Industry Insiders Master Q&A thread IV: ONLY Questions to Insiders

[Corellianrogue]

Originally Posted by PRO-630HD

My opinion is many will avoid the HD market all together after being burned from this. Many HDDVD owners will never buy a bluray player with the specs being all over the place and disc features that only some players access. While it would be a wise move for Warner to do this I doubt they will.

You're absolutely right. I originally wasn't going to buy either until the format war was over. But then my TV died and I bought an HDTV as I didn't want to buy a new SDTV. On the day I bought my HDTV I also bough the HD DVD add on for my Xbox360 because 1. I wanted something to watch in HD since Virgin cable only has BBC HD, which is only on for half a day and has very little content let alone shows I want to watch, and a few pay-per-view HD movies. 2. It was only £100. (Compared to £500 for a standalone HD DVD player and £1000 for a standalone Blu-Ray player at the time.) and 3. HD DVD specs were FINALISED so therefore it was futureproof. (HD DVD losing and ICT issues aside.) I WILL NOT buy any Blu-Ray hardware unless the format is finalised and there are affordable players that are final profile. So here's a question to the BDA side. Never mind whether there's an Xbox360 add on or not can you tell me what the final Blu-Ray profile will be? (eg. 2.1, 2.2, 3.0?) When will these final profile players be on sale? And how much will the cheapest one be? Until the BDA can answer those questions (honestly) then I still can't recommend Blu-Ray to anybody, regardless of the Warner announcement, let alone buy one myself. I guess if I don't have an answer by May then I'll only be buying Warner movies on regular old DVD. (Probably buying 2nd hand ones on eBay just to spite Warner.) If I'm really desperate to see them in HD I'll just rent them on Xbox Live as it's a bit cheaper than renting on cable here at the moment. (Oh dear Michael Bay, it seems your conspiracy theory has backfired since I might be using a Microsoft digital distribution system because certain movies AREN'T on HD DVD! )

[BenDover]

We closed the call with the most pertinent question of all, "where's the Matrix on Blu-ray?" to which the answer was, as soon as they work out the details of BD Java and PIP.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/04...rner-went-blu/

posted above by wickedbob...

Talk, can you elaborate on this statement from WB?

[amirm]

Originally Posted by RudyMeister

amirm,
Please post your comments on this latest announcement from Warner. I just like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks for asking and I apologize for being absent during much of this newsbreak. Real life interceded with having to take my younger son to hospital due to an allergic reaction. All is well there but it sure reminds you what is more important in real life. Had to rush out 15 minutes after the news broke and only had time to exchange a few notes with folks and that was it….

Anyway, enough with softy stuff. This is certainly an important event and congratulations to BDA camp for winning Warner exclusivity. Someone asked if we knew in advance and the answer is of course yes. But I will not characterize it beyond that so please don’t ask how long, etc.

As the guy no longer associated with day to day management of HD DVD, I can’t speculate on what Microsoft might do let alone the other companies. I can imagine though, with four major and influential companies still squarely in HD DVD camp, there will be more chapters in this story. How they and BDA play the game from here on, is just as interesting as the event today and will surely, continue to feed the addiction of folks to this site and other forums .

For those HD DVD supporters who may be feeling down, I have this to tell you. Keep your chin up. The best thing about what is going on here, is still here and never changed! I am talking about witnessing the birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format. How many of you were there during the birth of television? Or theater? I assume no one. Yet, you are watching all of this unfold. This is what I find fascinating and what drives me to still talk about these things, even though I don’t have any responsibility one way or other regarding HD DVD.

When I talk to my sailing friends, I always envy how they enjoy the voyage, while others like me with a motorboat, enjoy getting there and miss the fun of the trip itself. Think of this situation like sailing and you will be in the right frame of mind. We are watching a movie that few in real life ever get to see. It is the one exclusive which will never show up on Blu-ray and HD DVD!

And the story will go on. There will be more chapters to come. And I don’t mean this in the obvious ways. I am not sure of much, but I am sure of that! So the fun will continue and I will be reflecting back to this event years from now, on some forum, telling stories of the day Warner did this .

Again, strong win for the blu-ray companies and fans. Congratulations are rightfully in order.

[Rigby Reardon]

In light of the recent developments, can any insider comment on this statement by a Warner representative, which was made less than 4 weeks ago?

http://www.current.com.au/2007/12/12...EMPTGCOKS.html

In an official statement, Warner Brothers Home Video Australia and New Zealand managing director Roger Clarke said, the company’s global position had not changed and they would continue to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray for the foreseeable future.

“Our position hasn’t changed and certainly any comments that were published in the US were not intended to suggest that we had changed our stance. We support both formats and we have not made any decision towards that policy and nor are any such announcements planned or in the pipeline,” he said.

[jdc115]

Originally Posted by wickedbob

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/04...rner-went-blu/

Well I'm glad that the technically superior format "won".

Am I correct in believing that around 80% of films are now being released exclusively on Bluray?
So what does IBM, Microsoft and Toshiba do now?

What does IBM have to do with HD-DVD? I never heard them mentioned in conection with it.

But Toshiba and IBM are partnered with Sony on the Cell processor so I suppose they both gets some benefits from each PS3 sold.

[BenDover]

Originally Posted by amirm

Thanks for asking and I apologize for being absent during much of this newsbreak. Real life interceded with having to take my younger son to hospital due to an allergic reaction. All is well there but it sure reminds you what is more important in real life. Had to rush out 15 minutes after the news broke and only had time to exchange a few notes with folks and that was it….

Anyway, enough with softy stuff. This is certainly an important event and congratulations to BDA camp for winning Warner exclusivity. Someone asked if we knew in advance and the answer is of course yes. But I will not characterize it beyond that so please don’t ask how long, etc.

As the guy no longer associated with day to day management of HD DVD, I can’t speculate on what Microsoft might do let alone the other companies. I can imagine though, with four major and influential companies still squarely in HD DVD camp, there will be more chapters in this story. How they and BDA play the game from here on, is just as interesting as the event today and will surely, continue to feed the addiction of folks to this site and other forums .

For those HD DVD supporters who may be feeling down, I have this to tell you. Keep your chin up. The best thing about what is going on here, is still here and never changed! I am talking about witnessing the birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format. How many of you were there during the birth of television? Or theater? I assume no one. Yet, you are watching all of this unfold. This is what I find fascinating and what drives me to still talk about these things, even though I don’t have any responsibility one way or other regarding HD DVD.

When I talk to my sailing friends, I always envy how they enjoy the voyage, while others like me with a motorboat, enjoy getting there and miss the fun of the trip itself. Think of this situation like sailing and you will be in the right frame of mind. We are watching a movie that few in real life ever get to see. It is the one exclusive which will never show up on Blu-ray and HD DVD!

And the story will go on. There will be more chapters to come. And I don’t mean this in the obvious ways. I am not sure of much, but I am sure of that! So the fun will continue and I will be reflecting back to this event years from now, on some forum, telling stories of the day Warner did this .

Again, strong win for the blu-ray companies and fans. Congratulations are rightfully in order.

amir, thanks for your thoughts...

could you at least elaborate on whether IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL OPINION, this is at least the beginning of the end for HD DVD or are you saying that it is just the end of the beginning?

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by amirm

Thanks for asking and I apologize for being absent during much of this newsbreak. Real life interceded with having to take my younger son to hospital due to an allergic reaction. All is well there but it sure reminds you what is more important in real life. Had to rush out 15 minutes after the news broke and only had time to exchange a few notes with folks and that was it….

Anyway, enough with softy stuff. This is certainly an important event and congratulations to BDA camp for winning Warner exclusivity. Someone asked if we knew in advance and the answer is of course yes. But I will not characterize it beyond that so please don’t ask how long, etc.

As the guy no longer associated with day to day management of HD DVD, I can’t speculate on what Microsoft might do let alone the other companies. I can imagine though, with four major and influential companies still squarely in HD DVD camp, there will be more chapters in this story. How they and BDA play the game from here on, is just as interesting as the event today and will surely, continue to feed the addiction of folks to this site and other forums .

For those HD DVD supporters who may be feeling down, I have this to tell you. Keep your chin up. The best thing about what is going on here, is still here and never changed! I am talking about witnessing the birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format. How many of you were there during the birth of television? Or theater? I assume no one. Yet, you are watching all of this unfold. This is what I find fascinating and what drives me to still talk about these things, even though I don’t have any responsibility one way or other regarding HD DVD.

When I talk to my sailing friends, I always envy how they enjoy the voyage, while others like me with a motorboat, enjoy getting there and miss the fun of the trip itself. Think of this situation like sailing and you will be in the right frame of mind. We are watching a movie that few in real life ever get to see. It is the one exclusive which will never show up on Blu-ray and HD DVD!

And the story will go on. There will be more chapters to come. And I don’t mean this in the obvious ways. I am not sure of much, but I am sure of that! So the fun will continue and I will be reflecting back to this event years from now, on some forum, telling stories of the day Warner did this .

Again, strong win for the blu-ray companies and fans. Congratulations are rightfully in order.

Nice concession speech!

[amirm]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

Nice concession speech!

Thanks motorboater .

[efjay]

Originally Posted by Dave Vaughn

I have been told that there were financial incentives involved for both Fox and Warner on this matter. The amounts referenced in the above article are the same numbers I have heard.

Dave, can you comment on whether the HD DVD side couldnt or wouldnt meet the numbers required?

[GizmoDVD]

Amir,

So HD DVD is pretty much dead, correct?

[Dave Vaughn]

Originally Posted by efjay

Dave, can you comment on whether the HD DVD side couldnt or wouldnt meet the numbers required?

I'll tell you what I know (or have been told). Regardless of the reports from last week, Microsoft was not part of the negotiations and they didn't offer any cash in the deal. It was Toshiba acting alone as far as that goes.

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

[jonabbey]

Originally Posted by amirm

Thanks motorboater .

Concession speech or not, I was very grateful at your gracious comments to the BD fans here when we were all reeling from the Paramount announcement, and I deeply appreciate your philosophical and gracious post today.

Thanks so much for your postings here, they have been unfailingly interesting, informative, and gracious.

[RobertR1]

Dave,

Was Fox ever serious or did they just pull off a beautiful bait n' switch. Basically, once they saw that Warner was eager to end the war, they quickly backed out of HD DVD talks and put the pressure on Warner.

Also, any idea on how much HD DVD offered Warner and how much Fox got paid to stay Blu. I'm thinking atleast as much as Warner.

[runwave87]

Any truth to this statement made by engadget?

Update: Toshiba, masters of the HD DVD format, also just issued a press release expressing their "particular disappointment" with Warner -- and also implying that the move to go Blu-ray exclusive is actually in breach of contract. The particularly depressing release is also posted after the break.

[GizmoDVD]

Whats the current state of the HD DVD group?
Anyone know?

[Dave Vaughn]

Originally Posted by RobertR1

Dave,

Was Fox ever serious or did they just pull off a beautiful bait n' switch. Basically, once they saw that Warner was eager to end the war, they quickly backed out of HD DVD talks and put the pressure on Warner.

Also, any idea on how much HD DVD offered Warner and how much Fox got paid to stay Blu. I'm thinking atleast as much as Warner.

I don't think they were being sneaky, if that's what you mean.

[William]

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD

Whats the current state of the HD DVD group?
Anyone know?

Disarray

[irfoton]

Well if there were financial considerations, WB is denying it:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...o_Blu-ray/1327

[efjay]

Originally Posted by Dave Vaughn

I'll tell you what I know (or have been told). Regardless of the reports from last week, Microsoft was not part of the negotiations and they didn't offer any cash in the deal. It was Toshiba acting alone as far as that goes.

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

Thanks for the answer Dave, though I think losing Warner plus all the subsequent publicity makes for less of a good business move, dont you think?

[BassTek]

So how long until a book on the format war is released and we get to read about all the nitty gritty insider details?

[Mukha]

Originally Posted by Dave Vaughn

I'll tell you what I know (or have been told). Regardless of the reports from last week, Microsoft was not part of the negotiations and they didn't offer any cash in the deal. It was Toshiba acting alone as far as that goes.

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

It was implied earlier that there was a realistic chance for both Fox and Warner to go the other way, with that option apparently being open right up until a few days ago. I think the actual chances of such a shift were always non-existent. With the writing on the wall months ago, a few studios saw the opportunity to offer a plausible threat of HD DVD exclusivity to renegotiate their share of the pie. Fox deserved a reasonable reward for it's support of blu-ray and the coming easy "win" for the BDA and it's threat only served to strengthen Warner's deal. None of the offers to the BDA to mitigate these threats would have been unreasonably exorbitant as it was in nobody's best interest to unify behind the format in the weaker market position, but the option to do just that is still clearly there - Fox and Warner for HD DVD is an HD DVD win just slower and much messier. To say that there was a realistic chance of these threats being carried out is misleading, after the Paramount defection this could not really have played out any other way unless a lot of people had completely lost their marbles.

I am curious to know what Disney got for their troubles? If they aren't getting a bit of short term loot they must have a significant stake in the blu-ray plunder and not just the spoils of a unified HDM format.

Do you think this is at all accurate Dave? Seems to me just like savvy business dealing divvying up the spoils of war.

[Helvetian]

Originally Posted by PRO-630HD

My opinion is many will avoid the HD market all together after being burned from this. Many HDDVD owners will never buy a bluray player with the specs being all over the place and disc features that only some players access. While it would be a wise move for Warner to do this I doubt they will.

I agree. I just happened to get an HDTV in August thanks to this site and because my old TV broke down. I then went with HD DVD due to the price and Paramount move. If this is really the end, I am out of them game for good. I won't be buying a BD player nor supporting the format. I think for me, it was only HD DVD. I have significantly invested in several HD DVD players and over 70 movies. I'm still buying Zodiac, Beowulf, Bee Movie, Elizabeth and others because at this point, what's another $20-$30 per movie? I simply refuse to switch and will stick to HD DVD. I prefer it. I am HD DVD to the end and will never support Blu-ray!

DV thanks for your info. Can you confirm how much Fox was offered? And do you think the WB contract is signed and done? Can they exit or make a change soon if Toshiba or MS offer more? Why the condition wrap around with getting Fox on board too? I thought the whole argument was when WB went HD DVD exclusive, others would follow suit anyway. And why did they abandon HD DVD at the last min? Seems fishy.

[amirm]

Originally Posted by BassTek

So how long until a book on the format war is released and we get to read about all the nitty gritty insider details?

There was a reason I said there were more "chapters" to be written .

I plan to move to one of those islands with no laws, and write and publish the book from there. Problem is, those places also don't have any copy protection laws either so I am not liable to make any money. If you have any ideas along that front, let me know.

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by amirm

For those HD DVD supporters who may be feeling down, I have this to tell you. Keep your chin up. The best thing about what is going on here, is still here and never changed! I am talking about witnessing the birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format. .

"The Birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format"?????
Please explain Amir.. As I am very happy going to Best Buy or going to Amazon to buy my High Def movie for about $20 each at the moment... And I can lend the movie to a friend or trade it for another movie without having to input any user codes or have any problems playing it back... In other words, why would I not want to have a hard copy of my movie to do with as I please?

Can you comment on where HD-DVD went wrong in your eyes as to the battle now that it is over? Why you think the consumer has picked Blu-ray overwhelmingly and why the player sale prices which were much lower not have an effect on the lead Blu-ray had?

[jonabbey]

Originally Posted by Supermans

Can you comment on where HD-DVD went wrong in your eyes as to the battle now that it is over? Why you think the consumer has picked Blu-ray overwhelmingly and why the player sale prices which were much lower not have an effect on the lead Blu-ray had?

Surely it's not politic to expect Amir to answer a question framed in that way?

As with so many other things in the technology space, the format war was network effects driven, and both sides were struggling with everything at their disposal to ensure that their network dominated in the space. Studio support, CE support, technical decisions, company politics, PS3 bundling, marketing successes and failures, release schedule and strength, and many more factors all contributed to the history that we have seen to date.

[Milt99]

Supermans,
Toshiba "went wrong" in not ponying up 620 million bucks and not being able to convince another Blu studio to go HD DVD exclusive.
That is the story pure and simple.
Anyone thinking the consumer had anything to do with this is deluded.

[amirm]

Originally Posted by Supermans

"The Birth and evolution of a next generation consumer delivery format"?????
Please explain Amir.. As I am very happy going to Best Buy or going to Amazon to buy my High Def movie for about $20 each at the moment... And I can lend the movie to a friend or trade it for another movie without having to input any user codes or have any problems playing it back... In other words, why would I not want to have a hard copy of my movie to do with as I please?

You read it too fast. I meant HD optical disc!

Can you comment on where HD-DVD went wrong in your eyes as to the battle now that it is over?

The battle is not over until everyone who produces technology and content is in one camp or gives up and moves on to something else. I have not heard this regarding any of the four companies.

Why you think the consumer has picked Blu-ray overwhelmingly and why the player sale prices which were much lower not have an effect on the lead Blu-ray had?

Consumer? I thought the news today was that Warner had picked Blu-ray. And that they were about to pick HD DVD if Fox had come. Two can play the word game, no?

[RudyMeister]

Originally Posted by amirm

There was a reason I said there were more "chapters" to be written .

I plan to move to one of those islands with no laws, and write and publish the book from there. Problem is, those places also don't have any copy protection laws either so I am not liable to make any money. If you have any ideas along that front, let me know.

amirm,
You can tell me all the details and I'll write the book quoting you as my "resource". This way you won't get into trouble for disclosing intelligence property or in fear of breaking any prior legal arrangements.

I'll make the money off of the books and will split it wth you.

P.S. In what capacity are you still with HD DVD? Will you still be around this forum for the foreseeable future?

[Dave Vaughn]

Originally Posted by Helvetian

I agree. I just happened to get an HDTV in August thanks to this site and because my old TV broke down. I then went with HD DVD due to the price and Paramount move. If this is really the end, I am out of them game for good. I won't be buying a BD player nor supporting the format. I think for me, it was only HD DVD. I have significantly invested in several HD DVD players and over 70 movies. I'm still buying Zodiac, Beowulf, Bee Movie, Elizabeth and others because at this point, what's another $20-$30 per movie? I simply refuse to switch and will stick to HD DVD. I prefer it. I am HD DVD to the end and will never support Blu-ray!

DV thanks for your info. Can you confirm how much Fox was offered? And do you think the WB contract is signed and done? Can they exit or make a change soon if Toshiba or MS offer more? Why the condition wrap around with getting Fox on board too? I thought the whole argument was when WB went HD DVD exclusive, others would follow suit anyway. And why did they abandon HD DVD at the last min? Seems fishy.

I don't know how much they were offered, but the contract is signed and done.

The format war needed to come to an end. I realize people have invested heavily in HD DVD, as have I, but I knew there was a chance one of the formats would fail, so I went in with my eyes open and I purchased a player for each. The software will still work though as long as your player does.

[trbarry]

Amir -

Has there been any progress in getting managed copy to work with BD+?

- Tom