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Sony CEO Stringer hops back on the Blu-ray bandwagon

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Nov 2007 6:43 User comments (48)

Sony CEO Stringer hops back on the Blu-ray bandwagon Mere weeks after he was quoted all over the internet as saying Blu-ray could possibly lose the high-def format war and that it is currently at a "stalemate" with HD DVD, Sony CEO Howard Stringer has reaffirmed the company's full commitment to the format.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Stringer is quoted as saying that Blu-ray has "the momentum and the scale" to beat HD DVD in the long run.

"I think Blu-ray is just a better format,"
Stringer said. "Our partners are with Blu-ray Disc because, first of all, we have greater security, which Fox is particularly good at. Disney thinks it's a better picture. And the sheer amount of bandwidth on the disc gives directors and beyond all kinds of future opportunity, including director's cuts and who knows what 3-D capabilities will be down the road."



"I think that's why Steven Spielberg held out his own product from going to HD DVD,"
he added. "Ultimately, if you're passionate about movies, which these DVD collectors are, Blu-ray is the best answer. I think that is true, and we see that in the blogging environment."

When the recent set of price cuts from the HD DVD camp were brought up, Stringer said Blu-ray "isn't the cheaper format, but it is the better format" and that prices would not be sinking much below $400 USD for awhile. "We haven't announced any price cuts yet, but obviously the PS3 at $399 was a price cut, and that's also a Blu-ray player," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "We're comfortable with the situation at the moment."

Source:
HD DIgest

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48 user comments

125.11.2007 02:00

Quote:
Blu-ray "isn't the cheaper format, but it is the better format"
And that's why no one drives Ford or Chevy and everyone drives Porsche. That's also why VHS lost to Betamax. Technological superiority is obviously everything.

225.11.2007 08:43
hughjars
Inactive

LMAO.

Looks like Stringer realises just how damaging his previous 'stalemate' comments were and now is prepared to look as dumb as they come to back out away from them.
D'oh!
Too late.

Laughable.

325.11.2007 10:26

Quote:
Mere weeks after he was quoted all over the internet as saying Blu-ray could possibly lose the high-def format war and that it is currently at a "stalemate" with HD DVD, Sony CEO Howard Stringer has reaffirmed the company's full commitment to the format.
Okay he was looking at both sides of the picture but to say he jumped of the Bandwagon isn't anything close to relating to what he said.Misleading title if you really read the article.Why should he act foolish like some people that are in both camps.Howard Stringer is one of the most open & strait forward person at Sony.When he said the word stalemate he isn't acting like idiots from both camps thinking this War is over,This War isn't going to be over no time soon.As of right now Blu-Ray is out selling HD-DVD & his been for the last year or so.But for anyone who think this push any positive into HD-DVD corner i suggest you take a hard look at the numbers for the last year or so even with the wasted failed attempt to pay 150 million to paramount.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 25 Nov 2007 @ 11:51

425.11.2007 12:02

What a slip-up! This is another great example of big wigs not in the loop. They never get themselves involve in matters below the chain.

525.11.2007 12:05
nobrainer
Inactive

@ NexGen76

seems there are over 6 million ps3's and a few hundred thousand hd-dvd players shouldn't blu-ray be winning by a landslide then?

i am not in favour of either of the propertarian DRM riddled format and HDCP that forces you to purchase new equipment to try to close the analogue hole but effectively singles out every consumer and dictates where and how the media we own can be used!

then blu-ray being even more anti consumer with the introduction of bd+ which allows the studios to run any code they wish to stop piracy, with sony fox and disney at the forefront of the blu-ray promotion and leading members of the mpaa and having many pro IP lock down lobbyists pushing for ever increasing draconian measures to stop piracy!

what worries me with sonys track record of, over zealous DRM schemes is blu-ray is the format of choice made and supported by the mpaa, does this not just scream bad choice for consumers?

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 25 Nov 2007 @ 12:58

625.11.2007 12:35

Not really. People will get past any security, it is only a matter of time.

725.11.2007 12:52

Hitting the nail right on the head NexGen76 its' amazing how some people read into these things and just pull their own bias out of it.

Stringer's Quote, "Blu-ray has "the momentum and the scale" to beat HD DVD in the long run." is pretty much right on the nut but the cheapsters out there will never get that.

Comparing the battle between BetaMax and VHS really isn't a true comparison as Beta systems only had a better drive mechanism not much higher capacity as BD does amongst other plusses in this battle.

825.11.2007 15:30
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
not much higher capacity as BD does amongst other plusses in this battle.
- Exactly what other "plusses" would they be then?

HD DVD now offers the greater capacity 51gb instead of a claimed 50gb (which is actually 47gb in practice).

HD DVD now offers the greater available movie content (428 movies v 378).

HD DVD now offers the greater amount of exclusive movie content (200 v 184).

The only thing left in the Blu-ray pi*sing contest locker is that we're still waiting to find out whether the original 45gb TL HD DVD spin speed spec (1.5x) has been carried across in the new 51gb TL HD DVD specs; if it has then HD DVD will also offer the highest raw bit-rate too.

In short, besides a hefty price premium and a grossly inferior & unfinished spec offering far less functionality than HD DVD, Blu-ray offers nothing over HD DVD right now.

Those day-dreaming of the mythical 100gb & 200gb discs ever being used by the TV & Movie industry (to enable costs to come down and make them a realistic prospect) or being capable of being used on existing Blu-ray hardware are merely deluding themselves.

925.11.2007 15:43

Moreover. Blue laser have an average life span of 3 years max., where as classic laser have a bigger life span. Another reason why not to buy an expensive material that is ment to last only a few years.

1025.11.2007 15:49

Quote:
Comparing the battle between BetaMax and VHS really isn't a true comparison as Beta systems only had a better drive mechanism not much higher capacity as BD does amongst other plusses in this battle.
True enough. But, technically speaking, Betamax was superior to VHS, so it just illustrates the point that superiority alone is not going to decide what wins the war. Add on the fact that modern compression techniques can easily make an HD movie look good on either medium, and Blu-ray's higher capacity doesn't really give it an appreciable advantage, at least in terms of HD movies, IMHO. (Other applications of the technology like storing data obviously could fare differently, but it seems like both sides just keep piling on more layers, so who knows.)
Quote:
"We haven't announced any price cuts yet, but obviously the PS3 at $399 was a price cut, and that's also a Blu-ray player," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "We're comfortable with the situation at the moment."
This is one of the comments in the article that really strikes me as funny. Their competition's players are over three times less expensive than theirs and they're "comfortable with the situation".

The average Joe isn't going to care about how many gigabytes of storage space a medium has, or what kind of encryption it uses; he's going to care about four things: price, movie selection, ease of use and video quality. HD-DVD obviously is having a field day with the first item on that list, at least for the moment, and with the two formats pretty evenly matched on the other factors, I'd say that price is the last thing the Blu-ray camp should be "comfortable with" right now.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 25 Nov 2007 @ 3:53

1125.11.2007 15:50

At this point and time BR and HDVD are the same in spec to hammer the fine details is to ignore the market, BR must price match or under cut HDVD to survive.

1225.11.2007 16:17

Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
At this point and time BR and HDVD are the same in spec to hammer the fine details is to ignore the market, BR must price match or under cut HDVD to survive.
Agree. HD DVD has evened the bar on everything BR claimed they had superiority in. And at a more affordable rate. If BR wants to stay in it, they need to find a way to match/beat HDDVD's price.

1325.11.2007 16:23

Quote:
Originally posted by ZippyDSM:
At this point and time BR and HDVD are the same in spec to hammer the fine details is to ignore the market, BR must price match or under cut HDVD to survive.
Agree. HD DVD has evened the bar on everything BR claimed they had superiority in. And at a more affordable rate. If BR wants to stay in it, they need to find a way to match/beat HDDVD's price.
Pretty much,if BR had no copy protection and offered 2X faster speeds then maybe price V cost it would be worth it,but BR and HDVD are stalemating on tech and even the industry didn't jump in numbers to BR 50GB discs, everyone seems to forget the industry is lazy and will always find the cheap way out of things.

1425.11.2007 20:44

Those cheap HD DVD players are 1080i, not 1080p like Blu-ray players!
Clean your heads guys, before trying to say that 1080p player have to be cheaper than some HD DVD crap with 1080i. )))

The cheapest 1080p - HD DVD players are $399!
)))))


.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 25 Nov 2007 @ 9:11

1525.11.2007 20:47

Originally posted by xtr2:
Those cheap HD DVD players are 1080i, not 1080p like Blu-ray players!
Clean your heads guys, before trying to say that 1080p player have to be cheaper than some HD DVD crap with 1080i. )))

The cheapest 1080p - HD DVD players are $399! )))))
And throughly pointless because the public dosent know and only care about cheaper things :P

1625.11.2007 20:58

Quote:
And throughly pointless because the public dosent know and only care about cheaper things :P


It is stupid to have 1080p TV and use 1080i player!
)))
Oh yeah, only stupid people don't have money - to buy Blu-ray ))) or don't have brain, to understand that 1080i will be obsolete in 2-3 years and they will have to pay again and buy one more player with 1080p - soon! ))))

1725.11.2007 23:03
whytelyou
Inactive

Quote:
Quote:
And throughly pointless because the public dosent know and only care about cheaper things :P


It is stupid to have 1080p TV and use 1080i player!
)))
Oh yeah, only stupid people don't have money - to buy Blu-ray ))) or don't have brain, to understand that 1080i will be obsolete in 2-3 years and they will have to pay again and buy one more player with 1080p - soon! ))))
What a retard.... Most people own a 1080i[max] tv. I don't know anyone with a 1080p tv... Yet!

1825.11.2007 23:33
japhy
Inactive

The thing for me was movie selection, and at the time I preferred the BLU-RAY movies.

I want a the best quality for my 1080P TV, the cheap s&(t never lasts (equipment wise)

Now the best way to win the war is though the cost of the media, personally, unless it is worth it in needing the scenic details, there is no point to buying either, stick with DVD.

Seriously with upconverting, does anyone think that your average comedy or drama needs blu-ray or hd-dvd.

New movies should be the only ones that count in the total movies. Most studios are re-releasing old movies on the two formats and what is the point with that, they don't look any better then the original DVD upconverted.

1926.11.2007 05:37

Originally posted by nobrainer:
@ NexGen76

seems there are over 6 million ps3's and a few hundred thousand hd-dvd players shouldn't blu-ray be winning by a landslide then?

i am not in favour of either of the propertarian DRM riddled format and HDCP that forces you to purchase new equipment to try to close the analogue hole but effectively singles out every consumer and dictates where and how the media we own can be used!

then blu-ray being even more anti consumer with the introduction of bd+ which allows the studios to run any code they wish to stop piracy, with sony fox and disney at the forefront of the blu-ray promotion and leading members of the mpaa and having many pro IP lock down lobbyists pushing for ever increasing draconian measures to stop piracy!

what worries me with sonys track record of, over zealous DRM schemes is blu-ray is the format of choice made and supported by the mpaa, does this not just scream bad choice for consumers?
Yeah and it is, but the PS3's are all over the world, where as the 360 is basicly only sold in the USA at 8 million.

Mate, you can hate the DRM stuff as much as you want but heaps of people are pirating movies everyday, the studios will see this as lost money, and with the studio's in the biz to make money not lose it well what else are you expecting to happen.

Even when the studio's start to allow downloading you really think they'll all just use itunes or some other crap, they'll make up their own little movie download program site etc, that will require money to get into.

What will happen is that for the pirates it'll be the same all the time they already understand this, it's all the new people (shall we say) that will get screwed over but it's always been like that, the studios aren't going to run around letting everyone download their movies for free all the time, it'll get harder to the point where it becomes pointless for most people to even bother with.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 5:40

2026.11.2007 05:55

Quote:
Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
not much higher capacity as BD does amongst other plusses in this battle.
- Exactly what other "plusses" would they be then?

HD DVD now offers the greater capacity 51gb instead of a claimed 50gb (which is actually 47gb in practice).

HD DVD now offers the greater available movie content (428 movies v 378).

HD DVD now offers the greater amount of exclusive movie content (200 v 184).

51gig discs only work in the new HD-DVD players none of the old ones, you can't use a firmware upgrade either even the makers said this.

The you can get 5x speed Blu-ray drives, I think this drive is a portable drive as well, standard speed would 2x or 4x speeds.

As for the number of titles out, real numbers not your bogus numbers.

Blu-Ray
Overall: 391
BD25: 205
BD50: 186


HD-DVD
Overall: 334
HD15: 25
HD30: 246
HD15 Combo: 25
HD30 Combo: 38

Blu-Ray
Exclusive: 254

HD-DVD
Exclusive: 201


Not Exclusive: 157
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 6:00

2126.11.2007 07:51
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by xtr2:
Those cheap HD DVD players are 1080i, not 1080p like Blu-ray players!
- Err and so what if they are?

Most HD TVs are 720p/1080i anyways.

.....and unless you have a cheapo 1080p HD TV with a sh*tty deinterlacer built in to it 1080i/1080p makes no difference to you at all.

Originally posted by xtr2:
Clean your heads guys, before trying to say that 1080p player have to be cheaper than some HD DVD crap with 1080i.
- Why don't you stop following the marketing BS and read up on the subject?
If you have not got a TV with a native resolution of 1920x1080 you can't 'get' 1080p anyway and if you do then your TV must display that image progressively - so will 'get' a 1080p image anyways.

If it's a cheap cr@p 1080p one you might end up with artifacts in the image, if it's at all decent you'll see little or no difference
(and if you go on the av/avs forums you'll find owners with high quality 1080p TVs who prefer to imput 1080i material cos the TV makes it look better than the 1080p signal.
But then when did the marketing BS ever tell people the truth about that kind of thing, huh?)

Originally posted by xtr2:
The cheapest 1080p - HD DVD players are $399!
- Well done, that's a flat out lie.

The Samsung BDP is the cheapest Blu-ray player at $339.99, so it's still well over $150 more expensive than HD DVD - and the BDP 1400 is one hell of a buggy player - and it's only profile 1.0 & therefore well under-spec'd & already obsolescent.

The Toshiba HD A3 is currently $174 new on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B...96081326&sr=8-1
and for quibblers on the whole 1080i/1080p nonsense the HD A30 is comfortably under that Blu-ray price too @ $269.98 new.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B...96081326&sr=8-4

Nevermind you were only a mere $130 out.

Originally posted by xtago:
51gig discs only work in the new HD-DVD players none of the old ones, you can't use a firmware upgrade either even the makers said this.
- That's a flat out lie too.

Actually what "the makers" said was that there might be problems with some of the very 1st gen players.

In fact it turned out that 17gb, 34gb DL & 51gb TL HD DVD was easier to achieve than the original 15gb, 30gb DL & 45gb TL HD DVD spec (which were the HD DVD specs from day 1, TL was always designed in as a part of it)

If you knew about what the DVD Forum does you'd know that one of the conditions that allows the 51gb TL HD DVD to carry on being called an HD DVD disc is that it has to work with existing players.

If it doesn't it's not an HD DVD disc. It is. You are wrong.

Originally posted by xtago:
The you can get 5x speed Blu-ray drives, I think this drive is a portable drive as well, standard speed would 2x or 4x speeds.
- LMAO.

That's it eh, the big Blu-ray plus, huh?

Blu-ray burners (cos their reader drives are still double the price of an HD DVD reader drive)!?

Well Blu-ray burners might as well not be on the market right now considering the prices they're looking for them and how few they are selling.

The idea that Blu-ray burners mean much of anything in this right now is genuinely laughable.

Originally posted by xtago:
As for the number of titles out, real numbers not your bogus numbers.
- My numbers are "real".

They are from http://www.blu-raystats.com/ and http://www.hddvdstats.com/index.php

These are the latest numbers (checked today) -

Current available Blu-ray movies - 411
Current available HD DVD movies - 358

Current exclusive Blu-ray movies - 254
Current exclusive HD DVD movies - 201

Which all looks great for Blu-ray until you remember that these numbers are for discs bought in bricks and mortar stores in the USA and that they do not take account of Paramount dumping Blu-ray.

There are currently over 70 supposedly Blu-ray exclusive movies which are nothing of the sort and which are available on HD DVD.

See here - http://areahd.dvdtiefpreise.com/?p=109
and here - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=855923
and here - http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthre...8331#post468331

So the true figures for exclusive movies becomes -

HD DVD exclusive movies - 201
Blu-ray exclusive movies - 184

Similarly when we remove the 30 Paramount movies from the Blu-ray total along with the 3 Dreamworks movies (no-one is making or has made large stocks of high def movies so far and to keep claiming these as available for BD is absurd and relying on a dead stock line) and add those additional 70 movies to the HD DVD total we get

HD DVD available movies - 428
BLU-ray available movies - 378

HD DVD does offer the largest available and exclusive movie content.

So remind me again what those "pluses" Blu-ray is claimed to have are, huh?

(ROFLMAO; an outrageously expensive disc drive and a myth about content? is that all you've now got?
Don't bother answering that, it was rhetorical , I already know that is all you've got in this)
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 7:57

2226.11.2007 08:34

All my friends have 1080p TV's and I - two of them! ))
Because I am not stupid to buy 1080i TV (that will be obsolete very soon).)))

One more thing, Blu-ray came out after HD DVD and there are already almost the same quantity of movies! In something like one year! )))
With speed like that, in the next year there will be more movies on Blu-ray than on HD DVD's! )) Oh yeah, more movie studios supporting Blu-ray.))

2326.11.2007 09:02
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by xtr2:
All my friends have 1080p TV's and I - two of them! ))
Because I am not stupid to buy 1080i TV (that will be obsolete very soon).
- OK, so you lied about the prices of HD DVD (and just ignore that you got caught out lying).
Or were you just wrong (again)?

Now you want to pretend that just because you might have a 1080p TV everyone else does
(when in fact the majority of HD TVs are still 720p/1080i, by far).

.....and, of course, not a word to say about what actually happens with a 1080i image fed to a 1080p TV = you get a 1080p image.

The ad men must love you guys & your confused, ignorant & willfully blinkered nonsensical 'beliefs'.

Originally posted by xtr2:
One more thing, Blu-ray came out after HD DVD and there are already almost the same quantity of movies! In something like one year!
- I guess I'll have to take that as a round-about admission that I was right about the movie numbers afterall then, huh?

Maybe you were just plain 'wrong' again, eh?

LMAO.

Originally posted by xtr2:
With speed like that, in the next year there will be more movies on Blu-ray than on HD DVD's!
- You seem to be blind to the fact
(like so many of the Blu-ray fanclub)
that many of those newly announced Blu-ray releases also come out pretty shortly after on HD DVD, thanks to international distribution and publishing deals.

Wrong again.

Originally posted by xtr2:
Oh yeah, more movie studios supporting Blu-ray.
- Wrong yet again.

Major Hollywood support is around even right now
(but if you count independents and international studios HD DVD leads - the charges and contractual obligations are far less with HD DVD).

....and you're going to get even 'wronger' when Warner go for the more profitable format, HD DVD, in 2008.

.....and as we can see with the DVD Forum TL vote probably Disney at some point next year too.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 9:27

2426.11.2007 12:02

xtago ..... i don't think your gonna win the argument with Hughjars.

I'm with Hughjars on this. He knows his stuff. I've read many many posts from this guy...and its although he can talk circles around me at times....look up and search it out like i do. You'll find it to be true...unless u wait too long...cause technology changes very quickly.

2526.11.2007 16:18

Quote:
Most HD TVs are 720p/1080i anyways.

lie. #1
http://www.buy.com/retail/searchresults....ay=col&dclksa=1
If you buying cheap crap - it will be 1080i, people who think to keep their TV for 10 years - buying 1080p. So they don't have to spent more money in 2-3 years.

Quote:
1080p TVs ... to imput 1080i material cos the TV makes it look better than the 1080p signal.

lie. #2


Quote:
The Toshiba HD A3 is currently $174 new on Amazon

It is - 1080i.

Quote:
HD A30 is comfortably under that Blu-ray price too @ $269.98 new.
I am very happy that you found one very-very cheap HD DVD player, very cheaply made, that will last for over few month, for you! )))
It's not lie from my side, because I didn't search for some cheapest stuff on amazon. )))

P.S. Blockbuster don't have HD DVD's, but have only Blu-ray's in most stores! :)

2626.11.2007 16:57

Quote:
- You seem to be blind to the fact
(like so many of the Blu-ray fanclub)
that many of those newly announced Blu-ray releases also come out pretty shortly after on HD DVD, thanks to international distribution and publishing deals.

Wrong again.

Wrong again.
It is working in both directions. )))
And even then so many more Blu-ray's then HD DVD's in less time them needed for HD DVD's! ))))

You will see who is wrong in 2009-2010, when most computers, games and movies will move to Blu-rays. (especially computers with 100-200 GB Blu-ray's) )))

P.S. Educate yourself: (about laser wavelength, numerical aperture, storage capacity ))) & etc. )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_...al_disc_formats

2726.11.2007 20:26
hughjars
Inactive

LMAO

Wow, talk about weak and utterly lame.

Just had to retort "liar" back, didn't you?
(cos you were embarrassed to be caught cold on that one.)

Hilarious.

Clearly you know s*d all about this other than what your Blu-ray fanzine sites have to say
(seriously posting a wiki address for "laser wavelength, numerical aperture, storage capacity"?!
Priceless).

So where are the 70+ HD DVD exclusive titles also out on Blu-ray then?
I know of one for sure (links to the rest please).

Yeah right. LMAO.

Personally I prefer to debate this kind of stuff with grown ups not game console kiddies.

Come back when you know what you're talking about.

2826.11.2007 20:59

Originally posted by hughjars:
LMAO

I don't have time to explain to you simple things, especially when you still didn't get whan came out Blu-ray players and HD DVD players. ))) Forum's are for kids, especially with waisting time for "link searching". )))))
Learn kid and use wikipedia, because you was wrong so many times that it make me laugh. )))

P.S. I have work to do. (teach some programmers, how to do their job) And English not my native language, I speak 6 languages and English is my worse. ))) So, you can enjoy wasting your time like all kids, that live with their parents & let you believe that you are winner in this "finger war". ))))))

2926.11.2007 21:14

Originally posted by Hughjars:
Which all looks great for Blu-ray until you remember that these numbers are for discs bought in bricks and mortar stores in the USA and that they do not take account of Paramount dumping Blu-ray.

There are currently over 70 supposedly Blu-ray exclusive movies which are nothing of the sort and which are available on HD DVD.

See here - http://areahd.dvdtiefpreise.com/?p=109
and here - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=855923
and here - http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthre...8331#post468331

So the true figures for exclusive movies becomes -

HD DVD exclusive movies - 201
Blu-ray exclusive movies - 184

Similarly when we remove the 30 Paramount movies from the Blu-ray total along with the 3 Dreamworks movies (no-one is making or has made large stocks of high def movies so far and to keep claiming these as available for BD is absurd and relying on a dead stock line) and add those additional 70 movies to the HD DVD total we get

HD DVD available movies - 428
BLU-ray available movies - 378

HD DVD does offer the largest available and exclusive movie content.

So remind me again what those "pluses" Blu-ray is claimed to have are, huh?

(ROFLMAO; an outrageously expensive disc drive and a myth about content? is that all you've now got?
Don't bother answering that, it was rhetorical , I already know that is all you've got in this)
Okay Stop right there because you truly believe everything most of them HD-DVD tools over there at AVS forums says.

http://www.hddvdstats.com/index.php

Universal account for 71.35% percent of HD-DVD exclusive titles the next studio is Warner with 11.89%.Where is Paramount sitting at a horrible 3.94%.So where is all these so called exclusive titles because i see you can't read charts that good.

If you hit the exclusive button on the link you gave some how you seem to over look it HD-DVD has 201 exclusive titles with most for the titles coming from Universal are old movies that people already own on SD DVD.

Blu-Ray has 254 exclusive titles the 70 exclusive titles for some reason you trying to twist & turn like HD-DVD camp is wrong it was 32 titles Blu-Ray had when paramount was format neutral you can still buy paramount Blu-Ray titles from online movie vendors like Amazon.So how can you subtract something that is still on Blu-Ray? That mean they are still available.

Ex: Shooter
http://www.amazon.com/Shooter-Blu-ray-Mark-Wahlberg/dp/B000QUEQBS
Ex: Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
http://www.amazon.com/Lara-Croft-Tomb-Ra...y/dp/B000I0QLZU

Also proof of the 32 titles that was on Blu-Ray not the over hyped 70 you claimed.

Current Paramount Blu-ray titles will not be recalled

Quote:
Yeah, we know this is pretty obvious, but there's nothing like a proper confirmation. Paramount has told HighDefDigest.com that once the current stock of Blu-ray titles is depleted, there will be no more produced, but they will not recall the titles already in the channel. According to HighDefDigest's count there are 32 titles
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/08/22/cur...ot-be-recalled/

I hope this clear up all the Fud that has been on this board about HD-DVD having the most movie content & exclusive content which is totally misleading.


Quote:
HD DVD 343 vs Blu-ray 369*

Blu-ray

* I Know Who Killed Me (Sony)
* Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Bandai Visual)
* The Omega Man (Warner)
* Paprika (Sony)

HD DVD

* Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (DreamWorks)
* Hot Rod (Paramount)
* Mr. Bean's Holiday (Universal)
* Old School (Paramount)
* The Omega Man (Warner)


* Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously available.
http://www.engadgethd.com/tag/HdReleases

Engadget keeps track of every HD title released so far Blu-Ray the most content HD DVD 343 vsBlu-ray 369 As of 11-27-07.Blu-Ray has the most exclusive content available Current exclusive Blu-ray movies - 254
Current exclusive HD DVD movies - 201.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 9:23

3026.11.2007 22:21

well i just got my HDMI cable to hook up my 360 and enjoy 1080p..
well guess what guys it looked the SAME as 1080i..(which i knew it would)
this was on a 55" Sony KDS55A2020
i got the toshiba HD A3, which we all know is 1080i..and guess what, it looks GREAT!!
and now i was looking for differences between i and p like a hawk, i saw no difference!!
so neither will the who knows how many average Joes and Teds who get an HD DVD player this christmas!!!

3126.11.2007 23:19
theridges
Inactive

Originally posted by sk8flawzz:
well i just got my HDMI cable to hook up my 360 and enjoy 1080p..
well guess what guys it looked the SAME as 1080i..(which i knew it would)
this was on a 55" Sony KDS55A2020
i got the toshiba HD A3, which we all know is 1080i..and guess what, it looks GREAT!!
and now i was looking for differences between i and p like a hawk, i saw no difference!!
so neither will the who knows how many average Joes and Teds who get an HD DVD player this christmas!!!

well your not going to see much of a difference on a projection television even if its a 1080p television..
i work at circuitcity in the TV department and there is a difference between i and p especially on newer lcd tv's like the XBR4's from sony
and the Samsung 71 Series...
but back onto the BluRay and HDDVD..
our store sells much more HDDVD than BluRay(not including PS3 Sales),
thats after i explain to them that they have the same quality for some reason most consumers dont know that HDDVD and BluRay are moreless the same exact thing and right now the only difference is if the movies they want will release on that format....
and with the HDDVD player being a bit cheaper the consumer is eating them up..
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Nov 2007 @ 11:20

3226.11.2007 23:19

As i stated in most of my post to sit here and compare either bias reports or bias post is pointless because all in all its all up to the individual persons preference. So taking all the time to sit there and break down stats and figures on something that will either change by early next year or sooner is pointless. I know people who went out and brought one of those cheap HD-DVD players and arent very happy with it for a lot of reasons. Their main issues are not having the same selection as normal dvd's and that it doesnt playback some of their burnt dvds. I know have PS3 or blu-ray player. Some of those people feel the same on the movie side of not having the same selection as normal dvds. Then i know folks who prefer the dvd upscaling vs both blu-ray and hd-dvd players. Selection is pretty much going to decide for some price for others or just going with the flow on bias opinions its truly all up to the persons preference.

3326.11.2007 23:59

@theridges, what are the screen sizes on the ones you do notice? i can imagine the difference might be noticeable on 71" and such.
i wanted to ask a salesperson at circuit city which sold more, haha now i know, thanks

3427.11.2007 01:59
theridges
Inactive

Originally posted by spydah:
As i stated in most of my post to sit here and compare either bias reports or bias post is pointless because all in all its all up to the individual persons preference. So taking all the time to sit there and break down stats and figures on something that will either change by early next year or sooner is pointless. I know people who went out and brought one of those cheap HD-DVD players and arent very happy with it for a lot of reasons. Their main issues are not having the same selection as normal dvd's and that it doesnt playback some of their burnt dvds. I know have PS3 or blu-ray player. Some of those people feel the same on the movie side of not having the same selection as normal dvds. Then i know folks who prefer the dvd upscaling vs both blu-ray and hd-dvd players. Selection is pretty much going to decide for some price for others or just going with the flow on bias opinions its truly all up to the persons preference.

i will tell you one thing the new sharp BluRay player will play almost anything you throw at it and the HD-A35(toshiba) will too....my A35 has no problem playing burned movies....
and somebody that says they prefer an upscaled dvd over the new HD formats are just kind of behind in times because an upscaled dvd doesn't compare to HDDVD or BLURAY.

@sk8flawzz
we have a 1080i HD-DVD player and a bluray hooked up right beside eachother in the store on a 46' Samsung LCD and the BluRay looks better...most people dont notice it but when your in the store all day you can tell the difference..the only movie i couldn't tell the difference on was Transformers even in 1080i thats the best movie in HD i have ever Seen...

3527.11.2007 02:46

Quote:
Originally posted by spydah:
As i stated in most of my post to sit here and compare either bias reports or bias post is pointless because all in all its all up to the individual persons preference. So taking all the time to sit there and break down stats and figures on something that will either change by early next year or sooner is pointless. I know people who went out and brought one of those cheap HD-DVD players and arent very happy with it for a lot of reasons. Their main issues are not having the same selection as normal dvd's and that it doesnt playback some of their burnt dvds. I know have PS3 or blu-ray player. Some of those people feel the same on the movie side of not having the same selection as normal dvds. Then i know folks who prefer the dvd upscaling vs both blu-ray and hd-dvd players. Selection is pretty much going to decide for some price for others or just going with the flow on bias opinions its truly all up to the persons preference.

i will tell you one thing the new sharp BluRay player will play almost anything you throw at it and the HD-A35(toshiba) will too....my A35 has no problem playing burned movies....
and somebody that says they prefer an upscaled dvd over the new HD formats are just kind of behind in times because an upscaled dvd doesn't compare to HDDVD or BLURAY.

@sk8flawzz
we have a 1080i HD-DVD player and a bluray hooked up right beside eachother in the store on a 46' Samsung LCD and the BluRay looks better...most people dont notice it but when your in the store all day you can tell the difference..the only movie i couldn't tell the difference on was Transformers even in 1080i thats the best movie in HD i have ever Seen...
there is a diffrance in dosent compare and its not worth the added price, or at least in this case there is not :P

3627.11.2007 07:57
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by nextgen:
Engadget keeps track of every HD title released so far Blu-Ray the most content HD DVD 343 vsBlu-ray 369 As of 11-27-07.Blu-Ray has the most exclusive content available Current exclusive Blu-ray movies - 254
Current exclusive HD DVD movies - 201.
- That Engadget count is wrong then, pure and simple
(tho given the numbers you've reproduced it is probably right for numbers bought within the USA in bricks and mortar stores).

Try using the links I gave and looking internationally.
The 'over 70 titles are in there.

....and no, they are not all old titles.
Planet Terror and Deathproof are up-to-date on retail disc, as is The Prestige & 1408,

Better luck defending your beloved next time nextgen.

3727.11.2007 08:00

Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by spydah:
As i stated in most of my post to sit here and compare either bias reports or bias post is pointless because all in all its all up to the individual persons preference. So taking all the time to sit there and break down stats and figures on something that will either change by early next year or sooner is pointless. I know people who went out and brought one of those cheap HD-DVD players and arent very happy with it for a lot of reasons. Their main issues are not having the same selection as normal dvd's and that it doesnt playback some of their burnt dvds. I know have PS3 or blu-ray player. Some of those people feel the same on the movie side of not having the same selection as normal dvds. Then i know folks who prefer the dvd upscaling vs both blu-ray and hd-dvd players. Selection is pretty much going to decide for some price for others or just going with the flow on bias opinions its truly all up to the persons preference.

i will tell you one thing the new sharp BluRay player will play almost anything you throw at it and the HD-A35(toshiba) will too....my A35 has no problem playing burned movies....
and somebody that says they prefer an upscaled dvd over the new HD formats are just kind of behind in times because an upscaled dvd doesn't compare to HDDVD or BLURAY.

@sk8flawzz
we have a 1080i HD-DVD player and a bluray hooked up right beside eachother in the store on a 46' Samsung LCD and the BluRay looks better...most people dont notice it but when your in the store all day you can tell the difference..the only movie i couldn't tell the difference on was Transformers even in 1080i thats the best movie in HD i have ever Seen...
there is a diffrance in dosent compare and its not worth the added price, or at least in this case there is not :P

The people i know that brought the HD-DVD player got the upscaling one because it plays all of their burnt dvds. Plus the regular dvd selection is currently greater and thats where their comfort zone is instead of only receiving a few movies from this format vs the other.

3827.11.2007 08:08
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by spydah:
The people i know that brought the HD-DVD player got the upscaling one because it plays all of their burnt dvds.
- ?

All the HD DVD players upscale, as standard (and very well too btw).

3927.11.2007 09:03
whytelyou
Inactive

@hughjars
Nice...

Did you include the import Bluray titles that are on Hd-dvd that work on any player, unlike bluray? lol

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 27 Nov 2007 @ 9:04

4027.11.2007 09:26
hughjars
Inactive

Originally posted by whytelyou:
@hughjars
Nice...

Did you include the import Bluray titles that are on Hd-dvd that work on any player, unlike bluray? lol
- I did indeed.

S'funny how the Blu-ray fanclub sometimes love to pretend it works both ways (it doesn't thanks to Blu-ray's regional coding).

I know for sure of 1 HD DVD exclusive movie in a Blu-ray version sourced internationally (under a different label thanks to international publishing & distribution) but nothing like the 70+ titles that are claimed in the USA to be 'Blu-ray exclusive' but which are nothing of the sort elsewhere.

4127.11.2007 09:44

There's a couple of issues I have with HD DVD imports:

> Most new and future adoptees of the format don't know about the availability of imports. The regular guy walking into Walmart may not have heard of exploitedcinema.com, amazon.fr, amazon.de, or amazon.uk.

> Unless you're willing to spend anywhere from $35 to $45 per title then importing may not be an option for you.

The German version of Silver Surfer for example is EUR 28,95 or $43.05 pre-shipping costs:

http://www.amazon.de/Fantastic-Four-Rise...r/dp/B000VWP2GE

With the continued slide of the US dollar the exchange rates aren't likely to improve soon. Owning both formats may be a more attractive prospect to some especially those who want to collect titles.

I do like the DTS-HD MA on some EU titles though.

4227.11.2007 09:56
hughjars
Inactive

I'm not surprised error5, but what it boils down to is a pretty recent change, basically you're commenting on the US $ plummeting in value in the last 12mths.

For me (coming at it from the other way around) I'm only too happy to import HD DVDs from the USA, I get them earlier than otherwise would be the case & cheaper.

Transformers being a prime example.

4327.11.2007 10:47

Originally posted by nonoitall:
Quote:
Blu-ray "isn't the cheaper format, but it is the better format"
And that's why no one drives Ford or Chevy and everyone drives Porsche. That's also why VHS lost to Betamax. Technological superiority is obviously everything.

I dont know if your being sarcastic or not but VHS won Betamax lost

4427.11.2007 11:09

Originally posted by hughjars:
I'm not surprised error5, but what it boils down to is a pretty recent change, basically you're commenting on the US $ plummeting in value in the last 12mths.
It's not really a recent phenomenon hughjars.

I've been importing from the EU since Studio Canal started releasing HD DVD's. I remember my first few EU titles were the French versions of Brotherhood of the Wolf, Elephant Man and Stalingrad (aka Enemy at the Gates). I've always paid upwards of $35 per title even then. It's a good thing they remove the VAT for overseas orders or else the costs would be higher.

Quote:
I'm only too happy to import HD DVDs from the USA, I get them earlier than otherwise would be the case & cheaper.
It's totally different going west to east across the pond. Plus what we're talking about here is importing HD DVD titles from the EU to the US since these titles are available here only in BD format - not the other way around.

That being said, only the very avid enthusiast, plus those who collect no matter the cost, will consider importing from the EU as a viable option.

The "regular guy walking into Walmart" will see new release SD DVD's at $15 apiece and say "What the heck. I'll stick with regular DVD's."
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 27 Nov 2007 @ 12:21

4527.11.2007 13:39
whytelyou
Inactive

@hughjars & eatsushi

Much respect!!!
From what I have seen and what I see now, I think both of you respect both formats, but also thinks Hd-dvd has the advantage!!. I also think "HD-DVD" for the win!! lol

4628.11.2007 04:22

Hughjars slings that fanboy crapola quite a bit but the fact is he is only looking at being cheap and could be labeled a HD-DVD fanboy if that really is a bad thing. Cheap is really his only argument that makes sense and he will ignore technology to substantiate his bias. He talks like 51GB’s is so much more then 50GB that BD has been producing product for and has been doing so for some time know, BD does it easily in two layers not three which HD-DVD had to push each layer from 15GB’s to 17GB’s to even accomplish that. BD has bigger aperture size, higher bitrates, thinner protective layer, and so on there over all capacity and performance is much greater then HD-DVD and therefore will be more marketable down the road. Eventually the MFG cost will come down to DVD’s today and then the cheapsters will be happy, well maybe? Right now Toshiba has an 8 layer 200GB system and Hitachi just demo’d a Terabyte drive in Australia, HD-DVD won’t be doing this probably ever! Keep double counting movies hughjars at least you’ll be happy.

Hang in there NexGen you’re the man, and buy the way we are just wasting our breathe with some of these characters. 

I still am glad we have BOTH formats and hope/think both will be around for a long time.

4728.11.2007 08:50

Originally posted by eatsushi:

That being said, only the very avid enthusiast, plus those who collect no matter the cost, will consider importing from the EU as a viable option.
Exactly right.

Take xploitedcinema.com for example. There are a few HD DVD releases that are reasonably priced at $26 - like Lord of War and Reservoir Dogs from Holland. Other than that practically everything else is above $30. The single disc Japanese releases are ridiculous at $40 or more although the Band of Brothers set is something that I'd consider.

4820.12.2007 06:12

This is a nice sneaky stratgie getting big named producer directors taking sides in the format wars. I personally think and this could be what many others think as well it will all come down to price down at the end.

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