Why did HD DVD lose the Format War!!!

**bruceames** · 07-23-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatt

Come on Bruce, "little doubt"

BD had better sales, more studios, more CEMs, more players in homes and there is "little doubt" they were going against all this?

Well a few insider sources like David Vaughn mentioned it, I don't think they would make it up. HD DVD did have momentum at the time, with Paramount recently going HD DVD exclusive, so yes, in my mind there was little doubt. But it would be nice to know the truth for sure. Anyway, it really doesn't matter how you win, it's the winning that counts.

D-X · 07-23-2008, 10:47 AM

All I know for fact is since the war ended my BD purchases have slowed down due to the ridiculous MSRP's.

vikingfan · 07-23-2008, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceames

HD DVD did have momentum at the time, with Paramount recently going HD DVD exclusive

You mean the momentum of exclusively releasing the biggest selling HD title ever, and still not being able to outsell BD that week. Or any week after?

Or maybe it was the momentum of slashing the prices on the players, and having them be outsold by BD standalones.

The best thing about a thread like this is, that when a bitter Redboi crys

, a Blu angel

gets its wings.

**bruceames** · 07-23-2008, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikingfan

You mean the momentum of exclusively releasing the biggest selling HD title ever, and still not being able to outsell BD that week. Or any week after?

Sales-wise, HD DVD was gaining some ground, although little of course. I believe HD DVD increase their Nielson percentage every quarter of the year. The momentum I referred to was just that fact the Paramount abandoned Blu-ray. WB could have gone with the flow in that regard, but of course they did otherwise...

Nikopol · 07-23-2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikingfan

You mean the momentum of exclusively releasing the biggest selling HD title ever, and still not being able to outsell BD that week. Or any week after?

Or maybe it was the momentum of slashing the prices on the players, and having them be outsold by BD standalones.

No, the momentum of closing in on BD regarding the Nielsen ratios. It was too little too late at the time, but there was honest hope for (and signs of) a turnaround.

hatt · 07-23-2008, 10:59 AM

Warner going HD DVD exclusive would have been a disaster for HDM. A 50/50 split in studio support would have likely sent both formats to tiny niche status in the long term. One format at least has a chance, and is now showing growth in all areas. Luckily, if Warner was planning such a dumb move, someone with some sense came to the rescue.

cbcdesign · 07-23-2008, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-X

All I know for fact is since the war ended my BD purchases have slowed down due to the ridiculous MSRP's.

Is that really true though or have you simply slowed down becuase the war is now over and you don't feel the need to try and support your format of choice by buying their product? This is certainly so in my case.

I bought a lot of HD DVD movies when the war was in full swing, around 1 per week, way more than I would normaly have bought. Now I but maybe 2 blu-ray movies a month. Cost has nothing much to do with it in my case, I was simply supporting my format of choice and hoping enough of us bought the product to secure a win.

unotis · 07-23-2008, 11:07 AM

I wish everyone would stop refighting the format war.

There certain things every intelligent person here knows to be true, then there are the small number of fanboys that will continue forever to live in a state of denial (we all know who they are) and repeat the same old tired statements over and over, I suppose in the hope they'll magically become the truth.

So could we give it a rest, you can post all the logical supporting statements and links you can find in the attempt to finally prove a point to the fanboys, but that will never happen.

Ultimately it would and is like trying to explain Physics to a Monkey, you might fool yourself into thinking he can learn, but believe me he can't and for all your efforts all you'll get in return is to have some poop flung back at you.

HarD-DVD · 07-23-2008, 11:14 AM

It's ok, the format war is still ongoing. I do not see a problem with continued HD_DVD support. There is still plenty of time for BD to lose with the new momentum of HD-DVD super upconversion.

HD Goofnut · 07-23-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarD-DVD

It's ok, the format war is still ongoing. I do not see a problem with continued HD_DVD support. There is still plenty of time for BD to lose with the new momentum of HD-DVD super upconversion.

This about made me fall out of my chair.

h0mi · 07-23-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceames

Well a few insider sources like David Vaughn mentioned it, I don't think they would make it up. HD DVD did have momentum at the time, with Paramount recently going HD DVD exclusive, so yes, in my mind there was little doubt. But it would be nice to know the truth for sure. Anyway, it really doesn't matter how you win, it's the winning that counts.

Any momentum HD-DVD had disappeared just as quickly. Paramount's move didn't translate into increased sales of players or discs. It didn't sway other studios or retailers or rental companies to promote or offer HD-DVD over (or instead of) Blu-ray. The only thing Paramount's move ensured was that Transformers was not going to be the top selling High Def disc of 2007.

**bruceames** · 07-23-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unotis

I wish everyone would stop refighting the format war.

There certain things every intelligent person here knows to be true, then there are the small number of fanboys that will continue forever to live in a state of denial (we all know who they are) and repeat the same old tired statements over and over, I suppose in the hope they'll magically become the truth.

So could we give it a rest, you can post all the logical supporting statements and links you can find in the attempt to finally prove a point to the fanboys, but that will never happen.

Ultimately it would and is like trying to explain Physics to a Monkey, you might fool yourself into thinking he can learn, but believe me he can't and for all your efforts all you'll get in return is to have some poop flung back at you.

I would advise simply avoiding postmortem threads, rather than make negative contributions. Problem solved.

**bruceames** · 07-23-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0mi

Any momentum HD-DVD had disappeared just as quickly. Paramount's move didn't translate into increased sales of players or discs. It didn't sway other studios or retailers or rental companies to promote or offer HD-DVD over (or instead of) Blu-ray. The only thing Paramount's move ensured was that Transformers was not going to be the top selling High Def disc of 2007.

True, percentage-wise, HD DVD gained very little, but had Paramount not gone HD DVD exclusive, then Blu-ray probably would have blitzed HD DVD in Q4. Many were predicting 80:20 (or worse) for Q4 if I recall correctly. Also HD DVD didn't release nearly what they could have in Q4, and that really throttled their progress. Paramount went HD DVD exclusive, sure, but they didn't put out much afterwards...

ImRizzo · 07-23-2008, 11:45 AM

....Sit back and enjoy....High Def....

MikeRox · 07-23-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceames

True, percentage-wise, HD DVD gained very little, but had Paramount not gone HD DVD exclusive, then Blu-ray probably would have blitzed HD DVD in Q4. Many were predicting 80:20 (or worse) for Q4 if I recall correctly. Also HD DVD didn't release nearly what they could have in Q4, and that really throttled their progress. Paramount went HD DVD exclusive, sure, but they didn't put out much afterwards...

Didn't the WB titles also start to become more even in their sales? I'm sure BladeRunner Debuted at near 1:1 ratio, and handful of titles were believed to have sold slightly better on HD DVD. Harry Potter was only 1:1.2 in favour of Blu-ray at first.

There were definite signs of a "turnaround" being possible. I also think there is circumstantial evidence to suggest Toshiba thought they had something big to announce at CES.

It's possible what Super XP posted was true (that plonker at HD Now or whatever it was said it back in January) however it's also possible that the very "OMG 2 STUDIOS DUMPING BLU RAY!" email thing he also sent could be what alerted the BDA into securing said studios before announcement was made.

07-23-2008, 11:07 AM	#38
unotis UNOTIS Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: FLORIDA Age: 54 Posts: 3,347	I wish everyone would stop refighting the format war. There certain things every intelligent person here knows to be true, then there are the small number of fanboys that will continue forever to live in a state of denial (we all know who they are) and repeat the same old tired statements over and over, I suppose in the hope they'll magically become the truth. So could we give it a rest, you can post all the logical supporting statements and links you can find in the attempt to finally prove a point to the fanboys, but that will never happen. Ultimately it would and is like trying to explain Physics to a Monkey, you might fool yourself into thinking he can learn, but believe me he can't and for all your efforts all you'll get in return is to have some poop flung back at you. __________________ B&K Audio/Video Receiver 507 Harman/Kardon TC30 universal remote Martin Logan Odyssey speakers Martin Logan Center Channel speaker Velodyne DPS-12 Powered Subwoofer B&W rear speakers Toshiba XA1, XA2, A2 HD DVD players Sony PS3 40 GB Panasonic TH-42PZ700U 1080p plasma Panasonic 34" Tau CT-34WX50 widescreen HD-ready CRT Monster Power Center Motorola Dual Tuner DVR/ HDTV capable Officially PURPLE HD DVDs = 105 Blu-Ray Discs = 45 with 5 on the way

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07-23-2008, 10:47 AM	#32
D-X Console Neutral Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 325	All I know for fact is since the war ended my BD purchases have slowed down due to the ridiculous MSRP's.

07-23-2008, 10:59 AM	#36
hatt HD Elitist Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: FL Age: 34 Posts: 4,921	Warner going HD DVD exclusive would have been a disaster for HDM. A 50/50 split in studio support would have likely sent both formats to tiny niche status in the long term. One format at least has a chance, and is now showing growth in all areas. Luckily, if Warner was planning such a dumb move, someone with some sense came to the rescue.

07-23-2008, 11:14 AM	#39
HarD-DVD High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 194	It's ok, the format war is still ongoing. I do not see a problem with continued HD_DVD support. There is still plenty of time for BD to lose with the new momentum of HD-DVD super upconversion.

07-23-2008, 11:45 AM	#44
ImRizzo My Death is a Rumor Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Formerly: Brooklyn, N.Y. and now, from Deep within the Bowels of Hell ... Age: 66 Posts: 9,375	....Sit back and enjoy....High Def....