format wars
Best Buy Offers Gift Cards for HD-DVD Players
6:20AM Flynn De Marco | Are you one of the unfortunates stuck with a now useless HD-DVD player? Did you purchase it at Best Buy before February 23rd? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you can return that old door stop to Best Buy and get a $US 50 gift card in return. According to CNN it is estimated that upwards of $US 10 million in US Gift cards. HD-DVD owners will be found through Best Buy’s Reward Zone program, service plans and online orders. The gift cards will automatically be mailed out to qualifying folks at the beginning of may. If you are not a Reward Zone member you can bring in your BB receipt or credit card info. They will also be offering an online trade-in centre where customers can unload their unwanted players beginning March 21. Those stuck with HD-DVD players getting gift cards [CNN.com - Thanks, Robert] More »
Microsoft Kills Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player
4:00PM Michael McWhertor | Let there be no more speculation about Microsoft’s stance on HD-DVD. The company issued a statement today that it would no longer manufacture the Xbox 360 add-on following Toshiba’s decision to bail out on the high definition disc format. It reiterated that the death of the HD-DVD format would not “have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform” but it surely scuttles any talk that the Redmond giant has plans for a 360 with a built-in HD-DVD drive. We expect fantastic deals on the accessory and discs to flood Cheap Ass Gamer within hours. The full statement from Microsoft is just after this, full of digital distribution good wishes and stiff upper lips. Rest in peace, Xbox 360 HD-DVD player. More »
Microsoft Not Worried About HD DVD
4:45AM Mike Fahey | Sure, HD DVD is pretty much dead, but that doesn’t bother Microsoft one bit. Their official statement: “We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. As we’ve long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry. We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player. HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.” I suppose they are right. Not like the failure of HD DVD will suddenly drop them below last place. More »
News
Wal-Mart Chooses Blu-ray
4:00AM Flynn De Marco | From CNN.Money comes the news that ubiquitous retailer Wal-Mart has decided to go exclusively Blu-ray. According to a statement by Wal-Mart’s Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment Gary Severson, “We’ve listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases.” Wal-Mart will continue to sell HD-DVD products in the coming months, but expect to be Blu-ray exclusive soon with a heavy shift happening in the next thirty days. Add to that this week’s announcement of Netflix’s Blu-ray exclusivity and you’ve got what looks like an end in sight to the format wars. Wal-Mart on Blu-ray bandwagon [CNN Money] More »
News
Universal No Longer HD-DVD Exclusive Bound
6:29PM Michael McWhertor | Is this the final death blow for HD-DVD? Variety is reporting that Universal Studios will follow Warner Bros., New Line and possibly Paramount toward the cooling blue light of Blu-ray allegiance, as the studio’s commitment to supporting HD-DVD exclusively has ended. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Universal is abandoning the HD-DVD format as Warner plans to, however, as Variety writes that the company still has plans to support the Toshiba backed hi-def discs. Though HD-DVD backers may still limp along in their support or fanboyism of a movie format, this “war” couldn’t look any more like one camp has won at this point. It’s all over but the crying, blanket clutching and Michael Bay gloating, it seems. Blu-ray could win high-def battle [Variety] More »
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Microsoft: We’re Still Committed to HD-DVD
9:00AM Brian Crecente | Yesterday when Reuters reported that Microsoft will consider going to Blu-Ray if consumers demand it some people sort of freaked. Among the list? Microsoft. Today the company reached out to us to “clarify” a story they say was missing some much needed context. There was a critical element of our comments missing from the story — Microsoft currently has no plans at this time to consider Blu-ray as an option. We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best optical solution for consumers, since it’s the only format today that delivers quality experiences at affordable prices. When I pressed the spokesperson for a little more details about how the story was contextually incorrect, they cut to the chase: While the article states that Microsoft might possibly look into Blu-ray, we just want to emphasize that there are no current plans to consider Blu-ray as an option. Microsoft continues to be dedicated to the HD DVD format and we don’t want the Reuters article to mislead or suggest otherwise. So HD-DVD has at least one stalwart support in their corner still. Microsoft Will Consider Going Blu-Ray if Consumers Demand [Kotaku] More »
News
Microsoft Will Consider Going Blu-Ray, If Consumers Demand
12:54PM Michael McWhertor | Responding to news that Warner Bros. opted to put its eggs in the basket of Blu-ray exclusively last week, Microsoft execs told Reuters that the company would consider a Blu-ray player add-on for the Xbox 360, should consumers show interest in such a product. Group marketing manager Albert Penello said the decision would be up to “consumer choice; and if that’s the way they vote, that’s something we’ll have to consider.” Penello said that he didn’t consider that Warner’s decision to drop support for HD-DVD would have a “significant impact” on the console war. He also confirmed, in a way, that it was a “bummer.” Microsoft’s Xbox could consider Blu-ray support [Reuters] More »
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Paramount Moving To Blu-Ray, HD-DVD Dead, Can We All Just Get On With Our Lives Now?
4:50PM Luke Plunkett | The Financial Times are reporting that part of Paramount Studio’s deal with the HD-DVD camp included a get-out clause. Said clause would be triggered when and if Warner turned coat and signed with Blu-Ray. Oops. Paramount are now “poised” to do just that, leaving the vast majority of studios aligned with team Blu-Ray and HD-DVD dead in the water. Man, I hope this is true. Not because I give two hoots about either “side” in this “war”, but because this fixation with two movie formats has been one of the stupidest distractions from gaming this industry has ever seen. Paramount in HD DVD blow [FT] More »
News
New Line Goes Blu-Ray
6:00AM Flynn De Marco | It was just a few hours ago that I posted about the HD DVD group cancelling its CES press conference and now we have more news on the format war front lines. In an article in Variety yesterday, buried amongst the Warner’s announcement was one line that was very important to the Blu-Ray cause: Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well. Warner’s other companies which include HBO and BBC, still have not announced whether they will make the shift as well, but it seems unlikely that they would go the other way. But, time is of the essence for distributors it seems as Warner CEO Barry Meyer states: “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.” One more nail in the HD DVD coffin? Warner Bros. backs Blu-ray [Variety] More »
