The Financial Times no less is stating that the High-Def DVD format war between HD-DVD (Toshiba and its mates) and Blu-ray (Sony and its mates) is over - and Sony has won.
Yup, the trusted organ of the financial world states, "It looks like we have a winner. After months of see-sawing, the battle to determine the dominant format for high-definition DVDs has tipped strongly to Sony’s Blu-ray."
This thoroughly supportive piece of copy comes off the back of the news that Warner Brothers has announced that it will stop releasing HD movies in the rival format.
The FT also announces, using a word that shocked us for such a mighty organ that, "Roughly 70 per cent of new movies will now be released exclusively on Blu-ray". Roughly? Roughly!? How times have changed.
We also feel that the paper means, "70% of HD movies". If not - if it really means that 70% of ALL new movies" then Sony really would have won hands down.
Toshiba isn't lying down and taking it though, with Jodi Sally, vice-president of marketing for digital audio and video at Toshiba America Consumer Products, coming on all fighty and saying,"We've been declared dead before". Okay, on the one hand you can read this to mean that it is now being declared dead and Jod's accepting it. On the other hand, maybe Sally's mocking that 70% release rate.
Despite apparently cancelling several events at CES in Las Vegas, the HD-DVD camp - which includes Microsoft - is not giving up the fight. In fact, Toshiba has even thrown doubt on the deal, saying that it has being given "commitments" from Warner. No one, however, has come forward to take the deal to court based on these commitments - ergo, this could simply be fear, uncertainty and doubt... but surely that's not a tactic that anybody would use in the modern world of business?
Source: The Financial Times
[url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8be6e2e8-bd3a-11dc-b7e6-0000779fd2ac.html]
The Financial Times 2[/url]
Yup, the trusted organ of the financial world states, "It looks like we have a winner. After months of see-sawing, the battle to determine the dominant format for high-definition DVDs has tipped strongly to Sony’s Blu-ray."
This thoroughly supportive piece of copy comes off the back of the news that Warner Brothers has announced that it will stop releasing HD movies in the rival format.
The FT also announces, using a word that shocked us for such a mighty organ that, "Roughly 70 per cent of new movies will now be released exclusively on Blu-ray". Roughly? Roughly!? How times have changed.
We also feel that the paper means, "70% of HD movies". If not - if it really means that 70% of ALL new movies" then Sony really would have won hands down.
Toshiba isn't lying down and taking it though, with Jodi Sally, vice-president of marketing for digital audio and video at Toshiba America Consumer Products, coming on all fighty and saying,"We've been declared dead before". Okay, on the one hand you can read this to mean that it is now being declared dead and Jod's accepting it. On the other hand, maybe Sally's mocking that 70% release rate.
Despite apparently cancelling several events at CES in Las Vegas, the HD-DVD camp - which includes Microsoft - is not giving up the fight. In fact, Toshiba has even thrown doubt on the deal, saying that it has being given "commitments" from Warner. No one, however, has come forward to take the deal to court based on these commitments - ergo, this could simply be fear, uncertainty and doubt... but surely that's not a tactic that anybody would use in the modern world of business?
Source: The Financial Times
[url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8be6e2e8-bd3a-11dc-b7e6-0000779fd2ac.html]
The Financial Times 2[/url]
Read More Like This
Comments
deleted 7 Jan 2008 23:09
1/6
i for one dont care who wins just give us one HD format and be done, they both have the pros and cons, but does it really matter, also the fct Tosh only annouced New DVD Players and CES could point to the fact they are pulling the HD DVD Machine Design based on this? but whatever just give me HD TV, HD Optical Media and HD Downloads my TV cost me £1200.00 can i use it yet?
SuperSaiyan4 8 Jan 2008 09:33
2/6
I will always favour HD-DVD, my mate just bought the new HD-EP30 player from Toshiba in which you get a total of 7 HD-DVD's for free, 5 by redemption. My dad just bought one yesterday as well.
There are tons of movies on HD-DVD and I prefer the features and the ease of use of accessing all the extras in-movie.
Its an awesome player and is very light and at under £200 its well worth it!
Also HD-DVD's are completely region free and I buy my movies from www.dvdworldusa.com cheaper and get them much earlier.
There are tons of movies on HD-DVD and I prefer the features and the ease of use of accessing all the extras in-movie.
Its an awesome player and is very light and at under £200 its well worth it!
Also HD-DVD's are completely region free and I buy my movies from www.dvdworldusa.com cheaper and get them much earlier.
more comments below our sponsor's message
Bentley 8 Jan 2008 12:34
3/6
Bully for you. I don't think anyone's too shocked or bothered by your choices.
"I like HD DVD better because this offer gives you 5 free and my daddy bought one".
What a crap reason. "And it's light too which is handy because I am personally always lifting up my electrical equipment to feel the weight".
Hands up who cares what SuperSaiyan thinks anyway.
Oh, you hear that sound Saiyan? That's the sound of a million people sawing their arms off rather than give a damn about your opinion.
"I like HD DVD better because this offer gives you 5 free and my daddy bought one".
What a crap reason. "And it's light too which is handy because I am personally always lifting up my electrical equipment to feel the weight".
Hands up who cares what SuperSaiyan thinks anyway.
Oh, you hear that sound Saiyan? That's the sound of a million people sawing their arms off rather than give a damn about your opinion.
Coxy 8 Jan 2008 14:57
4/6
Is anyone else surprised by the speed at which this seems to have happened, I certainly am.
I bought the Xbox HD DVD drive on the 28th December, (it was a decent price and you could send away for five free dvds - I'm not a fanboy of either format, this just seemed like a good deal, even though I knew eventually there would be only one dominant format.) and from that time its gone from being a viable HD format to being pretty much redundant in eleven or so days, crazy. (Plus, my DVDs still haven't arrived!)
Still, I'm determined to get some years of use out of it, but the way things are going, it looks like i'll have to eventually pick up a Blu-Ray player, but still I never expected things to progress so quickly - I was convinced the two formats would drag on for a few years yet, still I suppose it's better for the consumer that things end quickly.
C'est la vie.
I bought the Xbox HD DVD drive on the 28th December, (it was a decent price and you could send away for five free dvds - I'm not a fanboy of either format, this just seemed like a good deal, even though I knew eventually there would be only one dominant format.) and from that time its gone from being a viable HD format to being pretty much redundant in eleven or so days, crazy. (Plus, my DVDs still haven't arrived!)
Still, I'm determined to get some years of use out of it, but the way things are going, it looks like i'll have to eventually pick up a Blu-Ray player, but still I never expected things to progress so quickly - I was convinced the two formats would drag on for a few years yet, still I suppose it's better for the consumer that things end quickly.
C'est la vie.
Joji 8 Jan 2008 18:51
5/6
This all seems strange when PS3, the very thing that's been driving Blu Ray, is doing so bad in comparison. Both these formats are gonna be around for a while and neither is even recordable yet, when that day comes, then more people will invest.
I'd easily choose HD DVD though, cause I just like my stuff to be region free if possible (as apposed to Sony's new region bs). As soon as a 360 HD drive comes down in price I'm gonna bag one. Better still maybe I should just buy an import one (if it would work I don't know, does it) as it might be cheaper.
I'd easily choose HD DVD though, cause I just like my stuff to be region free if possible (as apposed to Sony's new region bs). As soon as a 360 HD drive comes down in price I'm gonna bag one. Better still maybe I should just buy an import one (if it would work I don't know, does it) as it might be cheaper.
satsuma 8 Jan 2008 22:28
6/6
Joji.. Blue Ray is recordable.. (at least on pc blueray drives).
Anyway its good to see a likely winner at last, and In many ways Im happy its Blu not Hdvd. As others have said, I just wish Blu would ditch the region stuff.. its soo 1990's.
Anyway its good to see a likely winner at last, and In many ways Im happy its Blu not Hdvd. As others have said, I just wish Blu would ditch the region stuff.. its soo 1990's.