So the big announcement has broke...Warner is going Blu folks, essentially killing any hopes HD-DVD had of surviving.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/ ... usive/1325

Have to say (as someone with both formats). Its probably for the best. HD-DVD is pretty much dead in the water now and the sooner this format "war" is over the better it will be for the consumer and the take up of HD formats..

Thoughts??

Having just bought a PS3 i'm happy with that news. I thought it was a bit ridiculous bourne ultimatum is only on HD at the moment. Is that every studio on the blu ray boat then?
I'm just waiting on my Samsung 1080p TV to arrive now and i will be a happy boy

Just Universal and Paramount red exclusives, and i cant see them holding out. Over 75% of all titles available are now Blu. Toshiba seem in shock, and they've cancelled their 2 hour press conference at CES now:


http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/ ... rence/1331

I see Michael Bay has been ranting against HD DVD again, despite his apology after doing it last time.
He is blaming Microsoft for dragging the war out. Digital downloads is definately the future, but I don't see it being close to mainstream use for a while yet.

He said - "What you don't understand is corporate politics. Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about.

"That is why Microsoft is handing out $100m checks to studios just embrace the HD DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu-ray," he continued. "They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."

Ultimately, its better for the consumer if one format wins and sooner rather than later. However, I find myself siding with Michael "stewed tea sunset" Bay on this. Microsoft need their arses felt for their meddling in this as they were clearly trying to load the deck in their favour by keeping this market 'war' bubbling along.

I personally have yet to purchase any equipment to support HD yet as cots / changer dressers / general nursery ware have been at the top of the spending budget ( I have about two weeks to go before my movie viewing hits a record low when junior marabunta makes his/her arrival ), so I suppose from a selfish point of view I will be happy that the issue of which format will win out is resolved before I part with my cash.

New Line follow Warner's announcement as well, hardly a surprise though seeing as they're owned by Time Warner

http://www.engadgethd.com/tag/NewLine/

As I announced in another thread, I just purchased an HD-DVD player, so of course I'm disappointed. I had heard the Warner rumors and still went ahead, and I don't think anything would have changed that. I wanted to watch HD movies and wasn't ready to spend $400 on a Blu-Ray player. When prices come down, I'm sure I will; maybe by the time the BD version of LOTR is released. But my next big purchase to complete the home theater experience will be a surround sound system.

In the mean time, Netflix has plenty of HD-DVD titles to enjoy, many still exclusive to the format. What I won't be doing is buying many HD-DVDs (I own fewer than twenty standard definition DVDs as it is).

I have to call BS on the Microsoft conspiracy theory. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one, so the burden of proof is on the conspiracy theorists. The biggest holes in the theory are:

(1) Microsoft's motive for seeing both formats fail;

and (2) the logic of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to support one of them as the best way to accomplish this goal.

Microsoft has invested a lot of money developing HD-DVD with Toshiba, and it has a vested interest in seeing it succeed, just as Sony has invested a lot of money in Blu-Ray and has an even greater interest in it not failing. That's reason enough to spend millions on exclusivity deals with Paramount and Universal, if they did. It's business.

Two companies much better positioned to benefit from a failure of both hi-def DVD formats are Amazon and Apple*. Both sell or rent movies online, and HD "on demand" is an obvious part of the long range strategy.

What angle is Apple playing by supporting Blu-Ray? Clearly, it used its influence with Disney to go exclusive with Blu-Ray, prolonging the format war long enough to perfect HD downloads via I-Tunes. Warner, already nervous about Apple's dominance in the music download business, changed its stance from neutral to Blu-Ray exclusive, with the intent of ending the format war before Apple could achieve its diabolical goal. How's that for a conspiracy theory?

I don't know who paid what for the various exclusivity deals that exist on both sides, but I assure you, Warner's decision to go Blu-Ray exclusive was not based entirely on the altruistic motive to end the format war for the benefit of consumers. There was cash or equivalent incentives on the table from both sides. If Warner didn't take it, their executives should be fired and sued by their shareholders for breach of fiduciary duty.

* Add Netflix, Verizon, and every cable company to the list of those that have as much or more to gain from the failure of both Hi-Def DVD formats than Microsoft.

Yesterday my wife stopped me from buying a Blu-ray player by telling me she'd bought me a delicious spanking new HD-DVD player for my upcoming birthday. Nice timing!

I don't mean to sound ungrateful - obviously I'm thrilled about getting my player - at worst this has just dulled the excitement a little. There's always a silver lining, in this case the fact that I'll just have to buy a PS3 as well now

And, without using the words 'straws' and 'clutching', does anyone think that this might not spell doom HD-DVD?

Not wanting to be the party-pooper but personally the sooner both these formats die the better.

There are so many great, great films left sitting on studios vaults that they haven't released on DVD yet that the forcing of a new format already (it's been what 7-8 years since DVD hit the mainsteam?) so studios can sell the masses shit in higher resolution is quite frankly depressing.

VHS was around for 20 years and there are still films from big American studios waiting for their home video debut. Bringing in a new format is just going to extend the waiting period.

I read somewhere that even if Celestial IVL continue releasing Shaw Brothers films at their current rate it would take well over a decade to release them all.

There are great films that could be lost to the public forever just lying in the studio vault being passed by as they re-release films that already had excellent DVDs editions.

Think about it.

But surely this has no effect on the release of rare films. The sticking point is getting studios to release them -- the existence of one high-definition DVD format should have no effect. In actual fact, it should make things simpler, with rare films getting onto DVD and Blu-ray when some crusading film lover finally gets them released.

I feel your pain. I have two small kids, 5 and 7, and my movie watching has yet to return to pre-children levels. I started a movie club with other film buff dads and we go out to a film once a month and go out after to shoot the breeze and discuss the film. My advice is to try and start something similar so you at least get to around 12 movies a year.

On the positive side, kids are a wonderful, life-changing experience, even if they do kick movie going in the nether regions.

It probably will effect the release of rare films because the studios will be tying up a ton of money supporting both DVD and HD on new titles, and then more re-releasing DVD tiles in HD. If they were worrying about spending the money on supporting DVD releases of the rare films (or TV for that matter) before, why would they pony up now that they're finding more ways to spend money on the same films they're already releasing.

Yes, I see the argument, but remain unconvinced that BRD will funnel all money away from releasing rare films. In fact, it may generate additional revenues that could be used on putting out less popular titles.

One area it certainly will help the release of rare films is with the adition of Criterion to the hi-def fold. They have stated on many occasions that they will start releasing titles in HD when there is a single format, with the tide finally turning Blu it might not be too long before we see the first HD Criterion titles.

still, its kinda sad seeing HD-DVD go down. despite the fact that i bought the HD drive for my 360, despite the fact that i fought HD's corner against everyone i know. its just sad to see it go down. That said it doesnt render the titles i've already bought useless or doesnt mean they are suddenly going to stop working. long may our collections grow- laser, vhs, dvd, HD and blu-ray- despite the fumblings of opposing studios and greedy corporations... balls to it. i'm going to buy a PS3.