The Blu-Ray Thread

[MarketTantrik]

10 Blu-Ray titles to look forward to after HD DVD's funeral

 

I'm pretty sure no one's looking forward to this disaster.

[KnackChap]

roflroll2.gif

 

i have a new found respect for teamxbox

 

 

 

peace

 

:wOOtjumpy: atleast they are taking it sportingly

[MarketTantrik]

Microsoft throws one last middle finger to Blu ray

 

Written by Ice Ac

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

 

From XboxFamily

_______________________________________________________________

 

HD DVD Add-onMicrosoft is about to mess up the HD format war one last time just for fun. Despite HD DVD officially being dead, the news we have is still going to tick off the Blu ray camp.

 

We’ve just learned from several different retailers that starting within the next week, the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will be available for $49.99. We don’t have the exact date, but we do know that the EXTREME price cut will take place within seven days.

 

Why should this concern the Blu ray camp? Casual consumers likely still don’t even know the war is over. The casual consumer is like a Vietnamese soldier hidden in a spider hole somewhere. They’re cut off from info and are still waiting to attack despite a cease fire being called.

 

What can happen from this? People buy the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on and realize that the up-scaling of regular DVDs adds new life. Then the next-gen format war turns into old verse new instead of new versus new.

 

As I’m writing this and clearly know that HD DVD is dead, I can hardly wait to go buy a player for 50 bucks. Imagine what the ill-informed will do when they see these prices in stores.

 

Now is it Microsoft’s intent to mess up the format war one last time? Probably not. They just want to recoup a little money (at a loss) while they can. The fact that ignorant consumers and people that just can’t resist cheap electronics (me) will buy it is just a side effect that could force the ultimate success of Blu ray to wait a little longer. But if it’s too long, then Sony has a problem that most hadn’t even considered. Going head to head with digital downloads. And that was Microsoft’s goal wasn’t it?

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

@Tyler: Here we go again :wallbash:

 

--MT

[KnackChap]

IF MS had added the HD DVD in the 360 it would have won hands down... but Sony beat them to it.. but i don see the end of HD DVD happening anytime soon...

 

 

the recent Price cut of the HD DVD drive will help the sales a lot.. the Drive is sold out almost everywhere

 

wanted to change the poll, found a couple of gems on the first page

sorry couldn't resist

[KnackChap]

prasabhu this one's for you

 

[john117]

@MT

is there any possiblity that the HD-DVD drive is gonna be available for $49(or ~Rs2500) in India ??

[arjunsood2003]

HD DVD's losing does not necessarily mean the ps3 will win..xbox 360 is goin really strong, and with stuff lik gears of war 2 and gta 4 with exclusive content, its might lead in 08 too..

[Tyler]

x 100000000000

[reaper]

@MT

is there any possiblity that the HD-DVD drive is gonna be available for $49(or ~Rs2500) in India ??

 

 

stop hallucinating buddy!!! u on drugs or something ????

[john117]

well since they dump all the old stuff in india .. so I was hoping they will do so for the drive too ..

[MarketTantrik]

Convert Your HD DVDs to Blu-Ray

 

From Wired

______________________________________________________________________

 

HD DVD is dead. Long live HD DVD!

 

By converting your movies to a more enduring format, you can ensure your movie collection survives the death of the machine that plays them.

 

The process is simple in principle but excruciating in practice, thanks to the complexity of the technology, the myriad of applications needed and the predations of an industry that doesn't want you format-shifting at all.

 

Got extra advice? Log in and add it! This page is a wiki, so you can edit it to make it better.

 

What You'll Need

 

* A Windows machine with a fast processor

* An HD-DVD drive

* A Blu-Ray burner

* 30GB of free disk space, at least, though 40GB or more is recommended

* An internet connection to download all the software you need

 

 

Step 1: Ripping

 

First, we have to get the original HD DVD movie off the disk and onto the computer. You'll need to have a HD-DVD inside, or hooked up to, your PC, and software to cut through the DRM.

 

Windows users have it easy. Buy Slysoft's AnyDVD HD (about $115), which will rip HD DVD without further ado. A free alternative is DVDFab HD Decrypter.

 

Once done, you'll have a bunch of files on your machine in .EVO format.

Step 2: Transcoding and Authoring

 

This means getting the rip ready to burn to Blu-Ray disc: transcoding refers to changing the file format and size, while authoring refers to preparing and arranging the files so that players may properly understand them.

 

If you just want to keep the file on the computer as a backup, you can stop here. Even if no one is making physical HD DVD players, there'll always be software to play the files themselves.

 

If you're targeting Blu-Ray, however, you'll need to get your hands dirty fixing your files to the required specs. You'll run the ripped HD DVD disk through a bunch of different programs, in the following order:

 

1. EVOdemux to "demultiplex" the ripped files and pick exactly what you need to keep.

 

2. H264Info or vc1conv -— which one you need depends on whether the format of HD DVD movie you ripped is h.264 or VC1.

 

3. eac3to to compress the audio, often necessary to fit movies onto cheaper 25GB Blu-Ray disks.

 

4. tsMuxeR and TsRemux to get the video streams ready for burning.

 

If you need more help, follow the instructions at the Doom9 forums to ensure you get everything just right. There is also another, slightly different process outlined on the Doom9 forums. If the idea of working your way through all those steps isn't appealing, you might want to wait until enough blind eyes are turned for an all-in-one commercial solution to emerge.

Step 3: Burning

 

Finally, you can copy the the authored Blu-Ray presentation to a physical disk. IMGBurn 2.4 is a way to do it free of charge, but Nero 8 ($100) will handle the job if you already have it.

 

You will also need a Blu-Ray disk burner, of course. Sony's BWU100A, at $430 refurbished, is one choice. The cheapest going is Lite-On's $360 LH-2B1S. Don't like the price? Too late to complain now.

 

Or you can just keep your old HD machine and change over later.

Alternative methods

 

One can also use a HD capture card with component video inputs to slurp up the output from the Xbox 360's HD DVD player. Install video capture software, hook up the player to the capture card, and go. Watch out for disk space!

 

Jake Ludington reports success with the $1,400AJA XENA LH capture card. Or, Blackmagic Design's Intensity a $250 HDMI Capture Card, also works. The problem is expense: a HD capture card isn't cheap. To get the resulting files onto Blu-Ray disc, use Nero 8 with the HD plugin.

 

 

Tips & Tricks

 

Just as with DVDs before them, commercially-burned HD DVD movies have more space than blank disks. When transcoding, check to ensure the resulting file will fit on the target medium. For 25GB Blu-Ray disks, keep files under about 23 GB.

 

AVSforum has a list of the file sizes of popular HD DVD movies. Some come in at a whopping 27 gigabytes.

 

Also, consider just buying the movie new: a blank Blu-Ray disc is from $15-$25 for write-once media.

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Visit the source linked above to find download links for all mentioned software.

 

--MT

[MarketTantrik]

How the Blu-ray war was won - Sony outspent, outsold Toshiba

Dan Sabbagh

 

From : http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle3405959.ece

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Sony's victory in the high-definition format war is a badly needed win for the Japanese electronics giant, after a series of humiliating failures that have left control of the music market with Apple. The question that Sony has yet to answer, however, is whether the price paid to see off Toshiba - at least $3 billion (£1.54 billion) - was worth it.

 

Blu-ray is more expensive to manufacture than Toshiba's HD-DVD player. Toshiba players are on sale for as little as £149.99 this year, £120 less than the cheapest Blu-ray. Although some of that discounting reflected a last throw of the dice from Toshiba, for the moment consumers have been saddled with a more expensive format and Sony's losses to make up.

 

The only way for Sony to distribute Blu-ray in large quantities was to build the technology into the PlayStation 3 and sell the games console at a discount. Sony's console division ran up a $1.97 billion deficit in the year to March 31 last year, which it followed with a $991 million loss in the first three quarters of the current year. Yet the true costs of Blu-ray are probably much greater: early research and development expenses have not been included.

 

Analysts believe, however, that Sony will recoup its $3billion-plus investment eventually. Richard Hooper, an analyst with Screen Digest, said: “It is hard to estimate precisely what royalties Sony will generate, but we believe that they will be able to recoup far more than $3 billion over the lifetime of Blu-ray. It's worth it.”

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

* Blu-ray delivers fatal sting to rival

 

* Toshiba risks defeat against Sony's Blu-ray

 

Without PlayStation 3, Sony would would have been in deep trouble. In Europe, for example, Sony has sold up to an estimated three million consoles. Toshiba is similarly coy with its figures, but has admitted that it has sold “over 200,000”.

 

David Walstra, a Sony Blu-ray specialist, said: “Blu-ray films have been outselling HD-DVD by roughly two to one in the United States, but by three or even four to one in Europe.” It was becoming increasingly clear to Hollywood that Blu-ray's customer base - with 9.5million PlayStation 3s expected to be sold in the year to March 31 - was going to be far greater than HD-DVD could manage. Warner Brothers took the first step, abandoning Toshiba in January.

 

Incorporating Blu-ray into the games console, however, was not the only reason that Sony succeded. It was also able to keep enough Hollywood studios on board, with Walt Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers all backing the format.

 

Blu-ray's superior capacity - it will be able store 50GB when it introduces “dual-layer” technology, compared with Toshiba's 30GB - was also important. Anthony Peet, general manager of Disney's DVD business in Britain, said that the storage meant “we can include more bonus features and ship less discs”.

 

Both Sony and its consumers still have to pay a price. For the company, it comes from building the expensive technology into a games console, which Sony executives concede is being sold at a loss. Nintendo has seized market share with its cheaper Wii, while Microsoft's XBox360 is also performing competitively. Where Sony dominated the second generation console markets, outselling Microsoft's Xbox by five to one, its present share globally is estimated at 20.8 per cent.

 

For customers, unlike those of Toshiba's HD-DVD, which was fully developed, Sony left some features out as it raced to get the product to market; in particular, the ability to incorporate internet downloads into the discs.

 

“Only the PlayStation 3 is future- proofed; it is not clear what will happen to other players which do not have ethernet [fast internet] connections,” Mr Hooper said.

 

That means that people who have bought a standalone Blu-ray player may have to buy new equipment if they want to take advantage of new features, making them, like HD-DVD owners, casualties of the high-definition format war.

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

prasabhu this one's for you

 

 

 

 

LOL, thank you Ken and KC.

[ceoshubham]

HD DVD drive for 50$ is simply WOW!

(Waits for Chaztin to buy it and then sell it in the trading section)

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

What next?

 

Which studio releases blu-ray with better transfer and lossless audio?

 

SD DVD vs. blu-ray vs. digital download?

[KnackChap]

All Hollywood studios now lined up behind Blu-Ray

 

but i though digital downloads was the future

 

 

 

peace

it is

9/9/09 oh wait .......

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/02/21/l...eath-of-hd-dvd/

 

Interesting article on the whole HD format war. Apparently, microsoft had lot more in mind then just creating stalemate to buy time and push digital download.

 

MUST READ!!!

 

Edit: Long article so better pop a soda and get some crackers before hitting the link.

[Psywarrior]

i haven't read the earlier post or any of the articles posted here..

 

wat i feel abt HD dvd being dead and Blu ray winning against it is utter bull sh*t..

 

think abt it..

 

A large amount of world population today had dvd or HD dvd players ( not the xbox360 ones)

and a small minority (PS3's ) with a blu ray technology..

 

lets say the ratio is 9 : 1 HD dvd vs Blu ray players sold worldwide..

 

u think all these ppl are gonna dump their hd dvd players and buy a bluray..

 

majority of today's population have just moved onto dvd player from cassette players..

 

u think they'll take a direct jump to a bluray..?may be a few will but not the majority.

 

from movies to softwares to music to games..etc etc( see the size of the industry here) will move onto bluray soon..

 

looking at the consumer market atleast 1 - 1.5 years from now.. BLU ray can't evade and capture the entire market..

 

Therefore in terms of volume and sales.. the blu ray will be nowhere close to dvd or hd dvd.

 

and yea, in the meantime we can surely expect competitve technology or a better product making its way into the market.

u never know..worst case senario blu ray may fail after 1 year..

 

possibilities are endless..look at it with a practical approach..

 

blu ray is definately good.. i have personally experianced it..

 

but for now i completely disagree to hd dvd being completely dead or loosing out to Bluray.

(i'm not looking at the Xbox360's here as.. if ms starts releasing games on hdvd.. they will also have to make it on dvd's so yea. hd dvd can be looked at merely a source of entertainment(movies mainly) for the 360)

jus considering the hd dvd technology.. it has a huge market size,. which will not die any soon..

[MightySkate]

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/02/21/l...eath-of-hd-dvd/

 

Interesting article on the whole HD format war. Apparently, microsoft had lot more in mind then just creating stalemate to buy time and push digital download.

 

MUST READ!!!

 

Edit: Long article so better pop a soda and get some crackers before hitting the link.

Thanks HP for that link. A bit long but worth the time. I feel the guy is a bit inclined towards bluray from the start but he somehow maintains a balanced view on both formats.

I even saved the entire page for future reference

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

Lessons from Blu-ray's victory over HD-DVD

 

The conflict quickly ended. It was the conflict raved about for a few years in the computer and business press. Over and over we heard that it was like "Beta vs. VHS all over again." We heard that so many times that it become nauseating.

 

The end came the other day. When Wal-Mart made the decision to back Blu-ray over the HD-DVD format, the final shot was heard in the battle. It was the battle of Yorktown for Blu-Ray (American forces) and HD-DVD (the losing Brits). Now it is all over except for the dancing and shouting.

 

What lessons can you and I learn from this? What important considerations can we take from this event and apply to our own small business?

 

Lessons Learned:

 

It is not about the technology. It is always about the relationships.

 

Both formats had good technology. It was the key relationships which Sony nurtured and cultivated that ultimately won the day. Yes, technology was a factor. However, the big decisions in business are made by people who make decisions for emotional reasons. Sorry about that, my die-hard techie friends. It ain't about the technology. (I know, bad English but true). It always has been and always will be about relationships. Cultivate these and you build Relationship Marketing (R-Commerce).

 

Achieve key wins which stack up to an insurmountable victory

 

Sony didn't win only one battle in the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD fight. They won several over a period of time. You can't win the ultimate prize with only one knockout blow (sorry, Hollywood -- it just doesn't work that way in the real world). Don't rest on your past victories. Each day, you face anew the opportunities to engage in competition and learn and grow no matter what happens. Become a better person with each day's results.

 

Lower prices don't win the day

 

HD-DVD dropped prices recently in a last-ditch effort to win market share. Too often salespeople try to win business by just dropping their price. Don't get me wrong; price is always a factor. However, it is never the primary factor. Relationships matter more. People will pay a little more (not excessive) to do business with a firm and people they know and trust. Building that trust is key to gaining business.

 

Supporting technologies and tie-ins

 

PS3 is a strong player for Sony. It is unlikely that parents would buy more than one game machine for their kids. Therefore, it is imperative that Sony come to the market with some dazzling technologies to retain market share. PS3's position didn't hurt Sony in their Blu-ray combination. In your business, don't have only one approach but have multiple tie-ins that "bundle" products. Phone companies do this with cellular, television, Internet access and more benefits. Think about add-on products and ways to tie customers to you in multiple formats.

 

Never give up

 

There were numerous times when Sony might have thrown up their hands and quit. Hey, they were up against the behemoth of Microsoft. Remember just a few years ago when so many were railing against Microsoft as the devil incarnate? Couple Microsoft with the not-insignificant Toshiba and you have a powerful force. However, Sony remained undaunted. You are going to be slapped down from time to time. It is going to hurt. In the midst of that marketplace slapping you around, realize it is normal. No, they are not out to "get you." Frankly, "they" don't care. However, if you have that internal resolution and fortitude (read, guts!) to keep going in spit of the inevitable hardships and setbacks, you will succeed.

 

Winston Churchill made a famous speech, often misconstrued, to the boys at Harrow, his old school. It was on 29 October 1941. In that speech he told those boys to "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming fight of the enemy. Don't not let us speak of darker days; let us rather speak of sterner days."

 

In your own business and sales, you will encounter those times you want to give in. When those thoughts come, imagine Winston Churchill standing there (in a good, thick British accent) admonishing you to "never give in." Somehow I think the people at Sony might have had that thought with Sir Howard Stringer at the helm as their CEO.