HD DVD

Started by hedwig, January 06, 2006, 08:28:17 AM

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polkablues

My house, my rules, my coffee

SiliasRuby

but with all this hoopla, which way will the porn industry go? So far, I've seen more HD DVD's out there then Blu-Ray. But Vivid, the company that now owns the rights to Debbie Does Dallas is putting it out on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. So, the war hasn't yet on that side anyway.
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RegularKarate

Quote from: SiliasRuby on January 15, 2008, 09:17:45 PM
but with all this hoopla, which way will the porn industry go? So far, I've seen more HD DVD's out there then Blu-Ray. But Vivid, the company that now owns the rights to Debbie Does Dallas is putting it out on both HD DVD and Blu-ray. So, the war hasn't yet on that side anyway.

I can't see the video because I'm at work and these jerks block youtube, but the porn industry doesn't have the weight they once did... because of the internet.

Redlum

Some exciting stuff from Warner Brothers about their intentions for Blu-ray this year. Every catalog re-issue they make will be accompanied by a simultaneous Blu-ray release.

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

Warner have been doing a great job with the two formats, and I feel HD-DVD lost more than just sales volume when Warner went exclusive.
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

MacGuffin

Two Retailers Favor Blu-ray DVDs
By REUTERS

The Best Buy Company, the consumer electronics chain, said Monday that it would recommend that consumers choose Sony's Blu-ray high-definition video format.

The decision gives Sony yet another victory in the battle with HD DVD, from the Toshiba Corporation, to be the high-definition DVD format of choice.

Earlier Monday, the online video rental company Netflix said it would exclusively stock Blu-ray DVDs after some of the world's biggest movie studios decided in favor of that format.

Best Buy said it believed consumers would benefit from the choice of one high-definition format.

Best Buy will prominently feature Blu-ray hardware and software beginning in March, but will also carry HD DVD products for customers who want those, Best Buy said.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

MacGuffin

Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say
Company says no decision has been made
Source: Hollywood Reporter

The format war has turned into a format death watch.

Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.

Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said.

But she hinted that something's in the air. "Given the market developments in the past month," she said, "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players."

Immediately after the Warner announcement, the HD DVD North American Promotional Group canceled its Consumer Electronics Show presentation. The following week, data collected by the NPD Group revealed Blu-ray took in 93% of all hardware sales for that week.

Toshiba subsequently fired back, drastically cutting its HD DVD player prices by as much as half, effective Jan. 15. But a hoped-for consumer sales surge never materialized; retail point-of-sale data collected by the NPD Group for the week ending Jan. 26 still showed Blu-ray Disc players ahead by a wide margin, 65% to 28%.

Software sales have declined as well. The latest Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales data show the top-selling Blu-ray Disc title for the week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's "Across the Universe," sold more than three times as many copies the week ending Feb. 10 as the top HD DVD seller, Universal Studios Home Entertainment's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." Blu-ray Disc titles also accounted for 81% of all high-def disc sales for the week, with HD DVD at just 19%.

Toshiba had been pitching its discounted HD DVD players toward the standard DVD crowd as well as high-def enthusiasts, noting in its ad message that the new players would make DVDs look a lot better as well. And as a last-ditch effort, the company ran an ad during the Super Bowl -- a 30-second spot that reportedly cost $2.7 million.

But in the end, sources say, the substantial loss Toshiba is incurring with each HD DVD player sold -- a figure sources say could be as high as several hundred dollars -- coupled with a series of high-profile retail defections has driven the company to at last concede defeat.

"An announcement is coming soon," said one source close to the HD DVD camp. "It could be a matter of weeks."

Microsoft is the other big player in the HD DVD equation. Last fall when Paramount Home Entertainment announced it was dropping its dual-format strategy and would release titles only in HD DVD, giving that side a brief resurgence, a pitch to journalists for interviews came from a Microsoft email address.

Several phone calls to Kevin Collins, Microsoft's normally accessible "HD DVD evangelist," were not returned. Nor were calls to Ken Graffeo, the Universal Studios Home Entertainment executive who doubles as co-president of the HD DVD North American Promotional Group.

When Warner abandoned HD DVD in January, the format was left with just two of the six major studios backing it, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Blu-ray support among independents is rising. ADV Films, Tai Seng Entertainment, Topics Entertainment and National Geographic have all confirmed they are going Blu-ray exclusive, while more than one indie that was releasing titles just on HD DVD, including Surround Records and Opus Arte, will now offer Blu-ray as well.

This week, two key retailers, Best Buy and Netflix Inc., both got off the fence and threw their support behind Blu-ray exclusively, citing widespread studio support and consumer preference. Both companies said Warner's decision was a turning point in their strategies.

"We've listened to our customers, and we are responding," said Best Buy president and COO Brian Dunn.

Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey said it appeared the format war had been won by Blu-ray for the benefit of everyone.

"We wanted to put an exclamation point behind that," he said.

Industry observers are closely watching Amazon, but there's been no movement, other than a 50% off sale for 150 HD DVD titles, including "Transformers," "Zodiac" and "Stardust."

Blockbuster Inc. last summer already decided to offer only Blu-ray Disc titles at its company-owned rental stores.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

last days of gerry the elephant

BDA Praises Wal-Mart On Blu-ray Exclusivity
Posted February 15, 2008 by Josh
Source: Blu-ray.com

Blu-ray Disc Association The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) US Promotions Committee chairman Andy Parsons has released a statement regarding Wal-Mart's announcement that beginning this June they will be exclusively supporting Blu-ray: "Retailers have a tremendous impact on consumer preferences, and as the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart's reach and leadership are unparalleled. Their decision to support only Blu-ray, particularly in light of the string of similar announcements from the content and retail communities over the last six weeks, seems to us to be a very clear statement that Blu-ray Disc has emerged as the format of choice for high definition home entertainment."

The following is a time line released by the BDA to show the impact of Warner Brothers' decision to exclusively support Blu-ray. While it highlights the major moves in the home video industry, it should not be considered complete. Many smaller, but no less important, moves were made during the past six weeks, which readers of this site are familiar with.

1/5: Warner Bros. announces exclusive Blu-ray support

1/28: Gartner announces "HD DVD's price cuts only prolong agony"

1/29: Woolworths, a leading U.K. retailer, announced it would offer exclusive in-store support for Blu-ray beginning in March

1/30: Sonic announced that it will focus its R&D resources on Blu-ray and will conclude sales of its HD DVD authoring product line

1/30: National Geographic announced it will no longer release titles in the HD DVD format

2/11: Netflix announces that, citing a clear signal from the industry, it will only carry Blu-ray Discs and will phase out HD-DVD

2/11: Best Buy announces it will recommend Blu-Ray as the Customer's Digital Format Choice

2/15: Wal-Mart announces that by June 2008, Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs stores will carry Blu-ray only

modage

so i got my tax refund and i'm thinking about spending a chunk of that on EITHER

an iPhone

OR

a BluRay player.

thoughts?  also: i don't play video games (except for Rock Band at work) so is there any advantages to getting a regular BluRay player as opposed to a PS3?  drawbacks?  should i just get an iPhone instead?
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

picolas

the ps3 is cheapest and can update itself. the only slight drawback is the lack of remote, but i find the controller pretty easy to use. if you get a non-ps3, be sure it has either the latest "profile" or can update itself.

MacGuffin

Quote from: modage on February 16, 2008, 02:02:36 PMso i got my tax refund and i'm thinking about spending a chunk of that on EITHER

an iPhone

OR

a BluRay player.

Why not use the Bush economic refund on the other item you don't get and have both?
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

last days of gerry the elephant

Quote from: modage on February 16, 2008, 02:02:36 PM
so i got my tax refund and i'm thinking about spending a chunk of that on EITHER

an iPhone

OR

a BluRay player.

thoughts?  also: i don't play video games (except for Rock Band at work) so is there any advantages to getting a regular BluRay player as opposed to a PS3?  drawbacks?  should i just get an iPhone instead?

mod if you have a TV with a 1080 res capability, I would certainly recommend investing in a Blu-ray player. Don't bother getting the PS3 if you're not going to use it for gaming, especially if you have a good audio system set up. I think Mac was saying before, the PS3 has a "not-so-great" audio output compared to other Blu-ray players on the market having said that, picolas was right on suggesting a player that can update itself. On the other hand, now with HD exiting the market, I wonder if May-June will bring some great deals on players which could potentially save you lots of money... and the iPhone would sure entertain you until then... It's a tough call.

modage

when is that Bush refund coming? 

and what BluRay player should i get?
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

Quote from: modage on February 17, 2008, 09:44:45 AM
when is that Bush refund coming? 

I heard May, but I'm not 100% sure.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Redlum

Quote from: modage on February 17, 2008, 09:44:45 AM
and what BluRay player should i get?

This Panasonic is regarded as the best value stand-alone player on the market right now.
http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Video/Blu-ray-Disc-Players/model.DMP-BD30K_11002_7000000000000005702

Cons
It won't internally decode the new HD audio formats.
You will still need your regular DVD player if you have any Region 2 PAL imports.
It won't retain it's value like the Playstation 3 (which a remote-control is available for) will.

I use a PS3 for Blu-ray only and have come to think of it more as a media centre. It has lots of extra functionality in this area over all other players such as the ability to playback music and television shows from your computer, over a wireless/fixed network.
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

cron

this is all part of a conspiracy. they want me to buy a ps3 now.
context, context, context.