I was aware that some clever people had manage to make the first generation models of HD-DVD players, American and European, region free by modifying the official Toshiba firmware. Several weeks later it was revealed that the A20 and EP10, its European equivalent, could also be made region free. Unfortunately, the third generation models such as the EP30 are not included. So, in need of a multi-region HDMI DVD player I decided to turn my A20 from an NTSC region one SD-DVD player into an EP10 multi-region PAL/NTSC SD-DVD player. As I mentioned before, HD-DVD players are effectively Linux computers, and in terms of build the A20 and the EP10 are the same machine.

After finding the region-free firmware through some helpful, friendly people on the AVForums I followed the instructions provided. First you need to downgrade the firmware on the A20 to an earlier version using a disc. Once this is done then you can load the modified multi-region software. It is as simple as that. You now have an American HD-DVD player that can play SD-DVDs of all regions. It is also a pretty good upscaler too, not anywhere near as good as Oppo's dedicated upscaling SD-DVD players but still sound. Another bonus is that you can update the firmware and it will remain multi-region; Toshiba continue to release firmware upgrades even though the players are no longer manufactured. The only downside, and it is a minor one, is that RCE protected region one SD-DVDs require a remote control code to work. Otherwise, if you have a second or first generation HD-DVD player and would like to make it multi-region, head over to the AVForums and do some searching. You never know what you might find.

So it is official, Toshiba are no longer making HD-DVD players and the three main HD-DVD affiliated studios have jumped ship. Despite electronic manufacturer LG announcing that they have no plans to stop building HD-DVDs the format is all but dead, only being in existence in the US since April 2006. Expect US HD-DVD releases to cease this summer and prices of discs, and players, to fall drastically. The third generation HD-EP30 can be found online for around £69.99 and if some rumours are to be believed, can be found in stores for £39.99. Australia is the place for those still wanting to bolster their collections. EzyDVD and DVD Crave are listing a number od discs for between £2.50 and £4.30, excluding shipping of course. Second hand HD-DVD disc prices are dropping slowly but some good bargains can be found at Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Wherehouse.com (my new favourite cheap retailer for quality second hand discs!). Perhaps HD-DVD can stay alive for longer in Europe? There are a number of attractive releases still on the horizon in Germany.

So why did HD-DVD fail? I don't think that it ever had a chance. With all the fuss about downloads and digital rights management, Blu-Ray clearly offered the studios a potentially more economically safe medium. My first HD format player was a Blu-Ray player. I believed that it was the superior format because of its high bitrate and studio support. But I was seduced by HD-DVD. Releases such as Casablanca and The Thing persuaded me to purchase a HD-DVD player. After a year of owning the format I have over 50 titles and the collection is still growing. My Blu-Ray collection pales in comparison with only 17. Why the difference? I always felt that there were more classics available on HD-DVD with only meagre blockbuster titles on Blu-Ray , catering towards the gaming audience who owned a PS3. At least the death of HD-DVD will now change this.

So to finish this post I thought that I would identify my favourite HD-DVD discs and also the worst. Let's start with the favourites:

Zodiac

This two-disc director's cut is about as good as HD-DVD gets. The transfer of the film is faultless and the extras, which are also presented in HD, are first rate. Even the packaging is top notch.

The Thing

The release that persuaded me to purchase a HD-DVD player. A solid transfer of a classic horror film with all the extras from the DVD release. This is now available for around £4 at EzyDVD.

Casblanca

Can older black and white films look good in HD? This answers the question, looking like it was made recently. You will be amazed at the level of detail present in this transfer. Still not available on Blu-Ray.

The Warriors

Okay, this might be the new director's cut that incorporates the comic book-esque transitions but it is still great to see this classic cult film given such great attention. This features another high quality transfer from Paramount.

Blade Runner

The five disc US HD-DVD release surely must be the final word on Ridely Scott's oft revisited film. Has anyone managed to watch everything contained on each of the five discs yet?

Other notable mentions are Training Day (which has a far superior transfer to the Blu-Ray discs), First Blood, Bug and King Kong.

We've had the good so how about the bad?

Basic Instinct

A guilty pleasure (and not because I wanted to see Sharon Stone's crotch is HD) but this contains one of the worst HD-DVD transfers I have seen. Pixellation is noticeable especially during scenecs containing a lot of red. The US Blu-Ray release has to be much better than this poor Studio-Canal disc.

Pan's Labyrinth

I have been patiently waiting to see the film on HD-DVD but the picture quality of the US HD-DVD release is very poor. Being New Line's only HD-DVD release it was believed that this would become a future collector's item. I am not sure if that is enough to persuade me to keep this one.

The Fugitive

The level of edge enhancement on this transfer is awful making it possibly the worst quality HD-DVD I have seen. Stick to your SD-DVD!

"TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research), a company source said on Saturday."

So there we have it, an official end to the format war has come much sooner than most had anticipated. But with the aggressive remediation of technology it does not come as a surprise to see a fomat last for only a year and a half. It is just a pity that such a consumer friendly format did not last longer. So Blu-Ray it is with all of its region coding, DRM, outdated codecs and high price tags. I have no intention to sell off my HD-DVD collection and will be on the look out for some bargains over the next few months.

Source: Reuters

Not that I think it will do much good but some thoughtful soul has decided to start an online petition to save HD-DVD. There are so many online petitions around these days that I tend to wonder just how effective they can be. Take, for example, the petition to release to release the cult cartoon Duckman on DVD. CBS cited that one of the reasons for them deciding to release this on DVD was because of the 7,000 strong online petition. So in some cases they can prove fruitful. The HD-DVD petition is fast approaching 10,000 electronic signatures, including mine of course. With the news that the HD-EP30 HD-DVD player has now dropped to £119.99 at Amazon and Play a HD-DVD resurgence would be a much cheaper solution for the consumer who wants to go HD but is put off by the high prices.

On the other side of the argument is the 'Let HD-DVD Die' petition urging Hollywood studios to drop HD-DVD and go Blu-Ray. This petition currently has just over 3000 electronic signitures.

In a surprise move Warner Brothers have announced that they are no long supporting both formats and will be releasing titles from their extensive catalogue on the Blu-Ray format. Last year there were rumours that Warner would become HD-DVD exclusive following in the footsteps of Paramount. Surely this will mean the end of HD-DVD and the HD format war. I have made it well known on this blog that HD-DVD is my format of choice, now owning over fifty discs. Warner have stated that the decision was purely down to the "strong consumer preference" for the Blu-Ray format. Why would people want region coding and extensive DRM when another format offers neither? I must really be out of touch with society.

Thanks to Marc for bring this to my attention.

How cool is this cover? The artwork for the January 8th 2008 US HD-DVD has finally released and it is certainly unique. The cover takes the form of an envelope actually written by the Zodiac. It is quite interesting how there is a change in sensibilities, imagine telling someone in the mid-1970s in the US that an envelope from a serial killer would be on the cover of a video release. It will feature an extended director's cut of the film as well as numerous extra features.

Now here is an exciting and unexpected announcement. On Decemeber 5th, Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More (196)5 will be released in Italy on HD-DVD. Italian online vendors suggest that it will only have an Italian audio track and no English options which is very disappointing but this could possibly change. I find it hard to believe that this release will not have an English audio track.

Out in Holland next week is Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. I have not heard anything about the quality of the transfer but the special features look very appealing. I am eager to find out how this release compares to the US Blu-Ray release that surfaced earlier in the year. You can order it from Tony at Xpolited Cinema for around £16 delivered. I doubt that you will find this any cheaper online.

Expect to see 1408 (2007) on HD-DVD in Germany, February 25th 2008 and the first Saw (2004) on February 8th. The latter being another title that was released on Blu-Ray in the US using the out-dated MPEG-2 video codec. Expect this one to be an improvement.

I thought that it was time for a quick update on the HD war of formats and to provide a brief summary on some of the recent developments.

Wal-Mart in the US were offering the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD for a ridiculous $99 on Friday. Then the competing chain Best Buy also announced that they would sell the same model for this price. Since Wal-Mart and Best Buy are two of the most popular, and possibly evil, ahem, chains it will be interesting to see how what impact this might have on HD-DVD sales figures over the holiday period.

Warner have stated they will not be changing their dual-format support stance in the new year despite initial online reports suggesting that they might possibly follow in the footsteps of Paramount.

Transformers (2007) is the fast selling HD-DVD titles selling over 100,000 units in the first day. It is a pity that I have no inclination to see this over-the-top Hollywood mess as I am sure that it is a quality release.

Third-generation HD-DVD players have been released in the UK and Europe and they are quite reasonable too. The HD-EP35 can be purchased for around £269.99 and comes with seven free HD-DVDs. Alternatively, you can purchase Samsung's BDP-1400 from Richer Sounds for only £299.99. The prices are starting to fall.

Despite some minor title announcements there has been very little else going on in the world of HD. The most exciting title announcement for me is William Friedkin's Bug (2006) which will be released on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray on December 6th in Germany. I was hoping that there would be a flurry of title announcements from both sides in time for the holiday season but it looks as if the usual Hollywood gunk will be littering the shelves.

Finally, and saving the best to last, BD+, the latest in the line of Blu-Ray copy protection has already been cracked. So after all the build-up for the ultimate in Blu-Ray copy protection it is so nice to know that the fuss was for nothing. Keep up the good work hackers.

There is a reason for my lack of posts on the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray format war and that is because there is very little news to report at this current time. After all of the news in the past few months things have slowed down with the only real announcements being the new generation of HD-DVD players coming from Toshiba and the budget HD-DVD player from Venturer. Add to this some minor title announcements from both parties and that is pretty much that.

I suppose the lack of major news is because of the fast approaching holiday season. Both formats are getting ready to face off. A poor showing by either format could determine their longevity but remember that these are still early days. I am also wondering whether there will be any major title announcements in time for Christmas. Blu-Ray appears to have a stronger selection of titles set for release, will HD-DVD respond?