The high-wire risk of hi-def DVD

[ADWyatt]

A tale of two viewpoints....

From a poster in Blu-ray.com: "I am wondering if studios aren't "rushing" the conversion process in order to get out as many discs for their particular formats as quckly as possible. Many people, as is well know(n), believe that the format which can offer the most content will be the eventual winner. I know a bit about processing...having spent...4 years editing on AVID Media Composers...I do know that great pains are taken to "clean up images" when transferred from film to standard DVDs. I have seen excuses stating that "you'll get more grain because it's such a high resolution", etc., but I know better.

"I'm not talking about just Bluray or HDDVD here...I'm curious...do you guys get the feeling we're being short-changed on quality just so they can release more titles quickly?"

On the other side of town...

This from a poster at High Def Forum: "Disney - Number of animated classics released or announced for Blu-Ray(?) Zero. Sony - Blu-Ray is your format and you have the most to (lose) if it fails. So why with the catalog you have are you releasing so few titles(?)...Where is Spider-Man(?) I want Spider-Man now." Replies to his post: "Some questions that I'm sure all of us would love answered." "That sounds like those questions are on the mind of many BD supporters, and also on the minds of HD-DVD supporters as well. Sony has the most to lose, and they could have squashed HD-DVD if they had done things right." "Sony is just being overconfident, I think. However, they might release a lot more if they see the ship is starting to sink."

These contrasting viewpoints, which are a microcosm of attitudes among hi-def videophiles, spell out perhaps the most important dilemma facing studios that have become financially committed to hi-def DVD. Home Theater enthusiasts clamor for the highest display and audio quality possible, while demanding that studios quickly release a flood of top-of-the-line titles for a technology that has barely entered its infancy. Compounding the difficulties for studios and hardware manufacturers --

1) How much money do you invest in transfer quality for a movie that is of unknown consumer demand? 2) How much short-term, long-term return on your investment might be expected for a technology that barely registers on the financial radar screen? 3) How much chance is there that the format you support may fail before your investment is recouped? 4) If you release too many 'A' titles, will the hoped-for early-release revenues of 'B' tltles suffer? 5) Will too many 'B'-quality movies, with their inherently poor images, saddle hi-def with a tarnished image in consumers' minds? 6) Will the increased availability and competitive pricing of PPV hi-def movies outweigh disc's potential advantages? 7) Will new transfer processes, and the players that will display them, dampen potential sales if first-rate movies are released too early in the marketplace?

These questions are most likely only a fraction of those that studios and hardware companies must consider as they pay heed to the bottom line. It is one thing for all of us in these forums to question studios' commitment to our own personal demands, it is quite another to be at the helm of a company that could lose untold millions of dollars by giving in to untested speculative analysis as regards the mass marketplace.

In light of the above, it seems to me that the only proper course for hi-def enthusiasts such as ourselves to follow is to enjoy the releases that studios elect to give us, and to honestly critique the merits of their work. And just let it go at that.

[Damon Payne]

Dont' Spider-Man, Cars, Pirates of the Carribean have release dates now? I believe they are done with the "B" movies, as you pointed out, and are now bringing the A-game.

Also, there was an interview with a Sony official on AVS forum, they are taking their time and doing a better job on transfers than some of the first titles, so it seems they are going the route of more time and money for better transfers.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Damon Payne

Dont' Spider-Man, Cars, Pirates of the Carribean have release dates now? I believe they are done with the "B" movies, as you pointed out, and are now bringing the A-game.

Yes, all of those A list movies have concrete release dates. You can check our sticky Preorder thread in the BD movie area and I think there's even dedicated threads for the Pirates films, at least.

Also, there was an interview with a Sony official on AVS forum, they are taking their time and doing a better job on transfers than some of the first titles, so it seems they are going the route of more time and money for better transfers.

Well worth it in the long run. Try and get it done right the first time. They learned from the early BD launch blunders.

[john_1958]

cleaning up frame by frame does not result in grain

just look at the new james bond movies that came out they are superb
only wish they would come out in BD