HDV Distribution - the real issue

[Dave Campbell]

Colvin, why did you delete your post? This sounded very interesting.
"If there is enough interest, I might mass produce a solution I have come up with for my own customers."


Can you repost? What solution have you come up with for your customers?

Dave

[Kevin Shaw]

Seems to me that the obvious next step if you're not happy with the Avel player would be an inexpensive PC outfitted with something like an ATI All-in-Wonder video card and matching remote control. I calculated a while back that a complete setup like this would cost about $600 or so, plus you'd have to deal with the nuisance of having to boot the computer when you want to play a disc. (Unless you just leave it running.)

Starting next year both Intel and Apple will be pushing computer-based multimedia solutions which (hopefully) minimize the computer-like aspects in favor of the multimedia ones. Prices are likely to be a little high at first, but perhaps they'll finally do something right and deliver a usable, user-friendly solution. We shall see...

[Dave Campbell]

Kevin, this could work but again, the average Joe is NOT going to put a PC in their living room. no matter what they call it. Plus, we all know how a "PC" works. :o)

Dave

[Steve Crisdale]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

Seems to me that the obvious next step if you're not happy with the Avel player would be an inexpensive PC outfitted with something like an ATI All-in-Wonder video card and matching remote control. I calculated a while back that a complete setup like this would cost about $600 or so, plus you'd have to deal with the nuisance of having to boot the computer when you want to play a disc. (Unless you just leave it running.)

Starting next year both Intel and Apple will be pushing computer-based multimedia solutions which (hopefully) minimize the computer-like aspects in favor of the multimedia ones. Prices are likely to be a little high at first, but perhaps they'll finally do something right and deliver a usable, user-friendly solution. We shall see...

So... someone who doesn't already own a computer is going to buy a HTPC just to get HD playback functionality from distributable media, that they should have already got from far more practical devices? Even though they've never owned or used a computer before, because if they already owned a computer, they probably have some idea of how to connect their current PC to a HDTV for streaming video from a DVB-t/s device.

Yeah... I can see that happening, along with hovercars and matter de-integration/re-integration instantaneous transport.

Intel and Apple eh? Now there's a proven team!! What's that you say they'll be doing with this new technology that'll supposedly revolutionise media content delivery... Pushing!! you mean it's so crappy that they'll need to shove it down our collective throats?

Mobile phones are bad enough. Now we're to believe that an even greater distraction to folks who should be paying more attention on where they're going rather than less is gonna be good for us?!! Maybe the World could do with a self-initiated cull of the less observant...

See... this is like watching all those "Foxtel digital for only $10..." or "Sky puts a Galaxy of entertainment at your fingertips from only $25 for the first month", offers that sound so tempting. Why do you reckon they're "pushing" it so hard? Because those who had it on are disconnecting, and those who fall for the ad campaign quickly learn what a con it is.

Colleagues at work who know that I have HD gear said stuff like "I'm getting Foxtel digital... that's HD so I'll be able to watch any HD stuff I want". Can't wait until tomorrow when I'll find out how quiet they've gone... Why quiet? Embarrassment.
See; it's more than mostly SD content provided on a scheme that very rapidly costs more and more. What a disappointment!! Then there's hidden costs that chew into the average persons money pit.

Like the electricity that costs more and more, then all the other gizmo's to make the entertainment experience complete - like the game console, because a HTPC just won't "cut it" compared to a dedicated console, with dedicated games that'll only run on that brand/model of console... I'm surprised that every human on the Planet hasn't got this stuff because it's just so affordable!!

P.T. Barnum would be glowing with pride at the modern evidence for the truth of his appraisal of humanity.

[Ben Hardy]

I understand that the earlier I/O data unit had some issues, but the one they manufacture now for JVC does not. At least, mine doesn't. In any event, I can comfortably put 3.25 gigs of a .ts file on a DVD-R disc. I've never tried recording a wmv-formatted file, so you may have a point. Movies, TV shows and files recorded from my FX-1 (after being converted to .ts files in Vegas) play without a problem.

[Dave Campbell]

Ben, can you play an authored dual layer DVD? One that you made yourself.
I am not aware of anyone who has made them play.

Dave

[Heath McKnight]

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

Yes, you're missing the blue-laser HD DVD players and matching authoring software which should have shipped at least a year or two ago but are still held up in development quagmire and should finally ship next year. In the meantime, the most practical way to meet the requirements you list is to deliver a widescreen standard-definition DVD, which for most people is still plenty good enough. Just be sure to make a proper anamorphic widescreen DVD, and not a "letterboxed" one.

Blu-Ray is blue laser, HD DVD (Toshiba) is red laser, FYI. Also, no one accepts HDV tapes, they want HDCam (TV networks, etc.).

heath

[Ken Hodson]

No they are both blue laser.

[Heath McKnight]

Right you are! I forgot about that.

heath

[Keith Wakeham]

I think that DVD is going to be the golden standard for many more years. HD discs will fall into a niche market like SACD and DVD-A but their will be more of a push because people want to use their HDtv's even if they can't really see a difference.

So what is available now if you want to distribute HD.

Depending on how long something is you want to author you could author a DVD and just stick a WMV file on the disc in HD. Good for < 1 hour I would think. Double that to 2 hours with a DL DVD+R. You could do the same with a TS file.

The other option is to just author your dvd for a client (if that is what your doing) and give them a disc with a TS file or sourcefile, or even a miniDV with HDV on it, or just have an archive of the HDV tape so when the availability comes around you can create a HD disc.

Beyond that, getting HD into peoples home, is their anything available or could be made available? Any ideas outside the box?

[Heath McKnight]

Most people are still on SD, so a reguar SD DVD will probably work for those people.

heath

[Dave Campbell]

Keith, I have gotten longer than an hour of WMV on a single layer at max quality, and more than 2 hours on a dual.

So, to me the issue is useability. Yes, you can make it work. But, since we are now all used to jumping directly to any part of a disc via a menu, there is no way I would give anything to a customer that is harder to use. It would be in 16x9 DVD format, so they will think thats cool. The picture quality for most will not be an issue for lots of reasons. Eyes, lighting, adjustments on the TV, etc. My quality of my DVD's from HDV material on my display is eye popping compared to SD original material.

Dave

[Dave Campbell]

Heath, if I could get a menu structure of a TS stream, or wmv codec, I would have no issue buying a DVD player, like the I/O Data, if they would work.
Now, got to be politics going on. If you can author a wmv with the MS Java disc you can get, and then play this on your PC, there is NO reason this same coding could not be put into a DVD set top!!!!

Dave

[Heath McKnight]

Try Nero:

http://ww2.nero.com/enu/index.html

And buy a Nero-certified (if that's the right word) DVD player, and you should be able to see HD content. Their DVD software licenses every time you make a DVD, which means if people don't have a Nero player on their PC, the DVD you made comes with one.

We talk about this on the VASST tour (www.vasst.com).

heath

[Kevin Shaw]

Originally Posted by Keith Wakeham

Beyond that, getting HD into peoples home, is their anything available or could be made available? Any ideas outside the box?

One thing I'd like to see which should be feasible but apparently isn't easy yet would be to transfer HD video directly to an HD-capable "Tivo" box. If anyone's managed to do this let us know what you had to do to get that to work.