First of all happy new year everybody. Hopefully your holidays were good.
Now in a move that surprised many, Warner Bros. Studios has decided to exclusively release its movies only on high definition Blu-Ray discs (as well as standard dvds) after the end of May 2008. Before this announcement Warner Bros. position on the hi-def formats had been one of neutrality opting to release its films in both the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs.
Then what made them decide to change? One of the main reasons was consumer confusion.
“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,” said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
In addition, Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. stated “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.”
But then one wonders why they chose to support Blu-Ray specifically?
“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” said Tsujihara.
I think this news is great! Thank you Warner Bros. Right now it looks as if the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is going to end shortly. I believe within a years time HD-DVD be gone or on its last breaths.
Blu-Ray is superior to HD-DVD because of its larger storage capacity. Blu-Ray discs can store 50GB of data while HD-DVD can store 30GB. This larger capacity allows for more video and audio data to be stored on the disc allowing for the best possible video and audio.
With only one format on the market the prices of Blu-Ray players, burners and media should drop to levels that will lead to mainstream acceptance.
The full press release is posted below.
January 04, 2008
In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
“Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” said Meyer. “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.”
Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.
“Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Today’s decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner.”
“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,” said Tsujihara. “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. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.”
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