HD-DVD? FMD? When can I see 1080i from a disk or can I now? (1 Viewer)

[Grady Hollums]

I was wondering....
With all the discussion about how wonderful HD (1080i) is and now I am hearing talk about HD-DVDs that are around the corner (I think that is true, if not then please tell me more about the technology) HAve have some questions:
1. Will the HD-DVD's require a new DVD player that will output a 1080i signal? (I love my RP-56k now and would hate to have to find another player that will output a higher signal)
2. Are there any HD-DVDs out there right now?
3. Are the HD-DVD's the same thing as the FMD (fluorescent multilayer disc) (i.e. http://www.widescreenreview.com/attractions/yht1.html )
I do not have HDTV broadcasts in my area yet (and don't make enough money to by the set top box and Satlite system to getthe HDTV broadcasts, and I really would love to be able to see my DHTV in action! I just want to know when and how I will be able to see 1080i on my HDTV.
Thanks so much for all your help and assistance! I love the HTF and always will.

 

[Jack Briggs]

The closest thing we have to HD-DVD presently is Sony's new Superbit series, with most of the bit-rate given over to providing a superior image.

As for true high-def on DVD, that's still around the corner. Most likely, the players will employ violet laser technology. And, yes, of course, the players will have to output a high-def signal.

Bottom line, though: Don't hold your breath for HD-DVD. Biggest stumbling block? The studios. They resisted standard DVD furiously at first. Copy-protection coding is the issue, they contend. Do you think they want DVDs that produce images almost indistinguishable from 35mm film floating around? The studios aren't even comfortable with you seeing their "product" on high-def broadcasts, conniving to force the OEMs into adopting content-protection circuitry into their HD-capable displays. In other words, the studios are attempting to determine that which they will let you to see in 1080i.

The studios resist every consumer archiving electronic format that comes along. Then they see the $$ value. Then they relent.

 

[CharlesD]

Personaly I doubt that the studios will allow any HD home video format other than pay-per-view.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Maybe, but Gary Merson of TPV mag reported in I think the 12/01 issue that HD movies will "soon" be available on DVHS.

I used to own the now hard-to-find Panny HD-STB & DVHS combo, but sold it cuz it reminded me how much I hate tapes. The conveniences of DVD have spoiled me forever.

 

[Grady Hollums]

While having HD Movies would be nice, I would settle for just having nature stock photography or something like that. I just want to show off my HDTV, without having to by the DTV service or a settop box for receiving signals (which will not be in my area until next summer or later)

 

[Dan Hitchman]

With the right FMD disc chosen for HD-DVD it's to hell with 1080i and lossy compressed DTS/Dolby Digital (hip hip hooray!!)

Bring on professional grade 1920 x 1080p and audiophile Direct Stream Digital (DSD) soundtrack encoding at up to 7.1 discrete channels or more (if possible)!!

Throw in the right kind of 2.35:1 enhancement (like how a 1.78:1 ratio image is placed on a 1.33:1 DVD system today) for movies wider that 1.85:1 (for front projection systems that can be outfitted to show more--or all when transferring a 2.35:1 movie-- available resolution on a 2.40:1 ratio screen) and I'll be a very happy camper.

Dan

 

[Todd Hochard]

Bring on professional grade 1920 x 1080p and audiophile Direct Stream Digital (DSD) soundtrack encoding at up to 7.1 discrete channels or more (if possible)!!

Yah, right, and monkeys might fly out of my butt!
I don't think we'll ever see anything like this. And besides, none of the currently available TVs can resolve this (in fact, they can't even fully resolve 1080i).
Mind you, I would love something like this. I'll take it with my 1920x1080x120Hz 3-Chip DLP, costing $5000, with no fan, and a 120W, 10000 hour, 3000 Lumen bulb that can be replaced for $100.
Todd

 

[Brian-W]

I think that is true, if not then please tell me more about the technology

Anyone who thinks they'll be able to buy HD-DVD in ~ 5 years is kidding themselves.
DVDs are selling faster than ever and the installed base is growing by leaps and bounds every quarter. NO STUDIO is going to interupt that revenue stream.
When, and only when has DVD saturated the market enough and we've hit the plateau will HD-DVD even rear itself in the sights of movie studios. Naturally that point hasn't been hit yet.
Yes, the technology is there. Yes, the content is there. No, the studios aren't going to do anything that causes ripples in their revenue streams. VHS has long petered out, and that's why DVD is flourishing both with content and support.
Also, market penetration of HDTV capable sets is a joke at this point. When they start hitting DVD levels will teh studios take notice. But that doesn't mean we'll start seeing software support.
1080p w/DSD ? I'm still laughing. Yeah, I'd love to have it to, but again, you can bet that any HD-DVD standard is going to fall within the ATSC guidelines (720p or 1080i w/Dolby Digital) for compatibility purposes.
Any speculation (including mine) is moot at this point, only time will tell. But at CES in '99, we were supposed to begin seeing HD-DVD units around 2003. That's around the corner, and D-VHS also shown back then is just now making it's debut.
-Brian

 

[Grady Hollums]

Someone please explain what Digitalvideoessentials DVD web site is talking about when they mention the 1080i capability of the next Video Essentials Disk found that this web site:
http://www.videoessentials.com/dve.htm
Is Joe saying that they will be filming with 1080i and then down converting to 480p for those of us in the USA? Thanks for the help!

 

[Rob Lutter]

I truly find it hard to believe that the studios would EVER allow High Definition DVDs... the main reason... when I can get a perfect copy of a movie, that is the end of the money train.
...and the only reason that studios can do business is the thing that holds back HD-DVD... with perfect 35mm movies, the home video business would basically put their selves into extinction.
...in other words, don't hold your breath for HD-DVD

 

[LarryH]

I may be missing the point here, but I don't think the studios would be losing anything by putting out HD versions of their product. It would give them the opportunity to sell all those titles yet again. They will still have theatrical runs for those who prefer that experience. The only hang-up is that this medium has to be so locked-up that it can never be copied. Beats me if this can actually be done. What gets my goat is that it will probably only be made available with some technology that obsoletes every display device currently on the market. Nonetheless, I don't think the politics and the technology can be resolved for quite a while, so I'm not expecting my DVD collection to be obsoleted anytime soon.

 

[Ken Chan]

Is Joe saying that they will be filming with 1080i and then down converting to 480p for those of us in the USA?

No, better than that. They're mastering in 1080 progressive, at 24 frames per second, which is simply called 24P. It's what Lucas is doing for AotC -- filming in 24P anyway.
When they author the non-HD (i.e. regular, current) DVDs, they'll downconvert to 480p, and then MPEG-encode that. The result should be true 480p for those that have progressive players.
Contrast that with what is commonly down now: do the 2:3 pulldown (telecine) of a progressive master, creating the interlaced fields, then MPEG-encoding that. (I forget if that introduces loss of detail because you're now doing field-based encoding. Or maybe it's the Kell factor. Once someone mentions that, my brain goes into Protect Mode and I stop absorbing any further info ) Anyway, progressive players have a more difficult time undoing that mess, so it doesn't look as good.
And because it's mastered in HD, making an HD-DVD will be easy in the next ten or fifty years when that format becomes available.
//Ken

 

[Dan Hitchman]

For the record, I said up to 7.1 discrete channels (or more). The capability is then there if they so choose to remix to 7.1 or master to 7.1 discrete.
In fact, I would be surprised if Tomlinson Holman's (sp?) new 10.2 discrete channel setup couldn't be supported using DSD given the possible capacities for blue laser FMD's (possibly even the 300+ Gigabyte red laser FMD's) along with 1080p video for average length films (longer films split to two discs).
PCM wasn't used for broadcast analog NTSC TV signals and it was accepted for NTSC compliant LD and DVD discs.
D-ILA and DLP technology is growing by leaps and bounds every model year. 1920 x 1080p with an anamorphic enhancement for 2.0:1 and wider films could easily be accomplished in a few years (or sooner). The player could then be user set for full 1080p or downconversion to 1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i. "2.35:1 Anamorphic" downconversion for 16x9 and 4:3 sets too.
The compatibility with 1.0 to 7.1 discrete DSD audio and 1080p (at least) for a super capacity HD-DVD would be a no-brainer-- even 1080p still isn't close to real 35mm resolution (if studios are so worried about consumers getting master quality media). Oh, that's right we're talking about Hollywood.
Dan