Universal going neuteral???

[rancidzombie79]

Just stumbled across this online...

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=180

May 9, 2007 - Universal Going Neutral?
Posted May 9, 2007 by Josh


Heise Online, a German IT website, is reporting that during a press conference, representatives from Pioneer announced that Universal will break their exclusivity agreement with HD DVD. This would allow Universal, the only large studio exclusively supporting HD DVD, to freely distribute their movies on Blu-ray. It is important to note that this announcement has not yet been confirmed by Universal.



It has long been speculated that Universal was receiving monetary compensation for being an exclusive HD DVD studio. This announcement would signal that they have decided to forgo the compensation in order to release titles on Blu-ray. Most would agree that this move would effectively end the war, and no matter what side you support, a single HD format is the best long term solution.



Keep watching this space, and we'll update the story as needed.

 

[navychop]

First, I LOVE your spelling of neutral/neuter. Nice double meaning there!

Second, I doubt that it's true. And I could not find it on their website, at least not on their (Heise's) English website. If it is true, LG & Samsung can drop their dual format players. It would all be over.

Of course, there is a high likelihood of it being true. For such a statement to be published at blu-ray.com there must be high confidence that the story, true or not, was in fact published by Heise. I'm sure the liability would be huge if they recklessly published false information.

 

[JoeSp]

This would be great news -- if true. However, I will believe it when I see it -- in English from Universal! It would make sense though because it seems even though HD-DVD sales spike occasionally BD is pretty steady at 70% to 30% in HD discs sales. I am sure Universal would like to see a nice hit from all those BD players (PS3 that is) out there. And maybe that money to keep them in the HD-DVD camp is drying up as the margin on players is not there and those Combo discs keep bombing. I still don't think we are going to see any movement this year but it will sure be interesting to watch!

 

[rancidzombie79]

First, I LOVE your spelling of neutral/neuter. Nice double meaning there!

Second, I doubt that it's true. And I could not find it on their website, at least not on their (Heise's) English website. If it is true, LG & Samsung can drop their dual format players. It would all be over.

Of course, there is a high likelihood of it being true. For such a statement to be published at blu-ray.com there must be high confidence that the story, true or not, was in fact published by Heise. I'm sure the liability would be huge if they recklessly published false information.

I wondered if anyone would catch my spelling or if it was assumed it was a typo. I'm not saying I believe it either, I'm just passing it on.

 

[navychop]

Well, let me expand upon my previous. Yes, this info is not on their English language site at this time. But at the bottom of the Blu-ray.com page is a link to a Google translation, as follows:


Universal allegedly exclusive support of the hp DVD wants to give up

In the context of a press meeting representatives of the Blu ray advocate maintained Pioneer that universal Home Entertainment stepped out of the exclusive contract with the Hp-DVD-camp and/or its largest representatives on the hardware side Toshiba. Thus the Studio quit the agreement, the notice is not only not effective allegedly already. If this report should be confirmed, thereby the way would be free for film publications on the competition medium Blu ray Disc for universal (in the long run). Above all however the hp DVD graduation Group would lose their only remaining exclusive supporter after Paramount and Warner under Hollywood Studios.

Only at the end of January had affirmed universal again its support for the hp DVD, 100 new publications in this Hp-Disc-format for the current year had announced and Blu ray to the Disc a renewed refusal had given. The advocates of the competition format could win those of Hollywood Studios 20th Century Fox, Disney and Sony exclusively for itself, Warner and Paramount (inclusive Dreamworks) supply both bearings with titles. The strategy to drive double-railed could quite pay for universal: Thus the portion of the Studios of the Hp-DVD-sales was appropriate for 18 between the beginning of the year 2007 and that. March with full 35.6 per cent, with the Hp-Disc-Gesamtverkäufen however only with 11,1 per cent. Warner sold 46.4 per cent of the hp DVDs and 19.3 per cent Blu ray of the Discs in the same period, with which the Studio came altogether on 27,7 per cent of all Hp-Discs and reserved seat 1.

Universal Pictures Germany delivered on the demand of heise on-line so far no statement to the statement, while Toshiba Germany explained to know from a retreat on the part of universal from the Hp-DVD-partnership nothing.


LET THE FEEDING FRENZY BEGIN!
or the countdown to retraction....

 

[CochiseGuy]

Well, let me expand upon my previous. Yes, this info is not on their English language site at this time. But at the bottom of the Blu-ray.com page is a link to a Google translation, as follows:

LET THE FEEDING FRENZY BEGIN!
or the countdown to retraction....

And this from the guy who said "One more BS story of Wally's World selling sub $200 players "real soon now" or Blu-ray conquering the world, and I may just have to take a vacation from the whole business for a while."

And you guys do realize that blu-ray.com site is nothing more than fan site? " This web site is not affiliated with the Blu-ray Disc Association."

Think it's time for me to take a little vacation, not loosing any sleep over a translation from an obscure German website or yet another rumor promoted by a blu-ray fan site. :sleeo

 

[navychop]

Yep, I got suckered in again.

But I suspect this one will have a shorter half life than the Wally World one.

 

[navychop]

And BTW, I did NOT know it was a fan site. I thought it was the official site. So much for any shred of credibility. And they've certainly revamped the site. Looks like there's some money behind it. Supported, but kept at a distance?

 

[CochiseGuy]

And BTW, I did NOT know it was a fan site. I thought it was the official site. So much for any shred of credibility. And they've certainly revamped the site. Looks like there's some money behind it. Supported, but kept at a distance?

To be honest, I didn't notice it at first, either. Stuart628 linked to it for that "One Million Blu-ray disks sold" thread and I assumed then it was the official site, it looks authentic enough. But on the link today I noticed the Goggle ads on the right side of the "news" page and thought "Wait a minute, the BDA needs Goggle ads to help support their website?"

So I did a Goggle for BDA - the official site is http://www.blu-raydisc.com

On the home page of blu-ray.com, at the bottom, it says:
This web site is not affiliated with the Blu-ray Disc Association.
All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners.
© 2002-2007 Blu-ray.com. All rights reserved.

 

[navychop]

Thank you. My mouth is sore from the hook tugging at it.

 

[navychop]

Something fishy here. blu-raydisc.com looks an awful lot like blu-ray.com used to. What's going on?

 

[CochiseGuy]

Engadgethd- one of the many sites that feed off the rumor feeding frenzy at AVS & other sites now says Universal has officially denied the rumor, in a . . . . snipity way -

Universal responds to reports of going neutral

Posted May 9th 2007 8:55PM by Ben Drawbaugh

Wow, that didn't take very long; Craig Kornblau, the President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment tells us in an email that the rumors that Universal will support Blu-ray "are totally false". As much as we love to get the official word straight from the horses mouth, we can't help but feel like this is like the time the head coach was denying rumors of his star quarterback getting traded, right before the trade goes through.


OK.

Probably the last email they'll ever receive from the President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Something fishy here. blu-raydisc.com looks an awful lot like blu-ray.com used to. What's going on?

I dunno. I never looked around either sites much before. Maybe BDA tolerates it because it promotes Blu-ray, but told him to tone it down some?

 

[mike123abc]

Perhaps the exclusive deal with Universal is about to be over and Universal let the rumor slip to up the ante with HD-DVD... Perhaps they want more to remain exclusive than HD-DVD offered.

 

[navychop]

Well, I wonder if there will be any followup, to see what that "Pioneer" rep really said, and if anyone will be in any trouble for this nonsense.

But it does point up how quickly the format war could be settled, if Universal published in Blu-ray also.

How many more BS reports will come out before anything is settled, or coexistence is accepted?

 

[CochiseGuy]

Well, I wonder if there will be any followup, to see what that "Pioneer" rep really said, and if anyone will be in any trouble for this nonsense.

Well, Universal also contacted the German site denying it. If anyone can read German, it's here. I can make out about two words. "völlig falsch" - fully false.

Or this English (computer) translation -
After representatives of the Blu ray advocate Pioneer had maintained Universal Home Entertainment had stepped out of the exclusive contract with the Hp-DVD-camp and/or its largest representatives on the hardware side Toshiba, announced themselves now to Wayne borrows to word, Executive Vice President Commercial operation the Studios. In a statement opposite it communicated heise on-line that this rumor was “completely wrong” and universal will not change the sides, in order to support in the future the competition format Blu ray Disc.

But it does point up how quickly the format war could be settled, if Universal published in Blu-ray also. :

Well, no amount of spin I can think of would say the Universal going neutral would be a good thing for HD DVD. And I was confident the rumor was just a stupid rumor is that there's been no love lost between GE/Universal and Sony for a long time. And conversely, NBC/Universal has a very close relationship with Microsoft. Perhaps as Mike suggested, just slip to up the incentive to remain HD DVD Only. But my bet would be just a loose tongued blurb from an over zealous Pioneer / BDA PR underling - or even a bad translation: "may cancel" instead of "has canceled".

But even if it had proved to be true, I'm not sure how quickly it would have ended the format war. We still have HD DVD players at half the price of blu-ray players that can play 60 - 70% of all high def disc releases. The longer HD DVD stays in the game, the more likely we'll see dual format players, folks like me who go dual format by buying players for both formats, and Lionsgate, Disney & Fox joining Warner & Paramount and release on both formats.

Pioneer just announced their 2nd generation BD player today - at a cool $1,000 list price. But, they've caught onto the free movie game HD DVD has been using, and will include TWO free blu-ray movies! Yep, I can already see the folks lining up in front of Wal-Mart to snap one of these babies up!

How many more BS reports will come out before anything is settled, or coexistence is accepted?

Probably more than a few.

 

[diogen]

But it does point up how quickly the format war could be settled, if Universal published in Blu-ray also.

Just imagine what could have happened if it would be discovered that 2+2=5

Looking at the heise follow-up on the article, "völlig falsch" in this publication's lingo means "utter crap", to put it politely.

"Das Studio stehe... in diesem Jahr eine Reihe "unglaublicher" HD-DVD-Titel weltweit zu veröffentlichen und als Stimme für die HD DVD aufzutreten. Die Wirklichkeit sieht doch so aus, dass HD DVD weiterhin das beste Preis/Leistungs-Verhältnis für den Konsumenten bietet..."

"[Universal Studios] plans to release a list of "unbelievable" HD DVD titles this year and be the voice of HD DVD.
HD DVD by today's realities offers the best price/performance value for consumers..."

Diogen.

 

[navychop]

I still think it should be tracked down and someone made to pay for this bogus story.

 

[diogen]

I still think it should be tracked down and someone made to pay for this bogus story.

You mean finding that Pioneer exec who forgot to take his foot out of his mouth before talking?
I'd be interested, too.

From my experience, heise in technology world is akin Wall Street Jornal in business: they don't talk crap.
They report news, if this news turnes out to be crap, it is the characteristic of the source, Pioneer in this case.

Diogen.

 

[JamesJ]

I understand that people would make up stats, but when I linked to it there was facts from another site also-but I was under the assumption that was the pretty much official Blu ray forum-sorry about that guys.

 

[teamerickson]

I understand that people would make up stats, but when I linked to it there was facts from another site also-but I was under the assumption that was the pretty much official Blu ray forum-sorry about that guys.

My avatar beat your avatar!