Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

[aholbert32]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Did aholbert ever buy that dual player?

The release date has been moved up to December, and the MSRP from $999 to $799.

Stop Tempting Me! I'm trying to hold off but I dont think I'm going to make it. I went in to Best Buy yesterday and noticed that they are really pushing Blu Ray and have 3 times more Bluray titles than HD DVD. Makes me think I jumped on the wrong bandwagon.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Stop Tempting Me! I'm trying to hold off but I dont think I'm going to make it. I went in to Best Buy yesterday and noticed that they are really pushing Blu Ray and have 3 times more Bluray titles than HD DVD. Makes me think I jumped on the wrong bandwagon.

Well, if you have a combo player or both players...........it doesn't matter which format you jumped on. You are the winner since you can enjoy both formats.

[mgoblue]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Stop Tempting Me! I'm trying to hold off but I dont think I'm going to make it. I went in to Best Buy yesterday and noticed that they are really pushing Blu Ray and have 3 times more Bluray titles than HD DVD. Makes me think I jumped on the wrong bandwagon.

All the Blu-Ray stuff always tempts me to pick up a PS3, but never pushes me over the edge.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

New Wal-Mart "Secret Sale" Details Confirmed
Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 08:03 PM ET
Tags: Wal-Mart, High-Def Retailing, PlayStation 3, Toshiba (all tags)



Both high-def disc formats will be featured in Wal-Mart's next "secret sale" on Friday, but those hoping for price cuts akin to last month's $99 HD DVD player will be disappointed.

Instead, the word of the day appears to be "value-add," with the discount retailer offering up different freebies with purchase of hardware on both sides of the high-def format war.

On the Blu side of the aisle, Wal-Mart will be throwing in a free $50 Gift Card with purchase of the Blu-ray-enabled $399 40GB Playstation.

For those who lean red, the retailer will be offering Toshiba's HD-A3 and HD-A2 HD DVD players with five free HD DVD movies off the shelf -- that's in addition to the five free movies by mail (and in the case of the HD-A3, the two movies in the box). Both Toshiba players will be sold at list price -- $298 for the HD-A3, and $198 for the HD-A2.

[SLAYER]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

BusinessWeek: Next-Gen DVDs: Advantage, Sony

Sony-led backers of Blu-ray seem to have pulled ahead of rivals in the race for a single high-def DVD standard

by Ronald Grover and Cliff Edwards

It's a fight with more plot twists and intrigue than a Hollywood thriller. For two years now, rival camps have been battling over which new DVD format will prevail: Blu-ray, which is backed by Sony (SNE) and a consortium of 170 other companies, or HD DVD, which is being championed by Toshiba (TOSBF), Microsoft (MSFT), and others. Both technologies promise crisper video that looks better on the new generation of flat-panel, high-definition TVs. And the winner stands to control a lucrative new market worth billions. Each side has been competing to win the backing of the major movie studios. Only Warner Bros. (TWX), which currently uses both formats, is still playing hard to get.

Now, with the Jan. 7 International Consumer Electronics Show fast approaching, Sony and Toshiba are keen to announce they have won over Hollywood's last holdout. In the meantime, they are falling over themselves to woo Warner. While either side could prevail, the Sony group has suddenly emerged as the front-runner.

Why? Because despite a setback this summer when the HD DVD companies signed up Paramount Pictures (VIA) and DreamWorks Animation (DWA), the Blu-ray forces have still lined up more studios than the HD DVD side. Plus this year, the Sony team has sold more than twice as many discs. "The rumor is that Warner is coming aboard soon," says Michael Burns, vice-chairman of studio Lionsgate (LGF), which makes its movies available on the Sony-backed format. "That will make it awfully tough for HD DVD to stay in this game." (Sony declined to comment, and Toshiba only would say it is "in regular contact with the studios.")

From the beginning, the two camps' overarching strategy has been the same: getting access to as many movies as possible. It isn't hard to see why. Consumers will buy the new technology only if they believe most of the films they want will be available.

Right now the Blu-ray team has enough studios on board—among them Disney (DIS), Fox (NWS), and, of course, Sony—to account for about 49% of current DVD market share. Warner is a prolific film factory, releasing as many as 30 pictures a year, including those produced by sister studio New Line Cinema. Persuading it to sign an exclusive deal would give the Sony crowd about 70% of DVD market share. That could prompt the other studios to abandon HD DVD.

On the other hand, if Toshiba were to win Warner's hand, the two forces would divide the market between them. That could create mass consumer confusion and potentially strangle a new technology that the studios hope will give a lift to flagging DVD sales. That's exactly why Warner has long pushed for a single format.

WOOING WARNER

The battle has heated up since HD DVD got Paramount and DreamWorks Animation. Both sides have been beating a path to Warner's Burbank (Calif.) doorstep. Yoshihide Fujii, the head of Toshiba's HD DVD business in Japan, has made three trips to the U.S. since the summer, say those with knowledge of the situation. And while Andrew House, Sony's chief marketing officer, has been pressing the Blu-ray case, the stakes are sufficiently high that Sony CEO Howard Stringer has been making personal appeals to Richard Parsons and Jeffrey Bewkes, the two top executives at Warner parent Time Warner (TWX).

Toshiba is pressing the case that because its technology is cheaper, it will more quickly become a mass-market product. According to the DVD Release Report, an industry newsletter, the suggested retail price of an HD DVD is $31.74, nearly $2 less than Blu-ray's suggested price. (Retailers traditionally cut the price to less than $29.) Toshiba also has been cutting the price of its players, slashing its entry-level machine to $299 earlier this year.

It was price that prompted DreamWorks Animation and Paramount to throw in their lot with HD DVD earlier this summer. (Like Warner, Paramount had previously backed both formats.) "The game-changer for us was the hardware costs dramatically coming down to where it could succeed broadly for the consumer," says DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. "In addition, the software manufacturing costs in the future would be significantly lower than Blu-ray." Of course, it didn't hurt that Toshiba agreed to pay Paramount and DreamWorks Animation a combined $150 million in incentives, including money to license DreamWorks' Shrek character for marketing purposes.

The Blu-ray faction insists there is no burning reason for it to match HD DVD's prices. "We think Warner will respond to the fact that our greater number of titles gives us a greater likelihood of being the single standard," says Andy Parsons, who leads the Blu-ray lobbying effort. But another executive backing Blu-ray, who didn't want to be identified, expects the imminent arrival of a sub-$300 Blu-ray machine.

What's more, Hollywood insiders say the $150 million that the Toshiba group showered on Paramount and DreamWorks Animation radically changed the game. These people suggest the Blu-ray team is so determined to win that it will throw hundreds of millions of dollars of marketing support behind Blu-ray equipment if Warner gets on board.

Warner isn't talking, but people close to the situation say the studio is waiting to see which group sells more of the new-fangled DVD players this holiday season. "Warner wants one of the two sides to make a commitment to getting this format into as many hands as possible," says a studio executive with knowledge of its thinking.

So far Toshiba has eked out a lead. According to industry tracker Adams Media Research, by the end of this year as many as 578,000 U.S. households will own HD DVD players, compared with 370,000 that have Blu-ray players. Adams also estimates there are 300,000 more HD DVD players in circulation inside Microsoft Xbox game consoles. But that still pales in comparison to the estimated 4 million Blu-ray-equipped Sony PlayStation 3 consoles sold in the U.S.

The Blu-ray side has another advantage. Disney caters to families, who buy lots of older films for their kids. That could help the format build critical mass. "The Blu-ray customer is more likely to build a new library," says market researcher Richard Doherty. "Studios live for [that]."

That leaves one question. If the Sony camp wins Warner, will the other studios ditch HD DVD? They're not saying. But Dreamworks Animation and Paramount only signed on with the Toshiba side for 18 months. So then they could take the money and run.

Good read.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

BusinessWeek: Next-Gen DVDs: Advantage, Sony



Good read.

It was a good read.........but I still think it all hinges on this:

Warner isn't talking, but people close to the situation say the studio is waiting to see which group sells more of the new-fangled DVD players this holiday season. "Warner wants one of the two sides to make a commitment to getting this format into as many hands as possible," says a studio executive with knowledge of its thinking.

If Toshiba pulls ahead this Christmas with SAL players sold, and if this is what Warner is looking at, then BD could be screwed. I think this guy is a little off, because if Warner goes to HD-DVD the war is over...........if Warner goes to BD the war is over. At that point there is no way that either company could fight back.........WARNER is like that hot girl on the block that all the guys want to get with, but only 1 may end up walking away with.

Does that mean if Warner goes exclusive, how does it affect New Line Cinema ?

Just my opinion.

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Warner isn't going exclusive any time soon. I think you can bank on that. If they do, it'll be to Blu ray IMO. WB doesn't like the region free settings of HD-DVD. Never has.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

This is one small reason why I despise BD Marketing tactics, this is from a Sony Insider:

Sorry that I have not been on the forum lately. Work has been very busy and that combined with travel and the holidays as made it hard to keep up.

Some good news. I met with the folks at Sony Computer Entertainment America recently and met with a gentlemen there who can monitor and post hear from time to time. It will be much better for you to get first hand information from this fellow than for me to try passing information back and forth....

More good news, watch for promotions at the major retailers next week...

Thanks to all for your patience...

See, Sony can't fight title vs. title...............so they have to release B1G1 or B2G1 free deals when HD-DVD releases big titles. I laugh at this and makes you wonder if the studios are also seeing this when breaking down the actual numbers. Bourne Ultimatum releases next week and it has Sony scared...........................LOL!

In the end were the winners because these studios are fire selling hardware, software, etc. I have built a nice collection off of these sales and I know the rest of you have also.........so let them keep coming. I just hope we have some quality titles this time.

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

This is one small reason why I despise BD Marketing tactics, this is from a Sony Insider:

Sorry that I have not been on the forum lately. Work has been very busy and that combined with travel and the holidays as made it hard to keep up.

Some good news. I met with the folks at Sony Computer Entertainment America recently and met with a gentlemen there who can monitor and post hear from time to time. It will be much better for you to get first hand information from this fellow than for me to try passing information back and forth....

More good news, watch for promotions at the major retailers next week...

Thanks to all for your patience...

See, Sony can't fight title vs. title...............so they have to release B1G1 or B2G1 free deals when HD-DVD releases big titles. I laugh at this and makes you wonder if the studios are also seeing this when breaking down the actual numbers. Bourne Ultimatum releases next week and it has Sony scared...........................LOL!

In the end were the winners because these studios are fire selling hardware, software, etc. I have built a nice collection off of these sales and I know the rest of you have also.........so let them keep coming. I just hope we have some quality titles this time.

I don't think Sony is scared, but if you don't have a big title to counter with Bourne being HD-DVD only, then you do something else to keep the swing on your side. It's all about marketing.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

I don't think Sony is scared, but if you don't have a big title to counter with Bourne being HD-DVD only, then you do something else to keep the swing on your side. It's all about marketing.

True.

This is awesome news from someone at highdefdigest.

On the occasion of the release of Blade Runner on Blu-ray and HD DVD, Sound and Vision Magazine has an excellent article on how Warner is restoring its films for highdef release and archival. The writer is given a tour of the facilities, which are very impressive.

Evidently, the studio is now working on The Enforcer, the third of the Dirty Harry films:


Warner Bros. motion picture imaging technical director Jan Yarbrough
does color correction and enhancement for the 4K transfer of The Enforcer.

[SLAYER]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

See, Sony can't fight title vs. title...............so they have to release B1G1 or B2G1 free deals when HD-DVD releases big titles. I laugh at this and makes you wonder if the studios are also seeing this when breaking down the actual numbers. Bourne Ultimatum releases next week and it has Sony scared...........................LOL!

In the end were the winners because these studios are fire selling hardware, software, etc. I have built a nice collection off of these sales and I know the rest of you have also.........so let them keep coming. I just hope we have some quality titles this time.

You say that as if blu-rays have been on BOGO, B2G1 free deals all year. They've outsold HD DVD every week this year in movies sold, with or without a sale. The "actual" numbers would still favor BR. When HD DVD has a big title, the BDA holds a promotion to retain the lead. As EG said, they do it to keep momentum. Seems smart to me. They keep their numbers, and we, consumers, reap the benefits.

[Lintyfresh85]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Interesting take from Michael Bay on this war...

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_2/news/1695773/

Could be talking out his ***... or he might be on to something.

[SLAYER]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Michael Bay confuses me, and I'm willing to bet, himself as well.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

You say that as if blu-rays have been on BOGO, B2G1 free deals all year. They've outsold HD DVD every week this year in movies sold, with or without a sale. The "actual" numbers would still favor BR. When HD DVD has a big title, the BDA holds a promotion to retain the lead. As EG said, they do it to keep momentum. Seems smart to me. They keep their numbers, and we, consumers, reap the benefits.

I know what you mean, saw his post, you can't blame them for trying to maintain the lead. Just like anyone could argue about HD-DVD fire selling players at $99 to get the SAL #'s up.

Interesting take from Michael Bay on this war...

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_2/news/1695773/

Could be talking out his ***... or he might be on to something.

Michael Bay confuses me, and I'm willing to bet, himself as well.

Michael Bay I think has completely lost it. He is so upset about no Transformers on BD that he will make any old comments and then retract them no matter how bad it makes him look.

We all know that MS wants digital distribution to succeed since they have pumped so many dollars into it, but I doubt their trying to slow this HD format war down. I just can't see digital dist. of movies taking off and replacing physical product anytime soon, so prolonging this war is dumb by MS if that is what their doing.

[SLAYER]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

A lot of titles $9.99, $13.99 @ JR.com

Yessir.

Buyer beware, the last time they had a deal, they dragged their feet on shipping/processing my order. I haven't heard complaints from others, but still wanted to post a heads-up.