[Bleddyn Williams]

Reading the last couple of pages of this thread - priceless! Because HD DVD didn't lie down and die for the blu camp, they've doomed us all to download hell.

[Zack Gibbs]

All I know is that yesterday I was finally starting to look at which player I was going to get, and even started to look at newer displays to go with it. Today I face the very real possibility that I'll never purchase an HD title at all.

[Todd H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleddyn Williams

Reading the last couple of pages of this thread - priceless! Because HD DVD didn't lie down and die for the blu camp, they've doomed us all to download hell.

And the trolls start to appear. Welcome to Ignore.

[Dave Mack]

Everyone saying, "Well, Sony did the same thing..." miss the point IMHO.
Sony MAKES and sells players AND discs.
What exactly does MS have to do with HDdvd..?
Sony wants BD to win to make $ on their products.
MS wants NOBODY to win so they can make $ with eventual downloads that Gates has publicly said will be the future.


Remember this...?

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/09/t...l-gates-again/


"First off, I wanted to talk about some of the stuff you talked about your keynote, specifically Vongo, which is going to be the first of what I presume will be several online video subscription services that will be announced in the next few months. It's similar to the ToGo services that are available already for music, but do you think that online video download subscriptions have a greater chance of being successful than the rental model has so far been for music? Are customers already used to the idea of renting movies, but it's taking them some time to getting used to the idea of renting music?

GATES...

Yeah, I mean, movies are a bit different in the sense that it's often that you'll want to see it once, and then having it in a library wouldn't be that critical to you, whereas with music you're going to want to listen to it many, many times. In fact, you can hear it once on the radio and get that sample, so it's the ongoing use that's the real value there..."

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051017-5445.html

"For us it's not the physical format. Understand that this is the last physical format there will ever be. Everything's going to be streamed directly or on a hard disk. So, in this way, it's even unclear how much this one counts.

Will HD DVD or Blu-ray be the last physical format? You could certainly make a strong case for that..."


This is who you want funding the future of HD optical media? A guy who predicts it won't last AND stands to make ALOT of dough with what he predicts WILL be the future...?

[Jason Seaver]

And "neither" is just status quo, sad to say.

Of course, the flip side is that if HD DVD has actually secured an agreement for everything Paramount releases to be day-and-date (minus Spielberg)... That could be huge, too, especially if it includes catalog titles, TV, and stuff from the specialty sub-imprints like Paramount Classics and Go Fish. That could be a huge deal.

[PeterMano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will_B

Bill Hunt tells it straight. The story -- the news story -- is the antitrust, and is appropriately placed at the head of his column. The only bit of bias is his hope that HD-DVD will still end, but, that doesn't change the fact that he recognizes what the most important part of the situation is -- the part that is going to bring in the Feds. The reporting is accurate.

You gotta be kiddin me. If any camp faces antitrust problems its sony with bluray. They own two major studios and they control 90% of the bluray hardware market. I'm quite certain there are numerous parties in hollywood that aren't happy with that situation.

[Jari K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrettGallman

In the long run, though, I think this spells trouble for both formats.

Sadly, this is probably true. People are now more confused than ever.

Still, I can´t sit and watch when 2 (or should I say 3) major studios release films only in HD DVD, so HD DVD-player will be mine pretty soon. They got me..

It´s still quite early to say how long this "deal" will last, but I assume that at least this and next year. So at least in 2008, the format war rages on.

I have to admit, that I DIDN´T saw this coming.

[DaViD Boulet]

Quote:

I think he's simply pissed that $$$ is changing hands in order to KILL PHYSICAL DISC MEDIA. I don't think he cares which format wins, but rather that a format WINS. This move by Microsoft cripples home media, period. They want BD and HD-DVD to die a miserable SACD/DVD-A death, and they want you to watch your movies like you listen to music on your I-Pod, quality and consumer friendliness be damned as long as they hold the strings.

Agreed.

[Shane Martin]

Dave,
Where's the actual proof that MS paid them? Toshiba did last I checked. It's quite a reach to assume MS paid for this.

Also I think Bill's article is quite offbase as both sides are pulling these same punches. If Toshiba/HD DVD is guilty of anti-competitive actions, Sony is more than guilty of it as well.

[Rob Young]

Gee, what a shocker that those complaining in here are either exclusive bluray supporters or prefer the format. So let me get this logic straight...ok for companies to be exclusive on bluray but not ok if a dual format company decides to support hd dvd? GREAT UNBIASED LOGIC.

Maybe this will cause a lot of hd dvd sales and fox and disney will go dual format...I guess though that can't happen. All it is with people is whatever format they chose/prefer should be the format that wins. Gotcha.

FWIW I am a dual format owner, do not prefer either format and I find being format exclusive to be lame since it does not give consumers a real choice if they want the movies of that studio.

It is just amusing to me that if Paramount flipped this to be blu ray exclusive that it'd prolly be praised by people here...so what if all studios excluding Sony go hd dvd exclusive...will people here praise the end of the format war or will they be bitter because they initially bought into blu ray?

I love human bias. It kills me.

Anyway, this is good news for toshiba and the hd dvd only owners, bad news for blu ray only owners and it is TBD to see what this does to those on the sidelines.