Toshiba (Model: HD-A1) HD DVD Player

I only wanted the Toshiba if it could play DVD-R Data disks with HD content. That's something I still don't know if it will do.
 
Yes I agree to wait and see between HD-DVD and Blu Ray.
And I do believe that when the players like Buffalo Tech
get more soild that will be the way to go. Either play a disc
if you want or stream from your computer after you have downloaded. I have played with VONGO but it is low res and
you cannot copy it to see it except on your computer.
I have tried to figure out a way to stream to the link player, no success yet. But the HD disc market will be big because not every Joe Lunch Bucket is obsessed with video like we are. I go to BlockBuster every Fri Night (50 yards from my house) and it is always packed. So while George Lucas my have a WiFi HD house, everyone else will not.

Mike Schrengohst
www.MotionZoneHD.com
 
HVXguy said:
I go to BlockBuster every Fri Night (50 yards from my house) and it is always packed. So while George Lucas my have a WiFi HD house, everyone else will not.
Click to expand...

No one is saying physical media is dead quite yet, but its getting there.

I still go to blockbuster or use netflix. But look at itunes. How many people buy albums off that now? or TV shows? or now they are trying to get into features. And if I want a physical copy I can burn it myself.

This one example of many. With more to come.
 
The Sarlacc said:
No one is saying physical media is dead quite yet, but its getting there.

I still go to blockbuster or use netflix. But look at itunes. How many people buy albums off that now? or TV shows? or now they are trying to get into features. And if I want a physical copy I can burn it myself.

This one example of many. With more to come.
Click to expand...

And remember the new video world will be HD and the iPod will probably be coming soon with a 16:9 screen. Just think of all the editors with SD stock footage that will be needing an affordable HD stock footage solution!! You guys tell me when you have had enough
selling! But this is what I will do for you, shooters are signing up every hour and footage is coming in. We did a major server overhaul to keep up with demand. We now have a 1000 gig bandwidth per month for downloads! We have over 500 gigs of storage set-up and 500 more can be on-line in a days notice - We are serious! So don't be shy, we have plenty of room now!

Mike Schrengohst
www.MotionZoneHD.com
 
HVXguy you raise an interesting point about Blockbuster being full every night. It is a similar situation with the blockbuster in my city, that said when you look at blockbusters financial situation you realize that something has to give. I don't think myself, or George Lucas for that matter is saying that physical media such as Blu ray or HD DVD are already dead. I am simply saying that in the time it takes those technologies to reach the masses at a a marketable price point there will already be another solution hot on its heels (downloadable HD). As much as the system is avoiding this, it is inevitable. Usually I am a fan of new technologies but in this case I just don't see these formats lasting too long. If you read 'HD for indies' you have no doubt heard the musings about the "Apple HD box", a computer developed and inteneded for the download and playback of HD. My guess is that is the direction we will take. Lets be honest , most of the public don't even have HD sets, by the time even half the population goes HD imagine the advancements in HD codecs and downloadable movies.
 
"Lets be honest , most of the public don't even have HD sets, by the time even half the population goes HD imagine the advancements in HD codecs and downloadable movies."

Anything for HD is great, playback, download I don't care. Once you shoot, edit and deliver HD you do not want to go back to SD.

Mike Schrengohst
www.MotionZoneHD.com
 
HVXguy said:
Anything for HD is great, playback, download I don't care. Once you shoot, edit and deliver HD you do not want to go back to SD.

Mike Schrengohst
www.MotionZoneHD.com
Click to expand...


I agree...but that is nature of this business...I am still shooting SD :( I am currently shooting a reality show on the DVX...and will be taking over a low budget feature on a DVX next week...sucks, but shooting is shooting, and in the end the camera is only a tool.
 
thefilmaddict said:
I only wanted the Toshiba if it could play DVD-R Data disks with HD content. That's something I still don't know if it will do.
Click to expand...

It will. I just came back from the NAB Sessions focusing on the next generation DVDs. According to the presenters both Blu-Ray and HD DVD Players will play the HD content recorded on the red laser discs. They confirmed that that applies to the newly released Toshiba. You could be watching your HVX footage off a HD DVD player today :)
 
Wojciech Lorenc said:
It will. I just came back from the NAB Sessions focusing on the next generation DVDs. According to the presenters both Blu-Ray and HD DVD Players will play the HD content recorded on the red laser discs. They confirmed that that applies to the newly released Toshiba. You could be watching your HVX footage off a HD DVD player today :)
Click to expand...

That's really good news. I use Final Cut Pro HD and shoot DVCPRO HD 720 24PN footage with the HVX200. Will the Toshiba be able to play a normal DVD-R data disk (I think that you basically said that it will as current DVD burners use red lasers)? What type of HD file would I burn to the DVD??? Will the Toshiba support the type of files I can export from FCP?

Others have mentioned just buying the LinkTheater High-Definition Wireless Media Player instead of the Toshiba because it is about $200 cheaper, but at least with the Toshiba, I would be able to play HD DVD's, have a HDMI output, and a SD DVD up converter. It sounds like it may be worth the extra cash.
 
Wojciech Lorenc said:
Use DVD Studio Pro to make a HD DVD. Just use one of the presets for HD DVD in compressor and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Have you actually done this?

I may have this wrong... but even with DVD studio pro, you have to play back the HD DVD with an actual Mac.....

I don't think you can shove it into a regular DVD player and watch it. I could be wrong.
 
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Wojciech Lorenc said:
no, I haven't. I don't have that player and I am just repeating what I heard today from the speakers at the NAb.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I don't know if that information applies to regular DVDs. Possibly Blank HD-DVD media?

I really thought you needed to have a burner that could actually write to the red discs?
 
Both HD DVD and Blu-Ray Players will be backwards compatible and will be able to play SD DVDs. In addition to that they have the capability to play the new codecs (H.264 and the others) and therefore are capable of playing HD content from our regular DVD-Rs. Now keep in mind that the quality of your HD content will not be optimal. You are still limited by the smaller bandwith of the red laser technology and you have to use low bitrate.
 
Wojciech Lorenc said:
Both HD DVD and Blu-Ray Players will be backwards compatible and will be able to play SD DVDs. In addition to that they have the capability to play the new codecs (H.264 and the others) and therefore are capable of playing HD content from our regular DVD-Rs. Now keep in mind that the quality of your HD content will not be optimal. You are still limited by the smaller bandwith of the red laser technology and you have to use low bitrate.
Click to expand...

THat sounds a lot better. So having the H.264 content on the DVD will allow the HD-DVD player to play back awesome quicktime files. That's fine by me. As I know that you can get a great looking H.264 file when compressed correctly.

Sweet.

So I guess the Toshiba should be added to the top of this thread as well, if it will play back H.264 files.
 
All new DVD players (Blu-Ray or HD DVD) will play H.264 becuase H.264 is one of the codecs listed in the new generation DVD specification. I don't know if the players will play files simply recorded on the disk. I suspect they won't. You still have to build (multiplex) a DVD with DVD Studio Pro.
 
I just opened Final Cut Pro, then opened up Compressor. Compressor has the following 3 HD DVD settings:

HD DVD: H.264 60 minutes
HD DVD: H.264 30 minutes
HD DVD: MPEG 2-30 minutes

I've never used compressor before, but what you are saying, is that I can pick one of these settings, export the file, then make a DVD using DVD Studio Pro, burn it to a standard DVD-R and it will play back on the Toshiba player?

I don't have DVD Studio Pro, can I burn the DVD some other way (I don't need to make a fancy DVD)?

How much HD footage will fit on a standard DVD-R?

What I'm hoping to do is make a DVD then take it to a store and see if it will play on the Toshib (an undercover test).
 
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