I kinda agree with Bill here. I don't think the "party" celebrating Digital Bits 10th Aniv. is kosher, but this thread seemed kinda out of the blue.

You have to be naive to think that studios/businessses don't throw parties for journalists under the cover of "demos" I think this invitation wasn't probably worded the right way to make it kosher..but its a matter of semantics ..not form.

On the other hand, I would like to see people that editorialize about anything disclose their affiliations and what kind of compenssation they receive from interested parties.

I think it is funny that he posts that he isn't going to respond anymore and then continues to do so.

I, for one, don't give a rats ass what the DB does or DVDTalk or HTF or anyone else. People make their beds and they have to lay in them.

However, I do feel that a site that is dedicated to Home Theater/DVD's/HD etc be fair and equal. Don't try and force things down someone else's throat. It is all about trial and error. Let the consumer be the one to decide what is better, not you. Having it forced down one's throat that Blu Ray is the ONLY way to go is insane. Yes, people have choices and they can read what they want and buy what they want. The thing is, people visit your site, I would think, for a diversity of opinions, not just one that will praise one to the heavens and shit on the other for no other reason than just to shit on them.

What's gonna happen if this "war" does end and HD-DVD comes out on top. Are you going to just go on like nothing happened and be fair and balanced?

The bill hunt hate train keeps on rolling.

Bill, i support your decision since it IS what the industry picked. We shouldnt have a inferior format shoved down our throat from toshiba just so that they can keep their fat royalty checks going and for microsoft to sabotage HD media on disc. Thank you for taking a stand, and you've got a faithful reader right here.

-Que

I would add that the event celebrates 10 years of not just The Bits but also The Home Theater Forum, and the work of everyone at both sites. It will be attended by a group of some 70 readers and members not just of The Bits and HTF, but by others as well. The private schedule of events we've lined up at EMA was open to all that wished to join our group. As you can see, many of our peers in the DVD press were invited to join us at this particular event as well.

I will also say something I should have said before: The idea that this event is payola implies that we NEED to be paid for our opinions about Blu-ray Disc. We do not. We've long said that the format's clear advantage in studio and hardware support, providing that the quality of the audio and video experience was equal, was likely going to decide this format war. We suspected it before the formats launched, and we're convinced of it now after a full year of this war. It may come as a surprise to some that we could actually form, hold, articulate and defend an opinion without getting paid for it, but that is the case nonetheless. People will believe what they will, but our conscience is absolutely clear.

We invited all of the Hollywood studios, many manufactuers and both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc groups to address our group as they saw fit. Many have chosen to do so, and we're pleased that those who have signed up with our group are going to be treated to a fun convention and a great slate of private demos, presentations and events. When some of our longtime friends who work in the Blu-ray Disc studios realized that this year marked the 10th anniversary of both The Digital Bits and Home Theater Forum, they chose to hold a party to celebrate the milestone. Far from being ashamed of this, we're honored by it and grateful to them for it. It's unfortunate that some apparently see fit to find fault and make accusations, but such is the nature of things.

Once again, best wishes to all of you.

Bill Hunt, Editor
The Digital Bits
www.thedigitalbits.com
[email protected]

Please take off the Blu tinted glasses ....

Bill, thank you for your passion about video. It is the one thing that you have never wavered on since the early days when DVD was threatened by DIVX. As you may have noticed, if you take a stand against a format that some people have an emotional and economical investment in, they will cut you down everytime. Keep up the good work.

Why does a site need to be equal, assuming you mean equal coverage of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD? If they feel one product is superior to another why not say so? Information sites are one piece of the puzzle that a consumer uses to make their decision. It's up to the consumer how much they value any one website's opinion. Just like a DVD review here, if the DVD stinks, say so (and the reviewers here do). They've made an opinion and it's up to us as to how much we value that opinion based on what we perceive as their track record. The value of an information site, be it for home theater, cars, etc, is so I don't always have to find out by trial and error what is the best product or solution. Finding out everything by trial and error would be too expensive for most of us. For some trial and error is the fun of it, but for a lot of us that is just not practical from a financial point of view.

That aside, I can see where many find The Bits party questionable, but I also find the title of this thread to be unnecessarily inflammatory, especially from the owner of the site.

I would feel better about Mr. Hunts position if he would state for the record that he has and never will take money or accept gifts from the Blu-ray group.

Either that, or just come clean and admit that he is a blu-ray first schill.

I fail to see how someone expressing his opinion (Bill even wrote "In our opinion" in his editorial) is shoving something down anyone's throat.

Depends on what you guys did and whether or not you would have video for members of these activites.

I would say Bill is far more emotionally and economically invested in BD than anyone on this site is invested in either format.

I am sick of Bill Hunt bashing HD-DVD practically on a daily basis. And now, Blu-Ray is having a Las Vegas "party" for their number one shill. Aint that sweet! Anyone who doesn't believe this is unethical and a conflict of interest is a fool.

I still want to know if there are going to be showgirls at the Blu-Ray party? Maybe Geoffrey can get a "spy" to report back on the "party's" shenanigans!

Funny, I always thought that it should be the consumers' decision ...

Yes! Instead we should support an overpriced format just so Sony can keep their fat royalty checks going.

^^^ How true!

lol, man, i love this thread!

i have no problem with digital bits picking Bluray (similarly, AICN picking HDDVD). i actually agree more with Digital Bits's opinion piece which i just read (and jeebuz, i wish that whole meaningless "porn=format success" theory would just go away).

the party? meh... happens all the time in every field. imho, it's very naive to expect journalists, doctors, politicians or anyone to be "objective."

i also think Bill from Digital Bits should have been notified or contacted as a courtesy prior to posting this thread to at least get his position w/out causing a lot of friction (which i assume wasn't there before?).

--
ps i own neither format nor do i plan to purchase one until one actually wins... maybe next year some time.

Eh, but then the argument goes "but Blu-ray is technically superior, so you're getting more for your money than you do with the underpowered HD DVD!"

And then someone else responds that HD DVD can accomplish comparable quality and that the additional capacity/bandwidth Blu-ray offers is ultimately meaningless.

And then someone else responds about Blu-ray better supporting lossless audio and that HD DVD isn't as capable of doing that.

And then someone else responds that high-bitrate Dolby Digital Plus is essentially indistinguishable from lossless audio.

And then someone else responds that he can hear the difference, but that doesn't matter because so many other studios and manufacturers support Blu-ray.

And then someone else responds that with lower hardware prices, a large enough install base will eventually draw studios towards HD DVD and that the format has a higher attach rate then Blu-ray.

And then...well, you know the drill.

Just trying to save everyone a little time by putting all those in one post.

Huh, and I here I just thought Maxflier was trying to point out that Blu-ray would just go to fill Sony's pockets, much like the original argument that HD-DVD would line Toshiba's pockets. Thanks for filling all those blanks I didn't know about.

Freakin A! When will the bickering end? Okay, somebody just throw a pizza party for Headgeek over at Pizza Hut and be done with it!

Gosh, Adam, I never knew there was that much to it. It's a shame these arguments are not repeated ad nauseum except by a few posters.

I wasn't attacking Maxflier, and I agree 100% that these corporations are doing what's in their own best interests.

But that is the course this thread would inevitably have taken from there. For proof, see...well, half the threads on this and every other forum.

Thanks Adam for getting the inevitable and all to familiar format scuffle out of the way. I think it's important to point out that the issue here actually isn't format specific. (and again to reiterate, DVD Talk refuses to take sides in the format war as we believe it is NOT in the best interest of the consumer: http://www.dvdtalk.com/hd/switzerlan...ld_war_hd.html)

It's the idea that a media outlet would permit a studio or format body to throw a birthday party for them.

There are lots of ways this could have been done ethically. The two sites could absolutely present a forum for the demo of either or both formats. They could have had a big birthday bash. All great. But to have a big birthday bash and have it sponsored by the studios of one particular format is a clear indication that either the site does not consider themselves a 'news or media outlet' or they have highly questionable ethics.

Some good reading material on this subject:

US Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

Bloggers' Code of Ethics

Geoff,

If you or your staff felt that you had legitimate concerns about ANY of these things with regard to our EMA event, you could simply have called or sent an e-mail. You didn't. The bottom line is that we invited your to our event and you immediately turned around and implied, publically and without so much as a how do you do, that The Bits and HTF (not just myself, but everyone involved with this event at both sites) are being paid or compensated for our opinions about Blu-ray. That's a pretty crappy thing to do, especially from someone who then goes on to preach about questionable ethics. I'd have been happy to talk with you about this personally, but you chose otherwise. I'm sorry, that's just low.

Bill Hunt

Good thread. A+, would read again.

If you look back at my post on page 2, you'll understand why I said what I said. Here is what I was referring to. And it is called "My Two Cents", not our two cents.

I wasn't aware he spoke for everyone on the site. But really, this is a silly argument and the thread has really gone way off course.

If Bill Hunt wants to support Blu Ray, good for him. I really don't give a rats ass. I support anyone who is willing to give us the best format possible at an affordable cost.

And Bill, if it is true that you wished Geoff came to you first, why didn't you be the "bigger man" and email him or call him and ask him to remove this thread or better yet talk to him about why he posted the email he received?

But ya know, I am not a Blu Ray hater....I don't hate anything or anyone.

Yes, I have an HD-DVD player and love it. Would I buy a Blu Ray player if that were the be all and end all of HD players, probably.