Caris Posted January 6, 2008 Posted January 6, 2008 Live from Toshiba's CES press conference 10:10 - Director of Corporate Communications just took the stage - Next up: Jodi Sally to "address" their HD DVD business, but first, President & CEO Mr. Ozaka 10:12 - Great success for Regza LCDs and HD DVD, strong Q4 sales for HD DVD - Really, it says so on the slide. 10:13 - "Very surprised by Warner announcement about HD DVD...etc", basically the same as the press release issued earlier. 10:15 - Jodi Sally is on stage "It's been a tough day for me (laughs)". 10:16 - "Only HD DVD has deliver on its commitments to the market, bringing advanced functionality and affordability" "We've been declared dead before...unit sales in Q4 were the best to date. Nearly 1 million dedicated HD DVD players are in the market" "HD DVD has always put the interests of consumers ahead of companies" 10:18 - "Thanks for your continued support, a slide of all the awards HD DVD has gotten in the past year" -- and that's it. To me it sounds as if there saying that's it for HD-DVD.
Ten10 Posted January 6, 2008 Posted January 6, 2008 Its a shame too since it is the spiritual successor to the dvd. But really I don't think even with this HD movie war that either will succeed for a while even when a clear winner has been announced. Because the DVD format is so popular its not dying for now. Even the video lasted quite some time into the DVD's life time.
McPhee Posted January 6, 2008 Posted January 6, 2008 DVDs are too cheap at the moment. I, like most people, will stick with those until someone can offer blu-ray movies for under a tenner. More likely there'll be some other format long before that happens
Jasper Posted January 6, 2008 Posted January 6, 2008 But DVD replaced a previous, analog format. The switch from VHS to DVD was much more logical than the one to BluRay. I personally think that, before the time everyone's switched to a next-generation format, digial downloads will be the real future. Let's wait and see.
Hero-of-Time Posted January 6, 2008 Posted January 6, 2008 You should see the Streetfighter 4 topic on the PS3 boards at gametrailers its made of pure win. Matt if you read this try post the pics on here. I cant as im using the PS3 to type this. EDIT-Matts gone offline it appears, still worth a cheeky look though.
Guest Jordan Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 Keeping fanboys at bay on both sides here. Why the hell would MS actually care who won or not? Their codecs power both formats! They make money either way.
Caris Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 Keeping fanboys at bay on both sides here. Why the hell would MS actually care who won or not? Their codecs power both formats! They make money either way. I think it's something to do with the members subtitles.
McPhee Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 They win both ways, but HD-DVD had the added bonus of pissing Sony off. Now they'll just have to settle for making lots and lots of money. Hard life, ain't it?
Guest Jordan Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 I think it's something to do with the members subtitles. Oh yeah...
fex Posted January 7, 2008 Author Posted January 7, 2008 The switch from Video to DVD happened alot easier (maybe quicker, maybe higher adoption rate, whatever) because you didn't need to buy a new swanky television to watch it on. A 1080p tele plus a blu-ray player costs alot, alot more than the majority of people are willing to pay especially when DVD quality satisfies them. Gimmie Ultra High Definition.
Emasher Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 People were more eager to move from VHS to DVD because there was no rewinding and there was the fancy new menu system. You didn't need a new TV to benefit from it. The only new thing Blu-ray really offers is higher quality video for HDTV owners and since 90%(?) of people are still using SDTVs there's no advantage to getting a Blu-ray player for the average consumer.
blender Posted January 7, 2008 Posted January 7, 2008 People were more eager to move from VHS to DVD because there was no rewinding and there was the fancy new menu system. You didn't need a new TV to benefit from it. The only new thing Blu-ray really offers is higher quality video for HDTV owners and since 90%(?) of people are still using SDTVs there's no advantage to getting a Blu-ray player for the average consumer. i'd say the main reason was that your VHS video collection would degrade with time and humidity. Otherwise agree.
Domstercool Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 The Financial Times are reporting that part of Paramount Studio's deal with the HD-DVD camp included a get-out clause. Said clause would be triggered when and if Warner turned coat and signed with Blu-Ray. Oops. Paramount are now "poised" to do just that, leaving the vast majority of studios aligned with team Blu-Ray and HD-DVD dead in the water. And here comes another one on board.
Guest Jordan Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 My guess is, HD-DVD will either do one of three things: 1, Die, never to be seen again. 2, Do the beta max route and become the choice of TV program makers. 3, Be the PC choice, cheaper to burn, cheaper drives.
Fierce_LiNk Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 I hope DVD can stick it out for a good few years, yet. I'm a bit reluctant to adopt any of the two formats, especially if one or both will become redundant in the next few years.
Ten10 Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 It will still be interesting to see HD DVD's next move. It may still be possible for them to turn things around, but I don't see anything beyond agressive pricing, which could also be seen as shops trying to get rid of dead stock. Either way it seems the blu-ray era is nigh.
Rowan Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 It does seem likely that Blu-Ray is getting closer to being the winning format. However at the moment I do not have a HD TV so I am happy to be sticking with DVDs for a few years. Hopefully Blu-Ray discs will also go down in price. Sorry if this is a silly question but can Blu-Ray drives read normal DVD discs?
DCK Posted January 8, 2008 Posted January 8, 2008 Also with pc drives just look at the awfuly slow burning specs for HDDVD not to mention lack of space. It just was an inferior format period. Oh come on, would you stop just saying that and give arguments we haven't debunked? I'd say it's a pretty viable option that HD DVD becomes more popular on the PC. Bluray won't allow moviez, and HD DVD is a cheaper format. I doubt it'll happen, though, as the consumer tends to stick with what he knows.
McPhee Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 The biggest pc manufacturers are Blu Ray. Like who? All the big computer manufacturers have been sat on the fence, releasing PCs and Laptops with both drives. The only example i can think of is Dell Choze, you don't half speak some shit.
Caris Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 There was blu-ray drives before HD-DVD to be fair.
Ten10 Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 Here is some propaganda from the HD DVD Promotional group press release its quite long so I slapped it in a spoiler tag. There are now more than 400 HD DVD titles available in the US and more than 1,000 available worldwide. During the key five-week holiday selling period, HD DVD software sales grew at nearly twice the rate of Blu-ray, which was consistent with increased player growth. Among all high-definition formats, HD DVD still maintains the highest attach rates — more than twice the rate of Blu-ray. Toshiba’s HD DVD players received several Editor’s Choice and Product of the Year awards from respected media outlets, including Sound & Vision, Electronic House, E-Gear, and Ultimate AV. HD DVD-enabled PCs represented more than 80% of all high definition-capable PCs in 2007. The HD DVD companies expect notebook PCs in particular to be the variable that helps keep quality high, but prices low, by driving down manufacturing costs for drives across all HD DVD players. In 2007, HD DVD went from being supported by 41 studios and distributors worldwide to 65. In 2007, HD DVD led the way with never-before-seen interactive experiences that have changed how consumers interact with their favorite movies: HD DVD was first to offer true picture-in-picture director’s commentary with Warner’s 300. This feature was not included in the Blu-ray version, and showcases a key HD DVD feature that caters directly to the fan community. Universal’s Heroes and Paramount’s Transformers also included picture-in-picture features that enhance the experience for fans. HD DVD was also the first to deliver web-connected content, offering bonus material on titles such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Heroes: Season 1, and Transformers — all offering downloadable content that’s continually updated so fans can return for new features. I think they're just trying to make themselves feel better.
Nintenchris Posted January 9, 2008 Posted January 9, 2008 Here is some propaganda from the HD DVD Promotional group press release its quite long so I slapped it in a spoiler tag. There are now more than 400 HD DVD titles available in the US and more than 1,000 available worldwide. During the key five-week holiday selling period, HD DVD software sales grew at nearly twice the rate of Blu-ray, which was consistent with increased player growth. Among all high-definition formats, HD DVD still maintains the highest attach rates — more than twice the rate of Blu-ray. Toshiba’s HD DVD players received several Editor’s Choice and Product of the Year awards from respected media outlets, including Sound & Vision, Electronic House, E-Gear, and Ultimate AV. HD DVD-enabled PCs represented more than 80% of all high definition-capable PCs in 2007. The HD DVD companies expect notebook PCs in particular to be the variable that helps keep quality high, but prices low, by driving down manufacturing costs for drives across all HD DVD players. In 2007, HD DVD went from being supported by 41 studios and distributors worldwide to 65. In 2007, HD DVD led the way with never-before-seen interactive experiences that have changed how consumers interact with their favorite movies: HD DVD was first to offer true picture-in-picture director’s commentary with Warner’s 300. This feature was not included in the Blu-ray version, and showcases a key HD DVD feature that caters directly to the fan community. Universal’s Heroes and Paramount’s Transformers also included picture-in-picture features that enhance the experience for fans. HD DVD was also the first to deliver web-connected content, offering bonus material on titles such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Heroes: Season 1, and Transformers — all offering downloadable content that’s continually updated so fans can return for new features. I think they're just trying to make themselves feel better. "Among all high-definition formats, HD DVD still maintains the highest attach rates — more than twice the rate of Blu-ray." thats most likely because they hand out lots HD DVD's free with every player you buy...
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