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Paramount and DreamWorks give HD DVD a boost

Just when you thought the next-gen DVD war was on the verge of being over, a couple of studios decide to muck things up even further. Today, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation announced that they will exclusively support HD DVD on a worldwide basis.

According to the press release, "The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment."

"The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit 'Blades of Glory' on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year 'Transformers' and 'Shrek the Third'."

Until today, Paramount was putting out movies on both Blu-ray and HD DVD, so needless to say, the announcement came as a surprise. Also, all of this comes in the face of reports that on the software front, Blu-ray was outselling HD DVD by a 2-1 margin, and that both Blockbuster and Target would be pushing the Blu-ray format in stores. (Note HD DVD fans: Yes, Target will continue to carry the XBox 360's add-on HD DVD player). Consensus was that things were looking pretty bleak for HD DVD. Is this a game changer?

… Read more

HD DVD: Format of choice for geek TV?

Are you a dork? Do you love TV? If the answer to both those questions is yes, you'll probably want to select HD DVD as your next- generation format of choice, because there are some seriously exciting sci-fi TV shows hitting the format in the next few months.

We already know that Heroes is on the way to HD DVD, which is tremendously exciting for fans of the show who haven't been able to catch it on its BBC HD outing. We're also aware of the impending arrival of Star Trek: The Original Series, series one, which … Read more

New 'Blade Runner' Ultimate Collector's Edition includes unicorn, car, Sir Ridley letter

Sorry if the is old news to some, but I just got back from vacation and noticed that details are out on the hotly anticipated new version of Blade Runner that's due to arrive December 18. Blade Runner was one of the first movies released on DVD, and while it sold well, the video transfer sucked. Well, for the 25th anniversary of the film, Warner Brothers and director Ridley Scott finally got around to restoring and remastering the thing--and a lot of folks are pretty stoked, especially now that the film will be available on both Blu-ray and HD … Read more

NFL bringing HD to instant replay

Like many Americans, NFL referees will spend a fair amount of time this fall watching football in HD. The NFL is upgrading the replay equipment in all but three of its stadiums so that its officials can review plays in high-definition. Fans of the Giants, Jets, Colts, and Cowboys will be dismayed to learn that their home games will lack HD instant replay until the stadiums in New York Jersey, Indianapolis, and Dallas are replaced in the next few years. Along with reviewing controversial calls in HD, the refs will also get to view replays on larger 26-inch screens--up from … Read more

Onkyo (finally) makes its HD DVD player official

Following months of hints and peeks, Onkyo has finally made the details of its first HD DVD player official. Available this fall, the $900 DV-HD805 is a return to the high-end for the HD DVD format, which has seen prices dropping as low as $250 this year. In addition to the Ethernet port, Web connectivity, and built-in memory found on all HD DVD players, the DV-HD805 looks to have all of the bleeding-edge HDMI 1.3 features of the newly announced third-generation Toshiba players, including support for 24-frame 1080p video, Deep Color compatibility, and lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master … Read more

Toshiba third-gen HD DVD players on the way--but how useful are their new features?

When a trio of new HD DVD players popped up on Amazon.com last week, the question wasn't so much, "Are they real?" as "How are they different from the existing models?" Toshiba clarified the issue today by officially announcing the three new models in a press release that trumpeted a handful of new features that will appeal to enthusiasts. But some key questions about those step-up features remain unanswered.

First, the basics. All three of the new models boast new, slim cases that are only 59.5mm high (less than 2.5 inches). And unlike many Blu-ray players--including models that cost hundreds more--the new HD DVD players each include active Ethernet ports and upgradeable firmware, so they can take advantage of the growing number of HD DVD titles that make use of interactive online features. The new lineup breaks down as follows:

HD-A3 ($300, October 2007): With its output resolution limited to 1080i, the primary appeal of the entry-level model is its affordable price tag. Except for the slimmer case, this looks to be nearly a clone of the current HD-A2, which is currently selling online for as little as $200.

HD-A30 ($400, September 2007): An extra $100 buys you 1080p output, HDMI CEC compatibility (which allows for control between other CEC-enabled AV products when connected via HDMI and using a single remote control), and 24-frame video support (1080p/24).

HD-A35 ($500, October 2007): In addition to the same features as the HD-A30, the top-end model in the fall 2007 lineup adds 5.1-channel analog audio outs, support for Deep Color video and HDMI passthrough audio.

Sounds great. Of course, there's a secret about those cutting-edge features that all those other blogs aren't telling you. … Read more

At CES, watch out for wireless high-def TV

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Samsung showed off a plasma TV that got data from an 802.11(n) link.

At CES in January 2008, you should expect to see a lot of TVs demoed with WirelessHD, a wireless protocol with a lot more bandwidth.

That's the world from John LeMoncheck, president and CEO of SiBeam, the chip company that has devised the spec and will come out with chips based on it. (I spoke to him a few days ago at the AlwaysOn Stanford Summit). Several consumer electronics manufacturers will likely show off TVs and … Read more

$20,000 in HD gear? What's the catch?

It's time to say it: Enough. If Gene Simmons Family Jewels can find air time, then it's possible for anyone to find an audience on cable. So why not give it a shot yourself?

As part of a research initiative (and marketing ploy) called "Living in HD," Panasonic is recruiting 30 families to "explore how the latest HD technology affects the American lifestyle," according to Electronic House. It's not destined for TV yet, but the judges who will choose the families include Hollywood directors Kevin Smith and Brett Ratner, so who knows? And … Read more

New HD DVD players on the way?

Toshiba hasn't made any official announcements, but some early Amazon product pages seem to indicate there will be three new HD DVD players released on October 1: Toshiba HD-A3, Toshiba HD-A30, and Toshiba HD-A35. From the admittedly limited details available on the Amazon pages, there doesn't seem to be any big shakeups to Toshiba's HD DVD line--there are three models, with the entry-level model lacking 1080p output. Interestingly, there's no HD-XA3, which would be the logical successor to the current HD-XA2, so perhaps Toshiba has ditched that naming scheme or maybe there's an additional flagship … Read more