Paramount's HD DVD exclusivity not for 18 months after all?

[Pilam69]

Originally Posted by hdinsider

You really can't blame them for anything. You are completely unaware of the subsidies that Sony has been providing for BD50 creation. Has it occurred to you that perhaps this subsidy is about to run out? Why should the studios take on the burden of a format that they see no benefit in?

When you can find the cost of producing BD discs please get back to us.

I can assure you that this is only the beginning, and that announcements during Cedia will only provoke more outcry within the Blu Ray community.

I said GOOD DAY SIR. Go home troll.

[spam.curitiba]

I bet they used that 150 million to have shrek and transformers exclusive. After those are out and its been about 6 months I bet they could start doing blu-ray again....

[kaliraver]

Originally Posted by blackhawktraffic

I didn't even know this, that seems weird that they would say they are going to carry only Blu-Ray and then make this announcement.

Article about Blockbuster and Viacom splitting.

"Viacom, Blockbuster Split Up
Video rental giant looking for new revenue streams.
by IGN DVD

June 21, 2004 - Viacom Inc. and Blockbuster Inc. are going their separate ways, with the video retail giant being spun off from Viacom. The deal would involve Blockbuster buying out the outstanding shares from all stockholders, including Viacom.

Blockbuster anticipates paying $5 per share, or a total of approximately $905 million based on the number of shares currently outstanding. Viacom owns 81.5 percent of Blockbuster's outstanding shares, which translates into a cash windfall of $738 million for Viacom.

Blockbuster will be receiving financial help from JPMorgan, Citigroup and Credit Suisse First Boston as part of this buyout. The three financial firms will set up a $1.5 billion line of credit, from which Blockbuster will borrow the nearly $1 billion needed to finance the buyout.

Viacom expects the split to be completed some time in the third quarter of this year. This wasn't exactly the best deal for Viacom. It purchased Blockbuster in 1994 for $8.4 billion. Today, the company is worth $2.7 billion, with 8,900 stores worldwide.

Blockbuster plans to adjust its business, since right now it's losing money. Last year it lost $984 million on revenue of $5.9 billion. The company hopes that freedom from Viacom will allow for aggressive moves beyond just video rental, which is drying up in the face of video on demand and DVD rentals by mail. The company is launching an online rental program to compete with NetFlix and plans to expand in-store sales of DVDs and videogames."

[cartier]

Originally Posted by BluDrew

Saw in another forum an interview that PC World did with the CTO of Paramount Studios, Alan Bell. He essentially says at the end that their commitment to HD DVD is indefinite:

PCW: Will this exclusive period extend for a limited time, or is this an indefinite arrangement?

Bell: At this moment in time, it's an indefinite commitment. The core of this announcement comes from our experience, and what our consumers are looking for. We hope this will influence consumers' choices.

What does this mean? No Blu-ray support ever???

Quite simply No!

Just look at the answer "At this moment in time" this means that at a future moment, say 18 months, it might change.

[w_tanoto]

They are using Shrek 3??? Lame!!!
It is not as good as Shrek 1 and 2.
Guess what, if I am the customer (with the fact that I am BD fan), I would not buy it on HD DVD just to enjoy the film in HD. I'd rather enjoy it in DVD.