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[lupin23rd]

http://www.betanews.com/article/HD_DVD_Universal_expected_to_deny_Bluray_rumors/1199974983

2:00 pm ET January 10, 2008 -- The HD DVD Promotional Group is expected to release a statement this afternoon refuting claims that Universal is jumping ship to Blu-ray.



Well, let's see what they'll have to say.

Anyone else find it odd that they specifically mention refuting rumors about Universal, but no mention of Paramount?

 

[The Main Event]

Anyone else find it odd that they specifically mention refuting rumors about Universal, but no mention of Paramount?

Well, Paramount did make a statement already (whether it's true or not that's a different story). Universal's was "no comment". And now they're a couple rumors floating around from Variety regarding their commitment which they will have to address.

The 300 sales should be read as "both", I think the sales for the Blu-ray version is currently at around 300K.

 

[Oni Jazar]

Anyone else find it odd that they specifically mention refuting rumors about Universal, but no mention of Paramount?

This sucks. I was hoping that it would be a swift end to this war but I guess the powers that be would rather it be a slow death.

 

[Crisis]

fixed. there is no way they would be so bold as to say only. the writing is on the wall, and backing your position isn't anything new. but just flat out lying would be seen as a bad move by most. almost suicidal.

the best HD-DVD can do now (which until they hear otherwise from the studios) is say that they still have Paramount's and Universal's full backing, which as I said they should assume until told otherwise by those companies.

However with the exclusitivity now lapsed with both companies, saying "they're releasing HD-DVD only" is well outside of their right to say. they would get slammed if they did that.

I agree with this. It'll probably have an affirmation that Universal is going to keep releasing HD DVD movies but it won't say "exclusively".

 

[The Main Event]

5:00 pm ET January 10, 2008 -- Universal Studios has officially dispelled the rumors from Variety that it will drop HD DVD and switch to Blu-ray.

"Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment and also co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.

The response would have come sooner, but many HD DVD executives were on flights home from CES when the incorrect story from Variety broke.

 

[Oni Jazar]

edit: damn too slow

 

[jjasper]

but it doesn't say "exclusively"

 

[KZObsessed]

"Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,"

The rumours say they're going Blu in February so that statement isn't very helpful is it...

 

[FF_VIII]

Without researching 'cause I need a quick answer, which I'll get from here

Is Stranger Than Fiction region free?

 

[Elios83]

5:00 pm ET January 10, 2008 -- Universal Studios has officially dispelled the rumors from Variety that it will drop HD DVD and switch to Blu-ray.

OUCH, as expected, they haven't dispelled any rumor, just usual PR damage control.

 

[KZObsessed]

Without researching 'cause I need a quick answer, which I'll get from here

Is Stranger Than Fiction region free?

No. US version is region locked.

This site is very helpful, and from my experience it's reliable. http://bluray.liesinc.net/

 

[plagiarize]

OUCH, as expected, they haven't dispelled any rumor, just usual PR damage control.

quite. as always, it's what isn't said that speaks the loudest in these things.

i love how all of the decision makers at universal were flying on a plane when the variety news went up.

 

[Snah]

*SIGH*

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I just hope this format war can be settled before 08 is over at least

 

[FF_VIII]

No. US version is region locked.

This site is very helpful, and from my experience it's reliable. http://bluray.liesinc.net/

Wow, thanks for the site.

 

[Elios83]

I just hope this format war can be settled before 08 is over at least

It will be over before June at this rate (cross fingers).

 

[Zombie James]

Their loss.

 

[Raistlin]

This sucks. I was hoping that it would be a swift end to this war but I guess the powers that be would rather it be a slow death.

I'm not sure why you think that. None of this means that is the case.

 

[msdstc]

I just hope this format war can be settled before 08 is over at least

long before that... just wait until lord of the rings comes out, it seriously will be the final nail in the coffin. Hell it might already be over.

 

[gofreak]

Gamespot says the Universal deal with HD-DVD expires in May, and that this is the deal they're not renewing. They also got in touch with Universal:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6184567.html

Variety reports that Universal Studios has ended its HD DVD exclusivity deal, though it will continue to only support the format until its current arrangement with Toshiba ends May 31. The report did not indicate whether Universal will exclusively support Sony's Blu-ray format after that date. Speaking to GameSpot, a Universal Studios representative confirmed that, for the time being, the studio will continue to support HD DVD, though they would not say whether Blu-ray support is also on the agenda.

It seems a far cry from their pre-warner-bomb-droppen position of vaunting HD-DVD while smacking down BD.

 

[OokieSpookie]

I'm not sure why you think that. None of this means that is the case.

Exactly.
Paramount was not even mentioned for one thing, and for the other thing AGAIN look back at how many times Warner denied switching even days before they did.
The words used were very directly chosen.

I do hope that anyone who picks up an hd player in the last week and onward sues the living hell out of Toshiba when the bottom drops.

 

[maharg]

Microsoft may look at Blu-Ray as a strategic threat for its use of Java.

Haha oh man. MS is about as worried about Java as you are about the price of rice in china. Java as a universal consumer platform is a ridiculous failure at this point. Java doesn't encroach on anything of MS' where it actually counts to MS.

 

[Mrbob]

Ahh, I love PR speak.

Universal will be blu June 1, 2008.

 

[Raistlin]

Ahh, I love PR speak.

Universal will be blu June 1, 2008.

Blu-only by then.


Its a bit unclear when their exclusivity really ends, if its before then ... expect them to go neutral for a bit. They have some promotions they are still contracted to do with HD DVD, but its possible those aren't directly linked to exclusity dates.

With that in mind, its quite possible they will be doing those promotions while releasing BD content :lol

 

[SRG01]

Haha oh man. MS is about as worried about Java as you are about the price of rice in china. Java as a universal consumer platform is a ridiculous failure at this point. Java doesn't encroach on anything of MS' where it actually counts to MS.

On the mobile front, Java is quite big. It is quite useful in embedded devices since they tend to have diverse hardware.

 

[neojubei]

Ahh, I love PR speak.

Universal will be blu June 1, 2008.

HEROES on Blu-ray 1080p on June 1, 2008. Make it happen.

 

[dallow_bg]

How did Gamespot get the scoop?

 

[Suikoguy]

One thing to remember;
Don't expect Universal to blow their load all at once, Paramount will have more releases quicker because they already had several finished and even in production.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Again, no denial of adding Blu-ray support by anyone.

 

[mrklaw]

Blu-only by then.


Its a bit unclear when their exclusivity really ends, if its before then ... expect them to go neutral for a bit. They have some promotions they are still contracted to do with HD DVD, but its possible those aren't directly linked to exclusity dates.

With that in mind, its quite possible they will be doing those promotions while releasing BD content :lol

yeah. Looks like HDDVD will be dead by end of 1H 2008 if they don't pull the plug themselves earlier (or retailers don't do it for them)

Warner will stop shipping HDDVDs altogether in May, so that suggests they had some kind of agreement with Toshiba to ship all their HD titles to HDDVD until then (although the delay in releasing the HDDVD versions clearly indicates Warner just fulfilling the letter if not the spirit of the contract)

So maybe Universal have a similarly timed agreement that requires them to release all HD titles on HDDVD until the end of May? Doesn't preclude them going neutral before that though as mentioned.

Paramount is a whole other thing though, as they went HDDVD exclusive so recently, their timing is more likely based on contract exit clauses than simple expiry like the other two.

 

[Jim]

(edit: very slow)

We all know what "current" means in PRspeak and the lack of "only" and/or "exclusive" keywords... not to mention the non-denial of future Blu-ray support.

Basically, they'll be purple at the very least when that contract ends. I'd say the same goes for Paramount.

 

[maharg]

On the mobile front, Java is quite big. It is quite useful in embedded devices since they tend to have diverse hardware.

Yes, there are niches where java is big. But I said universal consumer platform. On windows, .net (as well as still direct api coding) is pretty much ubiquitous. On the web, flash is ubiquitous. On servers, Java is just one option of many.

Essentially, the market is fragmented enough that the status quo does not threaten MS in any meaningful way. People who think MS is worried about Java are stuck in 1999.

 

[jiggle]

just picked up Ratatouille, Cars, Pirates 3 and Casino Royale. 44.10 total >.>
jeebus that's cheap. would've been 39.10 had i printed an extra coupon. oh well.



I didn't know TRU is having a BOGO sales on all Disney DVDs too. Took all the strength i could muster to resist grabbing Aladdin and another copy of Little Mermaid. Real sick of having doubles of Disney Animated features :/

 

[msdstc]

if they aren't denying support for blu-ray isn't it obvious at this point? Can't toshiba just pull the damn plug?

 

[Raistlin]

Warner will stop shipping HDDVDs altogether in May, so that suggests they had some kind of agreement with Toshiba to ship all their HD titles to HDDVD until then (although the delay in releasing the HDDVD versions clearly indicates Warner just fulfilling the letter if not the spirit of the contract)

Its also possible that they simply don't want to pull a Paramount and piss people off. Not because they really care all THAT much about pissing people off ... but more because they already have titles in production.

Why just chuck them out if you have already spent money on them? That said, I would expect them to be somewhat limited printings since they obviously aren't expecting the HD DVD userbase to increase much.

 

[Warm Machine]

if they aren't denying support for blu-ray isn't it obvious at this point? Can't toshiba just pull the damn plug?

Not until all contract requirements expire. Anything Toshiba does outside of what they agreed to with their partners could hurt them financially through litigation. Thats why you don't get instant change.

 

[Raistlin]

if they aren't denying support for blu-ray isn't it obvious at this point? Can't toshiba just pull the damn plug?

It will take a little bit of time for all of the contractual paperwork, etc. to get sorted out.



I know things have been going at an insane clip since the Warner announcement ... but take a deep breath. These things take a bit of time. Obviously none of the studios want to make a mistake that could leave them open to litigation.

 

[msdstc]

Not until all contract requirements expire. Anything Toshiba does outside of what they agreed to with their partners could hurt them financially through litigation. Thats why you don't get instant change.

alright alright. I know this is a dumb question, and I know a semi-decent amount about what's goin on, but some of you guys really have this down pat. Is there any possible way for toshiba to turn this around?

 

[maharg]

alright alright. I know this is a dumb question, and I know a semi-decent amount about what's goin on, but some of you guys really have this down pat. Is there any possible way for toshiba to turn this around?

I really doubt it. I think they had a long term chance holding out a stalemate, at least for combo players and an eventual compromise, but there's just no way they can pull even that off now.

 

[avaya]

alright alright. I know this is a dumb question, and I know a semi-decent amount about what's goin on, but some of you guys really have this down pat. Is there any possible way for toshiba to turn this around?

Nope. If they don't move then the media coverage will kill them. The Warner announcement really evaporated all consumer confidence in the format. They have something to belittle now and they will not relent. The HD-DVD market will simply collapse by itself. No one wants to buy into a dead format.

If Toshiba were silly they would try and push HD-DVD into the PC, as a storage format. However if they do that don't expect Microsoft to help out because as a storage format it will not depend on any Microsoft specific technologies and Java will not come into it from the Blu-ray side. Meanwhile Intel is neutral.

As a storage medium for PCs, HD-DVD has no single advantage over BD at all. Space, bandwidth and the robust nature of BD as a personal data format (which it started out as) is uncontested on the PC front. Moreover a HD-DVD drive simply can't read BD, which if it takes off will need to be present on the PC.

As for Software a lot of companies add support for both, but some (semi)professional editing programs like Adobe Premiere now no longer support HD-DVD.

They currently rely on Acer, Fujitsu and Lenovo to push HD-DVD on that front. Those companies don't put the drives in all laptops, I believe Toshiba will try to attempt this themselves. However Blu-ray will probably now be adopted by these same companies. Sony, Dell exclusivity on the OEM front along with Apple should seal the deal for Blu-ray on the PC.

 

[RaidenZR]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

A critical element, the PS3 game system, initially should have assured an early victory for Sony. Instead, the Blu-Ray technology made the PS3 too expensive for the market, moving Sony from first to a distant third in that segment. Even so, Sony was selling PS3s at a much higher rate than the combined sales of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray standalone players.

Toshiba needed to cripple PS3 sales, and the weapons were the Xbox 360, which had an HD-DVD option selling in comparatively low volumes, and the Nintendo Wii, which had dominated the market since launch.

There was no apparent focus on moving more Xbox 360 HD-DVD accessories, and Nintendo was manufacturing-constrained, shifting sales over mostly to the PS3, which was seen as newer than the Xbox 360. Toshiba had a significant price advantage on its HD-DVD player, but it allowed prices to creep up during the buying period. This market is incredibly price-sensitive; once prices crept over the critical break point of $200, they slowed sharply because people had set their value point at the earlier prices.

...

Second, Toshiba should have worked with Nintendo to ensure it could fulfill Wii demand, holding down PS3 sales. To offset upsetting Microsoft, it should have offered additional incentives and advertising connected to the Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive to ensure higher attach rates and better ramp that product while enhancing the value of the Xbox 360.

...

By the way, Toshiba isn’t dead yet, and while it will be incredibly hard to come back from this, it isn’t impossible (some have already started talking about how). We’ll chat later about what it might be able to do to turn this around.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

I can't read two of those paragraphs in a row because none of it makes sense!

 

[polyh3dron]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

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

 

[Flek]

:lol :lol @ nintendo

@topic
one more blu-ray pro news from germany (after constantine going blu) - it looks like "media markt" (the german version of BestBuy, Circuit City etc.) is throwing out all hd-dvds to sell blu - only!

source (in german)
http://www.hdtv-praxis.de/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=37&page_id=483

 

[captive]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

wtf?

 

[Snah]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

.....zuh?

I don't get it.

 

[jiggle]

That read like something you'd read on a forum D:

 

[polyh3dron]

Oh, Rob Enderle just kill yourself already.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I apologize if this is old, but I know this crowd loves it some Enderle. Here's an excerpt with link:

Nintendo Caused Blu-Ray’s Victory

Wow, I need to get this "Foward Thinking" Enderle Firm to work on my business ventures