Twentieth Century Fox Backs Blu-Ray

MITM18

New member
This means that for the future, Fox will be switching from releasing on DVD to Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray makes the quality of the video and audio many many times better.

If you havent seen any HD footage from TV's or whatnought, check out this for a comparision of DVD to Blu-Ray/HD:

http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html

This makes it very likely that Fox will release Malcolm In The Middle in Blu-Ray format whenever it releases.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
lol here we go again MITM18. Before I begin my argument, none of it is pointed personally at you, so don't accuse me of "bashing."

My first comment would be that just because Fox backs Blu-ray doesn't mean that it will be the format that ultimately wins out. If HD-DVD wins out, Fox will have no choice but to switch, as will the other companies, simply because they need to make a profit and if no one's buying Blu-ray they need to change.

Secondly, the transition from VHS to DVD was extremely smooth because consumers wanted DVDs. DVDs brought about much better quality at a cheaper price. Today, consumers are still generally happy with DVDs and many aren't ready to switch to high definition discs like Blu-ray and HD-DVD. People like to brag they have an HD television, but other than the wider screen, a lot of people truthfully cannot see a difference.

In a recent PC Magazine article, a rather interesting prediction was made that with consumers still extremely satisfied with DVDs, it is possible that neither HD-DVD or Blu-ray will gain any footing, and instead, the studios and technology companies will lose millions of dollars, as the industry skips over these discs and moves right to holographic discs at the end of the decade.

My next argument is that MITM will be released on Blu-ray. There are only two seasons of MITM that were produced in high definition (and a third one that was produced in widescreen, but not HD). Therefore, it would seem rather pointless to release the entire series on Blu-ray, since one of its strong points is that it can hold HD content. Even if MITM is released on Blu-ray, things will be released on DVD parallel for several years, until either Blu-ray or HD-DVD (or maybe holographic discs) become widespread. Hopefully we don't have to wait that long for MITM! :)

Here is an excellent article on high definition DVD's:
http://www.futuretechnologiesinc.com/article/3-2005/hddvd-and-bluray.htm
 

admin

Retired Administrator
Personally I am suprised that Blu-Ray wasn't the first thing introduced after all it makes sense to anyone who does Physics that Blue lasers have a smaller wavelength than Red lasers.

I will not be going in for any of this stuff yet, as yardgames says, I am happy with DVDs I am not suddenly going to change all my new equipement because it'll cost me a fortune. I shall watch this one carefully and decide what to do when we cross that bridge. I think its still quite a way off, DVDs currently are just as cheap as VHSs and people probably will not want this Blu-Ray stuff until they have HD tellies, which are only just coming in in the UK, and currently we have no channels in HD.

Onto the second point, currently I don't see much sign of FOX making a second season MITM DVD, so you're probably right, by the time FOX finally get around to making it it will be in Blu-Ray or whatever wins. Either that or some new nano technology a 100rd years from now. I can just see it. FOX releases MITM Season 2 NanoVD 27th July 2120! :D
 

MITM18

New member
Here is a list of TV programs they will be selling on Blu-Ray very soon:

The company will begin releasing new films, TV programming and other titles from Fox's vast celebrated library of best-selling film and television programming when Blu-ray hardware launches in North America, Japan, and Europe.

Fox's film library includes films ranging from the ALIEN, DIE-HARD and X-MEN series, I, ROBOT, SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and MOULIN ROUGE to SOUND OF MUSIC, ALL ABOUT EVE, LAURA and GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT. The equally vast television library ranges from such shows as THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY, 24 and X-FILES to MASH, LOST IN SPACE, IN LIVING COLOR and MARY TYLER MOORE.

Blu-ray Disc is a next generation optical disc format developed for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 25 gigabytes of data and a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50 gigabytes of data. This greater storage capacity enables the Blu-ray Disc to store over five times the amount of content than is possible with current DVDs, and is particularly well-suited for high definition feature films with extended levels of additional bonus and interactive material. Blu-ray also features the most advanced copy protection, backward compatibility with the current DVD format (meaning Blu-ray players will play existing DVDs), connectivity and advanced interactivity.

Yardgames, by the way you hold up your argument, you dont know anything about the business.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
With VHS vs. DVD, consumers wanted the change and were excited for it. For several years, DVD players were the highest-selling item at Christmas, taken over recently by digital cameras.

My point is this: Just a couple of years ago, consumers spent all kinds of money upgrading their theatres to DVD. Most people are still pretty happy with DVD technolgoy, and aren't apt to go out and buy a Blu-ray player.

The difference between VHS vs. DVD and DVD vs. Blu-ray is that consumers wanted DVD; Blu-ray is being forced upon them.

They can release as much as they want in Blu-ray, but they certainly aren't going to completely abandon DVD technology just like that, and consumers are probalby going to keep buying DVDs. If that's teh case, Blu-ray may fall by the wayside. It already has in Asia.
 

Dewey

Minimalistic
MITM18 said:
Fox's film library includes films ranging from the ALIEN, DIE-HARD and X-MEN series, I, ROBOT, SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and MOULIN ROUGE to SOUND OF MUSIC, ALL ABOUT EVE, LAURA and GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT. The equally vast television library ranges from such shows as THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY, 24 and X-FILES to MASH, LOST IN SPACE, IN LIVING COLOR and MARY TYLER MOORE.
Those movies are already available on DVD.
How are FOX going to convince consumers that may already have those titles on DVD to purchase them again on Blue-Ray instead? (especially if they have to go out andd purchase them for a second time)
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Don't forget the player and the television too.

Exactly my point, MITM18. They can release them, but that doesn't mean consumers will buy them.
 

arach

New member
I think especially European countries are far away from switching to another form of digital video again. We don't even have HD-Television around here yet. But maybe in 5 or 10 years, when everyone has a HD-screen... we just have to wait and see.
 

MITM18

New member
The FCC/Government has already put into law that says in 2007, I believe that all stations have to switch from analog to digital/HD.

So this is the technology of the future, if you like it or not.

The DVD came at the worst time and will never have the same time length as VHS.

People switched from VHS to DVD and will do the same for Blu-Ray and future versions.

The resolution of DVD only allowed for 700 resolutions while HD allows for 1900 resolutions, thus the picture is more clear and more crisp.

Like it or not its coming.
 
I agree with yardgames, the change to DVD, in my oppinion has been very recent, with the sales of VHS being slowly phased out- but still very prominant in sales. I feel that the introduction of blu-ray at this time seems somewhat pointless, such an upheaval in technology, when the DVD is currently perfect in serving the purpose intended, I in fact think that this early attempt by fox to highten the awareness of blu-ray technology may be dextremental to it. The general public will be fairly unimpressed with the difference in quality viewing as a 'rip off'. Therefore even if the technology is greater, it will not be viewed in that way, but as an insignificance requiring great finance- in the UK it has taken until about 2003 for DVD players to become common place in the home.

To sum up my PERSONAL (must emphasise that) on the matter I feel the introduction of blu-ray is :Tupac: (see relevant thread to gain meaning)
 

Emrysgirl

New member
Disclaimer: As I've said before, I don't really know all that much about technology.

@MITM18 Switch to digital/HD? I thought they just had to offfer it as an alternative i.e. transmit both, like many channels are already doing.

yardgames said:
the transition from VHS to DVD was extremely smooth because consumers wanted DVDs. DVDs brought about much better quality at a cheaper price.
Also, whether you're talking about HD-DVD or Blu-ray or regular DVD, you're still talking about a disk. The major difference b/w a Video Cassete and a DVD is the options the DVDs display/offer: the commentaries, the chapters, the 'added features'. B/w disks the only things that will change are quality, amount of storage and cost (in the long run). Not nearly as powerful incentives for change.

And now for an awful analogy:
VHS : DVD :: floppy disk : SD
DVD : HD-DVD/Blu-ray :: floppy disk : zipdisk

Deweyrules! said:
To sum up my PERSONAL (must emphasise that) on the matter I feel the introduction of blu-ray is :Tupac: (see relevant thread to gain meaning)
Nice!:D Lets make that permanent.
 
I think the case is different with console games though, it affects far fewer people in the way that changing DVD would. Console games are always going to change, as technology advances, and people will always buy new consoles to keep up with this. However the market is very different when it comes to items such as DVD and video
 

MITM18

New member
Just saying, that is absolutely not true at all. That may be your opinion but the real buisness facts stand that isnt true at all.

People will upgrade, DVD isnt the last stop for home release technology, far far far far from it.
 
Im not saying its the last stop, Im saying it's far too soon to release a variation on it, Blu-ray probably will become 'the new DVD' as it were, but the process will be extremely gradual, as was the VHS to DVD. Also was the completley not true about console games in relation to DVD, because I would have to disagree, the console market in comparison to the Home film entertainment market is very different, change is far more frequent and accepted, whereas if the way in which films can be purchased and watched at home is constantly changed, it would not be feesable or accepted:)
 
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