Will Warner Bros. go Blu-ray Exclusive?

Warner Bros. has been neutral in the Blu-ray-HD DVD disc war, releasing movies in both high-def formats.

However, that policy may be changing, says a top Warner executive.

Dan Silverberg, Warner's vice president of High-Definition media, hinted Monday at a Blu-ray briefing for the media that the studio might soon endorse Blu-ray.

[predator]

this could be huge. im still yet to decide who to back.

[MonkeyMaan]

and watch your existing DVDs upscaled :D

The only HD (BR) movie I have Casino Royale, there's nothing out there at the moment which is a must buy for me, still waiting on The Day of The Jackal (1973) to get the whole HD treatment.

[Wytche]

I own a PS3 but only hire most Blu-rays so I'm willing to wait before I make any real format commitments.

But if Warner go exclusive then that will be a major set back for HD-DVD.

[Makroyale]

Whoever Warner backs exclusively is going to win the format war, like it or not.

[emaddox84]

Did you not like 300? That movie is awesome on Blu-Ray!

[Mu5afir]

If you are a fan of martial arts movies, then Kung Fu Hussle is a must buy.

[gamesblow]

I've bought over 21 movies on the format so far and Spiderman Trilogy was the latest. BD is a sure fire bet. I hope WB goes BD only. that's a big win for Team Blu-ray and me.

[sonarus]

well now that hd-dvd has their players priced at 200 dollars in time for the holidays if hd-dvd sales dnt pick up significantly its not unreasonable to think warner might be seeking the quickest way to end the format war and that would be by joining blu ray. Even if blu ray backers have to pay 50 million its not illogical to think so. First and formost we need to see 300 dollar blu ray players by holidays even though ps3's will continue selling blu rays like they have been doing stand alone players will obviously lead to more blu ray player sales

[ravinash]

I hope that Blue ray wins so I don't have to go out and buy a HD-DVD player. Mind you, if HD-DVD do win...I won't bother getting a player.

[Hapimeses]

If Warner go Blu-ray, it seems unlikely the format will lose in the long-term, especially with PS3 support. After all, every PS3 sold brings another potential Blu-ray customer into the market.

Obviously, as a PS3 owner, I would like to see Blu-ray succeed, but nothing looks certain yet, other than the fact that Blu-ray discs are currently selling very well.

Warner could consolidate that lead if it was sufficiently tempted to go with Blu-ray exclusivly. That said, without anything solid, I'll remain in the skeptical camp regarding it ever happening.

[nanometric]

But my pick is still BD!

[AliC]

Unless the cost of Blu-ray Disk comes down I doubt I'll bother. I don't have an HD tv so video quality doesn't really mean all that much to me.

DVDs will still be what I buy

[socomnick]

Yea dude if you dont have a hdtv dont even bother wasting your money on any of theese.Just stick to dvds.

[xhi4]

nigga please. (No racism intended...)

Secondly, if this does go ahead, that will be massive. A great boost for the blu-ray association. It may tip other companies over to Blu-Ray as well.

We can only wait and see....

[WAR_MACHINE77]

Wow, if they do this, it might really be game over for HD-DVD. A $200 player might be attractive, but with so little support I can't see much of a point in buying it.

[Plasmana]

I'm guessing Warner is posturing to get some HD-DVD $ love.

[ENNO]

dont think so....

[crck]

But its probably just a move from Warner Bros to get some money from Toshiba. "You guys paid $150 mill to Paramout to go exclusive? Well you better pay us $75 mill to stay neutral."

[MK_Red]

This looks seriously unlikely since WB has been more of a HD-DVD favoring with exclusive Martix Trilogy and 300's exclusive HD-DVD features...
But if this is indeed true, then Paramout's move will become absolutly useless since WB has Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Justice Leage many other heavy hitters.

Also if true, it would be fun to see where HD version of Will Smith's "I Am Legend" will end up since both Warner and DreamWorks/Paramount are producing it!

[Fighter]

Warner is waiting for that new Blu-ray update, I think it's 1.1 where PIP is going to be available, then they will release the Matrix trilogy, Batman Begins, T3 and possibly a collector's edition of 300 with the same extras as HD DVD.

[MK_Red]

God, I'd kill for Matrix Trilogy and Batman Begins on Blu.

[anh_duong]

warner obviously wants the same deal that paramount/dreamworks got - and that is why they are playing hard ball with hd-dvd group.

no guarantee that warner will go exclusive since it is contigent on how much hd-dvd group pays them to stay neutral.

[squallsoft]

blu ray is really starting to gain momentum with both the consumers and the corporations, so, it might seem like a natural move for them to just make one kind of disc. i wonder how the success of blu ray over hd-dvd (hypothetically) will effect the current console war...

[Lionsguard]

it already happened, WB was offered money to come to HD-DVD only but they refused.

[squallsoft]

I think its becoming increasingly obvious which format is going to win. ive always been behind sony's formats and Im glad to see them come out on top for once. itll be intersting to see how this all plays out. btw, you can call me crazy, but i still think UMD is one of the best portable media formats ever... but thats just IMO...

[athlon770]

being an owner of a PSP, I only have two movies on UMD though, Spidy 2 that came with the system, and Underworld.

I think the UMD would have done a lot better if they didn't charge so much for the discs. (It always comes down to money doesn't it.) Plus they never made a set top box to play the UMD discs at home. They were a format only the PSP could use. Shame really. But when you can buy a real DVD then rip it and put it on a 1gig card and watch it on the PSP, why buy the UMD?

I too own a PS3 and am glad about this possibility. With the sales pointing to BD as a victor, and then yet another major studio going BD exclusive, this would be a major blow to the HD-DVD side. I do hope it happens, the studios are probably just as tired of the dual format as we the consumers are.

[MaximusPrime]

im looking forward to see Batman Begins coming to Bluray.

[mighty_douche]

...im sure they'll be doing it to try and get one over on Paramout rather than trying to help sony.

either way, as soon as this whole thing is over and we have one unified format consumers will start getting on the HD bandwagon, where as currently most of them are happy with standard DVD.

[BigBadPolo]

I honestly wish WB would. I have been a HD-DVD supporter since day
1. I bought the first Tosh. HD-A1 that my local Best Buy got in.
Either way though I'd prefer one uniform format and if WB goes Blu-Ray
then so be it. If nothing else I hope it ends the dual-formats and we
can all just focus on getting the best presentation of each movie we
want. Go for it WB, end this sucker now!

[Darkiewonder]

The movies properly. lawlz.

[Fighter]

Warner is making the most profit from HD movies of all the other studios because they are not exclusive and can cash in on both sides.

If they do go Blu exclusive then the format war is definitely over. If Warner backs HD DVD then this war will drag on longer.

Think of all the movies that are on Blu ray backers and Warner combined. Most of HD DVDs big names are Speilberg titles and he does not support that format to the point where he wrote a statement saying not to release them. Even The director of the HD DVD exclusive Transformers (in HD) thinks highly of Blu ray and believes Blu ray will win the war.

The one franchise that will end this war is Star Wars. Fox owns Star Wars and they have yet to release that giant. If they do release it they should do a really good job with the transfers so to not disappoint the fans.

[Dreamworker]

all rights on star wars not Fox.

[Arutha]

Star Wars will never see the light of day on either format until there are a ton more people with the technology. Look how long it took to get Lucas to release Star Wars on DVD.

[Bathyj]

Sounds like its going to happen. All we need now is for Universal to jump over (to make Steve happy) and leave Paramount looking foolish being the only one without a chair when the music stops.

[PStriple703]

blu-ray is where the money is!

[Kulupoo]

great news, now it will balance out on the "paramount went to HD" thing... except iI don't think BDA pay any money to WB...

[aliveinboston]

Everybody knows that Blu-Ray has been kicking HD-DVD's butt for a long time. The entire hard-ware industry (companies that matter in the consumer electronics space) has been behind Blu-Ray. Its not a question of if, but when.

If WB had already decided to go Blu-Ray exclusive they would go ahead and announce it. But they have something to gain by waiting on announcing the move. Hinting at things is what companies do when they are playing games or in the middle of negotiations. What WB is doing is simply testing the waters. Notice they said "we can definitely talk blu-ray", ie., they are looking to negotiate. With who you ask? Believe it or not, with Toshiba and Microsoft. Huh?

Here's how it works:

WB knows Blu-Ray is beyond failure now ("we are commited to the format") whereas HD-DVD is and has always been on the brink. Looking at the releases going forward it looks pretty grim for HD-DVD.

What WB is hoping is that Toshiba/Microsoft will give them a $150-$250 Million dollar bribe similar to what Universal got. However, whereas Paramount was paid to go from dual format to exclusive, WB will try to get that bribe just to stay as a dual-format publisher! Not only will this help WB's bottom line, it will really screw Paramount who will not be able to release any Blu-Ray movies for 18 months.

It will be fun to see how it all shakes out. Welcome to corporate America.

[ITR]

It wasn't Universal it was Paramount.
Also why would Paramount lose out if WB went red only?
It would only help the HD format and give Paramount another reason to stay with HD.

[aliveinboston]

WB won't go red only. WB makes it very clear that they will stay with Blu-Ray. You simply cannot argue against a 5-6 Million installed base. The issue is if they will stay dual-format.

They know Toshiba/Microsoft is willing to pay (Microsoft has been paying off game developers for years, the Paramount deal was massive, and it would not be surprising if WB has taken payments before) and WB it seems quite apparent that WB is looking to get bribed to stay dual-format. They know how desperate Toshiba/Microsoft are after the Transformers HD-DVD release failed to justify the $150-$250Million payed out to Paramount.

[Dante8205]

i thought everyone knew that blu ray would get every company one at a time...

[ITR]

Take it with a grain of salt. It was only a few weeks ago rumors went around WB was going red only.
Basically, WB likes how BD titles sell and they also like the idea of a sub-$200 HD DVD player for the masses.

I'm still waiting on Target and BB..to see if they join CC and WM in the $198 HD DVD player sales.

[tethered]

I have been thinking the same thing for a while now.
This says a lot.

“One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

The Warner executive noted that Blu-ray sales have topped HD DVD by a 2-1 margin over the last nine months.

[HondaSIRowner]

I can see WB going exclusive for BR. 300 sold better on BR than HD-DVD format. BR sales are higher and with the PS3 crowd, BR will continue to outsell HD-DVD.

If WB goes exclusive then that mean you get Smallville and Batman. BR is getting full back up from consumers and Giant companies. Price cuts for HD-DVD is what you call a desperate act for trying to win.

WB will likely go BR exclusive because this format war is wagging on too long. whats funny is BR players are still expensive, yet BR continues to outsell HD-DVD.

[pwnsause]

Thank Sony and The PS3. DVD player embedded to a video game system is the best strategy, it boosts sales like crazy, nuff said, RIP HD-DVD

[Baron79]

No where does this guy say he is going BD exclusive or even hint at it. Talk about FUD this is it. WB may go HD-DVD exclusive in one day. The WB & BDA contract is over on Halloween , and I don't care that WB has titles planned for BD before 2008,what happened to Blades of Glory on BD? Destroyed! If WB put Batman Begins ,V for Vendetta or the Matrix out on BD , then maybe I wolud start to belive this strait up FUD. WB has shown who their Favorite format is , and it is not Blur-ray. Keep wishing and hoping BDA your time is almost up.

[Snukadaman]

With the ps3 and their recent price drop too 400 dollars might help..there is not a 200 dollar blu-ray player...as we all know the bd contract runs out on Halloween of this year..the announcement can go either way IMO...no one knows. I do agree that whoever warner bros goes exclusive with...wins the format war.

[whoelse]

Bye HD-DVD. Two studios backing one format and all the other backing Blu-ray could be the end for HD-DVD. And they are only there because they got a huge some of money.

[moolox]

Para will win either way with the bung, Warner will go bluray and by summer next year it will be over. Universal will part company and an excellent range of tosh bluray player will come out for next xmas

MS have had there fun as it's all been a game, the fact the elite(sold as a media hub) did not have a hddvd drive showed there commitment. They are holding out for there HD download service and just need to stall both to try and become a HD itunes which is years away as the internet is not ready for millions of 30gig downloads. The disc is dead only applies to people in Korea with 100mg connections.

[Cynical-Gamerzus]

About time!! It saves me the trouble of streaming HD-Dvd exclusive titles to the PS3.
Smart move if this happens.
I feel an oncoming shift here as the PS3 hits that critical 299.00 price next year.
HDTV sales sky rocket this Christmas.

[HondaSIRowner]

Listen Brick heads! If 300 sold better on BR than the HD-DVD version it would be a dumb move for WB to go HD-DVD exclusive. Who is the leader right now in the High-Def war? BDA. Who has more studio support, who has a wide variety of High-def players BDA.

WHO gave the boost in the DVD format? PS2!

[cellavie]

Well I sure hope so. Blu-ray is the winner of this format war, and every stupid movie studio that chooses HD-DVD over Blu-ray just makes this battle even longer. I want to see an end to this, very soon. I just hope PS3 sales will go up so people get that built-in blu-ray player.

[gtgcoolkid]

Not because I think BDs are that much better than HD-DVD but the fact is I am tired of this bs war and just want it to be over. Plus I am still reeling that Bourne is only on HD-DVD

[sleepbox]

Hate to say it and I know it's been said a million times before, but these exclusive contracts for HDDVD or Blu Ray are BAD for the HD movie industry and will prevent me from bothering with either format. I'm sure if the average consumer knew that which format you choose will be missing major movies they will STICK WITH DVD.

[micky_21_uk]

What people seem to forget is that it costs studios more money to author their movies in the bluray format than it does on HD DVD. So even if they do sell more bluray copies they are not making as much profit in sales.

I would be very suprised if Warner went exclusive to either side and actually made an announcement right before the holiday season starts. Again especially with the HD DVD players dropping so low in price.

Another thing that has me wondering about this is if Warner was actually thinking about going to bluray then why haven't they released movies like Batman Begins and The Matrix trilogies on bluray yet? If they really believed in bluray THAT MUCH they would have released these on bluray a long time ago, not just on HD DVD as they are currently available. Something doesn't make sense.

[IntelligentAj]

Whoever Warner Bros. chooses to endorse will get a big boost cause as you all know The Matrix Trilogy was made by Warner Bros. and you know how much that movie in High Def.

[jackdoe]

Why? They are making enough money by supporting both formats, why change now?

[DJ]

than on Blu-ray production, and the difference is increasing consistently on a monthly basis. The costs for both formats is identical, so it makes sense to stick with the most profitable one.

Also, a lot of analysts have shown that the HD film industry will take off a lot faster if consumers only have one format to choose from; having two formats available makes them wary of which one to invest in.

[Salvadore]

The sooner the companies chooses Blu-ray, the quicker the format war can end.

[XxZxX]

I picked blu-ray but if HD-DVD win, i will just convert. It's cheap anyway.

[Mikelarry]

will someone win already. i dont care i just want someone to win. it seems if this continues it will end in s stale mate and a different format might come in and win(boy that would be funny).have u seen the prices for the universal players greedy b%$^&*$s

[Close_Second]

...I dont care which one they decide to back as long as they all back the same one. If consumers (including me) want to flex their collective muscle then we should all stop buying certain releases in protest of their being two formats.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

I've been supporting HD-DVD for awhile, but WB goes Blu-Ray, the game is officially over for HD-DVD. I have no problem starting a Blu-Ray collection.

[DJ]

from Warner Bros. (not including the 5 free pending in the mail). It'll be great if they go exclusive on their own terms.

[DaEnforcer]

xbots

[razer]

Excuse me? Listen PS3 fanboy this has nothing to do with the 360. It was Sony that shoved Blu-ray up your pee-hole fool!

"xbots" are gaming, you douche bag PS3tards are the ones who are worked up about this sorry azz movie format. The rest are downloading them off the web and giving a big middle finger to Sony and Toshiba..

Your fanboy dance needs to be directed at Toshiba..

[DaEnforcer]

But my comment is directed at xbots as they always diss BD and support HD-DVD. If you think Sony forced on me anything, then I feel sorry for you cause then gaming is all you do. I for one am also interested in movies and I don't really want to use my HDTV just for gaming. if anything xbot then MS forced this 3FixMe of crappy quality on you as they killed Xbox right after they released 3FixMe. And what, what, what? You xbots are gaming? Don't lie xbot, you are waiting for your 3FixMe getting repaired and your game collection is collecting nothing but dust.

[DZNetworks]

Since they have warner bros tv shows and cartoons on HD on XBox live.

[SmokeyMcBear]

uh doesnt disney also have some movies on xbl? well there ya go

[Covenant]

If that happens...nice knowing you, HD-DVD.

[Fan Tastic]

Must say M$ sure has been doing a good job on you sheep. First you believed the 3-5% defect rate and now this. Fool you once.. Fool you twice.. you idiots are on your own for still believing in such a dishonest corporation.