[QUOTE="m3Boarder32"]

Another Chinese Article, written today. (the 26th in China)

This article has been translated:

 

Wal-Mart meddling format war HD DVD will ultimately win?
http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.stor-age.com/dongtai/hangye/htm2007/07042600BX8M.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstor-age.com%26hl%3Den


Why is the HD DVD instead BD?

For Wal-Mart, low prices forever is the only truth. Wal-Mart will not sell discs without selling high-end home theater equipment, they know the price of power, as mentioned above, Wal-Mart DVD has been let for sale. They urgently need 200 dollars or less a refreshing player, the DVD also cost the lower the better. Toshiba agreed to early production of cheap DVDs, and HD DVD, and the cost difference between traditional DVD is not a very big site at least much cheaper than BD, HD DVD production without replacing major equipment.

Made the decision to become a very simple matter, BD Wal-Mart does not meet the requirements, technical advantages of the overall situation has become irrelevant. Always keep prices for the first Wal-Mart, the low-cost HD DVD become an inevitable choice.

What does this mean?

This means that any one film company in order to allow Wal-Mart Christmas and the days since the sale of their films, only issued HD DVD format movies. Wal-Mart will not help BD do promotional work. After the end of the year, they will focus on how to let customers to buy HD DVD player and movies above.

In the short term, BD camp studios only two options, either to support both formats, either Wal-Mart is facing the loss of business risk. They need to consider what it means to Wal-Mart business, Anti-Wal-Mart will act on their income and position in the market have much of an impact. This has given Sony's Columbia Pictures (Columbia Pictures) dilemma.

Therefore, if this move is Wal-Mart really (currently does seem like really), the format will struggle to put an end to, Wal-Mart announced HD DVD to become the ultimate winner. However, in the past few months, all variables still exist.

ramey70

I respect your posts and you're usually spot on with good info.  But that is actually a chinese translation of Robert Ederle's opinion piece on Digitaltrends. 

You're right.  I stand corrected.

Here is the original article.

Why HD-DVD and not Blu-Ray?

For Wal-Mart the only real metric is cost. Wal-mart doesn't really make money off of the movies and do not sell high-end home theater equipment. They are known for aggressive prices and, as mentioned above, they subsidize their DVD sales. They needed something that could sell for under $200 soon and they needed the lowest cost of the new formats. This is where HD DVD shines, not only had Toshiba agreed to license to low cost manufacturers early on, but HD DVDs are pressed on the same lines that regular DVDs are, they require no major equipment change out and the blanks, when compared to Blu-Ray are less expensive as well.

This made the decision simple, Blu-Ray was just too expensive to make this work and any technical advantages were insignificant against Wal-Mart's need for the lowest cost offering. For them it is about price and that is where HD DVD clearly has the sustainable advantage.

What does this Mean?

It means that any studio wanting Wal-Mart's support after year end had better be selling HD DVD movies. Wal-Mart won't be promoting Blu-Ray and, after year end, will increasingly focus their marketing on getting people to buy into HD DVD players and the related HD DVD movie from them.

In short, the Blu-Ray aligned studios will now have to either support both formats or risk losing much of Wal-Mart's business and given how material this business is to them, you have to think that an anti-Wall-Mart decision would have a material impact on their bonuses and career longevity. It certainly puts Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Sony, in a particularly uncomfortable position.

So, if this move by Wal-Mart is true , and it appears to be (but we won't know for sure for a few months yet), the format war is likely over and Wal-Mart has declared the winner.

Here is another Chinese Article,  that was written today.

This article has been translated.

Stor-Age is a very well regarded consumer electronic hardware industry site.

Wal-Mart meddling format war HD DVD will ultimately win?
http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.stor-age.com/dongtai/hangye/htm2007/07042600BX8M.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstor-age.com%26hl%3Den


Why is the HD DVD instead BD?

For Wal-Mart, low prices forever is the only truth. Wal-Mart will not sell discs without selling high-end home theater equipment, they know the price of power, as mentioned above, Wal-Mart DVD has been let for sale. They urgently need 200 dollars or less a refreshing player, the DVD also cost the lower the better. Toshiba agreed to early production of cheap DVDs, and HD DVD, and the cost difference between traditional DVD is not a very big site at least much cheaper than BD, HD DVD production without replacing major equipment.

Made the decision to become a very simple matter, BD Wal-Mart does not meet the requirements, technical advantages of the overall situation has become irrelevant. Always keep prices for the first Wal-Mart, the low-cost HD DVD become an inevitable choice.

What does this mean?

This means that any one film company in order to allow Wal-Mart Christmas and the days since the sale of their films, only issued HD DVD format movies. Wal-Mart will not help BD do promotional work. After the end of the year, they will focus on how to let customers to buy HD DVD player and movies above.

In the short term, BD camp studios only two options, either to support both formats, either Wal-Mart is facing the loss of business risk. They need to consider what it means to Wal-Mart business, Anti-Wal-Mart will act on their income and position in the market have much of an impact. This has given Sony's Columbia Pictures (Columbia Pictures) dilemma.

Therefore, if this move is Wal-Mart really (currently does seem like really), the format will struggle to put an end to, Wal-Mart announced HD DVD to become the ultimate winner. However, in the past few months, all variables still exist.

m3Boarder32

I stand corrected.  Thats from thedigibits.com 

It was translated from English to Chinese.

Why HD-DVD and not Blu-Ray?

For Wal-Mart the only real metric is cost. Wal-mart doesn't really make money off of the movies and do not sell high-end home theater equipment. They are known for aggressive prices and, as mentioned above, they subsidize their DVD sales. They needed something that could sell for under $200 soon and they needed the lowest cost of the new formats. This is where HD DVD shines, not only had Toshiba agreed to license to low cost manufacturers early on, but HD DVDs are pressed on the same lines that regular DVDs are, they require no major equipment change out and the blanks, when compared to Blu-Ray are less expensive as well.

This made the decision simple, Blu-Ray was just too expensive to make this work and any technical advantages were insignificant against Wal-Mart's need for the lowest cost offering. For them it is about price and that is where HD DVD clearly has the sustainable advantage.

What does this Mean?

It means that any studio wanting Wal-Mart's support after year end had better be selling HD DVD movies. Wal-Mart won't be promoting Blu-Ray and, after year end, will increasingly focus their marketing on getting people to buy into HD DVD players and the related HD DVD movie from them.

In short, the Blu-Ray aligned studios will now have to either support both formats or risk losing much of Wal-Mart's business and given how material this business is to them, you have to think that an anti-Wall-Mart decision would have a material impact on their bonuses and career longevity. It certainly puts Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Sony, in a particularly uncomfortable position.

So, if this move by Wal-Mart is true , and it appears to be (but we won't know for sure for a few months yet), the format war is likely over and Wal-Mart has declared the winner.

[QUOTE="tango90101"]

poor dire, he still thinks a ps3 counts as a dedicated bluray player..

 

Dire_Weasel

No, I don't. I've never said that.  The PS3 is defintely a Blu-ray player, but it sure isn't a dedicated blu-ray player.

Thanks for trying to change your claim from "hd-dvd players outsell blu-ray players 4-1" to "dedicated hd-dvd players outsell dedicated blu-ray players 4-1", but no one here is going to buy it. :lol:

Millions more BD players have been purchased,  yet only about 100K more BD movies have been sold.  What's going to happen when the 2 million HD-DVD players are sold at wally world

Here is another Chinese Article,  that was written today.

This article has been translated.

Stor-Age is a very well regarded consumer electronic hardware industry site.

Wal-Mart meddling format war HD DVD will ultimately win?
http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.stor-age.com/dongtai/hangye/htm2007/07042600BX8M.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstor-age.com%26hl%3Den


Why is the HD DVD instead BD?

For Wal-Mart, low prices forever is the only truth. Wal-Mart will not sell discs without selling high-end home theater equipment, they know the price of power, as mentioned above, Wal-Mart DVD has been let for sale. They urgently need 200 dollars or less a refreshing player, the DVD also cost the lower the better. Toshiba agreed to early production of cheap DVDs, and HD DVD, and the cost difference between traditional DVD is not a very big site at least much cheaper than BD, HD DVD production without replacing major equipment.

Made the decision to become a very simple matter, BD Wal-Mart does not meet the requirements, technical advantages of the overall situation has become irrelevant. Always keep prices for the first Wal-Mart, the low-cost HD DVD become an inevitable choice.

What does this mean?

This means that any one film company in order to allow Wal-Mart Christmas and the days since the sale of their films, only issued HD DVD format movies. Wal-Mart will not help BD do promotional work. After the end of the year, they will focus on how to let customers to buy HD DVD player and movies above.

In the short term, BD camp studios only two options, either to support both formats, either Wal-Mart is facing the loss of business risk. They need to consider what it means to Wal-Mart business, Anti-Wal-Mart will act on their income and position in the market have much of an impact. This has given Sony's Columbia Pictures (Columbia Pictures) dilemma.

Therefore, if this move is Wal-Mart really (currently does seem like really), the format will struggle to put an end to, Wal-Mart announced HD DVD to become the ultimate winner. However, in the past few months, all variables still exist.

Another Chinese Article,  written today.  (the 26th in China)

This article has been translated:

Wal-Mart meddling format war HD DVD will ultimately win?
http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.stor-age.com/dongtai/hangye/htm2007/07042600BX8M.asp&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dstor-age.com%26hl%3Den


Why is the HD DVD instead BD?

For Wal-Mart, low prices forever is the only truth. Wal-Mart will not sell discs without selling high-end home theater equipment, they know the price of power, as mentioned above, Wal-Mart DVD has been let for sale. They urgently need 200 dollars or less a refreshing player, the DVD also cost the lower the better. Toshiba agreed to early production of cheap DVDs, and HD DVD, and the cost difference between traditional DVD is not a very big site at least much cheaper than BD, HD DVD production without replacing major equipment.

Made the decision to become a very simple matter, BD Wal-Mart does not meet the requirements, technical advantages of the overall situation has become irrelevant. Always keep prices for the first Wal-Mart, the low-cost HD DVD become an inevitable choice.

What does this mean?

This means that any one film company in order to allow Wal-Mart Christmas and the days since the sale of their films, only issued HD DVD format movies. Wal-Mart will not help BD do promotional work. After the end of the year, they will focus on how to let customers to buy HD DVD player and movies above.

In the short term, BD camp studios only two options, either to support both formats, either Wal-Mart is facing the loss of business risk. They need to consider what it means to Wal-Mart business, Anti-Wal-Mart will act on their income and position in the market have much of an impact. This has given Sony's Columbia Pictures (Columbia Pictures) dilemma.

Therefore, if this move is Wal-Mart really (currently does seem like really), the format will struggle to put an end to, Wal-Mart announced HD DVD to become the ultimate winner. However, in the past few months, all variables still exist.

[QUOTE="m3Boarder32"][QUOTE="Javy03"]

[QUOTE="Chris-Hansen"]yeah i work at walmart and we couldnt move the thing out of stores here in LA, we had to cut the price almost in half. and i havent heard much about the big hd dvd purchase but i heard they might actually be bluray players from my boss but she said she hasnt heard much she aint an executive. i saw a translation and it said "blue hd player" and that it would be easier to manufacture now that they didnt use cartridges anymore, bluray used to use carts. hd dvd never did.Javy03

Not just that but the HD DVD camp wont even confirm it.  Check engadethd.com.  It sounds alot like a bad translated rumor.

"The biggest news to hit the format war in some time hit last week with word that Wal-Mart and China's Great Wall corporation struck a deal to bring inexpensive HD DVD players to market. While this is would be great news for all HD fans, we were left a bit worrisome by the translation dispute between the two camps. Just to make sure we had our facts straight, we updated the post and contacted HD DVD to get the full story. While the HD DVD camp reminded us that they have inexpensive players from China on the way, they weren't able to confirm any "specific reports relating to Wal-Mart". It seems to us that if this were indeed true, that the HD DVD camp would be the first to trumpet its significance to their success in the format war. As much as we all want inexpensive next generation HD disc players, we will just have to wait for something more official before we hold off on our purchases waiting for Wal-Mart."

Yeah cuz Engadget is not biased or anything..The first thing Engadget reported was that is was Blu-ray players...Then when they updated there story and changed it to HD-DVD they said.

"Update: Pull back the reigns HD DVD fanboys, Akihabara now says that they've made a "huge mistake" with their translation: the original source called it "藍光 HD DVD and 藍光 means Blu-RAY." In other words, Blu-ray HD DVD. Huh? Word to the wise: since both formats use blue lasers, it's best to wait for an English press release before either camp celebrates."

HD DVD Fanboys huh?  :roll:

Actually the first article was for HD DVD then Blu ray.  The point is there is no confirmation and its a rumor that can mean alot of different things. Lets wait for confirmation we can all understand before we cite Walmart as a factor in the format war.

Actualley,  the first article said Blu-ray,  and it was changed to HD-DVD :roll:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/20/the-wal-mart-299-hd-dvd-player-on-the-way/

The Wal-Mart $299 HD DVD player on the way

Posted Apr 20th 2007 6:52AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Get ready to get your cheap HD on kids. Wal-Mart just threw down some serious green for a batch of Chinese-made HD DVD players. Just as they brought DVD players down to near-disposable status, their deal for 2 million HD DVD players produced by China's Great Wall corporation will ultimately do the same for hi-def optical. The guts are developed by Taiwan's Fuh Yuan with a touch of help from Japan's TDK. How much? A magical $299, that's how much -- $100 less than the cheapest available HD DVD rig (Toshiba's A2) and half of Sony's $600 BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc player. It's not clear when we'll see the first units on Wal-Mart shelves, only that the final shipment from the order is expected before 2008 is over.

Update: Pull back the reigns HD DVD fanboys, Akihabara now says that they've made a "huge mistake" with their translation: the original source called it "藍光 HD DVD and 藍光 means Blu-RAY." In other words, Blu-ray HD DVD. Huh? Word to the wise: since both formats use blue lasers, it's best to wait for an English press release before either camp celebrates.

And Engadet is stuck on "藍光" meaning "Blu-ray" when it means "Blue Light"

And not only that,  Engadet is also stuck on Akirhabaranews.com's article.  Which is by far most poorly written article about the HD-DVD/Walmart thing.  Here is Akiraba's article

"A big thanks to Finn for the info !
According to the Chinese media, Taiwan based company Fuh Yuan, in cooperation with TDK, should produce 2 million HDDVD players for Wal-Mart, representing a deal of around 100 million dollars.

--- Sorry for the previous News, but we were lost in the translation , We had to read Blu-RayHD DVD... in Chinese it is 藍光 = blue ray ---"

That's it?!  My 14 year old sister could have written a better article,  with more research!  "藍光" does not mean Blu-ray in that article.  It means Blue Laser technology,  which is used in HD-DVD players too

[QUOTE="latinrage69"][QUOTE="Javy03"][QUOTE="latinrage69"][QUOTE="Javy03"][QUOTE="latinrage69"][QUOTE="Javy03"]

[QUOTE="Chris-Hansen"]yeah i work at walmart and we couldnt move the thing out of stores here in LA, we had to cut the price almost in half. and i havent heard much about the big hd dvd purchase but i heard they might actually be bluray players from my boss but she said she hasnt heard much she aint an executive. i saw a translation and it said "blue hd player" and that it would be easier to manufacture now that they didnt use cartridges anymore, bluray used to use carts. hd dvd never did.Javy03

Not just that but the HD DVD camp wont even confirm it. Check engadethd.com. It sounds alot like a bad translated rumor.

"The biggest news to hit the format war in some time hit last week with word that Wal-Mart and China's Great Wall corporation struck a deal to bring inexpensive HD DVD players to market. While this is would be great news for all HD fans, we were left a bit worrisome by the translation dispute between the two camps. Just to make sure we had our facts straight, we updated the post and contacted HD DVD to get the full story. While the HD DVD camp reminded us that they have inexpensive players from China on the way, they weren't able to confirm any "specific reports relating to Wal-Mart". It seems to us that if this were indeed true, that the HD DVD camp would be the first to trumpet its significance to their success in the format war. As much as we all want inexpensive next generation HD disc players, we will just have to wait for something more official before we hold off on our purchases waiting for Wal-Mart."

right, but if it were a blu-ray player, don't you think that sony and the BDA would've announced it as soon as possible. remember during CES when they announced early "victory" over hd dvd after only being in the lead of software sales for a couple of weeks? all i'm saying is, wait until there is a proper translation of the article. from what i've heard and read, it's a mistranslation that was suppose to say blue laser or blue light hd dvd player, not blu-ray player. once again, let's just wait until something legitimate comes out.

I never said it was blu ray or that it was even real. I agree we should wait, thats why I referred to it as a rumor. My point is alot of people still believe the Walmart thing is a factor or confirmed when in reality it is just a rumor and it may mean the complete opposite of what HD DVD fans might want it to mean.

actually, wal-mart is a huge factor. they are the largest retail store in the world and the second largest electronics retailer in the US (behind Best Buy.) Disney also has contracts with wal-mart to sell disney exclusive merchandise, like toys, movies, disney branded electronics, etc. if wal-mart goes hd dvd exclusive, which they will announce soon enough, disney will follow suit or risk losing millions in revenue. my guess, wal-mart will sell hd dvd players and disney will go neutral by fall to coincide with the PotC 3 dvd launch.

Walmart is not gonna force Disney movie studios to go HD DVD by boycotting their TOYS. Two different departments and Walmart will not push Disney to do anything. YOu dont get it, its a RUMOR, that could mean BLu ray instead of HD DVD. Right more blu ray movies sell over HD DVD even though more stand alone HD DVD players are sold over blu ray. That goes to show you that PS3 owners are all about using their PS3 for blu ray movies too. That millions of blu ray players in each home. Walmart is not choosing sides.

please go back and read m3boarders post.

the translation says blue light or blue laser hd dvd player. not blu-ray player. he even shows the actual chinese article there is no mention of blu-ray (if there was, they'd've wrote it in printed english). it does mention hd dvd however and in printed english. wal-mart has chosen their side and it's hd dvd. also, most people   (read average consumer) doesn't want to buy a video game console just to watch movies.

Read my previous posts where the HD DVD camp was asked about the Walmart thing and they couldnt confirm it.  Funny how HD DVD camp wouldnt confirm somthing that would take their dead in the water image out of the media.  Its a Rumor and I dont care what m3boarders think, engadgethd.com seems to be quite skeptical, how about we wait for true confirmation and not any more unconfirmed rumors before we jump to conclusions like you seem to do.

The HD-DVD camp has no authority to confirm or deny the story,  The deal is between Walmart, and the Fuh Yuan corporation,  if they want the story to come out it's up to them.

And you don't care what i think?  What about what Bluray forum at avsforum.com?  The Bluray forum! And don't tell me "who is avsforum.com" either,  they pretty much put this whole story in the lime light.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=837447

85% of members at  the Bluray forum at avsforum.com think the story is about HD-DVD.

 View Poll Results: Are you convinced the recent Walmart/China connection is about HD-DVD?

  I'm not convinced at all.      34   12.55%

  I'm over 50% convinced.      24   8.86%

  Im under 50% convinced.      11   4.06%

   I'm convinced, it's for HD-DVD      202   74.54%

271 votes,  3,500 views

[QUOTE="tango90101"]

that's what i was waiting for... very nice....:)

SOLD!

Dire_Weasel

You've been an HD-DVD fanboy for almost a year now... and you've never owned an HD-DVD player? :lol:

Well, at least that explains how uninformed you are about the topic. 

Weasel,  do you own any BD movies?

[QUOTE="ramey70"][QUOTE="latinrage69"][QUOTE="-supercharged-"][QUOTE="Chris-Hansen"][QUOTE="Dreams-Visions"]

[QUOTE="-supercharged-"]I still think M$ should release a Blu-Ray drive for the 360. gmastersexay

expect it, should the situation warrant it.

If they are really about giving their customers "choice" like they say they do they will release it.

while ms is all about giving people a choice in xbox 360, they have a vested interest in hd dvd. why would they go and kill off something that could potentially make them billions of dollars just to offer a blu-ray player that, just like hd dvd, has a 50% chance of failure and that wont make them a ton of money (because thy have no stock in the survival or victory of bd).

How would HD-DVD make Microsoft "billions" of dollars?  They don't hold the patents or royalty rights to it. 

The programing used for the interactive menus (i-HD) on HD DVD is from Microsoft. So they would be making some money. Blu-ray uses Java from Sun Microsystems.

Which Reminds me,  how is BD-J coming along :roll:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6702

Blu-ray Disc Java is coming this fall, and it may be incompatible with some of today's machines

The most common piece of advice given to those unsure about which high-definition optical format to buy is to simply wait until a victor emerges. Early adopters, however, should be aware that being cutting edge could come with a price, such as the risk of bugs or complete hardware and software obsolescence.

The Blu-ray Disc Association has mandated that all players of the format released after October 31 must adhere to a specific feature set that is currently not standard for today's hardware. All Blu-ray Disc players after the fall date must support BD Java, a programming language for Blu-ray Disc media used mainly to deliver picture-in-picture for in-movie commentary and special features.

"Blu-ray player requirements and BD-Java specifications have been gradually changed over and over again, which has caused a good amount of grief for player manufacturers," said optical storage analyst Wesley Novack. "The new specification and requirements will ensure that all Blu-ray players manufactured past October will be able to support the full range of BD-Java capabilities, including picture in picture and more."

Early adopters of Blu-ray players may find themselves with inadequate hardware to support media using BD Java software.

Novack continued, "This might be bad news for early adopters who have already purchased a player, but it will not prevent them from playing back future Blu-ray movies. Owners of first generation Blu-ray players will probably not be able to use the full range of interactive features available on future Blu-ray Disc titles."

Owners of current Blu-ray Disc players who are concerned about the future utility of their hardware are assured by manufacturers that current players won't be made completely obsolete with the new standard.

"As is common in new format introductions, future products will include some additional features such as picture-in-picture," said Philips VP Marty Gordon to Video Business. "Regardless of whether first-generation hardware supports these new features, the discs will still play."

Unlike the HD DVD standard, Blu-ray players are not required to have Ethernet ports for firmware updates. Blu-ray machines with upgradable firmware likely will have a greater chance of conforming to the mandated format this fall.

Although HD DVD is not without its own set of early adopter issues, support for a standard programming language is already solidified for the format. HDi, an XML-based format developed by Microsoft and Toshiba, is mandatory on all HD DVD players and enables picture-in-picture special features to run alongside the feature length film.

Warner Bros. has released titles such as Batman Begins and V for Vendetta for HD DVD but not Blu-ray for the sole reason of the latter format's lack of standardization. The upcoming Matrix trilogy release will also appear on HD DVD first for the same reason. Warner Bros. said that it would release Blu-ray Disc versions of such films in the fall, assumingly after the BD Java mandate takes effect.

Paramount has taken a different approach with Blu-ray's apparent shortcoming. The studio released Mission: Impossible 3 on both HD DVD and Blu-ray, though the HD DVD version features a video picture-in-picture commentary, while the Blu-ray version does only with audio.

Only a couple Blu-ray movies feature picture-in-picture commentaries, those titles being Descent and Crank, though they do so without BD Java. Cleverly, and perhaps inelegantly, two complete versions of the movie are stored on a 50GB Blu-ray disc. One version contains the normal version of the film, while the second one features the picture-in-picture commentary hard-encoded on top of the film.

The addition of BD Java is not the only new requirement for Blu-ray players this fall. All players released after October 31 must hold a minimum 256MB of persistent memory storage. Those with network options will have to have 1GB of memory to support Web downloads.

Famed DVD producer, Van Ling, expresses discontent over the lack of standardization of the Blu-ray format. "The whole problem comes in when some manufacturers toe the minimum line and some others might make twice the minimum [functionality] on players," said Ling. "In my view, I shouldn't have to know what every single player can do. Rather than downgrade my creative vision for the lowest common denominator player, I want to create something [that fully realizes Blu-ray abilities]."