Topic: Is it time to declare a King of HD?

[pchin]

Very impressive list there...looks like HD DVD has indeed very little hope.

Let's enjoy while it lasts...

[Moks007]

the score so far

02-04-08  Manga Films Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
02-01-08 ADV Films Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
01-31-08 Highlight Video (Germany) Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
01-30-08 National Geographic Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
01-30-08 EMI (Japan) Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
01-30-08 Sonic Solutions Scenarist Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
01-28-08 Woolworths Retail Outlet (UK) goes Blu-ray exclusive in store.
01-22-08 Grant's Appliances to go Blu-ray exclusive in 2008.
01-16-08 Senator Entertainment to go Blu-ray exclusive in 2008.
01-16-08 Digital Playground to go Blu-ray exclusive in 2008.
01-11-08 Constantin Film goes Blu-ray exclusive.
01-10-08 HBO goes Blu-ray exclusive.
01-05-08 New Line goes Blu-ray exclusive.
01-04-08 Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive.

With all of this, there are still 3 or 4 titles of hddvd hitting the top 100 sales in amazon, and hddvd sales still shooting up in amazon..mostly from the recent universal studios sale of course... People are still buying hddvd discs at the RIGHT PRICE....To me, I'm just enjoying HD. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. We don't know if and when Universal and Paramount will even support blu-ray. If they support them in a couple of years or earlier, I already enjoyed their movies few months/years in advance. If they don't ever support blu-ray and just dvd or some other new format, then my Universal and Paramount will indeed be collectibles  and worth lots of money  When we buy in HDM, we know its a risk anyway..Im still getting some of my favorites of all time in March, the jack ryan series, fletch.. 

[darkwing]

Here's a list of HD releases from February to May, just imagine pag June na at walang Warner ^_^ and i could not find the Jack Ryan series in HD-DVD in Amazon @_@

HD-DVD
February 04, 2008
nothing

February 05, 2008
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Universal)

February 12, 2008
nothing

February 19, 2008
American Gangster (Universal)
The Invasion (Warner)

February 26, 2008
Beowulf (2007) (Paramount)
The Brave One (Warner)

March 04, 2008
Into the Wild (Paramount Entertainment)
No Reservations (Warner)
Things We Lost in the Fire (DreamWorks)

March 11, 2008
Appleseed Ex Machina (Warner)
Bee Movie (DreamWorks)
In the Valley of Elah (Warner)
Michael Clayton (Warner)
Fletch (Universal)
March 18, 2008
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner)

March 25, 2008
The Kite Runner (Paramount)
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two (Paramount)

April 01, 2008
August Rush (Warner)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Paramount)

April 08, 2008
I Am Legend (Warner)

April 15, 2008
Bonnie & Clyde (Warner)

May 27, 2008
Twister (Warner)

Blu-Ray
February 05, 2008
Across the Universe (Sony)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner)
The Brave One (Warner)
Crimson Tide (Buena Vista)
The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony)
Me, Myself & Irene (Fox)
Wall Street (Fox)

February 12, 2008
Becoming Jane (Buena Vista)
Gone Baby Gone (Buena Vista)
No Reservations (Warner)
We Own the Night (Sony)

February 19, 2008
In the Valley of Elah (Warner)
Michael Clayton (Warner)
Run Lola Run (Sony)
Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux 2004 (Eagle Rock)
Yes: Live at Montreux 2003 (Eagle Rock)

February 26, 2008
30 Days of Night (Sony)
Beyonce: The Beyonce Experience - Live (Sony BMG)

March 04, 2008
Ice Age (Fox)
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Fox)
The Rookie (2002) (Walt Disney)

March 11, 2008
Appleseed Ex Machina (Warner)
August Rush (Warner)
Dan in Real Life (Walt Disney)
Dogma (Sony)
Gattaca (Sony)
Hitman (Fox)
I, Robot (Fox)
Independence Day (Fox)
No Country for Old Men (Walt Disney)
Saawariya (Sony)
Sleuth (2007) (Sony)

March 18, 2008
Enchanted (Walt Disney)
I Am Legend (Warner)
Steep (Sony)

March 25, 2008
Bonnie & Clyde (Warner)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony)

March 28, 2008
Godzilla (1998) (Sony)

April 01, 2008
Coyote Ugly (Walt Disney)
Hidalgo (Walt Disney)
Unbreakable (Walt Disney)
Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (Sony)

April 08, 2008
The 6th Day (Sony)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Sony)
Sharkwater (Warner)

April 15, 2008
Commando (Fox)
A Passage to India (Sony)
Predator (Fox)

April 29, 2008
First Knight (Sony)
The Golden Compass (New Line)

May 06, 2008
Twister (Warner)

May 20, 2008
National Treasure (Buena Vista)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Walt Disney)

[et414]

ngye Warner titles make up 11 out of the 20 titles release in that period for HDDVD! when Warner pulls out in June patay na talaga and HDDVD

[HouseBum]

NetFlix has dropped HD DVD and will now only rent BluRay 

However HD DVD players are running out of stock in most stores in the US! They've been seeing dropping as low as 112 USD (@40Php:1USD thats Php 4,480; that's hella cheaper than a Pio DV 600).
Best Buy is also offering a free HD DVD player! Customers who purchase a $899.97 Yamaha / Klipsch audio package will receive Toshiba Corp.'s HD-A3 HD DVD Player at no cost. Combine that with the 50% fire sale of Amazon on HD DVD titles and you have better than DVD too hard to resist deal!

[darkwing]

errrrr is that a clearance sale or what 

[Marl☆1]

NetFlix has dropped HD DVD and will now only rent BluRay 

Thanks for the heads-up HouseBum.  Here's some related articles on this:

Netflix Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
Mon Feb 11, 2008 at 12:30 PM ET



Online rentailer Netflix has announced it will drop support of the HD DVD format, and will exclusively stock Blu-ray discs.

Citing the decision by four of the six major movie studios to publish high-def DVD titles only in the Sony-developed Blu-ray format, Netflix said that it would cease purchasing new HD DVD stock immediately, and that it would phase out existing HD DVD stock by year's end.

As we've previously reported, Netflix was the first major rentailer to support both high-def disc format, stocking HD DVD beginning in April of 2006, and Blu-ray in June of that same year.

"The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. "From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers who want high- definition to be an important part of how they enjoy our service."

The company says that although only a portion of Netflix subscribers have elected to receive high-def discs, a majority of those subscribers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD.

Source: HighDef Digest

From Bluray.com:  http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=950#comments

[darkwing]

that's why pala nag BOGO ang Best Buy sa HD-DVD hehe since they are going to market and push BD exclusively, they need more space!

and HD-DVD Promotional Group needs to hire a new PR guy

"Update, 4 PM PT: The HD DVD Promotional Group responded with a statement that's strikingly similar to the one issued earlier in the day: "We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward. While the Best Buy announcement says they will recommend Blu-ray, at least they will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail."

sheesh, parang template ah

[Marl☆1]

From the rumor mill... 

Report: Toshiba to Drop HD DVD
Source: HighDef Digest
Thu Feb 14, 2008 at 08:29 PM ET



The Hollywood Reporter is citing "reliable industry sources" as saying that Toshiba is on the verge of officially dropping its HD DVD format.

Though Toshiba denies that any such decision has been made, the just-published article in The Reporter points to "substantial" losses from each HD DVD player sold and a series of high-profile defections as key motivators for the company, with one unnamed source close to the HD DVD camp telling the Reporter that "an announcement is coming soon... it could be a matter of weeks."

Asked to respond to the report, Toshiba VP Jodi Sally reiterated her company's support of the HD DVD format. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," said Sally.

The exec went on to address "the market developments in the past month," saying only that "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players."

[pchin]

Once Toshiba make the announcement, it's officially the end of HD DVD na. 

[darkwing]

Finally, an end to this stupid war which has caused countless bickering instead of valid disc discussions, it would be funny if Toshiba goes Blu first before Universal and Paramount 

[Mouldingo]

Paano na yung scheduled releases ng HD DUD titles? At yung press release sounds the same as the Netflix and Best Buy Blu news...

[darkwing]

dunno but Walmart just announced that by June, it will only sell Blu

[spiderdude]

Blu-ray wins format battle
Toshiba says it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players.

Toshiba quits HD DVD business

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_on_bi_ge/japan_toshiba

[Huddaf]

I think it is 

[stickfighter]

When something like this happens....you know what's next???

SARS ALERT...SARS ALERT...SARS ALERT!!!
Upgrade to Bluray...

[pchin]

Blu-ray is indeed the KING!

[Munskie]

Blu-ray is indeed the KING!

Yes.   Its time for a great releases now.   Bring on the LOTRs, the Star Wars, Speilberg movies!!!   The BD group shouldnt bungle this one up now......as other HD downloads services like AppleTV and XBox Live (Microsoft) are just around the corner.

[nels76]

Yes.   Its time for a great releases now.   Bring on the LOTRs, the Star Wars, Speilberg movies!!!   The BD group shouldnt bungle this one up now......as other HD downloads services like AppleTV and XBox Live (Microsoft) are just around the corner.

What are the chances that this service be hacked that the content be downloaded free by hackers? Just asking.

[pchin]

Bring on the LOTRs, the Star Wars, Speilberg movies!!! 

Amen to that! Yes, it's time to bring out all the BIG GUNS na!

[indie boi]

Some wise guys at Gearlog posted this article on their website recently:

Alternative Uses For Your Soon-to-Be-Obsolete HD DVD Player
 

This morning Toshiba announced the death of its next-generation high-definition format, HD DVD. While no one was especially surprised that the company finally pulled the plug on the format, it's certainly a bit sad seeing the lower-priced option die out completely.

If you happen to be one of the early adopters who sided with Toshiba in the format war, this is all the more depressing. Seeing as how companies will soon stop manufacturing HD DVD discs, you now own fodder for the Dead-Before-Its-Time Tech Museum, to be displayed between the BetaMax and MiniDisc exhibits.

So what do you do now with your player? You could toss it--or attempt to sell it on eBay before buyers become the wiser. Of course, those options aren't right for everyone, so we asked PC Magazine staffers to come up with a few more options to help you squeeze out a little more bang for your high-def buck.


1. Retractable cup-warmer/bottle opener.
2. Devoted Harry Potter player for the kids. Let's face it, they watch only one movie anyway.
3. Use it to prop up all those Blu-ray discs you'll soon be buying.
4. Combine with your Betamax to create an super-kitschy Betamax-to-HD DVD recorder.
5. Coat the disc tray with a layer of Cheez Wiz for a pricey but effective mouse trap.
6. Use as a Jell-O mold for an edible effigy at your upcoming HD DVD wake.
7. Decoy for unobservant electronics thieves.
8. Piggy bank, to set aside money for your Blu-ray player.
9. They make lovely SD-DVD players. Who knew?
10. Make a piñata. You were going to take a bat to thing anyway, right? Might as well get some candy out of the deal.

[simplemind]

But for how long will the king reign   

[antikryst]

not yet. there are speculations that online HD is the way to go. the market is changing. but for us in the philippines...no choice but to go with a physical disc that we can buy/import.

[Clondalkin]

can this really be done? (i wouldn't post it if it were not from "wired")
Convert Your HD DVDs to Blu-Ray

Of course that can be done if you have all the necessary hardware and software.  I'm only missing the BD recorder right now but the cheapest Sony and Panasonic models would cost me at least $1,000 in Tokyo, a blank BD-RE would cost me an additional $20 at least, not to mention the fact that I would be losing my limited high def viewing hours just waiting for one BD-RE copy to be cooked.  So why bother really.

[jmigs]

Sure! But in 2015 there will be Super Ultra-High Definition video tech something like a resolution of 7000x??? haha.

[darkwing]

you need new TVs

[Moks007]

Some wise guys at Gearlog posted this article on their website recently:

Alternative Uses For Your Soon-to-Be-Obsolete HD DVD Player
 

This morning Toshiba announced the death of its next-generation high-definition format, HD DVD. While no one was especially surprised that the company finally pulled the plug on the format, it's certainly a bit sad seeing the lower-priced option die out completely.

If you happen to be one of the early adopters who sided with Toshiba in the format war, this is all the more depressing. Seeing as how companies will soon stop manufacturing HD DVD discs, you now own fodder for the Dead-Before-Its-Time Tech Museum, to be displayed between the BetaMax and MiniDisc exhibits.

So what do you do now with your player? You could toss it--or attempt to sell it on eBay before buyers become the wiser. Of course, those options aren't right for everyone, so we asked PC Magazine staffers to come up with a few more options to help you squeeze out a little more bang for your high-def buck.


1. Retractable cup-warmer/bottle opener.
2. Devoted Harry Potter player for the kids. Let's face it, they watch only one movie anyway.
3. Use it to prop up all those Blu-ray discs you'll soon be buying.
4. Combine with your Betamax to create an super-kitschy Betamax-to-HD DVD recorder.
5. Coat the disc tray with a layer of Cheez Wiz for a pricey but effective mouse trap.
6. Use as a Jell-O mold for an edible effigy at your upcoming HD DVD wake.
7. Decoy for unobservant electronics thieves.
8. Piggy bank, to set aside money for your Blu-ray player.
9. They make lovely SD-DVD players. Who knew?
10. Make a piñata. You were going to take a bat to thing anyway, right? Might as well get some candy out of the deal.

Hehe... I wonder how blu-ray boyz will feel when few years down the road IF ( I say if) their format also fails to knock off dvd or they dont become the next gen format. Let me guess: they will say it's the fault of hddvd in the first place bec they started this war. If they give up we have to change the wordings above to blu-ray

[darkwing]

nah DVD and BD can co-exist, not everyone can buy an HDTV

[Clondalkin]

Most of the 1st world nations will be actually switching (not only dreaming) to full digital broadcasting within the next 5-7 years so they'd need TVs with at least quasi-HDTV capability regardless of size.  HDM should be a success.  Just don't know in what method of delivery yet, but disk remains the most practical method for most nations at least for the time being.

[animated]

Hehe... I wonder how blu-ray boyz will feel when few years down the road IF ( I say if) their format also fails to knock off dvd or they dont become the next gen format. Let me guess: they will say it's the fault of hddvd in the first place bec they started this war. If they give up we have to change the wordings above to blu-ray

Just enjoy your HD content, Moks.  All 300+ of them.