Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well.
"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."
"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability - a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.We'll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD."
Oldish...but this is what took place 2-3 days ago...Quote"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability - a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.We'll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD."
A lot of people were emailing that bought a PlayStation and they were basically saying, 'When are you guys going to release Blu-ray?' They really have no preference in format yet because it's so new. When it comes down to image quality, there is no difference between the two.
Responding to news that Warner Bros. opted to put its eggs in the basket of Blu-ray exclusively last week, Microsoft execs told Reuters that the company would consider a Blu-ray player add-on for the Xbox 360, should consumers show interest in such a product. Group marketing manager Albert Penello said the decision would be up to "consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider." Penello said that he didn't consider that Warner's decision to drop support for HD-DVD would have a "significant impact" on the console war. He also confirmed, in a way, that it was a "bummer."
There was a critical element of our comments missing from the story -- Microsoft currently has no plans at this time to consider Blu-ray as an option. We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best optical solution for consumers, since it's the only format today that delivers quality experiences at affordable prices.
While the article states that Microsoft might possibly look into Blu-ray, we just want to emphasize that there are no current plans to consider Blu-ray as an option. Microsoft continues to be dedicated to the HD DVD format and we don't want the Reuters article to mislead or suggest otherwise.
Paramount still loves HD-DVDHollywood gossipBy Nick Farrell: Wednesday, 09 January 2008, 9:49 AMVIACOM'S Paramount Pictures is still in love with HD-DVD and will not be breaking up, according to Bloomberg gossip columnists.There had been much talk that Paramount was set to give the technology the elbow and rush for the movie studios' latest bike Blu-ray.But a Paramount spokeswoman said Paramount was still keen on HD-DVD and would be continuing to support it.After all you can't dump a technology when it has just been cruelly hurt by Warner studios, which was seen in the Blu-Ray camp last week.There had been much speculation about Paramount going because of a pre-nupital agreement that would allow the studio to switch if Times Warner walked away from Blu-ray.
Ritek puts both Blu-ray and HD-DVD burning on one diskCES 2008 Lots of flip and burn goodnessBy Charlie Demerjian: Friday, 11 January 2008, 11:48 AMRITEK HAD one of the coolest things on show at CES, a hybrid BD-R and HD-DVD-R. That was the best, but by no means the only innovative thing it was showing off.The disc is a burnable Blu-Ray on one side and a burnable HD-DVD on the other. If you are making high def content and want to avoid the format wars, this is a good way to distribute media. They are not out yet, but will be in the not so distant future.Ritek also has 2x speed dual layer HD-DVD discs out now, and around late Q1 or early Q2 should have HD-DVD-RW dual layer discs in mass production. They were showing them off at CES, but are not ready for production.Another cool one they had was a HD-DVD-R and DVD-R-DL combo disc. This one is immensely useful for distribution of video content, you don't have to worry which format the user has, just give them high- and low-def on the same little slice of Lexan.Ritek also has BD-Rs up to 4x speeds and HD-DVD-Rs up to 2x now, so if you want speed, this outfit can supply the media. As you can see, if you want exotic formats, they can supply them too, no need to take sides in the format war, just do both.
The two remaining studios backing HD DVD could switch sides soon, ending the high-def format war instantly.Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal's commitment to backing HD DVD exclusively has ended. And Paramount has an escape clause in its HD DVD contract allowing it to release pics on Blu-ray after Warner Bros.' decision to back that format exclusively.Neither studio is ready to throw in the towel immediately, however. On Thursday, Universal broke its silence about the matter to say that it plans to keep supporting the format for the time being, a pledge Par made earlier in the week. And in any case, U is committed to a series of HD DVD promotions in coming months. Should Toshiba concede defeat on the format, the decision to drop HD DVD would be made for both studios. But Toshiba doesn't appear ready to do that. At the Consumer Electronics Show, the manufacturer reaffirmed its commitment to the format, noting strong sales during the fourth quarter and indicating it would continue marketing its hardware through 2008.But retailers may force the HD DVD camp's hand: They're unlikely to keep devoting premium shelf space to a dying format, and at this point, the odds are not in HD DVD's favor. With Warners' defection, only Par and U remain in the HD DVD camp; Sony, Disney, Fox, Lionsgate remain ardent Blu-ray backers. Warner sister companies New Line and HBO are also shifting allegiance to Blu-ray.Last summer, Blockbuster also threw its weight behind Blu-ray, though some HD DVD discs remain in stores.And Warner will continue to release HD DVD discs for the next few months to honor its previous commitment to Toshiba, which extends through May 31. Paramount's HD DVD deal, which covers DreamWorks releases, was to run through this year.
Woolworths has become the first major retailer to solely back one of the new high definition DVD formats. The high street firm has announced that it will only stock Blu-Ray high definition DVDs from March, with HD-DVDs being dropped from stores to be sold online. The move comes after Blu-Ray DVDs outsold HD-DVDs by ten-to-one in Woolies stores over Christmas. From March Woolworths stores will have a Blu-Ray DVD chart in all 820 stores and a Blu-Ray DVD back catalogue section in larger stores. Since launching high definition DVDs in October last year, Woolworths has become the biggest retailer of the new DVD format in the UK. Sales are growing fast, typically rising by over 40 per cent a month. This compares to a relatively flat DVD market. “Sales figures clearly show that the market is moving towards one format of high definition DVD,” says Woolworths DVD buyer Steven McGunigel. “The main reason is the success of Sony's PlayStation 3 machine. Because it plays Blu-Ray discs, there are over ¾ million homes in the UK that can view the new high definition format. There is no where near that number of HD-DVD players around.” “Switching to Blu-Ray only will provide one clear offer to customers in the format they want to watch high definition movies in.” Disney's Ratatouille is expected to be the first Woolworths Blu-Ray DVD chart topper. Other big release films coming in the Spring on Blu-Ray DVD are I Am Legend and Sweeney Todd. Blu-Ray, backed by Sony, versus HD-DVD, backed by Toshiba, has been likened by commentators to the battle between Toshiba's VHS and Sony's Beta-Max in the 1980s. The new format war has split the electronics and entertainment industries. Blu-Ray has been backed by Samsung, Sony, Warner, Dell, Apple, Disney and 20th Century Fox. HD-DVD has been backed by NEC, Microsoft and Universal.The real winner will, of course, be decided at the tills with Blu-Ray already streets ahead according to Woolworths. Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs offer much better quality audio and video than DVD and the additional storage means that more time and extras can be packed into one disc.
"We've listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases."
I wonder what will be Microsoft's predicament...since they've been such a big supporter of HD-DVD?
