You knew it was going to happen. Once a couple of the dominos started to fall, a LOT of them would also fall quickly. With the announcement last week about Warner Bros switching to just Blu-Ray and the continuing rumors that APPLE is about to put Blu-Ray players in their desktop computers… other industry companies are following suit.
The Hollywood Reporter is saying that both New Line and HBO have declared they are also going exclusively with Blu-Ray.
A New Line Home Entertainment spokesman confirms reports that the minimajor is following distributor Warner Home Video’s lead in abandoning HD DVD and releasing all future next-generation titles only in the Blu-ray Disc format. And HBO Video president Henry McGee says HBO, too, is “following the same policy as Warner Home Video.”
On top of that, Variety is reporting that Universal and Paramount are on the verge of dropping their deals with HD DVD as well despite the announcement that Paramount made as CES this week to “continue to SUPPORT HD DVD”.
Blu-Ray has won folks. So IF you’re going to get yourself an HD system (and I know a lot of you still have no desire to), make sure you DO NOT take advantage of the big sale the stores will be having on HD DVD systems. Make sure it’s a Blu-Ray before you buy it or all you’ll end up getting is a giant paper weight.
I guess we all missed where Universal said it “will always back HD-DVD 100%”… because they never said it!
The press releases of “support” for the HD-DVD format from the 2 sole remaining studios was tepid at best. What they said was their “current” plan was to continue in HD-DVD. That’s a far cry from unwaivering support. I think the fact that, despite the issuance of this “supportive” statement, they did not release details of ANY new HD-DVD releases for 2008 speaks volumes. Blu-ray discs were already outselling HD-DVD coservatively 2:1, generously 4:1, even with the higher hardware costs. Now, that gap can only increase.
No, HD-DVD is not dead… yet. But with 70%+ of Hollywood films now exclusively coming out on Blu-ray, the writing is certainly on the wall. Agreed, Blu-ray rushed their players to market and have been playing catch up, but with much larger disc storage capacity, all the features of HD-DVD and then some (when 2.0 standard is released shortly) and the lion’s share of movies exclusive to Blu-ray, one would have to be a fan boy to not believe HD-DVD needs to die to settle this nonsense once and for all… and the sooner the better.
Okay, honestly Paramount or Universal will not go Blu-Ray. They are called rumors people. Paramount and Universal have spent way to much money on just HD DVD. I guess everyone missed CES when Universal said that will always back HD DVD 100%. Yes I will say WB’s choice in going just Blu-Ray will hurt HD DVD no doubt about that. But, HD DVD will be around for another 2 to 3 years. Plus with the amazing deals on HD DVD players most consumers look at price, they do not know the difference or they do not care.
It is not fair to say that HD DVD is dead. Its been a week since WB’s announcement. Hardware moves software guys, so if the price cut in HD DVD players helps Toshiba a lot, WB may think about going back to supporting both. Plus there will be an increase in HD DVD sales with more units being bought.
There is still going to be a a format war for a long time. I hate to break the news. Most of the news you hear about HD DVD being dead is either from people that do not know the market or they are hardcore Sony supporters.
@fredo
yeah i do!
Craig, you are smoking crack my friend. There is no difference in picture between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD on a 1080p television. Different lasers, same technology. And interactive? WTF? That’s totally off the deep end. HD-DVD is way more interactive.
Trust me folks, the more I read about this, the more I’m convinced this is an anti-Microsoft decision. HD-DVD is the better technology.
This may or may not be a surprise, seeing that Warner Brothers, New Line, and HBO all fall under Time Warner. It may have been a Time Warner corporate thing.
glad i made the right choice i now have 18 bluray titles! i always thought bluray would preside over hd-dvd as after checking out my mates hd dvd i thought it was alright but not as interactive as blu ray and(i think)hold more data on them. Also with ps3 slowly coming down in price people will be more inclined to purchase one and eventually take steps into purchasing bluray discs.
I LOVE THEM!!! MY WHOLE SETUP IS 1080.
TRUST ME DO IT!!
CRAIG
Man, so many comments and so much, eh, wrongness. First off, HD-DVD looks fantastic. So does Blu-Ray. HUGE upgrade from the 480 or less lines most folks are getting. If you can’t see this or deny this, you are blind.
My advice (even though Blue-Ray seems to have won out)?
Wait.
Blu-Ray players are expensive. They will go down. Blu-Ray players have the ability to decode audio to 7.1 or the “true HD” sound. Most Blu-Ray movies aren’t made this way yet (same with HD).
Last but not least, while both players will play and look fantastic on a HDTV with 1080i, a 1080p TV has a titch more detail and, if you get one, make sure it has a 24 fps rate, as that is what film has naturally. Most TVs don’t.
So, to recap. Wait for Blu-Ray to go down. Save $3K or 5K. Buy the player, 7.1 surround, a 1080p TV with 24 fps and you’ll be good to go. And all your pals who jumped the gun will have more expensive, crappier equipment. That’s what I’m going to do. I have an XBOX 360 HD-DVD player and I’m going to live with that for at least another year.
Hey James,
No, it’s more like the way “the Halo project will die” sort of thing. :P
What can I say? It only took them 20 years to prove me wrong. Even I can’t be right 100% of the time. ;)
@John – “Blu-Ray is coming to Universal soon…”
Is that the same way in which a 4th Indiana Jones film will never be made?
Hey Bob,
Notice how they’re only saying “we’re going to SUPPORT HD DVD”. It’s the exact same thing the Paramount guy said. Blu-Ray is coming to Universal soon… they’ll just keep the HD DVD’s around for a while too.
“5:00 pm ET January 10, 2008 — Universal Studios has officially dispelled the rumors from Variety that it will drop HD DVD and switch to Blu-ray.
“Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal’s current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,” said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment and also co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.
The response would have come sooner, but many HD DVD executives were on flights home from CES when the incorrect story from Variety broke.” -http://www.betanews.com/article/HD_DVD_Universal_expected_to_deny_Bluray_rumors/1199974983
Does anybody know if the movies that has been releadsed on HD DVD will come out in the Blue Ray format?? I mean if HD DVD is dead they have to dont they?
Sorry. Blu-Ray may win this war, but that will NEVER mean that it is better than HD DVD. Good thing I have both though. I’m not going to say I hate Blu-Ray, cause obviously I don’t. I just won’t say it’s the better format. It’s not.
I second video downloads. Like Tapes to CDs to MP3s, I see movies going VHS to DVD to Video Files.
The convenience of not having to keep a closet full of physical media is strongly appealing.
I can tell you this, I have no desire to buy either system. Whoever wins this “war”, will eventually have the same satisfaction of winning a Peoples Choice Award (nobody gives a shit).
Direct digital downloads will be where it’s at. Tuesday its expected that Apple will announce digital download movie rentals. While its doubtful that they’ll be in high-def, its a step in the right direction. Also, people often mention bandwidth issues with regards to downloading hi-def content. Just because a movie takes up 50gb of space on a Blu-Ray disc doesn’t mean that it will take that much to download. I’ve seen excellent looking HD 1080p video that took about 10gb for a 2 hour video, because it was compressed in a more efficient codec.
Also you can’t discount video on demand from your cable service. I fucking hate my cable company, but man I love that VOD service. If you’re on digital cable, it’s essentially a digital download.
And of course, Blue-Ray will have to compete with DVR’s and TiVO. I don’t even want a high capacity disc format, but you’ll have to pry my TiVO from my cold dead hands.
“Make sure it’s a Blu-Ray before you buy it or all you’ll end up getting is a giant paper weight.”
Although I would highly recommend people go Blu at this point, I think this statement is a little brash. I’m extremely happy with my HD DVD collection (which, I remind you, will not suddenly dissolve into a cloud of vapor once Blu takes over. Yes, that’s right, you will STILL be able to watch your HD DVD’s!) In fact, one could be so bold to say that EVERYONE has a paper weight on their hands right now. Their DVD players. Anyone who thinks HD is going away is crazy. Once the technology has come down in price (which it already has in a very short period of time) the standard DVD will step down. Luckily, BOTH Blu Ray AND HD DVD owners will still be able to play their SD DVD’s thanks to up-rezzing backwards compatibility, another reason HD DVD isn’t a paperweight.
Unfortunately, one drawback that will come from the end of the format war is that Sony will have no incentive to lower the costs on Blu-ray players.
…and come on… for fuck’s sake, would it kill Sony to just go ahead and release a fucking BR player that doesn’t have to be upgraded???
Monopolies are such wonderful things…
Phil – Even before the exclusivity announcement, Warner was waiting until the Dark Knight release to release Batman Begins on Blu-ray. The new disc is supposed to have tons of extras and features not found on the HD-DVD disc. I can’t wait!
I was never going to convert to HD or Blue Ray while this nonsense was happening but if i had to make a choice, it would have been HD-DVD…..because the first movie i would have wanted in my collection would be Batman Begins, which is only available on that format. So i feel a little foolish.
If i hadn’t known about the imminent death of HD-DVD on the site, i would have had an inkling today as i was in HMV (the biggest DVD & music chain in the UK) today and saw that they have allocated three times as much space to Blue Ray stock than they have to HD-DVD and they have a Blue Ray demo player and screen set up to watch. I guess they’ve known for a little while.
I think its good news that the HD war will be over soon. People who have been missing out on HD movie experiences while waiting for a winner can now more easily make a choice.
I am glad that my HD DVD player came with enough movies to offset the cost.
I still do recommend the PS3 as the best Blu-Ray player out there.
I was never into Blu-Ray or HD personally, but thanks to this site and your coverage of this asinine “war”, I’ve been able to keep my dad and my friends from buying an HD player. They all say thanks, John:)
didnt see this coming HA….i didnt want to buy one until the “war” was over. Looks like i can start shopping around for a blue-ray player….