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Posts with tag germany

Singulus Blu-ray duplicator sales beat predictions

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 6:01PM


Singulus has announced that even its "significantly" raised sales projections for Blu-ray duplication machines may have been to low, after exceeding its own sales forecast for the first half of the year, while predicting more orders coming soon. The manufacturer is aiming to take over 65 percent of the market, and already sold 31 production lines this year. Nearly three years after launch that number doesn't seem incredibly high, but if Singulus is happy, who are we to stand in the way?

TNT Serie aims to rival FOX in Germany -- starting in 2009

by Darren Murph, posted May 29th 2008 at 8:14PM

While we knew both FOX and TNT were destined to land in Germany at some point, the latter won't be arriving until January of 2009. For those unaware, FOX has actually already launched in Deutschland, but you can bet your bottom dollar, er, Euro, that TNT is hoping to be a formidable competitor. TNT Serie, as it will be dubbed, will unfortunately be aired in 16:9 24 / 7, which likely means at least some content will be shown in stretch-o-vision. Still, we're hearing that the programming lineup will be quite robust, with re-runs of US favorites 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Everybody Loves Raymond, Monk, King of Queens and quite a few others. As for carriers, it seems as if discussions are ongoing with a number of cable and IPTV providers, but nothing definitive has been uttered just yet.

[Thanks, Chris]

National Geographic HD and MHD headed to Germany

by Darren Murph, posted May 12th 2008 at 9:23AM


After Sat. 1 HD and ProSieben HD went dark in Germany until 2010, things haven't been as dormant as expected. Late last month, we received word that both FOX and TNT would be making their way over (and hopefully in HD), and now we're seeing that both National Geographic HD and MHD (MTV HD) could be arriving on undisclosed cable carriers in the near future. Reportedly, Nat Geo HD -- which is nearly ready in Austria and Switzerland -- could be arriving any moment, while MHD is likely to land on PREMIERE this December. Slowly but surely, it looks as if Europe may actually be moving forward in adopting HDTV programming.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - National Geographic HD to Germany
Read - MHD to Germany

FOX and TNT headed to Germany

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 2:36PM

Though it's been an uphill battle for Germans looking to acquire fresh new content, it seems as if two blockbuster stations could be headed their way, and soon. According to a pair of German-language sites, both FOX and TNT will be arriving in short order, with the former going live on May 19th via pay-TV provider Arena. We're also told that Premiere (another carrier) will be picking up FOX shortly thereafter. As for TNT, there's been no specific air date listed, but word on the street has it pegged for a launch on Premiere in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, the biggest detail (to us, anyway) was left out, so we'll just have to wait and see if HD versions show up alongside the SD counterparts.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - Details on FOX launch
Read - Details on TNT launch

ORF HD launches on SES Astra May 1

by Richard Lawler, posted Apr 21st 2008 at 7:46AM

SES Astra doesn't seem to have trouble filling Sat.1 and ProSieben HD's transponder, its latest HD channel is German speaking broadcaster ORF HD. Scheduled to kick off May 1, it should offer all of ORF1's HD content including all 31 UEFA EURO 2008 matches.That's a good number, since SES Astra and SES Sirius now offer a total of 31 HD channels via satellite including BSkyB, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, Canal+, M6 and others, with plans to reach 100 channels by 2010. Astra and ORF will team up on marketing the new channel and could possibly add more HD programming in the future, which should hopefully bring the end to any more HD contraction stories out of Europe.

Automaker's Digital Factory Planner includes expansive 3D wall

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 14th 2008 at 6:53PM


Although not quite as elaborate as the Newseum, an undisclosed "luxury car manufacturer" in Stuttgart (Daimler AG, anyone?) is utilizing a half dozen 1080p Christie HD8K DLP projectors to implement a ginormous 3D Power Wall "for interdisciplinary discussions on the construction and alteration of factory floors and production plants." The screen itself measures six- by two-meters and requires onlookers to rock extra-cheesy goggles for the full effect. We haven't a clue what kind of amazing buildings will eventually spawn from this setup, but we can't think of a better installation to have around for checking out a 3D flick after hours.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Just 5% of Europe's HDTV owners watch HD programming

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 5th 2008 at 3:47PM


While HD expansion is continuing somewhat in locales not named America, Europe is having a tough time grabbing hold of high-definition programming. Nary a month after Sat.1 HD and ProSieben HD were shut down in Germany until 2010 due to lack of interest, a new report has surfaced with quite a few startling facts. First off, just 5-percent of Europe's HDTV owners were found to actually watch some sort of HD programming. The article goes on to assert that Europe's TV providers should "concentrate their resources initially on building pay television rather than advertising-based business models in order to reach the critical mass of HD content and receivers necessary to make HDTV a self-sustaining business." Still, there seems to be hope for the market yet, as these same analysts also suggested that nearly 20-percent of all European homes would be watching HD channels by 2012 -- better get a move on, though.

Sat.1 HD and ProSieben HD go offline 'til 2010 in Germany

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 16th 2008 at 4:56PM


Just as quickly as it began, so it ends. Unfortunately for Germans who have thoroughly enjoyed the high-definition programming available over the past few years on Sat.1 HD and ProSieben HD, you'll be forced to check out the SD variants until 2010. You heard right -- apparently, the demand for the HD stations in Germany wasn't as high as originally predicted, and considering the dearth of HD support from other networks in the country, these two have practically been set aside on an island. 'Course, rumors are already swirling that the real reason for the move is that its free ride on ASTRA's HD transponder is up, and rather than paying to continue using it when demand is down, the parent company is hoping to jump back in at a later date when things will hopefully be more profitable. Either way, it's tough to hear of a country losing HD channels.

[Thanks, Chris]

Germany's CDA starts production of 3X DVD

by Richard Lawler, posted Feb 12th 2008 at 3:41PM

Comin' straight outta Thuringia is the first news we've heard in a year about HD DVD's red-laser cousin, 3X DVD. CDA Datenträger Albrechts GmbH has announced its started production of 3X DVDs, which are basically HD content, compressed with VC-1 or MPEG-4 and AACS DRM, on a standard red laser DVD that is readable only by HD DVD players. The advantage is that it costs the same to produce as a regular DVD, and CDA is apparently producing dual-sided DVD-10 discs, with standard DVD content on one side, and HD on the other. Of course, with several German studios dropping HD DVD support (along with a few others you may have heard of) its hard to see who will take advantage of CDA's new capabilities.

[Via EMediaLive]

German retailer discounting Sony BDP-S300 for HD DVD player trade-in

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 29th 2008 at 3:35PM


We're not exactly sure what German retailer Saturn plans to do with any HD DVD players that are surrendered as folks waltz in to take advantage of its latest offer, but we suppose the refurbished section could receive a boost in inventory if nothing else. Judging by a recent flier from the store, it's offering consumers a €150 ($221) discount on Sony's BDP-S300 -- which is overpriced at €499 ($734) -- if they trade their HD DVD player in at the time of purchase. Also of note, we can't seem to find if there's any fine print about what HD DVD players are acceptable, but it is certain that this deal is only available overseas at the moment. Not a bad idea to get customers to jump ship, though.

[Via Blu-ray, thanks Bhargav N.]

Germany's Senator Entertainment follows Constantin, goes Blu-ray only

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 16th 2008 at 10:05PM Breaking News

If you were wondering just how long you'd have to wait until the next domino fell, wonder no more. Germany's own Senator Home Entertainment is reportedly following in the footsteps of Constantin Film AG and will stop supporting HD DVD. Notably, any films that were already scheduled to arrive on HD DVD will supposedly still ship, but after March 1, 2008, the studio will be supporting Blu-ray exclusively. Another one bites the dust, we suppose.

[Thanks, Khattab]

Germany's Constantin Film AG drops HD DVD, goes Blu-ray only

by Richard Lawler, posted Jan 11th 2008 at 2:35PM Breaking News

Since Warner announced it is ending support for HD DVD and going Blu-ray only, there has been endless rumor mongering over who would be next out the door. Surprisingly, none of those unnamed industry insiders named Constantin Film AG -- which calls itself Germany's leading independent film production and distribution company with 11 of the 25 most successful German theatrical films of the last ten years -- a company that has been releasing in both formats until now, but announced its movies will be released in Blu-ray only beginning March 1st. Citing Warner's shift and a desire to see the format war end, Constantin's Home Entertainment Director said it is "following the international trend." Obviously someone hasn't heard of International VMD Day.

[Via heise online]
[Warning: PDF read link]

First Blu-ray Disc with PiP profile 1.1 announced -- players please?

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 7th 2007 at 7:20AM


That's it, you're looking at a screenshot from the world's first Blu-ray profile 1.1 disc. The title is Neues vom Wixxer, available in Germany on December 10th. Ok, not exactly a global blockbuster but a first's a first. As such, it supports the "Bonus View" profile which adds decoders for secondary PiP video and audio. This disc in particular, takes advantage of the profile by integrating video commentary from the film's makers and actors. Unfortunately for our dear German readers, Michael Becker, CEO of Imagion AG authoring studio laments that, "no Profile 1.1 players will be available on the [German] market" when it's released. Conversely, the US has a profile 1.1 player (and whispers of another) and no 1.1 media. Sigh. That tittering you hear is the sound of HD DVD fanboys who've had this functionality since day one.

[Thanks Tim W. and Michael B.]

Samsung announces F8 LCD lineup at IFA

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 16th 2007 at 3:36PM


Among many other things, Samsung has unveiled its F8 series of oh-so-sexy LCDs at IFA in Berlin. Focusing on the LE46F86BD in particular, this display touts 100MHz Motion Plus technology to sharpen up those images, 1080p support, a baffling 25,000:1 contrast ratio, and a superCLEAR panel coating to boot. Furthermore, you'll find a USB 2.0 port, a trio of HDMI 1.3 sockets, an eight-millisecond response time, and CCFL backlighting. Notably, this set looks awfully similar to the 71 / 81-series that Sammy loosed last month, so the possibility of a name change to suit different markets could be the case here -- nevertheless, we'll keep an eye out for pricing and availability details.

[Via PRAD, thanks Tony C.]

Astra touts boost in HD channel offerings, expects more to follow

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 18th 2007 at 3:03PM

It wasn't too awfully long ago that Astra was tooting its own horn about 20 extra HD channels hitting the European front, but not only did the company maintain its word, it exceeded expectations as well. In a recent announcement, the satellite provider boasted that it is now broadcasting 26 high-definition channels across Europe, including BSkyB, Discovery, National Geographic, and The History Channel from the UK, CANAL+, M6, and TF1 from France and Premiere, and ProSieben, Sat1, and Anixe from Germany. As if this weren't good enough (it never is), Astra is also planning to match DirecTV's recent claim and offer up 100 HD channels -- but it'll likely be closer to 2010 before Europe reaches the coveted milestone.




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