Archived: Insiders Thread

[akbungle]

Originally Posted by sturub

I mailed my request in 10 weeks ago and they havent come yet - anyone that I can contact ????

Here you go, don't bother calling they just say sorry and look it up pretty much the same way.
Link

[m_tyson]

Originally Posted by Logan00

To any insider, this question is related to the PS3, would it be possible for Sony to allow users to prioritorize their audio preferences when it come sto movies?

For example I could list:
1. pcm
2. True HD
3. DTS-MA
etc.

This way once a Blu-ray is inserted, the audio is already selected for me and I can just start watching the movie.

Thanks

+1

[SDG]

Thanks Superslow, Papi4baby and FRODE

[cjamescook]

Any insider heard whether "In the Shadow of the Moon" will be coming to Blu-ray?

Amazon lists a Feb 12, 2008 release date for regular DVD. The studio is listed as "Velocity / Thinkfilm".

Hoping,
-Jim

[amillians]

Originally Posted by Slapper

Mandatory audio specs are PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS (core).

That changes (a bit) for non-Grace Period devices.

Internal decoding for DD+ and DTS-HD LBR are de jurie mandatory for Profile 1.1 (FSP, Bonus View, etc.) and Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) devices, as the secondary audio stream for BD must either be DD+ (256kbps, 5.1, 48k) or DTS-HD LBR (256kbps, 5.1, 48k). That said, mandatory decoding support for the primary audio stream for BD remains PCM, DD (640kbps, 5.1ch, 48k) and DTS (1.5Mbps, 5.1ch, 48k).

[dialog_gvf]

> Read only mode. Better for all that way. Unless it's to post a fact or correct an error.

How would we see that unless you posted?

[Seretur]

Paidgeek,

I'm almost set on buying the Sony KDL-40X3500, the European version of the XBR4. It is getting rave reviews as the best LCD screen in existence, and is also praised for its true 24p output when used in conjunction with a Blu-ray player.

However, this forum's sticky on displays that support 1080p/24 signal at multiplies of the original frame rate lists the XBR4 and XBR5 models because they are 120Hz North American models. The X3500, being a European model, is a 100HZ display.

I haven't been able to learn more about this model's "24p True Cinema" function apart from the fact that it presents 24 frames per second. At 100Hz, this can't be done by multiplying each frame five times, as with the 120Hz American model; so I wonder if the display changes the number of times each frame is multiplied according to a preset formula, or if it indeed somehow manages to present each of the 24 frames at a fixed rate.

I'm certain that if any display can get close to true 24p in Europe, it is the X3500 -- but I would be very grateful if you could clear this situation up a bit more.

And I apologise if I got some of the terminology awfully wrong. I'm not a tech expert.

[JAGUAR1977]

When will Blu-rays lower priced players and TV/player deals actually kick in?

Other than the PS3, there doesn't appear to be much movement on the pricing front for Blu-ray players, and we're well into November.

It's getting a little worrying seeing each day tick by without any news items regarding even small price cuts.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

How you stay married and go to that and Playboy I'll never know Penton. My past signifigant others would have tied various parts of my anatomy in knots for going to such things

My wife takes advantage of the true meaning of payback. Last weekend during the prime shopping time at Wal*Mart she purposely sends me over there to purchase those *female hygiene things* for the “monthly curse”.

Invariably, whenever she does that, she has this uncanny sense of knowing that there will be a bunch of women behind me in the check-out line suffering from the giggles.

P.S.
The Vic’s Secret Holiday show is due to air on 12/4 on CBS.

[plee]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

My wife takes advantage of the true meaning of payback. Last weekend during the prime shopping time at Wal*Mart she purposely sends me over there to purchase those *female hygiene things* for the “monthly curse”.

Invariably, whenever she does that, she has this uncanny sense of knowing that there will be a bunch of women behind me in the check-out line suffering from the giggles.

P.S.
The Vic’s Secret Holiday show is due to air on 12/4 on CBS.

You need to find the Wal*Mart with the self checkout lanes

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by daisuke149

ack pentoms respect lvl from me went from 100 to 99.9 : ( if it were the pat's tho it would have dropped to like 10.

gdamnit tho if ben woulda stayed in uninjured i woulda won my Fantasy game. i woulda won also if AP didnt have his amazing day. shenanigans!

question: in terms of letting people know + marketting. Based on the info shown around that x amount of ps3 owners dont know it does blu-ray etc.

Hey, I’m a football fan but, I’m not a football fool.

I turned the game off at 8:00 P.M. PST to watch the Playstation 3 commercial (which included some imagery from that Spiderman movie) and view 2 hours of Prison Break drama.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

my girlfriend who is a goon

I think you really should explain what you mean to people here that don't follow the Premier league.

[Penton-Man]

When I spoke to a group of writers on the picket line yesterday they informed me that their biggest beef was getting their fair share of future profits from “new media”.

So I ask, “what is new media”. They reply that it is TV shows and movies that are digitally downloaded onto various displays ranging on down to the size of your hand.

So, I ask, “what is old media”. They reply that it is DVD’s.

So, I ask, “what is Blu-ray and HD DVD”. Pregnant pause, more silence, more silence and finally somebody chimes in that it is high definition DVD’s.

When I witness anecdotal situations like the above, it reinforces the fact how important it is to educate the public regarding Blu-ray and how silly it is to see arguments on other forums suggesting the fact that Joe6Pack is standing on the sidelines just waiting for the next Profile players to debut before he pulls the trigger.
That may indeed be the case for some of us early adopters here before we contemplate getting a second Blu-ray player for another room in the house but, it is by no means a significant part of the decision making process of the general public in purchasing a player.

[2099net]

Maxpower1987 you seem to be associated with Sony in the UK. Please can you answer these questions:

1] Why does Sony UK's packaging always state "Special features in standard definition" even when they are not. Examples I have to hand are Click, Ghost Rider and Spider-Man 3. If you have taken the time to get the special features in HD, why not advertise the fact? It's happened far too often to simply be a simple "mistake".

2] I'm not sure if you have any say on other studio's product, but can you please get Fox to either put a "Top Menu" or simple Pop-up "Return to Movie" menu on their supplements on European discs. (Disney has a simple "return to movie" pop-up on The Wild for example which also has no top menu). I don't expect to have to keep pressing the chapter skip button (like you do on unwanted trailers) to get back to the menu on technology which is more advanced and (supposedly) user friendly than DVD.

Thank you.

[Frode]

I haven't been able to learn more about this model's "24p True Cinema" function apart from the fact that it presents 24 frames per second. At 100Hz, this can't be done by multiplying each frame five times, as with the 120Hz American model; so I wonder if the display changes the number of times each frame is multiplied according to a preset formula, or if it indeed somehow manages to present each of the 24 frames at a fixed rate.

I'll let you in a little secret: 120Hz and 100Hz displays show 24fps content at.. 24fps. Digital displays (with the exception of DLP) don't have a refresh in the traditional sense of the word, as pixels are "always on" and don't need a refresh cycle to maintain that. Instead the refresh rate can in principle be completely asynchronous (this is not quite how it works, but for simplicity's sake bear with me) - a simple signal telling the display circuitry to check the frame buffer for new data and update the image being shown. The difference in 100/120 "Hz" TVs is in how the internal logic handles the input signal. Some of them actually have a mode that will interpolate extra frames beyond the original 24fps, leading to smoother and clearer motion. This is usually only 1:1 frame however (so 48fps if the source is 24fps) - if you managed to feed a 120 "Hz" LCD a true 120fps signal, hardly any of them would have the pixel response time that's fast enough to properly display it. DLP is currently the one exception to that.

[beatboy77]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Sorry!

Gunner - Gooner - Goon!

There is a lot of friction in our relationship when it comes to Spurs - Arsenal twice a year.

Sounds Like My Wife And I. Red Sox (Me) vs. Yankees (Her). It's all fun though

~Josh

[spam.curitiba]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

and view 2 hours of Prison Break drama.

Man....last nights show....CRAZY....I won a bet with my wife about them no breaking out....

[spam.curitiba]

Originally Posted by beatboy77

Sounds Like My Wife And I. Red Sox (Me) vs. Yankees (Her). It's all fun though

~Josh

WOW......that must be....interesting.....

[juanleche]

ouch my wife is a Spurs fan from San Antonio, I'm a Knicks fan from BK, a few years ago when they faced in the playoffs, she almost got me beat up in a NYC bar

[Azumi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

When I spoke to a group of writers on the picket line yesterday they informed me that their biggest beef was getting their fair share of future profits from “new media”.

So I ask, “what is new media”. They reply that it is TV shows and movies that are digitally downloaded onto various displays ranging on down to the size of your hand.

Penton,

I've read that quote myself, and I have a question that has been bugging me for the past couple of days:

How can they be so sure that in a few years, these so-called "new media profits" will amount to something much more significant than a handful of peanuts?

It's very likely that you guys know many things that we do not. But as far as we know, nobody has been able to modelize the VOD & streaming market, and say something like: "within 5 years, this business will be worth XX billions of dollars". Of course they might say it, but that doesn't necessarily make it true.

Let's step away from the movie business, and let's say that you have season 1 of this hot TV series. The core segments of the audience -- and therefore the amount of money that announcers and brands are willing to pay -- should help you fix the price for your TV series -- both domestic and abroad.

Now, let's say that major foreign outlets pick your Season 1 for a premium fee... and it bombs. The audience can't reach a certain critical mass, and therefore ad revenues plunge.

What happens when you start preselling Season 2? Those same outlets that got burned will definitely ask a *significant* discount in the rights -- if they ever wish to buy them. Or they might ask you for limited VOD rights, so they can safely test the series and see if it has legs and therefore the potential for a primetime venue (of course, piracy plays a role too).

My point is that, as of now, VOD probably represents a few grains of sand, compared to the Eiffel Tower-like size of the revenues generated by advertising, homevideo and the traditional channels.

How can VOD become a gigantic (in dollars sense) market in five or six years, that is so worth fighting for, that screenwriters would be willing to lose DVD profits in order to get this clause?

Is there really a business model that certifies that downloaded media will become the next cash cow for everybody, in all parts of the planet (including those with lesser pro capita), and that states that absolutely everyone will fall in love with downloaded files at the expense of packaged media?

I'd love to hear your views on this subject.