Paramount Deal: Consumers Lose

If you are heading out to your local movie retailer today, keep on eye out for a Blu-ray copy of 'Blades of Glory' as a few copies have reportedly made it to store shelves. If you find a copy, you will have the opportunity to own a prime example of how the recent Paramount deal hasn't hurt just Blu-ray consumers, but all high definition consumers.

[RadientFlux]

Consumers just don't care, expect the DVD version out sell the HD-DVD version by more then 10 to 1

Anyways another bias opinion from a PR website. I wonder if consumers lose if a movie only comes out on Blu-Ray

[emaddox84]

They say consumers "lose" because Blu-ray has outsold HD-DVD equivalents in almost every case by about a 2:1 ratio. Denying this choice by consumers means that the consumers lose by not getting their favored format.

[carlman23]

Think about what you're saying... Wouldn't it be best if there were no exclusive studios and consumers could just chose what they want?

[LoydX-mas]

If you really want these titles on high-def, then just buy an HD-DVD player:)

That's what all the Blu-ray guys have been saying to HD-DVD fans for months now.

[cain141]

And if you look at the overall marketshare, that means nothing...

DVD is the prefered format by far...

The high def formats are just getting started, you can't make a public judgement yet...

[SmokeyMcBear]

consumers don't lose by getting second rate quality?

[peksi]

Consumers should have both formats available to choose from. This BR / HD-DVD camp thing is just crap.

[heroman711]

apparently evrything is a competition in the world now

[SIX]

........

[cdzie1]

How dare HD DVD play by the same rules that the BDA does! It’s not fair!

When blu-ray.com starts making a fuss about how Disney, Fox, etc... don’t publish on HD DVD, then they have a right to complain about Paramount not publishing on Blu-ray.

[SmokeyMcBear]

its not the fact they are playing by the same rules.. its the fact that they are putting second rate quality into the disc, and not offering the best audio of the movie. I would have no problem if the hd dvd disc would have the same uncompressed audio offered in the disc.. but it doesnt, and the hd dvd purchasers are losing out on the best quality available.. but i guess your fandom makes you happy about that.

[crck]

The difference is Disney and Fox NEVER said they were going to support HDDVD. Buyers of HDDVD knew that going in. Paramount stripped support of blu-ray overnight after stating support for the format. There is a difference but you're probably too much of a sore loser to notice it.

[cdzie1]

All of the reviews I’ve read give the audio very high marks. The disc uses Dolby Digital Plus, which is 3 times the bit size as normal DVD quality Dolby Digital, they act like it’s coming out in mono for crying out loud!

Just like Blu-ray discs, not all HD DVDs have or need lossless audio. It’s not that big a deal.

[SlappyMcTaint]

Do you even have HD-DVD? Or are you just a lemming rooting for them because Microsoft backs them?

If you actually knew anything about both formats, you'd know Blu-Ray is the superior product.

Lemming. Lemming.

EDIT: I must be speaking the truth, since there are 2 disagrees. LOL

[Kholinar]

crck "Buyers of HDDVD knew that going in."

Ummm... no, I doubt that most did. Most hddvd buyers and blu-ray buyers just see a new toy to purchase. I really doubt they spent an hour a day on tech sites. At most they listened to their salesman at Best Buy.

"If you actually knew anything about both formats, you'd know Blu-Ray is the superior product.

Lemming. Lemming."

It all depends on your values. For some people a reduction in sound quality is less important a price decrease. Assuming that everyone else has the same priorities is a lemming-like quality, but I won't say that because it's pretty trollish to call someone a lemming just because you disagree.

[MK_Red]

The reason that it hurts consumers is because Blu-ray exclusives started releasing first batch of Gi-def titles for Blu-ray BUT many people have bought Paramount movies so far and some bought a Blu-ray player for Transformers or other Paramout film on Blu (Face Off is the one I wanted) but Paramount suddenly and without any warning effed them.

[Schmitty07]

This is from Blu-Ray.com. I never would have thought they would think this way. I personally could careless who "wins" the "format war" and can't understand why so many people care.

[Ravenator529]

Couldn't you say the same exact thing for any of the movie companies that signed on with Blu-Ray exclusively?

The format war in itself is bad for consumers and Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are both to blame.

But to call one company out over others who are doing the same exact thing is totally hypocritical.

Personally, I hope both formats fall flat on their faces! Even though I know that won't happen.

Just remember, its BOTH HD-DVD and Blu-Ray that should be blamed for forcing consumers into this format war. Not just one or the other.

It sucks for everyone. Thats why I support digital downloads.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

the article is obviously from a biased source. does it hurt consumers in the short term? yes but long term not really as the hd format owners are still a minority

[segasage]

because in the END they will have the best hardware which have the Best features, with the lowest affordable consumer price...simple as that.

sony paid for studio support early on...

toshiba will earn it the hard way, while also resorting to the same tactics Sony used early on...

the best consumer/market friendly/ priced hardware will prevail in the end..

[Ravenator529]

You should rephrase it as "not ALL consumers lose".

Because one day, if one format topples the other, then everyone who supported the losing format will essentially be "losers".

People who are early adopters of technology are the most losing consumer of all.

[Kaneda]

Then why Paramount left them in the dust...

Sony relies on PS3 to help them win the format war... The war could have been over after this year, but since Paramount excepted the deal. It is just going prolonging the HD format war....

Most people will going to buy transformer in DVD anyway. HD DVD is still dead.

[gEnKiE]

yep, but when companies see money pushed in their face they dont give a sh** about consumers. they just want their money so we lose.....

[ScorpioKyle]

old news! there have been a few stories with people whining about the same thing.

[BIadestarX]

The only reason why blu-ray is winning 1.80:1 is because there are more movies on blu-ray... and Sony is bundling the bundling a ridiculous amount of movies with blu-ray drives such as the PS3... (8 movies for free). Please provide a link that Sony is not counting bundled movies in the 2:1 report.

This is just another article from blu-ray supporters to try to change paramount decision by pissing people off. Not everyone has an HD TV let alone a blu-ray player to even affect the mainstream consumer.. HD movies represent an insulting number compared to DVD. So, no... Paramount HD DVD deal only hurt blu-ray and the Pro-Blu-ray early adopters that want HD DVD to die....

Funny thing is that.. Sony was already saying that blu-ray already won... and yet they are bundling 8 movies with the PS3.. not the type of thing you would do if you are 100% the format war is over...

[SmokeyMcBear]

ok.. bigger library, i'll give you that.. counting bundled movies.. ok. Now take a look a the number of single movies realeased on both formats, which format sells more. A little more specifically with new releases.. look at the number of units sold for the movie 300 on each format.. who is winning there? Take a look at the movie "The Departed".. which format is selling more units there?

[Kholinar]

I don't like the format wars. I'd rather have dual format players become the norm, so I can acknowledge the issue here. (Though Blu-ray would be doing the same thing if their spec had this issue)

However... this is Blades of Glory...

Does anyone other than Will Ferrel's mother (if she's an audiophile) care if it's in Lossless PCM? Transformers I can see... but Blades of Glory?

It's like demanding that the Night Court TV series be re-released with a lossless Laughtrack.

[ArmrdChaos]

The newest High Def formats make up for less than 5 percent of the market...if that. Of that 5 percent we will say that 65% of that constitutes Blue-Ray (2 to 1). So do the math...tell me how exactly 65% of a mere 5% = Consumers??? Sorry...I don't feel that impulsive buyers and/or hardcore audiophiles should define the market for the rest of us. The largest portion of the market wants the best technology for the cheapest price and if Paramount’s decision causes that competition then hooray for them. I didn't hear any of these people crying foul about Spiderman only coming out on Blue-ray so boohoo. Getting tired of Sony and their corporate zombies crying about how the "consumer" is getting hurt when the only people getting hurt is THEIR consumers. You want to b$tch about it then b$tch at ALL the studios (including Sony) to put the media out in all formats and let hardware sales decide it. If you really think you have the best hardware then what is there to fear?

[akira]

i thought all business follow what consumers want but in paramounts case they follow greed and money that is not a good thing to be known for... really bad for their business image.

[Kholinar]

"i thought all business follow what consumers want but in paramounts case they follow greed and money"

Ummm... no.

Businesses follow what their shareholders want:

Money

Now many times the way to make money is to do what consumers want, but just as often it's not.

For example... I like to rip my cd's to my ipod and I like to format my usb thumb drives and make them completely empty before I use them. Sony doesn't like this, so they've released rootkits twice, once for each of these products to keep me from doing something perfectly within my rights.

HDDVD and Blu-ray both prohibit backup copies by encryption, effectively making it very difficult (and illegal in the US) to guard against loss or damage.

These are shareholder based decisions. Consumers continue to buy in spite of the loss of freedom that they experience.

So no, business is not generally pro-consumer, they're pro-consumer's dollars and pro-their own pockets.

[richie007bond]

BS, consumers lose out,dont make me laugh.Blu ray has most of the film companys making blu ray movies only for their format,total Hypocrites.HDDVD have pulled one over on sony,nice one its about time they started playing hard ball,time to play sony at its own game

[WilliamRLBaker]

this hurts only one group and thats....TA DA!!! blu ray consumers, It doesn't hurt DVD consumers, Or HD DVD consumers since they never had the abbility to play lossless pcm any way *which pretty much gives nothing more then TRUE HD DOLBY or HD DTS*

Less then 3% of consumers own an receiver capable of uncompressed PCM audio, Less then 20% own an Receiver capable of TRUE HD, OR HD DTS.
So whats the problem here? oh the audiophiles? who cares about their opinion they have that opinion because they want soely the best and must trick them selves into thinking that Uncompressed PSM is better then any thing out there in terms of audio...

I've heard uncompressed PCM and I cannot detect a difference from True HD Dobly, and HD DTS, The only difference i can tell is that it increases the audio size of the data on the disc by like 40%.

So the only people losing out on this deal is the blu ray consumer, and the consumer capable of playing uncompressed PCM.

[Da Ghostdog]

So just because the PS3 is the leading Blu-Ray player, hardcore gamers decide which format people should buy just because it in the lead?!!! Of course more Blu-Ray movies sell for that fact. Let people decide for what they want. Now Paramount went HD-DVD and Fangirls & ANALyst screaming "consumer's loose"?!! This article is Bull****!!! The same facts are repeated over and over about Blu-Ray in several ways from several articles posted on this site. There's nothing wrong for people to want to have 1 format to go with, but this race has just started. That's like me telling you for your favorite team just to give-up at the start of a game. I love some of the news posted on this site, but half of the posting are Fangirl Bull**** that repetive like a Dynasty Warriors Franchise.

[Rooftrellen]

The more articles like this I read from the bluray camp, the more I consider not buying movies from the bluray exclusive studios, on any format. Consumers lose because of this format war. Consumers lose having to buy higher priced players to watch their movies in HD. Consumers only win after a price war breaks out, and so far, bluray doesn't even feel the need to really lower prices (really, I'm not paying more than $200 to watch a movie in HD).

It's not that I don't have a problem with Paramount going exclusive, because I do, but I have a problem with bluray and their supporters saying Paramount is so evil for not giving consumers a choice, when there are bluray exclsuive studios, as well. If there were no exclusive studios, I may very well have an HD DVD player right now, but I don't. Why?

Well, according to bluray, because Sony is so good with negotiations that they were able to get some companies to lose out on 2% of possible sales by going bluray exclusive (3% when they go HD DVD exclusive, going by DVD sales are 95% of movies sales, 5% HD formats, which is last I heard). Needless to say, I don't believe it.

All studios should really stay out of this. Paramount, Disney, Universal, Fox, and, yes, even Sony, should keep their movies on both formats, and let bluray die out if it can't get prices low enough for consumers to want.

However, since that didn't happen, I am happy that HD DVD is fighting this war. Bluray is so far away from what I'm willing to pay something new will be out before it hits the right price, and, heck, all that extra cost for 1.5 times more space...hardly an upgrade at all when you look at CD to DVD or DVD to HD DVD.

Bluray talks about hurting the consumer. They talk about HD DVD being supported by corperations. They complain about HD DVD doing a lot of things they do themselves. I may not like HD DVD twisting facts and buying loyalty, but I do want them to fight, because, as a bystander, that's the format I want to win, the one I want to buy some day. And I hate bluray ignoring what they do and call HD DVD evil for the same thing.

That's why, every time I see bluray complain about someone supporting HD DVD, it brings me a little closer to not giving any of the companies supporting bluray any more of my money. Do not tell me what HD DVD is doing against the consumer unless you are willing to confess your sins against us first. Don't talk about it being illogical for a one company to give up 3% of its movie sales and say its perfectly obvious why someone would give up 2% without any "bribe." Not all consumers are stupid...some of us can see though the lies bluray is feeding us.

[Xbox is the BEST]

from Blu Ray.com. More Propaganda by Sony. and yes Blu Ray is Sony I don't care what list you fanboys post Blu Ray is Sony.

[richie007bond]

If am honest i dont trust BLU RAY,their tatics leave a lot to be desired, i honestly think it would be bad if blu ray wins the format war,sony owning movie studios owning the film formats,its not good for the industry theres something sinister in all the blu ray cr@p,sonys desperate for blu ray to win a bit to desperate if u ask me

[JokesOnYou]

oh, OK more propaganda from the bluray camp, nothing to see here folks=

JOY

[aahenry]

This is a huge plus for the HD DVD camp and hd dvd owners. Paramount is one of the biggest movie companies. Transformers, and other major titles like that exclusive to HD DVD will boost sales for sure

[timmyrulz]

When you read about this and that going blue ray exclusive its posted as good news but when its the other way round its bad for comsumers, how does that work????????????????????

[Nervsys]

cos those blue topped boxes look out of place under my tv and just don't match my furniture at all.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Consumers don't lose with the Paramount deal (most still use DVD) only Sony.

[Ashira]

Let's see Sony release their movies on a competing format and not their own proprietary format! Let's see that day come! And then, Sony, you will rue the day your introduced Blu-ray!
...Well, at least I hope such a day arrives.