Could Warner Bros. Abandon HD DVD in 2008?

[Robinson_A]

Really the only question to ask yourself is, are you enjoying the HD disc formats and the added features/quality etc that they afford you? The industry is going to do what they want regardless of how we feel about it or what industry insider says what. If there's money to be made by having two formats then we're going to have two. As soon as one or both stop being potential markets for financial gain then we will have one format or worse a new format to bicker over. I still can't believe how "hot" a topic this is, you'd swear we were talking politics or something. I've read the entire thread now and have enjoyed every minute of it. It's nice to see and hear from very well informed readers, however I did notice a few things that I would like to warn against.

E-mail, and forum letters are a hard thing to judge because emotions or intentions can be easily construed into something that their not. That being said, I understand the use of bold or all caps when trying to make a point but I feel it sends the wrong message and makes the point(s) come off as purely argumentative and doesn't help the conversation. While I support spirited conversation please remember we're all on the same team here and we're all forum friends. While we may not always agree on everything please everyone keep it professional. Refute people's arguments if there is an argument to be had but please respect one another and keep it cordial.

Carry on. =)

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Casino Royale SHIPPED 100,000 copies in North America in its first week, it sold just under 50,000 according to Nielsen numbers.

I'm not going to lie and spout forth misinformation like you, I'm quite happy to back up what I say with facts.

Thanks for playing.

Quit calling me a liar. You're acting like a child.


Now please do all of us a favor and quit attacking posters.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

AS for manufacting and replication, that's another lie. Replication for small runs of titles is about 30% more expensive on Blu-ray, but manufacturing dear fellow? Are you sure you know what that is? Manufacturing is the same on both outside of replication. Red plastic costs no more than Blue plastic, savvy?

Do yourself a favor since you supposedly work at Panasonic: contact someone in manufacturing and have them explain to you the difference between HD DVD and BD. The laser array is entirely different, and yes much more expensive to produce.

BD needs a different angle to read data.

I know the manufacturing side of this arguement and you're wrong. You're obviously a BD fellow and make your point by listing Toshiba all by itself and putting tons of companies behind BD. That just shows how immature you are.

You also claim to have pointed to links about other replication facilities being in use, but you haven't that I can find on here. Sony claims in the one link to have numbers up to 75% and that it is a "drastic," improvement from before. That means to me that the numbers being lobbied around before were likely true. Sony also only mentions 3 facilities currently replicating BD DL.

You also defend replication costs of 30% more than HD DVD as "negligable." It may be for some small company, but for a Studio like Warners who has things pressed in the millions it's not so negligable.

Quit attacking posters. None of your angry little posts towards me are going to change that HD DVD is cheaper in both manufacturing and replication. You can keep attacking parts of things all you want. If it makes you happy.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Robinson_A

Really the only question to ask yourself is, are you enjoying the HD disc formats and the added features/quality etc that they afford you? The industry is going to do what they want regardless of how we feel about it or what industry insider says what. If there's money to be made by having two formats then we're going to have two. As soon as one or both stop being potential markets for financial gain then we will have one format or worse a new format to bicker over. I still can't believe how "hot" a topic this is, you'd swear we were talking politics or something. I've read the entire thread now and have enjoyed every minute of it. It's nice to see and hear from very well informed readers, however I did notice a few things that I would like to warn against.

E-mail, and forum letters are a hard thing to judge because emotions or intentions can be easily construed into something that their not. That being said, I understand the use of bold or all caps when trying to make a point but I feel it sends the wrong message and makes the point(s) come off as purely argumentative and doesn't help the conversation. While I support spirited conversation please remember we're all on the same team here and we're all forum friends. While we may not always agree on everything please everyone keep it professional. Refute people's arguments if there is an argument to be had but please respect one another and keep it cordial.

Carry on. =)

It's absolutely INCREDIBLE

Seriously, it's a big issue for people, and for who knows what reason. I spoke with a Senior VP at Panasonic about it on Friday. The "lies," spread on AVS on both sides, etc. It's just weird. I can only believe it has something to do with the PS3 and gamers getting involved in the arguements. Even that doesn't really explain it.

As someone who hasn't chosen a side, I find it hard to like a side that bashes me for posting facts and possibly being wrong with some details.

This thread is a prime example of how the two parties interact though. Its basic premise is:

Could WB leave HD DVD in 2008? Obviously they could because it's obviously a possible decision. I could say the same about the other studios though. They could leave. The real question is would they.

I posted my reasons for why I think WB if they were to join one side they would pick HD DVD.

The BD Camp decided:

A. I'm Pro HD DVD (they're wrong, I have no stake).
B. To attack smaller points of the overall picture.

This is the MO for both sides if you look at AVS which had to shut down their forum. The people just keep bickering about the smaller things to take people's thoughts away from the original message. It's a weird form of damage control. It's as if someone was personally attacking them vs making a statement about a format.

Whenever one of the formats has a real success the other side seems to act like sharks sensing blood in the water. They go overboard. Recent proof would be the massively positive sales of HD DVD over last weekend. They made a killing in hardware and software sales.

This is obviously a good thing for the future of HD DVD. So the BD camp attack it. They can't just let it lie that HD DVD had a good weekend.

I saw the same thing when the PS3 came out and BD finally started to overcome HD DVD in software sales. The HD DVD people attacked the fact that the PS3 actually did what it was supposed to do: Give BD a big boost over HD DVD.

I don't really understand the behavior. Amazon and other sites have some great BD software deals going on. So I posted how thats a good thing, and how I hope that the big retails follow suit. Because I still believe price is going to show who is going to win this war. Hardware and Software prices need to drop to a point that makes someone think it's a good good investment.

I don't get why these people take it so seriously even on here. I know the manufacturing side of things as I've said before. So I'm easy to attack on the software side, and when I speak "broadly," about issues it makes me a subject they can attack and on those points.

To me it's amusing behavior, and I get a laugh out of it. I got a giant chuckle from being told I'm likely paid by HD DVD to post here. Almost as amusing as being told I'm obviously in the HD DVD camp.

However being called a liar is just a little overboard.

[DaViD Boulet]

To me it's amusing behavior, and I get a laugh out of it. I got a giant chuckle from being told I'm likely paid by HD DVD to post here. Almost as amusing as being told I'm obviously in the HD DVD camp.

However being called a liar is just a little overboard.

Bill Hunt probably feels the same.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Bill Hunt probably feels the same.

Ah you act as if Bill Hunt and I haven't had a discussion about his behavior. I've also had a discussion with Harry Knowles about his being bought too. I'm currently not a fan of either (and I once was). You also need to realize that unlike Doby Blue and his paranoid accusation, I know Bill and Harry are bought and paid for. Neither will deny it either.