was the turning point. After that it seems to me sensationlist special effects have been sought at every opportunity. That's where CGs come in. It's not the presence of CGs that's messing up films, but that they enable over-the-top special effects when not suited and the directors haven't the sense to limit the action to what is approproate for the story. Like CG lens flare or bloom in games, the moment a new trick comes out everyone uses it whether they need to or not.
And as for trailers, I hate trailers! Trailers take all the good and exciting bits of the movie, compress into 5 minutes, giving a summation of the whole film without the boring bits. When you watch the film you already know what it's about and what's going to happen!
inefficient
Veteran
expletive said:
It reached 14,220 by the end of the day. But the numbers are basically the same.
No, I don't see the need 7254 (51.0%)
No, I'm gonna wait 'til they decide on the format to use 3417 (24.0%)
Yes, if the price was right 1577 (11.1%)
Yes, if there were more special features 1099 (7.7%)
Yes, if the picture was better 873 (6.1%)
A total of 14220 votes were collected.
cthellis42 said:
I htink the point is that regardless of how MCE funcitonality is getting penetration the fact of the matter is that its 'out there'. MS will continue to make it very easy for people to start using MCE functions even if they didnt specifically buy their PC for that purpose to begin with.
Not sure why people still want to try and put a PC in the living room when making their point on this. MS is NOT saying "we want your PC in the living room". You can have your PC wherever it is now and stream the content to numerous displays around the house with lower-cost and living-room friendly extenders.
One additional point to add on to what scooby was saying is that MS will ahve support for cablecard with Vista. This was one last big hurdle for MCE in general because ATM you can only get HD OTA with an antenna and tuner.
Yes, but it should be fairly well noted that I was not talking about "machines that have Media Center XP on it" since by itself it doesn't do anything much we're not already doing with our PC's... it just does it with an easier and unified interface. The MCPC's need the hardware in place, and those are still in the upper price range and not selling like hotcakes.expletive said:
...because "the living room" is where conventional sensibilities lie. The "extenders" don't exist yet, and if you notice from my previous comments regarding the PVRs we see now and HD DVD players and the like and their networking possibilities, they are more likely to be those extenders. (Made even more likely because PC-dom has more open standards and common OSes/APIs for THEM to lean on and take advantage of, while the reverse is not immediately true. Construction-of and communication-to each and every new player won't necessarily run through a common thread hardware-wise. Emphasis, again, on the new formats and what they bring to the table.)
...and Vista will launch in, what, end of Summer 2006? The HD players will be out by then, the marketing in full swing, and the media attracting attention. While the ground will be shifting over the next few years, Windows will still be losing some ground before it gains it, which points more in favor of the market sticking to what it knows--and publishers sticking to what THEY know and how they market--until it's provided overly-compelling reason to make the switch.
Devices may end up sharing capabilities and resources a lot more this gen, but to the consumer what is the "recognized control" in their entertainment center is what you point your remote at.
scooby_dooby
Legend
Actually HDTV hasn't even taken off yet because it's still hundreds of dollars offer a HD reciever and you get like 10 channels.
If MS will have HD Tuner cards for windows next year that's good timing, the broadcast stations won't be all HD until 2009.
So while they're losing ground, it's just a trickle right now as the support for HDTV stations is paltry. And I don't think windows will ever overtake the set-top box, but what they will offer is users a probably more affordable choice, and different options. Also the abilitiy to stream one show to many screens in your house is a good selling point.
If MS will have HD Tuner cards for windows next year that's good timing, the broadcast stations won't be all HD until 2009.
So while they're losing ground, it's just a trickle right now as the support for HDTV stations is paltry. And I don't think windows will ever overtake the set-top box, but what they will offer is users a probably more affordable choice, and different options. Also the abilitiy to stream one show to many screens in your house is a good selling point.
