Warner to Abandon Total HD Project

[zekrahminator]

Apparently the "why can't we all get along" mentality does not apply to the current HD format war. While Blu-ray admits a stalemate and HD-DVD players get cheap, Warner Brothers was hoping to promote a "Total HD" format, which would play on both players until either Blu-ray or HD-DVD was chosen. However, without many other studios supporting this format, Warner Brothers felt like this project did not have much merit. And so, they have at this point abandoned it, and plan to simply release their movies in both formats, a move most other studios refuse to do. Jim Noonan, Senior Vice President of Warner Brothers Entertainment Group, explains the economics of this move in Layman's terms.

For the moment, the [Total HD] is on hold. We're the only studio producing content in both formats. If we were to put out Total HD with just our titles, it wouldn't really provide the solution to our retail partners that it was intended to provide. If anything, at this point, it would further complicate their life, because there would be another product looking for shelf space. Our job is not to further complicate the lives of our retailers

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View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[jocksteeluk]

If both formats are supported in a hybrid devices the cheaper format will will always win just as the case was with Sony's DVD ram format vs the open format DVD rom. The open format HD-DVD will no doubt win this battle due to the dramatically reduced costs all round.

 

[Darkrealms]

Jim Noonan, Senior Vice President of Warner Brothers Entertainment Group, explains the economics of this move in Layman's terms. .

Source: Xbit Labs

I want to know who wrote his script, that was pretty good layman's terms. I'm impressed.

Probably a smart move in the long run, it will be easier for manufactures to create a dual format (technically quad if you include cd and dvd) player.

 

[JoJoe]

Glad to hear that at least one of the big movie studios cares about the customer.

 

[jocksteeluk]

Glad to hear that at least one of the big movie studios cares about the customer.

it isn't that they care about the consumer it is that they care about their profits, copying films to both formats will cost at least twice as much as it would to a single format. These studios could give a rats ass about the consumer.

 

[Kreij]

Here let me put it in "real" layman's terms ....

For the moment, the [Total HD] is on hold. We’re the only studio producing content in both formats. If we were to put out Total HD with just our titles, it wouldn’t really provide the solution to our retail partners profits that it was intended to provide. If anything, at this point, it would further complicate their life cost us more money, because there would be another product looking for shelf space. Our job is not to further complicate the lives of our retailers lose money for our shareholders.

 

[WarEagleAU]

Well that kind of sucks. Thought the idea was totally genious.