September 9th, 2007
Do We Need Yet Another HD Format?
By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews
It’s hard enough for consumers with two high-definition DVD formats. In fact, it’s kept many - including me - from adoption any format in fear of being stuck with the latest Betamax. A new company is about to intro a new, cheaper HD format, but is it too late to the game?
Next month, New Medium Enterprises’ 1080p set-top players, which use the HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) format, will go on sale on Amazon.com and in stores such as Radio Shack and Costco for around $150–about half the cost of the least-expensive 1080p HD DVD player, and perhaps a fourth the cost of the least-expensive Blu-ray player. The movies that work in them are similarly inexpensive.
“Expect a small premium over DVD [discs], and a big discount over Blu-ray and HD DVD,” says Jim Cardwell, an advisor to the company and former president of Warner Home Video. Source: PC World
We Say: The new format uses a red laser, instead of the blue laser used in HD DVD and Blu-ray - which explains the lower cost. At launch, only 20 movies will be available, but remember how sparse the selection was for HD DVD and Blu-ray at the start. However, like I said, do we really need another format?
John Corliss says:
I think that it’s not too late because cost is always a major factor in the eye of the consumer.
Since the price of players for the other formats hasn’t come down quickly enough (IMO), it’s time for somebody else to step up in and take advantage of the major players’ collective greed and underbid them.
Also, I think a better name for the new format might be simply “Red-ray”.
Backwards, that spells “yarder”.
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September 9th, 2007 at 6:06 am
John Corliss says:
I will try this again, but the first time I tried to respond, the reply wouldn’t go through.
I think that it’s not too late because cost is always a major factor in the eye of the consumer.
Since the price of players for the other formats hasn’t come down quickly enough (IMO), it’s time for somebody else to step up in and take advantage of the major players’ collective greed and underbid them.
Also, I think a better name for the new format might be simply “Red-ray”.
Backwards, that spells “yarder”.
80)>
September 9th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Mike says:
I think it is great timing! People have been asking me why they should pay so much for a player and then pay more for the dvds themselves! If this format delivers on quality, then it might be a BIG winner. It HAS to provide the same quality as the higher ones though.
Mike
I would pick one if these up if it is that cheap AND the dvds were not much more than regular dvds.
too many Mikes around - I should change my name to Debbie or something :p
September 10th, 2007 at 3:11 am
jerry shapiro says:
it’s still VERY early in the game. do we need a new HD format? do we NEED HD at all? there is plenty of time for companies to confuse the public and assure the marketing failure of everyone’s system for at least a while. btw, given the rapid rate of change, ALL these systems could turn out to be this year’s (and the next’s) Betamax. Remember, Betamax was the better system, but it was marketed poorly.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:00 am
R says:
I think its too late, and pointless. I was reading the specs, and this thing is pretty much a four-layer DVD. I don’t think its going to fit everything properly, especially because it won’t be able to expand to many more layers. Lets say this thing magically gets 8 layers on it. We now have only 40 GB. Now take HD-DVD to 3 layers, and you have 51 GB. Take the same disc to 8 layers, and you have the potential for over 130GB(Due to the new 17GB per layer advancement). Take blu-ray there, and you have 200GB. It can’t compete. Its basically the endpoint of DVD fighting against the beginning of the next gen discs. This thing would have been successful two years ago, when the major studios weren’t all signed up.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:55 am
DVD Faqs » Blog Archive » More HD DVD rumors fly - will Warner Bros. bite? - AllthingsHiDef says:
[…] More HD DVD rumors fly - will Warner Bros. bite?AllthingsHiDef, CA - 46 minutes agoWarner Bros. has been impartial to the high definition format war, releasing titles in both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats. But will recent talks spark a …HD DVD 51 GB - just barely exceeding Blu-ray Disc AllthingsHiDefToshiba’s 51GB HD DVDs Approved by DVD Forum X-bit LabsDo We Need Yet Another HD Format? RealTechNewsall 4 news articles Copyright © 2007, DVD Faqs | Theme based on design by haran and converted by John Hesch. […]
September 14th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
» HD-VMD Players Get U.S. Launch » Blog Archive Alice Hill’s Real Tech News - Independent Tech says:
[…] Previously I wrote about the HD-VMD format, a third high-def DVD format, but one that uses a red laser rather than the blue laser of HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Quietly (so quietly that NME, the manufacturer, had to email me to tell me) they have launched in the U.S., and in particular they are now on Amazon.com (though not shipping from Amazon.com — only directly from NME — so don’t count on Amazon Prime). […]
October 16th, 2007 at 11:11 am