Blu-ray folks will dismiss Paramount’s recent switch to HD DVD as nothing more than a money grab, and that’s to be expected. They now know how it feels to have a studio shun them for no apparent reason. Well, in this case, it turns out that there are actually quite a few logical reasons why Paramount might have wanted to go back to the side they originally started with.

Comments from Paramount’s Chief Technology Officer, Alan Bell, have appeared at PC World and Ars Technica, in which Bell lays out the business case for the switch. Many of these points have been made by other pro-HD DVD voices, and are probably not going to be new to a lot of you. What is new and refreshing to me is to hear it from a person so deeply involved with technology from the studio side of things.

You should definitely read those two interviews for yourself, but here are the highlights: (more…)

After a few items of not-so-great news in the last few weeks, the HD DVD camp just scored one of the biggest deals they could to ensure the format’s longevity.

Blu-ray fans are groaning that Paramount and DreamWorks were paid off in various ways, including free advertising promotions. So what? Do you think that the other guys haven’t been up to the same kinds of antics? Do you honestly think that stores freely “chose” Blu-ray with no special considerations whatsoever? Whatever millions any of these companies may have spent or received, it’s “chump change” considering the billions of dollars at stake in both hardware and movies.

It sucks that such shenanigans even have to happen in the first place. It would have been great if all movies had always been available in both HD formats, leaving consumers to make their own choices. It would have been even more wonderful if both formats were compatible with each other, or to have just one format. But it can never work that way because every party involved, even the consumer, puts their own interests first.

I’m glad the HD DVD group had the nerve to pull off such a great deal. (more…)

Make some room, Jason Bourne, Shrek is about to join you exclusively on HD DVD.

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced today that their future is in the HD DVD format ONLY. This exclusivity applies to all movies distributed by:

• Paramount Pictures
• DreamWorks Pictures
• Paramount Vantage
• Nickelodeon Movies
• MTV Films
• DreamWorks Animation

Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, Brad Grey, said “The combination of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation brings a critical mass of current box office hits to consumers with a line-up of live-action and animated films that are perfect for HD DVD.” Grey went on to say, “Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience. I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount.”

DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is quoted as saying, “We decided to release ‘Shrek the Third’ and other DreamWorks Animation titles exclusively on HD DVD because we believe it is the best format to bring high quality home entertainment to a a key segment of our audience – families.”

Paramount’s new HD DVD strategy begins with the release of “Blades of Glory” on August 28, followed by “Transformers” and “Shrek the Third.” These three movies generated over $1.5 billion in worldwide box office ticket sales.

This is HUGE news for HD DVD. Paramount and DreamWorks alone represent a big share of the movie industry, and Paramount brings along a link to television content as well. We’ll undoubtedly be talking more about this in future posts at HDDVD.com, and you’re welcome to add your comments about the significance of this move.

• Viacom (Paramount’s parent company) Press Release

Hooray! Consumers have finally made a choice about the future of home entertainment on DVD, and the news is not going to be pretty for certain companies or videophiles who may have invested too much in the wrong format. Some, like Blockbuster and Target, have already made decisions consistent with these trends, and we’ll get a chance to see how all of this plays out as the fall shopping season approaches.

And what exactly was that news? It’s that sales of High-Definition DVDs finally eclipsed those of VHS. According to Video Business Research, the high-def DVD segment is showing really good growth, while the rest of the DVD sales and rental scene is slowing down (obviously VHS too). Some of that slowdown is blamed on the lack of big hits released on DVD in the first part of this year, but home video execs expect to do a lot better as the summer’s mega hits become available for Christmas.

With sales at only single digits (around less than 3%) the high-definition DVD segment (HD DVD and Blu-ray combined) represents a tiny piece of the home entertainment market, but it’s a growing section and one that the studios will pay more attention to in the months ahead. For example, we can look forward to simultaneous releases of movies on HD DVD as well as standard DVD instead of waiting an extra month or two. The movie execs know that high-definition DVD sales will eventually start affecting DVD sales, but they’re not expecting it to happen this year.

As for VHS… I’m sorry fellas, but those of you still attached to this ancient technology finally need to move on. Even instructional and free infomercial videos are moving to DVD. Heck, if AOL was still at it, they’d be sending out DVDs too. Brand-name DVD players can be had for under $50, and HD DVD players are already in the low $200 range and heading lower each month so there’s not much reason to prolong your agony.

Even thirty years after his death, Elvis Presley is still an international phenomenon. There’s hardly a person around who has not heard at least one Elvis Presley song. Even if you haven’t heard much of his music, you’ve undoubtedly been exposed to Elvis imagery from the numerous impersonators that help keep memory of “The King” alive.

Though regular old DVDs have already been out, “The King” makes his HD DVD debut this September as Warner releases Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas. These musicals are only two of Presley’s dozens of movies, but are probably among the most famous and popular. Both include bonus commentaries, featurettes, and digitally remastered audio. Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas can be pre-ordered at Amazon right now, and you can also take a look at all the other standard DVDs in the still growing Elvis Collection.

They’re already watching Volume 4 over in Japan on standard DVDs, but North America is about to get the next episode of Freedom on September 25. Just like the last one, Freedom Volume 2 is a short episode and includes some HD DVD internet extras. The Freedom series is famous for being advertisements for noodles, but they have been well received and even won CLIO awards. Freedom Volume 1 was the first anime disc released on HD DVD in North America, and there are more anime titles coming over in the months ahead.

Also due in September is the highly-acclaimed, Royal Space Force – The Wings of Honneamise. Unlike Freedom, Wings of Honneamise is a full two-hour movie, and probably a more satisfying movie experience for those who really aren’t into anime. Over three years in the making, Wings of Honneamise was the most expensive Japanese animated film production ever when it originally came out in 1987.

(click here if you don’t see the video above)

Both of these movies are available for pre-order at Amazon.com (you can find them quickly in our “Shop for Movies” link).

Patlabor should also be headed out to our shores by the end of the year, but there’s no pre-ordering available just yet. Like Freedom, there are two Patlabor HD DVDs in the works, and North American HD DVD fans will just have to be patient for more news about release dates.

In recent news, we’ve heard that Toshiba’s upcoming HD-A35 and Onkyo’s DV-HD805 players will feature HDMI 1.3a which enables “Deep Color” output. It’s always nice to brag that your gadgets have the latest gee-whiz features, but it’s even better when you actually understand what you’re bragging about. It’s even more important to know whether you might have been misled about how cool or useful the feature is. “Deep Color” is one of those features that sounds great, but let’s see if it’s all that you think it’s made out to be.

Let’s make this a practical lesson so that you’re not left with more buzzwords and confusion. These steps are for Windows XP, but the same ideas apply to all computers.

Right-click on your desktop, and select the last item, “Properties,” so that you can examine how your video is set up. On the dialog box that comes up next, select the right-most tab for “Settings.” Here, you’ll see the resolution that your screen is currently set at – the higher the numbers, the more pixels and detail you get. Low numbers like 640×480 correspond to the picture quality of ordinary TVs and DVDs. Higher numbers, such as 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1900×1200, and so on, move you into HDTV territory.

“Color Quality” is at the bottom right of the dialog. The available settings depend on your video card and monitor. In the old days, this would be set to 8-bit graphics because some games only worked properly in that mode, and some computers or cards were so slow that 8-bit actually made things go faster. The other extreme is 32-bits of color, and there is usually a 16-bit “medium” option as well. These numbers refer to how much data it takes to represent a pixel – a single dot – on the screen. More bits means more colors (i.e. more shades for each color), but it also requires a little more speed and performance from all of the components involved.

Voila! You’ve just understood the basic principles about Deep Color. Standard HD DVD (and Blu-ray) discs are made for 24-bit color, and the HDMI 1.3a specification allows colors to be represented by 30, 36, and 48 bits.

Now for the “gotcha!” in all of this: (more…)

There’s been a lot of focus on lower-priced HD DVD players, and how important it is to get affordable players out the door to ensure success for the HD DVD format. Onkyo bucks that trend with the announcement of their high-end DV-HD805 HD DVD player. Compared to Blu-ray players, Onkyo’s $899 price is pretty average, but in the HD DVD playing field, the DV-HD805 is a few hundred dollars more than even Toshiba’s upcoming top-of-the-line HD-A35.

What do you get for the money? Many of the features sound similar to the HD-A35:

• HDMI 1.3a goodness including “Deep Color”
• 24p playback (coming in a September firmware upgrade for all second-genToshiba players)
• High bit-rate audio
• All of the HD DVD mandated features such as an Ethernet port for internet access, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio (The Onkyo supports DTS-HD MA, but it’s not an HD DVD requirement)

The Onkyo also features an HQV Reon-VX video processing chip which dices, blends, removes stains, brightens your teeth, and walks your dog. Ok, it doesn’t all of those things, but it’s the same chip inside Toshiba’s current HD-XA2 (it might also be in the HD-A35), and it handles duties involved with image quality enhancement including de-interlacing, noise reduction, detail enhancement, and up-scaling (especially important for viewing regular DVDs). HQV processors come from a military technology that was eventually adapted for use in $60K professional video boxes, and now fits on a chip. It’s the equivalent of buying a more expensive video card for your computer.

The HQV bumps up the price on every device that uses it, including Toshiba’s XA2. Whether or not you need one in your home theater depends on what kinds of picture quality defects you’re bothered by in the HD equipment you currently have. If you’re not noticing much difference between HD DVDs and cable/satellite HD or DVDs that you regularly watch on your HDTV, then it’s unlikely that you need to seek out something with this level of performance. It’s not about being stupid or ignorant – it’s about whether you care or not about these kinds of features. In other words, if you’re satisfied and happy with what you already have, then your money may be better spent on upgraded audio instead

One thing you have to keep in mind about high-end equipment like this is that most of the important components are typically better than the stuff you get on a typical discounted unit, and you usually get a better warranty and servicing options. It’s like comparing a luxury sedan to a high-mpg econobox. A lot of people are perfectly fine with a less than ultimate gadget, while many others have been holding off for their “chosen one” to arrive.

The DV-HD805 is due in the fall, and we’ll find out then how it stacks up against other HD DVD players, and whether anybody’s “chosen one” has finally arrived.

Before the internet, many of us relied on shows like “Siskel & Ebert” to tell us about upcoming movies. Whereas you’d normally only get a single movie review at a time from other shows, “Siskel & Ebert” would review a bunch of movies all in one show. After Roger Ebert’s death, the show eventually continued its ways as “Siskel & Roeper.” Even with the advent of internet sites-aplenty that offer movie reviews and high-def trailers, it’s still fun to watch these two film critics go at it as they sometimes disagree with the other’s opinion.

Whether you care or not about someone else’s opinion of a movie, reviews are often helpful so that you might know a little more about a movie you’re considering renting or buying. Many of the HD DVD movies that are already out or coming soon are brand-new titles from this summer or the last few months, but there are many, many more that are old classics which movie fans are thrilled to finally view in high-definition.

The “At The Movies with Ebert & Roeper” show has announced that the corresponding AtTheMoviesTv.com website has digitized their library of 5,000 movie reviews, spanning more than 20 years of “Siskel & Ebert” and “Siskel & Roepert,” for online viewing. The famous “Thumbs Up” and “Thumbs Down” reviews are now available at your leisure, and you can add these to whatever research you perform on discs you’re thinking about getting for yourself.

Here are their reviews of a few popular titles that are out on HD DVD:

• Batman Begins (two enthusiastic thumbs up), buy at Amazon
• 300 (two enthusiastic thumbs up), buy at Amazon
• Hot Fuzz (two thumbs up, “hilarious”, “a well-made comedy”), buy at Amazon
• Disturbia (two thumbs up, “very well-done”), buy at Amazon
• TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) (two thumbs down – but neither of them were ever Turtles fans so that’s to be expected, and I’m sure kids would still like this one), buy at Amazon

I have agreed and disagreed with their reviews over the years, but I always enjoyed watching the show because I’d end up finding out about more movies to watch.

As I hinted earlier, the internet has many more movie review resources. I have my own favorites, but what about you? How about sharing any of your favorite movie review sites in the comments?