CES 2008: Sony and Toshiba execs comment on Warner Bros. decision at CES

CES 2008: Sony and Toshiba execs comment on Warner Bros. decision at CES
The biggest question at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which opened in Las Vegas today, is what Warner's decision to join the Blu-ray camp exclusively means. Based on predictions from industry analysts at the end of 2007 it means Blu-ray will become the dominant format by the end of 2008, but Akiyo Ozaka, president of Toshiba America Consumer Products, isn't so sure, and he said as much at a CES press breifing.

Ozaka said "We have been declared dead before." He also said of the Warner Bros. decision, "We were very disappointed with Warner Brothers' announcement. Sales of HD DVD were very good last year, especially in October to December." However, he didn't have any comments about what the company's next move would be.



Although apparently on the side with the upper hand right now, Sony CEO Howard Stringer wasn't much more talkative. At a press conference yesterday he said “All of us at Sony are feeling Blu. But that is a good feeling. We thank Warner to release only in Blu-ray."

He declined to make any other specific comments regarding Warner Bros., but thanked all the companies currently backing Blu-ray for being "true blue all the way through."

Sources:
Reuters
PC World
Video Business

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 7 Jan 2008 12:53
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  • 38 comments

  • lecsiy

    Quote:"true blue all the way through." Are you joking! Warner was part of the bloody team that made HD-DVD. True blue my a$$.

    7.1.2008 13:31 #1

  • goodswipe

    Sad to see Warner turn to the dark side(Sony). Looks like all the people over at Warner got blu-balls now.

    7.1.2008 13:54 #2

  • eatsushi

    Quote:Are you joking! Warner was part of the bloody team that made HD-DVD. True blue my a$$.
    Warner is also on the Governing Board of the BluRay Disc Association or the BDA.

    So technically they were purple.

    7.1.2008 13:54 #3

  • sciascia

    Blu-Balls he says, that's rich!

    Anyway, I want to hear some real feedback from both camps. Toshiba is being a graceful looser and Sony a graceful winner. Let's see some mud slinging and some ridiculous predictions for each respective side.

    7.1.2008 14:05 #4

  • ali2007

    need some blu ray flamers, by the way where is hughhers

    7.1.2008 14:11 #5

  • nobrainer

    The MPAA is pulling ranks and getting them to back Drm-Ray because of the extra layer of DRM on Blu-Ray "BD+" and the global price fixing tool which is region coding!

    Hollywood is the MPAA!



    Tor: anonymity online HIDE your IP from the spies, post and browse anonymously! http://www.torproject.org/


    The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

    The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

    7.1.2008 14:19 #6

  • ali2007

    here comes hddvd flaming, collect your hd dvd soon it is going to be history , rare fossil lol

    7.1.2008 14:21 #7

  • lxfactor

    ah hah rare fossil.. thats great =] but forreal.. blu ray isnt all bad.. you guys dont want it because it's harder to steal content? well i say thou shall not steal. =]

    7.1.2008 14:57 #8

  • lecsiy

    Quote:here comes hddvd flaming, collect your hd dvd soon it is going to be history , rare fossil lol Stop being a bleep and trying to start a flame war. If you havent got anything good to say kindly bleep off. Theres gonna be no flame war. Some of us have better things to do with our time than argue about a format with a load of college dimwits.

    7.1.2008 15:15 #9

  • ali2007

    extinguish the flame, no flames

    7.1.2008 15:18 #10

  • ali2007

    microsoft soon starting to release xbox with in built bluray

    7.1.2008 15:30 #11

  • goodswipe

    @ lxfactor

    It's not stealing if you already OWN the movie/cd. A person should be able to make backups of anything they own if they choose to do so. Sony seems to see things different...

    7.1.2008 15:34 #12

  • hughjars

    As far as I can see nothing much has really changed.

    Even the announced Warner change (which may well not be done & dusted just yet) doesn't really take effect for 5mths.

    High def optical discs of both brands are still invisible to the genuine 'general public' this week just like they were last week.

    All this recent fuss has taken place out of sight and in 'our' little bubble.
    Despite some people's illusions it is not a 'hot topic' of conversation out in 'the real world'.

    The non-game console fan/early adopter genuine general public are doing exactly what they have done all along, they are sticking with upscaled regular DVD, HD TV set-top boxes and (increasingly) downloads
    (which is a new element that is bound to grow massively no matter what happens in the disc wars).

    Blu-ray still depends to a ridiculous degree on a game console and is still selling expensive media in tiny amounts relative to the whole retail movie disc market with players that are still outrageously expensive relative to the whole disc playing market.

    As far as I am concerned my HD EP35 is not only an excellent high spec HD DVD player but it is also a high spec upscaling SD DVD player
    (and a bargain one too when compared to things like the much more expensive Denon high spec SD DVD players).
    So no, I will not be selling my HD DVD player or my HD DVDs and if there are a number of fools out there who want to dump their HD DVD movie collections off cheap then let me at them, I'm buying.

    My HD DVD discs and player will last me years and save me the expense & trouble of double-dipping (if at some distant future date I'm forced into it) on expensive Blu-ray discs
    (cos you can kiss goodbye to any notions of Blu-ray becoming cheaper if they genuinely do 'win' anything - which, btw, is far from the case right now).

    I don't even have to worry about players failing and being unavailable in future.
    Those new Chinese brands are still coming. No matter what has just happened.
    Higher spec dual format players from the likes of Samsung and LG will be around for some time too.

    Happily Toshiba et al are giving no sign whatsoever of giving up the fight so I expect some very nice 4th gen HD DVD players to be making an appearance during 2008 too.

    7.1.2008 15:41 #13

  • LOCOENG

    lecsiy, easy on the language.

    ali2007, watch the double posts and stop the taunting.

    Don't forget about your Buddies The rules ~ http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487

    7.1.2008 16:01 #14

  • vinny13

    I like Blu-Ray on my PS3 not because it can play movies, but the Blu-Ray discs used for games are much bigger then DVD9s and are bigger then HD-DVDs(unless you want to cout the triple layer, but if Sony were to make a triple layer it would be much bigger) so that means more room for that extended story line and better graphics.

    As for the movie part, it's a nice feature and all(I like it), but I think I'll wait a while until the prices drop to like $25 for a new release. The PS3 makes a great 1080P upscaler too so I'm set for a year :)

    It really does make a difference though... I got one movie for Christmas(Dejavu, good movie BTW) and it's definitley better then the DVD form(or well the PPV form from DishNet and Bell, but I'm sure that's DVD quality).

    7.1.2008 16:15 #15

  • whytelyou

    Lol, I buy my hd-dvds and will continue to do so. I also will continue to get the blu-ray movies the way I have all this time. Thank God for the 360, massive hard drives, and high speed internet!

    7.1.2008 16:20 #16

  • NexGen76

    Originally posted by lxfactor: ah hah rare fossil.. thats great =] but forreal.. blu ray isnt all bad.. you guys dont want it because it's harder to steal content? well i say thou shall not steal. =]Amen good Bless you,You hit the nail on the head.Blu-Ray is anti consumer because they can't copy it & BDA has removed the excuse that some pirates use about the disc getting scratched.If you use the player for it intended purpose which is playing movies how is it anti consumer?

    Originally posted by goodswipe: @ lxfactor

    It's not stealing if you already OWN the movie/cd. A person should be able to make backups of anything they own if they choose to do so. Sony seems to see things different...

    # Buena Vista Pictures Distribution,
    # ( II )The Walt Disney Company,
    # ( III ) Sony Pictures,
    # ( IV ) Paramount Pictures Viacom — DreamWorks owners since February 2006),
    # ( V ) 20th Century Fox (News Corporation),
    # ( VI ) Universal Studios (NBC Universal), and
    # ( VII ) Warner Bros. (Time Warner).


    MPAA is nothing but a watchdog that these studio's pay to do there dirty work & they are going to be around for a while.If your not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.


    Originally posted by hughjars: My HD DVD discs and player will last me years and save me the expense & trouble of double-dipping (if at some distant future date I'm forced into it) on expensive Blu-ray discs
    (cos you can kiss goodbye to any notions of Blu-ray becoming cheaper if they genuinely do 'win' anything - which, btw, is far from the case right now).    So if a BD player drops around 200 bucks will you be willing to buy one? If its the only format on the market.

    7.1.2008 16:54 #17

  • Chavo

    Quote:true blue all the way through Gangsters in LA can relate to that.

    7.1.2008 18:28 #18

  • whytelyou

    Originally posted by hughjars: My HD DVD discs and player will last me years and save me the expense & trouble of double-dipping (if at some distant future date I'm forced into it) on expensive Blu-ray discs
    (cos you can kiss goodbye to any notions of Blu-ray becoming cheaper if they genuinely do 'win' anything - which, btw, is far from the case right now).    So if a BD player drops around 200 bucks will you be willing to buy one? If its the only format on the market.NexGen76 I guess you are that dumb... If Hd-dvd won would you buy a CHEAP Hd-dvd player?

    7.1.2008 18:32 #19

  • Chavo

    a $100-$200 Blu-ray player is still expensive. A street thug will sell them cheaper.

    7.1.2008 19:31 #20

  • LCSHG

    Sony lost out on the Betamax–VHS war and were turned back in their effort to dominate the media.
    Now comes Blu-ray and HD-DVD
    Sony has done much, much different this time.
    THEY OWN A BIG CHUNK OF THE MEDIA and would dictate how and What we would Watch
    From a Post by NexGen76 above

    # Buena Vista Pictures Distribution,
    # ( II )The Walt Disney Company,
    # ( III ) Sony Pictures,
    # ( IV ) Paramount Pictures Viacom — DreamWorks owners since February 2006),
    # ( V ) 20th Century Fox (News Corporation),
    # ( VI ) Universal Studios (NBC Universal), and
    # ( VII ) Warner Bros. (Time Warner).

    That’s Just The Start. Sony wants to Dominate this Segment [and possibly others]
    We should see to it that SONY has Blu-Ray stuck right where Betamax Was and that all there Media Purchases are a Noose around their Neck.

    For those that may think Blu-Ray is that great. $25 bucks a disk is just a start

    7.1.2008 19:37 #21

  • whytelyou

    Wouldn't this be a better start for us Hd-Dvd owners with 360's? http://www.vcdquality.com/index.php?genre=11 BD+ was cracked a long time ago!

    Whytellyou???

    7.1.2008 19:51 #22

  • vinny13

    Originally posted by Chavo: a $100-$200 Blu-ray player is still expensive. A street thug will sell them cheaper.Lmao

    7.1.2008 20:00 #23

  • vinny13

    Originally posted by whytelyou: Lol, I buy my hd-dvds and will continue to do so. I also will continue to get the blu-ray movies the way I have all this time. Thank God for the 360, massive hard drives, and high speed internet!Why the 360... It's great and all, but it has a horrible aftertaste seeing that even the newer 360s are still breaking and crap. Another one of my friends had theirs break after a year yesterday... He's the 5th guy I know to have his break within the past couple months.

    I do agree wih 2 an 3 though... I've just bought a 1TB external HDD for $180 just last week :)

    7.1.2008 20:06 #24

  • whytelyou

    Quote:Originally posted by whytelyou: Lol, I buy my hd-dvds and will continue to do so. I also will continue to get the blu-ray movies the way I have all this time. Thank God for the 360, massive hard drives, and high speed internet!Why the 360... It's great and all, but it has a horrible aftertaste seeing that even the newer 360s are still breaking and crap. Another one of my friends had theirs break after a year yesterday... He's the 5th guy I know to have his break within the past couple months.

    I do agree wih 2 an 3 though... I've just bought a 1TB external HDD for $180 just last week :)    Well let me just say this... The 360 is great with the hi-def wmv streaming. I will aslo keep getting my blu-ray files and buy my Hd-Dvd's as stated before!

    7.1.2008 20:12 #25

  • ooZEROoo

    Originally posted by lxfactor: ah hah rare fossil.. thats great =] but forreal.. blu ray isnt all bad.. you guys dont want it because it's harder to steal content? well i say thou shall not steal. =]My point exactly.

    7.1.2008 20:52 #26

  • ddp

    ali2007, lightning struck!!!

    7.1.2008 21:04 #27

  • hughjars

    Originally posted by lxfactor: blu ray isnt all bad.. you guys dont want it because it's harder to steal content? well i say thou shall not steal. =] - .....and when the software and hardware you legitimately bought doesn't work because of conflicts, delays in updates and general incompatibility issues I'm sure you'll be thanking your lucky stars.

    The problems with DRM & 'security' are far broader than a rather ludicrously childish & naive 'if you aren't doing anything wrong you've nothing to worry about' Pollyanna version of reality.
    Come on, wise up.

    The truth is that those "pirates" (that is the real industrial money-making pirates, not individuals sharing for not money) aren't effected by this so-called 'security' in the slightest.

    They don't care if their various methods of capture lose quality......what are you going to do, report them for cr@ppy PQ & SQ?!

    It's always the industry that rides the gravy-train, the paying punter that suffers, the sharer that gets blamed as the easy scape-goat and the true 'pirates' that make money on copies no matter what. Wake up.

    7.1.2008 22:11 #28

  • error5

    Quote:Based on predictions from industry analysts at the end of 2007 it means Blu-ray will become the dominant format by the end of 2008, but Akiyo Ozaka, president of Toshiba America Consumer Products, isn't so sure, and he said as much at a CES press breifing.

    Ozaka said "We have been declared dead before."     I'm reminded of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. King Arthur fights the Black Knight and hacks off both his arms. He continues fighting, blood squirting everywhere, and starts kicking Arthur.

    Arthur: You are indeed brave Sir knight, but the fight is mine.

    Black Knight: Had enough?

    Arthur: You stupid bastard. You haven't got any arms left.

    Black Knight: Course I have.

    Arthur: Look!

    The Black Knight then says the immortal line:

    "It's just a flesh wound."

    7.1.2008 22:33 #29

  • djeazyg

    I know one person that isn't going to admit a loss. His employer won’t allow that. It's like telling a window licker to get his tongue off the glass.

    Am I reading this correctly? Some say a winner is a bad thing? I bet if it was HD-DVD that was taking the lead your opinion would be different. Stupid people. There needs to be a winner so this whole "Exclusive to BluRay or Exclusive to HD-DVD" thing stops. I don't want to buy 2 players or pay extra for a dual player.

    Are people really this gullible? The whole "Broken DRM in BluRay" argument is POINTLESS! DRM WILL BE ADDED TO HD-DVD AFTER THE WAR IS OVER! What makes you think it won't be? Wake up people. BluRay just beat them to it. Movie companies want their movies protected. End of story. Nothing you can do about it. It will always suck.

    Truth is BluRay did not win.......Yet. Looks good for Sony but they have screwed things up so bad in the past that I'll wait till it is all over to say I told you so.

    7.1.2008 22:43 #30

  • whytelyou

    Originally posted by djeazyg: I know one person that isn't going to admit a loss. His employer won’t allow that. It's like telling a window licker to get his tongue off the glass.

    Am I reading this correctly? Some say a winner is a bad thing? I bet if it was HD-DVD that was taking the lead your opinion would be different. Stupid people. There needs to be a winner so this whole "Exclusive to BluRay or Exclusive to HD-DVD" thing stops. I don't want to buy 2 players or pay extra for a dual player.

    Are people really this gullible? The whole "Broken DRM in BluRay" argument is POINTLESS! DRM WILL BE ADDED TO HD-DVD AFTER THE WAR IS OVER! What makes you think it won't be? Wake up people. BluRay just beat them to it. Movie companies want their movies protected. End of story. Nothing you can do about it. It will always suck.

    Truth is BluRay did not win.......Yet. Looks good for Sony but they have screwed things up so bad in the past that I'll wait till it is all over to say I told you so.    ANYTHING manmade can and WILL be broken! I guess you just have to love the protection on optical media!?!?

    7.1.2008 23:08 #31

  • NexGen76

    Originally posted by whytelyou: I also will continue to get the blu-ray movies the way I have all this time. Thank God for the 360, massive hard drives, and high speed internet!Thanks for proving my point you just let everyone know that your a pirate so when the MPAA come sniffing around your home we don't want to hear how your being falsely accused of something you just admitted your doing.That was very smart of you....lmao Some of you really need to think before you post..


    Originally posted by whytelyou: NexGen76 I guess you are that dumb... If Hd-dvd won would you buy a CHEAP Hd-dvd player?If you go back to any of my post you will see that i never bashed HD-DVD format.I question there sells numbers but i never had a issue with them & made BS claims like other people on this forum because i know what the bigger picture is there a company like anyone else trying to sell a product.I have said countless time last month that after CES this year if the format war was still up in the air i was going to buy a HD-DVD player.I don't have a issue with them just there BS they was trying to pull over sells numbers which we see how that came out & other members on here spreading FUD from red side.



    Originally posted by LCSHG: That’s Just The Start. Sony wants to Dominate this Segment [and possibly others]
    We should see to it that SONY has Blu-Ray stuck right where Betamax Was and that all there Media Purchases are a Noose around their Neck.

    For those that may think Blu-Ray is that great. $25 bucks a disk is just a start

    Sony can't do no more than what any government body allow them to do.Sony isn't the only company thats tried of people stealing there Sh!t.If 25 bucks is to much for BR then the consumer going to decide that because there not going to buy the product.Sony only part of the BDA i don't know why people can't seem to get this there not some terrorists org that here to lock down players thats the most weak excuse(not you) I've heard to date.BDA has no choice but to drop prices if they look to be around long enough to over take DVD.If BDA keep prices the same then rightfully so Blu-Ray going to die a quick death like HD-DVD.The consumers make the choice of what stays & what goes not Sony or any other Corp group.

    8.1.2008 01:09 #32

  • whytelyou

    Quote:Originally posted by whytelyou: I also will continue to get the blu-ray movies the way I have all this time. Thank God for the 360, massive hard drives, and high speed internet!Thanks for proving my point you just let everyone know that your a pirate so when the MPAA come sniffing around your home we don't want to hear how your being falsely accused of something you just admitted your doing.That was very smart of you....lmao Some of you really need to think before you post..


    Originally posted by whytelyou: NexGen76 I guess you are that dumb... If Hd-dvd won would you buy a CHEAP Hd-dvd player?If you go back to any of my post you will see that i never bashed HD-DVD format.I question there sells numbers but i never had a issue with them & made BS claims like other people on this forum because i know what the bigger picture is there a company like anyone else trying to sell a product.I have said countless time last month that after CES this year if the format war was still up in the air i was going to buy a HD-DVD player.I don't have a issue with them just there BS they was trying to pull over sells numbers which we see how that came out & other members on here spreading FUD from red side.



    Originally posted by LCSHG: That’s Just The Start. Sony wants to Dominate this Segment [and possibly others]
    We should see to it that SONY has Blu-Ray stuck right where Betamax Was and that all there Media Purchases are a Noose around their Neck.

    For those that may think Blu-Ray is that great. $25 bucks a disk is just a start

    Sony can't do no more than what any government body allow them to do.Sony isn't the only company thats tried of people stealing there Sh!t.If 25 bucks is to much for BR then the consumer going to decide that because there not going to buy the product.Sony only part of the BDA i don't know why people can't seem to get this there not some terrorists org that here to lock down players thats the most weak excuse(not you) I've heard to date.BDA has no choice but to drop prices if they look to be around long enough to over take DVD.If BDA keep prices the same then rightfully so Blu-Ray going to die a quick death like HD-DVD.The consumers make the choice of what stays & what goes not Sony or any other Corp group.    English please? F**K your BDA supporting A**. Your DAMN RIGHT I WILL CONTINUE TO DOWNLOAD BLU_RAY MOVIES??????

    8.1.2008 06:56 #33

  • whytelyou

    F**k you and SONY!! both of you are blu! to bad your not blu enough to die!

    8.1.2008 07:00 #34

  • LOCOENG

    whytelyou see ya!

    Don't forget about your Buddies The rules ~ http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487

    8.1.2008 07:20 #35

  • nobrainer

    Originally posted by sony blogger nextgen: Thanks for proving my point you just let everyone know that your a pirate so when the MPAA come sniffing around your home we don't want to hear how your being falsely accused of something you just admitted your doing.That was very smart of you....lmao Some of you really need to think before you post.. If as you put if sony's dominance = you have no choice but to installer their anti consumer crapware because they are the choice of the MPAA because of the anti consumer, propertarian, privacy threatening DRM, i would recommend to everyone in a country where it is legal to download Blu-Ray rips, ( WTO Awards Caribbean Country Right to Ignore US Copyright ) to never purchase this product in their lives, & change all the720p x264/mkv files to HD-WMV so they can stream them to their 360 or burn them to DVD so they can watch them on their 360's thus never having to purchase any sony product! or stream from the pc depending on the set-up! but in the end the non-paying customer will end up with a more consumer friendly product than the paying one who is locked into ridiculous DRM constraints!


    Interesting look at the rhetoric of the MPAA lobby and bullying tactics used by the MPAA and RIAA (sony & co.) lobby in America by Prof. Michael Geist:

    Internet law professor Michael Geist says 'Ignore the US copyright bullies' BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6592133.stm



    Originally posted by sony blogger nextgen: Sony can't do no more than what any government body allow them to do.Sony isn't the only company thats tried of people stealing there Sh!t.If 25 bucks is to much for BR then the consumer going to decide that because there not going to buy the product.Sony only part of the BDA i don't know why people can't seem to get this there not some terrorists org that here to lock down players thats the most weak excuse(not you) I've heard to date.BDA has no choice but to drop prices if they look to be around long enough to over take DVD.If BDA keep prices the same then rightfully so Blu-Ray going to die a quick death like HD-DVD.The consumers make the choice of what stays & what goes not Sony or any other Corp group.For starters if sony believed in choice they would have themselves been releasing films on Hd-DvD and not getting their long time MPAA buddies fox and disney ( fyi the largest 3 contributors to the MPAA and lobbying for tougher IP laws and was these goons that pushed for the infamous DMCA )

    Do you even know what a lobbyist is, do you know how the MPAA works in the US how do you think the MPAA have changed a minor civil violation into a full blown criminal offence with a 10year sentence in federal prison with the new Gov body being pair for by the tax payer?



    The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

    The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

    8.1.2008 09:43 #36

  • eatsushi

    Originally posted by error5: I'm reminded of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. King Arthur fights the Black Knight and hacks off both his arms. He continues fighting, blood squirting everywhere, and starts kicking Arthur.

    Arthur: You are indeed brave Sir knight, but the fight is mine.

    Black Knight: Had enough?

    Arthur: You stupid bastard. You haven't got any arms left.

    Black Knight: Course I have.

    Arthur: Look!

    The Black Knight then says the immortal line:

    "It's just a flesh wound."    LOL! Good analogy error5. You have to admire his never-say-die attitude.

    If Paramount and/or Universal declare neutrality or even switch I think we'll be talking about John Cleese and the parrot sketch.

    8.1.2008 13:18 #37

  • borhan9

    Quote:He declined to make any other specific comments regarding Warner Bros., but thanked all the companies currently backing Blu-ray for being "true blue all the way through."Being tru blu is actually an Australian term are u not sure that an aussie is not behind all this :P

    9.1.2008 05:26 #38

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