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About This Page: This is a discussion on Computers/Tech/Photo within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. Didn't see this anywhere. Although I hate Blockbuster, I support Blu-ray so this is good news.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070618/...5kLfnpFDcE1vAI
Hopefully those hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD discs get used, the technology exists...
And it's going to cost you more for them too. Screw Warner for even coming up with dual format disc. Because of the thickness limitations, it restricts how many layers can be used. So, an image quality issue comes into play, as well as the lacking of extras. So, no, eff that. On top of the fact that both sides cannot (right now) be created in the same location.
Some notes of interest: Universal and The Weinstein Company are the only "studios" that are HD DVD exclusive. What's interesting is that the Weinsteins have another exclusive contract of their own: a 4-year rental deal with Blockbuster that's only been in place since 11/06. I bet they (TWC) go neutral soon. If not, that would be 1450 more stores that DON'T have an HD copy of their titles. If you don't think that would sting, think about it this way:
If your studio has 10 HD titles, and each store only carried 4 of each for rental, that would 5800 more rental ops. What's the point of the exclusive rental deal if their HD titles are regulated to 250 stores? (The test store count that Blockbuster said they would continue carrying HD DVD at.)
Now it's just a matter of time, not when, Universal goes neutral or Blu-ray. Again, I have a few contacts at UHV and everyone there knows the future of HD DVD but the President.
So, we'll see.
Last edited by Unfiltered; June 19th, 2007 at 02:47 PM.
sweet! i have a ps3 (which i bought for blu ray). at least i'll know i can use it for something. i just wish it had more exclusive titles so i can justify having it and a 360
__________________ Cornell Hockey - LETS GO RED!!!!
It's all becoming clear why HD-DVD is the cheaper format - it's handicapped by its support. Even the exclusive titles that are being released from Universal currently are rushed, sub-par transfers just to pump up the release numbers.
4Q this year should be the big knock out punch. As the box office chugs along, the potential blockbusters are all coming from studios that are either Blu-Ray exclusive (Spiderman 3, Pirates, Die Hard) or format neutral (Shrek, Transformers, Harry Potter). Universal has a hit in a comedy that probably won't help sell a high-flair format in Knocked Up, and I think they'll take a bath with Evan Almighty.
Assuming the BDA can get Fox back on board with releases (BD+ is supposed to be working any day, which was their rumored sticking point), and Anchor Bay just declaring Blu-ray exclusive today as well, I don't think that dirt cheap players are going to be able to survive in a market with a shoddy selection of titles.
Anyone who has owned/watched the Pirates movies in Blu-ray can't deny that with a full 50GB available for a title, the results are extremely impressive.
Unfortunately the future of HD-DVD isn't very positive. I was always a supporter of hddvd because of the economic players.
However, I was always upset that they never came out with a public hd-dvd r/w drive. Sure they have been built, but they aren't in circulation. If I'm paying upwards of 30 bucks a movie I want to back that ***** up. I've also noticed that Dell has now integrated BD players and burners in their higher end units. Industry is now making this decision for the consumers since this "war" has taken over a year without a clear victor.
I'll end up selling my hd-dvd player here pretty soon as soon as I see another jump to BD.
If history is to repeat itself anything supported by Blockbuster will be a bust. I hope Netflix is smart enough to carry both versions.
This won't effect Blockbuster's battle with Netflix too much, as Blockbuster will still offer HD-DVD through their online program.
This is bad for HD-DVD because consumers (currently renting DVDs, and usually new releases) will see the presence of Blu-ray in store. Not to mention the press that was generated by this announcement. (I actually heard about it on the local Vegas news on Monday, not having access to the internet at the time.) This made it into a lot of channels, and public perception is going to play a big role when all is said and done.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, price will always be a factor, but it will not be the deciding factor in this war. Families looking to invest in a new video format are going to look at the rack of movies, and when they see a company like Disney firmly planted in the Blu-Ray side of the field, it won't be a difficult decision for them.
I hope Netflix is smart enough to carry both versions.
They have since both formats were released. But like dgrycan said, the public perception has been heavily swayyed whether they patron Blockbuster or not. They see a big chain like BB making this move, they think "there must be something behind that Blu-ray thingy."
Seriously though. I've seen it first hand at NBC where I work. A couple of guys talking about how it effects the company since Uni is HD DVD exclusive. Of course, they're bringing it up for a different reason than the consumer, but they only were talking about it because of Monday's announcement. I never heard from either of these guys about HD DVD or Blu-ray before then.
There is something that I'm a bit confused about. Sony OWNS MGM and Fox is only distributing the MGM titles for them. So, if Sony is Fox's boss in this scenario, why is Fox dictating the release dates of MGM titles? Why isn't Sony just saying to Fox "put them out, you clowns?" Weird.
Last edited by Unfiltered; June 20th, 2007 at 05:59 AM.
Format wars aside, that is a strange decision. I mean I could saying that if a movie is available in both formats you will pick the bluray, but if a movie only comes in HDDVD why wouldn't you carry it?
Format wars aside, that is a strange decision. I mean I could saying that if a movie is available in both formats you will pick the bluray, but if a movie only comes in HDDVD why wouldn't you carry it?
Retailers I think are realizing the value that a format war is hurting their business. They don't have the desire to dedicate double the floor space to two formats where it's pretty clear that, in the end, if this generation of media is going to succeed, it's going to do it on the back of one or the other.
Of course, Blockbuster did leave the door open by leaving HD-DVD in the original 250 test stores, and they did say that if there was the demand, they would add HD-DVD to other stores, too. I just think they believe that by making this move, they can help accelerate a war that is keeping too many consumers on the sideline - keeping it as a niche format at this point.
As long as Microsoft has an investment in it it's not going anywhere. That said, do people really use Blockbuster still?
Microsoft doesn't fully believe in HD DVD either. The only reason they made an add-on for the 360 is because they knew Sony had a huge advantage with the PS3 having a built-in Blu-ray machine. What Microsoft really wants is for both formats to fail and hope downloading movies becomes more popular, which I don't think will happen in the near future for reasons already listed in another thread. They didn't even put a built-in HD DVD player in the newest version of the 360.
And Go, those companies WERE killing off HD DVD. This will just speed things up. Look at the sales figures since the PS3 was released. Blu-ray has been outselling them by quite a bit.
__________________ I have to return some videotapes.
And Go, those companies WERE killing off HD DVD. This will just speed things up. Look at the sales figures since the PS3 was released. Blu-ray has been outselling them by quite a bit.
As of today...PS has sold 3.3306m units.
xbox360 has sold 11.1126m units
Wii has sold 7.7432m units.
I don't have the number of toshiba hd units, but its a fair assuption that the ps3 is not driving blu-ray like it was expected.
As of today...PS has sold 3.3306m units.
xbox360 has sold 11.1126m units
Wii has sold 7.7432m units.
I don't have the number of toshiba hd units, but its a fair assuption that the ps3 is not driving blu-ray like it was expected.
You're looking at it from a gamer's POV. You can't. But if you want to, you need to keep it between the only two that have ANY involvement in the HD format wars: the 360 and the PS3. So...
Here you go, Slick. Take a gander at that link and you'll find the numbers that matter.
Originally Posted by Video Business Via tvpredictions.com
The research firm Digital Entertainment Group says the 1.5 million Blu-ray homes include about 100,000 standalone Blu-ray players with the rest PlayStation 3 game consoles...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Video Business Via tvpredictions.com
The research firm says there 300,000 HD DVD homes in the United States -- evenly split between standalone players and HD DVD XBox 360 attachment drives.
1.4 million PS3s. Even if you cut the number of folks that bought a PS3 for Blu-ray down to 20% of that 1.4m, 280K units is nearly as much as HD DVD's TOTAL sales between standalone AND 360 add-ons.
Based on movie sales alone, and that IS what matters here, that fictional 20% is tremendously low considering Blu-ray movies are outselling HD DVDs 2:1 since the new year started, and 1.5:1 since their release last year. I have a hard time believing that 100K standalone Blu-ray players are beating the crap out of HD DVDs 300,000 total units in software sales.
Well, of course, they're not. The PS3 is the Trojan horse that Sony bet the farm on and, at this time, seems to have been the right bet. (If they simply wanted to beat out the other format.)
Now, the rest of the world just needs to see those sub-$300 Blu-ray players, by the Fall, and we're on the same timetable the consumers were 10 years ago with DVD...
Quote:
Warner Bros. Senior Vice President Steve Nickerson
Between April and mid-December, it was a warm-up, and since Christmas, it has been a very sustained level of business. Really, this year is preparing for further consumer uptake of high-def. It will mirror the year 1999 or 2000 for DVD.
Last edited by Unfiltered; June 20th, 2007 at 03:15 PM.
NastiMarvasti
Blockbuster to support Blu-ray 
