WB drops the nuke: Blu-Ray EXCLUSIVE!

[Doggy Kruger]

(January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – 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.â€

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.â€

“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. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.â€


THE WAR IS PRETTY MUCH OVER!

 

[Mr. Underachiever]

Game over, man! Game over!

So Blu-Ray has Columbia, Disney, and now Warner Bros., and HD-DVD has... Paramount.

Game over, man! Game over!

I expect to see a spike in PS3 sales as well.

 

[Doggy Kruger]

I can't wait to shove this in my friend's face.
He's been a hardcore HD-DVD guy :laugh:

Here's some even better news :169:

HD DVD Promo Group Cancels CES Press Conference

It was among the most highly anticipated press events of this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but following today's announcement from Warner Home Video, this Sunday's press conference from the HD DVD Promotions Group has been cancelled.

Organizers sent out a note to members of the media and invited guests late Friday, attributing the cancellation to the timing of Warner's announcement. A rep for the group told us this evening that the press conference will not be rescheduled, but that the group will still have a presence at the show from its booth on the convention floor.

The full text of the HD DVD Promo Group's email follows below:

Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD’s commitment to quality and affordability – a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

 

[Sega]

HD-DVD got pwnt.

 

[JustAnotherBlueRanger]

Game over, man! Game over!

So Blu-Ray has Columbia, Disney, and now Warner Bros., and HD-DVD has... Paramount.

Game over, man! Game over!

I expect to see a spike in PS3 sales as well.

Eh... I'm not exactly sure what it says when a gaming console's future is dependent on what movie studios decide.

And I'm not really sure if Blu Ray players are that affordable yet.

 

[Bolt]

Fuckin' ****, what happened to Laserdisc?

 

[Mr. Underachiever]

Eh... I'm not exactly sure what it says when a gaming console's future is dependent on what movie studios decide.

And you know what? I will not argue with that. I'm just saying that, in addition to playing games, it is one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players (though not THE cheapest anymore), and is a pretty good one from what I hear, that I expect sales to increase with Blu-Ray pretty much being the winner of the format war.

And also, I feel it's about time Sony got a format right--after the failures that were Betamax, Atrac3, and UMD, it's nice to see that not every format Sony comes up with is a total waste.

 

[JustAnotherBlueRanger]

And you know what? I will not argue with that. I'm just saying that, in addition to playing games, it is one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players (though not THE cheapest anymore), and is a pretty good one from what I hear, that I expect sales to increase with Blu-Ray pretty much being the winner of the format war.

And also, I feel it's about time Sony got a format right--after the failures that were Betamax, Atrac3, and UMD, it's nice to see that not every format Sony comes up with is a total waste.

Except I'm not sure Sony got a format right though. At least as far as games go.

Movies, I don't care about. I haven't bothered to re-buy most of my anime on DVD yet. It's the games I'm concerned about.

 

[Doggy Kruger]

Eh... I'm not exactly sure what it says when a gaming console's future is dependent on what movie studios decide.

And I'm not really sure if Blu Ray players are that affordable yet.

It's not fully dependent but it sure as hell does help a lot. Right now the Playstation 3 is the best Blu-ray player out there because for its price you're getting a gaming machine, a computer, and a blu-ray player in one. If you're looking to buy a blu-ray player, PS3 is the way to go for now. The movie studios are the ones that decide the outcome of the war and WB going blu-ray exclusive pretty much ended it.

Now by having WB go blu-ray exclusive, consumers are now out of the crossfire. Blu-ray is the winner and they're going to buy the players and the DVDs. Especially HD-DVD owners who don't have Blu-ray. They have no choice but to go Blu.

 

[SaikoDragon]

I expect to see a spike in PS3 sales as well.

Perhaps, perhaps. But at the same time, probably just see a spike in Blu Ray players in general. PS3 is 600 bucks. A standard blu ray player can be as low as 200-250... Based on the difference, which do you think is going to sell more.