Warner's Not Going Blu-ray Exclusive
The HD-DVD battle is still going on and on and on and on...
A recent BusinessWeek report into HD-DVD format wars decided that Warner Brothers would be switching out of its current dual-format approach and into an exclusive Blu-ray distribution for disc-based video. This was predicated using quotes such as:
Admittedly, getting Warners onside would be a huge boost for the Sony-backed (and PlayStation 3-mounted) format, which took damage this year as Paramount Pictures opted for the Toshiba-supported HD DVD format.
Chris Nicholls of Australian Current.com, however, reports that "In an official statement, Warner Brothers Home Video Australia and New Zealand managing director Roger Clarke said, the company’s global position had not changed and they would continue to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray for the foreseeable future."
The official statement is as follows:
So, the interminable battle between two disc formats grinds on like the siege of Stalingrad historically mated with the 100 Years War. Get on with it people before downloads make the entire conflict laughable.
You've actually got to give props to Xbox (and Microsoft... obviously) for not not committing either way. It's also interesting in a 'have a dig' kind of way that the title of yesterday's press release from Microsoft pimping its Xbox Live Video Marketplace was entitled, "MORE WARNER BROS FILMS CONFIRMED ON XBOX 360™ THIS CHRISTMAS". Read that story over here.
Is it just pre-Greedmas en-wii (sic) on SPOnG's part or is the whole format war wearing very, very thin? Tell us in the Forum.
Sources:
Chris Nicholls' report is here.
Original Businessweek report is over here.
""The rumor is that Warner is coming aboard soon," says Michael Burns, vice-chairman of studio Lionsgate (LGF), which makes its movies available on the Sony-backed format. "That will make it awfully tough for HD DVD to stay in this game." (Sony declined to comment, and Toshiba only would say it is "in regular contact with the studios.")"
Admittedly, getting Warners onside would be a huge boost for the Sony-backed (and PlayStation 3-mounted) format, which took damage this year as Paramount Pictures opted for the Toshiba-supported HD DVD format.
Chris Nicholls of Australian Current.com, however, reports that "In an official statement, Warner Brothers Home Video Australia and New Zealand managing director Roger Clarke said, the company’s global position had not changed and they would continue to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray for the foreseeable future."
The official statement is as follows:
"Our position hasn’t changed and certainly any comments that were published in the US were not intended to suggest that we had changed our stance. We support both formats and we have not made any decision towards that policy and nor are any such announcements planned or in the pipeline.
"In terms of the short-term scenarios around the Q4 sales results, Warner Brothers are always reviewing our strategies and we can’t say what might happen in five or ten years, but for now, there’s been no decision made to change course."
"In terms of the short-term scenarios around the Q4 sales results, Warner Brothers are always reviewing our strategies and we can’t say what might happen in five or ten years, but for now, there’s been no decision made to change course."
So, the interminable battle between two disc formats grinds on like the siege of Stalingrad historically mated with the 100 Years War. Get on with it people before downloads make the entire conflict laughable.
You've actually got to give props to Xbox (and Microsoft... obviously) for not not committing either way. It's also interesting in a 'have a dig' kind of way that the title of yesterday's press release from Microsoft pimping its Xbox Live Video Marketplace was entitled, "MORE WARNER BROS FILMS CONFIRMED ON XBOX 360™ THIS CHRISTMAS". Read that story over here.
Is it just pre-Greedmas en-wii (sic) on SPOnG's part or is the whole format war wearing very, very thin? Tell us in the Forum.
Sources:
Chris Nicholls' report is here.
Original Businessweek report is over here.
Companies:
Warner Brothers
Read More Like This
Comments
SuperSaiyan4 12 Dec 2007 13:35
1/1
This is all one big joke if you ask me.
Now here is the thing...Microsoft always talk about giving the consumer a choice right? Like they did with the HD-DVD player and then with the movie downloads that came out recently for Europe and Canada.
But what they won't do is give anyone a Blu-Ray player add-on...And Microsoft say they back HD-DVD.
Now we have a situation, on one hand Microsoft wants to give us a choice - the movie download being a worst case situation as the movies are only in 720p and most have only stereo no 5.1 or any extras etc.
On the other hand Microsoft doesn't seem to be pushing HD-DVD at all, if a company is that serious and dedicated to win a format war then do what Sony did...Include a blu-ray player and allow developers to make games on the extra space if needed.
The benefit of HD-DVD discs for gaming would have been - queiter drives for a start and more space for less shoddy games with frame rate issues, screen tearing and texture streaming....But then HD-DVD is or was at the time like the blu-ray drive slow at only 2x read but Sony allowed for games to be partially installed onto the hard drive - note cost factor and use of space which would have cost Microsoft money.
Overall its complications on money something Sony have had but may have benefited in the long wrong with the blu-ray player in the PS3.
Microsoft have vastly more money available, a big investment by Microsoft would have meant and I am pretty sure of this...HD-DVD would have been the successor of DVD.
Overall Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot and they know it, alternative is get people to start to download movies from the net...and now Xbox 1 games...Pretty soon Xbox 360 games since they are about the same size.
Conspiracy theory? Microsoft are actually looking to and it has been said already to go for downloads only and do away with media altogether.
Now here is the thing...Microsoft always talk about giving the consumer a choice right? Like they did with the HD-DVD player and then with the movie downloads that came out recently for Europe and Canada.
But what they won't do is give anyone a Blu-Ray player add-on...And Microsoft say they back HD-DVD.
Now we have a situation, on one hand Microsoft wants to give us a choice - the movie download being a worst case situation as the movies are only in 720p and most have only stereo no 5.1 or any extras etc.
On the other hand Microsoft doesn't seem to be pushing HD-DVD at all, if a company is that serious and dedicated to win a format war then do what Sony did...Include a blu-ray player and allow developers to make games on the extra space if needed.
The benefit of HD-DVD discs for gaming would have been - queiter drives for a start and more space for less shoddy games with frame rate issues, screen tearing and texture streaming....But then HD-DVD is or was at the time like the blu-ray drive slow at only 2x read but Sony allowed for games to be partially installed onto the hard drive - note cost factor and use of space which would have cost Microsoft money.
Overall its complications on money something Sony have had but may have benefited in the long wrong with the blu-ray player in the PS3.
Microsoft have vastly more money available, a big investment by Microsoft would have meant and I am pretty sure of this...HD-DVD would have been the successor of DVD.
Overall Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot and they know it, alternative is get people to start to download movies from the net...and now Xbox 1 games...Pretty soon Xbox 360 games since they are about the same size.
Conspiracy theory? Microsoft are actually looking to and it has been said already to go for downloads only and do away with media altogether.
