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[VanMardigan]

I caught you before the edit, but I'll let it go. I wasn't addressing you originally, anyway.

But it doesn't explain why they're in it for reasons other than muddling the war for DD.

I did, in the original post you quoted. Of course, in your rush to edit your posts, you just needed to find SOME sort of rebuttal, even if it didn't make any sense.

 

[bill0527]

I was planning on picking up the $299 Sony BDP S300 at Best Buy today along with any 5 free BD movies in the store $34.99 and under, and the 5 free by mail.

But they marked the Sony player back up to $399

 

[MechDX]

But it doesn't explain why they're in it for reasons other than muddling the war for DD.

They basically own HDi and many of the other software apps. that are used on HD DVD. Same reason why I feel WB going BD exclusive is sort of questionable. They own quite a few HD DVD patents and only own one on BD, the BD9 disc.

We see how many studios are using BD9's.

 

[Oni Jazar]

Top 5 Worst Products of 2007 on CNet:

#3 is HD DVD & Blu-ray. Reason? Needless format war.

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-31722.html?tag=bubbl_1

 

[MechDX]

Top 5 Worst Products of 2007 on CNet:

#3 is HD DVD & Blu-ray. Reason? Needless format war.

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-31722.html?tag=bubbl_1

The format war makes them useless? All my movies, BD and HD DVD, seem to wrok really damn good. The format war also allows me to get them way below MSRP.

 

[Kleegamefan]

Penton Man said Microsoft's involvement in the transfer of Benjamin's at the moment hinges on whether Time-Warner will sign an exclusivity agreement for DD for services like Live and whatever else Redmond have planned in future.

Looking at it that way, Paramount cost $150mn + 500mn = $650mn. Without Spielberg.

Warner has a library that dwarfs Paramount and then some. At least double the size. We're looking at a $1bn payment at the very least for the same sort of agreements to be written down. Then again I could be talking out of my ass.

Sounds about right to me....

 

[123rl]

Top 5 Worst Products of 2007 on CNet:

#3 is HD DVD & Blu-ray. Reason? Needless format war.

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-31722.html?tag=bubbl_1

That's probably the most stupid argument I've ever heard (I'm calling CNET, not you btw )

The fact that there's a format war makes them some of the worst products of the year? No, it's two of the best AV technologies in the last decade. Fact.

"Price cuts, you are our only hope?" How many price cuts, sales, and benefits from competition (discounts, special offers, new features, updates etc) would we get if there was only one format?

 

[mrklaw]

That's probably the most stupid argument I've ever heard (I'm calling CNET, not you btw )

The fact that there's a format war makes them some of the worst products of the year? No, it's two of the best AV technologies in the last decade. Fact.

"Price cuts, you are our only hope?" How many price cuts, sales, and benefits from competition (discounts, special offers, new features, updates etc) would we get if there was only one format?

agreed. We get image quality on par with the best 2k digital cinemas, soundtracks that exceed that of most cinemas and which are lossless to the original master. The format war is a mere annoyance in relation.

Yes, I'd like it to go away, but I'm glad I have access to HD discs.

 

[nerbo]

But it doesn't explain why they're in it for reasons other than muddling the war for DD.

Ok people, time to drop this ridiculous conspiracy theory crap. MS created a standard for HD DVD interactive features with Toshiba that competes with the Java based features used in the BD standard. MS has never been a supporter of Java. Anyone familiar with the wars of Sun and Microsoft over Java support of the last 10(15?) years knows this well. MS fighting the BD format due to it's Java adoption is perfectly consistent with every other stance the company has taken in the last decade. MS supporting HD DVD is more of years old political wrangling over Java becoming the standard by which HD movies are made than anything else. This is plain and simple. Don't act all surprised.

 

[Zen]

Penton Man said Microsoft's involvement in the transfer of Benjamin's at the moment hinges on whether Time-Warner will sign an exclusivity agreement for DD for services like Live and whatever else Redmond have planned in future.

Looking at it that way, Paramount cost $150mn + 500mn = $650mn. Without Spielberg.

Warner has a library that dwarfs Paramount and then some. At least double the size. We're looking at a $1bn payment at the very least for the same sort of agreements to be written down. Then again I could be talking out of my ass.

So wait, They are actually on the verge of a deal? The whole "Meeting" wasn't a fake rumor?

 

[avaya]

So wait, They are actually on the verge of a deal? The whole "Meeting" wasn't a fake rumor?

I dunno. He said he was optimisitc that they wouldn't go that way and that Time-Warner had been pretty resistant to any exclusivity agreements for DD systems (I think maybe due to cable operation) and from previous HD-DVD offers. Check the insiders thread at Bluray forums.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=27341

I don't know if the meeting that occurred happened or not. I haven't heard anything about that apart from on this forum. It would wrong to assume that Time-Warner was not doing the rounds or to put it more correctly both sides weren't trying to actively court Time-Warner.

It's anyone's game when you add the Microsoft dimension to this.

 

[KZObsessed]

Penton Man said Microsoft's involvement in the transfer of Benjamin's at the moment hinges on whether Time-Warner will sign an exclusivity agreement for DD for services like Live and whatever else Redmond have planned in future.

Looking at it that way, Paramount cost $150mn + 500mn = $650mn. Without Spielberg.

Warner has a library that dwarfs Paramount and then some. At least double the size. We're looking at a $1bn payment at the very least for the same sort of agreements to be written down. Then again I could be talking out of my ass.

Maxpower (Blu-Ray insider) also commented on the subject:

In regards to the "Toshiba, MS, Warner, Universal meeting"

Which is where MS asked for exclusive rights for Live to be included in any deal that they would be involved in. I think that was when WB clicked that Michael Bay was right.

MS have informed relevant parties that they will not be investing anymore in HD DVD unless digital distribution is included in any future deals.

According to Max, Microsoft has basically been offering deals to studios to exclusively support HD-DVD but only if their movies are offered exclusively through MS's downloadable service, and if their downloadable service isn't included in that deal, then they wont bother to help out HD-DVD.

If true, Microsoft has really now shown it's true colours to the movie studios, whether that's a good thing or bad thing I dont know. He also says Warner "isn't weak enough to accept the offer, but other studios are." He mentions Universal and this would also explain the Paramount move a while ago along side exclusively working with MS on their downloadable service.

He's seemed very clued in about everything in the past, so I think he's legit, but it's definitely worth reading if anyones interested, check out the discussion here (you may have to sign up not sure):

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=27341&page=37

edit: ahh posted above

 

[Opus Angelorum]

I think Microsoft are coming from the right angle, in regards to digital downloads. They will have to be very careful though as to how they sell it, without undermining physical media.

Isn't the Xbox Live Marketplace the second biggest movie download service in the US?

 

[M3Freak]

Who the shit is going to wait for 20GB + plus movies to download over their shit ass internet connections? Aren't the stupid ISPs already crying about people who actually "dare" to use the bandwidth they've paid for??

This whole DD thing is going to crash and burn - hard:

1. net connections not fast enough
2. where will people store all these films? is everyonen all of a sudden going to go out and buy terabyte (or more) network storage devices?
3. is this shit going to be locked to Windows only? What about MAC and Linux users? I know there aren't near as many, but damn, I don't want to be forced to buy one product just to use another.
4. will we be able to make copies of the DD and burn them to BDs or HDDVD, or whatever?

There's probably more things wrong with this whole DD thing.

I can see DD working in South Korea, Japan, and other nations that have 100 Mbit internet connections for regular consumers. Forget about everyone else.

 

[miyamotofreak]

Who the shit is going to wait for 20GB + plus movies to download over thei shit ass internet connections? Aren't the stupid ISPs already crying about people who actually "dare" to use the bandwidth they've paid for??

This whole DD thing is going to crash and burn - hard:

1. net connections not fast enough
2. where will people store all these films? is everyonen all of a sudden going to go out and buy terabyte (or more) network storage devices?
3. is this shit going to be locked to Windows only? What about MAC and Linux users? I know there aren't near as many, but damn, I don't want to be forced to buy one product just to use another.
4. will we be able to make copies of the DD and burn them to BDs or HDDVD, or whatever?

There's probably more things wrong with this whole DD thing.

I can see DD working in South Korea, Japan, and other nations that have 100 Mbit internet connections for regular consumers. Forget about everyone else.

Yup. You hit it on the head.

 

[number386]

Since no one answered I found the answer to my question about when the criterion collection will come to HD. According to the entry at wikipedia:

The Criterion Company has yet to release any films in a high-definition video format due to their belief that consumers should not have to take a stand in the current format war and are holding off doing so until a solution emerges that lets consumers upgrade with confidence.[

Looks like they are going to wait for a winner first... stupid format war. *sigh*

 

[avaya]

Microsoft has a major weakness in the digital distribution arena. Microsoft has no content. This makes their bargaining position (for pushing their software/codecs) pathetic. No one gives a damn that they are the dominant OS platform because everyone knows their monopoly means they can't dictate how content distribution works because the lawyers are waiting in the wings. Just like they couldn't ban Blu-ray from the Windows platform (I can't believe people seriously thought they would even consider it!)

They probably wouldn't be allowed to purchase a movie studio (easily) either and I doubt they would want to make such an investment (see what Columbia Pictures did to Sony's bottom line in 1994, the only full-year loss in the company's history). However they can get exclusive content without the risk through these deals. It's the strategy many expected Redmond to employ going forward.

From a movie studio's point of view, these companies have seen what Apple did to the Big Four in the music industry, iPod has to be catered for. It is the market. We now have the record companies cutting off their noses so they can spite their face. Hollywood doesn't want a repeat for DD.

However what I don't get is them signing up exclusively with Microsoft, because the same shit can happen again. Maybe Paramount has no intention of exclusivity (DD) after the deal period finishes and will collaborate with its competitors to establish a platform which Hollywood has control of.

Maxpower's comments are a bit of hope. Content owners want control over their own content. They don't want a monopsony situation to arise. If Warner is truly resistant to Microsoft assuming stealth control of their DD rights then the BDA's in a good spot to bargain.

If it's true that Microsoft will only pony up if people include DD then Disney is ruled out. I don't know what Murdoch wants but I doubt he'd want his company to give away its DD rights either so Fox being tempted is again a doubt - they've been echoing these concerns about Redmond's true intentions very vocally. Lionsgate I don't know, but they tend to follow the crowd, safety in numbers.

Then again, Microsoft could say fuck it and start waving cheques in everyone's face.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

I can see DD working in South Korea, Japan, and other nations that have 100 Mbit internet connections for regular consumers. Forget about everyone else.

France already have a very fast broadband infrastructure, as do Sweden.

The UK is moving to 50MB next year (Virgin Media).

Then again, Microsoft could say fuck it and start waving cheques in everyone's face.

Considering that the development of Windows Vista cost an estimated $10 Billion, if anyone thinks Microsoft are going to give up on HD-DVD easily...

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Considering that the development of Windows Vista cost an estimated $10 Billion, if anyone thinks Microsoft are going to give up on HD-DVD easily...

:lol

So much money wasted on such a steaming pile.

Shoot'em Up this week! w00t.

 

[avaya]

France already have a very fast broadband infrastructure, as do Sweden.

The UK is moving to 50MB next year (Virgin Media).

BT is investing £10bn in speeding up the existing network, which includes some fibre, and will be able to deliver download speeds of 24 Mbps by 2011.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7112373.stm#anchor

£10bn from one Telco for only 24Mbps in 2011.

That graph is advertised PR connection speed. The top speed you can get is not the issue. 24MB is necessary, 8MB minimum. The issue is average connection for the country. In the UK it's barely 2MB, a lot of those are bandwidth limited:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intc1107.pdf (page 3)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7105242.stm

It's not much different across the rest of the world.

DD is a long way away from being mass market. A long way away.

 

[mrklaw]

24Mb is fine for delivery. Even 8Mb is ok for near VOD, give it a 5 minute headstart, most HD stuff is only 6Mb for download (which is another reason I want disc based, as it isn't bit-starved)

The main problem is contention and sustainability. How will ISPs handle everyone downloading the big release on a Friday night? You need intelligent caching, maybe some P2P stuff going on, and perhaps some kind of 'broadcast' or push method to use overnight dead time to preload content like with steam onto set top boxes.

 

[number386]

I dunno. He said he was optimisitc that they wouldn't go that way and that Time-Warner had been pretty resistant to any exclusivity agreements for DD systems (I think maybe due to cable operation) and from previous HD-DVD offers. Check the insiders thread at Bluray forums.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=27341

I don't know if the meeting that occurred happened or not. I haven't heard anything about that apart from on this forum. It would wrong to assume that Time-Warner was not doing the rounds or to put it more correctly both sides weren't trying to actively court Time-Warner.

It's anyone's game when you add the Microsoft dimension to this.

LOL, i clicked the link and the first post on the page was ookie spookie. I'm fine with him posting there and not here.

Anyway what are the red insiders take on these negotiations? What do they have to say about microsoft and their plans in all this? I would really like to read the red sides POV on these matters.

I cant help but think back to Microsoft's statement, when they said they did not give money to paramount for the HD-DVD deal they were very elusive and the statement seemed carefully worded. Paramount / Dreamworks are on live so the conspiracy theorist in me is thinking they may have given money to Toshiba and used them as a proxy in the deal that includes DD on live.

 

[Forsete]

DD is nice to have as an option.. But a big fat do not want on it replacing disc based movies.

 

[123rl]

agreed. We get image quality on par with the best 2k digital cinemas, soundtracks that exceed that of most cinemas and which are lossless to the original master. The format war is a mere annoyance in relation.

Yes, I'd like it to go away, but I'm glad I have access to HD discs.

Thinking about it again (and I only just noticed the irony), the X360 Video Marketplace is the only disappointing piece of technology I've experienced this year. And it wasn't just disappointing...it was a piece of shit

Days to download a video (that never finished), unable to actually WATCH it because it wouldn't download properly - despite trying at least 10 times a day - and then my 'license' to watch it expired before it finish downloading!)

I know MS would refund my points for it but what's the point? 20 minutes on the phone and I'll have wasted more money than I'm trying to redeem. So when I did finally get to watch the (incomplete) video, what did I get? Low-bitrate, ugly, HD image that looks like an upscaled DVD and nothing more. And, to make it worse...stereo sound. Stereo sound? For the 'future' of movie content they expect us to settle with stereo sound?!:lol

If people don't want surround sound then that's fine. Good for you but Microsoft need to realise I'm not willing to basically just stop using the expensive speakers and subwoofer I've bought to make myself an amazing surround sound experience. HD means audio AND video are improved over DVD...that means I want the absolute best of both. Low quality sound is a bigger deal-breaker (for me) than a poor image. DVDs from 1996 were giving us 1.5mbps 5.1 DTS soundtracks...HD movies in 2007 are giving us low-bitrate stereo sound:lol

 

[Pachinko]

Disc based media is here to stay for high definition content for the next decade. Any companies out there that believe otherwise are only fooling themselves. Now for low definition content - 480i/p tv shows movies on demand , it's a productive service so far and not to mention how many people out there use the Itunes episode download service to stick tv on their ipods.

My personal prediction- as soon as you see an ipod with 1280X720 resolution for 300 dollars, that is when DD will start to take off with HD material. I mean, how many people are seriously using the xbox live movie thing? perhaps half of the US xbox live users tops ? The service only just launched in canada and europe as far as I can tell and it has very little selection so far, only about a 100 movies - 20 of which are in HD and 0 of which are worth watching.

 

[M3Freak]

France already have a very fast broadband infrastructure, as do Sweden.

The UK is moving to 50MB next year (Virgin Media).

The one thing I neglected to say is that you can get a 100 Mbps internet connection in Japan for the equivalent of $25 CAD.

So, how much do you have to pay for similar or close to similar speeds in France, Sweden or the U.K.?

Suppose you had to drop $50/mth for 100 Mbps. Would you do it? I would. But, no way in hell we'll so those prices in North America. We're looking at $100/mth + easy. So, DD is dead in the water here.

A 1080P movie has to be downloadable in under 20 to 30 minutes. In other words, less than or equal to the time it would take one to go out and purchase or rent the same movie. At a full 50 Mbps, you're lookinng at over 1 hour to download that movie - FAIL!!! And, let's face it, the most people would see is likely between 40 Mbps and 45 Mbps, maybe one or two Mbps more.

100 Mbps is ABSOLUTELY necessary for this shit to fly. Anything less, and you're looking at the need to develop a brand new codec to shrink file sizes. What are the chances a new branch of math is going to be discovered that will "magically" get HD movies down to less than half their current size, and yet maintain the exact same picture and sound quality, plus all the extras?

Regular DVDs are doable, but I have a HDTV, damn it. I want HI-DEF content!

 

[nubbe]

a 8mb line is quite enough for a movie 720p encoded at 6mb with DD at 384kb.
Hell, even a 24mb line is good enough to stream most Bluray and HDDVD movies with a losless audio codec... since most are coded at ~17mb anyways

 

[polyh3dron]

a 8mb line is quite enough for a movie 720p encoded at 6mb with DD at 384kb.
Hell, even a 24mb line is good enough to stream most Bluray and HDDVD movies with a losless audio codec... since most are coded at ~17mb anyways

ummm NO.

Most BDs these days peak at around 40mbps with the video encodes.

 

[nubbe]

ummm NO.

Most BDs these days peak at around 40mbps with the video encodes.

Sure, if they are encoded with MPEG2
And even the poor low bitrate codecs get full star reviews. Life is shit eh?

24mb is enough for everyone. DD is the future.

 

[VanMardigan]

I cant help but think back to Microsoft's statement, when they said they did not give money to paramount for the HD-DVD deal they were very elusive and the statement seemed carefully worded.

It wasn't carefully worded. They made it abundantly clear that they had NOTHING to do with the Paramount buyout. It's sad that they're still looked at in terms of that and I blame Bill Hunt and other Blu fanboys who were quick to mouth off and not quick to retract their statements once proven incorrect.

About their supposed meeting with WB and Toshiba, it really wouldn't surprise me that they'd want an exclusivity deal for DD. I mean, if you're going to pony up money this time, unlike with Paramount, then you want to maximize your investment. Plus, I've never heard of that insider before, and those posts I read with him seemed..........a bit uninformed or more guesswork than facts. I don't know, it wouldn't surprise me if MS wanted to sweeten the deal for them before they wrote a check. Who are they competing with anyway in the HD download arena? They're already the big fish in that area. It doesn't change anything if you're a fan of HD DVD, really. We already get WB movies, and if a deal prevents them from going Blu only, how is an HD DVD owner supposed to hate MS, just because they're adding a condition on the side that really doesn't affect HD disc buyers?

Stereo sound? For the 'future' of movie content they expect us to settle with stereo sound?

They have movies up there with DD 5.1 And it's too bad your experience sucked but I had a pretty good experience with my downloads. Great looking picture (though low bitrate), good sound, etc. I'll never pick DD over physical media, though, ESPECIALLY with how much better HD DVD and Blu Ray are to those downloads. Plus, I like owning the movie and deciding what to play it on.

 

[distantmantra]

I picked up Superbad ($20), Harry Potter OOTP ($25), and Harry Potter: POA ($25) on Blu-ray this morning at Best Buy. Used the $20 off 3 Blu-ray titles coupon and got them for only $49. I was a little worried the $20 off coupon wouldn't work with the sale prices, but it did.

 

[123rl]

They have movies up there with DD 5.1 And it's too bad your experience sucked but I had a pretty good experience with my downloads. Great looking picture (though low bitrate), good sound, etc. I'll never pick DD over physical media, though, ESPECIALLY with how much better HD DVD and Blu Ray are to those downloads. Plus, I like owning the movie and deciding what to play it on.

Oh ok, that's a little bit better than. All of the Euro Marketplace videos are stereo sound though, so maybe it's just these early films that are stereo? Although there's some big films on there (300, and a few others). If I expected any film to have surround sound, it would have been 300

 

[polyh3dron]

Sure, if they are encoded with MPEG2
And even the poor low bitrate codecs get full star reviews. Life is shit eh?

24mb is enough for everyone. DD is the future.

No with AVC.. Ever watched POTC3?

GTFO with your ignorance.

DD would be even worse than watching DirecTV HD (compressed to hell) but with audio even worse than SD DVD. Why would you champion something like that? It doesn't make fucking sense.

 

[Days like these...]

I have an OT question will an A3 upscale DVDs if using an HDMI to DVI cable.
Also I clicked on the blu ray link never having been there. So HD DVD's community screening feature is enabling child abusers? That guy can't be for real can he?

 

[VanMardigan]

You should stay away from that place. I can't believe ookie posts there. Penton Man is an insider but he also posts on AVS, so no need to go to Blu Ray.com. Although, the smackdown forums on high def digest are just about as bad, on both sides.

 

[B-Ri]

I have an OT question will an A3 upscale DVDs if using an HDMI to DVI cable.
Also I clicked on the blu ray link never having been there. So HD DVD's community screening feature is enabling child abusers? That guy can't be for real can he?

i think he went more along the lines of it CAN be abused, because most of the time anything that can WILL.

 

[avaya]

24mb is enough for everyone. DD is the future.

A 24MB DSL line will only deliver 24MB for the first 0.25km, singal attenuation ensures that no one will get 24MB except those within that radius. Most people will get 17-18MB.

As for your contention that 24MB is enough to stream acceptable HD content, I vehemently disagree, to be polite.

mrklaw's point about contention is huge. The network infrastructure is not in place for this sort of service to reach mainstream. You will grind the internet to a halt.

Discs for video aren't going away anytime soon in the next decade.

 

[FLEABttn]

Sure, if they are encoded with MPEG2
And even the poor low bitrate codecs get full star reviews. Life is shit eh?

24mb is enough for everyone. DD is the future.

There isn't the infastructure for it. There will always be a disc based medium for the forseeable future.

My father lives in a rural area and is lucky to be getting DSL at all but it is capped at 1.5mbps and will remain so unless the population of his city explodes. DD isn't practical for him. It's not practical for me with a comcast 6mbps connection. Powerboost takes that to 12mbps for the first 10 megs, but only if there's enough system bandwidth available, and at dusk hours right now, there isn't.

 

[Zombie James]

A 24MB DSL line will only deliver 24MB for the first 0.25km, singal attenuation ensures that no one will get 24MB except those within that radius. Most people will get 17-18MB.

As for your contention that 24MB is enough to stream acceptable HD content, I vehemently disagree, to be polite.

I assume you mean Mb (megabits).

 

[Burai]

The UK is moving to 50MB next year (Virgin Media)

But Virgin Media have this sort of shit going on:

Peak hours count as 4pm to midnight, and Virgin claim that only the top 5% of downloaders on each tier will be affected.

Those on tier M (2Mb/s £18/month) who download over 350MB during peak hours will have their downstream speed restricted to 1Mb/s, and upstream to 128Kb/s, for four hours.

Those on tier L (4Mb/s £25/month) who download over 750MB during peak hours will have their downstream speed restricted to 2Mb/s, and upstream to 192Kb/s, for four hours.

The top rung service, XL (20Mb/s £37/month), will see users downloading over 3GB in peak hours having their downstream speed restricted to 5Mb/s, and 256Kb/s upstream.

Which is just ridiculous. The speeds go up, but the bandwidth restrictions get tighter. The only service that would be remotely suitable for HD downloads is the XL service and that costs a ridiculous US$74/month. I'm on L, and my internet crawls to near-unusable speeds (due to the limited upload) if I download a demo from Xbox Live.

 

[avaya]

I assume you mean Mb (megabits).

Yes :lol

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Van, your assertion that MS had nothing to do with the Paramount deal AT ALL is about as credible as claims that Disney and Fox don't get some sort of fiscal incentive to stay Blu.

MS's denial was pretty specific and clearly worded, and if they added some previously-unknown added incentive, I'd hardly be surprised.

These rumors about MS and the DD stuff makes a ton of sense and is perfectly consistent with MS's corporate direction and their desire to take some advantage away from Apple in the downloadable media department.


True or not, they're certainly possible and credible, and don't deserve to be dismissed out of hand.

 

[fse]

Thinking about it again (and I only just noticed the irony), the X360 Video Marketplace is the only disappointing piece of technology I've experienced this year. And it wasn't just disappointing...it was a piece of shit

Days to download a video (that never finished), unable to actually WATCH it because it wouldn't download properly - despite trying at least 10 times a day - and then my 'license' to watch it expired before it finish downloading!)

I know MS would refund my points for it but what's the point? 20 minutes on the phone and I'll have wasted more money than I'm trying to redeem. So when I did finally get to watch the (incomplete) video, what did I get? Low-bitrate, ugly, HD image that looks like an upscaled DVD and nothing more. And, to make it worse...stereo sound. Stereo sound? For the 'future' of movie content they expect us to settle with stereo sound?!:lol

If people don't want surround sound then that's fine. Good for you but Microsoft need to realise I'm not willing to basically just stop using the expensive speakers and subwoofer I've bought to make myself an amazing surround sound experience. HD means audio AND video are improved over DVD...that means I want the absolute best of both. Low quality sound is a bigger deal-breaker (for me) than a poor image. DVDs from 1996 were giving us 1.5mbps 5.1 DTS soundtracks...HD movies in 2007 are giving us low-bitrate stereo sound:lol

days to download? wtf kind of connection do you have?
I get the movies in ~3hrs.

 

[VanMardigan]

True or not, they're certainly possible and credible, and don't deserve to be dismissed out of hand.

And have pretty much nothing to do with the HD disc format war. Apple is on the Blu Ray side, what does that mean? Oh, nothing. Since we know apple can have its DD model, in HD even, and still care about the success of Blu Ray. Ditto MS.

And as far as Paramount, MS had NOTHING to do with it. Toshiba wrote the check. Even Bill Hunt admitted as much. Unless you have some information that contradicts this, which you don't. But it's about MS, not Sony, so you don't have to show proof and continue to spread FUD.

Both Amir and Kevin Collins clearly denied the allegations, while even acknowledging that Toshiba had paid for "advertising money". It's embarassing that you and others here would latch on to that.

 

[StoOgE]

picked up hot fuzz, bladerunner, letters from iwo jima, pans labrynth and the new potter movie to go along with the 4 other potters i got on amazon this week.. 9 good movies for 150 bucks isnt bad at all.

up to 47 movies. wow. only one movie i regret (bullitt).

 

[polyh3dron]

Both Amir and Kevin Collins clearly denied the allegation

Apparently you haven't been to AVS recently and seen newly anointed Digital Distribution Evangelist amirm's latest posts.

 

[VanMardigan]

Apparently you haven't been to AVS recently and seen newly anointed Digital Distribution Evangelist amirm's latest posts.

Amir is no longer with HD DVD. At the time of the Paramount deal, though, he was top dog in that area. Again, what does that have to do with HD discs? If you guys found out that Apple was going to help pay off Warner to go Blu exclusive, but in doing so would require exclusive DD rights to Warner movies in HD, would any of you bat an eye? I doubt it, you'd see it as an obvious move for a company who is spending a lot of money, in order to maximize their investment.

Now, if you told me MS was paying for DD rights exclusively, without making Warner HD DVD exclusive, then we're talking newsworthy or potential backstabbing of HD DVD.

 

[polyh3dron]

Why WOULDN'T MS add in the HD DVD exclusive thing in there?

It would make studio support split right down the middle for both formats and guarantee a stalemate which would create a better opportunity for DD to succeed.

 

[VanMardigan]

:lol

They'd better hope that their plan doesn't backfire, and unintentionally lures Blu Ray studios to neutrality, ending the war in favor of HD DVD. That would SUCK for them. :lol

You are hilarious. I wonder why Apple doesn't side with HD DVD to help kill off HD disc media. We all know how Apple fueled the DVDA/SACD battle in order to gain an edge with their music DD. What's that, you say? Apple didn't feel threatened by CD's because they knew both markets could co-exist? So, with proprietary (and potentially lucrative) encoding and interactivity software that would provide revenue from BOTH mediums (digital distribution and HD discs), why can't MS want both to succeed? I know, I know: console bias bled into a high def movie thread.

 

[polyh3dron]

Comparing Apples and Microsofts I see.
:lol

Apple does not have the same role in the BDA as MS does in the HD DVD PRG, not even close. The music business is an entirely different beast as well and you know this.

:lol

One more thing,

:lol