Paramount about to drop HD DVD?
You gotta feel bad for Toshiba. Just days before the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the most important tech convention to generate buzz and momentum, Warner Bros. announced it would abandon the HD DVD format for its rival, Blu-ray, joining other major Hollywood studios including Sony, Disney, Fox and MGM.
You gotta feel bad for Toshiba. Just days before the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the most important tech convention to generate buzz and momentum, Warner Bros. announced it would abandon the Toshiba-backed HD DVD format for its rival, Blu-ray, joining other major Hollywood studios including Sony, Disney, Fox and MGM.
The HD DVD press conference at CES was cancelled and allegedly, so were HD DVD-related meetings with the press (as told to me by a colleague who was notified of the cancelled meeting).
Can it go from bad to worse? It seems so.
According to a story in the Financial Times, Paramount is looking to get out of its HD DVD contract and join the Blu-ray group, as well. If this goes through, it only leaves Universal and DreamWorks in the HD DVD camp.
And since Paramount acquired DreamWorks two years ago, it would be logical to assume DreamWorks would follow Paramount’s decision.
Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but keep posted at the high-definition disc format war might be coming to an end – for better or worse, depending on which side of the conflict you’re on.
Good. It's about time. The public deserves one format. If they expect us to buy then they should at least have the courtesy to settle on a single format. With HD DVD's demise the consumer can at least buy players and content without the fear of getting "betamaxed".
It's too bad…HD DVD is the complete format from day one. Bluray still can't do what HD DVD could 2 years ago. Just like Betamax, the better format didn't win. I'm ticked that there was two formats to begin with, even more ticked that the studios got bought out in the end – leaving consumers stranded, right after the busy christmas shopping season!
I don't think anyone of the big companies even understand the difference. They only care about Money, and the only reason Blue is doing better is because you can watch those on PS3.
Come on Microsoft, this is when we need you, why does the Xbox 360 not have an HD-DVD Player, which is far better.
Also, by going Blue-Ray, those companies lost my business, and I spend 1k a year with Warner Bros. They also hurt the computer industry because Blue-Rays are not effiecent enough to run on computers.
The war has just started, Sony may have won this battle, but not the war.
This "WAR" is as good as over. HD-DVD should be responsible to the consumer now and throw in the towel before even more people buy into it. Sony and Blu ray have won the war and the sooner Paramount returns to the fold and Universal comes to Blu ray the better it will be for everyone to move forward with one clear winner.
I think it's fair to say that the companies who had invested in HD DVD, are now realizing the error of Toshiba's ways. From many insider's point of view, Toshiba knew its HD DVD product was overshadowed by the Blu-Ray giant, but in an effort to continue making billions ( as Toshiba owns the rights, and therefore royalties, to the DVD) they stayed in the runnings. Because as most consumers realized, if you don't know which one to pick, then just stick with something you know, DVD. So even if Toshiba loses this race, they have (unfortunately) still won in the long run.
Man, I just got a Toshiba HD-DVD player on Boxing Day for $99. I decided to back HD-DVD because I despise Sony. Now it seems I may have no choice. I'm surprised this war may be over so quickly. I guess I've been "Betamaxed" :(
As for Blu-Ray, I don't see a need to rush out and get one. If anything I would get a Playstation 3 because it plays games and Blu-Ray movies. Apparently the PS3 is one of the best Blu-Ra players on the market. However, I already decided that I'm going to wait to get a PlayStation 3 until it drops to $249, because I have no interest in its games. I'm a man who sticks to his guns, so Blu-Ray is going to have to wait.
I hate Sony!!!
Paramount will stay with HD-DVD for now. :( It's official. But it's only a matter of time before they switch to Blu-Ray.
You should also read:
Has Blu-ray won the HD format war?
http://www.sync-blog.com/sync/2008/01/has-blu-ray-won.html
It's a great thread too!
Adam: I used my gift card and got a great deal on my PS3:
Playstation 3 for $300, DivX, Blu-Ray Oh, My!
http://www.mcgrath.ca/2007/12/31/playstation-3-for-300-divx-blu-ray-oh-my/
Finally… I can get TRANSFORMERS and MATRIX in Blu-Ray… And all you Trekkies should start getting your Blu-Ray players
Adam… if you hate sony so much… Buy a Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or any brand exept sony Blu-Ray player. I really dont understan why people think Blu-ray is a sony product?? Yes they have a big stake on it but it is a whole group of companies that developed it. If you hate sony.. dont watch their Movies (Columbia pictures), don't listen to their music (BMG), or buy their products.
Sooner or later this had to happen. Blu-Ray was launched way ahead of it's time. The space requirement is increasing exponentially. For the love of god we have 1TB hard drives for a reason. If we need better quality, we need more space. I don't know if the Blu-ray offers a better quality, but all I know is, soon enough it will.
I work in an industry that deals with both formats. I can tell you staight up that Blu-ray does handle more data and in terms of quaility it does a better job both in sound and picture playback. As it happens Sony owns MGM and MGM is a huge percentage of the moives ever made. They have no reason to bring out those titles on HD. Also, and even more to the point, is the fact that HD is is really a North American product-there are more blu-ray players that HD players in homes around the world. Sony learned from Beta-max and they aren't going to make those same types of errors again.
Okay… I guess Paramount is denying the rumour that it is pulling out of HD-DVD even if they have a clause that allows them to do so but I guess is only a matter of time. I guess I have to wait a bit before I get me TRANSFORMERS and STAR TREK on Bluray… (Thank God for HD PVRs)
Well.. we all seen this.. and plus we can all be satisfied with ONE format like Brian had said… Also, As soon as all the computer comanies are able too, then they can put Blu-ray in their computers.. Plus most people don't think that this will affect the console war, and so do i, This only affects the Movie media, and the Games media is its own thing…One thing is always better =)
Ron B…. If you really worked in the industry you would know that both players have the exact same video codecs making the pictures exactly the same. The only difference is the quality of the internals in the device you buy and to date Toshiba made the better hardware. Sound you may have a point as it supports uncompressed audio but no disc has used it so far making it irrelivent. I have both and to be honest I like the HD DVD better as a player but 90% of the movies I enjoy are blu-ray only!
Again it's me, but anyways, Adam, just because you had bought a HD DVD doesnt mean you have to back them up.. i got a 360 like a year ago, and i still don't back them up. A navales, is right though, Sony doesnt hold the Whole blu-ray format, it was actually discovered by 9 companies, which includes Sony, samsun, and 7 more. Yes, the ps3 is the best selling Blu-ray player( not too sure…) and hopefully it can continue to do so in the years to come..
Well garry, Ron is right, it does hold more space in terms of blu-ray, heres the numers in rough… Blu-ray is 20-25 GB, and HD DVD is 10-15 GB, which is a huge difference.. It also means that they are able to fit more content.. like better menus, more special content, etc. the Games can also be longer and better… so yet we exactly havent seen the Full power of the blu-ray.. have fun buying a Blu-Ray .. got mine a month ago =] and loving the quality
I thought I read somewhere that the porn industry was going with HD DVD…That is what killed BETA when they decided on VHS…Might this do the same to Blu Ray?
Steves: At first it was true but Digital Playground is doing both by announcing Blu-Ray titles. Hustler is doing Blu-Ray too.
No, porn has not the same role this time around with all the free porn on the internet now. But they see that HD-DVD is going down and not the way they are used too. ;)
Hey Mcgrath.. I didn't know you follow that stuff too… :)