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[Ignatz Mouse]

All of Paramount/Dreamworks, All of Warner Bros = HD-DVD only.

I'll take all of those over Star Wars.

Warner isn't HD-DVD exclusive. You just making shit up, or what?

 

[C4Lukins]

Fox is still not bringing out the big guns, but there are a lot of must buys on that list.

 

[justjohn]

so what should be sony's next move now? personally i think they have the advantage of the ps3. their aim now is to make sure the remaining neutral studios remain neutral and the exclusive studios sexclusive. they will be selling quite a lot of ps3's this holiday season and as long as they have the content it doesnt really matter if they're available elewhere.

 

[suffah]

Quite obvious the war will now be prolonged forever.

BTW, a big F U to the assholes that said HD-DVD was already dead a few months ago.

 

[Lord Error]

Warner isn't HD-DVD exclusive. You just making shit up, or what?

Neither is all of Paramount/Dreamworks actually. Spielberg's stuff is what I care about the most from DW, and I bet it's the same for many people. Let's hope that gets released someday as format neutral (as it probably will be, based on this announcement).

 

[suffah]

so what should be sony's next move now? personally i think they have the advantage of the ps3. their aim now is to make sure the remaining neutral studios remain neutral and the exclusive studios sexclusive. they will be selling quite a lot of ps3's this holiday season and as long as they have the content it doesnt really matter if they're available elewhere.

Moving PS3's does not equal moving movie sales, though.

The BD camp needs to make sure FOX does not move towards HD-DVD at all costs. That could trigger a bunch of other studios to go neutral.

 

[plagiarize]

Moving PS3's does not equal moving movie sales, though.

The BD camp needs to make sure FOX does not move towards HD-DVD at all costs. That could trigger a bunch of other studios to go neutral.

no real chance of that. fox are too worried about copy protection to go with HD-DVD. same for disney.

 

[justjohn]

Moving PS3's does not equal moving movie sales, though.The BD camp needs to make sure FOX does not move towards HD-DVD at all costs. That could trigger a bunch of other studios to go neutral.

actually it does

 

[Chemo]

so what should be sony's next move now?

Pay off a major studio or Best Buy... or take the money that they would have used for money hats, hold onto it, and cut the PS3 to $399 tomorrow.

 

[captive]

so what should be sony's next move now? personally i think they have the advantage of the ps3. their aim now is to make sure the remaining neutral studios remain neutral and the exclusive studios sexclusive. they will be selling quite a lot of ps3's this holiday season and as long as they have the content it doesnt really matter if they're available elewhere.

i would love to see warner go blu exclusive(moneyhats are cool now right?) just to see all the hd dvd fans that love warner now back peddel(especially if they start bitching about moneyhats), i think i would gain more enjoyment out of that than the hd dvd fans enjoyed watching blu fans with the paramount news.
And this may put the format war back on the fast track to being over.

 

[bendak]

Gladiator anyone? That still remains as one of my favorite SD DVDs...it was the ultimate demo disc. Now HD DVD only.

Who's next...Warner? They've already shown overwhelming favoritism to HD DVD with the Matrix, Batman Begins and other titles.

 

[justjohn]

i would love to see warner go exclusive(moneyhats are cool now right?) just to see all the hd dvd fans that love warner now back peddel(especially if they start bitching about moneyhats), i think i would gain more enjoyment out of that than the hd dvd fans enjoyed watching blu fans with the paramount news.
And this may put the format war back on the fast track to being over.

like i said i dont really care for warner to go exclusive. as long as they release on blu-ray.
sony should be working hard to keep warner on their side, cos if they lose warner its all over for them

 

[suffah]

actually it does

No, actually it doesn't. Why would Blu-Ray only have a measly 2-1 software lead if the hardware outsells HD-DVD by such a huge margin?

People buy PS3's for the games, especially now that the prices of stand-alone players are bearable. It's not 10 months ago when the standalone players were $999.

Sure, J6P might buy one or two movies to "check out" Blu-Ray, but it certainly doesn't seem to have translated into any significant sales.

 

[captive]

like i said i dont really care for warner to go exclusive. as long as they release on blu-ray.
sony should be working hard to keep warner on their side, cos if they lose warner its all over for them

I dont care either, I think i have like 2 warner releases.
But i stated that as just pure selfish enjoyment and nothing else.

 

[chubigans]

No, actually it doesn't. Why would Blu-Ray only have a measly 2-1 software lead if the hardware outsells HD-DVD by such a huge margin?

It doesn't, stand alone wise. HD-DVD stand alone players are outselling BD players by quite a bit, yet the software has the almost opposite effect. So the PS3 does amount to something in this format war.

 

[justjohn]

No, actually it doesn't. Why would Blu-Ray only have a measly 2-1 software lead if the hardware outsells HD-DVD by such a huge margin?

People buy PS3's for the games, especially now that the prices of stand-alone players are bearable. It's not 10 months ago when the standalone players were $999.

Sure, J6P might buy one or two movies to "check out" Blu-Ray, but it certainly doesn't seem to have translated into any significant sales.

do you think the increase in blu-ray sales have nothing to do with the ps3? and do you not think this holiday season when ps3 sales increase signifantly will also bring about an increase in more blu-ray sales?

 

[Chemo]

It doesn't, stand alone wise. HD-DVD stand alone players are outselling BD players by quite a bit, yet the software has the almost opposite effect. So the PS3 does amount to something in this format war.

Yeah, and it amounts to a lot (obviously). I can't believe how many people come in this thread and pretend otherwise.

 

[C4Lukins]

so what should be sony's next move now? personally i think they have the advantage of the ps3. their aim now is to make sure the remaining neutral studios remain neutral and the exclusive studios sexclusive. they will be selling quite a lot of ps3's this holiday season and as long as they have the content it doesnt really matter if they're available elewhere.

They need to make sure Warner stays neutral or goes to their side. Other then that it is about getting those big exclusives out there to force people to make a decision. Of course Star Wars and Lord of the Rings would be the big killer exclusives to have announced and on there way. I doubt we are going to hear anything about Star Wars for at least a couple of years though. I guess New Line is neutral right now? If I were on the fence, Alien Quadrilogy, the Godfather Trilogy, and the Indiana Jones films would be the next big influences for me. Aliens=BR, Godfather=HDDVD, Indiana Jones= up in the air. Sony is still sitting pretty as long as Warner stays neutral though. But their oppurtunity to fully kill off HDDVD seems to be gone. Fox is really huge for them.

 

[ManaByte]

They need to make sure Warner stays neutral or goes to their side. Other then that it is about getting those big exclusives out there to force people to make a decision. Of course Star Wars and Lord of the Rings would be the big killer exclusives to have announced and on there way. I doubt we are going to hear anything about Star Wars for at least a couple of years though. I guess New Line is neutral right now? If I were on the fence, Alien Quadrilogy, the Godfather Trilogy, and the Indiana Jones films would be the next big influences for me. Aliens=BR, Godfather=HDDVD, Indiana Jones= up in the air. Sony is still sitting pretty as long as Warner stays neutral though. But their oppurtunity to fully kill off HDDVD seems to be gone. Fox is really huge for them.

New Line = Warner (Neutral)

 

[plagiarize]

Yeah, and it amounts to a lot (obviously). I can't believe how many people come in this thread and pretend otherwise.

well lets be fair.

if either format is to grow to the size each backer hopes, the sales of stand alones will need to surpass the sales of the ps3 by a large margin.

if the sales of standalones of both are growing and the sales of hd-dvd stand alones remains ahead of the sales of blu-ray standalones... it could be hypothesised that the ps3 advantage will become moot in time.

now i have no idea about either of those figures, and i just pulled them out of my ass, but frankly speaking, if the ps3 remains the best selling blu-ray player, it aint ever getting close to beating DVD.

 

[SRG01]

Pay off a major studio or Best Buy... or take the money that they would have used for money hats, hold onto it, and cut the PS3 to $399 tomorrow.

I'd rather have the BD consortium drop their prices to near-DVD levels. That would kill HD-DVD overnight.

 

[Costanza]

HOLY SHIT @ FOX announcements. Can't wait.

 

[thaivo]

I'd rather have the BD consortium drop their prices to near-DVD levels. That would kill HD-DVD overnight.

And kill the CE companies making the players... :lol

Oops, I thought you meant player prices... :lol

 

[justjohn]

the bda response

The decision seems oddly timed given Blu-ray's tremendous momentum both with consumers and with retail. Blu-ray title sales continue to outpace HD-DVD sales by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, and major retailers have expressed a strong preference for Blu-ray. Moreover, the price delta between HD DVD and Blu-ray players has been greatly reduced in the past few months, a trend that is on its way to eliminating any perceived cost advantage the HD DVD format has claimed to have. Under these circumstances, we can only imagine what could have enticed them to walk away from a format that is clearly selling significantly more software than the ailing HD-DVD format

 

[Xisiqomelir]

partially.

the blu-ray consortium voted to use microsoft's interactive spec (which is what HD-DVD uses) over java. the power players in the blu-ray consortium (including Sony) vetoed that and said it would use java regardless of the vote.

fast forwards to the current mess where multiplatform Blu-Rays have missing features or aren't on shelves at all. if sony and the other power players had gone along with what the blu-ray consortium voted for, batman begins would have been out for ages and the 300 blu-ray would have all the same features that the hd-dvd one has.

In the long run, I'd say it's worth it for them to not have to license tech, though.

Assuming BD actually wins quickly.

 

[Crayon Shinchan]

well lets be fair.

if either format is to grow to the size each backer hopes, the sales of stand alones will need to surpass the sales of the ps3 by a large margin.

if the sales of standalones of both are growing and the sales of hd-dvd stand alones remains ahead of the sales of blu-ray standalones... it could be hypothesised that the ps3 advantage will become moot in time.

now i have no idea about either of those figures, and i just pulled them out of my ass, but frankly speaking, if the ps3 remains the best selling blu-ray player, it aint ever getting close to beating DVD.

I think you'll find that PS2 is still by far the best selling DVD player in the world. Of course it doesn't hold a dominant percentage like PS3 does over the HD market right now, but purely in number terms, PS2 is the best selling DVD capable unit other there.

Also... to say HD-DVD and BD stand-alone will sell in the same ratio as the market expands is far too simple and lacking in any detailed reasoning.

 

[ManaByte]

DIRECT FROM PARAMOUNT - SPIELBERG'S FILMS WILL BE ON BOTH FORMATS - NOT EXCLUSIVE TO "BLU" or HD-DVD. ON BOTH FORMATS. NEUTRAL.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33722

I then asked when the INDIANA JONES set would hit and if it would be exclusive to HD. Rob responded that on the films that Steven directs, he wants the titles to be available in both formats - so those will be cross-platform titles. However, the rest of Dreamworks, Viacom/Paramount's world... those will be HD DVD exclusive for the next few years at least. Can you imagine BLOCKBUSTER not letting people rent TRANSFORMERS, SHREK THE THIRD, etc? Me Either. This format war is a fascinating chess game, isn't it?

Rob responded that on the films that Steven directs, he wants the titles to be available in both formats - so those will be cross-platform titles.

Rob responded that on the films that Steven directs, he wants the titles to be available in both formats - so those will be cross-platform titles.

Suck on that Bill "Spielberg is Blu" Hunt.

 

[quest]

If this helps push sony to release some reasonably priced stand alone players I welcome the news. Blue Ray group could kill hd-dvd any time by releasing a lower end stand alone player matching or beating the A series in price.

 

[chubigans]

DIRECT FROM PARAMOUNT - SPIELBERG'S FILMS WILL BE ON BOTH FORMATS - NOT EXCLUSIVE TO "BLU" or HD-DVD. ON BOTH FORMATS. NEUTRAL.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33722

Yeah...PARAMOUNT wants that. Spielberg obviously does not. And his first HD release is on Blu-Ray this year.

So this doesn't change anything really. We're no closer to where we were before.

I mean, really...when Spielberg shoots down any HD-DVD releases of his films this year, then goes on to make a BD release, what else are you supposed to say other than "we want his titles to be multiplatform"?

 

[plagiarize]

In the long run, I'd say it's worth it for them to not have to license tech, though.

Assuming BD actually wins quickly.

if they get their act together soon, and we start getting good BD-J content, i'll probably agree with you in time. right now though it's hard to own both platforms and be anything but disenchanted at BD-J and the impact them choosing it has had.

 

[ManaByte]

Yeah...PARAMOUNT wants that. Spielberg obviously does not. And his first HD release is on Blu-Ray this year.

So this doesn't change anything really. We're no closer to where we were before.

No, SPIELBERG wants them on both formats. SPIELBERG wants that. And the only fucking reason Close Encounters is BRD only is because it's a Sony-owned film. You understand how that works?

 

[AstroLad]

Ah, vague antecedent. You cunning little bastard.

 

[LM4sure]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_hi_te/dueling_dvd_formats_2

BOOM!

LOS ANGELES - Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG announced Monday that they will offer next-generation DVDs in the HD DVD format rather than Blu-ray, a move that further complicates the race between the competing technologies.

The move by the two studios will include the upcoming blockbuster "Shrek the Third" and all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment.

"Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience," said Brad Grey, chairman and chief executive of Paramount Pictures. "I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount."

The competition between Blu-ray and HD DVD has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Studios and retailers have been choosing sides.

"Spider-Man 3" will only be available in the Blu-ray DVD format when it is released by Sony Pictures.

Likewise, people with Blu-ray players won't be able to enjoy the action-thriller "The Bourne Ultimatum," which Universal Pictures will release only in HD DVD.

This is awesome news!! Thanks for making my day!!!!!!

 

[Crayon Shinchan]

This is awesome news!! Thanks for making my day!!!!!!

Might I ask you how it's made your day?

 

[Oni Jazar]

Here's Bill Hunt (the shape-shifting horned demon in Sony's pocket) latest post:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa141.html#foll

You know, here at The Bits, we've been operating over the last couple of years with one guiding principal, and that is this: We believe this format war is a TERRIBLE thing for consumers and for this industry. And we believe that if it continues much longer, consumers will turn away from high-def discs in droves. Something similar has happened before, and recently too, in the form of the high-definition audio format war between DVD-Audio and SACD. The comparison is a fair one, because like high-resolution audio discs, which faced stiff competition from the traditional CD and emerging downloading services, high-definition video discs must cope with the dominance of existing DVD and also new video downloading services like iTunes and Xbox Live. Like Blu-ray and HD-DVD, both DVD-Audio and SACD were great formats, which delivered basically the same thing: a much-higher quality A/V experience for enthusiasts. But because they basically only appealed to enthusiasts... and because there were two formats to choose from for at least three years... neither format gained much traction with average consumers, who preferred the lower price and convenience of downloads to higher priced discs, or who were simply happy enough with the existing CD. Believe us when we say this if nothing else: The same fate awaits both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc if this format war goes on for another year or more.

oh and

The Digital Bits is ENTIRELY an editorial website. Every review, every column including THIS one, is our opinion. We report the DVD and high-def news, offer all the key details, and then we give our opinion on them. That's what we've done for TEN YEARS now. Seriously, my daily column - the one you're reading right now - is called MY TWO CENTS. Has been since 1997. How hard is that to understand? When we aggressively supported DVD over Circuit City's pay-per-view Divx format back in 1998, it was because in our opinion that format war was bad and DVD was the better choice for the majority of consumers. When we fought to lobby all the studios to support DVD's anamorphic widescreen capabilities, it was because because we knew that it would benefit both consumers and the video quality of DVDs in the long term (and it has). And now, we've picked Blu-ray over HD-DVD because again, we believe this format war is bad and that Blu-ray is the better choice for a majority of consumers. But that doesn't sit well for those who prefer HD-DVD, so NOW they're calling us biased. Hey pot? This is the kettle. You're black.

 

[chubigans]

No, SPIELBERG wants them on both formats. SPIELBERG wants that. And the only fucking reason Close Encounters is BRD only is because it's a Sony-owned film. You understand how that works?

So why would he go ahead with that release and tell the HD-DVD consortium not to advertise his movies on HD-DVD anymore?

Spielberg has no choice but to release most of his movies on HD-DVD now. Whether or not he wants them multiplatform or not is moot because thats the way it legally is. But it seems he's waiting it out like most of the Hollywood directors (except for that release of CC, which is odd indeed. Hmmm...).

 

[LM4sure]

Might I ask you how it's made your day?

No, you may not.

 

[gkryhewy]

Sorry, polls are bullshit. The fucking sales numbers for Blu-ray discs say that PS3 owners are buying Blu-ray discs -- real, hard sales numbers mind you, not polltastic bullshit that makes GUESSES for absentee people based on other peoples' responses -- which totally contradicts the claim that 60% of PS3 owners don't even know what their system does.

Do you really think that Blu-ray is winning 2:1 when they don't move as many stand-alone players as HD DVD does and sixty fucking percent of PS3 owners don't know what the damn machine can do? Because that's retarded.

Step back from your BD passion for a second.

1. Because you don't like what one poll says, you're saying that all polls are bullshit. This is a dumb thing to say.

2. No one, including this hypothetical poll, is implying that PS3 hasn't had a huge impact on BluRay sales, or that PS3 owners aren't buying large numbers of movies. Obviously this is true, as the standalone player sales discrepancy does not, I think, approach 2:1. But can't you see that it could still very well be that 60% of PS3 owners aren't aware of its BluRay capability and/or don't possess HDTVs? 40% or even 20% of several million PS3 sales would still be enough to yield the 2:1 movies sales discrepancy given the overall paltry level of HD disc sales.

 

[AstroLad]

And now, we've picked Blu-ray over HD-DVD because again, we believe this format war is bad and that Blu-ray is the better choice for a majority of consumers. But that doesn't sit well for those who prefer HD-DVD, so NOW they're calling us biased. Hey pot? This is the kettle. You're black.

Awesome stealth confession.

 

[ManaByte]

Here's Bill Hunt (the shape-shifting horned demon in Sony's pocket) latest post:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa141.html#foll



oh and

His site is down, must have pulled the plug for a while. :lol

 

[plagiarize]

Awesome stealth confession.

the only reason i ever really believed anyone when they said 'blu-ray was better' was because it had more studio support. now that's not as clear cut.

this makes it harder to excuse wanting to see blu-ray win, rather than not caring who wins but wanting someone to win sooner rather than later (which is why a lot of people were rooting for blu-ray, not because it was better but because it seem better positioned to win and end the war swiftly).

i can get why this news is bad for anyone wanting the war to end soon...

but hey guess what, competition can be good too.

all those free films you get when you buy either player? how much standalones have come down?

competition.

so it's not all bad.

 

[Oni Jazar]

His site is down, must have pulled the plug for a while. :lol

Not down, just slloowww

 

[Cubsfan23]

Might as well submit this to Guiness as the largest crow thread in history.

 

[polyh3dron]

i would love to see warner go blu exclusive(moneyhats are cool now right?) just to see all the hd dvd fans that love warner now back peddel(especially if they start bitching about moneyhats), i think i would gain more enjoyment out of that than the hd dvd fans enjoyed watching blu fans with the paramount news.
And this may put the format war back on the fast track to being over.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MONEYHATS FTW!

Both formats are gonna crash and burn now I just want to see the HD DVD fanboys cry when they lose the studio that has been their most valued one to date.

 

[thaivo]

This is awesome news!! Thanks for making my day!!!!!!

No problem.. : ) it made my week! :lol

Here are some interesting comments direct from Paramount

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33722

So, the first question I asked Rob Moore was... "Why would PARAMOUNT/DREAMWORKS choose the allegedly losing format in this format war?"

Rob responded that the keyword there was "Allegedly". It seems that according to their studies, the people that buy stand alone players - buy more dedicated film product... so, due to Toshiba's commitment to getting quality equipment at the under $300 barrier - means to the execs at Paramount, that this is the format to support.

....

Next, I talked with Alan Bell, the Chief Technology officer for Paramount....

Alan then went into a very complicated series of statements about how HD DVD was the format that makes sense for Paramount. It's not just a matter of the amount of space that one format has over another. That's a gross simplification between the two formats. You see, HD DVD was built upon... not just the technology of DVD, but the programming software and other aspects. When we began talking about the cost issues - Alan stated it's very very complex, but that the replication facilities that have been built for the mass production of DVD - it's much cheaper and simpler to convert for HD DVD mass production.

Might as well submit this to Guiness as the largest crow thread in history.

:lol

 

[OokieSpookie]

Might as well submit this to Guiness as the largest crow thread in history.

You seem to be having the percepion that hd is winning?

 

[xS1TH L0RDx]

You seem to be having the percetion that hd is winning?

this is a bigger loss for blu-ray than a victory for hd-dvd.

 

[chubigans]

this is a bigger loss for blu-ray than a victory for hd-dvd.

Pretty much.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD
Master & Commander in HD


*Dies of happiness*

 

[StanTheCaddy]

finally fox is back..man on fire is missing though after it was already announced. but m looking forward to master and commander and independence day as well as a few of the die hards.

i hope to god theyve moved away from dts-hd master audio though, i want lossless i can actually use now. master and commander on dvd is still one of my demo pieces in my surround setup, i can only imagine what trueHD will sound like