Sony Announces Blu-ray Movie Pricing

Inane_Dork said:
You mean like DVD? ;)
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Quite True .. DVD may yet survive this challenge. I'm willing to hope that BR makes a successful run at it because I have a 50" Pioneer Elite, and a Definitive Technology Mythos system waiting for something to feed it. I just find it kinda funny that people somehow feel that it will not succeed not because of the strength of DVD, but because of some format in the future that does not exist.
 
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Windfire said:
Another MAJOR issue that everyone seems to forget is that these new Blue-ray and HD DVD formats >require< HDMI for HD quality. If you do not have HDMI then it automatically down-shifts quality to 540p.

Estimates have it that over 50% of the HD TVs in homes do NOT have HDMI. Worse, those that don't have HDMI are probably the same "early adopter" group that historically these vendors have needed to be "experts" that help move the standard foward--but in this case 50% of their early adopters are being left in the cold due to draconian copy protection schemes.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6300812.html


So, take into account:
1 - Higher prices for movies
2 - HDTV required
3 - HDMI required
4 - Very High prices for the players

Regardng the draconian copy protection, there are issues that many don't know of... For example, your hardware player could be black-listed on future DVDs if a crack is made against your model. Suddenly your $900 player doesn't work on future discs.
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You are talking about the Image Constraint Token (ICT) that downconverts signals to analog inputs.

This is only optional, it is up to the studios to decide whether or not they use ICT on their products or not. Only Warner pushed for ICT to be a part of AACS, and many studios, including bellwether AACS members like Sony have stated they have no plans to use it, and actually argued against it's inclusion in the AACS negotiations. AACS member Disney/Pixar eventually supported ICT's inclusion in AACS, but hasn't stated they would use it in their products, and many important non-members like 20th Century Fox have flat out said they won't turn ICT on in their products. Since only Warner was even interested in ICT in the first place, and many major studios probably won't be using it, it is unlikely that even Warner, ICT's biggest proponent will use it in their products, because doing so would put them at a disadvantage in the marketplace, at least for the near-term.

Down the road, more studios may start turning the ICT option on in their products, but only time will tell.

It is still only an option though. I would imagine that the studios that do decide to use it might get a lot of complaints from customers with analog-only sets and that might change their minds on using it.
 
One other thing about ICT. Any Blu-ray or HD-DVD movie that turns the ICT option on must be clearly labeled on the outside packaging of the movie.

So vote against ICT with your pocketbook if you don't like it.
 
correct me if im wrong.

but i thought HDMI is just another propriety cable that combines sound and rgb into one cable. I thought theres no diffrence in picture quality between rgb component cables and HDMI with exception to speed but i dont think thats a problem with todays TVs capping out at 58-60hz. Also the ps3 is supposed to be a budget BRD player it supports components since probably 99% of hdtv have components.
 
AW0L said:
correct me if im wrong.

but i thought HDMI is just another propriety cable that combines sound and rgb into one cable. I thought theres no diffrence in picture quality between rgb component cables and HDMI with exception to speed but i dont think thats a problem with todays TVs capping out at 58-60hz. Also the ps3 is supposed to be a budget BRD player it supports components since probably 99% of hdtv have components.
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Well its actually more comparable to DVI + audio, but it also incorporates DRM in there somewhere and that is why HDMI would be required.
 
AW0L said:
correct me if im wrong.

but i thought HDMI is just another propriety cable that combines sound and rgb into one cable. I thought theres no diffrence in picture quality between rgb component cables and HDMI with exception to speed but i dont think thats a problem with todays TVs capping out at 58-60hz. Also the ps3 is supposed to be a budget BRD player it supports components since probably 99% of hdtv have components.
Click to expand...


HDMI is exactly the same as DVI with HDCP, plus digital audio. In fact there are DVI-HDMI cables, one end is DVI and the other is HDMI, because they are practically the same, except DVI doesn't always support HDCP and doesn't carry sound.

RGB component is an analog signal, HDMI and DVI is digital.
 
london-boy said:
HDMI is exactly the same as DVI with HDCP, plus digital audio. In fact there are DVI-HDMI cables, one end is DVI and the other is HDMI, because they are practically the same, except DVI doesn't always support HDCP and doesn't carry sound.

RGB component is an analog signal, HDMI and DVI is digital.
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...and even when you have a DVI port that is HDCP compliant, you may still have to jump through hoops to get it to work. I have the issue at this very moment between my lcd tv and my comcast hd dvr...oh the joys of HDCP. Because of the handshaking method that is used, you may need to figure out which devices need to be turned on in which order for everything to work, or you may end-up like me and have to use the components anyway.
It would behoove Holywood to avoid this hassle for the general consumer, and it would definitely behoove Sony to test the PS3 on many different sets AND brands, component only, dvi, hdmi, because with the internet the way it is today...well, you know.
 
NucNavST3 said:
...and even when you have a DVI port that is HDCP compliant, you may still have to jump through hoops to get it to work. I have the issue at this very moment between my lcd tv and my comcast hd dvr...oh the joys of HDCP. Because of the handshaking method that is used, you may need to figure out which devices need to be turned on in which order for everything to work, or you may end-up like me and have to use the components anyway.
It would behoove Holywood to avoid this hassle for the general consumer, and it would definitely behoove Sony to test the PS3 on many different sets AND brands, component only, dvi, hdmi, because with the internet the way it is today...well, you know.
Click to expand...
Oh trust me i totally agree with you. Personally i'm cool with HDMI, my TV has it and i wouldn't want it any different, but it is worrying how things seem to be turning out,, especially considering not many HDTVs have HDMI, especially in the US.
In Europe, we're safe, or at least we're in a better position than the US with regards to the HDMI issue, because of the "HD-Ready" standard forcing the manufacturers of "proper" HDTVs (the HD-Ready ones, not the "HD-compatible" ones) to put a HDMI in their sets, among other things.
 
NucNavST3 said:
...and even when you have a DVI port that is HDCP compliant, you may still have to jump through hoops to get it to work. I have the issue at this very moment between my lcd tv and my comcast hd dvr...oh the joys of HDCP. Because of the handshaking method that is used, you may need to figure out which devices need to be turned on in which order for everything to work, or you may end-up like me and have to use the components anyway.
Click to expand...

Shit like that has class action lawsuit printed all over it. What ever happened to protection of consumers ?

Cheers
 
You forget that Blu-ray players will need HDMI 12 bit connections to display at 1080p.

Something which KK said he wants in the PS3, which could potentially delay the PS3 launch because this type of connection won't be available till later this year.

This mess with Blu-ray does further than most of you actually think.

They are rushing a format to a market which isn't ready for it.
 
GB123 said:
You forget that Blu-ray players will need HDMI 12 bit connections to display at 1080p.

Something which KK said he wants in the PS3, which could potentially delay the PS3 launch because this type of connection won't be available till later this year.

This mess with Blu-ray does further than most of you actually think.

They are rushing a format to a market which isn't ready for it.
Click to expand...
1080p HDMI cables have been out for months, now all we need to wait for is TVs which can actually take that signal, and Bluray players...
 
GB123 said:
You forget that Blu-ray players will need HDMI 12 bit connections to display at 1080p.

Something which KK said he wants in the PS3, which could potentially delay the PS3 launch because this type of connection won't be available till later this year.

This mess with Blu-ray does further than most of you actually think.

They are rushing a format to a market which isn't ready for it.
Click to expand...


Blu-ray and HD-DVD players do not need HDMI 12 bit connections to display at 1080p.

If they do put HDMI 12 bit in the PS3 it will be for future proofing the system.
 
They may not need it, but it will ultimately give better colour information which will probably eventually find its way to Blu-ray players.

I wasn't really refering to Blu-ray players anyway, i was talking about TV's capable of recieving a 12 bit feed.
 
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GB123 said:
They may not need it, but it will ultimately give better colour saturation which will probably eventually find its way to Blu-ray players.
Click to expand...

Yeah but i don't think 12-bit or even more 16-bit have anything to do with 1080p. Could be wrong of course, i haven't investigated this much.
Of course, the more colour range the better the video. On LCD TVs it all goes back to 8 bit anyway - after going through god knows what kind of internal processing the video goes through.

In the end the final image that hits your eyes will have gone through so many filters and processors, it will have been upscaled, downscaled, resized, chopped, diced, dipped, licked so much, you'll just be thankful you're actually watching a hi-def version of whatever movie you want to watch.

Considering all of the above, and the fact that i don't expect to buy a 1080p panel anytime soon, you start to understand why i'm so relaxed about all this stuff, even I who have a reputation for super analysing home cinema and video stuff...
 
GB123 said:
They may not need it, but it will ultimately give better colour saturation which will probably eventually find its way to Blu-ray players.
Click to expand...

True it will give better colour but it will get down converted on the display.

I hope they do put 12 bit or 16 bit HDMI in the PS3.
 
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