"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[Fozziwig]

Originally Posted by OokieSpookie

Towing the line is "at this time we have no plans to drop hd" or something like that.
This is pure idiocy.

Ken says:

KG: First of all, I want to say that none of those rumors were substantiated. Nobody ever talked to us. I know nobody talked to Paramount because Brenda, their PR person, sent out a statement immediately. This is business as usual for us and there are no plans to make any changes. We just made an announcement of our new HD DVD titles yesterday, with American Gangster. We also have a lot of other things planned. It's business as usual.

People think:

[Bullseye]

Question for PM:
Penton with what looks like an unassailable lead for Blu Ray over HD-DVD do you not find it strange that Universal and Ken G. are still coming out with the rhetoric that HD-DVD can still win. Surely they should just announce HD-DVD titles in accordance with their contract and give no more interviews until they finally announce that they are going to release on BD.

Why do they continuously IMO isolate themselves from Blu Ray collectors and retailers who surely want an end to this format war with only one winner visible. It is not as though they are coming from a position of strength. How are they going to face the public with any dignity when they eventually give up the ghost of HD-DVD?

[phansson]

I think that KG is just trying to keep his game face on to get money out of the BDA. Personally, I would rather let them "rot" on the vine and let the market decide.

Whether they like it or not, the decision for them to go Blu Ray was made by Warner and eventually Best Buy/Target/Paramount/Dreamworks.

They just need a little push.....

[NutsAboutPS3]

What I would like Penton-Man to tell us is if Kenny G shouldn't be the object of our hatred, who is the person at Toshiba that would declare HD DVD officially dead? If Kenny G is looking to Toshiba to declare the format dead before they support Blu-ray, it seems to me that person at Toshiba, whoever he/she is, is the person we should all be ranting about.

[Spider1981]

Penton,
With the latest round of numbers in the last week, software sales being 85% Blu and hardware sales being 92% Blu, is the rest of the industry kind of looking at Toshiba/Paramount/Universal with a disgruntled look on their face and looking at their watches?
It seems that by sitting idle (from our perspectives at least) all they are serving to do at this point is tarnish eventual victory of Blu, and their own reputations.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

What I would like Penton-Man to tell us is if Kenny G shouldn't be the object of our hatred, who is the person at Toshiba that would declare HD DVD officially dead? If Kenny G is looking to Toshiba to declare the format dead before they support Blu-ray, it seems to me that person at Toshiba, whoever he/she is, is the person we should all be ranting about.

Too True. I'll be more worried when Ken is talking to CNN and posturing like this, not to Betanews. if that happens I'll be more worried then currently, which is nil by the way. It's a waiting game... In Penton we trust!

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Spider1981

Penton,
With the latest round of numbers in the last week, software sales being 85% Blu and hardware sales being 92% Blu, is the rest of the industry kind of looking at Toshiba/Paramount/Universal with a disgruntled look on their face and looking at their watches?

Actually, since the WB announcement essentially ended the format war, there has been a shift in focus or change in mindset by the Blu team. Industry folks will be spending less and less time on even commenting upon the dead high-def format and concentrate their efforts upon educating the mainstream public in regards to the advantages of Blu-ray over standard definition DVD’s.

To give you a real world example of this, even in the trenches, remember I told you prior to CES to keep an eye out for a blonde model (since I’m conscientious of the hair styling trade – a dirty blonde model, to be entirely correct) that would be an Easter Egg on some upcoming Blu-ray discs in several months ?
Well, the thinking has now shifted toward appealing to the general public, rather than you super-smart early adopter types, and perhaps making it easier for the general consumer by just allowing him/her to push a certain button on their remote to bring up her picture on screen to check out the colors on your display as mated to your Blu-ray player. I don’t know if it is going to come to fruition but, people are working on this as a one-step (i.e. one button) process as we speak.

Now that HD DVD is having post mortem muscle twitches, there has been a shift in focus by Blu. I don’t think you’ll be seeing anymore of those Blu vs Red format debates by high ranking spokespersons at conferences and such…. as there is no need.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Spider1981

Penton,
With the latest round of numbers in the last week, software sales being 85% Blu and hardware sales being 92% Blu

Somebody should post a pic for any naysayers that lurk on this thread who need a visual aid.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Esox50

BTW Penton-Man, no rush, but since it's a new thread jsut to get it back "on the record"...Latina CZJ...

-Esox

It’s not on the schedule……which runs about 3-4 months out.

Later

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

To give you a real world example of this, even in the trenches, remember I told you prior to CES to keep an eye out for a blonde model (since I’m conscientious of the hair styling trade – a dirty blonde model, to be entirely correct) that would be an Easter Egg on some upcoming Blu-ray discs in several months ?

I would like to see the model on a motorcycle in a tight leather outfit.

[gearyt]

nope can't see them

[mystiksuicide]

I think he means this chart.



Someone please e-mail this chart to the hd dvd group.

[elwaylite]

Here they are

[JadedRaverLA]

I don't know why I can't "share" the pics off my blog correctly. I uploaded them as attachments to this post though, for those who want to see.

[upnorthsox]

Actually, since the WB announcement essentially ended the format war, there has been a shift in focus or change in mindset by the Blu team. Industry folks will be spending less and less time on even commenting upon the dead high-def format and concentrate their efforts upon educating the mainstream public in regards to the advantages of Blu-ray over standard definition DVD’s.

This is good to hear, the quicker the BDA shifts to a position that HD-DVD is irrelevent to the conversation it is having with consumers the better. I am a little anxious that the BDA may be squandering the momentum that was created coming from CES and would like to see an increase in the dialog with the consumers who are now primed to jump in to the HD market.

[The Don]

NO....WAIT...

that chart only shows hardware sales for 1 week....

[stockstar1138]

Originally Posted by The Don

NO....WAIT...

that chart only shows hardware sales for 1 week....

and it doesn't include wal-mart sales!!!! we all know wal-mart sells 90k hd dvd players and hundreds of thousands of hd dvd movies per week that never made it into the nielsen and npd figures.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

I would like to see the model on a motorcycle in a tight leather outfit.

The blonde model (on Blu-ray discs) will be head and maybe…. top of shoulders only. (no jokes please).

I think mystik will be showing you (on Blu-ray.com) more full body poses with the leather top/blue jean bottom look and on a motor-sickle if she can obtain the prop.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by upnorthsox

This is good to hear, the quicker the BDA shifts to a position that HD-DVD is irrelevent to the conversation it is having with consumers the better. I am a little anxious that the BDA may be squandering the momentum that was created coming from CES and would like to see an increase in the dialog with the consumers who are now primed to jump in to the HD market.

Perhaps you missed the Blu-ray commercial during the AFC Championship football game this past weekend ?

[TJones8124]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Actually, since the WB announcement essentially ended the format war, there has been a shift in focus or change in mindset by the Blu team. Industry folks will be spending less and less time on even commenting upon the dead high-def format and concentrate their efforts upon educating the mainstream public in regards to the advantages of Blu-ray over standard definition DVD’s.

To give you a real world example of this, even in the trenches, remember I told you prior to CES to keep an eye out for a blonde model (since I’m conscientious of the hair styling trade – a dirty blonde model, to be entirely correct) that would be an Easter Egg on some upcoming Blu-ray discs in several months ?
Well, the thinking has now shifted toward appealing to the general public, rather than you super-smart early adopter types, and perhaps making it easier for the general consumer by just allowing him/her to push a certain button on their remote to bring up her picture on screen to check out the colors on your display as mated to your Blu-ray player. I don’t know if it is going to come to fruition but, people are working on this as a one-step (i.e. one button) process as we speak.

Now that HD DVD is having post mortem muscle twitches, there has been a shift in focus by Blu. I don’t think you’ll be seeing anymore of those Blu vs Red format debates by high ranking spokespersons at conferences and such…. as there is no need.

Ignoring the word model...do you really think it's a good idea to have Britney Spears endorsing blu-ray?