As we continue to monitor the HD DVD and Blu-ray drama, today both HBO and New Line Cinema announced that they're leaving HD DVD behind and going exclusively Blu. The news shouldn't come as a shock to anyone though, seeing that both HBO and New Line's parent company is Warner, who made the Blu-ray jump last week. So, this means that starting now and through the foreseeable future, all HBO television shows as well as New Line releases will only come out on Blu-ray. We guess no more Sopranos HD DVDs for us.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-10-2008 @ 11:29AM
Dadidito said...
Yeah, the format war is finally coming to a conclusion. Time to jump on board. Now Microsoft release a nice Blue ray add on and you have a purchaser.
1-10-2008 @ 11:36AM
TORO said...
Agreed, I'll wait for the peripheral. Suck blu-ray discs are more expensive though :(
1-10-2008 @ 11:39AM
Corleone said...
SUCKS!!! Arrrrrgh!!
1-10-2008 @ 11:41AM
Scott said...
I am really surprised that BluRay is going to win. I thought adding HD to the widespread DVD was going to be easier for consumers to understand. ("I have normal DVDs, but better ones are HD DVDs"). I am glad I never bought an HD player, I was real close a couple of times.
1-10-2008 @ 12:29PM
JAKEJAX said...
I just got one for Christmas. :(
1-10-2008 @ 11:43AM
Larry *not allowed to say cheevo* said...
Meh, I'll wait for this to unfold. If HDDVD goes down, I'll pick up all the bargain titles. I'm never going to by blu ray. I'm going digital downloads after this.
1-10-2008 @ 11:44AM
Larry *not allowed to say cheevo* said...
ha, I must be tired. I'm never going to BUY blu ray either.
1-10-2008 @ 12:00PM
Eddie said...
Same. Makes me wonder, if all of us are looking to buy all the closeouts once HD "goes down", doesn't that make HD a viable market?
1-10-2008 @ 11:44AM
monkeymonkeymonkey said...
Yep, I was really close to buying an HD-DVD player. It sucks that Bluray looks like its going to win, since HD-DVD has less DRM crap. Sure Blurray is a larger disc, but size does not always matter...lol.
1-10-2008 @ 11:55AM
Kinetix said...
Why so touchy Joker?
1-10-2008 @ 11:50AM
Loban said...
I have been saying from the very beginning that Blu-ray is going to win. I don't know why, I just had a feeling in my gut. The combination of the PS3, Sony's marketing, and the catchiness of the name ensures a win. Trust me, most consumers are morons, so if you make a name that is catchy and isn't confusing (HD-DVD vs DVD confuses most people), they'll remember it. And most consumers are still under the impression that Sony is the end all be all of consumer electronics so they hear their name and just assume whatever they're involved in is the best. You see Blu-ray commercials on TV all the time, I've never seen an HD-DVD commercial. Even my idiotic in-laws know what Blu-ray is even if they don't fully understand it. I'm sure they think it has something to do with bluetooth (which they still think is the name of a cellphone headset).
1-10-2008 @ 11:51PM
Fezmid said...
"The combination of the PS3, Sony's marketing, and the catchiness of the name ensures a win."
And here I thought it was the $500M check that Sony wrote to Warner.... ;)
We could just have easily been saying the end was near for Blu-Ray, if Fox and Warner had gone through with their handshake deal and sided with HD DVD instead of backing out at the last minute.
That said - if Universal/Paramount/Dreamworks refuse to switch, and HD DVD is still selling well, the BD studios could very well switch back when the contracts expire. It all depends on how much they want HD DVD to succeed, or if they even care.
1-11-2008 @ 9:44AM
Loban said...
That's true, but I still have a gut feeling Blu-ray is gonna win, if there is a winner at all.
1-10-2008 @ 11:51AM
mattclarkie said...
I always expected Blu-ray to win, and it looks sure to happen. I am just waiting for Paramount to jump ship, and apparantly they have no contract of exclusivity now that Warner have left, so it is very likely.
After Sony's failure of Betamax (the superior format), Sony learned that studios were important, so they made sure they got them for Blu-ray.
I already have a PS3, but I am about to get a standalone, and as Blu-ray is about to win, I expect prices will drop to seal the deal.
1-10-2008 @ 11:51AM
drdre74 said...
You guys are stupid for holding on to a dead format. lol. I beat you guys still use floppy disc and zip drives to. Blu ray is the winner and as soon as those contracts that M$ paid companies for runs out they will jump ship also.
1-10-2008 @ 11:59AM
TORO said...
Ur comment ALMOST makes no sense, we know Blu-Ray is winning you tard.
Who is stupid???
I beat that I will bet you up anytime.
1-10-2008 @ 12:01PM
drdre74 said...
damn I can't spell!
1-10-2008 @ 1:02PM
Knight Marquise said...
LOL...Toro..your post took the words right out of my mouth.
1-10-2008 @ 1:34PM
Eddie said...
It's not dead until I stop buying or they stop making and neither has happened. $ony still sits on more dead formats than 360 RRODs so if you think you're in the clear with Blu, even your spelling and grammar will think you're a retard.
1-10-2008 @ 8:49PM
Noshino said...
Hey Eddie, those dead formats, hopefully you are refering to the MD and Betamax, were quite successful outside the US, and let's not forget that the technology was way ahead of its time, and that there were many products derived from them...something which I don't think will be happening to HD-DVD, yes, its a more advanced than Blu-ray at the moment, but Blu-ray has far more space for improvement than HD-DVD does...
I do agree with you on this
"It's not dead until I stop buying or they stop making and neither has happened"