New HD-DVD Format Approved by the DVD Forum [Archive]

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Clint DeBoer

12-01-2003, 05:34 PM

TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. <A href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=2&u=/ap/20031128/ap_on_hi_te/dvd_format">announced</A> that the DVD Forum, an international association of electronics makers and movie studios, has approved the two Japanese companies' standard for next-generation DVDs. 



The move gives Toshiba and NEC a leg up on a rival standard based on the Blu-ray disc format, which has a larger recording capacity, advocated by Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co (aka Panasonic), and Philips Electronics.

The big deal is this: the NEC/Toshiba version gives you less recording space, but adds compatibility with existing manufacturing plants. According to the proposed spec, utilization of MPEG-4 will provide a greater "bang for the buck" when it comes to compression, so less is more. Blu-ray, however, stores tons more data, but would require an overhaul of all current DVD manufacturing plants - something that would no doubt cost consumers a great deal of time-to-market and money until the format hit main stream.

This is truly VHS vs. BetaMax all over again, however in this case I think first to market will be a good thing. HDTV has waited long enough.

[<A href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=2&u=/ap/20031128/ap_on_hi_te/dvd_format">Read the Article</A>]

abe

12-01-2003, 08:27 PM

Alas!  should go with the other format IMHO. This is very very sad.

Why not use this upgrade opportunity to go more advanced technology?   HD is a big leap over regular TV just like DVD vs. VHS.   The existing DVD production should NOT be a major consideration.  

With this HD-DVD standard, do we envision ANOTHER new standard in 10 years?

Abe

av_phile

12-01-2003, 10:35 PM

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>abe : Alas! *should go with the other format IMHO. This is very very sad.

Why not use this upgrade opportunity to go more advanced technology? * HD is a big leap over regular TV just like DVD vs. VHS. * The existing DVD production should NOT be a major consideration. *

With this HD-DVD standard, do we envision ANOTHER new standard in 10 years?

Abe
From a business perspective, it is strategically important to have only incrementally better standards every so often. *That way, movies like Tomb Raider or Casablanca can be reincarnated in those formats, getting better every 3-5 years, so the revenues continue to pour to movie executives long after the movie is made. from us all the way to our children and their children. *Afterall, the spirit of UPGRADING is a market need that must be envigorated evey now and then. *So rather than leapfrog, do it one small step at a time, ensuring that the same film title wlll continue to rake revenues with every incremental improvements in formats until judgement day. *And in between, do release some director's cut, anniversary edition, collector's edition, Never-before-seen edition, High-bit edition, DTS edition, SDDS edition, etc., etc., * So if you're DVD and VHS collection survives a third and fourth world war to be handed down, your kid's kid's kid's may have about fifty versions of Casablanca or Gone With The Wind, in varying formats. *In the meantime, the business wealth of movie mouguls is assured until the end of time.

Khellandros66

12-01-2003, 11:16 PM

<img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>  <img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>  <img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>  <img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>  <img src="http://www.audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>  Look Out Multiplexes everywhere.

I am actually happy BluRay wasn't chosen due to the cheasy proposed catridge.  I still think MPEG-4 will be best. combine that plus Yamaha's 9.1 and I'll never need anything else.

Just gimme a TAW LCoS, a HTPC, HD-DVD, RX-Z9, and a Definitive BP7001sc system.

Yes I ran around the house for about 15 mins yelling an' hollering, cause its about time (I'm very excited and have been anxious).  Next comes 192/24 5.1 and 6.1 as well as true DVD-A.

~Bob

12-08-2003, 04:58 PM

I'm excited about anything that can happen quickly. HDTV is poised to really sink its teeth into consumers this Christmas and DVDs are still 720x480 MPEG-2 crappy compression...

This format looks like it can go to market quickly.