The Format War

[Fran]

If the plot I hear of is true, then it will suck horribly

 

[Zenien]

Jurassic Park is coming to HD-DVD.

This war is won.

None of Speilbergs movies are coming to either HD format as he hold right to their distribution and is not doing it until one wins.

http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/list.html


Quote:
Apology for our Contents List

The inclusion in the January 29 update of our "Coming Soon List" of three Steven Spielberg classics was an error on our part. The HD DVD Promotion Group expresses sincere apologies to Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and HD DVD fans for this mistake. We will endeavor to prevent any similar mistake and to provide accurate information.

I can start posting weekly trackings if people want.

 

[Havok83]

Its true. Sales for BR has surpassed HD-DVD by almsot 3 times. Im not surprised bc BR has 6 out of the 7 major maufacturer's support whereas HD-DVD only has 3 and only one exclusive (Universal). More BR moves are released and I think the ratio of new releases is 4 to 1. And the last factor is the PS3. That puts the format into homes. For those who have one, the choice of which format to choose is a no brainer so they already have a BR player.

 

[Fran]

None of Speilbergs movies are coming to either HD format as he hold right to their distribution and is not doing it until one wins.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s..._Spielberg_Classics_Jaws,_Jurassic,_E.T._/454

 

[Zenien]

http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/list.html

Apology for our Contents List

The inclusion in the January 29 update of our "Coming Soon List" of three Steven Spielberg classics was an error on our part. The HD DVD Promotion Group expresses sincere apologies to Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and HD DVD fans for this mistake. We will endeavor to prevent any similar mistake and to provide accurate information.

 

[Fran]

Zeni-owned.

 

[Zenien]

Sorry to dissapoint you.

 

[Fading]

If the plot I hear of is true, then it will suck horribly

Honestly I hadn't given it thought, my mom loved JP a lot tho and was the one to tell me she heard a new one was coming out. I mean I like the series, it just hadn't passed thru my head. Just looked it up now tho, and Rotten Tomatoes says Sam Neill and Kiera Knightly (not a fan of her acting so much, but she's hot ) are in it . I haven't heard anything on the plot tho.

 

[BatMatt]

That was sarcasm, my friend.

But seriously, the JP trilogy is an awesome release, but won't win it.

sorry man, sarcasm can be difficult to detect online.

Blu-Ray has the momentum right now but the months ahead will be a better indication of what will happen. If Universal should make the switch to Blu-Ray that could end it

 

[Deleted User]

Its a good thing I returned my HD-dvd player

I wouldn't buy either. As far as I can tell, both formats are doomed to extinction. Especially after they found a way to cram up to a TB of data on a regular DVD.

 

[Zenien]

 

[imdaly]

The only source we've seen so far that hold any water and doesn't contradict itself is Neilson/Videoscan marketshare percentages as of Jan. 21, 2007.

Note: The first two weeks shown there are flawed (They didn't include the sales of HD DVD Combo discs), so they are useless.


On the left, you see the comparisons of HD DVD vs. Blu-ray so far this year (meaning for the first 3 weeks). It says that for every 100 Blu-ray discs sold, 50.51 HD DVDs have sold. This means, that for the past 3 weeks, Blu-ray has outsold HD DVDs by a 2:1 ratio.

Now on the right is the same comparison, but this time it's over the lifespan of the two formats. It says that for every 100 HD DVD discs sold, 82.3 Blu-ray discs have sold. This means that, even though Blu-ray has been outselling HD DVD for the past 3 weeks, HD DVD is still in the lead.


Of course, without any reliable sales numbers released yet (Sony just tried to release some, but the numbers are all out of whack), we have no idea how far ahead HD DVD currently is, and how much of a comeback Blu-ray's made in the past 3 weeks.

 

[Deleted User]

Didn't you see the article on it that was floating around awhile ago? Using a new angled ridge technique they could make DVDs hold up to a TB of information.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3696306.stm

That. Though, that's not the article I'm talking about. The one I saw on MSN.com a few months ago. I really have to dig that thing up.

 

[Zenien]

When I speak I jinx.

 

[Fading]

I wouldn't buy either. As far as I can tell, both formats are doomed to extinction. Especially after they found a way to cram up to a TB of data on a regular DVD.

I do have a feeling that one will win on the movie front, and the other stay around in some form. Even tho I like Blu-ray for storage and backers like fox, I honestly am with you that at this point I wouldn't buy a stand alone Blu-ray player. PS3 comes with one tho so that's why I have one, if it didn't come with one I'd be waiting for a few years before I bought a player.

BTW just clearing up that while the title is a bit misleading, I made the post more to keep track of how it's going so we can look back and see how far off we were on guessing, not really to flat out declare a winner (except obviously with guessing as we probably all have a favorite out of the two).

 

[Havok83]

I wouldnt buy a standalone player myself bc they are so damn expensive and its still shaky about where things will go. If and when I get one it will be the PS3, just like I did with a DVD player back with the PS2

 

[Spidey17]

Since BRalready one in Japan, I can't see HD winning hear. They might get Canada though(No offense Zenien, if you're Canadian like I think you are).

 

[Fading]

BTW just wanted to say to all the ppl who own BR already, you don't have to worry about no porn on BR. It appears that was over exagerated (which some of you might know) and that that porn distributor was just having problems finding someone to produce their movies on BR. It wasn't an actual bar on porn movies by the BR group. Here's a link to prove it tho just in case -

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...nds_with_the_Return_of_Debbie_Does_Dallas/445

Despite reports of a covert operation by Blu-ray backers to banish porn from the format, it seems a '70s adult superheroine has come to the rescue, with the official announcement of Vivid Entertainment's 'Debbie Does Dallas...Again' on Blu-ray.

In a story only missing an informant named Deep Throat (sorry, we couldn't resist), the news first erupted out of CES two weeks ago. Adult legend Joone, co-founder of porn distributor Digital Playground, said that his company was forced to change HD allegiances for the company's planned first high-def titles after "all Blu-ray Disc copying facilities in the United States had refused to cooperate." He went on to allege that primary Blu-ray backer Sony "wants me to publish my films on HD DVD."

Though the official Blu-ray Group never officially responded to Joone's accusations, the company did hurry out a follow-up statement last week claiming that the Sony-backed organization is committed to working with "all" content providers.
"The BDA welcomes the participation of all companies interested in using and supporting the format, particularly those from the content industry," said Marty Gordon, vicechair of the Blu-ray Disc Association US Promotions Committee.

Now, the question of "Will they or won't they?" for Blu-ray and porn seems to have been finally answered, with adult heavy Vivid Entertainment officially making good on earlier plans to release the first next-gen porn title to Blu-ray, 'Debbie Does Dallas...Again' for release on March 28.
"We have had many challenges, but have secured both authoring and replication for Blu-ray," co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment Steven Hirsch told Video Business.


Though full specs for 'Debbie Does Dallas...Again' have not yet been released, the title is set to include a full 1080p transfer, plus a feature that so far even mainstream studio releases haven't yet dared try -- multiple angles during select scenes. Ahem.

Lol at that last part.

I never thought Porn would play a huge part in this format war. I mean before it made sense with Beta vs. VHS because you really didn't have a choice if you wanted to watch it at home. It's just with the internet now I think physical copies just really don't mean as much, and will make little difference.

 

[Deleted User]

Since BRalready one in Japan, I can't see HD winning hear. They might get Canada though(No offense Zenien, if you're Canadian like I think you are).

You know that American and Japanese tastes are almost exactly opposite, right?

 

[SpiderFan17]

In Europe, believe it or not, many of the studios that support blu ray over here license out their films for european distribution to companies that have supported... get this.... HD-DVD. In other words, movies like Terminator 2, Fifth Element, Rambo, and even some sony pictures films like Silent Hill and Ultraviolet are on HD-DVD in europe. So, this begs the question, when a good majority of ALL the next-gen titles over here in the US are on HD-DVD in EU, how does blu ray stand a chance there?

I can see HD-DVD "winning", albeit technically, in the end, because of their advanced special features, and lack of region coding. All other factors aside, if everyone were to go neutral tomorrow, that would be the one advantage presentation-wise HD has over blu ray, and the big advantage for importing. If both formats continue to sell evenly, eventually most of the "allied" companies will simply go neutral in the hopes of doubling their sales. That's the endgame of this whole war, is to make money. Does anyone think that Miramax actually CARES if their money goes to Toshiba or Sony for licensing fees if either wins out? No. If one or the other meant they'd make more money re-releasing the same old half-assed double dip discs, they'd absolutely be there. It's a war right now, but as a long term investment, exclusivity will hamper profits, and when anything hampers profits, movie companies take notice and take action.

I don't care either way because I get Children of Men on hd-dvd in a month, so after that film, the format could go belly up but I'd still have one of the best films ever in HD.

 

[imdaly]

In Europe, believe it or not, many of the studios that support blu ray over here license out their films for european distribution to companies that have supported... get this.... HD-DVD. In other words, movies like Terminator 2, Fifth Element, Rambo, and even some sony pictures films like Silent Hill and Ultraviolet are on HD-DVD in europe. So, this begs the question, when a good majority of ALL the next-gen titles over here in the US are on HD-DVD in EU, how does blu ray stand a chance there?

And on TOP of this, anyone here who wants those HD DVDs can import them and play them on their players. In fact, I already got "Harry Potter 4" on HD DVD a couple months ago, even though it's not available on either format here in the states until later this year.


Ahh, the wonders of Region-Free HD DVD.

 

[Havok83]

I can see HD-DVD "winning", albeit technically, in the end, because of their advanced special features, and lack of region coding.

what advanced special features does HD-DVD have over BRD

 

[Zenien]

None except HDi, but BRjava is almost hitting the streets and that's with otuselling HD-DVD 2+ to 1 and blowing past them.

Just look at the top ten HD-DVD sales and the the Top Ten BR sales:

Top 10 HD-DVD Bestsellers (c/o DVD Empire.com)

Eagles: Farewell 1 Tour
Hollywoodland
Half Baked
Chicago/ Earth, Wind and Fire: Live
Toto: Live in Amsterdam
HDScape Exotic Sal****er Aquarium
James Taylor: Musicares Person of the Year Tribute
Pat Methany Group: The Way Up
Heart: Alive in Seattle
Casino


Top 10 Blu-Ray Bestsellers (c/o DVD Empire.com)

The Guardian
Flyboys
Open Season
Crank
Alien vs. Predator
Superman Returns
Saw III
Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis
Pearl Harbor
The Last Samurai

European HD penetration is so low thanks to a huge number of reasons it's a also ran territory, the real HD war is determined by North America and (marginally) Japan.

imdaly you're such an HD-DVD back bencher.

 

[imdaly]

And if you look at how things are selling at places where people actually buy them you have this:

HD DVD
The Departed
Babel
Batman Begins
The Good Shepherd
Digital Video Essentials
Hollywoodland
NiN - Beside You In Time
Lucky # Slevin
Mummy Returns
Casino

Blu-ray
Casino Royale
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Stranger Than Fiction
The Usual Suspects
Dances With Wolves
Mission Impossible Trillogy
Broken Arrow
Terminator 2
NiN - Beside You In Time

 

[imdaly]

Blu-ray In The Lead...Of Title Postponments

In the most expansive release shake-up in the short history of both next-gen formats, Fox has postponed a large chunk of its announced Blu-ray March and April title line-up, the studio confirmed today.

The following titles have all been pulled from Fox's upcoming Blu-ray release schedule, including a few MGM titles, which the studio distributes. (The date to the left was the originally-announced street date):

March 13:
Commando
Dances with Wolves (MGM)
Dodgeball
Ice Age
Thomas Crown Affair (1999)(MGM)

April 03:
Dude, Where's My Car?
The Fly (1986)
Hannibal (MGM)
The Silence of the Lambs (MGM)
Tristan & Isolde

April 17:
Turistas

The rest of the Fox/MGM winter Blu-ray release line-up remains unchanged.

Considering the size of these delays, we contacted Fox Home Entertainment directly about the extensive title shake-up. To allay any fears, none of these titles have been cancelled, only been pushed back due to a general "release schedule shuffling," said Fox's senior VP of marketing communications Steve Feldstein.

All titles will be rescheduled at later, as yet undetermined dates.

We'll certainly keep you posted as new street dates for these titles come in, and if there are any changes to specs and/or supplemental features.

Source

It's probably a good thing for Blu-ray fans though, as all of Fox's discs are an overpriced $39.99 with usually no extra features.