Yesterday Warner Bros., the last "on the fence" studio, announced its decision to drop HD-DVD at the of end of May and focus on Blu-ray only. Fallout, as well as some crowing, and even some veiled threats, has begun.
First the HD-DVD Group issued a short, terse press release in response to the announcement. It didn't really say much, more of a rah-rah one-paragraph statement.
"While Warner's decision is a setback for HD DVD, the consumer has benefited from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability -- a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format. We believe widespread adoption of a next generation format will ultimately be determined by the consumer."
That may be true, but one of the reasons many people have stayed on the sidelines is not wanting to get stuck with another Betamax. This just pushes the decision further along, although as long as big studios continue to support HD-DVD (and Paramount had some big pics this year, such as Transformers) it won't die easily.
Of course, while that was rah-rah, what happened later was not. I received an email about the HD-DVD group's CES press conference / party planned for Sunday night. Cancelled. Whoops.
"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability--a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format."
Hmmm. The party's over, literally, I guess.
Toshiba, the "main man" behind HD-DVD, also issued a press release, expressing "disappointment" at Warner Bros. decision. Check out the "there are contracts in place" statement. Ooops. Also, notice the mirroring of the last paragraph with the email above.
Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD. As central members of the DVD Forum, we have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros. We worked closely together to help standardize the first-generation DVD format as well as to define and shape HD DVD as its next-generation successor.
We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007.
We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluate potential next steps. We remain firm in our belief that HD DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of the consumer.
That statement over "contracts" could be a sign of legal action. Certainly not as aggressive as the OLPC Foundation's statement about Intel yesterday, however.
Meaning the crowing from the other side of the aisle has begun, as the Blu-ray Group announced the "Best Booth of All-Time." Also known, in that same press release, as the "HOTTEST BOOTH" (caps theirs). Of course, it's not like their boasting or anything, right?
Obviously more to come, but where's a consumer look right now for hi-def? I still stay on the sidelines, personally. The Warner Bros. decision actually would make me lean toward Blu-ray, but Transformers alone makes me lean toward HD-DVD and Paramount. And let's not forget:
