Since the book is coming out on July 16th, 2005 I was just wondering if you guys think the Harry Potter Half Blood Prince DVD will be released on HD-DVD when it comes out likely in 2008, and if so what will the disc be like? How will technology likely jump forward by then

Holodeck Hogwarts from our homes?

-Brian

Call me crazy, ummm, but shouldnt we wait for a few more of the movies to be made before this conversation???

I think HD-DVDs (blu-ray or whatever) we'll stay a niche market laserdisc like format.

Thus I'd guess this movie will come out on HD-DVD and regular DVD like all big releases in 5 or so years.

Well, five or six years ago everyone said that the entire US would, by law, have HDTV feeds on all channels by 2002. That hasn't happened. I don't see HD-DVD being a significant force in the market until the country until a majority of people are watching HD-TV. Until then it'll be a niche system. (That I'll purchase, make no mistake.)

Beta

Correction with your date.... US mandates all transmissions to be that of HDTV on or by the year 2006 and not 2002.

They made it official on 2002 but it will be mandatory by 2006

Holodeck Format.

I'm not buying any Sherlock Holmes movies, then. I don't trust that Moriarty.

Opps, you're right. 12-31-2006 is the current switchover date, but the stations have not met the goals leading up to that by the dates set. As it is, RIGHT NOW, 75% of all broadcasts should be HD-TV. By 2002, all commercial stations were supposed to broadcast some HD programing.

It didn't happen, and I'll bet that on 1-1-07 you'll still be able to receive NTSC programing.

http://home.earthlink.net/~greenevid.../timeline.html

But isn't he living in some kind of galactic microchip now? What harm could he do from there?

Isn't the mandate just for digital broadcasts, which don't necessarily have to be in high definition? I think and hope that consumer demand will make them HD, but there's no law that says they have to.

Anyway, the DVD will be released in Region 1 in 4 formats:

NTSC widescreen letterbox (OAR)
NTSC fullscreen
HDTV widescreen letterbox (OAR)
HDTV fullscreen (fills 16:9 HDTV)

WTF?

*Moving to the Magic 8 Ball forum*

*shakes forum*

Outlook doesn't look good

Henry potter rules

It's part of the new Patriot Act bill. You either get with the program and get a HDTV, or you're a terrorist, pal.

I'm sorry, but even at the trade shows and at NAB the talk has always been that the 2006 cut off date was never going to make it. More like 2012. Not till the cost of the equipment is still high will people buy into it. And yes, it's only for digital broadcast. So things like this aren't going to effect DVD much anyways.

As for the fate of DVD. HD-DVD will be a niche market like josh said. People wont jump on it because they wont see the benefit as clear as they do with VHS to DVD. New technology like this is only generally accepted every 10-15 years later. People have invested far to much in the DVD's to give them up and start all over again with HD because to the average consumer it's not much of a difference.

Exactly. The HD-DVD market will be smaller than the Laserdisc market was and will never have any impact on the mainstream.

DVD will be around for at least the next 10-15 years.

Almost nobody owned any movies on VHS - now even my grandmother has a DVD collection.
There's no way that "normal" people will start replacing their DVDs with HD-DVDs.

I disagree.

DVD won't be going anywhere, but I see a nice healthy and pretty large niche for high-definition DVD. There are ALOT of HDTVs being sold, and there are a decent amount of people subscribing to HD television feeds (with more jumping on board everyday).

They may not replace their DVDs with HD-DVDs, but with people purchasing HD-DVD players (which are backwards compatable) - if the price is right, any new titles they purchase can be HD-DVDs. They don't have to give up their DVD collection, they can just start purchasing HD-DVDs from that point on.

Another questions is, will it be released on VHS. I say no. VHS should be dead within the next 2 years or so.

terrorist

This is correct. There is no mandate on HDTV just DVT. There IS a difference.

I will be surprised to see "fullscreen" HD-DVDs.

Exactly! It won't be a replacement just a gradual upgrade. AND I say it any time this frigging topic comes up, if you cannot see the difference between SD and HD then you are
a. imagining that it is not there or
b. blind

HD is the future, not a niche.

Depends on what happens with DRM. There are plenty of people like me who bought "HD ready" sets before DVI was common. If there is no HD over component and HD feeds are downrezed over component (which seems likely) many of us won't be jumping on the HD-DVD bandwagon... we'll be jumping on the class action lawsuit bandwagon.

Nice theory but I don't know how you can be certain they will be backwards compatable. Looks to me like there will be a format war. That may well be what dooms HD-DVD. I know a LOT of people who won't jump into the middle of that mess.

I bought a HDTV before dvi was common. Technology is like that and should be expected. A class action lawsuit for what exactly??? That is like saying I'm going to sue the industry because I bought a dvd player the month before they released progressive scanning units. (which I also did ...doh!) The next big thing after the new format(s) come out will probably be 1080p as well.

Dvds will be compatible with both formats and I don't see them allowing connections other than hdmi or dvi right now, but we will have to wait and see.

Whether or not there is a format war has nothing to do with players being backward compatible. Simply put, any manufacturer that releases an HD-DVD or Blu-ray player that won't play current DVDs will never sell a single player.

You can be very certain that all of the players released during the "format war" will be backward compatible.