Deutsche Constantin Film to back Blu-ray Discs
,----[ Quote ]
| Following the Hollywood-based Warner Bros. studio's decision to discontinue
| HD DVDs, German film production and rental company Constantin Film AG has
| also decided to offer high-definition movies on Blu-ray Disc only in the
| future. The company announced March 1, 2008 as its cut-off date.
`----
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/101667/from/rss09
Some poor people wasted money on a HDDVD player and videos that will
probably 'expire'.
Related:
Blu-ray supporters scent victory
,----[ Quote ]
| HD DVD, which is backed by Microsoft and Toshiba, now has support from only
| Universal and Paramount among the big film studios.
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7176185.stm
Another nail hangs over HD-DVD's coffin
,----[ Quote ]
| The Warner Bros.' move gives Blu-ray about 70 per cent of Hollywood’s output,
| although the format's grip on film content will even increase further when
| Paramount comes aboard.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/08/hd-dvd-declared-dead
DVD sales plummet
,----[ Quote ]
| USA Today points out that the the movie download market could be another
| killer. That industry is expected to double from $689 million in 2006 to $1.6
| billion in 2008.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/08/dvd-sales-plummet
Microsoft to bypass High Def disc war with Mediaroom on Xbox 360
,----[ Quote ]
| This is why Microsoft is not overly worried about Warner Bros jumping ship
| from the HD DVD that they back, to Blu-Ray high definition disc format. They
| know that in the long run, the physical media will be bypassed.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16006/1063/
,----[ Quote ]
| "That is the dirty secret no one is talking about," said Bay, director of the
| recent hit film "Transformers." "They want confusion in the market until they
| perfect the digital downloads." Microsoft sells HD movie and TV show
| downloads to its video game consoles through its Xbox Live Marketplace.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/071224/tech.html?.v=1
Director: Microsoft fueling HD wars
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is deliberately feeding into the HD disc format wars to ensure that
| its own downloads succeed where physical copies fail, says movie director
| Michael Bay in a response to a question posed through his official forums.
| The producer contends that Microsoft is writing "$100 million dollar checks"
| to movie studios to ensure HD DVD exclusives that hurt the overall market
| regardless of the format's actual merit or its popularity, preventing any one
| format from gaining a clear upper hand. Bay's own Transformers is available
| on disc only in the less popular HD DVD format despite his stated preference
| for Blu-ray. To the director, this is primarily a stalling tactic while
| Microsoft refines its own online-only technology.
`----
http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/12/04/bay.on.microsoft.hd/
CES: Toshiba Standing Firm Supporting HD-DVD
,----[ Quote ]
| I would note that there is a big HD-DVD logo on the wall above the stage;
| they are not giving up exactly. They started the even by talking about
| HD-DVD, it turns out.
`----
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2008/01/06/ces-toshiba-standing-firm-supporting-hd-dvd/?mod=yahoobarrons
Two Studios to Support HD DVD Over Rival
,----[ Quote ]
| But money talks: Paramount and DreamWorks Animation together will receive
| about $150 million in financial incentives for their commitment to HD
| DVD, according to two Viacom executives with knowledge of the deal but
| who asked not to be identified.
|
| The incentives will come in a combination of cash and promotional
| guarantees. Toshiba, for instance, will use the release of “Shrek the
| Third” as part of an HD DVD marketing campaign.
|
| Paramount and DreamWorks Animation declined to comment. Microsoft, the
| most prominent technology company supporting HD DVDs, said it could not
| ^^^^^^^^^
| rule out payment but said it wrote no checks. “We provided no financial
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| incentives to Paramount or DreamWorks whatsoever,” said Amir Majidimehr,
| the head of Microsoft’s consumer media technology group.
`----
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/technology/21disney.html?ei=5088&en=d4e1f285e2f41437&ex=1345348800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1187698143-B5wO3L/F+4r1NyAsum87vQ
Cringely the Unemployable on the fallacy of Web 2.0, Microsoft ruthlessness,
and the CB radio of our decade
,----[ Quote ]
| Davidson: Which software company would you hate to compete against? What
| makes you single them out?
|
| Cringely: Microsoft of course. They have the deepest of pockets, unlimited
| ambition, and they are willing to lose money for years and years just to make
| sure that you don't make any money, either. And they are mean, REALLY mean.
|
| Davidson: Why do you think Microsoft is mean? Are you implying some kind of
| malicious intent rather than just ruthlessness?
|
| Cringely: Maybe "mean" is the wrong word to use for Microsoft. "Ruthless" is
| good. The company is built in the image of Bill Gates and Bill is a guy who
| gets caught-up in the game of business and doesn't typically see its personal
| cost. To use what might seem to be an obscure example, just look at all the
| various partnerships and industry consortia that Microsoft has announced
| through the years that never produced a product or even a usable
| specification. There have been literally dozens of these operations that are
| intended solely to freeze the competition until Microsoft can figure what the
| heck it actually wants to do. To Microsoft its a PR exercise that helps them
| compete but to customers it is just a damned lie. That's ruthless. There are
| plenty of other examples I can give but you get the point. I represent the
| concerns of users, not vendors, and Microsoft doesn't really care about
| users.
`----
http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2007/07/cringely-the-un.html
,----[ Quote ]
| "Let me be clear, ladies and gentlemen, there is one company that will
| have to change its illegal behavior as a result of this ruling, and
| that is Microsoft," Kroes said at a news conference.
`----
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/332064_msfteu18.html?source=mypi
PS3 + Linux + Firefox = Office 2.0 computing
,----[ Quote ]
| Sony and a technology site are using a conference to show off a confluence of
| next-generation, monopoly-bypassing technology: a Sony Playstation 3
| videogame console running Linux and Firefox as a foundation for
| Web-based "Office 2.0" applications.
|
| IT|Redux, a site run by blogger and tech adviser Ismael Ghalimi, is showing
| off the system at the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. IT|Redux is the
| show organizer.
`----
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9772115-1.html
PS3 available pre-installed with Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| TerraSoft is now taking direct pre-orders with no delivery
| time guarantees for a Sony PS3 pre-installed with Linux,
| priced at $650.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7863481537.html
|
|
