It can be frustrating not being able to pick up our favorite movies in the best quality format available. I remember going through the same pains with DVD, where Spielberg and Disney were holding out for what seemed forever so that their releases would have the maximum impact when they were released.
As much emotion as we enthusiasts sometimes exhibit about this hobby of ours, it's obvious that the movie studios are not on the same page with us. The competitive parts of all of us would release the big guns on our favored side of this format war in hopes of obliterating the other side. The studios seem to be playing more of a patient strategy, being willing to fire a few salvos here and there, saving those "big guns" for some future time.
It also demonstrates to us that the studios are not being emotional about this. If the exclusive studios wanted to take their shot at victory for their chosen side, they could. Imagine the press and forum frenzy that would be caused by Disney releasing every single Pixar movie on Blu-ray! These movies would most likely look fantastic, and would be used as demo material on every HDTV for sale over the holidays. Such material would draw families into the electronics sections like magnets!
Using the war analogy, I don't think there is enough land for them to win for them to commit themselves so completely. What would happen if Disney did this big release and the sales weren't as good as they hoped? It would also force the comparison between standard definition DVD and its high definition counterparts. If Toy Story sold 100,000 copies, but in the same time period, the SD version (perhaps a re-released special edition) sold just as many, what would that say about HD? That could turn into negative press and no one wants that.
In the meantime, we have to wait. We have to wait for the momentum to build. We have to wait for studios to open their vaults. We have to wait for some studio to be brave enough to release a highly anticipated title (LOTR would be my choice), which will serve as reason for other studios to do the same.
Then, slowly, the dam will break and we'll start seeing a more steady flow of releases (big and small). The flow of titles will spur more hardware sales, which will encourage the studios to release more product, which will encourage more people to buy more hardware, and so on.
Personally, I see little reason for any studio to be exclusive to a single HD format. Warner seems to be doing pretty well releasing on both formats. Doing so doesn't seem to have bankrupted them, and based on the 30% figure, they are capitalizing on the political decisions the exclusive studios have made.
I say, let the market decide. Studios should provide their movies on both formats and enjoy the benefits of selling to the largest pool of customers possible. Until then, I must be patient...
