DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Downloading Stop Fighting... Consumer Satisfaction Follows!



Everybody seems to pit optical media formats versus something. DVD vs. Digital Downloading. DVD vs. Blu-ray. Blu-ray vs. YouTube. ENOUGH FIGHTING!!! It is confusing everybody. It looks as though Hollywood is going to mediate a peaceful resolution. The Disney movie Bolt will be released in a package that contains a DVD, a Blu-ray Disc, and a Digital Copy.



When I buy a movie, I want it to work on everything. I want it to work on my phone, my blu-ray player, my DVD player. For once in the last 5 years, I think the industry is doing itself a favor. Plus, disc manufacturers like GLMT should be salivating over the opportunity.

GLMT Featured In One To One Magazine!!!

Please take a look at the article published in One To One magazine featuring Great Lakes Media Technology and its unrivaled blu-ray authoring services.

CNET Posts on why Blu-ray will Succeed:

Summarized:

1. Digital downloads will not eliminate the need for discs anytime soon.
2. Having one clear standard is a big advantage.
3. Blu-ray isn't going to be replaced by another disc format anytime soon.
4. Prices for large-screen HDTVs will continue to drop.
5. Prices for Blu-ray players will continue to drop.
6. Prices for Blu-ray discs will drop to near DVD price levels.
7. Sony will sell lots of PlayStation 3 game consoles.
8. Sony can't afford to have Blu-ray fail.
9. Sony and its partners will figure out a way to have Blu-ray resonate with the public.

Read the full article here.

PC World: Blu-ray 4th Quarter shows Blu-ray Success

PC World claims that Blu-ray had a successful 4th quarter of 2008 and is poised for even greater success in 2009. The PC World article states:

"Disc sales have tripled in the past year, according to The Digital Entertainment Group, an organization made up of movie studios and electronics manufacturers who track the industry. Blu-ray sold 28.6 million discs in the fourth quarter of 2008, and there are 10.7 million Blu-ray players currently in the United States.

The biggest seller was The Dark Knight, the number two highest grossing motion picture of all time. The Dark Knight is the first Blu-ray disc to sell over one million copies."

We will keep you posted on the successes of this format and the attention the media gives it.

A Layman’s First Impression of High-Definition Television

Let me say, I’m impressed. For the first time in years I sit staring, open-mouthed, at a football game for more than 10 minutes. The crisp images projected in high-definition on a plasma television cannot be beat. I feel as if I’m on the field with the players. I get dizzy when the camera moves quickly, panning the crowd. Watching sports has become pleasurable again. HD viewing gets an A+ from me. 

But, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, a Blu-ray/plasma TV combination tops even the most exciting football game. Together with surround sound, watching the Transformers movie over and over again this weekend at the request of a very excited three-year old proved to be an easy chore. How many times can I watch these robots fighting and flying around the cities? I don’t know, I’m not finished yet. Especially considering this is the only Blu-ray disc I have in the house, and it belongs to my son. I foresee this being played a lot and I won’t get tired of it too soon.

HD television is a pleasure to watch and I look forward to the day when everything is broadcast this way. It’s a disappointment now to watch the older, fuzzy shows. 21st century, here I come!

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.

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!

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)

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!

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.

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.

Blu-Ray or HD-DVD vs. Digital Downloading? Discs are Here to Stay!

EngadgetHD, a leading blogger on high definition, posted 10 reason discs will remain as a viable medium! I thought they were very insightful.

1. They offer the best picture and sound quality.
2. You own the disc, no one can expire it or take it away.
3. Discs still cost less per GB than a Hard Disc.
4. Discs don't 'just' go bad and cause you to lose your movies.
5. Discs are portable and can be shared with friends.
6. Eventually HDM players will cost less than upconverting DVD players.
7. Xbox Live Marketplace HD expires and is locked to the device.
8. HD VOD is limited in selection and availability.
9. Even when VUDU gets HD, it costs too much, and the content is locked on the box.
10. HD Movie channels crop, compress, and offer worse audio than DVD.


Source- EngadgetHD