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  1. #1
    Forum Regular paul_pci's Avatar
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    Hollywood shoots itself in foot again over high def DVDs?

    I know this belongs in News and Rumors, but I thought this justified greater exposure. Just when you thought the studios couldn't cram anymore stupidity into their brains, we learn that they are forced manufactures to make sure that non-HDMI transfer of high definition DVDs must be down converted. So if your television or projector doesn't have an HDMI input, all this will be a waste of time and money for you. Here's the synopsis from Digital Bits:

    "the companies and studios behind the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy protection scheme (that's going to be used on both Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD) have officially decided this week to require hardware manufactures to prevent full 1080-line resolution video signals (1920x1080) from being passed through unprotected analog outputs (read: component connections). The decision as to whether or not to use the restriction will be left up to the content providers and will be triggered by a software flag on the discs on a case by case basis. What this means, however, is that most movie discs are only going to be displayed at full 1080 resolution through digital HDMI connections. If you don't have HDMI on your HDTV or projector (we're not sure if DVI-to-HDMI adapted connections will be affected), the best you'll be able to see through your component cables is an electronically down-converted 540 lines (960x540 lines). That's just a tad better than regular DVD, which weighs in at 480-line resolution (720x480)."

    You can also find the story here:
    http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2657

  2. #2
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    (we're not sure if DVI-to-HDMI adapted connections will be affected)



    I thought DVI was OK for the new formats. My TV has a DVI connection. Does that mean I'm screwed or what?
    Last edited by L.J.; 01-24-2006 at 06:05 PM.

  3. #3
    Forum Regular paul_pci's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    (we're not sure if DVI-to-HDMI adapted connections will be affected)



    I thought DVI was OK for the new formats. My TV has a DVI connection. Does that mean I'm screwed or what?
    From what I briefly read, that answer is: nobody knows just yet. Great, huh? Don't forget to send your thankyou card to Hollywood.

  4. #4
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    This has been a long expected move because of the studios' paranoia about copy protection. Their efforts to downconvert any analog video outputs are rumored to extend down to all future HD devices, including satellite/cable receivers and DVRs. I would not be surprised if one day people replace their set top devices and find that the analog resolution has been restricted to 480p on those devices.

    But, I think that the secure digital video requirement is only one of many obstacles that threaten to derail the HD-DVD/Blu-ray launch. Here are some other market issues facing those formats.

    - format war (DVD didn't take off until all of the studios came on board, and the pay-per-view DIVX scheme unraveled; a protracted format war will impede the progress of HD video discs just as other competing technologies come to fruition)

    - not enough consumers that will immediately benefit from the enhanced capability (less than 20% of U.S. households own HDTVs and nobody owns DD+/DTS-HD audio decoders; unlike with DVD, where everybody could see an improvement in video quality and functionality over VHS, that same clearcut improvement in going to Blu-ray/HD-DVD from DVD does not hold true for the majority of households that do not own HDTVs)

    - pending competition from HD downloading and on-demand services (if HD-DVD/Blu-ray take too long to grab market share, then these up and coming technologies could take over the market before the disc formats have a chance to supplant the DVD)

    - introduction too soon after market transitioned over to DVD (the majority of households bought their first DVD player within the last four years; how many of them are already looking to upgrade and replace their video libraries?)
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  5. #5
    His and Her Room! westcott's Avatar
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    HDCP will also be required on all digital HD signals.

    Guess how all those people with DVI displays that are not HDCP compliant will feel when they find this out.

  6. #6
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    this kinda crap is exactly why i'm perfectly comfortable sitting back and waiting for everyone to figure this stuff out. hopefully another year or so we weed out all of this uncertainty and start moving into the HD world- i wonder if prices will be affordable to the general public by then.

    thanks for the post, paul!

  7. #7
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    Well screw 'em all then. I'll just watch the HD pay per view movies from my cable company then. No equipment to buy, no HDMI cables, and no driving to the video store.

  8. #8
    His and Her Room! westcott's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zepman1
    Well screw 'em all then. I'll just watch the HD pay per view movies from my cable company then. No equipment to buy, no HDMI cables, and no driving to the video store.
    Unfortunately zepman1, most HD movie content does not look any better than a good 480p DVD player.

    The only HD on cable\sat\OTA that looks like HD are live performances like football, live concerts, documentaries, and Jay Leno. Movie tranfers do not look any better than my DVD player.

    I no longer participate in pay per view unless my NetFlix is not in and I am REALLY board.

  9. #9
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    Really? I wasn't aware of this. I have not payed for any of the "HD" pay per view movies yet, but fully expected them to be 1080i or 720p resolution. I find it hard to believe that this is not the case... How can they call it HD if it is only 480p???

  10. #10
    His and Her Room! westcott's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zepman1
    Really? I wasn't aware of this. I have not payed for any of the "HD" pay per view movies yet, but fully expected them to be 1080i or 720p resolution. I find it hard to believe that this is not the case... How can they call it HD if it is only 480p???
    I guess the same way they get away with calling Standard Definition programming 480i.
    They severly compress the signals to get as many programs as possible in a fixed bandwidth. The picture quality is severly degraded and macroblocking is the usual result. You can see it in dark scenes or where the screen is mostly all one color and appears as rectangles or square blocks. Once you are aware of them, they can really drive you crazy.

    If you do not see them now, don't look for it because it will drive you crazy. I do not see it on HD but SD is riddled with it.

  11. #11
    Forum Regular edtyct's Avatar
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    The upconverted films on the glamour HD stations like HBO and Cinemax certainly don't look too special, but the films shown in true HD can look very good (leaving aside whether they have the correct aspect ratio), as can proprietary content like Deadwood. The quality of the source has to make a big difference. I've even seen the odd HD film on TNT that looked pretty good (LOR, as I recall). But nothing is as pristine and clean as DiscoveryHD, INHD, HDnet, and a few other gems. I remember hearing that certain satellite services were shortchanging HD because of they had so much programming to fit into limited bandwidth, but not much has come of the rumor.

  12. #12
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    Guess I'll just have to see for myself. I have Time-Warner for my cable, and have generally been pleased with the content. SD shows leave a lot to be desired, but the HD conent is usually very good. I have seen a number of very good HD movies on TNT and HDMovies etc that were exceptional. I don't understand why the PPV HD movies would be an exception to this. The HD movies I watch from Time Warner are MUCH better than any 480p DVD (usually anyhow, there are exceptions).

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