Universal releases over 100 HD DVDs to date
Filed under: Industry, HD DVD, Universal-HD
Relevant Posts
- The Dark Knight shatters sales record, moves 600,000 Blu-ray Discs on day one (28 days ago - 32 Comments)
- Hey Hollywood, how about some Blu-ray Disc price cuts? (38 days ago - 34 Comments)
- Denon's DVD-A1UD: world's first universal (SACD / DVD-A) Blu-ray player (36 days ago - 25 Comments)
- Denon prices DVD-A1UDCI universal Blu-ray player for US market: $3,800 (34 days ago - 12 Comments)
- No new HDTV size record to be shattered at CES 2009 (31 days ago - 4 Comments)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Me @ Aug 3rd 2007 5:10AM
Goddam dont do that to me, i got excited and thought they were releasing 100 HD-DVDs, i was hoping for Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, etc..
>:(
Ryan @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:02AM
The titles you just mentioned would be awesome on HDDVD. If they released those I would buy a standalone or the xbox addition.
Scott Gaertner @ Aug 3rd 2007 8:35AM
Ya, srsly. If they were to drop 100 exclusive titles in one day, they might just win the war. Unfortunately, they seem to be satisfied just keeping up.
Sony certainly seems to want it more. A lot more. Newer (cheaper) titles, retail profit sharing, paid exclusivity, national advertising...
Something tells me the Toshiba execs haven't had a chance for the ink to dry on their MBAs yet.
Liqwid @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:16AM
Paramount owns the Indiana Jones series, so it will be both HD and Blu.
Liqwid @ Aug 3rd 2007 9:54AM
OMG! UNIVERSAL PUT OUT 104 HD DVDs! THEY'RE SO FREAKIN' DESPERATE!
BLU-RAY'S GONNA WIN, YOU KNOW!?!?!??!!!!11111Oenmeone
domerdel @ Aug 3rd 2007 10:44AM
Xyzzy: I'll keep saying it over and over. BOTH HDDVD and BD are losing money. HDd is being subsidized by M$ to keep afloat. HD-DVD is pulling out all last attempts and I admire them for it, but it's all acts of desperation... BD is sitting on top still.
Holiday season is closer than we think, and HD-DVD is about to get rocked (in a bad way)
TrentD @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:30PM
Do you actually have any proof that Toshiba and software makers are being subsidized by Microsoft, or is that just your way of excusing Sony, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, etc. from overcharging for their less capable players?
Xyzzy @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:26AM
"I'll keep saying it over and over. BOTH HDDVD and BD are losing money"
I'm not so sure -- a year ago when people were saying Toshiba was subsidizing the hardware, they came out and said that they weren't selling the units at a loss. It's also been stated that HD DVD is cheaper to produce, and since most movies are $19.99 (same or cheaper than BD) with the exception of combos, I don't think they're losing money. I doubt they're raking in the dough, but they probably are making a small profit.
It's all speculation by everyone at this point though.
Paul Fernandez @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:42AM
@ domerdel
So let me get this straight. When all salvos are exhausted from both sides, and the ratio between the two remains 60/40 or something similar, would you honestly conclude that HD DVD has been "rocked" as you say? All this talk about HD DVD supporters being desperate pales in comparison to statements like this. You almost NEVER hear us saying "Blu-ray's going to lose" or "Blu-ray is inferior" except when we're defending our position/purchase in an intelligent way.
Here's something that bears repeating: Universal is a MAJOR studio, with the power to turn people on to HD DVD with releases like "Heroes" exclusively on the format. This is one of the few shows that 1) got many people interested in TV again, and 2) was one of the few shows that consistenly kicked butt during its entire season. How are events like this NOT significant for HD DVD to keep pace with Blu-ray in the format war? Inquiring minds would like to know. And please, no immature comments, thank you. I'd like to think adults with valid opinions post here.
Mp3 @ Aug 3rd 2007 11:52AM
Sony is not the only company releasing BD exclusively - Lions Gate (Saw, etc.), Disney (Pirates of the Carrib., etc.), Fox (WTF - no movies?) and Sony make Blu-ray movies only.
The sad fact is that Microsoft is paying Universal to not release BD movies, and paying Toshiba to take a loss on hardware, in order to keep the format war going. Microsoft would prefer you buy neither format, so they can perfect their online distribution of HD movies before a disc based format takes over.
Mike @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:01PM
The sad fact is Sony is paying Target to stock their product and display it at the end of the isle to help sell a slow moving product.
Mp3 @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:00PM
Unfortunately you are correct - content (and of course PS3) will be the deciding factor.
The sad thiing for me is that Universal has no vested interest in HD-DVD. Neither does Microsoft. It is Toshiba that owns the patents and stands to make $ if HD-DVD becomes the standard. As such, shouldn't Universal make discs for the format with more players out there? Or both formats at least?
Obviously there are market forces being ignored or manipulated to the detriment of us consumers.
Serengeti @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:37PM
Yeah I know. As if Toshiba doesn't own enough of the industry, eh?? Pro cameras, pro formats, pro decks, consumer cameras, consumer formats, consumer decks. It's as if they won't stop til they have a monop.... oh wait a minute, that's Sony I'm talking about.
The DVD forum voted to make the format that Toshiba and NEC designed the successor to DVD. It's an open standard that won't be controlled into the ground, and its from a company that currently doesn't have a pretty large track record of f*cking its customers left and right (Consumers: read about rootkit, professionals read about BetaSX).
Sorry, your argument is far stronger against Sony and BluRay than it is Toshiba and HDDVD.
will @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:02PM
look am going to give my honest opinion about the format war from my view there's no way and i mean no way hd dvd will be beat by blu ray why becuase if u go to your local bb or cc hd dvd players are sold out at their prices blu ray players along with the ps3s are not sellin like the hd dvd players its like when xbox first launched after the ps2 every body was doing the same thing ohh ps2 is crushing the xbox but hey ms kept it going thats what this war reminds me of we have to understand both of these formats are amazing i love em both and from the way its lookin both are lookin to co- exist
Brooks @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:16PM
I completely agree with you here. I used to work at Best Buy and we sold twice as many HD DVD units (movies sold out faster, players sold faster...) as we did Blu-ray. However, both are amazing. I would say that we will eventually see more dual players, and cheaper stand alone players soon. HD DVD and Blu-ray will exist together.
Tom @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:15PM
"...same could be said of Sony - since they're the only company releasing exclusive BD right now (I think Weinestein has released more movies than Fox and Disney combined :) )"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lets look at the real numbers:
Weinstein: 11 titles
vs.
Buena Vista (Disney): 35 titles
Fox: 26 titles
Lionsgate: 26 titles
sources:
http://www.hddvdstats.com/index.php
http://www.blu-raystats.com/index.php
Each one of those studios has more than double Weinstein just by themselve, let alone when you combine them.
Your spin and bias towards HDDVD is just as bad as you claim this site's to be towards Blu-ray.
will @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:26PM
youre right brooks but am not going to sit on here and bash the other because they have blu ray thats not cool if u have blu ray let me know how cool it is not how its kickn another formats ass if u hd dvd let me know how much u like it not ohh its killing blu ray. we should be networking not bashing i dont work for sony nor toshiba lets be real
Bill @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:35PM
"The sad fact is that Microsoft is paying Universal to not release BD movies, and paying Toshiba to take a loss on hardware, in order to keep the format war going. Microsoft would prefer you buy neither format, so they can perfect their online distribution of HD movies before a disc based format takes over."
And your evidence to support your theory would be what?
will @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:44PM
what theory? i gave my opinion
TrentD @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:34PM
If this is opinion, you should state it as opinion. You stated it as fact.
JeffDM @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:58PM
Yeah, where's the proof that MS is subsidizing the HD-DVD format?
Personally, I'm skeptical that Toshiba isn't losing money on every player. The HD-DVD format requires more at the moment, the internet connectivity for downloaded media, a bit of persistent storage, extra decoding power to decode two simultaneous HD streams and the fairly complex interactivity features, all of which BluRay players aren't required to have. The optical mechanism may be slightly cheaper, but I don't think that makes up for the expenses of complying with the higher requirements.
Mike @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:58PM
OMG...this is the same post as a few days ago..cept this time we have a link to a HD DVD stats page.
"If this studio would go blue ray"
I still say if Fox would go HD DVD the war would be over.
JeffDM @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:06PM
will, your "opinion" was written as if it was a fact. I don't know how you can have an opinion on something like that. Either MS is subsidizing HD-DVD or not.
Xyzzy @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:37PM
@Jeff: "Personally, I'm skeptical that Toshiba isn't losing money on every player. The HD-DVD format requires more at the moment, the internet connectivity for downloaded media, a bit of persistent storage, extra decoding power to decode two simultaneous HD streams and the fairly complex interactivity features,"
Ethernet jack costs about 10 cents (literally). Persistent storage is also direct cheap - you can buy a 4G USB thumb drive for $20-$30 nowadays, so 128M (or whatever the players have - I think it's 128M) is a VERY negligable cost. You might have a point with the ability to decode two streams -- but I don't think that raises the costs extraordinarily; PCs can decode multiple streams easily, and it's basically just a glorified PC. Interactive stuff is all software, so doesn't add any costs once it's developed.
Considering I can build a PC for a $300-$400, I believe that the players are being sold at roughly cost, maybe a little more. If you include the free movies, they might be losing money, but I don't think they're losing money on hardware.
It's been mentioned (theory) that BD players are so expensive because they can't undercut the PS3 price, and that makes sense. If Sony thinks people will buy a PS3 for Blu-Ray and then buy games later, it's in their best interest to not have a BD player that only costs $250, and that's why BD players cost so much. Again, only a theory.
will @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:50PM
spell check (have a nice day)
will @ Aug 3rd 2007 3:51PM
see thats what am talkn about am giving my opinion and u all are slowly tryn to turn this in a bashing session i wrote it and said it if u think it was a fact theory whatever take it how u wonna but keep it movin because as u can see u guys are tryn to start an argument and am not going to feed into it. have a nice dat
HB96st @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:53PM
Since getting the HD-add on for my 360 for $150.00 @best buy, I brought 5 movies.. I'm going thru the Bourne Identity/Supremacy right now, then i'll go to the movies to finish up..
HB96st @ Aug 3rd 2007 7:05PM
Sony got it in for HD DVD...
At the BB around my way (Northern Blvd, Queens NY) When you head to the TV/DVD section, they have 2 Blu-Ray kiosks with I Believe 40+ HDTV's Playing Blu-Ray, Looking real sharp..
The HDTV's look new, screens look nice. -However, the HD DVD Kiosk has a real dull -OLD looking HDTV with tape marks on the edges.. (no lie.. the TV display looks Nothing like the New-bright Blu-ray kiosk TV's)
Now, Does Best Buy sets up the displays? -Or does someone within each camp sends out people to do them?? Because from the looks of it, It seems BB (or just someone from within that store) Wants Blu-ray to succeed.
SeanC @ Aug 4th 2007 4:22AM
At the end of the day, what it really comes down to is that in North America, Blu-ray movies are outselling HD-DVD 2 to 1. You can talk about attach rates this and standalone boxes that, but for the studios all they care about is how many movies they can push. Unless HD-DVD pulls something off this holiday, Universal is going to realize that its losing money by staying in HD-DVD camp only. Theres really no other way of looking at this.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Aug 4th 2007 3:52PM
Yes, And encoding for 2 Formats costs Studios more, maybe not tons more,but if you asked the company I work at if they want to save .02% more this year on anything, they will say YES!
No Studio wants 2 formats, consumers might, but studios do not, and as long as Blu-ray stays ahead in the Disc sales the lean to go Blu-ray will be there, and every month that goes by it will only get worse.
It's 8 months and counting now and thats with 3 months of 250 or less in Price HD DVD players.
nigel @ Aug 4th 2007 10:05PM
IS THE HD WAR OVER, according to this latest updated post on Amazon it just might be!!
http://www.amazon.com/Walmart-HD-DVD/forum/Fx1YSSJPN2UWN9Q/Tx3LH3DJHB5P7SE/1/ref=cm_cd_dp_tft_tp/103-0825864-3756631?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdAnchor=B000IJV4BC&asin=B000IJV4BC&store=electronics
Malfoy Roark @ Aug 5th 2007 12:26AM
I own both formats I really want this war to drag on as long as possible so those indecisive people have to keep on waiting :)
klaus @ Aug 5th 2007 11:08AM
nigel,
No need to post old stuff that turned out not to be true read this post:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/20/the-wal-mart-299-hd-dvd-player-on-the-way/
Nuno @ Aug 6th 2007 12:27PM
*sighs*
Really, what the fuck are Universal doing... really...
Anthony @ Aug 6th 2007 3:48PM
The war is over!
Actually probably not, but I just felt like saying that. Anyway, according to this article, it seems that Fox has come over to HD DVD by releasing Futurama on HD DVD in November. Check out the link...
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/on-a-bender/futurama-back-in-november-as-a-feature+length-hd-dvd-284225.php
It will be an interesting thing to see what happens once Fox rolls out thier HD DVD lineup.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Aug 7th 2007 7:59PM
Need check the source article before spouting stuff off Anthony.(I learned that mentioning something a Best Buy employee told me, though it still might be true, I can't prove it, so I don't mention it again now.)
There is nothing said about HD DVD format or Blu-ray. Only DVD and High-Def Film are mentioned in the same sentence, this has happened before when someone mentioned Badder Santa would release on HD DVD due to a Mistype on a Site.
From the article yours summarised:
"Futurama is back, and now we know in what form. The show will return on November 27th as a full-length high-def film sold on DVD. It will be followed by three additional films, and each film will be divided into four episodes each to be aired on Comedy Central. So, that's 4 DVD movies or 16 new episodes depending on how you look at it."
nigel @ Aug 10th 2007 4:58AM
This is why, for the same reasons, Universal pictures will NEVER go blu, they hate the DRM crap that is costing them money, why anyone supports blu is beyond me, more expensive , way less features and choked by Sonys draconian DRM rules. What a tragedy Sony paid off so many movie studios, without that paid for monopoly they would not have a snow balls chance in hell.If both formats had the same opportunities and the consumer was to choose the winner, it would be good night Sony.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/business/10music.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Jon @ Aug 11th 2007 9:24PM
Can't we all just get along?
I think it is becoming more and more clear that the future of high def movies will involve 2 formats. And whats wrong with that? There is nothing better for the consumer than some good old fashioned competition. It is capatalism at its finest. In order to compete with eachother both formats are required to drive thier prices down as quickly as possible while providing better products with more features. As the player prices fall, more people will buy them, leading to more disk sales in both formats, leading to lower disk prices ( shout out to economies of scale ).
If anything, we should be thanking Sony and Toshiba for being too childish to play together. In the long run it is there wallet that is getting hit. I know personally I would have been willing to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 for a High Def movie player had their not been an ongoing format war. However, with the future of both formats uncertain I have waited until just recently to buy either type of movie player. I got the 360 hd player, 6 free movies, and a 360 universal remote for $161 (that includes tax). I feel I got my money's worth, and I have the competition between the two formats to thank.
Lastly, I think the movie studios should all go format neutral. To me it makes no sense to limit the number of disks you can sell by saying you are only going to produce disks of one side or the other. I'm no business major, but the movie studios would stand to profit more by getting thier product to as many people as possible.
This year for christmas, all I want is a brutal war between the two high def camps, leaving we the consumers with quality products at rock bottom prices (and for the movie studios to stop meddling).