Warner turns Blu - Tips scales in next-gen DVD war
Technophile
Jonathan Harrop
Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: Life & Style
In that case, another format might come along (such as VMD from Europe, a considerably lower-tech version of HD DVD and Blu-ray) that supplants both, having had the consumer foot the bill for an inevitably fruitless format war.
It appears that's not the case anymore.
Warner Home Video and Warner Brothers, combined with the other movie studies signed to Blu-ray (that would be everyone except NBC-Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks), control about 70 percent of the movies distributed nationwide. Worldwide sales are predominantly Blu-ray as well.
Don't count HD DVD out quite yet, though.
Players have dropped significantly in price, as have the discs themselves. The Toshiba HD-A3, formerly $299.99 now comes in at a paltry $149.99, making it, in practicality, one of the best up-convert DVD players out there.
I'll be honest, though. It's going to be a rough time for HD DVD.
Variety Media confirmed that Universal's exclusivity contract has expired and sits un-renewed, and Paramount and DreamWorks have an escape clause in their exclusivity contract that says they can move over to Blu-ray if Warner does.
If you've been thinking of picking up either format, or are just finally ready for a new DVD player and have an HDTV, a Blu-ray player might just be a sound investment the way things sit now.
Then again, three weeks ago, I was telling customers it was likely the format war would end up more like Xbox and Playstation than VHS and Beta.
Jonathan Harrop is a staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler. His tech review appears every other Wednesday.
It appears that's not the case anymore.
Warner Home Video and Warner Brothers, combined with the other movie studies signed to Blu-ray (that would be everyone except NBC-Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks), control about 70 percent of the movies distributed nationwide. Worldwide sales are predominantly Blu-ray as well.
Don't count HD DVD out quite yet, though.
Players have dropped significantly in price, as have the discs themselves. The Toshiba HD-A3, formerly $299.99 now comes in at a paltry $149.99, making it, in practicality, one of the best up-convert DVD players out there.
I'll be honest, though. It's going to be a rough time for HD DVD.
Variety Media confirmed that Universal's exclusivity contract has expired and sits un-renewed, and Paramount and DreamWorks have an escape clause in their exclusivity contract that says they can move over to Blu-ray if Warner does.
If you've been thinking of picking up either format, or are just finally ready for a new DVD player and have an HDTV, a Blu-ray player might just be a sound investment the way things sit now.
Then again, three weeks ago, I was telling customers it was likely the format war would end up more like Xbox and Playstation than VHS and Beta.
Jonathan Harrop is a staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler. His tech review appears every other Wednesday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Bill
posted 1/15/08 @ 10:34 PM CST
After reading this article, my question is why aren't you still using a PS3 as your Blu-Ray player? Why the change to the other Blu-Ray players, eventually landing on the much more expensive Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD? (Why the splurge and constant upgrades?) I thought that with all the firmware upgrades Sony has provided for the PS3 that the PS3 fully supported Blu-Ray as much or more as any other player (1080p, 24 fps, Blu-Ray Profile 1. (Continued…)
dale
posted 1/16/08 @ 5:01 PM CST
to jonathon, i sure am glad that you feel relieved and all but in the last two weeks i feel like i've been punched in the gut by sony. first i hear all these stories of how they spent $500 million to get warner bros. (Continued…)
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