It seems like sony decision to include Blu-ray on the PS3 has finally pay off.

PS3 PUSH GIVES EDGE IN VIDEO FORMAT WAR

Dudes..thats obsolete news >>" In Casey's view, the many studios providing movies on Blu-ray, along with its inclusion in the PS3 (listing for $500, about the same as the cheapest HD DVD player) gives it an insurmountable advantage over HD DVD. (An attachment to play HD DVD discs is available as a $200 add-on for Xbox.)"<<< Take notes that the cheapest HD-DVD player costs less than US$300 now..so, next time, gather the info bfore posting here...

There's no doubt that Blueray has the edge....but having two different formats...will definitely benefits the customers....and there is no clear winner yet...

What do you mean outdated news....its dated March 8, 2007

lots of balls and hair

I've a feeling they will win the format war....but at the expense of the console war. You simply can't win em all.

Two formats will fight it out and the winner will be plain old vanilla DVD.

At the very least the lifetime of the old format will be extended by a few years. Its like DAT vs MiniDisc to replace the old casette tape. Both of them got nowhere until CD came along and replaced everything.

i dont know how to put this, it's just like when sony start to use "dvd" as gaming media.

As for myself,i would rather think that Blu-Ray will just win in the next Gen Storage Media war.
In deed,Blu-Ray movies are more popular than HD DVD movies.
And the most important is,if i purchase a PS3 with the price USD499 or USD599,i can get to enjoy my PS3's games bundle with the Blu-Ray movies.
I have a Xbox360,but never thought to purchase a HD DVD player for it.

woah.pity ur 360
good point also

Xbox360 is actually good enough for me,
i get to enjoy plenty of games that i love with my 360.
like GRAW,Dead Rising,and many more.
But the main problem is still the 3rod.
Still don't get how could Microsoft design a console like this.
It's just an unacceptable hardware's designed problem.

Via BBC.Com



Blockbuster to focus on Blu-ray

Film rental firm Blockbuster is to rent high-definition DVDs in the Blu-ray format only at 1,450 of its US stores.

The move is viewed as a blow for the rival Toshiba-backed HD DVD format - which has been battling against the Blu-ray format, supported by Sony.

Blockbuster said that consumers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD in the 250 stores where both were available.

The limited choice of titles in the HD DVD format was also a factor in focusing on Blu-ray, Blockbuster said.

"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbusters, told the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Smith added that most studios were offering films on Blu-ray, with the exception of Universal which has been supplying films on HD DVD alone.

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group said Blockbuster's move was short sighted, and had been prompted by the success of films released exclusively in the Blu-ray format in early 2007 such as Casino Royale and Spider Man.

"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.

The HD DVD format will still be available at Blockbuster in 250 of its stores as well as via the internet.

This post has been edited by cylon: Jun 18 2007, 09:38 PM

^many at gametrailers have proclaimed blu ray tne winner thanks to blockbuster...

er..... so end of the day, xbox360 = game console, PS3 = bluray player ar?

bro rx330, that's what I am thinking of whether to get PS3 from SP as BD player like our friend also. (Scratching itchy hands)

ht, jangan fikir liao, just get it

u get player will do, our fren got many many blurays, pinjam can aredi, as long don scratch his disc can liao

tell me who? i want to borrow also.

This post has been edited by crimsonhead: Jun 20 2007, 03:44 AM

go to Great eastern mall at jln ampang watch the blueray player at its best on the 103' inch LCD screen.. freaking beautiful!!! all the way with blueray!

whao.... 103? the panasonic LCD ar?

er... crimson , u tak tau malu ar?

a ps3 owner tell me blu ray dvd function on ps3 was not perfect as the real blu-ray disc player. not even clear as the real blu ray player . is it real ? but can imagine this situation with the price difference between blu-ray player and ps3

P2P wins. I tells ya, honestly. Who needs a frickin disc for video anymore?

Is it true?
but since the PS3has included the Blu-Ray player inside,
i really don't think the movie quality can be affect by the player.
In deed,even u use a damn lousy China brand DVD player,
it won't down grade ur DVD movie.

have nt you heard? Blu-ray has region coding and another layer of copy protection. if you hack your player, BD+ Blu-ray disk wont play on it.

and Blockbuster is being eaten alive by Netflix. And have you heard the 'rotten' NEW Blu-ray movie disks that people at AVS forum is complaining about. Apparently, several people have spotted unremovable spots inside several of their new blu-ray movie.

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Added on June 22, 2007, 5:06 amwait - Sony's new BD player is MSRP at $499 only - $100 cheaper than the PS3

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jun 22 2007, 05:06 AM

Bro,20GB PS3 are also sell for USD499,
can use for playback ur Blu_Ray Movie too.

the 20GB model has been discontinued several months back. It was a no show even since launch. The model as disconnected because analyst said that the model caused <>$300 loss per each console and compared to 60G model that cause >$200 loss per console due to its higher price

g5sim, htkaki will most probably be buying in msia, so i think the US price doesnt affect him, as ps3 in msia is sellign for 1.8k, import, and sony is sellin their player for 4999

huh PS3 only RM1.8K .. this is the 20GB or 60g?

come to think of it - never mind what - he wants to use it as BD player

people would take RM1.8K PS3 anytime over the silly price of $4,999 player i didnt knot it is that less expensive here

both formats should die, hail holographic storage!!! cheaper storage and no DRM!!!

yeah right = wait for our grand children to own Sony Picture, Warners, Paramount, Universal, FOX, Disney, Speedy, Canal, Lionsgate, MGM .. etc

Official 60Gb PS3 in S'pore is retailing at S$799. Do the math.

ya, sg selling for 799 for the 60gb, kl selling the HK unit for rm 1850, and they say jaybee selling the ps3 m60 gb for 1500 nia

stock swimming from singapore izit?

nah... mostly still from HK
mine smuggled from SG though

got two brothers in singapore. should get them to smuggle some too

ya quick, spore impementing the hike in GST next moon, althought not tat much, but no poiint giving an extra 2% to their gahmen

By the rime u reach JB...u will get robbed there....hehehehhe..just kidding...

woi, choy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! touch wood lar

lol - silency probably knows some gang who is preying on Malaysian PS3 purchasers in singapore

imagine the different of prices. SONY BD player will sell rm4999. is 4thousand 9hundred 99 ringgit ...and the DAMM PS3 only cost 1.8k now coz ...getting shit everyday in market everywhere. so will sony put a great feature of BD player in PS3 ? hahaha

how to tell if the ps3 is frm hk or sg? like wats the additional tag line there

it seems tat the 4999 sony BD1P can record as well??????????????

rutzy, wen u buy ur ps3, u no need ask one ar? just buy nia?

i did my research for a week lo. i asked the seller if its sg he say yes so i jus take it i guess. jus asking confirmation only. got it frm benard ma. cannot ask mer.

bernard is a trustworthy source here rite? shud be fine lar

anyways, how much u bought tat SG PS3?

burned a hole in my pocket.. but worth evry penny

er.... im asking u how much u buy ler, not whether u burn a hole in ur pocket wor... too much ps3 is it?

omg - i cannot read that rustynail is writing

i dun think there is any BD player with HDD recorder around. Toshiba however is selling their HD DVD player with HDD recorder since last year and a new model is coming soon. but the price is for Japanese market only. Tivo killed DVD recorder market in USA

lol i know wat u asking for. i didnt want to tell thought u got the hint. but i guess u deserve to know anyways. rm2280. two controller ressistence and rr7.. cheap or exp?

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Added on June 25, 2007, 12:51 pmhuh?!? wat talking you.. yr queens tongue very good.. haha

This post has been edited by ruztynail: Jun 25 2007, 12:51 PM

er... cheap or expensive isnt an issue, cos u aredi bought mar

is this a forced bundle or u picked those games, and u wanted the xtra control?

g5sim, i saw it on the sony merdeka bookleet brochure, was shock wen it was written blu ray player/recorder is toshiba player selling here in msia yet?

freewill... u're an optimistic person.. i dunno but somtimes its reasuring if i know if i got the best price u know.

i get to choose the games.

u calculate lor, 799 sgd

btw, have u registered for warranty yet? fast fast go register, got sgd 10 value for u one

is it? i thought the rubber ducky thing free download. hmm register on the ps3
or the pc? lol thanks

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Added on June 25, 2007, 8:08 pmthink its sgd5 di. no more sgd10

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Added on June 25, 2007, 8:25 pmi kena con.. mine is hk product. yr serial number cecha06 - sg

cehca12 - HK i going to screw bernard!!!

This post has been edited by ruztynail: Jun 25 2007, 08:25 PM

what do you mean by recorder? with Harddisk? no wonder its sooo expensive. Toshiba's HD DVD player/recorder is only for the Japanese market. Its not solde elsewhere as for the HD DVD player. its not here yet. No official contents (HD DVD movie officiall available - no point selling it and wasting marketing cost doing so )

HMV Singapore selling most BD movies for S$51....quite good price there

If only they sell it here at the same price...tough luck...still th ebest option is amazon.com

neo, u wen to hmv ar?
actually, if u go to wisma atria, somewhere near hmv, they sellign @ 49 for most of the titles

g5sim, me not too sure either

ruzty, gd lark so bernard credibility is gone then

For those of you who really believe the hype by Blu-ray of its EXCLUSIVE studio support which BD= Sony Pictures, MGM, FOX, Disney vs HD DVD = Universal, Weinstein, think again. Yupe BD has 80% studio support. Check their US releases! do they have 80% more than HD DVD ? They have 20 more titles and FOX and MGM have not be releasing movies since March. This is when they announced hundreds of titles during CES in January .. just to pull almost all of the titles last minute talking about BD's hype vs HD DVD's commitment

HD DVD 237 vs Blu-ray 257.

Blu-ray

Black Snake Moan (Paramount)
Hustle & Flow (Paramount)


HD DVD

American Me (Universal)
Army of Darkness (Re-issue) (Universal)
Being John Malkovich (Universal)
The Big Lebowski (Universal)
Black Snake Moan (Paramount)
Bulletproof (Universal)
Dead Silence (Universal)
Freedom: 1 (Bandai Visual)
Hustle & Flow (Paramount)
Mallrats (Universal)
Meet Joe Black (Universal)
Mystery Men (Universal)
Unleashed (Re-issue) (Universal)
The Watcher (Universal)

er....g5sim, does those facts above affects us in any ways?

it would in the long run.. sony relied on ps3 to be its sole BD player rivaling other media the HD-DVD, like its ps2 which most video shops purchases ps2 jus to play the dvd as it was cheaper thn a standard dvd player.

the expensive BD media gives the studio support a hard time to churn out movies of diff titles.

the lack or lesser number of ps3 consoles out there the lesser game developers will be interested in the product. hence lesser budget, lousy games.
the reason why ps2 was so successful was because its console it practically everywhere. game developers use this basis as a guide to invest into games..

tats why ps3 is loosing on its exclusive games already.. cause the number of consoles sold is too few to get a good profit margin.

it is used to hype that the other format is dying - though is 50% cheaper, you are going to end up with an obsolete format like we did with Betamax

gosh.... Universal is churning out alot of HD movies lately.

Yup..its a turning around from the HD-DVD consortium...even thoug it is a rumours..i believe the dedicated HD-DVD player that cost a little bit more than RM1k will be released next month.....

they have even listed chick flicks as their future releases as part of their plans to get HD to masses, not only AV enthusiast

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Added on June 27, 2007, 10:36 amhmm soo early - i thought that one is in time for the christmas shopping spree by Wallmart and just clear that .. the reported cost for the players (China mari Fu Yuan using Microsoft + Broadcom's reference SOC design) would cost only $50 and Wallmart is reported planning to sell it at twice or triple ($99 or $149) the cost with initial order of 2mil units.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jun 27 2007, 10:36 AM

g5sim,meaning my ps3 will becum obselete? or just tat no more blu rays will be available? 2 different issue ler

no one is talking about Blu-ray being obsolete. The only fear that is thrown around in the format war is BD association telling consumers that that HD DVD is going to be an obsolute format. Look around, Sony get 'exclusive' BD backers to announce that they 'will never' release titles in HD DVD. the latest is Blockbuster video rental chain in the USA. Blockbuster cited consumer preference as as the reason to only offer HD DVD at 250 stores and online rental while BD will be awailable in <>1700 stores in the US. I mean come on! People are not stupid. It is FREAKING obvious that they are 'paid' to say such. Which retailer in their right mind make press release telling consumers what they wont have!! they publicise what you have not what dont have with the hope that when HD seekers come in looking for HD DVD, Blockbuster can promote BD instead. make sense ? Retailers DONT PAY MONEY TO TELL CONSUMERS WHAT THEY DO NOT SELL/RENT. Its retard and its against positive marketing !

PS3 wont be obsolete - dun worry - PSP is still around with UMD. Sony will continue to provide contents on BD even if BD as a movie format is dead. Dun worry

is there positive mktg in this world?

what do you mean? the advertisements, press releases ... ?

what i am pointing out is what Blockbuster did was rediculously stupid. Well unless they are getting other benefits from Sony ofcourse

Woot...sorry about the confusion on the final pricing..even if they sell it at $149....those 2 million units will be gone in a matter of seconds.....I wonder how low that sony is willing to sacrifice again to lower down the final pricing of it lower-priced BD player......

This post has been edited by silencer: Jun 28 2007, 12:34 AM

well, the lower the better, if the price is rite, i maybe get myself a HD DVD player afterall

its surely cheaper than your PS3. that is for sure. the current MSRP for the Toshie players are $399 $499 $699 Which i think comes August first would be officially $249, $349 and $549. And comes christmas - $199, $299 and $499 with Walmart's chinese players selling at $149

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Added on June 28, 2007, 10:35 amAlso, Samsung and LG will put standalone HD DVD players to the market by Christmas together with Onkyo's already announced HIGH END HD DVD player

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jun 28 2007, 10:35 AM

I dont really think this topic TITLE is appropriate. There is no final result yet for which format is winning .

hmm for good news, HD DVD player will be $100 cheaper in two day's time. As Sony starts its 5 Free BD movie offer, Toshiba will officially reduced the MSRP prices for their A20 and D2 player to $299 and $399 respectively. The high end player which video enthusiasts agreed to be the best Standard DVD upconvert player would how ever MSRP at $799.

Toshiba also announced that the father's day promotion of the players which saw the prices of the players sliced $100 off each models, saw Toshiba almost doubled the units in less than a month. Toshiba started selling HD DVD players in April 2006. In May 2007, they announced that the have sold 100,000 standalone HD DVD players. however during the fathers promotion, toshiba SOLD 70,000 units in less than a month. and some said that player price is not important and that content drive the sales of player. remember this. Printer makers sell printers cheap so that they can continue to sell them cartriges and toners. Gillete sell razors cheap so that people would buy the blades.

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

"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 held here last week.

In LCD TV, the company said 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.

Users will also be able to upload content and interact with content providers through such means as interactive polls, Toshiba said.

Toshiba also said that it will add 24p frame-rate output to its HD-AX2 and HD-A20 through an update planned in September.

At the same time, Toshiba's TV marketing VP Scott Ramirez said the company is ready to ship new premium 46-inch, 47-inch and 52-inch Regza LCD TVs and will add its 57-inch Cinema Series LCD TV model in July.

Ramirez said that Toshiba's flat-panel market share has jumped significantly, according to The NPD Group's retail tracking service TV data. Market research on TV sales, including combos, showed Toshiba nearly doubled its share in the 32- to 42-inch LCD category in April and May 2007.

"Consumers are responding to the quality and design of Regza, but more importantly, they are proving that Toshiba is a market leader in flat panel TV," Ramirez said.

According to NPD, Toshiba's share in the 32- to 42-inch screen size grew 90 percent, to 10.8 percent market share, making Toshiba No. 3 in the LCD screen size range, including combos.

Toshiba's 40- to 42-inch LCD market share grew to 12.7 percent in the period, while its 37-inch share grew 13.2 percent.

The new LCD models coming to market add Toshiba's advanced ClearFrame 120 Hz Anti-Blur System for smooth fast action image reproduction,

New models include the Regza 47-inch 47HL167 ($2,499) and 52-inch 52HL167 ($3,499), and Regza Cinema Series 42LX177 ($2,299), 46LX177 ($2,999) and 52LX177 ($3,999). The 57-inch model will ship in July at a price to be determined. "

who can give reviews on ps3?

See how Toshiba's HD DVD titles and player allow download of additional subtitles to the player memory and stream with the HD DVD movie. Oh wait BD's 2x more expensive players do not even have ethernet port

Toshiba and Microsoft Remind Us What HD DVD Can Do (and What Blu-Ray Can't)



Dismissing that whole Blockbuster Blu-ray decision as nothing more than a PR victory, and in no way an exclusive deal by the video-rental company, execs from Toshiba and Microsoft came to NYC to show off the latest in HD DVD amenities. The latest firmware, the one that finally allows for Web-enabled network capabilities, is here, and to mark the occasion, Toshiba has officially lowered the prices of two of its players: the HD-A2 with 1080i output will drop to $299, and the HD-A20 with 1080p output will be $399. (There had previously been an instant rebate keeping the prices low.)

Kevin Collins of Microsoft is the chief evangelist of HD DVD, and he talks about three things that, in combination, he says, make HD DVD better than Blu-ray.

. Internet connection for online updates, and now, finally, Web-enabled content
. Dual decoding for real picture-in-picture playback
. "Persistent storage" memory on the deck for customization and downloading

The sad thing for you is that Collins demonstrated these traits using the HD DVD of 300, coming out in July. However, I wasn't allowed to take photos of that, because Warner would be angry, but just take my word for it, it looked very cool. In one scene, when the Spartans are pushing the Persians off the cliff, you can pull up a green-screen "behind the scenes" version and compare it in realtime. The bronze helmets look plastic; the boiling sea below is nothing but green cushions! Collins says that the Warner Blu-ray version of 300 would have the behind-the-scenes footage, but no physical way to watch both the scene and the footage simultaneously.

The disc will also have a Risk-style XML game that lets you lead soldiers against enemy armies. It looked pretty involved, so it might actually be entertaining.

To demo Web content, Collins pulled up the anime flick Freedom, from Bandai. He pulled down French subtitles where none existed before. He downloaded trailers (compressed for the Web.) Check out the gallery for all that, plus some translucent PIP effects-hell, just because that movie just looks so amazingly good.
The third HD DVD title Collins showed off was Blood Diamond. In the menu, you could pull up pages, via the Web, discussing various parts of Africa and providing up-to-date information on diamond-trafficking, civil wars and other issues that the movie touches on.

Toshiba's Jody Sally said the company had set September 4 as the day it will ship firmware allowing for 24P compatibility; that is, playback of movies at 24-frames-per-second where available, and pending 24P compatibility in your TV.

Speaking of TVs, Toshiba had its latest Regza LCD models on hand, most originally introduced at CES. There were two never before seen 52 inchers (from $3,500 to $4,000 depending on feature set) and a 57 incher (price not yet determined, shipping next month). The company was proud to announce that it is now Number 3 in market share in the 32-inch to 42-inch LCD category. You are forgiven if you didn't know there was such a category, but nevertheless, it marks a 90% sales spike for Toshiba, and its execs are beaming.

Toshi press release


HD DVD DELIVERS ADVANCED CONTENT AND INTERACTIVITY BY OFFERING EXCLUSIVE WEB-ENABLED CAPABILITIES

Momentum for HD DVD continues to grow as player sales reach new heights and Toshiba captures 70 percent share of high definition set-top player market

WAYNE, NJ - JUNE 28, 2007 - Today at its summer press event, Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba") announced that HD DVD is bringing a whole new world of high definition entertainment to the hands of consumers. Delivering on the promise to provide advanced content and interactivity, new HD DVD titles with web-enabled network capabilities now allow consumers to easily access additional content and bonus features, as available, to enjoy their favorite HD DVD movies like never before. Current users of Toshiba HD DVD players can enjoy the web-enabled network capabilities by updating to the latest HD DVD player firmware, now available from Toshiba.

Since the launch of HD DVD, all of Toshiba's players have offered advanced interactive functionality including picture-in-picture video and audio commentary, which have already been available on many HD DVD movies. Now Toshiba takes interactivity to the next level. The company's latest firmware update supports improved network connectivity for downloading web-enabled network content and is another example of the company's commitment toward achieving the ultimate home entertainment experience. No other high definition home entertainment format currently matches the features offered by Toshiba and the HD DVD format. "Through web-enabled network connectivity, HD DVD is unlocking the door to an entirely new world of entertainment and once again achieving another milestone in next generation DVD," said Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba's Digital A/V Group. "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."

Toshiba HD DVD Players' Web-Enabled Network Capabilities
Using the Ethernet ports found on all Toshiba HD DVD players, and the currently available firmware update, once connected to the network, users can download bonus features, as available, from a movie studio's server. This data is then saved in the player's persistent storage and can be accessed by the user. In addition to downloading new bonus features, some HD DVD discs may even include locked prerecorded content which can be unlocked with a downloadable key from the studio's online server.

In addition to downloading content, HD DVD users also have the ability to upload content and interact with content providers. For example, with the award winning title, "Blood Diamond" from Warner Home Video, users can participate in interactive polls. After providing feedback, results are delivered back to users via the HD DVD player.

Web-enabled network content became available on June 26 with the launch of Bandai Visual's anime title "Freedom" volume 1. This title is the first HD DVD anime title available in the United States, the first web-enabled network content disc and the first "twin format" disc (featuring both HD DVD and DVD on one side of the disc).

"While others may talk about interactivity, HD DVD has proven time and time again that it offers true interactive features and capabilities for consumers which can make the enjoyment of movies a new experience every time they're viewed," commented Sally.

Toshiba Announces 24p Output
Coming in early September, Toshiba will add an enhanced performance function to its HD-XA2 and HD-A20 HD DVD players by offering the capability for users to update the firmware of their players allowing playback of film content in 1080p/24 frames per second, or 24p. Movie films are traditionally captured at 24 frames per second and Toshiba's HD DVD players will be able to maintain this frame rate allowing consumers to enjoy movies in their native form.

Mandatory to the HD DVD format, every Toshiba player is equipped with an Ethernet port. In addition to the capability to access web enabled content, this also allows HD DVD owners to conveniently update the firmware of their players with new features and performance improvements.

Movie Aficionados Adopt HD DVD as the Next High Definition Format of Choice - The Numbers Speak for Themselves
Responding to recent promotions as well as the industry growth of HDTV, the market adoption of HD DVD increased significantly in the past 2 months garnering Toshiba with approximately 70 percent share of all high definition set-top players, both HD DVD and Blu-ray, in both April and May according to NPD. "These numbers prove once again that HD DVD is the high definition format of choice," commented Sally.

Effective July 1st the pricing levels available during the May and June promotions will become standard MSRPs, making the HD-A2 available for an every day price of $299.99 and the HD-A20 for $399.99. The top of the line HD-XA2 continues at $799.99 (MSRP).

Important Notes:
HD DVD with high-definition content required for HD viewing. DVD with standard definition content will upconvert to near HD quality. Viewing high-definition content and up-converting DVD content may require an HDCP capable DVI or HDMI input on your display device. Firmware update may be required for some interactive features depending on content, which may also require an always-on broadband internet connection. Some features may require additional bandwidth. To take advantage of the web-enabled network content, downloading and installing the latest firmware update (ver.2.2 for HD DVD player models HD-XA1, HD-A1, and HD-D1; and ver.2.0 for HD DVD player models HD-XA2, HD-A2, HD-A2W, HD-D2, HD-A2C, and HD-A20) is required. Web-enabled features will require an always on broadband connection along with specific movie titles that include this form of content. MP3/WMA audio files not supported. Some current DVDs and CDs may not be compatible. Some Combo Discs and Twin Format Discs may not be compatible. HDMI audio support for PCM only. For 24p output, content that was created in 1080p/24 frames/sec is required. Viewing 24p output requires an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24Hz signal. Because HD DVD is a new format that makes use of new technologies, certain disc, digital connection and other compatibility and/or performance issues are possible. This may, in rare cases, include disc freezing while accessing certain disc features or functions, or certain parts of the disc not playing back or operating as fully intended. If you experience such issues, please refer to the FAQ sections of www.toshibahddvd.com or www.tacp.toshiba.com for information on possible work-around solutions or the availability of firmware updates that may resolve your problem, or contact Toshiba Customer Solutions. Some features subject to delayed availability. While Toshiba has made every effort at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifications, configurations, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. For additional information on Toshiba HD DVD players, please visit http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/hddvd/

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Added on June 29, 2007, 2:59 pm*****************************************

and oh Warner's Blood Diamond also allow users to access a HD DVD poll - which catalogue title that viewers would want to be released ind hidef disk

the leaders:

2001
Ben Hur
Wizard of Oz

FYI, I voted for
Animatrix
Singin in the Rain
North by Northwest
L.A. Confidential (Drama category)

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jun 29 2007, 02:59 PM

For me,since the next gen HD format war was just begun,
seems like its too early for us to clarify who will be the winner.
Anyway,because of playstation 3,i think i will support the Blue-ray format no matter what.

wow.... HD DVD is so tempting

"It's a SONY"
Betamax (Sony) vx VHS
Atrac (Sony) vs MP3
SACD (Sony) vs DVD-Audio
Bluray (Sony) vs HD-DVD

Hmmmmm.....

dunno when to learn their lesson

even more tempting - the MSRP for HD DVD now officially starts at $299 ($299 x 3.6 = RM1076). This is the HIGHEST price that retailers can offer. They CANNOT sell the player above that price. They however can reduce the price like many do. and oh the purchase also come with 5 FREE movie disks (offer ends July 31st, 2007).

BH Photo ships A2 to Malaysia for <>RM1500 (express shipping included)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4635...DVD_Player.html

Sony has just recently announced their BD player at MRSP RM4,999. I was like WTF .. BH photo is selling Sony's S300 BD player at $499 (RM1846). + courier + tax still less than RM3000 and BH photo ships to Malaysia

BH photo ships the cheapest BD player, Sony's BP S300 to Malaysia for <>RM2300 (express shipping included). However, due to Sony's "phantom product launch". The player is not in stock. They are currently taking orders only

https://secure.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control...A=cart&Q=update

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Added on June 30, 2007, 2:57 amMinidisc anyone? and their own flash memory format .. what was that i forgot too much dead formats from them. difficult to remember lah !!

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jun 30 2007, 02:57 AM

You left out two,

PS3 Vs XBOX 360
UMD Vs DVD

he was referring to dead formats only lar. the remaining two is still alive - but by the rate that PS3 is going, Sony will be announcing PS4 without the BD drive very soon

Well, the UMD format already dead leh ........ nowadays new movies are not released on the UMD format anymore and PSP owners rather convert their dvd movies to MPEG-4 AVC format and watch it from the MSPD.

As for Blu-Ray, if you think it will win the HD war format just because the PS3 plays it, then you'll be disappointed to know that the PS3's sales are not as good as Sony has predicted and it's no indicator that people will buy a gaming console to watch movies. Even for our current PS2 and the original XBOX, how many people are using them to watch movies, right?

Sony is taking a big gamble now and honestly, I don't think there'll be a PS4 in the future, PS3 might be the last console from Sony as they have suffered losses amounting to USD200 plus for each PS3 sold and the software to harware sales were also disappointing, at least XBOX 360 and Wii sold more softwares than the PS3. In the video game business, softwares means profits, not the console. It's the same as printers, they make money from consumables. If Ken Kutargi, the father of 'Playstation' has been kicked out, this could only mean that the top management is disappointed with the current PS3's sales. If they lowered it to RM999 and comes with 5 Blu-Ray movies of our choice, I bet it will take the top spot being held by Wii currently within a few days.

Another annoying thingy about Blu-Ray is even though the 50GB dual layered Blu-Ray discs are available commercially, there are still movie studios still using MPEG-2 compression codec and some movies only come with the normal Dolby Digital soundtrack and most movies lack of special features despite of the huge space offered by dual layered Blu-Ray discs. Hopefully, we'll see some changes in the near future, I'm still not very happy with the way movie studios are releasing their HD movies on Blu-Ray.

the problem with BD is its new. It takes far more cost to build a BD disk manufacturing facility and you can only product BDs or replicate BDs with. And with BD Association announcing that that BD Studios sold less than 2mil BD movies in its first year, who in the right mind would want to make such investment? The only manifacturer of BD50 is Sony. HD DVD plants on the other is 2x cheaper than BD. One can convert the regular DVD line to product HD DVD. Anything happen to HD DVD, the line can be converted back to produccing DVD.

50GB capacities of BD was hyped to death and many with less critical mind bought it. BD50 is more expensive and bear no significant to consumer. Consumer do not have the equipment to enjoy the lossless PCM sound. They cant see the differences between 720p or 1080i or 1080p on their 32 and 37in LCD TVs. Come to think of it, the HD DVD version with only 30gb of space have much more content/feature than BD

and on the PS3 sales, that is no longer a secret. Kutaragi was fired. Hundreds of Sony Computer staffs in USA were also fired recently. Hell the BlockBuster CEO who made the decision to publicly announced that they will have BD is <>1700 rental stores and only 250 stores for HD DVD was also fired and they are announcing the closure of <>300 stores too .. everything is not good in BD land

HD land avthing is good?

lol but nope -

atleast there genuine positive news from HD DVD land. web feature, their already talk of the town interactive feature is now put on steroid with the release of Freedom Fighter, 300 and the upcoming Blood Diamond. BD is still finalizing their BD-J feature (what else can i say ) Their current players do not even support PiP and yet cost 2x more than HD DVD players.

and another good news, the Amazon n Microsoft's 1000 Indie HD DVD project for example. Where the two will offer 1000 independence titles to be released in HD DVD for free. The titles would then be sold through Amazon's video on demand, Customflix and the producers of the indie titles will get royalties from the sales of the titles.

the bad news on HD DVD land is mostly generated by BD's media hype (with not substance). YOu know when they get FOX and MGM to AGAIN announce exclusive support for BD but never bother to release titles .. Or get BlockBuster to announce that they will have BD titles in <>1700 rental stores in North America only to disclose that they are closing 300 stores in North America. And oh, for those who didnt know, Blockbuster USED to be big but now they are a dying dinosour eaten up by other rental such as NETflix whom support both format equally.

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Added on July 6, 2007, 10:41 amand oh - the official $100 the MSRP of Toshiba players ofcourse. Their players can be obtained at <>$230 in the USA

and to be fair, BD's five free BD title offer that mirrors HD DVD's soon to expire FIVE FREE HD DVD titles per player purchase is also a good news

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 6 2007, 10:41 AM

i will be fair for them if the priced their players at the same price at HD DVD and offer the same advance intractivity as HD DVD . Till then, i will always back HD DVD, because consumer wise, its value for money

wow, is tat the way u see things? players must be price the same?
communism is it?

i am against people who shoved a 2x more expensive players that perform less and refuse to better themselves and only depend to press release to drive marketing. Toshiba player selling at <>$230. Cheapest blu-ray player selling at $500. the $230 has much more feature that consumers can enjoy. So why do we need the $500 player? Without it, consumers can get all the contents in HD DVD

Do you own any HDDVD then?

g5sim no HDDVD materials?

well, for me willing buyer willing seller, same issue slike cars, a wira can bring u to a destination, and so is a BMW, both price differs

sorry but in HD DVD vs BD - the Proton is priced at the BMW while the BMW is priced at proton's price. So how?