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Paramount/DWSKG saying adios to Blu-Ray

post #1 of 36
8/20/07 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
link...

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG each announced today that they will exclusively support the next-generation HD DVD format on a worldwide basis. The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit Blades of Glory on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year Transformers and Shrek the Third. These three titles alone represent more than $1.5 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide.

"The combination of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation brings a critical mass of current box office hits to consumers with a line-up of live action and animated films that are perfect for HD DVD," stated Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, which is currently the leading studio in domestic box office. "Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience. I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount."

"We decided to release 'Shrek the Third' and other DreamWorks Animation titles exclusively on HD DVD because we believe it is the best format to bring high quality home entertainment to a key segment of our audience -- families," stated DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg. "We believe the combination of this year's low-priced HD DVD players and the commitment to release a significant number of hit titles in the fall makes HD DVD the best way to view movies at home."

The studios said, "With the rapid increase of HD TV screens in households, and audiences wanting to enjoy the total entertainment experience, HD DVD has emerged as the most affordable way for consumers to watch their movies in high definition. In addition to pristine quality, HD DVD also offers consumers the chance to personalize the movie-watching experience, to interact with their movies and even to connect with a community of other fans."

Paramount Home Entertainment will issue new releases day and date as well as catalog titles exclusively on HD DVD. Today's announcement does not include films directed by Steven Spielberg as his films are not exclusive to either format.
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post #2 of 36
8/20/07 at 4:46pm
I saw that on Yahoo. Interesting. I am still gonna wait this out though. Heck I might even wait to go onto the next gen after this. I hate format wars. So annoying.
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post #3 of 36
8/20/07 at 5:21pm
from the digital bits..... www.digitalbits.com

Quote:
None of the participants in this deal are willing to openly disclose just how MUCH money was exchanged, but the L.A. Weekly is reporting (based in part on a confidential report from media analysis firm Pali Research) that it was in the neighborhood of $50 million in "promotional considerations" for Paramount and $100 million for DreamWorks
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post #4 of 36
8/20/07 at 5:45pm
Shit. I really like the potential of BluRay more (larger capacity - more data can fit on a disc) but I fear that Sony has shot itself in the ONCE AGAIN.

Back in the 80s, there was a couple of technologies fighting for dominance: VHS and Beta. Beta was technologically superior, with a better picture quality and a smaller footprint than VHS. So what turned the tide and allowed VHS to ultimately win the war? PORN. Plain and simple. Sony would not license their technology to the adult film industry, which was only a $9 million industry then. Now, the adult film industry is a $18 BILLION industry, and Sony has once again decided to not license their proprietary technology to the adult film industry. This has to do with Sony and Disney, and in my estimation, is a very, very foolish move.

There is a good combo player (NOT the LG - junk) coming out soon from Samsung. If it works like they claim, it will be a great way to go, and then you can buy whatever movies you want and not worry about this stupid pissing match anymore.
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post #5 of 36
8/20/07 at 5:48pm

Bribed

It was a $150 million bribe from Toshiba and HD-DVD that pushed this bull$hit ahead. I for one am a bit miffed by the whole thing.

Complain away @ Viacom (Paramounts parent company:
http://origin.www.viacom.com/CONTACT/default.aspx
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post #6 of 36
8/20/07 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwmega
It was a $150 million bribe from Toshiba and HD-DVD that pushed this bull$hit ahead. I for one am a bit miffed by the whole thing.

Complain away @ Viacom (Paramounts parent company:
http://origin.www.viacom.com/CONTACT/default.aspx
Eh...I just can't get that up in arms. At this point, the competition is good, since both formats are too expensive and too restrictive. We'd have been better off with one format, but we crossed that bridge a while ago.
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post #7 of 36
8/20/07 at 5:55pm
And there go my hopes of ever owning Zodiac on Blu-Ray.

I'm no business major, but wouldn't the studios make more money by releasing their movies in all 3 technologies? If something like 300 can come out in standard def, HD, and Blu-Ray, why doesn't everything else?
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post #8 of 36
8/20/07 at 6:02pm
sorry thejumbo but that whole myth of porn deciding the beta vhs format war is just that - a myth. It isn't true at all. Porn was readily available on both formats at the time..all through the 80's porn was out on beta... Sony did not stop the porn industry from using their format. it is a complete and utter myth.....it ultimately came down to sony being too cagey about sharing their technology and also the fact that VHS was just cheaper and easier. plus the tapes could be longer.....there were many many things that decided the original format war and porn, while it makes a great story, wasn't one of them.
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post #9 of 36
8/20/07 at 6:10pm
Also, Sony isn't directly blocking Porn from coming out on Blu-Ray. They are simply refusing to let anyone of their own factories produce porn discs. The problem with that is that Sony owns the vast majority of the Blu-Ray production factories. So while Blu-Ray may be a better disc, Sony just seems to have more problems due to the idiots that run their company than from disc quality.
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post #10 of 36
8/20/07 at 6:35pm
No Transformers on Bluray. That Hurts.
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post #11 of 36
8/20/07 at 7:00pm
...and so the great HD-DVD/BluRay War continued to be irrelevant.
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post #12 of 36
8/20/07 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supremo
And there go my hopes of ever owning Zodiac on Blu-Ray.
FUCK. I didn't even think of that.
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post #13 of 36
8/20/07 at 8:30pm
I have the 360 HD add on and this news neither thrills me or bothers me. We are probably years away from either format going away and if HD-DVD fails then I will inevitably buy a blu-ray player when I can afford to. I'm like some of you guys in that I think it makes more sense to put out movies in all three formats but I wonder if it's more lucrative to take the payoff to be exclusive.

Like it was said earlier...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Werbal_Kint
...and so the great HD-DVD/BluRay War continued to be irrelevant.
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post #14 of 36
8/20/07 at 9:04pm
If I had to choose (and I don't, but I will), I'd grab HD-DVD, since I have a 360, and they make HDDVD/DVD combo discs, which is great for people like me that act as a rental store for their friends. But...

As long as the discs continue to cost double the price of the standard DVD version, they can take both formats and shove em. Unless I'm showing a movie/TV DVD to a friend, I just don't watch them enough to justify paying that much. Who wants to bet that even after DVD goes the way of the dino, those jacked-up HD/Bluray prices don't budge?

Like a lot of people, I think I'll just sit this little experiment out and wait for the next format.
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post #15 of 36
8/20/07 at 9:15pm
At this point, I'd just as soon wait for the actors to come over to my house and reenact the film in my living room as invest in an HD player.
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post #16 of 36
8/20/07 at 11:07pm
Amazon.com has HD-DVD's $10 cheaper than stores right now, and those appear to be set in stone prices. Just a heads up to anyone interested but deterred by price.
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post #17 of 36
8/20/07 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thejumbo
So what turned the tide and allowed VHS to ultimately win the war? PORN. Plain and simple. Sony would not license their technology to the adult film industry, which was only a $9 million industry then. Now, the adult film industry is a $18 BILLION industry, and Sony has once again decided to not license their proprietary technology to the adult film industry. This has to do with Sony and Disney, and in my estimation, is a very, very foolish move.
I think many are over estimating the impact that the Porn Industry will have on this format war. You can’t compare the impact that Porn had on the VHS/Beta war to the current format war because the landscape is entirely different now. Before VHS if you wanted to watch pornography your options were pretty limited and it usually meant sitting in a theater full of other horny guys jerking off. That’s no longer an issue thanks to VHS, DVD and more importantly the internet.

I’m no expert on pornography sales but I would guess that a significant portion of those who buy porn now do it online (assuming they’re buying it at all and not stealing it). Buying it or stealing it online also satisfies our desire for instant gratification and I can’t think of any industry that benefits more from that desire than online pornography.

Lastly and maybe I’m completely out of the loop on this but is there really a huge demand for high definition porn? I watch porn and while many of the girls now are extremely attractive I think it’s safe to assume that a lot of them benefit from standard definition.
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post #18 of 36
8/20/07 at 11:37pm
Well, Paramount is pretty much the worst DVD releasing company, so I expect the same from them in the high-def area. Good riddance to them.
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post #19 of 36
8/20/07 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeShaynePI
Well, Paramount is pretty much the worst DVD releasing company, so I expect the same from them in the high-def area. Good riddance to them.
Um...ok. I'm sure Paramount is glad not to have your business. What a dumb comment.
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post #20 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeShaynePI
Well, Paramount is pretty much the worst DVD releasing company, so I expect the same from them in the high-def area. Good riddance to them.
...they're also thrashing the other studios in terms of market share. It used to be a running joke in the Blu-ray camp that Universal couldn't muster a blockbuster. Suddenly two $300m+ hits are HD DVD exclusive. This is going to have an impact.
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post #21 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:44am
If I had 180 bucks to spare I'd now definitely get the HD-DVD add-on for the 360. I don't even have an HDTV yet. But getting KONG and 300 in HD this week is too good an offer.
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post #22 of 36
8/21/07 at 3:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeRobotSex
If I had 180 bucks to spare I'd now definitely get the HD-DVD add-on for the 360. I don't even have an HDTV yet. But getting KONG and 300 in HD this week is too good an offer.
Don't forget the 5 free HD-DVDs that come with the Add-on for this month.
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post #23 of 36
8/21/07 at 9:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwmega
It was a $150 million bribe from Toshiba and HD-DVD that pushed this bull$hit ahead. I for one am a bit miffed by the whole thing.

Complain away @ Viacom (Paramounts parent company:
http://origin.www.viacom.com/CONTACT/default.aspx
Laughable.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Fatty
...and so the great HD-DVD/BluRay War continued to be irrelevant.
Exactly.
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post #24 of 36
8/21/07 at 9:49am
This whole format war has gone from being mildly amusing to completely insulting. It is beyond weird how so many absurdly paid people could fail so spectacularly to see why DVD was such a success.
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post #25 of 36
8/21/07 at 11:25am
Exactly, I mean I was about to maybe take the blu-ray jump with a PS3, but now I'm just another screwed over consumer in the name of profit.

Seriously though, I might make the jump to HD-DVD sooner due to pricing, but that is still a year or so away. I love HD picture coupled with nice surround sound after a long day (well it can't be too bad if I'm posting here in the middle of it) but I seriously wish one format would be the status quo.
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post #26 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:41pm
So, instead of fucking each other, the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray camps decide to fuck the consumer.

Good luck trying to find enough suckers to buy both your formats. And say hello to SACD and DVD-Audio for me.
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post #27 of 36
8/21/07 at 3:46pm
Fuck it, let Microsoft bribe all the other companies. As long as everyone ends up on one format.
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post #28 of 36
8/21/07 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastronikolas
So, instead of fucking each other, the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray camps decide to fuck the consumer.

Good luck trying to find enough suckers to buy both your formats. And say hello to SACD and DVD-Audio for me.
Yep. Unless you're an avid gamer and already has the gear by way of your console, anyone buying a standalone player for either format is getting the golden shaft.
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post #29 of 36
8/22/07 at 8:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Egg
Yep. Unless you're an avid gamer and already has the gear by way of your console, anyone buying a standalone player for either format is getting the golden shaft.
Eh. Look at what Blu-Ray had going for it, aside from media sales, that made everyone stand up and call it the early winner. Studio support. Sony, Fox and Disney (and the numerous subs owned by those three). None of them make HD-DVDs.

On one hand it would be great if all studios made both HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray movies. That doesn't really make financial sense, as much as it doesn't make a lot of sense to own both formats when they both do essentially the same thing. The only benefit to owning both is to be able to watch movies that are being released on Blu-Ray only or HD-DVD only.

I'm glad to see the neutrals taking a side. I don't care which side they take, just take one. Either settle on a single format or let them both die. Sooner than later, please. If I'm stuck with the 360 add-on and a handful of discs, oh well. It wouldn't be the first time (Sega-CD) - it probably won't be the last.
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post #30 of 36
9/21/07 at 11:31pm
It's pretty clear that HD-DVD is supported by douche bag companies. Universal double dipping Hot Fuzz mere months after it came out with features that should have been there in the first place. Paramount double dipping Zodiac mere months after it came out. Then they announced yet another DVD of that Titanic crap. Now they're also double dipping Anchorman. Ass. Holes.
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post #31 of 36
9/21/07 at 11:33pm
Could someone explain how double dipping = assholism?
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post #32 of 36
9/21/07 at 11:43pm
Obvious immense greed = assholism
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post #33 of 36
9/21/07 at 11:46pm
Anchorman is coming out on HD. That's not really a double dip. A different cut of a film isn't double dipping. Therefore Zodiac isn't a gouble dip, per se. In the case of Hot Fuzz, we're getting a better version with more stuff than any version previously released. The film's not different, so if you don't care about extras, who cares?
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post #34 of 36
9/22/07 at 12:10am
Anchorman you're right on. I had forgotten that the DVD had that stupid name. The other ones I still stand by the label of greedy bastards.
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post #35 of 36
9/22/07 at 1:02am
With Zodiac, I can pretty much guarantee the material wasn't ready in time. Also, it's a different cut of the film. The second version was announced slightly before street date.

With Hot Fuzz, I think Universal underestimated the appeal of the title, and so they wanted a double dip for (yes) monetary reasons, but in doing so have created a three disc set, featuring supplements specific to this set, and bettering all previous versions. The American release was compromised (even in the Wallmart version) and so now everyone can have access to all the additional material, along with more material on top of that.

This isn't about anything more than getting more supplements, though, so whining about feeling tempted to get more when it wasn't offered from the start is kinda gay. If it annoys you, don't buy it. If more people didn't buy this stuff, they wouldn't do it. So, ultimately, you are to blame for your own greediness.
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post #36 of 36
9/26/07 at 2:59pm
Very close to getting a player, maybe by Xmas. I'm getting some extra $$ from selling my football tickets, and I've got enough to buy an HD-DVD player. However, I've still got 3-4 more sets of tix to sell, and I may end up making enough to buy the $499 PS3. So I think by the holidays, I'll have one or the other. And I'll probably just rent HD discs from Netflix for the time being, whichever format I buy.
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