Does anyone blame the studios for the format wars? - Page 2

Rob_Walton · 08-23-2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Sutliff

Y'know, I have to laugh when I read posts that seem to be stuck in 2005 and seem to ignore the fact that both formats are here now, and we don't need online rhetoric to find the truth. Both formats are here, and we can see for ourselves which side was blowing smoke, and which one was intent on delivering the goods.

This is just another manifestation of the old here-and-now vs wait-and-see debate. Since neither format offers anywhere near what I require at this point there's nothing for me to judge yet except some pretty tentative early shots. Not that this is anything to do with this thread's subject, but then they all seem to get side-tracked in this way don't they...

PeterTHX · 08-23-2006, 01:30 PM

Broken promises?

I don't seem Sony promising consumers BD50 at launch.

Facts are by Christmas season this year:

6 BD players will be on the market.
BD50s will be in production and on store shelves.
VC-1 discs will be plentiful.
All studios except Universal will have BD discs on the shelf.
PlayStation 3 will have sold 1-2 million units.

Let us not forget BD is making money.

So, come Christmas do you really think that people will be muttering about "broken promises" and the like?

RobertR · 08-23-2006, 03:40 PM

Quote:

October seems about right. Like I said earlier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PeterTHX

Quote:

I don't seem Sony promising consumers BD50 at launch.

Facts are by Christmas season this year:

....BD50s will be in production and on store shelves.

PeterTHX

It sure is hard to get a consistent date from you (or anyone else). Just days ago, October "seemed right". Before that, it was August. Now it's Christmas....

cafink · 08-23-2006, 03:56 PM

I don't see any inconsistency in Peter's comments, If BD50s arrive in October, as he speculates, then they will indeed be "on store shelves by Christmas," as he also states.

RobertR · 08-23-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

If BD50s arrive in October, as he speculates, then they will indeed be "on store shelves by Christmas," as he also states.

Strictly speaking, he could say the same thing about Christmas 2007 or 2008. But if they "arrive" by October, then they should be on store shelves by October ("arrival" means nothing if people can't buy the discs). This is what I mean about all the ambiguity and inability to pin anything down. "Oh, I didn't mean by arrival that anyone could actually BUY anything". Well, that IS what I mean. When can we buy 50 gb discs in quantity?. PERIOD.

cafink · 08-23-2006, 04:38 PM

Of course I would not presume to speak for Peter. However, his "Christmas" post strikes me as completely reasonable. I would imagine he used Christmas instead of Halloween because, even if BD50s are on the shelves by Halloween, several of the other items he mentioned (6 BD players, "plentiful" VC-1 discs, and a million-selling PS3) will not be. I don't get the impression that Peter was trying to deceive anyone with that post. But perhaps I should allow Peter to speak for himself rather than speculate further on what he might be thinking.

PeterTHX · 08-23-2006, 05:19 PM

Sigh. The HD DVD attackers want to play semantics.

BD50s in October. On the shelves in Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, ad nauseum.

I was saying by the end of the year all these things will have come to pass.
In October BD50s will be, but PS3s will not. So I used Christmas as an all encompassing thing. Basic English.

RobertR · 08-23-2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

BD50s in October

A firm prediction. Good.

BrettGallman · 08-23-2006, 09:36 PM

I think it's unfair that some people have bought into one current format, be it HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, and have completely shut their minds off to the other.

I'm a proud HD-DVD owner, and yes I am disappointed with what Blu-Ray has had to offer so far. That's not to say the format can't improve and meet all the potential that many (myself included) touted pre-launch. I'm a big gamer, and I'll hopefully get a PS3 in the fall, and I'd be lying if I said I won't check out some BD discs. If I find enough discs are out there to warrant a purchase of a standalone player once the price becomes more reasonable, I'll buy one.

The fact is, HD-DVD is half the price right now, and if it were the same price as Blu-Ray, I'd be skipping both formats for the time being. As a tech nut, I want the best format to win out in the end, but it's going to be a while before we get a clear consensus on that. Just because I've jumped aboard the HD-DVD wagon now doesn't mean I'll find it the best in a year or so.

So empty rhetoric is pointless, but so too is declaring a winner after a couple of months.

Tim Glover · 08-24-2006, 12:03 AM

Good summary Brett.

Jerome Grate · 08-24-2006, 09:11 AM

Studio's certainly play a big role in regards to the format wars, but it's the manufacturers of hardware that is causing and fueling the war. IMHO Sony saw a format that could revolutionize the DVD world, costly but could. Now we need to remember that BD has been out in Japan for a while now (2 years I believe). Two years ago Sony USA should have pushed BD then but instead they remained dormant and allowed HD-DVD to come into play. Cheaper to make, and now a product half the price. My point, if Sony had pushed BD at the same time or shortly after it's break through in Japan, this may not have been an issue. Please understand I'm not an expert as so many members are or claim to be, but Sony had the perfect opportunity when it released BD in Japan and mostly all the studios jumped on board at it's inception here in the US. Bad decisions made here has now caused this format war, and bad decisions will finish it.