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Xbox360 Forums => Xbox 360 General Forums => Xbox360's Multimedia Features => Topic started by: Xbox-Scene on June 21, 2007, 06:54:00 PM

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: Xbox-Scene on June 21, 2007, 06:54:00 PM

Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Posted by XanTium | June 21 20:18 EST | News Category: Xbox360

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From trustedreviews.com:

Quote

Only a few days ago Blockbuster made the announcement that it was dropping HD DVD rentals from its stores, which was widely reported as a major blow to the Toshiba led camp.

Ken Graffeo, Executive Vice President of High Definition Strategic Marketing for Universal and co-president HD DVD Promotional Group, shrugged off the Blockbuster move, stating that rental counted for less the one per cent of its revenue. He also pointed out that Blockbuster still offered HD DVD on its online stores.

Interestingly, Microsoft's Xavier Bringué revealed that it was only when the Blu-ray camp decided it was going with Java that it decided to stop being format agnostic and go with HD DVD - a tacit admission that the move was purely political, based on Microsoft's poor relationship with Sun. Bringué also scotched rumours that Microsoft had any plans for a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox in the future.

Full Story: trustedreviews.com

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: 47_M450N_47 on June 21, 2007, 06:36:00 PM

I figured MS saying they were only going to do HD-DVD was just about the relationship with Toshiba. It's like them to just go with whoever is winning.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: XPunked Mods on June 21, 2007, 07:15:00 PM

Haha,
That's hilarious! (I'm just pissed at Microsoft for making such a shit overheating poor warrenty/customer service console).
I wonder if they'll bring out blue ray support now.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: CyberFoxx on June 21, 2007, 07:22:00 PM

Is Blockbuster even considered a top rental place anymore? I'm not sure how it is anywhere else, but Blockbuster is losing major business in Ontario. They've been closing stores all over the place here. Pretty much the "Mom and Pop" stores are winning out over the bigname places these days, and most of them will carry both HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

This post has been edited by CyberFoxx: Jun 22 2007, 02:23 AM

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: Chaosplt on June 21, 2007, 07:11:00 PM

QUOTE(CyberFoxx @ Jun 21 2007, 06:22 PM)

LOL I agree, the mom and pop stores get new releases 3 weeks before retail date. I have not rented in store at blockbuster for 5 years. I had blockbuster online but i went with netflix. They are losing a lot of money.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: DoTsTeR on June 21, 2007, 07:54:00 PM

All I know is it seems like everytime I want to rent/buy a movie in HD-DVD it seems like it is only available in BLU-RAY. No matter if I look online or locally.

I really want/wanted HD-DVD to win the format war, however, I personally am done sitting on a HD-DVD drive that I just dont use. I just sold my HD-DVD add-on on Ebay and I have a strong feeling Blu-Ray is going to be the winner in the end whether we like it or not.

Chances are I'll buy a PS3 once some good games exist and then I'll have a Blu-Ray drive. If I am wrong and HD-DVD becomes the winner I'll just pick up a HD-DVD unit again.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: jeff10 on June 21, 2007, 08:03:00 PM

movie gallery, video vault

and

hollywood

are the only rental stores that do any buisness in the sorrounding 6 counties here and none that i go into rents either 1

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: Ranger72 on June 21, 2007, 07:36:00 PM

QUOTE(DoTsTeR @ Jun 22 2007, 02:54 AM)

I am fully supporting and happy that Blu-Ray has won the format war. It is so much more practical to use my PS3 to watch movies rather than all the add-ons, wires, power bricks that is the 360.

BUT, I still have my HDDVD add-on because of a select few movies that are still exclusive to HDDVD. Though I now see that the Matrix is coming to Blu-Ray.

Plus for the $199 price of the HDDVD drive it is worth it to keep and use on the PC to rip HDDVD's

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: PerfectGun on June 21, 2007, 08:29:00 PM

I hope MS just isn't going to be stubborn and not support Blu-ray. If they want to continue to push HD-DVD they are going to have a lot of useless drives and angry customers.. Not to mention a console that doesn't play any of the latest movies in HD. The marketplace is great but they have even a poorer selection of current HD movies than HD-DVD has and that's sad.

Anybody want to buy a slightly used UMD player? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: lando786 on June 21, 2007, 09:00:00 PM

MS will prolly go with blu ray eventually even if they say they wont much like the hdmi connection

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: prplehz on June 21, 2007, 08:27:00 PM

Heck mine hasn't played the last 3 movies I have tried in it, Children of Man, The Hitcher and some other movie my GF tried and it wouldnt work either on the hd dvd side. But the dvd side plays. That just blows MS. As for Blockbuster, I haven't gone there in years any ways. But them only supporting Blu ray is bad for hd dvd. Hd dvd just doesn't have the right studio support. That is why there is not many movies released on it. And when the few studios that do support it put out movies it takes them forever to do it. I hate to say it but I think Blu ray is gonna win this one.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: mlmadmax on June 21, 2007, 09:32:00 PM

QUOTE(Ranger72 @ Jun 21 2007, 07:12 PM)

I am fully supporting and happy that Blu-Ray has won the format war. It is so much more practical to use my PS3 to watch movies rather than all the add-ons, wires, power bricks that is the 360.

BUT, I still have my HDDVD add-on because of a select few movies that are still exclusive to HDDVD. Though I now see that the Matrix is coming to Blu-Ray.

Plus for the $199 price of the HDDVD drive it is worth it to keep and use on the PC to rip HDDVD's

I wish you would stop saying this,no one has won yet and the unfortunate reality is the "war" is going to drag on for a long long time.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: jeff10 on June 21, 2007, 10:01:00 PM

QUOTE(Ranger72 @ Jun 21 2007, 09:12 PM)

sell me your HD-DVD drive for a cheap price, Youi dont really need it do you?

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: Caddenmods on June 22, 2007, 05:15:00 AM

I agree with what most of you are saying. My own thoughts on the matter is that MS should give the consumer the option. Sell both HD-DVD player and blue-ray player for xbox 360.

That way MS don't look biased towards one or the other and is leaving it to the consumer.

I live in England, UK and to be honest blockbuster is pretty big here, and mainly has the monopoly in my home town. I have noticed that the selection of Blue ray disks is much much bigger that HD-DVD's.

When looking at the shelves at work (TESCO!), I cant help but notice that the blue ray abundance thing is going on there too, there is loads of choice when it comes to blueray and little or non when it comes to HD DVD, it comes to no surprise why MS's are not selling many of the HD-DVD Players.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: dracus on June 22, 2007, 05:38:00 AM

I really want hd-dvd to win mostly because I don't like Sony. They are playing their standard game of "we are Sony...do what we say."

I believe when you look at "walmart" supporting HD-DVD and consider they ARE the largest retailer of discs in the world it makes the blockbuster thing a minor footnote.

I also believe Microsoft has really not done any of super marketing on the hd-dvd. I bet we'll see something completely different in a few months when Halo 3 comes out. I can almost see M$ doing something like "exclusive halo 3 videos/special features" on HD-DVD. They will likely double the current sales figures in september along. Not counting the upcoming holiday season.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: komodothesly on June 22, 2007, 06:48:00 AM

I agree with the post above the ms has not really done any marketing towards HD-DVD in fact they just started with the matrix bundles etc. Which i personally think is a lil to late to start marketing. Another thing to realize is yeah majority of productions are backing blu-ray, but universal has some kick ass movies they need to realese on HDDVD they release the's movies which are good, but when you got classics like ET and Back to the future and also Jurrasic park. Cmon how many of you would love to see Jurassic Park In HD 1080p/1080i/720p. They keep releasing movies like Shaun of the dead or Hot Fuzz, dont get me wrong those movies are great but people want to see Blockbuster movies in HD like King Kong etc. my 2 cents ....

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: Ranger72 on June 22, 2007, 08:00:00 AM

QUOTE(dracus @ Jun 22 2007, 12:38 PM)

How do you believe Wal-Mart is supporting HD-DVD? Have you even taken a second to look for yourself that Wal-Mart is in fact turning its back to HD-DVD?

The cheap HD-DVD rumor is just that. There will be a cheap HD-DVD player along with a cheap Blu-Ray player but if Wal-Mart pulls all there HD-DVD titles from the shelves like they have been nobody will buy the player anyway.

QUOTE(jeff10 @ Jun 22 2007, 05:37 AM)

sell me your HD-DVD drive for a cheap price, You don't really need it do you?

No I happen to like my HD-DVD drive and use it all the time. AND until Serenity and Matrix is ported to Blu-Ray it will be put to good use. Just because I back Blu-Ray does not mean I don't like my HD-DVD drive.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: matasnaza on June 22, 2007, 08:01:00 AM

I think the biggest news out of that is the admission that the only reason they didn't go with Blu Ray is because of Java. I love these forums, but I always chuckle when someone calls Sony a corporation hell bent on taking over the world in order to defend a Microsoft product. MS wants as much of what is on the market to be as proprietary as legally (at least what they can get away with) possible.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: bucko on June 22, 2007, 09:18:00 AM

Interesting about Java, maybe thats why HD-DVD group couldn't join with Bluy-Ray, they did try.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: brandontyler on June 26, 2007, 10:31:00 AM

I sent Blockbuster this email:

> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Customer (Brandon) - 06/18/2007 09:51 PM
> I think it strange when you sell the XBOX 360 HD-DVD player and yet you are only going to support BlueRay. Come on! Please give us HD-DVD's. I think I would buy a HD-DVD player for my XBOX 360 if you started to support HD-DVD's. Please rethink this decision.

And I just got this reply:

06/26/07

Brandon,

Thank you for your feedback regarding our decision to expand our Blu ray
inventory in more than 1,700 corporate owned stores nationwide. Please
note that this expansion will not impact the current inventory of HD DVD
titles in store or online. Blockbuster continues to carry HD DVD in about
250 stores and also offers HD DVD titles online.
We are not endorsing either format and have no desire to lead customers to
a certain format choice. Our goal is to offer customers the most
convenient access to the movies they want and that means giving them the
best availability and the best selection possible in the formats they
prefer.
Blu ray rentals have been outpacing HD DVD rentals in our stores where
we've been offering the high definition format 70 to 30 percent in 2007.
Additionally, because more studios support the Blu ray product, there's a
wider selection of titles available on this format to offer to our
customers.
While it is still too early to say which high definition format will
become the industry standard, we will continue to closely monitor customer
rental patterns both at our stores and online, so we can adjust our
inventory mix accordingly and ensure that Blockbuster is offering
customers the most convenient access to the movies they want, in the
format they want. That may mean in the future that we will add HD DVD
titles to additional stores.

If you have any additional concerns, you may contact the BLOCKBUSTER Rewards Member Service Center at 1-800-406-6843 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Crystal
BLOCKBUSTER

Wow, 70 to 30 percent higher? Crazy.

Title: Universal and MS About Blockbuster Blu-ray Move
Post by: ErikREspo on June 26, 2007, 07:18:00 PM

QUOTE(brandontyler @ Jun 26 2007, 12:31 PM)

Wow, 70 to 30 percent higher? Crazy.

I think that meant 70% of sales are Blu-ray and 30% are hD DVD

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Xbox360 Forums => Xbox 360 General Forums => Xbox360's Multimedia Features => Topic started by: Xbox-Scene on June 21, 2007, 06:54:00 PM