Goodbye Present

Great homage to the goodbye present scene in Office Space:

Report: Sony may have paid up to $400 million (U.S.) to Warner Brothers

WASHINGTON, TORONTO -- Howard Stringer made history in 2005 for being the first non-Japanese executive to take the helm at Sony Corp. But he may be better remembered as the one who won the high-definition war, erasing the stain on the electronics firm's image ever since it lost the videotape war two decades earlier.

Although celebrated yesterday, the victory was sealed last month when Sony swayed Warner Bros. to back Sony's Blu-ray technology and quit producing movies using Toshiba Corp.'s rival HD DVD format.

What remains a mystery is just how big a push Warner needed to pick sides. Analysts say Sony only prevailed following a heated bidding war against Toshiba, with the reward reaching as much as $400-million (U.S.). Neither side has confirmed the size of any bids or payments.

[From globeandmail.com: Stringer makes his mark]

$400 million is pocket change when compared to either Warner's or Sony's marketing budget for one year.

Now think of a war of attrition, trying to sell people into picking one format or the other. That's up to ten miserable years blowing millions in advertisement, free discs with each drive bought, and Black Friday loss leader sales of drives. And no promise of resolution at the end of the ten years.

For all we know, at the end of these 10 years we would either still have to figure out which disc to buy, or end up paying more for a dual mode disc. And let's not forget that Sony had the superior format (Betamax) the last time, yet there are still plenty of VHS tapes around (and now that I think about it, mini discs).

Blu-ray's day: Toshiba quits HD DVD - Gadgets- msnbc.com

And then, there was one ...

TOKYO - Toshiba said Tuesday it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video.

"We concluded that a swift decision would be best," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters at his company's Tokyo offices.

The move would make Blu-ray — backed by Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, and five major Hollywood movie studios — the winner in the battle over high-definition DVD formatting that began several years ago.

[From Blu-ray's day: Toshiba quits HD DVD - Gadgets- msnbc.com]

To kick-off the festivities, let's have Douglas Adams' Singing Dolphins Chorus:

So long and thanks for all the fish

So sad that it should come to this

We tried to warn you all but oh dear?



You may not share our intellect

Which might explain your disrespect

For all the natural wonders that

grow around you



So long, so long and thanks

for all the fish



The world's about to be destroyed

There's no point getting all annoyed

Lie back and let the planet dissolve



Despite those nets of tuna fleets

We thought that most of you were sweet

Especially tiny tots and your

pregnant women



So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long



So long, so long and thanks

for all the fish



(yeah)



So long and thanks for all the fish

So sad that it should come to this

We tried to warn you all but oh dear?



(oh dear)



Despite those nets of tuna fleets

We thought that most of you were sweet

Especially tiny tots and your

pregnant women



So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long



So long, so long and thanks

for all the fish

Gamerscore Blog : HD-DVD Statement from Xbox

Today's chapter of the HD-DVD saga is brought to you by some Baltimore-style damage control from Microsoft's Xbox team:

HD-DVD Statement from Xbox
We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. As we’ve long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry. We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player. HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.

[From Gamerscore Blog : HD-DVD Statement from Xbox]

In other words: HD-DVD is dead, yo. Don't expect any games published in HD-DVD, don't expect any more free movies when purchasing the Microsoft HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360, and sure as hell expect the Xbox 720 (if we ever see it) to ship with either a current generation Blu-ray, or simply move on to pure online distribution channels.

Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war-NHK | Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp is planning to stop production of equipment compatible with the HD DVD format for high-definition video, allowing the competing Blu-Ray camp a free run, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday.

Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business, Japan's NHK said on its website.

No one at Toshiba could be reached for comment.

[From Toshiba to exit HD DVD, end format war-NHK | Reuters]

Can you hear the screams? That's the thousands of people left holding the bag, starting with the people that got sucked into buying HD-DVD players by both Black Friday sales and by Microsoft cutting the price on the HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360. Ouch.

The sad thing is I am still to watch a single HD-DVD drive in action. Only HD discs I have seen are Blu-ray demos at Best Buy.

Wal-Mart dumps HD DVDs to back Blu-ray - HDTV- msnbc.com

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to exclusively sell high-definition DVDs in the Blu-ray format, dealing what could be a crippling blow to the rival HD DVD technology backed by Toshiba Corp.

The move by the world's largest retailer, announced on Friday, caps a disappointing week for HD DVD supporters, who also saw consumer electronics chain Best Buy and online video rental company Netflix defect to the Blu-ray camp.

[From Wal-Mart dumps HD DVDs to back Blu-ray - HDTV- msnbc.com]

Or, like we say in Virginia:





"It was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."



Of course, there's nothing like kicking a guy while he is down. Here's Arstechnica's take on this mess:

Since the beginning of the year, when Warner Bros. announced that it was pulling support for HD DVD, the prospects appeared grim. Toshiba and some of the other backers of the format put on a brave face, but most observers were wondering if and when Toshiba would acknowledge Blu-ray's fait accompli and let HD DVD join Betamax in The Place Where Unloved Formats Are Eternally Blessed. That time may be soon, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, which quotes "reliable industry sources" as saying that Toshiba will euthanize HD DVD in the months ahead.

[From Report: Toshiba making funeral plans for HD DVD; Wal-Mart to go all Blu (updated)]

Hopefully this the last format disc media format war (remember those Divx discs that would self-destruct?), since we will all eventually use online distribution.