HD DVD "owned" in TV week article!

[BTBuck1]

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hi..._preferabl.php

HD DVD: Fight or Quit (Preferably Quit)

Let’s take a moment to push for the end of the pointless war that nobody wanted; the costly quagmire that’s drained resources and consumed the media with its constant, bloody scrimmages.

In the past few weeks, Sony’s Blu-ray next-generation DVD format has enjoyed several victories over Toshiba’s rival HD DVD: Target will sell only Blu-ray players this holiday season. The East Coast chain BJ’s Warehouse Club will exclusively sell Blu-ray titles. Steven Spielberg announced he will release his first movie in a high-def format, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” on Blu-ray. The Japanese porn industry has embraced Blu-ray. Even thieves robbing a Seattle store cleaned out its stock of Blu-ray discs, leaving HD DVD titles behind (how sad, chortle the bloggers, HD DVD movies are not even worth stealing).
Coming shortly after Blockbuster’s announcement that the chain will mainly stock Blu-ray titles, the headlines paint a portrait of pending HD DVD doom. All that's left is a period of Toshiba desperately hanging on. The face-saving final efforts. The company’s fingers slipping from the edge of the format-war cliff and blissfully falling into Betamax oblivion.
Trouble is, rooting for a Sony win feels like cheering for a fighter throwing low blows when the referee’s not looking. Sony stuffed 4 million overpriced PlayStation 3 units with similarly overpriced Blu-ray players and leveraged its relationship with studios to monopolize distribution of key DVD titles.
Just as important, but little noticed, is that Sony has been wildly effective at generating headlines declaring Blu-ray victories—even when the triumphs are modest. BJ’s Warehouse Club? Japanese porn? “Close Encounters”? Minor accomplishments that are killing HD DVD. When consumers think Blu-ray has won, it has.

This isn’t to say Blu-ray isn’t winning in less superficial respects. See this big brick wall of blue? That’s how often Blu-ray titles topped HD DVD in a variety of sales categories on Amazon.com. The week of July 22, Blu-ray captured 74 percent of high-def disc sales to HD DVD’s 26 percent, according to Nielsen VideoScan. Not good.
Toshiba has sold more stand-alone players, mainly because Blu-ray players cost $999 earlier this year and are still currently overpriced at $479. HD DVD players have dived to $243, and Xbox 360’s add-on HD-DVD units now sell for $179. Many consumers are snapping up Toshiba’s reasonably priced high-def player to accompany their new HDTV set without realizing the carnage-filled battlefield they’re stumbling onto.
“Every time Sony pulls a press prank, HD DVD counters with a price drop,” smartly notes one of many HD DVD fans on AVS Forum. But Toshiba is nearing the bottom for DVD player pricing, while Sony has a long way to go.
Recently a research company predicted the high-def format battle will continue well into 2012, with both sides evenly splitting the market. This nightmarish conclusion ignores the real sentiment driving the war’s end game: Studios don’t want two formats. Retailers don’t want two formats. Consumers don’t want two formats.
And when studios almost entirely align under Blu-ray, retailers begin exclusively stocking Blu-ray products, customers prefer Blu-ray titles, and the press writes stories of Blu-ray victories … then HD DVD really is wasting time hanging on the cliff’s edge.
Toshiba needs to start generating some victory-lap “press prank” headlines of their own—or let go.

WOW!

[Blu-dock Saint]

Originally Posted by BTBuck1

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hi..._preferabl.php




WOW!

lol nice article, I still want to know the driving force behind hd dvd right now.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Blu-dock Saint

lol nice article, I still want to know the driving force behind hd dvd right now.

http://microsoft.com

(Okay, there have to be a dozen "Mac vs. PC" HD-DVD-evangelism parodies on YouTube by now, it's just too darn easy...)

[dialog_gvf]

This is the critical point that Graffeo, Nickerson and the HD DVD faithful seem to miss:

ALMOST NOBODY INTERESTED IN HD DISCS WANTS A WAR

Honestly, I think even Blu-ray dying off is PREFERABLE to a war continuing without end.

But, of course, that isn't going to happen. The format on life support is HD DVD. Time to pull the plug.

Gary

[The Big Blue]

Die HD DVD! Die! (tm)

[JTK]

Microsoft will never surrender gracefully and with the delusional garbage that Toshiba has been shoveling since last March or so...I suspect they won't either.

Good article!

[Blu-dock Saint]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

This is the critical point that Graffeo, Nickerson and the HD DVD faithful seem to miss:

ALMOST NOBODY INTERESTED IN HD DISCS WANTS A WAR

Honestly, I think even Blu-ray dying off is PREFERABLE to a war continuing without end.

But, of course, that isn't going to happen. The format on life support is HD DVD. Time to pull the plug.

Gary

I'm sure acouple more years down the road when people actually mostly own hdtv's they would be a ton more interested, I've said it before, my family just doesnt see the reason to get rid of dvd yet.

[Jim L]

Originally Posted by The Big Blue

Die HD DVD! Die! (tm)

I like that!

May I have permission to use it in my sig?

[The Big Blue]

Go for it.

[supersix4]

"Even thieves robbing a Seattle store cleaned out its stock of Blu-ray discs, leaving HD DVD titles behind (how sad, chortle the bloggers, HD DVD movies are not even worth stealing). "


Lol how funny is that ... 2012 it should be over way before that exclusive POTC , Spidey, and more to come ? are you kidding

[JTK]

Originally Posted by The Big Blue

Die HD DVD! Die! (tm)

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...915#post151915

See the first post and look at that great picture.

Note the caption at the bottom.

[Blu_J]

There are a lot of HD nuts posting on that page. Wow! The delusions are grand indeed.

[Rup_Muk]

WOW! Indeed!!!

Rup.

[dobyblue]

Blu-ray discs currently do not offer those features so HD DVD supporters say they will give the format a major advantage, particularly with younger people

I don't know about you, but when it comes to young people wouldn't Spider-man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 be considered far more of a major advantage than being able to order the clothes you see someone wear in Hot Fuzz?

[supersix4]

lol I'd rather just watch the movie unless for instance you can order a gt 500 shelby from gone in 60 seconds for like 50 bucks then id be a big time hdud supporter lol

[Musashi]

Decent main point on the article, but the author can bite me. "Stuffed PS3s" "Overpriced", "Leveraging a monopoly?" Total BS. You want a company that leverages its monopoly for more control, try Micro$haft. He also quoted someone from AVS as if it were a good source, and conveniently forgot to idenitify that BD is endorsed by the entire BDA, not just Sony.

[insane1220]

Originally Posted by JTK

Microsoft will never surrender gracefully and with the delusional garbage that Toshiba has been shoveling since last March or so...I suspect they won't either.

Good article!

With Blu-ray selling more discs per week and the recent news of Target, BJ's, Blockbuster and more to come I'd bet. It's really just up to Universal to go dual format or switch completely in order to end this war. The only thing that sucks is that I hear people talking about the whole war thing and since they hear HD-DVD they assume its better no one other than the junkies like us here know too much about the whole thing. I think once the holiday's roll around and there is only Blu-ray on the shelves they'll all see where the war is heading.

[inaz4sun]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Decent main point on the article, but the author can bite me. "Stuffed PS3s" "Overpriced", "Leveraging a monopoly?" Total BS. You want a company that leverages its monopoly for more control, try Micro$haft. He also quoted someone from AVS as if it were a good source, and conveniently forgot to idenitify that BD is endorsed by the entire BDA, not just Sony.

All excellent points that I was also thinking, while leaning toward BD he ws reluctant and also repeating things that are incorrect and perpetuate false perceptions. PS3 is not a gaming machine like the 360. Add the HD DVD player to the 360 and now what is the cost? Sony should redirect marketing of the PS3 to different audiences, not gamers.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Decent main point on the article, but the author can bite me. "Stuffed PS3s" "Overpriced", "Leveraging a monopoly?" Total BS. You want a company that leverages its monopoly for more control, try Micro$haft. He also quoted someone from AVS as if it were a good source, and conveniently forgot to idenitify that BD is endorsed by the entire BDA, not just Sony.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of the BDA shoving quality, selection and good value down our throats.

[Pilam69]

Originally Posted by inaz4sun

PS3 is not a gaming machine like the 360. Add the HD DVD player to the 360 and now what is the cost? Sony should redirect marketing of the PS3 to different audiences, not gamers.

Considering you don't need a cell processor to watch Blu-Ray movies they could have left that out and lost a lot less money already. The PS3 IS a game system first and foremost. Is it a Blu-Ray player? Yes (and a dang good one), but if it were marketed as a standalone Blu-Ray player then it would be the most poorly designed (nothing can sit on top of it plus the heat --->), hottest running Blu-Ray player on the market.

Now if you're saying that Sony should target SECONDARY audiences then I agree with you.

I love my PS3 and I bought it for games. I will use it for watching movies until something better comes along but NOTHING better is coming for gaming, not for quite awhile.