SONY using VC-1!

[diogen]

After all the "VC-1 encodes have jellyfish" and "MPEG-2 is the best",
Sony started using the VC-1 codec for... wait for this... their Blu-ray releases!

And reportedly - who would have thought - with very good results.
Blu-ray Review: Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City | High-Def Digest

Diogen.

 

[jgantert]

Well, it was just a matter of time. VC-1 really is a good encoding method.

Reality will overcome a big head eventually.

 

[sampatterson]

Not surprising really. I believe VC-1 is also a cheaper royalty payment than H.264 or even MPEG-2.

 

[diogen]

Not surprising really. I believe VC-1 is also a cheaper royalty payment than H.264 or even MPEG-2.

As mentioned in the insider thread on AVS, MPEG-2 is $2.50 per player whereas VC-1 and AVC are about the same and a "fraction" of what MPEG-2 is.

VC-1's claim to fame is allegedly its ability to do much better on non-perfect footage, like high level of grain. On "clean" material AVC seems to be as good - if not better - as VC-1.

Workflow and "hand holding" MS provides to studios/posthouses is also a high value factor, at least at this stage of codec development.

Diogen.

EDIT: And this post of Ben Waggoneer might hold the explanation why VC-1 is better for concert encodings...
AVS Forum - View Single Post - Industry Insiders Master Q&A thread IV: ONLY Questions to Insiders

 

[JoeSp]

Welll, there goes the first reason for this war. The second was the use of HDi vs Java. October is just around the corner and we will see if Java is the deal breaker Sony and the BDA thought it is or if it is another layer on the BDA's back to climb. I wonder if the use of VC-1 would preclude a BluRay player for the XBOX360? Hummm?

Anyway, I am for the best possible picture and sound and right now BD delievers that more then HD-DVD does. PQ being the same on both formats --PCM on more titles then any other lossless codec pushes my buttons. Once you hear that lossless quality you never want to hear lossy codecs again!

 

[jgantert]

True, but all BR movies default to DD 640k even when there is a PCM soundtrack. Very annoying. You have to hit that pop-up menu button then change the audio during the movie since most Disney titles don't even take you to a menu. Ugh.

To be fair, the same can be said for TrueHD on HD DVD as well.

 

[diogen]

Welll, there goes the first reason for this war.

VC-1 on BD never was a reason for this format war - Sony & Co. mandated it well before the negotiations to unite the formats started.

To be accurate, this title was released not by Sony Pictures (SPHE), but Sony BMG, the same guys that brought us the rootkit. It seems this branch is trying new things and SPHE is either denying having anything to do with it if things go wrong (rootkit), or taking the credit for successes. Will see what this will turn out to be.

Diogen.

 

[GeorgeLV]

True, but all BR movies default to DD 640k even when there is a PCM soundtrack. Very annoying. You have to hit that pop-up menu button then change the audio during the movie since most Disney titles don't even take you to a menu. Ugh.

To be fair, the same can be said for TrueHD on HD DVD as well.

Not true. There are Blu-rays that default to TrueHD, DTS, and even PCM.

 

[jgantert]

Really? Which ones default to TrueHD or PCM? I notice the Fox and some Lionsgate ones default to DTS, tho

 

[CochiseGuy]

Really? Which ones default to TrueHD or PCM? I notice the Fox and some Lionsgate ones default to DTS, tho

That is my experience as well. IMHO one of the worst worst was the Pirates of the Caribbean movies - you had to go through that stupid Pirate's skull animation that took forever to load to finally get a chance to select PCM.

That's beside the fact that Disney decided that Blu-ray was a chance to re-invent VHS and force you to watch commercials ("previews") with no option except to fast forward.

 

[GeorgeLV]

Really? Which ones default to TrueHD or PCM? I notice the Fox and some Lionsgate ones default to DTS, tho

Many of the newer Sony releases like The Fifth Element (remastered) and Ghost Rider default to Dolby TrueHD. Then there are also a couple of titles like the Sopranos Season 6 that are PCM.