DreamWorks: We'll Still Release Only HD-DVDs

[akrako1]

DreamWorks not yet ready to support Blu-ray

DreamWorks Animation said yesterday it still had an exclusive deal with Toshiba to distribute its movies on HD DVD, and until Toshiba gave it the go-ahead, it would not begin offering movies in Blu-ray. DreamWorks will be releasing Bee Movie in March on HD DVD.

full article at:
http://www.betanews.com/article/DreamWorks_not_yet_ready_to_support_Bluray/1204131812

[Marvingj]

The problem all of Hollywood now faces is deciding how much support to give Blu-ray, especially considering consumer adoption of both high-definition formats has been miniscule thus far.


SO TRUR, SO TRUE!!!!

[DereX888]

DreamWorks' and Paramount's exclusivity with HD DVD was scheduled to last until February 2009, and violating that agreement -- even with Toshiba ending production of HD DVD players -- could affect any payment the studios were slated to receive

You've got to be kiddin me.
What, they have no lawyers to renegotiate the contracts?!

There must be something else lurking in the background

[ron spencer]

this is the start of blue ray downfall....

[jagabo]

nevermind

[waheed]

Don't see how Dreamworks will release titles on HD-DVD when Toshiba will stop producing HD-DVDs.

[SLK001]

With no one making the players anymore, what good will the be? Well, I suppose that they could be used as every expensive coasters!

And Toshiba made virtually ALL of the players.

[CubDukat]

DreamWorks not yet ready to support Blu-ray

DreamWorks Animation said yesterday it still had an exclusive deal with Toshiba to distribute its movies on HD DVD, and until Toshiba gave it the go-ahead, it would not begin offering movies in Blu-ray. DreamWorks will be releasing Bee Movie in March on HD DVD.

full article at:
http://www.betanews.com/article/DreamWorks_not_yet_ready_to_support_Bluray/1204131812

So that's the animation wing of DreamWorks, but I bet that the live-action division will be following behind shortly, if Spielberg has anything to say about it. He's almost as big a supporter of Blu-Ray as Michael Bay is, only less obnoxious and with better directorial skills.

[gadgetguy]

A contract is a contract until it's not. They didn't say it in so many words, but it seems as though they approached Toshiba about renegotiating the contract and Toshiba said no. Why else would this rate a "news release"? Still, anything that is going to be released in March has already been in production and it would have been too late to change gears this quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if the contract gets renegotiated before the original expiration date. Probably before the Christmas sales season.

[jagabo]

Translation: "We have a lot of HD-DVD discs we want to sell before we tell everyone we're switching to Blu-ray."

[edDV]

Dreamworks is lying. Dreamworks has an agenda.
Maybe dollars need to cross hands?

[edDV]

jagabo figured it out

[CubDukat]

Dreamworks is lying. Dreamworks has an agenda.
Maybe dollars need to cross hands?

Or maybe someone needs to walk--like maybe Spielberg? If he were to threaten to leave Dreamworks over this, that would certainly make them sit up and take notice, regardless of what clout Toshiba may have over Paramount.

He probably won't, but wouldn't it be cool if people did stuff like that on principle?

Besides, the least Toshiba could do is fund the second season of "Star Trek" on HD-DVD and take that out of what they already owe Paramount.

[gotnotime]

The owner of deramworks most be one of the idiots who bought a HD DVD player for his home cinema.

[MOVIEGEEK]

The owner of deramworks most be one of the idiots who bought a HD DVD player for his home cinema.

Yeah a finalized profile player that is cheaper than a BD player...yeah he was a reaaaal idiot.

I have to agree with Paramount/Dreamworks,they are obligated under contract to release HD DVD's so I say more power to them.
There are over one million HD DVD players in the US and they aren't going to break anytime soon.

[jagabo]

You can rest assured the contract includes a clause allowing Dreamworks to terminate the exclusivity agreement if Toshiba abandons the HD-DVD market. This is just spin in the hope that they can offload their existing HD-DVD discs.

[Conquest10]

The owner of deramworks most be one of the idiots who bought a HD DVD player for his home cinema.

yeah, that deramworks owner is a real idiot.

[MikieV]

..., if Spielberg has anything to say about it. He's almost as big a supporter of Blu-Ray as Michael Bay is, only less obnoxious and with better directorial skills.

I thought it was funny - at the time the exclusive deal was announced - that Spielberg's films were expressly excluded from the agreement.

[rhegedus]

There are over one million HD DVD players in the US...

Probably not... unless Microsoft sold nearly half a million XBox360 add-ons.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004190851_dvdwar20.html

Toshiba said it had sold about 1 million HD DVD players, about 600,000 of those in the United States.

Dreamworks was a tiny player in all this. Their exlusivity meant nothing if the distributor was in the BD camp.

Either Toshiba is trying to get it's money back from Dreamworks or Dreamworks is holding out for an offer from Blu-Ray. The problem is that Dreamworks was in deep financial doo-doo and the money they were given just wrote off debts - they have nothing to give back. BD don't have to deal now that they've won so Dreamworks has no option but to continue as HD. They too will die a slow death.

[jagabo]

As expected:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/29/paramount_dreamworks_drop_hddvd/

don't expect Blu-ray versions until the summer

On a side note, Microsoft is selling the X-Box 360 HD-DVD drive for $50 now.

[DereX888]

The owner of deramworks most be one of the idiots who bought a HD DVD player for his home cinema.

Are you, umm, like teen? And I dont mean the last but more like very first teen year of your life?
Because I refuse to think that any adult person could have had such logical thoughts

If anything, he must have been one of the idiots to invest in hardware manufacturing plants, or disc pressing lines or such... "bought a player" - ROTFL Joke of the year

[DereX888]

As expected:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/29/paramount_dreamworks_drop_hddvd/

don't expect Blu-ray versions until the summer

On a side note, Microsoft is selling the X-Box 360 HD-DVD drive for $50 now.

Even free is not good enough, considering in half a year or less there will be no more new or any titles released on this format

However, the "illegal downloaders" should rejoice I guess, because it doesn't change anything in the "piracy" spheres - they will still burn BR-DVD movie dumps on a HD-DVD discs and play on their $50 players with exactly same audio and video quality as original $40 discs on a $500 BR players

[Rich86]

Dreamworks and Toshiba: They entered into a contract. Money changed hands. If Dreamworks now wants to not honor the contract - but keep the money - why shouldn't Toshiba tell them to go pound sand?

XBox HD-DVD drive: $50 for an external hd-dvd drive including a full remote control & a hd-dvd movie. For a person who has a XBox or a computer and is already into hd-dvd and decided not to sell everything off - how can you go wrong? I grabbed one for sure.

HD-DVD Equipment and movies: my players and movie collection continue to work perfectly. I am picking up unbelievable bargains on titles (just got new hd-dvd versions of Beowulf and The Invasion for $10 each). Blu-ray offers absolutely no quality improvement over hd-dvd, so no need to replace these if I ever get a blu-ray player. I would not advocate someone get involved with hd-dvd for the first time now - but for those of us already in it - this is great stuff!

[waheed]

IMO, there is no quality difference between Blu Ray and HD DVD. Im glad in a way the format war is over. I purchased a combo PC drive for both formats so that who ever wins, my drive wont be obsolete.

I now have the best of both worlds knowing my drive can play (and burn) Blu Ray and now find bargain HD DVDs without leaving a huge whole of my wallet.

[DereX888]

HD-DVD Equipment and movies: my players and movie collection continue to work perfectly. I am picking up unbelievable bargains on titles (just got new hd-dvd versions of Beowulf and The Invasion for $10 each). Blu-ray offers absolutely no quality improvement over hd-dvd, so no need to replace these if I ever get a blu-ray player. I would not advocate someone get involved with hd-dvd for the first time now - but for those of us already in it - this is great stuff!

Yes, let's enjoy it while it lasts.
I too picked up all titles I didn't have yet (junk like "2 fast 2 furious" etc) since theyre so cheap now I may even watch'em one day lol

IMO, there is no quality difference between Blu Ray and HD DVD.

Of course there is no quality difference, the audio and video are exactly the same, theyre only stored on different kind of discs
The difference is that there will be no more new, old, or *any* releases on HD-DVD after next few months, once the titles that were already in the production come out.



UPCOMING (last) HD-DVD RELEASES:


2008-03-11
. . . . . Fletch (Universal)
. . . . . In the Valley of Elah (Warner)
. . . . . Michael Clayton (Warner)

2008-03-18
. . . . . Aquarium Impressions (Navarre Corporation)
. . . . . Atonement (Universal)
. . . . . Fireplace Impressions (Navarre Corporation)
. . . . . Justice League: The New Frontier (Warner)
. . . . . Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same (Warner)
. . . . . Mystic Forests (Navarre Corporation)

2008-03-25
. . . . . Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (DVD International)
. . . . . Disco Pigs (Vanguard Cinema)
. . . . . My Favorite Brunette/Son of Paleface (BCI)
. . . . . The Low Life: Director's Cut (Vanguard Cinema)
. . . . . UFC: The Best of 2007 (First Look)

2008-04-01
. . . . . Appleseed Ex Machina (Warner)
. . . . . August Rush (Warner)

2008-04-08
. . . . . I Am Legend (Warner)
. . . . . UFO: Showtime (SPV Records)

2008-04-15
. . . . . Bonnie & Clyde (Warner)

2008-04-22
. . . . . Animal Room (Vanguard Cinema)
. . . . . Dragon Tiger Gate (Tai Seng)
. . . . . Freedom: 5 (Bandai Visual)

2008-05-13
. . . . . HDScape: Stargaze II (DVD International)
. . . . . One Missed Call (Warner)
. . . . . Sublime (Warner)

2008-05-20
. . . . . Ocean's Eleven (Warner)
. . . . . Ocean's Twelve (Warner)

2008-05-27
. . . . . P.S. I Love You (Warner)
. . . . . Twister (Warner)

... and probably that's it, folks...

[MOVIEGEEK]

Speaking of HD DVD prices:many retailers(online and B&M) are clearing out their stock right now,most titles are $10-15.I have a backup player so I will be enjoying these movies for years to come.

[Johnson Nguyen]

Are they only sticking to this because o fsome contract. Don't they knowq that Blu-Ray is going to dominate the market from here on? Unless, unless they think that HD DVDS is going to pull a miraculuous comeback like blue ray then really doubt its possible! hahaha. i'm probably just saying this because i own a blue ray player and i want more options. =)

[ron spencer]

I can't wait for Green Ray....from Sony...the color of money.

Only Green Ray for me....$2500 for a player and $532 for a movie!!!


Go Green Ray!!!

[cal_tony]

I've also bought some HD DVDs for about $10 each online but I've still noticed that most retail stores including Walmart are still selling HDDVDs at their standard retail price.

Tony

[DereX888]

Year later you'll find all left-over HD-DVDs in a $1 bins... why buy it now for $10?