Paramount Switching to Blu-Ray!

[Ktrek]

Well, this News has come sooner than I anticipated but Paramount is bailing out on HD-DVD and switching to Blu-Ray. Let's see now... I guess that only leaves Universal and then we can call "game over"! Here is the link:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/64393

Are you ready to concede yet Rico?  :roflmao

Kevin

[space_invader64]

Standered def dvds sure still do look good to me.  I was hoping the format war would keep us from the manditory upgrades.

[Bryancd]

 Maybe, maybe not, Paramount  is trying to deny it.  ::)


Paramount to abandon HD DVD in return to Blu-ray (updated)

By Katie Marsal
Published: 11:00 AM EST
Paramount Pictures is poised to drop its support of HD DVD in favor of Sony's Blu-ray format, landing a decisive blow to the Toshiba-backed next-generation DVD format and all but assuring Blu-ray's role as the future standard for all high-definition digital video discs.

The news, which comes by way of the Financial Times, arrives just days after Warner Bros. said it would switch to releasing high-definition movies only in the Blu-ray disc format, abandoning a neutral strategy that saw it's catalog available for both HD DVD and Blu-ray next-generation DVD players.

The move will leave Universal as the lone major Hollywood studio backing the HD DVD format and presumably conclude a multi-year battle for supremacy in the home entertainment market, leaving HD DVD to suffer the same fate as Sony's now obsolete Betamax video technology when it lost out to VHS in a similar format war back in the 1980s.

As noted by the FT, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation -- makers of the Shrek series of films -- came out in support of HD DVD last summer, joining General Electric's Universal Studios as the main backers of the format.

However, Paramount is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp that would allow it to switch sides in the event of Warner Bros. backing Blu-ray, the financial paper said, citing people familiar with the situation.

It's reportedly unclear whether DreamWorks has the same get-out clause in its contract with the HD DVD camp, but the animation studio maintains a close relationship with Paramount as the distributor of its films on disc.

For its part, Universal has remained mum on its forward looking plans for high-definition video discs and has declined to comment on the situation since Warner Bros. announced its intention to drop HD DVD support last Friday.

Update: According to Bloomberg, Paramount has denied the report by the Financial Times.

"Paramount's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format,'' Brenda Ciccone, a spokeswoman for Paramount, said in an e-mail.

Meanwhile, Keisuke Ohmori, a spokesman for Tokyo-based Toshiba, called the Financial Times' report "speculative."

[Rico]

Well, this News has come sooner than I anticipated but Paramount is bailing out on HD-DVD and switching to Blu-Ray. Let's see now... I guess that only leaves Universal and then we can call "game over"! Here is the link:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/64393

Are you ready to concede yet Rico?  :roflmao

Kevin

First, the report is speculative and not confirmed.  Second, all I have ever said is both will be around and I will own both formats.
Last, this isn't a contest and I have no need to "concede" anything.  But thanks for pointing out yet another reason you shouldn't be so fast to trust things on the internet.

[space_invader64]

What sucks for me is that many of the movies I want to see haven't even made it to standered def dvds yet. 

LONG LIVE VHS!!!

[Bryancd]

...I miss Betamax..... ;) I actually still have the very first release of Star Wars, no Episode IV A New Hope, on Beta at home. Too bad I don't have a player.

[Rico]

eBay my friend.  Keep Beta alive!

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=betamax+player&category0=

[Bryancd]

LOL! Actually, I got a call yesterday from my brother. They are moving next week and he wanted to know if I wanted them to hold on to our old Betamax player! I told him to keep it, but it's back in CT.

[jedijeff]

I agree with you Rico, both formats will be around. If Blu-ray becomes the choice for movies, then at least that standardizes things, and everyone can move forward with producing more HD content for home entertainment. I own an HD DVD Player and some HD DVD movies, and I happy with them. In this day, I have no doubt that I will be able to watch those movies on a different machine down the road, so not really concerned. I guess it would be nice if they would start selling some discount price Blu-Ray players, as right now, if I were to purchase one, it would make more sense to buy a low end PS3. The prices right now for Blu-Ray players seem more for the enthusiast market, then the common people buying market. Interesting to see the different strategies Toshiba and Sony used, Toshiba released cheaper players to get them into peoples houses, and Sony went after locking up agreements with content producers. Both sides may have been forced to take those strategies for technical reason, but interesting to see.

On a side note, and not to really spur anymore debate, but it seems that things with more in common, then differences, tend to generate the most passionate of people on both sides, examples being:

Blu-Ray vs HD DVD (Both High Definition formats)
Mac vs PC (Both computers, that basically enable people to do the same things)
Star Trek vs Star Wars (Both Sci-Fi movie and TV franchises)
Coca Cola vs Pepsi Cola (Both Cola Soda Pops)
WWE vs TNA (or Old school WWF vs WCW) (Both professional wrestling organizations with many of the same wrestler having wrestled in both)
Champ car vs IRL (Both North America based open wheel racing series)
Kubricks vs Minimates (Both Mini Block toys based off of popular movie/tv franchises)

Just seems funny to me, that things more similar then different are cause for the most debate.

[Rico]

Always two there are.  Yeah, you could make a huge list of competing duos that are all still around and going:

McDonalds vs. Burger King
Home Depot vs. Lowes
Target vs. WalMart
Cats vs. Dogs
Jedi vs. Sith  - hehe

the list goes on and on.....

[markinro]

...PC vs Mac

The prices are still pretty high on the BR players.  Will we have 4 versions now ?
HD widescreen, HD full, BR widescreen and BR full ?

[space_invader64]

I think there is something to be said for a dominate video format for when we go in the store and rent something.  There is a combo player that plays both but it's really pricy.  Right now the LG BH100, sells for about 600-800.  When those come down to the $200 range then we could call the format wars over.

[Rico]

...PC vs Mac

The prices are still pretty high on the BR players.  Will we have 4 versions now ?
HD widescreen, HD full, BR widescreen and BR full ?

Blu-Ray is just a different type of disc and player.  It's still HD content the same as HD-DVD.  Capable of 1080p resolution if your HDTV can do that. 

[Blackride]

Here you go....

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-13855_1-9846712-67.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

[Blackride]

Old school WWF vs WCW

Now you've gone to darn far WCW was clearly the best wrestling in the early 90's!!!!!!!!!

I am kidding of course :)