HD DVD

[Redlum]

So, to answer your question about how high a resolution you can get from a 60 year old film?  Precisely the same resolution you can get from a film shot just yesterday.

A fact that a lot of A/V enthusiasts fail to understand. The theoretical resolution of film is 4k which Hi-def DVD will only acheive a quarter of at best.

Here in the UK the first wave HDTV is only just about to kick off in May so incentives to buy a HDTV capable screen are only just starting to take effect. Given how the market has been inclined towards Digital television via terrestrial broadcast, I don't see HDTV affecting a large part of the market until our analog signal is turned off freeing enough bandwidth for HDTV terrestrial - which will be in 2010! I really don't see either format taking off for a while here. Upscaling SD to plasma sizes just looks crappy and I'm very happy to stick with a CRT for the time being.

If the format were to take off, the Criterions in everyones collection would decrease in price relatively as much as any other film. Most of them are downconverted from 2k HD transfers the resolution of which would really show off the restorative work. I think Criterion can look forward to a nice share of the HD market, they cater to film buffs who will enjoy the chance to see the film with a level clarity that gets closer to a cinema presentation.

[analogzombie]

no i undertsand completely what you're saying. but what i mean is that the transfer of the film to digital has already been done, in most cases. companies will just be putting that same transfer on an hd-dvd instead of a dvd. as long as the original was transferred as a hi-def digital first you will get a lot more visual info from HD, but the restoration work has already been done. when you're talking about something like Ugetsu for example, I do not see any reason to rebuy the film as an HD DVD when the transfer made to DVD has been such a vast improvement over the previous releases.

[polkablues]

Really, it all depends on your TV.  If you have a standard-resolution TV, there's no point in buying a high-definition version of a DVD you already own.  On the other hand, if you have a HDTV, there would be an easily noticeable difference between watching a standard DVD on it and watching a high-definition one.  Especially if you have a fairly large TV, regular DVDs don't look so good on them.

[Recce]

no i undertsand completely what you're saying. but what i mean is that the transfer of the film to digital has already been done, in most cases. companies will just be putting that same transfer on an hd-dvd instead of a dvd. as long as the original was transferred as a hi-def digital first you will get a lot more visual info from HD, but the restoration work has already been done. when you're talking about something like Ugetsu for example, I do not see any reason to rebuy the film as an HD DVD when the transfer made to DVD has been such a vast improvement over the previous releases.

A lot of the restoration work is done on a digital copy of the film. I work in a post production office that has a restoration department and the digital transfer is only the first step. Its then passed through a series of algorithms and technicians who go frame by frame and clean up scratches and dust. Color corrections are done, etc. As HD-DVD and bluray become more popular, I suspect that restoration work will become even more detailed as new technologies are developped. They'll just keep re-restoring films as they become able to make them better.

[Ravi]

Aside from SD-video-sourced stuff, must-haves from entertainment and educational perspectives, and excellent bargains, I think I'm going to slow down my buying for a while.  My main TV on which I used to watch movies is not working properly, and I want the replacement to be an HDTV, when the prices go down.  Until then I can live with the cheap Apex TV in my bedroom.

[RegularKarate]

Has anyone noticed the new "genre" on Netflix is "HD DVD"?  Sweet... then I read that they're going to carry both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD... Netflix, gearing up for the future.

[MacGuffin]

Sony Kills Off UMD Movies
Source: RealTechNews

This should not be coming as a huge surprise, but the demise of Sony's UMD format for movies is going away faster than the Mini Disc got shelved for music. This week Sony quietly announced a new entertainment pak called the Memory Stick Entertainment Packs (MSEP) that contained movies on a Sony Memory stick, and many paused to wonder what that meant for the UMD. And now it is official.

Sales of movies on the PSP's once-hot proprietary format have slowed to a trickle, causing several major movie studios to cease supporting it. In March, the Hollywood Reporter ran an article claiming that the home-entertainment divisions of Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures have "completely stopped" releasing films on the format, and other studios have been cutting back their release slates.

Perhaps more disturbing for Sony were unconfirmed reports that retail colossi Wal-Mart and Best Buy were scaling back UMD displays in their stores. This week, speculation turned into reality when Target decided to discontinue stocking UMDs entirely. A manager at a San Francisco Bay Area Target outlet told GameSpot, "We no longer carry PSP movies. We stopped carrying them nationwide." Source: Gamespot

[hedwig]

This should not be coming as a huge surprise, but the demise of Sony's UMD format for movies is going away faster than the Mini Disc got shelved for music. This week Sony quietly announced a new entertainment pak called the Memory Stick Entertainment Packs (MSEP) that contained movies on a Sony Memory stick, and many paused to wonder what that meant for the UMD.

here's more info on that:

Sony is giving PlayStation customers a trip to the movies
This week the company announced its Memory Stick Entertainment Packs, "designed for people who want to experience the full range of multi-functional features" on their PlayStation Portable systems. One- or 2-gigabyte versions will cost US$60 and $100, respectively. They will be made available in August online and at Sony Style retail stores and authorized dealers in the U.S. Customers can choose from four movies, including "Hitch," "S.W.A.T.," "The Grudge" and "XXX: State of the Union."

"We had great success on the big screen with each of [those] movies," said Mike Arrieta, senior vice president, digital distribution and mobile entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "We expect consumers to have renewed enjoyment from these movies on the go as we make them available on Memory Stick media cards for the PSP system."

"Sony is in a unique position in the flash memory market because we are connected to other Sony companies that provide content, like movies from Sony Pictures," Mike Kahn, senior manager for memory stick media at Sony Electronics, told TechNewsWorld. He noted that the Memory Stick Entertainment Pack is designed to offer content along with flash memory.

"This was a great opportunity for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Electronics to work together to provide an added value to PlayStation customers who are purchasing a Sony Memory Stick for their PSP," Kahn added. The packs will be bundled with an installer DVD. Once a customer loads the DVD into his personal computer, he can use the unlock code in the package to select, unlock and transfer one of the four Sony movies optimized for PSP playback from the DVD to the Memory Stick media. Although the Memory Stick Duo cards included in the Entertainment Pack can be used with any enabled device, such as Cybershot cameras, Handycam camcorders and Sony Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY)  mobile phones, a movie transferred from the bundled DVD is viewable exclusively on the PSP system.

The new offering may be a reaction to diminished interest in Sony's Universal Media Disc. "The fact is, the UMD had some early success; they had a lot of cooperation from movie studios," Brian O'Rourke, senior analyst at In-Stat, told TechNewsWorld. "But it tailed off pretty quickly, because people didn't want to pay 30 bucks for a movie they might already have on DVD." Compared to the UMD, which is read-only format, the Memory Stick is more flexible, O'Rourke said. Ultimately, however, the films are a way to drive market share, he pointed out. The PSP is faring well in the United States and Europe, although it is trailing behind Nintendo  DS, especially in Japan.

"All they're doing is using the news as a way to convince people to buy Memory Sticks. They're trying to increase sales. The movie is just a bonus," O'Rourke said. "It's a way of recognizing the PSP as a multifunctional device."

[Sunrise]

Sorry for the bump, but wanted to throw out a few questions.

Do any of you (Mac I noticed on page 1 you do) have experience with dvd players that specialize in up-converting dvds to HD tvs? I've noticed a few products come out lately that are getting pretty good reviews up-converting. I understand that no matter how good the up-conversion is, dvds won't look quite as good on a HDTV as a HD-DVD/Blue Ray disc would. However, it seems that a quality up-conversion dvd player may be a necessity just to make regular dvds look as good (I don't mean resolution...just how it looks to the naked eye) on an HDTV as they do on a standard definition TV. Also, the common opinion is that both a quality up-converting dvd player and a HDTV that does its own up-conversion will only help the process. Thoughts?

Finally, there are a few front-projectors out there (still too expensive for me) that seem to project standard dvds and HD-dvds at very high quality according to some reviews. Does anyone have a high-def (720p or higher resolution) projector that they also play standard dvds on that would care to comment?

Thanks.

[Pwaybloe]

I own this one:

Philips DVP5960
-It's inexpensive (<$100) and has a lot of nice features (up to 1080i, DD, DTS, USB, DIVX, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, VCD, CD-R/RW) , but it's not perfect.  Check out opinions/issues on it here.

Does upconversion make a visible difference?  Maybe.  Upconversion seems to smooth out the pixels a little better, but I doubt even this would be recognizable if you had a display < 50 in.  If you're looking at projection displays, I would think it would make quite a bit of difference.  A TV with progressive scan and one without while working with the DVD upconversion should not make a true visual difference.

I don't own a projector, but you can check out detailed opinions on them at www.avsforum.com.  It's a good site for audio/visual equipment and kin.

[Sunrise]

Thanks, Pwaybloe...any opinions and information help at this point. I'm just trying to educate myself. The main concern is that I want my current dvds to look as good as they can with high definition displays, whether that's a projector or a high-def television. Oppo has a new upconversion dvd player that seems to be getting pretty good reviews and that is what peaked my interest. Also, I'm looking at whether to get a modestly priced (is that even possible yet?) HDTV in the near future, or save for a few years and do over my basement with a home theater system including a high-def projector. I don't want my current dvds to be a completely sunk cost.

[picolas]

my xbox 360 upscales beautifully. i had forgotten how cruddy dvds had been looking for the last year. i think it makes them look better than they did on the old tv actually.

[Sunrise]

Picolas, is that the HD-DVD attachment that is doing the upscaling or just the X-box itself without the additional hardware?

[picolas]

just the box.

[NEON MERCURY]

yeah, fuck that shit...i am happy w/my flatscreen, s-video cables, and my boom.....dont care about the overpriced new shit..

it amazes me how stupid i am....thank you guys for putting up with me...by the way...i turn thirty this by the end of the year

i just recently bought a 40" samsung 720p/1080i lcd widescreen tv and a 5.1 LG home theater system




i decided to go high-def and purchase the very inexspensive xbox 360 hd-dvd drive and you guys know that i recently purchased a ps3...which takes care of blu-ray capabilities....with the films [and games] i have been very impressed...what i quoted is an example of how a stupid near jerk reaction can make oneself look like a fuckign dumbass....

since most, if not all of you guys are film savy...you owe it to yourself to go high def...the difference is unbelievable...i was skeptic of thi sbut i did it anyway and i'm glad i did...

-i live in a small apartment and i dont need a huge tv set...just yet...i decided to go w/native 720p instead of 1080p b/c through my "research", if your tv is smaller than 50", you will not notice a difference......as for the LG home theater system...i know its kind of ugly looking and lg is a cheap brand...but for $300 it does have soem good features like:

-5 disc changer
-5.1 dolby digital/dts sorround sound
-standard def 1080i upconverter
-hdmi
-component
-ipod osd
-digital optical audio
-and other bullshit


but for a small aprtment...the LG works

even thougth 5.1 is old habit...its new to me..and again, i love it!

i own just a few high def titles....and netflixed many...thatsa cool thign about netflix, you can rent blu/hd films.....as far as picture quality, the jump is so noticable that its retarded not to experience it....my only complaints are that not all tranfers look "amazing!" ...and its best to go to highdefdigest.com  before you purchase to make sure they didnt fuck up the audio/video portion...

so, any of you guys went high blu-hd yet?  opinions?