Warner: No BD-Live Blu-ray titles this year

Wow thats just messed up. Warner really bragged about HDI on HD-DVD. I wonder if they believe that HDI is superior or do they only think that profile 1.1 features are necessary. I still stand by my belief that HDI is superior and that the BDA should have chose that software. Warner helped co create HDI, am I right?

This is actually probably a good thing for the format. With all of the different spec. players out there and all. Two years in and BR still hasn't gotten it's "stuff" together. There still isnt a perfect player on the market that will do everything. Home Theater mag. just recently pointed this out as well. Anybody with a brain knows that HD DVD came out of the gate with a FAR superior product.

OR...maybe they just don't care anymore? A recent Harris poll suggested that only 9% of those surveyed, (that didn't already own one or the other format)were even interested in BR. Infact, the real "Format War" has only just begun. I got my chips on DVD.

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jul 10, 2008]

I have one word for you guys...PS3. Problem solved.

I'm guessing Warners decision is because they either think Web enabled content is not big enough at the moment to warrant the added costs or they just want to re-release the movies again later on with web content so people may end up getting the movie twice.

Actually I just thought of something. Warner may be waiting to see how far they can go with web enabled content therefore they don't want to put anything on the discs for now because it's still in it's infancy?

Just thinking out loud.

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I have one word for you guys...PS3. Problem solved.

No. not really falcon. It has its share of problems too. It will not transmit the advanced audio codecs in their native bitstream. It lacks multichannel analog outputs, for those people (like myself) that have older equipment,(and likes such equipment). And the SD upconversion is "OK" at best.

BUT..it is the "safest" player to buy at this time because it also plays games and does all kinds of other stuff too.

[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Jul 10, 2008]

Thank you for bringing up the Harris Poll Blade. You're right, I was one of the canvassers for that poll and I can tell you that at the time the polling happened that hardly anyone knew of Blu-Ray or HD DVD. F'd up. I think the HD DVD shouldn't have stopped production so soon, but with all the force pressure from dealers, and support companies including Studios, forced a decision to happen. Quite sad but that's what happens in business. Looking back Warner is probably watching their home market deminish this year. They have already done some studio consolidation, and it would not surprise me to see other big changes from the Studio.

Did Warner ever release any HD DVDs with Internet features? Perhaps they realize that at this time, less people have their living rooms wired with broadband than those that own HDTVs. I seriously doubt it's an "HDi" versus BD-Java issue.

Skyhawk, remember that whole Harry Potter 5 HD DVD with the web classroom thing you loved so much?

Warner released a few HD DVD's with web content. I believe Universal was getting into it also.

What? You guys sound like you don't want all that valuable Web content: The ringtones, the wallpaper, the ability to watch a movie with friends anywhere in the country and stop it and chat or whatever.

I never connected either of my Toshiba players to the Web and never regretted it.

John

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Skyhawk, remember that whole Harry Potter 5 HD DVD with the web classroom thing you loved so much?

To be honest Falcon, the only HD DVD "live" content I saw was Transformers. I didn't revisit it. Then I tried the Sony basic generic Internet menu (once). I've never bothered with Internet content since.

The fact is that a very small percentage of HDTV owners likely have their entire house network wired (well especially their living room, or wherever their HDTV is located). And an even smaller percentage of them will find the Internet features compelling enough to be used.

I consider myself rather "up" on technology, and I'm an early adopter and love toys. I have a dedicated HT room, 130" 1080p projector, with Internet. But if I don't find this feature compelling enough to use on either format, who does?

BTW, I don't even do the PiP stuff. Like who in their right mind is going to re-watch the movie with a darn pop-up window over it? If I like a movie enough, I'll watch a few special features after - not in a little window while rewatching, and feature specials in HD quality is good! Perhaps it's another feature that will appeal to the J6P more instead... don't know.

Personally, I just wish Warner took more care with their transfers and offered everything with lossless sound. But I really suspect they're decision is based on "cost-benefit" rather than HDi versus BD-J (other companies can do it for them after all), but rather from their earlier experience with similar features on HD DVD that were largely unutilized.