Archived: Insiders Thread

[darinp2]

Originally Posted by mattym

Insiders!

round 574 of 'Warner going (insert format of choice)Nuetral' rumour has an interesting comment on Wiensten, are they about to announce neutrality? Also, do we need worry about the warner rumour, or is it yet another attempt at self-fulfilling prophecies???

I know this is the insider's thread, but just wanted to add something about this. It wouldn't surprise me at all if somebody at Toshiba made this claim to try to keep the Weinsteins. In the past Toshiba has claimed they were going to accomplish things that didn't turn out to be true, so if they claimed it and it doesn't happen, it wouldn't be the first time. They've done something similar with claiming they were going to sell x number of players by a certain point, and then they weren't even in the same ballpark as what they said they were going to sell. I would be surprised if there aren't people at Toshiba who believe they are going to get Warner exclusively, just like there are people on pretty much every NFL team who think they are going to win their game that weekend. Doesn't make it true and Toshiba obviously has an incentive to get the Weinsteins to believe it, even if the chances aren't high. So basically, somebody could be telling the truth that a Toshiba person claimed this and it still wouldn't mean much, IMO.

--Darin

[WickyWoo]

There are certainly factions within Warner who are still very much under the old regime mindset, Warner Canada for instance (Who after some research are apparently so far removed from what's going on in LA it's not even funny. Apparently it's a subject of much hilarity, and would certainly explain the the WB/Toshiba parties up there).

I don't think any of the higher ups mind keeping it that way either, at the very least it doesn't tip their hand early which way they're going.

[hoser]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

given his recent “reassignment”

He was?

I wonder if it was connected to the recent firing of MS's Chief of PR for breaking unspecified company rules.

[Stramble]

To an insider :

Do the US and european version of PotC3 have different encodes ?

As the german version does have 7 language tracks, and the US seems to have at most 4 ( like the other parts did before ), i was wondering if they might also have different video encodes.

There a some scenes that are rather dark, and others in which background-scenes apear a little "muddy" especially faces.

Don´t get me wrong, the encode is far from bad, but not as good as parts 1 and 2 were.



Arne

[vladittude0583]

Given the "current" ration in NA to be 2:1 BD - does this ratio of software for both formats include the "free movies" you get when you purchase one of the format players or are they pure, hardcore software sales that people actually paid for through retailers, etc? Thanks.

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Paul, you’re killin me.

All I'll say is that..... whatever any studio does in the future with regards to format publishing, there is a good chance you will hear about it first, here on our forum rather than anywhere else.

The last hint I gave about a studio flipping (Paramount) I foolishly posted on another forum.......won't happen again.

I knew you weren't making a statement and I was having some fun with your prediction. But seriously based upon Blu-ray disc sales I can't see how Warner can come to any other conclusion but to support Blu-ray and dump HD-DVD. (We will see in a few months.)

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

I knew you weren't making a statement and I was having some fun with your prediction. But seriously based upon Blu-ray disc sales I can't see how Warner can come to any other conclusion but to support Blu-ray and dump HD-DVD. (We will see in a few months.)

I know.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

I really don't know how, or to a lesser extent why, he does it.

Talking point after talking point by HD DVD zealots. 98% of the posts are by HD DVD supporters. Nothing he ever says will be good enough or accepted by any of them, so I really don't see why he bothers. AVS is a lost cause in terms of any hint of neutrality in those "Insider Threads". The fact that Amir still posts in them is indicative of that fact, as well as the "neutral" Mr. Vaughn.

Why?
Because when casual internet observers looking for inside information about the high-def optical disc formats surf into AVS and see how Talkstr8t is maligned and how everyone there *piles on* in an attempt to “take the high road”, it reinforces the notion of how “neutral” that forum is.

I wonder how long it will be before the next unbiased observer that manages a forum floats by there and asks them for a representative to defend HD VD in a debate with a Blu-ray advocate like the webmaster for Michael Bay’s site did.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=20904

And AVS is compelled to make yet another statement reiterating their official “neutral” stance on the format war.

[JAGUAR1977]

These bd or hd insiders like paidgeek i don't think would know something as to what warner is definitly doing, because they are lower level insiders?? am I right?? The only insider I trusted was Amir but only because he was head of the hd dvd division at microsoft.. but anyone other than that unless they were running the blu division somewhere I wouldn't put much stock into something that would be so huge as to what warner is thinking.

how would they be a level or two above amir when he is in charge of the division?? whats their positions?? cuz I highly doubt it

Any comments on the above from a format neutral poster?

I'm on another forum and don't wish to state anything that's incorrect in my reply.

Quick reply please

[Bombthroat]

Iceman_II,

Thanks for linking that story from Roughly Drafted into your signature. I hadn't read that article before. I found it to be an insightful and educational read.

Also, thanks to Penton Man for his "seal of approval".

[Iceman_II]

I am not an insider, but the person posting that garbage is obviously NOT neutral... I fail to see how Amir, having a vested interest both monetarily as well as career wise, would have any greater level of trustworthiness than an insider WITHOUT direct compensatory rewards for spreading FUD.

You are being played by a troll

[darinp2]

Originally Posted by JAGUAR1977

Any comments on the above from a format neutral poster?

I'm on another forum and don't wish to state anything that's incorrect in my reply.

Quick reply please

This person is out of date. At the beginning of 2006 Amir was head of a division (responsible for about 1000 people). By the beginning of 2007 he had been moved to be head of a group (responsible for about 350 people) in a division. Now he is in a new position where I believe he is responsible for less than 10 people, but a certain amount of effort has been made by the mods on AVS to make sure that people do not find this out (I asked him directly on the forum and the mods deleted it). I saw one person ask Amir about his new position and he said he wouldn't say more than he had said in his "going away" thread (which didn't include his title and didn't say much). And his profile at Microsoft here:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/e...m/default.mspx

has not been updated even though it has been some time since the change. I would like to see them update it to see what title they would say he has and whether they would say anything about a team, since his current profile says something about his team (which he doesn't have anymore) and he may not have a team at all. My impression is that his current responsibility is mostly to write a report or reports.

But even besides that, a person can have all the information in the world and it still doesn't make them trustworthy. Some people seem to be confused about that. I know Amir has posted false information and then worked to keep unsuspecting people on the AVS forum deceived. He plays lots of tricks, like saying that something hasn't been proven when he knows it to be true. But by using those words he can say that he didn't lie later, even though he worked very hard to keep people there deceived. I think that if he had more integrity he wouldn't have done that. I can encourage a person to tell the truth, but if they are intent on deceiving and whatever morals they contain don't keep them from deceiving unsuspecting people who believe them because they are in a position to know (even though what they said was false), then there is only so much I can do. I wish I could go into more of this stuff, but Amir's old team even went so far as almost getting somebody at another company fired after that person told the truth about what was going on, which was making it difficult for Amir to lead AVS forum readers farther from the truth. And unfortunately it seemed to have worked to a certain degree, as at least one of Amir's later deceptions wouldn't have been likely to hold without that underhanded tactic earlier. Some in the know behind the scenes know what Amir and/or Microsoft are willing to do (or at least what Microsoft was willing to do when Amir was in one of his old positions).

I don't feel bad for Amir about what has happened with his career (although he will spin it as nothing) given some of the things he has done. I consider it justice. On the other hand, I think that he is an expert at deception and likely won't have a problem finding another position.

--Darin

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Why?
Because when casual internet observers looking for inside information about the high-def optical disc formats surf into AVS and see how Talkstr8t is maligned and how everyone there *piles on* in an attempt to “take the high road”, it reinforces the notion of how “neutral” that forum is.

Good point.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by darinp2

I don't feel bad for Amir about what has happened with his career (although he will spin it as nothing) given some of the things he has done. I consider it justice. On the other hand, I think that he is an expert at deception and likely won't have a problem finding another position.

--Darin

Well geez Darin, the guy’s gotta eat.
If you think they are encouraging him *to move on*, perhaps you or someone else here should pass this over to the poor fellow via PM or what not.

http://jobsearch.ihispano.com/career...tart=245167755

[BadAss]

Insiders, is it possible to get some free movies to put on my idoblu.co.uk site? It's almost impossible to get a good quality download off the net. I don't fancy ripping a vid without permission either. I particualy like the I do Blu video on the www.blu-raydisc.com/bluray_site.htm.

What are the chances?

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well geez Darin, the guy’s gotta eat.

I understand that crow is quite nutritious, lots of protein and low in fat.... but for some reason, although the a-man should be on a regular diet of it, we just haven't seen that happening.

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well geez Darin, the guy’s gotta eat.
If you think they are encouraging him *to move on*, perhaps you or someone else here should pass this over to the poor fellow via PM or what not.

http://jobsearch.ihispano.com/career...tart=245167755

sad-smiley-023.gif
That's pretty good.

[sydney]

is david vaughn still full of s*it, just asking

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sydney

is david vaughn still full of s*it, just asking

I don’t know.

The last major gathering of influential journalists covering the home media entertainment sector was the recent festival in Hollywood (which Josh and Ben were invited to ) where there were high-ranking spokespersons from all the major Hollywood studios with the exception of Universal and Paramount. There was also a high-ranking fella there from the little consumer electronics company known as Panasonic.

I didn’t happen to see Mr. Vaughn in attendance.
If I had, I would have encouraged him to obtain an abdominal x-ray for our definitive scientific confirmation.*

P.S.
Not only were spokespersons for all the majors (as described above) present but
Kim Aubrey (from ZAP)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0041447/

also was in attendance.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

If I had, I would have encouraged him to obtain an abdominal x-ray for our definitive scientific confirmation.*

* (paging Dr. House)