Universal's Kornblau wants format war to continue

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Охранное

You don't think that it has more to do with the total compensation package on the table? Kind of a game of chicken isn't it? What is Universal's neutrality worth to the BDA? If their neutrality effectively ends the format war....that should be a pretty aggressive incentive package.

I think you need to re-read the articles more carefully and read kjack's and Penton's responses more carefully.

Long/short of it: The BDA threw them a good package and they irrationally turned it down.

If Universal personnel like Graffeo and Kornblau are anything to go by, then clearly there's some lack of good business decision making going on and a case of irrationality to boot.

The only way it makes sense is politics.


The reasons for that should be obvious: They have their contract with HD-DVD and they're connected via the NBC-GE-Universal-MS conglomerate.

This isn't a business decision. It's a political one.

Common sense tells us that you had better believe the BDA offered them a very reasonable and aggressive package and yet they still turned it down.

But to be honest: The BDA really doesn't NEED Universal to win this thing. It just would be/would have been nice to wrap it up a bit more expediently.

Originally Posted by Охранное

So if Uni was only waiting for the availability of cheaper hardware and advanced profiles, why did the BDA make an incentive offer?

Why not?

Get it all over with that much faster.

If you've kept up with all of this over the months: Universal keeps throwing out these "moving targets" of criteria anyways.

I appreciate Keith's statements, but it sure is curious that Penton-Man talks about bringing incentives to the table but claims there is more money in "soft red suitcases" if it's only a question of pricing and interactivity that are destined to be delivered in the near term anyway.

That's Microsoft for you. It may not be a situation of just money, but since they're all under that above mentioned conglomerate...there's some political pressure here as well. MS is going to make this thing last for as long as they possibly can.

They've got deep pockets and there's a clear political connection under that conglomerate.

Penton's statements and the common interpretation of kjack's statements appear to be contradictory is all I'm saying. YMMV.

It's just you. Please re-read everything carefully.

Also read these:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS09/70809084

http://www.videobusiness.com/index.a...leid=CA6467868