Top Five Reasons To Buy a Blu-ray Player

Courtesy of GLMT, Inc.









5. Your DVDs are not HD. No matter what the label says. Sure upconverting DVD players make your DVDs look better but they are not HD. Don't believe it. There is a BIG difference and if you don't see it, your player is not hooked up properly.

4. Sound. If you have a surround sound system, chances are your system will benefit from the much higher data rates of the Blu-ray format out of the box. My surround system is 5 years old and it is shocking how much more dynamic the channel seperation was on blu-ray audio with old school audio codecs.

3. $140. Resist the temptation to replace that malfunctioning or lost ipod this Christmas and invest in something that you will actually use on a consistent basis. Blu-ray players are selling at a discount. $140? C'mon! Remember when you would drop $100 just for an HDMI cable.

2. Your TV Wants One. If you have an hdtv, it has been fed a diet of low bit rate cable or dish hd or low bit rate DVDs that claim they are upconverting to HD. Your TV wants a steak. Let it maximize its performance with HD.

1. Rediscover the Magic of Movie Making. When I bought my blu-ray player, I realized something. Movies are fun to watch again. Movies are brilliant. The immersive display of sound and color lend credence to the true masterpieces of American moviemaking. A blu-ray player will entertain you and your friends and family cheaply and brilliantly. Done deal.

Eco-Friendly Disc Not So Friendly

You can turn on your television, tune in to the radio, or even open up your web browser and you are bound to see something about going "green." We are all in the midst of a "green" generation and at Great Lakes Media Technology we've adopted the "ChooseGreen" packaging concept (made with 100% recyclable, 30% post consumer and all soy based inks on custom packaging), which has seen a HUGE increase in demand over the last few years. Anytime energy is saved and resources are conserved, no doubt we are all for it. Researchers are now experimenting to create an eco-friendly disc, although none have been successful.

Currently there are replication companies marketing what they are calling an "eco-friendly" DVD (or flex disc). Flexible because they are 0.6mm thick as opposed to the 1.2mm thickness of a standard DVD, and environmentally friendly because only half of the plastic is needed to manufacture the disc. Unfortunately there are some serious problems with this.

1. Companies are only manufacturing 1 layer (layer 0) of the format, which happens to fall outside of the specifications for all DVD formats. As a licensee of the DVD patent groups - which is extremely important to avoid potential liability - we are disallowed to manufacture non-compliant products.

2. Compatibility with these thin discs are not good. Less than 80% compatibility.

3. The manufacturing process of this disc is no different than the standard manufacturing of a DVD.

As further research is conducted we will continue to keep our eyes open. We are constantly working towards protecting our environment, as well as providing more options to our customers.

Why so Serious? Batman Blu-ray Disc to be "Killer" App for the Format?

The Dark Night Blu-ray disc promises to be dazzling. If you are one of those "Jokers" who thinks that DVD is just fine on your 1080p Flat Screen television, this title will sure to change your beliefs.

The darks will be eerier and inkier, the explosions will be more ferocious, the entire movie will be more of spectacle on Blu-ray. If you were on the fence about Blu-ray, this title's demand for high bit rates of data, colors not possible in upconvert, and pure uncompressed sound will make your DVD feel like it is a black and white picture with Dutch subtitles.

Going, Going, Going, GREEN!

It seems like everyone is going green nowadays. It is everywhere, so I think it is safe to say it is the “trendy” thing to do right now. In my opinion this trend is one that should stay. I think it is great that companies, not just citizens, are deciding that it is time to think about how we affect our planet. Even Apple has released their first family of Green Notebook computers.

Now I’m no tree-hugger, but I try to do my part in lessening my “carbon footprint.” Recycling is probably the easiest thing anyone can do to make a small impact on the environment. It takes two seconds to throw that can or bottle in a recycling bin instead of your trashcan.

Recently the Milwaukee County Zoo started using compostable plastic cups in the Flamingo Café. These totally clear cups are made from bioplastic. It’s really quite amazing that this plastic can be composted and not have any harmful impact on the environment. I hope they start using these cups in all of their Concessions once they reopen in the Spring.

GLMT has also taken steps in the green direction. We recently introduced our ChooseGreen option for our custom packaging. We have also started offering a recycled green jewel case. The clear green case is made of 30% postconsumer materials and the forest green tray is made of 100% postconsumer materials.

In addition, we are also reducing paper waste by giving our clients the option to receive their quotes and invoices digitally instead of on paper. Any paper waste we do have is recycled, along with plastic, cardboard, glass and scrap discs. It’s hard to imagine the amount of waste GLMT alone would be putting into the landfill if we did not recycle.

As you can see whether your company is making computers, serving concessions at the zoo, manufacturing discs or anything in between, we can all do something to impact the environment in a positive way.

Let’s turn this green trend into something more, and keep our environment healthy!

Netflix To Stream Through Blu-Ray Players

In an attempt to combine the convenience of watching online movies and watching a high definition picture, Netflix and some blu-ray player manufacturers are teaming up to allow subscribers to stream movies through blu-ray players. Despite the current economic environment, demand for blu-ray players have risen due to the dramatic decrease in prices and the ending of the format war. Online streaming has been on the rise for years.

This collaboration is really a win-win for both companies. Online movies will now be up-converted from standard definition to near HD quality - although there is still a striking difference between up-converted standard definition picture quality and full 1080p blu-ray picture quality. This also should drive Netflix subscribers to purchase blu-ray players. The only warning is that once you go high-def, you'll never want to go back!

Marketing In A Recession

Well it is now official - according to the National Bureau of Economic Research the United States has been in a recession since December of 2007. Many companies are probably thinking that cuts have to be made...but where? Marketing? No way says a study conducted by McGraw-Hill Research. The study found that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their marketing expenditures during past recessions averaged significantly higher sales growth both during the recession and for the following three years than those which eliminated or decreased marketing.

There is no doubt that recessions are scary, but this should be a time when marketing your product or company can be seen as a real opportunity for growth. While others are cutting back in hopes that the recession passes, proactive marketing can propel a company to gain a significant competitive advantage in brand equity.

How is your company going to take advantage of this recession?

The First Installment in a new collection...

About a month ago, while watching TV one evening, I saw a commercial for Disney's release of "Sleeping Beauty" digitally restored on Blu-ray Disc. Like any young girl growing up, I idolized Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and all the Disney Princesses. I had to mention, "Hey, maybe it's time to start a collection of Disney animated movies on Blu-ray."

According to Disney's website, they don't take big jumps in technology lightly:
"'Sleeping Beauty' will be the first animated Platinum title available on Blu-ray Disc. This release will mark a major milestone for Blue-ray, as Platinum titles are only released on a new format after it has proven to be technologically sound and popular with customers."

Much to my surprise, my boyfriend actually remembered my musings that evening, and on my birthday appeared the brand new Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Disc! Within minutes the wrapper was crumpled on the ground and the new title was in the Playstation 3. The quality of the restoration is breathtaking! It maintains the integrity of the classic Disney animation, and enhances it to a whole new level with the bright colors and crisp lines. It was even better than I had remembered.

Aside from the greatness of the movie itself, the new format adds so much more to the entire experience. Like DVD, there are plenty of special features such as deleted scenes and new songs, but BD takes it a step further. If your Blu-ray player is hooked up to the internet, you can access the Disney BD-Live Network where you can chat online with friends while watching the movie. There's also lots interactive games to play, and the capability to download new features at any time.

I can't wait for my niece to come over so we can check it all out together. Next on the list: Pinocchio (March 2009)

Chicago Band Wilco Testing Out New Downloadable Technologies

Wilco seems to be on the front lines of a lot of media technology developments lately. Last month Wilco told its fans that the Blu-ray version of their black and white documentary with a single audio track was a "waste of money". Many have taken this to be a knock on Blu-ray, but I understand it to be a knock on the nessesity of the medium for such a project. This belief is backed up by their touring mate Neil Young, releasing an audio-visual collection on Blu-ray describing the merits of the audio/visual quality supported by Blu-ray as AMAZING.

In light of this quasi-controversy, Wilco is partnering with Warner Music Group to release a MP3/JPEG music application called "PlayApp". According to WSJ.com, "PlayApps are single file, custom multimedia programs that can contain music, pictures, lyrics, and video. The songs in the "More Like The Moon EP" Wilco music playapp are extractable as 192 kbps MP3 files while the pictures are extractable as high resolution JPG files. PlayApps can be created for any computer system, but are initially being developed for the Windows platform, XP/Vista or greater."

MP3's have long got a lot of publicity, rightly so with the hype surrounding MP3 players, but has long struggled with the business model of marketing the music. Without "packaging" a major component of the marketing of an album is lost. So does "PlayApp" take a step in bridging this gap? Post your comments!

Do you think Blu-ray Players will be the iPod of Christmas Past?










With Blu-ray players as the "front page" seller for most black friday advertisements, does this mean that the blu-ray player is the must have gadget of 2008. This probably isn't going to be the best retail Christmas but it is good news to a company like Great Lakes Media Technology whose business model is likely to profit from continued use of tangible media.

My honest opinion: I'm buying!

How Important Is Customer Service To You?

The duplication industry has seen significant changes over the past decade. Technological advancements from VHS and cassette tapes - to CD and DVD - and now high definition blu-ray. Replication companies implementing automated customer service is another trend that seems to be growing. As more and more companies move in this direction we feel that it is important to separate ourselves from this trend and maintain the "human" side of our customer support. In a recent survey, almost 79% of all customers will press "0" to bypass automated support to talk to a real person (BusinessWeek 2008).

For every single customer at Great Lakes Media there is an assigned Account Manager and Customer Service Representative. It is important for us to understand exactly what it is the customer is looking for and to be able to customize each order to the very last detail. Our team takes pride in developing relationships and really getting to know our customers whether they order from us once a year or every day! That is why Great Lakes Media Technology will always use real people and real service when answering our phones.

Vectors Versus Pixels

Our goal is to have your disc print perfect. While perfection is certainly not always possible, we can strive for it and keep a few things in mind. There are 2 types of art to be aware of when printing on a disc: vector-based and pixel-based. Each is unique and serves a special purpose. It is important to understand the different formats for various types of art to achieve our ultimate goal of the perfect disc.

Vector-based art is perfect for all text and line illustrations. Vector art uses mathematical equations to create the lines and points that make up your design. Each of the lines will be crisp and clear at any size you choose. This art is ideal for those occasions you would like to type out text, place your simple logo on a print piece, and especially when you would like to print in spot colors. One of the preferred programs used to create vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator

Pixel-based art is made up of little dots of color. Pixel art is ideal for photographs. Many different color dots (pixels) make up an image. Pixel art, though, is meant to stay at a certain size so it is important to create usable art at the size you intend to print. The larger you re-size your image the worse the quality gets. A visual inspection prior to sending them off is crucial for these types of files to make sure everything is crisp enough. Adobe Photoshop is the program most commonly used when working with photographs.

These two programs can work together and create a variety of art. Images can be placed in Illustrator and text can be created in Photoshop but the limitations of each program must be kept in mind. In the end it is best to use each program for what it is intended.

Blu-ray Player for $128 on Black Friday???

Are you buying? See http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/19/magnavox-blu-ray-player-to-be-128-at-walmart-on-black-friday/

BD-Live: Could it Make Blu-ray Applicable to the Corporate World?











I previously posted about BD-Live (see below) and what it has to offer to consumers. Call me a naysayer but those consumer features are not all that exciting... yet. Our business, disc replication/packaging and content development (NewMedia), has to be concerned with corporate communications as it is a major part of our business.

The DVD specification does not include web linking from a DVD player. Mostly because DVD players were not wired for internet connections from the beginning. Of course Sonic, Adobe, and other authoring platforms have created the ability to link through to websites from menu screens for DVDs playing in computers, but the compatibility and consistency of it actually working makes it difficult to include on any large scale project.

Blu-ray and BD-Live aims to make physical disc media more dynamic with web connectivity. Experts more negative than I, claim that if Blu-ray is adopted, they will never connect those players to their networks. I respectfully disagree with that view point. With 20% of current Blu-ray player owners already accessing BD-Live content, one can conclude that at least 20% of these early generation players are connected to the Internet.

This 2008 holiday season it is expected that the second generation players will have internal wireless networking capability(which will make it hard not to connect to the Internet) and will have a sub $250 price point. Will this be enough? It is important that consumers find this enticing because the potential for innovative corporate communications will be endless. It will be new medium, with stunning resolution, and an unparalleled way to attach excellence in branding with your business.

What about BD-Live and Corporate Communications? This is where I see BD-Live even more useful than on the consumer product side. Think of these possibilities:

• Allow your end-user to request slides, .pdf manuals, applications for credit- all contained in a carefully branded, high definition menu and have the materials pinged to home/office computers or handheld devices.


• After a stunning high-definition video, ask for feedback, ask for an order, and allow the user to communicate with your company right then and there, while the juices are flowing.


• Track who is actually watching your program.


• Become more responsive by allowing users to open up chat screens with experts from your company after questions about a how-to video.


• Provide up-to-date documents at all times to your dealer network without making new discs.

These are just some of the ideas I have for the medium. I know marketers and business communicators are looking for new, innovative ways to excite their customers and/or employees. Enthusiastic employees and customers grow your business and Blu-ray and BD-Live have the capability to harness and convey that sort of power. Now we wait for the consumer to adopt this technology and the major entertainment publishers have a responsibility to provide valuable content. We wait.... Enthusiastically.

BD-Live Gaining Momentum
Is this Tangible Media’s Answer to Digital Downloads?

With the swarm of Blu-ray titles touting BD-Live capability, many consumers want to know what BD-Live has to offer. BD-Live is the ability to use a Blu-ray Disc, a Blu-ray Player, and an internet connection to access additional features and interactivity not included on the disc. Some of the features make more sense than others. Below are some that may be of value:
-Make movie clips with user faces superimposed on characters in the movie and send them
over the BD Live network as viral marketing campaigns. See Sleeping Beauty.
-Edit movies for viewing with sensitive viewers and store the custom edits on remote
servers.
-Send digital copies direct from the disc menu to your portable device. See iPhone/iPod
Touch Application.
-Allow storefront merchandising from the disc menu.
-Update audio on older blu-ray discs for new audio codecs optimized for your home theater.
To get our opinion on how we actually see some of these features being useful for corporate communications see our blog.

Trends in Media: USB Flash Drives for Marketing and Promotion

It has become increasingly enticing to look into USB Sticks or “Thumb Drives” as a promotional tool or a way to distribute information. They can serve as an eye-catching handout at a tradeshow or a mail out premium with preloaded promotional information.

However, the volatility in price and availability is often hampered by the demand for flash memory generally by other consumer product applications (i.e. cameras, cell phones, etc.) CD and DVD is still the most cost effective way to deliver rich media content for read-only presentations.

GLMT is looking forward to future investments in this product, but we need your help! Let us know how you plan to use USB Flash Drives in the future by shooting us a quick email. Or hit the comment section on the blog to leave your thoughts for all!

Marketing Downloadable Content as “HD”


A Suspicious Value Statement














It is logical to assume that in the future we have a “mystical box” that pipes in high definition movies and games to any television/monitor in the house. This HD content will be relayed wirelessly to our cell phones, maybe even our virtual reality visors. We will command it by voice, it may even have a name, and it will know us, and download movies it knows we’ll like without command. This “magic box” will sense our every entertainment want and need and predict, download, and present it in glorious high definition on any type of screen we want. The cost of this box? Nothing. The cost to download a movie? Zilch. Writers will never strike and meaningful HD content will be bountiful.

As we step back to planet earth we see industry giants capitalizing on this ideal of entertainment utopia. At CES 2008, Apple announced its “HD” version of Apple TV. You can download “HD” programs to your XBOX 360. Some of the major networks are even letting you download “HD” video versions of their sitcoms. The problem is that none of these downloads are truly HD and marketing them as such is potentially fraudulent.

George Ou, a technical Zdnet.com columnist, confirmed the industry-wide misrepresentation in “Don’t Believe the Low Bit-Rate Lie.” The article draws a clear distinction between resolution and bit rate, which few understand. As a review, resolution is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display. Bit rate refers to the actual amount of video data being transferred per second to the display. The true measure of whether something is HD should be measured first by bit rate then by resolution. This confusion has led to many media conglomerates taking advantage of the bewildered consumer.

When the consumer goes shopping for an HD display, they are pursuaded to choose between resolutions as a measurement of quality. There is a price disparities between resolutions. For example, a 1080p display will command a premium over a 720p display. However, the amount of video data being transferred to that display is more important.

What is more interesting is the fact that a standard definition (480i) DVD played on a 720p display with a bit rate of 8 mbps will look better than the “HD Movie” downloaded on your computer, XBOX Live, or your Apple TV with bit rates less than 5 mbps. DVDs are not marketed as “HD” despite the fact that they can be scaled to display on any TV resolution. The fact that some digital downloads advertise themselves as “HD” when really it is worse than DVD quality is puzzling.

The HD bit rate has been set by the next generation formats as being a minimum of 36 mbps. This is why when you view video presented in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray it is spectacular in comparison with all other forms of HD.

It is suspicious that Dish Network and Cable frequently wage war against each other on the amount of HD it offers. What is lacking in the battle is a discussion on quality of HD. However, when a digital downloading service is advertised as offering “HD”, and the quality is less than the standard definition DVD quality, it should remove the “HD” label altogether. Offering something that transfers 9 times less video data at a resolution often used by HD video should not be labeled HD as consumers associate “HD” with high quality.

A Look at the Consumer, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray

The fact that most consumers do not have an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player is not surprising. The optical disc industry has done little to invite a consumer to experience high definition entertainment by presenting two competing next generation formats- HD-DVD v. Blu-Ray. At GLMT we are indifferent to which format prevails in the marketplace, but we do believe that a clear format needs to be decided soon for the health of the industry.

Initially, we thought the development of multi-format players or Super Multi Blu players would make the format war moot by allowing consumers to buy either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray titles without regard to compatibility. We envisioned that consumers would be more concerned with buying an entertainment title in High Definition, rather than a specific format because it would not make much difference.


The development and promotion of Super Multi Blu players has been extremely slow to react to a consumer looking to adopt a format. The price remains high for Super Multi Blu ($900) and neither camp seems to be willing to endorse such a concept. Also, the promotions linked with buying a Blu-Ray or an HD-DVD player (i.e. up to 10 free movies) were not extended to the multi-format players during the pre-holiday retail blitz. Due to the lack of promotion behind the Super Multi Blu players the tension increased between the formats and has lead to a slow consumer adoption. A winner-take-all proposition to a consumer looking to make a $400 investment in technology is a risk consumers are smart not to take.

Last Friday, January 4, Warner Bros. dealt a blow to the HD-DVD camp announcing exclusivity to Blu-Ray for their titles in 2008. This caused HD-DVD to cancel their news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This cancellation reaction to the Warner Bros. exclusive announcement was surprisingly public, and some believe this to be the tipping point.

It is unfortunate that this confusing message has been presented to the marketplace. What is clear, is that the only way to effectively watch a spectacular, recently released movie in high definition is to utilize a next generation optical disc format. We believe there will be widespread adoption to a format once it is clear that there is a standard and the players are priced under $200 including an HDMI cable. Given the recent exclusive Blu-Ray news, this may be happening soon.

GLMT sent representatives to the CES conference to get a pulse on the future of optical disc. We are excited to hear their thoughts upon return.