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Toshiba's Internet Connected DVD Download DL Seems Like a Bad Idea
Posted by Jason Chen at 10:20 AM on July 2, 2008
Either Toshiba is still stinging from the HD DVD loss to Blu-ray, or they're really in need of some fast cash from the really low barrier of entry DVD market. Either way, it seems like the Japanese company is going to introduce an internet-connected DVD line called "DVD Download DL", using the nets to bring next-gen connectivity features to old-gen. This way Tosh can get easy money now from the huge DVD install base, then get into Blu-ray when that's cheaper and more widely adopted. [TGDaily]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Deadmeat
Posted July 2, 2008 12:18 PM
Imagine the possibility of 1080p version download. Pop-in your DVD DL disc, then download the 1080p version if your player(Toshiba Super Upconversion DVD player and Xbox 360) supports downloading. And the DVD DL disc will still play on your old DVD players
Now that's the killer app.
Deadmeat
Posted July 2, 2008 12:21 PM
Imagine the ability to download 1080p versions of your DVD DL discs you insert into your DVD player.
DaveBG
Posted July 3, 2008 6:07 AM
"Bad idea?"
For who? The BDA membership?
(tho it should be noted that Sharp have bought into this tech.....which is also going to be built-in to HD TVs)
Unfortunately some of the PS3/Blu-ray fanclub seem incapable of grasping this single fact.....
.....DVD (no matter what happens) is going to be around for a hell of a long time yet.
Not everyone wants to spend $400+ on a DVD player, no matter how flashy the fanclub insists it is.
This also applies to all that hot air & noise about 'better audio', not everyone will ever bother with the very expensive audio kit needed to experience the new audio standards.
It makes perfect sense for Toshiba (like all the other CE corps) to continue to offer better DVD players.
If Super Upconversion closes the gap further on high def (compared to current upscaling) and can be done inexpensively then it could well be very successful.
It does not need to be 'the same' or better.
Especially considering it works with everyone's existing DVD collections.
mark
Posted August 4, 2008 7:12 AM
To take full advantage of bluray, you'll need a 1080p capable tv. There are very few HD tvs out there in people's homes capable of 1080p.
Only AV elitist care about it being a "true" 1080p. The average person, the bread and butter of electronics consumer, will buy it if it "looks" like HD, regardless if it's 1080000000ppp bluray.
LowFuel
Posted 10:59 AM 2/7/08
I'll try to clear up some of the confusion: DL stands for Download.
LowFuel
adaorardor
Posted 10:54 AM 2/7/08
@MaxRC: yes, because of the name, but especially because of the technology.
adaorardor
ColdHeat
Posted 10:44 AM 2/7/08
Jeez.
I didn't know big corporations were such sore losers.
Just help Blu out and let it replace DVD.
God knows we could use bigger discs.
ColdHeat
Mr.DuckSauce
Posted 10:39 AM 2/7/08
I would love this, if only I had to pay was the dvd player and dvd bought streamed to a hdd.
Mr.DuckSauce
Digo
Posted 10:30 AM 2/7/08
I am struggling to see a purpose for this. I don't think most DVD players are connected to the internet.
Digo
MaxRC
Posted 10:30 AM 2/7/08
They will fail not because of the technology, but because of the name. It's not good enough. It should be:
DVD Download DL-DDD-D-HD-VD-VDD-DL
MaxRC
mferrari
Posted 10:26 AM 2/7/08
Will it have a hard drive and links to extra content? Because there are a jillion DVDs already out that don't use any of the things features, and this late in the game there isn't going to be much change.
mferrari
tobedetermined
Posted 11:45 AM 2/7/08
As stated on TG Daily, Toshiba's goal is to "to deliver higher quality video scaling than what is offered in DVD players today." So, I will need to buy a new DVD player to replace that ones (3 in my household) I have.
Sorry, I give up. I will go buy Blu-ray.
tobedetermined
imTheKing
Posted 11:43 AM 2/7/08
@ColdHeat: definitely.
imTheKing
DarkFlow83
Posted 11:24 AM 2/7/08
so this is called the Download Download, or am I missing something?
DarkFlow83
ripfire
Posted 12:18 PM 2/7/08
Oh jeez.. Toshiba is just making themselves look really bad. It's like that scene from Wicked where Elpheba comes to the party with the pointy hat.
ripfire
Toshie
Posted 12:07 PM 2/7/08
@LowFuel: Nope, DL stands for Down Low. Of course, they didn't run this by marketing who as a group, generally are averse to keeping anything on the DL...
Toshie
UniComp
Posted 11:59 AM 2/7/08
*cough* DiVX *cough*
UniComp
Charbax
Posted 3:45 PM 2/7/08
Toshiba should partner with DivX and make DVD Download a DivX Connected box. Which basically means following:
- a 50 dollar Toshiba DVD player will connect to the Internet using an Ethernet cable and/or WiFi, to stream movies from the Internet in DVD or HD quality. Each movie will cost 1-4 dollars to stream instantly, about the same price as renting a DVD or a Blu-ray. Unlimited movie subscription packages could also work such as something like Netflix but streaming over the Internet. DVD quality is achieved with a minimum of 1.5mbit/s download connection and HD quality is achieved with a minimum of 4mbit/s download connection.
Cause it makes absolutely no sense not to support HD resolution on new DVD players sold, especially not if they are connected to the Internet to stream movies.
This strategy would in fact kill off Blu-ray and would be a wise move by Toshiba if their interest is to kill off Blu-ray.
Charbax
Charbax
Posted 3:47 PM 2/7/08
Oh, and by the way, Toshiba could perfectly well sell HD quality movies on Dual Layer discs. Encoded in H264, you can perfectly well fit a 720p movie on a single layer DVD and a 1080p movie on a dual layer DVD.
Charbax
sxr7171
Posted 4:35 PM 2/7/08
@Charbax: Yuck. Wonder why they didn't think of that.
sxr7171
Paganmoon
Posted 7:04 PM 2/7/08
@Charbax: You can fit a "HD Quality" movie on a CD too... but it's going to be compressed to hell, the same with DVD, you can fit it, but it's going to be compressed alot, the new soundtracks won't fit etc etc etc.
Besides... you'd still have to buy a new player, and new discs, so why not just go for a Blu-ray player with 1080p picutre, that isn't compressed to hell, with higher quality sound to boot?
And regarding upscaleing, there's only so much you can do with it. Regular DVD's are compressed, downscaled, processed etc, and alot of information is lost, you can create OK upscaling, but as I said, there's only so much you can do to replace/recreate lost data. This isn't like unpacking a zip file. Alot of data within the picture is lost and bicubic or whatever upscaling they use is still "best guess"...
I was hoping Toshiba would've been more open to Blu-ray, WB siding with blu-ray wasn't much different than when HD-DVD camp got Paramount/Universal, they can't be sore about that... This is simply lousy company strategy IMO. Then again, I'm no CEO...
Paganmoon
kvstud
Posted 11:03 PM 2/7/08
What I would really like Toshiba to do is make DVD9 disks really really really cheap.
So instead of going to the store to get a spindle of 50 DVD+R's, I could get a spindle of 50 DVD dual layer disks.
Developing countries won't give up on DVDs just yet. A lot of places still use VCD as the standard format for (original and pirated) movie distribution.
DVDs have yet to reach their peak.
kvstud
my favorite car is a motorcycle
Posted 3:49 PM 3/7/08
Excuse me, when was the last really good idea that Toshiba had? I can't remember. This sounds almost as pathetic as the old DIVX "rent-a-disc-and-then-fill-your-local-landfill" scheme.
my favorite car is a motorcycle