What does HD-DVD needs for FOX, Disney & MGM ??

[Toti]

Well, now that HD-DVD has been very agressive on the market and has done a good job at penetrating into peoples houses.

1. First to enter the sub $200 player

2. Dreamworks & Paramount exclusive to HD-DVD (in addition to Universal)

3. Library of over 300 titles

Now, what's the reason for Disney, Fox & MGM not to join HD-DVD or at least to release on both formats? I really prefer for HD-DVD to win this battle but doesn't seems as if Toshiba is running out of tricks in its bag?

[foxyshadis]

80-90% marketshare or gigantic subsidies, probably, neither of which are terribly likely now. Why not ask them instead of us, who know nothing about internal studio politics? (Avsforum might have some insiders who'd know, but I doubt they'd give out inside information even if they do.)

Why not be thankful that format competition gives us $99 & $299 players instead of $600-900? That's how much DVD players cost after a year on the market, with much less competition (DIVX being an also-ran joke). Prices would never have dropped this fast if one format was king from the start, and really cheap hybrids can't be more than a year away.

[Doom9]

Fox wants BD+ plain and simple. Only if BD+ is summarily beaten time after time (and keep in mind that right now you may be able to play discs stripped of AACS but it seems the latest PowerDVD update already addresses that situation) would they even consider something else.

MGM belongs to Sony.. so go figure (and being distributed by Fox doesn't help either).

Disney needs market share plain and simple (and probably subsidies as well).

Having an excessive amount of players out there (see PS3) only means much if you have a high attach rate.. and 90k HD DVD players are nothing against the number of PS3's in households today. As much as I despise Sony and as much as their trojan horse approach to the format war might hurt the PS3 as a gaming system, it is still working in the format war.

[zambelli]

If you're looking for specific movie titles on HD-DVD, make sure to check out non-U.S. stores such as Amazon UK. You'd be surprised how many "BD-exclusive" titles are available on HD-DVD outside of the U.S. :)

[CWR03]

1. First to enter the sub $200 player
Is this in US dollars? I still haven't seen one (The WalMart $98 unicorn was $248 when I saw it).

[Doobie]

Why not be thankful that format competition gives us $99 & $299 players instead of $600-900? That's how much DVD players cost after a year on the market, with much less competition (DIVX being an also-ran joke). Prices would never have dropped this fast if one format was king from the start, and really cheap hybrids can't be more than a year away.

DVD players dropped in price reasonably fast. Some studios, such as Disney, were DIVX exclusive originally.

A cheap "hybrid" is an oxymoron. A hybrid must always be more expensive than the most expensive format, blu-ray. And, a hybrid is victory for blu-ray because the studios will be freed to release only in blu-ray format. That will include Dreamworks & Paramount.

[Toti]

@ doom9:

So, even if Toshiba sells enough HD-DVD players you don't think it will tip the balance? and if it does, what is enough players? 500K more?

I just feel Toshiba is not doing it even with all their hard work, cheap prices, exclusive movies, etc. Its like if the consumer still rather pay more for Blu-Ray and think is in fact a better format.

[Doom9]

Disc price wise, things are pretty much equal (plus the HD DVD camp is shooting itself into the foot with the dual format releases.. if they really want the trojan horse angle to work they'd get rid of DVD only and sell the combo format for a price of a regular DVD.. they'd take a hit with every disc sold, but that's how you get your format out there).

even if Toshiba sells enough HD-DVD players you don't think it will tip the balance? No, but what is enough? Half a million would certainly be a start, but there never is such a thing as enough (keep in mind the PS3 is selling better as prices go down). Toshiba still has a sales target of 1.whatnot million players for early 2008.. if they can pull that off, it'll probably make some studios think (especially if the triple layer thing works out.. it might give Disney something to think about).

Fox will fold only if BD+ is being destroyed or if the sales number take a serious shift.