Third Format enters War?

[MasterXeus]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/2007...pcworld/136977

http://www.nmeinc.com



Sorry if this was already posted, but I didn't find it.

It's called HD VDM (Versatile Multilayer Disc)

HD VMD is HD format with 1920 x 1080i/p resolution, up to 40 Mbps bit rate playback, and players will have DVD up-scaling

The Players will cost around $150 because it's using red-laser.

HD VMD discs, which hold up to 30GB on a single side, are encoded with a maximum bit rate of 40 megabits per second; that's within spitting distance of Blu-ray's 48 mbps, and quite a bit more than 36 mbps for HD DVD. The format uses MPEG-2 and VC1 video formats to encode at 1080p resolution for the time being, and will possibly move to the H.264 format in the future.

I'm guessing HD VMD Discs which hold up to 30 GB is dual layer.

The HD VMD format supports up to 7.1-channel Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS audio output, though it will not offer the high-bit-rate Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio surround-sound codecs.

"Expect a small premium over DVD [discs], and a big discount over Blu-ray and HD DVD," says Jim Cardwell, an advisor to the company and former president of Warner Home Video

The +
Players are the cheapest HD Players out there, $150.
Movies are suppose to be cheaper
The Players will also feature Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and all region codes.

The -
I think it's a little late in the game for this format to start up.
Start up, HDVMD will only have 20 movies.

So what do you all think?
Will this be the HD-DVD and Blu-ray killer?

I personally hope not. I think it's a little too late in the game for this format to take off. If it was release around the same time has HD-DVD and Blu-ray it would be a different story.

[jasoncarmony]

I do think that it is too late in the game, but it would be nice to see it help drop some prices though. I know Hi-def is a more expensive hobby, but to get the everyday consumer, prices need to fall a little.

[erowe83]

the fact that only warner would be putting out discs for this new format means it has no chance. Everyone else is exclusive.

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by MasterXeus

[I'm guessing HD VMD Discs which hold up to 30 GB is dual layer.

Actually it's many layers, hence the name, "Multilayer disc". I'm guessing one side is six 5GB layers. Using red laser, 5GB a layer is the expectation.

HD VMD will go nowhere. It's too late coming out, has minimal studio support, and doesn't really utilize new technology al that well. I don't expect retailers to take it seriously either; last thing they want is even more confusion.

Funny how that article says 40 is "quite a bit" more than 36 but "within spitting distance" of 48. 4 > 8? I don't think so.

[lch]

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=16675

[MasterXeus]

Originally Posted by erowe83

the fact that only warner would be putting out discs for this new format means it has no chance. Everyone else is exclusive.

I hope that's the case, but I'm not sure if that's true.

Here's some of the titles from HD VMD library

Hostage
We Were Soldiers
Apocalypto
Lucky Number Slevin
Valiant
Saw II
Saw III
Lord of War
Passion of The Christ
Babel
16 Blocks
Oliver Twist
Puple Fiction
Sahara
The Descent
Miss Potter
The Queen
Butterfly Effect
Butterfly Effect 2
Hitcher
Lord of the Rings
Spy Kids

[MasterXeus]

Originally Posted by Musashi

HD VMD will go nowhere. It's too late coming out, has minimal studio support, and doesn't really utilize new technology al that well. I don't expect retailers to take it seriously either; last thing they want is even more confusion.

That's what I'm thinking.

[CptGreedle]

Old news.

It doesn't stand a chance with the current competition, it's already 2 years behind.

The fact is, BD and HD-DVD already have more people committed to them and with over 300 titles each, there is little chance this will make it very far.