France Goes Digital

Digital television is booming in Europe. Satellite and cable are losing share to terrestrial in the UK, with 60% of homes receiving digital television (Full report). U.S. digital TV penetration is expected to hit 60% by the end of 2007 (Full report). Now the French are up to speed.

France launches digital terrestrial television

France has finally launched digital terrestrial television, in what is seen by some as the biggest shake-up in French broadcasting since the launch of Canal+ nearly two decades ago. The French call it TNT - Télévision Numérique Terrestre - but it is being branded as La Télévision Numérique pour Tous, or digital television for all.

RELATED ARTICLE

• BBC News: France starts digital terrestrial

High-Definition DVD Format War

Good news! High-definition video discs are on the way, crystal-clear snuggle buddies for your HD television. Bad news: You may have to decide between HD-DVD, Blu-Ray (that sounds cool), and FVD. Why does every new technology need to have a format war? Oh yeah: Greed.

The Salt Lake Tribune: DVD format war is brewing - will consumers dive for cover?

Now there's new techno-babble to worry about: HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray. Both are formats for high definition DVDs, the next step in home video. The first high-definition players could hit store shelves in the U.S. by the end of this year.

In one corner is a format of high definition DVDs called Blu-ray, which is backed by Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and a few other electronics companies. In the other corner is HD-DVD, supported by Toshiba, NEC and others.

But good news may be on the horizon, thanks to consumer efforts like the One Format Only Campaign.

MacWorld.com: Top Sony exec hints at Blu-ray, HD-DVD detente

After more than a year of touting Blu-ray as the best technology to replace DVD for storing high-definition video and winning proponents including Apple, a top executive at Sony Corp., one of Blu-ray's major backers, has opened the door to the possibility of unifying the format with its arch rival, HD-DVD.

"Listening to the voice of the consumers, having two rival formats is disappointing and we haven't totally given up on the possibility of integration or compromise."

RELATED ARTICLES:

• DVD Town's Latest News on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray
  
• Engadget's HD-DVD article archive
  
• Softpedia News: Taiwan's FVD (forward versatile disc) is comparable to HD-DVD but a fraction of the price.

RELATED PRODUCTS:

• "T2: High Definition": complete theatrical version in Microsoft Windows Media 9, playable in high resolution and 5.1 sound directly from your PC's DVD-ROM
  
• DVD players that upconvert to HD: Samsung DVD-HD841, Toshiba SD-5970, Sony DVP-NS975V, Zenith DVB318 1080i Progressive-Scan
  
• HD-ready flat panel TVs: Sharp LC-37GD6U 37" AQUOS LCD with Built-In HDTV Tuner, Panasonic TC-32LX20 32" WideScreen LCD, Philips 32PF9966 32" Widescreen LCD
  

Sony HDR-FX1: Indie Filmmaker's Delight?

I'm seriously considering selling my trusty Sony VX2000 and upgrading to the Sony HDRFX1 HDV High Definition Camcorder. At $3300, it's a whole lotta camera for the price. My chief concern is how well it fakes 24P, and if I can handle editing HD on my current dual-G4 system. If anyone has any experience with this camera, please leave a comment.

HD-CHANNEL, a German web site, has posted high-def video clips from the FX-1.

From Amazon.com:

Presenting the world's first consumer 1080i high-definition camcorder: the Sony Handycam HDR-FX1. A revolution in form and function, the HDR-FX1 allows you to play and record interlaced high-definition video at resolutions up to 1440×1080 for professional-quality video with vivid colors and striking detail. It even offers the ability to switch to standard DV recording and playback as the situation warrants. The HDR-FX1 features the Real-Time HD Codec Engine, which offers professional-level MPEG-2 video compression, and a 14-bit HD DXP (digital extended processor) for increased processing speed. Images are captured on a three-chip advanced HAD CCD system that provides increased detail and improved video performance without the color bleeding found in other systems. Optical capabilities include a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 12× optical zoom and Super SteadyShot image stabilization. Features:

• Play and record interlaced high-definition video at resolutions up to 1440×1080 for professional-quality video.
• Three 1/3-inch wide-aspect-ratio advanced HAD CCD imagers for enhanced color quality.
• Professional-level MPEG2 video compression with the real-time HD Codec Engine.
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 12× optical zoom.
• Record at either 30 frames per second or, for a film-like feel, at 24 frames per second.

MORE ARTICLES AND REVIEWS:

How the Sony HDV cameras fake 24, 25, and 30 frames-per-second (FPS). The Cineframe shooting modes in the Sony HDV HDR-FX1 let you simulate the look-and-feel of progressive-scanned images, but the camera section itself is still running at its normal, interlaced field rate.

New York Times review of the Sony HDRFX1: “All right, go ahead, ask it: In whose twisted opinion does a US$3,300 price tag make this a consumer camcorder? Let's put it this way: the next-least-expensive three-chip, high-definition camcorder costs about US$40,000. The significance of the FX1 is that it blows open the world of high-quality, professional-looking wide-screen video to anyone with talent and a valid credit card. For independent moviemakers, wedding videographers, corporate filmmakers and video freaks of any ilk, this is a big, big deal.”

• CNet Review: 7.9 out of 10
• Toms' Hardware Guide Review - very thorough examination of features and performance
• CamcorderInfo.com Review