NY post says Blu ray winning and will win (1 Viewer)

[JohnPhi]

Well if you all are tired of the format war, I am sure this will only help to make you feel better........not From the NY post



By LOU LUMENICK

March 8, 2007 -- 'THE Departed" recently premiered on two new - and utterly incompatible - video for mats in addition to standard DVD.

Now the war between those formats, which has been almost as brutal as the clashes in Martin Scorsese's movie, seems to be coming to a head.

For the first time, in the first two months of 2007 total sales of Blu-ray discs passed those of HD DVD, according to the most recent figures from Nielsen VideoScan.

And propelled by the introduction of Sony's PlayStation 3 - which can play Blu-ray technology - sales of Blu-ray discs have exploded to nearly three times those of HD DVD discs since Christmas.

It's the first clear sign that consumers are choosing sides in the nastiest video format war since VHS emerged victorious over Sony's Betamax machines in the 1980s.

"The format war is in its final phase," crows Steve Feldstein of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which, like Sony and Disney, is releasing titles exclusively on Blu-ray. "It's never been a question of if Blu-ray will pass HD DVD, but a matter of when."

Not so fast, says Ken Graffeo of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, the only major studio exclusively supporting the embattled HD DVD format, which was developed by Toshiba. (Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Video are producing titles in both formats for now.)

Graffeo blames the recent surge for Blu-ray on the paucity of new titles on HD DVD - about half the number of titles released by Blu-ray since the beginning of the year - and argues Blu-ray sales are actually much lower than you would expect, given the huge number of PS3s out there.

"You can't determine a trend over a couple of months," says Graffeo, who notes that total sales for both formats are roughly equal since their introductions last year.

But some experts are ready to play taps for the HD DVD format - and are saying it's safe to buy Blu-ray players without fear they'll end up being sold as relics on eBay.

Alison Casey, who analyzes consumer trends for London-based Understanding & Solutions, predicts that retailers will pull the plug on HD DVD sometime next year.

 

[PopBodhi]

Opinions are like... Media spin is annoying, but you'll notice there is some accurate information in the article: hardware (not including PS3) sales for both formats are about even.

 

[Kyle_D]

The comparative paucity of new titles is not a temporary problem for HD-DVD. Blu-ray is going to be releasing more titles than HD-DVD for the foreseeable future. Expect the surge to continue.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Does the article have the little disclaimer about the Post and Fox being owned by the same company anywhere?

/conspiracy theory

 

[Tim Glover]

Didn't Sony already claim that the war was over back in February? We've seen alot of articles on this and some from the BD camp stating it's already over....Someone must have forgotten to tell this to Universal, Dreamworks, Paramount, & Warner Bros.

 

[Shawn Perron]

The part I found most humorous was Universal blaming the lack of HD-DVD titles for the large difference in sales... meanwhile the lack of Universal releases during this period was a major cause of this.

Blah... 3rd shift + lack of sleep = brain farts. Anyways, fixed what I meant to say.

 

[Ben_Williams]

Uh... actually, that was Ken Graffeo of Universal who was blaming the lack of HD DVD sales on a shortage of titles.

 

[ppltd]

Of course it was. Most accountable was Warners and Paramounts lack of releases. But that looks to be remedied in the near future.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

It is important to note who the owner of the NY Post is and his relation to the Fox corporation and family of companies

Media slant indeed!

 

[David_B_K]

LOL, looks like everybody picked up on that. He actually helps make BD's case with that rermark.

When BD started out with late releases of the initial machines and discs, it looked like HD DVD was going to win by default. However, if they could not pull way out in front with that head start, it is hard to believe they can win in the end. If I were a betting man, I think I'd put something on BD. I can live with either, but I'm not getting both.

 

[Shawn Perron]

Nah, I've read the post a lot over the years, because one of the women at work buys it. Lou Lumenick is just a mediocre movie reviewer. He doesn't really seem to have an agenda. The post has a lot of articles done by fairly clueless people. You can get misinformation on just about any topic on the planet from it. He most likely was just offering his own uninformed opinion, but you can definitely see where he'd get that idea if you have been watching the Blu-Ray numbers lately. Blu-Ray has been on a tear. We'll see if HD-DVD can get it's act back together before it's too late. Once the perception that one of these formats is the clear winner takes hold, it'll probably be the end of the other sooner or later.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

While studios like hyperbole to add drama to their remarks, the ship has sailed, regardless of how quickly it comes to port.

Warner's TotalHD disc is actually based on an expectation that HD DVD may indeed go under. By providing TotalHD software as a single solution, HD DVD owners will still have playable software even if the future is BD-hardware only. It's actually a really good move: Total HD allows HD DVD collectors to buy software that plays on their HD DVD player today *and* their BD player tomorrow should the BD format be declared winner of the war. Wouldn't have been so bad had all those Beta tapes then played on VHS decks once Beta was rendered unsupported.

 

[Ron-P]

NY post aside. I can see Blu-ray winning this. HD-DVDs recent and future title releases are extremely poor, add the combo-disk mess in there and on top of that most titles lack TrueHD. If this keeps up HD-DVD won't last long.

HD-DVD needs to get back to the basics, drop the combos, add TrueHD to all HD-DVDs and crank out more and better titles, faster.

 

[todd s]

I own neither. But, while their are no Universal releases for Blu-Ray. HD-DVD suffers more from the fact that you get no releases from Sony, Fox and Disney. 3 major studios. And like I said in another forum...Disney hasw the films most Joe 6-packs and soccer moms will be looking for.

 

[LarryH]

Although I, too, dislike the combos, in reality this may be HD-DVD's greatest advantage to the average consumer. What they really need to do, IMHO, is to drop the price of the combos to only slightly more than SD's.

Oh, yeah...they also need to get the product out there in huge numbers.

However, since they don't seem to recognize the fact that they actually have competition, this probably won't happen

 

[ppltd]

Another take reported at Video Business.

 

[Gabe D]

I think that what they really need to do is to lower the price of a combo to a level that is an acceptable (if slightly higher than usual) price for a new SD DVD, and then eliminate SD-only releases. If people who only buy SD DVDs gradually build up a collection of 10 or 20 or 30 HD-DVDs, they will be more likely to buy an HD-DVD player. It would also force stores to put the HD-DVD combos where SD DVD shoppers would see them. If Universal is serious about backing HD-DVD only (a big if, maybe?), then I think that this is their best bet to turn the tide.

 

[Tim Glover]

Paramount's Vito Mandato...

 

[BrettB]

I like this one better...


March 13 represents the beginning of the end.

 

[JohnPhi]

Seriously, HD DVD is dead, it just doesn't know it yet. Lets look at it this way
I have not bought either format, but lets look at where things stand now. I want one to die sooner rather than later, and it is quite obvious HD DVD is dying and dead already, it is just it doesnt know it yet.

1. Content is King!!!!!!! Sales are already showing the blu ray is killing HD DVD on a daily basis. Why? Well, it has something to do with the fact that they have three major exclusive studios with some of last years biggest hits, while HD DVD has just one. In this upcoming month, HD DVD has no releases for most of march. I don't see this changing. What does HD DVD have that can compete with Cars and POTC this summer, the Frighteners? There is no reason for ANY blu exclusive stuido to switch sides either, while I am sure pressure is mounting for Universal.

2. PS3. The ps3 effect that many said would not have an impact has indeed had an impact. In just a few months, blu ray has come back from a massive deficit in sales to overtake HD DVD and that will only increase as more ps3's are sold.

3. Price. Well HD DVD has an advantage there, but not for long. Blu ray prices are dropping fast and we will see cheaper players this year, closing that gap. I think customers will pay a higher price for more guaranteed content, again content is king.

I am really curious as to how it may be at all possible for HD DVD to win, I just don't see it now. They had a chance, but no blu exclusive studio switched sides at CES, like some thought they would. How will they compete with the sony juggernaut of playstation, plus fox, disney and sony studios content. I know you guys get tired of this stuff, but I am someone who tired of the bs and wants a winner, so I can buy in. I am looking at this through the eyes of someone without one dime tied to either and it seems to me is obvious, HD DVD is not going to make it, so just do consumers a favor and quit already. Somebody at VB said this war could be over in 3 -4 months, so that is something