It's on bitches!!! Disney backs Blu-Ray!

S

sonycowboy

Member
Disney backs Sony's Blu-ray for new DVD format

Wed Dec 8, 2004 06:22 PM ET
LOS ANGELES, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co.(DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it would support the Blu-Ray format for next generation DVDs.

That was a powerful boost for the standard backed by Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , which is battling against the HD-DVD format promoted by a group led by Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) .

Disney said it would begin releasing content non-exclusively on Blu-ray when advanced DVD players debuted in North America and Japan.
 
sonycowboy said:
Disney backs Sony's Blu-ray for new DVD format

Wed Dec 8, 2004 06:22 PM ET
LOS ANGELES, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co.(DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it would support the Blu-Ray format for next generation DVDs.

That was a powerful boost for the standard backed by Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , which is battling against the HD-DVD format promoted by a group led by Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) .

Disney said it would begin releasing content non-exclusively on Blu-ray when advanced DVD players debuted in North America and Japan.
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That's the part that worries me.
 
Tabris said:
So Fox, MGM, Columbia-Tri Star and Disney

versus

What movie studies are backing HD-DVD again?
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I don't think Fox has commented, although they're joining the Blu-Ray board speaks volumes.
 
yay, it'll be like DVD-Audio all over again! Segment the market and confuse consumers so nobody buys either!
 
Disney also supported the inferior DIVX DVD format.
They threw their weight behind it right before the format tanked.
Not saying that's how this will work out, though. I just want one format. That's all.
 
spookyfish said:
Disney also supported the inferior DIVX format.
We'll see how this works out.
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Yep I think Disney and Fox was major supporters for Divx but for some reason it never caught on...
 
Luscious LeftFoot said:
What's the non-exclusivity mean for Blu-Ray? Draw backs I mean...
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The same as it means for the four that backed HD-DVD last week as they said non-exclusivity as well. They're all leaving themselves a way out.
 
what fun. :) The gangs have formed up and now its time to see who can call who's bluff and who will end up defecting.
 
full PR:

The Walt Disney Company to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--

Wide Range of New Releases and Catalog Titles will be Made Available; Disney to Join Blu-ray Disc Association as Member of Board of Directors


The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE), its home video division, announced today their support of the Blu-ray Disc format. As part of its cooperation with Blu-ray, BVHE will begin releasing content non-exclusively in that format when Blu-ray hardware launches in the North America and Japan. The Company also announced that it will become a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).

With this move, consumers will be able to enjoy a wide range of popular new releases and classic pictures in this advanced, high-definition format from Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which includes Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Touchstone Home Entertainment, Miramax Home Entertainment, Dimension Home Video and Disney DVD.

"One of Disney's key priorities is to take advantage of new technologies to drive innovation and growth in order to create increased value for our shareholders," said Peter E. Murphy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "We believe that Disney's portfolio of outstanding brands and content combined with the Blu-ray technology offers a major step forward for consumers eager to experience high definition content."

"Buena Vista Home Entertainment is very pleased to support the Blu-ray format, which will help set the stage for the next generation of digital video disc," said Robert Chapek, president of BVHE. "Blu-ray's excellent combination of advanced functionality, picture quality, data capacity, room for future growth, and advanced rights management for new consumer usage options will provide consumers with an outstanding interactive filmed entertainment experience."

"We see this action as an exciting opportunity to support the latest advancement in home entertainment technology, said Dennis Maguire, President of Buena Vista Home Entertainment International. "Blu-ray promises to provide consumers in Japan and around the world a rich and thrilling new home entertainment experience. And for our Studio, it provides us with the chance to add unprecedented features and interactivity to the home environment, and thus continuing to enhance the consumers' love affair with movies."

Blu-ray Disc is a next generation optical disc format developed for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 25 gigabytes of data and a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50 gigabytes of data. This greater storage capacity enables the Blu-ray Disc to store up to five times the amount of content than is possible with current DVDs, and is particularly well-suited for high definition feature films with extended levels of additional bonus and interactive material. Blu-ray also features the most advanced copy protection, backward compatibility with the current DVD format (meaning Blu-ray players will play existing DVDs), connectivity and advanced interactivity.

About Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., is a recognized industry leader. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, Dimension, ABC, ESPN and Buena Vista products which includes an array of direct-to-video properties.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Consumer Products, television and radio stations and Internet web sites.

About the Blu-ray Disc Association

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is responsible for establishing format standards and promoting and further developing business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc -- the next-generation optical disc for storing high-definition movies, photos and other digital content. The BDA has more than 90 members. Its Board of Directors consists of Dell Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.
 
Thanks, sonycowboy and acklame.

I will support any standard that allows me to play both my DVDs and the new format in one cheap package :P
 
jarrod said:
Well, that'd be both. :P
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Good then. In that case, I don't care which gets supported! Is Blu-Ray the one with little cases over the discs? I'd probably lean toward that cause you get more space with Blu-Ray plus protection...
 
Amir0x said:
Good then. In that case, I don't care which gets supported! Is Blu-Ray the one with little cases over the discs? I'd probably lean toward that cause you get more space with Blu-Ray plus protection...
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Nope caddies were (wisely) dropped in favor of a TDK coating solution. Both formats are bare discs.... in very basic terms, BD offers more storage space while HD-DVD offers lower manufacturing costs.
 
jarrod said:
Nope caddies were (wisely) dropped in favor of a TDK coating solution. Both formats are bare discs.... in very basic terms, BD offers more storage space while HD-DVD offers lower manufacturing costs.
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More specifically, HD-DVD has marginally lower manufacturing costs per disc, but Blu-Ray requires new production line equipment.
 
About Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., is a recognized industry leader. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, Dimension, ABC, ESPN and Buena Vista products which includes an array of direct-to-video properties.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Consumer Products, television and radio stations and Internet web sites.
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If you want to count the number of studios, This actually means Disney and Miramax, which has the same relationship as Warner and New Line.
 
acklame said:
I'm curious actually. What's the market share of the two camps look like?
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Depends on how you measure it.

The 3 major studios announced last week for HD-DVD backing claimed 41% of the DVD market, not sure how they measured it.

MGM + Sony Pictures (Columbia) = 1/2 of all recorded movies ever made (thanks to MGM's incredible back catalog)

Then you have to figure out Disney & Fox's market share.

YTD CATALOG DVD SALES MARKET SHARE
Studio Market Share (%) Revenue ($ in billions)
ALL OTHER 10.1 0.54
DISNEY* 12.8 0.68
FOX 11.5 0.61
LIONS GATE 3.5 0.18
MGM 8.5 0.45
PARAMOUNT 10 0.53
SONY 10.6 0.56
UNIVERSAL*** 11 0.58
WARNER** 22 1.16
Total 5.3
 
Does anybody know who exactly profits from the current DVD format?

I know there's the initial DVD hardware manufactures (what was it 9 companies?), but I've heard that Sony gets a larger portion of the physical components for players, then there's the DVD disc formatting, the licensing, etc?

I've even heard Time Warner has some ownership over DVD licensing.

Anybody know?
 
This will turn out to be a huge non-issue when consumers just ditch the whole generation of DVDs and stick with what has been a REAL improvement over the last one : DVDs over VHS. Now THAT was something people cared about. Ask anyone if they want to switch from DVD to something "better", they'll tell you to fuck off, since they bought tens of DVDs that won't work with the next standard.

People need something to bitch about. What's there to bitch about DVDs? VHS were complete shit compared to DVDs. This is not the case, as DVDs are still selling like mad.
 
Foreign Jackass said:
This will turn out to be a huge non-issue when consumers just ditch the whole generation of DVDs and stick with what has been a REAL improvement over the last one : DVDs over VHS. Now THAT was something people cared about. Ask anyone if they want to switch from DVD to something "better", they'll tell you to fuck off, since they bought tens of DVDs that won't work with the next standard.

People need something to bitch about. What's there to bitch about DVDs? VHS were complete shit compared to DVDs. This is not the case, as DVDs are still selling like mad.
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Uh, but DVD's will work with the new players :lol
 
Foreign Jackass said:
This will turn out to be a huge non-issue when consumers just ditch the whole generation of DVDs and stick with what has been a REAL improvement over the last one : DVDs over VHS. Now THAT was something people cared about. Ask anyone if they want to switch from DVD to something "better", they'll tell you to fuck off, since they bought tens of DVDs that won't work with the next standard.
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But I thought they worked with both the BR and the HD-DVD players?
 
Foreign Jackass said:
This will turn out to be a huge non-issue when consumers just ditch the whole generation of DVDs and stick with what has been a REAL improvement over the last one : DVDs over VHS. Now THAT was something people cared about. Ask anyone if they want to switch from DVD to something "better", they'll tell you to fuck off, since they bought tens of DVDs that won't work with the next standard.

People need something to bitch about. What's there to bitch about DVDs? VHS were complete shit compared to DVDs. This is not the case, as DVDs are still selling like mad.
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I'm not quite sure how many ppl will actually adopt the new technology. There probably won't be many in the first year that's for sure, just the console buyers. But since it's backward compatitble the gadget crowd will probably upgrade soon.
 
The new players aren't supposed to play old DVDs, since this is the reason japanese companies are currently looking for a new DVD technology that would play on both players. Which is completely stupid, come to think of it, because it doesn't answer the problem.
 
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