"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

We even gave ‘em a plug at around 2:45.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWOQNXOZCog

And now the Jobster undermines us.

The wife and I starting watching Zohan this past weekend, but got foiled by our littlest one who was demanding a bit of attention.

B.T.W.
Where you been old friend…….hanging out somewhere between the clinoid processes, or some such place?

Actually, that's not that far off! Its been crazy busy in my neck of the woods-- way too much time in the OR. I'm not sure my kids know what I look like anymore! I was also in Orlando a couple of weeks back for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. I still like to come up for air every now and then, and peek in on what's going on in the Club. Lots of neat insight, as usual.

Alright-- back to the salt mines....

Cheers mate!

[Rysz]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Unfortunately deep colour is not in the BD spec. Neither is xvYCC.

Gary

Can you or anybody else confirm this ?

I've been discussing this with a guy fron Denon and he says that BD discs containing "deep color" is for release medio 2009 and the current players can read these discs.

Personally I have my doubts, but I can't seem to find anybody with enough inside info to end this discussion once and for all.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

And now the Jobster undermines us.

It gets better:

On a memo circulated Tuesday, Microsoft mentions Blu-ray as one of the "latest and greatest" features PC has and Mac doesn't!

"HDMI, Blu-Ray, eSATA, MediaCard Readers, built-in 3G, Fingerprint readers, TV Tuners, all have been shipping as built-in features on PCs for years, but none are available on a Mac. Not only does this mean you get to use the latest and greatest now, but since it's so easy to upgrade PCs, it also means that your computer is more future-ready...you can get today's technology now, and tomorrow's technology the minute its available."

http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/n...m?newsid=23183

Welcome to Bizarro world.

[iceman]

Originally Posted by Grubert

Welcome to Bizarro world.

Thanks to AVS we've already been there for several years

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by iceman

Thanks to AVS we've already been there for several years

True. But I'd never thought I'd see Apple diss Blu-ray and Microsoft praise it.

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by pellucidity

I realize that I sound like a broken record or a FSF zealot, but unless Apple gets a sweetheart deal from the BDA, I think they will be very reluctant to fundamentally re-engineer their OS to meet the legal requirements for Blu-ray playback.

Apple will have to figure out how to make some sort of licensing deal and do so very soon. Apple really needs to get BD playback and authoring incorporated into its iMovie and Final Cut applications. Apple may start losing a lot of Final Cut customers to Adobe since Adobe's Production Studio suite does offer BD authoring for the Mac platform.

I think this issue will add to damage that has been done to Apple's reputation of being the leader in creative computing. A major component of Apple's fashion-chic image is its reputation of being the platform of choice for any creative worker. The reality is not that simple.

A lot of people probably think their Blu-ray movie discs were professionally authored using Mac-based hardware. The truth is enterprise level BD authoring systems like Sonic Scenarist, Sony Blu-print, NetBlender DoStudio and Sofatronic Kaleidoscope all run only on Windows.

Windows PC users have a growing number of choices in a variety of price ranges for creating their own Blu-ray discs. Companies like Avid/Pinnacle, Adobe, Sony and others are competing with each other to provide those choices.

What do Apple's customers get? They can use Toast. Perhaps there's a couple of other affordable applications out there. Adobe's Production Studio seems to be the only option for any sort of professional or semi-professional use, if you have $1699 laying around. I think Apple customers have a right to be pretty angry about this.

[Uxi]

Both Apple and Microsoft recognize that cloud computing could/will destroy their traditional business models. Both have tried to branch into the living room. Noone could credibly say that AppleTV has been successful (same with Media Center). Xbox 360 could have been considered successsful if it didn't have a huge rate of hardware failure with it's associated ancillary costs.

The prosumer video authoring market is something that alot of apple fans have touted. Adobe is definitely chomping at the bit... and Apple looks like they're leaving them a huge opening.

[Jeff Kleist]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

A lot of people probably think their Blu-ray movie discs were professionally authored using Mac-based hardware. The truth is enterprise level BD authoring systems like Sonic Scenarist, Sony Blu-print, NetBlender DoStudio and Sofatronic Kaleidoscope all run only on Windows.

DVD Studio Pro is also just a Mac rewrite of Spruce DVD Maestro that Apple bought. In professional authoring circles, the standard is Scenarist for DVD, as it has the best compatibility with everything out there. Sure it's a technical nightmare to use, but if you only know DVD Studio Pro, you're going to have a hard time getting work at a name brand authoring house. Right now; Scenarist seems to be still the solid favorite for Blu, with Blu-print coming up behind in my experience.

Macs are still commonly used for generating assets, but even that is starting to change because all the applications their artists are using have PC versions that are just as good, and their tech dept can support a single platform(saves $$).

[Penton-Man]

Nice story by Roger Ebert, linked to by Josh on our news page……………
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/

All I would like to add is that Ron Fricke’s (Director and Cinematographer) follow-up to Baraka, is currently shooting with a 65mm Panavision system and with the help of Producer Mark Magidson, it’s due for a theatrical release in 2009………and after that, well, you know on what high definition home media format we’re all here for.

The name of the film is Samsara, and is to have footage captured from over 20 different countries including something like 20min. of original musical score for those with keen ears as well as keen eyes.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

.........think Apple customers have a right to be pretty angry about this.

I agree.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by iceman

Thanks to AVS we've already been there for several years

Hey, rumor has it that AVS is looking to buy some other forums/boards.
If the Postmaster General is reading this thread and has been contacted,

I say………..Don’t sell HTF!

[CptGreedle]

As an Apple customer for almost 20 years, I can say for sure that I am a little upset that Apple still doesn't support Blu-ray, but I am not that upset.
Right now, Blu-ray is still a minority compared to DVD, so the sales will not be that great. Now adding a BD drive will boost the popularity and help increase the sales of BD discs and drives, but they are not always the first to jump into technology. In fact, they still lack built-in flash card readers.
I think it is safe to say that Apple will support Blu-ray eventually, hopefully by 2009. But I am also an avid Adobe user. I love their products and have no qualms using Adobe software over Apple software.
On that note, CS4, which is due out this year, combined with this new AMEX BD burner for Mac, is a dream come true. I would probably have gone this route anyways so the money is not an issue. The drive is also at a great price, and Premier Pro is no more expensive than FCP.

I think that when Adobe adds this, and AMEX (and other companies) sells their BD drives to mac users, this will help generate the demand and Apple will have to add support.

So I think the recent events we heard about today are the best thing for Apple users right now short of full Apple support.

[Uxi]

Seeing Apple trump their 1M HD episodes sold... Have we seen how many units have sold of Lost on Blu-ray for example? Any rough estimate for what total disc sales are at, anyways?

[Jeff Kleist]

Lost sold well above expectations, if I had to make an guess that would mean somewhere in the 50,000 range, but I'd say I could be off by a good amount in either direction.

The only time you see studios publishing numbers is when it's something to brag about, and the number has to be big enough to impress by itself. That's one of the reasons why you always saw HD DVD crowing attach rates rather than units sold.

[Mr_Bester]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Lost sold well above expectations, if I had to make an guess that would mean somewhere in the 50,000 range, but I'd say I could be off by a good amount in either direction.

The only time you see studios publishing numbers is when it's something to brag about, and the number has to be big enough to impress by itself. That's one of the reasons why you always saw HD DVD crowing attach rates rather than units sold.

50,000 x 22 episodes = 1.1 million

[Jeff Kleist]

Twenty-THREE episodes

So yes, that's pretty good numbers if I'm right. Again, 50k is an educated guess with a wide margin or error. Suffice to say I'm sure that using that counting Blu-ray is over 2 million episodes by now.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Nice story by Roger Ebert, linked to by Josh on our news page……………
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/

All I would like to add is that Ron Fricke’s (Director and Cinematographer) follow-up to Baraka, is currently shooting with a 65mm Panavision system and with the help of Producer Mark Magidson, it’s due for a theatrical release in 2009………and after that, well, you know on what high definition home media format we’re all here for.

The name of the film is Samsara, and is to have footage captured from over 20 different countries including something like 20min. of original musical score for those with keen ears as well as keen eyes.

..

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

I think Apple customers have a right to be pretty angry about this.

..

[BluDomain]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...dd499358f8a3a2

U.K. film, video numbers defy credit crunch
Cinema admissions up 6%, DVD sales up 6.5%By Stuart Kemp

Oct 16, 2008, 07:22 AM ET
LONDON -- The credit crunch, global financial turmoil, rising unemployment and rocketing household bills is all good news for the home entertainment industry and movie theaters in the U.K.

At least at the moment, if research from the British Video Assn. is to be believed.

Third-quarter figures from the group flag record DVD sales of 51.7 million units, up 6.5% on the same period last year.

September was a bumper month, with video sales up 7.4% over the same month last year, the BVA said Thursday. The jump took sales through the end of September to 161.8 million DVDs.

The U.K. cinema industry also has seen its best performance in 40 years, with the Cinema Exhibitors' Assn. announcing total admissions for June-August at 53.6 million, up 6% from last year.

And the BVA is confident things will only get better, with the months running up to Christmas usually playing out as bumper buying time for DVDs and moviegoing.

Blu-ray will also play a key role going forward. The research indicates Blu-ray Disc sales up 396% to just short of 1.5 million units for the year to date.
"Everyone enjoys a well told story and, at times of economic hardship, history has shown that U.K. consumers turn to the home entertainment and film industries for comfort," BVA director general Lavinia Carey said. "As a popular and value-for-money choice for leisure spending, we expect to see continued volume growth in our market as consumers tighten their belts."

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by BluDomain

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...dd499358f8a3a2

U.K. film, video numbers defy credit crunch
Cinema admissions up 6%, DVD sales up 6.5%By Stuart Kemp

Oct 16, 2008, 07:22 AM ET
LONDON -- The credit crunch, global financial turmoil, rising unemployment and rocketing household bills is all good news for the home entertainment industry and movie theaters in the U.K.

At least at the moment, if research from the British Video Assn. is to be believed.

Third-quarter figures from the group flag record DVD sales of 51.7 million units, up 6.5% on the same period last year.

September was a bumper month, with video sales up 7.4% over the same month last year, the BVA said Thursday. The jump took sales through the end of September to 161.8 million DVDs.

The U.K. cinema industry also has seen its best performance in 40 years, with the Cinema Exhibitors' Assn. announcing total admissions for June-August at 53.6 million, up 6% from last year.

And the BVA is confident things will only get better, with the months running up to Christmas usually playing out as bumper buying time for DVDs and moviegoing.

Blu-ray will also play a key role going forward. The research indicates Blu-ray Disc sales up 396% to just short of 1.5 million units for the year to date.
"Everyone enjoys a well told story and, at times of economic hardship, history has shown that U.K. consumers turn to the home entertainment and film industries for comfort," BVA director general Lavinia Carey said. "As a popular and value-for-money choice for leisure spending, we expect to see continued volume growth in our market as consumers tighten their belts."

I wonder how the Lee Stewarts of the world will spin that. I remember DVD did quite in well in the 2001 economic slowdown too.