The Far Side of Tech » Video

Finally, Netflix Streaming is Coming to the PS3

Devindra — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:44:17 +0000

Update: Microsoft has issued an official response to this news here, and it seems they’re keeping 360 Netflix access tied to Live Gold membership. Don’t despair though, I have a hunch that they’ll reconsider if the Netflix PS3 service takes off strongly.

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It was only a matter of time before Netflix started sharing the streaming love across game consoles. Last night they announced that their streaming content, which has been much beloved on the Xbox 360, will be making the jump to the Playstation 3 as well. It won’t be integrated into the PS3’s software for some time, but Netflix subscribers can sign up to receive a Blu-ray disc that will grant them access to the stream content. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be an installation disc–it has to be in the console to work–but on the plus side PS3 users don’t have to pay anything extra for Netflix access.

This news shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Netflix has no reason to remain exclusive to Microsoft forever. All they care about is getting Netflix access to as many boxes as possible. The Xbox was the ideal way to introduce the service to the console world–what with its larger install base and Microsoft’s near-psychotic drive to outdo the PS3 in every way possible.

For the longest time, it was thought that Sony would be against Netflix integration for fear that it would cannibalize Blu-ray sales (Note to Sony: DVD and an uninterested public are your real concern). Sony’s focus now should be on making sure that the Netflix experience on the PS3 is as well integrated into the platform as it is on the 360. Hopefully it’s easier to navigate than Sony’s PS3 video store.

The real question now is how will Microsoft respond. First off, I’m fairly certain we’ll see them announce that Netflix will no longer require the premium Xbox Live Gold account sometime soon. This is the beauty of competition, Microsoft’s hand will simply be forced in the matter. I also suspect that they’ll continue on working out ways to offer content the PS3 can’t–be it exclusive Netflix content, or exclusive HD access.

It’s a win for consumers (and Netflix) however things work out in the ongoing competition between MS and Sony.

Finally, Netflix Streaming is Coming to the PS3

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1080p Xbox Movie Streaming Works as Advertised

Devindra — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:52:55 +0000

Zune Video, streaming on Xbox 360 from Ars Technica on Vimeo.

The next Xbox Live update will bring a bevy of new features, including Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm access. I’m particularly interested to see if Last.fm works as well all the previews say. Another feature that’s getting less press is the ability to stream 1080p films from the renamed Zune Store. As an owner of an original 20GB Xbox 360, the notion of downloading 4GB+ files is becoming more and more of an impossibility, so a good streaming solution is key for MS.

I’ve been wondering if the service is as instant as Microsoft says it is (the fastest streaming we’ve seen on the Xbox thus far is 720p HD Netflix content), and according to the Opposable Thumbs blog at Ars, it definitely works as advertised. Video proof is above, and while it may be blurry, you can clearly get a sense of how fast the streaming works. Let’s just hope this quality keeps up when released to the public.

1080p Xbox Movie Streaming Works as Advertised

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Will Sony Ever Stop Playing Catch Up with the Playstation 3?

Devindra — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:27:56 +0000

Today Sony announced that they would be selling and renting video content over the Playstation Store, and I suppose if this was a year ago, that news would have actually been somewhat interesting. But coming off the recent Netflix/Xbox 360 announcement, wherein the 360 would become a Netflix streaming device this fall a la the Roku, any impact from Sony’s announcement has been practically nullified. The sad thing is that this isn’t a new trend for Sony with the PS3, and along with the constant delays of Home, it’s clear that this situation isn’t going to improve anytime soon.

As I’ve stated before, Sony’s main competition this generation is Microsoft. Nintendo is clearly off in their own territory with the success of the Wii, and neither Microsoft nor Sony would gain much by competing directly with the Wii’s low price, motion controls, and mainstream appeal. Instead, they need to scrap it out for dominance among the more regular and hardcore gaming crowds.

In this particular fight, it seems the Playstation 3 will always be left behind. Sony started off a year after the 360, and they also didn’t have the benefit of a strong online platform in the PS2 generation like Microsoft did with the Xbox 1. MS learned a lot from the original implementation of Live, and in doing so they were able to craft a much more polished product for the 360. We may take it for granted now, but I’ll always consider the 360 Live’s focus on online multiplayer to be a major turning point for console gaming.

The notion of just being a few clicks away from gaming with your friends, aided by Microsoft’s uncharacteristically wise implementation of an easy-to-use global dashboard, is something that should now be considered standard for all future gaming consoles. That Sony has yet to mimic the experience is inexcusable. And no, I don’t care how “revolutionary” Playstation Home may be. The multiplayer experience should have been sorted out first–not tied to an unproven Second Life clone.

Microsoft (and arguably Nintendo) have also succeeded at building up strong game libraries this generation, something which the PS3 is still currently struggling with. While they’ve had their share of very good titles, the only real system seller that the PS3 has had so far is Metal Gear Solid 4. Final Fantasy XIII was another important exclusive (and potential system seller as well), but of course Microsoft put an end to that on Monday when they announced that FFXIII is coming to the 360 this Fall in North America and Europe.

At this rate, I suspect Sony will announce a similar Netflix deal as MS next year, but of course by that point many people would have already invested in 360’s and Roku boxes instead. And while it’s cool that your PSP can also play downloaded PS3 videos, that’s really only going to benefit the folks who actually have PSPs. It’s also yet another move by Sony that takes the PSP away from its core gaming functionality, and brings back dirty memories of their failed UMD platform.

Thus far the only great success from the PS3 continues to be its Blu-ray functionality, but of course that comes at the expense of all other similarly priced Blu-ray devices. The 80GB PS3 price drop to $400 is clearly a sign of desperation by Sony, given that most console price drops occur at about $50 every year. The loss of backwards compatibility from that 80GB model is also not a good sign, but considering their consistent efforts to diminish the importance of BC, I suppose it was inevitable.

I believe all of Sony’s current issues with the PS3 stem from their confused direction for the product. Is it an entertainment center, or a game console? I suppose the same can also be said for the PSP, but given how long that device has taken to really find its stride, this similarity is not exactly heartening. Despite all of the 360’s many features, it never felt as if MS ever strayed too far away from the goal of making it a console first, and an entertainment device second.

That’s a lesson Sony would do well to learn.

Update: Tycho from Penny Arcade offers up a great analysis on all of the disappointing E3 conferences. On Sony:

There is nothing I hate more than a foregone conclusion. Beneath every vicious (that is to say, factual) statement I have ever made regarding the company, there has existed the indubitable truth of their ultimate victory. This certainty extends, yea, even unto the company itself, which is why they have done so little to earn your love. The rumble-free controller with built-in batteries, the one that turns off while you’re updating your console every other week, that one that inexplicably loses signal from time to time but everyone is too chivalrous to discuss it, the one that is now obsolete because two years ago they tried to save money on something they knew they would have to pay anyway – this “six axis” is the icon of a system coasting on global brand inertia.

Announcing features that your competitors have had for coming up on two years does not a riveting presentation make. Exclusive PSN content (like a movie length Ratchet and Clank game, or thatgamecompany’s Flower) is still the company’s most compelling asset.

Will Sony Ever Stop Playing Catch Up with the Playstation 3?

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Gamestop Dropping Zune, What Exactly is Microsoft’s Zune Strategy Now?

Devindra — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:39:35 +0000

photo credit: markhoekstra

How sad it is that the biggest news to come from the Zune front in the past few months is anything but positive: Word is out that Gamestop has stopped selling Zunes.

Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long, not because the Zune 2 is a worthless player (despite what some other news reports seem to love implying), but because it was a dumb idea to sell the Zune 2 in a freaking video game store in the first place. I’m sure some genius marketing drone figured it was a good spot because 1) Gamestop fit the target Zune demographic, 2) they could easily market it as a companion product with the Xbox 360, and 3) they didn’t have any iPod competition. The rest of us saw the futility in that move from the very beginning.

I can only assume that the Gamestop deal wasn’t a large part of Microsoft’s Zune strategy, if only because it would be truly dumb if it was. And let’s not forget the fact that the Zune is still readily available in major stores.

But come to think of it, I haven’t heard much regarding the Zune 2 ever since Microsoft launched Zune Originals program, a service which lets you customize your Zune 2 with artwork by famous hipster types. While it’s certainly cooler than the bland metallic backside of the iPod, it’s certainly not a feature that will convert the iPod faithful or lure away first-time customers to the portable music player scene.

The Zune Store is finally beginning to shape up by adding some television content, but it’s still playing a desperate game of catchup with Apple’s iTunes Store. While MS has always had the $14.99 monthly music subscription model to lord over Apple, it’s simply a matter of time before Steve Jobs decides to implement something similar.

So I suppose the question to ask now is clear: What the heck is Microsoft doing with the Zune?

It’s clear to me that the device still has loads of untapped potential. Microsoft could easily add a rudimentary web portal utilizing the device’s Wi-Fi connection, and it could eventually be used to stream music and video. Honestly, the portal should have been a part of the Zune from the first generation of the device, but they couldn’t even see fit to include Wi-Fi syncing back then.

A Zune portal could easily allow users to stream and purchase music right from the device. Think the Amazon Kindle, but for music. Other devices, such as the MusicGremlin and the Sansa Connect, are already doing just this, so it’s simply inexcusable that Microsoft couldn’t manage the same by now.

The Zune Wi-Fi connection could also be used to update your podcasts directly on the player whenever you come across a friendly Wi-Fi connection. This is something I’ve been waiting for patiently ever since portable music players started adopting Wi-Fi, and it’s yet another feature that makes too much sense for Microsoft to implement.

Despite my many complaints about the product’s handling though, I still want a Zune 2. Being a Windows user and iTunes hater, it’s simply the best choice for me right now. It would also be a logical upgrade from my Toshiba Gigabeat S60, a device which was basically the proto-Zune. The current Zune software is an upgraded version of the Gigabeat software, and it’s honestly one of the best portable player interfaces I’ve ever used.

I’ll willingly buy a Zune 80, but until Microsoft starts to tap into the latent potential of the product, I’ll always consider it yet another half-handed MS attempt at being adequate rather than innovative.

Gamestop Dropping Zune, What Exactly is Microsoft’s Zune Strategy Now?

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The Roku Netflix Player, The Shape of Things to Come

Devindra — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:55:42 +0000

Today Netflix announced the full details on their long-awaited set top box. Developed by Roku, a company which already has some experience in the streaming media arena, the device is meant to offer an easy way for Netflix subscribers to access their streaming Netflix media on their televisions. While the device is a logical step for Netflix, it’s also a significant evolutionary step for in-home media as well.

I’m certainly not the only one to recognize this device’s potential; Saul Hansell at the NY Times Bits blog is already calling it the “first shot of the [video] revolution”. He lays out some compelling points on why we should care about this ugly box:

It has mainstream appeal because it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and does it well at only $100.
It leaves the harder task of browsing through thousands of Netflix entries up to computers. The user need only select from the “Watch Instantly” items on their queue.
It proves the hardware for streaming video is cheap, so we’ll probably see it in many other devices soon.
It’s easily upgradeable to do much more than just play Netflix films in the future.
It represents the future of internet video — streaming to the television.

In particular, I believe pricing the Roku at $100 was a brilliant move by Netflix and Roku — one that will most likely guarantee the success of the device. It’s significantly cheaper than the Apple TV, the Roku’s nearest functional neighbor, and it leaves the door wide open for easy integration into other devices. Saul mentions that the Roku uses a processor also found in many digital TVs, so direct TV integration is certainly possible at low cost. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see it pop up in many inexpensive DVD players similar to the way many started supporting Divx.

I am surprised to see him mention the fact that you can’t browse the entire Netflix streaming library from the device as a plus, but I suppose I can see his point. After all, most people in the market for this device already have a computer that they can easily use to update their instant Netflix queue, and I’m not sure it’s actually possible to make a likable UI for browsing thousands of titles. I’m sure something will eventually come in time, however.

I also wholeheartedly agree that the future of Internet video lies in streaming to the television. There’s simply a huge disconnect between the content we watch on our computers and that which we have access to on our televisions. The Apple TV was an excellent start towards this integration, especially since it added Youtube support, but it wasn’t a streaming-centric device. The Roku has no hard drive, so users need not worry about managing their libraries and conserving disk space. After all, why should they?

Another plus the Roku has over the Apple TV is that it’s based entirely on your Netflix subscription, whereas the iTunes Store is still very much an a la carte service. While I’m all for owning my content, buying content individually does restrict the amount I actually experiment. There’s a freedom to subscription-based services that’s practically liberating, and that feeling is palpable when browsing the thousands of titles Netflix currently has available for streaming.

I’ve personally been viewing Netflix streaming media on my television for a while now, due to the convenient proximity of my computer. It’s definitely added significant value to my Netflix membership. Thus far I’ve watched The King of Kong, season 1 of Dexter, and quite a bit more. While the quality is certainly not up to DVD-levels, it’s perfectly serviceable for dramas, comedies, and documentaries.

What’s most surprising to me is that the streaming works well, and without much issue. This is shocking to someone who still has fresh memories of the horrors of Real Player “streaming video” just a few years ago. That Netflix was able to get the streaming right is laudable — but getting a simple and affordable player to the market is downright extraordinary.

Hopefully, Netflix will take care of the remaining deficiencies in the service (primarily, lack of a quality title selection) before Apple strikes back with their own subscription model. Netflix will still have the upper hand with significantly cheaper hardware and tons of subscribers, but I can’t imagine Apple is going to let them rule this market without a fight.

For now, Netflix subscribers will soon find themselves with even less reason to leave the house.

The Roku Netflix Player, The Shape of Things to Come

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Surprise? Bluray Adoption Slows, Upconverting DVD Players Find Success

Devindra — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:05:00 +0000

After the demise of HD-DVD, it was pretty much expected that Blu-ray adoption would rise since it no longer had a competitor. According to Bits, that doesn’t seem to be the case:

According to NPD, sales of Blu-ray standalone players plummeted 40 percent from January to February, then rose a scant 2 percent from February to March. The general consensus was that once Toshiba dropped its support for the HD DVD format early this year, sales would increase.
In fact, sales of Blu-ray standalone players remain so low that NPD has not yet released actual numbers, for fear that it would be easy to identify individual retailers. The research group will start to give actual figures later this year, said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at NPD.
Emphasis mine

Somehow, I’m not surprised. Even though I was slowly buying into the hype that having one high-definition format was better for consumers in the long run, despite my reservations about the chosen format, I’ve also had the nagging feeling that simply trouncing HD-DVD wasn’t enough. Sony had to prove why average consumers needed Blu-ray. And since HD-DVD hardware was consistently hitting sub-$200 towards the end ofits lifespan, they also had to prove why their players were worth twice the price of Toshiba’s.

Having failed to do that, Sony is now the king of a small early-adopter mountain. They’re left with an average movie-going public that finds HD upscaling DVD players a much more palatable option. And why shouldn’t they? After all, there still aren’t any Blu-ray players consistently dipping below the $400 range — and why would anyone buy a standalone player at that price anyway when they can just get a PS3? They can continue to use their existing DVD library, and they don’t have to worry about rebuying films either.

Bits mentions that upscaling DVD players have seen a 5% rise in sales since the beginning of the year, compared to sales from the same time last year. They also noted a 39% decline in DVD players that don’t upscale.

I recently wrote about Toshiba’s new focus on upscaling player technology, and now it seems that decision may actually pay off for them. Given that decent upscaling DVD players can be had in the $50-$100 range, along with the fact that most consumers don’t really care if the image they’re getting is truly HD or not, it’s clear that the battle is not yet over between Sony and Toshiba.

If Toshiba transplants their excellent upscaling technology from their HD-DVD players to standalone DVD players, they’ll definitely give Sony a run for their money. Perhaps this pseudo-competition will finally force Sony to lower their ridiculous Blu-ray player prices.

Surprise? Bluray Adoption Slows, Upconverting DVD Players Find Success

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After HD-DVD Demise, Toshiba CEO Says DVD For the Win!

Devindra — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:16:59 +0000

In this truly insightful interview the WSJ talks to Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida about his plans for the company after the failure of HD-DVD. I’ve read quite a few interviews with traditional Japanese CEO’s, and Nishida is definitely a uniquely pragmatic thinker among them.

When asked why he gave up on HD-DVD so quickly, he responds that he knew that everything was practically over when Warner left, and offers the following business advice nugget:

I didn’t think we stood a chance after Warner left us because it meant HD DVD would have just 20% to 30% of software market share. One has to take calculated risks in business, but it’s also important to switch gears immediately if you think your decision was wrong. We were doing this to win, and if we weren’t going to win then we had to pull out, especially since consumers were already asking for a single standard.

This sort of frank insight is surprising because traditional Japanese corporations tend not to concede defeat so easily. Take Sony for example–they wanted absolute victory with Blu-ray, so much so that they nearly sacrificed the Playstation 3 at the alter of of the media gods to make it happen. They put nearly the entire company on the line for Blu-ray, but in the end their gamble paid off.

What’s perhaps most surprising about this interview is Nishida’s commitment to the aging DVD platform, which if you think about, makes a certain amount of sense:

What people don’t realize is that Hollywood studios are going to release new titles not just for Blu-ray but for standard DVDs as well, and there are a far greater number of current-generation DVD players out there. If you watch standard DVDs on our players, the images are of very high quality because they include an “upconverting” feature. And we’re going to improve this even more, so that consumers won’t be able to tell the difference from HD DVD images. The players would be much cheaper than Blu-ray players too. Next-generation DVD players are in a much weaker position than when standard DVD players were first introduced.

While I didn’t expect them to jump ship and start manufacturing Blu-ray players right away, it is interesting to see how much faith Nishida still has in the DVD. He also makes some very good points about relying on upconverting–after all, the DVD format was incredibly successful, and will remain so for quite some time. If Toshiba started marketing the upconverting abilities of $50-$100 players they may just be able to convince average consumers that $400+ Blu-ray players aren’t worth it.

Nishida also mentions that he intends to spend more company energy on video download services, as well as allowing media from your computer to interact with your TV. I could very easily see a Toshiba device come out as an alternative to the Apple TV. And since Toshiba was Microsoft’s first big partner in the portable audio player market (which directly led to the Zune), I wouldn’t be surprised if both companies came together to attack the Apple TV.

In the end, it seems that Toshiba will be taking a more Wii-like approach to this next format war. Their decision to sell cheap players that upscale to high-definition resolutions may end up paying off in the long run since Blu-ray players won’t hit $200 until late next year, and DVD prices will lower as Blu-ray becomes more affordable.

Perhaps we shouldn’t count Toshiba out of this war yet? What say you dear readers?

[Source The Wall Street Journal via Digital World Tokyo]

After HD-DVD Demise, Toshiba CEO Says DVD For the Win!

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Blu-Ray May Pose Battery Dilemma, Sony Announces New Players

Devindra — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 06:05:41 +0000

In an effort to move on from the HD DVD demise, I wanted to discuss two recent bits of Blu-ray news that caught my attention today:First off, we have word from Wired that Blu-ray drives in laptops may wreak havoc on battery performance. This makes sense, and it would have been an issue for HD DVD as well because both formats required significant CPU horsepower to decode their massive video files. Now that we’re beginning to see hardware Blu-ray decoding built into newer notebook graphic cards, it should become less of a problem. Wired notes that another factor in this battery drain is the titular high powered blue laser of the format, which is something Sony would have to fix in further revisions of Blu-ray drives.

Until we see massive improvements in battery technology, we’re going to be running into this issue often every time we want to add cutting edge features into our notebooks. Wired references others who believe that Blu-ray will find more of a home on desktop computers which don’t have to worry about these power concerns.Personally, I think that’s going to be the trend because people want to watch high def movies on larger monitors, not their laptop screens.

In other Blu-ray news, Yahoo News is reporting on Sony’s two latest Blu-ray player releases. Both support Profile 2.0, which includes advanced special features like Bonus View (Picture-in-Picture), and BD-Live internet connectivity. Both players will include ports for local storage, and the more expensive unit includes 1GB of built-in storage as well. The $400 BDP-S350 player will be releasing this summer, and the $500 BDP-S550 in the fall.

I suppose with HD DVD down and out, Sony doesn’t really have any impetus to lower their prices, so don’t expect to be seeing $200 Profile 2.0 until the end of 2009. Sure, you’ll certainly see the current crop of Blu-ray players dropping in price, but that’s certainly not a wise decision given that they’re feature gimped. Also, don’t forget that Sony definitely wants to keep the PS3 as the Blu-ray player of choice in consumer’s minds, a goal that will keep Blu-ray players priced high for some time now.

Richard Doherty, an analyst in the article, correctly points out that HD-DVD prices were artificially low because Toshiba was getting desperate, but I still don’t think that excuses Sony from not bringing down there prices. He also expects innovation within the Blu-ray player arena to rise as third parties focus more on their development.

This is something I’ll be keeping a close eye on, because I personally think it’s in Sony’s best interest to stifle third-party Blu-ray players to keep the PS3 as king. More on that quack theory later.

Blu-Ray May Pose Battery Dilemma, Sony Announces New Players

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The Good and Bad from the HD DVD Defeat and Blu-ray Triumph

Devindra — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:26:17 +0000

Now that Toshiba has officially thrown in the towel, I think it’s worth considering where this leaves us and the HD disc market. Will HD DVD’s death mean Blu-ray will instantly become a must own product? Or is it merely going to just move over HD DVD purchasers and remain second fiddle to DVD? Here are a few of my thoughts on what this means for the state of HD media.

The Good

Less confusion when it comes to HD disc purchases
- Although the niggling profile issue with Blu-ray will be an even more obtuse difference to typical consumers
Increased movie releases as studios feel more free to release in HD
HD DVD owners who stick with the format will have access to a wealth of cheap HD DVDs as stores rush to drop the format and HD DVD owners start getting rid of their discs
This will be a phenomenal year for the Playstation 3 due to more games coming out and the Blu-ray success

The Bad

We won’t see cheaper Blu-ray players for some time
We won’t see profile 2.0 players until the end of this year (Except the PS3)
Blu-ray still has to contend with DVD as the consumer movie format of choice
Sony’s corporate plan to center the PS3 as a must own entertainment device will become even more of a reality

Overall, the death of HD DVD is bittersweet for me. I appreciate all of the good that will amount from having a single HD disc format, but at the same time it saddens me that we’ve settled on a format that will take months to reach the point where HD-DVD is now. $200 Blu-ray players are still on the horizon, and the profile 2.0 nonsense makes Blu-ray an incomplete format until those players are on store shelves.

I’m also highly suspicious of Sony at this point–I’m certain they will do everything in their power to convince consumers that the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player option for a long time coming. While that is technically true, it’s also bad news for any third party companies who would dare to compete with the Playstation brand. It’s going to be hard out there for every Blu-ray player manufacturer unless they can offer a player significantly cheaper than the $400 PS3. ($200 is once again the sweet spot, in my opinion)
I’ve been writing about this format war since 2004, so at the very least it’s nice to have some form of closure. For now, I’m going to start hunting cheap HD-DVDs to go along with my many free discs (one of the other side benefits of this war), and make more of a concerted effort to find myself a 60GB PS3.

Update: Saul Hansell has a great post over at the NYT Bits blog about the next great obstacle for Blu-ray: The tried and true DVD format.

The Good and Bad from the HD DVD Defeat and Blu-ray Triumph

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Netflix, You’re Breaking My Heart

Devindra — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:05:10 +0000

In a surprise move today, Netflix announced that they would be moving towards exclusive Blu-ray support. You can read more about the announcement here, or on practically every other tech site out there.

Now I understand why they made the decision. After all, it makes complete business sense. Ever since the Warner Brothers move, it was clear that Blu-ray was going to win this format war sooner or later. It also must have been a huge pain for Netflix to support Blu-ray and HD-DVD concurrently, all the while keeping the standard DVD format on tap as well. So it makes sense for them to finally throw down the gauntlet and move to a single HD format as soon as possible.

At the same time, the move disappointed the hell out of me because I rely on Netflix for most of my HD-DVD watching. Sure, Blockbuster still offers HD-DVDs through their mail-rental service, but it’s nowhere near the cultural powerhouse that is Netflix. None of my friends are on the Blockbuster system, so I would lose all that great community feedback from Netflix. Giving up Netflix would also mean giving up their fabulous unlimited streaming service–something which I’m hesitant to do.

So I’m stuck. While I still think HD-DVD is a good deal for getting into HD media on the cheap, the loss of Netflix has significantly lowered the value you’d get out of such a purchase. With Best Buy now making moves towards promoting Blu-ray over HD-DVD, we’ll probably see more retailers follow suit. Anyone jumping into HD-DVD now would do well to become familiar with eBay, as well as keep an eye on sites like Amazon and Deep Discount DVD who will surely start blowing away their HD-DVD stock soon.

And while I recognize that it was the wisest business move to drop HD-DVD, it definitely wasn’t in the best interest of Netflix subscribers. I predict Netflix will be seeing flack for some time now from HD-DVD fans, as many of the comments in the Engadget thread make clear.

As for me, I think it’s about time I seriously looked for a Playstation 3.

Netflix, You’re Breaking My Heart

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HD DVD May Be Dead, But It’s Still a Good Deal

Devindra — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:42:41 +0000

Given the recent NPD numbers that prove Blu-ray is seeing incredible post-CES success, I think I’m ready to give up any hope on HD DVD winning this format war. While I still believe it’s the superior format (see some of my previous posts), it’s obvious that marketing and corporate manuevering mattered more than a quality product when it came to deciding a winner.

So HD DVD is dead. Finished. Kaput. At the same time, I’m seeing some incredible deals popping up while retailers rush to get rid of their HD DVD stock. For example, it’s not uncommon to see the Toshiba A3, the lowest end HD DVD player, available for around $100 with at least 7 free movies (5 mail-in discs + 2 in the box). I think even the most ardent Blu-ray fanboy can admit that that is a stupidly inexpensive price to pay for an HD disc player.

It’s slightly more than you would pay for a typical upconverting DVD player, but I think the extra cost is worth it given what the A3 can accomplish. From my experience, I think the upconversion on HD DVD players is far superior to sub-$100 upconverting DVD players. In that case, it doesn’t really matter if the HD DVD format is dying since the player will still get you a lot of mileage with your current DVD library.

In addition, I think the format will have a fairly rich afterlife for the next few years. HD DVD owners can still take advantage of lowering disc prices and a healthy backlog of readily available content.

Let’s not forget that it’s currently the cheapest way to jump onto the HD bandwagon. If you’re holding out for a Blu-ray player, you’re going to have to wait several months, perhaps even until the end of this year, to find one around $200. And also, you’ll have to wait until fall to get the 2.0 profile players.

Of course, rather than wait for the Blu-ray player confusion to sort itself out, you can always get a PS3. (Somehow I don’t think this particular conclusion is accidental, but that discussion will have to wait for a future post.)

For now, I suggest that you not be afraid of jumping into the HD DVD fray if you find a good deal. This dying format will remain a source of cheap high-definition goodness for years to come. Just don’t spend much more than $100 on it ;)

HD DVD May Be Dead, But It’s Still a Good Deal

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What the Warner Move to Blu-Ray Means for HD DVD

Devindra — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:12:39 +0000

So the news is out, and the rumors are true. Warner has officially decided to drop the HD DVD format for new releases beginning April 2008 — giving a major studio advantage to the Blu-ray camp. In lieu of this surprising announcement, the HD DVD folks canceled their upcoming CES conference and issued a press release voicing their disappointment in Warner’s move.

While I’m currently an HD DVD-only owner, I did eventually plan to get a PS3 later this year to complete my HD film experience. I figured this war was going to continue well on into 2009, and that cheap combo-players in 2009 were going to be the inevitable solution to this silly war. Now that Warner has given an amazing amount of leverage to Blu-ray, that prognosis may no longer ring true.

I don’t think the HD DVD camp is going to give up without a fight though. Toshiba still plans to include HD-DVD drives in all of their new laptops this year, and the special features implementation is still superior to Blu-ray’s fractured standard. Seriously, the fact that they still can’t get that together is downright shameful. I also expect Toshiba to throw even more money at the platform (at least until the end of this year), so we can expect more cheap player extravaganza’s.

The big problem this move brings is an even bigger lack of exclusives for HD DVD. With Warner no longer releasing titles on both platforms and Bluray with a bigger selection of studios publishing for it, exclusives are going to be pretty much the only compelling releases for the platform. It’s only a matter of time before Universal and Paramount start to look towards jumping ship from HD DVD as well.

If that occurs, then the platform will truly be dead. But for now, I’m not going to call it quits for HD DVD yet. Warner’s move doesn’t devalue the great films I already own for HD DVD–many of which can’t yet be brought to Blu-ray until it reaches parity with HD DVDs special features. Current HD DVD owners shouldn’t jump ship just yet, but those looking to step into the HD DVD club should hold off a bit and see if Toshiba can prove the platform still has life in it.

Update:

The Consumerist has a great article up titled Buyer Beware: Current Blu-ray Players Won’t Correcty Play Future Discs. They actually don’t reiterate much news, but it is interesting to hear that even Blu-Ray manufacturers were suggesting people get the PS3 as their Blu-ray player instead of a soon-to-be-crippled standalone unit. They also mention that the Profile 2.0 players won’t be coming out until October 2008, something I’m kicking myself for not mentioning in this article. Here’s an excerpt:

So here’s how it’s going to work: current players are Profile 1.0, and can play future hi-def discs but no bonus stuff. Profile 1.1 dics will include additional bonus material that won’t play on 1.0 players—these discs will have a “Bonus View” sticker. Come October, Profile 2 capability will come to the market, which includes Internet activity, but only on Profile 2.0 players—these discs will have a “BD Live” sticker.When asked why current players were released to the market when in such a primitive state, manufacturers blamed the release of HD DVD and said it forced them to come to market too soon. “We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situatio

What the Warner Move to Blu-Ray Means for HD DVD

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Changes on the Horizon

Devindra — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:29:53 +0000

You may have noticed a lack of updates on this site lately. Fortunately, this time around the dry spell is not due to my laziness. I’ve actually been somewhat productive this past month, it’s just been for another site. For the past month I’ve been freelancing at Daily Bits, a recently launched technology blog by Daniel Scocco of Daily Blog Tips fame.

Since Daily Bits is a technology blog, most of the work that I would have normally published here will be going there. I don’t see the need to abandon this blog entirely yet though. There are still many topics that I’m interested in that don’t quite fit the Daily Bits mold, so you can expect to see those here. Those include topics like the consumer technologies, the Singularity, and video games.

Here’s what I have at Daily Bits so far:

Changes on the Horizon

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My First Week of HD-DVD

Devindra — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:55:46 +0000

As I’ve recently mentioned, I recently stumbled onto a great Amazon deal for the Toshiba HD-A2–the cheapest model in their second generation of HD-DVD players. The player arrived last week before any of my three free HD-DVDs so I rushed to Best Buy after worked and picked up the Goodfellas HD-DVD. Armed with my cheap HDMI cable from Newegg (which thankfully arrived the same day), I cleared some space in my home entertainment setup and found a cozy home for the A2.

As for the HD-DVD experience, I was floored by the quality of Goodfellas. For a first generation HD-DVD and a film from the 80’s the disc looks amazing. The soundtrack wasn’t all that revolutionary, but then again I didn’t expect much given that the film isn’t exactly modern and my surround-sound setup isn’t equipped to take advantage of the new HD-DVD sound formats. You can find a full review of the disc here. It’s certainly a title I’d recommend every HD-DVD owner to purchase. I don’t know how they’ll be able to improve on this version of one of Scorsese’s greatest efforts.

A couple days later my free Amazon HD-DVDs came in: The Departed, 300, and The Fountain. I looked at some key scenes from the Departed and 300 and I knew for certain that jumping on this HD-DVD deal was a good idea. I’ve yet to watch any of these films again because soon thereafter I received a copy of the Planet Earth HD-DVD.

This has been stated countless times by many others, but if you’re looking for the must-have title to convince those wary of the benefits of high-definition this would have to be it. Even though I’m somewhat used to seeing broadcast HD by this point I was still shocked at the quality of Planet Earth in HD. It’s more than just the video quality–the overall package in Planet Earth, from the suitably epic orchestral score to the mind blowing cinematography, is one of sheer excellence. Planet Earth would make anyone a believer in high definition.

Thus far I believe making the jump to HD-DVD was a good one. Sure I’m limited to HD-DVD titles (until I get a PS3 next year), but there is definitely enough content around within this format to keep me happy. I’m looking forward to repurchasing Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner in HD-DVD, and there are a wealth of new releases popping up fairly often.

My position has surely changed from when I was doubting the viability of the format a few months ago. I see things differently now because I’m certain now that this format war will never see one victor. In the end we’ll most likely see studios picking the format of their choice and the actual format won’t matter to consumers due to cheap combo HD-DVD/Bluray players. It may seem far fetched right now, but can you honestly imagine either of these formats completely owning the HD-media market? To me that seems like the more far fetched reality.

My First Week of HD-DVD

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Why I Decided to Go HD-DVD

Devindra — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 05:49:02 +0000

I’ve done it folks. After years of writing about the HD-DVD and Bluray format war I’ve finally decided to jump into the market courtesy of a sick deal that was floating around last week. For about $210 I was able to grab The Departed, 300, and The Fountain along with the Toshiba A2 HD-DVD player. In addition, Toshiba’s five free HD-DVD mail-in rebate offer still applies. In the end, I think I made out pretty well with this deal.

I know that my most recent foray into the format war discussion with this previous post may have led some of you to believe that I had given up on the HD-DVD format entirely, but I assure you I haven’t. That post was mainly made to summarize the excellent points that the Digital Bits guys made against recommending HD-DVD. While I partially agree with many of their points I still find much to like about the HD-DVD format.

I’ve mentioned the benefits of the format many times in the past, but I’ll reiterate that the definitive feature that HD-DVD holds over Blu-ray is the maturity of its platform. While HD-DVD has only had a slight head start on Blu-ray, the actual implementation of its next-generation features consistently surpassed its competitor. While Blu-ray hardware is only just now being revised to support next-generation special features, HD-DVD has had it from the start. And Blu-ray’s late implementation of this technology also means that many users of the first-generation Blu-ray players are now completely out of luck.

Honestly though, I feel that the decision to purchase this player was driven more by the insanely low price (coupled with the free movies) than anything else. I know that there’s a large collection of HD-DVD titles I’d like to own, and I’m less concerned about not being able to play Blu-ray titles because I figure I’ll pick up a PS3 sometime late next year anyway. For now I’m content with what HD-DVD has to offer me.

Note: All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links.

Why I Decided to Go HD-DVD

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ABC First to Launch HD Video Streaming Online

Devindra — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:43:04 +0000

So it seems that a few days ago ABC updated their online video player to stream high-definition video. This would make them the first major network to make the jump to streaming HD online. I know NBC and CBS offer high-definition episodes over on-demand with some cable services, but doing it online is an entirely different scenario. It costs the network more to push out such high bandwidth files, it’s tougher to insure cross-compatibility among different computer configurations, and many folks may find that their broadband service is not as entirely broad when trying to stream HD. DSL users, be forewarned.

Of course, with the rising availability of decent broadband and the inevitable reduction in bandwidth costs, such a move was to be expected in the next few years. By showing that they can do it right now, ABC is assuredly future-proofing their online streaming solution. Consider these handful of episodes a beta test for all of ABC’s future online offerings. Now that they have the technology to stream HD video at the ready, all they have to do is concentrate on getting more content up. It’s very possible that we’ll be able to see most, if not all, of ABC’s new content online in HD this fall

Not only that, it will also force the other major networks to speed up their own HD streaming software. And if ABC truly makes some strides in getting new content up, the other networks will have to follow suit as well. Perhaps this fall, we’ll be able to watch most of our prime time shows in HD.

Testing ABC’s HD Streaming

ABC recommends a dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 128MB of video memory, along with a 2Mbps internet connection for viewing the HD streaming video. This pretty much excludes DSL users from being able to stream the video well, although you could always start loading the video and letting it build up a decent buffer before watching. Cable users should be all set. I believe the slowest cable offerings today are around 4Mbps, with most averaging between 6-8Mbps.

If you have a fairly new computer with an Intel Core Duo-type processor, you should have a fairly good experience. If you don’t have 1GB of RAM yet, then now is a great time to upgrade. (I covered why you should consider buying RAM upgrades for newer computers in a recent post.) The video RAM requirement is less of a necessity than the other minimums.

Unfortunately, my computer meets every basic requirement except for the CPU. My trust 3Ghz Pentium 4 has served me well these past few years, but it seems like HD content is finally going to give me a reason to upgrade. Being a glutton for punishment, I tried the HD streaming service anyway.

At first, the picture appeared blocky, as if it were just standard web streaming video blown up to an HD resolution. After about 5-10 seconds though, the video cleared up and it appeared as sharp as a typical Bittorrent rip at HD resolutions. (Not that I would know anything about downloading shows on Bittorrent…)

I’ve avoided watching streaming video from network sites in the past due to their often craptacular quality. However, I would have no problem catching up on Lost if the episodes were offered in this new HD streaming platform.

via TV Squad

ABC First to Launch HD Video Streaming Online

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Is it Time to Give Up on HD-DVD?

Devindra — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:11:01 +0000

I’ve been a fan of HD-DVD ever since this whole new format war started. The technology just made sense: At the time, we believed that it was relatively inexpensive to retrofit existing DVD pressing plants to print HD-DVDs compared to Bluray, which required new equipment. Then there was the ability to create double-sided discs which held the DVD version of a film on one side and the HD-DVD version on the other–something that wasn’t possible at all with Bluray due to the protective case the discs are held in. And perhaps most obviously, the name just screams to consumers that it’s the legitimate successor to the DVD format. Minimizing confusion is always good when introducing new technologies.

Needless to say, I was highly skeptical of the Blu-ray format when faced with all of these points in favor of HD-DVD. (You can get a better idea of my early stance from this Amherst Bytes article from September ‘05.) Sony’s unstoppable hubris with the PS3 and the rootkit fiasco didn’t put Blu-ray in the best light either.

Fast-forward a year and a half, and things definitely didn’t turn out as I expected. Blu-ray is actually giving a decent fight in sales, and certain failures in the management of the HD-DVD platform may have made it impossible for HD-DVD to ever win this format war. At most, it seems the best the HD-DVD camp can hope for is a stalemate that continues to splinter the HD disc market, and that’s not something I can really support with a good conscience.

To see if I was completely wrong about this whole thing, I researched all of the initial reasons I had thought HD-DVD would eventually win this war. According to this article from Wesley Tech, it turns out that the manufacturing costs don’t differ all that much. In fact, the Blu-ray discs are sometimes cheaper! Regarding the hybrid DVD/HD-DVD discs I was so keen, they simply don’t seem to be making that much of an impact on consumers. And finally, as for the name, it seems that Sony’s marketing has done a much better job at cementing Blu-ray as the de facto HD format than HD-DVD’s pragmatic naming scheme.

While I took a certain amount of joy in hearing and reporting that Harry Knowles chose HD-DVD as his preferred HD format, reading this Digital Bits response took away all of the moment’s joy. I’ve respected Digital Bits ever since they launched, even though it seems they haven’t redesigned their site since then. That article stands as one of the most persuasive arguments that HD-DVD is well and truly fracked.

Here’s a quick summary of their reasoning:

Porn is not the deciding factor in this format war, as many often say. Porn is more easily accessible online, and often for free as well. It’s a completely different situation than the VHS/Betamax era.
When it comes to dual releases in both formats, the Blu-ray version seems to sell better generally.
Blu-ray has the support of every Hollywood studio except Universal. (HD-DVD’s lack of region coding may be one of the big reasons for this.)
The players are cheap, but that’s mainly because the Toshiba is bleeding money on the hardware. By the end of this year we’ll most likely see Blu-ray players around $300 anyway. (I think it would be suicide for HD-DVD to try and undercut them then.)
Soon after the DVD standard was completed, Toshiba refused to start developing a new HD standard with Sony when they asked. They thought it was too early to start worrying about HD. When coupled with the fact that Toshiba got all the royalties for the DVD format, it makes a certain amount of sense that Sony didn’t want to settle on a standard with them again. (That still doesn’t excuse their behavior, though.)
Most Blu-ray haters are basically Sony haters, and that blinds them to the format altogether.

I’ll admit, I’m somewhat guilty of the last point. Sony was just on a role with stupid corporate decisions at the time, and the inclusion of Blu-ray in the PS3 also seemed like they were trying to cram the thing down our throats at the expense of the console. In fact, I wrote a fairly long post about that back in March. I still don’t think that Blu-ray is helping the PS3 at all, but I can’t deny that the PS3 is helping Blu-ray. I wouldn’t be surprised if the PS3 is the main reason that Blu-ray continues to sell more discs than HD-DVD.

So what now? Up until recently, I was actually considering an HD-DVD player, especially with the ever-so-tempting Ultimate Matrix and Planet Earth sets just released. But now I think I’ll just sit and wait for one of those fabled single-drive Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo players to hit the $300 mark…

Is it Time to Give Up on HD-DVD?

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