Wow! Looking bleak for Blu-ray this summer!

[CochiseGuy]

Kinda quiet lately here in the War Zone. Not enough war-mongering going on? OK, I thought I'd see if I can stir some up.

Well, having recently picked up a PS3 on the cheap from eBay so I can also enjoy the Blu-ray exclusive titles in high def, I thought I'd scope what I can enjoy this summer on the little game machine. It's looking pretty bleak for Blu-ray.
Source: HighDefDigest Release Dates Lists

First, from June 1 through August 31, total HD DVD releases out-number BD 58 to 40! Whatever happened to that "overwhelming studio support"?
Well, I don't see ANY Fox titles on the list; they're being awfully quiet these days. Disney has only 3 more titles, then they're quiet until the Fall. Lionsgate has only 3 titles, and they're pretty quiet these days too. So, I guess that leaves it up to the "big boys" to slug it out.

But wait! It gets even worse for Blu-ray! Remember how "puny" the offerings are from Universal, and no one misses them on BD? And that other, new studio with the funny name - Weinstein/ Genuis? Well, the HD DVD exclusive titles this summer outnumber BD exclusives by almost two to one! Yep, a total of 39 HD DVD exclusive titles and only 20 from big bad boy Sony & Co.

I only get to chose from these to play on my PS3 -

* Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live in
Dublin (Sony BMG)
* Hellboy (Sony)
* The Messengers (Sony)
* Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season (Sony)
* Blood & Chocolate (Sony)
* Cruel Intentions (Sony)
* Daddy's Little Girls (Lionsgate)
* Ghost Rider (Sony)
* Seven Years in Tibet (Sony)
* Primeval (Buena Vista)
* Bridge to Terebithia (Buena Vista)
* Flatliners (Sony)
* The Patriot (Extended Cut) (Sony)
* Premonition (Sony)
* Waiting... (Lionsgate)
* Wild Things (Sony)
* Weeds: Season Two (Lionsgate)
* IMAX: Roving Mars (Disney)
* Doctor Strange (Lionsgate)
* Wild Hogs (Buena Vista)

I guess my PS3 will have plenty of time for Folding@home, while my XA1 gets a real workout from these:

* Breach (Universal)
* Black Christmas (2006) (Weinstein)
* Born on the Fourth of July (Universal)
* Bruce Almighty (Universal)
* Daylight (Universal)
* Harsh Times (Weinstein)
* Liar Liar (Universal)
* Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (Universal)
* Sneakers (Universal)
* American Me (Universal)
* Army of Darkness (Re-issue) (Universal)
* Being John Malkovich (Universal)
* The Big Lebowski (Universal)
* Bulletproof (Universal)
* Dead Silence (Universal)
* Deep Purple: Live at Montreux 2006 (Rhino)
* Freedom: Vol. 1 (Bandai Visual)
* Mallrats (Universal)
* Meet Joe Black (Universal)
* Mystery Men (Universal)
* Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux 2004
(Rhino)
* Unleashed (Re-issue) (Universal)
* The Watcher (Universal)
* Yes: Live at Montreux (Rhino)
* Billy Madison (Universal)
* Dante's Peak (Universal)
* The War (Universal)
* The Wedding Date (Universal)
* The Bourne Identity (Universal)
* The Contract (First Look)
* In Good Company (Universal)
* The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps (Universal)
* Scent of a Woman (Universal)
* Streets of Fire (Universal)
* Darkman (Universal)
* Sea of Love (Universal)
* Shaun of the Dead (Universal)
* Face/Off (Paramount)
* Heroes: Season One (Universal)

Oh well, all is not lost. Everyone gets to win with these dual format releases from the smart folks at Warner & Paramount -

* Coming to America (Paramount)
* The Cowboys (Warner)
* Norbit (DreamWorks)
* Rio Bravo (Warner)
* Trading Places (Paramount)
* Music and Lyrics (Warner)
* Black Snake Moan (Paramount)
* Hustle & Flow (Paramount)
* Blood Diamond (Warner)
* The Untouchables (Paramount)
* The Warriors: Ultimate Director's Cut (Paramount)
* IMAX: Blue Planet (Warner)
* Ghost (Paramount)
* The Host (Magnolia)
* An Officer and a Gentleman (Paramount)
* Zodiac (Paramount)
* 300 (Warner)
* Shooter (Paramount)

But then, I always order the HD DVD version of dual format releases - I usually get better audio, and always get more interactivity.

Hmmm . . . . I wonder how the prices for used PS3's are holding up at eBay?

 

[teachsac]

You're just asking for it now, huh:yikes

Seriously though, I was in the shop picking up some equipment for an install I'm doing and the Denon rep was in. He said they are seriously looking into making an HD-DVD player.

S~

 

[CochiseGuy]

I was in the shop picking up some equipment for an install I'm doing and the Denon rep was in. He said they are seriously looking into making an HD-DVD player.

S~

They should! I guess that $100 rebate is working - guess what the #1 selling disc player is on Amazon? The HD-A2!

Top selling disc players today on Amazon:

#1: Toshiba HD-A2, $266.77 (#24 in all electronics)

#2: Oppo 981 Upconverting DVD player, $229.99 (#48 in all electronics)

Gee, for $37 more I can get an as good if not better upconverting player that can also play HD DVD's, and Toshiba will give me 5 free HD DVD's to try it out. No wonder they're selling like hotcakes.


For inquiring minds, the best selling Blu-ray player?
- Samsung BDP-1200, $606.88 (#712 in all electronics)

 

[teachsac]

That's the thing with the CE companies. Not pleased with the BD standalone sales. Like Joe said way back when You can't win the war with a game console. Sure BD is selling more disks, but with 3.2 million PS3's compared to a couple hundred thousand HD-DVD capable players, the gap should be higher.

S~

 

[TheForce]

People who follow this "war" of the formats need not forget that leap frog statistics are a fool's story of what is really happening. To determine how each is doing in this type of war the overall number of titles is what's important to new sales. Cost of hardware is important as always but entering the picture are more and more people who buy the hardware and then own a few movies but rent most of their viewings. That would be me. The evaluation of who's winning is not an easy picture to paint, but failutre to consider the rental factor in the titles being viewed, not just the sales of DVD's leaves out an important factor in the equation. IMO, the real problem is that both formats are losing because they are keeping the market divided. Once we do have a real dual player at a good price where neither format is a compromise as was in the LG dual, we will begin to see the hidef DVD markey grow as it should have.

 

[JoeSp]

There are a considerable amount of titles on hold from the BD camp:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html

I believe that this is in direct relation to two things: First the summer theater season -- I for one will be going to a movie at least every other weekend. Money I would normally spend on a new BD title. Second is the BD-Java standard for interactivity during movie playback. I think this might be the real reason everyone is holding out. Especially studios like Warner who will be bringing Batman Begins, The Matrix and others to BD as soon as this standard is available for everyone to use.

I noticed that you did not meantion the new 'Fifth Element' BD50 being released in July and also an exchange program for those who purchased the ill-done first BD release. There are others taht will sneak out for the BD camp (Cars in BD is supposed to hit in late June early July) but come October is when the real heat in this war begins -- for those XMAS dollars. I think you will begin to see a flood of BD titles then. Also, since Fox has been not been getting rave reviews of their BD releases compared to Sony and Buena Vista perhaps they are retooling and improving their product release -- I certainly hope so.