Blu-Ray has won the Hi-Def war!

Post by **Randall** » August 20th, 2007, 9:42 pm

Wow, I'm shocked. Here's another link I found:

http://www.hollywoodinhidef.com/blog_detail.php?id=114

Really, I thought the term "war" had been misleading ever since Warner and Paramount went neutral. BUT this does now change things a little bit, though likely not enough for HD DVD. DreamWorks and Paramount likely don't have enough pull with film fans to make them abandon BluRay, though some Trekkies may decide to also buy into HD DVD. I'm sure Warner Bros. was also made an offer from MS but declined. Now, if Warner had decided to abandon BluRay, then that'd be a war again! As it is, this news certainly makes HD DVD stronger, but one wonders just how long this patient can be kept on life support.

On the other hand, as someone who owns a HD DVD player already, I have to admit to feeling a little more justified in my purchase decision. I'll be buying into BRD soon, too, so I'll have all my bases covered. But I know that most people won't want both formats, so that's too bad. Of course, no one said war was easy.

Post by **Ben** » August 21st, 2007, 8:24 am

In addition to Trek, this does put all the DWA titles in that bag too, as well as making the majority of Spielberg's output HD-DVD heavy...most are with Universal, Paramount or Warner Bros...all of which release to HD-DVD.

Now I must question whether to jump into BR this fall...

My worry is not that the format is going to lose, but if Paramount has set this precedent, just exactly <I>would</I> stop WB from rethinking its strategy and going HD again in a final ditch attempt to swing things back (after all, it's Toshiba and WB that have the biggest HD-DVD stakes).

I highly doubt Fox/MGM (and certainly not Disney) would even go format neutral, but things are now not as clear as they were by any stretch...

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » August 21st, 2007, 10:50 am

My thoughts on the mattter --

The format war resolution has been delayed by as much as up to a year (2009). I really thought we might see a resolution of this mess by the middle of next year at the latest, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Regardless of the interactiv features and qualities of both formats, it's ultimately the film product that determines what people go with. While WB has a slight edge in classic product release, those films aren't popular enough to sway most film-buyers to the HD-DVD camp. Blu-Ray still has the edge in overall product release capacity and popularity of product. Disney/Pixar trumps DreamWorks Animation at any rate.

I still think Disney's going to be a huge factor in convincing many to jump on the Blu-Ray wagon. I'd still go Blu-Ray in a heartbeat if I had the money myself. That's the future -- not HD-DVD.

Yes, HD-DVD is a more mature format BUT it has less growth potential than Blu-Ray and not enough space for computer enthusiasts. Sorry, but that 50GB of real estate will make a big difference in the end.

Next, Star Trek simply isn't a factor anymore in home video releases... Not since The Next Generation movies and Next Generation TV universe lamed that particular franchise. Unless J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI revamp revitalizes Trek, it's a big non-factor. Besides, who wants to pay $217 for one-third of a 40-year-old TV show that is STILL overpriced at $70 a season on current DVD? (I didn't pay MSRP for the first two seasons and I'm still waiting on a nice coupon to buy the Third Season. I will NOT pay $70 a pop per season of Trek as much as I love the series.) It's still far cheaper to buy ALL 3 season sets of Star Trek: The Original Series in DVD format than to pay $200 for one season in remastered high definition with so-so special defects!

Micro$oft has only bought a little time and a few battles but will still lose this war. Spreading loose change can only make you so many friends. It won't sway most consumers in the end.

In addition to software, people still want to own real estate, a tangible product that won't be lost if their hard drive crashes and something that doesn't require a book called "Downloading Movies for Idiots." Movie downloading in hi-def will be a nonstarter. A 22" flatscreen computer monitor still can't beat a TV set that's 40" or greater for a movie-viewing experience. Sure, some will love hi-def downloads, but I'd predict the vast majority of people will stick to 5" discs that don't require anything more than a simply operated player you plug into wall and TV set sockets.

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 10:56 am

This is one of the most egregious anti-consumer things I've ever seen a company do and all involved should be ashamed. Both camps have been saying all along that consumers will decide this format war. Apparently not true. Critics and media have been saying all along that a drawn out format war is bad for consumers and a decision needs to be made quickly. Apparently some don't care what's best for consumers.

Paramount and DreamWorks will rue the day they got in bed with Microsoft. Why? Many commentators have said LONG BEFORE this travesty occurred that Microsoft's hope is that NEITHER format will succeed because they think the future is HD downloads, a market they already have their foot in the door of.

This is a sad day for consumers and for HD.

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 10:58 am

If I were Sony I'd be giving $500 million to WB and Universal to go Blu exclusive if that is how Microsoft want to play this!

Post by **ShyViolet** » August 21st, 2007, 1:03 pm

Discussed here:

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... rmats.html

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » August 21st, 2007, 1:15 pm

James,

You pretty much reflect the sentiments that I've fallen into lately and that Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits has said for months.

I HATE this format war. It's the worst thing that could have happened for every consumer. It's going to drag high hi-def prices on longer and it's going to keep people from getting movies on the format that is becoming the de facto high-definition standard (Blu-Ray) whether HD-DVD advocates like it or not.

Seriously, I hope this blows up in Micro$oft's face.

This is the worst kind of consumer PR nightmare scheme M$ could have dreamed up for themselves in the end... in addition to all those X-Box 360s that are going to flame out in a "'Red Ring of Death" after they've overheated from playing Halo 3 too long come this fall. (Already, some estimates place the number of defective X-Box 360s at close to 1/3 of the total production run to date with no end in sight for the problem even after/if M$ switches to a less heat-intensive, more reliable chipset.)

Forcing an unwanted product war on people is just as bad as selling a defective gaming console.

It'll come back to bite M$ in the near future if there is any justice.

This ought to be conclusive proof to the last M$ deniers and fanboys that M$ is anything but a fair-practice competitor. They are monopolistic, scheming bullies in the worst sense of those words.

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 1:30 pm

If Paramount and DreamWorks would rather have corporate bribe money rather than give consumers what they want and take our money then they deserve the lack of support from consumers this will lead too. I, for one, will not be buying any DVDs from these two companies since they apparently would rather have Microsoft's money rather than my money. As an animation fan that will hurt a bit, but their decision is one of the worst anti-consumer actions they could have ever taken against their customers.

Post by **Ben** » August 21st, 2007, 2:19 pm

Good points all.

At the end of the day, James, SD versions of DWs films will be out there for those that can simply wait for HD to die properly and then pick them all up again in a few years on BR.

And while I agree with George that Disney/Pixar - especially the huge catalog obviously - trumps DWA, consumers are still going to be might peeved when those swayed by Disney's mall showcases go for Blu and then find they can't buy kids' favorite Shrek on the format.

All this will do is introduce new tricks into how each format is portrayed to consumers so they don't know what they'll be missing on the other, while prolonging things a little more than 2009, I would bet. With Disney unable to start laying out the REAL classics until Sleeping Beauty in over a year away, I'd be worrying that this Christmas is going to be full of "Shrek HD-DVD packs" with free copies of one of those films - probably Shrek The Turd - given away with the "under $200" players.

That's going to create A LOT of HD-DVD buyers..."mommy/daddy, I want the Shrek movie"..."hmmm, I want to get into HD, and this one has that funny green ogre thing for free...I can buy this for me and keep the kids happy"...

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 2:43 pm

from http://www.thedigitalbits.com/

So what Paramount and DreamWorks have just done, with Microsoft's financial urging, is to confuse consumers and retailers even more than they already are. The reality is, whether you like what they've done or not, you can't really blame Microsoft. All's fair in love and war... especially in a format war. Just like Sony, they want to keep their format going. But with Blu-ray Disc software since the start of the year outselling HD-DVD by a 2 or 3 to 1 margin, and with Blu-ray hardware sales pulling even with much cheaper HD-DVD hardware in recent weeks, the outcome of this thing was just starting to become clear to a lot of people. And aside from countering some of that momentum for Blu-ray, what this news today does is make the situation a lot more cloudy for consumers. All so that Paramount and DreamWorks can bank a few extras millions in the short term. But if this situation continues much longer, ALL of the studios will lose a lot more than that in the long term. High-def discs will do well within a tiny niche market of enthusiasts who can afford to buy two different pieces of hardware or combo players, but everyone else will shrug and stop caring. And that will be a terrible shame, because if that's the outcome, even the enthusiasts will ultimately lose.

Who really wins in that situation? Certainly not consumers or retailers. Not the Hollywood studios. But anyone who's trying to sell their movie download service will be smiling all the way to the bank, you can bet on that.

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 2:50 pm

Ben wrote:At the end of the day, James, SD versions of DWs films will be out there for those that can simply wait for HD to die properly and then pick them all up again in a few years on BR.

That is my point - I don't want to buy DVDs anymore if I don't have too. Without Microsoft's meddling, Paramount movies would continue to be available on both HD formats. I want the HD version - not the SD version on DVD. Thus my decision not to buy any more Paramount/DW DVDs even if they are the only format I can watch.

Has any company ever sold out to Microsoft and survived to tell the tale?

Post by **Ben** » August 21st, 2007, 3:40 pm

Then, that;'s what renting is for, right?

Man, this is such a stupid turnaround...it's certainly pulled the rug from under me. I wanted to avoid having to buy both decks, but a combi is looking the safer bet.

Still very stupid though.

Post by **Jeroen** » August 21st, 2007, 4:22 pm

Apparently Michael Bay will not be doing Transformers 2 because all of this.
Just a tad extreme me thinks.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=36512

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 4:33 pm

Not too extreme. Imagine if you were a film-maker and the studio announced your movies would not be available on both DVD and VHS but would instead be released only on VHS. While not a perfect analogy, it gets the point across that consumers have chosen the HD disc format they prefer. Even the studios had chose Blu-ray over HD-DVD before Microsoft decided to meddle in things.

Post by **James** » August 21st, 2007, 4:47 pm

More from http://www.thedigitalbits.com/

Disney announces Blu-ray Ratatouille to be released on the same day as Blu-ray Cars.

And more surprisingly - After Paramount made a big deal in their press release about their hit Transformers being an HD-DVD movie only, director Michael Bay has responded: "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!"