Here Goes Sony Again

[Doramius]

Slow down there people. $ony has a few good products and at time their quality hits good. I've had both good and bad experiences with Sony.

The biggest issue I have with $ony are their business practices. They bullied Bleem, the VHS standard, Pioneer (LaserDisc), even pissed of George Lucas (THX) and several other companies. Lately they paid $620 mill to buy Warner Brothers decision to go Blu-Ray. These are EXACT same tactics that Micro$oft has used. It is the pompous spoiled little brat syndrome that they use by whining and crying when they don't get their way. Nintendo did it once, and they paid dearly for it. Nintendo joined with $ony, and split up. Now that Sony is a major gaming system (and doesn't give thanks to Nintendo where it got it's unit base start), they're whining and crying again when things aren't going their way.

"Boo-Hoo, we couldn't make shipment dates." "Sob, Sob. A part we ordered from another company is faulty and it's not our fault we have to do repairs on thousands of units that made it to the consumer." Next time you'll fire your quality people for slacking off.

$ony needs a cuff in the mouth and paddle across their a$$.

[JohnnyMalaria]

They bullied Bleem, the VHS standard, Pioneer (LaserDisc), even pissed of George Lucas (THX) and several other companies.

Please explain the second one - seems bass ackwards to me.

You don't list the CD (in conjuction with Phillips) - how come that isn't viewed as bullying some other consortium.

It's called free enterprise. Undercutting rivals. Making laughable claims as to why yours is better than theirs. Just business as usual. You'll find it in every sector. FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD. Worse than spam, spam, spam, spam, spam.

[thecoalman]

Truthfully I think all these arguments are pointless, if Apple, Sony, and Microsoft all dissolved tomorrow there would just be another three companies to fill their place... you of course could then continue to bitch about them. Fact is it's business and thats the way it works, there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. There will always be Sony's, Apple's and Microsoft's.

[Doramius]

They bullied Bleem, the VHS standard, Pioneer (LaserDisc), even pissed of George Lucas (THX) and several other companies.

Please explain the second one - seems bass ackwards to me.

You don't list the CD (in conjuction with Phillips) - how come that isn't viewed as bullying some other consortium.

It's called free enterprise. Undercutting rivals. Making laughable claims as to why yours is better than theirs. Just business as usual. You'll find it in every sector. FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD, FUD. Worse than spam, spam, spam, spam, spam.

Sony lost to VHS, but they still did made underhanded deals to try and make Betamax the standard. Free Enterprise has nothing to do with dealing dirty. Just because people do it, doesn't make it right. Again, improper business tactics, and that causes other problems down the road. Sony should know this by now. I guess they enjoy pulling their head out of their a$$. :/

[oldandinthe way]

I currently own one piece of SONY electronics - a clock radio my wife bought at Walmart for $10.00. It has a unique user interface, and takes longer to turn off the alarm in the dark than any other alarm we have owned.

Other than that all of have is a big pile of SONY optical media returned to a retailer as defective by many users. This stuff works.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Sony lost to VHS, but they still did made underhanded deals to try and make Betamax the standard.

So JVC didn't do anything dirty handed? I doubt that very much.

[lordsmurf]

I don't recall anything underhanded by JVC, no.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Were you old enough to be critically aware of industrial warfare?

BTW, Sony licensed technology to JVC so that they could develop VHS. Quite prudent really. Sony made money off VHS.

[Doramius]

I'm quite sure LS has the years to back him up. I'm most positive he'd say the same thing about me.

VHS already had technology on the market. BetaMax did too. Sony didn't start moving technology over to VHS until after rental store started carrying VHS more heavily.

You're not showing me anything underhanded. I'm just seeing Sony wanting to recover losses on it's primary line. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? :/

[videobread]

Sony has always been trouble. I can remember 15 years ago building a PC for my son from spare parts. The 3-1/4 inch drive was a Sony and it did not work. Ended up the drive was ok, but it was wired so that the lead had to be plugged in backwards. Sony was the only one who did this. I had to file a nub off the led from the PC so that I could plug it in backwards on the Sony drive. Typical Sony.

This USB thing is typical. They are always trying to corner the market and then milk everyone for royalties. Only time will tell if they have pulled it off with Blu-ray. As more HD-DVD units are sold, enthusiasts and small content creators and PORNO may revive HD-DVD. Who knows. If I ever have need to backup HD it may very well be on HD-DVD.

It's not over till Bill Gates says it's over. Mircosoft want the PC to be the hub of the home entertainment system of the future. The wireless USB standard is a step in that direction. Sony want to sell you an overpriced proprietary home entertainment system.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Mircosoft want the PC to be the hub of the home entertainment system of the future. The wireless USB standard is a step in that direction. Sony want to sell you an overpriced proprietary home entertainment system.

Good grief. Talk about wanting it both ways. One monopolistic company want something their way and it's OK but it's underhanded skullduggery by the other.

That fact that Certified Wireless USB and Transfer Jet serve different purposes seems to have escaped everybody. It's like saying Certified Wireless USB is out to destroy Bluetooth.

[thecoalman]

The 3-1/4 inch drive was a Sony and it did not work. Ended up the drive was ok, but it was wired so that the lead had to be plugged in backwards. Sony was the only one who did this.

Proprietary computer parts form the large makers were quite common a few years back, the DELL power supplies come to mind. They even made the mistake of using non propietary plugs but wired differently and more than a few people actually fried there computers because of this.

http://www.easydesksoftware.com/news/news21.htm

[Lucifers_Ghost]

It's not over till Bill Gates says it's over. Mircosoft want the PC to be the hub of the home entertainment system of the future. The wireless USB standard is a step in that direction. Sony want to sell you an overpriced proprietary home entertainment system.

If that isnt the least credible statement ever, I dont know what is.

[Doramius]

Since when does M$ have anything credible? :/

[Lucifers_Ghost]

http://technology.canoe.ca/2008/02/11/4839940-ap.html


BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Netflix Inc., the online movie rental company, said Monday it is switching exclusively to the Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs, following four major movie studios in selecting the Sony technology over one pushed by Toshiba Corp.

Toshiba and Sony have been vying to set the standard for high-definition DVDs for several years. The stakes are high because the winner will also get a boost in sales of DVD players needed to read the new format.

The Walt Disney Co., Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have endorsed Blu-ray. Paramount and Universal Studios publish their high-definition DVDs in Toshiba's HD DVD format.

Netflix has stocked both formats since they became available in 2006, but said the decision of four of the six major studios to issue films only in Blu-ray format made it likely that the Sony format will prevail.

"From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers," the company said, adding that not many customers order high-def DVDs.

Many consumers have held off on buying a high-def DVD player until the dominant format is decided.

====================================


So, lets hear it:

"Nooooooooo. Sony is evil. They are taking over the world. they suck. Blah blah."

[Doramius]

So this keeps Sony from being underhanded and makes their products quality improve just by this decision?

I'm confused. I thought customer service, honest business deals, and and quality control did all that.

I'm gonna find ten inocent people to whack with a boat paddle, and tomorrow I should be a rich man.

[Lucifers_Ghost]

http://jam.canoe.ca/Video/2008/02/17/4855023-ap.html


TOKYO - Toshiba may pull the plug on its HD DVD business, the Japanese electronics maker said Monday, in what would signal the almost certain defeat of its next-generation video format to rival Blu-ray technology.

Toshiba Corp. said no decision has been made but acknowledged it had started a review of its HD DVD business strategy. The company statement was issued after weekend reports from Japanese news media, including Kyodo News, that Toshiba is studying a possible withdrawal from HD DVD.

A company official, speaking on condition of anonymity, as she is not authorized to speak on the matter, said a board meeting could be held as soon as Tuesday, where a decision is likely.

HD DVD has been competing against Blu-ray disc technology, backed by Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, five major Hollywood movie studios and others.

Only one high-definition video format has been expected to emerge as the winner, much like VHS trumped Sony's Betamax in the video format battle of the 1980s.

Despite the reports, Toshiba's stock soared 6.4 per cent in morning trading. The gain underlines how the market is welcoming the relatively quick decision as lessening the potential damage in losses to the HD DVD operations, despite the blow to Toshiba's prestige.


The news of the possible demise of HD DVD also prompted Nikko Citigroup analysts to raise their rating on Toshiba to "buy" from "neutral," noting Toshiba was making a smart move.

"On the earnings front, its operating profit will likely gain by 20 per cent from the next fiscal year," said analyst Hiroyuki Masuko.

The reasons behind Blu-ray's apparent triumph over HD DVD are complex, analysts said, as marketing, management manoeuvres and other factors are believed to have played into the shift to Blu-ray's favour that became more decisive during the critical holiday shopping season.

Recently, the Blu-ray disc format has been gaining market share, especially in Japan, where studies showed more than 80 per cent of the purchases were Blu-ray.

On Friday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. retailer, said it will sell only Blu-ray DVDs and hardware and no longer carry HD DVD offerings.

The announcement came five days after Netflix Inc. said it will cease carrying rentals in HD DVD. Several major U.S. retailers have made similar decisions, including Target Corp. and Blockbuster Inc.

The decision of movie studios was also key.

Last month, Warner Bros. Entertainment decided to release movie discs only in the Blu-ray format, becoming the latest studio to reject HD DVD.

That left only Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures as exclusive supporters of HD DVD.

In addition to Warner Bros., Blu-ray is now backed by Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co. and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox.

Both formats deliver crisp, clear high-definition pictures and sound but are incompatible with each other and neither plays on older DVD players.

HD DVD was touted as being cheaper because it was more similar to previous video technology, while Blu-ray boasted bigger recording capacity than HD DVD.

Adding to Blu-ray's momentum was the gradual increase in sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 home video-game console, which also works as a Blu-ray player. Sony has sold 10.5 million PS3 machines worldwide since the machine went on sale late in 2006.

But PS3 sales have trailed the blockbuster Wii machine from Nintendo Co. and the game machine wasn't widely seen as that critical to the video format battle.

Its predecessor PlayStation 2 was instrumental in helping spread the popularity of old-style DVDs but there was no comparable format rivalry at that time.

Toshiba is expected to focus its resources on its other businesses, including computer chip production, such as flash-memory, which are used in digital cameras and cellphones.

The Nikkei, Japan's top business newspaper, reported in its Monday's editions that Toshiba plans to invest as much as $16.7 billion in two plants in Japan for its flash memory business for fiscal 2008, starting April 1. Toshiba said no decision has been made.

=======================================

[Doramius]

The girls in the photo look like the same ones at the CES here in Las Vegas.

[maek]

I'm so sad to read it
How can you support (buy their products) company that notoriously and constantly tries to literally enslave you to use only their own proprietary products...

...he said on his Microsoft-based operating system.

Seriously, I only buy Sony products if they are decent. They went through a spell where their standalone DVD players were good. Now, I wouldn't touch them and I like my higher-end Denon player much better. There was another spell where their TV's were good, then they sucked, and now they're good again.

My previous 3 camcorders were Sony, but the last one left me pretty disgusted and now I'm getting the newer Panasonic HDC-SD9. Yeah, yeah, I know. Panasonic...Panasony, what's the difference? But the reason that I'm getting it is not based on brand, but because it uses flash memory as the means for storage, not tape, DVD, or hard-drive. The reason that I was finally fed up with the old Sony was because of the occasional dropped frame(s) despite my maintenance (and cleaning) of the camera. I was fed up with magnetic-based media that was subject to corruption...and recording directly to DVD kind of ruins the whole reason that I EDIT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Brainwashed? No. I buy products from anyone who is able to fit my needs, not based on logo alone.

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Brainwashed? No. I buy products from anyone who is able to fit my needs, not based on logo alone.

Agreed. I do/feel the exact same.

[robertazimmerman]

[quote="DereX888"]

Yup, that's me. Love Sony stuff. Never bought anything from them I didn't regret. Obviously a ******* idiot. Oh well, I'll get by.

Yup, that's me. Love Sony stuff. Never bought anything from them that didn't fail prematurely.

I'd love to see Toshiba get all/most of the movie studios out there to back a new 4k HD disc and bypass Blu-Ray altogether. HD DVD was a mature product, whereas Blu-Ray is still "improving". I've heard that the Profile 2.0 discs may have a hard time playing in older machines.

Ya gotta love Sony. They are completely f***ed!!!

Roberta

[maek]

Roberta:

Please enlighten me how Blu-Ray is "still improving." Profile 2.0 discs? C'mon, seriously! Doesn't everyone remember when dual-layer transitioning was causing problems in some of the older players as well when DVD's were new on the scene? That's why I waited 4 years before I threw my hat into the ring with DVD media.

And that's why I'm waiting now. Don't think for one second that HD-DVD was going to run into more of the same...if they even continue to stay the course (I doubt it).

Also, the last I heard:

- HD-DVD can hold 15 GB. Blu-Ray can hold 25 GB.
- HD-DVD can theoretically hold a maximum of 60 GB. Blu-Ray, because of the utilization of thinner layers, can theoretically hold 250 GB.
- HD-DVD may actually be pulled from Toshiba who is beginning to realize that their losing ground.

You're basing your argument that Sony products suck. What does this have to do with Blu-Ray? The last time I checked, I didn't see everyone flocking to buy Philips-brand CD players back in the 80s (remember? the ones who invented the media??). Who says you have to buy a Sony Blu-Ray player?

For me, "mature" technologies read "stagnate, fester, and rot."

[JohnnyMalaria]

[quote="robertazimmerman"][quote="DereX888"]

I'd love to see Toshiba get all/most of the movie studios out there to back a new 4k HD disc and bypass Blu-Ray altogether.

Why? Only certifiably insane people would waste their money on 4k anything for domestic use. Unless they are obscenely rich and have a room that can appropriately accommodate it. Most people already waste money on 1080p displays.

[Doramius]

It was cheaper than Blu-Ray. :/

[maek]

I seem to recall DVDs costing more at the beginning, too, but the price has actually gone down especially if you adjust for inflation.

I remember when CDs were going for $20 easy in the 80s. Now adjust for inflation 20 years later.

It will eventually get cheaper, folks.

[SCDVD]

4K cameras are aimed at a specific market - big screen movie productions. The manufacturers of these cameras are hoping to edge out film for movie productions for big screen theaters. It a tough proposition though because Hollywood is still enamored with film. I suspect a big part of this is they fear something so drastically different from film which they are completely familiar with.

[JohnnyMalaria]

4K cameras are aimed at a specific market - big screen movie productions. The manufacturers of these cameras are hoping to edge out film for movie productions for big screen theaters. It a tough proposition though because Hollywood is still enamored with film. I suspect a big part of this is they fear something so drastically different from film which they are completely familiar with.

I experienced my first digital experience at the cinema a few weeks ago. It was dreadful! It was INTERLACED!!!!

[SCDVD]

I experienced my first digital experience at the cinema a few weeks ago. It was dreadful! It was INTERLACED!!!!

I suspect that the "horsepower" required to handle that much data on a progressive screen is out of reach. I imagine the temporal distortion of interlaced video on a big screen would be hard to watch especially if the frame rate is low. Did you see a lot of combing artifacts?

[Midzuki]

In other words, the HaiTekunoroji is not high enough yet.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Did you see a lot of combing artifacts?

Yes - and I could perceive each scan line even on static images. A bit like when you stick your head a few inches from a traditional CRT display. Or turn your head through 90 degrees. All those lines that your brain has learned to hide suddenly show up!

Thankfully, the main feature was on good old celluloid (as made apparent by the slight wiggle of the credits etc)