Exklusive "Blu-ray Disc" Ankündigungen

Michael Bay Praises Blu-ray's Success

Outspoken director Michael Bay is once again singing the praises of Blu-ray, this time in celebration of the recent Blu-ray successes. At the Visual Effects Society's sixth annual award show, where he presented the award for animated character in a motion picture, he remarked, "Blu-ray's better, and I told everyone. I was very vocal about it. I knew HD [DVD] was not going to make it." Bay has personally supervised Blu-ray transfers for his films 'The Rock' and 'Pearl Harbor' and says it has resulted in a sharper image that is "closer to what it should look like." He also isn't afraid of grain: "Yeah, there's some grain, pushing film, shooting at night. There's actually some grain in Transformers. We pushed it just a little too much. I don't mind grain. Grain has a vibe." He also spoke about the prospects of bringing his film 'Armageddon' to Blu-ray, but mentioned that it would need a brand new master. "The Armageddon [master] was burned in a fire apparently, so we've got to re-master the whole movie," noted Bay.

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LionsGate Gets Blu-ray Boost

During an investor's call, Lionsgate president Steve Beeks commented on how well the studio was doing with regards to Blu-ray sales. During the month of January, Lionsgate's revenue from Blu-ray sales was seven times higher than the same time last year. More units have been shipped from the studio in the last two months than for the entire previous year. Beeks commented, "We expect the industry to unite behind Blu-ray by the summer, which should drive the current HD market to triple in size from $300 million in 2007 to more than $1 billion this year. It is exciting again to have a true growth opportunity in home entertainment as we expect Blu-ray revenue to be largely incremental in the near term." Thanks goes to Iron Man for submitting the news.

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Netflix has Interesting Predictions for Blu-ray Disc

Over at Silicon Alley Insider they have posted notes from the Netflix conference call from late January.

While Netflix insight into the studios may or may not be better than anyone else, they made the following comments regarding Blu-ray Disc:

Appears Blu-ray has advantage in format war. Consumer adoption will
increase. Look out for players falling below $200, and Universal and
Paramount adopting Blu-ray. Would be a positive for studios and NFLX,
fueling "another decade" of "robust, robust" disc-based entertainment.

Again, it is not clear if they have insider information or are just hazarding a guess - none the less it is pretty interesting to see this statement to their shareholders.

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Comparison: Apple TV 2.0 HD vs. Blu-ray vs. HD Cable vs. DVD

The guys over at iLounge have put together an excellent article that compares the new Apple TV 2.0 HD movie downloads, to Blu-ray, HD cable VOD, and good ol’ DVD. What they found out (all pale in comparison to the Blu-ray) didn’t come as a surprise to us, but we were expecting better PQ with the Apple TV HD movie downloads. The film they used in the shootout was "Live Free or Die Hard."

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First Look: 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Blu-ray Box Art



It's not due to hit high-def for a couple of months, but we've got an early peek at the Blu-ray bow of the box office blockbuster 'Alvin and the Chipmunks.'
As first announced earlier this month, Fox is bringing 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' to Blu-ray on April 1, day-and-date with the standard-def DVD.

Previously-announced specs include 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround audio.
Among the bonus features are two featurettes ("Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History," "Hitting the Harmony"), a batch of high-def trailers, and a Digital Copy of the film for viewing on portable devices.
Now Fox has revealed the final high-res box art for 'Alvin and the Chipmunks,' featuring star Jason Lee along with Alvin and the gang:





As previously announced, Fox has set a suggested list price of $39.98.
You'll find final specs for 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 1.
We've also set up a dedicated thread for Fox's latest in our Forums area -- click the following link to discuss the 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Blu-ray release.
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Coming to Blu-ray this April (Feb 07, 2008)
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Quellen wie immer :o)

Sony DADC AG rüstet auf



Durch den Paukenschlag Warners, ab Juni ausschließlich Blu-ray Discs zu veröffentlichen, ist die Nachfrage nach dem HD-Medium enorm angestiegen. Um dem wachsenden Bedarf an Blu-ray Discs gerecht zu werden, wird die Fertigungskapazität der Sony Werke in Anif und Thalgau bis Juli verdoppelt. Durch die frühzeitige Fertigstellung der neuen Produktionsstrassen will der Speichermedien-Spezialist dem kommenden Weihnachtsgeschäft auf Augenhöhe begegnen.

So erwartet Sony DADC einen um 10 Prozent gesteigerten Produktions-Output bis zum Ende des Geschäftsjahres am 31. März. Gegenüber der durch die Speichermedien-Krise verursachten Einbrüche bei herkömmlichen Datenträgern, wächst die Nachfrage nach Blu-ray explosionsartig, wodurch die Monatsproduktion im Vergleich zum Vorjahr nahezu verzehnfacht werden konnte. Die entstandenen Einbußen bei den traditionellen Medien, wie im Audio- und Filmbereich, werden dabei durch die Blu-ray aufgefangen.

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Harman Kardon Announce Blu-ray Player

At their product launch in Munich, Germany today, high-end electronics manufacturer Harman Kardon announced that they would launch a Blu-ray player this summer at IFA. No details were given about possible features or specs of the player except for the price, which is expected to be between £400-£500. Also, no indication was given as to if the player would be a BonusView or BD-Live machine. Additionally, there are plans to introduce additional players into their product line-up next year, including the previously announced DVC 600 digital video entertainment enter. Thanks goes out to stockstar1138 for posting the news in our forums.

Paramount Confirms 'Star Trek: Season 2' HD DVD Bump

Paramount has set phasers to "delay" for 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two,' confirming speculation that it has pushed back its planned March HD DVD debut to this Summer. As we reported last November, Paramount had issued an early alert to retailers of a March 25 landing for the original 'Star Trek's second voyage, which (like the first season set) was expected to receive a lavish HD DVD/DVD combo box set with deluxe packaging and tons of extras. Now we've heard from the studio that the March date has officially been delayed, with the second season now due "sometime this summer," though no new date has been confirmed. (Unofficial word of a delay for this title first surfaced as early as December, when TVShowsonDVD.com first quoted unnamed sources as saying that the studio "needed more time" to prep the release.) As a full announce isn't expected for several months, there's no further news on specs or supplements. Needless to say, we'll keep you posted. In light of the delay, we've moved 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two' to the "Release Dates Postponed" section of our HD DVD Release Schedule. To discuss this upcoming release with other Trekkies in our Forums area, click the following link to discuss the 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two' HD DVD release. Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews) Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two (HD DVD) Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One (HD DVD) Earlier on High-Def Digest: 'Star Trek' Season Two HD DVD Gets a Date (Nov 19, 2007)

BDA Sees Growth in Europe

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced today that they have broken the two million discs sold milestone in Europe, only two months after selling their one millionth disc. According to research done by GfK International, a total of 2.4M Blu-ray discs have been sold across Europe since the format launched. This equates to 79% of the high definition market. In December alone, a half million Blu-ray discs were sold during the important holiday season. The biggest seller during this time was 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' which sold nearly 100,000 units. Coming in second was 'The Simpsons Movie' followed by 'Casino Royale'. During this time, Blu-ray sold at a 3-to-1 ratio over rival high definition formats. ____________________________________________________________ When comparing this success to DVD, the results are even more impressive. The second year of DVD resulted in 230,000 players and 2M discs sold. For Blu-ray, it has resulted in 3.5M players (3.2M PS3s and 340,000 standalone players) and 2.3M Blu-ray discs sold.

Wirklich sehr interessant, da damit gar ein besserer Start vorzuweisen ist, als damals bei der DVD im gleichen Zeitraum (da konnten laut GfK nur 400000 Scheiben weniger an den Mann gebracht werden)!

2,4 Mio BD´s wurden seit Formatstart verkauft, 2 Mio wurden nur 2 Monate nach Erreichen der 1 Mio-Barriere durchbrochen!

3,2 Mio PS3´s und 340,000 BD-SA-Player konnten an den Mann gebracht werden.

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced today that they have broken the two million discs sold milestone in Europe, only two months after selling their one millionth disc. According to research done by GfK International, a total of 2.4M Blu-ray discs have been sold across Europe since the format launched. This equates to 79% of the high definition market. In December alone, a half million Blu-ray discs were sold during the important holiday season. The biggest seller during this time was 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' which sold nearly 100,000 units. Coming in second was 'The Simpsons Movie' followed by 'Casino Royale'. During this time, Blu-ray sold at a 3-to-1 ratio over rival high definition formats. When comparing this success to DVD, the results are even more impressive. The second year of DVD resulted in 230,000 players and 2M discs sold. For Blu-ray, it has resulted in 3.5M players (3.2M PS3s and 340,000 standalone players) and 2.3M Blu-ray discs sold.

http://www.hollywood...7157065a14eacddd44ae


Engegen den ganzen HDTV-Kritikern, scheint das Medium also doch recht gut angenommen zu werden...

Spanien

Cameo Blu-ray exklusiv (vertreiben Planet Erde):

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=965

http://www.planetahd...a-el-formato-hd-dvd/

DVDGo Videoverleih bevorzugt Blu-ray:

http://www.dvdgo.com...me~lang~EN~sec~1.htm

Billigplayer

Hier noch einmal der 250 EUR BD-Player für die EU von SIGMATEK ab April:

http://www.presence-pc.com/actualite/Sigmatek-SBR-1000-27803/

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=963

Sharp Announces New Blu-ray Lasers

Sharp, the industry leader in Blu-ray laser diode manufacturing, has announced two new Blu-ray lasers. The new design allows for an industry leading 250mW output, allowing for 4-6X recording of Blu-ray media. The smaller 3.3mm version (GH04P25A4G) will be made available for laptops, while the larger 5.6mm version (GH04P25A2G) will be for PC drives. When production begins in April, Sharp expects operating at maximum capacity will output 700,000 units every month. Sharp will utilize these laser diodes in their Blu-ray products during the second half of the year.

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Sleuth Blu-ray Gets Detailed

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has revealed the specs and extras features for their upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Sleuth', due to hit store shelves on March 11th. Video encoded using AVC at 1080p and will be accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track. Extras include two audio commentaries and the two featurettes "A Game of Cat & Mouse: Behind the Scenes of Sleuth" and "Inspector Doppler: Make-up Secrets Revealed". Directed by critically-acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh, Jude Law and two-time Oscar-winner Michael Caine (1987, Best Supporting Actor, Hannah and Her Sisters; 2000, Best Supporting Actor, Cider House Rules) join forces in this sharp-witted, modern adaptation of the 1972 classic, Sleuth. Locked in a high-tech English manor, bound in a deadly duel of wits, Andrew Wyke (Caine) and Milo Tindle (Law) come together as English gentlemen to discuss the matter of Wyke's wife: the woman both are sleeping with. But as wit becomes wicked and clever becomes cutthroat, Wyke and Tindle's game of one-upmanship spirals out of control, in an escalating chess match that can have only one outcome: murder.

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Both Alien vs Predator Movies See Blu-ray Release

Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will release 'Alien vs Predator: Requiem' for Blu-ray on April 15th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Additionally, Fox will reissue the original 'Alien vs Predator' movie on the same day as a Unrated Collector's Edition release. Fans will have the choice of purchasing the films separately (for those who don't want to upgrade their existing 'Alien vs Predator' Blu-ray) or as a two-pack. 'Alien vs Predator: Requiem' will present both the rated and unrated versions of the film via seamless branching in 2.35:1 1080p AVC on a BD-50. Audio will come via a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Extras include audio commentaries, digital copy, five behind-the-scenes featurettes, and seven still design galleries. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the "Weyland-Yutani Archives" picture-in-picture reference guide which allows viewers access into the movie-based corporation's top-secret computer mainframe to discover information on all things Alien and Predator. This feature will require use of a BonusView player or PS3. Specs for 'Alien vs Predator Unrated Collector's Edition' have not been released at this time, but we do know that this film will feature the "Alien vs Predator vs You" game we reported during CES. We'll be sure to update this post when we receive the specs for this release.

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Opus Arte Adds Blu-ray Support

Opus Arte, a leading indie supplier of "high art" film, revealed that they would begin releasing titles in the Blu-ray format after exclusively supporting HD DVD for almost a year. The first title to be released by the company on Blu-ray will be 'Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream' sometime in March. No specs have been announced at this time, but the previous release came with 1080i video and Dolby TrueHD audio encodes. The company hopes to release two titles a month on the Blu-ray format.

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Toshiba to Release a Blu-ray Player?

In the ‘not sure I believe this’ category, 1080Living is reporting that Toshiba has a Blu-ray player in the works. Apparently the player was originally scheduled for September 2008 but may be moved up to July given the recent events in the marketplace. One source cited 2 players are in the works with a price target of $250 and $350.00.

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$10 Rebate on Select Disney Blu-ray Discs

Link : highdefdigest.com



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Quellen wie immer

HiHD: Interview with Dean Devlin

Scott Hettrick recently sat down with producer/writer Dean Devlin to discuss his thoughts about Blu-ray. If you recall, Dean was one of the guests during Sony Pictures Blu-ray tech conference held during CES. He was present to talk about his love of Blu-ray, and of course, talk about the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Godzilla'. HiHD has posted a video interview with Dean, discussing his love for the format.

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hollywoodinhidef.com <----- Schaut hier !

electronista.com



Mehr zu dem Player:

Sigmatek builds low-cost Blu-Ray player Though generally unknown in North America, Sigmatek has announced its first-ever Blu-Ray player, the SBR-1000. It's primary feature is actually cost, as in its intended European market it will retail for under €250 ($364) -- more than €100 less than comparable players like Sony's BDP-300. This is mainly a result of a new laser invented by Sony and Nichia, making Blu-Ray players cheaper to produce. The player does sacrifice DTS-HD however, and use a coaxial audio output instead of optical. Regardless, it supports codecs such as standard DTS and Dolby TrueHD, and can play MP3s burned to disc. Video connections include an HDMI 1.3 output, and support native resolutions up to 1080p24/60. The 1000 should be available in April.

Wurde im vs. Thread eben gepsotet! Keine Ahnung ob sich der auf den 1080living-Artikel bezieht:

Toshiba plant evtl. HD DVD-Aufgabe, "Format War" wird zum "Death Watch"!

http://www.hollywood...e86027d0bfb0c25aa58d

Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say Company says no decision has been made By Thomas K. Arnold and Erik Gruenwedel Feb 15, 2008 The format war has turned into a format death watch. Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May. Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said. But she hinted that something's in the air. "Given the market developments in the past month," she said, "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players." Immediately after the Warner announcement, the HD DVD North American Promotional Group canceled its Consumer Electronics Show presentation. The following week, data collected by the NPD Group revealed Blu-ray took in 93% of all hardware sales for that week. Toshiba subsequently fired back, drastically cutting its HD DVD player prices by as much as half, effective Jan. 15. But a hoped-for consumer sales surge never materialized; retail point-of-sale data collected by the NPD Group for the week ending Jan. 26 still showed Blu-ray Disc players ahead by a wide margin, 65% to 28%. Software sales have declined as well. The latest Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales data show the top-selling Blu-ray Disc title for the week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's "Across the Universe," sold more than three times as many copies the week ending Feb. 10 as the top HD DVD seller, Universal Studios Home Entertainment's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." Blu-ray Disc titles also accounted for 81% of all high-def disc sales for the week, with HD DVD at just 19%. Toshiba had been pitching its discounted HD DVD players toward the standard DVD crowd as well as high-def enthusiasts, noting in its ad message that the new players would make DVDs look a lot better as well. And as a last-ditch effort, the company ran an ad during the Super Bowl -- a 30-second spot that reportedly cost $2.7 million. But in the end, sources say, the substantial loss Toshiba is incurring with each HD DVD player sold -- a figure sources say could be as high as several hundred dollars -- coupled with a series of high-profile retail defections has driven the company to at last concede defeat.

Auf die Anfrage eines Blu-ray.com-Users an PentonMan (Hollywood Insider) der vorher zu Netflix und BestBuy "More to come" angekündigt hatte, hat er diesen Link gepostet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUzPqUYViIc&feature=related

"More to come" = Toshiba´s HD DVD-Kapitulation?

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=611071&postcount=873

Bill Hunt dazu:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

Am Interessantesten:

Here's some late-breaking news for you, and this is ALL high-def related: The Hollywood Reporter is indicating that "reliable industry sources" say Toshiba is getting ready to drop the HD-DVD format. According to the story, Toshiba's Jodi Sally wouldn't confirm but "hinted that something's in the air" given recent developments. It seems that the retail defections have, predictably, taken their toll. From the text: "An announcement is coming soon," said one source close to the HD DVD camp. "It could be a matter of weeks." (...) For what it's worth, our own sources have been telling us recently that Paramount could make an announcement relating to a return to Blu-ray support as soon as late March or early April, though that was before this new report broke. Both Paramount and Universal have denied any change in their high-def support in recent weeks, or simply declined to comment. It's worth noting, however, that Universal hasn't announced any new HD-DVD titles since American Gangster, and it cancelled two titles (Dazed & Confused and Land of the Dead) that were previously released as DVD/HD-DVD combo discs and were going to be re-issued as HD-DVD only titles on 3/11.

Mehr von Bill Hunt:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=610972&postcount=629

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=610985&postcount=630

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=611028&postcount=637

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=611043&postcount=638

Quote: Originally Posted by Marcusarilius View Post Hi Bill. If true about Toshiba dropping HD DVD, and with the firestorm this has now generated, won't they have to make an announcement much sooner? They'll certainly have to say something, but I haven't believed much that they've said for several months now.

USA: Neue Warner-HD DVDs auch nach Ende Mai?
15.02.2008 (ks)

Zwar plant Warner, ab Ende Mai neue Filme nur noch auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen. Ganz prinzipiell will man aber nicht ausschließen, auch weiterhin HD DVDs zu produzieren. Dies gelte z.B. für bereits veröffentlichte Titel, die Warner weiterhin ausliefern könne, sofern es entsprechende Nachfrage aus dem Handel gebe, antwortete Warner-Sprecherin Ronnee Sass dem Magazin DVD Town auf eine entsprechende Anfrage.

Und selbst Neuveröffentlichungen auf HD DVD in einzelnen Fällen will Sass DVD Town zufolge nicht ausschließen, betont dabei aber, dass man generell daran festhalte, zukünftig nur noch Filme auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen

http://www.areadvd.d..._Warner_HD_DVD.shtml

bolamba schrieb:

USA: Neue Warner-HD DVDs auch nach Ende Mai? 15.02.2008 (ks) Zwar plant Warner, ab Ende Mai neue Filme nur noch auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen. Ganz prinzipiell will man aber nicht ausschließen, auch weiterhin HD DVDs zu produzieren. Dies gelte z.B. für bereits veröffentlichte Titel, die Warner weiterhin ausliefern könne, sofern es entsprechende Nachfrage aus dem Handel gebe, antwortete Warner-Sprecherin Ronnee Sass dem Magazin DVD Town auf eine entsprechende Anfrage. Und selbst Neuveröffentlichungen auf HD DVD in einzelnen Fällen will Sass DVD Town zufolge nicht ausschließen, betont dabei aber, dass man generell daran festhalte, zukünftig nur noch Filme auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen http://www.areadvd.d..._Warner_HD_DVD.shtml

Das hat sich wohl ab morgen (oder etwas später) wohl endgültig erledigt (siehe Hollywood Reporter, die sind üblicherweise seriös).

Toshiba und das Ende der HD DVD? Wie der Hollywood Reporter unter Berufung auf "verlässliche Quellen" berichtet, soll Toshiba, in Folge der herben Rückschläge durch den Markt, bereits in den kommenden Wochen die hauseigene HD DVD aufgeben. Die Gerüchte wurden von Toshiba vage kommentiert und man verwies zum wiederholten Male auf die günstigen Preise der HD DVD-Player und dass man die Marktentwicklung weiterhin aufmerksam beobachten werde. Die klare Entscheidung durch die Industrie, sowie die Mehrzahl der Verbraucher zugunsten der Blu-ray Technik, stellt sich zudem deutlich in den bisherigen Absatzzahlen der beiden Formate dar. Laut den aktuellen Daten von Nielsen Video Scan führen die Blu-ray Discs die Filmeverkäufe der vergangenen Woche mit 81% Marktanteil vor dem Konkurrenzformat aus dem Hause Toshiba an. Die bestverkaufte Blu-ray der letzten Woche war demnach das Filmmusical "Across the Universe" und konnte sich im Verhältnis von 3:1 gegen Universals "Elisabeth: Das goldene Zeitalter" durchsetzen.

Quelle -> http://www.bluray-di...-das-ende-der-hd-dvd

Wal-Mart wird offiziell ab Juni keine HD-DVD-Payer als auch Filme mehr verkaufen.

Quelle: http://www.engadget....d-dvd-sales-by-june/


Das wars jetzt wirklich. Game over.


Au revoir...

Ich mache noch mal den Tages Überblick , danke an alle die die news Posten .. freut mich ! THX @all

Toshiba und das Ende der HD DVD?




Wie der Hollywood Reporter unter Berufung auf "verlässliche Quellen" berichtet, soll Toshiba, in Folge der herben Rückschläge durch den Markt, bereits in den kommenden Wochen die hauseigene HD DVD aufgeben. Die Gerüchte wurden von Toshiba vage kommentiert und man verwies zum wiederholten Male auf die günstigen Preise der HD DVD-Player und dass man die Marktentwicklung weiterhin aufmerksam beobachten werde.

Die klare Entscheidung durch die Industrie, sowie die Mehrzahl der Verbraucher zugunsten der Blu-ray Technik, stellt sich zudem deutlich in den bisherigen Absatzzahlen der beiden Formate dar. Laut den aktuellen Daten von Nielsen Video Scan führen die Blu-ray Discs die Filmeverkäufe der vergangenen Woche mit 81% Marktanteil vor dem Konkurrenzformat aus dem Hause Toshiba an.

Die bestverkaufte Blu-ray der letzten Woche war demnach das Filmmusical "Across the Universe" und konnte sich im Verhältnis von 3:1 gegen Universals "Elisabeth: Das goldene Zeitalter" durchsetzen.
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USA: Wal-Mart vertreibt ab Juni 2008 nur noch Blu-ray

Schnell noch die HD-DVD Player für 100 $ weg und dann nur noch Blu-ray , klever ! Nach "Best Buy" hat nun auch die amerikanische Einzelhandelskette "Wal-Mart" entschieden, ab Juni 2008 nur noch Blu-ray Produkte anzubieten. In den nächsten Monaten sei das Ziel, die HD DVD Produkte abzusetzen und diesbezüglich keine weitere Order aufzugeben. Man wolle die Produkte aus dem Verkaufsprogramm nehmen, um sich ausschliesslich auf Blu-ray-Player und -Filme zu konzentrieren. Gary Severson, bei Wal-Mart in verantwortlicher Position für den Home Entertainment-Markt, sagte, dass Wal-Marts Kunden klar Blu-ray Produkte präferieren und man sich damit ausschliesslich den Wünschen der Kundschaft stelle. Wal-Mart plane, das Angebot an Blu-ray Hard- und Software weiter auszubauen, um den Kunden das Bestmögliche für das Heimkino in High-Definition auch in Zukunft anbieten zu können. Wir berichteten heute über mögliche Pläne Toshibas, das HD DVD Format endgültig fallen zu lassen, obwohl dies offiziell seitens Toshiba noch nicht bestätigt wurde. Ohne jegliche Unterstützung der Händler dürfte es jedoch mehr als schwierig werden, ein Format auszubauen und zu unterstützen, so dass die Vermutung naheliegt, dass Toshiba eher bald als weitaus später dazu Stellung nehmen wird.

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Nielsen Video Scan vom 10.02.2008

Die Blu-ray Disc konnte beeindruckende 81% aller Softwareverkäufe für sich verbuchen, während die HD DVD nur 19% Marktanteil erreichte. Dies entspricht einem Verhältnis von 4:1 und unterstreicht die Vormachtstellung der Blu-ray im Formatkrieg. Insgesamt eroberte die Blu-ray im laufenden Jahr bereits einen Anteil von 77:23 gegenüber einem Verhältnis von 65:35 seit Markteinführung der beiden Formate. Diese Zahlen spiegeln sich entsprechend auch in den Entscheidungen wichtiger Industriepartner, wie Best Buy oder Wal-mart wieder.

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Strong Week for Blu-ray - VideoScan First Alert Week Ending Feb 10

In the latest Home Media Magazine we read that Blu-ray had a good week, outselling HD DVD by a 4:1 ratio for the week ending February 10. The official market share ratio from VideoScan First Alert data was 81:19 for the week. The Year to Date ratio is now 77:23 and the market share since inception remains at 65:35 in favour of Blu-ray Disc.

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WB HD DVD: “Isolated Instances” Clarified?

It would seem as though yesterday’s article at DVDTown has gotten many in a tizzy over Warner’s future release policy, with HD DVD owners seeing a glimmer of hope, and Blu-ray fans disowning the statement due to poor word choice. Well, the folks at DVDTown have once again contacted Ronnee dearest, and she goes on to further "clarify" what that sentence means. DVDTown: "Does this mean that it is possible Warner will release HD DVD titles after May 31st in isolated instances?" Ronnee Sass: "It is not forseen, but not impossible." There you have it folks. Straight from the Sass. Unfortunately for all of us, further clarification only seems to add further confusion and more fire to an already volatile subject. So naturally, what do you make of all of this?

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Quellen , wie immer

Ich glaube, allmählich gehen nun die Lichter aus für die HD DVD. Könnte doch etwas schneller gehen, als ich erst angenommen hatte.
Seltsam nur, dass Toshiba am Umdenken sein soll und Universal/Paramount "vorerst" die HD DVD weiter unterstützen wollen - wie es noch kolportiert wurde nach Warners Entscheidung. Hoffentlich merken die beiden Filmriesen auch bald, dass mit den Roten nix zu holen ist.

USA: Supermarktkette "Wal Mart" wird Blu-ray-exklusiv

15.02.2008 (ks)

Die Welle schlechter Nachrichten für das HD DVD-Lager reißt nicht ab: Jetzt hat die größte US-Supermarktkette Wal-Mart angekündigt, zukünftig nur noch Blu-ray Discs zu verkaufen. Dies wurde im offiziellen Elektronik-Blog der Kette angekündigt. Die Verkäufe von Wal Mart machen einen großen Anteil des amerikanischen Home Video-Markts aus. Die Auswirkungen dürften somit ähnlich fatal für das HD DVD-Lager sein wie die Entscheidung von Warner, ab Ende Mai keine HD DVDs mehr zu veröffentlichen.

Voraussichtlich bis Juni will Wal Mart keine HD DVD-Player und HD DVDs mehr verkaufen, sondern nur noch Blu-ray Discs und DVDs. Damit folgt Wal Mart der Entscheidung von Best Buy, die zwar HD DVD nicht aus dem Sortiment nehmen, den Focus aber auf Blu-ray Disc legen und ihren Kunden empfehlen wollen. Bereits innerhalb der nächsten 30 Tage will Wal Mart bereit damit beginnen, das Blu-ray Disc-Sortiment zu Lasten der HD DVDs zu verschieben.

Verschiedene Branchenbeobachter sehen inzwischen die Tage der HD DVD bereits gezählt. So will das renommierte Entertainment-Magazin Hollywood Reporter aus Industriekreisen erfahren haben, dass Toshiba selbst kurz davor stehe, die HD DVD aufzugeben. Schenkt man dem (bereits vor der Wal Mart-Entscheidung veröffentlichten) Bericht Glauben, so könnte das offizielle Ende innerhalb der nächsten Wochen verkündet werden.

Neuer Blu-ray Disc-Player für 250 EUR von Sigmatek

15.02.2008 (ks)

Laut der französischen Website www.presence-pc.com plant Sigmatek einen neuen Blu-ray Disc-Player zum Preis von rund 250 EUR. Damit wäre das Gerät noch einmal rund 80 EUR günstiger als der Samsung BD-P1400, der aktuell zu Preisen ab rund 330 EUR im Handel erhältlich ist. Der Sigmatek SBR-1000 soll mit einer HDMI 1.3-Schnittstelle ausgestattet sein, über die auch HDTV in 1080p/24 ausgegeben werden kann.

Der niedrige Preis des Blu-ray Disc-Players soll u.a. durch die Verwendung einer neuen preisgünstigen Laser-Einheit von Sony möglich werden. Im Handel wird der Blu-ray Disc-Player dem Bericht zufolge voraussichtlich ab April erhältlich sein.

USA: Neue Warner-HD DVDs auch nach Ende Mai?

15.02.2008 (ks)

Zwar plant Warner, ab Ende Mai neue Filme nur noch auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen. Ganz prinzipiell will man aber nicht ausschließen, auch weiterhin HD DVDs zu produzieren. Dies gelte z.B. für bereits veröffentlichte Titel, die Warner weiterhin ausliefern könne, sofern es entsprechende Nachfrage aus dem Handel gebe, antwortete Warner-Sprecherin Ronnee Sass dem Magazin DVD Town auf eine entsprechende Anfrage.

Und selbst Neuveröffentlichungen auf HD DVD in einzelnen Fällen will Sass DVD Town zufolge nicht ausschließen, betont dabei aber, dass man generell daran festhalte, zukünftig nur noch Filme auf DVD und Blu-ray Disc zu veröffentlichen.

@mark247

Ich fände es nur fair, areaDVD als Quelle für deine drei Postings zu nennen.

BTW: #120 hat ja mit diesem Thread nicht viel zu tun.

Dosenbier13 schrieb:

@mark247 Ich fände es nur fair, areaDVD als Quelle für deine drei Postings zu nennen. BTW: #120 hat ja mit diesem Thread nicht viel zu tun.

Finde ich nicht die Post´s sind fast schon 1 Tag alt , das habe ich auch schon alles hier gepostet und vor mir die anderen jungs auch ... also egal ..

So weiter geht´s mit news !

BDA Praises Wal-Mart On Blu-ray Exclusivity

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) US Promotions Committee chairman Andy Parsons has released a statement regarding Wal-Mart's announcement that beginning this June they will be exclusively supporting Blu-ray: "Retailers have a tremendous impact on consumer preferences, and as the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart's reach and leadership are unparalleled. Their decision to support only Blu-ray, particularly in light of the string of similar announcements from the content and retail communities over the last six weeks, seems to us to be a very clear statement that Blu-ray Disc has emerged as the format of choice for high definition home entertainment." The following is a time line released by the BDA to show the impact of Warner Brothers' decision to exclusively support Blu-ray. While it highlights the major moves in the home video industry, it should not be considered complete. Many smaller, but no less important, moves were made during the past six weeks, which readers of this site are familiar with. 1/5: Warner Bros. announces exclusive Blu-ray support 1/28: Gartner announces “HD DVD's price cuts only prolong agony” 1/29: Woolworths, a leading U.K. retailer, announced it would offer exclusive in-store support for Blu-ray beginning in March 1/30: Sonic announced that it will focus its R&D resources on Blu-ray and will conclude sales of its HD DVD authoring product line 1/30: National Geographic announced it will no longer release titles in the HD DVD format 2/11: Netflix announces that, citing a clear signal from the industry, it will only carry Blu-ray Discs and will phase out HD-DVD 2/11: Best Buy announces it will recommend Blu-Ray as the Customer's Digital Format Choice 2/15: Wal-Mart announces that by June 2008, Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs stores will carry Blu-ray only

Quelle : Bluray.com

Auch nicht schlecht:

http://www.akihabara...nese+TV+NHK+%21.html

BladeDivX schrieb:

Dosenbier13 schrieb: @mark247 Ich fände es nur fair, areaDVD als Quelle für deine drei Postings zu nennen. BTW: #120 hat ja mit diesem Thread nicht viel zu tun. Finde ich nicht die Post´s sind fast schon 1 Tag alt , das habe ich auch schon alles hier gepostet und vor mir die anderen jungs auch ... also egal .. So weiter geht´s mit news ! ;)

Du gibst ja sonst auch deine Quellen an. Wieso dann nicht für areaDVD?

Das inoffizielle Ende könnte wirklich bald in ein offizielles Ende umschlagen...

Mehr Links:

nur japanisch die NHK News:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/2008/02/16/k20080216000104.html


http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english/web/

The tug-of-war with violent two methods of "HDDVD" such as "Blu-ray Disc" that * Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., and Hitachi, etc. promote and * Toshiba and Microsoft has been unfolded over next generation DVD who can record the high-definition television image of the high-resolution for a long time. However, the offensive is strengthened as the blue lei camp grasps the share of 90% or more in Japan as a result of the reproduction machine that became full-scale in the latter half of last year and the marketing battle of the recording machine. Moreover, inferior in the HDDVD camp announced that major movie company "Warner Bros." of Hollywood unified it to a blue lei after this year was made as for the supply of software in the movie etc.When depending on parties concerned, such a situation was received, and "Toshiba" that initiated "HDDVD" completely stopped the production of equipment advanced at the factory in the Aomori prefecture now, and decided the policy of withdrawing from the business. As for sales of the equipment in the shop, it is expected that new development is scheduled to be discontinued, and the loss of Toshiba because of the withdrawal of the business mounts up to several ten billion yen though it is assumed that it continues now. As a result, the standard duel of next generation DVD whom the manufacturer had unfolded like "VHS beta war" over the standard of the video before became a prospect united in fact with a blue lei.

http://www.reuters.c...dUSL1627196120080216

TOKYO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is planning to stop production of equipment compatible with the HD DVD format for high-definition video, allowing the competing Blu-Ray camp a free run, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday. Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business, Japan's NHK said on its website. No one at Toshiba could be reached for comment. The format war between the Toshiba-backed HD DVD and Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) Blu-Ray, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has slowed the development of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry. Toshiba was dealt a blow on Friday when Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said it would abandon the HD DVD format, becoming the latest in a series of top retailers and movie studios to rally behind Blu-ray technology for high definition DVDs. Toshiba plans to continue selling HD DVD equipment at stores for the time being but will not put resources into developing new devices, NHK said. (Reporting by Nathan Layne, editing by Mike Peacock)

Toshiba beendet die HD-DVD-Produktion

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/index.html

Auszug:

The company said it will continue to sell HD-DVD products for a while but will stop further development of HD DVD. Meanwhile, it said its DVD factories in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, would be closed.

Auf Deutsch !

Japan: Toshiba beendet Investitionen in HD DVD

Laut einem Bericht der japanischen Internetseite NHK plant Toshiba die Produktion von HD DVD-Produkten einzustellen und somit der Blu-ray Technologie das Feld zu überlassen. So soll der japanische Elektronikriese zwar weiterhin seine Produkte im Handel anbieten, jedoch keine weiteren Ressourcen in neue Entwicklungen investieren. Von seitens Toshiba konnte man bisher jedoch keine Stellungnahme erhalten.

Sollte die Produktion von HD DVD kompatiblen Geräten eingestellt werden, rechnet man in Branchenkreisen mit Verlusten von mehreren 100 Millionen $. Nachdem der japanische High-Definition-Markt zu 90% in der Hand des Blu-ray Formats ist, geriet Toshiba in letzter Zeit daher auch in seiner Heimat zunehmend unter Druck.
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USA: Studie belegt Blu-ray Dominanz

Wie eine neue Studie über das Beratungsverhalten von Verkäufern im amerikanischen Einzelhandel durch J.D. Power and Associates, ein weltweit agierendes Unternehmen im Bereich der Marktforschung, Prognose und Kundenzufriedenheit, ergab, empfehlen 9 von 10 Angestellten im Verkauf das Blu-ray Format gegenüber unentschlossenen Kunden. Die Empfehlungen des Personals im Einzelhandel, waren oftmals sogar dermaßen klar zur Blu-ray ausgerichtet, dass der unbedarfte Verbraucher sich kaum für die HD DVD entscheiden dürfte, in Anbetracht der Vor- und Nachteile, welche in Beratungsgesprächen genannt werden.

Während Best Buy diese Woche offiziell bekannt gab, sein Blu-ray Sortiment stärker zu vermarkten und seinen Kunden zu empfehlen, zeigte die Studie, dass dies bereits zuvor gängige Praxis war. Kein einziger Angestellter der Best Buy-Filialen sprach eine Kaufempfehlung für HD DVD-Produkte aus.

Die Auswertung der Studie unterstreicht, dass das einzige gewichtige Kaufargument für HD DVD die günstigeren Preise der Player seien, während Blu-ray die größere Auswahl an Filmen und die starke Unterstützung durch die Industrie auf seiner Seite hat.

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Study Shows Almost 90 Percent of Sales People Recommend Blu-ray Disc Over HD DVD

According to Twice, a new J.D. Power and Associates mystery shopper study has found that
retail salespeople across the country are strongly recommending Blu-ray Disc players over HD DVD to their customers.

The study report states that less than 1-in-10 retail salespeople recommended HD DVD to survey takers posing as shoppers for the syndicated, independent field study.

The HD disc study was part of the Television Retail Insights report, which is jointly produced by J.D. Power and Associates and Market Force Information.

The current study covered electronics salespeople in over 200 storefronts in January. Mystery shoppers posed as people who had just purchased an HDTV and were looking for a nameless dedicated HD disc player.

The survey found 25 percent of all salespeople chose not to recommend one platform over the other. But of those who did, 89 percent recommended Blu-ray, and most of them “very strongly recommended Blu-ray, to the point that a typical customer would have had to think long and hard before buying HD DVD in the face of what salespeople are telling them about the two platforms.

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Digital Playground Switches to Blu



In a follow up to this article, we see Home Media Magazine reporting that Digital Playground has confirmed that all future high-def titles would be on Blu-ray Disc.

The adult video producer had been releasing a majority of its high-def titles on HD DVD.

The incentives to do Blu were Nielsen VideoScan data showing 3:1 Blu-ray sales over rival HD DVD, positive results for its first Blu-ray title, Pirates, and major retailers bailing on HD DVD.

Island Fever 4 and Babysitters, two adult titles already on HD DVD, will be the company’s next Blu-ray releases, followed by eight new Blu-ray titles every month. The company has more than 200 films shot in high-def, all of which could eventually see a Blu-ray release.

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Transformers on BD in the Circuit City Computer System?



Ok, this could easily be in the realm of fantasy, forgery or computer error, but strange things are afoot at Circuit City.

A CC employee has reported in a forum thread that all of the old Paramount Blu-ray releases are back in the CC computer system.

Not only that but Blades of Glory and Transformers are also listed. Transformers is listed as a 2 Disc Edition and has a $34.99 price tag.

The UPC code for the release is 097361312422. The UPC for Transformers on HD DVD is 097361312804. As you can see there are distinct similarities between the two.

The thread also shows pictures of the CC computer screen showing the entries for Blades and Transformers, along with other contemporary releases such as The Brave One.

As noted above, this could easily be an error or a fake… or it could be that Paramount Blu-ray titles are not too far away! Regardless it is a fun read.

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NHK Declares the End of the Format War



Reuters is reporting that Toshiba Corp is planning to stop production of equipment compatible with the HD DVD format for high-definition video.

Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business, Japan’s NHK said on its website.

Toshiba plans to continue selling HD DVD equipment at stores for the time being but will not put resources into developing new devices.

Find this post interesting?, then subscribe to our Full Content RSS Feed!

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Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war-NHK TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp is planning to stop production of equipment compatible with the HD DVD format for high-definition video, allowing the competing Blu-Ray camp a free run, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday. Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business, Japan's NHK said on its website. No one at Toshiba could be reached for comment. The format war between the Toshiba-backed HD DVD and Sony Corp's Blu-Ray, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has slowed the development of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry. Toshiba was dealt a blow on Friday when Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it would abandon the HD DVD format, becoming the latest in a series of top retailers and movie studios to rally behind Blu-ray technology for high definition DVDs. Toshiba plans to continue selling HD DVD equipment at stores for the time being but will not put resources into developing new devices, NHK said. (Reporting by Nathan Layne, editing by Mike Peacock)

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Quellen : Bluray.com , Bluray-disc.de , Reuters.com, FormatWar.com....

Hier noch mal das Ganze von AreaDVD :

Japan: Toshiba stellt laut NHK Produktion von HD DVD-Playern ein



Toshiba stellt offenbar die Produktion von HD DVD-Playern in Japan ein. Dies meldet das japanische Fernsehen NHK. Laut dem Sender soll die HD DVD-Entwicklung eingestellt und die DVD-Fabrik in der japanischen Präfektur Aomori geschlossen werden. HD DVD-Player von Toshiba sollen aber noch für eine gewisse Zeit weiter verkauft werden. Zu dem Bericht von NHK gibt es bislang noch kein offizielles Statement von Toshiba.

Nach Auffassung von Marktbeobachtern könnte Toshiba einen Verlust von mehreren Hunderten Millionen Dollar eingefahren haben. Der Marktanteil der konkurrierenden Blu-ray Disc liegt laut NHK in Japan bei rund 90 Prozent.

Gestern hatte Wal Mart, die größte Einzelhandelskette der USA, angekündigt, ab Juni nur noch Blu-ray Disc-Player in ihren rund 4000 Filialen in den USA zu verkaufen. Nachdem im Januar sich bereits Warner exklusiv für die Blu-ray Disc entschieden hatte und nur noch die großen Studios Paramount und Universal die HD DVD unterstützen, bedeutet die Wal Mart-Entscheidung einen ähnlich empfindlichen Schnitt. Denn Wal Mart alleine sorgt bereits für einen Großteil der Umsätze auf dem amerikanischen Home Video-Markt und soll einen Marktanteil von mindestens 30 Prozent in den USA haben.

Zuletzt hatte Toshiba noch versucht, durch radikale Preissenkungen für HD DVD-Player und einen millionenteuren TV-Werbe-Spot zum Super Bowl in den USA die Verkäufe zu steigern. Neben dem Online-Film-Verleih Netflix hatte sich aber auch die Supermarktkette Best Buy in den USA dazu entschieden, nur noch auf die Blu-ray Disc zu setzen. Und schon Ende Januar hatte Sonic Solutions angekündigt, die Entwicklung seiner HD DVD-Authoring-Software einzustellen.

Ich verstehe die Toshiba Strategen einfach nicht.

Erst verbrennt man, sehenden Auges, viel Geld in einen Werbespot der eh nichts mehr bringen konnte, und ein paar Tage später kommt dann der dicke Hammer.

Da hätte man sich das Geld doch wirklich sparen können - wahrscheinlich waren die Verträge für den Spot aber schon vor längerer Zeit unter Dach und Fach, so daß Toshiba keinen Rückzieher mehr machen konnte.

Ich schätze, es wird jetzt nur noch Tage oder Wochen dauern, bis die letzten verbliebenen HD Exclusivstudios sich auf die Blu-ray Seite schlagen werden.

Denn, die Aufgabe von Toshiba bedeutet jetzt einen kurzfristigen legitimen Ausstieg ohne Vertragsstrafen.

Für HD-DVD Fans ist dies gewiß eine bittere Pille, falls jetzt Toshiba wirklich sein Format höchstpersönlich zu Grabe trägt.

Zumindest wird nach gängiger Praxis, es noch gut zehn Jahre Ersatzteile für die bestehenden Player geben. Das dürfte aber wohl nur für Fans wichtig sein, die sich schon eine größere Sammlung aufgebaut haben.

Die Chancen, das ein Blu-ray King Kong DC noch dieses Jahr kommt, sind jedenfalls stark gestiegen.
Mit Transformers hatte ich es ohnehin nicht so doll.

Grüße
KrisFin

New York Times !



NewYorkTimesToshiba

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Aus : thedigitalbits.com
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Golem.de]

Es ist soweit WalMart Listet wieder BLU-RAY Paramount Titel !





WalMart.com

I noticed alot of folks always looking for paramount titles, here are some I saw on walmart.com. If this isn't a good deal feel free to delete this post, I just thought I would pass them on in case anyone wanted them. Maybe some I missed on there.

Mission Impossible 2 20.87
Sahara 20.31
Four Brothers 22.88
Nacho Libre 26.88
Sleepy Hollow 22.88
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 22.88
World Trade Center 28.88
Payback 19.88
take care,

Bald ist es soweit!: News von 16.02.2008 20:37

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/103627

Wenn so schnell Paramount-Titel mit Cover auftauchen, dann wussten die schon zu dem Zeitpunkt, als Warner die BD-only-Unterstützung bekannt gab und man heftig für die HD DVD Stellung bezog, dass die eigene Aussage nicht stimmt.

Ich hoffe das Universal auch endlich auf BD umschwenkt.
Filme wie Stardust, Operation Kingdon,etc müsst Ich dann nicht im Doppel Kaufen.

Leider kann man das ja nicht über meinen Link lesen , man muss sich ja dazu anmelden :

New York Times: Taps for HD DVD as Wal-Mart Backs Blu-ray — SAN FRANCISCO — HD DVD, the beloved format of Toshiba and three Hollywood studios, died Friday after a brief illness. The cause of death was determined to be the decision by Wal-Mart to stock only high-definition DVDs and players using the Blu-ray format. Link Search: Ask, Technorati, Sphere, Google, and IceRocket +Discussion: Electronista, CinemaTech, Deep Jive Interests, DVICE, Ars Technica and The Technology Chronicles –Discussion: Electronista: Japan press: Toshiba to end HD DVD Scott Kirsner / CinemaTech: The final post about the Blu-ray / HD DVD format war? Tony Hung / Deep Jive Interests: High Definition Format War Over — Blu-Ray The Winner Adam Frucci / DVICE: HD DVD appears to be, at last, dead Ben Kuchera / Ars Technica: A perfect PS3 storm: Blu-ray hotness and Xbox supply issues Ryan Kim / The Technology Chronicles: HD DVD is dead, long live HD DVD

Quelle : techmeme.com


Ich würde aber gerne mal das von den NewYorkTimes lesen ... also wenn einer da kann kommt , wäre super.

Report: Toshiba May End HD DVD Format

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: February 17, 2008 TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese electronics maker Toshiba might withdraw its HD DVD next-generation video format, Kyodo News agency reported Saturday.

Edit : Das kann man so weit lesen ohne angemeldet zu sein .. ...AP) -- Japanese electronics maker Toshiba might withdraw its HD DVD next-generation...individuals from the industry as saying Toshiba Corp. is reviewing its operations, with...other factors. Calls went unanswered at Toshiba Corp.'s Tokyo office, which was closed... February 17, 2008 - By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - World

Leider kann ich wie schon mal gesagt mich nicht einloggen..

Hier alle Quellen : NewYorkTimes

hallo,lohnt es sich denn trotzdem noch einen hd-player zu kaufen,sofern man den sehr günstig schiessen sollte?oder sollte ich besser das geld für meine blus nehmen??
dachte eventuell daran,dass durch den absprung jetzt die filme sehr billig werden könnten

MarkusNRW schrieb:

hallo,lohnt es sich denn trotzdem noch einen hd-player zu kaufen,

Ha ha machst Du Witze? Was machst Du wenn Dein super HD-DVD Player dann mal in 4-5 Jahre oder so nen Abgang macht und du jede Menge HD-DVD´s besitzt?

resiplayer schrieb:

MarkusNRW schrieb: hallo,lohnt es sich denn trotzdem noch einen hd-player zu kaufen, Ha ha machst Du Witze? Was machst Du wenn Dein super HD-DVD Player dann mal in 4-5 Jahre oder so nen Abgang macht und du jede Menge HD-DVD´s besitzt?

Einen für 50 EUR auf Ebay kaufen

oder für das 5fache lol.

Wird wohl dann so wie mit der ps3 60gb die preise steigen weil sie rar sind und wenn man seine filme nicht wegschmeissen will muss man wohl dann mehr als den neu preis ausgeben.

Dosenbier13 schrieb:

Wenn so schnell Paramount-Titel mit Cover auftauchen, dann wussten die schon zu dem Zeitpunkt, als Warner die BD-only-Unterstützung bekannt gab und man heftig für die HD DVD Stellung bezog, dass die eigene Aussage nicht stimmt.

Das sind nur die Cover von den Filmen, die es schon mal auf Blu-ray gab - also für mich kein Indiz. Die alten Discs wurden von Paramount wahrscheinlich irgendwo eingelagert und können jetzt schnell wieder auf den Markt gebracht werden.

SAMSUNG fokusiert nun den Blick auf Blu-ray

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/02/123_19049.html

Vermutlich das baldige Ende der Dual-Format-Strategie!

By Kim Yoo-chul Staff Reporter Samsung Electronics is expected to accelerate its ongoing efforts to strengthen Blu-ray products since Toshiba virtually pulled the plug on its HD DVD products. ``Samsung is expected to show more interests in Blu-ray products than rival HD DVDs,’’ according to a Samsung official on Sunday. Industry sources have said Toshiba is highly likely to shut down its HD DVD business early this week, ending the ``survival game’’ over the next-generation format against Sony- and Samsung-led Blu-ray technology. Samsung officials have declined to further comment. However, industry insiders said the company has secured a solid momentum to propel its products armored with next-generation formats. ``Samsung, which has been adopting a dual-strategy for both Blu-ray and HD DVD products, is likely to cut the HD DVD portion because of aggressive marketing and closer industry connections over the technology,’’ a market expert said. Samsung Electronics has been introducing Blu-ray players and recorders and it has a competitive edge over the advanced technology with its patents. Since major media contents moguls including Warner Bros. have recently decided to release HD DVDs exclusively in Blu-ray backed by Sony and Samsung Electronics, Toshiba fired back by cutting its HD DVD player prices by as much as half in the United States _ the world’s largest consumer electronics market. However, the hoped-for consumer sales increase was never realized as larger U.S. retailers supported Blu-ray format products. HD DVD players are less costly and is more advanced in implementing new features such as Internet content, while Blu-ray players are just strengthening new interactive features, Internet connectivity and picture-in-picture capability. The fight between Blu-ray and HD DVD, including Microsoft and Intel, has mirrored the struggle between Betamax and VHS to dominate video tapes. yckim@koreatimes.co.kr

Best Buy 2 Day Online Only Sale

Posted on February 17, 2008 by Dave Cowl Filed Under Format War, HD DVD, Blu-ray, Deals, Retailers | Leave a Comment Looks like Best Buy is having a sale for Presidents Day Weekend. The sale runs for 2 days only and includes free shipping on some HD DVD titles, as well as many other offers from cameras through HDTV to furniture.

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Hier noch mal das ganze ...

Toshiba to give up on HD DVD, end format war: source

By Mayumi Negishi and Kentaro Hamada TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research), a company source said on Saturday. The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment. The format war, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has confused consumers unsure of which DVD or player to buy, slowing the development what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high definition DVD industry. Toshiba's cause has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks including Friday's announcement by U.S. retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that it would abandon the HD DVD format and only stock its shelves with Blu-ray movies. A source at Toshiba confirmed an earlier report by public broadcaster NHK that it was getting ready to pull the plug. "We have entered the final stage of planning to make our exit from the next generation DVD business," said the source, who asked not to be identified. He added that an official announcement could come as early as next week. No one answered the phone at Toshiba's public relations office in Tokyo. NHK said Toshiba would suffer losses running to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to withdraw from the business. Continued... Hollywood studios had initially split their alliances between the two camps, meaning only certain films would play on any one DVD machine. The balance of power tipped decisively toward the Sony camp in January after Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Warner Bros studio said it would only release high-definition DVDs in Blu-ray format. With that, studios behind some three-quarters of DVDs are backing Blu-ray, although some release in both formats. Toshiba responded by slashing prices of HD DVD players, but the loss of retail support has hurt. In addition to Wal-Mart, consumer electronics chain Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and online video rental company Netflix Inc (NFLX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) also recently signed up to the Blu-ray camp. The exclusive backing of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) was also put in doubt when the software giant said in January that it could consider supporting Blu-ray technology for its Xbox 360 video game machine, which currently works only with HD DVD. Sony has spent large sums of money to promote Blu-ray in tandem with its flat screen TVs and its PlayStation 3 game console, which can play Blu-ray movies. The Toshiba source said the experience would not be a total loss for the sprawling conglomerate, whose products range from refrigerators to power plants, which would learn valuable lessons. "Marketing was a weak point for Toshiba. We learned a lot from HD DVD. Strengthening marketing will continue to be an issue for us going forward," the source said. (Reporting by Mayumi Negishi, Kentaro Hamada and Nathan Layne, editing by Mike Peacock)

Quelle : nytimes.com
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In DVD Wars, Winner on Main St Is Blu - Ray

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp <6502.T> may not have officially given up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, but the word on the street on Sunday was that rival Sony Corp's <6758.T><SNE.N> Blu-ray had won the war. "Blu-ray won. It's fantastic and I trust Sony," said one customer, William, browsing the DVD player aisles at the Best Buy Co Inc <BBY.N> store on New York's Fifth Avenue. "Blu-rays are flying off the shelves, but we have to order if you want HD," said Tania Bonetti, who works in the home theater section of the store, where DVD players cost from $399 to almost $1,000. Another sales assistant, Michael, said: "We still sell HD DVD's but we are telling customers that Blu-ray won." And in a sign that Main Street has already anointed Sony the winner, Blu-ray disc prices were slashed drastically at both Best Buy and at the next-door Circuit City Stores Inc <CC.N>, another of America's huge consumer electronics stores. Both stores' fliers for their President's Day sales prominently featured select movie titles such as "300," "Ocean's Thirteen" and "The Departed" in Blu-ray format. "Step into Hi-Def with Blu-ray," said Circuit City's ad, listing discs at $24.99 -- up to $10 less than normal. The ad did not even mention HD DVD format. Best Buy had the same deals, with some Blu-ray titles as low as $14.99. "I have never seen Blu-rays on sale like this before," said Bonetti at Best Buy. On Saturday, a Toshiba source told Reuters the Japanese company is planning to give up on its HD DVD format, conceding defeat to Blu-ray. Separate consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony have battled for years to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment. The war, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, was blamed for slowing the growth of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry. Stephanie Prange, editor in chief of Home Media Magazine, said the war's end should boost high-def DVD adoption. "It would definitely help. The two formats, though both were good, have confused consumers and prevented them from moving into the high-def future," she said. Prange said Sony, which lost its Betamax bid, had its ducks in a row for the current format war. It lined up early studio support and included a Blu-ray player in its new PlayStation 3 video game system, creating an instant customer base. "This time I guess they learned from their mistakes," Prange said of Sony. Toshiba suffered several setbacks in recent weeks, including Friday's announcement by retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N> that it would abandon the HD DVD format and only stock Blu-ray movies. "Toshiba's plan all along was to be the low-price version. If Wal-Mart isn't going to sell their players, who will?" Prange said, noting that Wal-Mart calls itself the low-price leader. Akeem, the Circuit City sales assistant, said he was still selling lots of players in each format. And for customers who did not necessarily care about the format, there is a model by LG, selling for $599, that plays both HD and Blu-ray. And Best Buy's Michael said some people were buying Toshiba units, even though they know Blu-ray will be the format of the future. "They figure that HD discs will become cheaper." (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Quelle : nytimes.com
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Bericht: Microsoft plant Blu-ray-Laufwerk für Xbox 360

Toshibas potentieller HD DVD Rückzug und dessen Folgen



Das renommierte Wall Street Journal hat am heutigen Tag einen Bericht veröffentlicht und sich mit den möglichen Folgen von Toshibas Rückzug aus dem High-Def Formatkrieg beschäftigt. Denn sollte die am vergangenen Wochenende bekanntgegebene Meldung vom japanischen Rundfunksender NHK offiziell von Toshiba bestätigt werden im Verlauf der nächsten Tage, auch wenn sie heute zunächst dementiert wurde, würde das ggf. eine Kette an Ereignissen nach sich ziehen.

Zunächst würde das für die momentan noch HD DVD exklusiv verbliebenen Filmstudios Universal und Paramount Pictures / Dreamworks eine sofortige Entbindung ihrer vertraglichen Verpflichtungen gegenüber der HD DVD Promotion Group bedeuten. Auch Warner könnte sich vor Mai 2008 damit von der HD DVD lösen. Eine Aussage der Studios zu diesem Sachverhalt liegt bisher leider noch nicht vor.

Darüber hinaus sehen alle Studios enorme Umsatz- und Ertragschancen im High-Def-Markt, denn das Medium bringt den potentiellen Kunden zurück in die Geschäfte oder zu den Internetshops, um Filme zu kaufen. So waren die erzielten Umsätze mit DVD zwar in 2007 immer noch absolut marktbestimmend, dennoch leicht rückläufig. In den USA wurde ein Umsatz in Höhe von 16 Billionen Dollar mit der DVD erzielt, vergleichweise gering waren die 186 Millionen Dollar bei Filmen auf Blu-ray gegenüber 90 Millionen Dollar auf HD DVD. Beim Sieg eines der beiden Formate würde sich die Situation sicherlich gravierend ändern, denn man könne auf DAS Format der Zukunft gemeinsam aufbauen, wenn alle Filmstudios alle Filme auf einem Medium veröffentlichen würden. Ein Schub, den die hochauflösenden Medien auch dringend benötigen, wollen sie auf Dauer das Massenmedium DVD vom Thron stossen.


Quelle : Bluray-disc.de

Samsung konzentriert sich auf Blu-ray



Der Elektronikkonzern Samsung hat bestätigt, dass man sich künftig auf die Herstellung von Blu-ray Hardware konzentrieren wolle. Damit reagiere man zeitnah auf die jüngsten Entwicklungen auf dem High-Def Markt. Von offizieller Seite hieß es, dass "Samsung mehr Interesse in der Herstellung und Weiterentwicklung von Blu-ray als von HD DVD Produkten habe". Vor kurzem hatte Samsung den Kombiplayer BD-UP5000 auf den Markt gebracht und gleichzeitig ein weiteres Modell angekündigt. Diese Pläne habe man jetzt jedoch verworfen.

Samsung hatte seinerzeit den ersten Blu-ray Player veröffentlicht und auch danach weitere Modelle der "BD-P-Serie" entwickelt. Zwischenzeitlich entwickelte man den Kombiplayer BD-UP5000. Nun wolle man "zurück zu den Wurzeln" und sich vollends auf die Weiterentwicklung der Blu-ray Playertechnologie fokussieren.

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Toshiba dementiert Ausstieg bei HD DVD (ALT)

In einer kurzen Meldung des Elektronikkonzerns wurde der gemeldete Ausstieg aus dem Formatkrieg zwischen den High-Definition-Formaten Blu-ray und HD DVD vorerst dementiert. So teilte ein Sprecher Toshibas mit, dass man zur Zeit das zukünftige Vorgehen und die Ausrichtung der Firmenstrategie bespreche, jedoch bisher keine Entscheidung bezüglich der weiteren HD DVD-Unterstützung getroffen habe.

Nachdem in den letzten Wochen sich immer mehr Industriepartner von der HD DVD abwandten, reagierte die Börse positiv auf die unbestätigten Gerüchte, das sich Toshiba aus dem Wettstreit um die DVD-Nachfolge zurückziehen würde. Sollte die Aufgabe der HD DVD in näherer Zukunft eintreten, würde Toshiba das unterstützte HD-Medium nur 2 Jahre nach Einführung der ersten Abspielgeräte einstellen.

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Niveus Goes Blu-ray Exclusive

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Niveus, producer of home media servers, has announced that effective immediately they will offer Blu-ray drives on all of their server products and will begin phasing out their HD DVD supplies. As a former HD DVD supporter, the company is abandoning the format due to consumer demand for Blu-ray products and current market shifting towards Blu-ray.

Tim Cutting, CEO and Co-Founder, Niveus Media commented, "Incorporating Blu-ray into our offering has always been part of the plan but the demand from our customers, market trends, and recent announcements expedited our decision to come to market with Blu-ray support sooner rather than later. While we have stood behind HD DVD as a viable high-definition platform, Niveus engineers have been running Blu-ray in our testing facilities and are very impressed with the performance and integration with our servers."

Existing customers who purchased servers with HD DVD drives in the past 90 days will be eligible to upgrade to their Blu-ray product line for no additional cost.

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First Knight Announced for Blu-ray



Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the Jerry Zucker film 'First Knight' to Blu-ray on April 29th, day-and-date with the Special Edition DVD release. Video will be presented in 2.35:1 1080p AVC accompanied by a Dolby TrueHD sountrack. Extras include audio commentary with director Jerry Zucker and producer Hunt Lowry, Authurian Legend commentary, the featurettes "Making of First Knight" and "In Shining Armor: Knights in Training", and deleted scenes.

Together, Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond (Legends of the Fall, Sabrina) and Jerry Zucker,the director of Ghost, bring you a new vision of King Arthur's Camelot. A vision of breathtaking battles, of heart-pounding courage, of the undeniable love that brought an entire kingdom to its knees... and of the undying passion that made it live forever.

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Investors Cheer as Toshiba Nears HD DVD Surrender

It seems that it is better to dump your format and cut your losses than to be the winner.

Reuters is reporting that Toshiba’s share price has risen 6% as analysts praised its move to cut its losses, while Sony Corp, whose technology is set to become the industry standard for high-definition home DVDs, rose only 2%.

"It doesn’t make sense for Toshiba to continue putting effort into this," said Koichi Ogawa, a chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments. "It needs to cut its losses and focus its resources on promising businesses."

Toshiba will likely suffer losses of hundreds of millions of dollars to scrap production of its equipment and other steps to withdraw from the business, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. But analysts gave high marks to Toshiba’s quick move to pull the plug on HD DVD just two years after launching its first players. It took Sony more than a decade to quit Betamax.

They seem to have forgotten that Toshiba also made Beta recorders - though perhaps they dropped that a lot sooner than Sony also…?


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Studios Freed if Toshiba Cedes?



As expected there is a mess of articles surrounding Toshiba today, with few bringing any new information to light.

Perhaps one exception is this article at the Wall Street Journal.

They report that if Toshiba withdraws from the HD DVD business, Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures and General Electric Co.’s Universal Pictures, both of which support the format exclusively, would be immediately released from their commitments, one of the people familiar with the situation said. Warner Bros., which is obligated to sell HD DVD movies through May under its contract, would also be freed from those terms.

I kinda get the feeling that Warner is begrudgingly supporting HD DVD to mid 2008 - it will be interesting to see what they do if they are released from th contractual obligation to do so.



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More Amazon Hijinx in the UK



Amazon UK is at it again with the Paramount/Dreamworks titles.

More Paramount and DreamWorks BD titles recently added to the pre-order list. Here is a smattering of what is on offer:

Cloverfield [Blu-ray]

Bee Movie [Blu-ray]

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow [Blu-ray]

The Kite Runner [Blu-ray]

Zoolander [Blu-ray]

We can also see a Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow [HD DVD] listing.

Keep in mind that Amazon UK has screwed up in the past - though with the recent tide change, this may not be an error…



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Quellen : Bluray-disc.de , Bluray.com, Formatwar.com.

Neue bilder von Transformers aufgetaucht ...





Quelle : http://forum.blu-ray.com

Ob was dran ist ???!!! kein Plan.. denke aber das der Film eh bald im laden steht..

Angeblich wird Toshiba morgen die Aufgabe der HD-DVD bekannt geben, ende März sollen keine LW, Player und Discs mehr hergestellt werden:

http://gizmodo.com/3...duction-end-by-march


Au revoir...

Star Trek: Staffel 2 wurde abgesetzt!



Die Website formatwarcentral.com will von einem Insider von Technicolor erfahren haben, dass die Veröffentlichung der 2. Staffel von "Star Trek" nicht, wie vor einigen Tagen berichtet wurde, verschoben, sondern komplett abgesetzt wurde. Verantwortlich für das Remastering bzw. Encoding der Serie sei jedoch nicht Paramount, sondern Toshiba - und Toshiba selbst habe die Arbeit am Remastering abgebrochen.

Bestandteil des HD DVD Exklusivvertrags zwischen Paramount und Toshiba sei auch das Nutzen des Toshiba AVC-Encoders gewesen, sowie das Release der kompletten Star Trek Serie im AVC-Codec. Die Verbreitung und der Absatz des AVC-Encoders für einige Studios habe Toshiba enorme Anstrengungen gekostet, da der VC-1 Codec für das Remastering überwiegend von vielen Studios für beide Formate genutzt wurde. Warner hat alle High-Def Releases mit dem VC-1 Codec bearbeiten lassen.


Quelle : bluray-disc.de


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Star Trek Season 2 Cancelled Not Delayed We are going to give the real information on Star Trek Season 2’s delay cancellation. An inside source at Technicolor has informed us that a few weeks ago Toshiba cancelled the work they were doing on Star Trek Season 2. Toshiba had been the one paying for the re-mastering/encoding of Star Trek: TOS, which was part of their exclusive deal with Paramount. Also part of the exclusive deal is that Paramount must use AVC in the encoding of the Star Trek Series, more specifically they must use Toshiba’s AVC encoder. We think this was a way Toshiba could try to push their AVC encoder, which they had invested lots of money in.Toshiba has had a hard time getting studios to purchase their AVC encoder, since VC-1 is so popular with studios on both sides of the format war. A good example of this is Warner, who mandates VC-1 on all it’s discs.

Zitat : FormatWar