Could Warner Bros. Abandon HD DVD in 2008?

[DaViD Boulet]

Lotus,

You've personally *seen* one of Disney's Tri-layer HD DVD test discs? Yet NO OTHER insider on any forum... for either camp... can claim the same thing? You're also priviledged to the "official" word from Warner whenever it's convenient along with your Disney sources and other HD DVD sources? Is there any studio you *don't* have insider knowldege about? And we're supposed to just believe you despite the fact that you won't even disclose who you are and who you work for?

Is AVrev a forum where anyone can just deem themselves an insider and then start to chime off priviledged information that the rest of us are supposed to take as fact?

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Lotus,

You've personally *seen* one of Disney's Tri-layer HD DVD test discs? Yet NO OTHER insider on any forum... for either camp... can claim the same thing? You're also priviledged to the "official" word from Warner whenever it's convenient along with your Disney sources and other HD DVD sources? Is there any studio you *don't* have insider knowldege about? And we're supposed to just believe you despite the fact that you won't even disclose who you are and who you work for?

Is AVrev a forum where anyone can just deem themselves an insider and then start to chime off priviledged information that the rest of us are supposed to take as fact?

I'm sure a real "insider," from Disney could. I'm not saying Disney is going neutral. I'm saying they're prepared to do so. Is it a ploy to get Sony to cough up cash? Maybe. I'm not convinced that Disney is going neutral.

I remember last year when LGF did something extremely similar. They had people in the HD DVD PRG even thinking they were going neutral. Then all of a sudden they changed their tune and had subsidized BD50s again. In that case I heard about it in rumors during meetings with another Studio. LGF definately played the ploy card.

As long as money is being thrown around by either side it's hard to say what is really going to happen because money can change things in an instant.

If neither side was throwing around money there would be more neutral studios right now. Disney would certainly be one of them. Bob Iger has never swayed from the stance that sooner or later Disney will likely be neutral.

Current market trends show that neither format will be able to replace the lost income from DVD. So right now both formats aren't looking too good.

Something has to change. Most marketing firms including the ones who usually are extremely one sided point out that a Studio switching or going neutral could change market growth substantially.

The only other point they all seem to agree on changing market growth is players under $200.

If I was labelled officially as an insider for say Disney. I'd be posting zilch about this.

I can post because I don't claim to work for them. I don't claim to speak for them. I post what I hear, and in that case what I saw.

[1more4HDDVD]

I don’t know if Lotus is a true insider or not (he doesn’t wish to be called one) but if you read his postings, it’s very clear to me that he is not biased at all.

Unfortunately, many that come from blu-ray.com (like you two) seem to have a warped view of things. A place like AVS or a blogger that simply stats facts is labeled as biased if they say anything positive about HD DVD. Yet, you trust an article from the Hollywood Reporter, with no author listed, painfully obvious factual errors (Blockbuster is going to deliver the knockout blow????) and three blu-ray ads around the article.

Blu-ray.com has become a running joke for many AV enthusiasts. From the guys that went to Wal-mart on the $98 sale to try and stop people from buying HD DVD players, to the recent attempts to commit click-fraud on positive HD DVD Google adwords. It’s a huge joke. I know some pro HD DVD guys get out of hand too, but if you guys are really interested in stopping FUD and policing the wild claims of insiders, why are you focusing on one poster when you have a whole site full of FUD and questionable behavior?

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by 1more4HDDVD

I don’t know if Lotus is a true insider or not (he doesn’t wish to be called one) but if you read his postings, it’s very clear to me that he is not biased at all.

Unfortunately, many that come from blu-ray.com (like you two) seem to have a warped view of things. A place like AVS or a blogger that simply stats facts is labeled as biased if they say anything positive about HD DVD. Yet, you trust an article from the Hollywood Reporter, with no author listed, painfully obvious factual errors (Blockbuster is going to deliver the knockout blow????) and three blu-ray adds around the article.

Blu-ray.com has become a running joke for many AV enthusiasts. From the guys that went to Wal-mart on the $98 sale to try and stop people from buying HD DVD players, to the recent attempts to commit click-fraud on positive HD DVD Google adwords. It’s a huge joke. I know some pro HD DVD guys get out of hand too, but if you guys are really interested in stopping FUD and policing the wild claims of insiders, why are you focusing on one poster when you have a whole site full of FUD and questionable behavior?

Because they're losing control of the market. Whether it's Harry Potter only selling 1.2 to 1 according to nielsen and their 60% of the market or Universal's statement that HD DVD won on Harry Potter by 1.1 to 1 it is obvious that they aren't at their 2:1 lead they had just 3 months ago.

The Standalone player numbers which until November were very close (54% HD DVD, 3% Combo, 43% BD) are now not very close at all (67% HD DVD, 2% combo, 31% BD).

The BDA spent 3 times as much this holiday season on advertising, floor space, and everything else and still lost in hardware and while they did ok on software how much of that was the BOGO at the world's number one DVD retailer? That sale is still going on TODAY.

You had Sony releasing a $300 player when they promised just a month before that they wouldn't have to drop the player more than 20%. Instead it was a 40% drop.

That was pure market panic. The bloggers and posters are doing their own 40% drop. They're attacking anyone and everyone who posts pro-HD DVD information or even points out that "Hey why is it only 1.2 to 1?" or "Hey why is Toshiba selling twice as many players now?" They don't want people to know that.

Why?

Because early adopters are generally product educated. Many have been holding back waiting for a winner. Now 18 months into it we finally have a player outselling the other and at a 2 to 1 ratio. They don't want those people to know that. Why?

Because they'll go buy a HD DVD player.

They don't want it to snow ball.

It's going to get worse too. Rumors of a last ditch $98 HD DVD sale have been blowing again. They're hoping to double their last $98 sale. Which btw would put them very near or over 1M standalone players (not counting the addon). Meanwhile BD will be at not even 500k.

If they do that and can say at CES they have 1M stand alone players...

Things are going to change.

That is what these people don't want.

However if say Warners was bought by Sony at the last second... and went Blue:

Then you'll have guys like me posting how the war is over, buy BD, and I'd be posting market growth stats for BD shortly after the decision....

and then HD DVD people will be attacking me just like these guys are. Because they don't want people educated on them losing.

Nobody likes to lose.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Lotus

You know what you're right about Amazon. I keep forgetting it, and it's an honest mistake.

Of course it is super shill, we believe that you conveniently forgot Amazon was in the numbers in an attempt to further your argument.

Originally Posted by Lotus

However I do know Richard Doherty. Do you really want to get into this? I do know who you are and decided to find out all about you when you said you worked for Panasonic. You now posted that you're connected with Hollywood Labs. You want me to post what I was told? I wouldn't be surprised if you receive a cease and decist order.

You've been banned from sites before.

You're a BD troll. You're what gives AVS and other sites like it a bad name. That is if you weren't banned from some.

I'm pretty sure you feel like a big boy having used the internet to find out my name like any 9 year old is capable of. You can also find out the names of anyone in the Panasonic Blu-ray department by using google.

Go ahead and post whatever you want you shill. You're the one that's going to have crow pie to eat after CES when no Blu-ray studio goes neutral and no Blu-ray exclusive CE announces a dual format player.

The person you've mentioned has no idea how much I get paid unless they've changed positions and moved to Revenue Canada.

What does decist mean?

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Lotus

I remember last year when LGF did something extremely similar. They had people in the HD DVD PRG even thinking they were going neutral. Then all of a sudden they changed their tune and had subsidized BD50s again. In that case I heard about it in rumors during meetings with another Studio. LGF definately played the ploy card.

No they did not, that was you and your shill buddies rdjam, Ed Downer and Amir.

Shilling away, more than ever, more worried than ever, heading into the last year of HD DVD's lifespan.

Soon, people like you will have to disappear and good riddance to that because the internet will be suffering from a lot less total FUD.