In many cases, replicators are already in the process of installing equipment capable of producing HD-DVD. There are also a few replicators installing BD hardware for Blu-ray duplication.

currently most optical media manufacturers are investing on DVD lines that will be ready for manufacturing both HD DVD and DVD media. This is true of most small replicators, who must wait since they do not know which format will eventually dominate, before investing on the corresponding equipment. For the moment, HD DVD/DVD equipment is a safe way for them to proceed.

Keeping in mind that the specifications of the HD DVD-Video 1.0 have been recently finalized, M2, Unaxis and Singulus have already sold HD DVD replication machines, which offer cost-effective manufacturing of DVD9 and double layer/single layer HD DVD.

Moreover, Japanese Memory-Tech, the biggest supporter of HD DVD, has also installed 7 lines Of DVD/HD DVD replication and believes that their cost is comparable to those of DVD.

On the other hand, big replicators have the chance to invest in both formats simultaneously. Currently, they are negotiating installing new equipment for Blu-Ray, although it seems that they will also play with a single manufacturing line for each format.

Sony claims that major replicators such as Technicolor and Cinram have already installed Sony’s Mastering System for BD. With the BD-ROM 1.0, BD-R 1.0 and BD-RW 2.0 expected to be finalized in October, the company believes that the upcoming BD Movies and music videos will accelerate Blu-Ray disk demand.

With all the talk about when HD-DVD and BD will hit the market, who will win, which studios are backpedaling, etc, I found it interesting that the replication industry is already putting in the work necessary to get these formats flying. All the work is going in, but no BD’s or HD-DVD’s are making their way to stores. If you need just one more example about how Hollywood pulls the strings, this fits the bill nicely.

CDRinfo - HD DVD and Blu-Ray Progress Update

An LCD panel’s cost is up to 70% of its selling price, so any way that manufacturers can get the bill of materials to be cheaper is a good thing. Nanomaterials have the potential to really help. “According to the Eastman Kodak executive, nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles, nanocomposites and nanostructures, can improve many aspects of current LCD technology, including LCD cells, color filters, antireflection coatings, optical films, backlights and manufacturing processes.”

Nanomaterials to benefit flat panel industry, but Kodak exec advises caution

Robots, by the creators of Ice Age (a great movie), has some HD material on the upcoming DVD release. Zap2it doesn’t give many details, saying only “DVD-ROM clips watchable in high-definition with Windows Media Player”. But I think it’s great nonetheless. The more HD content there is, the more HDTV’s will be bought, the faster the HDTV transition. It’s been a long time coming.

Zap2it - DVD

Now this is the kind of news us HD nuts live for. HDTV everywhere, in everything!

Sharp has announced that all of its large LCD offerings from now on will be full HDTV. No more 1024 x 768 or somesuch.

Curiously, the article gets the definition of HD wrong. It says that an HD display has to be 1920 x 1080, citing displays with 1366 x 768 therefore as being non-HD. But this isn’t true. 1280 x 720 is also HD, so because 1366 x 768 is finer than that in both screen dimensions, it is HDTV.

So it seems that Sharp thinks 1920 x 1080 is “full” HD resolution.

Interestingly, Sharp’s new LCD displays also make use of a hybrid backlight:

With the full HDTV introductions, Sharp now offers five sizes ranging from 37 inches to 65 inches. Some models are already on the overseas market, and Sharp intends to add a new 57-inch model by February in the U.S.

The new 57-inch model features a hybrid backlight with red LEDs and a cold cathode fluorescent lamp. The use of LEDs for backlight illumination is emerging as the next-generation backlight, but a full LED backlight is still unavailable in terms of cost and power consumption, said Nichiharu Nishihara, division deputy general manager for Sharp’s LCD digital systems division.

“Full LED backlight is technically possible even now, but I personally think that it will come into products widely in two to three years,” said Nishihara.

With the use of red LEDs, backlight costs for 57-inch TVs increased by about 30 percent while power consumption increased by about 50 W, according to Nishihara.

This 57″ LCD display will be taking aim at similarly sized plasma displays, filling out their product range some more. This new LCD HDTV gives Sharp a flat-panel offering between 50″ and 60″.

EETimes.com - Sharp tunes in full HD for flat TVs
ABC News - Sharp Takes on Plasma With 57-Inch LCD TV

When I put in a DVD with no widescreen option, I have to switch the DVD to think the TV is a 4:3 TV because I like my TV’s stretch modes better that way. My HDTV has a mode whereby the middle isn’t stretched as much as the sides, and I like to use this for my 4:3 material. I used to use the grey bars on the sides, but I started to notice some screen burn in (DOH!) so I stopped doing that. All that just to say that I can’t wait for the day when everything is widescreen.

But until that day comes, we’re going to have to live with widescreen, letterboxed, and pan & scanned material. Actually, we’ll probably always have to as long as movies keep coming out in aspect ratios like 2.35:1, but at least then the problem won’t be so bad.

Audioholics has a great article explaining widescreen, letterboxed, and pan & scan. So if you need a little brush-up course, take a look-see.

Audioholics - Understanding Widescreen, Letterboxed, and Pan & Scan

Silicon Optix’ HQV is being used more and more by consumers electronics manufacturers like Denon, Yamaha, and Runco. So I decided to take a look at what it is and what it does.

HQV is an acronym for “Hollywood Quality Video”. Yeah, I know. They’re probably better off if it didn’t stand for anything at all. But still it points to what the HQV chipset is all about. Making great quality video.

From their website it’s hard to pin down exactly what the HQV does, but it’s main functions seems to be video deinterlacing and scaling. It seems to do a particulary good job at scaling SD video up to HD resolutions. It also deinterlaces 1080i to 1080p without throwing away any information, for the best possible picture quality.

To create good-looking video, HQV uses noise reduction, detail enhancement, proper 3:2 pulldown, and true 10-bit processing.

HQV chips are used in Denon DVD players to deinterlace and scale video up to HD resolutions. HQV is also used in Yamaha’s new DPX-1300 (MSRP $12,495.95) DLP projector. It could probably also be used in preprocessors, receivers, and standalone video scalers.

I’ve heard lots of good things about HQV, and if you’re looking for a new component for your home theater, you might want to check out HQV. If, on the other hand, you already have a DVD player or some other component that includes HQV, I’d like to hear from you. What do you think?

Silicon Optix - HQV Features

BD-J. What’s that you say? Blu-ray Disc Java, I guess. Part of the Blu-ray standard is a Java runtime environment so that your BD player can do all sorts of nifty interactive things. Including hooking up to the internet to get the latest movie trailers and movie-related content. (Or other content, for that matter.)

Now, when I bought my first DVD player eons ago (a Toshiba), I thought all those interactive menus and such to be cool. I always checked out the special features to see what was available. But you know, as time goes on, I’m looking at these features less and less. I can’t remember the last time I watched a making-of featurette which is really just-a-big-commercial. So I don’t think I really care about BD-J.

So I don’t think I need to connect my BD player to the internet, avoiding much of the paranoia Dan Ramer seems to have about BD and HD-DVD players affecting your player’s firmware.

Of course, the idea of your legally-purchased software and/or hardware being revoked is a scary one. If that were to happen to me, I’d be royally ticked off. If you’re concerned about this too, take a look at Dan Ramer’s article, and write some letters (he provides addresses).

But it occured to me that there’s one player that would probably never get revoked, just because its manufacturer would face so much backlash if it was. It’s called the PS3. There’s no way Sony would ever allow its cash-cow to make it to the revoked list. Nuh-uh. Just one more reason to buy a PS3!

DVDFILE.com - This Week’s HD Disc Update

I previously mentioned that Sony will be bringing a more affordable SXRD front-projector to market in Japan later this year. Well, it looks like it’s coming to us North Americans soon as well, because Sony of Canada recently announced it in Toronto.

Of course, the VPL-VW100 (MSRP $11,999.99) incorporates three SXRD 1920 x 1080 chips for a full HD image, and includes a 1080p HDMI input! (Take note, PS3 fans.)

the VPL-VW100 features a 400 Watt Pure Xenon lamp that Sony says approximates sunlight and can reproduce colours closest to the natural spectrum, including the red bandwidth. The new Advanced Iris works with three 0.61 SXRD chips to deliver an over-all contrast ratio of up to 15,000:1 when “auto” Iris mode is on. Additionally, thanks to an advanced cooling structure, the projector features an extremely low fan noise of 22 decibels (dB), which Sony claims to be one of the lowest in the industry.

The VPL-VW100 also features a 1.8x powered lens zoom and powered focus as well as lens shift to adjust the vertical and/or horizontal manual location of the image for flexible installation locations

If you’re willing to spend upward of $10,000 on a projector, then this one should be on your short list.

marketnews.ca - Sony Updates ES A/V Receiver Line; Unveils SXRD-based Projo

HDTVExpert has some photos from the recent CEDIA expo, including photos of Sony’s VPL-W100 1080p SXRD projector and SIM2’s C3X three-chip DLP projector. There are also pictures of LG’s and JVC’s LCOS sets and other miscellaneous HDTVs.

Also, single-chip DLP’s are coming down in price:

Single-chip DLP models are also dropping rapidly in price, primarily because of the success of Panasonic and Sanyo’s 3-panel 720p LCD projectors. Panasonic upped the ante with their PT-AE900U ($3,199), which purports to have improved contrast and grayscale rendering, a less sloppy mechanical lens shift, and even better color correction.

Please read the rest of the article, it has lots of good info from the show that I haven’t seen elsewhere, and I love the last paragraph:

One last thought: If you are a consumer who just spent several thousand dollars on a new 1080p DLP TV using the 960×1080 DMDs, wouldn’t you be a little upset if you discovered the Sony, JVC, Epson, and other non-DLP 1080p RPTVs have full 1920×1080 resolution at or near the price you paid?

HDTVexpert - CEDIA EXPO 2005

A recent article at Infoworld emphasized that light emitting diodes (LED) are important light sources for backlighting in direct view LCD applications, with one of the major manufacturers in Taiwan investing heavily in LED backlights. Their description of why they are so good leaves a little to be desired.

Backlighting helps create contrast on LCD screens by illuminating the background so that the foreground appears sharper.

Well, not really. In fact, LED lighting does not impact the contrast of the display at all. The contrast is determined by other components in the display (primarily polarizers) and the liquid crystal (LC) itself. LED lighting helps create more pleasing LCD displays primarily because of the enhanced color performance. The colors tend to be more saturated (deeper reds, greens, and blues) than can be achieved with typical backlights. Traditional backlights, which are called CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lights) perform very much like traditional fluorescent lights that we are familiar with, and create color through the use of color filters in the display that can’t create very pure colors (cost effectively). Also, because LEDs can be pulsed at video frame rates, there are possibilities for enhanced video performance and reduced motion artifacts (though these benefits are not common in units for sale currently). The LumiLeds website has more information for those interested in the application of LEDs to direct-view LCD displays.

The InFocus ScreenPlay 5000 is a 3LCD front projector with a resolution of 1280 x 720. There are several LCD projectors out there like this, but I don’t know if they’re this inexpensive. At only $1,499 (after rebate), it’s a very affordable way to get into home theater.

This particular projector has very high light output. The reviewer says that it’s a “torch”. It contains both component video inputs and an “M1″ connector, for which an HDMI/DVI adapter must be bought if you want to use your DVI or HDMI output.

Video processing isn’t all that great, but remember, it’s bright! Get your own de-interlacer with this baby. The reviewer’s conclusion:

With all that said, the ScreenPlay 5000 is the perfect projector for someone looking for a hybrid use device that can handle Sunday afternoon football as well as night-time theatrical presentations in the home. I have run into a LOT of those kinds of people. In the past the stereotype has been that great sacrifices must be made in a projector in order to attain a brighter picture. While this is partially true, when done correctly, a device like this projector can make those sacrifices both minimal and acceptable. In this case, the gains far outweigh the losses.

Audioholics - InFocus ScreenPlay 5000 Projector Review

PC World’s Melissa J. Perenson questions the need to rush to a blue-laser disc format for HD when the format war hasn’t been won by either side yet. HD-DVD vs Blu-ray and all that. But Ms. Melissa doesn’t even have an HDTV, so the decision for her is just a bit easier than for the rest of us, isn’t it?

PC World - Why the Rush to Blue?

Yesterday Toshiba announced that the 30GB dual-layer HD-DVD-R disc is official. This is, of course, twice the previous single-layer disc’s 15GB. And it’s just over half of Blu-ray’s dual-layer 50GB disc. The dual-layer 30GB standard will be part of the 2.0 spec. Toshiba hopes to bring a dual-layer recorder to market in spring 2006.

CDRinfo - Toshiba Develops Dual-Layer HD DVD-R Discs

At the CEDIA Expo SIM2 announced their DOMINO 55M RPTV DLP-based HDTV. It uses TI’s HD2+ DLP chip, a six-segment colour wheel, and an HDMI input. It has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and uses Faroudja’s DCDi chip for video processing duties. The MSRP is $6,995.

eCoustics.com - SIM2 Introduces The DOMINO 55M RPTV

As you may or may not know, Sony’s looming reorganization was finally announced. 10,000 jobs will be cut over the next couple years, departments will be rearranged, and product lines will be cut.

According to engadget, one such product line is the Sony Qualia lineup. The Qualia brand brought us two of the absolute best projectors money could buy (one SXRD front projector, one rear projector).

Before the Sony reorg, I didn’t really think much of it. I thought that Mr. String & co would finagle the numbers a bit, rearrange stuff, kill product lines nobody cares about, and otherwise do other harmless things.

But for Sony to kill the Qualia line is a sad thing for HDTV lovers. The Qualia 006 and Qualia 004 projectors were statements pieces that firmly marked Sony as a leader in the television field, other problems notwithstanding. They were pricey television, sure, but they were great televisions. The industry needs these statement pieces to spur other companies on and to give a certain cachet to the HDTV industry.

Alack and alas, the Qualia line is behind us now. Who will pick up the banner now?

engadget - Sony Qualia, RIP: 2004 - 2005

LED backlighting of LCD displays is all the rage now, though I haven’t a good technical explanation yet. I guessed they have arrays of LED’s behind the LCD screen to light up the screen unevenly (on purpose) to make brights brighters and darks darker.

Infoworld’s explanation, however, is a bit different. Though I really think their explanation needs explaining:

AU Optronics Corp., the world’s third largest maker of LCD (liquid crystal display) screens, is aiming most of its research dollars at LED (light emitting diode) technology for its sharper contrasts and brighter colors, an executive at the company said Tuesday.

The Taiwanese company is already providing 23-inch LCD screens with LED backlights to a major Japanese customer for the LCD-TV market. Backlighting helps create contrast on LCD screens by illuminating the background so that the foreground appears sharper.

“We have worked very diligently with LED makers on these television displays,” said Po-Yen Lu, an executive vice president at AU, during a meeting with news media.

Infoworld - Top LCD maker bets research on LED backlights

Aha! A quick search on the internet, and I see that this isn’t new at all, they’re just making LED backlighting bigger and better.

In what sounds to me like a bunch of sour grapes, Warren Lieberfarb on Monday came out swinging against Blu-ray and its backers.

Throughout his speech, Lieberfarb accused the Blu-ray Assn. of ignoring or subverting broad industry interests by pushing a closed, proprietary technology.

“In 2002, the studios produced a wish-list of features and characteristics that the new format should have that was agreed to by all studios without exception,” he said. “Near the top of the list was a single format, administered with a single cross-industry body. Today we have two formats and two separate administrative bodies.”

Lieberfarb, who was instrumental in developing the current DVD standard, also did his best to raise doubts about the suitability of Blu-ray technology for a home entertainment format.

Coincidentally enough, Mr. Lieberfarb was speaking at a session sponsored by the DVD Forum.

VBO - Lieberfarb lobs charges at Blu-ray (free subscription)

Supposedly there’s going to be an oversupply of flat panels in the fourth quarter of this year, making your holiday shopping a little bit easier on the wallet. “iSuppli said already in the third quarter, production would outrun demand by 5 percent. “This glut is expected to cause pricing for LCD TVs and desktop PC monitor panels to decline in the coming months,” it said.”

News.com - Flat-panel glut good for holiday shoppers

And Samsung is doing some interesting things with LCDs and PDPs (plasma display panels).

Samsung introduced a new type of LCD panel that can display a much better range of colours than LCD was previously capable of. “LCD panels using this high ‘color reviving’ CCFL have 92% of the color gamut specified by the NTSC(National Television System Committee) standard, while the previous LCD panels have only 72% of the color gamut for NTSC, and the PDP has 85%.”

Samsung is also working on PDP’s with a “micro lens film” that greatly reduces reflected light. This can only be a good thing. Of course, unless, it decreases the picture quality. But no mention was made of that, so don’t panic!

Displaybank - Today’s Briefing