Paramount: "Current plan is to support the HD DVD format." Currently.
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jan 8th 2008 1:51PM
posted Jan 8th 2008 1:51PM
Paramount has officially issued its denial of the rumor -- originally printed in the Financial Times -- that it is very close to ending its exclusive support of HD DVD. The quick end to what had been reported as an 18-month agreement could be the result of a "get out" clause triggered by Warner Bros.' sudden departure from HD DVD releases. Whether this will follow last year's "Universal may switch" rumor, that didn't happen, or last month's "Warner may switch" rumor, that did, remains to be seen. Until we hear otherwise, Paramount, Transformers and Shrek are still HD DVD only, whether they like it or not.[Thanks, numlok]
Thank You Paramount.
Yeah, thanks for keeping the war going to confuse the consumer even more and potentially break their hearts when you do switch in a few weeks/months or whenever. END IT ALREADY! You have the power do it!
(Bacardi and cola do it)
All they said was they support the HD-DVD format. They didn't say they would NOT support Blu-ray as well.
@Kiwi616:
I'm sorry, the "confuse the consumer" is complete BDA FUD perpetuated by the mindless drones. Consumers know what they are buying. You are telling me a Mac user walking into a store does not know that they need to buy the Mac version of Photoshop and not the PC version? The user does not know that when they want music they buy a CD and not a 8 track or a tape? That a user walks into a store and know that they should buy the PS3 version of a game and not the Wii, 360, PS2, XBOX 1, version? If they want Resident Evil, they need to know if they should buy the DVD or Blu-ray version, why is that not confusing the user? Afterall, it is just a movie. A user needs a memory card for their camera. Sony made a memory format even though many other formats were available, similar to SD called Memory Stick (or MS for short, confusing people into thinking they need something from Microsoft) which is confusing the user. Hell, Sony even made UMD. The first time I saw it I thought it was a MiniDisc. iTunes music or MP3. Floppy Disc 3 1/4", 5" or 8"? SACD or DVD-A or CD? DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL (and don't forget the 8 or 15cm versions of these disks)? Beta or VHS? DVD or Laserdisk? Regular cell phone or iPhone or Windows Mobile? iPod or Zune or Zen or Sensa? Windows (Vista, XP, 98, 95, 3.1, 3.0, 2.0, 2.1), OSX (Leopard, Tiger, Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther), Linux (with the 20 various distros) or UNIX (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Unix_history-simple.svg for the 100s of variants)? Hotmail, G-Main, Yahoo Mail, and so on? Nintendo DS (slim or fat), Game Boy, or PSP? And even in BD players - which one supports the correct, full audio formats? Which ones support 1.0, 1.1, or 2.0?
All of these formats, and 100s more (some not even in the technology field - regular or unleaded?) have been introduced. Has somebody mistakenly bought the Mac version rather than the PC version. Sure, it can happen. But should we get rid of the Mac because one person walked into a store and bought the wrong thing? I know, the PS3 is being beat by both the 360 and Wii. But all those formats are confusing to the user, so lets get rid of the PS3, and keep the 360 for hard-core gamers, and keep the Wii for the casual gamer. You would not object to that, would you?
Please just end it already. I have been trying to drink this kool aid and it tastes like crap. Bottom line is HD DVD cannot win without WB.
I used to have the heart for a spirited defense of HD DVD, but there comes a time when I just want to start watching movies.
@ stephenbratz2
You are telling me you would rather have 10 different format movie titles than 1 universal???? I guess you love wasting money. Consumers are not confused at what plays what, just what to invest in and what is DOA (i.e. HD-DVD...thank Warner).
Not to mention you don't know jack.
So in the end, the winners are the dual-format and hd-dvd buyers since they got to enjoy the HD-DVD exclusives, and now know which side will win, so they can now have a vast selection of Blu-ray hits to watch? i think so? lol
Glad to see one side has landed a decisive blow. And glad I have both a 360 add-on and a PS3 =)>
Disc count:
Blu-ray: 22
HD-DVD: 12
First of all - HD DVD is dead. There is no chance in hell the format will survive when Blu-Ray has 70% studio exclusivity. To keep buying HD-DVD discs would be a complete waste of money.
Second - That comment is a BD switch waiting to happen... A "current" plan can change anytime, sounds to me they're trying to force the BD association to pay them off instead of being forced to follow Warner for free. Greedy bastards :)
@0ndsk4:
I'm really fed up with this "waste of money" bullshit that people like you keep spouting out! Whether it is a waste of money or not is for the HD DVD owners to decide, NOT YOU!
I'm keeping my HD DVD player. Why? Because IT STILL WORKS! There is absolutely NO REASON for me to get rid of it when it works just fine, not only as an HD DVD player but also as a DVD upconverter. I'll probably even buy another player when the clearance prices kick in to use as a backup to this unit.
So, that could give me many, many years of enjoyment for the HD DVD media that I own and that I can still own in the future. In the meantime, I can start planning on a BD release and then purchase the BD version of those same movies in the future. If that's the way that I want to spend my money, that's MY choice and therefore apparently has value to ME!
So stuff this whole "waste of money" bullshit! If the owners get any value from what they own and what they still can purchase, then it is NOT a "waste of money" and it is not your place to say otherwise.
Exactly. I paid $56 for my HD-DVD player (w/ the gift card I had sitting around for Best Buy). It's very worthwile for me as an upconverter at the very least. And I can play the movies I own on it as long as I damn well please!
Sure, I'll buy a BD player as soon as it hits the price I want in the brand I want. But that doesn't mean there won't be a place for my HD-DVD player for some time.
@ John B
Well, I didn't mean to step on anyones toes;
Being a student, it didn't even occur to me anyone could be sticking to buying HD-DVD movies _knowing_ you'd have to replace them with the BD version as soon as you realize you barely use your HD player due to lack of content. But sure, if you do have the cash to spare :)
I simply thought he was in denial - don't you think? ("So in the end, the winners are the dual-format and hd-dvd buyers").
I too, am sure you'll enjoy your HD-DVD player for years to come. You got it cheap, and it upconverts content nicely. It was the economy of having to buy the same movie twice just because you own a dying format I didn't understand.
@0ndsk4
While I believe that eventually I will have to buy a BD player, I don't know why anyone would choose a BD disc over an HD DVD of the same movies.
Before this I never gave a crap about extras, but now that it was such a big deal I watch them on all my movies, and their sweet.
@0ndsk4:
That's fine. I understand that the problem with message areas like this is their inherent, two-dimensional nature; so everything has to be taken at face value. There have been a number of Blu fanboys arrogantly making the same statement since the Warner announcement, so this "waste of money" attitude that I've been seeing has been a building frustration.
What lack of content are you referring to? My player upscales regular DVDs and it only cost about $20 more than a "regular" upscaling DVD player, thanks to the Wal-Mart fire sale. There's still going to be a hell of a lot of content out there for HD DVD players, just not a lot of HD DVDs. :) Besides, no one said that I *had* to buy the same movie twice if the HD DVD player keeps chugging along.
Just remember that the format might be dying but the hardware will still go on. There are people out there with laserdisc and Betamax players who still enjoy their hardware. Hell, how many people out there still have VCRs and VHS tapes when that is effectively a dying/dead format as well? ;)
at this point i only hope they drag it out just to piss of michael bay, he seems to be quite the arrogant prick. i'd feel a little better about them sticking around if they would announce some titles now.
I read on Reuters that the condition for being allowed to leave HD-DVD was if Warner went Blu-Ray exclusive. If that's true and the option's open to them, they must have something in mind that they're waiting for before they drop HD-DVD exclusivity.
Paramount is in an EXCELLENT position to really pander to the HD DVD crowd who now feels like they can't get more media. I wouldn't blame them for wanting to rake in any potential HD DVD money because they'll just make that much more money when the inevitable BD release comes out.
They probably have seasons 2 and 3 the original "Star Trek" series already in the works for an HD DVD release, possibly the "Indiana Jones" trilogy. These are BIG cash cows for Paramount. And except for the actual mastering of the disc they can easily move the encoded files to BD. BD and HD DVD use the same codecs, after all. So, once the file rendering is done, they can migrate the files to BD with minimal work relative to the entire mastering process. Cha-CHING from the BD releases, because the majority of the work was put to HD DVD releases.
Obviously, this is just a guess, but this could be a good opportunity for Paramount to get money out of those of us who are keeping our HD DVD players. The players will still work even after HD DVD leaves the shelves -- and then we'll probably re-buy the "Trek" releases when BD becomes the norm. :)
Interesting points - both john AND Ted. So where do they draw the line? On one hand, going exclusively blu will help to eliminate customer confusion and pesumably bring more people into the dragging HD market. On the other hand, why give the middle finger to all the people that already have an HD DVD player? Might as well take every penny from either side.
I guess that's a decision for people who know much more than i do about the market, and get paid as such.
Talk about a lukewarm commitment. "Currently." Right. Has there been *any* good news for HD DVD this week?
Relax people. This statement doesn't mean dick. The key word is "currently". A whole lot could be going on behind closed doors but they aren't going to tell us until a firm decision has been made and all the lawyers are happy. That's how it works.
The bottom line is, how long do you expect the remaining studios to stick with HD-DVD if it clearly cannot win? Answer: Only as long as they absolutely have to.
The response is incredibly weak and ambiguous. Their "current plan" might be to support HD DVD but it says nothing of their plans for Blu Ray (e.g. could they go neutral), and what of their plans tomorrow? What does current mean? Does current mean this week, next month, until the end of May?
Given the nature of the article and the origin of it (the Financial Times), their spokesman could and should have comes out guns blazing emphasizing their confidence in the format and their long term commitment - IF that was really was their intention. That they didn't and instead came out with this limp statement is very telling indeed. It says at the very least that they're seriously shaken by Warner's announcement and are wondering if they should throw in the towel.
Paramounts press-statement is as believable as the smiles of the people @ the HD DVD-stand @ CES...
Of course Paramount is under some sort of reassure to blow smoke, err -- i mean issue a statement. And read carefully -- support of HD DVD, but not unnecessarily an exclusive one.
When the switch comes and Paramount crawls back to Blu, they probably wont treat their supporters in the red camp as badly as when they recalled and destructed their Blu-catalog when they went all Red. There will probably be a generous period where HD DVD will gradually be phased out, much like the Warner deal.
I mean - how many supporters can Paramount afford to piss of in such a short span of time?
HD DVD-supporters had a grad year last year, with heavily sponsored hardware and loads of free software. But that doesn't generate much income for those actually paying for it. The party is over, and the future is Blu - as it was more or less apparent from the get go. Let it go. Let HD DVD die with some dignity.
Awesome!
So Paramount, what titles do you have lined up for HD-DVD in 2008? We were waiting for a CES announcement...
- No comment.
Braveheart? Come now, you can at least give us HD-DVD adopters Braveheart can't ya? Give us a date now.
- No comment.
Great! Glad to see your support for HD-DVD is still strong. Thanks for Shrek, and see if you can get Speilberg to see Red in his future.
- No comment.
Sure, the only "good" news for HD-DVD is that Warners is at least being a bit classier about the switch and will keep producing their planned HD-DVD titles through the end of their agreement...unlike Paramount and Dreamworks, which immediately cancelled all Blu-Ray support with the announcement of their agreement. Maybe they intend to live up to their current agreement with HD-DVD - why is the only question (are they being forced to?) - and go Blu at the end of it. Some people may think Michael Bay is a prick for his vocal support of Blu-Ray, but don't forget another important player in this is Spielberg who only allowed CE3K to be released on BD and insisted the HD-DVD camp retract any and all announcements regarding his films being released on that format, so his support for BD is rather obvious. Rumors are he wants to move Dreamworks back to Universal, but unless they make a commitment to support BD, no one is going to see any of the rest of his films on a high def format. Right now, he stands a better chance of going Blu by sticking with Paramount regardless of rumors and denials.
Sure, the only "good" news for HD-DVD is that Warners is at least being a bit classier about the switch and will keep producing their planned HD-DVD titles through the end of their agreement...unlike Paramount and Dreamworks, which immediately cancelled all Blu-Ray support with the announcement of their agreement. Maybe they intend to live up to their current agreement with HD-DVD - why is the only question (are they being forced to?) - and go Blu at the end of it. Some people may think Michael Bay is a prick for his vocal support of Blu-Ray, but don't forget another important player in this is Spielberg who only allowed CE3K to be released on BD and insisted the HD-DVD camp retract any and all announcements regarding his films being released on that format, so his support for BD is rather obvious. Rumors are he wants to move Dreamworks back to Universal, but unless they make a commitment to support BD, no one is going to see any of the rest of his films on a high def format. Right now, he stands a better chance of going Blu by sticking with Paramount regardless of rumors and denials.
No worries, the Warner moved helped push it a little soon, but I plan on going neutral with the one of the only two standalong BD players worth getting right now. The Panasonic BD30 or the soon to be released Panasonic BD50 (my first choice since it is actually close to the final BD spec, well as far as we know since there has been nothing announced past 2.0).
Now that BD has finally gotten their head out of their ass and are looking to get their spec wrapped up to match the features of HD-DVD (ethernet is a must for firmware updates), there is no point not to go neutral.
For what its worth from the Digital Bits:
"Well... we've had SOME confirmation this morning of the details of the Financial Times story from last night. While the studio isn't yet commenting, reliable industry sources are telling us that Paramount is indeed preparing to end their HD-DVD support and announce a return to the Blu-ray fold. Details are currently being finalized, and an announcement is expected as soon as they're complete. Paramount's first new Blu-rays will almost certainly include many of those titles that were cancelled last year, but that were already packaged and ready for shipping, so you could see them in stores very quickly once the studio announces.
Meanwhile, sources are telling us that Universal has also been talking with the BDA, and is looking to follow Paramount and Warner's lead as soon as possible.
On a related note, Times Online in the U.K. is now reporting that as many as 20 additional firms currently backing HD-DVD are also considering defection in the wake of Warner's Friday announcement, including Fujitsu, Lenovo, Kenwood and Pony Canyon (which is a major Japanese film and music studio).
What's more, word is starting to circulate at CES that major big box retailers will begin winding down in-store support for HD-DVD as soon as these studios go public with their decisions. We're told that the industry's major retail partners are already pressuring Paramount, DreamWorks and Universal to go Blu following Warner's decision.
Rumors are also beginning to circulate here that Apple's Steve Jobs may announce the addition of Blu-ray Disc drives to their Mac desktop lineup at next week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
We would caution you to keep in mind that all of this should be considered unofficial until the studios make their actual announcements. Things are moving very fast, and the situation is highly fluid. Still, it really looks like this is the end for HD-DVD, and the end of the format war overall. We'll keep you up to date with new developments as they break.
Stay tuned..."
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents
Why would I believe any news source that can't spell HD DVD correctly?
Retailers can end this war even quicker than the Studios by just dropping one format. That would force Paramount and Universal to go Blu. Yeah, it's so over for HD-DVD and not a minute too soon. Let's move on folks, for better or worse.
I would not put The Digital Bits forth as a news source it is a pro-blu-ray website. But they are at CES and I presented their "Rumour Mill" because its a little more information. If its true, who knows, but what they are saying is hardly outside the realm of possibility.
God I hate the bias piece of shit Bill Hunt over at Digital Bits.
This really has nothing to do with the specific articles, but I would loved to see the dominoes fall the opposite way like they almost did until the deal fell through at the last minute, to shut up the pieces of shit like Sony, Bill Hunt and the entire cesspool known as Blu-ray.com to name a few.
@ Zargon
You sir are a hypocrite. Bill Hunt can't endorse a format based on his years of experience in the industry and you could? He's a lot less biased than you could ever wish to be... especially since you own a BD player. You're the worse of the mindless fanbots.
"You sir are a hypocrite. Bill Hunt can't endorse a format based on his years of experience in the industry and you could? He's a lot less biased than you could ever wish to be... especially since you own a BD player. You're the worse of the mindless fanbots."
I am sorry that I think for myself and you feel threated by that. That doesn't change the fact the Bill Hunt still is a biased piece of shit and that I don't blindly follow everything he says.
Try thinking for yourself once, clean out those cobwebs...
The idea that 2 formats is good for consumers because it drives down prices faster is totally wrong. The fact is that consumers drive down prices, not manufacturers. Here is the real issue. High Def movie sales make up such a small fraction of movie sales that it is not an important enough sector yet to get the same attention that standard dvds do. Now that blu seems to be the clear cut winner, you will see much more competition between manufacturers of hardware and software that will really drive down prices. People like myself who have been waiting for a winner will now be off the fence and will start to finally spend.....and believe me, there are a lot of people that were waiting. One format is good for everyone, and people who debate that clearly don't study the history of electronic successes and failures or have an understanding of simple economics. Confusion in the marketplace is a bad thing, not a good one.
You completely contridict yourself in your statement. So as a fence sitter, you're comfortable now buying a Blu Ray player knowing that you still can't purchase Weinstein, Universal, and Paramount/Dreamworks movies on your player. What part of the math are you missing here? There are still two formats. There are 64 studios producing content for HD DVD worldwide. HD DVD lacks region coding so you can import any of these titles and they will play on your player. So there will definately not be a lack of content in 2008.
While I admit that it was quite shady of Warner to make their announcement just in time to undercut Toshiba at CES 2008, reality is slowly seeping in for this HD DVD supporter. What I'm most upset about is that we'll never know what effect Warner supporting the other side would have on this "war."
I'm not sure if I'll get a PS3 or a standalone Blu-ray player to sit beside my A20 in the future (but not replace it; I still need a great upscaler). And though it looks like Microsoft was smart in providing the add-on, I believe, like many of you out there do, that things would be quite different (or at least at a true stalemate) had MS thrown their full support behind HD DVD from the start and built it into the 360. Then again, who knows if this architecture wouldn't have brought about more failure rates and kept potential supporters away, to say nothing of the price of such a console. Would there be 17 million plus owners worldwide inside of two years if this were a reality?
One thing is certain: all the hoopla over these recent developments is providing great entertainment and more subplots than a striking writer could conceive. At least I got some great hi-def movies (like Batman Begins, Serenity, V for Vendetta and Children of Men) out of the deal. Whether or not these titles are ever made for Blu-ray, it's great to know that I can watch them in all their HD glory and never get tired of doing so.
As for Childen of Men arriving on Blu, i have it already. On Blu.
Universal is bound by an old distribution contract in scandinavia, where Nordic Film distributes their titles. Nordic Film as it happens, also handles Sony's presence in Scandinavia. Guess what format nordic Film supports exclusively?
Children of Men was one of my favorite films of 2006 (time flies) and i love having it on Blu-Ray.
I'm in the red camp, but let's be real here. Paramount is simply - behind the scenes - dotting the legal "i's" and crossing the "t's" before it dumps HD-DVD. It has that agreement in place, and - if there is an "out" clause, they likely need to ensure everything is in place to execute it before doing so. This is just a stall tactic so they have time to put their ducks in a row.
Face it - "war" is over. Toshiba should really fold ASAP. That way, they can minimize what I'm sure are already staggering cash losses, then start making money on the likely wave of BD players to be sold over the next few years.
Any word from Universal at all? Seriously - folks - it's over. We/Red lost. Oh well, need to get over it and move on.
Folks,
Possibly just a formality.
Paramount, if they switch, will be a responsible corporate citizen.
They will formulate an exit strategy, resolve legals, etc.
Warner, for instance, has such a timetable.
Why make a rash move and risk reprisal?
Corporate or Public.
Vanguard.
Voted down for putting you screen name down at the end of the post.
Lame. ;)
..Dude,
I don't have to take this.
I got lots o places i can be....
http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1488169&view=thumb
Seriously though, youre right, nobody signs off on their posts.
Being brand new to the blogosphere, I figured itd be sweet having a different style.
WrongLame.
Thanx.
Paramount would be foolish to stay on the HD-DVD Titanic now that it struck an iceberg the size of Warner Bros.
"The idea that 2 formats is good for consumers because it drives down prices faster is totally wrong."
Approximately 100,000 HD-A2's for $99 at Walmart, Sears, and Best Buy on Friday, November 2nd. Two formats didn't drive prices down. Yeah, right.
"The fact is that consumers drive down prices, not manufacturers. Here is the real issue. High Def movie sales make up such a small fraction of movie sales that it is not an important enough sector yet to get the same attention that standard dvds do. Now that blu seems to be the clear cut winner, you will see much more competition between manufacturers of hardware and software that will really drive down prices. People like myself who have been waiting for a winner will now be off the fence and will start to finally spend.....and believe me, there are a lot of people that were waiting."
I hope you are happy to spend over $300 for your Blu-Ray player. I'm sure you're going to see mass adoption at that price point. Yeah, right. DVD is good enough for most people. There aren't a lot of people waiting (relatively speaking) -- there are a few people waiting. The prices of Blu-Ray players are still too high, even when they're on "sale."
"One format is good for everyone, and people who debate that clearly don't study the history of electronic successes and failures or have an understanding of simple economics. Confusion in the marketplace is a bad thing, not a good one."
I'd like to see some more confusion in the marketplace -- mainly from another Toshiba fire sale. This time on HD-A3's for $99.
The general public isn't going to realize the format war is over for at least a few more days (if not a few more weeks). Most people aren't waiting on the fence to buy a high-definition video disc player.
Since the BDA has declared victory so many times, is the general public really going to believe them this time?
Paramount really doesn't care about this for 2008 for a simple reason: Spielberg's movies are not bound by the agreement.
The new Indiana Jones movie is directed by Spielberg and will probably be released on home video in time for the holiday season... which means their big blockbuster for this year will be available on Blu-ray for the end of the year spending spree.
And I'm sure there will be a box set of the other movies... but those are still Spielberg flicks.
The telling point will be if Paramount releases any Spielberg movies on HD-DVD this year or if those turn out to be Blu-ray exclusives (well, in addition to DVD).
Gates just said, loosely quoted, "Stick a fork in HDDVD, I don't give a rip."
http://www.news.com/2008-7353_3-6224924.html?tag=slide_1
See page 2. Looks like cnet asked the questions engadget didn't.
As an HDDVD owner, I declare this thing over. Paramount is going Blu-ray with the rest.
I don't really think that's what he was saying, but yeah, he obviously cares more about the downloads, because he really makes his money there.
I look forward to seeing a Blu-ray add on though. Based on what he said, the 360 should support any USB plugged in as long as the drivers are there.
The new Sony Blu-ray drive converted to USB anyone? :-)
For everyone saying that they back out of their contract to support both, that would still have a crippling effect on HD-DVD and obviously help Blu-Ray. Having Paramount's exclusive releases gives HD-DVD owners something that Blu-Ray owners can't have. If Paramount went to both formats, Blu-Ray gains, and HD-DVD loses part of it's only advantage. Blu-Ray owners now have everything but Universal, leaving that as HD-DVDs only advantage. HD-DVD isn't dead, it just had it's legs broken, though.
And yes, this IS good for consumers. I don't own either one, even on 1080p big screen TVs I can't tell a difference between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD except for small amounts that I just chalk up to my imagination, and that's only if I'm a foot away, even though I know something is there. Quality differences not all consumers can see, features not everyone gives a rat's ass about, one just needs to be chosen. Luckily for Sony, it doesn't look like Blu-Ray will be known as Betamax II.
And to the guy who listed every type of media in existence talking about confusing the customer...I think the point about customer confusion is there are two types of DVD's that do the exact same thing. No one aside from nerds like me, retail salesmen (also ironically like me), and quality freaks notice the minor differences between the two types. That's the vast majority of the public, and for the morons sake who just want to watch movies in high definition, that don't care what features and other nonsense there is, there needs to be only one high definition disc. It is simple as that.
Not at all. I am saying that if blu really does win...and it seems at this point that is what is going to happen...that all the people on the fence waiting to get into hd movies will now start buying blu. My point was that having only one format will actually be better for consumers.
@ Emannikcufesin
*quote*
There are 64 studios producing content for HD DVD worldwide.
=============================================================================
Wow, I didn't know it was so many (I thought it was 40-something).
Can you show me a link (or links) for this?
Toshiba to spend $8 Trillion in "bonuses" by the end of CES to persuade all camps to go purple.
C'MON TOSH (whips donkey furiously), HD DVD FTW:)
I don't think there is a huge reservoir of people waiting for one or other to decide anything.
There may be some but my bet is that it's marginal.
People will do what they are currently mostly doing, buying HD TV services with a PVR/DVR and (increasingly) using the new downloading services.
At least to begine with I expect these d/l'ing services to be mostly connected through their PVR/DVR using it's HDD.
If it's anything like the British/European Sky system (Sky Anytime) the internal HDD will be permanently partitioned (almost 50% of the 300gb disc) and programs will usually be downloaded at night to give a selection of movies and shows you are expected to be interested in
(IIRC it's supposed to 'learn' your viewing habits and act approprietly).
Anytime is now a standard part of the Sky service (on both their SD TV DVRs & HD TV DVRs)
The movies/shows are in the 'Anytime' section with a time limit but you can 'record' any you are interested in to your own 'planner'.
It automatically updates and replaces the ones you watch/record/time expire.
It's very easy, it works, there's no fuss, there are no delays and always a stock of nice HD content to hand.
It can be hit and miss in terms of getting exactly what you want and you can't get the 140gb partition back for your own use which is a bit of a pity but overall it's pretty good and I make a lot of use of it.