High definition

[toprob]

This week Microsoft have announced that they'll begin distributing movies and TV shows via Xbox Live, some in high definition. I don't know whether this will be available here in NZ given the current licensing constraints, but I'd certainly like to see some content arriving here. This may be my first glimpse of proper high definition video, at least until I can make up my mind whether to buy the upcoming Xbox high def DVD player.
You can check out some high def examples here.
Some of these are not even off-topic:)
It's hard to get to see the available TVs showing high def, because most stores just plug their normal video feed into them, but sometimes you can get to see a proper high def input. I was in Global PC at Northlands today and they have a Viewsonic 32inch LCD TV showing high def sourced from a media PC -- very very nice. Something like that would make quite a nice flightsim monitor as well, so it's on my wish-list.
Those who order Real NZ scenery this month can be happy that any profits will be going to a very good cause!
Yeah, right.

[Zöltuger]

i hear the movies will be 4GB big
downloading 4GB on NZ 'broadband'? yeah, right

[Charl]

Interesting link.
I downloaded a couple of those WMV HD files.
Xtra is nice and steady at the moment with 95MB taking 5 or 6 minutes to download.
This buys you a couple of minutes of 720p video.
This looked quite crisp on my 24" Dell running 1920x1200 (not fullscreen)



but my computer ain't good enough for the 1080p version (which would run fullscreen), despite ATI 800 PRO and plenty of RAM.
It's clearly a processor thing (Mine is only 2.26GHz).
I'm still not able to make the mental leap from PC (Media or otherwise) to the home theatre, though.
Maybe Xbox is the way forward.

[toprob]

I have the same trouble with the 1080 clips, but interestingly they work without a hitch when I stream them over the network to the Xbox.
Yes, the figures quoted are 1.5GB for a standard movie, and 4.5GB for a high def, but that's managable. On the FSX beta I managed to download each beta overnight, at 8GB, so it is entirely workable. However each beta download did use up a month's offpeak bandwidth...
I could conceivably download two high def movies in one night, but I'd have to wait a month to do it again!

[Zöltuger]

I could conceivably download two high def movies in one night, but I'd have to wait a month to do it again!

yeah, it's less about the speed that you can get with NZ broadband, it's more about the size of the file. if your ISP allowed you to download it without it counting towards the data limit, then it would be great. but if it counts towards your monthly total, it's of no use- you'd only be able to do it once a month, so no investor would bother.

i have an episode of the late show which was filmed in high def. its been compressed, but it still looks fantastic. high def is certainly the way of the future, but NZ (of course) lags behind in terms of rollout.