Blu-ray Dominates HD Sales

Posted August 31, 2007 by Josh

Blu-ray Disc New data from Home Media Research shows that Blu-ray is continuing to lead in high definition media sales. As of August 5th, the top 10 best selling high definition movies are all available on Blu-ray, and half of those exclusive to the format. Warner Brother's '300' leads the pack, followed by 'The Departed', 'Casino Royale', 'Planet Earth', and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'.

Noticeably absent from the list is Universal who didn't have a title which sold enough copies break into the top 20. Paramount made it to 17th with their release of 'Babel', but if there wasn't a Blu-ray version of the title, it would have fall well short making the list. All Blu-ray studios were represented in the Top 20 (including Lionsgate with their release of 'Crank').

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=459

Acer Joins BDA

Posted August 30, 2007 by Josh

IFA The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced that Acer has joined the Blu-ray disc association. Acer is a computer manufacturer who recently announced plans to purchase US-based PC manufacturer Gateway. Acer plans to add Blu-ray players and burners to their line of desktop and laptop PCs.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=454

Loewe Introduces Blutech Vision Blu-ray Player

Posted August 30, 2007 by Josh

IFA Loewe has introduced the Blutech Vision Blu-ray player. Very little is known about the sleek player at this time, but we do know it will support 1080p24 output, and decoding support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. Also, at a height of only 6cm, it is one of the thinest Blu-ray players on the market. Hopefully we will learn more about this player as IFA continues.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=453

Sharp Aquos BD-HP20S Blu-ray Player

Posted August 30, 2007 by Josh

IFA Sharp has revealed their first Blu-ray disc player, the BD-HP20S. Though we have seen it many times, IFA will be the first time we get specs regarding the upcoming player. It was revealed during their press conference, and while no specs or release date was given, Sharp made the statement that they would one day be the largest manufacturer of Blu-ray players. More to come on this player as the show officially kicks off.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=452

they must've outsourced/offshored to India!

A cheaper third format to add to the HD DVD/Blu-ray war!!

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/930

CEDIA: HD VMD to Make US Debut This Fall
Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 01:34 PM ET
Tags: CEDIA, VMD (all tags)

The long-anticipated third high-def disc format (yes, you read right) is set to hit US shores this October.

Short for "Versatile Multilayer Disc," the VMD format was originally announced back in 2006, but had evaded US release until now.

Developed by UK technology company New Medium Enterprises (NME), the format's red laser multilayer disc is currently capable of storing 15 to 20 GB on a single layer, with plans to grow that number to 30GB.

But according to its manufacturer, the real sell of VMD is its ability to deliver the same high-quality video and audio as Blu-ray and HD DVD at a fraction of the cost -- both to the consumer, and the content creator.

While disc production costs for Blu-ray and HD DVD are said to run somewhere between $2 to $3 a unit, VMD discs reportedly cost just over a $1/unit to produce, only slightly more than standard-def DVD.

In terms of hardware cost to the consumer, NME says its first player will hit the US market in October at a $199 price point, roughly 30% less than any standalone high-def disc player currently available (although Venturer recently announced plans to release its own $199 1080i HD DVD player in time for the holidays).

Price aside, VMD is likely to face an uphill battle both for recognizable high-def content, and for shelf space at retailers.

The company's press release includes no mention of any US-based content partners, and it seems highly unlikely that any of the major studios will make their films available on VMD disc -- at least in the short term. (Overseas, the company has partnered with a number indie film distributors, most notably including Eastern Europe's Monolith Films which owns regional rights to films like 'Apocalypto,' 'Lord of War,' and '16 Blocks.')

On the retail side, so far NME has only identified one US retailer who will carry its players -- pcRUSH.com

NME is demonstrating its new player this week at the CEDIA Expo.

DVD Forum, Chinese manufacturers and the Chinese government decide on HD format for the local markets - it's HD-DVD with a different name CH-DVD ;

http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Chi ... 1189196071

As with cheap standard DVD players from China expect these to exported into supermarkets for much cheapness.

Ali

yup ali bhaii, and pretty soon there will be a PSEUDO HD FORMAT from India will be BW ZEROS HD

VMD, the third format in the HD wars has Indian movies listed in their intial launch plans. But pray tell me why in the world would I care about a low budget movie like 'Bheja Fry' being presented in 1920x1080. But then again, I guess VMD will take whatever it can get. I sincerely pray that Indian movies adopt Blu-Ray as the format of choice, but I am afraid the cheapo mentality of Indians will make them adopt HD-DVD although by the looks of it they have already chosen VMD an even cheaper, red laser technology as it's format.

For those wanting a Blu-Ray player or a PS3, you can get one for $350 ( ) directly from Sony! You just have to sign up for their credit card.


http://ps3mods.blogspot.com/2007/08/60g ... r-349.html

hadios to high def hindi dvd! no hope sanju!

CHEAPO RULES!

There is an INDIAN behind this revolutionary format!

HD VMD Debuts in U.S. - Affordable HD Disc Solution Available to Consumers in Q3’07
HD VMD $199 Price-Point Drives Affordability into the HD Market
Sep
07
By CE Pro Editors
Filed in: Press Releases, Blu-ray/HD DVD, CEDIA

Comments (0), Ratings (0/5)

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09.07.2007 — DENVER, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—New Medium Enterprises (NME) (OTC Bulletin Board: NMEN) today officially launched its HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) player and disc into the U.S. market with a debut at CEDIA Expo 2007. HD VMD brings maximum-HD 1080p high-quality players to consumers for a groundbreaking MSRP of $199. HD VMD players will be available for purchase in late October.

HD VMD stands to revolutionize the high-definition disc market, providing consumers with the best possible HD experience. Combining the best industrial opto-electronics and disc technologies, HD VMD brings together established DVD red-laser production infrastructure and break-through multilayer discs technology to deliver its maximum-HD picture. HD VMD red laser multilayer disc plans include storage of up to 30 GB of content on a single side disc.

Mahesh Jayanarayan, CEO of NME, Inc. says “U.S. consumers have waited for an HD solution at DVD pricing; and with HD VMD, we believe we have met this desire through a stellar quality, high-definition disc and player at a price point that almost anyone can afford.” Jayanarayan adds, “With the launch into the U.S. market this month and an accelerating rollout of HD VMD content and retail distribution partners, we plan to drive adoption of HD in the home.”

At $199, consumers can easily create their own HD living rooms; with the security of having a globally adopted format, and a better solution for their existing DVD libraries.

-High-Definition at the Right Price—High-end HD VMD products will enter the market at a groundbreaking MSRP of $199—30 percent less than the least expensive competitive (and low end) product.

-Incredible Image Quality—With true HD resolution 1080p—and 45Mbps bit rate, HD VMD excels at processing images and delivering the highest quality picture. From animation to fast action, viewers will experience incredible detail and vibrant colors.

-Crystal Clear Sound—With up to 7.1 sound channels, HD VMD delivers immersive and realistic sound that will make listeners feel like they are a part of the action.

-Exceptional Standard Definition DVD Upconversion—HD VMD players upconvert standard definition DVDs to deliver a killer high-definition picture. DVDs have never looked so good.

-Global Content Choices—HD VMD is currently being embraced by content providers around the globe, offering consumers a broad option of content. From U.S. to India to France to China, content from the world’s leading film markets will be available to all.

VMD is currently being adopted by content providers and distributors in dozens of regions worldwide, including Australia, Brazil, Central Europe, China, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Japan, the Middle East Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States.

Products Specifications:

Disc (single side) HD VMD15 and HD VMD20
Disc Diameter: 120 mm
Disc Thickness: 1.2 mm
Laser Wavelength: 650 nm
Native Resolution for all models: 1920x1080p
Video codecs: MPEG- 2, VC-1, H.-264
Audio codecs: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS
Data transfer rate: 45 Mbps
Video bit rate: 45Mbps
Security: AES based
Additional features: USB port, card reader, HDMI, Internet connectivity
MSRP: $199

I still don't 'get' how one format is better than the other. As with DVDs it boils down to the quality of source produced and mastering done by the production house. From movies released on HD-DVD & Blu-ray at the moment – they are exceptional transfers and then they are poor ones – neither format is better than the other regards to quality of movies being churned out. So how is it that people are recommending or even favouring one format over the other? (I guess this answers automatically if you’ve already ‘brought’ into one the formats). It doesn’t matter what media format the Indian companies choose – the format of choice can hold that same standard of quality that the HD-DVD or Blu-ray can hold. And we all know the type of transfers and masters we are going get anyway! From a consumer point of view I find it baffling that people recommend one format over the other.

Ali

I recommend illegally downloading HD-BD-Rips to HDD (hard disk drive) and have access to all your movies with your remote, anywhere from the house...

discs = history, for me anyway.

BR is technically better concerning bandwidth and total capacity. If it matters or not depends on the material, the codec used and how optimised the compression is. There are cases where the HD-DVD video limit of ~30Mbit/s can be a bottleneck and require lots of hand tuning for some seconds. If the material is exceptionally demanding 30 Mbit/s may not be enough to suppress all visible artifacts. That should be very rare on feature films, though. More of a concern is that longer films and several high quality audio streams all fight for bits at the same time and average bit rate goes necessarily down more on HD-DVD than BR. If it has visible and audible consequences is debatable and must be investigated on a case by case basis.

To add to the advantages of BR mentioned by 'Mhafner', there is the issue of Video Camcorders. Already Hitachi has released a 8cm mini Blu-Ray disc recorder that records in full 1920x1080. This is something that would not be possible with HD-DVD due to it's lower data capacity and also it's limited bandwith thruput. Then ofcourse there is the PC market where Blu-Ray with it's extra capacity makes it a no brainer over HD-DVD. Does it not make sense to support one common format for the various applications ie. Video, PC, Video Camera? The only so called advantage that HD-DVD has, is it's lower cost, but it is only a matter of time before that advantage get's neutralized with the costs of Blu-Ray coming down due to econimies of scale. In any case the cost advantage leadership now belongs to VMD thus making HD-DVD totally redundant. If two formats must exist in the market then it makes sense for Blu-Ray and VMD to co-exist. Blu-Ray can target the quality conscious market that does not mind paying a bit extra for a while, for a more future prooof product, while VMD can cater to the less discerning and more price sensitive customer. HD-DVD in my opinion has no future role to play and should be shown the door.

* Hostage
* We Were Soldiers
* Apocalypto
* Lucky Number Slevin
* Valiant
* Saw II
* Saw III
* Lord of War
* Fireplace & Aquarium
* The Ark
* Help I'm A Fish
* El Cid
* Mid Summer Dream
* Passion of The Christ
* Angeles Ashes
* Babel
* 16 Blocks
* Set up
* Hoodwinked
* Oliver Twist
* Princesse
* La Planete Blanche
* Pulp Fiction
* Sahara
* Demande A La Poussiere
* Gosford Park
* The Descent
* Miss Potter
* The Queen
* Butterfly Effect 1
* Butterfly Effect 2
* Hitcher
* Black Sheep
* Lord of the Rings
* Diario De Um Novo Mundo
* Inside Out
* Avion
* Welcome to LazyTown
* Dr. Rottenstein
* Hero for a Day
* Defeated
* Rottenbeard
* Cry Dinosaur
* Secret Agent Zero
* Sleepless in LazyTown
* Happy Brush Day
* Pixelspix
* LazyTown’s New Super Hero
* Sports Day
* Crystal Caper
* Lazy Scouts
* My Treehouse
* Swiped Sweets
* Sportafake
* The Laziest Town
* Soccer Sucker
* Dear Diary
* Miss Roberta
* Sports Candy Festival
* Remote Control
* Sportacus Who?
* Zap it
* Records Day
* Ziggy’s Alien
* Play Day
* Prince Stingy
* Robbie’s Greatest Misses
* Dancing Duel
* LazyTown’s Greatest Hits
* Sportacus on the Move!
* LazyTown’s Surprise Santa
* Sailor et lula
* Scorpion
* Le caïman
* Spy kids
* Scarie movie 2
* Les chansons d'amour
* Khakar Khakar
* Alaipayuthey
* Pammal K Sambantham
* Panchathanthiram
* Ghilli
* Boys
* Kandukondain Kandukondain
* Water
* Bheja Fry
* Bridge to Tarabitha
* Hanuman
* Malamal Weekly
* Constant Gardner
* Jo Jeeta Wohli Sikander
* Page 3
* Parzania
* Iqbal
* China Town
* Sholay
* Andaz Apana Apna
* Hum Aapke Hai Kaun
* Padosan
* Maine Pyaar Kiya
* Kashmir Ki Kali
* Pyaasa
* Sapoot
* International only
* Khanna & Iyer
* Inquilab
* Namak Haram
* Dil Ek Mandir



http://www.nmeinc.com/products_catalog.aspx


pick one of these buties cheap, plus some good bollywood titles and you are good to go!

Passe BR HDVD

btw newdeep, is excel doing this format too?

VMD players are now selling on Amazon.com ...

http://www.amazon.com/s/105-2653045-831 ... extbin=NME

This is pretty quick - after all I only heard of them recently and it seems that they are moving rapidly to saturate the market. Seeing some of the Indian films that are available I would probably take the plunge and add to my collection of DVD players of various sorts! But only if the Indian classics are well done! (Pyaasa was on their list - good move releasing that - unless it's the crappy 2002 release instead of the classic 1957 Guru Dutt version!)

I am excited - but also cynical as to what the sources of these discs are. My Channel 4 VHS of Pyaasa (1957) is much much better than any of the DVDs released so far - but I do hold some hope that something good quality will be released in this new format. Would prefer to see BR releases instead - but I'll take what I can get.

Interestingly - I was looking at my DVD collection the other day thinking about what I would re-buy if it was released in HD. 99% of the titles were Indian - but that may be because the original releases were so bad!

I mailed the VMD folks and did get a quick reply - but they didn't answer my question about the source material for the Indian DVDs. However, it does seem that they will be selling on-line world-wide.

I wish they market on international market, all titles, so if bad quality or gimmick, they should be easily returnable! Title list is decent but what comes out as a product might be