Archived: Ask the Insiders: Judgment Day Edition

[edgebsl]

http://www.media-services.com/newsle...?ID=1003687997

If they lose this guy, who will come in his place?

[HK-48]

Penton, is this the interesting news?

[darinp2]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

So, please Blu-ray forum members don’t use this upcoming news as some sort of vehicle to promote the rumor of WB going Blu-ray exclusive. I want to be Crystal Clear about this. It would be discourteous to do so to the individual as well as the two organizations involved. It is just a fine man leaving one fine studio to advance his career in another fine studio and any studio would be glad to have him spearheading their 4K Digital Cinema movement as well as other things. Again, it has nothing to do with the format war.

Can't we speculate just a little? For instance, would it be discourteous to say that this person is probably a smart individual, and if he thought Sony was about to lose this format war (as some would like others to believe) he might think twice about going there to advance his career?

--Darin

[edgebsl]

No speculating it's already being reported.
Penton is off the hook.

"Today's News Highlight
NEW YORK -- Christopher J. Cookson is exiting his post as president of Warner Bros. Technical Operations and chief technical officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

While word is that the executive is in talks with several companies, one scenario has him heading crosstown to join Sony Pictures Entertainment. It's not yet known what role he is considering at Sony, but he would bring with him a skill set that, like Sony, spans entertainment and technology. At Warners Technical Operations, he oversaw video duplication, video mastering, preservation/archiving and restoration.

Cookson's responsibilities have included developing and adapting new technologies for Warners' businesses, and he has participated in initiatives including the development and launch of DVD. He keynoted this year's NAB Digital Cinema Summit, advocating 4K as a mastering and archiving medium.

Cookson was named president of Warner Bros. Technical Operations in 2003, having served as executive vp technical operations since 1997. In 1999, he was appointed CTO of Warner Bros., which he joined in 1992, following stints at CBS and ABC. He holds numerous U.S. patents and has been awarded two Emmys. "

[blitz6speed]

Sounds to me like all those Ex toshiba execs who went to warner got flushed out and fired, and now Sony people are going to and coming from Warner. Sounds good to me.

[edgebsl]

My hope is that he is succeeded by someone who doesnt like dumbing down releases so they fit on both formats. In both storage and bandwith.

The HP hd extras are nice. But how sweet would it be to max things out in the audio and video department?

It would be nice to see some real reference titles from Warner.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by darinp2

Can't we speculate just a little? For instance, would it be discourteous to say that this person is probably a smart individual, and if he thought Sony was about to lose this format war (as some would like others to believe) he might think twice about going there to advance his career?

--Darin

If we speculate further but in the opposite direction, why would Sony want to ruffle Warner's feathers and steal an apparently valuable asset from Warner. Aren't Warner and the BDA still talking about a deal?

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Balian

If we speculate further but in the opposite direction, why would Sony want to ruffle Warner's feather and steal an apparently valuable asset from Warner. Aren't Warner and the BDA still talking about a deal?

If someone gets a promotion in the corporate world it is not considered improper.

[edgebsl]

Since the dvd portion is so much larger than hdm I think like Talk said it probably has little bearing on the format war.

I was simply pointing out that whoever comes in...is going to be coming in to the only house where they are releasing on two hd disc formats. A single format future would make his job a lot easier. And Blu only would definitely be exciting to come into as he would over see some potential tier 0 releases the likes of which warner hasnt been able to do to date becasue of hd dvd limitations.

Of course the same holds true about 1 easy format if it were red only releases...but if that's the case I don't think this guy "CC" would be planning on jumping to a losing team.

If someone comes in that's used to doing Blu only, they could be very frustrated with the hd department if it stays nuetral.

Just look at Richard Casey's frustration with trying to make the best of the hd dvd bandwith.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by HK-48

Penton, is this the interesting news?

No, I was referring to Blu-ray news......this is different as I stated above.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by edgebsl

No speculating it's already being reported.
Penton is off the hook.

Good.
I'll add something that is not included in the article.
His new position becomes effective Jan. 1, 2008.

A truly fine addition.

[fomoco04]

The interesting bit may be who takes his position at Warner

[blindcat87]

I must say, that is a very impressive resume he has. With Sony's attitude towards preservation and care of their properties, he should be a great addition. Can't wait to experience the fruits of his upcoming work, both at home and on the big screen.

May I just say, Mr. Penton-Man sir, that is one helluva Best Buy you work at. To be so well connected. That assertion just cracks me up. You know that they are running scared when the rabid ones out there have to work so hard to try to minimize your value.

Once again, thanks for all of your input and information. Enjoy your holidays, and I look forward to what comes from that eagle's perspective.

Chris

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Good.
I'll add something that is not included in the article.
His new position becomes effective Jan. 1, 2008.

A truly fine addition.

[Icemage]

Just something I found browsing around via Google.

These are the notes from a presentation that Chris Cookson made a few years ago, touching on topics related to DRM. Informed readers will be surprised to see how the various philosophies espoused by Cookson and the other participants intersect with the current format war, and will perhaps shed some light on why Fox and Disney are such staunch Blu-ray supporters (and perhaps indicate just how strong the pro-HD DVD bias at Warner was previously). Bear in mind the capabilities and goals of BD+ when reading this.

I apologize for intruding in this thread, but found this entire article to be a very interesting read.

http://www.bsac.uk.com/reports/chriscookson.pdf

Originally Posted by DRM Presentation by Chris Cookson

...the aim of DRM is to draw bright lines between what is was permitted in the deal
that the consumer has opted to accept and what other uses might be available

...

But if we head into
the future without DRM, then we will not be able to offer the consumer all the choices
that they need. DRM is about creating granularity, distinction and diversity, to
provide consumers choice and find out what works best for them.

...

Chris Cookson. You touched on several things there. Firstly, you made a distinction
between the `everything is free’ belief, and stealing in the physical world. We see it
as kind of the same thing. People argue that copying is not like stealing – because if I
copy your DVD, you will still have it. I find that curious. We don’t make movies just
because we at the Studio want to watch them - we make them because we want to
realise commercial value out of them. We want to sell people the right to watch them.
When somebody distributes it without authorization, they steal the commercial value
out of what we have made. I find the argument that copying is not stealing
unconvincing, because it’s like saying, “I took your car and I ran it into a brick wall –
but why are you complaining? I gave you back the keys - you still have your car”.

Hit the link to read the full PDF.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by blindcat87

I must say, that is a very impressive resume he has. With Sony's attitude towards preservation and care of their properties, he should be a great addition. Can't wait to experience the fruits of his upcoming work, both at home and on the big screen.

May I just say, Mr. Penton-Man sir, that is one helluva Best Buy you work at. To be so well connected. That assertion just cracks me up. You know that they are running scared when the rabid ones out there have to work so hard to try to minimize your value.

Once again, thanks for all of your input and information. Enjoy your holidays, and I look forward to what comes from that eagle's perspective.

Chris

You're welcome.

You know, the above red ant rhetoric is actually quite humorous because some retailers are getting pretty disgusted now with the duration of the format war and believe that it should be settled….the sooner the better.

[MrBogey]

I knew if I stayed up late enough I'd catch Santa Claus.

[Penton-Man]

So, I go out this evening for a Christmas Eve ride with Maya (who trots up to meet me[you guys only get to see one leg for fear of my identity being revealed ]) and as we take off together, she says ……….

“Penton, don’t you think you should give the folks a tiny Christmas gift tomorrow?”

I say…….
“Maya, what did you have in mind?”

She says…..
“How about revealing an upcoming Blu-ray title?”

I say……
“Every time I’ve done that in the past, I’ve pissed off some person in some dept. of some Blu-ray studio for stealing their thunder and I receive a nasty call on my machine.”

Maya says………….
“C’mon………… it’s Christmas tomorrow.”

I say……………
“O.K., I’ll think about it and see what I can offer on Christmas Day, don’t expect much because I don’t want to invoke the wrath of anyone. B.T.W. – how did you like the steak.”

Maya…………

[jknuss01]

Okay...

Who is up for going to CES and looking at everyones legs till we find the one that matches the picture?

[halon]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

So, I go out this evening for a Christmas Eve ride with Maya (who trots up to meet me[you guys only get to see one leg for fear of my identity being revealed ]) and as we take off together, she says ……….

“Penton, don’t you think you should give the folks a tiny Christmas gift tomorrow?”

I say…….
“Maya, what did you have in mind?”

She says…..
“How about revealing an upcoming Blu-ray title?”

I say……
“Every time I’ve done that in the past, I’ve pissed off some person in some dept. of some Blu-ray studio for stealing their thunder and I receive a nasty call on my machine.”

Maya says………….
“C’mon………… it’s Christmas tomorrow.”

I say……………
“O.K., I’ll think about it and see what I can offer on Christmas Day, don’t expect much because I don’t want to invoke the wrath of anyone. B.T.W. – how did you like the steak.”

Maya…………

if you are in fact hinting at a title, the only thing i can think of is...DANCES WITH WOLVES.

personally, i wouldn't care about that movie.

[Elder]

Sounds good to me Penton. I've been in the game business for many years now and I've got to say of all the insiders I've met, you're one of the most vocal. I can see how some people may be nervous by having you post your thoughts on these boards. As a major Blu-ray supporter myself, I truly appreciate you stopping by to give us your input. If nothing else, it’s a blast trying to decipher your messages.

In completely unrelated news, I’m about to write a report on the state of the HD market going into CES. Only catch is I’ve been a diehard Blu-ray fan since the PS3 first launched and I figured I'd have to buy an HD-DVD player for reference material. I decided to go with the A3 because it is dirt cheap and I figured that's about what the average HD-DVD user will likely own. It seems every time there’s a fire sale people buy up every last player and thus far the lowest end models have been the first to get the better sales. To contrast that, I'll be using my PlayStation 3 to cross reference my Blu-ray titles. I think it’ll be a very interesting article to showcase the difference between both formats on the two most popular players. Sure some will likely be against my logic with the player, but so be it.

In the retrospective I’ll be writing I plan to make reference to Blu-ray.com and to you Mr. P-Man. I’ve been extremely impressed by how you handle yourself and how the other insiders handle themselves here. I don’t hide behind any masks or anything. I’m a gaming journalist, and am proud of that fact. I will write my article as professional as I can, even though I’m sure some will likely twist my words to suit their cause. With that said, it’s going to be extremely hard to find anything wrong with the direction Blu-ray is currently facing.

In closing, thanks for all the input Penton.