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Warner Backs Blu-ray in Format War
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Warner Bros. pledges to release its material on Blu-ray high-definition DVDs, practically guaranteeing that the format will prevail over its competitor HD-DVD. But some argue that HD-DVD is the superior technology.
30-Second Summary
Blu-ray and HD-DVD have been fighting it out to see which will become the high-definition successor to the DVD. But now that Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. has agreed to distribute its content on Blu-ray discs, that battle may be over.
“We’ve been monitoring the situation with consumers for a while now and they have clearly made their choice,” Warner Bros. chief executive Barry M Meyer said of the studio’s decision.
The announcement is an important victory for Sony Corp., the leader of the Blu-ray group, especially since it lost a similar fight in the 1980s.
Time magazine writes that although the Japanese conglomerate “started a home-entertainment revolution” with its Betamax videocassette format, it eventually lost out to VHS.
However, Forbes writes that the growing popularity of movie downloading could make Blu-ray’s triumph short-lived.
“The day is coming when the stacks of plain vanilla DVDs that clutter many home entertainment centers will go the way of the CD collection,” Forbes states.
Don Lindich, technology columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, argues that
HD-DVD is actually the better product, so quality must not have been the deciding factor for Warner Bros.
“They wanted to bring the format war to a quick close by picking a side,” Lindich writes.
Despite the grim predictions for HD-DVD’s future, Toshiba America Consumer Products, the leading producer of HD-DVD players, remains optimistic. The company states in a press release that based on excellent fourth-quarter sales, it is “stepping up its successful marketing campaign.”
“We’ve been monitoring the situation with consumers for a while now and they have clearly made their choice,” Warner Bros. chief executive Barry M Meyer said of the studio’s decision.
The announcement is an important victory for Sony Corp., the leader of the Blu-ray group, especially since it lost a similar fight in the 1980s.
Time magazine writes that although the Japanese conglomerate “started a home-entertainment revolution” with its Betamax videocassette format, it eventually lost out to VHS.
However, Forbes writes that the growing popularity of movie downloading could make Blu-ray’s triumph short-lived.
“The day is coming when the stacks of plain vanilla DVDs that clutter many home entertainment centers will go the way of the CD collection,” Forbes states.
Don Lindich, technology columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, argues that
HD-DVD is actually the better product, so quality must not have been the deciding factor for Warner Bros.
“They wanted to bring the format war to a quick close by picking a side,” Lindich writes.
Despite the grim predictions for HD-DVD’s future, Toshiba America Consumer Products, the leading producer of HD-DVD players, remains optimistic. The company states in a press release that based on excellent fourth-quarter sales, it is “stepping up its successful marketing campaign.”
Headline Links: Warner tilts DVD war scales
The Economist reports that “Blu-ray's triumph seems almost inevitable” now that it is backed by Warner Bros. Blu-ray is now supported by a clear majority of Hollywood studios. According to the magazine, the decision will likely benefit the entire DVD industry. Analysts expect falling DVD sales to increase now that there is a single, dominant format for consumers to choose.
Source: The Economist
Warner Bros. Chief Executive Barry M. Meyer told The New York Times that the studio made its decision based on consumer preference. Blu-Ray was outselling HD-DVD by an estimated 2:1 ratio. One of the last studios still undecided, Warner Bros. sought to end the debate because “the window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger,” Meyer said.
Source: The New York Times
Reaction: Toshiba responds with new marketing
Toshiba responded to its alleged defeat with a press release touting the advantages of HD-DVD. One such advantage is that HD-DVD is significantly cheaper than Blu-ray. A spokesperson for Toshiba notes that price “is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer.” Toshiba said its marketing strategies will now include mail-in rebate promotions.
Source: PR Newswire
Background: 'Dispatches from the Format War: HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray'
When the “format wars” were just beginning, CNET collected information about both products in an effort explain the differences between the two technologies. CNET accurately predicted that “these formats will live and die based on the available content.” One year later, Blu-Ray is considered the victor thanks to Hollywood studio support.
Source: CNET News
Opinions & Analysis: What are the effects of Warner’s decision?
Analyst Robin Harris told Forbes that this was a “pyrrhic victory for Sony.” She predicts that since many high-definition DVD players will be able to play regular DVDs, not many users will be compelled to replace their collections. Furthermore, many predict that downloadable movies will make DVD collections obsolete.
Source: Forbes
Don Lindich, technology columnist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and HD-DVD advocate, mourns the outcome of what he suggests was a politically motivated decision. Because Blu-ray already had the majority of studios supporting it, if Warner Bros. had chosen HD-DVD, "studio support would be roughly equal," Lindich writes. However, by choosing Blu-ray, "studio support for Blu-ray would be lopsided and the war would end more quickly."
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Related Links: VHS vs. Betamax
In 1988, a similar battle drew to a close with VHS technology emerging as the clear victor over Sony’s Betamax. Time magazine compares the two products, and traces the path of Beta’s demise. According to the article, Beta's failure became most glaring “when consumers began to use the terms VHS and VCR interchangeably.”
Source: Time
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