Paramount and DreamWorks Animation To Support HD DVD

[vinnie97]

Yep, they were paid off. Paramount got $50 million and Dreamworks $100 million.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/d ... ormat-war/

I've learned there will be two new developments announced later this week today in the ongoing Blu-ray vs HD-DVD format war: separate HD-DVD deals with Paramount and DreamWorks Animation that involve major millions of dollars. I've got a confidential report from Pali Research managing director Richard S. Greenfield, a media analyst for entertainment and cable, that discussed the deals (see below), spinning them as "the format war is now set to intensify". But sources have given me updated details which show the HD-DVD side is paying through the nose -- I'm told $50 million to Paramount, and $100 million to DreamWorks Animation -- to try to show the strength of what we all know is a dying format.

Even with that amount of money, it still seems like a silly decision to me.

Not really a silly decision. Paramount would have a difficult time making that kind of coin this early in the high-def war by staying format-neutral and turning down the bribe.

[Ian]

Not really a silly decision. Paramount would have a difficult time making that kind of coin this early in the high-def war by staying format-neutral and turning down the bribe.

I don't know. The high-def market is growing and by staying neutral and selling their movies on both formats, they could have sold a lot of discs.

[Grain]

I'm not sold on the whole $150 million story yet. It could be true, but what's $150M these days to studios, it's not even enough to make Transformers 2, one movie. The source of the story seemed a little biased to me, but time will tell.

Appears like Michael Bay anyway has had a change of heart.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Paramount/Michael_Bay/Michael_Bay_Retracts_Earlier_Statement_Says_He_Supports_Paramounts_Decision_to_Back_HD_DVD/884

[CowboySlim]

It doesn't matter, perhaps it is true.
And why not? Studios have to make money somehow.
That was then and this is now and they are dying industries.
That is: Newspapers, magazines (printed), network TV, Audio (music) CDs, and movies.
Have you noticed? Now showing at a theater near you? Not anymore - the theater is shut!
Movie DVD sales are starting to dry up as music CD sales are history.
Been to your local Tower Records store lately? Of course not.

So, in their last dying gasp the movie studios will be happy to take that $150 million as it may be their last $150 million, free and clear, forever.

So, what are we left with? Halfwits!
That's right, folks. Reality TV featuring halfwits making choppers and making tatoos.
It could be worse, however. Fifty years ago we had thirty hours per week of halfwits wrasslin'.
Soon it will be thirty hours a week of halfwits making choppers followed by thirty hours of tatoos.

They had the Las Vegas tatoo show not make it but now they've expanded the Miami Ink into LA Ink.
Next month it will be Detroit Ink, followed shortly by Pittsburgh Ink, Detroit Ink, Sioux City Ink,............Inks 'r' Us.

Well, I'm not getting any steenking tatoo until they have 100% Mail-In Rebates like Anti-Virus deals.

[vinnie97]

What is so wrong with American Chopper and what does it have to do with this format war?

[Ian]

Not to derail this discussion, but I really like Miami Ink, LA Ink and American Chopper. They're three shows that I watch religiously.

[Ian]

Hmm.. now Michael Bay likes HD DVD. I'm guessing they cut him a large check too.

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forums/v ... php?t=2304

Last night at dinner I was having dinner with three blu-ray owners, they were pissed about no Transformers Blu-ray and I drank the kool aid hook line and sinker. So at 1:30 in the morning I posted - nothing good ever comes out of early am posts mind you - I over reacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard.

As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision.

So today I saw 300 on HD, it rocks!

So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!

Michael Bay

[dolphinius_rex]

Hmm.. now Michael Bay likes HD DVD. I'm guessing they cut him a large check too.

http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forums/v ... php?t=2304

Last night at dinner I was having dinner with three blu-ray owners, they were pissed about no Transformers Blu-ray and I drank the kool aid hook line and sinker. So at 1:30 in the morning I posted - nothing good ever comes out of early am posts mind you - I over reacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard.

As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision.

So today I saw 300 on HD, it rocks!

So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!

Michael Bay

Yeah, that was one heck of an overnight (literally) reversal. I guess you get a cheque for a couple million $$$ and you don't care if they even release your product exclusively on VHS. It's too bad though, since I thought the guy had some integrity when he was standing up for 66% of his movie distributor's clientel.

As for this deal, Paramount insiders have confirmed it's an 18 month contract. So unless the contract is broken, the only movies from Paramount we'll see on Blu-Ray are from Spielburg (a big Blu-Ray supporter).

Hopefully Paramounts buyout will push the BDA into taking some more aggressive actions now though. They've long been holding back and just letting HD DVD and Toshiba dig their own grave.... now that HD DVD/Toshiba has shown they've got a little life in them yet, I think we'll see some major fighting between formats this holiday season.

However, none of this changes my prediction that Blu-Ray will be at 4:1 compared to HD DVD in terms of weekly sales by the end of the year.

[CowboySlim]

What is so wrong with American Chopper and what does it have to do with this format war?

So what is has to do with is that it is an example of how one entertainment form, the TV reality show, is replacing another entertainment form, the ninety minute feature film produced for theaters and also sold on DVDs for home consumption.

So they are going out of the market place just as all those products that were sold for men's hair (Wildroot Creme Oil, Vitalis, Brylcream, etc.) are now gone.
So it you were the bottler (old fashioned glass bottles) of Vitalis and you knew that there was only 6 months of product to make and it's over, would you not accept $50 to put the last six months of Vitalis in Plastic Squeeze Bottle Type A instead of Ceramic Pump Plunger Type B?

So when the product is dead, why does it matter how it is packaged?

Let me try again: As a product, analog music is DEAD.
So does it matter that it was last sold packaged in 8 track tape or cassette tape? Not a whit!

Likewise, it does not matter how the next year's movies will be packaged, Blu Ray or HD DVD when there will 90% fewer sold in three years.

[Ian]

Hmm.. Michael Bay likes HD DVD... Michael Bay drops $18 Million on a house. I wonder where he got the cash?

http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainm ... 90e&k=4601

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan has sold his Miami Beach mansion to Hollywood director Michael Bay.

The man behind such blockbusters as Transformers, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon paid a little more than the $18.9 million (U.S.) asking price for the 17,339-square-foot home on upscale North Bay Road.

I'm kidding. The guy obviously made a boat load off of the Transformers movie.

[oslik3]

Here's PCWorld's interview with Paramount's CTO Alan Bell on Why His Studio Is Dumping Blu-ray.

I liked the last sentence by Alan Bell in that interview.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136253/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws

[dolphinius_rex]

Here's PCWorld's interview with Paramount's CTO Alan Bell on Why His Studio Is Dumping Blu-ray.

I liked the last sentence by Alan Bell in that interview.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136253/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws

It's a very different tune from their original "giving consumers a choice" song when they went neutral.

[vinnie97]

What is so wrong with American Chopper and what does it have to do with this format war?

So what is has to do with is that it is an example of how one entertainment form, the TV reality show, is replacing another entertainment form, the ninety minute feature film produced for theaters and also sold on DVDs for home consumption.

So they are going out of the market place just as all those products that were sold for men's hair (Wildroot Creme Oil, Vitalis, Brylcream, etc.) are now gone.
So it you were the bottler (old fashioned glass bottles) of Vitalis and you knew that there was only 6 months of product to make and it's over, would you not accept $50 to put the last six months of Vitalis in Plastic Squeeze Bottle Type A instead of Ceramic Pump Plunger Type B?

So when the product is dead, why does it matter how it is packaged?

Let me try again: As a product, analog music is DEAD.
So does it matter that it was last sold packaged in 8 track tape or cassette tape? Not a whit!

Likewise, it does not matter how the next year's movies will be packaged, Blu Ray or HD DVD when there will 90% fewer sold in three years.

Oh, you think American Chopper and similar HD reality TV are taking the place of movie features?? That's definitely not the case for me. I think the only thing that would impede the acceptance of HD movies is the prospect of digital downloads...but with AT&T (US' largest telco) and their max download speed of 6MB down, I think the practicality of that is still a ways off.