AT&T Tech Support 360HD DVD ceases to exist
Last one out, turn off the lights.
That was essentially the tone of the note that the HD DVD Promotional Group sent to its members Friday. The obituary for the format was short and to the point:
(Credit: Crave UK)
HD DVD Managing MembersMarch 28, 2008
The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved as of March 28, 2008, and the website was closed accordingly.
Please access to DVD Forum for HD DVD formats, and DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for format books and its license. Regarding the HD DVD products, please contact each selling agency directly.
It was also a bit late. The battle between HD DVD and its nemesis format, Blu-ray, ended as soon as HD DVD's biggest backer, Toshiba, announced it would stop making HD DVD players. That was almost six weeks ago.
So, again, we bid adieu to a failed format. If you're finding it hard to let go, hit up your local Best Buy for some HD DVD titles. We hear they're desperate to get rid of them.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who writes about consumer electronics and PCs, mostly as chief correspondent for Crave. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.
except Kmart but they were out of stock. So I was in Wal-Mart
browsing and noticed they had their lone HD DVD player on sale for
only $75. I nearly bought it too but it was pretty big and the box
had two baseball-sized punctures in it. Sad to see ya go HD DVD,
but don't fret Toshiba, unless Sony can literally kill DVD overnight
they don't look to gain very much from the "victory."
savvy. I'm sure Sony should consult with your before making its
next move.
And sooner or later, so will Blu-Ray...
Because Apple TV is taking over the world folks...
Because downloads win in the end....
Streaming Media is ok, but the DRM kills it if you want to watch it on more than the "allowed number" of devices.
Learn to write headlines please..
CBS is experimenting with HD broadcasts over the internet, short-length HD content is all over the internet from Hulu to Apple's Quicktime gallery and Daily Motion.
Bluray might be around for awhile....but I think the people that want a hard copy might consider buying and storing their data onto flash memory cards instead. Flash memory prices are dropping much faster than bluray disks.
Come to think of it, why don't they offer movies and music on a flash card? The read/write rate of flash cards is high enough to steam HD content.
Downloads are only just coming of age in developed countries such as the US where PC ownership is high and internet access is fast. However in countries such as China PC ownership is low and internet access is limited in speed and supply. It will be a couple of decades before Africa, Asia and India have even close to enough of the tech needed to make downloading a threat to hard media. At present the only reason why downloading has any real hold in places like these is piracy, and even then the downloads are often put to hard format such as VCD to be viewed in the home.
People also often feel more secure owning a hard format. It has a psychological edge to it. I wouldn't feel nearly the same paying out $100 for a session of lost on download as I would if I were buying a box set.
There's something deeply satisfying about owning a complete season with an artbox and a free poster or other collectible inside. Download just can't replicate that feeling.