Re: BREAKING NEWS: Warner Goes Blu-ray only

Sad day for opponents of DRM and businesses telling US how we use our purchased products.

Indeed a sad day for HD DVD, but even so Blu-Ray supporters should be objective and keep in mind that it's you as consumers that will suffer and lose out. If HD DVD really does losses the high def market then Blu-Ray has no incentive to seriously cut prices for their BD players and movies, even adoping a more consumer friendly policy by dropping their DRM such as BD+ and Regional Coding, even to finalise the specs properly that none of their current BD players has.

It's sad that you as consumers failed to recognize that HD DVD offered you a much more consumer friendly scenario than Blu-Ray right from the start, with full specs players even with top grade upscaling SD DVD capabilities at much more accesible prices, movies with no Regional Coding even HD DVD/SD DVD combos, all of this was done to let you know that they were looking out to favour consumers more than movie studio's interests.

If people are irritated with the timing of Warner's announcement, then it's about time you should realize that movie studios have very little concern for your customer's interest (yes, they should had announced this before Christmas) don't allow this to blind you from the fact that Blu-Ray is not consumer-friendly, that has used you as beta testers with unfinished products that eventually will be useless, that it's intent is to cripple your freedom to use and view movies as you wish to, and has only movie studios interests in mind.

DVD sales are down not because people were waiting for a resolution in the HD media war, but rather the lack of appealing titles worth purchasing. In previous years DVD sales were much higher because of the release of blockbuster classic 80s and 90s titles, but know that pretty much everybody owns those movies they wished for on DVD, there are less options to choose from, since only a few of the new releases are worth buying.

When you add to this the overpricing of DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles, most consumers have avoided double dipping for a ultimate extreme collectors special re-release of a movie they already own, even if that movie is now availible on HD DVD or Blu-Ray... simple as that.

Currently a HD DVD / Blu-Ray edition is priced almost twice than a DVD special edition... we should make it clear that we are all tired of paying DRM overpriced DVD movies, and in order to keep buying from them, we need a significant reduction in price, specially if they want us to support HD DVD and Blu-Ray in the following years.

Nobody is disputing that HD DVD / Blu-Ray offers an improvement in audiovisual quality compared to DVD, but keep in mind that such improvement isn't enough to justify buying the same movies again at even higher prices than we did (and still do) for them in DVD format, specially when you can achieve similar results (not equal) viewing current DVD titles throw upscaling DVD players.

I believe that the best option is if indeed the winner of the HD format war is Blu-Ray, it should work simultaneously with DVD for the next 10+ years, rather than trying to debunk DVD as the dominant vehicle for consumer video. Because billions around the world have at least one DVD player at home, with their own DVD movies and TV series collection, which could go from hundreds to thousands of titles, which you can back them up/transfer them to mobile players if you wish, much quicker and easier than HD DVD / Blu-Ray movies.

The fact is that more than 95% of consumers don't feel the rush to replace their DVD titles to even more overpriced HD DVD / Blu-Ray titles, nor spending thousands of $$$'s to upgrade all their equipment, merely because of an audiovisual improvement, there should be more than that, specially when the movie studios expect us to pay full price again for a movie we already own.

Reducing current retail prices by half and allow consumers to choose either a special DVD edition at $10-15 SRP or an HD DVD / Blu-Ray edition at $20-25 SRP, will appeal consumers to buy more movies than they currently do (even double dipping already own titles) and undeniably stores could offer discount prices to promote higher sales... otherwise it's you as consumers that will suffer and lose out.

Well this sucks...I bought an A1 for $400 when they were first released, along with about 25 HD DVD's over the last two years. I knew the gamble going into the hi def game though and I can accept defeat. At least I still have a wicked upconverting DVD player...
My big question right now is if I should run into my local Best Buy/Future Shop to get one of the cheap after Christmas sale Blu Ray players before the price jumps 200% in the next four months.

The bad:

I bought "The Matrix Ultimate" (again)
My HD DVD A2 player cost $294

The good:

I bought a PS3 with free stuff added for Black Friday
I got to see the jaws drop when Paramount claimed HD DVD exclusivity
I didn't buy "Star Trek"
All the HD DVDs I did buy were mostly $9.99 (cost of a movie out)
I no longer "buy" movies on either format

The uncertain:

DTS HD logo isn't on my PS3 - so does this mean I don't get it?
All the 7.1 PCMs (even though I could get two more speakers on my Denon 987, I don't want to) do these combine the 2 extra channels into the 5.1 that I do get or am I missing two channels?

Closing statements:

After I got Blu-ray, I did find that the menus were more "responsive" and instantaneous sort of. HD DVD menus have that little delay. I love HD DVD because Dolby True HD is in every machine, even mine, and it sounds phenominal!

The only thing I'm bummed about is having so much equipment. Both of these competing format groups knew what they were doing. I think it's been a cooperative dance all along. But buying discs is bad for the environment anyway, so I'll stick with rentals. If they go up I'll do the same as I did before and go without...I'm kind of "over the awe" by now anyway...their just movies.

Congratulations Blu-ray...you can thank Mickey Mouse for your victory.

Despite their wishful thinking, I too feel this is the end for HD DVD. Too bad...well, except for the slowly reacting menus - my guess is that they're like HTML which needs to be interpreted on the fly. Meh. Like it matters.

Blu-ray is the new way...now.

We are too unfair blaming WB, sony and who else for this descision...and we are forgeting the true resposible for HD-DVD fall...you know who: M$!!!!!!!!!!! M$ is the great responsable for this black day to HD-DVD customers, thanks to these mfkrs` idea to not release the X360 with HD-DVD. the sony´s strategy to sell BR with the PS3 was the best move afeter all, and in the end thanks to WB and M$ the PS3 will reign supremem and kill the xbox360 after all, I was planning to buy a x360 console with HD-DVD player when ninga gaiden 2 were to be released, but after the the WB fatal blow to HD-DVD, but I will change plans for a PS3. If M$ would have released the xbox360 with HD-DVD instead of DVD, things woul be very much diferent today, with metal gear solid Br and Warner, the ps3´s victory is at hand!!! THANKS TO m$.