Test Shows Comcast’s HD Squeeze In Virginia - 3/27/2008 3:12:00 PM - Multichannel News

Comcast has said it can pack three high-definition signals into space typically used for two—without viewers noticing a drop in quality. But at least one viewer has.

A member of AVS Forum, a community site for audio/video enthusiasts, has posted the results of his comparison of the compression rates for 10 HD channels offered by Comcast and Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV in Northern Virginia.

The user, “bfdtv,” said his test showed Comcast is delivering certain MPEG-2 HD channels at bit rates as much as 28% lower than Verizon, resulting in lower-quality pictures.

[From Test Shows Comcast’s HD Squeeze In Virginia - 3/27/2008 3:12:00 PM - Multichannel News]

I can say from first hand experience that most HD channels in Comcast for Reston, VA don't look as good as one would expect. The problem is that sometimes the content is not exactly HD, instead it is up-converted, and many times this is done poorly. A&E is sometimes shown simply stretched to fit the screen.

There are always a couple of channels that look really nice most of the time. One of the local PBS affiliates always looks fantastic, and the network channels look fine as long as they are running proper content, like for example Heroes, House, Bones, etc.

An open letter to HDMI Licensing, LLC (www.hdmi.org)

I am just one of many customers that feel that HDMI is a very promising technology. I personally own two HDTV screens with HDMI ports (one has two ports), two Microsoft Xbox 360s with HDMI ports, two AppleTVs and one upscaling DVD player with HDMI port. I like the standard because it allows me to move all of the required signals between a source device and a screen, which cuts down on clutter. The obvious benefits of these signals being digital are just icing on the cake.

The problem is consistency. Your own website says it the best: one cable, one standard. I should be able to plug one of my two Xbox 360s into any of my HDMI ports in either HDTV screen and it should work. I should be able to do the same with either AppleTV or the upscaling DVD player. And I should be able to mix and match between my three different HDMI cables, they should all work the same, because after all, HDMI is a standard.

The reality of the matter is that it does not work that way. For example, one of my HDTVs refuses to work with an Xbox 360 through HDMI ports, with different brands of cables, and with two different Xbox 360s. The upscaling DVD player will take up to 30 seconds to acknowledge that it is connected to an HDMI source. One of my two AppleTVs don't like when I turn off the TV, it takes up to a minute for it to auto detect the TV.

The funny thing is all of these devices are digital. We are used to that in the digital realm, things either work or they don't.

A good example is USB. There are less than 10 connector types for USB, and those are physical formats, electrically they are the same. If you find the right plugs, it doesn't matter what devices you are connecting, the USB layer will work. You never hear of people using the right USB format and not being able to connect two devices that are designed to work together. It just doesn't happen.

Another great example is Firewire, which has even less connector types. Firewire always works, period.

Why is HDMI failing at this? We are buying expensive HDTVs, digital cable boxes, PVRs, computers, A/V receivers. If it has any bearing to audio/video, it either has HDMI already, or somebody is trying to add it to it. We are paying a lot of money for these cables, in some places people are paying up to $50 per linear foot. That's a lot of money for a technology that is supposed to work 100% of the time and it doesn't.

Why?

When it works, it is fantastic. It is obvious HDMI is not a fluke. Then what is the problem? Shoddy vendor implementations? Sub-par cabling? Software?

We are going to be stuck with HDMI for a while, so please, figure out who is not getting along with the program. It is time to start enforcing the brand (think about it: when HDMI doesn't work, nobody says "fuck this piece of shit Xbox 360, " instead they say "fuck this piece of shit overpriced HDMI bullshit, I'm returning this $50 cable tomorrow") and the standard so whenever a customer buys HDMI, he/she gets HDMI and not a half-assed implementation.

Goodbye Present

Great homage to the goodbye present scene in Office Space:

Report: Sony may have paid up to $400 million (U.S.) to Warner Brothers

WASHINGTON, TORONTO -- Howard Stringer made history in 2005 for being the first non-Japanese executive to take the helm at Sony Corp. But he may be better remembered as the one who won the high-definition war, erasing the stain on the electronics firm's image ever since it lost the videotape war two decades earlier.

Although celebrated yesterday, the victory was sealed last month when Sony swayed Warner Bros. to back Sony's Blu-ray technology and quit producing movies using Toshiba Corp.'s rival HD DVD format.

What remains a mystery is just how big a push Warner needed to pick sides. Analysts say Sony only prevailed following a heated bidding war against Toshiba, with the reward reaching as much as $400-million (U.S.). Neither side has confirmed the size of any bids or payments.

[From globeandmail.com: Stringer makes his mark]

$400 million is pocket change when compared to either Warner's or Sony's marketing budget for one year. Now think of a war of attrition, trying to sell people into picking one format or the other. That's up to ten miserable years blowing millions in advertisement, free discs with each drive bought, and Black Friday loss leader sales of drives. And no promise of resolution at the end of the ten years. For all we know, at the end of these 10 years we would either still have to figure out which disc to buy, or end up paying more for a dual mode disc. And let's not forget that Sony had the superior format (Betamax) the last time, yet there are still plenty of VHS tapes around (and now that I think about it, mini discs).

Blu-ray's day: Toshiba quits HD DVD - Gadgets- msnbc.com

And then, there was one ...

TOKYO - Toshiba said Tuesday it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video.

"We concluded that a swift decision would be best," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters at his company's Tokyo offices.

The move would make Blu-ray — backed by Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, and five major Hollywood movie studios — the winner in the battle over high-definition DVD formatting that began several years ago.

[From Blu-ray's day: Toshiba quits HD DVD - Gadgets- msnbc.com]

To kick-off the festivities, let's have Douglas Adams' Singing Dolphins Chorus:

So long and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this
We tried to warn you all but oh dear?

You may not share our intellect
Which might explain your disrespect
For all the natural wonders that
grow around you

So long, so long and thanks
for all the fish

The world's about to be destroyed
There's no point getting all annoyed
Lie back and let the planet dissolve

Despite those nets of tuna fleets
We thought that most of you were sweet
Especially tiny tots and your
pregnant women

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long and thanks
for all the fish

(yeah)

So long and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this
We tried to warn you all but oh dear?

(oh dear)

Despite those nets of tuna fleets
We thought that most of you were sweet
Especially tiny tots and your
pregnant women

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long and thanks
for all the fish

Gamerscore Blog : HD-DVD Statement from Xbox

Today's chapter of the HD-DVD saga is brought to you by some Baltimore-style damage control from Microsoft's Xbox team:

HD-DVD Statement from Xbox
We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. As we’ve long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry. We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player. HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.

[From Gamerscore Blog : HD-DVD Statement from Xbox]

In other words: HD-DVD is dead, yo. Don't expect any games published in HD-DVD, don't expect any more free movies when purchasing the Microsoft HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360, and sure as hell expect the Xbox 720 (if we ever see it) to ship with either a current generation Blu-ray, or simply move on to pure online distribution channels.

Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war-NHK | Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp is planning to stop production of equipment compatible with the HD DVD format for high-definition video, allowing the competing Blu-Ray camp a free run, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday.

Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business, Japan's NHK said on its website.

No one at Toshiba could be reached for comment.

[From Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war-NHK | Reuters]

Can you hear the screams? That's the thousands of people left holding the bag, starting with the people that got sucked into buying HD-DVD players by both Black Friday sales and by Microsoft cutting the price on the HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360. Ouch.
The sad thing is I am still to watch a single HD-DVD drive in action. Only HD discs I have seen are Blu-ray demos at Best Buy.

AppleTV, Take Two

Today Ivette picked up two 40GB AppleTVs, one for my home office, the second one for PJs room. Setup was not like a typical Apple product, in fact, it was a pain in the ass.

1. I was completely aware that the AppleTV would arrive with the old version of the software, and I still forgot to upgrade it, then wasted too much time trying to get it connected to iTunes.

2. I did not notice that the two MAC addresses (ethernet and airport) were in the box, so I had to waste yet more time getting the MAC addresses into my router's allowed list.

3. My 37" Olevia is officially a piece of shit. It gave me a lot of grief while trying to use HDMI, while PJ's 32" Olevia (which can't use HDMI to connect to an Xbox 360) has had zero issues.

4. There are two ways to connect to iTunes, the interface does not do such a good job explaining the differences.

5. The upgrade to Take Two took forever, it was just ridiculous.

Notice that many of these problems are my fault, or not directly related to the device itself. Once setup it has been pure joy.

Even without using h.264, the videos that I have transcoded look fantastic. The interface is also much nicer than what I am used to with the Xbox 360 (connected through Connect360).

I haven't rented movies yet, but I did buy two season passes for PJ (Calliou and Teletubbies). I have no idea how to backup media purchased from an AppleTV, so I bought these from Ivette's iMac. That way I know I can copy these downloads offline just in case.

Wal-Mart dumps HD DVDs to back Blu-ray - HDTV- msnbc.com

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to exclusively sell high-definition DVDs in the Blu-ray format, dealing what could be a crippling blow to the rival HD DVD technology backed by Toshiba Corp.

The move by the world's largest retailer, announced on Friday, caps a disappointing week for HD DVD supporters, who also saw consumer electronics chain Best Buy and online video rental company Netflix defect to the Blu-ray camp.

[From Wal-Mart dumps HD DVDs to back Blu-ray - HDTV- msnbc.com]

Or, like we say in Virginia:


"It was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."

Of course, there's nothing like kicking a guy while he is down. Here's Arstechnica's take on this mess:

Since the beginning of the year, when Warner Bros. announced that it was pulling support for HD DVD, the prospects appeared grim. Toshiba and some of the other backers of the format put on a brave face, but most observers were wondering if and when Toshiba would acknowledge Blu-ray's fait accompli and let HD DVD join Betamax in The Place Where Unloved Formats Are Eternally Blessed. That time may be soon, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, which quotes "reliable industry sources" as saying that Toshiba will euthanize HD DVD in the months ahead.

[From Report: Toshiba making funeral plans for HD DVD; Wal-Mart to go all Blu (updated)]

Hopefully this the last format disc media format war (remember those Divx discs that would self-destruct?), since we will all eventually use online distribution.