Tuesday, August 21st 2007
Dreamworks and Paramount Choose HD-DVD
Two major movie studios, Dreamworks Animation SKG and Paramount Pictures said Monday that they will offer movies exclusively on the HD-DVD format rather than the competing Blu-Ray format. Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive of Dreamworks said the cost of HD-DVD players is dropping and may hit $199 by the end of this year making it more affordable for families. Experts still believe Blu-Ray is going to win the format war and that the decision by Paramount and Dreamworks is oddly timed. Despite being more expensive, Blu-Ray has outsold HD-DVD by a margin of 2 to 1 this year.
Source:
LA Times
18 Comments on Dreamworks and Paramount Choose HD-DVD
IF HD-DVD failes where does that leave Dreamworks and Paramount? It leaves them with a bunch of pissed off customers 5 years down the road who have a bunch of your movies that they can't watch because there are no more players available on the market.
At least if you produce both formats then the customer can only blame themselves for picking the one that died out.
IMO, the only logical thing for the movie companies to do is to produce movies on both formats and let the consumer decide which format wins.
-Attach rate of HD is higher then BR
-Profile 1.1 for BR yet to be implemented.
-Lower priced HD players this holiday season
-If BDA has a 2:1 ratio over HD and have a 5:1 ratio of BDA players and PS3 then they actually have a 3:1 debt/gap in actual BR movies sitting on the shelf.
Like newtekie said, they need to produce both so they don't get screwed over if HD fails. I mean if it doesn't then fine, but they will lose a lot more if HD fails, than if they pick both and one of the fails.
You never know, BR and HD may live side by side for years to come.
'HDDVD for my HDTV! i'll take that!'
'Blue-ray? blue? what a gay name, i want HD, not blue whatever!'
Obviously Blue-Ray is better, but HD DVD is cheaper. Same with Beta-Max and VHS.
But now Sony has the PS3, and thats probably the reason why Blue-Ray is outselling HD DVD.
But you would have to be completely retarted to buy a Blue-Ray or HD DVD-only player.
Either buy the PS3 or a DUAL player that can play both Blue-Ray AND HD DVD.
BluRay has every other studio and also has AMD I think and a bunch of others. What they should do is license the technology from Warner Brothers and produce both movies on one disc. That is the best idea to go with. Instead of being stubborn.
And a point, 5 years down the road if HD DVD or BluRAy doesnt make it, how can you be mad? Sure, you will have to buy another player (which should be about the same price as dvd players now) and then still can enjoy the movies you want to in the winning format? The old player and movies will still work the same, it doesnt stop working just because another format wins...
We simply cannot have a situation where you are unable to buy a specific movie just because you have HD DVD and not Blue-Ray, or vise versa.
What usually happens is that one format backs down, just like Beta Max. But now Sony is stronger and they aren't going to go down. And HD DVD is cheaper so at least some companies will take it on.
Soon enough they will have the features, and by then they will be cheaper aswell.
Maybe now with Three exclusive movie companies on HD-DVD it will be more balanced and competitive because i think thats the number of companies that also EXCLUSIVELY make movies for Blu-Ray: Disney, MGM?, and Sony.
This format war just got alot more intense and i am feeling even more confident now in HD-DVD than i was prior to reading this article ALL HAIL HD-DVD:respect: ALL HAIL HD-DVD:respect: ALL HAIL HD-DVD:respect: ALL HAIL HD-DVD:respect:
However just one question how will this be affecting the current Blu-Ray movies offered by Paramount and Dreamworks will Mission Impossible III be discontinued or will they still support that movie and all the others and just not release any new titles for Blu-Ray ohhhh thinking makes my head hurt:banghead::banghead::banghead: