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Erroneous HD DVD Report Gets Tongues Wagging 52

Posted by Zonk from the big-fan-of-common-sense dept.
An anonymous reader writes "HD DVD fans learned a valuable lesson in 'don't believe everything you read' this week, after the trade publication Home Media Magazine reported that the HD DVD camp planned to release more than 20x the number of releases planned on Blu-ray through the end of 2007. The suggestion was so preposterous that even the official HD DVD Promotions Group (which has the most to gain from the spread of such misinformation) has requested a correction. 'Contacted for comment, the HD DVD Promotional Group told us that the Home Media Magazine report was incorrect. The group says it "conservatively" projects a worldwide total of 600 HD DVD releases for the entirety of 2007, and that the error in the report appeared to stem from a slide in an HD DVD powerpoint presentation that listed the cumulative number of titles by month for 2006. The Home Media Magazine report also quoted a Blu-ray spokesperson as saying that Blu-ray-affiliated studios will release a total of 43 titles in 2007. This number also appears to be incorrect, given that 160 titles have already been announced through September in the U.S. alone.'"
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Erroneous HD DVD Report Gets Tongues Wagging More

Erroneous HD DVD Report Gets Tongues Wagging

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  • PS3 owners (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    If you have a TV that handles 1080p/24, Sony's 1.80 update will allow you to watch your blu-ray movies at the proper 24fps.

    • Re:PS3 owners (Score:4, Interesting)

      by donaldm ( 919619 ) on Friday May 25, 2007 @02:24AM (#19266237)
      You have been always able to play Blu-Ray movies on the PS3 (well at least the Australia/NZ, EU and UK ones do) up to 1080p if your HDTV supports this. What the 1.8 upgrade does is to allow video upscaling via HDMI of DVD movies to a HDTV that support 720p, 1080i or 1080p. In addition you can now display all PS1/2 games up to 1080p as well has the ability to smooth the picture, however you can use HDMI or component video to your HDTV to do this.

      Smoothing a PS1 game on a PS2 has always been available but in many cases the soothing did not do much although to be fair a few games looked fantastic and some looked awful so you had to turn the feature off. I would assume this will be the case with the 1.8 PS3 upgrade except it would be applied to both PS2 and PS1 games. I have tried the new update on a PS1 game which I know needed smoothing and it did look quite nice (not fantastic but much more playable) but this is the only game I have had the time to try out the new feature on.

      I have an Australian PS3 which means the machine uses software emulation. All my PS1 games (I have about 20) work, however not all my PS2 games work (most I have finished anyway) but all the ones I am currently playing do so I am quite happy.

      There are more changes and some of them are quite good, however you can read the following URL for more info http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Network/Updates [playstation.com].

      The 1.8 download is over 100MB so you would need a decent high speed line or you could contact a "friend" (ie. work ... etc) and get the download on a memory card (CF, SD or Memory Stick) or usb drive and then do the update which takes about 5 minutes.

      It is amazing the number of times people get HDTV wrong it is really very simple. If you have a TV that has resolutions 1280x220 (720p or i) and 1920x1080 (1080p or i) then and only then do you have a HDTV. Other resolutions are 720x480 (NTSC) and 768x576 (PAL) which are standard definition (SDTV). There are other standards but lets not get too complicated. As for picking a HDTV it really depends on what you want to spend keeping in mind that under 40" you will get 720p (SDTV up to 1080i) and above 40" you can get 720p or 1080p which costs about 20% to 60% more.

      For more details see the following http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_telev ision [wikipedia.org] as a good intro to HDTV.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by iainl ( 136759 )
        1080p has always been possible, yes. But 1080p/24 is amazing news. If I could afford the necessary setup, I'd be switching from my current HD-DVD only position right away. Unlike disc capacity (30Gb is easily enough to fit a film on in high quality, thanks to the wonders of AVC) or PCM support (Dolby TrueHD is lossless), this is a real point the format now has over the opposition.

      • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Not quite, there are multiple 1080p modes, and people are only just understanding this when they get bitten on the bum. What the PS3 has been doing with the original 1080p is 1080p/60. This is suitable for games but is undesirable for movies. Why? Movies are shot at 24fps. Displaying them at 1080p/24 gives you the real deal. There are no silly pulldown games going on, and you won't see any juddering on panning motion shots. Blu-ray disks are 24fps, the way it should be. This makes the PS3 a damn fine blu-ra

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by donaldm ( 919619 )
          Not sure about NTSC because I have a PAL PS3, however I still understand (can't prove it though) that all movies are still locked to regions as is PS1/2 games, which is why people in countries that have PAL get burnt if they import a PS3 from a country that uses NTSC. Of course if you know this and are willing to import PS2/1 games then ok. I know that PS3 games are supposed to region free but I am unsure if a US PS3 game would play on a PAL PS3 although the HD component should work. For me I would not both
  • I got dibs on the patent.

  • Actually this has happened before (Score:3, Informative)

    by zoomshorts ( 137587 ) on Thursday May 24, 2007 @05:32PM (#19260443)
    The VHS camp purchased tons more titles and sealed the BetaMax format's doom way back when.
    It is a good, yet costly way to gain dominance.

  • 20X the releases? (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    So they were going to release 20 titles?
  • "... Blu-ray-affiliated studios will release a total of 43 titles in 2007. This number also appears to be incorrect, given that 160 titles have already been announced..."

    Sure the number APPEARS to be incorrect, but in actuality...

  • That's all well and good (Score:4, Funny)

    by aegisalpha ( 58712 ) on Thursday May 24, 2007 @05:46PM (#19260655)
    But how many of the 600 planned releases are high quality porn?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by burnetd ( 90848 )
      Apparently that industry is not fond of HD, as it puts the cost of make up up to much...

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by KC9AIC ( 858812 )
      They have high quality pr0n now? Back when I was a kid, there were no humans to copulate with, and the only lubricant we had was molten rock!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
        You had molten rock? Spoiled kid! In MY day, all we had was sandpaper. And the sandpaper had nails sticking out if it. And the nails were on fire.

  • What's clear is... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by no_opinion ( 148098 ) on Thursday May 24, 2007 @05:55PM (#19260789)
    What's clear is that nothing is clear. Neither format is winning. The longer this keeps up, the more likely it is that the replacement format to DVD will be unprotected video downloads. This is what's happening with music, and the motion picture studios are repeating almost every mistake the majors made.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by asc99c ( 938635 )
        Here in the UK, there has been a MASSIVE turnaround in HD-DVD / Blu-Ray fortunes. When I ordered my PS3 a couple of days after launch, I went out looking for a couple of Blu-Ray discs to try out. All the high street stores were stocking many more HD-DVDs and only about 12 Blu-Rays in total, none of which I was interested in.

        We're now a few weeks after PS3 launch, and recently when I was in HMV, I noticed the Blu-Ray section was suddenly three times the size of HD-DVD. Same story in Asda, which even had s

    • You must be joking (Score:4, Interesting)

      by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Thursday May 24, 2007 @10:00PM (#19263955)
      Come on, neither format is winning?

      * Blu-Ray discs, since the start of the year, have outsold HD-DVD discs by three to one margin (or higher).

      * There are around 200k HD-DVD players in the US today. There are 2+ MILLION PS3's that play Blu-Ray, plus whatever standalone players Blu-Ray has managed to sell.

      * Universal is the only major studio still wholly behind HD-DVD (The Weinstien Brothers have announced Hard Boiled will come on Blu-Ray, including the movie and a PS3 game).

      * Funai, an HD-DVD backer just announced they will be selling a cheap Blu-Ray player later this year.

      The winner is clear. I predict Universal, in a bit over two months or so, will announce they too will producing Blu-Ray titles - they cannot afford to be the major backer of a system that has a sales rate three times less than what they otherwise might get using Blu-Ray during the Christmas shopping season when the Blu-Ray press will be at its mightiest from Sony and Disney and other studios.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by iainl ( 136759 )
        Blu-Ray is comfortably out-selling HD-DVD as a whole, yes. But I don't think you'll hear anything from Universal before September at the very earliest. Crucially, when looking at dual-format releases in instances where they don't stupidly make the HD-DVD version more expensive, the sales margin is nowhere near as close for most films.

        Right now, the evidence seems to suggest that Blu-Ray is winning by releasing more, and more popular films. Because right now, a lot of sales are to people with both formats. T
        • Blu-Ray is comfortably out-selling HD-DVD as a whole, yes. But I don't think you'll hear anything from Universal before September at the very earliest. Crucially, when looking at dual-format releases in instances where they don't stupidly make the HD-DVD version more expensive, the sales margin is nowhere near as close for most films.

          September may well be more accurate.

          The sales figures for many dual releases are hard to plumb though because most are DVD/HD-DVD combo discs, masking sales from those who real

      • Re:You must be joking (Score:5, Insightful)

        by suv4x4 ( 956391 ) on Friday May 25, 2007 @05:12AM (#19267153)
        You're falling for the kind of skewed impression Sony wanted to achieve with PS3.

        I'm not the "paste your post and refute line by line" kinda poster, but it just kinda lends itself to this format best so there we go:

        * There are around 200k HD-DVD players in the US today. There are 2+ MILLION PS3's that play Blu-Ray, plus whatever standalone players Blu-Ray has managed to sell.

        100% of the people who bought HD DVD players, bought them to play HD DVD movies. I can guarantee you that the vast, VAST majority of PS3 owners got it to play games.

        How many standalone Blu-Ray players were sold out there? Let's compare those numbers for a more realistic trend.

        Whether they'll buy enough Blu-Ray titles in the future to match HD DVD is yet to be seen.

        * Blu-Ray discs, since the start of the year, have outsold HD-DVD discs by three to one margin (or higher).

        Sony bundle the PS3 with Blu-Ray movies and put this in their sale figures. Again, notice the buyers didn't have much choice. They just got it with their PS3.

        The trend in such a case may have nothing to do with current sales figures.

        * Universal is the only major studio still wholly behind HD-DVD (The Weinstien Brothers have announced Hard Boiled will come on Blu-Ray, including the movie and a PS3 game).

        How many studios (except Sony Pictures I presume) are only behind Blu-Ray?

        * Funai, an HD-DVD backer just announced they will be selling a cheap Blu-Ray player later this year.

        Anecdotal evidence alert. Also they just saw the match is kinda even so far, so it's normal they want to sell Blu-Ray players.

        But they won't stop selling HD-DVD players either.

        • Refutations (Score:3, Informative)

          by SuperKendall ( 25149 )
          100% of the people who bought HD DVD players, bought them to play HD DVD movies. I can guarantee you that the vast, VAST majority of PS3 owners got it to play games.

          Say only 10% of PS3 owners use the system to play Blu-Ray discs - that's still more than the total number of HD-DVD players, by a wide margin! And the PS3 alone continues to outsell the whole group of HD-DVD players (yes, even with lower sales) meaning that lead is only increasing.

          Now what happens when a really popular title actually clicks wit
          • What happens if as rumored Star Wars comes out later this year on Blu-Ray,

            No one will buy them, because they're crap? (At least the prequels are, and they've totally ruined Episodes 4-6 by association.)
            • It's wrong to let poor later versions of a movie ruin the enjoyment of earlier versions. Someone can still enjoy the first Matrix even if they loathe the others.

              In any case your point does nothing to counter my own, for regardless of your feelings of the new movies they (and the originals) continue to be big sellers.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by soupd ( 1099379 )
          Like most people, I don't care who "wins" the "war", either in terms of profits or sales, but as a consumer Blu-ray is looking a safe bet right now.

          100% of the people who bought HD DVD players, bought them to play HD DVD movies. I can guarantee you that the vast, VAST majority of PS3 owners got it to play games.

          Which has what to do with the price of fish? Before the PS3 launched, Blu-ray disc sales were appalling; after it launched and steadily increasing since that launch, Blu-ray disc sales have increas

        • Right on. 2/3s of what you hear from both sides is propaganda and the othe 1/3 is bull caca. If I had a nickel for every rumor I heard about both that ended up not being true, I'd own a BR player and a HDDVD player, as well as every title under the sun, and be at my vacation home in Bora Bora, and my wife would be ok with my extra curricular activities with Jenna Jameson, so long as she still gets to go shopping on Rodeo Drive.

          Other things to keep in mind, Xbox 360 sales are still doubling what PS3 sales
        • Wow, someone ranting on Slashdot. What a surprise. I also usually do not do a quote and paste, but must in this case.

          * There are around 200k HD-DVD players in the US today. There are 2+ MILLION PS3's that play Blu-Ray, plus whatever standalone players Blu-Ray has managed to sell.

          100% of the people who bought HD DVD players, bought them to play HD DVD movies. I can guarantee you that the vast, VAST majority of PS3 owners got it to play games.

          How many standalone Blu-Ray players were sold out there? Let's compare those numbers for a more realistic trend.

          When you go to register the PS3, one of the questions asked is why you bought the PS3, and the answers include to Play games, Watch BluRay movies, or for the Cell Processor. If people are picking that they bought it because of the BluRay player, then that is the consumers reporting this, not FUD from Sony.

          I am the only one I know who has a PS3. I bought it primaraly for the BluRay, but doubt

  • Can we add a new "HD DVD vs. Blu-ray" category for these inane weekly "we have more titles than you" stories?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by ajd1474 ( 558490 )
      I was sure that that said "we have more titties than you"....it'll be the only way HD-DVD wins this war

  • Shill magazines (Score:3, Insightful)

    by billcopc ( 196330 ) <vrillco@yahoo.com> on Thursday May 24, 2007 @06:16PM (#19261175) Homepage
    Seems to me like this magazine finally blew it's (already weak) cover. It's one thing to have advertising on every other page of a magazine, it's another when the rest of the book is all payola.

    I stopped reading computer magazines a long time ago, right around the time we went from 20 mags to 200, right around the time mags started having product names in their TITLE, right around the time that all the good advertisers moved elsewhere and let the scammers fill the pages with their counterfeit system-on-a-chip-made-in-china rackets.

    The only paper mag I don't knock is DDJ, and even then I thought they were running a bit dry as of late with all the regurgitated Java bullshit. Magazines have become largely obsolete, replaced by top-shelf blogs.

  • The Real Number of Interest (Score:3, Funny)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Thursday May 24, 2007 @07:33PM (#19262355)
    The real number of interest, how many titles in each format will be broken, ripped, and torrented first?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by adona1 ( 1078711 )
      Personally, it's not even something I'd bother with. What a lot of people forget is that a hell of a lot of films aren't really worth watching in HD. Whilst big things like Lord of the Rings [amazon.com], The Matrix [amazon.com] or Star Wars would look great on a big screen in Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, there's a hell of a lot of movies worth watching (Clerks, American Werewolf [amazon.com], Animal House [amazon.com] etc) which would give nothing in a hi-def format, and may well look worse than regular DVD. In most cases, regular DVDs would provide pretty much the s
  • My copy of this page is display a Blu-Ray ad...
  • Sounds like someone in the Home Media stable was having a bad day when they looked at the HD-DVD slide presentation. But I think some blame might have to go to the HD-DVD group for possibly spinning the truth via dubious chart presentation practices. I.e., it sounds suspiciously like they used a cummulative measure of releases over the months, instead of releases per month, just to make sure they had a chart that keeps going up! Was the the same presentation that gave Home Media the idea that Blu-Ray were o

  • Erroneous HD DVD Report Gets Tongues Wagging


    Except here at /., where this "main article" only has 27 comments (at the time of my posting).

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