Right on the heels of Warner Bros. announcing exclusive Blu-ray support comes news of HD DVD canceling its CES press conference due to its rival’s announcement. The HD DVD group previously invited attendants with this upbeat message:
“Please join us as we present exciting news and a sneak peak at what’s to come for 2008, featuring executives from the HD DVD Promotional Group: Intel, Microsoft, Paramount Home Entertainment, Toshiba, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.”
Interesting that Warner was to be part of this group even if now the HD DVD group and Warner aren’t the best of friends. Here’s the HD DVD cancellation message followed by the press release post Warner Blu-ray announcement:
Notice of CES Press Conference Cancellation by North American HD DVD Promotion Group
Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD’s commitment to quality and affordability – a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD.
Toshiba’s Comment on Announcement from Warner Bros. Entertainment of Its Exclusive Support for Blu-ray Disc Format
TOKYO, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ — “Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.’ decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD. As central members of the DVD Forum, we have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros. We worked closely together to help standardize the first-generation DVD format as well as to define and shape HD DVD as its next-generation successor.
We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007.
We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluate potential next steps. We remain firm in our belief that HD DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of the consumer.”
Unfortunately for the HD DVD group, their fans don’t seem to be remaining quite as “firm in belief.” Mike over at Hacking Netflix is contemplating selling his “slightly used” HD DVD player while Robert Scoble apologizes for betting on the wrong format. And David Carnoy of Crave is of the opinion that selection trumps price even if HD DVD players could be half the price of Blu-ray.
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