Did BDA use fake forum accounts & blogs created to promote Blu-Ray - "Phase Hydra"? (1 Viewer)

Leaked today 4/4 on AVSFORUM by a longtime, reliable AVS insider who hacked the BDA's promo server (he did this once before and gained much info in advance that was later confirmed):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post10208851


Confirmed by Microsoft, as well, it seems.

Has HTF been targetted? We are pretty "high profile," thats for sure.

I didnt think this was news. I have seen guys on both sides (HD and BD) that you would swear must work for "someone". Of course a few of those guys are gone now. But i am sure if we have more...they will show their true colors.

Yeah, there are guys like myself who are passionate about one format or the other (HD DVD in my case). It just makes me a bit angry when we hear about corporations paying people to spam message boards and attempt to sink HD DVD morale and bolster Blu-Ray morale in this case. It adds nothing constructive to the debate and it isn't even real people debating - just marketeers.

It looks like AVSFORUM and other sites are taking this seriously, searching IPs to try to weed out viral BD marketers from "Phase Hydra".

Pete, there are numerous avid posters on AVS that seem to be doing anything they can to put Sony and Blu-Ray in bad light. I would be suspious about this so called in sider. It can be a very hostile atmosphere at AVS when the "fan boys" get going. There are some names that appear many times daily with some AVS posters listed as only joining 2-3 months ago with 2-3 thousand posts.

So?

Does this really effect any of us?

Even if true, it's standard procedure to tune out the rabid.

as someone on AVS proffered, the next step will be corps trying to buy the identites of long time forum users (who may have stopped using the boards for a while for whatever reasons) who have no controversial posting histories.

I have no doubt that's coming soon, if not already here.

and yeah, there are many posters over on AVS with join dates just a few months old and already several thousands posts to their credit.
who the hell would be posting that much without some economic incentive somewhere?

I really hate disingenuous thread titles. The title of this thread basically states that the BDA has admitted to falsifying forum accounts. I open this thread to read up on this "bombshell" news and what do I find? Some account of a hacker allegedly cracking a BDA promotional server and learning about a guerilla marketing campaign with the fanciful code name "Phase Hydra". Shades of GI JOE!! What's next? Are we going to find out that the BDA is secretly run by Cobra Commander?

What I don't find is any evidence that the BDA has actually admitted to any campaign of any sort. Not that such a campaign may not exist. It may. But so far, the only thing that exists is the lack of any actual admittance by the BDA that such a fancifully named campaign is being executed. Therefore, the title of this thread is, at this time, completely false and should be changed to "Hacker, committing illegal act, alleges that BDA is running a guerilla marketing campaign".

Furthermore, even it is true it is not like the BDA is the only group engaging in such campaigns. I'm sure the HD DVD promotion group has plenty of paid hacks signing up on message boards to beat the HD DVD drum.

Damn, my cover is blown!

Um..wow. You'd think that AVS unearthed the plot to assassinate JFK. Having a bit of experience in the slimy corporate world, "plants" or "moles" are nothing new.

However this just looks to me like an excuse to start a witchhunt against posters with opposing viewpoints. Too many people seem to be "consumed" by this format war.. it begs the phrase "get a life".

There's a reason I have an AVS account but have only posted once and it wasn't in the High-def area.

Both sides do it. Of that I have no doubt.

If true, definitely slimey. However the name "Phase Hydra" just sounds a little too James-Bondish for me to take it too seriously.

So are you equally angry at Toshiba or Microsoft since they pretty much do the same thing?

It is slimey...and both may do it. We don't know...but a tactic like this (if true) shows some insecurity from the BD camp. If one believes the war was over back in Feb when some BD folks were stating that & add that they have most of the studios; why not let the product speak for itself instead of creating something fake?

Surely there's more to this.

I think I saw "Phase Hydra" written on the bottom of the hatch in Lost.

This is interesting news. [Adjusts Tin-Foil hat]

Commencing "Warm Liquid Goo" Phase!

yeah, you lump this together with all the CES trash talking and over the top quotes from Parsons and Dunn, then add in all the Fox title pulls and it really looks like the BDA, for all its firepower has a case of neurotic insecurity.

What is the motivation to have format logos as personal signatures?

Not unlike displaying any other picture there. To express one's pleasure with and high hopes for the format, no doubt. Isn't that rather obvious?


Cees

Like the man said, why is this surprising or even considered big news? You can be pretty sure both camps are doing this kind of stuff.