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All the studio reps we spoke with were very clear that they don't intend to go after or undermine the existing DVD market (more on that in a minute) - this, they stress, is a niche product. Upon being asked, they also made it clear that there will be no D-VHS-specific titles, or titles that would be released first on D-VHS and then only later on DVD. The first titles that will be available will all be big-budget action and sci-fi stuff, and all catalog titles. Eventually, they may release D-VHS titles day and date with standard VHS and DVD. The first few titles available will include Independence Day, U-571, X-Men, Total Recall, Terminator 2 and Basic Instinct (a few of which were on display at this demo), with other titles like Die Hard and Galaxy Quest in development. Fox currently has some 10 titles planned, with more likely over the next 18 months. Universal may also release a number of music titles in addition to feature films. And all the studios report that the reaction from directors and other creative talent has been positive, which it should be given that the tapes are mastered directly from the studios' 1080 film vault masters.
So how does high definition D-VHS look and sound? As one would expect from true high definition, it's pretty amazing. We viewed comparisons between DVD and D-VHS on a number of displays, and D-VHS is naturally better. Any high definition, multi-channel audio format is bound to look and sound terrific.
But D-VHS does have significant drawbacks. First of all, it's a tape-based format. And tapes are notoriously easy to damage, as all of you that have lost a favorite movie to your VCR can attest. During one of the demonstrations we saw, the image broke into digital static for a moment... clearly the result of an imperfection in the tape. Because it's tape, you're also missing most of the convenience, accessibility, bonus material and interactivity of DVD. If you want pretty picture and sound, it's there. But you don't get anything else. And then there's the cost - not only do you have to buy a new deck and new movies to enjoy D-VHS, you also need a pricy new HDTV too. That alone will scare the vast majority of consumers away. Ultimately, as good as D-VHS looks and sounds, the press members I spoke with at the event all agreed that recordable, high definition DVD is eventually going to be the knock down, drag out future of home entertainment. For the most savvy technophiles, disc is where it's at. Still, I think D-VHS has a role to play in the meantime.
So what do I think of D-VHS? The technology is cool, no doubt about it. I'll admit it - I want a player myself. But the format will never replace DVD. I mean, it will never even come close. I think it'll be lucky to reach laserdisc numbers. Until HD-DVD comes along (which might be a lot sooner than we expected given the added incentive of competition from D-VHS), this is a nice way for those with a lot of cash to watch high definition films on their spiffy digital TVs.
There are a few concerns that are worth keeping our eyes on. First of all, while the studios say they're not going after the DVD market, or attempting to undermine it in any way, it's clear that the most ardent studio supporters of D-VHS fall directly into the Bill Mechanic "tape is the future" camp. These are the same studios who were most interested in DIVX, and who suffer the most chaffing when Warner gets a royalty cut every time they sell a DVD disc. Regardless of what they say, D-VHS is clearly meant (in the minds of some at these studios) as a sharp jab at Warren Lieberfarb and the DVD camp. And if you doubt it, just dig a little deeper into DVD's history, with its abundant back-biting and animosity between Lieberfarb and Mechanic.
Some at these D-VHS supporting studios would also love to do away with the hassle and expense of creating all those special edition materials for DVD. D-VHS, were it to become successful, would be a nice way to see that happen. I will be very interested to see, as we go forward, just how aggressively these studios support both formats simultaneously. The responsibility lies with all of us in the online DVD community to hold their feet to the fire if their support for DVD wavers in the slightest. That's particularly true of you early adopters, who may (understandably) wish to at least partially embrace D-VHS for its quality.
There's also the concern that average consumers might be confused by throwing D-VHS into a consumer electronics landscape that already features DVD, DTV, HDTV, DSS, Tivo, broadband and the like. My belief, however, is that the average consumer is so far beneath the target market for D-VHS that they'll puzzle over it about as much as they do the difference between VHS and S-VHS... which is to say not at all. If they ever become even aware of D-VHS, they'll scratch their heads and quickly go back to spinning DVDs.
So ultimately, I'm cautiously willing to give D-VHS a try. The quality is cool and we'll probably even review D-VHS titles here at The Bits. But trust me when I say that we're going to be watching these studios VERY closely. DVD is absolutely our first priority - PERIOD. And HD-DVD can't come fast enough as far as we're concerned. So Warren... time to get busy.
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Кто ПЕРВЫЙ??? ;) -- BFG -- 01.02.02@12:14 (Чит.: 204)