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Have you "Liked" High-Def Digest on Facebook yet?

Tue Jun 07, 2011 at 05:10 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Digest, Facebook, Industry Trends, Fun Stuff, Mindblowingly Awesome Things (all tags)

Have you visited the High-Def Digest Facebook page lately? If not, why not swing by and let your friends know that you like us? In return, we'll make sure you never miss a Blu-ray bargain or a great review.

Please check out the High-Def Digest Page on Facebook, click "like," and spread the word, so you and your friends can always find the best Blu-ray and High-Def news and reviews online.

Our Facebook page is still going strong, and we'd love you to join in the fun. In addition to our reviews, highlights from The Bonus View, and priceless witticisms, we use the page as one more way of spreading the word about the best high-def releases on the market.

If you haven't joined the fun yet, you can check it out here.

Hope to see you there soon!


Have you "Liked" High-Def Digest on Facebook yet?

Tue Jun 07, 2011 at 05:10 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Digest, Facebook, Industry Trends, Fun Stuff, Mindblowingly Awesome Things (all tags)

Have you visited the High-Def Digest Facebook page lately? If not, why not swing by and let your friends know that you like us? In return, we'll make sure you never miss a Blu-ray bargain or a great review.

Please check out the High-Def Digest Page on Facebook, click "like," and spread the word, so you and your friends can always find the best Blu-ray and High-Def news and reviews online.

Our Facebook page is still going strong, and we'd love you to join in the fun. In addition to our reviews, highlights from The Bonus View, and priceless witticisms, we use the page as one more way of spreading the word about the best high-def releases on the market.

If you haven't joined the fun yet, you can check it out here.

Hope to see you there soon!


Have you "Liked" High-Def Digest on Facebook yet?

Tue Apr 19, 2011 at 05:40 PM ET
Tags: Fun Stuff, Mindblowingly Awesome Things, High-Def Digest, Industry Trends (all tags)

Have you visited the High-Def Digest Facebook page lately? If not, why not swing by and let your friends know that you like us? In return, we'll make sure you never miss a Blu-ray bargain or a great review.

Please check out the High-Def Digest Page on Facebook, click "like," and spread the word, so you and your friends can always find the best Blu-ray and High-Def news and reviews online.

Our Facebook page is still going strong, and we'd love you to join in the fun. In addition to our reviews, highlights from The Bonus View, and priceless witticisms, we use the page as one more way of spreading the word about the best high-def releases on the market.

If you haven't joined the fun yet, you can check it out here.

Hope to see you there soon!


Have you "Liked" High-Def Digest on Facebook yet?

Tue Apr 19, 2011 at 05:40 PM ET
Tags: Fun Stuff, Mindblowingly Awesome Things, High-Def Digest, Industry Trends (all tags)

Have you visited the High-Def Digest Facebook page lately? If not, why not swing by and let your friends know that you like us? In return, we'll make sure you never miss a Blu-ray bargain or a great review.

Please check out the High-Def Digest Page on Facebook, click "like," and spread the word, so you and your friends can always find the best Blu-ray and High-Def news and reviews online.

Our Facebook page is still going strong, and we'd love you to join in the fun. In addition to our reviews, highlights from The Bonus View, and priceless witticisms, we use the page as one more way of spreading the word about the best high-def releases on the market.

If you haven't joined the fun yet, you can check it out here.

Hope to see you there soon!


Disaster in Japan May Strongly Affect Consumer Electronics Industry

Wed Mar 16, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)

Supply goes down, price goes up, and products may be delayed.

The recent natural and nuclear disasters in Japan may end up having a devastating effect on the Japanese consumer electronics industry, but at this point it's really too soon to tell just what the outcome will be.

Updates are still coming in from the major suppliers and manufacturers, but many have already reported conditions from light building damage and lack of electricity and water up to Toshiba's Kitakami City plant which will be out of operation indefinitely.

Most companies, thankfully, have been reporting small amounts of damage and minor injuries.

The folks at TWICE are updating regularly as they find out more.

Source: TWICE

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


"High-Def Digest-Digest" - January 18, 2011

Tue Jan 18, 2011 at 03:03 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Digest-Digest, Dick Ward, Josh Zyber, Drew Taylor, Mike Attebery, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

The first few weeks of January have been huuuuuge, thanks in part to CES 2011.  New gear was announced, 3D technology was pushed further forward, and we got what might be the biggest Blu-ray announcement of all time!!! Not sure what we're talking about?  That's what the High-Def Digest-Digest is for.

Blu-ray News

'Star Wars' Announced for Blu-ray!
If you didn't hear about this one then you're really out of the loop.  The trilogy everyone's been waiting for and the trilogy everyone wants to forget about are hitting Blu-ray on September 18th.

'The Lion King' & 'Beauty and the Beast' Announced for Blu-ray 3D
Disney's going 3D with some of their classics, including 'The Lion King' and 'Beauty and the Beast.'  Even more titles are rumored, including 'Nightmare Before Christmas.'

'The Incredibles' Blu-ray Dated
It's always exciting when a Pixar movie goes HD, and we couldn't be more excited for the Blu-ray release of 'The Incredibles' on April 12.

'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' Criterion Announced For Blu-ray
If you're a 'Fear and Loathing' fan, you'll be happy to know that the Criterion Collection Blu-ray will be hitting shelves on April 26. We're still trying to get Drew Taylor to stop giggling and clapping his hands together maniacally.

'The Ten Commandments' Blu-rays Detailed
The Cecil B. Demille classic will be hitting Blu-ray on March 29th along with documentaries, commentary and more.

Blu-ray Director’s Panel – CES 2011
Oliver Stone, Baz Luhrmann, and Michael Mann sat down to talk about Blu-ray and what it means to them. 

The State of Blu-ray At CES 2011
There weren't very many big Blu-ray player announcements at CES 2011 - Dick Ward says that's a good sign.

Other News

Samsung Roundtable – CES 2011
Samsung holds a roundtable to discuss the present and future of the company with some of its top execs and a few members of the press. High-Def Digest is there.

Philips Announces World's First Wireless HDMI Blu-ray Player
Aside from the power cord, you can go wireless with the new Philips player, giving you freedom to put the player anywhere you want - within 100 feet of course.

Japan Gets First 3D Series, And It's a Drama!
Adventure? Excitement? A Japanese 3D audience craves not these things.  Even if they do want it, they're getting a drama about air traffic controllers instead.

Netflix Buttons Are Coming to Remotes Everywhere
Netflix fans with connected TVs and Blu-ray players will have an even easier time getting to their favorite streaming content thanks to the addition of Netflix specific buttons.

Goodbye Component - From Now On Only HDMI Will Do HD
Analog video users are out of luck thanks to the new standard.  Starting in 2013, Blu-ray players won't even offer component outputs.

The Bonus View

The Year in Review: The Best Films of 2010
Drew Taylor takes a look at the year's best and inspires controversy with 'Piranha 3D.'

How Soon is Too Soon for a Remake?
The impending remake of 'Total Recall' makes Josh Zyber ask - is twenty years too soon?

My Latest Addiction: 'Game Dev Story'
Dick Ward is hooked on an iPhone game - and he doesn't even have an iPhone.  'Game Dev Story' is the game worth borrowing your rommate's phone to play.

Worst Weekend Ever
Josh Zyber hates on Vampire Weekend, or at least one song in particular in his rant about the music used in TV commercials.


High-Def Digest Attends Blu-Con 2010

Thu Nov 04, 2010 at 06:05 PM ET
Tags: Blu-ray, Industry Trends, High-Def Streaming, High-Def Retailing, Michael S. Palmer, Blu-Con 2010 (all tags)

by Michael S. Palmer


Blu-Con, in its third incarnation, is a day-long convention where creative content distribution and hardware companies evaluate, learn, and above all -- promote -- Blu-ray as a technology. Sponsored by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), the day involved a mix of panelists from the movie studio's home entertainment divisions, blockbuster filmmakers James Cameron and Jon Landau, and even a special appearance from High-Def Digest's own Josh Zyber. Look in the coming days for HDD's continued coverage of the many, many panels. 3D was the major headline, as evidenced by all the television demos and even the site of seeing Panasonics new consumer-level 3D camera, but it was also great to hear the studios promoting quality catalogue and classic releases.


For this first article, I think it's best to take a look at where Blu-ray is today as a format. Most of us reading and writing for High-Def Digest are enthusiasts. A range of "innovators" or "early adopters" on the Rogers model for adoption and diffusion of innovations. We are those who paid, in many cases through the roof, to beta test Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD because we love resolution, increased picture quality, and roaring surround sound. We bitch loudly, but sometimes secretly take pride in the technically know-how needed to update firmware or patch our WiFi networks. We're the guys and gals whose family and friends turn to when it's time for them to finally buy their newest toy.

The trouble, however, for any media innovation is that it needs to be monetized to survive. Laserdisc and BetaMax are only two formats which never went Mainstream, and every time we -- the excitable Must-Have-It's whose eyes glow when reading countless blogs and Black Friday guides -- jump headfirst into the Latest and Greatest, we risk diving into a draining pool.

But here's the great news from the other folks investing time and millions of dollars. Blu-ray is here to stay, and despite an imploded economy, it's one of the few growth areas in home entertainment distribution.

Let's talk math.


Home Entertainment Presidents from Universal, Fox, Sony, and Warners seemed genuinely confident with 2010. Like men who finally understand that media consumption and production aren't about linear transitions from one single format to the next single format. They're in the content business, and their jobs in this new century are to provide said content in any and all formats -- physical media, streaming, downloading, smart phones, social networking. And the good news? Consumer spending is at an all time high. Counting all media, there have been 3.6 billion "transactions" this year, up nearly 60 million from the recession-cramped 2009.

2010 is already the best year in Blu-ray's short history. 'Avatar' is the first true crossover disc, selling 8 million Blu-ray units in its first release -- many bought Blu-ray players just to see this movie. Though DVD is down 14 percent, Blu-ray is up 86 percent, which translates to a cool $1Billion in disc sales in the first 9 months (to be fair, this doesn't offset the loss in DVD sales yet). A promising figure by itself, lest we forget retailers do a majority of their business in the fourth quarter / holiday shopping season. Further, catalogue or library titles sales grew 60 percent -- this is particularly good for Blu-ray fans because it means the studios are seeing dollar signs and we reap the benefits by finally getting our favorites in the format. Sales of stand alone Blu-ray disc players are outpacing Sony's PlayStation 3 (stand alone player sales are important because those owners typically buy more movies than game console owners). What's staggering in this economy is that homes with one Blu-ray player have doubled since 2008 to 21 million.

This means Blu-ray officially has a 20 percent adoption rate in the US, and when that number hits 25 percent (perhaps this Christmas or early next year), Blu-ray will officially be Mainstream in the eyes of the number crunchers who decide such things.

[sorry I don't have the exact figures, International Readers, but know this: Europe Blu-ray disc sales are kicking ass, and Blu-ray Player sales in Japan are easily outpacing DVD players]

What all these statistics mean is that our family and friends are finally getting it. They see the value in the extra picture quality and they're still interested in "collecting" which puts a smile on the face of any home entertainment executive. The studios themselves seem better connected, and as a result, are doing a better job. Blu-ray releases brim with bonus materials and the flexibility of including a DVD and/or digital release. Yes, there are problems -- firmware, user experiences, networking and compatibility issues, the speed of evolution preventing 'future proofing' -- and these all need addressing. But the players themselves are faster now, easier to use for the average consumer, and are becoming gateway media machines. They're almost becoming DVD-easy and DVD-simple, which has long been a barrier.

The smartest thing the folks behind are doing are not trying to make Blu-ray only a "disc machine." Yes, physical media is the best quality available because even Blu-ray's data rate is ten times faster than a 4.6Mbps broadband internet connection (the average rate in most households). But, in five…ten…fifteen years, discs will likely go the way of the dodo, and for Blu-ray to become the last great physical media format, it has to be relevant in the era of streaming, and offer digital flexibility.

Rental Windows, Streaming, and Piracy


After lauding Blu-ray's achievements, the studio presidents opened up the conversation to discuss the 28-day rental windows, streaming and piracy. Apparently, the 28 days number came out of the legal agreement they made back in the days when RedBox was sueing everyone. These windows (and rental only versions of Blu-rays) will remain in place because they promote sales. The studios said they're seeing anywhere from a 7 percent to 15 percent sales increase (based on comparative titles who did not sell with a window). It seems we consumers have a choice: ownership / premium rental (such as VOD, see blow) with convenience and privilege, or subscription / $1-a-night Red Boxing for savings on a longer timeline. (Please take our poll regarding your own Blu-ray purchasing habits.)

The studios are also heavily invested in Video On Demand (VOD). They make good money, and will have more day-and-date releases. As for streaming, Netflix will remain a place for generally older titles (Starz being an exception because it's actually related to a Pay TV distribution window), but the studios are open to changing this relationship if favorable deal structures can be found.

In the future, we can expect more catalogue titles in the Blu-ray format thanks to companies like Sony seeing triple digit gains in their library release. And the DEG is hoping to perfect Digital Cloud, or Digital Locker, which means one purchase for content with the ability to stream or play the media on any device without the fear of losing it forever because it was only locally stored on a hard drive that decided to commit harikari.

Piracy is still a big deal for the studios and in countries where they aren't blocked by government interference (cough, China, cough), they have special teams that aim to combat pirates by releasing movies quick and for a competitive price. The studios also wish they could rebrand the act of stealing copyrighted content away from "piracy" which doesn't seem criminal. But here's the struggle: how do you change something culturally rooted when people in countries like Korea, Russia, and Spain doesn't see it as wrong (of course no one is implying that everyone in every piracy-heavy territory is a jerk…except you, Gary!) The studios would love to see laws here in the United States like those recently passed in France.

[author tangent:As someone who works and lives in Los Angeles, I can personally attest to piracy, or stealing, having real world effects on regular folks. Yeah, the nameless, conglomerate-owned studios are making record profits, but when the bottom line needs to be met for shareholders, who do you think suffers? It's the creative community: the stuntmen, the secretaries, the editors, the sound designers, the grips and electrics, the set dressers. No millionaires here. This also directly translates to more sequels, remakes, and less original, well-made content. So if any of our readers are avid bit-torrent users, though you probably don't care, you've literally put middle-class human beings out of work. Well done. By the way, pirate rogues, what do you do for a living? Perhaps you could let us know so we could undercut your business practices. Lovingly yours, Soap Box Palmer]

Okay, I'm back. Sorry. Where were we? Oh yes, Blu-ray in 2010. Okay, it's doing really well, expanding in hard times, and is about to be Mainstream. Of course, there are problems, namely user experience and number of available titles. I'll look to address some of those in a future panel which was lead by Amazon.com's Vice President of Music and Video, Bill Car. Please keep your eyes peeled and ready.


PS. I thought this was funny to see Toshiba go from format war enemy to sponsor. How far we've come in so little time.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


HD DVD Has Risen From The Grave!!

Tue May 18, 2010 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends (all tags)

...briefly. But the important thing is that it's shaken off the dirt and hopped into Josh Zyber's mailbox! Read what he has to say about 'Deadlands 2: Trapped' now that his copy has finally arrived.

It's been a long and painful journey for what will now likely be the final HD DVD. High-Def Digest readers are no doubt familiar with some of the drama surrounding the film's HD release.

Why not hop on over to The Bonus View and see what Josh has to say? Have thoughts? Comments? Received your own copy? Please join the conversation in the blog comments and let us all know what you think about your latest and last (?) HD DVD purchase.

HD DVD Rises from the Grave... Briefly.


Amazon Offering $50 Gift Certificate to HD DVD Customers

Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Amazon, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

In a move reminiscent of last month's Best Buy offer, Amazon has begun contacting customers who qualify for a $50 gift certificate for purchasing HD DVD players.

In a company email that has begun going out to qualifying customers, the company states that players purchased before February 23, 2008, the same date specified in the Best Buy offer, qualify for the gift certificate, which can be used for new purchases on the site.

The email states, "New technologies don't always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50." The announcement does list some restrictions for the certificate's use.

Unlike the Best Buy offer, the company does not mention trade-in options for HD DVD media, but does state that the "Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones." Perhaps suggesting that customer's might want to use their certificates to bring down the price of a shiny new Blu-ray player.

The program will run through April 9, 2009, so customers have plenty of time to take advantage of the offer.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


Vanguard Ends HD DVD Support with 'Disco Pigs,' Makes Move to Blu

Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends, Vanguard (all tags)

Indie Vanguard has confirmed that it will close out its HD DVD support with the June release of 'Disco Pigs,' and that it plans to begin releasing titles on Blu-ray later this year.

Although Vanguard says there will be no official statement to come, the company has released an updated high-def release schedule that confirms they will no longer issue any new titles on the format following the June 24 HD DVD debut of the Cillian Murphy-starrer 'Disco Pigs.'

Also nixed from the company's schedule were two previously-announced HD DVD releases, 'The Low Life' and 'Animal Room.'

When asked for comment on Vanguard's future high-def plans, a company rep told us that a move to Blu-ray is currently in the planning stages for later this year. Initial titles and street date information are yet to be determined, however, so we expect to have additional information in the coming months.

As always, we'll keep you posted on further details of Vanguard's transition to Blu-ray as they're announced.

In the meantime, we've removed 'Animal Room' and 'The Low Life' from our HD DVD Release Schedule.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Disco Pigs (HD DVD)


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