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[Flo_Evans]

What in the world is going on in there?

same shit, diffrent day? It seems van and myself are having a nice discussion about HD discs while other continue to flame away. Must be the MGS avatars. :lol

BROTHER!?!

(HD-DVD is clearly liquid snake though, blu-ray is SOLID!)

 

[VanMardigan]

That's ok, Liquid has the better lines anyway:

You enjoy all the killing.........THAT'S WHY!!

 

[rc213]

What in the world is going on in there?

Edit: Oh shit!

FAPFAPFAPFAPFAP!

 

[The Main Event]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6456435.html

JUNE 28 | Toshiba is sticking with the $299 price-point for its bottom-line HD DVD player after seeing a sales jolt when it introduced the lower price in May as part of a limited-time offer.

The company said during a press event in New York Thursday that promotional prices introduced in May on its two lower-priced players would go into permanent effect July 1.

The entry-level HD-A2 player will stay at $299 and the HD-A20 at $399. The top-line HD-XA2 remains $799.

The company sold 100,000 set-top players in its first year on the market but has sold an additional 50,000 players since it began lowering prices in April.

Speaking for the HD DVD Promotional Group, Universal Studios Home Entertainment executive VP of HD strategic marketing Ken Graffeo said they’ve found that price is the biggest motivating factor for consumers when it comes to buying a player.

 

[SentientStone]

What in the world is going on in there?

Edit: Oh shit!

YES!! YES!! Oh God Yes!!
Time to sell off my original copy on DVD. Is Hong Kong in the same region as China or are they Region A? I hope this is region free just like the supposedly official R3 DVDs released in Hong Kong (I own the whole trilogy).

 

[distantmantra]

Look at the spine, I think that's the Region B logo...

edit: The source of that image says otherwise:

Coming out on July 9th!

Specs

* 16:9 Widescreen 1920x1080p Full HD
* Audio
o Cantonese (PCM 5.1)
o Cantonese (DD 5.1)
o Mandarin (DD 5.1)
* Subtitles
o Traditional Chinese
o Simplified Chinese
o English
* Extras
o Audio Commentary
o Teaser
o Theatrical Trailer
o Making Of
o Confidential File
* Coded for Region A

 

[Crayon Shinchan]

Will wait for infernal affairs trilogy

 

[Duke Togo]

What in the world is going on in there?

Edit: Oh shit!

OH SHIT! OH ****! OOOOOHHHHHH! NUUUUGHHHHH!!!!

 

[Petrarca]

Latest sales data

BD/HD-DVD

Week 70/30
Year To Date 67/33
Since Inception 59/41

Top 10 hidef sellers

1 (1) Ghost Rider BD 100.00
2 (-) Bridge to Terabithia BD 84.65
3 (8) Casino Royale BD 59.46
4 (2) Planet Earth HD 43.03
5 (4) Apocalypto BD 35.65
6 (5) PotC DMC BD 34.14
7 (6) Planet Earth BD 33.51
8 (7) PotC CBP BD 28.53
9 (-) Open Season BD 23.10
10 (3) Breach 22.71

xx Letters from Iwo Jima BD 14.80
xx Batman Begins HD 13.50
xx Letters from Iwo Jima HD 10.96
xx Complete Matrix Trilogy HD 9.01

Top 10 aggregate

1. Ghost Rider 100.00
2. Bridge to Terabithia 84.65
4. Planet Earth 76.53
3. Casino Royale 59.46
5. Apocalypto 35.65
6. PotC DMC 34.14
7. Planet Earth 33.51
8. PotC CBP 28.53
9. Open Season 23.10
10. Breach 22.71

 

[djkimothy]

WTF? Already? That was early....

 

[SRG01]

Wh.. Why is Casino Royale still on that list?

PS. Yay Infernal Affairs! Too bad there aren't many scenes that can take advantage of the HD resolution though. Not much art direction... The Departed however...

 

[fortified_concept]

Latest sales data

BD/HD-DVD

Week 70/30

Whoa!

 

[Petrarca]

Wh.. Why is Casino Royale still on that list?

PS. Yay Infernal Affairs! Too bad there aren't many scenes that can take advantage of the HD resolution though. Not much art direction... The Departed however...

As more and more people buying into blu-ray, CR will always be one of the first choices

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Next weeks sales ought to swing more to HD, since there's barely anything out for BluRay.

OTOH, it's all catalog stuff, so maybe not. <shrug>

 

[captive]

Latest sales data

BD/HD-DVD

Week 70/30
Year To Date 67/33
Since Inception 59/41

Top 10 hidef sellers

1 (1) Ghost Rider BD 100.00
2 (-) Bridge to Terabithia BD 84.65
3 (8) Casino Royale BD 59.46
4 (2) Planet Earth HD 43.03
5 (4) Apocalypto BD 35.65
6 (5) PotC DMC BD 34.14
7 (6) Planet Earth BD 33.51
8 (7) PotC CBP BD 28.53
9 (-) Open Season BD 23.10
10 (3) Breach 22.71

xx Letters from Iwo Jima BD 14.80
xx Batman Begins HD 13.50
xx Letters from Iwo Jima HD 10.96
xx Complete Matrix Trilogy HD 9.01

Top 10 aggregate

1. Ghost Rider 100.00
2. Bridge to Terabithia 84.65
4. Planet Earth 76.53
3. Casino Royale 59.46
5. Apocalypto 35.65
6. PotC DMC 34.14
7. Planet Earth 33.51
8. PotC CBP 28.53
9. Open Season 23.10
10. Breach 22.71

I honestly have no explanation for the increase to 70/30 and Casino Royale's jumpage to the top again...
color me suprised.

 

[Petrarca]

I honestly have no explanation for the increase to 70/30 and Casino Royale's jumpage to the top again...
color me suprised.

well it could be because of the blockbuster announcement. BD picked up a few more customers and those first time buyers were buying CR

 

[djkimothy]

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa41/calgarymarc/Blu-ray-1.jpg

I'm clicking it's not zooming out!!

Spoiler

 

[Chemo]

The blue Pac-Mans are looking hungry!

 

[Flo_Evans]

OMFG!! I finnaly got casino royale from netflix yesterday. WOW. I might have to buy it.

 

[Oni Jazar]

I honestly have no explanation for the increase to 70/30 and Casino Royale's jumpage to the top again...
color me suprised.

Didn't the $499 Sony player come out last week? That would explain the high sales volume and the Casino Royale jump.

I can't wait until next week's rankings.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

OMFG!! I finnaly got casino royale from netflix yesterday. WOW. I might have to buy it.

Anyone who rents Casino Royale should be shot! It's a must own!

Oh anyone seen this? Any good? It comes with DTS HD 7.1 Audio

 

[VanMardigan]

I think the BlockBuster bomb just manifested itself. Casino Royale, like Batman Begins for HD DVD, is a barometer on how many new folks were brought into the HD fold.

I know it'll be the first BD I'll buy whenever I pick up my Ps3. That, or PoTC 1 and 2.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Anyone who rents Casino Royale should be shot! It's a must own!

sorry! I was abit worried about the new bond guy. Thankfully there wasn't much 'acting' and most of the movie was him kicking ass and explosions :lol

I also noticed at least 10 sony product placements too, when the security room had a wall of blu-ray players I had to :lol

 

[VanMardigan]

Craig kicked ass. I had reservations too, but was blown away with his edgy, violent take on James Bond.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Craig kicked ass. I had reservations too, but was blown away with his edgy, violent take on James Bond.

If you love early Bond, this movie is as close as it gets. I watched Die Another Day again last weekend! WTF were they thinking? :lol

 

[ManaByte]

Anyone who rents Casino Royale should be shot! It's a must own!

Oh anyone seen this? Any good? It comes with DTS HD 7.1 Audio

If it's as good as Iron Man, I'll get it. If it's as sucky as Avengers; HELLNO.

 

[captive]

I agree with almost everything this new guy at HD digest says.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...:_Ten_Easy_Ways_to_Improve_High-Def_Discs/728

1. Stop ruining movie cover art with ugly banners and borders.
Yes, we understand that these are new formats and you want to visually distinguish them from DVDs on store shelves, but isn't that what the new case sizes and colors are for? Aren't the "HD DVD" and "Blu-ray" logos at the top of the case enough of a clue for people to figure it out? Do we really need ugly borders intruding into the cover art? High-def disc buyers are by nature movie fans and collectors. The physical attractiveness of the product on our movie shelves is important to us -- marring that with hideous swooshes and slogans that obscure the poster art is really unappealing.

2. No more promos for your format before the disc menus.
There is nothing more irritating than firing up a disc in anticipation of watching a movie, only to suffer through a commercial first. We paid for this product, so please don't insult us with advertising, especially when it's an ad for the format we're currently using. Here's a tip: If we're watching a high definition disc, we don't need a promo telling us how great High Definition is. We already know. You're preaching to the converted, and we just want to get to the movie we paid for.

3.All discs should have a setup menu before the movie.
I realize this may sound like a contradiction to my last point about getting straight to the movie, but the fact of the matter is that High-Def discs usually have a number of audio, subtitle, and other setup choices to dig through before you can finally sit down to watch the movie. I appreciate the sentiment of studios like Warner and Disney who start their movies up automatically without a lot of obnoxious animated menus, but it's a real nuisance to have to stop the movie after it's started in order to adjust settings, and then restart the movie. This is especially problematic on Blu-ray discs, where pop-up menus usually don't work if the movie is paused. On a typical Disney disc, you have no choice but to navigate through all the menus while the beginning of the movie plays beneath, and then skip back to the start when you're done. That's an absolutely terrible user experience. We don't need (or necessarily want) anything fancy -- just a simple menu page where we can check off our settings and start the movie when we're actually ready for it.

4.Enough already with the menu clicks and beeps.
On the subject of menus, all those grating beeps, clicks, and cheesy sound effects when you highlight or enter a selection have got to stop. They're nothing but an irritant. Yes, some discs offer the ability to turn them off, but only after you've navigated through a bunch of beeping or clicking menu options to find them. How about if all discs default to menu noises off, and users can turn them on manually if they want them, rather than the other way around? Or even better, just get rid of them altogether.

5.One last menu request: Simpler is better.
This is a problem that has plagued many standard DVD releases, but it's now unfortunately intruding into the next-gen formats as well. Just because the technology can render fancy 3D animated menus with elaborate graphics dancing all over the screen whenever you make a selection, doesn't mean it should. Nor should a user have to dig through page after page of menus just to find a simple option. The most effective menus are those that are simple, well-organized, and easy to navigate. That applies to the interactive pop-up menus every bit as much as it does the traditional menu pages. I don't know what the studios are doing differently in their disc authoring, but the menus on several recent Blu-ray releases like 'Dirty Dancing' and 'The Messengers' slowed my Blu-ray player down to a crawl, and highlighting a selection doesn't seem to guarantee that the correct action will be taken. The 'Dirty Dancing' menus are especially infuriating. Next time, please remember that complicated does not automatically equal better.

6.Make adjustable subtitle positioning a standard feature.
I understand that at this point in time nobody is giving a whole lot of thought to the concerns of home projection owners, many of whom are now investing in dedicated 2.35:1 Constant Image Height screens, but it's time to start -- this is a growing segment of your user base. A 2.35:1 CIH screen allows the viewer to watch "scope" movies filling the entire wide screen without letterbox bars, and it works great, except on discs where you need subtitles, which are usually authored to appear in those letterbox bars.

7.Always provide the movie's original sound mix.
We live in an age when modern movies have razzle dazzle 5.1 soundtracks or better. That's certainly terrific, but the obsession with "updating" older movies with simpler mono or stereo mixes to 5.1 standards is troubling to film purists, especially when it involves gimmicky artificial pans or the replacement of original sound effects with newly recorded substitutes. I'm sorry, but the butchery that happened to 'The Terminator' was a travesty. If you want to do something like that as an option for people who want it, that's perfectly fine -- just include the original mix, as well. If disc space is an issue, drop one of the dub tracks that are already eating up room anyway.

8.Include all of the bonus features found on the standard DVD.
Most High-Def consumers buy movie discs with the intention of replacing their old DVDs. They don't want to keep two copies of the same movie sitting around. If the DVD had featurettes, deleted scenes, or a commentary, it's an insult to drop them from the High-Def version. The new formats are supposed to offer everything DVD did and more, not just a few of the things DVD had, selectively chosen when they're convenient.

9.Don't advertise titles you have no current plans to release.
Every time I put in a Paramount disc and am greeted by their annoying promo with clips from 'The Truman Show', 'Team America', and 'Lemony Snicket', I wonder when those discs are coming out. Likewise, the promo at the start of Sony discs has multiple clips from 'Spider-Man', 'Lawrence of Arabia', and 'Bad Boys II'. How many Warner discs have come packaged with printed inserts promising 'The Shawshank Redemption'? Yet I look on the studio release calendars and not a single one of these titles is currently scheduled. Don't tease us with something you have no immediate plans to deliver. It's misleading and upsetting, and doesn't exactly engender customer loyalty.

10.Combo discs do not justify premium prices.
This is one specifically for the HD DVD studios, if only for the fact that Blu-ray doesn't have Combo discs. If a High Definition fan is buying an HD DVD, they're buying it for the HD DVD. The standard DVD version on the flip side is not a "bonus" worthy of a premium price, and rationalizations about making the disc more portable aren't fooling anyone. Combos a marketing ploy designed to lure average DVD customers to the new format with promises of backwards compatibility. And that would be fine, if only the strategy were working. As is, the high prices for Combos are scaring away standard DVD buyers who would rather stick with the less expensive DVD-only releases, and are only upsetting HD DVD buyers who are forced to pay extra for a "feature" they rarely want or need. Combos should, at the very least, be priced in accordance with other HD DVDs.

The same general principle applies to most of Fox's Blu-ray releases, which (up until they stopped releasing new discs altogether in April) have usually come deprived of special features, yet are priced higher than discs from fellow Blu-ray studios. Who exactly is that supposed to appeal to?

 

[drohne]

if anyone plans to get the infernal affairs bd, keep us posted on importers and picture quality. i've been meaning to watch it for years, but i never got past the boxart of the r1 dvd :lol

 

[jjasper]

Updating the firmware is a pain in the ass. I spent 45 minutes last night trying to get my HD-A2 up to date, but I couldn't get the damn thing connected to the internet kept saying about not finding the server. I eventually got pissed and quit.

 

[djkimothy]

For Canadian Gaffers.

Future shop is having a Canada day sale (online only) and they're selling the Toshiba HDDVDn (HD-A2) player for $350, that's $145 off. No indication of blu-ray players on sale.

10% off dvds, I'm not sure if that extends to High definition media, one would assume.

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/canadaday07/default.asp?CMP=EMC-email_special_promo

 

[ManaByte]

The same general principle applies to most of Fox's Blu-ray releases, which (up until they stopped releasing new discs altogether in April) have usually come deprived of special features, yet are priced higher than discs from fellow Blu-ray studios. Who exactly is that supposed to appeal to?

Idiots who think X3 is worth $40?

 

[painey]

i have just imported Black Snake Moan and A Scanner Darkly. Quite excited for them to arrive

 

[Eggo]

Saw Black Snake Moan on HD-DVD last night. The picture quality is great and the movie is... well, different. Entertaining, but I would not want to own it. You also get to see HD boobies, which is always nice.

 

[VanMardigan]

All discs should have a setup menu before the movie.


I've never seen a Blu Ray movie, but I assume you can access the menu at any time without stopping the movie, right? It said you couldn't do it while paused on Blu Ray, which is confusing as well.

 

[The Main Event]

All discs should have a setup menu before the movie.


I've never seen a Blu Ray movie, but I assume you can access the menu at any time without stopping the movie, right? It said you couldn't do it while paused on Blu Ray, which is confusing as well.

The menu is accessible while you watch the movie. I don't own any Blu-rays with a menu that can't be accessed while on pause though.

 

[The Main Event]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

Today at its summer press event, Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba") announced that HD DVD is bringing a whole new world of high definition entertainment to the hands of consumers. Delivering on the promise to provide advanced content and interactivity, new HD DVD titles with web-enabled network capabilities now allow consumers to easily access additional content and bonus features, as available, to enjoy their favorite HD DVD movies like never before. Current users of Toshiba HD DVD players can enjoy the web-enabled network capabilities by updating to the latest HD DVD player firmware, now available from Toshiba.

Since the launch of HD DVD, all of Toshiba's players have offered advanced interactive functionality including picture-in-picture video and audio commentary, which have already been available on many HD DVD movies. Now Toshiba takes interactivity to the next level. The company's latest firmware update supports improved network connectivity for downloading web-enabled network content and is another example of the company's commitment toward achieving the ultimate home entertainment experience. No other high definition home entertainment format currently matches the features offered by Toshiba and the HD DVD format.

"Through web-enabled network connectivity, HD DVD is unlocking the door to an entirely new world of entertainment and once again achieving another milestone in next generation DVD," said Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "With HD DVD, studios have the ability to develop new and unique content for movie fans, enabling consumers to have an entirely new way to access entertainment and customize their home movie experience that is currently not available with any other format."

Toshiba HD DVD Players' Web-Enabled Network Capabilities

Using the Ethernet ports found on all Toshiba HD DVD players, and the currently available firmware update, once connected to the network, users can download bonus features, as available, from a movie studio's server. This data is then saved in the player's persistent storage and can be accessed by the user. In addition to downloading new bonus features, some HD DVD discs may even include locked prerecorded content which can be unlocked with a downloadable key from the studio's online server.

In addition to downloading content, HD DVD users also have the ability to upload content and interact with content providers. For example, with the award winning title, "Blood Diamond" from Warner Home Video, users can participate in interactive polls. After providing feedback, results are delivered back to users via the HD DVD player.

Web-enabled network content became available on June 26 with the launch of Bandai Visual's anime title "Freedom" volume 1. This title is the first HD DVD anime title available in the United States, the first web-enabled network content disc and the first "twin format" disc (featuring both HD DVD and DVD on one side of the disc).

"While others may talk about interactivity, HD DVD has proven time and time again that it offers true interactive features and capabilities for consumers which can make the enjoyment of movies a new experience every time they're viewed," commented Sally.

Toshiba Announces 24p Output

Coming in early September, Toshiba will add an enhanced performance function to its HD-XA2 and HD-A20 HD DVD players by offering the capability for users to update the firmware of their players allowing playback of film content in 1080p/24 frames per second, or 24p. Movie films are traditionally captured at 24 frames per second and Toshiba's HD DVD players will be able to maintain this frame rate allowing consumers to enjoy movies in their native form.

Mandatory to the HD DVD format, every Toshiba player is equipped with an Ethernet port. In addition to the capability to access web enabled content, this also allows HD DVD owners to conveniently update the firmware of their players with new features and performance improvements.

Movie Aficionados Adopt HD DVD as the Next High Definition Format of Choice - The Numbers Speak for Themselves

Responding to recent promotions as well as the industry growth of HDTV, the market adoption of HD DVD increased significantly in the past 2 months garnering Toshiba with approximately 70 percent share of all high definition set-top players, both HD DVD and Blu-ray, in both April and May according to NPD. "These numbers prove once again that HD DVD is the high definition format of choice," commented Sally.

Effective July 1st the pricing levels available during the May and June promotions will become standard MSRPs, making the HD-A2 available for an every day price of $299.99 and the HD-A20 for $399.99. The top of the line HD-XA2 continues at $799.99 (MSRP).

 

[NomarTyme]

What in the world is going on in there?

Edit: Oh shit!

http://www.asiandvdguide.com/weekly1111/infernal_affairs_bd.jpg

http://www.asiandvdguide.com/weekly1111/infernal_affairs_bd2.jpg[/QUOTE]

Damn!!!!!!!!! I wish I had a blu ray player!!!!!

 

[fortified_concept]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

:lol You must be kidding me.

 

[SRG01]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

Jesus not this **** again.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

BluRay/HD-DVD
70/30

 

[krypt0nian]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

LAWLZ

 

[M3wThr33]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

When there's only 1 company making your player, they're going to have a majority of sales, but how the HELL did they get a 70% number? Set-top... I wonder if they're just pretending PS3 sales don't exist.
MS did something similar before with the original Xbox, saying they were #1 Worldwide. Then defined 'worldwide' as USA, Europe and Brazil, or some shit.

 

[Petrarca]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070629/nef003.html

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[SRG01]

When there's only 1 company making your player, they're going to have a majority of sales, but how the HELL did they get a 70% number? Set-top... I wonder if they're just pretending PS3 sales don't exist.
MS did something similar before with the original Xbox, saying they were #1 Worldwide. Then defined 'worldwide' as USA, Europe and Brazil, or some shit.

It's NPD's number, according to the article. They probably classified the PS3 as a game console sale instead.

 

[bishoptl]

If you love early Bond, this movie is as close as it gets. I watched Die Another Day again last weekend! WTF were they thinking? :lol

It's a great transfer, Daniel Craig is a ****ing menacing Bond, the movie is outstanding - easily in my top 2 Bond films - and the Chris Cornell title track is the sweet, sweet icing that ties it all together.

 

[captive]

I see the old main event is back
Im amazed he doesnt have a tag though.

 

[methane47]

Responding to recent promotions as well as the industry growth of HDTV, the market adoption of HD DVD increased significantly in the past 2 months garnering Toshiba with approximately 70 percent share of all high definition set-top players, both HD DVD and Blu-ray, in both April and May according to NPD. "These numbers prove once again that HD DVD is the high definition format of choice," commented Sally.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

http://www.coolfunnies.com/funny_flash/view.php?page=laughing_cat

 

[Eggo]

I contributed to the blue Pac-Man today. Bought the following Blu-Ray movies from Frys Brick and Mortar:

Curse of the Golden Flower $12.50
Memento $12.50
Kung-Fu Hustle $12.50
Phantom of the Opera $13.99

They're having a crazy Blu-Ray sale this weekend. It feels like liquidation.

2 for $25:
Curse of the Golden Flower
Black Hawk Down
House of Flying Daggers
Hellboy
Layer Cake
Kung Fu Hustle
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Tears of the Sun
Identity
Stealth
Into the Blue
XXX
Big Fish
Memento
Donnie Brasco
Closer
Revenge
Hitch
Seven Years in Tibet
Cruel Intentions

$13.99:
Phantom of the Opera
The Last Samurai
Training Day

$19.99
Hustle and Flow

$27.99
Black Snake Moan

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=549028

Reports are that the Frys Internet website is offering similar prices. Note: this sale is only for Blu-Ray. HD-DVD's are on sale in-store, but for $19.99.

 

[Petrarca]

Responding to recent promotions as well as the industry growth of HDTV, the market adoption of HD DVD increased significantly in the past 2 months garnering Toshiba with approximately 70 percent share of all high definition set-top players, both HD DVD and Blu-ray, in both April and May according to NPD. "These numbers prove once again that HD DVD is the high definition format of choice," commented Sally

Blockbuster...

 

[Zen]

The BR partners should be concerned with the sales of HD-DVD players, stand alone versus Standalone they're being outsold and that shouldn't be happening. A lot of people are using their PS3's as BR players but they have to be more price competitive to HD-DVD if they want to crush them. Otherwise this will drag out even longer either way.