UK Site "explains" Michael Bay's Remark

[Living Near Shamu]

Can this site be any more biased towards hd dud?

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,390...9294617,00.htm

Michael Bay: 'HD DVD vs Blu-ray is a Microsoft conspiracy'

You might remember some time ago that Michael Bay proved he's a Sony fanboy by ranting about how Paramount would never get a Transformers 2 from him, because it had switched to support HD DVD exclusively. Obviously, once the sugar high from his Kool-Aid had worn off, he retracted the statement and said that 300 on HD DVD was pure ownage.

Well, he's at it again. This time in a post on his official Web site he said: "What you don't understand is corporate politics. Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about.

"That is why Microsoft is handing out $100m checks to studios just embrace the HD DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu-ray," he continued. "They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."

It's difficult to know where to start with this one. We can't help but wonder why Bay has such a passionate allegiance to Blu-ray, and why he thinks it's superior. Sure, at the moment you can fit a little bit more on a Blu-ray disc than you can on an HD DVD, but Transformers proved that doesn't matter at all, because we've yet to see a film that looks better in either hi-def format. The interactivity on HD DVDs is also superb, and Transformers proved that too.

Of course, Bay brings up the alleged payment to Paramount for switching to HD DVD, something that everyone involved with HD DVD has strenuously denied. They did admit there has been some money made available to help market the HD DVD versions of movies, but we're pretty sure the Blu-ray disc association is making money available for promotional purposes too.

But he's right about one thing. Microsoft does support downloading as the media distribution of the future -- so does Apple of course, but Bay doesn't mention that, possibly because it's a Blu-ray backer. And we think movie downloading has a future too, but we're some way off the kind of bandwidth infrastructure that will allow this to happen. Especially considering one HD movie is enough to use up a month's download allowance on some UK ISPs.

Sooner or later, we're going to have to give up our obsession with little discs of plastic, and we'll demand movies in formats that suit us, rather than some movie studio. Indeed, we've been saying for a while that it's about time for some legislation that makes it easier for the consumer to choose. -Ian Morris

[The Don]

"sure you can fit a little more on a Blu-ray disc"...

ahahah it's almost twice as much...

[PS3Maniac]

"But he's right about one thing. Microsoft does support downloading as the media distribution of the future -- so does Apple of course, but Bay doesn't mention that, possibly because it's a Blu-ray backer."

He doesn't mention that because there's a difference between being one in an alliance of companies and being one of two major players backing a format.

[dpomp]

stupid....just plain stupid. anyway so what's everyone eating for lunch.


btw only one comment on the site

"Why don't you just go shake a camera somewhere, mike... "

[stockstar1138]

Originally Posted by The Don

"sure you can fit a little more on a Blu-ray disc"...

ahahah it's almost twice as much...

and its soon going to be over 3x as much.

[Matt X]

Originally Posted by Living Near Shamu

Can this site be any more biased towards hd dud?

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,390...9294617,00.htm




Of course, Bay brings up the alleged payment to Paramount for switching to HD DVD, something that everyone involved with HD DVD has strenuously denied. They did admit there has been some money made available to help market the HD DVD versions of movies, but we're pretty sure the Blu-ray disc association is making money available for promotional purposes too.


-Ian Morris

uhhhh, correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't "some money made available " sound like a f%@&ing PAYMENT??????

[richard lichtenfelt]

The author must've got his journalism training from one of those schools that send emails saying you can get a degree without taking any classes or tests.
http://dlc.thinkdesktop.com/clientco...SAQVMJJS142287

[Go Blu]

Originally Posted by dpompeo

stupid....just plain stupid. anyway so what's everyone eating for lunch.

Just had a HotPocket...it was OK.

[DavePS3]

Bay is right... HD-DVD won't die until Microsoft has it's download service running and then they'll abandon support of HD-DVD. Even if Christmas sales are way down on the format, Microsoft has the dough to keep it alive for it's own purpose. The more studios under it's belt, the more control Microsoft has when it comes time to pull the plug and the more that they can end support for, the more they can include in the downloading. Toshiba, I believe is just along for the ride. As long as Microsoft supports their format, they keep making money without having to do a whole lot. That's how I see things.

[JAGUAR1977]

Who will consumers listen to, a director or website trying to spin the news?

[dialog_gvf]

Sure, at the moment you can fit a little bit more on a Blu-ray disc than you can on an HD DVD, but Transformers proved that doesn't matter at all, because we've yet to see a film that looks better in either hi-def format.

How much effort was needed by the compressionist to get there? And how likely will it ever be that a similar effort would be used on every new release?

I'm really getting sick of the one 4.5/5.0 HD DVD in a sea of 3.0/3.5 being "proof" that Blu-ray can't beat HD DVD. And if people want a format that pours all the effort into a few titles a year, and leaves the rest mediocre, then HD DVD is your format.

If one killer PS/3 game came out, would these people then claim "This game proves the Xbox 360 doesn't beat PS/3 because we've yet to see a game that is better on either console"

I'll bet the bigger picture somehow kicks in then.

Gary

[DefTechPioElite]

Originally Posted by Living Near Shamu

. The interactivity on HD DVDs is also superb, and Transformers proved that too.
-Ian Morris [/I]

I think interactivity is dumb and pointless. When you go to a movie theater, do you want to text your friend/family member to say "HEY, I have to piss so I'm going to puase it!" or when something cool happens have a little box that pops-up and deters you from the on-screen action? I buy Blu-ray for high definition picture and the highest quality PCM tracks, and sometimes DTS-HD and True HD, not wasted disk space on retarded interactivity. Seriously, going online and buying ringtones is not my idea of next-gen.

[patrick99]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

How much effort was needed by the compressionist to get there? And how likely will it ever be that a similar effort would be used on every new release?

I'm really getting sick of the one 4.5/5.0 HD DVD in a sea of 3.0/3.5 being "proof" that Blu-ray can't beat HD DVD. And if people want a format that pours all the effort into a few titles a year, and leaves the rest mediocre, then HD DVD is your format.



Gary

Yes, one of the standard red talking points is that the best red titles look as good as the best blue titles, so the technical superiority of BD supposedly does not lead to better PQ, but how much time and money did they spend to make King Kong look good? As always, you wonder whether they really believe the nonsense they spout.

[Innerloop]

Originally Posted by JAGUAR1977

Who will consumers listen to, a director or website trying to spin the news?

Or to put it even better, will they believe a Director who has EVERY incentive to support HD-DVD since he is working for a studio that supports it exclusively.

And as far as payments go, I think Michael Bay KNOWS the truth about the promotional payments paid by HD-DVD to Paramount, he's not guessing. He is a principal participant in the film itself, so if money is changing hands, he is aware of it and in the loop. He could probably post precisely how much of that $50m went to the Transformer's bottom line because they have to issue him a statement quarterly to account for the sales & revenues from the film in great detail.

If he ever chooses to divulge that info, you can take it to the bank. One thing movie studios don't screw around with is royalty accounting.

[Living Near Shamu]

All these wannabe reporters don't post their email address. I wonder why?

[ikbradley]

Originally Posted by Living Near Shamu

Can this site be any more biased towards hd dud?

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,390...9294617,00.htm

[/I]

Look at the source - CNET. Part of Ziff Davis, who is in partnership with Microsoft. Bunch of corn-holers

Edit: By the way, does the author not realize that the Kool-Aid reference was about the James Town massacre?

[Kairav]

HD DVD fanboy writer. F***ing BS!!!!!

[Thundercrash07]

Originally Posted by DavePS3

Bay is right... HD-DVD won't die until Microsoft has it's download service running and then they'll abandon support of HD-DVD. Even if Christmas sales are way down on the format, Microsoft has the dough to keep it alive for it's own purpose. The more studios under it's belt, the more control Microsoft has when it comes time to pull the plug and the more that they can end support for, the more they can include in the downloading. Toshiba, I believe is just along for the ride. As long as Microsoft supports their format, they keep making money without having to do a whole lot. That's how I see things.

What makes you think Toshitba is making any money out of HD-dvd??

[Matt X]

Originally Posted by JAGUAR1977

Who will consumers listen to, a director or website trying to spin the news?

well neither one sounds very authoritative on paper, but being that Bay is "in the biz" I might take his word as closer to the truth. The one thing that seems odd to me is the stuff he's saying is exactly what everyone else has been saying for months - I'm sure he's been online to other sites (maybe even here? Hi Mike! Loved "The Island"!) and seen our comments, it would be interesting if someone "in the biz" would drop a real "insider" nugget like "yeah, I was at this party and me and Ken Graffeo were snorting coke off this hooker's @$$ and he was telling me how he was losing big to Bill Gates in a poker game, and Bill said he'd forget the debt if ken took this 150mill and dropped blu support"

[tron3]

Ugh... this makes me sick. Microsoft throwing good money after bad supposedly to watch both formats fail. Money better spent on charity or developing better technologies for medicine.

Ok, I'll skip the reasons why the bulk of humanity will never switch to digital download. We all know them, or can surmize them. Here is the cold hard fact. "THERE WILL ALWAYS-ALWAYS-ALWAYS BE A MARKET FOR HARD MEDIA." Did I mention the word "always"?

It will be Div-x all over again. People will be forced to pay for the download, naturally, and forced to repay every time you replay the movie - unnaturally! MS isn't stupid. They won't pull the replay card at first. But when you are the only game in town, what is to stop them?

Blu-ray has to live just to give MS a swift kick in the shin. And HD DVD just to kick the other shin!