Toshiba planning to undercut Blu-ray, snip MSRP of HD DVD titles
by Darren Murph 
posted Dec 11th 2007 at 7:48PM
In case you haven't had enough of the coaxing carousel, a recent writeup by David Kaplan lays out Toshiba's plan to hack a few dollars off of the MSRP of HD DVD titles, presumably in an attempt to persuade Warner to not go Blu-ray-only. Reportedly, the outfit is getting set to lower the retail price of each disc to $31.74, which is currently around $2.00 less than Blu-ray's suggested price. 'Course, it remains to be seen what difference such a minor change will actually make -- after all, when is the last time you were forced to pay retail for an HD DVD / Blu-ray disc? That being said, we certainly won't complain if Tosh wants to start up a price war.[Image courtesy of BigPictureBigSound]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
eugene @ Dec 11th 2007 8:10PM
nice, price war on both the players and the content? WIN for consumers.
Bob @ Dec 11th 2007 8:19PM
Nice that the competition is heating up. But, for me at least, it'd suck if HD-DVD wins because I haven't gone purple yet. I'm still Blu. However, if Blu wins, then I'm set. Well, as long as I own my PS3, I guess my collection is safe. I don't think Sony would drop Blu-Ray if it doesn't win the consumer HD video format. Blu-Ray is the disc format for all PS3 games. But, the movies might go up in prices, just like they've done with UMD. However, if HD-DVD loses, then people who own it may end up getting the short end of the stick because none of the companies in that camp owns a studio and tech company like Sony does. I'm not bashing HD-DVD at all. I'm just trying to look at the bright side in HD-DVD wins, that's all. But Toshiba is making it real hard trying to stay Blu.
John B @ Dec 11th 2007 8:28PM
"But, for me at least, it'd suck if HD-DVD wins because I haven't gone purple yet."
No, no, NO!! Exactly WHY would that suck? Your media and PS3 are not going to vaproize into nothingness if HD DVD just so happens to win. (I still foresee both being around for a long time because both sides have put too much money and ego into their format.) You're still going to get many years out of the hardware and the media. As long as you get value out of it even after it supposedly loses, which neither of them will, there is NOTHING to fret over.
Try talking to the thousands upon thousands of videophiles who still own laserdisc if it "sucks" that laserdisc is now obsolete. They still get value out of what they own and that's all that matters.
ARGH!!! The attitude that if one format loses then those who bought into it are somehow going to lose all of the value of what they've bought just drives me up the wall!
MI @ Dec 11th 2007 8:30PM
a) way to coax WB; 'every HDVD you sell, you get $2 less profit!'
b) A win for consumers would be a single format. Not the ongoing life support we're seeing here.
TrentD @ Dec 12th 2007 8:36AM
How is a $2 price reduction worse than the constant buy one get one free sales Blu-ray is running?
BBG @ Dec 11th 2007 8:25PM
LOL - the loser always drops their price first :)
John B @ Dec 11th 2007 8:30PM
Or in your case, "opens his mouth to make asinine statements." :P
dman @ Dec 11th 2007 8:29PM
"LOL - the loser always drops their price first :)"
Yup, that's why I have my trusty expensive Betamax instead of my cheaper VHS... Name even one example to back up your argument. Lowering prices convinces people to buy your stuff. I bought an HD DVD player, why? Because I got a Toshiba HD a30 for $240 with 10 free movies. It was a no brainer to me.
Joel_O @ Dec 11th 2007 8:32PM
A $2 price cut doesnt merit being hard to stay Blu. HD-DVD really needs to come up wit something other than a price cut of $2. And plus who pays retail price any way like the article says!
BBG @ Dec 11th 2007 8:36PM
LOL - HD DVD is so desperate and nothing they do is helping ... they had a firesale of $99 1080i paper weights and what happened? Blu-ray outsold them 70:30 during black-Friday. HA!
HD DVD simply can't win, they've lost every week this year!
BBG @ Dec 11th 2007 8:39PM
Scott Hettrick's Blog on Demise of HD-DVD
http://www.hollywoodinhidef.com/blog_detail.php?id=143
Blu Bundles, Discounts, and Prediction of HD DVD Demise
Panasonic is about to bundle Blu-ray players with plasma displays at Best Buy and Circuit City, perhaps along with a $500 discount.
Masayuki Kozuka, a general manager of Panasonic parent Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., told Dow Jones that the company will bundle and may offer discounts on Blu-ray players beginning next week to customers who buy Panasonic plasmas.
Even before that news broke today, Pali Research's Rich Greenfield was predicting that Warner is about to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray exclusively and that will result in the complete collapse of the HD DVD format within 6 months - 9 months.
It would appear that Blu-ray is beginning to shift into high gear.
Panasonic has already introduced a sub-$500 BonusView (Profile 1.1) player and several major manufacturers will announce plans at CES in less than a month to follow suit with even lower prices.
Already today, Samsung's BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc player can be purchased on Amazon.com for $297.95.
Also at CES, the first BD Live players are expected to be announced by at least one major manufacturer.
Greenfield predicts in today's Dec. 10 forecast that when Warner (and sister New Line) stop releasing in HD DVD, the format war will quickly end as Universal and Paramount/DreamWorks do not have enough product to sustain a format by themselves (along with only one major hardware company -- Toshiba), especially in light of disappointing DVD sales of "Shrek the Third."
Media companies like Time Warner in particular, with its vast catalog, is finally feeling the pressure of the declining DVD market and needs to embrace a single next-gen DVD, "soon-to-be-known, simply as Blu-ray," according to Greenfield.
RPGJock @ Dec 11th 2007 8:46PM
@John B.
I agree, I was still using Beta tapes in the early 90s well after that format died in the 80's. So as long as you have the equipment for it and you can use it, it not a lost. Just less convenient to keep older equipment hooked up to your television so you can still use it.
Godfa7h3r @ Dec 11th 2007 9:00PM
I was wondering when this was going to happen. The players can't but cut down on price much more. Both sides now need to drive software sales, not player sales. This is the way to do it, by lowering media pricing. It would be nice if both formats got down closer to DVD prices.
HD4ME @ Dec 11th 2007 9:05PM
@BBG
How about stopping the same repetitive comments over and over, every post you say the same things, HD DVD is dead, HD DVD hasn't won a week this year and add you supply 485 links from bluray.con or wherever, trying to justify the nonsense.
We all know BR has won every week, we are all HD educated people here, you don't need to keep preaching the same message from your soap box over and over again. Your audience knows and understands the facts, you are not talking too the uneducated here.
So, how about trying to come up with something new, PLEASE, my eyes are getting cramps!
Mikael.H @ Dec 11th 2007 10:36PM
Thats so funny. He does get quite repetitive, that little chatterbox. :-)
I'm just happy HD DVD had it's first nice software sale so I too get the chance to stock up. Just as Blu-ray has had all the time (or so it seems). Just now I ordered 32 movies from the Amazon bogo sale, and two close friends bought 18 movies.
We get good quality software and at the same time we show the studios how determined the HD crowd really are. The rank stat swing on highdefdigest.com is incredible. It took a couple of hours for the blu-ray bogo to be completely run over. Maybe it's because they've had it so many times.
Anyway. Just wanted to say, enjoy the good deals fellas! I sure am... cheers!
/Mike
domerdel @ Dec 11th 2007 9:04PM
ppl know me, they know i'm blu. here's the worst case scenario for blu-fans with PS3's, and in no way am i shedding doubt.
By the time this war is over, i believe that Sony will have online media content in the works, similar to live market place. There's lots of speculation about Warner going blu n vice versa, i think Q4 sales will be still close, this holiday season is madness, one week it's a lop-sided victory for blu, and then at times Red gains momentum (i'm referring to software). So let's say just for sh*t's n giggles red won, is sony going to stop making blu discs? absolutely not.
Dave @ Dec 11th 2007 9:13PM
"presumably in an attempt to persuade Warner to not go Blu-ray-only"
How about, "Presumably in an attempt to persuade Warner to go HD DVD-only". You're obviously aware that there's a RUMOR Warner is going Blu-Ray exclusive. Were you aware there is a rumor they're going HD DVD exclusive? Everyone else is. You guys need to dig a little deeper than Blu-Ray.com.
zargon @ Dec 11th 2007 9:15PM
I thoroughly enjoy the comments about the losers dropping prices first and of that sort. It gives me a good chuckle since the BDA has been sponsoring, depending how you want to look at it, half priced DVDs or giving one away when you buy one.
I am not saying... but I am saying...
HD4ME @ Dec 11th 2007 9:18PM
At the end of the day, this is no huge marketing coup, but I guess, having cheaper hardware, if HD DVD can now market cheaper software, it's just the strategy that Tosh wants to play. J6 will see cheaper players and cheaper software, his decision is a no brainer.
HD DVD want to appeal to the mass market $ conscious buyer, and BR has targeted the higher end of the market, and IMO, the HD DVD strategy is the sustainable long term market that will win.
Kevin Murphy @ Dec 11th 2007 9:18PM
It really is amazing how one biased reporter at Business Week can cause so much noise with one out-of-his-ass post confirmed nowhere else, asserting he heard something from another utterly biased source.
And now the official MSM echo chamber has picked it up and it bounces back here to Engadget for the second bounce.
Pretty soon someone will be confirming the Business Week article with this Engadget post. Bah! What flaming BS.
T-bone @ Dec 11th 2007 9:54PM
Since when did Toshiba start publishing movies? How can Toshiba set the prices of independent studios? Isn't this consider collusion?
Or is this just a poorly written blog?
h4ldol @ Dec 11th 2007 9:56PM
Don't count on Joe 6-pack to save HD DVD from annihilation at the hands of the blu-ray juggernaut. It won't happen. HD is going to remain a niche format for early and not-quite-early adopters with varying amounts of cash to burn (as opposed to, "I can't buy a player unless it's under $100"), and as such, the format that ends of "winning" will be the one that this segment of society chooses. Joe 6-pack will stay with DVDs, which are great because you can get them for $5 at Walmart and they look great on his 20 year old CRT.
Joe 6-pack could care less that blu-ray has much higher capacity and bandwidth than HD DVD. He isn't concerned with the lack of lossless audio on most HD DVD discs. He does not fret over deinterlacing artifacts on his display when using a 1080i HD DVD player. He is oblivious to the desperation that Toshiba is feeling now that Warner is strongly believed to be going to go blu-ray exclusively in a matter of weeks.
He is more concerned with getting through another month successfully than spending exhorbitant amounts of cash on something he deems to be frivolous, wasteful, and wholly unnecessary. So forget about Joe 6-pack, we all love him but he will not help save HD DVD from extinction any more than the Walmart firesale of 1080i HD DVD players did. You guys are best off cutting your losses and picking up a PS3 during the holiday sales. Don't worry mates, be happy. With blu-ray.
HD4ME @ Dec 11th 2007 10:02PM
Are you sure h4??
Sony's CEO, Stringer, isn't so sure about the famed blu juggernaut, he's at it again!!
http://www.tvpredictions.com/stringer121107.htm
Nfinity @ Dec 11th 2007 10:04PM
"Don't count on Joe 6-pack to save HD DVD from annihilation at the hands of the blu-ray juggernaut"
This has to be the dumbest statement I've ever heard. So the actual "mass consumers", as in MASS ADOPTATION has no influence on the standard. Absolutely mind blowing. What is there to discuss with you. Really.
EEL @ Dec 11th 2007 11:08PM
@ "Sybil"
LMAO! You do realize that if I took your "argument" and changed HD-DVD to Blu-Ray and PS3 to Xbox 360 that it's still A BULLSH*T ARGUMENT!?
C'mom, a price war would be fine and it's at the right time -- FOR RED AND BLU. To sustain a HD format for the next decade (like DVD has done), you need people like J6P to adapt. If you (and by you I mean YOU and Blu fanboys) insist on insulting them instead of embracing them, then HD-DVD will be more than happy to supply a product they can afford, adapt to, and most importantly, SUPPORT.
But if you insist, I'll be more than happy to forward all of your past insulting comments to all RED supporters in the industry. Using a "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality, they would be more than happy to use your childish hatred as a marketing ploy, propaganda even, to the masses of America. And we all know how easily the heartland of America can be swayed.
NoK610 @ Dec 12th 2007 12:06AM
I don't mean to laugh, but it's hard not to when a CEO one week says they are having a rough time, then he takes it back the following week, and is back to his original claim. I want some of the stuff he's smoking.
h4ldol @ Dec 12th 2007 2:22AM
Stringer is a bigger idiot than ______ (insert name of favorite HD DVD troll here), I expect him to be canned from Sony any day now. Must be getting some kickbacks by Toshiba/Microsoft no doubt.
Nfinity @ Dec 11th 2007 10:02PM
The article is absolutely incorrect and it relies on Business Week article that is talking about rumours that have been long denied by Silverberg himself.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/1135
Not only that, but this is incorrect too:
"Warner has signaled that its choice will be determined by which marketer can sell more DVDs this holiday season"
Not true at all. Warner has specifically said that they are look at HARDWARE sales this season not software sales and they have specifically said that PS3 approach is bad if they don't pick up standalone sales.
Silverberg: "Dan Silverberg, VP of high definition media development for Warner Bros., calmed both sides by saying 300 was marketed heavily to PS3 owners, but its dangerous to just rely on gamers. To be reliant on them is something I dont think either camps wants to do."
And this is what counts:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hddvdweek121007.htm
Spiza @ Dec 11th 2007 10:51PM
62:38 is not that impressive imo.
BBG @ Dec 11th 2007 10:54PM
LOL - Blu-ray out sold HD DVD 70:30 on Black Friday ... nice try to spin it to say otherwise.
Warner Bros. is going Blu exclusive early next year and there's really nothing you can do about it so you better get your crying out of the way now.
Warner Bros. cares about media sales ... cause well, they sell media ... Blu-ray has sold way more of their media then the competition, thus Blu-ray is the choice that makes them the most money.
h4ldol @ Dec 12th 2007 2:15AM
Don't you dare insult the heartland of America. They who fill your and my belly with delicious food.
AlwaysThere @ Dec 11th 2007 11:18PM
Is this misleading story due to the bold HD DVD bias displayed by Engadget or the lack of comprehension from the author of the NYT article?
Greg @ Dec 11th 2007 11:45PM
Who cares if MSRP software goes down by $2?
Who buys MSRP really?
and if it matters, the BDA will have its studios go down as well.
As per Nfinity quoting a Nov. 5th article with Silverberg denying a shift, there's been quite a few things happening since ;)
hint: a VP of a major studio hinting at the rumor going around in the biz (Warner going Blu), and no one from Waner coming up and denying it the next week. :)
You know who followed up on that rumor? Consultants & the NYT among others, starting to make predicitons of HD DVD demise by mid 2008 with Warner support.
You guys still waiting on Warner to deny eh ? ;)
Dec. 6th :
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_51/b4063028294846.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives
Dec. 10th
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62035392,00.htm
Dec. 10th
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2007/12/pali-sony-snes-bluray-wins-dvd-war-hollywood-loses.html
Dec. 10th
http://www.nytimes.com/paidcontent/PCORG_317734.html?em&ex=1197522000&en=d57154881510f79a&ei=5087%0A
Nfinity @ Dec 12th 2007 12:19AM
Do you actually stop and read any of this or just post things as you pick up on some Blu-ray fan forum.
The first 2 links you posted are the same and rely on Business Week article.
The third is complete nonsense as the person who actually says that Blu-Ray will win does nothing to support his argument. He is again probably refering to the Business Week article.
Again, the last link you posted also points to Business Week article.
And the funniest part is that Business Week article is quoting a rumor that WB might switch to Blu-ray based on Silverberg's comments..
Talk about SPIN! ha ha ha.. 3 articles all point to one and that one is pointing to a rumor that has been clearly denied by WB. LOL!
But what's new, it's kind of hopeless spinning from Blu-Ray crowd and BDA to somehow introduce FUD. Despicable to say the least, not to mention completely invalid and completely without shred of proof. The way Blu-Ray rolls. Complete disconnect with reality.
Nfinity @ Dec 12th 2007 12:28AM
But let me give you something more recent:
Stringer again starts watering down statements about Blu-Ray and how now it's not winning but just has a "momentum". Ridiculous.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/stringer121107.htm
HD DVD Scores Big on Black Friday 454% increase in sales:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hddvdweek121007.htm
Study: Mainstream HDTV Buyers Opt for HD DVD:
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=11716
The Fuzz 53 @ Dec 12th 2007 10:33AM
Oh, well know what a great source the NYT is. The same paper that said Gran Turismo 5 is a best seller and that PS3's start at $299 and the Xbox 360 has a cell processor.
Yes, the NYT is a great source for news. This asserts my theory that liberals support blu-ray. I don't know why, but they do.
zik @ Dec 12th 2007 12:01AM
Has anyone stopped to think that this story makes absolutely no sense at all? Since when does Toshiba set movie prices? Jeeeze people...think!
mntwister @ Dec 12th 2007 12:27AM
The price cut means nothing to Warner. So Blu will do the same thing, maybe even undercut them. That's good for us anyway. The big news and a big determining factor is going to be the Warner decision. People are very nervous. It's amazing how much power Warner has in their hands right now. Should they pick the format with the least future application (hd-dvd) the format war will continue for some time, causing about a 50/50 split in entertainment. They know this and they certainly don't want the format war to continue. If they go Blu-then 75% of the studios are blu and we have a much faster winner. Warner wants this over, so the general public will start to buy.
I was at Best Buy the other day and had to laugh. There were 2, I say 2 people in the return line with hd-dvd players. I was curious so I snooped and listened in, pretending to read something. One was pissed that she was not told she could not buy any Disney movies, and had 2 opened Disney blu-rays along with her hd-dvd player. They would not take the blu-rays back, so she gave the player back. Whether she bought the blu-ray player I don't know. The 2nd customer had bought the A2 and was pissed because he could not buy Spiderman. This is the education people are getting when they go into these stores and make purchases. It's a shame. I am sure there are people that bought blu and tried to buy Transformers too.
The fact of the matter is, that Blu-ray is capable of more layers, so 150gb discs are not out of the question by any means, that means an entire season of a tv series in HD on one disc. Hd-dvd is flat at the new 51gb, which, by the way, where is it? Will everyone who purchased a player be able to play the discs? Many tech experts say the firmware will not provide help for this function, that it is in the laser chasis. So hd-dvd might be stuck with limited space, which is already a problem, note the lack of inclusion of lossless sound on the 2 biggest hits this quarter, Transformers and Shrek, Paramount itself said there was space limitations and that's the reason.
I hope blu-ray wins this war, and Sony is out to get Warner no matter what they have to do. Toshiba has gone to every extreem in the book, giving away A2 players, reducing movie prices, giving away 12 free movies with players, and still blu-ray has the software sales. Warner sees this. Warner is not stupid. Hd-dvd is a junk format, Blu-ray is a new technology thus taking longer for advancement and for lower pricing. It's sad to see people out buying garbage when I see a hd-dvd player in people's carts in the store, I can tell you. But I had fun that day, I pursuaded one family to go blu:-)
HD4ME @ Dec 12th 2007 3:42AM
@Mntwister
..."Warner is not stupid. Hd-dvd is a junk format, Blu-ray is a new technology thus taking longer for advancement and for lower pricing. It's sad to see people out buying garbage when I see a hd-dvd player in people's carts in the store, I can tell you. But I had fun that day, I pursuaded one family to go blu:-"....
R U serious, you are kidding right??
BR is better because it might get 150GB discs,... yeah @ $100 each in 2025 !
It's OK for BR to stick profile 1 POS players into the unsuspecting public because, even though its a finished product, HD DUD is crap and poor old BR is a developing product!?
You get sad if you see people paying less money for a fully specified HD DVD player and you are proud that you persuaded 1 family to go blu!?
You need to get a life mate, that is the saddest, & most bitter and twisted post I have ever read.
NoK610 @ Dec 12th 2007 1:59PM
It's interesting to see that you're bringing up storage space; is it still such a big concern when it comes to already pressed movies? It would only benefit you if you were to buy a BD-R disc for $25 to burn your data, media, etc. I thought that bonus features weren't important, and all that mattered was the movie itself so many of you have claimed over and over again? Let's stop using the space storage capacity as an advantage, it's really not in this case.
locke6854 @ Dec 12th 2007 1:27AM
god i really hate when people post with a bunch of "HAHA" or "LOL" because you know its gonna be a cynical and sarcastic remark rather than something genuinely funny
EEL @ Dec 12th 2007 3:11AM
@ "Sybil"
"Don't you dare insult the heartland of America."
Who me? I'm not the one that rags on J6P ALL THE TIME. IT'S YOU! The vast majority of J6Pers live in the heartland. So are you going to apologize to them and encourage them to adapt?
Don't answer that, because tomorrow it will be back to the norm -- Sybil being Sybil. You won't change your tune...not long enough for anyone to believe you anyway.
Hey Warner Bros.? Ol' Sybil here thinks that only J6Pers will buy HD-FUD players 'cause that's all they can afford. They're too poor to even buy discounted Profile 1.0 Blu players.
What's that? You say that even if one is superior than the other (or at the very least one paid us more than the other to support them) that you realize that in the long run you'll go with the same people that pay more than their fair share in taxes and can afford the current, comparable alternative? Guess it's HDDVD then over Blu-FUD, I mean Blu-Ray.
Say Lionsgate and Disney? Warner Bros. here. Say we need more adapters from J6P, don't you agree? Since HD-DVD is so affordable that even J6P would buy it, why don't we just give the heartland of America what they want? Yeah, I know Blu is nice but c'mon, man? They don't even have an affordable Profile 1.1 player yet. And when is Profile 2.0 coming? What about the Blu fanboys, you say? Well, what about them!? We need to think about our bottom line here and not some fanboy like this kid "Sybil" (hmmm, what an odd nickname). Anyway, we have to think of our quarterly bonuses as well.
Say 20th Century Fox. Warner Bros. here. I've got Lionsgate and Disney on conference call. Say hello fellas. Anyway, we need to talk before we conference in Universal....
John B @ Dec 13th 2007 9:08AM
"Stringer is a bigger idiot than ______ (insert name of favorite HD DVD troll here)"
I don't know that he's a BIGGER idiot. You *have* set the bar rather high.
h4ldol @ Dec 12th 2007 3:22AM
Your continued mockery of the honest hardworking folk of the "Heartland" equally saddens and infuriates me. A little respect please. Thank you.
EEL @ Dec 12th 2007 3:38AM
@ Sybil
Want a tissue? Cry all you want. I have NEVER, EVER, insulted J6P, most especially the way that YOU regularly do.
I guess it's been a while since I've hit one of your nerves. Now you're trying to insinuate that it's been me all along that has insulted J6P. So I guess Truth Teller and Nfinity have been insulting the heartland and J6P also?
Here's your entire quote from earlier:
"Don't count on Joe 6-pack to save HD DVD from annihilation at the hands of the blu-ray juggernaut. It won't happen. HD is going to remain a niche format for early and not-quite-early adopters with varying amounts of cash to burn (as opposed to, "I can't buy a player unless it's under $100"), and as such, the format that ends of "winning" will be the one that this segment of society chooses. Joe 6-pack will stay with DVDs, which are great because you can get them for $5 at Walmart and they look great on his 20 year old CRT.
Joe 6-pack could care less that blu-ray has much higher capacity and bandwidth than HD DVD. He isn't concerned with the lack of lossless audio on most HD DVD discs. He does not fret over deinterlacing artifacts on his display when using a 1080i HD DVD player. He is oblivious to the desperation that Toshiba is feeling now that Warner is strongly believed to be going to go blu-ray exclusively in a matter of weeks.
He is more concerned with getting through another month successfully than spending exhorbitant amounts of cash on something he deems to be frivolous, wasteful, and wholly unnecessary. So forget about Joe 6-pack, we all love him but he will not help save HD DVD from extinction any more than the Walmart firesale of 1080i HD DVD players did. You guys are best off cutting your losses and picking up a PS3 during the holiday sales. Don't worry mates, be happy. With blu-ray."
Making assumptions of what J6P wants and knows is just as insulting. I think it's time for you to stop avoiding your meds and just take a breather so you can stop confusing yourself and trying to confuse and blame others for your shortcomings.
And for Pete's sake, watch "Hot Fuzz"! You could definitely use a laugh right now.
HD4ME @ Dec 12th 2007 3:46AM
@EEL
Please DON'T FEED THE BLU TROLLS, you will only encourage them.
Nfinity @ Dec 12th 2007 4:27AM
Yes EEL don't feed the ignorant trolls..instead.. just point them here:
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=2&&article_ID=11716
and here:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/hddvdweek121007.htm
That should shut them up pretty quickly.
Also mentioned that now HD DVD discs will be cheaper, the combos with all the cool features and online access will cost most likely the same or even cheaper then Blu-Ray discs and that new wave of chinese players are coming where MSRP of regular HD DVD players will fall between $100-$150 and that's without any sales.
It hurts them so much, cause basically the above pretty clearly shows what's happening and that Toshiba and HD DVD Group were dead on to go with the business model they chose. J6P has spoken and they LOVE HD DVD.
HD4ME @ Dec 12th 2007 4:37AM
Don't forget these as well !!
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/format-war/businessweek-says-blu+ray-ahead-analysts-predict-hd-dvd-ftw-332434.php
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/35221/113/
HD4ME @ Dec 12th 2007 4:45AM
Don't forget the HD DVD BOGO at Amazon !
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000175031&plpage=1
TeeJ @ Dec 12th 2007 5:26AM
can i just point out that your all saying the Warner are in it to make money, as are all the companies,
surely then if they see that they are still able to make decent sales on both formats they will keep selling on both :)
they dont have to have any loyalty to any companies so ultimately if they go for blu, hd and standard dvd and services like video marketplace, they win either way?
for me this format war is pointless and at this rate wont achieve anything.
i dislike blu ray for going down the path of having 'profiles' so that if you go and buy a player now, in 6 months you wont be able to use a certain feature on your new discs
i dislike hddvd as the majority of their players in this country only go up to 1080i and are still 3 times the price of that in america,
i also dislike both formats for having this approach that if you dont have the newest player you wont be able to use the newer better codecs from dts & dolby.
dvd works and still does because i bought my dvd player 4 years ago and every movie ive ever bought has worked on it, no need for updates, no need for 'an upgrade to the latest firmware to make sure i havent been a naughty boy and have a copied film'