**Official HTF HD Formats Ind./Retailer/Studio Support Thread-*SEE POST 3176, p. 106* (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

BTW I dont know why but it seems I'm being censored at the Bluray forum, I've posted that second part twice and it keeps getting deleted. Could be a technical error but if so its not my doing, it's theirs.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Sam,

second part to what?

 

[Chris S]

True, we should be careful not to read too deeply without the full context of the discussion but we should also be just as careful not to read too far in the opposite direction and say the comments are being spun. Neither position is provable without Mr. Kornblau's rebuttal or averment. I would very much expect Mr Kornblau to make a rebuttal if the comments were taken out of context. I simply find it odd that he, or anyone from the HD DVD PR team, has yet to do so. If this war has shown anything it's that there's a very strong tit-for-tat mentality between these two groups.

My own personal standpoint is that I completely believe that Mr Hennrick's post takes liberties with the current state of the war simply to bolster his viewpoint/agenda (some of which are mentioned in Scott Buettner's blog). But at the same time I would not be surprised if Universal did indeed want the format war to continue simply so they could double dip later with Blu-ray releases. It's a smart business move for them ...heck it's what I would do.

 

[ReggieW]

That's a rather diplomatic way of looking at it Chris, considering what we now know of this sites origins. Frankly, I don't need Mr. Kornblau or anyone elses averment to tell me what obviously should be common sense in this situtation. I would definitely take your approach if it wasn't a BD propaganda site which was initially established under a consumer friendly banner until it's cover was blown.

Fool me once, fool me twice the saying goes....

Btw, maybe Kornblau just doesn't spend his time pre-occupied with the format war, and may simply be unaware of Hettrick's "article" on his interview. His blog/article was published just last week so we'll have to see if anyone at Universal sees fit to respond.

 

[Jari K]

Like I said, IMO Universal goes neutral *at some point*. But of course, this is purely my own opinion. I didn´t say that it´s a "fact" or anything like that. And I didn´t say that the article is somehow "proving" that. And: IF it happens, it can happen e.g. in 2009. If Universal clearly make this type of announcement, I probably buy a HD DVD-player. In the end; Movies are more important than the format war. Now Universal has some interesting titles, but for me their selection is still lacking. This is also one reason that has kept me waiting.

But Paul has a fair point; **"Let's face it, any exclusive studio, Universal or otherwise, will say they won't be releasing on the competing format right up until the day they announce their neutrality. That is why hope springs eternal on both sides of the fence."**

IF Universal goes "neutral", the announcement will be made only if they´re 100% ready and their "new game plan" set. Not after that. So it´s true that we can pretty much speculate all day long, but that doesn´t really bring any "facts" to the table.

 

[Sam Posten]

The second quoted section in my post above. If you go to the bluray forum and check out that thread, my first quote remains but my second quoted post has been removed, twice. I thought I made a mistake the first time so I reposted it, and that got removed too.

 

[Cees Alons]

Most probably, yes.
But one thing we can be certain of: if Disney, Fox, Pixar or even Sony would decide to go neutral, those announcements would be "out of the blue" indeed!


Cees

 

[Paul.S]

, Cees.

At least according to Hettrick in a comment he posted at Shane B.'s blog in response to his criticism (link in Chris' post #63 above), Kornblau called Hettrick to thank him after the blog post went up.

 

[Chris S]

I saw that too and found it very interesting. It did bring a smile to my face as I imagined how that follow-up conversation might have gone.

H: "Hello?"
K: "Hey Scott it's Mr. Kornblau."
H: "Hi, how are you?"
K: "Well... I saw your post today."
H: "O'yea? Pretty good, huh? What did you think?"
K: "Thanks a lot, Scott!!!" *click!*

 

[BrettB]

Circuit City doing it's best to support both formats

 

[Steve...O]

I am a member of Costco and although I decided not to enter the format war yet I have kept an eye open for what they are carrying. When reports started circulating that Toshiba was selling a version of the A2 at Costco I asked my store if they were going to carry them. I was told "no" because there was not enough inventory to go around to all stores.

Imagine my surprise when I went in today and saw a large section of Blu-Ray players. Looking at their software section, I noticed they are now carrying Blu-Ray discs. Still no HD-DVD. The players were priced quite high ($450 if I recall correctly) which contrasts to the $250 or so that the Toshiba players were being sold for at select Costcos.

I am also a Sam's Club member and have yet to see either format represented there.

Any other members seeing similar or differing situations at their stores?

 

[Douglas Monce]

The Costco near me has had HD DVDs and HD DVD players for almost a year now. They just started carrying a blu-ray player.

Doug

 

[Andrew M]

I'm moving this over from the EMA 2007 Discussion forum:

Here's an article from Singapore:

Hi-Def Wars; Offerings by rival format founders Toshiba and Sony are set to stir up market


Loh Wei Loong -- The Straits Times (Singapore) , August 5, 2007 Sunday


AFTER months of teasing local consumers with small hardware releases to whet our appetites, the parents of both next-generation DVD formats have finally brought the high-definition format war here.

In May, Toshiba, one of the key developers behind HD-DVD (High-definition DVD), launched its first standalone HD-DVD player, the HD-E1.

Last month, Sony, founder of the competing Blu-ray format, introduced its first standalone Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1E.

While companies like Microsoft and Samsung have unveiled their individual players in the last few months, it is this latest salvo by the founding fathers that looks set to stir up the market.

Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray represent the next-generation DVD format, which can store better-quality high-definition media content.

Given the increasing demand for high- definition TVs in the last three years, with a 2.8-time increase last year compared to 2005, the time seems ripe to introduce the players, notes a Toshiba spokesman.

While Sony would not discuss details about its Blu-ray plans here, Toshiba said it was expecting to move 5,000 HD-DVD players here this year and one method it plans to use to gain an edge is pricing. At $999, the HD-E1 is much cheaper than Sony's BDP-S1E, which is priced at $1,699.

But these are not the only players in the market. For owners of the Xbox 360 game console, the HD-DVD external drive accessory for the console is a mere $299.

Gaming fans also have the choice of a PlayStation 3 (PS3) game console which comes with a Blu-ray player, retailing at just $799. These would allow you to play the respective DVDs.

For the most part, many have noted that the PS3 console is also a good Blu-ray player and one can even think about the PS3 as a DVD player that plays games as well. In fact, Sony is positioning it as one that does both, says Mr Leon Pereira, assistant manager at Sony Singapore's marketing communications department.

The sharper images, better sound and keen competition all sound like good news for consumers. But there is one problem: The two formats are not compatible.

A Blu-ray player cannot read HD-DVDs and vice versa.

The battle is very much like the VHS and Betamax video war in the 1970s.

Content providers, in the form of Hollywood studios, have already picked their sides.

Sony, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, MGM, Paramount and Disney are releasing their movies in Blu-ray format only while Universal Studios is backing the HD-DVD camp.

And even though Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema are supporting both camps, not all of their movies are released in both formats.

So a Blu-ray supporter may find his DVD library lacking a high-definition copy of The Bourne Supremacy, while a HD-DVD fan would be missing out on X-Men: The Last Stand.

As it stands, it looks like both formats might be around for the long term, with no clear format winner in sight.

On the one hand, Sony's sale of 3.6 million units of the PS3 means there is a significant number of console owners who may not want to splurge on an HD-DVD player. American video rental giant Blockbuster is also endorsing Blu-Ray by stocking only Blu-Ray titles in all its 1,700 stores in the United States.

Over in the HD-DVD camp, one also cannot dismiss the influence of the US$57 billion (S$86 billion) American porn industry, which is backing HD-DVD exclusively. South Korean companies LG and Samsung have announced their line of hybrid players, with LG retailing its product at US$1,199. However, this machine does not recognise some of the interactive features found on HD-DVDs. While Samsung's hybrid player will support all DVD interactive features found on both formats, the company has yet to reveal a price for the machine.

These hybrid versions are good news to people like carpenter Tiong Jai Kin, 48, whose attempt to sort out the technical details about both formats has left him frustrated. He had initially decided to go with the Blu-ray format, but was erroneously told that Blu-ray players were not compatible with his current collection of several hundred regular DVDs. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players can play regular DVDs.

Now, he prefers to wait for an all-in-one solution, rather than make a costly mistake.

'I would just buy the movies first, and wait before buying the player. With prices dropping, there is a higher chance of companies making a player that can play both formats. There is no need to invest so much right now.'


The HD format war is global and total just like World War II. Like WWII it will end in unconditional surrender by one side after billions of dollars have been spent and tons of materiel produced just to be discarded.

Perhaps there'll be an HD or Blu-ray "cargo cult" developing in the future with isolated early adopters worshipping the boxes their players came in.

 

[Andrew M]

Also moved over from the EMA 2007 Discussion forum:

More Consumers Turn to PCs for Entertainment: The Younger the Demo, the Bigger the Numbers By Mike Vorhaus

Published: August 13, 2007 in Advertising Age Digital.

In case there was any question, the computer has become a major entertainment device. The time spent using the PC for such purposes has exploded in the past year.

The average 12- to 64-year-old internet user reports using a PC for entertainment almost 14 hours a week. And that number becomes bigger when looking at a younger demo: The average for all 18- to 24-year-olds is more than 16 hours a week.

What's leading to such large increases in entertainment derived on the PC? The plethora of activities -- from games and video to social networking and chatting.

Almost all internet consumers indicate that in the past year they have either maintained or increased the amount of time they use the computer for entertainment -- 42% say their time has increased, and 42% say it has stayed the same. Only 11% of consumers say they are using the PC less for entertainment.

Looking forward to next year, 56% of consumers expect to spend the same amount of time using their PCs for entertainment. But among the 18- to 24-year-olds, 23% expect to use their PCs more for entertainment.

Mike Vorhaus is senior VP-managing director of new media and strategy for Frank N. Magid Associates.

The hard drive and software manufacturers know that this is not just a global HD war but a generational war, as well. Not only will younger consumers watch HD content on their PCs & laptops in either format but with HDMI outputs they can use their drives on large screen HD TVs, too. Which of the manufacturers has the deep pockets and stamina to sustain and to prevail to the end?

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Ditto. The only BRs they carry are the Disney 4 packs, and while they carry HD DVD SW, it's usually 5-6 random titles.

 

[ppltd]

Every CostCo in the Phoenix area that I have been to has had HD DVD for a while now. I haven't been there for a while so I have no idea if they are carrying and BD, but I would assume they are.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Don't hold your breath. I don't think it's due to the format war as much as it is that they don't have the volume. I would be surprised if they move more that 10,000 DVDs of a popular title, a LOT less on some of thier other titles. Translate that to HD where very few mainstream titles have sold more than 10,000 copies, and it becomes obvious that Criterion can't even break even on the encode for HD (either format). There are going to have to be a lot more players out there for Criterion to even consider releasing titles in HD. I think it will be several years. DVD was out for a few years before they started releasing them.

 

[Steve...O]

It looks like my Costco is the red headed stepchild when it comes to getting HD-DVD product Thanks for the responses.

 

[ReggieW]

Actually Adam,

I think it was more like a year. I believe this info is straight from Criterion:


1. What was the first film to actually be released on DVD by the Criterion Collection?

Alas: most readers fell into the trap for this question. Criterion Collection titles are rarely released in the exact order of their spine numbers, and although Renoir's Grand Illusion was intended to be the company's first DVD release (and therefore bears spine number 1), the actual release was postponed. The first title to appear on DVD from the Criterion Collection was actually Fellini's Amarcord (on March 31, 1998, bearing spine number 4).

 

[ScottJH]

According to DVD Times, WB will be releasing titles that were originally combos as non-combos.
http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65599

At Amazon the $34.99 srp titles will probably be $23.95 and the $28.99 srp titles probably $19.99