RSSArmistice Day for the format war: Toshiba signs on with Blu-ray
By Tim Conneally | Published August 10, 2009, 8:46 AM
Toshiba this morning announced that it has applied for membership in the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), the body in charge of standardizing and evangelizing the high definition disc format, and that it intends to launch Blu-ray notebooks and standalone players this year.
"In light of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers alike, Toshiba has decided to join the BDA," read the company's statement this morning.
Today's announcement confirms last month's report in Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun in which an anonymous insider said that the former champion of HD DVD had plans to release its own Blu-ray players by the end of 2009.
Like a shy schoolboy, Toshiba is acting as though it's just now considering its Blu-ray product plans for 2009; but of course, there's not much of 2009 left. "Toshiba aims to introduce digital products that support the Blu-ray format, including BD players and notebook PCs integrating BD drives, in the course of this year," reads this morning's statement. "Details of the products, including the timing of regional launches, are now under consideration."
If Toshiba could massproduce their SDXC cards and get some 256GB versions or so really cheap then perhaps less media for tv-series could be achieved.. but the question is how low price can you get on these cards..
Would be nice to just see the regular movies on 64GB SDXC cards too..
Then Toshiba could get their own format.. if they made Blu-Ray players with SDXC slots also.. dont know if its realistic to expect the memory cards to get cheap enough for this possibility, but it sure would be nice with physical movies taking less space..
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|Really thats the best ALLMIGHT sony can do?? Give the world a 25G storage disc?? 5X that of a DVD (10+ years later).. it's a JOKE!!!.. HVD (3.9T is about the same age) where are you??
Sorry to say.. Media companies control tech... We can only hope for the day where Tech is on it's own...
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|50gb dual layer
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|Actually, the PORN industry controls technology. It is a major reason behind VHS, DVD, BRD and the internet succeeding as much as it has.
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|Let's not forget that the porn industry initially backed HD-DVD. HD-DVD was cheaper because AACS was not mandatory while it is with Blu-ray. Furthermore the BDA initially said no to porn and without a license the porn industry couldn't legally release anything on Blu-ray. It was later in the Format War that the BDA reversed their decision and said yes to porn. That along with some original HD-DVD backing studios jumping ship to release movies on Blu-ray sounded the death knell.
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|Hopefully they'll be great quality at a great price.
I thought BR would do wonders for box sets but these things are still being sold with lots of DVDs....example: The Battlestar Galactica entire series (new series) comes with 25 DVDs, the Blu-Ray version comes with 20. To me that doesn't make sense, maybe there's a LOT more content on the BR disks? I'm inclined toward the studios not wanting people to feel cheated to buy 4 disks for $200 [that's roughly 25 disks@~8GB each right? = 200GB, which is = 4 BR Disks, but to be more fair, maybe double that for quality' sake, so 8 Disks...still a far way from 20].
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|The HD version take up a lot more space then the SD versions do. They could but the SD version of Battlestar on 4 blurays but everyone would want the HD version.
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|Once thought the same way. But technically I really can't wait till consumer BD prices come down so I can stick my info on the 25gb ones. although maybe this'll mean the dual layer dvdr's will come down but they are still out of reach.
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|"everyone would want the HD version."
Everyone?
I wouldn't if I could get 720 or even 480 on less physical media. Yes, we broke down and bought a 50" Panasonic, but TBH, even SD is "watchable" on it and if you're not "into" whatever you're watching enough to not care that you cannot see the wrinkles under Abby's (NCIS) eyes, why are you even watching?
I would *love* to be able to get full seasons or even "entire series" on less media. Quality is secondary.
Hell, FTM, give me the "digital copy" so I don't even have to *have* the physical media...
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|I agree with PC. I would really like to see these things fit on less media. And IV I know what you're saying is true, which is why I expanded my little theory to 8 disks, but I really don't think that they're using up all the disk space per blu ray disk. As I mentioned, I think it will be almost impossible to 'sell' and 'market' even 8 disks for $200 and THAT is why they're still using so much physical media.
After I wrote the response here, I went through and looked at different box sets and even single disk sets for movies and found out that blu ray are pretty much just like regular dvds except they sell for more money. Xmen is sold on 2 DVDs and also 2 blu ray disks. The box set of xmen trilogy for blu ray, 9 disks...regular 3 disks, difference in price, ~$32.
I'm not saying the transfers to blu-ray aren't worth it. Movies with lots of special effects def. look better on blu-ray, especially on newer HD screens BUT I really do believe there's something fishy going on. One dual layered disk fits 50GB and noone can tell me that you can't fit all 3 Xmen movies in HD in 50GB of space.
Alas, for all my talk I'm still going to go out and waste my money on em'. Some movies you can get away with upscaling (drama/comedy/etc), but not the Fx-y ones (sci-fi/fantasy/some horror, etc.) - they are completely different in Blu-Ray. I've completed my trials with the help of Netflix, and so I can say with truth, that is a fact.
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|"but of course, there's not much of 2009 left." Just under half isn't enough for you?
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|Just under half? Less than a third of the year left, actually.
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|Less than a third would mean that more than 8 months passed and we're currently running that 8th month. ;)
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|Does anyone else realize that most businesses operate in the FISCAL year, 01OCT->31SEP?
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|Actually, most businesses operate from 1st April to 31 Mar.
Please remember that the world is not the United States.
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|And it seems it's Toshiba's case:
http://www.toshiba.co.jp.../en/news/20090129_2.htm
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|Most fortune 500 businesses are based where?
No, really. I don't know. But I would guess the answer is...the United States? ;)
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|Plus, it seems people ASSUMED what I was talking about. Assumption is a dangerous thing. Don't assume, rather ask if you are unsure. Best advice I have been given to date.
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|Fortune 500 != Most business
This article is about TOSHIBA, not most business.
So be relevant for once. -_-;
And it all started because someone thinks 2009 has ended. :P
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