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Studio executives argue merits of hi-def formats on Wall Street

19 September 2007 7:02 by Rich "vurbal" Fiscus | 20 comments

Studio executives argue merits of hi-def formats on Wall Street Contreversial News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch commented on Paramount's decision to support HD DVD exclusively after previously offering both HD DVD and Blu-ray releases, saying "Paramount switched out the other day. God knows why." However, he followed that by saying he did actually know why, and that it was because Paramount and Dreamworks SKG were paid a total of $150 million.

Entertainment industry executives representing studios backing each format were at the New York investor conference. While Disney CEO Robert Iger said "We haven't taken any money (to choose Blu-ray) because we think it's far and away the best business," Viacom's Philippe Dauman defended Paramount's decision, saying it makes more sense financially to back a single format, and HD DVD's lower priced players were behind the decision. He wouldn't comment on allegations of a payoff from HD DVD backers.

Later in the day Richard Parsons, CEO of Time Warner, explained his company's decision to support both formats by saying "The consumer doesn't care about the format." He says Warner is simply interested in reaching customers, and he doesn't believe it's clear which format will win.

Iger disagrees, saying "The public is going to want Blu-ray. The public can tell the difference."

Sources:
Forbes
Variety

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  • Toshiba HD DVD players to sport new HDi logo (20 September 2007)
  • UK analysts predict no end in hi-def format war in sight (17 September 2007)
  • Warner still not picking a side in the hi-def format war (12 September 2007)
  • HD DVD vendors drop prices in Europe (1 September 2007)
  • Industry analyst still predicts Blu-ray win in format war (23 August 2007)
  • Paramount picks HD DVD in format war - again (20 August 2007)
  • Analysts doubt outcome to hi-def format war this year (14 August 2007)
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    nobrainer (Inactive) 19 September 2007 7:44 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    Iger disagrees, saying "The public is going to want Blu-ray. The public can tell the difference."
    what exactly does that mean, other than the price the picyure quality is exactly the same, well unless you are purchasing a blu-ray that is still encoded in the inferior mpeg2 codec as most of sony's releases are!

    Quote:
    http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=7

    Black Hawk Down (Blu-ray)

    Sony Pictures | 2001 | 144 mins | Rated R | Nov 14, 2006


    Video

    Video codec: MPEG-2
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

    Audio

    English: PCM 5.1
    English: Dolby Digital 5.1
    French: Dolby Digital 5.1


    http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=351

    A Few Good Men (Blu-ray)

    Sony Pictures | 1992 | 138 mins | Rated R | Sep 18, 2007

    Video

    Video codec: MPEG-2
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

    Audio

    English: PCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
    English: Dolby Digital 5.1
    German: PCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
    German: Dolby Digital 5.1
    French: Dolby Digital 5.1


    http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=116

    50 First Dates (Blu-ray)

    Sony Pictures | 2004 | 99 mins | Rated PG-13 | Jun 20, 2006

    Video

    Video codec: MPEG-2
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

    Audio

    English: PCM 5.1
    English: Dolby Digital 5.1
    French: Dolby Digital 5.1

    http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=464

    Arlington Road (Blu-ray)

    Sony Pictures | 1999 | 118 mins | Rated R | Aug 07, 2007

    Video

    Video codec: MPEG-2
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

    Audio

    English: PCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
    English: Dolby Digital 5.1
    French: Dolby Digital 5.1
    i'm sure you get the point, look through the releases and you will see that over 80% of the sony blu-ray's are in mpeg2 not mpeg4 or vc1, which are both far superior, so i guess yet the public can tell the difference!

    Track What Companies Have Edited Wiki http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/ (very heavy load atm)

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19 September 2007 7:51

    hughjars (Inactive) 19 September 2007 8:30 Send private message to this user   
    Well there you go, if Rupert Murdock is backing Blu-ray you can be sure it's worth steering well clear of.

    Blu-ray is a vehicle for new layers of DRM (which HD DVD does not have btw) from the people who brought you covert illegal 'root kits'.....God only knows what they have in store if Blu-ray were (God forbid) to actually 'win' this so-called 'format war'.
    No wonder the likes of Murdock want it to succeed.

    The Blu-ray side have done nothing but lie and twist this whole thing.....they claim the public can tell the difference?

    Yeah of course they can, when informed & given the chance to.

    Blu-ray is far more expensive than HD DVD
    (the entry level HD DVD player is currently $210 and soon to fall to $149.....the entry level Blu-ray player - PS3 or Sony S300 - is the cost of a high-end Toshiba HD XA2 HD DVD player).

    HD DVD is often the superior of the 2, by some way in both image & audio quality and
    HD DVD also offer the largest amount of available content, exclusive content and potential content.

    The majority of Blu-ray releases are on 25gb Blu-ray discs and done using the ancient MPEG2 codec.

    184 BD25 - 125 BD50.
    152 MPEG2 v 83 AVC v 77 VC-1

    http://www.blu-raystats.com/index.php

    (note this figures have yet to be updated to remove Viacom/Paramount)

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19 September 2007 8:37

    plutonash (Member) 19 September 2007 9:09 Send private message to this user   
    Rupert Murdoch is one of the most hated persons alive. Score one for HD-DVD
    DVDdoug (Junior Member) 19 September 2007 10:25 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    ...well unless you are purchasing a blu-ray that is still encoded in the inferior mpeg2 codec... sony blu-ray's are in mpeg2 not mpeg4 or vc1, which are both far superior...
    I believe this is true only at low bitrates. Clearly, a 1000kbps MPEG-4 can be better than a 1000kbps MPEG-2. But, with a high-capacity disc there is no reason to use an excessive amount of compression. Of course, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD MPEG-2 uses higher bitrates (and higher resolution) than SD MPEG-2.

    In fact, most MPEG-4s (i.e. downloads) are less than DVD-quality. This is because a downloaded MPEG-4 is around 1000 kbps, compared to a commercial DVD at around 5000kbps. (And the download was probably re-coded from a DVD.) The point is, that the picture quality of MPEG-2 is not always inferior to MPEG-4, VC1, H.264, or any of the other more advanced codecs. There are too many other factors!

    With less compression (lower bitrates and bigger files) the actual compression scheme becomes less important.

    The whole idea behind Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is to use more data (higher resolution & higher bitrate) and less compression.

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19 September 2007 10:42

    wolf123 (Member) 19 September 2007 10:29 Send private message to this user   
    So you people would rather see HD-DVD then BD disk "Win".

    O if HD does win that means that PS3 is doomed not that it is already but still it is doomed more.



    Well this what I say we all just buy regular dvd for a few more years and then when they drop prices of hd disk that are 25 dollars for 1 or 2 disk.

    Not even worth the effort right now.


    Whats the point till everyone has too switch too hd sets anyway won't make one bit of difference.

    until someone comes up with a way too countermand DVD ripping then who cares.

    I think I will wait till the new generation come out that will hold 200gig.
    DVDdoug (Junior Member) 19 September 2007 10:39 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by plutonash:
    Rupert Murdoch is one of the most hated persons alive. Score one for HD-DVD
    ...And, one of the most successful persons alive! I don't recommend betting against someone just because you dislike him/her... Of course, you don't loose anything by rooting against him!
    nobrainer (Inactive) 19 September 2007 10:49 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by DVDdoug:
    Originally posted by plutonash:
    Rupert Murdoch is one of the most hated persons alive. Score one for HD-DVD
    ...And, one of the most successful persons alive! I don't recommend betting against someone just because you dislike him/her... Of course, you don't loose anything by rooting against him!
    with all the questionable recent accounts of the american neo-con government and Mr Murdoch's involvement, i think his influence is starting to slip!

    http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST10757920070915

    Quote:
    TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is in talks to sell its production facilities for advanced microchips used in its PlayStation 3 game console to Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research), sources close to the matter said.
    this sale if true does not bode well for the blu-ray or ps3.

    re: format war. neither format will win as there will be a new, better and cheaper format in 3 or so years when ppl are ready for the switch!

    Track What Companies Have Edited Wiki http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/ (very heavy load atm)

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19 September 2007 10:50

    DVDdoug (Junior Member) 19 September 2007 10:50 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    O if HD does win that means that PS3 is doomed not that it is already but still it is doomed more.
    By the time there is a "winner", and one of these formats is dead (if ever)it will probably be a PS4 or PS5!
    nobrainer (Inactive) 19 September 2007 11:01 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by DVDdoug :
    Quote:
    O if HD does win that means that PS3 is doomed not that it is already but still it is doomed more.
    By the time there is a "winner", and one of these formats is dead (if ever)it will probably be a PS4 or PS5!
    sorry for the long read.


    http://www.hdgamenews.com/2007/09/playst...ly-exiting.html

    Originally posted by link:
    Playstation 4: Is Sony quietly exiting the console race?
    Wednesday
    Sony may be ever so quietly exiting the console race according to some recently released financial data. ( Raw financial data often more than not is a primary indicator, long before mainstream media gets the news, of a company's projected road map. )

    According to recent reports TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sony Corp. (6758.TO) shares have fallen 26% since hitting a year-to-date high in late May, as investors have become wary of the company's inward-looking business stance, The Nikkei Financial Daily reported in its Wednesday edition.

    Sony's stock ended lower Tuesday, with reports that it plans to sell a
    cutting-edge chipmaking facility to Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) as early as next spring failing to impress investors.

    According to news reports, Sony plans to sell manufacturing lines that make the Cell processor to Toshiba for slightly less than Y100 billion. The move follows Sony's announcement last year that it intends to reduce spending on the next-generation chip to succeed the Cell, which is used in Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation 3 video game console. Under a strategy of selectively consolidating its semiconductor operations,Sony plans to beef up its image sensor business while jettisoning the Cell.

    "All we've heard from Sony recently are plans to quit something," said Eiichi Katayama, an analyst at Nomura Securities Co. "The company hasn't presented us with any new growth strategies."

    What does all this mean in English?

    It means that Sony for some reason or another will be selling the manufacturing lines that make the cell chip. However the biggest nugget of information to take away from this post is that Sony is now reducing its spending on the "next generation chip that will succeed the Cell presumably for Playstation 4. With the added competition that Sony now has in Microsoft and Nintendo, the last thing in world Sony would want to do is be technologically behind it competitors on the next hardware cycle unless planning to bow out of the hardware race.

    Sony may be looking to pull a Sega and go multi-platform software only.

    Is this the first signs that the Playstation Brand is on its way out? Only time will tell for sure.
    BIGnewb (Inactive) 19 September 2007 11:22 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by wolf123:
    So you people would rather see HD-DVD then BD disk "Win".

    O if HD does win that means that PS3 is doomed not that it is already but still it is doomed more.



    Well this what I say we all just buy regular dvd for a few more years and then when they drop prices of hd disk that are 25 dollars for 1 or 2 disk.

    Not even worth the effort right now.


    Whats the point till everyone has too switch too hd sets anyway won't make one bit of difference.

    until someone comes up with a way too countermand DVD ripping then who cares.

    I think I will wait till the new generation come out that will hold 200gig.
    not really.blu-ray is just integrated but games will continue to be produced on blu-ray unlike dual layer dvds.but hd-dvd or blu-ray is a tough decision.dont forget that another format came out vmd i think so the outcome isnt even close.blu-ray's specs are better but hd dvd is nicely priced and vmd well i dont know crap about it.so it looks like there wont be an outcome anytime soon so no need to even make predictions.
    morguex (Inactive) 19 September 2007 12:15 Send private message to this user   
    Rupert Murdoch is a Neoconservative and a Bush supporter-enough said.
    Too much money makes a person evil, souless and blind to the truth.

    Peace all
    nobrainer (Inactive) 19 September 2007 13:03 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by BIGnewb :

    not really.blu-ray is just integrated but games will continue to be produced on blu-ray unlike dual layer dvds.but hd-dvd or blu-ray is a tough decision.dont forget that another format came out vmd i think so the outcome isnt even close.blu-ray's specs are better but hd dvd is nicely priced and vmd well i dont know crap about it.so it looks like there wont be an outcome anytime soon so no need to even make predictions.
    Other than the capacity, what's the better spec exactly?

    btw blu-ray BD+ DRM, is not a benefit to the consumer, its anti consumer lockdown and surveillance on usage, so please don't count this as "better spec"!

    as a foot note fox media(R Murdoch) was holding off the hd-def format until this drm was implemented on blu-ray discs.

    limitless power given to studios in the name of copywrite is not a good thing!

    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...rtifies-bd.html
    Originally posted by ars link:
    More worrying than a resolution of the high-definition format wars, however, is what studios might want to do with the additional powers that BD+ provides them. The ability to run any sort of code in the name of "advanced countermeasures" also brings the power to limit content by other means: timed-release and expiring discs are just some of the possibilities. Somewhere, the ghost of the original DiVX may be laughing.
    then you have companies like Cryptography Research Inc working on blu-ray bd+ and we know that they are just out to screw over the consumers don't we!

    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...cartridges.html

    Originally posted by ars link:
    The razor blade magnate King C. Gillette was alleged to have said that he would give away the razors for free if he was guaranteed to sell replacement blades. Manufacturers of inkjet printers have been operating on this model for many years now, selling printers at very low cost while raking in profits on the sale of replacement cartridges, some of which cost nearly as much as the printer itself. Now San Francisco-based Cryptography Research Inc. (CRI) is developing chip technology that can be included in inkjet printers to prevent owners from using third-party ink cartridges.


    Track What Companies Have Edited Wiki http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/ (very heavy load atm)

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19 September 2007 13:17

    NexGen76 (Member) 19 September 2007 15:03 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by DVDdoug:
    The point is, that the picture quality of MPEG-2 is not always inferior to MPEG-4, VC1, H.264, or any of the other more advanced codecs. There are too many other factors!
    Thanks DVDdoug people here really need to stop commenting on stuff they really don't have a clue about there are MPEG-2 codec's that have look far better than some movie's using VC1.There are to many deciding factors to the reason why some codec's looked better than the other.I see the HD-DVD mouth piece are spreading more Fud as always.If Mpeg-2 is truly inferior to the other codec's i would like to see some proof?????

    Crank (Blu-ray)Video Resolution/Codec

    * 1080p/MPEG-2
    HD Video Quality 4.5 out of 5 so were is this myth that Mpeg-2 codec's is inferior?

    http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/crank.html

    Crank got high reviews on PQ & audio & still is one of the top Blu-Ray movie on the market that has better PQ & audio than a lot of other HD formated movie's.


    Originally posted by hughjars:
    Blu-ray is far more expensive than HD DVD
    (the entry level HD DVD player is currently $210 and soon to fall to $149.....the entry level Blu-ray player - PS3 or Sony S300 - is the cost of a high-end Toshiba HD XA2 HD DVD player).
    Buyer beware the entry level HD-DVD HD-A2 player your talking about isn't full HD compatible.Also coming with HDMI 1.2 which is pretty much out dated.Also no multichannel analog outputs.Like i said Buyer Beware you paid for what you get.

    With a cheaper 400.00 PS3 sku coming this holiday also combine with rumor price drop of the BDP S300 model down to 298.00 only at Blockbuster stores this holiday is going to boost sales even more.Also HD-DVD combo format that is force on there customer cost more than Blu-Ray titles not counting all the issue's Toshiba have with there combo disc that don't work on some players & have freezing issue on others & some disc not working on same model players.

    Commentary: Combo Discs - What Went Wrong?

    http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show..._Went_Wrong/894

    Originally posted by hughjars:
    HD DVD is often the superior of the 2, by some way in both image & audio quality and
    HD DVD also offer the largest amount of available content, exclusive content and potential content.
    HD-DVD exclusive studio's : Universal & Paramount pictures

    Blu-Ray exclusive studio's : Lions gate Films,Sony