Wulfer
Member
DENVER, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the CEDIA EXPO 2007, the North American HD DVD Promotional Group showcased undeniable momentum for the high def format, announcing an aggressive fourth quarter marketing campaign to support a strong slate of more than 125 high definition movies, as well as expanded hardware offerings that take the consumer experience to new levels. Fueled by support from major Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros, Universal, and the recently exclusive Paramount and DreamWorks Animation; from leading hardware manufacturers including Toshiba and Onkyo; and from four of the top five PC Notebook manufacturers in the world; HD DVD continues to offer the best overall experience and the most affordable prices of all next generation formats.
In a clear show of marketing muscle leading into the holidays, Toshiba announced a season-long promotional campaign partnering with the NBC Television Station Group and its broadcasts of Sunday Night Football. This campaign includes 30 second HD DVD ads to air in key NBC television markets broadcasting Sunday Night Football, web sponsorships promoting the format, as well as special on-air HD DVD vignettes that will help educate consumers on how they can receive the ultimate high definition experience through their HDTV. The HD DVD vignettes will air in shows such as "Football Night in America" hosted by Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Keith Olbermann, Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis. This season-long campaign will communicate the many benefits of HD DVD to more than 72 million households through the holidays and into 2008.
"Today's announcements leave no doubt about the level of commitment driving this format -- HD DVD is the best choice for consumers and it's available today," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group. "With a strong line up of hardware and software, as well as key promotional activities through Sunday Night Football, we are making HD DVD an easy choice for the holiday and a must for every home theater."
Universal, Paramount Studios and Warner Bros announced a broad slate of more than 125 titles for 4th quarter, featuring blockbuster new releases and catalog titles that delivered box office returns of more than $3 billion. Toshiba also reaffirmed in its press conference today that it continues to hold a majority lead in dedicated high definition players in the U.S.
HD DVD currently offers more than 300 titles available in the US, with player pricing starting at under $300 for dedicated CE players and $179 for the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. HD DVD is also the only format with mandatory features on every machine such as a network connection to access web-enabled content and picture-in-picture capabilities to personalize the movie watching experience. To help future proof your home video collections, HD DVD also exclusively offers combo discs (DVD on one side and HD DVD on the other).
About HD DVD
The DVD Forum develops and defines DVD formats. Its more than 200 strong membership brings together leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer electronics and software. In November 2003, the DVD Forum selected a single technology as the next-generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity, high definition optical discs -- HD DVD. HD DVD is fast becoming the primary visual medium for the age of high-definition TV. The North American HD DVD Promotional Group, Inc. is an organization established to promote the HD DVD format and educate consumers in North America. For more information and a complete listing of HD DVD launch titles please visit http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/.
North American HD DVD Promotional Group
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,172043.shtml
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Integra Introduces its First HD DVD Player at 2007 CEDIA Expo
DENVER (9/5/07) -- Integra announced the introduction of the DHS-8.8, the company's first HD DVD player, at the 2007 CEDIA Expo here today. This player has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the custom installer, and to fully exploit the potential of high-definition HD DVD content. It is among the first HD DVD players to enable transfer of high-bit-rate audio content via HDMI version 1.3a.
The DHS-8.8 is designed as an ideal source component for use with Integra's 2007 A/V receiver and preamplifier/processor range, which also include HDMI version 1.3a capabilities. In combination, these components are an ideal platform for high-definition 1080p video images, including Deep Color technology for improved color tones and finer color gradation. Additionally, HDMI 1.3a allows streaming of the new lossless surround sound formats, Dolby® TrueHD and DTS®-HD Master Audio, as well as two high-bit-rate "lossy" formats, Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio.
The Integra DHS-8.8 HD-DVD player also features the capability to support playback at different frame rates, including 24 frames per second, which is the native frame rate of the original sources for most HD content. This ensures that the user will be able to experience the playback of films recorded to HD DVD with the smoothest, most stable reproduction possible.
The DHS-8.8 features onboard HQV Reon VX video processing, currently recognized as the leading video processing technology in the home theater industry. This allows the player to provide precise video scaling to 720p, 1080i or 1080p output from both HD-DVD and standard definition DVD sources, delivering video at the native resolution of the video display device and stantially reducing video noise and distortion. For component video output, the player incorporates an Analog Devices 297 MHz/12-bit NSV video DAC that support 4x oversampling for outstanding reproduction with analog-based displays.
The DHS-8.8 features Wolfson and Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit audio DACs for conversion of audio sources for analog output via the 2-channel or 5.1-channel analog outputs. It also includes a bi-directional RS-232 port for integration with home automation and control systems. Finally, the player includes a rear-panel Ethernet port to make use of the web-based connectivity allowed for in the HD-DVD standard, including access to additional content from movie studios. This feature also provides installers and users with the ability to easily download any future firmware updates.
The DHS-8.8 will carry a suggested retail price of $1099, and will be available in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Integra designs and manufactures premium Home Theater receivers, processors, amplifiers, and DVD players that are specifically designed to meet the needs of custom audio/video systems installers. Systems integration and convergence technology protocols include RS-232, IR and on-board Ethernet for network connectivity and TCP/IP control. Integra has access to vast technical resources, and bears a proud heritage of 60 years of audio engineering excellence. For more information about Integra and its many fine products, visit www.integrahometheater.com or call 800 225-1946.
http://www.gspr.com/integra/dhs88.html
First HDM news out of CEDIA is HD-DVD has a new hardware player.
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I'm just glad to see some news finally showing up for either side. I guess I need to put this in as news too. (not that anyone will care.)
The long-anticipated third high-def disc format (yes, you read right) is set to hit US shores this October.
Short for "Versatile Multilayer Disc," the VMD format was originally announced back in 2006, but had evaded US release until now.
Developed by UK technology company New Medium Enterprises (NME), the format's red laser multilayer disc is currently capable of storing 15 to 20 GB on a single layer, with plans to grow that number to 30GB.
But according to its manufacturer, the real sell of VMD is its ability to deliver the same high-quality video and audio as Blu-ray and HD DVD at a fraction of the cost -- both to the consumer, and the content creator.
While disc production costs for Blu-ray and HD DVD are said to run somewhere between $2 to $3 a unit, VMD discs reportedly cost just over a $1/unit to produce, only slightly more than standard-def DVD.
In terms of hardware cost to the consumer, NME says its first player will hit the US market in October at a $199 price point, roughly 30% less than any standalone high-def disc player currently available (although Venturer recently announced plans to release its own $199 1080i HD DVD player in time for the holidays).
Price aside, VMD is likely to face an uphill battle both for recognizable high-def content, and for shelf space at retailers.
The company's press release includes no mention of any US-based content partners, and it seems highly unlikely that any of the major studios will make their films available on VMD disc -- at least in the short term. (Overseas, the company has partnered with a number indie film distributors, most notably including Eastern Europe's Monolith Films which owns regional rights to films like 'Apocalypto,' 'Lord of War,' and '16 Blocks.')
On the retail side, so far NME has only identified one US retailer who will carry its players -- pcRUSH.com
NME is demonstrating its new player this week at the CEDIA Expo.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LAW041A05092007-1.htm
There now I feel better, (don't know why I needed to search for this one though.)
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Sony announced its BDP-S500 at IFA, but they were holding out on us until today. Their BDP-S2000es flagship bears the ES designation, which longtime Sony fans will recognize as their Elevated Standards gear. What do you get over the BDP-S500? Cleaner circuitry in the form of separate boards for audio and video, along with a sturdier chassis and IR-in. That's not a clear deal for $1300 (vs the $700 of the S500), but we're most disappointed with the lack of the profile 2.0 compatibility. When are Blu-ray players going to hit with the latest standard support?
· Elevated Standards (ES) single Blu-ray Disc player · Full HD 1080/60p with 24p True Cinema video output · Dolby Digital TrueHD/DTS-HD Master bitstream out via HDMI · Uncompressed multi-channel liner PCM · BD-ROM/DVD/CD playback · BRAVIA Theater Sync · DVD upscaling to 1080p via HDMI · AVC-HD with x.v.Color output · IR-in · High Quality, rigid construction with striking design · Separate audio/video boards for stunning sound and picture quality · Available this fall for about $1300 Sony announced its BDP-S500 at IFA, but they were holding out on us until today. Their BDP-S2000es flagship bears the ES designation, which longtime Sony fans will recognize as their Elevated Standards gear. What do you get over the BDP-S500? Cleaner circuitry in the form of separate boards for audio and video, along with a sturdier chassis and IR-in. That's not a clear deal for $1300 (vs the $700 of the S500), but we're most disappointed with the lack of the profile 2.0 compatibility. When are Blu-ray players going to hit with the latest standard support?
· Elevated Standards (ES) single Blu-ray Disc player · Full HD 1080/60p with 24p True Cinema video output · Dolby Digital TrueHD/DTS-HD Master bitstream out via HDMI · Uncompressed multi-channel liner PCM · BD-ROM/DVD/CD playback · BRAVIA Theater Sync · DVD upscaling to 1080p via HDMI · AVC-HD with x.v.Color output · IR-in · High Quality, rigid construction with striking design · Separate audio/video boards for stunning sound and picture quality · Available this fall for about $1300
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cedia07/s...yer-296413.php
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Blu News
Sony has unveiled two new Blu-ray players for the US market -- the BDP-S500 ($700), and the brand new BDP-S2000ES ($1,300).
Although the BDP-S500 was first introduced last week for the European market at Berlin's IFA trade fair, today's announcement confirms a US release for the mid-range player, and introduces a new high-end player for the very first time.
Both new players share the same key features: 1080/60p and 24p video, support of all high-resolution audio formats via HDMI version 1.3a, plus support for AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color.
While the operating feature set on the higher-end BDP-S2000ES is identical to the BDP-S500, the higher end player includes several fortifications to the player's build, including "dual shield construction" and separate boards for audio and video, which Sony says will provide for even better quality performance. The BDP-S2000ES is the first Blu-ray player to carry Sony's ES ("Elevated Standards") designation.
Each of the two players are due to hit stores in the United States sometime this fall, joining the already-released lower-end BDP-300 ($499).
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=PR&date=20070905&id=7424432
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HD-DVD conference update from AVS
I just got back to my hotel after attending Toshiba's CEDIA press conference with Jon Spackman, AVS HD DVD/BD Moderator.
The theme was Star Trek and the presenters were dressed in Star Trek outfits and the stage was set with Star Trek decorations. The first presentation was all about their new LCD panels, however, I'll just discuss the HD DVD side of the presentation here.
Here's the list of the new news.
1. All Gen 3 players will be packed with Born Identity and 300. All ValueElectronics.com Gen 3 advance orders qualify for the two additional titles packed with the players.
2. Buy a HD DVD player and the Star Trek box set and their is a mail-in rebate for a Star Trek HD DVD phaser remote control unit, very cool looking and sound effects. All ValueElectronics.com pre-orders are eligible.
3. The 5 free HD DVD movies will be extended till 2/28/08 and new titles are added to the selection. xBox and notebook PC with HD DVD drives will qualify for the 5 free HD DVD movie offer.
4. Just considering Warner, Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks and Dreamworks Animation more than 125 new titles will be release by the end of '07.
5. Shinco, Ventura, Alpine, Onkyo and Integra and the 3 new Gen 3 HD DVD players will all ship by early Q4 '07.
6. Total HD DVD player unit sales are expected to reach more than 30 million stand alone units by the end of 07.
7. Amazon and ValueEletronics.com report the A2 is the #1 best seller.
8. According to NPD data, BD stand alone players have 16% market share, HD DVD enjoys a 33% market share, while SD DVD holds 51%.
9. All studios are going to expand the connectivity features, like on the Star Trek HD DVD you can connect to CBS's server and get a tour of the Star Ship Enterprise.
10. All Toshiba products are Earth friendly and will carry the "Earth Protection" logo on their packaging. There is a long list of things Toshiba has developed to ensure their Earth friendly compliance.
HD DVD boldly goes where no other format has gone before.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=903461&page=2
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Second Elite Blu-ray Player To Bow
RELATED ARTICLES
Sony Focuses On Blu-ray At CEDIA
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 9/5/2007 9:01:00 PM
DENVER Pioneer will unveil at CEDIA Expo its second Blu-ray Disc player, which will be sold in October under the Elite badge at a $1,000 suggested retail price.
The Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Disc player offers increased bandwidth capacity affording internal decoding of high resolution audio formats for: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+Plus, and DTS-HD as well as bit-stream output for all advanced audio formats including DTS-HD Master for 7.1 surround sound performance.
The player includes HDMI v1.3 output, and support for 1080p high definition at a 24 frames per second (fps) rate.
The Pioneer Elite Blu-ray Disc player incorporates HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) to simplify integration of operation with other HDMI-CEC-enabled high-definition theater components. The feature allows users to control a whole home theater setup with a single remote
for maximum convenience capability.
Also included is Pioneers Home Media Gallery that allows users to directly access and playback music, movies and photos stored on a home PC.
The home networking feature provides IP networking for immediate downloading of new digital media files from the computer through the BDP-95FD to a connected flat-screen television.
The Pioneer Elite Blu-ray Disc player is compliant with Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Windows and Apple computer video, Windows Vista or Windows Media Connect as well as Microsoft Playsforsure DRM technology.
The new BDP-95FD supports playback of CD, DVD, MP3 and WMA formats. Improvements in the new model over the previous BDP-HD1 model include: HDMI 1.3 vs. HDMI 1.1, internal decoding of Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+Plus and DTS-HD as well as bit-stream output for all advanced audio formats including DTS-HD Master for 7.1 surround sound. The BDP-HD1 only decoded standard Dolby and DTS audio and did not support internal decoding of Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus or DTS-HD. The BDP-HD1 also did not offer HDMI-CEC control.
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6474902.html
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Acer, Inc. Joins North American HD DVD Promotional Group
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- With HD DVD drives already owning
a 70%(1) share of the notebook PC market worldwide, the North American HD
DVD Promotional Group today announced that Acer, the world's No. 4 PC
vendor, has officially joined the Group.
"We're pleased that Acer is now a member of the North American HD DVD
Promotional Group," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the North American HD
DVD Promotional Group. "Acer is already producing a stellar line of HD
DVD-enabled notebook PCs for consumers today and we expect continued strong
demand for their products. Acer's support is one reason HD DVD continues to
be the worldwide leader in the PC market."
"Acer is pleased to join the North American HD DVD Promotional Group to
help bring the freshest technology to more consumers worldwide," said
Campbell Kan, Vice President, Mobile Computing Business Unit, Acer Inc. "We
are confident that our comprehensive HD DVD notebook offers will meet
consumers' demand and expectation for true high definition experience. I
look forward to further promoting the merit of HD DVD, in close
collaboration with the Group."
About HD DVD
HD DVD is the next generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity,
high definition optical discs, approved by the DVD Forum, which develops
and defines DVD formats. Its more than 220 strong membership brings
together leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer
electronics and software. HD DVD is fast becoming the primary visual medium
for the age of high-definition TV. The North American HD DVD Promotional
Group, Inc. is an organization established to promote the HD DVD format and
educate consumers in North America. For more information and a complete
listing of HD DVD launch titles please visit
http://www.TheLookAndSoundOfPerfect.com.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
(1) Techno Systems Research (TSR) Data
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-06-2007/0004657942&EDATE=
