[RUMOR] New VC codec prepared as an answer

[OokieSpookie]

I honestly wish this was true so it would force the BDA to be more agressive in ending this thing.

[buckshot]

I for one welcome our new ant overlords and pledge to use my celebrity to help turn mankind into slaves who will work in their sugar mines.




wait. I thought low bitrate vc-1 was ''amazing'' and that hddvd was ''complete''.

besides if bd can use it to I like the idea of a better codec.

[Blu As Hell]

Originally Posted by jason_grumpy

Official Seal of the HD DVD Party

OMG!!!! That is the funniest thing I've seen all day!!!!!

[WickyWoo]

It's sugar CAVES get it right Buck

While I have no doubts that MS is working on VC2, you can't keep quality with the same CPU levels that are in existing players. Either you have to reduce compression, or throw more horses at it. You can't throw more horses, so it's not happening

I'm sure they'll make it for 360 or something, but once again it's probably simply "how can I have it be smaller, pseudo HD and not look like utter crap"

[Elandyll]

Originally Posted by buckshot

I for one welcome our new ant overlords and pledge to use my celebrity to help turn mankind into slaves who will work in their sugar mines.




wait. I thought low bitrate vc-1 was ''amazing'' and that hddvd was ''complete''.

Nu nu nu...

VC-1 was "Good enough".
Now VC-2 will be ... er.. Good ?

[stockstar1138]

Originally Posted by OokieSpookie

I honestly wish this was true so it would force the BDA to be more agressive in ending this thing.

i think they are being more agressive then you think. don't think that they aren't actively pursuing retailers to drop HD DVD, which we have already begun to see, and for Universal and Paramount to support blu-ray.

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by stockstar1138

i think they are being more agressive then you think. don't think that they aren't actively pursuing retailers to drop HD DVD, which we have already begun to see, and for Universal and Paramount to support blu-ray.

I agree, just because it isn't visible to us doesn't mean that the BDA isn't making aggressive moves behind the scenes. I believe the Sonic announcement could be a sign of this.

[buckshot]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

It's sugar CAVES get it right Buck

dammit (tears off #1 simpsons fan button)

[MrBogey]

The use of "codec" in the article tells me the person who is feeding this "rumor" does't even know what a codec is and is just making crap up to have good news.

This in particular-

The ratio would then allow for HD DVD of a Theoretical 90Gb capacity (on current 33Gb discs).

Quickly noted, this codec (IF real, very much doubt it) would also be usuable on Blu Ray.
Hence 140Gb discs.

Shame on that site for falling for it.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

That has been started on Engadgethd by a "supposedly" Gamestop vendor, the info coming originally from their Microsoft Rep.
Needless to say that my BS o'meter is at 99.9, but I thought it 'd be interesting to see what people would think about this.

The guy pretends that a MS rep told him that, as part of a Toshiba - MS plan to come back front stage, following the Superbowl ad two things will happen.

First, the release of a "VC 2.1 codec". According to that same person, this codec allows such a compression boost that, when compared to curent gen codec, you can have 50 Gb down to 18Gb, with the same visual quality or better (2.77 ratio). Also, according to him, this "magical" codec is so advanced and sophisticated, that current machines can decode it -faster- than VC1, allowing faster loading, and faster parsing through pictures.

The ratio would then allow for HD DVD of a Theoretical 90Gb capacity (on current 33Gb discs).

Quickly noted, this codec (IF real, very much doubt it) would also be usuable on Blu Ray.
Hence 140Gb discs.

2nd Rumor, is the anounce of "New HD DVD products and prices" mid March, from Uni, Para and Tosh.
Don't really see where they can go from the Hardware point (short of giving them away for free), but maybe he means a new price point for the software and 4th gen players.

This second rumor seems much less far fetched (nothing prevents them from setting the HD DVD discs MSRP around $24.95 per exemple, or $19.95 even to compete with DVDs), if Tosh is still willing to subside its Studio partners.

Link:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/30...ly/1#c10133736

Even if this isn't BS, good luck finding any stores to sell the "products". And let's not forget that hd-dvd is supposed to be a finished spec, and NONE of the current hd-dvd players will play the new codec.

[kjack]

Anything that would change the bitstream syntax or possibly affect the decoding performace would have to be approved by the DVD Forum before being adopted. And that is a long process due to testing. Plus, I never heard about such a thing talked about in the HD DVD meetings.

[bajor27]

It would be pretty sweet if it were true as we could do away with multidisc sets for movies, and maybe reduced disc sets for TV.

In any event, it's highly unlikely, and perhaps the HD-DVD fanboys should realise that Warner didn't switch simply because Blu can hold more data (which it still would be able to). They switched because it's selling better. A new codec available to both formats certainly wouldn't miraculously make the format war turn 180.

[mykevermin]

It won't change the video quality at all - but it will compress the video...for what? UNcompressed audio?

HD DVD: Now our discs are finally big enough.

The first rumor doesn't change anything substantive at all. Nothing the consumer would notice.

Cheaper prices? Bah. Been there, done that. Never made a lick of difference.

Let it all be true. Let Toshiba run out of options - as the sooner they do that, the sooner we can get Uni and Paramount on board.

[spicynacho]

VC-1 was named VC-1 by the standards group SMPTE. Even though M$ is the head honcho of the VC-1 goon squad, they aren't the only ones that have developed it. If a codec were to recieve the title VC-2 or VC-2.1, it would have to come from the standards body. If this happened there would not be a surprise announcement, it would be talked about argued, stamped by 11 different beuracrats (sp?) and software engineers and it would take months and years to ever before the first disc using it hit retail shelves.

I see Kjack chimed in on this, he would probably be one of the aforementioned 11 stampees. He called BS so it is definitly BS.

[desmond]

complete bs. a new codec would not be compatible with existing players.

[kjack]

Originally Posted by spicynacho

VC-1 was named VC-1 by the standards group SMPTE. Even though M$ is the head honcho of the VC-1 goon squad, they aren't the only ones that have developed it. If a codec were to recieve the title VC-2 or VC-2.1, it would have to come from the standards body. If this happened there would not be a surprise announcement, it would be talked about argued, stamped by 11 different beuracrats (sp?) and software engineers and it would take months and years to ever before the first disc using it hit retail shelves.

Good point, forgot about that. Plus, as I recall, SMPTE already used "VC-2", "VC-3", etc. for other video codecs being submitted for standards consideration, that had nothing to do with VC-1 or Microsoft.

[atomik kinder]

I don't understand the point of spreading rumors. At least for something like this, if it is completely made up what does it accomplish? Maybe frighten a few Blu-ray fanboys, give a little hope to HD DVD fanboys, but what else. Obviously it isn't going to come true. It's just stupid.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by unreal1080p

Someone forgot to "brand" the HD DVD logo on the ass of that Bull so we can "officialy" add this image to the Blu-Ray arsenal.

Here you go:

[Goodguy818]

Total B.S

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by kjack

Good point, forgot about that. Plus, as I recall, SMPTE already used "VC-2", "VC-3", etc. for other video codecs being submitted for standards consideration, that had nothing to do with VC-1 or Microsoft.

True, though I think the obviously incorrect name is the least of the problems with this latest FUD.

If this was truly a "new" video codec (Windows Media 12, perhaps?) then good for them. Somebody may adopt it for something... someday. But there's no way to make a new video codec "backwards compatible" with decoders that aren't designed for the new codec.

If they are claiming they've improved the efficiency of the encoders for the existing codec (so that existing VC-1 decoders can handle the decoding task)... then good for them. But it's not a new codec... and any claim of 30% or more efficiency gains is utterly ridiculous.

I really wish people would actually stop and think about FUD before accepting it or propogating it. If something doesn't seem possible (this claim... TL51 HD DVDs that work on all existing players, and somehow raise the badwidth) then, guess what, it isn't.