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The AIMMA meeting included presentations by speakers representing both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Member discussion focused on the economics and efficiencies of transitioning to either format, including equipment costs and installation timing.If you'd like to read more, AIMMA's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"Given that the HD DVD manufacturing process uses essentially the same equipment as existing DVD production, the format is far more compatible with the companies in our organization than the Blu-ray Disc format," said Ray Zerrusen, AIMMA president and president of member company OEM. "In a marketplace facing increasingly squeezed margins, HD DVD is the logical choice for our membership, providing a lower cost of entry and shorter ramp-up timing" he continued.
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As members of the AV Science Forum were the first to discover yesterday, Sony has once again pushed back its estimate of availability for its first wave of Blu-ray Disc player consoles, the BDP-S1.While many people have speculated that the delay is due to laser diode shortages, TVPredictions.com has reported that a "software issue" has forced Sony to postpone the release. Let's hope Sony can work out these issues in time for the holidays. Add a comment
According to the company's SonyStyle Web site, US customers should expect to see the player on December 4, with MSRP remaining set at $999.95 USD. The BDP-S1 had been slated for release next week.
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Apple joined the Blu-ray Disc Association in March 2005 but has kept largely mum on its support and adoption of the next-generation disc technology. At the time, Apple's decision to put its weight behind Blu-ray was seen as a coup for Blu-ray and blow to the competing HD-DVD format, but documents recently obtained by Think Secret indicate that Apple may in fact be planning to support both formats equally.With there being no clear winner in the format wars, it makes sense for companies like Apple to straddle the line, providing support for sides. Of course, at this point its just a rumor so I wouldn't get too excited yet. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
While members of the Blu-ray camp, which include Dell, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Sony, have kept their distance from HD-DVD, which is backed by Microsoft, Toshiba, and Intel, among others, Apple would not be the first vendor to side with both formats: Hewlett Packard actively supports both formats.
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VidaBox LLC, an innovator of media center systems, announced today the world's first dual HD-DVD & Blu-Ray Media Center lines. The Dual HD upgrade allows the rack-mountable, premium LUX and MAX systems to play both high definition disc formats.Unfortunately, VidaBox's systems aren't exactly cheap. Prices for the LUX and MAX start at $3499 and $4399 respectively and that's without the Dual HD upgrade. More information can be found on VidaBox's website. Add a comment
"The Dual HD LUX & MAX systems are perfect for those who can appreciate convenience, high-fidelity audio, and high-quality video performance in a single, easy-to-use package," says Steven Cheung, co-founder of VidaBox. "High definition is the new video standard, and many customers want the ability to play both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs. Combining that ability with the attractive, rich feature set of media center allows everyone to conveniently use the VidaBox as the center of all their digital entertainment needs. There's no need to buy two separate high definition disc players, nor is there a need to use a PVR/TiVo, stereo, DVD player, etc. when everything - TV, movies, music, pictures, and more - can be easily accessed from a single remote at the touch of a button."
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New Medium Enterprises said this week that it has begun taking orders for its HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) player, a format that the company says will support high-definition video. The $175 player will begin shipping in November, according to a company spokesman.The article also mentions that NME plans to begin marketing file formats, encryption technology, authoring tools and compression technologies. While all this is great, it won't really matter if movie studios don't get on board. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
In addition, the player will be shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, where an improved model will be released, the NME representative said.
