Toshiba DVD Download DL

As a standards and HD-DVD fan, I’m always in a look out to what the DVD Forum is doing to recover from the loss of the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray battle.  Toshiba, being the main player in the HD-DVD format, has said they’ll venture into the movie download arena.  Earlier this week they had unveiled their first initiative by revealing a new product logo: DVD Download DL.

Reception to this news is met with much skepticism. If Toshiba is trying to squeeze more pixels out of a standard DVD’s 480p resolution and label it as “the new high resolution format”, then it’s obviously over-reaching!  Toshiba is not the expert in viral marketing.  The rumors about Toshiba’s next project created more head shakes than head turns.  Maybe Toshiba had relied on the product to speak for itself in the past, but in today’s information hungry consumers, they expect more from the company’s marketing department.

Now it looks like Toshiba is venturing into Internet based rich content (possibly interactive) using the existing DVDs.  The idea has its merits, but there are questions that need to be answered:

1. Is it safe to assume everyone has Internet access?  If they do, will they have Ethernet or Wi-Fi installed so it can talk to the new DVD Download DL enabled players?  Geeks like me will have Wi-Fi available, but some (most?) folks will not.  This may change when Laptops and Ultra Portable PCs are becoming standard equipment in every household.
2. Does a regular DVD watcher really care about interactive Internet enabled extra contents?  Maybe when it’s available people will start using it.  “If you build it, they will come.”
3. Is it going to be cheap?  The reason HD-DVD became so popular during its last days was because the price actually went all the way down below $150.  Toshiba may use this strategy again.  Sony still has yet to learn this lesson.
4. What will happen to Multi-discs, Super Special Ultimate Edition, Fancy-boxed set DVDs?  All of the extras are usually included in the purchase.  DVDs will go back to 1 disc format, one version release, making it a simpler choice.

Then there’s the ever curious CH-DVD or Chinese HD-DVD standard that was also recently approved.  It’s basically HD-DVD for China and its market.  What market may that be?  Chinese made movies, such as from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or the mainland?  Or is it more towards the “free” variety?  Obviously Toshiba will not encourage piracy, but the way for mass adoption is always via underground.  Other such successful adoptions include MP3, DiVX, Xvid, and VCD.  It sure raises a lot of eye brows.

So are you ready for the next generation DVD experience?

Tags: china, download, dvd, electronics, hd-dvd, movies, standard