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Boon to the PS3? Warner Bros goes Blu-Ray

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L

Loudninja

Member
Got this fromTeamxbox


pete_with_hddvdcopy.jpg
 
Angelcurio

Angelcurio

Member
deepbrown said:
DO you know what's going to end this even quicker? The PERCEIVED death of HD-DVD because of Warner's move. Paramounts move was huge but noone took that much notice - Warner moves and every site, whether interested in the format war or not, screams the death of HD-DVD.

This is what will kill HD-DVD. Perception.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. After this move, i wouldnt be surprised if the perceived death of HD-DVD is whats actually ends up killing them
 
L

Lagaff

Gub'mint Researcher
Dont knows if it was posted .

Apple set to ship Macs with Blu-ray support - report

By Slash Lane

Published: 10:00 AM EST
Apple Inc. at this month's Macworld Expo will will outline a high-definition video strategy that will see its weight thrown further behind Sony Corp's Blu-ray DVD format as opposed to Toshiba's HD-DVD, according to one Wall Street analyst.


In a report issued to clients early Thursday morning, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu cited sources who say the Cupertino-based Mac maker, which already occupies a seat on the Blu-ray consortium, is set to begin shipping some of its computers with support for the next-generation DVD format.

"We believe this is a key announcement as current Macs ship with the DVD format and Sony gains a strong ally in Blu-ray," the analyst told clients. He added that Disney, for which Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is a Director, is a firm supporter of Blu-ray, while rival Microsoft Corp. has placed most of its eggs in the HD-DVD basket.

However, Wu hedged his bets somewhat, saying there is "a smaller chance Apple may use a combo Blu-ray/HD-DVD drive to ensure full compatibility and not get involved in the format wars."
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Link
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
I was thinking of the Philips/Nintendo event too.

Maybe HD-DVD were really expecting to be a big CES for them, as per rumours.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
gofreak said:
I was thinking of the Philips/Nintendo event too.

Maybe HD-DVD were really expecting to be a big CES for them, as per rumours.
Click to expand...
From what I've heard, both Fox and Time Warner were slated to go for HD-DVD, but then Fox got a better offer from the Blu-Ray camp at the last minute and Time Warner decided to go along with them rather than create a total stalemate (because they also had a decent offer from the Blu-Ray consortium too).

Not from a reliable source or anything though, so take it with an ocean's worth of salt.
 
Forsete

Forsete

Member
I hope they (Toshiba) do the right thing and jump on the Blu-wagon. My prediction is Sony going "lol" at the press conference, about 5 hours left right?
 
R

Rolf NB

Member
It's indecent to kick someone who's down, but this really was a long time coming.
HD-DVD was never in a position where it could possibly win this format "war". All it ever could achieve was die later rather than sooner.
Transitioning to a new format is always inconvenient, and because of that the correct upgrade path is the one that makes the biggest technical leap, so that it lasts a while and becomes worth the hassle and expense of rebuying titles and reorganizing. Blu-ray is that bigger technical leap (5x DVD's storage per layer vs HD-DVD's 3x, hard-coating), and that alone already makes it the obvious choice, but then it also has vastly more content support.

The only advantage that has ever been claimed for HD-DVD was cost, but the only actual hardware difference between Blu-ray players and HD-DVD players is a 2-cent piece of plastic (the lens), so that seems moot. Subsidies are the only reason for player price disparities.
The other cost claim concerned easier retro-fitting of existing disc manufacturing lines, but nobody should have to care about this one-time expense, and indeed movie prices for end users are the same.

What remains is another couple of cents for Blu-ray's hard-coating as an extra expense for disc manufacturers. Why consumers should be concerned about that, when the end prices are on par, is incomprehensible to me.
 
Forsete

Forsete

Member
badcrumble said:
From what I've heard, both Fox and Time Warner were slated to go for HD-DVD, but then Fox got a better offer from the Blu-Ray camp at the last minute and Time Warner decided to go along with them rather than create a total stalemate (because they also had a decent offer from the Blu-Ray consortium too).

Not from a reliable source or anything though, so take it with an ocean's worth of salt.
Click to expand...

I think that was from CampaignHD right? The biggest bullshit site if there ever was one.
 
C

cilonen

Member
InterMoniker said:
I did read the chain of posts but I misunderstood and thought you were saying the "dreamcast" thing first. I see Badcruble said that now so you don't need to be using stupid words like goofus.

But why would someone not get the ps3 because of the dreamcast? Thats why I got mad because it just doesn't make any damn sense to me at all. I didn't mean to attack you Segata.

I had a Dreamcast and it was a lot of fun.
Click to expand...

It's one of the common 'anti-Sony fanboy' arguments. "I can't support Sony because their evil marketing stopped everyone from buying Dreamcasts!"

This whole situation hits a nerve with some people because it means that the other big anti-Sony fallacy of "They forced another evil Sony-proprietary format on us!" would appear to be coming true.

What these same people tend to forget is that piracy mostly killed the Dreamcast once the GDRom format was figured out, that and Microsoft knifing them in the back then nicking all the expertise gained from the partnership to kickstart it's own XBox venture - and that Toshiba was the one in this case trying to push a proprietary format - Blu Ray was the more open, industry-friendly format in this case. Toshiba were scared an early transfer to a new generation of optical media would end it's gravy train of DVD royalties, so rushed out a successor specification that they owned.
 
G

GreekWolf

Member
TTP said:
Damn.

All this reminds me a bit of when Nintendo went Philips bitchslapping Sony and their "PlayStation" NES add-on.
Click to expand...
Not really a good comparison, considering Sony used that motivation to crush Nintendo's empire and subject them to "also-ran" status for well over a decade.
 
T

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
gofreak said:
I was thinking of the Philips/Nintendo event too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and the reason being... companies with some kind of agreement between them usually anticipate to the partner what they are about to announce at a given time so that the partner can act accordingly. But in this case (as well as in the Philips/Nintendo one), Toshiba was clearly in the dark until shit hit the fan. I wonder why Warner acted this way. I mean, they could have told Toshiba something like "look, we are going Blu-Ray only" a month ago so that they would be prepared. But they waited till everything was set for CES to drop the bomb. It's odd. It's like they really wanted to hurt. A japanese company, that is. And you dont want to fuck up with Japanese companies. Look what happened to Sony after Nintendo backstabbed them.

Short version: Toshiba to rule the digital entertainment world by 2020 :lol
 
B

badcrumble

Member
Forsete said:
I think that was from CampaignHD right? The biggest bullshit site if there ever was one.
Click to expand...
Didn't read it there but it's entirely possible that's where it came from. Was just throwing a story out there, not by any means claiming it was true. I do hope we find out what the real deal was, because based on how surprised Toshiba and the HD-DVD group seemed to be about this, there was a lot of really interesting dealmaking going on behind the scenes.
 
C

cilonen

Member
TTP said:
Yeah, and the reason being... companies with some kind of agreement between them usually anticipate to the partner what they are about to announce at a given time so that the partner can act accordingly. But in this case (as well as in the Philips/Nintendo one), Toshiba was clearly in the dark until shit hit the fan. I wonder why Warner acted this way. I mean, they could have told Toshiba something like "look, we are going Blu-Ray only" a month ago so that they would be prepared. But they waited till everything was set for CES to drop the bomb. It's odd. It's like they really wanted to hurt. A japanese company, that is. And you dont want to fuck up with Japanese companies. Look what happened to Sony after Nintendo backstabbed them.

Short version: Toshiba to rule the digital entertainment world by 2020 :lol
Click to expand...

4820p Holo-waggle vision FTW.
 
T

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
GreekWolf said:
Not really a good comparison, considering Sony used that motivation to crush Nintendo's empire and subject them to "also-ran" status for well over a decade.
Click to expand...

I'm talking about the backstabbing, not the consequences.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
Yeah, and the reason being... companies with some kind of agreement between them usually anticipate to the partner what they are about to announce at a given time so that the partner can act accordingly. But in this case (as well as in the Philips/Nintendo one), Toshiba was clearly in the dark until shit hit the fan. I wonder why Warner acted this way. I mean, they could have told Toshiba something like "look, we are going Blu-Ray only" a month ago so that they would be prepared. But they waited till everything was set for CES to drop the bomb. It's odd. It's like they really wanted to hurt. A japanese company, that is. And you dont want to fuck up with Japanese companies. Look what happened to Sony after Nintendo backstabbed them.
Click to expand...
:eek: Toshiba entering the home console market next gen!
 
P

patsu

Member
There was probably a last minute bidding war for Warner but BDA won out. Rumors is that both camps offered similar sum of money for Warner, but Blu-ray also had the consumer momentum (growth !). I believe both BDA and HD DVD forum know about the possible outcomes, but each hope that they would win.
 
S

Snah

Banned
Eteric Rice said:
Nah, my pride and disdain for Sony prevents me from doing so.

Good news is that there's already a standalone player for $299. A few more months and it'll probably go down more. :D
Click to expand...

Wow. That's really pathetic.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Speaking of parallels with other shows, I wonder if Stringer is readying a "war is over" powerpoint slide as we speak :p
 
G

GreekWolf

Member
TTP said:
I'm talking about the backstabbing, not the consequences.
Click to expand...
No, I understand what you're saying, my comment was more about the unlikely possibility that history will repeat itself.

Of course, if Toshiba introduces a new game system with a blu-ray drive at CES then all bets are off. :lol

Snah said:
Wow. That's really pathetic.
Click to expand...
That's true, but if you substituted Microsoft for Sony in that post, it could have easily come from Borys or AltogetherAndrews.
 
P

patsu

Member
gofreak said:
Speaking of parallels with other shows, I wonder if Stringer is readying a "war is over" powerpoint slide as we speak :p
Click to expand...

:) The real push has just begun. Only the civil war has ended.
 
T

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
gofreak said:
Speaking of parallels with other shows, I wonder if Stringer is readying a "war is over" powerpoint slide as we speak :p
Click to expand...

Now that's some nice photoshop idea.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
GreekWolf said:
No, I understand what you're saying, my comment was more about the unlikely possibility that history will repeat itself.

Of course, if Toshiba introduces a new game system with a blu-ray drive at CES then all bets are off. :lol
Click to expand...
Toshiba and Nintendo get together to make an HD-DVD enabled Wii HD :lol
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
gofreak said:
Speaking of parallels with other shows, I wonder if Stringer is readying a "war is over" powerpoint slide as we speak :p
Click to expand...

Has Sony even said anyting about Warner going exclusive? I know i've seen comments from people at WB but nothing from Sony.
 
T

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
SolidSnakex said:
Has Sony even said anyting about Warner going exclusive? I know i've seen comments from people at WB but nothing from Sony.
Click to expand...

I guess they are still drunk after yesterday party.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
SolidSnakex said:
Has Sony even said anyting about Warner going exclusive? I know i've seen comments from people at WB but nothing from Sony.
Click to expand...

No, but I'm sure they will be crowing about it at CES. Stringer was personally involved in swinging this according to the NYTimes, so I'm sure he'll be mighty pleased to talk about it.
 
A

AltogetherAndrews

Member
GreekWolf said:
That's true, but if you substituted Microsoft for Sony in that post, it could have easily come from Borys or AltogetherAndrews.
Click to expand...

My disdain for Microsoft is plenty valid though as I've actually owned two 360s, the first of which I enthusiastically purchased at launch. I was an Xbot last generation, but this generation's Microsoft doesn't deserve much praise.
 
P

patsu

Member
It's best to let BDA make a statement because afterall it is a Blu-ray war. Sony will stir up hate if they are too upfront about it. Sony should sell their gigs instead (e.g., That PSP Skype thing, and OLED stuff, etc.).
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
patsu said:
It's best to let BDA make a statement because afterall it is a Blu-ray war. Sony will stir up hate if they are too upfront about it. Sony should sell their gigs instead (e.g., That PSP Skype thing, and OLED stuff, etc.).
Click to expand...

Similar to how Toshiba was always going to discuss HD-DVD at their own conference, though, I expect Sony to talk up Blu-ray at theirs, particularly given Stringer's apparent involvement in winning over Warner (if indeed, he is presenting again). Sony, like Toshiba, is the lead partner.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
gofreak said:
Toshiba has had their conference at CES (as opposed to the HD-DVD group - that conference was cancelled).

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/live-from-the-toshiba-ces-press-conference/

Not much said about HD-DVD, apparently, except that they had a good Q4 and to reiterate their PR from yesterday about their surprise at the Warner announcement.
Click to expand...

10:18 - "Thanks for your continued support, a slide of all the awards HD DVD has gotten in the past year" -- and that's it.
Click to expand...

Yikes.
 
M

MassiveAttack

Banned
The NY Times article gofreak mentioned above... With Stringer's involvement mentioned.

Warner Backs Blu-ray, Tilting DVD Battle

By BROOKS BARNES
The New York Times
Published: January 5, 2008

LOS ANGELES — The high-definition DVD war is all but over.

Hollywood’s squabble over which of two technologies will replace standard DVDs skewed in the direction of the Sony Corporation on Friday, with Warner Brothers casting the deciding vote in favor of the company’s Blu-ray discs over the rival format, HD DVD.

In some ways, the fight is a replay of the VHS versus Betamax battle of the 1980s. This time, however, the Sony product appears to have prevailed.

“The overwhelming industry opinion is that this decides the format battle in favor of Blu-ray,” said Richard Doherty, research director at the Envisioneering Group, a market research firm in Seaford, N.Y.

Behind the studio’s decision are industrywide fears about the sagging home entertainment market, which has bruised the movie industry in recent years as piracy, competition from video games and the Internet, and soaring costs have cut into profitability. Analysts predict that domestic DVD sales fell by nearly 3 percent in 2007, partly because of confusion in the marketplace over the various formats.

HD DVD, however, is not dead. Two major studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, have deals in place to continue releasing their movies exclusively on HD DVD, as does DreamWorks Animation. Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, will also continue to release its titles on both formats until the end of May.

But by supporting Blu-ray, Warner Brothers, the largest player in the $42 billion global home entertainment market, makes it next to impossible for HD DVD to recover the early momentum it achieved.

While the specifics of the Blu-ray and HD DVD skirmish might be of interest only to insiders, the consequences of deciding a winner are not. Consumers have been largely sitting on the sidelines, waiting to buy high-definition players until they see which will have the most titles available. Retailers have been complaining about having to devote space to three kinds of DVDs. And the movie business has delayed tapping a lucrative new market worth billions. High-definition discs sell for a 25 percent premium.

“Consolidating into one format is something that we felt was necessary for the health of the industry,” Barry M. Meyer, the chief executive of Warner Brothers, said in a telephone interview. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.”

In addition to Sony, a consortium of other electronics makers back Blu-ray. For Sony, Warner’s decision is a chance to rewrite history: the company faltered in its introduction of Betamax in the consumer market in the 1980s. Many analysts say the HD DVD players now risk becoming the equivalent of Betamax machines, which died out in large part because it became harder for consumers to find Betamax movies as studios shifted allegiance to VHS.

With Warner on board, Blu-ray now has about 70 percent of the market locked up; Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate and, of course, Sony are all on Blu-ray’s team. Warner Brothers has some of the bigger releases in 2008, including “Speed Racer,” the Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” and the sixth Harry Potter installment.

“This doesn’t necessarily kill the HD DVD format, but it definitely deals it a severe blow,” said Paul Erickson, an analyst at the NPD Group’s DisplaySearch. “When a consumer asks a store clerk which format to buy, that clerk is now going to have a hard time arguing for HD DVD.”

In a prepared statement, Toshiba said it was “quite surprised” and “particularly disappointed” by Warner’s decision. “We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies,” the company said. Universal Pictures declined to comment.

Warner Brothers has been courted for months by both sides. Toshiba dispatched Yoshihide Fujii, the executive in charge of its HD DVD business, to the studio three times in recent months, according to Time Warner executives who were granted anonymity because the negotiations were confidential. Sony has aimed even higher: Howard Stringer, the conglomerate’s chief executive, has leaned on Jeffrey Bewkes, the new chief executive of Time Warner.

Money was an issue. Toshiba offered to pay Warner Brothers substantial incentives to come down on its side — just as it gave Paramount and DreamWorks Animation a combined $150 million in financial incentives for their business, according to two executives with knowledge of the talks who asked not to be identified.

Kevin Tsujihara, president of the Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group, declined to comment on whether any payments were offered for support of Blu-ray. “This market is absolutely critical to our future growth,” he said in a telephone interview. “You couldn’t put a number on that.”

For his part, Mr. Meyer said, “We’re not in this for a short-term financial hit.”

Which high-definition technology is better has been the subject of intense debate in Hollywood and electronics circles for years. HD DVD players have been much cheaper than Blu-ray machines, but Blu-ray discs have more storage space and more advanced protections against piracy. Both versions deliver sharp resolution.

Consumers were inundated with marketing from both sides during the recent holiday season. Wal-Mart, as part of a temporary promotion, offered Toshiba players for under $100. Sony and its retailing partners, including Best Buy, responded by dropping prices on Blu-ray players, although not to the same level. Blu-ray players can now be purchased for under $300.

Still, Blu-ray was emerging as a front-runner as early as August. Blu-ray titles have sharply outsold HD DVD offerings — by as much 2 to 1, according to some analysts — and some retailers like Target started stocking only Blu-ray players. Blockbuster said last summer that it would carry Blu-ray exclusively.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation with consumers for a while now and they have clearly made their choice,” Mr. Meyer said. “We followed.”
Click to expand...
 
G

GreekWolf

Member
AltogetherAndrews said:
My disdain for Microsoft is plenty valid though as I've actually owned two 360s, the first of which I enthusiastically purchased at launch. I was an Xbot last generation, but this generation's Microsoft doesn't deserve much praise.
Click to expand...
I didn't say I disagreed with you, at least not completely. Having seen my own death in the three red rings on multiple occasions, I can certainly understand why someone would switch sides mid-gen. It's infuriating, especially when the system performs flawlessly for half a year, only to crap out on you when glorious Bioshock or Mass Effect finally arrives.

What can I say, though, I'm a glutton for punishment. If the game library wasn't so awesome, I would have washed my hands of the silly thing long ago.
 
B

BeEatNU

WORLDSTAAAAAAR
TTP said:
Yeah, and the reason being... companies with some kind of agreement between them usually anticipate to the partner what they are about to announce at a given time so that the partner can act accordingly. But in this case (as well as in the Philips/Nintendo one), Toshiba was clearly in the dark until shit hit the fan. I wonder why Warner acted this way. I mean, they could have told Toshiba something like "look, we are going Blu-Ray only" a month ago so that they would be prepared. But they waited till everything was set for CES to drop the bomb. It's odd. It's like they really wanted to hurt. A japanese company, that is. And you dont want to fuck up with Japanese companies. Look what happened to Sony after Nintendo backstabbed them.

Short version: Toshiba to rule the digital entertainment world by 2020 :lol
Click to expand...

maybe Warner didn't want to deal with all the hassle Toshiba might do, to keep Warner.. *shrug shoulders*
 
M

MassiveAttack

Banned
shenmue mugen said:
I sincerely fail to see how the ps3 could benefit from bluray victory.
Click to expand...

It's convenient now, isn't it? A year ago it was all doom and gloom and predictions of disaster for PS3 due to the delays caused by the inclusion of Blu-ray, how utterly useless it was and how Kutaragi was a lunatic. Now the new refrain is, "Bu-bu-bu-but there's no way the victory of Blu-ray will help PS3 anyway!"
 
M

Mrbob

Member
TTP said:
Yeah, and the reason being... companies with some kind of agreement between them usually anticipate to the partner what they are about to announce at a given time so that the partner can act accordingly. But in this case (as well as in the Philips/Nintendo one), Toshiba was clearly in the dark until shit hit the fan. I wonder why Warner acted this way. I mean, they could have told Toshiba something like "look, we are going Blu-Ray only" a month ago so that they would be prepared. But they waited till everything was set for CES to drop the bomb. It's odd. It's like they really wanted to hurt. A japanese company, that is. And you dont want to fuck up with Japanese companies. Look what happened to Sony after Nintendo backstabbed them.

Short version: Toshiba to rule the digital entertainment world by 2020 :lol
Click to expand...

Look at what Warner said. They believe the window is closing on hi def if there is a stalemate in this industry. I think the HD DVD group is mad Warner announced this before the end of May, but the way Warner is looking at it is they don't want to waste another half year of confusion for this format war. They announce it now, while honoring their current committment to HD DVD, so the high def transition doesn't get delayed even longer.
 
Aggelos

Aggelos

Member
shenmue mugen said:
I sincerely fail to see how the ps3 could benefit from bluray victory.
Click to expand...



Consoles nowadays are not like 10+ years ago { MegeDrive (Genesis), SuperNES (Super Famicom), N64 etc}....
Imagine how many things you can do on your PS360 (except than playin games). For instance you can watch a Blu-Ray movie on your PS3.
Was ever it possible to watch a VHS movie on Nintendo 64??
 
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