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Universal exec says studio and HD DVD are moving forward
In an interview, Universal executive vice president and HD DVD Promotional Group co-president Ken Graffeo gave some insights to the recent format war developments. First up, he addresses the obvious: the pre-CES Warner announcement was a surprise, and the necessary re-jiggering of the HD DVD press conference is what led to its cancellation. Graffeo also reiterates that Universal will continue to stand behind the HD DVD format and roll out new titles; "business as usual" as he calls it. It's a brave face to put on the embattled format; but if consumer purchases are the strongest statement that can be made, then how can the 60:40 split in sales figures be reconciled with his statement that "... we just haven't addressed (Warner's move) yet?"
Blu-ray players grab 93 percent of market after Warner went Blu
According to the latest NPD group report, during the month of December Blu-ray players held 60 percent of the HD media player market -- despite the fact that HD DVD players were considerably cheaper. While that might've helped Warner in its decision to go Blu, the move has definitely had a dramatic effect on player sales since. According to the same study the week after the announcement, Blu-ray players were able to grab 93 percent of the market, which puts the year to date (short, we know) share for Blu-ray players at 70 percent. Granted, it's hard to put too much stock in just a week or two of data, but if this and the recent media sales numbers (85 percent) becomes a trend, maybe this won't be such a slow death for HD DVD after all.[Via Blu-ray.com]
MacDailyNews does the math, misses the point
MacDailyNews ran down some numbers in the format war and scored a knockout punch for Apple (shocking, right?). Here's how it plays out: Blu-ray has led HDM sales over HD DVD and racked up 6 million discs to date, but the iTunes movie store has moved 7 million units in even less time, beating out both HDM formats. Fanboyism (and bad puns) aside, that's comparing apples and oranges -- let's not go mixing the HD with the non-HD. We're no Apple haters (far from it), and we even think downloadable HD content is the future; but it's a future that hasn't arrived just yet. Let's wait and see what sort of HD download numbers Apple nets -- we've got a suspicion the Apple TV-only restrictions will yield significantly lower numbers than seen up until now. Additionally, is it meaningful to compare iTunes' HD rental-only figures with HDM sales?
New evidence that Paramount is going Blu?
In what could just as easily be an honest mistake but is causing lots of discussion among Blu-ray fans -- Amazon.co.uk has three Paramount titles available for pre-order. All three titles have a expected ship date of March 10th and all those hopeful for a single format to get behind, want to believe this is another slip by our friends at Amazon that would confirm the rumor that Paramount is using its exit clause to go Blu. We're sure if we asked Paramount it'd be denied 'til the cows come home, but even though these titles were previously available on Blu-ray, we'd still put our money on this being just like the third generation HD DVD player situation.[Via FormatWarCentral]Read - Trading SpacesRead - Coming to AmericaRead - Anchorman
Study shows that Blu-ray sales are killin' in Japan
Although Japan Today doesn't realize that Blu-ray discs aren't DVDs, they do have some interesting stats that shed some light on why Warner might have chose to go BD exclusive. The report is from a study of 2,300 Japanese electronic retailers, and shows that 90-percent of HD movie player recorder sales -- not counting the PS3 -- were owned by Blu-ray. The other interesting thing to note is that although Americans couldn't care less about recording to shiny round discs, the Japanese continue to love it, and HD disc recorder sales were up to 20-percent in November and December from 6.1-percent in October. Leading the way in recorder sales was Sony, followed by Panasonic and Sharp.
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on January 22nd, 2008
The slow new releases continue for both camps, but both camps have the same number of titles this week, two. But while Blu-ray has movies from Disney and Lionsgate respectively, the red camp gets one from Vanguard Cinema and one from Music Distribution. The one ting in common for both camps is that there isn't anything to get excited about. That being said, with this lineup from Blu-ray we'd expect about the same sales share for HD DVD as it had last week. Looking ahead, this trend looks like it'll continue and if HD DVD's lineup doesn't improve -- unless of course Universal and Paramount step up soon -- we don't see this being much of a war. But of course we said the same thing about this time last year and we couldn't have been more wrong. HD DVD 378 vs Blu-ray 420*Blu-ray The Game Plan (Walt Disney) Saw IV (Lionsgate) HD DVD Channels (Vanguard Cinema) Method Man: Live from the Sunset Strip (Music Distribution) * Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously available.
Retail shelves getting painted blu
Part of Blu-ray's strategy is a "top down" approach that starts with studios and retailers and pushes downwards to consumers. It seems to be working, as several retailers are falling in line and shifting shelf space away from HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. The linked article describes how buyers for several retail chains are shifting orders and shelf space away from the embattled HD DVD format. It's grim news, but none of them is giving up on the format entirely (at least not yet). Also, online shops that enjoy more "long tail" sales (Amazon, DVD Empire) haven't made big changes in product mix, and neither has HD giant Best Buy (no mention of rumor-fave Target). Still, talk along the lines of "... special order HD DVD titles for customers if needed" sounds like a death rattle to us. [Via FormatWarCentral]
Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending January 13th, 2008
We must say we didn't see this coming, sure we knew the Warner announcement would have some impact on the Nielsen VideoScan numbers, courtesy of Home Media Magazine, but who would've guessed the spread would be 85/15 (5.7:1)? What is just as telling is the top ten chart, which despite having six titles on it that are also available on HD DVD, not one HD DVD made the list for the first time since we can remember, -- first time ever? To be fair, we should point out that HD DVD didn't have any blockbusters in the past few weeks and as we've seen many times, a big exclusive title like 3:10 to Yuma can give both sides a surge. But with no big titles on the calendar in the next few months for red, we wouldn't be surprised if these crazily lopsided sales become the norm. We do wonder how long HD DVD will stay the course if they can't even garner 20% of the movie sales market.
In face of release announcements, last week's HD DVD sales sink to 15%
The hard times for HD DVD just keep continuing. Last week was absolutely brutal, and the ensuing "quiet period" among the remaining HD DVD players didn't help in either the eyes of consumers or the media. The result? After floating around the 30-40% mark for most of 2007's weekly sales figures, last week saw that figure knocked down to a paltry 15%, with absolutely zero HD DVD titles in the top ten. Battered, but not beaten, the HD DVD group is hoping to turn things around with announcements of upcoming releases. Warner's release of "Twister" on Blu-ray 3-weeks ahead of HD DVD is salt in the wound, but Paramount and Universal are committing to the fight with title like "The Jack Ryan Collection" and "American Gangster." It's looking pretty grim for the red team right now, so keep an eye on the VideoScan death watch numbers. [Thanks, David and ag23!]
Germany's Senator Entertainment follows Constantin, goes Blu-ray only
If you were wondering just how long you'd have to wait until the next domino fell, wonder no more. Germany's own Senator Home Entertainment is reportedly following in the footsteps of Constantin Film AG and will stop supporting HD DVD. Notably, any films that were already scheduled to arrive on HD DVD will supposedly still ship, but after March 1, 2008, the studio will be supporting Blu-ray exclusively. Another one bites the dust, we suppose.[Thanks, Khattab]
BBC still mulling Blu-ray exclusive decision
We already knew that New Line Cinema (owned by Time Warner, which also owns Engadget's parent companies) and HBO Home Video would be following Warner into the land of the Blu, but it seems as if BBC Video (which also distributes through Warner) has yet to make a decision of its own. According to TVShowsOnDVD, The Beeb has reiterated that it will continue to support both HD DVD / Blu-ray for now and "will evaluate the marketplace before committing to one format." Apparently, Planet Earth has been moving quite well on the red front, and considering just how different its content is compared with New Line / HBO, we wouldn't be shocked to see it stick with both for awhile longer. Still, the cards are certainly stacked in BD's favor, but only time will tell if the BBC will continue to bleed purple.
Format war alive and well in porn industry
If the porn industry is indeed pivotal to format success, the current HDM war may be far from over. Digital Playground's move to blu aside, the porn industry has not seen the same kind of bandwagon-hopping as the more mainstream media. Read through the link to get the lowdown on the individual players, but suffice it to say that there's a pull between mainstream studio pull for Blu-ray and affordability for HD DVD. If what we heard from the BDA press conference at CES is any indication, the consumers will follow where the studios lead. The question is whether the porn industry will fall in line with those studios or vote for the lower royalty costs of HD DVD.
Is everyone's Hi-Def Netflix queue this backed up?
Never mind the fact that our HD movie Netflix queue is still called a DVD Queue -- we've had enough of this "Very Long Wait" business. It seems that just about every Blu-ray title we add isn't available, and while we're not sure how widespread this is, we do know we've received emails -- thanks Andy! -- complaining about the exact same thing; and with HD DVDs too. We understand that there are a lot of new HD movie player owners out there after the holidays and that with the WGA strike, there is more demand than ever for movie rentals. But still Netflix, get it together and increase your stock, so we don't have to wait forever to see a new release in HD.
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on January 15th, 2008
Here we are the first week after CES and there isn't much on the release schedule for either camp. Blu-ray does have six titles this week, but nothing really to get excited about. Comedies do pretty good, -- even though some think HD doesn't make them any more pleasurable -- so Blu-ray fans can look forward to Dane's latest comedy Good Luck Chuck. Looking forward, this is a slow time of year for movie releases, but horror fans can look for SAW IV. And to those who think Universal and Paramount are going to be HD DVD's savior, you might want to look at the upcoming release schedule where there are a combined five titles between both studios for 2008 currently on the schedule. To be fair we saw the same thing last year, before Universal released the torrents of their catalog. HD DVD 376 vs Blu-ray 418*Blu-ray Breaker Morant (Image) Girls Gone Wild: Baby Bash - Live And Uncensored (Mantra) Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) Mr. Woodcock (New Line) Suburban Girl (Image) Went To Coney Island On A Mission From God... Be Back By Five (Starz) HD DVD The Ten (City Lights) * Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously available.
HD DVD fires back, slashes hardware & software prices
HD DVD's response to being unceremoniously jilted by Warner going into CES was ... nothing. A canceled press conference, downtrodden Toshiba press conference and rumors of further losses left great doubt that red had anything left in 2008, but now HD DVD is firing back. Leveraging its "approximately 50% market share in 2007" -- we're not sure where that number comes from either, we've contacted Toshiba for clarification -- indisputable lead in the notebook market and 100% compatibility with internet-enabled HDi features, Toshiba has announced it is not laying down yet. Effective yesterday, the HD-A3 MSRP has dropped to $149.99, the 1080p-capable HD-A30 to $199.99, and the top of the line HD-A35 to $299.99. Combined with an extended "perfect offer" of 5 free HD DVDs with every purchase, Toshiba's HD DVD Concierge service, and a sudden 50% off sale on Amazon, it seems this format will not go quietly into the dark. Fire sale to clear suddenly obsolete inventory or real chance to hang onto its remaining supporters? This could be the best -- or worst -- time to pick a side in the HD war.Update: Amazon is also having a 50% off Blu-ray sale, so whatever your format of choice, pick up some discs and let the movie studios know who you rep. Read - 50% off sale on Amazon (Thanks Jeremy) Read - Toshiba press release
Stargate Atlantis: S1 appears on Amazon... in Blu-ray format
We know, a fair chunk of you are wondering why Stargate Atlantis: Season 1 turning up on Amazon in Blu-ray form is a big deal. Here's the skinny: the aforementioned program is a Sci-Fi original, and Sci-Fi just so happens to be owned by NBC Universal. Got all that? Now, let's flash back to just days ago -- Universal's HD DVD exclusivity contract expired and we heard through the grapevine that it was planning on following Warner (owned by Time Warner, which also owns Engadget's parent companies) to the Blu side of life. If you still haven't pieced this all together, this listing is just another crumb of mounting evidence that Universal could indeed be ditching HD DVD in the not-too-distant future, but until we hear anything official, we suppose we'll just have to pretend there's no rustling going on in the background.[Thanks, Aaron H.]Update: Turns out the series is owned by MGM / Sony, which clicks with Blu-ray. Our bad!
CES 2008: The best of Blu-ray players
It was a blowout CES for Blu-ray, and it all started even before the first day of the show with Warner's announcement. With manufacturer and studio support, the format was primed, and the addition of BD Live brought feature parity to Blu-ray and HD DVD. There was a definite feeling that it's okay to come into the water now, and we expect 2008 will see more expansion of the format still. On the high end, we saw Marantz's entry to the Blu-ray market, complete with a gaggle of drool-worthy specs and outputs. For the more modest budget (which is to say, anyone who even has a budget), skip past Denon's Blu-ray transport and check out the Samsung BD-1500 and Panasonic DMP-BD50. Marantz BD8002Denon DVD-2500BDTCISamsung BD-UP5500Samsung intros BD-P1500 Blu-ray player, BD-UP5500 combo playerPanasonic DMP-BD50Philips BDP7200Sharp BD-HP50U
Nielsen VideoScan High-Def market share for week ending January 6th, 2008
We expected to skip a week at some point and this week's Nielsen VideoScan numbers courtesy of Home Media Magazine is for the first week of January. This was a big one for Blu-ray in regards to releases with a few Resident Evil titles -- including box sets -- as well as Shoot 'Em Up and War. These big titles was enough to push every HD DVD titles out of the top ten with the exception of The Bourne Ultimatum -- for the fist time since November. The big Warner announcement probably didn't have much of an influence the 65/35 (1.86:1) split since it occurred so late in the week, but we'll be waiting to see how it affects the numbers moving forward. Of course next week won't be the greatest example either, as the red camp only had a few catalog titles and as we've seen so many times before, it's really the big blockbusters that move the charts.
Germany's Constantin Film AG drops HD DVD, goes Blu-ray only
Since Warner announced it is ending support for HD DVD and going Blu-ray only, there has been endless rumor mongering over who would be next out the door. Surprisingly, none of those unnamed industry insiders named Constantin Film AG -- which calls itself Germany's leading independent film production and distribution company with 11 of the 25 most successful German theatrical films of the last ten years -- a company that has been releasing in both formats until now, but announced its movies will be released in Blu-ray only beginning March 1st. Citing Warner's shift and a desire to see the format war end, Constantin's Home Entertainment Director said it is "following the international trend." Obviously someone hasn't heard of International VMD Day. [Via heise online] [Warning: PDF read link]
Warner's remaining HD DVD support will include a three week delay?
In Warner's press release stating they'd go Blu-ray exclusive, they also indicated that HD DVD titles would not be released day and date with Blu-ray titles. During the conference call after the release, someone asked what the delay would be and at the time Warner said they were still working out the details. Well, Format War Central noticed that Amazon is showing a three week delay for Warner's new title The Invasion. It doesn't seem like too much of a jump to assume that this will be the policy moving forward, but we've contacted Warner for confirmation, so stay tuned.**UPDATE** Warner has responded and says the delay might vary depending on the title and that it provides retailers a chance to educate consumers about Warner's decision to go Blu-ray exclusive.
