Warner Exclusive Blu-ray= More PS3 sold?

[wco81]

They are the average bitrates. If you've ever watched a bitrate counter during decode you'd know that there will be sections that almost certainly exceeds 30Mbps sometimes.

It'll be interesting to see if Warners uses higher bitrate encodes, once it's encoding only for Blu-Ray. When it was supporting both formats, the lower bandwidth of HD-DVD may have been the least common denominator.

Warners stood to reap patent revenues from HD-DVD, a continuation of its patent positions in DVD. That is why initially they were supporting only HD-DVD and why when it decided to support both formats, it was such a big deal -- big enough that it precipitated MS coming out for HD-DVD.

They did try to push some kind of a hybrid format. Can't recall if it was the DVD/HD-DVD disc or some other hybrid. But the hybrid discs didn't catch on.

They were seeing their Blu-Ray releases outsell HD-DVD releases by 2 to 1. Not that big a margin though that they would switch now (Toshiba surely moved a lot of cheap players).

There will surely be conspiracy theories.

 

[fallguy]

Well Microsoft made the HD-DVD drive a plug in external to the XBox. So it would seem to me that if the need arises, we will have a Blu-ray box addin.

Personally, I represent the group of people that don't see it as increasing the value of the PS3 as I don't have any plans to get a console.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13253

 

[wco81]

I don't see MS in a great hurry to support Blu-Ray for the X360. At least let it play out and they will probably help Universal (which is pretty hawkish about being pro HD-DVD) and Paramount (while it's 18-month deal is in effect) hand-encode and turn out the best HDi titles they can.

Maybe help with advertising.

If Blu-Ray does indeed start to establish itself while HD-DVD fades and DVD sales slow and the studios get serious about HD disc sales (i.e. lower prices without doing the Buy One Get One promotions), then MS will face a dilemma ...

for the next Xbox.

They're not going to be able to go without an optical disc medium. Everyone talks about digital distribution but around 2010, it'll still be a pipe dream (no pun intended) unless you're only talking about XBL Arcade games.

So do they stay with DVD, go with market-limited HD-DVD ROM, or eat crow and go Blu-Ray?

 

[StefanS]

Folks,

this is not the place to discuss bitrates or BluRay vs HD-DVD (For those topics head to respective subforums on this board. This thread will only stay open as long as the impact of this move on the console manufacturers and their sales is discussed. So stick to the topic.

 

[Mythos]

I don't see MS in a great hurry to support Blu-Ray for the X360. At least let it play out and they will probably help Universal (which is pretty hawkish about being pro HD-DVD) and Paramount (while it's 18-month deal is in effect) hand-encode and turn out the best HDi titles they can.

Maybe help with advertising.

If Blu-Ray does indeed start to establish itself while HD-DVD fades and DVD sales slow and the studios get serious about HD disc sales (i.e. lower prices without doing the Buy One Get One promotions), then MS will face a dilemma ...

for the next Xbox.

They're not going to be able to go without an optical disc medium. Everyone talks about digital distribution but around 2010, it'll still be a pipe dream (no pun intended) unless you're only talking about XBL Arcade games.

So do they stay with DVD, go with market-limited HD-DVD ROM, or eat crow and go Blu-Ray?

I always thought that MS strategy in the console space was odd...if they are to give consumer choice they should've allowed both hd-dvd and blu-ray drive add ons. If anything they have vc-1 to push. What to do?

 

[joker454]

It'll be interesting to see if Warners uses higher bitrate encodes, once it's encoding only for Blu-Ray.

They just started to actually, apparently the movie Shootem-up is using a blu-ray specific VC-1 encode that hits 40mbps at times, which exceeds hd-dvd's spec. I think this is a huge move for the format war, basically blu-ray has now won.

Console wise I don't think it will matter much short term. People in general take a long time to adopt new tech so I don't see a whole lot of impact in the next 2 to 3 years. Even if there was an impact, nothing stops Microsoft from releasing a blu-ray ad on. I don't expect they will though. However, you've gotta wonder if their next Xbox will have to ship with a blu-ray player. By then the 100gb quad layer blu-ray will be available and it would be silly for them to fall behind.

 

[Mythos]

There is more to the Warner exclusivity and that is.."Warner will be joining other BD-exclusive suppliers Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Lionsgate. Time Warner divisions New Line Home Entertainment and HBO Video are also included in the move to Blu-ray."

On the PS3 and X360 sales thus far...."BD does enjoy a far larger hardware installation base, due mostly to the millions of BD-equipped PlayStation 3 consoles sold. At last count, following the hot Black Friday shopping weekend, 750,000 HD DVD set-tops and Xbox 360 HD DVD drives had sold in the U.S. since the format’s launch last year. Including PS3s and set-tops, 2.7 million BD players have sold since launch through that same frame."

And on the impact that PS3 sales has had on the format war...""You also can't underestimate the impact of PS3 as a playback device," Sanders said. "The attachment rate may not be very high, and in fact it isn't, but in the aggregate that still adds up to a lot of software sales.""

Source: http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6517192.html

 

[AlNom]

For non-console discussion, please go to the following thread in the Video Tech & HTPC Forum, please:

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=46211 Warner Bros goes Blu-Ray Exclusive

 

[Asher]

There is more to the Warner exclusivity and that is.."Warner will be joining other BD-exclusive suppliers Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Lionsgate. Time Warner divisions New Line Home Entertainment and HBO Video are also included in the move to Blu-ray."

This is incorrect.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s..._HBO_Not_Covered_By_Blu-ray_Announcement/1328

Though it's widely expected that Warner Bros. subsidiaries New Line and HBO will follow Warner Home Entertainment to Blu-ray exclusivity, for the moment they remain format-agnostic.

That's according to Warner Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara, who said that the studio's announcement that it would drop HD DVD support does not extend to titles released by New Line, HBO or the BBC (which Warner distributes here in the US).

 

[inefficient]

I do know at least a few people who have been waiting for this move to make a purchasing decision.

But the fact is the general consumer does not pay attention to this kind of news. So doubt it will have an immediate impact. So no sudden sakes spike or anything.

But gradually throughout 2008 as HD-DVD slowly fades away into nothingness, the PS3 can only get more and more attractive. Especially if PS3 ends up being one of the first and best payers supporting BD 1.1 BD Java and BD Live.

The PS3 star is only getting brighter.

 

[patsu]

If Blu-ray continues to gain in adoption, then Sony may have a hard earned growth business in its pocket. Hopefully, it lightens the game division's load a little.

In general, I am less concerned about PS3. More may be sold because of Blu-ray, but even more cheaper standalones will be sold too.

I am more concerned about where these people want to take our digital living rooms to. I hope they can learn a thing or two from Apple and Nintendo. Simplify the user experiences man.

 

[Skrying]

I don't want any corporation learning from Apple. Simple? Yeah, if by simple you mean dropping ever feature in existence.

 

[patsu]

You would have to hope that Sony learn the right things from Apple and Nintendo. Both did plenty of right and wrong things, but recently, they have been more right than wrong.

 

[AW0L]

personally i belive that the winner of this format war will be decided on two things. China and its factorys and Porn!

If china can start cranking (disk and players) out which ever format cheaper and which ever format the Porn industry wants to go with will decide the fate of the format war.

plus theres a rumor going around that MS might be licensing its game hardware out to electronic companys. which we might see a mitsubishi microwave that can also play 360 games LOL.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Well, following Warner's move any 360 with integrated HD-DVD is going to look pretty stupid. I hope MS has the good sense to cancel any such announcements that might be in the works. This battle should be over before it gets to the disposable Chinese player stage. Porn is ahead of the curve, transitioning to downloads. They aren't a significant factor in the HD format competition.

 

[AzBat]

Although, I'm not a HD-DVD or Bluray owner, I'm sadden by this news for 2 reasons. 1) Most of the movies I like(Batman Begins and Transformers) were exclusively on HD-DVD. So it seemed like most of the titles I was interested were on that format. 2) Being a Xbox 360 owner, the external HD-DVD player would have allowed me to get into the HD movie experience when it was right for me(cheap enough). That hadn't happened yet, but it was going to be soon with a birthday coming up in a few months and DVD/HD-DVD combos approaching my price range.

Anyway, it seemed with support from Warners and Paramount that HD-DVD would have a chance(albiet small) at prolonging the war long enough till both camps were forced to compromise. I would have preferred that more than Blu-ray outright winning since you could continue to purchase HD-DVD movies without the fear that your choice would be made obsolete. But now, it seems that's not going to happen. Now, I'll have to wait even longer before I'll get into the HD movie experience because the one camp that catered to me the most(movies and price) is most likely going to lose the war and whatever leverage they had to use for a compromise is lost.

This is all kind of odd once you look at Amazon's Top DVD Players/Recorders. Currently Blu-ray has 3 in the top 20 DVD Players/Recorders, for which they're are at 12, 16 and 19. HD-DVD has 3 in top 20, for which they're currently at 1,2 and 6. Yes, I know this doesn't account for the PS3 or the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, but still it's interesting nonethess.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/electronics/172514/ref=pd_ts_e_nav

What's funny is that I might start renting HD movies on Live Marketplace till Blu-ray players and movies get cheap. Anything more than $100 for the player and $15 for the movies and I'll pass. I'd rather rent the occasional HD movie, but keep buying standard DVDs for my existing library. So on one hand, Warners' decision might help to fix part of their problem(dwindling standard DVD sales), but on the other hand, it could also help kill HD optical media as the replacement for DVD in the long run. Provided that Blu-ray doesn't try to make their players and movies more affordable.

Tommy McClain

 

[patsu]

It is harder to make broad decision by looking at individual cases. According to http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/190019619.html, the studio executives have been tracking consumer data for months.

"Not only did neither [high-def DVD] format really take off as expected in fourth quarter, but standard-def was softer than expected given the release slate," Sanders said Friday, shortly after the studio announced that it will drop is support of the HD DVD format and release its high-def titles exclusively on Blu-ray starting in June. "We’re seeing research now that shows that consumers are starting to delay purchases because of the format war, not just on high-def but standard-def purchases as well. That’s very alarming.”

As part of its ongoing tracking research, Warner has been asking consumers for months whether the format war has had any effect on the regular DVD purchase habits.

"They're waiting for something to happen," Sanders said. "They're waiting for the whole situation to become clear so they know what to buy. If you look at the historical conversion ratios of box office into DVD sales, several titles this fourth quarter underperformed where they should have been."

The studios still have lot's of work to do to make progress.

 

[inefficient]

It's going to be so funny when the next Xbox comes with a BR drive. I think this will be the biggest impact of the death of HD-DVD

I don't beleive for a min that it will be DL only by next gen.

 

[one]

Wii 2 is likely to come with a BD drive too.

 

[Silent]

We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007.

Other regions ? Which regions would that be ?