Seriously, retailers will stop selling HD DVD hardware/software before May

[blu2]

Originally Posted by getblu

Why would retailers want to replenish HD-DVD software (let alone hardware) stock when the the end is basically here.

Really why bother? I don't think Warner will need to bother come March.
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The answer depends on what Universal and Pararmount wind up doing. The footprint will shrink considerably, but there will still be some (small) market if the holdout studios still deliver titles on HD DVD (Universal could go neutral, not exclusive). Believe it or not there are still UMD releases out there.

[NutsAboutPS3]

Originally Posted by blu2

The answer depends on what Universal and Pararmount wind up doing. The footprint will shrink considerably, but there will still be some (small) market if the holdout studios still deliver titles on HD DVD (Universal could go neutral, not exclusive). Believe it or not there are still UMD releases out there.

I agree, as long as Universal and Paramount remain exclusive to HD DVD, there will still be a need for HD DVD players, and retailers will still sell those movies. It makes little difference to retailers whether Uni/Para are HD DVD exclusive or BD exclusive, the shelf space required is the same either way. What retailers surely wouldn't like is for one or both of them to become neutral - if that happened, it's possible they might decide to only stock the BD version.

[Slapper]

I think retailers need to be really careful if they decide to keep selling HD DVD hardware. They need to really inform their customers of the overall market and explain to them that they can only get Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks movies on HD DVD or they risk ticking off their customers or getting high returns.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't sell the hardware anymore, but I would continue to sell the software for those poor folks that already bought into HD DVD.

[almy]

No dealer with any scruples would/should push a customer towars HD at this point. Dealers may see a spurt in dual-format player sales as current HD owners decide to adopt Blu (assuming thay have sizeable HD disc collections), but sales of HD-only players should just about cease totally. Bill Hunt has joked "free HD players in cereal boxes" but that would just about be it for HD stand-alones.

[Draagonman]

How l;ong did it take for betamax to stop making players? can you still buy cassette tape players? Man I was at Papa Murphy's yesterday and they had an 8track/radio boom box? that they were listening to the radio on, crazy times we live in.

[getblu]

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

I agree, as long as Universal and Paramount remain exclusive to HD DVD, there will still be a need for HD DVD players, and retailers will still sell those movies. It makes little difference to retailers whether Uni/Para are HD DVD exclusive or BD exclusive, the shelf space required is the same either way. What retailers surely wouldn't like is for one or both of them to become neutral - if that happened, it's possible they might decide to only stock the BD version.

I disagree. HD-DVD is basically a niche now. Retailers could basically hurry Paramount and Universal to cross the river sooner rather than later.

[NutsAboutPS3]

Originally Posted by getblu

I disagree. HD-DVD is basically a niche now. Retailers could basically hurry Paramount and Universal to cross the river sooner rather than later.

They could, but if you think about it, there is actually more need for HD DVD players now than there was in 2007 before the Paramount switch. Before then, if you had a Blu-ray player, the only reason to buy an HD DVD player as well was to get Universal movies. Now, Blu-ray owners are deprived of both Paramount and Universal movies unless they buy an HD DVD player to go with their Blu-ray player. Even if Universal go neutral, we're still back to where we were in early 2007, with Blu-ray getting you access to all studios except one.

Yet despite this being the case, back in early 2007 it didn't seem to be a widely expressed view that retailers were all going to imminently stop selling HD DVD players and movies.

Now it is true that the Warner switch has made HD DVD massively less appealing for people to own as their only format, but IMO even back in early 2007 it made no sense to pick HD DVD as your only format, it has only ever made sense as a format to own in addition to Blu-ray.

Having said all that, I want this format war to be completely over as much as anyone else, and I really do hope everything rapidly collapses for HD DVD from this point onwards.

[getblu]

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

Now, Blu-ray owners are deprived of both Paramount and Universal movies unless they buy an HD DVD player to go with their Blu-ray player. Even if Universal go neutral, we're still back to where we were in early 2007, with Blu-ray getting you access to all studios except one.

Having said all that, I want this format war to be completely over as much as anyone else, and I really do hope everything rapidly collapses for HD DVD from this point onwards.

Blu-ray owners won't be waiting very long for Paramount and Universal. I don't think an idiot will put $100-200 on a format for 3 movies a year.

[Fozziwig]

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

They could, but if you think about it, there is actually more need for HD DVD players now than there was in 2007 before the Paramount switch. Before then, if you had a Blu-ray player, the only reason to buy an HD DVD player as well was to get Universal movies. Now, Blu-ray owners are deprived of both Paramount and Universal movies unless they buy an HD DVD player to go with their Blu-ray player. Even if Universal go neutral, we're still back to where we were in early 2007, with Blu-ray getting you access to all studios except one....

There is a flipside to that.

In 2007 if you bought a HD DVD player you had access to content from Universal, P/DW and Warner. Today if you buy a HD DVD player you effectively only have support of Universal & P/DW.

No consumer is going to buy a player in full knowledge of the low studio support. The consumer will either continue to wait for Blu-ray to get total studio support or buy Blu-ray now confident that it is very likely the two holdouts will cave in and support Blu-ray soon enough.

As for the idea that Uni & P/DW might release a flood of titles. Well, they didn't do it in Q4 when it actually MATTERED. They sure as hell will not be doing it to shore up a dead format.

HD DVD is finished. The retailers know it. It's possible HD DVD will hang on in stores for a few months but I'm confident it will have vanished completely from retailer shelves everywhere by Q4 this year.

[sj001]

Penton has been hinting for a while that Retailers are getting tired of the situation in general. This WB move should only hasten some their decisions. I would if Michael Bay knows something we don't when he mentioned about not underestimating Walmart?

[jw]

Originally Posted by blu2

The answer depends on what Universal and Pararmount wind up doing. The footprint will shrink considerably, but there will still be some (small) market if the holdout studios still deliver titles on HD DVD (Universal could go neutral, not exclusive). Believe it or not there are still UMD releases out there.

HD_DVD could stay afloat if Paramount and universal start mass releasing titles, like several hundered titles a month, but this would only be temporary as they would be catalog titles and this might get them through the summer months........if that

[getblu]

Originally Posted by jwbbud

HD_DVD could stay afloat if Paramount and universal start mass releasing titles, like several hundered titles a month, but this would only be temporary as they would be catalog titles and this might get them through the summer months........if that

and commit suicide.

back catalogues are meant to be released slowly, not 100s at once.

[Weati]

I think things are going to start moving much more rapidly than a lot of you think. HD-DVD is so over and only the completely delusional people at places like AVS don't know it. Toshiba and their 2 studios know it. Toshiba isn't going to keep putting money into their dead format. Universal is only going to go neutral long enough to sell off some of their inventory. Six months from now we'll be buying Universal Blu-rays. I really don't know what will happen with Paramount because of their payoff money. I bet we'll see the new Trek movie on Blu day and date with the DVD.

I really don't feel bad for the HD-DUD supporters. Their support for the format went against all logic. I went Blu from the beginning because the PS3 was the ultimate trojan horse for the format.

[patrick99]

Originally Posted by Weati

I think things are going to start moving much more rapidly than a lot of you think. HD-DVD is so over and only the completely delusional people at places like AVS don't know it.

I agree.