Warner Bros to back Blu-ray DVD format exclusively

[Cormier6083]

Well, renting disques with your system is always an option. That's what I do.

[Venomous]

Glad it will end Soon One Format is way better.

[soniqstylz]

What if Bill Gates decides to announce a BD drive attachment for the X360 now? :p

They already said it was possible, and that they would if Blu-ray would come out the victor.

[williamhook]

And I just got an HD-DVD player for Christmas. #####!

[Cormier6083]

They already said it was possible, and that they would if Blu-ray would come out the victor.

Would be sad if that's so. I mean, they're developing technology (HDi) for HD-DVD.

[Argi]

Their loss, I aint buying blu-ray - DRM filled junk.

[Ayepecks]

Would be sad if that's so. I mean, they're developing technology (HDi) for HD-DVD.

Erm, why is that sad? One, it's different divisions of Microsoft; two, of course they'd support a format should it win. Why wouldn't they?

[soniqstylz]

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=803

That pretty much says everything, Warner saw that BD outsold HD DVD every week this year. That pretty much sealed the deal and I'm pretty sure Dreamworks and Paramount were locked up for a few years in the deal last year weren't they? So we can't expect any Blu titles for the next while?

Its definitely over, Blu-Ray has 6 out of the 8 main studios.

Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Sony, Warner, Universal Studios and Paramount

I think Paramount's deal was for 18 months.

I have to give Warner credit, they didn't just pull the rug out on HD-DVD. They're still releasing until May, so those who got their players for x-mas will still have new (and maybe even catalogue) stuff to watch.

And it may have already been posted (I obviously haven't read all of this thread), but HD-DVD cancelled their CES conference. Ouch.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/04/hd-dvd-...of-warner-anno/

[AlphaPrime]

So if some people bought a Big Mac because they wanted it and others had a gun held to their head*, you'd find that a fair deal?

* this is metaphor comparing movie studio's exclusivities, forcing the customer to buy their product in only 1 format, while said format was a purchase made by the format's other supporters, leaving the consumer 1 choice; buy it on our format or don't get it at all

Pretty ****ty metaphor. Both formats are guilty of paying for exclusivity. Infact, it happens in most industries. It's called business. Blu-ray is 'tainted', HD-DVD is 'tainted', we get it. Now do you actually want a format to win or not? Because if you want to wait for an 'innocent' company to come in and save us from the moneyhats, we'd never get HD media.

Warner, Paramount, Dreamworks all sold movies on both formats. There was higher demand for Blu-ray, what more proof do you need. 2 went against demand, 1 went for it, and here we are.

[ctebah]

obviously warner picked blu because of week after week of constant outselling. what i find funny is how many people were saying that software sales right now aren't important and that the lead by blu-ray is insignificant. talk about irony.

[Joel]

Pretty ****ty metaphor. Both formats are guilty of paying for exclusivity. Infact, it happens in most industries. It's called business. Blu-ray is 'tainted', HD-DVD is 'tainted', we get it. Now do you actually want a format to win or not? Because if you want to wait for an 'innocent' business to come in and save us, we'd never get HD media.

Sigh.

I already said both camps did it.

No, I didn't really want a certain format to win. I bought into one format recently, based on price and future reliability in the hardware area. If there existed a BD player for the same price that was essentially future-proof, I'd have bought it.

I never said anything about "an innocent business", just a realistic reaction to real, not forced, demand.

Is someone else going to come along and ask me what I've already said?

[kak]

At this point, it doesn't matter. I'm glad a format is on its way to becoming the final format. I'm tired of hearing about the boohooing about the final spec of Blu-Ray players. Its special features. If they're worth that much to you, wait. Besides, the 40GB PS3 is $399 which is in range with a few HD-DVD players right? The 20GB was $299 @ Toys-R-Us a few weeks ago. Look around. There are deals. It is cutting edge tech, its going to be expensive. Anyone who believes that HD-DVD would have come down this far in price without Blu-Ray is hilariously mistaken.

[soniqstylz]

isn't there already talk that Universal is going Blu-ray at CES or sometime in March/April of this year....

plus New Line has now gone Blu-ray as well....

They won't jump exclusive. Neutral, maybe. Rumor was that Uni execs were nosing around Blu-ray replication plants several times last year. May add up to nothing. Paramount is locked in, and should keep that money. It's doubtful they'd make $150 million in the next year from HD movies. Especially with the $500 million they got for downloads from MS.

[AlphaPrime]

I already said both camps did it.

No, I didn't really want a certain format to win. I bought into one format recently, based on price and future reliability in the hardware area. If there existed a BD player for the same price that was essentially future-proof, I'd have bought it.

I never said anything about "an innocent business", just a realistic reaction to real, not forced, demand.

I know you did, so why go on about it if you knew that in reality, it was never going to happen. And as you left out of my quote, movie sales from 3 studios already showed BR had the lead. That's the best we were going to get to a realistic view of the demand. The writing has been on the wall for some time.

And why wouldn't you want a one format future. I mean besides that you put down money for the other format, a stalemate is not a good thing to continue to happen. It's just not good for HD media in general. One standard is the best way to go, obviously Warner wanted this since apparently they would have went to HD-DVD if FOX had joined them, just to end the war. If it continued, we wouldn't get some of the great older titles (eg. George Lucas doesn't want to release Star Wars in HD until the format war had been decided). One format brings more support, more movies, more titles in stores, more compatibility, more HDTV boxsets etc, etc. If you can't see that, then oh well.

[Cormier6083]

Is New Line owned by Warner Bros?

[ObiWanToby]

Is HD-DVD pretty much dead, for certain now?

[sn00pie]

Intelman, with 2 out of the 8 main studios, its safe to assume that its pretty much finished.

[Cormier6083]

You know, I'm begining to think that Micro$oft could care less about this. Now they have more time to focus on digital downloads.

[soniqstylz]

Is New Line owned by Warner Bros?

Yes.

Which means LotR coming to Blu, as well as Star Wars and Indiana Jones (Lucas wasn't releasing anything in HD until the war was over). :) Geeks rejoice!

[iconboy]

why do people dislike hddvd so much? i thought it was a descent format and i actually like the way it handles menus during playback compared to bluray

[AlphaPrime]

why do people dislike hddvd so much? i thought it was a descent format and i actually like the way it handles menus during playback compared to bluray

There are a lot of people who like it, it's a good format really. But sales-wise it had the least chance of winning and ending the format war.

It would have been good if Toshiba and Sony joined their formats to avoid this mess before it happened.

[NateB1]

Yes.

Which means LotR coming to Blu, as well as Star Wars and Indiana Jones (Lucas wasn't releasing anything in HD until the war was over). :) Geeks rejoice!

You mean rich geeks rejoice. I'm a geek who likes Star Wars and LOTR, but like I stated before, I'm going to have to miss out for half a decade until the prices drop into my price range or I inherit a windfall from an unknown uncle.

Yay.

[Joel]

I know you did, so why go on about it if you knew that in reality, it was never going to happen. And as you left out of my quote, movie sales from 3 studios already showed BR had the lead. That's the best we were going to get to a realistic view of the demand. The writing has been on the wall for some time.

Dear God, people read selectively, don't they?

It's not a realistic indication of demand if you were basically forced to choose between the formats based on which studio released what film on which format, when the studios may have gone exclusive to one based solely on the cash they were offered. It skews the numbers.

[DELTETHISACCOUNT]

Honestly, you can get a good Samsung Blu-Ray player for $300. About the same price as a Toshiba HD-A30. So there's no reason to complain...

[ctebah]

You mean rich geeks rejoice. I'm a geek who likes Star Wars and LOTR, but like I stated before, I'm going to have to miss out for half a decade until the prices drop into my price range or I inherit a windfall from an unknown uncle.

Yay.

i doubt you will have to wait 6 months. after all in the last 6 months we have seen prices of blu-ray players going down sharply, whether it was the ps3 or the standalone ones.