[analogue SPRINKLES]

Sony offers fix for broken DVDs - Engadget

[aristotles]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts 

Mindless rambling is not helping anything, aristotles.

I would agree with you on that so why did you post? I saw absolutely nothing of value in your contribution.

[Adam Betts]

Originally Posted by aristotles 

I would agree with you on that so why did you post? I saw absolutely nothing of value in your contribution.

Be a man enough to shut up. Leave your typical SpyMac rambling to SpyMac forum, not here.

You're essentially repeating your comment in almost all of your posts but with different flavors. We get it you really want Blu-ray to win. Really.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Electronista | Pioneer launches sub-$300 Blu-Ray drive

[goMac]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

Electronista | Pioneer launches sub-$300 Blu-Ray drive

Eug posted that on the last page.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Adam Betts 

Be a man enough to shut up. Leave your typical SpyMac rambling to SpyMac forum, not here.

You're essentially repeating your comment in almost all of your posts but with different flavors. We get it you really want Blu-ray to win. Really.

NOW this thread feels like the console gaming thread!

Much better.

[Eug]

Blood Diamond is coming on both Blu-ray and HD DVD this summer.

Advantage Blu-ray: Street date June 5 (as opposed to July 2 for the HD DVD)

Advantage HD DVD: web-enabled extras, including allowing viewers to use their players to offer opinions in Warner's online polls, as well as view other special features such as maps of conflict pertaining to war-torn areas in Africa.

Furthermore, the HD DVD boasts an In-Movie Experience (IME) video commentary with additional behind-the-scenes and interview footage. And for the first time on 'Blood Diamond,' Warner will include the new Focus Points feature that takes the viewer to exciting in-depth featurettes and production diaries.

--

In the meantime, this Chinese article claims that Fu Yuan corporation has built a factory to manufacture blue-laser HD DVD components in a joint venture with TDK. It also says Fu Yuan will be making 2 million (!) for Wal-Mart: 福彥中科廠落成　藍光ＨＤ ＤＶＤ機芯正式誕生

[icruise]

In my experience, web-enabled extras are pretty much always a joke.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Originally Posted by icruise 

In my experience, web-enabled extras are pretty much always a joke.

Not to mention that movie wasn't so great and the DVD release was probably the worst quality DVD I have seen in the past 5 years.

[Eug]

I prefer to wait to pass judgement on it until it's actually out.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Eug 

In the meantime, this Chinese article claims that Fu Yuan corporation has built a factory to manufacture blue-laser HD DVD components in a joint venture with TDK. It also says Fu Yuan will be making 2 million (!) for Wal-Mart: 福彥中科廠落成　藍光ＨＤ ＤＶＤ機芯正式誕生

That Wal-Mart deal is a joint venture with Great Wall as well, and the player (scheduled for 2007) appears to have a $299 list price, and yep, it's supposed to be 2 million of them.

Here's the drive that forms the centre of it, at 50 bucks a pop:



EDIT:

It seems that people who are reading Chinese are saying the deal is for complete players, and the cost price is probably going to be $150 ($300 million divided by 2 million), which suggests to me that our predictions of $199 HD DVD players by Xmas may come true.

P.S. Engadget has picked this up.

[jokell82]

Here's an engadget writeup of that deal:
The Wal-Mart $299 HD DVD player on the way - Engadget

Should do quite a bit for HD-DVD adoption.

[Eug]

Hmm... We're getting mixed messages on the translation. The deal is for 2 million players yes, but we're not sure if it's for $300 million or if it's for $101 million. So, it's either $150 per player or $50 per player, depending on how people are reading the article. I'm guessing the former, but I'm not sure.

Either way, this is a humungous announcement for HD DVD.

[goMac]

The other translation issue is that no one is sure whether they mean HD-DVD or Bluray it seems. It would be awful surprising if there was going to be a $300 Bluray drive though.

[hmurchison2001]

Update: Pull back the reigns HD DVD fanboys, Akihabara now says that they've made a "huge mistake" with their translation: the original source called it "藍光 HD DVD and 藍光 means Blu-RAY." In other words, Blu-ray HD DVD. Huh? Word to the wise: since both formats use blue lasers, it's best to wait for an English press release before either camp celebrates.

WTF. Confusion like this should not happen. Man I'm longing for a return to the days when people verified facts before posting information. How do you confuse HD DVD with Blu-ray unless you're the sloppiest of news organizations. I've seen this sloppyness proliferate. People calling upscaling DVD players HD DVD and other mishaps. "Please us the proper terminology sir"

[exca1ibur]

First, people need to stop calling it Bluray DVD. Confusion #1 there for people too. Leave it as Blu-ray and HD-DVD. There is no way to get that confused. Everyone is so lazy these days with acronyms you need a cipher to read a thread or an article.

[Eug]

OK, it'd be nice if there a proper English article somewhere on this.

However, apparently a few Chinese speakers were asked, and a few interesting points came up:

1) Technically, "HD DVD" in Chinese is simply "HD DVD" (the English letters). "Blue light HD DVD" translated is "blue-laser HD DVD".
2) Technically, "Blu-ray" in Chinese is simply "Blu-ray" (the English letters.) However, a few reporters have used the term "blue light" as a short form for "Blu-ray", but not with "HD DVD" after it. OTOH, the term "blue light" alone can refer to either Blu-ray or HD DVD, depending on the context.
3) The article goes on to talk about HD DVD's advantage of shared replication lines with DVD. This is not an option with Blu-ray because the replication lines are totally separate.