Is it really? If so, I find that kind of funny... and believable.

Yeah, I'd buy a BD player from Toshiba. Better quality. IMO.

Well, according to GizmoDVD, every "insider" in the world knew what was about to happen.

Well this sucks, Toshiba needs to do something big now, like really lower there player prices to 99 bucks. Like they did at wallmart. Those sold fast.

Hopefully Something happens. Even though I went netural this christmas (got a ps3) I still perfer HD-DVD. I hate all the Previews on bluray movies.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...o_Blu-ray/1327

The only way I will get a Blu-Ray player will be when I buy a new Mac Pro.
Zero interest in getting a PS3 or a standalone. If there were an Xbox 360
addon I would consider it though.

At this point, I believe Toshiba will know its the end and sell off all their current HD DVD players and low low prices. There isn't very much they can do unless a Blu studio suddenly goes Red. I wish XA2s were still in stores.

I look forward to getting the PoTC series on Blu-ray. But that will be a while. And the Resident Evil Trilogy.

What about foreign titles on HD DVD? I have to ask.

Cookson Named President of Sony Pictures Technologies

Will Oversee Studio's Application Of Technology And Liaison With Sony
Corporation

CULVER CITY, Calif., Jan. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Christopher J. Cookson has
been named President of Sony Pictures Technologies, it was announced today
by Michael Lynton, CEO and Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Amy
Pascal, Co-Chairman.

Cookson will oversee the development and implementation of the studio's
technology policy and processes. He will also serve as Sony Pictures' chief
liaison with other Sony Corporation businesses in the area of technology.
The position is a new one at Sony Pictures, and Cookson will report to
Lynton and Pascal.

Cookson was Chief Technology Officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment and
President of the Warner Bros. Technical Operations Division. He became CTO
in 1999, and began his career with Warner Bros. in 1992. Previously he
served as Vice President and General Manager of Operations and Engineering
for the CBS Television Network in New York. Before that, he worked for ten
years at the ABC Television Network, where he won an Emmy award for his
work as Director of the ABC and International Olympics Broadcast Centers.

"Technological changes are reshaping the business model of the entire
entertainment industry, and Sony Pictures aims to be at the forefront of
this revolution," said Lynton. "Chris Cookson's long career in the
technological end of the entertainment business gives him the kind of
wisdom and experience we need at this crucial moment in our studio's
history."

"New developments in technology are rapidly changing the ways that we
create, distribute and enjoy the experiences that entertain us. This is a
most exciting time to be part of this industry, and I feel fortunate to
have the opportunity to join with the unmatched resources of the Sony
Corporation in helping shape this revolution," said Cookson.

Cookson holds more than 30 U.S. patents, including several involving
DVDs. He also has been leading the effort to maintain high standards of
quality on theatrical digital post production technologies.

Sony Pictures' Chief Technology Officer, Mitch Singer, and his team
will report to Cookson.

"One key responsibility for Chris is his role as technology liaison
with Sony Corporation and its businesses. That is a crucial part of Sir
Howard Stringer's vision of 'Sony United,' whereby the people and companies
of Sony work closely together to bring content and hardware together as we
move from the analog to the digital age," said Lynton.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has been a longtime leader in the arena of
digital entertainment. It was one of the first studios in the DVD business
and the first to sell television shows online and movies for mobile
devices. SPE is also one of the pioneers in digital downloading. Sony
Pictures also includes Sony Online Entertainment, a worldwide leader in
massively multiplayer online games, and Crackle, a video entertainment site
acquired by the studio in 2006.

Cookson is a fellow of The Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers, a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (and
served as ATAS Chairman of the Engineering Awards Committee from 1995 -
1997) and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He
has been awarded two Emmys.


Cookson holds a BSE degree and an MBA from Arizona State University.

SD dvd (mass market) - Star Wars related threads, DDD 20% off related threads, Kubrick aspect ratio threads, PS3 vs. 360 vs. Wii threads, 911 attack threads, naked women threads

Blu/HD (early adopter) - this thread

... the answer is, no

This could be a movie!

Do you really believed they took no money? C'mon. It will all leak out eventually.

Well, this was sad news to me. As of this count, I've got 20 HD-DVD's. They won't go anywhere, but I really didn't want to get a Blu-Ray player, as I really don't like Sony or it's products. The only Sony product that I have in my house is an old PS2 that isn't even connected to a TV.

= J

..as Paramount stated they took no payoffs. Your point?

Advertising deals, incentives, kickbacks, royalties - there are countless ways the BDA will get Warner their half billion without ever writing a check.

Well isn't that interesting...

As Bill Geiger said earlier, the saddest bit of all of this is the death of Region-Free HDM...

so I guess dvd has gone away to, news to me
I thought it was all about conversion

Ah yes, the very same thing Paramount did and now we get Warner supposedly doing the same thing and they are bastards. Your point?

Sit back and wait for Toshiba to make a player. Buy more SD DVDs.

On a side note, this kinda forces me to get back into digital photography and getting a Nikon D300.

Tells me it really was about a format with you and not HD.

I haven't been able to reply to this thread until now, because each time I went to the next page, the thread would extend by another page or 10.

It's clear from what we've been hearing that WB wanted to end the format war, one way or another. Interesting, considering all of their talk about how sales will be the final determination. Even more interesting is the talk that Fox was willing to go neutral.

I'm looking forward to buying dozens upon dozens of dirt cheap HD DVDs, and maybe two or three players at budget prices so I won't ever have to worry about the hardware failing me.

Personally, I think the walls will come tumbling down. WB has opened the floodgates, and the other HD DVD studios will follow suit, probably sooner rather than later. I don't think player prices will go back UP, as some are claiming, because the genie is out of the bottle. Like with DVD, there will be low end players, mid-range, and high end. Pioneer and Denon will make $2,000 players, and other companies will make players anywhere from $200-$500. It will happen as the volume increases, same with the discs. WB discs will cost less than Fox.

I don't mind the region coding so much, because we're the same region as Japan, and 99% of the discs I'm interested in from outside the U.S. come from Japan. Also, like DVD, players will come out that are region free. The profiles will be handled manufacturer by manufacturer, but it seems pretty obvious that the PS3 will be upgraded to 2.0 eventually. While there are some (fairly slight) issues with the format, now that the industry is gearing towards this being the new standard, this will get worked out far faster and more efficiently.

HD DVD was the first format I bought into, but in some past thread I said that when one format lost, I would tip my hat to it, and stock up on the clearance titles, and then happily go along with the winning format. That's exactly what I plan on doing, and I don't have any mixed feelings about it. HD DVD gave me a great year and a half with some truly tremendous releases, and I'll still be able to watch those discs years and years from now.

As for all the claims of payoffs, well, that's the business world (and I said as much when Paramount went HD DVD exclusive). Do you think Fox was considering going format neutral out of the goodness of their hearts? Nope. The HD group was going to pay them a bundle, I'm sure.

The simple fact is, it never mattered which format won and which lost, because both are very similar technologies that are capable of producing exceptional picture and sound, with some great next gen extras. And now that WB is exclusive, you can bet they will push the interactivity of this format more than any other studio has thus far.

So now, bring on the killer titles!

In another thread, I said I didn't like Sony. In fact, I said it here several times. I won't go into the reasons yet again, but having two formats was more ideal to me than a single entity. Time will tell.

Glad I bought that PS3!

Good post, btw. But I have to wonder about WB. I just don't have much faith in them as a leader or co-leader of anything. I'll be very interested and surprised if WB pumps out the titles without major issues.

Of course, if they do have their HD DVD Blowout Sale, I'm still ordering.

I plan on stocking up as well on clearance movies.

And Kudos to those who are not causing this thread to be locked. I believe for the most part most of us have/are behaving fairly well with the news.

Glad I didn't. Maybe now prices will fall once again.