Paramount Home Entertainment quietly announced today that they would be releasing their movies onto Blu-ray Disc again as a result of the HD DVD's demise.
The consumers will become more confident in what format to buy now that all 6 major studios are supporting Blu-ray Disc. So much have happened in the last couple months. This week was pretty much the biggest week for the Blu-ray Disc camp so far.All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray Disc camp, a day after Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-gen game in town.
Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday: "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," the statement reads. "As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."
Source: The Hollywood Reporter (February 21, 2008)
I am relieved that this format war is coming to an end because there is no need to prolong it when HD DVD have yet to win a single week since January 2007 which was over a year ago. My real concern was that if they prolong the war, Blu-ray Disc might have suffered causing both formats to fade away before its time. However, the future is now looking bright for the Blu-ray format now that Toshiba have conceded defeat to the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) in the format war.
The Future is Blu.
Related stories:
• Amazon.com to Support Blu-ray
• Universal Studios Goes Blu-ray
• Ding Dong, the HD DVD Format is Dead
• Warner to Back Blu-ray Exclusively
• Something Smells Fishy at Paramount
• DVD vs. Blu-ray: A Comparison
This morning, the Amazon.com team released a press release announcing their support of Blu-ray. They are going to promote Blu-ray more from now on. They will continue to carry HD DVD products. This is something they can easily afford to do since they operate in warehouses and not retail stores. They just won't be promoted as much as they used to be. They were paid by Toshiba to constantly advertise HD DVD products through e-mails and inserted leaflets in all of their parcels to their customers for months. It certainly did not make any difference at all.
Below is the press release they released today.Amazon.com to Support Blu-ray as the Digital Format of Choice for Customers
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an effort to help demystify high-definition entertainment for consumers, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced its support for Blu-ray as the digital format of choice for customers. As part of this announcement, Amazon.com will more prominently promote Blu-ray hardware and software products on its website.
“The high-definition landscape is rapidly changing, and consumers are looking for guidance on how to make the best high-definition buying decisions,” said Peter Faricy, vice president of movies and music at Amazon.com. “Our customers have clearly voiced their support for the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray titles have increased from just over half of our high-definition sales to over three-quarters of our high-definition sales since early January. In order to best serve our customers, Amazon is recommending Blu-ray as the preferred digital format and will continue to carry the ‘Earth’s Largest Selection’ of Blu-ray products.”
Amazon.com currently carries a wide array of Blu-ray hardware and software products including players, Blu-ray discs, and the Sony PlayStation 3. For the hundreds of thousands of HD DVD owners who may still wish to purchase products for that format, Amazon will continue to carry a wide assortment of HD DVD products, including the broadest selection of HD DVD movie titles.
Source: BusinessWire.com
We still haven't heard anything from Paramount/DreamWorks SKG on their decision. If they don't announce it this week, it is just a matter of time before they do switch over. That $150 million payout isn't going to last them long.
Related stories:
• Universal Studios Goes Blu-ray
• Ding Dong, the HD DVD Format is Dead
• Warner to Back Blu-ray Exclusively
• Something Smells Fishy at Paramount
• DVD vs. Blu-ray: A Comparison
Already? It didn't take them long to make the “decision.” They must have been prepared for a long time. In fact, industry insiders mentioned that some people from Universal Studios were scouting the Blu-ray Disc facilities last year. That was a big clue that they were already thinking about it, but they had a legal obligation to stay committed to the HD DVD format.
At least one of the two studios exclusive to HD DVD is already gearing up to join the other team.
"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
"The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for hi-def’s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate."
Source: Home Media Magazine (February 19, 2008)
Now we just have to wait for Paramount/Dreamworks SKG to make an announcement. It should be taking soon. We just don't know when, but it probably will be today or later this week.
Related story: Ding Dong, the HD DVD Format is Dead
That's right, the HD DVD format is now officially dead as of today. Toshiba, the biggest backer of HD DVD announced today they are dropping the format due to the declining sales in both hardware and software. Ever since Warner Bros. Entertainment announced they were going to support Blu-ray exclusively back in early January, it resulted in a massive domino effect. New Line Cinema, HBO, National Geographic and more are now Blu-ray exclusive since the announcement.
Netflix recently announced they are dropping HD DVD, Best Buy announced they are now endorsing Blu-ray over HD DVD. Wal-Mart announced they are dropping HD DVD starting at the beginning of June.
It is highly likely that Universal Studios and Paramount/Dreamworks SKG will be switching over to Blu-ray Disc as a result of Toshiba's announcement. I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement this week. Anyway, here is the press release.
February 19, 2008
Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses
Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content
Tokyo—Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.
HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.
“We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,” said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.”
Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.
Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.
This decision will not impact on Toshiba’s commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.
Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.
Source: Toshiba Investor Relations
There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth.
Do you own a 1080p HDTV but aren’t really taking the full advantage of it? Well, here's your chance to take advantage of your HDTV. You can enter a contest to win a Blu-ray Disc player and an instant library of 100 movies on Blu-ray Disc! Amazon is having a contest where 30 people will be able to win such a big prize.
Just click here to gain access to the website for more information. You don't have to make any purchases or anything. All you need to do is give them your full name, home address, phone numbers and your e-mail address. It's that simple. This contest is only open to the U.S. residents; nobody outside of the country can enter the contest.
Good luck to all these who enters the contest!
Warner Bros. Entertainment made a major announcement regarding the high definition formats for movies. Starting May 2008, Warner Bros. Entertainment will be releasing movies only on Blu-ray Disc instead of both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. This is a major blow to the HD DVD camp. Warner Bros. Entertainment has a massive library of movies including many classics just waiting to be seen in the full glory of high definition.
Now, this also means they may be increasing the video quality. The problem with Warner Bros. Entertainment being a neutral studio, they decided to use the same video encoding for both formats but they sometimes will add the uncompressed audio track for Blu-ray owners. HD DVD's bandwidth is more limited in comparison to Blu-ray Disc's bandwidth, so they have to cut corners and compromise the video and audio quality of the movies. Some of their titles look great, like "Blade Runner", the Harry Potter movies and more. Though it's obvious they can look even better if they were given higher video bit-rate for the Blu-ray Disc format.
New Line Cinema also confirmed that it has decided to support Blu-ray Disc only after releasing just one movie onto HD DVD. They have not announced any other HD DVD releases. The studio also shares the same parent as Warner Bros. Entertainment’s, which is Time Warner. Though they are two separate studios, but New Line Cinema always appeared to be more supportive of Blu-ray Disc. I always felt that it was Warner Bros. Entertainment that held them back from going Blu-ray exclusive.
Below is the press release issued by Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Warner Bros. Entertainment to Release its High-Definition DVD Titles Exclusively in the Blu-Ray Disc Format Beginning Later This Year
January 04, 2008
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."
Source: Time Warner
The Future is Blu.
As some of you may have heard. Paramount and DreamWorks Animation each has declared exclusive support for HD DVD.
Before I say more, I want to make it clear that I support the Blu-ray Disc format and not the HD DVD format. I have my reasons and there are more to the story than meet the eyes.
Yes, it is a blow to the Blu-ray camp. There's no doubt in that part. Though that's not what I'm here to discuss.
Even though nothing is official but I have my reasons to believe that at least one law was broken. It's awfully suspicious and there are already talks of the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) starting up an investigation in response to the announcement today. Keep in mind that these are all speculations. They are not official yet.
Reason No. 1:
It's a documented fact that every title released onto the Blu-ray format from Paramount in the last 8 months has outsold the same titles on the HD DVD format.
Why would they all of a sudden dump Blu-ray Disc in favour for HD DVD when they are outselling the HD DVD format by at least 200%? It doesn't make any sense, business-wise.
Reason No. 2:
Paramount was literally shilling for Blu-ray Disc as being the better format until now. They were making all sorts of praises toward the Blu-ray Disc format. According to industry insiders, the technical team at Paramount had hoped that Blu-ray would become the dominant format. The problem is, the executives at Paramount listened to the bean counters and not the technical team.
Reason No. 3:
On July 27th, Paramount announced that it was shifting its focus to Blu-ray. They were supposed to ship Blu-ray titles with lossless or uncompressed soundtracks starting with 'Blades of Glory’, which was scheduled for August 28th.
It was quite a big newsmaker that day because prior to the announcement, they were providing standard Dolby Digital soundtracks which is equal to the soundtracks found on the DVD format.
Reason No. 4:
Steven Spielberg has been quite vocal about not allowing Universal Pictures to release his movies onto HD DVD. Universal is HD DVD exclusive, just in case you didn't know. They have been committed to the HD DVD format from the beginning. However, I suspect they aren't too happy with their sales on HD DVD. If I recall correctly, Universal has a contract with the DVD Forum to release over a hundred titles onto the HD DVD format within a year. So, there is always the possibility they may go neutral and release movies onto both formats after the contract expires.
Not only to mention that Paramount will be unable to release Spielberg movies on HD DVD only. Reports claim that Spielberg insisted that his movies should be released onto both formats. However, I am skeptical for a reason. I believe Spielberg is leaning toward the Blu-ray Disc format.
In fact, the first Steven Spielberg film is coming to a high-definition format and guess what? It is Blu-ray Disc exclusive. Not convinced that Spielberg is leaning toward the Blu-ray format yet? How about the fact that he personally approved the new high-definition video master for 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'? They even shot a new video interview with Spielberg himself. Why would he embrace the Blu-ray format just like that when he flatly said no when Universal announced plans to release his movies onto HD DVD? It's the same situation with Paramount as well.
All right, I've shared four reasons and I do believe they are significant. It makes the whole situation seem awfully suspicious. This is why I mentioned the SEC earlier. Word has it that Paramount was paid an amount of $50 million and DreamWorks Animation was paid $100 million by whom?
Microsoft.
At least two blabbermouths work at Paramount. I wonder if they knew that their big mouths might result in a major SEC investigation? There weren't any mention of a payoff by Microsoft in the press release issued by Viacom today. I think it's safe to assume that the executives at Paramount tried their best to sweep the deal with Microsoft under the carpet. Of course, somebody talked. It's just about to get really interesting the next few days, maybe weeks or months.
Microsoft is the one who developed the VC-1 codec. It's a video codec that is used on most or all of the HD DVD titles. Microsoft collects royalties from all of the HD DVD discs that were encoded in VC-1. The codec is also known as Windows Media Video 9 codec.
So in a way, it makes sense why Microsoft would bribe Paramount in going HD DVD and dump Blu-ray. For months, it has been speculated that Microsoft is deliberately sabotaging the future for both HD DVD and Blu-ray in order to push downloadable movies. What people don't realize is that the concept of downloadable movies will not be going mainstream for at least 5 years, probably 10 years at the earliest. I don't see how it is possible when most people's internet connection is capped to 10 to 30GB per month. A downloadable movie in heavily compressed HD would be at least 10GB. To get a good HD version would be at least 15GB to 30GB depending on the length.
If you don't think this is a big deal. Well, it is a big deal. If the allegations against Microsoft turn out to be true, then they may be in deep trouble. There are anti-trust laws in the USA and Europe. I can guarantee you that Microsoft will get grilled for it in Europe. It is illegal to pay someone to shut down a particular facility, service, etc in order to kill the competition. They are saying that Microsoft paid Paramount to stop selling Blu-ray in exchange for money. That is a strong form of monopoly and this isn't the first time Microsoft has resorted to such a tactic. It's a business tactic I have no respect for.
I am quite disappointed with Paramount for making such an ill-advised business move, which may result in severe legal consequences. They faced temptation and caved in. They may as well face the consequences. I wouldn't be surprised if the investors are becoming upset over this because this will not benefit them when they do the math. The best solution is to stay neutral or become Blu-ray exclusive, at least it would make more sense business-wise.
By the way, Michael Bay on his website has declared that he will not direct 'Transformers 2' as a response to Paramount's decision to become HD DVD exclusive. He's not a filmmaker I hold in high admiration but I must say I now admire him for his courage to speak up against Paramount's decision. I do like some of his movies though.
Anyway, I just cannot condone such a business deal. Corporations should be able to decide for themselves rather than being bribed to kill the competition. The consumers are supposed to decide what format will prevail. However, it's becoming more difficult now that there are allegations of payoff and corruption among the corporations involved with both formats.
I feel sorry for the consumers; it is just going to get more confusing for them on deciding what format to support. Two formats cannot co-exist the whole time, it just cannot. It's too much for the average consumer to deal with. We have transitions and that's when consumers can get confused but this is a difficult time because there are two new formats and they aren't sure which one to get.
No, a combo player is not the answer. Not when the manufacturers have to pay licensing fees to both DVD Forum and BDA for including both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Right now, the format war is just going to be prolonged for just a little longer than expected.
I've said all I can for now. So have a good day.
UPDATE: Just as I suspected, Steven Spielberg is indeed a big Blu-ray supporter. Click here to read the article.
UPDATE II: Reason No. 4 was removed and replaced with Reason No. 5. A reader pointed out that Blockbuster is no longer a part of Viacom. I checked it out and apparently it's true. I missed out on that one.
Today at 6:00pm in every time zone across the USA, iPhone will be released to the public. Though it come with two big price tags, $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model.
From what I have looked at, I have to say this is the most amazing mobile phone I have yet to see. Some of the shortcomings are that it doesn't come with iChat at launch, but hopefully it will someday through software updates. To me, instant messaging capabilities are a must on any mobile phone. As I'm deaf, I rely on text messaging and instant messaging applications to communicate with my friends, family, co-workers and more. The other major issue is the lack of closed captioning while watching movies or TV shows on it. Apple, Inc needs to be more supportive of the deaf and hard of hearing’s needs. The deaf consumers pay the same prices as the hearing consumers do, the iPhone need to become more accessible to the deaf. I must say that the subscription fees are a tad too rich for my taste.
Now, a lot of people are skeptical and curious about the touch-screen keyboard being used on the iPhone rather than a real keyboard. From the few reviews I have read, they are saying that the keyboard is reliable and you will be able to type as fast as you can on a real keyboard within a few days of using it. So, it’s just going to take a bit of time to adapt to it. It’s a feature I’m really looking forward to, as I prefer to get the biggest screen size possible on a device of that size.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. It's not coming out in Canada yet, maybe later this year or next year. So that give me a lot of time to find out what people think of it or how good it is in the long run without having to buy one for myself. I have never been impressed by any mobile phones until my eyes laid on the iPhone from the day it was unveiled.
If you happen to get your hands onto an iPhone and want to share your thoughts, feel free to share it here!
Thank you for all the positive feedback regarding my last blog entry titled, 'HDTV Captioning: What You Should Know'. As a result, here's another 'What You Should Know' column.
The reason why I'm writing this is in response to several complaints among some deaf people regarding subtitle issues while watching movies on their DVD players. There are a lot of people out there who dislike watching movies where black bars are present. I prefer watching movies in their original aspect ratio; which mean black bars will be displayed quite often.
Before the fifties, movies were often filmed and projected in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, which is what most television sets are set at. Though that is changing, as there's a lot of widescreen television sets on the market. They are already mainstreamed as of a few years ago. Most widescreen TV displays are set at around 1.78:1. Many television programs today are filmed in 1.78:1.
Then when the television sets were starting to become popular in households, the theatre owners started to see a decline in audience attendance. So they came up with a new aspect ratio and convinced people that the wider the movie, the better. In fact, many film lovers including myself agree with the philosophy. An aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 give the movie a much more cinematic look to it compared to 1.33:1.
Anyway, the problem with subtitles is that they are images, not text. So when you turn them on, they are locked into their place all through the movie. You cannot move it or adjust the size of the subtitles. It doesn't help especially when most television sets already over scan the pictures to start with.
What is an overscan?
There are a few types of overscan. There are two common overscan types starting with optical overscan and digital zoom. Optical overscan is when the TV showing less of the picture rather than the whole picture. Most of the times, it's just mostly borders with a little of the actual image cut off. Digital zoom, it's when the image is scaled or zoomed so it will be larger than the visible area. If your television set does that, you cannot disable it so you may face some problems with subtitles. Usually, it's the super-cheap television sets the deaf consumers should think twice before buying. There are some affordable television sets that won't overscan enough to crop the subtitles, but you should at least do research before buying a television set.
A lot of people make a habit out of zooming into their movies to get rid of the black bars. What will happen is that the subtitles will be cropped out of the display area. Not only to mention that it will decrease the picture quality of the movie. If you have a standard television (1.33:1) and prefer to watch movie in full frame meaning no black bars, you should buy DVDs that are marked 'Full Screen' or 'Full Frame', or where it says 1.33:1 or 1.33. Avoid any DVDs marked 'Widescreen' or the aspect ratios, 1.78:1, 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. If you have a widescreen display and still don't want black bars, avoid any DVDs that are in 1.33:1 or 2.35:1 and 2.40:1. Stick to either 1.78:1 or 1.85:1.
I do have some good news for the Blu-ray owners who prefer to fill up the screen by eliminating the black bars. Sony will be implementing a new feature onto future titles. The new feature will allow us to re-position the subtitles after the black bars are eliminated. Mainly, it is for projectors that are set to project 2.35:1 which result in eliminating the black bars, so will be the subtitles. This won't be possible on the DVD players, they lack the technology needed to use it.
I made some graphic examples for people who want to learn more about the aspect ratios used.
The three examples below, the screen size represents the standard televisions (4:3, Full Frame), the most common screen size used in North America. In each example, the aspect ratio is displayed and named. The black area represent the whole aspect ratio used within a 4:3 television set. The area labelled ‘Black Bars’ is unused area. A lot of people find the black bars to be an annoyance because they believe they are seeing less of the movie, which they are not. It's the other way around; they are getting the whole movie in its full glory.
The three examples below, the screen size represents the widescreen televisions (16:9 or 1.78:1), a mainstreamed screen size used in North America. In each example, the aspect ratio is displayed and named. The black area represent the whole aspect ratio used within a 16:9 (1.78:1) television set. The area labelled ‘Black Bars’ is unused area. In the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, black bars will appear at the top and bottom. The only aspect ratio that will fill up the whole widescreen display is if the movie is in either 1.78:1 or 1.85:1. The black bars will be displayed when a 1.33:1 (4:3, Full-Frame) movie is displayed, the only difference is that it will appear on the sides instead of the top and bottom.
The bottom line is, the best solution is to avoid using the zoom function if you want the subtitles to stay in the picture.
The technology of closed captioning is a wonderful tool for the deaf and hard of hearing. Even the hearing people are finding the benefits in using the technology. I just want to let everybody know that this blog entry will not be covering the issues regarding the problems with captioning on HD channels through some cable/satellite services. Mainly, I will be focusing on all DVD, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD and the HDTV displays. I do feel that it's important that people understand the issues surrounding these formats. It concerns the technology of closed captioning. It is crucial that the deaf consumers become aware of this as many salespeople at stores like Best Buy, Circuit City and more tend to lack knowledge on the technology of captioning.
Closed Captioning LogoFor these unfamiliar with the resolutions I just mentioned, below is a picture showing the difference between all resolutions.
Here's an example, if you set your computer's resolution to 800x600. The last number, 600 would be known as 600p, for 1024x768, it would be 768p because all computer monitors are already in progressive.
If you have seen some people using terms like 1080p24 and 1080p60. Both 24 and 60 are refresh rates. 24 frames per second and 60 frames per second. The standard frame rate for movies is approximately 24 (23.97) frames per second. So that's basically the best way to watch movies. If you are to buy a 1080p HDTV, be sure to check that it offer this option.
The problem with a lot of HDTV displays is that they can be difficult to work with when it comes to closed captioning. Every time they make an upgrade in resolution, there will be a problem with closed captioning. Especially with two video inputs, DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). On many HDTV displays, the option to select CC is nowhere to be found when one of these inputs is on display.
Digital Visual Interface Logo
High Definition Multimedia Interface LogoComponent video inputs, many offer CC as an option when the video input is on display. Though many DVD players will be unable to send the CC signal once it is set in progressive mode. Many deaf consumers end up using the DVD player in 480i even on their HDTV displays. It's the same situation in 720p and 1080i.
Component Cables
This is an example of what an interlaced signal look like. The lines are much more visible in the interlaced mode. Only half of the 480 lines appear per frame.
This is what a progressive scan signal look like, the lines are much less visible because they all appear at once.
Now, we're moving onto SDH. It either stands for 'Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing' or 'Subtitled for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing'. This is important for the deaf and hard of hearing consumers to understand. There is a difference between SDH and English subtitles when it's mentioned on the back of a DVD case. When it says, 'English Subtitles', it's not often formatted for the deaf. It will exclude all background noise, names, common words people may be familiar with, song lyrics and more.
SDH (Subtitled for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) LogoThe truth is, the major studios are leaning toward SDH because of the easiness with working with them and the fact that people can subtitle the movies within the DVD authoring software. Apple's DVD Studio offers this option. Not only to mention that it's probably the cheaper solution because they won't have to pay for the captioning equipment, which isn't cheap. I have looked up the prices for some of the equipments and software used to caption movies, they are not as cost effective since many DVD authoring software already offer the option to subtitle movies.
Universal Studios was one of the first studios on the DVD format to use SDH instead of CC. Though it was labeled as captions for the first few years till the term, SDH was introduced. I am not sure why Universal Studios chose to go on this path to start with but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the progressive scan mode causing headaches at Universal Studios.
Two new high definition video formats, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD (High Density Digital Versatile Disc) were released last year. The majority of the movies released on both high definition formats lack analog/digital closed captioning. I’m not entirely confident but I believe none of the movies available on either Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD include analog CC. I believe it’s due to the reason I mentioned earlier. The HDMI and DVI inputs often lack the ability to display CC. So the movie studios are going the SDH route to make it easier on the consumers. I will be the first to admit that it's not perfect yet because of how most of them format it. The dialogues should be placed all over the screen rather than dead-on centre on the screen through the whole movie. They also often lack a solid or transparent background behind the subtitles. But I am pleased to tell you that they do include all the information as they do with closed captioning on the DVD and VHS.
As far I can tell you, Fox Home Entertainment and Sony are the best when it comes to formatting the SDH. Fox Home Entertainment uses a strong black stroke all around the subtitles. Sony formats the SDH to bear a strong resemblance to the old-fashioned CC style, which I do appreciate. In fact, Sony even moves them around the screen like they do with CC. Though Sony's SDH style can only be found on their Blu-ray Disc titles.
I made some examples for you to look at to get the idea of how a SDH is formatted and the difference between English subtitles and SDH.
The subtitle shown above is a common format seen on many DVD titles using English subtitles. They often exclude people's names from the dialogues.
The subtitle shown above is a common format seen on many DVD titles using SDH. They often include people's names from the dialogues.
The subtitle shown above is a format seen on some DVD titles and is strongly disliked due to the lack of black strokes around the subtitles making it difficult to read if the background is too light.
The subtitles shown above are the SDH format Sony use on their Blu-ray titles. Like I told you, it bears a strong resemblance to the closed captioning style.
The subtitles shown above show a description of a sound heard in the background. This is the kind of information you can expect to find on a DVD/Blu-ray/HD DVD where SDH is used.
Nothing appears on the screen at all, this is what you can expect from watching a movie with English subtitles, it is obviously not formatted for the deaf and hard of hearing. It's for people who are learning English or these who like to read subtitles.
Here's another example of how English subtitles is formatted. In the dialogue, the person's name is spoken but isn't included in the subtitle because the hearing people will already know who the person is. So it is not necessary to name the person.
As you can see, both images above show subtitles including the person's name rather than excluding it. This is important for the deaf and hard of hearing consumers. They need to know who's saying these lines, if they don't include this kind of information, people may end up finding it difficult to follow the storyline and whose lines it is.
Whew, what a long blog entry. It’s a blog entry I started on last week but I had to put it off for a while. Now that I’m on my vacation, I decided to finish it and publish it. I hope many people will find the information useful and helpful and clear up the confusion among many deaf consumers when it comes to HDTV displays, DVD and the high definition video formats.
If you have any questions or have something to share, feel free to leave a comment.
Here's some screen captures, I could only do it by using a digital camera. I'll like to be able to capture some screens from the PS3 on my computer but I don't have any device/tool for that at the moment. So I figured I'll be fair to the DVD format by using a digital camera too.
Being such a big movie buff, the Blu-Ray drive was the biggest factor in making a purchase toward a Playstation 3 console. At the time I bought it, it was the cheapest (and still is) Blu-Ray player on the market. It's also one of the best Blu-Ray players right now.
So far, I'm really pleased with the results.
You can see in the images, artifacts are virtually invisible. Film grain is present as that's a natural element seen in many movies these days. Movies with dark scenes are often plagued with noises on the DVD format especially on a bigger screen. On the Blu-Ray format, it's virtually eliminated if done right. The compression, that is.
It's just amazing to see how much of a difference it is. For some, it may be difficult to see a significant difference in these small images above. From what I've experienced, the difference is quite significant. Just like it was when we moved from VHS to DVD.
Click on the images below to enlarge to get a better look.
Closed Captioning (CC) has benefited the deaf and hard of hearing community tremendously. I remember my early childhood when my family didn't have closed captioning on our television set. I had to ask my parents or siblings what was being said. Or I just left it to my imagination on what was being said which surprisingly worked quite well for me. You can do a lot with your imagination when you aren't given a lot of choices. When I was around 5 or 6, my mother was told of a device that enables the TV to display closed captioning. So she and my grandmother drove to the U.S.A. and bought the device as it was cheaper there at the time. I was told about the device but I didn't fully understand the concept because it was new to me. I already had begun to learn how to read and write before that. The day I came home from school, I saw a black box on the top of the television set and then looked at the screen. I was speechless and excited; I finally understood everything that was being said on the television. This was before they started requiring analog television sets to be sold with the CC decoder device built in.
I don't take the amazing technology for granted because it has done a lot for me. Even the hearing folks are benefiting from watching television programs with closed captioning turned on. It's amazing how much a hearing person can miss out by just listening, a lot of hearing people find themselves startled at first to learn how much they've been missing by not reading the captions. Not a lot of people know this, but it's a fact and has been proven in some studies. The largest audience in North America is the hearing people learning English as a second language. I bet you didn't know that one, eh?
Nowadays, quite a few things have changed. We didn't have high definition television sets when I was a kid. Nor did we have the DVD format. They developed the captioning technology for the analog (NTSC - National Television System Committee) televisions and VHS tapes. They designed it to encode the captions into line 21 of the vertical blanking interval of the picture on the television. This is where the issue for the HDTV (High Definition Television) comes in. Quite a lot of HDTV sets lack captioning when you use the video inputs that use either DVI (Digital Video Interface) or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). The same issue is common with component inputs. Analog and digital televisions are interlaced while HDTV can be both interlaced and progressive. When you enable the progressive mode on a HDTV, it often cannot display the captions. This is common with progressive DVD players when they are in the progressive mode. From what I know, there are no laws requiring HDTV displays to be equipped with it.
The last couple years, the major studios coined a new term called, 'SDH'. It stands for 'Subtitled for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing'. This is becoming more common on the DVD format. For example, Buena Vista