Blockbuster's Disappointing $99 video box

Blockbuster recently launched the MediaPoint player, selling it for $99 from its Web site. With it, your first 25 movie rentals are free.

The slim box made by 2Wire Inc. connects to your TV and your home broadband line. Using the included remote control to order a movie, it downloads so you can begin watching after a few minutes.

Blockbuster and others realize the days of the movie rental store are numbered, but Blockbuster's first box for playing Internet video on your TV doesn't measure up to the existing devices. The present line up:

http://www.blockbuster.com/ondemand

http://www.netflix.com

http://www.apple.com/appletv

http://www.vudu.com

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Format Wars: HDV Output

I've been shooting in HDV for about two years, and it used to kill me to scale my gorgeous 1920x1080i footage down to 720x480 to produce an SD DVD. Then, in late 2006, the first high-definition recordable DVD options started to become available. I've been producing in high definition ever since.

It's been a rough road with lots of hurdles and hidden gotchas. But there are several viable options, and if you shoot in HDV and aren't already producing HD discs, now's the time to make the big change. Trust me, the first time you see your high-definition video on an HDTV playing from optical media, it will make the effort worthwhile.

I’ll start by giving you a brief overview of the two competing HD technologies, Blu-ray and HD DVD. Then I’ll walk you through the current state of each market—HD DVD in this first edition, and Blu-ray in the next—covering both the recorder and authoring software side. After reading the two articles, you’ll know what’s possible in each format. You'll also know which products you need to purchase to make it happen, and the potential playback pitfalls.

I’m not describing how to master Hollywood Blu-ray or HD DVD mass-produced titles. My primary focus is on HDV shooters seeking to produce low quantities of HD DVD or Blu-ray Discs on recordable media.

As non-mass-market producers, we’re in a great position to leverage high-definition video irrespective of the format war slowing general acceptance. Whatever you’re shooting, a corporate announcement, advertisement, or similar project, you can specify that the client will need a Blu-ray or HD DVD player to watch the video—or maybe even the cool new LG SuperBlu player, the first to play back DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray. And the same goes for wedding and other small-quantity event videography.

The drawback is that manufacturers producing the consumer HD DVD and particularly Blu-ray players can make changes that might affect small producers unexpectedly, which means you have to be very careful in understanding and controlling the playback environment. More oabout this in the Blu-ray production section presented in the next installment.

Let’s start with a look at the two competing HD formats.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE By Jan Ozer
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/format_war_hdv_part1_100807/