In a startling development, two nights before the HD DVD press conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Warner Bros. announced all its high definition future HD titles would only be in the Blu-ray format, as of the beginning of June 2008.

This action tilts major movie studios’ support clearly in Blu-ray format’s favor and may signal the beginning of the end of the high definition format war. Below is a copy of the Warner Bros. press release.

January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

“Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” said Meyer. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.”

Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.

“Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Today’s decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner.”

“A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Tsujihara. “Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.”

Addendum 9:30 PM -In response to the Warner Annoucement the HD DVD Group has just canceled its Sunday Jan. 6th press event at the International CES in Las Vegas. The press release reads as follows:

“Notice of CES Press Conference Cancellation by North American HD DVD Promotion Group

Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD’s commitment to quality and affordability – a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD.”

Copyright ©2008 Gary Merson/HD Guru™. All rights reserved. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.

The sale begins at Wal-Mart stores at 8:00 am (Check your local store for stock) and is “while supplies last.”

Need some HD DVD discs to go with your new player? No problem, the HD A2 player is eligible for 5 free HD DVD discs from Toshiba (http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/) Just press the link on the right side for the mail-in rebate form.

Want more discs? Wal-Mart on Friday morning also has three HD DVD titles on sale (The Big Lebowski, Blood Diamond and 12 Monkeys) for $14.96

Need a big screen plasma HDTV too? Wal-Mart is also featuring the Sanyo DP50707 50” plasma for just $998 this Friday (in-store while supplies last). Here are the specifications

TV Technology: Plasma
TV Definition: HDTV
HDMI: Yes
Screen Size: 50″
Brightness: 1000 cdm/2
Contrast: 8000:1
Dimensions with Stand: 49.4″W x 33.3″H x 11.1″D, 102 lbs
HD-Ready: Yes
DVI: No
Widescreen: Yes
Model No.: DP50747
Shipping Weight (in pounds): 115.9
Product in Inches (L x W x H): 11.1 x 49.4 x 33.3
Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported
Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported
Wal-Mart No.: 000567819

Copyright ©2007 HD Gary Merson/HD Guru™. All rights reserved. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.

The high definition disc format war has turned into a battle royale with the recent announcements of the exclusive support of the HD DVD format by Paramount and Dreamworks animation. Depending how you want to do the studio count (inclusion of only major studios, “adult” studios and the minor or independent releases), the split is now roughly about 50-50 between the two formats. In other words, if you want to get into the high def disc game today, you have to choose a single format player and neglect about half the releases, buy a HD DVD player and a Blu-ray player (with the associated two HDMI cables and double the real estate on your shelves) or settle for the current “limited” function combo player from LG. This will no longer be the case! The HD Guru has just received the first pre-production sample the Samsung BD-UP5000 and it may be the answer to the format war. Samsung has loaded performance and functionality into a light compact attractive package.

The BD-UP5000’s feature list is impressive. It has (for either format) Ethernet connector for firmware updates and interactive content, BD-Java (BD-J) for Blu-ray and HDi for HD DVD. The HDMI 1.3 connection will support the lossless formats TrueHD and DTS-MA (through a firmware upgrade that will occur before or shortly after product launch), 1.3 Deep Color (though no discs use it yet) and HDMI-CEC for command and control over HDMI (if your HDTV is so equipped). The 5000 has output selections when using HD or Standard definition discs that include 720p/1080i/1080p. 1080p can be selected as 24Hz or 60 Hz. In addition, the BD-UP5000 comes equipped with the Silicon Optix’s Reon scaler chip (it is the same one used in the Samsung BD-1200 and their upcoming BD-2400 as well as the Toshiba (HD DVD) HD-XA2). This chip provides the best upconversion of standard definition content to HD I have evaluated.

As pictured above the BDP-5000 ($999 retail) has a glossy black finish with a soft-lit display. It measures a mere 16.9” x 3.1” x 12.8” and weighs in at 13.2 pounds. The rear panel contains optical and coaxial audio outputs as well as the HDMI connection, 7.1 analog audio connections with conversion for all the Dolby digital formats and DTS including DTS-MA. It also has component video and standard def S-Video and composite video outputs.

With a limited time with the player, I ran through as many video tests and functions as I could, concentrating on its Blu-ray and HD DVD functionality. Timing the boot-up from off to the point where the player comes to life with the Samsung screen that reads HD DVD and Blu-ray on a blue background (see photo above) takes a respectable 35 seconds. Once the disc is loaded either HD format will produce the first image in about 25 seconds. Standard Def DVD first view was quicker at about 15 seconds.

The Digital Video Essentials HD DVD confirmed full bandwidth output at 1080p (60) reproducing the single pixel on/off vertical and horizontal lines on the 1080p 50” (TH-59PZ750) Panasonic plasma used for this evaluation. The Blu-ray version of the Silicon Optix HQV test disc confirmed perfect deinterlacing of 1080i content (found in music videos) as well as perfect 3:2 cadence for film based sources, producing an artifact free image. This is important, as the vast majority of 2007 HDTVs tested (74 to date) still do not properly convert 24 fps content to 60 fps. Using the Samsung BD-UP5000 at 1080p/60 output connected to a display 1080p display that accepts this signal should eliminate this issue by bypassing the displays inferior internal scaler.
Color bars were accurately reproduced with proper saturation. There are no player picture controls (color, tint, contrast etc.) but considering the accuracy of its output, I do not feel they are necessary.

I sampled a variety of HD DVD and Blu-ray discs including 300 (HD DVD), Casino Royale (BD) Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (HD DVD), Wild Hogs (Blu-ray) and, The Fifth Element (TFE) Blu-ray It is the new remastered edition. The BD-UP5000 revealed there are still specks of dirt in certain scences in the new print used for the Blu-ray transfer of TFE, though it is much cleaner than the dirt and scratch infested first edition. (Perhaps Sony Pictures should use the same 1080p plasma and Samsung player combo I used for its quality control monitoring, whatever the Sony Studio is using now does not appear to be up to the task).

All discs viewed all looked spectacular, with every image appearing clean, crisp and sharp as a tack. Anyone who claims unconverted DVDs look just as good as HD DVD and Blu-ray needs to get over to their nearest eyewear center right away. It is more than resolution that makes these formats so appealing, it is the image free of visible compression artifacts that provides a film-like look when viewing a top quality HDTV and using a high definition disc in a player as good as the BD-UP5000.

The functionality in the BD-UP5000 is an improvement over previous generation products with faster chapter changes and quicker entry into other menu functions. I particularly liked the new time bar on the top of the image (seen in the bottom photo). The new GUI is clean and easy to read. The only crude graphic is a series of “ disc loading” dots, though they are an improvement over the Samsung first generation hour glass.

I briefly checked the standard DVD performance. The player aced the Silicon Optix HQV’s test discs jaggies, 3:2 (and other cadence) pulldown tests and noise reduction tests, but some pre-production glitches prevented me from performing a complete evaluation

The BD-UP5000 interactive capabilities were confirmed with the HD DVD version of 300. By connecting my router via the Ethernet port in the back the player I was able to download exclusive web enabled features off the internet with the 300 HD DVD disc inserted. The only HD DVD feature the BD-UP5000 seems to lack is a USB port to expand the player’s memory with a thumb drive. According to a Samsung spokesperson the BD-UP5000 has 256MB internal memory.

The BD-UP5000 currently retails for $999. I consider the price/performance ratio a home run, as the cost is just a $100 higher (at retail) than purchasing the current BD-1200 Samsung Reon equipped Blu-ray and the lowest cost HD DVD player, the Toshiba HD-A3. Of course you get more Blu-ray features, a better GUI and soon all the audio formats plus 7.1 analog output. The BD-UP5000 will be available in the 4th Qtr, according to a Samsung spokesperson. Lets hope it’s is closer to October than December.

With the format war continuing with no end in sight, the Samsung BD-UP5000 it is the logical choice for HDTV viewers that want the best performance no matter which DVD, Blu-ray or HD DVD discs they choose to view. The BD-UP5000 is my new reference standard for a high definition player and it is awarded the HD Guru’s™ top rating of ♥♥♥♥.

Update-1080p/24 output has been confirmed. It works beautifully. The player puts up a confirmation screen that must be acknowledged with an “accept”, if not the player will automatically revert back to the 1080p/60 setting to avoid a blank screen with displays that will accept 1080p/60 but not 1080p/24

Copyright ©2007 Gary Merson/HD Guru™. All rights reserved. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.