Could Warner Bros. Abandon HD DVD in 2008?

[DaViD Boulet]

No Warner is for sure showing at the HDDVD PRG press conference. This killed bluray fans hopes of a bluray exclusive announcement weeks ago.

Please do your fellow HD DVD fans a favor and don't make it appear that the your conclusions are based on such badly mis-informed conclusions. I'm not claiming that WB is conclusively going with Blu-ray. But even a modest logic can deduce that their presence at this conference isn't a litmus test of the issue.

Whether Warner is signed up for an HD DVD PRG press event or not may or may not indicate anything either way. In fact, it could be the very place that they could make a BD-exclusivity announcement! Make no mistake... if WB is indeed choosing to go exlusive with either side anytime soon, both sides are aware of what's going on and deals are probably being worked behind the scenes to smooth feathers and soothe the damaged pride (and pocket-books) of whatever team ends up being the loser.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Whether Warner is signed up for an HD DVD PRG press event or not may or may not indicate anything either way. In fact, it could be the very place that they could make a BD-exclusivity announcement! Make no mistake... if WB is indeed choosing to go exlusive with either side anytime soon, both sides are aware of what's going on and deals are probably being worked behind the scenes to smooth feathers and soothe the damaged pride (and pocket-books) of whatever team ends up being the loser.

This is not happening. Warner has titles planned for both formats and along with New Line has some HD DVD exclusive titles. That appears to be the gist of the exclusivity. Them releasing titles exclusively to one side but remaining "neutral."

Also if Warners announced at an HD DVD PRG event that they were going BD exclusive it would result in massive firings at Warner among huge hell to pay in Hollywood. That isn't even a possibility at all.

If there is a change it won't be a HD DVD side going BD. It will be a BD going neutral. Again I say it's about a 33% chance right now.

[GizmoDVD]

Originally Posted by Lotus

This is not happening. Warner has titles planned for both formats and along with New Line has some HD DVD exclusive titles. That appears to be the gist of the exclusivity. Them releasing titles exclusively to one side but remaining "neutral."

Also if Warners announced at an HD DVD PRG event that they were going BD exclusive it would result in massive firings at Warner among huge hell to pay in Hollywood. That isn't even a possibility at all.

If there is a change it won't be a HD DVD side going BD. It will be a BD going neutral. Again I say it's about a 33% chance right now.

So Warner would still release movies on both formats, but release more on the "chosen' one?
Newline would release other movies exclusively on HD DVD?

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD

So Warner would still release movies on both formats, but release more on the "chosen' one?
Newline would release other movies exclusively on HD DVD?

I currently know of only one set of titles that are planned for HD DVD only. Warners is going to remain neutral. New Line will be the company making one set of movies an exclusive for HD DVD.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by PRO-630HD

You seriously need to get out of never never land. It's not happening no matter what Burns or Dunn say. Rumours started by biased reporters when everyone one of their articles since 2005 has tilted blu has little foundation. Dunn also stated the war was over in the 1st quarter of 2007. 9 months later the very first HDM title hits #1 at amazon which happens to be a hddvd. I especially loved the article on bluray.com that Paramount was favoring bluray weeks before they went hddvd exclusive. HDDVD is easily and I mean easily earning Warner more profits which is what Warner said is all they care about. The very best bluray can hope for is continued neutrality.

I don't care what Burns or Dunn say, am I quoting them?
Memento hit #2 on the charts back in July of this year, it wasn't even a day and date title. Big deal, Amazon figures have never translated into momentous sales, something shills like rdjam who have been predicting a turn in tide on the Nielsen numbers to surface since the August 21st Paramount announcement, can't seem to learn; they never have turned.
The only person living in Never Never Land is the one that thinks a buy one get one free sale on Amazon represents a massive turning in tide for one format or another.
HD DVD is merely desperate to not give the BDA the bragging rights of having won every week's sales in software on the year. They couldn't do it with Transformers, Shrek 3 or the Bourne Ultimatum.
It is not looking good for HD DVD, not at all.
According to Richard Casey, President and Executive Producer from R&B Films, the difference in cost between the two formats in the overall production of a title, speaking from the experience of releasing both "Nature's Journey" and "Chronos" on both formats is that the difference to release on both was "negligible" and this from a run of 20,000 titles. Do you think with scales that somehow Blu-ray and HD DVD have some sort of massive difference in production that the more titles you order the bigger the gap becomes? That would be sheer ignorance if you do. Does that sound like with a 100,000 gap in units sold on "300" that Warner is making more profits on HD DVD? No, I didn't think so.
I don't base my thoughts on reporters, I base them on the insider information I read and from the contacts I have made in various different places, from replication facilities like Cinram and Panasonic, to major studios like Sony and Warner. Now someone like Lotus will imply I have now stated that I work for all four of these places and that there are cease and desist orders coming from all of them, but I'm sure you can spot the difference. People are generally a lot more at ease talking to a member of the general public over the phone than someone from the media without violating NDA's.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD

Quick question:

Do you see Warner listed, as a presenting member at the 2008 CES for HD DVD?
Where is Blu-rays invitation? Why is HD DVDs presentation 1 day before, and for 2 hours, while Blu-ray is the day after, and only for one hour.

This just a misprint?

Warner will be announcing titles.
They were a presenting member at IFA 2007 Berlin for Blu-ray but not for HD DVD. Did this mean anything at all? I don't think so.
They will be announcing titles for Blu-ray at CES seperately as well.