The Laptop of 2008

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The laptops that will be offered this year will not be out of this world but they will include some small, yet nifty things. Consumer demand always forces this and so you get a new line of laptops for 2008. Blu-Ray optical drives and LED backlights are just some of the things that will be going into the more mainstream laptop. In the age of global warming it'd be weird not to mention more environmentally features on the new and improved models. A screen size increase is also in order but the funny thing is it's only a .2inch increase that is expected over the standard 15.4inch.
These things will help make laptops get more colour and provide more quality with movies. It would be interesting to see though what would happen if HD DVD got some momentum and Blu-Ray eventually went bankrupt. Currently backlight equipment is usually CCFL's, Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps, but with LED backlights taking the spotlight, it will reduce the power and make it more viable to make the laptop thinner much like the MacBook Air.
WiMax has made huge gains, but also has made huge steps back. This includes what has happened in many large cities where plans have fallen apart. San Fransisco is back on track and Toronto is hopefully hot on there heels. In light of all this, notebook manufacturers are including WiMax technology onto their laptops which is surprising as WiMax is still in its early stages. Finally, internet TV is making its way onto many people monitors, desktop and laptop and so expect to see tuners pre-installed and better webcams ranging up to 3 megapixel with an average of 2-MP.

 

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Windows Vista SP1

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There has been much hype about the first service pack from Microsoft for Windows Vista. During the release of Vista, as much of you know, people have been extremely disappointed with it and have been downgrading to XP as they see it as a more reliable, faster, and more secure operating system. Now the same goes with Leopard as many aren't that happy with it, with flaws related to security and features. The main difference is Apple released fixes fairly quickly and in large numbers while Microsoft has failed to do much. I myself see the ups and downs of Vista and I can't wait for the new service pack which is as we speak on testers computers. They have just released an update to its first release to beta testers. This all means that the final version of Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 is close to its release. There is an official release date now announced for February 27, 2008 behind the speculated release date of February 15. They are planning a launch event on that day and so it seems obvious that both Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 will be released if not on that date, then very close to it. If SP1 tanks, then Vista will for sure tank as many corporations wait till the first service pack so they can make sure the operating system is in good working order.

 

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Porn Industry Goes Blu

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I am sad to say this but the Porn industry has switched to Blu as of today January 13, 2008. This time around though, the porn industry won't have a big an effect as it did with VHS vs. Betamax. Back then, most porn movies were bought in a physical format, but nowadays, most purchasing happens online so there is not much need for a high-def disc.
Digital Playground, a mega-porn studio, will be releasing 8 blu-ray porn movies in February all because of porn-addicted people begging the studio to release some blu-ray discs because they had just bought the PS3.

The reason why the porn industry decided to switch was because early on it was nearly impossible to put porn onto blu-ray, but ever since Warner Bros. switched the possibilities are opening and due to the pendulum swinging to blu-rays side, it only made sense for them. As you may know I am an HD DVD supporter and it's hard for me to admit defeat but as a good writer I am reporting for both sides. If Paramount is switching I know just hope they can announce it sooner rather than later.

 

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HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray Update

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While this is not much of an update to most of you, I just found out today that Toshiba is offering 5 Free HD DVD movies with the purchase of one of their players including the XBOX 360 HD DVD add-on. This is all on top of the two included HD DVD movies, 300 and Bourne Identity. For $10 to cover S&H you will get 5 HD DVD movies of your choice delivered right to your door. There is a restriction though. Basically there are 5 categories with 3 movies in each. You are only allowed to pick one HD DVD movie from each category. My favourite movies from each were Babel, TMNT, Pitch Black, Firewall, and Syriana. The offer is valid only for players bought from October 15 2007-February 28 2008 and needs to be postmarked by March 31 2008. This is an extremely good offer and should help HD DVD gain some more market share. I'm just surprised they haven't promoted it as much. I only found out about this by stumbling upon it. For Canadian residents visit Toshiba Canada (exact link for the form). For American residents visit here. The only difference in movies is you can get Troy, Swordfish, and The Italian Job.

The other update is mostly for US residents. HD DVD players have been dramatically slashed in price. For a 1080p HD DVD player (HD-A30) you only need to shell out approx. $180 to Amazon.com, Costco, Sams Club, or possibly Wal-Mart. For a 1080i version, the HD-A3, it will be around $140. Paramount has yet to decide whether or not to switch and Microsoft is backing up its support by doing the same for customers who purchase a HD DVD add-on for their XBOX 360 if they've done so from last month to the end of this month. They have also promised to build-in an HD DVD drive into the new XBOX 360. HD DVD hasn't had its last breath yet, so look for more movies to be out on HD DVD soon.

 

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Warner Bros. Drops HD DVD

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In a surprise move made by Time Warner Bros today, Friday January 4, 2008, they announced they would exclusively sell the high-definition format offered by Sony. Blu-Ray has made huge strides and has somewhat knocked Toshiba and HD DVD off there feet but, it seems, they have taken their blows and grown better from it.

Toshiba has gone out and found other partners to help fuel the growth of its brand by agreeing to terms with Dreamworks and Paramount Pictures to exclusively sell their format. Those are huge allies in the fight against the powerhouse Sony. What this could remind you is the Big Three and the Asian companies. The same thing could happen here and Sony could loose major ground in the coming years. Sony though is rightfully the powerhouse as they are outselling HD DVDs 2:1 in the US. Look at other stats and you'll see HD DVD systems in Canada are outselling Blu-Ray systems (standalone) by around 500 000:340 000. Take into account the 3.4million PS3's and the 320 000 HD DVD add-on to the XBOX 360 and it looks even. Keep in mind that barely anybody know is buying the PS3 for the Blu-Ray player. I on the other hand have.

If you read my last article, you would have seen I know own a Toshiba HD DVD system, a PS3, and a 50inch, 1080p Panasonic Plasma HDTV. My dad did a whole lot of research when purchasing our new entertainment complex, about 3 months of sitting on the computer and going to electronic retailers. He probably made data sheets, graphs, to-do lists, and what-not. In the end, he found the PS3 was one of the better Blu-Ray players and surprised our family with it. I watched the included disc, Spiderman-3 on Blu-Ray and then I watched The Bourne Idendity on HD DVD. Evidently, Spiderman-3 was suberb on action but was lacking on still scenes. My 23-year old brother who does know his stuff, concurred with me. The Bourne Idendity was great on action and still. I never noticed anything bad about it. That begs the question, why would Sony include a bad disc or a bad movie and if not a bad movie, why is Blu-Ray the fan favourite? My only answer is the name.

"Ironically, Sony was also the backer of the Betamax format. In a repeat of history, Sony is pushing Blu-ray, a technically superior medium, but is seeming to repeat some of its mistakes with Betamax."

Warner will continue to release HD DVD movies until May. Warner Bros. believes further confusion with the consumer will destroy the industry. I was loving Warner Bros. today until I found out this and now I will only buy HD DVD and support all of Toshiba's allies. Warners announcement will only fuel the war that was started long ago and further confuse the consumer.

My conclusion though for all you readers is, buy a player from both sides, rent a HD DVD and Blu-Ray movie of your choice and see which is the best for you.

 

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