Posted by T.B. on 01/07/08 21:55

"The alMIGHTY N" sez:

> I've been able to download high-definition versions of many of Walt
> Disney's animated classics on Xbox Live Marketplace. Granted, these
> are not 1080p (or even full bitrate 720p) versions but they're still
> high-definition and they're still watchable right now by anyone who
> owns an Xbox 360.

That's........... great. Most people who watch Disney movies however simply
buy them at just about any store within walking distance of their homes and
in often superior quality on regular old dvds. Or watch and record them off
cable or satellite tv. Paying to download mediocre quality movies onto a
over-expensive, poorly designed gaming console is a tiny fraction of the
currently tiny niche market of HD-dvd/Blu-ray dvd.

> It just seems strange that with an obvious need to attract more
> consumers to Blu-Ray, big studios like Disney, Fox and MGM have been
> so slow to release their big catalog tentpole franchises which would
> surely provide incentive for movie fans to make the transition to high-
> definition.

You mean like Sleeping Beauty and Finding Nemo along with dozens of other
animated and live action titles?

http://www.digitalbits.com/#hdspin

> If I can watch The Aristocats, Oliver and Company, 101 Dalmations, and
> Treasure Planet (not that I would ever want to watch that) on Xbox
> Live Marketplace in HD (albeit more to the lower end of the spectrum),
> why can't I watch those movies on Blu-Ray on my Playstation 3?

Uhhh, I wouldn't call the above titles anything near the upper tier of
Disney's animated films. Is Fantasia or Sleeping Beauty among those titles?
No? Well, I can watch Fantasia on dvd as well as Sleeping Beauty and soon
on blu-ray for SB. And Cars and Ratatouille look pretty amazing on blu-ray.
How do those movies compare to the downloadable XBox versions?

With any luck, you can soon pay to download old episodes of Gilligan's
Island for your wonderful XBox.

T.B.

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