Next-generation DVD players are finally washing up on
Australian shores. Trouble is, there's no content to go with
them. Asher Moses gives you the low-down.
Within a day of each other, the first devices capable of Blu-ray and HD DVD playback have been announced by Altech Computers and Toshiba, respectively. The former takes the form of a media centre PC designed for placement in your living room, while the latter is a home-entertainment notebook that performs a similar function, with the added benefit of being portable.
Critical to the successful penetration of either format is widespread content/media availability. Akin to the current situation with HDTV, if there's little content available for consumption, there's nary a valid reason to upgrade. Frustratingly, no studios have announced even tentative dates for when next-gen DVD content will reach this country. Simon Bush, CEO of the Australian Visual Software Distributors Association -- which represents the home entertainment film industry -- told CNET.com.au that "information on Australian releases of Blu-ray and HD DVD isn't available at this time".
Therefore, an upgrade today will only be attractive to early adopters or those who need a new PC immediately and want to future-proof their system. Thankfully, however, both standards are backwards compatible with regular DVDs, so users are able to continue watching their current movie library while waiting for HD DVD and Blu-ray content to arrive.
By far the main issue currently facing the two standards is that those who take the plunge today may find themselves purchasing a new drive in the future, as it's currently unclear whether Blu-ray and HD DVD will be able to co-exist, or if one will be pushed out of the market due to lack of vendor and studio support.
At present the race is difficult to call. In the Blu-ray camp, manufacturer support includes Apple, Dell, Benq, HP, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony and TDK, while studio support includes Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Paramount, Warner and Lions Gate. For HD DVD, supporting manufacturers include Microsoft, Intel, HP, NEC and Toshiba, while studio support includes Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, Warner and the Weinstein Company.
Finally, it's interesting that the first next-gen players are in PC form rather than consumer electronics form, however, this makes sense from a business perspective. Given the current dearth of content, most initial revenue will come from early adopters. These users tend to be PC savvy, and commonly utilise media centre PCs as opposed to typical DVD players and PVRs.
If the above sounds like you, here's a low-down of the very first next-gen players to hit the local market:
 Altech Maestro Pro 2 (Blu-ray Edition) Read first take |
Early adopters will love the Pro 2's excellent media
centre features, but the current dearth of Blu-ray content
will deter many. Price: AU$3999 Processor: Intel Pentium D 930 (3GHz) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Hard drive: Dual Samsung 250GB SATA2 Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 6600GT 256MB Sound: 7.1 channel surround audio, digital SPDIF output Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition |
 Toshiba Qosmio G30 (HD DVD Edition) Read first take |
The Toshiba Qosmio G30 is the most feature-rich home
entertainment notebook we've seen to date, bar none. Price: AU$5499 Processor: Intel Core Duo T2400 (2GHz) Memory: 1GB DDR2 Hard drive: 200GB SATA2 Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 7600 256MB Sound: Intel High Definition Audio; 1-Bit Digital Amp; Harman/Kardon stereo speakers Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition |
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triotiotfijo
01/04/2008 12:11 PM
blu ray sucks
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