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Dreamworks stuck with Toshiba, HD DVD
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The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 27 February, 2008
Dreamworks Studios has announced that they are still "locked" into an exclusivity deal with Toshiba to distribute their movies on HD DVD only and would continue to do so until Toshiba tells them differently.
"We have a partnership with Toshiba and have an obligation to see this through," DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg said.
"As you know, we have been well-compensated ... [ read the full article ]
Please read the original article before posting your comments.
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A_Klingon
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3. March 2008 @ 15:54 |
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Thanks for that info, eatsushi!
I've always had good luck with any of the Panasonic equipment I've owned in the past.
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If you really need a 2.0.....
I don't need anything that Sony tells me I 'need' anymore, (in fact I don't need blu-ray, period; Sony's credibility has taken a shot to the solar plexis), but IF Blu-Ray does take over the Hi-Def optical disc market, I suspect we're all going to need Profile 2.0. and profile 2.01, and profile 2.10a beta, ......[bla-bla-bla]... and various other firmware updates/upgrades from here to eternity just to remain current-enough to ensure we'll be able to play the next $35 disc we buy.
I'll see if I can't find a .pdf file of the Panasonic DMP-BD30's owner's manual, and I'll check-out that thread you linked to.
Thanks again! :)
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gerbs
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3. March 2008 @ 17:17 |
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Hello Kling-on,
The dust will be long settled before I buy BlueRay, disc or machine. My guess is that it will not be Sony. The economy is headed for the dumps and most people will not be in a financial position to start dumping money for unproven, hyped-up products so development is going to be slowed down. For now I am very content to keep upscaling to a 42" LCD. No, I am not a Ludite there is just too much baggage to bite now. Up grading to BluRay also means new burners, getting a high def video camera, lots of new software, etc. etc. Good luck to the rich kids down in the oil fields, have fun keeping the rest of us afloat! Love, Peace and Fun to all!
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A_Klingon
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3. March 2008 @ 19:21 |
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Quote:
For now I am very content to keep upscaling to a 42" LCD.
I see nothing wrong with that approach at all!, gerbs.
Myself right now, I'm LEARNING (_researching_, not buying.)
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...there is just too much baggage to bite now.
Agreed. Baggage galore is all over Bu-Ray, and what a consumer has to know in order to make an intelligent Blu-Ray choice, is shameful. Sony does NOT make this easy. DVD was never this hard. See my note below to eatsushi.
@eatsushi :
I have a much better understanding of the Blu-Ray Profiles now, ie :
Profile 1.0 - aka "Initial Standard Profile"
Profile 1.1 - aka "Final Standard Profile" (and/or) "Bonus View"
Profile 2.0 - aka "BD-Live"
As gerbs mentions above, this is a fair amount of baggage for the 'average' consumer to have to wade through. Life used to be simpler. The only reason I'm even looking at Blu-Ray now is because of HD-DVD's recent demise.
The discs are expensive, and the players, moreso.
I can't see why I wouldn't be completely happy with anything past Profile 1.1. My hi-def viewing "needs" are very simple. I want a _great_ HD picture on disc, it's that simple - something worthwhile to justify the added Blu Ray expense over what gerbs already does - upscaling SD DVD to 720p, or whatever level his player is capable of. This can be accomplished much more inexpensively than going Blu Ray.
I have no desire for Internet content, so I don't need BD-Live. (Profile 2.0)
The Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu Ray Player is a _very_ handsome standalone, but at $500 US, it had better have more than just a pretty face. I love it's remote control. If I can get past my current DRM concerns, I'm seriously considering this player. But I have other, severe concerns about Blu Ray that have nothing to do with this player.
In the cNet review I read, the Panny has SUPERB video characteristics, much better than many competing products, and with SD (reg'lar) DVD, the most important video characteristics are all handled very well.
I don't know how important this Panny's lack of Ethernet jack, is.
As I say, I don't care about online content, but the lack of ethernet jack (seems) to preclude one's ability to obtain future firmware upgrades. Whatever happened to the concept of simply downloading an (official) firmware upgrade file, burning it to a standard CD, then upgrading that way? I have done that before with NO problems.
The sheer volume of available Blu Ray audio formats is just mind-boggling. There's just too many of them. My guess is 95% of Mass Joe Public will simply use Dolby Digital and let it go at that.
The little front panel SD card-slot is a nice idea, but I don't know how often I'd use it.
Right now, I think wading through the mountain of Blu Ray specs is a labour-of-love for those who can afford it, and are willing to spend the time learning it. As I say, Sony does not make choosing Blu Ray easy. (Sure, any idiot can just run out and a buy a player, then keep his fingers crossed for the best), but that is a Fool's Errand, I think.
And statements like the aforementioned "Certain circumstances may limit/prevent Blu-Ray Disc, CD or DVD Playback.", just turn my stomach.
A new "Best Buy" store just opened in our area. Since our local Walmarts (we have several) haven't got a Blu Ray in sight, I'll see if Best Buy carries this Panny (or anything else).
Thank you for all your help, eatsushi. -- Klingy --
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Senior Member
5 product reviews
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3. March 2008 @ 19:50 |
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Klingy, here's my experience to aid your research.
My Blu-ray player is my PS3. As you've probably heard, it is one of the most fully equipped Blu-ray players on the market and at about the same price as most stand alones... The choice was obvious for me as I am a gamer also.
I also have a Samsung HD870 up-convert DVD player (720p or 1080i). Which gives a fantastic picture. Samsung have made some very good quality up-convert DVD players. Here's a couple links to my Samsung player...
From Samsung Website Hong Kong: http://www.samsung.com/he/products/dvdpl...s/dvd_hd870.asp
Review from Dooyoo: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/dvd-player/samsung-dvd-hd870/1052066/
My comparison between Blu-ray (PS3) and up-convert DVD player (Samsung HD870)...
Note: Both my players are connected via HDMI and both are set to the same picture settings on the TV (Colour, Contrast, etc.). My TV is a Sharp Aquos 46" 1080p LCD.
My intital thoughts were that Blu-ray on the PS3 was no better than the picture quality from my HD870. However, as I later found out this was from a poor choice of Blu-ray movie titles to cast a first impression from. After watching a few more titles I could see there was quite a substantial difference to be seen. What I did was compare the SD titles directly against the HD (Blu-ray) titles on my PS3. I freezed many frames and did a thorough analysis. I could easily see the difference in detail. In the Blu-ray version I could see much more detail and texture. For example there was a scene where the character was shown up close in a car. In the Blu-ray version I could see all the details of his hand on the steering wheel. I could see all the lines, wrinkles, hairs (lol) etc. In the SD version I could see some detail but there was noise surrounding the high texture areas.
Remember, Blu-ray isn't just about picture quality. Don't forget the sound. The included audio (main track) is identical to the studio original. I have heard from others that the uncompressed (5.1 PCM) or lossless audio (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD) is mind blowing. I am yet to experience it as I don't have a HDMI v1.3 AV receiver yet. I intend to upgrade in the future but finding $2000+ to replace my 6 month old $800 receiver just doesn't make sense at this point (for some crazy reason my receiver also lacks analog 5.1, so I can't do it that way either).
I hope this helps. :-D
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. March 2008 @ 19:56
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A_Klingon
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3. March 2008 @ 20:53 |
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Hi RYU !!!! :-)
Just shaved & took a shower; it's 10:00 PM; heading out to work in a hurry; (I work till 8:00 AM tomorrow); have printed out your post; will read @ work; gotta RUN; will reply tommorrow ASAP; much obliged; keep the faith; luv thy neighbour; and I'll catch ye on the fly!! :-)
[pant, pant......] Whooooooooooooooooooooooooosh !!!!!
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dblbogey7
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4. March 2008 @ 00:10 |
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Originally posted by eatsushi:
A word of advice: Forget about the Sony standalones.
I recently got a Panasonic DMP-BD30 and it has played everything I've thrown at it (except of course for HD DVD's). There's at least a couple of other users here who will swear by their Panny's.
+1 on the Panasonic recommendation.
I have the Profile 1.0 DMP-BD10 and it's been a solid and trouble-free performer for me. It handles most everything including scratched and smudged Netflix rentals, plus Profile 1.1 and 2.0 discs (main movie of course).
I'm due for a player upgrade this year and my preferences are the following - in no particular order:
Panasonic DMP-BD50
Marantz BD8002
Denon DVD-3800BD
Like eatsushi said - forget the Sony's.
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Senior Member
5 product reviews
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4. March 2008 @ 03:11 |
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Originally posted by A_Klingon:
I suspect we're all going to need Profile 2.0. and profile 2.01, and profile 2.10a beta, ......[bla-bla-bla]... and various other firmware updates/upgrades from here to eternity just to remain current-enough to ensure we'll be able to play the next $35 disc we buy.
To me it looks like profile 2.0 is a final spec. From what I understand there are 3 profiles and that is all there will be. Profile 1.0, Profile 1.1 (Bonus View) and Profile 2.0 (BD Live). Juankerr has made a fantastic post explaining the Blu-ray profiles on eatsushi's "An Updated Master List Of Players" thread. Here's a link to juankerr's post...
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_jump.cfm/630898/3829811
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. March 2008 @ 03:18
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 08:00 |
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Hi again, Ryu77.
Thanks for the picture-quality evaluations from your PS3 and Samsung HD870 machines! Subjective reviews always have more value to me than published specs. I am *certain* I'm going to be enjoying Blu Ray's overall quality regardless of which machine I wind up purchasing.
I can see there is much much I have to consider before buying. It's becoming a bit more obvious(-ish) to me after reading a few cNet reviews, that I may have to wait for the Profile 2.0 machines to arrive in greater quantity before I make a decision because it (seems) they're the only ones (???) which have the Ethernet port for future firmware upgrades. I'm not sure if that's true. Profile 2.0 only seems to require an "Internet" connection. I don't know if an Ethernet port and 'Internet Connection' mean one-in-the-same thing.
I swore I would never buy a machine that required a mandatory internet connection, but how else can one get future upgrades? As I mentioned in an above post, I am used to upgrading via a firmware upgrade file burned to a cd-r disc, (which wouldn't require the ethernet port.) This method has always worked famously for me.
BEST BUY (Canada) currently has 3 Blu Ray machines on offer:
SHARP BD-HP20U - $550 - Bad(ish) cNet Review
SAMSUNG BD-P1400 - $500 - Bad(ish) cNet Review
SONY BDP-S300 - $500 - (Didn't check cNet)
These are the Canadian BEST BUY prices. In general, the USA BEST BUY prices average about $100-$150 lower for the same machine(s). (Bloody ridiculous! - The Canadian dollar is worth more than the American dollar right now.) None of these players are Profile 2.0.
I _think_ it might be premature to choose a Profile 1.1 machine, then wish I had waited a bit longer for the 2.0 units to arrive in greater quantity.
So....... still looking, still waiting, still reading.... !!
- Klingy -
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. March 2008 @ 08:14
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 08:08 |
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Thnx for replying, dblbogey7!
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Like eatsushi said - forget the Sony's.
Well, (I'll keep an eye on them of course), but their player's don't hold nearly the same interest for me that they once did. And don't forget, regardless of which actual brand name you choose, it's got SONY technology written all over it anyway.
One of your mentioned preferences holds my interest too, especially as it would be my first blu-ray player - the Panasonic DMP-BD50 Profile 2.0 machine. cNet has yet to publish a review on that one.
-- Mike --
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dblbogey7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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4. March 2008 @ 08:09 |
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Originally posted by A_Klingon:
I swore I would never buy a machine that required a mandatory internet connection, but how else can one get future upgrades? As I mentioned in an above post, I am used to upgrading via a firmware upgrade file burned to a burned cd-r disc, (which wouldn't require the ethernet port.)
You don't need an ethernet port to update the firmware on BluRay players. How do you think we've been updating our 1.0 machines? The makers make the firmware update ISO's available online and you can download and burn them to CD-R's.
Even if you have a 2.0 machine you don't have to have it connected to the internet at all if you don't want to. It's NOT MANDATORY especially if you're not interested in web-based extras.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. March 2008 @ 08:09
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 08:22 |
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Quote:
The makers make the firmware update ISO's available online and you can download and burn them to CD-R's.
* PERFECT * !!!!! :-)
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Even if you have a 2.0 machine you don't have to have it connected to the internet at all if you don't want to. It's NOT MANDATORY especially if you're not interested in web-based extras.
* PERFECT * (Multiplied by 2X) !!! :-)
Wow! Things are beginning to look UP!
That would suggest a Profle 1.1 (or even 1.0) player would be all I need. Disc playback is all I'm concerned about.
I've been fishing through the Blu-Ray FAQ's, dblbogey7 - it's gonna take a while.
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juankerr
Member
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4. March 2008 @ 08:29 |
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Originally posted by A_Klingon:
regardless of which actual brand name you choose, it's got SONY technology written all over it anyway.
Actually the Panasonic players have very little Sony in it - if any. The BD30 and BD50 have the proprietary "UniPhier" video decoding chip developed by Panasonic themselves and also used by the Denon and Marantz high-end models. It's also known that Matsushita/Panasonic make their own drives and even supply their burners for Sony's PC's and laptops.
BTW I also have the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and I'm very impressed with this machine.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. March 2008 @ 08:30
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 08:42 |
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Quote:
Actually the Panasonic players have very little Sony in it - if any.
Semantics, juankerr, semantics.
If you had no Sony, you'd have no blu-ray. If you had no blu-ray, then you'd have no Panasonic DMP-BD30s/50s.
Ergo, you have Sony - like it or not. (Just with a healthy dose of Panasonic thrown in there!)
I've been reading nothing but praise for Panasonic's blu-ray machines. They remain high on my list.
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dblbogey7
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4. March 2008 @ 08:51 |
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juankerr
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4. March 2008 @ 09:01 |
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Exactly right dblbogey7. I was thinking of linking to that thread too.
Bottom line, Panasonic has the ability to design and build a BD player from the ground up without any help or influence from Sony. Based on my previous experience with their players, I'd put them on top of my list ahead of Sony's.
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 09:11 |
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Quote:
I don't think it's a simple matter of semantics.
Psssst...... hey juankerr, c'mere for a sec - let me whisper in your ear.....
..... I - Don't - Care ...... :)
I am fully aware that there are several mega-corps who have shared/pooled their various proprietary technologies with each other for years in the forging of the Blu-Ray standard we know today. I don't need to have their names spelled out, (but thank you anyway).
Sony's DRM is everywhere. In Panasonic's machines, in your breakfast cereal, in the air you breathe, in the movies you watch, in the kiss you gave your girlfriend yesterday. :)
I wish it wasn't so, but what-ya-gonna-do ??? [shrug]
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A_Klingon
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4. March 2008 @ 09:19 |
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OOops!
Sorry juankerr and dblbogey7! My "Bad" - I got you two mixed up!
(Been a long night - just got off work; gotta hit the sack).
Peace - love. --Mike--
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dblbogey7
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4. March 2008 @ 09:33 |
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Originally posted by juankerr:
Bottom line, Panasonic has the ability to design and build a BD player from the ground up without any help or influence from Sony. Based on my previous experience with their players, I'd put them on top of my list ahead of Sony's.
I agree with you there. In the standalone game I think Sony is just playing catch-up right now. The fact that high end makers Denon and Marantz have chosen Panny's UniPhier chip speaks a lot to their design abilities.
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eatsushi
Senior Member
3 product reviews
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4. March 2008 @ 10:48 |
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goodswipe
Suspended permanently
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4. March 2008 @ 11:19 |
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Originally posted by eatsushi:
The other thing I found out about the Panasonic DMP-BD50 is that it will have the ability to play DivX and DivX HD files on disc. I may just eBay my BD30 and get this one when it comes out just for this feature.
http://www.blu-ray.com/players/players.p...w=specs
Ok, that just sealed the deal for me! A new player that has support for DivX and DivX HD files, hot damn! I have been waiting for this to come along for some time now, I'm with you on this one eatsushi.
Update: I thought I had read somewhere that this player would have 7.1 analog outputs? Looks like it just has 5.1. MSRP of 599? Is this going to be a standard price you think?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4. March 2008 @ 11:23
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AfterDawn Addict
6 product reviews
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20. April 2008 @ 17:29 |
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At least paramount is keeping by their word and this just goes to show you that their is still loyalty in the world that we live in today.
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