The Greed of TV Providers

Gee, it is the early part of the new year and the price increases have already been announced in the cable TV biz. It used to be said that there were only two certainties in life, death and taxes. We can now add a third, an annual cable TV bill increase. Most of the major players have announced price increases, such as Comcast and DIRECTV. The Comcast increase in particular is clearly designed to push people into accepting the Triple Play. Even Verizon has gotten in to the act, announcing a $5 per month increase in their TV package, effective for new customers only. Current customers will not get hit with a rate increase just yet. I am sure it is coming however and soon enough.

It was hoped that having multiple players in a given market, like Verizon hitting the Philadelphia market, would help keep prices down. Maybe it has kept prices down but in the sense only that it has slowed the rate of price increases. The companies continue to raise rates even in the face of competition and a slowing economy. They claim that they have to raise rates due to increased programming costs and infrastructure upgrades. However, I am sure that an analysis of their books will show that their annual rate increases far exceed those added costs.

The real reason behind the rate increases is greed -- pure and simple.

The cable companies, including the telcos and DBS, are trying to suck every last penny they can out of us, figuring that where are we to go, the prices on the other side of the street are just as bad. Frankly, the cable companies do have us over the barrel and there is really nothing we can do about it at this point other than drop cable altogether and rely on over the air transmission for TV. Not exactly a viable option for most of us for many reasons, ranging from lack of programming choices to issues with digital reception.

What to do? Well, I would suggest that we try to put pressure on of representatives in Congress to pass legislation requiring a la carte cable channel selection. That is, allowing us to purchase only the programming that we want so that we are not required to purchase a bundled package, saving us money. There are those out there who will buy the argument from the cable companies and the content providers that this will only increase our rates as they will have to charge far more for each channel individually than if they are bundles. ESPN is often given as an example, that we will have to pay $15 for that channel were it offered a la carte. To that I say BS. Disney will not be able to charge more than what people are willing will pay for their channels and no one would be willing to pay that much. The idea is that choice and the freedom to reject certain channels will keep the prices of those channels down. In my opinion, throwing out the current cable model will result in more choices at increased savings as the content providers will have to fight for the right to enter our homes something they now take for granted thanks to bundling.

It is time for those knuckleheads in Congress to do something that actually benefits the consumer for a change and enact a la carte enabling legislation. I will even be happy to pen the language in the bill myself. You know where to reach me Washington.

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HD DVD Review: White Noise

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

White Noise stars Michael Keaton as Jonathan Rivers whose wife dies in a tragic accident. Before he learns of her death, he is approached by a mysterious man who tells him that she is in fact dead and tells him of a way he can contact her via EVP or electronic voice phenomena. Essentially, EVP involves the dead being able to communicate with us through static on TV’s. He gets hooked on the whole EVP experience buts learns, too late, of the fact that there are others on the other side who intend to do him and others physical harm in the here and now.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is a very good looking encode. Not surprising given that it is a ghost film, the film has a very stylized look, taking its cue from the color balance in the image of static on an empty TV channel. Accordingly, the film has a cool look white a hot while balance. However, the film has a razor sharp image with excellent depth. Daylight scenes look particularly impressive with excellent flesh tones and detail. The only problem with this release is a bit of noise in the dark scenes. However, that will only be an issue for those with very large screens. This noise should not really be an issue for those with screen sizes under 50 inches provided you are sitting 10 feet or more from the screen. Even for those with larger screens, I doubt that you will find this noise levels to be too distracting.

THE AUDIO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with Dolby True HD, this sound of this film is surprisingly kind of flat. Accordingly, it does not have the type of eerie sound field that pulls you into the film greatly adding to the tension and suspense of the visuals. This film cries out for more aural suspense, of the kind that makes you jump out of your seat when the surrounds are engaged suddenly. That type of sound field is not used which is a shame as it would have greatly added to the film’s video presentation. All is not lost however, as the overall sound of the film is fairly smooth with good albeit not stellar bass. Dialogue is well recorded and well presented in the mix. I just wish that a more immersive sound field would have been used to give the film a more eerie and suspenseful overall sound which would have helped pull you into the story better.

IN CONCLUSION

While enjoyed the film, I did not enjoy it enough to rate it any better than a rental. If you are looking for a nice ghost story to watch on a weekend, given this film a look.

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Blu-ray Review: The Game Plan

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

The Game Plan can best be described as a cute family movie and is one that will be enjoyed best by families with kids under 13. The film stars ex pro wrestler and University of Miami football player Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Joe Kingman, the star quarterback of the Boston Rebels, a pro football team in an unnamed league patterned on the NFL. Joe Kingman is a swinging single who is in for a rude awakening when a young daughter he didn’t even know existed comes to find him and enters his life. Predictably, the daughter changes things completely for him and changes the course, not only of his lifestyle but his carrier as a football star as well. As an aside, the film is replete with tie ins to another Disney property, namely ESPN. I must say that these ties in here and in and other films has become tiresome. Remember all the Sony products is Casino Royale? Another aside, isn’t it bad enough that all the Boston pro teams win championships in real life! Does it really have to extend to the movies as well? Bleech! Recommended as a nice family film.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is a great looking transfer and one that I could find no fault with. This is a bright and colorful film with excellent color fidelity with spot on flesh tones. The image is razor sharp as well with excellent detail and wonderful shadow detail, all of which combine to give a very three dimensional image with excellent depth. This is a wonderful looking transfer and an excellent effort from the folks at Disney.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Presented with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit, this is a very good sounding film. However, the audio quality, while good, does not match the superb quality of the video, falling a tad short. On the plus side, the dialogue is well recorded and well presented in the sound mix and is always clear and easy to decipher. It never gets lost in the mix. The overall sound is on the smooth side with not even a hint of harshness. My only complaint is that I found the front mix to be a little on the flat side which robs the overall sound of the totally immersive effect of the best soundtracks. It just lacks that smooth and totally open sound that marks the best releases in either of the two high def formats. However, it in no way will detract from your enjoyment of the film as the audio presentation is very good in its own right, albeit it just a tad short of the best sounding tracks out there.

IN CONCLUSION

The Game Plan is an excellent looking film on Blu-Ray and a cute film for the entire family. Recommended for families with young children looking for a film that the whole family can enjoy together.

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Blu-ray Review: Across the Universe

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Having not seen this film in the theaters and knowing little about it other than the HD trailers I have seen on TV and the fact that it was set to the music of The Beatles, I went into this film with a completely open mind. My impression after only one viewing is that this is a wonderful movie and very original to boot. Briefly, the story is essentially a love story involving two teenagers, a British lad from Liverpool (Jim Sturgess) and a young lady from Ohio (Evan Rachel Ward), who meet and fall in love in Greenwich Village amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the peace movement and psychedelic drugs. The film features cameos by Joe Cocker, Bono and Eddie Izzard and even the voice of New York DJ Cousin Brucie. The entire story is woven together using Beatles songs that have been rearranged beautifully and very imaginatively by the great T-Bone Burnett. This is a wonderful film and well worth a look. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is a wonderful looking film from the folks at Columbia Picture and Sony Home Entertainment. The film boasts a very striking color palette, a very sharp image with deep black levels and a three dimensional image. Detail is excellent, from the subtle details on the bricks in the wall of the shipyard in Liverpool to the store fronts in Greenwich Village. However, the color palette is a bit skewed to the gold and green to give it a period look. Shadow detail is excellent as well with no obvious encoding errors. In short, there is little to complain about with this encode. It is one great looking film.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

The high rez audio option on this release is Dolby True HD at 48 kHz/24 bit and is every bit as good as the video. It is the musical numbers that really shine on this disc, with a very natural, open and spacious sound with excellent instrument timbre and beautifully recorded vocals. Bass is deep and tight with excellent use of the surrounds where appropriate. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that this is some of the best sounding music in a movie that I have seen in a long time, almost as good as the musical presentation in Immortal Beloved. As for the rest of the film, the dialogue is clear and crisp and wonderfully presented in the sound mix. The overall sound of the film can best be described as smooth, open and detailed which totally pulls you into the action. There is excellent use of the surrounds, especially during the action sequences in the film, set in Vietnam and campus riots in New York, as well as a few psychedelic scenes which have a totally immersive feel. This film boasts an excellent audio presentation which is a match to the top notch video.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a wonderful and very imaginative film that boasts excellent audio and video and some wonderful reworkings of classic Beatles songs. Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Life of Brian

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

A classic from Monty Python from 1979, the Life Of Brian, pokes fun at the people and times set forth in the New Testament and religion itself. Set in 33 A.D, Judea, the film centers around Brian Cohen, born on the original Christmas day (and mistaken for Jesus Christ born a few doors down) who is caught up as the center of a new religion and is reluctantly mistaken for the promised messiah. The film stars the many faces of Monty Python in multiple roles each, ranging from ex-lepers, Pontius Pilate, haggling merchants, revolutionaries, prophets, religious fanatics and Roman Centurions, culminating with the hilarious Bright Sign of Life scene. Some may regard this film as blasphemous as it pokes fun at early Christianity and religion in general. Don’t count me as a member of that group as I have always appreciated the humor in this this film and the take on religion and life in general it represents.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

This film is the subject of a new restoration and it shows. Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this film has never looked better. The image is bright and sharp with excellent detail, shadow detail and deep blacks. The deep blacks result in a very three dimensional image that was a sight to behold. Color accuracy is excellent as are skin tones which are spot on. Other that a few scenes which are a tad on the soft side, I can’t imagine this film looking any better. Unlike Con Air, which failed to live up to my expectations on the video side, this transfer greatly exceeded my expectations. Well done SPHE.

THE AUDIO: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Life of Brian is presented with two lossless tracks, namely a 5.1 PCM track as well as a Dolby True HD track. Both sounded the same to me. Given that the film was released in 1979 I did not expect much of an audio feast and was not mistaken. This is to be expected as this is a dialogue driven film. The dialogue is well recorded and presented although tad on the thin side. There is little real use of the surrounds with the exception of a few scenes. In any event, this film does not have an immersive sound filed and none was expected. The sound presented is more than acceptable for a film of this type and in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this film.

IN CONCLUSION

A true comedy classic from the folks at Monty Python, this release boasts an excellent transfer and more than acceptable sound track. Highly recommended for fans of comedy films in general and fans of Monty Python in general.

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Blu-ray Review: Resident Evil: Extintion

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

This sequel to Resident Evil, finds Alice (MIlla Jovovich) hiding in the desert in Nevada where she joins forces with other survivors of the deadly virus that has nearly destroyed the planet, turning all humans infected into flesh eating zombies. The group, in an effort to secure more fuel to continue their journey, goes to Las Vegas, where they are attacked by a group of Zombies. In the meantime, the Umbrella Group, who started the plague in the first place are working on a cure and are tracking Alice to find her and capture her to secure a cure. They track her in the Nevada desert and try to capture her in Vegas to return her to their underground facility which just happens to be under the dessert in Nevada. Imagine that! Needless to say, she does not cooperate with their efforts to capture here and all hell breaks loose. This is a fast paced film with plenty of action and gore with a bit of humor thrown in too. Recommended for fans of the first film and fans of this genre in general.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this film looks excellent on this Blu-Ray release. The film has a very stylized look in regards to color and is skewed to the tannish look of the desert. Blacks are very deep and the film has a very three dimensional look. Detail is excellent as well as is shadow detail which really helps pull you into the action. This is a wonderful effort on the part of the folks at Sony Pictures and is a must have for fans of the film.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

As good as the video is, the audio presentation on this disc is better. Encoded with Dolby True HD 5.1, the audio on this track has to be experienced to be believed. The sound field is totally immersive, smooth and open with rock solid bass. Dialogue is well placed in the mix and easy to follow, despite all the intense action on the screen. The sound will literally make you jump out of your seat is so good as it did to me several times during my screening of the film. Feel free to crank it up and enjoy.

IN CONCLUSION

While I will readily admit that zombie movies are not for everyone, this one is well done with stunning video and audio. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Shakira

THE CONCERT: 3 stars out of 5

This disc features a concert recorded in December 2006 during Shakira’s Oral Fixation Tour. It features Shakira, the Latin American Pop Music sensation from Columbia and her full band, as she sings, wiggles and shakes her tummy (as no other current artist can BTW) through her greatest hits. A total of 16 songs are presented here on the Blu-Ray disc with 5 others presented on a CD included with the package. While I will admit that Shakira’s music is not on my current playlist, she presents it here with great aplomb, in a set that will be a delight to her many fans. If you are a fan of Shakira and her music, you will love this release.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

While I am not a great fan of her music, I am a huge fan of the video quality on this release. Presented in full 1080p, encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:78:1, the video on this disc is astounding. It is easily the best looking concert presentation I have ever seen on any format. The colors are bright, bold and vivid. The skin tones are dead on accurate. The fine textures in the clothes and skin are very clearly visible. Black levels are deep rendering a totally three dimensional image. The image presented on your screen is razor sharp, not only on close-ups but far shots as well. Not only is the image incredibly detailed but so is the shadow detail which is important given the concert set lighting. No detail is lost in the shadows or darker areas of the screen.This is amazing stuff folks. It is hard to imagine a concert disc looking any better than this one. Well, maybe with 3D HD down the line someday. However, until then, this one will do very nicely. It sets the standard for visuals that all concert discs should strive for. Very well done indeed.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

As good as the video is on this release, it is matched by the audio. There are two lossless tracks presented here using uncompressed PCM (at 48 kHz/24 bit) in a 5.1 mix and a 2 channel stereo mix. However, while both are outstanding, I preferred the 5.1 mix in my HT system as the 5.1 mix better captured the ambiance of the building. The mix is dynamic and strong although the music is centered in the front three speakers as it should. I am at a loss as to why multichannel concert recordings are presented with instruments coming from the surround speakers as that is not the way things sound live. The surrounds should be used for crowd noise and hall ambiance as is the case here. Vocals are clear and well recorded and are not lost in the mix. I would give this release a perfect score if not for the fact that some of the subtleties of the music were lost in the bombast, which can really overpower you at reference listening levels. I would have preferred a mix where all of the instruments were better placed in the mix. However, that is the audio purist in me nitpicking on what is an outstanding audio presentation.

IN CONCLUSION

As a concert recording on home video, it does not get any better than this release. If you are a fan of Shakira or of Latin American pop music in general, this disc is a must buy. Highly recommended.

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HD DVD Review: The Pianist

THE MOVIE: 5 stars out of 5

There are those of you out there who have inquired as to whether I would continue with reviews of HD DVD content in light of the recent developments in the format war. The answer is yes. As long as I still have an HD-DVD player and as long as the studios continue to send me content in that format, I will continue with HD DVD reviews. As I have written before, despite the differences in the technical specs of the two formats, they both can deliver outstanding video and audio results and both are a joy to experience.

The Pianist arrives as an HD-DVD release in the US this month. It has been available in the UK for quite awhile. The Pianist is an inspiring and very moving film about the true life story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a brilliant Polish Jewish pianist and composer whose career was interrupted by the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II. Based on his book, The Pianist finds Mr. Szpilman and his family in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war and chronicles the story of his survival in the Warsaw ghetto in one of the darkest periods of human history. At times this can be a difficult movie to watch and yet has a very powerful and inspiring story to tell about the dignity and resilience of the human spirit. Adrien Brody stars as Mr. Szpilman in the role that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film itself was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Highly Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this is an excellent looking transfer from Universal. Most of the film has a rather muted color palette and this transfer captures the look of the film beautifully. Color reproduction is quite good with excellent black level, giving the film a nice three dimensional look. The film has excellent detail and a rather sharp looking picture with only tiny bit of softness in a couple scenes. Shadow detail is excellent as well. This is an excellent transfer from the folks at Universal and will thrill fans of the film.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

The high rez audio on this release is presented in Dolby True HD. As one would expect, this is essentially a dialogue driven film and therefore, most of the audio emanates from the front three channels, with some exceptions such as the very beginning of the film. Therefore, don’t expect a reference sounding track. However, what is presented is presented very well with the dialogue being well recorded and well placed in the mix. The rest of the audio is well presented as well with a nice open and smooth sound with the sound of the piano captured very faithfully. Overall, this is a very solid if not spectacular effort on the audio side from the folks at Universal.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a very powerful and moving film with wonderful performances by the entire cast. This release boasts an excellent transfer and is well worth a look. HIghly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Con Air

THE MOVIE: 4 out of 5 stars

Originally released in 1997 and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Con Air stars Nicolas Cage as Cameron Poe, a ex-Army Ranger who is sent to prison after he kills a man while defending himself and the honor of his wife in a fight outside a bar. He is sent to prison for 7 years and misses the birth of his daughter. As luck has it, he is paroled and is being transported home on a special jet which is being used to transport a group of very dangerous prisoners to another prison. Needless to say, this group of prisoners takes control of the plane and try to use it to escape out of the country. Poe, seeing what is happening plays along and gets clues to the authorities so that the plot can be thwarted. The film co-stars John Cusack as agent Vince Larkin, John Malkovich as Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom and Ving Rhames as Diamond Dog Jones. There is plenty of action in this film as one would expect from Jerry Bruckheimer. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

While there is nothing wrong with the video presentation of this film per se, I must say that I was somewhat disappointed with the video quality of Con Air. As this film was released way back in 1997, I can’t really recall how the film looked in the theater to make a comparison with this release. However, I was expecting better. My main complaint lies with the very muted colors in the film and the below average black levels. This film looks rather dull in comparison to the best looking transfers out there. The film lacks the pop and three dimensionality of the best looking transfers. Detail is good as is shadow detail but the lack of strong contrast between black and bright areas gives the film more of a washed out and flat looking picture. In this regard, it looked identical to the zoomed in version of the film shown over the weekend on TNT HD. This just may be the way this film is supposed to look. If so, it stands in contrast with the other Bruckheimer films which do not suffer from the same issues.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 out of 5

I have no reservations whatsoever with the audio on this disc which is outstanding. Presented with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit, this film rocks. The sound is smooth and open and very dynamic with excellent bass. Dialogue is well recorded and well placed in the mix as are the various sound effects. The roar of the jet engines is faithfully reproduced as well as the plane crash and the action on board ship. When the security gates shut and lock in the plane, it sounds like you are there behind bars, hearing the slam of metal on metal as well as the subtle echoes of that sound in the plane. The sound field presented here is totally immersive. Gunshots are faithfully produced as well with a full, powerful and convincing sound. All in all, this is an excellent audio track and greatly adds to your enjoyment of the film.

IN CONCLUSION

While I had some issues with the video on this release, I have no problems recommending your taking in this film. It is a great action flick with some great action and wonderful audio. Give it a look. Recommended.

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CES 2008: HD DVD Dead; Downloads Are Alive!

My first overall impression from CES: The clear death knell for HD-DVD.

The buzz at CES was all Blu-Ray. There was little traffic in the HD DVD booth when I was there and when I walked by. The Blu-Ray booth on the other hand was crowded. Furthermore, speaking to some insiders at the show, it is clear to me that Universal and Paramount will be pulling their support in the next 3 or 4 weeks. The format war is over.

While the war is over, I was disappointed with a few things that I noticed on the BD side. The first is that the BD studios clearly seem to think they can hold their current BD movie prices. If they really are serious about ramping up sales of software, they really should drop the prices. $30 to $40 titles just won’t cut it as mass market items, especially if there is a recession on the horizon. Drop the prices, boys.

I would also suggest that they drop the BS which was unbelievably high at the Blu-Ray press conference I attended Monday night. All BS and little if any news, almost as bad as a political press briefing. Almost. Warner Brother keep insisting that they went to BD because the consumer decided. No they didn’t, the studios did. Drop the pretense, please.

Finally, it is clear from the new BD players on display and even the dual players that the manufactures have dropped all support for multichannel analog outputs. If you want the advanced audio codecs, you will either have to purchase an older model or purchase a new receiver or processor with HDMI 1.3 support. Imagine, using a new technology to drive customers to purchase even more equipment they didn’t think they would need! Not exactly a novel concept.

2. The future is right at our doorstep. I was very impressed with (Comcast's) Brian Roberts' keynote address and in particular their rollout of DOCSIS 3.0 this year which will give cable consumers (not just Comcast’s BTW) access to what was described as wideband internet. Scheduled to be rolled out in the 3Q 2008, DOCSIS 3.0 as implemented by Comcast will provide internet speeds of 100 mbps. They have done this by “bonding” 4 analog channels together. As more analog channels are dropped, they can bond those together as well. Therefore speeds of up to 500 and 600 are expected within the next 3 or 4 years.

This is a major development in internet speed and will enable HD downloads that I have predicted to be the future (not optical media) to become mainstream sooner than expected. In fact, this system enabled a download of Batman Begins along with the trailer for The Dark Night in full HD and multichannel sound, to be downloaded in 4 minutes. ( I find it interesting that a WB title was used given their Blu-Ray announcement at the show) The picture and audio quality shown was every bit as good as HDM and was shown on a theater sized screen. With the anticipated rollout of even faster speeds, that download will be possible in under a minute in about 2 years.

I know there are many of you out there who don’t believe in the future of HD downloads. Those of you who feel that way have cited the length it takes for downloading HD. Well, that speed will be reduced from hours to 4 minutes this year. Considering the time it takes to go to the store to buy optical media and the time you have to wait to order from an on line store, 4 minutes or less shouldn’t be an impediment. The real impediment seems to me to be the cost of the wideband internet. Unfortunately, no estimates were given at the presentation as to the cost of this service. I am sure it will be steep at first, However, considering that it is being rolled out as part of cable’s efforts to blunt the growth of DBS, there should be an effort to keep the cost down. Only time will tell. At the least, this announcement will remove the technical barrier to HD downloads. With cheap storage available in the form of portable hard drives, storage of the downloads shouldn’t be a problem. I expect more hardware to be developed to facilitate your ability to connect your computer to your TV to fully enjoy your downloads. I would expect to see these very products at CES 2009. The future of video distribution is already here.

3. The Pioneer plasma presentation was very, very impressive. They displayed two prototypes of new technology under development, a 9 mm thick plasma screen as well as what they call an extreme black panel. The 9 mm panel has to been seen to be believed. Incredibly thin. It was displayed in a 50” screen size. The picture was very good although not up to the quality of the new Kuro panels. The extreme black panel, also in a 50” screen size was absolutely stunning. It displayed a pure black and generated the best looking picture I have even seen on a display device totally slaying the 50” Elite Kuro next to it. Both showed the same content in a totally darkened room. The blacks were so good on the prototype that it put out no light at all while on with no signal running into it. It looks the same on as it does off. In fact, you didn’t even see it in the room until the HD signal was inputted. The best news of all is that Pioneer intends to merge to two technologies and introduce an extreme black 9mm Kuro panel. No date was given however, nor any price points. I am sure that the panel will be very expensive as are the Elite Kuro panels, even more do. The extreme black panel was a beautiful sight to behold and has much better blacks that the current Elite models which are the best screens on the market. The future of plasma is bright indeed.

4. The biggest loser at CES was clearly Toshiba. As this has been covered extensively elsewhere, I would like to address another big loser at the show at that was Verizon’s FiOS which had no presence at all. The big news on the TV side was clearly Comcast and their HD offering, new portable DVR, new guide and web interaction and wideband. From Verizon, you heard nothing. You would not even had known that FiOS even existed if you attended this show. That was not a good business decision. Verizon should have been at CES, touting their new HD channels and plans to add more by the end of 2008. They could have countered Comcast’s announcement of their 1000+ HD “offerings” by noting that Verizon will be offering real HD channels not just HD VOD which most of Comcast’s HD offerings will be. They could have announced their plans for HD VOD in addition to 80 to 150 HD channels by the end of the year as well as increased internet speeds. Way to drop the ball, again, Verizon.

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HD DVD Is Dead

Well with the somewhat shocking news out of Warner that they are dropping support for HD-DVD and releasing their high-def titles exclusively on the Blu-Ray format and all the buzz that it has created on the web, I figured it was time that I offered my 2 cents on the issue as to what it all means both near term and long term.

As for the near term, it spells the death of HD-DVD as a viable format. Put a fork in it. It's finished. The fact that the HD-DVD Group cancelled their news conference at CES Sunday night tells you all you need to know on that score. I can no longer in good conscience recommend to anyone that they purchase an HD-DVD player unless they can grab one for $50 and under and use it as an upconverting DVD player. I fully expect Toshiba to throw the towel in within the next couple of weeks. I fully expect Paramount and Universal to announce support for Blu-Ray, perhaps even by the end of CES. You may get those Blades of Glory Blu-Ray discs yet!

I would also expect to see an end to those BOGO Blu-Ray sales as well as there will be no need for them. I also expect that you will see and end to any further price drops on Blu-Ray players either standalones or PS3 consoles. While I doubt that the various BD hardware vendors will raise their prices, they have no reason at this point to lower them any further, at least in the short term. I am also sure you will see a lot of HD-DVD discs and players showing up on e-bay and being returned to vendors. If you have a sizable HD-DVD collection, keep an eye out as you may be able to snag a player real cheap as a back up. However, expect no further firmware upgrades from Toshiba.

As for the long term, the jury is still out as to what the final impact this announcement will have for the future of high def optical media. Personally, I have not been of the mind that the format war had much of a bearing on the slow adoption of high def discs. As I have written on a number of occasions, I view the rather meager sales of high def discs on both formats to be due mainly to two other factors, the high price of the hardware and software on both sides as well as the popularity of DVD. After being used to DVD player prices well under $100, even for an upconverting DVD player and discs priced on sale anywhere between $5 and $15, the mass market has little interest in spending hundreds for a new player or players and over
$30.00 for discs, even more so considering that some have been purchasing DVD copies of Blu-Ray movies for travel purposes, especially those Disney films.

These two factors have not changed with Warner's announcement of exclusivity. Until the price of a new Blu-Ray player hits the $100 price point and discs under $20, sales will still lag way behind DVD. With uncertain times ahead in the US in 2008, the mass market will have even less incentive to spend for a new player and high priced discs. Regular old DVD will do just fine for most. Remember, surveys have repeatedly shown that only 40% of owners of HD sets even have an HD signal hooked up to it and instead use their sets to watch standard definition TV and DVD. Do you think that all these folks are going to run out and buy a Blu-Ray player because of the Warner's announcement? I think not.

So where does this all lead us? The way I see it, optical HD media has little chance of being the next mass adoption media. The next mass adoption media will be downloads and HD VOD. Yes fans, even Blu-Ray will go the way of the Mini Disc, Beta, VHS and 8 tracks into the dust bin of history, at least as a pre-recorded movie medium and a whole lot faster than any of you think. Pure and simple, downloads are the future. Why? Well, with broadband speeds getting faster and faster fairly quickly, you will be able to download an HD film fairly easily in a couple of years. Look at music downloads and the sales of CD's. Face it, most people got tired of buying CD's for a couple songs. When downloading became available, the music buying public
flocked to it. Instead of changing their business models to reflect the new reality, the music industry fought rather than embraced downloads, to their financial detriment. The movie studios will not make the same mistake.

While there will always be people like me who love having physical copies of movies (and CD's and LP"s for that matter), the mass market has embraced MP3 downloads of music and have
stopped buying CD's as a result of a convergence of many factors, chief among them cost and convenience. This same model will play itself out with movies as well. Think about it. How many times do you watch a movie after you purchase a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray disc or a DVD
for that matter? Wouldn't most people rather just rent the disc under those circumstances? With downloads, they will be able to do just that with the click of a mouse. So they will be able to only watch the film once or twice for $5. To them, that is better than doing the same thing for $10 or $15 or in the case of HDM, $30. This, ladies and gents, is the future and guess what, the studios will be more than happy to see it happen.

Why?

They will no longer have to spend money to manufacture discs, they will be able to control its
distribution more carefully, enable stronger DRM and even better, get revenue each time you want to watch the movie as the downloads will more than likely be limited to one or two showings. Want to watch it again? No problem as long as you agree to pay another small fee. This is all exactly what the studios want. In fact, they are salivating at the thought of this very business model Long before the time that Blu-Ray gains mass acceptance, HD downloads will be gaining momentum and will have supplanted Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray will still only be a niche product by that time, lagging behind DVD and downloads, just like SACD and DVD-A lagged behind CD's and downloads. Yes, Blu-Ray will be another SACD or DVD-A. It is said that time waits for no man. Neither does technology.

Yes, Blu-Ray has won the format "battle" but will lose the "war" to downloads and HD-VOD. That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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HD DVD Review: Zodiac

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Zodiac, presented on HD-DVD as a two disc director’s cut, is a fascinating and compelling account of the hunt for the “Zodiac” killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1960’s through the early 1970’s. The film is directed by David Fincher (Seven and Panic Room) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr. The film contains some rather graphic violence and starts off with a rather gruesome shooting. Robert Downey, Jr. ‘s character is a boozing and drug taking investigative reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. Jake Gyllenhaal's character on the other hand is the paper’s cartoonist who takes a keen interest in the investigation after the first of the Zodiac killer’s letters arrives at the paper taking credit for his murders and predicting more. In fact, it is this character’s relentless pursuit of the killer’s identity over the years, much to his personal detriment, which drives the film. While the film is long, clocking in at over 3 hours, the time does seem to fly by as you are sucked into the pursuit of the killer and experience the fear that gripped the Bay area during those days. Highly Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is a rather stylized film with the overall color scheme skewed to what I would describe as a California gold which was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. As such, the film does not present very accurate looking colors. Black level is solid however. There was no visible noise that I could see in the film. The print is as pristine as one would expect from a new film. My biggest complaint about this presentation is the overall softness of the film. I found the opening sequence in particular to be very soft. The overall color palette is also rather drab which contributes to overall soft looking picture. I did not see this film in the theater so I can’t comment whether this was how the film appeared in the theater. My assumption is that it was and was intentional on the part of the director to make the film look lie it was filmed in the 1960’s and 1970’s. While I am sure that this is a very accurate presentation of the film, it just doesn’t have the snap and pop of the best looking HD transfers.

THE AUDIO: 3 3/4 stars out of 5

Sad to say, the audio encode of the film is more lackluster than the video. Presented in Dolby Digital Plus at 1.5 mbps, the film is very front heavy with little use of the surrounds. Considering the tension and suspense of the film, I thought that there would have been a better sound mix accompanying the video. The audio just does not contribute much to the overall feel of the film. The audio that is present is clear enough but is rather flat. Dialogue is well recorded however and easy to follow which is very important given the nature of the film. While there are those out there in HD land who will no doubt complain about the fact that there was no True HD track included with the film, I doubt very much that it would have made any difference given the quality of the original sound mix.

EXTRAS

There are some excellent extras included on this two disc set in high definition. My favorites are those involving interviews with the real people who are depicted in the film. The interviews are compelling and well worth a look.

IN CONCLUSION

While I found the video to be nothing spectacular and the audio rather lackluster, this is nonetheless a riveting and compelling look in to hunt for the Zodiac killer, even given its rather extensive running time. Highly recommended.

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