very cute

import yourself or from MP?

Star wars should be exclusively on BD distributed by FOX while Matrix will be on both format as its distributed by Warner. LOTR will also be on both format as its from NewLine Cinema

oh .. BD is also touting their 'afordable' BD players, Funai from Japan is saying that they are coming out with BD players with the price tag of $500 anyhow, they are also did not rule out making HD DVD players.

all we hear is BD has won the format war .. when HD DVD is stragically talking about making their players even more cheaper than their current price. And please spare us of the street price of gen1 players cuz gen 2 hd dvd players can be obtained as low a <>$350 with free shipping and 3 free HD DVD movies. that would make the price of the player <>$280.

get a HD DVD player shipped from USA to malaysia. BHPhoto is selling the Gen2 player at $399 (not inclusive of +$102 Global Express Mail shipping) discussion thread http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/388478

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Added on February 23, 2007, 12:49 amfurthermore ---- HD DVD is all focusing on features that matters, interactivity matters to average consumers that would drive and keep the hidef market alive. Everage consumers will notice the Extras. While BD on the other hand is focusing on audio PCM lossless audio vs HD DVD's all lossless audio, DD TrueHD. Though only a 2.1 DD TrueHD track is mandatory on HD DVD disks, HD DVD realise that average consumers who are interested in getting $200 HD DVD players wouldnt have the $2,000 speakers plus receivers that would take advantage of the audio tracks, a DD + (which mandatory) would be more than enough.

Its all about implementation. BD has the better spec on paper, better storage. No doubt about that, but the implementation is piss poor. 4 disk DL HD DVD and 4 Disk DL BD for Sopranos. WTF !!! That is 120GB for HD DVD vs 200GB for BD and its for the same content.

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http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/feature/franken...qual-238336.php

The Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD battle seems as old as time itself. Being tech savvy consumers, we've heard the two formats are, to the end user, pretty identical. Both are capable of equal resolution, equal sound output and equal mass flopping.

But are tech specs the only way to judge DVDs? Of course not. Technology is only step one. How studios utilize the technology is equally as important. Besides, the gods gave us eyes and ears for a reason.

For this week's topic, we dug through the entire archive from the DVD critics at High-Def Digest (about 300 total reviews), averaging every rating they've given yet to HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles. And you know what?

Not all was equal.



Our preliminary average results graph is above. It gives a slight edge to HD DVD in video and all extra disc content. But we ran these results by a statistics-savvy friend who further analyzed the data in terms of actual statistical significance (through one-way ANOVA, stats geeks). She deemed the video results to be too close to call, but simultaneously deemed the other averages as noteworthy. What's all that mean? We had to make a new graph.



Significant review averages tell us that Blu-ray titles were slightly, but definitely superior in audio playback. HD DVD titles had far superior standard def features and moderately superior hi def features.

But how could this be? Spec sheets claim the same audio codecs are supported on Blu-ray and HD DVD. Why would one format sound better? And why is HD DVD kicking major Blu-ray bonus content ass? ISN'T IT ALL IDENTICAL EXCEPT FOR THE BOX COLOR??

Nope.

So we asked High-Def Digest for their take on their own review disparities.

Why Blu-ray audio is winning:


This is primarily due to stronger support for high-resolution audio formats on the majority of Blu-ray releases, primarily DTS-HD and uncompressed PCM. HD DVD, by contrast, has seen far less significant support -- few, if any, titles have been released on the format in either DTS-HD and PCM, with only a handful even sporting Dolby TrueHD.

That situation doesn't appear to be changing, at least at the moment. The sole exclusive supporter of HD DVD, Universal, has yet to release a single title with Dolby TrueHD, let alone DTS-HD and/or PCM tracks. Paramount the same. And Warner titles with Dolby TrueHD are rather meager. Only the smaller upstart the Weinstein Co. has really pushed Dolby TrueHD on their most recent ...At the moment, it seems Blu-ray enjoys the edge in widespread studio support for high-resolution audio.

Translation: the studios are using crappier audio compression on HD DVD.

Why HD DVD bonus features are winning:

The confusion is vexing with interactive features...the HD DVD group [made] support of the HDi authoring environment mandatory as part of their spec. That means that all HD DVD players bearing the logo must fully support the feature, which is why early HD DVD titles were so flush with cutting-edge features. Right now, HD DVD is leading in this regard...

Blu-ray is still rushing to catch up with its rival BD-Java tools. Though support will eventually come,
and BD-J should deliver the same level of interactivity as HDi. But...until Blu-ray reaches parity, it will lag behind HD DVD, if only in regards to full-on, cutting-edge interactivity.

Translation: Sony didn't offer developers enough software support for their programming.

WINNER: Are you an audiophile or an extrasphile?

And of course, the two issues could be feeding off one another while playing to each format's strengths. Blu-ray may easily accommodate uncompressed audio with its larger disc capacity, compensating for its lack of special features. Meanwhile, HD DVD may exploit special features at the expense of audio ([COLOR=red]where most people won't even notice[/COLOR]).

If only I weren't too cynical to believe that anyone is looking out for the consumer here. - Mark Wilson

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Added on February 23, 2007, 3:44 am***************************************************

oh CNN take on Sony's 'moon shot' on Blu-ray

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/for...sion=2007022214

The trouble with Sony

Fortune's Brent Schlender explains why smart companies can be too smart for their own good.

By Brent Schlender, Fortune Magazine
February 22 2007: 2:07 PM EST[


(Fortune Magazine) -- It's not every day that you see successful corporations humiliate themselves. But it happens. In the case of high tech, it usually occurs when a company can't resist the urge to launch a moon shot, a Herculean but overly ambitious and inevitably misguided effort to come up with some ultimate new thing.

Sony, no stranger to embarrassment (remember the exploding batteries?), has not one but two big, expensive potential flameouts: the PlayStation 3 game console, and the Blu-ray DVD format.

Don't get me wrong. Sony is not run by numbskulls. There are good reasons for shooting the moon. For one thing, technology keeps morphing, and you have to keep up lest some upstart changes the rules of the game, as Microsoft (Charts) did to IBM (Charts) in days of yore. Then there's the natural urge to outdo the competition. And it takes a whopper of a product to goose growth when you're as big as Sony (Charts).

The problem with moon shots is that you have to get the trajectory and the timing exactly right, or you wind up lost in space. Sony, despite spending billions on Blu-ray, missed. Not by much, but by enough to call into question whether its massive investments will ever pay off as it had hoped.

I visited Sony's lab in Atsugi, Japan, in 1995 to see an early demonstration of a blue laser. Blue laser light is special because it has a much shorter wavelength than the red lasers in conventional CD and DVD players, and thus can discern much denser data on a disc, something absolutely necessary for showing video in high definition.

I never did see the demo that day - the engineers reneged because the prototype was so finicky. But company officials bragged that it was a shoo-in to power the DVD players of tomorrow. Sony would, they assured me, be the sole owner of a new video format for the first time since Betamax.

PlayStation 3 can't hide its flaws

Alas, Sony soon learned that its marvelous blue lasers didn't last long enough to make a reliable consumer product. So in 1999 it turned to Nichia Corp., a little-known Japanese electronics maker that had devised a more durable blue laser - and took out 800 patents to protect the technology. A chastened Sony had to license Nichia's approach, and even so there was nothing to prevent Nichia from selling its own lasers or licensing Sony's rivals to make them too.

Not surprisingly, a group led by Toshiba seized the chance to propose its own standard. Indeed, Toshiba's HD DVD format beat Sony's Blu-ray player to the living room by several months, and now both sides are in a full-fledged format war. Shades of Betamax vs. VHS.

Also, because Sony waited to put Blu-ray technology in its PlayStation 3, Microsoft got its Xbox 360 to market nearly a year earlier. Even more humiliating, the PS 3 has been upstaged by Nintendo's Wii, a lower-tech but much hotter-selling machine. Some moon shots.

What has to dismay Sony the most is the possibility that consumers won't care about Blu-ray. This month LG, a charter Blu-ray supporter, broke ranks and released a universal high-def DVD player that can display any kind of disc you throw at it - plain old DVD, Blu-ray or HD DVD. It's the ideal device for anyone who couldn't care less about formats and just wants to watch the damn movie. I tried one out, and even ordinary DVDs looked great. If an obsessive gadget freak like me can't get excited about Blu-ray, can anyone?

So it goes with moon shots. Ford had its Edsel, Coca-Cola its New Coke, and 15 years ago IBM gave Microsoft its big break when it dragged its feet developing a graphical operating system for the PC. Microsoft got antsy and gave the world Windows. Now Microsoft has delivered Vista, a much-hyped operating system that has elicited mostly yawns.

And there's a good chance another big launch - Apple's elegant iPhone, out this summer - could sputter as well. Why? Because, as Apple (Charts) and Sony - creators of two of the greatest small wonders ever, the iPod and the Walkman - should know, giant leaps for high tech aren't usually moon shoots. They're an accumulation of small steps.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Feb 23 2007, 03:45 AM

just post your comments here .. i thought you were going to get the A2 ...

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Added on March 10, 2007, 4:55 amoh are you attempting to get the FREE 5 HD DVDs that come with the purchase?

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 10 2007, 04:55 AM

the 5 FREE HD DVD is offered by Toshiba America to all purchasers of any HD DVD players (not including the the Xbox 360 add on). The offers is currently only applicable in the US and soon will be expanded to Canada. meaning you can claim yours. Applicable to purchases rom 1st March to 31 July 2007

http://thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/p...ffer_advert.pdf

I dunno how much you paid for the X2 but anyhow, Amazon has just dropped the price of the XA2 to $649 from $799 and the HD A2 to $366 ($336 with Amazon visa card)

A2 = http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IJV4B...3576403&sr=1-10

XA2 = http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-HD-XA2-HD-DV...73577817&sr=1-1






awwww !!! that is sooo sweet !!

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Added on March 11, 2007, 9:57 amand the 1st gen HD D1 player is selling at $290 ONLY. with the and with the 5 FREE HD DVDs. the $2** purchase would be like $199. Its the price of the XBox 360 Add On.

now everybody can become an early adoptor. HT never been this affordable ...



http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-HD-D1-DVD-Pl...3576403&sr=1-10

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 11 2007, 09:57 AM

string did you read my previous post on the 5 FREE HD DVDs ?

__________________________________

anyhow -- just to enlighten everyone:

the total disk sale for both HD DVD (since April 2006) and Bluray (since June 2006) until March 4th 2007:

Blu-ray = 744K unit
HD DVD = 681K unit

There are <>0.2mil HD DVD players in consumer households
There are <>2mil BD players in consumer households

figures are from Nielsen VideoScan and NPD



HD did the $99 promo to upgrade DVD to HD DVD drive a while ago. They are selling the external HD DVD drive but as you have put it, at a premium (REDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE) price

anyhow i bet consumers will keep on purchasing the Add On and use it with their PCs when there are tens of models of HD DVD drive in the market. This is because the add on is $199 (plus a free movie).

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 12 2007, 02:46 AM

hmmmm try selling your unit and get a new one. 32in 720p sets are like RM3500

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Added on March 12, 2007, 10:07 pmthat is an extremely good news if they charge for only one side of the content

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 12 2007, 10:07 PM

good news people, if you have a PS3 and want to have more BD titles. FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY, AMAZON is having 50% off 48 BD titles. Its like paying for DVD but getting BD .. example of offer titles:

1. Tears of the Sun = $15
2. Momento = $15
3. House of Flying Daggers = $15
4. Xmen 3 = $20
5. Fifth Element = $15
6. Black Hawk Down = $15
7. Kingdom of Heaven = $20

and many more .... dont miss the change people !!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0/103-...u-ray%2Ci%3Advd

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 13 2007, 01:19 AM

aiyo .. why lar ..

ops XA2 price drops further .. its now $58*

More U-Control HDi titles from Universal, good news for Stringfellow.

-Children of Men
-Smokin' Aces


Universal's HDi extras on Children of Men & Smokin' Aces HD DVDs unveiled

Posted Mar 16th 2007 7:18PM by Richard Lawler
Filed under: HD DVD

Sure 1080p video and various iterations of surround sound audio are nice, but we've been waiting to see more interactive BD-J and HDi (or is it Advanced Navigation?) features on next gen discs, and Universal is bringing just that with their next two high profile releases. Children of Men hits first on March 27th and will let viewers watch the video billboard ads shown in the film, in their entirety, rather than just the short clips visible in the movie. Smokin' Aces follows on April 17th and features a Google Earth tie-in to show the location of each assassin during the film. VideoBusiness got the heads up from Microsoft's director of HD DVD evangelism, who also noted we expect to see three HD DVD titles featuring internet connectivity this year and that these movies "just scratch the surface". The HD DVD camp will need to do a few things Blu-ray isn't in order to keep pace in the format war, we'll see if extra features prove to be a difference between the two.

maybe yes albeit with some white stains on the casing ... yuck

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Added on March 18, 2007, 4:38 amits already out of HD DVD. Both in Japan and USA. The first BD p0rn would be Debbie Does Blu-ray .. i mean .... Does Dallas Again ...


This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 18 2007, 04:38 AM

legally, they wont ship adult contents to Malaysia. Even Playboy Australia is not shipping to Malaysia


get your friend to ship Debbie Does Dallas again to Malaysia, remove the back cover (that is where the hardcore pics are

currently there is only one p0rn title announced for BD .. other p0rn studios has picked HD DVD because its cheaper to make and Disney and Sony are can only prevent them from doing so on BD not HD DVD

Toshiba A2 and XA2 albeit selling at <>$350 and <>$580 are at the top 5 best selling DVD player at Amazon beating many cheaper dvd players and even the <>$150 Oppo players

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/elect...rd%5Fi=51549011

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Added on March 22, 2007, 12:23 pmno bad for a Sony pro-claimed 'dead format'

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 22 2007, 12:23 PM

^ hmm silencer... bhPhoto is shipping the A2 player at $369 . They ship to malaysia too

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...rch&Q=&ci=12836

huh? any of the HD DVD player in the market is touted to be the best upconvert DVD player DIVX is not included yet

A2 also good mah ! $360 now. Toshiba has just reduced the price from $499 to $399. The A20 is now $499 down from $599 while the XA2 is down $200 from $999 to $799. The XA2 is selling at <>$580 at amazon while the A2 is selling at $330. But then you have already bought your Oppo

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Added on March 25, 2007, 12:43 pm





Opps seems like BD's declaration of format war win is greet by "exclusive" Blu-ray backer; Samsung joining the CE list of HD DVD. Two new non-toshiba HD DVD players were previewed during the CEBit show too One from Venture (touted to the the $299 or $199 format war winning player ) and one from Meridian for cars .. looks nice too that one hehehe







http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/29/18429.php

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 25 2007, 12:45 PM

lol .. you dont want to wait for the Elite version with HDMI ?

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Added on March 25, 2007, 7:05 pmone more thing.. the Total HD disk would most probably be double layer HD DVD and single layer Blu-ray. Why? currently Sony is the only one doing double layer Blu-ray. The yield is too low for others to jump in.

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Added on May 19, 2007, 11:37 amTitles Released Since Blu-rays Launch

FOX
Jun-06 -
Jul-06 -
Aug-06 -
Sep-06 -
Oct-06 -
Nov-06 - 10
Dec-06 - 6
Jan-07 - 5
Feb-07 - 7
Mar-07 - 1
Apr-07 - 1
May-07 -
Jun-07 -
Jul 07 -

Fox Total 30

MGM
Jun-06 - 2
Jul-06 - 2
Aug-06 -
Sep-06 -
Oct-06 -
Nov-06 - 1
Dec-06 -
Jan-07 -
Feb-07 - 1
Mar-07 - 1
Apr-07 -
May-07 -
Jun-07 -

MGM Total: 7

This post has been edited by g5sim: May 19 2007, 11:37 AM