Blu-Ray wins on Black Friday week.

[DaViD Boulet]

Go back and look I said Warners was up for sale last week. It's now been confirmed by a major news outlet (and they say it's up for grabs). Warners can say it's about sales, but the truth is if they pick HD DVD they will point to the standalone player sales. If they pick BD they'll point to software sales for the year. Either way they're covered.

The one with the biggest check wins.

I have friends at the major corporations and the studios. I'm currently in between gigs and I've got offers from both sides of the camp.

What I meant was that so far Microsoft has publically denied financial involvement (though most industry eyes don't believe them) and Toshiba has been positioned as the source of the financial incentives offered to WB (and paramount/dreamworks). Do you have word on MS direct or indirect involvement in terms of financial influence?

I hope that everyone on the pro-HD DVD side takes a moment and considers exactly what Microsoft's motives really are. Here's a hint: It's not a desire to give you, the videophile, the best disc-based format to deliver transparent audio and video to your home-theater for the coming decades.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

What I meant was that so far Microsoft has publically denied financial involvement (though most industry eyes don't believe them) and Toshiba has been positioned as the source of the financial incentives offered to WB (and paramount/dreamworks). Do you have word on MS direct or indirect involvement in terms of financial influence?

I hope that everyone on the pro-HD DVD side takes a moment and considers exactly what Microsoft's motives really are. Here's a hint: It's not a desire to give you, the videophile, the best disc-based format to deliver transparent audio and video to your home-theater for the coming decades.

David I just want a winner. Period.

I want more titles on a disc in HD and preferably with lossless audio.

If HD DVD is the one fine especially if the 51GB disc works just fine and there really is no reason it shouldn't. The bandwidth lead isn't as important as some think.

As for MS, they' financially involved with the offers. As to their motive... it's strictly pure. I know the Michael Bays and Bill Hunts of the world have this conspiracy theory about them wanting confusion until HD can be downloadable.

The people I know at MS laugh at this because it is just a crazy conspiracy theory. First off we're like 3 years from broadband getting that fast in the States. Then you've got to get people to pay for that broadband service.

They see downloads as supplemental to HD DVD. They really want HD DVD to win.

With Warners for sale... if Warners goes HD DVD they're going to be followed quickly by a major studio and my bet is that it will shock 98% of BD backers. Lets just say that Studio is wanting this war to end and they're convinced where ever Warners lands will be the winner.

If you had MGM, FOX, Disney, and Warners on one side that is the side I'd pick. Universal and Paramount are big but... that other combination is serious. However if it was Universal, Paramount and Warners... that's really hard to ignore and while some think it will stale mate it.... it's just further momentum for HD DVD. So if the other Studio followed it would be the domino effect. Just as Universal is seriously looking at what Warners is going to do.

MS really wants HD DVD to win. So we'll see what happens.

[DaViD Boulet]

MS really wants HD DVD to win. So we'll see what happens.

All that support and effort and $$ on the part of microsoft for HD DVD just for dowloading special feature content over ethernet? Why not just push BD content providers to get 2.0 spec up and working?

[PRO-630HD]

Originally Posted by Lotus

With Warners for sale... if Warners goes HD DVD they're going to be followed quickly by a major studio and my bet is that it will shock 98% of BD backers. Lets just say that Studio is wanting this war to end and they're convinced where ever Warners lands will be the winner.

Well, we know it is not Sony. Disney really wouldn't shock anyone. They voted for TL-51 and twin layer disc. They helped develop HDi and BDJ has been the achilles heel of bluray. Along with ever changing specs and an actual class action suit being prepped against bluray 1.0 manufacturers and their soon to be obsolete players (read more in the bluray.com forums) it would not surprise me to see a bluray studio go nuetral. This leads me to believe it has to be Fox or MGM. They have been lackluster supporters of bluray anyway as the last year has shown. I don't know if MGM is big enough. Although they were associated with Warner prior and know the massive capabilities of the company from 1st hand knowledge. We all know they are less than impressed with Sony or they wouldn't be with Fox right now. I am kind of thinking Fox if not MGM and this really shocks me. They did bail out of the high def market for over half a year due to what I believe was lackluster sales. It took the Paramount announcement to get them out of retirement. Since then they have delivered only about half the titles they said they would. Well I am sure will find out soon enough.

I don't think the studio going neutral is Universal. That studio could have ended this back in 2005 and chose not to. It doesn't fit their M.O. They have been as adamant supporters of hddvd as Sony has of bluray. Just my logical opinion.

Lotus, do you think this studio will go neutral or change sides completely and go exclusive as Warner does. Excluding New Line of course as they go where Warner goes.

[DaViD Boulet]

if Warners goes HD DVD they're going to be followed quickly by a major studio and my bet is that it will shock 98% of BD backers.

Lotus,

Without any disclosure of who you are, why should the membership assume your posts about these rumors have any credibility?

Disney really wouldn't shock anyone. They voted for TL-51 and twin layer disc. They helped develop HDi and BDJ has been the achilles heel of bluray.

And that Same Disney, for whatever reason, pressured the BDA *not* to adopt HDi when Sony, under pressure for MS, tried to get it into the BD spec!

Bizarre I know, given that Disney had been being HDi from the beginning. This format war is something of a Soap-opera.

Back to the point about a major BD defector: Both Disney and Fox feel strongly about BD+ security. I doubt that either of those studios are ready to put their films out without it given that every non-BD+ title on HD DVD/BD gets hacked in about a week.

I am kind of thinking Fox if not MGM and this really shocks me. They did bail out of the high def market for over half a year due to what I believe was lackluster sales.

FUD of this magnitude from the HD DVD camp seems to be a daily, if not hourly ritual on the discussion boards. Just to educate those who might not know, it's been clearly established that Fox's dry-spell of releases was in expectation of BD+ security authoring tools, which became important to them after a batch of HD DVD and BD discs were hacked with relative ease within a VERY short amount of time (days after release). When that hack took place, Fox pulled HD titles until the advanced BD+ security of Blu-ray was in place.

Once BD+ was ready (it was an authoring delay, all production players supported it from day one)... Fox began to re-release Hi-def content... on BD, with BD+ security.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Lotus,

Without any disclosure of who you are, why should the membership assume your posts about these rumors have any credibility?

Because for starters:

I mentioned that the DVD Forum approved TL discs. That was mentioned by me in numerous posts despite the fact that it wasn't public knowledge yet.

I mentioned the Warners situation before the press.

Obviously I have some inside knowledge, but unlike others I don't want to be labelled an insider and I'm really here for AV purposes. I got involved in these discussions because of people like Steve Burke who post absolute trash about their competition. I also post because people like you who spin. Ive always found spinners are the first to call others spinners because they recognize the techniques. Your posts are filled with tons of tiny little innacuracies and I believe they're done so on purpose. Where as most on here may post something wrong from being just simply mistaken. You however know better than to post things like "initially may cost a little more," and the other little digs you put in your posts. You're supposedly a journalist for DVD File right?

And that Same Disney, for whatever reason, pressured the BDA *not* to adopt HDi when Sony, under pressure for MS, tried to get it into the BD spec!

Care to back this one up? I've heard Disney was unsatisfied with the money numbers being thrown around for HDi's use on BD, but not that they were opposed of the spec.

Bizarre I know, given that Disney had been being HDi from the beginning. This format war is something of a Soap-opera.

If it is as you claim it would be bizarre. If it's about money and their lack of getting enough it's not so bizarre.

Back to the point about a major BD defector: Both Disney and Fox feel strongly about BD+ security. I doubt that either of those studios are ready to put their films out without it given that every non-BD+ title on HD DVD/BD gets hacked in about a week.

BD+ has been cracked. The dynamic aspect of it is so poorly done it will be likely months before it is changed. Then it will just be cracked again. Lets just say that both the Studios you mentioned don't feel nearly as strongly about it today as they did say in April.

Also you don't have to label it "every non-BD+ title," because it is every title. Hard to care about something that doesn't work.

FUD of this magnitude from the HD DVD camp seems to be a daily, if not hourly ritual on the discussion boards. Just to educate those who might not know, it's been clearly established that Fox's dry-spell of releases was in expectation of BD+ security authoring tools, which became important to them after a batch of HD DVD and BD discs were hacked with relative ease within a VERY short amount of time (days after release). When that hack took place, Fox pulled HD titles until the advanced BD+ security of Blu-ray was in place.

So Peter Staddon who said it was more than just BD+ was a liar? I hate it when BD VPs spout FUD for the HD DVD camp! Those *******s!

Once BD+ was ready (it was an authoring delay, all production players supported it from day one)... Fox began to re-release Hi-def content... on BD, with BD+ security.

You got one thing right it was an authoring delay for FOX but more was involved than just BD+. It's not a coincidence that when they started releasing again was when BD Replication facilities had turned a major corner in replication yields in some facilities doubling and in other tripling yield rates. BD+ was also ready at the time. It is true that FOX used BD+ as one of many reasons for their delays. Profit margins was also a big reason.