[Ken Gracey]

Remy,


I currently do 50% of my replies in here on my ipod touch, without a drama, so without stepping on the Administrations toes, I would say the answer to your second question is a resounding YES, give it a try for yourself.

[MJCP]

As TLCAUS says, the iPhone/iPod touch version of Safari makes it possible to interact with just about any web site pretty much as you normally would on a desktop computer, albeit on a smaller screen. Will we be adding functionality to the site specifically for mobile devices?

Wait and see.

[Remy]

Thanks for answering. Really enjoying the new site - some great features in here!

[coins]

i hate the name blueray, i can't wait til this pissing contest is over and the consumer can just go and purchase a HD DVD player & associated discs.

as for putting them in computers, geesh that will throw a spanner in the works, people will now be able to download HD torrents with 2 channel audio tracks. HD image is no use to me unless i can have digital sound content. Yes the macs have digital audio out , but where is the digital audio input going to come from? Does your computer have the ability to process digital audio as an input?

[Ken Gracey]

You seem very confident that HD-DVD will win coins?

I was leaning more towards Blu-ray coming out a mile in front from most posts.

My second point is how many mac users out there actually need 2 channel audio tracks, and then need to actually process it , would it be .0001%.

I think Apple do a lot of homework on what people need and cater for it, thats what makes them any other company successful, you give the people in the magnitude what they want, not what they think they want.

I could be using a simplistic view of things, but thats how i also have stayed in business for so many years, and also grown.

[coins]

You seem very confident that HD-DVD will win coins?

I was leaning more towards Blu-ray coming out a mile in front from most posts.

My second point is how many mac users out there actually need 2 channel audio tracks, and then need to actually process it , would it be .0001%.

I think Apple do a lot of homework on what people need and cater for it, thats what makes them any other company successful, you give the people in the magnitude what they want, not what they think they want.

I could be using a simplistic view of things, but thats how i also have stayed in business for so many years, and also grown.

Nope never said HD-DVD will 'win' but which ever format is the consenus it will be known as [/B]HD DVD[B/] because it will be offering High Definition DVD.
If apple always get things right, who are they putting garage band on the macs for? IMO waste of zero's & ones.

[Ken Gracey]

What's wrong with garage band ?


It's a great little app for us who are musically challenged.. and just want to have some fun or a rainy day.

Sure it's not going to make you the Next Beatles or Rolling Stones , Or Brittany spears (if you are so inclined) but i dont believe its aimed at that market.

Garage band a waste of zeros and ones, I don't believe so.

Of course others may agree with you.

[MJCP]

If apple always get things right, who are they putting garage band on the macs for? IMO waste of zero's & ones.

Why, you of course, coins, and anyone else who wants to win a brand new iPod touch in our Podcast competition. Use GarageBand to write opening and closing theme songs (ten and fifteen seconds each) for the AMW Weekend Edition podcast and you can get free stuff, as well as of course the fame and kudos of having thousands of people each week listen to your creation.

Here endeth the plug.

[coins]

i only ask about garage band because i've never seen anyone use it. But i don't visit many primary schools so i could be mistaken

[Some Random Bloke]

many primary schools so i could be mistaken

My 10y/o son dabbles in Garage band when he can get to my Mac

Isn't he a legitimate user?

[Remy]

If only my school could dump the old HPs and get some Macs... we'd use Garageband all day long.

[Normandy]

Nope never said HD-DVD will 'win' but which ever format is the consenus it will be known as [/B]HD DVD[B/] because it will be offering High Definition DVD.
If apple always get things right, who are they putting garage band on the macs for? IMO waste of zero's & ones.

I see neither winning in the end.... as downloads will take over within the next 5 years, just as happened with music.... sure people will still buy discs.. but the cost and convince factor will make download so much more appealing...

[Anthony Caruana]

Over the last year or so Apple has begun to move away from storage on media such as DVD. Why would they get involved in the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD debate? I know they're on the Blu-Ray board but that's more likely to just be a way to mitigate the risk of Blu-Ray becoming a standard and not being ready for it rather than an endorsement of Blu-ray as the "way to go".

Look at iMovie 08. You Tube integration comes in, iDVD integration goes out. Look at the iTunes store. Movie purchasing and rental via the Internet - no need for media. Video sharing with relatives and friends - YouTube and .mac.

Apple will probably release a Blu-Ray drive (I suspect they'll wait till there's a thin enough Blu-Ray/HD-DVD combo drive) but it won't be because they want us to burn movies to it. it's more likely so that we can store oodles of data such as iPhoto backups, etc).

[mac rant]

A few replies in one, so be patient.

• The keep your multi-region DVD player advice is absolutely correct - if they weren't going to make them compatible, BD player manufacturers should have dispensed with the red laser in the BD players and charged less for a BD-only player. It's a software choice, of course, and maybe in a few years (when everybody's thrown out their DVDs), they'll proudly boast multi-region DVD (they way they do now about their DVD only players).

• People complaining about start times for BD players mustn't realise HD-DVD takes much longer.

• My gripes with Apple not providing Blu-ray output for HD iMovies, what about Blu-ray movie playback... some kind of combo-BD drive? Still no on Mac, currently <AUS$300 for Windows OS.[/b] I suppose we could run bootcamp??

• Probably shouldn't say this, but every Region B blu-ray player I've tested (sharp, pioneer, sony) plays Region A without complaint, no matter what the websites & manuals state. BUT as noted above, won't play Region 1 DVDs... so, no sale, no matter how cheap they get. Half my collection won't play. And don't even ask about DVD-Audio or SACD, in spite of being able to handle 96/24 audio for BD.

• We await BD Recorders, due in Australia later this year... and their price drop to 'affordable'. Any guesses when?

• I know there are people out there who still think HD-DVD is viable. It's over folks.
Warners dropped it because they couldn't justify making the discs. There wasn't enough demand. BD had 95% of the Australian market BEFORE the Warners announcement. The US was the only place HD-DVD was selling in any quantities - peaking at almost 40% with Transformers 'exclusive'. There was only 1 player manufacturer, Toshiba - not good for competition - long term.
Since the Warners announcement, US HD-DVD sales are down to 18% and shrinking faster every week. Despite Toshiba giving way players on street corners. Rumour is that Toshiba will be making a BD player soon. I've had a number of Toshiba DVD players, they're very nice, but I couldn't support a format that wouldn't do uncompressed PCM audio.

[Ken Gracey]

so I guess people dreaming of a combo drive - blue-ray / hd will have to keep dreaming

[Normandy]

• I know there are people out there who still think HD-DVD is viable. It's over folks.
Warners dropped it because they couldn't justify making the discs. There wasn't enough demand. BD had 95% of the Australian market BEFORE the Warners announcement. The US was the only place HD-DVD was selling in any quantities - peaking at almost 40% with Transformers 'exclusive'. There was only 1 player manufacturer, Toshiba - not good for competition - long term.
Since the Warners announcement, US HD-DVD sales are down to 18% and shrinking faster every week. Despite Toshiba giving way players on street corners. Rumour is that Toshiba will be making a BD player soon. I've had a number of Toshiba DVD players, they're very nice, but I couldn't support a format that wouldn't do uncompressed PCM audio.

This is NOT TRUE, you need to go listen to the latest digital production buzz and listen to the HD DVD and BLU Ray analysis.


"Bruce Nazarian , President, DVD Association, brings us another of his monthly reports on the highly-conflicted world of HD DVDs..." well worth a listen before any further comment is made!
Just cause Hollow-wood has now gorne 70% to Blu Ray doesn't mean the independent film producer will.. anyways go listen to the people in the area and all will be explained to you.


http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/Podcast/

[MJCP]

No, they can stop dreaming because, as mac rant says, it's unlikely ever to be necessary. Everything will be on BD.

[MJCP]

Just cause Hollow-wood has now gorne 70% to Blu Ray doesn't mean the independent film producer will.. anyways go listen to the people in the area and all will be explained to you.

I'll have a listen to that, but my initial reaction is that Indies are unlikely to go with a format that Hollywood regards as unviable. The mass audience will follow the major studios and the Indies will do what they need to do to ensure some return on their hard work.

[JZ]

If Apple does choose either side I personally hope they go Blu-Ray but I would think with the iTunes movie download service and MacBook Air with no optical drive and iMovie '08, it seems that Apple don't care to much about DVD's anymore.

[Ken Gracey]

DVD's Or CD's, Jamie, i would lean more towards DVD at the moment as still being alive and well, as nearly every app since Tiger has come out DVD.

If you wanted it on CD, from memory you had to buy it on DVD and send it back to apple with $10 or $20 bucks, to have it changed to a CD. MJ, or Alex or somebody else will correct me on this if i am wrong. But i do remember sending back Tiger to apple to have it swapped over for some nominal fee so i could install it on my daughters Imac lamp.