the HD DVD promotional group in its press release for the formation of the European HD DVD Promotional Group, announces that 600 HD DVD titles will be available by year-end 2007. Will this and several studios that produces exclusive BD titlesin the USA in HD DVD for the European market, moot the argument of "content is the king"?

for the list of available HD DVD titles for UK, Germany, Spain, France and Swiss', please visit http://www.hddvdeurope.com/


http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20070316PR212.html

The existing marketing campaign, which showcases HD DVD as "The Look and Sound of Perfect" will be used to highlight European perspectives, with the launch of country-specific pages to the www.hddvdeurope.com website. The group and its member companies plan to back the campaign with promotions, and trade and consumer marketing through the 2007 holiday season and into 2008. The campaign will promote the format and co-market HD DVD hardware with the more than 300 HD DVD titles already on the market today and the more than 600 expected on store shelves by year-end 2007.

Announced and on a shelf are two different things

the HD DVD promotional group in its press release for the formation of the European HD DVD Promotional Group, announces that 600 HD DVD titles will be available by year-end 2007. Will this and several studios that produces exclusive BD titlesin the USA in HD DVD for the European market, moot the argument of "content is the king"?





Not in my opinion. Not having Disney, Fox, Sony and MGM is the problem, not the number of releases. Moreover, that 600 number is almost certainly highly, highly inflated.

If they were capable of releasing that many "unique" titles, maybe. But as they won't even come close to that, I doubt it. They claim 300 titles are out there right now, but AFAIK they have about 150 in the US. You can't tell me they have another 150 unique titles in the rest of the world. They are counting releases of the same movie across multiple countries.

I think they are unique titles. I think there are currently 80-90 unique foreign releases now (mostly foreign language films), with many more announced. I'd buy the 300 number if you count released and announced numbers.

This number of 600 worldwide titles is nothing new. It's the same thing they said at CES. I don't think it deserves a new thread just because they said it again.

They didn't meet their claims last year, what makes you think they'll be able to this year?

Announced and on a shelf are two different things

If only someone had said that when Fox was announcing titles.

This number of 600 worldwide titles is nothing new. It's the same thing they said at CES. I don't think it deserves a new thread just because they said it again.

Nor do we need yet another thread to have the same old "Who's got the bigger format?" arguments.

If they were capable of releasing that many "unique" titles, maybe. But as they won't even come close to that, I doubt it. They claim 300 titles are out there right now, but AFAIK they have about 150 in the US. You can't tell me they have another 150 unique titles in the rest of the world. They are counting releases of the same movie across multiple countries.


They have almost 200 titles out now in the U.S., and about 80 or so foreign releases, as far as I know.

It's not the quantity but the quality. Disks with aquarium fishes or other niche offerings don't make people buy players. Good classics make some people buy players. But it's the recent blockbusters that will cause the general public to buy into a format.

This is the entire list of movies that Universal can distribute. There's a lot of good movies in there, but you realize quickly that for anything semi-decent in the last 7 years, most of them are already released. (IMO only)

http://imdb.com/company/co0005073/

I even have Doom and Scorpion King, thorough stinkers, and I look at this list and outside of the Spielberg Classics, I can't find 10 movies in this century that I absolutely must buy. Can anyone?

Can anyone pick 50 movies from that list (the last 50 years) that is not released yet that you absolutely must buy? How about 20 in the last 20 years?

Can anyone pick 50 movies from that list (the last 50 years) that is not released yet that you absolutely must buy? How about 20 in the last 20 years?

Just for fun I found:

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Children of Men (2006) (announced)
United 93 (2006)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
K-PAX (2001)
Man on the Moon (1999)
Schindler's List (1993)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Cape Fear (1991)
Darkman (1990)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Howard the Duck (1986) :p

Not in my opinion. Not having Disney, Fox, Sony and MGM is the problem, not the number of releases. Moreover, that 600 number is almost certainly highly, highly inflated.

you fail to see that we dont Sony to get Underworld Evolution, Basic Instinct, Rambo 1-300 :D is out in HD DVD too .. now do you understand what i am saying? ;)

Not that they are the definitive source, but Engadet counts ~163. Quite a disconnect.

DVDempire has 173. Someone who had counted here had 185 about a month and a half ago. From that, I deduced we should have around 200 by now.

Edit: Amazon has 176 that can ship today.

Just for fun I found:

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Children of Men (2006) (announced)
United 93 (2006)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
K-PAX (2001)
Man on the Moon (1999)
Schindler's List (1993)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
Cape Fear (1991)
Darkman (1990)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Howard the Duck (1986) :p

So that's 6 in this century. Children of Men is already selling and I did preorder.

And your list mostly matches mine for last 20 yrs or so. I assume Howard the Duck was meant in jest. If so your cruelty knows no bounds. :)

Can anyone pick 50 movies from that list (the last 50 years) that is not released yet that you absolutely must buy? How about 20 in the last 20 years?

There is no movie from any studio that I absolutely must buy. But I found many on that list that I would really like to own.

you fail to see that we dont Sony to get Underworld Evolution, Basic Instinct, Rambo 1-300 :D is out in HD DVD too .. now do you understand what i am saying? ;)

I understand that for whatever reason, you're having trouble letting go. :)

There were 153 HD DVD titles launched in 2006, and 27 in 2007 (if we are generous and count HD Window: Great Southwest as released even though nobody has bought or even seen it).

There were 153 HD DVD titles launched in 2006, and 27 in 2007 (if we are generous and count HD Window: Great Southwest as released even though nobody has bought or even seen it).

Thanks Grubert.

How confident are you that there are not more small titles that might have escaped your view? A porn title here, a jazz concert there, that sort of thing?

Thanks Grubert.

How confident are you that there are not more small titles that might have escaped your view? A porn title here, a jazz concert there, that sort of thing?

Porn was not counted. Otherwise, I'm pretty confident the tally is comprehensive.

Porn was not counted. Otherwise, I'm pretty confident the tally is comprehensive.
Thanks

Porn was not counted. Otherwise, I'm pretty confident the tally is comprehensive.

Do you have a moral issue against porn? Do they not count a HD DVD releases for that reason? Or is there some other reason?

the HD DVD promotional group in its press release for the formation of the European HD DVD Promotional Group, announces that 600 HD DVD titles will be available by year-end 2007. Will this and several studios that produces exclusive BD titlesin the USA in HD DVD for the European market, moot the argument of "content is the king"?
It's possible this subject has been beaten to death already, but if you go back and read the CES press release where this was originally stated (Jan 7th? 8th?) it made two statements: 600 releases by the end of 2007, doubling the 300 releases already available.

Interpreting the number 600 gets much easier when you consider the reference point they've given. Counting 300 HD DVD titles in early January almost certainly required counting the same movie more than once in different regions. Combine that with the additional inescapable conclusion that they were promising the same number of releases over a 12 month period in 2007 as were released over an 8 month period in 2006. Translation? 33% fewer titles released on a month-by-month basis than the year before.

I don't think this makes the content argument moot by any stretch of the imagination. Of course, HD DVD may yet exceed this estimate and put out a really solid slate of titles. Or Blu-ray supporting studios may slow down releases on piracy fears. The future is never certain, but so far this year I'd say the content crown has to go to Blu-ray.

Do you have a moral issue against porn? Do they not count a HD DVD releases for that reason? Or is there some other reason?


I would say because right now most porn releases have been 720P WMV-HD videos transferred to HD-DVD as oppossed to full 1080p transfers coded from the original masters.

Clerks, Nice!! :D

http://imdb.com/company/co0005073/

Can anyone pick 50 movies from that list (the last 50 years) that is not released yet that you absolutely must buy? How about 20 in the last 20 years?
Here's what I can come up with:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Legend (1985)
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Major Payne (1995)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The Best Man (1999/I)
Inside Man (2006)

Here's what I can come up with:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Legend (1985)
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Major Payne (1995)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The Best Man (1999/I)
Inside Man (2006)

ET, Jurassic Park are Spielberg classics. So from the last 25 years, you only found 10 movies you really want? My list is longer even without the spielberg classics. (Schindler's list should be on most people's list, and that is also by spielberg).

These are must haves if you like action movies.

Bourne1 & 3
Carlito's Way (1993)
Cape Fear (1991)
Darkman (1990)

...for historical value...
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

BTW I just went to the master adult release thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=787132) and it seems one porn title was released in NA in 2006, and three more in 2007 so far. ;)

I don't think it deserves a new thread just because they said it again.

There would be very few threads in every forum if that were the criteria :D

Brian,

Announced and on a shelf are two different things

Aint that the truth, as the BD boys are learning with Fox releases.

Neo,

It's not the quantity but the quality.

You know the shifting arguments used by the BD fanboys to maintain "superiority" are very amusing. During the summer, BD "won" the war because of hardware, and superior specs. Then after CES, BD won the format war, because content is king, just look at how many movies are announced (in othe words, quantity). Now, with the announcement of 600 HD releases, BD wins the format war not because of hardware, not because of quantity but rather because of Quality. Wow, a trifecta. I guess HD hasnt done anything right.

Brian,



Aint that the truth, as the BD boys are learning with Fox releases.

Neo,



You know the shifting arguments used by the BD fanboys to maintain "superiority" are very amusing. During the summer, BD "won" the war because of hardware, and superior specs. Then after CES, BD won the format war, because content is king, just look at how many movies are announced (in othe words, quantity). Now, with the announcement of 600 HD releases, BD wins the format war not because of hardware, not because of quantity but rather because of Quality. Wow, a trifecta. I guess HD hasnt done anything right.

There was no announcement of 600 HD-DVD releases. If you think there was, please provide a link for the announcement of each of the 600 releases.

let us make it more specific, 600 available titles by years end. But you still didnt address the rest of my comment.

Will the announcement of 600 HD DVD titles by end-2007 moot the content argument?
It should but around here it won't. :)

Those who are panicking will continue to panic and I doubt those who have already popped the champagne will stop celebrating.

You know...more and more I find myself in the same camp with those who think there will always be two formats.

If people are willing to accept and live with different gaming options (PC, 360, PS2, PS3, Wii) each of which has exclusive games why wouldn't these same poeple be willing to accept two different HD film formats? I realize not everyone are gamers (duh!) but considering the major players (Sony and MS) are the gaming folks, it makes sense.

OK, maybe it doesn't make sense at all. :D

Neo,

You know the shifting arguments used by the BD fanboys to maintain "superiority" are very amusing. During the summer, BD "won" the war because of hardware, and superior specs. Then after CES, BD won the format war, because content is king, just look at how many movies are announced (in othe words, quantity). Now, with the announcement of 600 HD releases, BD wins the format war not because of hardware, not because of quantity but rather because of Quality. Wow, a trifecta. I guess HD hasnt done anything right.
What's your list? You've seen the Universal list, you even know which ones I will buy on HD DVD if they come out, but what is yours?

You know the shifting arguments used by the BD fanboys to maintain "superiority" are very amusing. During the summer, BD "won" the war because of hardware, and superior specs. Then after CES, BD won the format war, because content is king, just look at how many movies are announced (in othe words, quantity). Now, with the announcement of 600 HD releases, BD wins the format war not because of hardware, not because of quantity but rather because of Quality. Wow, a trifecta. I guess HD hasnt done anything right.

The irony of that argument, is that the BR list really isn't any better. In fact, for me, its worse. Personally, I have little interest in recent releases, and much prefer catlog titles.
To each his own.
J

Neo,

I dont own a player of either format. List of what? Movies I would buy. I have often stated I am a big Universal fan, and there are quite a few movies I would buy off the list.

let us make it more specific, 600 available titles by years end. But you still didnt address the rest of my comment.

I didn't see anything else to address. I'm not going to address your complaints, since I don't share them.

Neo,

I dont own a player of either format. List of what? Movies I would buy. I have often stated I am a big Universal fan, and there are quite a few movies I would buy off the list.
Ok. :) I was trying to figure out what 600 movies this is about. It didn't seem possible to have 600 new titles even if 300 of them are about aquarium fishes. But anyway, I didn't know you didn't have a player. I do own both HD-A1, PS3, samsung, so this thing about watching highdef movies on shiny disks is not just a meaningless internet discourse for me.

Anyway..... At least get a HD-A2 and enjoy the universal movies you like. That should help take tension off any pent up aggression that always builds up over the course of a day....

And, it's friday! Meaning two whole days of highef movies on shiny disks ahead. :D

Neo,

I may buy a player, who knows. But I just moved, and havent completely set things up yet.

The announcement of 600 titles probably won't do much to change anything.

The arrival of 600 might do more.

But as noted by others, quality vs quantity will play a big part.

The way things stand currently, the Universal announcement count is roughly the same as Sony.

So unless things change as the year goes on, the quantity of titles on the Blu-ray shelves will continue to grow faster than that on the HD DVD shelves...

Phloyd,

quality vs quantity will play a big part.

The problem is that quality is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, the only movies that I really want off the announced BD titles are LoA and the PotC movies. Other than that, I dont see a whole lot that I really want.

But that is not the case for a lot of other people.

I'm a catalog-title man myself, I don't go in for the action pics and CGI meaga blockbusters everyone else seems to gravitate toward.

Universal has all the classic horror and comedy films (Warner has the rest), plus Alfred Hitchcock's best (I'd love to see Vertigo in HD).

I think it would be a hoot if they released Creature From The Black Lagoon in anaglyph 3-D to co-inside with the remake.