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[Laurent]

New Line should be Blu

Right, but it's not my graph...

 

[Defuser]

Phil pissed in my corn flakes the other morning. I had nothing else to eat at the time so I still ate it, but I don't appreciate what he did.

You could have eaten some meat...

 

[Doublethink]

Sorry, didn't see the link.

 

[el Diablo]

stop throwing gaming into this


this is an ENTIRELY different place.

they WONT pull DVD out of it, stop pulling FUD. good LORD people.

Not trying to spread FUD, just saying that in this Sony love fest lest we not forget that Sony does NOT have our best interests in mind and never will. On that line of thinking though, who cares if they do if as long as they give us quality products?

 

[NolbertoS]

Holy shit..the AVS Forum crashed for awhile, as it was taking along time to load..wow..I can see DVD talk and AVS servers crashing very soon. Regarding the news, I'm sad to hear HD-DVD was dealt the death blow, I was thinking of buying an HD-DVD prior to the news, but now I'll just be content that I have my PS3 to watch Blu-ray movies

 

[Nicodimas]

really Toshiba should be talking to fix then. Pick up fox to drag it out.

I thought the new states were:

20% Red
50% Blu
30% multi

but the above diagram says differently

 

[B-Ri]

Not trying to spread FUD, just saying that in this Sony love fest lest we not forget that Sony does NOT have our best interests in mind and never will. On that line of thinking though, who cares if they do if as long as they give us quality products?

... and toshiba would?

who says sony doesnt have consumers best interest in mind? Are you wearing your tin foil hat.

All this anti sony shit needs to stop. it REALLY does. Theyve dropped music DRM, and released a console and multimedia machine supporting a HUGE spectrum of formats, theirs or not.

STOP this bullshit.

 

[Laurent]

Sorry, didn't see the link.

Don't be, I added the link afterwards...

really Toshiba should be talking to fix then. Pick up fox to drag it out.

I thought the new states were:

20% Red
50% Blu
30% multi

but the above diagram says differently

Meh, it's Wikipedia... The ratio could be wrong.

 

[Gary Whitta]

IT'S PEACE IN OUR TIME

 

[Chemo]

btw there is no loyalty from Warner without a contract to Blu.


Though thay may be moot if they had a contract to Hd-dvd.

You are absolutely desperate... your posts on this page are hilarious. One could feed entire third world countries on your delectable tears.

 

[OokieSpookie]

They do. I went outside to get my newspaper this morning and Kaz was standing there. I said hi and he punched me in the face and walked off.

I had it on my celphone too, tried to youtube it and all of the sudden I had a black hood over my eyes and when I came too Ken Kuteragi was tearing off my fingernails with pliars one by one.
Retired my ass.

 

[Nicodimas]

One could feed entire third world countries on your delectable tears.

Im not crying? Thats kinda creepy bro...

 

[bill0527]

I'm not sure how I got on this guy's mailing list. I've never been pro-Red (or anti-red for that matter), but I've stayed on his list and enjoyed reading his FUD over the last year. He's the biggest HD-DVD fanboy I think I've ever seen. His newsletters are filled with the biggest bunch of bullshit that only the most diehard will swallow up. Anyway, I thought I would share with you the meltdown he spammed all throughout the day in my email box.

 

[el Diablo]

... and toshiba would?

who says sony doesnt have consumers best interest in mind? Are you wearing your tin foil hat.

All this anti sony shit needs to stop. it REALLY does. Theyve dropped music DRM, and released a console and multimedia machine supporting a HUGE spectrum of formats, theirs or not.

STOP this bullshit.

Lol, what anti-sony shit? I'm just saying to keep everything in perspective. It is possible to be a strong backer of a company/group while still being able to see all the angles and not going overboard.

PS: do a post check and you'll see i've backed Sony, the PS3, and the blu exclusively since the beginning :lol

 

[Azrael]

I own an HD DVD add on and 19 hd dvd's.

Should I just trade them in gamstop and go blu? or Should I keep them and get a BRD player this fall?

I'd hold onto your HD DVDs personally. I would think Toshiba might release an affordable dual-format player after the format war is officially over so the consumers who supported their format aren't left with frisbees.

 

[Kittonwy]

Sony hates people remember this.

Give it up, it's over for HD-DVD, even Warner Bros saw it coming and finally decided to bail out, it's just a matter of time before Universal pulls the plug, hopefully Paramount finds a way to back out of the deal with Toshiba for their own sake.

 

[Gary Whitta]

LOL at those emails, that's some serious desperation. I'm sure WB's top brass will really appreciate having their mailboxes filled with "URGENT" emails from a bunch of itinerate fanboys.

On second thoughts, I'm sure they have pretty good spam filters at that level...

 

[Ponn]

I'm not sure how I got on this guy's mailing list. I've never been pro-Red (or anti-red for that matter), but I've stayed on his list and enjoyed reading his FUD over the last year. He's the biggest HD-DVD fanboy I think I've ever seen. His newsletters are filled with the biggest bunch of bullshit that only the most diehard will swallow up. Anyway, I thought I would share with you the meltdown he spammed all throughout the day in my email box.

*snip propaganda*

This guys needs a new hobby.

 

[Laurent]

I'm not sure how I got on this guy's mailing list. I've never been pro-Red (or anti-red for that matter), but I've stayed on his list and enjoyed reading his FUD over the last year. He's the biggest HD-DVD fanboy I think I've ever seen. His newsletters are filled with the biggest bunch of bullshit that only the most diehard will swallow up. Anyway, I thought I would share with you the meltdown he spammed all throughout the day in my email box.

That's how HD-DVD will win this war, with SPAM!






I should have known...

 

[Kittonwy]

really Toshiba should be talking to fix then. Pick up fox to drag it out.

I thought the new states were:

20% Red
50% Blu
30% multi

but the above diagram says differently

Why would Fox want to drag this on? This is perfect opportunity for Fox and every Blu-Ray member to lobby Universal and Paramount to pull the plug on HD-DVD and end this ridiculous war once and for all so all of these studios can start making some money. It's in Fox's interest and every studio's interest to have one single format, if anything it'll be harder for HD-DVD to keep their support now and easier for Blu-Ray to woo them over.

 

[NumberTwo]

I'm not sure how I got on this guy's mailing list. I've never been pro-Red (or anti-red for that matter), but I've stayed on his list and enjoyed reading his FUD over the last year. He's the biggest HD-DVD fanboy I think I've ever seen. His newsletters are filled with the biggest bunch of bullshit that only the most diehard will swallow up. Anyway, I thought I would share with you the meltdown he spammed all throughout the day in my email box.

He'll run out of stones soon, however that is just sad. I mean, I almost feel sorry for him.

 

[JCBossman]

Hey guys, I just bought EVERYONE I know an HD DVD player, it's got a completed spec,PIP, and comes with Ethernet STANDARD...These Bitches are Future-Proof!

 

[Azrael]

Hey guys, I just bought EVERYONE I know a PS3, it's got a completed spec,PIP, and comes with Ethernet STANDARD...These Bitches are Future-Proof!

Fixed.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

These Bitches are Future-Proof!

"Bitch! You don't have a future!"


I had to use that line once in my life!

 

[Christopher]

I finally know what you guys are talking about when you mean the old and new blu ray caes.

I much prefer the new ones - the old ones look so cheap compared to the new ones.

Also I always wondered how come some movies come with "covers" while some don't? Is it just a Disney thing as all my Disney films have covers.

 

[BeEatNU]

Hey guys, I just bought EVERYONE I know an HD DVD player, it's got a completed spec,PIP, and comes with Ethernet STANDARD...These Bitches are Future-Proof!

I'm glad you don't know me, I would be disappointed

 

[BeEatNU]

"Bitch! You don't have a future!"


I had to use that line once in my life!

haha

That sword looks so dope!

 

[Witchfinder General]

Not sure if this has been posted already:

http://www.pr-inside.com/walt-disney-studios-home-entertainment-rolls-r372079.htm

Here's a snippet:

n North America, WDSHE will be releasing new theatrical titles to Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD including The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) on January 22; Gone Baby Gone and Becoming Jane (both Miramax) on February 12; and Dan In Real Life (Touchstone Pictures) on March 11. WDSHE will expand its catalogue titles on Blu-ray Disc with the releases of The Rock (Hollywood Pictures) and Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) on January 8; Crimson Tide (Hollywood Pictures) on February 5; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 4; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Coyote Ugly: The Double Shot Edition (Touchstone Pictures), Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in spring 2008.

In Europe/Australia, WDSHE will roll out Blu-ray Discs in 2008 beginning with The Recruit (Touchstone Pictures) in January; and Dark Water (Touchstone Pictures) in February; Underdog (Walt Disney Pictures) and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in February; Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) in March; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures) and Gone Baby Gone (Miramax) in April; Signs (Touchstone Pictures), There Will Be Blood (Miramax), Shall We Dance (Miramax), Ladder 49 (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

Japan will see WDSHE release Blu-ray titles starting with Hollywoodland (Miramax) in February; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures), Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Meet The Robinsons (Walt Disney Pictures), and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in April; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures), Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) and Signs (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

 

[Azrael]

Now that I've had time to reflect, I'm about as stunned as Toshiba. Warner is scheduled to speak at their conference, they had a meeting just over a week ago to go over what was going to be said at the conference. Toshiba packs 300 into every 3rd gen player they sell. WB was initially HD DVD exclusive, and still has some movies they've withheld from Blu Ray. And if the rumors are true, they even tried to drag Fox over to the HD DVD side. Warner seems to have done everything possible to move this war in HD DVD's favor, but in the end decided that they couldn't get it done, took the BD money, and shocked the hell out of the HD DVD group, essentially slitting their throats.

If I'm Toshiba, I'm hurt, but I hope they realize Warner seemed to have tried everything in their power to make it work. Sony did the right thing and solidified their Fox support (remember the rumor of a BD studio moving over), and then at least matched what MS was offering for Warner. Without Fox's move, Warner knew this would just be a stalemate, and they pretty much felt they had no choice but to go Blu, for the future of their optical movie media business.

That's my take, and I'm sure some Blu Ray folks will not want to believe that Fox ever considered switching, or that Warner was eventually handsomely rewarded (even if it WASN'T their primary motivation), but it seems to me that Warner didn't see anyway that HD DVD could win, and chose a painful (but ultimately more altruistic) route. I just know that it pains Warner very much to abandon Toshiba like this, but this is business.

It's clear that Warner got incentives from the BDA. Warner doesn't even deny they did. They only say that they didn't make this decision because of any incentives. Which I actually think is true. This isn't a repeat of the Paramount situation, where the BDA was caught with their pants down and didn't know what was happening until it was too late. In this case, the HD DVD camp knew Warner was being courted by the BDA and had their own offer on the table. According to some sources, they were offered marginally more money to support HD DVD than they were to support Blu-ray.

So I think the incentives both sides offered canceled each other out, and what tipped them over to the Blu-ray side was that it was a pain in the ass to support both formats (which might be a reason why there have been so many snafus from Warner lately on titles like Harry Potter and Blade Runner), and they saw the possible outcomes of this format war was either a total stalemate or a victory for Blu-ray, and the latter was in their best interests.

 

[xsarien]

Hey Blu-Ray owners... how the fuck would you feel if you spent $400 bucks on a player and hundreds of dollars on movies and I told you Warner, Fox & Disney were going HD DVD today?

Seriously. Comments about which either is better or which ever has more movies... who the fuck cares..... At the end of the day it's about High Def movies that MOVIE LOVERS WANT TO WATCH IN HIGH FUCKING DEF.

Now the "Red" crowd is left scratching their head on what they can do with their players and movies.

If you were in the same god damn boat I would bet money we'd be making the same snide comments that everyone is making toward HD DVD owners. So seriously..... lay off.

As a "movie lover" myself, I still had the common sense to put my wallet before my hobby and not hop on board a train until there was a clear winner. Yeah, I own a few BR movies; they were relatively cheap and were mostly bought in the afterglow of my PS3 purchase. But beyond those four I decided to just wait and see what the fuck was going to happen.

It's not Warner's nor Sony's nor Toshiba's fault your willpower's about as big as HD-DVD's market share. I don't feel sorry for you; no one held a gun to your head and told you to make such a risky investment.

Hell, as I watched from the sidelines I was dead wrong and I'll admit to it. I thought people would just grab onto HD-DVD because of name recognition. But history has shown that it actually may take a drastically new title to get people to notice what you're actually trying to do. S-VHS made almost no real dent in the VHS market, and D-VHS was a joke compared to DVD. We also went from vinyl records to 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs to MP3s.

All of that said, and weather (and health, I'm sick) permitting, I may take a gift card from the holidays down to Virgin and browse the BR selection. I feel a whole lot safer buying movies on that format now.

 

[StoOgE]

no need for bitter teats guys, its business. wb didnt do this just to piss you off. any early adopter of either format should have known this was a possibility. im sitting at 2 hddvd players and 50 movies, and you dont see me crying

van - if wb tried to woo fox, its because of the patents they own in the hddvd format and not some love for toshiba.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

"The Rock" is on Blu-Ray.

This war is over.

 

[drohne]

lol bitter teats

 

[StoOgE]

lol bitter teats

they were inevitable. so far my hddvd collection has not burst into flames, but ive got my eye on them.

 

[TerryLee81]

Wait, I just woke up, did I really miss the end of the format war?

 

[xsarien]

Wait, I just woke up, did I really miss the end of the format war?

Pretty much, yes.

 

[el Diablo]

Not sure if this has been posted already:

http://www.pr-inside.com/walt-disney-studios-home-entertainment-rolls-r372079.htm

Here's a snippet:

n North America, WDSHE will be releasing new theatrical titles to Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD including The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) on January 22; Gone Baby Gone and Becoming Jane (both Miramax) on February 12; and Dan In Real Life (Touchstone Pictures) on March 11. WDSHE will expand its catalogue titles on Blu-ray Disc with the releases of The Rock (Hollywood Pictures) and Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) on January 8; Crimson Tide (Hollywood Pictures) on February 5; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 4; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Coyote Ugly: The Double Shot Edition (Touchstone Pictures), Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in spring 2008..

@#$%^&*( still no Miracle from Disney/BVHE. Damn you hockey for sucking and not being more mainstream.

 

[Kintaco]

Shouldn't "HD-DVD" be removed from the topic title?

 

[Panajev2001a]

Its business. What incintive is there to lower MSRP quicker now? Less competiton very soon. Players will lower, but I don't expect to see a $100 blu ray player this year. If hd-dvd were competition this might have happened.

It took more than 1-2 years to get DVD players (from major brands especially) around the $99 mark since the initial format launch and look at the prices HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players are at since those formats were launched on the market. It is the movies' MSRP that needs to go down a little right instead of selling players at an even bigger loss: do you seriously think Toshiba is selling their players at anywhere near the cost of manufacturing ?

 

[DarkJediKnight]

@#$%^&*( still no Miracle from Disney/BVHE. Damn you hockey for sucking and not being more mainstream.

Considering the shitty soccer score league the NHL still maintains in 2007-2008, I'm not surprised. NHL should have a new slogan: "2-1 after shootout"

 

[Snah]

Shouldn't "HD-DVD" be removed from the topic title?

:lol

 

[el Diablo]

Considering the shitty soccer score league the NHL still maintains in 2007-2008, I'm not surprised. NHL should have a new slogan: "2-1 after shootout"

Don't get me wrong i absolutely despise hockey, i couldn't tell you the blue line from the lunch line. Miracle though is my all time favorite sports movie (The Replacements runs a distant second), nothing beats the drama of uh a real story and stuff.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Enderle Alert!!!

Yes, here's Rob Enderle, right on time. Making an ass out of himself again.

"I think the fat lady just sang," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group in San Jose. "This gives Blu-ray a decisive lead. The question now is whether it is too little too late."

Enderle said consumers might have moved on to digital downloads to get movies rather than wait to buy them on next-generation DVDs. The next big chance to sell high-definition movie players won't be until next Christmas, he said. "By then, it may all be moot."

Of course! What a shocker. Now he's dropping his earlier prediction (the one that he actually made twice--once in 2006, and again a few months ago) of an HD DVD win, like it never happened, and saying Uncle Bill's ultimate Microsoftian dream of digital downloads is coming really really soon.

I guess I can expect ol' Doofus Rob to show up at my crib and install that magical FIOS line any day now... Since he's now saying we're all going to have all this wonderful bandwidth in our homes by next Christmas, I'm guessing he's going to be really busy installing all those cables!

:lol

All these quotes come from the LA Times article here, BTW:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dvd5jan05,0,4795448.story?coll=la-home-center

I guess hack Staff Writer Dawn C. Chmielewski is one of those lazy journalists who doesn't know what a paid-off quote-machine Enderle really is, or she's too lazy to care.

...

[EDIT] Just for all you folks keeping a scorecard at home, here's a repost of Doofus Rob Enderle's rant just four short months ago:

I think that, for all of us, the battle for the next generation of DVD technology has gotten really old. This is especially true for the studios, which are well off their revenue targets.

This week, we'll look at why DreamWorks and Paramount backed HD-DVD, effectively assuring that Blu-ray will lose whether HD-DVD wins or not -- and it may still not win either.

Blu-ray: RIP

I was one of the folks who thought that Blu-ray was going to eliminate HD-DVD and by this time HD-DVD would be toast. In fact, I was one of the analysts who helped convince Time Warner to hedge its bets and go with both formats.

However, this was all before I knew the cost of the Blu-ray technology, and it was based on the assumption that Sony would never be stupid enough to price itself out of the game console market, effectively giving it to and Microsoft.

Given my history with Sony, you'd think I'd know better and would have assumed it would be that stupid. That likely would have resulted in a lot less pain all around.

PlayStation3 Impact

Not only was Blu-ray too expensive, the technology wasn't as far along as Sony led us to believe. The delays not only make the PS3 too expensive; they made it late. That was effectively a one-two punch, knocking Sony out of the lead so far in the game console business. Now, Sony is dead last by a significant margin.

This means that developers, instead of favoring Sony with their best stuff, are now concentrating on the Xbox first, and increasingly the Wii. That's because both have more homes, and thus represent a greater revenue opportunity, than Sony does.

So instead of the PS3 ensuring Blu-ray's success, right now it appears that Blu-ray may have effectively killed the PS3, at least in terms of market leadership. We'll have to wait until the PS4 before Sony has a chance to come back.

Not a Viable Data Storage Option

Blu-ray's biggest advantage is storage capacity; however, storage has grown so fast that you can get a 750 GB Seagate external drive for less than US$250.

To back that up on a 25 GB Blu-ray recorder would take 30 Blu-ray disks and more time than I think anyone in their right mind would accept. Neither HD-DVD nor Blu-ray are likely to become backup platforms, and most of the data we move still fits easily on a standard dual-layer DVD.

With increasingly high-speed networks, people are using things like BitTorrent to use big files or portable high-capacity hard drives. So as transport, they aren't particularly practical either.

The high-volume home for HD Optical disks remains as a replacement for the DVD. The studios, which are not doing anywhere near as well as they'd like, desperately need something to drive revenues higher.

Both Could Fail

That won't happen until both one standard is clear and the related players drop below $200. They need both to happen or the market won't move. Currently, Blu-ray is running at more than twice the target price on players and HD-DVD is about 15 percent over target. In the case of the Xbox 360 accessory, it's actually about 15 percent under target.

This means that if the studios have any chance this year of getting a large ramp -- and I would include Wal-Mart Latest News about Wal-Mart, Amazon and anyone else that sells HD movies -- it has to be HD-DVD. Blu-ray simply can't get there.

I think all realize, or should, time isn't unlimited either. We are already talking about what comes after HD-DVD and Blu-ray, and scalers are getting so good that increasingly many are arguing that you don't need either now.

In other words, while Blu-ray can't win, in my view, there is still an excellent chance the market will simply bypass both if one doesn't ramp to high volume this year. In that instance, everyone loses.

Cause for Change

I think Paramount and DreamWorks saw this outcome and are trying to avoid it. While they did get an estimated $250 million incentive to move, that doesn't change the result. The studio execs likely realize if revenues don't improve, many of them may not be around by this time next year. Unemployment is a rather impressive motivator for change.

So, as of right now, I think it is reasonably obvious Blu-ray lost. The only question is whether HD-DVD will be allowed to win; and the decision may be up to Time Warner or Disney and not Sony or Toshiba Latest News about Toshiba.

If both lose, the long-term strategic fallout for Sony and Disney will be both impressive and memorable in terms of either company's influence going forward -- in fact, for Sony, I'm not sure things actually could get much worse.

:lol :lol :lol

So, just four months ago, Rob Enderle thought HD DVD had time to wrap up the whole game by getting Disney and Warner on board. Now that Blu-ray is winning, the whole thing is too late, and suddenly super-high bandwidth internet connections are going to magically appear in tons of homes before Christmas 2008.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up...

 

[Xisiqomelir]

:lol

Link

Well another studio down. Maybe I was right? Blu ray is just better. HD will die a slow death. It's what I predicted a year ago. Now with Warner's down for the count with Blu Ray. That makes it easier for Wal-Mart to push Blu Ray. And whatever Wal-Mart pushes - wins. Hd better start giving out those $120 million dollars checks to stay alive. Maybe they can give me some so I can give it to my Make-A-Wish charity, just to shut me up. Have faith people Transformers will come out in Blu-ray one day!

Bay

 

[Snah]

Enderle Alert!!!

Yes, here's Rob Enderle, right on time. Making an ass out of himself again.



Of course! What a shocker. Now he's dropping his earlier prediction (that he actually made twice, once in 2006, and again a few months ago) of an HD DVD win, like it never happened, and saying Uncle Bill's ultimate Microsoftian dream of digital downloads is coming really really soon.

I guess I can expect ol' Doofus Rob to show up at my crib and install that magical FIOS line any day now... Since he's now saying we're all going to have all this wonderful bandwidth in our homes by next Christmas, I'm guessing he's going to be really busy installing all those cables!

:lol

All these quotes come from the LA Times article here, BTW:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dvd5jan05,0,4795448.story?coll=la-home-center

I guess hack Staff Writer Dawn C. Chmielewski is one of those lazy journalists who doesn't know what a paid-off quote-machine Enderle really is, or she's too lazy to care.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

It seems every damn time a wrench is thrown at HD-DVD, he has some humongous damage control for it.

'digital downloads' is now the trump card being thrown around by these clowns.

show me a viable downloadable service where I can get every single studio's new releases in 1080p quality, lossless uncompressed sound, and packed with bonus features. show me a box that can deliver that content to the masses that has widespread CE support. Put up, or kindly STFU.

What a freaking joke. That dude is just as much of a clown as Deadmeat.

 

[Vinzer Deling]

So how long before we get a new format because Blu-ray sales fall 2% and the corporations decide they'll create a new gimmick for use to buy into?

Fuck my useless DVD collection.

 

[xsarien]

So how long before we get a new format because Blu-ray sales fall 2% and the corporations decide they'll create a new gimmick for use to buy into?

Fuck my useless DVD collection.

Useless how?

 

[Riddick]

So how long before we get a new format because Blu-ray sales fall 2% and the corporations decide they'll create a new gimmick for use to buy into?

Fuck my useless DVD collection.

So wrong. DVD had a good run for 10 and more years and the sales fall shows that even consumers want to shift to a better format more compatible with the current TV standards. And your DVD collection isn't useless because all Bluray players have a playback and upscale function for DVD.

 

[DrXym]

... and toshiba would?

who says sony doesnt have consumers best interest in mind? Are you wearing your tin foil hat.

All this anti sony shit needs to stop. it REALLY does. Theyve dropped music DRM, and released a console and multimedia machine supporting a HUGE spectrum of formats, theirs or not.

STOP this bullshit.

No company gives a stuff what consumers think as long as they're "satisfied". That means producing quality products and services that people want to buy and providing decent after sales. Beyond that Sony, Toshiba, Microsoft and every other multinational is as uncaring and heartless as the next. The bottom line is profit.

Sony has lost sight of the consumer in the past with fuckups such as DRM on CDs and so on, but they appear to be getting a clue. From a console perspective, the PS3 is by far the most open and standards compliant of all the current generation of consoles. I certainly don't see the point in ragging on Sony especially when they appear to be learning.

I think that the BDA has much broader support than people would give it credit. They're always whining about Sony this and that, but BDA is a consortium. You only have to look at the number of Blu Ray players from Panasonic, Sharp, Philips and so on to know which side the industry is on.

Toshiba (and Microsoft) virtually is HD DVD. They've had the luxury to subsidize their players to make them look cheaper but at the end of the day HD DVD is far more proprietary than Blu Ray. When Tosh bow out, the sheer weight of BD players will push the prices down. I expect we'll see sub $199 players in the not too distant future.

 

[Kintaro]

This is probably old, but pretty interesting if true...

http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/190019619.html

Media Wonk attended an industry dinner in Hollywood in early December where he ran into Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara and home video president Ron Sanders. Although always nice to see Kevin and Ron, Media Wonk was somewhat taken aback by their apparent alarm at the state of the business. Now we know why.

"Not only did neither [high-def DVD] format really take off as expected in fourth quarter, but standard-def was softer than expected given the release slate," Sanders said Friday, shortly after the studio announced that it will drop is support of the HD DVD format and release its high-def titles exclusively on Blu-ray starting in June. "We’re seeing research now that shows that consumers are starting to delay purchases because of the format war, not just on high-def but standard-def purchases as well. That’s very alarming.”

As part of its ongoing tracking research, Warner has been asking consumers for months whether the format war has had any effect on the regular DVD purchase habits.

"They're waiting for something to happen," Sanders said. "They're waiting for the whole situation to become clear so they know what to buy. If you look at the historical conversion ratios of box office into DVD sales, several titles this fourth quarter underperformed where they should have been."

Whether Warner's move will clarify the situation any is an open question. Between now and the end of May, Warner will issue new releases simultaneously on standard-def and Blu-ray, followed by a release on HD DVD "after a short window."

According to Sanders, however, Warner's decision was driven by consumer behavior, more than an expectation of resolving the format war.

"It’s hard for us to speculate about impact this will have on the format war. All we can do really is make the best decision for our business and the rest of it will really take care of itself, in time," he said. "One of the things you see in the NPD data for this fourth quarter was that even with a $100 [price] premium, Blu-ray set tops outsold HD set tops in December. Even with Toshiba having the lowest-cost player in the market, software sales remained 2 to 1 in favor of Blu-ray."

The studio certainly wouldn't mind if it did help resolve the format war, however.

"Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," studio chairman/CEO Barry Meyer said in a statement. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."

And finally, because someone is bound to ask, Sanders insisted that no financial inducements were involved in Warner's decision, despite the fairly constant buzz of rumors that Warner was being actively courted by both sides.

"There is absolutely no incentive from either side that would have changed the decision we made based on what we were seeing in the consumer data," he said. "The worldwide DVD business is about $40 billion. Any incentives we might have been offered would have paled next to the lost profits from that business if we get this one wrong.”

Not quite Sherman-esque, but he's unquestionably correct that the long-term risk is greater than the short-term gain.

Blu Ray hardware still outsold HD-DVD hardware? I wonder if he's including PS3s in that. The way he words it leads me to believe that he's not, but either way.

sorry if old.