Oliver Carter

HD-DVD might be dead but players are still available to purchase both second-hand and new and HD-DVD discs are selling for next to nothing online. My first HD-DVD player was the Xbox 360 add-on which I connected to my HDMI laptop. Playback would sometimes be jerky and the Cyberlink PowerDVD was simply atrocious; some titles would not play and it was generally full of bugs. With a growing HD-DVD collection I took the plunge and ordered a stand-alone HD-DVD from the US courtesy of MovieTyme. The HD-A20 was the cheaper alternative for full 1080p playback; a mid-range model of sorts. Apart from the slow load-up times, after all these are basically computers, I was very happy with the player. It was not until HD-DVD was officially declared dead that I decided to purchase another player, the EP30, at a budget price just in case the A20 was breakdown at any point. I set the A20 up at my parents so that I could make use of the player and made the EP30 my primary HD-DVD player.

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.

Though it pains me to admit it I think I will be purchasing a MacBook Pro when the new versions are released in late October. Being able to have a fast machine that can dual boot Windows and Leopard will be handy and Final Cut Pro should make fan dubbing a less arduous process. That is not to say that I will be getting rid of my AR11S, it will just have to stay in one location for the time being.

So, in summary, despite the dying laptop I am still blogging and building fan DVDs. Hopefully this will be the start of a flood of new posts. I completed several fan DVDs over the summer and intend to post details shortly.

The PS3 has received numerous favourable reviews as a Blu-Ray player with many purchasing it to use primarily for this purpose. Even though I would not consider myself to be a 'gamer' as such, the added bonus of playing games is yet another welcome attraction. So, I decided to take a bit of a risk and purchase a US PS3 as US Blu-Ray discs and PS3 games are much cheaper than UK ones and I can use the Samsung BDP-1000 to playback any UK discs I own. I ordered the player from the ever reliable MovieTyme as they offered a bundle that contained a free Blu-Ray copy of Spider-Man 3 (2007) , eight other Blu-Ray discs of your choice and the Blu-Ray remote control that unfortunately is not included as standard. I ordered it on a Monday and it arrived on the Thursday. Thankfully, the PS3 is multi-voltage and, unlike most US electronic hardware, does not require a step-down transformer. All you would need is a 5amp 3-pin 'kettle' lead and you are good to go.

To put it simply and with as little hyperbole as possible, for its price, this is the best Blu-Ray player currently available. Disc loading times are not an issue and the firmware can be upgraded to allow new features. Another bonus is that PS3 Blu-Ray player is future proof, for now, unlike some of the earlier Blu-Ray machines like the Samsung BDP-1000 which will not be able to access all of the disc content on recent releases. The UK disc of Pan's Labyrinth (2006) looked superb but one of the best Blu-Ray releases I have seen so far is No Country for Old Men (2007). The level of detail on this disc is astounding. But what is even more impressive about the PS3 is its other features. It has built in wi-fi, upscales DVDs (sadly only region one discs) and will playback the majority of media files. This is just the tip of the iceberg though. Unlike other consoles, the PS3 allows the user to have greater control of the console. You can upgrade the internal harddrive with relative ease (instructions are included in the PS3 manual!) and even install a separate operating system. Linux has been successfully run on the PS3 system, albeit with some limitations, by some users which is very exciting as Xbox Media Center is currently being rebuilt to run on Linux operating systems. This means that my trusty old Xbox could soon be replaced as my main media center. The capabilities are there and it is just a matter of time before XBMC is ready.

So with a PS3 you are not just purchasing a high-quality, upgradeable Blu-Ray player and a games console but also a powerful media center. I have successfully played back a number of MPEG-4 files from my USB flash drive and now I am considering purchasing a cheap external 500gb harddrive. I find it hard to believe that upon its launch the PS3 did not sell as many units as expected. Now, with HD-DVD well and truly dead, demand for the PS3 is increasing as people are now starting to see the potential of this machine being a powerful media center.

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."

Source: Reuters

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.

Thanks to Marc for bring this to my attention.

Since I purchased my new television and HD-DVD player I have been using the indispensable Xbox Media Center to playback my DVDs. Playback has been impressive but inconsistent with some discs not working and DVD-R discs refusing to work. I also sold my old trusty Pioneer DV-575 DVD player last month because of it lacking a HDMI connection and the ability to upscale to HD. Having to share the television's single component socket with the DVD player, the Wii and the Xbox Media Center was also a constant inconvenience. So I have been on the lookout for a cheap HDMI multi-region DVD player. The best choice currently is the feature filled Oppo DV-981HD which can be had for a very reasonable price. But, while surfing the net, I read a review of the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-Ray player and also read that the upcoming Starz Blu-Ray releases of Halloween (1979) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) would be region free.

The BD-P1000 was the first Blu-Ray player to be released in the UK. It was very expensive and became outdated very quickly. The Playstation 3 became the player of choice for the majority and the eventual release newer models of Blu-Ray players led to the BD-P1000 being reduced in price. Samsung then released software upgrades for the BD-P1000 enabling newer features and fixing some of the previous flaws. It also allowed playback of some of the newer BD-DVD releases. With this upgrade installed and the lower price the BD-P1000 is excellent value. Unlike other current HD players on the market there is a multi-region hack for SD-DVD available that makes it even more attractive.

As of this evening I am now the proud owner of this player and, so far, I have been very impressed with it's performance. Not only does the player look gorgeous it performs very well offering smooth playback of BD-DVD and upscales SD-DVD discs nicely. The firmware upgrade is simple as is the multi-region hack. Even the packaging is impressive and it comes with a HDMI cable and two free Blu-Ray discs: S.W.A.T (2003) and Legends of Jazz (2006). Whilst I am not overly excited about these, the former is dreadul, it is still a welcome addition and with the current high resale value of HD discs you will be able to sell them easily. For the money this really is a steal and, as long it is updated to support playback of newer Blu-Ray releases, it is a good investment. Even if Blu-Ray fails and becomes a forgotten technology you will still have a quality player for all of your DVDs.

The BD-P1000 is available from Direct TVs for only £249.97; unfortunately I paid £20 more as they suddenly decided to reduce it the day after I purchased it. I am hoping that they will honour a refund but I have my doubts. They have less than 20 in stock so get in their quickly if you want to get one. After all, what other reason do you need when Halloween is now available in HD on Blu-Ray?

Coincidentally, this is my 100th post. Hoo-ray for me, I never thought I would maintain this blog.