Disney still said ...no - Blu-ray Forum

joeorc · 05-12-2007, 02:37 AM

Transcript: Disney CEO Iger Talks Up Blu-ray in Analyst Call
Fri May 11, 2007 at 07:08 PM ET
Tags: Disney (all tags)

While he was recently quoted as suggesting that his company might support both Blu-ray and HD DVD, Disney CEO Robert Iger appears to have reversed his earlier position, making a new more unequivocal statement of support for Blu-ray this week.

Back in March, Iger seemed to signal that his Blu-ray exclusive studio was considering joining Warner and Paramount in the format neutral camp, telling investors at Disney's annual meeting with shareholders that his company was "excited about next generation DVD formats" and that while it had chosen Blu-ray because it thought it was superior to HD DVD, that Disney would eventually "probably publish in both formats."

This week, however, Iger made a much more firm statement of his company's exclusive support of Blu-ray during Disney's quarterly analyst call, saying "the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage."

A complete transcript of Iger's Blu-ray comments made during this week's analyst call follows:

"We made our bed with Blu-ray because we believed more in that format for a variety of reasons; some technical in nature, some due to the fact that it simply had broader support from a variety of industries, notably the motion picture studios but also what I’ll call the consumer electronics and the tech industry.

What we are seeing lately is that sales of Blu-ray discs are outpacing HD discs by at least two to one. As more quality Blu-ray product comes on the market, which is going to happen, notably with Pirates on May 22, we actually believe that the difference or the advantage of Blu-ray is only going to widen.

What we are also seeing is that the adoption of the platform right now is being held back a bit by a perception among consumers, really, that there is a format war; and that the hardware or the players are too expensive. We see the players coming down in price nicely, particularly by the Christmas season. We also believe that if Blu-ray continues to outpace HD DVD the retailers are ultimately going to weigh in, because they only have a limited amount of shelf space, and they are going to have to choose a format in order to manage their own shelf space. Once that happens, the advantage is going to go even more in Blu-ray’s direction.

I think the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage. The best thing that could happen is for the format war to end, which will be very pro-consumer, particularly as hardware comes down.

The other thing I want to note is, if you look across the globe, the only place there is really a format war is in the United States. In other markets where next-gen DVD is starting to penetrate, Blu-ray is winning, and substantially; so much so there isn’t even a perceived format war.

So I think we made the right decision, the trends we are seeing seem to validate the decision. We think long-term, this is going to be a nice growth area for the company, because as you know sell-through DVD is a big business for the Walt Disney Company, even though we believe in things like VOD and the rental model. People want to own a Disney DVD, particularly in the next-generation format."
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news...alyst_Call/622

msupe · 05-12-2007, 02:41 AM

This is great! Thats what our camp needs is studios such as disney standing up and stating that blu-ray is superior.

boweyang · 05-12-2007, 04:41 AM

Will Universal do the same thing for HDDVD?

BTBuck1 · 05-12-2007, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeorc

Transcript: Disney CEO Iger Talks Up Blu-ray in Analyst Call
Fri May 11, 2007 at 07:08 PM ET
Tags: Disney (all tags)

What we are also seeing is that the adoption of the platform right now is being held back a bit by a perception among consumers, really, that there is a format war; and that the hardware or the players are too expensive. We see the players coming down in price nicely, particularly by the Christmas season. We also believe that if Blu-ray continues to outpace HD DVD the retailers are ultimately going to weigh in, because they only have a limited amount of shelf space, and they are going to have to choose a format in order to manage their own shelf space. Once that happens, the advantage is going to go even more in Blu-ray’s direction.

It's already begun, Fry's in my area used to have one 4ft section for each Next gen optical format. After a few months it grew to, two for Blu-ray...HDDVD still with one. Last visit (wednesday of this week) HDDVD still in one 4ft section, now Blu-ray has 3, yes 1,2,3 four foot sections!

Also, In addition to that
BestBuy has always had the same two 4 ft sections allocated to BD & HDDVD. Well this week, Best Buy added a "Sled" in what we call the "Racetrack" which has nothing but Blu-ray signadge and BD movies on it in addition to the endcaps with sony/samsung. So In BBY Blu-ray is now showing it's domination in floorspace there too.

TBoneCapone · 05-12-2007, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boweyang

Will Universal do the same thing for HDDVD?

Disney is bigger than Universal IMO. Kids will dictate the future.

blurayforever143 · 05-12-2007, 05:25 AM

The writing is on the wall and the HD-DVD side needs to read it and weep...though quite honestly I'd prefer it if they embraced Blu-Ray and found joy in the format..

Anyways, we will see more stories like these monthly, in which companies, retailers, the media, and the factories and studios will declare Blu-Ray's superiority.

Now let's go out there with optimism and buy another Blu Ray!

phranctoast · 05-12-2007, 10:57 AM

but....but......but...... what about walmart! /sarcasm

Scorxpion · 05-12-2007, 11:25 AM

I have read this post now on highdefdigest.com and i was going to post it here but someone else was fast than me and alrady posted.

In Conclusion i would like to say BD is the superior format ever found .

BLU-RAY is very soon going to declare Victory Deja VU and Littlechicken are great including The guardian now my eyes are going to catch POTC Apocalypto and another title on MAY22.

GOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOO Blu-ray

Disney you are doing a great Job for BD keep on doing this JOB

Knight-Errant · 05-12-2007, 11:51 AM

There we go. The writing is indeed on the wall.

phranctoast · 05-12-2007, 01:42 PM

post #18 on the highdef digest website is hilarious.

DrinkMore · 05-12-2007, 04:24 PM

Not sure why anyone is supporting either format right now. Granted BD is the better of the two, I have just seen too many problems with the releases being sub par and I am not going to pay for such junk quality.

BTBuck1 · 05-12-2007, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

Not sure why anyone is supporting either format right now. Granted BD is the better of the two, I have just seen too many problems with the releases being sub par and I am not going to pay for such junk quality.

You will always have Some sub par releases. It's inherent in the source material. Encoding problems are IMO and for the most part, a thing of the past. A poor transfer hasn't been seen in months (aside from Planet Earth) and I blame the HDDVD side for that as it was catered to that whimpy spec.

I say, come on in...the waters great!

The Don · 05-12-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

Not sure why anyone is supporting either format right now. Granted BD is the better of the two, I have just seen too many problems with the releases being sub par and I am not going to pay for such junk quality.

because BD has way too much of an advantage right now....they have HD-DVD in a stranglehold and it will continue..

Matt X · 05-14-2007, 11:37 AM

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7264

Ascended_Saiyan · 05-14-2007, 12:12 PM

I think this is already up in the General Discussion section.

Coltboy · 05-14-2007, 12:30 PM

I am happy to see that someone has the loyalty to stick with a format. i never really thought much of disney but i commend them for sticking their sword in the ground and making a stand on a side. I know $ has a way of changing loyalites but still i am glad they took a firm stand on this.

JTK · 05-14-2007, 02:45 PM

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7264

^^ Exactly.

Disney is NEVER coming to HD-DVD. Ever.

HDJK · 05-14-2007, 02:51 PM

Nice article. What always cracks me up though are the comments. Especially one guy being sad that Blu-ray wins because HD-DVD is 'much more consumer friendly'. What hole do this folks crawl out of...?

JTK · 05-14-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDJK

Nice article. What always cracks me up though are the comments. Especially one guy being sad that Blu-ray wins because HD-DVD is 'much more consumer friendly'. What hole do this folks crawl out of...?

The anandtech comments after the stories are amusing to read. I see a fairly decent mix of responses in there, including that all too predictable HD-DVD whiner zealot comment you are referring to.

EDIT: Merge. Heh, I should have known someone would have beat me to this.

Didn't see it. My bad.

Spankey · 05-14-2007, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTK

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7264

^^ Exactly.

Disney is NEVER coming to HD-DVD. Ever.

But Robert George said it was a sure thing this year. Come on. We all know Robert George is all knowing.

05-14-2007, 11:37 AM	#14
Matt X Senior Member Member since:Feb 2007	Encouraging BR comments from Disney CEO http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7264

05-14-2007, 02:45 PM	#17
JTK Blu-ray Knight Member since:Jan 2006 Location:www.blurayoasis.com	Disney affirms BD support yet again http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7264 ^^ Exactly. Disney is NEVER coming to HD-DVD. Ever.

05-12-2007, 02:37 AM	#1
joeorc Power Member Member since:Jan 2007 Location:GROVEPORT ,OHIO	Disney still said ...no Transcript: Disney CEO Iger Talks Up Blu-ray in Analyst Call Fri May 11, 2007 at 07:08 PM ET Tags: Disney (all tags) While he was recently quoted as suggesting that his company might support both Blu-ray and HD DVD, Disney CEO Robert Iger appears to have reversed his earlier position, making a new more unequivocal statement of support for Blu-ray this week. Back in March, Iger seemed to signal that his Blu-ray exclusive studio was considering joining Warner and Paramount in the format neutral camp, telling investors at Disney's annual meeting with shareholders that his company was "excited about next generation DVD formats" and that while it had chosen Blu-ray because it thought it was superior to HD DVD, that Disney would eventually "probably publish in both formats." This week, however, Iger made a much more firm statement of his company's exclusive support of Blu-ray during Disney's quarterly analyst call, saying "the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage." A complete transcript of Iger's Blu-ray comments made during this week's analyst call follows: "We made our bed with Blu-ray because we believed more in that format for a variety of reasons; some technical in nature, some due to the fact that it simply had broader support from a variety of industries, notably the motion picture studios but also what I’ll call the consumer electronics and the tech industry. What we are seeing lately is that sales of Blu-ray discs are outpacing HD discs by at least two to one. As more quality Blu-ray product comes on the market, which is going to happen, notably with Pirates on May 22, we actually believe that the difference or the advantage of Blu-ray is only going to widen. What we are also seeing is that the adoption of the platform right now is being held back a bit by a perception among consumers, really, that there is a format war; and that the hardware or the players are too expensive. We see the players coming down in price nicely, particularly by the Christmas season. We also believe that if Blu-ray continues to outpace HD DVD the retailers are ultimately going to weigh in, because they only have a limited amount of shelf space, and they are going to have to choose a format in order to manage their own shelf space. Once that happens, the advantage is going to go even more in Blu-ray’s direction. I think the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage. The best thing that could happen is for the format war to end, which will be very pro-consumer, particularly as hardware comes down. The other thing I want to note is, if you look across the globe, the only place there is really a format war is in the United States. In other markets where next-gen DVD is starting to penetrate, Blu-ray is winning, and substantially; so much so there isn’t even a perceived format war. So I think we made the right decision, the trends we are seeing seem to validate the decision. We think long-term, this is going to be a nice growth area for the company, because as you know sell-through DVD is a big business for the Walt Disney Company, even though we believe in things like VOD and the rental model. People want to own a Disney DVD, particularly in the next-generation format." http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news...alyst_Call/622 Last edited by joeorc; 05-12-2007 at 02:45 AM.

05-12-2007, 02:41 AM	#2
msupe Member Member since:Apr 2007	This is great! Thats what our camp needs is studios such as disney standing up and stating that blu-ray is superior.

05-12-2007, 04:41 AM	#3
boweyang Member Member since:May 2006 Location:North Carolina	Will Universal do the same thing for HDDVD?

05-12-2007, 05:25 AM	#6
blurayforever143 Active Member Member since:Mar 2007 Trading Score:6	The writing is on the wall and the HD-DVD side needs to read it and weep...though quite honestly I'd prefer it if they embraced Blu-Ray and found joy in the format.. Anyways, we will see more stories like these monthly, in which companies, retailers, the media, and the factories and studios will declare Blu-Ray's superiority. Now let's go out there with optimism and buy another Blu Ray!

05-12-2007, 10:57 AM	#7
phranctoast Power Member Member since:Aug 2006 Location:Long Island, NY;psn:phranctoast Blu-ray collection:78	but....but......but...... what about walmart! /sarcasm

05-12-2007, 11:25 AM	#8
Scorxpion Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2006 Location:Middle East,Lebanon Blu-ray collection:57	I have read this post now on highdefdigest.com and i was going to post it here but someone else was fast than me and alrady posted. In Conclusion i would like to say BD is the superior format ever found . BLU-RAY is very soon going to declare Victory Deja VU and Littlechicken are great including The guardian now my eyes are going to catch POTC Apocalypto and another title on MAY22. GOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOO Blu-ray Disney you are doing a great Job for BD keep on doing this JOB

05-12-2007, 11:51 AM	#9
Knight-Errant Power Member Member since:Aug 2005 Location:Sheffield, UK	There we go. The writing is indeed on the wall.

05-12-2007, 01:42 PM	#10
phranctoast Power Member Member since:Aug 2006 Location:Long Island, NY;psn:phranctoast Blu-ray collection:78	post #18 on the highdef digest website is hilarious.

05-12-2007, 04:24 PM	#11
DrinkMore Banned Member since:Apr 2007 Location:That's What She Said! Blu-ray collection:140 Blu-ray reviews:7 Trading Score:3	Not sure why anyone is supporting either format right now. Granted BD is the better of the two, I have just seen too many problems with the releases being sub par and I am not going to pay for such junk quality.

05-14-2007, 12:12 PM	#15
Ascended_Saiyan Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Sep 2006 Location:Atlanta, Georgia Blu-ray collection:608 Trading Score:1	I think this is already up in the General Discussion section.

05-14-2007, 12:30 PM	#16
Coltboy Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Mar 2007 Location:OHIO Home Theater Gallery:72 Blu-ray collection:14 Blu-ray reviews:13	I am happy to see that someone has the loyalty to stick with a format. i never really thought much of disney but i commend them for sticking their sword in the ground and making a stand on a side. I know $ has a way of changing loyalites but still i am glad they took a firm stand on this.

05-14-2007, 02:51 PM	#18
HDJK Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2006 Location:Switzerland Trading Score:2	Nice article. What always cracks me up though are the comments. Especially one guy being sad that Blu-ray wins because HD-DVD is 'much more consumer friendly'. What hole do this folks crawl out of...?

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