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I cancelled my Directv service a few months ago, too. Looks like a lot of other people have: http://www.tvpredictions.com/tivo082709.htm ... 139,000 last quarter. At $70 a pop, that's almost $10M. I, too, and using Hulu, Netflix and torrents to replace the incredible over-priced services that Directv was offering. I didn't even mention they swapped my broken TiVo box for a really crappy DVR. I replaced the old rig with a Mac Mini running Plex, and I love it (though it isn't quite as nice as the old TiVo experience... a lot more manual steps, for torrents).

If Sony isn't forcing the choice on us, then where is the option to get Blu-Ray OR HD-DVD PS3s? Where is the choice?

Blu Ray vs HD DVD 25/50Gb for BR or 15/30/51GB for HDDVD). Both have capacity. Both provide the same Audio/Visual experience. Both support the same specs.
Differences?: Old equipment to make (HD DVD) or new equipment to make (Blu Ray). And Blu Ray has extra DRM to get in the way of 'honest' customers (Although, hopefully that has been, and will remain to be, broken)

No amount of 'ZOMG STOP SAYING THIS BULLSHIT!!!' is going to change the fact that Sony didn't give the choice of players, thus it's not to hard to say they are forcing this crap on us. Sony is a major supporter of this, and they are NOT known for making 'standards' or caring about YOU. Sony gets as little of my money as I can get away with for a multitude of reasons (rootkits, crappy lock-in standards, etc).

Tell me to shut up about sony? YOU Shut the fuck up about Sony. Fuck them and fuck fanboys like yourself.

You like apples? How you like THEM apples?

stand alone http://www.tvpredictions.com/forum/comments.php?y=07&m=11&entry=entry071108-051750 the 90,000 recently announced for a week did not include online sales by amazon and others so its actually higher.

Blogger "Swanni" says the HD-DVD folks coughed up 100 mil to help Paramount reach the decision.

- js.

That's the first I heard that theory of why it failed.. Do you have any references to support that?

Everything I have read said that once News Corp / Murdoch came into the picture, they were either going to lowball Tivo's cut of the subscription fees or move to the DVR product that News Corp owned (thus keeping all the $$ for themselves). Considering the fact that Tivo never made a profit during that time, and have only briefly been in the black, I tend to think it was more of an attempt to keep his business running than greed.

Another plausible theory expressed at the time was that News Corp tried to take a larger stake in Tivo (they already owned 10%) and were denied, because Tivo feared it would eliminate their possibility of working with cable companies.

Now that News Corp is selling off (has sold?) their stake in DirecTV, there are rumors of renewing the Tivo relationship:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/tivo060507.htm That clearly points to it being a News Corp issue.

Will the person who picked HD-DVD in April 2007 for the next gen DVD format pool, please step forward to collect their winnings. I don't think that there is any chance that Sony and friends could over come this.

Sony has already overcome this in the form of the PlayStation 3, and the format war is all but over in favor of Blu-Ray. This doesn't really change anything.

I don't know why some people think that everything Wal-Mart touches turns to gold. They've been having all sorts of problems lately, and one of those problems has been their entry into the high-end electronics market, which has gone over like a lead balloon. Wal-Mart's customers just don't go there to buy things like HDTV's and HD-DVD players - they go there to buy cheap food, baby wipes and $4 prescription drugs. HD-DVD players may be "flying off the shelf" compared to other players at Wal-Mart, but that's not saying anything. Wake me up when all of Wal-Mart's HD-DVD players outsell one model of Blu-Ray player at any single Best Buy.

Also, Sony had had a $500 Blu-Ray player since November 2006 (at least refuting that nonsense about them not having a player under $1,000 until "later this year") called the PlayStation 3, and they've got a $600 MSRP standalone player coming in the next month or two that'll probably actually sell for $500 or less also. Realistically, though, I don't think the price of the players matters much. What matters is the movies available. Blu-Ray has a lot more content industry support, and that's not changing.

I mean anyone can make a device and sell it for $20 if they want to, but nobody's going to buy it if there's no content available for it. That's the situation to an extent with both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray right now, but Blu-Ray has more releases now and more releases in the pipeline, along with more studios on board.

So, despite this obvious bit of PR from the HD-DVD camp, it's still basically game over for them.

Apparently no one reads anymore... http://www.tvpredictions.com/hirsch111006.htm

However, last week (January 16) Hirsch said they will now back both formats. Their first title is scheduled to be released in both Blu Ray and HD DVD on March 28. Also note that Hirsch says they encountered hurdles while producing for Blu Ray:

However, not all of what Heise printed is invalid. Hirsch did note that Vivid has encountered hurdles while producing adult entertainment for Blu-ray more so than HD DVD.

Sony is not giving any assistance in the authoring or replication of adult content on Blu-ray, said Hirsch. Sony is somehow trying to keep away such material from the format, which I think is a mistake.

Without Sonys help, Vivid had to find authoring and replication facilities on its own. Hirsch added that Sony puts restrictions on all Blu-ray manufacturing facilities that produce Disney titles disallowing them from making adult content. By comparison, the manufacturing process for Vivids HD DVD adult titles is much easier as it is able to make use of existing facilities.

Apparently no one reads anymore... http://www.tvpredictions.com/hirsch111006.htm

DirectTV and TiVo came to an agreement earlier this year where DirectTV agreed to support the DirectTV TiVos until 2009. In return TiVo and DirectTV agreed not to sue each other for any DVR patent infringements.

So DirectTV won't suffer the same fate as Dish.

I'd guess he's refering to the issue that you some stupid reason the first batch of blu-ray discs used MPEG2 encoding instead of one of the MPEG4 variants like VC-1 to H264 that the first HD-DVD's, so they looked a little worse.

See Wikipedia about 3/4 of the way down.

They are also ignoring the only reason that HD-DVD players are cheaper than blu-ray is because Toshiba is taking a PS3 style loss on the players.

For the third year in a row, Urgo's list of April Fool's Jokes on Websites contains the most complete list of April Fool's Day pranks websites have created. Featured by news.com.com.com.. and Microsoft, the site strives to list EVERY joke site, and is updated every few minutes with new verified jokes. wikipedia also contains a sizeable list.

Sample:

tveps.net - Isaac 'Chef' Hayes not leaving southpark after all. Comes clean that it was a publicity stunt.

thinkgeek.com - USB Tanning Center, RFID Blocking T-shirt, Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom Kit, Caffeine Inhaler, and more

theregister.co.uk - customise The Register to suit your needs - from blocking ads, to selecting the kind of stories you really want to read.

worldofwarcraft.com - Blizzard to put Wisps as a playable race for World of Warcraft.

tvpredictions.com - Ready for X-ray TV? New TV picture technology even clearer than HDTV; you can actually see through people's clothing on TV.

blizzard.com - BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® PRESENTS BURGERCRAFT(TM)

bolloxcomics.co.uk - Myspace parody

bolloxcomics.co.uk - YTMND parody

wiebetech.com - 5 TB iPod

sideshowtoy.com - Half a Darth Maul Figure Exclusive?

slashdot.org - OMG!!! PONIES!!! (and pink layout)

whirlpool.net.au - Telstra will only release 2mbit ADSL2+ in Australia.

forums.worldofwarcraft.com - World of Warcraft 1.11 patch notes leaked

mymsnsearch.com - fake (but hilariously accurate) search results

gearlog.com - Laptop Lingerie: Bringing Tech & Pleasure Together

googlesystem.blogspot.com - Google Browser is finally launched. Installer 1.68MB

sordeo.com - mirror image and the title says, 'Now optimized for those afflicted with Dyslexia'

eternal-lands.com - Free Software Foundation buys Eternal Lands

For the third year in a row, Urgo's list of April Fool's Jokes on Websites contains the most complete list of April Fool's Day pranks websites have created. Featured by news.com.com.com.. and Microsoft, the site strives to list EVERY joke site, and is updated every few minutes with new verified jokes. wikipedia also contains a sizeable list.

Sample
tveps.net - Isaac 'Chef' Hayes not leaving southpark after all. Comes clean that it was a publicity stunt.
thinkgeek.com - USB Tanning Center, RFID Blocking T-shirt, Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom Kit, Caffeine Inhaler, and more
theregister.co.uk - customise The Register to suit your needs - from blocking ads, to selecting the kind of stories you really want to read.
worldofwarcraft.com - Blizzard to put Wisps as a playable race for World of Warcraft.
tvpredictions.com - Ready for X-ray TV? New TV picture technology even clearer than HDTV; you can actually see through people's clothing on TV.
blizzard.com - BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® PRESENTS BURGERCRAFT(TM)
bolloxcomics.co.uk - Myspace parody
bolloxcomics.co.uk - YTMND parody
wiebetech.com - 5 TB iPod
sideshowtoy.com - Half a Darth Maul Figure Exclusive?
slashdot.org - OMG!!! PONIES!!! (and pink layout)
whirlpool.net.au - Telstra will only release 2mbit ADSL2+ in Australia.
forums.worldofwarcraft.com - World of Warcraft 1.11 patch notes leaked
mymsnsearch.com - fake (but hilariously accurate) search results
gearlog.com - Laptop Lingerie: Bringing Tech & Pleasure Together
googlesystem.blogspot.com - Google Browser is finally launched. Installer 1.68MB
sordeo.com - mirror image and the title says, 'Now optimized for those afflicted with Dyslexia'
eternal-lands.com - Free Software Foundation buys Eternal Lands

Aren't most of those people famous for being shot on 35mm film stock and projected onto enormous screens at what's effectively 2k or 4k resolution? If the makeup can hold up at the movies, why not in hi-def?

"The point is that the less net-savvy people are not listening to the music, since they can't download it to their iPod due to copy protection."

Ms. Barrymore's co-star Cameron Diaz seems to make every top ten list of stars that look "worse" in high definition, due to her teenage acne scars. For all you shallow arseholes ;-), here's an example of one such list:

1. Cameron Diaz
   The actress has had a terrible acne problem since high school; her cheeks and forehead are littered with unfortunate pockmarks. Ms. Diaz seems like a different person in HDTV; she looks more like a Charlie than an Angel.
2. Michael Douglas
   The actor was once considered a Hollywood sex symbol. But now, in HDTV, he looks more like Kirk Douglas than Michael Douglas. Being married to Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't help, either. He appears even older when he's standing next to her. The Wall Street star looks like eight miles of bad road.
3. Britney Spears
   The pop tart is still in her early 20s, but she looks about 10 years older in high-def. Her face is puffy and she's starting to show wrinkle marks around her lips, reportedly from a two pack-a-day cigarette habit.
4. Brad Pitt
   Like Ms. Diaz, Pitt had a terrible skin problem in his younger years. The impact is clear in high-def. He's still a good-looking guy, but he doesn't look like one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful."
5. Jewel
   The singer looks great in still photos and music videos, but she looks terrible in high-def. And someone should help her with make-up; it looks like it was done by Ringling Bros.
6. Renee Zellweger
   Ms. Zellweger is a cutie, but her cheeks look like she's had a Rosacea problem; very visible in high-def.
7. William Devane
   The veteran actor plays Secretary of State James Heller in Fox's 24, but he looks like hell in high-def. Devane, who once played John F. Kennedy in a docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, should duck and cover the next time they ask him to star in a HDTV program.
8. Bill Maher
   The comedian/political commentator is scary in high-def. And I mean, scary. His skin is pasty and white, making him look like an Albino. Make that an Albino who doesn't get much sleep. It's a good thing that HBO doesn't air his weekly talkfest in HDTV.
9. Jamie Lee-Curtis
   Oh, my God. With her short-cropped graying hair and crow's feet, she looks like a guy in high-def. What happened to her? Christopher Guest, be my guest. Buy your wife some Botox! And, a wig!
10. Joan Rivers
    Someone should pull the rug over this red carpet host! In HDTV, you can almost count the stitch marks from her various facial surgeries. Do you remember that song, "Old Man River"? Well, how about, "Old Woman Rivers"?

It seems that someone has to say that the video iPod will be the down fall of Apple/Steve Jobs. However Phillip Swann, http://www.tvpredictions.com/ipod101105.html, logic: The video iPod was born from arrogance. Apple has been so successful with the audio iPod that it thinks it can't go wrong. But it will this time. This is an example of a technology that is being launched only because it can be, not because anybody wants it.
This sort of sounds like the old story of IBM saying since there is no one using Coping machine in the business place there is no need for one. And telling a small company, Xerox, that they where not intrested in their new product.
Just because no one else it doing it does not mean it should not be done...

And I quote:

" Cablevision has already spent more than $1 billion on Voom. It's hard to envision that Dolan and even the incredibly wealthy Malone could spend more than that. And, even if they did, why would the results be any different? As Cablevision's chairman, Dolan has already been, in effect, the head of the satellite service. Voom won't suddenly generate more subscribers just because he starts a new company to run it. It's the irrational thinking of someone who just won't let go.

In the Reuters interview, Malone appears to be telling his old friend that it's time to pack up and call it a day.

"It seemed like I might be helpful in terms of settling things down for him," Malone said when asked why he agreed to Dolan's request to sit on Cablevision's board."

From: http://www.tvpredictions.com/voomreality031405.htm l

Also...

" Last week, Cablevision's new 15-member board, including six independent directors and three Dolan sons, gave Charles Dolan until the end of this month to find a way to take Voom off Cablevision's hands. At the board's insistence, he has put up $10 million of his own cash and stock to help fund Voom this month."

"The Voom story

October 2003: Cablevision launches Voom satellite TV service; plans to split it off.

May 2004: Problems emerge in attracting customers as Voom losses mount.

September 2004: Cablevision says it will delay Voom's spin-off.

November 2004: Voom reveals it lost more customers than it attracted in the summer amid operational and marketing problems.

December 2004: Board, backed by chief executive James Dolan, abandons spin-off and defies chairman Charles Dolan by deciding to sell or shut Voom.

January 2005: After a face-off pitting Charles Dolan against his son and a majority of Cablevision's board, the company agrees to ditch Voom and sell its sole satellite to EchoStar Communications for $200 million.

Feb. 10: Cablevision signs letter of intent to give rest of Voom to Charles Dolan and son Thomas Dolan if they arrange financing.

Feb. 28: Cablevision says it has no definitive agreement with the Dolans and will shut Voom by the end of March. The Dolans say they have financing and want a deal.

March 2: Voom.com Web site says service ends at the end of month, but VoomLLC.com site, established by Charles Dolan and son Tom Dolan, proclaims "Voom Still Delivers."

March 3: Charles Dolan ousts three directors and picks five new ones, giving him a theoretical 8-7 edge.

March 8: New board gives Charles and Tom Dolan to month's end to come up with an "alternative transaction" that prevents Voom's shutdown.

March 10: Charles Dolan puts up $10 million of his own fortune to help keep Voom running."

From: http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzvoom4177303ma r16,0,193027.story?coll=ny-business-headlines

10 million dollars is like pissing into a supertanker of debt that once held 1.4 BILLION dollars.

VOOM is dead or is dying. I don't care WHO is backing it or believes in it right now. The market for it simply is not mature enough right now. Sure its a great idea but its too early to market.

Sure Govmt is mandating stations to push HD to consumers but that is when? In 2007! It's 2005 right now. I will buy an HDTV when its cost effective and USEFUL. Today it is neither. Perhaps by 2007 market forces will have prevailed on the price point at least. Once that happens then the market can start to grow.

DirecTV claims they'll help out with the transition, but I don't know if I'm ready to risk a grand on that.

Whoops.

All of this content, time-shifted via their Scientific Atlanta 8000-HD PVR, which is no TiVo in terms of software capabilties, but has two tuners and works just fine. They have promised me Moxi in the next few months as well.

As for DirecTV, I don't like them for the following reasons:

1. Their indiscriminate lawsuits against anyone who purchased a smart card programmer.
2. They are about to drop TiVo in favor of their own crappy DVR.
3. They currently don't have local channels in HDTV (other than CBS-HD in select areas), and won't until 2005 at least.
4. If you have multiple TVs cable is simply more practical.
5. With the advant of Cablecard, cable is poised to be more useful in a PC, via a TV card with cablecard support.

By the way, all of the above said, I would dump cable in a second if DirecTV got Sci-Fi channel in HD and my cable provider didn't. Sci-Fi channel should have been the first channel in HiDef!

- Alain

Apparently, they do offer Spice HDTV.