Alright, it is the time of the year when I try to wrap up all the major events in digital video and technology that happened during the past year and also to take a quick look at what happened at AfterDawn.com as well.
Blu-ray and the death of the HD DVD
For the good portion of this decade, people following our niche have been anticipating the “next DVD format” to come. That finally happened in 2006, but the eve of the high definition optical video format was partly crippled by a format war. That format war finally ended earlier this year, when Toshiba gave up with its HD DVD format, marking Sony-backed Blu-ray the winner of the war. However, the prolonged development of the Blu-ray and the following format war delayed the potential adoption of the format so much that it remains a mystery whether the format will ever be able to replicate DVD’s success story.
Various net-based video services, such as Hulu have made significant gains in the United States during the 2008. As more and more studios, TV production companies and broadcast channels adopt net as one of their more significant distribution channels, such services pose a real threat to Blu-ray’s future in the U.S. It should be noted that due distribution contracts, smaller market areas and various localization issues, such services are rarity in most markets and in those markets, Blu-ray is often the only reasonable option for high definition video material. As a good example, here in Finland, the most HD channels you can get from any pay TV operator, is currently 10 and none of the major broadcasting channels provide HD material whatsoever. And of course Google is taking major steps into net video as well, specially after the introduction of HD material to Youtube earlier this year.
Result for: high definition
According to the official YouTube blog, the site has expanded their high definition player, making it official after weeks of testing new HD capabilities.
Says the blog:
“Starting today, if you click the “watch in HD” option below any HD-enabled video, the video will automatically play in widescreen – so you can find out where the hell Matt is in glorious HD, if you so wish. As part of this launch, we have created an HD Videos area where you can browse videos uploaded in the HD format. In anticipation of your questions – including how to encode your videos to take advantage of this new feature and how to avoid the dreaded “windowboxing” – we have prepared an FAQ in the Help Center.”
You can find that FAQ page here: YouTube HD Faq
Result for: high definition
Microsoft and Paramount have announced a new partnership in which the movie studio will offer films via the Live Video Store beginning on February 19th.
The first Title to hit the service will be the blockbuster “Transformers” and new and existing titles will continue to trickle in. New titles from Warner Bros. will also be hitting the service including Beowulf, and The Assassination of Jesse James.
“We’re very excited to announce this new relationship,” Paramount’s Alex Carlos added. “We have lots of great content that fits this demographic. We’re excited about digital distribution, especially being on a platform as elegant as Xbox 360.”
And Robin Burrowes, Xbox Live UK marketing manager, continued, “This announcement gives our Video Store customers in the UK an even greater choice of entertainment, with a great level of HD movie quality, as always.”
The store launched in the UK in December and allows users to purchase digital downloads of Standard Definition or High Definition movies. You have two weeks to watch the content or 24 hours to finish it after you’ve begun watching.
Each title will cost 250 Microsoft Points for SD and 380 Microsoft Points for HD.
The full list of titles are as follows:
Transformers (SD and HD)
Goodbye Bafana (SD and HD)
Intersection (SD only)
Primal Fear (SD only)
Clear and Present Danger (SD only)
[More]>>
