Pretty interesting article that talks about the format battle and has some interesting news on a potential huge deal that would have Warner go exclusive to HD-DVD.

Anyone who thought the Warner going "exclusive" story was done was wrong. ;)

http://www.newsday.com/business/la-fi-dvdwar10sep10,0,2693880.story?page=2&track=rss

Raging in the backrooms of Hollywood this summer has been a battle that will play out in the aisles of Wal-Mart and Target.

Until recently, it had appeared that the two camps vying to set the standard for next-generation DVDs would settle the score this holiday season.

But last-ditch maneuvering in recent weeks has all but assured that the format war will extend well beyond December, keeping many home-movie buffs from laying their money down until a winner is declared.

It's no wonder that neither rival -- Asian consumer electronics giants Sony Corp. or Toshiba Corp. -- can bear to give in. Licensing fees on equipment that could be worth $10 billion or more over time are up for grabs.

At the moment, Sony's Blu-ray discs have the edge, with a 2-to-1 advantage since January, thanks to support from Walt Disney Co. and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox, as well as the sale of 1.6 million Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles that play films in the new high-definition format.

But in an attempt to swing momentum in its favor, Toshiba has struck a flurry of deals aimed at winning studio allegiances and securing prized retail space for its HD DVDs.

Toshiba recently paid a collective $150 million to Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation in a bid to buy their support, according to people with knowledge of the terms of the transactions.

Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Ohmori declined to comment on possible marketing payments, but said the two studios had picked HD DVD on the merits, as "the optimum platform" for consumers and film distributors.

Toshiba's expanded partnership, which had already included Universal Pictures, means that many of this summer's biggest movies, including "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third," will be released in video this fall in HD DVD.

The brinkmanship is intensifying. Another major studio, Warner Bros., is being courted by both camps and believed to be mulling over a lucrative offer that could bring such popular titles as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" into the HD DVD camp, according to Hollywood insiders who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential.

"Any movement by one of the studios tilts the playing field in one direction or the other," said David Sanderson, head of the global media practice at consulting firm Bain & Co. "It's a bit of jump ball right now."

What's more, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the dominant seller of DVDs, has been contemplating whether to boot stand-alone HD DVD players from its shelves in favor of Blu-ray. Wal-Mart executives would not talk about the company's conversations with suppliers, but said it would continue to carry hardware and software in both formats until consumers indicate a clear preference.

Nonetheless, they expressed frustration with the continued format race.

.......


Toshiba's internal market research showed that more consumers would buy HD DVD players if it could level the playing field in terms of the number of titles available in the format, according to people close to the situation. That prompted the courtship of Paramount and DreamWorks, whose "Shrek" title promises to give HD DVDs appeal with families.

.....

Warner Bros., however, could change the balance of power. The last major studio backing both formats, Warner has the leading market share in high-definition disc sales, giving it clout with retail chains.

Retailers also have contributed to the recent jockeying. Target Corp., the nation's second-largest retailer, announced in July that it would sell only Blu-ray players. Its decision followed a bidding war in which Sony and three studio partners reportedly paid Target what one rival described as a "jaw-dropping" sum for prominent display of its hardware at the end of sales aisles. It will continue to sell the HD DVD drive for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 game console and HD DVD movies.

........

In a recent meeting at Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., Toshiba offered details of its new, $299 player and, according to knowledgeable sources, pledged a large cooperative promotional budget to support HD DVD sales.

.......

Several analysts said $200 is widely seen as a "magic number" in consumer electronics. Toshiba's new HD DVD player -- a $299 device unveiled in early August -- may come close to that price, and Venture Electronics of Ontario, Canada, already has it beat. The company will offer a Chinese-made, $199 HD DVD player in the fourth quarter that analysts say could be the flint that ignites the mass market.

Edit-Don't know if this quote here:

The brinkmanship is intensifying. Another major studio, Warner Bros., is being courted by both camps and believed to be mulling over a lucrative offer that could bring such popular titles as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" into the HD DVD camp, according to Hollywood insiders who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential.

means Warner would simply release the Harry Potter movies to HD-DVD only along with some other "big names" exclusively to HD-DVD or that they're in
talks to go entirely exclusive.

My opinion is that they're talking/considering going totally exclusive as a company and not just certain movie titles.

Wanted to throw this out there as the quote is a bit confusing and is open for debate.

Pretty interesting article that talks about the format battle and has some interesting news on a potential huge deal that would have Warner go exclusive to HD-DVD.

Anyone who thought the Warner going "exclusive" story was done was wrong. ;)

http://www.newsday.com/business/la-fi-dvdwar10sep10,0,2693880.story?page=2&track=rss


What a train wreck this is turning out to be.

Warner HD DVD exclusive? Wal Mart BR exclusive? Put us out of our misery please.

Pretty interesting article that talks about the format battle and has some interesting news on a potential huge deal that would have Warner go exclusive to HD-DVD.



Or, Warner going Blu-ray exclusive. The article didn't specifically state whether one studio was more likely than the other.

What I understood from that article is that both the BDA and HDDVDPRG (or however its abbreviated) have made offers to Warner. It sounds like Warner is taking HD DVD's offer into consideration a bit more than the BDA's.

Ya it does.

Quote:
The brinkmanship is intensifying. Another major studio, Warner Bros., is being courted by both camps and believed to be mulling over a lucrative offer that could bring such popular titles as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" into the HD DVD camp, according to Hollywood insiders who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential.

Yeah, I should point out that it does say both camps apparently have some type of "offer(s)" on the table for Warner to go exclusive but that the HD-DVD offer seems to be the strongest right now.

Put us out of our misery please.

I'm starting to feel the same way, but I don't wan't the war to end just yet (unless it was in favor of HD DVD of course :)) - Blu Ray does not have me ready yet, they're only 50% there - they finally have a handful of flicks I'd love but they do not have the sub $300 stand alone player, so I dunno, I'd be waiting quite a while I think - not what I wan't (but WOULD indeed wait) to do.

I agree though, wish somebody would make another big move already. :cool:

Newsday is probably using this forum as their source. :rolleyes:

"The brinkmanship is intensifying. Another major studio, Warner Bros., is being courted by both camps and believed to be mulling over a lucrative offer that could bring such popular titles as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" into the HD DVD camp, according to Hollywood insiders who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential"

Most likely the Hollywood insiders are from WB- right now they are probably working both sides pretty hard- great strategy from WB- put out the best releases on both formats, stay neutral to the end, and become the most important chess piece left in the game..... I smell Toshiba and MS going deep, on the magnitude of $250,000,000 in promotional incentives....

Wouldn't the HD DVD offer be better anyway due to the fact Warner gets a cut for every HD DVD sold? Seems like that would be a no brainer.

Newsday is probably using this forum as their source. :rolleyes:

Lol :D I wouldn't be surprised

The format war will continue forever until all studios get behind Sony. Sony will never stop making BD's.. Even if the sony studio is the only one releasing movies.

Most likely the Hollywood insiders are from WB- right now they are probably working both sides pretty hard- great strategy from WB- put out the best releases on both formats, stay neutral to the end, and become the most important chess piece left in the game..... I smell Toshiba and MS going deep, on the magnitude of $250,000,000 in promotional incentives....

WB is like Yojimbo, working both sides to the end, for the ultimate payday. Let's see how well they can work it.

Ooh... now I feel like watching Yojimbo. Hey, Criterion- where's that HD DVD? You know... the one from that pioneering company, always on the forefront of technology and determined to provide the best quality presentations possible?

Misery? You guys should thank the stars for this battle... Prices are continuing to drop at a steady pace, if this was a one horse race there would be little to no motivation to continue the price cutting.

this is crazy.... my lord.... but oh well... sony lit the fire in hd-dvd's arse

comeon WB, do it!

The format war will continue forever until all studios get behind Sony. Sony will never stop making BD's.. Even if the sony studio is the only one releasing movies.

Sure they will. If Sony is the last man standing you can be guaranteed that they will release on HD DVD. They might continue to release BDs but they will not ignore the market. They did the same thing with Betamax.

Sure they will. If Sony is the last man standing you can be guaranteed that they will release on HD DVD. They might continue to release BDs but they will not ignore the market. They did the same thing with Betamax.


Either format just has to hold out long enough for DF players to hit the magic number.

Once that happens, war over and nobody will care anymore.

Sony has it's own studio. BD isn't going anywhere.

Why would Walmart contemplate "whether to boot stand-alone HD DVD players from its shelves in favor of Blu-ray"? Wouldn't $200 HD DVD players sell better than $400 BD players?

Well i think warner should do it, it would shorten the war i would think and it would kill any deal of walmart going BD exclusive. Or any other retailer for that matter.

I wonder how long they have been 'mulling' over this offer from the HD DVD camp. Warner has a huge catalog and may be tired of creating 2 different HD discs. The numerous extras on the HD DVD versions vs the more barebones blu ray.

Why would Walmart contemplate "whether to boot stand-alone HD DVD players from its shelves in favor of Blu-ray"? Wouldn't $200 HD DVD players sell better than $400 BD players?

That didn't make much sense to me either, perhaps it was under consideration before the Paramount deal and the release of the 3rd Gen players.

The last mention of Wal-Mart in the article is this:

In a recent meeting at Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., Toshiba offered details of its new, $299 player and, according to knowledgeable sources, pledged a large cooperative promotional budget to support HD DVD sales.

So it seems like they are still open to discussion.

The format war will continue forever until all studios get behind Sony. Sony will never stop making BD's.. Even if the sony studio is the only one releasing movies.

Do they still release movies on Beta Max?

Lol :D I wouldn't be surprised

The "source" is probably clandestine email correspondence from a well connected person. Probably signed by beatboy77.

Do they still release movies on Beta Max?

:cool:

Do they still release movies on Beta Max?


release

no

now if you mean for editing for tv programming, ALL the time. Since that is what most broadcast station use for media NOT VHS.

Either format just has to hold out long enough for DF players to hit the magic number.

Once that happens, war over and nobody will care anymore.

Sony has it's own studio. BD isn't going anywhere.

That's the way I see it too.. They love supporting their own failed formats.. I don't think I need to list them all.

Lets hope so and put a bullit in BDs head aready! Sorry BD fans, but really there hasn't been any really good news for this format in a while and I am afraid HD DVD has had a hailstorm of announcements as of late.

Anyway, I am tired of this stupid battle as I am sure many of you are too. It is supposed to be about watching movies and and talking about the PQ, AQ and your favorite scene. If I hear one more rant about which format is more superior I am going to puke!

That's the way I see it too.. They love supporting their own failed formats.. I don't think I need to list them all.

failed in the consumer arena not to be confused with the profesional arena where betamax was the dominating format.

What a train wreck this is turning out to be.

Warner HD DVD exclusive? Wal Mart BR exclusive? Put us out of our misery please.

Well, we can always sit back and watch Bollywoord films on HD VMD while waiting this out...NOT.

failed in the consumer arena not to be confused with the profesional arena where betamax was the dominating format.

Betacam SP and DigiBeta have little to do with the consumer Betamax format, beyond Sony's Beta branding. They share some technology and specs, as well, but calling the two professional formats Betamax is akin to calling a Blu-Ray disc a "CD" because both are 5" platters read by a laser.

If for some crazy reason Blu Ray loses the format war, Sony will still make games on the Blu Ray format and offer it up as a mass storage solution for PC users. They just wouldn't press films, well, at least nobody elses except their own. Think of it as their new "UMD Format" which is Playstation only.

What's more, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the dominant seller of DVDs, has been contemplating whether to boot stand-alone HD DVD players from its shelves in favor of Blu-ray.I sure hope they don't, I like shopping at Wal-mart... if you get my drift.

Why would Walmart contemplate "whether to boot stand-alone HD DVD players from its shelves in favor of Blu-ray"? Wouldn't $200 HD DVD players sell better than $400 BD players?

Sony would offer up the $$$.

release

no

now if you mean for editing for tv programming, ALL the time. Since that is what most broadcast station use for media NOT VHS.
Although it was Super Beta. So, if Blu-Ray dies, they will make Super Blu-Ray for television.

Aren't they still making UMD's?

If for some crazy reason Blu Ray loses the format war, Sony will still make games on the Blu Ray format and offer it up as a mass storage solution for PC users. They just wouldn't press films, well, at least nobody elses except their own. Think of it as their new "UMD Format" which is Playstation only.

Not to mention with that scratch resistant coating, they will make great coasters! :D

Not to mention with that scratch resistant coating, they will make great coasters! :D

LOL :D

Or as the HD DVD spokesperson put it, great storage or recording media. :D

The only possible drawback of Warner going HD DVD exclusive would be how horrible it would be to wade through all the claims of class action lawsuits...:rolleyes:...and "broken promises"...:rolleyes::rolleyes:...from the other side. A "drawback" that I have no problem with...;)

LOL :D

Or as the HD DVD spokesperson put it, great storage or recording media. :D

There's no debating Blu Ray\PS3 has the superior consolation prize of the format war if it came to that - I mean there IS a kick ass gaming machine in there somewhere, hardly nothing to sneeze at anyway, I have to believe that much, it's just waiting on the games - if I had one, I wouldn't care if I had to eventually go buy an HD DVD player for a couple hundred to watch some movies on, but I'd really then EXPECT me some great damn games already (glad I'm a PC gamer :D), I mean it's nothing for BR fanboys to cry about anyway if thats what it was reduced to...where if HD DVD loses, we got what? A great upconverting player?

There's no debating Blu Ray\PS3 has the superior consolation prize of the format war if it came to that - I mean there IS a kick ass gaming machine in there somewhere, hardly nothing to sneeze at anyway, I have to believe that much, it's just waiting on the games - if I had one, I wouldn't care if I had to eventually go buy an HD DVD player for a couple hundred to watch some movies on, but I'd really then EXPECT me some great damn games already (glad I'm a PC gamer:D) if that what it was reduced to!

I am actually a Playstation fan. When they remove the expensive BD drive, or lower the price to $199 or less, I will buy one just for gaming. :)

The only possible drawback of Warner going HD DVD exclusive would be how horrible it would be to wade through all the claims of class action lawsuits...:rolleyes:...and "broken promises"...:rolleyes::rolleyes:...from the other side. A "drawback" that I have no problem with...;)

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822

Misery? You guys should thank the stars for this battle... Prices are continuing to drop at a steady pace, if this was a one horse race there would be little to no motivation to continue the price cutting.

Yeah the war has been great so far, but prices are nearing rock-bottom and we are reaching a point where it just isnt possible to lower prices any more. IMO

Well, we can always sit back and watch Bollywoord films on HD VMD while waiting this out...NOT.

LOL yeah we will be able to get a player for $10 at x-mas probably.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822


omfg.


Dude, Josh. Take a vacation, that's just scary obsession there.

investigate paramount but not disney sony or fox bestbuy target or blockbuster video! lmao

If Warner goes HDDVD exclusive it's all over but the shouting.

Art

If Warner goes HDDVD exclusive it's all over but the shouting.

Art

Yepper!:cool:

Misery? You guys should thank the stars for this battle... Prices are continuing to drop at a steady pace, if this was a one horse race there would be little to no motivation to continue the price cutting.

I am starting to feel a little bit this way, though if it ends with two formats, we'll pay double license fees forever.

Moreover, prices of hardware are dropping but not of software. And I think that's exactly what's happening: a shift in power from the hardware to the software producers. So where we would otherwise have seen a faster drop on software prices, that is now being sucked up by hardware producers, giving studios less reason to reduce prices.

Although it was Super Beta. So, if Blu-Ray dies, they will make Super Blu-Ray for television.

Aren't they still making UMD's?


Correct and they still are making movies for them too. Didnt they just release another one last tuesday for UMD.....

Betacam SP and DigiBeta have little to do with the consumer Betamax format, beyond Sony's Beta branding. They share some technology and specs, as well, but calling the two professional formats Betamax is akin to calling a Blu-Ray disc a "CD" because both are 5" platters read by a laser.

they are the same thing with a different "label" on it and survived and are still around today regradless of what the masses here think. Just lke UMD. Far from dead.

bluray and cd. they are nice shiney 5" discs. SO with your thought process, they are close enough to old 5.25" floppies that they both are floppies. :rolleyes:

Pretty interesting article that talks about the format battle and has some interesting news on a potential huge deal that would have Warner go exclusive to HD-DVD.

Anyone who thought the Warner going "exclusive" story was done was wrong. ;)

http://www.newsday.com/business/la-fi-dvdwar10sep10,0,2693880.story?page=2&track=rss

Means Warner would simply release the Harry Potter movies to HD-DVD only along with some other "big names" exclusively to HD-DVD or that they're in
talks to go entirely exclusive.

My opinion is that they're talking/considering going totally exclusive as a company and not just certain movie titles.

Wanted to throw this out there as the quote is a bit confusing and is open for debate.

The story is apparently true, and spreading all over the web.:)

http://www.tvpredictions.com/warner091007.htm

Warner Bros. Weighing HD DVD Offer?
The Los Angeles Times says so, quoting "Hollywood insiders."
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (September 10, 2007) -- Warner Bros is considering a "lucrative offer" to back HD DVD exclusively in the high-def disc format war.

That's according to an article in today's Los Angeles Times.

Warner Bros. is now releasing titles in both Blu-ray and HD DVD and the studio has preached that the two-format approach has led to increased sales of such titles as The Departed.

But the surprise departure last month of Steve Nickerson, Warner Home Video's senior vice president for High-Definition, has raised speculation that the studio may be reconsidering its policy. Nickerson was an outspoken booster of the two-format approach in the high-def war.

The Times writes that "Hollywood insiders" say Warner is "mulling over a lucrative offer that could bring such popular titles as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix into the HD DVD camp." The newspaper doesn't say, but the offer is presumably from Toshiba, the leading backer of the HD DVD format.

If Warner were to endorse HD DVD exclusively, it would follow similar exclusive endorsements last month from Paramount and DreamWorks. (Universal is also backing HD DVD exclusively while four major studios are supporting Blu-ray exclusively.)

While a Warner switch would seriously boost HD DVD's chances in the high-def format war, the Times reports that the Blu-ray side is also busy trying to line up exclusive deals with studios and retailers.

Wal-Mart, the newspaper said, had set a mid-August deadline for deciding which format to keep in its stores; it now carries both players. But Toshiba supposedly offered a large promotional budget to support HD DVD sales in a recent meeting at Wal-Mart headquarters.

Wal-Mart would not comment on that, but told the Times that "it would be good for the studios or somebody to make the call (on the high-def format war.)."

Yeah the war has been great so far, but prices are nearing rock-bottom and we are reaching a point where it just isnt possible to lower prices any more. IMO


you would be suprised what competition does for pricing and what people think is "rockbottom" is far from it.

Actually, the one who may end up being hurt is funnily enough Microsoft. It would put a lot of pressure on Sony to just sell the PS3 like hell, putting lots of pressure on the 360.

Honestly, Sony has so much more riding on this than anyone else that they will go to great length to win this thing.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822

Wow!

It just never ends with that guy.

Nice find 5thDanMaster.

If Warner goes HDDVD exclusive it's all over but the shouting.


Possible. But one would tend to say the same about Walmart going BD exclusive.

Interestingly enough, Walmart has raised its online price for the A2 to $398. With the Sony at $488 with 2 more free movies, that's quite pushing it!

WB on one side and WM on the other is a nightmare.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822



lololololol, one of the funniest things i've ever seen on the net.
Is this guy for real?

lololololol, one of the funniest things i've ever seen on the net.
Is this guy for real?

Very.

they are the same thing with a different "label" on it and survived and are still around today regradless of what the masses here think. Just lke UMD. Far from dead.

No, they are not. Suggest to any television engineer the idea of using consumer Betamax as a broadcast medium and they will laugh in your face. Completely different products.


bluray and cd. they are nice shiney 5" discs. SO with your thought process, they are close enough to old 5.25" floppies that they both are floppies. :rolleyes:

What I described was not my "thought process". Re-read my post; we're making the same argument here.

Why would target boot the more affordable HD DVD players in favor of the much more expensive Blu Ray players-it seems to go totally against their corporate strategy?

This doesn't surprise me that much, it basically confirms what I thought was going on.

I suspected Warner was approached form both Formats, although I suspect Blu initiated it. I also suspect if a deal was reached, it has already happened, signed sealed and delivered and is being kept under wraps by both sides. Blu has nothing to gain by advertising they lost another studio, admitting to it will cost them thousands of sales they badly need between now and the announcement (if there is to be such).And HD can use the announcement much better later on.

I also don't think Wal-mart is in play as much as this article indicates. I do think they have their own (at this point mythical) HD player deal and their own reasons for it. That being to sell HD tvs.

But we will see.
I will say at this point if retailers and studios had to pick the format to back in an attempt to end this "war", HD DVD is in much better shape with good yield rates, combo/twin format ability and universal player standards, and cheap players entering the market now. The HD group has done a good job positioning themselves.

I am starting to feel a little bit this way, though if it ends with two formats, we'll pay double license fees forever.

Moreover, prices of hardware are dropping but not of software. And I think that's exactly what's happening: a shift in power from the hardware to the software producers. So where we would otherwise have seen a faster drop on software prices, that is now being sucked up by hardware producers, giving studios less reason to reduce prices.

What is ironic about this is the fact that this whole HDM thing was started because the hardware manufacturers weren't making any money on $38 DVD players while the studios were raking in huge profits from the discs. They needed a new black box to sell and now the same web is being woven.

Art

And HD can use the announcement much better later on.

How so?

Why would target boot the more affordable HD DVD players in favor of the much more expensive Blu Ray players-it seems to go totally against their corporate strategy?

Poorly informed advisory staff.

Art

No, they are not. Suggest to any television engineer the idea of using consumer Betamax as a broadcast medium and they will laugh in your face. Completely different products.

you have to remember that betamax has gone through evolutionary steps throughout its life. Consumer betamax died in its first iteration while the broadcast one continued and flourished, evolving to what it is today. They both started from the same birth but one has grown to what it is, the standard of most broadcasting station up until the advent of digital storage. The other went away quietly.

What I described was not my "thought process". Re-read my post; we're making the same argument here.

then there is no argument :)

Poorly informed advisory staff.

Art

I don't think that is the case.

It has to be money. Only reason I state that is that I worked for target HQ here in Minneapolis (see, I have been all over the place!!), if they had some incentive (namely financial) to go one over the other, they will. Target is not intrested in which is better. To Target, sell both and let the consumer pay and let the dollars dictate what they will and will not carry.

That is the reason why target here has Super target (by food, clothing AND movies) which you can get everything in one swoop and Target Greatland.

Wow!

It just never ends with that guy.

Nice find 5thDanMaster.

:eek: Is this guy for real or getting paid? It's the only way I would understand this kind of fanatic stupidity, this is just so ridiculous and off the wall that madness can only be a few steps away. I hope they are not suicidal because Warner could prove to be lethal.

I think Warner and Walmart are somehow tied together in this deal. Like I said before ITS NOT ABOUT CURRENT SALES, ITS ABOUT THE FUTURE. BD does not ( at this point in time ) have what it takes to go mainstream.

IE

Players @149.99
Features HDi, PiP and internet conectivity
Replacation cost, yeild rates etc....

Possible. But one would tend to say the same about Walmart going BD exclusive.

Interestingly enough, Walmart has raised its online price for the A2 to $398. With the Sony at $488 with 2 more free movies, that's quite pushing it!

WB on one side and WM on the other is a nightmare.
They've done that before, it either a glitch in their system or blu fan in their employ. Given wallyworlds stance on sales prices they really are not going to purposely list a $299 (or less elsewhere) player for $100 more than the MSRP.

What probably happened is the price was listed like a sales price and had an expiration date for the sale, I don't know and can only guess. But it has happened before and will be corrected soon.

one other thought, a tepid as it is this may be the best the blu money could buy from walmart in the way of support. Blu made a lot of promises and hasn't delivered on them, yet, and that may have more sway than all of the payola in the world.

If Warner goes HDDVD exclusive it's all over but the shouting.

Art

Agreed! If they had stuck to just HD-DVD in the first place before switching to dual support at the last minute, this war would have been over last year. Sony may have MGM but I think Warner's library is just as good if not better.

Things are getting ugly behind closed doors! :D

you have to remember that betamax has gone through evolutionary steps throughout its life. Consumer betamax died in its first iteration while the broadcast one continued and flourished, evolving to what it is today. They both started from the same birth but one has grown to what it is, the standard of most broadcasting station up until the advent of digital storage. The other went away quietly.


You have to remember that neither Betamax nor VHS are anywhere near broadcast quality and that calling broadcast Beta an "evolved" Betamax is ludicrous, considering that if Beta remained a consumer brand, it never would have evolved in that direction.

Two entirely different product lines, both branded "Beta".

A THX-certified home theatre loudspeaker is not a THX-certified commercial theatre loudspeaker, is it? No. One meets the THX home standards; the other meets the THX commercial standards. They both say "THX" on them.

Honestly, Sony has so much more riding on this than anyone else that they will go to great length to win this thing.

I agree 100%!

Sony does NOT want another "BetaMax" issue on their hands. If another one of their "big" formats fail, then it will hurt them!

Sony should do anything, and everything to win this if they can!

You have to remember that neither Betamax nor VHS are anywhere near broadcast quality and that calling broadcast Beta an "evolved" Betamax is ludicrous, considering that if Beta remained a consumer brand, it never would have evolved in that direction.

Two entirely different product lines, both branded "Beta".

A THX-certified home theatre loudspeaker is not a THX-certified commercial theatre loudspeaker, is it? No. One meets the THX home standards; the other meets the THX commercial standards. They both say "THX" on them.

now now, broadcast did infact use native betamax when it was initially introduced. We are talking 1982 here not 1992. Once Betamax SP and Digimax came around then support for betamax was phased out infavor of the new tech. Given the corporate depreciation cost at that time, 5-7 year instead of the typical 3 years now a days, that how long betamax would have survived after the phaseout.

as for THX

no

Home says THX Select or THX Ultra/2. THX has not finished with their home certification for THX.

Cinema equipment has no THX logo on it. Thy are part of an "approved list" availalbe freely from THX, of what equipment is needed to meet the Cinema THX certification. I should know as I carry Crown AMPS and none have THX silkscreened on them. Same for JBL, Yamaha and QSC amplifiers. Klipsch, JBL Speakers, etc

but this is getting way off topic.

Isn't Beatboy a home theater installer? Maybe I am wrong, but perhaps he invested heavily in Blu-ray players to install in homes and now that Blu isn't doing as well as he once predicted, he is mad as hell as home theater enthusiasts are requesting HD DVD players instead. He is fanatical about this...he tries every angle to spread FUD, tries to proclaim he is an insider, come-on already...I would think that a home theater installer would and should have no bias and try to give his customers the best deal possible.

Dude relax...anything that happens is way out of your or my control...As Paul McCartney put it...Let it be!

How so?
um, OK I'll bite.

Lets say end of October, early Novembers a possible warner HD exclusivity announcement comes out, combined with cheap players in the market or entering the market it will create a perfect storm of good press for HD immediately translating in to sales.

And if rumored of the Wallyworld players materialize along with the speculated Disney HD DVD release. Blu is going to be hurting bad, like I said if this (the warner deal) has happened as indeed some blubois already have said it has, then keeping it under wraps it the best move for them. We already know the blu spin doctors have no problem misleading their base to get the desired effect in the here and now.

If, big IF, there is a deal on the books, HD's best move is to keep it under wraps and time its use strategically, something I (and possibly blu) didn't think they were capable of until recently

If Warner going HD exclusive makes Fox think twice - I'm for it

Figgie,

Betamax, as the consumer knew it, did not become a broadcast standard. The formats which have "Beta" written on them and did become a broadcast standard, bear only a passing resemblance to consumer Betamax and never would've been sold to the consumer had Betamax survived in the consumer marketplace. End of story.

Poorly informed advisory staff.

Art

I believe that for Walmart, the key consideration is the following: they are currently the leading DVD retailer. They could rather easily leverage that into being the leading HiDef retailer. But they have no competitive advantage in downloads.

So if this war ends in a stalemate or an expensive more-or-less niche market (which I personally believe it will if the war isn't over after the holidays, since it will be an expensive dual format solution) then they will be replaced much sooner than if a winning HighDef format is established soon.

They do know that they have a lot of leverage in this war. And it would not be smart for them to sit back and wait. In fact, they may have waited already too long: they could have ended the war by deciding earlier.


Edit: note that for them, the future profits of establishing a winning format may really outweigh a few million dollars payoff (in contrast to Paramount, who have stated before they don't believe in HiDef anyways, or Target, who are much more marginal in media sales). This indeed make a "WB+WM" solution more likely.

I agree 100%!

Sony does NOT want another "BetaMax" issue on their hands. If another one of their "big" formats fail, then it will hurt them!

Can you say "ATRAC"? Sony's latest failed "BetaMax". :rolleyes:

If Warner going HD exclusive makes Fox think twice - I'm for it

Yep, they are my favorite Bd exclusive studio. They have "24"

I'm with Art, if Warner goes exclusive...it's over..the others will go exclusive too.

If Warner goes, it's OVER.

I don't care what anyone says from teh Boo-Ray group >>> Warner will lock it up.

A HUGE amount of BRers jumped on the recent HD DVD deals to go neutral. They knew the good stuff was coming out EXCLUSIVE.

Warner will sway all but the people who bleed BLUE.

After POC, they got nothing >>> YES, Spiderman is NOTHING!

Figgie,

Betamax, as the consumer knew it, did not become a broadcast standard. The formats which have "Beta" written on them and did become a broadcast standard, bear only a passing resemblance to consumer Betamax and never would've been sold to the consumer had Betamax survived in the consumer marketplace. End of story.

:D MODERATOR, Can you move this to the SuperBeta forum? :D

If the story is true, Blu-ray has had it.

Whatever bidding war we get between Toshiba and Sony, if the 'final' bid is from Sony, Toshiba always have Microsoft to pop up with that extra, deal-clinching $50 million.

Steve W

I worked for Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods producers in the world. Trust me, when Wallmart says "Boo" we jumped through every hoop possible to make them happy. Wallmart absolutely, positively drives consumer goods markets.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822

What a complete Tool he is. So, funny. this guy has a business, omg to funny.

:eek: Is this guy for real or getting paid? It's the only way I would understand this kind of fanatic stupidity, this is just so ridiculous and off the wall that madness can only be a few steps away. I hope they are not suicidal because Warner could prove to be lethal.

Sadly, he is for real and I can't say for sure that he is getting paid but
he sure comes across like he does.

Yes, Warner going HD DVD exclusive would definately send some people
into a meltdown.

Gotta say, Toshiba nad co. really look like they wanna win this thing.

(looks at newly acquired hd-a2)

:)

Isn't Beatboy a home theater installer? Maybe I am wrong, but perhaps he invested heavily in Blu-ray players to install in homes and now that Blu isn't doing as well as he once predicted, he is mad as hell as home theater enthusiasts are requesting HD DVD players instead. He is fanatical about this...he tries every angle to spread FUD, tries to proclaim he is an insider, come-on already...I would think that a home theater installer would and should have no bias and try to give his customers the best deal possible.

Dude relax...anything that happens is way out of your or my control...As Paul McCartney put it...Let it be!

In a 100 years we'll all have a good laugh about this!;)

I believe that for Walmart, the key consideration is the following: they are currently the leading DVD retailer. They could rather easily leverage that into being the leading HiDef retailer. But they have no competitive advantage in downloads.

So if this war ends in a stalemate or an expensive more-or-less niche market (which I personally believe it will if the war isn't over after the holidays, since it will be an expensive dual format solution) then they will be replaced much sooner than if a winning HighDef format is established soon.

They do know that they have a lot of leverage in this war. And it would not be smart for them to sit back and wait. In fact, they may have waited already too long: they could have ended the war by deciding earlier.


Edit: note that for them, the future profits of establishing a winning format may really outweigh a few million dollars payoff (in contrast to Paramount, who have stated before they don't believe in HiDef anyways, or Target, who are much more marginal in media sales). This indeed make a "WB+WM" solution more likely.

That's it!

The "WB + WM solution."

Brilliant. rdjam should make that his signature!:D

This is very interesting, because:

The studio has also revealed (http://www.warnervideo.com/warner_bros_hi_definition/us/html/titles.html) on their own high-definition promotional website (as well as their press site) a whole bunch of additional titles that they're working on for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD release in the months (and year) ahead. Here's a rundown of the titles listed as coming to Blu-ray (as you can see, this includes a number of titles that haven't been released into theaters yet, as well as titles that had previously only been available on HD-DVD)...

10,000 B.C., The Adventures of Robin Hood: Special Edition, Appleseed Ex Machina, The Assassination of Jesse James, August Rush, The Aviator, Batman Anime, Batman Begins, Bonnie and Clyde, Brave One, The Bucket List, Caddyshack: 20th Anniversary Edition, Casablanca, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Cincinnati Kid, Clash of the Titans, The Complete Matrix Trilogy, Constantine, Cool Hand Luke, Dark Knight, The Dead Pool, Dirty Harry, The Enforcer, Falling Down, The Feast of Love, Fool's Gold (2008), Fred Claus, Friends: The Complete First Season, The Fugitive, Get Smart, The Goonies, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, I Am Legend, In the Valley of Elah, The Invasion, Justice League: The New Frontier, L.A. Confidential, License to Wed, A Little Princess, Magnum Force: Deluxe Edition, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Men, Michael Clayton, Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Natural Born Killers, Nights in Rodanthe, No Reservations, The Omega Man, One Missed Call, Phantom of the Opera: Special Edition, Poltergeist, Poseidon, The Shawshank Redemption, Smallville: The Complete First Season, The Sopranos: Season 6, Part 1 (due 12/19), The Sopranos: Season 6, Part 2 (already announced for 10/23), Spring Breakdown, Sudden Impact, Superman Doomsday, That's Entertainment, That's Entertainment 2, That's Entertainment 3, a That's Entertainment Trilogy Giftset, Twister (December), The Ultimate Matrix Collection, Unforgiven: Special Edition, V for Vendetta, Whiteout, The Wizard of Oz, Wyatt Earp

The same site also reveals New Line's first anticipated Blu-ray releases, which should include Hairspray (2007), Pan's Labyrinth and Rush Hour 3.

And here's a list of the upcoming HD-DVD titles Warner has revealed (it's reasonable to expect that the few titles below not listed above are also coming to Blu-ray Disc)...

10,000 B.C., Appleseed Ex Machina, The Assassination of Jesse James, August Rush, The Aviator, Batman, Batman Anime, Bonnie and Clyde, Brave One, The Bucket List, Casablanca, The Cincinnati Kid, Clash of the Titans, Cool Hand Luke, Dark Knight, The Dead Pool, Dirty Harry, The Enforcer, Eraser, The Exorcist, Falling Down, The Feast of Love, Fool's Gold (2008), Fred Claus, Friends: The Complete First Season, Get Smart, The Goonies, The Green Mile, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, Heat, I Am Legend, In the Valley of Elah, The Invasion, Justice League: The New Frontier, King Kong (1933), L.A. Confidential, License to Wed, Magnum Force: Deluxe Edition, Men, Michael Clayton, Natural Born Killers, Nights in Rodanthe, No Reservations, The Omega Man, One Missed Call, Poltergeist, The Promise (2006), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Shawshank Redemption, Smallville: The Complete First Season, The Sopranos: Season 6, Part 2 (due 10/23), Speed Racer, Spring Breakdown, Sudden Impact, Superman Doomsday, Superman II (theatrical version), That's Entertainment, That's Entertainment 2, That's Entertainment 3, a That's Entertainment Trilogy Giftset, Twister, The West Wing: The Complete Seventh Season, Whiteout, The Wizard of Oz, Wyatt Earp

Not surprisingly, New Line's first HD-DVD releases will include (surprise!)... Hairspray (2007), Pan's Labyrinth and Rush Hour 3.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

[QUOTE=Marcus Carr;11580394]This is very interesting, because:



Because what? Because they have announced Blu-ray titles? So did Paramount and look what happened there.

I'm with Art, if Warner goes neutral...it's over..the others will go neutral too.

Warner's already neutral. Did you mean, if they go exclusive?

Uh, Warner already is NEUTRAL, isn't it? If you go to http://www.warnervideo.com you can order movies that are both Blu-ray AND HD-DVD. If this is the case, how come folks keep talking about "If Warner goes Neutral, that could end the war"? They already ARE neutral!

Do you guys mean if they go exclusive?

[QUOTE=Marcus Carr;11580394]This is very interesting, because:



Because what? Because they have announced Blu-ray titles? So did Paramount and look what happened there.


As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic....

most likely WB is the leak the article is using for info, most likely they are trying to maximize their deal... so they...

leak the story makes both sides eager to close and gives notice regarding competition

Release dates for BR product- HDDVD assumes they have the inside track due to the favorable HDDVD release schedule from WB- so WB fires off the new release schedule so HDDVD knows they are ready willing and able to support BR

end result is that the price just keeps going up, up, and up.... hell WB would love a bidding war :)

Uh, Warner already is NEUTRAL, isn't it? If you go to http://www.warnervideo.com you can order movies that are both Blu-ray AND HD-DVD. If this is the case, how come folks keep talking about "If Warner goes Neutral, that could end the war"? They already ARE neutral!

Do you guys mean if they go exclusive?



Of course that's what they mean. They made a simple mistake, which is understandable amongst all this exclusive and nuetral speculation.

[QUOTE=tkbryant;11580571]


As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic....

most likely WB is the leak the article is using for info, most likely they are trying to maximize their deal... so they...

leak the story makes both sides eager to close and gives notice regarding competition

Release dates for BR product- HDDVD assumes they have the inside track due to the favorable HDDVD release schedule from WB- so WB fires off the new release schedule so HDDVD knows they are ready willing and able to support BR

end result is that the price just keeps going up, up, and up.... hell WB would love a bidding war :)

That sounds like a smart strategy

Toshiba and Microsoft have deeper pockets than Sony does right now. Sony is already spending a crap load of money subsidizing sales of the PS3, their Blu-Ray champion. Toshiba and Microsoft are not doing the same thing with HD DVD.

When you take into account Warner owning HD DVD patents, it seems that it's just a matter of time before they announce HD DVD exclusivity. But you never know!

[QUOTE=tkbryant;11580571]


As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic....

most likely WB is the leak the article is using for info, most likely they are trying to maximize their deal... so they...

leak the story makes both sides eager to close and gives notice regarding competition

Release dates for BR product- HDDVD assumes they have the inside track due to the favorable HDDVD release schedule from WB- so WB fires off the new release schedule so HDDVD knows they are ready willing and able to support BR

end result is that the price just keeps going up, up, and up.... hell WB would love a bidding war :)

BTW I am agreeing with you,

there is no such thing as a "leak" per say. It is release of information controlled by the company itself and is released to accomplish something in particular.

The CEO is not going, oh man! someone released our dealings to the public! They are well aware of what information the grapevine spreads by thier own doing. Inadvertnet? lol, nope, PLANNED.

Well if Warner decides to back BD, then we are screwed. I would think it could go either way if they are considering going exclusive. I would certainly hope it's HD DVD, but anything is possible.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822

And if you scroll down you will see something even funnier. One of his own calling him out...:eek:

Quote: BluDrew
"BB, this happens all the time, it's called business. It'll happen with Blu-ray and HD DVD and Burger King and Taco Bell... If we try to run around getting them to investigate HD DVD they'll turn around and start investigating Blu-ray too and will want the books opened to examine the Disney, Fox, Blockbuster and Target deals. I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Best thing to do is just go out and support Blu-ray! You ever stop to think that maybe TONIGHT is the night for you to take a break?"
:D

Walmart plays hardball when it comes to costs. I watched one of those anti-Wally shows and they said the only one that makes money at WalMart is Walmart. The margins are so thin for sales reps that they are likely to make anything on anything they sell to Walmart, even if they manage a really big contract. I think Walmart is seeing the payoffs that are getting passed around and recognizes the fantastic position they find themselves in. I think Walmart is probably as important as WB to be honest; Especially with BB, Target, etc on the BD side.

Uh, Warner already is NEUTRAL, isn't it? If you go to http://www.warnervideo.com you can order movies that are both Blu-ray AND HD-DVD. If this is the case, how come folks keep talking about "If Warner goes Neutral, that could end the war"? They already ARE neutral!

Do you guys mean if they go exclusive?
Well, the same thing was with Paramount, you could order their movies on BD til the very last moment, and now there gone bodly where no man has gone before :cool:

What a complete Tool he is. So, funny. this guy has a business, omg to funny.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/awmurray/bdcrusader.jpg

"I am just saying it may be in our best interest to fire off an email to each of our respective State's Attorney Generals to question this 'deal.' We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I have never been one to sit back and just let things 'play out.'

Who's with me?"

BTW, that place is scary. Venture at your own risk. Look at this sig:

"Blu-Blooded

Life without Blu would be like life without sex."

WTF!?!

The format war will continue forever until all studios get behind Sony. Sony will never stop making BD's.. Even if the sony studio is the only one releasing movies.

thats not going happen this a war but also about making money.
if all studios went hd dvd ,blu-ray would fold.
a company is not going to hang on to there product if theres no money in it....get real!:p

Here's my take:

If Warner goes exclusive to HD-DVD, the format war is over. Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks and Warner Bros is just too much for Sony to overcome. Oh and if Warner goes exclusive, I'd look for New Line Cinema to follow their parent company. ;)

If for some odd reason Warner were to do a 180 and go exclusive to Blu Ray, the format war will just be prolonged and a war of attrition will start. It'll probably be decided on what studios from either side would then decide to go neutral down the line.

All that said, I think this is a done deal. I think Warner is set to become HD-DVD exclusive again permanently. With Nickerson leaving the company and being an avid supporter of "both formats" along with this recent Toshiba presentation to Walmart it makes sense.

Toshiba came into the Walmart presentation and said "Look, we'll do this and that to help promote the format in your stores and BTW, we have Warner Bros formerly agreeing to support HD-DVD exclusively, that's Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks and WB(possibly along with New Line Cinema)."

I think we'll see a formal Warner announcement within a couple months(no later than Black Friday.).

:)

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/awmurray/bdcrusader.jpg

"I am just saying it may be in our best interest to fire off an email to each of our respective State's Attorney Generals to question this 'deal.' We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I have never been one to sit back and just let things 'play out.'

Who's with me?"

BTW, that place is scary. Venture at your own risk. Look at this sig:

"Blu-Blooded

Life without Blu would be like life without sex."

WTF!?!

Blu-ray.com is nuts. If you post ANYTHING that can be deemed 'against' Blu-ray, expect to be banned. Their still sour over Paramount and continue to try and protest it.

All that said, I think this is a done deal. I think Warner is set to become HD-DVD exclusive again permanently.


And you are... ?

Where's Fett when you need him to post his "fat lady sings" picture?

:D

Despite what some may think, Blu-ray cannot survive if WB goes exclusively with HD DVD. And Sony may be last to press an HD DVD, but rest assured that they will when the time comes.

I think beatboy has even seen the writing on the wall. Otherwise, he'd be telling us this won't ever happen. Instead he's writing his state Attorney General about the Paramount/DW deal.

Poorly informed advisory staff.

Art

yes art,somebody is misinformed.
your right 100%.

some people dont get it ,this is a war but also about making money.a retail store will go where the money is and hd dvd is cheaper all the way around.
even the movies will get cheaper in time.

it would do everyone good to research what hd dvd is.
what blu-ray is.
how much it costs to produce both formats.
by doing this youll understand why blu-ray costs what it costs,and why it will always cost more then hd dvd.
then you will understand why paramount went hd dvd.
i have noting against blu-ray,and it my be the better format.
but were talking about a format that delivers hd content.
thats all the studios are interested in.we can talk about storage and bitrates all we want.
it comes down to hd content,price of players and thats it!
one point you will learn[i did by reading this forum,some people know alot about this stuff]
blu-ray uses 2 lasers one for bd one for sd dvd.
why ... the thickness of the discs.
hd dvd only needs one ,so thats cost saving
see what i mean.
some people on this forum just like to post and mouth off,without knowing what there talking about.
as i said a lot of people on this forum [like your self] have a lot of background in hd dvd and blu-ray.
you can tell who they are because they dont have that look at me ,i know everything attude.
listen and learn....i did!

And Sony may be last to press an HD DVD, but rest assured that they will when the time comes.

Last to press their first HD DVD, and last to press the last Blu-Ray. :)

Why don't you guys pay a visit to the digital bits, It's interesting to note that they do not sound optimistic at all.

It's obvious that Warner wants to go exclusive with HD-DVD, based on the inferior BD releases.

I guess it's a matter of when the backwater money flow from Sony dries up.

Blu-ray.com is nuts. If you post ANYTHING that can be deemed 'against' Blu-ray, expect to be banned. Their still sour over Paramount and continue to try and protest it.

The same goes to the BD side of AVS....the moment you post anything remotely anti-BD, or inquiring about rumors you heard, they start screaming and guess what, your thread gets shut down. I have given up on the hardcore BDer's...GOD BE WITH THEM! :)

And if you scroll down you will see something even funnier. One of his own calling him out...:eek:

Quote: BluDrew
"BB, this happens all the time, it's called business. It'll happen with Blu-ray and HD DVD and Burger King and Taco Bell... If we try to run around getting them to investigate HD DVD they'll turn around and start investigating Blu-ray too and will want the books opened to examine the Disney, Fox, Blockbuster and Target deals. I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Best thing to do is just go out and support Blu-ray! You ever stop to think that maybe TONIGHT is the night for you to take a break?"
:D
Then BB whined and get BluDrew banned. :rolleyes:

Why don't you guys pay a visit to the digital bits


No thanks.

now if you mean for editing for tv programming, ALL the time. Since that is what most broadcast station use for media NOT VHS.

Methinks you're thinking Betacam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betacam), not Betamax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax)..

Methinks you're thinking Betacam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betacam), not Betamax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax)..

;)

already discussed and clarrified.

No thanks.

I respect that. Just pointing out the fact that they don't seem to be happy at all.

Well if Warner decides to back BD, then we are screwed. I would think it could go either way if they are considering going exclusive. I would certainly hope it's HD DVD, but anything is possible.

I'm hoping they stay neutral and tell both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray to screw it with these exclusive deals. These deals only hurt competition and choice and those are two things I love.

"Life without Blu would be like life without sex."

WTF!?!

Clearly, someone who is waay too good at Lightning Bolt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw)...

(methinks Blu needs more dots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0AB6xAtMg)...)

It's obvious that Warner wants to go exclusive with HD-DVD, based on the inferior BD releases.

I guess it's a matter of when the backwater money flow from Sony dries up.

Yes, isn't The Aviator coming to BD with DD5.1
And to HD DVD it goes Dolby Digital Plus.
I wonder if this might be true:rolleyes:

Yes, isn't The Aviator coming to BD with DD5.1
And to HD DVD it goes Dolby Digital Plus.
I wonder if this might be true:rolleyes:


NM:

hddvd gets DD+ but Blu get DD?

well you know why though right?

umm no.

both are getting regular Dolby Digital if we take the specs that have been posted at face value.

I thought the HD DVD spec requires a DD+ track on all releases.

As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic....

most likely WB is the leak the article is using for info, most likely they are trying to maximize their deal... so they...

leak the story makes both sides eager to close and gives notice regarding competition

Release dates for BR product- HDDVD assumes they have the inside track due to the favorable HDDVD release schedule from WB- so WB fires off the new release schedule so HDDVD knows they are ready willing and able to support BR

end result is that the price just keeps going up, up, and up.... hell WB would love a bidding war :)

I think you called it man. I'm getting the same feeling that Warner was the one that "leaked" this.

If we assume that, then we can assume HD DVD got the first bid and now the ball is in Sony's court. A rumor like this will get Sony shaking in their pants, ready to make any deal. At the same time announcing a slew of new BD titles to get HD DVD to question if its a done deal. They are clearly positioning themselves for some type of move. I can't say for certain it will be HD DVD, but all signs point to yes.

The HD DVD will most likely be DD+, that is the usual deal if there is no lossless track.

I thought the HD DVD spec requires a DD+ track on all releases.

yes it does.

It has to as otherwise Dolby Digital would be capped at 508k.

DD+ allows HDDVD to go above that cap.

btw I ediited my post as I did not read the HDDVD post.

The format war will continue forever until all studios get behind Sony. Sony will never stop making BD's.. Even if the sony studio is the only one releasing movies.

Ever tried finding a movie for the PSP?

Ever tried finding a movie for the PSP?

yes!
all Walmarts, Targets and some Best buys still have them available around here. Kind of odd seeing UMD.

I think you called it man. I'm getting the same feeling that Warner was the one that "leaked" this.

If we assume that, then we can assume HD DVD got the first bid and now the ball is in Sony's court. A rumor like this will get Sony shaking in their pants, ready to make any deal. At the same time announcing a slew of new BD titles to get HD DVD to question if its a done deal. They are clearly positioning themselves for some type of move. I can't say for certain it will be HD DVD, but all signs point to yes.

It, indeed, does not make sense to do this if they were trying to raise HD DVD's bid, only if they were trying to raise BD's bid. The question then is: 'bid to stay neutral' or 'bid to go exclusive'?

Why don't you guys pay a visit to the digital bits, It's interesting to note that they do not sound optimistic at all.

I'm going to chose to not go over there and give the guy another hit to his site, so I'm speaking without having read what he wrote.

However, I'll point out that he was HUGELY overoptimistic about BD (in my opinion) and was overlooking and downplaying several issues and developments that were being discussed widely everywhere else. It's like he flipped a switch and went "Blu or Die".

In such an environment, I can see where Paramount, $150 players, and potential Warner HD DVD exclusive support would depress the hell out of you.


The Bits was a better site when it reviewed titles and reported news and release announcements, rather than trying to be a "player" and shape home entertainment. They frankly don't have that kind of influence and they end up just looking silly.

Not looking good for the 'ole Blu-ray Disc format...not good at all.

"Underworld" on HD DVD, $31 on debit card. Toshiba HD-A2, $199 on debit card. Watching exclusive Sony Blu-ray titles on HD DVD, priceless.

Cool signature. :cool:

^ thx, the best part is that I actually did get the A2 for $199 w/free ship and no sales tax!

^ thx, the best part is that I actually did get the A2 for $199 w/free ship and no sales tax!

:D

In such an environment, I can see where Paramount, $150 players, and potential Warner HD DVD exclusive support would depress the hell out of you.

Why would any of those factors depress me?

I'd love to see Warner go HD DVD exclusive. I would crap my pants with joy. But I'm not seeing it in the article. If anything, the bit about working on a deal to bring Harry Potter into the HD DVD camp makes me feel that either the author or the source has no idea what's going on. Harry Potter is ALREADY in the HD DVD camp, no deal is necessary.

release

no

now if you mean for editing for tv programming, ALL the time. Since that is what most broadcast station use for media NOT VHS.

and as we look into the future, we hear you say..............................

release

no

now if you mean for editing TV programming, ALL the time. Since that is what
most broadcast stations use for media, NOT HD-DVD.

I love the rollercoaster on this forum. Every few days, everyone convinces themselves, yet again, that war-ending news is IMMINENT!!! Then nothing happens and the board cools off. Then someone optimistically interprets another press release... rinse, repeat.

Wipron, you're beating a dead cow that you think is a horse.

This is very interesting, because:



http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

But that quote is from Bill Hunt. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Warner gave him that info just to make him look like a bigger fool than he already is.

I don't know what is actually going to happen. My preference would be for all studios to support all formats, failing that all studios except for sony & Universal, after all fair is fair.

My feel for this story is it is a leak, however it lags behind by several weeks. In other words the deal is done, and it's not a ploy to drive up the bids. I seriously doubt this kind of public maneuvering is even necessary, behind closed doors or not both parties trying for Warner's favor know the stakes and they are not going to be cheap on this.

If warner choses to go HD exclusive it will not be just because of the money, there will be plenty of other factors like there was for Paramount. In my view this kind of leak is preemptive, possibly even blu sourced if turns out it's not to be from Warner.

release

no

now if you mean for editing for tv programming, ALL the time. Since that is what most broadcast station use for media NOT VHS.


No No NO!

Broadcasters use DigiBeta and HDcam/HDDigibeta. Sometimes you will still get content on BetaSP, DV,DVCpro. - but NEVER Betamax. But as far as network deliverables - they are on Digibeta or HDCam - which are both a digital tape medium.

No No NO!

Broadcasters use DigiBeta and HDcam/HDDigibeta. Sometimes you will still get content on BetaSP, DV,DVCpro. - but NEVER Betamax. But as far as network deliverables - they are on Digibeta or HDCam - which are both a digital tape medium.

Dude, this party is over. All of this ground has been covered. Sit down, relax, have a pretzel.

Here's my take on Warner. It seems to me they have more to lose if HD-DVD fails than they have to gain if Blu-Ray succeeds.

If Warner were to ever go exclusive common sense would dictate they would choose HD-DVD.

Dude, this party is over. All of this ground has been covered. Sit down, relax, have a pretzel.


wtf?


I'm a Post Production technical supervisor/Online Editor/ Colorist. I get itchy brains when I hear people confuse digibeta with betamax.

wtf?

If you go back and read through the thread, you will see that we have covered this (sidetracking) issue to stone-cold death. There's really no need for anything more to be said about the industry adoption of Beta-branded videotape formats in this thread.

yeah somehow I missed the retorts on my initial scan. I saw his quote on page 5 and my brain got a charlie horse.

I spend 10 hours a day in a darkened room surrounded by the tapes he is confusing for betamax. So pardon my itchy trigger finger.

"Underworld" on HD DVD, $31 on debit card. Toshiba HD-A2, $199 on debit card. Watching exclusive Sony Blu-ray titles on HD DVD, priceless.

Not looking good for the 'ole Blu-ray Disc format...not good at all.

I don't think you'll have to import those blu titles much longer. BTW It's not a question of if Warner will go HD DVD exclusive, the only question is when.

But that quote is from Bill Hunt. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Warner gave him that info just to make him look like a bigger fool than he already is.LOL. You got the fool part right

Warner Bros has released some titles in HD DVD only in the past. This alleged deal could be as simple as a six month HD DVD exclusive window for Harry Potter or a couple of other titles like Batman (after he begins). Now, that would be interesting, possibly significant, but not necessarily format ending.

It would likely be accompanied by some sort of explanation like Paramount produced: HD DVD is cheaper to produce and program and the standards mean anything it adds as an interactive bonus can guarantee being playable on most of the installed HD DVD base. Maybe Warner Bros has plans to launch some nifty video servers tied to HD DVD internet capabilities.

In either case, it would make it more palatable for other studios, especially Disney, to start releasing some titles in HD DVD.

Personally, this is where I think these rumours will come out once the dust settles in a few days.

Does anyone else think that these studio peeps just sit back and laugh at all the melodrama here and at other sites over all this?

Would be interesting to know what they all think..?

:)

To get Disney, Warner needs to go exclusive. As well they should. They can make a killing in royalties which will not happen with bluray. They were the last major studio to jump on the BDA after Paramount and I am amazed they are still neutral. If HDDVD is in this for the win they need this to happen and the sooner the better preferably before xmas. Bottom line Bluray still has the edge studio wise. This would level the playing field.

Does anyone else think that these studio peeps just sit back and laugh at all the melodrama here and at other sites over all this?

Would be interesting to know what they all think..?

:)In that case we should act like we're not expecting anything...;)

It's not like we don't already know what reasons would cause a studio to drop Blu-ray (large scale manufacturability, production costs, programming issues, etc.). Add in that Warner certainly has more data than Paramount pointing to the same conclusions. I'm with quite a few others here...it's only a matter of time.

Does anyone else think that these studio peeps just sit back and laugh at all the melodrama here and at other sites over all this?

Would be interesting to know what they all think..?

:)

I know the Toshiba guys do.

When i went to the AVS meet, a couple of them "freaked" ;) when they found out who I was.

They read a lot of our crap. :)

anyone sees that 'news leak' as Sony PR's pre-emptive strike that preludes a huge Warner announcement? Sony PR is already out there selling idea that Warner is going HD DVD exclusive due to 'financial incentives'. In an attempt to kill the idea of Warner going exclusive because of HD DVD's advantage ;)

as digitalbits says it's only a question of immediate money, under the table the money
who do you think get this the money ? the studio top execs, a few guys. in their pocket

if warner goes hd dvd, well i don't know what will happen but reason would see perhaps Fox and disney leaving too ? sony would be left alone with its own studios (ok there's lion's gate too)

anyone sees that 'news leak' as Sony PR's pre-emptive strike that preludes a huge Warner announcement? Sony PR is already out there selling idea that Warner is going HD DVD exclusive due to 'financial incentives'. In an attempt to kill the idea of Warner going exclusive because of HD DVD's advantage ;)Wouldn't be much different than the initial mention of the "payoff" of Paramount a few weeks back. That was the first I read of that story.

The thing is that if Warner were to go HD DVD exclusive, there is no amount of PR spin that will successfully defend against such a blow. Two major studios that have had access to both sides drop the "winning" format? There's a lot more to the story than "promotional considerations"...there is something wrong with the "winning" format. It will be entertaining to see how the BDA responds if (when!) Warner goes HD DVD exclusive...:)

Warner Bros has released some titles in HD DVD only in the past. This alleged deal could be as simple as a six month HD DVD exclusive window for Harry Potter or a couple of other titles like Batman (after he begins). Now, that would be interesting, possibly significant, but not necessarily format ending.

It would likely be accompanied by some sort of explanation like Paramount produced: HD DVD is cheaper to produce and program and the standards mean anything it adds as an interactive bonus can guarantee being playable on most of the installed HD DVD base. Maybe Warner Bros has plans to launch some nifty video servers tied to HD DVD internet capabilities.

In either case, it would make it more palatable for other studios, especially Disney, to start releasing some titles in HD DVD.

Personally, this is where I think these rumours will come out once the dust settles in a few days.
interesting
perhaps time limited exclusivities

though warner wants its ad vitam royalties of the next hd format.
still a microscopic market though (sales of hd movies)

Wouldn't be much different than the initial mention of the "payoff" of Paramount a few weeks back. That was the first I read of that story.

The thing is that if Warner were to go HD DVD exclusive, there is no amount of PR spin that will successfully defend against such a blow. Two major studios that have had access to both sides drop the "winning" format? There's a lot more to the story than "promotional considerations"...there is something wrong with the "winning" format. It will be entertaining to see how the BDA responds if (when!) Warner goes HD DVD exclusive...:)

what is wrong ? bray reliability ?
no often times the simplest explanation is the right one: no matter the sales ratio, studios are being bribed, that's all. imagine you're a studio exec and you receive a $150m envelope. what do you do ? you take it and thank a lot the giver.

what is wrong ? bray reliability ?
no often times the simplest explanation is the right one: no matter the sales ratio, studios are being bribed, that's all. imagine you're a studio exec and you receive a $150m envelope. what do you do ? you take it and thank a lot the giver.What envelope? If a product costs the studios more to manufacture than a competing product and there are additional costs along the way (programming, debugging, etc) that are more costly...well, you end up with a product that is less profitable. At the current scale, it doesn't really matter. To a forward thinking corporation that wants to move things along, Paramount's decision makes perfect sense. "Envelope" or not...:rolleyes:...you do realize that any "payments" are promotional considerations. In other words, costs that Paramount simply won't have to pay for (cross promotion, etc.). It's a business deal. Deal with it.

You know I have been on the very edge of going neutral. My reasons of course content I want as much content in 1080p24 as possible. To date I have not purchased a Blu-Ray unit do to long stretches of business travel.

Everyday there are more an more stories about how the end is near for a format. I do believe the loss of Warner would certainly heat things up. Has Sony ever won a format race, not that I know, of course there is always a first. Based on their track record I will be surprised if they end up the winner in this.

If HD gets the magic $200 player and can get most titles to $19.99 I think they will gain ground. I believe a study once showed most people consider $20 a major purchase. Lower that price and it becomes impulse.

I think $onys claims of BD25/50s yeilds getting better over time is turning out to be painfully wrong, and this is why WB may feel at some point you have to cut your losses PLUS with a deal from the HD DVD camp would just be the cherry on top :D

You know I have been on the very edge of going neutral. My reasons of course content I want as much content in 1080p24 as possible. To date I have not purchased a Blu-Ray unit do to long stretches of business travel.

Everyday there are more an more stories about how the end is near for a format. I do believe the loss of Warner would certainly heat things up. Has Sony ever won a format race, not that I know, of course there is always a first. Based on their track record I will be surprised if they end up the winner in this.

If HD gets the magic $200 player and can get most titles to $19.99 I think they will gain ground. I believe a study once showed most people consider $20 a major purchase. Lower that price and it becomes impulse.

Titles over $20 for those of us outside the US and importing are indeed "major purchases" due to shipping costs, however you are correct about the $19.99 impulse buy, i don't think twice about adding to cart/basket at that price :D

well perhaps there are a few things hitting all at once to cause this

tl 51 discs
parmount / dreamworks
$200 players

could all be leading up warner going exclusive

hd dvd currently has the cost advantage
hd dvd may in the future have the disc capacity advantage and perhaps still retain the price advantage
hd dvd will be at the mass market price this holiday season

it wouldn't be much of a leap that warner who has allways supported hd dvd more would pick now to go exclusive esp with some added incentive

anyone sees that 'news leak' as Sony PR's pre-emptive strike that preludes a huge Warner announcement? Sony PR is already out there selling idea that Warner is going HD DVD exclusive due to 'financial incentives'. In an attempt to kill the idea of Warner going exclusive because of HD DVD's advantage ;)

This is completely made up. Not true at all. Do not spread false information that is beyond incorrect.

This is completely made up. Not true at all. Do not spread false information that is beyond incorrect.

Oh, you mean like the Sony is now favoring Paramount article at bluray.com. Like the stink all the bluray insiders made about the paramount deal with aghast financial incentives. I already shut down Talk with this one. Go to the rumours thread. Sony has been the spin doctor supreme in this fight and their people haven't slept in months.

Then BB whined and get BluDrew banned. :rolleyes:

You're kidding right? How do you find if someones been band on that site?

To get Disney, Warner needs to go exclusive. As well they should. They can make a killing in royalties which will not happen with bluray. They were the last major studio to jump on the BDA after Paramount and I am amazed they are still neutral. If HDDVD is in this for the win they need this to happen and the sooner the better preferably before xmas. Bottom line Bluray still has the edge studio wise. This would level the playing field.

hmmm....why do studios make more royalty money selling HDDVD compared to BD? Or are you just guessing?

And why are you amazed that they are stilling selling BD? 2/3 of all their sales are BD currently (ie '300' sales, and every other dual format title for that matter). Or are you amazed that warner hasn't taken the Microsoft Moneyhat?

Over at Dig Bits they're claiming the L.A. Times article was founded on old information back when an offer was made at Paramount. Check out the latest update over there.

I don't think you'll have to import those blu titles much longer. BTW It's not a question of if Warner will go HD DVD exclusive, the only question is when.

Wow, and your are basing this on what exactly? The fact that 70% of warner HD sales are BD?

If Warner goes to HD-DVD then the format war is over for me!

I love Warner's movies and don't care for many of Disney's or Fox's and would not care if we got Warner locked in!

I am sure many other people would feel the same way! HD-DVD will win if they get Warner now after Paramount!

sales != profit.

You're kidding right? How do you find if someones been band on that site?

If you see a post that is written in complete sentences, makes coherent sense, and doesn't use the words HD-DUD, HD-DEAD, or AVM$ then there is a pretty good chance that the person has been banned.

Sales numbers are below the threshold to make either format a success, however they could look at the future sales and what the current cost projections look like to them.
Like Paramount they could look at the cost and decide Blu isn't worth it at this point, and if blu processes are still being ironed out then let someone else work out the bugs (and pay for them). If Blu is eventually successful then later, years later, it may be worth authoring once all manufacturing flaw have been worked out.

Look at what happened with 'Nature's Journey', it was delayed because of Blu problems.
"We pushed the envelope with our sophisticated BD-J Menus, 37Mbps Video Encodes, and DTS-HD Master Audio," said Casey. "This caused problems for both the Professional Authoring and Compilation Tools as well as Consumer BD Players. Firmware updates and fixes had to be implemented to bring the tools and the players up to spec. We pretty much tripped up every tool and player showing their flaws and weaknesses with this release."

All this adds to the production cost, crippling for smaller studio and annoying for larger ones like Warner.
One other thing that has gone unsaid is the warner THD (Total Hi Def) may have been shelved because of problems with Blu production. BD50 disk have low yields anyway what other difficulties might arise when making a Blu/HD hybrid?
The other theory I heard some time back was perhaps the THD was shelved to be reworked because of the coming HD TL51 standard.

Over at Dig Bits they're claiming the L.A. Times article was founded on old information back when an offer was made at Paramount. Check out the latest update over there.


I have no interest in that website

Over at Dig Bits they're claiming the L.A. Times article was founded on old information back when an offer was made at Paramount. Check out the latest update over there.


How does he Know did he speak with the LA Times/ Newsday reporters to get clarification?

How does he Know did he speak with the LA Times/ Newsday reporters to get clarification?
Doubt it. Not too good on fact checking, after all he reported completely erronious things about Amir and a Disney website.

Sales numbers are below the threshold to make either format a success, however they could look at the future sales and what the current cost projections look like to them.
Like Paramount they could look at the cost and decide Blu isn't worth it at this point, and if blu processes are still being ironed out then let someone else work out the bugs (and pay for them). If Blu is eventually successful then later, years later, it may be worth authoring once all manufacturing flaw have been worked out.

Look at what happened with 'Nature's Journey', it was delayed because of Blu problems.


All this adds to the production cost, crippling for smaller studio and annoying for larger ones like Warner.
One other thing that has gone unsaid is the warner THD (Total Hi Def) may have been shelved because of problems with Blu production. BD50 disk have low yields anyway what other difficulties might arise when making a Blu/HD hybrid?
The other theory I heard some time back was perhaps the THD was shelved to be reworked because of the coming HD TL51 standard.

I never under stood why they do 1080i?

Just look at the second release of Planet Earth.

They should have used AVC @1080p with TrueHD if they didn't want to use VC-1 to show the best in HD. I'm sure Ben or Amir would have help with it.

If you see a post that is written in complete sentences, makes coherent sense, and doesn't use the words HD-DUD, HD-DEAD, or AVM$ then there is a pretty good chance that the person has been banned.

OMG.....tooo funny!

Why would any of those factors depress me?

I'm pretty sure he meant that it would be depressing to Shill Bill, not you.

I swear, if Warner does go exclusive maybe we can stop hearing the "warner is putting out mediocre crap HD stuff that's limited to HD DVD specs" all the time. Hell we have a thread in the BD side with people getting worked up about Warners lack of lossless and people getting pissy and stating that they are going to give up HD media all together if Warner goes over to HD DVD exclusive. Lol, I'd expect them to not care being how many people bitch about them all the time. :rolleyes:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=905944

I swear, if Warner does go neutral maybe we can stop hearing the "warner is putting out mediocre crap HD stuff that's limited to HD DVD specs" all the time.

WB is already neutral...

:)

Wow, and your are basing this on what exactly? The fact that 70% of warner HD sales are BD?


And how much more is it costing WB to produce BDs over HD DVD? That has to impact profits or lack thereof.

sales != profit.

This is the mentality of too many members of the blu brigade. Try telling that to Sony who loses massive amounts of money with every PS3 sale. Get you facts straight.

The DigitalBits is now claiming the story is old and based on news from two weeks ago:

Apparently, this story in the L.A. Times (also carried in Newsday) was based on information that's a couple weeks out of date. This "offer" from Toshiba that the piece speaks about was apparently the one made the week Paramount and DreamWorks went HD-DVD exclusive. Our sources are telling us that Warner rejected that offer, preferring to stay format neutral. This offer thing being reported today is apparently old news.

I'd like to see CE companies CEO's faces when Warner goes exclusive LOL..

So many Blu-Ray players and no movies LOL

I'd like to see CE companies CEO's faces when Warner goes exclusive LOL..

True - Pioneer and Panasonic (two of the very best) will hopefully follow suit and jump ship :-)

Sharp would be a great 'nice to have' as well.

True - Pioneer and Panasonic (two of the very best) will hopefully follow suit and jump ship :-)
True, the very nature of blu makes it easy for manufacturers to jump ship.
Apparently all they have to do is a small conversion, I think its mostly software (dunno), and viola they have HD players. The reverse is not true for HD manufacturers.

And you are... ?

Rob_HD ;)

You should be able to discern my opinion from fact.

What, like this one? ;) http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=15822

After seeing this, Beatboy77 has lost all credibility with me. completely. Up till now I was giving him the benefit of the doubt (assuming he may just be neutral). But to say something like that (which sounds so completely fanboi-ish) yet ignore it when Sony has done the same things (Fox Disney) is hypcritical.

Besides, I think it's likely completely legal. These companies aren't stupid....

True, the very nature of blu makes it easy for manufacturers to jump ship.
Apparently all they have to do is a small conversion, I think its mostly software (dunno), and viola they have HD players. The reverse is not true for HD manufacturers.

Most are SOC based, which can support both formats with the same baseband processor. They would just need to swap out the drive and replace it with HD DVD version, interface to it, and then run the HD DVD certification tests. Voila!

Oh, and they would also need to add an Ethernet port, since most Blu Ray players don't support this hardware feature...........

What a train wreck this is turning out to be.

Warner HD DVD exclusive? Wal Mart BR exclusive? Put us out of our misery please.
I felt the same way after the Paramount deal. So I finally decided to get the LG BH100 dual format player. At under $600 it was a no brainer - now I just have to wait 5 days until I pick it up.

I felt the same way after the Paramount deal. So I finally decided to get the LG BH100 dual format player. At under $600 it was a no brainer - now I just have to wait 5 days until I pick it up.

Congrats. :)

I'm envious, you've got the best of both worlds now, the rest of this stuff means nothing, you get to simply just wait on all the great movies!

How does he Know did he speak with the LA Times/ Newsday reporters to get clarification?

Dont' know, Don't care. I was just merely indicating that they were throwing out this piece of unqualified info.

After seeing this, Beatboy77 has lost all credibility with me. completely. Up till now I was giving him the benefit of the doubt (assuming he may just be neutral). But to say something like that (which sounds so completely fanboi-ish) yet ignore it when Sony has done the same things (Fox Disney) is hypcritical.

Besides, I think it's likely completely legal. These companies aren't stupid....

He's getting "legal clarification about the legalities" - lol that just sounds funny.

I always find it humorous when posters start going into half brained legal discussions or half brained rants about the economic principles behind the decisions these corporations make. It's always good for a laugh. :)

After seeing this, Beatboy77 has lost all credibility with me. completely. Up till now I was giving him the benefit of the doubt (assuming he may just be neutral). But to say something like that (which sounds so completely fanboi-ish) yet ignore it when Sony has done the same things (Fox Disney) is hypcritical.

Besides, I think it's likely completely legal. These companies aren't stupid....

As someone who actually knows the law pretty well in this area, I must say the beatboy link above did provide a good chuckle.

With the new announement today of Warner releasing more Blu-Ray "Best of" box sets, I think it's pretty safe to put this rumor to bed.
I'd like to see Warner Exclusive to HD-DVD, but I really dont' see it happening. If anything I am more concerned about the exact opposite happening.

After seeing this, Beatboy77 has lost all credibility with me. completely. Up till now I was giving him the benefit of the doubt (assuming he may just be neutral). But to say something like that (which sounds so completely fanboi-ish) yet ignore it when Sony has done the same things (Fox Disney) is hypcritical.

Besides, I think it's likely completely legal. These companies aren't stupid....


I completely agree. You would have to be paid by the BDA to care about this format war to that extent. He is a the biggest blu boi out there. I bet he seriously cried after hearing the paramount announcment.

The DigitalBits is now claiming the story is old and based on news from two weeks ago:

Why do most of Bill the shill Hunt's articles begin with "It seems that.." or "Apparently..."?? Is it because that just like beatboy he has no real inside info?

I don't understand what the fascination is with Bill Hunt. If you don't quote his posts here when he's not even in these threads, then maybe we won't have to read them.

I don't understand what the fascination is with beatboy77. If you don't quote his posts here when he's not even in these threads, then maybe we won't have to read them.

I don't think the Bundles amount to much. The problem is after Paramount there are no sure things. Studios can promise anything and everything and do not have to deliver jack.
Look at the promised releases and the delayed releases.

There just is no guarantees any more, and that is a shame.
Warner could promise and pre-sell every movies in their catalog to HD and Blu and then cut them both off with out a word as to why.

What make me suspicious that there is a deal is how the Blu Spin doctors are trying to play up the money aspect.

The way I look at is its like aliens (UFO, not the other kind), plenty believe in them, but they make no difference in our day to day until the day they land on the Whitehouse lawn and give us clean unlimited renewable energy source and the cure for aging along with every other major disease. It's nice to talk about possibilities, but until they happen it's all just talk.
Is there reason to suspect a shift to HD? sure..
Is there reason to suspect they stay with their current stance? Sure..

The BluSpin machine is working to counter act these rumors on one side (right hand) and the other side (left hand) is building up the FUD~ about pay off, which I why I thinks it unlikely to go Blu exclusive. If there was a chance in hell of it happening they would never bring up money, because that is the first thing that will be reported on, blu buys warner support.

PS this has a ominous sound to it."It would be good for the studios or somebody to make the call," said Kevin O'Conner, Wal-Mart's vice president and general merchandise manager for consumer electronics.

The BluSpin machine is working to counter act these rumors on one side (right hand) and the other side (left hand) is building up the FUD~ about pay off, which I why I thinks it unlikely to go Blu exclusive. If there was a chance in hell of it happening they would never bring up money, because that is the first thing that will be reported on, blu buys warner support.

This assumes that the BluSpin machine has some idea what's actually happening. I wouldn't consider that a safe assumption at all.

With the new announement today of Warner releasing more Blu-Ray "Best of" box sets, I think it's pretty safe to put this rumor to bed.
I'd like to see Warner Exclusive to HD-DVD, but I really dont' see it happening. If anything I am more concerned about the exact opposite happening.

I can't see them going blu. Not with all of the issues they've had and the fact that they still can't get advanced features to work. When they do get them working, how long will they have to wait until all the current blu-ray players break so they stop receiving feature complaints. "Hey, how come the dumb game on my movie won't work, this disc is defective and I want a replacement." :)

Why do most of Bill the shill Hunt's articles begin with "It seems that.." or "Apparently..."?? Is it because that just like beatboy he has no real inside info?
Using "it seems that..." or "apparently..." is an old marketing trick. The reader gets the impression that the information is a fact/has been confirmed by a third party/is common knowledge, therefor true. This way you can avoid to use phrases like "I think...", "I believe...", "I'm not sure, but...", and "I was told" which would be a lie.

This assumes that the BluSpin machine has some idea what's actually happening. I wouldn't consider that a safe assumption at all.

True, but at some point up the line the there is somebody that does know. The higher ups knew they lost paramount long before the news went public.

On the whole I wouldn't assume the Blubois know all the facts, or any facts for that matter. But the posturing and positioning seem to indicate something is happening. They get their marching orders from some place to ensure they are not damaging the Blu effort on the whole.

I too think Warner leans HD DVD, but it's a big mistake to assume that if they go exclusive it will definitely be HD DVD.

I too think Warner leans HD DVD, but it's a big mistake to assume that if they go neutral it will definitely be HD DVD.

ummm, what?

I too think Warner leans HD DVD, but it's a big mistake to assume that if they go exclusive it will definitely be HD DVD.

His quote is correct, you modified it. OggideM quickest way to a ban.

Why is the recent article about Warner going HD-DVD exclusive is any more believable than any of the other rumors we're hearing from both sides since the beginning of the format war?

I am sick and tired of hearing every pro HD-DVD rumor touted as absolute truth and defended by hordes of fanbois, and every anti-HD-DVD rumor immediately shot down, either by a rabid mob of fans or by the interested insiders. If ever one of the anti-HD-DVD rumors turns out to be true, then it is immediately made non-important, too late, or inferior to whatever HD-DVD is doing lately. This madness needs to stop, cause it is impossible now to have any reasonable argument in these forums.

Allan

Over at Dig Bits they're claiming the L.A. Times article was founded on old information back when an offer was made at Paramount. Check out the latest update over there.

reg152.
i read that,dont know how true this is,but time will tell.
we all know companys these days say something like no thats not happening,then turn around and do what we thought they would do in the first place.
is warner going hd dvd .....only they really know at this point.:confused:

His quote is correct, you modified it. OggideM quickest way to a ban.
Actually he didn't. It was my mistake. I was changing my post as he quoted it. I had originally mistakenly put 'neutral' instead of 'exclusive'.

Actually he didn't. It was my mistake. I was changing my post as he quoted it. I had originally mistakenly put 'neutral' instead of 'exclusive'.

thanks for being honest and clarifying both your post(i was confused alot!). and to the poster below. :)



His quote is correct, you modified it. OggideM quickest way to a ban.


jump to conclusions much? :mad: :(

I am sick and tired of hearing every pro HD-DVD rumor touted as absolute truth and defended by hordes of fanbois, and every anti-HD-DVD rumor immediately shot down, either by a rabid mob of fans or by the interested insiders. If ever one of the anti-HD-DVD rumors turns out to be true, then it is immediately made non-important, too late, or inferior to whatever HD-DVD is doing lately. This madness needs to stop, cause it is impossible now to have any reasonable argument in these forums.

Allan

Then perhaps you are in the wrong forum?

Do Target and Walmart really think they have any clout here? Yes they sell plenty of crappy DVD players like they sell bags of cheetos and 25 packs of underwear but if they don't sell an HD-DVD player (or Blu Ray for that matter) the customer will buy it somewhere else - most likely online. They aren't a factor in the HDM war and are about as irrelevant as Blockbuster. It's about the Studios and then the CEM's a distant second.

Do Target and Walmart really think they have any clout here? Yes they sell plenty of crappy DVD players like they sell bags of cheetos and 25 packs of underwear but if they don't sell an HD-DVD player (or Blu Ray for that matter) the customer will buy it somewhere else - most likely online. They aren't a factor in the HDM war and are about as irrelevant as Blockbuster. It's about the Studios and then the CEM's a distant second.

Yes, Walmart has more pull in what get's sold than anyone...if Walmart says HD DVD or Blu Ray only....the war is over.

Yeah, and it wasn't funny the first time, and certainly isn't funny after a hundred times.

Exactly

I was gullible enough to click the link, but closed the window as soon as I saw You Tube pop up. I'd ask what a "rick roll" is, but I really don't care.

Why is the recent article about Warner going HD-DVD exclusive is any more believable than any of the other rumors we're hearing from both sides since the beginning of the format war?

I am sick and tired of hearing every pro HD-DVD rumor touted as absolute truth and defended by hordes of fanbois, and every anti-HD-DVD rumor immediately shot down, either by a rabid mob of fans or by the interested insiders. If ever one of the anti-HD-DVD rumors turns out to be true, then it is immediately made non-important, too late, or inferior to whatever HD-DVD is doing lately. This madness needs to stop, cause it is impossible now to have any reasonable argument in these forums.

Allan

I couldn't agree with you more Allan. However, if you look at it as strictly fanboyism and entertainment, it's much much MUCH more fun to read. Helps my day at work go by easier by getting some good laughs! :D

I take everything anybody here says with a grain of salt unless confirmed by an independent source, a confirmed insider (not beatboy) or by the studio/CE manufacturers themselves.