We made a few here at 'DVD Review' and a few more may follow in the weeks ahead. One of the ones that will stand out most to long-time readers is the to the reviews. For the longest time we were reluctant to do so but I think the time has come to make this addition. In the info panel on the right hand side of our review you will now find a giving you an immediate idea about the quality of the release. This rating will represent the release as a whole, not just the quality of the movie itself. Read it as in 'Is it worth your time and money?' I hope you will find this addition helpful as you go through our reviews and see if you would agree with them. Who knows? Maybe somewhere down the line we'll even include ratings from our readers, to complement our own. also, as we're always interested in hearing what people are looking for in a website such as ours. Switching gears for a moment, I wanted to send out to us. I know they are not nearly as abundant on releases these days as they used to but I'm sure there are still plenty of discs out there with some great Easter Eggs on them. Please let us know when you find them because as you know, DVD Review is the longest-standing authority when it comes to DVD hidden features. Just send a quick email with info to this email and we'll check it out. I'm eager to hear about all those great hidden gems you will uncover!
So, as you all know, the . It's been about time, is all I can say to this, but I am glad that things have developed so quickly in the end. Toshiba pulls the plug, Universal announces Blu-Ray support the very same day, and Paramount the day after. So now, and we can finally begin to ring in the high definition era. Nonetheless, let us not forget that has been done over the past two years over the course of this war-that-never-should-have-been - kinda reminds me of the Iraq war, but that's a different story. The this format war has created among consumers is serious and the fallout will be noticed for at least another year. Although the actual war may be over I have no doubt that even around Christmas 2008 you will still have people walking into stores asking 'Isn't there another format?' Let's face it, when you are talking about the mainstream body of people, information trickles down very slowly sometimes and simply because they haven't heard the news yet that the war is over, because they feel insecure, or because they don't believe it - or perhaps because they do not trust the peace and expect some other format to crop up from somewhere. All these are issues that the entire industry has to deal with and that will need to be addressed. A great many people have suspended purchasing movies altogether over the past year - they saw DVD as becoming obsolete and at the same time didn't want to put their money on either of the high def formats in fear they may bet on the losing horse. I can't blame them. It will require a very strong push out of Hollywood to get the gears grinding again, to inspire people, give them hope and say One of the best ways to do that of course is to bring out the big guns. I am hoping to see some of the real fan favorites and heavy weights like 'The Lord Of The Rings,' 'Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' and others in high definition soon.
I am always amazed at how this world seems to be dominated by complete morons. Our entire culture these days is centered around the fact that you can always find some idiot somewhere who spoils the fun for everyone. Case in point, some moron in Connecticut called Bob McGovern, who is suing Samsung because his Blu-Ray player won't play certain discs. Now, I agree that incompatibility issues can be aggravating at times, they are typically resolved rather easily with a simple firmware upgrade. But all of that doesn't help if you're faced with some lowlife hellbent on getting rich quick through a frivolous lawsuit. It is for people like this that our entire society is essentially run by lawyers these days, who make a killing putting fear into every corporation and who encourage anyone to sue others even if there are no grounds to speak of. After all, they have nothing to lose – they win either way. In a world where people should have gotten used to the fact that every item we carry contains high technology, and where we should have learned that such technology is always flawed, a lawsuit based on an 'inconvenience' is simply ridiculous. Not even my cell phone does what it's supposed to do properly. Do I sue the manufacturer as a result? No, because I have a sense of decency that seems to be missing from way too many people. Only once we get of the preposterous assumption that everything around us is there only to cater to our whims and personal satisfaction, we may actually make this world a better place again. Until then, we have to watch legions of filthy lawyers get richer every day rubbing their hands in anticipation of their next client idiot who may be a little disgruntled.
I have heard that there is an going on on the Internet through which people try to get Warner to continue support for the HD-DVD format. While I understand that no one likes to lose, this is a ridiculous undertaking for a number of reasons. First of all, does anyone honestly think that can make a difference in this corporate decision? took a long and hard look at its sales numbers and they know how few HD-DVD users are out there and how little revenue they generate. They to understand that these people who put their money behind it do not want to lose their format. They might be executives but they are not retards, people, and they've been looking at these numbers for months now. Much more importantly however, I think that this petition is pointless because to put if very bluntly, It was the weaker of the two formats form the get-go and it keeps dragging on the war-that-never-should-have-been, resulting in massive consumer confusion and people not adopting high definition at the speed that they otherwise would. For all those of you who haven't heard yet, high definition is the future and yes, it is much better than DVD, and it is backwards compatible, which means all your cool DVD movies will still play on a Blu-Ray player. So go and get one, already. You won't regret it! I know I will take a lot of flak for saying this, but the fact of the matter is that HD-DVD is done in. It has reached the end of the line and the sales figure prove it as well. After Warner's announcement to abandon HD-DVD the sales figure jumped exponentially resulting in a brutally smashing for high definition players being sold and a 85% market share for high definition software sales, according to NPD Group. I think the number speak for themselves and the verdict is as simple as it is clear. The world doesn't need HD-DVD and more importantly, , so let's put an end to it and move on already!
If you are an owner, things are looking up for you. At first it appeared as if Apple and the carriers servicing the phone would mostly focus on providing nothing but for the phone, things have take on a new tone when Apple announced last week that it will make an available to developers. This means that the phone remains and before long you will be able to download games and applications for your phone as well. It was a bizarre move on Apple's behalf to begin with to completely close down the platform, and fortunately they have decided to do what every phone manufacturer in the past 7 years has been able to provide, offer their users a platform for interactive downloadable content. With that announcement, finally, the iPhone will be of value not only to snobs and tech nerds but also to people who use their phones for applications and games. With that, Guido Henkel
If you are like me, chances are you own a and have never used it to play a game. Frankly, until now, I have not found a single game for the PS3 that I found appealing enough to spend any money or time on. But then, along came an incredibly smooth and fascinating dirt racing game that has me glued in front of the console.
'DiRT' exemplifies everything I expect from a PS3 game. It is electrifying and fun. I am not a huge racing game fan, though I do play and enjoy them occasionally. When I threw in 'DiRT' for the first time I immediately knew that my PS2 'Ridge Racer' has finally run its course. The thing you will immediately notice is the game's incredibly detailed look and pace. The framerate is solid no matter how much detail the developers packed into this high definition picture. The levels and tracks are both challenging and fun while the damage system is the coolest around. Just watching the cars fall to pieces as you collide and ram into them is sheer bliss. The variety of backdrops and scenery – all of them gorgeously rendered with incredibly detail – will keep you engaged for a long time, as do the different vehicles and play modes. So, if you thought the PS3 can only play Blu-Ray Disc movies, and you enjoy racing games, give Codemasters' 'DiRT' a try sometime and spend some time on the dirt tracks instead.
No sooner did I mention Fox yesterday and their undecided stance on high definition formats, as the studio announced a slew of new titles. Clearly it was in response to Paramount's announcement to go HD-DVD exclusively from here on in so it remains to be seen if there's real product behind the announcement. After all Fox has announced various Blu-Ray titles before and the unceremoniously pulled from release schedules. Here's hoping, though, that this time it's for real and that the studio will really come through for a change. Regarding Paramount's announcement yesterday, while I was writing my commentary I couldn't help but think that this whole 'market analysis' was hogwash and that the real reason behind the move must be something else and it appears as if my instinct was right once again. During the day yesterday various rumors surfaced that the HD-DVD group actually paid Paramount a handsomely $150 million for the exclusive access to their films. Now, that makes sense. And no, there is nothing illegal about it. Exclusive deals have been done since the dawn of merchands. I can also see Paramount jumping at the bait, of course, because they have to sell a lot of high definition product in order to make that kind of profit, given the current weak high definition market penetration and sales overall. Let's face it, after all this whole deal is about 'Transformers' and 'Shrek' not making it to Blu-Ray. The HD-DVD camp is convinced that these two blockbusters will make a big impact, especially during the Holiday season for which they are undoubtedly scheduled, and frankly, they could be right. Setting up a deal with Paramount to secure these titles exclusively for their format makes sense - in fact, one has to begin to wonder why the Blu-Ray Disc Association wasn't smart enough to make a similar move? But well, that harks back to marketing and as we know marketing is the one thing the Blu-Ray camp has never gotten right. So, no matter which side of the fence you're on, Christmas will be very interesting this year. For me personally it makes no difference because I own and love both formats and maybe with strategic moves like this coming down the pipe, maybe more people should begin considering to simply peruse both formats and give the format war a kick in the behind.
At first the format war seemed pretty easy and straight forward. You have two formats that compete and studios that support either one, the other or both. Well, it's not that simple anymore. Apart from the fact that some studios are entirely clueless about their high def approach, such as Fox who use replication delays as a cheap excuse, other studios look at the market and make their own decisions, some of which are downright weird. One such decision came down the wire this morning affecting titles. From a press release this morning can be read that Paramount and will begin providing of their titles as of the end of August. But things are not as clear cut as just that. The announcement affects only part of the library, as the films of one Steven Spielberg are not exclusive to either format, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there will be other exceptions in the future. As you can see the battle lines are not so clear any more and I would not be surprised to see many studios handle format support , especially as the filmmakers become more and more engaged in the process and will have their own say on these decisions. I certainly can't follow the thought process that would lead any studio to support HD-DVD exclusively at this point of the game because . Dual-format support struck me as the best possible option – and still does – and to see Paramount voluntarily limiting their options and customer base simply makes me scratch my head. But hey, who am I to say such a thing?
It was a bizarre move on Apple's behalf to begin with to completely close down the platform, and fortunately they have decided to do what every phone manufacturer in the past 7 years has been able to provide, offer their users a platform for interactive downloadable content. With that announcement, finally, the iPhone will be of value not only to snobs and tech nerds but also to people who use their phones for applications and games. With that, 