January 7, 200818 yr HD-DVD suffers serious setback as biggest maker of DVDs abandons... Just two days before Bill Gates' Consumer Electronics Show keynote, Microsoft's chosen next-gen video format suffered a major setback. Late Friday, movie and television studio Warner Bros. announced that it is discontinuing its support of the HD-DVD format, and will release its high-definition home video offerings solely on Blu-ray Disc beginning this coming May. Currently, the company, which controls nearly 18 to 20 percent of the US home video market, supports both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. "Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term," said Barry Meyer, Warner Bros.' chairman and CEO, in a statement. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers." Warner Bros. joins a host of other movie studios--including the Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, and Lionsgate--who are backing the Blu-ray format. More importantly for gamers, Blu-ray was created by Sony, which has included an internal BD disc drive as part of all four PlayStation 3 models released since November 2006. Besides movie studios Universal and Paramount, HD-DVD is backed by Microsoft, which released an external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 in November 2006. It recently denied rumors that it is working on a version of the Xbox 360 which would have an internal HD-DVD drive. Toshiba, which led development of HD-DVD at the same time it was partnering with Sony to create the PS3's cell processor, was openly shocked by today's events. "Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD-DVD," the company said in a terse statement. "We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD-DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD-DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007." Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Disney have already announced they would produce exclusively for blu ray earlier Blu Ray is no longer the future, it's now. Seems like Sony's choice to have blu-ray on the ps3 wasn't a waste. blu ray disk devices are about the same price as ps3 so expect increases in ps3 sales bad news for 360 owners
January 7, 200818 yr Universal and Paramount are still exclusive to HD-DVD, so perhaps all is not lost. Indy500fan posted this useful link yesterday... http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/04/hd- ... o-blu-ray/
January 7, 200818 yr o.O Won't they lose a lot of money? Because nobody I know uses a BluRay Player... some use a PS3, though. But I suppose their HD-TV Discs will keep circulating. Source please? I want to see if this change is immediate or if they'll kind of gradually ease into it. sleep like dead men wake up like dead men
January 7, 200818 yr Author o.O Won't they lose a lot of money? Because nobody I know uses a BluRay Player... some use a PS3, though. But I suppose their HD-TV Discs will keep circulating. Source please? I want to see if this change is immediate or if they'll kind of gradually ease into it. they will have to use one now if they want to watch movies. ps3's are cheaper than most standard blu ray players. Warner said it would continue releasing in the HD DVD format until the end of May, although those releases would follow the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases. sources are quite easy to find on the net
January 7, 200818 yr Great news, iv been supporting Blu-ray for ages =D We can breath in space, they just don't want us to escape
January 7, 200818 yr o.O Won't they lose a lot of money? Because nobody I know uses a BluRay Player... some use a PS3, though. But I suppose their HD-TV Discs will keep circulating. Source please? I want to see if this change is immediate or if they'll kind of gradually ease into it. they will have to use one now if they want to watch movies. ps3's are cheaper than most standard blu ray players. Warner said it would continue releasing in the HD DVD format until the end of May, although those releases would follow the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases. sources are quite easy to find on the net Yes, but it's 4 in the morning and I'm lazy. :P Well, it was inevitable that BluRay would triumph valiantly over HD-TV... err, HD-DVD, I mean. :oops: :wall: sleep like dead men wake up like dead men
January 7, 200818 yr It does look like Blu-Ray will win. However I don't plan to get a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player until one format is the official main one. Plus, we don't have a HD TV in our house so there is no need yet to step up from usual DVDs : Retired 8th October 2007 | 99 Fishing | 99 Cooking | Owner of a Red Mask and 2 Santa Hats |
January 7, 200818 yr I think that by july blu-ray will have so many studio's adopting it that it will kill off HD-DvD.Unless studios do a 180 and revert to HD-DVD then it will be over.Blu-ray is selling more and its the one technically preffered by studios. Obviousley teh discs will still be in circulation after the win for a year or so whilst teh back catalogs are being conveted but i think this is a critical blow for blu-ray.
January 8, 200818 yr Very interesting, although i wont be affected in a negitive way (i own a ps3) :XD: Sorry guys, i am no longer Squidward. TIF mods cracked down on me :(
January 8, 200818 yr [hide]HD-DVD suffers serious setback as biggest maker of DVDs abandons... Just two days before Bill Gates' Consumer Electronics Show keynote, Microsoft's chosen next-gen video format suffered a major setback. Late Friday, movie and television studio Warner Bros. announced that it is discontinuing its support of the HD-DVD format, and will release its high-definition home video offerings solely on Blu-ray Disc beginning this coming May. Currently, the company, which controls nearly 18 to 20 percent of the US home video market, supports both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. "Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term," said Barry Meyer, Warner Bros.' chairman and CEO, in a statement. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers." Warner Bros. joins a host of other movie studios--including the Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, and Lionsgate--who are backing the Blu-ray format. More importantly for gamers, Blu-ray was created by Sony, which has included an internal BD disc drive as part of all four PlayStation 3 models released since November 2006. Besides movie studios Universal and Paramount, HD-DVD is backed by Microsoft, which released an external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 in November 2006. It recently denied rumors that it is working on a version of the Xbox 360 which would have an internal HD-DVD drive. Toshiba, which led development of HD-DVD at the same time it was partnering with Sony to create the PS3's cell processor, was openly shocked by today's events. "Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD-DVD," the company said in a terse statement. "We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD-DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD-DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007." Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Disney have already announced they would produce exclusively for blu ray earlier Blu Ray is no longer the future, it's now. Seems like Sony's choice to have blu-ray on the ps3 wasn't a waste. blu ray disk devices are about the same price as ps3 so expect increases in ps3 sales bad news for 360 owners[/hide] :shock: I can't afford a PS3!!! :ohnoes: Oh well, there's always crappy quality free movies online! :twisted: Only kidding. O:) I don't run races to see who's the fastest, I run to see who has the most guts. -PreCurrently the best beat out there:Minuit jacuzzi (DatA Remix) - TEPR
January 8, 200818 yr ..And to think video cassettes were the big thing. :lol: *sigh*...VHS. Those were the days. Those were the days... I don't run races to see who's the fastest, I run to see who has the most guts. -PreCurrently the best beat out there:Minuit jacuzzi (DatA Remix) - TEPR
January 8, 200818 yr Oh well, there's always crappy quality free movies online! :twisted: Only kidding. O:) In the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war my favourite format is DVDrip.XviD.acc.avi :D .
January 8, 200818 yr Author ..And to think video cassettes were the big thing. :lol: *sigh*...VHS. Those were the days. Those were the days... to be honest, i never thought dvd's would catch on vhs' were so cool :XD: i own a ps3 but don't own any movies on blu ray disc lol
January 8, 200818 yr I still think dvd's will be the major format for a while to come now. At least until blue ray or Hd Dvd players drop in price. At the moment i just don't see the quality increase for Dvd versus blue ray.
January 8, 200818 yr At the moment i just don't see the quality increase for Dvd versus blue ray. I agree but I think they can basically force the market into going to a HD format (once there is a clear winner in this war) just by gradually reducing support & investment in the standard DVD format. Price does put me off both HD formats at the moment but if they removed any alternative (regular DVD) then I would end up going HD. He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. - Aeschylus (525 BC - 456 BC)
January 8, 200818 yr Could it be...that the PS3 might actually pull out of its slump? :o Well, big slap in the face for PS3 haters if it does. I hope to be getting a PS3 by the end of the year, but I'll be sticking with DVD's for as long as possible...they're cheaper, plus I mainly rent movies I want to see (MVP at Hollywood vid. ftw). So hopefully renting places would start stocking Blu-Ray movies fairly soon. "El que no arriesga no gana"
January 8, 200818 yr Yeah it suggests that once Blu-Ray does rule out on top, people will want to buy a PS3 because its a cheap Blu-Ray player compared to the other players on the market. I still use VHS to record TV programmes :XD: Retired 8th October 2007 | 99 Fishing | 99 Cooking | Owner of a Red Mask and 2 Santa Hats |
January 8, 200818 yr Even if PS3 sales go up... It doesn't necessarily mean Sony is 'benefiting'. They probably had to pay a crapload of money to those studios in 'production support fees' and other payments to convince them of a large move like this. Probably talking about billions here even if it's not official news.
January 8, 200818 yr While it's true that Sony will probably have had to shell out a lot for this, I'm sure there will be profit in it for them. Big corporations like Sony aren't in the habit of spending cash without aiming to squeeze profit out of it. He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. - Aeschylus (525 BC - 456 BC)
January 9, 200818 yr Author Even if PS3 sales go up... It doesn't necessarily mean Sony is 'benefiting'. They probably had to pay a crapload of money to those studios in 'production support fees' and other payments to convince them of a large move like this. Probably talking about billions here even if it's not official news. even if you're main incentive for buying a ps3 is the blu ray player, you will be suckered into buying games simply because it can play games ps3 is an entertainment center with music, movies, chats, internet but it is a gaming system before any of those. if they have a ps3, they will surely buy games for it even if it wasn't the reason why they bought the ps3
January 9, 200818 yr even if you're main incentive for buying a ps3 is the blu ray player, you will be suckered into buying games simply because it can play games ps3 is an entertainment center with music, movies, chats, internet but it is a gaming system before any of those. if they have a ps3, they will surely buy games for it even if it wasn't the reason why they bought the ps3 That's not really all that true. I bought a Wii around 1 year ago, and I have only bought one game for it, about 4 months ago. Although it's not exactly the same thing because I didn't buy the Wii for the other stuff.
January 9, 200818 yr I honestly can't tell much of a difference between HD-DVD and Blu-ray compared to a normal dvd on a decent TV It seems that the ps3 will have a *slight* sales boost. Quit Runescape 30th May 2006.Thanks to Hawkxs for my signature :)
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