And so is HD DVD. As noted here previously, the writing is on the wall. And today The Digital Bits have a further scoop:
We remain convinced that both Paramount and Universal are moving towards announcing Blu-ray Disc support soon, and we have real reason for that belief, not the least of which is that our sources in this situation are second to none - a fact which should be readily obvious by now. Announcements could happen tomorrow, they could happen next week, they could happen next month. We'd be surprised if it took longer than a month or two. We're hearing that Universal may not announce until February at the earliest, as we're given to understand that their contract period with the HD-DVD camp expires at the end of January. So everyone needs to just take a deep breath and relax. We know that's hard, given how fast things have been moving this past week. Rest assured, Paramount and Universal are going Blu, but sorting out all the legal details and organizing the logistics takes time. The Warner move was apparently well planned, but Paramount and Universal have only just started that process. They may or may not continue releasing HD-DVDs for a time - we'll have to wait and see. But retailers are now seriously pressuring these studios to go Blu, and we'd be surprised if many mainstream stores still have HD-DVD hardware and software on their shelves come next Christmas. I suspect that Paramount especially wants to be able to announce a few actual titles when they announce their Blu-ray support, and it takes time to get all that ready. Keep in mind that things have been extremely chaotic within the home video industry this week. So everyone just take a deep breath and try to calm down, while we wait for things to play out.
One other quick note: We've gotten a number of e-mails over the last couple of days in regards to our idea of the BDA offering HD-DVD fans some kind of incentive to go Blu. The reactions from HD-DVD fans ranged from, "What a good idea..." to "Thank you for suggesting it..." to "Screw YOU and the horse you road in on!" Conversely, some Blu-ray fans welcomed the idea, while others felt HD-DVD fans had rolled the dice and now they have to deal with it. It's all just another indication of how unfortunate this format war really has been, and how badly it's damaged the online enthusiast community. All you need to do is read any of the various online home theater discussion forums this morning to see just how much healing needs to happen right now. Fortunately, this format war is now virtually over... and not a moment too soon. The real shame is that it was prolonged by the HD-DVD camp six months longer than it should have been, the result of which is that thousands of people picked up HD-DVD players over the holidays and many of them are now pretty unhappy with that decision, and feel like they've been duped. You can bet there are a lot of HD-DVD players being returned to stores right now, and eBay is suddenly flush with them. No surprise.
It wont be long before Universal starts putting out Battlestar Galactica on Blu-ray disc.
4 comments:
I picked up a cheap a** HD-DVD player after xmas but I don´t feel the least bit cheated, I know bluray will win the war but the 300 ish bucks I spent on the player and some films I wanted are nothing to moan about.
Blu-Ray sucks and so does Sony. I hate them.
Digital Bits and the sites owner, Bill Hunt, make me sick. I used to frequent his site until he picked a format and taking every opportunity to aggravate HD-DVD backers. Also, screw warner bros for choosing sides and screw sony for always making their own proprietary format. There is a certain place in Hell for both of them. As much as I have enjoyed Galactica Sistrep and I love BG I may rethink visiting here if you keep shrilling for blueray and quoting Bill Hunt.
Blu-Ray != sony's format, they are the loudest in the group, nut not the owner.
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