Paramount
studios is poised to drop its support of the high-definition DVD (HD
DVD) format after Warner Bros studio said it would back the competing
Blu-ray format, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.The loss of
support from Paramount, which is owned by Viacom Inc, would likely deal
the final blow to the HD DVD format backed by Toshiba Corp and put an
end to the format war, the newspaper said on its Web site. Time Warner
Inc’s Warner Bros studio on Friday said it would exclusively
release high-definition DVDs in Sony Corp’s Blu-ray format,
marking a major setback to the HD DVD camp.
Blu-ray discs outsold HD DVD by nearly two-to-one in the United States last year, but HD DVD had secured major allies in August when Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc said they would go exclusively with HD DVD. But Paramount is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp that would allow it to change sides if Warner Bros backed Blu-ray, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the situation. However, Paramount spokeswoman denied this news as speculative with “Paramount’s current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format”.
Source: Forbes, FT, Bloomberg
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Who developed Blu-ray?
The Blu-ray Disc format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers, with more than 180 member companies from all over the world. The Board of Directors currently consists of:
Apple Computer, Inc.
Dell Inc.
Hewlett Packard Company
Hitachi, Ltd.
LG Electronics Inc.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
Royal Philips Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Sharp Corporation
Sony Corporation
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
TDK Corporation
Thomson Multimedia
Twentieth Century Fox
Walt Disney Pictures
Warner Bros. Entertainment
When will I be able to buy Blu-ray products?
If you live in the US or Canada you can already find Blu-ray players from Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Philips and Pioneer available in stores, as well as a growing selection of Blu-ray movies. We also expect to see Blu-ray players from LG and Sharp, as well as a second-generation Blu-ray player from Samsung introduced in the near future. The first Blu-ray hardware and software should also be available in many European countries now.
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Looks like when i get an HD tv worth it, i'll need to re by the 3 extended editions.
When Sony released its Blu-Ray technology, they put way too much money into developing that blue ray laser and high capacity disc so they didn't spend money on the codec. When released to market, HDDVD had a high-def codec and Sony was using MPEG-2. Yes, MPEG-2. The same shit you have on your standard def DVDs. Ouch! That technology is what? 20 years old? Because of bad press, they had to switch to a better codec, so imagine the spendthrift involved with that! Now, imagine how much less money they had on making their system actually good. So, what's the problem now? Well, aside from the shitty systems available, they also have update problems. You see, all of Toshiba's systems are supposed to have Ethernet capabilities, so updating the firmware is a piece of cake. Sony systems? Nope. You better be prepared to shill out some major doe for that added feature. So, there is a high chance that SOME of the Blu Ray DVDs will NOT play on some Blu Ray DVD players because they're incapable of updating their firmware. Ain't that a bitch? I hope Sony figures this out, but chances are they won't, and even if they do, that's more of a crippling blow to their chances to "corner the market" than you think.
But, if you have a PS3, you're sitting pretty (from my insider news). It's a better purchase than a straight Blu-Ray DVD Player purchase. That's just silly, no?
That aside, HDDVD isn't just Toshiba. It's Microsoft, too. Microsoft created the programming infrastructure called iHD, which I've programmed in, so if you ever step out to Best Buy and purchase yourself a copy of Under Siege, Blazing Saddles or Lethal Weapon in HDDVD format, then you'll be buying my handy work. I've worked on other WB titles, but those are the titles I programmed myself. What are you waiting for, fellow Sifters. Buy my shit! I make NO money off of them!
I was reading about this earlier, and learned that the Microsoft created HDI vs the Blu-Ray Java based solution for extended features was the crux of the feud.
I don't fully understand the debate, but it sounds like IHD is XML based and pretty open - but does Microsoft own and license the tech? If so, I'm glad that Blu-Ray appears to be winning the battle - I trust Microsoft about as much as Diebold for their dedication to open software standards. (I'll never forgive them for J++)
Such is our pain.
Blu Ray DVD Player - 400.00
HD DVD Player - 179.00
Now they offer the same definition, so please tell me why Blu Ray is so much cooler. This is the only good thing Blu Ray has to offer.
I get the fact that Blu Ray offers the ability to pack Star Wars Episodes (1-6 plus the originals plus the remakes plus the digitally enhanced originals, plus the digitally enhanced remake of the originals.. you see where i'm going with this..) all onto one disc. Now if you can actually sit there and not have to get up once every 2 hours to piss or smoke or get another beer, then thats fine. But theres no reason why you can change a disc (DVD disc changers piss me off to). Now for software applications, Blu Ray is awesome. But i have yet to see a decent devotion towards that purpose, and merely a drive of Blu Ray DVD players. SO again, someone please enlighten me.