Paramount's CTO Alan "capacity is overrated" Bell fired

[Grubert]

From Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily:

I'm told Paramount has laid off the following executives: Louise Kaufman, who's been head of PR in NY for 12 years; Alan Bell, chief technology officer; Megan Burrows, president of domestic home entertainment; and, as I'd previously reported, Nick Meyer, president of Paramount Vantage.

This is the Paramount Chief Technical Officer who tried to persuade everybody that they had dumped Blu-ray because of objective reasons and not because they were getting a big subsidy. (There was also a rather infamous interview on Widescreen Review but I don't think I have that issue anymore.)

Of course, then Transformers came out on BD with a lossless audio track, and another Paramount VP confirmed that that was possible because of the added capacity.

Thanks to zombieflanders for posting this.

[Elandyll]

You mean "dumped Blu Ray" in 2007 right?

[Alan Gordon]

Paramount's CTO on Why His Studio Is Dumping Blu-ray

Couldn't happen to a "nicer" Alan!

~Alan

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

You mean "dumped Blu Ray" in 2007 right?

Of course.

[Musashi]

Well, the stuff he said in the interview was more than likely spoken for him by the ppl who signed the Toshiba check. As such, without proof of him playing a hand in it, I can't really revel in this.

[kjacobs03]

Karma's a *****!

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Well, the stuff he said in the interview was more than likely spoken for him by the ppl who signed the Toshiba check. As such, without proof of him playing a hand in it, I can't really revel in this.

He played a big part in it.

You can revel in it. Anyway, it's not like him getting laid off is going to affect his family or wellbeing, this guy is extremely wealthy...

[Jeff Kleist]

Well, the stuff he said in the interview was more than likely spoken for him by the ppl who signed the Toshiba check. As such, without proof of him playing a hand in it, I can't really revel in this.

Alan Bell literally developed much of the technology behind the physical layer of HD DVD. As red ants go, he was a queen

No words were written for him, that should show you what side his bread was always buttered on

He's obviously a very talented engineer, he'll land somewhere

[owa]

Hope he doesn't end up at another studio (especially Warner) and try to sour them on blu-ray.

[Jeff Kleist]

Hope he doesn't end up at another studio (especially Warner) and try to sour them on blu-ray.

That's where he worked before Paramount

It's way too late to sour anyone on Blu-ray, no matter what the FUD patrol wishes you to believe

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

He played a big part in it.

You can revel in it. Anyway, it's not like him getting laid off is going to affect his family or wellbeing, this guy is extremely wealthy...

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Alan Bell literally developed much of the technology behind the physical layer of HD DVD. As red ants go, he was a queen

No words were written for him, that should show you what side his bread was always buttered on

He's obviously a very talented engineer, he'll land somewhere

And now I have proof from our insiders. Good thing that guy didn't have enough power to keep Paramount from blu completely.

I've heard some ppl think that a considerable %age of execs are to blame for the bigger problems. Is this Paramount's Board agreeing with them?

[Clark Kent]

The empire strikes back...

[Sean4000]

Good Riddance.

Bet he wishes there was a greater capacity for higher ups at Paramount!

[Jeff Kleist]

I've heard some ppl think that a considerable %age of execs are to blame for the bigger problems. Is this Paramount's Board agreeing with them?

Well

It's more that execs usually don't give a crap how good or bad a product is, so long as it makes them money. While there may be people at that level with an agenda, typically boards are very agnostic unless motivators like $150 million checks are dangled in front of their noses

[DetroitSportsFan]

Couldn't have happened to a bigger d-bag. Good for Paramount.

[raskal66]

Wow! Here I was thinkning that people tend to fall up in Hollywood. I'm glad Paramount isn't NBC.

[Sean4000]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Well

It's more that execs usually don't give a crap how good or bad a product is, so long as it makes them money. While there may be people at that level with an agenda, typically boards are very agnostic unless motivators like $150 million checks are dangled in front of their noses

Very sad but VERY true.

[welwynnick]

Originally Posted by Grubert

From Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily:

This is the Paramount Chief Technical Officer who tried to persuade everybody that they had dumped Blu-ray because of objective reasons and not because they were getting a big subsidy. (There was also a rather infamous interview on Widescreen Review but I don't think I have that issue anymore.)

Of course, then Transformers came out on BD with a lossless audio track, and another Paramount VP confirmed that that was possible because of the added capacity.

Thanks to zombieflanders for posting this.

I remember that interview like it was yesterday; I was incensed!

The reasons they gave for adopting HD at that time were exactly the same reasons given in favour of HD before the format war even began.

That showed that HD had accomplished nothing, while BD had racked up a whole bunch of NEW reasons for supporting it.

I think that, the best they could come up with, made it obvious to the industry what the right outcome was going to be.

I hear that Amir Majidimehr doesn't have his old job any more, either....

Nick

[Tok]

Now we have another MSFT croonie, benwagoner, at AVS spouting this new streaming tech currently in alpha that is going to destroy BD. MSFT can shove that crap you know where.

I am really starting to despies the computer industry's attempts to force their way into my living room.

[The Big Blue]

God Bless us all!