CEA worries DTV delay could cause a converter shortage
by Richard Lawler 
posted Feb 5th 2009 at 9:51AM
shortage posts
Cheap Blu-ray players a rare commodity in Europe
by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 9:14AM
Verizon runs into short supply on Sharp LCD offer
by Steven Kim posted Mar 5th 2008 at 8:56AM
Good news / bad news here, folks. First, the good: HD is seeing some impressive uptake amongst everyday consumers. Now the bad: there are isolated shortages of the associated gear. Verizon's FiOS has already been bitten by set-top box shortages, and now is a victim of its own successful promotional offer that promised 19-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TVs to new "triple-play" (internet, video and phone) subscribers. Those LCD TVs are a little short in supply, so affected customers can choose to either wait an additional five weeks for their TV, substitute a Magnavox (used in later promotions) set or take a $200 Best Buy gift card. Our advice -- wait on the Sharp. Meanwhile, let's hope that there's some way Verizon can coordinate the set-top box and TV shortages -- nothing is more frustrating than having new HD service but being stuck with an old SD set![Image courtesy GreatLittleBox]
Motorola: over 15 million HD set-tops served in 2007
by Steven Kim posted Feb 28th 2008 at 3:58AM
Motorola lifted by sales of HD set-top boxes, no mention of shortages
by Richard Lawler posted Feb 12th 2008 at 2:53PM
Cox HDTV set-tops: low supply + high demand = you wait
by Steven Kim posted Feb 7th 2008 at 3:08PM
Looks like Verizon isn't the only one experiencing a shortage of HD supplies their customers are craving. In at least three Cox markets the demand for HD set-tops and DVRs has outstripped the supply, meaning that customers are looking at a wait of "one- to two-weeks" (in Kansas/Arkansas) or a more ominous "weeks" (in New England). It seems that HD subscriptions did better than expected in these areas (buoyed by holiday purchases and the Superbowl, no doubt), and Cox is dependent on Motorola as the sole supplier of the necessary hardware. To those affected by this shortage, a tip of the Engadget HD hat to you -- you've stepped up your HD game over and above what the bean-counters at Cox thought you would. Also, our sympathies on your wait; that last mile (or in this case, feet) is a real chore, right?Verizon running low on FiOS TV HD boxes?
by Darren Murph posted Feb 5th 2008 at 11:11PM
[Via Multichannel News, thanks Jonathan E.]
Sharp brings its own blue lasers to the party
by Richard Lawler posted Dec 19th 2006 at 1:11PM
It might not have said so on the flyer, but Blu-ray and HD DVD in 2006 have been largely a BYOL affair, since neither Sony nor Nichia were able to supply enough of the lasers that are at the basis of both formats to meet demand. Well Sharp -- which hasn't released its DV-BP1U Blu-ray player yet -- has now decided to jump into the blue laser game as well, producing 150,000 units per month; they expect to be up to 500,000 units per month by September of next year. A company spokeswoman said most of the diodes will go into Sharp products, but we're sure European PlayStation 3 fans wouldn't mind seeing a few truckloads headed in Sony's direction, while everyone else is just hoping to see price drops on high definition players across the board.Read - Sharp starts blue laser diode production
Read - Sharp to Make Laser Diodes for Blu-Ray, HD Recorders
PlayStation 3 HD details revealed at Gamers Day
by Richard Lawler posted Oct 21st 2006 at 2:20PM
Sony hasn't exactly...forthcoming with information about its upcoming PlayStation 3 but over the last couple of days solid information has come out about what we can expect this November thanks to the company's Gamers Day event. What does it mean for HDTV owners? Some of it's good, some of it makes us shake our heads in disbelief and wonder what Sony is doing, but here it is:The Good:
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is going to be a pack in with the launch consoles, so in exchange for pre-ordering early or freezing outside overnight, PS3 owners will come home with at least one Blu-ray movie to watch. While this may not be the first title to come to mind in terms of showing off incredible visual and sound quality, it is a funny smash-hit movie that most will enjoy.
- The PS3 loads Blu-ray movies fast. Reports are that within 10 seconds of selecting the movie from the menu, its playing. Long load times have plagued standalone Blu-ray and HD DVD players so far, in that respect, the consoles may have them beat.
- 18 launch titles, including true 1080p games like NBA '07. Most are multiplatform, but Madden, NBA 2K7, Fight Night Round 3 and others have added a few features to take advantage of the tilt controller, or just enhance them slightly over their Xbox 360 counterparts.
- HD Movies can be stored on and played directly from the hard drive, although codec support is still unknown.
- No, there aren't any HD cables in the box. Really. The HD era starts now, but BYOC. That may be old hat, or maybe even preferred by many home theater enthusiasts, but for $500/$600 you shouldn't have to buy anything else to get HD out of the box. If you already have component cables from a PS2 however, the AV connector is the same and they will still work. Standard HDMI cables will of course be necessary for digital connections.
- Yes, there are native-1080p games, but Resistance: Fall of Man is not one of them. Previously touted as 1,920 x 1,080, 22GB of goodness, it is now merely 16GB of 720p goodness. All in all this is probably for the best, but this game is one the PS3's most anticipated games and is supposed to show why gamers need 1080p and Blu-ray...and not Xbox 360s.
- The PS3 does not do DVD upconverting over any connection, and there are reports that despite previous claims, it will not enhance the visuals on PS1/PS2 games. This is a joke, the console has more than enough power for upconversion, and with its HDCP-protected digital output it is perfectly capable of upscaling to 1080p. The Xbox 360 does it and there is no reason why the PlayStation shouldn't.
- That recently-reduced-to-400k in the US launch number is really more of a "target", which may or may not be hit due to production issues. Either start lining up now or mortgage the house to buy one on eBay, getting a PlayStation 3 in 2006 won't be easy.
- No included remote, the BD remote will ship "soon" for $24.99 and operate via Bluetooth, not IR.
Read - DVD upscaling "not part of the feature set" - IGN
Read - PlayStation 3 launch window titles announced - Joystiq
Read - Sony PlayStation 3 may not meet shipment targets - Bloomberg
Read - Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces Extensive Line Up of Game Titles for PlayStation 3 - Sony
Read - PS3 features lightning-fast Blu-ray playback and video sharing with the PSP - Ars Technica
Playstation 3 launch misfire: Europe delayed to March '07, 500k total for Japan & US
by Richard Lawler posted Sep 6th 2006 at 8:31AM
If you were planning on buying the Playstation 3 for gaming or as a "cheap" Blu-ray player you may want to get in line now for the November 17th launch --- not so fast Europe. Due to the shortage of blue laser diodes, there are so few that the PS3 launch in Europe and other PAL territories has been scratched for 2006 and pushed back to March 2007. According to a report from the AP, there will only be 100,000 units available in Japan at launch, and 400,000 in the US. As a result, they only expect to ship 2 million total by the end of 2006, down from the 4 million expected previously. We all remember how hard it was to get the Xbox 360 last year, which launched worldwide and had approximately 400,000 available in the US. Sony still thinks they can hit their target of 6 million Playstation 3s available by March 2007 which should be approximately the same time they are available for less than double the MSRP on eBay.[Via Joystiq & thanks to all who sent this in]
Read - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces New March 2007 date for European Launch of PLAYSTATION 3
Read - European sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 delayed until March
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD on hold for blue laser shortage?
by Richard Lawler posted Aug 29th 2006 at 10:44AM
As much as we like to talk about the ongoing format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD and our readers comment on it, the simple fact is that very few of us actually own either format yet. This is definitely related to the high prices and growing pains early adopters are subject to but the fact is neither one is available in significant quantities yet. As more manufacturers prepare to jump in to the battle this holiday season they may not be able to because of their shared reliance on blue lasers. Only a few companies worldwide produce them and none have been able to get very good yields. Even Sony, who produces blue lasers for themselves and others, has predicted a shortage as they seek to roll out the Playstation 3 and BDP-S1 and according to this article, have suspended shipments to others. For manufacturers who have to rely on someone else for a supply, this could mean a delay until 2007 before many players and drives are launched.Toshiba reloads HD DVD players
by Richard Lawler posted Jun 2nd 2006 at 7:15PM
Not only is the RCA HDV5000 available now, the Toshiba HD-A1 may be a little easier to find in your neighborhood as they have announced they are shipping "to an increasing pool of retailers on a weekly basis". Much like the Xbox 360 last fall, the Toshiba HD-A1 and HD-XA1 have been almost totally sold out since release, but with such a limited quantity available it is impossible to know how much demand really exists. Also of note is that retailers share our frustration with constantly-shifting release dates, but remark that the few who have HD DVD players are buying nearly every copy of the titles that are available. We'd love to see the sales numbers of Rumor Has It. So if you need high-def DVD right now, keep calling retailers near you, even if they originally didn't stock it as Toshiba also claims they will be in more than 5000 storefronts nationwide by the end of the year.Sky HD Launch delayed for many
by Richard Lawler posted May 23rd 2006 at 9:07AM
The BBC is reporting that many in the UK are facing delays in getting high definition set-top boxes installed due to shortages. While thousands of customers have been installed already, many are getting shuffled back as much as three weeks. As our friends at HDTV UK mention, anyone who didn't preorder their install from Sky already can look forward to an install date of August, after the World Cup broadcast that people there are so looking forward to.HDTV UK however was one of the lucky few to get their high definition boxes installed already, and have a few impressions of it up. Now they finally join us in discussing such mysteries as why does every Discovery HD program feature something getting eaten? Honestly we don't know, but you get used to it after a while.
HD shortages: They're not just for Europe anymore
by Richard Lawler posted Apr 14th 2006 at 7:31PM
We've
heard quite a bit about how shortages may prevent European
Tis a shame that in this land of plenty, some are still being forced to go without. As you enjoy your 1080i, 720p or otherwise this Good Friday remember those who are forced to get by on 480i, the children who are being (bit)starved and the ignorant (up)converted masses. Something must be done.
HDTV shortage hits pre-World Cup Europe
by Matt Burns posted Mar 21st 2006 at 11:04AM
Oh boy. There is nothing
worse then angry Has any of our European readers noticed this shortage?
