Warner to Back Blu-ray Exclusively

[Banjo]

Thanks, Phillips for the link. Now I see why Blu-Ray is popular. Scratch-resistant and 50 GB compared to HD-DVD's 20 GB. I know my sister had to replaced some of her grandkids's DVDs due to scratching.

Not only that, Blu-ray Disc also has faster bandwidth allowing higher picture and audio quality.

 

[RedFox]

Don't forgot about Sxyporkie, I think that she does know about it or not sure.

Does movie theater use VERA format? Just wonders...

Never, VERA was on reels over half a meter across spinning out five meters of tape per second, only storing 15 minutes of black and white 405 line video with only 377 used for the image. It was developed in the 1950s by BBC and was soon replaced by the 2 inch Quadruplex tapes. VERA That page also has a table of tape and disc formats used for video.

 

[starrygaze]

When you buy Sony HDTV 1080p you will get one blue ray player free!

 

[JClarke]

When you buy Sony HDTV 1080p you will get one blue ray player free!

Good luck with that, matey

 

[Babyblue]

Banjo quick question I saw an advertisement on Blue Ray. It advertised the HD satellite dish and showed the dish. I know you are talking about Disc and not Dish but I'm pretty sure it is the same company do you have any info on that?

 

[Banjo]

Banjo quick question I saw an advertisement on Blue Ray. It advertised the HD satellite dish and showed the dish. I know you are talking about Disc and not Dish but I'm pretty sure it is the same company do you have any info on that?

Blu-ray Disc has nothing to do with satellite or cable services. I'm not sure what commercial it was that you watched, but it sounds like you watched a commercial for HDTV channels from DirectTV, DishTV and such services.

 

[Babyblue]

I think you are correct on that. I just seen the Blue Ray emblem and a dish. It just caught my eye.

 

[Banjo]

I think you are correct on that. I just seen the Blue Ray emblem and a dish. It just caught my eye.

That's probably DirectTV. I can see why people would make that mistake.

 

[Banjo]

Hardware Sales

Pre-Warner Bros. Entertainment/New Line Cinema/HBO Announcement (Ending January 5)

Blu-ray Disc - 15,257 units
HD-DVD - 14,558 units

Post-Warner Bros. Entertainment/New Line Cinema/HBO Announcement (Ending January 12)

Blu-ray Disc - 21,770 units
HD-DVD - 1,758 units

Month of December (Weeks ending December 8th to December 29th)

Blu-ray Disc - 115,132 units
HD-DVD - 76,148 units

The Digital Bits

Software Sales

Week Ended January 20th

Blu-ray Disc - 83%
HD DVD - 17%

Week Ended January 13th
Blu-ray Disc - 85%
HD DVD - 15%

Year-to-Date
Blu-ray Disc - 74%
HD DVD - 26%

Since Inception
Blu-ray Disc - 63%
HD DVD - 37%

Home Media Magazine - January 20-26, 2008

For the latest on high-definition video formats, I would recommend The Digital Bits as they offer the best information regarding these matters.

 

[Banjo]

Best Buy's pushing Blu-ray to the front - Engadget HD

The HD DVD camp, still reeling after losing support from Netflix this morning, may feel flattened as Best Buy has announced it will officially promote Blu-ray as the HD format of the future. Starting in early March the store will showcase Blu hardware and software on its shelves and website, and switch from its current neutral stance, to recommending Blu-ray to any customers that ask. While "an assortment of HD DVD products" will remain, a vote of confidence from major retailers, following the majority of studio support, will make it impossible for red to recover.

Netflix picks Blu-ray, good luck renting an HD DVD soon - Engadget HD

In what can only be classified as yet another crushing blow to the embattled HD DVD camp, rent-by-mail giant Netflix has just announced its intention to only stock Blu-ray titles in the future. Netflix justified its decision by pointing out the fact that most Hollywood studios seem to be converging solely around the Sony-backed format -- a fact that's all too familiar to Toshiba and friends. With both Blockbuster and now the 'Flix having eschewed HD DVD for BD, it's gonna get harder and harder to even find a place to rent those former discs in the first place, let alone one that has a decent selection.

Blu-ray.com - National Geographic Goes Blu-ray Exclusive

National Geographic has confirmed that they will only be releasing high definition titles on the Blu-ray format. The decision to go format exclusive comes after Warner Brothers, the company which distributes their content, decided to go Blu-ray exclusive earlier this month. While no official press release will be issued on the subject by National Geographic, all future releases will fall under this new policy.

Blu-ray.com - Confirmed: Sonic Scenarist to be Exclusively Blu-ray

As we reported yesterday, Sonic Solutions has announced that their Professional Products Group will now focus its research and development on the creation of applications for Blu-ray authoring. Sonic will now work to create new tools to make use of BD-Live interactivity. Previously, Scenarist had support for HD DVD authoring as well, but will now cease sales of that product line.

Blu-ray.com - HBO to Back Blu-ray Exclusively

When Warner announced that they would back Blu-ray exclusively, there was no immediate confirmation that New Line Cinema and HBO would follow, only speculation that it was highly likely. The very next day New Line confirmed that they would follow Warner and back Blu-ray exclusively and now, a few days after the Warner announcement, HBO has also confirmed that they are "following the same policy as Warner Home Video." according to HBO Video president Henry McGee.

Blu-ray.com - Retailers Emphasizing Blu-ray

In the wake of the Warner announcements, major retailers are shifting focus to the Blu-ray format in hopes of accelerating the end of the format war. Trans World Entertainment, Newbury Comics, Video Buyers Group members and Hastings Entertainment are all beginning to emphasize Blu-ray as the next generation high definition format in hopes to spur growth in the relatively small market.

Blu-ray.com - Digital Playground Promotes New Blu-ray Releases

Adult film studio Digital Playground has taken out a full-page ad in the latest issue of Home Media Magazine in order to promote their upcoming Blu-ray releases. Shown in the ad are Blu-ray versions of 'Island Fever 4', 'Pirates', and 'Babysitters'. The unmissable tag line in the ad "So Real You Can Feel It" is in the trademark blue color accustom to Blu-ray.

 

[Banjo]

Blu-ray.com - Wal-Mart To Exclusively Support Blu-ray

Wal-Mart has confirmed with Blu-ray.com that beginning in June the world's largest retailer will only stock Blu-ray players and movies. Over the next few months, they will phase out all HD DVD products and reorganize their stores to focus on Blu-ray. This move comes days after similar statements of support for Blu-ray by Internet movie rental site Netflix and retailer Best Buy.

 

[Banjo]

Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say

The format war has turned into a format death watch.

Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.

Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said.

But she hinted that something's in the air. "Given the market developments in the past month," she said, "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players."

Immediately after the Warner announcement, the HD DVD North American Promotional Group canceled its Consumer Electronics Show presentation. The following week, data collected by the NPD Group revealed Blu-ray took in 93% of all hardware sales for that week.

 

[Banjo]

Basically, what all of you are seeing here is a major domino effect. Ever since January 4, the day Warner Bros. announced the Blu-ray Disc exclusivity; it has been nothing but bad news for the HD DVD camp.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, New Line Cinema, HBO, National Geographic... Best Buy, Netflix, Wal-Mart... and now rumours are suffering about Toshiba pulling the plug on HD DVD.

The war is coming to an end... very soon.

 

[Secretblend]

About time!

 

[sequoias]

I heard that Toshiba is going to discontinue HD DVD format sometime soon.

 

[Foxrac]

Blu-ray Xbox 360 Planned By Microsoft

By David Richards | Monday | 18/02/2008


Rumours were circulating today that Microsoft is set to dump HD DVD and bring out a Blu ray Xbox 360 by as early as May 2008. The move will allow the Company to go head to head with the Sony PS3 gaming console which has been credited with being one of the main reasons that retailers have preferred Blu-ray over Toshiba’s HD DVD.

Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.

The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.

Both Intel and Microsoft have been supporters of the HD DVD format that is set to be killed off this week.The Company has also held discussions with several OEM manufacturers of media centres with nearly all of them telling the software Company that they are set to move to Blu-ray configured Media Centres within the next month.

Late last week US Media Centre maker Niveus dumped HD DVD in favour of Blu-ray.

The Company VP of marketing Brian Paper said that Niveus had received support from Microsoft and Intel when implementing HD DVD. The format wasn't pushed on Niveus, he said, adding that the commitment in both Intel and Microsoft "isn't religious for HD DVD".

Michael Ephraim the Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment said: "We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable. In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very succesful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player".

When asked whether Sony would grant Microsoft a Blu-ray licence he said: "That is up to Sony Corporate but I see no reason why they would not do it".

During CES 2006 the then Microsoft's Xbox corporate VP of worldwide marketing and publishing Peter Moore told Japanese site ITmedia that a Blu-ray Xbox 360 peripheral could appear for the system if the need arises. Moore admitted that Microsoft isn't sure of the next-generation format war's outcome, with the worst-case scenario being a repeat of the Beta vs. VHS war of the '80s.

However, he suggested that whatever the outcome of the HD-DVD/Blu-ray war, the Xbox 360 can adopt the dominant format since its uses an external drive.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Console/J7L7H2R4

 

[Foxrac]

Blu-ray: 'Toshiba and Microsoft should join us'

BDA speaks to TechRadar about the future of HD

Microsoft and Toshiba are more than welcome to join the Blu-ray camp and would be valuable additions if they did. That’s what the Blu-ray Disc Association’s spokesperson, Frank Simonis, said when he spoke to TechRadar from Japan this afternoon.

“Of course we have always said that Toshiba and Microsoft, and any other company, is more than welcome to join the Blu-ray Disc Association. We are an open organisation, with an open disc standard. If Toshiba decides to drop HD DVD we would extend the hand of friendship to them, they are always welcome to join,” he said.

Simonis also empathised with Toshiba, saying that it’s in a very difficult position. He said that any decision to join the BDA would be very difficult for Toshiba, having supported a rival format for so long.

Blu-ray vs HD DVD

Simonis was responding to two stories relating to the two HD DVD-supporting companies. The first was that Microsoft might be planning on launching an Xbox 360 console with a Blu-ray drive inside, and the second is that Toshiba might be about to finally give up on HD DVD.

“Microsoft could easily put Blu-ray inside the Xbox,” said Simonis. “From my understanding Microsoft did an early evaluation and the Xbox has a similar processor to the PS3 so it will be perfectly capable of decoding a Blu-ray disc.

“So technically it could do it. All Microsoft would have to do is acquire a BD licence,” he said.

Simonis dismissed the notion that Sony might be uncomfortable with Microsoft joining the Blu-ray camp. Some say that it’s unlikely that Sony would want Microsoft to put a Blu-ray drive in the Xbox – because then it would be an even bigger threat to the PS3.

But Simonis said that Sony would not be able to stop such a move.

“Sony has nothing to say on this. The BDA is an open organisation and no one company is in charge of it. It’s irrelevant whether Sony would be happy about Microsoft joining up, because it wouldn’t have a say.”

Death of HD DVD?

Regarding Toshiba’s supposedly imminent amputation of its HD DVD arm, Simonis remained dignified and said that it was too early to declare victory for Blu-ray and would not speculate on when the BD format would finally win out.

He also rubbished claims that digital downloads will spell an early death for the Blu-ray disc format.

“Downloading a 4.7GB movie is still an absolute pain for most people. So what would it be to download a 50GB 1080p movie? It would take an extraordinary amount of time and people are just not ready for such things,” he said.

“When it comes to ownership of content, we’ve seen the research: people like to have a physical disc in their hand. With a real box and real case lining. Downloads don’t offer people what they want.”

By James Rivington

Blu-ray: 'Toshiba and Microsoft should join us' | News | TechRadar.com

I hope it would be true, I would plan get BD add-on for Xbox 360 after when MS make official announcement soon, rumored about would come out in May 2008.

 

[Banjo]

I heard that Toshiba is going to discontinue HD DVD format sometime soon.

It has been "confirmed" by some sources that it indeed is going to happen. You just have to wait for the official announcement to take place which could be taking place within weeks.

 

[Banjo]

Blu-ray.com - Toshiba Resigns from Format War; Blu-ray Wins!

Sources close to the situation have alerted Blu-ray.com that Toshiba is expected announce at a press conference to be held at 5pm (local time) in Tokyo, Japan that they have ended their support of the HD DVD format. Toshiba will announce that effective immediately, production of HD DVD hardware, software, and authoring tools will cease, and that sales and support of existing products will end sometime in March.

As the main supporters of HD DVD, their resignation effectively ends the format war. Blu-ray has won.

If this turn out to be true that they are announcing within hours of now... then it is officially over.

 

[Banjo]

It's official now.

Toshiba : Press Releases 19 February, 2008

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