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News for anyone waiting for Blu-ray/HD-DVD
- Thread starter macjonny1
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Paramount, Dreamworks go HD DVD exclusive!
http://www.viacom.com/NEWS/NewsText.aspx?RID=1042073
Paramount and Dreamworks (both owned by Viacom) were previously format neutral like Warner Bros.
No Transformers, Blades of Glory (who cares) or Shrek on our Playstation 3's or Blu-ray players.
As for the "major six" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Sony Pictures Entertainment (includes Columbia Pictures and Tristar, owns MGM)
Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group (includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone and Miramax)
Fox Entertainment Group (includes 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight, distributes MGM films)
Time Warner (includes Warner Bros, HBO and New Line Cinema)
HD DVD
Paramount Motion Pictures Group [Viacom] (includes Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks Animation, MTV Films and Comedy Central)
NBC Universal (includes Universal Studios, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures)
Time Warner (includes Warner Bros, HBO and New Line Cinema)
As far as "mini-major" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Lionsgate (includes Artisan)
HD DVD
The Weinstein Company (includes Dimension)
As far as "other" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Magnolia Pictures
Studio Canal (distributed by Lionsgate and MGM in the United States)
First Look Studios
HD DVD
Image Entertainment
Magnolia Pictures
Studio Canal (distributed by Lionsgate and MGM in the United States)
First Look Studios
* Major six and min-Major classifications from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_production_companies.
http://www.viacom.com/NEWS/NewsText.aspx?RID=1042073
Paramount and Dreamworks (both owned by Viacom) were previously format neutral like Warner Bros.
No Transformers, Blades of Glory (who cares) or Shrek on our Playstation 3's or Blu-ray players.
As for the "major six" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Sony Pictures Entertainment (includes Columbia Pictures and Tristar, owns MGM)
Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group (includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone and Miramax)
Fox Entertainment Group (includes 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight, distributes MGM films)
Time Warner (includes Warner Bros, HBO and New Line Cinema)
HD DVD
Paramount Motion Pictures Group [Viacom] (includes Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks Animation, MTV Films and Comedy Central)
NBC Universal (includes Universal Studios, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures)
Time Warner (includes Warner Bros, HBO and New Line Cinema)
As far as "mini-major" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Lionsgate (includes Artisan)
HD DVD
The Weinstein Company (includes Dimension)
As far as "other" studio support, the format count is:
Blu-ray
Magnolia Pictures
Studio Canal (distributed by Lionsgate and MGM in the United States)
First Look Studios
HD DVD
Image Entertainment
Magnolia Pictures
Studio Canal (distributed by Lionsgate and MGM in the United States)
First Look Studios
* Major six and min-Major classifications from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_production_companies.
with blu-ray and hd-dvd exclusives, is it any wonder people are taking their sweet time adopting hi-def media discs? just pick a format already!
In my mind, the format war is already over - and both sides lost. Going from audio cassette to CD and going from video cassette to DVD were huge leaps. This progression, not so much...
What about the status quo - Regular DVD's?
I see this as kind of like DVD+/-R recording formats a few years ago. Neither format really won and most new drives can handle either one. I predict that combination DVD players are going to be the winner here as well.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-ent...hos-winning-the-studio-support-war-291361.php
Needless to say I'm shocked, I had basic admited HD DVD has lost, they had low support(or so I thought), and a much small install base.(they still do, but how many PS3 owners use Blue Ray often?)
Interesting times......kind of wish one would win already.
Needless to say I'm shocked, I had basic admited HD DVD has lost, they had low support(or so I thought), and a much small install base.(they still do, but how many PS3 owners use Blue Ray often?)
Interesting times......kind of wish one would win already.
With this announcement, the end to the stupid HD optical format war is now nowhere in sight. I'm sure Microsoft is thrilled today, because they want both formats to fail anyway. The only reason they have backed HD DVD is to make sure that Blu-ray would never go mainstream. They have their lousy HD-lite downloads that they would love to sell to everyone. Apple wins in this scenario as well, but at least they've stayed on the sidelines and not interfered in an attempt to sabotage the HD optical disc market like Microsoft has done.
Ugh.
Well, this makes me even more glad I haven't invested in either format, and now I'm definitely going to put it off until there's something resembling a "winner" (stupid term when the only ones who "win" are the format licenseholders--us consumers lose either way).
At least nothing I'm that interested in is HD anyway--mostly older TV shows.
Well, this makes me even more glad I haven't invested in either format, and now I'm definitely going to put it off until there's something resembling a "winner" (stupid term when the only ones who "win" are the format licenseholders--us consumers lose either way).
At least nothing I'm that interested in is HD anyway--mostly older TV shows.
Well, I guess Blockbuster Video is going to feel stupid for supporting Blu-Ray exclusively. I suspect they will soon anounce they're going back to stocking both formats. At least NetFlix does.
Good God, this makes the bull&S&S DVD-R and DVD+R "battle" look just myopic. And as that stands my blank media (and I just discovered that I have about 250 blank DVDRs...I was going to buy some too, I think I'm good for eternity) is still split between those two formats just in case I need to burn something for someone with either an old DVD player or a finicky DVD-ROM drive.
You know, I have a DVD collection that exceeds 1000 discs, a nice HDTV and surround system - I'm the target customer/early adopter for this sort of thing, but this is just stupid. I will not adopt one until we start seeing a clearcut winner - and most consumers are feeling the same way. That's one reason adoption has been so low (the major reason is that the majority of people still don't have HDTVs - more than 60% of PS3 owners don't - which really thwarts the 2:1 ratio that Sony wants to tout for Blu-Ray's installed base anyway) and why I feel fairly certain that ultimately neither format will ever become a major and we'll see some new thing in its place (I don't go as far as to actually thinking that disc-based media will disappear - hard drives are too finicky and downloadable quality isn't there yet, at least on the infrastructure level).
To be honest, though I almost think Apple would be contrarian and go Blu-Ray just because, I'd much rather an HD-DVD drive be put out for the Mac because the data side applications are so much more greatly researched/developed/planned for.
You know, I have a DVD collection that exceeds 1000 discs, a nice HDTV and surround system - I'm the target customer/early adopter for this sort of thing, but this is just stupid. I will not adopt one until we start seeing a clearcut winner - and most consumers are feeling the same way. That's one reason adoption has been so low (the major reason is that the majority of people still don't have HDTVs - more than 60% of PS3 owners don't - which really thwarts the 2:1 ratio that Sony wants to tout for Blu-Ray's installed base anyway) and why I feel fairly certain that ultimately neither format will ever become a major and we'll see some new thing in its place (I don't go as far as to actually thinking that disc-based media will disappear - hard drives are too finicky and downloadable quality isn't there yet, at least on the infrastructure level).
To be honest, though I almost think Apple would be contrarian and go Blu-Ray just because, I'd much rather an HD-DVD drive be put out for the Mac because the data side applications are so much more greatly researched/developed/planned for.
Agreed. Combo BR/HD-DVD players (if allowed to be produced) will be the only logical outcome.
I think Blu-Ray will still win. I started out as a hard core HD-DVD supporter but then started looking at the format war as a whole and saw that there is a deeper support base for BD.
i have a PS3 and I play Blu-ray on it all the time. Paramount was paid off and thats the only reason why they did this. I bet it doesnt last long.
i have a PS3 and I play Blu-ray on it all the time. Paramount was paid off and thats the only reason why they did this. I bet it doesnt last long.
Well, logical from a hardware manufacturer POV, but not when it comes to software (ie. the discs themselves) - which is where all the money really is in any player. The problem with having two competing formats, even if they both essentially do the same thing/same quality and even if a device exists that can play both is that the software producers have to make a choice to either support one or both - and supporting both might be more logical, but it is also much, much more expensive. Having to have two separate manufacturing lines for each individual SKU, not to mention having to ship both SKUs to retailers (which would realistically lessen the shelfspace/exposure that the product would get) is a very, very bad thing. Look at SACD and DVD-Audio - it's a very, very similar situation to what Blu-Ray/HD-DVD are at right now- only with nearly a decade lead. Both formats have their pros/cons - but both essentially sound the same (DVD-A might have the potential to hold more data but that hasn't translated into better sound) - at this point, most players that will play SACD will also play DVD-A and vice versa. Still, the hi fidelity audio market is getting smaller all the time. More SACD albums were available six years ago than today - and DVD-A might be more accessible in theory (keep in mind that while any DVD player you buy today will play the discs - DVD-ROMs won't and any DVD player pre-2002 or 2003 may not unless it was higher end), but neither format has been adopted by consumers (most consumers have never even heard of Super Audio CD and don't know what DVD Audio really is).
So if we look at audio formats - Sony, who was developing SACD independently of any of their work with the DVD Alliance in the mid 1990s - was first on the block, but rather than adopt that technology - other companies like Toshiba decided to create their own based on DVD standards. And everyone loses. At least in the case of the audio formats, the competing formats weren't being developed at the same time (even Betamax and VHS weren't as bad as what this is because that was more about camcorder media in the beginning and the evolution to home players was kind of a shock - at least in how quickly it became adopted) - but in the case of the hi-def DVD successor, it is every major companies fault (and the studio's too for not putting their foot down - I blame Sony the most though because they were the one's that got so greedy about having a financial stake in both the hardware patent and the software production) because they ignored what they agreed to do with the DVD Alliance back in '96 that sparked the most profitable media format in history (for video anyway) and make one format and instead insisted to play out this ridiculous format war.
And no one wins because consumers get confused - and even with dual-media players that still puts software availability and pricing at a higher mark.
Format war's not over; HD-DVD strikes back.
This morning, Paramount and DreamWorks pledged their exclusive support of the HD-DVD format, joining the previously lone HD-DVD-exclusive supporter, Universal.
That means Shrek, Transformers, Blades of Glory, etc are HD-DVD exclusive...
The war's still going to go on for a while, it appears.
This morning, Paramount and DreamWorks pledged their exclusive support of the HD-DVD format, joining the previously lone HD-DVD-exclusive supporter, Universal.
That means Shrek, Transformers, Blades of Glory, etc are HD-DVD exclusive...
The war's still going to go on for a while, it appears.
Whilst I don't really care for the mentioned films, it's still a massive blow as everyone and their puppy will get Shrek 3 around here. Which isn't so bad I suppose since HD-DVD is doing better in Europe than BlueRay.
Shrugs to the whole thing till I get my HD-DVD drive in the far flung future.
Shrugs to the whole thing till I get my HD-DVD drive in the far flung future.
I'm pretty sure that Blu-ray'll win in Japan just cause it's the only place that the PS3 isn't selling like utter rubbish currently, and it'll probably increase this holiday season.
HD-DVD seems to have the European advantage, while Blu-ray has the US.
I don't even care who wins anymore. I refuse to buy into either format until there's a winner.
Sony absolutely depends on Blu-ray though. They're really poising the PS3 as a HD player/streamer/media center device, and if Blu-ray fails, that means PS3 game disks'll be more expensive and more importantly there will be no movie media.
Blu-ray isn't anywhere near failing yet, but HD-DVD isn't so far behind they can't catch up.
HD-DVD seems to have the European advantage, while Blu-ray has the US.
I don't even care who wins anymore. I refuse to buy into either format until there's a winner.
Sony absolutely depends on Blu-ray though. They're really poising the PS3 as a HD player/streamer/media center device, and if Blu-ray fails, that means PS3 game disks'll be more expensive and more importantly there will be no movie media.
Blu-ray isn't anywhere near failing yet, but HD-DVD isn't so far behind they can't catch up.
I wonder what kind of back room dealings got Paramount to go HD-DVD exclusive at this point in the game.
Lethal
Lethal