Affordable Universal HD disc player...would it make the "format war" moot??? (1 Viewer)

[Ed St. Clair]

I want a "REAL" uni;
HDCD (fat chance)
DVD-A (good luck)
SA-CD (better chance)
CD
CDV
CD-R (etc.)
DVD-R (etc.)
DVD
HD-DVD
BD
HD-DVD-R (recorder)
BD-R (recorder)
with
HQV
&
HDMI 1.3 with mono, stereo, & mult-channel digital out for 'ALL" audio formats.
I'm willing to wait till '08 for my dream machine!
Till then, first sub $400 1080p HD disc player just might get my cash.

 

[Steve Berger]

Hi DaViD
I am sure both formats will be able to record but I think the "Devil is in the Details": Things like ease of copying, editing and authoring; the time to accomplish these tasks; the ability to use third party software; use of standard interfaces (firewire or USB2); use with camcorders of any manufacturer.

I didn't notice any specific mention of an ability to handle all of the current digital camcorders, only the just arriving HD units. If I had spent money on a digital camcorder in the last few years, I would sure like to create a disk that shows all of it's capabilities and not limit it to DVD quality (after a lengthy conversion process).

Sony would seem to have an edge at this time but a poor choice of software or a closed, proprietary or encrypted system could hurt them in the long run. Personally, I think the recording characteristics may be more important in determining the "winner" than playback ability. The only thing limiting universal playback machines would be licensing costs or artificial restrictions.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Steve,

When DVD arrived in 1997, just how many home-PC authoring software tools were available to make your own movies?

???

Now, 10 years into the live of DVD, how many flexible and powerful options are there on both PC and MAC?

Given that at the very LAUNCH of Blu-ray, Sony is already gearing towards home-recording, I think this is a profoundly indicative move. Naturally this first-gen option isn't going to be as full featured as you'd like. But in comparison to nothing at all, it's incredible to even think that, in just a few months, there will be software available to author and record your own 1080 HD movies on Blu-ray.

Give it just a few years. Let Mac get invovled and you'll have just what you want.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/03/15/ul...f_disc_player/

 

[Steve Berger]

David, I was very happy to see the public announcement of recording capabilities. I hope they don't mess it up and it will be interesting to see what HD-DVD counters with.

When DVD arrived, I didn't even know what the concept of "authoring" was. I did know that recording in the DVD format was possible and that it was going to be coming in the next few months - according to the service training classes on DVD. Obviously they delayed it a few years rather than a few months. I thought that recording ability was going to be the "make or break" feature of the DVD format. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe this time, the recording abilities will be the feature that determines a "winner" in the format battle.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

If 'everyone' goes "neutral" (ultra-multi [sort of cute]), where does than leave the warring Tosh & Sony?
Hopefully, out in the cold, just where they were willing to leave us!
Great News!!!
Uni's RULE.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

That isn't really neutral, though. Sony will still get their royalties when any BD disk is released, as will Tosh for the HD's.

I like that the chip has been invented, but I think both sides are going to have any licenses that are issued claused with the fact that their technology cannot exist in the same machine with the other's.

That is going to be the main problem with this. If they do ever come out, it will be after the war is all over, just so that we can keep any losing disks that we have.

Glenn

 

[Ed St. Clair]

"They" may be here in the fall, potentially recorders as well (don't hold your breath, just we are not talking by 2008 or something). "They" will be here before the war is over & be a great boost to HD on disc.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Ok, I see what you mean. I think what it would do is to put the 'war' back into the hands of Sony and Toshiba.

Any given tile would have a choice, of course, but now I can see a price war starting up between the studios and Sony vs. Toshiba. They'd drive software costs down until one of them got squeeeeeeezzzed out!

This is going to be an interesting year!

Glenn

 

[Ed St. Clair]

As if it hasn't been already!!! ;-)

BD still makes it, because of PS, however their plans for world domination, i mean, home entertainment integration, will be foiled if uni's, HD-DVD PC drives, & HD-DVD disc costs play out better in the consumer world then BD's 'tech superiority' just grabbing the 'tech sauve' crowd.

 

[Shawn Perron]

You still have to keep in mind that if the PS3 is only half as successful as the PS2, then there will eventually be 50 million Blu-Ray only players in people's homes. If it achieves only the same level of success, then there will eventually be 100 million Blu-Ray only players in people's homes. Keeping these stats in mind, I don't see how in a few years a studio could decide to cut off that many customers by releasing in the HD-DVD format. The universal players may only be a temporary reprieve for the HD-DVD camp as far as studio support is concerned.

Realistically, unless the HD format's take off like DVD in the next few years, Blu-Ray through the PS3 will probably have double or triple the number of universal/HD-DVD only players. I don't see that universal players will end this war. As long as there will be such a large pool single format players, I think they will more likely prolong it until one of the formats just loses all support.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

When Uni's rule the world, the studio's (if they are free to do so) will release on the least expensive format. Which has always been & continues to be HD-DVD. For their own benefit & the consumers.

I've also always wanted one format, as you do Shawn. Sony broke away from the one group that had the power to do that. Since that time, Uni's are the best bet, if you don't want to get crushed by the format war. With the drives of both warring formats, being 'close enough' not to add too much to scare off the general HD consumer. Especially if Uni recorders, come fast & furious!!!
In the mean time, HD-DVD players are under $500 & out in April. A painless price to "got to be the first on my block" buyers.

 

[Juan C]

Let's try not to fall into wishful thinking.

First, the PC industry adopting either BD or HD DVD en masse is far from being a done deal.

Second, it has been estimated that a universal player would be more expensive than a HD DVD player, and also more expensive than a BD player. So, who would buy $1500 for a universal? Might as well buy two players.

Third, the studios have seen intrinsic advantages in Blu-ray. Just note that Disney's President just said that Blu-ray "is well positioned to be the future solution for packaged media, with its superior capacity and interactivity, copy-protection systems and market force superiority that is unrivaled." Market force is fluid, but the issues of capacity (50GB), interactivity (BD-J) and copy-protection (BD+ and Rom-Mark) are areas where HD DVD will always be at a disadvantage.

Many insist that the buyers will lead the studios. But it could well be the other way round.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

(as if "ALL" of this isn't "wishful thinking" at this point)
Studio's will lead if they indeed choose one format (Sony's catalog). This will be BIG for the general HD public, at first. Buyers will lead in their "first" choice (i also see people buying into both formats as you do, just not in large numbers) of which player they buy.
If HD-DVD has 4 million units out by X-mas, they will be OK & if BD has 4 million out by X-mas, they will be OK as well.
What I hope to see, along with your "double buyers", is 4 million Uni's by X-mas '07, then everyone's a winner!

 

[Shawn Perron]

The odds of this happening seem to be fairly small small. At best possibly 50/50. The odds of the PS3 selling atleast half as much as the PS2 and hitting 50 million units aproach 100%. The odds of the PS3 hitting 100 million units sold is probably 50/50 depending on how the 360 performs after the PS3 launches.

The PC market is a difficult market to judge. The actual need for a drive type usually drives the sales. Strictly on a basis of capacity, Blu-Ray would appear to be the clear leader. On the other hand, HD-DVD may be able to price thier media much lower and feed sales that way. The drive that actually sells the best may end up being the one most easily pirated. As soon as one of the 2 formats is cracked, people will be far more interested in having the drive.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Shawn, you are right.
It is still up in the air, hence my previous post.
Funny to think that six months ago people were posting the war is over & six months from now we still may not know.

Go, universal, go!!!

 

[Shawn Perron]

There are some things that are not up in the air. Within a year of the PS3's launch, there will be definitely 3-4 million PS3 consoles in people's homes. Within that same period, I'd be surprised if the combined number of dedicated Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and universal players exceeds 1 million units in homes. This means that by 2008 the number of Blu-Ray only play back devices may have a 4 to 1 lead as compared to devices which have the capability to play HD-DVD (including HD-DVD players, HD-DVD PC drives and universal players).

If the new HD formats are a niche product as many are claiming, the PS3 could conceivably have a 10 to one lead over dedicated players by 2008. To sell to these customers you will have to make Blu-Ray products. Universals will be nice to own at the start, but I don't see them sparing HD-DVD from a lingering death.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?opt...5356&Itemid=11
"Such chips are a significant opportunity for player manufacturers to offer combo-players at an affordable price point. (The chip is available now at a unit cost of $8.00 in quantities of 100.) And considering the potential long-term market of many millions of players, you can expect semiconductor manufacturers to offer chip set after chip set to reduce player production costs. How do you think we got from $1,000 interlaced DVD players in 1997 to $100 progressive players in 2005?"

 

[Aaron_Brez]

The chips are not the problem and never have been. It's the optical pickup unit that costs the money.

 

[Stan Rozenfeld]

Well, all I can say is that I would be first in line for a universal hd player, assuming that it doesn't cost more than hd dvd and blu-ray player combined.

Stan