360 HD-DVD pics

Most HD movies are upscaled because making HD versions would involve going back to the masters, which = money. Especially with special effects involved, because a lot of the time you would have to redo some of the special effects. However, there are tons of movies that were made with HD in mind, the recent Star Wars movies as an example.

However, I'll be happy once we start seeing more HD-DVDs on the market. For the newer movies at least. And if the stand-alone is only $200, I can't see not picking it up.
 
MH Knights said:
I own a CRT set that does 480p and 1080i. I have no plans (actually no money) on upgrading any time soon. And there are many out there who are in the same boat. How many people own a set that can do true 1080p? Very, very few. Maybe if SED sets are all they are hyped to be I will get one of those. If I get anything before that I may just get a cheap DLP set.

Also, for a movie to be truely HD it has to be recorded, edited, formated, and played in HD. Most of the movies being released on HD/BDR were made for standard definition and are pretty much just copy and pasted from the DVD. There is only so much upscaling can do for an image.

Oh and Holographic technology is taking off, Hitachi Maxell has already tested it commercially.
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Movies are recorded, edited, and formatted using film. Studios have been making HD transfers from the final film for many many years.
 
PWMK2 said:
Most HD movies are upscaled because making HD versions would involve going back to the masters, which = money. Especially with special effects involved, because a lot of the time you would have to redo some of the special effects. However, there are tons of movies that were made with HD in mind, the recent Star Wars movies as an example.

However, I'll be happy once we start seeing more HD-DVDs on the market. For the newer movies at least. And if the stand-alone is only $200, I can't see not picking it up.
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Um do you know how much Holographic technology will cost? It's like tape drives the price will never go down. Right now Holographic drives cost tens of thousands and the media probably cost a hundred at least. Holographic format has only propositioned for the buisness server data market not the average consumer market.
 
If it doesn't look like an ipod, then its blahh. But seriously, that is fugly. :p
 
kumquat said:
Movies are recorded, edited, and formatted using film. Studios have been making HD transfers from the final film for many many years.
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QFMFT....it's something I learned from a member here a while ago, and then further researched. Since the 80's or even before, I believe, film records at stunningly large resolutions. It's all formatted, fixed, cropped, yada yada, and then spit out at a rate that current equipment can handle.

HD-DVD's are NOT upscaled versions of current DVD's. They go back to the very original film they used and convert it at standard HD resolutions.
 
Why does it remind me of a bible?

Very book shaped. Its gonna be hard to make it look neat. I imagine it would look ok with a pile of dvd's stacked next to it. Otherwise it would just look strangely out of place to me.

The colours are the wrong way round too.

I wonder if they will release faceplates to match the existing ones for it. If indeed it has a removable faceplate
 
Errr so this is HD-DVD over USB...

USB doesn't really have that much bandwidth, gonna choke in loading a game that actually required HD-DVD discs (ie because of alot of data)
 
eeyrjmr said:
Errr so this is HD-DVD over USB...

USB doesn't really have that much bandwidth, gonna choke in loading a game that actually required HD-DVD discs (ie because of alot of data)
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No games. Only movies. And to be honest i'm a bit worried about the USB bandwidth too. But i guess MS has already tested it and figured it works.
 
Skirrow said:
No games. Only movies. And to be honest i'm a bit worried about the USB bandwidth too. But i guess MS has already tested it and figured it works.
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My understanding is that HD-DVD requires about 36.5Mbps of bandwdth. I've got a pair of USB 2.0 external HDDs and they both manage 30MB/s quite easily, which is about 240Mbps. Based on my own observations, I'd have to say that USB 2.0 can easily handle HD-DVD throughput.
 
JethroXP said:
My understanding is that HD-DVD requires about 36.5Mbps of bandwdth. I've got a pair of USB 2.0 external HDDs and they both manage 30MB/s quite easily, which is about 240Mbps. Based on my own observations, I'd have to say that USB 2.0 can easily handle HD-DVD throughput.
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QFT-it's been proven. USB can handle MUCH MORE than what is required for HD throughput. Hell, a USB connection an run a few HD streams through it at once. ;)
 
MH Knights said:
I Most of the movies being released on HD/BDR were made for standard definition and are pretty much just copy and pasted from the DVD.
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nuh uh. :D
 
BTW, watch HDnet movies sometime. Lots of movies from the 70s and 80s that were filmed and then recently transferred to HD video. I watched Easy Rider a few weeks ago in HD, not some upscaled DVD copy.

The DVD transfers were done from film, too.
 
One of the best things about the New DVD formats, either/or really, is that the Bit-rate is about 1.5-2x that of the HD feeds you get on Dish and cable, so either way you go, you'll end up with a stunningly better picture than you can get from regular DVD.

Also, one cool thing (off the topic) about some of those specialized HD channels is that they will remaster some of the older shows. I watched "The Monster Squad" in HD on the MonsterHD movie channel on Voom, and it had a screen before the movie began stating that it was remastered in HD from its original film source.

Looked pretty damn good too.
 
Most likely its gonna fail since no ones going to buy something that doesn't have support and a dvd collection out yet and you got to buy an 360 and the player. I think the ps3 is gonna win with the blue array since it already comes with the console. Its gonna be like the gamecube internet adapter, gonna be abandoned after awhile lol. I would like the blue array to win anyways since it has more space :)
 
Originally Posted by MH Knights
Also, for a movie to be truely HD it has to be recorded, edited, formated, and played in HD. Most of the movies being released on HD/BDR were made for standard definition and are pretty much just copy and pasted from the DVD. There is only so much upscaling can do for an image.
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Movies are recorded on film, which has higher resolution, better color fidelity and wider color gamut than any digital video format. The HD-DVDs are mastered from these films.
 
Conker said:
Most likely its gonna fail since no ones going to buy something that doesn't have support and a dvd collection out yet and you got to buy an 360 and the player. I think the ps3 is gonna win with the blue array since it already comes with the console. Its gonna be like the gamecube internet adapter, gonna be abandoned after awhile lol. I would like the blue array to win anyways since it has more space :)
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Lol, no movie collection available yet, you mean just like Blu-Ray, right? And it is "Blu-Ray", not "Blue Array". The only people who will buy the HD-DVD drive for the 360 are people who want it. Silly notion I know, but with PS3, everyone has to buy the Blu-Ray, whether they want it or not, and I guarantee that give the option of saving $200 a lot of PS3 owners would opt not to have it.
 
and I guarantee that give the option of saving $200 a lot of PS3 owners would opt not to have it.
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thats certainly one of the things going through my mind, i'm sure sony can answer if infact the blu-ray aspect of the PS3 is a driving point in the price since they can pretty much do all the processes on the Cell, and just have it as a normal player, not actually physically putting in a blu-ray player - which in the end wouldn't drive the cost that much

either way it doesn't matter, if people are looking to play HD DVD movies and wanted an easy set up to obtain HD DVD format players, this is the quickest solution for most people right now

but .. there still has to be HD DVD content to play first :p
 
Trimlock said:
thats certainly one of the things going through my mind, i'm sure sony can answer if infact the blu-ray aspect of the PS3 is a driving point in the price since they can pretty much do all the processes on the Cell, and just have it as a normal player, not actually physically putting in a blu-ray player - which in the end wouldn't drive the cost that much
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Except that it can't just be a "normal" player, it has to have the blue laser, not the standard red laser found on regular DVD players. That alone would drive the cost up.

Trimlock said:
either way it doesn't matter, if people are looking to play HD DVD movies and wanted an easy set up to obtain HD DVD format players, this is the quickest solution for most people right now
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Actually, it isn't a solution right now, since it doesn't even ship for another six months.

Trimlock said:
but .. there still has to be HD DVD content to play first :p
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Exactly, there has to be some compelling reason for people to want to have, and there simply isn't one for either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD right now. I'm sure things will be different in six months, but probably not very different from today. People are not going to rush out and buy a PS3 just because they can watch "A Knight's Tale" in full HD splendor. And a lot of potential PS3 owners would probably give up that ability in a heartbeat to be able to save $200.

Both the PS3 and the Xbox360 are powerful gaming systems that can do lots of other cool media and entertainment functions as well. The difference is that Microsoft is not forcing people to pay for that extra functionality if they don't want it. Sony is forcing their customers to pay a significant premium for features that they may not want or need.
 
Most people don't even use Component / HDMI or even S-Video to hook up their dvd players and they think they look great, so I'm sure they won't be rushing out to buy a next generation DVD player. They main appeal for most people when they switched from VHS to DVD was the convience of the smaller form factor (disc vs. larger clunky tape) and the ability to skip around the disc (i.e. not having to rewind a tape). I see this being a slow transition. HDTV has taken a long time to take off and it is a huge improvement over what was out there previously, and the improvement from DVD to HD-DVD is much more marginal.

(I'm not bashing either new format, I'll be buying a standalone player as soon as Denon or Pioneer Elite comes out with a stand alone player, preferrably one that is a dual format universal like they did with DVD-A and SACD)
 
StorageJoe said:
They main appeal for most people when they switched from VHS to DVD was the convience of the smaller form factor (disc vs. larger clunky tape) and the ability to skip around the disc (i.e. not having to rewind a tape).
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So true, I still remember the salesman on my first DVD player purchase telling me that the biggest benefit was not having to rewind the discs :D
 
StorageJoe said:
Most people don't even use Component / HDMI or even S-Video to hook up their dvd players and they think they look great, so I'm sure they won't be rushing out to buy a next generation DVD player. They main appeal for most people when they switched from VHS to DVD was the convience of the smaller form factor (disc vs. larger clunky tape) and the ability to skip around the disc (i.e. not having to rewind a tape). I see this being a slow transition. HDTV has taken a long time to take off and it is a huge improvement over what was out there previously, and the improvement from DVD to HD-DVD is much more marginal.
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QFT. Most people have absolutely no idea what picture quality is. They look at any large display and as long as it doesn't have anything really wrong with it they say "that looks nice." The general public really won't care about the amount of storage space on the disc, the bitrate, etc. when they can't even grasp the concept of resolution.

For HD-DVD or Blu-Ray to take off a few things need to happen:
1) The format war is over. People don't want to buy something that may end up losing the war and lose support.
2) Prices come wayyyyy down, to the $100-$150 range.
3) DVDs are slowly phased out and replaced by next gen content at retailers.
 
which ever one takes over, they'll have to do what companies did with DVD sales, eat up alot of the costs in sales while they hope people gradually move over to it, releasing both normal DVD and the new HD content, just producing more and more HD (HD DVD or Blu-Ray) over time hoping to cause a trend

it'll cost money, but thats what happens when you try to switch trends
 
dotK said:
QFT. Most people have absolutely no idea what picture quality is. They look at any large display and as long as it doesn't have anything really wrong with it they say "that looks nice." The general public really won't care about the amount of storage space on the disc, the bitrate, etc. when they can't even grasp the concept of resolution.

For HD-DVD or Blu-Ray to take off a few things need to happen:
1) The format war is over. People don't want to buy something that may end up losing the war and lose support.
2) Prices come wayyyyy down, to the $100-$150 range.
3) DVDs are slowly phased out and replaced by next gen content at retailers.
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add 4) HDTVs become suficiently widespread (and low priced) that a significan portion of the market can get one and then desire HD movies.
 
dotK said:
1) The format war is over. People don't want to buy something that may end up losing the war and lose support.
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Just like dvd-r and dvd+r?? Who won that war anyhow?
 
My point exactly. Don't wait out a war that might never end. Pick whatever you feel has the best quality/price/content and you should be fine. If worse it dosn't mean you have to rebuy all your movies. All you have to do is have two set top boxes installed. The war wont be over soon though these billion dollar investments wont go without a fight.
 
andypnb said:
add 4) HDTVs become suficiently widespread (and low priced) that a significan portion of the market can get one and then desire HD movies.
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I don't think this is as much of a criteria as the others that I listed. You can still enjoy Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies on current sets the same as DVDs now. If HD players cost about the same, HD movies cost the same, and there is a wide selection of HD content most people will choose the HD route when they want to buy new players, even if they don't have a TV that will fully exploit it - yet.
 
psychoace said:
Just like dvd-r and dvd+r?? Who won that war anyhow?
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I don't think that's a good analogy to Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD, because that "war" was made obsolete by the very early introduction of burners and readers that could handle both types of media, thereby making the choice transparent to the end user. Until something similar happens with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, this will continue to be a war that manufacturers and studios are asking consumers to fight.
 
JethroXP said:
I don't think that's a good analogy to Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD, because that "war" was made obsolete by the very early introduction of burners and readers that could handle both types of media, thereby making the choice transparent to the end user. Until something similar happens with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, this will continue to be a war that manufacturers and studios are asking consumers to fight.
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SACD vs. DVD-A may be a better analogy: in that format war, CD won. Digital distribution will win that fight over the long term, kind of like the fight between HiFD and ZIP, which CD-R won (USB flash has made significant inroads in another part of that space, but they're not cheap enough to give away).
 
lesman said:
QFT-it's been proven. USB can handle MUCH MORE than what is required for HD throughput. Hell, a USB connection an run a few HD streams through it at once. ;)
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An external HD-DVD drive connected to a good controller will never be able to max out a USB 2.0 connection. At least not now. A 16x DVD drive (basically the same speed as a 4x HD-DVD drive I believe) maxes out at 177.28Mb/s, far below max for USB 2.0. BTW, anyone else notice that there are 2 USB 2.0's? Maybe it was already mentioned, but any ideas what the 2nd is used for? Maybe a dongle for audio?
 
MonkeyShave said:
Digital distribution will win that fight over the long term, kind of like the fight between HiFD and ZIP, which CD-R won (USB flash has made significant inroads in another part of that space, but they're not cheap enough to give away).
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I see a huge difference here, at least if you mean by 'digital distribution' what I think you do: on-demand style movies through your cable/satellite box.

I refuse to do pay-per-view in any kind of way. In fact, if I didn't have a $15 per month rent all you want plan at Hollywood video, I wouldn't do rentals either.

The problem with digital distribution is that you don't get a hard copy of the disc, and a lot of people like to build up DVD libraries.
 
So long as HD DVDs and the players are cheaper then Blu Ray, they have my full support. I detest Sony for trying to force change again in media format, fueling another format war by greed.

Go HD DVD Go!
 
NulloModo said:
I see a huge difference here, at least if you mean by 'digital distribution' what I think you do: on-demand style movies through your cable/satellite box.

I refuse to do pay-per-view in any kind of way. In fact, if I didn't have a $15 per month rent all you want plan at Hollywood video, I wouldn't do rentals either.

The problem with digital distribution is that you don't get a hard copy of the disc, and a lot of people like to build up DVD libraries.
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Sorry about the vague post.

I was referring to music in that one. Video and music are (of course) vastly different markets. The iPod killed because you could put 100% (for most people) of your music into one little box and listen to it on your bike, on the subway, and while walking the dog.

The analogy breaks down badly for video (larger storage requirements and less need for a portable, complete library), so I couldn't say which format (DVD, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, or something new) will win there, just that other competitors exist (and both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray could lose).

My only point was that neither SACD nor DVD-A won that "format war" over music. Few people cared enough about either product and somebody else sideswiped them.
 
theNoid said:
So long as HD DVDs and the players are cheaper then Blu Ray, they have my full support. I detest Sony for trying to force change again in media format, fueling another format war by greed.

Go HD DVD Go!
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How is Sony forcing you compared to the Hd-dvd clan? Sony is putting the drive in there ps3 yet you can still buy hd-dvd's only and use the ps3 as a game system. Is Sony forcing you to buy the ps3? no is Sony forcing you to buy anything you don't want? no so how are they forcing you?
 
I believe it's called being biased. :p

I don't care who wins, I just want my HD content. The fact that I can have Blu-Ray capabilities when I get a PS3 is just an added bonus, like DVD with the PS2.
 
theNoid said:
So long as HD DVDs and the players are cheaper then Blu Ray, they have my full support. I detest Sony for trying to force change again in media format, fueling another format war by greed.

Go HD DVD Go!
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The situation isn't as polarized as you just put it. If HD-DVD was the sole next-gen format, it is very likely that the customer would pay more for the device/content for the duration of its viability. With Blu-Ray as competition, it is very likely the HD-DVD foundation will be forced to undercut Sony/Blu-Ray on pricing. Already they are toting cost as the primary advantage vs. Blu-Ray. The only loser in this game is the one who backs the wrong format. Everyone else can benefit, at a cost of time. I would suggest that you wait until it is clear that either both formats will be equally supported, or if that is not the case, that you wait until it is clear which format will get majority backing.
 
psychoace said:
How is Sony forcing you compared to the Hd-dvd clan? Sony is putting the drive in there ps3 yet you can still buy hd-dvd's only and use the ps3 as a game system. Is Sony forcing you to buy the ps3? no is Sony forcing you to buy anything you don't want? no so how are they forcing you?
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You are taking his statement too generally. He was referring to potential PS3 customers. If you plan to buy a PS3, Sony is forcing you to purchase a Blu-Ray drive whether you want one or not. Given the option of no Blu-Ray and a $200 savings, I suspect many potential PS3 buyers would opt to save the $200 and upgrade to the HD format of their choice at a later date, when there is more compelling content available.
 
ok but you got to understand the future potential of blu ray without thinking of it as just a movie player. 25gig's of space for a developer to work with instead of 9gigs like a dvd. Developers are already commenting how they are using 2 to even 3 dvd's for certain games on the xbox 360 while it would still only take one blu ray disc. So to make this standard for games would be nice. Yes it cost a lot now but eventually the price will go down and more and more people will buy the system when it is 300 dollars or so. Sony is really out in nowhere land thinking they are going to sell 5 million units at launch but how many units they sell at launch is not as important as the product. Anyhow who knows maybe that guess will push them to produce more systems before the holidays so we then we wont have the same problem Microsoft had with lack of stock of the xbox 360 during launch and the first few months. So it's Sony's decision to put in Blu Ray in more then a movie playback criteria. It's multipurpose unit that is left absent could hold back the system's full potential all together.
 
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