The Bits: Best Buy to drop HD-DVD

[saxwork]

Interesting stuff from Bill Hunt over at the highly credible The Digital Bits.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#012108

[Xerious]

Things are not looking good for HD-DVD, folks. Based on the reports we're getting from sources at the studios and in the retail industry, this format war is all but over. Frankly, we'd be surprised if HD-DVD still a viable commercial home video format much past the end of the year.

Word is that Best Buy has already decided not only to heavily favor Blu-ray in their stores, but they're actually planning the phase out of HD-DVD by the end of the 2nd quarter of 2008, so they can focus entirely on selling Blu-ray to their customers in the 2008 holiday season with a clear message.

for you lazy tards

[The Big Blue]

Die HD DVD! Die! (tm)

[Amel]

I hope Toshiba offers the HDDVD people some kind of discount or return for their HDDVD players. If they start making their own bluray players the HDDVD fans will be on a rampage looking for their money back.

[Nstars07]

Originally Posted by saxwork

Interesting stuff from Bill Hunt over at the highly credible The Digital Bits.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#012108

I wish they would stop saying "by years-end" because that seems like forever. Let's get this thing over with so I can get some of those Paramount & Universal titles on Blu-ray.

[HighDefChief]

The price of the HD DVD players will need to be <$150 IS Toshiba wants to sell all of them.

[Sy-]

Word is their HD-DVD video encodes can't simply be ported over to Blu-ray, as most of them "aren't good enough."

That made me laugh because it is probably true!

[ikbradley]

Word is their HD-DVD video encodes can't simply be ported over to Blu-ray, as most of them "aren't good enough."

Ouch! Good news for Blu-ray because Universal had horrible transfers to HD DVD. Hopefully they will get some people from Disney to help them out.

[tiger roach]

Good reading today, both Bill Hunt's regular column and "The Rumor Mill."

I especially liked the statement about Universal - that they can't simply port over the HD-DVD transfers because they are "not good enough." I'm fine with waiting, if it means we get a better quality blu transfer in the end.

[Guinness7]

That will be nice having more room at Bestbuy, so now all the blu-rays won't be as buched and will have the room that HDDVD once occupied. Just wish the studios would move a little quicker than there are right now. ALso it must really sting to hear for Universal that theri incodes are not good enough for blu which a lot of people kind of thought.

[badboi]

Originally Posted by Xerious

for you lazy tards

Hey, I'm not lazy!

[turboedguy]

Originally Posted by Nstars07

I wish they would stop saying "by years-end" because that seems like forever. Let's get this thing over with so I can get some of those Paramount & Universal titles on Blu-ray.

no $hit.

I want this announcement:

"Toshiba calls it quits after Universal and Paramount turn Blu over a lunch meating on tuesday. All catch up titles and new releases will be avalible next tuesday on Blu-ray with optimized encoding."

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by Sy-

That made me laugh because it is probably true!

That part doesn't make sense to me. I think their high profile releases will most likely be ported over as they are the same in quality as some of the better Blu-ray releases. I'm thinking the time where Universal started releases many catalog titles is what will be redone.

[Teazle]

"Word is their HD-DVD video encodes can't simply be ported over to Blu-ray, as most of them "aren't good enough." So the digital film masters all have to be re-encoded, which is a lot of work. Sources are telling us that one of the things Universal is hoping to negotiate with the BDA is help doing just that."

I hope he's right about that. No 15GB TimeCop for us!

[zipbags]

They would be nuts waiting until the end of the year...And miss another holiday season. Besides, thats way too far off.

[yspkrk]

Nice! Very encouraging article...especially for today-Monday

[HighDefChief]

Originally Posted by ikbradley

Word is their HD-DVD video encodes can't simply be ported over to Blu-ray, as most of them "aren't good enough."

Ouch! Good news for Blu-ray because Universal had horrible transfers to HD DVD. Hopefully they will get some people from Disney to help them out.

Some of Universal Studios transfers sucked but some were also fantastic. Hot Fuzz and The Bourne Ultimatum can easily hold their own against some Blu-Ray transfers. But Blu-Ray has more of the top tier transfers.

[sj001]

Universal has been near the bottom of the bucket in the quality of their releases, with a FEW exceptions. It's good to see they want to up the ante before releasing on Blu.

[toocheezy]

that is always good news to wake up to!!

[Rustmonsteru]

I'm hoping what he says is correct about Universal not being able to do ports.
It's tough on them and it will probably delay the reissue of many titles, but at least it should reduce the use of DNR.