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My confidential industry source revealed that one large replication company is currently charging approximately $1.15 per single layer HD DVD (15GB) and $1.30 per single layer Blu-ray Disc (25GB), assuming a quantity of 25,000. For comparison purposes, a run of 25,000 Dual Layer DVD (DVD9) discs would cost about $0.50 per disc at this same facility. DL HD DVD (30GB) was right inline with SL Blu-ray (25GB) pricing, but an exact figure was not provided. This translates to a cost of approximately $0.077 per GB on HD DVD SL media and $0.052 per GB on Blu-ray SL media.As Wes is quick to point out, these prices don't include setup or AACS fees. This and the cost to author a title, can have a big effect on the overall price. In an case, its an interesting read. if you'd like to check it out, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
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LG Electronics today confirmed that U.S. consumers can now purchase the industry's first dual- format high-definition (HD) disc player at U.S. retailers.The BH100 currently goes for about $1199. If you'd like to read more, LG's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Unveiled less than a month ago at the 2007 International CES(R), the LG "Super Multi Blue" Player (model BH100) is now available at national retail stores, such as Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA, as well as regional retailers and local dealers.
With LG Electronics' Super Multi Blue Player, consumers now have the convenience and flexibility of playing both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD high- definition content. The unit blends both technologies for a consumer-focused solution to address the challenges and consumer confusion of the current HD disc format war.
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Shops only have room for a few hundred top-selling titles on their shelves but DVD Download kiosks being introduced this year will be able to access thousands of digitised movies, burn them to disks and print labels and covers.While CSS will keep the average Joe from making copies, we all know that it can be easily circumvented using downloadable utilities. Most likely, we'll be seeing other copy protections being used, like Macrovisions RipGuard and ACP technologies. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Film studios' concerns over possible illegal copying of the disks had been a sticking point for the launch of the kiosks.
These fears have been overcome by the same content protection system already used on pre-recorded DVDs. This is being incorporated into the new standard, known as DVD-R for CSS Managed Recording, or "DVD Download", according to its new logo. DVD-R is the format of the blank recordable media and CSS is the Content Scramble System of encryption that will be used.
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There are eight companies worldwide able to replicate Blu-ray Discs, said Hirsch. Two of those companies are controlled by Sony, which won't allow them to handle pornography. Five other companies have contracts to replicate discs for the Walt Disney, which stipulate that they cannot handle adult films if they want to work with Disney.With Blu-ray outselling HD DVD by more than 2:1, Vivid is probably doing the smart thing by sticking with Blu-ray. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
That leaves one possible replicator for the adult industry, and Hirsch is keeping its name a closely guarded secret. He doesn't want to give rivals easy access to a company it was hard for him to find.
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According to VideoScan, during the first two weeks of January, Blu-ray discs outsold HD DVD by more than a 2:1 margin. It should be noted that the two weeks in question saw only two new high-def disc releases -- both from Blu-ray ('The Covenant' on Jan 2, and 'Crank' on Jan 9).Say what you want about Sony and Blu-ray, but the numbers don't lie. HD DVD is getting spanked when it comes to disc sales. Can the adult film industry pull HD DVD out of this slump? We'll have to wait and see. In the mean time, head on over to High-Def Digest and check out the entire article. Add a comment
More interestingly, VideoScan's numbers indicate that during the seven days between Jan 7 and Jan 14, Blu-ray managed to close the gap of total discs sold since inception with HD DVD by over seven percentage points, suggesting that if the current trend continues, the two formats could be at disc sales parity within weeks.
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HD VMD video supports MPEG-2 codec, VC-1 codec and H.264 codec, HD VMD audio supports Dolby Digital codec, DTS codec and PCM codec. HD VMD is a true high definition format with 1920 x 1080i/p resolution, up to 40 Mbps data transfer rates, Video Up-Conversion for SD DVD, AES encryption and all region codes. Furthermore HD VMD will also support a number of open source Video codecs in the future.While its good to see NME making an effort to get HD VMD into more markets, they're really going to need support from a few major movie studios if they want it to work. If you'd like to read more, NME's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"The first products will be available in the World's markets, including the US, very shortly", commented NME CEO Mahesh Jayanarayan. He added, "With HD Media Format quietly adopted by Content providers and Distributors in 12 regions of the World, in US, Japan, China, India, Russia, France, Germany, Scandinavia ,Central Europe, Brazil, Iceland and Middle East, HD VMD Media Format and products will become a universal media format and standard worldwide".
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To say that the Xbox 360 is a "decent" DVD player, as we have seen reported in so many places on the 'net, is giving it way too much credit. Frankly, it's a terrible DVD player. Hopefully, this article has provided you with enough evidence to compare Xbox 360 DVD playback with other consumer electronics (and even PCs) and see what you're missing. It's true that not every DVD exhibits the sorts of problems highlighted here. Many don't have any particular errors to speak of. But "many" isn't good enough, and there are enough DVDs—popular ones, at that—with serious problems.The screenshots ExtremeTech has posted show that there are definitely some issues with the Xbox 360's DVD playback. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Even those movies that play without noticeable errors don't look quite as good as they should. Though the 360 is limited to 480p through component, in compliance with the DVD Forum's regulations, the images tend to have a bit of a blocky and over-sharp look to them. Microsoft's gaming box does a good job of preserving detail, but it sometimes looks a bit rough. It's like playing a game at low resolution without antialiasing.
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Bringing further heat to the burgeoning HD DVD format, Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) will release more than 100 new film and television titles in 2007. Perennial favorites such Scarface and instant classics like 40-Year-Old Virgin, Battlestar Galactica S1 and Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain will be joined by dozens of new titles released day and date with the DVD.If you'd like to read more, Universal's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Since the format's inception in April 2006, USHE has released 60 titles on HD DVD, and currently boasts four of the top 10 best-selling HD DVDs year-to-date, including Casino, Serenity, Fearless and Miami Vice.
Tapping into the studio's vast library, the 2007 slate kicked off on January 18th with the release of The Mummy Returns, followed by Brokeback Mountain starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal on January 23, 2007. Following shortly thereafter will be such day-and-date new releases as Golden Globe-nominee Hollywoodland on February 6. More than 90 percent of the planned 2007 Universal titles will be released as combo discs -- which feature an HD DVD version and a standard DVD version of the movie on the same disc.
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A consortium of movie studios and technology companies backing the encryption system for high-definition DVDs on Thursday confirmed that hackers have stolen "title keys" and used them to decrypt high-definition DVDs through flaws in DVD player software.The AACS LA also confirmed that the keys were acquired from "one or more" player applications but would not say which ones. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Both the title keys and a number of decrypted films have been posted on peer-to-peer Web sites for downloading and copying, a spokesman for the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) Licensing Authority said.
The large size of the files and the high cost of writable hi-def discs make large-scale copying of high-definition DVDs impractical, but the attacks on the new format echo the early days of illegal trafficking in music files, AACS spokesman Michael Ayers said on Thursday.
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When LG Electronics launched its Super Multi Blue Player at the recent CES exhibition, it signaled an exit strategy from the "war of the high-definition DVD formats." By creating a player that will accommodate both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, the Korean manufacturer may have created a precedent that the rest of the industry will have to follow. A new study from ABI Research forecasts that such universal players will become the norm, not the exception, benefiting confused consumers unwilling to commit to one DVD camp or the other.Personally, I don't see universal players as an end to the war. By supporting both formats, they will drag it out even further. If you'd like to read more, ABI Research's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"We believe that universal players will come to dominate the high-definition DVD player market," says Steve Wilson, the firm's principal analyst of consumer electronics. Samsung is expected to release its own universal player soon, and others, including large CE vendors, may follow suit before long. ABI Research forecasts sales of 2.4 million players in 2007, rising to 55 million in 2011.
