New Line Cinema follow Warner, now Blu-Ray Only

[bapenguin]

Well folks, if the Warner Blu-Ray deal wasn't the knockout of HD DVD, then surely the after shot of New Line Cinema leaving (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/05/new-line-confirms-itll-follow-in-warners-blu-footsteps/) has got to be the deathblow.As if anyone expected anything different, New Line confirmed with Variety Magazine that it'll follow Warner to the Blu-ray promise land. While this is a no brainer considering the relationship between Warner and New Line, other studios remain up in the air. When, and if, Universal makes the switch as well is any ones guess, but at this point we doubt many would expect otherwise. But, as we've learned in the last few days, anything's possible, but the idea of having one HD format to adopt is something even most members of the red camp can get behind.

I'm looking forward to the HD DVD fire sale.

[KingGorilla]

Isn't New Line a Warner property?

[bapenguin]

Isn't New Line a Warner property?

Well...they are both under Time-Warner. But not necessarily the same studio.

[Johan]

I'm looking forward to the HD DVD fire sale.

I hate having stuff around on dead formats. I have a pile of zip drive disks that I should just throw out, and even some old floppies.

I wouldn't buy any HD DVD stuff at this point if they sold it at cost.

[cp#]

I'm a firm non-supporter of either format. Long live the solid state drive

[dirtbag]

Well, Sony may be in a bad position in the console war, but winning the High-Def format war should make them fell a little better.

[KingGorilla]

I'm a firm non-supporter of either format. Long live the solid state drive

Wait, back up a second, how can you bid a long life to something that is barely a fetus?

[Knite]

Well, Sony may be in a bad position in the console war, but winning the High-Def format war should make them fell a little better.

Winning the High-Def format war can definitely help them in the console war though. If blue ray is the only HD game in town, I can easily see quite a few people buying a PS3. Hell, I know a lot of people who got a PS2 at one time to play DVDs and games, and never got a DVD player.

[Slack3r78]

I'm a firm non-supporter of either format. Long live the solid state drive
Fabricating silicon will be significantly more expensive than press a piece of plastic for some time to come.

[KidCactus]

Didn't we know this already yesterday, in the big Warner thread? I know I read that Variety article yesterday at least.

[Sense Field]

I won't get rid of my HD-DVDs but I will buy a dual player when the prices come down below $200. I have maybe 35 HD-DVDs...it's a shame I wasted my money...Lesson learned....never again.

[Beelzebud]

They'll have to pry my DVD's from my cold dead hands.

[Rune_74]

Hmm I wouldn't compare blue ray to dvd...not even in the same class...not everyone wants a blue ray player or any hd player for that matter...alot of people(and I'm not talking about you guys) do not even know what blue ray is....

[KingGorilla]

They'll have to pry my DVD's from my cold dead hands.

With the LG-Netflix deal, I am happy to be rid of the fucking discs.

[bKangy]

God, that quoted paragraph is poorly written.

[SalaciousPuck]

I hope both these formats die a slow death, cause all they do is slow the adoption of going all digital....the inevitable future.

If Sony wins in this battle of losers, then it came at the price of the Playstation brand.

[DangerousDaze]

I won't get rid of my HD-DVDs but I will buy a dual player when the prices come down below $200.

Why? There's a reason why combined Betamax/VHS players never made it big; there were only VHS tapes to play on them.

[MrSatan]

As a supporter of blu-ray, I am stoked to see this happen. Now I just need my Matrix on Blu-Ray and I will be set. Lol, sorry HD-DVD owners, I am tired of my discs being scratched so Blu-Ray is the best.

Also I don't believe that digital distribution is even close on movies and such. No way they will let you download it straight to your machine. Also most people do not have the amount of harddrive space needed to hold large amounts of HD content. One dual layer Blu-Ray is 50 gigs, that is a large chunk of space and it is fairy good for everything. The market just won't hit digital for at least a few more years. No company could get away with offering all digital rentals of movies, without the film companies suing their asses off.

[Johan]

I am tired of my discs being scratched so Blu-Ray is the best.

Rot! (http://www.hdtvinfo.eu/pics/blu-ray_disc_rot.jpg)

I prefer my nice, warm pine bench on the sideline. Thank you all for beta testing and lowering the price of my future HD movie-viewing technology!

:D

[bKangy]

As a supporter of blu-ray, I am stoked to see this happen. Now I just need my Matrix on Blu-Ray and I will be set. Lol, sorry HD-DVD owners, I am tired of my discs being scratched so Blu-Ray is the best.

How the hell do you manage to get excited over something as mundane as disk format wars?

[MrSatan]

Rot! (http://www.hdtvinfo.eu/pics/blu-ray_disc_rot.jpg)

I prefer my nice, warm pine bench on the sideline. Thank you all for beta testing and lowering the price of my future HD movie-viewing technology!

:D

Funny thing is I have never experienced that at all. I really like my HD movies. Planet Earth on Blu-Ray is great. I heard that disc rot percentage is low, oh well its a fabrication problem. And you say beta testing, well if that is what they call getting cheap Blu-Rays and crazy deals, then go ahead.

[MrSatan]

How the hell do you manage to get excited over something as mundane as disk format wars? You make it sound as if I was screaming in joy for the gods of Blu-Ray. All I am saying is that I enjoy a good Blu-Ray movie on my HD TV. None of my discs are scratched and that makes me a happy person because I have had too many DVDs lost to idiots in my place who can't respect a man's property.

[Johan]

Disk scratching is not a foreign phenomenon to me, so I see that attraction. Kids have a tendency to mess up stuff, including disks.

Rot is also an extremely rare, and probably launch, issue. Hence, further reason I'm glad I've just been waiting. HD will be worth the wait...it is truly awesome.

If Sony does succeed (it sure looks like it), they deserve congratulations.

[oldjadedgamer]

I prefer my nice, warm pine bench on the sideline. Thank you all for beta testing and lowering the price of my future HD movie-viewing technology!

:D

I'm waiting on the side lines until blank discs prices prices come down then my Blu-Ray collection will be just as large as my DVD collection. As a Mac user, I'll end up getting a Blu-Ray burner with my next computer anyway.

They already cracked the encryption on Blu-Ray so it's just a very short matter of time now.

[Kagger]

On Demand Movies is a bit far off. The idea is ready, but the technology is just not up there yet to support that big of a data rate.

While renting movies through that would be fine, I still have reservations about attaching things to an account if I don't have total control over it (Steam does NOT let you change your log in ID which aggravates me to no end).

[51|RandoM]

How the hell do you manage to get excited over something as mundane as disk format wars?

Dude, look around.

[Siraris]

Wait, back up a second, how can you bid a long life to something that is barely a fetus?

Because any time it comes to a Sony product on this site, someone has to say something negative in a thread (whether the news be good or bad). It's a universal constant, and I'm writing the proof as we speak.

[Johan]

Because any time it comes to a Sony product on this site...

While this is true, MS catches their share of shit. Seriously now...people are bitching all over the place here about MS.

It's not "Sony" or "MS" that's the problem; people, myself included, just like to complain! Both companies have provided plenty of ammo for it, as well!

[KingGorilla]

Because any time it comes to a Sony product on this site, someone has to say something negative in a thread (whether the news be good or bad). It's a universal constant, and I'm writing the proof as we speak.

This has even less to do with solid state drives.

[TheBigL]

MADNESS???

http://img.qj.net/uploads/articles_module/110993/300-this-is-blu-ray.jpg?743342

[Loganrapp]

You make it sound as if I was screaming in joy for the gods of Blu-Ray. All I am saying is that I enjoy a good Blu-Ray movie on my HD TV. None of my discs are scratched and that makes me a happy person because I have had too many DVDs lost to idiots in my place who can't respect a man's property.

Only 69 posts in and a large plurality of them are Sony defenses. I'm calling Plant on this one. Hate me if I'm wrong fellas, that's the vibe I'm getting.

[Inspector Fowler]

Only 69 posts in and a large plurality of them are Sony defenses. I'm calling Plant on this one. Hate me if I'm wrong fellas, that's the vibe I'm getting.

This is Evil Avatar, you don't even need to be wrong to have people hate you ;)

Is there a site that shows which studios are aligned to which format?

[51|RandoM]

While this is true, MS catches their share of shit. Seriously now...people are bitching all over the place here about MS.


People bitch about Microsoft's RRoD and Live downtime.
People bitch about Sony's "arrogance".

...and they place more importance on the arrogance than they do the real problems. Always good for a chuckle, I suppose.

[Loganrapp]

This is Evil Avatar, you don't even need to be wrong to have people hate you ;)

Is there a site that shows which studios are aligned to which format?

Touche, sir.

I believe if you hit up HD-DVD and Blu-Ray's main sites, they list which studios are throwing in with them. You may have to wade through a bit of hyperbole to get there, but it's there, if I recall correctly.

[oldjadedgamer]

Because any time it comes to a Sony product...

Blu-Ray isn't a Sony product. "Blu-Ray is a consortium" Just ask 51|Random.

[Johan]

People bitch about Microsoft's RRoD and Live downtime.
People bitch about Sony's "arrogance".

...and they place more importance on the arrogance than they do the real problems. Always good for a chuckle, I suppose.

You are too kind to, and easy on, Sony. From delayed launch dates, to removed BC, to the higher (yes, arguable a better value...so what) launch price, to the "arrogance" which I would call a disdain for its customer base...

I'd say they deserve some hell. It's good for their customers in the long run, too, that this has been a tough period, in my opinion, and good for their products as well.

MS, however...they have me feeling bipolar. Their work in the online space for consoles has been ground breaking, as has their work in DLC (a choice I like) and Arcade titles in the console space. On the other hand, the hardware, DRM, and Live hiccups have me seeing red.

Right now, Sony seems like the stable one, and MS is like dating Dr. Jekyl, Ms. Hyde. The high points are terrific and shouldn't be missed, but man...when things change, they're bad.

[Grimmjow]

I'm a firm non-supporter of either format. Long live the solid state drive

lol its soo damn expensive though!

[51|RandoM]

You are too kind to, and easy on, Sony. From delayed launch dates, to removed BC, to the higher (yes, arguable a better value...so what) launch price, to the "arrogance" which I would call a disdain for its customer base...

Launch dates get delayed all the time, all across the industry. I'd rather the game get delayed than have it ship unfinished like Shadowrun, for example. A missed launch date has zero impact on me. If the game would have been fun today, odds are pretty good it will still be fun 3 months from now. I suppose if you've got terminal cancer and want to play Gran Turismo 5 before you die, you might have a real complaint.

They removed BC to lower the price. You can't have it both ways Johan. If the price is too high, you bitch. If they do whatever they can to reduce the price, you bitch. If you want BC, then by all means buy the SKU that has BC. It was offered, it was readily available. If you didn't buy it when it was available it is your own fault.

As far as arrogance goes? I don't give a shit. I'm not dealing with a person, I am dealing with a corporation. The faces of that corporation are paid to exude confidence, to "never let them see you sweat". You interpret it as arrogance, ok, you've got an anthropomorphism issue. I don't play marketing. I don't play FUD. I play games. When the games don't deliver, I complain.

[Esquilax1138]

I wonder how much Sony gets (if anything) for each Blu-Ray disc sold? Say if I buy a PS3 just for the Blu-Ray player and never buy a game for it, won't Sony lose money on the deal since they are taking a loss on each PS3 still?

Or are Sony getting a fee paid per disc, no matter what studio puts out the movie?

Oh well glad to see one side win, now give me my Star Wars in HD and I'll buy the player.

[DigitalFirefly]

I'm looking forward to the HD DVD fire sale.

I'll sell you some of mine. Most aren't even opened yet.

[51|RandoM]

This is Evil Avatar, you don't even need to be wrong to have people hate you ;)

quite the opposite, actually. :D come on, I had to!

[51|RandoM]

Or are Sony getting a fee paid per disc, no matter what studio puts out the movie?

The BDA gets royalties for anything sporting the BD logo and using BD technology. How much of that goes to Sony nobody seems to know, although many are quite willing to insert whatever figure supports their agenda.

There is a general licensing FAQ on the BDA site that lists some of the licensing/branding fees.

[BlackMako85]

I really can't wait to see if Toshiba is able to throw enough money at Universal to keep them HDDVD exclusive when their contract expires this year; in May, if I'm not mistaken. The day that exclusivity deal ends is that day I buy a cheap BD player (aka, the PS3).

[f1sh3r]

With the LG-Netflix deal, I am happy to be rid of the fucking discs.

now THIS is something to get excited over.

[51|RandoM]

I really can't wait to see if Toshiba is able to throw enough money at Universal to keep them HDDVD exclusive when their contract expires this year; in May, if I'm not mistaken. The day that exclusivity deal ends is that day I buy a cheap BD player (aka, the PS3).

I would think it more likely that they would cut their losses.

The rumor the first time around was $50million for Paramount and $100million for DreamWorks Animation. Universal gets paid/movie released and have had the format holder royalties nearly eliminated---yes, that is right, there are royalties on HD-DVD just like there are on BD, just like there are on DVD, just like there are/were on CD. At one point in time it was rumored that Universal was trying to pay to get out of that deal.

[oldjadedgamer]

They removed BC to lower the price. You can't have it both ways Johan. If the price is too high, you bitch. If they do whatever they can to reduce the price, you bitch. If you want BC, then by all means buy the SKU that has BC. It was offered, it was readily available. If you didn't buy it when it was available it is your own fault.

Tretton told the paper that taking support for PS2 games out of the new system isn't dramatically cutting manufacturing costs. However, by omitting the option of playing PS2 games, Sony hopes that new customers will instead spend their money on more PS3 games. He added that Sony's own research suggests that customers won't miss the feature because they probably already own a PS2.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181373.html

[51|RandoM]

Tretton told the paper that taking support for PS2 games out of the new system isn't dramatically cutting manufacturing costs. However, by omitting the option of playing PS2 games, Sony hopes that new customers will instead spend their money on more PS3 games. He added that Sony's own research suggests that customers won't miss the feature because they probably already own a PS2.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181373.html

So when Jack Tretton says something that supports your argument he is a credible source, but when he says something else you think he is ridiculous. Tretton is trying to save face and once again falling flat on it instead of saving it.

Please.

They dropped BC to cut costs. People aren't going to buy more PS3 games when curiously enough, there weren't that many to buy in the first place.

You and Johan should try to collaborate beforehand instead of after the fact, it would save all three of us some effort.

[Podfork]

Good grief. It's as inevitable as the sun coming up. A topic on Evil Avatar with any shred of Sony in it results in the same pantomime from the same people again and again and again.

Don't you ever get bored of it?

[Johan]

When the games don't deliver, I complain.

You also complain a lot here. About other people. On a forum.

not that I don't do the same! Ha ha!

Anthropomorphism indeed! :D

As for launch delays, I was talking about the PS3, not a particular game. I like delayed games...they're usually delayed for good reasons. The PS3 delays (multiple) were a real pisser for customers, however.

You and Johan

Oh shut the hell up. Don't drag me into your pissing match with others! I'll engage in my own!

I mean, seriously...you found fault in the fact that I see reason to complain about BOTH Sony and MS?

Biased dumbass. You act like you're the fount of wisdom and knowledge and fairness...you're no different than any other fanboy who has staked out his turf. Yours is as pathetic a patch of ground as any, and when you've had your ass handed to you (several occasions the last few days), you've bailed to stake out another patch of pathetic holy ground! :D

[Siraris]

Blu-Ray isn't a Sony product. "Blu-Ray is a consortium" Just ask 51|Random.

Blu-Ray is not only Sony, (or else there wouldn't be a Blu-Ray consortium), but it's associated with Sony on the interweb, and it has Sony's name in it. Must be bad.

[The Iron Weasel]

I loved my dads Blu-Ray player when I was in Halifax over the xmas break. When I'm watching on a smaller screen, honestly no point, but on 90' projector it makes a world of difference.

[DarkDaY]

Blu-Ray is not only Sony, (or else there wouldn't be a Blu-Ray consortium), but it's associated with Sony on the interweb, and it has Sony's name in it. Must be bad.

you and Random didn't get hugged enough as children did ya?

single tear.



Is the ps3 blue ray fast? I have heard that hd dvd and blue ray take some time to boot up, is this still true, does the ps3 have an edge in that it has the cell to help out?

I have heard on some players it can take up to a minute to start up, but not sure if that was from the early days and early players.

[KidCactus]

Is the ps3 blue ray fast?
Just boot the PS3, takes a few seconds, and you can play BD, no waiting involved.

[rein]

A list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Line_Cinema#Upcoming_movies) of upcoming movies from New Line Cinema.

A few that might be note worthy:
Voltron
Devil May Cry
Gears of War (the irony :D)
Y: The Last Man
Inkspell, Inkheart, and Inkdeath.

[Shadowstorm]

A list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Line_Cinema#Upcoming_movies) of upcoming movies from New Line Cinema.

A few that might be note worthy:
Voltron
Devil May Cry
Gears of War (the irony :D)
Y: The Last Man
Inkspell, Inkheart, and Inkdeath.

The Inkheart trilogy - excellent.

[NeuroMan42]

Sucks for me, as I refuse to buy anything from/made/created/produced/etc by Sony.

[DarkDaY]

Just boot the PS3, takes a few seconds, and you can play BD, no waiting involved.

cool cool, me likes the sound of that.

[bapenguin]

Blu-Ray is not only Sony, (or else there wouldn't be a Blu-Ray consortium), but it's associated with Sony on the interweb, and it has Sony's name in it. Must be bad.

Sony does own the patent on Blu-Ray though. And on the Blu-Ray licensing site there are a handful of references to contact Sony in regards to questions, specifically in regards to version 1 (http://www.blu-raydisc.info/contact.php) of Blu-Ray.

From the licensing site it seems that Sony, Panasonic, and Matsushita are the 3 main companies that deal with any of the licensing.

[agentgray]

I love the term "Blu-ray consortium". Every time I hear it, I think "blackbriar"

[Church42]

Makes me glad I didn't go out and buy a HD-DVD accessory for my 360 this holiday season

I don't honestly think the war is "over" but its not looking great for HD-DVD

[Church42]

Oh, never mind....just read elsewhere on the forums that HD-DVD is pulling out of the CES...

[tiremfej]

The LG/Netflix deal is crazy.

It makes me wonder if the 360 and Netflix rumour is the big announcement at CES for Billy.

[NeuroMan42]

Interesting graph on the Blu-ray (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/04/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-battle-over-warner-switches-to-blu-ray/) support...

I am also glad that I only own a Philips DVD player (plays anything I throw at it) and regular DVDs.

[Wilkz07]

i have no regrets over buying the hd player for xbox 360. if blu-ray is the 'winning' format then hd-dvd will sell for cheap and i can build a collection of movies, then buy a blu-ray player. which by then will have come down in price and have some other mfg's producing the players.

[Incidence]

Is the PS3 still the cheapest option to play Blu-Ray discs?

[NightRain]

Is the PS3 still the cheapest option to play Blu-Ray discs?

well it isn't always the cheapest since here in Canada some blu-ray players could be had for $249 boxing day.

PS3 is the most feature rich Blu-Ray player on the market though. It is the only player capable of 1.1 profile compatibility and Ethernet port. The only other 1.1 player is the newest Panasonic DMP-BD30 but it lacks an Ethernet port which makes it a pain to update firmware. Also initial reviews say that the PS3 still had better video quality.

What's ironic is the PS3 is the cheapest and best Blu-Ray player, yet it is suppose to be primarily a gaming machine. If it wasn't for the PS3 then Blu-Ray sales wouldn't be so high since they would have less than 40% of the players out there when compared to HD-DVD.

Also if the PS3 had great games then people wouldn't need to buy so many movies. Putting Blu-Ray in the PS3 had nothing to do with games needing it and everything to do with winning the HD media format wars.

[MurderSandwich]

All of your discs will ultimately fail against downloadable content. That's why I'm not buying into the HD disc race. Eventually, I'll be able to get my movies and TV shows over the internet and have Hi-Def copies on my HDD. That's why Steam is awesome and that's why iTunes is awesome.

[XenonCJ]

L O N G L I V E S T U P I D C R A P!!

[Schnoogs]

Sweet....the 50th thread on BluRay vs. HDDVD in the last 24 hours.

(pulls up chair)

[crimsonsabre]

All of your discs will ultimately fail against downloadable content. That's why I'm not buying into the HD disc race. Eventually, I'll be able to get my movies and TV shows over the internet and have Hi-Def copies on my HDD. That's why Steam is awesome and that's why iTunes is awesome.

wow, what an ignorant comment.

name me one place where u can download legal high def movies. once they're downloaded, could u also tell me how i could watch them on my 52 inch lcd tv??

downloadable content is good, but it will never become mainstream.

[FreezaSama]

Well, Sony may be in a bad position in the console war, but winning the High-Def format war should make them fell a little better.

I've always believed that was Sony's only goal in the first place. Let's be honest... When looking at the PS3, we all know Sony is much more capable than this. But they've been so focused on pushing Blu-Ray, everything else about the console seemed to fall by the wayside until they got Blu-Ray to the point of being an established format.

[TrackZero]

I'm looking forward to the HD DVD fire sale.

Seconded, I'm going to be all over that.

[MrSatan]

I'm a firm non-supporter of either format. Long live the solid state drive

Solid state is much too expensive right now. You must have plenty of money to be able to take that position.

[MrSatan]

All of your discs will ultimately fail against downloadable content. That's why I'm not buying into the HD disc race. Eventually, I'll be able to get my movies and TV shows over the internet and have Hi-Def copies on my HDD. That's why Steam is awesome and that's why iTunes is awesome.

Keep dreaming with your iTunes and Steam, because movies will never go fully digital distribution. They make too much money off things linked to sales of media to do that. A few major studios would have to go ahead and do it. Not to mention it's like handing you the keys to their ferrari.

[KingGorilla]

Keep dreaming with your iTunes and Steam, because movies will never go fully digital distribution. They make too much money off things linked to sales of media to do that. A few major studios would have to go ahead and do it. Not to mention it's like handing you the keys to their ferrari.

I would like you to meet my friend the present. Because it seems that you two are strangers. Because here in 2008 downloadable or streamed movies and TV are gigantic business.

[Siraris]

you and Random didn't get hugged enough as children did ya?

single tear.



Is the ps3 blue ray fast? I have heard that hd dvd and blue ray take some time to boot up, is this still true, does the ps3 have an edge in that it has the cell to help out?

I have heard on some players it can take up to a minute to start up, but not sure if that was from the early days and early players.

Learn how to use proper grammar, make sense in what you write, and then you can go about trying to lob ridiculous insults. Until then, it's like arguing with a 3rd grader, except you have less of a grasp of the English language.

[Crimson]

I would like you to meet my friend the present. Because it seems that you two are strangers. Because here in 2008 downloadable or streamed movies and TV are gigantic business.

Ah yes, the present. Streamed vids are big business, but not HD streams. Do I want to watch VHS quality streams on my LCD TV? Not really. Plus, those precious downloadable films are subject to DRM whims. Did you see what this guy went through just because he changed his monitor? DRM freaked out, and the troubleshooting required him to invalidate his DRM licenses even for downloaded video he bought from a different online store! Yay! Oh, and software from MS FTW. I'll be buying my media in a solid state form until this stuff gets fixed in a manner that doesn't punish me randomly. http://davisfreeberg.com/2008/01/03/bad-copp-no-netflix/

[51|RandoM]

I love the term "Blu-ray consortium". Every time I hear it, I think "blackbriar"

What do you think when you hear DVD consortium or HD-DVD consortium?

[saulob]

I'm so happy I live on Brazil. There's no such thing like Blu-ray or HD-DVD here... man, this is so cool....

We are getting HD-TV (Digital TV) this year...

What a great place to live!

:rolleyes:

[KingGorilla]

Ah yes, the present. Streamed vids are big business, but not HD streams. Do I want to watch VHS quality streams on my LCD TV? Not really. Plus, those precious downloadable films are subject to DRM whims. Did you see what this guy went through just because he changed his monitor? DRM freaked out, and the troubleshooting required him to invalidate his DRM licenses even for downloaded video he bought from a different online store! Yay! Oh, and software from MS FTW. I'll be buying my media in a solid state form until this stuff gets fixed in a manner that doesn't punish me randomly. http://davisfreeberg.com/2008/01/03/bad-copp-no-netflix/

So um, you dislike digital rights management. So I guess you have never heard of HDCP or CSS then? Or whether certain movies will play on specific players because of out of date firmware? And the idea that we are not getting hi def downloads or streams just smacks of ignorance, and again thinking 5 years in the past. ABC is streaming in Hi Def. H.264 has allowed podcasts to be streamed and downloaded in Hi Def. Watching Diggnation or the Totally Rad show in Hi def each week is fantastic. Gametrailers and Game Videos streams and offers Hi Def downloads. That not not even mentioning services and hardware like Vudu.

[yourdarkesthour]

Oh well glad to see one side win, now give me my Star Wars in HD and I'll buy the player.

Seriously.

[Deadend]

Comcast has had HD movies On Demand for over a year now. DVDs are soon going to be going the way of the CD. Now if any of the download services would put some fucking extras on there.

Ok, buying HD video... Xbox 360. Not quite streaming, and if you got a fast enough connection you can play after a couple minutes wait... less time than driving to Best Buy, or wherever, checking out, and getting home.

The more I think about the HD video wars, the more I am convinced its stupid.

Right now the prime targets are the high tech users... who also have internet access, and download things... and have fast connections... who probably already have MP3 jukeboxes... it's not that hard to realize that Blu Ray and HD-DVD are practically dead formats walking.

All the Downloadable movies need is a more feature rich format (for extras and commentary) and for a DRM scheme that isn't totally fucked and allows for portability between mediums.

[Hatchetforce]

Whilr at first glance those not forward thinking may accidentally agree with you. But then you have to ask, what about buying movies to own. How do you loan a movie in strictly digital format? Even in 3 years, when the next consoles are due, you still won't be able to go to a friends house and say, "Hey, let's play that game I just bought and let's play it right now without waiting." Or, "Here, you can borrow this game I purchased."

Digital distribution sounds great and needs to be researched and improved but it won't replace removeable mediums for a long, long, long time. Which as I have stated means MS will likely be licensing Bluray form their next console.

[Hatchetforce]

All of your discs will ultimately fail against downloadable content. That's why I'm not buying into the HD disc race. Eventually, I'll be able to get my movies and TV shows over the internet and have Hi-Def copies on my HDD. That's why Steam is awesome and that's why iTunes is awesome.

Yeah, the digital download service is doing great, right? Just ask Walmart:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/27/wal-mart-shuts-down-video-downloads-after-a-year/

Wal-Mart shuts down video downloads after a year in service

Sounds like the video download game isn't as easy as the biggies make it out to be. Wal-Mart, whose download store has been open all of a year and a couple of weeks is already shutting down, apparently abandoning the effort after its tech partner HP discontinued whatever technology it was running the thing. Bonus for (former) Wal-Mart Video Downloads though: according to the FAQ, all downloaded videos are users' to keep, and no one's bound to keep the Wal-Mart Video Download Manager on their machine anymore. Of course, it's still DRMed to hell, so short of stripping the copy protection, you'll only be able to play "your" purchased videos with the machine on which you bought it -- and nothing else.

[Hatchetforce]

One final piece of irony. If plans go ahead with the Gears of War movie, as a New Line property it will be on DVD9 and Bluray. That has to make Microsoft smart a little

[Deadend]

edit buttons says hello. Try making 1 post.

And the DLC content? Yeah, put it on a HD/memory card/dvd backup. Oh wait, thats inconvient, and so is lugging a game you want to show off everywhere as well.

Wal-mart pulled out because their system sucked and they don't really want downloadable movies to flourish. They are physical retail, they have nowhere near as much to gain as other companies do.

Loss of borrowing games? Meh, I don't borrow my friends games for that long, just long enough to decide I want to go buy it too. I don't resell games because I kinda like having a collection of games/movies.

And Irony about Gears of War? Not really feeling it. Microsoft was not really that hard into the whole HD-DVD thing, they have been saying since before the start that Direct Download was the way. Their only interest was in pushing their software, and half heartedly as well.

Blu Ray won the format war because it's name was a departure from DVD, showing it was different, and Blockbuster rents blu-ray only. Lesser extent was the PS3 giving it a shot in the arm.

But Irony? Man, it's just a fucking disc. I don't own anything in either format, and I don't plan to until the war is declared over, and there is 1 HD-disc format... then I may buy a player.

[BlackPete]

So when Jack Tretton says something that supports your argument he is a credible source, but when he says something else you think he is ridiculous. Tretton is trying to save face and once again falling flat on it instead of saving it.

Please.

They dropped BC to cut costs. People aren't going to buy more PS3 games when curiously enough, there weren't that many to buy in the first place.


This post made me LOL. So you claim BC was dropped because it was cheaper... and even Tretton himself won't change your mind?

I'm curious though. Since you keep claiming this as if you honestly believe it, who was it who originally stated that it was dropped to cut costs?

[KingGorilla]

Yeah, the digital download service is doing great, right? Just ask Walmart:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/27/wal-mart-shuts-down-video-downloads-after-a-year/

Who said anything about Wal-mart?

[The Ligand]

...it would save all three of us some effort.

Hey, that's funny. I laughed, since I just got through reading page 25 of the previous Warner Bluray thread.

[DarkDaY]

Learn how to use proper grammar, make sense in what you write, and then you can go about trying to lob ridiculous insults. Until then, it's like arguing with a 3rd grader, except you have less of a grasp of the English language.


lol, nice, grammar comeback, never seen that before from you

....ya got me....,....nice......fuckyourboring:rolleyes:

[Gorvi]

Also if the PS3 had great games then people wouldn't need to buy so many movies.
Huh? That makes absolutely no sense. Gaming and movies are two completely different activities. For most of us, we don't do one instead of the other, we do whichever one we feel like at the time.

[dirtbag]

Sucks for me, as I refuse to buy anything from/made/created/produced/etc by Sony.

You must have one hell of a cassette tape collection, and lots of games on floppies -- Sony was behind the CD also.

[MojoJojo]

Comcast has had HD movies On Demand for over a year now.
The main issue there is selection. Typically, when I want watch a movie, it's either a new one (which they will have) or an older one (which they will not have). Sure, they have me covered on a lot of the new stuff, but only some of the old stuff, and usually not the old stuff I really want or documentaries... like Red Dawn or Ken Burns' The War.

[Hatchetforce]

Who said anything about Wal-mart?
The nation's largest retailer backs out of digital downloads. If you do not see the issue then nothing I can tell you will help you understand.

[MojoJojo]

Well, backing out now may not mean it's impossible for the future... it's just hard now to turn a profit. Our infrastructure sucks, our compression technology sucks, and our models of delivery need a bit of overhauling. However, considering that when I first started reading Evil Avatar years and years ago that even JPEGs took awhile on dial up, and now the page loads super fast and I can play music in the background and encode videos at the same time... we're heading in the right direction. It's just not done cooking yet, and I'm honestly not sure if the recipe is really finalized.

[NightRain]

Huh? That makes absolutely no sense. Gaming and movies are two completely different activities. For most of us, we don't do one instead of the other, we do whichever one we feel like at the time.

Well I know people who bought a PS3 at launch and bought Blu-Ray movies just because they had no great games to play. In fact everyone I know with a PS3 has way more movies then games. In fact I know someone who only has the bundled Motorstorm with his 80gb PS3 and has bought about 12-15 Blu-Ray's.

I know when I watch movies and play games. I also know I wanted Blu-Ray and I bought a PS3 for blu-ray playback and some gaming too since 360 is still the best console for gaming.

While they are different activities they are still related in this case. In fact about 10 months ago when I asked EB Games why they sell Blu-Ray and not HD-DVD they told me "we have to have something for PS3 owners to buy". In fact they even got a memo telling them to push blu-ray movies if someone bought a PS3, it listed about 3 top games to push and about a dozen blu-ray movies.

[Gorvi]

It's different for everyone, I guess. I have 5 PS3 games (and a few downloaded games) and 1 BR movie.

[Vanthar]

It's different for everyone, I guess. I have 5 PS3 games (and a few downloaded games) and 1 BR movie.

Yeah.. I own about 9 PS3 games and only have the bundled Talladega Nights on Blu-ray.

[Sir Kodiak]

Eventually, I'll be able to get my movies and TV shows over the internet and have Hi-Def copies on my HDD. That's why Steam is awesome and that's why iTunes is awesome.

Steam is awesome because the biggest downside to downloading content, that it requires a special application, doesn't matter with games because games aren't content that gets played by your application of choice and aren't something you usually take with you.

iTunes is awesome because being able to buy individual tracks is a killer feature. There is no equivalent killer feature for movies.

Additionally, young people push the music market, and they use portable players which require you to rip a CD anyways, so they're accustomed to managing their music on their computer. The iPod getting iTunes onto people's computers was a Trojan horse for digital music sales. Clearly Microsoft is thinking that the 360 does the same thing, but it doesn't. People filled their iTunes collection up with CD music for their iPod, and the iTunes store fits right into that. No one transfers their DVD collection onto their 360 (you can't), so there isn't the same indoctrination to digital storage for movies as there was for music. There's also less of a natural overlap in the market. Finally, the lack of an overwhelming market leader like Apple is going to delay adoption.

I'm not saying that movie sales distribution won't eventually be predominantly online, but I don't see it being anytime soon. Of course I expect, though, that online options will be a factor and take a portion of the market. I honestly think that the biggest problem facing Blu-Ray isn't digital distribution but is basic consumer understanding of high-def technology.

DVDs are soon going to be going the way of the CD.

The CD still dominates music sales. There's clearly a transition going on, but the CD isn't dead yet, just waning. And online movie sales don't have nearly as many advantages as online music sales and they have more disadvantages. The transition will happen, but it won't be as soon as you seem to think.

[muddi900]

Devolution!!!

Cockroaches beware.

[KingGorilla]

The nation's largest retailer backs out of digital downloads. If you do not see the issue then nothing I can tell you will help you understand.

The world's largest retailer for one. Also retail and digital distribution of content compete with eac hother. Wal-Mart put forth an effort more pathetic than Google. They half-assed their way into that market. Apple, Amazon, Netflix, TV networks have taken serious steps towards it, and are reaping huge rewards. There is large demand, and not enough supply for the service.

[TrainwreckX]

So is Sony now the undisputed winner? I mean I realize this is a big deal, but I considered New Line a loss when Warner made their announcement. However, aren't there still major studios on both sides?

[maharahaj]

So is Sony now the undisputed winner? I mean I realize this is a big deal, but I considered New Line a loss when Warner made their announcement. However, aren't there still major studios on both sides?

What's left for HD-DVD is Universal, Paramount (w/ it's subsidiary Dreamworks) and HBO, which is a subsidiary of Warner and anticipated to go BR exclusive only.

[Azrikam]

Just like cigarettes are a nicotine delivery system, Blu-ray (as well as HD-DVD) is a DRM-delivery system. Yay for Sony, they won a war nobody cares about. Both formats are evolutionary dead-ends.

[DangerousDaze]

Both formats are evolutionary dead-ends.

Of course, but so is every technology given time. The real trick is making money out of it while it's still the only real game in town, and that's rapidly what Blu-Ray is turning out to be.

[Azrikam]

Of course, but so is every technology given time. The real trick is making money out of it while it's still the only real game in town, and that's rapidly what Blu-Ray is turning out to be.

The same could have been said of Laserdisc at one point. Being the only real game in town isn't always enough to become a credible market. Electronics companies can manufacture and market whatever they want, but if the consumer decides not to come along for the ride, I consider that a dead-end.

[bapenguin]

It's different for everyone, I guess. I have 5 PS3 games (and a few downloaded games) and 1 BR movie.

11 BRs, 2 PS3 games.

[DangerousDaze]

The same could have been said of Laserdisc at one point. Being the only real game in town isn't always enough to become a credible market.
I would argue that Laserdisc was never in a game the masses wanted to play for various reasons; its cost, size, fragility, the fact that often you had to flip them over midway through the movie etc.

I don't know. Maybe it's because here in the UK hi-def is "all the rage", where every TV advertised is "HD Ready", and hi-def TV channels from Sky, Virgin etc. are pushed constantly. We're starting to switch off analogue TV starting this year and everyone is finding they have access to HD content. The push for HD movies on DVD-like media is growing daily. Laserdisc never had that momentum, never had the compelling event of a county-wide shift to digital. I just feel that either HD DVD or Blu-Ray (now more likely just Blu-Ray) are going to be huge.

You certainly have a point though.

[51|RandoM]

6 PS3 games, no movies.

As far as digital download vs. physical distribution, it isn't just a technology issue, it is a people issue to. Even if every single household on the entire planet had FIOS you would still have a viable market for people who want to buy movies on a physical medium.

Lots of people are packrats with collectoritis. Digital downloads do not do it for them.

DVD doesn't cut it for HD content. Digital delivery isn't there yet any way you slice it. There has to be a physical medium. It is going to be BD.

[resikel]

11 BRs, 2 PS3 games.

10 HD-DVDs, 1 XBox360 game. I just started.

[NightRain]

10 HD-DVDs, 1 XBox360 game. I just started.

79 HD-DVD's, 51 Xbox 360 Games, 31 Blu-Ray's, 6 PS3 games.

These numbers include 5 HD-DVD and 5 Blu-Ray in transit.

[Rune_74]

Wow nightrain impressive list...do y ou have any money left to eat?:)

[Gorvi]

Wow nightrain impressive list...do y ou have any money left to eat?:)
That's exactly what I was thinking. ;)

[Rune_74]

heheh I mean I make good money....but I cannot have that many games...I t hink I have 13 xbox360 games and 6 wii games....:P

[Evil Avatar]

What's left for HD-DVD is Universal, Paramount (w/ it's subsidiary Dreamworks) and HBO, which is a subsidiary of Warner and anticipated to go BR exclusive only.

The Paramount deal ends in less than a year. After that they will probably announce that they are going Blu-Ray only.

[Evil Avatar]

11 BRs, 2 PS3 games.

6 BR Movies, 3 PS3 games.

I purchased one of the PS3 games on Ebay for $15.00, so Sony didn't get any of that money.

So, the real count of retail purchased items would be...

6 BR Movies, 0 PS3 games.

[Sandman]

Any idea when the Universal deal with hd-dvd ends? I want Star Trek on blu-ray damnit.....actually nevermind, Trek seems to be Paramount.

[Evil Avatar]

Any idea when the Universal deal with hd-dvd ends? I want Star Trek on blu-ray damnit.....actually nevermind, Trek seems to be Paramount.

Universal didn't make a deal with anyone (at least not a publicly announce deal like the one where Toshiba bought off Paramount for $150 Million).

They can start making Blu-Ray movies any time they want to. Now, money probably did change hands, so there is no way to know when their "exclusive" period ends.

[Azrikam]

I don't know. Maybe it's because here in the UK hi-def is "all the rage", where every TV advertised is "HD Ready", and hi-def TV channels from Sky, Virgin etc. are pushed constantly. We're starting to switch off analogue TV starting this year and everyone is finding they have access to HD content. The push for HD movies on DVD-like media is growing daily. Laserdisc never had that momentum, never had the compelling event of a county-wide shift to digital. I just feel that either HD DVD or Blu-Ray (now more likely just Blu-Ray) are going to be huge.

You certainly have a point though.

Good point about the analog switch-off. I'd forgotten about that. (used to live in London, now residing in Canada)

[NightRain]

heheh I mean I make good money....but I cannot have that many games...I t hink I have 13 xbox360 games and 6 wii games....:P

I have 9 Wii, 26 PSP,15 DS games, and around 400 DVD's too. But I didn't mention those since on one else did either.

I can't remember the numbers for my older systems. Some months I spend way more than I should, my girlfriend wasn't impressed that I spend around $900 on movies and games in November.

[Johan]

0 BR Movies
0 PS3 Games
0 PSP Games
0 Wii Games
0 HDDVD Movies
5 Children
1 Wife


Priceless. :D

And the white picket fence, too...

[Schnoogs]

Both formats are evolutionary dead-ends.

Same with VHS,DVD and CD.

Thanks for telling us the painfully obvious. In the meantime we'll be enjoying HD movies while you wait for that format that isn't a dead end.

Don't be surprised if the end of time comes first.

[Wolvie]

Well I better start saving the pennies for a blue-ray player, cuz we got ourselves a winner! I'll nab one as soon as all my DVD players die.

[Wolvie]

0 BR Movies
0 PS3 Games
0 PSP Games
0 Wii Games
0 HDDVD Movies
5 Children
1 Wife


Priceless. :D

And the white picket fence, too...

Same here sept I got 1 wife and 2 kids. That also= priceless. :o

[Rune_74]

Meh, just wait till they are at 100 dollars a pop....I get hd channels and I upscale dvd' for now:)

[drakkarim]

while the 'war' is not over yet, i hope one or the other wins soon. the duality right now is guaranteed to keep me from buying anything from either camp (player or movies) until things are settled.

although i will say i do hope its the blue ray camp, if only because i already have the ps3 and don't feel like buying the add on for the 360. of course i only play games on my consoles, so technically i'll still have to buy a standalone for the main tv upstairs.

either way, i'm sure sony had to pony up something serious to get this score.

[ResistanceAddict]

0 BR Movies
0 PS3 Games
0 PSP Games
0 Wii Games
0 HDDVD Movies
5 Children
1 Wife


Priceless. :D

And the white picket fence, too...

MS FANBOY!

:D

EDIT: Wow, you guys filtered the dollar sign? That's pretty dedicated...

[KingGorilla]

Wow, you guys filtered the dollar sign? That's pretty dedicated...
Maybe you weren't a subscriber when that went through. We had a discussion about it. I wanted it to be W00T, and all derivations. But M<dollar sign> is fine too.

[oldjadedgamer]

Maybe you weren't a subscriber when that went through. We had a discussion about it. I wanted it to be W00T, and all derivations. But M<dollar sign> is fine too.

I didn't know that it had been filtered out but thank God! That "joke" was soooooo super tired and this coming from a hardcore Mac user. EA, I will donate again just for that decision getting made!!!

[Rune_74]

Dedicated to what exactly?

[KingGorilla]

Dedicated to what exactly?

Dedication to scrolling up a few posts.

[Rune_74]

MS FANBOY!

:D

EDIT: Wow, you guys filtered the dollar sign? That's pretty dedicated...

I was asking what we are pretty dedicated too...I knew what you were talking about...

[Chameleo]

MS FANBOY!

:D

EDIT: Wow, you guys filtered the dollar sign? That's pretty dedicated...

pretty dedicated to the one company that most of the posters on this board are partial to.

[TeeCakes]

Winning the High-Def format war can definitely help them in the console war though. If blue ray is the only HD game in town, I can easily see quite a few people buying a PS3. Hell, I know a lot of people who got a PS2 at one time to play DVDs and games, and never got a DVD player.

After the Warner Bros. news hit last Friday, I easily convinced my older co-worker to splurge on a PS3 for hi-def movies, as his kids already had a PS2 and a ton of games, and he wanted to get the best value-player on the market ATM: easily the PS3.

March '08-- the prophecy shall soon be fulfilled, true believers...

And if I'm reading the last few posts correctly, I'm calling censorship right here right now.

[Chameleo]

March '08-- the prophecy shall soon be fulfilled, true believers....

yeah the PS3 is starting to look like a great platform. it hasn't been for the past 12 months. quit talking like a religious fanatic - its strange... i know you're a SONY fan and everything but really, does sticking with SONY really take faith of religious proportions?

[TeeCakes]

yeah the PS3 is starting to look like a great platform. it hasn't been for the past 12 months. quit talking like a religious fanatic - its strange... i know you're a SONY fan and everything but really, does sticking with SONY really take faith of religious proportions?

Yet again-- censorship. Was that on purpose?

I'll talk/type however I damn well please, thanks. But it's cool that peeps are at least acknowledging SONY's strengths now. R-E-S-P-E-C-T = sales. Sales = more 3rd-party gaming goodness for me.

[Chameleo]

Yet again-- censorship. Was that on purpose?

I'll talk/type however I damn well please, thanks.

i didn't censor you. i asked you to stop talking like a fanatic - which is just an observation - followed by the implication that it takes nothing short of fanatacism to stand by SONY's side through the past year.


just saw your signature - so i guess you're pretty hardcore into SONY eh....

[Ikarius]

I have a dream.

I want to buy a movie on physical media, and transfer it to a server.

From there, I could stream it to any of my TVs, transfer it to a portable movie player, or view it on any playback device I own. The physical media is simply my backup copy. Oh, and I dont loose any functionality- special features, menus, multiple soundtracks all remain intact.

You know, I can do that today with CDs and my music.

I can do most of it with DVDs. I can't do it with Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

When the movie industry wakes up and delivers a product with the sort of functionality I've described, consumers will flock to the format in droves.

[TeeCakes]

i didn't censor you. i asked you to stop talking like a fanatic - which is just an observation - followed by the implication that it takes nothing short of fanatacism to stand by SONY's side through the past year.


just saw your signature - so i guess you're pretty hardcore into SONY eh....

Implied censorship is still just that. You trying to equate my speech with religious "fanatacism" (there should be only 2 a's there, btw) is a furtive way to alter my speech more towards your liking, or to shut me up completely.

I guess I could also call you a "fanatacist" for supporting 360's shoddy product and services, as if you were a religious zealot unwilling to deny your faith. Yet that would ass-u-me that you weren't using rational thought to support the 360, but only using your irrational worship of the Holy Light of the Mystical RROD. It also twists anything further you would say into the rantings of a lunatic-- classic censorship.

Try to use legitimate debating techniques to counter someone's point, s'all I'm sayin.

[KingGorilla]

I have a dream.

I want to buy a movie on physical media, and transfer it to a server.

From there, I could stream it to any of my TVs, transfer it to a portable movie player, or view it on any playback device I own. The physical media is simply my backup copy. Oh, and I dont loose any functionality- special features, menus, multiple soundtracks all remain intact.

You know, I can do that today with CDs and my music.

I can do most of it with DVDs. I can't do it with Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

When the movie industry wakes up and delivers a product with the sort of functionality I've described, consumers will flock to the format in droves.

Well, VLC can play .iso files. You can copy an exact image of any movie, menus and all, and play it just like a DVD.

[TeeCakes]

I have a dream.

I want to buy a movie on physical media, and transfer it to a server.

From there, I could stream it to any of my TVs, transfer it to a portable movie player, or view it on any playback device I own. The physical media is simply my backup copy. Oh, and I dont loose any functionality- special features, menus, multiple soundtracks all remain intact.


I'm thinking about buying a PSP just so I can have the closest thing to what you're describing-- Remote Play is a seriously underrated feature of the "SONY Family," IMO. I remind you that the PSP can be connected to any TV via A/V cables, and if it's near a hotspot, it WILL connect with your PS3, wherever the two systems may be. That's pretty darn close to everything you've stated that you want.

[Rasgueado]

I'm looking forward to when we can stop caring about the delivery methods that the megacorp's wanna push, and we actually start getting some consumer friendly formats for a change.

[Micasa]

Implied censorship is still just that. You trying to equate my speech with religious "fanatacism" (there should be only 2 a's there, btw) is a furtive way to alter my speech more towards your liking, or to shut me up completely.

I guess I could also call you a "fanatacist" for supporting 360's shoddy product and services, as if you were a religious zealot unwilling to deny your faith. Yet that would ass-u-me that you weren't using rational thought to support the 360, but only using your irrational worship of the Holy Light of the Mystical RROD. It also twists anything further you would say into the rantings of a lunatic-- classic censorship.

Try to use legitimate debating techniques to counter someone's point, s'all I'm sayin.

Fanaticism can also be noticed by a person's immediate offensive against anyone who disagrees with them.

Just saying...

[Chameleo]

Implied censorship is still just that. You trying to equate my speech with religious "fanatacism" (there should be only 2 a's there, btw) is a furtive way to alter my speech more towards your liking, or to shut me up completely.

I guess I could also call you a "fanatacist" for supporting 360's shoddy product and services, as if you were a religious zealot unwilling to deny your faith. Yet that would ass-u-me that you weren't using rational thought to support the 360, but only using your irrational worship of the Holy Light of the Mystical RROD. It also twists anything further you would say into the rantings of a lunatic-- classic censorship.

Try to use legitimate debating techniques to counter someone's point, s'all I'm sayin.

holy shit you're bat-shit-crazy.

censorship is only censorship when someone is censored. telling you to shut-up and stop being such a freak is NOT censorship.


you've never been censored. that is, unless you try to spell microsoft with a dollar sign.


thanks for picking out a typo btw, appreciate it. :rolleyes:

[drakkarim]

....it takes nothing short of fanatacism to stand by SONY's side through the past year.


i wouldn't go that far, i got my ps3 about half a year ago or so, when they first dropped prices and were starting to phase out the 60 model. i've played a lot of great ps2 games and even some great ps3 games so far. i think the system itself is extremely solid, its the programmers that haven't fully grasped the extra skills necessary to make it sing, which i don't blame them for yet. anyway, i didn't buy it cuz i love sony or something, i bought it because i felt it was way too early to count them out, we're not talking about some upstart phantom type console/company here, we're talking about the sony behemoth. i knew they could afford sticking with the solution and seeing it through, and i was pretty sure sooner or later programmers would start coming aboard. is that fanaticism? or is that simply dismissing the 360 zealot fanboys?

i'm also enjoying the 360 and the wii, but i wouldn't want ANY of the 3 to be the 'winner', they ALL have their issues and weaknesses. i'm hoping between the 3 of them i'll always be able to find a great game. so far i have.

[Ikarius]

I'm thinking about buying a PSP just so I can have the closest thing to what you're describing-- Remote Play is a seriously underrated feature of the "SONY Family," IMO. I remind you that the PSP can be connected to any TV via A/V cables, and if it's near a hotspot, it WILL connect with your PS3, wherever the two systems may be. That's pretty darn close to everything you've stated that you want.

Well, yes, mostly. But what I was getting at was that I can do that with DVDs.... but not so much with HD-DVDs or Blu-ray. My understanding is that the state of the encryption on those is still not easily broken with an end-user usable program, and it's most certainly considered illegal to boot. I want the media companies to deliver us products where this functionality is considered "built-in", not where we're having to fight tooth and nail for every step of that process.

Not to mention that there is so much incompatibility between devices, and uncertainties reguarding delivering HD streams over HDMI to modern display devices, etc etc etc.

As far as I'm concerned, the "current gen" of products is vastly more broken then the last gen for doing what I want.

Last comment is that the PSP could qualify as a "portable device", but connecting it to a TV via it's AV cables is not going to deliver anything NEAR full HD resolution... part of my "dream".

[TeeCakes]

Well, yes, mostly. But what I was getting at was that I can do that with DVDs.... but not so much with HD-DVDs or Blu-ray. My understanding is that the state of the encryption on those is still not easily broken with an end-user usable program, and it's most certainly considered illegal to boot. I want the media companies to deliver us products where this functionality is considered "built-in", not where we're having to fight tooth and nail for every step of that process.

Not to mention that there is so much incompatibility between devices, and uncertainties reguarding delivering HD streams over HDMI to modern display devices, etc etc etc.

As far as I'm concerned, the "current gen" of products is vastly more broken then the last gen for doing what I want.

Last comment is that the PSP could qualify as a "portable device", but connecting it to a TV via it's AV cables is not going to deliver anything NEAR full HD resolution... part of my "dream".

This just in :

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42333(and I'm personally still holding out hope that there's some way to unlock a HD-streaming option on a later PSP model in a few years.)

Bingo bango.