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Paramount adopts HD DVD, kicks Blu-ray to the curb

arstechnica.com — Just when many observers are beginning to believe that Blu-ray has the next-gen HD format wars all wrapped up, Paramount throws us a major curveball. The studio has announced that it is abandoning Blu-ray in favor of HD DVD.

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  • openthink, on 10/10/2007, -32/+15interesting. it seems like you can always count on paramount to 1) sit on the fence indecisviely as long as possible, 2) make a decision that's surprising and not even always in its best interest, and 3) if the decision turns out wrong or is heavily criticized, sue a bunch of people to try to make up for it.
    • therightclique, on 10/10/2007, -7/+12everything you just said meant absolutely nothing. congrats.
    • KMartSheriff, on 10/10/2007, -10/+19Thanks Paramount for making this stupid format war last a little bit longer.


      I just wish Blu-ray would win already so we can move on. Just out of curiosity (and comparison) does anyone know how long the format war between other competing formats (say VHS and BetaMax) was alive?
    • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Why studios don't support both (expanding their reach to everyone who owns a high-def player) and just wait to see who wins is beyond me.

      The only reason I have a high-def DVD player is because I bought a PS3. I'm not spending one cent on movies in the next-gen format until there's a "winner."
      • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Why? It doesn't matter who wins you still will have those movies to watch in HD
        • jacksons98, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3I personally hope Blu-ray wins because it is the superior format. More disk capacity (think past just movies) and hardcoating. (which is a life saver if you have kids).
          • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It's good as a storage medium but it does not need to be the standard for films. Both HD-DVD discs and players are by far cheaper, allows for much more interactive features, supports the exact same picture quality and sound that Blu-Ray is capable of (in fact, it's required on ALL hd-dvd players but is optional for blu-ray), has no region locks, etc. The ONLY real advantage Blu-Ray has is the harder coating, but as long as you take care of your discs this is negligible.
  • motang, on 10/10/2007, -12/+49Wow, I really didn't see this one coming. This makes the Blu-ray camp cry I bet as everyone thought that it had won or was on the verge of winning.
    • therightclique, on 10/10/2007, -18/+8nobody in their right mind actually thought that.
    • Hickeroar, on 10/10/2007, -2/+20It just goes to show that this whole format war is far from over...
      • lrf2005, on 10/10/2007, -5/+10Victory? Victory you say? Master Sony-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the Format War has.
        • Nomadturk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0FATHER !!! THE SLEEPER HAS AWAKEN !!!!!
    • NSMike, on 10/10/2007, -8/+17Even as an HD-DVD supporter, this makes me cry a bit on the inside, since this whole format war was almost over... *Sigh*
    • spoiled1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Sony: 私はねじで締まる



      means: (I'm screwed) ... thats what google said.
    • UlicBelouve, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah...one of those Blu-Ray camp "crybabies" is Mr. Michael Bay, who responded to this on his blog:
      On a post on his personal web forum entitled, "Paramount pisses me off!", Michael Bay says, "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!" So I guess he's not that important, he's jsut a "crybaby" like the rest of this camp. All opinions aside, when someone who made THE lifesaving film for Paramount gets ticked at Paramount....that means trouble.
      Link to Blog: http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2299
      News link: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=415
  • BradGroux, on 10/10/2007, -32/+59OH NOES! Poor Sony, they just can't catch a breaking when it comes to "next generation" formats. Betamax, MiniDisc, UMD, MemoryStick, Atrac3 and now maybe Blu-ray? I guess you can be happy you won that whole floppy disk battle though... Glad I chose to line my cabinet with maroon high-definition DVD cases... thank you Toshiba and your gloriously affordable players.
    • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -12/+27LOL HD DVD is far from the winner yet.....and the best paramount movies were made by Steven S. and his aren't exclusive.
      • KrazyKoala, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Yes but his best movie in terms of worthiness of HD (Jurassic Park) belongs I believe to Universal, which is already HD DVD exclusive. I'm still waiting for HD Dinos Universal!
    • MikeNovick, on 10/10/2007, -7/+12For once there is some positive news for HD-DVD after Blu-Ray had a long streak of positive news, and you think Sony is "losing"?

      Luckily the fact that you own a HD-DVD player brings this comment really into perspective.
      • wageslaven, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3For once? only in dreamland son.
        • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Which is where you come from, Microsoft fanboy.
    • fuzzynyanko, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Personally I wish there was a combo player out already.
      • Hickeroar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6There is...
      • danasghar, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2there is, by LG, but i dont think it plays HDDVD in 1080P or maybe thats the other way around, it doesnt play Blu-Ray....
        • dBLiSS, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2It's a combo player but doesn't play blu-ray? Then by definition wouldn't it be an HDDVD player. And a crappy one at that by the sounds of it..
        • Burn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1@dBliss
          danasghar didn't mean it couldn't play the discs at all, just not at 1080p.
    • manstein01, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4I do not understand why Sony keeps doing this (and failing). If they want to release their own format of cassette tape, or flash memory, or next gen DVD fine, but why to they need to make it proprietary? It's like their business goal is to be the Microsoft of electronics.
      • NSMike, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8HD-DVD is just as proprietary at the moment. Maybe even a little more, since I believe the only player outside of a Toshiba one you can buy is the 360's add-on. That might be more a result of the fact that no one wants to dig in and manufacture a player until the war is over, though.
        • manstein01, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5I did not know that. But I do know that Sony's licensing with most of their technologies has killed adoption (betamax, minidisc, etc). Look at their stupid PSP movie format. Talk about a worthless standard...
          • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5It's not worthless if you own a PSP.
          • MWeather, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2"Look at their stupid PSP movie format. Talk about a worthless standard..."

            Yep, little DVD-quality movies you can carry around with you and hook up to the TV via your PSP. Can't see the value in that.
    • bpmdub, on 10/10/2007, -7/+7You forgot the joke that was SACD
      • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5If you have an SACD player, you wouldn't be calling it a joke. And it wasn't just the SACD that failed, DVD-A failed as well...it's a shame.
      • bpmdub, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I can still walk into any store in town and pick up dual disks but cannot find an SACD anywhere
    • Scrappy1850, on 10/10/2007, -10/+4ok, BradGroux called it. HD-DVD is the winner, everyone can go home now. nothing to see here.
      • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Haha, HD-DVD has Universal (who has the best movies), and Parmount, Blu-Ray has EVERYTHING ELSE. It's far from over.
        • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I wouldn't say everything else, but Universal definitely does have the biggest selection of great titles. Paramount has some decent titles too but Warner Bros. would have been much more impressive to see switch, which isn't too hard to fathom because like Paramount, Warner Bros. were actually putting better video and audio encodes and extra features on some of the HD-DVD's versus Blu-Ray.

          So now, like you said, HD-DVD has Universal and Paramount. Blu-Ray has Sony, Disney, Fox, and Lionsgate. It's easy to look at this list and see that Blu-Ray has twice the studio support, but it's obvious to anybody with any taste in film that most of the quality exclusives will be on the HD-DVD side of the fence.
    • faizal5k, on 10/10/2007, -9/+1Sony wasn't only the supporter of the floppy disk, but also the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.

      BioShock PC Demo :)
      http://touchstonedevelopmentllc.com/demo/
    • fplouffe, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7Since when should we rejoice that the lesser capacity format wins? If we forget the debate of the virtue of the compression algorithm of HDDVD vs Blu-Ray (Blu-Ray can use the same algo has HDDVD if they wish if I am not mistaken), there's no advantage of going with HDDVD.
      From my point of view, I have no intention of getting back into building a library of HD movies in either format; I want to rent. And in that department, Blu-Ray has a clear advantage over HDDVD with the hard coat. Regular DVD gets unreadable quite fast by all the mishandling; I can only imagine that HDDVD would suffer from the same mishandling much faster.
      • EntangledPhysx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1the hard coating can't be applied to HD-DVDs as well?
  • gwolf, on 10/10/2007, -16/+42With some of the poor transfers I have seen on BR, it doesn't deserve to win anything. Were it not for the studios taking sides HD DVD would be well ahead anyway.
    • CraigJ, on 10/10/2007, -9/+10Agreed, I just saw the 5th Element. My standard def DVD copy on my crappy 10 year old TV looks way better. What the hell are these people thinking?
      • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4You most likely got the ***** up copy. Return it and get the new version.
    • JackTreehorn, on 10/10/2007, -3/+15Actually the 5th Element transfer was so bad that you can get a replacement for free from Sony. Just do a search for Blu-Ray 5th Element and the info should come up. From what I hear, the new transfer is much better.
    • timeisapear, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1takings sides? the formats were basically created for the studios. just because most manufacturers were behind HDDVD doesnt mean anything unless there were companies that would support them.
  • zazzalicious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13roll on cheap dual format players then...
    • wageslaven, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4And, next year when Toshiba ships a HD-DVD burner in all its PCs, and Microsoft starts shipping its software on HD-DVD, things will really heat up. Dual format players? We'll see... I dont suspect it will get that far.
      • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Yeah ***** right. Microsoft are stupid, but not stupid enough to be loading their software on HD-DVDs if nobody has HD-DVD drives yet.
    • dscomeau, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I agree..I've always debated that hd-dvd VS. blu-ray is much different than betamax VS. vhs.

      we now have $25 dvd players...in a couple of years dual format players will be less than the price of a dedicated hd-dvd or blu-ray player today.
  • MrLazySmurf, on 10/10/2007, -7/+32Is Dreamworks part of Paramount? if it's then this is a huge blow to Blu-Ray.
    • colincornaby, on 10/10/2007, -7/+28Yes, Dreamworks is part of the deal. All future Dreamworks releases will be DVD and HD-DVD, not Bluray.
      • matth1jd, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11All Dreamworks releases with the exception of Spielberg releases will be on HD-DVD, Spielberg apparently has a special exemption that allows for either format or both.

        FTA: "... is noteworthy that Paramount-owned DreamWorks SKG will make an exception for Spielberg films. Paramount indicated that his works could be made available in either format, or both."
    • RealmDown, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Dugg for your cool placement of a standard contraction.
  • drjekelmrhyde, on 10/10/2007, -6/+31Bring on the sub 199.99 standalone HD-DVD player
  • damndj, on 10/10/2007, -14/+26Fanboyism aside, does this make any sense at all? No, it doesn't.

    • paulgifford, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6apparently you are not really leaving the fanboyism aside - are you?
      • maley, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7NPD shows that Blu movies outsold HD movies 2:1 from Jan 07 to July 07. I'd say that doesn't make sense.
        • razor150, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9It makes sense if they want HD-DVD to win.
          • Ajajadude, on 10/10/2007, -5/+4But it doesn't make sense in the business sense to choose a side if your company isn't Sony or Toshiba.
          • MWeather, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3You mean *****, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung and Sony, or Toshiba (the 9 founders of Blu-Ray) and Toshiba and NIC (The 2 founders of HD-DVD)
      • smhTheory, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5with absolute objectivity i can say that blu ray is a superior technology with a much greater storage capacity. the only (yet huge) point of favor for hddvd is pricepoint.
    • rohanch, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Well, it does at least make sense for Paramount if their claim that production costs are lower is true.
    • Hickeroar, on 10/10/2007, -6/+13I own an HD-DVD player and no BluRay player, and even so, I can say that this doesn't make sense. BluRay almost had the whole format war in the bag and this prety much sets the whole process back about two years...
    • mahoneyxp, on 10/10/2007, -3/+15It makes sense to pick the cheaper format to produce, and it makes sense as the consumer to choose a format which you can have regular DVD on one side of the disc and HD on the other.
      • doodlebumm, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3It may be less expensive to produce, but you won't see that at the Cash Register. Sure that means more money for the studios, but nothing for the consumers.

        I think it is more that they want Sony Pictures to feel the pain than anything. Get enough people not buying BR players and the videos don't sell, which reduces the profits of the studio. Quite frankly there is a huge market for BR because Disney will be producing BR DVDs. They sell lots of DVDs because the kids want Mom and Dad to buy Disney DVDs for them to watch (over and over and over again). I think more people are likely to buy Disney videos than most other "types" of videos in the marketplace. So it could just be another case of cutting one's nose off to spite one's face.
      • jacksons98, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2@doodlebumm I don't know why you are being dugg down. 300 on Blu-ray at Amazon.com is $24.99 the HD-DVD version is $29.99.
        • jojojellybean, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1prolly because that HD-DVD 300 has the regular dvd built in
          • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1As well as a ton of extra features the Blu-Ray version doesn't get.
    • TotalHalibut, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Course it does. HD has the name advantage and the price advantage. It's beta-max vs VHS all over again. BluRay may be the superior format but the kind of TV you need to show the difference is out of the price range of the vast majority.
      • mywhitenoise, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2What name advantage? You know how many retards there are who buy HD-DVDs and think "I have an HDTV, and a DVD player, I'm going to get a Hi-Def movie!" and then realize they need an actual HD-DVD player (unless they got a DVD/HD-DVD combo movie).
      • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Blu-Ray's size does NOT mean the picture is better. Compare most releases on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray side by side and there is NO difference, HD-DVD is capable of the exact same picture quality. Some studios have even been putting higher quality video encodes and audio tracks on the HD-DVD.
        • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1LOL okay keep digging me down. It's amazing how badly people wish to keep deluding themselves.
  • kinerry, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11I see neither winning as they don't bring much new for the additional cost to consumers.

    I predict and much more advanced, cheaper format will take them both in the future, something large enough to carry entire seasons of shows on one piece of media.
    • rmw132, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6Ok, 6x video resolution, high definition audio, and when Amazon.com and Wal-Mart sells HD DVD discs for $19.99 with few exceptions, I don't see your point in saying "additional cost to consumers."

      *****, I walk into stores like FYE and Saturday Matinee in the mall and they still want to charge $30 for ***** DVD movies sometimes, which is absolutely absurd.
      • kinerry, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8You're forgetting the fact that most people don't have high definition screens/systems to use with this. Then the cost of thousands to upgrade your library. Then the cost of the player...not worth it for the average consumer.
      • jacksons98, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2@rmw132 I bought 3 blu-rays last weekend at Frys Electronics for $12.50/ea so I agree.

        @kinerry Nobody is saying you need to upgrade your entire collection, DVDs play fine on HD-DVD or Blu-ray players. But going forward especially for the movies you really enjoy it's worth getting the HD version.
      • Mothrog, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2And how much difference will you see between a regular DVD and a high def disk on affordable TVs and HTIBs? Not much. Most people don't have thousands of dollars sunk in to their home theaters, and will not see enough of a difference to justify the cost of upgrading. See: SACD and DVD-Audio.
    • Hickeroar, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Well, the problem is that as the storage space increases, so will the resolution of the video. They'll find plenty of other ways to fill it up.
    • tyns, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7Fully agreed. I think bluray and hd-dvd both are the 90's equivalent of the mini-disc. Consumers are so confused and there honestly is no incentive to use either. The majority of new movies available on bluray or hd-dvd are more expensive. I find it easier and more convenient to order movies on my home satellite that are HD and PVR them.

      I think HD-DVD or Bluray will battle it out on the data storage end for computers. the one getting to the cheapest price point first will win.

      For home theatre there is something bigger coming.

    • wageslaven, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Downloadable content for the win.
  • GunbladeVIII, on 10/10/2007, -4/+36Ugh... please, I don't care who wins, just end the format war!

    Guess I'll continue to stick to good old DVDs.
  • eean, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3So I assume Sony is Bluray only then?

    There's only a few major motion picture studios, having two of them stick to opposite formats is kind of a big deal.

    But I'm fine with DVD for now. :)
    • razor150, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9No, Blu Ray along with Sony also has Disney and Fox exclusive, and Warner Bros. releases on both. Although Warner, imo, seems to prefer HD-DVD.
      • BattleScars, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Sony, Fox and Disney are the three biggest film distributors. They all support Blu-ray. Warner is the fourth, they support Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Universal is the only distributor in the top 5 that supports HD-DVD exclusively. Paramount aren't even in the top ten distributors.
        • UberC, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't think those statistics are correct although I could be wrong...
          • emjaymj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Nope, you're right. Sony, Fox, and Disney ARE on top, by a slim margin, but that's because they produce a lot of direct-to-video crap. Paramount is actually 5th though and Universal is 6th.
  • kevinrmcguire, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Interesting development. I've been waiting it out to see which of these formats is going to win out before I upgrade my DVD player.
    • kinerry, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are basically going the way of laserdisc. They may be better, but don't offer enough new and are WAY too expensive to justify a library update.
  • Responder656, on 10/10/2007, -5/+9That probably means no Transformers on Blu Ray.
    • Ub3rg33k, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Not probably, definately. The Paramount press release states as much.
    • aegis9975, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Yep, also no Shrek 3 (but it was a terrible movie)

      However, Spielberg Dreamworks/Paramount are not included in the deal.
    • crony, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Sounds like Transformers will be safe. The article states:

      How smart of a choice it is remains to be seen, but it is noteworthy that Paramount-owned DreamWorks SKG will make an exception for Spielberg films. Paramount indicated that his works could be made available in either format, or both.
      • Rizmaster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah, since Spielberg's name is on Transformers, he now has veto power over it's release. Same thing with Jaws at Universal. He's pulling serious strings to NOT get into the format war.
  • rmw132, on 10/10/2007, -8/+30I own the Xbox 360 HD DVD player, and you really can't beat the price. At $179 brand new, any XBox 360 owner is cheating themselves by not purchasing this addon drive if they love high definition *anything*.

    You just can't beat that price point, setting aside the fact that you must own a 360 to use the drive.

    Until Blu-ray puts out a sub $300 player, it's going to have a harder time to compete with the price advantage of HD DVD (EXCEPT those damn overpriced HD DVD combo discs).

    Honestly though, thank you Paramount, I was starting to get worried about HD DVD in general.
    • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -14/+7You forgot to mention the 400 you paid for the 360
      • rmw132, on 10/10/2007, -3/+13You forgot to read:
        "You just can't beat that price point, setting aside the fact that you must own a 360 to use the drive."
        • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2it still doesnt take into fact that you had to PAY 400 dollars for the 360

          Oh btw..what number of 360's are you on? 4 or 5?
      • BigBrother87, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7You don't need a 360 for the drive. It works fine on a PC.
        • 2ndrookie, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Why would you watch a HD DVD or Bluray on a PC? That's just dumb.
    • Kinjiru, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2I agree about it being a good addon.. other than the ***** reliability of microshaft.

      I'd much rather my own custom built HTPC + internal drive.. and that way I can make it work perfectly :)
    • LoveWidescreen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Since when? The 360 HD-DVD drive is a USB-connected drive. There are *plenty* of reports on the Internet about using the XB360 HD-DVD drive with your PC as an HD-DVD player.

      http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=325
  • musters, on 10/10/2007, -14/+8I guess they are forcing me to pirate their movies so I can play them on the PS3. I would have bought them, but now, I've got no other alternative. Thanks Paramount.
    • coit, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Yeah, enjoy that pixelated ripped torrent format. It's everything you purchased your PS3 for... Or, you could just buy the regular DVD, much cheaper than the HD-DVD anyway...
  • brianbb98, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15i dont care anymore.... JUST PICK ONE!

  • dheaddy, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7I personally don't care who 'wins' this format war, just as long as there's a clear cut winner. I'd happily invest in Blu-ray IF it became the de facto standard, and this is coming from a guy who invested into Minidiscs and UMDs.
    • wageslaven, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Well, have you learned anything about adopting Sony's pet formats?
  • therightclique, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6yes, indiana jones in HD would be so awesome.
  • Ub3rg33k, on 10/10/2007, -6/+16This is great news. If you read the actual press release, the subtext is basically "We're not paying more for extra DRM on HD discs. HD-DVD is good enough". I'm glad to see a studio finally wised up and is concentrating their efforts in the format that will get HD to consumers as cheaply as possible, rather than messing around with something that's more expensive and provides no benefits (for movies at any rate) other than increased DRM.
  • danasghar, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2easy, both will win somehow, they are developing DVD players that will play both equally as well....
  • farcast, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10Dang that's a lot of movies...

    http://www.imdb.com/company/co0023400/
    • robbie32, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2kind of... most of the movies listed on there are pre-1980s. Then considering how many of the movies on that list would actually be worth the cost of converting to HD, I'm guessing only around 150-200 of those will make it. There's not that great of a demand for older movies.
    • iceperson, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Considering you're lucky to get 4-8 catalog titles a month, it's not really...
  • mistahroth, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6HD-DVD fanboys claiming victory because one major studio likes HD-DVD? Dream on boys, this just extends the everlong battle...
    • MalDON, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3So I guess Universal and Viacom don't count? It's not just Paramount, but Viacom.
      • BattleScars, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Who.....the *****.....are Viacom?
  • aegis9975, on 10/10/2007, -6/+23Pretty bad ArsArticle. Misses the most crucial details.

    Its basically a paid and timed exclusive.

    "HD DVD’s backers paid $100 million to Dreamworks and $50 million to Paramount for the exclusivity."
    http://www.e-gear.com/story/story.bsp?sid=72923&var=story
    • AARGH2K, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5I'll wait till I see this from more than one source. That's a drop in the bucket to these guys, and not enough to go exclusive for something this huge.
  • statix, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20"The deal covers all of Paramount's properties EXCLUDING those directed by Steven Spielberg. "
  • FredFredrickson, on 10/10/2007, -7/+18While I don't think either format is going to replace DVD as the standard format, I am glad Paramount isn't supporting Blue-Ray... Sony doesn't deserve to win the high-definition format war, and I don't like the terrible DRM in Blue-Ray.
    • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4Sony isn't the only one that came up with this format
    • FredFredrickson, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8I don't care, they have their hand in the Blur Ray cookie jar, and they've misplayed too many good hands in the last year to deserve a win with some silly disc format. I'm not saying it's not cool tech, but it's come at a bad time... DVD hasn't been around long enough yet for people to want to replace all their collections of movies with another format, only to have a slightly clearer picture and better sound (if they even have the entertainment system required to notice these differences). The amount of things that are improved in the jump from DVD to HDVD or BR is not as wide as the jump from VHS to DVD.
    • iceperson, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6"Sony doesn't deserve to win the high-definition format war"
      And M$ does?
      • ThinkBox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2you mean Toshiba...
      • unbreakable, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Learn to spell "MS" first....$ony fanboy.
        Any btw, its Toshiba.
  • smhTheory, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7i've been enjoying blu-ray for a few months now via my ps3, but when it comes down to it i really dont think that hddvd is a lesser format for for movies. however when i think about it in terms of the next optical drive for my pc, hddvd is the clear cut loser for storage. with blu ray topping out at 50+gigs on a dual layer disc (almost doubling hddvd) i really hope the consumer base doesnt kick this tech to the curb.
    • FredFredrickson, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4The problem is, most people do not have the system to watch high-def anything, and those who do are divided between HDDVD and BR. And sure, it'd be cool to be able to back up 80gb on a single Blue Ray disc, but there isn't a huge market for that yet because by and large, most people don't need to back up that much data very often, if at all. I have a feeling that both formats will be leap-frogged by either some other format, or by a digital distribution system, once that technology becomes more user friendly.
    • Kinjiru, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2actually both look like ***** for size vs pioneers violet ray or the new hologram storage in the works....
      • iceperson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Hologram storage has been "in the works" for 20+ years. I'll take proven tech I can buy today over vaporware anyday.
    • chakl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Umm... there are triple layer HD-DVDs which effectively hold more storage then blue ray...
      http://www.physorg.com/news87584681.html
      • Reginhild, on 01/02/2008, -0/+0Two 0.6mm disks glued together to get just above 50 (51gb)?????
  • Scotty87, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6Anyone who thinks this makes HDDVD close to even smelling a win doesn't know *****. Blue Ray has far more exclusive supporters. GG
    • FredFredrickson, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Why would you be happy about a format with MORE DRM edging out over the other...? This is like getting excited over something like Apple's AC3 format overtaking MP3's. The consumer gets boned.
      • manitoba98xp, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6AC3 is not an Apple format. It's produced by Dolby Digital.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Digital#Dolby_Digital

        And before anyone says it, neither is AAC. AAC is an MPEG standard, supported by a multitude of other companies.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding#Standardization
      • fplouffe, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4What's so terrible about the BluRay DRM??? You buy or rent a BluRay movie, put in player and press play. Same steps with HDDVD.
        Oh, I see, you want to make "backup" copy.
        • Mothrog, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or he wants to play them back on an open source system or on his non-HDCP compliant monitor or play imported films. And yes, there are people that do make legitimate backup copies. I have several OOP and rare DVDs that are packed away in their boxes while I use DL backups to watch the movie.
    • SSCrow, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3GG?
      this isn't a game.
  • Slybri, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Great. Now where is my Wrath of Khan on HD-DVD?
  • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -14/+3HAH just wait until Sony releases the deal they are doing with new line and announce LOTR on blu-ray....that will be the killer
  • Septimus, on 10/10/2007, -16/+8Well that was a stupid move Paramount.
  • brindon, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6So Paramount doesn't want any next gen DVD money this Christmas?
  • Brutus013, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4There are already players that play both formats. Like the LG Super Multi Blue. For $1200, less then buying both seperate, you get can play both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies AND burn Blu-Ray discs. Not stand alone, but you all have computers and you can hook it up to an HDTV or monitor.
    • Brutus013, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Also, it is actually $1000, not $1200.
      • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4and you could get both separate for about 700 dollars..

        BD: 435 costco
        HDDVD: 250

    • danielsousa, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That burning blu-ray disc thing is cool, that makes it worth it. But why would I buy something that plays a format that will be obsolete in 4 years?
  • Valleye, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Well I guess there is going to be another Black Friday where I do not buy a HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player.
  • Malarie, on 10/10/2007, -13/+4Paramount: Hmm which format should we go for?? Blue-Ray or HD-DVD??
    Sony: Blue Ray discs Noobs. c'mon. I need to sell me ps3s
    Paramount: Hmm we'll think about it..
    Microsoft: UNPATRIOTICS
    Paramount: zomg. /hd-dvd
    Sony: /cut
    Microsoft: lolz $_$
    Steve Jobs: Hm? HD? wha? You need an Iphone!!
    • jun2san, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4umm.....that was gay.
      • Malarie, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2If I lived in your broken country I could have sued you for saying that comment :)
        • ThatEvilGuy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2In poor countries you don't sue like a bitch, you just punch them in the face.
  • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3Honestly not a big blow. If everyone actually looked at their movie collections and checked who made them I bet 75% of them would still be the backers of blu-ray.

    And honestly who the hell has seen a good movie made by dreamworks or paramount that hasn't been by Steven S?
    • potterboy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Animated movies.
      • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Disney Animated movies >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Dreamworks
  • Delber, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2That's extremely odd
  • danielsousa, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5This is the worst news I've heard all week. This means that all things Star Trek will be released in HD-DVD only.
  • nurall, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1damnit, i was thinking about buying a ps3. (i play games but it would mostly have been for movies)
  • fcrow, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I think the first company to release a standalone player for less then 200 Dollar and put it in as many stores as possible will win the format war. People want
    • jostheller, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Paramount is making a huge mistake... I own a PS3 and have been buying blu-ray dvd's. I have stopped buying normal DVD's altogether because my TV's are all HD. I will not buy a stand alone HD-DVD player or a stand alone Blu-ray player, unless they can give me a HD-DVD +BD +DVD +CD combo player for 150 dollars or less. IMHO, I really do not feel I am alone with this standpoint. Not being able to buy paramount movies is not going to make me rush out to buy an HD-DVD player. It is only going to make me not buy their movies. Now if I can get my combo drive for 150 or less, then ill be buying their HD-DVD's again...
      • Nomadturk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Amen
      • chakl, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1and i want a trillion dollars now for trading in my over a decade old 386 but that isnt happening.
  • TheBean, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I don't give a rats ass which one wins. Downloadable content is the future.
    I, for one, will not be purchasing a standalone next gen player.
    • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0we have heard that for how long? 10 years? Where the hell is it then?
      • TheBean, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2currently bittorrent is the way to go since the entertainment industry isn't interested in offering a viable solution
  • arnoldrimmer, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1Have Fun with DRM,

    I stick to Avi´s and DVD. Here in Europe most of the TV Stations still dont send HD TV so what´s a Bluraydosc or HDDVD good foranyway?
  • rkminc, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Paramount just wants to stick it to Sony. Funny how they spin it as doing what's in the customers' best interests, when in reality we just want this bloody war to end. http://mediatrending.com/2007/08/20/paramount-dreamworks-drop-blu-ray/
  • AARGH2K, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Yay another blow to non-consumer friendly DRM. There is hope for Managed Copy yet!
  • deaftly, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3yay , glad i got that 360 hd-dvd drive after all
    • jostheller, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Hopefully you also have the HDMI 360 then... because if any of those HD-DVD movies enables th "content protection" flag (and trust me, they will)... then it will only output your HD-DVD movie in 480p... you have a 600 dollar DVD player.
      • BattleScars, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2HD-DVD over component is already restricted to 1080i with the 360's player so HDMI is a must, regardless of content protection.
  • jayhawk03, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2come on blu-ray just sign up a deal to release a dark side of the the moon disc and everything will be ok.
  • Nomadturk, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2http://www.e-gear.com/story/story.bsp?sid=72923&var=story

    I guess times of being paid off are fresh and baring fruit.
  • georgio5, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2As far as I'm concerned, torrents are winning the HD-format war.

    Until I'm able to buy an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray drive for my desktop that will play on my existing non-hdcp video card and monitor - I will continue DLing HD movies on torrent sites. I would have an HD-DVD drive right now, and be purchasing and renting HD movies if DRM didn't stop me from using my sufficiently powerful desktop.
    • phatfish, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1georgia is right. While HDDVD and Blu-Ray (read Microsoft and Sony) are busy measuring their ***** i have been watching HD (720p) movies without even going near a piece of physical media. I would really like to start a HD collection of movies, but the current situation means there is only one universal format for HD, and that is x264/mkv.
  • incredibilistic, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Did George Bush have anything to do with this decision? I only ask because it's yet another tactic used to spread out a war that shouldn't have been declared in the first place. Although it could be said that Blu-Ray hung the "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" sign a bit too soon but that's beside the point. If HD-DVD fans think that this is the final nail in the coffin don't not forget that Blockbuster, Target, and BJ's Wholesale club have either gone exclusively with Blu-Ray or have committed some sort of loyalty to the format over HD-DVD. And don't forget that Blu-Ray is exclusive to Disney, Apple, and 20th Century Fox. If nothing else this will cause other studios to start thinking about who they want to support. This is only the beginning of what is sure to be a big mess and lots of money being thrown around to keep studios on their side of the fence. This does nothing but confuse the consumer and throw the industry into an unnecessary uproar. Shame on you Paramount. As for the exclusive contract not including Stevie has to say that this contract is most likely short lived. Either that or Steven will break away from Paramount and take his greatness elsewhere in the future.
  • harrypl0tter, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/MGM/Fox/Industry_Forecasts/Disc_Announcements/Fox_Set_to_Renew_Blu-ray_Commitment,_Announce_Future_Release_Plans/875
  • psloup, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1It was smart on paramounts part because neither of the current formats push that many units relative to dvd(any blockbusters sell more per movie on DVD than the entire HD market). Also when the format war is finally decided all studios will move to it regardless of previous affiliations, the real benefit of picking a side early is if you are right you dont have to change your production facilities. now viacom gets 150mil plus HD-DVD sales to spend now by choosing HD-DVD which is more than they will lose by not offering in both formats in the next 2 years (if you figure they drop 30 new movies at 30$ a piece and each one sells 200k units a piece if it was on blu-ray that comes out to 180mil) i mean coming up with 30 mil in the next 2 years is not a whole lot of pressure for paramount to push units in an emerging market while they wait for one side to win. any money they make over the 30 mil they can use to develop blu-ray(if it wins) production facilities, and this is all assuming each one of their title would push that many units on blu-ray which i believe only a few blu-ray titles have done so.
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