The disc is encoded with an animation control signal embedded directly into the video channel (sort of like how Dolby ProLogic was just mixed into stereo audio tracks). That signal is interpreted in a separate outboard box, which uses the animation cues to tell the figurines how to move. All in all, a fairly labor-intensive process that would have required the purchase of an additional box, not to mention a collection of tiny plastic chanteuses, cool cats and swingin' daddy-o's. But if you wanted the power of a full miniature jazz band made of plastic in your very own living room, you lost your chance.

We loved you HD DVD. But we can't help but think what could have been if your developers wasted less on this sort of R&D and stuffed a little more of that cash into envelopes aimed at studios like Fox. After all, it might work if the video playing was Star Wars, and those figurines were holding lightsabers. [HD DVD coverage on Giz]

I have not heard of one single report from any of [Toshiba's retailers] indicating returns, in fact our meetings went well and retailers will continue to offer our HD DVD players as a choice for high definition.

So just when is HD DVD dead in Microsoft's eyes? It's "over when Toshiba says they're not doing HD DVD anymore." And despite the typhoon slamming their sails this week, we're pretty certain Toshiba is staying on on the boat until it hits the sea floor. [Giz's HD DVD Coverage]

Warner's switch already put 70 percent of Hollywood's output on Blu-ray—Paramount rolling Blu-ray too would leave Universal and Dreamworks as the last major studios in the HD DVD camp, promptly and undoubtfully closing the books on HD DVD's future in Hollywood. Imagine: Michael Bay is sipping a mojito somewhere with a smile on his face. [Financial Times]

On the Hollywood front, he believes that the Warner announcement was a tipping point. In short, Blu-ray will win. But! HD DVD doesn't have to slink into a grave next to Betamax yet. It will become the chosen format for "private" (that is, personal) content because the format—ahem, Toshiba and Microsoft—has a stronghold in the PC drive market. He expects Toshiba to really concentrate on the PC HD DVD market since it's deader than disco if it loses there.

The format war ends. The "divide" begins. And it'll be even bigger, in a sense.

Upswing: Samsung's going to be keep pumping out dual-format players, so that people can easily watch the personal stuff and the Hollywood stuff on the same deck. "Most people...don't care about what format is most popular," says Jun.

He also thinks:
&bull: $299 is the magic price for Blu-ray players—watch around June/July
• 1,000 titles is the magic content number (Blu-ray is around 500 now)
• Digital distribution will kill standard-def physical media, not HD—people delete recorded SD content; they want to keep "high quality" content through Blu-ray
[Samsung]

SAMSUNG INVITES NEWCOMERS INTO THE WORLD OF HD HOME ENTERTAINMENT WITH NEW DUO HD PLAYER Samsung's BD-UP5500 Offers the Convenience and High-Performance of Blu-ray and HD DVD Playback for First-time HD Consumers LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2008 - Samsung Electronics, a market leader and award- winning innovator in consumer electronics, introduces a new Duo HD disc player offering the ideal solution for those consumers new to the world of HD home entertainment. In addition to the Blu-ray and HD DVD playback capability found in the CES 2008 Innovation Award Honoree BD-UP5000, the next-generation BD-UP5500 is a fully functioning Blu-ray Bonus View player packaged in a slim and sleek cabinet design. Opening access to both HD formats for a wider consumer audience with this new Duo HD player, Samsung continues its commitment to developing products that make life simpler through its breadth of innovative technologies. Both the Samsung BD-UP5000 and BD-UP5500 Duo HD Players will be on display at booth #11033 during the International Consumer Electronics Show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 7 through 10. "With the excitement surrounding the launch of the BD-UP5000 in 2007, Samsung is equally excited to offer a next generation Duo HD player that gives consumers the convenience of enjoying both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats in one single HD player," said Reid Sullivan, vice president of Digital AV marketing at Samsung Electronics America. "By supporting the latest interactivity in both formats, both Samsung Duo HD players enhance the experience of watching home movies with access to bonus content, alternative camera angles and behind-the-scenes footage." Page 2 of 3 BD-UP5500 Duo HD Player Designed to invite both novices and aficionados into a world of vivid HD picture quality, Samsung's BD-UP5500 next-generation Duo HD player brings together the streamlined playback of both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats in one easy-to-navigate device. The HDMI 1.3 connection allows for expanded color and surround sound through one cable and CEC functionality enables users to effortlessly manage an entire home theater with only one remote. For added convenience, the BD-UP5500 features an easy-to-read display and direct touch controls. With the latest BD-Java and HD DVD interactivity available, the BD-UP5500 takes movies to new heights with interactive menus, innovative picture-in-picture settings, and in-line bonus content such as alternate camera angles, behind-the-scenes footage, director commentary and actor interviews. Additionally, using the BD-UP5500's ethernet connection, users can experience a broad array of immersive viewing options with numerous movies as well as download new firmware to easily upgrade the player's capabilities. For a true, cinema-quality experience at home, the BD-UP5500 supports the latest audio decoding. With 7.1-Ch PCM, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master audio, and Dolby TrueHD Bistream output via HDMI 1.3, the BD-UP5500 accurately reproduces every delicate nuance with lifelike precision, just as the directors intended. For those consumers who still want to enjoy their existing collection of DVDs and CDs, Samsung's BD-UP5500 is also a fully-functioning DVD and CD player. The BD-UP5500's minimalist 2.3-inch slim design and simple piano-black finish makes it the perfect complement to most HDTVs and will serve as the centerpiece to any media or living room. The BD-UP5500 will be available in the second-half of 2008.

I mean, we would've like to have tossed some Qs your way, but Mr. President robotically repeated the press release that you were "surprised by Warner Bros. announcement" that they're dropping HD DVD and are "particularly disappointed" since HD DVD has gained "momentum" in the market. "We maintain the belief that HD DVD" is best for consumers." It was so devoid of feeling we're almost convinced he isn't sharpening up a katana right now to commit seppuku.

But we felt bad for Jodi Sally, VP of Digital A/V Marketing 'cause the anguish in her voice was pretty palpable when she said, "As you can imagine this is a tough day for me... I expected to come here today to share the successes of HD DVD..." There might've actually been a real, live tear or two, but we weren't quite close enough to tell. And we felt even worse when she added that "It's difficult for me to read all the pundits declare that HD DVD is dead, but we've been declared dead before." Since, hey, we've been adding to the pile. Granted, how many times can you declare something dead before it finally dies?

Anyway, we just wanted to take a moment to tell you to stay strong, Toshiba. There's still a glimmer of hope in combo players and the cheap Chinese calvary invading our shores. If nothing else, there's always eBay in a few years.

• After Warner's announcement, HD DVD won't be attending CES this week, a fact that only looks worse after they put their logo on the press bags. Adding insult to HD DVD's injury, New Line Cinema also joined the Blu-ray exclusive crew.

• WowWee showed us three robots aiming to attack AIBOs, Robosapiens and autonomous helicopters everywhere. The only thing missing was a robot to bring us beer. Luckily, Inter Active Toy covered that with the RC Cooler.

• Other good finds included the Celestron SkyScout Scope, Cobra's OLED radar detectors, and an in-dash CD player for audiophiles. On the GPS front, Magellan's 5340 with built-in Google local search and Garmin's 880 with voice recognition stood out the most. Finally, Logitech unveiled a whole bunch of stuff, including a networked music player, a sleek set of speakers, and an IR remote with capacitive touch.

So far, so good, CES. We'll be looking forward to the press conferences today, and the floor opening on Monday. Until then, keep up with all of our CES 2008 coverage to date.

Looks like we are gonna see some new TVs and a few HD DVD players, and some laptops with HD DVD drives, so we'll see what's under the curtain in a few minutes.

President guy onstage: "We are surprised by Warner Bros. announcement" that they're dropping HD DVD and are "particularly disappointed" since HD DVD has gained "momentum" in the market. "We maintain the belief that HD DVD" is best for consumers. Sounds just like the press release!

VP of Digital A/V Marketing: "As you can imagine this is a tough day for me... I expected to come here today to share the successes of HD DVD..." "It's difficult for me to read all the pundits declare that HD DVD is dead, but we've been declared dead before." "HD DVD is the only format approved by the DVD Forum" so every one meets a standard. Translation: Blu-ray profile spec is a clusterf*ck. She looks like she's trying to not break down onstage or something. Stay strong!

We're on TVs now. Not a good way to get people hyped: A quote that they aim to do a "common thing uncommonly well." Dynamic backlight control on all TVs this year for dyniamic contrast ratio. Regza is on 4th gen of Pixel Pure with a 10-bit processor. Gaming mode which drops video quality ("circumvents slect picture quality enhancement circuits") for faster response time on every Regza.

All Regzas get thinline Bezel—1.5-inch bezel at most. Regza RV530 1080p 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs, PC Input. 32-inch 1080p sets! Also 37, 42, 46, 52. March/April. XV540 gets 120Hz Anti-blur, film stabilization and new 5:5 pull-down. 10-bit LCD panel for 16,384 levels of gradation, wide color gamut. 52-inch XF550 LCD TV that crams in the same spot as a 46-inch with .9-inch super narrow bezel in black or chrome. Hot shiz.

Another shot of the ultra-thin bezel:
Holy crap it's already over— they didn't show off the other gear. We'll get up close with it, so check back soon. Check out how thin this sucker is—and no, I don't have fat fingers.

Well, Warner scopes the holiday sales scene, sees Blu-ray picking up even though its gear cost more than HD DVD, and decides to go full steam ahead on Blu-ray, lest the format war suffocate both of the HD formats and DVD.

With only two studios left on HD DVD's team (Paramount and Universal), things look pretty crappy on their front, so I sorta don't blame them for bailing to ponder its doom. Hit the comments with what you think they'll say in their post-CES conference.

Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability - a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

We'll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD.