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warner bros.
Watch Full Episodes of Friends, Scooby Doo and The Batman Online for Free
Warner Bros. is jumping into the online video arena next month with a pair of sites, thewb.com and kidswb.com, which will show full episodes of its biggest series, like Friends and Smallville on the former, and stuff like Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo and Batman (hopefully Paul Dini's brilliant and amazing original animated series, not The Mediocre Batman) on the latter. It'd probably have made more sense for them to join Hulu, but Warner's probably not keen on splitting the ad dollars. If there's enough content, it could become a real destination, but we're guessing you'll still have to go to YouTube for "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves." [Yahoo]
riaa
Warner Music Pushes for Mandatory Music Tax on Your Internet Bill
If iTunes music subscriptions don't happen, it's not because the industry lacks interest. Universal's already got a sub plan; Sony BMG is forging ahead with their own; and now Warner Music is investing serious resources and effort into pushing for a monthly music tax. They want $5 a month tacked onto everybody's internet bill, and in return, everyone would have unlimited access to basically all known music. It's not as generous as it sounds. More »
streaming
Hulu, NBC and Fox's new streaming service, is indeed opening to the public tomorrow as we reported rumors of yesterday. What's news to us is that Hulu will be adding Warner Brothers shows and sports as well. The sports will come as game recaps from the NBA and NHL (finger on the pulse!) as well as full NCAA games. Now, I don't want to be a Debbie downer here, and you can't argue with free, but with the copious advertising, spotty selection of episodes and lack of downloads you've gotta wonder just how much this is going to catch on.
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Hulu Opening to Public Tomorrow, Adds Warner Bros and Sports
Hulu, NBC and Fox's new streaming service, is indeed opening to the public tomorrow as we reported rumors of yesterday. What's news to us is that Hulu will be adding Warner Brothers shows and sports as well. The sports will come as game recaps from the NBA and NHL (finger on the pulse!) as well as full NCAA games. Now, I don't want to be a Debbie downer here, and you can't argue with free, but with the copious advertising, spotty selection of episodes and lack of downloads you've gotta wonder just how much this is going to catch on.
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format war
By now you know waaaaay too much about Toshiba's format-war surrender, the death of HD DVD at the hands of the larger Blu-ray armada. You may even be eying the Blu-ray players mounted proudly in point-of-sale displays at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Pricing hasn't come down to HD DVD player levels—and with those sinking even further, it's unlikely they ever will—but the need to get in on the action might provoke you to spend some extra dimes. All we're saying is DON'T! Not yet. If you don't know why, let us explain.
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Stop! Why It Still Isn't Safe to Buy Blu-ray
By now you know waaaaay too much about Toshiba's format-war surrender, the death of HD DVD at the hands of the larger Blu-ray armada. You may even be eying the Blu-ray players mounted proudly in point-of-sale displays at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Pricing hasn't come down to HD DVD player levels—and with those sinking even further, it's unlikely they ever will—but the need to get in on the action might provoke you to spend some extra dimes. All we're saying is DON'T! Not yet. If you don't know why, let us explain.
More »
announcements
Amazon MP3 Service Going Global; Epic iTunes Battle on the Horizon
Amazon's digital music catalogue is all set to go global, and although a launch date has not yet been settled, it shall hit sometime this year. Given Amazon MP3 offers DRM-free tracks, which are generally cheaper than iTunes limited, equivalent offerings, we cannot help but think an epic battle between the big As is all set to take off. More »
music downloads
Qtrax Promises Legal P2P Music Sharing Service, the Impossible
We have long thought the acronym P2P was the very antonym of the word legal, but Qtrax, a new P2P music sharing service, has plans to rewrite the geek dictionary. Here's the skinny: The service is free, completely. Qtrax offers an unlimited service. It is supported by the four major labels, as well as smaller, niche music groups, and that means it will have a start-up music library of over 25 million songs. That is about four times bigger than iTunes, and about 100% cheaper. We know what you are thinking; is this all smoke without fire? Short answer; we're not sure, but Qtrax is hitting soon. Very, very soon. More »
the end of the format war
Most people have already declared Blu-ray to be the format war's victor—even us, begrudgingly—and our recent talks with Toshiba and Universal seem to suggest that the HD DVD camp might be ready to pull up stakes. Back at CES, so many moons ago, Microsoft said HD DVD was over when Toshiba said it was. Ken Graffeo, Universal's Executive VP and Co-President of HD DVD promo group, told us the exact same thing: "If Toshiba says it's over, it is over." Our impression? Toshiba knows it's over. The crazy part is this: Just a few weeks ago, it might've gone the other way entirely.
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The Truth About the Format War and HD DVD's Demise
Most people have already declared Blu-ray to be the format war's victor—even us, begrudgingly—and our recent talks with Toshiba and Universal seem to suggest that the HD DVD camp might be ready to pull up stakes. Back at CES, so many moons ago, Microsoft said HD DVD was over when Toshiba said it was. Ken Graffeo, Universal's Executive VP and Co-President of HD DVD promo group, told us the exact same thing: "If Toshiba says it's over, it is over." Our impression? Toshiba knows it's over. The crazy part is this: Just a few weeks ago, it might've gone the other way entirely.
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format wars
HD DVD Losing Its Arsenal in Japan
The HD DVD troopers are surely fighting the losing battle, as new research from Japan details a surge in Blu-Ray recorder ownership. The study surveyed buying trends from 2,300 electronic stores across Japan, and the statistics showed that next-generation DVD-unit sales rocketed from 6.1% in October to 20% in November and December. As the next-generation recorders have a higher price point, they managed to account for some 35% of the total DVD player market value. However, Blu-Ray walked home with the largest market share of the two. More »
format war
Here's an Idea for HD DVD: Just Give Up
Even if you don't take Hitler's word for it, you probably have the feeling that Blu-ray has won, following Warner Bros.' decision to ditch HD DVD. Questex analyst Thomas K. Arnold has a real innovative solution:"I'm hoping Toshiba, Universal and Paramount will take the high road and, for the good of the entire industry, bow out [of HD DVD]. Universal and Paramount, in particular, need to jump on the Blu-ray Disc bandwagon so we can go into the new year with a unified front and a unified mission: To educate consumers about the advantages of high-definition media and convince them the time to transition from standard DVD to Blu-ray is the day they bring that HDTV into their home."Oh, so it's about consumers now, eh Tom? Who'da thunk it? [Home Media Magazine via HDTV UK]
format war
Universal Won't Support HD DVD Exclusively, Blu-ray Victory Imminent Says Variety
Updated after the jump The end of the war is near: Hollywood insider Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal will no longer exclusively support HD DVD. Following Warner's defection to Blu-ray and reports on the clause that allows Paramount to publish Blu-ray titles too, the end of Universal's exclusivity deal may be one blow too many for HD DVD. However, Universal is not going to stop publishing movies in the latter format: More »
itunes video rentals
iTunes Video Rentals Rumor: Warner Bros. Onboard
Citing the ever-chatty "people familiar with the agreements" Bloomberg is reporting that Warner is the latest studio to climb aboard the iTunes video rental express. For and against breakdown: Warner has been pretty busy this week on the vid front—and it's a total "duh" that Apple has been/is talking with all of the major studios. But, 10 days ago, word was that Warner was abstaining for "competitive reasons." More »
rumor
HD DVD Really Dead Now: Paramount Following Warner to Blu-ray-Only Party
Financial Times is reporting that Paramount has a clause in its HD DVD exclusivity contract allowing them to bail from the sinking HD DVD ship if Warner defected to Blu-ray, and they are "poised" to do so. More »
ces 2008
CES 2008: What You Missed So Far
We arrived at CES yesterday, and despite being separated into bloggers and press, and watching the game in standard def, we've had a great time so far. If you've missed the coverage, let's catch you up to speed: More »
2:00 PM on Sun Jan 6 2008
By Benny Goldman
4,309 views,
2 comments
update
Warner announced earlier today it was 100 percent Blu-ray. We just talked a bit with Warner about some of the whys behind the decision. In a sentence: Because the format war is killing regular DVD sales on top of hurting sales of both HD formats.
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Interview: Why Warner Went Full Throttle With Blu-ray
Warner announced earlier today it was 100 percent Blu-ray. We just talked a bit with Warner about some of the whys behind the decision. In a sentence: Because the format war is killing regular DVD sales on top of hurting sales of both HD formats.
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fall out
Toshiba Is "Quite Surprised" Warner Left Them for That Blu-ray Hussy
Tipped to this during the call with Warner, Toshiba—one of HD DVD's daddies—has released their statement on Warner's Blu-ray defection. It reads like a letter from a jilted lover: "We have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros" and "Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray." The full screed of woe: More »
home entertainment
Confirmed: Warner Going 100% Blu-ray; Is This HD DVD's Deathblow?
It's been speculated upon and speculated upon, but today it happened: Warner Bros. declared undying allegiance to one format alone: Blu-ray. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger," said Warner chairman Barry Meyer, suggesting that this move will end the format war. We are a bit sad about this, given our current love of Warner's HD DVDs over their identical Blu-ray titles. And there's still a lot of momentum on the HD DVD side, with Paramount, DreamWorks and Universal exclusivity. But this is a massive blow for sure. More »
home entertainment
