Post-Gazette.com: Fox and Warner took money to stay Blu
" Post-Gazette.com: Fox and Warner took money to stay Blu.
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First, I want to start out by saying that these kind of stories always surface when companies change their focus to favor one technology over another.
No doubt one should walk carefully when these stories surface and not hold them as true, no matter what. So when I find this one interesting it has something to do with what we have heard ourselves through sources inside the companies involved. (No, I will not tell more!) The stories seem to match. Almost too well, one could say.
In the article it is lined out that Warner wanted to go HD DVD only if they could get Fox to do the same. It says, "Obviously, they had decided to change -- they just didn't know the direction. Given their long partnership, Warner gave Toshiba an opportunity to lure a Blu-ray studio to HD DVD, in which case they would go HD DVD exclusive and give HD DVD a clear studio advantage. A deal was nearly secured with Fox, which had been having trouble with Blu-ray disc production due to the lack of manufacturing infrastructure. At the 11th hour, Fox went to Sony with its concerns and received a reported $120 million payout to stay with Blu-ray."
You can read the full article here. Wall Street Journal also had a similar story right after the Warner announcement.
Lastly, I want to make it clear that Warner has denied the payment rumors. So again, please take all this with a grant of salt. If we will ever learn the truth about this or Paramount going HD DVD only is unknown. One thing is sure: one should write a book and sell the movie rights. Perhaps it will be released in Ultra High Definition or as a movie download rental...
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JServo
November 2007
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It still may anyway.
This news has only mobilized both camps of supporters and now HD-DVD players are flying at people all over. Clearances or not, people are gonna want disks for those players and while people like WB may consider us too small to care about, they have to be thinking about those folks buying them now AFTER the fact. That's pretty much saying "yeah, we don't care who YOU support, we support the cheaper alternative" Don't be shocked if another defection comes within a few months. If HD-DVD can hold the same market share or continue to grow as it is, then the game is far from over.
And one other thing...all this money BRDA is tossing about...you think they don't plan to get that back somehow? This is why I think your disks are going to go up in price regardless of what the market will tolerate. They need to get that money back and it's going to be passed to us to do it.
JJ79
January 2006
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Jason
hoodaguy
October 2007
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View profile »Everyone keep buying HD DVDs and players, so that way Sony's bribery will turn around to bite them in the ass. Wouldn't it be hilarious that they paid $500-$600 million for nothing?
Tim Raynor
March 2002
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hoodaguy
October 2007
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June 2005
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October 2007
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View profile »You guys are funny. If this was the other way around, you'd be posting the same article.
JJ79
January 2006
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Not without attribution for the information.
Jason
tony1569
November 2007
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Quote:And one other thing...all this money BRDA is tossing about...you think they don't plan to get that back somehow? This is why I think your disks are going to go up in price regardless of what the market will tolerate. They need to get that money back and it's going to be passed to us to do it.
If Blu ray..no, let me rephrase that, when Blu ray wins they will not raise prices beyond what you pay for them now. It would make the Warner deal all for nothing. Everyone is concerned about disc price now to do so would only hurt the BDA and hurt the HD disc market. And besides studios set the prices of their titles not the BDA. You are right about one thing the BDA will get their money some how. If Blu ray wins they'll have at least ten years of being the only HD disc format. You have to look at it as a long term investment. Invest 1 or 2 billion now to recieve billions over the years.
SONY bought time, time that they didn't have when HDDVD was ready to hit the market first. They said if our stand alones aren't ready then the PS3 will be. Someone at SONY must have a crystal ball. If Toshiba and Microsoft would've known this was going to happen then every 360 would've had an HDDVD player inside. TOSHIBA under estimated the PS3 thinking the XBOX would killed it and no one would want a one, it all most worked. SONY played a good chess game with TOSHIBA and now it's checkmate.
mvckalel
October 2007
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