Topic: BREAKING DEVELOPMENT: Warner Bros. Goes Blu-Ray Exclusive!

[Clondalkin]

I thought the BBC is UK's state channel, much like NHK in Japan?

[SirLaw11]

   BBC is also own by Time Warner? This I didnt know. 

My apology, BBC is being distributed by Warner here in the US.

[Battousai]

The DOWN FALL OF HD DVD from YouTube...hillarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friS4OOcdgQ

Hehehe. I remember they did an Xbox Live subtitle with this video, too.

[1ringwd4s]

I think retailers all over the world will be one of the reasons HD-DVD will die. They will think twice to sell HD-DVDs if they knew that sooner or later it will be phased out.

[JAZZ]

Hehehe. I remember they did an Xbox Live subtitle with this video, too.

Yeah, this is already an old video previously used to show Hitler getting banned in Xbox Live.

 

[DaSilva]

that film with hitler is "downfall" by oliver hirschbiegel
imdb link here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/
highly recommended!

btw, it's supposed to be available in hd-dvd, how's that for irony!

[SirLaw11]

Don't Say Goodbye To HD DVD, Yet

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/01/17/don_t_say_goodbye_to_hd_dvd_yet/

[Mouldingo]

Thousands Sign "Save HD DVD" Petition

UPDATE: (Jan 21, 6:00pm ET) Several readers have written in to point out that HD DVD fans aren't the only ones to have set up online petitions in the wake of Warner's announcement. Several other petitions have been set up by early adopters urging Paramount, Universal and Toshiba to drop their HD DVD support, back Blu-ray and bring the high-def format war to a swift end.

Over six thousand HD DVD supporters have signed an online petition urging Warner Home Entertainment to reconsider its decision to abandon the HD DVD format.

First posted on January 5th, the petition takes issue with Warner's earlier press statements that the "consumer has clearly chosen Blu-ray," pointing to the HD DVD format's lower hardware prices and "better technological capabilities" as more consumer-friendly than its high-def rival.

Supporters hope that the petition will convince Warner to reverse its decision, and that it will help prove to HD DVD-backing studios Universal and Paramount that the format still has supporters.

[Mouldingo]

Retailers Make More Room For Blu-ray

According to a new Video Business report, some retail chains have begun adjusting their high-def shelf space to make more room for Blu-ray discs (and less for HD DVD).

The industry trade says that Trans World Entertainment, Newbury Comics, Video Buyers Group members and Hastings Entertainment are among the retailers beginning to emphasize Blu-ray in the wake of Warner's announcement that it would abandon its support of the HD DVD format as of this coming June.
 
Trans World, which operates over 800 stores under several brand names (including FYE, Suncoast, Coconouts and Wherehouse), says that though it will continue to order key new releases on HD DVD, it will begin dedicating more shelf space to Blu-ray, both for new releases and catalog titles.

"As retailers, we need to simplify things for the consumers as much as we can with merchandising one format," said Trans World VP Mark Higgins. "We don’t want to be biased, but it is clearly the direction that high-def production looks to be going."

Other retailers (including Best Buy, Amazon.com, DVDEmpire.com) said they had no current plans to adjust their merchandise mix.

"Obviously, Warner’s announcement has made us a little more cautious about how many HD DVDs we bring in," DVDEmpire's Shannon Nutt told Video Business. "But that’s not going to stop us from stocking strong on what we feel will be solid HD DVD releases, like the upcoming Bee Movie. Although it looks like the writing may be on the wall, DVDEmpire will continue to push both formats equally until our customers show there is no longer any demand for one format or the other."

source

[Mouldingo]

New evidence that Paramount is going Blu?

In what could just as easily be an honest mistake but is causing lots of discussion among Blu-ray fans -- Amazon.co.uk has three Paramount titles available for pre-order. All three titles have a expected ship date of March 10th and all those hopeful for a single format to get behind, want to believe this is another slip by our friends at Amazon that would confirm the rumor that Paramount is using its exit clause to go Blu. We're sure if we asked Paramount it'd be denied 'til the cows come home, but even though these titles were previously available on Blu-ray, we'd still put our money on this being just like the third generation HD DVD player situation.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/21/new-evidence-that-paramount-is-going-blu/

[SirLaw11]

Interview: Universal EVP Ken Graffeo says HD DVD is here to stay



http://www.betanews.com/article/Interview_Universal_EVP_Ken_Graffeo_says_HD_DVD_is_here_to_stay/1200951636

[darkwing]

Interview: Universal EVP Ken Graffeo says HD DVD is here to stay



http://www.betanews.com/article/Interview_Universal_EVP_Ken_Graffeo_says_HD_DVD_is_here_to_stay/1200951636

hehehe what can you expect from poor Ken? He is vice chairman of the HD-DVD promotions group, if he is saying its not, its basically saying his group is dead lols

[bachwitz]

Dunno how true since this is from the BD website. But if it is, seems this news is the reason for HD-DVD price cut.

Blu-ray Hardware Sales Pick Up After Warner Announcement


A new NPD Group report shows that stand-alone Blu-ray player sales benefited greatly from the recent announcement that Warner would be going Blu-ray exclusive. The first week of January, before Warner made their announcement, there was a nearly 50-50 split between Blu-ray and HD DVD standalone players. The following week, after the announcement, Blu-ray players grabbed 93% of the market.

On the whole, December sales data showed that Blu-ray players held 60% of the standalone market, despite much cheaper players from the HD DVD camp. Looking at only the first two weeks of January, Blu-ray already has a nearly 70% market share which is sure to increase as the month continues and consumers continue to chose Blu-ray over its rival format.


http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=883

[Mouldingo]

MY TWO CENTS - 1/25/08 - by Digital Bits editor Bill Hunt

FYI, this post is all format war, so if you don't care about such things, you've been warned 

The Nielsen VideoScan software sales numbers for the week ending 1/20 are now in. This would be the second full week of data after the Warner announcement. Here's what it looks like...




As you can see, Blu-ray Disc software retained much of its market share from the previous week, while HD-DVD software managed only a 3% rebound. Obviously, these numbers are largely affected by the number and quality of the titles released on each format from week to week, and it's fair to say that not much of significance was released in either format during the week ending 1/20, so these numbers almost entirely reflect continuing sales of the previous week's titles. Again, two weeks of sales under 20% doesn't necessarily represent a trend for HD-DVD. On the other hand, it certainly isn't good news for the format either. Especially if it's true that at least a portion of electronics retailers are planning to phase out their stock of HD-DVD players and discs in the weeks and months ahead.

The reality is, despite cautionary statements here and there, the home video and electronics industries are ready for this format war to be over. That's the overwhelming sense we're getting from our many industry contacts, and the outward signs of this sentiment are starting to appear everywhere. Just go to your favorite local electronics or video store and ask their employees which format they recommend, which is selling better and which they think will win. Visit Amazon.com, which has now started warning its customers about Warner's plans to drop HD-DVD with a notice on the order page for the studio's HD-DVD titles. Read the statements of various retail and studio representatives in mainstream media reports... not to mention the editorial opinions of those same mainstream media outlets.

Meanwhile, in the online enthusiast community, things have actually gotten so absurd in the last couple of weeks that there are now dueling petitions to alternately save or kill HD-DVD (complete with thousands of signatures real and fake, genuine and mocking), and one discussion forum recently hosted a thread in which its members were casting the actors who might star in a hypothetical Format War: The Movie (predictably, what started in good humor quickly became contentious and the thread was locked, like so many others before it).

Bottom line: Ending this format war now is the right thing to do for this industry and for consumers overall. It's time to stop all the bitterness and the hostility, both real world and virtual, and it's time to put this unnecessary and damaging dispute behind us.

It's just time.

And with that, we wish you all a lovely weekend, whichever side of this thing you may be on. Stay tuned...

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

[bachwitz]

Woolworths feeling Blu

In March, Woolworths will become the first U.K. retailer to offer exclusive in-store support for Blu-ray DVD, relegating sales of the HD DVD format to its Web site only, the company said Monday.

The 820-store chain -- one of the largest DVD retailers in the U.K., with about 10% of the 2.3 billion euro ($4.6 billion) local DVD sell-through business -- said it will drop HD DVDs from its stores, although they will still be available online. It said it made its decision after Sony's Blu-ray outsold Toshiba's HD DVD by 10-1 in its outlets over Christmas.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ie3c4d9e8dbdfad6a15cb0d10f5b462de


In another note, I guess the main reason that WB chose BD is to end the war. If they opt to choose HDDVD IMO it will just be a stalemate and my prolonged the confusion of the consumers