Tactical Espionage Action

This is the first game play footage from Metal Gear Solid 4, presented in Japan at the MGS 20th Anniversary event.
Because non-game play cutscenes will only do for so long.

Nothing gets me more excited than the words "Tactical Espionage Action" (except maybe the words "Bucket of Chicken") and this trailer has about 15 minutes of just that. This is a lazy post I know, I'll get back to home theater posts soon, and possibly another Blu-Ray screening (of WILD THINGS!). But seriously, even though I'm not that into MGS (I played Snake Eater for about an hour before I decided it was too hard) what has piqued my interest about this game is that this series has always demonstrated early on in their life cycles, what Sony consoles are capable of. That's why I think this game is so important. Also, it gives me something else to gloat about besides the massive hardware failure of 360s.

PS. Also... Snake uses a fucking sixaxis. How fucking cool is that!?

Newsbit.

Newsbit for HD gaming, Peter Moore settles it once and for all:

Microsoft's coporate VP Peter Moore confirmed that Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will not be coming to Xbox 360, the game remains as a PS3 exclusive title.

source: The Magic Box

Back from Korea!

Or at least I will be tomorrow. I've been in this summer program in Korea for a week, and now I have returned. I went to North Korea and stuff; it was crazy to say the least.

But for now, I will rest, moss it up on the plane ride home, and return to my high definition love, HD DVD.

The Fountain Blu-Ray Screening

There will be an official Red vs Blu HD screening of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain at my house at 7 PM Thursday July 19th, 2007. (Or whenever Alex comes back from Berkeley). We have to start on time because my parents will probably want to watch Chinese drama. Get here early if you also want to watch E3 Trailers from Sony in HD. Special thanks to Albert for use of his Netflix.

Higher Definition, Higher Expectations

Having watched Kung Fu Hustle on Blu-ray and Harry Potter 5 in a conventional theater on the same day, I can say now that watching movies in HD with surround sound has surpassed regular movie theaters. Image quality from film can't match the color and the detail of HD, but maybe it was just this print of Harry Potter, and if that were the case this print was also missing a narrative structure and decent acting. Does the grainy film of Harry Potter mean the end of movie theaters is imminent? I hope not. Something about watching movies in a theater makes it an event. Films are made to be watched on the Silver Screen. Television and film have always been competing with each other, and film for the most part has been slightly ahead technologically. Color films came out before color television, and when color was introduced to TV, they started making movies in widescreen and now that TV is going digital, movie theaters and studios must now follow suit, or better yet one-up TV. As home theater systems get more advanced, hopefully so will local movie theaters. While the number of IMAX theaters is expanding ever so slowly(still only about 70 in North America), digital projectors like the ones used by Century 22 is more cost-effective way by updating existing theaters, as opposed to pushing for wide construction of new IMAX theaters.

While some would argue that the jump from current displays to HD is not as significant as that from black and white to color, the fact remains that once you see something in HD, there's no going back. HD may not revolutionize either the television or film industries, it is a significant step forward. A step that will compel people raise their expectations of not only home theater, but movie theaters, optical storage, video games, and broadcast television as well.Once the bar is raised, cultural and economic forces will push us to take the next step. And so, to speed up the progress of HD is to advance the march of mankind.

That might have been a bit much, but seriously... IT'S THE FUTURE!!1!one!!11exclaimation!

New Release Tuesday

So Albert has decided to duck out for a week without telling me. The only notice I was given was his status change on Facebook. So I guess I'll be holding down the fort for the next few days.

Today I bring you my pick of the new releases on Blu-ray this week. And my pick of the day if you haven't guessed it from the picture to the left, is Wild Things: Unrated Edition. If I didn't feel guilty about blowing $19.95 of my parents money, I'd be going to bed early to get this when Best Buy opens tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one dying to see the explosive courtroom scene* where Denise Richards throws a glass at Neve Campbell** in HD. This is also the unrated version of the film which means 7 more minutes of... courtroom scenes* . Also of note, the Bruce Willis/Milla Jovovich movie The Fifth Element is getting a re-release on Blu-ray to fix some video quality issues. And like Albert, the other next-gen format is on hiatus as well, as there are no new HD-DVD releases this week. Wild Things: Unrated Edition and The Fifth Element(Remastered) are both available on Amazon at $19.95.

*by "courtroom scene" I meant "3-way scene".
**and by "throws a glass at Neve Campbell", I meant "sucks on Neve Campbells nipples"

Sunday Morning News Round-up

SEGA IS BACK TO MAKING CONSOLES!

I guess Sears really wants to see another Sega console, picture and article at X-Box Scene should explain it all. Link here to Sears site if they haven't fixed it yet.

CHEAP HD-DVD PLAYERS
Somewhere next week people will be buying HD-DVD players for $99. Read the rest of it at Gizmondo.

Futureproof.

1. futureproof

Not obsolete in the future

-Urban Dictionary

I originally was going to use a definition from PC Magazine but this one from Urban Dictionary is much more succinct, not to mention Steph Chien approved. So what does it mean to be futureproof during the transition to HD? Has digital media reached a satisfactory level of clarity and mass produce-ability that the movies we buy and the home videos we shoot will not be replaced by something flashier in a few years? That is the hope. But then, weren't we promised all that with DVDs? While yes, the Cruel Intentions on Blu-ray probably looks better than the DVD version that I bought from Best Buy 8 years ago, the fact that not only are DVDs compatible with HD-DVD/Blu-ray players, upscaling should make the transition into the new smoother by smoothing the lower-res DVDs on your HD display.* So no, your ultimate HD choices will most certainly not be the last home theater choice you'll make, but to ensure that your choices stay futureproof through the next couple of years, it is imperative to make educated choices.

While I'm here...

Having dual formats is bad for the market, but more interestingly it's bad for you! I acknowledge having a competing, cheaper, format has pushed Sony and Blu-ray player makers to lower its price. However, in the long run it is still counterproductive to the overall adoption of HD in homes. People don't like choices, it makes them uneasy. It takes Alex and me half an hour to decide between A&J or Chilis, an hour if one of us is in the mood for KFC. The need to eat(not the arrival at a satisfactory decision) is often what ends up compelling us to make a choice. When faced with two seemingly similar choices in HD, people can put off that decision for a much longer time. While it's relatively safe to say HD-DVD's existence as a viable mainstream format is in its waning months (god-forbid years), the longer it sits on its deathbed, the longer people will hold off and be apprehensive about taking that plunge into HD (and the Blu). HD-DVD has posed some competition for the Blu-ray camp and caused some price pressures,but its definitive achievement of 2007 will be to have delayed wider HD adoption for at least one more holiday season.

PS: Please don't be angry Albert, I still want to watch Serenity on HD-DVD. <3 style="font-style: italic;">

*that was an awkwardly worded sentence, I'll explain more about upscaling, or you can wikipedia it

Warner Bros. Favor

It's no wonder we see Warner Bros. favoring HD DVD. Steve Nickerson of Warner Bros. takes a few jabs at the Blu ray/PS3 inflation.

"These figures are especially important because the standalone player market is by far the biggest driver of movie sales in the long-term."

"This is simply because those who buy a standalone player are interested solely in buying and watching movies and other video content, whereas those with HD drives built into games consoles are primarily interested in games."

Source: Pocket-lint

While I feel that Nickerson is underplaying the power of how the PS3 can effect the Blu ray, he's absolutely right about standalone players being the biggest driver. We can even apply this to the 360 HD DVD drive. Nickerson isn't too interested in the present-and-now success of the barely penetrated HD market, he's interested in the long run, which makes me worry whether either HD optical format will have the staying power to outlast his optimistic dreams.

The PS3 Re-Effect

Months ago, the internet was invaded with catchphrase of the "PS3 Effect." Guess what? It's sure to return for a brief moment.

With E3 2007 come and gone (disappointingly I might add), the PS3 has been officially marked down by $100. Whether or not this $100 price drop will remain solitary, as confusion ensues with Sony still trying to make an official statement about a $599 or $499 PS3 80gig pack later in the year, it's only going to last a matter of time. There's no doubt that we will see a surge of Blu ray titles feverishly topping HD DVD titles on lists (Eproducts). Already, we see a number of oddly placed titles such as Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Memento entering the Top 100 DVDs on Amazon. But while Blu ray attempts to sustain this momentum, it'll ultimately come crashing back to around it's original place.

This is the PS3 Re-effect. The audience that Sony has attacked with it's price drop were those frantic gamers, waiting for any scent of a cheaper PS3, and those looking for the cheapest Blu ray player out there. But this number is only so finite. Blu ray will surely gain some upper momentum in leaving HD DVD further behind in the dust, but it's only a matter of time before things return to normal where Sony's flagship disc only leads by a certain percentage (at this time, it's around 66:33 on average weekly, which sadly is quite substantial).

Not only this, but in the following months with HD DVD, there happens to be more titles released than Blu ray until the end of the year (as announced so far). And standalone players are selling faster for HD DVD than Blu ray. HD DVD isn't left in the dust because of this newly priced PS3, and certainly won't be the nail in its coffin. It may cause some damage as the PS3 gains a number of eager gamers. But even though Microsoft seems to neglect it's support for HD DVD, it still has plenty of life in it, at least for another year's worth of library and new titles.

On a side note, I'm in Korea, so I'm unable to buy any HD DVDs at the moment on "New Release Tuesdays." But I'll add that HD DVD titles here are expensive as hell. I perused a local store's very limited collection of HD titles, and they ranged from $40-50. Korea has not yet expanded into Blu ray territory as of yet (since the PS3 had a measly launch maybe about a month ago), and HD DVDs aren't necessarily flying off shelves either. So the HD disc revolution has yet to begin here. It's odd too because there are HDTVs everywhere. I'm sitting in the railroad station, and there's a nice new LG 60" HDTV with HD programming. I'm eating some soup in a restaurant, and there's an HDTV playing some Korean drama.

Maybe it's because we are all too busy playing Starcraft...

Violent Revolution (a brief history of HD)

Fanboy-dom aside, I think we should mention or at least disclose that Albert's and my choices for next-gen movie players puts us a pretty interesting position a few electronic sectors. And while we can throw cheap shots at each other, and our respective next-gen camps, until this turns into blogger "yo mama", there's some educating I'd like to get done first...

When the people want a revolution it is bloody, violent, and most importantly quick. (see. 10th grade world history) When the US Government and several multi-national corporations want to revolutionize home entertainment... well it can feel like the 100 Year's War, with out Milla Jovovich. Now, there's a lot more history than I'd care to write right now and I'm guessing if I shoot my wad this early, nobody will be back for more. With that in mind, we'll delve into some of the reasons why the US government wants YOU to switch to Digital/HD TV.

In the late 80's the FCC , best known as the reason Howard stern is on satellite radio, began asking corporations and research firms to come up with standards and guidelines to introduce HDTV to the masses. After the standards were set and congress decided it was time, a bill was passed in the late 90's that mandated that the transition from analog televisions to digital television* by 2004. But why is the government so eager to get you to watch the fugly Asian woman on Grey's Anatomy in higher resolution than her face warrants? Well, without getting too technical or long winded, the amount of bandwidth it takes to broadcast a show digitally, is less than that of analog shows. During the current transition period, television stations are getting extra bandwidth to broadcast shows in both formats. However, soon ,as in three years ago, the government wants that extra bandwidth back. (For military communications and the like.) Of course, 2004 came and about 10% of homes in the US actually owned digital TV sets, so the deadline was delayed. Currently, by government mandate, the transition to HDTV must be completed by February 17, 2009. On that day, analog broadcast for all television stations must stop. Of course, all that only matters to losers who don't have cable.

So there you have it. Why the FCC wants you to get a new TV. Of course, if you wanted to, you could look at it more optimistically; I'm sure the government only wants you to have clearer television. Like I said earlier, HD is about choices, and these are just some of the reasons to choose from when telling yourself its time to buy a new TV.


*for the purposes of this post, digital television is HDTV. Clarification will be provided in a later post.

Can't forget HD DVD...

While Blu ray maintains a substantial lead ahead of HD DVD, you can't ignore it's efforts in being a strong competitor in this war.

I chose to dive into this war because a war needs the consumer voice. As much as I hate having to choose a side, a format war is necessary. Sure, I could possibly lose money on supporting a losing format, but as shown by prices, we've forced hardware prices to come down to an affordable level (at least in the case of HD DVD).

I'm not really anti-Blu ray, but I've already chosen my format as HD DVD and it's hard to leave behind the format that has been good to me for the past few months. So while I'm supporting HD DVD, the most important fact is that I'm a film aficionado. I support these formats for my love for movies.

But for now, and for the sake of this blog, I'll be jumping into the red suit, while Siyu sports his undeniable "blu" Sony fanboy suit.

Into the Blu(and red)

Miktrebla and I (mostly I) have decided to document our commentary on the slow march towards HD. Sure this blog might be a decade overdue but personally, I feel like there is still so much misinformation and misconceptions about what it is to see something in HD. For me, HD is something you just have to be there for. Unless you have an HD display (a fair amount of people do) all the trailers and screen shots are not HD. I reckon some of the resistance to conversion comes from people not being impressed with the 720x480 screen shot they see of a Blu Ray movie, but believe you me, HD is coming.

Right now, HD is about choices, and confusion. From disc formats to display resolutions to consoles to digital inputs, there are a maze of choices before you can reach the visual(and aural) nirvana we call HD. Hopefully down the line some of those choices will become streamlined, but a lot of them are here to stay. Nothing Albert and I will write can change the future of HD; we're merely conscientious observers of a revolution. We invite you to be one too, because nobody wants to be on the wrong side of a revolution. (HD-DuD...... ZING!)


We'll see how long this lasts.