Ong Hai Peng Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 BUT and a big but I just walked around video stores, and more than 50% of self space are still VCDs! So the revolution is only beginning to touch average Joe. Yet, as my friend whom I helped to get a 50" plasma recently, she also noticed that VCDs and SD TV looks rather nasty on her new plasma. So as I mentioned and predicted, this whetted her interest in better quality discs. The floodgates can open dramatically if the Hi Def makers don't mess up! My friend's father in law bought a 50" Full HD Pioneer just for over the air TV programmes with no other sources connected and thought that regular tv shows will look better with a 'HD' panel! ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 Right now the local shops promoting the Hi Def machines are mainly the large chains and mainly at shows only. Seems its like Australia, where the big chains get the hi def players instead of the speciality stores which have yet to embrace hi def players much, prob because they cannot bring in the same volume. But any news is better than none. With the Samsung onslaught, Toshi SG is doing what it does best - thumb in the @ss pricing... No special deals at SITEX $799 for the long in the tooth E1.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snip3r Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 btw, i just bought the 42" PV70H, I saw the specs there's no 1080p@24, is the judder that I've been reading significant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 3, 2007 Author Share Posted December 3, 2007 Ask jeffong, the resident Panny PV 70 guru. Apparently it accepts 1080p 24 fps Anyway your eyes will tell you if there is judder. Also since you bought the telly, short of selling it, just use it bro btw, i just bought the 42" PV70H, I saw the specs there's no 1080p@24, is the judder that I've been reading significant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 Ever bought a car in which you already knew will need a firmware upgrade to work on certain roads? Or got a new handphone that needs updating before it can call certain countries? Well, it seems that we are resigned to partially working hi fi products that need to be plugged into the Internet ever so often. Some might welcome this as it allows them to keep abreast of changes which enhance their purchase, and make it into a better item, eg firmware updates which allowed the pS3 to play CDs and force 1080p 24 fps. But then, you ask, why didn't it do so in the first place?? As for us IT non-savvy folks, we approach these encounters with updates with some trepidation and especially after having how some unsuccessfuly updates have rendered their precious purchases into a toaster, that's scant comfort. So as I wait with abated breath for a proper working Hi Def machine which works well out of the box, I take big dallops of salt with each claim of when the perfect machine will arrive.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsammyc Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 To a large extent, the constant firmware upgrades are due to new protections measures introtduced by the studios to combat firms like Slysoft. There are new features, like interfactive content etc, but much of the need to upgrade is piracy related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 13, 2007 Author Share Posted December 13, 2007 My last Pioneer DVD player cost me $450, and is still working. No firmware updates and plays ALL the discs I have ever put into the tray. These days, a new disc or machine comes dead in the water. No acceptable considering what they are charging for them. In this respect HD DVD seems a little more reliable, since most discs work, although a scratched disc also renders some players useless. The manufacturers are assuming everyone has internet to do constant updates.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil1624705739 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 To a large extent, the constant firmware upgrades are due to new protections measures introtduced by the studios to combat firms like Slysoft. There are new features, like interfactive content etc, but much of the need to upgrade is piracy related Agree. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD are hardly matured platforms compared with DVD. Anyway, early DVD players have their fair share of problems, too. Dual layer and DTS support, Macrovision, and etc, not exactly an apple-to-apple comparison we have here. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 17, 2007 Author Share Posted December 17, 2007 Apart from the recent Samsung 1400 sale, which seems to be a flash in the pan, there is little movement of hi def in the local scene. Despite a recent half hearted barrage in the media on the advent of new technology, people are still hanging on to their NTUC dvd players, VCDs and fake discs from up north... Our local company reps are not keen on replicating the furious sales going on in USA, where hi def machines and their media are bringing the new formats to the masses. Not everyone, even seasoned pros here are keen on importing a 110v machine nor are the masses comfortable with ordering their hi def fix on line. But with discs still being sold in SG at 50-60 a pop, that's a sore deterrent to someone who is willing to even venture beyond the $50 DVD player sold at Giant. Over there he is surround by $8 movies, albeit with subtitles imprinted in Chinese, but hey at such a low cost base, even I can tolerate it. If we are to make a better show of getting a successful launch of hi def we need - cheap and good machines at the $500 price range - region free for the local viewers to play their discs - more ads on the advantage and ease of use of these new machines - reliable hardware that does not need firmware updates every month - average joe just wants to use them, heck, even I hate computers, updates etc TVs are already priced low enough for most people to climb onto the HD bandwagon. They can see that a DVD looks better than a VCD, so they will bite, but the cost base needs to be reduced. And those Barney or educational videos need to be first upgraded to DVDs from VCDs, so the buyer can reap some benefit from a new machine which cannot do any magic with their VCDs. Already the sorry state of free to air in some locations, plus how a SD TV signal looks on a 50" panel is making new owners look for better sources of video, either through discs or MIO. But MIO still needs to make a better hash of improving coverage (hello MIO where is my coverage???) and better service. It can be the format of 2008, along with the influx of imported discs and players to make 2008 a very exciting year for Hi Def. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsammyc Posted December 17, 2007 Share Posted December 17, 2007 2007 was my year for Hi-Def. My living room, study and PC are all native 1080p displays with ability to play both Blu Ray and HD-DVD. I have also been producing my own 1080p with my Canon HV-20 and playback is so simple with a PS3. I have NGC, Discovery and some EPL in HD as well as HD on demand through MioTV. I couldn't have asked for more... Perhaps 2008 will be my year for HD Audio... but impact is much less than HD Video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 17, 2007 Author Share Posted December 17, 2007 Size matters.... The trouble in our local context is the fact that the default size of flatscreens in most homes is 40" or even less... A 42" plasma has been the biggest gold standard for the longest time. And at anything less than 50" the potential owners will be hard pressed to see the difference between Hi Def and SD. I had the pleasure of seeing Planet Earth on a 100" PJ screen and it was sweet! But this sort of size remains the exclusive realm of HT enthusiasts here, not in average Joe's home. Hence the reluctance to migrate from VCDs to DVDs and onwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share Posted December 18, 2007 Actually an all singing player which does both formats with ease, plus analogue out for us legacy chaps AND most importantly, play every disc without any hitches. SD region free will be a nice bonus, and multi-voltage will be nice. On another note, I would prefer a good working audio format and decoding than all the so - call benefits profile 1.1 and onwards brings. Even on HD, I have not used any of the interactive stuff and don't envision doing so. Give me a smooth working disc anyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 They costs too much: http://digital.asiaone.com/print/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20071218-41681.html Next-gen DVDs selling slower than expected Lack of movie titles & incompatible players cited as reasons for poor response. -ST Alfred Siew, Technology Correspondent Tue, Dec 18, 2007 The Straits Times THEY can show pictures so sharp you can see the pores on Brad Pitt's face. But sales of next-generation DVD discs have been slow to pick up here. According to distributors The Straits Times spoke to, sales of regular DVDs still outnumber that of next-generation DVDs by 20 to 1. Among the reasons consumers have been put off: movie titles are hitting the shelves late, complicated technology and high prices. For instance, next-generation DVDs cost anywhere from $49.90 to $69.90 each. A new DVD sells from $20 here. Plus, these new-fangled discs need specific players that cost usually about $1,000 - 10 times more than a regular DVD player which can cost about $100 now. And even if you are willing to pay top dollar to see that kind of resolution on your high-end plasma screens, there is no guarantee that you will get the movie you want. Right now, in shop shelves, there are only about 100 titles in next-generation formats, compared with 1,000 in the United States. Read the full story in Wedneday's edition of The Straits Times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redders Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 For instance, next-generation DVDs cost anywhere from $49.90 to $69.90 each. A new DVD sells from $20 here. Plus, these new-fangled discs need specific players that cost usually about $1,000 - 10 times more than a regular DVD player which can cost about $100 now. And even if you are willing to pay top dollar to see that kind of resolution on your high-end plasma screens, there is no guarantee that you will get the movie you want. Right now, in shop shelves, there are only about 100 titles in next-generation formats, compared with 1,000 in the United States. Read the full story in Wedneday's edition of The Straits Times. Haha seriously I was laughing when I read this piece of news..next-generation DVDs cost anywhere from $49.90 to $69.90 each? slow picking up? ya blame it on the greedy retailers, I'm sure their cost is definitely much lower if Amazon could sells them BOGOF. "New-fangled discs need specific players that cost usually about $1,000 - 10 times more than a regular DVD player which can cost about $100 now" ? Again US price leashes their players each day, why can't the local distributors do so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted December 23, 2007 Author Share Posted December 23, 2007 Pro: - you get the toys earliest - you get bragging rights - why do it? because its there - pruritis ani (aka itchy backside) Cons: - you pay for it - firmware issues - bugs in the version 1 machines - one format might not make it As for the last con, I have no issue with it because it will NOT be a toaster. When I bought my XA2 HD DVD player, I considered it a good DVD player and a nice transport for my music, no loss. Same went for my Samsung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsammyc Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Best thing is both XA2 and Samsung were lossless. Money wise that is ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted January 8, 2008 Author Share Posted January 8, 2008 The victory by Warner / BR will be a hollow one if the percentage of Hi Def remains at its current dismal level. I gaze around my room at the 300-400 unwatched new SD DVDs and decided that by the time I get down with them, I can worry about the fact that I have a HD DVD player and a shelf of BR discs with no player later. I hope BOGOFs will contine, and the prices of software and hardware will continue south. When we reach the end of 2008 and see that little has changed, then we will face another SACD / DVD A disaster... Until then, enjoy your SD DVDS! Upgrade the other bits of your toys and better yet, take a vacation from the whole upgraditis and emerge richer for it :) Already planning my road trip to Meleka over CNY instead of fretting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 Some friends have asked me in person or via pm on selling their HD DVD players and discs right now. My take is this, would you pay $500 for a very nice upscaling DVD player? One which is prob only bested by a Denon 3930 or Marantz DV 9600? If so, why fret, sit back and enjoy the whole Hi Def experience with what you already possess. The alternative is of course, cut your losses and do a firesale. If you opt for the second, may I suggest that you stop buying Any format for a while, until the format war is more settled? Why go mad then stocking discs from the rival format (don't worry they will get cheaper in the long run) only to see the fickle war enter an about face? What if MS offers a bigger incentive to the studios tomorrow and HD DVD is on top again? Just wait for a while, and see. Of course those waiting on the sidelines, just practise a little delayed gratification and you will see the fruits of it right now. Its not the same as those who keep waiting for new generatinos of TVs and comment on how expensive the TVs are or how much better a newer forthcoming generation will be. That is advancing technology with lowered prices. Here its still a toss up on the winner, although it may seem BR is on top, but never underestimate the behind the scenes wranggling that is going on now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeang88 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Hi Pete, I agree with you on this statement. Years ago when people were mad with the HUGE LD, i was caught also buying quite a few to "collect"... of them all, I got one of the Most Prized (at that time), Stars Wars Limited Edition 9LD set with Book and Leather case. I still am keeping this although at one point was thinking of selling it. Though I still have a LD player, it has never been used for many many years... (doubt it will still work)... Nevertheless, I still love my Stars Wars collection to death....even till today... even with the existence of the DVD versions which I also own... And I intend to own whichever HD version when it comes out... I think if we are bothered too much about which format survives and as a result have to buy-sell-buy-sell just to keep abreast of the Format war... in the end, no matter which format wins, we lose... the winners will merely be those Studios and retailers... Just enjoy what we have right now.. yah? Some friends have asked me in person or via pm on selling their HD DVD players and discs right now. My take is this, would you pay $500 for a very nice upscaling DVD player? One which is prob only bested by a Denon 3930 or Marantz DV 9600? If so, why fret, sit back and enjoy the whole Hi Def experience with what you already possess. The alternative is of course, cut your losses and do a firesale. If you opt for the second, may I suggest that you stop buying Any format for a while, until the format war is more settled? Why go mad then stocking discs from the rival format (don't worry they will get cheaper in the long run) only to see the fickle war enter an about face? What if MS offers a bigger incentive to the studios tomorrow and HD DVD is on top again? Just wait for a while, and see. Of course those waiting on the sidelines, just practise a little delayed gratification and you will see the fruits of it right now. Its not the same as those who keep waiting for new generatinos of TVs and comment on how expensive the TVs are or how much better a newer forthcoming generation will be. That is advancing technology with lowered prices. Here its still a toss up on the winner, although it may seem BR is on top, but never underestimate the behind the scenes wranggling that is going on now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armoury Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Years ago when people were mad with the HUGE LD, i was caught also buying quite a few to "collect"... of them all, I got one of the Most Prized (at that time), Stars Wars Limited Edition 9LD set with Book and Leather case. I still am keeping this although at one point was thinking of selling it. Though I still have a LD player, it has never been used for many many years... (doubt it will still work)... Nevertheless, I still love my Stars Wars collection to death....even till today... even with the existence of the DVD versions which I also own... And I intend to own whichever HD version when it comes out... I did exactly the same thing ;D indeed, I bought the Definitive Collection when it was released, some time in late 1993 I think, but didn't get an LD player until probably 1996 or even later, by which time it was already a dying format (got one cheap). Not sure if it still works, I tried it a while ago and after cleaning the lens it did seem to work a bit, but once SW OT came out on DVDs, especially with the unedited OOT, I haven't really bothered. Also laser rot means that my LDs skip the destruction of Alderaan. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cn9601 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi, bro. I have it ;D : LD Limited Edition Star Wars Trilogy, SD DVD Special Edition Star Wars Trilogy. BUT-BUT :-\ :'( the LD Player (Pioneer Made-in- Japan) appears to bite the dust with 'No Disc' error :'( :'( :'( I am still holding onto at least 10 LDs lol Years ago when people were mad with the HUGE LD, i was caught also buying quite a few to "collect"... of them all, I got one of the Most Prized (at that time), Stars Wars Limited Edition 9LD set with Book and Leather case. I still am keeping this although at one point was thinking of selling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeang88 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 ehehheehee, looks like i am not the only crazy one with all the available version of StarWars and STILL waiting for the definitive HD version!... haha i think it's the collecting that is part and parcel of the fun... btw, the book that came with it.. i think there is a demand for that on Ebay USA.. don't throw that away... as it's amongst the first prints.. the ones out in the bookstore are later prints.. anyway to prevent the Laser LD rot? ... it's same as DVD i guess.. i sealed mine with vacuum.. hope that works.... there's no way to check as my LD player is buried deep in my storeroom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cn9601 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Ure scaring me :-X :o (ahem) I just leave them in the cabinent. When the LD player was still working, I had tried most of those LDs and they still spin-ing with video and audio ;) I just hope I could crack open the LD player and re-align the lens.......lol the LD Star Wars come with AC3 and the LD player also have RF-AC3 OUT :D At that time, I remember I have to reserve the Special Edition LD Star Wars with Poh Kim ;D Cost me a bomb (ard S$100-150++), and that was my one-month meal allowance lol anyway to prevent the Laser LD rot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petetherock Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 For those with LDs you may wish to convert it to DVDs or something? A real pity to lose them. The face of Darth Vader in Part II (or 5 as it is now) has been altered in the latest discs on DVD, so your versions are priceless. Get a legacy Pioneer 919 or something as an alternative... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redders Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 For those with LDs you may wish to convert it to DVDs or something? A real pity to lose them. The face of Darth Vader in Part II (or 5 as it is now) has been altered in the latest discs on DVD, so your versions are priceless. Get a legacy Pioneer 919 or something as an alternative... Should be part 6 Return of the Jedi that Anakin's face was altered. Anyway the "classic unaltered" DVD has alson been released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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