Is this the Cheap Blu-Ray player we've been hoping for?

Funai (I Know!) has a prototype at IFA 2007

New high-definition TV label unveiled at IFA show

Link:

The 'HD ready 1080p' logo signifies that the screen displays images of 1,080 lines in progressive-scan mode, the Brussels-based industry body EICTA said.

Akamai upgrading network to better support HD downloads

Via Press release:

CAMBRIDGE, MA - August 27, 2007 - Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading global service provider for accelerating content and applications online, today announced that a consistent, high-definition video experience is now possible online via its global content distribution network. Akamai’s customers are now delivering HD quality content on Akamai’s uniquely distributed edge delivery network that is specifically tuned for optimal delivery of HD files online.

Toshiba outfitting Laptops with HD DVD

Toshiba will begin equipping its notebook PCs with HD DVD drives in the fourth quarter, according to Yoshihide Fujii, Toshiba corporate senior vice president and president and CEO of the company's digital media network unit.

Blu-ray, HD DVD on a Home PC

Blu-ray, HD DVD, and Vista by ZDNet's Ed Bott -- As part of my ongoing Vista Media Center project, I'm about to add Blu-ray and HD DVD playback capabilities to my new living room system. Unlike most upgrades, though, this one isn't a simple matter of plugging in a new drive and loading some updated drivers. You'll need to jump through no fewer than six hoops to get Blu-ray or HD DVD working on a Windows PC.

Samsung Duo Player pic

Here's the pics of the player I talked about yesterday:

Loewe's BluTech Vision Blu-ray player also lands

Not to be left out of this year's HD device love-fest at IFA, German firm Loewe has a sexy yet silly named Blu-ray player surely only slightly more likely to gather respect than the American actor Rob of the same name. The BluTech Vision Blu-ray player features HDMI, 24p, TrueHD, DTS HD, 7.1 surround, although not much else is known -- like where the hell you put the discs, or where the front display is. Guess Loewe's home audience of Germany will find out when it's released in October.

Link:

Sony Projects 1M Blu-ray Disc Sales by Q4

Link:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said its expects to reach 1 million total Blu-ray Disc unit sales in North America by the fourth quarter following releases of Spider-Man 3 (Sept. 3) and Steven Spielberg�s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Sony Unveils First All-In-One High-Def PC/TV With Blu-Ray Disc Technology

Sony Unveils First All-In-One High-Def PC/TV With Blu-Ray Disc Technology

Star Trek HD DVD Preorder for Cheap on Amazon.com

Less than $139

Samsung Unveils Blu-ray/HD DVD Player, MP3 Players

Samsung is launching its first high-definition player supporting both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, plus new MP3 players.

read more | digg story

Blu-ray Conference = Kicking Ass, Putting People to Sleep

Announcements- Hitachi will be making a major Blu-ray announcement tomorrow- Acer is now a member of BDA- China's HuaLu Group has joined BDA (major disc manufacturer)Butt Kickings- Blu-ray holds 90% market share in Japan for both movies and hardware- In US Blu-ray has 63% standalone unit market share and over 66% of hi-def disc sales

read more | digg story

Sony to launch "Cheap" Blu-Ray Player for Christmas

Sony To Launch 'Cheap' Blu-ray Players For Christmas

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Total Blu-ray Disc Sales Across Europe Reach the 250,000 Milestone

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Total Blu-ray Disc Sales Across Europe Reach the 250,000 Milestone

Not all HDTV's Can Keep Up With The Action

Via the NY Times:

Sit for the first time in front of a high-definition TV tuned to a nature program broadcast in HD, and the reaction is almost always the same: a dropping of the jaw. But if you’re a sports fan or serious video gamer, the same set showing the Super Bowl or a car-racing game might elicit a different response: the screen cannot keep up with the action.

Fast movement results in a blur, what the TV industry calls ghosting, because the screen’s ability to refresh the image cannot keep up with the action. So viewers for whom action matters need to pay as much attention to how fast images are processed as to the size of the screen.

As the price of big-screen HDTVs continues to drop, more people are giving up their bulky cathode-ray tube TVs for slim plasma or L.C.D. TVs. “Sets are already 25 percent cheaper this year and will continue falling through the holiday season,” said James L. McQuivey, the television market analyst for Forrester Research. “It has gotten to the point where big retailers like Best Buy only carry a handful of non-HDTV sets,” he said.

The scarcity of tube sets is unfortunate for gamers and sports fans. Although flat-panel HDTVs are light enough to hang on the wall, high-definition cathode-ray tube TVs provide the best picture because they produce the blackest of blacks and the most contrast, and they have a fast response time.

Transformers on HD DVD

Opinion:
Transformers on HD DVD will kill Blu-Ray. Imagine all the PS3 owners going into Blockbuster asking for a copy on Blu-Ray! I had a co-worker who owns a PS3 come up to me today and was complaining about the Paramount deal today. When I told him he'd not be able to Transformers on Blu-Ray, he flipped!

Philips chief says HD video catching on 'somewhat slower' than expected

High-definition video viewing is developing slower than the industry had expected.

The chief executive of the largest European consumer electronics company said Wednesday.

Microsoft: We did not pay off anybody

The truth comes out!

Venturer HD DVD Player to Ship in Time for 2007 Holiday Sales

Finally, the cheap Chinese HD DVD players that we've all been expecting

Pioneer BDC-2202 Blu-ray @ ExtremeTech

New under $300 DVD burner/Blu-Ray Player.

read more | digg story

Xbox 360 HD DVD sales spur on new retail promotion

Now with a player at $230 and eight free HD DVD's included from Amazon.com

Facebook Poll says HD DVD more popular than Blu-Ray

Facebook Polling Says HD DVD More Popular Than Blu-ray: Bunk?

The Real Price of Satellite Radio

According to Electronic House:

Millions love cruising in their cars to the huge channel lineups of music, news and sports with one of the two satellite radio companies, XM Satellite Radio Inc. or Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.

But for home use, some see satellite radio with ambivalence.

New TV shows make quick leap to DVD

thanks to the Minn. Star Trib:

A new fall TV season will begin soon. But before it does, viewers can catch up with the most recent seasons of returning prime-time shows on DVD.

Commentary: Blu-Ray loses

According to Rob Enderle:
I was one of the folks who thought that Blu-ray was going to eliminate HD-DVD and by this time HD-DVD would be toast. In fact, I was one of the analysts who helped convince Time Warner to hedge its bets and go with both formats. However, this was all before I knew the cost of the Blu-ray technology, and it was based on the assumption that Sony would never be stupid enough to price itself out of the game console market.

What is Full HD?

Via Digital Thoughts:

With the launch of many new models HDTVs from various manufacturers in the last month, I have had many readers ask me “what is full HD?”

Simply speaking, Full HD is the consumer electronics industries way of describing native 1080p resolution.

For the techno savvy who don’t understand what that means let me give you a bit of background about high definition television (HDTV).

Walmart Exec going to Dreamworks

Link

Retailers adjust to cancellation of Blu-Ray "Blades"

Retailers scrambled to change plans last week after Paramount Home Entertainment said it will exclusively release titles in HD DVD, cancelling the Blu-ray Disc version of Aug. 28 release Blades of Glory, for which the studio had accepted orders.

read more | digg story

Microsoft Responds to Bill Hunts claims of a buyout

from hometheaterforum.com

Yeah, Bill is in bed with someone:

Netflix: Demand for Blu-ray and HD DVD Evenly Split, But Tiny

The nation's leading online DVD rental service says demand among its customers for both high-def disc formats is equal, but (no surprise) it pales in comparison to standard-def DVD.

Mitsubishi planning 3D Blu-ray player

Only works with old-fashioned rear-projection and newer DLP set (sorry LCD and Plasma!)

Link

Paramount HD-DVD deal branded 'desperate'

$150m incentive comes under fire from Blu-ray firm

Near Real-time HD DVD and Blu Ray sales on Amazon.com

Link via HdGameDb.com

Confirmed: Warner Brothers' Steve Nickerson Steps Down

via Blu-ray.com

We have received word from a reliable source that the Senior Vice President of Market Management for Warner Home Video, Stephen Nickerson has stepped down from his position. During his tenure, Mr. Nickerson was an outspoken proponent of HD DVD, though Warner Brothers does release titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD. No word on his successor, or if Warner will change it stance on high definition releases.

now confirmed by Videobusiness:

So his replacement was the head of kids prgramming at Warner, Dorinda Marticorena. She graduated from UCLA in 1991, that's all I know from a quick Google search. She apparently worked at Nestle too.

NPD: July game-industry sales soar 37 percent

PlayStation 3 doesn't beat 360, and Wii tops DS; NCAA, Guitar Hero Encore, Wii Play top software side.

read more | digg story

Onkyo intros 1st HD DVD Player

ONKYO Introduces its First HD DVD Player, Including High-Bit-Rate and Lossless Audio Streaming via HDMI 1.3a

FCC Chairman Seeks Order that Could Force Cable Operators to Carry Both Analog and Digital Formats

via multichannel.com

Martin Wants Dual Carriage Vote

Paramount bringing "A Mighty Heart" exclusively to HD DVD on October 16th

Paramount Pictures announced earlier this week (a day or two after the “HD DVD exclusive” announcement) their first new title with a release date since changing their stance in the “format war.” That title is the 2007 film “A Mighty Heart” starring the always gorgeous Angelina Jolie. Paramount plans to exclusively release to HD DVD on October 16th.

read more | digg story

Hybrid dual format HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives now available in Japan

Sounds expensive....

Transformers HD DVD release date revealed?

Word around these parts is that October 16th will be the release date for Transformers on DVD and HD DVD. CVS pharmacy has release dates posted on their in store materials.

Big Bitch-fest at AVS Forum

Check out AVS forum, bunch of folks are pissed at each other

Forecast Says Despite Paramount's Decision, Industry Still Behind Blu-ray

BluRay still in the lead....we'll see.

Hooters

ok, sorry .....one more

This whole Brouhaha

After some careful thought, I've finally decided to buy a Blu Ray player too. I already own the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, but am missing out on some movies I really want to own. Streaming downloaded WMV-HD files to the 360 is one way around this, but downloading them takes forever on my prehistoric DSL connection (Where are are you FIOS, you're our only hope).

Too Little too Late

Disney hits the road to shine a light on Blu-ray

Michael Bay changes mind: Loves HD DVD!

Michael Bay Tries HD DVD, Likes It

Sounds like someone from Paramount called Bay and threatened his family. My take is that Bay was promised more creative control over Transformers 2 and he changed his mind.

The Godfather remastered for HD DVD

Paramount is re mastering this classic under the supervision of Speilberg.

No more physical media? If Microsoft has it's way.

Microsoft Slowly Killing HD Media

Transformers Director slams Paramount's decision to choose HD DVD over Blu-Ray

Michael Bay is pissed!

Blu-Ray versus HD DVD

Good article on the big cat-fight

Paramount and Dreamworks Animation go exclusively HD-DVD

So the format war just got interesting. I bet Bill Hunt is pissed!