ADV Films go Blu-ray as future of DVD releases still unclear

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
Administrator
<a href="http://www.animeuknews.net/news/1591/adv-films-uk-halt-sales-distribution-of-select-titles">Following up our report</a> on ADV halting their UK DVD sales and distribution while they transition to a "third party distributor", the company has continued its back-stage revamps in the US by <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-30/adv-films-removes-titles-from-website-update">removing all mention</a> of a number of its current and future releases from its official website. <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-30/adv-films-removes-titles-from-website-update-2">An official statement</a> from the company, the only communication from ADV Films through out this entire controversy, explains that they are working through a number of "few short-term challenges", contrary to a <a href="http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=advnewsyy8.png">leaked article on ICv2</a>, which suggested the company is encountering financial difficulties with its primary investor from Japan, Sojitz.

While there is still no word as to the future of several of ADV Film's future and current DVD releases (in the US and indeed, in the UK too), the company has recently announced its intentions to move ahead with high-definition Blu-ray (as opposed to HD DVD) releases in the US as soon as spring 2008.
 
It seems like they're trying to pioneer the industry's way into the new product (i.e. Blu-Ray), but they're not making it work at the moment. Blu-Ray must cost a bomb compared to DVDs and such, considering the start of it's production.
So if this is meant to be the new Cassette/CD/DVD- then they're being daring to do so. Though someone has to try before anything becomes popular.

If the money problems aren't Blu-Ray related, then this is even tougher to get through. One problem can be sorted with a solution. 2 need a seperate one for each (unless they're lucky and they intertwine with each other).

Well, I just hope they haven't dug a hole too deep for themselves. Too much has been concerned and lost through this ordeal.
 
Well, Sony have started the Blu-ray releases of anime with their releases of Paprika and Tekkon Kinkreet (I watched Paprika in Hi-def last night and it was absolutely amazing compared to the standard def DVD). FUNimation have released (or are planning to release) some titles on Blu-ray; Bandai Japan (BV USA as well I think) have released some anime in hi-def (both HD-DVD and Blu-ray) but I think this is the first open commitment to Blu-ray as a format.
 
As I had said in the other thread on this subject, this is good news and it hints that ADV has not yet kicked the bucket. But while there may be interest and (some) excitement about future Blu-ray releases I find it slightly infuriating that the talk is now of ADV and a HD future while I and presumably thousands of other people are sat nervously(ish) waiting to see if there is any chance we’ll get to finish the various non HD series that we are/were part way through collecting.
 
Ive been woundering what would happen with the whole HD Blue-ray thing, in the shops the blue-ray section has got even bigger since Warner Bros said they would be realesing on only Blue-ray not HD.
 
After the doom and gloom posts in the the other ADV topic, and the less than enthusiastic discussion on HD in another topic, I feel maybe it's too soon for ADV to start thinking about HD formats. I already don't watch or buy much Anime because of the cost involved, and I (along with many others) won't be buying a PS3 (ever for me :wink: ) or a HD player because I'm still not convinced it's ready. I worry this could be a bold and very shaky step, fingers crossed it'll work well and everything will be groovy, but sadly I won't be able to support them.
 
The whole idea behind HD is ridiculous. We already had plasma TVs that played DVDs at very high quality. It's even more ridiculous for anime since there's a limit to the number of colours that can appear on a screen.

I'm going to be pretty annoyed when distributors start production of Blu-Ray/HD-DVD only titles.
 
Maxon said:
The whole idea behind HD is ridiculous. We already had plasma TVs that played DVDs at very high quality. It's even more ridiculous for anime since there's a limit to the number of colours that can appear on a screen.

I'm going to be pretty annoyed when distributors start production of Blu-Ray/HD-DVD only titles.
Click to expand...
The problem is that DVD resolution is nowhere near the resolution of HD TVs and looks very pixellated on HD TV screens. I had the chance to compare Paprika first hand between the DVD release and the Blu-ray release and the Blu-ray version was just so much sharper than the original DVD. The point of HD is not more colours but rather more pixels (ie the number of dots that make up the image for the less computer-literate), meaning that the image takes another step closer to natural vision. I don't think you can really say that it is pointless until you actually experience the difference.
 
I think people judge the standard picture quality a little harshly now. I know HD is a better picture than standard, but I know people who have spent a fair amount of time properly setting up their HDTV's and now they a very good picture quality even with a standard definition source.

A lot of people get their shiny new HDTV's, switch them on and then moan because the standard def is so poor, then all of a sudden everything has to be HD. In many cases if they just took the time to configure it properly it wouldn't be as bad.

I've seen as many bad examples of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD as I have good, so I don't think it's a wise move to be pioneering the Anime side just yet. I think ADV should have sorted themselves out before the move to HD, just for the sake of stability.

To me the whole HD thing is ignorance and image, suddenly it's cool to be techno and geeky so everyone has to do it. Without coming off as too bitter, I've always been a geek and it never used to be cool, quite the opposite in reality.
 
Back
Top