BlueRay/HDDVD Questions

[Big C]

(1) How long do you guys think it will be before we walk into the video store to rent a movie and we are told a particular title is only available on BlueRay/HDDVD and not on standard DVD? (2) What about NTSC, Pal, and region encoding? Will BlueRay/HDDVD players still be able to be made multi-region compatible via a remote hack or firmware hack? (3) Will computer users be able to make either identical backups or reauthored copies without encryption and with or without menus with BlueRay/HDDVD as with DVD Shrink Version 3.2 can do with standard DVDs? Also, will BlueRay/HDDVD be able to be converted to standard DVD, DIVX, XVID, MP4, SVCD, and VCD? (4) Will there be audio-only titles released on BlueRay/HDDVD? If so, what are the scientific technical details?

[ROF]

1) Not for at least 2 years.

2) Probably, but not going to be available for a while if at all.

3) Hopefully not.

4) Probably but again not for awhile.

[oldandinthe way]

Microsoft will not be providing software to pay prerecorded movies in these formats on 32 bit machines. Only the 64 bit version of Vista will include playback support and Microsoft is including every studio requested Digital Rights Management function to attempt to prevent any of the hacks you mention and conversion or copying of the content.

[ROF]

Microsoft will not be providing software to pay prerecorded movies in these formats on 32 bit machines. Only the 64 bit version of Vista will include playback support and Microsoft is including every studio requested Digital Rights Management function to attempt to prevent any of the hacks you mention and conversion or copying of the content.

Bonus to the consumer. No threats of going to jail for casual illicit activities.

Go Microsoft!!!

[edDV]

1) 5+ years

2) HD/BD DVD are mostly 1920x1080p/24 native (with square pixels no less) so only region coding separates formerly "NTSC 59.94Hz" and "PAL 50Hz" media. The players differ on how they play 24p to 59.94 or 50/100Hz displays. But the DVD itself will play either 50/100Hz or 59.94Hz 1080p or lower depending only on the player and region code.

There are new regions being discussed for HD/BD the main ones being Pacific Rim and Europe. China my be separate.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=15908
http://www.engadget.com/tag/region%20code/

3) Who knows?

4) Don't know.

[videopoo]

For Q1 I'd agree with Ed - 5+ Years. By then we'll be downloading our DVDs online.

[jman98]

1) I agree with 5+ years.
2) This is my biggest concern about the formats, should they both or one of them succeed. I do sometimes buy PAL DVDs and it would be a big negative to me to not be able to do that anymore.
3) I think eventually the encryption will be hacked. If you can rip it, you can convert it.
4) Possible, but unlikely. DVD-Audio and SACD have both become niche formats. Sony, who invented SACD with Philips, has basically abandoned the format with Roger Waters recent release being one of the very few exceptions. Even Bob Dylan's hybrid SACD/CD audio releases on Sony are now out of print. If DVD-Audio and SACD didn't make it, I have a feeling that any other new audio format will fail. In fact, there really is no reason for another format based on HD-DVD or BluRay as DVD-Audio and SACD have no glaring deficiencies that something new would need to address and neither of those really worked to the extent that the music industry hoped it would. Both formats are still alive, but in the USA it seems that both are rarely used for anything now but classical and jazz recordings. SACD might still have a somewhat better future in Europe and Japan for popular music.

I think videopoo is right that probebly by the time HD-DVD/BluRay only releases are coming out, we'll be downloading our videos online. I think brick and mortar video stores are probably going to vanish in the near future and be replaced with downloading and renting through the mail, as with Netflix.

[videopoo]

It makes me wonder if authoring will become a thing of the past or will people be downloading authored discs - TS folders and all.

DVD distribution is going in this direction for sure:

http://www.sonic.com/about/press/news/2006/08/dvdondemand.aspx


IMO I think people will embrace HD discs more so than the DVD-audio/SACD - at least I hope so!

However, a poll taken recently showed over 60 percent of people think buying a HD TV automatically give them HD DVDs - so maybe I could be wrong

[edDV]

...
2) This is my biggest concern about the formats, should they both or one of them succeed. I do sometimes buy PAL DVDs and it would be a big negative to me to not be able to do that anymore.

These high def formats won't separate by 50Hz/60Hz or PAL/NTSC but by geographic regions. If the Euro DVDs go to Australia, Japan or Singapore, then you can play them in the new Region 1 (Pacific Rim and Americas).

At least that is their current plan.

Remember these are authored 1920x1080/24fps. The player determines 50Hz/60Hz playback.