HD DVD shows signs of rushed launch
03-07-06 | 03:05 PM
#27
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From: Mpls, MN
Originally Posted by joshd2012
I believe the pressure is on HD-DVD. They have already missed two launch dates, so missing a third, or seriously messing it up, especially when Blu-Ray is right on their tail, could be the last nail in the coffin. Also, being that the launch is 3 weeks away (compared with a few months for Blu-Ray) is a difference. So saying that you don't know anything about Blu-Ray is irrelevant..
It'll be 2007 before most of us here will bother picking up a player. What does March vs May matter?
03-07-06 | 03:07 PM
#28
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From: NYC
Originally Posted by Spiky
?? Far? Near? Immediately after? Later this year?
It'll be 2007 before most of us here will bother picking up a player. What does March vs May matter?
It'll be 2007 before most of us here will bother picking up a player. What does March vs May matter?
03-07-06 | 03:43 PM
#29
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Randy Miller III
Well, at least Best Buy employees will have a good excuse for not knowing what they're talking about. 
03-08-06 | 05:08 AM
#30
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Originally Posted by Adam Tyner
What's so hard to accept about the fact that both of you are right? Both formats are doing an awful job.
There are certain people who cannot comprehend that BR has any chance of failing. They have the support of the studios, and HD keeps screwing stuff up. All Sony has to do is NOT fuck up and it's a cakewalk. Problem is they are nearly as screwed up as HD.
Stick this in your floppy drive and compute: It was made official this week; PS3 will NOT launch in the spring. Sonmy is hopeful for a fall release to coincide with the holiday shopping season. Many speculate this launch will be Japan only. So much for that Trojan horse.
I have long said that where PS3 goes so does Blu-Ray. If PS3 is a no-show at E3 (working hardware and software with a hard release date) then it is dead in the water. If Sony conceeds two holiday seasons to MS and one to Nintendo, then they are in huge trouble.
Sucks because I want one.
03-08-06 | 05:37 AM
#31
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Qui Gon Jim
There are certain people who cannot comprehend that BR has any chance of failing.
I have said that, right now, HD DVD's launch is more of a shambles than Blu-ray's.
Stick this in your floppy drive and compute: It was made official this week; PS3 will NOT launch in the spring.
I have long said that where PS3 goes so does Blu-Ray. If PS3 is a no-show at E3 (working hardware and software with a hard release date) then it is dead in the water. If Sony conceeds two holiday seasons to MS and one to Nintendo, then they are in huge trouble.
But now? In March 8? I can't see why.
03-08-06 | 06:19 AM
#32
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I have said that, right now, HD DVD's launch is more of a shambles than Blu-ray's.
For every failing you point out for HD, the same can be pointed out for BR. To me it seems like they are pushing both out the gate too fast, and the consumers will suffer.
I think that BR and PS3 go deeper than that. If PS3 fails, I think BR as a format has a huge chance of failing. Sony is counting on the PS3 to surge their installed base very fast. If there's no PS3 and HD players are cheaper for near identical content, I can tell you what J6P (to a degree this year) is going to jump on.
As I said in my post and in the past, I am pulling for BR. I hate the name but the tech seems better. But I am impartial enough to see that Sony is screwing the pooch so far. At this point, I wouldn't invest in either. This time last year it would have been BR.
03-08-06 | 06:21 AM
#33
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Spiky
?? Far? Near? Immediately after? Later this year?
It'll be 2007 before most of us here will bother picking up a player. What does March vs May matter?
It'll be 2007 before most of us here will bother picking up a player. What does March vs May matter?
03-08-06 | 06:22 AM
#34
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From Variety:
"Sony’s new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console’s Blu-ray function. The PlayStation 3 —- which is being called “the poor man’s Blue-ray” —- is vital to Sony’s plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.
Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 “delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up,” Stringer boasts.
Blu-ray is the system developed by Sony to view next-generation high-definition DVDs. Rival format HD DVD is championed by Toshiba. Microsoft recently joined the HD DVD camp, a move that came as its Xbox 360 videogame console is trying to grab market share from PlayStation, the industry leader."
"Sony’s new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console’s Blu-ray function. The PlayStation 3 —- which is being called “the poor man’s Blue-ray” —- is vital to Sony’s plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.
Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 “delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up,” Stringer boasts.
Blu-ray is the system developed by Sony to view next-generation high-definition DVDs. Rival format HD DVD is championed by Toshiba. Microsoft recently joined the HD DVD camp, a move that came as its Xbox 360 videogame console is trying to grab market share from PlayStation, the industry leader."
03-08-06 | 06:46 AM
#35
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Special Edition
Oh, that. "Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays."
Firstly, that is the writer speaking, not Sony or Stringer.
Secondly, "by" means "no later than". So the writer is saying "Sony will roll out the PS3 before 2006 is out". It could be November, it could be June. You can't read any more into it.
Firstly, that is the writer speaking, not Sony or Stringer.
Secondly, "by" means "no later than". So the writer is saying "Sony will roll out the PS3 before 2006 is out". It could be November, it could be June. You can't read any more into it.
03-08-06 | 07:58 AM
#36
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From: Durham, NC USA
The evolution of DVD
1) Pan & Scan
2) Letterbox
3) anamorphic - lousy transfer
4) Anamorphic - good transfer - wrong OAR
5) Anamorphic - good transfer -right OAR
6) 2 Disc SE - enhanced transfer -
6.5 2 disc SE - DTS version
7) Superbit
8) Extreme Edition
9) Tricked out Edition (w/additional bonus material for sequel tie-in)
10) Realy Extreme Tricky Edition (they always find a way to try to make us triple dip)
11) HD - 1st generation. Limited functionality. Defective discs.
12) BR - 1st generation. limited funcationality. defective discs
13) HD - 2nd generation. incompatibility problems for SD unresolved.
14) BR - 2nd generation. incompability problems for SD unresolved.
15) Universal's DVD-192 (double sided, quintuple layered) discs cause problems on some players
16) Purists scream that high def DVDs are cropped to 1:78. Masses don't care as it removes 'those ugly black bars'
17) HD - 3rd generation with HD Audio. Most problems fixed.
18) BR - 3rd generation with HD audio. Most problems fixed.
19) New DVD format Super HD++ supporting up to 3180 lines of resolution announced
20) HD (or BR) wins.. Other fades away...
21) Super HD++ Players announced
22) Criterion announces support for high def. winner
23) Madacy releases 'Night of the Living Dead - now digitally remastered for high definition'
24) Anchor bay release Evil Dead Trilogy in high def - in 4 collections versions. Special AOD version is only available in high def broomstick edition.
25) Super HD++ titles announced. People who haven't migrated to BR/HD-DVD not sure it it's worth getting those or wait until Super HD++ is generally available.
26) Exteme BR ++ technology announced supporting 3999 lines of resolution. Incompatible with Super HD++ technology. Purists argue video is technically superior to Supert HD++.. The format war continues.
sorry - couldn't resist...
and the beat goes on...
1) Pan & Scan
2) Letterbox
3) anamorphic - lousy transfer
4) Anamorphic - good transfer - wrong OAR
5) Anamorphic - good transfer -right OAR
6) 2 Disc SE - enhanced transfer -
6.5 2 disc SE - DTS version
7) Superbit
8) Extreme Edition
9) Tricked out Edition (w/additional bonus material for sequel tie-in)
10) Realy Extreme Tricky Edition (they always find a way to try to make us triple dip)
11) HD - 1st generation. Limited functionality. Defective discs.
12) BR - 1st generation. limited funcationality. defective discs
13) HD - 2nd generation. incompatibility problems for SD unresolved.
14) BR - 2nd generation. incompability problems for SD unresolved.
15) Universal's DVD-192 (double sided, quintuple layered) discs cause problems on some players
16) Purists scream that high def DVDs are cropped to 1:78. Masses don't care as it removes 'those ugly black bars'
17) HD - 3rd generation with HD Audio. Most problems fixed.
18) BR - 3rd generation with HD audio. Most problems fixed.
19) New DVD format Super HD++ supporting up to 3180 lines of resolution announced
20) HD (or BR) wins.. Other fades away...
21) Super HD++ Players announced
22) Criterion announces support for high def. winner
23) Madacy releases 'Night of the Living Dead - now digitally remastered for high definition'
24) Anchor bay release Evil Dead Trilogy in high def - in 4 collections versions. Special AOD version is only available in high def broomstick edition.
25) Super HD++ titles announced. People who haven't migrated to BR/HD-DVD not sure it it's worth getting those or wait until Super HD++ is generally available.
26) Exteme BR ++ technology announced supporting 3999 lines of resolution. Incompatible with Super HD++ technology. Purists argue video is technically superior to Supert HD++.. The format war continues.
sorry - couldn't resist...
and the beat goes on...
03-08-06 | 10:57 AM
#38
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by genufett
Could you post evidence of this? By all accounts, it will be included in all players.
03-08-06 | 12:20 PM
#40
DVD Talk God
I gotta say, this thread title is very misleading. Name one new technology product in the past ten years that wasn't rushed to market.
03-08-06 | 01:17 PM
#41
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It looks like Walmart's canceling all of their HD DVD preorders. Apparently they're not authorized because they don't sell the hardware. Nice job in pissing off the 5000-pound gorilla of retailers, Warner and Toshiba. I'm sure that won't bite you in the ass.
And in "news from the street," Magnolia (Best Buy's boutique affiliate) employees are supposedly dissing HD DVD products in hushed tones. Why? In addition to reports of repeated lockups, they think the lowball price is cutting too deeply into their profit margins.
And in "news from the street," Magnolia (Best Buy's boutique affiliate) employees are supposedly dissing HD DVD products in hushed tones. Why? In addition to reports of repeated lockups, they think the lowball price is cutting too deeply into their profit margins.
Last edited by genufett; 03-08-06 at 02:33 PM.
03-08-06 | 03:21 PM
#42
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Steve
24) Anchor bay release Evil Dead Trilogy in high def - in 4 collections versions. Special AOD version is only available in high def broomstick edition.
Last edited by big e; 03-08-06 at 03:23 PM.
03-08-06 | 04:43 PM
#43
Originally Posted by Josh Z
I will back down on this. I was talking to someone at Sun, but he is not working directly on BD-J and may be out of the loop with regard to recent developments.
Edit: Amir posted that iHd will be used on every title.
03-08-06 | 04:48 PM
#44
Originally Posted by genufett
It looks like Walmart's canceling all of their HD DVD preorders. Apparently they're not authorized because they don't sell the hardware. Nice job in pissing off the 5000-pound gorilla of retailers, Warner and Toshiba. I'm sure that won't bite you in the ass.
And in "news from the street," Magnolia (Best Buy's boutique affiliate) employees are supposedly dissing HD DVD products in hushed tones. Why? In addition to reports of repeated lockups, they think the lowball price is cutting too deeply into their profit margins.
And in "news from the street," Magnolia (Best Buy's boutique affiliate) employees are supposedly dissing HD DVD products in hushed tones. Why? In addition to reports of repeated lockups, they think the lowball price is cutting too deeply into their profit margins.
03-08-06 | 06:48 PM
#45
DVD Talk God
A bad launch for HD is a bad launch for Blue Ray. If this turns out bad and the norms get burned, they won't be quick to try out the other either. It may not be terrible for BR, but they need a decent launch just so that people can get excited about the technology.
03-09-06 | 06:46 AM
#46
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Special Edition
In case you didn't read it on AVS, here's the rebuttal posted by amirm (Amir Majidimehr, Corporate Vice President, Windows Digital Media Division, Microsoft Corp.):
Originally Posted by amirm
I guess I should comment on some of these reports, even though I don’t want to talk about specific plans of other companies wrt to their products. But I have gotten a few PMs asking me to say something, so here it is. Please take it for what it is worth. 
* Content compatibility. Every title authored is tested against a simulator of HD DVD and real hardware. So people should not be concerned about compatibility problems between the two. The situation is made a lot simpler by having a single HD DVD player to test against and the fact that there are a handful of post houses doing the encode/authoring. Put another way, the testing matrix is much smaller than it would be otherwise.
* Every title uses iHD [personal commentary deleted]. Again, the iHD content is tested against the same simulators and hardware before being released.
* Akin to how everyone is running around before the curtains go up in a play, things can look hectic but when the show goes on, those issues won’t be visible to users. And life will seem a lot more orderly. Courtesy of internet, you get to hear some of the pre-production rumblings.
* I won’t disclose specifics here but as I mentioned, there are already titles fully encoded and authored in HD DVD, including final QC. So no rumors should fly around wrt to encoding capabilities, iHD or whatever. Test replication has also occurred. The AACS encryption though and other last minute finishing touches is coming “hot.” We are still very hopeful that per previous point, life will be good on launch date. There is no guarantee here but anyone thinking of Titanic, must be thinking of some other product.
* More than one studio has created titles. I am not at liberty to say what their actual launch date is as they will make that decision. But folks should get comfort in knowing that it is not just the W studio that is pushing ahead with HD DVD.
* All Toshiba players are software upgradeable. We made sure of that last year in anticipation of fixing bugs. Yes, I said bugs. The era of CE players shipping without bugs is over. These are complex devices and there is no way to test every corner of the firmware to make sure it is right. Fortunately, unlike a PC, they are not a user programmable device. So as titles come out, testing will continue and if fixes need to be applied, they will be distributed in advance. Yes, the same will be absolutely true of BD players which theoretically are even more complex from software point of view with two types of navigation (the “basic” navigation in HD DVD is current DVD menus which BD will also have to support and is a known thing – hence it does not come into play here, nor will be in used for any commercial HD DVD content).
* This is a personal point of view but I think so many people were occupied with the format war that they are caught off guard with real products coming ot market all of a sudden. This is the source of confusion out there than anything else. Of course, this is a "good problem" if you are going to have problems...
Hope this helps.
Amir
* Content compatibility. Every title authored is tested against a simulator of HD DVD and real hardware. So people should not be concerned about compatibility problems between the two. The situation is made a lot simpler by having a single HD DVD player to test against and the fact that there are a handful of post houses doing the encode/authoring. Put another way, the testing matrix is much smaller than it would be otherwise.
* Every title uses iHD [personal commentary deleted]. Again, the iHD content is tested against the same simulators and hardware before being released.
* Akin to how everyone is running around before the curtains go up in a play, things can look hectic but when the show goes on, those issues won’t be visible to users. And life will seem a lot more orderly. Courtesy of internet, you get to hear some of the pre-production rumblings.
* I won’t disclose specifics here but as I mentioned, there are already titles fully encoded and authored in HD DVD, including final QC. So no rumors should fly around wrt to encoding capabilities, iHD or whatever. Test replication has also occurred. The AACS encryption though and other last minute finishing touches is coming “hot.” We are still very hopeful that per previous point, life will be good on launch date. There is no guarantee here but anyone thinking of Titanic, must be thinking of some other product
.* More than one studio has created titles. I am not at liberty to say what their actual launch date is as they will make that decision. But folks should get comfort in knowing that it is not just the W studio that is pushing ahead with HD DVD.
* All Toshiba players are software upgradeable. We made sure of that last year in anticipation of fixing bugs. Yes, I said bugs. The era of CE players shipping without bugs is over. These are complex devices and there is no way to test every corner of the firmware to make sure it is right. Fortunately, unlike a PC, they are not a user programmable device. So as titles come out, testing will continue and if fixes need to be applied, they will be distributed in advance. Yes, the same will be absolutely true of BD players which theoretically are even more complex from software point of view with two types of navigation (the “basic” navigation in HD DVD is current DVD menus which BD will also have to support and is a known thing – hence it does not come into play here, nor will be in used for any commercial HD DVD content).
* This is a personal point of view but I think so many people were occupied with the format war that they are caught off guard with real products coming ot market all of a sudden. This is the source of confusion out there than anything else. Of course, this is a "good problem" if you are going to have problems...
Hope this helps.
Amir
03-09-06 | 06:05 PM
#47
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Originally Posted by Steve
The evolution of DVD
1) Pan & Scan
2) Letterbox
3) anamorphic - lousy transfer
4) Anamorphic - good transfer - wrong OAR
5) Anamorphic - good transfer -right OAR
6) 2 Disc SE - enhanced transfer -
6.5 2 disc SE - DTS version
7) Superbit
8) Extreme Edition
9) Tricked out Edition (w/additional bonus material for sequel tie-in)
10) Realy Extreme Tricky Edition (they always find a way to try to make us triple dip)
11) HD - 1st generation. Limited functionality. Defective discs.
12) BR - 1st generation. limited funcationality. defective discs
13) HD - 2nd generation. incompatibility problems for SD unresolved.
14) BR - 2nd generation. incompability problems for SD unresolved.
15) Universal's DVD-192 (double sided, quintuple layered) discs cause problems on some players
16) Purists scream that high def DVDs are cropped to 1:78. Masses don't care as it removes 'those ugly black bars'
17) HD - 3rd generation with HD Audio. Most problems fixed.
18) BR - 3rd generation with HD audio. Most problems fixed.
19) New DVD format Super HD++ supporting up to 3180 lines of resolution announced
20) HD (or BR) wins.. Other fades away...
21) Super HD++ Players announced
22) Criterion announces support for high def. winner
23) Madacy releases 'Night of the Living Dead - now digitally remastered for high definition'
24) Anchor bay release Evil Dead Trilogy in high def - in 4 collections versions. Special AOD version is only available in high def broomstick edition.
25) Super HD++ titles announced. People who haven't migrated to BR/HD-DVD not sure it it's worth getting those or wait until Super HD++ is generally available.
26) Exteme BR ++ technology announced supporting 3999 lines of resolution. Incompatible with Super HD++ technology. Purists argue video is technically superior to Supert HD++.. The format war continues.
sorry - couldn't resist...
and the beat goes on...
1) Pan & Scan
2) Letterbox
3) anamorphic - lousy transfer
4) Anamorphic - good transfer - wrong OAR
5) Anamorphic - good transfer -right OAR
6) 2 Disc SE - enhanced transfer -
6.5 2 disc SE - DTS version
7) Superbit
8) Extreme Edition
9) Tricked out Edition (w/additional bonus material for sequel tie-in)
10) Realy Extreme Tricky Edition (they always find a way to try to make us triple dip)
11) HD - 1st generation. Limited functionality. Defective discs.
12) BR - 1st generation. limited funcationality. defective discs
13) HD - 2nd generation. incompatibility problems for SD unresolved.
14) BR - 2nd generation. incompability problems for SD unresolved.
15) Universal's DVD-192 (double sided, quintuple layered) discs cause problems on some players
16) Purists scream that high def DVDs are cropped to 1:78. Masses don't care as it removes 'those ugly black bars'
17) HD - 3rd generation with HD Audio. Most problems fixed.
18) BR - 3rd generation with HD audio. Most problems fixed.
19) New DVD format Super HD++ supporting up to 3180 lines of resolution announced
20) HD (or BR) wins.. Other fades away...
21) Super HD++ Players announced
22) Criterion announces support for high def. winner
23) Madacy releases 'Night of the Living Dead - now digitally remastered for high definition'
24) Anchor bay release Evil Dead Trilogy in high def - in 4 collections versions. Special AOD version is only available in high def broomstick edition.
25) Super HD++ titles announced. People who haven't migrated to BR/HD-DVD not sure it it's worth getting those or wait until Super HD++ is generally available.
26) Exteme BR ++ technology announced supporting 3999 lines of resolution. Incompatible with Super HD++ technology. Purists argue video is technically superior to Supert HD++.. The format war continues.
sorry - couldn't resist...
and the beat goes on...
That's some funny stuff! I especially like how Criterion finally adopts the winning format in step 22, two years later.
03-13-06 | 04:30 AM
#48
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Special Edition
News from Home Media Retailing.
Warner Exec Says HD DVD Titles May Be Delayed
Author: THOMAS K. ARNOLD
[email protected]
Posted: March 12, 2006
The much-ballyhooed launch this month of the next-generation HD DVD format promises to be more of a whimper than a bang.
Warner Home Video, the only studio which in January had set a firm date, March 28, for its first HD DVD titles to arrive in stores, now says it may not be ready in time due to technical issues.
“To be honest, the outlook is tenuous — we’re still coming out with an initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don’t know,” said division president Ron Sanders.
Wal-Mart had been taking advance orders for the first slate of Warner titles on its Web site since mid-February, but beginning March 8 customers were notified their orders had been canceled.
“That’s because they had published prices, and we haven’t set prices,” Sanders said.
Wal-Mart was selling most of the titles, like Batman Begins and Million Dollar Baby, for $25.48, discounted from a list price the retailer pegged at $29.98.
Best Buy, too, reportedly had to pull Warner HD DVD titles from its weekly circular.
Toshiba still is demonstrating its two HD DVD players — the company’s road show hits Los Angeles March 15, with a demonstration at the Fry’s in the City of Industry — and vows to stick by its original promise to have players in stores by the end of this month.
“Everything is still the same,” said Toshiba spokesman Alejandro Arango.
But so far it appears those will be the only players on the market, at least for the time being. In the nearly three months since Toshiba announced its players, not a single other consumer electronics manufacturer has chimed in.
Moreover, sources report only 10,000 Toshiba players are being shipped to retailers initially, a number that indicates low sales expectations. (A Toshiba spokesman would not comment on the figure.) And only one player, the cheaper HD-A1, is currently on sale (for the full list price of $499.99) at Amazon.com and the Web sites of other big retailers like Best Buy, while the Circuit City Web site is currently offering neither HD DVD player.
Toshiba also has a pricier model, the HD-XA1, at $799.99. A Web search found only two retailers accepting advance orders, Crutchfield and Sixth Avenue Electronics City.
On the software front, it’s unlikely even a single HD DVD title will be available for sale this month at any of the consumer electronics chains and discount retailers that are bringing in the players.
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, which in January was one of three studios to announce ambitious slates of titles for HD DVD release, still has set no dates, even with players set to arrive in stores within two weeks. And assuming the traditional six-week soliciation period, “I’d be surprised” if any Paramount HD DVD titles arrive in stores before mid-April, according to a studio source. Paramount’s first HD DVD title will be the music video U2: Rattle and Hum, followed by nine others, including Sahara, The Italian Job and The Manchurian Candidate. The studio also is still banking on a day-and-date DVD and HD DVD release of Mission: Impossible III, which opens in theaters in May and will likely be released on disc in late September.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which announced a dozen titles in January, likewise hasn’t scheduled any firm release dates. “We’re just trying to set a date that makes sense,” said a studio source who asked not to be named. “It’s new technology and dates are going to move around a bit. And keep in mind, this is a very small launch.”
One bit of good news for HD DVD came March 8, when LG Electronics said it would support the format as well as Blu-ray Disc, from Sony. Previously, LG was only in the Blu-ray camp, as are virtually all consumer electronics manufacturers. Product announcements are expected later this year.
Author: THOMAS K. ARNOLD
[email protected]
Posted: March 12, 2006
The much-ballyhooed launch this month of the next-generation HD DVD format promises to be more of a whimper than a bang.
Warner Home Video, the only studio which in January had set a firm date, March 28, for its first HD DVD titles to arrive in stores, now says it may not be ready in time due to technical issues.
“To be honest, the outlook is tenuous — we’re still coming out with an initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don’t know,” said division president Ron Sanders.
Wal-Mart had been taking advance orders for the first slate of Warner titles on its Web site since mid-February, but beginning March 8 customers were notified their orders had been canceled.
“That’s because they had published prices, and we haven’t set prices,” Sanders said.
Wal-Mart was selling most of the titles, like Batman Begins and Million Dollar Baby, for $25.48, discounted from a list price the retailer pegged at $29.98.
Best Buy, too, reportedly had to pull Warner HD DVD titles from its weekly circular.
Toshiba still is demonstrating its two HD DVD players — the company’s road show hits Los Angeles March 15, with a demonstration at the Fry’s in the City of Industry — and vows to stick by its original promise to have players in stores by the end of this month.
“Everything is still the same,” said Toshiba spokesman Alejandro Arango.
But so far it appears those will be the only players on the market, at least for the time being. In the nearly three months since Toshiba announced its players, not a single other consumer electronics manufacturer has chimed in.
Moreover, sources report only 10,000 Toshiba players are being shipped to retailers initially, a number that indicates low sales expectations. (A Toshiba spokesman would not comment on the figure.) And only one player, the cheaper HD-A1, is currently on sale (for the full list price of $499.99) at Amazon.com and the Web sites of other big retailers like Best Buy, while the Circuit City Web site is currently offering neither HD DVD player.
Toshiba also has a pricier model, the HD-XA1, at $799.99. A Web search found only two retailers accepting advance orders, Crutchfield and Sixth Avenue Electronics City.
On the software front, it’s unlikely even a single HD DVD title will be available for sale this month at any of the consumer electronics chains and discount retailers that are bringing in the players.
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, which in January was one of three studios to announce ambitious slates of titles for HD DVD release, still has set no dates, even with players set to arrive in stores within two weeks. And assuming the traditional six-week soliciation period, “I’d be surprised” if any Paramount HD DVD titles arrive in stores before mid-April, according to a studio source. Paramount’s first HD DVD title will be the music video U2: Rattle and Hum, followed by nine others, including Sahara, The Italian Job and The Manchurian Candidate. The studio also is still banking on a day-and-date DVD and HD DVD release of Mission: Impossible III, which opens in theaters in May and will likely be released on disc in late September.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which announced a dozen titles in January, likewise hasn’t scheduled any firm release dates. “We’re just trying to set a date that makes sense,” said a studio source who asked not to be named. “It’s new technology and dates are going to move around a bit. And keep in mind, this is a very small launch.”
One bit of good news for HD DVD came March 8, when LG Electronics said it would support the format as well as Blu-ray Disc, from Sony. Previously, LG was only in the Blu-ray camp, as are virtually all consumer electronics manufacturers. Product announcements are expected later this year.
03-13-06 | 08:13 AM
#50
DVD Talk Reviewer/ Admin
Joined: Sep 1999
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1,864 Posts
From: Greenville, South Cackalack
Originally Posted by joshd2012
Well this brings up a good question: Can HD-DVD weather another delay?
