Did Someone Blink? From HMR:

Hi-Def Rivals Sony, NEC Forge Optical Disc Venture
Author: ERIK GRUENWEDEL
[email protected]
Posted: November 17, 2005
Email this Story to Friend
Sony Corp., backer of next generation DVD format Blu-ray Disc, and rival HD DVD supporter NEC Corp., today announced they have inked a “memorandum of understanding” to establish a joint venture in the creation of optical disc drives.

The unnamed new global company, slated to debut April 1, 2006, would combine NEC’s strength in large-scale integration technology with Sony’s expertise in optical pickups.

It is unclear how this might affect ongoing differences between Blu-ray and HD DVD and their separate drives to market.

In statement, Toshiba Corp., primary backer of HD DVD, said NEC’s decision to work with Sony didn’t change its support for HD DVD.

“We do not expect this announcement to have any impact on HD DVD standardization or market penetration,” said Toshiba in a statement.

That market may be huge, but not in comparison to low and lower middle income families who really just don't care. VHS died but DVD took years and years in killing it. I was at a friends house last night and she has TVs in four rooms- all of them older cheap models and all of them standard bubble screen type sets. I have another pal who has YET to switch to DVD and still uses his VHS player for watching and recording sports and soaps for his wife. Technologies die harder and slower for those who don't see the need for things like HD. I think HD will take over DVD but that death will be slow as well. When it does so, it will be because it finally targets those low to lower middle income families with cheap hardware and low priced titles.

Many of us have qualms about upgrading our electronic hardware every few years. As for upgrading my HD set again, I bought mine a year ago this month and will NOT buy another just to appease the powers that be.

im just buying HD dvd b/c of the HUGE difference in quality.

DVD is SO low def.

Welcome To Forum Andy! :wave:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/dvdnews.php?id=12068

Sony Completes First Full-Length Blue-ray Disc
Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment November 18, 2005


Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) president Benjamin S. Feingold today announced that authoring has been completed on the first Blu-ray Disc (BD) to contain a full-length, high-definition feature film. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle was compressed and authored in MPEG 2 full high-definition (1920 x 1080) by Sony Pictures' Digital Authoring Center (DAC) and is now being shipped to BD hardware companies for player testing.

Utilizing Blu-ray's unprecedented storage capacity, the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle disc features dynamic menus with full resolution graphics and animation, superior audio and unparalleled picture quality. "We are confident this achievement will help everyone understand that Blu-ray is real and poised to enter the marketplace," said Mr. Feingold. "Blu-ray will bring the highest quality HD experience possible to the home."

"We are extremely proud to deliver on the promise of Blu-ray. This is an important step for our industry in order to begin mass production of high-definition movies in the Blu-ray format in the near future," said Don Eklund, Senior Vice President, Advanced Technologies, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

"Sony Pictures authoring tools, together with our unmatched expertise, have made the first Blu-ray Disc a reality and we are thrilled to ship this prototype disc to BD hardware manufacturers for testing," said James Mercs Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Authoring Center, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle? What a curious choice for a first test disc.

what a strange choice ... won't Spider-man 2 be a better choice ?

I agree that is strange when you could've chosen titles like Black Hawk Down, Starship Troopers, The 5th Element, The Patriot, Mask of Zorro, Air Force One, Spiderman, Hellboy, Goldeneye, etc.

They only used MPEG2.

YAWN

I guess their "Sony Pictures authoring tools" weren't quite ready to use the newer encoding methods.

Just guessing, but McG seemed to use alot of MTV type eye candy filming this movie so it will probably be an attention grabber in HD.

Bring it on, bitches. I can't wait!!!

It's probably not a matter of readiness so much as Sony's willingness to use them -- Sony is planning to use MPEG2 for their commercial releases (presumably for political or business rather than technical reasons), so it would be a little incongruous for them to use one of the newer codecs for their demonstration disc. I hope they change their mind, but at the moment it looks like at least the first wave of Columbia/MGM Blu-ray titles will be MPEG2-only.

Not surprised one bit. I'm sure Scream will be next.

I just hope they don't play games and get 1080p ones out right away. Yes not many TV's are 1080p yet - but we sure as hell know that many of the ones released next year will be. You can always downgrade the signal from the DVD from 1080p to 1080i - don't waste our time with upscaling. Frankly true 480p is not that much different from 1080i in my opinion for picture quality (IMHO) so let's get our ducks in a row, stop the planned obsolescence nonsense and release a good one. We are not idiots, we know all about the crappy first generation stuff so just release what you already have instead of claiming to have improved things. The technology exists now.

You want us to buy your stuff right? Automakers makers don't say yeah, we didn't bother uphostering the back seat since this is the all-new BMW and we don't know how to do that. Maybe next year it will have that feature. We know what technology you have, we have all seen the "upgrades" from early units so don't play games. I'm not saying the technology is 100% and they couldn't improve from 1 year to the next but sheesh - just give us the 1080p right off the bat since you've already shown it at CES.

I have no doubt that both sides are making units that cam be upgraded to 1080p with a chip replacement just in case the other camp releases theirs 1080p right off the bat so that they can switch them out before they hit the shelves.

Probably not. Has Scream even been second looked on SD dvd yet?

I don't expect Sony to use anything else, VC-1, until Microsoft stops sticking it to them by siding with HD-dvd. The other BR supporting studios are free to use VC1 though.

From Home Media Retailing:

BLU-RAY DELAYS FULL 50GB DISC
High-def format due to launch in first half of 2006
By Scott Hettrick 12/5/2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES--To fully realize the innovative capabilities of the Blu-ray Disc, a 50GB version of the disc will be required--but it won't be ready when the high-definition format launches in the first half of 2006.

That revelation came in a Blu-ray press demo held Nov. 29 on the 20th Century Fox lot and attended by many members of the Blu-ray camp.

Andy Parsons, senior VP advanced product development for Pioneer, downplayed the delayed readiness of the 50GB disc, saying it was something the industry would "grow into over time."

But Buena Vista Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek said Disney wanted the 50GB disc to be ready "from the get-go."

Many of the enhanced components demonstrated will be offered via the basic 25GB Blu-ray Disc and likely could be incorporated into the similar-capacity rival high-def format HD DVD.

But Chapek said he envisions packing discs with a full panoply of high-def bonus materials, extensive interactive features and other new types of content, which would require the higher capacity of the 50GB version. All the content would be seamlessly integrated and accessible without leaving the movie.

He also said he envisions releasing Blu-ray/DVD hybrid discs, containing both the standard-definition and high-def versions of the movie--another configuration not likely to be available at the time of launch.

Disney will be ready to deliver titles using all of the capabilities of the 50GB disc as soon as it is ready for market, Chapek said.

But sources said the earliest a 50GB disc would be ready would be the second-half 2006. A related announcement is expected soon by at least one major manufacturer.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the latter have twice the vertical resolution?

BR launch date rumored to be June 6. You can probably bet on PS3 around then too.

480p = 720x480 displayed progressively
1080i = 1920x1080 displayed interlaced

I will be buying normal DVD's forever. The quality on them is plenty good for me. Plus in 2-4 years, they will be CHEAP! I can't wait!

Black Hawk Down? Umm don't you think that it's not very colorful? I don't think so.

But Spider-man, the Patriot, Mask of Zorro, should indeed be good alternatives.

Have they released a list or any hints of what movies will availble at launch time?

According to an insider on AVS these are just a few of the launch titles he could mention that we will see ... all in glorious 1080p.

Fifth Element
Resident Evil:Apocalypse
Kung Fu Hustle (???)
GhostRider
Triple X
Lawrence of Arabia ( It sounds like Panasonic will have the 50GB discs ready to go for this title!)