filmlover

CelluloidKid, I ask you once more to please place this sort of listing in the Upcoming Releases thread, not in a thread by itself. Let's keep the boards organized. Also, the WB info you placed the other day in a separate thread had already been posted about a week or so ago in the Upcoming Releases thread.

Some news today from digitalbits.com which may already be known but shows the care that WB takes with the classics: Warner Bros. has Quo Vadis in the lab now and a 2008 release is planned, most likely in the fourth quarter. Raintree County is less certain as to timing as the studio is intent on releasing the road show version. To that end, it has involved dealing with a collector's print and marrying various portions to Warners' master. The studio continues to look for even better elements, so at this time it is impossible to gage the release date. A BD release for these titles cannot yet be confirmed, but it is Warners' intention to release as many special editions day and date SD and BD as possible. Both of these titles are examples of the imprecise timeline that bringing classic titles to market is subject to. Warners has tried to be candid about their release plans and sometimes it's been to the studio's detriment as classic enthusiasts get wedded to a specific release year or quarter that the studio has mentioned in a chat and then are upset when a particular title doesn't appear. Such changes are due to any number of things including legal issues, imprecise restoration and remastering timelines, element surprises/availability, market opportunities, and so on. Classic fans should be aware that the studio is intent in bringing the many classic titles that they are looking for to the market as quickly as it can and in a condition that fans will be happy with. Warners has also confirmed that they are working on This Is the Army right at this time. Quite a bit of work is needed, however, so release timing is not possible to tell at present.

mateo, there will be competition. Now the competition is between the different Blu player manufacturers for best price. Just like all the different manufacturers of DVD players now. And there will be competition on disc prices between studios to get discs out at the lowest price, like studios do with DVDs.

Hi, Vallo, What you read yesterday would have been the pre-conference possibilities. The post below is the official Toshiba press release for the press conference that took place today (Monday) at 12 AM PST (5 PM Tokyo time). As for upconverting, that can look good but it won't match actual high definition. For example, on a classic like The Searchers, the standard DVD looks excellent but when you compare it side by side (like I have done) to the Blu-ray high def disc, there is no comparison. The details and depth on the Blu-ray are superb. Watching on my Sony 46XBR4, I feel like I am actually there in person watching it being filmed, it is that incredible. Another possibility to the Playstation 3 is the Panasonic DMP-BD30K which has 1.1 profile (which includes PiP). filmlover Message was edited by: filmlover

New consumers who were wanting to get into high definition no longer have to hold off for fear of picking up the format that would lose (remember VHS vs. Betamax?). Blu-ray is the winner!. HD DVD is through. Here is the official release from Toshiba from this morning announcing their withdrawing HD DVD: .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...51&newsLang=en TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products. HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress. ?We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,? said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.? Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies. Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand. This decision will not impact on Toshiba?s commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries. Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD. _________________________________________

Normally, I would have posted this only in the classic DVD reviews section of the TCM Forum, but it is newsworthy and it now gets the studios behind one high definition player and disc only, Blu-ray. New consumers who were wanting to get into high definition no longer have to hold off for fear of picking up the format that would lose (remember VHS vs. Betamax?). Blu-ray is the winner!. Here is the official release from Toshiba from this morning announcing their withdrawing HD DVD: .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.businesswire.com/portal/s...51&newsLang=en TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products. HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress. ?We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,? said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.? Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies. Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand. This decision will not impact on Toshiba?s commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries. Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD. _________________________________________

Reminder: Please post within individual threads that were set up when this Forum was created. We are getting so many threads being started for so many things that could all be in one place that it makes it hard to find anything. Individual threads were created at the very beginning of the Forum and still exist here. There is a thread dedicated to Upcoming Releases. Please post your info in there if ytou have something to share with the rest. A good idea id to check to see if someone already has listed the info before you do. There is a thread for Special Sales. There are individual threads for reviewing classic DVDs broken down into genres (Western, War, Horror, etc.) where you can post your reviews. This keeps the Classic Film DVD Reviews Forum a much neater place and better organzized.. Thanks.

Reminder: Please post special sales information in this thread and not in individual new threads. Having it all here in one place makes it easier to find, rather than going through thread after thread. It also keeps the Classic Film DVD Reviews Forum a much neater place. Thanks.

Reminder: Please post upcoming release information in this thread and not in individual new threads. Having it all here in one place makes it easier to find, rather than going through thread after thread. It also keeps the Classic Film DVD Reviews Forum a much neater place. Thanks.

Celluloid, this information was posted a few days ago in the Upcoming Releases thread. This gives me a chance to ask you to post your info about new releases in the Upcoming Releases thread and not create new threads for everything. Same with special sales has a thread. As do individual reviews of DVD releases in their individual categories (Horror, War, Comedy, etc.). I was the one who requested the Classic Film DVD Reviews Forum be created and I originated most of the threads here. I wanted it to be a neat layout where people could find info easily. Unfortunately, by doing a new thread for each special title release or upcoming news item, it truly makes a mess of this Forum. You are very welcome here, but please put your info in the appropriate threads. Thanks. (It will also give you a chance to see if someone has already listed your info.)

Hi, Miss G, the info about the WB announcement of releases in Blu and standard is a little further down this page (Blu will also have An American in Paris and Gigi sometime this year).

chinaseas, in a followup at digitalbits.com. they mention that thiis is just the to of the ieberg, that Warner plans about 50 films to celebrate its 85th anniversary. I am overjoyed they are releasing a number of the classics on Blu-ray, too. Among them: An American in Paris, How the West Was Won, Gigi, and , not previously mentioned, Ben-Hur on Blu-ray. Previously on HD DVD but now coming to Blu will be Mutiny on the Bounty, Forbidden Planet, Casablanca, and the first probably will be Adventures of Robin Hood.

Hey, it's Wednesday morning and I got a special bits of news for my birthday today...the new Warner Bros. release info. (Now, some of this we already know, but there is some good stuff in here, so be kind and remember it is my birthday) ****************** from Digitalbits.com: The planned 2008 slate itself is broken up into NINE different promotions: Oscars, Gangsters, Sinatra, Dirty Harry, 85 Years of Superheroes, Westerns, Musicals, Horror and Holiday. Warner revealed that Best Buy and Amazon.com are set to be the studio's official retail partners for these promotions. Starting in the 1st Quarter, the Oscar and Gangster promotions will include the Bonnie and Clyde: Ultimate Collector's Edition (available on DVD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD) and the Bonnie and Clyde: Special Edition, along with such titles as the Goodfellas: Special Edition, the Heat: Special Edition, the Once Upon a Time in America: Special Edition, the Departed, the True Romance: Special Edition, the Film Noir Classics Collection: Volumes 1-4, the Warner Bros. Tough Guys Collection, the Warner Gangsters Collection (featuring titles like Public Enemy, Little Caesar, etc) and more. The Sinatra and Dirty Harry promotions will debut in the 2nd Quarter. Sinatra will include the Sinatra mini-series, along with the four box sets we mentioned yesterday (The Early Years, The Golden Years, the Sinatra & Kelly Collection and the Rat Pack: Ultimate Collector's Edition - the Rat Pack: UCE will include "first-run" stamps, a music CD and other rare collectibles). The Dirty Harry promotion will include the Dirty Harry: 2-Disc Special Edition, the Magnum Force: Deluxe Edition, The Enforcer: Deluxe Edition, the Sudden Impact: Deluxe Edition and the Dead Pool: Deluxe Edition. All five films will also be included in a Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collector's Edition box set (available in DVD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD), which will also feature the Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows bonus disc. The 3rd Quarter will offer Superhero fans something exciting: a Batman Begins: Limited Collector's Edition Gift Set on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, as well as a Batman Anthology box set of all the feature film titles on Blu-ray Disc. These are obviously timed to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of The Dark Knight. Additional superhero releases are TBA. The 3rd Quarter will also offer several Western releases, including a How the West Was Won: Ultimate Collector's Edition and a How the West Was Won: Special Edition, along with such titles as The Searchers, The Wild Bunch, The Cowboys, an Errol Flynn Westerns Collection and a Western Classics Collection. Finally, the 3rd Quarter will see a Music promotion featuring new special editions of An American in Paris and Gigi, as well the debut of the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 box set, featuring Hit the Deck, Kismet, Deep in My Heart, Broadway Melody of 1936/Broadway Melody of 1938, Born to Dance/Lady Be Good and Nancy Goes to Rio/Two Weeks with Love. Rounding out 2008, the 4th Quarter will see the debut of a new DVD Horror collection with titles featuring Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and others, as well as more horror releases from Val Lewton and Joel Silver's Dark Castle label, re-promotion of Kubrick's The Shining and a number of new Raw Feed direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray titles, including Otis: Uncut. The 4th Quarter will also see a Warner Bros. Holiday Collection and A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector's Edition. As part of the year's overall slate, more than 50 new-to-DVD feature films will be restored and released from the Warner catalog alone, including such titles as All This and Heaven Too, The Beast with Five Fingers, Black Legion, Brother Orchid, Deception, Flamingo Road, Gold Diggers of 1937, Inside Daisy Clover, Kid Galahad, Lady Killer, The Mayor of Hell, Night Nurse, None But the Brave, Pete Kelly's Blues, San Antonio, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Three on a March, Virginia City and Watch on the Rhine. Other titles set to be given special edition treatment this year are Cool Hand Luke, Gypsy, Risky Business, Splendor in the Grass and others yet to be announced. Additional thematic box sets will be drawn from Warner's classic MGM and RKO collections. It was also revealed that a collection of Natalie Woods titles is in the works. Several special events will be held throughout the course of the year, including an August 31st Warner Big Picture night at the Hollywood Bowl, celebrating the studio's musical legacy. The highlight of the year's events will be the broadcast and DVD release of Richard Schickel's 5-part documentary series You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story on the history of the studio, narrated by Clint Eastwood. The broadcast version will debut in September, as part of PBS's American Masters series, and a 550-page companion book (by Schickel and The Times of London film critic George Perry) will be released as well. As part of last night's event, Schickel gave the media a 10-minute sneak peek at a portion of his documentary series examining Warner films in the context of World War II. The studio also revealed during the event that last year's Blade Runner: Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition and Harry Potter: Years 1-5 - Limited Edition Collection were tremendously successful releases, generating more than $20 million in combined sales in the 45-day holiday period alone. In terms of new titles in the year ahead, you can obviously look forward to the DVD and Blu-ray debut of such theatrical release films as The Dark Knight, Speed Racer, Get Smart, Where the Wild Things Are, 10,000 B.C. and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price, later in 2008 and early 2009. Finally, studio reps revealed that 4 major catalog titles (The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Woodstock and North by Northwest) are all soon going on moratorium. The good news is, each will reappear in 2009 in day-and-date DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases, complete with stunning new high-definition restorations to celebrate their own individual anniversaries."

I probably won't be able to get to mine until the end of the month or in the first week of March.

Hi, Lynn, Sorry for the late post but been busy. Of course, you can count me in like Flynn. filmlover

Another excellent schedule. Some of the things I am looking forward to seeing after a number of years: Moulin Rouge, Enter Laughing, Men Are Such Fools, Tight Spot, and Intermezzo. Some interesting obscure films, among them I Love a Bandleader with Phil Harris and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone with two of my favorites, Marjorie Main and James Whitmore. I don't think I have seen the Leslie Caron Private Screenings, so that will be fun. And a new special on Gene Wilder. Add to that, the Abel Gance special and films!

Looks like Kenneth's post is breaking up with pixels, too. : )

I'm hesitant with oldies.com now. On the 31st, I placed an order for about a dozen titles just before midnight to take advantage of their 10% holiday special. The following morning, January 1, I thought about it and decided to hold off on the order so I cancelled it online and got a confirmation notice that day. About a week ago, I got a package from them containng the whole order and it was charged to my credit card. I looked at the invoice and it was dated January 3rd, so even with the holiday being the day I cancelled it, they still had 2 days to make sure the order didn't go out. But it did. I called them and they said I could send it back, but I decided to keep the items. Still, it bothers me that I had an email confirmation of the cancellation but they still sent it and said they didn't have anything on their records showing the cancellation request that I was looking at onscreen while talking to them.

Hi, dsclassic, It should be noted that the Sleuth being issued is not the Laurence Olivier/Michael Caine version. It is the newer Jude Law/Michael Caine version.

Somewhere in Time and Field of Dreams (I love the baseball in America speech but what really chokes me up is the moment when Ray asks for a game of catch at the end (you would have to see it to understand why it is so poignant. I don't want to give it away)).

I liked her when she was on. And I think she has the most important thing we should be looking for in a new Essentials host: she's cute.

Johnny Grant has been known as the unofficial mayor of Hollywood. ******************* From the L.A. Times: Johnny Grant, who visited Hollywood in 1943 as a star-struck serviceman and returned to carve out a niche first as a radio and television personality and then as its honorary mayor and foremost booster, died Wednesday at the age of 84. Grant appeared to have died of natural causes, authorities said. Shortly before 7 p.m., an associate found him unconscious in the penthouse of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where Grant made his home. City paramedics declared him dead at the scene, police said. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Leron Gubler said Grant was getting over a back fracture, but otherwise was active and in good spirits. "It's a shock to all of us," Gubler said. "His health had been up and down the past year or two, but nobody expected this." In a seven-decade career, Grant hosted an early television game show, covered Hollywood on radio and TV, worked as a disc jockey, and acted in movies and on the small screen. But it was as Tinseltown cheerleader that he became a celebrity himself. Grant hosted hundreds of Walk of Fame inductions, being photographed alongside a succession of stars as their names were immortalized on the sidewalks of Hollywood. He had produced the now-defunct Hollywood Christmas Parade since 1987 and, like his friend Bob Hope, took Hollywood to the troops, emceeing shows in Guantanamo Bay, South Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon and Bosnia. In November, he made his 60th trip overseas to entertain troops. "He had a great time," Gubler said. "Helping people, that's what he thrived on." He seemed always to remember that millions of people were in awe of the name Hollywood, just as he was as a boy growing up in Goldsboro, N.C. "It's a magic word all over the world," he told Times columnist Jack Smith in 1987, the town's centennial year. Grant sought to preserve that magical image long after most of the stars and studios had moved elsewhere and the streets became the haunt of prostitutes, addicts and the homeless. His prescription was always the same: put on a show. In 1980, when he took over as Walk of Fame chairman, "you couldn't get anyone to come to Hollywood Boulevard," he told a reporter in 1997. "So I said, 'Why don't we really put on a big show when we have a Walk of Fame ceremony.' We had planes fly over, bands, etc." His Hollywood's Welcome Home Desert Storm Parade in 1991 for troops who fought in the Persian Gulf War was a rolling, marching, flying extravaganza of military personnel and equipment that starred a Patriot missile. Grant reported attendance at 1 million, the same figure that he gave year after year for the Hollywood Christmas Parade. When a Times reporter applied a formula used by the U.S. Park Service to estimate crowds and informed Grant that no more than 500,000 people could fit along the Desert Storm parade route, he admitted his exaggeration. "You know Hollywood," he said. "It's hype." Some criticized Grant for his P.T. Barnum tendency. Times columnist Patt Morrison called him "orotund" and compared him to "a type that once peopled the L.A. landscape from the real estate land rush into the 1960s." But others admired the frankness that accompanied his glad-handing style. "That's what's refreshing about him," Larry Kaplan, former executive director of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, once said. "He doesn't portray himself more seriously than he is." Grant's own star is in the walk's choicest location -- outside Mann's Chinese Theatre. The master of self-promotion organized the ceremony and said its extravagance landed him the job as Walk of Fame chairman. His handprints and footprints were added to the theater's famed courtyard in a 1997 ceremony that included a flyover by World War II-era planes. Grant arrived in a rickshaw accompanied by a police motorcycle escort, a marching band and two hook-and-ladder firetrucks, their ladders raised to form an archway. Grant was short in stature, with a deep voice that helped him land his first show business job -- working as a radio announcer in his hometown after high school graduation. He was fond of saying that he never worried about his height after seeing Mickey Rooney in "Boys Town" and resolving, "if that little squirt can make it, so can I." Rooney, incidentally, was on hand for Grant's Walk of Fame induction. After World War II service in the Army Air Forces -- he hosted a radio show for the troops and did advance work for bandleader Glenn Miller's troupe -- Grant worked as a radio reporter in New York. It was there, in 1946, that he hosted a TV game show called "Stop the Clock." But he soon returned to Hollywood, making good on his vow that "I was going to be a part of it somehow." Most of Grant's on-air work was for Gene Autry, who owned KTLA-TV and KMPC-AM. The two had met during the war. Grant hosted a celebrity interview show and reported Hollywood news on KTLA, and was the disc jockey on KMPC's long-running "Freeway Club" program. He served as KTLA's director of public affairs from 1971 to 1992. The two men's association lasted 42 years, and it is no coincidence that Autry has five stars on the Walk of Fame, more than anyone else. The mayor of Hollywood loved being before an audience. When a restaurant co-owned by Jack Klugman created a pizza in Grant's honor, the main ingredient was ham. Grant estimated that he had been master of ceremonies at more than 5,000 events, ranging from Walk of Fame inductions to charity soirees to adopt-a-pet promotions to 20 Stop Arthritis telethons. In 1976, Grant produced and emceed Operation Understanding, where he and 51 other well-known people disclosed their alcoholism. Grant and co-hosts Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra put on what is believed to have been the first telethon, which raised funds in 1952 for the U.S. Olympic team. Over the years he befriended many political leaders, most of them Republicans. Grant hosted events for every GOP president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George H.W. Bush. During his career Grant received two Emmys and the Academy of Television Arts and Science's Governors Award. His acting roles, usually as a reporter, disc jockey or TV host, included the films "White Christmas," "The Babe Ruth Story" and "The Oscar." He appeared on TV's "The Lucy Show," among others. Grant never married and had no children. It was the Hollywood chamber that, in 1980, named him "mayor for life." Grant enjoyed saying that it was "the best job in town," and that he wanted his ashes strewn under the Hollywood Sign. *****************

First off, I don't see what Warner Bros. did as an outrage. What most people don't know here, probably, is that there is a format war with regards to high definition video players and discs. It comes down to two systems, Blu-ray and HD-DVD (remember the days of the VHS vs. Betamax war?). The battle has been going on for over a year and consumers who have not bought into one format are afraid they will pick the one that will be obsolete. And that means that high def players are not being adopted as well as they should be. The format wars also consisted of studios squaring off against each other. On the Blu-ray side, there was Disney, Sony, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, and maybe one or two others I can't recall at the moment. On the HD DVD side, there was Universal. For awhile, Paramount offered products to both sides. Warner Bros. did likewise. Paramount and DreamWorks sold out for $150 million to go HD DVD exclusively. (Verified by Viacom executives (Viacom owns Paramount) in a NY Times article.) Warners was the last holdout and continued to be neutral. Meanewhile, the wars continued, not just between the formats but also between the fans of each system (reading the forums, if the fans had guns, it would be a bloody battlefield). Towards the last quarter of 2007, realizing that the format war was stopping new consumers from getting into the high def market, which the industry definitely needs them to do, Warner Bros. made public announcements that it was likely to choose one format over another, and were looking at a number of things including sales. Sales figures for all of 2007 favored Blu-ray with twice as many discs sold. Last Friday, a few days before the consumer electronics show in Vegas was to begin, Warner Bros. announced their decision. They were going exclusively Blu-ray. In addition to superior numbers in disc sales (every single month had Blu-ray winning by a substantial amount), it was the only logical step for them to bring the format war to a close. If they had gone HD DVD, it would only have split the studios evenly between the two formats and the war would have gone on and on.. Remember, you would have to buy two different machines or a combination player to play both both formats. However, by going Blu-ray, they basically brought the war to an end. Blu-ray now has 70% of high def output on their side. HD DVD is left with Paramount (who have an 18-month contract to support HD DVD), DreamWorks (same deal), and Universal. And, unfortunately, with HD DVD fans who feel betrayed by Warner Bros. but who would have felt no regret for Blu-ray supporters if the decision had gone the other way. Warner performed no outrage. Supporting two formats was costly, mistakes would happen, and the most important thing, the high defnition format was not being adopted by a mass audience, which could spell the end for both formats if not resolved as soon as possible. From the official Warner Bros. release about the matter: ""The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers. ....A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry...Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience." When Paramount Studios decided to go with HD DVD, they completely cut off making any Blu-ray discs they had already taken advance orders from retailers on. They also told retailers to ship back to them new Blu-ray releases that had just gone out. Warner Bros., on the other hand, says they will produce in both formats until May of 2008 to ease the transition period for HD DVD fans and to fulfill their contracts. Since the announcement, HBO and New Line have also said they will go Blu-ray, but this is not unexpected because of their connection to Warner Bros. The BDA group (Blu-ray) is even looking at possible ways whereby they can help HD DVD (Toshiba) purchasers make the transition to Blu-ray a little easier. Some options that they are considering are discounts to Blu-ray players or swapping Blu-ray discs for the same title they have on HD DVD. In the meantime, Blu-ray fans and even many HD DVD supporters know the battle is useless and the war is over. HD DVD buyers are switching to Blu-ray, but still some hold out. Those that are switching join Blu-ray fans in asking Paramount, DreamWorks, and Universal to end the war and go Blu-ray. Paramount has stated recently they support HD DVD still, but it has been reported there is an out-clause in their contract with Toshiba that says if Warner were to go exclusively Blu-ray (which it did), they could switch (and return a portion of the money, I guess). Rumors are that both Paramount and DreamWorks are thinking about it. The one definite unknown is Universal, saying only "No comment" to questions of going Blu-ray or supporting HD DVD further. Again, insiders in the industry are stating that Universal is contemplating going Blu-ray. This only makes sense because to stay under HD DVD is a losing proposition. Comparing sales on Amazon for the top 100 Blu-ray discs vs. the top 100 HD DVD discs shows that since Friday HD DVD has plunged from about 800th place straight down to about 2,000th place on their sales chart for overall DVD sales (this includes standard DVDs and high def discs). Blu-ray's top 100 stays in the top 500 of all DVDs sold. There has been much coverage of this in the media. Reports are that the Blu-ray exhibit at the CES convention in Vegas is packing people in, while the HD DVD exhibit is practically a ghost town. The CES show has also had many DVD player manufacturers coming in with a whole slew of Blu-ray players and no new HD DVD players, except a combo player or two. eBay has had a sudden rush of people selling their HD DVD players. And reports say that people are returning HD DVD players they got or bought for Christmas to stores. Toshiba says that retailers are supportive of HD DVD still, but other reports state differently: Target: "Until it settles completely I think we're going to continue to see consumers sitting on the sidelines." Wal-Mart: "It would be our hope that by this Christmas there would be a clearer choice for the customer, instead of battling back and forth." But with Warner Bros. getting behind Blu-ray, and hopefully ending the format war, the retailers say: Circuit City: the decision makes it "a lot easier to see the likelihood that we get to one format, and it makes it easier for us as retailers to help push it to that one format." Wal-Mart: "If we were able to have one united message and say: 'Here's high definition TV, here's a high definition DVD, here's the medium to play on it,' it's a much cleaner story to customers that the industry can push, that every retailer can push and the customer goes, 'OK I get it."' Anyway, that is the whole thing in a nutshell. I support studios going Blu-ray, end the war, and start promoting it to the mass consumer. High def discs are woinderful. You may never be able to go back to the look of standard DVDs entirely (and don't worry, high def players can play your standard DVDs and upconvert them to look almost high def, too.).

Wait a minute, you mean if we have an apocalypse, we won't have any TCM? Shoot, somebody better tell Washington about that.

I've been reading all the hi-def forums about this all afternoon. This is great news. (Well, lol, except for those with HD DVD.) I think that once HD DVD gives up, then high-def discs can really get going since there will only be one format, no consumer confusion or hesitation about the format war, and all the studios will win.