Nowhere does it read they are going blu, just that their exclusivity contract to HD-DVD has ended.

I hope they don't fuck HD DVD/Purple owners over by wasting time releasing old catalog HD DVD stuff on Blu-ray and not releasing any new catalog titles (Mulholland Drive, please.)

No it doesn't. Variety speculates that it would be likely, but Universal hasn't said they'll release on blu-ray. Yet.

you must be reading a different article, because the one you posted only states that now that their exclusivity contract has ended, they *COULD* decide to release on both formats or Blu.

This is no different from when an athlete or coach's contract runs out. It doesn't necessarily mean he's leaving the team.

if there's one thing i won't miss about the format war, it's reported speculation passed off as official statements and verified facts.

What I want to hear: Universal to release exclusively on HD DVD until 2009!

it's just a matter of time. In the next 30 days, Uni and Paramount will be announcing Blu support and this thing is done...

That must have been tough for Universal, because they hate Sony - mostly for their UMD debacle.

I totally agree, I just was watching G4 and the Financial Times had to retract the way they reported the story of Paramount and Universal as speculation not based on facts.

It may end up being true in the end, but that is BS.

i have a feeling someone got to Bill Hunt too, because his "Paramount and Universal going Blu too!" headline has been toned down now to be much more accurate and level-headed.

"Universal going Blu" looks accurate to me. It doesn't say "Universal going exclusively Blu", which obviosuly would be speculation. "Backing HD DVD exclusively has ended" really only has one meaning since there isn't a third horse in this race.

I think some just want to be the first to break some big news story or something... I mean Im sure its happening at some point, just probably not tomorrow.

It's a (deliberate?) misread of the article. It says their obligations to HD DVD have ended - as in contractual obligations. Might Universal release on Blu Ray? Of course. But that's not in any way what this article says.

Not surprising if it does happen, but they are just pissing all over the people that bought the players over the holidays. Do they really think people will go out and buy a $400 player to play discs that HD DVD camp pretty much promised would come out? WB pulling out is one thing, but all studios weeks after Christmas when many were unwrapped and then had the UPCs cut to submit for the 5 free making it impossible to return?

Shame on the HD DVD camp and they better offer some sort of incentives to those owners to switch over otherwise you may have a million people not participate in Blu-ray because of fear it may fail like HD DVD.

Pretty clear what the end of the contractual obligations means. Again, there is not a third format here. At best, the only case people could make otherwise is that they would just go back to releasing SD only. If anybody is misreading things (or being deliberately obtuse) it's the ones trying to say this means something other than the obvious.

It's just like Paramount denying everything OTHER than the clause that allows them to switch.

Paramount and Universal might hold out.

Economics are the exclusive reason for Warner Brothers choosing Blu-ray. The "consumer strongly preferred Blu-ray" was just bunch of BS for a press release because you obviously don't tell your millions of consumers, you're scared as shit and feared losing HD altogether in 2008 if you didn't make a choice. WB thought it HAD to choose itself, as a company, or suffer some serious losses. I don't know exactly what they are, but Paramount and Universal might not agree with WB's plan, and could extend this out a little longer, just to make some money off both ends of the consumer HD format spectrum.

All studios backing Blu-ray are planning on another strong campaign this year however, so we will probably see more BOGO sales at our favorite retailers extended for quite some time.

As far as HD DVDs, expect typical BOGO sales, but WB might include many of their titles this time around. BOGO sales might be as good as it gets for a while.

I think this is why Warner went Blu-ray exclusive.

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv...62995120080110

Please connect the dots for us all.

I did two pages ago . . .

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=378

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=380

It's a huge conspiracy, going all the way to the top -- and BEYOND!!!

Dark Horizons is reporting that they have been hearing talk that both Paramount and Universal are working towards joining Blu-Ray. Paramount will probably continue right off with the cancelled titles that never made it to stores.

While all this sounds reasonable, we have to remember the retailers are already reportedly pressuring Paramount and Uni to go Blu. Once places like Best Buy get outside of the holiday return window, they may feel free to just reduce or eliminate their HD DVD sections. If they do that, it won't matter what Paramount and Uni want to do with HD DVD if the big chains don't sell it.

Please, your theory has already been debunked. What Warner is doing is not a layoff, at least not in terms of a traditional cost-cutting measure. They, like a bunch of other studios, are using the writers' strike as an excuse to sever a lot of unprofitable development deals which they would not have been able to get out of otherwise.

Whenever a writer gets hot, a studio tries to lock him/her in for a multi-picture /show deal. Really successful writers get to bring in a large support staff. Sometimes these development deals flop and the studios are stuck carrying what they believe is dead-weight for many years. The 60 days of inactivity caused by the strike lets them sever any deal that they want to.

That's why any amount of money Warner might have gotten to go Blu didn't have an impact on the "layoffs" - because they weren't layoffs. In some ways, the strike was the best thing that could happen to the studios. They lose a little money short-term but they get to sever a bunch of painfully unproductive deals. I've read several articles in the LA Times quoting people who predicted that the studios wanted the strike to last a minimum of 60 days for just such a reason.

Only time will tell.

It will be interesting to see the reaction from the HD DVD camp if it plays out this way. The expressions of betrayal and outright hatred leveled at Warner have been striking. Among the various forums I've been visiting, I've read claims of everything from "stabbing consumers in the back" to "selling out to $ony", and even worse.

If Universal and Paramount have a big push of titles, and then suddenly pull out later in the summer/fall, will those people not feel the same sense of betrayal?

They'll sell it as long as they're given promotional ad dollars to do it.