Paramount, Universal Go Blu-Ray

With the official announcement from Toshiba today that they are ending their development of HD DVD, word comes down that Paramount and Universal will publish films on Blu-Ray. This isn't a surprising move, considering that the landscape of the HD format war has completely tilted towards Blu-Ray. Universal had this to say:

"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray"

I guess very soon, Blu-Ray owners will be able to pick up that Transformers movie that they've always wanted.

Breaking: Universal Studios Goes Blu [High-Def Digest via Crunchgear]

Universal Ends Exclusivity With HD DVD

The end is nie…

This sounds to be the case for HD DVD as Variety has confirmed that Universal will no longer support HD DVD exclusively. Universal and Paramount were the last two movie homes to support HD DVD exclusively, but that has changed since the announcement of Warner Bros. Blu-Ray only support. Paramount has a clause that will allow them to also push both formats, but some speculate that they will leave HD DVD completely.

Universal did say that they’re still committed to HD DVD, and in fact plan HD DVD promotions in the future. But Jesus Diaz from Gizmodo brings up an interesting point stating that retailers are not going to commit "premium shelf space to a dying format.”

If HD DVD starts to lose shelve space and begins to be pushed to the side, Universal might as well not make another HD DVD!

[Variety via Gizmodo]

Paramount Rumored To Go Blu-Ray Exclusively

Another devastating blow is rumored to be looming for HD DVD, as Financial Times is reporting Paramount has a clause in their HD DVD exclusivity that allows them to abandon ship if HD DVD tanks and Warner goes to Blu-Ray. Paramount is said to be ready to invoke that clause, in light of Warner’s defection.

In less than a week, HD DVD has gone from spunky underdog to heart attack victim on life support waiting to have the plug kicked out. If Paramount makes this switch, it would leave Universal and Dreamworks in the HD DVD camp. And with Dreamworks being a branch of Paramount, one would think that the change to Blu-Ray wouldn’t be to far behind.

Nite nite HD DVD. We hardly knew ye.

[Financial Times]

5 Minute Trailer For Cloverfield.

5 minutes of the J.J. Abrams mystery move "Coverfield" has made it's way to the Internet. Paramount is doing a promotion for the movie along with a contest, so just hit play to see the clip. "Cloverfield" is due out on January 18, 2008.

Plot Summary: Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event

Courtesy of Mania and Comingsoon.

Sony CEO Says HD Format War Is A "Stalemate", Doesn't "Mean Much"

Head of Sony Corp. and head honcho Howard Stringer spoke to an audience in NYC, and said that the HD format war between Blu-Ray and HD DVD is a stalemate. This is a big turnaround considering they were claiming victory less than 11 months ago. Stringer stated that the tide turned when Paramount went exclusive to HD DVD. Check the quote:

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides,"

But the AP report went on to say this:

At the same time, he played down the importance of the battle, saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end. "It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said.

Whenever I hear Sony make a statement about how well they're doing I alway take it with a block of salt. If they say they're doing good, they're not doing so good. If they say they're doing mediocre, they're doing very bad!!!

Photo courtesy of Gizmodo
[AP via Gizmodo]

Michael Bay To Paramount: No Transformers 2 For Me

Seems like Michael Bay, director of "Transformers," "Bad Boys," "Pear Harbor" ect.. is pissed off at Paramount. Since Paramount made the announcement that they would be exclusive to HD-DVD, Michael Bay had some choice words on his blog about the decision. Check out the quote below:

"Paramount pisses me off!", he states, "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!"

So Mike isn't going to make Transformers 2 because he won't be able to pop it in his PS3? Some how I think he may change his mind.

[Engadget]