http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download...mory-cards.html



the best response I have read for ages was from fpconvert on AVS

"So it debuts next week but they could only provide a picture of a dvd dispenser.
I guess none of the $35 mil. was going to be squandered on marketing.
Go Tosh!

If only I could find the window where they're throwing the money out of..."

And so the battle for our $$$$$ continues

Good luck with that, if they cant get people to buy Blu ray players and discs they are hardly going to convert people to flash cards.

Well if Flash card downloads become the popular and the most convenient means of movie transfer for consumers, the hard copy of optical disc will only be for collectors. Most movies aren't collectibles anyway and are generally a waste of plastic.

So I would see Flash downloads as more likely a rental (being erasable or having time limited use) medium rather than directly competing with Blu-ray as a hard copy.

2009 may well prove to be interesting if Blu-ray movie prices do not come down significantly to encourage its uptake.

C.M

depressing isnt it

Likle many, I do like having a collection.....



That is a good option as is downloading directly to HD/Flash in the home.

In 2009, Media players are likely to become more popular,and with a reasonably sized 'Flip-Top' screen, Flash card and USB 2 ports and any other conceivable input/output.

It won't matter whether the download is by Flash or USB 2 the movie will be date stamped regardless, which as a rental saves one having to return the disc.

The USB 2 Passport harddrives possibly offer the best value for money when it comes to the write speed and the capacity to allow multiple downloads of DVD's or of HD movies.

Typical SDHC Flash cards generally don't have the same performance for the price. Of course no matter what 'date stamped' DRM is included in the download it will always be vulnerable to filtering as in the past.


C.M

Now it they could produce the 64GB version for a couple O' bucks.............:Link

Optical disks would be redundant.......:

CES '09: 100 HD Movies on a Stamp-Sized Chip 1:10 PM - January 10, 2009 by Kevin Parrish
Source: Tom's Hardware US – Category : Memory

26 comments
ZoomIf storing 100 HD movies on a SD card seems a little far-fetched, think again: the SD Association says it will be possible in 5 years!

The SD Association is labeling the new format as "SDXC," and according to the organization, the spec will be released in Q1 2009. The big deal with this new format is that it increases current storage capacities of 32 GB up to a whopping 2 TB. The format also increases SD interface read/write speeds up to 104 MB per second. Beyond that, the SD Association is shooting for 300 MB per second.

Of course, many consumers will ask just why anyone would need 2 terabytes of storage space on a single card. That's 2000 gigabytes of digital information. Five or ten years ago, consumers would have wondered why anyone would need Internet and TV on a cell phone, yet consumers of today can't seem to live without that luxury, now somewhat dependant on the technology. With SD cards capable of up to 2 TB of storage, consumers can store 100 HD movies, 480 hours of HD recording or 136,000 hi-res photos and more than 4,000 RAW images on one chip.

Yeah baby. Portable porn just got easier!

“SDXC combines a higher capacity roadmap with faster transfer speeds as a means to exploit NAND flash memory technology as a compelling choice for portable memory storage and interoperability,” said Joseph Unsworth, research director, NAND Flash Semiconductors, at Gartner. “With industry support, SDXC presents manufacturers with the opportunity to kindle consumer demand for more advanced handset features and functionality in consumer electronics behind the ubiquitous SD interface.”

James Taylor, president of the SD Association (and not the songwriter), says that the new SDXC format will enable consumers to download higher quality content to their mobile phones and devices including games, video and music. SDXC will provide maximum speeds without hindering the high-speed performance necessary for high-end photography, even when the format reaches its 2 TB capacity. The initial shipment of SDXC cards will more than likely feature 64GB storage, doubling current SD card helpings.

Canon seems pretty stoked about the new format. "SDXC is a large-capacity card that can store more than 4,000 RAW images, which is the uncompressed mode professionals use. That capacity, combined with the exFAT file system, increases movie recording time and reduces starting time to improve photo capturing opportunities,” said Shigeto Kanda, general manager at Canon. “Improvements in interface speed allow further increases in continuous shooting speed and higher resolution movie recordings. As a memory card well suited to small-sized user-friendly digital cameras, the SDXC specification will help consumers realize the full potential of our cameras."

The SD Association says that the new SDXC format uses Microsoft's exFAT file system, designed for increased compatibility with flash media. Established in January 2000, the organization itself includes over 1,100 technology companies including HP, SanDisk, Panasonic, and Toshiba.