Ding Dong, HD-DVD is Dead

Stick a fork in it, because it's over. It's official. Today, Toshiba has announced that HD-DVD is no more and will be relegated to the bin of history. For the first time, consumers have won in receiving a quality product instead of the cheaper product. Blu-Ray is here to stay and coming within the next year we will now have Lord of the Rings in Blu-Ray! I could go on and on, but you can go look at my previous blog posts (click the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD tags at the bottom of this post to get a listing).

The studios are thrilled, though many might consider that a downside. The hardware manufacturers are thrilled. Everyone is happy. Expect a massive roll-out of titles in about six months, and by Christmas you should see prices on releases drop. This will also spur on the availability of actual BDVD+RW drives for your computer at an affordable level as well as drives that are speedier.

Who's left holding the bag? Toshiba and Microsoft. I feel sorry for Toshiba. Here's an article that appeared today of some interest. It's one of many that have come out, indicating how thrilled they are at the announcement.

"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology, and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality," Atsutoshi Nishida, president and chief executive of Toshiba, said in a statement.

Universal, one of the two remaining HD-DVD camps has announced a switch to Blu-Ray effective immediately. New titles will come out on HD-DVD and they will release their back catalog as well. Only Paramount remains and an announcement is expected at any moment.

Randomness Part Cinq

All sorts of stuff:

1. I am listening to "Hooterization: A Retrospective" which is a really fantastic album -- basically the Hooters greatest hits album. Highly recommended.
2. I have updated my Amazon wish list.
3. I returned a number of improperly fitting gifts today for the appropriate size.
4. I bought cat food today
5. I went to BJ's Wholesale today. They now stock Blu-Ray DVDs. Blockbuster stocks only Blu-Ray now. Warner Brothers has announced it will discontinue HD-DVD sales on 18 March 2008 leaving 6 of the 8 major studios now Blu-Ray only. Most analysts are predicting a slow death of HD-DVD by late 2008. Paramount and Universal are the two remaining HD-DVD players. Apple, Dell, Sony, and HP have all embraced the technology for their computers. I think Sony's won this battle and probably the war. That's a good thing because Blu-Ray is a far superior format in almost every way. Usually the consumer picks the cheaper format and not the better one. I guess in this case, it worked out. See previous blog post.
6. I am still sick. A bit of a stuffed, runny nose and a dry, hacking cough from hell.
7. Your 1040-ES 4th quarter payment is due 15 January 2008, if appropriate.
8. The US dollar continues to slide. I think I should transfer all my money to my UK bank account.
9. I went skating yesterday with Adrian (YAY) and we saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I rather enjoyed the film. It was not as a good as the first one. Though it was entirely predictable, it was still enjoyable and a rollicking good time. See a few sentences I wrote about the first one here.
10. Last night I made a huge Pork Chop with orange sauce. It was way too tough. Tonight, I'm going to make Kraft Organic Dinner and mix in a 1/2 pound of ground beef and some peas.
11. Home hockey games resume 8 January and I'm psyched.
12. The idiot light on my car came on. I have an appointment 14 January.
13. Austri is back from her mud bath in Calistoga. I got an e-mail from her. I thought she was ignoring me but she was just out of town.
14. Spoke to Erin and we might do dinner before the game on the 8th.
15. The Panthers are sucking ass.
16. To all my readers I wish you a very happy new year

PS2 Most-Played Console in June according to Nielsen

Excerpt: NEW YORK (AP) - More than 68 million people played video games on a console last month, spending much of it on Sony Corp.'s older PlayStation 2, according to Nielsen research.

Seven years after its launch, Sony's PS2 was still the most-played console, accounting for 42 percent of video game use during the month. Microsoft's original Xbox took second place with 17 percent, followed by the Xbox 360 with 8 percent. Nintendo's GameCube ranked fourth with 5.8 percent. The numbers suggest that older machines remain popular despite last November's high-profile debut of Nintendo Co.'s Wii which had 4 percent and Sony's PlayStation 3, 1.5 percent.

What does this suggest? PS2 continues to dominate the market. The X-box pair together total 25% and Microsoft's Xbox Unit Posts $1.9 Billion Loss which is good news indeed. Nintendo Game Cube is the loser here, as it will slowly fade away. Wii is a strong contender and the only reason it's not more popular is that you just can't find one. Sure, it's not hardcore but it IS fun which is what really matters. PS3 is stagnant, and I fault the lack of any games whatsoever. It's great because I use mine as a BluRay player, but that's not going to sell units.

Speaking of the format wars, Target Corp. confirmed yesterday that it will promote the rival Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs this holiday season. They join Blockbuster in taking sides. Microsoft is in the HD-DVD camp. Yay.

HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray: Strike One

Ah, the video wars: HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray. I've been a champion of Blu-Ray for a number of reasons, and now it looks like the first real step towards a "winner" has been made. Blockbuster is going to go Blu-Ray. I favour Blu-Ray because it's a better viewing experience, it stores a better amount of data which enables more features. And, my PS/3 runs Blu-Ray. That's probably the real reason. In every video format war, I picked the losing side because I always pick the better one regardless of price. I've done that again, but I think this time I may be right.

Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time."The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbuster, told The Associated Press.

Whatever you do, don't buy the combo players. If you read the specifications, you will find that the HD-DVD special features don't work on the combo players: only Blu-Ray works. But, you can watch your films and maybe that's all the matters to you.

The Most Exciting Numbers Since Lost

The last numbers that generated this much excitement were "4 8 15 16 23 42" from the hit TV show Lost. What is it about the code "O9_F9_ll_o2_9D_74_E3" when coupled with "5B_D8_41_56_C5_63_56_88_CO" that has everyone so riled up? A fascinating question for the uninitiated. That code (at least through 1 May 2007) would unlock any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movie ever produced. It's the master key for the supposedly unbreakable encryption these disks are wrapped in. Isn't that illegal one might logically ask? Well thanks to the DMCA it very well may be illegal.

However, don't believe for a minute that there aren't some perfectly legitimate uses. For example, someone with a Linux box owns a film in these HD formats and wishes to view it. Because there is no DRM in Linux, you can't view it. The only way is to hack your legally purchased item. Has anyone lost a dime? No. Is it illegal? Possibly so, and that's clearly wrong. Another example, my older Sony Plasma TV has a DVI input. However supposedly only HDMI carries the special security codes needed to play true HD -- and many newer players will not play true HD content without that signal, so does the AACS-LA and MPAA plan on buying me a new TV? Of course not.

The DMCA is one of the worst laws passed in recent memory -- it's right up there with the Patriot Act as laws that do nothing to help anyone on the planet but lawyers and people who want to take away your rights. I firmly believe in intellectual property rights, however there are sane ways to do it and stupid ways. This was a really stupid way. It also proves the most uncrackable systems are easily broken -- this crack was done by some kid on an unmodified Xbox 360 almost by accident. Yeah, it was that easy and it was done using a video game? How stupid is the AACS-LA?

How big is this story? Well it's made every major news service around the world. Read one example on the New York Times. There is no reason these numbers wont expire and be replaced by newer keys, but let this be a lesson to you: never have a master back-door key, because some kid is smarter than you are. Especially if your organization is obscenely arrogant. What goes around, does indeed, come around.

I already own a number of Blu-Ray movies -- the format I hope wins the war -- and I play them using my PS/3 and a newer Sony TV so I have no motivation to try and hack them. First of all, I'd have to use Windows to do that and everyone knows I'd rather chew my arm off. And I don't encourage anyone to do this without a damn good reason, but I resent being told that I can't do that.

If I can rip my CD collection and store it on my hard drive so I can listen to it in iTunes, who the fuck are the AACS and the MPAA to tell me I can't do the same with my movies if I wanted to. A great quote from Josh who runs the Blu-Ray website -- the AACS-LA, he says, "has proven to be as effective as a screen door on a submarine."

Will I get a cease-and-desist letter for posting this? I suppose it's possible but I have altered the code slightly so it doesn't work. It's really crap this whole DRM thing -- as a consumer you're being shafted. You buy something and you should be able to do whatever you want with it (within reason). What's next? A movie that will only play on your DVD player and not on your friend's? Movies will end up like software -- you'll have to jump through hoops to use them. Maybe the MPAA is taking lessons from the RIAA? At least it would explain their stupidity.