There’s a lot of talk about digital distribution killing off physical media, especially in a world with super fast fibre broadband and high data plans. But the truth of the matter is that physical media is still selling well, and according to Danny Kaye, Executive Vice President of Global Research and Technology Strategy at 20th Century Fox, Australia is currently the top market in the world for number of entertainment transactions per person. More »
You think you enjoyed Blu-ray vs HD DVD? Memory Stick vs SD? Pshaw! You haven’t seen a format war until you’ve witnessed the betrayal and bloodbath that was Betamax vs VHS. (Above, the 1/2 inch tape SL-6300 Betamax.) More »
There is no getting around it—we love us some porn. This sinful medium has played a vital role in pushing video technology forward over the years—and it may be poised to do it again.
In the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray, Netflix has thrown its considerable weight behind one format. Starting December 15, Netflix will no longer carry HD DVDs and will be going exclusively Blu-ray. However, members need not worry: HD DVD titles added to their queues will be replaced automatically by standard DVDs. Take that, HD DVD! Wait, this is still November 2007, right? [Hacking Netflix]
It’s tough to decide whether Toshiba is being incredibly intelligent or incredibly stubborn in their decision to back upconverting DVD technology instead of Blu-ray. I mean, they were certainly burnt – badly – by Blu-ray with that whole HD DVD format war, but is their decision to stick to DVD smart?
Take their latest DVD player, the XD-E500 DVD upscaler. It’s marketed on the fact that it can take your vanilla old DVDs and upscale them to HD-like quality with 1080p output. That sounds pretty good (although the press release says that standard def DVDs are 480p – not in Australia, Toshiba!). But then there’s the price: $199.
Sure, the Toshy’s got some pretty catchy-sounding tech on board (XDE Technology, anyone?) for upscaling, plus DivX playback, HDMI CEC connectivity and a host of connections, but is it worth $200 bucks? Sony’s latest Blu-ray player has an RRP of $449, but you can pick it up for $380 online, and it will not only upscale your DVDs, but playback Blu-ray movies as well. Even at $150 for the Toshy, don’t most people already own a DVD player?
Still, if the infinite format war takes Blu-ray as its next victim, Toshiba will probably be the company laughing all the way to the bank. More »
A banner year for Blu-ray, to be sure, with a 100% drop in the most important stat of all, there in yellow. All this according to “Sony Figures.” They just can’t help themselves.
I was fortunate enough to see an advanced screening of Tropic Thunder last night, and it was fantastic. The one thing that really stood out for me though was that Writer/Director/Actor Ben Stiller must be a Gizmodo fan – there were gadget references everywhere.
Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that TiVo plays a big part, as do satellite phones and private jets. Plus there’s a rather lengthy explanation on why Blu-ray won the format war (yep – porn and the PS3), which you wouldn’t normally associate with a movie set in a jungle.
Definitely worth checking out when it launches next week.
Be happy: A new wireless HD video standard guarantees that major brands including Sony, Sharp, Hitachi, Samsung and Motorola will have interoperable wireless video streaming. Amimon–the chip makers behind the “video modem” wireless HD tech we’ve been seeing on and off for the last few years, and most recently in Belkin’s Flywire–is announcing the WHDI consortium with the above members, formed to standardise their wireless HD spec and embed it in member companies’ TVs, projectors and HD video sources. The result is a network of HD components, streaming uncompressed 1080p video not just through one room like competing UWB standards, but to and from any source to any TV in your entire home, with a range comparable to Wi-Fi. Pretty impressive stuff.
HD DVD was declared dead a long time ago, and the last film to be released to the US on the format will hit (roughly three to five) shelves tomorrow. Disco Pigs was originally released in 2001 and very appropriately stars Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy as friends who were born in the same hospital, at the same time, and who grew up next to one another. Unfortunately, as they reach adulthood it is apparent that their relationship has become dangerously volatile. It doesn’t end well. (Spoiler alert: Cillian Murphy’s character is the HD DVD.) [Crave]
One year ago, we predicted that the infinite format war would rise from the ashes of the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war–that a million online services and set-top boxes would suddenly promise to deliver movies and video to your computer or TV. And that each one would essentially be their own format, since none of them are compatible, and each would promise only a fraction of available movies. We were right about our fears, but we also have a solution to a decent download collection.
