Sony CEO downplay importance of Blu-ray winning the HD format war

$ony were worried about this before this war started which is why they had the meeting with toshiba...but in there arrogance they just assumed that they would win and tosh would back down, NOW they are worried because its not going according to there plans.....

I'll tell you what, I'm sticking with Jack Daniels! Jim Beam will die any day now! Yeah, all you Jim Beam supporters, your days are numbered . . . and your little Johnny Walker friend, too!

...how about some Black Strap Molasses, yummy!

-Love Hendrix! (The Loverboy)

I'll go with the format that mandated Dolby TrueHD from the very beginning...end of story...say no more...how could anyone not?

::Sigh:: It really does get old, doesn't it?

remminds me of George W. Bush saying mission is akomplished. But now he says mission must go on till done.

Tisk, tisk, tisk!

Sony is the new comical Ali...



[Post edited by Falcon01 on Nov 12, 2007]

I think this whole format thing is out of hand anyway. If the point was to provide consumers with the best possible viewing experience they would have reconciled the two formats at the beginning and everyone would be happy. Instead corporate greed and ego took over, so this war will still go on for a long time. I went ahead and opted for the blu-ray player and think I'll get a lot of use from it before the war is finally over.

[Post edited by patc on Nov 12, 2007]

patc,

Unless the business is purely a hobby, the whole point of any business is to make money. Often, businesses find they can make more money if they have a good product, but not always. Sony and Toshiba each has a good product, but each thought they could make more money individually than together. (There were obviously other complications involving demands from various supporting studios and companies to consider, too, but it all comes down to money.)

John

Exactly! Why can't people understand it? It's a business, a business makes money. Period..

Thanks John.
I really don't see how either company is making money right now, but I understand what you're saying.

patc

Well, from what I hear from people in the industry, none of the studios are actually making much or any money on the two HD formats. They aren't selling enough discs yet to make up for production costs for much profit. Sony's got a load of players out there, but most of them are PS3s and their owners aren't buying a lot of discs. And Toshiba doesn't have enough players out there yet at all. Both companies hope in 2008 to change this situation of players in the home.

John

of course its all about money, but i am willing to bet that if the companies came up with an agreement at the beginning, they would be making a ton more money. i know a lot of people who refuse to buy one or the other, not just because the one they buy might lose, but because their favorite movies may not come out to the one they purchase.

To be honest, i get less upset with toshiba and sony for going to war with each other, as i do with the movie studios. the ceo's always come out saying they believe they made the right choice in the format war. how about it shouldnt be up to you? it should be up to the customer. if it werent for the pay outs they get from sony or toshiba they would be losing a ton of money by not producing their product to ALL consumers that want their product.

As an HD owner i would love to buy some disney flicks for hd. as I am sure sony backers would love to get their hands on transformers or what not. for the movie studios to go exclusive it really says "screw the customer, buy what we tell you to buy." i know its all about money, but there was a time when companies, at the very least, pretended to care about customers.

"i am willing to bet that if the companies came up with an agreement at the beginning, they would be making a ton more money...." --wolfatthedoor

Well, that is the joke, isn't it. The two sides brag about how many Blu-ray or HD DVD discs they've sold when if they had combined forces, they would have sold two or three times as many. What's more, when an exclusive studio brags about the sales of a "Transformers" or a "Spider-Man 3," think about how much more money they would have made selling it in both formats. So, it's really two jokes in one: Sony and Toshiba didn't combine forces in the first places, and only a couple of studios are releasing in both formats. Everybody loses a little something unless you're willing to pony up the dough for separate players (or a dual player) for the two formats.

John

[Post edited by John J. Puccio on Nov 12, 2007]

BTW, the full transcript of Stringer's interview can be read here:

http://thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

The media being media and having fun as always.

Thanks for the transcript. It seems the comments about a stalemate were extremely benign. I'm new to all of this format war stuff but I can't believe the emotion on both sides-some of the forums are outrageous...
I just couldn't wait out the end of the war though. For me, it's more about the movies and I wanted to take advantage of the latest technology. But I'm not buying a lot of new discs if I already have the dvd. I'm waiting until they redo some of the Disney classics...

It's just another piece of information to consider ... people take quotes or stats as conclusive evidence and it simply is not the case.

It merely shows a hint or trend of things to come.

I've posted lots of stats showing Blu-ray is winning in terms of media sold, and I believe they are. Does that mean they will win ... I think so ... but I can't guarantee it. No one can. So as long as people understand that this is all speculation then it can be fun and light.

Just sit back and relax and enjoy your format of choice until this thing gets resolved in the marketplace.

bubble bath girl i think im fallign for your new personality.