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[borghe]

Wow, *that close* to a disaster.

I'm hoping you are referring to the fact that this would have jst dragged the war out more. I never understood the hatred for HD-DVD on a technical level. It brought many features of later BRD profiles to market immediately, in general loads tremendously faster than almost all BRD players except the PS3, and with current releases the only thing it really loses from capacity is uncompressed audio (Though still fully supports lossless audio) and on a few discs a couple of HD versions on features. At the end of the day both formats in reality were a lot closer to each other than the specs would have you believe. I personally would not have cared who won between the two, or even if both had gone on, as long as sooner than later we could have played all movies on a single affordable player.

 

[Riddick]

Unfortunately for you, this same scenario is being repeated by other folks (including insiders) ever since the Warner Blu Ray news broke, so there is probably some truth to this. Now the blu insiders such as penton haven't said anything about it (makes sense, since the negotiations were on the other side), but it seems like we were THISCLOSE to having Fox/Warner/Universal/Paramount exclusive to HD DVD.

Not really. It's mostly sites copy-pasting this story imo. I have yet to see a confirmed insider from known forums saying this story.

Edit - jjasper is right btw. Fox has strong ties to Sony Pictures and they hate region-free and HDDVD's security.

 

[VanMardigan]

I don't really see how it is unfortunate for me, but it just seems so unFox to walk away from the BD+ they have championed for so long and the region coding they hold so dear.

I don't see how anything surprises you in how this played out. Warner went from HD DVD exclusive to dual format, to almost going HD DVD exclusive to going Blu exclusive. Paramount went from HD DVD exclusive, to dual format, then back to HD DVD exclusive.

This has been a messed up situation from the start. From what I gathered right after the news broke, it was going to be MS paying Warner (with the Live Marketplace deal in hand) while Tosh poneyed up for Fox. Sony then stepped in and secured Fox.

Just wait till the book comes out. :lol

 

[borghe]

Edit - jjasper is right btw. Fox has strong ties to Sony Pictures and they hate region-free and HDDVD's security.

while the region coding is true and hard to argue, we all know both formats' security is busted wide open and useless.

 

[Forsete]

I just cannot believe that Fox was willing to go HD DVD. With BD+ they are hard trenched into the BD camp.

Yeah its clearly bullshit.. and like someone said, no insiders ever hinted at anything like this was going to happen. Not before nor after.

Sounds like CampaignHD type of FUD.

 

[VanMardigan]

Yeah its clearly bullshit.. and like someone said, no insiders ever hinted at anything like this was going to happen. Not before nor after.

Sounds like CampaignHD type of FUD.

So you don't consider Dave Vaughn an insider?

 

[Mifune]

That Gizmodo or hdmediawars or scooppulledfromredass.com report sounds like bullshit.

My version of the story was much better.

 

[theBishop]

That Gizmodo or hdmediawars or scooppulledfromredass.com report sounds like bullshit.

sour grapes. whatever.

Gizmodo's "State of..." features were hilarious.

 

[Forsete]

So you don't consider Dave Vaughn an insider?

Never heard of him to be honest.

 

[VanMardigan]

Never heard of him to be honest.

So which insiders DO you know? Who were you waiting to hear from? Blu Ray insiders like penton likely won't have that side of the story. They'll know about the negotiations that took place to bring Warner over, not what Toshiba and Warner and Fox were doing necessarily.

 

[Riddick]

Funny detail:

The gizmondo article is linking as source an article that amongst other says this about bluray's victory:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08012/848675-96.stm

Obviously I am saddened by the implications for my readers, the industry and consumers, but still believe I recommended the better, more solid format, which was much more affordable, as well.

:lol Sounds like fud to me from bitter hddvd fans.

other fud in the article that has been proven false:

With no studio joining them on the HD DVD side, Warner's hand was forced and it went with Blu-ray, receiving a reported $500 million for doing so.

 

[Forsete]

So which insiders DO you know?

Mostly the BD dudes and a few supposed HD-DVD insiders, never saw it mentioned by either. Dave Vaughn is who exactly?

 

[borghe]

Mostly the BD dudes and a few supposed HD-DVD insiders, never saw it mentioned by either. Dave Vaughn is who exactly?

however, as has been pointed out, there's no way the BRD insiders would have known about the fox deal, the same way as the HD-DVD insiders were slammed by the Warner news. My boss doesn't know I'm leaving for a new job until after I've accepted it, and doesn't know I was even looking if I'm not offered it... ya know?

 

[VanMardigan]

Mostly the BD dudes and a few supposed HD-DVD insiders, never saw it mentioned by either. Dave Vaughn is who exactly?

Among other things, he's the guy we've been getting weekly sales numbers from days in advance of the "official" release. Ask ookie.

He definitely leaned red, which is why some folks don't like him, but he's stated repeatedly after the Warner decision that it was in the best interest of HDM. As have I.

 

[Forsete]

however, as has been pointed out, there's no way the BRD insiders would have known about the fox deal, the same way as the HD-DVD insiders were slammed by the Warner news. My boss doesn't know I'm leaving for a new job until after I've accepted it, and doesn't know I was even looking if I'm not offered it... ya know?

Sure, but Penton-Man (Hollywood-insider) and who else who mentioned the negotiations that were ongoing (Warner+MS+Toshiba) seemed to think that Warner was going to reject whatever they were offering. I think he knew more than he was saying or hinting at.

 

[VanMardigan]

Sure, but Penton-Man (Hollywood-insider) and who else who mentioned the negotiations that were ongoing (Warner+MS+Toshiba) seemed to think that Warner was going to reject whatever they were offering. I think he knew more than he was saying or hinting at.

So, I don't think any amount of money that Toshiba offered would have been enough given the lack of another studio choosing HD DVD along with Warner.

mmmmm...........sounds quite similar, wouldn't you say?

 

[krypt0nian]

Yuma is nice

Yummy pics/IMG]

[/QUOTE]


OK I'm double dipping here. For some reason my boyfriend ordered this DVD even though I made it clear that this was my fave film of 2007.

Blu-Ray, bring me cowboys! :D

 

[Forsete]

Yeah and thats the problem. I cant see FOX choosing HD-DVD. BD+ and love for region coding (that has already kept one studio from releasing movies on HD-DVD).

I find it hard to believe.

 

[xaosslug]

iTunes movie rentals are official

- $2.99-$3.99 per flick
- 'over 1000 movies'
- 'up to $4.99' for high-def
- once you start watching, it's yours for 24 hours

They do, however, have some degree of participation from all the major studios. That's a big plus.

I'll stick to renting Blu by mail (blockbuster.com, Netflix). Better quality, and cheaper per movie if you watch 4 a month.

the MAIN suck point is waiting 30 days after DVD release. :/

 

[Forsete]

OK I'm double dipping here. For some reason my boyfriend ordered this DVD even though I made it clear that this was my fave film of 2007.

Blu-Ray, bring me cowboys!

Yeah its pretty much the best western since The Unforgiven, IMO.

I recommended the movie to my brother but he didnt want to see it since he had just seen Silverado and everything western remembered him of that shitty movie. In the end he gave in, saw the movie and I got an SMS from him that said: 5/5 .

 

[jjasper]

the MAIN suck point is waiting 30 days after DVD release. :/

That and the fact that my netflix subscription is 9.99 and I can easily get 4-5 movies a month at that price compared to renting 2.

 

[VanMardigan]

Yeah and thats the problem. I cant see FOX choosing HD-DVD. BD+ and love for region coding (that has already kept one studio from releasing movies on HD-DVD).

I find it hard to believe.

Well, that's where this story fits. Obviously Warner (and Toshiba) felt they could lure Fox over to HD DVD. Fox knew that Warner was a gamechanger, as did everyone else. But once Fox nixed HD DVD, Warner wasn't going to take any money. Now, why did Fox nix Toshiba's offer at (reportedly) the last minute? Well, you can believe that their love of BD+ and region coding canceled out the millions that Toshiba had for them, or (as some have suggested) that Sony stepped in and solidified Fox's support (presumably through a payment of their own).

If the money talked about is true that Sony has offered Warner and Fox, I'm not sure if it would have been a good business move for Toshiba to pay that much money. Also, without FOX, no amount of money would have swayed Warner...they were not going to go HD DVD exclusive without FOX coming along for the ride. They wanted to end the format war, not prolong it. So, I don't think any amount of money that Toshiba offered would have been enough given the lack of another studio choosing HD DVD along with Warner.

 

[xaosslug]

That and the fact that my netflix subscription is 9.99 and I can easily get 4-5 movies a month at that price compared to renting 2.

oh, no. I mean for people who are into that. I mean I only have to wait 2-3 weeks after DVD release with my cable's Movies On-Demand, and IMO that's too long.

 

[VanMardigan]

By the way, jjasper, I found this quote interesting:

Disney was as committed to BD as Toshiba was to HD DVD. They would have been one of the last companies to switch if Warner and Fox went the other way.

I remember folks speculating about Disney being the company to possibly leave Blu (when the rumors of a Blu company going HD DVD exclusive first started surfacing last month), but it seems like the company was far more committed to Blu than Fox.

 

[Forsete]

Well, that's where this story fits. Obviously Warner (and Toshiba) felt they could lure Fox over to HD DVD. Fox knew that Warner was a gamechanger, as did everyone else. But once Fox nixed HD DVD, Warner wasn't going to take any money. Now, why did Fox nix Toshiba's offer at (reportedly) the last minute? Well, you can believe that their love of BD+ and region coding canceled out the millions that Toshiba had for them, or (as some have suggested) that Sony stepped in and solidified Fox's support (presumably through a payment of their own).

Sorry, but it sounds like a fairy tale to me. I think we would have heard lots more about it now if it were true.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Has there been any word on when we might be getting our 1st Miyazaki film on Blu?

After watching Paprika a few days back, I'm ready for some Studio Ghibli goodness (and more feature-lenght anime films in general).

 

[plagiarize]

By the way, jjasper, I found this quote interesting:



I remember folks speculating about Disney being the company to possibly leave Blu (when the rumors of a Blu company going HD DVD exclusive first started surfacing last month), but it seems like the company was far more committed to Blu than Fox.

well, Disney helped design iHD/HDi. i think that was at the center of the rumours.

more troublingly, i just read the review of RE:A from germany and apparently it uses the ICT... i'm presuming on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD releases...

that's a bunch of shit and it needs to stop right now.

anyone other than Constantin doing this yet?

 

[VanMardigan]

Sorry, but it sounds like a fairy tale to me. I think we would have heard lots more about it now if it were true.

Well, whatever, just trust whatever sources fit what you want to believe. Dave has been reliable. Others have mentioned it but I don't trust very many folks. I do trust Dave in that Fox and Toshiba were in negotiations.

 

[Forsete]

more troublingly, i just read the review of RE:A from germany and apparently it uses the ICT... i'm presuming on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD releases...

Uh, I thought BDA/HDG agreed that shit was dead untill 2010-2011 or something?

 

[plagiarize]

Uh, I thought BDA/HDG agreed that shit was dead untill 2010-2011 or something?

are Constantin in either of those? i'm wondering if this means that people that aren't members can pull this crap.

for the record, this won't effect me... but it's still horseshit.

 

[Forsete]

Well, whatever, just trust whatever sources fit what you want to believe. Dave has been reliable. Others have mentioned it but I don't trust very many folks. I do trust Dave in that Fox and Toshiba were in negotiations.

:lol Sure

Spoiler

If it were true, I wish to thank Sony for coughing up the money and stopping a stalemate.

 

[Forsete]

are Constantin in either of those? i'm wondering if this means that people that aren't members can pull this crap.

Constantin Film has announced exclusive support for Blu-Ray, but Im not sure if they are a member or not.

Whoever dreamed up ICT should be shot.

 

[VanMardigan]

:lol Sure

Spoiler

If it were true, I wish to thank Sony for coughing up the money and stopping a stalemate.

Spoiler

me too, since Disney and Sony were not going to fold as quickly as Uni/Para probably will

 

[Forsete]

Spoiler

me too, since Disney and Sony were not going to fold as quickly as Uni/Para probably will

Exactamundo.

 

[Raistlin]

At the end of the day both formats in reality were a lot closer to each other than the specs would have you believe.

That would be like assuming assuming 360/PS3 automatically are based on 1st year titles.

Neither was necessarily 'pushed' at this point, so the upper bounds are unknown. Just look at high-profile DVD transfers from recent years versus the ones at the advent of the platform.

 

[OokieSpookie]

Dave Vaughn is not an insider and does not claim to be one.

 

[plagiarize]

That would be like assuming assuming 360/PS3 automatically are based on 1st year titles.

Neither was necessarily 'pushed' at this point, so the upper bounds are unknown. Just look at high-profile DVD transfers from recent years versus the ones at the advent of the platform.

eh. i wouldn't hold up hope for similar improvements on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. we've already got pretty much transparency to the masters on good transfers. we KNEW all the problems with DVD transfers in early days. letterboxing, edge enhancement, etc.

 

[KZObsessed]

Unfortunately for you, this same scenario is being repeated by other folks (including insiders) ever since the Warner Blu Ray news broke, so there is probably some truth to this. Now the blu insiders such as penton haven't said anything about it (makes sense, since the negotiations were on the other side),

err no. Penton has commented on the "Fox to HD-DVD" rumours and he basically said that the HD-DVD camp offered a deal to Fox, but there was absolutely no chance they were going to go HD-DVD.

A bit of a difference from the "Fox was just a pen click away" nonesense.

How close did Fox come to changing sides?
About as close as a drunken sailor getting a date with Queen Elizabeth II, while yelling into the window of her carriage as it is passing by in a procession.
Please, spare me anymore after-the-fact internet intrigue.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=478095&postcount=1988

And he re-iterated here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12778323&postcount=3983

For that matter, in case you were unaware, people supporting the Blu-ray format were "negotiating" with Uni last summer.
Did that make a difference back then?
Was Uni close to publishing in both formats?

No, they respectfully listened to proposals and moved on with their business.
Isn’t this all sort of water under the bridge by now?

And was backed up by Talkstr8t here:

I can confirm what Penton-Man writes (not that he needs confirmation). There are many aspects of the Blu-ray specification which are there due to Fox's contributions and expectations, most of which aren't present in HD DVD (BD+ as an example). It's close to unthinkable that they'd go HD DVD as long as Blu-ray is still viable.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=488751&postcount=2212

I dont know why HD-DVD fans are so obsessed with this rumour on other forums, as if they were some how robbed at the last minute. They weren't. Sure, Warner were looking for an excuse to go HD-DVD exclusive instead but they didn't have one. According to Penton, the red camp also tried to get Lionsgate, and failed at that also.

I guess if you lose a format war, the best way to spin it is, "hey, we almost won!"

But as Penton says, its water under the bridge now, it's done, and I agree the book/movie on it all will probably be interesting, but theres no way to know which "facts" are true and which are just "spin"

 

[Loudninja]

Senator Home Entertainment goes Blu

German distributor Senator Home Entertainment announced today that they will go BD exclusive "sometime during the first six months of this year".

http://www.dvd-forum.at/86/news_hd_medien.htm

 

[Suikoguy]

Senator Home Entertainment goes Blu



http://www.dvd-forum.at/86/news_hd_medien.htm

"First Six Months"
So in other words.. like everyone else?

 

[Raistlin]

eh. i wouldn't hold up hope for similar improvements on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. we've already got pretty much transparency to the masters on good transfers.

I completely disagree.

 

[polyh3dron]

Wow, I just got PermaBanned at HDD for saying that Amir does spin/damage control/FUD in forums. lol

And Deadmeat's still there haha.

 

[Oni Jazar]

err no. Penton has commented on the "Fox to HD-DVD" rumours and he basically said that the HD-DVD camp offered a deal to Fox, but there was absolutely no chance they were going to go HD-DVD.

A bit of a difference from the "Fox was just a pen click away" nonesense.



http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=478095&postcount=1988

And he re-iterated here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12778323&postcount=3983



And was backed up by Talkstr8t here:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=488751&postcount=2212

I dont know why HD-DVD fans are so obsessed with this rumour on other forums, as if they were some how robbed at the last minute. They weren't. Sure, Warner were looking for an excuse to go HD-DVD exclusive instead but they didn't have one. According to Penton, the red camp also tried to get Lionsgate, and failed at that also.

I guess if you lose a format war, the best way to spin it is, "hey, we almost won!"

But as Penton says, its water under the bridge now, it's done, and I agree the book/movie on it all will probably be interesting, but theres no way to know which "facts" are true and which are just "spin"

Thank you for the research. I knew about it all but was too lazy to find the posts. Vaughn also retracted a bit of his statement by saying that he can't say for sure what Fox's intentions were only that Fox & Toshiba had a high level meeting. (Again too lazy to find the link).

 

[avaya]

The likelihood that Fox's actions were just a method of getting more out of the BDA is high. It's usual Murdoch strategy.

Fox going HD-DVD would have relied on them also abandoning a News Corporation fixation on copyright and DRM. BSkyB in the UK uses Nagravision, a proprietary card security system for satellite TV - it remains the only satellite provider that has yet to be hacked.

Fox is also the only major studio apart from Sony Pictures who never ran a test line on HD-DVD. Everyone else did, including Disney.

I think Toshiba’s shock came from the fact that Time-Warner were willing to dump their own creation for Blu-ray - especially given the close relationship between the two companies and Time-Warner’s record of wrangling with Sony Corporation of America over executive recruitment at Sony Pictures in the early 90s.

 

[Xater]

Senator Home Entertainment goes Blu



http://www.dvd-forum.at/86/news_hd_medien.htm

Damn totally forgot about Senator I called UFA and Concorde. :lol

More will follow here in Germany.

Can't wait for Death Proof and Planet Terror by them.

 

[michaeld]

Is there a site I can check on the status of my free BRs?

 

[xS1TH L0RDx]

Damn totally forgot about Senator I called UFA and Concorde. :lol

More will follow here in Germany.

Can't wait for Death Proof and Planet Terror by them.

Does anyone know anything about a blu-ray grindhouse? my local circuit city is selling them for 10 bucks each but i can't bring myself to buy a dvd. it's just so...last gen

 

[Xater]

Does anyone know anything about a blu-ray grindhouse? my local circuit city is selling them for 10 bucks each but i can't bring myself to buy a dvd. it's just so...last gen

Well in MArch Death Proof comes out over here. It should be codefree but I don#t know if you want o import. As for an American release, I think we haven't heard from the Weinsteins in a long time and so far the are still HD-DVD exclusive.

 

[Pristine_Condition]

Damn totally forgot about Senator I called UFA and Concorde. :lol

More will follow here in Germany.

Can't wait for Death Proof and Planet Terror by them.

You did see my post a few days ago about Constantin Film, right? They're Blu-ray exclusive now too.

 

[Loudninja]

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?p=647076&posted=1#post647076

guys you have to read this...