NYTimes report on Warner Blu switch

[TigerBandit]

Some more good publicity about the upcoming (I hope...) switch:
http://www.nytimes.com/paidcontent/P...79a&ei=5087%0A

[hc666]

Originally Posted by TigerBandit

Some more good publicity about the upcoming (I hope...) switch:
http://www.nytimes.com/paidcontent/P...79a&ei=5087%0A

c'mon CES...

[Zaphod]

Definately encouraging since this is in the NY Times. Plus there is no mention of a reference to the other article, which is a positive. Hmmmm....maybe those $299 players are a sign of the BDA commitment to getting Blu-ray players in to the masses hand to tip the scales in their favor to woo WB.

[DetroitSportsFan]

If that happens, the Sony Blu-ray system would go from its current 49 percent share to roughly 70 percent.

Huh? Can someone explain what is meant by this?

[Living Near Shamu]

It means blu-ray exclusive. 70% of the market would be blu only.

[Joon]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

Huh? Can someone explain what is meant by this?

I believe they are referring to studio support exclusivity. BD owns 49% exclusively right now and Warner would make it 70%.

[Rike255]

That confused me too. Makes it sound like Blu-Ray has less market share. Oh well good article I hope Warner comes over soon!

[Thegide]

Nothing new here... just a news report on another older news report.

[CptGreedle]

After two years of relative stalemate in the battle between Sony (NYSE: SNE) Electronic’s Blu-ray and Toshiba’s HD DVD to claim the title of dominant hi-def DVD format, it has lately come down to Warner Bros. to be the one to settle it. And WB, which currently markets its home video via both formats, could be leaning towards Blu-ray, a BusinessWeek piece says. If that happens, the Sony Blu-ray system would go from its current 49 percent share to roughly 70 percent.

Will WB choose?: Warner has signaled that its choice will be determined by which marketer can sell more DVDs this holiday season. So far, Toshiba is in the lead in terms of players, as Adams Media Research projects that it will sell roughly 578,000 machines to U.S. households by the end of 2007. In contrast, Adams Media expects Blu-ray to sell only 370,000. However, while Toshiba’s relationship with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) also gives it access to 300,000 users as an add-on to XBox consoles, Sony Playstation 3 gives Blu-ray access to 2.3 million consumers. But the most important factor in WB’s decision will be which format will offer the greatest number of potential buyers of its home video library? The answer there could be Blu-ray, by dint of its backing by Disney, (NYSE: DIS) which targets families - who are most likely to purchase older titles. And if WB does follow Disney’s lead, Dreamworks’ and Paramount’s deals with Toshiba last only 18 months, suggesting that they’re almost as much on the fence as WB.

Shifting dynamics: The dynamics in this rivalry have shifted a bit since the summer, when HD DVD seemed poised to break the impasse after Toshiba signed exclusive deals with Paramount and Dreamworks Animation. And now, hoping to prevent WB going with Sony, Toshiba plans to cut the retail price for its HD DVD titles at $31.74 - about $2 less than Blu-ray’s suggested price. Toshiba also has been lowering the price of its players, offering a basic player for $299. Not to be outdone, Sony is planning a similarly-priced player too. But Toshiba’s main attraction to Paramount and Dreamworks was its offer of $150 million in incentives.

Here is the article for those who can't link to it.

[atomik kinder]

I thought this was just going to be repeating the Business Week article, but it wasn't and was pretty interesting. Seem like NY Times thinks WB will pick whoever sells the most this Christmas season, but with the BD player prices coming down, looks like BD might be able to pull ahead in the "STAND ALONE PLAYER" area.

Also of interest, how can Toshiba lower the price on their HD DVDS? I would think that would be up to the studios and if Toshiba tells them they have to lower their prices on their discs, well...

[hc666]

Originally Posted by atomik kinder

I thought this was just going to be repeating the Business Week article, but it wasn't and was pretty interesting. Seem like NY Times thinks WB will pick whoever sells the most this Christmas season, but with the BD player prices coming down, looks like BD might be able to pull ahead in the "STAND ALONE PLAYER" area.

This is all they ever needed to do. Cheap stand alones.

FINALLY!

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

Huh? Can someone explain what is meant by this?

I think they are referring to Blu-ray player sales, not movies...

[dialog_gvf]

Cue Rob Enderle

[ikbradley]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Cue Rob Enderle

The number one reason I want to format war to end. That guy is about as entertaining as getting leprocy.

[BluOgre]

Originally Posted by Rike255

That confused me too. Makes it sound like Blu-Ray has less market share. Oh well good article I hope Warner comes over soon!

He forgot to say it was for software titles, not sales.

Right now Blu has about 50% of all titles exclusive to them, 20% is shared with Warner being neutral. If they were to go (or should I say when), it would be a HUGE swing to either side.

[eat_me_cool]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

Definately encouraging since this is in the NY Times. Plus there is no mention of a reference to the other article, which is a positive. Hmmmm....maybe those $299 players are a sign of the BDA commitment to getting Blu-ray players in to the masses hand to tip the scales in their favor to woo WB.

$279 is now the lowest price, plus bundles and discounts with TV's. T

I think another sign that Warner maybe swinging towards Blu-ray is multi-language support. the latest Harry Potter has 13 audio tracks against 3 of the HD-DVD. That is potentially a major money saver now and in the future, only having 1/4 of the stock to manage and master.

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by eat_me_cool

$279 is now the lowest price, plus bundles and discounts with TV's

$269.98 on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

[Neo65]

Originally Posted by Joon

I believe they are referring to studio support exclusivity. BD owns 49% exclusively right now and Warner would make it 70%.

Yup, although Warner does not own 21% of movies (ie : 70-49), it is a prolific supporter of packaged media and have historically released lots of titles in new shiny disks. Meaning they bat above their class in terms of HDM releases.

Also, because they've done well with packaged media, they tend to believe in it more than other studios and would be less likely to abandon it. Warner also would be the first to understand what a shrinking DVD pie means for their long term prospects.

[Animusmors]

So this article is just pointing out the obvious that Blu-Ray will prevail. This isn't news. Everyone is following Disney who will follow Universal? Really?!! Man, Toshiba is really screwing themselves over with those ridiculous price cuts. The PS3 really is the key in this whole war, that is the weapon that has already destroyed HDDVD, even though it was pretty weak at first. The momentum is now at full fledge.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

$269.98 on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

Wow. The A3 is now $199, and the A30 is $239.

It's funny how Samsung is frequently attacked, but they are the one that came out with a BD player first. And they are the ones leading the low price battle for Blu-ray.

Gary