Paramount Returns Yanked Blu-ray Titles To Stores

[cracula]

Paramount said Wednesday that it will put back on retail shelves 12 of the Blu-ray titles that it yanked when it agreed to market HD DVD titles only last August. They include: Aeon Flux, Babel, Black Snake Moan, Dreamgirls, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Sleepy Hollow, The Untouchables and The Warriors. Pricing for the reissues was not announced. Meanwhile, it was reported Wednesday that since February, when Toshiba threw in the towel and abandoned the HD DVD format, sales of Blu-ray players have actually dropped Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service, told the Video Business website that continued slow sales of Blu-ray players show that "few consumers were dissuaded [from buying them] primarily by the 'format war.'" But Andy Parsons, spokesman for the Blu-ray Disc Assn., said that the real problem was that no one had expected Toshiba to fold so quickly and that retailers were left without enough players to satisfy demand. "We're just now beginning to recover," Parsons told the Los Angeles Times. "Many players are still on back order."

[DavidEC]

::....and that retailers were left without enough players to satisfy demand. ...."
Yea right... there are boxes all over the place in my market area... with dust on them... one of the Sony's I way tonight even still had a shipping label from November....
Now if only Paramount would doe the wright thing and release the last few HD-DVD titles that they pulled...

[Xylob the Destroyer]

"the right thing"? Gee, maybe you could get them to release those titles on Beta-Max too... That would be just as much of a waste of time and resources.

[FulciLives]

I suppose I am "lucky" in that I have a decent 51" 16x9 HDTV at 1080i (wish it was 1080p but hey whatever) with HDCP HDMI. I also have a Sony PS3.

I love Blu-Ray ... the quality is gorgeous on my TV (which is an "old school" Hitachi CRT RP HDTV).

The problems I have with Blu-Ray so far:

1.) Not enough of a movie selection for purchasing (have rented from NetFlix but have bought very few)

2.) Movie prices are "expensive" as far as I am concerned.

Now imagine someone that doesn't have an HDTV ... damn expensive things ... or maybe you have an HDTV but need a Blu-Ray player ... again they aren't "cheap". Suddenly you have a ton of money to spend to get "into" Blu-Ray and for what? A couple hundred titles?

They really need to get their act together and start releasing some good shit pronto. Maybe with everyone on-board now ... like Universal and Paramount ... things will get better selection wise. Right now I'd say it's pretty dismal though (when it comes to the selection or rather lack thereof).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[DavidEC]

"the right thing"? Gee, maybe you could get them to release those titles on Beta-Max too... That would be just as much of a waste of time and resources.

"IF" they already had produced and made copies on 'Beta' yes..

But many "PULLED" HD-DVD's were already press and siting inside of a warehouse...

And what is really bad is many.. MANY.. DVD's have been released by Paramount stating movies which they pulled from the market will be released on HD-DVD!! .. Such as the just released "Charlie Wilson's War".. And have HD-DVD trailers on them...

I understand the not making releasing new products.. but why not sell what is already made?!?

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Sour grapes? Sounds like they're letting their pride get in the way...

[guns1inger]

The article from which the OP quotes can be found here : http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9932311-7.html?tag=nefd.top

While BluRay may have won the current battle for HiDef, it still hasn't won the war. The real battle is still against DVD, and proving that HD is something we need to have. To date, mediocre titles and precious few features that really make the format a must have simply isn't enough to convince most buyers to go out an purchase. The PS3 has been the only exception, but that is because it actually does something useful as well as play BluRay discs.

[cracula]

I suppose I am "lucky" in that I have a decent 51" 16x9 HDTV at 1080i (wish it was 1080p but hey whatever) with HDCP HDMI. I also have a Sony PS3.

I love Blu-Ray ... the quality is gorgeous on my TV (which is an "old school" Hitachi CRT RP HDTV).

The problems I have with Blu-Ray so far:

1.) Not enough of a movie selection for purchasing (have rented from NetFlix but have bought very few)

2.) Movie prices are "expensive" as far as I am concerned.

Now imagine someone that doesn't have an HDTV ... damn expensive things ... or maybe you have an HDTV but need a Blu-Ray player ... again they aren't "cheap". Suddenly you have a ton of money to spend to get "into" Blu-Ray and for what? A couple hundred titles?

They really need to get their act together and start releasing some good shit pronto. Maybe with everyone on-board now ... like Universal and Paramount ... things will get better selection wise. Right now I'd say it's pretty dismal though (when it comes to the selection or rather lack thereof).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

I'm lucky enough to have three hdtvs, a ps3 and two hd dvd players. I have yet to buy a blu ray disc because..

a. the price is too high
b. they are tryin to do the region coding mess again
c. i feel a push by the industry to make me buy it.
d. their spin on everything(not enough product is the reason for low sales)

In these times money will be scarce and cost will be everything. I sometimes wonder if toshiba didn't bow out because they see a low income market with no money to buy these expensive toys.