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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
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!]
Universal HD DVD exclusivity contract has expired, sits non-renewed
More news from the format war today, and it isn't good for the red camp. Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal's agreement to stick with HD DVD has ended and has not been renewed. Additionally, Paramount has an escape clause in its contract that can be exercised following Warner's departure from the (now dwindling) HD DVD ranks. The article highlights various ongoing commitments both companies have to the format, but we've heard these kind of promises before from studios. It's feeling like a party where everyone leaves at once; nobody wants to be the first out the door, but everyone's looking in that direction. [Thanks, Mike M!]
Sources say Universal and Paramount are both going Blu
Rumors just won't stop about the future of HD DVD, and while we try not to post all of them, some seem too believable to pass up. Our friend Bill Hunt, at the Digital Bits, -- still waiting on those permalinks, Bill -- is reporting that his "second to none" sources informed him that both Universal and Paramount are in the process of going blu. But don't bother asking 'em, because the same contracts that prevent them from switching now, prevent them from confirming the rumor. In addition, Bills sources tell him that while Paramount could make an announcement any day now, Universal's won't come until February -- at the earliest -- because "their contract period with the HD-DVD camp expires at the end of January."[Via FormatWarCentral]
MusicGiants launches VideoGiants, with HD movies from Paramount
The HD digital distribution club just got a little bigger, as lossless audio distributor MusicGiants is launching its VideoGiants service with 250 movies from Paramount, and additional content from HDNet. Available in 1080p or 1080i WMV format, users can purchase the movies in 10-packs for $159 delivered via Seagate hard drives or, in a few months, one at a time via direct download to a home media server. After that, it can be viewed via the media PC or Media Extender (including Xbox 360). MusicGiants has been selling HD audio tracks to high end home theater owners via its network of dealers and installers for about two years, with plans to make this type of service available to the mass market soon. Still think the future of HD content is on shiny discs?
iTunes movie rental fire gets a poke: Warner Bros, Fox, Disney, Paramount and Lionsgate all on board?
Rumors have been swirling that Apple will be offering movie rentals over iTunes for weeks now. Now it would appear that Warner Bros have joined Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate and Paramount in the initial launch. This, according to sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg. The announcement is expected to be made on January 15th according to the report, presumably during Jobs' MacWorld keynote. Both new releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. Bloomberg's sources also indicate that Fox may join as a supplier of movie downloads. While the details may change, an iTunes rental service announcement on Tuesday seems a near certainty given the recent multi-source, confluence of data.[Via Appleinsider]
Rumor: Paramount to jump the HD DVD ship too? [update]
Update: Paramount released a statement today saying that their "current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format". Good news we say, although the the whole "current plan" wording doesn't put us at complete ease.HD DVD is getting its metaphorical bum whipped lately and things do not look to be getting any brighter. The Financial Times has cooked up the latest HD DVD versus Blu-ray rumor and are claiming that Paramount may be close to announcing that they're going Blu-ray exclusive and abandon their multi-million dollar partnership with the HD DVD camp. The rumor is based on sources close to Paramount's deal with Toshiba saying that there is a clause in the contract that allows Paramount to back Blu-ray in the event Warner Bros. goes blu. And wouldn't you know, last week Warner did just that. If Paramount were to jump to Blu-ray then Sony would have a massive choke hold on the HD format war further pushing their movie studio support higher than their current 70% rate. The other question mark in the equation is Dreamworks who are best buds with Paramount and are said to have a similar contract with Toshiba. Oh well, there's always Universal. They got HD DVD's back ... don't they?[Via Gizmodo, Thanks DjDATZ]
Paramount: "Current plan is to support the HD DVD format." Currently.
Paramount has officially issued its denial of the rumor -- originally printed in the Financial Times -- that it is very close to ending its exclusive support of HD DVD. The quick end to what had been reported as an 18-month agreement could be the result of a "get out" clause triggered by Warner Bros.' sudden departure from HD DVD releases. Whether this will follow last year's "Universal may switch" rumor, that didn't happen, or last month's "Warner may switch" rumor, that did, remains to be seen. Until we hear otherwise, Paramount, Transformers and Shrek are still HD DVD only, whether they like it or not.[Thanks, numlok]
Paramount following Warner out the HD DVD door?
The Financial Times is reporting that Paramount is preparing to use a get out clause in its HD DVD exclusivity deal, and go back to Blu-ray, about 4 months after ending its dual-format release schedule. The move would be a result of Warner's switch to Blu-ray, using a "get out" clause in Paramount's promotional agreement with the HD DVD camp. No details on what it might take to rip up the contract and make Michael Bay very, very happy, but if the rumor proves true this could make the slow death he predicted for HD DVD a very, very fast one.
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 HD DVD review roundup
Paramount's Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 HD DVD boxed set has finally hit shelves, and we've just got to know if it's worth the price. That price is a heft $194.99 MSRP for the ten disc DVD / HD DVD combo set -- currently selling for around $135 at various online retailers -- and judging by the reviews, that may be its only notable flaw. Every review we've seen gave consistent praise to the audio and video quality of the remastered and retouched high definition transfers. The special features are also praiseworthy with some HD DVD exclusives, although digitallyObsessed notes a few are only available on the SD side. We have to wonder if Paramount might follow 300's lead and release a DVD-less set, but any Trekkies that pick this up can expect the best looking and sounding Star Trek: TOS ever. Read - digitallyObsessed Read - IGN Read - The ManRoom Read - PS3 Center Read - High Def Disc News
Transformers HD DVD sets new high definition sales records
Paramount couldn't wait for the Nielsen numbers to announce that Transformers has become the best selling day one and week one HD title on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Blu-ray or HD DVD is important, because it appears even its 190,000 HD DVDs sold in the first week is still behind 300's week one mark of 250k combined. Still, over 100,000 of those sold on the first day and definitely make this the biggest exclusive release since Sony's Casino Royale broke the 100k copies shipped barrier back in March. Two things appear to be confirmed, that the lack of lossless audio wasn't that big of a deal to many buyers, and that HD sales are still miniscule when compared to the 8.3 million Transformer DVDs that sold in the first week.[Thanks, domerdel]
Paramount delays, recalls Jack Ryan HD DVD set
Paramount has reacted quickly, delaying and recalling its not-so-special Jack Ryan Special Collectors Edition HD DVD boxed set that shipped without any of the special features listed on the box. While some may appreciate a minimalist style, presenting only the movies without the interruption of minor elements like, a menu, this was taking it a bit far. No word yet if the discs will be reissued with the missing features, or if those boxes will be returning with certain lines conveniently blanked out.
JB Hi-Fi adds HD DVD to their previous Blu-ray only lineup
High-def owners living down-under now have the freedom of choice at JB Hi-Fi stores. The Australian electronics shop was previous Blu-ray / Sony exclusive, but according to their marketing director, it was the landmark Paramount deal that opened the door for HD DVD. No word on their sales format over format, but the addition of the HD DVD seems to suggest that Blu-ray wasn't selling 'nough and they need to something to spur high-def media sales. Most fanboys can agree that in the end, folks just want high-def movies on their HDTV, and this pesky format war is just getting in the way.
Transformers HD DVD review roundup
Transformers was one of this year's biggest blockbusters at the theater, and now its one of HD DVD's biggest weapons in the format war. With exclusive features and online connectivity, the HD DVD camp expects this disc to show why Paramount chose them, and consumers will too. The biggest part of any HD release is the picture quality, and all the reviews we've found have high praise for the 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer. While HighDefDigest noticed some jaggies during horizontal pans, there were no other faults to be found, impressive considering the high speed action in the film. An unfortunate casualty of all the extras on this two disc set was a high-res audio track -- a strike against HD DVD's 30GB capacity -- although the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix that is present got the all-important "reference material" nod from several outlets. Paramount's much-ballyhooed special features include the opportunity to check out the CGI models in HD, all of the DVD extras in HD, and online options to download special widgets that play along with the movie or check out continually updated IMDB-style guides about the movie and its makers. Perfect its not, but reviewers seem to agree, this is a huge step forward for the format...will it be enough to keep Michael Bay happy? Read - DVD Talk Read - Home Theater Forum Review Read - High-Def Digest
Shrek the Third's HD DVD special features revealed
Now that Shrek the Third is an HD DVD exclusive, it appears Dreamworks Animation is taking the opportunity to throw in all new HDi features. High Def Digest has the updated specs, which include advanced PiP features above and beyond those of previous HD DVD titles, as well as exclusive downloadable content such as a subtitle trivia and movie guide. It would be nice not to have this format war at all, but increased support for each format's unique -- at least until the Blu-ray players are upgraded -- features is a benefit.
Report: Blu-ray/HD DVD war to end in 18 months
It's probably fair to say we're all tired of hi-def movies coming on two formats, and we just can't wait until this silly war is over. Thankfully, the end is in sight, according to Forrester Research, which released a report stating it believes the high-def movie format war will finally end in 18 months with Sony's Blu-ray eventually coming out on top. However, Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder said Sony still has some work to go before it can be crowned, beginning with cutting prices. "Blu-ray needs to offer a viable hardware model at the $250 price point by Christmas 2007," he said. "Failure to alter strategy would open up Blu-ray to a possible upset defeat at the hands of HD DVD."Although Paramount's defection to the HD DVD camp certainly was a blow to Blu-ray, companies have been ramping up support of Sony's movie format, both with increased movie support and shelf space. Either way, we just hope it comes to an end long before their prognostication.
The Format War is Blu-ray's to lose
Forester recently came to this conclusion in their latest analysis of the battle to be the next home movie format. They go on to say that Blu-ray hasn't delivered the "knock-out blow" that's needed to win, and in fact has recently lost ground to HD DVD thanks to Paramount going HD DVD exclusive and Blu-ray supported studios not releasing movies. Forester believes that if Blu-ray doesn't release a player around $250 in time for the holiday season, they could lose the whole thing. For the most part we agree, but we blame the studios more than anyone else. Blu-ray's strategy all along has been to motivate people with their exclusive content, and yet here we are over a year into this thing and HD DVD still has more movies than Blu-ray. Even when Blu-ray was releasing Paramount titles, they still weren't very far ahead when you consider the shear number of movies the supporting studios have at bay. The support from Fox is down right pitiful and Disney isn't too far behind.[Via HighDefDigest]
Following the money in the format war
Everyone knows that the outcome of the Blu-ray / HD DVD format war has huge financial stakes. Reporters, then, take the "Follow the money" approach. At Europe's IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin this week, attempts to do so turned up no solid evidence to clarify things. Onstage execs from Warner Bros., Fox, MGM and Sony all denied that they received payola from the BDA. The response from Stephen Foulser, Disney's European Marketing VP, was only slightly more illuminating -- "no comment." This comes on the heels of reports that Paramount and DreamWorks picked up a $150 million check for their 18-month HD DVD exclusivity. The mystery and intrigue in this format war are fitting for a movie, but which format would it be released on?
HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on August 28th, 2007
And so it begins, not only is this the first week that the Blu-ray camp misses out on the first Paramount HD DVD exclusive Blades of Glory, but they don't have any titles to boot. We have however, heard of some people locating Blu-ray copies of Blades of Glory that haven't been successfully recalled, but they don't count none-the-less. While we're talking about the count, no we haven't deducted the 32 Paramount titles -- Yet. We've added a comment to explain, but we'll officially remove them in 30 days, by this time most of the remaining stock should be depleted. We know some of you won't like it, but tough. Despite all the fuss about Blades of Glory, the biggest exclusive title this week is Heroes, with some of the best HD extras yet. HD DVD 278 vs Blu-ray 286 *Blu-ray Zilch HD DVD Blades of Glory (Paramount) Dawn of the Dead (2004) (Universal) Heroes: Season One (Universal) The Hurricane (2000) (Universal) Notting Hill (Universal) *Blu-ray total reflects 32 Paramount titles only available for a limited time.
The BDA's damage control
No matter what the BDA tells you, there is no se the Paramount/Dreamworks news is a big deal. We're not only talking about 10% of all the Blu-ray titles, we're also talking about some of the biggest titles -- like MI3 and Transformers. Of course we expect the BDA to have a bunch of articles all over the Internet explaining that this is a non-announcement, or that they were paid off -- as if it matters why -- which we find interesting to read, but it doesn't change the fact that this might be the watershed moment that could give HD DVD the advantage. Of course this thing is a long way from over and anything could happen, but the prediction that the format war will be over this holiday season seems really silly now. Especially when combined with the news that both Samsung and Onkyo will be in the HD DVD hardware game sooner rather than later. Read - Blue Ray Technologies RespondsRead - Market Conditions & Logic Don't CoincideRead - Forecast Says Industry Still Behind Blu-ray
