A top Samsung UK executive has demolished Blu-ray’s chances of being relevant for more than about 5 years, if that, in an interview with UK tech site Pocket-link. How “blu” must Sony be feeling with Samsung right now?!
When HD-DVD was dealt its death blow at CES thanks to Warner definitively choosing the Blu-ray format, Sony’s Howard Stringer said at the Blu-ray press launch words to the effect that “We’re all feeling Blu today – in a good way!”
But perhaps Sony is feeling “blue” instead today, at least with its LCD screen manufacturing partner Samsung, after comments to UK tech site Pocket-lint by Andy Griffiths, Samsung’s “Director of Consumer Electronics” in the UK.
Griffiths made some bold statements, saying: “I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10".
But then he said that 2008 is “going to be huge" for Blu-ray, and that "We are heavily back-ordered at the moment”, clearly suggesting that while Samsung thinks Blu-ray’s future is bleak, right now things are still quite rosy.
He also told Pocket-link about rental sites and stores offering more Blu-ray titles, which ensured that while the Blu-ray format was the HD winner now, that wouldn’t be the case forever.
Samsung believes its future profits will come from OLED technology (organic light emitting diode). Promising better picture quality and colour depth than LCD or plasma, “high manufacturing costs” have prevented its widespread release, although 2010 is being flagged as the year of OLED.
Of course, we’ve also heard of Laser TV in the meantime, and if it too launches by 2010, it could easily be OLED TV’s biggest competitor, with both formats potentially leaving LCD and plasma in the digital dust.
by Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Bluray tech celebrated at Playboy mansion
The infamous Playboy mansion in Los Angeles hosted a recent party which was partly sponsored by Blu-ray.
Blu-ray - known as the Blu Ray Disc (BD) is said to offer more capacity than any other type of entertainment format.
Fans say it gives a higher quality picture than HD (High Definition) TV with more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and holds up to 25 GB on a single-layer disc and with more channels of surround sound and more types of value added content.
The Entertainment Merchant's Association 2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry predicts that BD sales will surpass DVD sales by the year 2012, as 87% of Playstation3 owners report that they're watching Blu Ray movies on the console now.
Others say they're waiting because they find they are upgrading a bit too much.
Matthew Roberts says he hasn't taken the plunge yet but plans to because of the impressive picture quality.
John Reizenstein, a tourist from the UK says he prefers to keep his home entertainment set up simple but may be pushed into conversion shortly.
Blu-ray and Sony Playstation3 hosted a launch party for the ESPY (sports) Awards at the notorious Playboy mansion in Los Angeles recently (July 14, 2008) where Blu Ray movies were playing throughout.
VIP guests had access to the exclusive "Blu Lounge" where they were able to experience Blu-ray technology.
Mark Finer is the Technical Director of the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) - an industry funded group that promotes digital entertainment.
He says that one third of US consumers have an HD TV in their home and that the figure is growing.
Blu-ray is currently supported by more than 180 of the world's leading consumer electronics personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies and it has the support of seven of the eight major movie studios (Disney, Warner, Sony, Paramount, Fox, MGM and Lionsgate).
New technology
Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner says he appreciates digital advancements and enjoys his regular movie nights.
Jose Canseco, former Major League baseball player admits he's not too up on the new technology He says that younger people seem to be more up to date with developments.
Michael Vartan, a TV and movie actor, jokes he's addicted to his Playstaiton3 but is holding out to upgrade to Blu-ray but is concerned that he will become addicted to it.
Sony's next-generation Blu-ray disc model to enter the market recently is the new 'BD-Live'.
Randy Waynick, the Senior Vice-President of Home Producers Division Sony Electronics, explains how the technology works.
Best Buy is the largest store selling consumer electronics in the US and Canada.
Tara Adams-Clarke, Best Buy's home theatre expert in California, says there is much you can do with BD-Live.
Many movie studios have announced they will begin releasing new movies on Blu-ray Disc at the same time as the DVD.
Amy Jo Smith, Executive Director of the Digital Entertainment Group, explained that BD Live will allow children to talk to their favourite characters on screen.
Blu-ray - known as the Blu Ray Disc (BD) is said to offer more capacity than any other type of entertainment format.
Fans say it gives a higher quality picture than HD (High Definition) TV with more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and holds up to 25 GB on a single-layer disc and with more channels of surround sound and more types of value added content.
The Entertainment Merchant's Association 2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry predicts that BD sales will surpass DVD sales by the year 2012, as 87% of Playstation3 owners report that they're watching Blu Ray movies on the console now.
Others say they're waiting because they find they are upgrading a bit too much.
Matthew Roberts says he hasn't taken the plunge yet but plans to because of the impressive picture quality.
John Reizenstein, a tourist from the UK says he prefers to keep his home entertainment set up simple but may be pushed into conversion shortly.
Blu-ray and Sony Playstation3 hosted a launch party for the ESPY (sports) Awards at the notorious Playboy mansion in Los Angeles recently (July 14, 2008) where Blu Ray movies were playing throughout.
VIP guests had access to the exclusive "Blu Lounge" where they were able to experience Blu-ray technology.
Mark Finer is the Technical Director of the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) - an industry funded group that promotes digital entertainment.
He says that one third of US consumers have an HD TV in their home and that the figure is growing.
Blu-ray is currently supported by more than 180 of the world's leading consumer electronics personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies and it has the support of seven of the eight major movie studios (Disney, Warner, Sony, Paramount, Fox, MGM and Lionsgate).
New technology
Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner says he appreciates digital advancements and enjoys his regular movie nights.
Jose Canseco, former Major League baseball player admits he's not too up on the new technology He says that younger people seem to be more up to date with developments.
Michael Vartan, a TV and movie actor, jokes he's addicted to his Playstaiton3 but is holding out to upgrade to Blu-ray but is concerned that he will become addicted to it.
Sony's next-generation Blu-ray disc model to enter the market recently is the new 'BD-Live'.
Randy Waynick, the Senior Vice-President of Home Producers Division Sony Electronics, explains how the technology works.
Best Buy is the largest store selling consumer electronics in the US and Canada.
Tara Adams-Clarke, Best Buy's home theatre expert in California, says there is much you can do with BD-Live.
Many movie studios have announced they will begin releasing new movies on Blu-ray Disc at the same time as the DVD.
Amy Jo Smith, Executive Director of the Digital Entertainment Group, explained that BD Live will allow children to talk to their favourite characters on screen.
Friday, September 19, 2008
New Study Finds Low Interest In Blu-ray
A new consumer survey recently released chronicles the woes of the winner of the hi-definition format war: nobody wants it. While consumers were very happy to embrace the DVD standard when it came about because it brought a huge jump in quality over VHS, the pros of switching to Blu-ray are not as obvious. From the article: 'In contrast, while half of the respondents to our survey rated Blu-ray's quality as 'much better' than standard DVD, another 40% termed it only 'somewhat better,' and most are very satisfied with the performance of their current DVD players." Another reason cited was that a Blu-ray investment also dictates an HDTV purchase, something consumers are reluctant to do.'" Maybe it's also that line-doubling DVD players can be had for less than a hundred dollars.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Panasonic DMR-BW500 Blu-ray Disc Recorder
Meet the future of digital TV recording. The BW500 is the first Blu-ray recorder on the Australian market and a good indicator of what to expect in the coming months from the other electronics companies. In addition to being able to burn HD recordings to Blu-ray discs, the BW500 is also equipped with a 500GB hard drive capable of storing up to 72 hours of full HD video (1080p). It features twin digital TV tuners so you can record two programs at the same time while playing back a third. You can pause live TV at the push of a button.
Home movies are catered for, too. Plug in the SD card from your camcorder (AVCHD format only) and you can transfer your videos to the built-in hard disk or burn them to Blu-ray. You can even edit out the unwanted bits via the remote. The Blu-ray burner means that any recording stored on the hard drive can be transferred to a disc. If you want to lend a recording to a friend who doesn't have a Blu-ray player, it can burn regular DVDs as well - scaling down the resolution in the process.
The BW500 picks up the seven-day electronic program guide broadcast by the TV networks, which you can use to set the recording schedule. Programming a recording is thankfully reasonably painless and you can adjust the start and finish times with ease. Significantly for the hearing impaired, it's capable of capturing closed captions in the digital broadcast, which can then be switched on or off during playback, as with subtitles in a DVD.
Of course, it's also a fully fledged Blu-ray player that supports 7.1-channel surround sound and cinephiles will appreciate the 24 frames-a-second playback mode.
The BW500 is Blu-ray Profile 1.1, however, so it doesn't support the new BD-Live features and the firmware isn't upgradeable. Panasonic is throwing in three Blu-ray single-layer 25GB rewritable discs worth $119, which should lessen the sting of being an early adopter.
http://www.panasonic.com.au
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Blu-ray DVD format may not dominate for years
Blu-ray stomped HD DVD to become the standard format for high-definition movie discs, but years may pass before it can claim victory over the good old DVD.
Noemi Velazquez, a 44-year-old warehouse worker, can explain why. She took one look at the $399 price tag of a Blu-ray player at a Best Buy store in Glendale, Calif., and kept going.
"I have to admit, Blu-ray is great," she said. "(But) I'm going to wait until they go to half-price."
Analysts, movie studios and the Blu-ray Disc Association, a manufacturing group, all say Blu-ray discs will eventually dominate video sales. The question is when.
Consumers are balking at the $300-plus cost of most Blu-ray players especially because only limited movie titles are available in the format.
"People aren't going to pay three times as much for a platform that's only half-baked," said Steve Wilson, a consumer electronics analyst with ABI Research.
Many also are waiting to see how cable, satellite and online video services play out. But, above all, consumers seem satisfied with standard-definition DVDs and players _ even consumers who upgrade to high-definition TVs that can tap into Blu-ray's sharper picture and clearer sound.
Velazquez said that because she was still paying off a $1,000 high-definition TV she bought in October, she was happy for now to keep watching pay-TV movies and standard-definition DVDs on it.
Sony Corp.-backed Blu-ray was crowned the next-generation video technology in February after Toshiba Corp., creator of the competing HD DVD format, abruptly said it would drop the fight. The move came after Warner Bros. decided to join most other studios by going solely with Blu-ray and video rental chains followed suit.
Manufacturers are planning a souped-up lineup of titles and special features on Blu-ray discs to boost sales this summer and during the coming Christmas season in the hope that Blu-ray can turn around the sagging home video market. And retailers are creating new displays to explain Blu-ray's benefits.
U.S. consumer spending on home video rentals and purchases in all formats, including DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray and VHS, fell 3 percent to $24.1 billion last year. The figure was expected to drop another 2 percent this year to $23.6 billion, despite a sixfold increase in Blu-ray disc spending to $1.3 billion, according to Adams Media Research.
The Blu-ray increase is not enough to offset an expected 6 percent drop in overall spending on DVDs.
Adams says it could take two more years for Blu-ray sales to put the home video market back on a growth path.
"The group that bought $2,000, 40-inch TVs are the ones that will lead the charge," said Tom Adams, founder of the research firm. "Everyone else will come along when the price comes down."
To jump-start the changeover, studios are beginning to release movies in Blu-ray with enhanced bonus features like picture-in-picture director commentary. The new bells and whistles are meant to entice consumers to plop down as much as $10 extra for a Blu-ray disc compared with a standard DVD.
Blu-ray machine prices are starting to drop. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. began stocking a $298 Magnavox model in mid-May, said spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien. That's cheaper than most alternatives but a hefty price hike from a typical $50 DVD player.
The format also faces sales challenges that DVDs did not when they took over from VHS in the late 1990s. It doesn't save any space compared with DVD, and there's no need to replace a DVD collection once you buy a Blu-ray player because it will play your old discs.
There also is a proliferation of direct-to-home offerings appearing on cable, satellite and the Internet that threaten to stop Blu-ray growth in its tracks. Blu-ray backers say, however, consumers prefer physical copies of movies over virtual ones, especially when some online rental services impose a time limit.
And Blu-ray's adoption curve is similar to _ maybe even faster than _ that of DVDs, backers say. Blu-ray players, now available for three years, cost $100 less than DVD players did at a comparable point in their life cycle, said Dorinda Marticorena, a senior vice president at Warner Home Video, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
"DVD was exactly the same thing. Players were expensive and there were not many titles. Lo and behold, the awareness went up and demand went up," said Andy Parsons, chairman of the association's U.S. promotion committee. "It'll happen in good time."
Blu-ray still has a long, uphill climb. Last year, more than 101 million U.S. households could play DVDs, compared with 3.7 million that could play Blu-ray discs, including those with PlayStation 3 consoles, according to Adams.
But that's double the 1.6 million DVD devices that were in U.S. households in 1998, the comparable second year they were available. By the end of 2008, 14.4 million U.S. households are expected to be Blu-ray compatible, compared with the 9.4 U.S. million households that could play DVDs in year three.
Manufacturers and studios are preparing new offerings to take advantage of a feature known as BD Live, which allows access to enhanced Blu-ray bonus features over the Internet. It's available now on Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. added a BD Live clip-sharing function on its horror flick "Saw IV" and plans to have "Rambo" director Sylvester Stallone conduct an interactive exchange with viewers about his director's cut.
"It makes these discs almost alive," said Lions Gate President Steve Beeks.
The Walt Disney Co. is set to rerelease the 1959 animated feature "Sleeping Beauty" in October in Blu-ray with chat, trivia and video-messaging functions, just as its rerelease of "Snow White" on DVD in 2000 introduced a then-revolutionary animated menu.
"'Snow White' made the mass market wake up to the potential of DVD and helped demystify the technology," said Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Worldwide. "'Sleeping Beauty' on Blu-ray a decade later represents much the same thing."
-© 2008 AP DIGITAL
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers.
Noemi Velazquez, a 44-year-old warehouse worker, can explain why. She took one look at the $399 price tag of a Blu-ray player at a Best Buy store in Glendale, Calif., and kept going.
"I have to admit, Blu-ray is great," she said. "(But) I'm going to wait until they go to half-price."
Analysts, movie studios and the Blu-ray Disc Association, a manufacturing group, all say Blu-ray discs will eventually dominate video sales. The question is when.
Consumers are balking at the $300-plus cost of most Blu-ray players especially because only limited movie titles are available in the format.
"People aren't going to pay three times as much for a platform that's only half-baked," said Steve Wilson, a consumer electronics analyst with ABI Research.
Many also are waiting to see how cable, satellite and online video services play out. But, above all, consumers seem satisfied with standard-definition DVDs and players _ even consumers who upgrade to high-definition TVs that can tap into Blu-ray's sharper picture and clearer sound.
Velazquez said that because she was still paying off a $1,000 high-definition TV she bought in October, she was happy for now to keep watching pay-TV movies and standard-definition DVDs on it.
Sony Corp.-backed Blu-ray was crowned the next-generation video technology in February after Toshiba Corp., creator of the competing HD DVD format, abruptly said it would drop the fight. The move came after Warner Bros. decided to join most other studios by going solely with Blu-ray and video rental chains followed suit.
Manufacturers are planning a souped-up lineup of titles and special features on Blu-ray discs to boost sales this summer and during the coming Christmas season in the hope that Blu-ray can turn around the sagging home video market. And retailers are creating new displays to explain Blu-ray's benefits.
U.S. consumer spending on home video rentals and purchases in all formats, including DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray and VHS, fell 3 percent to $24.1 billion last year. The figure was expected to drop another 2 percent this year to $23.6 billion, despite a sixfold increase in Blu-ray disc spending to $1.3 billion, according to Adams Media Research.
The Blu-ray increase is not enough to offset an expected 6 percent drop in overall spending on DVDs.
Adams says it could take two more years for Blu-ray sales to put the home video market back on a growth path.
"The group that bought $2,000, 40-inch TVs are the ones that will lead the charge," said Tom Adams, founder of the research firm. "Everyone else will come along when the price comes down."
To jump-start the changeover, studios are beginning to release movies in Blu-ray with enhanced bonus features like picture-in-picture director commentary. The new bells and whistles are meant to entice consumers to plop down as much as $10 extra for a Blu-ray disc compared with a standard DVD.
Blu-ray machine prices are starting to drop. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. began stocking a $298 Magnavox model in mid-May, said spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien. That's cheaper than most alternatives but a hefty price hike from a typical $50 DVD player.
The format also faces sales challenges that DVDs did not when they took over from VHS in the late 1990s. It doesn't save any space compared with DVD, and there's no need to replace a DVD collection once you buy a Blu-ray player because it will play your old discs.
There also is a proliferation of direct-to-home offerings appearing on cable, satellite and the Internet that threaten to stop Blu-ray growth in its tracks. Blu-ray backers say, however, consumers prefer physical copies of movies over virtual ones, especially when some online rental services impose a time limit.
And Blu-ray's adoption curve is similar to _ maybe even faster than _ that of DVDs, backers say. Blu-ray players, now available for three years, cost $100 less than DVD players did at a comparable point in their life cycle, said Dorinda Marticorena, a senior vice president at Warner Home Video, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
"DVD was exactly the same thing. Players were expensive and there were not many titles. Lo and behold, the awareness went up and demand went up," said Andy Parsons, chairman of the association's U.S. promotion committee. "It'll happen in good time."
Blu-ray still has a long, uphill climb. Last year, more than 101 million U.S. households could play DVDs, compared with 3.7 million that could play Blu-ray discs, including those with PlayStation 3 consoles, according to Adams.
But that's double the 1.6 million DVD devices that were in U.S. households in 1998, the comparable second year they were available. By the end of 2008, 14.4 million U.S. households are expected to be Blu-ray compatible, compared with the 9.4 U.S. million households that could play DVDs in year three.
Manufacturers and studios are preparing new offerings to take advantage of a feature known as BD Live, which allows access to enhanced Blu-ray bonus features over the Internet. It's available now on Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. added a BD Live clip-sharing function on its horror flick "Saw IV" and plans to have "Rambo" director Sylvester Stallone conduct an interactive exchange with viewers about his director's cut.
"It makes these discs almost alive," said Lions Gate President Steve Beeks.
The Walt Disney Co. is set to rerelease the 1959 animated feature "Sleeping Beauty" in October in Blu-ray with chat, trivia and video-messaging functions, just as its rerelease of "Snow White" on DVD in 2000 introduced a then-revolutionary animated menu.
"'Snow White' made the mass market wake up to the potential of DVD and helped demystify the technology," said Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Worldwide. "'Sleeping Beauty' on Blu-ray a decade later represents much the same thing."
-© 2008 AP DIGITAL
This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Slimmer and cheaper Blu-ray players on the way?
Blu-ray may well be the next-gen home cinema format of choice but in order to play a BD disc you have to buy a rather chunky player.
This is due to the innards being far more complicated than that of a standard-def DVD player, mainly due to the size of the chips used to process the hi-def audio and imagery.
In fact, a Blu-ray Player needs seven external memory chips and separate front and back-end LSI (Large-Scale Integration) devices. Until now…
Small is the new big
Panasonic has announced that it has created a new chip that is 50 per cent smaller and uses 25 per cent less power. Not only that, it is compatible with the latest Profile 2.0 BD releases.
The company had this to say about the new chip: “By using this product, Panasonic will be able to realize smaller sizes and lower power consumption in BD players compatible with the latest BD standards.”
Theoretically, the new technology means that Panasonic could soon be making Blu-ray players that are slimmer and cheaper, which is nothing but a good thing for the fledgling HD format.
This is due to the innards being far more complicated than that of a standard-def DVD player, mainly due to the size of the chips used to process the hi-def audio and imagery.
In fact, a Blu-ray Player needs seven external memory chips and separate front and back-end LSI (Large-Scale Integration) devices. Until now…
Small is the new big
Panasonic has announced that it has created a new chip that is 50 per cent smaller and uses 25 per cent less power. Not only that, it is compatible with the latest Profile 2.0 BD releases.
The company had this to say about the new chip: “By using this product, Panasonic will be able to realize smaller sizes and lower power consumption in BD players compatible with the latest BD standards.”
Theoretically, the new technology means that Panasonic could soon be making Blu-ray players that are slimmer and cheaper, which is nothing but a good thing for the fledgling HD format.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Blu Ray Wins Format War But Not A Place In Our Homes
After disapointing sales, was the costly format war really worth it?
We all know that the HD DVD Vs Blu Ray war is over. Sony won after getting backed by most of the major movie studios, and Toshiba walked away with its tall between its legs licking its wounds.
Now that the format war is over many retailers were happy to get down to the business of selling the Blu Ray player without all the confusion of the HD DVD format. The only problem is, is that very few people are interested in buying BluRay player for £300 when we are in a economic down turn. To get some real momentum behind the BluRay format there needs to be a Sub £150 player and a huge amount of new tittle releases. Without this Sony could win the format war only to be left with a pot of foools gold especially as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is just around the corner.
-unbeatable.co.uk
We all know that the HD DVD Vs Blu Ray war is over. Sony won after getting backed by most of the major movie studios, and Toshiba walked away with its tall between its legs licking its wounds.
Now that the format war is over many retailers were happy to get down to the business of selling the Blu Ray player without all the confusion of the HD DVD format. The only problem is, is that very few people are interested in buying BluRay player for £300 when we are in a economic down turn. To get some real momentum behind the BluRay format there needs to be a Sub £150 player and a huge amount of new tittle releases. Without this Sony could win the format war only to be left with a pot of foools gold especially as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is just around the corner.
-unbeatable.co.uk
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