"Tech" Thread: Blu Ray, HD-DVD, Video Games, HDTV

Message

Eric W. · #181 Post by **Eric W.** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:02 pm

AndyDursin wrote:
No reason not to expect most, if not all, of those titles to make it overseas before long, just as before. Some kind of sign of life at least.
Indeed, though there's not a whole lot to get excited about in terms of those titles (Arthur and the Invisibles? The Day After Tomoprrow? Tristan & Isolde?). We continue to get a lot of "mid range" catalog titles from both formats with few "format sellers".

When they do "relaunch," I just hope Fox gives us more than single-layer Blu Ray discs in MPEG2 and/or no extras like the majority of their first-generation titles this time.

Agreed.

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7777

^^ Finally!

AndyDursin · #182 Post by **AndyDursin** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:16 am

Just got Sony's early July Blu Ray titles in...THE PATRIOT (can't wait to check that out), WILD THINGS, FLATLINERS (ugh, never one of my favorites) and the Sandra Bullock thriller PREMONITION.

Extras look non-existent on WILD THINGS and FLATLINERS. I can understand the latter but WILD THINGS had plenty of extras (commentaries, etc.) -- what gives?

On the other hand the Neve Campbell-Denise Richards scenes will probably look good in HD....lol.

Eric W. · #183 Post by **Eric W.** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:36 pm

AndyDursin wrote:Just got Sony's early July Blu Ray titles in...THE PATRIOT (can't wait to check that out),

Yeah, I've had my preorder for that set since day one!

WILD THINGS, FLATLINERS (ugh, never one of my favorites) and the Sandra Bullock thriller PREMONITION.

Extras look non-existent on WILD THINGS and FLATLINERS. I can understand the latter but WILD THINGS had plenty of extras (commentaries, etc.) -- what gives?

Beats me, although as long as I see top rate picture and sound quality, that's all that really matters.

On the other hand the Neve Campbell-Denise Richards scenes will probably look good in HD....lol.

That's all that matters.

http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20070621PB205.html

^^The first low cost Blu-ray player will hit US shelves this fall from Funai, according to reports from Japan.

For those who may or may not know: Funai makes low costs electronics which are then sold under brand names such as Sylvania, Emerson, and Magnavox. Even companies like Denon and Toshiba have outsourced work to Funai for some of their entry level products.

In other words: There's lots of people out there that own Funai products and probably don't even know it.

While no pricing or specs have yet been released, I'm sure we can expect pricing to be lower than players from top "grade A/top tier" manufacturers< - Even though some of them are expected to have offerings around the $400 mark by Christmas. Sony already has that $499 MSRP player on the way now.
Already we're seeing the

So, it looks like the format war really has made it where prices are dropping like mad left and right. No way we would have seen these kinds of prices this soon were it not for a format war environment. I have to give that devil it's due on that, if nothing else.

What's interesting about this also is, if you'll recall, at this year's CES, HD DVD announced that they would leverage "cheap players from China" to reach a wider marketplace. Since then, the camp has been very quite as to when these players would actually show up. It appears that Blu-ray may be able to at least match that claim and negate any potential edge.

This holiday season is going to be a real showdown, and it's about time!

AndyDursin · #184 Post by **AndyDursin** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:54 pm

THE PATRIOT looks great, as you would expect it to. Deschanel's cinematography looks amazing at times and I happen to love this film -- it's old fashioned in a good way in how it's shot, scored, performed...really, really fantastic all the way around. I don't even mind the scene extensions as they give Jason Isaacs a little more to do. Absolutely worth the $19

WILD THINGS looks good, there have always been some weird elements in that print seemingly from the time it was shown in theaters (an occasional side-to-side "shaking" in the image, some weirdly under-processed scenes), but it looks great otherwise. Not one extra of any kind though, same on FLATLINERS, which also looks really good but it's a film I've personally hated from the time I walked out of it.

PREMONITION is a surprisingly watchable, Twilight Zone-styled thriller -- a good performance from Sandra Bullock and a nicely paced mystery make it at least worth a view.

I don't know if Sony will be sending out review copies of the remastered FIFTH ELEMENT but I'm putting it on pre-order in case they don't. It wasn't included in this mailing at least.

Eric W. · #185 Post by **Eric W.** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:45 pm

^^ Nice!

AndyDursin · #186 Post by **AndyDursin** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:47 am

Shifting back to games for a minute, the best downloadable game I've quite possibly ever played is PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION on Xbox Live.

It may be $10, but this is easily the most addictive Live title I've played. They haven't just "remixed levels", Namco has taken the fun part of the game and improved upon it immeasurably by only having portions of the maze open at one time.

The 5-minute timer makes it easy to complete, but difficult to score big points on until you practice...which you will do, because it's just insanely fun. I can safely say it's far more addictive than the original game ever was, and the combos you can generate mix up the variety more than just one-maze-after-a-time structure like the original. So it's still PAC-MAN, but a different and better game all around. No wonder why the original creator (who worked on this game) said this was his farewell to the series -- what a way to go out!!

REALLY great stuff, adding to an already excellent assortment of games on Xbox Live.

Eric W. · #187 Post by **Eric W.** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:43 am

Got this email this morning.

Finally seeing some agression from the BD side:

"Five Free Blu-ray Movies with Purchase of Player

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has revealed an exciting offer for those of you who are still looking to pick up a Blu-ray player. If you purchase a Blu-ray player (including the PS3)between July 1st and September 30th, you will automatically qualify to receive 5 Blu-ray movies absolutely free.

Combine this with existing offers (like the 5 free Blu-ray movies with purchase of a Panasonic DMP-BD10A), and you could receive up to 10 free Blu-ray movies with the purchase of a player.

But wait, there's more! If you decide you would like to purchase a PS3, Sony is offering a special deal through their retail Sony Style stores. Purchase a PS3, two games, and an extra controller from now until July 8th, and you will receive a $50 gift card.

Rebate information can be found at the following site:

http://www.bluraysavings.com

The site isn't up yet, but expect it to go live when the deal starts this weekend."

AndyDursin · #188 Post by **AndyDursin** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:57 pm

Good stuff, it's about time they did something like that.

Not to throw cold water on the Blockbuster announcement, but...I'll throw cold water on the Blockbuster announcement

This kind of confirms online rentals are where it's at these days. I haven't rented a movie from Blockbuster in years.

Blockbuster Closing 282 US Stores
Thursday June 28, 6:18 pm ET

By Matt Curry, Associated Press Writer
Blockbuster Plans to Shutter 282 Domestic Stores This Year

DALLAS (AP) -- Blockbuster Inc. plans to close 282 stores in the U.S. this year to improve operating margins and expand domestic share, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday....

Blockbuster's goal is to grow its share of both the store-based and online rental business, Hargrove said....

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070628/blockbus ... .html?.v=1

Eric W. · #189 Post by **Eric W.** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:59 pm

AndyDursin wrote:
<snip>
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070628/blockbus ... .html?.v=1

It just isn't what it once was. If this were a decade or so ago, then it would be shock and awe, but not now.

AndyDursin · #190 Post by **AndyDursin** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 10:19 am

Good stuff, with discounts the A2 ought to be around $199-$250 all the time starting July 1st. I know Paul was irritated he missed the May sale, so this ought to make up for it

A very wise move heading into the fourth quarter to keep the momentum going...and to develop a market of players (and consumers) that will be impossible to ignore provided they can keep selling units.

Toshiba Primes Q4 HD DVD, LCD Market

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 6/28/2007 3:01:00 PM

New York — Toshiba is making available a firmware update for its HD DVD players, adding network connectivity to download Web-enabled bonus content among other things, the company said at a press reception here Thursday.

In LCD TV, the company said it is now shipping large-screen Regza models just as its LCD TV market share has spiked in key screen sizes.

In other HD DVD news, the company said that promotional pricing levels on its HD DVD players in May and June will become standard suggested retails July 1. The HD-A2 is now $299, while the HD-A20 is $399. The top-of-the-line HD-XA2 continues at $799.

“With HD DVD, studios have the ability to develop new and unique content for movie fans, enabling consumers to have an entirely new way to access entertainment and customize their home movie experience that is currently not available with any other format,” said Jodi Sally, Toshiba’s digital A/V group marketing VP.

Using supplied Ethernet ports on all Toshiba HD DVD players, users will able to download bonus features to internal storage from a movie studio’s server. The functionality will also enable “unlocking” bonus content hidden on some HD DVD discs using a downloadable key.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6456373.html

Eric W. · #191 Post by **Eric W.** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:26 am

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7946

The 60 gig PS3 drops to $499 effective July 12. Excellent.

AndyDursin · #192 Post by **AndyDursin** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:29 am

Eric W. wrote:http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7946

The 60 gig PS3 drops to $499 effective July 12. Excellent.

To be fair, it's really the least they can do given where it's at. Now, if they could only come up with a game that will compel people to buy it

In all seriousness the 360 line-up this fall totally blows away what the PS3 has lined up. That, plus exclusives like GTA aren't PS-exclusives anymore -- hasn't helped Sony's cause.

Eric W. · #193 Post by **Eric W.** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:36 am

AndyDursin wrote:
Eric W. wrote:http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7946

The 60 gig PS3 drops to $499 effective July 12. Excellent.
To be fair, it's really the least they can do given where it's at. Now, if they could only come up with a game that will compel people to buy it

Indeed.

In all seriousness the 360 line-up this fall totally blows away what the PS3 has lined up. That, plus exclusives like GTA aren't PS-exclusives anymore -- hasn't helped Sony's cause.

If you're lucky enough to have a 360 that works.

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7945

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=7892

^^ That's terrible.

I remember the first Xbox was a really well made machine. What the hell happened here?

AndyDursin · #194 Post by **AndyDursin** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:20 pm

I remember the first Xbox was a really well made machine. What the hell happened here?

I wouldn't know about that. Have had my 360 since launch day and not one problem

Obviously some other folks have. Go figure.

In the meantime, here's yet another reason to bypass the PS3...

Deflated Pigskin: PS3's Football Troubles
How Madden, All-Pro and NCAA ain't looking so good on PS3.

They may call baseball America's pastime, but in the world of videogames, that honor easily belongs to football. No other sport has racked up software sales quite like the pigskin offerings, and no other sport has been so vital to the success (PlayStation 2 having Madden since Day 1) and failure (Dreamcast never got it) of hardware. The importance of this genre is just as relevant today, yet it seems Sony's console ain't sittin' so pretty this time around.

We have confirmed the Xbox 360 versions of Madden NFL 08 (August), All-Pro Football 2K8 (July), and NCAA Football 08 (July) will run at 60 frames per second, whereas the PS3 editions are locked at just 30fps. In the simplest of terms, this means that the 360 versions will run smoother and faster, and you'll have an easier time noticing subtle animations.

While we haven't had the opportunity to see the difference with EA's titles (the publisher hasn't sent us PS3 builds of either), All-Pro Football 2K8 definitely runs better on Xbox 360.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160709

Eric W. · #195 Post by **Eric W.** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:28 pm

AndyDursin wrote:
I remember the first Xbox was a really well made machine. What the hell happened here?
I wouldn't know about that. Have had my 360 since launch day and not one problem Obviously some other folks have. Go figure.

In the meantime, here's yet another reason to bypass the PS3...

Deflated Pigskin: PS3's Football Troubles
How Madden, All-Pro and NCAA ain't looking so good on PS3.

They may call baseball America's pastime, but in the world of videogames, that honor easily belongs to football. No other sport has racked up software sales quite like the pigskin offerings, and no other sport has been so vital to the success (PlayStation 2 having Madden since Day 1) and failure (Dreamcast never got it) of hardware. The importance of this genre is just as relevant today, yet it seems Sony's console ain't sittin' so pretty this time around.

We have confirmed the Xbox 360 versions of Madden NFL 08 (August), All-Pro Football 2K8 (July), and NCAA Football 08 (July) will run at 60 frames per second, whereas the PS3 editions are locked at just 30fps. In the simplest of terms, this means that the 360 versions will run smoother and faster, and you'll have an easier time noticing subtle animations.

While we haven't had the opportunity to see the difference with EA's titles (the publisher hasn't sent us PS3 builds of either), All-Pro Football 2K8 definitely runs better on Xbox 360.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160709

^^ You have no idea how pissed off I am right now after reading this.

There's no excuse for stuff like this. At the VERY least, it should be equal across the boards.

Remember back in the day it was like: "You buy sports games and especially EA sports games on the Sega Genesis (because somehow they just came out a little better)?"

Here's a dumb question: If I don't have one of these newer, high end HDTV's...does that frame rate really mean anything?