Digital Bits and Bill Hunt's latest 2¢ on exclusive announcements

[Sling]

Originally Posted by sj001

All of the HD sites are pretty slow right now, except here... lol!

very true lol poor duds.

[kolasi]

Originally Posted by sj001

All of the HD sites are pretty slow right now, except here... lol!

lol a few hd forums are filled with sulking hd duders.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by SDG

There have been several hints from the insiders about Universal change, but Max made it clear today to not expect anything from Paramont anytime soon. Im ok with that.

Paramount are such jackasses. I could actually see them as the only studio supporting HD DVD.

[xwingsct]

Originally Posted by SDG

There have been several hints from the insiders about Universal change, but Max made it clear today to not expect anything from Paramont anytime soon. Im ok with that.

I don't know if Paramount can get out of their contract unless Toshiba say they will no longer producing the players. After today's news. Don't expect the sales any movies on HD-DVD to be like Transformers. Paramount probably wishes that they didn't take that 150 mill. Nobody is gonna be buying movies from a dying format.

[Moefiz]

If its been posted already...MODS delete please...

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

This is as good a explanation that both HDDvd fanboys should need...

Read entire article.....

Has some interesting facts about the reason WHY Warner chose BLU.

[mystiksuicide]

Excellent piece but it's no different than what I been saying all along. Honestly how many times can you re-package movie? LOTR and Star Wars to name a few where never going to see great sales again on dvd.

Now on Blu they are literally "New Releases"

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Moefiz

If its been posted already...MODS delete please...

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

This is as good a explanation that both HDDvd fanboys should need...

Read entire article.....

Has some interesting facts about the reason WHY Warner chose BLU.

I especially like this sentence:

"And our sources are now telling us that Universal - knowing Warner was about to go Blu-exclusive - has already begin taking steps to prepare for their own future Blu-ray efforts."

[glenn22]

I like this part, it just goes to show that the pay-off rumors were just more FUD:

As to the talk of being motivated by financial inducements, Sanders says this:

"There is absolutely no incentive from either side that would have changed the decision we made based on what we were seeing in the consumer data. The worldwide DVD business is about $40 billion. Any incentives we might have been offered would have paled next to the lost profits from that business if we get this one wrong."

[bkbluray]

Very good article. Sums it up nicely.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by glenn22

I like this part, it just goes to show that the pay-off rumors were just more FUD:

As to the talk of being motivated by financial inducements, Sanders says this:

"There is absolutely no incentive from either side that would have changed the decision we made based on what we were seeing in the consumer data. The worldwide DVD business is about $40 billion. Any incentives we might have been offered would have paled next to the lost profits from that business if we get this one wrong."

Actually, that statement can be read as just stating, any financial incentives wouldn't have changed the way they voted, not that there weren't any.

[Papi4baby]

Originally Posted by sj001

All of the HD sites are pretty slow right now, except here... lol!

I guess they just don't have the bandwidth to compete with blu ray

[LynxFX]

I think it is a horrible idea at least as it is proposed. I just wrote this to Bill about the subject as well as what could be a fair solution:

I as a blu-ray supporter from the beginning, thanks to extensive research before buying into the product, don't think anyone who picked the wrong format based on the same data I used to pick the correct format, should all of the sudden get special treatment. I've spent thousands of dollars supporting the format. I don't recall Toshiba/Paramount/Dreamworks offering to discount the HD DVD versions of Blades of Glory, Face/Off, Top Gun and the Jack Ryan collection which I had already preordered for Blu-ray. As far as I see it, the BDA and Warner are already extending a hand to HD DVD supports, they are releasing for another couple of months titles that some HD DVD owners may have already had high hopes for, much like Blu-ray owners had high hopes for some of those Paramount titles.

If you really want to see the BDA reach out to HD DVD owners, then don't make it just about HD DVD owners and rewarding their poor past decisions. How about getting the BDA to reach out to all supporters, old and new by having a massive discount program, or a coupon that anyone and everyone can use on any Blu-ray disc of their choice. New owners get rewarded, existing owners get rewarded, and there shouldn't be any illwill felt towards anyone unlike if the BDA rewards only HD DVD owners. I would be pretty pissed about that as a longtime BD supporter.

[Elder]

I think what Bill was trying to do was simply show his interest in ending this war as fast as possible, and in his view by allowing people too basically trade in their HD DVD supplies for some sort of deal on Blu-ray supplies would help the people who decided to go down the other path. I doubt the BDA would simply allow people to trade something like Blade Runner on HD DVD for a Blu-ray version, but what about allowing them to trade in their copy along with a $10 cheque for the Blu-ray version. Something like that could be more realistic. I could be off, but when reading his comments, that's the way I interpreted his meaning.

I wholeheartedly see where you’re coming from though, so point very much taken.

[Seretur]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

I think it is a horrible idea at least as it is proposed. I just wrote this to Bill about the subject as well as what could be a fair solution:

I as a blu-ray supporter from the beginning, thanks to extensive research before buying into the product, don't think anyone who picked the wrong format based on the same data I used to pick the correct format, should all of the sudden get special treatment. I've spent thousands of dollars supporting the format. I don't recall Toshiba/Paramount/Dreamworks offering to discount the HD DVD versions of Blades of Glory, Face/Off, Top Gun and the Jack Ryan collection which I had already preordered for Blu-ray. As far as I see it, the BDA and Warner are already extending a hand to HD DVD supports, they are releasing for another couple of months titles that some HD DVD owners may have already had high hopes for, much like Blu-ray owners had high hopes for some of those Paramount titles.

If you really want to see the BDA reach out to HD DVD owners, then don't make it just about HD DVD owners and rewarding their poor past decisions. How about getting the BDA to reach out to all supporters, old and new by having a massive discount program, or a coupon that anyone and everyone can use on any Blu-ray disc of their choice. New owners get rewarded, existing owners get rewarded, and there shouldn't be any illwill felt towards anyone unlike if the BDA rewards only HD DVD owners. I would be pretty pissed about that as a longtime BD supporter.

+1

While I tend to be generous as a person, and initially agreed with Bill, you do have a point there.

[OokieSpookie]

Originally Posted by Elder

This may have already been mentioned, but I loved the idea so much I was curious what the insiders had to say about something like this even being possible.

Bill Hunt from The Digital Bits:

"I was thinking last night about how HD-DVD fans must be feeling right now, in the wake of Warner's announcement of their intent to go Blu-ray only later this year. We've gotten more than a few e-mails from them over the last 24 hours, as you might imagine, and they're understandably feeling a bit down right now. I have to say, however, that with just a few exceptions, they've been very classy today in accepting what most of them acknowledge is the defeat of their preferred format with good grace.

Given that, I think it would be wise at this point for the Blu-ray Disc Association and its member studios and manufacturers to make a peace offering of sorts to HD-DVD supporters. Warner and the rest of the BDA should make some kind of offer to HD-DVD enthusiasts that would allow them to exchange a few of their HD-DVD discs for Blu-ray versions of the same titles, or to provide some kind of additional discount on Blu-ray players to those who have purchased HD-DVD players prior to December 31st 2007, to help them migrate to Blu-ray more easily and painlessly. It would be a nice gesture. It's not like both camps aren't giving tons of free discs away already in "buy one get one free" offers. It might cost the BDA a little up front, but the goodwill it would generate among enthusiasts would be worth the expense, I think. It would be a nice way to welcome HD-DVD consumers into the Blu-ray fold, and it's a way to help put this format war foolishness - and the acrimony that it's inspired online - behind us. It's worth considering."

Could something like this be possible or would the politics involved be too overwhelming?

No offense, but f*ck that.
They were happy to bend us over with the Paramount deal, they ignored the signs and they ignored the warnings.
They went with cheap gimmicks, let it be a learning experience to them.
If Toshiba does the right thing now, then they will get off relatively easy.
If people still choose to support hd with all of the news out there then they deserve what they get.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by LynxFX

I think it is a horrible idea at least as it is proposed. I just wrote this to Bill about the subject as well as what could be a fair solution:

I as a blu-ray supporter from the beginning, thanks to extensive research before buying into the product, don't think anyone who picked the wrong format based on the same data I used to pick the correct format, should all of the sudden get special treatment. I've spent thousands of dollars supporting the format. I don't recall Toshiba/Paramount/Dreamworks offering to discount the HD DVD versions of Blades of Glory, Face/Off, Top Gun and the Jack Ryan collection which I had already preordered for Blu-ray. As far as I see it, the BDA and Warner are already extending a hand to HD DVD supports, they are releasing for another couple of months titles that some HD DVD owners may have already had high hopes for, much like Blu-ray owners had high hopes for some of those Paramount titles.

If you really want to see the BDA reach out to HD DVD owners, then don't make it just about HD DVD owners and rewarding their poor past decisions. How about getting the BDA to reach out to all supporters, old and new by having a massive discount program, or a coupon that anyone and everyone can use on any Blu-ray disc of their choice. New owners get rewarded, existing owners get rewarded, and there shouldn't be any illwill felt towards anyone unlike if the BDA rewards only HD DVD owners. I would be pretty pissed about that as a longtime BD supporter.

Yeah, this is one time I most definitely do NOT agree with Bill Hunt!

[TheRealBob]

Now, come on. The Internet face of HD DVD is not the typical buyer. The vast majority of people simply thought they were getting the new version of DVD for high-def TVs. They might not have even known about Blu-ray or been sure what it was, or they might have been misled by a friend or a salesman who assured them HD DVD had it in the bag, or they might have had someone buy them a player for Christmas (some goofball on AVS bought six for his poor friends).

This notion that the fringe element getting in our face constantly on the Internet represents all HD DVD owners is just nonsense. Most HD DVD owners had no part in that. They just picked the wrong format, and I don't feel some high retribution is in order.

If the BDA did some kind of exchange program, I would have no objection. Logistically it would be hard to pull off since they're still selling the discs and you don't want to give people an incentive to buy fire-sale-priced HD DVDs for trade-in purposes, but that's their deal to sort out.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by TheRealBob

Now, come on. The Internet face of HD DVD is not the typical buyer. The vast majority of people simply thought they were getting the new version of DVD for high-def TVs. They might not have even known about Blu-ray or been sure what it was, or they might have been misled by a friend or a salesman who assured them HD DVD had it in the bag, or they might have had someone buy them a player for Christmas (some goofball on AVS bought six for his poor friends).

This notion that the fringe element getting in our face constantly on the Internet represents all HD DVD owners is just nonsense. Most HD DVD owners had no part in that. They just picked the wrong format, and I don't feel some high retribution is in order.

If the BDA did some kind of exchange program, I would have no objection. Logistically it would be hard to pull off since they're still selling the discs and you don't want to give people an incentive to buy fire-sale-priced HD DVDs for trade-in purposes, but that's their deal to sort out.

As I have said before, if the consumer was too dumb to do their own homework, to the point of not even knowing there was a competing format (a "format war") I feel ZERO sympathy for them. None. Nada. Zilch.

Caveat Emptor

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by TheRealBob

Now, come on. The Internet face of HD DVD is not the typical buyer. The vast majority of people simply thought they were getting the new version of DVD for high-def TVs.

That is very true and I feel bad for those people, but I must say, how is that the BDA's fault and why should they poney up the dough to help them? If anything, it is Toshiba, Microsoft, Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks, and Warner Brothers that should be appoligizing to these people and offering exchange programs.

Again, I think the BDA should just come up with a celebration type coupon. Give a discount for everyone, new and old and celebrate the format as a whole.

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

As I have said before, if the consumer was too dumb to do their own homework, to the point of not even knowing there was a competing format (a "format war") I feel ZERO sympathy for them. None. Nada. Zilch.

Caveat Emptor

I certainly understand the sentiment... though I do think maybe a mail-in rebate ($50 off a BD player) or something would be a nice gesture. Trust me, we all still when by having picked right to begin with, but some kind of an offer to help HD DVD owners migrate wouldn't be a bad thing.

Although I kind of feel Toshiba should take the hit on that... so maybe when they release a combo player, they can offer a discount to existing HD DVD owners.