DVD War Over High Definition, Most Buyers Are Sitting It Out
December 31, 2007
What if nobody wins the high-definition DVD format wars? Blu-ray discs sit alongside the competing HD DVD format.
According to data from Adams Media Research, 578,000 HD DVD and 370,000 Blu-ray machines will be sold by the end of this year.
Studios allied with the Blu-ray camp include Columbia, Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, Miramax, New Line and Sony.
In the HD DVD camp are DreamWorks, Paramount, Universal, the Weinstein Company, and several smaller TV and motion picture companies. High-definition DVDs of both formats provide superior picture and sound quality compared with standard DVDs.
Only high-definition sets can display high-definition DVD images. “Today, an HDTV owner hooks up a standard DVD and it looks good,” said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD Strategic Marketing at Universal, and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group. According to research by NPD Group, only 11 percent of HDTV set owners strongly intend to buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD player by next spring. Blu-ray and HD DVD proponents are doing what they can to change that attitude. HD DVD players, the vast majority of which are made by Toshiba, still have the price advantage. Blu-ray units are also made by Panasonic, Philips, Sony and others.
As prices drop, high-definition DVD drives will find their way into other devices. The 400 movies available in each format are a fraction of the 90,000 movies and TV programs that the video rental company Netflix offers. Increasingly, high-definition DVDs are being issued simultaneously with the standard definition DVD release.
Of Blockbuster’s 5,000 physical stores, 250 offer both high-definition DVD formats, while 1,450 rent only Blu-ray; the rest offer none. As more consumers buy HDTVs, and the price of dual format players drop, an uneasy truce may descend. “When high-definition DVD reaches its tipping point, studios will have to release their movies in both HD DVD and Blu-ray,” Mr. Adams said.
Source: NYTimes
Microsoft secretly hope both HD DVD and Blue Disk fail?
December 4, 2007
Engadget HD is reporting on a story about Michael Bay claiming that Microsoft does not want either HD format to succeed. What Microsoft want is downloadable HD:
It’s no secret that Michael “Transformers” Bay prefers his high definition optical discs in the Blu variety, but what we didn’t know was how convinced the man is that the whole format war is nothing but a stalling tactic, with Microsoft pulling all the strings. Responding to a commenter angry over Paramount’s decision to burn Optimus and friends onto HD DVD only, Bay claims to have the inside track on the “corporate politics” at play here, suggesting that “Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads.” He goes on to claim that Redmond has only been financially backing HD DVD over “superior Blu-ray” to create “confusion in the market” until such time as high def digital downloading goes prime time. In other words, if you believe Bay, Microsoft is backing a known loser in order to prolong a war it doesn’t want anyone to win. Pretty wild theory, if you ask us — hey, this guy should make movies.
Hulu testing HD video streaming
December 4, 2007
Hulu, the joint online video venture between NBC and News Corp, has given private beta testers a sneak peak at the high definition video that should soon be available on the net more ubiquitously now that Flash supports the H.264 video codec. Hulu HD content is in 720p (1280×720) format.
Hulu currently provides only nine trailers in high definition as a sampler, including ones for Jumper, 27 Dresses, Hitman, American Gangster, and Definitely, Maybe. Playback requires a connection of 2,400 kbps or higher, Flash Player 9.0.115.0, and a fast computer (at least 3 GHz for PCs and 1.83 GHz for Macs).
No word yet on when the rest of Hulu’s collection might become available in high definition.
Source: techcrunch
A direct link to the HD gallery can be found here.
I think it is time for Joost to start to get worried now. When will we see HD streaming content on Joost?
Akamai Unveils Unique View Of The High-Definition Internet
October 30, 2007
Akamai Technologies has announced The HDWeb, a ‘proof-of-concept’ portal designed to showcase the experience consumers can have with high definition content online. The Website, available at http://www.thehdweb.com, showcases content from a variety of industries including music, movies, professional sports, games and news.
Akamai customers are now delivering a consistent, high-definition video experience on Akamai’s uniquely distributed edge delivery platform that is specifically tuned for optimal delivery of high-definition (HD) files online.
As an industry leader and pioneer in online video, Akamai has raised the bar for what a service provider must offer companies in order to deliver this content effectively and efficiently online today.
Companies providing HD content for the initiative include Apple, BBC Motion Gallery, CBS, Gannett, MTV Networks, NBA and more.
Bringing together broadband ISPs, content providers, technology providers and consumer electronics manufacturers, this groundbreaking initiative is designed to build the framework to galvanize the industry around thepotential of HD online.
Source broadcastbuyer.tv
Vimeo Launches High Definition (’HD’) Video Sharing
October 18, 2007
I already reported on this during the week-end… but here is the official announcement:
Vimeo, the fast-growing online community that has created a new platform for the sharing of personal video, today announced the introduction of High-Definition (”HD”), making it the first site to enable HD video sharing.
Recognizing that there is an increasing demand for, and appreciation of, better quality video, this Vimeo breakthrough allows content creators at every level of sophistication to share their videos in native 720p (1280 x 720) resolution, which is 12 times better than the standard 320 x 240 resolution of other video sites.
“Video is an incredibly immersive medium. And so, people are very passionate about the quality of their video, and the viewing experience of those they have chosen to share their videos with,” said Vimeo Founder Jakob Lodwick. “Vimeo is differentiated by the quality of its content, and the quality of its underlying video viewing platform.”
Now that the price of HD camcorders has dropped below $1,000, more and more people are interested in HD. Vimeo’s HD platform utilizes the latest video technologies to deliver HD content in real time via broadband connection.
In addition to HD, Vimeo is introducing a variety of related services to improve the experience for its community, including Albums, which is a new way to organize videos [http://www.vimeo.com/326181] on the site, and a redesigned video player to take full advantage of higher quality video.
Jakob Lodwick founded Vimeo as an extension of his life-long passion for creating video. “As an amateur filmmaker, I’m eager to present my work in the best possible environment. And that’s true for anyone who picks up a camera. HD will inspire content creators to rise to the occasion, and to share video in the way it was meant to be seen,” added Lodwick.
Source: CNN
Vimeo, share your HD content with the world
October 13, 2007
I just learned that Vimeo is now accepting user created content in HD resolution:
The resulting video quality is really quite amazing. Streaming is fast and extremely good looking.
Uploading files is really simple and the interactive interface provide really nice feedback for those large files you may want to upload.
Disney movies on XBOX Live in HD now available
July 11, 2007
Whether you want to find adventure in a blockbuster game or lose yourself in a magical movie moment, you can get the ultimate in entertainment in your living room with Xbox 360™ and Xbox LIVE®.
Today at the E3 Media & Business Summit, Microsoft and Disney-ABC Domestic Television announced an agreement to bring feature films from The Walt Disney Studios to U.S. members of Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360.
Beginning today, consumers of all ages have access to a growing catalog of new and classic movies from The Walt Disney Studios including titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films, on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading high-definition-video download service.
“With this partnership, we are able to feature blockbuster new releases as they become available, as well as an incredible array of classic family films that made Disney the icon it is today.”
[Source XBOX]
ABC.com to make video content available in HD
May 16, 2007
Picture from Engadget HD
EngadgetHD is running a small post about the fact that ABC.com is looking at making shows available in 1280×720p resolution. The bitrate used is not known yet but will likelly be equivalent to what Apple is using for iTunes HD Video content.
And here is more datails from the press release:
Dedicated to expanding its network and channel brands across multiple platforms and connecting viewers with their favorite shows anytime and anywhere, Disney-ABC Television Group announced today that it will begin to stream content in true high definition resolution this summer on its Emmy Award-winning ABC.com broadband video.
“We are excited to be the first in the industry to stream HD video available on the web, providing ABC.com users with an unprecedented online viewing experience,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney-ABC Television Group. “By continuing to listen to our audience and enhancing our digital offerings with the best technology available, we further strengthen their relationship to our brands.”
Launching as a beta test in early July, the full-episode broadband player’s HD channel will feature a limited amount of content in true high-definition 1280 X 720 resolution from such series as “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Ugly Betty.” In conjunction with the launch of the new season in September, a more robust HD programming line-up will be offered.
“This is all about innovating and creating ‘what’s next’ to give consumers with best experience as they watch our content, regardless of viewing platform,” said Albert Cheng, executive vice president, digital media, Disney-ABC Television Group. “With the advancements in display devices and the prevalence of hardware with the processing capabilities to handle this technology, offering true HD content online is a natural.”
Additionally this fall, the ABC.com’s full episode player will be expanded further to included national news and local content, in addition to primetime entertainment programming. This new player will be geo-targeted, offering the ability for local ads and content to be more relevant to each individual user.
ABC.com’s broadband player currently offers full-length episodes in high quality, standard definition resolution of over a dozen series including “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Ugly Betty,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Notes from the Underbelly,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “According to Jim” free to consumers on ABC’s website the day after their broadcast premieres.
In April, the full-episode player began offering full-screen viewing as well as small “mini” screen that users can position wherever they choose on their desktops, in addition to the two original standard viewing size viewing options. To date, ABC affiliates covering 80% of the country, including all major affiliate groups as well as the ten ABC owned stations, have launched or have committed to launching the player on their own websites and are taking advantage of the opportunity to incorporate local advertising into the programming.
Disney-ABC Television Group is home to all of The Walt Disney Company’s worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel’s worldwide portfolio of kids’ channels, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television production and syndication divisions ABC Studios, Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney-ABC International Television. Disney-ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney Network in addition to the Company’s equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Networks.
Apple TV and HD quality: It’s not the hardware
April 13, 2007
Engadget realized that the Apple TV wasn’t going to be a HD powerhouse and their tests have indicated as much — they have also discovered that the problem is not the hardware.
The Apple TV will not sync many videos and Apple has yet to provide any HD via the iTunes Music Store. Sure some of the trailers are in HD, but not all and how can we tell which without watching them.
When Engadget first started testing the Apple TV with a few HD clips they encoded themselves, they were very disappointed and while it is still crazy to compare the Apple TV to HD DVD or Blu-ray, acceptable results are possible. So they opened up their Apple TV and added a few codecs as well as copied over a few videos that would otherwise refuse to sync and they were very surprised at the results, not only were they able to watch some great looking HD, but surround sound came alive with Dolby Digital 5.1 .
The real question is why: why would Apple not support DD 5.1, other codecs and most of all, why wouldn’t they support higher bitrate video than 5Mbps when the Apple TV can play them so well? If the Apple TV fails to follow the iPod in it’s foot steps, we will most certainly blame it on Apple decision to leave these out.
Source: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/04/11/apple-tv-and-hd-quality-its-not-the-hardware/
