LG Combo unit scrapped, back on with Blu Ray.

[BTBuck1]

LG Electronics just can't seem to make up its mind about the next-gen DVD format. Last year, the company announced it would ship a Blu-ray player in Q2 of this year, and "bring some sanity to this continuing battle."

Instead, the insanity raged on, which is why LG announced in March that it would NOT ship the promised BD199 Blu-ray player, but would roll out a hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD deck instead.

Last week, the company said it had scrapped plans for a hybrid model and would focus again on Blu-ray.

In other LG news, the company announced two 1080p LCD TVs, a 37- and 42-inch model, which should hit the U.S. in Q3.

Click here for more news from the LG event.

[zombie]

I wonder if LG will be smart enough to give consumers the first budget priced BD player. By budget I mean, $499, comparable with the cheapest HD DVD player. Also I skimmed the article but didn't see a time frame for their first BD player.

[BTBuck1]

Perry announced a few days ago. No word on when an LG-branded Blu-ray deck may ship in the U.S.

^ this is from the article

[AV_Integrated]

I find it very interesting that after moving away from Blu-ray specifically, LG chose this time to reaffirm its support of the Blu-ray format. It is a very unusual move considering the much stronger initial support showing for HD-DVD over Blu-ray.

I would say that this holiday season will really be interesting.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by AV_Integrated

I find it very interesting that after moving away from Blu-ray specifically, LG chose this time to reaffirm its support of the Blu-ray format. It is a very unusual move considering the much stronger initial support showing for HD-DVD over Blu-ray.

I would say that this holiday season will really be interesting.

This is what continues to puzzle me. HD DVD starts off nice, Blu-ray starts off looking vastly inferior - yet all of Blu-ray's exclusive studio and hardware support remains intact. This is something that HD DVD fanboys continuously say will change in time. My question is when? Why haven't these companies decided to jump ship or at least give dual format support? The only reason I can come up with is that all of the companies still believe Blu-ray will emerge victorious. And at this early stage, who's to say they're wrong? Surely the confidence of the BDA has not been waivered by the early success of it's competitor.

[BTBuck1]

Because do you guys honestly think these CE companies are stupid? only DUMBA$$&%'s on avsforum look at things like amazon.com's sales charts and go "oh dude, HDDVD is kicking BR's AZZoRxz!!1" neithe of these companies have turned a profit yet, and wont for probably a year or 2 on this stuff. These companies console with engineers and eachother and plot this shit out heavily. Options are weighed, relationships are made and partnerships created. These studio's aren't dumb...they know where the money is, and it aint with what i concider HD-Lite (HDDVD) when you can only carry 30gb's of data and you have to compress the hell out of a movie to fit it in, and now all you have left room for is SD extra features and maybe 1 or 2 audio tracks, what kind of future is that? and how is that a HUGE leap over what we have now? this would be cool if formats laster 2-3 years, but this format needs to go on a minimum of 10 more years and we will outgrow this stuff in the next year or 2, hell most of us want more NOW!!!!!
CE companies know this, Movie studio's know this...only HDDVD fanboi's are blind to this (or those with money to burn a whole in their pockets with impatience) Add in those relationships i mentioned, Industry muscle that Sony has & IMO Toshiba's GREED (thats right i said it) they don't want their cash cow DVDname/licensing fee's & their partnership with vc-1 crazy M$ to fizzle...But the other companies get it, thats why they are tired of making Tosh rich, they wanna spread it around a lil bit, but oh no, not Toshiba...why else did they walk away from the table twice? these other companies said...well screw em, let em do their own thing and ALL OF US (everybody practically) will do ours, because they know HDDVD spec isn't enough long term. It's short sitedness that ruins any company.

Anyways, those are my theories.

[zombie]

Originally Posted by Brian@BBY

Because do you guys honestly think these CE companies are stupid?

I don't think they're stupid, a bit foolish at times though. No other way to explain the Sony and Lions Gate BDs thus far.

only DUMBA$$&%'s on avsforum look at things like amazon.com's sales charts and go "oh dude, HDDVD is kicking BR's AZZoRxz!!1"

Agreed 100%. I hate those threads about Amazon's sales ranking. At this point they mean jack. And that's still only one retailer.

I'll get back to the rest of your rant tomorrow if I have some more time.

[ProvenFlipper]

Originally Posted by nyg

I wonder if LG will be smart enough to give consumers the first budget priced BD player. By budget I mean, $499, comparable with the cheapest HD DVD player. Also I skimmed the article but didn't see a time frame for their first BD player.

I agree with this statement as well... If not this cheap then at least something close. Most of LG's other products sell for less than other brands, so I hope this one can be the same. Hell, even if they have to take out some functionaity that the average consumer wouldn't miss it would help out the BD camp alot.

[JTK]

LG is one of those brands that knowledgeable people usually tend to avoid more often than not.

Probably unfair to some degree, but not fully, is the perception that they are second rate and have inconsistent quality control.

This is indeed true, but they have put out some nice products as well, from time to time. Some of their PC LCD's are nice and a few other things. The Zenith DVB318 was a really good upconverting DVD player at $200 or less, although mine kicked the bucket after two years of moderate use.


Frankly, I almost wonder if LG would be doing someone a greater favor by NOT putting out a player for them vs. putting one out.

Someone that's in this market...do you really give a rats' ass about LG if you can choose from the likes of Sony, Pioneer Elite, Panasonic, JVC, and maybe even Sharp and Mitsubishi by year's end?

...

Me, either.

[marzetta7]

Ratatatatatatata. Ratatatatata......

I'm hearing a bit of shock and awe in the distance......I'm sure it is going to get louder and more fierce in the next month or so.

LGs exclusive addition will complement the Blu-ray onslaght quite well. Good news.

[BTBuck1]

Originally Posted by JTK

LG is one of those brands that knowledgeable people usually tend to avoid more often than not.

I know I do!

Probably unfair to some degree, but not fully, is the perception that they are second rate and have inconsistent quality control.

Interesting, I feal the exact same way of their products as I do of Toshiba's!

This is indeed true, but they have put out some nice products as well, from time to time. Some of their PC LCD's are nice and a few other things. The Zenith DVB318 was a really good upconverting DVD player at $200 or less, although mine kicked the bucket after two years of moderate use.

True, not all their stuff is bad, most is actually pretty good, just not for me.

Frankly, I almost wonder if LG would be doing someone a greater favor by NOT putting out a player for them vs. putting one out.

Ya know they assist Toshiba in the Manufacturing of the HDDVD players, dont know that i'd want that help if i were them.

Someone that's in this market...do you really give a rats' ass about LG if you can choose from the likes of Sony, Pioneer Elite, Panasonic, JVC, and maybe even Sharp and Mitsubishi by year's end?

...

Me, either.

I wouldn't but i'm sure it's a viable option for some of the tight asses out there. the more the merrier IMO.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by marzetta

Ratatatatatatata. Ratatatatata......

I'm hearing a bit of shock and awe in the distance......I'm sure it is going to get louder and more fierce in the next month or so.

LGs exclusive addition will complement the Blu-ray onslaght quite well. Good news.

I agree with you, but LG is hardly shock and awe by any definition.

Originally Posted by Brian@BBY

Interesting, I feal the exact same way of their products as I do of Toshiba's!

Yeah, it's about the same level, although I must say...Toshiba has pleasantly suprised...no...shocked me thus far with HD-DVD. Good customer support. Good product support. Good 'nuff player given the $500 price tag and no one could argue with the end results that show up on your screen and come out of your speakers.

Ya know they assist Toshiba in the Manufacturing of the HDDVD players, dont know that i'd want that help if i were them.

Eh. There's so much cross pollinating all over the place. Sony and Toshiba do things togehter, as do everyone else.

That's why there's a lot of aspect of this so called format war that are just downright laughable in some respects.

I wouldn't but i'm sure it's a viable option for some of the tight asses out there. the more the merrier IMO.

It would be nice if LG ended up being the first standalone Blu-Ray player to FINALLY get down near that $500 price point, because there are some people who just don't give a crap about buying a game console, one way or the other.

Blu-Ray needs something besides the PS3 at or around that $500 price tag level.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by Brian@BBY

These studio's aren't dumb...they know where the money is, and it aint with what i concider HD-Lite (HDDVD) when you can only carry 30gb's of data and you have to compress the hell out of a movie to fit it in, and now all you have left room for is SD extra features and maybe 1 or 2 audio tracks, what kind of future is that? and how is that a HUGE leap over what we have now? this would be cool if formats laster 2-3 years, but this format needs to go on a minimum of 10 more years and we will outgrow this stuff in the next year or 2, hell most of us want more NOW!!!!

HD DVD is not DVD Lite. VC-1 and AVC were designed to compress more yet
"keep" more quality than say MPEG2. I understand your passion here but technically speaking you're way off. Both formats will EASILY last a decade. The rest of your post was fine. Carry on

[mainman]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

HD DVD is not DVD Lite. VC-1 and AVC were designed to compress more yet
"keep" more quality than say MPEG2. I understand your passion here but technically speaking you're way off. Both formats will EASILY last a decade. The rest of your post was fine. Carry on

I thought all codecs had the same quality, the only difference is that Mpeg2 needs more space to get the same thing as the other two codecs.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by BrianBBY

These studio's aren't dumb...they know where the money is, and it aint with what i concider HD-Lite (HDDVD)

I'm amazed you wrote this.

No offense man, but this is dead wrong.

Most cable and satellite = HD Lite.

HD-DVD owns that hands down. Absolutely not true and I think you know it.

... when you can only carry 30gb's of data

Only?

Look, how much space do you really need to use and maybe even waste if you're using a slick and efficient codec that isn't a space hog like MPEG2 is?

That's what this format war is about, really: Left hand vs. right hand to get to essentially the same place.

... and you have to compress the hell out of a movie to fit it in, and now all you have left room for is SD extra features and maybe 1 or 2 audio tracks, what kind of future is that?

Have you seen and used HD-DVD for any appreciable amount of time?

It's a pretty damned amazing future for us all, in terms of HD, if first gen is already looking this great.

...and how is that a HUGE leap over what we have now?

See it for yourself and use it, and you'll know.

There's nothing anyone can tell you or write on the Internet that's going to change your mind or mean anything.

this would be cool if formats laster 2-3 years, but this format needs to go on a minimum of 10 more years and we will outgrow this stuff in the next year or 2, hell most of us want more NOW!!!!

That's what I bought HD-DVD, because I wanted the best HD on the market RIGHT NOW, including out of broadcast, andI got it. and that's a fact.

Soon, Blu-Ray will join those ranks, but honestly man...to call either one of these formats HD lite in contrast to satellite or cable? You got it reversed all the way, my man.

And yes, at least one, if not both formats will easily last a decade. People aren't that eager to be chained down to the Internet for eveything and most people still like to have something concrete and tangible to show for the exchange of their money.


REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ELSE, the facts are:

HD-DVD has delivered the goods and proven itself: Great, if not the best HD. RIGHT NOW.

VC-1 is a great codec and has proven itself. RIGHT NOW.

[BTBuck1]

Originally Posted by JTK

I'm amazed you wrote this.

No offense man, but this is dead wrong.

Most cable and satellite = HD Lite.

Most concider and refer to HD Cable/Sat as HDLite.

I refered to HDDVD as HD Lite because it is Lite on forseeable storage capacity not on PQ or Sound, The future looks bleak IMO for them because they lack the space (not the effeciency now) for future added content. Some movies have damn near maxxed out thatr 30gb with nary a hint of HD special features or multiple lossless tracks.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Brian@BBY

Most concider and refer to HD Cable/Sat as HDLite.

I refered to HDDVD as HD Lite because it is Lite on forseeable storage capacity not on PQ or Sound,

Inapplicable term.

Then I guess the current crop of BD25's must truly be HD-lite under this definition.

The future looks bleak IMO for them because they lack the space (not the effeciency now) for future added content.

Does the Earth really revolve around 20 gigs?

Sure, I like more space as much as anyone, but again: How much space do you really NEED if you're using an uber advanced and more efficient codec and you yield the same results (or arguably BETTER RIGHT NOW?)

Some movies have damn near maxxed out thatr 30gb with nary a hint of HD special features or multiple lossless tracks.

Who cares? How does the movie look and sound? That's all I care about.

This is first of first gen stuff.

Compare a DVD from a decade ago to now. Not even close.

Some folks needs to get away from the supposed, promised specs that are still ON PAPER ONLY and start dealing with what actually exists NOW.

I'm sorry if that storage capacity issue is all that's really standing between you and great HD. It's nice, but it just isn't that critical if you know how to UTILIZE space efficiently and well.

That being said, if I see BD50's one of these years (when is it actually coming?) with a great and efficient codec, so much the better.

MORE! MORE! MORE!

[BTBuck1]

First the COXHD in San Diego atleast is awesome, only occasional bandwidth artifacting on intense action scenes (cameras flashing/explosions) far better than what i've seen from dish/directtv

second, all your points are appreciated and hold merit value.

3rd,
what about recorders? don't those count for anything? doesn't 50gb mean more than 30 and wont 20gb's extra storage be apprecciable then, or with added content?

Maybe it's just me, but i'll take everything i can get. you wont catch me buying a Celeron PC or 2.6ghzp4 just to save a few bucks, I know the pc has to last me a while so i overbuy, and I like the BDA's philosophy on this. They know better than we do.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Brian@BBY

First the COXHD in San Diego atleast is awesome, only occasional bandwidth artifacting on intense action scenes (cameras flashing/explosions) far better than what i've seen from dish/directtv

And as good as that is, and I know it varies from service to service and region...you ain't seen the best yet.

second, all your points are appreciated and hold merit value.

Likewise.

3rd,
what about recorders? don't those count for anything? doesn't 50gb mean more than 30 and wont 20gb's extra storage be apprecciable then, or with added content?

I'll worry about that when I can actually see one, buy one and have use for it.

Maybe it's just me, but i'll take everything i can get. you wont catch me buying a Celeron PC or 2.6ghzp4 just to save a few bucks, I know the pc has to last me a while so i overbuy, and I like the BDA's philosophy on this. They know better than we do.

Yes, but we're dumb drones that are just going to take the PR marketing department's word for it, either.

Sony is known making tons of grandiose promises and not delivering. Compare the PS3's specs at last year's E3 to this one.

All these companies do it to some degree: "Promise" the world on paper vs. the competitors, but they need to DELIVER. I need to SEE IT.

And that's the morale of the entire story: Seeing is believing.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by mainman

I thought all codecs had the same quality, the only difference is that Mpeg2 needs more space to get the same thing as the other two codecs.

The newer codec offer some features that reduce compression artifacts like mosquito noise and lessen the visible effects of macroblocking. I think all the codecs can display video that is transparent to the master but MPEG2 requires at least 28Mbps. That's a heap of storage.

I'm with JTK...let see Blu-Ray with AVC or VC-1 and that extra space for some goodies. We have both platforms running on 8-cylinder engines right now and only 4 cyl are working. Let's beef up the horsepower!