High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

[ALIASd]

High-Def DVD Battle Heats Up

November 01, 2007
By Thomas K. Arnold
Adweek

LOS ANGELES

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment worldwide president and Blu-ray Disc proponent Bob Chapek on Tuesday blasted the rival HD DVD camp for prolonging the format war when it is clear that Blu-ray is the odds-on favorite.

"Blu-ray's competition's attempts to sell less than the best will inevitably be trumped by what we stated from the very beginning: That the Blu-ray technology is not a half-step format that will sell consumers short, but rather it is a revolutionary technology that will change the way we view movies for the long term," Chapek said near the conclusion of a two-day Blu-ray Festival in Hollywood, Calif. "And we firmly believe that revolutionary technology, my friends, is indisputably, undeniably and inevitably Blu-ray."


Chapek's fierce rhetoric, coming during a gala Disney launch party for Blu-ray editions of Cars and Ratatouille, underscores the enmity in Hollywood between the studios supporting Blu-ray and those behind next-generation rival HD DVD. Disney, along with Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate, are exclusively in the Blu-ray camp. Universal Studios and Paramount/DreamWorks only support HD DVD, while Warner Home Video, at least for now, releases titles in both formats.

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[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP



I think it's more likely that Blu-ray will win in the end, not because of simply the backing, but as from what I have read, it is the superior memory storage medium, which, bottom-line, is what this technology is all about. Albeit the superior Beta-cassette lost to VHS back in the 70's, I don't think history will repeat itself. Just my opinion of course.

[jml338]

[TheManator]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Sorry, I'm rooting for HDDVD. I don't like anything Sony does.

[Chernabog]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Sorry, I'm rooting for HDDVD. I don't like anything Sony does.

The truth comes out! hehehe

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

The famous three words of commericial succesS in the U.S.

MARKETING
MARKETING
MARKETING

[larasound]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

[WSVR]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

As far as which format will win out a few things.

1. Often, it is not the technically superior format that wins out. It's the cheaper.

2. Sony has a bad history in format wars with a notable exception of the PS and PS2.

3. I think WB is taking the right course. Support them both until one wins out.

4. My approach as a consumer is to get neither until one wins out. I really saw not much difference between either new format and the format currently in use on most screens. It was only the higher definition large screens that produced a significant difference between either new format and the old, let alone from each other. And it's not at all clear that either will take off successfully until the government mandated switches occur.

[Mr. Yeti]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Blu-Ray is still way too expensive. I think if things go the way they are currently going, Sony's Blu-Ray will end up like it's predecessor, Beta. At least, that's the way I see it. Maybe the same thing with HD DVD. I don't know. I think people are quite content with regular DVDs for now and will simply wait until a chamion comes out on top.

[ekester]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

At some point, you'd think Sony would learn that they just don't do proprietary formats very well (with consumers, that is). Certainly Blu-Ray has the lead due to the PS3 and proliferation of gaming machines, but when the average consumer has to choose and isn't in the market for a gaming machine, they're choosing stand-alone HD-DVD.

The mini-disc, Beta, UMD, Atrac3 audio formats they used in their digital audio players. There must be a ton of potential cash out there for them to keep beating their heads against the same wall.

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

This is why I bought an upconverter dvd player, I'll wait until the dust settles.

[Wanda Woman]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Follow the porn.

The porn industry has gone with HD-DVD.

Game, set, match.

[ekester]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

And, if you needed any more convincing about what's seemingly inevitable:

Wal-Mart is holding a "secret" sale on Friday with some big deals for tech enthusiasts, including a $99 HD DVD player from Toshiba.

This is a huge indicator. Once Wal-mart is behind a format, the other one will eventually go bye-bye. And Wal-Mart will always go with the biggest value proposition, not the "higher storage capacity."

[phar]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Bingo ekester!

This turn of events may seal the fate of blu-ray. Sony has been trying but has been unsuccessful in making blu-ray the winning format. About the only thing they could do is turn the PS3 into a major loss leader and start selling it below $300.

Afterall it was the PS2 that really drove massive DVD adoption rates. With Hd-DVD selling below $100 and the adult industry backing it I would almost say this war is over and blu-ray is now beta max.

Being a geek I have long wanted blu-ray to win but also being a business man I can see the writing on the wall. Short of some major cost reductions in BD production and players the battle will end this holiday season.

At least thats my $.02...

Once there is a mass of HD-DVD players the studios will follow...

[MickeyMaxx]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Here's the Wal-Mart link for those of you who want to fight the crowds. Starts tomorrow morning, 8:00am, minimum of 10 DVD players at each store. Not exactly a new price point, but Circuit City currently has the same unit for the everyday price of $198.

http://holiday.ri-walmart.com/?u1=43...rce=Walmartcom

[kcnole]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

I don't think the porn industry is near the standard bearer as they once were since most people can get their porn through the internet now. However, the price of the HD-DVD players is what I think may win them the war. I've been sitting this out, but with the 100 dollar player at wal-mart tomorrow, as long as I can find one, I'm jumping in with HD-DVD. That pricepoint is just too good to pass up. Blueray isn't 300 dollars better than HD-DVD.

[Dustysage]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

$100 HD DVD player just made up my mind. I'm not a big Sony fan and if HD DVD players are going to be in the hundred dollar range in time for Christmas, then it is going to be very hard for Blue Ray to compete with that.

Perhaps Disney shouldn't be picking sides - they don't want to be on the losing team when the ship goes down. Unless that's all part of their plan to sell as many movies as they can in Blue Ray and then re release them all on HD DVD in a year or two

[pstanley]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Be careful i think the wal mart hd dvd player is the old model and it might not be compatible with some of the new hd dvd's that will come out in the future..... it is the hd-a2 format and the new one is the hd-a3 or something like that... but Sears has an hd-a3 hd dvd player in the black friday ad for $169.99 so it still is alot cheaper than blu-ray i just hope blu-ray has to follow suit and drop it's prices and eventually wins ......

[Chernabog]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

For those who think that the porn industry is going to dictate this one, hell no.

You don't WANT to see porn in hi-def. Ewww. It looks like a medical examination.

Anyway, bluray is definitely going to have to come down in price (the players, that is). But for either format, if you don't have a hi-def TV with an HDMI input, don't bother.

[Jerren]

Re: High-Def DVD Battle Heats UP

Please correct me if I'm wrong here.. ( I know you all will) but blue ray is a standard and 3rd parties are making both players and drives for it. Yes like beta they probaly have to pay a license fee for the use of it back to Sony for a while but thats the same with any IP these days. With Blue Ray players standard in the PS3 I think it's got a good chance of winning in the US if they can drive the price point down in time for Christmas.