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Warner Bros goes Blu-ray exclusive beginning May 08
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:40 pm
by sbp
Oh snap-is the end of the format war in sight?
Just when I was about to buy a Toshiba HD DVD player too-waiting paid off.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssCons ... 0820080104
Straight from the horses mouth:
http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom ... 83,00.html
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 7:58 pm
by Executioner
It started with the Porn industry going bluray first.
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:01 pm
by nitro237
I hope this really does make an industry standard.
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 7:39 pm
by tunis5000
sbp wrote:
Just when I was about to buy a Toshiba HD DVD player too-waiting paid off.
Ditto here, no hurry to get this stuff yet. I'm waiting until I eventually get a new TV that has 2 HD inputs, then I'll snag a blu-ray with it...
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:52 pm
by nexus_7
Who just went HD exclusive right before transformers came out? This is getting crazy. Maybe sony will actually win won this century.
Greg
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:49 pm
by ZYFER
Yeah that was Paramount who went and did that. It is stupid because the Harry Potter series for example, is not over, yet they released them on both formats. I really don't see why not to do so anyway, when you go exclusive, only the customer is the one who is hurt.
For those interested, getting a PS3 is the best value for getting a Blu ray player. Even if it is the 40GB, it can play anything the others can and it can play games too. Also has the capability to be linked to a media server for video playback and it only takes a firmware update to support new features.
Other minor bonus is you can run Linux on it, or use it for folding when not using. That and the fact the add-on remote is Bluetooth and works far better than traditional infrared. Biggest issue with getting the 40GB one though is no PS2 game support.
The big thing about HD DVD and Blu Ray is it takes an update to support more layers for Blu Ray, for HD DVD, it takes a new player. HD DVD did do good with their combo discs though. The ones that are HD DVD on one side and DVD on the other. If you buy those, at least you know it will work one side or the other. Unfortunately, not all embrace that, Paramount did not even though they went HD DVD exclusive...
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:21 pm
by blade
Might want to wait, according to this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320945,00.html
One quote stands out,
<b>"The shift in the format struggle isn't a reason to run out and buy Blu-ray players, however: today's players can't take advantage of the features planned for future Blu-ray discs."</b>
On Monday, Panasonic parent Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. demonstrated prototypes that can handle the new interactive features coming to Blu-ray. This spring, Panasonic plans to introduce a player for the so-called BD-Live standard. It will be able to connect to the Internet to download movie trailers, and will be able to play simple games.
At the Blu-ray booth at CES, a prototype Panasonic player was showing an "Alien vs. Predator" movie in which the viewer can get involved by bringing up an on-screen gun, controlled by the remote, and shooting at monsters to score points.
In November, Panasonic launched the first player to include picture-in-picture capability, which allows viewers to watch the director or actor providing commentary in a small window while the movie plays full-screen.
HD DVD players have had most of these capabilities. Starting with the first ones sold, in 2006, Toshiba's players have had picture-in-picture capabilities and have been able to connect to the Internet to download trailers. Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, acknowledged in an interview that the HD DVD format had some advantages.
"The interactivity is more advanced on the HD DVD side, but I'm confident that we're going to get there" with Blu-ray, he said. HD DVD discs were also cheaper to produce, being more similar to traditional DVDs than Blu-ray discs. "There were cost advantages on the HD DVD side," Tsujihara said. However, "even with that price advantage, you weren't seeing the consumer move toward that format."
Warner's Blu-ray discs outsold their HD DVD rivals by three to two in the holiday season, not counting "Planet Earth" titles, which had an unusual following among owners of HD DVD players, Tsujihara said. Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 game console can already download and show high-definition movies, and Vudu Inc.'s Internet video set-top box started providing HD content in December.
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:00 pm
by ZYFER
Well with HD DVD being cheaper to produce, it means little when they aren't passing that to the consumer, why should consumers care about that?
If you want to run out and get a blu ray player, just get a PS3, you get easy firmware updates to support new features, a hard drive to store the trailers you can download, and it also has the side effect of being able to play video games which includes demos you can download...
They both have their good points, personally I think they would have been better off if they compromised and worked together. Instead we have this crap of a mess to deal with. With Warner going to Blu ray, it pretty much breaks the back of HD DVD. It also pisses off any consumers who purchased HD DVD version of Harry Potter to find out the rest will only be Blu ray. HD DVD only really have Paramount to itself, which doesn't even do the HD DVD combos which even Warner did... I do believe in the end, this is a nail in the coffin of HD DVD and a nail in the back of the head for consumers.
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:11 pm
by Badmojo
I dont get the big deal for Combo's since all the ones I've seen are $7-10 more with out the option to buy them at 28-30 for an HD only version.
Just glad I got the 360 HD addon and a 60gig ps3. The Longer this"war" last the better cause I've bought all but my boxsets for ~$12
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:00 pm
by ZYFER
Yes that is true, that is why I say they should get rid of standard HD DVDs, and dump the combos down to HD DVD's price.