Venturer Budget HD DVD Player for the Holidays

[Pirate]

Discount manufacturer Venturer Electronics today announced that it would release its first HD DVD player in time for this year's holiday shopping season.

The Canadian-based company, which is known for value-priced electronics, hasn't yet revealed a list price for the new disc player, but it's expected to be among the lowest priced of all entry-level HD DVD players yet to hit the market.

With Toshiba's HD-A2 retailing at under $250, and the Xbox 360 Add-on at under $179, it's a good bet that the Venturer player might break below the $150 mark.

Details on the new player were still sketchy at press time, but as you might expect at that price, the player does come with some trade-offs. According to a post on the company's web site, specs will include 1080i video output via HDMI and Dolby TrueHD support.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...e_Holidays/905

[sub780lime]

well I am impressed it will still include TrueHD support.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by sub780lime

well I am impressed it will still include TrueHD support.

And for most the 1080i limitation won't be a big deal.

[chlngr1970]

Most of us here will not have much interest in this player, cept maybe for a bedroom player. This is aimed squarely at the Wal Mart shoppers. We will see if this is the "saving grace" that some people think HD DVD needs. Personaly, I can't wait till I can afford an HD XA2

j

[sambow87]

1080i, TrueHD, sounds like my A1

I think TrueHD decoding is mandatory, along with the storage space and being web enabled, is that correct?

[ganthc]

It sounds like it will essentially have the same specs as the hd-a2/a3. I start wondering what the downside is to it? There has to be a catch somewhere that would allow it to be cheaper. Unless it's just the fact that it's a Venturer player. Still, $150 by Christmas could go like gangbusters. But if it doesn't have the movie deals like Toshibas do, I still think the Toshiba players are a better bargain.

Ruined, this player does have to support HDi, ethernet port, and have memory in it right?

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I start wondering what the downside is to it?

The disc tray is made out of springroll paper.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Ruined, this player does have to support HDi, ethernet port, and have memory in it right?

I'm not Ruined, and don't actually know, but I would be surprised if it turns out it doesn't have those features. I thought they were all part of the HD DVD spec and that no player will be allowed to have the HD DVD logo without them.

KM

[Sehnzeleid]

Originally Posted by sambow87

1080i, TrueHD, sounds like my A1

I think TrueHD decoding is mandatory, along with the storage space and being web enabled, is that correct?

Yes, mandatory.

It will have those features and its Broadcom SoC processor supports full HDi ability.

[Derb]

This is a Wally player.

Venturer makes the cheapest POS SD players which ya can get for $20 & up. Would ya buy a Venturer HDTV? If your answer is no than you at least can recognize quality.

[dugpa]

TrueHD support, but that doesn't mean 5.1. It could just be stereo like the A1 was when it came out before the firmware upgrade.

[ganthc]

Do Venturer machines even get firmware upgrades? I think the price points for Toshibas will be low enough that they hold more value than this, especially with the free movie deals.

[Vonner]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Do Venturer machines even get firmware upgrades? I think the price points for Toshibas will be low enough that they hold more value than this, especially with the free movie deals.

I believe a ethernet port is required on all HD-DVD players, so I'd guess that it could get a firmware update. Pure speculation though.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by chlngr1970

This is aimed squarely at the Wal Mart shoppers. We will see if this is the "saving grace" that some people think HD DVD needs.

Paramount was the "saving grace" that HD DVD needed.

Players like this are the "saving grace" that high definition movies in general need in order to gain mainstream adoption.

[Ruined]

Ruined, this player does have to support HDi, ethernet port, and have memory in it right?

Yes. Full HDi support, ethernet port, and at least 128mb of persistent storage and decoding of DD+/TrueHD/DTS-HD. It uses the Microsoft/Broadcom BCM7440 reference design which includes all of these things. Without them it could not bear the HD DVD name or logo.

Originally Posted by ganthc

Do Venturer machines even get firmware upgrades? I think the price points for Toshibas will be low enough that they hold more value than this, especially with the free movie deals.

The machine will be based upon the Microsoft/Broadcom reference design. And, as you know an ethernet port and perisistent storage is mandatory hardware with every HD DVD player. Therefore firmware upgrades are possible.

Further, the benefit of a reference design is that it can also use reference firmware. Meaning that every player based on the Microsoft/Broadcom reference design can use the exact same software/drivers/whatever you want to call it - the same firmware. Therefore Microsoft can write a firmware update and every single HD DVD player based on the reference design will be able to use it. In fact, these players may be pre-configured from the factory to use a Microsoft update server. We'll see.

[No6PackJoe]

Originally Posted by Derb

This is a Wally player.

Venturer makes the cheapest POS SD players which ya can get for $20 & up. Would ya buy a Venturer HDTV? If your answer is no than you at least can recognize quality.

All true, but the great unwashed masses, that don't have deep pockets will be attracted to this. Don't under estimate the buying power of the Walmart shopper

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by No6PackJoe

All true, but the great unwashed masses, that don't have deep pockets will be attracted to this. Don't under estimate the buying power of the Walmart shopper

Oh, this player will sell and sell well. There is no doubt about it. None of us will buy it, but we might buy it for a family member

[ganthc]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article....html?nid=2705

OUCH!! Walmart is saying it doesn't plan to sell this player in its stores.

[chlngr1970]

I'm not going to count on Wal Mart to decide this war, but it would be nice. No, I see a massive flood of HD DVD players deciding that, and the Venture ( if NOT a POS ) could do that. This seems like the same thing that Wal Mart said about the Cheep Chinese HD Player rumor...what was it...earlier this summer? Corporations like to keep holiday selling stradigies secret. Lets see what the future holds for these Venture Players.

Originally Posted by sub780lime

Oh, this player will sell and sell well. There is no doubt about it. None of us will buy it, but we might buy it for a family member

Hell, I may just buy one for the rec room TV for the kids to use, so when I get my XA2 ( or XA3 ) they don't break it

j

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by chlngr1970

Hell, I may just buy one for the rec room TV for the kids to use, so when I get my XA2 ( or XA3 ) they don't break it

j

Ah, another wise use of budget products.