Wall Street Journal -- prospect of HD-DVD in 2005 doesn't look so hot
08-10-05, 08:44 AM
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Wall Street Journal -- prospect of HD-DVD in 2005 doesn't look so hot
An excerpt from the Wall Street Journal:
Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures, which had committed to releasing more than 20 titles on the HD-DVD brand starting in the fourth quarter, now won't release any in the quarter, according to a person familiar with the matter. General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal plans to release about a dozen HD-DVD titles in the fourth quarter, scaling back from the 16 titles it had announced in January.
Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Home Video, the biggest backer of the format, says its exact plans are up in the air, as it waits to see whether a compromise is reached between the rival formats. "If there is a unification of formats, we would want to work toward that," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video, who didn't rule out a holiday-season launch for Warner movies on HD-DVD.
Warren Lieberfarb, a consultant to HD-DVD backers, characterized rollout efforts as "no big deal" and added that "there was never a rock-solid date about the fourth quarter."
Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Home Video, the biggest backer of the format, says its exact plans are up in the air, as it waits to see whether a compromise is reached between the rival formats. "If there is a unification of formats, we would want to work toward that," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video, who didn't rule out a holiday-season launch for Warner movies on HD-DVD.
Warren Lieberfarb, a consultant to HD-DVD backers, characterized rollout efforts as "no big deal" and added that "there was never a rock-solid date about the fourth quarter."
08-10-05, 10:14 AM
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"Warren Lieberfarb, a consultant to HD-DVD backers, characterized rollout efforts as "no big deal" and added that "there was never a rock-solid date about the fourth quarter."
Really?????
While no actual calendar date was ever specified, every stinking interview I read about the rollout of HD-DVD stated basically that it was coming out in the fourth quarter..... NO MATTER WHAT.
Good to hear that some people are starting to rethink their positions a bit and are seeing the portents of what a format war would bring. The public will not stand for it (nor will they buy it) IMO.
Really?????
While no actual calendar date was ever specified, every stinking interview I read about the rollout of HD-DVD stated basically that it was coming out in the fourth quarter..... NO MATTER WHAT.
Good to hear that some people are starting to rethink their positions a bit and are seeing the portents of what a format war would bring. The public will not stand for it (nor will they buy it) IMO.
08-10-05, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by jmj713
This is the beginning of the end of HD-DVD formats.
08-10-05, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike Lowrey
Ummm...just wondering here. If Blu-Ray does eventually win out, will we have to change the name of this site to Blu-RayTalk? 
http://www.blu-raytalk.com
08-10-05, 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by SMB-IL
OK, personally, I think Blu-Ray should win the format war just because it has a cooler name.... 
ANNNNNND greater capacity. They've already created a 100 GB Blu-Ray disc.
08-10-05, 12:39 PM
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Also the HD-DVD camp always cites that it will cost more to manufacture Blu-Ray discs. Once the manufacturing plants have been converted, the cost to create a Blu-Ray disc will be a mere 5 cents.
Buddy, can ya spare a nickel for the next technological leap in home entertainment?
Buddy, can ya spare a nickel for the next technological leap in home entertainment?
08-10-05, 12:52 PM
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Yes, but what does HD-DVD cost per disc? Not taking sides, more like devil's advocate, but you must realize that if it is $.03 or less, then BD is FAR more expensive. From the mfgr's standpoint.
Shouldn't affect the discs we buy since the dollars are small, but you never know. DTS audio discs don't cost any more than regular DVDs, yet the prices are ridiculous.
Shouldn't affect the discs we buy since the dollars are small, but you never know. DTS audio discs don't cost any more than regular DVDs, yet the prices are ridiculous.
08-10-05, 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Spiky
DTS audio discs don't cost any more than regular DVDs, yet the prices are ridiculous.
These RIAA companies sure have an uncanny knack for killing golden egg laying geese.
08-10-05, 02:29 PM
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I have to believe this announcement is a response to Cinram's last conference call. Cinram is Warner's disc manufacturer.
What I got out of the call was that Cinram is going to charge a premium to both HD formats because if one dies they(as in Cinram) will eventually have worthless equipment and wasted a lot of money on that format . They also said none of the studios have even put an order in yet so Q4 was looking doubtful for any releases.
Cinram stated they believe only one format will be released but they are going to be ready for both just in case. In other words, I think Warner's replicator is sticking them and telling them to deal with Sony.
Right now Toshiba/Warner just lost the time advantage on BR. I think I hear them backpeddling towards a unified format again. This is going to be interesting.
What I got out of the call was that Cinram is going to charge a premium to both HD formats because if one dies they(as in Cinram) will eventually have worthless equipment and wasted a lot of money on that format . They also said none of the studios have even put an order in yet so Q4 was looking doubtful for any releases.
Cinram stated they believe only one format will be released but they are going to be ready for both just in case. In other words, I think Warner's replicator is sticking them and telling them to deal with Sony.
Right now Toshiba/Warner just lost the time advantage on BR. I think I hear them backpeddling towards a unified format again. This is going to be interesting.
08-10-05, 03:31 PM
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I really can't see either format winning over DVDs, seeing as how finally everyone has a DVD player and movies, they're not going to want to switch again (aka this idea has no mass appeal). I see a quick death for both, within 2 years, unless the companies making them are really aggressive about it.
08-10-05, 03:38 PM
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I don't think HD-DVD will die but one of the two formats will. I can definitely see a situation where DVD continues to dominate for several years and HD-DVD becomes more of a videophile format. HD-DVD may become a mainstream success down the road when HD-TVs completely replace standard TVs. That is many years away though.
Who knows, by the time DVD finally dies out HD-DVD may end up getting replaced as well.
Who knows, by the time DVD finally dies out HD-DVD may end up getting replaced as well.
08-10-05, 03:49 PM
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I'm still not convinced consumers would be ready for a new format, unified or not. I've got some HD channels thru my cable company, and an HD display. And while it's a jump from standard broadcast cable, the difference over DVD just isn't that much to my eyes.
I think even if the studios had been prepared to launch a unified format this fall from the get-go, it still might not have sold that well.
I think even if the studios had been prepared to launch a unified format this fall from the get-go, it still might not have sold that well.
08-10-05, 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Flave
They could have made a ton of money off me (and surely many others) by re-selling me DTS versions of albums I already own but no, they had to go and get greedy. And let's not talk about DVD-A -- what a bloody fiasco!
08-10-05, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by milo bloom
I'm still not convinced consumers would be ready for a new format, unified or not. I've got some HD channels thru my cable company, and an HD display. And while it's a jump from standard broadcast cable, the difference over DVD just isn't that much to my eyes.
I think even if the studios had been prepared to launch a unified format this fall from the get-go, it still might not have sold that well.
I think even if the studios had been prepared to launch a unified format this fall from the get-go, it still might not have sold that well.
And so they continue to fiddle while they admiringly thumb through the laserdisc and DVD-A business plans.
08-11-05, 06:51 AM
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Even more overt, from The Hollywood Reporter:
"We are considering rolling back our launch in the hopes of a last-minute compromise, which would avoid two formats straining the marketplace," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video.
08-11-05, 11:54 AM
#24
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Originally Posted by milo bloom
I'm still not convinced consumers would be ready for a new format, unified or not. I've got some HD channels thru my cable company, and an HD display. And while it's a jump from standard broadcast cable, the difference over DVD just isn't that much to my eyes.
But I would like to see what a quality HD-DVD disc looks like before I say whether or not consumers would embrace an HD-DVD format.