AfterDawn: News

Paramount to drop HD DVD?

According to a Financial Times report, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation may be ready to drop support for the HD DVD format following last week's shock announcement that Warner Bros. would support Blu-ray exclusively. Viacom-owned Paramount apparently signed a contract with the HD DVD camp that included a clause allowing it to switch sides in the format war if Warner Bros. should do so.

Last summer, Paramount, which distributes DreamWorks Animation films, threw its support behind the HD DVD format, joining General Electric's Universal Studios as the main backer of the format. Warner joined the ranks of Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer last week when it switched sides to back the Blu-ray format instead.



Paramount is expected to release several blockbuster titles this year including the latest installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. It is unclear whether DreamWorks Animation had the same clause in its contract as Paramount but the odds are high due to the close relationship between both. Each company signed a contract with the HD DVD group at the same time.

So far, Universal has declined to comment on Warner's decision last week. Meanwhile, Sir Howard Stringer, chief executive of Sony, reached out to HD DVD saying the company was "open to dialogue". "We are not going to push people around. We'll talk to anyone . . . we have a lot of work to do to grow the market. We'll be systematic and open to dialogue at all times," he stated.

Source:
FT.com

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Written by: James Delahunty @ 8 Jan 2008 1:17

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• 47 comments

• sk8flawzz

  i hope they don't drop hd dvd, format neutrality might not be so bad
  damn its not looking good for hd dvd..the next few days and weeks should be interesting

  8.1.2008 01:25 #1

• xtago

  My view point from 3 months ago is that HD-DVD will be gone by mid year.
  
  By gone I mean completely no players no titles nothing like it never existed.
  
  I would think SD-DVD as a format will probably only last for about 2 more years before going as well.
  
  From about auguast 2007 the studios that supported both formats were dating their Blu-Ray release but simply said expect it on HD-DVD no date given or some time later or it was dated but 2 weeks to a month later.
  
  As format HD-DVD doesn't even exist in some countries anyway, dead before it even got off the ground really.
  
  be good now that it's simply the 1 format.

  8.1.2008 01:38 #2

• NexGen76

  Quote:apparently signed a contract with the HD DVD camp that included a clause allowing it to switch sides in the format war if Warner Bros. should do so.Whoever agreed to this contract on HD-DVD side should not have a job.Its not looking good right now for HD-DVD owner & to think all them HD-DVD players that was bought during the holiday season & less than a month there losing content..thats insane but thank Microsoft for paying the money & clouding the true picture to what was really going on behind the curtain that HD-DVD was already dieing as each week of sells showed it.

  8.1.2008 01:41 #3

• Tecbot

  Pretty sure this was debunked already...
  
  Im up for 1 format also but I dont really care I only buy blu-rays when there on sale and got most of the ones I already wanted...With warner leaving though doubt this deal will last long they got a few blockbusters coming out but blu-ray has a army coming out next year cant see hd-dvd surviving another year.

  8.1.2008 01:44 #4

• Chavo

  It would have been better if they made all Hi-Def players read HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and let consumers decide which Hi-def format they prefer. This way nobody worries of getting stuck with a dead format in the near future.

  8.1.2008 02:11 #5

• gleone

  Microsoft dumped hundreds of millions into this useless format. The only ones dumber than microsoft are the people that bought the players at the Toshiba $99 fire-sale.
  
  BAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

  8.1.2008 02:15 #6

• ripxrush

  What i like(d) about hd dvd is the dual format disks i have 5 hd dvd disks & they are all dual format! a friend got my wife an HD player cause they had an HD xbox addon that someone had gotten them, anyways so we went & got some movies & now it is goign to be useless, oh well i still have my player i am not going to throw it out in fact i may go buy HD DVD movies when the clearances hit! get the last few titles out & go buy a BLuray player & just go from there! I am just happy that i didnt spend any $ on the player. I think it sux for the people who bought the players & tons of movies but like any format war someone usualy loses!
  
  and who ever said that SD dvd is going to be gone i highly doubt it! vhs is still around i do not use one but i know people who do. and there are still too few people with SD tv;s i think it is about 50% so why woudl they go get bluray to watch on there old 25"crt?

  8.1.2008 02:57 #7

• sk8flawzz

  mis read a previous comment =P

  8.1.2008 03:07 #8

• hade

  paramount dropping out? but i thought it was cheaper to produce on HD-DVD...wonder if now people will realize how business practices work...this is great news for Blu if tru. haha.
  
  i said i guarantee owning Transformers on Blu-ray within the next year, but this early? hopefully there is something to this story and not the usual gossip. yet again didn't paramount keep a tightlip reassuring consumers they weren't going exclusive? so i wouldn't put too much into what they say or don't say on the situation. hmmmm i feel a surprise is brewing blu's way...

  8.1.2008 03:23 #9

• nobrainer

  The Pro DRM, MPAA big guns are pulling ranks and dictating ppl towards 1 format, the anti consumer, propertarian, DRM format of Blu-Ray so global price fixing can resume and hardware lockdowns can commence!
  
  
  
  ICT anyone?
  
  
  FTA: Hollywood reportedly in agreement to delay forced quality downgrades for Blu-ray, HD DVD:
  
  
  http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060521-6880.html
  
  Originally posted by ars link: One of the most controversial aspects of these next-generation products is something called the Image Constraint Token (ICT), a security "feature" that allows studios to force-downgrade video quality on players that lack a special video output that was designed to thwart piracy. This "HDMI" connector standard is part of a "protected pathway" for video that was meant to combat piracy by making it impossible for pirates to tap into high-definition video output and press "Record," as it were. Many fear, however, that the only success HDMI will have is in making honest users miserable, inasmuch as consumers could be left with a product that plays at low quality or not at all if HDMI is not present on one's player or TV.
  
  The report's claims could also shed some light on two of the more baffling consumer electronics moves as of late. Sony stunned onlookers when it announced that the low-end PlayStation 3, which will retail for US$499, will not have HDMI. This put Sony in the awkward position of downplaying HDMI as a "must have" feature for a next-generation optical disc player. Kaz Hirai, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, sidestepped the lack of HDMI by painting it as a high-end standard that wouldn't be aesthetically appreciated by many consumers.
  
  "The only difference is HDMI – and at this point, I don't think many people's TV's have that. The ultimate result, to my eyes anyway, is there's not a discernible difference between what you get between HDMI and other forms of high definition," he said.
  
  On one level, he's correct. Few consumers will appreciate the difference between 1080i on a component cable (analog) and 1080p on HDMI. What he ignored is the real trade-off: without HDMI, that 1920x1080 (1080i/p) or 1280 x 720 (720p) picture, analog or not, could be rendered at a less impressive 960x540 (540p) if the ICT was present and obeyed. While 540p is indeed better than today's DVD standard, few consumers would spend $500-$1000 on a new player and as much as $10 more per movie to get it. If part of Sony's big pitch for the PS3 is "hey, this thing is also futureproof because it does Blu-ray!," then ditching support for HDMI doesn't make sense in a world where the absence of HDMI could negate much of the promise of Blu-ray.
  So you purchase all their old equipment, then they flick the switch and you are left with a piece of junk that either doesn't work because of HDCP (HDMI DRM) or you have it all forcibly downgraded below current quality, WOW that's advancement, thanks 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.

  8.1.2008 04:20 #10

• jove

  uh oh. here we go again with the sony is evil, drm, i bet sony is trying to pay off paramount too, yadda yadda yadda...

  8.1.2008 04:40 #11

• nobrainer

  Originally posted by jove: uh oh. here we go again with the sony is evil, drm, i bet sony is trying to pay off paramount too, yadda yadda yadda...if it was m$ or another company i would do the same to them but even m$ is being dictated to by the MPAA with their onslaught on crippling hardware and using ever more invasive DRM on the films we supposedly own! sony just leave themselves wide open to negative opinion because of their anti consumer tactics employed by this company!
  
  http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/02/sch...consumers-vista
  Originally posted by above EFF link: Why Microsoft Sold Out Consumers in Vista
  
  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.
  

  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.

  8.1.2008 04:45 #12

• ooZEROoo

  Well to all of those that purchased HD DVD players it should be good to know that you still have a good upscaling DVD player.

  8.1.2008 08:53 #13

• sciascia

  Well, at this point in time, he is right. Most people do not have TV's with HDMI support. This whole war games thing that has been going on for the past year isn't to set a standard for today's consumers, but for tommorow's, like in five to ten years.

  8.1.2008 08:55 #14

• spydah

  This is generally what happens with big companies during competitive times. If a big wig flies south others topically follow. I think to many people are making a overly big deal about DRM. It sucks but as with all encryptions they can be broken. The issue isnt really with encryption its with the cost of the units to back up your investments. Spending $400+ on a Blu-Ray burner and $20+ per disc is insane. Your better just buying the real movies and protecting them like they your kids.

  8.1.2008 10:43 #15

• gleone

  Originally posted by ooZEROoo: Well to all of those that purchased HD DVD players it should be good to know that you still have a good upscaling DVD player.Yeah, a good upscaling DVD player or a downscaling HD player. The $99 HD-DVD players that were sold at Toshiba's Fire-Sale are only 1080i. LOL
  
  Microsoft dragged Paramount into this mess. LOL

  8.1.2008 10:44 #16

• red2tango

  Quote:Originally posted by ooZEROoo: Well to all of those that purchased HD DVD players it should be good to know that you still have a good upscaling DVD player.Yeah, a good upscaling DVD player or a downscaling HD player. The $99 HD-DVD players that were sold at Toshiba's Fire-Sale are only 1080i. LOL
  
  Microsoft dragged Paramount into this mess. LOLthat is pretty true.hd-dvd consumers got ripped off.i remember reading that hughjars spoke about the $99 hd-dvd players and how that wouldtip the format war hd-dvd's way.i thought that the price was great,but 1080i?

  8.1.2008 11:19 #17

• goodswipe

  come on, get real, the naked eye can't even tell the difference between the two. 1080i/1080p blah blah blah...

  8.1.2008 11:24 #18

• chaos_zzz

  Quote:Originally posted by ooZEROoo: Well to all of those that purchased HD DVD players it should be good to know that you still have a good upscaling DVD player.Yeah, a good upscaling DVD player or a downscaling HD player. The $99 HD-DVD players that were sold at Toshiba's Fire-Sale are only 1080i. LOL
  
  Microsoft dragged Paramount into this mess. LOLMicrosoft can afford losing so ..., 50>30 that's the true and hd-dvd will be gone by the end of the year , i feel sorry for ppl with a hd-dvd collection (well not big but still spended a couple of hundred $ on this format)

  8.1.2008 11:32 #19

• emugamer

  Originally posted by jove: uh oh. here we go again with the sony is evil, drm, i bet sony is trying to pay off paramount too, yadda yadda yadda...Sony is evil. As is M$. All corporations are evil. It's just a matter of picking the lesser of the two in this case.
  
  This sounds like a golf course handshake to me.

  8.1.2008 11:57 #20

• goodswipe

  The only way HD-DVD can try and save face is if any of the big porn companies decided to back them. Just my two cents....

  8.1.2008 11:59 #21

• BludRayne

  You blu-ray supporters must love Sony DRM. You know the studios went blu-ray because of BD+. They must be in denial about AnyDVD and it's ability to backup a BD+ title.

  8.1.2008 12:03 #22

• Gnawnivek

  where's that hugejar or whatever his user name? the dude's constant hd-dvd posts got me into buying the hd-dvd add-on for the X360. i blame that fool/smartypant :(
  
  i already got Transformers on hd-dvd, which shouldn't have if they didn't go hd-dvd exclusive (it was on my BD must list).
  
  On the bright side, i don't have that many hd-dvds, four on hand and five in the rebate process.
  
  Speaking of the free hd-dvds from the rebate, am i screwed? even though i don't care for them anymore, but i still want them (hey, it's free hd-dvds we're talking about here).

  8.1.2008 12:12 #23

• Gnawnivek

  Originally posted by BludRayne: You blu-ray supporters must love Sony DRM. You know the studios went blu-ray because of BD+. They must be in denial about AnyDVD and it's ability to backup a BD+ title.Honestly? No, i don't like DRM or whatever Sony is trying to pull. However judging from the current life style (i.e. not a student anymore and don't have much free times), i don't do movies backups anymore, it's a thing in the past :) Selfish, but yeah, i realized i wasted good amount of time backing up movies i don't even watch (the original dvds are gathering dust too) not to mention the "older" dvd media are not playable right now (cheap blank discs to begin with), i don't give a damn anymore. Besides, backing up BDs can be a bitch... translation, more time consuming that backing up dvds, i rather actually watch a movie or play games :)

  8.1.2008 12:20 #24

• roger32

  Originally posted by Gnawnivek: where's that hugejar or whatever his user name? the dude's constant hd-dvd posts got me into buying the hd-dvd add-on for the X360. i blame that fool/smartypant :(
  
  i already got Transformers on hd-dvd, which shouldn't have if they didn't go hd-dvd exclusive (it was on my BD must list).
  
  On the bright side, i don't have that many hd-dvds, four on hand and five in the rebate process.
  
  Speaking of the free hd-dvds from the rebate, am i screwed? even though i don't care for them anymore, but i still want them (hey, it's free hd-dvds we're talking about here).You should blame him, for giving you false hopes for a format that is inferior to Blu-ray. All he can talk about now is the DRM issue.
  
  Blu-ray has won the format war!!!

  8.1.2008 12:25 #25

• Gnawnivek

  Quote:Originally posted by jove: uh oh. here we go again with the sony is evil, drm, i bet sony is trying to pay off paramount too, yadda yadda yadda...Sony is evil. As is M$. All corporations are evil. It's just a matter of picking the lesser of the two in this case.
  
  This sounds like a golf course handshake to me.personally, i don't understand why people can't get this idea.
  
  Sony is evil! Sony is the devil! Hello? it's not news... If it's not BD, then it's hd-dvd, just that a different evil wins (i know, people gonna say, but yeah, one is less evil than the other). Now, as to the lesser evil, i don't even know you can actually determine that...

  8.1.2008 12:28 #26

• NexGen76

  Originally posted by Gnawnivek: where's that hugejar or whatever his user name? the dude's constant hd-dvd posts got me into buying the hd-dvd add-on for the X360. i blame that fool/smartypant :(
  
  i already got Transformers on hd-dvd, which shouldn't have if they didn't go hd-dvd exclusive (it was on my BD must list).
  
  On the bright side, i don't have that many hd-dvds, four on hand and five in the rebate process.
  
  Speaking of the free hd-dvds from the rebate, am i screwed? even though i don't care for them anymore, but i still want them (hey, it's free hd-dvds we're talking about here).Tried to warm as many people as i could provided nothing but facts & not my opinions.He was mixing his opinions with info & thinking that it was actually true but ignored the facts.I'm sorry you wasted your money but if you looked at the HD numbers since Jan of last year until now you would've knew the truth & not that distraction from the truth.

  8.1.2008 12:46 #27

• roger32

  Originally posted by NexGen76: Originally posted by Gnawnivek: where's that hugejar or whatever his user name? the dude's constant hd-dvd posts got me into buying the hd-dvd add-on for the X360. i blame that fool/smartypant :(
  
  i already got Transformers on hd-dvd, which shouldn't have if they didn't go hd-dvd exclusive (it was on my BD must list).
  
  On the bright side, i don't have that many hd-dvds, four on hand and five in the rebate process.
  
  Speaking of the free hd-dvds from the rebate, am i screwed? even though i don't care for them anymore, but i still want them (hey, it's free hd-dvds we're talking about here).Tried to warm as many people as i could provided nothing but facts & not my opinions.He was mixing his opinions with info & thinking that it was actually true but ignored the facts.I'm sorry you wasted your money but if you looked at the HD numbers since Jan of last year until now you would've knew the truth & not that distraction from the truth.I totally agree with you. He was very convincing to many, he must have a greater stake in the HDDVD format than he made himself out to have. I guess we won't be hearing much from him anymore.

  8.1.2008 12:56 #28

• glasssd

  Im still ready to get flamed, but I still think that it is Universal that is about to swap. They have not said anything or given their new HD DVD release schedule. I dont think that we will get to see Paramont on Blu anytime soon.

  8.1.2008 13:16 #29

• windsong

  Quote:Besides, backing up BDs can be a bitch... translation, more time consuming that backing up dvds, i rather actually watch a movie or play games :)Um....what?!
  
  I downloaded Star Wars in 1080p which was about 16 gigs. Took kindly to two dual layer Verbatims, burned at 4x speed and played back flawlessly on my core 2 pc. Wasnt any hassle at all.
  
  Same with Bugs Life posted recently in the hdtv newsgroup. 13 gigs, backed up on 2 dual layers..NO TIME AT ALL! :)
  
  The picture quality/color in Bugs life was light years sharper and more detailed than the collectors edition dvd I have.
  
  I have over 150 hd movies, most on Verbatims..and with 3TB drives coming out in 2 years, we will soon see them in the $130 dollar range. Much better double clicking on a movie in my hdtv folder than fishing through my disc collection.

  8.1.2008 13:55 #30

• ChromeMud

  Originally posted by windsong: Quote:Besides, backing up BDs can be a bitch... translation, more time consuming that backing up dvds, i rather actually watch a movie or play games :)Um....what?!
  
  I downloaded Star Wars in 1080p which was about 16 gigs. Took kindly to two dual layer Verbatims, burned at 4x speed and played back flawlessly on my core 2 pc. Wasnt any hassle at all.
  
  Same with Bugs Life posted recently in the hdtv newsgroup. 13 gigs, backed up on 2 dual layers..NO TIME AT ALL! :)
  
  The picture quality/color in Bugs life was light years sharper and more detailed than the collectors edition dvd I have.
  
  I have over 150 hd movies, most on Verbatims..and with 3TB drives coming out in 2 years, we will soon see them in the $130 dollar range. Much better double clicking on a movie in my hdtv folder than fishing through my disc collection.Sadly,it's posts like yours that sway the argument for publishers to back Blu-Ray in the first place.
  Newsgroups,Torrents and other P2P methods are all the cause for the DRM and anti-consumer CP.

  8.1.2008 14:21 #31

• Gnawnivek

  Guys/gals, i have nothing against pioneering in the digital backup field, remember, i used to be one of you :)
  
  I'm just saying, since my time is needed elsewhere, i'm way behind in the HD backing up "technology." I quoted that b/c more or less it's the same process, but i have been out of the loop for so long that i don't even know how to back up my dvds (lol). Lastly, i've lost the interest... i.e. it's actually opportunity cost-wisely cheaper not to backup :)
  
  Also, i agree with the backed up HD movie and disc free jazz, but the thing is, if you want subtitles and stuffs, you gotta do more homework :(

  8.1.2008 14:36 #32

• hughjars

  Well first of all lets get the facts out of the way first, eh?
  
  Paramount are not going Blu-ray and have said so today.
  
  Quote:Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures denied a newspaper report that the studio is poised to follow Time Warner Inc. in abandoning Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD technology.
  
  ``Paramount's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,'' Brenda Ciccone, a spokeswoman for Paramount, said in an e-mail today.
  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...heBc&refer=asia
  
  To the sad trolls who love to expose their idiocy by inventing new accounts to 'blame' me for them buying HD DVD
  (yeah right, course you did)
  or nextgen's sanctimonious & ludicrous 'I tried to warn you'
  I say grow up kiddies.
  
  Don't be such tedious fools.
  
  What sort of simpleton & brain-dead moron bases his buying of anything on some comments read on the internet anyways?
  
  FFS get a life & quit making a fool of yourselves.
  
  As is perfectly clear by now HD DVD did indeed have this in the bag (like I said) right up until the start of last week (including Warner signing exclusively for them).
  
  Unfortunately a small mountain of Sony cash changed their minds.
  It doesn't matter what accounting slight-of-hand they use to disguise it we all know Warner did not do this for free.
  
  The Sony fanclub - whether they are honest enough to admit even to themselves or not - know that this could so easily have gone the other way - and very nearly almost did.
  
  Meanwhile those that genuinely did buy HD DVD still have the largest catalogue of available content and the most exclusive content to select from - and will have probably for most of this year
  (unless Warner are going to suddenly churn out a few dozen titles in the 6mths of the year left when they change, which is highly unlikely).
  
  We also have a high spec high end HD DVD player and SD DVD player (the HD A/EP30 & A/EP35 compares very nicely to Denon SD DVD players many times their price in fact and the HD A2/3/E1 compare extremely well with any similarly priced SD DVD player too).
  
  HD DVD players and content will be around for a long time to come, as will the vast SD DVD catalogue they can upscale (very very well).
  
  In fact with Blu-ray spending a huge fortune on Warner & Fox you can forget inexpensive BD players or BD movies for some time as they try and claw back their huge outlay.
  
  Whether this is a case of winning the battle only to lose the war is a very valid question.
  
  Between upscaled SD DVD, satellite/cable HD TV set-top boxes and downloads there is little reason to expect Blu-ray to simply replace DVD and 'win' anything much.
  
  The market has changed enormously and will continue to change.
  
  Sony may well have torched it's game console brand to 'win' something of much less value now that content delivery has changed so much since DVD began.
  
  Still, if that turns out to be the case you can always go whine at all the Sony/PS3 fanboys who helped talk you into low-spec, DRM infested & short-lived Blu-ray players, can't you, huh?
  
  I might even tell you how I tried to warn you.
  
  *rolls eyes & LMFAO*

  8.1.2008 18:03 #33

• hughjars

  BTW sorry to have disappointed some of you guys so sorely.
  
  Clearly you're just projecting your own values/behaviour.
  
  I do not run away & slink off & pretend I did not say they things I have said.
  
  I stand by everything I have said as the honest truth as I then knew it to be or my own (clearly expressed) personal opinion(s) based on the true facts as I saw them.

  8.1.2008 18:07 #34

• NexGen76

  Originally posted by hughjars: As is perfectly clear by now HD DVD did indeed have this in the bag (like I said) right up until the start of last week (including Warner signing exclusively for them).Speaking of foolish...lol If HD-DVD had it in the bag provide facts for us not this HD-DVD pep rally talk.
  
  
  Quote:aramount are not going Blu-ray and have said so today.
  
  Quote:Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures denied a newspaper report that the studio is poised to follow Time Warner Inc. in abandoning Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD technology.
  
  ``Paramount's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,'' Brenda Ciccone, a spokeswoman for Paramount, said in an e-mail today. They denied it they never said they wasn't learn the difference.This does nothing to shoot down the rumor thats from a very valid source.Either there going to do it now or later but its going to happen thats a fact HD-DVD is dead now so we don't need this pep rally talk from you because members on this forum can easy go back & check my post & yours as you ripped members apart that even spoke anything positive about Blu-Ray AS I SAID I HATE TO SAY I TOLD YOU SO !
  
  
  Its over you lose alot & win very little when you ignore & disregard facts like you did.
  
  Back on topic:
  
  Beowulf & No country for old men going to look good on BD.Also can't wait til they release Transformers.

  8.1.2008 18:54 #35

• emugamer

  Quote:Originally posted by windsong: Quote:Besides, backing up BDs can be a bitch... translation, more time consuming that backing up dvds, i rather actually watch a movie or play games :)Um....what?!
  
  I downloaded Star Wars in 1080p which was about 16 gigs. Took kindly to two dual layer Verbatims, burned at 4x speed and played back flawlessly on my core 2 pc. Wasnt any hassle at all.
  
  Same with Bugs Life posted recently in the hdtv newsgroup. 13 gigs, backed up on 2 dual layers..NO TIME AT ALL! :)
  
  The picture quality/color in Bugs life was light years sharper and more detailed than the collectors edition dvd I have.
  
  I have over 150 hd movies, most on Verbatims..and with 3TB drives coming out in 2 years, we will soon see them in the $130 dollar range. Much better double clicking on a movie in my hdtv folder than fishing through my disc collection.Sadly,it's posts like yours that sway the argument for publishers to back Blu-Ray in the first place.
  Newsgroups,Torrents and other P2P methods are all the cause for the DRM and anti-consumer CP.Yeah, why brag about it? Does it make people feel special? Does it make them feel like you're "one of the boys. ?" I wish people in general would just shut up about their downloading habits and keep it to themselves. We may not be in this mess so soon.
  
  I personally don't care about bluray DRM and HDCP stuff. At least not now. Like Gnawnivek, I wasted a lot of time backing up all of my DVD's and messing around with all the protection bypass schemes a long time ago. Now, I'm just looking forward to buying a nice HDTV and playing original movies if I ever get any time to sit through one. Does the whole concept of HDCP bother me? Yes, it does, but it's kind of in the background. Although there is only 1 claim to fame on cracking HDCP (skeptical since he didn't release it due to legal issues), I'm sure over the next few years, it will be released by a group.

  8.1.2008 19:05 #36

• Nephilim

  Four fellas just got suspensions for making disparaging remarks towards another user. If it continues the bans will become longer!
  
  I don't care who you are, how long you've been here or who started what. If someone's giving you a hard time then use the offensive post report feature or pm a moderator with a link to the problem thread. Anyone with a decent measure of maturity should be able to pass up responding to some trash talking putz and simply report them.
  

  
  
  My killer sig came courtesy of bb "El Jefe" mayo.
  The Forum Rules You Agreed To! http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
  "And there we saw the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" - Numbers 13:33

  8.1.2008 20:13 #37

• sciascia

  Quote:Unfortunately a small mountain of Sony cash changed their minds. It doesn't matter what accounting slight-of-hand they use to disguise it we all know Warner did not do this for free.Again, what is the point in bringing this into play? We all know Paramount isn't backing HD-DVD (for now atleast) out of the goodness of their heart.

  8.1.2008 20:13 #38

• camaro17

  Quote:Originally posted by ooZEROoo: Well to all of those that purchased HD DVD players it should be good to know that you still have a good upscaling DVD player.Yeah, a good upscaling DVD player or a downscaling HD player. The $99 HD-DVD players that were sold at Toshiba's Fire-Sale are only 1080i. LOL
  
  Microsoft dragged Paramount into this mess. LOL
  lol yeah, you guys are so funny , i got a good kick out of that, evert since i heard about blu-ray i threw my support behind it, and looks like i made the right choice, well actually my cousin told me about it and he said it was gonna be sweet, so i got into blu, and thank god.
  
  Peace out

  8.1.2008 23:27 #39

• camaro17

  Quote:Quote:Unfortunately a small mountain of Sony cash changed their minds. It doesn't matter what accounting slight-of-hand they use to disguise it we all know Warner did not do this for free.Again, what is the point in bringing this into play? We all know Paramount isn't backing HD-DVD (for now atleast) out of the goodness of their heart. yeah he always brings up the $$$, face it everyone, people pay other people to make decisions,if i recall paramount or universal got payed to go hd-dvd exclusive.

  8.1.2008 23:37 #40

• ZippyDSM

  If HDVD cannot maintain a deal to keep one of them they are done as a viable format for the main media industries....

  9.1.2008 03:18 #41

• vinny13

  Lol I bet most people who didn't know anything went with Blu-Ray because the name sounded cooler :P

  9.1.2008 18:11 #42

• sk8flawzz

  Originally posted by vinny13: Lol I bet most people who didn't know anything went with Blu-Ray because the name sounded cooler :Pblu-ray does sound friggin sexy, but imo i always thought people would pick hd dvd because 'HD' is everywhere (HDTV local channels advertising themselves in HD, etc.), so since its in front of HD DVD theyd already think 'High Definition DVD'

  9.1.2008 18:15 #43

• vinny13

  Quote:Originally posted by vinny13: Lol I bet most people who didn't know anything went with Blu-Ray because the name sounded cooler :Pblu-ray does sound friggin sexy, but imo i always thought people would pick hd dvd because 'HD' is everywhere (HDTV local channels advertising themselves in HD, etc.), so since its in front of HD DVD theyd already think 'High Definition DVD'Nah.... It's just to plain... It's DVD with 2 letters in front of it... Blu-Ray sounds fresh, completely new. Plus their cases are a deep blue and are noticeable :P
  
  lol
  
  At first I thought HD-DVD was just a regular DVD with a better picture inna newer case like it was for the higher class or somethin';... I didn't know it was like Blu-Ray...

  9.1.2008 18:54 #44

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by vinny13: Lol I bet most people who didn't know anything went with Blu-Ray because the name sounded cooler :Pblu-ray does sound friggin sexy, but imo i always thought people would pick hd dvd because 'HD' is everywhere (HDTV local channels advertising themselves in HD, etc.), so since its in front of HD DVD theyd already think 'High Definition DVD'Nah.... It's just to plain... It's DVD with 2 letters in front of it... Blu-Ray sounds fresh, completely new. Plus their cases are a deep blue and are noticeable :P
  
  lol
  
  At first I thought HD-DVD was just a regular DVD with a better picture inna newer case like it was for the higher class or somethin';... I didn't know it was like Blu-Ray...Plain is good, it keeps ting simple for consumers :P

  9.1.2008 19:01 #45

• borhan9

  This is good news companies are making the choices and then this will eventually get rid of one of the formats and then consumers know where they stand which is great. Then people can really choose the player they want and not based on the format but what features come with the blu-ray player.

  9.1.2008 19:28 #46

• vinny13

  Quote:Quote:Quote:Originally posted by vinny13: Lol I bet most people who didn't know anything went with Blu-Ray because the name sounded cooler :Pblu-ray does sound friggin sexy, but imo i always thought people would pick hd dvd because 'HD' is everywhere (HDTV local channels advertising themselves in HD, etc.), so since its in front of HD DVD theyd already think 'High Definition DVD'Nah.... It's just to plain... It's DVD with 2 letters in front of it... Blu-Ray sounds fresh, completely new. Plus their cases are a deep blue and are noticeable :P
  
  lol
  
  At first I thought HD-DVD was just a regular DVD with a better picture inna newer case like it was for the higher class or somethin';... I didn't know it was like Blu-Ray...Plain is good, it keeps ting simple for consumers :PYa but today everybody wants the coolest things...
  
  Like iPods. More expensive then many playera, or worse, but it looks and sounds cool, so people buy it.
  
  I myself ended up getting a 30Gb for christmas, well 2 years ago now I guess, and now realize that it's not big enough anymore :P
  
  I think I might get an Archos now though... they look really cool :P

  9.1.2008 19:29 #47