Universal responds to reports of going neutral
Wow, that didn't take very long; Craig Kornblau, the President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment tells us in an email that the rumors that Universal will support Blu-ray "are totally false". As much as we love to get the official word straight from the horses mouth, we can't help but feel like this is like the time the head coach was denying rumors of his star quarterback getting traded, right before the trade goes through.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TheGuy @ May 9th 2007 9:03PM
I guess this means Toshiba offered more money to Universal after this news circulated lol. Anyways, it's only a matter of time. Blu-Ray will prevail and HD-DVD will fall. BUAHAHAHAHA!!!
James @ May 9th 2007 9:05PM
No surprise. Silly rumour started by the BD camp. Shame.
Andre @ May 9th 2007 9:35PM
Ben Drawbaugh you just another BDA FUD boy n nothing more...
TJ @ May 9th 2007 9:40PM
Meh. You'll see Universal on Blu-ray Disc by next year. It has way too much momentum now.
Phoenixxx1974 @ May 9th 2007 9:48PM
the blu-ray people are just mad because Universal is doing transformers and blu-ray people can't have it haha. SWEET TRANSFORMER GOODNESS ON HD-DVD :-D
nany nany boo boo :-p
J lo @ May 10th 2007 2:14AM
actually... I think you'll find that although some filming was done with Universal - the production company and primary distributor is actually DreamWorks / Paramount, which has been consistently releasing on blu ray.
TRANSFORMERS on Blu Ray... woohoo!!!!
hmurchison @ May 9th 2007 9:48PM
Dream on Ben. You accurately covering HD DVD happenings is like a Vegan reviewing a Steakhouse.
Kevin Murphy @ May 9th 2007 9:50PM
Silly rumor, yes. Reporter seeing how far libel laws extend, also yes. This kind of "reporting" doesn't do anything for Engadget's credibility. Such as it is.
Kevin Murphy @ May 9th 2007 9:52PM
By the way, where's the email? It was probably too pointed to print.
Phoenixxx1974 @ May 9th 2007 9:53PM
may i ask how it has momentum? the ratio of blu-ray discs is less then 1 per player and like approx 4-5 per player for HD-DVD.
HD-DVD is right on their heels for sales too which sounds really bad seeing how there are like 10x more blu-ray drives (including ps3's, stand-alone units, and pc drives) then HD-DVD drives. Blu-ray should be destroying HD-DVD drives with the amount of players it has and a supposedly bigger library of movies (although alot of crappy movies i personally prefer the selection of HD-DVD titles).
Baccusboy @ May 9th 2007 10:35PM
Considering that 5 free HD-DVDs were given out with Toshiba HD-DVD players, the numbers are not that impressive.
By the way, before you start claiming that PS3s came with coupons, I'll let you know that mine didn't. Same with most on the bluray forum.
Kevin Murphy @ May 9th 2007 10:28PM
>>may i ask how it has momentum? the ratio of blu-ray discs is less then 1 per player and like approx 4-5 per player for HD-DVD.
Now there's a marketing slogan: "HD DVD: for people who watch movies."
The BD numbers are more like 1 disk sold for every 3 players. Much less than one per player.
DEEZNUTZ @ May 9th 2007 10:20PM
WOW you fanbots sound like a bunch of ghey schoolgirls... UNIVERSAL going BD would end this stupid format war and allow us who want HD movies on ONE format to begin supporting it.
If you HD-DVD fanbots could get DISNEY and SONY pictures to go HD-DVD you can also end this format war as well. Good luck with that.
Universal going BD is arguably the final blow to the HDDVD camp so I hope for the sake of one format that it happens. Spare us the fanbitchy replies.
Kevin Murphy @ May 9th 2007 10:29PM
DEENUTZ--
How about we just get Fox?
Terry @ May 9th 2007 11:14PM
@ Baccusboy -- the free titles are not counted btw.
Sy @ May 9th 2007 10:36PM
"he blu-ray people are just mad because Universal is doing transformers and blu-ray people can't have it haha. SWEET TRANSFORMER GOODNESS ON HD-DVD :-D
nany nany boo boo :-p"
Ummm Transformers is from Paramount. In case you didn't know, Paramount is neutral.
Scott @ May 9th 2007 10:47PM
Such a speedy response from Universal! The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
DopeBoy @ May 9th 2007 10:52PM
Whats up with you HD fanboys and Transformers. Who gives rats ___ about Transformers! You all keep saying the war is close and HD DVD is right behind Blu-ray but if memory serve me correctly, Toshiba's HD DVD came out almost a year before Blu-Ray! So, there shouldn't be any catching up, nor being close! Toshiba should be ahead plus more! AND,like Sony, Universal had declared HD DVD winner of the format war back in Nov/Dec of 06! In all honesty for BDA to comeback after a late release of a year and keep that lead, its pretty obvious that a winner is going to emerge. I think Universal know these and Im optimistic about this so called response from Universal!
Phoenixxx1974 @ May 9th 2007 11:37PM
what are you talkign about? like i said blu-ray has like 10 times the amount of players and bigger library of movies if hd-dvd was ahead this whole time blu-ray would be dead. THE ONLY THING that is keeping blu-ray alive is the PS3. Toshiba even said that sales have proven the HD-DVD stand-alone player sells more then the blu-ray player. It doesn't matter how early it came out when the competition has 10 TIMES the amount of players. Plus look at the numbers especially planet earth which i think is hilarious, it sold more on HD-DVD then blu-ray DESPITE THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS for blu-ray. That series costed 3 times more then casino royale and still beat it plus it came out on the both format on the same day. That is when you can tell which player sells more movies. Plus LOOK AT THE RATIO of movies to palyers it's like 1 for every 3 blu-ray players and like 4-5 movies per player on hd-dvd (i was being nice when i said less then one because it's like 0.3 movies per player as stated by kevin murphy as well). Studios look at that and say why should i release lots of movies on blu-ray if people only buy 1 for every 3 players when i can do both or just hd-dvd where the ratio is much higher and make more money?
thanks Terry i was just about to say that too it's funny how blu-ray people stil try to throw that in their face when they do the same thing but don't mention that part.
Who ever sells their player below $300 first will most lilely win. Plus wal-mart already sells the HD-DVD for $350 and gblu-ray for twice the price. THe price will continue to drop and at this pace HD-DVD will be the first so i am not too worired about that chinese rumor thing since they are already selling it for cheap and will get cheaper.
PS3BLU-RAY @ May 9th 2007 11:56PM
LOL,talking about Blu-Ray,wasnt not too long ago Microsoft was bashing Blu-Ray and predicting HD-DVD will win the format war over Blu-ray and the PS3,now Microsoft want's too copy the PS3 and have add add on Blu-Ray player for their 360...And the Elite aint worth it,seems Microsoft is throwing in the towel again,too many bad choices their making...
PS3BLU-RAY @ May 10th 2007 12:00AM
Opps made a mistake with 2 add add below..
LOL,talking about Blu-Ray,wasnt not too long ago Microsoft was bashing Blu-Ray and predicting HD-DVD will win the format war over Blu-ray and the PS3,now Microsoft want's too copy the PS3 and have a add on Blu-Ray player for their 360...And the Elite aint worth it,seems Microsoft is throwing in the towel again,too many bad choices their making...
Mike @ May 10th 2007 12:17AM
hd-dvd might sell more movies per player but you have to remember you have to buy hd-dvd strictly to watch movies the blu-ray numbers include ps3 which a lot of people didnt buy to watch movies they bought it to play games if MS included hd-dvd out of the box hd-dvd numbers would be much lower than blu-ray.
WASD John @ May 10th 2007 12:29AM
That argument can go both ways Mike, Take me for example. I had a 360 for games, and I bought the HD-DVD add on drive only so that I could watch HD-DVD movies. I have many friends who have done the same as we are all movie and video game nuts.
Asterra @ May 10th 2007 12:34AM
Momentum. Momentum. *Checks Amazon again for the heck of it.*
Yep, Planet Earth HD-DVD still way above the poor Bluray iteration - something which never altered even when the Bluray camp made its big push near the release date. Not even when the HD-DVD became out of stock. Shrug. I wonder if Ben really wants to attract the sort of infantile reader his bluntly pro-Bluray reports have been attracting, if the sweep of ... well-written posts above is anything to go by.
Alex @ May 10th 2007 12:45AM
conversations like these are why most of you were teased thru all of middle and high school.
JBDragon @ May 10th 2007 12:52AM
There are far more Stand Alone HD-DVD players then Blu-Ray Players. Blu-Ray is getting it's huge player Numbers counting the PS3 systems. Fact is, the PS3 is mainly a GAME CONSOLE. It lacks a IR Port, so no one that's into watching MOVIES, and has their good SINGLE Remote will want to deal with the PS3 and that lame Blu-Ray Remote that you would have to use with it, which it not practical for many reasons.
FOX, and others can just as easily go and release HD DVD Movies. Fact also is that most of the Blu-Ray players out now, and still being sold will not be FULLY Compatible with the JAVA garbage when it's supposedly finalized in October. That means if you want to use all the features of the Blu-Ray Movies when they get released after October, you all will have to buy a NEW Blu-Ray player to play them on. Not only that, but a Ethernet connection is still not Required in the Final Specs, so Down loadable Extras? If you cheeped out, your out of luck there also! HD DVD was ready for it's released. All the Features were/are there from DAY 1. Blu-Ray was rushed to market before things were finalized, and now most of the early Blu-Ray Adopters are screwed. They didn't have much choice in the matter. If they waited until it was ready, they might as well not have been released at all as HD DVD would have complete control of the market. Ya, they seem to keep Mum on this though. This is why Movies like the Matrix, and Batman Begins, ect haven't been released on Blu-Ray yet. It'll be at least October at BEST, and even then only play on Certain Blu-Ray players. Wait until the complaints are coming in when the Disc features don't work in their players and the Ugly truth hits the Mainstream marketplace.
Really, if you really, really just have to have Blu-Ray, WAIT!!! Otherwise your just another sucker with a Half feature Blu-Ray player. If you think a Software patch will just fix them all up? That's wishful thinking, but don't say you weren't warned.
Complaints later or never being released? Well Sony keeps screwing people over and over again, and they keep coming back for more, so Complaints later as they are used to it!
Mike @ May 10th 2007 1:23AM
John, I undersand and have done the same thing but last update I seen hd-dvd sales figures did NOT include xbox add on drives sold but the ps3 was included because its available out of the box. The xbox 360 add on which was over 200k last update i seen over a month ago will bring down the toshiba attach rate some. So when you consider that ps3 alone has sold over 1 million units its not hard to see why the attach rate is lower its not marketed primarily as a player. If you counted stand alone player to stand alone player only i would imagine numbers are about the same but slightly higher for blu-ray to offset the 200k~ more titles sold.
Mark Gillespie @ May 10th 2007 6:05AM
The gap is widening, Blu-Ray is moving further away from HD-DVD on a daily basis, I doubt Toshiba can fund Universal's shortfall in sales forever...
Universal WILL go Blu-Ray, it's only a matter of time...
Mark Gillespie @ May 10th 2007 6:05AM
The gap is widening, Blu-Ray is moving further away from HD-DVD on a daily basis, I doubt Toshiba can fund Universal's shortfall in sales forever...
Universal WILL go Blu-Ray, it's only a matter of time...
Asterra @ May 10th 2007 7:24AM
> The gap is widening.
Very observant. Two weeks ago, Planet Earth HD-DVD was #2 and Planet Earth Bluray was #3. Now it's more like #7 and #15, respectively. Of course, it's hard to really count the gap widening when the main cause is Bluray sales petering out, eh?
Speedy @ May 10th 2007 8:11AM
HD DVD can have Transformers. We'll get X264 version :P. And later a MUCH Better version on Blu-Ray. Better bitrate.
Biphster @ May 10th 2007 8:24AM
At the end of the day BD players are outselling HD-DVD regardless as to whether its PC/PS3/Standalone or whatever. And BD movies are outselling HD-DVD so who gives a shit about ratios and if you count player to disc adoption etc blah blah. Fact of the matter is Blu-Ray is killing HD-DVD in all areas.
Kyle @ May 10th 2007 9:48AM
I don't understand why ALL of these compaies haven't gone neutral yet. These are the same companies that re-released titles on DVD over and over again and we "upgraded" every time.
If I was a manufacturer I'd be trying to get as much revenue as possible. Release in both formats now and get the extra revenue while you can. IF one of these formats survives, then you may get double-dippers to re-buy in the surviving format. If neither survives, then you get the doublue-dippers buying the new format!
As an HD-DVD XBox owner--I see plenty of current blue-ray titles I'd instantly buy if they were available in HD-DVD. I just don't want to spend money on yet another player to be able to view them. I have my money in hand ready to give the studios if they would just release in both formats--and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Dominic @ May 10th 2007 11:01AM
here's my theory... all general movies should be Blu-Ray.. Porn should be HD-DVD... that way, if your teenage kids steal a porn, try to play it in your BD player it will reject it :)
mitchelljd @ May 10th 2007 11:24AM
this is funny, all of those people who are claiming that look at Planet Earth HD DVD sales beating Blu-Ray's. Well... for one, there was a well concerted buy plan for that format on this one title. just so people could point to it this way.
It would be great for Universal to go neutral. That would be great because 70% of the market can't be wrong. it's about the market share. to stubbornly go in contrast to it defies logic.
Kevin Murphy @ May 10th 2007 12:51PM
I wonder, if Fox DID go neutral, would Engadget even mention it? Seeming more and more like "rah rah blu-ray" from here.
gtr @ May 10th 2007 1:25PM
Salesrank of top 10 products:BLURAY
Salesrank of top 25 products:BLURAY
Salesrank of top 100 products:BLURAY
Num in top 100:BLURAY
Num in top 1000:BLURAY
Num in the top 10000:BLURAY
http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/index.cfm
Asterra,I think you need glasses to realize that BLURAY has been crushing HDDVD for 5 months,have you ever heard of the Nielsen numbers?Just last week:70% bluray 30% hddvd
You want another proof of HDDVD agony:http://www.dvdempire.com/Content/Features/hidef_wars.asp?view=1&userid=99365638602019
Tim @ May 10th 2007 1:29PM
I seem to remember that Happy Feet was leading in HD DVD sales for a while until they plummeted for HD DVD and stayed relatively high for Blu Ray. I also remember when The Departed sold more on Blu Ray everyone said big deal it is only one movie. However, I also remember Blu Ray making a big deal over the success of Casino Royale being the biggest high def movie while it has been beat out now. I see it being very possible that Blu Ray sales of Planet Earth may eventually overtake those of HD DVD sales because I'm sure that all of you have seen several times before that the HD DVD camp is much more of the fanatical must go buy the movie as soon as I have the money type while the Blu Ray camp is the more I'll eventually get the movie if I have the spare cash laying around and I just happen to remember to buy it type. However, whether Blu Ray catches up or not on Planet Earth does not seem like a death toll to me for either format because it is A)only one movie and B)a successful release for both formats no matter which one sells more in the long run.
ColorGuy @ May 10th 2007 2:49PM
HD-DVD is the movie buffs choice no question.
BluRay looks like it will win the dvd war.
The ps3 lowers the entry cost in to HD content ,such as bluray disks. Maybe most people did buy it for games, that is irrelevant. They need to spend NO more money if they at a whim decide to buy bluray. Those millions of PS3's count.
Of course the HD-DVD has a higher movie attach rate, that is the only thing it's good for.
I bet record players have a higher music attach rate per player than DVD players. The shear number of dvd players that can play cd's most likely means that more music is played on DVD players than record players.
HD-content and players are to new to the public to make it on their own, even as an add on. You need to give people a reason to own a HD player even if that reason isn't, at first, movies.
dajoeg @ May 10th 2007 3:32PM
Pretty much everything said in this forum is moot. What will truly decide the format war is when studios start releasing in a single hi-def format and not DVD. Just like when studios started selling dvds and not VHS. Everyone went out and decided they HAD to buy a dvd player. Mainstream america doesn't care about hidef, they care about cheap pretty good video and title availability.
The numbers everyone keeps referencing are a good judge of hi-tech early adopters, but a pretty poor indicator of what people will chose over time. Who cares if Blu-Ray is winning now. As long as HD-DVD can last until mainstream america walks down to walmart and buys a el cheapo Hi def DVD player then it will win, because its cheapest with roughly the same features as Blu-ray. Yes there are differences, but average joe schmoe doesn't care. And they aren't going to pony up and buy a HD-DVD player because their upconverted dvds look "just fine". Again it will only happen when people need to buy a new war. 98% of america prolly doesn't even know about this "war" going on. They are just driving down the road in their chrysler town and coutnries with a barney dvd in for the kids. Why don't you go try to explain to them why they should spend roughly twice as much per disk, and in some cases almost 10 times as much for a player, to stick on a small screen for their four year old to watch!
le booyah
hrshovinstuff @ May 10th 2007 4:35PM
BD will win because of their support. Too many big studios with big movies.
Umm.... Spiderman 3 hit 151.1 mil its opening weekend and made over 381 million world wide! Both are records and Sony Pictures did it! I see a loaded special edition BD Spiderman 3 and maybe even a trilogy pack on BD. This movie alone just might seal the deal in favor of BD. I think a box office monster like Spiderman 3 will inspire people to buy a BD player.
One poster mentioned "mainstream america" and buying the cheaper player. I disagree with that.
As HD takes it's hold more and more, the word will get out about what format the most wanted movies are on. It's ALREADY known anywhere you go that BD, even with its late start, is killing HDDVD.
What the point of buying the cheaper player when you can't watch the movies you want?
I knew this was over from the get go. As soon as I heard that the BD player was included with the PS3 and that it held WAY more information, it was lights out for M$ and their silly hd-dvd.
Penguin Warlord @ May 10th 2007 9:49PM
@hrshovinstuff
Spiderman got huge box office numbers but if you saw the movie you would know that anyone with an ounce of sofisitication will not buy the DVD release. did you see how crappy it was? Definately worst one yet.
I know it will sell but I just can't figure out why? possibly the American South?
h0mi @ May 10th 2007 6:40PM
Surprise, another rumor endlessly repeated on the internets is denied again and again.
Until Universal *ships* movies on Bluray (Where are those Fox bluray titles again?) this rumor should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
James @ May 10th 2007 7:37PM
I have 100 HD DVD movies. Boy, am I having a hard time finding movies I like on HD DVD.
Tim @ May 10th 2007 10:02PM
It will sell because people are always compelled to buy every movie in a series, even the ones that weren't good. Especially if this isn't the end of the series and people will need the third one just so they don't forget any parts of the plot for the fourth one. Also, the people who are able to ignore the corny acting and the fact that the movie seemed to parody the entire series and just go to see a movie to be entertained (which I can do only for a movie that is purely a comedy, not ones like this which are supposed to be an action/drama with some comedy mixed in) actually liked the movie. Oh, and people buying movies for kids. They'll buy it, too. Kids see Spiderman and don't care how bad the movie actually was.
n.p. @ May 10th 2007 11:37PM
spiderman 3 may have sucked but a lot of people liked it. those numbers also contain repeat customers cos some people are like that. that disc will sell by the bucketfulls.
Josh s @ May 11th 2007 9:20AM
Hey everyone! why the heck would universal switch sides??? do you realize the money they would lose doing that? right now, they are the ONLY reason to have hd-dvd!! plain and simple, paramount and warner are neutural. but all others go to blu ray, I think that universal will stay and ride it out, untill the very end, wich is closer than we think. the "combo" players will have little effect as they will cost $1,200.00 to $2,000.00 and people just dont care about hd that much! (to have to spend that much cash)
PhaidOut @ May 11th 2007 10:05AM
This whole debate is lame. I honestly don't care which one wins and can't give you a good answer on which one should should from a technical aspect. They are both rather good formats caught in yet another schoolyard fight. Sony hasn't learned anything about proprietary formats since BetaMax got destroyed by VHS. Who uses Memory Sticks anyhow? How about DAT? The whole reason I don't by Sony products anymore is they always have lame proprietary features that lessen their products instead of supporting what is mainstream. I used to buy only Sony. It seems that Sony pretty much always comes out on the losing end in these format battles. Can anyone name one important one they have "won" in the past 30 years? One Sony developed technology everyone has? Why is that? Maybe they are too greedy in their licensing or maybe too controlling of their IP or something else altogether. If I correct in my understanding of the two technologies it makes me think making a single device to Read or Read/Write both won't be cost effective anytime soon. That means sooner or later someone will win - unlike the recent battle of DVD+ v DVD-. Considering the 100% track record of Sony and throw in Sony's ban on porn (which by the way decided the last format battle) and I think you can kiss blu-ray as a viable format buh-bye sooner or later.
pulaman @ May 11th 2007 6:45PM
Compact Disc Digital Audio system was released in June 1980 by Philips and Sony.
milrtime83 @ May 11th 2007 2:52PM
You can quote percentages and who's selling more all you want but it's really irrelevant when you look at blue ray and hd dvd together are still such a small part of the market as a whole.