The war for the next generation DVD may be nearing an end.
Warner Bros will be Blu-Ray exclusively beginning in May 2008. Currently, the studio releases high defintion movies on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Those two formats -- Sony behind Blu-Ray and Toshiba behind HD-DVD -- are in a VHS vs. Betamax fight for the living room.
Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer said his company's Blu-Ray switch is a "strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want."
Meyer also said one format must win soon.
"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."
Currently Universal and Paramount are the two studios that are HD-DVD exclusive. Warner, Sony, 20th Century Fox, New Line, LionsGate, MGM, Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Warner and Buena Vista are now behind Blu-Ray.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I'm really getting tired of studios "determining" what people want. I adopted both formats early and honestly have preferred HD-DVD with their bonus menus and combo discs to Blu-rays infinite versions 1.0,1.1, soon to release 2.0 that not all players support. Plus the HD-DVD players are cheaper. I would hope that if this is truely a war the HD-DVD camp will have some sort of counter punch for Bluray. As this war has severely driven down the prices of the HD formats at a phenomenal rate. This is a win for nobody if Bluray wins and disc prices have no reason to fall below 30-35 dollars because you can kiss all the buy one get one, buy two get one offers goodbye.
Warner Brothers sucks. I have been a faithful backer of DVD and then HD-DVD for over ten years now, and WB have always been good guys. Not anymore. I'm not switching to Blu-ray until I absolutely have no other choice.
Of course, Langston the Sony Fanboy is no doubt elated at this decision by WB to screw a ton of their customers.
Sad day for consumers indeed. We're going to be left with expensive blu-ray movies, no discounts, no extras, and no effort to distinguish them from DVD's now. HD DVD was such a great product. I wont buy BD until Profile 2.0 players are out and under 100 bux - figure that will be a few years.
Great now we will "benefit" from extremely tight regional coding. They must have thrown Warner Bros. a pretty substantial amount of money like when HD-DVD persuaded Paramount. Warner Bros. numerous times stated their neutrality claiming the consumers would determine their decision. What a bunch of bull because HD movies in general are still a much smaller segment than DVD. So because people aren't adapting to a HD format now they will just choose on their own without waiting on the people. Have they thought that maybe people just don't want an HD Format yet, or do they believe that everyone is just waiting on the war to end before deciding. People that are waiting might not necessarily be waiting for bluray or HD-DVD but for Digital Distribution which most other mediums have moved to and even videogames have touched on......
Well, I have never been Langston's biggest fan, but he had balls enough to name Xbox 360 as console of the year, so I will have to postpone chiming in on his fanboyism of all things Sony.
For now.
Alright Mr Wertz, too bad the posters above are all morons...
so... Bluray will be victorious if Paramount follows suit... then Universal and dreamworks are the only HD-DVD sole supporters
"Paramount is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp that would allow it to change sides if Warner Bros backed Blu-ray, the Financial Times said" taken from
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST20151820080108
And people like the above poster shows how people will blindly follow a company. If you read any articles other than the ones you cherry pick it would show that Paramount came back quick with a statement confirming their continued support of HD-DVD....Yet I'm the moron because I chose to look at the format war from a financial and experience driven perspective. Do you currently own both formats? Bluray players announced at the CES this year ranged from 300-700 dollars, don't see the average consumer jumping on that wagon anytime soon. Even if bluray wins the war they haven't won the market which should have been the main goal in the first place. HD-DVD actually tried to get it right by lowering the prices to try and get it to pick up some mainstream success as a competitor to regular DVDs....Bluray now just competes with itself for nothing....HOORAY!!!!
Post a Comment