Disney CEO talks up Blu ray

Disney CEO talks up Blu ray
Although he was quoted last month as saying that his company would perhaps support both Blu ray and HD DVD, Disney CEO Robert Iger seems to have moved his support back towards Blu ray in a new quote this week.

Last month, Iger seemed to imply that his Blu ray exclusive studio would consider joining the format neutral camp alongside Warner and Paramount. This week however, Iger made a more critical statement in support of Blu ray saying "the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage."



Here is the full transcript of Iger's comments this week:

"We made our bed with Blu-ray because we believed more in that format for a variety of reasons; some technical in nature, some due to the fact that it simply had broader support from a variety of industries, notably the motion picture studios but also what I’ll call the consumer electronics and the tech industry.

What we are seeing lately is that sales of Blu-ray discs are outpacing HD discs by at least two to one. As more quality Blu-ray product comes on the market, which is going to happen, notably with Pirates on May 22, we actually believe that the difference or the advantage of Blu-ray is only going to widen.

What we are also seeing is that the adoption of the platform right now is being held back a bit by a perception among consumers, really, that there is a format war; and that the hardware or the players are too expensive. We see the players coming down in price nicely, particularly by the Christmas season. We also believe that if Blu-ray continues to outpace HD DVD the retailers are ultimately going to weigh in, because they only have a limited amount of shelf space, and they are going to have to choose a format in order to manage their own shelf space. Once that happens, the advantage is going to go even more in Blu-ray’s direction.

I think the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage. The best thing that could happen is for the format war to end, which will be very pro-consumer, particularly as hardware comes down.

The other thing I want to note is, if you look across the globe, the only place there is really a format war is in the United States. In other markets where next-gen DVD is starting to penetrate, Blu-ray is winning, and substantially; so much so there isn’t even a perceived format war.

So I think we made the right decision, the trends we are seeing seem to validate the decision. We think long-term, this is going to be a nice growth area for the company, because as you know sell-through DVD is a big business for the Walt Disney Company, even though we believe in things like VOD and the rental model. People want to own a Disney DVD, particularly in the next-generation format."




Source:
HD-Digest

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 May 2007 19:34
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  • 12 comments
  • pigfister

    more pr rubbish that gets loads of free advertising for Blu-ray, who cares we dont want either of you aacs anti consumer DRM infected electronics until we have the right to play media in a way we want. i'll stick with my dvd's that only cost £8 for a new film thank you.

    13.5.2007 01:35 #1

  • limelight

    I wish this stupid format war would hurry up and end. Id like to comfortably buy a hi-def video player sometime soon!

    13.5.2007 06:01 #2

  • lxfactor

    everyone knowns its blu ray. quit denying and face the facts. i've said it from the begining.

    13.5.2007 07:33 #3

  • pollution

    IMHO both Blu Ray and HD DVD lose. There is holographic and also disc that use bacteria that store so much more information. Standard DVD is the winner for now in my opinion.

    13.5.2007 07:50 #4

  • NexGen76

    Originally posted by pigfister:more pr rubbish that gets loads of free advertising for Blu-ray, who cares we dont want either of you aacs anti consumer DRM infected electronics until we have the right to play media in a way we want. i'll stick with my dvd's that only cost £8 for a new film thank you.
    Please tell me how is that rubbish this is a CEO.Why do people care so much about DRM...lol if you are using the media like you suppose to this isn't a issue unless its haven't problems like vista is.People that cry about DRM really make me think what are the really crying about & im not thinking legal.

    13.5.2007 08:20 #5

  • ChromeMud

    Blu-ray is the worst DRM offender of the two HD formats.
    So I hope it fails.

    13.5.2007 09:11 #6

  • pigfister

    Originally posted by ChromeMud:Blu-Ray is the worst DRM offender of the two HD formats.
    So I hope it fails.

    yes it is which is why its supported by all of the media studios in the MPAA but does the consumer actually want it? with DRM hot in the press and apple and others starting to drop it what will the future hold as companies wont support a format ppl dont want.

    Originally posted by NexGen76 :Please tell me how is that rubbish this is a CEO.Why do people care so much about DRM...lol if you are using the media like you suppose to this isn't a issue unless its haven't problems like vista is.People that cry about DRM really make me think what are the really crying about & im not thinking legal./agrre about vista and the lack of iso and faxing ability on cheaper versions but it is the movie studios that have made m$ cripple vista due to hd content. i travel loads and use my notebook for watching movies in iso format and always make compilations of cd's for my car which is what the MPAA and RIAA want to stop ppl doing, they see it that you have to purchase the same material over and over again in the many formats THEY want you to use. my notebook as a resolution of 1920 by 1200 but even though it can support hd the MPAA say it can only be displayed at a much lower resolution as its not HDCP compatible, the same as many hd screens on the market atm.

    RE VISTA: i'd sujest that you actually read this so you can understand why m$ is DRM laden forced by the movie studios that severely effects pc's performance and your ability to back up your media. and makes hardware more expensive as devs and hardware venders have to jump through a series of hoops that the MPAA demand causing incompatibilities and interoperability. A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection

    Or even the eff site has many articles on MPAA screwing over the consumer!

    Schneier: Why Microsoft Sold Out Consumers in Vista. EFF

    Originally posted by EFF Link:Today, the PC industry needs Hollywood more than Hollywood needs the PC. Most consumers rely on traditional consumer electronics devices to view DVDs and TV content, but companies like Microsoft are betting on the converged digital home and desperately want a bigger piece of the media device market. Because of the DMCA, Microsoft has to get permission to build devices compatible with Hollywood's DRMed content. So when Hollywood demanded that Microsoft lard Vista with restrictions to access high-def DVD and digital cable content, the software giant was in a weak bargaining position.

    You do know who the MPAA are don't you NexGen76?

    THE MPAA ARE: Sony Pictures, Buena Vista (The Walt Disney Company), Paramount Pictures (Viacom -- which bought DreamWorks in February 2006), 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. (Time Warner)

    exactly the same ppl that are pushing Blu-ray funnily enough!

    disny have already stated full support of Blu-ray so this announcement is nothing more than free advertising to bolster Blu-ray sales for the format they have supported from the start with their fellow MPAA cronies, its no more than a PUBLIC RELATIONS stunt.

    13.5.2007 09:28 #7

  • NexGen76

    Quote:i travel loads and use my notebook for watching movies in iso format and always make compilations of cd's for my car which is what the MPAA and RIAA want to stop ppl doingWhats wrong with taking the movies or CD's with you ? When you bought it you paid for one not two or three etc....These studio have the right to protect there stuff but everyone knows its going to get cracked so why all the crying in this forum about DRM.If your using the movie or CD like you suppose to there shouldn't be any issue.You know & I know that most people on here are crying because of piracy.How many people on this site really crying because they cant backup the product they really brought very few.

    13.5.2007 12:52 #8

  • ZippyDSM

    Quote:[quote]i travel loads and use my notebook for watching movies in iso format and always make compilations of cd's for my car which is what the MPAA and RIAA want to stop ppl doingWhats wrong with taking the movies or CD's with you ? When you bought it you paid for one not two or three etc....These studio have the right to protect there stuff but everyone knows its going to get cracked so why all the crying in this forum about DRM.If your using the movie or CD like you suppose to there shouldn't be any issue.You know & I know that most people on here are crying because of piracy.How many people on this site really crying because they cant backup the product they really brought very few.[/quote]"Whats wrong with taking the movies or CD's with you ? When you bought it you paid for one not two or three etc...."
    must not travle much...its far easier to toss sht onto the HD and travel without the hassle changing discs or carrying around extra DVD travel cases that tend to mar up discs.....besides its my right as a paying customer still to have the ability to rip and re encode stuff to play on other devices if you want to pay more for less let your governmental rep know I am sure he will be happy to let the media mafia stick their grimy hands up his/her rear and then them do all the talking threw them.

    "If your using the movie or CD like you suppose to there shouldn't be any issue."

    Then make all copy and riping software and devices illicit starting with tapes and VCRs ending with sowftware and make only a few MP3 players that have heavy DRM on them legal then make heavy DRM'd monthly fee DVRs legal because we must protect the media mafia because they fight for the artists and only incress prices becuse they have to make 5X profit and share less than 20% with them.

    If you are happy with the status quo good for you keep eating that sht they are feeding you MR sheeple and when the corporations lead you off to slaughter don't blink a eye they are sending you to a better place.

    13.5.2007 15:31 #9

  • borhan9

    I wonder how much Sony bribed Walt Disney into comming to their side. I found this to be a long winded article about nothing really except that Walt Disney kept on saying their is a real advantage on being with Blu-ray, but never really said what that advantage in black or white or as they like to put it bluntly all we know is they are going with Blu-ray not the reason behind it.

    13.5.2007 22:30 #10

  • pigfister

    Originally posted by borhan9:I wonder how much Sony bribed Walt Disney into comming to their side. Originally posted by pigfister:THE MPAA ARE: Sony Pictures, Buena Vista (The Walt Disney Company), Paramount Pictures (Viacom -- which bought DreamWorks in February 2006), 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. (Time Warner) Sony didn't need to, all the MPAA members supported Blu-ray from the start because of the extra DRM, BD+, SPDC. it enables the studios to remote disable Blu-ray players permanently around the world, Blu-ray players also phone home and report all movies and media played on the hardware and any changes to the hardware configuration, you have no option to not have it on the net because if you don't constantly upgrade the java security you will be blocked from any new media, and sony can locate the unit via the serial number and ip address so the heavies can be sent to extradite you using Extraordinary rendition. Quote:Extraordinary rendition and irregular rendition are terms used to describe the extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another, and Torture by proxy is used by some critics to describe extraordinary rendition by the United States, with regard to the alleged transfer of suspected terrorists to countries known to employ harsh interrogation techniques that may rise to the level of torture
    maybe the last bit was off the mark, but... when secret Sony rootkits infect ppl's computers you know its bad.

    14.5.2007 00:23 #11

  • Unfocused

    I can't wait until all the studios end up on one side of the court and then have to explain why they made the decision to switch sides.

    15.5.2007 16:41 #12

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