Quote:
Originally Posted by Firestreak
|
5 January 2008
Dear Warner Bros.
Your decision to abandon HD DVD was deeply disappointing to many people, and I find myself wanting to say something about my own disappointment. I personally jumped into the so-called format war a little over a year ago. One thing I love is good movies, and the prospect of owning movies in high definition was very tempting. I could not buy Blu-ray, as it was outside my means, but I stretched and bought an HD DVD player. It was ridiculously expensive to adopt at that point, and I knew the risk of buying into a format that was up against Blu-ray. But I was willing to take that risk, and, quite frankly, I don’t regret my decision. It was with great pleasure that I watched my first two high definition movies – Batman Begins and Casablanca, and I have (and will continue) to get great pleasure from my HD DVD collection. (I particularly enjoyed Casablanca, and I have recommended that HD DVD to other HD DVD owners every time I’ve had an opportunity to do so.)
That being said, I feel compelled to say something about your decision – not because it will change anything, but because I don’t understand your reasoning, and because I think you have, in some respects, done a disservice to high definition media. You stated in your press release that “Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” and “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.”
First, I don’t understand how exclusively releasing on Blu-ray is “the most direct way to give consumers what they want.” From what I can tell, about 40% of your consumers want HD DVD, both because it offered a great high definition experience and because it offered advanced special features. I know that’s what I want. In fact, over the last year, I purchased approximately 120 HD DVDs, and of those HD DVDs about 40% were Warner Bros. releases. Second, while it is possible that your switch will “further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit . . . most importantly, consumers,” I question whether you are correct. Perhaps you are in the long run, but if what you wanted was quicker “mass market success,” so as not to lose the “window of opportunity,” I think you dropped HD DVD right when it was poised to reach mass market success. HD DVD has reached the point where players are affordable to many people, and I suspect that with your continued support, the format would have greatly thrived in 2008.
But there are valid objections and counter-arguments to my objections, so this kind of conversation ultimately leads no where. Indeed, if you had opted to abandon Blu-ray, you could have issued a virtually identical press release in favor of HD DVD, and a Blu-ray owner would then be voicing objections like mine. What irks me, though, is that you have essentially taken a step backward and, I think, actually delayed mass adoption of high definition media. What I mean by that is this: with HD DVD, you set a high bar with next generation features – features that I, as a consumer, enjoy. For example, I enjoy PiP commentaries (I thought the “300” IME was a brilliant idea), and now you have decided to exclusively back a format that does not uniformly support PiP. This is a step backward in my book, and it is a real shame that the “next generation” optical media is now crippled by the lack of a uniform feature set. This is an example of not giving consumers what they want. Moreover, as many consumers discover that their recently purchased Blu-ray players will not play the advanced features that are now being authored on Blu-ray discs, there is bound to be disappointment and, perhaps, anger. (It was, after all, only by dropping the price of profile 1.0 players that Blu-ray standalones were able to get any traction last year – at least as far as I can tell.) Additionally, for consumers like me who want the “next generation” features that HD DVD offers, the only way to adopt now and get some (but not all) of them on Blu-ray is to shell out $400 for a PS3 (no thanks) or $400 for a profile 1.1 player like the Panasonic DMP-BD30K. Either way, the price is just too high for mass adoption. Thus, many people will wait this year out, while prices come down (probably more slowly if HD DVD closes shop), and mass adoption is thereby delayed.
I don’t pretend to know much about the industry, and I’m sure you’ve already thought about all of these things. But from a common consumer’s point of view, this is what I perceive. And I’m sorry to see it. I have always had a high opinion of Warner Bros., and I will continue to hold that opinion in most respects (you guys make some great movies, and you have a treasure trove of titles in your vault). I remember when DVD came out. I jumped in then, too, knowing that it was a sure thing. But one thing that stands out in my mind is how Warner Bros. really led the pack in pushing down prices of DVDs. I still remember the paltry offerings I constantly picked over at my local Circuit City, hoping that there would be something new (but knowing that I had already seen all of the available titles). And I remember how Warner Bros. DVDs were the first to hit $19.95 on that rack. Those were good days. Now, though, I am seeing a decision that I just don’t understand, at least insofar as it relates to the ordinary consumer.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve read a lot of the arguments both ways. I’ve read, for example, how Blu-ray can supposedly deliver a better picture and sound than HD DVD because of its bigger capacity and greater bandwidth. But, while that might be theoretically possible, as a practical matter, HD DVD has equaled Blu-ray in picture and sound quality. And, for the average consumer – those who are necessary for mass adoption – any minuscule increase in picture and sound quality will simply go unnoticed because they lack the equipment to make it discernible. In other words, mass adoption is simply not dependent upon Blu-ray’s theoretical ability to give a trivial improvement in the area of picture or sound quality. Moreover, HD DVD has very much exceeded Blu-ray in offering interactive advanced features. In short, with HD DVD’s more affordable price, its advanced features, and its superb picture and sound quality, it was poised to spread to the masses.
But, again, such conversation is really of little value. You have made your decision, and things will play out as they play out. This was to be expected, one way or the other, and I don’t really find myself at any great disadvantage. At some point – when profile 2.0 Blu-ray players become affordable and stable, I will probably jump into Blu-ray (or, if HD DVD is still around, I will buy a dual format player). Either way, I will probably not be adopting Blu-ray any time soon, as I don’t think I can justify the cost. In the meantime, I hope Universal and Paramount stick with what I consider to be the more consumer friendly (and consumer ready) format, namely, HD DVD. If they do, then I will continue to buy HD DVDs, and I will continue to espouse the virtues of the format. I will also continue to buy Warner Bros. HD DVDs while they last, as I simply love owning great movies in high definition. (I’m really hoping, for example, that you release “I Am Legend” before your final farewell. I enjoyed the movie quite a lot, and it is based on one of my favorite vampire tales of all time.) Of course, if you ever decide to come back to HD DVD, I’ll welcome you with open arms.
Adieu.
response from Warner
Dear Sir or madam,
Thanks for your continue support of Warner Brothers. As a prolonged format war is not good for the future of High def we decide its in the best interests of Warner to distribute one format. Blu-Ray has more to offer the consumer moving into the future and the consumer support has proven that its the format of choice.
We are sorry to hear your displeasure, as this was a difficult decision to make. Titles will continued to be offered until May 2008. I will pass your comments to the appropriate departments.
Once again Thank you for your continued support in making Warner bros the studio of choice. We value you as a consumer and look forward to serving you in the future.
WB
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