Topic: Future Wii Model to Include DVD Playback

[WindyMan]

It doesn't look like the consoles we'll be buying this Sunday can be upgraded, though.  The DVD-playing version of Wii is due in late 2007.

Nintendo Selects Sonic to Enable DVD Functionality in Future Version of Wii Console    

Sonic CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator Helps Deliver Ultimate Movie Viewing to New-Generation Gaming Console    

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ:SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today announced that Nintendo, the worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, has chosen Sonic® CinePlayer® CE DVD Navigator to bring high-quality DVD movie viewing to a future version of the company’s Wii™ gaming console. Nintendo plans to release this version of Wii in the latter half of 2007.    

Based on the same technology trusted by Hollywood studios, CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator is a robust, software-based DVD playback engine that delivers broad playback compatibility on a variety of platforms. The proven technology offers exceptional picture quality and supports all standard video and audio formats offered in the DVD specification, as well as advanced functions such as anamorphic widescreen video, motion menus, and multiple video angles.    

“To be involved in Nintendo’s ground-breaking gaming console is extremely gratifying and a testament to the efficiency, flexibility and dependability of Sonic’s technology," said Jim Taylor, senior vice president and general manager of Sonic’s Advanced Technology Group. “Game consoles represent a fresh market and platform where we can introduce a new audience of potentially millions to the quality of our brand and the power of our digital media applications."    

According to a recent report by new media research firm Centris (http://www.centris.com/index.htm), DVD playback device penetration continues to grow. The total number of DVD playback-capable households grew to 91 million in April 2006, which represents an 8% increase over the previous year. Adding to this figure was an increase in DVD-enabled game units which grew 11% year over year to approximately 45 million.    

Created by Sonic’s Advanced Technology Group, CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator is part of the company’s growing portfolio of technologies that are being licensed to enable CD and DVD playback, as well as DVD recording and authoring. Sonic’s technologies are licensed by leading technology companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, and Scientific Atlanta and used to enable digital media experiences in a wide variety of markets including consumer electronics, PCs, kiosks, automotive entertainment systems, and music download services. In addition to standard-DVD, Sonic recently introduced comprehensive support for emerging high-definition formats, Blu-Ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD.    

For more information on Sonic’s technologies for application developers, visit: http://www.sonic.com/products/Developer/AuthorScript/quicklook.aspx.    

About Sonic Solutions    

Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ:SNIC)(http://www.sonic.com) is the leader in digital media software, providing a broad range of interoperable, platform-independent software tools and applications for creative professionals, business and home users, and technology partners. Sonic's products range from advanced DVD authoring systems and interactive content delivery technologies used to produce the majority of Hollywood DVD film releases, to the award-winning Roxio®-branded CD and DVD creation, playback and backup solutions that have become the premier choice for consumers, prosumers and business users worldwide.    

Sonic products are globally available from major retailers, online at Sonic.com and Roxio.com, and are bundled with PCs, after-market drives and consumer electronic devices. Sonic's digital media creation engine is the de facto standard and has been licensed by major software and hardware manufacturers, including Adobe, Microsoft, Scientific-Atlanta, Sony, and many others. Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.

[Acefondu]

I could care less about a DVD player, I have somewhere near 8 as it is.

But this is a really stupid move by Nintendo. They're sending mixed messages here. They set out to create a "game machine" and are now adding other media devices to it? I'm confused, and so will consumers.

Not to mention the war cry of people who buy a Wii and are not aware of future DVD capabiliteis. They will be ticked, no doubt about it.

So what's next? MP3?

[Pale]

Maybe I'm stupid, but where does it sound like we'll need to buy a new Wii?

"CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator is a robust, software-based DVD playback engine"

That statement makes it sound like it could be a software upgrade.

[Nick DiMola]

I don't see how it wouldn't be simply a software update. If the disc drive is capable of reading a DVD, new firmware for the DVD player would simply need to be installed. Nintendo has told us over and over that the Wii OS is upgradable, so it would seem to me that whenever they finish the firmware upgrade, all us original Wii owners will just need to download the patch.

[Athrun Zala]

not so sure, as the DVD players require a DD decoder, and apparently the Wii doesn't have one.....

unless they plan to do a software decoder, which would be a pretty bad idea.....

[Ghisy]

Even though I don't care about the Wii being able to play video DVDs, it's kind of a bad move by Big N.
It really sounds like a software and/or firmware update to me though.
Eh, I just wanna play Zelda, that's all I'm asking for! :-P

[JonLeung]

I personally don't care, but they should've announced this AFTER the Wii launches.  Now people on the fence about the Wii might wait until next year.

It's kind of like when Capcom announced that RE4 was also coming to the PS2 shortly before the formerly-exclusive GCN version was released.

Probably not on the same scale, but it's still not a smart move.

But I believe most people already have a DVD player, or, you know, six.  So it probably won't affect sales too too much.

EDIT: Yeah, it should be a new Wii Channel if possible.  48 available channels is too few if VC games are their own channel each, but 48 channels is too many otherwise, as we've only seen, what, half a dozen channels so far?  A "DVD/movie channel" would be cool, or it'd be one more channel, anyway.

[BiLdItUp1]

This should not have been announced now.  DVD playback should never have been cut to begin with, but to backtrack days before launch? I hope this won't be widely reported...or Nintendo should make clear that this will be available as an update to current Wii owners. I doubt this'll have that much impact in the long run, but it may affect the launch somewhat.

[Smash_Brother]

This isn't NEARLY as bad as showing the WW trailer at SW2K1 after showing the ultra-realistic trailer at SW2K, but it's still pretty bad.

[NWR_pap64]

Could this be the result of them rushing the Wii launch in order to beat the Christmas season?

I find it weird that Nintendo decided to add in DVD playback all of a sudden, especially when they made it clear the feature was axed.

[Pale]

Quote
Originally posted by: Athrun Zala
not so sure, as the DVD players require a DD decoder, and apparently the Wii doesn't have one.....

unless they plan to do a software decoder, which would be a pretty bad idea.....

That's a very good point.  If it is just a software update it will make for a crappy dvd player.

[obscureownership]

I don't think anyone buying a Wii really cares about DVD playback, so why is everyone freaking out? This isn't like the days when the GameCube didn't have DVD playback when it had to compete with the PS2, because DVD players were not as common and buying a ps2 and instead of a GameCube and a dvd player was actually a good deal.

[Hostile Creation]

I say don't even include a DVD player.  Doesn't really matter to me either way though.

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: obscureownership
I don't think anyone buying a Wii really cares about DVD playback, so why is everyone freaking out? This isn't like the days when the GameCube didn't have DVD playback when it had to compete with the PS2, because DVD players were not as common and buying a ps2 and instead of a GameCube and a dvd player was actually a good deal.

The thing is that the sudden move of updating the Wii with DVD playback is weird. Like, why they decided to include it all of a sudden? This is what I don't get...

Like Hostile said, why even include it? Its not like it matters...

[Larrs528]

I was just wondering, despite knowing very little about this Wii with DVD playback, do you think it will have an optical digital output? Did the Panasonic Q have one? If it did, would there be a chance of developers programming Wii games with true 5.1 or would they likely just stick with pro logic because of the installed base?

[Pale]

The Panasonic Q has one that only outputs dvd sound, not game sound.  The current Wii does not have one.

[Larrs528]

I see, so the Q's digital audio out only worked for the DVD sound. I wonder if this will be different. I've personally been pretty bugged that Nintendo hasn't done digital audio from the get-go with Wii. Still, I wonder if any developers would program for it if they added this functionality with the updated "WiiVD"

[Jonnyboy117]

I think it's really funny that Microsoft is adding HD-DVD playback this fall and Nintendo's answer is to add DVD playback next fall.

[Strell]

Isn't the better question "if this is software upgrading, why don't they release it now?"  

That makes me think it is so totally not software oriented.

But I could be wrong.

I guess contracts and things could keep it from being released now....plus, I imagine you'd have to install it to the HD, which would sorta be dumb because you'd have to occupy part of the internal memory...

This is confusin'.  If it comes to pass, then I raelly hope those hackers who are trying to get Linux to run on the Wii can get it to work, because the Wii would make one beautiful media center PC.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

So lame.

[BiLdItUp1]

Well, I suppose next time NOA grants an interview, this'll be one of the questions they'll immediately get bombarded by, at least in the gaming media. It'll be interesting to see how they spin this one, too. It's not like Zelda, when we weren't really promised anything in SW2K. With DVD playback first it's in, then out, now back in in a year, in a totally new version of the console. Might as well announce the DS Lite before the DS.

Why the crap didn't they stick with the dongle idea? Or maybe, a USB dongle will be made available (it would handle DD decoding) for the old Wiis for cheap (not more than $20) and built-in for the new ones - that's probably the best way to handle it)

[TrueNerd]

So... does this somehow effect the Wii's ability to play Twilight Princess in 5 days, 6 hours, and 28 minutes? No?

Don't care.  

[MarioAllStar]

Providing DVD playback months from now is just another point people can use to make the Wii look inferior.

PS3 - BluRay (new)
Xbox 360 - HD-DVD (new)
Wii - DVD (old)

The extra functionality will not only be unecessary, but it will make Nintendo look bad (especially if the implementation is poor).

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Well it's a DVD softare players that enables the unit to act like a STRIPPED DOWN DVD PLAYER.  Much like a portable DVD player without the screen, or a media laptop without usefulness.  Wii lacks industry standard digital surround sound output, so it's obviously not a home theater device.  Which brings me to demand someone ask Nintendo in a new interview, "WHY THE FAHK BOTHER?"

Which brings me to a new idea that'll require some generalizations:  the DVD player isn't there to make Wii a center-piece media box, it's there for the convenience of having a movie player on the spot?  Who would it matter to?  I don't know, let's say.... THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN.  I really don't know if your average household is crazy about surround sound and has the SPACE for a complete HT setup, but i'll just guess the majority DOES NOT, making HD and HT just luxuries the masses don't depend on.  But looking at the PS2, it may matter not whether families have the equipment for the HT experience, but HAVING DVD PLAYBACK was simply a convenient thing to have.  Does gamerX and his 20" bedroom TV have a HT system to go along with it? MAYBE THE FAHK NOT.  So all the Dolby Surround gobbledy-gook doesn't make a difference.  BUT HEY, gamerX can still watch his POKEMON DVDs and other naughty discs in private anyway.

This is a strange flip-side to the Digital Out removal on GameCube.  Here, (half-ass) DVD is being added while the component hookup was taken away.  The difference here is:  DVD playback is ultimately more useful/valuable in the long run.

[couchmonkey]

Better late than never?

I don't think joe consumer will even realize that this is going on when he goes to buy a Wii.

A few hardcore gamers who want to have a DVD player in their bedroom or whatever will be bummed and/or wait.

Ultimately, Wii's success will depend on the innovative new features and gameplay, not DVD playback.