p2pnet - rss feed: NME: $200 rival to Blu-ray
p2pnet news | Products:- Blu-ray is no longer the only game in town.
New Medium Enterprises (NME) says it’s offering the world’s first $200 True High Definition solution, "utilizing today’s Red Laser Technology".
"HD VMD is a true HD format with 1920 x 1080i/p resolution, up to 40 Mbps bit rate playback, DVD up-scaling so users can watch their existing DVD collection and achieve premium picture quality through their HD TV monitors," promises the company.
"The HD VMD player is suitable for playback on all HD-capable display devices and will support existing optical disc formats: CD, DVD (DVD 5 & DVD 9). HD VMD players also feature Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and all region codes for greater film viewing flexibility."
But, "We do not intend to take on Blu-ray," the New York Times has New Medium’s Shirly Levich saying.
"We see VMD as a natural extension of mass market DVD product enhanced to HD capabilities. We shall not rekindle the format war."
However, adds the story, "The industry and consumers may not see it that way, given that the company is promoting its price advantages. While Blu-ray players typically cost more than $300, an HD VMD unit is priced at $199. Sales through Amazon are scheduled to begin in five weeks, the company said. No talks have been held with the big-box retailers, like Wal-Mart Stores, to carry the product.
"New Medium thinks its secret weapon is Michael Jay Solomon, one of Hollywood’s best-known film distributors, who has been named its chairman.
"Although he has yet to approach the studios, Mr. Solomon, a former president of Warner Brothers International Television, said his long tenure in the industry would help him succeed in licensing movies for HD VMD. ‘It’s a combination of my good experiences and continual relationships,’ Mr. Solomon said in a telephone interview from Shanghai, where he was visiting with company engineers."
HD VMD players already rolling out of NME production facilities in China, says the company, stating it’s started shipping to the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia and India.
Also See:
New York Times - Another DVD Format, but This One Says It’s Cheaper, March 10, 2008
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March 10th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
HD VMD is currently region free, but according to the official FAQ (on the VMD site, which is down, but vieable in Google’s cache), they’re just waiting for the final specs on what type of region coding to include.
Despite the cheery picture the company’s hype paints, this format will be just as locked down and restrictive as Blu-Ray.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
O RLY? Yet another physical disc format?
If it were HD on ordinary DVD, it would be a killer app. Especially if the technology such as DivX HD and similar ones exist.