Amazon was a bit screwy yesterday (even TicTap didn't collect info) but this is the data I have.

uh, the Oppo is not a HD player...

He's including it to compare HD-DVD and BD player sales to a popular DVD player.

Correct. I picked that model specifically because it's one of the best-selling "expensive" DVD players on Amazon. People in the market for an Oppo might consider the Toshiba or Samsung players (or vice-versa); or at least, more so than someone buying a $40 Cyberhome or Coby player.

VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY Interesting!!!

Amir just said over at AVS that a TL HD DVD would be easier to make than a single layer BD. Ha.

How could he possibly compare that given he's got nothing to do with Blu-Ray? I'd feel equally as bad about someone from Blu-Ray making a similar comment.

I'm sure he does know, however, what goes into the process of making them. I don't get the impression that he's someone to just throw around statements like that.

Microsoft offers its VC-1 codec to both sides of the format war. Warner Bros. has said that they'll be switching to VC-1 on Blu-ray as soon as it's feasible to implement. I'm sure Microsoft has done quite a lot of research into the workings of Blu-ray.

Now that I re-read it, it is an opinion. "Easier to make" can mean anything: design, manufacturing, etc. I don't doubt he's wrong, in whatever way he meant that statement to mean.

Exactly. The company didn't get to its position in the industry by ignoring everyone else.

And that also gives it a very unique position. It's got a hand in both formats but is firmly backing only one. It's just whoring itself out for the other...which means that it must get some inside info on that end.

It's not great but it's better than what it was...

I went to BB on 23rd street today in the city. Initially, they had the Toshie on the endcap (where the BD is now). Then it was moved to an aisle with all the other DVD players. Now? They've moved it to their Home Theater center that's set up with chairs, big screen TV and full surround. I was VERY happy to see that.

Funny story: while I was looking at BD for a second (wanted to see if any drones would come up to me) this guy in his early/mid-20's walks up to me and says "BD sucks, man. Don't buy dis shit. It was rushed to market." And with that, he walked away.
OH and he had a video game in his hand.

Anyone else's BB highlighting HD now?

I was at a local BB the other night (one without a Magnolia or at least they are in the process of adding one). But, they had an endcap with BD and some people were around it. The A1 was on a larger tv with chairs around it similar to when they have video game systems hooked up. There was no one around it while I was there though.

It definately had a better setup. Ive been to 3 different BB since BD launch. NONE have had BD with a better setup. The A1 was either in a better setup or similar to BD.

The best was the magnolia HT setup with the XA1 on the Mits 73in 1080p tv....woof it looked good.

This is how the store close to me is set up. They have been running Van Helsing on it and it looks pretty good. They seem to be trying harder to set the displays up correctly.

Speaking of Van Helsing... did the transfer look like ass to anyone else? I don't think it was the transfer so much, but the movie was extremely dark and not shot very well. Constantine and Jarhead (oil field shots) were both dark but looked defined. My TV is about as calibrated as it can be.

Actually, I thought this movie really popped in HD. One of the best looking transfers I have seen.

I agree. Something must be wrong somewhere in your chain if you find the PQ on this to look like 'ass'.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...&page_number=2

"Sound & Vision's Jamie Sorcher recently sat down with Toshiba HD DVD guru Mark Knox to get his company's take on the present and future of the big hi-def disc rollout. Check back soon for further installments of this five-part interview. "

Interesting part were he says there are a few other CE's (besides Toshiba, Sanyo, & NEC) who will coming into the game.

I agree. The scene where Van Helsing travels on the snow convered mountains shows amazing detail.

I just watched Van Helsing myself today. Very nice transfer. But man, Kate Beckinsale's Transylvanian accent sucks.

Cool... I'll look into this.

www.homemediaretailing.com

HD DVD backers are banking on the fourth quarter.

Already, there are “tens of thousands” of HD DVD players in homes across America, said a panel of format supporters from Paramount Home Entertainment, New Line Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video, at the Entertainment Media Expo held Monday in Universal City, Calif.

“We’re still projecting Q4 to be a very vibrant business for hardware and software,” said Steve Nickerson, SVP of WHV. “There are as many consumer electronics HD DVD players in the market as there were standard-definition DVD players at the end of 1997.”

The wild cards, Nickerson said, are Xbox and HD DVD-enabled computers.

“We can build a business models around CE players alone,” he said.

Between HD DVD’s main backers, there will be as many as 150 HD DVD titles on store shelves by the end of the year. Warner, which has 21 titles already out, will release anywhere from 35 to 50 additional titles, according to Nickerson.

Universal, which is only supporting HD DVD, will have a 60-title slate by the fourth quarter, said Ken Graffeo, EVP of USHE.

Paramount, which is backing both HD DVD and its rival format, Blu-ray Disc, currently has seven HD DVD titles available, with three more streeting Aug. 8.

“We’ll probably double that by year’s end,” said Alex Carloss, EVP of worldwide marketing and entertainment for Paramount. That will include a HD DVD edition of Mission: Impossible III with a wealth of bonus features, Carloss said.

New Line, another dual-format supporter, has yet to announce specific releases, and likely won’t until studios see how well the fourth quarter plays out, according to Matt Lasorsa, EVP of marketing.

“It will be as early in 2007 as possible,” Lasorsa said. “We don’t have the depth or breadth of the other studios, so we want to wait until there’s more player penetration.”

After that, New Line will start with day-and-date releases, adding “strong catalog titles, such as Blade and Seven, soon after” Lasorsa said.

On the hardware side, there’s a small but growing sample of HD DVD-enabled homes, numbering in the tens of thousands, backers said, though they declined to give specific sales figures.

The lower-priced Toshiba HD DVD player — at $500 — is outselling the “step-up” version — at $1,000 — by 5-to-1. But that ratio is largely attributed to the fact that the pricier model has a much more limited distribution, said Jodi Sally, VP of digital and AV marketing for Toshiba.

So far, backers are judging the success of HD DVD’s “soft launch” — now four months in — by consumer reaction more than by return on investment, panelists said.

The hardware adoption is about as expected, Graffeo said. But the reaction, appreciation and approval studios are hearing from key consumers is better than expected.

“They really do see the difference,” Graffeo said. “That’s what’s exceeded our expectations.”

Studios have big plan for the interactivity and connectivity HD DVD allows. The fourth quarter will inform those plans, too.

Universal has taken several different approaches to its HD DVD “in-movie experiences” and are watching closely to see how consumers respond to each, Graffeo said.

The ability to leverage all the HD interactivity is getting better by the day, Carloss said. The next step is balancing that with what consumers want.

“The fourth quarter will take those learnings and apply them to ’07 releases,” he said.

Used in a sentence

Paramount Studios are a bunch of fucking pussies

How long did it take for Paramount to even get into DVD, and how long before they put DVD-exclusive special features? The fact we got the films we did in the quality we did this early in the game is a minor miracle. And while Paramount has some great stuff, Warner alone is going to make me go bankrupt this year, especially if they do the entire Superman box set in HD.

Just saw this over at AVS. Consider it rumor until....well...i guess the Fall.

"The word is slowly trickling out that the Panasonic and Pioneer are not significant improvements over the Sammy, almost like air being slowly let out of a balloon."