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Posted on 01/04/2008 1:22:21 PM PST by ECM
In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."
Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008. "Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."
"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience."
(Excerpt) Read more at engadget.com ...
HD ping!
Blu-ray and HD-DVD are both dead in the water. Buyers are staying away while the two fight it out, nobody want’s to be stuck with a “betamax” player.
By the time the dust settles, internet streaming / downloads will have replaced disc-based media for many, and possibly cable and sattelite TV as well.
Apple is clearly banking on this with iTunes, Apple TV, etc...
Hasn’t the obit for Sony already been written? Does this mean they can’t go to print yet?
Wasn’t someone else going exclusively HD-DVD a few months ago?
I really don’t want to have to buy two different new DVD players. Pissed off enough about having to buy a new television soon.
You can buy a dual-format player. (One that plays both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray)
Then buy either disc of the movie you want. Voila, problem solved, and you don’t get stuck with a betamax.
So is MS. The HD-DVD stuff was always an afterthought with the 360. Xbox Live already offers downloadable HD movies.
(Yeah, I know, you ran a search, but in the time it takes to post an article I snuck in under the radar....)
D’oh!
LLS
LLS
LLS
Good I just got an external Blu-ray writer and have a laptop on order with a Blu-ray reader/DVD DL writer.
I bought into HD DVD that week also. I Have about $300 dollars invested now including movies.
I would buy a Blu-Ray player except, the final version is still two years away and at least another year before they get into my price range.
I can record HD movies off the TV and burn them on mini HD DVD. This is my current source of Disney movies, I guess I’ll add Warner to the list.
Are there any dual-format player for sale currently? I know serveral manufactures have been promising them “real soon now”, but I’ve yet to see them actually hit the shelves...
One problem with the whole Blu-ray and HD DVD thing.
Most people can’t tell the difference between them and ordinary DVDs.
It kind of reminds me when they first came out with Hi-Fi records. They tried several times to come up with something better, but nothing really caught on. A combination that nobody could tell the difference except people with extremely good hearing, and that most records didn’t even come up to Hi-Fi standards.
So what movie do you *have* to see in Blu-ray or HD DVD, because it just won’t look good in DVD?
I would have agreed with you on this not too long ago, but now I’m beginning to have second thoughts: after watching 300 and Ratatouille with my stepmother this week, she actually pointed out to me how she could see the difference in image quality without a side-by-side comparison (that said, she also said it didn’t really matter to her, but she could clearly discern a difference.) This is only news to me because she is one of those people that had a really hard time with the concept of 4:3 and 16:9 and why the latter was better, so I imagine she’s probably not the only one seeing the difference.
For me, though, it’s like night and day.
I’m thrilled....bought a PS3 for Christmas and it plays Blu-Ray. I feel better and better.
:)
You need to move here. There are plenty available.
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