Engadget HD Podcast 068 - 01.10.2008
By Trent Wolbe 
posted Jan 11th 2008 6:00AM
posted Jan 11th 2008 6:00AM
CES is over and we wrap things up with the last podcast of the show. Just like the first CES podcast it's just the two of us, but we still manage to keep things short. Our coverage is all over the place, but we cover all the last minute happenings from the show floor including HD DVD and Blu-ray booth tours, the latest format war rumors, the best demo of the show and lastly the only party we made it to the entire week, so enjoy.Get the podcast
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh and Steve Kim
Producer: Trent Wolbe
04:26 - Marantz's new high-end Blu-ray player
07:56 - Sources say Universal and Paramount are both going Blu
09:21 - BD+ has not been compromised, yet
11:11 - Engadget HD destroys Format War Central in AVP challenge
12:01 - HD DVD's CES 2008 booth tour
12:35 - Blu-ray's CES 2008 booth tour
13:53 - Petition to keep HD DVD alive appears online
15:15 - Pioneer's Project Kuro: The 9mm thick, infinite contrast 50-inch plasma HDTV
17:32 - Hands-on with the latest TV Guide software (Comcast DVR)
19:12 - Tru2way TVs at CES 2008
LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)
I got a kick out of
"about the distance from the screen that you would be when driving"
lol, great CES coverage.
Thanks!
Dude... I was looking around for post ces comments on hd/dvd stuff and figured I'd see what you talked about in your podcast. I'm not a current listener and I believe that'll be the last Engadget HD podcast I listen to. Opinions are one thing but when you talk down the hd-dvd format at one point and then 24:27 into the podcast you say the following:
"I was finally able to get a hold of dts thx & dolby truehd test discs, can't wait to try those out.. but I didn't think of it until later, I really don't have the equipment to appreciate that stuff. I need to upgrade my receiver and bluray player. Currently I can't play those codex"
What business do you have running a HD informative site that picks which format is superior? When you say, dts thx, do you mean dts-ma? THX is just a measure of quality for different surround sound formats (e.g., Dolby Digital and DTS). TrueHD & DTS-MA are not new formats in regards to the HD age. There is more to the HD experience than just video. Someone that researches such stuff, I would hope would at least have the "equipment" to give an educated opinion!
Chris Blazek
Chris,
Thanks for listening.
Believe me when I tell you that I know the difference between THX and DTS-HD MA, but you are right I misspoke and mixed them up on this episode. Regular listeners know I continually misspeak, it is something I'm aware of and am working to get better.
As for my equipment. I bought a Blu-ray player when it first came out and as you probably know the BD-P1000 didn't support any new audio codecs and although I live and breath HD, I decided not to buy another player till I can get one that does everything I want, since I don't want to end up buying three Blu-ray players. So when a player with TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, BD Live and an RS-232 port (necessary for my home automation system) is released I'll replace my player.
I have also been waiting to buy a AV Receiver until one offers all the features I want, I'm considering a Yamaha RX-V1800, but I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet for a few reasons.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ben
Ben,
I read some rumors on AVS which suggest a 2009 release for the Pioneer Extreme Contrast Concept. Get ready to drop another 5G's.
I have subscribed to your RSS feed for some time and just started listening to the podcast since the start of CES 2008. I’m chiming in about the HD format war (game over man, game over!) and have favored HD DVD because of costs and standards, the main reason being cost. Can you explain to me why Blu-Ray is better than HD DVD? Don’t get me wrong I think the Blu-Ray picture looks fantastic and the sound is awesome as well. To me that is the end of the story. The only reason why I hear that they are going to win is that they have more studio support. More studio support doesn't equal a better product. I understand they can put more content on the disk but it has to be a real special occasion for me to watch bonus features. When I listened to the podcast you guys repeat that you have to buy new gear to support the new profiles that Blu-Ray is coming out with. You admit that even the PS3 isn’t the best Blu-Ray player out there because it doesn’t support the better codecs. I know that mostly this site is for geeks, but not all of us can go and get gear whenever Blu-ray decides to change their profile. I appreciate your opinions but your blasé attitude loses favor with me quickly. I am starting to adopt the philosophy of a connected media experience but BD+ doesn’t share that same concept. Not being able to rip my legally bought Blu-Ray disk to my hard drive and enjoy throughout my home is lame. Isn’t this what you give Microsoft crap about, DRM, but you just let Sony have a pass (Slysoft says buy HD DVD)? I guess what I am asking is to remove yourself from the uber tech geek and think about the common joe with a family. I don’t want my kids handling, scratching, or even losing my discs. I want the player I purchase to work or be able to provide a firmware update for the product. And last and very important, make it affordable. In my book the HD DVD camp met my expectations, can you say that to this point Blu-Ray has done this? It seems the only feather in their cap is that they have more studio support. I’m not ignorant, I know it all comes down to the dollars. Sony won over the execs and that’s all that matters and not providing an affordable consumer product. Since they won the studios the consumer will have to buy whatever they get seems to be their mindset. Keep buying new hardware until we get it right. I just didn’t see anything technology wise that said Blu-Ray was a no brainer over HD DVD. Tell me I’m wrong?
Ouch. First we get steve to stick up for his opinion and now everyone wants to change the podcast :)
Jiminy christmas, I'd love to have the AAC version on the iTunes feed.
If you're getting it through iTunes then most likey you have an iPod that can handle it. What's the point of going through all that work of bookmarking if the people that are most likely to be able to use it, can't easily get it.
You should just tell them you'll quit if they don't. I'm willing to make that sacrifice.