Blu-Ray avail

[Race Car Driver]

[fordster]

Found an interesting article on the website of a UK newspaper - http://technology.guardian.co.uk/wee...807759,00.html.

Does this remind anybody of DVDA vs SACD yet?

I have to say from the comments in this forum on both Blu Ray and HD-DVD I won't be bothering for some time yet.

[KeithM]

We had HD-dvd for a while, no blu-ray, but now both are gone in my town . And no return until they sell at least 2 units per month. Hopefully the new formats aren't doing that bad in other places.

[JonMarsh]

Geez, that's progressive...

Uh, and just how do they return if they can only return once they're already selling two units per month? Seems to me we have a chicken or the egg situation here....

Maybe they just aren't on the list to get an allocation of units in limited availability.

I feel for you... but then, there's Amazon.com

[jonathanb3478]

Seems to me we have a chicken or the egg situation here....

Don't get me started!

<too late>

We all know that something that was not quite a chicken layed an egg, which barely qualified as a chicken, after an appropriate mutation occured in the relevant gamete(s). So, that means the egg was first.

Mystery solved.

[spyboy]

I was reading on another forum that Best Buy has imposed a 14 day return policy on the Samsung player AND a 15% restocking fee. Apparently the return rate on this player is >80%.

[ThomasW]

There was/is? a poll in AVS where ~75% of those responding, said they were going to return their Blu-Ray players. Not sure that's indicative of the entire demographic or how accurate the AVS poll is....

[Russ L]

I wonder if there are specific problems :unsure: or the Blu-Ray is just a disappointing Audio-Visual experience in general? -Russ

[peterS]

i dont know if i should laugh or cry.

[ThomasW]

It seems that the jest of this stems from poor quality software (pressings) being released, and people dissing the players thinking they're the problem.

[Race Car Driver]

its more then likely the ID-10-T circuit.

[jonathanb3478]

its more then likely the ID-10-T circuit.

You ever call an IT helpdesk and get your password reset to "ID10T"? There was a guy on the last helpdesk I ever worked at who was reseting peoples' passwords to that. He got fired.

[jonathanb3478]

The instant a reasonably priced "universal" player is out, I will bite. Not before then...

Reasonable, to me, is ~$500.

[ht_addict]

I wonder if there are specific problems :unsure: or the Blu-Ray is just a disappointing Audio-Visual experience in general? -Russ

From what I've read it is mostly if not all a software issue. They're only using 25G disks with MPEG2 decoding. Also add in the use off subpar prints. I was in my local FS and took a look at Fifth Element on BR. Now this is one off my favourite movies, have superbit version and the BR version was just not upto par with it. The pq was very grainy and soft. Certainly not what I would call HiDef, not even as good as HD-TV. Now I have HD-DVD and the PQ is spectacular. Richer colors, sharper detail. Better than HD-TV :T :T

[jonathanb3478]

Now I have HD-DVD and the PQ is spectacular. Richer colors, sharper detail. Better than HD-TV :T :T

I had my first experience with HD-DVD a few days ago at a local Fry's Electronics. They had the Toshiba player running Serenity directly into a Samsung 40" (or so) LCD TV. The display was a 13XX x 768 res model. Me and my roomate walked around a corner to be about 10ft from the display. Even from there, I was blown away. We stepped up close, and all I can say is "wow". I am impressed. My only complaint with Fry's, is that they did not have it running on a 1920X1080 native res panel. I must say, however, that I could not find one of those in the whole TV section. Maybe there was one there, but I never found it, and I was looking.

There is no way I will buy that little Pentium IV based Linux computer they call the HD-XA1, as I am not convinced that anything running on that platform is ready for prime time. The thing is, I have been in the IT industry long enough to know better. Besides, I want a universal player. I will wait for one.

[ThomasW]

I was in my local FS and took a look at Fifth Element on BR. Now this is one off my favourite movies, have superbit version and the BR version was just not upto par with it. The pq was very grainy and soft. Certainly not what I would call HiDef, not even as good as HD-TV.

Very interesting. I too have the SuperBit version of Fifth Element. I upscale it with a Faroudja NRS as a reference disc. The PQ of the SuperBit print is tremendous..... :T

[peterS]

has anyone taken the time to look at the watch making documentary ?!

[Martyn]

From today's Canadian Globe & Mail:


Ricoh tries to bridge duelling HD formats
HIROKO TABUCHI

Associated Press

TOKYO — Japan's Ricoh Co. said Thursday it will be ready to supply an optical component that reads both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs next year — a move that could diffuse the battle between rivals Toshiba and Sony over next-generation DVD formats.

Toshiba Corp. and its allies have been pitting the HD DVD format against Blu-ray, an alternative standard pushed by Sony Corp., raising fears of a repeat of the VHS-versus-Beta battle over the format for video tape recorders in the early 1980s.

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray technology can deliver dazzling high-definition video and can store much more data than today's DVDs, but related hardware has so far been incompatible.

Tokyo-based Ricoh's new component, however, uses a diffraction plate designed to adjust the laser so that light focuses properly for each disc format, allowing a drive to read all formats, according to company spokesman Satoshi Aoki.

"Ricoh is the first in the world to announce this hybrid technology," Aoki said. "We believe it's groundbreaking."

The component will initially only read discs, though Ricoh hopes to improve its laser so it writes in all formats, Aoki said.

The office equipment maker is presenting the technology at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition outside Tokyo, which kicked off Thursday. The company will be ready to deliver components to electronics makers by the end of 2007, Aoki said.

Talk of the potential of a dual-format drive and hints of its development by various companies have circulated for some time. And though Ricoh can now claim a first-of-a-kind hybrid technology, some analysts are skeptical of its chances for success in a market where consumer demand has yet to solidify for either HD DVD or Blu-ray products.

"The market potential for the product is not very large," said Wolfgang Schlichting, an analyst with market researcher IDC. "The verdict is still out — both formats still have the chance of becoming dominant, and companies need to focus on products that are price-driven and sell today."

A key barrier, Schlichting said, is that any product with the dual-format feature will likely be very expensive.

Electronics companies would have to pay additional royalty costs to incorporate both formats. Also, unless production levels grow significantly to lower costs, makers would be hard-pressed to reduce retail prices enough to attract more customers, Schlichting said.

For now, Toshiba and Sony's race to bring competing hardware to the market is set to continue.

Toshiba said Thursday it would postpone the sale of the world's first HD DVD recorder, the RD-A1, by about two weeks to July 27 from July 14 due to a production delay.

Because of problems in procuring some parts for the recorder, Toshiba will not have enough units ready for a nationwide release until the later date, according to company spokesman Keisuke Omori.

The machine combines an HD DVD burner with a 1-terabyte hard disk and can record and store up to 130 hours of high-definition broadcasts. HD DVD players are already available, but the RD-A1 will be the first model that can record disks.

Sony has also been selling Blu-ray recorders in Japan since 2003, but prices have been high and uptake low.

The new Toshiba recorder carries a suggested price tag of $3,470. The electronics maker hopes to sell 10,000 recorders by the end of 2006, according to Omori.

Toshiba launched HD DVD players in Japan in March, and in the United States in April. Sony plans to begin selling personal computers equipped with Blu-ray drives later this month.

[Chris D]

Why, oh why, would Sony do this with the Blu-Ray release? You would think they would pour as much attention to detail as possible to their product release. Man, are the new HD format wars over before they've even begun, with BOTH sides losing?

[JonMarsh]

well, you know, sometimes companies get arrogant. well, let's say sometimes signficant parts of upper management gets arrogant.

Intel went through a period like that, never acknowledge publically, of course, but internally is another matter. Arrogant, and calicified in their decsion making processes.

Probably part of why they are sacking 1,000 managers at all grades world wide this week.

~Jon