TV shows in HD disc format?

[MickeS]

It seems like a no-brainer to me to release TV shows that were broadcast in HD on HD DVD or Blu-ray.

But just now I was looking to buy "The Office" and can only find it on regular DVD. As I'm looking around, seems like hardly ANY TV is available on HD discs.

I have no desire to buy something on DVD that I saw in HD on TV... how come the shows are not in HD on disc?

[ellinj]

It seems like a no-brainer to me to release TV shows that were broadcast in HD on HD DVD or Blu-ray.

But just now I was looking to buy "The Office" and can only find it on regular DVD. As I'm looking around, seems like hardly ANY TV is available on HD discs.

I have no desire to buy something on DVD that I saw in HD on TV... how come the shows are not in HD on disc?

Heroes is available in HD DVD. Not sure about anything else.

[appleye1]

Some HD-DVD shows:
Battlestar Galactica
Heroes
Smallville
Star Trek:TOS
Sopranos
Nip/Tuck

Some Blu-ray shows:
Lost
Weeds
Prison Break
Sopranos
Smallville
Nip/Tuck
Rescue Me

[smak]

I only have Heroes in HD now, but I might be interested in good shows that I haven't seen in HD like Rescue Me.

-smak-

[MickeS]

Hmm that's more than I realized. Of course, I was mostly looking at older shows, which I guess will never be on HD...

I hope The Office will come out in HD!

[spikedavis]

Yeah I was contemplating getting Heroes on DVD-but since I orginally saw them on HDTV and the DVDs were below that-It felt wrong.

That being said-I got my Playstation 3 tonight and have officially joined the Blu-Ray camp.

[swizzlest]

I think a lot of "average" people are waiting for a format winner before they commit to buying large numbers of high definition DVDs

Without demand, supply is therefore low.

[vikingguy]

I think a lot of "average" people are waiting for a format winner before they commit to buying large numbers of high definition DVDs

Without demand, supply is therefore low.


I think people are waiting for 1 side to get their **** together. Both sides have major issues that need to be resolved before the average person would even consider jumping in. If either side won today the average person is going to scoff at the winner.

1. Prices of the players/media are way to expensive right now. The cheapest real blu player is 399 dollars. I am talking 1.1 spec upgradeable to 2.0. Both sides have msrp of up to 34.99 for movies.

2. Neither side has a bullet proof player. You think the average person will want to do montly firmware upgrades? How many firmware upgrades did they have to do with their VCRs or DVD players? Add to that both sides have been plagued with bad batches of movies and players. I just retired a dvd player manufactured in 2000. It never had a single issue with any DVD or DVD -r. This is what both sides need to strive for.

3. A person either has to double dip ie buy movies on both dvd and HDM if they want them to play every where in the house/car/other portable devices. HD-DVD had a solution in combo discs but the high price and play back issues have gotten them a really bad name.

4. Lack of HD-TVs in the house hold.


The format war can go on until one side has a bullet proof 99 dollar player and movies with msrp of 24.99 or less. The only way this is going to happen is with competition.

[TAsunder]

Movies can generally be had for $25, just not everywhere at all times. I've never even paid $25 for an HD-DVD and I own about a dozen of them. Well, excluding planet earth for which I paid about twice that.

[vikingguy]

Movies can generally be had for $25, just not everywhere at all times. I've never even paid $25 for an HD-DVD and I own about a dozen of them. Well, excluding planet earth for which I paid about twice that.

I agree but the average person is not going to be going over deals sites daily to get the BOGOs ect. They will just see at walmart or best buy that new release HD movies are 2x as much as SD dvd releases. The great deals like BOGOs are one reason I don't mind this war. If the war ended tomarrow we would see these kind deals dry up. I like HD media but I am not going to pay 29.99 or more a movie.

[newsposter]

http://www.deepdiscount.com/Hi-Def_stcVVcatId462356VVviewcat.htm

[astrohip]

I think a lot of "average" people are waiting for a format winner before they commit to buying large numbers of high definition DVDs

I think people are waiting for 1 side to get their **** together. <snip>
+1000 to both of you. I have zero interest in spending my $$$ until they resolve their asinine & childish "my format is better than yours" rants. I had a Beta player. Never again.

Resolve it, bring out the $99 player, and $15 DVDs. Until then, most of us just sit on the sidelines, watching HD content on our HD TVs from cable, satellite & OTA.

[flaminio]

2. Neither side has a bullet proof player. You think the average person will want to do montly firmware upgrades?

So true. I saw one player that advertised an ethernet port so you could do updates online. This is a feature? I want a player that I can just stick a disc in and watch a show. I don't want to be a l33t h4xx0r just to see Blade Runner in HD.

[MickeS]

So true. I saw one player that advertised an ethernet port so you could do updates online. This is a feature? I want a player that I can just stick a disc in and watch a show. I don't want to be a l33t h4xx0r just to see Blade Runner in HD.

To be fair, the network connection is also used for content on some discs. But you're right, the players are still not mainstream enough. When I opened the box to my player, the first thing I saw was a sheet telling me to upgrade firmware. That's not what a mainstream product should do. :)

[smak]

So true. I saw one player that advertised an ethernet port so you could do updates online. This is a feature? I want a player that I can just stick a disc in and watch a show. I don't want to be a l33t h4xx0r just to see Blade Runner in HD.

Look where you WOULDN'T be, if when you bought your Tivo you just wanted a device that recorded TV shows, and stayed the same product forever.

I think you are perfectly fine in playing Blade Runner without upgrading your firmware.

-smak-

[spikedavis]

I was at Best Buy today and they were selling Lost Season 3 on Blu Ray for over 100 dollars? Who the hell are they kidding? How do you have the gall to sell it for that much when you can get the standard def for around 40 bucks? What an outrage. Until the studios make a reasonable price for the DVDs, the format war is just going to drag on and on.

[VegasVic]

Microsoft just spent millions this year to make sure the "war" won't end any time soon.

[terpfan1980]

Microsoft just spent millions this year to make sure the "war" won't end any time soon.

Source for that information please?

[hanumang]

So true. I saw one player that advertised an ethernet port so you could do updates online. This is a feature? I want a player that I can just stick a disc in and watch a show. I don't want to be a l33t h4xx0r just to see Blade Runner in HD.

An ethernet port is actually mandated by the HD-DVD spec, so all players must have them in order to be certified with the HD-DVD logo. The expectations are, sadly, that folks will need to update firmware has certain authoring hurdles are cleared.

I don't believe ethernet ports are mandated by the Blu-Ray spec, and that's a serious problem because that makes most Blu-Ray players in homes obsolete already. Models manufactured prior to October 2007 were Blu-Ray Profile 1.0 and won't play discs with the much-hyped Blu-Ray Profile 1.1 functions (including picture-in-picture) that Blu-Ray is hoping will turn the tide in it's favor, since picture-in-picture is kinda HD-DVDs trump card. The one exception to the casualty list is the PS3, which has networking capabilities and was bumped up to Profile 1.1 last week. The first BD 1.1 disc will be released in the Q1 of 2008, IIRC.

For what it's worth, I think this is good in theory. I remember when DVDs first when dual-layer in 1999, many first-gen players choked on them.

But honestly, since most folks don't really care about HD - be it owning an HDTV or obtaining HD broadcasts and content - I don't see any side winning this war anytime soon.

[hanumang]

Source for that information please?

I'm pretty sure that was a reference to the rumors (that can never be confirmed, of course) that Paramount/DreamWorks dropped Blu-Ray support because they were paid off by Microsoft. And that another studio (who's name is eluding me right now) was also paid off not to switch over to Blu-Ray.

[ellinj]

Source for that information please?


Michael Bay director of Transformers

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=595#top

[terpfan1980]

I'm pretty sure that was a reference to the rumors (that can never be confirmed, of course) that Paramount/DreamWorks dropped Blu-Ray support because they were paid off by Microsoft. And that another studio (who's name is eluding me right now) was also paid off not to switch over to Blu-Ray.

Michael Bay director of Transformers

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=595#top

Microsoft just spent millions this year to make sure the "war" won't end any time soon.

Source for that information please?

Actually I think the reply that I was querying was more in reference to the Michael Bay info, and actually probably more based on rumors that are swirling around that Warner's is about to go format exclusive and drop their neutrality.

Those rumors are claiming that there have been big meetings recently with Toshiba/Microsoft and possibly Universal trying to sweet talk Warners into going exclusive, with Microsoft making demands for other exclusives but making major $$$ concessions (along with Toshiba or perhaps with Toshiba's money instead of Microsoft, etc.)

All rumors at this point, which is why I asked for source, and not rumor type information, or accusations by the likes of Michael Bay who has had an axe to grind about his studio going exclusively HD DVD. Bay is a fan of the Blu team. Big whoop. He believes that Microsoft wants to run a movies via download business ala their Video Marketplace on the Xbox 360. Well d'uh. Yeah, they do. But to the exclusion of disc based movies? Don't think so. They may perhaps be trying to extend the format war to give themselves time to ramp up movies via downloads, but unless they can place their own boxes in the vast majority of households in this country, and unless they can deliver broadband to a lot of people that have no hope of getting it, there will be a market for disc based products for quite a while.

In anycase, after CES these rumors will likely be put to rest once and hopefully for all. Lets see what really happens rather than discussing rumors.

[hanumang]

Since the query started asking for sources regarding Microsoft allegedly spending millions of dollars to keep HD DVD afloat, I now remember where I first saw a dollar-figure mentioned in the Paramount deal from a traditional media source: The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/technology/21disney.html?ex=1345435200&en=fe619b851abc0231&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink).

[terpfan1980]

Since the query started asking for sources regarding Microsoft allegedly spending millions of dollars to keep HD DVD afloat, I now remember where I first saw a dollar-figure mentioned in the Paramount deal from a traditional media source: The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/technology/21disney.html?ex=1345435200&en=fe619b851abc0231&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink).

There are certainly dollar figures involved in the Paramount deal, the question will remain where that money came from.

Bay assumes that the money came from Microsoft because of the conspiracy theory he has cooked up about them wanting to ruin disc based distribution of high-def content in favor of using broadband based distribution methods. The only problem with that is that Microsoft can't necessarily handle that sort of load anytime soon (witness problems with Xbox Live over the last week...) and even if they can there are lots of customers that will never buy content via broadband because they want to own it, hold it, use it whenever they wish, etc.

Fans of the side that lose either studio over to the other side will certainly complain that it only happened because of some financial payoff. Tracking that money directly back to Microsoft may be something that will be impossible to do since Microsoft has partners in the HD DVD group just as Sony has partners in the Blu-ray Disc alliance/association.

For now I'd rather see hard news and not rumors, and for now all that we have regarding Microsoft spending a lot of money to keep a winner from emerging is rumor, plain and simple.

[hanumang]

Where do you think you'll get hard news about payoffs? Are you expecting the Mitchell Report on Hi-Def Video Discs? :rolleyes:

[anom]

I was at Best Buy today and they were selling Lost Season 3 on Blu Ray for over 100 dollars? Who the hell are they kidding? How do you have the gall to sell it for that much when you can get the standard def for around 40 bucks? What an outrage. Until the studios make a reasonable price for the DVDs, the format war is just going to drag on and on.
$100/season was about the going rate when they first started releasing tv shows on dvd. The price will drop.

[smak]

$100/season was about the going rate when they first started releasing tv shows on dvd. The price will drop.

Lost on Blu-Ray at Amazon is $58.

And they show the list price at $97, so I don't know where Best Buy gets their $100 price, and I don't know why they think they can sell it for over $100.

That's a pretty big difference.

-smak-