Chinese pirates crack Blu-ray DRM, sell pirated HD discs

Law enforcement in Shenzhen, China, raided a warehouse last month that contained HD copies of a number of popular movies. There were over 800 discs (so, what is that, like eight spindles?) that were packaged in faux Blu-ray boxes, complete with holograms to make them appear legitimate. According to the Motion Picture Association International, this is the “first ever” seizure of these types of discs in China.

The pirates are apparently ripping high-def movies (cracking Blu-ray’s AACS and BD+ encryption in the process) and re-encoding them using AVCHD, which offers a 720p picture. Because of the reduction in resolution, file sizes are smaller and can be burned to regular DVDs instead of the more costly Blu-ray discs, netting a tidy profit. Needless to say, the film industry isn’t thrilled by the news. “We are concerned and are assigning priority to this issue,” the MPA’s Asia-Pacific managing director Mike Ellis told the Wall Street Journal.

- from ARS

Poor Blu-ray! Still waiting for sunny days

When Toshiba finally gave up on the HD DVD format earlier this year, many in Hollywood breathed a sigh of relief. With a distracting format war out of the way, they figured, there would be nothing to stop consumers from making the switch to high definition DVDs. But while Blu-ray won its battle with HD DVD, it’s still unclear whether it will win the war for consumers’ hearts. Sales are up substantially, particularly for male-oriented f/x heavy titles like “Iron Man,” but from a very small base. Prices for players are falling rapidly, below $250 at many retailers currently and on their way to under $200 by Thanksgiving weekend. But in the face of a slumping economy, are consumers ready to spend even a couple of hundred dollars for an upgraded viewing experience, not to mention $10 more per disc?

“I am cautiously optimistic,” says Universal home entertainment topper and Blu-ray booster Craig Kornblau. “But I would be wildly optimistic if the environment was what it was six months ago.”

At the Consumer Electronic Show in January, soon after Warner Bros. essentially killed HD DVD by committing to Blu-ray, format backers predicted $1 billion in software sales for 2008. As of the end of September, however, sales had reached around $300 million, according to Variety sister pub Video Business. Q4 is expected to be huge, but even if the 200%-plus growth Blu-ray has seen so far this year grows, $1 billion is almost certainly out of reach. (Overseas, Blu-ray perf is about even with the U.S. in Japan, while the European market is about one year behind.)

Beyond the economy, there are several potential factors noted by insiders:

n Following the end of the hi-def format war, it took several months for manufacturers to start expanding player production to match the new HD DVD-free environment.

n While many retailers discount DVDs as much as $5 off of the wholesale price to drive customer traffic, they’re not yet doing the same for Blu-ray. Result is that standard DVDs are often as cheap as $13 their first week, but Blu-ray discs never drop less than $25 and are often $30 or higher, resulting in a huge price differential that consumers have a hard time justifying. “It’s a bigger gap than it should be given the wholesale price,” notes one homevid exec.

n Sony’s PlayStation 3 remains mired in third place behind the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and hasn’t proven to be as big a booster of Blu-ray movie sales as some had predicted. Hopes that the videogame console, which costs $100 to $200 more than its competitors, would get a price cut for the holidays were recently dashed.

n Hype around digital distribution may be putting off some consumers from making the switch to Blu-ray. Even though revenue from Internet downloads remains miniscule, it has gotten a disproportionate amount of attention in the media and may be convincing some consumers that disc-based movies won’t be around wrong, making Blu-ray a bad investment.

- from Variety

Blu-ray passes 1,000 mark

Blu-ray Disc has hit a big milestone: As of last week, more than 1,000 high-definition discs were either on the market (841) or scheduled for release (185), according to the DVD Release Report tip sheet. The latest big-title announcement: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is planning a 70th anniversary platinum edition Blu-ray Disc of animated classic “Pinocchio” for March 10, 2009, release.

Steve Jobs says “Blu-ray is a bag of hurt”

On the lack of BD drives in the new Mac notebooks, quoth Jobs:

Blu-ray is a bag of hurt. I don’t mean from the consumer point of view. It’s great to watch movies, but the licensing is so complex. We’re waiting until things settle down, and waiting until Blu-ray takes off before we burden our customers with the cost of licensing.

Takeaway? Huge battery drain, likely replaced by digital downloads very soon, so we’ll hold off on the big price jump, thanks. Me? I’m going to have to start using “bag of hurt” way more often.

from Gizmodo

Straight from El Jobso’s mouth at today’s notebook keynote: “Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It’s great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.” Phil chimed in with “We have the best HD movie and TV options in iTunes.” Damn. As if that weren’t enough to make Mac-lovin’ home theater junkies cringe, Steve also commented (when asked about the dearth of HDMI in his introductions) that HDMI was “limited in resolution,” and Philip Schiller elaborated by saying that “for typical computer use, DisplayPort is the connector of the future.” So, does that mean we can’t count on Blu-ray support in OS X 10.5.6?

- from Engadget

The Dark Knight coming to Blu-ray on December 9

Heath Ledger! Christian Bale! Batman, Joker, Blu-ray! With nearly a billion dollars in the bank since the film’s July release, Warner Bros. has announced that its box office juggernaut “The Dark Knight” will be hitting store shelves December 9 as a two-disc special edition, available in both standard DVD and high-definition Blu-ray (as well as a special “Batpod Edition”).

Trumpeting over three hours of bonus material, the collection will include a bevy of special features including two documentaries surrounding the film, the character and his gadgets, six episodes of “Gotham Tonight” (”Gotham Cable’s premiere news program”), Joker cards, concept and poster art, production stills, and more.

- from MTV

Expect Blu-ray to Live on Despite Reports of its Imminent Demise

I’ve been amazed at recent news reports from various sources (some expected, some surprising) either dismissing, suggesting slow sales or even predicting the near-term demise of the Blu-ray Disc format.

Now, I can understand why Microsoft and Toshiba would not be immediate adopters of the format (although I predict market demand will eventually persuade them otherwise) and try to move the discussion onto networked content and DVRs, but what throws me is a recent comment by a European marketing manager of Samsung, the world second-largest seller of BD players (after Sony), who said to the press that the format only “has five years left.”

In my opinion, he couldn’t be further from the truth.

First of all, there are millions of BD-based PlayStation 3 videogame consoles in consumers’ homes around the world and this number is growing fast as the device is introduced to new global markets and to new consumers every day. I believe the value of this product is only going to increase for many years to come — perhaps a decade — as developers realize the true power of PS3 in the new games they create, and as the device’s real world features like Blu-ray compatibility blend with new virtual and, yes, networked world features like PSN and Home.

Second, Hollywood has only scratched the surface as far as Blu-ray movie and television titles are concerned. As we witnessed with DVD, you can expect thousands and thousands of high-definition titles to becoming to a Best Buy, Wal-mart and Blockbuster near you — not to mention via the mail through Netflix.

Third, consumers by the millions are making the digital transition and purchasing fabulous flat-panel HDTV sets, including Sony’s high-performing BRAVIA LCD line. They’re investing hundreds and, in many cases, thousands of dollars for these sets, which feature full HD, 1080p resolution. And once they have HDTVs like these, you better believe they’ll invest a few hundred dollars more for a dedicated Blu-ray player or PS3 console to get the most out of their precious new home entertainment acquisitions.

And fourth, while the world of networked entertainment is now emerging and Sony will be one of the leaders in its emergence, the reality of getting full high-definition video content quickly and efficiently downloaded to millions of American homes around the country where broadband is still evolving (not to mention many countries around the world) is still a ways off.

With all of this said, I believe the Blu-ray format will not only coexist with the networked era, but will actually enhance it for many years to come. In fact, you’ll see it evolve this way in new products from Sony and, I suspect, others, including some of the early naysayers.

Oh, and for those expressing doubts about BD player sales, while we’d always like more, at Sony Electronics here in the U.S. we are doing quite well in this regard. And I encourage you to check out the latest models featuring BD Live, which are just the start of the format’s embrace of networked connectivity and benefits for consumers.

- from Sony

Blu-ray Disc Association says it’s too early to lower prices

So the Blu-ray disc is the only physical high-definition format left in the market, but that isn’t going to translate into lower prices any time soon, according to Andy Parsons, the Chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Parsons, who is also the senior VP of Advanced Product Development at Pioneer Electronics, told attendees at the DisplaySearch/NPD HDTV conference in Los Angeles that Blu-ray volume needs to increase before content makers and set-top makers can cut prices.

Parsons was speaking as part of a panel on high-definition formats and told the audience that Blu-ray hardware and disc prices are behaving the same as when DVD players were first getting popular. “There’s not enough market [volume] to lower the price,” Parsons said, adding that companies have to build “awareness and demand for the technology,” before prices can decrease.

In terms of market volume, DVD players and discs still rule the market and Blu-ray is being sold at a premium (relatively speaking). The cheapest BD player is currently selling for approximately $230 with many players still selling for $300 to $600 dollars. DVD players in contrast are almost give-aways these days, costing less than $100. Blu-ray movies often sell for $25 and up while DVDs can easily be bought for $20 and under. But Parsons points out that DVD didn’t start out at $49, adding, “people complained about it [pricing] back then too.”

- from Tgdaily

Digital downloads, DVDs and DVRs slowing Blu-ray growth

Blu-ray is strangling itself with high prices and an old fashioned distribution system. That’s the conclusion we came up with while listening to industry analysts and executives at the DisplaySearch/NPD HDTV conference in Los Angeles. Sure, Blu-ray effectively vanquished HD-DVD back in January, but people just aren’t switching to the format quickly enough. The format faces stiff competition from DVDs, DVRs and digital copy and this has forced Blu-ray player. This has slowed Blu-ray adoption and has forced Blu-ray disc and player prices to remain high, according to Andy Parsons, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association.

NPD analysts believe prices are still too high for the average consumer and gave the industry a “D” grade for price. In an article we published earlier today, Parsons conceded that his coalition hasn’t dropped prices fast enough because Blu-ray still hasn’t reached an acceptable market share. However, he said people did the same amount of complaining about prices back when DVDs were first becoming popular.

But we don’t think the situation is the same with DVD because unlike the video cassette to DVD era, we now have digital video recorders and the availability of digital downloads. That combined with the fact that DVDs are entrenched in our living rooms makes Blu-ray a prohibitively expensive option for many consumers.

According to NPD, set top boxes are still dominated by standard definition with 60% of consumers owning an SD box and 29% owning an upconversion player. Only 11% say they have a next-generation HD player.

DVRs are taking “a lot of eyeballs” away from Blu-ray according to NPD analysts. An amazing 53% of HDTV owners have a digital video recorder and NPD expects this to rise to approximately 75% in the future.

The rise of digital downloads and digital copy is also hampering Blu-ray sales. NPD says the average HDTV owner purchased 2.5 digital downloads of television or movie shows in the past three months. These include shows purchased through video-on-demand services from the cable/satellite company along with so-called “digital copy” downloads. Digital copy is a hybrid format where someone buys a physical disc(s) and then is given a key to download the same movie for their computer or iPod. In some cases, the package can contain two discs – one for your set-top box and one for your computer.

- from TGdaily

Iron Man Blu-ray Review

Initial thoughts: The movie of the summer is now THE movie to own on Blu-ray. Iron Man lands on Blu-ray in a few weeks, September 30, but we received an early copy to review.

Iron Man is one of the best Blu-ray DVD releases. Images look truly high-def, crisp, with rich colors. If you want to impress your neighbors and friends with the power of Blu-ray, this is the DVD to own.

Not to mentioned a great script, acting and overall entertaining movie. What a blast! We love Batman, but brooding, darkness gets a little bit tired. That’s the diff — Iron Man is FUN…

It is obvious this Blu-ray was rushed (no commentary?!) — so I expect a fuller release to come out next year.

To those not familiar with the comic or have not yet seen the film, Tony Stark/Iron Man is the owner of the worlds premier weapons manufacturing company Stark Industries. In the movie he is kidnapped by terrorists who hold him until he agrees to build them a specialist weapon, he agrees but instead builds an indestructible suit which he will use to break himself out of his prison. He manages to break out, but comes to realise what he’s been doing has been the main force in a lot of innocent killings, so he designs a better version of the suit which he will use to help those in need.

Downey Jr. has always been known as one of those special actors that will constantly put on amazing performances in little known movies, and very rarely gets a chance at a big time role. Iron Man is one of his biggest roles to date and he gets to star along such greats as Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard. Speaking of Paltrow, I don’t think you could have gotten a more perfect role for Tony Starks P.A. Pepper Potts than the Oscar winner. The villain of the film is one hell of a scary guy, Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger is actually one of the more intimidating comic villains I’ve seen to date. Played by Jeff Bridges, I honestly think the guy deserves a round of applause for his role.

There are plot holes. Vanity Fair reporters show up at important news conferences. Stark seems far more interested in building a power suit than removing the shrapnel from his body. And the entire premise of Iron Man revolves around “repulsor lift” technology, which is an infinite source of energy the size of a hockey puck that defies gravity. But if you didn’t buy into the notion of a man in a flying suit, what are you doing watching the movie, right?

Iron Man keeps the plot tight. Unlike Spider-Man, there are no extraneous supervillains. Unlike X-Men, every character is there for a reason. But the big payoff for Iron Man is the ending. Iron Man flips traditional superhero conventions the bird and dares you to guess what happens next. Then it leaves you begging for more.

Iron Man is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. In a word, this encode looks terrific and looks just as it did when I saw it in the theater. There is really little to quibble with regarding this presentation on Bu-ray. Color reproduction is spectacular with rich, bold and and accurate colors. The red and gold of the Iron Man suit just leaps off the screen. Black level is as deep and solid as I have seen. Clarity is excellent as well, resulting in an image of great depth and three dimensionality. The level of detail is off the charts also as you can see each and every smudge and scratch on Iron Man’s suit.

Version: U.S.A / Region A, B(?), C(?)
Disc one information
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 2:06:01 (h:m:s)
Movie size: 33,44 GB
Disc size: 47,22 GB
Total bit rate: 35.38 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 27.13 Mbps

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 3493 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 3493kbps (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps

Subtitles: English / English SDH / French / French / Portuguese (Brazilian) / Spanish / Spanish

Number of chapters: 15

#Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD, 24 minutes)
#Documentary: The Invincible Iron Man (HD, 49 minutes)
#Hail of Armor (HD)
#Iron Man IQ – BD-Live

Disc Two
********

#Documentary: I Am Iron Man (HD, 111 minutes)
#Featurette: Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man (HD, 27 minutes)
#Rehearsal Footage (HD, 11 minutes)
#Still Gallery (HD, 5 minutes)
#Theatrical Trailers (HD)

It’s been reported that the Blu-ray’s Dolby TrueHD track is activating Dynamic Range Control (DRC) in many AVRs. Users are advised to turn OFF Dynamic Range (Night Mode) option in their AVRs / players to experience lossless audio in it’s full glory. Users who have configured their players to do the decoding internally need not care about this problem.

DVD to pass 90,000 titles

According to the DVD Release Report, the total number of DVDs available by the end of 2008 will pass the 90k mark. From now until the end of the year, a total of 90,440 titles are scheduled to be released. As far as Blu-ray goes, a total of 684 hi-def titles have been released, with another 191 coming in the end of the year. This includes high profile Blu-ray releases, including Iron Man, Indiana Jones, WALL-E, Sleeping Beauty, and the Godfather Trilogy.