Sim2 Introduces Better-than-Blu-Ray Discs on Red Laser DVD - 4000 Titles Available

[mikemorel]

CEDIA Expo 2008: Sim2 Slates Better-Than-Blu-ray Systems

Denver — High-performance home theater projector manufacturer Sim2 used CEDIA Expo to reveal an alliance with startup Entertainment Experience to market what they called better-than Blu-ray-Disc high-def entertainment systems that will use a new high-def media format.

Under the deal, Sim2 is expected to have an exclusive window to market a bundled system including Entertainment Experience’s “Better Than Blu” Digital Entertainment Center hardware along with a Sim2 C3X 1080 home-theater projector. The first products are expected to be available in January at prices to be announced.

The Digital Entertainment Centers are essentially Hewlett-Packard-built high-performance PCs loaded with special Entertainment Experience software and a unique user interface that will playback “Beyond HD” 1080p high-def discs and files with up to three times the data rates of conventional HD disc movies. The advantage was said to deliver deeper colors and sharper images.

The center incorporates advanced video processing calibrated to the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) color standards recently adopted by most Hollywood studios and distributors, as well as removable-hard-disk data storage to accommodate multiple DCI standard motion-picture titles ready for immediate playback, Sim2 said.

“The system’s audio/video signal processing pulls the system together in the home-theater environment, allowing owners to easily integrate current digital media including broadcast/cable HDTV, Blu-ray discs, DVDs and Xbox gaming and media-PC systems, into the advanced digital entertainment solution,” according to a Sim2 statement.

Jim Sullivan, president/owner of Albany, N.Y.-based Entertainment Experience, said he has partnered with Video Giants to acquire titles for the system from most major studios. He said the service is expected to have access to more than 4,000 library titles, plus many new movies that will be offered prior to the release of many Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles.

Software will be encoded in a number of advanced codecs including VC1, MPEG4 and H.264. The system will also support advanced audio formats, but the specific ones were not available at the announcement.

Digital Giants, which will control software distribution, is said to be working with content consolidators, such as HDNet, that mastered digital content at higher than HD resolution levels for future distribution possibilities.

Movie titles will be shipped directly to system purchasers on double-sided dual-layer DVD discs. Movie studios will set title pricing, but Sullivan said he expects the average title selling price to be around $40. Titles will also be downloadable, but due to the huge file size, download times will be extremely long, making packaged media necessary for most practical applications.

“The studios are very concerned. They haven’t reaped the benefit from Blu-ray yet, and they don’t want us taking tickets from dealers,” Sullivan told TWICE in explaining the unique direct-mailing distribution system for software. “It’s a funny zone for them to be in.”

Pricing for the player through Sim2 is still to be determined, Sullivan said. The system will include a number of movies that will come preloaded on the system’s hard disc drives, which will be available in different capacities ranging up to 4TBs, Sullivan said.

The system will use Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management content-protection technology coupled with the AES256 encryption standard. This will use unique security keys to allow a title to be played back on and ripped only to the hard drive of properly recognized players.

Hmmm. Didn't Sony just say that blu-ray would be the last optical disc format? I guess the Movie Studios forgot to tell them they had other plans...

I guess 4 red laser DVDs @ 18Gb must be cheaper than 1 BD50....

4000 titles + many new movies...Studio's message clear as mud for videophiles as well as J6P!!!

[crazzeto]

It's already failed.

[madhatter]

. . . and the beat goes on . . . the beat goes on . . .

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by crazzeto

It's already failed.

It might find a home in some high end theaters, but I can guarantee you the reason why they are not saying the price of the hardware is probably because it is $10K+. And of course the average move price is going to be $40

And people complain about $16-27 BD movie prices and $399 and below hardware prices...

[bt12483]

Originally Posted by mikemorel

CEDIA Expo 2008: Sim2 Slates Better-Than-Blu-ray Systems

Hmmm. Didn't Sony just say that blu-ray would be the last optical disc format? I guess the Movie Studios forgot to tell them they had other plans...

I guess 4 red laser DVDs @ 18Gb must be cheaper than 1 BD50....

4000 titles + many new movies...Studio's message clear as mud for videophiles as well as J6P!!!

Some things you forgot to bold (as usual):

Jim Sullivan, president/owner of Albany, N.Y.-based Entertainment Experience, said he has partnered with Video Giants to acquire titles for the system from most major studios. He said the service is expected to have access to more than 4,000 library titles, plus many new movies that will be offered prior to the release of many Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles.

Software will be encoded in a number of advanced codecs including VC1, MPEG4 and H.264. The system will also support advanced audio formats, but the specific ones were not available at the announcement.

Digital Giants, which will control software distribution, is said to be working with content consolidators, such as HDNet, that mastered digital content at higher than HD resolution levels for future distribution possibilities.

Movie titles will be shipped directly to system purchasers on double-sided dual-layer DVD discs. Movie studios will set title pricing, but Sullivan said he expects the average title selling price to be around $40. Titles will also be downloadable, but due to the huge file size, download times will be extremely long, making packaged media necessary for most practical applications.

“The studios are very concerned. They haven’t reaped the benefit from Blu-ray yet, and they don’t want us taking tickets from dealers,” Sullivan told TWICE in explaining the unique direct-mailing distribution system for software. “It’s a funny zone for them to be in.”

Pricing for the player through Sim2 is still to be determined, Sullivan said. The system will include a number of movies that will come preloaded on the system’s hard disc drives, which will be available in different capacities ranging up to 4TBs, Sullivan said.

The system will use Microsoft’s Digital Rights Management content-protection technology coupled with the AES256 encryption standard. This will use unique security keys to allow a title to be played back on and ripped only to the hard drive of properly recognized players.

If j6p didn't get interested in HD DVD/bluray, what gives this thing any chance at all? Especially with $40 movies? And dreaded DRM. The same logic being applied to the supposed lack of bluray demand would apply to this technology too.

I am going to go out on a limb and say...FAIL!

[bt12483]

Originally Posted by ack_bak

It might find a home in some high end theaters, but I can guarantee you the reason why they are not saying the price of the hardware is probably because it is $10K+.

Why would you say that? I mean, its not like this new format is created by a high-performance home theater projector manufacturer or anything...wait....

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by bt12483

Why would you say that? I mean, its not like this new format is created by a high-performance home theater projector manufacturer or anything...wait....

I know. And I am probably underestimating on the $10K number. It is probably closer to $30K or so.

[Malanthius]

is having a hard enough time as it is. I don't think it has to worry about something like this. Give me HDM on a small flash drive and now you're talking. I'd bite.

[dolphinius_rex]

Speaking as somebody with a background in CD/DVD replication, I have a few little points I'd like to make about this new system.

#1) Only about 3 or 4 plants in the world can make double sided double layer DVD-18s.

#2) DVD-18's are extremely hard to make, and cost significantly more than 2 x DVD-9's, a BD-25, and with today's volumes, probably cost more than a BD-50 also.

#3) DVD-18's are about as unstable as HD DVD/DVD combo discs, even a bit worse (except you don't get firmware updates to solve the problem, you need to get your discs replaced).

I honestly don't see how this possibly could survive as a competitor to Blu-Ray.

[hellokitty]

Innovations like this are dime a dozen. Too bad it already missed the train. Would have meant something a few years ago.

Now that the entire industry and standard is built around Blu-ray, plus the standard extending to other CE devices, any DVD improvement is too little, too late.

As a single vendor offering instead of a worldwide standard, it will never reach the scale needed to make it successful. The studios will not fund this, so they basically have to do their own authoring and encoding. They won't be able to meet their 4000 title target (well, may be after a few years if it is still around).

It sounds like yet another futile MS attempt to push its own proprietary DRM. I am sure even Lestat will spit at the idea.

[chefboy1]

Originally Posted by mikemorel

4000 titles + many new movies...Studio's message clear as mud for videophiles as well as J6P!!!

Wow, you did know that the Sim2 C3X 1080 cost over $32,000 when it came out last November, right?!? I don't think you or any J6P is jumping on this packaged puppy any time soon...

[bt12483]

Originally Posted by ack_bak

I know. And I am probably underestimating on the $10K number. It is probably closer to $30K or so.

Well, if it costs as much as their projectors, your guess way damn close: $31,995.

EDIT: chefboy, you beat me!

[Philnerd]

This sounds like a really cool system and I could totally see myself replacing my Blu-Ray system with this for the improved quality.


Right after I replace my Hyundai with a Learjet.

[bluskiessmingatme]

mike, you will go for absolutely ANYTHING as long as it is not Blu-ray, won't you?

[ack_bak]

Originally Posted by Philnerd

Right after I replace my Hyundai with a Learjet.

Haha..

Me to wife: Honey, good news! I just bought the new Sim2 Better Than Blu-Ray player along with several hundered movies at $40 apiece, along with our own personal OC-3 line to our house (more on that in a second) so we can download the content...

Oh.. One more thing.. We are moving.. I sold the house and bought this here RV: