Our buddies at Engadget are reporting that snail-mail rental powerhouse Netflix has ditched HD DVD in support of the Blu-Ray format adding another nail to the coffin of the dwindling format. According to the story, Netflix justifies their decision on the majority of Hollywood studios taking sides behind the Sony-backed format.Netflix will continue to offer HD DVD rentals until their current stock is phased out within the next year but with this news the chances of stocking new titles are slim to none. In the meantime, HD DVD owners can still get their fix from BlockBuster Online but it seems it's only a matter of time until that changes.
[Thanks, Bravo6]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-11-2008 @ 3:04PM
George Arauz said...
Well, looks like that format war is over
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2-11-2008 @ 5:12PM
dude305 said...
Indeed, it is over. Forget about a blu-ray add on and get a ps3. I owned an xbox 360 until last week when I traded it in and got a ps3. Xbox 360 has LIVE and thats all about it has over the ps3. Everything is going into the direction of blu-ray. Almost every movie studio has gone blu except a few. I was really once a believer of HD DVD, but not anymore. Its only a matter of time till many of you realize that format is over, with blu-ray holding the belt.
2-11-2008 @ 7:02PM
Mark said...
No, DVD is holding the belt. HD-DVD and BluRay both pale in comparison to that behemoth. Everyone is getting all hot and bothered about a format "war" that collectively holds 7% market share. That's like discussing who's selling the most CPUs after skipping over Intel and AMD. The battle of BluRay vs DVD will probably result in BluRay losing.
That said, I do like renting both from Netflix and using them on my HDTV. But having an HDTV and a player for either HiDef format (let alone both) puts me well in the minority of TV owners and media disc users.
2-12-2008 @ 7:41AM
Josh said...
@Dude305 - So you're saying that because HD DVD is a failed format, you traded in your 360? Why the hell would I trade in my 360, which has tons of gaming hours into it (and many many more in the future), for a PS3 that barely has any games? I bought the 360 to play games, not watch movies. Have fun with your Blu-ray movie watching machine because that's all it's good for.
2-11-2008 @ 3:08PM
Dron said...
Wow, I now own a $179.99 paperweight...thanks Toshiba.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:21PM
OTAM said...
Yeah,because i'm sure you had no idea what you were getting into before you bought it,right?
2-11-2008 @ 7:09PM
Mark said...
Because the player magically stops working next month? Buying the player isn't the mistake. Some people bought $700+ in movies. That's the mistake. I've gotten plenty of use out of my HD-DVD add on with renting them off of Netflix. I'm sure the price of my player comes down to a few dollars extra per movie. What I feel is a "mistake" is buying 300 on HD-DVD because when my add-on player breaks I'm left with a $30 standard def DVD. But it wouldn't be the first movie I've bought twice.
2-11-2008 @ 3:10PM
Ferley said...
When is xbox putting out a blue ray add on??????????
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2-11-2008 @ 3:13PM
Jayslacks said...
Hey, wait. What the Fuck? When the hell did you guys get two new writers? Totally skipped under my radar. Welcome, homies. Looking forward to this week's podcast...
Reply
2-11-2008 @ 4:37PM
JakubK666 said...
Hopefully you guys will finally catch up with Jostiq on your weekend-news.Right now it's 3:1 ratio :(
Anyway enough bitching.
Good Luck Guys.
2-11-2008 @ 3:16PM
Bryan T said...
Does this mean a super-clearance sale is coming? I can't wait.
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2-11-2008 @ 3:23PM
Josh said...
Looks like Universal is backing out too...it's about time. I don't care who wins the war just let it be over.
http://www.thegamersthought.com/2008/02/breaking-news-egm-confirms-universals.html
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2-11-2008 @ 3:27PM
Intentless said...
It is irony that the format that is better for the consumers is dieing because of the vote of the consumers?
Sigh...
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2-11-2008 @ 3:58PM
Jer said...
I don't think the consumers had/have much to do with it.
2-11-2008 @ 5:19PM
Odog4ever said...
You mean how VHS won over Beta Max....
2-12-2008 @ 3:03AM
Aaron said...
How is HD-DVD better for consumers?
2-12-2008 @ 12:31PM
James said...
I'm trying to figure out why people choose the sides they do. I figure if BD has a higher capacity (50 vs 30 gigs for dual-layer, which seems to be where the companies are settling) for about the same cost (so says Wikipedia), go that way. Of course, I decided not to invest in either player until the war was over, so I don't have as much of a stake in it as some people...
2-11-2008 @ 3:44PM
Killer said...
@Josh
Ummmm...That article says nothing about Universal Going Blu-ray...Its just stating what was known last month. Universal's Contract is up, but they've already stated to support HD DVD exclusively till it's death, and its still breathing at the moment.
I love how it says breaking news, should be "Really Late breaking news".
Universal is not producing Blu-ray, till they official say they are, which I don't see happening for awhile.
"Everyone has already chosen the obvious winner of this format; apparently Toshiba has yet to come into realization that its format is no longer being considered by the media industry."
^^^^
Wow...That's not biase at all. >;>
http://www.betanews.com/article/Universal_Were_staying_with_HD_DVD/1199974983
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2-11-2008 @ 3:49PM
dunnypop said...
well if hd dvd's start dropping in price for movies then this is something to reconsider...
$30-$40 for a blu-ray is ridiculous.
Reply
2-11-2008 @ 5:39PM
GamerGuyX said...
If you are buying Blu-ray movies for $30 - $40 you are buying at the wrong places.