Thank goodness HD-DVD is region free.

So, overall good news. However, the bad news is that imports always cost more.

anyone see the statement by Walmart that they will NOT carry the new cheaper HD DVD players? They claim they only want to carry 'brand name' machines and not chinese ones.

I think this might hurt HD DVD during the holiday season. There has been so much focus on the magical $199 high def machines as if the first one to get there wins the game, etc. but now that it's coming a major retailer refuses to stock it!!

p.s. and what is up with the new 3 disc SD Hot Fuzz set just announced? Anyone hear of it's HD DVD counterpart? Otherwise this is nuts- SD gets a 3 disc deluxe set and HD DVD gets the 1 disc???

The HD DVD had a lot of stuff missing from the first release. I'm not worried about a double dip on this one.

Maybe they are worried about the lead paint!

The only feature included on the 3-disc that is not on the HD is the Fuzzball Rally. Everything else is already on the HD-DVD.

I think there is also a new commentary track not on the HD release.

Tremors is up for pre-order on Amazon, oh yeah!!!

The Fuzzball Rally was on the SD side of the combo disc.

New HD NOW page posted - All HD DVD supporters should jump on these and send them in now, as this is the best time!

Triple Layer 51GB HD DVD has been approved by the DVD Forum.

So much for the bluray "space advantage"


The great news coming out of CEDIA is that all pre-existing players (G1 and G2) will be able to support these with a firmware update.

http://www.screendigest.com/online_s...60907-ec3/show

Wow, honestly, I'm kind of shocked that the current gen players can play these. I guess the question is will they be able to play them well.

Where does it say they will work with G1 and G2 players?

A single-sided triple-layer HD DVD/DVD hybrid (combi) disc, the DVD layer of which would be playable by legacy DVD players, is expected to be approved before the year end.

That's not the disc i'm asking about. I'm not worried about playing a hybrid disc on a DVD player, I want confirmation that a TL51 HD DVD will play on my 1st gen HD DVD player.

I'm thinking that the forum wouldn't have approved them if current machines couldn't play them.

So much for 30 gig being more than enough.

I say bring it on!

According to Toshiba's interview at IFA 2006, it won't.

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62615

DVDTimes: So, if that does come out, do you know if the current drives would be able to read it with a firmware update? Is there any likelihood that we'll ever see triple-layer film discs?
Jim Armour, Toshiba: Any likelihood... well, if we're actually creating the format, I think there's a likelihood. There is a likelihood - a 45gb capacity could be very useful. Whether drives can read it, I don't know - because, basically the specification hasn't been set. It's like when the first Dual Layer DVD-Rs came out, really old drives couldn't read it. [...] It could well be the same situation. Until the standard has been specified and ratified, you can't really say whether it'll be able to read it.

I would go as far, in fact, to say probably not. You're having to focus through two primary layers. The amount of reflected energy that you're going to get back will be quite low. Now in my opinion, in order to read this kind of media, you're going to need something like - do you know your way around the term PRML?

DVDTimes: I actually don't, no - could you explain that?
Jim Armour, Toshiba: It's Partial Response Maximum Likelihood - PRML. It's in hard discs. It's like a digital filter where you take the signal, which is quite weak and has a lot of noise in it, and you clean up the noise. The signal you get out is still looking like noise, but you know that in certain points, the data is going to have a slightly stronger signal at these points. So, you put it through a digital filter, and you compare it to non-data. And then, you pick out the data from this noisy signal with it. It's a very interesting technology, but it's not actually built into current HD DVD readers.

The signal that you're going to get back off triple layer is going to be something in the region of only 15-20% of the current reflected information that you get off a single layer.
DVDTimes: Basically, not good enough to get anything out of, then?
Jim Armour, Toshiba: Not good enough to get information out of, WITHOUT this PRML circuitry, and the first drives don't have PRML circuitry built in. I don't think that even with a firmware upgrade, you'd be able to do it.
DVDTimes: Right, it's physical hardware then?
Jim Armour, Toshiba: Yeah, I think second or third generation hardware - fine, but not first-generation products.

That interview is a little too outdated to be taken as the final word on the subject.

Disney's main issues were interactive features and max. storage space. Looks like HD DVD may be the first to offer both of those. I wonder if the TL discs will cause them to rethink their stance.

I thought Disney also wanted Region Coding.

They would, whiny bastards.

But that aside, if Toshiba did make first gen HD-DVD players obsolete they should at least offer a trade-in program.

Well, not really. When you buy a first-gen product of anything, you take a risk. It's still a "Guinea Pig" product. Which is why I wait unti the 2nd or 3rd gen of a particular product which has no set standard.

You can't expect a company to retro-fit every single piece of product first introduced. It would make the costs of the later models to increase significantly to cover the costs of upgrading the older models. If anything, maybe a discount on future hardware that is new.

Sorry dude, that's not going to happen. There not going to replace an older unit for a brand new one. Were gonna have a ton of obsolete Blu-ray players shortly and I don't think Sony, Samsung, Pioneer etc. are going to send them all new ones.

ironically, if the triple layer discs do come to market, and can't be played on g1/g2 units there will be more "obsolete" hd dvd players out there than "obsolete" bd players. assuming the ps3 is updated to support the new profiles, that is...