Dan Ramer also calls end to format war

[DaViD Boulet]

http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?opt...k=view&id=6496

First Bill Hunt, and Now Dan.

Dan has some very worthwhile statistics in his post worth considering.

[Blu Titan]

Nice to see that everyone is on the same page on this (with a few notable exeptions like Ken Graffeo). It is over and the world knows it. noneed to spend any more more and effort on HD DVD.

[Croweyes1121]

www.dvdreview.com is saying the same thing in their margins...go check it out.

[quaylie]

i predict Circuit City announcing dropping of HD-DVD..and Paramount or Universal dropping out in the next two weeks..things are falling quickly.

[DaViD Boulet]

If anyone hasn't yet read Dan's article, be sure to check it out: he says about comparing Blu to HD DVD hardware on ebay. Not sure if anyone has used ebay before at a litmus test for a "dumped" format (a test to show when owners of a product attempt to dump it: ie, rejection from it's own base).

Another interesting figure he mentions:

In a Home Media Magazine survey, the publication asked, “Will Warner siding with Blu-ray make you convert to high-definition faster?” As of the morning of January 26th:

32.4% answered “Yes”
5.1% answered “No”
43.9% responded to “I have already converted to Blu-ray”
9.9% responded to “I converted to HD DVD and will stick it out”
8.6% responded to “I had converted to HD DVD, but will convert to Blu-ray”

85% of respondents have or will be embracing Blu-ray Disc as their HD disc format of choice, leaving 10% in a state of limbo and 5% biding their time. That consumers have made their choice would seem to be an understatement.

After a bit of a lull immediately following CES, I'm starting to notice a bit of momentum building up again, articles from respected media journalists calling for HD DVD to do the honourable thing, retailers like Circuit City in the US and Woolworths in the UK discontinuing HD DVD. Let's hope the momentum grows.

Agreed. The "fallout" is actually a new form of entertainment. Sort of like watching the movie Titanic... you know how it's going to end, but it's still fun to watch how we get there.

[cj-kent]

Great editorial. Good info in it. Maybe I'm two-dimensional, but it seems so obvious to me that Toshiba is purposefully misleading HD-DVD consumers with the idea that there is any way HD-DVD can pull out any kind of victory. It's really starting to bother me.

[pokerface]

I agree things are dropping quickly now. If this Circuit City thing is true then BB may be the next to drop hd-dvd. If that happens the red camp only has the air left in the coffin.

[cj-kent]

I would expect BB to make announcements after the end of this first quarter, after they've had a chance to clear out more of their HD-DVD hardware inventory.

[CptGreedle]

Great articles! I hope to see more articles like this on more main stream websites as well. It is time the war ended, and no online petition is going to change that.

[Deane Johnson]

I don't understand this "saving face" BS for Toshiba. There is no face to save. They lost. Now, they're making themselves look silly by not admitting defeat and moving on. Everyday they delay, they look more and more stupid and out of touch with reality.

And, so far as Dumb and Dumber (Paramount and Universal), they just plain look ridiculous and will for years to come. This Graffeo guy should be clear out of the industry for good. He has nothing to contribute to the future.

[Sylin]

I agree with Dan that it makes good business sense (and thus protects shareholder interest, which is their primary responsibility) for Toshiba to discount and sell off existing player inventories first, before giving up. If they didn't at least TRY, they could be accused of negligence. So if you're confused as to why they haven't thrown in the towel yet, this is why, and it's the right thing for them to do as a corporation.

But I disagree with comments that "Toshiba is misleading the public". How so? Over-zealous morons like Ken Graffeo can spit out whatever tripe they want, but he doesn't speak for Toshiba as a corporation, he's HD-DVD PG. It's not as if they're out there with TV advertisements stating they are going to beat Blu-ray--they're just selling their product. (For all we know, the Super Bowl ad will be their concession speech!) I actually haven't seen an HD-DVD TV commercial in WEEKS, personally.

Given the data WIDELY available about Blu's superior sales figures, if any consumer buys into HD-DVD now and thinks it's the format of choice, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Please, people, remember that they make more than HD-DVD.

[Zazou]

After a bit of a lull immediately following CES, I'm starting to notice a bit of momentum building up again, articles from respected media journalists calling for HD DVD to do the honourable thing, retailers like Circuit City in the US and Woolworths in the UK discontinuing HD DVD. Let's hope the momentum grows.

[savage1984]

I really enjoyed that post. Thanks. The public's choice on the HD war looks a little like this pssst... HD-DVD's the horse

[tron3]

You have to wonder who the heck is Tool-shiba listening too, and why!

Well, I have had my own open letter in my signature line. Sometimes it's the little people who get the ball rolling.