Movie execs worried about Blu-Ray

[dbot]

crumas2 said:

goddog said:

crumas2 said:

Bitmap Frogs said:
Regarding this thread, there's a lot more to picture quality than resolution. Just FYI.

 

Yeah... bit-rate discussions could drag this on for at least another 100 posts.

 

true, though none of these resolutions or bit-rates hold a candle to the original film quality, they can be graduated to each new level of digital output, where 1080p recored movies will always be 1080p

 

You just hit on a VERY interesting point.  Unlike traditional distribution optical media, magnetic/solid-state media isn't a "fixed" asset, i.e. - the content can be moved from storage device to storage device.  This means I can move today's HD video files to new storage assets in the future, store them together with better/higher-quality video files, and the only "media" loss is retirement of the older drive.

Contrast this with upgrading a large DVD collection to Blu-ray... dozens or hundreds of old discs have to be "retired" instead of simply replacing older-format video files with newer, higher-quality video files.

Yeah, I like my optical movie storage, but a massive multi-terabyte movie jukebox would be very compelling.  Making the tech drop-dead simple like inserting an optical disc will be important if that tech is every to compete with Blu-ray head-on.

 

I can think of very few legal digital download services that allow you to transfer the movie from device to device.  The DRM restrictions usually require the downloaded content to be played on the device it was purchased (except for the Playstation Store with the PSP).  Tranferability is not the only issue because these downloaded movies aren't really yours so there is really no reason to organize them.  The movies typically expire after a short legal viewing window.

Actually, moving to Blu-ray is a better argument for your assumptions.  Bringing Blu-ray into your life is not a fork lift upgrade.  You will still be able to enjoy your DVD library.  In fact, all Blu-ray players will upscale your library providing you with forward compatibility.  The upgrade from VHS to DVD was much more painful because you still needed a vcr to play your VHS library.  Once you upgrade to Blu-ray you will no longer need your DVD player.

Attached is a video quality reference table.  Please note the last column is the bit rate.  The bit rate directly effects your ability to upscale video.

Video quality reference table from best to worst:
(Some data might be outdated, missing, or approximate but I will update)
Source/service CODEC Resolution Bit-rate
Blu-ray H.264 or MPEG2 1920×1080 1080i/p 40
HD DVD H.264 or VC-1 1920×1080 1080i/p 28
ATSC HDTV MPEG2 1920×1080 1080i/p 19.39
Digital cable MPEG2 1920×1080 1080i/p ~ 16
Verizon FiOS
Video on demand MPEG2 1920×1080 1080i 15
DISH HD MPEG2/MPEG4 1440×1080 < 10
DIRECTV HD MPEG2/MPEG4 1280×1080 < 10
IPTV H.264 ? < 10
Xbox Live Video VC-1 1280×720 720p 6.8
DVD MPEG2 720×480 480i * 8
Apple iTunes QuickTime/H.264 1280×720 720p 4
Web “HD” downloads H.264 1280×720 720p 1.5

link -> http://forums.highdefdigest.com/high-definition-smackdown/68614-here-s-what-fake-hd-video-looks-like.html