The mythology that Toshiba possesses magic circuits that turns SD into HD must end. Upscaling improves the impact of SD on HD screens, yes. And there are low end-and high-end upscalers. No doubt Toshiba offers good upscaling considering it's ultra-low price point. But High-end upscaling it is not. And Blu-Ray-players offers the same upscaling.
Free hardware and free software has turned HD DVD into a non-profit organization, and 2007 must have been a good year for HD DVD supporters, showered with freebies from Toshiba and Hollywood alike. But the party is over.
For HD to go mainstream, we need all HD-enthusiasts to pull in one direction and win over the mass market. For this to happen, we need to let HD DVD die. And we don't have oceans of time. Sooner or later downloads will replace physical media. But the time isn't right yet. The bitrates and resolution of every on-demand-service planned is vastly inferior to that of Blu-Ray. And regardless of what certain fanboys have maintained, lower bitrates translates to lower audio and video quality.
The window of opportunity to replace DVD with a HD physical medium will close within the next 20 to 30 months. Blu-Ray must go mainstream before this happens. HD-enthusiasts must all work together to help bring about this change, or else we will have to wait a LONG time for the same quality to come our way again.
Upscaling can turn out a pretty good picture. I have lots of ripped content on my PS3 that renders great in HD. And in saying that, I don't think I'd buy much in HD unless the price difference over DVD is small. There are very few movies that scream out for HD so studios are going to have to stop thinking people are stupid when they set their prices. In Europe the prices range from expensive to ridiculous. There are some movies selling for 50 euros, not even good movies and I have to wonder who the morons are who buy them.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hans Martin @ Jan 28th 2008 7:49AM
The mythology that Toshiba possesses magic circuits that turns SD into HD must end. Upscaling improves the impact of SD on HD screens, yes. And there are low end-and high-end upscalers. No doubt Toshiba offers good upscaling considering it's ultra-low price point. But High-end upscaling it is not. And Blu-Ray-players offers the same upscaling.
Free hardware and free software has turned HD DVD into a non-profit organization, and 2007 must have been a good year for HD DVD supporters, showered with freebies from Toshiba and Hollywood alike. But the party is over.
For HD to go mainstream, we need all HD-enthusiasts to pull in one direction and win over the mass market. For this to happen, we need to let HD DVD die. And we don't have oceans of time. Sooner or later downloads will replace physical media. But the time isn't right yet. The bitrates and resolution of every on-demand-service planned is vastly inferior to that of Blu-Ray. And regardless of what certain fanboys have maintained, lower bitrates translates to lower audio and video quality.
The window of opportunity to replace DVD with a HD physical medium will close within the next 20 to 30 months. Blu-Ray must go mainstream before this happens. HD-enthusiasts must all work together to help bring about this change, or else we will have to wait a LONG time for the same quality to come our way again.
DEEZNUTZ @ Jan 28th 2008 9:05AM
Agreed. Great post.
DrXym @ Jan 28th 2008 11:38AM
Upscaling can turn out a pretty good picture. I have lots of ripped content on my PS3 that renders great in HD. And in saying that, I don't think I'd buy much in HD unless the price difference over DVD is small. There are very few movies that scream out for HD so studios are going to have to stop thinking people are stupid when they set their prices. In Europe the prices range from expensive to ridiculous. There are some movies selling for 50 euros, not even good movies and I have to wonder who the morons are who buy them.