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HD VMD Shows Up Late For the Format War

Posted by kdawson on from the other-guys-will-kill-each-other-off-see dept.

Fishead writes "As the fight heats up between HD DVD and Blu-ray, and as consumers seem to care less and less, a new contender has entered the fray. Next month, New Medium Enterprises will be selling a 1080p player through Amazon and stores such as Radio Shack and Costco for around $150 — half what the cheapest HD DVD player costs, and a quarter the cost of a low-end Blu-ray. The difference this new HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) format brings is that the discs are created with the same (cheap) red laser as DVDs. From the article: 'HD VMD discs, which hold up to 30GB on a single side, are encoded with a maximum bit rate of 40 megabits per second... between HD DVD's 36 Mpbs and Blu-ray's 48 Mbps. The format uses MPEG-2 and VC1 video formats to encode at 1080p resolution for the time being, and will possibly move to the H.264 format in the future.'"

9 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. VMD? by Daniel+K.+Attling · · Score: 5, Funny

    Videos of Mass Destruction!?

  2. I have just invented another contender by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since the field is obviously WIDE open... I, Anonymous Coward, have entered the fray with HD 8-Track... yes, that's right: High Definition 8-Track tape. As a big disco fan, I have accumulated lots of Bee Gees, and Donna Sommers 8-Track tapes over the years (for some reason, people kept throwing out these gold)... and I've managed to record video onto the tape. At first I had a lousy 100x348 resolution, but after months and months of work in my parent's basement, I have UPGRADED the resolution and so I am calling it High Definition. Yes, that's right, I have achieved 320x240 pixel resolution in 16-colour glory! And to make sure, this format catches on like wildfire, I am licensing the technology for $1 per tape.
    I'm gonna be a millionaire! I love capitalism.

    TDz.

  3. Re:Yes, but... by RDW · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the article, it looks like they're using a unique and theoretically uncrackable new form of DRM. All movies released on this format will be encrypted as Bollywood remakes.

  4. Re:I don't care about HD Video... by dattaway · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just wanted the cheap burning laser, but $150 is a bit much for 250mW.

  5. Re:Poor Sony by Dogtanian · · Score: 3, Funny

    I remember when I was a kid my dad had porn on 8mm reels. I remember watching Puff the Magic Dragon on 8mm as a kid. OMG!!!!! Puff the Magic Dragon did porn??!!
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  6. Re:Sounds good... by zakezuke · · Score: 4, Funny

    So I say, bring me my 1080 Indian porno!!! I for one don't welcome our 60 inch HDTV vagina overlords.

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  7. Target Consumer by Molochi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Finally we have the hardware that grand parents will buy for the kids that wanted an HD player.

    --
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  8. Re:Sounds good... by monsted · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's Alotta Fagina!

    Yeah baby, yeah!

  9. Re:Sounds good... by Pollardito · · Score: 2, Funny

    because cheap porn is something that i want to see in high definition...