I was looking for The Aviator on Amazon and noticed that below the price they have posted:

"Warner Bros. has announced plans to discontinue its support of the HD DVD format after May 31, 2008. See a list of Warner HD DVD titles."

So...they are actively trying to disuade buyers as well? Readers of this forum know the score and might still buy, but the average consumer will be driven off by such a statement. Are they putting stickers on discs at stores too? :mad:

Pretty interesting. I wonder if that was a decision by amazon or Warner. They are probably just trying to cover their @ss because there are probably a lot of people who have no clue about the Warner decision.

Actually I believe it's a way to push more movies by Amazon. Better get them while they're hot sort of thing. Kind of like Disney promoting a Special Edition Snow White and saying it will be released only for a short time.

Personally I think it's a VERY smart move and should be done at every store. Sure the enthusiast crowd knows what's going on but there might be hundreds/thousands of "newbie" customers out there that thought/think the cheapo depot Toshiba''s mean(t) they were home free getting into the hi-def DVD world but DIDN'T know that they will soon lose all future Warner titles in May...this kind of "warning label" will help them decide if adopting HD DVD is wise for them or not.

Sure it will discourage a great number of "newbies" perhaps, so what? I rather companies be honest about this than deceive the buyer...I say full disclosure is a wise move for all retailers selling HDM's.

Note that this also goes for Blu stuff...it would be nice to have a bolded disclaimer on their products as well...it goes both ways.

Anyone who think's Amazon is biased towards Blu-Ray hasn't looked for HD content on Amazon!

Just look at their Blu-Ray pages versus HD-DVD.

Someone in the Blu-Ray camp has ties to Amazon or vice versa.

Anyone who think's Amazon is biased towards Blu-Ray hasn't looked for HD content on Amazon!

Just look at their Blu-Ray pages versus HD-DVD.

Someone in the Blu-Ray camp has ties to Amazon or vice versa.

As does BB, CC, Sears, and most retailers it seems...HD DVD has been pushed to the far far background over the last year or so from what I've observed.

They are probably protecting themselves against returns.

But is it better to discourage the sale in the first place?

A title available "for a limited time" gives a much different impression than "will stop supporting." Are they going to put disclaimers on the players as well? Will BD come with a "disclaimer" that they do not play Universal titles or that HD DVD players will not play FOX?

What a crazy cluster-blank this is.

They are probably protecting themselves against returns.

But is it better to discourage the sale in the first place?

A title available "for a limited time" gives a much different impression than "will stop supporting." Are they going to put disclaimers on the players as well? Will BD come with a "disclaimer" that they do not play Universal titles or that HD DVD players will not play FOX?

What a crazy cluster-blank this is.

Agreed...but I believe this is just one of the many hurdles HDM has created due to divided formats, divided studios etc.....none of this would need to be done if we could get just one format and all studios switched to that chosen format. It appears they are attempting to go towards one format, but there's a long road ahead to see if that will come true.

So you can't fault companies involved in HDM for trying to keep the general public informed about the limitations of some HDM products etc.

As does BB, CC, Sears, and most retailers it seems...HD DVD has been pushed to the far far background over the last year or so from what I've observed.

At the stores I searched just before and now after the holidays, HD-DVD was nearly an impossible find. Target - only Blu-ray. CC, BB, Wal-Mart - HUGE Blu-ray flashy display fully stocked; HD-DVD hidden if any at all. That sent me a pretty clear message. I typically shop online anyway, but from a consumer's point of view, Blu-ray is readily available and is "sexier." Blu-Ray is the iPod of HD - sure there are better and cheaper MP3 players, but everyone wants the iPod.

I still love the A35 and will not buy another piece of hardware until there is only one format with dual players.

At the stores I searched just before and now after the holidays, HD-DVD was nearly an impossible find. Target - only Blu-ray. CC, BB, Wal-Mart - HUGE Blu-ray flashy display fully stocked; HD-DVD hidden if any at all. That sent me a pretty clear message. I typically shop online anyway, but from a consumer's point of view, Blu-ray is readily available and is "sexier." Blu-Ray is the iPod of HD - sure there are better and cheaper MP3 players, but everyone wants the iPod.

I still love the A35 and will not buy another piece of hardware until there is only one format with dual players.

The ipod example is a PERFECT way to state the current status of hi-def DVD.

Not many folks in my circle of friends even talk/ask about HDM stuff but the very few that do ALWAYS seem to go straight to Blu when asking about HDM...they pretty much think Blu Ray is the only format, I have to remind them that there still is a war going on, but yes Blu has a wonderful marketing plan and has made it look to be the "must have" hi-def format.

They are probably protecting themselves against returns.


Return for what? Universal and Paramount are still selling HD dvds and last I heard will continue to do so. If Amazon has taken that step I would think they would also have to put a disclaimer on the Uni and Para selections as well claiming that the format may die eventually and consumers are purchasing all HD dvds at their own risk.

IMO they are not trying to watch out for the consumer at all. As stated above they are trying to panic the consumer into purchasing the WB releases because after May you're not going to be able to buy them stateside especially if Warner says pull all HDs this date. Though that would be silly on their part, but I don't know what's in the contract they signed with blu.

Return for what? Universal and Paramount are still selling HD dvds and last I heard will continue to do so. If Amazon has taken that step I would think they would also have to put a disclaimer on the Uni and Para selections as well claiming that the format may die eventually and consumers are purchasing all HD dvds at their own risk.


Well since there is pretty much a firm date for the end of Warner's support, it's simple for Amazon etc to safely warn "newbies" that you will no longer be able to buy new releases from Warner starting in may...that way if a guy has no CLUE about the studio situation, he can stop and think "wait...I totally love this movie and that movie and they are Warner flicks, I better think about what format I want to buy"....well you get the jist.

Anyone who think's Amazon is biased towards Blu-Ray hasn't looked for HD content on Amazon!

Just look at their Blu-Ray pages versus HD-DVD.

Someone in the Blu-Ray camp has ties to Amazon or vice versa.

I don't know that I buy into that - Amazon offers pretty much everything available and I don't see any steering to or away from either high def format. I expect they are trying to be up front with the situation after going through the post Warner customer panic emails and calls. They were very helpful and cooperative to this customer - basically letting me decide whatever I wanted to do with my new HD-A30 (return for a full refund with an extended time to make a decision or accept their price matching which reflected the reduced list prices put out by Toshiba). I kept my stuff - accepted those refunds - got a bunch of movies free and/or dirt cheap - and I'm enjoying it all. :cool:

I don't know that I buy into that - Amazon offers pretty much everything available and I don't see any steering to or away from either high def format. I expect they are trying to be up front with the situation after going through the post Warner customer panic emails and calls. They were very helpful and cooperative to this customer - basically letting me decide whatever I wanted to do with my new HD-A30 (return for a full refund with an extended time to make a decision or accept their price matching which reflected the reduced list prices put out by Toshiba). I kept my stuff - accepted those refunds - got a bunch of movies free and/or dirt cheap - and I'm enjoying it all. :cool:

Agreed. Amazon is the best retailer I've ever dealt with, online or b&m.....and they sell a few hundred thousand items if I were guessing. BOGO's have been spread pretty much evenly as well. You can't blame them for having a flashy Blu-ray page when they probably sell at least 70-30 br to hd-dvd....

I think they are just trying to be helpful to consumers. When they show that warning, you can also click on a link that will show all the Warner movies. Then you can decide if you want to get any of those movies while they are still available.

I don't see any disclaimers on the Paramount - Blu-ray titles still available for purchase... :eek:

I don't know that I buy into that - Amazon offers pretty much everything available and I don't see any steering to or away from either high def format. I expect they are trying to be up front with the situation after going through the post Warner customer panic emails and calls. They were very helpful and cooperative to this customer - basically letting me decide whatever I wanted to do with my new HD-A30 (return for a full refund with an extended time to make a decision or accept their price matching which reflected the reduced list prices put out by Toshiba). I kept my stuff - accepted those refunds - got a bunch of movies free and/or dirt cheap - and I'm enjoying it all. :cool:
+1

amazon is as unbiased a retailer as they come. you know they're doing something right when fanboys from both sides repeatedly complain that they're biased.

Now Universal and Paramount just need to tag their products and say " we plan to keep on supporting HD DVD" ..........:D :o

I was looking for The Aviator on Amazon and noticed that below the price they have posted:

"Warner Bros. has announced plans to discontinue its support of the HD DVD format after May 31, 2008. See a list of Warner HD DVD titles."

So...they are actively trying to disuade buyers as well? Readers of this forum know the score and might still buy, but the average consumer will be driven off by such a statement. Are they putting stickers on discs at stores too? :mad:

Funny- they didn't post a tag on the BR profile 1.0 players- that would have been helpful as well.....

" Blu Ray players have not finalized the specifications of their players, thus buying this player will prevent the user from future features available on this format- purchase at your own risk"

Someone needs to contact Amazon

It's an incorrect list any way, it has a few BBC titles (and a few others that are NOT WB).
Probably a hydra plant, Planet Earth HD would suddenly get a notation that it was region encoded and not for US players, Links to Player rebates suddenly disappear.

So Far WB has said they will continue to support HD titles released before the cut off date, until they say differently this is a highly inappropriate notation.

Funny- they didn't post a tag on the BR profile 1.0 players- that would have been helpful as well.....

" Blu Ray players have not finalized the specifications of their players, thus buying this player will prevent the user from future features available on this format- purchase at your own risk"

Valid thought, but ya know what...I'd bet a majority of the folks who would buy don't really care about the "extra's"..they just want the nice looking movie. Extra's are mainly fluff IMO that most folks ignore.

I was searching for some information and ran across this item about the upcoming release of I Am Legend.
http://formatwarcentral.com/index.php/2008/01/23/is-warner-dumbing-down-hd-dvd-releases/
I clicked on the link to the information that was quoted and it says Warner asked them to remove the information so it was deleted from the original source. I would hope it isn't true. Although I have both HD and Blu-ray players I usually purchase HD titles when they are available in both formats. Up until now, especially with Warner titles (oddly enough) the HD format tends to have True HD or Dolby 5.1+ where the blu-ray may only have just plain Dolby 5.1.
I also don't appreciate the fact that Warner is purposely releasing the HD format after Blu-ray.

As does BB, CC, Sears, and most retailers it seems...HD DVD has been pushed to the far far background over the last year or so from what I've observed.

Agreed.
Local B&M's carry almost no new HD-DVD,but all new Blu ray:rolleyes:

Agreed. Amazon is the best retailer I've ever dealt with, online or b&m.....and they sell a few hundred thousand items if I were guessing. BOGO's have been spread pretty much evenly as well. You can't blame them for having a flashy Blu-ray page when they probably sell at least 70-30 br to hd-dvd....

I'm also assuming that the BDA somehow paid for the added focus on Amazon...

As does BB, CC, Sears, and most retailers it seems...HD DVD has been pushed to the far far background over the last year or so from what I've observed.

Sony definitely has the retailers in their pockets. When I was working for Best Buy, the company specifically told us to promote Blu-Ray through the PS3 and any HDTV sale. We had packages specifically for Blu-Ray with a Panasonic, Samsung, or Sony HDTV and none whatsoever for HD-DVD. When I left, we were keeping two to six Blu-Ray displays up in every store that had space for them and the HD-DVD displays were mostly moved to corners near the clearance/overstock isles.

What bugs me since days is that there is a "Bonnie and Clyde"-Blue Ray among the list of upcoming ("March and beyond") HD DVDs. I filed a complaint already with Amazon, but they're either too stupid to correct this, or it is done by intention.

What bugs me since days is that there is a "Bonnie and Clyde"-Blue Ray among the list of upcoming ("March and beyond") HD DVDs. I filed a complaint already with Amazon, but they're either too stupid to correct this, or it is done by intention.
incidentally, Bonnie & Clyde HD DVD is listed on the March and Beyond Blu-ray page. it's just an error on both lists.

Return for what? Universal and Paramount are still selling HD dvds and last I heard will continue to do so. If Amazon has taken that step I would think they would also have to put a disclaimer on the Uni and Para selections as well claiming that the format may die eventually and consumers are purchasing all HD dvds at their own risk.

IMO they are not trying to watch out for the consumer at all. As stated above they are trying to panic the consumer into purchasing the WB releases because after May you're not going to be able to buy them stateside especially if Warner says pull all HDs this date. Though that would be silly on their part, but I don't know what's in the contract they signed with blu.

Why is it to be presumed that disclaimer originated with Amazon! Isn't it entirely possible it was dictated by Warner? It's Warner that decided to release the HD DVD versions some three weeks after the SD DVD and BD releases. Don't you think there could be a consistent message present? I'd say Warner is seriously interested in dissuading people from purchasing their HD DVD products (in favor of their BD products :(!)

Why is it to be presumed that disclaimer originated with Amazon! Isn't it entirely possible it was dictated by Warner? It's Warner that decided to release the HD DVD versions some three weeks after the SD DVD and BD releases. Don't you think there could be a consistent message present? I'd say Warner is seriously interested in dissuading people from purchasing their HD DVD products (in favor of their BD products :(!)

I think your right, I think its WB. Amazon didn't do warnings on Paramount.

Why is it to be presumed that disclaimer originated with Amazon! Isn't it entirely possible it was dictated by Warner? It's Warner that decided to release the HD DVD versions some three weeks after the SD DVD and BD releases. Don't you think there could be a consistent message present? I'd say Warner is seriously interested in dissuading people from purchasing their HD DVD products (in favor of their BD products :(!)

It very well could be Warner's idea and I can easily see that. However, I seriously doubt Warner cares which format you buy as long as you buy. Being afraid of returns is plausable, but I thought there was a stipulation at least with dvds that once they are opened the best you can do is exchange it for the same thing or maybe in-store credit?

Return for what?

Returns or price-match headaches stores have to face with toshiba dropping prices of players less than 30-days after holiday shopping season ended. Also, as prices drop profit margins shrink. Even though they probably could sell more, players demand lot of shelf space and storage space hence end up getting back shelf. I wonder how many HD-DVD players Costco has to take back from customers as they don't price-match. Instead, they prefer to accept returns and let customer walk away with same new player for reduced price.

Over the years I noticed most electronics items get price drops around middle of Feb or so which I always thought could be to be out of 30-day return/price match period for top retailers from holiday season and gift card purchases that happens soon after..