Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
October 2007
October 2007
Fair enough...
Of course my next predictable question is will these new 2.0 DVD players offer backwards compatibility with my existing Blu-ray movie collection?
Of course my next predictable question is will these new 2.0 DVD players offer backwards compatibility with my existing Blu-ray movie collection?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
December 2003
December 2003
If standard DVD players can play DVD2 DVDs, why wouldn't Blu Ray (or HD DVD) be able to play DVD2 DVDs?
- Josh
- Josh
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
Quote:
Of course my next predictable question is will these new 2.0 DVD players offer backwards compatibility with my existing Blu-ray movie collection?
And my predictable answer - why would they support a niche market?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
October 2007
October 2007
Ouch! That was mean more than it was predictable! 
I think DVD 2.0 might work, but storage capacity might be a problem. Perhaps Toshiba can use a blue laser diode like Blu-ray does, but instead use conventional DVD technology so that replication could be done in existing DVD lines with minimal costs to upgrade. Heck, using such a technology they might be able to fit 15GB per layer, and release a 30GB duel layer version!
I think DVD 2.0 might work, but storage capacity might be a problem. Perhaps Toshiba can use a blue laser diode like Blu-ray does, but instead use conventional DVD technology so that replication could be done in existing DVD lines with minimal costs to upgrade. Heck, using such a technology they might be able to fit 15GB per layer, and release a 30GB duel layer version!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
Quote:
Ouch! That was mean more than it was predictable!
But was posted with a large slice of humor.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
September 2006
September 2006
My gut tells me that MS was trying to push HDi into BD 2.0 and failed. The SD-DVD market is declining, but certainly not dead. And it will continue to be fighting for sales against BD as BD grows. My understanding is that Toshiba gets a nice chunk or royalties from DVDs, it's only natural that they want to receive as much profit from SD-DVD as possible.
Microsoft's involvement would likely be to implement HDi somewhere. As HD-DVD is dead and BD doesn't appear to be adapting HDi, a joint venture into improving the current SD-DVD technology (perhaps its sales too) could be mutually beneficial. MS wants a share of the huge movie market.
What can make this very different based on what I'm reading about the technology is that the transition would be seamless. One would simply buy their movies as normal and upgrade their players if and when they decide to. One big hurdle for the HD formats was that this was not possible without paying for a pricier SD/HD dual format disc.
If it can prolong the life of SD-DVD, then I think from a Toshiba-centric business standpoint, it could be viewed as a win. Sure, Sony and other BD supporters may not like it, but that's business. If it actually makes a difference in sales, it could be considered competition for BD. In which case, the consumer wins either way.
My last comment is more wishful thinking at this point, but i wonder if HD-DVD players might be able to make use of the new features of DVD 2.0 with nothing more than a firmware update. It would be pretty kick ass to already have a compatible player if this format hits the shelves...
Microsoft's involvement would likely be to implement HDi somewhere. As HD-DVD is dead and BD doesn't appear to be adapting HDi, a joint venture into improving the current SD-DVD technology (perhaps its sales too) could be mutually beneficial. MS wants a share of the huge movie market.
What can make this very different based on what I'm reading about the technology is that the transition would be seamless. One would simply buy their movies as normal and upgrade their players if and when they decide to. One big hurdle for the HD formats was that this was not possible without paying for a pricier SD/HD dual format disc.
If it can prolong the life of SD-DVD, then I think from a Toshiba-centric business standpoint, it could be viewed as a win. Sure, Sony and other BD supporters may not like it, but that's business. If it actually makes a difference in sales, it could be considered competition for BD. In which case, the consumer wins either way.
My last comment is more wishful thinking at this point, but i wonder if HD-DVD players might be able to make use of the new features of DVD 2.0 with nothing more than a firmware update. It would be pretty kick ass to already have a compatible player if this format hits the shelves...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
October 2007
October 2007
Yeah, but it's going to be really silly to have to slip in disk #2 to see the HDi PiP feature!
Or how about a new method of seamless branching... manual style: "You have chosen the alternate ending. Please eject disk and turn over. Press play when ready".
As I said, unless Toshiba can find a way to make at least 30GB disks and perhaps adopt the blue laser diode technology, the bandwidth and space limitations of standard dvd are going to severely constrain the HDi functionality, interactivity potential, and longevity of this new proposed format.
If Toshiba can figure out how to increase capacity, only then might they have a chance to compete with new Blu-ray. Perhaps they could call it "The Look and Sound of Perfect", cause then they could master the disk in HD and even include lossless sound codecs. That will give Blu-ray a run for its money!
[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 13, 2008]
Or how about a new method of seamless branching... manual style: "You have chosen the alternate ending. Please eject disk and turn over. Press play when ready".
As I said, unless Toshiba can find a way to make at least 30GB disks and perhaps adopt the blue laser diode technology, the bandwidth and space limitations of standard dvd are going to severely constrain the HDi functionality, interactivity potential, and longevity of this new proposed format.
If Toshiba can figure out how to increase capacity, only then might they have a chance to compete with new Blu-ray. Perhaps they could call it "The Look and Sound of Perfect", cause then they could master the disk in HD and even include lossless sound codecs. That will give Blu-ray a run for its money!
[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 13, 2008]
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
118th post! I WIN!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
November 2007
November 2007
Quote:
What's the actual resolution of the video going to be, regardless of upconversion? 960p??
I haven't read anything about the player's "common" resolution, but the "claim" is that it can OUTPUT NATIVE 960P format, due to the Sony-produced Cell Processor- inside every Super Upconverter Player. Oh, the IRONY of it all...
Below is a sample static pic comparison of a dvd image, VS. a super upconverter image... showing SIGNIFICANT resolution boost by the player. Now, this was taken from another forum, so take it with a grain of salt. Until I get to test one out myself.... IT'S PURE VAPORWARE, with an endless fume of hype- but I'll be DAMNED if I don't buy one, should its claims actually stick.
....oh look, we're up to page 12. yay!
[Post edited by xplaytendo on Mar 13, 2008]
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Member since:
September 2006
September 2006
Skyhawk,
I originally thought you were being somewhat sarcastic in suggesting that using a blue diode on a SD-DVD might allow them to yield a 15 GB per layer disk (which it might). But that's essentially what HD-DVD was. They could have simply not bowed out of the format war if this is what was intended. Plus, using a blue diode would make it impossible for current DVD players to read these discs. Which would completely negate one of the big advantages.
It doesn't appear that they are trying to compete on a PQ level with BD. It's doubtful BD's adoption will be as fast as DVD, even now with only one HD format. So all those involved in SD-DVD still need to try and keep sales of SD-DVDs up. Companies that don't have much financial interest in BD will want to "steal" market share, while those that do have a financial interest in BD a smoother transition into the HD format as its unlikely that BD sales are making up for diminishing SD-DVD sales. For the relative short term, this may be of interest to all the CE companies and studios involved in SD-DVD if it can rejuvenate SD-DVD sales.
That said, it sounds like it's only a study at this point. The technology is there, but actual specs and the actual financial outlook would need to be studied to determine if it would have enough of a positive impact on the SD-DVD market.
I originally thought you were being somewhat sarcastic in suggesting that using a blue diode on a SD-DVD might allow them to yield a 15 GB per layer disk (which it might). But that's essentially what HD-DVD was. They could have simply not bowed out of the format war if this is what was intended. Plus, using a blue diode would make it impossible for current DVD players to read these discs. Which would completely negate one of the big advantages.
It doesn't appear that they are trying to compete on a PQ level with BD. It's doubtful BD's adoption will be as fast as DVD, even now with only one HD format. So all those involved in SD-DVD still need to try and keep sales of SD-DVDs up. Companies that don't have much financial interest in BD will want to "steal" market share, while those that do have a financial interest in BD a smoother transition into the HD format as its unlikely that BD sales are making up for diminishing SD-DVD sales. For the relative short term, this may be of interest to all the CE companies and studios involved in SD-DVD if it can rejuvenate SD-DVD sales.
That said, it sounds like it's only a study at this point. The technology is there, but actual specs and the actual financial outlook would need to be studied to determine if it would have enough of a positive impact on the SD-DVD market.
