• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Hi-Def Media Lovefest: The war is over and we can all go home.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Q

quest

Not Banned from OT
OokieSpookie said:
Player price does not mean anything in the scheme of things or HD would have run away with it long ago, or at least won one week.
The player prices will be at that price in no time, considering you can already get players for 279 or so and when 1.1s hit the market in numbers they will reach that price quickly.
That still will not do a damned thing if Warner does not switch.
If someone is so anal to demand a player that cheap then they sure as hell are not going to run out to buy movies for 20-30 dollars every week.
Click to expand...

279 for a 2 year old player no thank you. It is like saying someone can get an A1 for 149 I would tell them not to. Most people are not going to spend 399+ on a player and that is what you have to spend to get a good blu player. I mentioned media cost as a reason why adoption has been slower. The war is 3rd or 4th on my list of reasons why HD media has not caught on and won't any time soon. The war will fix all those issue except people buying HD TVs because of competition. I said it before neither format is ready for the prime time right now. Maybe 4th gen players will be bulletproof that require no firmware upgrades and will be sub 200 dollars.

I am anal about player prices because of the movie prices. If I am going to spend 20-30 dollars on a movie it has to work on more than 1 tv in the house. So I needed to buy 2 players now and later this year a 3rd player. It would cost me 800+ dollars to purchase 2 blu players when I could get 2 hd-dvd players for less than half that. That 400 dollar savings buys a ton of media. I did the same thing when I went from VHS to DVD waited for players to get sub 300 and buy 2 and a 3rd later. I don't want to purchase media 2x that is a complete waste of money.
 
R

Riddick

Member
quest said:
279 for a 2 year old player no thank you. It is like saying someone can get an A1 for 149 I would tell them not to. Most people are not going to spend 399+ on a player and that is what you have to spend to get a good blu player. I mentioned media cost as a reason why adoption has been slower. The war is 3rd or 4th on my list of reasons why HD media has not caught on and won't any time soon. The war will fix all those issue except people buying HD TVs because of competition. I said it before neither format is ready for the prime time right now. Maybe 4th gen players will be bulletproof that require no firmware upgrades and will be sub 200 dollars.

I am anal about player prices because of the movie prices. If I am going to spend 20-30 dollars on a movie it has to work on more than 1 tv in the house. So I needed to buy 2 players now and later this year a 3rd player. It would cost me 800+ dollars to purchase 2 blu players when I could get 2 hd-dvd players for less than half that. That 400 dollar savings buys a ton of media. I did the same thing when I went from VHS to DVD waited for players to get sub 300 and buy 2 and a 3rd later. I don't want to purchase media 2x that is a complete waste of money.
Click to expand...

As I said player and disc prices will decrease when HD becomes mainsteam. Toshiba is selling cheap players at a loss but it's temporary, they can't keep losing money forever. The permanent solution is the HD to become mainsteam and like Japan proved this can only happen when there's only one HD format.
 
M

markom58

Neo Member
Woah. How is this possible? Pirates: At World's end is on xbox live marketplace? I don't have a blu ray player yet so this works for me :D My first download rent!
 
A

avaya

Member
quest said:
The war is not why HD media is not catching on. High prices of players,media and flakey players that require monthly firmware upgrades are why. The war is needed to fix those things. If the war is to end right now for HD media to catch on HD-dvd should be the winner. Hd-dvd has better prices and their damn specs finalized no 1.0 1.1 2.0 and what ever blu thinks of tomarrow. Sony is the one who can end this war release a standalone 2.0 player at 249 or less and it is over.
Click to expand...

You’re kidding right?

DVD to HD optical jump isn't as great as DVD to VHS but it is still a jump that people recognise and will pay for. However it's a luxury. The rationale for buying HDM is on a knife edge due to the war. Adding the risk that the player and dics you buy could be part of a dead format no longer supported and backed by the industry is monumental. North American consumers still vividly remember VHS-Beta. People have learned and won't go through the same hassle again.

Why buy something more expensive than DVD if you think there is a very good chance it will end up as a failed format? The first hurdle is not about player prices at all, it's about the cost of accumulating a library which will have no future value. If you can't get people over that barrier you’re stuck.

The war is absolutely detrimental to HDM adoption, no question what so ever from any party on any side (some won’t admit it in public!).
 
A

adg1034

Member
avaya said:
Why buy something more expensive than DVD if you think there is a very good chance it will end up as a failed format? The first hurdle is not about player prices at all, it's about the cost of accumulating a library which will have no future value. If you can't get people over that barrier you’re stuck.
Click to expand...


Well, here's the thing: a failed format is what you make of it. Take me, for example. I bought the 360 addon in September and have been purchasing HD-DVDs sporadically since. The discs I have are of movies I like: Serenity, Batman Begins, Transformers, Hot Fuzz, etc. If HD-DVD officially goes defunct, does that mean that I can no longer enjoy what I already have? No. Yes, I'd probably have to buy a PS3 somewhere along the line, but it wouldn't diminish the enjoyment of the discs I have already.
 
P

purnoman3000

Member
Isn't the Samsung BD-P1400 the cheapest bluray and one of the best right now at 270$ or so. Is everyone missing this? Doesn't look like much of a price disparity to me. I also have updated my HD-A20 about 3 or 4 updates, so they're both prone to needing constant firmware upgrades.
 
C

Cosmic Bus

pristine morning snow
American Gangster info:

Universal Home Video has revealed some early details on a new extended edition of American Gangster which stars Denzel Washington, and Russell Crowe. This new cut of the film will contain around 20 minutes of additional footage, bringing the runtime to 2 hours 56 minutes. The two-disc set will retail at around $29.98. A HD DVD/DVD Combo release will also be available for $39.98 with additional web enabled features. The street date has yet to be confirmed for this one, but we'll bring you further details just as soon as Universal make them available to us.
Click to expand...

Teeny, tiny artwork.
 
G

gkryhewy

Member
gray_fox224 said:
I pretty sure that you guys are aware of this, but BB will have a B2G1 on HD next week (DEC 23)

Here are the scans.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21892231@N05/sets/72157603503148609/

Me, I'm gonna pick up

1. Pan's L
2. Kingdom
3. Batman
4. Bladerunner (I hope they have new stock on Sunday)


and still deciding, maybe Knocked Up.
Click to expand...

I was not aware, so thanks. I couldn't find the list in those scans though.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see that it's any two discs (no list), which is awesome. Maybe I'll get Pan's and Stardust. Are BB deals available online, or just in store?
 
Q

quest

Not Banned from OT
Riddick said:
As I said player and disc prices will decrease when HD becomes mainsteam. Toshiba is selling cheap players at a loss but it's temporary, they can't keep losing money forever. The permanent solution is the HD to become mainsteam and like Japan proved this can only happen when there's only one HD format.
Click to expand...

No it is the other way around they will become more main stream when prices (players and media) and player quality improve. Just like VHS and DVD it was not till prices dropped did people adopt. I remember DVD it sales started to take off when players hit sub 200 and really took off when they reached 99 dollars. Then exploded when the players got sub 50 dollars and people could put one on every tv in the house.

I really think people over estimate the real demand for HD media. The average person is just not going to see enough benifits to pay a premium for media that will not work in the other players in the house, mini-van and portable players.


I am going to go purple eventually any way so who ever wins the format war is no real concern. I will pick up a library of dirt cheap HD media when stores start to clear out the stock of the loser.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
OokieSpookie said:
61:39 according to Vaughn
Click to expand...

61:39 HD DVD?????


And damn, I was off by 3 points.

edit: And dave seems to have put out a very good recap, so I think it's worth quoting here:

Bourne Ultimatum wins the week handily selling 3 discs for every 2 discs of second place POTC 3, which will show very strong sales in week 2 and pass Casino Royale in total sales.

On the Harry Potter front, sales will be a bit disappointing for such a big blockbuster. For every one HD DVD, the BD will sell 1.2 copies. HD DVD fans will see this as a “win”, but the fact remains, it will still sell more on BD in the first week.

The box sets in each of the formats will have similar results, but the BD’s will sell slightly better by a 1.3 margin. This will most likely be due to some people buying HP 4 from Europe, but who knows. Overall though, box set sales will be about 20% of the single unit sales.

Planet Earth will continue to show very strong sales on both HD DVD and BD, but for the week the HD DVD will sell almost 1.8 copies for every one 1 on BD as it surpasses the six figure mark in sales since it was first released. The BD should surpass this mark in 3-4 weeks if the trends continue.

So, for the week, 6 of the top 20 titles will be red, but Blu dominates again with 14 titles and handily wins the week 61% to 39% on what will be a record volume of sales for both formats.
Click to expand...

Good news about the record sales on both sides.
 
O

Oni Jazar

Member
theBishop said:
so that does it for 2007?

52 to 0?
Click to expand...

Clean sweep. It was a great fight. Transformer's 51:49 ratio will go down in history. :lol

Shame that Harry didn't do better. I swore it would end up being the highest selling HDM title of the year. (All SKUs combined)
 
S

Snah

Banned
Oni Jazar said:
Clean sweep. It was a great fight. Transformer's 51:49 ratio will go down in history. :lol

Shame that Harry didn't do better. I swore it would end up being the highest selling HDM title of the year. (All SKUs combined)
Click to expand...

Harry Potter:

1. While being a big movie, doesn't do just phenomenally at the box office. It does well, but it's not a movie that's going to set yearly records.

2. Doesn't really cater to the HD-enthusiast audience, especially the PS3 crowd. A title called '300' sold gangbusters, and that was a movie that did OK at the box office (not terribly great), but sold well on HD-DVD/Blu-Ray simply because it's far more in line with the current HD audience.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
While I agree that Harry Potter doesn't cater to the HD and Ps3 demographic as much as other movies like 300, Harry Potter was the 5th best grossing movie of 2007, and every other title in that top ten has or will shortly (once Simpsons does it next week) debuted at #1.

And 300 was the 7th highest grossing movie of the year, so let's not pretend like that title snuck up on the HD charts. It was a huge hit.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
disappointed by bourne ultimatum. Only outsold pirates 3:2 despite pirates being on its second week.

Any comparison of volumes on bourne Vs transformers? Bourne is a way better movie (IMO) so I'd have hoped it would have done big numbers.

I really want to watch it but as I don't have a HDDVD player I guess I'll rent the DVD. I swore off buying DVDs when I went HD.
 
G

gkryhewy

Member
A newly mailed invitation to HD DVD's CES 2008 conference indicates that WHV executive(s) will be speaking. Presumably this could be canceled if they go Blu, but it is rather a late date. Just another data point for the swirling rumors, FUD, and innuendo, and for Shane Bettenhausen who gets his HD format war news from this thread.

Will Warner Bros. go Blu-ray exclusive at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show? Their have been numerous… and unfounded… rumors that they will, despite Warner Bros.’ recent public statements to the contrary.

Enthusiasts and bloggers have pointed to the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Warner Bros. listed as attending the HD DVD Promotional Group’s Press Conference (all two hours of it) on Sunday, January 6th, as proof that Warner Bros. will continue publishing on HD DVD. Blu-ray proponents have countered with “they are just on there because they are a member of the group… it doesn’t mean they will appear,” or, “they could cancel.”

That scenario is looking extremely remote now. This evening I received my press invitation to said press conference and Warner Bros. was clearly listed on the invitation, and the PR agency confirmed they are scheduled to appear and speak. Wow, it was just as it appeared to be! (Apparently they prefer to speak for themselves, rather than let the heads of other studios do so!)

I’ll have updates from CES. In the meantime, I’d like to tip my hat to Warner Bros. for their support of the industry and home video… since the beginning of the DVD format, which they helped create. They’ve behaved with distinction and class throughout this “format war” and others could learn by their example.
Click to expand...

hd_dvd_ces_big.jpg
 
H

HocusPocus

Member
Good to see Warner not being stupid enough to go with any format exclusively without some payola. I hope to finish out my Harry Potter collection on one format (HD-DVD).
 
S

Snah

Banned
They’ve behaved with distinction and class throughout this “format war” and others could learn by their example.
Click to expand...

lawl. Yeah. Like Paramount and Universal neutrality. That'd end things even quicker than a Warner/blu-ray exclusivity deal.
 
S

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
WB *could* cancel at the last minute, but WB has a very good relationship with several of the HDDVD companies outside of the HDDVD format war, and an 11th hour surprise cancellation wouldnt go over well.

If WB were going exclusive, they would probably have allready cancelled would be my guess.. its not like the HDDVD promotions group would leak that info before Xmas. :lol


Snah said:
lawl. Yeah. Like Paramount and Universal neutrality. That'd end things even quicker than a Warner/blu-ray exclusivity deal.
Click to expand...

or Disney and Fox neutrality. Look, it works both ways.
 
S

Snah

Banned
StoOgE said:
or Disney and Fox neutrality. Look, it works both ways.
Click to expand...

The point is, that post comes across as if it was likely written by an HD-DVD fanboy. I just find it hilarious that he sees Warner acting with 'dignity' and 'honor' by being neutral, yet I'm sure this person jumped for joy when Paramount collected their multi-million dollar check for supporting HD-DVD exclusively. I wouldn't be surprised.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
Yes but what are the chances of that? Have they even hinted at anything like that, unlike Warner?
Click to expand...

Have para and Uni hinted?

The point is, that post was most likely written by an HD-DVD fanboy. I just find it hilarious that he sees Warner acting with 'dignity' and 'honor' by being neutral, yet I'm sure this person jumped for joy when Paramount collected their multi-million dollar check for supporting HD-DVD exclusively.
Click to expand...

para was always putting stuff out on HD DVD, so no big deal for red supporters. Warner going Blu only is a big loss for red in the same way para was a loss for blu (and even more so considering the size of WB).
 
S

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
Snah said:
The point is, that post was most likely written by an HD-DVD fanboy. I just find it hilarious that he sees Warner acting with 'dignity' and 'honor' by being neutral, yet I'm sure this person jumped for joy when Paramount collected their multi-million dollar check for supporting HD-DVD exclusively.
Click to expand...

luckily I dont even have to guess that this post was 'probably' written by a fanboy.
 
O

Oni Jazar

Member
I've always had the feeling that if Warner went neutral it would be after CES. Even though I want this war to end ASAP, it's just too soon an event after Q4 to announce an exclusivity deal.
 
G

gkryhewy

Member
Snah said:
The point is, that post was most likely written by an HD-DVD fanboy.
Click to expand...

I hope you're not referring to me - it was a quote from a blog, and probably an HD DVD one. And you calling anyone else a fanboy is worth at least 5 lol-faces, Hans: :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
 
S

Snah

Banned
gkrykewy said:
I hope you're not referring to me - it was a quote from a blog, and probably an HD DVD one. And you calling anyone else a fanboy is worth at least 5 lol-faces, Hans: :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
Click to expand...

I'm referring to whatever blog you grabbed it from.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
I don't think you have to be a fanboy to give Warner credit for remaining above the format war frey. They probably don't feel like they should be the ones playing kingmaker, and I agree. This is Toshiba and Sony's fight, let them end it.
 
I

Ignatz Mouse

Banned
Snah, stop baiting and nitpicking. We all know the score here, and quibbling over somebody giving WB some praise is really, really lame.

It seems like lately, people are nitpicking small details to death (Snah here, but also Van and Ookie). Not that they're wrong, but c'mon guys, mellow out a little. Next time you get the urge to jump in and "correct" somebody, consider whether it's areally a fact worth correcting, or if you're just looking for a reaction.
 
G

gkryhewy

Member
Ignatz Mouse said:
Snah, stop baiting and nitpicking. We all know the score here, and quibbling over somebody giving WB some praise is really, really lame.

It seems like lately, people are nitpicking small details to death (Snah here, but also Van and Ookie). Not that they're wrong, but c'mon guys, mellow out a little. Next time you get the urge to jump in and "correct" somebody, consider whether it's areally a fact worth correcting, or if you're just looking for a reaction.
Click to expand...

This post is full of holiday spirit!
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
Call your own damn name, mousey. You don't let everything slide either, so quit pointing fingers unless you have one pointing your way.


^
|
|

post NOT full of holiday spirit!!
 
A

avaya

Member
mrklaw said:
disappointed by bourne ultimatum. Only outsold pirates 3:2 despite pirates being on its second week.

Any comparison of volumes on bourne Vs transformers? Bourne is a way better movie (IMO) so I'd have hoped it would have done big numbers.

I really want to watch it but as I don't have a HDDVD player I guess I'll rent the DVD. I swore off buying DVDs when I went HD.
Click to expand...

Blu-ray has the Disney christmas effect on it's side. Pirates was always going to have a strong showing for the rest of this month.
 
I

Ignatz Mouse

Banned
Van, I've been making the same effort I ask you to. If I sometimes fail, so be it. But if you look at most posts in the last few weeks, you'll see I've mostly given up the bicker-over-fine-details game tht you love.
 
S

Snah

Banned
StoOgE said:
luckily I dont even have to guess that this post was 'probably' written by a fanboy.
Click to expand...

You're right. I am a 'fanboy'. And I don't care for admitting as much. As if the vast majority of the posters in this thread aren't. Even in light of owning both formats, it's pretty transparent where certain poster's preference lies. But that's fine, everyone has their own support. Just don't claim to be "above it all". Further, you're missing my point: again, I'm not claiming any studio is acting with 'dignity' and 'class' by being format neutral. They're acting in accordance with their own bottom line and what they perceive to benefit their own company.

I also agree with the poster that said any decision will likely come after CES. CES is simply far too early after the holiday season to be making those types of announcements. If they truly are looking at the data, I'd imagine a thorough analysis would likely take much longer, and then you have to have this data presented and discussed in meetings before any formal decision is made. These things take time.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
So CES went from being the perfect time to announce a move to being too early? Please, if Warner is going to cash a check, they should do it now, for everybody's sake. Even being format neutral, I want to see where they go to decide what format to buy their movies in.
 
A

avaya

Member
orio7 said:
Warner will either go HD DVD or stay neutral. No way can Sony win a bidding war vs MS and Toshiba.
Click to expand...

Yeah cos it's Sony doing the bidding isn't it? :lol

Matsushita, Hitachi, Sharp, Philips and Pioneer don't exit. Quite clearly they are non-entities.
 
O

orio7

Banned
avaya said:
Yeah cos it's Sony doing the bidding isn't it? :lol

Matsushita, Hitachi, Sharp, Philips and Pioneer don't exit. Quite clearly they are non-entities.
Click to expand...

If all those compaines had any say or cared there wouldn't been a war to begin with.
 
T

tha_con

Banned
StoOgE said:
or Disney and Fox neutrality. Look, it works both ways.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't. If Disney and Fox go neutral, then Sony still, STILL has Sony Studios. If Universal and Paramount go Neutral, HD DVD is screwed because they have a SIGNIFICANT deficiency of exclusive content compared to Blu-Ray.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Famitsu Sales: Week 2, 2025 (Jan 06 - Jan 12)
Sales-Age
20
993
Woopah replied
Famitsu Sales: Week 41, 2024 (Oct 07 - Oct 13)
Sales-Age
37
2K
Porcile replied
[GSD] UK Sales November 2024 (BF data missing): #1 PS5 (26% Pro); #1 COD BO6, #2 EA FC25, #3 DA: Veilguard
Sales-Age 2
70
4K
EDMIX replied
UK Monthly Charts: EA Sports FC 25, Space Marine 2, Astro Bot and PS5 impress in bumper September
Sales-Age 2 3
108
7K
Physiognomonics replied
Europe 2024 End of Year Charts : #1 PS5 (-20%), #2 NSW (-15%), #3 XBS (-48%)
Sales-Age 2
84
4K
mckmas8808 replied
Top Bottom