Blu-ray snags Warner Bros exclusive

[D.R. Payne]

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/04/warner-goes-blu-ray-exclusive/

(Mods: I didn't see any warnings against posting news of this kind, I appologize if there is a "no format war news" decree)

[BMXTRIX]

According to WB via Reuters, this is now official.

WB has given notice that at the end of May they will discontinue HD DVD production in favor of exclusivity with Blu-ray.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN0432340820080104

follow up...

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN0444635420080104

[GlocksRock]

It's about time... maybe this will spark the end of the format war.

[D.R. Payne]

It's about time... maybe this will spark the end of the format war.

Consider how many of the best selling HD-DVD titles were from Warner: 300, Batman Begins, Harry Potter, etc. All the big ones except for Transformers as far as I can remember.

I'm not trying to be rude, but who would buy an HD-DVD player after this announcement? I think it's time for me to look into a high end standalone BD player from Denon.

[aberkowitz]

I'm not trying to be rude, but who would buy an HD-DVD player after this announcement? I think it's time for me to look into a high end standalone BD player from Denon.

Is a high-end player really worth all fo the extra money? From what I understand the PS3 is currently one of the best (if not the best) BD player on the market (and the 80GB model plays SACD) for significantly less money than what Denon is selling their players for (I heard $2000). I know that not everybody wants the gaming capability, but the load times are incredibly fast and the system updates itself via wireless network. Is there much more that Denon is going to offer for 5-6 times the price??

[D.R. Payne]

Well, I already have a PS3. If I buy a standalone player it will be for the following reasons:
-Usable with a universal remote (curse you Bluetooth)
-Picture quality is good but not the BEST on the PS3
-Ability to stream DTS-HDMA (the PS3 cannot do this)

I haven't seen the load times on the Denon yet, but I'm very much going to be looking into a high end standalone player.

[aberkowitz]

Well, I already have a PS3. If I buy a standalone player it will be for the following reasons:
-Usable with a universal remote (curse you Bluetooth)
-Picture quality is good but not the BEST on the PS3
-Ability to stream DTS-HDMA (the PS3 cannot do this)

I haven't seen the load times on the Denon yet, but I'm very much going to be looking into a high end standalone player.

I won't disagree on the first and the third points (I especially hate the bluetooth!), but I've had my PS3 for 4 months now and I haven't been able to point out a flaw in PQ in any movie or game that I've played that I could attribute to the player itself. I'm just curious how much incrementally better the PQ is going to get for so much more in price. We'll see however, I will probably eventually want to get a stand-alone myself at some point.

[stratman]

Well gentlemen, if our economy keeps spiraling into a recession as it is right now, this will be a moot point. As no one will be spending money on luxuries such as HD formats.

[j_garcia]

Warner has been releasing titles on both formats and I think they saw, with their best selling titles, that the Blu-ray versions outsold the HD DVD versions in nearly all cases.

Now I kind of regret picking up The Matrix on HD DVD :( (for $50 :) )

[D.R. Payne]

I am very much looking forward to The Matrix and Batman Begins on Blu-Ray, hopefully with new encodes to take advantage of the extra bitrate&capacity.

[evilkat]

Another source:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5429589.html

BTW Strat, what's our fence status now? :D

[mike c]

uh oh. i bought an HD DVD player and watched just ONE movie on it. could it be my last?

[MUDSHARK]

There's one reason for me to buy a stand alone blu-ray player. I have such a hard time getting the PS#3 out of my son's room.:(

[admin]

The high definition disc format war just took a dramatic turn, as Warner Bros announced it would exclusively support Blu-ray. This is a significant blow for rival HD DVD as Warner is the single biggest DVD producer, selling from 18 to 20 percent of all US home movie sales.
http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blu-ray-snags-warner-bros-exclusive/image_thumb

Discuss "Blu-ray snags Warner Bros exclusive" here. Read the article (http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blu-ray-snags-warner-bros-exclusive).

[ned]

Adios Amigos! This could be the end of HD DVD.

[gus6464]

R.i.p. Hd Dvd :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[supervij]

Just read this over at The Digital Bits. As someone who's sat on the sidelines all this time, I find this great news! Now I just have to wait for profile 2.0 to be on the shelves!

cheers,
supervij

[D.R. Payne]

We've been discussin this too:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=39364

[supervij]

Actually, ol' BMX has been discussin' it all OVER the place! I just responded here cos it was the first one I saw.

cheers,
supervij

[Zer0beaT]

I know a lot of people are happy the "war" appears to be over, including those like myself who have been holding off on either format.

But I was personally hoping it would go on at least another year to help drive player and media prices down.

I fear that BluRay players will maintain their current prices much longer from here on out, and software deals will become fewer.

Competition is good. No competition generally means the customer gets screwed.

[Bluesmoke]

Don't know about hardware prices, but I do expect more deals for software. Remember, the Blu-ray plan is to replace DVDs. That can't happen unless there are incentives for people to go out and buy a player. There will still be deals and promos.

[fmw]

I fear that BluRay players will maintain their current prices much longer from here on out, and software deals will become fewer.

Competition is good. No competition generally means the customer gets screwed.


It is true that competition is good. However, the real competition was never between BD and HD-DVD. It was always between HD and SD. Blu-Ray's biggest competitor is the DVD. Competition isn't gone.

[erick.s]

-Usable with a universal remote (curse you Bluetooth)

Actually, you can get devices to make the PS3 compatible with a normal universal remote. A company called Schmart (yes, that's the name) makes two devices (one does regular controls and the other does all the same plus adds on/off functionality) that plug into one of the USB slots on the front of the PS3 that take in IR commands and translate them for the PS3. I don't have personal experience with it, but I've heard they work flawlessly.

[j_garcia]

So far there is no aftermarket remote (or controller) that I've seen that can turn the unit on and off, so there are still limitations.

[evilkat]

Well it looks like a big push on the BD side. So can some one educate me on the profile/version debacle that is currently taking place on the BD side?

[Buckeye_Nut]

uh oh. i bought an HD DVD player and watched just ONE movie on it. could it be my last?

LOL...tell me about it!! I bought the Toshiba A3 only two weeks ago!

Needless to say, I returned it today for a full refund. I didn't want to come home completely empty handed, so I bought the Resident Evil and Spiderman Boxed sets on Blu-ray:cool:

[Buckeye_Nut]

I know a lot of people are happy the "war" appears to be over, including those like myself who have been holding off on either format.

But I was personally hoping it would go on at least another year to help drive player and media prices down.

I fear that BluRay players will maintain their current prices much longer from here on out, and software deals will become fewer.

Competition is good. No competition generally means the customer gets screwed.

Winning the format war will have the opposite effect. There are already nearly 1-dozen manufacturers building/selling BR players, and that number will grow significantly.(bringing player prices even lower) There will be a fierce push to take BR from a small nitch market and bring it to the masses. In 2008 you can expect a much broader movie selection and lower prices!! The sub $200 player will be here before you know it!!

[erick.s]

So far there is no aftermarket remote (or controller) that I've seen that can turn the unit on and off, so there are still limitations.

Shmart has a new version coming out that does exactly that. I made mention of it in my post.

[Panjsheri]

Finally looks like there may be an end to this war especially since I purchased my $1500 Sony BDP-2000ES Blu Ray player now I can look forward to them converting titles like Transformers, Batman and other into Blu Ray format:)

[Clint DeBoer]

especially since I purchased my $1500 Sony BDP-2000ES Blu Ray player$1500? Wow, you're hardcore. Hey is that player BD-Live compatible or is it just Profile 1.1?

[MUDSHARK]

While a coup for Blu-Ray I'm not convinced this brings the battle to closure. This may just reduce demand for players costing in excess of $300 as flipping by studios will encourage few to buy the Onkyo or Denon hgh-end units.

I bought the A2 a few months back mainly for transformers for less than $200. My son has had a PS3 for a year now so I'm gonna sit on my hands. As Mazer said PS#3 is the ticket for now.

[Seth=L]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Dreamworks part of Times Warner corp.?

[BMXTRIX]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Dreamworks part of Times Warner corp.?

Paramount/Dreamworks SKG

There is talk of Dreamworks and Paramount splitting up, but at this point, where Paramount goes, Dreamworks follows. This meants things like Transformers and the Shrek films went to HD DVD.

Have no doubt this isn't the 'death' of HD DVD, it simply is a very realistic end to the format having any hope for long term success. At this time, movies from Universal and Paramount/Dreamworks are still exclusive to HD DVD, which is very likely to change in the next 12 months, but those who own HD DVD right now, will be able to enjoy them for the upcoming year of exclusivity.

The people most screwed are those who bought a lot of HD DVD discs, but then again, they will still be able to play those discs, they just won't get much if they decide to sell, or want to buy a new player a few years from now.

Kind of like Laser Disc... Just because the format died, didn't mean Laser Disc players stopped working. But, DVD really pushed things forward.

We'll see now if the real war can start to happen - DVD is the real target and the competition between Blu-ray and HDDL (HD DownLoads) is still going to run strong.

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It's about time... maybe this will spark the end of the format war.

I hear you!

I am kind of relieved with this news.

I can't wait for Transformers on blu-rays.:D

And I can't wait for Fox to switch over from DTS-MA to PCM, like LionsGate Films did with their latest release of "WAR" BD.

[AcuDefTechGuy]

uh oh. i bought an HD DVD player and watched just ONE movie on it. could it be my last?

Don't worry, soon Wal-Mart will be selling HD DVDs for $5 each and you can stock up.:D

[mouettus]

Hmm baddd. This news just makes me want to buy a 400$ PS3 now. I'm not even finished with upgrading my sound system yet. Still 1500$ to go. But the fact of having no HD sources in my house (except for browsing around on the internet on my tv) makes me wanna cry. I keep reading your posts saying HDM are nice and all.... I WANT THAT TOO!!

[davo]

It appears the HD-DVD camp may pull out of doing a press event at CES '08.
New Line Cinemas are bailing out of HD-DVD as well. Hello 'Lord of the Rings'.

[aberkowitz]

It appears the HD-DVD camp may pull out of doing a press event at CES '08.
New Line Cinemas are bailing out of HD-DVD as well. Hello 'Lord of the Rings'.

You have a source on that? New Line was neutral anyway.... and from what I understood the delay of HD release for LOTR was more about internal squabbles than related to the format war.

[FatStrat85]

Here is the requested source article regarding New Line's abandonment of HD-DVD.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/05/new-line-confirms-itll-follow-in-warners-blu-footsteps/

[AcuDefTechGuy]

$1500? Wow, you're hardcore. Hey is that player BD-Live compatible or is it just Profile 1.1?

I would rather get the new Denon DVD-3800BD player for about $1,500.

[The Dukester]

Don't worry, soon Wal-Mart will be selling HD DVDs for $5 each and you can stock up.:D


If so, I will be there with bells on, an empty shopping cart to fill up and credit card in hand.:D

[Stefan]

I think it is time to invest in a Denon DVD-2500BTCI, I like the idea of a transport, I have a Denon AVR4308 that can decode the audio stream and direct the video to my display. My $200 XBox 360 HD DVD player will serve as HD DVD backup for those movies not out on Blu-Ray that I simply must have.

[patnshan]

I like HD DVD and think it was the right choice, but I submit that this is a huge blow. I still have a sweet upconverting DVD player, and 10+ HD DVD's to watch (including the best "Transformers"). I am out nothing really. I've spent $200 on more useless things. They both are beautiful, but the shady one seems to have one this time. Well, it's just business I guess.

I hate Sony and always will, so all you Blu Ray lovers, tell me which HD DVD player to keep an eye on?;) I am thinking Sharp or Panny?? As soon as one of them hits around $200, I am there:D (just like when I went Red)

Pat

[Hi Ho]

This is sad news to me as I own an HD-A2. Like patnshan, I have no love at all for Sony and that was just one of the reasons I wanted HD-DVD to succeed. It's not over yet but I'm afraid this is a major blow. :(

[D.R. Payne]

Your comments are interesting. Ten years ago, if people had told me that Sony and not Microsoft would be the Big Evil Corporation-to-avoid, I would not have believed it.

[GlocksRock]

I too got an HD-A2, but I don't feel that I'm out anything, as I sold my Oppo player, and used that to finance the HD-A2, and it only cost me $2 more, plus it does a better job of upconverting standard def dvd's, and I sitll get 5 free HD DVDs in the process. I also have a PS3, so I was good to go no matter which format one, although I'm glad it's blu ray that won.

[stratman]

It appears the HD-DVD camp may pull out of doing a press event at CES '08.
New Line Cinemas are bailing out of HD-DVD as well. Hello 'Lord of the Rings'.

Yup, they did. In order to "strategize" a new move after the debacle. NLC is also jumping ship. I told Evilkat that by this summer all CE prices will tumble, as we're headed for a moderate recession and historically CE takes a big hit during recessions, so BD players will be more affordable, pushing even harder on HD DVD.

[Buckeye_Nut]

I'm glad to see this thing is finally coming to an end!! Once blu-ray is established as "THE" format, then the real market competition can finally begin!! As of now, it was only a small niche competition between Toshiba -VS- Sony along with a small supporting cast of BD manufacturers.

We'll soon see dozens of spectators (manufacturers) leaving the sidelines and beginning to manufacture/sell bd-players which will drive prices even lower. We'll finally see a much broader selection of AAA movie releases in the new format.....etc, etc, etc... Many consumers who've been waiting on the sidelines to see which format will prevail will also finally make their move.

The backlash from the WB announcement will have an absurd effect on HD-DVD sales, and it won't be long before both Paramount and Universal switch to blu-ray. It will be interesting to follow the Nielson's sales reports in January/Feb. I expect the blu-ray:HD-Sales ratio will go from 65:35 to maybe 80:20 or 85:15 in rather short order.......effectively ending the format war.

Now BR can focus on making some real progress and bringing the new format from a small niche to the mainstream by competing for DVD market share. Granted....BR won't approach DVD sales anytime soon, but BD certainly will make significant gains in the coming year. Maybe even doubling/tripling their current market penetration?

[Seth=L]

Yup, they did. In order to "strategize" a new move after the debacle. NLC is also jumping ship. I told Evilkat that by this summer all CE prices will tumble, as we're headed for a moderate recession and historically CE takes a big hit during recessions, so BD players will be more affordable, pushing even harder on HD DVD.
That's because Newline is part of the Times Warner group. ( I confused Dreamworks with Newline earlier). Now LOTR will obviously be a Blu-ray exclusive for those interested in it.:)

[digital_low_thd]

It sounds like enough battles are over for the Microsoft backed system to finally fall.

The boys over there at MicroSoft have had a bad run on things.

Vista is not a big win (people are "upgrading" to XP to avoid all the excess DRM.

The X-BOX is being beat out by the competition

And BluRay is winning, ensuring an increased difficulty in MicroSoft getting their grubby hands on more digital media content.

[Hi Ho]

It sounds like enough battles are over for the Microsoft backed system to finally fall.

The boys over there at MicroSoft have had a bad run on things.

Vista is not a big win (people are "upgrading" to XP to avoid all the excess DRM.

The X-BOX is being beat out by the competition

And BluRay is winning, ensuring an increased difficulty in MicroSoft getting their grubby hands on more digital media content.

The Xbox is still beating the PS3. The Wii beats both.

I have had zero issues with Vista. What excess DRM in Vista impeads operation for the user?

HD-DVD, while of course it has DRM, has a more consumer friendly implementation.

Do you really think that Sony has a better track record when it comes to DRM? Think rootkit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal).

[skads_187]

out of curiosity, does anyone have the latest sales on ps3 vs xbox360? I thought ps3 was out selling xbox from xmas until present (and maybe even before that).
this what I was able to find, not sure how good of info it is:
http://nexgenwars.com/gaming-news/sales-info/
as you'll see wii definetely beats both

and as far as Vista, I think what digital low thd meant was that its not winnning over the crowd, which I think he is right, its not. Especially on a business standpoint, many companies are avoiding vista because of the high memory demands it requires to run without being super slow.

[ivseenbetter]

As the support for HD DVD seems to be dwindling I just can't help but wonder how this could have happened? HD DVD was obviously the best format. Look at it this way, those that have a new HD DVD player continue to state that they are not out any money because they still have their current HD DVDs and an awesome upconverting player for the SD DVDs. Now, if Blueray would be dieing how many people would still be able to say their player was still a good investment? There would be no SD DVDs being played in that PS3. It just seems that we have created a situation where now we have a niche player where I will have to have a good upconverting SD DVD player for some movies and a BD player for an HD content. It's frustrating when we could have had an all-in-one solution that would have allowed for continued use of our current DVD collection. Buying new HD DVD movies would have looked great while our old DVD movies would have still been usable pieces of media. Seems like a debacle to me.

This is just an opinion though. I don't own HD DVD or Bluray. I just felt that HD DVD was the right choice. Now I will just wait for HD DL to come into it's own.

[D.R. Payne]

As the support for HD DVD seems to be dwindling I just can't help but wonder how this could have happened? HD DVD was obviously the best format. Look at it this way, those that have a new HD DVD player continue to state that they are not out any money because they still have their current HD DVDs and an awesome upconverting player for the SD DVDs. Now, if Blueray would be dieing how many people would still be able to say their player was still a good investment? There would be no SD DVDs being played in that PS3. It just seems that we have created a situation where now we have a niche player where I will have to have a good upconverting SD DVD player for some movies and a BD player for an HD content. It's frustrating when we could have had an all-in-one solution that would have allowed for continued use of our current DVD collection. Buying new HD DVD movies would have looked great while our old DVD movies would have still been usable pieces of media. Seems like a debacle to me.

This is just an opinion though. I don't own HD DVD or Bluray. I just felt that HD DVD was the right choice. Now I will just wait for HD DL to come into it's own.

Are you saying the PS3 does not play and upconvert SD-DVDs? It does...

[ivseenbetter]

So do a lot of the other Bluray players too. I don't even know where I was going with what I was saying. It seems I got lost in my Bluray bashing and lost my point completely!

[Hi Ho]

It does seem like the HD-DVD side put more emphasis on good DVD upscaling than many Blu-Ray players. Many cheaper Blu-Ray players such as the Sony BDP-S300 and the Panasonic BD30 do not have very good upscaling.

[skads_187]

well im getting a cheap panasonic upconverting dvd player for now, and play blu-rays on my ps3 and in the future, when prices go down and/if blu-ray becomes the norm, purchase a bd player with dvd upscale. A good one.

[Thunder18]

So do a lot of the other Bluray players too. I don't even know where I was going with what I was saying. It seems I got lost in my Bluray bashing and lost my point completely!

At least you're honest!

[toon12]

As the support for HD DVD seems to be dwindling I just can't help but wonder how this could have happened? HD DVD was obviously the best format. Look at it this way, those that have a new HD DVD player continue to state that they are not out any money because they still have their current HD DVDs and an awesome upconverting player for the SD DVDs. Now, if Blueray would be dieing how many people would still be able to say their player was still a good investment? There would be no SD DVDs being played in that PS3. It just seems that we have created a situation where now we have a niche player where I will have to have a good upconverting SD DVD player for some movies and a BD player for an HD content. It's frustrating when we could have had an all-in-one solution that would have allowed for continued use of our current DVD collection. Buying new HD DVD movies would have looked great while our old DVD movies would have still been usable pieces of media. Seems like a debacle to me.

This is just an opinion though. I don't own HD DVD or Bluray. I just felt that HD DVD was the right choice. Now I will just wait for HD DL to come into it's own.

1. HD was obviously the better format? Based on what???? I think as far as formats go either HD or Blu-Ray could handle the data requirements to play decent video or audio. This is just mis-information.

2. The PS3 is a brilliant investment. It upconverts SD DVD's as well as the HD players out there. It is perhaps the best Blu-ray disc player. It plays SACD's (don't laugh, I have a collection). And it is an incredible media centre, that you can stream to from your computer. And it is continually being upgraded! An example, it now plays DIVX and WMV. Perhaps the most impressive piece of Consumer Electronics in years.

Anyways, your post is full of factual errors, and shows a complete lack of effort to do any research on blu-ray or PS3's. Spend some time reading these forums before you post again.