Paramount, Dreamworks dropping Blu-ray in favor of HD DVD exclusivity
By Richard Lawler 
posted August 20th 2007 1:17PM
posted August 20th 2007 1:17PM
Affiliations in the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray format war have been pretty clearly defined for nearly two years now -- despite a hybrid player here and some international releases there, most of the players involved have not switched support since the early days. Well that's all about to change, as Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Animation -- which started off HD DVD only before deciding to go both ways -- have officially announced plans to release movies exclusively on HD DVD, dropping Blu-ray support entirely. This means that hits like Transformers, Shrek the Third and Blades of Glory won't follow Mission: Impossible III as cross-format releases when they debut this holiday season. Paramount has released about 30 movies on Blu-ray so far, but those days have come to an end: apparently cheaper HD players trump a 2:1 sales advantage. We can't wait to see how the Blu-ray camp responds to this.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Poor PS3 fanboys. No more Hollywood movies for you :)
this is some bullshit i cant believe that i want and needed transformers so badly now they hit me with this shit i am upset lol
Even though I have the HD-DVD add on for my 360 (which IS awesome by the way), I don't think it would be that bad if Blu-Ray won (instead of them just having to co-exist, which is what I assume will happen). I mean, it probably isn't going to be decided by next summer, maybe not for years, but when it does get decided, the combo-players are going to be cheap enough to be worth buying, so I'll still be able to watch my HD-DVDs and the Blu-Rays I'll have to get. (Not that I'm saying it will win, Sony's hubris is ridiculous, but I at least have a back-up plan).
I think they're doing what's better for the consumer and their shareholders
Maybe not better for those who already invested in a Blu player (PS3 owners might actually have to use their console to play games... wow)
I hate Sony to the core, and I have the 360 HD-DVD player. That being said, both formats will be nice-market only.
The future is NOT on a disk - it's digital download. People want convenience over pure resolution.
give me multi-terabyte shared home network storage, and simple drive-less extenders - that would rock!
I think its a bit sad that the main reason they are going with hd-dvd is because its cheaper for them..
I dont really care which format wins, but i dont want one format to win just because they can make an extra buck or two out of me.
Think ill stick with dvd.. i mean, whats so bad with them?
I can't help but have to tell everyone saying that physical media is going away. If you live anywhere outside of a major city good luck getting highspeed internet for downloading an HD movie.
Can you imagine that shit on dial-up or DSL?
Disks will be around for at least 10-15 years in most parts of the world.
What's the big f'n deal anyway. Have you ever seen a movie in a theater it doesn't look Hi def, but it's a great experience. I have a up converting DVD player it looks great on 51 inch HDTV...wife, friends, kids luv it..why F@#$ with it. I know it's not HD...but still looks great....why would I want to see a pimple on somebody's ass or see the detail in cracked cement sidewalk...let the battle continue because I can wait this battle out..indefinitely...viva le DVD.. for now.
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. "
-- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945
@Goebbles,
great advice!
For me, watching progressive-scan DVD's is good enough. F*ck marketing hype!
I was hoping that this holiday season was going to decide the format war. I don't really care which format comes out on top as I have both a Blu-ray player and a HD-DVD player (a PS3 and Xbox 360). It is not like my HD-DVDs are going to suddenly blow up if Blu-ray wins or my PS3 is going to self terminate if HD-DVD wins. All I know is that this is only going to draw out the format war more and more.
I know they had to be payed off in some way, Sony had done the same thing though so neither Sony, Toshiba, or Microsoft are clean. I still don't see what the big deal is as both the iTunes Store and Xbox Live Marketplace have shown that digital downloads are going to be the future. On top of that, standard DVDs being upscaled using either my PS3 or Xbox 360 don't look all that different from Blu-ray/HD-DVD movies to begin with. It is not like the difference is as drastic as VHS vs DVD was. The differences are very subtle to the point where the average person would not see a difference between a upscaled DVD and a high def title. On top of that, most people sit more than 5 feet away from their TVs thus making the differences even less.
BlueRay > HD-DVD
CarrosenLinea
http://CarrosenLinea.Net
HD-DVD has more features and is overall the better format. It is suited far more to cinematic uses and is regarded as the front runner where any recorded format is involved which is most likely why these two companies are dropping the blu-ray format which is seriously lagging in a development standpoint compared to HD-DVD. The sales of HD-DVD players are higher than Blu-ray simply because of the PS3 which accounts for a huge amount of Blu-ray player sales which is not included in the majority of comparisons between the two. Blu-ray is also a lot more expensive and is taking longer to reach commercially competetive prices. Having said that if HD-DVD doesn't counter act sony's Blu-ray packed PS3 they may be in trouble as many more people will end up with High Def players in the form of PS3 only supporting Blu-ray in thier living rooms, also bear in mind that even at a hefty price tag with very few titles the console is still making decent sales even if it is the slowest console seller at the moment it is double the price of the nearest competetor. A possibility in time is that we will end up with multi format readers in may devices or external add-on's as things are happening so fast compared to the betamax and VHS war we will end up quickly tied into one format having to use different hardware for each. Sony itself has a history of pushing its own hardware quite persistantly at the expense of the consumer which is why Hd-DVD may end up being the consumer friendly option. This is all speculation at this point but the trend appears to be heading that way.
Seriously... it's a short term cash grab by greedy folks in suits.
1) Speilberg films will remain platform agnostic. As stated in the press release. So big surprise the (usually higher grossing) films will remain available everywhere. That qualifies as cash grab #1.
2) Fox has countered with Blu-Ray exclusivity of their own today (with films like Die Hard 4, FF2:RotSS, and 27 other titles as well as 'Prison Break', their first tv show on an HD format. Cash grab # 2 for the prime demographic
3) Nowhere in the press release does it state how long this exclusivity period lasts (yes, i get the back catalogue and releases from aug. 20 on), but this is coming from a studio that has flip-flopped between formats before already this war. Cash grab # 3 for an infusion of benjamins for the Viacom folk. If someone handed you a rather large payoff for a limited amount of availabilty would you say no? Didn't think so.
4) This just extends the war that much longer. As usual, it's the consumer who gets to reach foward and grab his (or hers, gotta be pc in these heady times) ankles. In case you haven't notice, the only thing this does is make a select group of people that much richer.
In all honesty, it's a baffling move, but as stated it's not about the consumer, it's about the bottom line.
All that matters is this: Content is king, and will ultimately decide this format war.... so maybe this will force the studios to I don't know, release good movies for once.
Quite simply, the PS3 hasn't sold anywhere even CLOSE the numbers Sony claimed that it would to the studios before it's release.
how is this dropping for and in favor of when they were bought out? i'd say this was a sell out,not a in favor of..let's tell it like it is thankyou very much
I think it's time for the US Justice Department to look into this matter. I'll echo here what the BDA said and say that something looks mighty fishy here.
"I think it's time for the US Justice Department to look into this matter. I'll echo here what the BDA said and say that something looks mighty fishy here."
LOL... Cries of a Sony fanboy...LOL..
Wow, this is seriously depressing. I just kicked my Blu-Ray buying into high gear. The day Transformers officially releases on HD-DVD is the day I buy an HD-DVD player.
Look on the bright side. At least you are 100% guaranteed that the movie will be encoded in VC-1 or AVC, and you won't have to go hunting for reviews to find out if the video quality is any good.
Plus, you won't have to buy a new HD-DVD player within a few months because the spec is in fact finalized.
Yeah this is really interesting. I'm surprised there's been no response from the Bluray camp, a lot of people are talking ditching both formats as a result of this sort of thing... There's a fairly colorful discussion happening at http://www.stfunplay.com/viewtopic.php?t=121
Its only small but interesting... Sorry if posting a URL here is out of line.
omg...im pissed! ahh that means i will have to buy a dang hd-player add on for the 360
I guess Blu Ray is the best for storage, but I never use CD's and DVD's for storage.
Usb sticks FTW.
Personlly, I don't care what wins.
I prefer HD DVD, but I don't know why.
I think Blu Ray has still the most exclusives.
If Disney would go for HD DVDs, then Blu Ray is lost.
But if Star Wars, Lotr, 300 and maybe a few other movies are all that I need in High Definition.
The rest is fine on DVD.
good point.
i think that they will both co-exist both on different mediums. blu-ray will be best on computers and hd dvd will support the masses for their HD video.
but like you said i like flash drives and external HD for my storage.
I'm just waiting for iMovies
Who wants to store a bunch of plastic disks in their home anyway? We are in the 21st century no?
Maybe both formats will die and we can just go download the movies we want to BUY via iMovies, and content that we rent can be streamed from Netflix|BlockBuster's servers.
Ahhh progress!
I encourage everyone to tell Viacom (Paramount's parent company) how you feel about this decision: http://origin.www.viacom.com/CONTACT/default.aspx
meh who cares anymore. whatever format wins, wins.
The reality is that Blu-ray outpaces HD-DVD in U.S.
http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=41967
I'm just glad the decryption has been cracked, so I can get Fifth Element on HD-DVD eventually.
Oh, don't worry... I'll send Luc Besson a cheque :-) But Sony gets ZIP.
Piss on it....I have both an XBox 360 external drive attached to my PC and a Blu-Ray Internal drive on my computer. I could care less either way....
What kind of performance do you get? What are your CPU specs (having both drives, I suspect you are not afraid to spend on your gear! :-) )
Do you need an HDCP compliant videocard and monitor to view 1080P content?
I am running an AMD FX-60 with 2GB of RAM. XFX 8800 GTX Video Card(s) in SLI and a 30" LG HD Monitor. I am a huge gamer, so I am not afraid of sticker shock. You do need HDCP to run 1080p.
Working in the movie retail business, there is no possible way to deal with all studios supporting both formats. Retail space is at a premium here folks! It would be a nightmare trying to find shelf space for up to 7 versions of the same film. ex: Fullscreen, Widescreen, Unrated FS, Unrated WS, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, Special Edition! I can personally attest to the pain in the arse that merchandising 300 was. We REALLY NEED a clear cut winner here, and soon!
Just one thing to say: all of this arguing over format will have no effect in the overall war. get a life.
What made them choose this as bluray sales are outnumbering hd-dvd sales hugely????
They are probably gambling that the novelty on bluray playback on the PS3will wear off - doubt it, but what are they gaining who in the world has a hd-dvd player????
One of the savvy and knowledgeable clerks in my local independent video store advised me that in their market Blu-Ray appears on the surface to rent better at the moment but they think it's due to PS3 owners using the machine as a movie player. She confirmed that they expect to see HD as the dominant format because the US adult video industry has gotten behind HD - just like they standardized on VHS and then despite its technical advantages and somewhat better picture quality it triumphed over Beta.
Heck - there were two competing formats for DVD before they all got behind the current one. Idiocy.
I don't even know why there is a format war really to begin with. I mean the future is IPTV and downloaded movies/TV to HD. The format will not really matter then and both HD-DVD and Bluray will lose. I mean; I rent/buy my movies online and buy my music online and store on my computer or other device. What the heck do I need disks or players for other than for any copies I decide to make on my computer (in the format I choose) for specific uses.
Well, I'm not saying I'm a fan of one, more so then the other. BUT... I read a recent review by a guy who said it best... THEY WHOM HAVE THE CHEAPEST PLAYERS WILL WIN!!! It's so true, the average American family cannot afford to go out and pay $300+ for a HD Player- as of now, HD DVD has some of the cheapest players- I myself have an Xbox HD DVD player that I paid $170 for and recieved 5 free movies. It almost paid for itself! Toshiba has a HD DVD player out right now for around $200- Now, what do you think that player will cost on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) You can bet- $99-150. And hell, at that price people will buy it just because they can go HD for that price and not feel guilty about it- or take that much of a loss! This was the case with VHS & Beta as well. Manufactures were release such cheap VHS players- people were storming to pick them up at the prices. When all was said and done, and statistics came out- it was found most people owned a VHS player 10:1 Soon after guess which format prevailed? Yes, VHS. I think the technology is amazing in both formats- I'm not here to bash either- because personally I think there both great. However, I live by this rule: Past behaviors, predict future behaviors! Regarless of how much content one format releases over the other (media) at the end of the day it will come down to how many people own which player over the other- and this will be soley influenced by price! You can be rest-assured after Christmas this format war will be coming to a near-end for sure. May the best, and cheapest player win! ;)
I am not committed to either format. However it seems like the studios know that only one format can survive, and decided to make a push for one format. The only hold outs now are Disney, Fox, and Sony. And I'm a Sony fan, from Minidisc, to their mp3 players, (although I'll agree SonicStage is certainly lacking). I just hope one format wins soon or it will be a SACD, DVD-A senerio all over again. And yes I have an SACD, DVD-A player, but this time I'm holding out until there is a winner. And that includes even buying regular DVD's, I've taken up a new hobby, reading.
If you read the interesting article by the head of Paramount, which has mysteriously been removed from this site, Paramount have gone over to HD DVD because production of blu ray is messy,constantly changing, complicated and expensive. So, from a business/manafacturers perspective, they dropped BD because it was simply to hard and to expensive.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;45613171;pp;2;fp;4194304;fpid;1
yeah, I'm glad to hear some positive news on HD b/c I have the 360 HD dvd-player. Blu ray has been winning the numbers game but that will definitely slowly turn towards HD. Reading the post on Paramount's CEO made alot of sense and also b/c of some type of payout condition, but the facts are there. You can get 1080p thru both players. HD has ethernet on all, BD doesn't so newer models wont work on old ones for BD. Also all the stuff about HDi for HD and BD using Java, how its easier to get all the features for HD using MS's HDi. And of course how the tech. conforms easier with HD and the price you save on manufact. costs. BD does hold more data, but most HD movies fit perfectly on a 30GB disk. More storage to make it look like you're the better player, I don't think so. Cheaper and provides the same 1080p resolution, why increase Sony's pocketbooks...hehehe...Stop buying the BD from Sony and make them worry more about the PS3 and the games instead of pushing BD on the PS3. Just like the PSP, it's like more of an accessory to do other stuff then to provide good games like DS. Anyhow, I really hope HD wins this war, ps. It feels good to own a 360 with all the sweet 1st party titles and 3rd parties as well...play on players!
bluray is too locked down to succeed.
does anyone really believe a drm'd to the hilt format will be a success in asia no matter how many ps3's are sold? a bit of piracy helps drive hardware sales and their price drop from mass production. market saturation of players helps legal sales of media as well. current dvd factories can be retrofitted to make hddvd apparently and the drm is broken more or less. i just see more potential for success with hddvd.
plus.. sony = riaa+mpaa!! ick
as for claims downloads will beat both, not with the current state of our broadband service in america. plus people like owning the media if they aren't going to rent. rental downloads perhaps. purchase no. people like owning a library, a shelf full of books/cds/movies etc. its a collection. stuff on a drive that is tied to the internet for authentication just doesn't sit right with most people.
initial sales advantage when you are talking the small numbers we are compared to dvd sales and the early life of format are irrelevant. betamax also had an early advantage. it means nothing once the advantage of the other format comes into the light then the studios jump ship like rats on fire.
Want to see BDA cry?
"Microsoft pays $150mi in incentives to allow Paramount to subsidize the release of Transformers and Shrek 3 on exclusive HD-DVD Combo Format"
i.e. You just sold 14 million HD-DVDs within 2 weeks
BluRay -- Exclusive PS3 movie format! :)
It's not that farfetched. Think about it.
HD DVD will win. It's a better more consistent format. And now Toshiba has a triple layer disc which holds 51 GB of info, 1 more GB than Blu-ray, so that is no longer a brownie point of choosing Blu-ray. Also when it comes around to it, Sony will not support porn. And there has to be HD porn. HD DVD also has had ethernet connectivity from the get go which is huge because ethernet connectivity is the way of the future. lastly, what computer company is going to pay $30 per computer to have Blu-ray disc support with vista computers when then can go with HD DVD for free. In time Blu-ray will yet again be another dumb mistake by Sony.
i really can't understand why HD-DVD would win out. Blu-Ray is way better than HD-DVD. HD-DVD is only 1080i Blu-Ray is 1080p. Why would peeps want something that is not 1080p, which is the best at the moment. I would not want to settle for 1080i resolution on my movies. I have compared the 2 on a 120" screen and the Blu-Ray is way better in clearity. But i guess there are more peeps with 50" tv's or smaller. But bluRay rules on the bigger screens.
Okay HD-DVD is 1080p and has been VC1 since the beginning. If blue ray is so great and "advanced" why did they use an outdated MPEG 2 codec for about a year? HD-DVD has been VC-1 from the start. I see the cheaper players winning and thats HD-DVD right now. I dislike sony for their lack of games for the psp/ ps3 . I hope they go down .
I just don't understand why people are supporting HD-DVD so much other than they hate Sony. I mean what is the real benefit (tech spec wise) other than slightly cheaper players (which will change in time) that HD-DVD has over Blu-ray? Blu-ray holds more and will always hold more data, it's scratch resistant, etc. If HD-DVD was better (technology-wise) then I would be behind them, but the truth of the matter is that Blu-ray trumps HD-DVD on a technical basis and that is why they should win, it is more futureproof...