http://news.com.com/Toshiba+to+release+HD-DVD+player/2100-1041_3-6044262.html

Looks like the first HD-DVD Player will be out later this month. [March 2006]

The first HD-DVD recorder for PCs will be out in May.

Woo-hoo. All the pieces are falling into place... "affordable" HDV cams.. programs to edit HD.

And I hope, for myself, something simple to author/burn the first HD-DVD's, maybe a "iDVD-HD" from Apple sometime this summer.

I wonder what the pricing for the recorder and blank media will cost at first?

I'm definitely looking forward to the further proliferation of low cost HD recording and playback.

HD DVD and when Blu Ray comes will be a boon for us. Let's hope the recordable media comes down in price quickly.

Samsung is coming out with a dual disc player. Able to play either HD or Blu-Ray, so they claimed. They probably will have a dual burner out as well.

Price will probably be close to $1000 for the burners. I say $4000 at first. I'm assuming this based on the cost to purchase a DVD burner when it first came out. Expect the prices to drop within two years.

The cost of discs will probably be around $5.00 each, at first. Dual layer discs are now selling under 2.00 so I assume double for new technology.

A good investment if you're producing weddings or corporate videos. Everyone is required to upgrade to HD soon, so yes it's a worthy investment.

I don't work in either fields so I'll just have to bum off a TV station's system, that I help out at, voluntarily, or something for awhile. That is if they do purchase one...

Everyone is required to upgrade to HD soon, so yes it's a worthy investment.

Actually, that's incorrect (although it's a common mmisconception).

Everyone will be required to swtich from receiving ANALOG television broadcasts to receiving DIGITAL television broadcasts; HDTV is only one of the many types of Digital broadcasts.

No one is being 'required' to upgrade to HD.



2¢

Actually, that's incorrect (although it's a common misconception).
I guess this is a rare case of a misconception that will do us good :)

ulead has a author program to burn hd-dvd.

Hi Duane,

You're correct that no one is required to go HD and digital is digital, but all broadcasting stations will have to go digital soon per the government mandate.

I guess your cable boxes and dish boxes will do the conversion for the standard set for years to come.

However, even now, I see HD spreading. They say it's broadcasted in HD not digital so...

When I was stating "it would be worth your money to upgrade to HD", I meant for producers of wedding videos, corporate or tv networks.

Some info from Video Business.

Retailers were told that BluRay movies will be released in May.

“It’s polarized between the camps, and info is at a premium,” Roshinski said. “No one wants to show what cards they are holding.”

Toshiba kicked off a 50-city retail demonstration and promotional tour for HD DVD on Feb. 21.

The tour, which runs through April, features Toshiba’s first two HD DVD players, the HD-A1 ($499.99 list) and the HD-XA1 ($799.99).

The retailer are saying that information about the initial launches are scarce. They are getting differing information from vendors within hours of calls made about the launch and availability of HD products.

The plans for HD-DVD movies will be March 28. Movies will be on sale at retail outlets first.

It seems I was wrong about the price of HD movies. They seem to be on sale between 25-30 dollars, dependent on the store. Wal-Mart being the cheaper prices. Sony's Blu-Ray discs will be priced between 25-40 dollars.

Sony's Blu-Ray format discs will be launched on May 28. Industry experts believe that Sony will release a player sooner then expected due to issues with the Playstation 3 which they believe will be relased next year. Sony players are to be released shortly after the launch of Blu-Ray players from Samsung and Pioneer.

TV stations who have gone digital have also gone HD, at least so far with their studio cameras. I'm sure the lower cost HD cameras coming out will help get the stations to go HD for field cameras.

heath

And this from imdb.com (via laptop, interestingly):

"Toshiba Out First with High-Definition DVDs

On the same day that Toshiba unveiled a new laptop computer capable of playing HD DVD (high definition) movies, rival Sony announced that it has been forced to delay its own roll-out of the competing Blu-ray high definition gear. Blu-ray was to have been given a big push with Sony's PlayStation PS3 model, capable not only of playing high-definition video games but high-definition movies as well. Sony blamed a delay in the shipment of chips needed for the PS3. The Toshiba Qosmio G30 laptop introduced Tuesday, which can display HDTV either on its own monitor or on a home-theater system, is due to be introduced next month."

I hear PS3 is in trouble of coming out even this year.

hwm

This is big news. In marketing, as a general rule, being first out the door is a serious win. Even if the device is not fully featured, news of it's release will be plastered/posted/spoken everwhere. All free advertising. Early adopters, as impatient bunch we are, will eager snap up the new devices. Once invested, folks generally will hang on to it. Studios, not wanting to miss out on the new revenue stream will most likely pull overtime hours to get disks on the shelves.

Sony will be hopping on one foot, and kicking themselves with the other.

Well, in Video Business magazine, it's mentioned by retailers that they do not know what to expect as they are getting different statements from vendors when called for opinions that are a mere couple hours difference in the calls.

Toshiba is not giving any statements and the vendors do not know what to expect.

Sony is planning on releasing Blu-Ray players before the launch of PS3, after the initial launch by Samsung and Pioneer.

I'm thinking with all this secrecy by Toshiba and new launch expectations by Sony, the launch of Toshiba's HD player will be released around the same time as the Blu-Ray launch. It's only my speculations but I believe Sony has some insider word on Toshiba and it is the reason for an earlier launch. Toshiba is probably having some difficulty with getting enough machines produced for the launch date. Either that or HD-DVD movies will not be available at the time of launch.

I think the laptop will be first. Which begs the question, what came first? Computers with DVD-ROM drives or DVD players, way back in 1997?

heath

ps-and some trivia. First DVD: TWISTER (released 1997), First BLU-RAY DVD: CHARLIE'S ANGELS (released 2006?). At least TWISTER is still mindless fun 10 years later--CHARLIE'S lost its allure upon a second viewing, for me.

heath

Just heard on komo news radio.

Toshiba has given their statement about HD-DVD player for their laptops with a high definition screen, as Heath mentioned.

LG will be supplying the HD-DVD players for Hewlett Packard computers.

Walmart was taking orders until March 4 and now customers are getting emails saying the orders have been canceled.

Wal-Mart was selling the HD-DVD titles from $25.48 to 29.98.

The titles were from Warner and with the email from Wal-Mart stating that title maybe available in the future tells me that the movies will not be showing up in March.

check out Video Business for the article at http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6315184.html

I don't know if I'd be too quick to jump into bed with Sony and Blue-Ray. The Blue-Ray format is in large part Sony's reluctance to embrace Mpeg4-10/h.264 as the preferred HD format. They need to have 30-40gig discs to play back HD at Mpeg-2 compression. Toshiba's HDDVD format is cheaper, building on existing technology, and also more compatible with the current format. Blue-Ray requires different hardware wheras the Toshiba format is more a question of software. Betamax, Minidisc, SACD. 'Nuff Said.

I'm only stating that it looks like the discs will be delayed.

And now for something else.

I got the info at http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1154

Sony will start shipping writeable BD-R and RW discs in Europe later this month. The cost is expected to be around $30 for BD-R and $36 for BD-RW. Sony also states that Dual-layer discs will be available later in 2006.


http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/03/08/euro_hd-dvd_roll-out/

Toshiba will release region free HD-DVD players in Europe next month. It'll be Toshiba's Qosmio G30 laptop. The player will not check for region coding.

Crutchfield has two Toshiba HD-DVD players already listed (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kn8f7u290WU/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g=279850) on their site, "Ship date uncertain." One is $500, and the other is $800.

There is also a rumor that MS will be shipping a new xbox360 soon with HDDVD.

Recent news from the Associated French Press released 1hr 22mins ago from now.

Quote: TOKYO (AFP) - Sony said it will delay the launch of the PlayStation 3 by about six months to November, boosting Microsoft's efforts to win a bigger share of the multi-billion dollar video game industry.

I'm sure Toshiba is breathing easier now. Even if their system has been delayed to late April, if they can get enough people to purchase HD-DVD before November, HD-DVD will probably become the new standard.

Off course Samsung and Pioneer will be releasing the Blu-Ray players soon, so I'm thinking either I can jump on the bandwagon with a dual player or I'll have to wait till the standard is set.