Marc Policani's Digital Media Blog: High Definition Video (HD)

HD News: Westinghouse shows off the Quad 2160p (3840 x 2160 pixels) HDTV

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:31:25 GMT

The 52" TV runs a super high-resolution of 2160p (3840 x 2160 pixels). In absolute numbers, the device is running a stunning 8.3 megapixels - four times more than 1080p TVs (1920x1080p) and more than twice the resolution of Dell's, HP's and Apple's 30" desktop LCDs. So, what do you get from this resolution, especially if HD DVD and Blu-ray are running only 1080p anyway?

According to Westinghouse, the TV does not really target the consumer market, but high-end industrial applications. What we saw was a demo of an oil company viewing a digital version of a mining site. And even at this very specialized application, the difference to the best 1080p we saw at CES appeared to be marginal, at least to our eyes. However, of course you do see a much clearer picture when compared to some lower-priced 1080p TVs. Westinghouse said that it has begun taking orders for the 2160p. However, the TV will not come to the consumer market anytime soon. Company officials decline dto comment on pricing, but the highest resolution on the market combined with limited availability are a good indication for one pricey TV. | more...

LG to Announce Blu-ray / HD DVD Hybrid Drive at CES

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:36:16 GMT

From BetaNews.com

After having whetted the public's appetite for a high-definition console capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats at this time last year, and then publicly withdrawing that plan, LG Electronics this morning announced it is jumping back into the high-def pool head first. The company is promising to provide "details" next week, at CES 2007 in Las Vegas, of a hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray Disc player. | more...

Studios Take Claims of AACS Crack Seriously

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:53:06 GMT

From BetaNews.com...

After a daring programmer evidently seeking notoriety posted a relatively convincing looking homemade video to YouTube on Wednesday, purportedly showing an HD DVD video disc with AACS copy protection being cracked on a Windows-based system, a spokesperson for the AACS Licensing Authority told Reuters this morning it is seriously investigating the legitimacy of the claim. | more...

Panasonic Unveils $1,300 Blu-ray Player

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 14:30:51 GMT

Panasonic on Thursday announced plans to debut its first Blu-ray Disc player, along with a matching receiver and speaker system for home theater enthusiasts. But moving to the high-definition format won't come cheap; Panasonic's DMP-BD10 player will cost $1,300 USD. | more...

Toshiba to Deliver HD DVD Recorder

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 14:30:10 GMT

Toshiba on July 14 will launch in Japan the world's first HD DVD recorder, following the debut of its HD DVD player in March. The device, the RD-A1, will include one terabyte of hard disk space and can store up to 130 hours of high-definition programming. | more...

High Definition Encodes of Superman Returns Trailer 2 Now Online

Thu, 04 May 2006 05:01:34 GMT

There is a new HD trailer up for Superman Returns at Apple.com, check it out:

Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world’s most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life.

Trailer 2 (2:30)
Action and Adventure
Rating: PG-13
In Theatres: June 30th, 2006
Bryan Singer (dir.)
Brandon Routh
Kevin Spacey
Kate Bosworth
Kal Penn

Microsoft, Universal Team on HD DVD

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:16:46 GMT

Microsoft and Universal Studios announced at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas Monday a collaboration to use Microsoft technologies in upcoming HD DVD discs. The Redmond company is a strong supporter of the next-generation DVD technology.

Universal has agreed to use iHD, an interactivity feature for DVDs, in its upcoming titles. Additionally, it will use VC-1, a compression protocol recently approved as a standard for use in HD DVD discs. Both technologies were developed in part by researchers at Microsoft.

VC-1 will allow Universal to offer full 1080p resolution, yet have enough space on the 30GB HD DVD disc for additional features. iHD will allow for the accessing of interactive features without the need to interrupt playback. | more...

Toshiba Launches 1st HD-DVD Player in Japan

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:33:40 GMT

Toshiba began selling the world’s first HD-DVD player on Friday in Japan, moving the format battle between the world’s largest consumer electronics makers from the floors of trade shows to retail stores.

HD-DVD is backed by Toshiba, the DVD Forum and companies including Microsoft and Intel, and is vying for supremacy with Blu-ray Disc, which is backed by Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Samsung Electronics and others, in the race to replace DVD for high-definition content.

Toshiba’s first player, the HD-XA1, is one of two models first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. It’s scheduled to go on sale in the United States in April along with another player, but the Japan launch Friday marks the first time a dedicated player for either format has reached the market. | More...

Niveus Media Announces Support for HD-DVD High Definition DVD Format

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:37:32 GMT

Niveus Media, Inc., manufacturer of media entertainment devices for the high-end audio/video market, has announced that it will support the HD-DVD format and will begin shipping the technology in its line of Niveus Media Centers which utilize Intel® Viiv™ technology platform, designed to enhance and help manage the enjoyment of digital entertainment in the home.

“While we may have additional announcements later this year regarding the Blu-Ray disc format, we are ready to announce that product development is well underway to deliver HD-DVD in the award-winning Niveus Media Center by mid-2006” said Tim Cutting, CEO & Founder, Niveus Media. “By combining our award winning ISF-certified Niveus Media Center, with HD-DVD and Intel Viiv technology, Niveus Authorized Dealers will have a powerful solution to bring their clients into the high definition DVD era. We’re looking forward to being one of the first to offer dealers an HD-DVD experience in a Intel Viiv technology based system. ” | More...

Sometimes its better to go with the cheaper anteanna...

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:53:28 GMT

I've been tinkering with OTA Antennas for the last few months in an attempt to pick up more digital channels for my HD TV Tuner to decode. My father has been designing and building radios since he was in High School and manages a fairly large Ham radio repeater network up on Cougar Mountain in Issaquah (K7PP). I figured if anyone could school me on setting up an antenna, he could. So I explain my current set up to my dad, and I can hear him quietly chuckling over the phone. Here are a couple of helpful tips that my father gave me:

- The longer antennas have a longer range at the cost of a narrower field of focus. They are NOT designed for city dwellers like myself, but for country folk 75-100 miles away from the nearest broadcast tower. Yes, they do get a stronger signal because they have more elements on them, but when you live as close to a broadcast antenna as I do they tend to over saturate the amplifiers in your equipment.

- For folks located near multiple broadcast towers, you want a shorter antenna with a shorter range and a wider field of focus wider field of focus. If I want to hit all nine to twelve broadcast antennas in the Puget Sound region, I need an antenna(s) that can cover a range of about 170 degrees (ug!)…

- For folks trying to cover a wide broadcasting range like myself, get two or three shorter antennas, orient them towards the towers your attempting to pick signals up from.

- Cabling is very important, I shouldn’t be using the 75 foot length of dual lead running off my roof and should instead slap a 300ohm dual lead to 70 ohm coax converter right on the antenna.

- For folks running multiple antennas on their roof, if you can combine all of the signals into one as close to the television or HD converter box/card as possible. Combining each line just before the signal is decoded will eliminate cross-talk while at the same time boosting your signal just enough to fix any herringbone, ghosting, or weak digital signal issues from running long lengths of cable that you may be having.

- Most importantly, get some agile light-weight kid that you trust to mount the antenna on your roof for you…

ATI and HDCP Support

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:14:22 GMT

"According to the Microsoft specification, high-definition video content that is transported using a DVI signal must be encrypted with HDCP. If HDCP is not present, regardless of whether an attempt at copying is made or not, the video is scaled down to low resolution to deter copying. For a manufacturer that wishes to use HDCP technology on its products, a signup with Digital CP is required. Upon a signed agreement, the manufacturer must pay the committee an annual fee of $15,000 and a royalty fee of $0.005 per product sold. This allows a manufacturer to provide DVI/HDCP support, sufficient for high-resolution output. If a manufacturer wants to implement HDMI, a DVI-compatible connector, an additional $15,000 annual fee to HDMI is needed along with $0.04 per product. To actually implement HDCP protection, unique keys are required on a per product basis which is provided by the committee and requires implementation at the manufacturing level. According to NVIDIA, an extra chip is required that stores unique decoding keys.

Most of ATI's recent retail products are currently shipping with advertisements claiming that the products are HDCP-ready. On ATI's website, the term HDCP-ready was also used, for example on the X1900 series specifications page. Curiously, ATI's professional products such as FireGL list "HDCP-compliant". We spoke to ATI and asked it why the terminology difference and what the difference was in its view, between compliance and ready. Unfortunately, we did not receive a sound response to that question. In an interesting turn of events, today ATI has begun to silently remove references to HDCP-ready on its consumer products." [ more... ]

New DVDs already sparking copy-protection confusion

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 16:31:55 GMT

It looks like CNET finally picked this one up: "When the first high-definition DVDs finally hit shelves this spring, a mad scramble may ensue--not for the discs themselves, but to figure out what computers and devices are actually able to play them in their full glory.

Unraveling the mystery won't be easy. Many, if not most, of today's top-of-the-line computers and monitors won't make the cut, even if next-generation Blu-ray or HD DVD drives are installed.

That's because strict content protection technologies may automatically degrade the DVDs' picture quality, or even block them from playing at all, if the right connections and digital protections aren't in place. Even the most expensive computers sold today mostly lack those features.

Indeed, the consumer backlash has already begun. Graphics-chip makers such as ATI and Nvidia are drawing criticism online for marketing products that are "ready" for these new copy-protection tools but that nevertheless lack critical features needed to let the discs play at top quality.

"This is a sticky issue," said Richard Doherty, an analyst with the Envisioneering Group. "It's going to be very confusing for consumers, and it's going to be very daunting" for computer makers.

The copy-protection muddle stems from Hollywood studios' desire to avoid the film piracy that was born when tools for unlocking the encryption technology on today's DVDs began spreading online in late 1999. " [ more... ]

MovieBeam offers 1st high-definition movie rentals

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 18:44:13 GMT

A video-on-demand movie service spun out of Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday introduced the first delivery service for high-definition films to U.S. homes.

With top Hollywood and Silicon Valley partners, Burbank-California based MovieBeam said it plans to offer first-run films from six of the seven film studios in standard digital-video format and high-definition films from Disney (NYSE:DIS - news) and Warner Bros. studios.

The video-on-demand service is aimed at heavy movie renters and initially will be offered in 29 U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, at prices competitive with renting the same movie at video retailer Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI - news).

Some movies will be made available at the same time as they come out on DVD, MovieBeam said.

"They appear to be ready to deliver true high-definition movies. That‘s a breakthrough," said Gerry Kaufhold analyst In-Stat/MDR.

MovieBeam, which was founded by Walt Disney four years ago, appeared to have run out of steam when Disney took a $24 million write-down on the company last summer. It was revived last month with a $48.5 million cash infusion from Disney, Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO - news), Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC - news) and three venture capital firms.

MovieBeam bypasses network bottle-necks through a technology called "datacasting," which broadcasts up to 10 new movies a week to subscribers using an exclusive transmission deal to send data signals over the Public Broadcasting System network. [ more... ]

Blu-ray Discs Won’t Be Cheap

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:22:09 GMT

High-definition DVDs may promise better picture and sound quality but consumers will have to pay dearly for it, with Sony Pictures saying Wednesday new releases in the format will cost $23.45 wholesale—or more than 50 percent higher than today’s retail price for regular DVDs.

Sony Pictures is the first Hollywood studio to release pricing on its high-definition DVDs expected to be introduced early this summer. The discs will be issued in Sony’s Blu-ray format, which is competing with the HD-DVD format for control of the next-generation DVD market (see HD-DVD vs Blu-ray War Still On). HD-DVD is backed by Toshiba.

Some of the movies to be released in the first batch by Sony are The Fifth Element, Desperado, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, Legends of the Fall, and Terminator. Sony’s wholesale price of $23.45 for Blu-ray discs is 56 percent more than the $14.99 it costs to buy a new DVD of Hitch from BestBuy.com. A Terminator DVD is available for $9.99.

Sony said it will be up to retailers to settle on a retail price for Blu-ray discs, according to Reuters, but retail prices are typically much higher than wholesale prices. [ more... ]

Bush Signs Digital TV Transition Bill

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:28:41 GMT

U.S. President George Bush on Wednesday signed a bill that will open up a chunk of highly coveted radio spectrum to new mobile broadband applications and to public safety agencies.

Bush signed into law legislation setting February 17, 2009, as the date U.S. broadcasters must end transmission of analog television signals and move to all-digital broadcasts. The move from the upper-700-MHz spectrum band will free 60 MHz of wave space for auction to mobile wireless carriers and 24 MHz for emergency response agencies.

TV viewers who receive over-the-air signals on analog TV sets will need to buy converters to get any TV signals after the transition. The bill Bush signed includes up to $1.5 billion in funding to provide two $40 vouchers per household to use toward the purchase of digital-to-analog set-top converter boxes. [ more... ]

High-definition hype splashes beyond TVs

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:01:59 GMT

The term "high-definition" was almost a curse five years ago, when politicians, broadcasters and TV makers were reluctant to hoist massive changes upon the nation's television landscape.

Suddenly the same term - originally meant to describe greater density in TV displays - is being used to tout all kinds of products.

Skin creams. Sunglasses. Laminate counter tops. There's even "Starting High Definition Churches" - a book with guidance on building an HD church with "improved clarity" and "higher resolution."

The new worshipful aura of HD brings a laugh to Dale Cripps, the founder of HDTV Magazine. But the HDTV evangelist quickly turns serious.

As the United States marches from analog TV toward the full glory of digital TV, consumers have to wade through hype, linguistic imprecision and a new foreign language. Market research shows many people are downright confused, which isn't ideal when they're spending $2,000 or more on a new TV. [ more... ]

AOL Goes P2P for Video

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:39:06 GMT

Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX - message board) division AOL will use a peer-to-peer approach borrowed from the file-sharing world of Kazaa and BitTorrent when it begins delivering high-definition Internet video to consumers next month.

Like other ISPs aiming to distribute video content over the public Internet, AOL faces the challenge of delivering its service across increasingly congested broadband pipes. And 93 percent of those pipes are owned by cable and telephone companies wanting to offer their own high-bandwidth services to consumers. [ more... ]

Punisher among first to be released on Blu-ray Disc

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:05:50 GMT

Yahoo Finances has posted a press release from Lionsgate revealing their line up for the very first Blu-ray disc. The new disc that is able to hold up to 25 GB single layer and 50 GB dual layer is the new wave of HD DVD ready Discs and will be used in the new upcoming Playstation 3. Sony the manufactures of the disc believe this to be the wave of the future. Lionsgate so far is the first studio to announce they will release such a line up. With titles including LORD OF WAR, T2: JUDGMENT DAY, RESERVOIR DOGS, THE PUNISHER, SAW, more will be added as they come. || Source: Comic Book Movie

WMV HD 720p Firefly trailer available online

Sat, 30 Jul 2005 00:07:44 GMT

I just noticed that the SciFi channel is airing two hours of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" tonight, and that the SciFi web site is linking to a beautiful WMV HD trailer for the show.

Update to enable DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA) of Windows Media Video content in Windows Media Player 10

Thu, 26 May 2005 15:24:10 GMT

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft which enables Microsoft DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA) of Microsoft Windows Media Video (WMV) content in Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 for video cards when the drivers of those video cards are designed to take advantage of this feature. Click here for more details.

New HD Video at www.StartSomethingPC.com

Wed, 04 May 2005 23:34:55 GMT

At WinHEC this year, Senior VP of Windows Client Will Poole showed a new video for the Next-Generation Windows PC Design Competition. It's a departure from the original but hints at the direction we expect to see software and hardware go in the Longhorn timeframe. It's a departure from your regular stuff coming out of MSFT.I hope you enjoy. ;)

Run time 1:12 min
Watch it now (300 Kbps, streaming)

Download it in WMV HD
360 (750 KB)
720 (8 MB)
1080 (10 MB)

Some Of The Technical Problems In Filming In Digital Media

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 17:39:37 GMT

BlueTights.net has posted the ninth Video Blog from Superman Returns director Bryan Singer. Bryan takes us into a screening room in Sydney where he's looking over the digital footage shot in Tamworth at the Kent Farm, evidently they have enough resolution to shoot Jupiter and the Kent farm at the same time but he's not happy with all of the extra time that its going to take to process high definition digital video. Brian and the crew discuss shooting digitally using the Genesis camera and we get our first glimpses at actual footage from the film!

Inlet Technologies Teams with THX Ltd. to Define Quality Assurance Standards for the WMV HD/VC-1 Format

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 04:24:55 GMT

"Inlet Technologies, a provider of professional encoding solutions for next-generation content distribution and THX Ltd., the leading provider of technologies, certification programs and quality assurance standards for the entertainment industry announced today that they will work together to define quality assurance standards for VC-1 post-production." [ more... ]

Will America's Favorite Technology Go Dark?

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:46:13 GMT

MSNBC is reporting on the upcoming proposed digital television switchover planned for the end of 2006. The article reports that, That's the date Congress targeted, a decade ago, for the end of analog television broadcasting and a full cutover to a digital format. If enforced, that means that overnight, somewhere around 70 million television sets now connected to rabbit ears or roof-top antennas will suddenly and forever go blank, unless their owners purchase a special converter box. Back when the legislation was written, New Year's Eve 2006 probably looked as safely distant as the dark side of the moon. But now that date is right around the corner and Congress and the FCC are struggling mightily to figure out what to do."

DVDs Came Late to the High-Def TV Party

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 14:07:27 GMT

You can now watch high-definition television on sets as cheap as $500, with plenty of programming from a variety of channels. But HDTV is missing from one crucial corner of the home-entertainment business -- the DVD. Companies are still developing and promoting two different, incompatible high-definition versions of the DVD, neither of which will have any consumer relevance... [ more... ]

Inlet Technologies Teams with THX Ltd. to Define Quality Assurance Standards for the WMV HD/VC-1 Format

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 20:39:57 GMT

Inlet Teams with THX to Define Standards for VC-1 Format

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:06:47 GMT

Press Release: Inlet Technologies, a provider of professional encoding solutions for next-generation content distribution and THX Ltd., the leading provider of technologies, certification programs and quality assurance standards for the entertainment industry announced today that they will work together to define quality assurance standards for VC-1 post-production.

VC-1, the proposed SMPTE standard based on Windows Media 9, is quickly gaining momentum as a leading codec for post-production. VC-1 offers a 2x quality improvement over the existing MPEG -2 standard with significantly reduced file size, making the format suitable for many next-generation content distribution methods including Blu-Ray, HD- DVD , video-on-demand and digital dailies.

"We believe encoding is a critical step in preserving the quality gained by using an advanced compression format, such as VC-1," said Joseph Lias, president of THX, Ltd. "By collaborating with Inlet, the leader in advanced encoding for post-production, THX is achieving its mission of maintaining the integrity of content throughout the post-production process." [ more... ]

Superman V To Be Filmed Using A HDCAM-SR W/ A 'Genesis' Panavision Camera And Lenses

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:39:14 GMT

Moviehole is featuring an interesting spoiler piece on Superman V, "Superman Returns".

Although this kind of stuff isnt groundbreaking news anymore, Superman fans will be happy to hear that its "being filmed on a HDCAM-SR with newly debuted 'Genesis' Panavision camera and lenses. All digital, in other words." [ more... ]

USB HDTV Tuner

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 16:07:05 GMT

Daimaou writes, "This product is for the mobile fans of HDTV. If you're looking for an OTG (On The Go) solution, have a look at what the Korean company SavitMicro presents: a USB2 HDTV solution for PC's. This box offers a very complete solution, including time-shifting, EPG and capture in 1080i (for images). Audio 5.1 is also supported (if your PC has that function of course) and you can save your videos (but here, I'm not sure if it will be in HD)."

8% Satellite TV Tax?

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 20:17:53 GMT

According to the Sky Report, "Washington State is considering an 8% tax on satellite TV services" [ more... ]

High Quality QuickTime Video Now Free At Endorphin.com

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 23:53:01 GMT

the Mac Observer reports that, "Endorphin.com is now offering its cache of beautifully shot, high definition videos in a new magazine style format, free of charge. Endorphin.com is a video magazine that offers news stories and articled in high-quality, QuickTime video, and the new format brings these videos to viewers for free for the first time.

According to the Endorphin.com president Bob Franco, the Web site's new magazine style is intended to be easier to use, giving sponsors more exposure in the process. That increased exposure, and the accompanying increase in advertising revenue, has allowed the company to publish its content for free."

Cablevision begins to shut down Voom

Sat, 09 Apr 2005 17:04:10 GMT

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cablevision announced that the VOOM service wouldl cease to be available as of April 30, 2005.

New York New Day reports that the Cablevision board of directors has agreed to shut down the Voom nationwide satellite TV service. The original HDTV channels created for Voom will remain a part of the company's Rainbow Media programming unit, which also includes channels such as AMC. The plan is to continue negotiating with other cable and satellite TV companies to offer the channels.

DirecTV's HD problem

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 01:27:46 GMT

A few months ago, I finally splurged and got a low-end plasma TV capable of displaying HDTV signals (it's only 480p or ED, but still). I longed for a HD DirecTiVo to replace my current (hacked) DirecTiVo box. Last month I called DirecTV to inquire what my options were, and that's when trouble started.

Basically, if I paid $999 for a HD DirecTiVo box plus ten bucks a month extra, I could get their HDTV pack including Discovery and ESPN in HD format, their HDNet offering of various programming, and HBO in HD, since I already get HBO. Local stations in HD format like Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC were subject to pending FCC approval even though DirecTV has a pretty page set up to sell it.

I called today to see how that FCC ruling went and unfortunately, DirecTV lost. If you get local channels in standard definition format, you cannot get HD. DirecTV can only offer Over the Air (OTA) antennas, which doesn't help me being out in the hilly regions away from Portalnd, OR. They did say if I lived in LA or NYC, I could get local channels in HD from DirecTV, but otherwise the rest of the country was screwed. I don't think five channels of varying content are worth a thousand dollar box (with constant HDMI problems) plus ten bucks a month.

But it doesn't end there. [ more... ]

Media honchos sound off on emerging TV tech

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 20:10:18 GMT

The government's digital television transition deadline is unrealistic, and the verdict is still out on DVRs, according to executives from leading media companies who gathered at an industry conference this week.

The closing session of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association here Tuesday pitted executives from rival media giants--NBC Universal, News Corp., Time Warner and Walt Disney--against one another in a panel on the changing entertainment industry. However, in most cases they agreed on the impact of many new technologies, with the consensus being that older technologies, such as DVDs, are the current money makers, but they expect that to change.

"Our DVD sales make more money than Comcast, which is why they wanted to buy us," said Bob Iger, Disney's chief operating officer, referring to Comcast's failed acquisition attempt of Disney. "Those new technologies (video on demand, digital video recorders and high-definition television) will become good businesses, but they aren't now." [ more... ]

Transitioning from Analogue to Digital Television

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:41:11 GMT

Just found an interesting article in HDTV Magazine with an update from the latest HDTV Summit and the analog spectrum shut off date. Looks like folks are still talking about the 85% rule and a 2006 analog cut off. "The Tenth HDTV Summit hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association was held at the Washington Convention Center on March 15th. The annual event drew 400 top executives. They gathered to discuss various analog shut off proposals as well as divine what the returned frequencies may do to bolster homeland security and American job opportunities by new digital services. Another unresolved issue is whether the spectrum to be reassigned will be managed or unmanaged. This relates to the devices themselves and how they comply with channel interferences." [ more... ]

Hope Rekindled for High-def Truce

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 16:19:46 GMT

Not sure if this is an April Fools gag but Paul Sweeting from VideoBusiness.com [registration required] reports that, "Signs of a recent thaw between leaders of the rival high-definition hardware camps are rekindling hopes in Hollywood that a single, unified disc standard could still emerge and avert a full-scale format war in the marketplace.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, recent changes in the senior executive suites of Sony and Toshiba have changed the political dynamic between the companies and led to a softening of the brinksmanship that has kept the industry bitterly divided over choosing a successor to the DVD. Although no formal talks have taken place yet between the companies, studio executives who have followed the situation closely say they are hopeful discussions could get under way by summer.

The new developments come at a critical time for the industry and for the rival camps."

DVHS on a Budget

Fri, 25 Feb 2005 03:13:15 GMT

From ecoustics.com: "Just as TiVo enthusiasts are getting used to having the ability to record all their favorite programs, HD has come along and changed things. A standard TiVo set can’t record HD content; you’ll have to shell out at least $500 for an HD-recording unit. Additionally, not everyone has TiVo, and many that do don’t get their local channels (where a lot of HD content is to be found) except through an antenna.

Amazingly enough, this has caused a renewed interest in VCRs—but VCRs that can record HD content. These HD-VCRs are great, but the tapes are expensive, and they make keeping a lot of HD content—such as an entire season of Stargate SG-1 or Alias—difficult, if not impossible. But a little bit of work and a lot of clever experimentation can get you around this limitation, keep you in HD content, and impress your buddies. "