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[VanMardigan]

WHY DON'T YOU MARRY IT!?

:lol :lol

If that was legal, I'm sure snah and a few others would've married their Ps3. I have to admit, it's a pretty sexy device.

And I'm considering picking up a Toshiba 720p/1080i. I already have movies on the format, and I constantly waver between selling them off or keeping them. If I keep them, I need the Tosh, since I can't rely on my 360. The big problem for me is that Paramount and Uni haven't made their moves yet. I know it's relatively soon after the big news, but I wish they'd hurry up and announce their plans. I definitely am not selling my movies unless the BR equivalent is released, and the longer it takes, the greater the chance that I won't bother at all.

 

[djkimothy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friS4OOcdgQ

:lol

even though I haven't been a Blu-ray fan, this is absolutely hilarious...

I remember that being spoofed for something else... it definitely brought me the lulz. :lol

 

[plagiarize]

Probably because they can have the A3 at $129 at Costco.. that includes Bourne Identity and 300.. Anyone who picks up a $70 upconverter rather than this would be senseless.

how is the A3? looking to get a second player for backup... and that price is pretty appealing.

 

[avaya]

Personal anecdote, last week was the first time I encountered chavs on the bus and suits on the train talk about the format war, talking about how Blu-ray won. Comical. The news really seems to have hit the mainstream in London. :lol

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Personal anecdote, last week was the first time I encountered chavs on the bus and suits on the train talk about the format war, talking about how Blu-ray won. Comical. The news really seems to have hit the mainstream in London. :lol

That's my experienec around my office, too. Before now, if the subject came up I would assume I'd need to explain what Blu-ray and HD DVD were. Not anymore.

 

[Insane Metal]

Man.... WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK IS THAT :lol :lol :lol

With aproximately 50% of the market (*cough*) it is the format of choice of the consumers? :lol

 

[Jeff-DSA]

That's my experienec around my office, too. Before now, if the subject came up I would assume I'd need to explain what Blu-ray and HD DVD were. Not anymore.

So people went from "what are HD-DVD and Blu-ray?" to "Blu-ray won due to studio exclusivity!" overnight? Maybe in your instance, but I don't know if the general public even knows what's going on.

 

[VanMardigan]

My friend just ordered an A3 from Amazon. DOH.

I told him about Warner, too, but he doesn't care. The low price + upconvert + current HD DVD library was enough for him.

I REALLY wish the BDA had some low cost players that aren't totally gimped. A $199 720p/1080i 1.1 profile BD player would be owning the crap out of all current standalones. All this stupid talk about 1080p-only players is absurd.

 

[avaya]

So people went from "what are HD-DVD and Blu-ray?" to "Blu-ray won due to studio exclusivity!" overnight? Maybe in your instance, but I don't know if the general public even knows what's going on.

I knew it would reach some people when the news broke because it was the main business headline on the BBC main newscasts. It was further extended in CES coverage which they replace "and finally" pieces with on many stations. They went through it in laymen's terms, nothing about specifics just saying there was a war but it's now all but over due to Warner.

People just parroting what they hear on the news.

 

[plagiarize]

My friend just ordered an A3 from Amazon. DOH.

I told him about Warner, too, but he doesn't care. The low price + upconvert + current HD DVD library was enough for him.

I REALLY wish the BDA had some low cost players that aren't totally gimped. A $199 720p/1080i 1.1 profile BD player would be owning the crap out of all current standalones. All this stupid talk about 1080p-only players is absurd.

is the A3 any good?

 

[VanMardigan]

is the A3 any good?

Check AVS. I haven't heard anything bad about it, though I think the A2 was supposedly better.

 

[StoOgE]

Van, I would love for BRD to have a 200 dollar 1.1 profile player.

Problem is, these people dont get a giant cut of the pie like Tosh does for HDDVD, so they need to make money on the players, not sell them at even.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

So people went from "what are HD-DVD and Blu-ray?" to "Blu-ray won due to studio exclusivity!" overnight? Maybe in your instance, but I don't know if the general public even knows what's going on.

Pretty much like Avaya said. They don't have a deep understading now, but the tech news was heavy with this, and now the names are better known.

Previously, in my experience, people might (or might not) have just known there was a format war, and not have a handle on the two formats. I overheard/was in two conversations where people knew the names (and that Blu-ray had won). They don't exactly have a handle on it. Blu-ray still comes with a question mark implied in the intonation, so clearly people are just getting used to it-- it must still sound funny to them.

 

[jjasper]

So whose genius idea was it for HD DVD to start its marketing campaign after the holiday shopping season?

 

[VanMardigan]

Van, I would love for BRD to have a 200 dollar 1.1 profile player.

Problem is, these people dont get a giant cut of the pie like Tosh does for HDDVD, so they need to make money on the players, not sell them at even.

Sony could do it. And besides, why should I (or anybody else) care? GET IT DONE BDA!! :lol

 

[avaya]

So whose genius idea was it for HD DVD to start its marketing campaign after the holiday shopping season?

It's a closeout strategy.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

This shit can't be for real, can it?

Is this Toshiba's "exit strategy"?

Why are Universal and Paramount STILL ON BOARD?

I don't expect Universal to go neutral till end of this year MAYBE at the earliest.

Paramount.... who knows.

It is getting interesting though.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

So whose genius idea was it for HD DVD to start its marketing campaign after the holiday shopping season?

It's their last stand, mortally wounded they have arisen to strike one more blow.

 

[thaivo]

how is the A3? looking to get a second player for backup... and that price is pretty appealing.

I believe it is comparable to the A2, which is quite a nice machine for the price. It does come with BI and 300 though, so that's a pretty good deal.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I don't expect Universal to go neutral till end of this year MAYBE at the earliest.

Paramount.... who knows.

It is getting interesting though.

There is no way I see Universal (or Paramount) miss this upcoming holiday season on Blu-ray.

They might still be releasing HD DVDs, but I'd stake a lot on them both having Blu-ray releases as well.

 

[thaivo]

There is no way I see Universal (or Paramount) miss this upcoming holiday season on Blu-ray.

They might still be releasing HD DVDs, but I'd stake a lot on them both having Blu-ray releases as well.

The thing is I don't see it hurting them much, the market is actually quite small still, and if they wait another year, it just means that there are more players out there for their big titles. I think this kind of thinking is true of all studios... they are with-holding some of their big catalog titles until more players sell.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

re: Toshiba's sudden advertising/promotion:

In all seriousness, there might be 50-150 million that they thought they'd be spending that they suddenly aren't.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

There is no way I see Universal (or Paramount) miss this upcoming holiday season on Blu-ray.

They might still be releasing HD DVDs, but I'd stake a lot on them both having Blu-ray releases as well.

Universal is pretty stubborn though and have been throughout. Unless they get a lot of cash thrown their way, I would be surprised if we saw BD releases this summer/fall.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

The thing is I don't see it hurting them much, the market is actually quite small still, and if they wait another year, it just means that there are more players out there for their big titles. I think this kind of thinking is true of all studios... they are with-holding some of their big catalog titles until more players sell.

There is a chance that this is the year HD takes off. A pretty good chance, actually. No format war, cheaper players than ever, and a lot of HD sets sold in the last year. They will certainly want to hold back big catalog titles, but I think they'l want to have something in new releases for the holidays. I'm not expecting The Godfather, but I bet we see their new stuff.

 

[thaivo]

There is a chance that this is the year HD takes off. A pretty good chance, actually. No format war, cheaper players than ever, and a lot of HD sets sold in the last year. They will certainly want to hold back big catalog titles, but I think they'l want to have something in new releases for the holidays. I'm not expecting The Godfather, but I bet we see their new stuff.

New stuff on BD? Perhaps, but if Toshiba is serious about this new promotion, they are also going to do whatever it takes to keep Universal and Paramount through the holidays.

 

[avaya]

By all intents and purposes Paramount seems to have grounds to say Toshiba breached contract since they never secured another CE and did not lure anymore BD studios by Q1 2008. Paramount can leave the exclusivity agreement and still keep their ~$50mn and also release on Blu-ray.

The HDM market in 2007 was ~$270mn. Warner expects it to hit ~$1bn this year. This is not entirely in the realm of fantasy. The money is starting to get to a level where it's no longer so insignificant.

The word from Blu-ray insiders is wait till February.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

By all intents and purposes Paramount seems to have grounds to say Toshiba breached contract since they never secured another CE and did not lure anymore BD studios by Q1 2008. Paramount can leave the exclusivity agreement and still keep their ~$50mn and also release on Blu-ray.

The HDM market in 2007 was ~$270mn. Warner expects it to hit ~$1bn this year. This is not entirely in the realm of fantasy. The money is starting to get to a level where it's no longer so insignificant.

The word from Blu-ray insiders is wait till February.

what happens in Febtober?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

avaya: There's no reason to think Paramount gets the money *and* gets to go neutral. Just as it would have been stupid for Paramount not to have an escape clause, it would have been stupid of the HD group to not have that escape include a cessation on whatever their half of the deal remained. And I seriously doubt Paramount got a check all at once for $50M.

Most likely, both parties walk away should Paramount go neutral.

 

[avaya]

what happens in Febtober?

Apparently that's when certain contracts finish. The Warner deicsion blindsided Viacom and Universal it takes time to set things in motion. Nothing might happen in February either. :lol

avaya: There's no reason to think Paramount gets the money *and* gets to go neutral. Just as it would have been stupid for Paramount not to have an escape clause, it would have been stupid of the HD group to not have that escape include a cessation on whatever their half of the deal remained. And I seriously doubt Paramount got a check all at once for $50M.

True. Very true. The money was most likely used to pay for "promotional activities".

However Maxpower1987 did seem to indicate that Paramount have good grounds for breach of contract. He did seem to stay away from talk that they might be required to pay a pro-rated amount back to Toshiba.

The fact that he signed an NDA on Universal is telling for me.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

And I suspect it's the money that was earmarked for Parmount/Dreamworks that's being used for the sudden HD DVD promotion and markdowns.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Universal is pretty stubborn though and have been throughout. Unless they get a lot of cash thrown their way, I would be surprised if we saw BD releases this summer/fall.

Universal will be at least neutral by June, I have no doubts at all.
There are strong rumors that there are already NDAs in place about the situation, (at least going by a post by one of the insiders that he made avs delete).

 

[Oni Jazar]

Yeah, the difference being that's all a desperate Toshiba has to hang their hat on, now.

If I absolutely had to have a cheap upconverting DVD player and didn't have the cash for the format winner, I'd pick up a firesale Toshiba in a minute. Then again, I could wait another month and see that price slashed by another 15-20%. Free movies are no joke.

If my secondary DVD player broke down right now and I need a player immediately I would rather get a cheapo < $40 (upscaling or not) DVD player and wait until Q4 to buy a more affordable BD player for the bedroom.

I wouldn't want to touch HD DVD with a 10 foot pole. Rather then having discs that depend on an obsolete player to watch videos on I would rather stick with the format with a future. My Laserdisc collection ain't coming out any time soon and neither would an HD DVD collection.

 

[OokieSpookie]

If my secondary DVD player broke down right now and I need a player immediately I would rather get a cheapo < $40 (upscaling or not) DVD player and wait until Q4 to buy a more affordable BD player for the bedroom.

I wouldn't want to touch HD DVD with a 10 foot pole. Rather then having discs that depend on an obsolete player to watch videos on I would rather stick with the format with a future. My Laserdisc collection ain't coming out any time soon and neither would an HD DVD collection.

For lLess than $100 you can get a 1080p upscaler that also handles divx, loads faster and doesn't have to be updated.
If most local video places rented hd-dvd it would be a different matter all together and then it would be a great pick up.

 

[VanMardigan]

And I suspect it's the money that was earmarked for Parmount/Dreamworks that's being used for the sudden HD DVD promotion and markdowns.

Well, there was also the supposed $300 million for Fox. That's freed up as well. They'd be better off spending any spare change on keeping Uni and Paramount. Then again, they can save it all and move to BD production (dual format players at first), which is now the path of least resistance for them. I don't see them making any profits on this format if they just have to keep moneyhatting everybody. Ditto for Sony, but they won't have to pay anybody else now, whilst Toshiba would have to continually pay Uni and Paramount to keep them on their side.

 

[StoOgE]

Supposedly, Sammy is going to be updating their BD-up5000 to bitstream True-HD and DTS-MA as well as fix compatibility issues with discs.

It doesnt do DD+ nor does it do onboard decoding, so I'm really torn. Ive allways heard that bitstreaming HDDVD movies effectively kills the PiP functionality.

I really really want a fully functional hybrid player.. and CC has it in stock today Just having a single player that handles all my discs would really be ideal, and its got the same upscaling chip as my XA2, so I could sell that off.

 

[Warm Machine]

It's a closeout strategy.

You think the guys who boned up the last 6 months have a stategy? Hell, both BR and HD-DVD have been fierce bitchy competitors with each other and their fractional user bases but have been pathetic in even attempting to reach out to the mainstream or describing how the formats improve upon DVD.

 

[dallow_bg]

Nothing beats my Oppo for upscaling. It also has the HQV chipset.

I love that it plays PAL discs though, that's the main reason I got it.

 

[mrklaw]

Supposedly, Sammy is going to be updating their BD-up5000 to bitstream True-HD and DTS-MA as well as fix compatibility issues with discs.

It doesnt do DD+ nor does it do onboard decoding, so I'm really torn. Ive allways heard that bitstreaming HDDVD movies effectively kills the PiP functionality.

I really really want a fully functional hybrid player.. and CC has it in stock today Just having a single player that handles all my discs would really be ideal, and its got the same upscaling chip as my XA2, so I could sell that off.

watching the movie? Bitstream the audio - supposedly you get better quality even though its digital (better to keep the clock in the receiver than send the raw PCM over HDMI?).

watching the extras? Just listen to the perfectly good DTS/DD5.1

 

[avaya]

You think the guys who boned up the last 6 months have a stategy? Hell, both BR and HD-DVD have been fierce bitchy competitors with each other and their fractional user bases but have been pathetic in even attempting to reach out to the mainstream or describing how the formats improve upon DVD.

How can you reach mainstream while you fight a format war?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

"Both formats are niche" is the new rallying cry of the day, for the haters.

Given that there has been consumer confusion both about HDTV and the format war, Blu-ray is poised to do quite well in the coming year.

 

[OokieSpookie]

You think the guys who boned up the last 6 months have a stategy? Hell, both BR and HD-DVD have been fierce bitchy competitors with each other and their fractional user bases but have been pathetic in even attempting to reach out to the mainstream or describing how the formats improve upon DVD.

I think that the blu commercials, especially the Disney ones do a rather stellar job of describing how the formats improve over dvd.

 

[Raistlin]

Nothing beats my Oppo for upscaling.

:lol (they do make great players for the price though)

It also has the HQV chipset.

:lol :lol :lol

What ... did you mod it?

 

[Elios83]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...DVD_Player_Prices_Shifts_Marketing_Focus/1366

Toshiba Slashes HD DVD Player Prices; Shifts Marketing Focus
Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Toshiba (all tags)

Providing our best peek yet at HD DVD's post-Warner strategy, Toshiba today announced lower prices for its third-generation HD DVD players and plans for a shift in marketing focus for the format.

Calling price "the most critical determinant" in reaching mainstream consumers, Toshiba announced an immediate drop in the MSRP for its complete line of third-gen HD DVD players, pricing its 1080i entry-model HD-A3 player at $149.99, the HD-A30 at $199.99, and the high-end HD-A35 at $299.99.

The manufacturer also unveiled plans to roll out a "stepped up" marketing campaign with its studio partners that would put renewed emphasis on the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer's current DVD library by upconverting standard DVDs.

"Our HD DVD players not only play back approximately 800 HD DVD titles available worldwide and deliver an entirely new level of entertainment but also enhance the picture quality to near high definition on legacy DVD titles by all studios," explained Toshiba VP Jodi Sally.

Details on the new advertising campaign were still sketchy at press time, but the company's press release promises it will span television, print and online media.

Wow so now they officially want to sell HD-DVD players as good DVD upscalers at low prices. Seems like an official defeat acknowledgement, they're repositioning the product as something else. I expect them to push discs as cheap backup option in the PC market.

 

[mollipen]

It's a spectacular regular DVD player for $70.

And then when you get your Blu-ray player (if you don't already have one), you'll have two spectacular regular DVD players, thus making the HD-DVD player purchase at this point pointless.

The movies aren't going to magically stop working, and there are likely some HD DVDs that will simply never make it to Blu Ray, for lack of demand.

If I had a million dollars, I'd bet you that much that you're wrong, because I'm almost certain that you are. Unless Blu-ray completely fails, there's no way the movies Universal, Paramount, and Dreamworks have released for HD-DVD won't come at some point to Blu-ray.

 

[OokieSpookie]

"Both formats are niche" is the new rallying cry of the day, for the haters.

Given that there has been consumer confusion both about HDTV and the format war, Blu-ray is poised to do quite well in the coming year.

Agreed.
I am personally f'ing tired of the sudden "oh blu seems to be winning so lets piss on both formats" mentality.

 

[avaya]

I expect them to push discs as cheap backup option in the PC market.

Except those discs are not a cheap back-up option vs. Blu-ray. HD-DVD outside of the ROM format is not a viable competitor.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Toshiba is still pushing the cost angle. Even before WB left, it was clear that the price differene was not gaining them much. With WB gone, how can they not realize that content matters?

Of course, they probably do. But what else can they do? It's going to be an ugly death for HD DVD, and I feel bad for anybody who buys one without info about the current and likely future state of studio support.

 

[Raistlin]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...DVD_Player_Prices_Shifts_Marketing_Focus/1366



Wow so now they officially want to sell HD-DVD players as good DVD upscalers at low prices. Seems like an official defeat acknowledgement, they're repositioning the product as something else. I expect them to push discs as cheap backup option in the PC market.

The problem is, the de-interlacing on the gen3 models kind of sucks.

 

[Raistlin]

Toshiba is still pushing the cost angle. Even before WB left, it was clear that the price differene was not gaining them much. With WB gone, how can they not realize that content matters?

Of course, they probably do. But what else can they do? It's going to be an ugly death for HD DVD, and I feel bad for anybody who buys one without info about the current and likely future state of studio support.

I'm starting to wonder if this is a fire sale. If it is, their PR statements are going to bite them in the ass later.


It would be one thing to simply announce new MSRPs and leave it at that. Instead however, they are making all these claims of continuing to fight ... that they aren't going anywhere. If indeed the have stopped production and are just liquidating ... stating such things is going to cause a lot of people to be pissed in a few months.

 

[avaya]

I would think the cost angle has a chance of backfiring for them.

"It's cheap because it's shit" (Note: I don't subscirbe to this view!) mentality might start to manifest itself when you add media coverage to the mix.

BD standalones came back from a long way in Q4 to edge it out, that must mean they must have severely outsold their counterparts in the Christmas season...no signs why that might suddenly stop.