AfterDawn: News

HD DVD talks out about Netflix and Best Buy

After recent announcements that Best Buy had snuffed HD DVD and that Netflix would be dropping all stock of HD DVD, the HD DVD Promotional Group took time to make a statement about the future of the format and the recent decisions.

Clearly, the Group was upset over the recent losses (which seem to be mounting) and offered only this as a response.



"We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward. While the Best Buy announcement says they will recommend Blu-ray, at least they will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail.

The response, which is rather tame compared to past statements could show that the Group is finally breaking down, or even accepting defeat. Price cuts have become standard practice for Toshiba HD DVD players but disc sales are still lagging and consumers are eagerly expecting and end to the format war.



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 Feb 2008 18:22

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• 35 comments

• MrXenu

  This saddens me greaty :'(
  
  Get ready for highly uncompetitive prices now guys! WOuldn't even be surprised if BR player prices get jacked up after HD DVD admit defeat.
  
  It a shame they couldn't have stayed around longer, the only hope now rele is, M$ buying out one of the many BR exclusive companies in hope to revive the formate, possibly the buy out of two is needed to give HD DVD a fighting chance! Still its very unlikely! :'(

  13.2.2008 18:39 #1

• JorDogg

  I love the way they talk about offering choice, but if it was two formats all the way with split studios, then we don’t get a choice, we get what ever movies come out on the disk you choose, and miss out on the rest! Even if you CAN order them in the other format from overseas, you shouldn’t HAVE to! I can’t wait for this to be over and I can start buying the movies from all studios.

  13.2.2008 18:55 #2

• ikari

  Originally posted by MrXenu: This saddens me greaty :'(
  
  Get ready for highly uncompetitive prices now guys! WOuldn't even be surprised if BR player prices get jacked up after HD DVD admit defeat.
  
  It a shame they couldn't have stayed around longer, the only hope now rele is, M$ buying out one of the many BR exclusive companies in hope to revive the formate, possibly the buy out of two is needed to give HD DVD a fighting chance! Still its very unlikely! :'(Uncompetitive prices? People seem to forget that HD DVD and Blu Ray is competing against a bigger (yet older) format, DVD. Remember that the HD market is still growing, there are a lot of people that still don't have any kind of HD equipment and don't really plan on getting any. Which ever format "wins" will still need to convert standard DVD owners to the HD format.

  13.2.2008 19:14 #3

• beastly1

  what really is sad is that the biggest losers are the cunsomers because when we had a competition between the both formats the prices were great and recently the only good prices are coming from hd dvd and not blue ray ive been looking at ads and the online stores and all i see is old blue ray titles on sale unlike hd dvd all titles on sale so i believe we are the losers here sony aint got nothing to lose anymore and this is coming from someone that can get blue rays for 13.00 dollars from my cousin cause he works for sony

  13.2.2008 21:51 #4

• ZeusAV

  I'm glad to see the end finally coming for one of these formats and I'm glad I chose the winning one.
  
  Having to buy different systems for certain videogames is something I can deal with, but when this hi-def "war" came along the idea of buying separate video players to watch certain movies seemed ridiculous. Until this BR/HDDVD war I never payed attention to nor cared which movies came from which studio. I agree that Blu-Ray winning will slow down the rate at which they drop prices but it will also make many consumers who were previously afraid to invest in one of the formats more willing to buy hi-def movies now that they know their chosen media won't become obsolete in a few years. So I believe one of these formats finally winning IS the best thing for consumers as they will soon be able to buy movies and once again know that EVERY major release is availible on one single format. Before the Warner decision I stopped buying BluRays and decided to wait until a winner was decided. Since then however, I've been happily buying several hi-def Blu-Ray discs with the calming assurance that my chosen format doesn't run the risk of becoming obsolete in a couple years.

  13.2.2008 22:30 #5

• bib1234

  blue ray is better and sony owns blue ray and the PS3 so this is good news for ps3 owners and bad news for 360 hd-dvd owners

  13.2.2008 22:47 #6

• 2colors

  Buy HDDVD. It was made right the 1st time.

  13.2.2008 23:04 #7

• elfman12

  I stand by my choice, HD-DVD... it was the only format with a complete spec and consistent features, and affordable entry point. It seems it's being pushed aside, and that's just the breaks I guess.
  
  However, my player still plays the discs I have SUPERBLY, and that won't magically stop happening any time soon... so I'll continue to enjoy these discs for years to come.

  14.2.2008 01:07 #8

• Franster

  They obviously aren't admitting defeat, but it's got to be hard to be completely positive when companies are dropping them or dissing them. Personally, I prefer BD, but I'm also happy to have the HD DVD format around as well. I know that I'm not really loyal to either brand so I'll continue to go on buying discs that I like and that will continue next week with American Gangster on HD DVD. Good stuff.

  14.2.2008 01:29 #9

• beastly1

  glad to see that we can have a decent conversation without having to talk smack about the other formats,i was reading your post and you have a point about being able to buy without any worries with blue ray but they kind of screwed early adopters with their prices and some blue ray players not being able to update (samsung) but hopefully you are right and the players get priced lower

  14.2.2008 01:57 #10

• domie

  HD-DVD has about as much chance of winning as Hillary Clinton has of collecting votes on a cotton-picking plantation in Alabama.
  
  However, that is no longer the point - If Blu Ray don't start Thinking about serious price cuts they will never chip into the dvd sales market percentage.
  
  In the UK now, the average price for a blu ray disc is between £17.99 - £23.99 , that's about $ 36- 42 !!!

  14.2.2008 05:30 #11

• Jaussi

  Originally posted by domie: HD-DVD has about as much chance of winning as Hillary Clinton has of collecting votes on a cotton-picking plantation in Alabama.
  
  However, that is no longer the point - If Blu Ray don't start Thinking about serious price cuts they will never chip into the dvd sales market percentage.
  
  In the UK now, the average price for a blu ray disc is between £17.99 - £23.99 , that's about $ 36- 42 !!!I agree completely, they really need to cut the price down, in every corner of the world. Here the Blu-Ray movies cost 43.6 USD (29.99€), and that's the lowest price you find, unless there's some kind of offer with them, wich is rare. Though Blu-Ray's not the only thing expensive here in Finland, practically everything is very expensive, for example, lowest price for a new PS3 here is at the moment 399€ (580$) and that's without any bundled games, and no backwards compatibility at all. But anyways, we pay 22% tax for almost everything we buy which then goes to public services, so it's got it's good points too.
  Now I went way offtopic, so let's get back to it.
  IMO it's great the format war is finally over, and the outcome is in my favor too, I'm looking forward to buy a PS3 in in the summer, because I'm a huge fan of Sony exclusives like MGS, Final Fantasy, God of War etc. But I have my eyes on Xbox 360 too, perhaps I'll be getting it next year. And about the pricecuts, even though they will _possibly_ be lowering prices in slower rate in the future, it might be a good thing too. With prices keeping relatively high, they will be be able to make Blu-Ray players with less flaws than and more compatibility and actually make them work as they should more easily.

  14.2.2008 08:33 #12

• odb992001

  I love my HD DVD, the movies are at a good price too. So i guess i will be getting a Blu Ray player in the future. HD DVD players went down in price but blu ray players came down a little, to $350 i have not found a blu ray under that much, and when i check the movies they are really high too. I started to think why would i buy the same movie i have on SD on blu ray for 40 bucks, thats crazy. we still need two formats people. with sony blu ray start to keep paying that 40 bucks to watch the Transformers movie when hd dvd is long gone. sony will not go low as hd because sony nows that people will pay anything they put out just because it say sony. some blu ray players don't even play the new movies that come out, u need to update and sometime that still don't work. hd dvd never had that happened. With all these codes sony is putting on the disc they can't play in the players. I want a player that let me buy new movies that comes out and don't have to worry about will it play, did sony change something again on the disc or player. I saying we need to get sony to come down on these prices or they will break us and our pockets. i'm not rich and $350 and up for a player 40 bucks for one movies is just plane crazy.

  14.2.2008 09:17 #13

• hughjars

  The BDA can buy Netflix et al and lock out HD DVD if they like, Netflix aren't the only HD DVD rental outlet.
  
  (and Best Buy always were favouring Blu-ray anyways, nothing nerw there either - in fact the 'boosting' of this kind of weak story is in it's own way revealing.)
  
  .....and yes, of course they did, only a couple of months back Netflix said HD DVD made up the bulk of their business.
  Their management will have taken the large $ on offer & it must have been really worth their while to be made to look so publicly like the paid off goons that they so clearly now are.
  
  Anyhoo.
  
  Anyone who honestly thinks this is all over when the numbers of HDMs sold (both formats combined) don't even equate to 1% of annual movie disc sales is plain nuts.
  
  It's extremely early days and the short and wholly expected initial boost the PS3 has given Blu-ray has actually not led to impressive Blu-ray movie sales.
  
  HDM sales numbers (both formats combined) are currently falling, actually.
  
  Blu-ray sales do lead HD DVD (at this time) it's true, but that's really not saying very much about the poor state of both formats in their infancy and their almost total invisibility in the real mainstream mass-market.
  
  Blu-ray is on the otherhand well on the way to being a PS3 niche product, piling up their sales in that arena but which are totally meaningless to the wider market.
  
  Very few people's parents and grandparents will be rushing out to drop $400/£300 on a PS3.
  
  Get over it.

  14.2.2008 10:30 #14

• eatsushi

  Originally posted by Franster: I know that I'm not really loyal to either brand so I'll continue to go on buying discs that I like and that will continue next week with American Gangster on HD DVD. Good stuff.I'm a bit hesitant to recommend the HD DVD version of American Gangster. The release is a combo version but here's the catch:
  
  The standard DVD side has the 177-minute Extended Cut of the film. The HD DVD side contains ONLY the 158-minute theatrical version. This could be due to space constraints.
  
  I've decided to hold off buying this HD DVD title and I'm hoping they come out later with a non-combo version that has the Extended Cut. I don't care if it spans 2 discs. In addition they need a better HD soundtrack preferably in Dolby True HD.
  
  The absence of the Extended Cut plus a 3 out of 5 audio quality score on such a high profile release is just not acceptable for me at this point.
  
  http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1292/americangangster.html

  14.2.2008 11:32 #15

• goodswipe

  Yea, the combo discs are a great idea for some but really, I'd rather just have the HD side. Having both DVD and HD on the discs drives the movie price way up. I'm not willing to pay 29-34 dollars for a damn movie, sorry.
  
  Eh, what else can they say? The HD DVD camp is getting slapped around like a little school girl pretty much.
  

  "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing."

  14.2.2008 11:47 #16

• m3_chris

  Originally posted by hughjars:
  
  Anyone who honestly thinks this is all over when the numbers of HDMs sold (both formats combined) don't even equate to 1% of annual movie disc sales is plain nuts.
  
  Yes we know... you keep saying it over, and over, and over. No one else is talking HD media vs. dvd yet. Once there is a true declared winner of the HD formats, then I think the focus will move onto HD media vs. dvd. There is a lot of people who will wait to buy until the HD format war is over. Then I bet that 1% number begins to grow.

  14.2.2008 11:48 #17

• emugamer

  Well, I've already resolved to buy a PS3 this year (nothing to do with blu-ray). But even though I will own a blu-ray player, I guarantee that I will not buy a single blu-ray movie at the current prices. My HDTV is only 26" anyway, and my standard DVD's upscale brilliantly. I agree that once the "war" is over, then the real competition will be between High Definition and Standard Defninition. But I have an uncle who is a movie buff and retired. He has literally hundreds of movies on shelves from floor to ceiling and one of those ladders with wheels that you see in libraries (must be nice to be retired). He has movies from the 50's to now, TV shows, rare limited edition releases, etc...Over the years, he's even purchased the DVD versions to replace his VHS collection. I don't think he will ever look to replace those titles. And he may just keep buying SD DVD titles for years to come, since it seems that it will always be much more affordable for him.

  14.2.2008 12:17 #18

• hm577

  NOT GONNA HAPPEN! 1 million HD-DVD players out there and tons of titles. There ain't no way that HD-DVD will completely fade away. There is still a market AND............considering that HD-DVD does not require any revamping of the stamping plants to accommodate, I'd say it's here to stay...............and remain profitable too. Admittedly so that BD will have stronger market share by FAR (as I've always recognized), HD-DVD still has success stories and you're blind ragdoll with stitches for eyes if you think otherwise. DUAL FORMAT PLAYERS PEEPS.............been sayin' it all along.

  14.2.2008 12:20 #19

• hm577

  Besides............even though I like going to BestBuy to purchase little things like DVDs and........................well......................that's about it, BestBuy is a white trash store designed and geared for those who have undeveloped taste in home theatre and a low budget. Hence.............why their half-assed idea of "Magnolia" is completely unprofitable. I used to work there and I know. They hire brainless sales people who don't know much about their product line and NEVER (until somewhat recently) answer their station phones. They hire dimwits 16 year olds for Geek Squad members (I was a Geek Squad member and got hounded out for being a "mature and intelligent voice). Their service and support suck and their prices are par for the course with all others in that "wearhousy" atmosphere. Retail-wise, Circuit City is the place to go. Unfortunately they're getting spanked by BestBuy...................... because there an insurmountable amount of white trash trying not to feel like "white trash" by treating themselves to a few of the 'lower end' yet finer treats in life that places like BestBuy and BigLots help them to adapt to.

  14.2.2008 12:33 #20

• goodswipe

  Originally posted by emugamer: He has literally hundreds of movies on shelves from floor to ceiling and one of those ladders with wheels that you see in libraries..Doesn't sound like money is an issue for him, lol.
  

  "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing."

  14.2.2008 12:38 #21

• chubbyInc

  I'm knocking almost 1500 DVD movies and I don't need a ladder, maybe he has thousands.......
  
  
  Unfortunate how consumers get forced into the more expensive product, but you can kinda blame consumer stupidity for wanting to pay 500+ for a Blu-ray player instead of less than 200 for HD-DVD. I'm not including the PS3 or HD-DVD add-on, those aren't designed for quality movie playback. It's the consumers who have failed HD-DVD so far, not all these studios or businesses siding with Blu-ray.

  14.2.2008 12:55 #22

• nobrainer

  Originally posted by JorDogg: I love the way they talk about offering choice, but if it was two formats all the way with split studios, then we don’t get a choice, we get what ever movies come out on the disk you choose, and miss out on the rest! Even if you CAN order them in the other format from overseas, you shouldn’t HAVE to! I can’t wait for this to be over and I can start buying the movies from all studios.What split studios was the extra DRM in blu-ray (BD+, DRM is exclusive to Drm-Ray), and the studio publicly refused to sell any titles on HD-DvD, namely Fox Disney and Sony the pro DRM advocates in the MPAA. Blu-Ray also includes the global price fixing tool of region coding as well, which HD-DvD stated would not be included in their format, so they get another way to screw over the consumer now & what happens if you rip the blu-ray or bypass the region coding, well its obvious BD+ DRM shuts down your Blu-ray player, well done ppl you have let the MPAA take control of the hardware.
  

  The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  
  The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  
  The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!
  
  The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.
  
  How do you stop anti consumer = its easy purchase only second hand media and avoid their propertarian hobbled by DRM hardware! http://www.boycott-riaa.com/

  14.2.2008 13:13 #23

• juankerr

  Originally posted by eatsushi: The absence of the Extended Cut plus a 3 out of 5 audio quality score on such a high profile release is just not acceptable for me at this point.
  " target="_blank">http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1292/americangangster.html
  
  Or Universal could go dual format and release this on BluRay.
  
  A dual layer BD50 disc should be enough for both theatrical and extended cuts with seamless branching plus a True HD soundtrack.

  14.2.2008 13:34 #24

• hm577

  Originally posted by emugamer: Well, I've already resolved to buy a PS3 this year (nothing to do with blu-ray). But even though I will own a blu-ray player, I guarantee that I will not buy a single blu-ray movie at the current prices. My HDTV is only 26" anyway, and my standard DVD's upscale brilliantly. I agree that once the "war" is over, then the real competition will be between High Definition and Standard Defninition. But I have an uncle who is a movie buff and retired. He has literally hundreds of movies on shelves from floor to ceiling and one of those ladders with wheels that you see in libraries (must be nice to be retired). He has movies from the 50's to now, TV shows, rare limited edition releases, etc...Over the years, he's even purchased the DVD versions to replace his VHS collection. I don't think he will ever look to replace those titles. And he may just keep buying SD DVD titles for years to come, since it seems that it will always be much more affordable for him.
  Once that "war" is over (which ain't gonna happen) ............ Blu-ray would have free reign to price however they want. That would be a concern to all.

  14.2.2008 13:37 #25

• eatsushi

  Originally posted by juankerr:
  A dual layer BD50 disc should be enough for both theatrical and extended cuts with seamless branching plus a True HD soundtrack.Exactly! Where's TL51 when you need it???

  14.2.2008 13:51 #26

• hughjars

  Originally posted by juankerr: A dual layer BD50 disc should be enough for both theatrical and extended cuts with seamless branching plus a True HD soundtrack. - Or alternatively it could well be that the spec-sheet jockeys are marking this disc down cos it lacks Dolby True HD even though it's Dolby Digital plus audio track is outstanding
  (maybe even 'reference quality, as was the case with Transformers).
  
  (Not that more than a fraction of the mass-market have the kit to make any use of lossless audio anyways.)
  
  It's the same things as happened with Transformers - which btw had 5gb of space spare and could easily have had the lossless audio track if it would have made any real difference.
  
  .....and note that Dolby
  (you know, the people with the amazing 'best-money-can-buy' audio kit & who know a thing or two about audio)
  have said done right there should be no noticeable difference anyways.
  
  Pity the slightly longer version wasn't the HD one but then they are trying to keep the appeal as broad as possible - being able to take the combo disc around and share it with family & friends may well be one of those smart 'word off mouth' marketing ideas.

  14.2.2008 14:30 #27

• eatsushi

  Originally posted by hughjars: Pity the slightly longer version wasn't the HD one but then they are trying to keep the appeal as broad as possible -
  
  Either way I'm waiting for the Extended Cut to come out in full HD preferably with a lossless soundtrack.
  
  This half-assed effort from Universal is unacceptable given the fact that the format is fighting for its life. Now is not the time to be holding back.
  
  Quote:being able to take the combo disc around and share it with family & friends may well be one of those smart 'word off mouth' marketing ideas.American Gangster doesn't need word of mouth marketing. It's one of the most anticipated titles of Q1 and is expected to sell well.
  
  The under-spec'd HD DVD version will only foster disappointment and doubt among the HD DVD faithful.
  
  Maybe they should have done away with the U Control/PiP feature and placed all the extras on a second disc (like Transformers). They could have had the space for the Extended Cut.

  14.2.2008 15:08 #28

• vinny13

  Well the war is in my favor, great :P
  
  Couldn't care less for blabbering about 2 disks that play movies like a bunch of idiots... Is there nothing better to fight about except consoles and movie players?

  14.2.2008 16:11 #29

• juankerr

  Originally posted by eatsushi: This half-assed effort from Universal is unacceptable given the fact that the format is fighting for its life. Now is not the time to be holding back.
  
  The under-spec'd HD DVD version will only foster disappointment and doubt among the HD DVD faithful.I agree. This is their first high-profile release of the year. Given the current state of affairs, I thought this title needed their best effort.
  
  I guess I was wrong.
  
  I liked the film when I saw it in our local theater and was anticipating a great HD release. However, this HD DVD is a no-buy for me too and I'll wait for the extended cut in HD no matter what format it comes in.

  14.2.2008 16:25 #30

• Icanbe

  Originally posted by vinny13: Well the war is in my favor, great :P
  
  Couldn't care less for blabbering about 2 disks that play movies like a bunch of idiots... Is there nothing better to fight about except consoles and movie players?Apparently not for some people, I've been following this whole debate for a couple months now. There are some very valid points made about both formats (good and bad) and I've learned alot about both formats also, But good lord some people really need to settle down a bit and find something thats worth fighting about or for, Instead of a piece of 12cm plastic.
  
  There is one big thing I'm waiting to see, whats gonna happen to all the people who bought pre 2.0 disc profile blu-ray standalone players.
  
  Are they gonna work or not?
  
  Peace

  14.2.2008 17:00 #31

• vinny13

  Originally posted by Icanbe: Originally posted by vinny13: Well the war is in my favor, great :P
  
  Couldn't care less for blabbering about 2 disks that play movies like a bunch of idiots... Is there nothing better to fight about except consoles and movie players?Apparently not for some people, I've been following this whole debate for a couple months now. There are some very valid points made about both formats (good and bad) and I've learned alot about both formats also, But good lord some people really need to settle down a bit and find something thats worth fighting about or for, Instead of a piece of 12cm plastic.
  
  There is one big thing I'm waiting to see, whats gonna happen to all the people who bought pre 2.0 disc profile blu-ray standalone players.
  
  Are they gonna work or not?
  
  Peace
  I don't know... I've been following this crap for months... I've learned a lot about both formats too. It's gotten to the point where people post in these articles to flame another. The only reason why I have BR is because it's built into my PS3 :P
  
  I'm pretty sure everything is going to work... Sony isn't one to screw that many people at a time like this where everybody looks at them with disappointment compared to 10 years ago and before that... Then again all of these big companies have cheaped out...
  

  (+[PSP]%) = 3.52M33-4
  
  "I get no respect, I tell ya!"

  14.2.2008 17:06 #32

• juankerr

  Originally posted by Icanbe: There is one big thing I'm waiting to see, whats gonna happen to all the people who bought pre 2.0 disc profile blu-ray standalone players.
  Are they gonna work or not?dblbogey7 has field tested the first 2.0 disc on his 1.0 player.
  
  http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/618016#3742705
  
  Quote:@eatsushi: Per your request I rented the BluRay version of Saw IV from a local Blockbuster. It's not really my type of movie but I also wanted to see how the first 2.0 disc in the market fared with 1.0 players.
  
  I tried the disc on my Panasonic DMP-BD10. A friend who has a Sony BDP-S1 bought the movie. Both are Profile 1.0 players and both have the latest firmware. I tried to find someone with a Samsung BDP-1400 but was unsuccessful.
  
  Anyway, I'm pleased to report that the main movie was able to play through without a hitch on my 1.0 Panasonic. My friend on the Sony also reported no problems playing the movie.
  I've seen similar reports in other user forums.

  14.2.2008 17:08 #33

• samshizze

  For those complaining about the price of BluRay movies. Just remember how expensive regular DVD was when it first came out. New technology is expensive. But once they figure out ways to make manufacturing more effective, and more and more households get into High Definition. Prices will be dropping.

  14.2.2008 22:14 #34

• borhan9

  Quote:"We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward. While the Best Buy announcement says they will recommend Blu-ray, at least they will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail.
  
  The response, which is rather tame compared to past statements could show that the Group is finally breaking down, or even accepting defeat. Price cuts have become standard practice for Toshiba HD DVD players but disc sales are still lagging and consumers are eagerly expecting and end to the format war.Is this a defeated quote that HD DVD is putting out there. I have to say this is a sad day but i am sure that if they get on the blu-ray bandwagon and help improve that technology we will have a even greater device out for consumers.

  9.4.2008 01:05 #35